Officials investigating Illinois reactor shutdown (AP)

CHICAGO ? Officials are investigating the events surrounding a power failure at a nuclear reactor in northern Illinois, but believe they may have traced the cause to a piece of equipment at a switchyard.

After the shutdown Monday morning at Exelon Nuclear's Byron Generating Station, operators began releasing steam to cool the reactor from the part of the plant where turbines produce electricity, not from within the nuclear reactor itself, officials said. The steam contains low levels of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, but federal and plant officials insisted the levels were safe for workers and the public.

Exelon Nuclear officials believe a failed piece of equipment at a switchyard at the plant about 95 miles northwest of Chicago caused the shutdown, but they were still investigating an exact cause. The switchyard is similar to a large substation that delivers power to the plant from the electrical grid and from the plant to the electrical grid.

Diesel generators were supplying the reactor with electricity, though it hasn't been generating power during the investigation into what happened. One question is why smoke was seen from an onsite station transformer, though no evidence of a fire was found when the plant's fire brigade responded, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng said.

The commission declared the incident an "unusual event," the lowest of four levels of emergency. Commission officials also said the release of tritium was expected.

Mitlyng said officials can't yet calculate how much tritium was released. They know the amounts were small because monitors around the plant didn't show increased levels of radiation, she said.

Tritium molecules are so microscopic that small amounts are able to pass from radioactive steam that originates in the reactor through tubing and into the water used to cool turbines and other equipment outside the reactor, Mitlyng said. The steam that was being released was coming from the turbine side.

Tritium is relatively short-lived and penetrates the body weakly through the air compared to other radioactive contaminants.

Releasing steam helps "take away some of that energy still being produced by nuclear reaction but that doesn't have anywhere to go now," Mitlyng said. Even though the turbine is not turning to produce electricity, she said, "you still need to cool the equipment."

Candace Humphrey, Ogle County's emergency management coordinator, said county officials were notified of the incident as soon as it happened and that public safety was never in danger.

"It was standard procedure that they would notify county officials," she said. "There is always concern. But, it never crossed my mind that there was any danger to the people of Ogle County."

Another reactor at the plant was operating normally.

In March 2008, federal officials said they were investigating a problem with electrical transformers at the plant after outside power to a unit was interrupted.

In an unrelated issue last April, the commission said it was conducting special inspections of backup water pumps at the Byron and Braidwood generating stations after the agency's inspectors raised concerns about whether the pumps would be able to cool the reactors if the normal system wasn't working. The plants' operator, Exelon Corp., initially said the pumps would work but later concluded they wouldn't.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_re_us/us_nuclear_plant_illinois

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Trash piling up faster along border with Mexico

RIO RICO, Ariz?? Picking her way into the desert brush, Raquel Martinez gathered scores of plastic water bottles tossed in an Arizona desert valley near the Mexico border, often by migrants making a risky trek into the United States across increasingly remote terrain.

"We need more bags ... there's so much trash," said Martinez, one of scores of volunteers helping clean up the dry bed of the Santa Cruz River about 10 miles north of the Mexico border on Saturday.

Trash tossed by thousands of illegal immigrants as they chase the American Dream has been a persistent problem for years in the rugged Arizona borderlands that lie on a main migration and smuggling route from Mexico.

The problem was compounded as immigrants and drug traffickers responded to ramped up vigilance on the U.S.-Mexico border by taking increasingly remote routes, leaving more waste behind in out-of-the way and hard-to-clean areas, authorities say.

"Migants used to follow the washes or follow the roads or utility poles," said Robin Hoover, founder of the Tucson-based non-profit Humane Borders.

"Now they're having to move farther and farther from the middle of the valleys," he added. "They end up making more camp sites and cutting more trails when they do that, and, unfortunately ... leave more trash."

Those making the punishing march carry food, water and often a change of clothes on the trek through remote desert areas that can take several days.

Most is tossed before they pile into vehicles at pickup sites like the one getting attention on the outskirts of Rio Rico, from where they head on to the U.S. interior.

"One of the problems that we are facing is that these sites are becoming more and more remote as law enforcement steps up its efforts," Henry Darwin, director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, said of the flourishing borderland garbage dumps.

"There's probably sites out there that we haven't encountered yet or don't know about because there's a lot of people out in those areas," added Darwin, who gave testimony on the issue to state lawmakers earlier this month.

There are no numbers to show exactly how many would-be migrants or smugglers take the illegal and surreptitious trek across the border into Arizona from Mexico each year.

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But in an indication of the scale of the migration, federal border police made nearly 130,000 arrests last year in Arizona, where hundreds of Border Patrol agents, miles of fencing and several unmanned surveillance drones have been added in recent years to tighten security along the porous border.

With limited funding for clean up, Arizona environmental authorities draw on volunteers to help in drives like the one near Rio Rico, where an estimated 140 volunteers including residents, community and youth groups took part on Saturday.

Clean up efforts since 2008 by the department of environmental quality have included pulling 42 tons of trash from 160 acres of Cocopah tribal lands in far western Arizona, and clean ups at least seven sites on ranches and public land in areas south of Tucson.

Signs of illegal immigrants and even drug traffickers making the circuitous foot journey abound in the mesquite-studded riverbed near Rio Rico, a vigorous day's walk north of the border.

"I've found about a trillion water bottles," said David Burkett, a lawyer from Scottsdale, who worked up a sweat as he filled his fourth 50-pound trash bag. Nearby are tossed backpacks, food containers, a blanket and a pair of shoes.

He points out that alongside the apparent migrant trash is a large amount of other waste including a couch, kitchen countertops and yard debris, likely tossed by residents and contractors. Still, it is a shock to those living locally.

"We don't realize how bad it is until we come down and see it," said Candy Lamar, a volunteer who lives in sprawling, low density Rio Rico, as she works to pick up trash.

The area getting attention on Saturday lies a few miles from a remote spot where the bodies of three suspected drug traffickers were found shot to death "execution style" last November.

The area is not far from another out-of-the-way spot where Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was shot dead by suspected border bandits in December 2010. Volunteers working on Saturday were aware of the potential hazards.

As she stuffed a blue garbage sack with trash, retiree Sharon Christensen eyed discarded burlap sacking, blankets and cord -- the remains of a makeshift backpack of the type often used by drug traffickers walking marijuana loads up from Mexico.

"It would make me hesitant to come out here on my own, knowing that this kind of activity is going on ... It is a concern, and we need to be mindful," said Christensen, a retiree and hiking enthusiast.

Clean-up organizers liaise with Border Patrol and local police on security, in addition to warning volunteers of potential danger from snakes, scorpions or even bees that can swarm in discarded vehicle tires, and of potential hazards including medical waste and human excrement.

Equipped with gloves, volunteers such as Burkett, the Scottsdale lawyer, were glad to take part on Saturday.

