"MasterChef" season three runner-up Joshua Marks was arrested and charged with aggravated battery against a police officer after a bizarre run-in with University of Chicago police on Tuesday.
Marks, who is 7 foot, 2 inches and weighs 260 pounds, was taken into custody at 3:50 a.m. after he attacked and attempted to disarm an officer at a nearby apartment complex, according to Jeremy Manier, news director for the university.
The 26-year-old, who finished "MasterChef" in second place behind Christine Ha (the show's first blind contestant), is currently in the custody of the Cook County Department of Corrections, a representative for the police confirmed to TODAY.com. However, Marks is not currently behind bars, and is instead being held at a nearby medical facility. The spokesperson did not say what Marks is being treated for.
The former reality show contestant is currently being held on $150,000 bail. His next court date is set for Aug. 5 in Chicago.
Before he appeared on "MasterChef," Marks was a contract specialist in the U.S. Army. He grew up in Chicago, and moved to Jackson, Miss., to attend Tougaloo College on a basketball scholarship. He graduated in 2009.
This simple band has square-ish edges and is made from solid 18k palladium white gold from recycled sources. It measures 7mm x 1.5mm and has a brushed/matte, hammered finish. I would be happy to do other finishes upon request, just ask.
18k palladium white gold is a nickel-free alloy that incorporates a bit of palladium, which provides a nice smoky grey color that is more resistant to yellowing over time than un-plated white gold, eliminating the need for rhodium plating.
The fourth listing photo also shows a narrower band in the same style, which is available separately here - https://www.etsy.com/listing/158159855 . The set of two rings is also listed here - https://www.etsy.com/listing/158149080 . This listing is for one 7mm wide band only.
Please plan for a three to four week turnaround time for your custom made ring.
Due to the value of this piece, shipping costs have been adjusted to include insurance within the United States. I do offer international shipping; if you live outside the US, please contact me for a quote specific to your location. Due to the lack of availability of insurance through the US postal service for international packages, I use FedEx when shipping overseas; this is a more expensive but far safer option. International buyers, please be aware that you are solely responsible for any duties/taxes that your country may charge on imported goods.
If you would like to make two payments (50% now and 50% upon completion), please note your preference in the 'notes to seller' field and select 'other' as your payment method. Once I receive your order I will send a Paypal money request for half the total, or you can call me to process the partial payment on your credit card over the phone.
As is all my jewelry, this piece is vegan, meaning no animal products (pearls, silk, leather, etc.) were used in its construction.
As I?ve noted from time to time, For Sale By Owners (?FSBO?s?) are prone to multiple mistakes, any one of which can easily negate (or worse) any money such Sellers hope to?save on commission.
Along with the two biggest mistakes I routinely see FSBO?s?commit ? overpricing and not knowing how to market ? come a raft of smaller ones that cumulatively can be just as costly.
Like the Lake Nokomis FSBO I showed this Sunday.
Waste of Time
Make that, tried to show.
When I opened up the lockbox to access the house . . . no key.
After calling the contact number listed on MLS and leaving a voicemail, my client and I headed down the street to get a cup of coffee while we waited for a return phone call.
I?m glad we moved on after 15 minutes:? almost two days later, I still haven?t?heard back.
Tagged as: commission, For Sale by Owner, FSBO, FSBO mistake, lockbox, missing key, poor marketing, save commission
Post by
Ross Kaplan
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Physical therapy and over-the-counter painkillers usually more appropriate, guidelines say
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Many doctors ignore guidelines about the treatment of back pain and instead turn to extensive use of scans like MRIs and the most addictive types of painkillers, new research finds.
It's not clear exactly how many aren't following recommendations, nor whether they're causing harm or perhaps just not helping patients get better. Researchers also don't know if the physicians are unaware of the guidelines or simply don't want to follow them.
Still, the findings are troublesome, said study author Dr. John Mafi, chief medical resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. While they may be appropriate in some cases, treatments like scans and powerful painkillers "are increasingly being overused, and unnecessarily so," he said. "Doctors are increasingly not following guidelines."
Back pain and neck pain (which the new study combines into one category) are very common in the United States. According to estimates, they account for more than 10 percent of all visits to primary care doctors and cost $86 billion to treat.
Established, national guidelines suggest that routine back pain be treated with physical therapy and painkillers including aspirin-like drugs and acetaminophen (Tylenol). Only rare cases are thought to need more aggressive treatment, such as imaging scans.
The study authors looked at a database of nearly 24,000 U.S. medical visits from 1999 to 2010 that were related to back pain. People with serious conditions potentially linked to their back pain -- like cancer -- were not included.
The researchers found that the use of aspirin-like painkillers and acetaminophen fell from about 37 percent in 1999-2000 to 24.5 percent in 2009-2010, while the use of narcotics -- which can be addictive -- jumped from 19 percent to 29 percent. Use of physical therapy remained steady at about 20 percent, while referrals to other physicians doubled, from nearly 7 percent to 14 percent.
Meanwhile, use of X-rays remained stable at about 17 percent, while use of CT scans and MRIs rose from about 7 percent to 11 percent. CTs and MRIs have become much more common over the past two decades, prompting some physicians to warn that they're exposing too many patients to unnecessary and dangerous levels of radiation.
"There's a huge potential for cost savings, to improve the quality of care and reduce unnecessary procedures that can lead to patient harm," Mafi said.
Why do so many physicians seem to be ignoring the guidelines? The study doesn't offer insight into that question, but Mafi suspects the desire for a "quick fix" is at play. "The problem is that it really takes a lot of patience to manage back pain," he said.
