WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sent his best wishes on Thursday to former South African President Nelson Mandela, who is being treated in a hospital for a recurring lung infection, and called the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader an inspiration.
"He is as strong physically as he's been in character and in leadership over so many decades, and hopefully he will ... come out of this latest challenge," Obama told reporters at the White House while meeting with four visiting African leaders.
"When you think of a single individual that embodies the kind of leadership qualities that I think we all aspire to, the first name that comes up is Nelson Mandela. And so we wish him all the very best," Obama said.
Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years by South Africa's apartheid government, became the nation's first black president in 1994 and stepped down five years later. Obama is the first black president of the United States.
Obama made his remarks after meeting with leaders from Sierra Leone, Senegal, Malawi, and Cape Verde. Obama said they discussed how Washington could continue to partner effectively with each country.
Mar. 27, 2013 ? Scientists at Harvard may have new hope for anyone who's tried to fight the battle of the bulge.
New research, conducted in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, has found that the gut microbes of mice undergo drastic changes following gastric bypass surgery. Transfer of these microbes into sterile mice resulted in rapid weight loss. The study is described in a March 27 paper in Science Translational Medicine.
"Simply by colonizing mice with the altered microbial community, the mice were able to maintain a lower body fat, and lose weight -- about 20% as much as they would if they underwent surgery," said Peter Turnbaugh, a Bauer Fellow at Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Center for Systems Biology, and one of two senior authors of the paper.
But as striking as those results were, they weren't as dramatic as they might have been.
"In some ways we were biasing the results against weight loss," Turnbaugh said, explaining that the mice used in the study hadn't been given a high-fat, high-sugar diet to increase their weight beforehand. "The question is whether we might have seen a stronger effect if they were on a different diet."
"Our study suggests that the specific effects of gastric bypass on the microbiota contribute to its ability to cause weight loss and that finding ways to manipulate microbial populations to mimic those effects could become a valuable new tool to address obesity," said Lee Kaplan, director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute at MGH and the other senior author of the paper.
"We need to learn a good deal more about the mechanisms by which a microbial population changed by gastric bypass exert its effects, and then we need to learn if we can produce these effects -- either the microbial changes or the associated metabolic changes -- without surgery," Kaplan, an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, added. "The ability to achieve even some of these effects without surgery would give us an entirely new way to treat the critical problem of obesity, one that could help patients unable or unwilling to have surgery."
While the results were exciting, Turnbaugh warned that it may be years before they could be replicated in humans, and that such microbial changes shouldn't be viewed as a way to lose those stubborn last 10 pounds without going to the gym. Rather, the technique may one day offer hope to dangerously obese people who want to lose weight without going through the trauma of surgery.
"It may not be that we will have a magic pill that will work for everyone who's slightly overweight," he said. "But if we can, at a minimum, provide some alternative to gastric bypass surgery that produces similar effects, it would be a major advance."
While there had been hints that the microbes in the gut might change after bypass surgery, the speed and extent of the change came as a surprise to the research team.
In earlier experiments, researchers had shown that the guts of both lean and obese mice are populated by varying amounts of two types of bacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. When mice undergo gastric bypass surgery, however, it "resets the whole picture," Turnbaugh said.
"The post-bypass community was dominated by Proteobacteria and Proteobacteria, and had relatively low levels of Firmicutes," he said. What's more, Turnbaugh said, those changes occurred within a week of the surgery, and weren't short-lived -- the altered gut microbial community remained stable for months afterward.
While the results may hold out the hope for weight loss without surgery, both Turnbaugh and Kaplan warned that future studies are needed to understand exactly what is behind the weight loss seen in mice.
"A major gap in our knowledge is the underlying mechanism linking microbes to weight loss," Turnbaugh said. "There were certain microbes that we found at higher abundance after surgery, so we think those are good targets for beginning to understand what's taking place."
In fact, Turnbaugh said, the answer may not be the specific types of microbes, but a by-product they excrete.
In addition to changes in the microbes found in the gut, researchers found changes in the concentration of certain short-chain fatty acids. Other studies, Turnbaugh said, have suggested that those molecules may be critical in signaling to the host to speed up metabolism, or not to store excess calories as fat.
