Global genome effort seeks genetic roots of disease

ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2012) ? By decoding the genomes of more than 1,000 people whose homelands stretch from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas, scientists have compiled the largest and most detailed catalog yet of human genetic variation. The massive resource will help medical researchers find the genetic roots of rare and common diseases in populations worldwide.

The 1000 Genomes Project involved some 200 scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other institutions. Results detailing the DNA variations of individuals from 14 ethnic groups are published Oct. 31 in the journal Nature. Eventually, the initiative will involve 2,500 individuals from 26 populations.

"With this resource, researchers have a roadmap to search for the genetic origins of diseases in populations around the globe," says one of the study's co-principal investigators, Elaine Mardis, PhD, co-director of The Genome Institute at Washington University. "We estimate that each person carries up to several hundred rare DNA variants that could potentially contribute to disease. Now, scientists can investigate how detrimental particular rare variants are in different ethnic groups."

At the genetic level, any two people are more than 99 percent alike. But rare variants -- those that occur with a frequency of 1 percent or less in a population -- are thought to contribute to rare diseases as well as common conditions like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Rare variants may also explain why some medications are not effective in certain people or cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, insomnia and sometimes even heart problems or death.

Identifying rare variants across different populations is a major goal of the project. During the pilot phase of the effort, the researchers found that most rare variants differed from one population to another, and that they developed recently in human evolutionary history, after populations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas diverged from a single group. The current study bears this out.

"This information is crucial and will improve our interpretation of individual genomes," says another of the study's co-principal investigators, Richard K. Wilson, PhD, director of The Genome Institute and a pioneer in cancer genome sequencing. "Now, if we want to study cancer in Mexican Americans or Japanese Americans, for example, we can do so in the context of their diverse geographic or ancestry-based genetic backgrounds."

Results of the new study are based on DNA sequencing of the following populations: Yoruba in Nigeria; Han Chinese in Beijing; Japanese in Tokyo; Utah residents with ancestry from northern and western Europe; Luhya in Kenya; people of African ancestry in the southwestern United States; Toscani in Italy; people of Mexican ancestry in Los Angeles; Southern Han Chinese in China; Iberian from Spain; British in England and Scotland; Finnish from Finland; Colombians in Columbia; and Puerto Rican in Puerto Rico.

All study participants submitted anonymous DNA samples and agreed to have their genetic data included in an online database. To catalog the variants, the researchers first sequenced the entire genome -- all the DNA -- of each individual in the study about five times. Surveying the genome in this way finds common DNA changes but misses many rare variants.

Then, to find rare variants, they repeatedly sequenced the small portion of the genome that contains genes -- about 80 times for each participant to ensure accuracy -- and they looked closely for single letter changes in the DNA sequence called SNPs (for single-nucleotide polymorphisms).

Using special tools developed to analyze and integrate the data, the researchers discovered a total of 38 million SNPs, including more than 99 percent of the variants with at frequency of at least one percent in the participants' DNA samples. They also found numerous structural variations, including 1.4 million short stretches of insertions or deletions and 14,000 large DNA deletions.

SNPs and structural variants can help explain an individual's susceptibility to disease, response to drugs or reaction to environmental factors such as air pollution or stress. Other studies have found an association between small insertions and deletions and diseases such as autism and schizophrenia.

The 1000 Genomes Project has generated massive amounts of genomic data. Simply recording the raw information took up some 180 terabytes of hard-drive space, enough to fill more than 40,000 DVDs. All of the information is freely available on the Internet through public databases.

"This tremendous resource builds on the knowledge of the Human Genome Project," says co-author George Weinstock, PhD, associate director of The Genome Institute. "Scientists and, ultimately, patients worldwide will benefit from the extensive effort to understand the shared features and geographic diversity of the human genome."

In addition to The Genome Institute, other research centers involved in the project include: the Human Genome Sequencing Center at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in England; BGI Shenzhen in China; the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin; and Illumina, Inc., in San Diego.

The research is supported, in part, by a grant (U54HG3079) from the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to The Genome Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. Other funding sources include: the Wellcome Trust; Medial Research Council; British Heart Foundation; National Basic Research Program of China; the National Natural Science Foundation of China; the Max Planck Society; Swiss National Science Foundation.

The 1000 Genomes Project Consortium. An integrated map of genetic variation from 1,092 human genomes. Nature. Oct. 31, 2012.

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Journal Reference:

1. The 1000 Genomes Project Consortium. An integrated map of genetic variation from 1,092 human genomes. Nature, October 31, 2012 DOI: 10.1038/nature11632

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/health_medicine/genes/~3/_lY8iWLizHk/121031141723.htm

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In the Future, Who Will Need Teachers? | Mid Eastern & World News ...

Guitar teacher Erich Andreas works from a basement studio in Nashville, Tenn. His classroom, though, is the world itself.

Across one hour, Mr. Andreas may be giving free video lessons to up to 1,500 people who stream his yourguitarsage.com broadcasts to points across the globe?Chicago, London, Bucharest, Manila.

Will Web connections and new apps really replace much of our human need for real-live teachers? If the free-for-all business of guitar lessons is any indication, the answer is yes, as Your Guitar Sage?s Erich Andreas and WSJ?s Dennis Berman explain on The News Hub. Photo: Josh Anderson for The Wall Street Journal.

The current hype is that ubiquitous Internet connections and tablet devices will emerge as a competitive threat to real-life teachers, kill the textbook business and bring low-price learning to billions around the world.

Such big changes may take a generation, as problems at many for-profit colleges are showing today. But these forces are already at play, in their full smashup glory, in what has happened to the simple guitar lesson.

The Internet already has devalued some musical knowledge?musicians have been swapping song cheat-sheets on the Web for 15 years. Cheap and easy-to-use online video and a new generation of teaching apps have refined and broadened the scope for sharing similar know-how.

But, if the guitar world is any indication, we will still need the kind of teachers who stand in front of a room and talk. We will just need fewer of them.

?I don?t know if in-person classes are really necessary,? says Thomas Sundboom, a 62-year-old guitar student in Balsam Lake, Wis., who is learning to play Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. He pays $40 a month for access to Mr. Andreas? site, less than half the $100 a month he paid for conventional lessons. ?That should put a downward pressure on prices, for sure.?

That?s why this part of the $9 billion music-education industry shows what lies ahead for all kinds of education, both formal and informal.

There will be big business opportunities for a select group of star teachers and a handful of companies, too. The downside: Schools and teachers will have to adapt to lower-cost competition from around the country and the world. And they may have to acknowledge that technology might be better at many tasks done today by a fidgety teacher and a metronome.

Josh Anderson for The Wall Street Journal

Erich Andreas chats with students while teaching an online guitar class.

?Traditional guitar teachers may find that the online approach will impact them significantly,? says Gary Ingle, executive director of the 22,000-member Music Teachers National Association. ?Right now there is a great sorting out period.?

The first transition in this marketplace is what is best called a ?media model,? in which a handful of personalities have become do-it-yourself broadcasters. They include instructors like the 43-year-old Mr. Andreas, who uses a series of free YouTube videos and live lessons via webcam to draw students to his $40 monthly subscription plan. Today he has 170 subscribers.

On YouTube, the biggest teaching star by far is Justin Sandercoe, a West London guitar instructor who started a website in 2003 with text-only pointers for aspiring players.

