An Iowan is among five people killed in a military chopper crash. Staff Sergeant Steven P. Blass, 27, of Estherville, Iowa died when the chopper he was riding in went down in Kandahar, Afghanistan on Monday. There's no word on services for him at this time.
Source: http://www.facebook.com/kgancbs2/posts/130766260439272
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?I approve.? With the discovery of those two words that Jamie Dimon, the chairman and C.E.O. of JPMorgan Chase, wrote in an email on January 23, 2012, the most prominent banker on Wall Street has been directly tied to the burgeoning ?London Whale? trading scandal, which has returned to the headlines in sensational fashion. In a hearing in Washington Friday, the scandal took another twist, with a senior government official asserting that, in the months leading up to the bank losing billions of dollars, Dimon ordered his underlings not to give the bank?s regulators information they had requested.
The escalation in the scandal started with Thursday?s publication of a three-hundred page report by a Senate subcommittee, which said Dimon not only signed off on a strategy that understated the risks being taken by the bank?s traders, including Bruno Iksil, a derivatives trader known as the Whale, who worked out of the bank?s tower at Canary Wharf in east London. After Iksil?s losses were revealed, last April, the report said, Dimon misled investors and the public about their nature.
On Friday, the Times reported that a criminal probe of the Whale affair by the Justice Department and the F.B.I. has reached an advanced stage. While the Times report says Dimon isn?t himself suspected of any wrongdoing, there can be no doubt that his career is on the line. For years now, he has been Wall Street?s untouchable: the magazine-cover star who, when many of his rivals were crashing and burning during the financial crisis, guided his bank through it all, mostly unharmed. He?s been invited to the White House (several times); Warren Buffett said he would be an excellent Treasury Secretary; he?s even been (largely) forgiven for whining about people criticizing bankers and their humungous pay packages.
But he won?t necessarily get through this one. If the feds were to indict any senior JPMorgan executives on charges arising from the Whale?s trades, which generated more than six billion dollars in losses, Dimon?s position could rapidly become untenable.
In a statement on Thursday, a spokeswoman for JPMorgan said: ?While we have repeatedly acknowledged significant mistakes, our senior management acted in good faith and never had any intent to mislead anyone.? That didn?t put an end to it: not nearly. Following the release of its report, the Permanent SubCommittee on Investigations held a lengthy hearing Friday. One of the first witnesses, Ina Drew, the bank?s former chief investment officer, who lost her job as a result of the Whale scandal, put the blame squarely on the bank?s London office:
Since my departure I have learned of the deceptive conduct by members of the London team, and I was, and remain, deeply disappointed and saddened to learn of such conduct and the extent to which the London team let me, and the Company, down.
Senator Carl Levin, for one, isn?t buying that story. As early as January of last year, he pointed out in his opening statement, the trading book of the Chief Investment Office, the division of JPMorgan that Iksil worked for, and which Drew oversaw, grew so large that it breached the risk guidelines established for the entire bank. ?That four-day breach was reported to top bank officials, including C.E.O. Jamie Dimon, who personally approved a temporary limit increase, and voil?, the breach was ended,? Levin said in his opening statement.
It was in okaying the temporary increase in risk-taking that Dimon sent the fateful e-mail, which has now turned up. At first glance, the strategy he approved was designed to reduce the dangers to the bank rather than increase them. While the temporary rise in risk limits was in effect, the bank?s traders and their supervisors were meant to bring down the level of risk, which is usually accomplished by selling off positions in the market. But rather than doing this, the Chief Investment Office merely changed the mathematical model it used to measure the risks attached to its portfolio, a sleight of hand that?on paper, anyway?lowered the estimate of its potential losses by fifty per cent.
According to Levin, that was just the beginning of the deception and negligence on the bank?s part. ?JPMorgan executives ignored a series of alarms that went off as the bank?s Chief Investment Office breached one risk limit after another,? he said. ?Rather than ratchet back the risk, JPMorgan personnel challenged and re-engineered the risk controls to silence the alarms. It is difficult to imagine how the American people can trust major Wall Street banks to prudently manage derivatives risk when bank personnel can readily game or ignore the risk controls meant to prevent financial disaster and taxpayer bailouts.?
Even when news of Iksil?s losses started to leak out, in April last year, JPMorgan ?misinformed regulators and the public,? Levin went on, and he said Dimon was one of those who did the misleading. All along, JPMorgan has said Iksil?s trades were ?hedges??investments designed to offset risks being taken elsewhere in the bank?rather than speculative punts. But the Senate investigators, who examined more than ninety thousand documents and conducted more than fifty interviews, couldn?t identify the assets that Iksil?s trades were supposed to be hedging, or how his trades were meant to reduce risk. In fact, rather than taking their cue from exposures elsewhere in the bank, Iksil and his colleagues ?doubled down? on their own losses in March of last year, acquiring another forty billion dollars worth of credit derivatives.
And yet, Levin noted, ?As late as May 10, bank C.E.O. Jamie Dimon repeatedly described the synthetic credit trades as hedges made to offset risk, despite information showing the portfolio was not functioning as a hedge. The bank also neglected to tell investors the bad news that the derivatives portfolio had broken through multiple risk limits, losses had piled up, and the head of the portfolio had put management of the portfolio into ?crisis mode.??
If all that wasn?t bad enough for Dimon?s reputation, one of the witnesses at the meeting, Scott Waterhouse, a senior regulator at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, recalled how, at a meeting in late 2011, just months before the trading scandal blew up, Dimon berated Douglas Braunstein, Chase?s Chief Financial Officer, for giving regular profit and loss reports to the O.C.C. Here, courtesy of the Huffington Post, is part of what Waterhouse said:
Levin: So apparently he [Dimon] had decided to stop the reports?
Waterhouse: I took it that way, yes, sir.
Levin: So he would be the one to restore the flow?
Waterhouse: Yes, sir.
Levin: Did he raise his voice?
Waterhouse: He did.