"As an avid outdoors person in Arizona, I spend a lot of time using the desert," he said. "It's important to me personally to take the time to give back."

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46183245/ns/us_news-life/

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Japan finds water leaks at stricken nuclear plant (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Japan's stricken nuclear power plant has leaked more than 600 liters of water, forcing it to briefly suspend cooling operations at a spent-fuel pond at the weekend, but none is thought to have escaped into the ocean, the plant's operator and domestic media said.

The Fukushima plant, on the coast north of Tokyo, was wrecked by a huge earthquake and tsunami in March last year, triggering the evacuation of around 80,000 people in the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.

The operator of the complex, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), reported two main leakages on its Web site on Sunday, one from a pump near the plant's office building and another from a back-up cooling system at reactor No.4.

"The cooling water is from a filtrate tank for fire extinction and doesn't contain radioactive materials," Tepco said of the incident at reactor No. 4. It added that some water from the other leakage had flowed into a drain and "we are examining whether this water has flowed into the ocean or not."

The Nikkei newspaper Monday quoted Tepco as saying around 40 liters had leaked from the pool-cooling system of the No. 4 reactor Sunday morning, with probably 600 liters of purified water leaking from another point. Water had also leaked at other facilities within the complex, the Nikkei added.

However, the Nikkei newspaper quoted Tepco Monday as saying that it believed no water had escaped into the sea.

"The leakage is believed to have been caused by freezing due to cold weather, and the leaked water included radioactively contaminated water that has been purified," the Nikkei said in its online edition, quoting Tepco.

"The contamination level is low."

(Reporting by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Kavita Chandran)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/wl_nm/us_japan_nuclear_fukushima

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SAG Awards menu is months in the making (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? When your dinner party guests include Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Kate Winslet and Glenn Close, and the whole affair is televised live, it can take months to plan the menu. That's why the team behind the Screen Actors Guild Awards began putting together the plate for Sunday's ceremony months ago.

It was still summer when show producer Kathy Connell and executive producer and director Jeff Margolis first sat down with chef Suzanne Goin of Los Angeles eatery Lucques with a tall order: Create a meal that is delicious at room temperature, looks beautiful on TV, is easy to eat and appeals to Hollywood tastes. Oh, and no poppy seeds, soups, spicy dishes, or piles of onions or garlic.

"It can't drip, stick in their teeth or be too heavy," Connell said. "We have to appease all palates."

The chef put together a plate of possibilities: slow-roasted salmon with yellow beets, lamb with couscous and spiced cauliflower and roasted root vegetables with quinoa. There was also a chopped chicken salad and another chicken dish with black beans.

To ensure the dishes are both tasty and TV-ready, Connell and Margolis, along with the SAG Awards Committee and the show's florist and art director, dined together at this summertime lunch on tables set to replicate those that will be in the Shrine Exposition Center during the ceremony. The pewter, crushed-silk tablecloths and white lilies you'll see on TV Sunday were also chosen months ago.

The diners discussed the look of the plate, the size of the portions and the vegetarian possibilities.

"We'd like the portions a little larger," Connell told the chef.

"And a little more sauce on the salmon," Margolis added.

Come Sunday, it's up to Goin to prepare 1,200 of the long-planned meals for the A-list audience.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_en_mo/us_sag_awards_menu

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Cars circle central Moscow in anti-Putin protest (AP)

MOSCOW ? Thousands of cars flying white ribbons or balloons circled central Moscow on Sunday in a show of protest against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The cars ? ranging from luxury sedans and sporty convertibles to old, exhaust-spewing Soviet models ? jammed the inner lanes all along the 16-kilometer (nearly 10-mile) Garden Ring, which has as many as 16 lanes of traffic at its widest points.

More protesters stood along the side of the road waving white ribbons and flags as the vehicles passed, their horns blaring. White ribbons became an opposition symbol during protests that broke out after a fraud-tainted Dec. 4 parliamentary election won by Putin's party.

Tens of thousands turned out for two protest rallies last month to demand free and fair elections, and protest organizers are now preparing for a third big demonstration Feb. 4.

Putin is running in a March 4 presidential election to reclaim the post he held from 2000 to 2008. He is expected to win, but is under pressure to show he can win fairly.

Sunday's action was aimed at helping to build momentum for the protest movement and it provided another outlet for the creativity that has been a defining feature of the demonstrations.

While most drivers were content to tie white ribbons and balloons to their cars' antennas, sideview mirrors and door handles, some decorated their vehicles with original signs and banners.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said the traveling protest action was a "wonderful advertisement" for the Feb. 4 rally.

The protest movement has been driven by young professionals, cultural figures and other members of the urban middle class, many of them connected through online social networks.

Kremlin supporters have begun to try to counter their activism by organizing rallies by blue-collar workers in support of Putin and the stability he promises. The first rally was held Saturday in Yekaterinburg, the capital of an industrial region in the Ural Mountains east of Moscow.

Videos of the rally posted online showed one speaker, a member of Russia's parliament, trying to get the crowd of several thousand to shout "Ural, Russia, Putin!" The response was muted.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_opposition

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94% Pina

All Critics (67) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (4) | DVD (1)

This meditation on movement and space, transportation and transcendence is not to be missed.

What the filmmaker has created is an inspired simulacrum - a jewel-box that contains more of Bausch's kinetic soul than film has any right to.

Crane and steadycam allow Wenders to get so close to the action that in the minimalist Caf? M?ller, one's illusion of being on stage is uncanny.

"Pina"is the best possible tribute to Bausch, and to adventurous image-making.

I watched the film in a sort of reverie.

Whether you're familiar with Pina Bausch's work or not, the new film "Pina" is a knockout.

This seems like a ripping good idea. In practice, "Pina" turns out to have a few problems.

Suggests thrilling new possibilities for the marriage of movies and dance.

Even for someone who would rather count sheep than attend a ballet, these scenes are nothing short of astonishing, beautifully presenting dance's ability to depict words.

You won't hear the names Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor or Bob Fosse breathed herein.

An exhilarating experience, both in its celebration of Bausch's groundbreaking work and in the thrilling way that Wenders captures it on camera.

It's not an overview of Bausch's career or a statement on her art, but a celebration of her work and the dancers who bring it to life.

This is a stunning film, a glorious homage to modern dance and one of its premier authors and the best justification of 3D technology to date.

With a breakout use of 3D for artistic rather than solely commercial blockbuster purposes, German director Wim Wenders gives extraordinary life to the work of choreographer Pina Bausch.

From the hauntingly beautiful to the scary, Pina Bausch's post-modern dance sparkles in 3D.

It's an enchanting film, one that makes you feel you are missing something dear if you don't dance or appreciate it as an art form.

More Critic Reviews

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pina_3d/

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Cops: Woman set up fight for daughter, another girl

Orange County Corrections Department

Sandra Padilla Miranda is seen in a booking shot provided by law enforcement authorities.

