Pain from the brain

Monday, February 25, 2013

Psychogenic diseases, formerly known as 'hysterical' illnesses, can have many severe symptoms such as painful cramps or paralysis but without any physical explanation. However, new research from the University of Cambridge and UCL (University College London) suggests that individuals with psychogenic disease, that is to say physical illness that stems from emotional or mental stresses, do have brains that function differently. The research was published today, 25 February, in the journal Brain.

Psychogenic diseases may look very similar to illnesses caused by damage to nerves, the brain or the muscles, or similar to genetic diseases of the nervous system. However, unlike organic diseases, psychogenic diseases do not have any apparent physical cause, making them difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat.

"The processes leading to these disorders are poorly understood, complex and highly variable. As a result, treatments are also complex, often lengthy and in many cases there is poor recovery. In order to improve treatment of these disorders, it is important to first understand the underlying mechanism," said Dr James Rowe from the University of Cambridge.

The study looked at people with either psychogenic or organic dystonia, as well as healthy people with no dystonia. Both types of dystonia caused painful and disabling muscle contractions affecting the leg. The organic patient group had a gene mutation (the DYT1 gene) that caused their dystonia. The psychogenic patients had the symptoms of dystonia but did not have any physical explanation for the disease, even after extensive investigations.

The scientists performed PET brain scans on the volunteers at UCL, to measure the blood flow and brain activity of both of the groups, and healthy volunteers. The participants were scanned with three different foot positions: resting, moving their foot, and holding their leg in a dystonic position. The electrical activity of the leg muscles was measured at the same time to determine which muscles were engaged during the scans.

The researchers found that the brain function of individuals with the psychogenic illness was not normal. The changes were, however, very different from the brains of individuals with the organic (genetic) disease.

Dr Anette Schrag, from UCL, said: "Finding abnormalities of brain function that are very different from those in the organic form of dystonia opens up a way for researchers to learn how psychological factors can, by changing brain function, lead to physical problems."

Dr Rowe added: "What struck me was just how very different the abnormal brain function was in patients with the genetic and the psychogenic dystonia. Even more striking was that the differences were there all the time, whether the patients were resting or trying to move."

Additionally, the researchers found that one part of the brain previously thought to indicate psychogenic disease is unreliable: abnormal activity of the prefrontal cortex was thought to be the hallmark of psychogenic diseases. In this study, the scientists showed that this abnormality is not unique to psychogenic disease, since activity was also present in the patients with the genetic cause of dystonia when they tried to move their foot.

Dr Arpan Mehta, from the University of Cambridge, said: "It is interesting that, despite the differences, both types of patient had one thing in common - a problem at the front of the brain. This area controls attention to our movements and although the abnormality is not unique to psychogenic dystonia, it is part of the problem."

This type of illness is very common. Dr Schrag said: "One in six patients that see a neurologist has a psychogenic illness. They are as ill as someone with organic disease, but with a different cause and different treatment needs. Understanding these disorders, diagnosing them early and finding the right treatment are all clearly very important. We are hopeful that these results might help doctors and patients understand the mechanism leading to this disorder, and guide better treatments."

###

University of Cambridge: http://www.cam.ac.uk

Thanks to University of Cambridge for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127002/Pain_from_the_brain

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Analysis: Obama, GOP see no need to stop the cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Unlike in earlier rounds of budget brinkmanship, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans both seem content to fight out their latest showdown on the current terrain, let across-the-board spending cuts take effect on March 1 and allow them to stay in place for weeks if not much longer.

This time, there is no market-rattling threat of a government default to force the two sides to compromise, no federal shutdown on the short-term horizon and no year-end deadline for preventing a tax increase for every working American.

The rhetoric is reminiscent, for sure.

"So far at least, the ideas that the Republicans have proposed ask nothing of the wealthiest Americans or the biggest corporations," Obama said this week as he campaigned to pin the blame for any negative effects on his political opponents. "So the burden is all on the first responders, or seniors or middle class families," he said in comments similar in tone to his re-election campaign.

Republicans, standing on political ground of their own choosing, responded sharply to the president's fresh demand for higher taxes.

"Spending is the problem, spending must be the focus," said House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, while Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky declared, "There won't be any easy off-ramps on this one. The days of 11th hour negotiations are over."

A crisis atmosphere could yet develop this spring, when hundreds of thousands or even millions of threatened government furloughs begin to take effect and the spending cuts begin to bite. Already, Republicans are considering legislation to give the administration greater flexibility in making the cuts, a step that could minimize the impact on the public. It's a step the White House says it opposes, although the depth of that conviction has yet to be tested.

At heart, the present standoff is yet another indication of the political resistance to a compromise curbing the growth of Medicare, Medicaid and possibly Social Security, a step that both Obama and Republicans say is essential to restoring the nation's fiscal health. It is the last major remaining challenge in divided government's struggle, now in its third year, to reduce deficits by $4 trillion or more over a decade.