It isn?t just Levin, a longtime bugbear of Wall Street, who is making life uncomfortable for Dimon. The investigative report was a bipartisan one, and it was issued under the name of John McCain, the ranking Republican on the committee, as well as Levin. In his opening statement at yesterday?s hearing, McCain criticized ?top officials? at JPMorgan for permitting the bank?s traders to breach its risk limits, and he singled out Dimon for describing the furor over the Whale?s losses as a ?tempest in a teapot.? ?The truth of the matter is that six billion dollars, some of which is federally insured, is an inexcusable amount of money to be gambled away on risky bets,? McCain said. And he went on: ??Let me be clear: JPMorgan completely disregarded risk limits and stonewalled federal regulators.?
As long as JPMorgan?s share price doesn?t suffer too much?yesterday it closed down about a dollar?Dimon can probably survive being excoriated in Congress. But with the Justice Department eager to show it isn?t a Wall Street patsy, the prospect of criminal charges can?t be dismissed. Over the coming weeks, the bank?s high-priced lawyers will be desperately trying to persuade the feds that Ina Drew was right when she suggested that any deliberate deception, if there was some, was confined to Chase?s London office. For Dimon, the former golden boy, everything depends on this story holding up.
Jamie Dimon arrives at an investors meeting at company headquarters in New York, on February 26, 2013. JPMorgan Chase & Co., the biggest U.S. bank, expects headcount to decline by about four thousand in 2013 as Dimon targets mortgage operations for cuts. Photograph by Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg/Getty.
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Myer to chair interior design program at Athens Tech
Interior designer Phillip Myer recently joined Athens Technical College as chair of the community college?s interior design program on the main campus.
Myer has a master of fine arts degree in interior design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He also has a bachelor of fine arts degree in illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
He has taught college and high school students in the greater Atlanta area and has conducted seminars in Tokyo and Buenos Aires. Additionally, he has been the seminar instructor at a number of trade shows in the United States and Canada.
Myer owns PCM Interior Design and has been involved in the interior design and art industry since 1982. He is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, and the International Interior Design Association, and serves on the International Interior Design Association Georgia Chapter board of directors. He also serves on the education committee for Atlanta Center for Creative Inquiry, which mentors minority high-school students in the fields of the building arts such as architecture, interior design, engineering and construction.
UGA prof named Outstanding Scholar
University of Georgia College of Education professor Laura Bierema has received the 2013 Outstanding Scholar Award from the Academy of Human Resources Development for her feminist research.
Bierema, a professor in the department of lifelong education, administration and policy, is one of the first scholars to do feminist research in the field of human resources development and exploring women?s development in organizations.
Bierema also contributed to human resources development through both research-related service and building research-related infrastructures. She has written 27 scholarly journal articles, 29 book chapters, authored a book, co-authored another, edited and co-edited books, and has another book in press.
As the vice president of research for the Academy of Human Resources Development, she conducted a comprehensive study of research and publications within the field through the AHRD Journal Task Force.
Costantino joins Athens law firm
Athenian M. John Costantino has joined Lewis, Frierson and Grayson as an associate attorney.
He will focus on trust, estate, and health law as well as civil litigation with the general practice firm located at 279 Meigs St.
He is a native Athenian who attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., New York University, and Brooklyn Law School. In addition to his work with the firm, John is earning a master?s degree in public health policy and management from the University of Georgia School of Public Health. Prior to joining the firm, John worked in entertainment and civil litigation in New York and Los Angeles.
SBDC course on managing business
The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center is presenting a four-part training course on how to use QuickBooks to manage business.
Once the hands-on computer lab course is finished, a SBDC consultant will help implement QuickBooks into the client?s small business.
The schedule is basic accounting and company set-up, April 3; everything about customers, April 5; everything about vendors, April 10; and everything about employees, April 12.
Each class is from 9 a.m. until noon at the Chicopee Complex, 1180 E. Broad St. It is $199 for the four-part series. Pre-registration is required at www.athenssbdc.org or by calling (706) 542-7436.
Source: http://onlineathens.com/business/2013-03-16/athens-tech-names-new-chair-interior-design-program
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Mar. 15, 2013 ? Secondary school students who follow an in-class mindfulness programme report reduced indications of depression, anxiety and stress up to six months later. Moreover, these students were less likely to develop pronounced depression-like symptoms. The study, conducted by Professor Filip Raes (Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven), is the first to examine mindfulness in a large sample of adolescents in a school-based setting.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation therapy focused on exercising 'attentiveness'. Depression is often rooted in a downward spiral of negative feelings and worries. Once a person learns to more quickly recognise these feelings and thoughts, he or she can intervene before depression sinks in.
While mindfulness has already been widely tested and applied in patients with depression, this is the first time the method has been studied in a large group of adolescents in a school-based setting, using a randomised controlled design. The study was carried out at five middle schools in Flanders, Belgium. About 400 students between the ages of 13 and 20 took part. The students were divided into a test group and a control group. The test group received mindfulness training, and the control group received no training. Before the study, both groups completed a questionnaire with questions indicative of depression, stress or anxiety symptoms. Both groups completed the questionnaire again directly after the training, and then a third time six months later.
Before the start of the training, both the test group (21%) and the control group (24%) had a similar percentage of students reporting evidence of depression. After the mindfulness training, that number was significantly lower in the test group: 15% versus 27% in the control group. This difference persisted six months after the training: 16% of the test group versus 31% of the control group reported evidence of depression. The results suggest that mindfulness can lead to a decrease in symptoms associated with depression and, moreover, that it protects against the later development of depression-like symptoms.
The study was carried out in cooperation with the Belgian not-for-profit Mindfulness and with support from the Go for Happiness Foundation.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by KU Leuven, via AlphaGalileo.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/kyGQJdoL4zM/130315095916.htm
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'I feel there's no other artist on the street hotter than him, making the type of music he makes,' he tells MTV News of Alley Boy.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by FLX
Alley Boy and Master P
Photo: MTV News
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1703791/master-p-alley-boy-louie-v-mob-no-limit.jhtml
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Penelope Cruz is putting her baby belly on display! Plus, check out more pics of your favorite stars on the scene!
