Ted Cruz avoids controversy in NYC speech

Protestors outside the site of Ted Cruz's speech in Manhattan (John Moore/Getty Images)

NEW YORK? Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is a rising star Republican who has irked even members of his own party with his conservative views on immigration reform and gun control.

But Cruz made no mention of those hot-button topics in his official debut on the New York political stage Wednesday, using a speech before the state GOP to encourage Republicans to be optimistic about their party?s future and to continue the fight for ?economic growth? and ?freedom? because the nation?s future depends on it.

?It is very easy for Republicans to feel demoralized right now? but change happens fast, like lightning in politics,? Cruz declared during a 35-minute speech at a packed fundraising dinner for the Republican Party of New York State in Manhattan. But he argued that Republicans could win again by sticking to their ideals.

"I am profoundly optimistic for this country because our ideas work," Cruz said. "Freedom works.?

Cruz?s speech, which was littered with references to Ronald Reagan and generic calls for the party to stick to its economic principles, seemed aimed at being as non-controversial as possible?a notable move given the furor that preceded the senator?s appearance here, which included protests from two high-profile New York Republicans.

On Tuesday, Rep. Peter King announced he was skipping the annual dinner in protest of Cruz?s efforts to derail a bill giving federal aid to victims of Superstorm Sandy.

Asked about King?s boycott before he took the stage, Cruz replied, ?I have not met Mr. King, but I think it is unfortunate he couldn?t join us here tonight.?

But King wasn?t the only holdout. Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican from Staten Island whose district was hard hit by Sandy, skipped the event?though he insisted he had never planned to attend. His announcement came after Democrats tried to make an issue of the dinner and called on Grimm to ?condemn? his party for inviting Cruz.

State party officials shrugged off the cancellations. One party official, who declined to be named, trashed King, saying the GOP congressman hasn?t attended a state GOP dinner ?since George Pataki was governor.? Meanwhile, Ed Cox, the state GOP chairman, said criticism of Cruz's opposition to the Sandy bill had been misinterpreted. "That was a vote against pork," he said. "It was not against Sandy aid."

Officials also insisted the protests had no impact on ticket sales for the annual dinner. According to NY GOP spokesman David Leska, 500 tickets were sold for the event, raising about $750,000 for the party?about the same that had been raised at dinners held in previous years.

?No impact at all,? Leska said of controversy over Cruz?s policy positions.

Indeed, many Republicans, who showed up early to wine and dine during a cocktail hour ahead of the speech, waved off criticism over Cruz?s appearance. ?Overblown,? one man said, as he took his seat inside a large ballroom at the Grand Hyatt, where the annual dinner was held.

But it was a different story outside, where several dozen people waved signs protesting Cruz?s stance on immigration and Sandy aid. ?Anti-Latino!? one sign, featuring a photo of Cruz, said.

Speaking to reporters, Cruz said he hadn?t seen the protestors, but welcomed their presence. ?It?s important that we have a civil dialogue on the issues that matter to all of us,? Cruz said.

But the senator carefully pushed back against his critics on immigration?though he did so while trying to offer as little specifics as possible. He told reporters he is fighting for a ?common sense? approach to immigration.

?I think the key to actually passing a bill is to focus on areas of bipartisan agreement,? Cruz said. He specifically cited ?securing the border? and efforts to ?expand, improve and streamline legal immigration.? Asked if he planned to filibuster an immigration bill championed by President Barack Obama, he declined to answer, saying only that he planned to introduce amendments to ?improve the bill so that it actually fixes the problem.?

?The current bill is utterly toothless when it comes to border security,? Cruz said.

Asked again if he would filibuster the current Senate bill, Cruz declined to answer, as an aide tried to usher reporters away. ?This is not a press conference!? the aide said, as Cruz turned away from the media.

Introduced as a ?rising star,? Cruz took the stage here to a standing ovation and wild applause from the audience. He bypassed the podium that had been used by speakers ahead of him, and instead wore a wireless microphone as he paced the stage, appearing less like a politician and more like a motivational speaker.

His speech was a boilerplate economic address?hitting on generic themes of ?free market? opportunity and warning about the nation?s growing federal deficit.

?It's morally wrong to bankrupt our country and saddle our children and grandchildren with debt,? Cruz declared at one point.

He won tepid applause for a round of jokes about the Justice Department?jokingly warning attendees that their phones were likely be tapped because they had attended the dinner. But the room went silent as he recounted his own personal story of growing up as the son of a Cuban immigrant who had come to America with nothing but $100 sewn into his underwear and took a job washing dishes for 50 cents an hour while he put himself through school.

?My dad has been my hero my entire life,? Cruz said. ?But what I find most incredible about his story is how commonplace it is. Every one of us in this room has a story just like his? Every one of us is the child of someone who risked everything for freedom. That?s what it means to be American: Love, liberty and opportunity.?

As Cruz continued to speak, a woman seated at a table near the back of the room turned to her husband and mouthed the word, ?Wow.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/ted-cruz-avoids-controversy-first-york-speech-013755573.html

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NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale team assembles final observatory

May 30, 2013 ? On May 20, 2013, the Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, mission team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., reached an unprecedented milestone. The team mated the instrument and spacecraft decks to form the fourth and final MMS observatory. This is the first time Goddard has simultaneously engineered this many observatories, or spacecraft, for a single mission.

"The logistics of building four of the same thing is a new challenge, one that really makes us push the boundaries of how we operate," said Brent Robertson the MMS deputy project manager at Goddard. "These are first generation, new science observatories, and we've built them all at the same time. It's been like a very intense game of musical chairs."

The large Goddard MMS clean room can hold all four spacecraft at once, and a detailed schedule keeps track of how the team is moving from task to task. The MMS team has cause for pride in their work: building four observatories for a single mission, when many don't have the chance to build four in an entire career.

Due to launch in late 2014, MMS will investigate how the sun and Earth's magnetic fields connect and disconnect, explosively transferring energy from one to the other -- a fundamental physical process that occurs throughout the universe, known as magnetic reconnection. Using four spacecraft will provide MMS with the multipoint measurements needed to determine whether reconnection events occur in an isolated locale, everywhere within a larger region at once, or by traveling across space.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/nasa/~3/ZR_44pnG3ow/130530152307.htm

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Britney Spears to Work with Amanda Bynes?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/britney-spears-to-work-with-amanda-bynes/

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Wal-Mart Pleads Guilty In California Hazardous Waste Case

Wal-Mart pleaded guilty on charges that the company dumped hazardous waste into sanitation drains in 16 California counties.