Counting the across-the-board cuts now beginning to command the nation's attention ? at a 10-year cost of $1.2 trillion ? the president and Congress have racked up more than $3.6 trillion in savings. Much came from spending, although legislation that Republicans let pass at year's end raised taxes on the wealthy to generate an estimated $600 billion for the Treasury over a decade.

The so-called sequester now approaching was never supposed to happen. It was designed as an unpalatable fallback, to take effect only in case a congressional super-committee failed to come up with $1 trillion or more in savings from benefit programs.

Now, more than a year later, Republicans are fond of saying that the idea itself originated at the White House.

That skips lightly over the fact that their own votes helped enact it into law.

Also that they decided a month ago that it marked the moment of most leverage in their struggle to maneuver Obama and Democrats into curtailing benefit programs. To accomplish that objective, they already have raised the debt limit without winning any cuts in exchange, a step they once vowed not to take. And within two weeks, they are likely to launch legislation making sure the government operates without interruption when current funding authority runs out for most agencies on March 27.

Republicans aren't the only ones partial to verbal sleights of hand.

In a letter to lawmakers earlier this month, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sounded a series of alarms. The spending cuts "could compromise" the health of more than 373,000 mentally ill or emotionally disturbed individuals, "could slow efforts to improve" health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives, she wrote, and admissions to inpatient addiction facilities "could be reduced."

Could or could not. Soon or later. Nothing pinned down.

The administration hopes to win over the public and bring Republican lawmakers to heel, and it dispatched Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to the White House briefing room on Friday.

"Come to the table and start talking" to find a way to avert the cuts, the former GOP lawmaker urged members of his own Republican Party.

Peppered with skeptical questions, LaHood directed reporters to his department's website, with a listing of more than 300 air traffic facilities where overnight shifts could be eliminated or perhaps closed entirely.

Asked if his office was receiving unhappy calls from the public, he got to the political point.

"My phones will ring from members of Congress (asking) 'why is my control tower being closed?'" he said.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? David Espo is AP's chief congressional correspondent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-obama-gop-see-no-205914262.html

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Kaspersky Mobile Security (for Android)

By Neil J. Rubenking, Max Eddy

Kaspersky Labs has made a name for themselves not only for supplying consumer-grade antivirus and security software, but for breaking huge security stories like Red October and Stuxnet. With Kaspersky Mobile Security ($14.99, free "lite" version), the company brings a full-featured security suite to Android that provides all-around protection in an unobtrusive package with a strong pedigree.

The first time you fire up Kaspersky Mobile Security, the app walks you through a brief set-up interrupted only by an enormous (and unsurprising) EULA. The app will confirm that it was legitimately purchased, walk you through the creation of a Kaspersky account to access the online features, and prompt you to create a 4-16 digit numeric passcode.

This is an unfortunate necessity, but you'll need some way of proving that you're the authorized user of the device. Otherwise a thief could simply deactivate Kaspersky's host of features. Unfortunately, most users will probably create a very short passcode, which could be easily compromised. I highly recommend using a code you'll remember, but one that is fairly long. In my tests, I used a password manager to store and generate a 12-digit passcode.

Don't worry if you forget your passcode. You can generate a recovery passcode from Kaspersky's anti-theft webportal.

The app's interface is straightforward, with large buttons that open at a tap to reveal controls. These include Anti-Virus, Privacy Protection, Anti-Theft, Call&SMS Filter, Web Protection, and Additional, which functions as a settings menu. Each of the buttons displays whether or not that aspect of the app is running, giving users a quick overview of their protection.

Readers should note that while I installed Mobile Security just fine on the Samsung Galaxy S III, the Samsung Galaxy Note II, and the Nexus 7

, Kaspersky sells a (pricier, at $19.95) "Tablet Edition." According to the developers, the tablet edition is designed to take full advantage of the increased screen real estate with improved graphics, and does not have the SMS or phone filtering options. Because you can install the app as many times as you like, I would not recommend buying the Tablet Edition; instead secure all your Android devices with the plain ol' Mobile Security version.

Malware Protection and Performance
The greatest sin of security software is that it sometimes forces users to choose between performance and protection. On a mobile platform, that's not really an option since these devices tend to be used for short bursts but need to perform well each time.

When it came to boot times, my Samsung Galaxy S III?took an average of 30.73 seconds to boot up with Kaspersky Mobile Security installed. That's only 2.17 seconds longer than normal; minimal interference.

Scans are another story, but even here Kaspersky manages to keep interruptions to a minimum. With a scan running in the background, I did experience some subtle slowdown with applications on the Galaxy S III. These were far more noticeable when running Minecraft?Pocket Edition. Thankfully, a full scan of the phone took only about twenty minutes, meaning at its most disruptive Kaspersky managed to keep the interruptions to a minimum. The app will also allow you to select memory, SD card, or specific folder scans, putting fine-grain scan control in your hands.