To make matters more complicated, the existing treatments don't cure back pain but only treat its symptoms, he said. Even so, "patients want a cure, and doctors want to be able to give them a cure."
Dr. Donald Casey Jr., a general internist and chief medical officer for the NYUPN Clinically Integrated Network, wrote a commentary about the new study and offers ideas about how to fix things. It's not a matter of doctors not doing their jobs properly, he said. Instead, "it's that health care has gotten so complex."
What to do? For one, he said, "we've got to put better training in place to help sort out which of these patients falls into the category of more serious problems versus something that's more run of the mill."
The study appeared online July 29 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers have developed a cementitious material incorporating carbon nanofibers in its composition, turning cement into an excellent conductor of electricity capable of performing functions beyond its usual structural function.
For republicans and monarchists alike, Prince George looks to have brought about general agreement on one issue at least: His very birth is a positive sign for the future of the monarchy.
John Fraser, the master at Toronto's Massey College and author of The Secret of the Crown: Canada's Affair with Royalty, says that even he feels sorry for republicans following the royal birth on July 22.
One of Fraser's favourite republican sparring partners, the eminent historian Michael Bliss, concedes the royals are "on a good run now" ? a view that seems to be ricocheting around the globe.
British journalist Claudia Joseph, author of Kate: the Making of a Princess, told Associated Press, "I think this baby is hugely significant for the future of the monarchy," at least partly because George is the first offspring of a "commoner" in 350 years to be an heir to the throne.
Meanwhile, the editors of the New Zealand Herald opined that countries like New Zealand now "may be less anxious to cast off a connection of heritage that presents no threat to their constitutional sovereignty."
And the Australian Times reports that the royal birth "could prove to be the change that was needed for Australia to renew its commitment to the Commonwealth."
Author and journalist John Fraser defends the Crown in this 2012 book. But part of its dedication is to 'Michael Bliss: Historian, Conservative, Republican.'(CBC)
Not everyone was overwhelmed, mind you. In Northern Ireland, after brooding over "an heir backlog within the House of Windsor," the Belfast Telegraph observed that "it is hard even to envisage the future for a royal child born in the age of Twitter."
And Andrew Vine, an assistant editor at the Yorkshire Post, took the BBC to task for what he calls its "nasty little caveat" -- by repeatedly using the phrase "as things stand" in stories about George that implies "doubt hangs over the future of the monarchy."
"It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that within the BBC lies a mentality that regards the monarchy as a tiresome and outdated anachronism, and by extension, the millions who rejoiced at news of the birth as little more than deluded peasants in thrall to the pomp, pageantry and spectacle of royal events, an easily-pleased rabble who turn ga-ga with starry-eyed adoration and abandon all critical faculty when the glass coach passes by," Vine writes.
What does history tell us about the monarchy?s future?
Last year Fraser and Bliss were debating the monarchy before large audiences across Canada. So after the new prince's name was revealed, CBC News checked in with the two eminent Canadians for their thoughts on the future of the Crown in Canada.
Bliss, ever the historian, looks to what recent world history tells us about about forms of government and counts fewer monarchies. "You don't have many countries that adopt a monarchy and you have various countries that get rid of it, so the historical trend is against the poor baby," he said.
He also pointed out the decline of the monarchy among Commonwealth nations over the last half-century. Only 16 of the 53 members nations recognize the Queen as their head of state.
"I would bet my money the baby will never be the king of Australia and New Zealand, and my guess is not of Canada either," Bliss said.
John Fraser says the test for the Royal Family is not the good times but how they weather 'the crises, and so far they look pretty resilient.'(Massey College)
When it comes to monarchy, much depends on public opinion, both he and Fraser agree. "The polls do show that with every generation of Canadians, there's less interest in the monarchy," says Bliss and he expects that trend to continue.
Fraser's view: "Any institution that depends on the goodwill of the masses has clouds over it, they're built in."
But he also noted that the same applies to parliamentary democracy or the American republican system.
Testing constitutional monarchy
"The test is not the good times, these nice times of renewal for the constitutional monarchy. But how it weathers the crises and so far they look pretty resilient," Fraser said about the the Royal family.
"They've been counted down so many times," he added. But "if you project from today, things are looking good."
Fraser argues that, in Canada, the monarchy "probably will continue, because to open up any kind of constitutional issue in Canada is always so fraught, and it had better be for a pretty important reason, and I don't think the constitutional monarchy actually constitutes a very important reason to hurl each other at each other."
Bliss concedes "there's a certain amount of truth in that, and that's the inertia factor, which is probably [Prince George's] best hope.
In 2008, with the opposition parties planning to bring down his government, Prime Minister Stephen Harper succeeded in getting then governor general Michaelle Jean to approve his controversial recommendation to prorogue Parliament. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)
"The problem with that is that as we've seen at least once, maybe more often in recent history, the status quo can get us into some serious problems."
As Bliss sees it, "there is a serious flaw in the Constitution related to the monarchy, and the flaw is that the monarchy is so completely ceremonial and toothless that it is nothing more than a creature of the government of the day."
Abuse of prime ministerial power
That toothlessness results in the Governor General having no legitimacy to be a serious check on prime ministerial power, Bliss said.
It is a serious problem that "crops up whenever a prime minister appears to be abusing power, as in proroguing Parliament. In the next 65 years it's hard to think that Canada will sail along quietly, constitutionally."
This week the Quebec government said it would be an intervener in support of a court challenge to the legislation passed unanimously by the House of Commons in March that removed the gender bias in the rules on royal succession.
Since Henry VIII (in portrait), British monarchs have had the title, 'Defender of the Faith.' Prince Charles, shown here in 2004, has proposed dropping the 'the.' (Fiona Hanson/Reuters)
The challenge is mostly about the way the changes were implemented. The Quebec law professors bringing the case argue Canada's Constitution requires the consultation and agreement of all the provinces for a change of this magnitude to become law.
