Those Morgans really don't share Dexter's killer instinct, do they? Harry's guilt about nurturing his adopted son's vocation drove him to suicide, and this week on "Dexter," Deb is wandering around Miami like Lady Macbeth, torturing herself (and one innocent parking meter) because she gunned down LaGuerta last year. Unfortunately, her own suicide mission drove her to the police station to spill her guts.
So how did Dexter save his sister -- and himself -- from sharing the same fate as Hannah McKay? (Let's face it: They could never rock an orange jumpsuit like that femme fatale.)
Out, damned spot! You know how many people Dexter has killed to save his sister? She finally did him a solid by shooting their boss, but now Deb just can't let sleeping LaGuertas lie. So with the guilt eating away at her like Ms. Pac-Man (chased with a Big Gulp of liquid courage), she stumbled into Miami Metro to confess everything.
Randy Tepper / Showtime
Deb is a hot mess when she shows up at Miami Metro to make her big confession, so it's Det. Quinn to the rescue!
Quinn for the win: First, Deb's knight in tarnished armor got his ex out of a DUI (this time, her only victim was a parking meter), then he saved her from being arrested for murder after her big admission. While she sobbed and slurred her confession, he steered her to an interrogation room and called her brother for help. Quinn may be a dirty cop, but the notion that Deb would kill one of their own was unthinkable to him. Naturally, he ascribed her meltdown to survivor's guilt -- especially with Dex and Dr. Vogel's backing. Somehow we don't think Deb will be too receptive to a free psychotherapy session with the good doctor -- especially when she wakes up from her whiskey-tranquilizer cocktail -- courtesy of Dexter -- to find herself handcuffed to her sofa.
Fine young cannibal: After Vogel received "his and hers" gift boxes of sliced Sussman brain, Dexter zeroed in on her aggrieved former patient and fitness promoter Ron Galuzzo. We've watched too many episodes of "Hannibal" to be really grossed out by Galuzzo's kill kitchen -- even the marinated gray matter. (Really, garlic sauce?! And finger stew? The refined palate of Dr. Lecter would be horrified. Might as well be green bean casserole.) Anyway, the wholly intact brain is all the proof Dexter needs to (1) know that the real Brain Surgeon killer is still at large and (2) make a meal (so to speak) out of Galuzzo himself.
Randy Tepper / Showtime
Dr. Vogel's right: Dexter really is perfect -- at killing!
With yet another Miami serial killer on his slab, Dexter acknowledged one truth in Vogel's theory: "I am perfect, but only at one thing."
Can Dex stop Deb from rocking the boat, or will she sink his Slice of Life?Click on "Talk about it" below and tell us what you think!
A self-portrait by Rembrandt, dating from 1659, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. (National Gallery of Art)
Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn was born on this day in 1606 in Leiden in what is now the Netherlands. A prolific artist, he created many self-portraits during his career -- one of which serves as the inspiration for Monday's Google Doodle birthday tribute.
This particular self-portrait, which dates from 1659, resides at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The oil painting was formerly part of the collection of Andrew W. Mellon, the businessman who once served as secretary of the Treasury. The work stands a little less than 3 feet tall and depicts the artist when he was 53 years old -- an old man for the era.
The National Gallery says that Rembrandt created the painting at a time when he had "suffered financial failure after many years of success." His pose was inspired by "Raphael?s famous portrait of Balthasar Castiglione that he saw at an auction in Amsterdam in 1639."
PHOTOS: 2013 Google Doodles
The painting was cleaned in 1992, according to the National Gallery: "Thick layers of discolored varnish had given the portrait a heavy, brooding quality, but when the varnish was removed during restoration, the rich range of pinks and other flesh tones on his face immediately improved our reading of Rembrandt's expression."
Rembrandt died in 1669 in Amsterdam.
ALSO:
LACMA raises membership prices for first time in six years
Shepard Fairey approves of NSA parodies of his Obama 'Hope' poster
FILE - In this combination of July 11, 2013, file images from Senate Television Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., top, and Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speak on the floor of the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democrats threatened to change Senate rules unilaterally if Republicans block yes-or-no votes on several of President Barack Obama?s top-level nominees. Reid accused Republicans of trying to deny Obama the right to have his team in place, and accused McConnell of failing to live up to his commitments to allow votes on all nominees, except under extraordinary circumstances. Moments later, McConnell said Reid was misquoting him and at the same time failing to honor his word not to change the rules of the Senate unilaterally. (AP Photo/Senate TV, Files)
FILE - In this combination of July 11, 2013, file images from Senate Television Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., top, and Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speak on the floor of the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democrats threatened to change Senate rules unilaterally if Republicans block yes-or-no votes on several of President Barack Obama?s top-level nominees. Reid accused Republicans of trying to deny Obama the right to have his team in place, and accused McConnell of failing to live up to his commitments to allow votes on all nominees, except under extraordinary circumstances. Moments later, McConnell said Reid was misquoting him and at the same time failing to honor his word not to change the rules of the Senate unilaterally. (AP Photo/Senate TV, Files)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Proposed changes to Senate rules would either ease the way for President Barack Obama to assemble his second-term team or permanently threaten the body's deliberative style, the chamber's top Democratic and Republican lawmaker said Sunday.