Going forward, Turnbaugh and Kaplan hope to continue to explore those questions.
"We think such studies will allow us to understand how host/microbial interactions in general can influence the outcome of a given diet," Kaplan said. "To some degree, what we're learning is a comfort for people who have an issue with their weight, because more and more we're learning that the story is more complicated than just how much you exercise and how much you eat."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard University. The original article was written by Peter Reuell.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
A. P. Liou, M. Paziuk, J.-M. Luevano, S. Machineni, P. J. Turnbaugh, L. M. Kaplan. Conserved Shifts in the Gut Microbiota Due to Gastric Bypass Reduce Host Weight and Adiposity. Science Translational Medicine, 2013; 5 (178): 178ra41 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3005687
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
One of the main reasons guys dislike using condoms? decreased pleasure?could be solved thanks to (get ready for this) Bill Gates.
That?s right, the tech guru and philanthropist is challenging someone to come up with a rubber that still protects against STIs yet maintains or even increases pleasure. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is offering a $100,000 grant, with the possibility of $1 million, to anyone who can successfully tackle the challenge.
While it would be sweet to think that Gates was most concerned with enhancing our between-the-sheets sessions, there is a larger goal here: to diminish the prevalence of HIV. The foundation has found that the main deterrent to wrapping it up is not a lack of resources but rather a lack of incentive.
Given that the little rubbers have the power to prevent STIs, HIV, and pregnancy and have no associated adverse events (which is more than any other form of BC can boast), what's not to love?
Cultural stigma and decreased pleasure and intimacy are the main reasons people forgo love gloves, the foundation says. "The primary drawback from the male perspective is that condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable, particularly given that the decisions about use must be made just prior to intercourse," reads a post on the foundation's blog "Inpatient Optimists."
RELATED: Make your time in the bedroom even more enjoyable with these seven tips for a better orgasm!
But ladies, don't point the finger at men: Women are also loose with their condom use, as reported in a study from Stanford Medical Center last year that found that women have a tendency to stop condom use once they start hormonal contraceptives.
Aside from the related worldwide health risks, the condom is also long overdue for an upgrade. In the past 50 years, we've seen multitudes of technological advancements, but besides implementing latex and allowing for individual product testing, condoms have hardly changed, the foundation points out.
We'd say it's time to revamp the rubber. And stat.
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Are You Looking For Profitable Business to Run Fully Outsourced and 365 days Hot Business??
Your Search is Over I am Providing You:
RESELLER BUSINESS-IN-A-BOX
Lets check out this Fresh Potential Profitable Business: www.BuildMobileSite.net (registered at GoDaddy.com expires on Mar 27, 2014)
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This Stunning Designed Website Consist of Mobile Website Creation Service.
About the Business
Mobile Website Creation Service is high in demand and the best part of this type service is the Repetitive Customers. The demand for mobile friendly websites has exploded within the last few years and therefore investing in the mobile web sites development has therefore become a very lucrative business.The importance of Mobile web has suddenly increased with the mobile revolution. Today, the number of individuals who use mobile web to find information about the products and services they need has increased in leaps and bounds. ?This is a perfect business website for the beginners, newbies, Internet marketers, or for the people who really desire to own a fully automated and outsourced online business which makes huge profit with less efforts.
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How Does This Business Website Work?
The Complete process is very easy from ordering, receiving payments and fulfilling the order. When a customer places an order, you Receive Payment in your paypal account and order info of the package they select Etc. Then you just need to forward the order to any other supplier you want to, and they will handle the rest.
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YES.?It?s that EASY.?You will not have to worry about anything else and you will not have to spend the effort doing the services at all. The suppliers will do the posts for you andyour customers will not know you are outsourcing the work! This is 100% white label
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I've brought together?product?of service that you can profit from which come with?4 different plans that your customer can choose from.
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Note** All price only suggestion price, as the owner of this business you have authority to change it with suitable price.
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The price is to expensive and you don?t have any budget for it? Don?t worry even you are not pressing the BUY IT NOW button, you also can received a BONUS based on your bidding price.
