A Gay Man, a Lesbian and a Transgender Are Part of 'Micah's Rule ...

At first glance, Micah?s Rule looks like your traditional Christian band: A collective of three members whose main purpose is spreading the gospel through music. But when one looks beneath the surface, there?s nothing classical ? at least when it comes to members? bios ? about the performers who have captured the attention of a plethora of media outlets of late.

If you thought Christian singer Jennifer Knapp?s story was a fascinating one, prepare yourself for this tale. See, Micah?s Rule, based in Wilmington, N.C., is made up of members who have some uncommon backgrounds, especially when compared to others in the Christian entertainment?industry. According to a report in Salon earlier this month, Mary Anne Hewitt and Greg McCaw are both gay. Chasity Scott, on the other hand, is transgender.

But these attributes aren?t touted in the group?s official bio. Rather than using their sexuality as a tool to sell faith-based music, the group is intent on relegating it to the confines of their very personal stories. During a recent interview with Religion News Service (RNS), the members said that they don?t want these attributes defining them; instead, it is their music that they hope fans notice.

Micah?s Rule, from left to right: ?(Photo Credit: Micah?s Rule)

?It?s just our back story, plain and simple, but we?re not using that as a marketing tool for our music, positively or negatively,? McCaw told RNS. ?We want to be a musical group like any other, but we realize our back story will get out.?

The band recently completed its first album, working with famed producer Mark Moseley in Nashville, Tenn., to see it come to fruition.

See a video montage of their Nashville experience, below:

While some would dismiss the group as un-Christian based on the?aforementioned?information, the three speak as though they are intensely religious. In their interview, they explained the roots and connections they have to and within their church. Still, their?lifestyles?are?certainly?not embraced by the majority of the Christian faith and will likely be seen as controversial.

Plus, breaking into faith-based music is difficult enough in its own regard. With these added elements, it will be interesting to see how they fare.

Hewitt, McCaw and Scott all attend?St. Jude Metropolitan Community Church, a house of worship that reaches out to members of the gay community and their associated family members. The band?s name ? Micah 6:8 ? comes from a Bible verse that the church adopted, RNS reports. It reads, ?He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.?

Each of the band?s songs also takes on Christian themes ? something that may also come as a surprise to those who take issue with members? personal histories. RNS recaps some of the lyrics:

In ?Walk the Road,? they sing: ?Sometimes you just have to be the one to set your own self free ? what matters isn?t what you?re told. But how you walk the road.?

Scott wrote the slide guitar ballad ?Can You Hear Me?? as a prayer for her father: ?I want him to see, Jesus in me, like I see Jesus in him. Can you hear me? Father, can you hear me??

What do you think about the band? You can read more about Micah?s Rule here.

Source: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/27/a-gay-man-a-lesbian-and-a-transgender-are-part-of-micahs-rule-a-christian-band-that-sings-gospel-and-country-music/

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Tycoon proposes to send married couple around Mars

	Essential News from The Associated Press

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Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-02-27-Humans%20to%20Mars/id-eb4e8e537d1a42c19fdcbe44c9a2e357

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Who Can Benefit from Affiliate Tracking Software program ...

When it comes to affiliate programs and affiliate tracking software program, a big amount of concentrate is placed on business owners. This is for the reason that company owners are the ones who make a decision to begin an affiliate program and use an affiliate tracking service. When enterprise owners will probably be capable to advantage the most from affiliate programs and affiliate tracking software program, they are not the only ones who can. In fact, affiliate applications and tracking software not only benefit online business owners, but affiliates as effectively.

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An affiliate will advantage from participating in an affiliate system considering they have the capability to earn capital. In fact, that is how most webmasters, internet publishers, and web page owners make most of their capital, by participating in an affiliate system. However, an affiliate plan can?t successfully operate without having affiliate tracking software program, so, in a way, this signifies that affiliates will also benefit from the use of this really important software program. With out affiliate tracking software program, it would be difficult or not possible for every single business owner to know where their sales came from. With no recognized this appropriate information and facts, affiliates would not be compensated for their operate.

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Splitsecnd Adds OnStar-Like Emergency Response Calling To Any Vehicle

You can technically already get General Motor's popular OnStar service for any vehicle with its third-party FMV mirror. But you'll be paying $100 more, plus a larger monthly fee, than what Splitsecnd's asking for its new service. And instead of having to tear out your rear-view mirror, all you need is access to your in-dash cigarette lighter. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-oXlUuhLJK4/splitsecnd-adds-onstar+like-emergency-response-calling-to-any-vehicle

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Video: CME's Duffy on Italy & Gold

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50963255/

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Amazon's latest employee patent won't pay you for unsatisfactory work

Jeff Bezos seems like a nice guy with big dreams (and a bigger wallet), but some Amazon patents make us worry that there's a sour cherry at the heart of all that whipped cream. The retailer has been awarded a patent entitled "Facilitating improvement in the results of human performance of tasks," but is actually concerned with not paying digital employees if their services are deemed to be unsatisfactory. Those whose efforts are judged and found wanting have the option of taking a reduced cut of the original fee, or getting computer-aided feedback on how to improve and snag the rest. While we hope this one remains locked inside a Seattle filing cabinet, we can just see how Judge Judy's going to react when people take Mechanical Turk disputes public.

Filed under: Internet, Amazon

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/AWgXV6uRUoc/

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Several killed in Swiss factory shooting, police say

By Emma Thomasson, Reuters

Three people, including the suspected assailant, have been killed in a shooting at a factory near the Swiss city of Lucerne, police said on Wednesday.

Seven others were injured in the attack, which happened just after 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) at a wood-processing company in the town of Menznau, west of Lucerne, the police said in a statement.

Emergency services were at the scene and the area had been cordoned off. A news conference had been scheduled for the afternoon.

Last month, a gunman killed three women and injured two men in the Swiss village of Daillon, stirring a debate about Switzerland's firearm laws, which allow men to keep guns after their mandatory military service.