As part of the plea, Wal-Mart will pay $81 million dollars, $20 million of which will fund community service projects helping U.S. retailers learn how to properly dispose of waste.

The end of the trial marks a decade-long investigation into Wal-Mart?s affairs, involving 20 prosecutors and 32 environmental experts, and a signing with the Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Wal-Mart is guilty of violating six counts of the Clean Water Act. The company also pleaded guilty in Kansas City, Missouri, for violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) by mishandling pesticides.

Court documents show that the illegal dumping occurred between 2003 and 2005, and was carried out by employees who were never trained to dispose of the waste. As a result, waste was thrown into local trash bins and sewer systems, and taken to return centers without proper safety documentation.

In 2010, Wal-Mart paid $27 million to California authorities over similar allegations, after a San Diego County health department employee saw a Wal-Mart employee pouring bleach down a drain. Wal-Mart proceeded to overhaul its hazardous waste compliance program.

Brooke Buchanan, Wal-Mart spokesperson, said employees are now better equipped to dispose of hazardous waste. Special scanners tell workers if a damaged package contains waste, and if so, how to dispose of it.

"We have fixed the problem," Buchanan said. "We are obviously happy that this is the final resolution."

Sources: ABC News, Yahoo

Source: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/environment/wal-mart-pleads-guilty-california-hazardous-waste-case

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Train derails in Maryland, explosion reported

WHITE MARSH, Md. (AP) -- A cargo train derailed Tuesday in a Baltimore suburb and an explosion could be heard for miles, collapsing nearby buildings and setting them on fire, officials and witnesses said.

The train derailed at about 2 p.m. in White Marsh, about 10 miles northeast of Baltimore and a fire department spokeswoman said she did not know if there were any injuries. Hazmat teams were on the scene, are responding, Baltimore County Police and Fire said in a series of tweets.

Dale Walston said he lives about a half-mile away from the blast site and that the smell of chemicals is very strong.

"It shook my house pretty violently and knocked things off the shelves," he said in an email to The Associated Press.

Photos and video on TV stations showed a large plume of smoke rising from the area. At least three rail cars could be seen off the tracks.

Overhead news shots show several blackened buildings and fires burning.

A worker at a nearby Dunkin Donuts, Tawan Rai, reached by The Associated Press by phone, said he saw a fire and flames by the railroad tracks at first, then felt a thundering blast that sent smoke pouring into the sky.

"The whole building shook and there was just dust everywhere," said Rai, adding no windows broke but he was surprised by the intensity of the blast. "I went outside and people were rushing there, the police officers, fire trucks."

He also said he saw some ambulances arrive but didn't see anyone injured.

He also said police had apparently stopped traffic on nearby Pulaski Highway not far from the tracks and he no longer had any customers at his donut shop.

John Kane, treasurer of Atlantic Tire on nearby Pulaski Highway, said the explosion blew out two large showcase windows and light fixtures in his shop.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/train-derails-maryland-explosion-reported-190213179.html

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Children of long-lived parents less likely to get cancer

May 28, 2013 ? The offspring of parents who live to a ripe old age are more likely to live longer themselves, and less prone to cancer and other common diseases associated with ageing, a study has revealed.

Experts at the University of Exeter Medical School, supported by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care in the South West Peninsula (NIHR PenCLAHRC), led an international collaboration which discovered that people who had a long-lived mother or father were 24% less likely to get cancer. The scientists compared the children of long-lived parents to children whose parents survived to average ages for their generation.

The scientists classified long-lived mothers as those who survived past 91 years old, and compared them to those who reached average age spans of 77 to 91. Long-lived fathers lived past 87 years old, compared with the average of 65 to 87 years. The scientists studied 938 new cases of cancer that developed during the 18 year follow-up period.

The team also involved experts from the National Institute for Health and Medical Research in France (Institut national de la sant? et de la recherche m?dicale), the University of Michigan and the University of Iowa. They found that overall mortality rates dropped by up to 19 per cent for each decade that at least one of the parents lived past the age of 65. For those whose mothers lived beyond 85, mortality rates were 40 per cent lower. The figure was a little lower (14 per cent) for fathers, possibly because of adverse lifestyle factors such as smoking, which may have been more common in the fathers.

In the study, published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series A, the scientists analysed data from a series of interviews conducted with 9,764 people taking part in the Health and Retirement Study. The participants were based in America, and were followed up over 18 years, from 1992 to 2010. They were interviewed every two years, with questions including the ages of their parents and when they died. In 2010 the participants were in their seventies.

Professor William Henley, from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "Previous studies have shown that the children of centenarians tend to live longer with less heart disease, but this is the first robust evidence that the children of longer-lived parents are also less likely to get cancer. We also found that they are less prone to diabetes or suffering a stroke. These protective effects are passed on from parents who live beyond 65 -- far younger than shown in previous studies, which have looked at those over the age of 80. Obviously children of older parents are not immune to contracting cancer or any other diseases of ageing, but our evidence shows that rates are lower. We also found that this inherited resistance to age-related diseases gets stronger the older their parents lived."

Ambarish Dutta, who worked on the project at the University of Exeter Medical School and is now at the Asian Institute of Public Health at the Ravenshaw University in India, said: "Interestingly from a nature versus nurture perspective, we found no evidence that these health advantages are passed on from parents-in-law. Despite being likely to share the same environment and lifestyle in their married lives, spouses had no health benefit from their parents-in-law reaching a ripe old age. If the findings resulted from cultural or lifestyle factors, you might expect these effects to extend to husbands and wives in at least some cases, but there was no impact whatsoever."

In analysing the data, the team made adjustments for sex, race, smoking, wealth, education, body mass index, and childhood socioeconomic status. They also excluded results from those whose parents died prematurely (ie mothers who died younger than 61 or fathers younger than 46).

The study could not look at the various sub groups of cancer, as numbers did not allow accurate estimates. This study was carried out in preparation for a more detailed analysis of factors explaining why some people seem to age more slowly than others. Future work will use the UK Biobank, which analyses a cohort of 500,000 participants.