In the version I reviewed, I noticed some issues with the notification center. Occasionally, it would not advance as the scan moved forward?a minor, but irritating issue. Distressingly, tapping the notification would actually pull the app's scan progress window to the front, making it difficult to return to what I was doing. Kaspersky has told me that this issue will be addressed in a future update, scheduled for March 18, 2013.

Scheduled malware scans, the bane of the late 1990s computer user, are turned off by default in Kaspersky Mobile Security. Presumably this is to minimize the impact on the user, requiring users to start scans at their convenience or set up their own schedule in the Anti-Virus settings menu. (The app does, however, perform an automatic Anti-Virus definitions update the first time you start up.) In addition to known malware, the app also scans for dangerous adware, auto-dialers, and other intrusive features that might expose your personal information.

Impressively, the app automatically scans and audits every downloaded app by default through its "Kaspersky Security Cloud Network," further minimizing the chances of infection. This is a fairly unobtrusive process which you'd likely only notice if the app caught something it didn't like or if you were paying very close attention to your notifications. Kaspersky does not, however, scan every single file you download. Email attachment and files obtained from file-hosting services will go unobserved by Kaspersky until you perform you next scan.

The suite also provides some protection against malicious websites, but only in the default Android browser. While it was irritating to have to use the default browser instead of Chrome or something speedier, I didn't observe any increase in website loading time while using Kaspersky.

For the time being, PC Magazine relies on third-party testing to gauge the quality of malware protection. In this area, Kaspersky Mobile Security performs among the best, taking an A ranking from AV-Test (March 2012, previous version). In their tests, AV-Comparatives found (Sept 2012, previous version) that Kaspersky performed in the top tier of apps at discovering malware, but only detected a fraction of adware. However, I did notice that Kaspersky generated a false-positive result on a non-malicious pentesting app. While it was easily dismissed, there was no way to white-list the app and it prolonged every scan I performed.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/NsQh7cuFCgY/0,2817,2385941,00.asp

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Diane Lane, Josh Brolin divorcing after 8 years

FILE - This Jan. 15, 2012 file photo shows actors Josh Brolin, left, and Diane Lane at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles. Lane and Brolin are divorcing after eight years of marriage. A representative for the couple confirmed the split Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Brolin and Lane were married in 2004, the second marriage for both. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

FILE - This Jan. 15, 2012 file photo shows actors Josh Brolin, left, and Diane Lane at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles. Lane and Brolin are divorcing after eight years of marriage. A representative for the couple confirmed the split Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Brolin and Lane were married in 2004, the second marriage for both. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Diane Lane and Josh Brolin are divorcing after eight years of marriage.

A representative for the couple confirmed the split Thursday. Brolin and Lane were married in 2004 in the second marriage for both.

They don't have any children together.

Lane was previously married to Christopher Lambert. They divorced in 1994 and have a 19-year-old daughter. Brolin was previously married to Alice Adair. They also divorced in 1994 and have two children: an 18-year-old daughter and a 24-year-old son.

The separation was first reported by Us Weekly.

Lane received an Oscar nomination for her performance in the 2002 film "Unfaithful" and co-stars in the upcoming Superman film "Man of Steel."

Brolin was Oscar-nominated for his performance in 2008's "Milk" and starred in the recently released "Gangster Squad."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-21-US-People-Lane-Brolin/id-1207c25b02804df88331a489443d1eb0

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Source: http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/buy/lakers_tickets.htm?pid=1932160

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Faculty at St. Francis Xavier University vote in favour of new agreement

ANTIGONISH ? Unionized faculty at Nova Scotia?s St. Francis Xavier University have voted in favour of a tentative agreement that will bring students back to the classroom Monday following a three-week strike.

Union president Peter McInnis said about 330 ballots were cast and members voted 96 per cent in favour of the contract offer from administration.

The deal includes an eight per cent salary increase over four years and improvements to job security and health benefits for part-time contract workers and full-time employees, said McInnis.

?It?s pretty much what we had requested,? McInnis said in a telephone interview. ?The university finally came around to our way of thinking.?

?(Faculty) will... go back Monday morning with new focus in trying to get the university to pay added attention to the academic mission. That?s what we?ve been saying all along.?

The strike at the school in Antigonish began Jan. 28 after 400 faculty and supporters went eight months without a contract.

The strike drew mounting criticism of both sides from student groups worried about lost classroom time.

The school year will be extended by one week to ensure the university?s 4,200 students can complete their academic requirements.

The university did not immediately return a request for comment Saturday.

Meanwhile, the union representing support workers at the university will vote Wednesday on the administration?s latest offer.

But Joan Jessome of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union has said that she expects its 135 union members will reject the deal.

If the offer is turned down, the conciliator will file a report with the province.

The workers would then be in a legal strike position on March 8.

Source: http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2013-02-17/article-3178932/Faculty-at-St.-Francis-Xavier-University-vote-in-favour-of-new-agreement/1

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Bouncing back from financial grief and loss

This guest post is from Psychotherapist Bobbi Emel who specializes in helping you face life?s significant challenges and regain your resiliency. Download her free ebook, ?Bounce Back! 5 keys to survive and thrive through life?s ups and downs.? You can find her blog at http://www.TheBounceBlog.com.

