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Religious Affairs editor: The Blasphemer
Technical editor: Wirehead
Political editor: Rightard Whitey
International editor: The Major (ret)
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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hundreds of shops were burning in the ancient covered market in Aleppo on Saturday as fighting between rebels and state forces in Syria's largest city threatened to destroy a UNESCO world heritage site.
The uprising-turned-civil war that is now raging across Syria has killed more than 30,000 people, according to activist groups such as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
But beyond the dramatic human cost, many of Syria's historic treasures have also fallen victim to an 18-month-old conflict that has reduced parts of some cities to ruins.
Rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad announced a new offensive in Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub of 2.5 million people, on Thursday, but neither side has appeared to make significant gains.
In Aleppo, activists speaking via Skype said army snipers were making it difficult to approach the Souk al-Madina, the medieval market of vaulted stone alleyways and carved wooden facades in the Old City, once a major tourist attraction.
Videos uploaded to YouTube showed dark black clouds hanging over the city skyline.
Activists said the fire might have been started by shelling and gunfire on Friday and estimated that between 700 and 1,000 shops had been destroyed so far. The accounts were difficult to verify because of government restricts on foreign media.
Aleppo's Old City is one of several locations in Syria declared world heritage sites by UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, that are now at risk from the fighting.
UNESCO believes five of Syria's six heritage sites - which also include the ancient desert city of Palmyra, the Crac des Chevaliers crusader fortress and parts of old Damascus - have been affected.
The British-based Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists across Syria, said Assad's forces and rebels blamed each other for the blaze.
NO ONE MAKING GAINS
Heavy clashes erupted outside several military sites in Aleppo on Saturday evening. Activists said rebels were battling government forces outside the Neirab military air base.
The Observatory said clashes outside a base used for artillery training had set a nearby building alight and killed three people.
Fighting was also reported outside Bab Antakya, a stone gateway to Aleppo's Old City, which sits on ancient trade routes and survived a parade of rulers throughout its construction between the 12th and 17th century.
Rebels said they had taken the gate, but some activists said the fighting continued and neither side was truly in control.
"No one is actually making gains here, it is just fighting and more fighting, and terrified people are fleeing," said an activist contacted by telephone who declined to be identified.
He said in some districts, bodies were lying in the streets and residents would not collect them, fearing snipers.
More than 40 people had been killed in fighting across Syria, according to the Observatory.
Syria's military deadlock is also reflected diplomatically, with foreign powers stalemated over how to act. Western states and Gulf Arab countries back the opposition but most seem reluctant to interfere, while Russia, China and Iran back Assad.
The revolt against four decades of Assad family, which began in March 2011 as peaceful protests, has become an armed insurgency, with rebels holding ground in Aleppo and rural towns of northern Syria.
The fighting has crept closer to Syria's border zones, and some bullets and rockets have hit neighboring Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. Ankara warned it would take action if its territory was again hit - a mortar bomb hit a town on its southeastern frontier on Friday.
GOVERNMENT VICTORY "CERTAIN"
An advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he was confident Syria's government would beat the rebels.
"The victory of the government of Syria against internal opponents, America, and their other Western and Arab supporters, is counted as a victory of the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Ali Akbar Velayati, according to state news agency IRNA.
"The victory of the Syrian government is certain.
Activists reported fresh clashes in the capital Damascus and its suburbs and said security forces were torching homes as helicopters buzzed overhead.
The bloodied bodies of at least 12 men were found in Damascus's northwestern suburb of Qudsaya. A video published by showed rows of men, some of them apparently shot, laid in a room whose walls were spattered with blood.
Some Damascus residents have accused government forces of summary executions in rebel districts.
"They can't arrest everyone, so they are using elimination tactics. They enter area that was held by rebels, look for people that are wanted and kill them all," one activist said.
Assad has long defended the fierce crackdown, arguing that he has been fighting Islamist militants funded from abroad.
Text messages attributed to the army were sent to all Syrian mobiles since Aleppo rebels announced their new offensive.
"To those who have implicated themselves against the state: Those who have offered you money have left you with two options: You will be killed fighting the state or it will kill you to get rid of you," one message read.
"The state is more merciful than you. Think and decide. The Syrian Army."
(Editing by Kevin Liffey and Robin Pomeroy)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ancient-souk-burns-fighting-rages-syrias-aleppo-122301221.html
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Leslie Wood / BuzzFeed
?
By Ouiser Boudreaux, BuzzFeed
Online dating: It is not that hard, and yet so many people make it so hard. I?ve been documenting OKCupid atrocities for a while now, and a lot of themes crop up in the terrible messages that daters send me for, um, critiquing. This is how to send a semi-decent online dating message in nine easy steps.
BuzzFeed
One paragraph
A one-sentence message probably isn?t saying enough, but you also don?t want to send a?novel. Responding to a few items in a person?s profile will take somewhere between three and eight sentences; if you find yourself writing a?six-paragraph missive, work that delete key.
Be original
We can tell?when your message is?copied and pasted?to multiple people. Sure, it?s a pain to actually read through profiles and send unique messages to each person, but aren?t you here to find a date? Learn a little something about the person you?re messaging, and reference that in your communiqu?. ?Hey gurl, luv ur pics? is not going to get a response. More likely to get a response: a message that is directly responsive to several things in the object of your affection?s profile.?
More from BuzzFeed:
Don't be weird
So you?ve caught on that ?hey wuzz up? is generally understood to be an unoriginal message. Congratulations! However, copying and pasting some?bizarre, rambling message isn?t going to trick someone into thinking you wrote all of that for them. We know you?re trying to be ?random? or ?funny? with your ridiculous message about?getting married/having babies/getting divorced/giraffes or whatever other inappropriate thing you are messaging to dozens of people at once. It?s not clever. It also doesn?t trick anyone (other than the slowest people on the Internet) into thinking you wrote that totally nonsensical message just for us. Funny is good, but if you are not actually funny, don?t strain anything trying to be. Straightforward and nice is infinitely better than trying to be funny and failing miserably.?
