LinkTV World News for the iPad wants to reinvent ... - The Next Web

Link TV is launching a free iPad app dedicated to?curating the most important video coverage of major international news events, its non-profit parent company Link Media announced today. Called?LinkTV World News, it combines mainstream media content to?eyewitness reports and documentaries.

According to Link TV president and CEO, Paul?S. Mason, the app was inspired by the fact that users are increasingly turning to YouTube?for breaking international news, but can be quickly overwhelmed by the quantity and diversity of videos they stumble upon without any filter.

?The LinkTV World News app does the heavy lifting so users don?t have to,? Mason explains. ?A team of seasoned journalists using the best semantic ?smart search? technology sifts through thousands of newscasts and raw videos to bring people the stories that matter most.?

In practical terms, the app features a Top Stories landing page where users can browse?a handpicked selection of global news videos from more than 125 video news sources such as Reuters, CNN, France 24, the BBC, The Guardian and The New York Times, as well as eyewitness reports from around the world.

If users swipe this initial screen, they get access to a world map that connects all stories and documentaries to the relevant location. As you can see, the app?s scope is already quite wide:

As for the Documentaries page, it reflects Link TV?s established taste for alternative takes on global news. As you may know, it prides itself?in bringing U.S. audiences shows and news they can?t find anywhere else thanks to its independent satellite TV network.

While Link TV is already present on TV and on the Internet, it is interesting to see it launch apps and become more interactive. For instance, the app?s users can personalize their news feeds by deciding which topics and ongoing stories they want to follow.

Videos aside, the app also features articles from around 50,000 international sources, which users can share via social networks. Each article page also gives them keys to explore further, and to take action on relevant world issues.

As a matter of fact, the project also hopes to make a social impact, which is why it received the support of the Knight Foundation and?The Bertha Foundation. ?It is an increasingly connected and complex world, and The Bertha Foundation?believes it is vitally important to offer access to a diversity of voices, whether it be from a veteran broadcaster or an eyewitness,? said Rebecca Lichtenfeld of Bertha Philanthropies.

Other partners include?digital video platform VidCaster, which helped Link TV develop a Google TV app that delivers the same curated collection of international news videos. As for the app itself, it was?created by digital experience design firm Method, and?leverages tools such as Zemanta, Freebase?and Daylife.

? LinkTV World News for the iPad

Image credit: Thinkstock

Source: http://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/10/30/linktv-world-news-for-the-ipad-wants-to-reinvent-global-news-for-the-youtube-era/

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HMS Bounty casualty claimed tie to mutinous Fletcher Christian

When Claudene Christian applied earlier this year for a spot as a mate on the famous tall ship replica of the HMS Bounty, she probably had a little edge: Her family claimed a historical connection to the original ship via Fletcher Christian, who had instigated the 1789 mutiny that propelled the Bounty and its crew into maritime history and Hollywood fantasy.

In an almost inexplicable twist on that family legacy, Ms. Christian is so far the only confirmed casualty from the loss of the 1962 replica, which sank Monday off Cape Hatteras, N.C., in the high seas wrought by hurricane Sandy. The captain of the HMS Bounty, Robin Walbridge, remains missing, though the US Coast Guard has not given up the search.

Maritime historians say the Bounty story as told by Hollywood ? the heroic Christian versus the evil Captain Bligh ? created a false reality, as actors such as Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, and Mel Gibson all portrayed Christian. To some, Ms. Christian's death at sea seems almost as surreal, a bizarre series of events that reads like a Hollywood script.

IN PICTURES: Sandy: the perfect storm

?If there had been no movies, there would have been no replica [of the Bounty], and if there had been no replica there would have been no [Claudene] Christian aboard, so there?s this confluence of pop culture, history, and tragedy? overshadowing the Bounty?s demise, says Edward Willett, author of ?The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie."

In her 40s and with little sailing background, Christian appeared to revel in her adventures on the seas, according to news reports. ?I am in LOVE with my ship ? BOUNTY,? she wrote on Twitter in July. Earlier, in June, she had tweeted: ?I had a tough day, lost in the sails But it was sunny, warm & I am on a TALL SHIP AT SEA. It's a 'Bountyful' life.?

Christian had indicated in interviews that she relished her family?s connection to the Bounty and its legacy, which she said included maritime reforms of how captains could treat their crews. After talking to some of the replica?s builders in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this past summer, Christian told a local reporter that ?it?s so good for me to see them, and maybe it?s because I?m so attached to the Bounty because I?m Claudene Christian.?

She also informed a Nova Scotia Herald News reporter that, ?I was at the helm the first week and said, ?Captain, are you sure you?re comfortable having a Christian at the helm?' I wasn?t sure if he got my joke.?

According to her LinkedIn page, Christian ran a company called Cheerleader Doll Co. that made doll replicas of university cheer squad members, and she listed herself as a partner at Hermosa Beach?s Dragon Bar.

When Fletcher Christian?s complex story of treachery was turned into the 1962 Hollywood film starring Marlon Brando as Christian, the studio built a near-exact replica of the original Bounty, using original 18th-century drawings from the Royal Navy. Moored until the 1980s in St. Petersburg, Fla., the ship in recent years had served an educational role while continuing to appear in movies, including in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. The Bounty was on the way to Florida when it sank.

The setting of the wreck in treacherous waters off Cape Hatteras and the fact that there was a Christian aboard reminded some historians of the Bounty?s peculiar journey, its popular appeal, and the ironies of how the ship came to keep plowing the seas.

?Fletcher Christian sets in motion ? the mutiny on the ship, they head off to Tahiti, load up with mutineers and Tahitians, and settle Pitcairn Island, and at the end they burn the Bounty,? says Sal Mercogliano, a former merchant marine who is now a maritime historian at Campbell University, in Buies Creek, N.C. ?When they made the [movie] remake in 1962, in the end they?re supposed to burn the ship, but Brando refused to have the ship burned and said he wouldn?t work on the movie if they burned it. So Brando keeps the ship alive and now the ship becomes the vehicle that Claudene can sail on later on down the road."