In July 2006 he uploaded his first video to YouTube and later put in 12-hour days recording a catalog of instructional videos. Today he has 170,000 subscribers, and his meticulous, enthusiastic lessons have been downloaded nearly 130 million times.

This base of support has changed Mr. Sandercoe?s life. He now flies around the world, paying for his travel by giving in-person lessons to his fans. He also occasionally does one-on-one sessions via online video?at the very real-life rate of $100 a lesson. He says he earns a ?pretty decent living.?

?I can do it wherever I like now,? he says on a Skype call. ?I had personal experience with teachers who were terrible. I hope my lessons will kill off that kind of teacher.?

The business problem with such media models is that production can be ramped up only so much?it largely relies on one person?s available time.

Which brings us to the next step: the development of new learning programs that aren?t media in any traditional sense. Using mobile broadband, graphics and cloud computing, they are real-time feedback devices that can listen to a student play and track how well she is following streaming sheet music.

One system under development by a small California company called Chromatik Inc. will allow students to follow digital sheet music, then submit a performance of that music to a teacher for review. The teacher will be able to digitally annotate the performance and send it back to the student. All the performances will be stored online.

Robert Hutter, managing partner at $65 million venture fund Learn Capital, says these new programs don?t cut out teachers, but rather extend ?the power of the teacher to many more people in the same amount of time.?

Motivation and discipline still lie at the heart of becoming a good musician. And it is here that technology still falls short of a traditional teacher?s care and attention.

In fact, technology in some ways makes the problem worse. Devices have made it so ?kids can?t focus,? says Albany, N.Y., guitar teacher Jason Ladanye. ?They don?t make kids the same way anymore. They don?t see the value in doing the work.?

Mr. Hutter, the venture capitalist, says that problem is solvable. He cites new studies that show social-network interplay?wisecracking banter among students?unlocks a greater ability to retain knowledge. ?If you?re learning and engaging in a social community, that lights up the brain. That is the magic of this moment.?

Over time, perhaps, the traditional guitar teacher may become less of a gate keeper of knowledge and more of a motivator of the distracted student.

Teachers will be coaches, not priests.

Email dennis.berman@wsj.com. Follow twitter.com/dkberman

A version of this article appeared October 24, 2012, on page B1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: A Bad Omen for Bad Teachers.

Source: http://ihracatrehberi.info/in-the-future-who-will-need-teachers

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In second debate, Obama faces challenges on key issues

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Losing ground to Republican Mitt Romney on a host of issues, President Barack Obama faces a serious challenge to put his re-election bid back on track when the two men face off on Tuesday in their second debate.

Obama's passive performance in their first debate two weeks ago and Romney's subsequent surge have raised expectations for a more fiery encounter at New York's Hofstra University.

The Democratic president's team has been encouraged by the feisty performance of Vice President Joe Biden last week in his debate against Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan.

Now, with Romney having virtually erased Obama's lead in national polls just three weeks before the November 6 election, Obama is hoping to take advantage of the town hall-style format in Tuesday's debate to make a direct pitch to voters.

Obama is likely to pitch his economic vision, which focuses on a tax breaks for the middle class and tax increases for the wealthy. Romney has called for across-the-board tax cuts and sparred with Obama over whether such a plan would add to the nation's debt problems.

On Sunday, Reuters/Ipsos surveys of likely voters indicated Romney had closed the gap or overtaken Obama in the past two weeks on a range of issues - from who would be better at creating jobs to dealing with taxes and Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Although the U.S. unemployment rate dipped below 8 percent last month for the first time since Obama took office in January 2009, Romney now leads the incumbent by 42.5 percent to 39.2 percent among likely voters on the question of who would be better at creating jobs. That reverses a lead of almost 6 points for Obama on that issue on September 30, before the first debate.

The pressure is now on Obama, who has acknowledged he was "too polite" in that debate, to be more confrontational without appearing strident or desperate. For Romney, the task is simply to turn in another sure-footed performance that keeps the Republican momentum rolling.

"Obama can't afford another really bad debate performance, he won't have time to recover," said Bruce Buchanan, a political scientist at the University of Texas. "He's up against it now."

Biden showed his boss the way on Thursday with an energetic debate against Ryan. Both sides seemed happy after that debate, but most polls indicated that more voters saw Biden as the winner, despite criticism of his sarcastic asides, dismissive grins and questions over his claim that the administration was not fully aware of the security needs at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, before an assault there last month that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.

To fire up Democrats while retaining the sympathy of independent voters who like him personally but are uncertain about his leadership, Obama will have to show Biden's passion without his histrionics.

Obama often displays that passion on the campaign trail, comfortably hammering Romney with an easy style. Whether he can do so in the town-hall format of the debate, where undecided voters will ask questions of the two candidates, is an open question.

The intimate setting of that format sometimes restrains candidates from being too aggressive as they focus on questions from individuals rather than a moderator.

"You don't want to be too nasty in front of those voters, you need to have to have your empathy antenna up," said Dante Scala, a political scientist at the University of New Hampshire.

But the change in atmosphere from a stilted one-on-one standoff could make Obama "feel more at liberty to be expressive, less somber," Buchanan said. "He's very good at using crowds in a jocular way to attack his opponent. He does that every day on the stump."

ROMNEY'S POLL SURGE

A Reuters/Ipsos daily online tracking poll on Sunday showed Obama leading Romney by 1 percentage point, 46 to 45, down from a 3-point Romney lead last Thursday - a possible sign that the Republican's surge after the first debate could be running out of steam.

But underlying trends in Reuters/Ipsos data are worrying for Obama. They show voters are evaluating Romney more favorably on key issues that could influence how they vote.

The Reuters/Ipsos online data showed that Obama is now behind on who has the better plan for the federal deficit. Obama was ahead by 1 point two weeks ago; Romney now has a significant lead on that issue, 43.4 percent to 29.9.

The former Massachusetts governor has overtaken Obama on who has the best plan for the economy, and now leads on that question by 43 percent to 37.6. Answers to the issues questions have a credibility interval - a way of measuring the accuracy of polls - of around 2.5 percent for each number and are based on samples of 1,700 respondents.

Perhaps because of Republicans' questions over how the Obama administration has handled the Benghazi attack, Romney has even crept up on issues long seen as safe territory for Obama, such as the war on terrorism and dealing with Iran.

The president's lead on Iran has shrunk from nine points two weeks ago to less than one and from 11 points to three on the war against terrorism.

On domestic economic issues, the Reuters/Ipsos data showed that Romney - a former private equity executive who has been battered for months by pro-Obama ads casting the Republican as an insensitive job-killer - has carved into Obama's lead on issues such as taxes and Social Security policy. The president now leads on taxes by 41.5 percent to 39.1, and by 40.9 percent to 37 on Social Security.

Polls also show Romney gaining ground in key swing states that could decide the election, although Obama has retained a slight lead in the vital battleground state of Ohio. No Republican has won the White House without winning Ohio.

Obama was in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Sunday for debate preparations. He promised in a radio interview last Wednesday to confront Romney more directly on their policy differences.

"I think it's fair to say that we will see a little more activity at the next one," Obama told radio host Tom Joyner.

Romney's camp is getting ready for a much more aggressive Obama, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said on Sunday.