BuzzFeed
Maintain a 1:1 message ratio
Do not send multiple messages. There are lots of reasons why someone might not message you back. There are lots of reasons why someone may sign into OKCupid, check their messages, and not message you back. They simply might not be interested in you. Or, they might be checking their inbox quickly, and will respond later. Or, they might not check their inbox very often. But the quickest way to get yourself classified as a psycho is to message someone more than once without getting a reply. You messaged them. They saw it, or will see it. Now have patience, or set your sights on one of the 10,000 other single people in your area. Repeat messaging says, ?I am a creep with boundary issues.? And sure, there?s someone out there for everyone, but you will widen your dating pool by not being a creep with boundary issues.
Make it substantive
Yes, we?re all animals here and yes, dating is initially about physical attraction, but there has to be something more to make a relationship (or even a not-totally-painful date) work out. If you?re sending a message, the recipient already knows you?ve looked at their pictures and find them attractive. So instead of stating the obvious, point to what it was that attracted you to their personality (or at least the fragment of their personality that they put on the Internet).
Message people who might reasonably message you back
Does her profile say she?s a lesbian and you?re a straight guy with a weakness for?Justin Bieber haircuts? Sorry pal, but she?s not gonna be into you, no matter how appealing her floppy hair is. Do you live in Tennessee and are up for some long-distance chatting but she?s in New York and wants someone local? Move on to someone who?s interested in people of your gender, location, age, etc. The beauty of Internet dating is that we all get to specify what we want. Respect that and don?t waste anyone?s time ??including your own.?
Be nice
You would think ?don't be a jerk? would be obvious, but there are apparently?legions?of people (mostly dudes) who adopt crappy pickup-artist tactics in their online dating lives, and think they might get lucky by sending vaguely (or?blatantly) insulting messages to unsuspecting recipients (negging?is actually a thing!). Is there some low-self-esteem lady out there who might respond to a message about how ugly she is? Sure, maybe, but the odds are slim ? and since this is the Internet, even women who have been strongly socialized to be nice to cretins in bars are able to hit the delete key. You?re better off ditching the crappy, manipulative dating tactics and sending a nice, normal message.?
BuzzFeed
Keep it clean
Unless both of you make it clear in your profiles that you are on this site for sex and only sex, keep the message PG ??yes, even if there?s a mention of something sexual in the person?s profile, and yes, even if you think your sexual reference is cute or funny or clever. We all want to get laid and we all have our sexual proclivities, and if we like something in particular we may mention it on our dating profile. But even if there?s a recognition that we, like almost every other adult human being, sometimes enjoy having our genitals touched, there?s no need to go all porno upon first introduction. There?s no need to go even a?little bit?porno. Until you?ve gone actual porno in real life, leave the porno-chat alone.
Keep it positive
No one wants to date sad-sack, and no one wants to hear about your terrible past dating life the first time they talk to you. We?re all Internet dating here ??it follows that we are all single and perhaps don?t want to be. So don?t whine about your lack of a love life, don?t lament the fact that you?re such a?nice guy?but women are such harpies, and definitely?don't threaten to kill yourself?because you?re lonely. Sell yourself! If you want extra credit (and a better chance at a response) be a little bit witty. Remember that nearly everyone likes someone who takes an interest in them. So respond to what?s in their profile and ask a question or two. Don?t make it The Sad-Face Show. Keep it breezy.
Stick to these rules, be kinda funny, try not to be a clich? machine (you love to laugh and couldn?t live without your family and friends?! OMG ME TOO!) and your profile should be at least marginally acceptable (and hopefully won?t end up here for the wrong reasons).
This post originally appeared on BuzzFeed.?
More from BuzzFeed:
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Shelly Hunt-Nichols presents her apartment complex JACINTO PALMS. It is one of her oldest acquisitions and it is a work horse of a property! It is constantly providing income and providing between 12 and 15 percent return for all those who invested EVERY YEAR. Shelly is even planning on returning $240,000 this year! This property has been influential in changing Shelly?s financial and personal life. Come and see her story!
Source: http://www.lifestylesunlimited.com/testimonial-shelly-hunt-nichols/
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(Reuters) - Affirmative action for minorities, human rights abuses and the constitutional authority for dogs to sniff out crime will top the U.S. Supreme Court's agenda when it returns to the bench on Monday. An even bigger issue, same-sex marriage, lurks on the horizon.
The new term marks the full court's first return to the public eye since June when Chief Justice John Roberts surprised many by joining four more liberal justices in a 5-4 decision that upheld nearly all of President Barack Obama's healthcare law.
The court will start with one of its most anticipated cases, Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, and address for the second time the extent to which American judges are empowered to hear lawsuits over human rights atrocities abroad.
On October 10, it will hear perhaps the biggest case on the docket so far, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, and weigh whether using race in undergraduate admissions to increase diversity is still acceptable under the U.S. Constitution.
"When you look at Kiobel and Fisher, and the possibility the court will visit the issues of gay marriage and voting rights, it's already shaping up to be a momentous term," said Ted Shaw, a professor at Columbia Law School and former director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Some justices said over the summer break that the court would, as it normally does, move past the divisions that end a term, including this year over a tough Arizona immigration law.
Dissenting justices in that and the healthcare cases read parts of their opinions from the bench, signaling profound disagreement with the majorities.
The court often finds common ground, and last term it ruled unanimously nearly as often as not. But many closely watched cases still produce 5-4 ideological splits. The five more conservative justices were appointed by Republican presidents, and the four more liberal justices by Democratic presidents.
While Justice Anthony Kennedy is at the ideological center, Roberts' vote to uphold most of the Affordable Care Act was a forceful reminder of his capacity to put his own cast on the law. At age 57, he could do so for another quarter century.
"John Roberts enormously strengthened his administrative hand and legal influence in ruling as he did," said Douglas Kmiec, a constitutional law professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. "Now both sides probably believe they need to work for his support, and that's an enviable position for the chief justice."
The court already has accepted close to 40 cases for the new term, filling roughly half of its usual docket.
RACE AS A FACTOR
In Kiobel, the court will again review the Alien Tort Statute, a long-obscure 1789 law that lawyers have used in the last three decades to challenge corporations' alleged aiding or acquiescing in foreign governments' abuse of their own people.
