UConn women run past Maryland 76-50

Connecticut forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, right, lines up a shot against Maryland guard Katie Rutan (40) during the second half of a women's NCAA college basketball regional semifinal in Bridgeport, Conn., Saturday, March 30, 2013. Mosqueda-Lewis scored 17 points as Connecticut won 76-50. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Connecticut forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, right, lines up a shot against Maryland guard Katie Rutan (40) during the second half of a women's NCAA college basketball regional semifinal in Bridgeport, Conn., Saturday, March 30, 2013. Mosqueda-Lewis scored 17 points as Connecticut won 76-50. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Connecticut center Stefanie Dolson pivots to the basket against Maryland forward Tianna Hawkins during the second half of an NCAA women's college basketball tournament regional semifinal in Bridgeport, Conn., Saturday, March 30, 2013. Connecticut won 76-50. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Maryland forward Alyssa Thomas, center, threads between Connecticut forward Morgan Tuck, left, and forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, right, during the first half of an NCAA women's college regional semifinal basketball game in Bridgeport, Conn., Saturday, March 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Connecticut guard Kelly Faris (34) shoots against Maryland center Alicia DeVaughn, right, during the first half of a women's NCAA college regional semifinal basketball game in Bridgeport, Conn., Saturday, March 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Connecticut forward Breanna Stewart, right, tries to block a shot by Maryland center Alicia DeVaughn (13) during the first half of an NCAA women's college regional semifinal basketball game in Bridgeport, Conn., Saturday, March 30, 2013. At bottom right is Connecticut center Stefanie Dolson. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) ? Connecticut's youngest players have the Huskies back in an old and familiar spot.

Freshmen Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck combined for 35 points as UConn (32-4) advanced to their eighth straight regional final with a 76-50 blowout over Maryland on Saturday.

"I think we were 16 for 28 from the floor, our freshmen," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "One turnover between the three of them. I thought they were the key to the game today for sure."

Stewart and sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis each had 17 points to lead the Huskies. Stewart also had eight rebounds and four blocked shots.

Jefferson made several key defensive stops and her two fast-break layups capped a 9-0 run to start the second half, giving UConn a 44-26 lead and control of the game.

"We got in a nice offensive flow," she said. "Once the transition game came, then the offensive flow was right there."

Her layup midway through the half stretched the lead to 60-38. She finished with 10 points and Tuck had eight as the Huskies bench outscored Maryland's 25-0.

"They didn't play like freshmen at all," center Stefanie Dolson said. "They came out confident and ready to play. They knew what they needed to do for our team and what they can do."

Two-time ACC player of the year Alyssa Thomas, who had scored 29 and 28 points in the team's first two tournament games, was held to 13 for Maryland, which finished its season at 26-8. Tianna Hawkins and Chloe Pavlech each had 11 points for the Terps.

Maryland trailed 35-26 at the half and went scoreless for the first 3 minutes after intermission allowing UConn to blow the game open.

"I thought we'd come out of the locker room with a lot more energy," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "They came with a knockout punch in the second half."

The Huskies will play Kentucky on Monday night in a rematch of last year's regional final, which was played just over 100 miles away in Kingston, R.I. UConn won that game 80-65.

The Wildcats beat Delaware 69-62 earlier Saturday.

Connecticut will be playing in a regional final for the 19th time. The Huskies have made five consecutive trips to the Final Four and are seeking their eighth national title.

It was the second win over Maryland this season for UConn. The Huskies won by 15 points in the Jimmy V Classic in December. Thomas had just six points in that game, and the Huskies held the Terps to just 48 points, their lowest output this season. They also were outrebounded 39-35, one of just five times that happened this season.

Maryland came into the game ranked second in the nation in rebounding margin, grabbing more than 14 more boards per game than its opponents. The Terps had outrebounded opponents in 32 of their first 33 games.

But UConn won that battle this time around 41-36.

"We were really looking forward to getting back on the court," Stewart said. "We knew Maryland was very physical and we just wanted to come out and disrupt them defensively."

Maryland hit just seven of its first 23 shots, but was 4 of 7 from 3-point range during that span, and trailed just 23-20 midway through the first half.

But 3-pointers from Bria Hartley and Kelly Faris pushed the lead to nine, and started a 12-1 run.

The Huskies looked as if they were about to extend that further, when Faris drove to the basket and appeared to take a hard foul. But there was no whistle, infuriating coach Geno Auriemma, who received a technical foul.

Thomas made one of two foul shots, then hit a jump shot that cut the lead to nine 35-26 at halftime.

UConn is 44-4 in NCAA tournament games played in the state and 8-1 in Bridgeport.

UConn's lone blemish came against Duke in 2006 in the regional final.

Maryland was in its 10th regional semifinal and looking to make back-to-back trips to the regional final despite losing three players this season to ACL injuries, including the expected starting backcourt, guards Brene Moseley and Laurin Mincy.

"Next year we'll have plenty of numbers, a full roster," Thomas said. "Not to take away from this season, but looking forward to next season, we're going to be a tough team to stop next year."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-30-NCAA-Maryland-Connecticut/id-798112618ecd4614adc4a11c6e0afeeb

Stand Up to Cancer Azarenka NFL fantasy football Chris Kluwe Jennifer Granholm Tulane player injured fox sports

Burke leads UM rally over Kansas, 87-85 in OT

Michigan's Nik Stauskas (11), Trey Burke (3) and Corey Person celebrate after beating Kansas 87-85 in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Michigan's Nik Stauskas (11), Trey Burke (3) and Corey Person celebrate after beating Kansas 87-85 in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Michigan's Glenn Robinson III (1) and teammates celebrate after beating Kansas 87-85 in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Kansas guard Ben McLemore (23) dunks against Michigan during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Kansas' Ben McLemore shoots over Michigan's Nik Stauskas during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Kansas' Jeff Withey (5) and Michigan's Trey Burke (3) go after a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? Trey Burke never doubted he could lead Michigan to its deepest NCAA tournament run since the Fab Five era.

Not after a scoreless first half. Not when the Wolverines trailed top-seeded Kansas by 14 with less than 7 minutes left ? or by 5 with 21 seconds left.

And definitely not when he got the ball in his hands and the seconds draining away.

Burke scored all 23 of his points in the second half and overtime, including a long, tying 3-pointer in the final moments of regulation as Michigan rallied to beat Kansas 87-85 in the South Regional semifinals Friday night.

"We never lost faith out there," Burke said. "We stuck it out together."

Ben McLemore had 20 points to lead the Jayhawks (31-6), who looked to be on their way to a third straight regional final before Michigan's improbable rally. Instead, they became the third No. 1 seed to fall in this tournament, joining Gonzaga and Indiana.

"Well, this will certainly go down as one of the toughest games that obviously we've been a part of and I've been a part of," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "But props to Michigan for making all the plays late."

That's for sure.

The fourth-seeded Wolverines (29-7) were down five when Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left, but Glenn Robinson III won a scramble for the ball and hit a reverse layup to force Kansas to win the game at the free throw line.