AUCTION WINNER with $149 and below
If you are the winner of this auction with this price, these are all you'll be getting:
FREE?Domain name?transfer and paid for a year?(worth $10)
FREE?transfer to your hosting account?(worth $47)
FREE?Premium Wordpress Theme(worth $50)
FREE?Complete set of WordPress Plugins installed for you?(worth $57)
FREE?30 days After Sales Support?(worth $197)
FREE?30 days for hosting your site?(worth $37)
FREE List of the Trusted Suppliers (worth $97)
FREE manual and marketing guide (worth $57)
Full Ownership of all the files contains graphics, content and database of the site (worth $97)
All these worth at least?$649, and these are all yours regardless of how much you win the auction for!
AUCTION WINNER with $150 to $199
If you are the winner of this auction with this price, you will get all listed above PLUS:
1.???? BONUS #1FREE 365 DAYS HOSTING for the website
2.???? BONUS #2FREE 50+ EBOOK COLLECTION about traffic and internet marketing. It is a great ebooks collection which you can gain more knowledge on how to bring more traffic and learn more about internet marketing. (worth $297)
3.???? BONUS #3FREE 180 DAYS AFTER SALES SUPPORT - Got questions after buying the website? All you have to do is just send a message to me and I will help you in every way I can. (worth $357)
AUCTION WINNER with $200 above
If you are the winner of this auction with this price, you will get all listed above PLUS:
1.???? BONUS #4FREE1000+ DIVERSITY BACKLINKS which include: Blog Posts,Web 2.0 Profiles, Social Bookmarks, Wiki Profiles, RSS and Forum Profiles sites (worth $57)
2.???? BONUS #5FREE4000+ VISITORS which can help you increasing your Alexa rank, Google Toolbar hits, or stats in other traffic monitoring. (worth $97)
3.???? BONUS #6FREE PRESS RELEASE SUBMISSION which include creating the press release and submit it to 3 press release directories (worth $57)
But that's not all! I believe in my business model so much that I'm willing to extend my offer even further to encourage you to?BUY IT NOW?by giving you more bonuses -- only if you?take action now!
AUCTION WINNER with BUY IT NOW ($397)
If you are the winner of this auction with this price, you will get all listed above PLUS:
1.???? BONUS #7FREE PAID PRESS RELEASE SUBMISSION which? these premium press release (PRBuzz & SBWire) willt distribute your PR to thousands of news sites, social networks, blogs etc globally for maximum exposure of your business
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Terms of Service
????????? Winner will have?72 hours?after the auction ends to make the payment via PayPal. If I didn?t received any payment from that time period, I have right to dispute the sale and the winner get more 72 hours to answer or reply the dispute report.
????????? New owner will receive the following once payment is made:
1.???? Domain will be push to Godaddy account (FREE)
FREE?transfer?to your hosting account?(Worth $47)
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Why Am I Selling The Website?
This is what I love doing -- I am a web designer and my specialty is creating web sites and providing support for my customers.? I know this business model is profitable and don't want the idea to be wasted so I want to pass the full business on to you!
Therefore, what you are bidding on right now isn't just merely a website, but a complete business model that I genuinely believe will net you good returns.
Note to Buyers
This is a brand new startup website, so any testimonials found on the site are only examples and are included there for design purposes. The winner of this auction is free to remove or edit any testimonials if they wish to.
Happy Biddin'
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Children of deployed parents at higher risk for alcohol, drug usePublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jennifer Brown jennifer-l-brown@uiowa.edu 319-356-7124 University of Iowa Health Care
When deployment also disrupts living arrangements, risk increases
In 2010, almost 2 million American children had at least one parent in active military duty. A new University of Iowa study suggests that deployment of a parent puts these children at an increased risk for drinking alcohol and using drugs.
Using data from a statewide survey of sixth-, eighth-, and 11th-grade students in Iowa, the researchers found an increase in 30-day alcohol use, binge drinking, using marijuana and other illegal drugs, and misusing prescription drugs among children of deployed or recently returned military parents compared to children in non-military families. The increased risk was consistent across all age groups. The findings are published online in the journal Addiction.