Democratic Leader Harry Reid and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell once again strongly disagreed during separate television segments on the eve of a rare closed-door summit that could reduce the Senate's reputation as deliberative to the point of inaction. Reid and McConnell ? along with their rank-and-file members ? have been trading barbs over just what the proposed changes would be, both for Obama's current slate of nominees who are awaiting confirmation and for future senators who prize their ability to delay action.
Democrats, who are the majority in the Senate, are pushing to erode the rights of minority Republicans to block confirmation of Obama's picks for posts on a labor rights board and a consumer protection bureau. Republicans previously stalled confirmation votes for Obama's pick for labor secretary and chiefs of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Export-Import Bank, but last week GOP lawmakers stepped aside and said they would allow those nominees to move forward.
Reid said the changes were not about the appointment of judges or passing legislation. "This is allowing the people of America to have a president who can have his team," he said.
McConnell called Democrats' proposed changes contrary to Senate tradition, which typically requires 60 votes to end debate and move forward on nominations or legislation.
"I hope that we'll come to our senses and not change the core of the Senate. We've never changed the rules of the Senate by breaking the rules of the Senate," McConnell said.
All 100 senators ? but not reporters or the public ? have been invited to a meeting Monday evening to seek a compromise that a handful of lawmakers are now exploring.
"We need to start talking to each other instead of at each other," McConnell said.
It's not clear a conversation would produce any agreement.
Reid calls the changes minor and narrow. McConnell calls them unprecedented and overbroad.
Reid says the proposal applies only to those tapped to serve in the administration, not for lifetime posts as judges. McConnell says it would fundamentally deny senators their prerogative to query potential officials.
Reid said the nominees would protect consumers, workers and the environment. McConnell and his GOP allies say the picks are payback to Obama's political base.
"They're driven by the unions," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
Countered Reid: "They have nothing against the qualifications. They don't like the jobs these people have."
In particular, Republicans have objected to a pair of union-backed members, Richard Griffin and Sharon Block, on the National Labor Relations Board, who were appointed by Obama when he said the Senate was in recess. An appeals court has ruled that Obama exceeded his authority, and the board's actions since they took their seats are in legal limbo.
Republicans also have objected to Obama's pick to lead the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, which was created as part of Wall Street overhaul legislation, which the GOP opposed. Obama nominated his pick, former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, more than two years ago.
"I think a president should have the right to put their team out there," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
"Why we can't just do 51 votes is beyond me," she added.
Reid and McConnell spoke during separate interviews with NBC's "Meet the Press." Hatch and Klobuchar were on ABC's "This Week."
__
Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? Government troops fired tank shells and artillery in heavy clashes between Syrian forces and rebels Sunday on the edge of Damascus, where the military has been pushing its offensive to retake key districts that have been in opposition hands for months.
The Syrian army has seized the momentum in the civil war over the past three months, wresting back territory lost to rebel forces and solidifying its hold over contested areas, particularly on the fringes of Damascus. Two of the embattled districts are Jobar and Qaboun, from which rebels frequently launch mortar rounds on the heart of the capital.
A Syrian military commander said forces loyal to President Bashar Assad have recaptured 60 percent of Jobar, south of Qaboun, and were trying to retake the rest. The commander talked to reporters Sunday during a military escorted tour of Jobar organized by the Information Ministry. His claim could not be independently verified.
An Associated Press reporter on the tour saw widespread destruction that pointed to heavy fighting in the neighborhood. Marble tile factories were destroyed. Reporters made their way in the devastated area by climbing through holes knocked in walls because of warnings of rebel snipers in the area.
At least two bodies, apparently those of rebel gunmen, lay on the floor of a bunker described by the official as a "terrorist" hideout.
"The army is advancing rapidly in Jobar ... the area will be secured in the next few days according to a well-studied plan," the commander said. He declined to be named in line with regulations.
Jobar is near the road linking Damascus with its eastern suburbs known as Eastern Ghouta. Rebels have been using the road to transport weapons and other supplies to the capital, the seat of Assad's power.
The commander said the Jobar-Qaboun axis was important to "cleanse Ghouta from terrorist groups."
Assad's government routinely describes the rebels fighting to overthrow him as terrorists playing out a foreign conspiracy hatched by Israel, the United States and some of its Arab allies in the region, like Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
During the tour of Jobar, reporters were taken to a hideout the army said it seized a day earlier after killing 30 rebels and their leader there. Reporters were shown RPG mortar rounds and explosive devices, as well as an alleged chemical material with a strong odor.
Arabic graffiti on the walls read: "The al-Tawhid Brigade," and "the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" ? names of militant groups fighting to topple Assad.
Sunday's tour came as Syria's main Western-backed opposition group claimed that 200 civilians were trapped in a mosque in Qaboun as fighting raged outside between rebels and Assad's army. It warned that thousands of civilians in Qaboun could be "massacred" by Assad's army as armored vehicles and elite forces move in.
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said dozens of people were held captive Saturday by regime forces in the basement of the al-Omari mosque, but they were able to escape when clashes broke out between rebel and regime forces in the perimeter of the mosque, and the troops retreated.