After hearing arguments in February, the court decided to hold a new hearing to address whether judges could hear such claims brought against anyone, not just corporations.
The case has drawn dozens of briefs from other interested parties. The Obama administration has argued that the law could be used, case-by-case, for claims of abuse that might interfere with U.S. foreign relations or respect for human rights.
In the affirmative action case, Texas' flagship university has for several years filled about three-quarters of its undergraduate class by granting automatic admission to students in the top 10 percent of their high-school classes.
While this "race-neutral" approach has boosted the number of black and Hispanic students because of the homogeneity of many high schools, Texas uses race as one factor to fill the rest of each class, with a goal of improving the educational experience.
This has been challenged, and changes in the Supreme Court's makeup may imperil the 2003 decision, Grutter v. Bollinger, that let universities take race into account to improve diversity.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who in that case endorsed race-based admissions at the University of Michigan law school, retired in 2006 and was replaced by the more conservative Justice Samuel Alito.
In addition, Justice Elena Kagan, who was U.S. solicitor general before joining the court in 2010, has recused herself. This could make it hard for Texas to win more than four votes. A decision voiding the program would likely apply, under a different law, to private universities.
Also on the docket are two "dog sniff" cases from Florida that test the boundary of Fourth Amendment protection against illegal searches, and which the court will take up on October 31.
One, Florida v. Jardines, concerns whether a homeowner's privacy was violated when a trained narcotics dog named Franky was allowed to walk near a home, and appeared to correctly detect a marijuana odor from inside. Another, Florida v. Harris, concerns an "alert" given by another dog named Aldo while being led around a truck that contained methamphetamine ingredients.
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
All of these cases could well be dwarfed in public attention should the Supreme Court review any or all of a half-dozen cases concerning same-sex marriages.
Several address the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, which requires the government to deny benefits such as Social Security payments to gay and lesbian couples. even if they live in states that allow same-sex marriage.
A federal appeals court in Boston said that requirement should not stand. Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general who last term argued against the healthcare law, represents defenders of DOMA while his opponent in the healthcare case, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, wants DOMA to be invalidated.
Also awaiting review is a lower-court decision striking down California's ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8.
The Supreme Court is expected to announce this fall whether it will accept any of these cases. Decisions would likely come by the end of June, before the court's usual summer recess.
Meanwhile, the court may also weigh the constitutionality of a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that requires states with histories of discrimination to get U.S. Department of Justice permission before changing election procedures.
"We're seeing an increase in voting suppression," said Scot Powe, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and former clerk for Justice William O. Douglas. "If they take a Voting Rights Act case, the betting money is that they will invalidate the preclearance provision. That's a big deal."
(Additional reporting by Terry Baynes; Editing by Howard Goller and Eric Walsh)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/affirmative-action-rights-cases-await-u-supreme-court-051215244--finance.html
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The time to get as many free auto insurance quotes as possible is before you buy your next car. Before you commit to a particular model, that is the time to understand exactly what your passion is buying. It is understood that when we make a big purchase there is a lot more going on than just ?it was the logical choice.?
If we all operated on logical choices then there wouldn?t be much difference between makes and models of cars driving down the road. Logic says if it gets you there safely and cheaply then it is the best.
Emotionally our inner child says ?ooo yeah I like the bumpers on that one.? Or the Blah Blah model is a sweet ride. I want it? Car companies pay to advertise to those, emotional button. They spend the big bucks so you will spend the big bucks and buy their car that yes, will get you where you want to go. But if it?s in an accident it may cost you a lot of money to keep going where you want to go. Worse than that, the insurance companies have already tabulated how expensive it is going to cost you to insure the Blah model because in previous years it cost them xx amount of dollars in accident claims.
While you were dreaming of a certain car, your budget was conspiring against you. You figured out you could afford the loan, but were betting on your insurance premiums staying the same. Don?t be caught off guard by auto insurance sticker price shock, get your quotes ahead of time, before you buy.
If you think you are a completely logical buyer then try this. Go to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IHS) and lookup on their Research and Statistics page for insurance losses by make and model (http://www.iihs.org/research/hldi/composite_intro.html) the car you really want to buy. There you see if it lights your fire or if it really lights on fire. Not really, but it will tell you how expensive it is in terms of the insurance company, which in turn means how high your premiums are going to be. You can compare like models for safety and cost.
Then use this site to get free auto insurance quotes on the model you pick to get the best deal possible. Compare comparable models that you like knowing how they stacked up on the IHS page and how much you can save by picking the right one.
This entry was posted on September 28, 2012, 10:27 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Source: http://www.adxunimark.com/free-auto-insurance-quotes-can-help-you-pick-the-right-car.html
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Public release date: 28-Sep-2012
Share ] Contact: Dawn Peters
sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
781-388-8408
Wiley
A new study found that patients with gout who consumed cherries over a two-day period showed a 35% lower risk of gout attacks compared to those who did not eat the fruit. Findings from this case-crossover study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), also suggest that risk of gout flares was 75% lower when cherry intake was combined with the uric-acid reducing drug, allopurinol, than in periods without exposure to cherries or treatment.
Previous research reports that 8.3 million adults in the U.S. suffer with gout, an inflammatory arthritis triggered by a crystallization of uric acid within the joints that causes excruciating pain and swelling. While there are many treatment options available, gout patients continue to be burdened by recurrent gout attacks, prompting patients and investigators to seek other preventive options such as cherries. Prior studies suggest that cherry products have urate-lowering effects and anti-inflammatory properties, and thus may have the potential to reduce gout pain. However, no study has yet to assess whether cherry consumption could lower risk of gout attacks.
For the present study, lead author Dr. Yuqing Zhang, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Boston University and colleagues recruited 633 gout patients who were followed online for one year. Participants were asked about the date of gout onset, symptoms, medications and risk factors, including cherry and cherry extract intake in the two days prior to the gout attack. A cherry serving was one half cup or 10 to 12 cherries.
Participants had a mean age of 54 years, with 88% being white and 78% of subjects were male. Of those subjects with some form of cherry intake, 35% ate fresh cherries, 2% ingested cherry extract, and 5% consumed both fresh cherry fruit and cherry extract. Researchers documented 1,247 gout attacks during the one-year follow-up period, with 92% occurring in the joint at the base of the big toe.