The federal government disagrees, arguing that a change to the rules of succession is not a constitutional amendment to the role of the monarchy. But Bliss says that this case could be "a real sleeping stick of dynamite."
Only Anglicans need apply
Another argument in the court challenge is that the change discriminates on the basis of religion because it requires the heir to be Anglican.
Fraser points out that, in Britain, there is the real possibility of the disestablishment of the Church of England as the state church. "The moment that happens, the denomination of the sovereign is irrelevant," he argues.
In 1521, Pope Leo X bestowed on Henry VIII the title "Defender of the Faith," and every monarch since then has taken on that title at their coronation. Prince Charles has argued for a slight but important change in the title ? dropping the word "the."
And while the suggestion provoked a firestorm, Fraser argues that Charles's view is important for the survival of the monarchy. "The monarchy has to be inclusive, not exclusive, that's his instinct and that's being passed on to his heir."
Historian Michael Bliss says we are entering the age of the geriatric monarchy, with the prospect of only elderly men succeeding each other once Charles becomes king.(CBC)
Fraser and Bliss both agree that Catherine has boosted the monarchy's popularity at the moment, essentially because shecomes across as a lovely young woman with an easygoing nature.
But Bliss points out that we are also in what he calls the age of the geriatric monarchy.
As things stand, to invoke the BBC caveat, after Queen Elizabeth the crown passes to her already 64-year-old son, Charles.
Given the longevity of the Windsors, and their opposition to abdication, the future of this royal family looks to be one of elderly men succeeding each other for at least three generations.
For Bliss, the likelihood there may not be another young queen like Elizabeth poses a problem for the monarchy's future image.
The Quebec law professors' motion for judgment on the Succession to the Throne Act:
Daniel Schwartz is both a Massey College alumnus and a former student of Prof. Bliss.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Gas prices have been declining over the past week after increasing steadily earlier in July.
In a weekly report Sunday on the price of gas, AAA Mid-Atlantic says the national average dropped to $3.65 per gallon on Friday. That's a 2.5-cent drop in the past week.
But the cost is still 11 cents more expensive than a month ago and 16 cents more expensive than a year ago.
AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend says the decline in gas prices over the past seven days offers motorists a small sign of relief ahead of August vacations.
The average price in the District of Columbia was $3.89 on Sunday. Maryland drivers were paying $3.69 on average, and Delaware drivers were paying $3.67. Virginia had the lowest price in the region at $3.48.
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Like many consumers the launch of the upcoming game consoles from Microsoft and Sony are a hotly contested, yet highly anticipated event.? For this article I am not going to be taking a stance on the merits of one system over the other but simply pointing out some interesting maneuverings in the presell battles.? The other day I was contacted by some people who told me that they had a cryptic message from Amazon regarding their day one pre-order of PlayStation 4.? I did some checking with other people improve ordered and even looked at a pre-order we had set aside as a gift. Upon checking the status of the order, I was given the following message ?.Thank you for shopping with us. We?d like to let you know that Amazon has received your order, and is preparing it for shipment. Your estimated delivery date is: Monday, January 6, 2014 ? Wednesday, January 8, 2014.
While I appreciated the attention to detail this does raise some rather interesting questions .? Since all the people I checked with were day one pre-orders either the supply of new PlayStation 4 consoles is going to be very limited or perhaps the January date signifies a later release date then fans had originally intended as most of them had been expecting the new consoles somewhere around November of 2014.? Now I understand this could simply be investment and should I release date in November arrived that certainly would not be out of the question for the consuls to ship early.? However as somebody who regularly purchases through Amazon, they generally do not commit to a ship date without a pretty good understanding of one product will be available.? The standard line has always been we have received your order and able ship once the product is ready and that she will be given an e-mail at a time to verify this.
I went to the local GameStop to do some browsing as I often do and talk with the staff .? The employee told me that Microsoft has only allocated a very small amount of Xbox One units to retailers for launch.? He said this tactic allows Microsoft to count that they have sold out of all of their pre-orders as well as create demand for the unit through orders that will be filled in the weeks and months ahead.
He said that Sony on the other hand has set no limits as to their pre-orders.? As a result, he believes that several people who pre-ordered expecting a day one release, will actually receive their unit for several months or weeks down the road when supplies start to catch up with demand.? He said there will likely be some very upset people who thought they would be getting a day one shipment as a pre-ordered at the first available date from their retailer but will find out that they may not see unit for a few months after street date.
Interestingly enough, GameStop yesterday indicated that they had received a limited allocation of Xbox One units that were available for pre-order and that consumers wishing to get their hands on the new console needed to take advantage of this offer before they were gone.
In the end what really will matter is the quality of the unit?s , the games , and the features of each console, but for people who purchased pre-orders on day one with the anticipation of having units for the upcoming holiday season, this could lead to a lot of frustration for both consumers and retailers alike if people with day one pre-orders are forced to wait weeks or months for delivery.
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain (AP) ? The driver of a Spanish train that derailed at high speed was being questioned by a judge on Sunday as officials tried to determine if he was responsible for the accident, which killed 79 people.
Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, 52, has been held by police on suspicion of negligent homicide. He has not been formally charged by a magistrate or made any official statements.
However, minutes after the crash Garzon said that he had been going fast and couldn't brake, a local resident who rushed to the scene of the accident said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
The resident, Evaristo Iglesias, said he and another person accompanied the blood-soaked Garzon to flat ground where other injured people were being laid out, waiting for emergency services to arrive.