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Not long ago, if $500 was all you had in your HDTV spending budget, you likely ended up with a 27- or 32-inch set that maxed out at 720p resolution and looked like, well, a cheap TV?and it probably performed like one. These days, that same $500 gets you into a 40- or 42-inch model that offers full 1080p HD, LED backlighting, and in some cases, 120Hz refresh technology. Westinghouse's UW40T2BW
Design
The UW40T2BW?offers a simple, yet attractive, cabinet design. It has very thin (0.75-inch) matte black, lightly textured top and side bezels, and a wider (1.5-inch) bottom bezel adorned with a Westinghouse logo. The cabinet measures 2.3 inches at its thickest point and weighs 27 pounds. In addition to the 40-inch panel, it houses two down-firing 10-watt speakers that are loud and powerful. The TV comes with a rectangular, no-swivel stand and has the requisite four VESA mounting holes for placement on a wall.
Touch-sensitive Menu, Input, Volume, Channel, and Power buttons sit on the right side of the lower bezel. The on-screen menu system is well-organized and includes Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness, Color Temperature, and Hue adjustments. There are five preset picture modes (Showroom, Movie, Game, Sports, and Custom), and a handful of audio options. In addition to Bass, Treble, and Balance settings there are five audio presets (Rock, Pop, Classical, Flat, and Custom) and a Surround 3D setting. The surround effect doesn't come close to the output of a true multi-channel speaker setup, but it does give the TV a fuller-than-typical sound.
As with the 42-inch RCA LED42C45RQ, the UW40T2BW only has two HDMI ports. The same-size Insignia NS-42E480A13, on the other hand, gives you three. Both of the Westinghouse's HDMI ports are at the rear of the cabinet and face downward, making them difficult to access without tilting the TV all the way forward. They are joined by a USB port and an SPDIF audio jack. Right-facing ports include composite A/V, VGA and PC audio (analog) inputs, stereo audio outputs, and an antenna/cable coaxial jack.
The included remote is 7 inches long and contains 38 smallish buttons and a four-way arrow array. None of the buttons are backlit and there's no dedicated Picture Mode button, but it does have a button that toggles between Bright Room, Medium Room, and Dark Room backlighting settings.
Performance
In testing, the UW40T2BW's fast motion prowess was impressive; the 120Hz panel provided a smooth, stutter-free picture while watching 2012 on Blu-ray, a slight improvement in motion over the Editors' Choice (but 60Hz) RCA LED42C45RQ. Its contrast ratio, as measured with a Klein K10-A Colorimeter, was the lowest of the sub-$500 HDTVs we've recently tested, coming in at just 1,514:1. Image quality was aided some by a respectable 0.07 cd/m2 black level, which helped give the overall picture a bit of much-needed pop. The RCA's black level was an inferior 0.18 cd/m2, but its much brighter panel produced a contrast ratio of 1,796:1.
Color accuracy isn't good, as seen in the CIE color comparison chart below (the circles represent the measured readings, and the squares represent the ideal measurements). Red, green, and blue levels were all oversaturated, but the heavy greens had the most impact, causing tinting in skin tones and highlights. For example, in the movie Piranha, Elisabeth Shue's blond hair showed a noticeable green tinge around the edges.
The set offers relatively wide viewing angles for an LCD set. Colors remained mostly intact when viewed from the sides and the picture didn't lose luminance like it did with the Insignia NS-42E480A13. Reds appeared slightly lighter when viewed from an extreme side angle though.
The UW40T2BW used 53 watts of power during testing, which is average for a 40-inch LED backlit HDTV. The 42-inch RCA LED42C45RQ and Insignia NS42E480A13 consumed 67 watts and 64 watts, respectively.
Conclusion
If you're looking for a sub-$500 40-inch HDTV that has a 120Hz panel and is capable of displaying 1080p video, the Westinghouse UW40T2BW fits the bill. ?It could use some tweaking to correct its color accuracy issues, but still delivers a reasonably good picture, good motion handling, and respectable viewing angle performance. Still, our Editors' Choice for budget HDTVs, the RCA LED42C45RQ is a better deal, offering a 42-inch screen and a better all-around picture for $50 less.
More HDTV Reviews:
??? Westinghouse UW40T2BW
??? Insignia NS-42E480A13
??? TCL LE40FHDE3000
??? RCA LED42C45RQ
??? Samsung PN60E7000FF
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/gBig2zug2CU/0,2817,2416142,00.asp
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Mar. 9, 2013 ? Can the length of strands of DNA in patients with heart disease predict their life expectancy? Researchers from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City, who studied the DNA of more that 3,500 patients with heart disease, say yes it can.
In the new study, presented Saturday, March 9, at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session in San Francisco, the researchers were able to predict survival rates among patients with heart disease based on the length of strands of DNA found on the ends of chromosomes known as telomeres -- the longer the patient's telomeres, the greater the chance of living a longer life.
The study is one of 17 studies from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center that are being presented at the scientific session, which is being attended by thousands of cardiologists and heart experts from around the world.
Previous research has shown that telomere length can be used as a measure of age, but these expanded findings suggest that telomere length may also predict the life expectancy of patients with heart disease.
Telomeres protect the ends of chromosome from becoming damaged. As people get older, their telomeres get shorter until the cell is no longer able to divide. Shortened telomeres are associated with age-related diseases such as heart disease or cancer, as well as exposure to oxidative damage from stress, smoking, air pollution, or conditions that accelerate biologic aging.
"Chromosomes by their nature get shorter as we get older," said John Carlquist, PhD, director of the Intermountain Heart Institute Genetics Lab. "Once they become too short, they no longer function properly, signaling the end of life for the cell. And when cells reach this stage, the patient's risk for age-associated diseases increases dramatically."
Dr. Carlquist and his colleagues from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center tested the DNA samples from more than 3,500 heart attack and stroke patients.
"Our research shows that if we statistically adjust for age, patients with longer telomeres live longer, suggesting that telomere length is more than just a measure of age, but may also indicate the probability for survival. Longer telomere length directly correlate with the likelihood for a longer life -- even for patients with heart disease," said Dr. Carlquist.
Dr. Carlquist and his colleagues from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center drew on two unique resources that offer unparalleled opportunity for researchers to study the effects of telomere length and survival rates of heart patients:
"With so many samples and very complete electronic records, it's a unique resource," said Dr. Carlquist. "It's unmatched in the world, and it allows us to measure the rate of change in the length of a patient's telomeres over time rather than just a snapshot in time, which is typical for most studies."
