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November 2009

Don't blame fast food: Mummies had heart disease

Tue, 11/17/2009 - 16:05 — admin

ORLANDO, Fla. – You can't blame this one on McDonald's: Researchers have found signs of heart disease in 3,500-year-old mummies.
"We think of it as being caused by modern risk factors," such as fast food, smoking and a lack of exercise, but the findings show that these aren't the only reasons arteries clog, said Dr. Randall Thompson, a cardiologist at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City.
He and several other researchers used CT scans, a type of X-ray, on 22 mummies kept in the Egyptian National Museum of Antiquities in Cairo. The subjects were from 1981 B.C. to 334 A.D. Half were thought to be over 45 when they died, and average lifespan was under 50 back then.
Sixteen mummies had heart and blood vessel tissue to analyze. Definite or probable hardening of the arteries was seen in nine.
"We were struck by the similar appearance of vascular calcification in the mummies and our present-day patients," said another researcher, Dr. Michael Miyamoto of the University of California at San Diego. "Perhaps the development of atherosclerosis is a part of being human."
One mummy had evidence of a possible heart attack but scientists don't know if it was fatal. Nor can they tell how much these people weighed — mummification dehydrates the body.
Of those whose identities could be determined, all were of high social status, and many served in the court of the Pharaoh or as priests or priestesses.
"Rich people ate meat, and they did salt meat, so maybe they had hypertension (high blood pressure), but that's speculation," Thompson said.
With modern diets, "we all sort of live in the Pharaoh's court," said another of the researchers, Dr. Samuel Wann of the Wisconsin Heart Hospital in Milwaukee.
The oldest mummy with heart disease signs was Lady Rai, a nursemaid to Queen Ahmose Nefertari who died around 1530 B.C. — 200 years before King Tutankhamun.
German imaging company Siemens AG, the National Bank of Egypt and the Mid-America Heart Institute paid for the work. Results are in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association and were reported Tuesday at an American Heart Association conference.
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On the Net:
JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org

Natural Baby

Tue, 11/17/2009 - 16:05 — admin

Natural Baby

Maggie Simpson from the animated television show The Simpsons is rarely separated from her pacifier, and her constant "suck, suck" sound has been one of the few sounds made by the baby.

A newborn's genitals are enlarged and reddened, with male infants having an unusually large scrotum. The breasts may also be enlarged, even in male infants. This is caused by naturally-occurring maternal hormones and is a temporary condition. Females (and even males) may actually discharge milk from their nipples (sometimes called witch's milk), and/or a bloody or milky-like substance from the vagina. In either case, this is considered normal and will disappear in time.

U.N. court acquits priest of genocide in Rwanda

Tue, 11/17/2009 - 13:05 — admin

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) –
A priest accused of genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1994 Rwandan genocide has been acquitted, the second release in as many days, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda said on Tuesday.

The U.N. court ordered the immediate release of Father Hormisdas Nsengimana, who was a priest at a Catholic secondary school during the three months of slaughter of some 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus in 1994.

The court said it could not conclude that Nsengimana, 55, was guilty of any of the crimes, which included killing Tutsi priests, a judge and other Tutsi victims.

"The Chamber did not find a sufficient factual and legal basis for concluding that Nsengimana was guilty of any of the crimes," the tribunal said.

The prosecution said Nsengimana was at the center of a group of Hutu extremists that planned and carried out targeted attacks and participated directly in killings.

Nsengimana has been in prison since his arrest in Cameroon in 2002. He is the second indicted person to be released by the ICTR, based in Arusha in northern Tanzania, in as many days.

On Monday an appeals chamber acquitted Protais Zigiranyirazo, known as "Mr. Z," of genocide and extermination after he was previously sentenced to 20 years.

Judges reversed the conviction citing several serious factual and legal errors.

ICTR spokesman Roland Amoussouga told Reuters the acquittals were not a disappointment for the court.

"It's not a sign of a problem," he said by telephone. "This is to show you that the justice system is not one way -- it can go both ways.

He said that so far 39 people have been convicted of 47 cases.

"It's an incredible record of efficiency on the part of the prosecution. This is the first stage of the process, now we have to see whether the prosecution will appeal today's judgment," he said.

