ScienceDaily (Oct. 30, 2012) ? Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) have found a small population of neurons that is involved in measuring time, which is a process that has traditionally been difficult to study in the lab.
In the study, which is published October 30 in the open access journal PLoS Biology, the researchers developed a task in which monkeys could only rely on their internal sense of the passage of time. Their task design eliminated all external cues which could have served as "clocks."
The monkeys were trained to move their eyes consistently at regular time intervals without any external cues or immediate expectation of reward. Researchers found that despite the lack of sensory information, the monkeys were remarkably precise and consistent in their timed behaviors. This consistency could be explained by activity in a specific region of the brain called the lateral intraparietal area (LIP). Interestingly, the researchers found that LIP activity during their task was different from activity in previous studies that had failed to eliminate external cues or expectation of reward.
"In contrast to previous studies that observed a build-up of activity associated with the passage of time, we found that LIP activity decreased at a constant rate between timed movements," said lead researcher Geoffrey Ghose, Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. "Importantly, the animals' timing varied after these neurons were more, or less, active. It's as if the activity of these neurons was serving as an internal hourglass."
By developing a model to help explain the differences in timing signals they see relative to previous studies, their study also suggests that there is no "central clock" in the brain that is relied upon for all tasks involving timing. Instead, it appears as though each of the brain's circuits responsible for different actions are capable of independently producing an accurate timing signal.
One important direction for future research is to explore how such precise timing signals arise as a consequence of practice and learning, and whether, when the signals are altered, there are clear effects on behavior.
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Journal Reference:
Blaine A. Schneider, Geoffrey M. Ghose. Temporal Production Signals in Parietal Cortex. PLoS Biology, 2012; 10 (10): e1001413 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001413
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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.
Gone are the days of outlets, where people used to queue up. Music stores have been reducing their carpet area and some are shutting shop.
Any technology which creates opportunities for the industry may turn disruptive at times. There is a paradigm shift in media and entertainment industry due to digitisation. Many accolades for it, be it for cutting down production costs or for opening new distribution platforms.
On the flip side, digitisation in music industry has not only brought down the music sales but is also deteriorating the music quality.
Surprisingly, the MP3 song listener could only hear from 5 per cent of the data from what is recorded at the studio. Audio CDs are better to an extent, where listener would get 15 per cent of the data of what was recorded at the studio. But, the format of audio CDs may soon vanish from the industry after due to growing demand of MP3s in the form of legal and illegal downloads.
Gone are the days of physical music outlets, where people used to queue to buy CDs. Many music stores have been reducing their carpet area and some are closing their outlets. A true music listener is finding it hard to get his favourite audio CD from a nearby store.
Sadly, even record labels are also promoting MP3 CDs which can accommodate huge number of songs in a single CD, badly affecting the quality of music. Adding to this, there is also trend of online MP3 store and streaming music culture which would make quality music a distant dream for a listener.
?This disruptive trend is spread across different music industries. However, Bollywood or western music lover can get high resolution formats for popular music ? DVD Audio, SACD and Vinyl. For a vernacular music lover, getting a high resolution audio is almost impossible as the record labels are not releasing music in any of these formats,? said G Bobby, CEO, The Audio People, Hyderabad.
?It is true that quality of music has fallen over years. There are very few genuine music lovers, who buy CDs from the stores. The audio sales are mostly driven by the star cast (hero) and sometimes a combination of a star with a composer. Around three years ago, record labels used to release three lakh copies (audio CDs) for a major star, which has now come to 15,000 copies. For small films, the numbers have fallen to 1,000 CDs, compared to 10,000 CDs three years ago. Unfortunately, the CD format is being eclipsed by MP3 and online music. At times, it is being difficult to sell 2,000 copies of a decent film audio.
?The mobile revenue, which takes 50 per cent of overall revenues in the form of caller tunes and ring tones also have fallen drastically by around 30 per cent over the last year with the aging of mobile caller tune technology. Earlier, there was a trend where people used to regularly change caller tunes or ring tones and showed their interest, but now the interest is withering with the time,? says Madhura Sreedhar, filmmaker and also a founder of leading record company, Madhura Audio.
He adds, ?However, there is always life for quality and soulful music. A good song will bring lifelong returns for the record label in terms of mobile or radio broadcasting. Growing trend of music streaming will further add to it, where in the more number of times the song is streamed, the better the revenues are for the record company. Over time, the piracy will be eradicated and the trend on legal MP3 downloads from stores will see a huge growth. Any record company with huge catalogue will emerge as a winner in long run with this opportunity.?
The online sales have become a ray of hope for the industry to bounce back and make revenues. However, the online music trend is enabling a customer to get carried away with the comfort of downloading rather than buying quality music.