"I believe telomere length could be used in the future as a way to measure the effectiveness of heart care treatment," said Dr. Carlquist. "We can already test cholesterol and blood pressure of a patient to see how treatment is working, but this could give us a deeper view into how the treatment is affecting the body and whether or not the treatment is working."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Intermountain Medical Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/VwVtxCY5cow/130310164232.htm
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Cabot Circus will launch its first ever ?Come Dine with Cabot? week in March ? giving foodies the chance to dine in style at many of its restaurants and cafes from just ?10.
Taking place from Monday 18 ? Friday 22 March, visitors will be able to enjoy a delicious set-price lunch or dinner at 15 of Cabot Circus? eateries, with many also including a glass of wine or drink as part of the offer.
Raymond Blanc?s Brasserie Blanc is one of those taking part, offering a starter and main course from its classic French set menu for ?10. Italian food fans will have plenty to choose from, with Carluccio?s, Piccolino and Bella Italia all tempting diners with special set menus. Or if you?re looking for somewhere with a bit of buzz, Yo Sushi!, Giraffe and Caf? Rouge are also taking part in the promotion.
Fans of deli delights and all things sweet will be drawn to Chandos Deli and Patisserie Valerie, where delicious platters and gorgeous puddings will take centre stage.
Kevin Duffy, Cabot Circus Centre Director, commented: ?Whether you?re meeting friends for lunch, treating your partner or having dinner with colleagues, Cabot Circus has a fantastic restaurant offer with some of the best chefs and venues in the city. Come Dine with Cabot gives us an opportunity to showcase our vibrant food and drink scene and offers customers a great value dining experience, and the perfect excuse to try something new.?
Cabot Circus features a mix of fine dining, family restaurants and caf?s clustered around two main areas ? Quakers Friars and a restaurant terrace overlooking Cabot Circus. They include Brassiere Blanc, Harvey Nichols Restaurant & Bar, Carluccio?s and Piccolino and a wide range of popular names such as Zizzi, Caf? Rouge, La Tasca, Giraffe, Tampopo and Yo Sushi!
?Come Dine with Cabot? will offer five days of fine dining, from just ?10 per person, from 18 ? 22 March. For a full list of participating restaurants and menus, visit www.cabotcircus.com.
?
Source: http://www.bristolbites.co.uk/2013/03/09/come-dine-with-cabot-circus-march-18th-22nd-2013/
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Public release date: 10-Mar-2013
Share ] Contact: Steve Goodyear
sgoodyear@mhif.org
612-863-1658
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
Even though young athletes are required to receive health screens to be cleared to play sports, those tests failed to detect important cardiovascular abnormalities in cleared players, and many were allowed to play despite suspicions of dangerous cardiovascular conditions, according to a large registry study of patients who died from sudden death, being presented March 10 by Kevin Harris, MD, research cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF). The data is being presented at the annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in San Francisco.
Aortic stenosis, which occurs when the aortic heart valve does not fully open, is considered a rare, but important, cause of death in young people. Aortic dissection and rupture which occur when the aortic wall tears and ruptures respectively are catastrophic conditions that are not usually associated with the death of younger individuals. However, the role of these very serious conditions is not understood as causes of athletic field deaths and their identification by routine pre-participation screening.
"While the majority of these young athletes are being screened, there is unfortunately great variability in the screening process, and we have had very sparse data on the effectiveness of these screening efforts," explains Harris, who is also co-director of the Acute Aortic Dissection Program and director of the echocardiography laboratory at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
The American Heart Association has recommended specific historical questions and physical examination components which should comprise pre-participation cardiac screening.
For this study, MHIF researchers analyzed the U.S. National Registry of Sudden Death in Young Athletes for occurrences of sudden death due to aortic disease (including dissection, rupture or coarctation) and aortic stenosis.
Of the 2,588 deaths in the registry, 44 events were related to aortic stenosis (19) or aortic disease (25). On average, this group of athletes was 17.6 years old, and 40 were males. The most prominent sports represented in this group were football and basketball, followed baseball and softball.
Eighteen of the 19 deaths related to aortic stenosis occurred just after exercise, reported Harris. Also, 16 deaths attributed to aortic disease occurred during exercise, 6 occurred during sedentary activity, and 2 during sleep.
Data on pre-participation screening were available for 34 of the 44 athletes. Of the 34 deaths, 15 young athletes had been assessed specifically by cardiologists, 3 of the athletes had a known aortic abnormality and 8 had previously been diagnosed with aortic stenosis or bicuspid aortic valvesthe latter of which occurs when an aortic valve only has two leaflets instead of three.
Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that aortic stenosis and aortic diseases are uncommon, but important, causes of sudden death among young, competitive athletes, usually while playing basketball or football.
Twenty-five percent of the athletes (11 of 44) complained of symptoms of chest, back or abdominal pain in days prior to collapse. Three of the 11 had been seen in the emergency room. Two of the 11 had seen a cardiologist the day prior to death.
"We were able to identify the majority of the athletes in this study had been cleared to participate in sports and one-third had been evaluated by a cardiologist," Harris reports. "The widespread screening process failed to detect important cardiovascular abnormalities in 19 of the deaths. In the remaining 15 cases, suspicion of cardiovascular conditions was raised, but the athletes were allowed to continue to compete in competitive sports."
###
About the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation is dedicated to creating a world without heart disease through groundbreaking clinical research and innovative education programs. MHIF's mission is to promote and improve cardiovascular health, quality of life and longevity for all.
About the Minneapolis Heart Institute
The Minneapolis Heart Institute is recognized internationally as one of the world's leading providers of heart and vascular care. This state-of-the-art facility combines the finest in personalized patient care with sophisticated technology in a unique, family-oriented environment. The Institute's programs, a number of which are conducted in conjunction with Abbott Northwestern Hospital, address the full range of heart and vascular health needs: prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
[ | 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: 10-Mar-2013 Share ] Contact: Steve Goodyear
sgoodyear@mhif.org
612-863-1658
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
Even though young athletes are required to receive health screens to be cleared to play sports, those tests failed to detect important cardiovascular abnormalities in cleared players, and many were allowed to play despite suspicions of dangerous cardiovascular conditions, according to a large registry study of patients who died from sudden death, being presented March 10 by Kevin Harris, MD, research cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF). The data is being presented at the annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in San Francisco.