It said 13 people, including seven fighters, died in the shelling of Qaboun Sunday.
"They (troops) are using tanks and artillery and are trying to break into Qaboun. The shelling is very intense and there is a lot of smoke," said an activist in the area, speaking via Skype on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution.
"This is day 26 of a bombing campaign, and they still haven't been able to break Qaboun," he said.
Later Sunday, a powerful bomb explosion rocked the Deir Atiyeh town north of Damascus, killing and wounding a number of people, activists said. The bomb went off near a police station in a densely populated area, but most of the casualties were civilians, according to the Observatory and the Military Council for Damascus and its Suburbs, a rebel group.
In Washington, U.S. officials said Israel targeted advanced anti-ship cruise missiles near Syria's principal port city in an airstrike earlier this month, according to a report by The New York Times. It cited the officials as saying the attack on July 5 near Latakia targeted advanced Russian-made Yakhont missiles that Russia sold to Syria.
There was no immediate comment from Assad's government, whose key political ally and arms supplier is Russia.
Asked about the reports on the CBS-TV show "Face the Nation," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to confirm or deny Israeli involvement.
He insisted that he will not allow "dangerous weapons" to reach Lebanon's Hezbollah militants.
___
Halaby reported from Amman, Jordan. Associated Press writers Zeina Karam in Beirut and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]More than ever people are getting into relationships without the benefit of marriage. A generation has come to believe that the principle cause of divorce is marriage. Why can't we all have one of those story book romances ...
Study finds strong pregnancy outcomes for survivors of childhood cancerPublic release date: 12-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Irene Sege irene.sege@childrens.harvard.edu 617-919-7379 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
BOSTON -- Although women who survived childhood cancer face an increased risk of infertility, nearly two-thirds of those who tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant for at least a year eventually conceived, according to clinical researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital. This is comparable to the rate of eventual pregnancy among all clinically infertile women.
"Most women think that if they had cancer as a child, then they'll never have children. It turns out that many of them can get pregnant. It just might be a little harder," said senior author Lisa Diller, MD, chief medical officer of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's and medical director of the David B. Perini, Jr. Quality of Life Clinic at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The paper, published July 13 in Lancet Oncology, is the first large-scale study of female childhood cancer survivors that examines outcomes for those who experienced infertility, as defined by the typical clinical definition of infertility (attempting to conceive for a year or more without success).
Overall, 15.9 percent of women who survived childhood cancer were affected by infertility, with 12.9 percent trying to conceive for at least one year without success. The remainder of survivors included in the infertile group had ovarian failure and may not have even attempted pregnancy. In a comparison group comprised of sisters of childhood cancer survivors, 10.8 percent experienced infertility. This translates to a roughly 50 percent higher risk of infertility among the survivors of childhood cancer.
The new study is based on data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, a cohort study of five-year survivors from 26 institutions who were under 21 when diagnosed with cancer between 1970 and 1986. Researchers studied 3,531 sexually active female survivors, age 18-39, and a control group of 1,366 female siblings of participants in the large-scale survivor study.
"This is the first study to examine direct questions about infertility and the use of infertility services," said lead author Sara Barton, MD, a clinical fellow of reproduction and infertility at Brigham and Women's Hospital at the time of the research. "Previous studies used surrogate markers. Parenthood. Pregnancy. Births. These don't take into account people's intent. They don't take into account how long it took to achieve pregnancy."
Among survivors of childhood cancer who had been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant for at least a year, 64 percent conceived after, on average, another six months, compared with an average of five months for clinically infertile women in the control group who eventually conceived.
Women whose cancer was treated with alkylating agent chemotherapy or high-dose radiation to the abdomen or pelvis were most at risk of infertility. Although pediatric oncologists have changed a number of treatment protocols over the last several decades to reduce late effects, alkylating agents and radiation continue to be used.
"Women getting alkylating agents or radiation to the pelvis or abdomen should be triaged for fertility preservation. In addition to being at highest risk to report infertility, female cancer survivors who received those cancer therapies were the least likely to conceive once they had infertility," said Barton, who is now a staff physician at the Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine and clinical professor at the University of Nebraska Medical School. The new research, she added, will help clinicians offer guidance to current patients based on the treatment protocol for their cancer. "If you're newly diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, for instance, you may be slightly more likely to experience infertility, but I don't necessarily think you need to delay your therapy to freeze your eggs."
The researchers also found that only 42 percent of cancer survivors who sought treatment for infertility were prescribed medication, compared with 75 percent in the control group. Both groups 69 percent of survivors and 73 percent in the control group were similarly likely to seek medical help for their infertility.
Prior research has found that survivors of childhood cancer face a greater risk of infertility but, once pregnant, are not at greater risk for miscarriage or stillbirth.
"What we found delivers a really nice message to clinicians," Diller said. "If you have a patient who is a childhood cancer survivor and is self-reporting clinical infertility, the chances are good that she will become pregnant. Women who have a history of childhood cancer treatment should consider themselves likely to be fertile. However, it might be important to see an expert sooner rather than later if a desired pregnancy doesn't happen within the first six months."