"He told us that he wanted to die," Iglesias told Antena 3 television. "He said he had needed to brake but couldn't," Iglesias said. He added that Garzon said "he had been going fast."
The train carrying 218 passenger in eight cars hurtled far over the 80-kph (50-mph) speed limit into a high-risk curve on Wednesday, tumbling off the tracks and slamming into a concrete wall, with some of the cars catching fire. The Spanish rail agency has said the brakes should have been applied four kilometers (2.5 miles) before the train hit the curve.
On Sunday, Garzon was moved from the police station in the northwestern Spanish town of Santiago de Compostela, near where the accident occurred, to its courthouse just as the deadline of his 72 hours of detention was to expire.
Luis Alaez, the investigative judge, was to question the driver in private and was not expected to comment about it afterward. The judge also was to have access to the information contained in the train's "black box," which is similar to those found on aircraft, officials said.
Investigators must determine if Garzon failed to apply the brakes or whether it was a technical failure.
Previously Garzon had exercised his right to remain silent when police tried to interview him, officials said. Spain's state-run train company has described him as an experience driver who knew the route well.
In its report about the accident, Antena 3 television showed a photograph of Iglesias in a pink shirt and cap helping to carry the driver after the train accident. The station also aired television footage of Iglesias working beside the wrecked train to help other survivors.
In the interview, Iglesias recalled Garzon's words, "'I don't want to see this, I want to die,' that's what he said repeatedly," said Iglesias. "'I had to brake down to 80 and couldn't,'" Iglesias quoted the driver as saying.
On Sunday the death toll from the train derailment rose to 79 after an injured passenger died in a hospital, a spokeswoman from the regional government of Galicia told The Associated Press.
A spokeswoman at the University Hospital complex in Santiago de Compostela confirmed the fatality of the unidentified victim.
Spanish national broadcaster RTVE said the person was an American woman but didn't provide her name. The U.S. Embassy said that it would not comment until it could confirm what happened and communicate with the family of the victim.
Officials said 70 people injured in the train accident remained hospitalized on Sunday, 22 in critical condition.
Iglesias was among survivors and witnesses who began to give evidence to police on Sunday.
Meanwhile, authorities said forensic experts have identified the last three bodies among the 79 dead.
Victims have been reported from France, Algeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, France, Italy, Mexico and the United States, but officials have not publicly identified each victim or his or her nationality.
Mourning continued throughout Spain, with Sunday church services being held in remembrance of the dead. A large funeral mass is planned for Monday afternoon in Santiago de Compostela, and the prime minister and royal family are expected to attend.
The crash has cast a pall over the town, a Catholic pilgrimage site. Santiago officials had been preparing for the religious feast of St. James of Compostela, Spain's patron saint, but canceled it after the crash and turned a local sporting arena into a morgue.
Source: www.hospitalitybizindia.com --- Saturday, July 27, 2013 Vegetarian thali restaurant, Khandani Rajdhani has launched the fifth outlet of Delhi NCR, making it the 35th outlet in the country. Located at the Restaurant Block, DLF Place, the latest unit is spread across 2,800 sq ft with a seating capacity of 84 guests. Madhur Bhandarkar, Indian filmmaker, was the Guest of Honour inaugurated the outlet in the presence of Aji Nair, Vice President, F&B Division, Mirah Hospitality; Shibani Kashyap, Indian singer; Aditya Bal, model and food enthusiast; and Navneet Kaur Dhillon, Miss India World 2013, as per a release. A musical afternoon was organised to celebrate the opening of the restaurant. Rajdhani is the flagship brand of Mirah Hospitality. Nair said, ?We are happy to inaugurate our fifth unit in Delhi today. North India has always been an important market for us. ...
Four prominent women came forward Thursday to accuse San Diego Mayor Bob Filner (D) of unwanted sexual advances, adding their voices to the growing chorus of alleged victims calling for the mayor to step down. The women -- San Diego Port Tenants Association President Sharon Bernie-Cloward; retired Navy Rear Adm. Ronne Froman; San Diego State University Dean Joyce Gattas and local businesswoman Patti Roscoe -- accused him of inappropriate touching and sexual innuendo in multiple incidents. "Everybody in town knew this guy was creepy," said Froman, who claimed that Filner blocked her after a meeting from leaving a room, ran his finger along her cheek and asked her if she had a man in her life.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? Pope Francis is praising the importance of the elderly during the Catholic Church's festival of youth, saying grandparents are critical for passing on wisdom, family and religious heritage and are a "treasure to be preserved and strengthened."
Francis has made a point of not focusing just on the next generation of Catholics during World Youth Day, but on the older generation as well, part of his longstanding work caring for the elderly in Argentina and the gentle deference he shows his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
Francis noted that Friday is Grandparent's Day. He said: "How important grandparents are for family life, for passing on the human and religious heritage which is so essential for each and every society."
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Pope Francis celebrated Mass with his fellow Jesuits and heard confessions from young pilgrims in a Rio de Janeiro park on Friday ahead of one of the most solemn events of World Youth Day, a re-enactment of Christ's crucifixion held at ground zero of Rio's hedonistic life, Copacabana Beach.
Francis was also offering a noontime prayer and meeting with a group of juvenile detainees, a priority of his ever since his days as archbishop of Buenos Aires and an expression of his belief that the Catholic Church must reach out to the most marginalized and forgotten of society. Even now as pope, he calls a group of youths in a Buenos Aires detention center every two weeks just to keep in touch.
In the Rio park, a white tent was set up to receive the faithful for confession, with small makeshift confession booths off to the side. Five youths, chosen through a raffle, were selected to go to confession with Francis, the sacrament in which Catholics confess their sins and are forgiven.