Aortic stenosis, which occurs when the aortic heart valve does not fully open, is considered a rare, but important, cause of death in young people. Aortic dissection and rupture which occur when the aortic wall tears and ruptures respectively are catastrophic conditions that are not usually associated with the death of younger individuals. However, the role of these very serious conditions is not understood as causes of athletic field deaths and their identification by routine pre-participation screening.
"While the majority of these young athletes are being screened, there is unfortunately great variability in the screening process, and we have had very sparse data on the effectiveness of these screening efforts," explains Harris, who is also co-director of the Acute Aortic Dissection Program and director of the echocardiography laboratory at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
The American Heart Association has recommended specific historical questions and physical examination components which should comprise pre-participation cardiac screening.
For this study, MHIF researchers analyzed the U.S. National Registry of Sudden Death in Young Athletes for occurrences of sudden death due to aortic disease (including dissection, rupture or coarctation) and aortic stenosis.
Of the 2,588 deaths in the registry, 44 events were related to aortic stenosis (19) or aortic disease (25). On average, this group of athletes was 17.6 years old, and 40 were males. The most prominent sports represented in this group were football and basketball, followed baseball and softball.
Eighteen of the 19 deaths related to aortic stenosis occurred just after exercise, reported Harris. Also, 16 deaths attributed to aortic disease occurred during exercise, 6 occurred during sedentary activity, and 2 during sleep.
Data on pre-participation screening were available for 34 of the 44 athletes. Of the 34 deaths, 15 young athletes had been assessed specifically by cardiologists, 3 of the athletes had a known aortic abnormality and 8 had previously been diagnosed with aortic stenosis or bicuspid aortic valvesthe latter of which occurs when an aortic valve only has two leaflets instead of three.
Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that aortic stenosis and aortic diseases are uncommon, but important, causes of sudden death among young, competitive athletes, usually while playing basketball or football.
Twenty-five percent of the athletes (11 of 44) complained of symptoms of chest, back or abdominal pain in days prior to collapse. Three of the 11 had been seen in the emergency room. Two of the 11 had seen a cardiologist the day prior to death.
"We were able to identify the majority of the athletes in this study had been cleared to participate in sports and one-third had been evaluated by a cardiologist," Harris reports. "The widespread screening process failed to detect important cardiovascular abnormalities in 19 of the deaths. In the remaining 15 cases, suspicion of cardiovascular conditions was raised, but the athletes were allowed to continue to compete in competitive sports."
###
About the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation is dedicated to creating a world without heart disease through groundbreaking clinical research and innovative education programs. MHIF's mission is to promote and improve cardiovascular health, quality of life and longevity for all.
About the Minneapolis Heart Institute
The Minneapolis Heart Institute is recognized internationally as one of the world's leading providers of heart and vascular care. This state-of-the-art facility combines the finest in personalized patient care with sophisticated technology in a unique, family-oriented environment. The Institute's programs, a number of which are conducted in conjunction with Abbott Northwestern Hospital, address the full range of heart and vascular health needs: prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/mhif-sdi030713.php
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FILE - This Jan. 10, 2013 file photo shows U.S. Sen. Max Baucus addressing the Montana Legislature in Helena, Mont. Democrats who long ago embraced pro-gun politics to gain a foothold in Western and other gun-friendly states are facing constituents angry with Washington's renewed call for a ban on assault weapons _ and they are doing so very cautiously. In Montana, the Clinton-era assault weapon ban vote nearly sank U.S. Sen. Baucus in 1996 _ and with Baucus up for re-election in 2014, gun advocates want to make sure he remembers his vote for the ban. (AP Photo/The Independent Record, Dylan Brown, file)
FILE - This Jan. 10, 2013 file photo shows U.S. Sen. Max Baucus addressing the Montana Legislature in Helena, Mont. Democrats who long ago embraced pro-gun politics to gain a foothold in Western and other gun-friendly states are facing constituents angry with Washington's renewed call for a ban on assault weapons _ and they are doing so very cautiously. In Montana, the Clinton-era assault weapon ban vote nearly sank U.S. Sen. Baucus in 1996 _ and with Baucus up for re-election in 2014, gun advocates want to make sure he remembers his vote for the ban. (AP Photo/The Independent Record, Dylan Brown, file)
HELENA, Mont. (AP) ? U.S. Sen. Max Baucus has been here before.
Back during the Clinton era, the Democrat faced a choice: support an assault weapons ban urged by a president from his own party and risk angering constituents who cherish their gun rights, or buck his party. He chose the ban, and nearly lost his Senate seat.
Now, as he begins his campaign for a seventh term, Baucus faces the question again. For weeks, gun foes have sought assurances he would oppose the assault weapons ban. But it was only this past week he said he would oppose it.
That decision alone doesn't settle the issue for his re-election campaign. His opponents are watching closely, eager to pounce as he navigates a series of other gun control proposals, including an expected call for universal background checks.
Baucus' predicament is one that a group of Democrats like him in the West and South are facing. They hail from predominantly rural regions of the country where the Second Amendment is cherished and where Republicans routinely win in presidential elections.
From Montana to Louisiana, these anxious voters have made at least six Democratic senators a little uneasy heading into next year's election season. Both sides are aware that gun-owners' rights are taking shape as a campaign issue that could shift the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
"Make no mistake ? it is a very delicate dance for rural state Democrats," said Barrett Kaiser, a Democratic political consultant.
"I would be stunned if the Montana congressional delegation said anything but 'hell no' to gun control measures," he added.
Part of the concern comes from a proposal by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity clips. The plan is a response to calls for new gun restrictions from President Barack Obama in the aftermath of the shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school.
Gun control is a top-agenda item for many Democrats, and they'll need all the votes they can to push changes.
Baucus knows, though, that a gun control vote "opens the door for whoever challenges him, because Montanans do not want the federal government restricting guns. That is clear as day," said Republican state Rep. Scott Reichner, who was Mitt Romney's campaign chairman in Montana.
"It would be a monumental mistake on his part" to support federal gun control legislation, Reichner said.