The US Coast Guard on Monday rescued 14 of Bounty?s sailors out of lifeboats, but did not find Christian, who was wearing a survival suit, until 10 hours after the ship went down. She was unresponsive and could not be revived.

A debate is raging over why Captain Walbridge decided to brave the hurricane off the Atlantic Coast?s most treacherous cape, where more than 1,000 ships have been sunk since the 16th century.

RECOMMENDED: Hurricane insurance: Do you have it? Need it? Six things to know.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hms-bounty-casualty-claimed-tie-mutinous-fletcher-christian-212319253.html

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Proposed Plant City charter change draws little attention (tbo)

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Search Engine Marketing Makes Your Small Business a Success ...

By Guest Blogger on October 29, 2012

This is a guest post by Michelle from www.crazypayday.co.uk.

With the internet market increasing in size each day there are numerous new businesses appearing and posing potential threats to existing small firms. The Internet offers the largest platform for all business owners to promote their brands worldwide and search engine marketing (SEM) plays a significant role in it.? Therefore is very important for business owners to create an online presence by promoting their brand and attracting good traffic towards their website. Incorporating Search engine marketing in marketing strategies is the most efficient method to gain an online presence for your brand in the e-commerce world.

SEM is basically a marketing strategy that helps the online business owners to increase the usability and visibility of their website and attract a good amount of visitors towards their website. There are different techniques that are used in the search engine marketing process that include the following;-

keyword selection:

In this marketing strategy the business owners employ techniques to associate the website with relevant and specific keywords. This is considered the first step of the marketing strategy where different keywords that are used for the website are analysed and the one that is most relevant and unique is targeted to increase the traffic of the website.

Website saturation:

In this method the presence of the website on the search engine is determined. This is achieved by checking the

• site saturation- the number of website pages that are indexed by the crawlers

• site popularity- the number of backlinks associated to the website

key performance indicators (KPI):

Here you need to identify the most important KPIs for your site and frequently monitor them. These indicators usually include the number of site visits, number of visits made from organic keyword traffic, number of visits made from paid keyword traffic and many more.

PPC advertising:

Pay per click advertising has become one of the most important marketing strategies that help with improving the ranking of the site on the search engines. Successful and top companies provide advertising space on their website associated to relevant keywords. All the advertisers need to do is to pay them for the number of clicks that are made on the advertising. Through this method potential customers visit your site and most of them turn into return customers.

Paid inclusion in search engines:

Here a particular amount is paid to the search engine providers for the inclusion of your website advertising into their search results. This allows your advertisement to be displayed on the top of the search results which can help you in attracting good traffic for your site.

If you find any difficulty in the above mentioned process and need further guidance then you can contact the experts from digital media agency who can help you out.

About the Author:

---

www.crazypayday.co.uk offers easiest and fastest loans for bad debt for people who require fast cash for any purpose.? My name is Michelle.? I am a tech writer from UK.? I am into Finance.? Catch me @financeport.

---

About The Author

Guest Blogger

This post was written by a guest blogger. The author bio can be found in the post above. If you'd like to write a post for Communication and Business Thoughts for Creative Entrepreneurs, check out this page.
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Source: http://n0elle.com/2012/10/search-engine-marketing-makes-your-small-business-a-success/

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Military looks at lasers for hack-proof radio

9 hrs.

Jesse Emspak

One of the recurring challenges for the military is to send a message without anyone else listening in. Communicating via a laser could be the solution.

The Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio is working with Fayetteville, Ark.-based Space Photonics to develop an infrared laser system called free space optical communications. The technology is virtually hack-proof and is able to transmit much more information than other wireless signals.

Its security comes from the nature of the beam, which is so narrow that people cannot eavesdrop on it unless they?re directly in its path. This is a marked contrast to radio waves, which produce "lobes" near the point of transmission that make it possible for a hacker to listen in.

Top 5 Scariest Bioweapons: Photos

If a person does manage to get into the direct path of the laser beam transmission and then tries to "tap" it, the beam gets interrupted. This immediately alerts the sender that another person may be on the line and trying to listen in. The sender would also likely spot if another party were trying to intercept the beam and retransmit since laser systems work as "line of sight" devices.

"It's inherently secure," said Terry Tidwell, chief engineer at Space Photonics, which recently signed a deal to commercialize its technology and sell it to the Department of Defense.

Along with its security, laser communications also pack a lot of information into that narrow beam. Whereas Wi-Fi signals carry megabits every second, an infrared laser beam can carry thousands of times as much data.?

WATCH VIDEO: Therapeutic War Games Helps Iraq Vets

Several companies besides Space Photonics are building laser communications for the military. Among them is ITT Exelis, which got a $7 million contract to finish developing a ship-to-shore system for the Navy, said Gary Tarantino, director of advanced systems and innovation for the company. "We're trying to lock in the design," he said. "to optimize the automation and the corrections for atmospheric interference." By the end of next year, he said, there should be systems in place. It should have a range of about 12 miles, if one station is elevated.

Although air-based laser communications were first proposed in the 1970s, using them was expensive. Fiber optic cable, which started to come into wide use at about the same time, was a cheaper option and had a much longer range. Fiber optics can be as long as the cable, but air-based laser beams have a limit ? typically a few miles, though that can be extended to up to 120 miles if transmitted between aircraft at high altitude.

The costs began to come down with the development of cheaper, semiconductor lasers. At the same time, the proliferation of electronic devices, including smartphones, laptops and tablets, drove the need for more data capacity. What?s more laying down fiber optic cables isn't practical for the battlefield. Stationary, small-scale systems were set up in Afghanistan in the mid-2000s at Bagram Air Base. In the civilian market a number of companies built them to give more capacity to cellphone towers, in order to carry more data to the fiber network.

On the battlefield, laying down fiber optic cables isn't practical. But just like civilians, the military found itself needing to transmit lots of data, so it gave the technology another look. Stationary, small-scale systems were set up at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in the mid-2000s.

10 Trickiest Spy Gadgets Ever: Photos

With all the advantages lasers offer, there were also still problems. One is aiming the beam. Early systems used big receivers, or had the beam disperse so that it was several feet wide at the receiving end. Now a combination of adapting the receiver's optics and gimbals are used, in various configurations.