By WESH TV

ORLANDO, Fla -- Police have arrested a mother after WESH 2 News aired video of a fight between her daughter and another teen.

Video sent to WESH?shows two teen girls walking to the middle of a field. The girls then swing at each other and pull one another's hair. They eventually fall to the ground and continue fighting.

Throughout the fight, they are egged on by several teenagers and an adult.

WESH 2 News showed the video to Orlando police, who said the adult woman in the video is Sandra Padilla Miranda.

Police believe she is the parent of one of the girls. She was arrested Thursday afternoon.

'Bite her'
"(She) basically set up a fight for her daughter,? said Sgt. Vince Ogburn of the Orlando Police Department. ?The mother arranged the fight. Unfortunately the girls agreed to have this fight." Ogburn said Padilla Miranda could be heard on the video in Spanish telling her daughter to "hit harder" and "bite her."

Ogburn said Padilla Miranda told investigators she had no way of stopping the fight.

"Someone was holding her back as the reason why she couldn't stop the fight, and clearly you can see in your video, that no one was attempting to hold her back at all," Ogburn said.

Padilla Miranda told investigators that she set up the fight to stop the girls from fighting at Boone High School.

Neighbor talks
While there was no answer at Padilla Miranda's house Thursday, a friend of the family, Cely Bruno, shared her thoughts about the fight.

"I got a kid myself, you feel me? And if I see my kid on the floor getting beat while there's mad kids out there, God knows what could happen to my daughter. I would have been like, 'Go ahead, do your thing,'" Bruno said.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

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Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10250622-cops-woman-arranged-for-daughter-to-fight-with-another-girl-cheered-her-on

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Useful guidelines for golf ball betting

If you are a gambling enthusiast, you should definitely consider online gambling which is increasingly popular these days and for good reason. As long as you find a reputable Online Sportsbook, you have a wide array of betting opportunities and a good chance to make significant amounts of money from the comfort of your home. Apart from its reputation, a Sportsbook should also fit your needs and requirements in terms of betting, ranging from the ways of application and payment to the bonus system, types of bets and customer service. Moreover, Basketball Betting is probably the less popular sports which at the same time offers significant chances of winning good money so if you do not have too much experience in the field, it could be a reliable start for you.

Nowadays, basketball betting is widely known as the most earning sport that opens many gates for people who want to focus on this activity and increase their profits. The main requirements is to get familiar with game tactics and learn some betting tips in order to increase your chances of wining many bets. Yet you should choose an online sportsbook that has a long history in this industry, especially in terms of payments and enjoys good client testimonials from a significant number of bettors.

In order to avoid any unpleasant surprises, you must ensure that it is licensed and has an advanced software that allows you to operate smoothly and focus on your betting strategy. Given the wide variety of websites and the fierce competition among them, it should not be so difficult to find a trustworthy sportsbook with a proven track record on paying its clients on time and the ability of providing good value for their money through bonuses and reliable odds.

An smart thing that you should do is no to limit yourself at baseball and baseball and try to discover less well-known athletics such as little league, golf ball, punching and even equine rushing. Basketball gaming is not as complicated as it seems at first look and if you bet on that team that is at its first activity, you will definitely improve your possibilities of successful. However, you have to keep in mind that the additional bonuses provided by an on the internet sportsbook are vital but you must read carefully the conditions to create sure that you can bet using these cash before spending your own cash.

Customer assistance can create the difference between a trusted sportsbook and one that is unable to offer increased value for your cash. You will discover out sources about this on various boards and review internet sites and this research is a significant need because if you practical knowledge certain issues or you have questions to ask, you need a sportsbook able to answer you quickly. If gaming on the internet symbolizes a significant interest for you, you should not take any threats but you should rather take into consideration these things if you want to stay safe and get improve value for your cash. This is the best method to remove the possibilities of being attractive as it happens with so many individuals.

Hollywoodsportsbook.com is a fully licensed gaming entertainment company providing our worldwide clients both large and small, with a safe, secure, wagering environment since 1997.

Source: http://subscription-black-jack.com/useful-guidelines-for-golf-ball-betting/

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Nokia Series 40: over 1.5 billion served

Nokia has announced a major mobile milestone: over 1.5 billion (with a b) Series 40 handsets sold since the first device -- the 7110 -- was introduced in 1999. "We are incredibly proud to reach this milestone," wrote Nokia's Executive VP of Mobile Phones, Mary McDowell. "It is gratifying to consider how Series 40 devices have made mobile technology accessible." Breeze on past the break for the official PR with more information about the Asha 303 handset knighted number 1,500,000,000, then feel free to weigh in on how long will take the Lumia line to reach the same milestone.

Continue reading Nokia Series 40: over 1.5 billion served

Nokia Series 40: over 1.5 billion served originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/nokia-s40-sales-reach-1-5-billion/

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Mass. Eye and Ear awarded $150,000 grant from Research to Prevent Blindness

Public release date: 26-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vannessa Carrington
vannessa_carrington@meei.harvard.edu
617-573-3341
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Grant awarded to cornea specialist Dr. James Chodosh

Boston (Jan. 26, 2012) Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has granted Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary cornea specialist James Chodosh, M.D., M.P.H., a $150,000 Senior Scientific Investigator Award. RPB Senior Scientific Investigator Awards support nationally recognized scientists conducting eye research at medical institutions in the United States.

Dr. Chodosh is internationally respected for his work on viral infections of the eye, and has worked for more than 20 years to elucidate the causes of visual loss in epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), an Adenoviral infection commonly known as pink eye. The purpose of Dr. Chodosh's RPB-funded study is to identify those characteristics of the virus that cause inflammation in the Adenovirus-infected cornea. If successful, his work should allow prediction of which new Adenoviruses are likely to become causes of EKC, and aid in understanding how corneal inflammation (and poor vision) is caused.

"We are very grateful to Research to Prevent Blindness for their support. Their funding is vital to our on-going research, such as that being done by Dr. Chodosh, to determine the factors involved in vision loss. This is work that will lead to providing the best treatment for our patients and ultimately, patients everywhere," said Dr. Joan W. Miller, Chief of Ophthalmology at Mass. Eye and Ear and Mass General Hospital, and Chair of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

###

RPB is the world's leading voluntary organization supporting eye research. Since it was founded in 1960, RPB has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to medical institutions for research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding eye diseases. For information on RPB, go to www.rpbusa.org.