Some reader stories are guest posts containing information or general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success or failure. These posts feature folks with all levels of financial maturity and income. Want to submit your own reader story? Here?s how.

I bet you?ve had some financial losses in the last five years or so. It seems like we all have, unfortunately. If you?re newly into a financial crisis such as seeing your retirement savings take a major loss, losing your house to foreclosure, or getting laid off your job, you may recognize some of these emotional experiences:

• Sadness
• Anger
• Guilt/self-reproach
• Anxiety
• Loneliness
• Shock
• Yearning

You may have also experienced any of these thinking patterns or behaviors:

• Disbelief
• Confusion
• Preoccupation or rumination
• Sleep and/or appetite disturbances
• Absentmindedness
• Social withdrawal
• Crying
• Restlessness

If you see yourself in some or all of these feelings, thoughts and behaviors, I have news for you: You might be grieving. We?re accustomed to thinking of grief as something that occurs only after a loved one dies. But the problem with this is that we might discount our feelings and not recognize them as grief when we lose something other than a loved one.

Complications of financial grief

You might find it difficult to express your feelings of grief about your financial situation. What is it about this type of grief that is different than the emotions we feel when we lose someone we love?

There are some complications:

Embarrassment: It?s one thing to tell someone that your mother died, but a completely different thing to share that you lost your money in a Ponzi scheme or any other issue related to a recession.

Loss of identity: You used to be Software Engineer Who Owns A House And Has Enough In the Bank To Put My Kids Through College and now you are Unemployed Dad Who Lost My House Due To Foreclosure And Had To Move The Family In With My Folks.

Maybe your situation isn?t that drastic, but you get the idea. You identify with your work and your social status, among other things, and so you might be unsure of who you are right now.

Feelings of betrayal: Dealing with a loss is difficult enough without the added emotional fallout from feeling betrayed by banks, mortgage lenders, the government, Bernie Madoff and Wall Street in general.

Now you are not only dealing with grief, but anger and resentment as well. In addition, the anger and resentment may be at a spouse, friend or relative who gave you bad financial advice.

Denying the magnitude of the loss: It?s easy to think, ?I shouldn?t be feeling this bad. It?s not like someone has died.? You devalue your own feelings because it?s ?not as bad? as something else.

The thought that financial crisis = personal failure: ?If I was a better money manager, this wouldn?t have happened. I?m such a jerk.?

?Why did I listen to that broker? I knew better. This is all my fault.?

?I must be a real loser to have thought I could refinance my house with an adjustable rate mortgage.?

This type of thinking is very easy to fall into, but certainly not helpful or true.

Lack of social ritual for this kind of grief: We have many rituals for the death of a person: funerals, memorials, sitting shiva, wakes, etc. These customs help us with closure and adjusting to the world without our loved one. But there are no rituals around the loss of finances and the dreams that went with them. We are left feeling unfinished and lost. So, it really is pretty complicated, isn?t it?

Surviving and thriving after financial loss

Surviving . . .

1. Acceptance

Accept the fact that this loss has really happened to you. If you find yourself thinking, ?Once the stock market comes back, everything will be fine? or ?Even though this new job pays half of what I made at my old job, we can still live the same way we did before,? you are in denial. It?s time to intentionally assess your situation and accept its reality.

Honor your own grief about what you have lost. This really is a loss ? be careful not to minimize it.

Don?t resist. This does not mean to give up. But it does mean to acknowledge both your emotions about your financial loss rather than fight against them. Going with the river current is much easier than fighting to swim against the current.

2. Build and use your support system

Find people you trust: friends, family, spiritual leaders. Gather your support team around you just as you would if you had lost a loved one.

Talk. You don?t have to talk about the specifics of the loss, just your feelings about it. This is an important way for you to process your grief and not get stuck in it.

Take your power back. By talking about your feelings related to the financial loss, you take the power away from the ?deep, dark secret? and shine the light of day on it.

3. Get a different perspective

Remember that you have made it through past challenges. When you?re faced with a loss, it can seem like the worst thing that has ever happened to you. And it might be. But remember that you have experienced many difficulties in your life and you have made your way through them.

Stay in the moment. Rather than ruminating about past events or fretting about the future, try to stay with what is happening right now. Life is happening in front of your eyes, not in the past or some time up ahead.

And thriving . . .

4. See what you can learn.

There?s a lesson in everything. Maybe you did make some poor financial decisions. Learn from your mistakes. Maybe your value system was overly focused on material things. Learn the joys of simpler living.

Maybe your kids didn?t really understand what it meant to pull together as a family until now. Help them learn this lesson during these tough times.

5. Find the gifts.

The sand that irritates the oyster eventually makes a pearl. The economic loss you are experiencing now may be the very thing you need to learn to thrive into new opportunities opening before you.