The Jayhawks couldn't do it. Burke's tying shot ? he pulled up from well beyond the arc just left of the key ? came with 4.2 seconds left after Elijah Johnson missed a free throw and Michigan got the rebound.

Moments earlier, with 21 seconds remaining, Johnson had hit two from the line to keep the Kansas lead at five. Burke had scored on a layup to get Michigan back to within three.

"We never had the mindset that we were going to lose the game," Burke said. "When we were down 14, we knew anything could still happen. It's March, anything can happen."

Michigan went to back-to-back championship games a generation ago with the Fab Five led by Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose. But the folks in Ann Arbor will be talking for years about the shot by Burke under the huge video board Cowboys Stadium, just down the road from where Howard and Rose played their last game together with Ray Jackson and Jimmy King in a regional final loss to Arkansas in 1994.

The Wolverines will play the Florida-Florida Gulf Coast winner the regional final Sunday.

"Just to be able to get this program back to the Elite Eight, it feels good," Burke said. "But we want to go further."

The lead changed hands five times in overtime ? the first OT game of the tournament ? the last when Mitch McGary, who led Michigan with 25 points and 14 rebounds, hit a short jumper with Johnson in his face to put Michigan ahead 83-82.

The Jayhawks got a stop and had about 9 seconds to tie or win, but a jumbled possession ended with Naadir Tharpe missing a running jumper at the buzzer.

"We played like we were trying to hold onto something instead of just continuing to play," Johnson said.

Burke had eight points in the closing 14-4 run that tied the game, then gave Michigan its first lead since early with another long 3-pointer to make it 79-78 early in overtime. He hit a jumper on the next possession as well. After failing to score in the first 20 minutes, Burke ended his drought by scoring eight straight points early in the second half to momentarily cut the deficit to two.

"In the second half, coach told me to be more aggressive so I looked for my shot more," he said.

But Kansas restored a 10-point lead built on controlling the paint, this time with a 3-pointer and a tomahawk dunk on a breakaway by McLemore and a three-point play from Johnson.

Johnson, who picked up three fouls in just three minutes of playing time in the first half, gave Kansas its biggest lead at 68-54 with a 3-pointer from the corner with just under 7 minutes left.

Travis Releford had 16 points for the Jayhawks, while Jeff Withey had 12 points and eight rebounds.

McLemore didn't score again after going to the bench with his fourth foul with 8 minutes remaining.

"We had chance to seal the game, but we made some bonehead plays late," Releford said.

Kansas pushed out to a 10-point lead early by dominating around the basket. McLemore's first basket was the first outside the paint as the Jayhawks scored 34 of their 40 first-half points from inside while shooting 69 percent.

Withey put Kansas ahead 29-19 with a turnaround shot that had McGary shrugging at a teammate and saying, "I'm trying."

McGary wasn't having nearly as much trouble on the offensive end, leading the Wolverines with 11 points and five rebounds in the first half. He picked up where he left off in the third round against Virginia Commonwealth, when he had season highs of 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Michigan pulled within 40-34 at the half when Nik Stauskas hit a 3-pointer and had chance for a four-point play when McLemore bumped him on the shot. But he missed the free throw.

No matter. In the end, Burke was Fab-u-lous and the Wolverines are one win away from the Final Four.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-29-NCAA-Michigan-Kansas/id-73b31a84573f4c70a913931fd6d36686

viola davis school shooting in ohio shooting at chardon high school sasha baron cohen stacy keibler stacy keibler oscar red carpet

Jim Carrey Responds to Fox News: "A Media Colostomy Bag" (Little green footballs)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295517466?client_source=feed&format=rss

Mayim Bialik Rich Kids of Instagram felix hernandez julia child Ron Palillo Chad Johnson Twitter Helen Gurley Brown

Girl Gets Wisdom Teeth Pulled, Bawls Over Murdered Molars

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/girl-gets-wisdom-teeth-pulled-bawls-over-murdered-molars/

kristen bell colbert super pac colbert super pac sloth birth control pill recall ground hog day florida primary results

Kenya Supreme Court upholds election result

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? Kenya's Supreme Court on Saturday upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the country's next president, ending an election season that riveted the nation amid fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 postelection violence.

Outside the Supreme Court, police fired tear gas at Odinga supporters, the second time that has happened in this post-election period.

Outbreaks of violence by angry Odinga supporters were reported in some Nairobi slums and truckloads of police were called in to quell the demonstrations, according to reports on a police radio heard by an Associated Press reporter.

But jubilant Kenyatta supporters flooded the streets of downtown Nairobi, honking horns, blowing the noisy plastic horns known as a vuvuzelas and chanting.

Saturday's verdict ? following a drawn-out court case that raised tensions across the nation ? means that Kenyatta will be sworn in as president on April 9. He will become the second sitting president in Africa to face charges at the International Criminal Court. Kenyatta and Deputy President-elect William Ruto both face charges that they helped orchestrate the 2007-08 postelection violence in which more than 1,000 people died. Both deny the charges. Ruto's trial is set to begin in late May; Kenyatta's is to start in July. Kenyatta has promised to report to The Hague.

Lawyers for challenger Raila Odinga, who finished second, had argued before the Supreme Court that the election was marred by irregularities and that Kenyatta did not win enough votes to avoid a runoff election.

According to official results, Kenyatta won 50.07 percent of the vote, narrowly avoiding a runoff election against Odinga, who said his case before the Supreme Court would put Kenya's democracy on trial.

But the Supreme Court's unanimous verdict, read out by Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, said the election was "conducted in compliance with the constitution and the law" and that Kenyatta and Ruto were legally elected.

"It is the decision of the court that (Kenyatta and Ruto) were validly elected," the ruling said. The reasons behind the judges' decision were not given Saturday. The chief justice said a detailed judgment would be delivered within two weeks.

Unlike after the 2007 election, which degenerated into tribe-on-tribe violence that killed more than 1000 people, this time Odinga said he had faith in the judiciary's ability to give him a fair hearing. Odinga, who said he would respect the court's decision whether it favored him or not, was set to address reporters in Nairobi later on Saturday. As Kenyatta's supporters celebrated outside the court premises, police fired tear gas to break up a crowd of Odinga supporters.

The court's ruling ends days of anxiety since March 9, when Kenyatta was declared the winner of the March 4 vote that many described as the most complex in Kenya's history. More than 12 million Kenyans participated in the election. Some observers had expected a low registration of voters because of apathy following the 2007-08 violence, but hyped up campaigns by Kenyatta, Odinga and other presidential candidates led to the highest registration in the country ever. Kenya's electoral commission registered 14.3 million people.

Election day, though, did not go as planned. An electronic voter ID system intended to prevent fraud failed for reasons yet to be explained by the electoral commission. Vote officials instead used manual voter rolls.

After the polls closed, results were to be sent electronically to Nairobi, where officials would quickly tabulate a preliminary vote count in order to maximize transparency after rigging accusations following the 2007 vote. But that system failed, too. Election officials have indicated that computer servers overloaded but have yet to fully explain the problem.

