2 bodies found in charred Detroit medical facility

DETROIT (AP) ? A man identified by employees as a former maintenance worker opened fire Tuesday inside a Detroit medical facility, sending workers and visitors screaming and rushing for the doors just moments before the building erupted in flames.

Crews digging through the gutted Park Medical Centers building hours after the fire recovered the remains of a man and a woman, Detroit police said Tuesday night in a release.

Authorities did not release the identities of the dead, pending autopsies, but police had been searching for 35-year-old medical assistant Sharita Williams and the fired maintenance worker, who relatives said was her ex-boyfriend.

Williams' mother, Antha Williams-Hill, told The Associated Press that one of her daughter's co-workers told her that the man threatened her daughter inside.

"He said, 'You think I'm playing with you?'" Williams-Hill said. "He told the other girl, 'I think you better get out of here.' The girl left and said she then heard two shots."

Last week, Sharita Williams was granted a personal protection order against the man, according to Wayne County Court records.

Williams-Hill said two days earlier, someone had emailed her sexually explicit photos of her daughter that also were posted on Facebook. The text accompanying the photos read: "How do you like Sharita's new boyfriend?" her mother said.

Dr. Stuart Kirschenbaum, a podiatrist who operated his private practice from the building for about 30 years, said he heard a security guard yell that the gunman "had taken Sharita and is shooting at other people in the building."

Destroyed in the blaze, Kirschenbaum said, was his collection of boxing gloves, personal letters and photos of boxing great Joe Louis. He estimated the memorabilia were worth about $100,000.

Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin, a clinical psychologist, said she was driving in for an appointment Tuesday morning when a member of her staff called with this frantic message: "Kim, the building is on fire. They're shooting."

Dwane Blackmon, Detroit police homicide inspector, declined to identify the maintenance man as the suspect but said everyone else inside except the woman and male suspect appeared to have escaped the blaze.

Investigators were unable to quickly go deep into the one-story building, described by tenants as also having a basement, due to fears of the structure's integrity.

Williams-Hill said she was asked to go to the coroner's office to identify whether the deceased woman was her daughter "because of the condition of the body."

She said her daughter had been dating the married maintenance man for more than a year, but their relationship was rocky and Sharita eventually began seeing someone else and even moved out of the city and into a Detroit suburb to get away. However, he refused to leave her alone, Williams-Hill said.

Police and arson investigators on Tuesday interviewed people who worked in the building and relatives of Sharita Williams and the maintenance man.

Blackmon could not confirm whether the two had been in a relationship.

__

Associated Press writers Mike Householder and Jeff Karoub contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-bodies-found-burned-detroit-medical-facility-012714807.html

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British 'test tube baby' pioneer Robert Edwards dies

By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent

LONDON (Reuters) - Robert Edwards, a British Nobel prize-winning scientist known as the father of IVF for pioneering the development of "test tube babies", died on Wednesday aged 87 after a long illness, his university said.

Edwards, who won the Nobel prize for medicine in 2010, started work on developing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in the 1950s, and the first so-called test tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in 1978 as a result of his research.

Since then, more than 5 million babies have been born around the world as a result of the techniques Edwards developed together with his late colleague, Patrick Steptoe.

Edwards, who has five daughters and 11 grandchildren, said he was motivated in his work by a desire to help families.

"Nothing is more special than a child," he was quoted by his clinic as saying when he won his Nobel prize.

Edwards began his work on fertilization in 1955, and by 1968 had managed to fertilize a human egg in a laboratory. He then started to collaborate with Steptoe.

In 1980, the two founded Bourn Hall, the world's first IVF clinic, in Cambridge, eastern England, where gynecologists and cell biologists around the world have since come to train.

Mike Macnamee, chief executive of the clinic, said Edwards was "one of our greatest scientists", whose inspirational work had led to a breakthrough that had enhanced the lives of millions of people worldwide.

CRITICISM AND CONTROVERSY

IVF is a process by which an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body in a test tube, giving rise to the term "in vitro" or "in glass".

Experts say that today, as many as 1 to 2 percent of babies in the Western world are conceived through IVF, a method designed to help infertile couples or those who have trouble conceiving naturally but who want to have children of their own.

Yet Edwards' work and its consequences remain controversial. The Roman Catholic Church strongly opposes IVF as an affront to human dignity that destroys more human life than it creates - because scientists discard or store unused fertilized embryos.

Working together in the 1960s and 1970s, Edwards and Steptoe, a gynecologist, pursued their research despite opposition from churches, governments and many in the media, and skepticism from scientific colleagues.

They struggled to raise funds and had to rely on private donations, but in 1968 they developed methods to fertilize human eggs outside the body.

Working at Cambridge University, they began replacing fertilized embryos into infertile mothers in 1972. But several pregnancies spontaneously aborted due to what they later discovered were flawed hormone treatments.

PRECISE TIMING

In 1977, they tried a new procedure, which did not involve hormone treatments but relied instead on precise timing. On July 25 of the following year, the world's first IVF baby was born.

Peter Braude, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at King's College London, said few biologists had been able to have such a positive and practical impact on humankind.

"Bob's boundless energy, his innovative ideas, and his resilience despite the relentless criticism by naysayers changed the lives of millions of ordinary people who now rejoice in the gift of their own child," he said.

"He leaves the world a much better place."

According to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), around one in six couples worldwide experience some form of infertility problem at least once during their reproductive lifetime.

Since Edwards' pioneering work, various forms of "assisted reproductive technology" have been developed, including intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) - a process by which an egg is fertilized by injecting it with a single sperm.