"Our findings indicate that consuming cherries or cherry extract lowers the risk of gout attack," said Dr. Zhang. "The gout flare risk continued to decrease with increasing cherry consumption, up to three servings over two days." The authors found that further cherry intake did not provide any additional benefit. However, the protective effect of cherry intake persisted after taking into account patients' sex, body mass (obesity), purine intake, along with use of alcohol, diuretics and anti-gout medications.
In their editorial, also published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, Dr. Allan Gelber from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md. and Dr. Daniel Solomon from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University Medical School in Boston, Mass. highlight the importance of the study by Zhang et al. as it focuses on dietary intake and risk of recurrent gout attacks. While the current findings are promising, Gelber and Solomon "would not advise that patients who suffer from gout attacks abandon standard therapies." Both the editorial and study authors concur that randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm that consumption of cherry products could prevent gout attacks
###
This research was funded by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), Arthritis Foundation and ACR Research and Education Fund.
This study and editorial are published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the articles may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com.
Full citation:"Cherry Consumption and the Risk of Recurrent Gout Attacks." Yuqing Zhang, Tuhina Neogi, Clara Chen, Christine Chaisson, David Hunter, Hyon K. Choi. Arthritis & Rheumatism; Published Online: September 28, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/art.34677).
URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.34677
Editorial: "If Life Serves Up a Bowl of Cherries, and Gout Attacks are "The Pits" Implications for Therapy." Allan C. Gelber and Daniel H. Solomon. Arthritis & Rheumatism; Published Online: September 28, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/art.34676).
URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.34676
Author Contact: To arrange an interview with Dr. Zhang, please contact Gina DiGravio with Boston University School of Medicine at gina.digravio@bmc.org or at +1 617-638-8480.
About the Journal:
Arthritis & Rheumatism is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College, and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/art.
About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.
Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and Web sites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 28-Sep-2012 Share ] Contact: Dawn Peters
sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
781-388-8408
Wiley
A new study found that patients with gout who consumed cherries over a two-day period showed a 35% lower risk of gout attacks compared to those who did not eat the fruit. Findings from this case-crossover study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), also suggest that risk of gout flares was 75% lower when cherry intake was combined with the uric-acid reducing drug, allopurinol, than in periods without exposure to cherries or treatment.
Previous research reports that 8.3 million adults in the U.S. suffer with gout, an inflammatory arthritis triggered by a crystallization of uric acid within the joints that causes excruciating pain and swelling. While there are many treatment options available, gout patients continue to be burdened by recurrent gout attacks, prompting patients and investigators to seek other preventive options such as cherries. Prior studies suggest that cherry products have urate-lowering effects and anti-inflammatory properties, and thus may have the potential to reduce gout pain. However, no study has yet to assess whether cherry consumption could lower risk of gout attacks.
For the present study, lead author Dr. Yuqing Zhang, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Boston University and colleagues recruited 633 gout patients who were followed online for one year. Participants were asked about the date of gout onset, symptoms, medications and risk factors, including cherry and cherry extract intake in the two days prior to the gout attack. A cherry serving was one half cup or 10 to 12 cherries.
Participants had a mean age of 54 years, with 88% being white and 78% of subjects were male. Of those subjects with some form of cherry intake, 35% ate fresh cherries, 2% ingested cherry extract, and 5% consumed both fresh cherry fruit and cherry extract. Researchers documented 1,247 gout attacks during the one-year follow-up period, with 92% occurring in the joint at the base of the big toe.
"Our findings indicate that consuming cherries or cherry extract lowers the risk of gout attack," said Dr. Zhang. "The gout flare risk continued to decrease with increasing cherry consumption, up to three servings over two days." The authors found that further cherry intake did not provide any additional benefit. However, the protective effect of cherry intake persisted after taking into account patients' sex, body mass (obesity), purine intake, along with use of alcohol, diuretics and anti-gout medications.
In their editorial, also published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, Dr. Allan Gelber from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md. and Dr. Daniel Solomon from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University Medical School in Boston, Mass. highlight the importance of the study by Zhang et al. as it focuses on dietary intake and risk of recurrent gout attacks. While the current findings are promising, Gelber and Solomon "would not advise that patients who suffer from gout attacks abandon standard therapies." Both the editorial and study authors concur that randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm that consumption of cherry products could prevent gout attacks
###
This research was funded by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), Arthritis Foundation and ACR Research and Education Fund.
This study and editorial are published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the articles may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com.
Full citation:"Cherry Consumption and the Risk of Recurrent Gout Attacks." Yuqing Zhang, Tuhina Neogi, Clara Chen, Christine Chaisson, David Hunter, Hyon K. Choi. Arthritis & Rheumatism; Published Online: September 28, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/art.34677).
URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.34677
Editorial: "If Life Serves Up a Bowl of Cherries, and Gout Attacks are "The Pits" Implications for Therapy." Allan C. Gelber and Daniel H. Solomon. Arthritis & Rheumatism; Published Online: September 28, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/art.34676).
URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.34676
Author Contact: To arrange an interview with Dr. Zhang, please contact Gina DiGravio with Boston University School of Medicine at gina.digravio@bmc.org or at +1 617-638-8480.
About the Journal:
Arthritis & Rheumatism is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College, and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/art.
About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.
Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and Web sites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/w-ecl092612.php
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ScienceDaily (Sep. 27, 2012) ? A team of researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), headed by CNIO Director Mar?a Blasco, has demonstrated in a pioneering study on mammals that longevity is defined at a molecular level by the length of telomeres. The work -- which is published September 27 in the online edition of the journal Cell Reports -- opens the door to further study of these cellular components in order to calculate the rate at which cells age and thus be able to determine life expectancy for a particular organism.
Chromosomes -- the cellular containers holding the genetic information in living creatures -- have repetitive sequences of DNA at their extremities called telomeres. These sequences act as hoods that protect the genetic material in the face of any external agent which might damage it and compromise the function of the cells.