Space Photonics, for example, alters the orientation of the lenses so that the incoming beam always hits the receiver, allowing the gimbals to turn it to do the "coarse" alignment and the optic to do the rest. Exelis' method relies more on the gimbals. AOptix, which demonstrated a system for the Air Force back in 2010, uses adaptive optics, a method adopted from telescopes, to ensure the beam transmits and receives clearly.

While the 1.5 micron wavelength can transmit reasonably well, even through moist air, dense fog will reduce the range of the signal. AOptix combines their system with radio frequency transmitters as a backup.

No technology is perfect, though, and it looks as though optical communications will keep growing, as tracking systems and signal processing gets better. "You have a generation of technologies that are maturing," said Tarantino.?

--Discovery Channel

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/military-looks-lasers-hack-proof-radio-1C6669314

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Pumpkin Granola - Around My Family Table

?

I thought it would be fun to celebrate National Oatmeal Day! ?I love doing something for all these food holidays! ?I?ve been craving granola recently, so I thought I would come up with a fall inspired granola recipe to celebrate!

I have memories from when I was a little girl eating breakfast with my dad on cold winter mornings. ?He?d fix us a big bowl of hot Quaker? Oats with a piece of toast topped with peanut butter. ?The oatmeal was never anything fancy, just a little salt. ?But it has stuck with me all these years?every once in awhile I have a craving for it and I think of my dad when I eat it. ?I hope that some day, my dad will be able to have these special moments with my kids over breakfast.

My Pumpkin Granola is a far cry from those mornings, but still so good. ?Have it plain, in yogurt, with some milk. ?Have it hot or have it cold. ?It?s so?versatile?and a perfect flavor this time of year.

In honor of National Oatmeal Day on October 29th, VOTE??for my recipe and be?entered to win a $1,000 gift card! ?Yay Oats!?Official Sweepstakes Rules

Pumpkin Granola

4 cups?Quaker? ?Oats

1/4 cup oat flour

1/2 cup pepitas, raw

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup broken pecan pieces

1/4 cup pumpkin butter (or 1/4 cup pumpkin puree + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice)

1/2 cup agave syrup

1/4 vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 300F. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. ?In a?separate?bowl combine wet ingredients. ?Pour wet mixture onto dry ingredients and mix well to evenly coat.

Place granola in a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper. ?Bake for 20 minutes. ?Stir and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Granola will get crunchier as it cools. ?Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

?

Please Go VOTE for my recipe now through 10/29.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker?. The opinions and text are all mine.

Source: http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/10/pumpkin-granola/

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Self-affirmation enhances performance, makes us receptive to our mistakes

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) ? Life is about failure as much as it is about success. From the mistakes we make at work or school to our blunders in romantic relationships, we are constantly reminded of how we could be better. By focusing on the important qualities that make us who we are -- a process called self-affirmation -- we preserve our self-worth in the face of our shortcomings.

Self-affirmation has been shown to have powerful effects -- research suggests that it can minimize the anxiety, stress, and defensiveness associated with threats to our sense of self while keeping us open to the idea that there is room for improvement. But how does the process of self-affirmation actually work?

New research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, explores the neurophysiological reactions that could explain how self-affirmation helps us deal with threats to our self-integrity.

"Although we know that self-affirmation reduces threat and improves performance, we know very little about why this happens. And we know almost nothing about the neural correlates of this effect," says lead researcher Lisa Legault of Clarkson University.

Legault and her colleagues Michael Inzlicht of the University of Toronto Scarborough and Timour Al-Khindi of Johns Hopkins University posed several hypotheses. They theorized that because self-affirmation has been shown to make us more open to threats and unfavorable feedback, it should also make us more attentive and emotionally receptive to the errors that we make.

The researchers further hypothesized that these effects on attention and emotion could be measured directly in the form of a well-known brain response called error-related negativity, or ERN. The ERN is a pronounced wave of electrical activity in the brain that occurs within 100 ms of making an error on a task.

To test their hypotheses, the researchers randomly assigned 38 undergraduates to either a self-affirmation or a non-affirmation condition at the beginning of the study. In the self-affirmation condition, participants were asked to rank six values -- including aesthetic, social, political, religious, economic, and theoretical values -- from most to least important. They then had five minutes to write about why their highest-ranked value was important to them. In the non-affirmation condition, participants also ranked the six values, but they then wrote why their highest-ranked value was not very important to them. This was done in order to undermine self-affirmation in that group.

After ranking the values, the participants performed a test of self-control -- the "go/no-go" task -- in which they were told to press a button whenever the letter M (the "go" stimulus) appeared on a screen; when the letter W (the "no-go" stimulus) appeared, they were supposed to refrain from pressing the button. To increase the sense of threat in the task, participants were given negative feedback ("Wrong!") when they made a mistake.

While they were completing the go/no-go task, the participants' brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography, or EEG.

The findings suggest that self-affirmation improved participants' performance on the go/no-go task. Participants in the self-affirmation condition made fewer errors of commission -- pressing the button when they shouldn't have -- than did those in the non-affirmation condition.

But the participants' brain activity revealed an even more interesting story. While the self-affirmation and non-affirmation groups showed similar brain activity when they answered correctly, self-affirmed participants showed a significantly higher ERN when they made an error. This effect held up even after the researchers accounted for the number of errors of commission and errors of omission the participants made, in addition to their reaction times for the task.

Notably, the association between the ERN and the number of errors that participants made was stronger for the self-affirmed group. This suggests that self-affirmation enhanced the ERN response for those participants, which in turned predicted their performance on the task. The researchers speculate that participants who were self-affirmed were more receptive to errors which allowed them to better correct for their mistakes.

"These findings are important because they suggest one of the first ways in which the brain mediates the effects of self-affirmation," says Legault.

While these findings help to demystify the mechanisms that underlie self-affirmation, they may also have important practical implications. According to Legault, "Practitioners who are interested in using self-affirmation as an intervention tactic in academic and social programming might be interested to know that the strategy produces measurable neurophysiological effects."