"We worry a lot about the service men and women and we sometimes forget that they are not the only ones put into harm's way by deployment -- their families are affected, too," says Stephan Arndt, Ph.D., UI professor of psychiatry and biostatistics and senior study author. "Our findings suggest we need to provide these families with more community support."
Arndt and colleagues at the Iowa Consortium for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation and the UI Injury Prevention Research Center, examined data from the 2010 Iowa Youth Survey (IYS) to investigate whether military deployment of a parent was associated with children's substance use.
The survey, developed by the consortium in 1999, is administered by the state and conducted every two years. Participating students answer questions online about attitudes and experiences with alcohol, drugs, and violence, as well as students' perceptions of their peers, family, school and community. Of all sixth-, eighth-, and 11th-grade students enrolled in Iowa schools in 2010, 69 percent (78,240 students) completed the IYS.
Students were also asked if they had a parent in the military and about the parent's deployment status. The researchers focused their analysis on the 59,395 responses that indicated a parent in the military, either deployed (775, 1.3 percent) or recently returned (983, 1.7 percent), or not in the military (57,637, 97 percent).
"Looking at the Iowa Youth Survey, we discovered we were right in regard to our idea that parental deployment would increase the risk for substance use behaviors in children. In fact, the numbers suggested we were a lot more right than we wanted to be," Arndt says.
"For example, sixth-graders in non-military families had binge drinking rates of about 2 percent. That jumps up to about 7 percent for the children of deployed or recently returned parents a three-to-four-fold increase in the raw percentage."
The study showed that rates for drinking alcohol in the past 30 days were 7 to 9 percentage points higher for children of deployed or recently returned parents across all grades, while rates for binge drinking (having had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row) were 5 to 8 percentage points higher for children of deployed parents across all grades. Marijuana use was also higher in children of deployed parents, but the difference in risk was larger for older students; for sixth-grade students the risk difference was almost 2 percentage points, for 11th-grade students it was almost 5 percentage points higher.
Living arrangements matter too
A second important and unexpected finding was the relationship between parental deployment, disruption of children's living arrangements, and increased risk of substance use.
"When at least one parent is deployed, there is a measurable percentage of children who are not living with their natural parents," Arndt says. "Some of these children go to live with a relative, but some go outside of the family, and that change in these children's living arrangements grossly affected their risk of binge drinking and marijuana use."
The study found that for children who were not living with a parent or relative, those with a deployed parent had a risk of binge drinking that was 42 percentage points higher than a student from a non-military family. In comparison, children with a deployed parent who still were living with a parent had a risk of binge drinking that was about 8 percentage points higher than children of non-military families who were living with a parent.
"Deployment is going to be disruptive anyway, which is probably why we see the overall increased risk of substance use in these children. And then for those children where parental deployment means they end up living outside of the family, it's a double whammy," Arndt says. "The results suggest that when a parent deploys, it may be preferable to place a child with a family member and try to minimize the disruption of the child's living arrangements."
Iowa's military population may be more affected
Because the study surveyed only Iowa children, the nature of Iowa's military population may also affect the results, Arndt notes.
In Iowa, along with Vermont, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, the largest portion of military personnel serve with the Reserve or the National Guard. These groups of military personnel live in civilian communities rather than on military bases and may have limited access to support services and resources designed to help military families.
"States like Iowa that have a large proportion of National Guard may be more affected by this increased risk for children," Arndt says.
Although the UI study findings may be specific to families of National Guardsmen and women, Arndt notes that the results agree with previous research that focused on risky behavior for children of deployed military men and women in Washington state, which unlike Iowa has a large active duty population.
"I think our findings suggest, first, that people need to be aware that for service members and their families this is a real phenomenon, and one that should receive close attention," Arndt says. "I would also think that schools should have a heightened awareness that children from deployed parents may need extra help."
###
In addition to Arndt, the research team included Laura Acion, Ph.D., Marizen Ramirez, Ph.D., and Ricardo Jorge, M.D.
[ | 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.
Children of deployed parents at higher risk for alcohol, drug usePublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jennifer Brown jennifer-l-brown@uiowa.edu 319-356-7124 University of Iowa Health Care
When deployment also disrupts living arrangements, risk increases
In 2010, almost 2 million American children had at least one parent in active military duty. A new University of Iowa study suggests that deployment of a parent puts these children at an increased risk for drinking alcohol and using drugs.
