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Rochester is PGA central this week, but the impact of hosting the championship here may have a more lasting effect.
Here's more on how five foot tall golf balls are helping out almost 2 dozen charities.
With each stroke of a brush, 22 local charities are closer to getting some much needed cash.
"I'm doing a painting of Jack Nicholas at the time that he won the PGA Championship Tournament in 1980 on a golf ball," said Philip Burke, Featured Artist.
Philip Burke is world known for his caricatures. This time it's on five foot tall golf balls. This is one of 29 painted by several artists. The golf ball works of art scattered through out the city as part of Golf Balls on Parade.
"Golf Balls on Parade is a perfect example of taking some expertise locally and using the power of the PGA championship, the season's final major as a way to really positively impact the community," said Scott Kimec, Senior Director, PGA Foundation.
A portion of the sale of each golf ball was equally split equally among four charities: Hillside Work Scholarship Connection, Reach for the Green and Golisano Children?s Hospital. Plus a charity of each sponsor?s choice also got some cash.
"We're quite proud that these projects--community arts projects which have artists, businesses and the whole community taking part in helping our community to be stronger and help provide for the neediest," said Howie Jacobson, Golisano Children's Hospital Vice Chair.
Burke painted away Sunday as people stopped by the Championship Golf Shop at Oak Hill to take a look.
"Of course it's good to contribute to helping kids who are sick, but at the same time it's nice to inspire kids to help them see the process of an artist," said Burke.
So far, the giant golf balls has raised $50 thousand.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's top national security advisers met at the White House on Saturday to discuss the potential threat of terrorist attacks that caused Washington and its allies to issue travel warnings and close embassies throughout the Middle East.
The United States issued a worldwide travel alert on Friday warning Americans that al Qaeda may be planning attacks in August, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
Without giving an update on the nature of the threat, the White House said top officials including Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and national security adviser Susan Rice gathered on Saturday to discuss it.
"Early this week, the president instructed his National Security team to take all appropriate steps to protect the American people in light of a potential threat occurring in or emanating from the Arabian Peninsula," the White House said in a statement.
"This afternoon, National Security Advisor Rice chaired a meeting with the Principals Committee to further review the situation and follow-up actions," it said, referring to the group of advisers.
A senior U.S. official, asked if the United States had pre-positioned forces to deal with the latest threat, replied, "We've had U.S. forces prepared for some time to respond to potential contingencies in the Middle East and North Africa.
"We're postured to support timely and effective action if requested. This latest threat is serious, and the Pentagon is working closely with its partners, to include the State Department and the intelligence community, to confront it," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Obama is spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat after playing golf earlier on Saturday. His birthday is Sunday.
The White House said Obama had received regular briefings about the potential threat and U.S. preparedness measures all week. Rice and counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco briefed him after the high-level meeting on Saturday, it said.
Other attendees at the White House meeting included Obama's chief of staff, Denis McDonough, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and the heads of the FBI and CIA.
The U.S. State Department said on Thursday that American embassies that would normally be open this Sunday - including those in Abu Dhabi, Baghdad and Cairo - would be closed.
CBS News reported that intelligence officials had information about a major plot.
"Intelligence officers have reporting from a reliable source that a major plot is under way and that the team to carry it out has been selected and is in place," CBS reported. U.S. authorities did not know the date, the timing or the target of the planned attack, it said.
France said earlier on Saturday it would close its embassy in Yemen for several days from Sunday, following similar moves by Britain and Germany.
(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Peter Cooney)
ARME Realty.com announces their latest video marketing platform for real estate brokers in markets around the country.
Clearwater FL (PRWEB) August 03, 2013
Today's home shoppers are likely to conduct their home buying research both online and offline. There is what Google calls a "zero moment of truth" which is that exact time when a user is on the internet looking for something specific. A Clearwater FL based real estate marketing company ARME Realty.com is releases several new video marketing programs for real estate brokers in an effort to help these brokers reach these home buyers at the "zero moment of truth".
Research has shown that video satisfies multiple research needs for home hunters by simply the design of the video. Potential buyers can see the property, get a feel for the inside and outside of the home, and as a result become more informed buyers when they finally decide to call a company and schedule a time to see the home.
"Today's buyers purchase homes for many different reasons. From a desire to simply owning a home to a retirement investment vehicle, people have their own reasons for purchasing property. With the right real estate broker video marketing system in play, advertisers can address the buyers sentiment with interactive pictures and music. This creates a unique connection between the video and the person watching the video", states Simon Landers, spokesperson.
The company not only produces quality virtual tour style real estate marketing videos but they also distribute them to top video sharing sites such as Youtube, Dailymotion, and Metacafe. These sites rank favorably with Google and have be known to create immediate views on the first page of Google within hours of publication.
For more information on ARME Realty.com and their programs contact the firm at (727) 459-8841.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/videomarketing/forrealestatebrokers/prweb10995548.htm
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers have developed a new technique for creating devices out of a water-based hydrogel material that can be patterned, folded and used to manipulate objects. The technique holds promise for use in "soft robotics" and biomedical applications.
Rebekah Havrilla, out on patrol in Afghanistan. The former Army sergeant and Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialist enlisted in 2004, seeking out job training, education, "some patriotic element" after 9/11 and a way out of South Carolina. "I went in with the idea of making a career out of it," she says. "I thought, I can't be Special Forces, I can't do Rangers because I don't have a penis -- closest thing I can get to actually doing that type of job is EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal]."