Other collaborators on the paper were Dr Jean-Marie Robine, of the Institut National de la Sant? et de la Recherche M?dical, Dr Kenneth Langa of the University of Michigan, Professor Robert Wallace of the University of Iowa and Professor David Melzer, of the University of Exeter Medical School.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/LtsST1H2wf8/130528122508.htm

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Childhood abuse linked with food addiction in adult women

May 29, 2013 ? Women who experienced severe physical or sexual abuse during childhood are much more likely to have a food addiction as adults than women who did not experience such abuse, according to a new study published in the journal Obesity. The study's findings provide valuable new information regarding potential causes and treatments for food addiction and obesity.

National surveys indicate that more than a third of American women experienced some form of physical or sexual abuse before they reached 18 years of age. Also, research shows that such childhood abuse has consequences not only for women's mental health, but also for their physical health. In particular, many studies have documented a link between childhood abuse and later obesity, possibly because stress may cause one to overeat high-sugar and high-fat "comfort" foods in an uncontrolled manner.

Because of these findings, Susan Mason, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and her colleagues looked for a link between childhood abuse and addiction-like eating behaviors in women. The researchers studied 57,321 adult participants in the Nurses' Health Study II, which ascertained physical and sexual child abuse histories in 2001 and current food addiction in 2009. (Food addiction was defined as three or more addiction-like eating behaviors severe enough to cause significant distress or loss of function.)

The analysis revealed that addiction-like eating behaviors were relatively common among women in the study, with eight percent meeting the criteria for food addiction. Women who had experienced physical or sexual abuse before the age of 18 years were almost twice as likely to have a food addiction in middle adulthood compared with women without a history of childhood abuse.. The likelihood of food addiction was increased even further for women who had experienced both physical and sexual abuse in childhood. The food addiction prevalence varied from six percent among women without a history of physical or sexual abuse to 16 percent among women with a history of both severe physical and sexual abuse. Also, women with a food addiction were generally heavier than women without a food addiction.

Dr. Mason and her co-authors caution that the study's findings are exploratory and will need to be replicated before any conclusions can be drawn about a causal link between childhood abuse victimization and addiction-like overeating. If enough evidence of this association accumulates, the next step will be to find ways to reduce the risk of addiction-like overeating among women who experienced childhood abuse. "Women with histories of trauma who show a propensity toward uncontrolled eating could potentially be referred for prevention programs, while obese women might be screened for early trauma and addiction-like eating so that any psychological impediments to weight loss could be addressed," said Dr. Mason. "Of course, preventing childhood abuse in the first place would be the best strategy of all, but in the absence of a perfect child abuse prevention strategy, it is important that we try to head off its negative long-term health consequences," she added.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/vrPIrVlkjeE/130529101521.htm

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Sprint, SoftBank reach deal with U.S. over security concerns - WSJ

(Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp and Japan's SoftBank Corp reached an agreement in principle with the U.S. government to address any national security concerns arising from the Japanese company getting control of the U.S. telecom carrier, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

As part of the agreement, the U.S. government will have a veto over any equipment purchases by Sprint from new vendors, if the two companies were to merge, the newspaper said.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer had expressed strong concerns on Friday about SoftBank's plan to buy a majority stake in Sprint, warning it could expose the United States to Chinese cyber attacks.

If Sprint gains control of Clearwire Corp and SoftBank in turn gains control of Sprint, the Japanese company has agreed to remove equipment made by China's Huawei Technologies Co from Sprint's networks, the paper reported.

Last week, Clearwire approved Sprint's sweetened buyout offer after Sprint raised its bid to $3.40 per share, from $2.97 per share, for the 50 percent it does not already own.

SoftBank bid $20.1 billion last October for a 70 percent stake in Sprint. Dish Network Corp countered with its own $25.5 billion offer in April and quickly launched an offensive to undermine SoftBank's standing with regulators and the public.

Dish reiterated its warnings on Tuesday that a Sprint-SoftBank tie-up poses national security risks.

"We believe the U.S. government should proceed with deliberation and caution in turning over assets of national strategic importance - such as the Sprint fibre backbone and wireless networks - to a foreign-controlled entity with significant ties to China," a spokesman said.

"Oversight and accountability for our national network infrastructure is critical at a time when offshore attacks on that infrastructure continue to rise," he added.

Sprint plans to form a four-person national security committee, including a security director who will sit on Sprint's board, the Journal reported.

A final agreement is likely to be reached in the coming days, the paper reported.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bangalore, additional reporting by Liana Baker in New York; Editing by Anthony Kurian and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sprint-softbank-reach-deal-u-over-security-concerns-235954713.html

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Rescuers save a newborn from sewer pipe in China

BEIJING (AP) ? Chinese state media say firefighters and medics have rescued a newborn boy from a sewer pipe below a squat toilet.

The state-run news site Zhejiang News says a tenant heard the baby's cries in the public restroom of a residential building in eastern China's Puijian county Saturday and notified authorities. Firefighters removed an L-shaped section of the pipe ? about 10 centimeters (3 inches) in diameter ? and rushed it to a hospital where it was dismantled and the baby was treated.

Video footage of the rescue was broadcast nationally overnight.

Zhejiang News says the child ? named Baby No. 59 from the number of his incubator ? is safe.

Police are treating the case as an attempted homicide, and are looking for the mother and anyone else involved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rescuers-save-newborn-sewer-pipe-china-052528312.html

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10 best places to buy a vacation home - Slide Show - MarketWatch

The economy is improving, banks are beginning to ease standards for lending, and mortgage rates are near their record lows. These factors are making it easier for Americans to wade into the real estate market again. For those who can afford it, even vacation property, either as a second home or as an investment to rent out, is increasingly in high demand. Based on data provided by real estate listing service Trulia, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 10 most searched places for vacation homes on Trulia?s website between April 2012 and March 2013. A place was considered a vacation area if 25% of the housing stock was used seasonally or occasionally, as measured by the U.S. Census Bureau. 24/7 Wall St. looked at the median asking price in the area, also provided by Trulia. These are the most popular towns in which to buy a vacation home.

10. Cherry Grove Beach, S.C.

Median asking price: $219,900

Percentage change from 2012: Unchanged

Cherry Grove Beach is ?a sleepy little fishing village that time has passed by,? said Annie Morse, an agent with Buyers Agent Specialty. The area is known for its Fishing Pier, a popular tourist destination. Unlike the nearby Myrtle Beach area with its many high-rise condos, Cherry Grove Beach mostly has older beach houses, which, as Morse pointed out, gives the neighborhood a quaint feeling. Many people park their car for the week and travel around the area by golf cart, she added.

