Responsive Web Design: Orbit's Approach to Mobile | Orbit Media

Responsive what now? Responsive web design, sometimes referred to as RWD, is a forward thinking idea, first proposed by Ethan Marcotte?back in May of 2010. It instantly caught fire in the web design community, and left us geeking out all over the Twitterverse.

Simply put, the concept allows websites to be constructed in a way that their structure, layout, and design all adapt based on the size of the browser in which you?re viewing them. This means one website can be built and optimized for all device sizes, across the board. Mobile phone to desktop monitor. #whoa #amirite

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Why is that a big deal to me, though?

At the time this article was written, over 10% of internet traffic?in the U.S. was done on mobile. That?s even higher worldwide, and it?s only going to continue to grow. We?ve reached a point where having a website isn?t good enough; you need a mobile website, too. Users are also expecting more out of their browsing experience. When mobile sites first became common, the general consensus was to only give the viewer the bare minimum of what they needed. Strip out the rest and save bandwidth. These days:

• Phones are faster.
• They have bigger screens.
• They have data speeds that are comparable to what you?d expect on your desktop.

The result? Stripped down mobile sites can leave many users frustrated and clicking the ?view full site? button. Responsive websites allow businesses to deliver the features and functionality that users want and expect on their desktop and mobile devices, all with just one site. Your full featured desktop site is your full featured mobile site. BOOM!

Hmm, sounds complicated?

It can be. Which is why most of the early adopters were trying it out on small, simple sites. Responsive WordPress blog themes started becoming popular; designers were redoing their personal portfolio sites. But the trend didn?t really extend to the business world. To many, it was more of a cool factor and less of a practical approach. After all, how could you go responsive with a feature-robust site that has separately optimized experiences for desktop and mobile? Too many variables on two different playing fields, right? ?Wrong.

In September of 2011, the new Boston Globe launched. A mammoth of content and functionality, designed responsively. If you ask this guy: game changer. It wasn?t long until others started to follow suit. Companies like Starbucks overhauled. The President of the United States redid his site.?Ok, I?m sure it wasn?t actually him, but that is just plain rad. Come on, now.

Other major companies saw the merit in the approach but weren?t ready for a complete redesign, so they updated their homepages. Sony and Microsoft?both did this. It was fast becoming clear, RWD had huge potential.

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So Orbit is offering Responsive Web Design Now?

We are! We knew it wasn?t going to be easy, though, which is why we?ve spent months carefully defining our approach. After 10+ years in the web design business, OMS has become a bit of well-oiled machine. We have defined project structures, timelines, deliverables, team set-ups, pricing, you name it. Our project workflow follows a well-mapped-out process:

kickoff > sitemap > wireframes > moodboards > design > development?> testing > client training > launch ?> support?

All of these will be affected by this new offering. So, needless to say, we had some planning to do. After countless meetings, internal prototypes, and hours of departmental training ? we?re ready.

Do we have it all figured out? Of course not; we?re always learning and growing as we go. What we do have is something special, and we?re more excited than you could imagine to share it with our clients.

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So what makes Orbit?s approach to RWD different?

Our strength has always been, and will remain, offering affordable, highly customized, client-managed solutions to businesses seeking a successful web presence.

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OMS Responsive is NOT:	OMS Responsive IS:

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And of course, everything will be managed through MightySite, our content management system. To future clients this means:

• Less time and money spent building two sites
• Less time spent maintaining and creating content for two sites
• Less worry about their mobile experience, since it?s built for the future
• Overall, less headache and an improved product

(Are you sensing a theme here?) Our first few responsive projects recently kicked off, and we?ll be sharing much more on this topic as time goes by. We?re happy to answer any questions in the comments below, and we couldn?t be more stoked over here.

High fives.

By Kurt Cruse. Kurt is a Lead Web Designer at Orbit Media. You can find Kurt on Google+ and Twitter.

Source: http://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/responsive-web-design

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Nikkei slips on earnings fears, heads for 3rd day of losses

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average fell to its lowest in two months on Thursday, losing ground for a third straight day on mounting concerns that upcoming quarterly corporate earnings will be weak after the U.S. results season got off to a slow start.

By the midday break, the Nikkei had eased 0.2 percent to 8,579.37 after falling as much as 8,514.63. The benchmark has lost 7.6 percent since hitting a four-month high on September 19.

Printer and semiconductor production-related companies rebounded after a recent battering on concerns over the outlook for the PC market.

"People have chosen to come in to do a bit of short-covering on some of the things that have been oversold," said a senior trader at a European bank.

Advantest Corp rose 6.4 percent after shedding 31 percent from September 19 to October 10, while Canon Inc gained 1.4 percent, snapping a five-session losing streak. Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co Ltd, which is down 39 percent year-to-date, climbed 3.4 percent.

The broader Topix index was flat at 717.08 in active trade, with volume at 57 percent of its full daily average for the past 90 days.

Ryota Sakagami, chief equity strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities said market participants remained worried that this earnings season was set to yield a slew of cuts to annual forecasts, as well as some negative surprises.

"However, if you look at the current prices of individual companies, they should have priced in downward revisions. The market is overreacting," he said, but added that the Nikkei could fall as low as 8,250 in a worst case scenario.

SmartEstimates from Thomson Reuters StarMine show expectations for an average negative earnings surprise from Nikkei 225 companies of 1.3 percent for July-September quarterly results.

The benchmark Nikkei is up 1.5 percent so far this year, trailing a 13.9 percent rise in the U.S. S&P 500 and a 9.9 percent gain in the pan-European STOXX Europe 600 index.

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell for a fourth day after Chevron Corp said third-quarter profits would be "substantially lower" than the previous quarter, while Alcoa Inc posted a quarterly loss and cut its outlook for global aluminum demand.

Japanese automakers and parts suppliers were under pressure after Toyota Motor Corp said it would recall more than 7.4 million vehicles worldwide for faulty power window switches.

The sector was already faced with concerns over the impact of sluggish global growth and anti-Japanese sentiment in China over a territorial dispute between the two countries.

Car parts maker Tokai Rika Co Ltd slumped 8.5 percent after the recall by Toyota, which lost 1 percent, in line with a 1.1 percent fall in rival Nissan Motor Co.

Other gainers included KDDI Corp, which advanced 2.4 percent after J.P. Morgan lifted its price target on the mobile operator.

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd added 1.7 percent after Nomura upgraded its rating on the company to 'buy' from 'neutral' and lifted its price target.

(Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Joseph Radford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nikkei-slips-earnings-fears-heads-3rd-day-losses-031115311--sector.html

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State Dept. description of attack in sync with GOP

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2012 file photo, a Libyan man investigates the inside of the U.S. Consulate, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. The State Department on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 said it never concluded that the consulate attack in Libya stemmed from protests over an American-made video ridiculing Islam, raising further questions about why the Obama administration used that explanation for more than a week after assailants killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2012 file photo, a Libyan man investigates the inside of the U.S. Consulate, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. The State Department on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 said it never concluded that the consulate attack in Libya stemmed from protests over an American-made video ridiculing Islam, raising further questions about why the Obama administration used that explanation for more than a week after assailants killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The State Department says it never concluded that an attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya was simply a protest gone awry, a statement that places the Obama administration's own foreign policy arm in sync with Republicans.