Gun rights carry sway in Montana. The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks says Montana "boasts more hunters per capita than any other state in the nation." State lawmakers have been discussing measures to expand gun rights. And a pro-gun group, the Montana Shooting Sports Association, has set up a website that is updated with Baucus' public statements on gun policy.
Other Democratic senators that Republicans are watching closely include Mark Begich of Alaska, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.
Democrats control the Senate, but if Republicans pick off these seats they could take the chamber.
Pryor already has said he won't support an assault weapons ban, and the measure is unlikely to clear the Senate. Gun activists still worry that other restrictions they oppose are in the works.
"I don't think the assault rifle ban, the semi-auto ban, has been the real objective," said Gary Marbut of the Montana Shooting Sports Association. "I think that is where the rubber meets the road, federal gun registration."
The gun rights crowd considers mandatory registration as an unconstitutional overreach of federal authority and the close attention paid to all discussions on the topic show how carefully Baucus and others must tread.
Baucus would appear to be a shoo-in for re-election. He's the third most senior U.S. senator and the chairman of the Finance Committee, which lets him prioritize many Montana projects.
He's also a consummate dealmaker who routinely collects endorsements from Republican-allied groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. And he's worked hard over the years to become the only Senate Democrat with an A-plus rating from the National Rifle Association.
But one wrong gun vote could energize his opposition.
Though Baucus specifically rejected the assault rifle ban, he stopped short of mentioning expanded background checks by name. Baucus indicated he prefers the focus was elsewhere.
"Instead of focusing on new laws, Max believes the first step should be effectively enforcing the laws already on the books," Baucus spokeswoman Jennifer Donohue said Thursday.
The entire debate represents a potential replay of the most difficult fight of his career, when Baucus voted for the 1993 Brady Bill that established background checks and the original 1994 ban on assault rifles and high-capacity clips.
Those votes led to the closest election in four decades of politics for Baucus, a narrow victory in a bitter campaign against Republican Denny Rehberg.
The other Democratic senators in rural states could find themselves in similar fights and have been cagey over the issue. Most have taken a wait-and-see approach.
The NRA last month launched an advertising campaign aimed squarely at this group, sending a strong message. The organization did not return a call seeking comment.
Democratic political operatives say the NRA could be overplaying its hand this time, arguing some sportsmen may be willing to listen to moderate proposals.
Still, Baucus and his colleagues aren't likely to take risks and by next year's election, he and others could seek to turn the issue to their advantage by using a pro-gun stance to appeal to conservative and libertarian-minded voters.
"Why wouldn't he want to talk about guns?" said Montana State University political scientist David Parker. "Sen. Baucus is as about as middle of the road as they get in the United States Senate. What he doesn't want to do is have himself painted as a national Democrat or as an Obama Democrat."
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A large image of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez is on display where mourners line up to view his body lying in state at the military academy in Caracas, Thursday, March 7, 2013. While Venezuela remains deeply divided over the country's future, the multitudes weeping and crossing themselves as they reached the president's coffin early Thursday were united in grief and admiration for a man many considered a father figure. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A large image of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez is on display where mourners line up to view his body lying in state at the military academy in Caracas, Thursday, March 7, 2013. While Venezuela remains deeply divided over the country's future, the multitudes weeping and crossing themselves as they reached the president's coffin early Thursday were united in grief and admiration for a man many considered a father figure. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro speaks to the crowd at the military academy where the body of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez is lying in state in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, March 7, 2013. Maduro, Venezuela's acting president, said Chavez's remains will be put on permanent display at the Museum of the Revolution, close to the presidential palace where Chavez ruled for 14 years. A state funeral for Chavez attended by some 33 heads of government is scheduled to begin Friday morning. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
In this photo provided by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, mourners pay their respects as they file past the glass-topped casket containing the remains of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez lying in state at the military academy in Caracas, Thursday, March 7, 2013. Chavez died of a massive heart attack Tuuesday after great suffering and inaudibly mouthed his desire to live, the head of Venezuela's presidential guard said late Wednesday. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)
Mourners walk over a barrier outside the military academy where Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez's body lies in state at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, March 7, 2013. While Venezuela remains deeply divided over the country's future, the multitudes who reached the president's coffin early Thursday were united in grief and admiration for a man many considered a father figure. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A woman cries as she waits to see the body of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez at the military academy where his body is lying in state in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, March 7, 2013. While Venezuela remains deeply divided over the country's future, the multitudes who reached the president's coffin were united in grief and admiration for a man many considered a father figure. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Hugo Chavez's body will be preserved and forever displayed inside a glass tomb at a military museum not far from the presidential palace from which he ruled for 14 years, his successor announced Thursday in a Caribbean version of the treatment given Communist revolutionary leaders such as Lenin, Mao and Ho Chi Minh.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's acting head of state, said Chavez would first lie in state for "at least" seven more days before the museum becomes his permanent home. It was not clear when exactly he would be moved from the military academy where his body has been since Wednesday.
Later Thursday, the National Assembly speaker announced that Maduro would be sworn in Friday night as acting president following a state funeral and would call elections within 30 days. That enables him, as the designated governing party candidate, to run for president as Chavez desired. Legal scholars say that under the constitution, the legislature's speaker should instead be sworn in and organize the vote.
More than 30 heads of government, including Cuban President Raul Castro and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are to attend the funeral. U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, and former Rep. William Delahunt, a Democrat from Massachusetts, will represent the United States, which Chavez often portrayed as a great global evil even as he sent the country billions of dollars in oil each year.
Maduro said the ceremony would begin at 11 a.m., but did not say where.
"We have decided to prepare the body of our 'Comandante President,' to embalm it so that it remains open for all time for the people. Just like Ho Chi Minh. Just like Lenin. Just like Mao Zedong," Maduro said.
He said the body would be held in a "crystal urn" at the Museum of the Revolution, a mile from Miraflores presidential palace.
The announcement followed two emotional days in which Chavez's supporters compared him to Jesus Christ, and accused his national and international critics of seeking to undermine his "revolution."
A sea of sobbing, heartbroken humanity jammed Venezuela's main military academy Thursday to see Chavez's body, some waiting 10 hours under the twinkling stars and the searing Caribbean sun to file past his coffin.