"I think President Obama is going to come out swinging. I think he's going to have to compensate for a poor first debate, and I think that will be consistent with what they have been doing this whole campaign," Portman, who is helping Romney with debate preparations by playing Obama, told ABC's "This Week."

The debate on Tuesday will be followed in less than a week by the final debate, on foreign policy, on October 22, giving the candidates their final chance to shift momentum in the election.

Once the last debate concludes, there will be two weeks before the election and both campaigns will be focused on voter-turnout operations designed to identify supporters and get them to the polls.

"That's the pressure that both candidates face," Scala said. "After these debates the opportunities are going to be very scarce to turn things around."

Presidential debates typically draw fewer television viewers as they go on, making it harder to shift perceptions in later debates. The first one between Obama and Romney drew an audience of 67 million viewers.

Biden's showdown with Ryan raised fresh lines of attack for both parties that are likely to come up on Tuesday, including Libya, abortion rights and Romney's comments in a secretly recorded video about the "47 percent" of Americans who he said are government-dependent victims.

(Editing by Alistair Bell and David Brunnstrom; The Reuters/Ipsos database is now public and searchable here: http://tinyurl.com/reuterspoll)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/second-debate-obama-faces-challenges-key-issues-082508259.html

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National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month - Pets Come First

• October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, visit the dogs available at PCF or call about our dogs in foster care.? Some of our best ?furry companions can be found at shelters and rescues. There are a lot of misconceptions about shelter animals that just aren't true. You CAN find puppies, small dogs, and pure breds. They DON'T all have behavio
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Source: http://www.petscomefirst.net/2012/10/15/national-adopt-a-shelter-dog-month/

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Good Reads: A lesson for democracy, lost and found on Google Earth, and the next Arab uprising

This week's good reads include words of wisdom from Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, using the Internet and applied mathematics to find the long road home, and a profile of Egyptian courage.

By Cricket Fuller,?Staff writer / October 12, 2012

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (c.) leaves a branch office of her National League for Democracy party during her visit to Thone Gwa township in Yangon, Myanmar, Thursday, Oct. 11.

Khin Maung Win/AP

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Larry Diamond writes in the Atlantic of the recent 17-day US tour by Myanmar (Burma) pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi ? the first since her release from house arrest in November 2010.

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Mr. Diamond writes that Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi?s ?moral authority has grown through personal suffering and sacrifice? after decades of house arrest and persecution under the military junta in Myanmar, where a fledging democracy is now beginning to take hold.

But it is Aung San Suu Kyi?s ?spirit of pragmatism and dialogue? that holds a relevant lesson for American politics. As she told her fellow Burmese in the audience during her American tour, ?We must learn to compromise without regarding it as humiliation.?

When Aung San Suu Kyi was asked if she aspires to rule her country, Diamond noted that ?rather than shying away from politics, she embraced it. ?You should think of me as a political party leader. I was a politician before I was a ?democracy icon.? ?

Diamond concludes, ?At a time of rampant cynicism about parties and politicians in the United States, it is invigorating to have a ?democracy icon? remind us that politics can be a noble calling ? and an indispensable means for advancing the public good.?

Commentators have done plenty of hand-wringing over the Internet?s corrosive effects on civil society. But not to be neglected are the triumphs of the digital realm ? and its sometimes life-changing human impacts.

Vanity Fair?s David Kushner found one such story in the incredible saga of Saroo Brierley. As a 5-year-old in India, he was separated from his older brother at a train station, and through a series of dramatic turns, found himself lost among the poor and homeless on the streets of Calcutta. Taken in by an orphanage, he was eventually adopted by Australian parents.

Mr. Brierley adjusted well to his new life, but after graduating from college in 2009, he hit a rough patch: ?After years of ignoring his past, it finally came crashing back ? the desire to find his roots, and himself.?

Enter Google Earth. Brierley used the program?s satellite imagery to search for his home village in India ? whose geographic location and name he did not know. ?All he had was a laptop and some hazy memories, but Saroo was going to try.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/TgfILH2T2o0/Good-Reads-A-lesson-for-democracy-lost-and-found-on-Google-Earth-and-the-next-Arab-uprising

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Wilson leads Seattle past Patriots 24-23

SEATTLE (AP) ? Tom Brady and the best offense in the NFL got upstaged by an undersized rookie.

In the final minutes, it was Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks making all the big plays.

"If guys didn't believe in him," Seattle safety Earl Thomas said, "I guarantee they believe in him now."

Wilson found Sidney Rice behind the secondary for a 46-yard touchdown with 1:18 remaining, and the Seahawks rallied for 14 points in the final 7:31 to stun the New England Patriots 24-23 Sunday.

The matchup between the Patriots' No. 1 ranked offense and Seattle's No. 1 defense instead turned in to a starring performance for Wilson. And a shocking rally that gave Pete Carroll a win in the first matchup against the franchise he coached for three seasons in the late 1990s. Carroll was bouncing around the sideline in celebration after one of his biggest pro victories.

"I hadn't even thought about that. That was a long time ago and there have been a lot of games," Carroll said. "I really love Robert Kraft, he's a great man and he's been great throughout the years about our separation of sorts. I respect the heck out of him. But I'm a competitor and, heck yeah, I want to win against those guys."

Wilson hit Braylon Edwards on fourth down for a 10-yard TD to get the Seahawks within 23-17. After a pair of holds by Seattle's defense, Wilson found Rice streaking open on a double move for his third touchdown pass of the game. Steven Hauschka's extra point gave Seattle (4-2) the lead with 78 seconds remaining.

Brady had a final chance to make up for all the opportunities the Patriots (3-3) squandered. Starting at his 20 with 1:14 left, Brady missed Brandon Lloyd then was sacked by Jason Jones, the first sack all day by Seattle. His pass for Aaron Hernandez, back after being out since Week 2 with an ankle injury, was incomplete, and Wes Welker was stopped short on fourth down.

Seattle's winning touchdown came after Carroll showed confidence in his defense. The Seahawks went three-and-out with 3:20 left and Carroll risked never seeing the ball again and punted.

Even though Seattle had three timeouts and the two-minute warning, it was still a risky proposition.

"I wasn't surprised. As a defense we want the game on our shoulders," Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "We have the confidence in us; we know Pete has the confidence in us."

Seattle forced the Patriots into just their fifth three-and-out of the season and only 14 seconds elapsed before Zoltan Mesko punted. Leon Washington returned the punt 25 yards and Seattle started its winning drive at its 43.

Wilson faked a handoff and looked deep. Rice was on an option route, and the coverage directed Rice to the middle. After faking to the outside, he was wide open.

"It was a heck of a throw. When I came out of my break, the whole time I was looking at the ball in the air and it was so pretty," Rice said. "I was just running, I was like 'You've got to catch up to it, you've got to catch up to it,' and I was able to track it down."

Wilson finished 16 of 27 for 293 yards, the best day of his young career. He added Brady to an impressive list of quarterbacks he's topped this year: Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton. It was also the fifth time in six games Wilson found himself in a late drive with the game on the line.

"I think I'm always comfortable no matter the situation, I think I'm just more experienced," Wilson said. "Being in those situations you have to trust what you see, you have to be quick with your decisions, but also believe in your decisions and just be decisive with the football."