Several transversal population studies -- measuring telomere length once over time in a large group of individuals -- show a relationship between the length of the telomeres and the risk of suffering illnesses -- cardiovascular disease or cancer, for example.
Until now, however, the use of telomeric measurements to predict real life expectancy in mammals had not been evaluated.
"In the transversal studies, it appears that individuals with short telomeres have a significantly increased probability of developing illnesses, including cancer. But this information is not applicable to a specific individual," says Blasco.
To determine a real aeing prediction method, the authors of the present study have carried out longitudinal studies of telomere length in mice, in which a single individual is followed over a period of time.
After taking periodic blood samples from the same individual, from which cells were extracted for study, they found that those mice which managed to live longer were not the ones that had longer telomeres at any given age but those in which showed less telomeric shortening over time.
"The important thing is not so much the long telomeres at any given time as the tendency or the evolution of the length of the telomeres over time," says Elsa Vera, lead author of the study.
With this study, Blasco's team suggests using mice as an animal model in longitudinal studies that allow for health prognoses in humans. Blasco says that: "while telomere length in normal mice is much greater than in humans, we have found, surprisingly, that the telomere shortening rate in mice is 100 times faster than in humans, so the old dogma of normal mice not getting old due to the shortening of their telomeres is wrong."
This study further opens the possibility of studying, via the longitudinal examination of these genetic guardians, the real effect of lifestyle choices such as diet, smoking or exercise on individual aging rates.
These studies might therefore be crucial in preventing illnesses or in developing new medicines to treat them.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncologicas (CNIO).
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/3QalP-qaVds/120927130215.htm
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NOT AN ORIGIN STORY
?You?re not interested in who I was before I got the powers. You?re interested in who I was before I became a hero.?
Forty minutes east of Trennorville there is a golden field of wheat.
A young woman in dirt-stained jeans and a baggy gray sweatshirt stands in the center of this field with her arms stretched wide. She has a round, shiny face with no makeup. Her eyes are closed.
She spreads her fingers, shifting them minutely. A light blue sphere held together by flickering veins of force begins to envelop her. Dark, wild, unruly hair stands on end - not by static, but a levitative force. Her feet leave the ground. The sphere moves with her.
Her eyes fly open. The sphere dissipates. She thuds back to the ground. She stands frozen, staring ahead, then down at the earth. Her breaths are shallow.
It takes her many tries, but hours later she hovers a few feet off the ground, the toes of white sneakers brushing the heads of wheat. Her face glows with exhilaration. The massive sphere around her is gone. Instead, each hand is surrounded by the blueish glow, in an orb the size of a fishbowl.
Some spark of clarity sends her crashing back to earth. She yells. She lands flat on her back.
Staring up at the sky, she gives a yell of frustration, then slams both fists into the earth.
The reaction is immediate. Spoil sputters, and her arms thud from recoil. Two mini-craters are left in the ground from her blows.
She scrambles to her feet at once. She locks eyes on a patch of earth, and curls a fist. There is a pregnant pause as she stands motionless, but then she lashes out in a purposeful jab.
The force knifes the earth, spraying dirt. She winces, but does not miss a beat. Wham. Wham-wham. Two more blows in quick succession, aiming for taller wheat.
The wheat bows.
Her eyes narrow. She turns her fist into a flat palm, and lunges forward, yelling. She whips her arm horizontally, and severs every wheat stalk in front of her that dared to stand tall.
And now the story can begin.
____
Trennorville?s south side was no place to wander once the traffic lights start flashing red.
He had been following her since she got off the subway. Every time she crossed the street, he did the same, gaining on her, block-by-block.
It drove her mad. She could hear him breathing, hear his footsteps. That?s how close he was.
She stops and turns. He is a shadowy figure with his hands in his pockets. He slows, but still advances on her steadily.
?Leave me alone,? she whimpers, holding out a palm, fingers curled.
He keeps at her, steps quickening now. She stumbles backward. Panic seizes her, and she strikes out like she struck at the wheat.
He goes flying backward with a yell of shock. He lands at an angle, but on his back, on the edge of an open dumpster bin. Something cracks, and he flops oddly to the ground.
Terror fills her. She staggers toward him, examines him. Blood trickles from his mouth. His eyes are open. She grabs a handful of his jacket, shakes him. He does not move.
A wail starts in her throat, but a flash of light cuts it off. A police cruiser rounds the corner; she is caught in its headlights. The siren chirps. She backs up more, turns, and runs.
As she gathers speed, the siren begins wailing in earnest. She runs faster, arms and legs churning. She races around the corner, a row of apartment buildings behind tall green fences.
Still she runs. She stares at the fences, remembering how she levitated in the field. They seem impossibly high, that field seems impossibly far away.
The cruiser gains ground on her, and she can see her own shadow spread in front of her, from all the lights. The officer shouts something. She can feel the heat of the engine.
Blinded by panic once more, she thrusts down at the ground with a spike of force, and pops herself into the air, very high. She clears the fence and its pointed ends but lands hard, on her shoulder, like a pole-less pole-vaulter.
She scrambles up and staggers across the courtyard, clutching her shoulder, towards the apartment building. The officer leaves his car and chases her, opening the gate with ease. She corners herself in a walled alley. Her back is against the brick. Both her hands are out. The energy sparks and flickers in her fingertips; her emotions surge. He approaches her, barking orders. Gun out, flashlight blinding her, demanding she stand down, lie down.
She makes no sense as she cries: ?Please, please, please, don?t, I don?t want to, don?t make me, no, no, no,? and as she yells, he yells. He takes a step closer. She wails. She has nowhere to go. Screams.
A gunshot. Her power explodes to life in a pure strong blue, the strongest it?s ever been. The flare punishes the bullet and its sender, shattering windows. When the blue subsides, there are car alarms, muffled yelling, radio squawks, and a still body thirty feet away.
She squats, crying, fingers curled in her hair, refusing to budge an inch to check on the officer, remembering only the dead man?s expression from earlier, by the dumpster.
But she looks up. Walls, sheer brick walls. She imagines again the safety of the field. She imagines levitating herself, but the fear of falling stabs her clean through.
She hears more sirens.