That extraordinary message, appearing to question the administration's initial description of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, came in a department briefing Tuesday ? a day before a hearing on diplomatic security in Libya was to be held by the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The committee's chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has accused the State Department of turning aside pleas from its diplomats in Libya to increase security in the months and weeks before Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans died in the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi. One scheduled witness Wednesday, Eric Nordstrom, is the former chief security officer for U.S. diplomats in Libya who told the committee his pleas for more security were ignored.

Briefing reporters Tuesday ahead of the hearing, department officials were asked about the administration's initial ? and since retracted ? explanation linking the violence to protests over an American-made anti-Muslim video circulating on the Internet. One official responded, "That was not our conclusion." He called it a question for "others" to answer, without specifying.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter, and provided no evidence that might suggest a case of spontaneous violence or angry protests that went too far.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Republican lawmakers have increasingly sharpened their criticism of the administration's initial explanation of the attack. They said they never accepted the original explanation.

It was a top administration diplomatic official, United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, who gave a series of interviews five days after the attack that wrongly described the attack as spontaneous.

She said that the administration believed the violence was unplanned and that extremists with heavier weapons "hijacked" the protest against the anti-Islamic video. She did qualify her remarks to say that was the best information she had at the time. Rice since has denied trying to mislead Congress.

A concurrent CIA memo obtained by The Associated Press cited intelligence suggesting the demonstrations in Benghazi "were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo" and "evolved into a direct assault" on the diplomatic posts by "extremists."

Nordstrom, the former security official in Libya, addressed the diplomatic security issue in an Oct. 1 email to a congressional investigator. He said his requests for more security were blocked by a department policy to "normalize operations and reduce security resources."

A memo Tuesday by the Oversight Committee's Democratic staff provided details of Nordstrom's interview with the panel's investigators. In that interview, Nordstrom said he sent two cables to State Department headquarters in March 2012 and July 2012 requesting additional diplomatic security agents for Benghazi, but he received no responses.

He stated that Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary for international programs, wanted to keep the number of U.S. security personnel in Benghazi artificially low. He said Lamb believed the Benghazi facilities did not need any diplomatic security special agents because there was a residential safe haven to fall back to in an emergency.

Nordstrom's Oct. 1 memo to the congressional investigator said, "You will note that there were a number of incidents that targeted diplomatic missions and underscored the GoL's (government of Libya) inability to secure and protect diplomatic missions.

"This was a significant part of (the diplomatic) post's and my argument for maintaining continued DS (diplomatic security) and DOD (Department of Defense) security assets into Sept/Oct. 2012; the GoL was overwhelmed and could not guarantee our protection.

"Sadly, that point was reaffirmed on Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-10-10-US-US-Libya/id-f300834fd24b442797e0192e49a0a2ff

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FnO Tips - Indian Stocks NSE BSE Free Intraday Daytrading BTST ...

Hot Stocks from Tipz.in for 11th Oct 2012
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Source: http://finance.tipz.in/2012/10/tata-global-beverages-limited_10.html

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Gmail goes multilingual with Input Tools, now supports 75 languages

Gmail has had an automatic message translation feature for awhile, but now it's really stepping up its game for multilingual users. The popular email service has added more than 100 virtual keyboards, transliteration and IMEs to help you communicate in as many as 75 languages, which is a quite the improvement over the five languages it supported before. Simply enable "input tools" in Language under Settings, and you'll see an Input Tools drop down in your toolbar. Select the language you want, and away you go. You can also add the Input Tools function elsewhere via a Chrome extension, a Windows desktop client, or an Android app. Now, if only Google would sort out your upcoming exams in Chinese 201...

Filed under: Internet, Google

Gmail goes multilingual with Input Tools, now supports 75 languages originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Official Gmail Blog  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/10/gmail-goes-multilingual/

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Female genital mutilation significantly reduces sexual quality of life, study finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2012) ? Women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) have a significantly lower sexual quality of life finds a new study published Oct. 10 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

FGM is defined as any procedure 'involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia without medical reasons'.

This study, carried out by researchers at King's College London, looks at the impact of FGM on the sexual quality of life of women who have undergone this procedure and compares them to a similar group of women who have not undergone FGM.

Seventy three women who had undergone FGM were compared to 37 women from a similar cultural background. Criteria for inclusion in the study included, women aged 16 or older, women who have undergone FGM, or to be from a cultural background where FGM is frequently practiced but not undergone FGM.

Sixty-three out of seventy-three (86.3 %) of the women whom had undergone FGM were from Somalia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Eritrea, whereas of the women who had not undergone FGM thirty-two out of thirty-seven (86.49%) were from Nigeria and Ghana.

The women completed a questionnaire containing the Sexual Quality of Life-Female (SQOL-F) questionnaire. This was divided into two parts: part one of the questionnaire asking demographic questions and the second part containing the SQOL-F questionnaire, previously used for measuring sexual quality of life in women with female sexual dysfunction aged over 18 years.

Demographics measured included, age, country of birth, civil status, number of children, smoking status, alcohol consumption, self-reported history of depression and type of FGM.

Overall the study found that women who have undergone FGM have a significantly lower overall SQOL-F score. Using the self reported questionnaire, with the highest score being 100, women who had undergone FGM rated their sexual quality of life on average 26.4 points lower than women who had not undergone FGM.

The researchers also conducted further analysis by dividing the total number of women into those who were sexually active and those who were not sexually active. They found that in sexually active women FGM type III is associated with the lowest sexual quality of life scores.

Professor Janice Rymer, Dean of Undergraduate Medicine and Professor of Gynaecology, King's College London and co-author of the paper said:

"FGM is abuse of women and we need to do all we can to eradicate the practice. We can help to do this by educating people about the harm that it causes and this study adds to our knowledge as we show, not surprisingly, that FGM has a detrimental effect on a woman's sexual life.

"FGM is always traumatic and has no known health benefits, and the complications range from bleeding and infection to death. Although the physical complications have previously been reported, the effects on sexual function and satisfaction were poorly understood.

"As a result of high rates of migration of women from nations where this practice is considered commonplace, to areas where it is not, it is important to all multidisciplinary practitioners to have an understanding of the impact of this practice on the women that we provide care for. The effect of a reduced or poor sexual quality of life is likely to have an effect on the general well being of women. It is important to raise the profile of the damage that is caused with regards to sexual function in the hope that this may go some way to eradicating the procedure for future generations."

BJOG Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Pierre Martin-Hirsch, added: "FGM is a harmful and unacceptable practice. This study highlights that it has a lasting impact not only physically but emotionally. It is important that healthcare workers are aware of FGM and with an expansion of the migrant population they may see increasing numbers of women affected."

