What was Cowell thinking with 'X Factor' hires?

TV

Craig Berman TODAY contributor

12 hours ago

AP file

Paulina Rubio and Kelly Rowland are "The X Factor's" newest judges.

For the second year in a row, Simon Cowell found himself needing to replace two of the four judges on ?The X Factor.? And when the announcement finally came on Monday that Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio would take the spots L.A. Reid and Britney Spears left behind on the panel, the world reacted with a resounding ?Huh??

Neither star brings the buzz that most were expecting from the new hires. Kelly is best known for being in Destiny?s Child, while Paulina is a big name in Latin music and a ?who?s she?? everywhere else. These are really the women that Simon is turning to as he attempts to save ?X Factor? from premature cancellation? The ?Beauties and the Brit? slogan sounds like a great sitcom, but not a reality singing competition.

?Paulina and Kelly both have great taste and massive experience in the music industry and together with Demi, this is going to be a fun panel. It just feels like the time to do something different,? Simon said in the statement announcing the new hires.

?Time to do something different? indeed. ?The X Factor? joined the Fox schedule with high hopes and massive hype two years ago, and to the glee of Simon-haters across the world, that faded quicker than one of his t-shirts after being tossed in the dryer too many times. Since the early days of the American version of the British hit, when he was forced to replace Cheryl Cole and move Nicole Scherzinger from host to judge, nothing has gone right in Simon's effort to replicate the success he enjoyed with ?Idol.? It?s tough to see how these new additions will change anything.

Betting against big names
On the one hand, you can?t fault Simon for going away from the TMZ crowd. He spent a lot of cash last year on Britney and Demi Lovato, and viewers stayed away. ?American Idol? brought in Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj and still saw its ratings drop and the show get duller. So getting big, controversial celebrities isn't always the best idea.

But bringing in prominent names generates attention, and ?X Factor? desperately needs that. Always in the shadow of ?American Idol,? it?s far behind ?The Voice? and less fun than ?America?s Got Talent.? A decade ago people would turn on the TV just to watch Simon insult people, but that?s not true anymore. A five million dollar prize is gargantuan compared to ?Idol,? but no Powerball drawing.

Nor have its winners jumped to the top of the charts. Season one winner Melanie Amaro?s debut album still hasn?t been released. Tate Stevens, who won last season?s competition, hasn?t caught fire either. Without having produced a superstar, and without any prominent or controversial new faces on the panel, there isn?t any obvious reason for people to watch.

Better be good
Unless, that is, Kelly and Paulina are both really combative and entertaining as part of a panel. Simon?s placing a big bet that they are.

The two already know what it takes to judge a reality TV show. Kelly was a judge on the UK version of ?X Factor? in 2011, with her top act finishing in third place. Paulina has been a judge on ?La Voz Mexico? -- that country?s version of ?The Voice,? and will also be a coach on ?La Voz Kids.? She, at least, appears ready to fill a role as the fiery contrast to Simon?s Britishness, saying in her statement ?Simon, be careful what you wish for, let's see if you are ready to handle me, empieza la fiesta, amigo!?

That combativeness is what the show is going to need to succeed. If ?X Factor? is just another singing show with panelists saying nothing but nice things about the contestants and only gently teasing each other, there?s nothing to set it apart from the pack. The Kelly-Paulina-Demi trio has a lot of pressure on it to be fighters, both with each other and Simon, to get people talking about the show again. Odds are close to 100% that we?ll see that kind of sniping in the promotional material for the show once those initial commercials start to air.

?The X Factor's? a huge show in the United Kingdom, and American pop music fans can thank it for introducing the world to One Direction and Leona Lewis. But until it produces a singer of notice on the U.S. version of the show, Kelly and Paulina are going to have to provide an unexpected spark if the show hopes to avoid sinking further than the typical contestant?s career.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/rowland-rubio-x-factor-what-was-simon-cowell-thinking-6C10010342

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New Xbox more than a game console for Microsoft

By Malathi Nayak and Bill Rigby

SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is set to make a splash this week with the eagerly awaited unveiling of its new Xbox game console, eight years after the last version, as it seeks a larger share of the $65 billion a year global computer gaming industry.

But the small device faces some big competition from the PlayStation 4 by Sony Corp and the Wii U by Nintendo Co Ltd in a shifting market.

Gamers are gravitating to online play - suggesting the hey-day of console games are over - while Microsoft wants its sleek new toy to finally cross the bridge to the mainstream and become the family's entertainment center.

"Core gamers are very hungry for a new machine but the difference between 2005 and now is that the stakes are so much higher," said Ryan McCaffrey, executive editor at entertainment website IGN.com, harking back to Microsoft's last Xbox release. "The entire Xbox experiment from Microsoft was for it to be the center piece of your living room."

To that end, industry-watchers are expecting a raft of improvements from the new Xbox, when Microsoft unveils it at its Redmond, Washington, headquarters on Tuesday, from closer integration with the TV and link-ups with mobile devices to access to new and even exclusive content.

Console gaming still takes the lion's share of a growing gaming market - about 42 percent of the $65 billion world market, according to Microsoft. But playing games on smartphones and tablets, or as an offshoot to online social networks, is gaining ground fast.

Console sales have been in decline for the last four years, chiefly because of aging devices, but the first of the new generation of machines has not reignited the sector.