9. Gatlinburg, Tenn.

Median asking price: $179,600

Percentage change from 2012: 5.6%

For the more outdoorsy type, Gatlinburg may be a very desirable place to own a second home. With a median home price of just $179,600, Gatlinburg is the most affordable neighborhood among the most searched-for vacation home spots. Gatlinburg, located at the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, is home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited National Park in the United States. Kolko said that searches for homes in the Gatlinburg area tend to originate in Cincinnati or Atlanta, which are both within driving distance. At left, the Ober Gatlinburg Tram.

8. Panama City Beach, Fla.

Median asking price: $294,245

Percentage change from 2012: 1.7%

Panama City Beach is home to a 27-mile stretch of beaches off the Gulf of Mexico. According to the state?s tourism website, the city is home to ?two State Parks, dozens of public beach access points, waterfront restaurants that serve up fresh local seafood and legendary attractions.? Many consider Panama City Beach to be ?the spring break capital of the world.? This allows many homeowners in the area to rent them out to college students during the season.

7. Lake Arrowhead, Calif.

Median asking price: $399,000

Percentage change from 2012: 13.2%

Lake Arrowhead, originally called Little Bear Lake, is located in the mountainous region of the San Bernardino National Forest, which is also referred to as ?The Alps of Southern California.? According to Lake Arrowhead?s website, the resort features ?countless outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, backpacking, bicycling, water and snow skiing, fishing and much more.? It notes that Lake Arrowhead has sunshine 310 days a year.

6. Big Bear Lake, Calif.

Median asking price: $335,000

Percentage change from 2012: 14.9%

Another popular vacation destination in the San Bernardino area is Big Bear Lake, a year-round resort town of roughly 5,000 people, which can swell to more than 100,000 visitors on holiday weekends. According to Big Bear Real Estate, the area offers clear skies and moderate temperatures 330 days a year. Home prices are slightly lower in Big Bear Lake than in Lake Arrowhead with a median asking price of $335,000, an increase of 14.9% from the same time in 2012. Prices of homes for sale in Big Bear Lake range anywhere from under $200,000 to over $1 million.

5. Marco Island, Fla.

Median asking price: $499,000

Percentage change from 2012: Unchanged

Marco Island is ?the total package,? said Gerry Rosenblum, a Realtor with Prudential Florida Realtor. ?There are tons of things to do: boating, fishing, tennis?you name it, we got it.? Marco Island is a popular destination with some people simply because it is secluded on an island, noted Rosenblum. There is a ferry service between Marco Island and Key West. Although Marco Island is still more affordable than it was around 2004 and 2005, Rosenblum said that potential homeowners or investors might want to act quickly because the number of sales currently taking place is ?unprecedented.?

4. Ocean City, Md.

Median asking price: $275,000

Percentage change from 2012: -6.5%

?Ocean City is attractive due to all of the different options available,? said Kathryn Beck, a local real estate agent with Long and Foster. ?We have houses ranging from $100,000 to more than $1 million.? Ocean City, Beck added, has both oceanside and bayside properties, which are bought as either vacation homes or investment properties to rent out. She noted that although the area is a popular vacation spot for people living in the Greater Washington, D.C., area, interest is on the rise from residents of places like Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Beck said interest in buying vacation homes in Ocean City has risen following Hurricane Sandy, as some have become wary of buying there following the storm.

3. Kissimmee, Fla.

Median asking price: $298,800

Percentage change from 2012: 34.8%

Unlike the other areas on this list, the majority of the ?vacation homes? sold in the Kissimmee area are investment properties rather than second homes to spend holidays and weekends. The Kissimmee area is right around Disney World and Universal Studios, making it a hot destination for tourists. The majority of the homes rented out in the Kissimmee area are short-term rentals, meaning they can only be rented out for a six-month period. While the median home price in Kissimmee is still south of $300,000, it is up nearly 35% from the same time in 2012.

2. North Wildwood, N.J.

Median asking price: $289,000

Percentage change from 2012: 16.0%

?North Wildwood is kind of affordable?the homes are in proximity to water and there is newer construction for good prices,? said Becky Chamberlain, a local real estate agent with Coastline Realty. Chamberlain noted that most places that are farther than a block away from the beach are less than $500,000. However, she also said that homes prices in the area have been rising recently, the first time since 2007. Prices have remained stable because, with the exception of relatively minor flooding, the community was spared the worst from Hurricane Sandy. Read more about the most popular towns to buy a vacation home at 24/7 Wall St.

1. Ocean City, N.J.

Median asking price: $525,000

Percentage change from 2012: -0.5%

No other area was more searched for in the past 12 months than of Ocean City, N.J. Homes generally are more expensive in Ocean City than in nearby North Wildwood, with a current median asking price of $525,000, the highest of all popular vacation neighborhoods. Kolko said that Ocean City had a major drop-off in prices following Hurricane Sandy, although it quickly rebounded. He added that many of the people searching for homes in the area are from near Philadelphia, although searches increased following Hurricane Sandy from people who had homes destroyed but still wanted to stay in the area.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-best-places-to-buy-a-vacation-home-2013-05-27

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Kim Kardashian Screams at Paparazzi: Shut the Effin Door!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/kim-kardashian-screams-at-paparazzi-shut-the-effin-door/

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Rumor has it that Yahoo is willing to stump up $800 million to take over Hulu.

Rumor has it that Yahoo is willing to stump up $800 million to take over Hulu. Marissa Mayer is one big spender right now.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/te9jZhQTFwo/rumor-has-it-that-yahoo-is-willing-to-stump-up-800-mil-509981455

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Kissing protest held in Turkey

Kissing protest: Dozens of couples kissed in public to protest demands by Turkey subway officials that passengers should "to act in accordance with moral rules."

By Staff,?Associated Press / May 25, 2013

A young Turkish couple kiss Saturday, May 25, to protest against subway officials' harassment of another couple for kissing in public last week, at a subway stop in Ankara, Turkey.

(AP Photo)

Enlarge

Dozens of couples have locked lips at a subway stop in Turkey's capital, Ankara, to protest subway authorities' admonishment of a couple that kissed in public.

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Turkish media say that, earlier in the week, Ankara subway officials made an announcement asking passengers "to act in accordance with moral rules" after security cameras spotted the couple kissing.

The issue prompted an opposition lawmaker to question the Islamist-rooted ruling party, which many secularists fear wants to expand the role of Islam in Turkey, about whether subway officials were authorized to make such demands.