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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/~3/WvNasY1roOc/121009192614.htm

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Sandusky sentenced to 30-60 years

The former Penn State coach will spend at least 30 years in prison for sexually abusing young boys. NBC's Danielle Leigh reports.

By M. Alex Johnson and Kimberly Kaplan, NBC News

Updated at 4:08 p.m. ET:?BELLEFONTE, Pa. ? Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison Tuesday for abusing 10 boys he met over 15 years through his charity for troubled children.

Danielle Leigh, Tom Winter and Michael Isikoff of NBC News contributed to this report by M. Alex Johnson and Kimberly Kaplan of NBC News. Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook.

Sandusky ? who was defensive coordinator and for many years the presumed heir-apparent to legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno ? could have faced as long as 400 years for his convictions on 45 counts of child sexual abuse.

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But McKean County Common Pleas Court Judge?John Cleland, who was brought in to hear the trial after all of Centre County's judges recused themselves,?told Sandusky that at age 68, he would be in prison "for the rest of your life."

"The crime is not only what you did to their bodies but to their psyches and their souls and the assault to the well-being of the larger community in which we all live," Cleland said.

Read the full sentencing order (.pdf)

Sandusky's lead attorney, Joe Amendola, told?reporters outside court that he would file an appeal within 10 days, saying he hadn't had enough time to prepare an adequate defense.

Legal analysis: Sandusky sentencing was logical and reasonable

Three of Sandusky's victims addressed the court, some of them speaking tearfully to Sandusky. They told of how they had looked up at Sandusky as a mentor, only to have him betray their trust.

"You were the person in my life who was supposed to be a role model, teach honor, respect and accountability, and instead you did terrible things that screwed up my life," said one of the victims, whom NBC News isn't identifying.?

"You had the chance to plead guilty and spare us the testimony," he said. "Rather than take the accountability, you decided to try to attack us as if we had done something wrong."

Another said: "I have tried to think of the words to describe how Jerry Sandusky has impacted my life. There are no words adequate to express the pain and misery he has inflicted in the past, present and future.

Lead prosecutor Joseph McGettigan applauded the victims' courage to "speak truthfully" and condemned Jerry Sandusky for his unwillingness to accept responsibility.

"He promised to be my friend and mentor. Then came the ultimate betrayal and deeds. He humiliated me beyond description."

For his part, Sandusky ? as he did in a surprise audio statement Monday night on the Penn State student radio station ? insisted that "I didn't do these alleged disgusting acts."

Saying he had been advised against speaking at length, Sandusky told Cleland that "as I began to relive everything, I remember my feelings. So many people were hurt, and my eyes filled with tears. It was a horrible time in life to witness, to listen to, be a part of."

Sandusky said he had "hope in my heart for a brighter day, not knowing when that day will come."

"Many moments I have spent looking for a purpose," he said. "Maybe it will help others ? some vulnerable children who may have been abused may not be as a result of all the publicity ? but I'm not sure about it. I would hope that it would happen.?

"I would cherish the opportunity to be a little candle for others as my life goes on as they have been a huge light to me."

After the hearing, Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan, who prosecuted the case for the state, called Sandusky's comments "banal self-delusion completely untethered from reality."

"It was, in short, ridiculous," he said.

Sandusky alleges massive conspiracy
Wearing a red prison jumpsuit and appearing notably thinner than before he was convicted in June, Sandusky was transported to Centre County Court from jail in a sheriff's patrol car shortly before the hearing. His wife, Dottie, was in attendance.

Jerry Sandusky spoke out from jail on the eve of his sentencing. NBC's Michael Isikoff reports.

Sandusky's statement echoed many of the ideas ? some of them word for word ? that he broached in his?surprise statement Monday night, in which he blamed a widespread conspiracy among police, university administrators and the media for his conviction.

After the hearing, Amendola alluded to that theory, alleging that there was "an undercurrent" in some parts of state government to bring down Penn State because of the power Paterno had amassed in 46 years as head football coach.?

"Folks, my understanding is for years opponents had ongoing battles with the state Legislature over funding," Amendola said. "Penn State always held itself over and above" other state institutions, which rankled some officials, he said.

But in sentencing Sandusky on Tuesday, Cleland called that theory "unbelievable."?

Transcript: Full radio statement from Jerry Sandusky

Related: Audio of Sandusky's statement on Penn State student station ComRadio

In a statement, Penn State President Rodney Erickson said: "Our thoughts today, as they have been for the last year, go out to the victims of Jerry Sandusky's abuse. While today's sentence cannot erase what has happened, hopefully it will provide comfort to those affected by these horrible events and help them continue down the road to recovery."

The statement reflected how deeply the scandal rocked Penn State and Centre County.

Paterno, who was a revered figure representing integrity in college football, was fired Nov. 9 amid allegations that he didn't properly report concerns about Sandusky to authorities. He died in January at age 85.

University President Graham Spanier resigned in November. Athletic Director Tim Curley is on administrative leave, and Senior Vice President Gary Schultz retired. Curley and Schultz face separate trials on charges that they lied to a grand jury about what they knew.

Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com

Penn State's storied football program, meanwhile, was fined $60 million by the NCAA and was stripped of all victories back to 1998.

More content from NBCNews.com:

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/09/14315772-sandusky-sentencing-on-child-abuse-charges-getting-under-way?lite

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You'll Wish You Had Renter's Insurance If. . . | RDNY.com

08 Oct

We never know when a calamity will strike. The upstairs neighbor might leave their bathtub running until if overflows into your apartment. Or the bacon you were cooking suddenly catches fire and damages your kitchen stove and cabinets, or? who knows what kind of calamity can strike. That?s why you?ll want to have low cost renters insurance.

Renters insurance is a policy designed to protect tenants from a significant financial loss in the event their belongings are destroyed in a fire or other disaster, or stolen during a break-in. If you have an apartment rental in NY, consider taking advantage of a renters insurance policy to help you, your family and/or your roommates avoid financial disaster.

Before buying a policy, it is important to shop around for the best prices. Websites like Kemper.com provide quotes for many types of policies, including renters insurance. But there is a lot more to buying a policy than the cost. If you have an NYC rental apartment, you need to have renters insurance.