On Thursday night, Castro, Presidents Jose Mujica of Uruguay and and Dilma Rousseff of Brazil viewed the open casket along with former Brazilian president Inacio Lula da Silva.
But even as his supporters attempted to immortalize the dead president, a country exhausted from round-the-clock mourning began to look toward the future. Some worried openly whether the nation's anointed leaders are up to filling his shoes, and others said they were anxious for news on when elections will be held. The constitution mandates they be called within 30 days, but the government has yet to address the matter.
"People are beginning to get back to their lives. One must keep working," said 40-year-old Caracas resident Laura Guerra, a Chavez supporter who said she was not yet sold on Maduro. "I don't think he will be the same. I don't think he has the same strength that the 'comandante' had."
At the military academy, Chavez lay in a glass-covered coffin wearing the olive-green military uniform and red beret of his paratrooper days and looking gaunt and pale, his lips pressed together. In a nod to the insecurity that plagues this country, mourners had to submit to a pat down, pass through a metal detector and remove the batteries from their mobile phones before they entered.
As they reached the coffin, many placed a hand on their heart or stiffly saluted. Some held up children so they could see Chavez's face.
"I waited 10 hours to see him, but I am very happy, proud to have seen my comandante," said 46-year-old Yudeth Hurtado, sobbing. "He is planted in our heart."
Government leaders had been largely incommunicado Wednesday as they marched in a seven-hour procession that brought Chavez's body from a military hospital to the academy. They finally emerged before the cameras Thursday but offered no answers.
Asked when an election would be held, Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said only that the constitution would be followed.
Jaua also struck the defiant, us-against-the-world tone that the government has projected, which some critics fear could incite passions in a country that remains on edge.
"They couldn't defeat him electorally, they couldn't assassinate him, they couldn't beat him militarily," Jaua declared. "Chavez died as president ... Chavez died the leader of his people."
Just hours before the 58-year-old president's death on Tuesday, Maduro expelled two U.S. diplomats and lashed out at opponents at home and abroad. He implied that the cancer that ultimately killed Chavez was somehow injected into him by his enemies, a charge echoed by Ahmadinejad.
While Maduro is the clear favorite over likely opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, the nation is polarized between Chavez supporters and critics who hold him responsible for soaring inflation, a growing national debt and a jump in violent crime.
Opponents have also questioned the government's allegiance to the rule of law, arguing that Maduro is not entitled to become interim president under the 1999 constitution. They have also criticized the defense minister, Adm. Diego Molero, for pledging support for Maduro's candidacy despite a ban on the military taking political sides.
Ana Teresa Sifontes, a 71-year-old housewife and opposition sympathizer, said Chavez did some good for the nation's poor. But she said he had bungled the economy, exhibiting more interest in regional grandstanding than governing.
She said she hoped his death would bring change.
"Why do we have to pay for Cuba?" she asked, referring to the billions in Venezuelan oil Chavez sent to Havana each year in return for Cuban doctors and other experts. "Why do we need them here?"
Venezuelan officials have yet to say what type of cancer he suffered from, but details were emerging of the former paratrooper's final hours.
The head of Venezuela's presidential guard, Gen. Jose Ornella, told the AP late Wednesday that Chavez died of a massive heart attack after great suffering.
"He couldn't speak but he said it with his lips ... 'I don't want to die. Please don't let me die,' because he loved his country, he sacrificed himself for his country," said Ornella, who said he was with the socialist president at the moment of his death Tuesday.
In Washington, State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. hoped the upcoming vote would be held on a level playing field, and lamented the expulsion of the American officials.
"We are obviously disappointed by these false accusations levied against our embassy officials," Nuland said. "This is part of a tired playbook of alleging foreign interference as a political football in internal Venezuelan politics."
___
Associated Press writers Fabiola Sanchez, Frank Bajak and Christopher Toothaker contributed to this report.
___
Paul Haven on Twitter: www.twitter.com/paulhaven
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Like many immigrants, Anny Bautista had a dream: to become a homeowner.
But for the single mother of three, buying a home was just that ? a dream too far to reach.
Bautista had filed for bankruptcy. She had no savings, and her credit score was a stumbling block keeping her off the road to financial success.
?I had a lot of debt. I needed to get my credit score higher, because without a credit score, you can?t do anything. You can?t buy a car, or buy a house,? said the Dominican native residing in Stoughton, Mass.
Five years ago, Bautista, 45, picked up a flyer that changed her life. The flyer announced Compass Working Capital, a Boston-based non-profit organization that educates and helps low-income families reach their financial goals by building savings and repairing their credit scores.
Bautista, a medical record coordinator, didn?t hesitate to contact the organization and quickly signed up.
She enrolled in the Individual Development Account Program (IDA), one of the different programs at Compass, which gives students like Bautista financial coaching and also offers a savings account where participants save between $25 and $75 a month. Compass then triplicate the savings, so if a participant saves $75, the maximum amount, Compass adds an additional $225 to the account.
After two years of being in the program, Bautista?s credit climbed 85 points, and she saved almost $16,000, which she accomplished with Compass? contribution to her savings, and by reducing her expenses.
In two years, Bautista?s dream came true.
Bautista had enough money to put toward a down payment and cover the initial costs for a two-family home, where she now lives with her family.
?I feel good. I achieved what I wanted, and in the long run the house is ours, not somebody else?s,? said the Compass graduate, who was a renter for 18 years. ?I don?t think I would have accomplished this by myself.?
Like Bautista, more than 500 families in Massachusetts, the vast majority Hispanic, have benefited from Compass? programs, some of which are geared toward buying a house, starting a business, and saving and accessing college education.
All the programs are designed to help the organization?s main purpose: ?to give people a chance to get out of poverty, achieve their financial goals and get them get on the pathway to financial security,? said Sherry Riva, who founded Compass Working Capital in 2005.
The organization?s impact reaches beyond the people it helps, Riva explained.
?The work that we do in individual level with families absolutely contributes to economic growth,? Riva said. ?When people are earning more money, when they?re saving more, when they reduce their reliance on public benefits, when they?re starting businesses, when they?re buying homes and paying property taxes, it helps the economy.?