As the early count system was still being used, election results showed more than 330,000 rejected ballots, an unusually high number. But after the count resumed with the arrival in Nairobi of manual tallies, the number of rejected ballots was greatly reduced, and the election commission said the computer was mistakenly multiplying the number of rejected ballots by a factor of eight.

Odinga's lawyers told the Supreme Court this week that the switch from electronic voter identification to manual voter roll was stage managed to allow inflation of Kenyatta's votes to take him past the 50 percent threshold. That accusation was vehemently denied by the electoral commission and Kenyatta's legal team.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kenya-supreme-court-upholds-election-result-141537773.html

derbyshire the matrix oceans 11 ferris state hockey mary poppins john derbyshire kinkade

Hagel: B-2s not intended to provoke North Korea (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295285913?client_source=feed&format=rss

News Ryan Lanza Facebook usa today foxnews yahoo news cnn news Connecticut shooting

Page Not Found (404) - Salon.com

Copyright ? 2013 Salon Media Group, Inc. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited.

SALON ? is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon Media Group Inc.

Associated Press articles: Copyright ? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.salon.com/salon/index

Lynsi Torres Fall Out Boy Alabama hostage mta Beyonce Superbowl weather.com nemo

Take a Peek Inside: New Premium Collection Wine & Spirits Store in ...

A new premium collection wine and spirits store in the Village at Pine is attracting plenty of attention after recently opening for business.?

The Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection Store at 125 Towne Center Drive is the first for the Pittsburgh region.

At more than 10,000 square feet, the new store is double the size of the wine and spirits store it replaces in the Wexford Plaza Shopping Center.

The focal point is a center table, where consumers can find staff to answer questions or provide guidance. The center table is equipped with a tasting bar and counters that highlight new products and featured selections.

It also provides a gathering place for consumers to learn about products and find recommendations.

?The focus of the rebranding initiative is to improve the shopping experience for consumers by making our stores warmer, more inviting and customer-focused,? Joseph E. Brion, PLCB chairman said in a news release.

The store has an expanded selection of Chairman?s Selection? and luxury products to serve consumers, he said. Educational materials are also available, providing information such as a vintage chart, food pairing and party planning guides.

An easy-to-use overview of the most popular wines and spirits helps consumers navigate the many choices available throughout the store.

To supplement the shopping experience, informational cards showcasing ?staff picks? are also on display.

The new store has a retail wine specialist on staff to conduct product tastings, provide information and recommendations and answer questions.

The retail wine specialist is a new position at most Premium Collection stores to provide additional service for consumers wanting more assistance.

The PLCB wanted to develop a store that was attractive and environmentally responsible. The majority of the lighting is state-of-the-art LED or energy-efficient compact-fluorescent lighting, using a fraction of the energy of traditional lighting. The store also sells reusable shopping bags made from 60 percent recycled materials.

Similar stores are planned in Monroeville and Philadelphia, and will replace the current state Wine & Spirits stores in the next month or two.

The premium collection store in Wexford is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Like Us on Facebook | Follow Us on Twitter

Check out some of today's other top stories here.

Source: http://pine-richland.patch.com/articles/new-premium-collection-wine-spirits-store-attracts-a-crowd

gop debate republican debate lewis black kirkwood chris brown and rihanna nightline brady quinn

Newtown rampage took just 5-minutes

Police tape seen outside the Lanza home in Newtown, Conn. (Getty Images)

[Updated at 12:30 p.m. ET]

NEWTOWN, Conn.?Police investigating the school massacre here seized a small arsenal of firearms, knives and swords along with medical records and computer equipment from the 20-year-old gunman's home in the days after the shootings, court documents released on Thursday reveal.

Also on Thursday, Connecticut State Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III, who's overseeing the case, said Adam Lanza killed 26 people within five minutes of storming into Sandy Hook Elementary School before turning a gun on himself.

The documents?50 pages of affidavits and evidence logs that include a list of items seized from the car and Newtown home Lanza shared with his mother, Nancy?paint a chilling picture of a killer who had been stockpiling weapons in the weeks and months leading up to the Dec. 14 massacre.

[Related: Newtown families appear in Bloomberg anti-gun ads]

Lanza shot and killed his mother at their home before driving to the school, where he forced his way in and opened fire.

Sedensky said in a statement that Lanza killed all 26 school victims with a Bushmaster .223-caliber model XM15 rifle before taking his own life with a Glock 10 mm handgun. Lanza also had a loaded 9 mm Sig Sauer P226 handgun with him inside the school, Sedensky said, as well as ten 30-round magazines for the Bushmaster. Recovered at the scene were 154 spent bullet casings.

According to the unsealed documents, investigators found an empty box for "Battle Tested" vest accessories and hundreds of rounds of various gun ammunition inside the two-story Lanza home.

Among the other items seized (as detailed by police):

Item #71 - Receipts and emails documenting firearm/ammunition and shooting supplies.
Item #77 - Blue folder labeled "Guns" containing receipts, paperwork, and other firearm-related paperwork.
Item #81 - Paperwork titled, "Conncticut Gun Exchange, Glock 20SF 10mm FS 15 round FC," dated 12/21/11.
Item #83 - Email re: Gunbroker.com dated 10-12-11.
Item #85 - Printed photographs, miscellaneous handwritten papers, and Sandy Hook report card for Adam Lanza.
Item #86 - "Look Me in the Eye?My life with Asbergers" book, "Born on a Blue day?Inside the Mind of an Autistic Savant" book, "NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting" book.

Exhibit # 605 - One (1) receipt for Timstar Shooting Range located in Weatherford, Ok and one (1) NRA certificate for Nancy Lanza.

Exhibit #606 - One (1) Paperback book titled "Train Your Brain To Get Happy," with pages tabbed off.

Exhibit #608 - Three (3) photographs with images of what appears to be a deceased human covered in plastic and what appears to be blood.

Exhibit #609 - Seven (7) journals and miscellaneous drawings authored by Adam Lanza.

Exhibit #612 - One (1) holiday card containing a Bank of America check #462 made out to Adam Lanza for the purchase of a C183 (Firearm), authored by Nancy Lanza.

Exhibit #630 - One (1) New York Times article on 02/18/08 of a school shooting at Northern Illinois University.

In addition to several guns inside the home, police also recovered three samurai swords and a long pole with a blade on one side and a spear on the other. Inside the car Lanza drove to the school, police recovered a 12-gauge shotgun and two magazines containing 70 rounds of ammunition, the documents show.

Adam Lanza in an undated photo (AP/File)

The NRA on Thursday denied any association with the Lanza family.

"There is no record of a member relationship between Newtown killer Adam Lanza, nor between Nancy Lanza, A. Lanza or N. Lanza with the National Rifle Association," spokesman Andrew Arulanandam wrote in a statement. "Reporting to the contrary is reckless, false and defamatory."

According to the search warrant, when officers arrived at the school, they discovered Lanza "dressed in military style clothing, wearing a bullet proof vest lying deceased on the floor in the middle classroom." He "was in possession of several handguns as well as a military style assault weapon."

When police arrived at the Lanza home, they found Nancy Lanza "lying in supine position on a bed in the 2nd floor master bedroom" with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Investigators located a rifle "on the floor near the bed."