Anna Veiga, ESHRE's chairman, said calculations last year indicated there were now 5 million IVF babies in the world. "And they each reflect the sacrifices (Edwards) made to establish IVF as a legitimate treatment in world medicine," she said.

(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/british-test-tube-baby-pioneer-robert-edwards-dies-131355837.html

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Is the End Near for JCPenney? | Breakout - Yahoo! Finance

Troubled merchant JCPenney (JCP) last night announced that CEO Ron Johnson would be leaving effective immediately. The move comes at a critical time for the company.

During his short term as CEO Ron Johnson managed to alienate JCP?s former customer base before he was able to implement a plan to attract new shoppers. The results have been disastrous. During the critical fourth-quarter of 2012, same-store sales (revenues at stores open more than a year) fell by 32%. Roughly half of the 1,100 JCP store base has been updated to fit Johnson?s turnaround vision while the others are going through costly remodels. In human terms Johnson fired or laid-off 19,000 employees. The math works out to about 40 jobs lost every day of Johnson?s 15-month term.

Related: Ron Johnson's JCPenney -Anatomy of a Retail Failure

The clock is ticking on the 111-year old chain. If JCP runs through cash at the rate it has over the last 12 months the company will have no money on the balance sheet by sometime this summer, exactly at the time retailers need to maximize their borrowing to be in stock for the holidays.

If the new CEO can?t stop the bleeding JCPenney will be bankrupt by Labor Day. The question for investors and shoppers alike is who is the new boss and what, if anything, can he do to save the company.

The New Boss is Same as the Old Boss

The job of cleaning up the mess now falls to Myron Ullman, the very man JCP?s board of directors jettisoned to make room for Ron Johnson in the first place. Brian Sozzi, retail stock whiz and CEO of Belus Capital Advisors, thinks bringing back Ullman is a big mistake.

?JCP just took a step back in time in trying to bring back old school retailing 101 where you promote every weekend,? he explains in the attached video. Among the daunting challenges with going back to the old strategy is that JC Penney?s just spent 15 months telling its former customers they were no longer welcome at the hip new JCP.

Sozzi says Ron Johnson ?essentially told the entire Baby Boom class ?hey, you have a lot of spending power (but) we don?t want you.'?

The problem facing Myron Ullman is that he?s got half of JCP?s 1,100 stores partially remodeled, a customer base that has no idea what the store stands for anymore, and a massive amount of incoming inventory specifically bought to fit into the younger, hipper demographic Johnson was trying to woo.

Just for good measure Ullman also has a company rapidly running out of cash, having burned through nearly a billion dollars of liquidity in 2012.

What Should Customers Expect at the New-New JC Penney?s?

Option 1: Undo everything Johnson did and go back to the JC Penney of old.

Ullman could theorhetically mark down all the merchandise associated with the ?new? JC Penney via deep discounts and recreate the shopping experience customers had come to expect. Sozzi thinks Ullman would be making a disastrous mistake. ?If he does that in the next couple months JC Penney will no longer be in business,? he states without a trace of doubt.

JC Penney took deep discounts to reduce inventory and generate cash flow at the end of 2012. Most of the goods that would need to be marked down to go back to the old merchandising strategy haven?t even arrived at the remodeled stores. Retailers order goods months ahead of time, meaning most of what JCP had intended to sell as part of back to school has already been purchased.

If the company starts marking down that merchandise now its financing will dry up immediately. Whatever else they do JCP can?t go home again.

Option 2: Stick with Ron Johnson?s plan.

Suffice it to say the board of directors is unlikely to implement Johnson?s vision considering the decisiveness with which they just fired the man.

Option 3: Split into two chains.

Strangely enough, the fact that Johnson barely got halfway through his planned remodels before getting fired may be the best thing Ullman has going for him. Abandoning the need to dedicate resources to bringing the legacy stores up to speed could buy some time with the vendors and allow the company to operate both the hip JCP locations and the tired JC Penney?s as separate entitles.

Sozzi doesn?t think such a move eliminates Ullman?s need to spend on the ?500 zombie stores that Johnson didn?t show any love to? but reduces the sense of urgency on that spending.

Breaking JCP into two different divisions is also a way to acknowledge the current reality as Sozzi sees it. ?That?s the ultimate message coming off of Ron Johnson that he split this company in half and nobody even realizes yet,? he says.

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/end-near-jcpenney-144258981.html

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Remains of the Day: The Google Play Store Gets a Redesign

The Google Play Store gets a design refresh, AT&T customers get free Wi-Fi in some international airports, Microsoft prepares to roll out two-factor authentication, and Chrome for iOS gets an update.

Photo by photastic (Shutterstock), a2bb5s (Shutterstock), and Feng Yu (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/jLN8lAynAUk/remains-of-the-day-the-google-play-store-gets-a-redesign

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Exclusive: Beyonce, Jay-Z Cuba visit had U.S. Treasury Department OK - source

By David Adams

MIAMI (Reuters) - A visit by American pop star Beyonce and rapper husband Jay-Z to Havana last week was a cultural trip that was fully licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department, a source familiar with the itinerary said on Monday.

The longstanding U.S. trade embargo against Cuba prevents most Americans from traveling to the communist-led island without a license granted by the U.S. government.

Three Cuban-American members of Congress, all Republicans from Miami and supporters of a firm stance on Cuba, have asked the Treasury Department to look into the licensing of the trip, prompting officials to seek more information from the organizers.

Beyonce and Jay-Z celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in Havana and were greeted by big crowds as they strolled through the Cuban capital. The music industry power couple were instantly recognized as celebrities despite the past half-century of ideological conflict that separates the two countries.