Brady finished 36 of 58 for 395 yards and touchdown passes of 1 yard to Hernandez and 46 yards to Welker in the first half. Welker had 10 catches for 138 yards, his fourth straight game over 100. Brady topped 300 yards passing for the 49th time, but was intercepted in the second half by Richard Sherman and Thomas after going 179 attempts without being picked off. One of Brady's interceptions came in the end zone, yet another squandered chance by the Patriots.

New England came away with just one touchdown in six trips inside Seattle's 20. The most damaging came at the end of the first half when coach Bill Belichick opted to throw with 6 seconds remaining instead of kicking the field goal from the Seattle 3. Brady was flagged for intentional grounding and the ensuing time runoff ended the half.

"You lose by one point and here are a lot of things we could have done better to not be in that situation," Brady said.

Seattle's defense gave up a season-high 475 yards after not allowing any of its first five opponents to top 300. The Patriots went eight consecutive drives without punting, and ran 85 offensive plays to the Seahawks' 55, yet could not get the touchdowns to put Seattle away.

NOTES: Hall of Fame DT Cortez Kennedy had his No. 96 retired during a halftime ceremony. He joins Steve Largent (No. 80), Walter Jones (No. 71) and Seattle's 12th Man crowd (No. 12) as the only retired jerseys in team history. ... Lynch's 41 yards were his fewest since Week 8 of 2011, when he was held to 24 yards by Cincinnati. ... Brady's 58 pass attempts were most ever against Seattle.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wilson-leads-seattle-past-patriots-24-23-232719959--spt.html

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Gillmor Gang: Rocks In A Can

The Gillmor Gang ? Danny Sullivan, John Borthwick, Kevin Marks, Keith Teare, and Steve Gillmor ? bemoan the political dregs of the finally-engaged election before working our way back into tech waters. Just when all hope seems crushed in a sea of SuperPAC money and Jobs nostalgia, we ask the interesting questions, merge the technology and the business moment, and otherwise till the ground for the next wave of innovation.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/16mzHymJHv8/

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Build Your Business With Internet Marketing | Dreams Come True

Advertising and marketing on the internet is something you have to do, if you would like to make cash on the internet, or you have a business you want to make profitable. Of course when you first look at advertising on the net it is super easy to get overwhelmed on account of all of the choices you have for online advertising. It is going to be important for you to find the right ways to advertise your business so you?re not wasting any money. Of course after you find the correct strategy for marketing your business you will probably find that your profits are greatly increasing.

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There are enough ways to advertise online, that you could find a method that will fit your budget. If you do some research you ought to have the ability to find inexpensive advertising and marketing that?s also not too time consuming. A few of you might want to try and learn everything there is to understand about online advertising before beginning, but this is something which could take years to be able to master. Simply because one sort of marketing and advertising works for one company or product does not mean is going to work for another. You are attempting to run a successful business, so you will need to take your marketing and advertising efforts seriously. If you?re not successful using one kind of advertising and marketing that you think should become successful you may possibly want to look at the products you are promoting.

You are additionally going to need to determine who your target market is, as this rechtsschutzversicherung vergleich will in addition have an effect on how you?ll advertise. If there are some other marketers online who are successful marketing the same products you are planning on advertising, try and determine how they are being successful. Are you selling a product that individuals want, and are you presenting it to your customers in the very best way? Once you have these things figured out, then you are ready to begin marketing and advertising. It is also really recommend that you use a web site of your own in order to promote the products you are trying to sell.

If you have your business web site ready to open, then you should get your advertising and marketing going. One of the largest reasons folks fail on the internet is mainly because they fail to take action. If for some reason you cannot determine how best to market your product, seek the advice of other marketers in Internet Advertising forums. So for anyone who is looking to start boosting their current income or starting a web based business, marketing and advertising on the internet is vital.

Source: http://her-era.com/business/build-your-business-with-internet-marketing/

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Fly genomes show natural selection and return to Africa

ScienceDaily (Oct. 11, 2012) ? When ancestral humans walked out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago, Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies came along with them. Now the fruit flies, widely used for genetics research, are returning to Africa and establishing new populations alongside flies that never left -- offering new insights into the forces that shape genetic variation.

That's one of the findings from two new papers published this month by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and their colleagues that describe the genomes of almost 200 strains of the tiny flies.

The work reveals strong evidence of pervasive natural selection throughout the D. melanogaster genome, said Charles Langley, professor of genetics in the Department of Evolution and Ecology at UC Davis and an author on both papers. That is in striking contrast with what is known of the human genome, which shows comparatively little evidence of adaptation over the last 100,000 years.

The overall aim of the research is to better understand the forces that shape genetic variation, Langley said. Human geneticists are working to sequence a thousand human genomes to get at the same issue. The knowledge from studying fly genetics has and will help in that effort, he said.

"Most of the theory and statistical methods in human genetics were originally motivated by studies of flies, because they're easier and faster to work with," Langley said. "Model organisms like these play a critical role in developing tools and ideas."

The first paper, published Oct. 1 in the journal Genetics, reports the genomes of 37 strains of Drosophila collected in Raleigh, N.C., and six strains from the sub-Saharan nation of Malawi. The other paper, to be published in PLoS Genetics and currently available online as a preprint, describes the genomes of 139 fly strains covering 22 African and one European population.

Drosophila melanogaster, like humans, originated in Africa, and that's where they show the most genetic diversity -- just as humans do. The flies are thought to have appeared in Europe about 50,000 years ago, along with modern humans. On the way, both humans and flies squeezed through genetic bottlenecks that reduced the diversity in the population. Over generations, different fly strains evolved quite specialized niches -- such as a fondness for colonizing breweries, for example.

But the African fly genomes show that just in the past couple of decades, flies similar to those found in Europe or the U.S. have established populations back in Africa, often in new environments such as urban and industrial developments. For example, where modern breweries and bottled beer have displaced traditional African brewing, "Europeanized" brewery flies have followed.

The spread of those "European" genes is more rapid than if it were occurring by random processes, the researchers write.

"It may be that urbanization and development favor the more 'European' flies," Langley said.

UC Davis is internationally recognized for research in evolution, ecology and genetics. Campus researchers have collaborated on efforts to sequence the genomes of a wide variety of plants and animals, including wheat, rice, cucumber, horses, cats and chickens.

Langley's UC Davis-affiliated co-authors on the Genetics paper are researchers Kristian Stevens and Charis Cardeno, graduate students Yuh Chwen Lee, Sasha Langley, Charlyn Suarez and Russell Corbett-Detig, Professor David Begun, and postdoctoral researcher John Pool, all in the Department of Evolution and Ecology. Other co-authors include researchers at Indiana University, Bloomington; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; University of Florida, Gainesville; UCSF; Rutgers University; Academica Sinica, Taiwan; and UC Berkeley.

Pool, now at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is first author on the upcoming PLoS Genetics paper, with Langley, Corbett-Detig, Stevens, Cardeno, Begun, researchers Marc Crepeau and Perot Saelao from UC Davis, along with researchers from UW Madison and the University of Munich, Germany.

The work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Davis.