There is no national gun register, but some estimates indicate that at least one in every three of Switzerland's 8 million inhabitants keeps a gun, many stored at home. Citizens outside the military who are 19 and over can apply for a permit to purchase up to three weapons. Sharpshooting and hunting are popular sports here.

A shooting in the Zug regional parliament in 2001, in which 14 people were killed, prompted calls to tighten laws, but the majority of Swiss citizens rejected a proposal in 2011 for extra measures such as mandatory locked storage of guns not in use.

Related:

Three women killed after gunman's drunken rampage in Swiss village

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17115096-several-killed-seriously-injured-in-swiss-factory-shooting-police-say?lite

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Millionaire to send married couple past Mars

Animations from the Inspiration Mars Foundation trace the trajectory for a 501-day round trip to Mars.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

Millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito's plan to send two astronauts on a 501-day flight that zooms past Mars and swings back to Earth?would set plenty of precedents on the final frontier?? but the most intriguing precedent might have to do with the astronauts that are to be sent: one man and one woman, preferably a married couple beyond childbearing years. We're talking about sex in space, folks.

And if that's not intriguing enough, consider this: There are already a couple of candidates for the job.

"We'll certainly throw our hat in the ring," said Taber MacCallum, who's a member of the development team for the 2018 mission that Tito has in mind.

---

MacCallum and his wife, Jane Poynter, were crew members together in Biosphere 2, the controversial two-year-long experiment in long-term environmental containment. They went on to become co-founders of Paragon Space Development Corp., a company specializing in life-support systems for spacecraft. Their expertise in life support is why they're involved in Tito's "Mission for America," which was officially unveiled on Wednesday at the National Press Club in Washington. But it just so happens that they also fit the profile for the trip: Poynter is about 50, and MacCallum will turn 49 on July 20, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

The couple won't be the only candidates in the running. "When we tell people we're proposing to send a man and a woman on a mission to Mars, as a married couple, people line up. ... That chord gets struck over and over again," MacCallum said.

MacCallum explained that Tito wants the crew on humanity's first trip to Mars to be representative of humanity, and because the current concept for the trip calls for two spacefliers, that means a man and a woman. A married couple would be ideal, MacCallum said, because of the "whole issue of companionship." MacCallum didn't refer specifically to sex, but that would presumably be part of the companionship package.

"When you're out that far, and the Earth is a tiny, blue pinpoint, you're going to need someone you can hug," Tito told Space.com. During Wednesday's briefing, Tito told reporters that he envisioned Dr. Phil giving the couple "marital advice" during the trip.

Paragon

Taber MacCallum and his wife, Jane Poynter, are part of the planning team for a mission to Mars in 2018. They're also potential candidates to take the trip.

In addition to their experience with life-support systems (and with each other), MacCallum and Poynter can draw upon their experience with life in isolation during the Biosphere 2 experiment in Arizona, which lasted from 1991 to 1993. The isolation inside a two-room spacecraft for 501 days will be even deeper. Even though the Biosphere 2 crew was separated from the outside world, "we could walk out at any time," MacCallum pointed out.

That's not the only challenge: Even with radiation shielding in place, the round trip to Mars is likely to involve exposure levels higher than NASA's limits, MacCallum said. (That's why the astronauts should be beyond their childbearing years and willing to accept an increased risk of cancer.)

Then there's the exposure to the health effects of long-term weightlessness, including bone loss and muscle loss. The astronauts who fly past Mars will surpass Soviet cosmonaut Valery Polyakov's 437-day record for continuous time in microgravity, set in 1994-1995 aboard the much roomier Mir space station.?

"We're definitely pushing boundaries," MacCallum said. "It's definitely going to be hard and challenging. But we can rely on elegance and simplicity."

When, where and how?
The details of the mission plan have come to light just in the past few days, but MacCallum said that Tito has been mulling over the idea for years. Tito started out as an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, helping to design trajectories for the Mariner missions to Mars in the 1970s. Then he put his math genius to work in the investment world, building California-based Wilshire Associates into a multibillion-dollar powerhouse. In 2001, he spent around $20 million of his fortune for a seat on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft traveling to and from to the International Space Station.

After his eight-day space tour, Tito got back to business. But he also started working out a trajectory that could send a spaceship directly from Earth to Mars for a fly-by within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the Red Planet's surface, and then back to the home planet 501 days after launch. Once the spaceship was on its way, only minor course corrections would be needed. There'd be no need for undocking or redocking ... no landing ... no do-or-die engine burn for the return from Mars.

There's one big catch, though: The trip will have to be started when the planets were aligned just right. One opportunity will come in 2016. Then there's another one in 2018. After that, the next chance won't come around until 2031.

Planning for a launch in January 2018 looked particularly attractive, and not just because that could plausibly provide enough time to put the mission together. That's also a time frame when solar activity is expected to be at a minimum, reducing the level of radiation exposure. So Tito assembled a team from Paragon as well as NASA's Ames Research Center and other space ventures to flesh out the mission plan.

The plan calls for launching the two astronauts in a crew capsule with a transfer rocket stage. If the launch vehicle is powerful enough ? say, the size of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy ? the upper stage and the crew capsule could be launched in one go. If the rocket doesn't have that much oomph, the capsule and the upper stage could be launched separately and then linked up in Earth orbit for the push onward to Mars.

Inspiration Mars

An artist's conception shows how the spacecraft for the Inspiration Mars Foundation's "Mission for America" might be configured ? with a crew capsule, an inflatable module similar to the ones built by Bigelow Aerospace, and an attached upper stage that could provide radiation shielding. The actual design has not yet been set.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17107722-millionaire-dennis-tito-plans-to-send-woman-and-man-to-mars-and-back?lite

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NJ's highest court hears 'joking judge' appeal

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) ? It may have been his toughest crowd yet.

In a decidedly humorless proceeding Tuesday, New Jersey's Supreme Court heard arguments over whether a municipal judge can keep his other paying gig as an actor and stand-up comic.