One woman I spoke to who had lost her job was doing surprisingly well emotionally. When I asked her how she maintained her good attitude, she said, ?I decided to expand rather than contract.? She took action to learn new skills, enjoy new experiences, and take a different path in life. Perhaps you are being given an opportunity to expand your life as well.

There are gifts to be found everywhere, even in the darkest of times. My late partner had breast cancer and when it was discovered, it was already at Stage IV. We could not think of a more terrible thing to happen. But, after using some of the ?surviving? tools above, we began to see the gifts pouring in.

We learned that we were much stronger than we thought, we learned how many caring friends we had, my partner ? who had always struggled with her self-image ? found out how many people truly loved her, and we found peace through renewed spirituality.

Getting your bounce back after financial loss may not mean getting your money or assets replaced, but it does mean learning to survive ? and thrive ? in the most difficult times.

Will you take this as an opportunity or a defeat?

This article is about Reader Stories??

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

Discover is a paid advertiser of Get Rich Slowly. Please see Discover's application for complete Terms & Conditions.

Source: http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2013/02/17/bouncing-back-from-financial-grief-and-loss/

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After years of toil, book names Bosnian war dead

SARAJEVO/BELGRADE (Reuters) - Mirsad Tokaca calls it the "crowning achievement" of 10 years of painstaking research - thousands of grey pages bearing the names of 95,940 victims of the Bosnian war, where they died and when.

Published last month, war crimes researchers say The Bosnian Book of the Dead represents the most comprehensive statistical analysis yet of the bloodshed in Bosnia after federal Yugoslavia fell apart at the close of the 20th century.

For Tokaca, 58, it's the ultimate answer to political leaders across the countries carved from Yugoslavia who still dispute the crimes committed, the numbers killed and who bore the blame when their joint state collapsed.

"You can't deny the crime if you determine the exact number of victims," the former journalist and businessman told Reuters. "Nobody has done anything like this. It's unique."

Rights activists say an accurate picture of what went on in the Bosnian, Croatian and Kosovan wars of the 1990s is vital to the slow process of reconciliation in the Balkans, a region still scarred but seeking to join the European mainstream.

The European Union's external borders will reach Bosnia in July, when neighboring Croatia becomes the bloc's 28th member.

But the book, whose title recalls the funerary texts that ancient Egyptians believed guided the deceased in the afterlife, almost never came about.

For years, a state commission tasked with gathering data on war crimes was starved of funding by Bosnia's central government, an uneasy alliance of the Serb, Croat and Muslim former warring sides.

With thousands of files at risk of falling into disrepair, Tokaca, a former member of the commission, established the Identification and Documentation Centre and launched the book project in 2003 with the help of foreign donors.

SHUNNED BY THE STATE

He took on the records, but was shunned by the state when he asked for funding to continue the research, "probably because they couldn't dictate what it would look like," he said.

Amid a row with donors over how the money was being spent, the book was finally published with the help of the Belgrade-based Humanitarian Law Centre, run by Serbian rights campaigner Natasa Kandic.

"The (Bosnian) state was never interested in taking on that huge documentation," Kandic told Reuters in Belgrade. "If it wasn't for Tokaca, I believe the files would have fallen apart."

The book's four hardback volumes list almost 100,000 dead, civilian and military, in alphabetical order, their ethnicity, and when and where they died. It provides a chilling picture of the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

Roughly half the dead were civilians, while 82 percent of those were Bosnian Muslims (known as Bosniaks). Some 10,000 women were killed, again the majority Bosniaks. Of 24,000 Serb dead, 20,000 were soldiers.

The facts do not alter the narrative of the war as accepted in the West.

But it is another part of a campaign by the likes of Kandic and Tokaca to reconcile Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks around a common view of what went on when Bosnian Serb forces, with the backing of Belgrade, seized and "ethnically cleansed" swathes of Bosnia after it voted to secede from Yugoslavia.

They laid siege to the once multi-ethnic capital Sarajevo for 43 months, killing, according to the book, 14,000 people. Croatia, too, helped foment the fighting on behalf of the Bosnian Croats.

Kandic said a similar project was underway in Kosovo and another planned in Croatia, with the aim of creating a complete registry of the dead from Yugoslavia's collapse.

"It will be a first in the history of the Balkans and the world, and we will know what our legacy is," Kandic said. "Names close down the room for manipulation of numbers, for minimizing other victims and inflating one's own."

CONFLICTING NARRATIVES

Tokaca's research had already halved the estimated number of Bosnian war dead from an earlier figure of 200,000, stirring controversy in a country still hamstrung by ethnic division and conflicting narratives of the conflict.

Besides the book's 95,940 dead, another 5,100 are named but the circumstances of their deaths have yet to be established.

Tokaca, a Bosniak, said he believed the book would serve as a model for other conflict regions such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or Syria, which is in the grips of an increasingly sectarian conflict often compared to Bosnia in its complexity and big-power inertia.

Without an accurate picture of the human toll, Tokaca believes reconciliation is impossible.