Nintendo's Wii U, launched in November, had sold only 3.45 million units through the end of March, well below the company's initial forecast of 5.5 million. Hopes for Sony's PS4, teased in March, are low key.

"The next wave crest isn't as high as the previous one," said Lewis Ward, research manager at International Data Corp, who calculates that about 250 million Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii units were sold between 2005 and 2012.

"I do think that consoles as a product category have peaked and the next gen devices won't match those totals," he said.

LOW MARGINS

The Xbox itself is not a key financial factor for the world's largest software maker. Its Entertainment & Devices unit is set to break $10 billion in sales for the first time this year, but that's half the sales of its Windows unit, and a lot less profitable, averaging less than 15 percent margin compared to 60 percent or higher for Windows or Office.

The company has more than 46 million members who subscribe to its online gaming and digital entertainment service Xbox Live, but that's still a fraction of the people who pay for its software.

However, the Xbox is still a key weapon in Microsoft's strategic battle with Google Inc, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and others for a central place in consumers' lives.

"This (the new Xbox) is of massive importance to Microsoft. It is a piece of a larger war for the consumer that it is battling. They want to be fully integrated with the consumer whether it's in the living room or mobile," said P.J. McNealy, CEO and founder of Digital World Research. "Arguably the battle against both Apple and Google for dominating a consumer's time share more so than taking on Sony and Nintendo directly."

That means Microsoft will be aiming for many markets at the same time, from the core and casual gamer to the TV watcher and music fan.

To do that, industry watchers expect Microsoft to integrate the new Xbox much more closely to the TV and cable or satellite box, perhaps allowing users to change channel or buy movies with a wave of the hand through its motion-control Kinect sensor. They also expect to hear more about SmartGlass, Microsoft's app that lets you link an Xbox to a tablet or smartphone.

Users can already get Netflix through the Xbox, and Microsoft recently started its own studio to produce exclusive content, meaning the new device is a gateway to much more than games.

"I think they're going to try to have their cake and eat it too - they will try to get casual people for entertainment while keeping the hardcore gamers interested," said McCaffrey at IGN.com. "They want their console on all the time, whether it's a mom watching Amazon video, the son playing a game and the dad watching (Major League Baseball) TV on another app - that's their goal."

(Additional reporting by Edwin Chan; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/xbox-more-game-console-microsoft-113023100.html

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European commissioner promises single mobile market by 2015

As much as Europe can hope for deeper integration, it doesn't feel that way when citizens get whacked for hefty roaming rates. European digital commissioner Neelie Kroes has got such charges in her sights, telling business leaders that she's planning to push through a single mobile telecoms market before she retires in 2015. Speaking at the European Business Summit, she said she had "no intention to retire until [she'd] knocked down all the barriers to a single market," which was her "major priority" for the rest of her term. Hopefully those on that side of the pond will never again have to fork over $8 per day just to check Vine.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Comments

Source: EUObserver

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/20/neelie-kroes-single-eu-mobile-market/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Telerehabilitation allows accurate assessment of patients with low back pain

May 20, 2013 ? A new "telerehabilitation" approach lets physical therapists assess patients with low back pain (LBP) over the Internet, with good accuracy compared with face-to-face examinations, reports a study in the May 15 issue of Spine.

Taking advantage of Skype and other widely-used services may make telerehabilitation a more feasible alternative to in-person clinic visits, according to the new research by Prof. Manuel Arroyo-Morales and colleagues of University of Granada, Spain. They believe their results "give preliminary support to the implementation of web-based LBP assessment systems using video recordings that can be evaluated by different therapists."

Can Back Pain Assessments Be Performed Over the Internet?

The researchers designed and evaluated a web-based telerehabilitation system for performing routine clinical assessments of patients with LBP. The telerehabilitation setup operated across a low-bandwidth Internet connection between two personal computers equipped with webcams.

The system included the popular Skype videoconferencing service, allowing the patient and physical therapist could see and talk to each other in real time. The therapist guided the patient in performing specific movements, and captured video clips for analysis using video motion analysis software (Kinovea). The therapist and patient were also able to complete standard back pain questionnaires using the web-based system.

Fifteen patients with chronic LBP underwent two assessments in random order: once face-to-face and once using the telerehabilitation setup. Accuracy was assessed by comparing the results of telerehabilitation assessment with those of in-person assessment.

The results showed good agreement between the two evaluations, supporting the use of telerehabilitation for clinical assessment of LBP. There was good correlation for measures made on video motion analysis, such as spine mobility and back muscle endurance; as well as questionnaire-based assessments such as disability, pain, and health-related quality of life.

Skype and Other Tools Make Telerehabilitation More Feasible

The telerehabilitation setup showed consistent results for the same therapist at different times (intra-rater reliability) as well as for assessment by independent therapists (inter-rater reliability).

There is growing interest in Internet-based systems for assessment of patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Telerehabilitation approaches could be especially valuable for patient in rural or remote areas, who don't have easy access to healthcare providers.

In the past, the use of telerehabilitation was limited by high equipment costs. The new study shows the successful use of telerehabilitation using widely available and familiar technology, including the use of free software such as Skype.

The telerehabilitation system evaluated in the new study may be useful in assessing patients with the very common problem of LBP, showing good agreement with the results of face-to-face assessment. However, there are still some factors limiting more widespread use -- including the need for "potentially unwieldy" security software to protect patient privacy.