Return on investment from platforms
Audio rights cost for a major star: Up to Rs.1 crore
Audio CD sales: 10 per cent
Mobile caller tunes and ring tones: 50 per cent
Online streaming, YouTube, Radio: 10 percent
Over the time from different platforms: 30 per cent
Tags: Audio CDs, buying quality music, digitisation, DVD Audio, G Bobby, MP3 downloads, MP3 store, music industry, music of MP3
Obese moms give birth to heart healthier kids following bariatric surgeryPublic release date: 29-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane-Diane Fraser jfraser@hsf.ca 613-569-4361 x273 Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Researchers find that babies born to mothers who lost weight after bariatric surgery have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than siblings born before the surgery
Kids born to moms who have lost a substantial amount of weight after undergoing bariatric surgery have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than their siblings who were born before the weight loss surgery.
This is because the metabolic changes and weight loss that occur after the surgery have a positive effect on inflammatory disease-related genes in the offspring, according to a new study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
"Our research found that maternal obesity affects the genes of the offspring," says Dr. Frdric Gunard, a post-doctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Marie-Claude Vohl of the Functional Food Institute at Laval University and a recipient of a Heart and Stroke Foundation Research Fellowship.
"The good news is that we can do something to change this outcome: Reducing obesity in the mother has a positive health impact on the health of future offspring."
The study comes from the cutting-edge field of epigenetics, which looks at how our genes can be switched on and off by environmental changes. What's novel here is that the scientists looked at how these changes can impact the DNA of our offspring (without necessarily altering the DNA sequence).
Think of identical twins with the same DNA how can two individuals with the same DNA have different states of health? It was once thought that only DNA structure changes caused genetic variation. But we now know that genes can be turned on or off ("expressed"). A variety of processes is thought to "flick the switch."
One such process is that small molecules bind to DNA. These molecules are produced by one's own body and their binding to DNA is modulated by the environment (for example, from foods or from toxins in the environment).
Scientists now know that molecules called methyl groups can turn genes on and off a process called DNA methylation that can change the gene expression, but doesn't change the gene sequence. Generally speaking, more methylation means a gene is turned off and less means a gene is turned on.
Parental obesity contributes substantially to pediatric obesity through genetic, environmental and epigenetic influences. Obesity during pregnancy predisposes the offspring to lifelong excess body weight and increased risk of heart disease.
Bariatric surgeons and researchers at Laval University observed that children born after their mothers had a type of bariatric surgery called bilio-pancreatic bypass surgery were less likely to be obese, had improved insulin resistance, lower blood pressure and an improved cardiovascular disease risk profile.
This observation prompted Dr. Gunard and his team to study the underlying reasons for this improvement in heart disease risk.
They took blood samples from 25 children of 20 mothers who were born before their mothers had bilio-pancreatic bypass surgery and blood samples from 25 of their siblings who were born afterwards.
The children ranged in age from two to 24 years. The average body mass index (BMI) of the mothers was 45 before bariatric surgery and 27 after. Bariatric surgery is indicated for individuals with a BMI of 40 or greater, or those with a BMI of 35 or greater who have co-morbid conditions (for example, diabetes) and are of low surgical risk.
They then tested the DNA from blood samples, using a special tool the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip to find any changes in the genes caused by methylation.
They found that methylation levels were very different in the children born to mothers before bypass surgery from those who were born after.
Specifically, they found that more than 5,500 known genes with differential methylation in the children born before their mothers had bypass surgery compared to children born afterwards.
"Our findings show that maternal bariatric surgery results in significant metabolic effects to the methylation profiles of inflammatory disease-related genes," says Dr. Gunard. "The bariatric surgery and weight loss experienced by the mothers created an in utero environment that favorably changed the gene methylation levels of the fetus."
"Basically, this study tells us that maternal obesity affects the obesity and cardiovascular risk profile of offspring and that weight loss can improve the cardiovascular health of children."
"We know our genetic makeup influences our children's risks but so can our environment," says Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson. "For example, if a disease runs in a family, we know to watch out for it in the children as they age. This study shows that external factors also influence our risk for heart disease and that of our offspring by switching genes on or off in our DNA; providing a glimpse as to why this occurs. This is why lifestyle behaviours are so important."
Dr. Abramson says this study is another reminder about why we need to manage and control our weight at all stages of life. "What other things could we be doing to flip those switches and provide a better blueprint for our kids to start them off right in life?"
Dr. Gunard says we would need other genetics studies to find out if weight loss changes the methylation profile of the genes of offspring of women who have lost weight through other measures.
###
Statements and conclusions of study authors are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect Foundation or CCS policy or position. The Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society make no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation (heartandstroke.ca), a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living and advocacy.
Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen.
For more information and/or interviews, contact the
CCC 2012 MEDIA OFFICE AT 416-585-3781 (Oct 28-31)
OR
Diane Hargrave Public Relations
416-467-9954 ext. 104
dhprbks@interlog.com
Congress information and media registration is at www.cardiocongress.org
After October 31, 2012 contact:
Jane-Diane Fraser
Heart and Stroke Foundation
(613) 569-4361 ext 273
jfraser@hsf.ca
[ | 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.