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Journal Reference:

1. C. H. Langley, K. Stevens, C. Cardeno, Y. C. G. Lee, D. R. Schrider, J. E. Pool, S. A. Langley, C. Suarez, R. B. Corbett-Detig, B. Kolaczkowski, S. Fang, P. M. Nista, A. K. Holloway, A. D. Kern, C. N. Dewey, Y. S. Song, M. W. Hahn, D. J. Begun. Genomic Variation in Natural Populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics, 2012; 192 (2): 533 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.112.142018

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/rNWKAk6ELFI/121012102605.htm

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Dems in coal states diverge on Obama policies

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio (AP) ? Friends of coal are certain they know the enemy.

They fault President Barack Obama and his Environmental Protection Agency for new clean air rules they deride as a devastating blow to a multibillion-dollar industry that has been the lifeblood of Appalachia for generations. The agency standards imposed earlier this year tightened limits on existing coal powered-plant emissions while guidelines on restricting greenhouse gases could affect new plants as early as 2013.

Along the rolling hills of this tiny Ohio town ? population just over 5,100 ? campaign signs for judges, state legislators and county officials crowd the neat lawns. As the road curves toward the interstate, one banner overshadows them all: "End the war on coal. Fire Obama."

Barb Swan, who runs Swan's Sport Shop on West Main Street, is a registered Democrat and daughter of a coal miner. She won't be voting for Obama and she won't back Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, whom she contends puts the president's energy policies over the interests of his constituents.

"If you have a district that's coal, you fight for coal," argued the 67-year-old Swan.

Obama's moves on clean air and fossil fuels have complicated the lives of Democrats in coal-rich states that count on mining for jobs and economic growth, with incumbents and candidates adopting drastically different strategies to ensure their own political survival.

In West Virginia, where the president is wildly unpopular, Sen. Joe Manchin boasts about his unyielding opposition to the EPA and his confrontations with the administration. In his latest campaign ad, Manchin ? rifle in hand ? alludes to a previous commercial in which he shoots Obama's bill to cap greenhouse gases from coal-burning power plants. The senator says the state has enough coal and natural gas to provide energy and jobs for decades, and "I'll take on anyone who tries to stop us."

In Republican-leaning Indiana, Democratic Senate candidate Joe Donnelly ignored Obama's objections and embraced a House GOP bill to undo the EPA rules. In swing state Ohio, Brown espouses an all-of-the-above energy policy similar to Obama's and dismisses claims of a "war on coal" as Republican talking points.

The White House, for its part, insists that the criticism of its record on coal is unfounded.

"The president has made clear that coal has an important role to play in our energy economy today and it will in the future, which is why this administration has worked to make sure that moving forward we can continue to rely on a broad range of domestic energy sources from oil and gas, to wind and solar, to nuclear, as well as clean coal," said Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman.

The administration points to a 31 percent increase in coal exports and greater flexibility in enforcing the new standards. The economic prospects for coal, Stevens said, "reflect the independent, financial decisions that utilities are making in response to the increase in cheap, abundant natural gas."

Coal's woes do extend far beyond the new EPA rules.

Natural gas is plentiful, less expensive and more environmentally friendly. A rush is on in the same Appalachian towns where coal has been king to claim natural gas mineral rights in the region's Marcellus and Utica shale reserves. Out-of-town lawyers have descended upon the courthouse in the Belmont County seat to pour over decades-old deeds and titles, some dating to the late 1800s, as they figure out which families should get checks.

"The hallways are filled," said Kent Moore, the former Republican Party chairman in Belmont. "They're moving from one county to another."

In 2011, U.S. production of natural gas surpassed coal production for the first time in 20 years, according to the government's Energy Information Administration.

China's economic slowdown and the diminishing demand for the top-grade coal to make steel has affected coal in the eastern United States. Other countries, such as Brazil, are moving ahead with their production.

"It's a perfect storm of bad things that can happen," said Carol L. Raulston, a spokeswoman for the National Mining Association.

But listen to an Obama campaign ad on country radio in eastern Ohio, and coal and natural gas are doing just fine. The spot says coal production is up 7 percent and coal jobs have increased 10 percent during Obama's tenure. Natural gas production is at an all-time high.

His campaign contends that Obama would be better for coal than rival Mitt Romney, and the commercial highlights the Republican saying in 2003 that he wouldn't back a coal-fired plant "that kills people."

Romney accuses Obama of imposing regulations that would "bankrupt" the coal industry. He promises that the United States will become energy independent by 2020 through more aggressive exploitation of domestic oil, gas, coal and other natural resources. The Republican also vows to pursue measured reforms of environmental laws and regulations without impeding jobs or industries.

Anti-Obama commercials on the radio in Ohio use the president's 2008 remark that if someone wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can go ahead, but "it's just that it will bankrupt them." The tagline says "let's cap Obama and trade him for Mitt Romney."

The United Mine Workers of America, which endorsed Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Obama in 2008, has declined to back a presidential candidate this year, saying it doesn't see either Obama or Romney offering the best opportunities for its members.

___

For Manchin, support for coal is personal, business and political commonsense.

In the early morning of Nov. 20, 1968, an explosion at the Mountaineer Coal Co. mine in Farmington, W.Va., killed 78 miners. Among the dead were Manchin's uncle, John Gouzd, and high school friends.

In the years since, Manchin owes some of his wealth to Enersystems Inc., a coal brokerage firm he once helped operate. Manchin's financial disclosure forms in 2009 and 2010 showed operating income of more than $1.7 million.

West Virginia is the second-largest coal producing state behind Wyoming and its mines and plants add up to more than 21,000 underground and surface jobs, according to the Energy Department. Coal mined in Appalachia generates electricity, is shipped overseas and is used in metal production.

Manchin has repeatedly challenged the Obama administration over coal. In 2010, as West Virginia governor, he sued the EPA over its crackdown on mountaintop mining.

"Enough is enough," Manchin said this past June. "The people of West Virginia are tired of the EPA's overreach, and I will do everything in my power to rein in the EPA ? and any agency that oversteps its authority."

The Democrat has consistently voted with Republicans for legislation to roll back EPA rules.

Yet, in the one and only Senate campaign debate earlier this month, Manchin repeatedly had to defend himself against criticism from Republican rival and businessman John Raese, who tied the Democrat to Obama.

"Who controls the environmental rules, that's the executive branch and that's handled by his quarterback, Barack Obama," said Raese, delivering his rhetorical stabs with the smooth voice of a late-night deejay on one of his radio stations. "Joe's heart ... is in the right place. I'm not saying it's not. I'm just saying the team that he's on has no interest at all in helping West Virginia. The only interest they have is getting us out of the fossil fuel business."

Manchin insisted he would fight for coal, no matter what.

"The government should be your partner. It shouldn't be your adversary," he said on the debate stage at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va. "It should be your ally and that's what we don't have in Washington and that's what I've been working for. And I'll work with whoever the president. I worked when President Bush was there. I worked with President Obama. I will work with the next president."

West Virginia voters are expected to give Manchin a full six-year term in November. Obama lost the state in 2008 by 13 percentage points and in this year's Democratic primary in May, a convicted felon in Texas got 40 percent of the vote to the president's 60 percent, a fresh reminder of Obama's unpopularity in the state. Romney is expected to handily win West Virginia's five electoral votes next month.

___

In Ohio, coal is responsible for some 3,000 underground and surface jobs, and generates more than 87 percent of the state's electricity. Ohio is seventh in the nation in coal reserves with 23.7 billion short tons and Belmont County is the leading coal producer in the state, churning out 760 million tons since 1816, according to the Ohio Coal Association.