Vince A. Sicari's attorneys argued that the longtime comedian, who performs under the name Vince August, has always kept his identity as a South Hackensack municipal court judge separate, and "there is never mention in either profession of the other."

The 43-year-old Sicari is appealing a 2008 state ethics committee ruling that said he can't continue working as a paid entertainer while working part-time as a judge overseeing things like traffic ticket cases and disorderly persons offenses.

Kim D. Ringler of the state attorney general's office argued in favor of the ban, saying municipal judges represent the most frequent contact the public has with the justice system. Some of the characters Sicari has depicted on TV could confuse the public and reflect badly on the judiciary, she said.

"His actions detract from the dignity of his judicial office and may reflect adversely on the judge's impartiality," Ringler said of Sicari's performances.

Sicari's attorney, E. Drew Britcher, countered that the public is able to tell the difference between Sicari's professional demeanor as a judge and his roles as actor and comedian.

"It's important to recognize that whether he be comedian or actor, he is in roles where he is not expressing ... his opinion," Britcher said.

Sicari makes $13,000 a year as a part-time judge. He argues he is equally passionate about each of his jobs, though his entertainment work earns him more income and entitles him to health benefits.

He never cracks jokes on the bench and never lets on that he moonlights as a comic, Britcher said. On stage, he doesn't touch lawyer jokes, the lawyer said.

On Tuesday, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner questioned whether Sicari's comedic routines touched on topics considered commonplace in the comedy world, including "remarks demeaning individuals on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation or socio-economic status," which are prohibited under judge's rules of conduct.

Britcher said Tuesday that much of Sicari's comedy is derived from personal observations outside of work, such as his upbringing as an Italian Catholic.

On Monday night, Sicari headlined at Caroline's comedy club in New York and brought down the house with his acerbic takes on current events, including the scandals surrounding Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius. None of the jokes targeted the legal profession, but his humor did touch on the categories Rabner mentioned.

Several justices questioned whether the public had the ability to separate Sicari's position as a judge from roles he has played on the ABC hidden camera show "What Would You Do?" in which he has portrayed homophobic and racist characters.

Associate Justice Anne M. Patterson asked about a person who watches such a skit on TV and then comes into court for a traffic ticket hearing. "Is that person going to have their confidence in the dignity of the judiciary affected?" Patterson asked.

Ringler, arguing that the roles of judge and comedian are incompatible, cited the example of the actor Larry Hagman, who was said to have been berated in public by fans who associated him with his role as the conniving J.R. Ewing in the long-running television series "Dallas."

Sicari declined to comment after his Monday night appearance or following Tuesday's Supreme Court arguments, other than to say that he loved being a performer.

Sicari says he makes hundreds of stand-up comedy appearances a year, including on stage, on network television, as a warm-up for Comedy Central audiences and in film. He's a member of the Screen Actors Guild and other professional performers unions.

He has said he got hooked on standup comedy as a young boy after watching Richard Pryor.

"I immediately thought that's what I wanted to do," he said in an interview with NTDTV that appeared online in 2008.

At an early age, he began doing impressions, including one of Vinnie Barbarino, John Travolta's character on the TV show "Welcome Back, Kotter." He told the interviewer that he remembers telling his parents when he was 12 he wanted to be a comedian. He said their answer was, "You're nuts."

Being a standup comedian requires some of the same skills as being a lawyer, he said. "You have to be very quick on your feet," he said.

___

Follow Samantha Henry at http://www.twitter.com/SamanthaHenry

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/njs-highest-court-hears-joking-judge-appeal-192308934.html

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South Dakota legislator calls MMA ?Child porn of sports,? while governor says it?s too violent

A bill to create an athletic commission in South Dakota is going nowhere fast, largely thanks to the ignorance of Gov. Dennis Daugaard and state house Rep. Steve Hickey.

Their primary objective is to ban sanctioned mixed martial arts in the state. In a blog post, Hickey writes that, "MMA Cage Fighting is the child porn of sports."

The lack of knowledge and the lack of research both Daugaard and Hickey showed about MMA has to be frightening for persons who live in South Dakota. If they can't be bothered to do the minimal research required to learn that MMA is far safer than other "mainstream" sports, including football, it's scary to think about the laws they'll pass in the state regarding education, health care and budgets.

The UFC is the largest MMA promoter in the world. No fighter has ever suffered traumatic brain injury, let alone died, in the UFC's 20-year history. A 2006 study done by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and which appeared in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found MMA has far less traumatic brain injury than other sports.

Mixed Martial Arts competitions have changed dramatically since the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993. The overall injury rate in MMA competitions is now similar to other combat sports, including boxing. Knockout rates are lower in MMA competitions than in boxing. This suggests a reduced risk of TBI [traumatic brain injury] in MMA competitions when compared to other events involving striking.

MMA events must continue to be properly supervised by trained referees and ringside physicians, and the rules implemented by state sanctioning?including weight classes, limited rounds per match, proper safety gear, and banning of the most devastating attacks? must be strictly enforced. Further research is necessary to continue to improve safety in this developing new sport.

A 2008 study released by the British Journal of Sports Medicine reached the same conclusions. After a five-year study, its authors wrote:

Injury rates in regulated professional MMA competition are similar to other combat sports; the overall risk of critical sports-related injury appears low. Additional study is warranted to achieve a better understanding of injury trends and ways to further lower injury risk in MMA.

The simple fact is that a random NFL player is at far greater risk of a serious brain injury than is a random MMA fighter. Sadly, neither Gov. Daugaard nor Rep. Hickey bothered to do much investigation or educate themselves before speaking out.

South Dakota state house Rep. Mark Johnston introduced a bill to create an athletic commission in the state for the express purpose of making the sport safer. According to the Argus Leader, Johnston said his goal is to prevent unregulated events where tragedies could possibly occur.