Obese moms give birth to heart healthier kids following bariatric surgeryPublic release date: 29-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane-Diane Fraser jfraser@hsf.ca 613-569-4361 x273 Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Researchers find that babies born to mothers who lost weight after bariatric surgery have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than siblings born before the surgery
Kids born to moms who have lost a substantial amount of weight after undergoing bariatric surgery have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than their siblings who were born before the weight loss surgery.
This is because the metabolic changes and weight loss that occur after the surgery have a positive effect on inflammatory disease-related genes in the offspring, according to a new study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
"Our research found that maternal obesity affects the genes of the offspring," says Dr. Frdric Gunard, a post-doctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Marie-Claude Vohl of the Functional Food Institute at Laval University and a recipient of a Heart and Stroke Foundation Research Fellowship.
"The good news is that we can do something to change this outcome: Reducing obesity in the mother has a positive health impact on the health of future offspring."
The study comes from the cutting-edge field of epigenetics, which looks at how our genes can be switched on and off by environmental changes. What's novel here is that the scientists looked at how these changes can impact the DNA of our offspring (without necessarily altering the DNA sequence).
Think of identical twins with the same DNA how can two individuals with the same DNA have different states of health? It was once thought that only DNA structure changes caused genetic variation. But we now know that genes can be turned on or off ("expressed"). A variety of processes is thought to "flick the switch."
One such process is that small molecules bind to DNA. These molecules are produced by one's own body and their binding to DNA is modulated by the environment (for example, from foods or from toxins in the environment).
Scientists now know that molecules called methyl groups can turn genes on and off a process called DNA methylation that can change the gene expression, but doesn't change the gene sequence. Generally speaking, more methylation means a gene is turned off and less means a gene is turned on.
Parental obesity contributes substantially to pediatric obesity through genetic, environmental and epigenetic influences. Obesity during pregnancy predisposes the offspring to lifelong excess body weight and increased risk of heart disease.
Bariatric surgeons and researchers at Laval University observed that children born after their mothers had a type of bariatric surgery called bilio-pancreatic bypass surgery were less likely to be obese, had improved insulin resistance, lower blood pressure and an improved cardiovascular disease risk profile.
This observation prompted Dr. Gunard and his team to study the underlying reasons for this improvement in heart disease risk.
They took blood samples from 25 children of 20 mothers who were born before their mothers had bilio-pancreatic bypass surgery and blood samples from 25 of their siblings who were born afterwards.
The children ranged in age from two to 24 years. The average body mass index (BMI) of the mothers was 45 before bariatric surgery and 27 after. Bariatric surgery is indicated for individuals with a BMI of 40 or greater, or those with a BMI of 35 or greater who have co-morbid conditions (for example, diabetes) and are of low surgical risk.
They then tested the DNA from blood samples, using a special tool the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip to find any changes in the genes caused by methylation.
They found that methylation levels were very different in the children born to mothers before bypass surgery from those who were born after.
Specifically, they found that more than 5,500 known genes with differential methylation in the children born before their mothers had bypass surgery compared to children born afterwards.
"Our findings show that maternal bariatric surgery results in significant metabolic effects to the methylation profiles of inflammatory disease-related genes," says Dr. Gunard. "The bariatric surgery and weight loss experienced by the mothers created an in utero environment that favorably changed the gene methylation levels of the fetus."
"Basically, this study tells us that maternal obesity affects the obesity and cardiovascular risk profile of offspring and that weight loss can improve the cardiovascular health of children."
"We know our genetic makeup influences our children's risks but so can our environment," says Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson. "For example, if a disease runs in a family, we know to watch out for it in the children as they age. This study shows that external factors also influence our risk for heart disease and that of our offspring by switching genes on or off in our DNA; providing a glimpse as to why this occurs. This is why lifestyle behaviours are so important."
Dr. Abramson says this study is another reminder about why we need to manage and control our weight at all stages of life. "What other things could we be doing to flip those switches and provide a better blueprint for our kids to start them off right in life?"
Dr. Gunard says we would need other genetics studies to find out if weight loss changes the methylation profile of the genes of offspring of women who have lost weight through other measures.
###
Statements and conclusions of study authors are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect Foundation or CCS policy or position. The Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society make no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation (heartandstroke.ca), a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living and advocacy.
Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen.
For more information and/or interviews, contact the
CCC 2012 MEDIA OFFICE AT 416-585-3781 (Oct 28-31)
OR
Diane Hargrave Public Relations
416-467-9954 ext. 104
dhprbks@interlog.com
Congress information and media registration is at www.cardiocongress.org
After October 31, 2012 contact:
Jane-Diane Fraser
Heart and Stroke Foundation
(613) 569-4361 ext 273
jfraser@hsf.ca
[ | 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.