Some 100 people in the station kissed for several minutes in protest Saturday. Demonstrators carried signs reading "Free Kisses" and chanted slogans.

A pro-Islamist group of some 20 people staged a counter-protest. Police set up barricades between the groups.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/6zOFEa10SHw/Kissing-protest-held-in-Turkey

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Bayern beats Dortmund 2-1 in final on Robben goal

LONDON (AP) ? Arjen Robben scored in the 89th minute to give Bayern Munich a 2-1 win over German rival Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final Saturday, ending four years of frustration for his team in Europe's biggest tournament.

Robben ran onto Franck Ribery's backheeled flick in the penalty area and put the ball past goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller to send Bayern to its first Champions League victory since 2001. The German team had lost two of the last three finals, including on penalty kicks to Chelsea last year in its own stadium in Munich.

In a game that featured a slew of chances for both teams, Mario Mandzukic put Bayern ahead in the 60th minute at Wembley Stadium before Ilkay Gundogan evened the score on a penalty kick eight minutes later after defender Dante fouled Marco Reus in the area.

Robben, who missed two great chances in the first half, then finally came through for Bayern to set off wild celebrations in the red-and-white end of Wembley. It was the perfect redemption for Robben, who missed a penalty in extra time of last year's final, causing some Bayern fans to turn against him. A year later, after the final whistle sounded in London, he strode with his arms raised toward the section of jubilant Bayern fans.

Robben also set up the first goal for Bayern, taking a pass from Ribery and drawing Weidenfeller out toward the sideline before squaring for Mandzukic, who could hardly miss from a few yards out.

But the lead didn't last long. Dante clumsily clattered into Reus in the penalty area, and Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli pointed to the spot. Gundogan sent Manuel Neuer the wrong way before slotting his kick into the right side of the net.

Bayern entered the game as the clear favorite, although that message didn't seem to have filtered through to Juergen Klopp's Dortmund team, which seemed intent on dictating play from the start. It largely succeeded for the first 25 minutes as well, although it was Bayern that ended up with the best chances of the first half.

Mandezukic came closest when his header was tipped onto the bar by Weidenfeller in the 26th, and the goalkeeper then denied Robben four minutes later when the speedy winger raced clear toward the goal.

Before that, Neuer had been by far the busier goalkeeper, making a point-blank save from Jakub Blaszczykowski and diving to stop an effort from Sven Bender. Neuer also pushed away long efforts from Reus and Robert Lewandowski before denying the Polish striker again from close range in the 35th.

Robben had the final chance of the half when he beat Mats Hummels to a long ball into the area in the 42nd, but fired his volley straight into Weidenfeller's face.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bayern-beats-dortmund-2-1-final-robben-goal-210828515.html

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Judge: Ariz. sheriff's office profiles Latinos

By Tim Gaynor and David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio violated the constitutional rights of Latino drivers in his crackdown on illegal immigration, a federal judge found on Friday, and ordered him to stop using race as a factor in law enforcement decisions.

The ruling against the Maricopa County sheriff came in response to a class-action lawsuit brought by Hispanic drivers that tested whether police can target illegal immigrants without racially profiling U.S. citizens and legal residents of Hispanic origin.

U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow ruled that the sheriff's policies violated the drivers' constitutional rights and ordered Arpaio's office to cease using race or ancestry as a grounds to stop, detain or hold occupants of vehicles - some of them in crime sweeps dubbed "saturation patrols."

"The great weight of the evidence is that all types of saturation patrols at issue in this case incorporated race as a consideration into their operations," Snow said in a written ruling.

He added that race had factored into which vehicles the deputies decided to stop, and into who they decided to investigate for immigration violations.

The lawsuit contended that Arpaio, who styles himself "America's toughest sheriff," and his officers violated the constitutional rights of both U.S. citizens and legal immigrants alike in their zeal to crack down on people they believe to be in the country illegally.

The ruling came days after a U.S. Senate panel approved a landmark comprehensive immigration legislation that would usher in the biggest changes in immigration policy in a generation if passed by Congress.

The bill would put 11 million immigrants without legal status on a 13-year path to citizenship while further strengthening security along the porous southwestern border with Mexico.

Arpaio declined comment on the ruling. A sheriff's spokesman referred a request for comment to attorney Tim Casey, who said he was reading the ruling and had no immediate comment.

'ILLEGAL AND PLAIN UN-AMERICAN'

Cecillia Wang, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Immigrants' Rights Project and plaintiffs' counsel, called the judge's ruling "an important victory that will resound far beyond Maricopa County."

"Singling people out for traffic stops and detentions simply because they're Latino is illegal and just plain un-American," Wang said after the ruling was made public.

"Let this be a warning to anyone who hides behind a badge to wage their own private campaign against Latinos or immigrants that there is no exception in the Constitution for violating people's rights in immigration enforcement."

During testimony in the non-jury trial last year, Arpaio said he was against racial profiling and denied his office arrested people because of the color of their skin.

The sheriff, who won re-election to a sixth term in November, has been a lightning rod for controversy over his aggressive enforcement of immigration laws in the state, which borders Mexico, as well as an investigation into the validity of President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate.

The lawsuit was brought against Arpaio and his office on behalf of five Hispanic drivers who said they had been stopped by deputies because of their ethnicity.

The plaintiffs, which include the Somos America immigrants' rights coalition and all Latino drivers stopped by the sheriff's office since 2007, were seeking corrective action but not monetary damages.

Arpaio has been the subject of other probes and lawsuits. In August, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona said it had closed a criminal investigation into accusations of financial misconduct by Arpaio, and it declined to bring charges.

A separate U.S. Justice Department investigation and lawsuit relating to accusations of civil rights abuses by Arpaio's office is ongoing.

Arizona has been at the heart of a bitter national debate over immigration since Republican Governor Jan Brewer signed a 2010 crackdown on illegal immigration.

The federal government challenged the crackdown in court and said the U.S. Constitution gives it sole authority over immigration policy. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, has allowed to stand the part of the law permitting police to question people they stop about their immigration status.

Snow scheduled a hearing in the case for June 14 at 9:30 a.m. at the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Federal Courthouse in Phoenix.