A state athletic commission's job is, at the core, to protect the fighters. It makes sure the proposed matches are fair and that promoters have doctors and an ambulance at all events. The commissions also require qualified referees, who stop fights when one fighter is in danger. It also requires fighters to undergo extensive medical examinations before fighting to make certain they are fit to compete. States such as Nevada, California and New York, with strong commissions, have discovered injuries fighters didn't know they had and prevented them from competing. That wouldn't be the case in South Dakota, with no commission to require those tests.

A fear of many states with strong commissions is that promoters will travel across state lines to put on shows in states such as South Dakota, where there is no regulation and where, as a result, costs are less. But the result is that it is far less safe for the competitors.

Sadly, neither Daugaard nor Hickey recognize that. Hickey told the Argus Leader he was angered by the thought of his state sanctioning MMA.

I'm offended that the state would legitimize cage-fighting and the bloody violence that those kinds of spectacles create. I think it's interesting that we declare that it is a crime for one human being to strike another, and yet the state now proceeds to legitimize, and label a sport, cage-fighting.

With all due respect, Gov. Daugaard, a few points:

? It is a crime for one human to strike another outside of the bounds of athletic competition. But it is no crime to strike another in the context of sport and when doctors and referees are available to protect the athletes and where the athletes have signed a contract to compete against each other.

? MMA fights sometimes get bloody. But no fighter to my knowledge has ever suffered anything worse than scarring as a result of being cut. It is important to note that a lot of the cuts are on the forehead above the eyes, where they mix with sweat and make them seem far worse than they are.

? States that have athletic commissions ban fighters who have sustained head injuries from competing again for several months. And before even being allowed to practice in a gym, the fighter needs to be cleared by a doctor.

? MMA is a combination of sports, many of which are already legal in South Dakota, including boxing, wrestling, karate, jiu-jitsu and judo.

King Mohammed VI receives Emir of Kuwait | Morocco World News

Rabat, February 26, 2013 (MAP)

King Mohammed VI received, on Tuesday at the Royal Palace in Rabat, the Emir of the state of Kuwait, Cheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.

The meeting attests to the depth of ties between the two heads of state, as well as to the solid relations between the two countries, both at the bilateral level in the political, economic and social fields, and through the strategic partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the ties of brotherhood and solidarity between the Moroccan and Kuwaiti peoples, the Royal cabinet said in a statement.

The talks provided an opportunity to highlight the importance of continued consultations over various issues of common interest, especially at the Arab, regional and international levels. The two sides also reiterated their firm commitment to continue their action for the benefit of the two brotherly peoples.

The audience comes after the visit by King Mohammed VI to Kuwait, which has imparted a strong momentum to the distinguished bilateral relations, particularly in the economic and investment fields.

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/02/80171/king-mohammed-vi-receives-emir-of-kuwait/

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Distinct niches in bone marrow nurture blood stem cells

Monday, February 25, 2013

In research that could one day improve the success of stem cell transplants and chemotherapy, scientists have found that distinct niches exist in bone marrow to nurture different types of blood stem cells.

Stem cells in the blood are the precursors to infection-fighting white blood cells and oxygen-carrying red blood cells.

The research, by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is reported Feb. 24 in the advance online edition of Nature.

The new findings, in mice, suggest that it may be possible to therapeutically target support cells in a particular niche. On the one hand, a drug that nourishes support cells could encourage blood stem cells to establish themselves in the bone marrow, enabling patients who have had stem cell transplants to more quickly rebuild their immune systems.

On the other, tumor cells are known to hide in the bone marrow, and a drug that disrupts the niche environment may drive cancer cells into the bloodstream, where they are more vulnerable to the damaging effects of chemotherapy.

"Our results offer hope for targeting these niches to treat specific cancers or to improve the success of stem cell transplants," says senior author Daniel Link, MD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Medicine. "Already, we and others are leading clinical trials to evaluate whether it is possible to disrupt these niches in patients with leukemia or multiple myeloma."

Working in the mice, the researchers selectively deleted a critical gene, CXCL12, which is known to be important for keeping blood stem cells healthy. Rather than knock out the gene in all of the support cells in a niche, the researchers deleted the gene in specific types of support cells. This led to the discovery that each niche holds only certain blood stem cells that are nourished by a unique set of support cells.

"What we found was rather surprising," Link says. "There's not just one niche for developing blood cells in the bone marrow. There's a distinct niche for stem cells, which have the ability to become any blood cell in the body, and a separate niche for infection-fighting blood cells that are destined to become T cells and B cells."

The findings provide a strong foundation for investigating whether disrupting these niches can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

In a phase II pilot study led by Washington University medical oncologist Geoffrey Uy, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Link is evaluating whether the drug G-CSF can alter the stem cell niche in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia whose cancer has recurred or is resistant to treatment. The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 20 years ago to stimulate production of white blood cells in patients undergoing chemotherapy, who often have weakened immune systems and are prone to infections.

But Uy and colleagues will evaluate the drug when it is given before chemotherapy. Patients enrolled in the trial at the Siteman Cancer Center will receive G-CSF for five days before chemotherapy, and the investigators will determine whether it can disrupt the protective environment of the bone marrow niche and make cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy.

While it's too early to know whether the treatment approach will be successful, Link's new research in mice is bolstered by a companion paper in the same issue of Nature. In that research, Sean Morrison, PhD, director of the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, used similar molecular methods to also discover distinct niches in the bone marrow for blood stem cells.

"There's a lot of interest right now in trying to understand these niches," Link adds. "Both of these studies add new information that will be important as we move forward. Next, we hope to understand how stem cell niches can be manipulated to help patients undergoing stem cell transplants."

###

Greenbaum A, Hsu Y-MS, Day RB, Schuettpelz LG, Christopher MJ, Borgerding JN, Nagasawa T, Link DC. CXCL12 production by early mesenchymal progenitors is required for haemoatopoietic stem-cell maintenance. Nature. Advance online publication Feb. 24, 2013.

Washington University School of Medicine: http://www.medicine.wustl.edu

Thanks to Washington University School of Medicine for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126999/Distinct_niches_in_bone_marrow_nurture_blood_stem_cells

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Morrissey Cancels On Jimmy Kimmel Due To 'Duck Dynasty' Cast Appearance

Vegetarian rocker Morrissey canceled his scheduled performance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" this week due to an appearance on the show by the cast of "Duck Dynasty."