The success of every business greatly depends upon the popularity of brand names. Even a small concern needs a website to highlight its services to face competition in market. There are no excuses for the popularity, if you are running an online business or planning to have a website for your company.
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Only PHP can?t give you a solution when content is everything for website?s popularity! A flow of informative and fresh content is in demand by many online businesses, companies, organizations and individuals. The problem lies in managing the content as well as the design aspects of your site. To do this, you should opt for a CMS based site.
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Video Sharing site like you tube: http://www.apptha.com/category/extension/Joomla/HD-FLV-Player http://www.apptha.com/category/extension/Joomla/HD-Video-Share http://www.apptha.com/category/extension/Joomla/Video-Comments-for-Jom-comments
There are thousands of websites running on Joomla! Most of them are very professional. Hence, choosing Joomla for your website could be the right choice. You are just one step away. The only way to understand Joomla?s power is to try it, even if for just a few hours. You will either love it or feel it?s too much for your needs.
File photo of a doctor holding a stethoscope. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS (AP)??Nevadans are more likely than residents of three neighboring states to contract and die of cancer, according to a study.
The report, released by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Nevada State Health Division last week, notes cancer rates in the region comprising Nevada, California, Utah and Arizona historically have been lower than the national average.
But Nevada showed significantly higher rates of all cancers than those other states between 2006 and 2008, according to the report. Nevada had a cancer incident rate of 457 per 100,000 people, compared with 442 for California, 397 for Utah and 394 for Arizona.
The Silver State also had a higher cancer mortality rate during the same period, with 182 deaths per 100,000 compared with California?s 162, Utah?s 128 and Arizona?s 152.
Dr. Paulo Pinheiro, a UNLV researcher and epidemiologist, argues in the report that Nevada suffers from a lack of screening and less specialized expertise, which forces nearly 10 percent of cancer patients to be diagnosed or treated outside of the state.
The exodus of cancer patients has a major impact on patients? quality of life, he said, and has a negative financial impact on state health care providers and private insurance companies.
The report features a comprehensive analysis of all cancer cases in Nevada from 2006 to 2008, and relies on data from the Nevada Central Cancer Registry. Nevada had an annual average of 11,209 new cases of cancer over that period.
The report also found ?alarming disparities? in the level and quality of care between northern and southern Nevada.
For instance, survival rates for breast cancer in northern Nevada are about 82 percent after four years, which is roughly the national average. In southern Nevada, survival rates are nearly 10 percentage points lower.
?If you are residents of a state you would expect the same level of care anywhere in that state, but this is not happening in Nevada,? Pinheiro said. ?This discrepancy does not exist in other states around the nation and points to major differences in access to screening as well as quality health care between the two regions.?
The report also found:
? Nevada women, particularly whites, show among the highest mortality rates for lung, colorectal and liver cancers in the nation.
? Lung cancer among Hispanics is about one-half that of non-Hispanic whites possibly because of the traditionally lower smoking rates of Hispanics.
? Whites in Nevada have higher rates than all other racial groups for breast, bladder and colorectal cancers, while blacks show high rates for prostate cancer.
? Hispanics have high rates for stomach and uterine cervix cancers, while Asians have the highest rates for liver cancer.
? Blacks and Hispanics are diagnosed at a later advanced stage of disease more often than whites and Asians, and may be ineligible for effective treatment as a result.
Pinheiro suggests Nevada boost prevention efforts to curb cancer rates.
?An increase in the screening rates especially for those of low incomes, as well as strengthening the interventions to reduce tobacco use and second-hand smoke, could go a long way toward diminishing the cancer risk in Nevada,? he said.
(? Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama has spent months trying to balance his re-election bid with running the government.
Now, just when his campaign needs him the most, with little more than a week before the election, his official job is beckoning.
Republican challenger Mitt Romney, too, faces questions about how to conduct his campaign as a superstorm charges toward the East Coast. But as president, it's Obama who oversees the federal government's preparations for the looming storm and it's Obama who will bear the responsibility for any missteps.
With that in mind, Obama scrapped some campaign events for Monday, as well as Tuesday morning. He planned to return to the White House Monday afternoon to monitor the storm and the government's response.
"My first priority has to be making sure that everything is in place" to help those affected by the storm, Obama told campaign workers in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday night. He said the storm meant he would "not be able to campaign quite as much over the next few days."
Still, ripping up Obama's strategically planned travel schedule was something his Chicago-based campaign was loath to do unless absolutely necessary.
In the tight race, the candidates have few opportunities left to blitz through the most competitive states, trying to build momentum and make a final pitch to undecided voters.