About Mass. Eye and Ear

Founded in 1824, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary is an independent specialty hospital providing patient care for disorders of the eye, ear, nose, throat, head and neck. Mass. Eye and Ear is an international leader in Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology research and a teaching partner of Harvard Medical School. Under the direction of Mass. Eye and Ear's board of directors, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Schepens Eye Research Institute recently formed the world's largest and most robust private basic and clinical ophthalmology research enterprise. For more information, call 617-523-7900 or visit http://www.masseyeandear.org/.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 26-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vannessa Carrington
vannessa_carrington@meei.harvard.edu
617-573-3341
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Grant awarded to cornea specialist Dr. James Chodosh

Boston (Jan. 26, 2012) Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has granted Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary cornea specialist James Chodosh, M.D., M.P.H., a $150,000 Senior Scientific Investigator Award. RPB Senior Scientific Investigator Awards support nationally recognized scientists conducting eye research at medical institutions in the United States.

Dr. Chodosh is internationally respected for his work on viral infections of the eye, and has worked for more than 20 years to elucidate the causes of visual loss in epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), an Adenoviral infection commonly known as pink eye. The purpose of Dr. Chodosh's RPB-funded study is to identify those characteristics of the virus that cause inflammation in the Adenovirus-infected cornea. If successful, his work should allow prediction of which new Adenoviruses are likely to become causes of EKC, and aid in understanding how corneal inflammation (and poor vision) is caused.

"We are very grateful to Research to Prevent Blindness for their support. Their funding is vital to our on-going research, such as that being done by Dr. Chodosh, to determine the factors involved in vision loss. This is work that will lead to providing the best treatment for our patients and ultimately, patients everywhere," said Dr. Joan W. Miller, Chief of Ophthalmology at Mass. Eye and Ear and Mass General Hospital, and Chair of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

###

RPB is the world's leading voluntary organization supporting eye research. Since it was founded in 1960, RPB has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to medical institutions for research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding eye diseases. For information on RPB, go to www.rpbusa.org.

About Mass. Eye and Ear

Founded in 1824, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary is an independent specialty hospital providing patient care for disorders of the eye, ear, nose, throat, head and neck. Mass. Eye and Ear is an international leader in Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology research and a teaching partner of Harvard Medical School. Under the direction of Mass. Eye and Ear's board of directors, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Schepens Eye Research Institute recently formed the world's largest and most robust private basic and clinical ophthalmology research enterprise. For more information, call 617-523-7900 or visit http://www.masseyeandear.org/.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/meae-mea012612.php

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Celeb birthdays for the week of Jan. 29-Feb. 4 (AP)

Jan. 29: Actor-singer Noel Harrison is 78. Actress Katharine Ross is 72. Actor Tom Selleck is 67. Singer Bettye LaVette is 66. Actor Marc Singer is 64. Actress Ann Jillian is 62. Drummer Tommy Ramone of The Ramones is 60. Drummer Louie Perez of Los Lobos is 59. Singer Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band is 59. Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey is 58. Country singer Irlene Mandrell is 56. Actress Diane Delano ("The Ellen Show," "Northern Exposure") is 55. Actress Judy Norton Taylor ("The Waltons") is 54. Guitarist Johnny Spampinato (NRBQ) is 53. Drummer David Baynton-Power of James is 51. Bassist Eddie Jackson of Queensryche is 51. Actor Nicholas Turturro is 50. Singer-guitarist Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera is 48. Director-actor Ed Burns is 44. Actress Heather Graham is 42. Actor Sharif Atkins is 37. Actress Sara Gilbert is 37. Actor Andrew Keegan ("Party of Five") is 33. Guitarist Jonny Lang is 31.

Jan. 30: Actor Gene Hackman is 82. Actress Tammy Grimes is 78. Actress Vanessa Redgrave is 75. Country singer Jeanne Pruett is 75. Country singer Norma Jean is 74. Singer Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship is 70. Horn player William King of The Commodores is 63. Musician Phil Collins is 61. Actor Charles S. Dutton ("Roc") is 61. Comedian Brett Butler ("Grace Under Fire") is 54. Singer Jody Watley is 53. Country singer Tammy Cochran is 40. Actor Christian Bale is 38. Singer Josh Kelley is 32. Actor Wilmer Valderrama is 32. Actor Jake Thomas ("Lizzie McGuire," "AI") is 22.

Jan. 31: Actress Carol Channing is 91. Actor Stuart Margolin ("The Rockford Files") is 72. Actress Jessica Walter ("Arrested Development") is 71. Actor Glynn Turman ("The Wire," "A Different World") is 66. Singer Harry Wayne Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band is 61. Singer Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols is 56. Actor Anthony LaPaglia is 53. Actress Kelly Lynch is 53. Singer-guitarist Lloyd Cole is 51. Guitarist Jeff Hanneman of Slayer is 48. Bassist Al Jaworski of Jesus Jones is 46. Actress Minnie Driver is 42. Actress Portia de Rossi is 39. Actress Kerry Washington ("Ray") is 35. Singer Justin Timberlake is 31.

Feb. 1: Actor Stuart Whitman is 84. Actor-comedian Garrett Morris is 75. Singer Don Everly of The Everly Brothers is 75. Singer Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show is 75. Actor Sherman Hemsley is 74. Jazz pianist Joe Sample is 73. Bluegrass singer Del McCoury is 73. Actor-writer-director Terry Jones (Monty Python) is 70. Guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is 62. Actor-writer-producer Billy Mumy ("Lost in Space") is 58. Singer Exene Cervenka of X is 56. Keyboardist Dwayne Dupuy of Ricochet is 47. Actress Sherilyn Fenn is 47. Singer Lisa Marie Presley is 44. Comedian Pauly Shore is 44. Drummer Patrick Wilson of Weezer is 43. Actor Michael C. Hall is 41. Rapper Big Boi of Outkast is 37. TV personality Lauren Conrad is 26.

Feb. 2: Actress Elaine Stritch is 87. Actor Robert Mandan ("Soap," "Three's a Crowd") is 80. Comedian Tom Smothers is 75. Singer Graham Nash is 70. Actor Bo Hopkins is 70. Singer Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers is 66. TV chef Ina Garten ("Barefoot Contessa") is 64. Actor Brent Spiner ("Star Trek: The Next Generation") is 63. Bassist Ross Valory of Journey is 63. Model Christie Brinkley is 58. Actor Michael Talbott ("Miami Vice") is 57. Actress Kim Zimmer ("Guiding Light") is 57. Bassist Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots is 46. Actress Jennifer Westfeldt ("Kissing Jessica Stein") is 42. Rapper T-Mo (Goodie Mob) is 40. Actress Marissa Jaret Winokur is 39. Singer Shakira is 35.

Feb. 3: Comedian Shelley Berman is 87. Actress Blythe Danner is 69. Singer Dennis Edwards (The Temptations) is 69. Guitarist Dave Davies of The Kinks is 65. Singer Melanie is 65. Actress Morgan Fairchild is 62. Actor Nathan Lane is 56. Guitarist Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth is 56. Actor Thomas Calabro ("Melrose Place") is 53. Actress Michele Greene ("L.A. Law") is 50. Country singer Matraca Berg is 48. Actress Maura Tierney ("ER," "NewsRadio") is 47. Singer Daddy Yankee is 36. Singer Jessica Harp (The Wreckers) is 30. Rapper Sean Kingston is 22.