The source told Reuters that the trip included visits with Cuban artists and musicians, as well as several nightclubs where live music was performed, and some of the city's best privately run restaurants, known as "paladares."

The visit was planned as a "people-to-people" cultural visit and involved no meetings with Cuban officials, or typical tourist activity such as trips to the beach, the source said. Even a walk around the Old City of Havana, mobbed by crowds of excited Cuban spectators, was led by Miguel Coyula, one of the city's leading architects.

Publicists for the couple did not return emails or phone calls seeking comment.

Beyonce and Jay-Z were the latest American stars, joining actors Bill Murray, Sean Penn and James Caan who have also visited the Caribbean island in the past few years. But the pair were the first to cause such a stir everywhere they went.

The couple arrived in Havana unannounced for a four-day visit on Wednesday on a flight from Miami. But word of their presence spread like wildfire, by text messaging and word of mouth.

Beyonce, who sang at President Barack Obama's inauguration for his second term in January, was instantly recognized when she and Jay-Z, and their mothers, dined at La Guarida, the city's top privately run restaurant, on their first night.

The next day a crowd of several thousand people swarmed around them in Old Havana during a walk-about.

They also visited a children's theater group and several clubs where they heard live music, and occasionally took to the dance floor. On Friday, they toured Cuba's top art school and met with some young artists.

GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA

U.S. Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart questioned the couple's trip, saying it was being used for Cuban government propaganda. Ros-Lehtinen, long a fierce critic of the Cuban government, said it was "very disconcerting that these two mega stars would go down to Cuba and vacation as if they were in a tropical paradise and not say one word about the brutality their hosts display against all pro democracy activists."

Florida Senator Marco Rubio said the Obama administration's cultural exchange programs "have been abused by tourists."

If the Treasury Department had licensed the trip "the Obama Administration should explain exactly how trips like these comply with U.S. law and regulations governing travel to Cuba," Rubio said.

The Cuban government was unaware of the participants on the trip until shortly before they departed for Cuba, the source told Reuters, adding that the Cuban media made no official mention of the pair while they were in Havana, at the request of the singers.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which handles licenses for travel to Cuba, said it does not comment on individual cases.

OFAC provides licenses to visit Cuba on a case-by-case basis for educational exchanges, and for programs that promote "people-to-people contact" and "contribute to the development of civil society in Cuba," according to Treasury Department guidelines. Tourism is specifically prohibited by the guidelines, it states.

"It's hard to imagine a more people-to-people contact visit than the scenes witnessed last week on the streets of Havana with two of the United States' biggest music stars wading through crowds of fans they never knew they had," said John McAuliff, executive director for the Fund for Reconciliation and Development, an organization working to normalize U.S. relations with Cuba.

He described the couple's program as "characteristic of licensed trips undertaken by thousands of Americans every year."

While it has kept the embargo in place, the Obama administration has eased restrictions on travel to Cuba for academic, religious or cultural programs.

"People-to-people" visits, first promoted under President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, but reined in under President George W. Bush, have been revived by the Obama administration to encourage more contact between Americans and Cubans, separated by just 90 miles of ocean, but over half a century of ideological differences.

A number of U.S. firms are sponsoring Cuba trips, ranging from National Geographic to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to the American Automobile Association, resulting in a steadily growing stream of Americans to the island.

Only licensed travelers and Cuban-Americans visiting relatives on the island are allowed to board special charter planes from Miami for the 50-minute flight to Cuba.

Some U.S. citizens dodge those requirements by traveling to Cuba via third countries. Cuba does not stamp the passports of Americans who visit Cuba, making it easy to avoid detection.

Criminal penalties for violating OFAC regulations range up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in individual fines.

(Additional reporting by Jeff Franks and Nelson Acosta in Havana; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz, Frances Kerry and Vicki Allen)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-beyonce-jay-z-cuba-visit-had-treasury-030548980.html

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Kardashian, mom, on witness list in divorce case

FILE - This Aug. 31, 2011 file photo shows Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries attending a party thrown in their honor at Capitale in New York. Kardashian's witness list filed Monday April 8, 2013, for her upcoming divorce trial includes her mother, Kris Jenner, Humphries and several lawyers expected to testify about the couple's relationship and prenuptial agreement. Kardashian filed for divorce on Oct. 31, 2011, after she and Humphries had been married just 72 days. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

FILE - This Aug. 31, 2011 file photo shows Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries attending a party thrown in their honor at Capitale in New York. Kardashian's witness list filed Monday April 8, 2013, for her upcoming divorce trial includes her mother, Kris Jenner, Humphries and several lawyers expected to testify about the couple's relationship and prenuptial agreement. Kardashian filed for divorce on Oct. 31, 2011, after she and Humphries had been married just 72 days. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Kim Kardashian's upcoming divorce trial will be a family affair, but her attorneys do not expect to call her famous sisters to testify about the reality star's brief marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries.

But Kris Jenner, Kardashian's mother, and several lawyers and managers are expected to testify about the pair's relationship and prenuptial agreement, according to a witness list filed Monday in Los Angeles.

Humphries is seeking an annulment of the pair's 72-day marriage, claiming it was based on fraud. Kardashian wants a judge to enter a divorce judgment instead and has denied accusations that she married Humphries for the sake of her reality shows.

She will testify that she "did not defraud (Humphries) into marrying her," the filing by Kardashian's legal team states.

Kardashian's boyfriend, Kanye West, and her sisters Kourtney and Khloe are not listed as probable witnesses.