On Dec. 14, according to a warrant released on Thursay, FBI agents interviewed an unidentified resident who described Lanza as a "shut in" and "avid gamer who plays Call of Duty" and rarely leaves the house. The witness said Lanza had a "gun safe containing at least four guns." Lanza had attended Sandy Hook Elementary School, the person told the FBI, and "that the school was Adam Lanza's 'life.'"

Superior Court Judge John Blawie ordered parts of the documents redacted after state prosecutors requested that the identity of a key witness not be revealed for another 90 days. The judge also approved blacking out some phone, credit card and serial numbers of some of the property confiscated from the Lanza home.

Connecticut State Police briefed family members of the Newtown shooting victims on Wednesday on what was recovered inside the Lanza home and car. About 50 family members attended the briefing, according to the Connecticut Post.

Thursday's release came after state lawmakers, media and Newtown residents criticized police officials for leaking details of their investigation at a convention of police chiefs in New Orleans in March, which were then published by the New York Daily News.

[Related: Images from Newtown, Dec. 14-21, 2012]

"If state police officers can leak details of the Newtown investigation at conventions, surely that information can be shared with the Connecticut public," the Hartford Courant wrote in an editorial. "It has more of a right to know than out-of-state police chiefs do. ... This isn't information to be hoarded and shared only at the state police water cooler. The longer information is kept under wraps, the more questions there will be about why. Most important, the details will inform the debate about gun control, mental health and violence in society. There's no reason to fear an informed public."

Connecticut's General Assembly has been considering gun-control legislation in the wake of the Newtown shootings, including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. State lawmakers said on Monday they would delay a vote on gun control until after search warrants related to the school shootings were unsealed.

The final police report on the massacre is not expected to be released until June.

Sickles reported from Dallas.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/adam-lanza-newtown-search-warrants-released-131056789.html

Charlie Strong Calendar 2013 john boehner HGTV Dream Home 2013 eric cantor eric cantor HGTV

Prebiotics: Do supplements in baby formula help prevent allergies?

Mar. 25, 2013 ? Prebiotic supplements in infant formula may help to prevent eczema, according to a systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. However, the review highlights a lack of high quality evidence for the effects of prebiotics in preventing allergies.

It is thought that bacteria lining the gut may play an important role in a child developing sensitivities to certain foods and allergens, regulating immune responses and determining how they will react to the same substances in later life. Prebiotics are indigestible components of breast milk, fruit and vegetables that stimulate the growth and activity of healthy bacteria in the gut. They are distinct from probiotics, which are cultures of live bacteria such as those added to yoghurts and infant formula. Prebiotics can also be added to infant formula. However, it is unclear exactly what effect these supplements have on the development of allergies.

The researchers drew together data from four studies involving a total of 1,428 children. Children were given formula containing prebiotic supplements or, as a control, standard formula. Studies followed children to between four months and two years of age and reported the number who developed allergies. Eczema was significantly reduced in children who were fed formula containing prebiotics. Only two studies investigated asthma. The number of children who developed asthma was similar whether they were given formula with added prebiotics or without. In one study looking at urticaria (hives), giving children formula containing prebiotics did not prevent any cases of the allergy.

Only one study assessed the effect of giving formula containing prebiotics to high-risk children, who had close family members with allergies. In this study, prebiotics reduced both eczema and asthma, but there were no significant reductions in allergies overall in high-risk children. "Given these findings, it remains unclear whether the use of prebiotics should be restricted to infants at high risk of allergy or may have an effect in low risk populations," said lead researcher, John Sinn of the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia.

"Overall, we found some evidence that infant formula containing prebiotic supplements can help prevent eczema in children up to two years of age," said Sinn. "However, the quality of existing evidence is generally low or very low. More high quality research is needed before we can recommend routine use of prebiotics for prevention of allergy."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wiley.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. JK Sinn, DA Osborn. Prebiotics in infants for prevention of allergy and food hypersensitivity. The Cochrane Library, 2013 (in press) DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006474

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/szTO79OWy3I/130328075716.htm

London 2012 basketball London 2012 Slalom Canoe Alex Morgan Misty May Treanor Lolo Jones Marvin Hamlisch Megan Rossee

Brain scans might predict future criminal behavior

Mar. 28, 2013 ? A new study conducted by The Mind Research Network in Albuquerque, N.M., shows that neuroimaging data can predict the likelihood of whether a criminal will reoffend following release from prison.

The paper, which is to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, studied impulsive and antisocial behavior and centered on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a portion of the brain that deals with regulating behavior and impulsivity.

The study demonstrated that inmates with relatively low anterior cingulate activity were twice as likely to reoffend than inmates with high-brain activity in this region.

"These findings have incredibly significant ramifications for the future of how our society deals with criminal justice and offenders," said Dr. Kent A. Kiehl, who was senior author on the study and is director of mobile imaging at MRN and an associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico. "Not only does this study give us a tool to predict which criminals may reoffend and which ones will not reoffend, it also provides a path forward for steering offenders into more effective targeted therapies to reduce the risk of future criminal activity."

The study looked at 96 adult male criminal offenders aged 20-52 who volunteered to participate in research studies. This study population was followed over a period of up to four years after inmates were released from prison.

"These results point the way toward a promising method of neuroprediction with great practical potential in the legal system," said Dr. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Stillman Professor of Practical Ethics in the Philosophy Department and the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, who collaborated on the study. "Much more work needs to be done, but this line of research could help to make our criminal justice system more effective."

The study used the Mind Research Network's Mobile Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) System to collect neuroimaging data as the inmate volunteers completed a series of mental tests.

"People who reoffended were much more likely to have lower activity in the anterior cingulate cortices than those who had higher functioning ACCs," Kiehl said. "This means we can see on an MRI a part of the brain that might not be working correctly -- giving us a look into who is more likely to demonstrate impulsive and anti-social behavior that leads to re-arrest."

The anterior cingulate cortex of the brain is "associated with error processing, conflict monitoring, response selection, and avoidance learning," according to the paper. People who have this area of the brain damaged have been "shown to produce changes in disinhibition, apathy, and aggressiveness. Indeed, ACC-damaged patients have been classed in the 'acquired psychopathic personality' genre."

Kiehl says he is working on developing treatments that increase activity within the ACC to attempt to treat the high-risk offenders.

The four-year study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and pilot funds by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Law and Neuroscience Project. The study was conducted in collaboration with the New Mexico Corrections Department.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

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

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. E. Aharoni, G. M. Vincent, C. L. Harenski, V. D. Calhoun, W. Sinnott-Armstrong, M. S. Gazzaniga, K. A. Kiehl. Neuroprediction of future rearrest. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1219302110

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/most_popular/~3/YKAt_BzzGdM/130328125319.htm

hossa the cell dickclark gavin degraw gavin degraw alec time 100

Landscaping Tips for the First-Time Homebuyer - RealEstate.com

Buying your first home is both frightening and exciting, and that?s understandable. It should be. Your home is most likely the biggest purchase you will ever make. Whether or not you?re a first-time homebuyer, chances are there was something about the house or property that made you feel like this was a place to call ?home.?