Shot Hole
Havrilla crouches in the remnants of a "demolition shot" she and her team did of a "bunch of captured enemy munitions" outside of Forward Operating Base Gardez, in Afghanistan. "It's a very male dominated, hypermasculine environment, so you've got to be the tomboy, kind of, 'let's play cowboys and indians. And soldiers,'" she says. But to some, this also meant persistent sexual harassment and even assault.
Rebekah Havrilla
Havrilla says intense nightmares kept her from sleep, night after night, after she got back from Afghanistan -- until recently, when she moved to New York. Though Havrilla says that at first she suffered from the kind of hyper-vigilance described by fellow combat veterans in urban settings, she loves the city -- namely because it is so different than where she grew up, in a conservative Christian family in rural South Carolina. She is getting her Masters and working for the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN).
Tia Christopher
An early photo of Tia Christopher, who joined the Navy at age 18 in 2000 and was out just under a year later, honorably discharged with a "personality disorder."
Women Veterans
Tia Christopher and her friend Aston Tedford at a women veterans retreat in Arizona several years ago. Christopher now works as an advocate for veterans, in particular victims of MSA, and has written guidance on the subject.
Jungle
Tia Christopher in a favorite photo.
'I'm Beautiful Despite The Flames'
Tia Christopher sent this photo of her recently completed tattoo Friday, Sept. 28. Written in Arabic, she says "her motto" -- which covers scars from her assault -- more literally translates: "Despite the flames that devoured my flesh, I am still beautiful."
Tia Christopher
Balloons
Claire Russo in a childhood photo.
Claire & Coconut
Claire Russo pictured at 10 years old, in 1989 with "Coconut." Russo grew up near Washington, D.C., and worked on the Hill. "I was sort of -- well no, a really privileged middle-class kid," she says. "I was just fascinated with the debate, and the decisions the government was making ? And I remember a very strong desire to serve."
Claire Russo Salutes Her Cousin
Claire Russo in 2004 at Quantico, right after being commissioned, saluting her cousin Tom Winkle, a Navy lieutenant and pilot. Russo lived with Winkle in San Diego, and was with him the night of her assault, at the Marine Corps Ball. It was Winkle that reported Russo's assault; she did not want to report, being afraid for her career.
Basic School
Claire Russo (right) with her roommate at The Basic School in Quantico, Va., after finishing a field exercise. Russo says that one of the 30 females in the class of 180 was raped in the barracks while she was at The Basic School.
Fallujah Courtyard
Claire Russo in a courtyard in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2006, when she served as the targeting officer for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. She deployed two weeks after testifying at the discharge hearing of the serviceman who raped her, Douglas Alan Dowson -- he was already in prison.
'Citizen Of Courage'
Claire Russo (front) salutes the flag during the national anthem, before she was given the "Citizen of Courage" award from the San Diego District Attorney's office in 2006. Behind her is San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and First Marine Expeditionary Force (IMEF) Commanding General John Sattler, who Russo says is the "only commander to ever apologize to me for what I experienced."
Russo And San Diego DAs
Deputy District Attorney Gretchen Means, Claire Russo and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, after Russo received the "Citizens of Courage" award from the San Diego District Attorney's office at Camp Pendleton in 2006.
Down The Aisle
Claire Russo at her wedding to Josh Russo. Lt. Josh Russo was stationed at Camp Pendleton, some 40 miles north, at the time of Russo's assault in 2004. He remains in the military.
Claire And Josh Russo
Claire and Josh Russo on their wedding day, with friends from the Marines.
Russo And Her Motorcycle
"Me on my Russian Minsk 120 cc dirt bike, in Laos. This was one day on an 8 month trip/honeymoon Josh and I took. We rode motorcylces through SE Asia, Australia and went to Africa," Russo describes in a recent email.
'Marawara'
Claire Russo in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border, on a mission with the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Army Paratroopers. "I spoke with the district governor that day about how we could help to get a woman working for the Ministry of Womens Affairs working in his district," Russo writes.
Claire, Josh And Genevieve Russo In Paris
Claire Russo and her husband, Josh Russo, and their baby Genevieve, here four weeks old, in Paris. Josh serves in the U.S. Army.
St. Genevieve
"My 4 week old daughter Genevieve and I in front of a painting of Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, who saved the city from the Huns," Russo writes.
Marti Ribeiro In Front Of Village
Marti Ribeiro served with the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines over eight years as a combat correspondent.
Interviewing
As a combat correspondent, Marti Ribeiro accompanied medical convoys to remote areas without local doctors. Such clinics were set up in specific locations, so the locals needed significant advance warning of their arrival. When one such convoy came under attack, Ribeiro returned fire, earning her a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/14/women-at-war-unseen_n_1498291.html#slide=964342">Combat Action Badge</a>, though as a female, she officially should not have been in a position to take fire.
'Afghan Girls On Rooftop'
A photograph of Afghan girls, taken by Marti Ribeiro during her deployment.
Ribeiro In 2006
Marti Ribeiro and an Afghan boy in 2006.
'Soaked To The Bone And Miserable'
Marti Ribeiro titles this photo -- taken in Afghanistan in 2006 -- as "soaked to the bone and miserable."
Marti Ribeiro And Her Daughter Bela
Marti Ribeiro and her daughter, Bela, in San Antonio, Texas.
News / Cops
The City Scheduled a Contract Meeting with the Police Union Today; the Police Union Did Not Show Up
Posted
by Denis C. Theriault
on Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 2:31 PM
Despite Friday's formal state complaint over the Mayor Charlie Hales' insistence on partially public contract talks with the Portland Police Association?presumably stalling those talks for the foreseeable future?the city remains hopeful the sides can continue bargaining all the same.