Prof. Arroyo-Morales and coauthors also note that many patients who would otherwise have been eligible for the study weren't included because of a lack of familiarity and experience with computers. The researchers call for further studies in larger groups of patients -- focusing on those who don't have easy access to in-person evaluations.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/SyxihhEF0GM/130520133722.htm

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Audit THIS! Tea Party groups to protest at IRS offices nationwide on Tuesday (Michellemalkin)

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Guarantee Optimum Computing With The Window Vista Registry ...

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Source: http://patselby.com/blog/guarantee-optimum-computing-with-the-window-vista-registry-cleaner/

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Officer who shot NY student faced harrowing choice

In this photo copied from the 2010 Sleepy Hollow High School yearbook, high school student Andrea Rubello is shown. Police said Rubello, a junior at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., was shot and killed Friday, May 17, 2013, during a break-in near the college campus. (AP Photo/Sleepy Hollow High School)

In this photo copied from the 2010 Sleepy Hollow High School yearbook, high school student Andrea Rubello is shown. Police said Rubello, a junior at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., was shot and killed Friday, May 17, 2013, during a break-in near the college campus. (AP Photo/Sleepy Hollow High School)

This undated photo provided by the Nassau County Police Department shows Dalton Smith of Hempstead, N.Y. On Saturday, May 18, 2013, police identified Smith the alleged home invader involved in the fatal slaying of a New York college student early Friday morning. Police say that Smith, who was currently on parole for robbery in the first degree, was the person attempting to rob the off-campus home where Andrea Rebello was shot and killed. (AP Photo/Nassau County Police Department)

The Tarrytown, N.Y., home of the family of Hofstra University student Andrea Rubello is seen on Friday, May 17, 2013. Police say Rubello was shot and killed Friday, May 17, 2013, during a break-in near the college campus in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jim Fitzgerald)

Hofstra University students gather near the house where another student and an armed intruder were killed during an overnight house break-in next to the campus, Friday, May 17, 2013, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

Officers continue working the scene at the house, left, where a Hofstra University student and an armed intruder were killed during an overnight break-in next to the campus, Friday, May 17, 2013, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The police officer who accidentally killed a Long Island college student along with an armed intruder faced perhaps the most harrowing decision in law enforcement: choosing the split-second moment when the risk is so high that you must pull the trigger.

That's the moment authorities say a Nassau County police officer experienced early Friday morning when a masked man holding 21-year-old Andrea Rebello in a headlock pointed a loaded handgun at him.

"The big question is, how do you know, when someone's pointing a gun at you, whether you should keep talking to them, or shoot?" said Michele Galietta, a professor of psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice who helps train police officers. "That's what makes the job of an officer amazingly difficult."

She spoke Sunday as Hofstra University students honored Rebello, a popular public relations major, by wearing white ribbons at their graduation ceremony.

On Saturday evening, flags on the Hempstead campus were at half-staff and students held a silent outdoor vigil in front of a photo of the young woman. Surrounded by candles and flowers, they sang "Ave Maria."

Rebello's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Sleepy Hollow, in Westchester County, north of New York City.

Her life ended in the seconds that forced the veteran police officer to make a fatal decision, but the questions surrounding the student's death are just beginning, along with an internal investigation by the Nassau County Police Department.

The bare facts are simple. Rebello and the intruder, Dalton Smith, died early Friday when the officer fired eight shots, hitting him seven times, with one bullet striking Rebello once in the head, according to county homicide squad Lt. John Azzata.

With a gun pointed at her, Smith "kept saying, 'I'm going to kill her,' and then he pointed the gun at the police officer," according to Azzata.

The officer acted quickly, saying later that he believed his and Rebello's life were in danger, according to authorities.

No doubt, he was acting to try to save lives ? his own and that of the young woman, Galietta said.

"What we're asking the cop to anticipate is, 'What is going on in the suspect's mind at the moment?'" she said. "We're always trying to de-escalate, to contain a situation, but the issue of safety comes in first, and that's the evaluation the officer has to make."

Eugene O'Donnell, a former New York City police officer and professor of law and police studies at John Jay College, said the crucial issue may be whether or not police had deemed it a hostage situation. If so, he said, there are protocols police follow to buy time, slow down, isolate and assess.

But O'Donnell said the officers may have had few options because of "an eyeball to eyeball confrontation between the officer and the offender."

"It may have been too fluid to deteriorate for the officers to do anything else," O'Donnell said. "It underscores that there's no two of these that are exactly alike."

Police tactical manuals are meant to assist officers in making the best decision possible, but in the end, "they're not 100 percent foolproof," Galietta said. "In a situation like that, you can follow procedure, and it doesn't mean it comes out perfectly."

The officer who fired the shots is an eight-year NYPD veteran and has been with Nassau County police for 12 years.

He is now out on sick leave, Azzata said.

Procedurally, the Nassau County district attorney's office would determine whether an officer's use of deadly force was justified. O'Donnell said. A spokesman for the district attorney's office did not respond to a request for comment Saturday night.

There are some rules governing the use of force for New York police officers. A subsection of Article 35 of New York Penal Law prohibits against recklessly endangering innocent people.