"It was just five minutes, it followed the regular ritual of confession, but then Francis stayed and talked with us," said one of the five, Estefani Lescano, 21, a student from La Guaira, Venezuela. "It was all very personal. He told us that young people have the responsibility of keeping the church alive and spreading the word of Christ."
The sun finally came out on Friday, ending four days of rain that soaked pilgrims and forced the relocation of the festival's culminating Mass on Sunday. Instead, the Mass and the Saturday night vigil that precedes it will take place at Copacabana Beach rather than the mud pit that is the Guaratiba field, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of central Rio.
On Thursday, Francis showed off his rebellious side, urging young Catholics to shake up the church and make a "mess" in their dioceses by going out into the streets to spread the faith. It's a message he put into practice by visiting one of Rio's most violent slums and officially opening World Youth Day on a rain-soaked Copacabana Beach.
Francis was elected pope on a mandate to reform the church, and in four short months he has started doing just that: He has broken long-held Vatican rules on everything from where he lays his head at night to how saints are made. He has cast off his security detail to get close to his flock, and his first international foray as pope has shown the faithful appreciate the gesture.
Dubbed the "slum pope" for his work with the poor, Francis received a rapturous welcome in the Varginha shantytown on Thursday, part of a slum area of northern Rio so violent it's known as the Gaza Strip. The 76-year-old Argentine seemed entirely at home, wading into cheering crowds, kissing people young and old and telling them the Catholic Church is on their side.
The Varginha visit was one of the highlights of Francis' weeklong trip to Brazil, his first as pope.
The surprise, though, came during his encounter with Argentine pilgrims, scheduled at the last minute in yet another sign of how this spontaneous pope is shaking up the Vatican's staid and often stuffy protocol.
He told the thousands of youngsters, with an estimated 30,000 Argentines registered, to get out into the streets and spread their faith, saying a church that doesn't go out and preach simply becomes a civic or humanitarian group.
"I want to tell you something. What is it that I expect as a consequence of World Youth Day? I want a mess. We knew that in Rio there would be great disorder, but I want trouble in the dioceses!" he said, speaking off the cuff in his native Spanish. "I want to see the church get closer to the people. I want to get rid of clericalism, the mundane, this closing ourselves off within ourselves, in our parishes, schools or structures. Because these need to get out!"
Apparently realizing the radicalness of his message, he apologized in advance to the bishops at home.
___
Nicole Winfield on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nwinfield
Bradley Brooks on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bradleybrooks
Contact: Rebecca Winkels rebecca.winkels@helmholtz-hzi.de 49-531-618-11403 Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Too much of a good thing: In case of natural killer cells less is sometimes more
This news release is available in German.
As part of the innate immune system natural killer cells (NK cells) play an important role in immune responses. For a long time they have been known as the first line of defense in the fight against infectious diseases. Therefore, researchers assumed that the body needs as many active NK cells as possible. However, scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have now shown that the principle "the more the better" does not apply to this type of immune cells.
"During certain phases of the immune response it seems to be beneficial to have less active natural killer cells," says Dr Jadwiga Jablonska-Koch, member of the research group "Molecular Immunology" at the HZI and responsible author of a new study published in the European Journal of Immunology. "This is particularly true during the beginning stages of an infection, which is precisely when they were assumed to be most important".
Usually, Listeria monocytogenes infection leads to a deadly sepsis in mice and immune suppressed humans. Interestingly, researchers observed that removal of NK cells during the early stages of Listeria monocytogenes infection improves survival of the mice. These new findings could help to prevent sepsis in the future.
Until now it was believed that mice and humans die from listeriosis because their killer cells do not fight the infection effectively enough. However, the new results show the exact opposite. Even though the killer cells produce messenger substances that activate the immune system, the overproduction of the interferon IFN-? causes problems. The large amounts of IFN-? block the recruitment of neutrophilic granulocytes.
Those so-called scavenger cells are the most common white blood cells and are able to engulf bacteria and destroy them. If their migration to the site of infection is blocked in the initial phase, the bacteria can grow uncontrolled. This leads to fatal sepsis and death.
However, having no active NK cells could also lead to uninhibited bacteria proliferation. In later stages of an infection NK cells are crucial for the survival of both; mice and humans. "It is important to find the right balance for NK cell activity. It has to be high enough to activate other immune cells, but at the same time the migration and activation of scavenger cells shouldn't be blocked," says Jablonska-Koch.
Where exactly this balance lies is still not clear. At least, the scientists were able to show that in the later phases of infectious diseases it can be beneficial for the body to have large amounts of highly active NK cells. The discovery of HZI scientists could be relevant in the future, especially from a medical point of view. If these results prove to be true for humans and also for other bacteria, they could help to develop new treatment strategies. "If we know how exactly the killer cells function, we could use this information for treatment of bacterial infections. But it is still a long way to go," says Jablonska-Koch.
###
Original Publication
Nuno Viegas, Lisa Andzinski, Ching-Fang Wu, Ronja-Melinda Komoll, Nelson Gekara,Kurt E. Dittmar, Siegfried Weiss, Jadwiga Jablonska
IFN-? production by CD27+ NK cells exacerbates Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice by inhibiting granulocyte mobilization
European Journal of Immunology, 2013 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201242937
The focus of HZI's Department "Molecular Immunology" is to investigate the role of signaling molecules used by the immune system. One of the primary research goals is to determine how immune cells communicate with each other during an infection and which messenger substances they use for this purpose.