(Reporting by Tim Gaynor and David Schwartz; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Eric Walsh, Toni Reinhold)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/judge-rules-against-americas-toughest-sheriff-racial-profiling-002946682.html

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Are You Ready? Guide | Ready.gov What is Are You Ready? Are You Ready? provides a step-by-step approach to disaster preparedness by walking the reader through how to get informed about local. . Click on the buttons to the right to find out how you can prepare yourself and your. Earthquake + Hurricane Preparedness (72. FEMA.gov | Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, education, and references. Home | Ready.gov Emergency preparedness guidance from the U.S. We're the best choice for Emergency and Prepper Supplies to get you Prepared for Earthquakes, Hurricanes and. Emergency Survival Kit, Bug Out Bag and Survival Gear for. Department of Homeland Security, lists and explains specific threats and response. Emergency Survival Gear and Disaster Preparedness Kits & Equipment. Are you prepared? In a major disaster, it might be several days before vital services are restored. Preparedness.com - Emergency Preparedness Supplies & Kits Preparedness.com for Emergency Preparedness Supplies. Home & Family MRE and Dehydrated Food & Water Storage. CDC Emergency Preparedness and You Emergency Preparedness and You. The possibility of public health emergencies arising in the United States concerns many people in the wake of recent hurricanes. How to prepare, glossary, feedback

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Source: http://nryrsqf.typepad.com/blog/2013/05/downloads-disaster-preparedness-recovery-planning-for-law-firms.html

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Reverie sleep systems feature mattresses with air cylinder technology which can be customized to your personal level of firmness. Combined with an ?adjustable base that offers a Zero Gravity position that emulates weightlessness and a 4-wave massage function, you may never want to get out of bed. You can control this bed with a boring [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/05/25/need-to-adjust-your-bed-theres-an-app-for-that/

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How playing surfaces affect athletic performance, injury potential

May 24, 2013 ? A group of University of Rhode Island students have been jumping up and down for weeks on a variety of playing surfaces in a study to evaluate how each affects athletic performance and injury potential.

Disa Hatfield, URI assistant professor of kinesiology, said little is known about whether athletes perform better or are more susceptible to injury on the various surfaces.

"People make decisions all the time that amount to spending thousands of dollars to buy artificial turf or to plant one kind of grass or another, but those decisions are based mostly on cost," Hatfield said. "We think this study will answer a lot of important questions, especially about injury risk."

Hatfield and her students are testing four surfaces -- a hard metal plate, artificial turf like that used in many National Football League stadiums, and grass planted on either a sandy loam soil or on peat soil.

The surfaces are being tested using 42 volunteer subjects who are asked to jump in five different ways to measure the height of each jump, the power they produce, and their landing pattern. According to Hatfield, jumping height and power directly correlate to athletic performance.

The volunteers are also filmed so the researchers can examine the angles of their legs, knees and ankles as they land to analyze injury risk.

"We expect performance to be a little better on the artificial turf, but we may also get more ankle and knee movements on the landing because of the harder impact," she said.

Hatfield said that many people, especially women, experience knee valgus -- their knees cave inward upon landing -- which is associated with a high risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

"When we see knee valgus to a certain degree, that's a serious risk factor for injury," she said.

The study is particularly timely because of increasing concern, especially in the NFL, about the high prevalence of injuries on artificial turf.

"The problem is that maintaining artificial turf is much cheaper and easier than maintaining live grass. The cost factor is much less," she said. "But I'm hoping that we'll be able to show a decreased injury risk on natural surfaces, which have a higher capacity to absorb impacts."

While the professional athletic venues may be one driver of the research, Hatfield believes her data will be equally useful to recreational venues where the majority of amateur and recreational athletes exercise and compete.

"Most of those venues aren't going to be investing in an artificial surface, but they will want to know what we learn about the differences between soil types," Hatfield said. "There is some speculation that because sand is denser and doesn't bend as much, injury potential will be higher, but there is no research yet to verify that."

Hatfield will spend the summer and fall analyzing the data that is being collected this spring, and she hopes to have results to report at the end of the year.

Her research was funded in part by the New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation and with guidance from turfgrass scientists W. Michael Sullivan at URI and Jason Henderson at the University of Connecticut.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/YehXbtDyLec/130524134306.htm

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Arizona investigating angry email sent lawmakers

PHOENIX (AP) -- Arizona's bitter debate over a signature part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul has sparked an investigation into lawmakers' safety after at least nine legislators received a threatening email over Gov. Jan Brewer's push to expand Medicaid access.

The message asked the lawmakers to "kill" the plan and referred to Second Amendment rights, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

State police are also investigating a voice mail left for Rep. Kate Brophy McGee, a Phoenix Republican who supports the Medicaid expansion. She appeared visibly shaken Thursday as she described the message on the House floor and asked lawmakers to tell their constituents to be civil.

The voice mail from a male caller was "a long rambling message with derogatory remarks aimed at Governor Brewer for Representative McGee," wrote Bart Graves, a spokesman with the Department of Public Safety, in an email Friday. "She felt there was a threatening undertone."

State police plan to interview the caller and email sender. Graves declined to provide a copy of the email or name the lawmakers involved.

"We take these incidents seriously," Graves said.

The alleged threats come after a heated impasse between Brewer and Republican leaders in the GOP-led Legislature over the Medicaid expansion.

Brewer announced a moratorium on bill signings two weeks ago and vetoed five bills Thursday. Brewer's spokesman has said she will not sign anymore bills until significant progress is made on the Medicaid plan and the state budget. Lawmakers have five more weeks until the new fiscal year begins on July 1.

The Senate president and House speaker oppose the Medicaid expansion, and some Republican lawmakers have labeled Brewer a traitor for backing it. She was among a handful of Republican governors who sued after its passage. But Brewer and other moderate Republicans now say the plan will help poor Arizonans and there are enough votes in the Arizona Senate and House to pass the Medicaid expansion if the leadership doesn't stand in the way.

Brophy McGee got the threatening message after Republican Rep. Bob Thorpe, of Flagstaff, sent an email urging constituents to call her and five other GOP House members who support Medicaid expansion. Thorpe said he sent an apology to the lawmakers, telling them he "screwed up."

Other lawmakers who support or are believed to back the Medicaid expansion reported Thursday getting emails and phone calls containing varying layers of vitriol.

Arizona is among nine states where Republican governors have accepted the Medicaid expansion. Six of them have been able to get a deal with their legislatures or are on track to do so, including Arizona, where six Republicans joined all 13 Democrats in the Senate last week to pass a budget that included the Medicaid expansion.

Conservative Republicans were furious at the supporters. The head of the Maricopa County Republican Party, A.J. LaFaro, called the day of the vote "a day of infamy."