Power plants that burn coal produce more than 90 times as much sulfur dioxide, five times as much nitrogen oxide and twice as much carbon dioxide as those that run on natural gas, according to the Government Accountability Office, the regulatory arm of Congress. Sulfur dioxide causes acid rain; nitrogen oxides cause smog; and carbon dioxide is a so-called greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.

The EPA tightened limits on power-plant emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, and placed new limits on mercury, a poison found in coal. That step will force some of the dirtiest and oldest coal plants to close.

Even more disconcerting for the industry is the EPA guidelines that could limit greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants as early as next year.

In Ohio, Brown faces a challenge from Republican Josh Mandel, who at a recent campaign stop eagerly compared the Ohio Democrat's record on coal and energy to Manchin's. He linked Brown to the president.

"Obama is the general in the war on coal and Sherrod Brown is his lieutenant," Mandel said.

Brown defended his record in a brief interview.

"My record on energy is broad," he said. "I think as the president said, 'You look everywhere.' You start by taking away the tax breaks for the oil industry. You hear these Republicans say the president is picking winners and losers on energy and they insist on subsidizing oil, and there's no rhyme or reason to subsidize oil."

Brown wears a canary in a cage lapel pin, which he says "symbolizes to me the role of government in peoples' lives to make things better whether it's mine safety or Medicare or Social Security."

But Mike Carey, chairman of the Ohio Coal Association, doesn't see Brown as a friend of coal.

"You can have very safe miners, but if they can't mine coal, maybe they're going to be selling canaries because they're not going to be mining coal," Carey said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dems-coal-states-diverge-obama-policies-163900645--finance.html

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Business Solutions: How Thinking Differently About Security Will ...

Reducing risk today is hard, which is why it's no surprise that today's typical IT shop sees its malware incidents and helpdesk ticket metrics rise every year. The typical customer has a difficult time keeping up with increasingly sophisticated threats and malware that continue to knock on their door. The question is, as a partner, are you ready to answer that knock as a call to opportunity?

The opportunities in the IT security market are incredibly rewarding for those who understand how to tackle today's sophisticated threats.? According to Gartner, by 2015, spending on IT security services will reach more than $49 billion. That's tens of billions of ready money for value-added services like risk assessments, compliance consulting and data protection, all on the table waiting for partners willing to innovate and open up their margin.

http://www.bsminfo.com/doc.mvc/how-thinking-differently-about-security-will-positively-impact-your-bottom-line-0001

Source: http://community.websense.com/blogs/websense-media-coverage/archive/2012/10/12/business-solutions-how-thinking-differently-about-security-will-positively-impact-your-bottom-line.aspx

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Donald Trump's back with 14 'Apprentice' All-Stars

This image released by NBC shows the new cast of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice," from left, Trace Adkins, Dennis Rodman, Gary Busey, Lil Jon, Claudia Jordan, Dee Snider, Lisa Rinna, show creator Donald Trump, Bret Michaels, Marilu Henner, Brande Roderick, Stephen Baldwin and Penn Jillette, posing in New York's Times Square, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. The cast, all contestants on previous seasons of "Celebrity Apprentice", will begin taping on Monday, Oct. 15, for the new season airing in March. (AP Photo/NBC, Heidi Gutman)

This image released by NBC shows the new cast of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice," from left, Trace Adkins, Dennis Rodman, Gary Busey, Lil Jon, Claudia Jordan, Dee Snider, Lisa Rinna, show creator Donald Trump, Bret Michaels, Marilu Henner, Brande Roderick, Stephen Baldwin and Penn Jillette, posing in New York's Times Square, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. The cast, all contestants on previous seasons of "Celebrity Apprentice", will begin taping on Monday, Oct. 15, for the new season airing in March. (AP Photo/NBC, Heidi Gutman)

This image released by NBC shows Donald Trump, left, and rocker Bret Michaels at the announcement of the new cast of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice," Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 in New York. The series, featuring Michaels, country music star Trace Adkins, actor Stephen Baldwin, actor Gary Busey, magician and illusionist Penn Jillette, rap star Lil Jon, NBA Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, actress Marilu Henner, singer La Toya Jackson, TV personality Claudia Jordan, reality star Omarosa, actress Lisa Rinna, and Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick will begin shooting Monday, Oct. 15, for the new season premiering in March. (AP Photo/NBC, Heidi Gutman)

NEW YORK (AP) ? If at first you don't succeed ...

NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice" is bringing back 13 players fired from past "Apprentice" contests, plus one notable winner, in the first-ever "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice."

"We wouldn't have done the 'All-Star' concept unless we were able to get the right contestants back," said Donald Trump, the host and boardroom boss who once again will be pronouncing each contestant's fate.

The series, which starts shooting this new season on Monday for a March 2013 premiere, announced its slate of 14 contenders Friday morning.

They include:

? country music star Trace Adkins.

? actor Stephen Baldwin.

? actor Gary Busey.

? magician and illusionist Penn Jillette.

? DJ artist and rap star Lil Jon.

? NBA Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman.

? Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider.

? actress and author Marilu Henner.

? singer La Toya Jackson.

? TV personality and actress Claudia Jordan.

? reality star Omarosa, who competed in the first, pre-celebrity edition of "The Apprentice."

? actress and author Lisa Rinna.

? Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick.

? plus Poison frontman Bret Michaels, who in 2010 emerged as the winner despite life-threatening ailments that included a brain hemorrhage and hospitalization for what doctors called a warning stroke.

"They're all very smart, and I think they learned a lot from their last go-around," Trump told The Associated Press. "This time, some of them will change their game to fool their rivals ? some for better, some for worse."

The winner, as usual, will collect $250,000 to donate to his or her chosen charity.

Trump was asked whether, beneath the tough manner he displays for each contender in the boardroom, he has secret favorites in the race.

"Absolutely, I do," he replied. "Some people I like much more than others. I'm a human being, so I have my likes and my dislikes. But I don't let that cloud my judgment. If I like somebody but somebody deserves to be fired, I'll always fire them, as opposed to somebody that I don't like if they don't deserve it. I would lose total credibility if I did otherwise."

The upcoming season will be the 13th for the overall "Apprentice" franchise, a track record that amazes Trump.

"Who would have thought?" he marveled. "When we first signed for it, they didn't even take an option (for more seasons). No one thought it would go any further."

It did, catching on with its debut in winter 2004, as Trump introduced "You're fired" to the treasury of TV catchphrases.

Since then, he said, it's been lucrative and fun.

"My business is real estate, but the show has been an amazing experience," he said, "good in every way."

It's also been, in some fashion, a learning experience.

The main thing he's learned? "You can never predict," he replied. "I'll see a contestant come out, and you would say they're going to win, on the first day. And then they're the first one fired."

But there's been one other thing he's discovered: the impact of his exposure on TV.

"I was very well-known before the show," he said, "but, frankly, I used to be able to walk outside. I can't even walk outside now! Overall I think the show's great, but there are times when you'd like to have a little bit of privacy."

Then Trump laughed at a reporter's facetious suggestion that he consider donning a disguise.

"I could put on a real wig," Trump joked. "A lot of people say, 'He wears a wig.' I don't. But maybe I should wear one: a big black sucker!"