The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research:
At the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, scientists are studying microbial virulence factors, host-pathogen interactions and immunity. The goal is to develop strategies for the diagnosis, prevention and therapy of human infectious diseases.
http://www.helmholtz-hzi.de/en
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Contact: Rebecca Winkels rebecca.winkels@helmholtz-hzi.de 49-531-618-11403 Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Too much of a good thing: In case of natural killer cells less is sometimes more
This news release is available in German.
As part of the innate immune system natural killer cells (NK cells) play an important role in immune responses. For a long time they have been known as the first line of defense in the fight against infectious diseases. Therefore, researchers assumed that the body needs as many active NK cells as possible. However, scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have now shown that the principle "the more the better" does not apply to this type of immune cells.
"During certain phases of the immune response it seems to be beneficial to have less active natural killer cells," says Dr Jadwiga Jablonska-Koch, member of the research group "Molecular Immunology" at the HZI and responsible author of a new study published in the European Journal of Immunology. "This is particularly true during the beginning stages of an infection, which is precisely when they were assumed to be most important".
Usually, Listeria monocytogenes infection leads to a deadly sepsis in mice and immune suppressed humans. Interestingly, researchers observed that removal of NK cells during the early stages of Listeria monocytogenes infection improves survival of the mice. These new findings could help to prevent sepsis in the future.
Until now it was believed that mice and humans die from listeriosis because their killer cells do not fight the infection effectively enough. However, the new results show the exact opposite. Even though the killer cells produce messenger substances that activate the immune system, the overproduction of the interferon IFN-? causes problems. The large amounts of IFN-? block the recruitment of neutrophilic granulocytes.
Those so-called scavenger cells are the most common white blood cells and are able to engulf bacteria and destroy them. If their migration to the site of infection is blocked in the initial phase, the bacteria can grow uncontrolled. This leads to fatal sepsis and death.
However, having no active NK cells could also lead to uninhibited bacteria proliferation. In later stages of an infection NK cells are crucial for the survival of both; mice and humans. "It is important to find the right balance for NK cell activity. It has to be high enough to activate other immune cells, but at the same time the migration and activation of scavenger cells shouldn't be blocked," says Jablonska-Koch.
Where exactly this balance lies is still not clear. At least, the scientists were able to show that in the later phases of infectious diseases it can be beneficial for the body to have large amounts of highly active NK cells. The discovery of HZI scientists could be relevant in the future, especially from a medical point of view. If these results prove to be true for humans and also for other bacteria, they could help to develop new treatment strategies. "If we know how exactly the killer cells function, we could use this information for treatment of bacterial infections. But it is still a long way to go," says Jablonska-Koch.
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Original Publication
Nuno Viegas, Lisa Andzinski, Ching-Fang Wu, Ronja-Melinda Komoll, Nelson Gekara,Kurt E. Dittmar, Siegfried Weiss, Jadwiga Jablonska
IFN-? production by CD27+ NK cells exacerbates Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice by inhibiting granulocyte mobilization
European Journal of Immunology, 2013 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201242937
The focus of HZI's Department "Molecular Immunology" is to investigate the role of signaling molecules used by the immune system. One of the primary research goals is to determine how immune cells communicate with each other during an infection and which messenger substances they use for this purpose.
The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research:
At the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, scientists are studying microbial virulence factors, host-pathogen interactions and immunity. The goal is to develop strategies for the diagnosis, prevention and therapy of human infectious diseases.
http://www.helmholtz-hzi.de/en
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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.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Authorities in Georgia tell The Advocate (http://bit.ly/1bRfPRa ) that a signee with the LSU baseball team is one of seven men arrested on drug charges.
Bartow County deputies say Dylan Cade Williams, of Rydal, Ga., was booked Tuesday on counts of possession with intent to distribute Schedule 1 drugs, trafficking Ecstasy, and possession of a firearm during Georgia controlled substance felony.
LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri tells the newspaper he was informed about the arrest late Wednesday night. He said he talked with Williams' father Thursday morning.
From the conversation, Mainieri said, it was his understanding Williams happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Williams signed a letter of intent to play baseball at LSU earlier this year after having previously verbally committed to Georgia Tech.
WASHINGTON ? An award made to an organization to promote the rule of law in Afghanistan does not appear to contain basic provisions that would allow the State Department to ensure proper oversight of a project expected to cost U.S. taxpayers $50 million, federal inspectors said Thursday.
In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said there were "serious deficiencies" in the government's award to the International Development Law Organization, which is based in Rome, for the Afghanistan Justice Training Transition Program.
Special Inspector General John Sopko told Kerry that the award does not contain enough oversight requirements ? a possible indication that the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is scaling back oversight of a program central to U.S. efforts to promote the rule of law in Afghanistan.
There was no immediate comment from the State Department.
On Dec. 27, the bureau offered the Italian organization $47.8 million in exchange for work on the latest iteration of the regional justice sector training efforts that it began in Afghanistan with the Justice Sector Support Program. That program has been implemented by Pacific Architects & Engineers of Arlington, Va.
The new contract called for the International Development Law Organization to replace the Virginia firm as the provider of regional training services to the Afghan justice sector, although Pacific continues to implement two other components of the program.
Sopko's letter said his office "was disturbed to learn" that the International Development Law Organization agreement contained even fewer oversight requirements than the Pacific Architects & Engineers contract.
Elated former student buys me coffee.? Finally! She finished her MS in computer science!!!! So elated she tells me she ONLY borrowed $50,000 to get this degree and yes, it is true that now the sophomore in the same university is learning what she did her masters? thesis on?but still, what a great title, what a great school?what a great degree. ?Sure, she will need a few ?update courses? because everything changes overnight in industry now. ?No one can depend on the training of yesterday. Everyone has to update every year in technology these days!? (Yes, I do have a worried look on my face)
Back to my former student: Now, she is going to work for a start-up web-based company building web sites and promotions.?? WAIT?.isn?t that what my son-in-love does without a degree and what my daughter (AKA ?no college debt?) does? Oh, OK. She is happy and going to be a productive member of society. ?I should be happy, too. ?Besides, she bought the coffee.