For many people, moving into a house, as opposed to a condominium, means the opportunity to have enough space for letting the dog run around, playing catch with your children, or hosting big barbeque parties. In other words, it means having a backyard, and having a backyard brings a whole new set of responsibilities.

If you?re like most potential homebuyers, you?re concentrating on the house, not the landscape, when viewing a home for sale. As you shop for your new home, the following landscaping tips will hopefully help you avoid expensive problems in the future.

Homebuying Landscape Tip #1: Where?s the High Water Mark?

If you can avoid living in a floodplain, do it. A few years ago, a friend of mine purchased a home in a 100-year floodplain. By definition, a 100-year flood only has a 1 percent chance of occurring each year. Unfortunately, soon after she purchased the property, a real estate development with a large building footprint and lots of surface parking went up near her property. The excess run-off caused by the new development created an increase in the flood frequency, and every year thereafter her property flooded in the winter.

She wanted to have a garden and do some landscaping, so she had me come out and assess the situation. Unfortunately, she couldn?t have the ornamental garden plants like roses and lavender that she wanted. Her best strategy was to plant shrubs and trees that could handle being inundated by water for a period of time each year ? plants like red-twig dogwood, Western red cedar, and snowberry. In order to have any kind of garden, she would basically have to plant trees and shrubs that were native to wetlands. Needless to say, this was not the garden she wanted.

If the home you?re buying is in a floodplain, think long and hard about what it would be like to have your property underwater, literally, before signing those papers.

While we?re on the subject of water ?

Homebuying Landscape Tip #2: Where Does the Water Go?

When buying a home, take time to walk around the property. Check for areas where the soil is muddy or there?s standing water. Sometimes this can merely be an indication of poor-draining soils, but sometimes standing water can be caused by much larger issues like a leak in a water, sewer, or irrigation line.

Also check for any water that drains toward the house. Civil engineers and landscape architects typically design soil grading to slope away from buildings at a rate of at least 2 percent for a minimum of 5 feet. This prevents most water from draining toward the foundation or basement of the house. If you?re considering buying a home where the land around it slopes toward the house, take special care to have these areas inspected. Most houses are built with below-grade drainage to divert water away from the foundation, but don?t assume anything. It?s better to be safe than sorry.

Homebuying Landscape Tip #3: Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall

If the property you?re buying contains any site retaining walls, check their condition. Be on the lookout for large cracks or areas where the wall may be failing. Concrete retaining walls can be built to be straight up and down or with a slight batter, meaning that the wall slants slightly back into the soil it?s retaining. If they seem structurally sound, it?s fine. On stone retaining walls, watch for any areas where stones seem to be missing or coming away from the rest of the wall. Finally, be especially cautious of any wall where the top of the wall has started to bow out over the bottom. This is usually an indication of poor drainage behind the wall, failure in the reinforcement or structure of the wall, or damage from large tree roots, and a clear sign that the wall is failing.

Homebuying Landscape Tip #4: Don?t Buy Butchered Trees

Nothing bothers me more than seeing trees that have been topped. This often happens when a homeowner decides he?s going to open up the views from his property. Armed with a chainsaw and spare time on a weekend, the homeowner will go out and saw the tops off of all of the trees on the property. If the property you are considering has topped trees, move along or have the seller compensate you for the damage he?s done by negotiating the purchase price. On average, it will cost around $1,500 to remove each tree.

?But what?s the problem with topped trees,? you ask. ?I want to see the view of the ocean (the mountains, the lake, insert spectacular view here).? The problem is that trees do not have any way to heal their wounds. That?s not just some tree-hugger nonsense ? that?s the truth, and it has implications for the tree?s health and the safety of your home. So, if you are going to top a tree, top it at ground level. That?s right: Cut it down and take it out.

Trees don?t heal; they seal.?

The best a tree can ever do after you make a cut is try to seal over the wound with future bark growth. Topping a tree opens it up to all manner of plant diseases. Trees that have been topped are more susceptible to root rot, which compromises the root structure and stability of the tree.

Furthermore, topping a tree doesn?t keep it from growing. In fact, pruning encourages growth. The branching structure that results after topping is often much weaker than the original growth, especially on conifers. The moral of the story is this: If there is going to be a tree that blows over onto your house in a windstorm, with its potential for root rot and poor branching structure, I?d put money on the tree that was topped. (I realize that to readers from the Midwest this may seem extreme, but in the Pacific Northwest, big trees and windstorms are a huge issue.)

I?ve given you the big landscape issues to watch for here. With these tips you?ll know the big landscape problems to avoid when buying a home. Water and the structural integrity of built landscape elements and trees are the biggest issues to keep in mind. Beyond that, there are not many landscape problems that can?t be fixed without a little time, effort ? and the possible outlay of cash.

Tagged as: homebuyer, homebuying, landscape, landscaping, trees

Source: http://www.realestate.com/advice/landscaping-tips-for-the-first-time-homebuyer-72997/

chris cooley condoleezza rice Perry Hall High School bill cosby us open bill nye Hurricane Isaac 2012

6 Reasons We're Crushing on Blake Shelton Right Now

Blake Shelton has been everywhere this week, and we're totally okay with it. The Voice returned to NBC on Monday, his new album, Based on a True Story..., hit store shelves on Tuesday, and he's just been generally charming and adorable every day. He was even cute when it came to shooting down rumors that he and wife Miranda Lambert are having marriage problems, which is no small feat for a celebrity.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/blake-shelton-we-have-crush-you/1-a-530783?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Ablake-shelton-we-have-crush-you-530783

leigh espn greg oden st patricks day st. bonaventure ira glass swain

What you missed from ?The Ultimate Fighter?

It was a fight-packed episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" as Tuesday night's episode had two fights and visits from two different champs.

Ronda Rousey stops by -- Kelvin won his first match, so he was rewarded with a visit with UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. It wasn't just for show, either, as Rousey showed Team Sonnen several judo techniques. She also pumped them up with some of her favorite "Momisms," including the choice line, "No one has the right to beat you."

Collin Hart (Team Jones) vs. Kelvin Gastellum (Team Sonnen)

Gastellum said in his pre-fight interviews that no one respects his boxing. Uh, they will now. Gastellum struck Hart quickly with a left hook that sent him down to the ground. Hart hit his head on the canvas, rolled over, and took a few more punches before the fight was stopped. It was a vicious, vicious knockout.

Mike Tyson! Oh, hey, no big deal. Mike Tyson showed up at the training center. He stopped in the locker rooms to say hello to the fighters.

Dylan Andrews (Team Jones) vs. Luke Barnatt (Team Sonnen)

A fight for the Queen as Australian Andrews takes on Brit Barnatt. Andrews got the takedown early in the first round, and Barnatt had no answer on the ground for much of the round. Andrews tried for a few chokes, but was unsuccessful.

Barnatt did a much better job in the second, creating offense from the bottom. This led to a third round, where Andrews took over. He knocked a clearly tired Barnatt around until he finally knocked him out in the third round.