(Reporting by Katrina Manson; Editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura)

Baltimore Joint Pain

Tue, 11/03/2009 - 04:57 — admin

In some countries, including the United Kingdom and Ireland, the profession largely regulates itself, with the government affirming the regulating body's authority. The best known example of this is probably the General Medical Council of Britain. In all countries, the regulating authorities will revoke permission to practice in cases of malpractice or serious misconduct.

In the large English-speaking federations (United States, Canada, Australia), the licensing or registration of medical practitioners is done at a state or provincial level. Australian states usually have a "Medical Board," while Canadian provinces usually have a "College of Physicians and Surgeons." All American states have an agency which is usually called the "Medical Board", although there are alternate names such as "Board of Medicine," "Board of Medical Examiners", "Board of Medical Licensure", "Board of Healing Arts" or some other variation. After graduating from medical school, physicians who wish to practice in the U.S. usually take standardized exams, such as the USMLE for MDs, COMLEX-USA for osteopathic physicians, the NBDE exams for dentists, the NBPME exams for podiatrists, or the NPLEX for naturopaths which enable them to obtain a certificate to practice from the appropriate state agency.

Baltimore Joint Pain

Adult Costumes

Tue, 11/03/2009 - 02:28 — admin

Christmas and Easter costumes typically portray mythical characters such as Santa Claus (by donning a santa suit and beard) or the Easter Bunny by putting on an animal costume. Costumes may serve to portray various other characters during secular holidays, such as an Uncle Sam costume worn on the Independence day for example.

Women appear blusher, and have stronger eyes and lips (Cooper 78). Men apply a browner shade for their lips and have a stronger shadow for their jaw line. Dancers should also dust their faces with color and lightly add blush to their knuckles so it doesn’t contrast with their face (Art of Production 125).

Adult Costumes

Virginia, New Jersey races may test Obama influence

Tue, 11/03/2009 - 00:02 — admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
Republicans seeking a comeback from recent losses may pick up the governor's seats in Virginia and New Jersey on Tuesday in campaigns that tested the limits of President Barack Obama's influence.

Democrats were bracing for the unhappy possibility they could go down to defeat not just in those two states but in a congressional district in upstate New York where a conservative candidate was leading.

The election outcome could give some clues as to the national mood a year after Obama was elected president and a year before 2010 congressional elections that will represent the first clear referendum on Obama's time in office.

While local factors influenced all three races, the weak state of the U.S. economy was an overarching issue that played a role in each state.

In Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell was leading Democrat Creigh Deeds by double digits in opinion polls as Virginians went to the polls -- an opportunity for Republicans a year after Obama became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the state since 1964.

Two appearances on Deeds' behalf by Obama appeared to have little impact on the race, as Democrats suffered a lack of enthusiasm without Obama on the ticket and Republicans were energized by the chance to take back the governor's seat, held by Democrats the past eight years. Voting ends at 7 p.m. EST (0000 GMT) and the winner could be known a few hours later.

OBAMA CAMPAIGNS FOR CORZINE

In New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie has been running neck and neck with Democratic Governor Jon Corzine, the former Wall Street executive who has pumped $23 million of his own money into his campaign. A poll released on Monday gave the Republican a slight lead.

Independent candidate Chris Daggett trailed, and a key question concerned how many of Daggett's supporters would abandon him for Christie or Corzine and sway the race.

Obama campaigned with Corzine on Sunday and made a last-ditch appeal for the Democrat, trying to generate more enthusiasm for him.

"We will not lose this election if all of you are as committed as you were last year," he said. "So I want everybody in this auditorium to make a pledge that in these next 48 hours, you will work just as hard for Jon as you worked for me."

New Jersey polls close at 8 p.m. EST (0100 GMT Wednesday) but it could be some hours before the outcome is clear.

While a Virginia loss for the Democrats could be considered fairly predictable in a state long considered a Republican stronghold, a defeat in New Jersey would be seen as a bigger blow to the party because the state is heavily Democratic. Obama won it by 16 points last year.

"If the Democrats win New Jersey and lose Virginia, I would basically say, no harm, no foul," said Democratic strategist Doug Schoen. "The only real adverse impact is if the administration loses two campaigns, especially one they're heavily invested in New Jersey."