Legault says that, ultimately, this research helps to show that "error-related distress, and our awareness thereof, can actually be a good thing."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. L. Legault, T. Al-Khindi, M. Inzlicht. Preserving Integrity in the Face of Performance Threat: Self-Affirmation Enhances Neurophysiological Responsiveness to Errors. Psychological Science, 2012; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612448483

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/top_news/top_health/~3/MXT8IMa48oQ/121024150800.htm

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White House told of Libyan attack claim Sept. 11

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Two hours after the U.S. Consulate came under attack in Benghazi, Libya, the White House was told that a militant group was claiming responsibility for the violence that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.

A State Department email sent to intelligence officials and the White House situation room said the Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter, and also called for an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli.

The document may fuel Republican efforts to show that the White House knew it was a terrorist attack, even as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was saying ? five days afterward ? that it appeared to be a protest gone awry.

The Obama administration's account of the Benghazi events has become a campaign issue, with Republican challenger Mitt Romney and GOP lawmakers accusing the White House of misleading Americans about the nature of the attack. But militant groups often surface after such attacks claiming responsibility and it's difficult to immediately verify such claims.

The Associated Press and other news organizations obtained the unclassified email and two related emails from government officials who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about them publicly.

The House and Senate committees that oversee intelligence received a raft of documents from the Office of Director of National Intelligence on Monday, two congressional aides said. Congressional staffers combing through the documents have found a kaleidoscope of sometimes conflicting intelligence, backing up much of what intelligence officials explained over the past several weeks.

But members of both committees are still complaining that the original briefing they were given just after the Tuesday, Sept. 11 attack, differed markedly from the explanation the CIA director David Petraeus gave them by the end of that week. In that first briefing, just 12 hours after consulate was burned down, the intelligence committees received a report that it was a military style assault, but just days later, Petraeus stressed that militants had infiltrated a mob, a U.S. official said.

U.S. intelligence officials have said Petraeus outlined that extremists were believed to be in the crowd, and carried out the attack, and also stressed the picture was still evolving.

A U.S. intelligence official said Wednesday that it was "clear from the outset that a group of people gathered that evening" but that it took until the week after the attack to determine "whether extremists took over a crowd or if the guys who showed up were all militants." The official said the briefing included the analysis that the "attacks that appeared spontaneous," but also mentioned possible links to regional al-Qaida groups.

Meanwhile, the Tunisian government said it has arrested a 28-year-old Tunisian linked to the U.S. Consulate attack. Interior Ministry spokesman Tarrouch Khaled said Wednesday that the suspect, Ali Harzi, was in custody in Tunis. Khaled told the AP "his case is in the hands of justice," but did not elaborate.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that the review board she appointed to investigate the attack is "looking at everything," rather than "cherry picking one story here or one document there."

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the emails represented just one piece of information the administration was receiving at the time.

"There were emails about all sorts of information that was becoming available in the aftermath of the attack," Carney said. "The whole point of an intelligence community and what they do is to assess strands of information and make judgments about what happened and who is responsible."

Carney, traveling with President Barack Obama Wednesday on Air Force One, said the emails were unclassified and referred to assertions made on a social media site.

There were a series of three emails sent by State Department officials in Washington as events unfolded on Sept. 11. Among the recipients was the White House situation room.

The first email said that the State Department's regional security officer reported the mission in Benghazi was under attack, and that "20 armed people fired shots." It said that Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in the attack, was in Benghazi, and that Stevens and four others were in the compound's safe haven.

Forty-nine minutes later, an email said that the firing at the consulate "has stopped and the compound has been cleared," while a response team was attempting to locate people.

The next message, one hour and 13 minutes after the second and some two hours after the attack began, a message reported that Ansar-al-Sharia claimed responsibility for the attack.

"Embassy Tripoli reports the group claimed responsibility on Faceboook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli," it said.

Nearly six hours after the initial attack, a State Department memo said the shelter location for the Americans was receiving mortar fire and "there are reports of injuries."

Ansar al-Sharia bragged to members of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb that it was responsible for the attack, according to recordings of phone calls intercepted by U.S. intelligence. But the group has publicly denied having anything to do with the attack.

Clinton, speaking to reporters at the State Department, said, "You know, posting something on Facebook is not in and of itself evidence and I think it just underscores how fluid the reporting was at the time and continued some time to be."

She added, "What I keep in mind is that four brave Americans were killed and we will find out what happened, we will take whatever measures are necessary to fix anything that needs to be fixed and we will bring those to justice who committed these murders."

____

Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Kimberly Dozier contributed to this story.

Follow Larry Margasak on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LarryMargasak

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-told-libyan-attack-claim-sept-11-152848121--politics.html

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Breaking Travel News interview: Sarah Friedrich, sales manager, A ...

A-ROSA Finest Hideaway Resorts was among the big winners at the recent World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony in Portugal.

Hosted by Conrad Algarve, the event recognised the leading lights of European tourism, with Sport & Spa Resort A-ROSA Scharmutzelsee taking the title of Germany?s Leading Golf Resort, while Grand Spa Resort A-ROSA Travem?nde walked off with the prize for Germany?s Leading Spa Resort.

Here Breaking Travel News sits down with Sarah Friedrich, sales manager leisure, A-ROSA Finest Hideaway Resorts, to see what the victories mean for the brand.

Breaking Travel News: Can you tell us how it feels to have won these prestigious honours at the World Travel Awards?

Sarah Friedrich: The success of the hotel group - with its four A-ROSA resorts and two boutique hotels - is absolutely outstanding.

It is an honour to be awarded, for the third time, the title of Germany?s Leading Spa Resort for the Grand SPA A-ROSA Travem?nde, which is located at the Baltic Sea.

Guests will here discover a hideaway, mixing the historical charm of the restored original buildings, with the amenities of the greatest Thalasso Therapy Center in the northern parts of Germany.

Golfing fanatics will find their very own paradise in Germany?s Leading Golf Resort, the A-ROSA Resort at the beautiful lake Scharm?tzelsee.

Close to Berlin, the property has three 18-hole-golf courses and one nine-hole course, while the resort is recognised as a five star golfing superior facility.