The president's handling of the storm could sway those late-breaking voters. If Obama is perceived as a strong leader who shows command in a crisis, some undecided voters may be compelled to back the president. But a botched response or a sense that he's putting politics over public safety could weaken his support at a point in the race where there's little chance to reverse course.
"I think that the president of the United States is the commander in chief. The American people look to him, and I'm sure he will conduct himself and play his leadership role in a fine fashion. So I would imagine that might help him a little bit," said Arizona Sen. John McCain, who lost to Obama in 2008.
"But I'm not sure it will affect votes. People have been exposed to this very long campaign," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Obama advisers say they've learned the lessons from President George W. Bush's widely criticized response to Hurricane Katrina. Bush was seen as ineffective and out of touch, and his presidency never recovered.
That's why Obama's team has moved quickly throughout the year to avoid the impression that the president was shirking his responsibilities, even as the campaign ramped up.
When separate crises struck Colorado this summer ? destructive wildfires and a mass shooting at a movie theater ? Obama hastily arranged trips to meet with victims and their families. When a hurricane barreled through the Gulf Coast ahead of the Democratic Convention, the president added a stop in New Orleans to his preconvention itinerary.
But those decisions were far easier than what's facing Obama's team. Back then, there was time to add or reschedule trips. Now, with just nine days until Election Day, time is a precious commodity and canceling trips may mean never having the chance to make them up.
Hurricane Sandy was expected to hit the East Coast late Monday, then combine with two winter weather systems as it moves inland, creating a hybrid superstorm. At least four battleground states are likely to be hit: New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.
Obama plans to spend every day between now and Nov. 6 on the road in most of those states and others, though his schedule does call for him to be back in Washington some nights.
In canceling Obama's event Monday in Virginia, aides also considered the optics of urging thousands of people to venture out to a political rally in the midst of a raging storm.
Still, it was clear Obama's team was working hard to ensure that the president could keep campaigning as long as possible before he was needed back in Washington.
His departure for Florida, where he'll hold an event with Bill Clinton, was moved up from Monday morning to Sunday night to ensure Obama made it to the Orlando area. But the campaign canceled appearances at two other events, in Virginia and Ohio. Vice President Joe Biden will join Clinton at the Ohio rally.
Obama was scheduled to campaign Tuesday evening in Wisconsin, though that too was in flux.
Romney canceled three events in Virginia on Sunday and planned to spend the day campaigning with running mate Paul Ryan in Ohio.
If bad weather keeps people in hard-hit battleground states from going to the polls, it could mess up the campaigns' carefully crafted get-out-the-vote efforts.
Jennifer Psaki, Obama's campaign spokeswoman, said the Democratic ticket was urging people to vote early when they can, especially if it helps them get to the polls before the storm.
"Safety comes first," she said. "And that's the case with early voting as well."
BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian warplanes and artillery struck rebellious suburbs east of Damascus, while rebels attacked regime positions elsewhere near the capital Sunday, violence that marred the third day of what was meant to be a four-day holiday truce, activists said.
A U.N-backed truce declared for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha has failed to take hold, with fighting reported from the start. Activists said more than 150 people were killed Friday, the start of the holiday, and more than 120 people on the second day, similar to previous daily casualty tolls.
The cease-fire was seen as a long shot from the outset. The international mediator in Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, failed to get firm commitments from all combatants.
At least one rebel-linked radical Islamic group, the al-Qaida-inspired Jabhat al-Nusra, rejected the truce outright. In a video posted this week, the leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahri, urged "Muslims everywhere" to support Syria's uprising.
The truce was called as the two sides were battling over strategic targets in a largely deadlocked civil war. They include a military base near a main north-south highway, the main supply route to Aleppo, Syria's largest city, where regime forces and rebels have been fighting house-to-house. It appears each side feared the other could exploit a lull to improve its positions.
With the unraveling of the cease-fire, it's unclear what the international community can do next.
The holiday truce marked the first attempt in six months to reduce the bloodshed in Syria, where activists say more than 35,000 people have been killed in 19 months.
Brahimi has not said what would follow a cease-fire. Talks between Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Syrian opposition on a peaceful transition are blocked, since the Syrian leader's opponents say they will not negotiate unless Assad resigns, a step he has refused to take.
The international community has been unable to rally around other options, including tougher U.N. Security Council action, arming the rebels or direct military intervention.
The failure of the truce to take hold "highlighted the impotence of the international community's approach" to the Syria conflict, said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center, a think tank.
In April, Brahimi's predecessor as Syria mediator, former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, tried to launch a more comprehensive plan ? an open-ended cease-fire to be enforced by hundreds of U.N. monitors, followed by talks on a political transition. Annan's plan failed to gain traction, and after an initial decrease in violence, his proposed cease-fire collapsed.
In fighting Sunday, Syrian warplanes struck the eastern Damascus suburbs of Arbeen, Harasta and Zamalka to try to drive out rebels, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which compiles information from activists in Syria. The Observatory also reported shelling attacks in these areas.