Kardashian and West, who has been deposed in the case, are expecting a baby in July. Humphries' lawyers attempted to serve West a deposition subpoena disguised in a Nordstrom's box last year, just one of the incidents that have contributed to acrimony between Kardashian and Humphries since she filed for divorce in October 2011.

Humphries, a power forward for the Brooklyn Nets, and Kardashian were married at a lavish, star-studded ceremony that was televised by E! Entertainment Television. The network also airs "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and several spinoff shows based on the family's activities.

Humphries' lawyers have not yet filed their witness list.

The former couple is scheduled to appear in a Los Angeles court on Friday to try to settle the case in advance of a May 6 trial date.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-04-09-People-Kim%20Kardashian/id-e594f652bda74f10955393447ba97e3f

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Oil price little changed ahead of earnings, Fed

The price of oil was little changed on Monday, as traders awaited the start of the quarterly corporate earnings season and the latest word from the Federal Reserve on the economy.

Benchmark oil for May delivery was up 41 cents to $93.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange in afternoon trading.

Alcoa kicks off the first-quarter earnings season after the stock market closes Monday. Analysts expect the aluminum giant to report slightly lower earnings compared to a year ago. Overall, Wall Street is looking for improved earnings from many companies as the economy shows signs of strengthening.

The minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting will be released Wednesday afternoon. That may give investors more insight into the central bank's view of the economy and prospects for the Fed's bond-buying stimulus program to continue at its current pace.

At the gas pump, drivers continued to get some relief. The national average for a gallon of regular was $3.59, down 4 cents from a week ago and about 34 cents lower than a year ago.

Brent crude, which sets the price of oil used by many U.S. refineries to make gasoline, fell 24 cents to $103.88 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

? Heating oil rose 3 cents to $2.94 per gallon.

? Wholesale gasoline rose 4 cents to $2.90 per gallon.

? Natural gas fell 6 cents to $4.06 per 1,000 cubic feet.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok and Pablo Gorondi in Budapest contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-price-little-changed-ahead-earnings-fed-174057687--finance.html

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Cuomo Closed NY Budget By Raiding $1.75 Billion From Workers ...

Photo Credit: Times Union

The bipartisan budget recently passed in New York includes a massive raid of the State Insurance Fund, the state?s workers? compensation carrier of last resort. When I first heard about it a few weeks ago I was unable to find any coverage of it by the media, but now The Wall Street Journal has picked up on it.

New Yorkers have been treated this week to almost daily political perp walks, as a parade of office-holders have been rung up for bribery and other crimes. The big news here is that they were caught. The bigger scandal in the Empire State continues to be what the politicians do that?s legal.

Witness Governor Andrew Cuomo?s $1.75 billion raid of the state?s workers compensation fund to finance more spending. This year?s budget expropriates $500 million from the State Insurance Fund for a ?transformative capital? program?details still to come?and $1.25 billion to cover general fund expenses through 2016. Tapping off-balance sheet accounts is an old budget trick, but Mr. Cuomo has added some creative twists.

During the 1980s and early ?90s, Albany swiped $1.3 billion from the State Insurance Fund, which is supposed to be the insurer of last resort for small businesses that can?t obtain affordable policies on the private market. The state issued the fund an IOU, which remains on the fund?s balance sheet as an asset though realistically it?s worth about as much as the Argentine peso.

In 1983 Brooklyn?s Methodist Hospital sued the state for seizing policyholders? premium money without due process or just compensation. New York?s high court ruled in favor of the state, holding that the insurer was a state agency and not a mutual insurance pool. Therefore, the court reasoned, policyholders ?have no property or contractual interest in the surplus of the Fund,? and lawmakers could use the insurer as a piggybank.

Thanks a lot.

Due to a public backlash against the raids, Albany passed a law in 1996 forbidding the state from transferring money out of the insurance fund. But laws enacted by one legislature can be undone by another. And this year?s budget authorizes the state ?notwithstanding any law to the contrary? to transfer excess reserves out of the fund totalling $1.75 billion.

Read the whole thing. With increasing medical costs and higher wage loss benefits it wouldn?t be surprising to see the SIF run out of money to pay the claims. If that happens New York taxpayers will be on the hook, just like all US taxpayers footed the bill for the subprime mortgage schemes Cuomo helped to concoct during the Clinton years. Unfortunately, Republicans in the state senate went along with this scheme and now Cuomo?s airing ads touting his successful budget. What a sham.

Tags: Andrew Cuomo, budget, raids, State Insurance Fund, workers compensation

Source: http://lonelyconservative.com/2013/04/cuomo-closed-ny-budget-by-raiding-1-75-billion-from-workers-compensation-fund/

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Report points to worldwide rise in anti-Semitic incidents

A report by Tel Aviv University and the European Jewish Congress found a 30 percent jump in anti-Semetic violence and vandalism in 2012. Researchers saw a correlation between extreme right-wing parties and high levels of anti-Semitic incidents in certain countries.

By Ariel David,?Associated Press / April 7, 2013

Police officers gather at the site of a shooting where a gunman opened fire in front of a Jewish school in a city in Toulouse, southwestern France March 19, 2012. Israeli researchers and Jewish leaders on Sunday reported 30 percent jump in anti-Semitic violence and vandalism last year, topped by a deadly school shooting in France, and expressed alarm about the rise of neo-Nazi parties in Hungary, Greece and other countries.

Bruno Martin/AP/File

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Israeli researchers and Jewish leaders on Sunday reported a 30 percent jump in anti-Semitic violence and vandalism last year, topped by a deadly school shooting in France, and expressed alarm about the rise of far-right parties in Hungary, Greece and other countries.