The singer, who was slated to perform on the late night talk show to kick off his already-postponed tour, released a statement on Monday saying he "cannot morally be on a television program where the cast members of Duck Dynasty will also be guests."

The statement continued: "Morrissey would be honored to play the show, if 'Duck Dynasty' were removed."

The A&E reality program focuses on a family that became wealthy by making duck-call tools for duck hunters. The former Smiths frontman is a staunch animal rights activist.

E Online reports that Morrisey also stated:

"As far as my reputation is concerned, I can't take the risk of being on a show alongside people who, in effect, amount to animal serial killers. If Jimmy cannot dump Duck Dynasty, then we must step away."

According to the Associated Press, a source close to Kimmel said the singer's performance would be rescheduled.

Morrissey has been in the headlines this month for hosting the first all-vegetarian concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/morrissey-cancels-jimmy-kimmel_n_2763019.html

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Jose Aldo-Anthony Pettis featherweight championship fight back on

Over the weekend, UFC president Dana White said featherweight champion Jose Aldo was refusing to take a fight with Anthony Pettis, the lightweight who was scheduled to fight Aldo in August. As Kevin Iole wrote, Aldo told White he didn't think Pettis had earned the title shot.

The fight is back on. Andre Pederneias, Aldo's manager, told SporTV in Brazil (with translation from our friends at Yahoo! Brazil) that Aldo will take the fight, with one condition:

?I had a meeting today (Monday) with Jos? Aldo, who said: ?I?m going to end with this clownery. People are saying that I?m running, so they are going to see who will run from who when the time comes. If you enjoy a brawl, you can buy the pay-per-view of august 3th and that what you are going to watch because heads will roll?. At that moment I called Dana White to agree with the fight, but on one condition: after that fight, the winner gets a title shot at LW?.

White confirmed that the fight is on.

Yes Aldo vs Pettis and it's for Aldo's UFC 145lb title

? Dana White (@danawhite) February 26, 2013

ESPN is reporting that Aldo will get his wish, and that if he beats Pettis on Aug. 3, he will get a shot at the UFC lightweight belt. Benson Henderson is currently the title holder, and will fight Gilbert Melendez in April.

This means the UFC lightweight belt has a clear path for 2013. Pettis was supposed to be the next lightweight contender, but pushed for the Aldo fight because he didn't want to wait until the Henderson and Melendez fight was over.

Are you looking forward to seeing Aldo possibly fight for the lightweight belt? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jose-aldo-anthony-pettis-featherweight-championship-fight-back-163108872--mma.html

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Rebekah's 13th Birthday - Our Full House

Enter to win a free pair of Nature's Sleep Memory Foam Slippers!

Rebekah Lynn is a very special young lady in our home. She has a very nurturing, kind heart. She can frequently be found researching better ways to care for farm animals, dogs and hamster. She is the one that will go out in the rain to feed the dogs, not because she has to but because she wants to. She also does the dogs de-worming, as well as trims, bathes and grooms them. She frequently makes homemade snacks for her little hamster, Rhino. The Lord has blessed us with a very special daughter, Rebekah.

Source: http://www.ourfullhouse.com/16-birthdays/932-rebekah-s-13th-birthday.html

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Michelle Obama announces Best Picture winner

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance at the Oscars, opening the envelope that contained the name of the Best Picture winner, "Argo."

Appearing via streaming video from the White House, Mrs. Obama said all of the nominees demonstrated that "we can overcome any obstacle."

She said that message is "especially important for our young people" and thanked Hollywood for encouraging children "to open their imaginations."

The first lady was introduced by Jack Nicholson, who noted that the Best Picture trophy is usually announced solo.

Mrs. Obama wore a silver, art deco-inspired gown by Indian-born American fashion designer Naeem Khan. It was the same dress she wore for the Obamas' dinner with the nation's governors at the White House Sunday night.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-25-Oscars-Michelle%20Obama/id-2627e795104146819fa2d21117257c09

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High-stakes oil spill trial begins

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? BP bears most of the blame for the disastrous 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico because it cut corners and put profits ahead of safety, a U.S. Justice Department attorney charged Monday at the opening of a high-stakes trial that could result in the oil company and its partners being forced to pay billions more in damages.

The London-based oil giant acknowledged it made "errors in judgment" before the deadly blowout, but it also cast blame on the owner of the drilling rig and the contractor involved in cementing the well. It denied it was grossly negligent, as the government contended.

The civil case went to trial after attempts to reach an 11th-hour settlement failed.

Eleven workers were killed when the Deepwater Horizon rig leased by the BP exploded on April 20, 2010. An estimated 172 millions of gallons of crude spilled into the Gulf over the three months that followed.

Justice Department attorney Mike Underhill said the catastrophe resulted from BP's "culture of corporate recklessness."

"The evidence will show that BP put profits before people, profits before safety and profits before the environment," Underhill said in opening statements. He added: "Despite BP's attempts to shift the blame to other parties, by far the primary fault for this disaster belongs to BP."

BP attorney Mike Brock acknowledged that the oil company made mistakes. But he accused rig owner Transocean Ltd. of failing to properly maintain the rig's blowout preventer, which had a dead battery, and he claimed cement contractor Halliburton used a "bad slurry" that failed to prevent oil and gas from traveling up the well.

BP has already pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other criminal charges and has racked up more than $24 billion in spill-related expenses, including cleanup costs, compensation for businesses and individuals, and $4 billion in criminal penalties.

But the federal government, Gulf Coast states and individuals and businesses hope to convince a judge that the company and its partners in the ill-fated drilling project are liable for much more in civil damages under the federal Clean Water Act and other environmental regulations.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier is hearing the case without a jury and ? barring a settlement ? will decide months from now how much more money BP and the other companies must pay.