###
Additional coauthors are Julie S. Najita, Ph.D. of Dana-Farber; Elizabeth S. Ginsburg, M.D., of Brigham and Women's; Wendy M. Leisenring, Sc.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute; Marilyn Stovall, Ph.D., and Rita E. Weathers, M.S. of University of Texas M.D. Anderson Center; Charles A. Sklar, M.D., of Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; and Leslie L. Robison, Ph.D. of St. Jude Children's Hospital. The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute (Grant U24 CA55727) and Swim Across America, Inc.
The Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center brings together two internationally known research and teaching institutions that have provided comprehensive care for pediatric oncology and hematology patients since 1947. The Harvard Medical School affiliates share a clinical staff that delivers inpatient care at Boston Children's Hospital and outpatient care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund Clinic. Dana-Farber/Boston Children's brings the results of its pioneering research and clinical trials to patients' bedsides through five clinical centers: the Blood Disorders Center, the Brain Tumor Center, the Hematologic Malignancies Center, the Solid Tumors Center, and the Stem Cell Transplant Center.
Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 793-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare. BWH has more than 3.5 million annual patient visits, is the largest birthing center in New England and employs more than 15,000 people. The Brigham's medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in patient care, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, and its dedication to research, innovation, community engagement and educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving nearly 1,000 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by $640 million in funding. For the last 19 years, BWH ranked second in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) among independent hospitals. BWH continually pushes the boundaries of medicine, including building on its legacy in organ transplantation by performing the first face transplants in the U.S. in 2011. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies, OurGenes and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information and resources, please visit BWH's online newsroom.
CONTACT:
Irene Sege
Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
617-919-7379
irene.sege@childrens.harvard.edu
(On July 12, contact Anne Doerr, 617-632-5665, anne_doerr@dfci.harvard.edu)
Marjorie Montemayor-Quellenberg
Brigham and Women's Hospital
617-534-2208
mmontemayor-quellenberg@partners.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.
Study finds strong pregnancy outcomes for survivors of childhood cancerPublic release date: 12-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Irene Sege irene.sege@childrens.harvard.edu 617-919-7379 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
BOSTON -- Although women who survived childhood cancer face an increased risk of infertility, nearly two-thirds of those who tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant for at least a year eventually conceived, according to clinical researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital. This is comparable to the rate of eventual pregnancy among all clinically infertile women.
"Most women think that if they had cancer as a child, then they'll never have children. It turns out that many of them can get pregnant. It just might be a little harder," said senior author Lisa Diller, MD, chief medical officer of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's and medical director of the David B. Perini, Jr. Quality of Life Clinic at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The paper, published July 13 in Lancet Oncology, is the first large-scale study of female childhood cancer survivors that examines outcomes for those who experienced infertility, as defined by the typical clinical definition of infertility (attempting to conceive for a year or more without success).
Overall, 15.9 percent of women who survived childhood cancer were affected by infertility, with 12.9 percent trying to conceive for at least one year without success. The remainder of survivors included in the infertile group had ovarian failure and may not have even attempted pregnancy. In a comparison group comprised of sisters of childhood cancer survivors, 10.8 percent experienced infertility. This translates to a roughly 50 percent higher risk of infertility among the survivors of childhood cancer.
The new study is based on data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, a cohort study of five-year survivors from 26 institutions who were under 21 when diagnosed with cancer between 1970 and 1986. Researchers studied 3,531 sexually active female survivors, age 18-39, and a control group of 1,366 female siblings of participants in the large-scale survivor study.
"This is the first study to examine direct questions about infertility and the use of infertility services," said lead author Sara Barton, MD, a clinical fellow of reproduction and infertility at Brigham and Women's Hospital at the time of the research. "Previous studies used surrogate markers. Parenthood. Pregnancy. Births. These don't take into account people's intent. They don't take into account how long it took to achieve pregnancy."
Among survivors of childhood cancer who had been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant for at least a year, 64 percent conceived after, on average, another six months, compared with an average of five months for clinically infertile women in the control group who eventually conceived.
Women whose cancer was treated with alkylating agent chemotherapy or high-dose radiation to the abdomen or pelvis were most at risk of infertility. Although pediatric oncologists have changed a number of treatment protocols over the last several decades to reduce late effects, alkylating agents and radiation continue to be used.
"Women getting alkylating agents or radiation to the pelvis or abdomen should be triaged for fertility preservation. In addition to being at highest risk to report infertility, female cancer survivors who received those cancer therapies were the least likely to conceive once they had infertility," said Barton, who is now a staff physician at the Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine and clinical professor at the University of Nebraska Medical School. The new research, she added, will help clinicians offer guidance to current patients based on the treatment protocol for their cancer. "If you're newly diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, for instance, you may be slightly more likely to experience infertility, but I don't necessarily think you need to delay your therapy to freeze your eggs."
The researchers also found that only 42 percent of cancer survivors who sought treatment for infertility were prescribed medication, compared with 75 percent in the control group. Both groups 69 percent of survivors and 73 percent in the control group were similarly likely to seek medical help for their infertility.
Prior research has found that survivors of childhood cancer face a greater risk of infertility but, once pregnant, are not at greater risk for miscarriage or stillbirth.