Everyone was impressed with how Andrews fought through the third round, including the man signing the checks.

"I'm blown away and impressed with Dylan. That's how it's done here." ? Dana White

The next two quarterfinals are next week, and they'll have a tough act to follow.

College basketball video from Yahoo! Sports:

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Pat Forde: Breaking down the Sweet 16
? Lakers' Metta World Peace has lateral meniscus tear in his knee
? David Shaw building Stanford into a perennial power
? Undefeated Gennady Golovkin could become boxing's next big thing

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/missed-ultimate-fighter-125847222--mma.html

Dell Levis Fireman Ed Allegiant Air Melissa Rycroft mega millions Cyber Monday Deals 2012

Social science struggles with effects of same-sex parenting on children (Washington Post)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294807542?client_source=feed&format=rss

miley cyrus amazing race Cam Cameron Ada Lovelace 12/12/12 manny pacquiao Chopper Live

Violent video games are a risk factor for criminal behavior and aggression, new evidence shows

Mar. 26, 2013 ? People are quick to point the finger or dismiss the effect of violent video games as a factor in criminal behavior. New evidence from Iowa State researchers demonstrates a link between video games and youth violence and delinquency.

Matt DeLisi, a professor of sociology, said the research shows a strong connection even when controlling for a history of violence and psychopathic traits among juvenile offenders.

"When critics say, 'Well, it's probably not video games, it's probably how antisocial they are,' we can address that directly because we controlled for a lot of things that we know matter," DeLisi said. "Even if you account for the child's sex, age, race, the age they were first referred to juvenile court -- which is a very powerful effect -- and a bunch of other media effects, like screen time and exposure. Even with all of that, the video game measure still mattered."

The results were not unexpected, but somewhat surprising for Douglas Gentile, an associate professor of psychology, who has studied the effects of video game violence exposure and minor aggression, like hitting, teasing and name-calling.

"I didn't expect to see much of an effect when we got to serious delinquent and criminal level aggression because youth who commit that level of aggression have a lot of things going wrong for them. They often have a lot of risk factors and very few protective factors in their lives," Gentile said.

The study published in the April issue of Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice examined the level of video game exposure for 227 juvenile offenders in Pennsylvania. The average offender had committed nearly nine serious acts of violence, such as gang fighting, hitting a parent or attacking another person in the prior year.

The results show that both the frequency of play and affinity for violent games were strongly associated with delinquent and violent behavior. Craig Anderson, Distinguished Professor of psychology and director of the Center for the Study of Violence at Iowa State, said violent video game exposure is not the sole cause of violence, but this study shows it is a risk factor.

"Can we say from this study that Adam Lanza, or any of the others, went off and killed people because of media violence? You can't take the stand of the NRA that it's strictly video games and not guns," Anderson said. "You also can't take the stand of the entertainment industry that it has nothing to do with media violence that it's all about guns and not about media violence. They're both wrong and they're both right, both are causal risk factors."

Researchers point out that juvenile offenders have several risk factors that influence their behavior. The next step is to build on this research to determine what combination of factors is the most volatile and if there is a saturation point.

"When studying serious aggression, looking at multiple risk factors matters more than looking at any one," Gentile said. "The cutting edge of research is trying to understand in what combination do the individual risk factors start influencing each other in ways to either enhance or mitigate the odds of aggression?"

What does this mean for parents?

There is a lot of misinformation about video game exposure, Anderson said, that makes it difficult for parents to understand the harmful effects. Although it is one variable that parents can control, he understands that with mixed messages about the risks some parents may feel it's not worth the effort.

"What parent would go through the pain and all the effort it takes to really control their child's media diet, if they don't really think it makes any difference? That is why it is so important to get out the simple and clear message that media violence does matter," Anderson said.

Just because a child plays a violent video game does not mean he or she is going to act violently. Researchers say if there is a take away for parents, it is an awareness of what their children are playing and how that may influence their behavior.

"I think parents need to be truthful and honest about who their children are in terms of their psychiatric functioning," DeLisi said. "If you have a kid who is antisocial, who is a little bit vulnerable to influence, giving them something that allows them to escape into themselves for a long period of time isn't a healthy thing."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Iowa State University.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. M. DeLisi, M. G. Vaughn, D. A. Gentile, C. A. Anderson, J. J. Shook. Violent Video Games, Delinquency, and Youth Violence: New Evidence. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 2012; 11 (2): 132 DOI: 10.1177/1541204012460874

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/most_popular/~3/i5WEpZcOs2A/130326121605.htm

wwe royal rumble trisomy leon panetta luck sag awards 2012 nominees pro bowl 2012 roster yamaguchi

Kerry, Karzai bury hatchet in Kabul meeting

KABUL (AP) ? Eager to overcome a bout of bickering, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a show of unusual unity between their two nations on Monday. The friendly display came as the U.S. military ceded control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan, ending a longstanding irritant in relations.

Kerry arrived in the Afghan capital of Kabul on an unannounced visit amid concerns that Karzai may be jeopardizing progress in the war against extremism with anti-American rhetoric. After a private meeting, Kerry said he and Karzai were "on the same page" on security and reconciliation issues and brushed aside suggestions that relations were in peril.

Karzai infuriated U.S. officials earlier this month by accusing Washington of colluding with Taliban insurgents to keep Afghanistan weak even as the Obama administration pressed ahead with plans to hand off security responsibility to Afghan forces and end NATO's combat mission by the end of next year.

At a joint news conference after their talks, Karzai told reporters that his comments in a nationally televised speech had been misinterpreted by the media. Kerry demurred on that point but said people sometimes say things in public that reflect ideas they have heard from others but don't necessarily agree with.

"I am confident the president (Karzai) does not believe the U.S. has any interest except to see the Taliban come to the table to make peace and that we are completely cooperative with the government of Afghanistan with respect to the protection of their efforts and their people," Kerry said. He noted that he had specifically raised the comment in question with Karzai and was satisfied with the response.

"We're on the same page," Kerry said. "I don't think there is any disagreement between us and I am very, very comfortable with the president's explanation."

For his part, Karzai said that he had been trying to make the point in his speech that if the Taliban really wanted foreign troops out of Afghanistan they should stop killing people.

In the March 9 speech, he berated the Taliban for deadly bombings in Kabul and the city of Khost that he said "showed that they are at the service of America and at the service of this phrase: 2014," ? the withdrawal date set for most international forces.

Karzai suggested in the speech that the U.S. and the Taliban were working together "trying to frighten us into thinking that if the foreigners are not in Afghanistan, we would be facing these sorts of incidents."

Standing beside Kerry on Monday, Karzai said "today was a very good day," citing the turnover of the detention facility at the U.S.-run Bagram military base north of Kabul. He also expressed gratitude for the sacrifices made for his country by Americans.

At the same time, he defended allegations he has made about American troops or their local contractors abusing Afghan civilians. He said his complaints and criticism were not meant to "offend" anyone but rather to protect his people.

"When I say something publicly, it is not meant to offend our allies but to correct the situation," he said. "I am responsible for the protection of the Afghan people. I am the president of this country. It is my job to provide all the protection I can to the people of this country."