___

Associated Press writers Frank Eltman in Mineola, N.Y., and Jake Pearson contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-20-US-Hofstra-Student-Shot/id-e2de907a08fa44569fd6c98cce535bff

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New smartphone application improves colonoscopy preparation

Public release date: 18-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Aimee Frank
newsroom@gastro.org
301-941-2620
Digestive Disease Week

Innovation for healthy outcomes presented at DDW 2013

Orlando, FL (May 18, 2013) The use of a smartphone application significantly improves patients' preparation for a colonoscopy, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week (DDW). The preparation process, which begins days in advance of the procedure, includes dietary restrictions and requires specific bowel preparation medication to be taken at strict intervals. The better the preparation, the easier it is for doctors to see cancer and precancerous polyps in the colon. The study, which was conducted by the gastroenterologists of Arizona Digestive Health in Phoenix, featured the first doctor-designed app of its kind.

"Getting ready for a colonoscopy is difficult. There are a lot of steps," said Nilay Kavathia, MD, a gastroenterology fellow at Phoenix VA, who is one of the application's developers. "For patients, having an interactive, simplified and personalized app on their phone is like having a doctor at their side throughout the process."

In the study comparing the quality of bowel preparation by patients who used the app and those who did not, Dr. Kavathia found that 84 percent of individuals who used the app received a good score on the nine-point Boston Bowel Preparation Scale. By contrast, only 56 percent of those who didn't use the app received a good score. The results, which correspond with health technology trends, show how advances in smartphones are helping physicians achieve better patient outcomes.

To help increase quality bowel preparation, Dr. Kavathia worked with Dr. Paul Berggreen, the president of Arizona Digestive Health, to develop the "Arizona Digestive Health" app. Patients enter the date and time of the procedure and the bowel preparation medication chosen by their physician. Timed alerts then appear on the phone to remind the individual of the next step in bowel preparation. In addition to the alerts, the app offers information explaining the procedure, tips and pictures of preparation quality. It is available for free download.

Dr. Kavathia would like to build upon his findings by studying individual outcomes of patients who use an app to get ready for a colonoscopy. "We know that better prep means a better colonoscopy," he said, "and now we know that this app improves prep. This finding has huge implications for treatment, patient satisfaction and further research in how the use of technology can impact healthy outcomes."

A colonoscopy serves as a screening test for colorectal cancer and allows a doctor to look for polyps, or precancerous growths, in the colon and rectum. When men and women are considered together, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. and the third most common cancer for both sexes. Colonoscopies for average risk patients are recommended beginning at age 50.

The success of a colonoscopy depends greatly on the quality of bowel preparation by the patient. Inadequate preparation can force cancellation of an exam or can result in a compromised exam in which polyps go undetected, an increase in procedure time and more frequent surveillance.

###

Dr. Kavathia will present data from the study "Outcomes of smart phone application assisted bowel preparation for colonoscopy," abstract 143c, on Saturday, May 18, at 2:30 p.m. ET in Room 203AB of the Orange County Convention Center.

Digestive Disease Week (DDW) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW takes place May 18 to 21, 2013, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. More information can be found at http://www.ddw.org.

Follow us on Twitter @DDWMeeting; hashtag #DDW13. Become a fan of DDW on Facebook

---

[ | 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: 18-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Aimee Frank
newsroom@gastro.org
301-941-2620
Digestive Disease Week

Innovation for healthy outcomes presented at DDW 2013

Orlando, FL (May 18, 2013) The use of a smartphone application significantly improves patients' preparation for a colonoscopy, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week (DDW). The preparation process, which begins days in advance of the procedure, includes dietary restrictions and requires specific bowel preparation medication to be taken at strict intervals. The better the preparation, the easier it is for doctors to see cancer and precancerous polyps in the colon. The study, which was conducted by the gastroenterologists of Arizona Digestive Health in Phoenix, featured the first doctor-designed app of its kind.

"Getting ready for a colonoscopy is difficult. There are a lot of steps," said Nilay Kavathia, MD, a gastroenterology fellow at Phoenix VA, who is one of the application's developers. "For patients, having an interactive, simplified and personalized app on their phone is like having a doctor at their side throughout the process."

In the study comparing the quality of bowel preparation by patients who used the app and those who did not, Dr. Kavathia found that 84 percent of individuals who used the app received a good score on the nine-point Boston Bowel Preparation Scale. By contrast, only 56 percent of those who didn't use the app received a good score. The results, which correspond with health technology trends, show how advances in smartphones are helping physicians achieve better patient outcomes.

To help increase quality bowel preparation, Dr. Kavathia worked with Dr. Paul Berggreen, the president of Arizona Digestive Health, to develop the "Arizona Digestive Health" app. Patients enter the date and time of the procedure and the bowel preparation medication chosen by their physician. Timed alerts then appear on the phone to remind the individual of the next step in bowel preparation. In addition to the alerts, the app offers information explaining the procedure, tips and pictures of preparation quality. It is available for free download.

Dr. Kavathia would like to build upon his findings by studying individual outcomes of patients who use an app to get ready for a colonoscopy. "We know that better prep means a better colonoscopy," he said, "and now we know that this app improves prep. This finding has huge implications for treatment, patient satisfaction and further research in how the use of technology can impact healthy outcomes."