During opening statements, attorney Jim Roy, who represents individuals and businesses hurt by the spill, said BP executives applied "huge financial pressure" to "cut costs and rush the job." The project was more than $50 million over budget and behind schedule at the time of the blowout, Roy said.

"BP repeatedly chose speed over safety," Roy said, quoting from a report by an expert who may testify.

Roy said the spill also resulted from Transocean's "woeful" safety culture and failure to properly train its crew. And Roy said Halliburton provided BP with a product that was "poorly designed, not properly tested and was unstable."

BP's partners pointed the finger at the oil company and at each other.

Brad Brian, a lawyer for Transocean, said the company had an experienced, well-trained crew on the rig. He said the Transocean workers' worst mistake may have been placing too much trust in the BP supervisors on the rig.

"And they paid for that trust with their lives," Brian said. "They died not because they weren't trained properly. They died because critical information was withheld from them."

A lawyer for Halliburton defended the company's work and tried to pin the blame on BP and Transocean.

"If BP had shut in the well, we would not be here today," Halliburton's Donald Godwin said.

Underhill, the Justice Department attorney, heaped blame on BP for cost-cutting decisions made in the months and weeks leading up the disaster. He said two BP rig supervisors, Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine, disregarded abnormally high pressure readings that should have been glaring indications of trouble.

Kaluza and Vidrine have been indicted on federal manslaughter charges.

Brock, the BP lawyer, said Transocean employees on the rig also played roles in misinterpreting the "negative pressure test."

"It was a mistake made by several men from two different companies," Brock said. "They were trying to get it right. They were trying to do the right thing."

Hundreds of attorneys have worked on the case, generating roughly 90 million pages of documents, logging nearly 9,000 docket entries and taking more than 300 depositions from witnesses who could testify at trial.

"In terms of sheer dollar amounts and public attention, this is one of the most complex and massive disputes ever faced by the courts," said Fordham University law professor Howard Erichson, an expert in complex litigation.

One of the biggest questions facing the judge is whether BP acted with gross negligence.

Under the Clean Water Act, a polluter can be forced to pay a minimum of $1,100 per barrel of spilled oil; the fines nearly quadruple to about $4,300 a barrel for companies found grossly negligent, meaning BP could be on the hook for nearly $18 billion.

The judge plans to hold the trial in at least two phases. The first phase, which could last three months, is designed to determine what caused the blowout and assign percentages of blame to the companies involved. The second phase will determine how much crude spilled into the Gulf.

The spill fouled marshes, killed wildlife and closed fishing grounds. Scientists warn that the disaster's full effect may not be known for years. But they have reported dying coral reefs and fish afflicted with lesions and illnesses that might be oil-related.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/high-stakes-trial-begins-over-2010-gulf-oil-204618200--finance.html

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Auto Insurance Data To Help You ? Social Networking Community ...

Many people find auto insurance either boring or overwhelming, which makes it harder to understand than it needs to be. Honestly, you will feel less confused the more you learn about it.

Some of the most popular ways to drive down insurance premiums is to install an anti-theft alarm, GPS tracker or theft immobilizer in your vehicle. Your coverage is also based on whether or not your car is at high risk for theft. Your insurance will be lower if you have a safer vehicle.

You must understand the various coverage types when buying car insurance. There are many things that go into your final cost of insurance. The legal costs associated with things such as serious injury or death in an accident you cause are covered by bodily injury liability policies.

Advice You Need To Know About Auto Insurance The consumer complaint ratio should be available for most of the car insurers in your state. This number reveals the percentage of complaints for a given provider.

Gain Some Great Knowledge About Auto Insurance Make sure to stay informed about basic insurance terms prior to searching for a company to get a policy from. While each state varies in requirements, the basic concepts of insurance are the same. By doing some basic homework, you will be better prepared to buy a policy with appropriate coverage.

Before buying car insurance, request policy rates from several different companies. You will only get the best rate by shopping around.

When purchasing car insurance, it is important to keep in mind that they are only insuring the driver of the car that is on the policy. Many drivers lend their car out to a friend, only to find that the friend's accident is not covered because they were not listed on the driver's policy. If you have people driving your vehicle on a regular basis, you could purchase coverage that covers additional people. However, this comes at a higher price.

A great tip for auto insurance is to get 100/200/100 level coverage for liability if you have a good car with a few assets to protect. Make sure the amount of liability coverage you have is enough to meet state requirements.

Enrolling in a defensive driving course is one of the simplest ways to save on auto insurance. Not only will the course teach you to drive in a way that helps you avoid collisions, and filing costly claims associated with them, but most insurance companies also give you a discount on your premium just for taking the classes. You can inquire about these classes at your local driving school. You can search them out on the world wide web, too.

With other expenses already so high, it is a good idea to drop some of those after-market upgrades that only add to aesthetic value. Upgrades such as leather seats and a killer sound system are awesome, but these are not things you really need. Insurance companies will not pay for the damage or loss of any of these types of items.

Auto Insurance Shopping Made Easy With These Tips As previously mentioned, research everything before buying auto insurance so that you can get what you need. If you have enough information, you should be able to find good auto insurance at a fair price. Apply the advice in this article to ensure that you get the type of auto insurance that you need.

Source: http://crew.valkry.com/blog/90034/auto-insurance-data-to-help-you/

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HTC One caught in the wild ahead of today's event

No doubt we'll be hearing more about it in the very near future (oh, in about an hour or so, in fact), but HTC just can't seem to keep its newest handset under wraps.The HTC One was spotted in the line up to today's big unveil in New York City. Apologies for the tiny size of the shot -- we'll surely be seeing much sharper pictures of the thing very soon.

Update: We've got another, better shot up at top. The original has been banished to the area just after the break.