Feb. 4: Actor Conrad Bain ("Diff'rent Strokes") is 89. Comedian David Brenner is 76. Actor Gary Conway ("Burke's Law") is 76. Drummer John Steel of The Animals is 71. Singer Florence LaRue of the Fifth Dimension is 68. Singer Alice Cooper is 64. Actor Michael Beck is 63. Actress Lisa Eichhorn is 60. Singer Tim Booth of James is 52. Country singer Clint Black is 50. Guitarist Noodles of The Offspring is 49. Country bassist Dave Buchanan of Yankee Grey is 46. Bassist Rick Burch of Jimmy Eat World is 37. Singer Natalie Imbruglia is 37. Rapper Cam'ron is 36. Singer Gavin DeGraw is 35.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_en_ce/us_celeb_birthdays

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Japan's first trade deficit since 1980 (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan first annual trade deficit in more than 30 years calls into question how much longer the country can rely on exports to help finance a huge public debt without having to turn to fickle foreign investors.

The aftermath of the March earthquake raised fuel import costs while slowing global growth and the yen's strength hit exports, data released on Wednesday showed, swinging the 2011 trade balance into deficit.

Few analysts expect Japan to immediately run a deficit in the current account, which includes trade and returns on the country's huge portfolio of investments abroad. A steady inflow of profits and capital gains from overseas still outweighs the trade deficit.

But the trade figures underscore a broader trend of Japan's declining global competitive edge and a rapidly ageing population, compounding the immediate problem of increased reliance on fuel imports due to the loss of nuclear power.

Only four of the country's 54 nuclear power reactors are running due to public safety fears following the March disaster.

"What it means is that the time when Japan runs out of savings -- 'Sayonara net creditor country' -- that point is coming closer," said Jesper Koll, head of equities research at JPMorgan in Japan.

"It means Japan becomes dependent on global savings to fund its deficit and either the currency weakens or interest rates rise."

That prospect could give added impetus to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's push to double Japan's 5 percent sales tax in two stages by October 2015 to fund the bulging social security costs of a fast-ageing society.

The biggest opposition party, although agreeing with the need for a higher levy, is threatening to block legislation in parliament's upper house in hopes of forcing a general election.

Japan logged a trade deficit of 2.49 trillion yen ($32 billion) for 2011, Ministry of Finance data showed, the first annual deficit since 1980, after the economy was hit by the shock of rising oil prices.

Were Japan to run a current account deficit, it would spell trouble because it would mean the country cannot finance its huge public debt -- already twice the size of its $5 trillion economy -- without overseas funds.

Japanese investors currently hold about 95 percent of Japan's government bonds, which lends some stability to an otherwise unsustainable debt burden.

Domestic buyers are less likely to dump debt at the first whiff of economic trouble, unlike foreign investors, as Europe's debt crisis has shown.

The trade data helped send the yen to a one-month low against the dollar and the euro on Wednesday.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Graphic on 2011 trade data http://link.reuters.com/mev26s

Dec trade balance http://link.reuters.com/vyq65s

Exports by destination http://link.reuters.com/far65s

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"HOLLOWING OUT," AGEING POPULATION

Total exports shrank 2.7 percent last year while imports surged 12.0 percent, reflecting reduced earnings from goods and services and higher spending on crude and fuel oil. Annual imports of liquefied natural gas hit a record high.

In a sign of the continuing pain from slowing global growth, exports fell 8.0 percent in December from a year earlier, roughly matching a median market forecast for a 7.9 percent drop, due partly to weak shipments of electronics parts.

Imports rose 8.1 percent in December from a year earlier, in line with a 8.0 percent annual gain expected, bringing the trade balance to a deficit of 205.1 billion yen, against 139.7 billion yen expected. It marked the third straight month of deficits.

Japan managed to sustain annual trade surpluses through the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s and the post-Lehman Brothers global recession that started in late 2008, which makes the 2011 dip into deficit all the more dramatic.

A generation ago, Japan was the world's export juggernaut, churning out a stream of innovative products from the likes of Sony and Toyota.

Much like China today, Japan's bulging trade surplus became a source of friction with the United States and other advanced economies, who pressed Tokyo to allow the yen to rise more rapidly in order to reduce the imbalance.

A 1985 agreement between Japan, the United States and Europe's big economies -- known as the Plaza Accord after the New York hotel where it was signed -- pushed the yen higher against the U.S. dollar.

Many economists argue that sowed the seeds of Japan's current debt woes. After the Plaza Accord, Japan's economy weakened and its central bank slashed interest rates, which contributed to a credit boom that eventually spawned a financial crisis and led to two decades of economic stagnation.

Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Tuesday he did not expect trade deficits to become a pattern, and did not foresee the country's current account balance tipping into the red in the near future.

But Japan's days of logging huge trade surpluses may be over as it relies more on fuel imports and manufacturers move production offshore to cope with rising costs and a strong yen, a trend that may weaken the Japanese currency longer term.

A fast-ageing population also means a growing number of elderly Japanese will be running down their savings.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said the government wants to closely watch the trend of exports and imports.

"There are worries that the yen's strength is driving Japanese industry to go abroad," said Fujimura. "We have to create new industries ... implement comprehensive steps to boost growth. It is important to secure employment within the nation."

($1=77.71 yen)

(Additional writing by Leika Kihara; Editing by Linda Sieg and Emily Kaiser)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/bs_nm/us_japan_economy

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Fox Searchlight buys "The Surrogate" for $6 million (omg!)

PARK CITY, Utah (TheWrap.com) - "The Surrogate," a drama starring Helen Hunt and John Hawkes as a man who hires a professional sex surrogate, has sold to Fox Searchlight for $6 million in the largest acquisition of the Sundance Film Festival so far, TheWrap has confirmed.

The independent studio also is in final negotiations to buy "Beasts of the Southern Wild," another hot film at Sundance.

Ben Lewin wrote and directed "The Surrogate," which is based on the true story of Mark O'Brien, a poet and journalist who spent much of his life confined to an iron lung. When O'Brien decides to lose his virginity, he turns to a sex surrogate, played by Hunt.

William H. Macy plays Father Brendan, a priest who counsels O'Brien.

The trippy "Beasts of the Southern Wild," which premiered Friday, won the Sundance Institute's Indian Paintbrush Producer's Award and has had the festival buzzing.

The film is about Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl who lives with her father Wink in "the Bathtub," a southern Delta community in an apocalyptic state.

The film has been one of the most talked-about narrative features at the festival, and a number of exhibitors have circled it. But many also see it as a challenging sell to audiences (among other things, the film features an army of prehistoric creatures).

Searchlight, which has bought a number of daring films in the past year including the NC-17 "Shame," sees the film in the vein of magical realism and will position it that way, one insider said.

Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar wrote "Beasts," which Zeitlin also directed.

Numerous other films were in deep negotiations and several more sales were expected to close in the next day or two.

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_fox_searchlight_buys_surrogate6_million_165106888/44287132/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/fox-searchlight-buys-surrogate-6-million-165106888.html

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Ask and Answer Questions About Keeping Your Computer Running Smoothly [Help Yourself]

Every day we're on the lookout for ways to make your work easier and your life better, but Lifehacker readers are smart, insightful folks with all kinds of expertise to share, and we want to give everyone regular access to that exceptional hive mind. Help Yourself is a daily thread where readers can ask and answer questions about tech, productivity, life hacks, and whatever else you need help with.

Maintaining a computer that runs "like-new" is an art form in and of itself. When you press the "power button" for the first time, you are fighting a steep, uphill battle to keep your computer running as well as the day you purchased it, and if you do not regularly schedule some "spring cleaning" for your machine, then you will begin to subtly see a decrease in performance. This decrease in performance may gradually begin with an increased boot-time of a second or two, but eventually it will become so bad that you will be desperate to try anything to increase your computer's performance.

Let's not get to that point, shall we? Instead, let's talk about the different methods, programs, and the like that you use to keep your computer running at peak performance. Ask and answer questions about keeping your computer running smoothly in the comments.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/rAVszJWUWk8/ask-and-answer-questions-about-keeping-your-computer-running-smoothly

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Complication in first triple limb transplant (AP)

ANKARA, Turkey ? A Turkish doctor whose 25-member team performed the world's first triple limb transplant ? two arms and a leg ? says the leg has been removed due to tissue incompatibility.

Dr. Omer Ozkan says 34-year-old Atilla Kavdir is in stable condition after the removal of the leg on Sunday, a day after it was attached. Kavdir lost his arms and right leg when he was 11 after he hit power lines outside his home with an iron rod to scare away pigeons and received an electric shock.

Ozkan said another patient who received a full face transplant from the same donor is in stable condition. It was Turkey's first face transplant.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_multiple_transplants

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The 'Choking Game': 1 in 7 College Kids Has Tried It (Time.com)

College students aren't necessarily renowned for their good judgment, and a new study reinforces that, finding that nearly one in seven co-eds has played the Choking Game, which is every bit as dangerous as it sounds.

Also called the Fainting Game, Pass Out, or Space Monkey, the Choking Game can be played individually or in groups. It consists of manually choking yourself or others, sticking a plastic bag over the head, tying a string around the neck or hyperventilating, all in search of a few seconds of euphoria. (See TIME's health and medicine covers.)

Researchers at The Crime Victims' Institute at Sam Houston State University surveyed 837 students at a Texas university and found that the behavior, which works by cutting off blood flow to the brain in order to induce a high, was frighteningly commonplace:

?16% of students said they'd played the game, and three-quarters more than once
?On average, students first played the game at age 14
?Males were more likely to have played than females
?90% of students who had played the game learned about it from friends, and most students said they first played in a group

Why in the world would kids engage in this potentially deadly behavior? In a word, curiosity. They may also not realize it has the potential to be just as deadly as illegal drugs. The good news is that learning that a number of teens and college students have suffocated to death from playing the Choking Game helped deter students from playing. Parents, talk to your kids. And schools can play a role too: related research found that 90% of parents think that including information about the dangers of the game in school health and drug prevention classes is a smart idea.(MORE: For Teens Who Cut, Going Online Can Sometimes Help)

As the study notes:

"This 'game,' as it is often called, does not require obtaining any drugs or alcohol, is free, and can go undetected by many parents, teachers, physicians, and other authority figures. Most importantly, many of those who engage in this activity, do not understand that the practice can be just as deadly as the illegal substances youth have been warned against."

See TIME's Pictures of the Week.

See the Cartoons of the Week.

View this article on Time.com

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20120122/hl_time/httphealthlandtimecom20120120thechokinggame1in7collegestudentshastriedittexasstudyfindsixzz1k0m9efzixidrssfullhealthsciyahoo

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Korean research, a first step toward Dr. Smartphone? (Reuters)

SEOUL (Reuters) ? Tired of long waits at the hospital for medical tests? If Korean researchers have their way, your smartphone could one day eliminate that -- and perhaps even tell you that you have cancer.

A team of scientists at Korea Advanced Institute of Science of Technology (KAIST) said in a paper published in Angewandte Chemie, a German science journal, that touch screen technology can be used to detect biomolecular matter, much as is done in medical tests.

"It began from the idea that touch screens work by recognizing the electronic signs from the touch of the finger, and so the presence of specific proteins and DNA should be recognizable as well," said Hyun-gyu Park, who with Byong-yeon Won led the study.

The touch screens on smartphones, PDAs or other electronic devices work by sensing the electronic charges from the user's body on the screen. Biochemicals such as proteins and DNA molecules also carry specific electronic charges.

According to KAIST, the team's experiments showed that touch screens can recognize the existence and the concentration of DNA molecules placed on them, a first step toward one day being able to use the screens to carry out medical tests.

"We have confirmed that (touch screens) are able to recognize DNA molecules with nearly 100 percent accuracy just as large, conventional medical equipment can and we believe equal results are possible for proteins," Park told Reuters TV.

"There are proteins known in the medical world like the ones used to diagnose liver cancer, and we would be able to see the liver condition of the patient."

The research team added that it is currently developing a type of film with reactive materials that can identify specific biochemicals, hoping this will allow the touch screens to also recognize different biomolecular materials.

But confirming that the touch screen can recognize the biomolecular materials, though key, is only the first step.

Since nobody would put blood or urine on a touch screen, the sample would be placed on a strip, which would then be fed into the phone or a module attached to the phone through what Park called an "entrance point."

"The location and concentration of the sample would be recognized the same way the touch of the finger is recognized," he added.

There are no details yet on a prospective timetable for making the phone a diagnostic tool, however.

(Reporting by Hyunyoung Yi, writing by Iktae Park, editing by Elaine Lies and Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wr_nm/us_korea_doctor_smartphone

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10 things I learned about Harry Carson

Among historically black colleages, South Carolina State may not enjoy the same name recognition in football circles as Grambling, but the school has produced three Pro Football Hall of Famers ? Carson, Marion Motley, and Deacon Jones ? with a possible fourth, Donnie Shell, up for election this year.

Carson said he had a numerical reputation to uphold when he was given Jones?s old jersey number (75) as a freshman. He lived up to the honor in 1975, when as the defensive leader, SCState set an NCAA record by giving up only 29 points, the fewest ever in one season.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/owl-mAkQuc0/10-things-I-learned-about-Harry-Carson

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Greece, banks near a debt swap deal - source

ATHENS?? Greece and its private sector creditors are converging towards a debt swap deal that would cause a real loss of 65 to 70 percent for private bondholders, a banking official close to the talks told Reuters on Friday.