Grand Spa Resort A-ROSA Travem?nde is recognised as Germany?s Leading Spa Resort

BTN: Do you feel the awards are recognised by travel consumers in Europe? Will you be using the titles in your marketing at all?

SF: The awards have a high reputation all over the world - for customers and partners.

Carrying the brand of the World Travel Awards underlines the quality and success of the A-ROSA Finest Hideaway Resorts.

We are very proud our partner within the group, Hotel Paradies, Ftan, Switzerland, was this year awarded, for the first time, the title of Switzerland?s Leading Boutique Hotel.

This provides great exposure for the whole group.

Sport & Spa Resort A-ROSA Scharmutzelsee took the title of Germany?s Leading Golf Resort at the World Travel Awards earlier this month

BTN: What do you think it is that separates your brand from competitors in the central European marketplace?

SF: A-ROSA Finest Hideaway Resorts is a very special and individual group of four exclusive hideaway resorts.

We focus on our three essential pillars: offering the most modern and holistic spa and wellness concepts; offering creative cuisine in selected Michelin starred restaurants; and providing for the guests the most challenging and renowned golfing facilities.?

Together with its two partner hotels (Louis C. Jacob in Hamburg and Hotel Paradies in Ftan, Switzerland) the group is achieving the highest levels of hospitality and fulfilling the needs of very discerning travellers in every single way.

BTN: Can you tell us what plans you have in place for the next 12 months to ensure that A-ROSA comes back to successfully defend its titles at the World Travel Awards next year?

SF: We try to maintain the high level of quality we have established. Through innovative concepts and visionary people we go a very special and unique way to succeed.

This is appreciated by our partners world wide, all of whom are also essential to our success.

Next year is going to be an exciting year for the A-ROSA resorts and partner hotels - full of expansion, new ideas and improvements.

More Information

Take a look at the official A-Rosa website for more information.

Source: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/breaking-travel-news-interview-sarah-friedrich-sales-manager-leisure-a-rosa/

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Physical exercise beats mental workout for a healthy brain | MNN ...

Regular physical exercise appears to protect the brain from shrinking, an otherwise natural process in old age that is associated with memory and thinking problems.

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Conversely, mentally and socially stimulating activities, long believed to stimulate the brain, had no major effect on preventing brain shrinkage, according to a study published on Oct. 22 in the journal Neurology.

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In other words, if you want to maximize the mind-enriching benefits of playing chess, pick a match across town and run or walk vigorously to it.

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This relatively large brain-imaging study, which included brain scans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), involved more than 600 people in Scotland between the ages 70 and 73. The researchers found a strong and direct correlation revealing that as physical exercise increases, brain shrinkage decreases.

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"People in their seventies who participated in more physical exercise, including walking several times a week, had less brain shrinkage and other signs of aging in the brain than those who were less physically active," said lead author Alan J. Gow of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. "On the other hand, our study showed no real benefit to participating in mentally and socially stimulating activities on brain size, as seen on MRI scans, over the three-year time frame."

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The research tapped into a respected longitudinal aging study called the Lothian Birth Cohort Study 1936, which, in 1947, tested the intelligence of more than 1,000 children born in 1936 and then has followed up with periodic assessments. This latest analysis entailed a health survey conducted when 638 subjects were 70 and then an MRI scan when they were 73.

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The subjects provided details of their daily activities ? from moving to do only basic chores, to keeping fit with heavy exercise or competitive sports ? as well as non-physical social and leisure endeavors. Those most devoted to exercise showed both better brain circuitry connections and less brain shrinkage compared with the least-active subjects. This was regardless of initial IQ or social class status.

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There was, however, "no support for a beneficial effect of more intellectually challenging or socially orientated activities," the researchers wrote, at least in terms of warding off brain shrinkage.

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Gow said his group hasn't established a biological reason for why exercise can give the brain such a physical workout. Nor could they rule out the possibility that a healthy brain enables those elderly subjects to exercise more, and not that exercise maintains the brain.

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"To be definitive, we do of course need more large-scale trials examining the effects of physical activity interventions," to determine which factors determine what, Gow told LiveScience. "We are following up the same individuals [for] repeat lifestyle assessments and brain scans, which will allow us to examine the direction of the associations in more detail."

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Nevertheless, both physical exercise and non-physical leisure and social pursuits have so many other benefits ? for the former, preventing chronic diseases; for the latter, combating depression and fatigue ? that there's no harm in pursuing both at any age.

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Christopher Wanjek is the author of a new novel, "Hey, Einstein!", a comical nature-versus-nurture tale about raising clones of Albert Einstein in less-than-ideal settings. His column, Bad Medicine, appears regularly on LiveScience.

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Related on LiveScience:

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This story was originally written for LiveScience and was reprinted with permission here. Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/physical-exercise-beats-mental-workout-for-a-healthy-brain

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Iron Man 3 Trailer Is Ridiculously Amazing

The first Iron Man 3 trailer is here! And if the movie is half as good as this, you will be cheering in the movie theater with Avengers-level joy. Just look at Ben Kingsley playing The Mandarin, Tony Stark's next nemesis and a classic supervillain in the Marvel universe. It's a sight to behold. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/gHH5LhHgbPI/iron-man-3-official-trailer-is-ridiculously-amazing

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Auction clearing out failed game co. - Wpri.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- The brick building in downtown Providence once held a health insurer. Then, a video game company.

This week, the state is at One Empire Plaza auctioning off nearly all of the physical assets of Curt Schilling's failed videogame maker 38 Studios -- in an effort to make the state's money back from the loan guarantee it gave the company.

Photographers and reporters got a preview of the sale Monday afternoon.

According to the preliminary list of lots at the auctioneer's website, there are some 1,800 items that the video gaming creator owned to use in the process of creating its first game -- and, it was hoped, others to follow.

They include hundreds of computer workstations, including Mac, PC and Linux boxes, computer monitors new in their boxes, laser printers, drawing tablets, professional audio recording equipment, overhead projectors, a video conferencing system, various video and audio production gear, a telephone system, and various other office supplies.