Filed under: Mobile, HTC

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/19/htc-one-wild/

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Britney Spears' New Boyfriend: Random, Normal Guy Named David!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/britney-spears-new-boyfriend-random-normal-guy-named-david/

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HTC One software hands-on: Sense 5, BlinkFeed, Sense TV and new Sync Manager

Now that you're done drooling over the HTC One's shiny body, let's take a look at the phone's generous bundle of software features. Sense 5 on Android 4.1.2 is quite possibly the boldest step HTC's ever taken in terms of Android interface, in the hopes of offering a radically simple experience out of the box. First off, the phone comes with just two soft keys: Back and Home. You can still access the app-switching page by double-tapping the Home key, but instead of the old 3D interface with dozens of app cards, you'll now only get a grid of nine app cards to keep things simple. And like before, simply flick the cards up to dismiss the corresponding apps. Read on for more, and keep an eye out for our upcoming hands-on video.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, HTC

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/19/htc-one-software-hands-on-sense-5-blinkfeed-sense-tv-and-new/

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Jaguar Land Rover launches new education programme to ...

Jaguar Land Rover is offering female students interested in engineering, technology and manufacturing careers a unique insight into the world of work at the UK?s largest luxury automotive manufacturer.

The ?Inspiring Tomorrow?s Engineers: Young Women in the Know? course has been developed in partnership with Birmingham Metropolitan College to change outdated perceptions of engineering to encourage more young women to consider engineering and manufacturing careers.

The 28 female students, aged 16-18, will be participating in a week-long programme of events from Monday 18^th February at Jaguar Land Rover?s manufacturing, design and engineering sites in Gaydon, Whitley, Solihull and Castle Bromwich. They will meet female apprentices, graduates, engineers and managers to find out about their education and career histories and will spend a day on work experience at the Solihull plant. They will also find out about Jaguar Land Rover?s apprentice and graduate schemes and participate in workshops on job applications, assessment centres and interview techniques.

Bob Joyce, Jaguar Land Rover Engineering Director, said: ?Jaguar Land Rover has ambitious plans for growth and it is engineering talent that will develop the products and technologies that appeal to customers in the future. We believe that the success of our global business ? and the UK economy ? lies in engineering and innovation.

?We offer a wide range of education programmes with the aim of getting young people excited about engineering and crucially, to encourage them to make the right subject choices at GCSE-level and beyond. The ?Young Women In The Know? course has been developed to encourage female students to consider engineering careers and we hope some of the students on the course today will join Jaguar Land Rover as engineers in the future.?

Danella Bagnall, Project Planning and Integration Director at Jaguar Land Rover, added: ?I started my career as an apprentice 25 years ago which was a great way of continuing education, developing skills, and getting into industry. I am now a senior engineering manager which demonstrates the excellent career progression opportunities available to women in a modern engineering-led business like Jaguar Land Rover.

?It is a very exciting time to join our business. We are investing more than ?2 billion a year in research and development and we need talented young people to deliver new technologies, new applications, new approaches and new ideas. I would thoroughly recommend a career in engineering to girls and hope this programme inspires lots more women to become engineers.?

The ?Inspiring Tomorrow?s Engineers: Young Women in the Know? course is part of the ?Inspiring Tomorrow?s Engineers? education programme which Jaguar Land Rover runs across the UK to promote STEM subjects and engineering careers.

Source: http://www.automotivecouncil.co.uk/2013/02/jaguar-land-rover-launches-new-education-programme-to-encourage-young-women-to-consider-engineering-careers/

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Danica talks dating driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Auto racing driver Danica Patrick speaks with reporters during NASCAR media day at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Auto racing driver Danica Patrick speaks with reporters during NASCAR media day at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Auto racing driver Danica Patrick applies makeup before a television interview during NASCAR media day at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2012, file photo, drivers Danica Patrick, left, talks with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., as they wait on pit road during qualifying for a NASCAR Nationwide series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Patrick slid into her chair at NASCAR media day Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 and promptly informed her audience she'd only answer racing-related questions. Then she proceeded to talk candidly about her relationship with fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. .(AP Photo/Randy Holt, File)

FILE - In this May 19, 2012 file photo, Danica Patrick speaks during a news conference as Ricky Stenhouse Jr., right, looks on before qualifying for the NASCAR Nationwide Series' Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 auto race at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Patrick slid into her chair at NASCAR media day Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 and promptly informed her audience she'd only answer racing-related questions. Then she proceeded to talk candidly about her relationship with fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? Danica Patrick slid into her chair at NASCAR media day Thursday and promptly informed her audience it would be race questions only.

Yeah, right. The ensuing 20-plus minutes consisted mostly of questions about her relationship with fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Patrick dutifully answered them all. She and Stenhouse better get used to this, at least in the early going.

Patrick and Stenhouse confirmed in January they are dating, and the duo will be competing against each other this year for Sprint Cup rookie of the year.

"Initially, it was a little bit of a mental hurdle of like, 'We compete against each other,' " Patrick said of the relationship, which she likened to Romeo and Juliet. "It's like the Capulets and Montagues with (me in) Chevy and (him in) Ford, this just doesn't work. But you can't tell your heart who to like or not like. And so in the end, it ended up being something that I just didn't think was a big deal at all."

The two spent the last two seasons racing in the Nationwide Series and Patrick leaned on Stenhouse, the two-time Nationwide champion, for friendship and advice after her move to NASCAR. She said the relationship grew deeper, and they went public after she filed for divorce in early January from her husband, Paul Hospenthal. She and Hospenthal announced in November they were splitting up after seven years of marriage.

The 30-year-old Patrick rarely talked about her personal life while married to Hospenthal, but she was open Thursday about the 25-year-old Stenhouse.

"I'm just relaxed," Patrick said. "I feel happy. I feel like I am enjoying my life. It makes me smile to talk about him. I feel like I'm on 'The Bachelorette.'"

Stenhouse was equally as open, saying "she's hot!" when asked what attracted him to Patrick before adding "she loves to cook, and I love to eat." He admitted he'd never heard of the Capulets and Montagues, and refused to say who he would push on the last lap of a race at Daytona if Patrick was battling for the win with one of his Roush Fenway Racing teammates.

"I'm going three-wide," he smiled. "There's enough room at Daytona."