"You can't preach against war and explain to people what war is without demonstrating the price of war in terms of human lives alone," he said.

(Writing by Matt Robinson; editing by Michael Holden)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/years-toil-book-names-bosnian-war-dead-124953746.html

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Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Appointed After Rick Sheehy Resignation

OMAHA, Neb., Feb 13 (Reuters) - Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman on Wednesday named a former state senator as successor to ex-Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy, who resigned abruptly after a newspaper investigation raised questions about thousands of phone calls he made to women.
Sheehy had served as lieutenant governor under Heineman starting in 2005 and had been seen as a leading candidate to succeed him as governor in the 2014 election.
The governor chose as his replacement Lavon Heidemann, 54, who was elected to the University of Nebraska board of regents in November and had served in the state Senate from 2005 to 2013. A farmer from Elk Creek, Nebraska, Heidemann said he would not run for governor in 2014.
Sheehy, 53, resigned on Feb. 2 after the Omaha World-Herald reported that he had made about 2,000 late-night calls to four women, other than his wife, on his state-issued cellphone over four years.
Heineman had selected Sheehy as lieutenant governor in 2005 after he assumed the governorship when Governor Mike Johanns was appointed U.S. agriculture secretary.
Heineman and Sheehy were elected to their first full term in 2006 and re-elected to a second term in 2010. Heineman will leave office in 2015. (Editing by David Bailey and Eric Beech)

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What President Obama should (and shouldn't) say in the State of the Union (Washington Post)

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Video: President, GOP Jockey for Sequestration Leverage

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Designers take some risks in menswear at New York Fashion Week

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Designers livened up fall and winter 2013 menswear at New York Fashion Week with a few experimental touches in the otherwise staid world of men's clothing.

A bold show came from Duckie Brown, one of the hundreds of designers showing at the official Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Manhattan's Lincoln Center and venues elsewhere in the city.

Fashion Week in New York, which ends on Thursday, is followed by similar events in London, Paris and Milan.

Reversing the conventions of men's' layering, the Duckie Brown line by New York-based designers Steven Cox and Daniel Silver showed short jackets worn over longer coats or over-sized knee-length sweatshirts, giving the illusion the models were wearing skirts.

Coupled with dark wool trousers with deep inverted ankle cuffs in burgundy or turquoise, the effect evoked the traditional robe-like costume of a Himalayan kingdom.

In another challenge to convention, Duckie Brown showed backward coats -- at the front, a blank facade of wool and at the back, a fastening down to the ankles.

The designers also showed a bright indigo suit cut from thick wool, so bulky and seemingly inflexible it brought to mind a figure made of plastic Lego toy bricks.

Wool in its stoutest forms made its mark at the menswear show by Joseph Abboud, whose creative director Bernada Rojo said he was inspired by "the energy of the determined daredevils and enterprising leaders who put a man on the moon."

Abboud offered a metallic, chainmail-like sweater and bulky wool trousers in rich green, with ribbed patches at the knees, utility pockets and thick elastic ankle cuffs looking like refined versions of what an astronaut might wear as an insulating layer underneath a spacesuit.

At DKNY's menswear, there were slim-fitting, single-breasted two-button suits in gray, black and navy that might make a decent impression on Wall Street.

"The palette is all New York," said notes accompanying the show.

DKNY's casual wear items were safe variations on a familiar slouchy, urban theme -- sweaters, anoraks and bomber jackets in muted greens, blues and grays, accessorized with black beanie caps and no-nonsense black shoes.

Timo Weiland, a label by New York-based designers Weiland and Alan Eckstein, took a similar mood and color scheme in a cuter, more idiosyncratic direction.

Blazers were tweedy, in speckled wool. One outfit, surprisingly successful, resembled a jacket thrown over a pair of pajamas in a natty brown circle-patterned print. A blue sweater bore a folksy image of a dachshund -- Eckstein owns one -- across the chest.

Things were a little more rugged in the Nautica men's collection, where accompanying notes for the show said the season's clothes were inspired by the nautical expeditions of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.

The collection added flourishes to Nautica's trademark naval jackets and fisherman cable-knit sweaters. One parka featured glowing colored lights woven into the edge of the hood.

Puffer jackets were cut in unusually exaggerated silhouettes, bulky at the shoulders, tightly scooped in at the waist and flaring back out at the thigh.

Nylon and wool utility-style pants fiercely hugged the models' thighs and calves. Turtlenecks, as at Joseph Abboud, were about as high as was practicable.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and David Gregorio)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/designers-risks-menswear-york-fashion-week-232332888.html

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SMEs TO BENEFIT FROM STRATEGIC PLANNING | Barbados ...

The small business sector is set to benefit from Strategic Planning training when the Small Business Association (SBA) launches its training course in February 2013. The course is being sponsored by the TVET Council and will be presented in collaboration with the Productivity Council.

One of the fundamentals pillars of the SBA is its mandate to provide education and training opportunities to its members in critical and often overlooked areas which when explored can significantly enhance how micros, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) respond in rapidly changing competitive business environments.