Video game creating takes long hours at work to keep the creative juices flowing. Thus, also up for bid are no less than twenty-one (21) refrigerators, an under-counter ice maker, some microwaves, and six dishwashers -- plus a ping-pong table, custom gaming tables, a video game library, dance platforms, exercise equipment, a massage table, "and so much more," the auction listing says.

Various art prints, signed by Schilling and others, some props and a game-related figurine, a number of countdown clocks, and "a Buzz Lightyear" are also among the lots.

The auction is Tuesday morning, starting at 10:30 a.m. Items sold have to be hauled away by Friday.

Besides the items sold at the company's subsidiary in Maryland last week -- that garnered $180,000 -- there's still one more big-ticket item set to be sold later that the garden-variety shopper might pass by: the intellectual property, or all the work done to create 38's one video game and potential others. The IP sale will be in about three months, receiver Richard Land told Eyewitness News last week.

38 Studios had to lay off its workforce in May and filed for bankruptcy in June.

Source: http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/providence/providence-38-studios-empire-plaza-state-auction-preview

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Road Trip Continues with Visits to Colgate, No. 2 Cornell - Yale ...

October 22, 2012

Bulldogs Seeking First Win

NEW HAVEN, Conn. ? The Yale women's ice hockey team heads to the Empire State this weekend to start ECAC Hockey play. The Bulldogs visit Colgate Friday at 3:00 p.m. and No. 2 Cornell Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

Yale (0-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) opened the season with non-conference losses at Robert Morris and RIT this past weekend. Sophomore goalkeeper Jaimie Leonoff (Montreal, Que.) totaled 70 saves, including 37 Friday night at RMU. She kept the Colonials scoreless until the third period, when they scored twice to come away with a 2-0 win. Her .933 save percentage places her eighth in the country.

The Bulldogs' penalty killing unit had a good night in the season opener, killing off all five RMU power plays. For the weekend as a whole Yale killed off nine of 11 penalties (.818).

Senior forwards Danielle Moncion (Round Lake Center, Ont.) and Alyssa Zupon (Basking Ridge, N.J.) led Yale in the faceoff circle, combining to win 46 of 83 draws. Sophomore forward Stephanie Mock (Cape Coral, Fla.) led the team in shots with seven, followed by freshman forward Jamie Haddad (Wilbraham, Mass.) and junior defenseman Tara Tomimoto (Calgary, Alta.).

Colgate (2-4-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey), which is in its first season under head coach Greg Fargo, lost four straight games to start the season by a combined score of 26-1. Those games were against current No. 1 Minnesota, No. 7 Northeastern and New Hampshire, however -- teams with a combined record of 15-3-0. The Raiders bounced back nicely from that tough start to sweep UConn, 5-3 and 4-1, before taking this past weekend off. Forward Jocelyn Simpson leads the Raiders in goals with three. Yale's last meeting with Colgate ended in a 1-1 overtime tie thanks to 43 saves from Genny Ladiges '12 and a goal from junior forward Jackie Raines (London, Ont.) assisted by Mock and Zupon.

Cornell (1-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey), which hosts St. Lawrence on Tuesday and Brown on Friday before the Bulldogs come to town, split its series with No. 3 BU to open the season this past weekend. Six different players scored goals for the Big Red, and four players each had a pair of assists. The Big Red has won the last three ECAC Hockey championships and advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four each year, making it to the national title game in 2010-11. Forward Jillian Saulnier was the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year last season, while defenseman Lauriane Rougeau was named the conference's best defensive defenseman. Forward Brianne Jenner was just named to Team Canada's roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Cup tournament.

Statistics:

Friday, 3:00 p.m. at Colgate:

Saturday, 3:00 p.m. at Cornell:

Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity

Be the first to know what's going on with the Bulldogs -- Follow @YaleAthletics on Twitter, become a fan of Yale Athletics on Facebook!.

Source: http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/w-hockey/2012-13/releases/201210225hgtyy

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The Board Game Family Timeline - Card game review ? The Board ...

Small container with a lot of history.

How good are you with history?

Do you know which came first ? gun powder or the clock?

I can?t say that I ever loved studying history in school. But I?ve really enjoyed playing Timeline ? a fun family card game all about setting historical events in their proper place.

How to play Timeline
Timeline is a simple card game. Correctly determine where each of your cards go in the Timeline and you?ll win. The tricky part is making that determination.

Every player is dealt a starting hand of cards. On each double-sided card is a historical event. It could be an invention, a discovery, a famous work, or a creation and such. On one side is just the name and an image of the item. On the other side is the same information but with the year that the item was made, discovered, or took place. The cards are dealt so players don?t see the side of the cards with the year printed on it.

Guess where you think it fits.

One card is then turned over in the center of the table so the year is shown. In turn, players select a card from their hand and chose where they think it should go in the timeline. The player places the card in the timeline where they think it goes, then they flip it over to show the year. If they were correct, the card stays in place and the next player takes a turn. If the card is in the wrong place, it?s discarded and the player takes another card from the draw stack to add to their hand.

The first player to get rid of all their cards wins.

At the start of the game the choices are rather simple. Does your card go before or after the initial card laid out? But as more cards are played, the options and choices get more complex.

For such a simple game, we love how much discussion it generates while playing.

Each card played creates more choices.

Can the whole family enjoy Timeline?
Most of the family will be able to enjoy Timeline. Obviously the older players are going to have an upper hand simply because they will have a better context on history and when certain events occurred. However, that still isn?t any guarantee that parents will beat teenagers. With kids rolling through history classes, their memories may be a lot more fresh than the elders.

But even though Timeline is a card game more suited to the older kids and adults, that doesn?t mean younger kids can?t enjoy it too. Even though Brooke may not have a good grasp on what centuries certain events occurred, she still enjoys guessing and seeing how it turns out.

Who can place their cards first?

I don?t know how much memorizing goes on with the kids, because I haven?t been able to detect much of that yet even with the various times we?ve played Timeline. But parents could look at Timeline as learning game as well ? to help give their children a frame of reference for a wide range of historical occurrences.