"Their political careers are all but over and their days numbered," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-investigating-angry-email-sent-191502771.html

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How to Negotiate a Sea of Stock Market Data for Your Own Personal ...

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
By Mitchell Clark, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential

In the online world of free investment parlance, you can always find an opinion out there that meets your view. That is, of course, the point.

Just as you can with statistics, if you dig hard enough, you can find the numbers to support any case.

But in the stock market, it?s very important to remember that the mindset of institutional investors is different from that of Main Street.

By ?institutional investors,? I?m referring to any entity that is buy-side, with investing money being the main concern. The Wall Street investment banker mindset, the sell-side, is its own unique beast.

Institutional investors are paid to play. That?s their business. If a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) takes in money, it has to invest it. Contributors don?t pay fees to have money sit in cash.

The stock market is very much a marketplace that is fueled by the supply and demand of common shares and cash.

With greater demand (new inflows to institutional investors) and less supply (the amount of initial public offerings [IPOs], secondary offerings, and corporate share buybacks), prices go up.

That?s why everything in the stock market is only relative?share prices, earnings, earnings estimates, valuations, and views.

Is priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ/PCLN) worth $847.33 a share? Or should it be $694.06 a share, like it was on May 1? That?s a huge stock market gain, and the month isn?t even over yet. (See ?BlackRock Takes in Billions For Equities: A Signal the Stock Market Is Near a Top??)

The only thing institutional investors lament is a lack of new cash inflows.

Being in the business of getting paid to play the stock market, the effort is always about participating, not deciding whether to get in or out of the market.

And for institutional investors and funds that buy stocks, new cash inflows create a situation in which the stock market then feeds itself as that money is slowly put to work.

In a secondary market, the supply and demand for common shares is very important.

If you have the desire, consider reading the Form 10-Qs of publicly traded institutional investors and the statistics on new cash inflows to the stock market. It?s a great way to get a sense of the demand part of the equation.

Also consider reading the quarterly and annual outlooks from institutional investors. Most of them offer their general market views for free.

Because institutional investors are the drivers of share prices, it?s useful to know what they?re thinking.

With so much free information available on the stock market today, getting to know the institutional mindset is as valuable as any piece of information available.

A stock like priceline.com appreciated 22% since the beginning of this month for no other reason than the increased buying by big investors.

Getting to know the mindset of institutional investors is helpful in shaping your own outlook and maximizing your returns.

It?s an easy, uncomplicated research method that can pay.

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Source: http://www.profitconfidential.com/stock-market/how-to-negotiate-a-sea-of-stock-market-data-for-your-own-personal-gain/

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Cannes: Lionsgate nabs U.S. rights to Clive Owen crime drama

By Brent Lang

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Lionsgate nabbed U.S. distribution rights to the crime drama "Blood Ties" from Worldview Entertainment, the studio said Wednesday from the Cannes Film Festival.

The film premiered at the French Riviera gathering this week and features Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, Zo? Saldana, and Marion Cotillard.

Lionsgate said it plans to release the picture through its sister company, Roadside Attractions. "Blood Ties" is a remake of the French film "Les Liens du sang," yet unspools in a distinctly American setting -- New York City in the height (or depth) of its 1970s urban dissolution.

The crime drama finds a middle-aged crook struggling to readjust to society after he is released from prison, where he was being punished for his role in a gangland murder. There's a fractured family dynamic at play, because the ex-convict's younger brother is a cop with a bright future on the force. The film explores the twin push and pull of family and criminality.

Reviews have been mixed, with Variety's Scott Foundas labeling it a "dramatically undernourished saga." Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman singled Owen's performance out for praise, calling it "mesmerizing."

Guillaume Canet ("Tell No One") directed from a screenplay he wrote with director James Gray ("We Own the Night").

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. CAA brokered the deal on behalf of Worldview Entertainment and Lionsgate was represented by Jason Constantine, the studio's president of acquisitions and co-productions, with Eda Kowan, SVP of acquisitions, and Wendy Jaffe, EVP of business and legal affairs.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cannes-lionsgate-nabs-u-rights-clive-owen-crime-003828329.html

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Oklahoma Tornado Health Risks May Lie In The Rubble

Chris Whitley had already survived three tornadoes and had worked at the scene of dozens more before arriving in Joplin, Mo.

"It was unlike anything I'd ever seen," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spokesman recalled of the devastation left by the deadly twister that struck the town two years ago Wednesday.

"So far," he added, "pictures from Moore are very eerily familiar."

As they did in the wake of the Joplin tornado, Whitley and other experts are warning of dangers that may not be obvious in photographs of the wreckage in Moore, Okla., where a mile-wide tornado tore through the town and took the lives of at least 24 people on Monday.

In addition to rusty nails, shattered glass, falling debris and loose wires, hazards such as cancer-causing asbestos and neurotoxic lead can be stirred up by the violent winds and by recovery efforts themselves. Such risks may raise the toll of death and injury over the days, even decades, ahead.

"As they search for their loved ones, the threat of asbestos is far from people's minds," said Linda Reinstein, president of the nonprofit Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. "We've seen this in Joplin, and after Hurricane Sandy. We know that residential areas were constructed with asbestos-contaminated products. After natural disasters, asbestos is a prevalent toxin."

"But we can?t see it, taste it, smell it or touch it," added Reinstein, warning anyone who "suspects or expects asbestos in materials" to leave its removal to someone trained and certified.

The chemical concerns are primarily for older houses and buildings. Nearly 80 million homes in the U.S. were built and painted before lead paint was banned in 1978, according to Lead Safe America. The heavy metal is especially dangerous for chlidren. And while asbestos has been phased out of many building materials, it is not yet banned. The EPA estimates that up to 35 million homes, schools and businesses in the U.S. still contain contaminated insulation.

The area struck by Monday's tornado, including those surrounding the collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School, are lined with many ramblers built in the 1960s and 1970s -- a period of rapid growth for Moore.

Erin Hatfield, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, told The Huffington Post that the department is coordinating with other agencies, including the EPA and Federal Emergency Management Agency, in "evaluating the conditions following the tornado" and making plans to "address the disposal of debris."

"The City of Moore drinking water and sewage have both been restored," Hatfield said. "So far, no known major spills or releases have resulted from the storm." No oil refineries were in the tornado's path.

"Oklahoma is pretty uniquely prepared [for tornadoes], but a storm of this magnitude changes things a bit," added Hatfield. "We're in the very beginning stages."