With nothing else to do, she rises to her feet. She is trembling, but centers her feet, directs her palms towards the ground and lifts herself slowly, ever so slowly. The flickering blue returns.
She tilts her head back and looks up at the sky, focusing on the stars, ignoring the brick even as it begins to drift downward. She levitates. She grabs the roof rail, clambers her way up.
She is on top of the building, now, and walks to its opposite edge. The route is not direct. There is uneven footing. Wind turbines churn. Gables here and there. Trennorville?s skyline is afire in front of her, muted orange in a dull sky.
She slides down into a seated position, hidden from sight - safe, for now. She draws her knees to her chest and sobs, wiping her nose, wiping her eyes on sweatshirt sleeves. Her shoulder, head, and heart ache.
Minutes pass, and she stops crying. She creates tiny, marble-sized force orbs and flicks them away.
The sirens are still approaching. Again, she gathers herself and stands. Nowhere to go but across. She puts one foot onto the ledge and peers over. A lower-story gable separates her from the next building; she could not walk, as the roof is angled.
She licks her lips and creates a shield below her, and tests her weight. It holds. She stands on it completely. There is nothing underneath her white sneakers but the energy.
She moves the force field with herself on it across the gap. She keeps her eyes focused on the other end.
She gets one foot onto the opposite side, home free, but the shield breaks as she leans her weight back.
She falls.
Reflex causes her to break her fall with a field, deflecting her into some bushes. She is stunned but not hurt, tangled.
She limps off, walking back the same way she had run earlier. Police cruisers whizz by to investigate the explosion around the corner - they pay her no mind.
She crosses the street early and refuses to look at the body by the dumpster.
She walks for a long time, mind churning, arms wrapped tightly around herself, returning to Trennorville?s downtown area.
She walks by a convenience store. It is jarringly bright inside. She notices a stand of superhero comics by the window. Someone exits, brushing past her. She stops walking, turns, pushes the door in, enters.
The bell dings.
The man behind the counter is Indian. She walks up, and speaks in a monotone.
?Can I use your bathroom??
?You have to buy something first,? he replies.
She casts about, snatches up a 5-Hour Energy from the rack, and sets it on the counter. She fishes out some crumpled bills and toss them on the counter.
The man takes her money, runs it through the register. He gives her a curious look. ?You lost??
She thrusts out a hand for the key, and her change. She shoves everything into her pockets, and heads to the bathroom.
The bathroom is equally bright. She relieves herself. She hunches over, curling her fingers, snaring them in her hair, exhausted, overwhelmed. She gets up and approaches the sink.
She stares at herself, vacantly. Chapped lips. Flat, greasy face. Weary eyes. Thick, poofy hair. The horrors of the night echo in her mind. The sirens, the screams, the sick feeling of terror.
As she washes her hands, the hair tie around her wrist catches her eye.
She removes it, and ties her hair back into a loose ponytail, just to get it out of her face. Dissatisfied, she does it again, this time pulling it tight, painfully tight, taming the mess, wrestling control over it.
She stares at her reflection again. Her breaths are shallow. She huffs. She pushes back the sleeves of her sweatshirt. She huffs again.
She clenches her fist, and gives a gameface snarl.
Ripping the plastic off the bottle, she downs the 5-Hour Energy and slams it in the sink.
She erupts from the bathroom, striding with purpose. Her eyes glitter. She tosses the key back over the country and hits the door hard on her way out.
Her stride turns into a jog.
Steps later, the jog turns into a sprint.
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RolePlayGateway
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Public release date: 26-Sep-2012 Share ] Contact: Justin Goodman
JustinG@peta.org
860-882-2492
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
In a new letter published in the journal Blood, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) calls for greater diligence by the scientific community to ensure that new papers reporting experiments on chimpanzees acknowledge the Institute of Medicine's landmark 2011 report "Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research: Assessing the Necessity." The IOM concluded that, "most current biomedical research use of chimpanzees is not necessary."
The letter responded to an article in Blood reporting a study in which two chimpanzees were infected with Hepatitis C, a disease area in which the IOM did not deem chimpanzee use necessary. The authors did not mention the IOM report or its findings. Since the publication of the IOM report in December 2011, numerous other journals have published disease studies on chimpanzees that do not mention the relevant IOM findings.
In the Blood letter, PETA Associate Director of Laboratory Investigations Justin Goodman stated, "Authors, peer-reviewers and editors must ensure that findings like those of the IOM are addressed in relevant manuscripts in order to prevent replication or extension of work that could subject additional chimpanzees to pain and distress when they have been deemed unnecessary to the research in question. One need not look any further than the IOM report to appreciate that experiments on chimpanzees have clearly continued despite having limited utility and the existence of valid alternatives."
A commentary by Goodman on the issue was also published in the Hastings Center's Bioethics Forum in July.
Following discussions with PETA, the Journal of Experimental Medicine and Gastroenterology have added editorial notes referencing the IOM report to recent manuscripts.
Earlier this month, PETA sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health's Working Group on the Use of Chimpanzees in NIH-Supported Research requesting that it issue a directive requiring that all publications reporting federally-funded experiments on chimpanzees acknowledge the IOM report, the conclusions of which NIH fully accepted.
###
Link to full-text of Blood letter: http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/119/26/6326/reply#bloodjournal_el_7220
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 26-Sep-2012 Share ] Contact: Justin Goodman
JustinG@peta.org
860-882-2492
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
In a new letter published in the journal Blood, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) calls for greater diligence by the scientific community to ensure that new papers reporting experiments on chimpanzees acknowledge the Institute of Medicine's landmark 2011 report "Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research: Assessing the Necessity." The IOM concluded that, "most current biomedical research use of chimpanzees is not necessary."
The letter responded to an article in Blood reporting a study in which two chimpanzees were infected with Hepatitis C, a disease area in which the IOM did not deem chimpanzee use necessary. The authors did not mention the IOM report or its findings. Since the publication of the IOM report in December 2011, numerous other journals have published disease studies on chimpanzees that do not mention the relevant IOM findings.