"What we found delivers a really nice message to clinicians," Diller said. "If you have a patient who is a childhood cancer survivor and is self-reporting clinical infertility, the chances are good that she will become pregnant. Women who have a history of childhood cancer treatment should consider themselves likely to be fertile. However, it might be important to see an expert sooner rather than later if a desired pregnancy doesn't happen within the first six months."
###
Additional coauthors are Julie S. Najita, Ph.D. of Dana-Farber; Elizabeth S. Ginsburg, M.D., of Brigham and Women's; Wendy M. Leisenring, Sc.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute; Marilyn Stovall, Ph.D., and Rita E. Weathers, M.S. of University of Texas M.D. Anderson Center; Charles A. Sklar, M.D., of Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; and Leslie L. Robison, Ph.D. of St. Jude Children's Hospital. The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute (Grant U24 CA55727) and Swim Across America, Inc.
The Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center brings together two internationally known research and teaching institutions that have provided comprehensive care for pediatric oncology and hematology patients since 1947. The Harvard Medical School affiliates share a clinical staff that delivers inpatient care at Boston Children's Hospital and outpatient care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund Clinic. Dana-Farber/Boston Children's brings the results of its pioneering research and clinical trials to patients' bedsides through five clinical centers: the Blood Disorders Center, the Brain Tumor Center, the Hematologic Malignancies Center, the Solid Tumors Center, and the Stem Cell Transplant Center.
Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 793-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare. BWH has more than 3.5 million annual patient visits, is the largest birthing center in New England and employs more than 15,000 people. The Brigham's medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in patient care, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, and its dedication to research, innovation, community engagement and educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving nearly 1,000 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by $640 million in funding. For the last 19 years, BWH ranked second in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) among independent hospitals. BWH continually pushes the boundaries of medicine, including building on its legacy in organ transplantation by performing the first face transplants in the U.S. in 2011. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies, OurGenes and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information and resources, please visit BWH's online newsroom.
CONTACT:
Irene Sege
Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
617-919-7379
irene.sege@childrens.harvard.edu
(On July 12, contact Anne Doerr, 617-632-5665, anne_doerr@dfci.harvard.edu)
Marjorie Montemayor-Quellenberg
Brigham and Women's Hospital
617-534-2208
mmontemayor-quellenberg@partners.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.
Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News has reported today that a Retina iPad Mini may not hit the shelves until next year, due to shortages of?Retina display panels (via MacRumors). While Apple has been planning to launch the second generation iPad Mini with a Retina display in time for the holiday shopping season?before the end of this year, panel shortages have now pushed the internal launch plans to early 2014.
Furthermore, the report hints at two versions of the next generation iPad Mini i.e one with a Retina Display and one without it. However,?it is not year clear as to how the two versions will differ in terms of features and price. Regarding the device?s launch, earlier reports from?KGI Securities have estimated the updated iPad Mini to ship in the September-November timeframe, keeping in view the?technical challenges and production issues faced by Apple with Retina displays.
?NPD DisplaySearch analysts have also been flip-flopping on their claims, beginning with a May report initially claiming that Apple would be releasing a non-Retina iPad mini update later this year with a Retina update to follow in early 2014, but within hours reporting on DisplaySearch?s claim was revised to indicate that a Retina display would be included in both of those updates?.
It must be noted that DisplaySearch originally claimed a thinner non-Retina iPad mini would arrive this year while a Retina model would launch in early 2014.
Usman
A technology enthusiast, writer and doctor (specialized in diagnostic radiology).
Love: F1, gadgets, console games, movies, music and designer clothes.
Follow me on Twitter @DrUsmanQ
by The Associated Press Jul 11th 2013 6:15AM Updated Jul 11th 2013 9:24AM
Ariel Skelley/Getty ImagesBy ALEX VEIGA
LOS ANGELES -- Fewer U.S. homes entered the foreclosure process or were repossessed by banks in June, the latest sign that the nation is shaking off its housing bust hangover.
Lenders initiated the foreclosure process on 57,286 homes last month, the lowest level for any month in 7? years, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.
Foreclosure starts are on pace to reach roughly 800,000 this year, down from 1.1 million last year, the firm said.
Completed foreclosures, when the lender repossesses a home, are on track to hit a half-million, or about a quarter below last year's total.
The trend comes as the U.S. housing recovery continues to gain strength, propelled by steady job gains, low interest rates, improving consumer confidence and growing demand for homes at a time when there's a thin supply of available homes for sale in many markets.
That's helped boost home prices, which jumped 12.2 percent in May from a year earlier -- the biggest gain in seven years, according to data provider CoreLogic.
Even so, foreclosures remain a potential drag on housing in many states, including Florida, Nevada, Illinois and Ohio.
"Halfway through 2013, it is becoming increasingly evident that while foreclosures are no longer a national problem, they continue to be a state and local market problem," said Daren Blomquist, a vice president at RealtyTrac.
Homes scheduled for auction in states like Florida, where the courts play a role in the foreclosure process, were up 34 percent in June from a year earlier, the firm said.
Scheduled home auctions doubled last month in New Jersey and Florida, which also posted the highest foreclosure rate of any state -- nearly three times the national average -- in the first six months of the year, the firm said.