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Following a two-year decline in the figures, the annual report on worldwide anti-Semitic incidents recorded 686 attacks in 34 countries, ranging from physical violence to vandalism of synagogues and cemeteries, compared to 526 in 2011. The report was issued at Tel Aviv University, in cooperation with the European Jewish Congress, an umbrella group representing Jewish communities across Europe.

The report linked the March 2012 shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse, where an extremist Muslim gunman killed four, to a series of copycat attacks, particularly in France, where physical assaults on Jews almost doubled.

Researchers who presented the report at the university on Sunday said they had also found a direct correlation between the strengthening of extreme right-wing parties in some European countries and high levels of anti-Semitic incidents, as well as attacks on other minorities and immigrants.

They said Europe's economic crisis was fueling the success of parties like Jobbik in Hungary, Golden Dawn in Greece and Svoboda in Ukraine.

Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress, called for strong action by the European Union, charging that governments ? particularly Hungary ?were not doing enough to curb these parties' activities and protect minorities.

"Neo-Nazis have been once again legalized in Europe, they are openly sitting in parliaments," said Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress.

Golden Dawn swept into Greece's parliament for the first time in June on an anti-immigrant platform. The party rejects the neo-Nazi label but is fond of Nazi literature and references. In Hungary, a Jobbik lawmaker has called for Jews to be screened as potential security risks. The leader of Ukraine's Svoboda denies his party is anti-Semitic but has repeatedly used derogatory terms to refer to Jews.

The report by the university's Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry found little correlation between the increase of anti-Semitic attacks and Israel's military operation in Gaza in November. While there was a spike in incidents at the time, it was much smaller in number and intensity than the one that followed the Toulouse attack, said Roni Stauber, the chief researcher on the project.

"This shows that the desire to harm Jews is deeply rooted among extremist Muslims and right-wingers, regardless of events in the Middle East," he said.

The release of the report was timed to coincide with Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was starting Sunday at sundown.

On the net:?http://www.kantorcenter.tau.ac.il/

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/eCNtxeE2-6Q/Report-points-to-worldwide-rise-in-anti-Semitic-incidents

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Israel says it weathers cyber attack campaign

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A pro-Palestinian cyber attack campaign was launched against Israeli government websites on Sunday but did not cause serious disruption, an Israeli statement said.

Over the weekend, email messages and websites using the name of the Anonymous hacking group said a campaign had been launched in solidarity with the Palestinian people to "erase Israel from cyberspace" on Sunday.

"As of midday, Israeli government websites are accessible to the public, as they were for the entire weekend," a Treasury Ministry statement said.

Attempts by Reuters in Jerusalem to access the websites of Israeli government ministries, the police and central statistics bureau were successful.

Yitzhak Ben Yisrael, who founded the government's Cyber Bureau two years ago, told Israel Radio there had been some disruptions to several websites, such as the Education Ministry, whose security protocols had yet to be updated.

The Cyber Bureau was established to ward off hacking attacks on Israel's key networks.

"They have not managed to disrupt even one website that has been protected (by the bureau) - the really important sites," Ben Yisrael said.

The statement issued by the Treasury said the Education Ministry's website had not been accessible during the weekend due a "technical fault".

The website was back on line on Sunday afternoon.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-says-weathers-cyber-attack-campaign-102521021.html

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Low prices are just the beginning. Our windows are also the highest quality, most energy efficient, longest lasting, and best looking windows you can buy. Which Is why they?re the only windows with a 100% Unlimited Lifetime Warranty.

There?s an old saying that says you can choose any 2 out of 3; out of high quality, great service, and low price ? but you can?t have all three. That?s a true statement for the majority of my competitors because they don?t have the sales volume or infrastructure to allow them to offer low prices without selling low quality windows with crummy warranties. At 1-800-HANSONS, we actually sell the highest quality windows because we have such a huge sales volume: over $50,000,000 a year ? by far the biggest in the state (and 4th in the country), and twenty-five times bigger than average.

Our suppliers love us and give us the most preferential prices in the industry. We are so good at advertising, that we actually spend far less on advertising per new customer that our competitors? leaving them to just scratch their heads. And our overhead is about 50% lower per job sold than everyone else. It?s true. The bottom line is that we pull off the unthinkable: great service, exceptional quality, and the lowest prices in Michigan. 150,000 customers can?t be wrong. Hansons Windows is the best overall value for home improvement you can find. It?s not an opinion, it?s an empirical fact.

Whether it's single or double hung windows, casement windows, slider windows, bay windows, bow windows, picture windows, garden window or one of our many specialty windows, Hansons will make your home pop and save you money!

Introducing The Only Roof That Is 100% Guaranteed In Writing To Never Leak For As Long As Your Home Is Standing.

• There is nothing more frustrating or harder to deal with than a leaky roof.
• That?s why we?ve pioneered the industry?s ONLY true, lifetime ?No Leak Guarantee.?
• And with HANSONS, you STILL pay the lowest prices ? also 100% guaranteed.

Why Hansons Wins the Price Wars in Roofing

Highest Volume Seller: Nobody else even comes close to selling as many windows as Hansons, which allows us to offer the lowest prices.

Lowest Overhead: by far: Because we sell so many new roofs, we can spread our overhead over more jobs; this savings is passed on to YOU!

Best at Advertising: We buy our advertising cheaper and have more effective ads. This gives us significant savings compared to other roofing companies.

Accountable Employees: Our installers are paid by the job, not by the hour ? so they have incentive to work quickly AND with high quality.

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The Last Roof You'll Ever Buy. Period.

We Use The Highest Quality Materials. We Insist On Extra Layers Of Weather Protection.
We Only Use Certified Installers. RESULT: Literally The Best Roof Money Can Buy.