Karzai has ordered U.S. special operations forces out of Wardak province, just outside Kabul, because of allegations that Afghans working with the commandos were involved in abusive behavior.

Kerry and Karzai's news conference came near the beginning of Kerry's 24-hour visit to the country ? his sixth since President Barack Obama took office but his first as Obama's secretary of state. Kerry referred frequently to U.S. respect for Afghan sovereignty and he said the handover of the detention facility was testament to that.

As Kerry flew to Kabul, the U.S. military ceded control of the Parwan detention facility near Bagram, a year after the two sides initially agreed on the transfer. Karzai had demanded control of Parwan as a matter of national sovereignty.

The long-running dispute over the center had thrown a pall over ongoing negotiations for a bilateral security agreement to govern the presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan after 2014.

An initial agreement to hand over Parwan was signed a year ago, but efforts to follow through on it constantly stumbled over American concerns that the Afghan government would release prisoners that it considered dangerous. An initial deadline for the full handover passed last September; another passed earlier this month.

The U.S. concerns are not without foundation. Zakir Qayyum, a former Guantanamo detainee, was released into Afghan custody in 2007. Freed four months later, he rejoined the Taliban and reportedly has risen to become the No. 2 leader in the Taliban.

Both Kerry and Karzai lauded the transfer of the facility. Karzai said an Afghan review board would carefully consider any intelligence provided by the U.S. or others about detainees they deem to be too dangerous to free.

The pair also called on the Taliban to take advantage of the offer to open a political office in Doha, Qatar, from where they could engage in reconciliation talks with the Afghan Peace Council and potentially negotiate an end to hostilities.

Kerry said the Taliban should not ignore the opportunity because the United States is committed to Afghanistan's security beyond 2014 and will not allow gains made over the past decade to be lost. He noted that Obama has not yet decided how many U.S. troops should stay after next year and that the Taliban should not count on a complete American withdrawal.

There are about 100,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan, including about 66,000 from the United States. Although there is no decision on a residual force, U.S. officials have said as many as 12,000 U.S. and coalition forces could remain.

Karzai said that peace talks with the Taliban would require the involvement of Pakistan because any Afghan peace process without that country was doomed to failure. Pakistan, particularly its intelligence service, has close ties to members of the Taliban.

Kerry, who arrived in Kabul from Amman, Jordan, had hoped to travel to Pakistan on this trip to the region but put it off due to elections there.

Instead, he met late Sunday in Amman with Pakistani army chief for Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, U.S. officials said.

Kerry and Kayani had a private dinner at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Jordan as Pakistan continued to seethe in the aftermath of the return of former president Pervez Musharraf, himself a former army chief, from exile.

In Kabul, Kerry planned to meet again Tuesday with Karzai.He also had meetings scheduled with civic leaders and others to discuss continued U.S. assistance to the country and how to wean it from such aid as the international military operation winds down. Upcoming national elections also were on his agenda.

Kerry praised what he said was Afghanistan's commitment to "safe, secure" and transparent elections next year that will see a successor to Karzai voted into power.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry walks into a meeting with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, March 25, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on... more? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry walks into a meeting with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, March 25, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Monday. REUTERS/Jason Reed (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: POLITICS) less? ?

_____

Patrick Quinn in Kabul and Rahim Faiez in Bagram, Afghanistan contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-karzai-bury-hatchet-kabul-meeting-182836900--politics.html

Dec 21 2012 doomsday Is The World Going To End Mayans camilla belle Robert Bork instagram

Critically Acclaimed Strategy Game 'XCOM: Enemy Unknown ...

This weekend at a PAX East panel, Firaxis announced that it is in the process of porting its critically acclaimed strategy game XCOM: Enemy Unknown to iOS and that it will be available sometime this summer.

While speaking with Joystiq, XCOM: Enemy Unknown Lead Designer Jake Solomon said that gamers can expect a similar experience to the console and PC versions of the game.

"It is a straight port. We have not made any gameplay exceptions,"?XCOM: Enemy UnknownLead Designer Jake Solomon told us. "You play the exact same game [as on PC or consoles], it's just now fully playable on an iPhone or an iPad."

Solomon also said that the game would include the Elite Soldier DLC and that the "full game" is being ported over to iOS devices. This would be a relatively major milestone for iOS gaming, as it represent a full port of a high-profile console and PC game that was released just six months ago.
The move comes a month after the game was announced for Mac with a launch date of April 25. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a re-imagining of the classic 1994 strategy game "X-COM: Enemy Defense" and was developed by Firaxis and published by 2K Games for consoles and PC.

In the game, players are tasked with leading secret government organization XCOM to defend the world against aliens. They oversee base management in addition to combat strategies while maintaining relationships with countries to fund their organization and save the world.

Although no price has been announced, Soloman said that it will be at a "premium price point," which would likely put it in the $15 range.

Source: http://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/25/critically-acclaimed-strategy-game-xcom-enemy-unknown-coming-to-ios/

eric johnson eric johnson big east tournament ashley olsen new apple tv sun flare love hewitt

High court weighs drug companies' generics policy

FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2011 file photo, Jeremy Lazarus, president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA) speaks in Portland, Oregon. The Supreme Court will struggle this week with whether it?s legal for patent-holding pharmaceutical companies to pay rivals, who make generic drugs, to temporarily keep those cheaper versions of their brand-name drugs off the market. Now AMA President, Lazarus said in a statement,"The AMA believes that pay-for-delay agreements undermine the balance between spurring innovation through the patent system and fostering competition through the development of generic drugs. Pay for delay must stop to ensure the most cost-effective treatment options are available to patients." (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2011 file photo, Jeremy Lazarus, president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA) speaks in Portland, Oregon. The Supreme Court will struggle this week with whether it?s legal for patent-holding pharmaceutical companies to pay rivals, who make generic drugs, to temporarily keep those cheaper versions of their brand-name drugs off the market. Now AMA President, Lazarus said in a statement,"The AMA believes that pay-for-delay agreements undermine the balance between spurring innovation through the patent system and fostering competition through the development of generic drugs. Pay for delay must stop to ensure the most cost-effective treatment options are available to patients." (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - In a Jan. 7, 2008, file photo then-Attorney Donald Verrilli talks to media outside the Supreme Court. Now President Barack Obama's top Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General Verilli will argue before the Supreme Court this week whether it is legal for patent-holding pharmaceutical companies to pay rivals, who make generic drugs, to temporarily keep those cheaper versions of their brand-name drugs off the market. The Obama administration is taking the position that the agreements are illegal if they?re based solely on keeping the generic drug out of consumer's hands. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

This March 2011 photo provided Actavis Inc. shows Actavis CEO Paul Bisario at the pharmaceutical company's corporate headquarters in Parsippany, N.J. On Monday, March 25, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments of pharmaceutical company interests in recouping billions of dollars spent developing new drugs pitted against the government's desire to get cheaper generic drugs on the market earlier to save American consumers money. "By doing what the FTC wants, you're going to hurt consumers rather than help them," said Bisaro. Fighting between generic and brand-name drugmakers in court is risky and time consuming, he said, while settlements bring certainty, allow generic drug sales years before patents expire and reduce legal costs. (AP Photo/Actavis, Maryanne Russell)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Federal regulators are pressing the Supreme Court to stop big pharmaceutical corporations from paying generic drug competitors to delay releasing their cheaper versions of brand-name drugs. They argue these deals deny American consumers, usually for years, steep price declines that can top 90 percent.