It?s also nice and compact, which makes it easy to take along on the road or when you?re getting together with friends or family ? like we did on our recent trip.

How does Timeline score on the ?Let?s Play Again? game meter?
Timeline scores well on the ?Let?s play again? game meter because of how simple and easy it is to play. You don?t have to worry about set up time or remembering complex rules. Simply pull deal out the cards and start guessing where they go. And when one game ends, there are still plenty of cards left that haven?t been touched, so why not just keep going?

Asmodee has also published a couple of expansions of Timeline that we think would be great to pick up ? Timeline: Discoveries and Timeline: Historical Events. It could be pretty cool mixing them all together.

Other great family card games:

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Source: http://www.theboardgamefamily.com/2012/10/timeline-card-game-review/

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'Paranormal Activity 4': Its Ambiguous Ending Explained

Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman answer the conclusion's lingering questions.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

"Paranormal Activity 4"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1695917/paranormal-activity-4-ending.jhtml

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Fergie Addresses Husband?s Cheating & Her Crystal Meth Addiction (VIDEOS)

Fergie Addresses Husband’s Cheating & Her Crystal Meth Addiction (VIDEOS)

Stacy Ferguson, who is better known as “Fergie” of the music group The Black Eyed Peas, opened up to Oprah Winfrey on “Oprah’s Next Chapter” [...]

Fergie Addresses Husband’s Cheating & Her Crystal Meth Addiction (VIDEOS) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/10/fergie-addresses-husbands-cheating-her-crystal-meth-addiction-videos/

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Brisbane Fitness & Health Expo Recap ? Crave

Oh my! Can you say HUGE day? I told you yesterday it was going to be busy, and it definitely was- even though I didn?t manage to get through everything on that list! I have SO much from the Brisbane Fitness & Health Expo that I want to discuss and share with you, so what I?m going to do is give you a run down and then show you a bazillion different pictures. In particular, Michelle Bridges was incredibly inspirational and I?ll probably break down a few points from her speech in multiple posts- because it was really that good.

I literally have a million different things buzzing through my head that I want to share with you, but I think for your sanity I?ll stick with just a run down of the expo. Okay, so you know I was predicting my kid in a candy shop type excitement and I was right. As soon as we got there I was looking every which way and the three hours totally flied by!

Right near the entrance was my current new yummy- SlimPasta. The man was super sweet and showed me their new Fettucine product (along with their wok-ready, angel hair and spaghetti).

He was also kind enough to give me a freebie of my favourite type, the wok-ready (flat noodle)- which reminds me?I forgot to tell you about that on Saturday! I had it on Friday night for dinner and it was by far their best product I?ve tried. Gimme gimme!

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I also saw some other familiar faces- like my FAV Chobani yogurt!

I seriously cannot get enough of the Chobani brand and everyone who worked there was incredibly helpful and nice. I managed to also snag some recipe cards, a chobani magnet and a whole box of plain chobanis (my fav) to take home! They won?t last long- what with all their deliciousness, uses and versatility! It was pretty cool to see just about every person there walking around eating a bowl of Chobani yogurt!

I?m not bias though, not all my friends are food-related. I also saw a fav gym wear shop- Lorna Jane.

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I was salivating as I looked through the beautiful items, along with the 20% off sign! I actually asked if my gift card could be used and was a bit put off when a quite rude lady obviously thought I wasn?t worth her time and gave me a blunt no without even acknowledging or looking at me. So that was a bit disappointing since I love the brand so much and now I?ve got a slightly sour taste in my mouth about it.

With the stuff I knew, there was also the stuff I wanted- badly (oh to have unlimited $$$). There was a Vitamix stand and I was standing in awe at its? awesomeness. One day, you?ll be mine!

Speaking of awe- this lady left me dumbstruck. She is absolutely incredible and I fell in love with her as she talked.

Don?t worry I?ll try to capture her amazing-ness in future posts (yes I was that loser who took notes) and share it all with you! I also was lucky enough to get a photo with her (which I look terrible in haha) and her autograph. She was so lovely as she introduced herself to each person, got their names, autographed whatever and took photos. She also liked to chat it seemed, and this caused the line to slow down at times- oh well, so worth it

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Other demonstrations and presentations were going on too. Like arm wrestling, strong man competitions, bench press comp, fitness models and Mr Australia. He has HUGE calves. I?m totally blanking when it comes to his name and I actually can?t find it anywhere! :S

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There were also plenty of other stalls that interested me like shoe stalls, magazine stalls (I got an Oxygen & Clean Eating mag!), clothes stalls, and those with vitamins and supplements.

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That last picture is from the MissFit Sportswear stall. They had rocking clothes- bold colours, cool styles, and were very reasonably priced for gym wear! I didn?t get anything but I?ll definitely check out their website soon!

Oh and look what I DID buy.

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I can now get my foam roll on with my very own foam roller

Well this is a ginormous post, and hopefully I?ve stimulated your eyes with all my (dodgy) photos. I am already excited about next year- I?ll be there for sure! Thanks for having me Brisbane Fitness & Health Expo!

DAILY HEALTHY THOUGHT: I love myself!

What was your favourite stall at the expo? Who is your ultimate fitness inspiration?

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

Source: http://icraved.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/brisbane-fitness-health-expo-recap/

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Questions for Medicare in meningitis outbreak

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Medicare is coming under scrutiny in the meningitis outbreak that has rekindled doubts about the safety of the nation's drug supply.

The giant health insurance program for seniors long ago flagged compounded drugs produced for the mass market without oversight from the Food and Drug Administration as safety risks. In 2007, Medicare revoked coverage of compounded inhaler drugs for lung disease.

But Medicare doesn't seem to have consistently used its own legal power to deny payment, and critics say that has enabled the compounding business to flourish.

Now program officials are scrambling to find out how many Medicare beneficiaries are among the more than 270 people sickened in 16 states in a still-growing outbreak that has claimed 21 lives.

The illnesses have been linked to an injectable steroid used to treat back pain, made by the New England Compounding Center, a Massachusetts specialty pharmacy. The medication was contaminated with a fungus.