Find the Right Policy with the Help of 10 Tips

1. Personal Possessions - This part of the policy pays a set dollar amount in the event that all of your belongings are lost because of a covered peril. In order to find out how much coverage you need, you will have to record the value of your belongings. The best way to determine the value of your possessions is to make a list of the things you own and estimate the value of each item.
2. Flood Insurance -Some policy owners think flood damage is covered in their policy. Flood damage is not covered unless you own a flood insurance policy.
3. Choose your own deductible - The deductible is something you pay before the insurance company pays the remainder of the claim. Before considering what deductible to have on the policy, know the difference between a $1,000, a $500 and a $250 deductible. The difference is usually only a few dollars, so it may be worth having a low deductible.
4. Jewelry - Jewelry losses top the number of claims filed by policy owners across the country. Unless you endorse your high-dollar items, there is a good chance the policy will only pay out a small percentage of the value. Every type of home policy has set limits to the value of certain items like computers, jewelry, cash and other high-value items. If you have a valuable piece of jewelry endorse it on the policy for its appraised value.
5. Replacement Cost - A renters policy can be written with actual cash value (ACV) or replacement cost. Actual cash value will pay what the item is worth after depreciation. Replacement cost pays what the item is worth to replace at today?s price. Not every policy is written with replacement cost so be sure to request this level of coverage.
6. Documenting Items - Keep a list or video of what you actually own. It is up to the policy owner to document what they have and be able to prove it when the time comes.
7. Bundling - Bundle a renters policy with auto insurance for a multi-policy discount.
8. Structure Damage - Renters insurance only pays for a personal belongings. If there is damage to the home, it will be up to the property owner to fix the damages.
9. Relatively Low Price - The cost to buy renters insurance is cheaper than most other types of home policies. The cost depends on how much personal property you insure and for how much.
10. Customizable Policies - This is a policy that can be tailored to fit your personal needs. You can lower the coverage limits to fit your situation.

Blog post by Justin Greig ? A self-proclaimed ?21st century hippie,? Justin studied Journalism at Berkeley and freelances for many environmental publications. He has a special interest in conservation, and he and his wife recently added solar panels to their home

Source: http://www.rent-direct.com/blog/2012/10/youll-wish-you-had-renters-insurance-if/

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Kaley Cuoco Bikini Photos: THG Hot Bodies Countdown #69!

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Victorious Chavez vows to deepen socialist revolution

Venezuela's controversial president Hugo Chavez -- who makes no secret of his dislike for the US -- was re-elected to an unprecedented third term, fending off a serious challenge to win decisively, 54 to 45 percent. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports from Caracas.

By NBC News staff and wire reports

Updated at 8:35 a.m. ET: CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chavez scored a comfortable election victory that could extend his rule to 20 years and vowed to deepen his self-styled socialist revolution after a bitterly fought race against a youthful rival who has galvanized Venezuela's opposition.

Tens of thousands of ecstatic supporters thronged the streets around the presidential palace in downtown Caracas, pumping fists in the air and shouting Chavez's name after the former soldier beat opposition candidate Henrique Capriles by more than 9 percentage points.

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"Viva Chavez," screamed 15-year-old Samuel Urbina as he rode in a car filled with relatives.

However,?Chavez only got 135,000 more votes this time around than he did six years ago, while the opposition boosted its tally by 1.85 million.

Capriles also narrowed Chavez's margin of victory to his smallest yet in a presidential contest.

Chavez won 54 percent of votes compared to Capriles' 45 percent, according to Venezuela's National Electoral Council.?In 2006, Chavez's margin of victory was 27 points.

Turnout this year was around 80 percent.

Capriles, a state governor, had accused the flamboyant incumbent of unfairly leveraging to his advantage Venezuela's oil wealth as well as his near total control of state institutions.

Replica sword
The new six-year term will let Chavez consolidate his control over Venezuela's economy by extending a wave of nationalizations and continue his support for left-wing allies in Latin America and around the world. It also?cemented Chavez as a dominant figure in modern Latin American history.

"Truthfully, this has been the perfect battle, a democratic battle," Chavez thundered from the balcony of the presidential palace on Sunday, waving a replica of the sword of independence hero Simon Bolivar.?"Venezuela will continue along the path of democratic and Bolivarian socialism of the 21st century."

PhotoBlog: Chavez wields Bolivar sword at victory rally

Supporters dripping with sweat strained to catch a glimpse of Chavez from the street below the palace while dancing and drinking rum.

More Venezuela coverage from NBC News

It was an extraordinary victory for a leader who just a few months ago feared for his life as he struggled to recover from cancer.?Chavez spoke little during the campaign about his fight with cancer, which since June 2011 has included surgery to remove tumors from his pelvic region as well as chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He has said his most recent tests showed no sign of illness.

According to Venezuela?s constitution, if Chavez were to die within the first four years of his term, then his vice president,?El?as Jaua,?would serve as president only until a special election is held.

But if the president dies within the last two years of his term, then the vice president would serve as president until the end of the term.

Jorge Silva / Reuters

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez celebrates from a balcony at Miraflores Palace in Caracas on Sunday night.

'Protecting the poor'
Casting himself as an heir to Bolivar, Chavez has poured billions of dollars in oil revenues into anti-poverty programs, and skillfully used his humble roots and folksy oratory to build a close connection with the masses.

"Chavez is my joy. He will continue protecting the poor and defenseless," said Gladys Montijo, 54, a teacher.

A retired lieutenant colonel who first won fame with a failed 1992 coup,?Chavez has become Latin America's principal anti-U.S. agitator. He has criticized Washington while getting close to U.S. adversaries including Cuba and Iran.

Chavez, Ahmadinejad joke about 'big atomic bomb'

Chavez may launch nationalizations in some largely untouched corners of the economy, including the banking, food and health industries. He took advantage of his landslide win in 2006 to order takeovers in the telecoms, electricity and oil sectors.

Opposition leaders appeared crushed by the loss.

Ariana Cubillos / AP

Opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles conceded defeat on Sunday.

It followed nearly a month of euphoria as Capriles, 40, polished his stump speeches, held increasingly fervent rallies and appeared be to gaining ground in the polls.

The youthful state governor put on a brave face, celebrating his "house-by-house" campaign as the start of a long road to changing the direction of the country.

"I gave it my all and I'm proud of what we built," a subdued Capriles told supporters at his campaign headquarters.

"I will continue to work for Venezuela," he said.

Capriles had vowed to seriously address violent crime that has spun out of control, streamline a patronage-bloated bureaucracy and end rampant corruption, but his promises proved inadequate against Chavez's charisma, well-oiled political machine and legacy of putting Venezuela's poor first with generous social welfare programs.

Capriles told supporters not to feel defeated.

"We have planted many seeds across Venezuela and I know that these seeds are going to produce many trees," he told them.

"Today was a historical day, the people made their voices heard," Capriles wrote later on Twitter, urging calm.?

More international coverage from NBC News

He and other leaders of the Democratic Unity coalition must now prepare for state governorship elections in December, when they will hope at least to increase the opposition's influence at the local level.

Though Capriles was indisputably the strongest candidate to face Chavez since the leftist leader's election in 1998, few in the opposition thought the fight was fair.

'Opportunity to change the future'
Eager to exercise their right to pick their next leader, Venezuelans started lining up to vote before dawn. Some stood for hours even after the polls opened just to cast their votes, but many said it was worth it.

"You have the opportunity to change the future," said Caracas resident Marco Casanova.

More than 7,000 Venezuelans who have settled in Florida after fleeing Chavez?s traveled to cast their votes at the nearest consulate, which is in New Orleans.