In the Blood letter, PETA Associate Director of Laboratory Investigations Justin Goodman stated, "Authors, peer-reviewers and editors must ensure that findings like those of the IOM are addressed in relevant manuscripts in order to prevent replication or extension of work that could subject additional chimpanzees to pain and distress when they have been deemed unnecessary to the research in question. One need not look any further than the IOM report to appreciate that experiments on chimpanzees have clearly continued despite having limited utility and the existence of valid alternatives."
A commentary by Goodman on the issue was also published in the Hastings Center's Bioethics Forum in July.
Following discussions with PETA, the Journal of Experimental Medicine and Gastroenterology have added editorial notes referencing the IOM report to recent manuscripts.
Earlier this month, PETA sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health's Working Group on the Use of Chimpanzees in NIH-Supported Research requesting that it issue a directive requiring that all publications reporting federally-funded experiments on chimpanzees acknowledge the IOM report, the conclusions of which NIH fully accepted.
###
Link to full-text of Blood letter: http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/119/26/6326/reply#bloodjournal_el_7220
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/pfte-pcf092612.php
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This Sept. 20, 2012 photo released by Starpix shows actress Anne Hathaway arrives at the New York City Ballet Fall Gala honoring fashion designer Valentino Garavani at Lincoln Center in New York. Hathaway will perform songs from the musical "Caberet" for a one-night only appearance titled, "Perfectly Marvelous: The Songs of Cabaret with Anne Hathaway and Friends," on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Joe?s Pub in New York to support The Public Theater?s revitalization of its downtown home at Astor Place. (AP Photo/Starpix, Amanda Schwab, file)
This Sept. 20, 2012 photo released by Starpix shows actress Anne Hathaway arrives at the New York City Ballet Fall Gala honoring fashion designer Valentino Garavani at Lincoln Center in New York. Hathaway will perform songs from the musical "Caberet" for a one-night only appearance titled, "Perfectly Marvelous: The Songs of Cabaret with Anne Hathaway and Friends," on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Joe?s Pub in New York to support The Public Theater?s revitalization of its downtown home at Astor Place. (AP Photo/Starpix, Amanda Schwab, file)
This Sept. 20, 2012 photo released by Starpix shows actress Anne Hathaway arrives at the New York City Ballet Fall Gala honoring fashion designer Valentino Garavani at Lincoln Center in New York. Hathaway will perform songs from the musical "Caberet" for a one-night only appearance titled, "Perfectly Marvelous: The Songs of Cabaret with Anne Hathaway and Friends," on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Joe?s Pub in New York to support The Public Theater?s revitalization of its downtown home at Astor Place. (AP Photo/Starpix, Amanda Schwab, file)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Anne Hathaway is ready to show off another side ? her singing side.
The Academy Award nominee will perform songs from the musical "Cabaret" for a one-night-only concert Oct. 24 to celebrate the revitalization of The Public Theatre's downtown home.
The Public says Hathaway will croon several of the iconic musical's songs, including "Willkommen," ''Cabaret," ''Maybe This Time" and "Perfectly Marvelous" at Joe's Pub.
Tickets range from $100 to $300 and include food and drinks.
Hathaway, who starred in the Public's Shakespeare in the Park production of "Twelfth Night" in 2009, recently starred as Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises" and recently wrapped "Les Miserables" opposite Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.
Her other film credits include "Rachel Getting Married," ''Love and Other Drugs" and "The Princess Diaries."
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded international action to stop the war in Syria, telling a somber gathering of world leaders Tuesday that the 18-month conflict had become "a regional calamity with global ramifications."
In sharp contrast to the U.N. chief, President Barack Obama pledged U.S. support for Syrians trying to oust President Bashar Assad ? "a dictator who massacres his own people."
Opening the U.N. General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting, Ban said in his state of the world speech that he was sounding the alarm about widespread insecurity, inequality and intolerance in many countries.
Putting the spotlight on Syria, the U.N. chief said "the international community should not look the other way as violence spirals out of control."
"We must stop the violence and flows of arms to both sides, and set in motion a Syrian-led transition as soon as possible," he said.
While Obama didn't call for an end to the violence, he made no mention of arming the opposition and stressed the importance of ensuring "that what began with citizens demanding their rights does not end in a cycle of sectarian violence."
"Together, we must stand with those Syrians who believe in a different vision ? a Syria that is united and inclusive, where children don't need to fear their own government, and all Syrians have a say in how they are governed, Sunnis and Alawites, Kurds and Christians," said Obama, who arrived at the U.N. after Ban spoke.
"That is what America stands for; that is the outcome that we will work for ? with sanctions and consequences for those who persecute; and assistance and support for those who work for this common good," the U.S. president said.
Ban, declaring that the situation in Syria is getting worse every day, called the conflict a serious and growing threat to international peace and security that requires attention from the deeply divided U.N. Security Council.
That appears highly unlikely, however, at least in the near future.
Russia and China have vetoed three Western-backed resolutions aimed at pressuring Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the violence and enter negotiations on a political transition, leaving the U.N.'s most powerful body paralyzed in what some diplomats say is the worst crisis since the U.S.-Soviet standoff during the Cold War.
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, whose country by tradition is the first to speak, supported the secretary-general, saying: "There is no military solution to the Syrian crisis. Diplomacy and dialogue are not just our best option: they are the only option."
With the Security Council unable to act, the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, said Arab countries should intervene "out of their national, humanitarian, political and military duties and do what is necessary to stop the bloodshed ... in order to guarantee a peaceful transition of power in Syria."
He cited a similar precedent when Arab forces intervened in Lebanon in the mid-1970s to stop the civil war "in a step that proved to be effective and useful."
French President Francois Hollande said almost 30,000 people have died and asked: "How many more deaths will we wait for before we act? How can we let the paralysis of the United Nations to continue?"
"I know one thing is certain, the Syrian regime will never again take its place in the council of nations. It has no future among us," he said.
He called on the United Nations to protect "liberated zones" within Syria and to ensure humanitarian aid to refugees.
Ban also expressed profound concern at continuing violence in Afghanistan and Congo, increasing unrest across west Africa's Sahel region where al-Qaida has made inroads, and the "dangerous impasse" between Israelis and Palestinians that may close the door on the two-state solution.