Local activists and another opposition group, the Local Coordination Committees, said warplanes struck Arbeen and Harasta. The LCC said eight people were killed Sunday in Damascus and its suburbs.
Three amateur videos posted online showed warplanes flying over the eastern suburbs.
One video showed two huge clouds of smoke rising from what was said to be Arbeen, and the sound of an airplane could be heard in the background. It was not clear if the video showed the aftermath of shelling or an airstrike.
Another video showed destruction inside the Sheikh Moussa mosque in Harasta. Windows and doors were blown out, glass and debris scattered across the mosque's floor. The narrator broke down as he was heard saying: "Where are the Muslims? Our mosques are being bombed and no one cares."
Also in Harasta, a video showed widespread destruction, including rows of buildings with shattered windows, gaping holes and shell-pocked facades.
The videos appeared consistent with Associated Press reporting in the area.
In Douma, another Damascus suburb, rebels wrested three positions from regime forces, including an unfinished high-rise building that had been used by regime snipers, according to the Observatory and Mohammed Saeed, a local activist.
Fighting was also reported near Maaret al-Numan, a town along the Aleppo-Damascus highway that rebels seized earlier this month. Opposition fighters have also besieged a nearby military base and repeatedly attacked government supply convoys heading there. The Observatory said the Syrian air force fired missiles and dropped barrel bombs ? makeshift weapons made of explosives stuffed into barrels ? on villages near the base.
The Syrian government has accused the rebels of violating the cease-fire from the start. The state-run news agency SANA said opposition fighters carried out attacks in a number of areas, including in Aleppo and the eastern town of Deir el-Zour.
___
Associated Press writer Zeina Karam contributed reporting.
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I remember encountering some research strongly supporting pre-biotics over pro-biotics. From my own experience, a blend of the two can be very effective. "Pro-biotics" are things such as kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, strains like lactobacillus, etc. "Pre-biotics" are, for example, raw garlic, raw onions, raw leeks, certain bitter raw leaves and so on. Kimchi seems to fit both profiles, to me, especially if made with green onions. When both are included in a regimented diet, a lot can happen. Another factor in
?Globally Organized Crime Syndicates are penetrating secure wildlife populations.? ?An immense, increasingly sophisticated illegal trade in wildlife parts conducted by organized crime [is] decimating the world?s most beloved species?on a scale never before seen.? ~ Wildlife Conservation Society, USA
photo credit: Schimalto
The practitioners of this multi-billion dollar illegal wildlife trade are violent enemies of conservation. The internet is the growing medium for the sale of illegal wildlife parts. (Lingo: ?wildlife parts? is kinda gruesome to me.) The wanton abuse, disregard and disrespect for ?any? life (wild or otherwise) fueled by love of money (or some other stinky diesel) is sad, appalling, sickening to me! (Yeah, that was partly an ?emotional? condemnatory statement. Let me follow it by a ?logical? acknowledgement that all of us have ?learned? a specific set of survival skills. Some a positive, civilized set and others a negative, barbaric set and/or everything in between the extreme set.) What is your survival skill set?
All of us, starting at a young age, have had a differing survival/values education of one kind or another. Each of us, depending on where (i.e. city mouse or country mouse) and when (decade/generation influences) we were born and to whom (our parents and their culture/education, etc.)?as well as other factors?provided the extensive variables that shaped and make up our personal/present value system/education. Hopefully, you were born to parents that highly valued you and loved/cherished you! Not everyone has had that privilege. Some have experienced betrayal at a very tender age.
For example, the despair learned by a young girl (i read about) named Sharada who was taken from her Asian village to a foreign city. Guess who sold her at age 9? Shockingly, Sharada?s father and for a measly $14 (U.S.). My heart breaks for Sharada and others like her who have been sold/forced into slavery. I wonder about Sharada?s father?like why he sold his daughter? Was he too sold at a young age and by whom?his father?!
Some of us have learned to care. Some not to care. Some have learned to give. Others have learned to take. Some have learned to love. Others have learned to hate. Some have learned to conserve. Others have learned to consume. Some have learned what it?s like to be free. Others have learned slavery. Some have learned harmony. Others disunity. Some have learned peace. Others war.
What have you learned? What will you teach? What are you teaching by your ?living? example?
Sadly, some have learned to survive the wild (and/or urban jungle) by slaughter and/or illegal sale. We all need survival skills, but in so-called ?civilized? or highly educated societies does one resort to doing whatever it takes including any type of illegal activity?! (i.e. kill or be killed?/sell or be sold?!)
Shouldn?t we valuelife?! It?s precious. FYI: I?m HAPPY to be alive!:) GLAD you?re alive too!:)?together we can help preserve life in and out of the jungle. Thank You for living in a manner that manifests a high regard for life!:)
Some tortoises live for 150 years! Some trees for 3,000! How long will you live?! How long will I live?!