NBC's Kerry Sanders answers reader questions about the elections

Connecticut resident Maria Pinango traveled to the consulate in New York on Sunday to vote.

"It?s the future of the country and it?s the future of Latin America because the way that Venezuela goes, it?s going to impact the rest of the region," Pinango, who has relatives in Venezuela, said.

/

The life of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez from his rise as a lieutenant colonel after his failed coup attempt in 1992.

Chavez made ample use of state television and spent 47 hours in "chain" broadcasts that force other television stations to carry speeches peppered with political commentary.

He also handed out homes and pensions financed with state funds, often in ceremonies that glorified his administration, while warning that the opposition would rescind such benefits.

Tense relations with US
Relations with Washington are likely to remain on edge, though Venezuelan oil has continued to flow to the United States over the years despite the diplomatic tension.

Still, oil production has decreased 30 percent since Chavez took office, analysts say.

Among the reasons for the slow down of production by PDVSA, the country's state-owned oil and natural gas company, is Chavez? decision to strip long-time partners Exxon and Conoco of any participation in the country?s energy production, said former oil executive Jorge Pinon, now at the University of Texas in Austin.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez faced his first serious challenger after 14 years as head of state. Chavez has used huge profits from oil exports here to benefit the poor. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.

"The technology and capital that Venezuela needs in order to increase the production in heavy oil is in the U.S.," Pinon said.

According to energy analysts, Chavez has used oil profits to pay for all his social programs and has not reinvested them in the state-owned energy industry, so equipment is deteriorating and production will slow even further.

?

Reuters, The Associated Press and NBC News Correspondent Kerry Sanders and Producer Erika Angulo contributed to this report from Caracas. Follow Sanders on Twitter @KerryNBC?and Angulo @ErikaNBC.?

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

?

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/08/14287713-venezuelas-hugo-chavez-wins-3rd-term-vows-to-deepen-socialist-revolution?lite

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PFT: Suggs likely to return in Nov., not Oct. 21

Getty Images

Joe Haden returned to the Browns Monday after his four-game suspension, apologizing to the team and its fans.

Haden tested positive for Adderall, and called it a ?very dumb mistake.?

?It was just a young man making a decision I shouldn?t have made,? he said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Asked if he thought the suspension was excessive, he replied, hilariously: ?God, do I??

In his absence, the Browns went 0-4 (which they may well have done in his presence), but he said the last four weeks have been difficult for him.

?I would like to apologize to my fans, Haden Nation, the Cleveland Browns organization, front office, all the coaches. I hurt a lot of people,? he said. ?I hurt myself for sure. But I hurt a lot of people with the decision I made, and I just want everybody to know that I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart. There?s no script. Nobody told me what to say. I just feel that and I want everybody to know that it was a mistake.

?Everybody makes mistakes, but my mistake happened to hurt a lot more people than I thought.?

And whether it falls under league guidelines or not, he at least deserves a kangaroo court fine for declaring ?Haden Nation,? which is one of the most ridiculous things I?ve heard all day.

UPDATE 4:37 p.m. ET: OK, apparently ?Haden Nation,? is the name of his charitable foundation. Which isn?t nearly as ridiculous as it sounded without that context. I will now fine myself, with the check payable to the Human Fund.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/08/report-suggs-wont-be-back-for-texans-game/related

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Romney Proposes New Sanctions on Iran, New Help for Syrian Rebels

LEXINGTON, Va. ? Republican nominee Mitt Romney will accuse President Obama of ?passive? leadership in the Middle East in a foreign-policy speech Monday at Virginia Military Institute. ?Hope is not a strategy,? he will say, according to excerpts released in advance of the late-morning address.

Romney plans to call for more direct intervention in Syria, including making sure anti-government opposition forces have weapons. He also plans to criticize the Obama administration for its initial focus on an anti-Islamic video as the trigger for an attack that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, including U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens.

The renewed focus on foreign policy comes after several weeks of unrest in the Middle East resulting in widespread protests, attacks on multiple American embassies, and the deadly attacks in Benghzai. Romney plans to call the recent attacks ?expressions of a larger struggle that is playing out across the broader Middle East? and argue for changing course in the region. ?

Romney, who has little foreign policy experience on his resume, has been criticized for some of his previous statements on international affairs.? An overseas trip he took in July was largely overshadowed by negative reaction to comments he made about England?s lack of preparation for the Olympics and a perceived slight of Palestinians, whom he implied were culturally inferior to their Jewish neighbors.?He took heat for an inaccurate, premature attack on the Obama administration as events were unfolding in Libya. Most recently, he offended Spanish leaders when he said in the debate that he doesn?t want the U.S. to ?go down the path of Spain.?

The VMI speech gives Romney an opportunity to make ?voters comfortable with Romney as commander in chief,? said Republican strategist and former McCain adviser Ford O'Connell.? He pointed to a recent Gallup poll that shows Obama with higher foreign policy approval ratings than Romney and said the goal of the speech is also to ?close that gap a little bit.?

Here are some of the areas Romney will address during his speech, according to experts released in advance:

LIBYA

?The attack on our Consulate in Benghazi on September 11th, 2012 was likely the work of the same forces that attacked our homeland on September 11th, 2001. This latest assault cannot be blamed on a reprehensible video insulting Islam, despite the administration?s attempts to convince us of that for so long.?No, as the administration has finally conceded, these attacks were the deliberate work of terrorists who use violence to impose their dark ideology on others, especially women and girls; who are fighting to control much of the Middle East today; and who seek to wage perpetual war on the West.? ?

Romney is expected to say that he will support ?the Libyan people?s efforts to forge a lasting government that represents all of them,? while also pursuing those who attacked the consulate.?This position is the same as Obama?s.

SYRIA

On Syria, Romney plans to directly call for the United States to help arm the Syrian opposition. ?In Syria, I will work with our partners to identify and organize those members of the opposition who share our values and ensure they obtain the arms they need to defeat Assad?s tanks, helicopters, and fighter jets,? Romney will say.

Romney has previously said the U.S. needs to ?be ready to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that we do not have-- any kind of weapon of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists,? but has not yet said so specifically that he would help the opposition fighters obtain weapons.

The Obama administration is providing non-lethal aid such as intelligence, and The New York Times reported that the CIA is helping allies make sure they are sending arms to fighters who are not terrorists.

IRAN

?I will not hesitate to impose new sanctions on Iran, and will tighten the sanctions we currently have. I will restore the permanent presence of aircraft carrier task forces in both the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf the region?and work with Israel to increase our military assistance and coordination,? Romney will say.

The Obama administration has imposed unilateral financial and energy sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, in addition to four sets of sanctions imposed by the United Nations since 2006.?The sanctions are partially responsible for the Iranian currency dropping by almost 40 percent in value in the past week and are having ?significant? effects on the Iranian people, according to United Nations chief Ban Ki Moon.

AFGHANISTAN

Romney, who just this week conceded that the Afghan surge, approved by Obama in 2009, was a success, will call for ?a real and successful transition to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014.?