Out of all the exterior home improvement projects (roofing, windows, siding, decks, doors, etc.) ROOFING is definitely the one where ?trying to do the job on the cheap? will come back to haunt you the most. That?s because not only are energy efficiency and aesthetics at stake ? so is the very integrity of your home itself!

At Hanson?s you don?t have to choose between a great price and a quality job. Our low prices are legendary, and they are in fact, truly the lowest prices. Read the box to the right to see how and why.

But low prices are just the beginning ? we also insist on quality levels that other contractors don?t even talk about, let alone offer. Ask someone else for a TRUE lifetime material and labor warranty on a roof and they?ll either turn and run? or laugh because they thought you were telling a joke.

Please read the rest of our roofing section to see exactly how and why we offer the highest quality roof your money can buy.? Check or references. Read our reviews. Watch our video and compare warranties. In the end you?ll come to the inescapable conclusion: EVERYTHING WE SAY IS TRUE ? Hansons really is that much better.

Hansons is the leading roofing company throughout Michigan and Ohio. Our Smart Choice and Ultimate Roofs come with a full lifetime warranty that covers the materials, parts, and labor. Our roofing materials are high quality and energy efficient. Our low sales pressure and pre-printed prices will make your replacement roof shopping experience pleasant. We service Detroit Michigan, and many surrounding communities including Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Saginaw, and others? plus Columbus and Toledo Ohio.

Vinyl Siding

Don't paint your house again this year! Choose the best siding: Hansons vinyl siding, and enjoy maintenance-free siding that will last for years to come.

Hansons stands behind the work we do; that is why we spare no expense in guaranteeing quality installation. The best product in the world will not do its job, unless it is installed properly. Cheap, shoddy work is common in the siding industry, but at Hansons, you will get top quality products installed as they are meant to be, all at a low price. We guarantee our work in writing!

The work surface is inspected prior to starting; any loose boards or nails are secured to prevent denting and creasing. The underlying insulating layers you have selected are then installed, and finally, our Guardian siding and trim is artfully applied to your home.

We caulk and seal all of our siding and trim with the best product on the market, Solar Seal a terpolymer rubber sealant), for maximum flexibility and durability. The work area is then cleaned and all job debris is hauled away.

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New link between heart disease and red meat: New understanding of cardiovascular health benefits of vegan, vegetarian diets

Apr. 7, 2013 ? A compound abundant in red meat and added as a supplement to popular energy drinks has been found to promote atherosclerosis -- or the hardening or clogging of the arteries -- according to Cleveland Clinic research published online this week in the journal Nature Medicine.

The study shows that bacteria living in the human digestive tract metabolize the compound carnitine, turning it into trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a metabolite the researchers previously linked in a 2011 study to the promotion of atherosclerosis in humans. Further, the research finds that a diet high in carnitine promotes the growth of the bacteria that metabolize carnitine, compounding the problem by producing even more of the artery-clogging TMAO.

The research team was led by Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., Vice Chair of Translational Research for the Lerner Research Institute and section head of Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation in the Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic, and Robert Koeth, a medical student at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.

The study tested the carnitine and TMAO levels of omnivores, vegans and vegetarians, and examined the clinical data of 2,595 patients undergoing elective cardiac evaluations. They also examined the cardiac effects of a carnitine-enhanced diet in normal mice compared to mice with suppressed levels of gut microbes, and discovered that TMAO alters cholesterol metabolism at multiple levels, explaining how it enhances atherosclerosis.

The researchers found that increased carnitine levels in patients predicted increased risks for cardiovascular disease and major cardiac events like heart attack, stroke and death, but only in subjects with concurrently high TMAO levels. Additionally, they found specific gut microbe types in subjects associated with both plasma TMAO levels and dietary patterns, and that baseline TMAO levels were significantly lower among vegans and vegetarians than omnivores. Remarkably, vegans and vegetarians, even after consuming a large amount of carnitine, did not produce significant levels of the microbe product TMAO, whereas omnivores consuming the same amount of carnitine did.

"The bacteria living in our digestive tracts are dictated by our long-term dietary patterns," Hazen said. "A diet high in carnitine actually shifts our gut microbe composition to those that like carnitine, making meat eaters even more susceptible to forming TMAO and its artery-clogging effects. Meanwhile, vegans and vegetarians have a significantly reduced capacity to synthesize TMAO from carnitine, which may explain the cardiovascular health benefits of these diets."

Prior research has shown that a diet with frequent red meat consumption is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, but that the cholesterol and saturated fat content in red meat does not appear to be enough to explain the increased cardiovascular risks. This discrepancy has been attributed to genetic differences, a high salt diet that is often associated with red meat consumption, and even possibly the cooking process, among other explanations. But Hazen says this new research suggests a new connection between red meat and cardiovascular disease.

"This process is different in everyone, depending on the gut microbe metabolism of the individual," he says. "Carnitine metabolism suggests a new way to help explain why a diet rich in red meat promotes atherosclerosis."

While carnitine is naturally occurring in red meats, including beef, venison, lamb, mutton, duck, and pork, it's also a dietary supplement available in pill form and a common ingredient in energy drinks. With this new research in mind, Hazen cautions that more research needs to be done to examine the safety of chronic carnitine supplementation.

"Carnitine is not an essential nutrient; our body naturally produces all we need," he says. "We need to examine the safety of chronically consuming carnitine supplements as we've shown that, under some conditions, it can foster the growth of bacteria that produce TMAO and potentially clog arteries."