___

Online:

http://www.nbc.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-10-12-Trump-Celebrity%20Apprentice/id-ea992e2951164b66b5ec3c5c795adb95

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USD/CHF: Pair trading marginally higher in the Asian session | GCI ...

GCI Forex News - USD/CHF: Pair trading marginally higher in the Asian session

?

USDCHF Movement

For the 24 hours to 23:00 GMT, the USD declined 0.54% against the CHF and closed at 0.9350.

In the Asian session, at GMT0300, the pair is trading at 0.9353, with the USD trading marginally higher from yesterday?s close.

The pair is expected to find support at 0.9325, and a fall through could take it to the next support level of 0.9297. The pair is expected to find its first resistance at 0.9393, and a rise through could take it to the next resistance level of 0.9433.

The currency pair is showing convergence with its 20 Hr moving average and is trading below 50 Hr moving average.

This entry was posted in USD/CHF. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://forexnews.gcitrading.com/currencies/usdchf/usdchf-pair-trading-marginally-higher-in-the-asian-session-2.htm

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Religion News Service | Culture | Gender & Sexuality | Washington ...

SEATTLE (RNS) In the headquarters of Washington United for Marriage, a large collage displays a list of the high-powered sponsors backing the ballot-measure campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in the state.

Show Caption |

With its relatively low churchgoing population and social libertarianism, Washington may be the state where voters are most likely to approve gay marriage next month. But opponents say the early polls are deceptive. Credit: RNS photo courtesy Charles Logan.

They include such iconic businesses as Amazon, Google and Nike, as well as most of the state's unions and a long list of religious, ethnic and civil rights groups.

Staffers shuttle in and out of a conference room as they figure out how to deploy 4,000 volunteers and an $8.9 million campaign fund. Polling this fall has shown a healthy lead for Referendum 74, which would uphold the gay marriage law passed earlier this year by the Washington Legislature.

"There is kind of a historical moment at play here," says campaign manager Zach Silk. President Barack Obama delivered a major boost for the movement when he declared his support for gay marriage in May and each week seems to bring word of a major entertainment or sports star joining the cause.

Yet for all of all of the growing clout of the gay marriage movement, he says, this campaign remains a leap of faith.

After all, Silk adds, "32 out of 32 losses is pretty daunting."

He's referring to the fact that voters have rejected same-sex marriage each time the issue has been on the ballot. The question now is whether 2012 is the year when that changes.

In addition to Washington, voters will consider measures to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine and Maryland. In Minnesota, voters are being asked to amend their state constitution to ban gay marriage.

With its relatively low churchgoing population and social libertarianism, Washington may be the state where voters are most likely to approve gay marriage. But opponents say the early polls are deceptive.

Chip White, the communications director for Preserve Marriage Washington, says things will change once its TV ads start.

"We do not need to match the other side dollar-for-dollar to get our message out," said White, whose group has raised nearly $1.8 million so far. And he argues that polls in past elections have routinely overstated voter support for gay marriage.

His group has had strong backing from Catholic leaders as well as many Protestant churches. Its largest donor is the Washington, D.C.-based National Organization for Marriage, which has given $725,000.

Preserve Marriage Washington is hammering away at the idea that same-sex couples don't need additional protections because they currently have all the rights and benefits of marriage under the state's 2009 domestic partnership law.

Instead, letting gays marry, White and other critics argue, would change how society views marriage.

Joseph Backholm, the chairman of Preserve Marriage, repeatedly argues in appearances around the state that children do best if raised by their biological parents and that the state should promote that standard.

If Referendum 74 passes, he said in a recent debate on Seattle's KING TV, "marriage now is entirely about the emotional connection that adults have and not at all about the how this affects children and the environment they are raised in."

That drew a strong rejoinder from state Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, who is raising four sons with his same-sex partner.

"The definition of marriage is staying exactly the same," Pedersen said. "I don't think when the prohibitions on interracial marriage were lifted, for example, that that was a change to the definition of marriage." Instead, he said, it's about who can participate in marriage, which is "the gold standard for protecting families."

Thanks to their big campaign fund -- fattened by an eye-popping $2.5 million donation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie -- gay marriage supporters have had the TV airwaves to themselves so far.

But things could look very different once opponents hit the airwaves. In California, activists thought they had turned voters against Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure banning same-sex marriage.

Then a late TV advertising campaign appeared to turn the tide by charging that the schools would promote gay marriage to children. One ad showed a young girl coming home to tell her mother, "I learned how a prince married a prince and I can marry a princess!"

White, the spokesman for Preserve Marriage Washington, says opponents fear the same would happen in schools in Washington if Referendum 74 passes. They also believe that businesspeople who refuse to provide services for gay marriages -- such as innkeepers or wedding photographers -- could face legal sanctions.

Gay marriage supporters say the ad is based on a school in Lexington, Mass., one of six states that allows same-sex marriages, which provided a book that promotes gay marriage. And they say that anti-discrimination laws already prohibit businesses from not serving customers based on their sexual orientation.

(Jeff Mapes writes for The Oregonian in Portland, Ore.)

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Source: http://www.religionnews.com/culture/gender-and-sexuality/Washington-gay-marriage-fight-has-money-daunting-odds

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How to Find the Right Fixer-Upper House | Small Notebook

Sometimes when I watch HGTV and people complain that a house?s closets are too small or the kitchen doesn?t have granite, I just think how they would have hated my house.

No one ever says, ?Harvest-gold sink and counters? Sweet! Yellow is my favorite color.? Or ?This bathroom carpet is going to feel so soft beneath my feet after a warm shower.?

When we were looking for a house, I gave my realtor this wish list:

I wanted pretty trees. I didn?t want to maintain a pool. I didn?t want a slick, modern kitchen.

It was kind of like when you?re single and you write this dream list of what you want in a mate, and maybe that list has things on it like ?Can play guitar? and ?Looks handsome but not too handsome.? It seemed reasonable.

As our house search progressed, we started to look more into fixer-uppers so that we could have the quality we wanted but still be able to afford it. I had to add a few more things to my house list.

Dream House or Deal Breaker?

If you?re looking to buy a fixer-upper house, first focus on the essentials:

1. Location

The location of your house is vital. You can?t do anything to change it. It?s the first thing people think about your house when you try to sell it later, and your home improvements have to make sense in the context of the neighborhood.

2. Outdated but not neglected.

You want a house that has been maintained even if it looks old. When buyers look for ?good bones? they usually notice the trim and the windows, but it?s so much more than that. It?s the structure and the way the house is built, and it involves the foundation, floor plan, exterior, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, walls, and roof. If more than one of these needs replacement, then walk away and keep looking. You want a house that will be strong in forty years, not crumbling around you.

Getting a professional inspection is essential, but for a first-time walk through, you can observe a lot yourself. Look for cracks in the wall and straight roof lines. Watch for signs of water damage. Check the electrical panel. Find the age of the AC unit, furnace, and the water heater. Turn on the faucets and check the water pressure. Notice if the doors latch easily or not. Go around the outside and make sure the brick isn?t crumbling. (If a house is so full of stuff like a near-hoarding situation, I don?t even bother. Don?t get a house that you can?t see to inspect.)