The "shrill war talk" by Israel in recent weeks, in response to its belief that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, "has been alarming," Ban said, and Tehran's rhetoric threatening Israel's existence is unacceptable.
"Any such attacks would be devastating," he said, reminding the presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and diplomats from the 193 U.N. member states of the need for peaceful solutions and respect for international law.
"Leaders have a responsibility to use their voices to lower tensions instead of raising the temperature and volatility of the moment," he said.
Alluding to the recently circulated amateur video made in the U.S. which attacks Islam and denigrates the Prophet Muhammad, Ban said that "in recent days we have seen hate speech and violent responses that perpetuate a cycle of blind violence."
He lamented that in the world today "too often, divisions are exploited for short-term political gain" and "too many people are ready to take small flames of difference and turn them into a bonfire."
The secretary-general said it's time for responsible political and community leaders and ordinary citizens to speak out.
"The moderate majority should not be a silent majority," Ban said. "It must empower itself, and say to bigots and extremists alike: 'you do not speak for us.'"
Obama urged all leaders "to speak out forcefully against violence and extremism" and join the U.S. in confronting the root causes of the rage across the Muslim world.
He condemned the anti-Muslim video that helped spark the recent attacks, calling it "cruel and disgusting." But he strongly defended the U.S. Constitution's protection of the freedom of expression, "even views that we profoundly disagree with."
Obama was not expected to cross paths with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who addresses the assembly on Wednesday morning, but he did have a message about the country's nuclear program: There is still "time and space" to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions "but that time is not unlimited."
Ahmadinejad insists his country's nuclear program is only for electricity generation and medical research, but the U.S. and Western allies are demanding that Iran open all its facilities to inspectors from the U.N. nuclear agency to prove the intent of its enrichment of uranium.
Obama said a nuclear-armed Iran "would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations, and the stability of the global economy" and would also risk triggering a nuclear arms race in the region.
"And that is why the United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," he said.
Hollande said France is ready to discuss new sanctions against Iran, "not to punish the great Iranian people, but to say to its leaders that enough is enough now, and that it must restart negotiations before it's too late."
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan were downplayed by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who said his country has begun to deepen and broaden relations with its neighbor.
"A sovereign, secure, stable Afghanistan is good for the Afghan people and it is good for Pakistan," he said, adding that peace will only come to Afghanistan if it is "Afghan-owned, Afghan-driven and Afghan-led."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-chief-demands-global-action-end-war-syria-133433892.html
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NEW YORK (AP) ? Barnes & Noble is rolling out two new versions of its Nook tablet with sleek new hardware and a sharper high-definition screen. The bookseller's move heightens the already intense tablet wars heading into the holiday season.
Barnes & Noble said Wednesday that its new Nook HD will come in two sizes, one with a 7-inch screen (measured diagonally), starting at $199, and one with a new 9-inch diagonal screen, called the Nook HD+, starting at $269.
In addition to the new HD screen and a lighter body, Barnes & Noble is also increasing the services the Nook offers, adding a video purchase and rental service, allowing users to maintain different "profiles" and making it easier to browse titles in its book and magazine stores.
New York-based Barnes & Noble, the largest traditional U.S. bookseller, has invested heavily in its Nook e-reader and e-books. In its most recent fiscal quarter, sales of digital content surged 46 percent, but revenue from devices dropped partly due to lower prices. Nook prices in the May-July period were about 23 percent lower than a year ago.
The company is seeking to offset tough competition from online retailers such as Amazon.com, as consumers increasingly move away from traditional books and DVDs to electronic books and streaming video.
The Nook HD is an upgrade to the hardware and services offered by its previous tablets, the Nook Tablet and Nook Color, which Barnes & Noble is phasing out. The company will continue to sell its smaller black-and-white e-reader, called the Nook Simple Touch, for $99, and a backlit Nook Simple Touch for $139. The Nook HD runs on Google's Android 4.0 system and includes Barnes & Noble's own app store and browser.
Tablets are ?once again? expected to be hot items this holiday. The new Nooks come on the heels of Amazon.com's announcement earlier this month that it will offer four new varieties of its Kindle, including a high definition version of its Kindle Fire tablet with an 8.9-inch diagonal screen, which starts at $299. That compares with Apple Inc.'s iPad with a 9.7-inch diagonal screen and $499 starting price.
Apple's iPad is the most popular tablet, and that is not expected to change. Seven out of every 10 tablets sold in the second quarter were iPads, according to IHS iSuppli. Meanwhile Amazon.com has a 4.2 percent share of the tablet market, while Barnes & Noble has a 1.9 percent share, according to iSuppli.
Even so, the category is growing rapidly. An estimated 112.5 million Americans, one-third of U.S. adults, are expected to have tablets by 2016, according to Forrester Research.
And tablet makers are jockeying to gain share on Apple. On specs alone, the new Nook presents a tough choice for consumers seeking a cheap option to the iPad this holiday, analysts say. The 7-inch Nook HD is slightly lighter and narrower, with a sharper display than the similarly priced 7-inch Kindle Fire.
"If the decision the consumer is making is whether to buy based on hardware, these new Nooks will beat out Amazon," said Forrester analyst James McQuivey. "But that's not the decision every consumer is going to make ? hardware is only as good as the services the hardware enables."
So far, Amazon offers more services, McQuivey said, with a bigger app store, and more extensive video library, not to mention Amazon's vast product offerings and its Amazon Prime free-shipping service.
In an attempt to measure up, Barnes & Noble is launching a video service this fall that lets users buy and watch movies and TV shows on their mobile devices and televisions. The offerings will come from major studios including HBO, Sony Pictures, Viacom and Warner Brothers. Scrapbook and catalog browsing features have also been added.
One wild card working in Barnes & Noble's favor this holiday: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target, increasingly threatened by Amazon's online retail operations, won't carry the Kindle. The retailers will sell Barnes & Noble's Nooks, as well as other tablets like the iPad.
"This is going to be a lot of fun to watch over the next year," McQuivey said.
The new Nooks are available for pre-order online and in stores beginning on Wednesday and will begin shipping in late October and begin arriving in stores in early November.
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