?True story #2
Four hours of calling customer support, trying solutions that are NOT solutions. My poor curriculum supervisor and her team are scratching their heads and refilling their coffee mugs while pondering what could POSSIBLY be wrong with the export of the hyperlinks from this GREAT design program to our GREAT website server?just a handful of homeschool mommies who are classically training their children?.what would they know? ?OH?a break-though a dad with years of educating his children and?yes, years of working in industry problem-solving: He ?finds a way around the unsolvable techno problem.? Literally, hours of working on how to fix hyper-links and exports and server issues vanish in an instant?
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So, who gets the credit?
The Classical school training in ?how to think and figure out problems?
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or the ?college which teaches all things relevant for today??
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True story # ALL
Classical education = a leap of faith. Stats prove (and I will blog those in the coming days) that classical education teaches kids to THINK and REASON and not just regurgitate the facts for the standardized tests which get the pay raise of the teacher and the principal.
Classical education focuses on THREE PARTS:
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KNOW YOUR STUFF,
FIGURE IT OUT
COMMUNICATE THE ANSWERS.
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First, classical education teaches a young child to use the CORRECT word for the PRECISE meaning. GONE are the days of ?whatever?, ?oh sure?, and ?was like.?? If you are ready to teach your child the EXACT difference between azul and turquoise?we have been waiting for you!
Second, a middle school child in classical education learns to THINK.
Yes, that is what you SAY about your 11-year-old who questioned the TRUE hero of Batman ?but are you ready to talk about if David was a TRUE hero in his fatherhood to Absalom? It is based on WAYS OF THINKING and sound LOGICAL PRINCIPLE that dictate EVERY decision in life?not just the easy ones.
And finally?and this is SO HARD? are you prepared and ready to prepare your young adult ?(?anyone over 16? ? whom I feel should be AN ADULT ? a productive member of society?not a taker but a giver to the common good)
to fight the ?good fight? through words and deeds to set him/her apart for the future?
Did I say the word risk or did you just know it was there?
This IS a challenge. ?It IS risky.? My children started standing up for unpopular causes before we knew the term ?P.C.? ?Yes, your children will be ?profiled.? ?He will be profiled as ?different? and radical from his very first pro-life speech. ?She will be profiled because of her winning essay in the newspaper on why women should choose adoption over abortion. ?Those pictures of your child making those GREAT speeches on how the end-of-life should be determined by family members and not by government entities?those will be kept in a file, not a baby book.
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Are you ready for that?
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Those speeches might show up on her candidacy for Supreme Court Justice?because classical education will place her there in the running for Justice?has already happened (ask for our references!) Your daughter or your son, will be making decisions, making stands, making choices.
These choices are based on exact definition (grammar stage) used to make logical decisions (dialectic stage) and articulated in the rhetoric stage for change.
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Why?
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Because we live in a fallen world that needs redeeming.
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What will it be? A technology degree which costs $250,000 and needs updating for a certificate? ?Or the old-school education: Classical Education that provides your child a way to THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE?
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PACES PAideia Classical Education?.ENROLLING NOW www.pceinfo.org
Join US FRIDAY Aug. 2nd at the Woodlands Marriot Presidential SUITE during the Texas Home School Convention for a COME and GO OPEN HOUSE and Meet the TEACHERS from 1-9pm.? Visit our booth for any further details or email us at pacespaideia@gmail.com
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~CallMOM Johnnie Seago ? ?President and CEO of Parent and Child Educational Services www.pceinfo.org
Celebrities love the attention and honor of landing on top lists, whether it be for their good looks or album/movie sales. But we’re certain most would love to make the Forbes Magazine “Highest Paid Stars Under 30″ list! Let’s see who’s bringing in the big bucks! Lady Gaga (age 27) $80 million Lady Gaga topped ...
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting the Philippines this weekend, arriving in the country just after his party won control of the Japanese Parliament on Sunday, July 21, 2013. AP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines?Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting the Philippines this weekend, arriving in the country just after his party won control of the Japanese Parliament on Sunday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday Abe would be in Manila on July 26 and 27, confirming earlier Japanese press reports the official was considering visits to Southeast Asia this month.
During the two-day visit, Abe is expected to meet with President Aquino ?to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional issues, and further advance the strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan,? the DFA said.
Twofold purpose
?The visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will no doubt achieve a twofold purpose: It will strengthen the personal relationship between the Prime Minister and President Aquino, and it will serve to further enhance the invaluable strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan,? Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told the Inquirer in a text.
Abe returns to the Philippines seven years since his last visit in December 2006, during his first term as Prime Minister. Abe?s Liberal Democratic Party scored an overwhelming victory in last Sunday?s Japanese elections.
He visits just as the Philippines and Japan face a common challenge in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and the East China Sea, respectively, where both nations are contending with territorial claims made by regional heavyweight China.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers have placed water droplets containing magnetic nanoparticles on strong water repellent surfaces and have made them align in various static and dynamic structures using periodically oscillating magnetic fields. This is the first time researchers have demonstrated reversible switching between static and dynamic self-assembly.
Actress Kerry Washington reportedly tied the knot with American footballer Nnamdi Asomugha in a simple and sweet ceremony.
The 36-year-old remain tightlipped about her marriage so far but according to a guest present, the wedding was a "small" affair and the guest list included just family and close friends, reports people.com.