3. Floor plan

A good floor plan makes a house livable now and in the future. There should be a good flow of traffic and sight lines from one room to the next.

Our house had nice-sized bedrooms, a big kitchen, and an open living area, but one problem. The living room was divided by brick arches going right down the middle. Tsh from Simple Mom even said it looked like an old Taco Bell.

Those arches quickly came down with a hammer, and you can see the living room before, during, and after:

The Potential

A fixer-upper is not going to be staged for you, so you have to think creatively. You will have to overlook wallpaper and ugly light fixtures. You have to imagine that house without the heavy curtains and all the stuff. Picture what it would look like if you cut back the overgrown hedges.

Assume you?ll replace the floors. (Go ahead and pick out the kind of flooring you?ll want so that you?ll know the square footage cost and can budget for it.)

In the kitchen we kept the original oak cabinets and had them painted white. They?ll last another forty years. We expanded the pantry and replaced the counters.

I made some concessions. I didn?t get to have pretty trees in the front yard, but I decided that I could buy trees for $50 each and plant them. In the end I got my essentials plus most of the things on my wish list. (Who am I kidding, it?s not the end. We still have a lot of work to do!)

What kind of experience have you had with a fixer-upper house, and what would you look for?

Source: http://smallnotebook.org/2012/10/11/how-to-find-the-right-fixer-upper-house/

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Alex Karras, former NFL lineman, actor, dies at 77

FILE - This is a 1971 file photo showing Detroit Lions football player Alex Karras. Karras, who gained fame in the NFL as a fearsome defensive lineman and later as an actor, has died. He was 77. Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney, said Karras died at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012, surrounded by family. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - This is a 1971 file photo showing Detroit Lions football player Alex Karras. Karras, who gained fame in the NFL as a fearsome defensive lineman and later as an actor, has died. He was 77. Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney, said Karras died at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012, surrounded by family. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - This 1956 file photo shows Iowa tackle Alex Karras. Karras, who gained fame in the NFL as a fearsome defensive lineman and later as an actor, has died. He was 77. Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney, said Karras died at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012, surrounded by family. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 1985 file photo, "Saturday Night Live" actor Billy Crystal, in character as "Fernando," center, is flanked by host Alex Karras and musical guest Tina Turner during a rehearsal, in New York. Karras, who gained fame in the NFL as a fearsome defensive lineman and later as an actor, has died. He was 77. Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney, said Karras died at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012, surrounded by family. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)

DETROIT (AP) ? Alex Karras was a man of many roles.

Fearsome NFL defensive lineman. Lovable TV dad. Hilarious big-screen cowboy.

And in the end, a dementia victim who blamed the NFL for his illness along with thousands of former players in lawsuits accusing the league of not doing enough to protect them from the long-term effects of head injuries.

The 77-year-old Karras, who managed to be tough, touching and tragic in the span of a lifetime, died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney.

Karras was one of the NFL's most ferocious ? and best ? defensive tackles for the Detroit Lions from 1958-70, bulling past offensive lineman and hounding quarterbacks.

The charismatic bruiser went into acting after his football career, and in his signature scene dropped a horse with a punch as the soft-hearted outlaw Mongo in the 1974 comedy "Blazing Saddles." He also portrayed the father in the 1980s sitcom "Webster," along with his actress-wife Susan Clark, and was in the "Monday Night Football" broadcast booth along the way.

"Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what he did after his playing days as did Alex," Lions president Tom Lewand said.

Born in Gary, Ind., Karras starred for four years at Iowa and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Detroit drafted him with the 10th overall pick in 1958, and he was a three-time All-Pro defensive tackle over 12 seasons with the franchise.

He was the heart of the Lions' defensive front that terrorized quarterbacks. The Lions handed the champion Green Bay Packers their only defeat in 1962, a 26-14 upset on Thanksgiving during which they harassed quarterback Bart Starr constantly.

Packers guard Jerry Kramer wrote in his diary of the 1967 season about his trepidation over having to face Karras.

"I'm thinking about him every minute," Kramer wrote.

Karras was All-Pro in 1960, 1961 and 1965, and he made the Pro Bowl four times. He was recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a defensive tackle on the All-Decade Team of the 1960s and retired from the NFL in 1970 at age 35.

But Karras also had run-ins with the NFL long before his lawsuit. He missed the 1963 season when he was suspended by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle in a gambling probe. Karras insisted he only wagered cigarettes or cigars with close friends.

"Alex Karras was an outstanding player during a time when the NFL emerged as America's favorite sport," the league said in a statement. "He will always be remembered as one of the most colorful characters in NFL history."

For all his prowess as a player, Karras may have gained more fame as an actor.

He had already become known through George Plimpton's behind-the-scenes book "Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String Quarterback," about what it was like to be an NFL player in Detroit.

Karras and Plimpton remained friends for life, and one of Karras' sons is named after the author. Karras played himself alongside Alan Alda in the successful movie adaptation of the book, and that opened doors for Karras to be an analyst with Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford on "Monday Night Football."

In Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles," Karras played a not-so-bright, rough-around-the-edges outlaw who not only slugged a horse but also delivered the classic line: "Mongo only pawn in game of life."

In the 1980s, he played a sheriff in the comedy "Porky's" and became a hit on TV as Emmanuel Lewis' adoptive father, George Papadapolis, in the sitcom "Webster."

"I had a very heavy heart this morning and I did not know why. I understand now," Lewis said. "Rest in peace, my friend."

Karras also had roles in "Against All Odds" and "Victor/Victoria." He portrayed the husband of famed female athlete "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias in the TV movie that starred Clark in the title role. The two later formed their own production company.

Clark has said that Karras started to show signs of dementia more than a dozen years ago, and she said his quality of life had deteriorated because of head injuries sustained during his playing career. He could no longer drive and couldn't remember recipes for some of the favorite Italian and Greek dishes he used to cook, she said.

In April, he became the lead plaintiff in a suit filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. He is among about 3,500 retired football players who accuse the league of not protecting them better from head injuries.

"This physical beating that he took as a football player has impacted his life, and therefore it has impacted his family life," Clark told the AP earlier this year. "He is interested in making the game of football safer and hoping that other families of retired players will have a healthier and happier retirement."

The NFL maintains that it did not intentionally seek to mislead players and says it has taken action to better protect players and advance the science of concussion management and treatment.

"It's an ironic tragedy that Alex had to live with devastating effects from playing the game he loved," Mitnick said.

He said the NFL on Aug. 30 filed a motion to dismiss all the players' actions, and the plaintiffs' response is due Oct. 30.

Mitnick said the family hasn't decided whether to donate Karras' brain for study, as other families have done. The family released a statement listing his other ailments as kidney failure, which recently hospitalized him, stomach cancer and heart disease.

Karras later wrote an autobiography, "Even Big Guys Cry," and two other books, "Alex Karras' and "Tuesday Night Football."

In addition to Clark, his wife of 37 years, he is survived by their daughter and his four children from his first marriage to the late Joan Powell.

___

AP Sports Columnist Tim Dahlberg, AP Pro Football Writer Howard Fendrich and AP Television Writer Frazier Moore contributed to this report.

___

Follow Larry Lage on Twitter: http://twitter.com/larrylage

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-10-10-Obit-Alex%20Karras/id-ef3e1b3df8c948b09b4e562397d38572

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