"The two sides are converging," the official said after a meeting between IIF chief Charles Dallara, Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

"The new bond will likely have a 30-year maturity and a grace period of 10 years. It will have a stepped-up coupon structure which will average out in the area of 4 percent," the official said.

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46069978/ns/business-world_business/

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Jay-Z spends night at his club without Beyonce

Diapers to Dom? No prob for Jay-Z!

The rapper made his first post-Blue Ivy appearance Wednesday night at the grand reopening of his 40/40 club in New York City.

Story: Five-day-old Blue Ivy cracks Billboard charts

While Jay passed on the press line, we did get a chance to tell him congratulations on his and Beyonce's latest and greatest coproduction.

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      It was a strange group of 38 that made it through, but by the end of the hour, a couple of legitimate contenders emerged f...

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"Thank you," he answered with that new dad grin.

Story: Bootylicious! Horse fly with bling named after Beyonce

Beyonce didn't make it out (we'll have to wait to see her undoubtedly amazing post-baby bod!) and presumably stayed home with baby Blue.

Story: Complaints at NY hospital where Beyonce gave birth dismissed

But does she need to worry about her hubby's behavior in the club when she's not there?

Slideshow: Beyonce, a star at last (on this page)

MORE: So True? So False? Is Baby Blue Ivy's Birth Inspiring Jay-Z to Stop Using the Word "Bitch"?!

Not one bit! While Jay was definitely in good company (Ashanti, Spike Lee, Questlove, Warren Buffett, members of the New York Yankees and more stars came out for 40/40's big night), he mostly enjoyed the company of male friends in private areas of the crowded club.

Story: Jennifer Hudson offers Beyonce mothering advice

At one point, a beaming Jay showed a pal some pictures on his phone. He grinned ear to ear as he scrolled through the pics.

PHOTOS: Famous Families

Our guess is that this proud papa was thinking of Blue Ivy on his big night on the town!

? 2012 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46053434/ns/today-entertainment/

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The Right Amount Of Life Insurance | Financial Samurai

If you haven?t done so already, calculate your net worth to assess how you did this past year.? Hopefully, you?ve grown your net worth, despite the stagnant stock markets through aggressive savings, retirement company matches, a diversified investment portfolio, rental property cash-flow, and an increase in your start-up?s value.

Wait, all you have is your savings?? Then you better start diversifying your income stream so you?re always moving forward, no matter how rough the economy.? Once you?ve calculated your net worth, make sure your life insurance levels equals this amount, especially if you have dependents, or a spouse who makes much less than you.? If you die, and want your loved ones to maintain a similar standard of living, consider matching your life insurance amount with your family?s net worth amount.

Some might not agree with this life insurance guideline and wonder whether it would be better to have insurance that equals a family?s debt level only.? Having enough life insurance to pay off all of your family?s debt is better than no life insurance at all.

If you?re single and have no dependents, do you really need life insurance?? Probably not.? If you die with a million bucks in debt, you?re living large!

Consider the Robinson family in San Francisco with two children ages 8 & 7:

* Wife (35) Income: $200,000

* Husband (34) Income: $60,000

* Savings Rate After Tax: 30%

* House Value: $900,000

* 401K/IRA: $500,000

* Cash: $100,000

* Personal Stock Portfolio: $100,000

Total Assets: $1,600,000 + $45,000 a year in savings each year they work.

* Recurring Private Education Cost: $25,000

* Mortgage: $500,000

* Consumer Debt: $20,000.

Total Liabilities: $420,000

Net Worth: $1,090,000 ? $30,000 a year for the next 15 years as their two kids finish high school and go to college.

Take a moment to consider the Robinson?s family situation.? How much life insurance should Mr. Robinson take out, and how much should Mrs. Robinson take out?

Mrs. Robinson?s Situation

Mrs. Robinson is clearly the breadwinner of the family.? If her income disappears, it?s up to Mr. Robinson to take on the $420,000 debt level, which is 7X his annual income.? Furthermore, after taxes, Mr. Robinson will only have about $42,000 left over, barely enough to cover the $30,000 a year in tuition!? In this scenario, is a $420,000 life insurance policy enough?? Probably not, since even after all debt is paid, Mr. Robinson would have to spend the majority of his salary on his kids tuition, buffered by the $100,000 in cash savings he can use penalty free.

With a $1,100,000 life insurance policy, Mr. Robinson can breathe much easier as he can use $420,000 to pay off all debt and have $670,000 left to pay for his kids education for 20 years and maintain his living situation without further disrupting his family.

$1.1 million happens to be 18X Mr. Robinson?s income as he is living larger than his income could allow on his own.

Mr. Robinson?s Situation

If Mr. Robinson dies, the financial hit is not as great given his $60,000 gross income.? Mrs. Robinson?s $200,000 gross income can pay the $30,000 a year in tuition, an estimated $30,000 a year in mortgage costs at a 4% interest rate level, $10,000 a year in property tax, and $30,000 a year in food, clothing, and travel with $20,000 left over.

$20,000 left over for savings is still good, but will there really be $20,000 left over if Mr. Robinson is no longer around?? Unlikely, given Mr. Robinson had very flexible hours and was able to care for the kids while she worked late and sometimes on the weekends.? Mrs. Robinson needs help as a single mother, and the $20,000 goes towards paying for help.

Given Mrs. Robinson makes $200,000, she should have no problem paying the extra $50-$100/month for a $1.1 million life insurance policy vs. a $420,000 life insurance policy.? $1.1 million equals 5.5X Mrs. Robinson?s income.

CONCLUSION

When you lose a spouse, the last thing you want to do is have more disruption due to your finances.? Are you really going to pull your kids out of school and away from their friends after their mother or father just died?? No.? The surviving spouse will be in mourning, and needs that life insurance policy as insurance that he or she can have as much time possible to figure things out.

If necessary absolutely necessary, the surviving Robinson parent can sell all assets to cover all liabilities and net roughly $1 million in cash after fees.? However, the family still needs a place to stay and go to school.

It?s foolish to be underinsured to save a nominal amount of money every month.? $420,000 worth of life insurance is better than zero in the Robinson?s case.? However, it?s best to simply match the life insurance amount for each spouse to the estimated net worth of the entire family.

To Review:
* At a minimum, take out enough life insurance to cover all liabilities.
* Consider taking out enough life insurance to match your family?s estimated net worth.
* If you?re estimated net worth is small, consider the cost of getting life insurance equal to 5X-10X the highest income earner.
* Check your company policy. Many employers will offer anywhere from a 1-5X base salary life insurance multiple. If you want more, you just have to elect and pay.
* Protect your assets by taking out an umbrella policy, which covers liability beyond your car and house insurance policies.

Readers, how do you calculate how much life insurance to take?? Do you have life insurance?? If not, why?? How much life insurance do you have?