The SBA therefore sees a crucial need to enhance the abilities of small entrepreneurs towards achieving some level of competitive advantage in the exigent economic environment that currently exists not only at the local level but globally as well.

On completion, entrepreneurs will have a better understanding of the fundamentals and guidelines necessary for effective strategic planning and will also be able to develop and present a strategic plan.

The Strategic Planning for Small Business course will run in conjunction with other courses being offered including Introduction to Computers and Computer Awareness, QuickBooks (Basic and Intermediate). The courses will run from February 14 through to March 21, 2013 and will not be limited to only members of the SBA but the general public is also being invited to register for these courses.

Registration closes Wednesday February 11, 2013.? Spaces are limited so early registration is encouraged.

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Kerry ceremonially sworn in at State (Reuters)

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How Eric Cantor Is Trying to Soften the Republican Party

Eric Cantor grabs a plastic dinosaur from the pile of toys in front of 1-year-old Mekhi Scott, taps the beast on the table and growls, ?RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!? Mekhi jumps ? he?s startled at first ? and smiles.

?You like dinosaurs?? coos Cantor, the House majority leader and one of the highest-ranking Republicans in the country. ?So do I.?

Watching this weirdly cute exchange Monday at The Preparatory School of the District of Columbia, I realize just how hard it?s going to be for the GOP to rebrand itself after the 2012 election debacle. Republican leaders are a bit like Mekhi?s plastic dinosaurs: Even when they?re cute, they can be scary.

Cantor visited the school for more than an hour to gather information for a speech Tuesday that his aides are billing as an important shift of tone for the Republican Party. The speech will attempt to cast the House GOP?s traditionally conservative policy agenda in terms that appeal to parents, explaining why school vouchers, tax breaks, repealing the health care law, and other Republican standards would ?make life work better.?

Will people buy the softer side of Cantor? The question is an important one because the second-most powerful House Republican is not the only GOP leader trying to inject some pragmatism into the party. In just the last few weeks:

• The GOP-controlled House capitulated to President Obama on the debt-ceiling debate. Rep. Paul Ryan, the party?s vice presidential nominee in 2012, cited the ?realities of divided government? when he urged his rank and file to effectively eat crow.
• Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, another likely 2016 GOP presidential candidate, is quietly lobbying conservative lawmakers and commentators to consider immigration reforms. In the not-to-distant past, Rubio?s proposals would have been fatally labeled as stalking horses for amnesty.
• Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal told the Republican National Committee that the GOP must ?stop being the stupid party. It?s time for a new Republican Party that talks like adults. It?s time for us to articulate our plans and visions for America in real terms. We had a number of Republicans damage the brand this year with offensive and bizarre comments. We?ve had enough of that.?
• A group led by Karl Rove, former adviser to President George W. Bush, announced this week that it would spend money in Republican primaries to defeat far-right candidates whom the group considers unelectable. American Crossroads spent millions of dollars to defeat Democrats in the 2012 elections, and got little return on the investment.

In his speech Tuesday at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think-tank, Cantor plans to ask Congress to require universities to warn students when their academic majors lack employment opportunities; to repeal the tax on medical devices, a provision of Obama?s health care overhaul; and to shift spending from political sciences to ?hard? sciences such as cancer research.

One thing he won't do is moderate Republican policies. Cantor is talking about a change in tone, not ideology, which begs the question: With a demographic tide threatening to crush the modern GOP, is it enough to just tweak talking points?

?"It's having a conversation on different terms," Cantor said in a telephone interview later today. While he remains committed to reducing the debt and trimming government, Cantor said he wants to frame GOP policies in ways that explain the positive impact on people's lives.

He suggested the approach might make working with Democrats easier. "If we start talking about people," Cantor told me, "maybe we can all come together."

Cantor also is expected to endorse the broad outlines of Rubio?s approach on immigration. He came to Mekhi?s school to underscore his support of a conservative approach to education: allowing federal money now spent in public schools to follow individual children, even if they enroll in private schools such at Mekhi?s.

The Preparatory School is based in a low-income section of the district, providing small classes and a safe environment to about 100 students. The average teacher salary is about $25 an hour, far below the rate at public schools.

The conservative Heritage Foundation estimates that about $1,100 of federal money goes toward the education of the average U.S. public school student. Cantor wants unhappy public school parents empowered to spend that money in private schools.

Awaiting Cantor?s arrival, school vice principal Richard Reavis said that the parents who feel trapped in public schools generally can?t afford a private education. ?That?s the challenge,? he said. ?I don?t have Uncle Sam."

Cantor, the father of three grown children and a representative from Virginia, seemed to genuinely enjoy the visit, wandering from class to class chatting with the students. His aides had to pull him away from conversations to keep him on schedule.

?Y?all keep up the good work, OK?? he told a class of teenagers while walking out of their class, past a bright yellow sign that said, ?Bully Free Zone.?