The non-profit organization operates on a $500,000 budget generated by donors, grants and earned revenue from fees Compass obtains giving financial coaching to other non-profit institutions that work with low-income families.
The organization not only helps people like Bautista achieve their goals through savings, but it also encourages its students to earn more money by furthering their education, finding better-paying jobs or by simply asking for a raise.
Sandra Suarez?s earnings are up 50 percent from the time she enrolled in Compass in 2005.
She wanted to buy a home, and for that she was told she needed to earn more money, so she was motivated to seek new job opportunities.
?Compass taught me to advocate for myself, which was hard, especially for a Latina and growing up low-income. I felt just lucky to have a job,? said the single mother of two, who was swamped in debt when she sought for Compass? help. ?Advocating for myself and saying ?this is what I am worth?? they empowered me to do that.?
Suarez, 34, went back to her employer, a senior service center in Lynn, Mass., and told them about her goals and her need to take a better-paying job. To her surprise, Suarez was offered higher pay to stay at her job. And she did.
In 2010, Suarez was offered a job as an operational manager at Compass, where she currently works full-time in addition to her other job.
One year after enrolling in Compass, Suarez paid off $7,000 in debt, improved her credit score by 150 points, and saved $10,000. In 2009, Suarez had accomplished her goal ? she finally became the owner of a brand-new duplex home in Lynn, Mass.
?My big dream was to buy a home, and I thought it would never happen,? said Suarez, who is also saving for her daughters? college. ?I am so proud of myself and that I have been able to give this life to my family. Now I am financially stable and getting ahead.?
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Source: http://nbclatino.com/2013/03/08/boston-program-guides-latinos-to-save-and-become-homeowners/
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is playing down expectations for a Mideast peace breakthrough during his upcoming trip to Israel, telling American Jewish leaders that he won't be carrying a "grand peace plan" when he arrives in the region later this month.
Obama, in an hourlong private meeting at the White House on Thursday, acknowledged that near-term prospects for peace are bleak, according to a person who attended the discussion. But the president said a deal with the Palestinians remains the only way for Israel to achieve long-term security.
Israel's political climate makes the prospects for jumpstarting peace talks all the more unlikely during Obama's trip. Elections in January weakened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who since then has struggled to form a coalition government.
In his meeting Thursday, Obama said pursuing sweeping peace talks now would be premature, given that Israel is still working to form a new government. But he added that doesn't preclude him from launching a peace effort in six months or a year, according to the person in attendance, who was not authorized to discuss the gathering publicly and requested anonymity.
Netanyahu recently asked Israeli President Shimon Peres for a two-week extension to build the coalition, putting his new deadline just ahead of Obama's expected arrival in Israel.
The White House has not announced the dates for the president's trip, although Israeli news media have reported he will arrive on March 20. Obama will also make stops in the West Bank town of Ramallah, and Jordan.
The president sought to restart peace talks in 2011, but the effort collapsed within weeks. Palestinians refuse to resume negotiations unless Israel stops building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Netanyahu says talks should resume without any preconditions, and he has allowed stepped-up construction in the territories since the United Nations moved to recognize a de facto state of Palestine in November.
The White House did not put the meeting with Jewish leaders on the president's public schedule. A White House official later said Obama sought input from the leaders on his trip and underscored that it would be an opportunity for him to speak directly to the Israeli people.
Marc Stanley, chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Council, was among those who attended Thursday's meeting. He said Obama reiterated his "unshakeable support for Israel and explained that his upcoming trip will be focused on discussing with his Israeli counterparts the critical issues facing the Jewish state, including Iran, the peace process and Syria."
In addition to his meetings with Netanyahu, Obama will hold talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He told the Jewish leaders Thursday that he would emphasize to Abbas that peace remains possible, though very difficult given the current climate in the region.
While in Israel, Obama is also expected to note that Israelis live in an increasingly dangerous region, given the instability in Syria and the potential nuclear threat from Iran. He'll likely reiterate that all options, including military force, remain on the table for the U.S. when it comes to dealing with Iran, while also touting the impact of strict economic sanctions.
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Follow Julie Pace on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_ISRAEL?SITE=NCJAC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
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What better way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Women in the Arts gallery show than by meeting the featured artists themselves. Food, live music and artwork are all on the agenda.
Source: http://www.voxmagazine.com/events/event/11962/
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Gwyneth, 6 months, and Randy Roest wear false mustaches as a crowd attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the most people wearing false mustaches, Thursday, March 7, 2013, to kick off Gilda's LaughFest 2013 in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Sally Finneran) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT
Gwyneth, 6 months, and Randy Roest wear false mustaches as a crowd attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the most people wearing false mustaches, Thursday, March 7, 2013, to kick off Gilda's LaughFest 2013 in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Sally Finneran) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT
A crowd of people wearing fake mustaches gathers in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people wearing false mustaches, Thursday, March 7, 2013, to kick off Gilda's LaughFest 2013 in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Sally Finneran) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT
MLive's Todd Chance puts on a fake mustache Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Grand Rapids Mich., where a crowd gathered in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people wearing false mustaches to kick off Gilda's LaughFest 2013. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Sally Finneran) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT
Cheryl Fell sports mustache glasses over a false mustache Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Grand Rapids Mich., where a crowd gathered in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people wearing false mustaches to kick off Gilda's LaughFest 2013. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Sally Finneran) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT
A crowd of people wearing fake mustaches gathers in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people wearing false mustaches, Thursday, March 7, 2013, to kick off Gilda's LaughFest 2013 in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Sally Finneran) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) ? Magnum P.I., Ron Burgundy and Ron Swanson would be impressed.
Organizers of an annual laugh festival in Michigan say they've broken the world record for the most people wearing fake mustaches.
Gilda's LaughFest is reporting that 1,544 people donned various shapes and sizes of dark 'staches on Thursday, the Grand Rapids festival's opening day.
The record is awaiting Guinness World Record certification.
If it sticks, the record would be the third set at the festival in as many years. Last year the festival broke the record for the most people wearing fake animal noses. The year before, it was people tossing rubber chickens.
LaughFest officials say the previous fake mustache record of 648 participants was set in September at a St. Louis Rams event.
Watch the video here: http://bit.ly/W9VUo1
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