City negotiators let themselves into a Portland Building conference room around 8:30 this morning, for a bargaining meeting the two sides had apparently only emailed about scheduling.
They were joined bright and early by Dan Handelman of Portland Copwatch?whom I checked with this afternoon after hearing whispers of the meeting. Handelman usually knows when and where to show up. And he says he was welcomed into the room, despite the dustup over whether meetings on city property would be public.
But, then, that was it. The PPA?the city's guest of honor?never showed. Nor did its representatives call ahead to let anyone know. Handelman says they all waited for half an hour, until labor relations manager Jerrell Gaddis pulled the plug.
"That was it," Handelman says. "That was the entirety of it."
The union argues the city has no legal basis to open contract talks, even partially, without the PPA's consent. PPA President Daryl Turner wrote in the PPA's newsletter that he doesn't want any of the talks open, despite favoring a half-open/half-closed approach during negotiations nearly three years ago. As reported by the Mercury this week, the city even admitted in 2010 that union talks, when they're handled by negotiators and not elected officials, don't qualify as public.
Asked about this morning's would-be meeting, Turner declined to comment, citing the complaint process in front of the Oregon Employment Relations Board.
Today's meeting was mentioned alongside an August 15 meeting in emails attached to the union's complaint. It's not clear if the union ever actually agreed to show for either, given the impasse over letting the public in. I'm waiting for confirmation from the city on whether it's planning to show up for the meeting in two weeks, too, likely in vain. I'm also curious to know if the city was merely trying to make a point.
During the last round of talks in 2010, as I reported exclusively, the city approached the PPA with a deal in which talks would be declared public, but with the stickiest issues still discussed behind closed doors. The PPA is clearly concerned, as Turner wrote, about the "court of public opinion" if bargaining ideas are freely discussed. But being perceived as unwilling to be transparent also raises the prospect of a different kind of verdict from that court of opinion.
"This does not work well for their public relations," says Handelman.
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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Astronomers have discovered a graveyard of comets. The researchers describe how some of these objects, inactive for millions of years, have returned to life leading them to name the group the ?Lazarus comets?.
Oregon insurance regulators said Monday that they?ve taken the first steps toward decertifying a workers? compensation self-insurance trust and will shut it down next week if the employers can?t come up with $750,000.
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services said Oregon Employers Trust Inc. must increase its security deposit to $3.95 million based on membership growth and estimated claims liability through June 2012. The group is Oregon?s largest private group of employers that self-insure for workers? compensation, state officials said.
Oregon Employers Trust Inc., which formed in 2009, is a group of about 200 companies that have agreed to assume ?joint and several? liability for their own and each other?s workers? compensation claims.
The trust is administered by Empire Pacific Risk Management Inc., of Lake Oswego. The trust?s president, Todd Hennelly of Empire Pacific, said Monday that several employers in the group have agreed to put up the money to remain compliant with the state.
?They feel it?s important that there be viable alternatives in the marketplace,? Hennelly said. The board of directors hopes to have everything finalized by the end of the week, he said.
In a letter to members posted on the Empire Pacific website, Hennelly wrote that administrators tried unsuccessfully to obtain a surety bond instead of paying cash.
The group includes a range of small- and medium-sized employers, including car dealerships, nonprofit organizations, construction companies and a handful of local governments.
If the state decertifies the group next week, its members would still be liable for workers? compensation claims, and they would be required to purchase new workers? compensation insurance immediately.
Almost all employers are required to purchase workers? compensation insurance, which covers costs for workers injured on the job. The costs can last long into the future if a worker is killed or permanently disabled.
Security deposits ensure there?s enough money available to pay claims and administrative costs if the group defaults or goes bankrupt, said John Shilts, administrator of the state?s Workers Compensation Division. The size of security deposits tend to be volatile in the group self-insured market, although the 23-percent increase for Oregon Employers Trust is higher than typical, Shilts said.
?I think that reflects the growth in this group, the growth in their risk, and it really reflects how their own incurred losses have gone up,? Shilts said.
The state has decertified two self-insurance groups since 2011 ? Oregon Contractors Workers Compensation Trust, which filed for bankruptcy in 2011, and the Oregon Nonprofit Employers Trust, which voluntarily dissolved last year.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Rickmansworth & Northwood Women In Business group welcomes professional business women from all business sectors, full and part-time business owners or key decision makers.
If you would like to meet like-minded business women, build your professional network, share business ideas and advice and exchange contacts, we would be delighted to invite you to one of our monthly meetings. You will find the group warm and welcoming, with a meeting format which enables you to get the most from the experience.
TO BOOK: Please call Amanda McDermott on 07970513989 to book a place at our next meeting. We look forward to meeting you.
COST: ?24 which includes a one course lunch and refreshments
www.wibn.co.uk
Event Organised By
Women In Business Network
www.wibn.co.uk
The Women in Business Network (WIBN) is a networking organisation for employed and self-employed business women. WIBN welcomes professional business women from all business sectors, full and part-time business owners or key decision makers.
If you would like to meet like-minded business women to build your professional network, share business ideas and advice and exchange contacts, we would be delighted to invite you to one of our monthly meetings.
Attending this event or want to share it on Facebook? Comment below!