A colonoscopy serves as a screening test for colorectal cancer and allows a doctor to look for polyps, or precancerous growths, in the colon and rectum. When men and women are considered together, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. and the third most common cancer for both sexes. Colonoscopies for average risk patients are recommended beginning at age 50.

The success of a colonoscopy depends greatly on the quality of bowel preparation by the patient. Inadequate preparation can force cancellation of an exam or can result in a compromised exam in which polyps go undetected, an increase in procedure time and more frequent surveillance.

###

Dr. Kavathia will present data from the study "Outcomes of smart phone application assisted bowel preparation for colonoscopy," abstract 143c, on Saturday, May 18, at 2:30 p.m. ET in Room 203AB of the Orange County Convention Center.

Digestive Disease Week (DDW) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW takes place May 18 to 21, 2013, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. More information can be found at http://www.ddw.org.

Follow us on Twitter @DDWMeeting; hashtag #DDW13. Become a fan of DDW on Facebook

---

[ | 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/2013-05/ddw-nsa051513.php

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Upmarket Pakistan district votes again as Imran Khan decries killing

By Katharine Houreld and Syed Raza Hassan

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An upmarket constituency of Pakistan's violence-plagued city of Karachi voted again under tight security on Sunday, a day after gunmen killed a senior politician from a reformist party in the district and a week after general elections.

It was not immediately clear who killed Zara Shahid Hussain, a leading member of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) party of former cricket star Imran Khan.

Imran blamed the killing on the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) party, which has a stranglehold on the city. MQM leaders denied responsibility, condemned the killing and demanded a retraction from Imran.

The attack in the upscale Defence area, the family neighborhood of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, capped a bloody election campaign in which around 150 people were killed nationwide.

Last Saturday's elections handed a landslide victory to opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

But results from a handful of constituencies across the country are still uncertain amid accusations of vote-rigging. There is re-polling in a few others where security issues prevented voting.

Last week's election gave the MQM 18 of 19 national assembly seats in Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city. The constituency, known blandly as NA-250, where Sunday's re-poll is taking place is thought to be a stronghold of the PTI.

The re-vote took place at 43 of 180 polling stations. The MQM, which wanted re-polling of the whole constituency, boycotted the vote.

Whatever the result, Sharif's national landslide win is assured. But as Pakistan's financial center, Karachi generates around half of government revenues and stability in the city is key to stability of the whole country.

For the first time, each ballot box was guarded by a ranger and a soldier inside and outside the booths to ensure security and no violence had been reported by early afternoon.

CONTROVERSIAL PARTY

Police said that two gunmen shot Hussain on Saturday outside her home in Defence.

"Her death has sent shockwaves across the rank and file of the party," Khan said in a statement.

"I hold (MQM leader) Altaf Hussain directly responsible for the murder as he openly threatened PTI workers and leaders through public broadcasts," Imran, recovering in hospital from a fall during campaigning, added in a tweet.

"I also hold the British government responsible as I had warned them about British citizen Altaf Hussain after his open threats."

Altaf Hussain is accused of murder in Pakistan and leads his party remotely from exile in England. His party is designated a terrorist organization by Canada, a charge it strongly denies.

In recent days he gave a speech which many Pakistanis felt was an incitement to attack political rivals. British police are investigating whether or not it constituted a hate speech.

The MQM, a secular party, is locked in a battle with various rival contenders for influence in Karachi, including Pakistan's Taliban movement, which has sought to gain a foothold in various districts on the outskirts of the city in recent years.

Imran's election campaign electrified many Pakistanis, pushing the PTI from a marginal party to Pakistan's third largest.

Karachi, the nuclear-armed country's key port, is home to 18 million people. It typically sees about a dozen murders a day, a combination of political killings, attacks by the Pakistan Taliban and sectarian militant groups, and street crime.

(Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/upmarket-pakistan-district-votes-again-imran-khan-decries-062119635.html

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24-hour curfew in Nigeria city in military push

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) ? Nigeria's military has declared a 24-hour curfew in several neighborhoods of a northeastern city as its campaign against Islamic extremists in the region continues.

A statement Saturday on behalf of Lt. Col. Sagir Musa named 11 areas of Maiduguri were people must remain inside their homes until further notice. Musa said it was part of the military's push since President Goodluck Jonathan issued an emergency decree Tuesday allowing soldiers to arrest people at will and take over buildings suspected to house extremists in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, is the spiritual home of the extremist network known as Boko Haram. Bombings and gunfire have remained common there despite a heavy police and military presence. Soldiers are stopping trucks from entering the city.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/24-hour-curfew-nigeria-city-military-push-143936817.html

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Psychiatrist suggests that DSM-5 has some positives but a lot of negatives.

Public release date: 17-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michelle Kelly
michelle.kelly@oup.com
212-726-6172
Oxford University Press

OUP publishes Joel Paris's The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5

The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5 explores all revisions to the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual, and shows clinicians how they can best apply the strong points and shortcomings of psychiatry's most contentious resource. Written by a celebrated professor of psychiatry, this reader-friendly book uses evidence-based critiques and new research to point out where DSM-5 is right, where it is wrong, and where the jury's still out. Along the way, The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5 sifts through the many public controversies and clinical debates surrounding the drafting of the manual and shows how they inform a modern understanding of psychiatric illness, diagnosis and treatment. This book is necessary reading for all mental health professionals as they grapple with the first major revision of the DSM to appear in over 30 years.