Washington walked down the aisle with Asomugha, 32, in Idaho.
"Everything was held at one of Kerry's friend's houses. They flew a few people out on this little private plane. The house was beautiful. It was small, just family and close friends. They said their own vows, people stayed at the house. It was really simple and sweet," said a source.
"The dress was plain white, slim-fitting, like it could have been off a rack. It was really regular," the source added.
FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2011 photo provided by A Billion + Change, Points of Light CEO Michelle Nunn speaks at the launch of A Billion + Change, a national campaign to mobilize billions of pro bono and skills-based service resources by 2013, at a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington. The race for Georgia's U.S. Senate seat started to take shape Monday as Nunn, a Democrat, announced plans to run for her father's old seat, joining a crowded field of Republicans contenders. (AP Photo/A Billion + Change, Kevin Wolf, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2011 photo provided by A Billion + Change, Points of Light CEO Michelle Nunn speaks at the launch of A Billion + Change, a national campaign to mobilize billions of pro bono and skills-based service resources by 2013, at a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington. The race for Georgia's U.S. Senate seat started to take shape Monday as Nunn, a Democrat, announced plans to run for her father's old seat, joining a crowded field of Republicans contenders. (AP Photo/A Billion + Change, Kevin Wolf, File)
CLARKSTON, Ga. (AP) ? Georgia emerged as a battleground state Monday in the fight for control of the U.S. Senate as Democrat Michelle Nunn announced plans to run for her father's old seat, joining a crowded field of Republican contenders and setting off what will likely be a fiercely contested and costly race.
Nunn, the daughter of former Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia and CEO of one of the nation's largest volunteer organizations, moved quickly to define herself as someone with the experience to set aside partisan rancor and build coalitions to solve the nation's problems.
"Wherever I go in Georgia people speak of their frustrations with what's not happening in Washington, that there is a focus on fighting instead of getting things done," Nunn said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I believe in the power of individuals to create change when they join together."
Nunn, 47, the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, becomes the first well-known Democrat to enter the race for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a Republican. Democrats see Nunn's candidacy as a chance to make inroads in a southern state that they once dominated, but where Republicans now control all statewide offices. Meanwhile, Republicans are making a push to win control of the U.S. Senate seat and cannot afford to lose the seat now held by Chambliss.
Nunn clearly hopes that talking about issues like reducing the federal deficit will position her well in a general election matchup. Nunn said she wants to work across party lines and pointed to her work as CEO of Points of Light, which was founded by former President George H.W. Bush.
Nunn also didn't hesitate to criticize President Barack Obama, saying she wishes more was being done to address the federal deficit.
"We need to take a much harder look at that and really make some hard choices, and I think neither side is willing to do that," Nunn said. "I've spent a lot of time looking at how people are willing to sacrifice for others and to be called upon for something greater than themselves, and I think that is a big part of the equation for solving the deficit."
Nunn, who is married with two children, also said some changes will need to be made to Obama's signature health care law. She said she sympathizes with small business owners who "are often burdened with too much regulation and too much taxes." She also said that some aspects of the law are beneficial, pointing to one element that allows parents to keep their young adult children on their health insurance plan until the age of 26.
"I think we need to look at it from a pragmatic perspective and fix the things that are not working and move it forward without all the politicizing," said Nunn, whose father, a moderate Democrat, served in the Senate from 1973 to 1997.
On the issue of abortion, Nunn said that she believes abortions should be "safe, legal and rare and that women should be ultimately able to make this very difficult personal decision in concert with their doctor and their family."
Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for the Senate Republicans' campaign committee, sought to link Nunn to national Democrats on the issues ? a preview of what's to come in the weeks and months ahead.
"It takes more than just family ties to get elected to the Senate, and we look forward to a robust debate about the Obama/Nunn agenda and the ramifications that it has on middle-class families and women in Georgia," Dayspring said.
Nunn plans to file her official paperwork Tuesday to become a candidate and will hit the road next month to travel the state and meet with voters, said deputy campaign manager Zac Petkanas. The other declared Democrat in the race is Branko Radulovacki, an Atlanta physician.
On the Republican side, U.S. Reps. Paul Broun of Athens, Phil Gingrey of Marietta and Jack Kingston of Savannah ? along with former Secretary of State Karen Handel ? have entered the race.
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Follow Christina Almeida Cassidy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Christina.
See, ?FSBO Mistake #1 (and #2, #3, etc.)?; ?FSBO Mistake #4?; ?FSBO Mistake #37.?
Author and journalist John Fraser defends the Crown in this 2012 book. But part of its dedication is to 'Michael Bliss: Historian, Conservative, Republican.' (CBC)
John Fraser says the test for the Royal Family is not the good times but how they weather 'the crises, and so far they look pretty resilient.' (Massey College)
In 2008, with the opposition parties planning to bring down his government, Prime Minister Stephen Harper succeeded in getting then governor general Michaelle Jean to approve his controversial recommendation to prorogue Parliament. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)
Since Henry VIII (in portrait), British monarchs have had the title, 'Defender of the Faith.' Prince Charles, shown here in 2004, has proposed dropping the 'the.' (Fiona Hanson/Reuters)
Historian Michael Bliss says we are entering the age of the geriatric monarchy, with the prospect of only elderly men succeeding each other once Charles becomes king. (CBC)
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Public release date: 26-Jul-2013
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Celebrities love the attention and honor of landing on top lists, whether it be for their good looks or album/movie sales. But we’re certain most would love to make the Forbes Magazine “Highest Paid Stars Under 30″ list! Let’s see who’s bringing in the big bucks! Lady Gaga (age 27) $80 million Lady Gaga topped ...