By contrast, our lives are way more meaningful than a tortoise or tree. We have the capacity to enjoy reading, writing, learning, music,? sports, etc. We have a capacity for spirituality. (Figuratively, if I?m a tree, I don?t want to be cut down?my life cut short by my ax (choices) or somebody?s ax..sounds like ?acts? or actions of others that could shorten my life.)
Let?s not cut short life! (We know the devastating damage of deforestation.) Do you want your life cut short?! No Way?You say!:)
Caring, giving, loving, conservation, moderation is a life-style of daily choices leading to wellness and longevity! Appreciating, caring and respecting life (in general) is a factor to Wildlife Wellness and harmony between species!
As we grow, learn, progress as individuals, partners, caregivers, etc?.our on-going, progressive education of harmonious survival and high value for life ?literacy? requires an on-going vocabulary lesson and change of culture, choices, etc. Are you learning harmonious survival skills? We do so by putting non-offensive, positive, life-promoting (agape love) vocabulary/behavior into daily practice. We become fluent with practice. Harmony literacy is living and developing?
I?m a learner?everyday so much to learn, so little time. Thank you for listening/reading my blog/ramblings/rumblings, etc. ? If I want to progress in learning/living in harmony and peace in the hopes of prolonging my life and the lives of others?I need humility. Am I humble enough to change?! It is possible to change/learn non-offensive, harmonious, peaceful communication and interaction between species!
Can you imagine a future where all life on the planet is at peace and living in complete harmony?! For that to happen?realistically, everyone has to make changes. What changes do you need to make? Do you value life, love, peace, harmony enough to make any?
Millions believe in ?the law of Karma??Hindu sages devised the law of Karma as they groped to explain human suffering. I was reading this interesting perspective from a Buddhist woman who said: ?I thought it did not make sense to have to suffer for something I was born with but about which I knew nothing. I had to accept it as my destiny.?? She found karma (?the influence of an individual?s past actions on his future lives, or reincarnations?) explanation for suffering unsatisfactory. I find it interesting the link between the idea of rebirth and the teaching that can found throughout Christendom and elsewhere?the teaching that humans have an immortal soul that survives the body. This ?soul? is said to be involved in suffering?either in a present life or in an afterlife. (Such ?ideas? are widespread so, I?m curious how these ideas affect the realm of care giving for the sufferer and partnerships in general)?
However, what ?proof? is there that these ideas are valid?! (I respect others? beliefs/ideas! Personally, any faith/belief? I may have is built/constructed/assembled on fact and proof?.not emotions, fantasy, graphic novels or fiction (science or otherwise). (Those things serve as an ?escape? from pain. The cause of my pain may still remain.)
It takes a lot of time, effort, research and work to build belief. When you think carefully and investigate the ?facts? surrounding ?any? idea/teaching/tradition to see if it?s true/valid?instead of about your feelings or the emotional response produced by an idea/fantasy/teaching/tradition, etc?your vision (your choices based on beliefs) are not hazy/clouded or swayed by unstable emotions and/or sentiment. You clearly see what makes sense and is reasonable/logical/healing (has the ring of truth) and what is a bunch of bologne -lol:) What are you building? Is your belief system a house of bricks/truth or a house of twigs/lies?! When the big bad wolf comes huffing and puffing?will he blow your house down?!
Here?s something to contemplate:
People who on average spend 6 hours each day watching TV can expect to live 4.8 years less than those who watch no TV. Put another way, every hour of TV reduces a sedentary adult?s life expectancy by about 22 minutes.? ~British Journal of Sports Medicine, Britain
According to BBC News, Britain:
Nearly half of cancers diagnosed in the [United Kingdom] each year-over 130,000 in total-are caused by avoidable life choices including smoking, drinking and eating the wrong things.
This is a tough rhetorical question(s)?you?re man or woman enough to honestly answer, right?:) Are you suffering or causing others to suffer because ofavoidablelife choices?!
Wildlife wellness : harmony between species?destiny or life choices?! YOU decide!:)
We all need comfort?every species?I ?found? this interesting verse of a Psalm (song) (which according to scholars is hope of future intervention by the Biblical Creator)?
?You are opening your hand and satisfying every living thing.?