Most homes lined up for public auction typically end up going back to lenders, which opens the door for the properties to be placed on the market as sharply discounted foreclosed homes later this year or in 2013.
Nationally, the inventory of previously occupied homes on the market was 10 percent below prior-year levels in May, according to the National Association of Realtors. So the potential for more foreclosures going on sale will likely be welcome news to would-be homebuyers in markets where there is a tight supply of available homes.
The number of homes that entered the foreclosure process in June was down 21 percent from May and about 45 percent below June 2012's total.
Lenders repossessed 35,507 homes last month, down nearly 9 percent from May and a drop of 35 percent from a year earlier. That's still short of the 25,000 or so a month that Blomquist considers the benchmark for foreclosures in a "normal" housing market.
At the height of the housing boom in 2006, completed foreclosures averaged 22,000 a month. They peaked in September 2010 at 102,000. Tighter lending standards for home loans since the housing bubble burst have helped slow the pace of foreclosures.
About 75 percent of the 824,292 U.S. homes in the foreclosure process as of June are tied to loans that were originated between 2004 and 2008.
"That's a good sign that the lending has much improved and we're not seeing high foreclosure rates on mortgages that have been taken out since 2008," Blomquist said.
Metro Population: 1.8 million
Concentration of Millionaire Households: 8.3%
Number of Millionaire Households: 52,043
Median Income for All Households: $88,339
Median Home Value: $674,800
The original California capital has come a long way from its farm town origins. Today, San Jose is the center of Silicon Valley. And the area, including Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, is home to some of the world's biggest tech companies, including Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Google. Such employers tend to reward their geeks handsomely. Google even keeps its interns well-heeled, paying those specializing in software engineering an average $6,432 a month, according to employment research firm Glassdoor. The hefty paychecks can help cover housing costs ? the San Jose area's median home value is the highest on this list, and a whopping 20.8% of houses are worth $1 million or more, compared with just 2.3% of all U.S. homes.
5. San Jose, Calif.
Metro Population: 5.5 million
Concentration of Millionaire Households: 8.6%
Number of Millionaire Households: 182,993
Median Income for All Households: $88,486
Median Home Value: $399,400
The nation's seat of power is topped with a plump cash cushion. The D.C. area is home to the greatest number of millionaire households on this list and ranks fourth overall behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. In D.C. proper, you can find many moneyed residents, including high-profile politicians, lobbyists and contractors, living in the townhouses of Georgetown and Capitol Hill. Outside the District, millionaires can enjoy the suburban life in Arlington, Va.; Bethesda, Md.; and other well-off neighborhoods.
4. Washington, D.C.
Metro Population: 320,087
Concentration of Millionaire Households: 8.9%
Number of Millionaire Households: 12,078
Median Income for All Households: $56,876
Median Home Value: $317,200
Beautiful beaches and top-drawer retailers lay out the welcome mat for thousands of millionaires, as well as leisure travelers, who flock south for the warmth of the Gulf Coast. Shoppers seeking upscale styles have many options, including Cartier, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, at the open-air Waterside Shops. And golfers have just as many choices when it comes to links ? there are more than 90 golf courses nearby. Another kind of green that may interest people in the area: eco-tourism. You can get a glimpse of the local wildlife a short drive away at Everglades National Park and Ten Thousand Islands. While real estate in the area tends to become more affordable as you move inland, the median value of homes in prime coastal locales such as Pelican Bay and the City of Naples is about $800,000.
3. Naples, Fla.
Metro Population: 911,196
Concentration of Millionaire Households: 8.9%
Number of Millionaire Households: 30,048
Median Income for All Households: $82,558
Median Home Value: $466,700
The southwest coast of Connecticut, stretching from Bridgeport to the border with New York, provides a perfect (and preppy) suburban base for high-powered commuters, many of whom work and play in nearby Manhattan. Nearly 34,000 residents, or 8.1% of the local labor force, are employed in management positions, earning about $68 per hour on average. And 16.7% of households report an annual income of $200,000 or more; only 4.5% of the country's households pull in that much each year. Those high paychecks can help cover the area's high costs. Stamford proper is one of America's most expensive big cities, and typical homes in small affluent towns such as Greenwich and Darien go for $1 million.
Photo: Chrisbkes, Flickr.com
2. Stamford, Conn.
Total Metro Population: 18,040
Concentration of Millionaire Households: 11.7%
Number of Millionaire Households: 906
Median Income for All Households: $104,914
Median Home Value: $300,700
This tiny New Mexico town has the smallest population, as well as the highest concentration of millionaires, on this list. Chalk up the density of affluence to the National Laboratory, a research facility focused on national security and the county's largest employer. Since the lab was established in 1943 as site Y of the Manhattan Project, it has drawn some of the world's top scientific minds with state-of-the-art facilities, currently including more than 1,200 buildings on a 36-square-mile campus, and generous paychecks. In fact, the area's six-figure median household income is the highest on this list. And relatively low living costs ? just 2.9% above the U.S. average ? will help wealthy residents hold on to their fortunes.
Multiple features added for file handling and performance
A new update to the popular Opera browser has hit the Play Store, dubbed Opera 15 to those keeping count. The browser switched to being Chromium based in a previous release, which has been updated to Chromium 28. Time from icon press to actual web browsing has improved, making this release noticeably faster at startup.