This study is the latest in a line of research by Hazen and his colleagues exploring how gut microbes can contribute to atherosclerosis, uncovering new and unexpected pathways involved in heart disease. In a 2011 Nature study, they first discovered that people are not predisposed to cardiovascular disease solely because of their genetic make-up, but also based on how the micro-organisms in their digestive tracts metabolize lecithin, a compound with a structure similar to carnitine.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cleveland Clinic, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Robert A Koeth, Zeneng Wang, Bruce S Levison, Jennifer A Buffa, Elin Org, Brendan T Sheehy, Earl B Britt, Xiaoming Fu, Yuping Wu, Lin Li, Jonathan D Smith, Joseph A DiDonato, Jun Chen, Hongzhe Li, Gary D Wu, James D Lewis, Manya Warrier, J Mark Brown, Ronald M Krauss, W H Wilson Tang, Frederic D Bushman, Aldons J Lusis, Stanley L Hazen. Intestinal microbiota metabolism of l-carnitine, a nutrient in red meat, promotes atherosclerosis. Nature Medicine, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nm.3145

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/Gv4Dbnq_NVI/130407133320.htm

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Obama seeks deal, proposes cuts to Social Security

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Seeking an elusive middle ground, President Barack Obama is proposing a 2014 budget that embraces tax increases abhorred by Republicans as well as reductions, loathed by liberals, in the growth of Social Security and other benefit programs.

The plan, if ever enacted, could touch almost all Americans. The rich would see tax increases, the poor and the elderly would get smaller annual increases in their benefits, and middle income taxpayers would slip into higher tax brackets despite Obama's repeated vows not to add to the tax burden of the middle class. His proposed changes, once phased in, would mean a cut in Social Security benefits of nearly $1,000 a year for an average 85-year-old, smaller cuts for younger retirees.

Obama proposed much the same without success to House Speaker John Boehner in December. The response Friday was dismissive from Republicans and hostile from liberals, labor and advocates for the elderly.

But the proposal aims to tackle worrisome deficits that are adding to the national debt and placing a long-term burden on the nation, prompting praise from independent deficit hawks. Obama's budget also proposes new spending for public works projects, pre-school education and for job and benefit assistance for veterans.

"It's not the president's ideal approach to our budget challenges, but it is a serious compromise proposition that demonstrates that he wants to get things done," said White House press secretary Jay Carney.

The budget, which Obama will release Wednesday to cover the budget year beginning Oct. 1, proposes spending cuts and revenue increases that would result in $1.8 trillion in deficit reductions over 10 years. That figure would replace $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts that are poised to take effect over the next 10 years if Congress and the president don't come up with an alternative, thus delivering a net increase in deficit reduction of $600 billion.

Counting reductions and higher taxes that Congress and Obama have approved since 2011, the 2014 budget would contribute to $4.3 trillion in total deficit reduction by 2023.

The budget wouldn't affect the $85 billion in cuts that kicked in last month for this budget year.

A key feature of Obama's plan is a revised inflation adjustment called "chained CPI." This new formula would effectively curb annual increases in a broad swath of government programs but would have its biggest impact on Social Security. By encompassing Obama's offer to Boehner, R-Ohio, the plan would also include reductions in Medicare spending, much of it by targeting payments to health care providers and drug companies. The Medicare proposal also would require wealthier recipients to pay higher premiums or co-pays.

Obama's budget proposal also calls for additional tax revenue, primarily by placing a 28 percent cap on deductions and other tax exclusions. That plan would affect wealthy taxpayers as would a new administration proposal to place limits on tax-preferred retirement accounts for millionaires and billionaires.

Obama made the same offer to Boehner in December when he and the speaker were negotiating ways of avoiding a steep, so-called fiscal cliff of combined across-the-board spending cuts and sweeping tax increases caused by the expiration of Bush-era tax rates. Boehner rejected that plan and ultimately Congress approved tax increases that were half of what Obama had sought.

"If you look at where the president's final offer and Boehner were ... they were extremely close to each other," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. "We do think that it's a very good sign that the president has included real entitlement reforms in the budget."

Boehner, in a statement Friday, said House Republicans made clear to Obama last month that he should not make savings in entitlement programs that both sides agree on, contingent on more tax increases.

"If the president believes these modest entitlement savings are needed to help shore up these programs, there's no reason they should be held hostage for more tax hikes," Boehner said. "That's no way to lead and move the country forward."

The inflation adjustment would reduce federal spending on government programs over 10 years by about $130 billion, according to White House estimates. Because it also affects how tax brackets are adjusted, it would also generate about $100 billion in higher taxes and hit even middle income taxpayers.

Once the change is fully phased in, Social Security benefits for a typical middle-income 65-year-old would be about $136 less a year, according to an analysis of Social Security data. At age 75, annual benefits under the new index would be $560 less. At 85, the cut would be $984 a year.

The concept behind the chained CPI is that consumers substitute lower-priced alternatives for goods whose costs spike. So, for example, if the price of oranges goes too high for some consumers, they could buy alternatives like apples or strawberries if their prices were more affordable. This flexibility isn't considered in the current system of gauging inflation, a calculation that determines how much benefits grow each year. Taking it into account means such benefits won't grow by as much.

Advocates for the elderly say seniors pay a higher portion of their income for health care, where costs rise more quickly than inflation.

The White House has said the cost-of-living adjustments would include protections for "vulnerable" recipients.

"The president should drop these misguided cuts in benefits and focus instead on building support in Congress for investing in jobs," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement.

AARP's legislative policy director said Obama's budget proposal, while not a surprise, was a disappointment.