Regards,

Sam

Photo: Empty inner-tube, Kahala. SD.

Source: http://www.financialsamurai.com/2012/01/18/the-right-amount-of-life-insurance/

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Video: Inside Syria: the untold story

The Syrian government says the country is being attacked by extremists but some civilians say the only armed gangs in the city are the security forces. NBC?s Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

Related Links:

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46063522/

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NJ mom gives birth to child on train to NYC (AP)

NEW YORK ? A New Jersey woman got the morning commute of her life when she gave birth to her first child on a PATH commuter train to New York.

The 31-year-old woman, Rabita Sarkar, of Harrison, N.J., said she had started feeling contraction-like pains but didn't think they were real because her baby wasn't due yet. She and her 30-year-old husband decided to travel into the city to have her checked out Monday.

They didn't want to drive and decided to take the train from Harrison into the city instead, thinking they could then take a taxi to Manhattan's Roosevelt Hospital, where her doctors are.

"It's just that this guy had other plans, and he came out earlier," Sarkar said as she held her infant son in her arms in the hospital. The couple declined to reveal the boy's name or due date.

It was on the train ride that Sarkar started feeling her pains come more quickly, and she told her husband to check what was happening to her. He looked and saw that his son's head had already started to come out.

With guidance from another woman on the train, her husband, identified in published reports as Aditya Saurabh, was able to deliver the baby around 10 a.m. Fellow riders offered encouragement, and the couple said one little girl offered her jacket to keep the baby warm.

PATH officials turned the train into an express, bypassing most stops so that it would get to its final stop, 33rd Street in midtown Manhattan, as soon as possible. Emergency services personnel met the train and took the family to the hospital.

The responding police officers said it wasn't unusual for women to give birth in facilities run by the Port Authority.

The biggest issue was the winter temperature, around 30 degrees outside, and making sure the baby was warm, Sgt. Mike Barry said.

"That's our biggest concern," he said. "We know that baby's body temperature is going to drop like a rock."

For one of the responding officers, delivering a baby in these circumstances was something familiar ? because it happened to him.

Officer Atiba Joseph-Cumberbatch said his son didn't want to wait, either, and came out early ? so Dad had to deliver him.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_re_us/us_train_baby_birth

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Joe Johnson leads Hawks to 4th straight win

ATLANTA (AP) ? Joe Johnson bounced back from a sluggish start to turn in his usual game at the offensive end.

Then he came up with a huge defensive play that carried the Atlanta Hawks to another victory.

Johnson scored 24 points and surprised Portland by stealing the ball with just over a minute remaining, leading the Hawks to their fourth straight win since losing All-Star center Al Horford, 92-89 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

The Hawks, taking over first place in the Southeast Division from Orlando, closed the third period on a 14-0 run, but the Trail Blazers responded with a 13-0 spurt starting the fourth to tie the game. It was tight the rest of the way. In the end, Atlanta pulled out another gutsy win, having won its last three by a total of 14 points.

"I think when Al went out, it just brought us tighter," Jeff Teague said.

Atlanta was up 84-80 when a wild sequence went the home team's way. Jamal Crawford missed on a drive, but Wesley Matthews picked off an outlet pass to apparently give the Blazers another chance. Not so fast. Johnson hustled up behind Matthews to steal it back, then lobbed to Teague for a dunk with 1:25 remaining.

"I don't know if he thought I wasn't going to try to get back into the play, but his awareness of me coming from behind ? well, he didn't have any," Johnson said. "I just snuck up and was able to tap it. I didn't want to tap it forward where they could still get it. I kind of wanted to hit it where I could get it. I did. And I had Jeff Teague running down the wing. I know he can fly, so I just threw it up there and he went and got it."

Crawford, who led the Blazers with 22 points in his return to Atlanta, hit a last-gasp 3-pointer but the Hawks held on.

"Right now, it seems like we're playing harder when we get down instead of playing that way from the beginning of the game," Crawford said. "That makes it tougher on us to come back and pull out games."

Atlanta hasn't folded since Horford went down last week with a torn pectoral muscle, which will keep him out for most, if not the rest, of the regular season. He underwent surgery Tuesday and managed to get off a tweet congratulating his teammates: "Another solid win. Let's keep getting better. Go Hawks!"

Johnson missed his first five shots and was still scoreless with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Then, suddenly, he ripped off three straight jumpers ? including a pair of 3s ? and knocked down a couple of free throws. The 10-point outburst sparked a 12-4 spurt that pushed the Hawks to a double-digit lead.

Atlanta led 51-42 at the break.

"That's all it takes. Just see a couple go in the basket," Johnson said, breaking into a slight smile.

Portland seized the momentum coming out of the locker room, surging into the lead for the first time since late in the opening quarter. Gerald Wallace made a short hook with 4:07 to play in the third, putting the Blazers up 62-61. They didn't score again in the quarter, the Hawks racing to a 75-62 lead.

But the see-saw game suddenly turned Portland's way again. Crawford led the comeback in a role that must've looked familiar to Atlanta fans who cheered him the last two years when he played for the Hawks, winning the Sixth Man Award in 2010. He's filling the same role for the Blazers, but couldn't hit quite enough of his 22 shots to beat his old team.

"I knew he was coming," Atlanta's Josh Smith said. "He's an emotional player. He probably still wants to be here. It would be nice to still see him in a Hawks uniform, but this is a business."

At one point, Crawford glanced over to watch Hawks coach Larry Drew calling a play, trying to get a defensive edge. The Blazers guard could've used more help from his teammates. LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points, but only four of those came in the final quarter, helping send the Blazers to their fourth loss in the last five games after a 7-2 start.

"I couldn't get my shot off," Aldridge said. "I definitely didn't play big down the stretch. We've got to figure this out before things get bad."

The Hawks were more balanced. Smith had 17 points, plus 11 rebounds, while Teague chipped in with 13 points and Marvin Williams added 12. All five players off the Atlanta bench also made the scoresheet.

The Hawks have won six straight over the Trail Blazers, whose last win against Atlanta came on Feb. 20, 2009

NOTES: Portland's Nicolas Batum was taken to a hospital at halftime after being accidentally poked in his left eye by Tracy McGrady. Batum was back with the team afterward but seeing double. He'll be checked again in three days. ... Trevor Bayne, last year's surprise winner of the Daytona 500, attended his first NBA game. Asked his expectations for the season-opening NASCAR race, about a month away, he said, "We have to win it again, right? Expectations are high. We've got to live up to them." ... The Trail Blazers went without Marcus Camby, who missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle). Coach Nate McMillan said before the game that Camby would only play in an emergency. ... Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn sat courtside at Philips Arena. The actors are in Atlanta filming the movie "Neighborhood Watch."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-19-Trail%20Blazers-Hawks/id-9beea1f6804e4515b7e30b2941d95733

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