"The clinician who longs for a balanced, reliable, and illuminating assessment of the state of psychiatric diagnosis and what it all means for understanding our clients - and who yearns for a guide who understands all the technical details but has somehow miraculously retained his common sense - can do no better than to turn to Joel Paris's incisive, magisterial, tone-perfect, and clear-as-a-bell overview. . . . If I wanted to sit down with someone to talk over the background and meaning of psychiatric diagnosis as I will face it in the post-DSM-5 era, Joel Paris is the person I would talk to. This is the clinician's seatbelt for surviving the diagnostic turbulence that has been tossing us around over the past few years and, possibly, for years to come."

###

--Jerome C. Wakefield, PhD, DSW, School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry, New York University, New York and co-author of All We Have to Fear: Psychiatry's Transformation of Natural Anxieties into Mental Disorders

Related links: http://blog.oup.com/2013/05/clinician-guide-to-dsm-5/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/12/dsm-psychiatry-mental-disorders/2150819/ - author interviewed for article

The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5
by Joel Paris, MD
published April 17, 2013
272 Pages ? $29.95? 9780199738175
To request a review copy or interview the authors, please contact Michelle Kelly, marketing, at 212-726-6172 or michelle.kelly@oup.com

---

[ | 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: 17-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michelle Kelly
michelle.kelly@oup.com
212-726-6172
Oxford University Press

OUP publishes Joel Paris's The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5

The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5 explores all revisions to the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual, and shows clinicians how they can best apply the strong points and shortcomings of psychiatry's most contentious resource. Written by a celebrated professor of psychiatry, this reader-friendly book uses evidence-based critiques and new research to point out where DSM-5 is right, where it is wrong, and where the jury's still out. Along the way, The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5 sifts through the many public controversies and clinical debates surrounding the drafting of the manual and shows how they inform a modern understanding of psychiatric illness, diagnosis and treatment. This book is necessary reading for all mental health professionals as they grapple with the first major revision of the DSM to appear in over 30 years.

"The clinician who longs for a balanced, reliable, and illuminating assessment of the state of psychiatric diagnosis and what it all means for understanding our clients - and who yearns for a guide who understands all the technical details but has somehow miraculously retained his common sense - can do no better than to turn to Joel Paris's incisive, magisterial, tone-perfect, and clear-as-a-bell overview. . . . If I wanted to sit down with someone to talk over the background and meaning of psychiatric diagnosis as I will face it in the post-DSM-5 era, Joel Paris is the person I would talk to. This is the clinician's seatbelt for surviving the diagnostic turbulence that has been tossing us around over the past few years and, possibly, for years to come."

###

--Jerome C. Wakefield, PhD, DSW, School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry, New York University, New York and co-author of All We Have to Fear: Psychiatry's Transformation of Natural Anxieties into Mental Disorders

Related links: http://blog.oup.com/2013/05/clinician-guide-to-dsm-5/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/12/dsm-psychiatry-mental-disorders/2150819/ - author interviewed for article

The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5
by Joel Paris, MD
published April 17, 2013
272 Pages ? $29.95? 9780199738175
To request a review copy or interview the authors, please contact Michelle Kelly, marketing, at 212-726-6172 or michelle.kelly@oup.com

---

[ | 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/2013-05/oup-pst051713.php

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Obama picks budget official to run troubled IRS

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama picked a senior White House budget official to become the acting head of the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday, the same day another top official announced plans to leave the agency amid the controversy over agents targeting tea party groups.

Obama named longtime civil servant Daniel Werfel as the acting IRS commissioner. Werfel, 42, currently serves as controller of the Office of Management and Budget, making him a key player in implementing recent automatic spending cuts known as the sequester.

"Throughout his career working in both Democratic and Republican administrations, Danny has proven an effective leader who serves with professionalism, integrity and skill," Obama said in a statement. "The American people deserve to have the utmost confidence and trust in their government, and as we work to get to the bottom of what happened and restore confidence in the IRS, Danny has the experience and management ability necessary to lead the agency at this important time."

Werfel replaces Steven Miller as acting IRS commissioner. Miller was forced to resign Wednesday amid the growing scandal, though he is still scheduled to testify Friday at a congressional hearing.

Also Thursday, Joseph Grant, one of Miller's top deputies, announced plans to retire June 3, according to an internal IRS memo. Grant is commissioner of the agency's tax exempt and government entities division, which includes the agents that targeted tea party groups for additional scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status.

Grant joined the IRS in 2005 and took over as acting commissioner of the tax exempt and government entities division in December 2010. He was just named the permanent commissioner May 8.

When asked whether Grant was pressured to leave, IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge said Grant had more than 31 years of federal service and it was his personal decision to leave.

Before he joined the IRS, Grant was a top official at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Grant's predecessor at the IRS was Sarah Hall Ingram, who is now director of the agency's Affordable Care Act Office. Ingram was in charge of the tax exempt division when IRS agents first started targeting conservative groups.

The IRS said Ingram was assigned to help the agency implement the health care law in December 2010, about six months before an inspector general's report said her subordinate, the director of exempt organizations, learned about the targeting.

Still, the fact that she was in charge of the division when the targeting first started is sure to give Republicans fodder in their fight against Obama's health care law. The Republican-led House voted 229-195 Thursday to repeal the health care law.