"The message seems to be that the president wants a deal and is willing to even sacrifice such important benefits as Social Security as part of that deal," said David Certner. The seniors lobby argues that Social Security doesn't belong in the budget talks because it isn't contributing to the deficit and is separately financed with its own dedicated taxes.

Citing the effect on veterans, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said he was "terribly disappointed" in the Obama plan and would "do everything in my power to block" it.

While Obama has proposed the slower cost of living adjustment plan during fiscal negotiations with Republican leaders, placing it in the budget would put the administration's official imprint on the plan and mark a full shift from Obama's stand in 2008, when he campaigned against Republican Party nominee John McCain.

In a Sept. 6, 2008, speech to AARP, Obama said: "John McCain's campaign has suggested that the best answer for the growing pressures on Social Security might be to cut cost-of-living adjustments or raise the retirement age. Let me be clear: I will not do either."

Obama also proposes $305 billion in cuts to Medicare over a decade, including $156 billion through lower Medicare payments to drug companies and higher premiums or co-pays from wealthy recipients. That's to the right of the conservative budget of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., which barely touches Medicare in the coming 10 years, cutting just $129 billion from the program. The huge Medicare savings from Ryan's proposal, which transforms the system into a program in which the government subsidizes health insurance purchases on the private market, wouldn't accrue until the following decade.

Obama's budget comes after the Republican-controlled House and Democratic-run Senate passed separate and markedly different budget proposals. House Republicans achieved long-term deficit reductions by targeting safety net programs; Democrats instead protected those programs and called for $1 trillion in tax increases.

But Obama has been making a concerted effort to win Republican support, especially in the Senate. He has even scheduled a dinner with Republican lawmakers on the evening that his budget is released next week.

As described by the administration officials, the budget proposal would also end a loophole that permits people to obtain unemployment insurance and disability benefits at the same time.

Obama's proposal, however, includes calls for increased spending. It proposes $50 billion for public works projects. It also would make preschool available to more children by increasing the tax on tobacco.

___

Associated Press writers Stephen Ohlemacher and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.

Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-seeks-deal-proposes-cuts-social-security-160534725--finance.html

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Halle Berry, Olivier Martinez expecting a baby

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Halle Berry is pregnant.

A representative for the 46-year-old actress confirms that Berry and her fiance, Olivier Martinez, are expecting their first child together.

Publicist Meredith O'Sullivan Wasson offered no other details.

Berry and Martinez announced their engagement last year. Berry has a daughter with her ex-boyfriend, Gabriel Aubry. The two settled their custody battle over the 5-year-old in November.

This is the first child for Martinez.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/halle-berry-olivier-martinez-expecting-baby-192433351.html

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SteelSeries Free Touchscreen Gaming Controls

By Jamie Cifuentes

Tablet and smartphone gaming has become a popular way to pass time. One issue that remains, though, is the frustrating and awkward touch-screen controls. The ThinkGeek Joystick-It attempted to solve this problem, but the suction cups slide around and the joystick doesn't feel comfortable under the your thumb. The SteelSeries Free Mobile Wireless Controller?also attempts to fix this issue, but at too high a cost. The Logitech Joystick for iPad comes the closest to making touch-screen gaming enjoyable, so it earned Editors' Choice for tablet gaming controls. The SteelSeries Free Touchscreen Gaming Controls has a similar design as the Logitech Joystick with the addition of three tactile buttons that can be placed over virtual buttons. For $19.99 (list), you get a thumbpad and three clickable buttons that can be placed on your touch screen. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer a better gaming experience than the Logitech Joystick, even with the addition of the buttons.

Design and Setup
The set consists of the thumbpad and three small black buttons. The plastic thumbpad rests on two spiral arms that connect to an outer circle equipped with micro-suction cups that stick to your tablet's screen. The arms are flexible so the thumbpad can move around in any direction inside the circle and spring back to the center. The three rubber tactile buttons have special tape underneath that sticks them to your screen without sliding around. They come off easily, and don't leave a sticky residue behind. According to SteelSeries' website, if you find that the buttons lose their adhesiveness, just clean them off with a damp cloth. You get a small clear plastic carrying case for the four pieces that's small enough to easily slide into a pocket.

To use the Controls, just set up the thumbpad over the center of your game's virtual joystick and press down on the outer circle so the micro-suction cups stay in place. The joystick is intended for tablets, and is too large for a smartphone. Next, place the tactile buttons over any virtual buttons in the game (or the buttons you'll use most during gameplay, since the package only comes with three) and you're good to go.

Performance
These controls will essentially work with any game that has a virtual joystick and buttons. I played several games on both the latest-generation iPad and a Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD. Playing Final Fury Pro and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II on the iPad, the thumbpad came loose when I held it in one direction for too long. Although it was less of an issue in Final Fury Pro, it caused me to die repeatedly in Sonic 4. The tactile buttons are much more secure and worked effortlessly with both games. The tactile buttons felt good, while the thumbpad was much less useful.

With the Razr Maxx HD and its 4.7-inch display, the buttons fit pretty well over the virtual ones without taking up space on the screen. Using two tactile buttons for the Fire and Jump buttons on Zombie Dash, I was able to play smoothly through the levels. Just don't expect that you'll be able to use the thumbpad effectively, even on a phone as large as the Maxx HD.

The SteelSeries Free Touchscreen Gaming Controls definitely give the Logitech Joystick a run for its money with the addition of buttons, but it's not enough to beat it. The thumbpad coming loose during gameplay is a downer, and although the buttons are a nice addition, you're still better off buying the same-price Logitech Joystick. It's much more secure and offers a better touch-screen tablet gaming experience.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/g4I1d80L4qo/0,2817,2417335,00.asp

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