Although the two did not publicly interact Thursday, they are clearly content with their relationship. And because Patrick, who leads all celebrities with 12 Super Bowl ads, is used to being under the media spotlight Stenhouse said he can lean on his girlfriend for guidance as he finds himself suddenly scrutinized.

"I'm fine. The headlines don't say anything about me," he said. "I'm taking this seriously. But if I win a race, it might be 'Danica's boyfriend won a race.'"

The relationship is fodder for endless jokes and razzing from fellow competitors, and most were eager to dive into the topic Thursday.

"Pat on the back for him," said Ty Dillon.

"We can come up with plenty of jokes and how humorous it could be on the track and what each of them are thinking ? we'll all be watching with great curiosity, for sure," said Jimmie Johnson.

But if the two have an incident on the track? "That would be one heck of a show," Johnson said. "I'm sure ratings would go up quite a bit. You never know. Danica has shown she can get quite upset at times, so there could be something going on."

Patrick was ready for all the ribbing, and even joked about what would happen if Stenhouse wrecked her on the track.

"He better have a really good, 'I'm sorry,'" Patrick said with a wink.

The duo is moving forward with their relationship, with Patrick saying she planned to cook for Stenhouse on Valentine's Day and she packed an entire suitcase full of gifts for her boyfriend (he got her "fancy playing cards" he said). She also told reporters how after so many months of hanging out with Stenhouse, she had to push him to ask her out on an official date ? an account Stenhouse confirmed before sheepishly admitting he couldn't remember what restaurant they went to for the date.

Defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski cautioned that things could get sticky with the happy couple.

"It's difficult because there's that part of you that thinks, 'Ah, this is a little hokie. Can we just focus on the on-track part?'" he said. "But you have to understand that as a race car driver, you make life decisions that put you in a position of danger all the time, 24-7, and that inherently makes you a unique person and the decisions you make in your mental process to get there unique. And whatever outside influences you have are going to affect how you perform.

"So it makes it a story because there's no way for it not to affect their performance. It ties back in. I think it's not really much of a story that their dating as it is as much of a story if they were to break up. That would be incredible to watch, to be quite honest with you. There's so many different ways that could go. I mean, imagine if they were to break up and then wreck each other for like the next six races because they were mad?"

Stenhouse dismissed Keselowski's take, "coming from a guy who has never had a girlfriend?"

Johnson had a recommendation: Patrick and Stenhouse need to keep their relationship from spilling onto the track.

"If it does, it's going to impact their lifestyle and their job," Johnson said. "We're paid to go on the racetrack and race. So if they're handling things differently on the track because of their personal relationship, it's going to affect their jobs; their owners aren't going to be happy or their sponsors."

___

Follow Jenna Fryer online: https://twitter.com/JennaFryer and http://racing.ap.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-14-CAR-NASCAR-Danica-and-Ricky/id-f4775b085db140859ead05f31cc58cae

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Chris Brown and Drake: Suing Each Other Over NYC Nightclub Brawl!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/chris-brown-and-drake-suing-each-other-over-nightclub-brawl/

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What Is The Difference Between Medicare, Medi ... - Desert Elder Law

Everyone who begins to investigate their long-term health care options quickly comes across these terms.? The following will hopefully help you understand what these terms are and the differences between them.

Medicare is a Federal program which provides basic health insurance to everyone over age 65, and people who are under 65 but are eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.

Medicaid is a joint Federal-State program which provides (among other things)?long-term care for seniors.? Medi-Cal?is what the Federal Medicaid program is called in California.? Thus, Medicaid and Medi-Cal are essentially the same thing.

This week we will look at the Medicare program, what it covers, and what it doesn?t cover.

Medicare

Medicare has several ?parts.?? These include:

• Medicare Part A, which is Hospital Insurance;
• Medicare Part B, which is Medical Insurance;
• Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage), which was formerly known as Medicare + Choice;? and
• Medicare Part D, which is prescription drug coverage.

Generally, people who are over age 65 and getting Social Security automatically qualify for Medicare Parts A and B.? Part A is paid for by a portion of Social Security tax.? It helps pay for inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing care, hospice care and other services.

Part B is paid for by the monthly premiums of people enrolled and by general funds from the U.S. Treasury.? It helps pay for doctors? fees, outpatient hospital visits, and other medical services and supplies that are not covered by Part A.? This year, the monthly Part B premium (which is deducted from your Social Security payment) is $104.90

Part C (Medicare Advantage) plans allow you to choose to receive all of your health care services through a provider organization.? These plans may help lower your costs of receiving medical services (many plans have zero premium!) or you may get extra benefits for an additional monthly fee.? You must, however,?have both Parts A and B to enroll in Part C.? Medicare Advantage plans are the private insurance plans?you see commercials for all the time ? especially during the Open Enrollment period between October and December of each year.? The Federal Government?s?official Medicare website has a tool which can help you compare the various Medicare Advantage plans.? https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/home.aspx.

Part D (prescription drug coverage) is voluntary and the costs are paid for by the monthly premiums of enrollees and Medicare.? Unlike Part B?(where you are automatically enrolled and must opt out if you do not want it) you must specifically enroll in an approved Part D plan by?filling out a form and submitting it to your insurer.

?

Does Medicare Pay For Long Term Care?

NO.??After a 3 day hospital stay, Medicare pays 100% of the cost, but only for the first 20 days of skilled nursing care. For days 21 through 100, you are responsible for a co-payment.? As of this date, the daily co-pay rate is?$148 per day.

But it gets worse:? After 100 days of care in a nursing home, Medicare stops paying altogether, and you are responsible for all future costs, unless there is a new 3 day qualifying hospital stay (which then re-sets the 100 day clock).

You also need to be aware that?Medicare?does not pay for ?custodial care.?? If you or a loved one are in need of custodial care, it must be paid for either by writing a check, by private long-term care insurance, or by Medi-Cal.

?

Our next installment will address Medi-Cal.

Source: http://desertelderlaw.com/what-is-the-difference-between-medicare-medi-cal-and-medicaid/

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