While Obama has already called for all American troops to be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, Romney has criticized the president for setting a public deadline and disregarding calls by some commanders to allow some troops to stay beyond that deadline.

?I will evaluate conditions on the ground and weigh the best advice of our military commanders,? Romney will say.??And I will affirm that my duty is not to my political prospects, but to the security of the nation.?

ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS

Romney plans to say that he will ?recommit America to the goal of a democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the Jewish state of Israel.??

In a video of remarks at a private fundraiser that was recently released by Mother Jones magazine, Romney says he is torn by two perspectives of the conflict.? On one hand he describes a view that he?s ?had for some time, which is that the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace.?? Romney goes onto say that in this line of thinking you have to ?sort of live with it, and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it.? ?

But he also tells the donors that he had heard from a former secretary of state who believes there is a prospect for a settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.??I always keep open the idea,? he concluded in the taped remarks.

Romney plans to argue at VMI that Obama has failed both Israel and Palestine, saying that ?what should be a negotiation process has devolved into a series of heated disputes at the United Nations. In this old conflict, as in every challenge we face in the Middle East, only a new president will bring the chance to begin anew.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/romney-proposes-sanctions-iran-help-syrian-rebels-000503798--politics.html

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CyberLink PhotoDirector 4

Even at its debut, I was surprised at what a user-friendly yet powerful digital workflow app PhotoDirector was. It had nearly all the bases covered?support for camera raw files, keyword tagging, and even local adjustment brushes. But it still lacked advanced features like face-tagging and corrections for chromatic aberration and geometry offered by competitors like Adobe Lightroom 4 (, 4.5 stars), Apple Aperture 3 ($79.99, 4 stars), and ACDSee Pro 3 ($99.99, 4 stars). Not only does the latest PhotoDirector release address all of those omissions, it adds some nifty tricks like content-aware object removal, HDR effects, and even a body slimming tool. It also brings the first Mac OS X version non-Apple-built pro photo editor to support Retina displays.

Setup/Signup
PhotoDirector is available as a free 30-day, full-function trial, as part of CyberLink's $149 PhotoDirector 4 Suite, which includes our Editors' Choice consumer video editor, PowerDirector, or as a standalone for $99.99. I had some difficulty installing the program on a 64-bit Windows 7 PC. Setting up PhotoDirector generated error messages, though this could well have been due to issues with my particular Windows setup. The installer stopped from two different causes: First it couldn't install Microsoft C++ Redistributable Service Pack. Second, I got a message saying that I needed to install on a 32-bit OS. I was running 64-bit Windows 7, but that can run 32-bit apps, too.

Installing the Mac OS X version on a Retina MacBook, by contrast, was a snafu-free breeze.

Interface
PhotoDirector 4's interface still manages to be less intimidating than those of competitors. It's even more uncluttered and friendly than consumer-level competitors like Corel PaintShop and Photoshop Elements. PhotoDirector bypasses the annoyance of Photoshop Element's separate Organizer app?you can do everything in the one PhotoDirector app.

As is common among pro and near-pro-level photo workflow apps, PhotoDirector uses "modes." That just means there are global tabs or buttons that switch the interface among different functions, usually organizing, editing, and sharing. PhotoDirector started with just three modes, but two more?Edit and Print?have been added to the original Library, Adjustment, and Slideshow. Unlike Lightroom 4, PhotoDirector doesn't let you choose which of these mode buttons appears, so, for example, if you never print, you still can't remove the Print mode button.

Switching between the modes is as simple as it is in Lightroom, but I actually noticed even more of a delay when switching modes than in Adobe's photo workflow app. And within each of PhotoDirector's modes, a left-side panel offers mode-appropriate options. In the Library and Adjustment modes, as in Aperture, the panel is further broken down into two tabs, Project and Metadata for the first, and Manual and Presets for the second.

The main viewing area is flexible, with a few options of its own. In Library mode, a large view of the photo sits above a filmstrip-style look at other pictures in the folder. Alternatively, buttons at the top let you see just the photo, a gallery browser of thumbnails or filenames, or a full-screen view of just the current photo. Instead of viewing one large image, you can also compare two or several in Library mode.

The gallery view can be filtered by photos you've flagged, color labeled, or those you've edited. Hover the mouse over a thumbnail in gallery view, and you'll see star rating and flagging buttons for easy rating and selecting. When viewing one large image, the same choices appear along the bottom, with color labeling added; optionally you can add controls for rotation and back and forward arrows.

In Adjustment mode, you can see a split view showing before and after your edits. Flipping through images was snappy and delay-free, as was overall program response?even on a less-than-stellar 2.5GHz dual-core laptop. Like Lightroom, PhotoDirector only lets you zoom to preset sizes?25 percent, 33 percent, and 50 percent, and so on?rather than having a full-range slider like ACDSee's. But a single click switches between zoomed and unzoomed, which is convenient.

Like most photo apps at this level, PhotoDirector makes good use of keyboard shortcuts for most actions. As with Lightroom and Aperture, the F key switches you to full screen view. You can also view the image on a separate monitor, and four shades of gray for the background. This last choice doesn't change the whole interface color as Lightroom's more helpfully does, just the area behind the photo, but the rest of PhotoDirector's interface is a dark enough shade to stay out of the way of your concentration on the images.

You can't detach the programs panels to float anywhere on screen as you can in ACDSee. Undo is well implemented, and an excellent adjustment history panel not only shows all previous tweaks, but also a thumbnail at the top displaying a mini view of those tweaks' effects. Clicking on any history entry applies that point to the full image view. So for interface, PhotoDirector gets very high marks indeed.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/hhVMN9frQOM/0,2817,2388721,00.asp

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China vs. Japan: Global economy could be the loser

Str / AFP - Getty Images

What the fuss is all about. A dispute over these islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China in the East China Sea, could drag the global economy down with it.

By John W. Schoen, NBC News

A deepening dispute between China and Japan over a cluster of tiny uninhabited islands, some no bigger than rocks jutting out of the East China Sea, threatens to throw one more (big) monkey wrench into the slowing machinery of the global economy.

The origins of the dispute date back centuries but came to a head last month?after Japan?nationalized the tiny islands, called Senkaku in Japan, the world's No. 3 economy,?and Diaoyu in China, the world's No. 2 economy. The move set off violent protests in at least two dozen Chinese cities.?Angry mobs torched a Panasonic factory,?looted several Japanese retail outlets and burned Toyota and Honda car dealerships.

The resulting boycott of Japanese goods has brought a sharp contraction in Japanese exports to mainland China as the gunboat confrontation on the high seas has morphed into a wider economic front. On Tuesday, Japanese carmakers reported sales cratered in September ?- Toyota's numbers were cut in half ?- in what some analysts warn is just a preview of the looming fallout from the high-stakes confrontation. ?

As the Asia-Pacific economy has become?increasingly interdependent, other countries could soon feel the blowback, including Europe and the U.S., both of which have economic woes of their own.