Vanderbilt studies outline new model for staph bone infectionsPublic release date: 1-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Craig Boerner craig.boerner@vanderbilt.edu 615-322-4747 Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Osteomyelitis, a debilitating bone infection most frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus ("staph") bacteria, is particularly challenging to treat.
Now, Vanderbilt microbiologist Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, and colleagues have identified a staph-killing compound that may be an effective treatment for osteomyelitis, and they have developed a new mouse model that will be useful for testing this compound and for generating additional therapeutic strategies.
James Cassat, M.D., Ph.D., a fellow in Pediatric Infectious Diseases who is interested in improving treatments for children with bone infections, led the mouse model studies. Working with colleagues in the Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology and the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Cassat developed micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging technologies to visualize a surgically introduced bone infection in progress.
"The micro-CT gives excellent resolution images of the damage that's being done to the bone," said Skaar, the Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology. "We found that staph is not only destroying bone, but it's also promoting new bone growth. Staph is causing profound changes in bone remodeling."
Cassat also established methods for recovering -- and counting -- bacteria from the infected bone.
"We're not aware of any other bone infection models where you can pull the bacteria out of a bone and count them in a highly reproducible manner," Skaar said. "From a therapeutic development standpoint, we think this model is going to allow investigators to test new compounds for efficacy against bone infections caused by staph or any other bacteria that cause osteomyelitis."
Several pharmaceutical companies have already approached Skaar and his team about testing compounds in the new bone infection model, which the investigators describe in the June 12 issue of Cell Host & Microbe.
Using the model, the team demonstrated that a certain protein secreted by staph plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of osteomyelitis. Understanding the specific bacterial factors -- and the bone cell signals -- that promote bone destruction and formation during infection could lead to new strategies for restoring bone balance, Skaar said.
"Even if it's not possible to kill the bacteria, compounds that manipulate bone growth or destruction might have some therapeutic benefit."
Still, Skaar is interested in treatments that will eliminate the infection.
The staph bacteria involved in osteomyelitis and in other persistent infections (such as lung infections in cystic fibrosis) are often a sub-class of staph known as "small colony variants." These staph variants grow slowly and are resistant to entire classes of antibiotics commonly used to treat bone and lung infections, Skaar said.
One way that staph bacteria become antibiotic-resistant small colony variants is by changing the way they generate energy. Instead of using respiration, they switch to fermentation, which blocks antibiotic entry and slows bacterial growth.
In a high-throughput screen for compounds that activate a heme-sensing bacterial pathway, graduate student Laura Mike identified a compound that kills fermenting staph. The findings are reported in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"This is a completely new molecular activity," Skaar said. "We don't know of other molecules that are toxic against fermenting bacteria."
The compound -- and derivatives synthesized by Gary Sulikowski, Ph.D., and his team -- might be useful in treating staph small colony variants, or in preventing their emergence.
The investigators demonstrated in culture that treating staph with the antibiotic gentamicin forced it to become a small colony variant and ferment, and that co-treatment with the new compound prevented resistance and killed all of the bacteria.
"We think a really interesting therapeutic strategy for this compound is that it might augment the antimicrobial activity of existing classes of antibiotics by preventing resistance to them -- it might extend the lifetime of these classes of antibiotics," Skaar said.
This would be similar to the drug Augmentin, which combines a traditional penicillin-type antibiotic and a compound that blocks bacterial resistance.
The investigators are excited to test the new compound in the mouse model of osteomyelitis. First, they will treat the mice with gentamicin and assess whether staph small colony variants form. If so, they will co-administer the new compound to test if it prevents resistance, and they will also assess it as a single treatment for the persistent infection.
Skaar stressed that Vanderbilt's collaborative environment made these studies possible. Daniel Perrien, Ph.D., and Florent Elefteriou, Ph.D., in the Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology and colleagues in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science were critical in facilitating development of the bone infection model. Sulikowski and other colleagues in the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology (VICB) enabled the compound development.
"This is exactly the kind of work the VICB is promoting getting biologists like me together with chemists, to make new therapeutics," Skaar said.
###
The research was supported by the Searle Scholars Program and grants from the National Institutes of Health (AI069233, AI073843, RR027631, AI091856, HD060554), including the Southeastern Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense (AI057157).
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Vanderbilt studies outline new model for staph bone infectionsPublic release date: 1-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Craig Boerner craig.boerner@vanderbilt.edu 615-322-4747 Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Osteomyelitis, a debilitating bone infection most frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus ("staph") bacteria, is particularly challenging to treat.
Now, Vanderbilt microbiologist Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, and colleagues have identified a staph-killing compound that may be an effective treatment for osteomyelitis, and they have developed a new mouse model that will be useful for testing this compound and for generating additional therapeutic strategies.
James Cassat, M.D., Ph.D., a fellow in Pediatric Infectious Diseases who is interested in improving treatments for children with bone infections, led the mouse model studies. Working with colleagues in the Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology and the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Cassat developed micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging technologies to visualize a surgically introduced bone infection in progress.
"The micro-CT gives excellent resolution images of the damage that's being done to the bone," said Skaar, the Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology. "We found that staph is not only destroying bone, but it's also promoting new bone growth. Staph is causing profound changes in bone remodeling."
Cassat also established methods for recovering -- and counting -- bacteria from the infected bone.
"We're not aware of any other bone infection models where you can pull the bacteria out of a bone and count them in a highly reproducible manner," Skaar said. "From a therapeutic development standpoint, we think this model is going to allow investigators to test new compounds for efficacy against bone infections caused by staph or any other bacteria that cause osteomyelitis."