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From Psych Central's website: PsychCentral (October 26, 2012)
From Psych Central's website: PsychCentral (October 26, 2012)
????Last reviewed: 26 Oct 2012
APA Reference Winifred, J. (2012). Wildlife Wellness: Harmony between Species. Psych Central. Retrieved on October 27, 2012, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/wellness/2012/10/wildlife-wellness-harmony-between-species/
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi talks during a press conference in Gerno, near Milan, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi, who announced this week he wouldn't run in spring elections, pulled an about-face Saturday and said he felt compelled to stay in politics to reform Italy's justice system after being convicted of tax fraud. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi talks during a press conference in Gerno, near Milan, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi, who announced this week he wouldn't run in spring elections, pulled an about-face Saturday and said he felt compelled to stay in politics to reform Italy's justice system after being convicted of tax fraud. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi talks during a press conference in Gerno, near Milan, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi, who announced this week he wouldn't run in spring elections, pulled an about-face Saturday and said he felt compelled to stay in politics to reform Italy's justice system after being convicted of tax fraud. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi ponders a question during a press conference in Gerno, near Milan, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi, who announced this week he wouldn't run in spring elections, pulled an about-face Saturday and said he felt compelled to stay in politics to reform Italy's justice system after being convicted of tax fraud. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi wipes his face during a press conference in Gerno, near Milan, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi, who announced this week he wouldn't run in spring elections, pulled an about-face Saturday and said he felt compelled to stay in politics to reform Italy's justice system after being convicted of tax fraud. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi talks during a press conference in Gerno, near Milan, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi, who announced this week he wouldn't run in spring elections, pulled an about-face Saturday and said he felt compelled to stay in politics to reform Italy's justice system after being convicted of tax fraud. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
ROME (AP) ? Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi has responded to his tax fraud conviction with a full-out attack on the government of Mario Monti, warning his party might withdraw its support because of what he considers Monti's counterproductive fiscal reforms.
Berlusconi, 76, also lashed out at the "dictatorship of magistrates" responsible for his conviction and, while confirming he won't run for premier in spring elections, announced an undefined new movement to reform Italy's justice system.
Berlusconi delivered an at times breathless 50-minute speech in one of his Milan-area villas and took another 40 minutes of questions, a day after a Milan court sentenced him to four years in prison and barred him from public office for five years in a decade-old case involving the purchase of TV rights of U.S. films for his media empire.
The sentence isn't definitive until all appeals are exhausted, and Berlusconi's lawyers vowed to appeal. He remains free and is unlikely to serve jail time given his age and the possibility that the statute of limitations may expire before the two levels of appeals are completed.
But he nevertheless came out fighting Saturday, saying he had decided to end a self-imposed media silence since resigning from office last year, because he couldn't stay quiet anymore.
He announced what sounded like a political platform to undo many of Monti's reforms. And he warned that his People of Freedom party would be meeting in the coming days to decide whether to withdraw support from Monti's government and force early elections.
He said it would do so to end the "recessive spiral" that Monti's reforms had brought about.
The rambling speech got personal at times, such as when he denounced a now-famous smirk about him shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's then-President Nicolas Sarkozy, which he termed an "attempted assassination of my international credibility."
Berlusconi had wavered about his political future in the year since he was forced from office amid sex scandals and his inability to reassure financial markets that he could push through the economic reforms needed to ward off a debt crisis.
Monti was tapped to head a technical government, which has pushed through a series of tax hikes, structural reforms and austerity measures that, while hurting ordinary Italians, have significantly brought down Italy's borrowing rates.
On Saturday, Italians in several cities took to the streets for a "No Monti" day of protests.
Monti had initially said he wouldn't run in spring elections, but recently hinted that he could stay on for a second term under the right circumstances. Berlusconi had even come out and supported Monti after saying he wouldn't seek a political comeback.
But apparently things changed after the billionaire media mogul received the stiffest sentence among the four co-defendants convicted Friday in a scheme that involved inflating the price his Mediaset media empire paid for TV rights to U.S. movies and pocketing the difference.
Berlusconi called the conviction "absurd" and said if a country can't count on impartial judges, it ceases to be a democracy.
He blamed Merkel for many of Italy's woes, criticized Monti's fiscal reforms as contributing to Italy's recession and insisted his only error in the past was to not have secured a greater parliamentary majority in 2008 last elections.
Berlusconi's re-emergence on the political scene came a day before his beleaguered party heads into a regional election in Sicily seen as a test of its ability to pull itself together after Berlusconi's fall from grace last year and a series of local political corruption scandals that have soured Italians on their entire political class.
The Sicily vote is a harbinger of what Italy may witness in the spring as voters go to the polls for a general election amid recession and a political transition that has seen comic Beppe Grillo's populist Five-Star Movement threaten Italy's traditional center-right and center-left parties.
During his three stints as premier, Berlusconi had sought to reform Italy's notoriously slow and inefficient judiciary. In the absence of a wholesale reform, his forces in parliament passed several laws designed to help him and his colleagues in their legal woes, including passing immunity bills that temporarily halted trials against him.
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photo credit: Schimalto
Some tortoises live for 150 years! Some trees for 3,000! How long will you live?! How long will I live?!
? If I want to progress in learning/living in harmony and peace in the hopes of prolonging my life and the lives of others?I need humility. Am I humble enough to change?! It is possible to change/learn non-offensive, harmonious, peaceful communication and interaction between species!