?The fallout is increasing and it?s not the way forward for the region,? said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist at IHS Global Insight. ?The impact on the region could be significant.?

The impact of a Chinese boycott would fall hardest on Japan, where economic growth slowed sharply in the second quarter and is expected to continue to decline. China represents an important market for Japan?s export-reliant economy. Last year, roughly 20 percent of Japanese semiconductor exports were sold to Chinese manufacturers.

?This (economic conflict) can and will cost the woebegone Japanese economy dearly it the form of export,? said Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics.

Chinese visitors have also become an increasingly important part of the Japanese tourism industry, according to Parag Khanna, an economist and senior researcher at the New America Foundation.

?A large part of the increase in tourism to Japan in recent years has been from China because of diminished visa restrictions,? he said. ?If that goes down, it?s really a double whammy for Japan at a time when they don?t really need that.?

Beyond the long-standing political hostilities, the fight over these barren islands is about more than a tiny patch of remote real estate. The battle for control includes the international rights to develop substantial underwater oil and natural gas, which are critical resources to both countries? energy-hungry economies.

Natural resources could also become a weapon for the Chinese, who control an estimated 90 percent of a series of so-called rare earth elements ? minerals with almost-unpronounceable names that are critical to the production of everything from hybrid cars to flat-panel TVs. Last month, the Chinese government cut the number of mining permits for rare earth elements by a third. By tightening exports of those materials, China could leave Japanese manufacturers scrambling to head off shortages, or paying higher prices.

But an economic strike against Japan?s supply chain could quickly backfire on Beijing and reverberate throughout the Chinese economy, according to Biswas.

?The bigger concern is the longer term impact on supply chains,? he said. ?A lot of Japanese investment -- about $80 billion -- has gone into China in the last 15 years and a lot of that is supply chain for their big multinationals.?

?If they decide to move away from China, that?s going to hurt Chinese jobs as well,? he added.

No matter who comes out on top in this Asian economic slugfest, the global economy can ill-afford any further slowdown in trade, especially one involving two of the world?s largest economies. Last month, the World Trade Organization said global trade will grow by just 2.5 percent this year, dragged down by Europe to less than half of the previous 20-year average. That?s down from a prior estimate of 3.7 percent made in April. The WTO also cut its growth forecast for 2013 global trade to 4.5 percent growth from 5.6 percent.

With the global engine of trade slowing, the outlook for the overall economy is also darkening. On Tuesday, officials at the International Monetary Fund, meeting in Tokyo, said the global economic slowdown is worsening and cut their growth forecasts for the second time since April. The IMF warned both U.S. and European policymakers that failure to fix their economic ills would prolong the slump. What little momentum exists is coming primarily from central banks, the IMF said in its World Economic Outlook

The IMF cut its forecast for world GDP growth this year to 3.3 percent, down from 3.5 percent in April.

Some private economists think those numbers will likely come down even further.

?While the IMF has reduced its forecast for next year, we believe it is still over-optimistic about the chances of a global recovery,? said Andrew Kenningham, senior global economist at Capital Economics.

CNBC's Phil LeBeau reports Japanese carmakers Toyota, Nissan and Honda are cutting their China production by 50 percent.

Source: http://economywatch.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/09/14320190-china-vs-japan-but-the-loser-could-be-the-global-economy?lite

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McGill researchers link genetic mutation to psychiatric disease and obesity

Public release date: 8-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Cynthia Lee
cynthia.lee@mcgill.ca
514-398-6754
McGill University

Deletion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor leads to major depression, anxiety, and obesity

McGill researchers have identified a small region in the genome that conclusively plays a role in the development of psychiatric disease and obesity. The key lies in the genomic deletion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, a nervous system growth factor that plays a critical role in brain development.

To determine the role of BDNF in humans, Prof. Carl Ernst, from McGill's Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, screened over 35,000 people referred for genetic screening at clinics and over 30,000 control subjects in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Overall, five individuals were identified with BDNF deletions, all of whom were obese, had a mild-moderate intellectual impairment, and had a mood disorder. Children had anxiety disorders, aggressive disorders, or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while post-pubescent subjects had anxiety and major depressive disorders. Subjects gradually gained weight as they aged, suggesting that obesity is a long-term process when BDNF is deleted.

"Scientists have been trying to find a region of the genome which plays a role in human psychopathology, searching for answers anywhere in our DNA that may give us a clue to the genetic causes of these types of disorders," says Prof. Ernst, who is also a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. "Our study conclusively links a single region of the genome to mood and anxiety."

The findings, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, reveal for the first time the link between BDNF deletion, cognition, and weight gain in humans. BDNF has been suspected to have many functions in the brain based on animal studies, but no study had shown what happens when BDNF is missing from the human genome. This research provides a step toward better understanding human behaviour and mood by clearly identifying genes that may be involved in mental disorders.

"Mood and anxiety can be seen like a house of cards. In this case, the walls of the house represent the myriad of biological interactions that maintain the structure," says Ernst, "Studying these moving parts can be tricky, so teasing apart even a single event is important. Linking a deletion in BDNF conclusively to mood and anxiety really tells us that it is possible to dissect the biological pathways involved in determining how we feel and act.

We now have a molecular pathway we are confident is involved in psychopathology," adds Ernst, "Because thousands of genes are involved in mood, anxiety, or obesity, it allows us to root our studies on a solid foundation. All of the participants in our study had mild-moderate intellectual disability, but most people with these cognitive problems do not have psychiatric problems so what is it about deletion of BDNF that affects mood? My hope now is to test the hypothesis that boosting BDNF in people with anxiety or depression might improve brain health."

###

More news from McGill University: http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/
More from the Douglas Mental University Health Institute: www.douglas.qc.ca
More about Prof. Ernst: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/carl-ernst?locale=en

---

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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: 8-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Cynthia Lee
cynthia.lee@mcgill.ca
514-398-6754
McGill University

Deletion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor leads to major depression, anxiety, and obesity

McGill researchers have identified a small region in the genome that conclusively plays a role in the development of psychiatric disease and obesity. The key lies in the genomic deletion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, a nervous system growth factor that plays a critical role in brain development.

To determine the role of BDNF in humans, Prof. Carl Ernst, from McGill's Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, screened over 35,000 people referred for genetic screening at clinics and over 30,000 control subjects in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Overall, five individuals were identified with BDNF deletions, all of whom were obese, had a mild-moderate intellectual impairment, and had a mood disorder. Children had anxiety disorders, aggressive disorders, or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while post-pubescent subjects had anxiety and major depressive disorders. Subjects gradually gained weight as they aged, suggesting that obesity is a long-term process when BDNF is deleted.

"Scientists have been trying to find a region of the genome which plays a role in human psychopathology, searching for answers anywhere in our DNA that may give us a clue to the genetic causes of these types of disorders," says Prof. Ernst, who is also a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. "Our study conclusively links a single region of the genome to mood and anxiety."