Some interesting new features have been sprinkled throughout the latest version of Opera. It is now possible to download videos that can be played in Opera by either long pressing or using the download button. The location of where said videos -- and any other downloadable files -- are download to is now configurable, allowing the user to choose what device folder is used. It is also possible to browse external SD card folders and open files for use in Opera. Those with something to hide will be happy to see the new "open in private tab" context menu, as shown above.
Under the hood Opera gets an improved Cookie clearing mechanism, a fix for the unintended-uninstall-bug for Samsung devices, and memory leak plugs with stability improvements.
Check for updates directly in the Play Store or use the Play Store button at the top to get the latest version of Opera.
MADRID (AP) ? The son of legendary opera singer Placido Domingo says his 72-year-old father may have to cancel some more performances following his admission to a Madrid hospital with a lung artery blockage, but that he has absolutely no plans to retire.
Alvaro Domingo said Thursday he expects the Spanish tenor to be released in the next three or four days but will then need to recuperate for three weeks in Madrid. He said singing was among the activities doctors had asked his father to refrain from while recovering.
Domingo canceled six dates in Madrid this month after being admitted to the hospital Monday. He is due to resume performing in Salzburg, Austria next month but his son said that may change.
Doctors say a blood clot caused the pulmonary embolism.
During his first official appearance as Manchester City?s manager, Manuel Pellegrini made his plans for the team crystal clear.
Manchester City fans should expect attractive soccer this season at the Etihad.
Pellegrini, 59, stated that one of the main reasons City brought him in from Malaga was to try and create an attractive playing style. With the experienced coach promising a more attacking outlook will prevail as City aim to succeed on both the domestic and European front.
?One of the reasons I am here is for the way we play. Man City fans will see a different way of playing than they have seen in other years. I?m sure we will play an attractive team. We will try to be an attractive team.?
And when asked about which title the Chilean was targeting this season, the EPL or the Champions League, a coy yet firm response came from Pellegrini.
Success on all fronts is expected. Nothing more. Nothing less.
We don?t prioritize one more than the other. Man City need to improve on how they?ve performed in the Champions League, while the Premier League is very important. Here in the Premier League we have Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham ? five or six teams who are trying to win the league. The league is so important. We will try to repeat the win of the Premier League of a couple of seasons ago.
It is one thing to make these grand statements. But to deliver attractive soccer when under pressure to get instant success is not the easiest thing to do. That?s an understatement. The man know as ?The Engineer? for his thoughtful and methodical approach to soccer tactics will have to have a long hard think about how he can alter City?s ultra-defensive tactics deployed in the 2012-13 season.
(MORE: Is Pellegrini the right man for Manchester City?)
But one thing for certain is that Pellegrini will have all the tools to succeed at his disposal. The players City possess should blow most Premier League teams out of the water by the end of the first half. But they lost that swagger and attacking panache last season. Roberto Mancini failed to trigger the attacking impetus that City had when they won the EPL title in the 2011-12 season.
Last season City scored just 66 goals, the joint-fifth best in the EPL. When they won the title two season ago, City scored an incredibly 93 goals. Somewhere along the line they lost almost 30 goals from their offense.
So Pellegrini is right to target that as the area to improve. City?s defense is fine. But with Carlos Tevez leaving for Juventus, the new attack minded approach will have to be implemented from wide areas. Spanish winger Jesus Navas looks a real threat, and after joining from Sevilla the tricky attacker will look to create and run past defenders from out wide. David Silva and Samir Nasri are also key, as City?s new mantra of attacking soccer will need to flow through these diminutive, yet supremely skillful, figures.
City will surely bring in a new striker, with only Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero currently on the books. Pellegrini spoke about potentially bringing in a new forward but the Chilean played his cards close to his chest.
?We have two strikers and we need another one. We need a very good squad. Next week we will see about different players (in the current squad). We will try to bring with the best players from all parts of the world.?
Scour the world for top talent Manuel? just make sure they can score goals.
NEW YORK (AP) ? The stock market is getting its momentum back.
All major stocks indexes rose Tuesday, and the biggest gains were in riskier small-company stocks and sectors that do best when the economy is growing.
Major indexes rose for a fourth straight day. The Standard & Poor's 500 index had its best run in two months.
Traders have grown more confident after Friday's strong jobs reports and on expectations of record corporate earnings for the second quarter, which ended June 30. So far, the stock market is up nearly 3 percent in July following a 1.5 percent dip in June, its first monthly decline since October.
The Russell 2000, an index of small-company stocks, rose nearly 1 percent Tuesday. The Dow Jones transportation average, seen as a leading indicator for the broader economy, led all indexes with a 2.3 percent rise, its best performance in a month.
The gains suggest that investors are more certain that the economy's prospects are good. In the first half of the year, stock markets were powered by companies that pay large dividends and are considered a sure way to make money even when the economic outlook is iffy.
The Russell 2000 rose eight points, or 0.9 percent, to 1,018.05. It has gained 4.2 percent in July and is moving deeper into record territory. The index has risen 20 percent, this year, more than its large-company counterparts, the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 index.