Werfel agreed to head the IRS through the end of September, the White House said. Presumably, Obama will nominate a new commissioner by then.

IRS commissioners serve five-year terms and must be confirmed by the Senate. Werfel won't need Senate approval because he is a temporary appointment. The Senate, however, confirmed Werfel for his current position without opposition in 2009.

Werfel has had several jobs at the Office of Management and Budget and worked there during President George W. Bush's administration. He has also been a trial attorney in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

"He is an immensely talented and dedicated public servant who has ably served presidents of both parties," Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said in a statement. "Danny has a strong record of raising his hand for ? and excelling at ? tough management assignments."

Former Bush chief of staff Joshua Bolten said Werfel was highly regarded by the Bush White House and that departing Bush budget officials recommended Werfel for controller to the incoming Obama camp after the 2008 election.

"He was consummately professional, well organized and effective," said Bolten, who also served as Bush's budget director from 2003 to 2006.

Werfel takes over an agency in crisis and under investigation. The IRS apologized last week for improperly targeting conservative political groups for additional, sometimes burdensome scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. The practice went on more than 18 months, diminishing the ability of these groups to raise money during election cycles in 2010 and 2012, said an inspector general's report released this week.

The report did not indicate that Washington initiated the targeting of conservative groups. But it did blame ineffective management in Washington for allowing it to happen.

On Thursday, Obama dismissed the idea of a special prosecutor, saying probes by Congress and the Justice Department should be able to figure out who was responsible.

"Between those investigations I think we're going to be able to figure out exactly what happened, who was involved, what went wrong, and we're going to be able to implement steps to fix it," Obama said at a Rose Garden press conference.

Obama promised to work with Congress in its investigations, and he reiterated that he did not know that conservative groups were targeted until it became public last Friday.

"I promise you this, that the minute I found out about it, then my main focus was making sure that we get the thing fixed," Obama said.

Don't look for the controversy to subside.

Three congressional committees are investigating, and the FBI has launched a criminal probe.

On Friday, Miller is scheduled to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee. Also testifying is J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration.

Ways and Means Committee members are expected to grill Miller over why he failed to tell lawmakers that conservative groups were targeted, even after the agency said he was briefed in May 2012.

"The IRS has demonstrated a culture of cover up and has failed time and time again to be completely open and honest with the American people," said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. "The committee and the American people deserve honest answers from Mr. Miller at our hearing this Friday."

Miller, a 25-year career civil servant at the IRS, took over the agency in November, when the five-year term of Commissioner Douglas Shulman ended. Shulman was appointed by President George W. Bush.

At the time when tea party groups were targeted, Miller was a deputy commissioner and Grant's supervisor.

The Senate Finance Committee said it will hold a hearing on the matter Tuesday. The House Oversight Committee is to hold a hearing Wednesday.

On Thursday, Senate Republicans called for yet another investigation into whether agents in the same Cincinnati office that targeted conservative groups released confidential taxpayer information from some of those groups.

The Journalism website ProPublica reported this week that the IRS had released nine pending confidential applications of conservative groups to ProPublica late last year.

The IRS said in a statement that the inspector general already had investigated the matter, and "found these instances to be inadvertent and unintentional disclosures by the employees involved."

___

Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-picks-budget-official-run-troubled-irs-202656418.html

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Obama turns his attention to jobs, economy

After a week filled with controversy and criticism, President Barack Obama leaves town Friday for the second stop on his "Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour." The trip, previously scheduled, takes him to Baltimore, Md., where he will press his economic agenda.

Obama, who will tour a Baltimore elementary school, a manufacturer and a community center, plans to underscore White House efforts to boost the middle class, job growth and education.

During the president's visit to Ellicot Dredges, which manufactures dredges and dredging equipment, the president will announce in public remarks a presidential memorandum to modernize and streamline the federal infrastructure permitting process, according to a White House official. The proposal is designed to build on his pledge to boost the country's manufacturing industry and invest in U.S. infrastructure.

Adding potential controversy to his trip, the owner of Ellicott Dredges, Peter Bowe, shares the view of many congressional Republicans in support of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Bowe testified before Congress on the issue Thursday. Obama has yet to announce a position on the pipeline-- which will carry oil from Canada and the northern United States to the Gulf Coast-- but faces pressure from environmentalists and others to reject the proposal.

Controversy over the pipeline has dogged the president on other unrelated trips.

During a fundraising swing in California last month, the fact that his event was being hosted by pipeline opponent Tom Steyer, hedge fund billionaire and environmentalist, drew pipeline protesters who sought to draw attention to the issue.

For the rest of Obama's visit, he will be occupied by a visit to a Baltimore school, which will be linked to the president's proposal to create universal pre-kindergarten which was outlined in his State of the Union address, and his community center visit will be tied to his Promise Zone budget proposal to identify and assist hard-hit communities, according to the White House.

Last week, on the tour's first stop, the president made a trip to Texas to announce manufacturing competitions.

As the president left town Friday, the House Ways and Means Committee on Capitol Hill grilled the ousted acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven Miller, over recent revelations that the IRS targeted conservatives applying for tax-exempt status. After the allegations were confirmed Wednesday by the Treasury Department inspector general's report, Obama announced that Miller had been forced to resign.