The findings, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, reveal for the first time the link between BDNF deletion, cognition, and weight gain in humans. BDNF has been suspected to have many functions in the brain based on animal studies, but no study had shown what happens when BDNF is missing from the human genome. This research provides a step toward better understanding human behaviour and mood by clearly identifying genes that may be involved in mental disorders.

"Mood and anxiety can be seen like a house of cards. In this case, the walls of the house represent the myriad of biological interactions that maintain the structure," says Ernst, "Studying these moving parts can be tricky, so teasing apart even a single event is important. Linking a deletion in BDNF conclusively to mood and anxiety really tells us that it is possible to dissect the biological pathways involved in determining how we feel and act.

We now have a molecular pathway we are confident is involved in psychopathology," adds Ernst, "Because thousands of genes are involved in mood, anxiety, or obesity, it allows us to root our studies on a solid foundation. All of the participants in our study had mild-moderate intellectual disability, but most people with these cognitive problems do not have psychiatric problems so what is it about deletion of BDNF that affects mood? My hope now is to test the hypothesis that boosting BDNF in people with anxiety or depression might improve brain health."

###

More news from McGill University: http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/
More from the Douglas Mental University Health Institute: www.douglas.qc.ca
More about Prof. Ernst: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/carl-ernst?locale=en

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/mu-mrl100412.php

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Report: Imprisoned van der Sloot impregnates woman

The prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway could face extradition to the United States from Peru, where he is currently serving a 28-year sentence for the murder of Stephanie Flores. TODAY's Natalie Morales reports.

By The Associated Press

AMSTERDAM -- Joran van der Sloot, who is serving a 28-year-sentence for murdering a young Peruvian woman, has impregnated a woman while imprisoned in Lima, according to a Dutch newspaper.

De Telegraaf newspaper on Monday cited?(linked article is in Dutch) Van der Sloot's lawyer Maximo Altes as saying the pregnancy is past its third month, and Van der Sloot himself as confirming the news in a telephone call.

The woman, identified by the paper only as "Leidi," was said to have become pregnant during an unsupervised visit with Van der Sloot.

Van der Sloot was convicted for robbing and killing Stephany Flores in 2010.

He is also wanted in the United States in connection with the disappearance of teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005.

He could resist extradition if he obtains Peruvian nationality.

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/08/14292913-report-imprisoned-van-der-sloot-impregnates-woman?lite

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UnitedHealth to buy most of Brazil's Amil for $4.9 ... - Gymrat-Fitness

UnitedHealth Chief Executive Officer Stephen Hemsley takes part in a panel discussion titled ?Getting From Care to Cure? at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California May 1, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Danny Moloshok

By Caroline Humer

NEW YORK | Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:57pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? UnitedHealth Group Inc will buy control of Amil Participacoes SA, Brazil?s largest health insurer and hospital operator, for $4.9 billion, making a bold move into a fast-growing market as challenges mount for its U.S. business.

The Brazilian healthcare market has been bolstered by a growing middle class and is turning to managed care to meet demand. It is expected to grow twice as fast as the U.S. market, UnitedHealth Chief Executive Stephen Hemsley said during a conference call on Monday.

?It looks to us like the potential the U.S. market had 20 or more years ago,? Hemsley said.

The purchase marks UnitedHealth?s first foray to become a hospital owner and is one of the largest overseas acquisitions by a U.S. managed care company yet. For the moment, UnitedHealth is likely to stand alone overseas as competitors catch up at home, analysts said.

?United is by far the largest and most diversified player in the U.S., and so from a strategy point of view they are closer to this point than others,? said David Windley, an analyst for Jefferies & Co.

Rival U.S. health insurers are busy managing their own recent deals, so are unlikely to try to expand, he said. In the past few years, the industry has seen a series of multibillion-dollar takeovers in its home market, including Aetna Inc?s $5.6 billion buy of rival Coventry Health Care Inc and WellPoint Inc?s planned $4.5 billion purchase of Amerigroup Corp.

Those deals aim to capitalize on expected growth in the U.S. government?s Medicaid and Medicare programs for the poor and the elderly. But insurers are also under pressure in the nearer term as those programs cut reimbursement rates and competition grows among health plans serving employers.

UnitedHealth said it would buy a 90 percent stake in Amil. The deal price ? 30.75 reais per Amil share ? represents a premium of 22 percent. Amil shares were up 14 percent at 28.85 reais on the Sao Paulo stock exchange. UnitedHealth shares gained 0.9 percent to $57.65 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Amil founder and Chief Executive Edson Bueno and partner Dulce Pugliese will retain the remaining 10 percent stake in the company for at least five years. Their current stake is 70 percent.

Bueno will also buy $470 million worth of UnitedHealth shares, making him the single largest investor in the company.

A DIFFERENT MODEL OF SERVICE

Taking a controlling stake in Amil will add to a growing international business at UnitedHealth. The company has launched operations or struck alliances in Australia, the Middle East and the UK during the past two years.

Competitors also have some overseas business. Insurance provider Cigna Corp, for instance, bought a Belgian medical insurance and benefits company called Vanbreda International in 2010 and expanded in Turkey in 2011.

The deal also gives UnitedHealth a chance to test a different model of medical service: Amil offers insurance coverage and also runs hospitals and doctor facilities.

While some examples of this already exist in the United States, the largest insurers for the most part operate separately from networks of doctors and other healthcare providers.

?It?s not something UnitedHealth has been willing to do here, but it gives them an opportunity to see how it works,? said CRT Capital Group analyst Sheryl Skolnick.

Brazil?s healthcare system consists of public and private plans, similar to the U.S. model. The number of Brazilians covered under private plans has grown more than 50 percent over the past 10 years to nearly 48 million people, roughly a quarter of the country?s population.

Brazil?s health insurance regulator, ANS, has expressed concern that this robust growth has not been accompanied by adequate investment. Last week, ANS blocked 38 providers from selling 301 plans for the next three months due to wait times for exams and surgery. An ANS statement said that included 14 plans offered by providers ASL and Excelsior, which Amil bought in 2010 to expand into Brazil?s fast-growing northeast region.

Foreign investors have also become cautious due to government intervention in Brazil?s private sector, including in telecommunications, utilities and healthcare.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval by ANS.

Amil has more than 5 million clients in Brazil and owns 22 hospitals and 50 clinics. It forecast revenues of $5 billion for 2012, up 15 percent from 2011. UnitedHealth had revenues of nearly $102 billion in 2011 and expects the deal to slightly increase its 2013 earnings per share.

The deal includes Brazilian tax benefits worth about $600 million, bringing the effective equity purchase price to about $4.3 billion, the companies said.

UnitedHealth also said it expects third-quarter net earnings of at least $1.45 per share. Analysts on average were expecting $1.25, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

(Additional reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore, Debra Sherman in Chicago and Brad Haynes in Sao Paulo; Editing by Michele Gershberg, John Wallace and Bernard Orr)

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