Several pharmaceutical companies have already approached Skaar and his team about testing compounds in the new bone infection model, which the investigators describe in the June 12 issue of Cell Host & Microbe.
Using the model, the team demonstrated that a certain protein secreted by staph plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of osteomyelitis. Understanding the specific bacterial factors -- and the bone cell signals -- that promote bone destruction and formation during infection could lead to new strategies for restoring bone balance, Skaar said.
"Even if it's not possible to kill the bacteria, compounds that manipulate bone growth or destruction might have some therapeutic benefit."
Still, Skaar is interested in treatments that will eliminate the infection.
The staph bacteria involved in osteomyelitis and in other persistent infections (such as lung infections in cystic fibrosis) are often a sub-class of staph known as "small colony variants." These staph variants grow slowly and are resistant to entire classes of antibiotics commonly used to treat bone and lung infections, Skaar said.
One way that staph bacteria become antibiotic-resistant small colony variants is by changing the way they generate energy. Instead of using respiration, they switch to fermentation, which blocks antibiotic entry and slows bacterial growth.
In a high-throughput screen for compounds that activate a heme-sensing bacterial pathway, graduate student Laura Mike identified a compound that kills fermenting staph. The findings are reported in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"This is a completely new molecular activity," Skaar said. "We don't know of other molecules that are toxic against fermenting bacteria."
The compound -- and derivatives synthesized by Gary Sulikowski, Ph.D., and his team -- might be useful in treating staph small colony variants, or in preventing their emergence.
The investigators demonstrated in culture that treating staph with the antibiotic gentamicin forced it to become a small colony variant and ferment, and that co-treatment with the new compound prevented resistance and killed all of the bacteria.
"We think a really interesting therapeutic strategy for this compound is that it might augment the antimicrobial activity of existing classes of antibiotics by preventing resistance to them -- it might extend the lifetime of these classes of antibiotics," Skaar said.
This would be similar to the drug Augmentin, which combines a traditional penicillin-type antibiotic and a compound that blocks bacterial resistance.
The investigators are excited to test the new compound in the mouse model of osteomyelitis. First, they will treat the mice with gentamicin and assess whether staph small colony variants form. If so, they will co-administer the new compound to test if it prevents resistance, and they will also assess it as a single treatment for the persistent infection.
Skaar stressed that Vanderbilt's collaborative environment made these studies possible. Daniel Perrien, Ph.D., and Florent Elefteriou, Ph.D., in the Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology and colleagues in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science were critical in facilitating development of the bone infection model. Sulikowski and other colleagues in the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology (VICB) enabled the compound development.
"This is exactly the kind of work the VICB is promoting getting biologists like me together with chemists, to make new therapeutics," Skaar said.
###
The research was supported by the Searle Scholars Program and grants from the National Institutes of Health (AI069233, AI073843, RR027631, AI091856, HD060554), including the Southeastern Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense (AI057157).
[ | 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.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Michigan Republican Dave Camp, chairman of the tax-writing House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, is seriously mulling a run for the Senate seat held by retiring Democrat Carl Levin, sources close to Camp said on Wednesday.
Camp is giving "serious and thoughtful consideration" to a run for the Michigan Senate seat that will be open in 2014, an aide close to the lawmaker said on condition of anonymity.
His candidacy would pose a challenge for Michigan Democrats and could divert some of Camp's attention from efforts to revamp the U.S. tax code next year.
Elected in 1990, the 60-year-old Camp has been working with Democratic Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, on legislation to overhaul the tax code.
The duo has made pitches for tax reform, with Camp pledging to approve legislation before his panel this year.
Many analysts believe the hurdles were already high to complete the tax overhaul, given deep divisions between the parties over taxes.
Under House Republican term limits, Camp will lose his post as chairman of Ways and Means in 2014. Baucus has announced he will not run again when his term ends that same year.
Democrats hold a 54-to-46 majority in the Senate, but 2014 could give Republicans a chance to take control, according to political analysts.
Representative Gary Peters is the only declared Democratic candidate so far. Former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land is running in the Republican primary.
"Camp would be a strong candidate," said Jennifer Duffy of the non-partisan Cook Political Report. "He can certainly raise the money, but since he hasn't had a competitive race in a while, he would need to put together a very solid team."
The Rothenberg Political Report, which tracks election data, rates 20 Democratic-held Senate seats as in play, and says 15 Republican seats as up for grabs. The report called the seat being vacated by 79-year-old Levin "safe" for Democrats to hold.
(Reporting by Kim Dixon; Editing by Vicki Allen and Stacey Joyce)
The mayor of Toronto has spoken for the first time about the shooting death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim, since he was gunned down by police on a streetcar.
The incident happened on Dundas St near Bathurst St early Saturday morning.
While campaigning with PC candidate Ken Kirupa in Etobicoke this afternoon, mayor Rob Ford was asked about the shooting.
"We're talking about a huge election coming up on Thursday and I can't address what happened a couple of nights ago," Ford said. "It's unfortunate. It's sad. My heart goes out to the family.
"But none of us know all the facts."
Watch a video of his comments:
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Source: variety.com --- Monday, July 29, 2013 Sheila Whitaker, who served as director of international programs for the Dubai International Film Festival, died Monday in London. She was previously director of the London Film Festival from 1987 to 1996, and head of programming at the National Film Theater in London from 1984 to 1990. Whitaker had been working with the Dubai festival... Read more ? ...
Opposition to abortion in the South has grown markedly in the past 20 years even as other parts of the nation ? such as New England ? have seen support rise, reflecting political polarization.