Recommendations for residents and cleanup workers dealing with debris are posted on the DEQ website.

Dr. Mark Keim, an emergency physician focusing on environmental health preparedness at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offered additional advice for those working in the rubble.

"If there is a dust hazard, whether there's asbestos or not, you should be taking precautions," Keim told HuffPost, recommending rubber gloves and respirators. "During cleanups, take frequent breaks, and wash your hands before eating or touching your mouth."

Keim highlighted other generally invisible hazards common after a major storm, such as natural gas explosions, carbon monoxide poisonings, extreme heat and emotional trauma.

Keim said chemical hazards have not been a widespread problem in the past, thanks in part to the luck that tornadoes generally haven't struck chemical facilities.

"But that's not to say that couldn't occur with this emergency," Keim said.

In the aftermath of the Joplin tornado, Whitley recalled initially scouring the landscape in search of any major contamination issues. As appears to be the case so far in Moore, no damaged refineries or other industrial plants were found. Widespread monitoring in Joplin for more than 70 days didn't reveal concerning levels of asbestos or particulate matter in the air, he said.

Joplin, however, was built on former lead mining grounds. Despite ongoing efforts before the storm to remediate lead-contaminated soil, the tornado unearthed the neurotoxic heavy metal.

Whitley and other officials urged people involved in the Joplin demolition and cleanup to wear gear that protected them from the lead, as well as other chemicals, including the 2,600 tons of asbestos that would eventually be collected. They also cautioned anyone handing hazardous household materials -- everything from bug spray to gasoline for lawnmowers, he said.

Still, on the two-year anniversary of the tornado, Joplin residents remain mindful of the tornado's toxic wake.

"It doesn't just go away when you pick the stuff up off the ground and make the surface flat and green again," said Whitley, noting that rebuilding is dealt with on a "property-by-property basis."

Reinstein of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization acknowledged another tragic anniversary that fell on Wednesday: the death of her husband seven years ago from mesothelioma, a cancer of the chest and abdominal linings associated with asbestos exposure.

She is battling to improve prevention of the disease through education and remediation of the microscopic mineral fibers "prior to natural or manmade disasters," she said.

"We have to learn from these natural disasters," said Reinstein, "or history will repeat itself over and over."

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/oklahoma-tornado-health-risks_n_3322218.html

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Antidepressant reduces stress-induced heart condition

May 21, 2013 ? A drug commonly used to treat depression and anxiety may improve a stress-related heart condition in people with stable coronary heart disease, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

Compared with those receiving placebo, people who took the antidepressant escitalopram (sold as Lexapro) were more than two-and-a-half times less likely to have mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI), a heart condition brought on by mental stress. The findings, published in the May 22/29, 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, add to the current understanding of how negative emotions affect cardiovascular health.

In myocardial ischemia, the heart muscle does not receive enough blood flow or supply, or the supply does not meet the needs of the heart muscle. Patients with myocardial ischemia often have no noticeable symptoms, but research has shown that emotional stress can trigger such heart conditions.

"Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia is a serious condition, as patients with the condition tend to have worse heart problems compared to patients without it," said lead author Wei Jiang, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and internal medicine at Duke. "This study showed for the first time that it is treatable with an emotion-modulating medication."

MSIMI is diagnosed based on certain changes in the heart: new wall motion abnormality, a reduction in how much blood is pumped out of the heart's left ventricle, ischemic changes on electrocardiography tests, or a combination of these symptoms.

While MSIMI can be serious, little is known on how to treat it; previous studies looking at interventions for MSIMI were not conclusive based on small sample sizes and conflicting results.

"In order to advance our understanding of improving cardiovascular health, we believe that continued research between the intersection of mental health and cardiovascular disease should be a priority," said senior author Christopher O'Connor, M.D., director of the Duke Heart Center and chief of the Division of Cardiology.

To better understand how to ease the negative cardiovascular effects brought on by mental stress, Duke researchers led the Responses of Mental Stress Induced Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram Treatment (REMIT) study, a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial. They enrolled participants with existing coronary heart disease that was in stable condition.

In order to find people experiencing MSIMI, the researchers subjected participants to a common exercise stress test using a treadmill, as well as three mental stress tests: a tricky mental math task, tracing a diagram of a star while looking at hand movement as a reflection in a mirror, and telling a story about a situation that evoked anger or sadness. Echocardiography and electrocardiography testing and blood pressure and heart rate measurements were used to assess heart function during the stress tests.

Of the 310 participants who were tested, 127 developed MSIMI and were randomized to either receive escitalopram -- a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used to treat depression and anxiety -- or placebo. A total of 112 participants completed the full study and final assessments.

At the end of the six-week study, the participants underwent the same stress tests and their cardiovascular function was compared to what was measured before taking the medication or the placebo. The researchers observed that those who took escitalopram were 2.62 times less likely to experience MSIMI during the three mental stress tasks compared with those taking placebo.

During the final mental stress tasks, participants in the escitalopram group felt significantly more in control and calmer than those in the placebo group. Taking escitalopram was also associated with several positive changes in cardiovascular markers, including reducing the number of platelet serotonin receptor transporters.

"Our findings support the hypothesis that short-term use of SSRIs improves levels of biomarkers associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes," said Jiang.

The study suggests that SSRIs or similar treatments could play an important role in managing coronary heart disease, a finding relevant for physicians and patients at risk for or living with coronary heart disease.

"All physicians treating patients with coronary artery disease need to be aware of how emotional stressors may negatively impact their disease management," said study author Eric Velazquez, M.D., associate professor of cardiology at Duke. "We should be having conversations with our patients about their lifestyles to gauge their levels of mental stress and whether the coping mechanisms they use are adequate or if more mental health-focused help is needed."

Additional research is warranted to fully understand the mechanisms behind MSIMI and whether improvements in the condition from taking escitalopram may result in reducing occurrence or recurrence of serious health conditions, including heart attack or angina, stroke, heart failure, or death. A study is also necessary to determine how long escitalopram should be taken, and whether the participants already achieved the maximum benefit at six weeks.

In addition to Jiang, O'Connor, and Velazquez, researchers include Maragatha Kuchibhatla, Zainab Samad, Stephen H. Boyle, Cynthia Kuhn, Richard C. Becker, Thomas L. Ortel, Redford B. Williams, Jr. and Joseph G. Rogers.

The research was supported by funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01 HL085704).

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/depression/~3/U_kkUXxDDHs/130521193736.htm

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