A senior lawmaker and consumer advocates are raising questions about Medicare's role, including an apparent lack of coordination between Medicare and the FDA, the two most powerful agencies within the federal Health and Human Services Department.

In response, a department spokesman says Congress needs to provide the FDA with stronger powers.

The meningitis outbreak has called attention to the role of compounding pharmacies in supplying medications routinely used by hospitals and doctors to treat patients. Regulated primarily by states, the pharmacies specialize in customizing doses for individual patients who have allergies to ingredients in an FDA-approved drug, or who might need a smaller dosage than what's available commercially. But some pharmacies have pushed into full-scale manufacturing.

Medicare has long been aware of the risks.

"By compounding drugs on a large scale, a company may be operating as a drug manufacturer within the meaning of (federal law), without complying with requirements of that law," Medicare's coverage manual, a reference for contractors that handle payments, says in a section dealing with compounded drugs.

That situation, adds the manual, fails Medicare's basic standard, that treatments must be "reasonable and necessary" in order to be covered. "This means, in the case of drugs, the FDA must approve them for marketing," says the manual.

It goes on to say that billing contractors should wait for instructions from Medicare before cutting off payment in specific cases where the FDA has determined that a company is producing compounded drugs in violation of the law.

"Medicare indicates in its own policy documents that it can cut off payments for compounded drugs produced under manufacturing-like conditions," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who over the years has pushed for stronger government oversight of the pharmaceutical industry.

"Medicare should explain whether it uses this step, and if not, why not. Every avenue for explaining how this health crisis occurred and preventing others like it needs exploration," he added.

Joyce Lovelace of Albany, Ky., says she doesn't understand how the outbreak could have happened. Eddie Lovelace, her husband of 55 years, died of a stroke after receiving injections of the steroid implicated in the outbreak as a treatment for pain from an auto accident.

"I'm 100 percent behind not paying ... whether it's Medicare, Blue Cross, or whatever," she said. "Somebody dropped the ball and as a result my husband is gone." Eddie Lovelace, 78, a long-serving judge, was still working at the time of his death and Medicare was not his primary insurance.

Medicare officials are looking into whether the program paid for drugs that have sickened patients.

"If the FDA determines a company is producing compounded drugs in violation of (federal law), Medicare will not reimburse for drugs produced in that facility," said HHS spokesman Tait Sye. "The FDA's regulatory authority over compounding pharmacies is more limited by statute than it is for typical drug manufacturers. We urge Congress to strengthen the FDA's authority."

FDA records show that in 2006 the agency issued a warning letter to the New England Compounding Center for producing anesthetic creams, but officials were unable to say if Medicare was alerted.

In a separate case, Medicare seems to have taken sweeping action on its own without much prodding from the FDA. In 2007, Medicare stopped coverage for compounded inhalation drugs used to treat lung disease.

"Compounded drugs are not considered interchangeable with FDA-approved products," said an information bulletin at the time from Noridian, a major Medicare payment contractor. "The absence of testing for safety and effectiveness has the potential of putting a patient at increased risk of injury, illness or death."

Michael Carome, deputy director of Public Citizen's health research group, says Medicare's policy on compounded drugs seems "internally contradictory."

"They do appear to have a policy for which the default setting is that Medicare does not cover drugs that have not been approved by the FDA," said Carome. "That essentially applies to many, if not all, drugs made by compounding pharmacies."

Medicare's defenders say the agency may be reluctant to act for a number of reasons. Cutting off compounding pharmacies could aggravate drug shortages. Also it could open Medicare to a political counterattack from industry, even charges of rationing.

But Carome, a physician who once served in an HHS regulatory office, says the alternative is that compounding will continue with little federal oversight and recurring outbreaks.

If Medicare had expanded its compounding crackdown beyond just lung disease medications, "that might have prevented the widespread use of these drugs," Carome said. "Without coverage, things don't get used."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/questions-medicare-meningitis-outbreak-080233292.html

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Obama promotes positive signs in housing market

President Barack Obama waves as he walks out of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct., 19, 2012, before his departure on Marine One helicopter for a trip to the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md., to spend the weekend preparing for his final presidential debate.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama waves as he walks out of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct., 19, 2012, before his departure on Marine One helicopter for a trip to the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md., to spend the weekend preparing for his final presidential debate.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Eager to take note of signs of recovery, President Obama is drawing attention to improvements in the housing industry while keeping up pressure on Republicans to back policies the White House says would help struggling homeowners refinance their debts.

"One of the heaviest drags on our recovery is getting lighter," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. "Now we have to build on the progress we've made and keep moving forward."

Obama cited an increased pace in construction of single-family houses and apartments in September. The Commerce Department said this week that last month's construction pace was the fastest in more than four years. Home sales are also up compared with last year, though sales dipped in September from August's two-year high.

With the economy still the dominant issue of the presidential campaign, Obama has been counting on voters believing that conditions are improving. But even indicators that are favorable to Obama still don't signal a strong recovery.

Obama conceded that too many mortgage holders are still under water, owing more than their homes are worth, and blamed congressional Republicans for not passing legislation he proposed in February that would lower lending rates for millions of borrowers. Republicans have objected, citing among other things the estimated $5 billion to $10 billion cost of the proposal.

Obama urged listeners to contact their members of Congress to push for the plan's passage.

"Let's be honest ? Republicans in Congress won't act on this plan before the election," Obama said. "But maybe they'll come to their senses afterward if you give them a push."

In the Republican address, Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona said Obama had inherited a fragile economy, "but he's done little to improve it."

Flake, who is running for the Senate from Arizona, accused the Obama administration of regulatory overreach, citing examples in his own state to bar mining on certain lands, impose expensive requirements on power plants and threatening to require hotels and resorts to install lifts in pools and spas.

He called on Senate Democrats to pass a budget. "As bad as our fiscal challenges are, it's not too late," he said. "The bell has rung and it is time for us to get to work."

___

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: http://tinyurl.com/92jqsyx

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-10-20-US-Obama/id-7893772f843144108324899d70ab0bab

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White House condemns Beirut car bomb that kills top official, 7 others (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/256829592?client_source=feed&format=rss

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