By Linda Feldmann,?Staff writer / July 29, 2013
Abortion rights supporters demonstrate outside the Capitol auditorium in Austin, Texas, as Gov. Rick Perry (R) signs sweeping new abortion restrictions earlier this month. The South Central region of the US has seen significant growth in opposition to abortion since 1995, according to a new Pew poll.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/AP/File
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Opinion on abortion in the United States has held mostly steady for the past two decades, but regional differences are widening, according to the Pew Research Center.
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That growing regional divide comes as many of the states in conservative regions add new laws regulating abortion doctors and clinics. In particular, the South Central region ? Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas ? has seen significant growth in opposition to abortion since 1995, Pew found.
?The most important trend in this report is that the balance has flipped? in the South Central part of the country, says Carroll Doherty, associate director of the Pew Research Center. ?You always saw less support for legal abortion in South Central, but since the '90s, it?s flipped from modestly in favor to 12 points against.?
In that region, 40 percent of adults surveyed in 2012 and 2013 said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, versus 52 percent who said it should be illegal in all or most cases. In 1995 and 1996, 52 percent of Southerners supported abortion rights in all or most cases and 45 percent said abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.
Exactly why that shift has occurred is open to conjecture. Some analysts point to technology, such as growing use of sonograms early in pregnancy, as one explanation. The South has long been known for its high levels of religiosity, particularly evangelical Christianity.
The growing polarization of views on abortion also reflects the polarization of politics in the US between red and blue states, and in Congress.
Fourteen major animal welfare, environmental and conservation organizations are applauding Gov. Andrew Cuomo for signing into law A.1769b/S.1711b to end New York?s contribution to the dire collapse of shark populations worldwide. Taking effect on July 1, 2014, the law passed the state legislature under the leadership of Assemblymember Alan Maisel, D-Brooklyn and Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo bans the possession, sale, trade and distribution of shark fins. Violations are punishable by up to 15 days in jail and $100 fine for each fish.?
New York ? one of the largest markets for shark fins outside Asia and the largest port of entry for shark fins on the East Coast ? joins seven states and all three Pacific U.S territories in passing similar laws to provide critical protection to sharks and preserve the health of the world?s ocean ecosystems.
The bipartisan state legislation is championed by Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, and Assemblymembers Alan Maisel, D-Brooklyn, and Linda B. Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, with the sponsorship support of 75 state legislators, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-Queens, in addition to more than a dozen New York City Councilmembers through a resolution by Councilmember Margaret Chin, D-Lower Manhattan. It also has the support of every Chinese American legislator in the Empire State.
Assemblymember Alan Maisel, D-Brooklyn, said: ?Sharks occupy the top of the marine food chain and are a critical part of the ocean ecosystem. I am honored to join with Senator Grisanti in this historic effort to prevent the possession, sale and trade in shark fins in New York. I applaud the Governor for taking the final step in this process by approving the legislation. Our success will hopefully lead to additional nationwide actions to stop the inhumane and ecologically devastating shark fin trade.?
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, said: "I am so pleased that with the Governor's signature today, the possession and sale of shark fins will finally be illegal in New York State.? New York will no longer be complicit in the reprehensible practice of shark finning, which has led to the demise of shark populations worldwide. I commend the tireless efforts of Assemblymember Alan Maisel and The Humane Society of the United States in getting this important work accomplished.?
Senator Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, said: ?I am proud to be the Senate sponsor of A.1769b/S.1711b, prohibiting the possession, sale, and trade of shark fin in New York. The decimation of the shark population is a serious concern as it has a detrimental trickle-down effect for the entire oceanic food chain. With the shark population in serious peril, and other countries and states passing legislation to protect sharks, New York should be a leader in extending protection to these magnificent animals.?
U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng, D-Queens, said: "I would like to congratulate Assembly Member Maisel and Senator Grisanti for taking the lead on this initiative. Shark finning is an irresponsible practice driven by the shark fin trade which kills millions of sharks every year. This law will help protect global shark populations for many years to come. It's critical for the environment and we must ensure that we do all we can to protect it."
New York City Council Member Margaret Chin, D-Lower Manhattan, said: "I am proud that New York is joining seven other states to ban the sale of shark fins and stand united against the cruel and inhumane practice of shark finning. I hope that New York will serve as an example not only nationally, but internationally, and that one day soon we will be celebrating the end of this industry all together."
California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, Oregon, Washington, American Samoa, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands have enacted similar laws in recent years. The trade is spurred by the demand for shark fin soup, an expensive Chinese delicacy and status symbol commonly served at banquets and other celebrations.
Statements from the organizations leading the effort to protect sharks:
Patrick Kwan, director of grassroots organizing for The Humane Society of the United States, said: ?New York will no longer be a haven for the cruel and unsustainable trade in shark fins. The Empire State has long taken action to protect other threatened and endangered species such as tigers and elephants, now we?re taking action to protect sharks and help end the cruelty of shark finning worldwide.?
Beth Lowell, campaign director for Oceana said: ?New York said ?no? to shark fins today. The widespread support for this ban shows that sharks are worth more in the oceans than in a bowl of soup. By reducing the demand for their fins in New York, we can help to protect sharks worldwide.???
Michael Skoletsky, executive director of Shark Savers, said: ?Sharks are critically important to a healthy marine environment and divers like me have grown to appreciate sharks as being intelligent and graceful animals. Thank you, New York, for opting out of the deadly shark fin trade that is primarily responsible for devastating shark populations throughout the world.?