Investors "are starting to go to the more aggressive areas that usually do better in an expansionary economy," said Ryan Detrick, a senior technical strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
The Dow Jones transportation was led by strong gains for Alaska Air Group and FedEx.
The index jumped 148 points to 6,446. Alaska Air Group rose 7 percent after it forecast an additional $50 million a year in revenue from increased fees. FedEx rose 6 percent on speculation that William Ackman's hedge fund, Pershing Square, could invest in the company.
Wall Street is also turning its attention to corporate earnings. Results for the second quarter, which ended nine days ago, should give traders and investors insights into the economy. Market watchers spent most of June trying to figure out where the Federal Reserve was headed with its economic stimulus program.
Along with the quarterly results, investors want to see how confident companies are about the rest of the year, said Cam Albright, director of asset allocation for Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors.
Major U.S. stock indexes have notched a series of all-time highs this year on expectations that earnings will remain at record levels.
"A lot of what the market has justified its advances on is a strong second half for the economy and a strong second half for earnings," said Albright. "It's important that we see verification of that."
Alcoa was the first major company to announce second-quarter results. The aluminum maker late Monday reported a loss that wasn't as big as financial analysts feared. The company benefited from strong demand for aluminum used in autos and airplanes, although that was offset by weaker prices.
Traders weren't impressed by the results, though. After rising initially, the stock ended down 1 cent, or 0.1 percent, to $7.91.
Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, and Family Dollar Stores are among the companies reporting their earnings this week. JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo will also report.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 75 points, or 0.5 percent, to 15,300.34. The S&P 500 index gained 11 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,652.32 The Nasdaq composite rose 19 points, or 0.6 percent, to 3,504.26
The S&P 500 gains were led by industrial firms and companies that provide raw materials. Telecommunications companies, which investors turn to when the economic outlook is gloomier, fell.
The S&P 500 is now just 1 percent below its May 21 record of 1,669. It was down almost 6 percent to 1,573 on June 24.
Stocks have recovered since Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the central bank planned to reduce its economic stimulus.
The central bank is buying $85 billion in bonds a month to keep interest rates low and encourage borrowing and spending. That stimulus has been a major support in the stock markets' four-year bull market.
In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged from Monday at 2.64 percent.
The yield has pulled back after surging to 2.74 percent Friday, its highest level in almost two years, after the government reported strong hiring for June.
In commodities trading, the price of oil rose 17 cents, or 0.2 percent to $103.33 a barrel. Gold rose $12, or 1 percent, to $1,246.90 an ounce.
Among other stocks making big moves:
? Barnes and Noble rose 64 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $18.32 after the bookseller said Monday that its CEO is leaving after three years. The company didn't name a replacement.
In another incursion, Chinese troops intruded into the Chumar sector in Ladakh--the same area which had sparked off tensions in April--and smashed some bunkers besides cutting wires of cameras installed at the border post.
Official sources said on Tuesday that the intrusion took place on June 17 when the troops of China's People's Liberation Army(PLA) entered Indian territory in the Chumar sector and started vandalising the observation bunkers besides cutting the wires which overlook the Chinese territory.
Chumar, located 300 km from here, has always been an area of discomfort for the Chinese troops as this is the only area along the Sino-Indian border where they do not have any direct access to the Line of Actual Control(LAC).
The 21-day face-off between the two sides in the remote Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector on April 15 was triggered by construction of an observation tower in Chumar division which had to be subsequently dismantled by the Army on May 5 before the crisis was defused.
The Chinese side, according to the minutes of the flag meetings in the last week of March this year, had been objecting to the construction of the watch tower along the LAC in Chumar.
After dismantling the observation post and defence bunkers, Army had installed cameras to monitor movement of Chinese troops along the LAC, a step which had irked the PLA.
Chumar, a remote village on Ladakh-Himachal Pradesh border, is being claimed by China as its own territory. The Chinese side also reportedly resorted to helicopter incursions almost every year.
Last year, it dropped some of the soldiers of PLA in this region and dismantled the makeshift storage tents of the Army and ITBP.
This area is not accessible from the Chinese side whereas the Indian side has a road almost to the last point on which the Army can carry loads upto nine tonnes.
Sony's DualShock 4 controller won't allow gamers to turn off its light bar to save battery life, according to the company's Worldwide Studio boss.
Fielding a question from a concerned gamer recently, Sony Worldwide Studio chief Shuhei Yoshida said on his Twitter account that the DualShock 4's light bar, which sits at the top of the device, cannot be turned off. The gamer was hoping to turn off the light bar "so the battery lasts longer."
Not including the ability to turn off the DualShock 4 light bar might annoy some gamers. The feature, which contains three LEDs, can change colors based on what's happening in a game. However, it's designed to work with the PlayStation Camera. If the Camera isn't connected, the light bar is just about useless. And since some gamers won't connect a Camera to their console, the light bar could be little more than an additional drain on the controller's battery.
Gaming site IGN previously reported that Sony had intended to include the PlayStation Camera in every PlayStation 4 bundle, but decided against it so it could offer the console for a cheaper price than Microsoft's Xbox One. Sony has not confirmed that's the case, but it would make sense, considering the light bar cannot be turned off.
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Public release date: 12-Jul-2013
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