Partisan Democrats love to call Republicans bullies, belittling GOP policies as cruel and heartless. Left unanswered, demagoguery sticks ? which is the point of Cantor?s charm offensive.

?

Update: Cantor's office released excerpts of the text of his address later today. This might be the best quote, given how it reflects the line Cantor is walking: "Government policy should aim to strike a balance between what is needed to advance the next generation, what we can afford, what is a federal responsibility and what is necessary to ensure our children are safe, healthy and able to reach their dreams."

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eric-cantor-trying-soften-republican-party-144905321--politics.html

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The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 1

Add all that up with the fact that he's spent an entire winter keeping a group of bickering ingrates alive, and it's clear that these days, Rick Grimes is not much The Vampire Diaries Season 4 Episode 10 Watch Online Free of a people person.

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In the commotion of Hershel (Scott Wilson) being passed out and leaving potentially infected body parts on the ground, Rick, Daryl (Norman Reedus) and the increasingly chatty T-Dog (IronE Singleton) have a run-in with some rather perplexed and territorial inmates.

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Free Along the way we get perhaps the biggest body count seen in any of and yes it is as grim as ever, what with bits and pieces of folk flying all over the shop. Yet in doing so it actually misses the point that it was always the humanist perspective and not the violence that made things so interesting.

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On top of that there are a few poignant moments although few and far between and an intriguing cliffhanger that sees the introduction of a new cast of characters, yet the overall The Vampire Diaries Season 4 Episode 10 Watch Online Free impression is one of missed opportunity.

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Retail sales rise strongly in January - BRC

LONDON (Reuters) - British retail sales rose strongly in January, boosted by the popularity of tablet computers and smartphones while cheerier shoppers were also lured by special offers, a leading trade body said on Tuesday.

The British Retail Consortium said the total value of goods sold was up 3 percent compared to January 2011 - the largest increase since September. It rose 1.5 percent in December.

On a like-for-like basis, which excludes new floorspace, sales were 1.9 percent higher. That was the fastest rise since December 2011 and followed a 0.3 percent tick-up in sales in December 2012.

BRC Director General Helen Dickinson said the impact of unusually cold weather in January was too short-lived to have a big impact on sales growth over the month.

"People were tempted out by offers and promotions but also treated themselves to full-price and premium products early in January, particularly must-have technology items," she said.

"These factors, coupled with recovering consumer confidence, have added up to a more successful January than we saw last year."

The findings, which follow a survey showing a surprise pick-up in British consumer morale last month, may raise hopes that the economy will grow in the first quarter of 2013, dodging a 'triple-dip' recession.

(Reporting by Olesya Dmitracova; editing by Ron Askew)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/retail-sales-rise-strongly-january-brc-015103788--business.html

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Develop Your Safety Skills With Avalanche Training sports, outdoors ...

There are a great deal of people who wish to visit some of the natural wonders of the world or engage in ski and related activity in some of the challenging environments. While more are engaging in snowboarding and mountain hiking, it is of the utmost importance that one seek avalanche training to provide the resources and develop essential skills in disaster management. It is essential to protect oneself and others while on an adventure.

Many resorts and natural locations are visited by increasing amounts of snowboarders, hikers and skiers which means that protective measures are becoming stricter. Due to the extent of the natural wilderness and harsh elements, disasters can occur and have resulted in the loss of lives of many explorers. With the appropriate types of training available, more people are equipped to handle unforeseen circumstances.

The first step is to assist individuals exploring snowy terrain in the identification of possible avalanche areas and ways to avoid it. Skills focus on the ability to rescue someone who has been trapped under the excessive amount of snow. All outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to take heed of such programs in order to secure their safety in nature.

In many regions, these supportive programs are supported by facilities including the National Search and Rescue Association meaning that you receive all relevant guidance in case of disaster. All equipment, tools and technique will be explored should you ever have to face a difficulty in the wilderness without access to the appropriate resources. Curricula will consist of different levels depending on current skills and abilities.

Introductory courses will focus on the basics of safety while advanced levels may take a closer look at action plans. There is also a field element where students will be required to explore areas in the identification of risk and prevention. One may enhance essential skills and improve upon awareness of the cause for resultant avalanches.

Whether you are looking to engage in extensive hiking, snowboard or ski activities it is of the utmost importance that one focus on the implementation of safety procedure. Understanding the risks involved and determining safety methods can aid in the saving of lives. Should you already be knowledgeable regarding the basics, refresher and professional level courses may be taken.

One will need to invest in standards that are nationally recognized for the safety of all involved in extensive trips and adventure trails. In order to ensure appropriate outcomes are achieved with the result that you are better able to act in an efficient manner to prevent against risk. Determine whether certification may be included upon completion.

With appropriate and certified avalanche training all individuals are provided the opportunity to seek the necessary tips and strategies that should be fulfilled. Possessing the knowledge and means to act in case of emergency services. Not only will you be able to continue your journey, but you will be able to apply those skills in real life situations when the time is right.

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