Iris Ho, wildlife campaigns manager of Humane Society International, said: ?Tens of millions of sharks are killed every year to meet global demand for shark fins. We applaud the humane leadership of New York Assemblymembers Alan Maisel and Linda B. Rosenthal, Sen. Mark Grisanti, Congresswoman Grace Meng, and Councilmember Margaret Chin for championing this historic effort and Gov. Andrew Cuomo for finalizing this law to end cruelty and protect shark populations and ocean ecosystems.?
Peter Knights, executive director of WildAid, said: "New York is the last major market for shark fin in the US to close and this encourages China, which has banned shark fin from state banquets, to take further action to reduce demand for shark fin. Finally some respite for beleaguered shark populations."
Alejandra Goyenechea, international counsel for Defenders of Wildlife, said: ?Finning is decimating the world's shark populations at an alarming rate and now New York has a chance to join the worldwide movement dedicated to halting this practice and ensuring this species' survival. This is truly an example of 'Think globally, act locally'."
John Hocevar, oceans campaign director for Greenpeace USA, said: ?Scientists are still just beginning to discover the role sharks play in maintaining a balance in our oceans. Ending the shark fin trade is a very important step in reversing the damage we have done through this unnecessary and wasteful practice."
David VanLuven, policy director for Environmental Advocates of New York said: "Existing laws banning shark finning are not enough to address the worldwide harvest of shark fins - a harvest that is inhumane and destroys fragile ocean ecosystems. Governor Cuomo and state legislators have set a national standard for other states to follow."
Roger Downs, conservation director for the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter said: ?The important role that sharks play in maintaining marine biodiversity cannot be overstated. The catastrophic drop in shark populations across almost every species has sent shock waves through ocean ecosystems globally. Gov. Cuomo and the New York legislature should be commended for banning the sale of shark fins as a signal that New York is serious about the recovery of these keystone species.?
Christopher Chin, executive director of The Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education, said: ?Sharks are vital for healthy ocean ecosystems, but their populations have declined dramatically the last few decades as a result of human greed and lack of understanding. Animals at the top of the food chain, such as sharks, have few natural predators, so they are slow to mature and have very few young. As a result, they are extremely sensitive to fishing pressures, and are slow to recover from overfishing.?
Kate Dylewsky, program assistant for Born Free USA, said: "Born Free USA strongly believes that eliminating the market for shark fins is crucial to shark protection. While sharks face many threats in the wild, ?shark finning? is certainly the cruelest. It is time for New York to do its part in ending this horrifying practice."
Elizabeth Hogan, campaign manager for World Society for the Protection of Animals, said: "Shark finning is an extremely cruel and inhumane practice driven by the shark fin trade in which fishermen catch sharks, cut off their fins and throw the still-living animals back into the water, where they die slow and horrifically painful deaths. WSPA is happy to see New York state take this step to protect sharks from this needless cruelty, and plan to help other states follow their lead."
Marie Levine, executive director of the Shark Research Institute, said: ?Much of the shark fin trade uses fins hacked off living sharks. If we found dogs and horses with their legs severed, bleeding and dying, the public outrage would be deafening. The difference is that finning takes place at sea, out of sight. Because the trade is largely unregulated and unmonitored, and finning often takes place beyond national and state jurisdiction, the most effective method to bring an end to this brutal practice is through legislation such as this.?
Facts:
The fins from up to 73 million sharks are used to make shark fin soup each year.
Conservation, fisheries enforcement and a shark finning ban in the U.S. alone are not enough to conserve sharks. A ban on shark fin products is the most effective way to eliminate the demand for shark fins and to eradicate shark finning around the world.
In March 2013, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species listed certain shark species on Appendix II ? the first time shark species with high commercial value have been granted such protections in the 40-year history of the convention.
Shark fin soup is often the most expensive item on restaurant menus and typically served simply as a symbol of status. It has no nutritional value and is the main driver of the multi-billion dollar international shark fin trade. The dish is highly controversial because of the manner in which shark fins are harvested outside of the U.S. and the precarious status of many shark populations.
In 2011, President Obama signed the Shark Conservation Act to strengthen the federal law against shark finning at sea and require that sharks be landed with their fins still attached.
SOURCE and LINK: The Humane Society of the United States http://www.humanesociety.org
AMSTERDAM (AP) ? The Rijksmuseum, the National Museum of the Netherlands, is finally set to reopen to the public, with Rembrandt van Rijn's masterpiece "The Night Watch" reclaiming its place of pride.
The giant painting hangs in the same central position it did before an epic, decade long, ?375 million ($480 million) makeover, flanked by works by Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen and thousands of other Dutch cultural and artistic artifacts.
In a preview Thursday ahead of the April 13 reopening, Rijksmuseum director Wim Pijbes said the far-reaching improvements will justify the long wait. "It's totally changed, renewed, improved, radiant ? everything is new," he said.
The Rijksmuseum houses the largest collection of Dutch artwork, with many treasures from the country's 17th-century Golden Age and beyond. The 19th-century building's red-brick exterior, which resembles a fairy-tale castle, has been restored but left intact. Inside, twin central courtyards that had been gradually filled with extra floors as the museum grew over the years have been reclaimed. The clutter has been stripped away to let natural light flood into the center of the museum.
Despite reopening the courtyard, the museum preserved as much exhibition space as before by reclaiming some areas which had been used for offices. From hand-painted details on every pillar, to newly laid mosaic floors and stained glass windows, to revitalizing the displays themselves, every part of the museum has been restored or rethought.