The Obama administration, backed by consumer groups and the American Medical Association, says these so-called "pay for delay" deals profit the drug companies but harm consumers by adding 3.5 billion annually to their drug bills.

But the pharmaceutical companies counter that they need to preserve longer the billions of dollars in revenue from their patented products in order to recover the billions they spend developing new drugs. And both the large companies and the generic makers say the marketing of generics often is hastened by these deals.

The justices will hear the argument Monday.

Such pay-for-delay deals arise when generic companies file a challenge at the Food and Drug Administration to the patents that give brand-name drugs a 20-year monopoly. The generic drugmakers aim to prove the patent is flawed or otherwise invalid, so they can launch a generic version well before the patent ends.

Brand-name drugmakers then usually sue the generic companies, which sets up what could be years of expensive litigation. When the two sides aren't certain who will win, they often reach a compromise deal that allows the generic company to sell its cheaper copycat drug in a few years ? but years before the drug's patent would expire. Often, that settlement comes with a sizable payment from the brand-name company to the generic drugmaker.

Numerous brand-name and generic drugmakers and their respective trade groups say the settlements protect their interests but also benefit consumers by bringing inexpensive copycat medicines to market years earlier than they would arrive in any case generic drugmakers took to trial and lost. But federal officials counter that such deals add billions to the drug bills of American patients and taxpayers, compared with what would happen if the generic companies won the lawsuits and could begin marketing right away.

A study by RBC Capital Markets Corp. of 371 cases during 2000-09 found brand-name companies won 89 at trial compared to 82 won by generic drugmakers. Another 175 ended in settlement deals, and 25 were dropped.

Generic drugs account for about 80 percent of all American prescriptions for medicines and vaccines, but a far smaller percentage of the $325 billion spent by U.S. consumers on drugs each year. Generics saved American patients, taxpayers and the healthcare system an estimated $193 billion in 2011 alone, according to health data firm IMS Health.

But government officials believe the number of potentially anticompetitive patent settlements is increasing. Pay-for-delay deals increased from 28 to 40 in just the last two fiscal years and the deals in fiscal 2012 covered 31 brand-name pharmaceuticals, Federal Trade Commission officials said. Those had combined annual U.S. sales of more than $8.3 billion.

The Obama administration argues the agreements are illegal if they're based solely on keeping the generic drug off the market. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, speaking at Georgetown Law School recently, noted that once a generic drug gets on the market and competes with a brand-name drug, "the price drops 85 percent." That quickly decimates sales of the brand-name medicine.

"These agreements should actually be considered presumptively unlawful because of the potential effects on consumers," Verrilli said.

In the case before the court, Brussels, Belgium-based Solvay ? now part of a new company called AbbVie Inc. ? reached a deal with generic drugmaker Watson Pharmaceuticals allowing it to launch a cheaper version of Solvay's male hormone drug AndroGel in August 2015. Solvay agreed to pay Watson, now called Actavis Inc., an estimated $19 million-$30 million annually, government officials said. The patent runs until August 2020. Watson agreed to also help sell the brand-name version, AndroGel.

Actavis spokesman David Belian disputed the government's characterization of the agreement with Solvay. Belian said that in addition to licensing agreement over Solvay's Androgel patents, Watson was being compensated for using its sales force to promote AndroGel to doctors.

AndroGel, which brought in $1.2 billion last year for AbbVie, is a gel applied to the skin daily to treat low testosterone in men. Low testosterone can affect sex drive, energy level, mood, muscle mass and bone strength.

The FTC called the deal anticompetitive and sued Actavis.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta rejected the government's objections, and the FTC appealed to the Supreme Court.

The federal district and appellate courts both ruled against the government, AbbVie, which is based in North Chicago, Ill., said. "We are confident that these decisions will be upheld by the Supreme Court."

The Generic Pharmaceutical Association's head, Ralph Neas, said the settlements are "pro-consumer, pro-competition and transparent." He said every patent settlement to date has brought a generic drug to market before the relevant patent ended, with two-thirds of the new generic drugs launched in 2010 and 2011 hitting the market early due to a settlement.

"By doing what the FTC wants, you're going to hurt consumers rather than help them," said Paul Bisaro, CEO of Actavis of Parsippany, N.J.

Bisaro said consumers will save an estimated $50 billion just from patent settlements involving Lipitor, the cholesterol-lowering drug made by Pfizer Inc. of New York that reigned for nearly a decade as the world's top-selling drug.

Lipitor's patent ran until 2017, but multiple generic companies challenged it. Pfizer reached a settlement that enabled Actavis and a second company to sell slightly cheaper generic versions starting Nov. 30, 2011, and several other generic drugmakers to begin selling generic Lipitor six months later. The price then plummeted from Pfizer's $375 to $530 for a three-month supply, depending on dosage, to $20 to $40 for generic versions.

Because generic companies tend to challenge patents of every successful drug, the FTC's position would impose onerous legal costs on brand-name drugmakers and limit their ability to fund expensive research to create new drugs, said the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents brand-name drugmakers.

According to the 2010 RBC Capital Markets study, when trial victories, settlements between drugmakers and dropped cases are combined, generic companies were able to bring their product to market before the brand-name drug's patent expired in 76 percent of the 371 drug patent suits decided from 2000 through 2009.

Consumer, doctor and drugstore groups have lined up to support the Obama administration in this case.

"AARP believes it is in the interest of those fifty and older, and indeed the public at large, to hasten the entry of generic prescription drugs to the marketplace," said Ken Zeller, senior attorney with the AARP Foundation Litigation. "Pay-for-delay agreements such as those at issue in this case frustrate that public interest."

The American Medical Association, the giant doctors' group, believes pay-for-delay agreements undermine the balance between spurring innovation through patents and fostering competition through generics, AMA President Dr. Jeremy A. Lazarus said. "Pay for delay must stop to ensure the most cost-effective treatment options are available to patients."

Drugstores also believe pay-for-delay deals "pose considerable harm to patients because they postpone the availability of generic drugs which limits patient access to generic medications," said Chrissy Kopple of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Eight justices will decide this case later this year. Justice Samuel Alito did not take part in considering whether to take this case and is not expected to take part in arguments.

___

The case is Federal Trade Commission vs. Actavis, Inc., 12-416.

AP Business Writer Linda A. Johnson in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jesse J. Holland on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jessejholland

Follow Linda A. Johnson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-25-Supreme%20Court-Pay%20For%20Delaying%20Generics/id-079b4d357adc4631a453c2034ba2b963

Clint Eastwood speech Maria Montessori clint eastwood Julian Castro Blue Moon August 2012 Eddie Murphy Dead Democratic National Convention 2012