That action came amid continued pressure on the administration to explain revisions made to talking points related to the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya?to which the White House responded Wednesday by releasing those emails to the media?and controversy surrounding the Department of Justice's secret seizure of Associated Press reporters' and editors' phone records in the investigation of a national security leak.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-leaves-scandals-washington-pushes-jobs-economy-baltimore-160836939.html

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Human Rights Watch advocate Cynthia Brown dead at 60

May 15 (Reuters) - Post positions for the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes, to be run at Pimlico on Saturday (Post Position, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds) 1. Orb, Joel Rosario, Shug McGaughey, even 2. Goldencents, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill, 8-1 3. Titletown Five, Julien Leparoux, D. Wayne Lukas, 30-1 4. Departing, Brian Hernandez, Al Stall, 6-1 5. Mylute, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss, 5-1 6. Oxbow, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas, 15-1 7. Will Take Charge, Mike Smith, D. Wayne Lukas, 12-1 8. Govenor Charlie, Martin Garcia, Bob Baffert, 12-1 9. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/human-rights-watch-advocate-cynthia-brown-dead-60-032621338.html

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Weak German growth drags oil below $94

BANGKOK (AP) ? The price of fell below $94 on Wednesday after Germany, Europe's largest economy, reported anemic growth for the first quarter.

Benchmark oil for June delivery was down 64 cents to $93.57 per barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Germany avoided recession in the first three months of the year, growing 0.1 percent compared with the previous three-month period's 0.7 percent drop. However, traders expected to see slightly stronger growth of 0.3 percent.

On Tuesday, West Texas Intermediate crude fell 96 cents to close at $94.21 after the International Energy Agency raised its forecast for U.S. oil production while cutting its prediction for global crude demand. Analysts said assessments such as the one from the Paris-based IEA were keeping crude prices in check.

Michael Hewson of CMC Markets said in a market commentary that "rising inventories in the US mean that supply will likely outweigh demand for quite some time to come."

Later Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve will release industrial production data for April while the National Association of Home Builders releases its housing market index for May. The data will help shed additional light on the extent of the economic recovery in the U.S., which in turn could influence future energy consumption.

The IEA predicted growth in global demand would remain subdued throughout 2013.

Brent crude, a benchmark for many international oil varieties, fell 30 cents to $102.21 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline fell 1 cent to $2.828 a gallon.

? Heating oil fell 1.7 cent to $2.856 a gallon.

? Natural gas rose marginally to $4.025 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/weak-german-growth-drags-oil-below-94-093221909.html

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Inside USD | Students Provide Consulting for Nonprofit Organization

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

They sat silently, listening to each speaker. The woman in the front of the room would occasionally nod her head before scribbling on her notepad. As the PowerPoint slides were read and statistics were explained, it became clear that the speakers knew what they were talking about. A business gathering was underway; it seemed that a high-powered boardroom meeting was taking place on the USD campus.

Instead of an elite business meeting, though, the scene described above is a USD classroom in action and the woman jotting down notes is Rita Lim, the CEO of Wormfree World Institute. ?Social Entrepreneurship for Social Change? is a newer class and this semester is only the second time it?s been offered to USD students.

Patricia Marquez, an associate professor in the School of Business Administration and faculty director for the Changemaker Hub explains the aim of the class and how it works.

?It is a consulting project with a new non-profit organization called Wormfree World Institute. The idea is that students have creativity and great new ideas for helping start-ups move forward with their enterprises. It also allows them to put in action what we are discussing in the course.?

According to the Wormfree World website, ?Intestinal roundworms are the leading source of?disease burden in more than 400 million children worldwide. We urgently need new drugs for curing these children. The vision of Wormfree World Institute is a world where every child is free of intestinal roundworms so they can grow and think to their full potential.?

At the heart of the class is the notion that students are a valuable resource. Instead of viewing college students as inexperienced or too young, this course acknowledges and embraces the unique perspective of young adults.

Chantale Serad, an International Business major, explains that her favorite part of the class is being allowed the opportunity to learn hands-on and experience personal growth as a result.

?[I learned to] challenge the equilibrium,? she says. ?We are all such unique individuals, but we oftentimes are much more comfortable going with the flow versus challenging the norm. By challenging, after all, it all starts with an idea!?

The class was divided into groups and each was responsible for presenting suggestions about a different aspect of Wormfree World. Some students presented ideas for branding strategies while another group pitched the concept of creating an internship program with Wormfree World and USD.

After hearing each presentation last week, Lim was pleased.

?Thank you so much for the fine presentations ? [the students] demonstrated initiative, synthesis, creativity, and much passion for Wormfree World. I am heartened to see so much talent in the application of management principles to our cause.?

Marquez seconded, saying, ?It was very positive to see the students show their knowledge and skills in problem solving. They showed their strengths in gathering data to support innovative ideas for advancing the goals of WfW. All of the students were passionate about their project and showed commitment to provide useful ideas.?

As for the future of the class, Marquez said she hopes that it can become a regular elective in the business school.

?The ideal would be that each time it is taught we can partner with local social enterprises so students can learn by developing projects and the organizations benefits from new ideas and recommendations.?

Serad has similar hopes for her own future. ?Call it clich?, but my hope for the future is to have a positive, global impact on our world and to leave society in a better state than I was born in to.?

? Taylor Milam ?15

Source: http://www.sandiego.edu/insideusd/?p=30888

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