Pijbes said that almost never has a national museum undergone such a far-reaching facelift, with every single one of the 8,000 artifacts and pieces of art on display coming to rest in a different spot ? with one exception: "The Night Watch" itself.
That enormous canvas ? 4.35 meters wide and 3.79 meters high (14.86 x 12.43 feet) ? portrays a company of Amsterdam volunteer militiamen. It stands at the end of the museum's central gallery, just as it did in the original 1885 design by architect Pierre Cuypers.
The painting's placement reflects Dutch history, a crowning achievement of the Golden Age when the Netherlands was a major naval power and Amsterdam was one of the world's most influential and wealthy cities.
"The Gallery of Honor is a kind of basilica that ends not with a Christian display, but a civilian display: Rembrandt's 'Night Watch,'" Pijbes said. The symbolism is that "that there is no one king that has the power, that the Netherlands is a country where an early republic decided a group of people would have power in their hands."
The main gallery is a who's who of Dutch masters, from landscape masters to portraitists. Highlights include Vermeer's delicate, quiet "Milkmaid" (1660), in which the act of pouring milk becomes an almost religious act; as well as larger and more raucous works like Steen's " The Merry Family" (1668) and Frans Hals's "The Merry Drinker" (1628).
And of course it includes paintings and sketches by Rembrandt, including several self-portraits and masterpieces such as one of his most-loved works, "The Jewish Bride" (1669), which shows a tender couple lightly touching.
The museum's head of collections Taco Dibbits said the 17th-century works will always set the museum apart from other national exhibitions. "This little country became an enormous sea power, East and West, very rich," he said. "The old masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen ? they painted the world of the people, not Christ on the cross, they painted the people who made the country."
Outside the main gallery, the rest of the exhibits are dispersed along a 1.5 kilometers (about a mile) walk through the galleries. The twin arms of the castle-like structure continue to divide the museum into wings, but with floors now organized chronologically by era.
Dibbits said the displays have been crafted to integrate artwork with artifacts that tell the story of the country's history and culture at the same time. Before the renovation "there was one room for paintings, a room for glass, a room for silver, and so on, while in the new museum, you take a walk through the period," he said.
"The intention is ... to create a feeling for beauty of Dutch art and a feeling for the time," he said. For instance, he said, you might a portrait painted by Rembrandt hanging above an ornate chest made by one of his friends, and silverware crafted by another of his friends on top of the chest.
"It's the relations between different art objects that tell the story of the Netherlands," he said. The displays were arranged by French designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who also helped design the interior of the Louvre in Paris.
As a final, somewhat eccentric touch to remind the world Amsterdam is still a living city with its own cultural demands: a bike path runs straight under the center of the building's central arch, offering cyclists a view of the building's beautiful new courtyards.
The museum expects to attract as many as two million visitors annually after the renovations, from 1.3 million in the last year before it closed in 2003. Tickets will cost 15 euros ($19). Among totally new displays are an Asian art pavilion; access to the museum's ornate library; and a new wing devoted to the 20th century, with works by Piet Mondriaan and graphic artist and furniture designer Gerrit Rietveld, among others.
"That's history now too, and we collect the past," Dibbits said, grinning.
One step from the?Islamic Adoption Laws recently adopted in Spain. via Societal Health: H.R. 102 the Rehab and Ahmed Amer Foster Care Improvement Act ? Miami healthy living | Examiner.com.
In a facebook post dated yesterday, Mrs. Rehab Amer wrote, ?Be the voice for the voicelss by informing your representatives to co-sponsor H.R. 102 to protect all innocence nationwide.?
Mrs. Amer and her husband, Ahmed, struggled for two decades after losing three children to a state foster care system in the United States. The Ahmer?s were estranged from their children after they were put in foster care by the state of Michigan?s Child Protective Services, following the accidental death of their two-year-old son Samier in 1985. Samier suffered from a brittle bone disease and died from injuries that he suffered in a fall.
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One of the Ahmer?s estranged children, Mohammed Ali, now goes by the name Adam Stamper after being raised by a Christian family in a foster home apart from his original Muslim heritage. He was one of three children taken away by the state after they accused Mrs. Amer of killing her son Samier. Mrs. Amer was unable to get her kids back and was also pregnant with her fouth child, Zinabe, who was taken away by the state only one day after she was born and after Rehab was already aquitted. The family says that years of neglect, estrangement, and abuse by foster care parents and state officials resulted in the children completely losing touch with their family, as well as their culture and religious background.
Mrs. Amer was able to turn her tragedy into a positive for families across Michigan, however, as she and her family saw the ?Amer Act? signed into law in December 2010. The law allows children to be placed with relatives in circumstances such as theirs and for special consideration to be given in regards to religion and culture. Nabih Ayad, a lawyer who filed a civil suit on behalf of the Amers against a Michigan foster home in their case, and many others have spoke about the injustices of the situation, as has the Congress of Arab American Organizations Spokesman Osama Siblani, who originally helped raise funds to aid the Amer?s in their struggle to fight for justice.
The Federal Amer Act Bill was introduced nationwide in June 2012. The bill, if passed, will allow children who are taken away by Child Protective Services the right to live with other family members, instead of being exposed to different environments that could differ from their upbringing. Another highlight of the bill includes keeping the children within the same religious environment that their parents had practiced as well.
This doesn?t bode well for young children born into Muslim families, particularly in honor beating cases.
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Public release date: 1-Aug-2013
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