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared headed to victory over Democrat Bill Thompson after engineering a rules change to allow him to run for a third term and spending millions of his own money on his campaign. As of last month, the billionaire mayor had spent $85 million to Thompson's $6 million.

WILD RACE IN NEW YORK

A wild race was taking place in New York's 23rd congressional district for a House of Representatives seat left vacant when Obama picked Republican John McHugh as his Army secretary.

Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman was leading Democrat Bill Owens slightly in the traditionally Republican district. The race took a bizarre twist over the weekend when Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava withdrew because of flagging support and endorsed the Democrat.

Democrats charged the race was an example of how divided the Republican Party has become between conservatives and moderates as it tries to rebound from losing control of Congress in 2006 and the White House in 2008.

Hoffman had been endorsed by conservative Republicans such as Sarah Palin, last year's Republican vice presidential nominee.

"If you look at what I think is likely to happen next year, you already have some Republicans who are more aligned with the very conservative element of what's happening in New York saying, 'This is a model for what you'll see throughout the country,'" said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

(Additional reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Obama warns on job losses, urges export boost

Mon, 11/02/2009 - 17:02 — admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
U.S. President Barack Obama warned on Monday that more U.S. job losses lay ahead despite a turnaround in the economy, and he called for a new "post bubble growth model" with greater focus on U.S. exports.

"If Germany, a wealthy, highly unionized industrial nation, can generate 40 percent of its economy as export-based, then it seems to me that there is something we're missing that they are doing right, and we have got to figure that out," he told a meeting of his Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Obama at the White House on Tuesday.

A sharp rebound in U.S. growth between July and September ended the worst economic slump in 70 years, but unemployment has jumped to 9.8 percent and is seen going higher.

"We anticipate that we are going to continue to see some job losses in the weeks and months to come," Obama told the advisory board in a meeting shown on the White House website.

"There is a -- always a lag of several months between businesses starting to make profits again and investing again, and then actually rehiring again," he said.

Obama said the economy was beginning to stabilize, but cautioned that it still had a long way to go and that policymakers need to find new models for future growth.

"Are there mechanisms that we can start putting in place where we see the kind of growth that used to characterize the U.S. economy -- export-driven growth, manufacturing growth," he demanded of the panel, which included business leaders as well as former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

He said past U.S. growth had been "debt-driven" and that was no longer feasible. With the United States running record budget deficits as it spends furiously to try to stimulate the economy, Obama said it is going to be vital to find innovative new ways to finance growth, and the old approach would not do.

"The kinds of current account deficits, trade deficits we were developing were not ones that would serve as a model for long-term economic prosperity," Obama said.

The U.S. current account deficit, which is the broadest measure of U.S. trade in goods and services with the rest of the world, has more than halved to 2.8 percent of gross domestic product from around seven percent before the economy crashed.

Obama, in a reference to the off-shoring of U.S. manufacturing jobs that has created simmering resentment among U.S. workers, said it may not be in America's interest to fight against ultra low-cost foreign producers, and argued that it should pursue higher-value jobs that help enrich the economy.

"Part of what we want is an aggressive trade policy that says we can compete, we're not afraid of competing, we want to make sure we are competing in a fair way, and that other countries are not seeing the U.S. markets as simply the engine for their growth, without any reciprocity," he said.

"Figuring out how to get that balance, I think, will be very important."

Free trade pacts with Panama, Colombia and South Korea have not yet been put to U.S. lawmakers for a vote as the Obama administration concentrates on an overhaul of the country's $2.5 trillion healthcare industry as its top domestic policy priority.

(Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Myrtle Beach Resort

Mon, 11/02/2009 - 16:08 — admin

http://www.sandsresorts.com/myrtle/

The tallest hotel in the world is thought to be the Burj al-Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at 280 metres, which however will soon be surpassed by the nearby Rose Rotana Suites at 333 meters (1,091 ft). The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang was intended to reach 330 meters (1,083 ft), but is unlikely to be completed; it has been under construction since 1987 and was abandoned in 1992. The Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand has a building height of 309 meters, but rooms do not go all the way to the top.

The owner, chairman, or CEO of a hotel or hotel group is known as a hotelier.



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