Using data from a statewide survey of sixth-, eighth-, and 11th-grade students in Iowa, the researchers found an increase in 30-day alcohol use, binge drinking, using marijuana and other illegal drugs, and misusing prescription drugs among children of deployed or recently returned military parents compared to children in non-military families. The increased risk was consistent across all age groups. The findings are published online in the journal Addiction.
"We worry a lot about the service men and women and we sometimes forget that they are not the only ones put into harm's way by deployment -- their families are affected, too," says Stephan Arndt, Ph.D., UI professor of psychiatry and biostatistics and senior study author. "Our findings suggest we need to provide these families with more community support."
Arndt and colleagues at the Iowa Consortium for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation and the UI Injury Prevention Research Center, examined data from the 2010 Iowa Youth Survey (IYS) to investigate whether military deployment of a parent was associated with children's substance use.
The survey, developed by the consortium in 1999, is administered by the state and conducted every two years. Participating students answer questions online about attitudes and experiences with alcohol, drugs, and violence, as well as students' perceptions of their peers, family, school and community. Of all sixth-, eighth-, and 11th-grade students enrolled in Iowa schools in 2010, 69 percent (78,240 students) completed the IYS.
Students were also asked if they had a parent in the military and about the parent's deployment status. The researchers focused their analysis on the 59,395 responses that indicated a parent in the military, either deployed (775, 1.3 percent) or recently returned (983, 1.7 percent), or not in the military (57,637, 97 percent).
"Looking at the Iowa Youth Survey, we discovered we were right in regard to our idea that parental deployment would increase the risk for substance use behaviors in children. In fact, the numbers suggested we were a lot more right than we wanted to be," Arndt says.
"For example, sixth-graders in non-military families had binge drinking rates of about 2 percent. That jumps up to about 7 percent for the children of deployed or recently returned parents a three-to-four-fold increase in the raw percentage."
The study showed that rates for drinking alcohol in the past 30 days were 7 to 9 percentage points higher for children of deployed or recently returned parents across all grades, while rates for binge drinking (having had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row) were 5 to 8 percentage points higher for children of deployed parents across all grades. Marijuana use was also higher in children of deployed parents, but the difference in risk was larger for older students; for sixth-grade students the risk difference was almost 2 percentage points, for 11th-grade students it was almost 5 percentage points higher.
Living arrangements matter too
A second important and unexpected finding was the relationship between parental deployment, disruption of children's living arrangements, and increased risk of substance use.
"When at least one parent is deployed, there is a measurable percentage of children who are not living with their natural parents," Arndt says. "Some of these children go to live with a relative, but some go outside of the family, and that change in these children's living arrangements grossly affected their risk of binge drinking and marijuana use."
The study found that for children who were not living with a parent or relative, those with a deployed parent had a risk of binge drinking that was 42 percentage points higher than a student from a non-military family. In comparison, children with a deployed parent who still were living with a parent had a risk of binge drinking that was about 8 percentage points higher than children of non-military families who were living with a parent.
"Deployment is going to be disruptive anyway, which is probably why we see the overall increased risk of substance use in these children. And then for those children where parental deployment means they end up living outside of the family, it's a double whammy," Arndt says. "The results suggest that when a parent deploys, it may be preferable to place a child with a family member and try to minimize the disruption of the child's living arrangements."
Iowa's military population may be more affected
Because the study surveyed only Iowa children, the nature of Iowa's military population may also affect the results, Arndt notes.
In Iowa, along with Vermont, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, the largest portion of military personnel serve with the Reserve or the National Guard. These groups of military personnel live in civilian communities rather than on military bases and may have limited access to support services and resources designed to help military families.
"States like Iowa that have a large proportion of National Guard may be more affected by this increased risk for children," Arndt says.
Although the UI study findings may be specific to families of National Guardsmen and women, Arndt notes that the results agree with previous research that focused on risky behavior for children of deployed military men and women in Washington state, which unlike Iowa has a large active duty population.
"I think our findings suggest, first, that people need to be aware that for service members and their families this is a real phenomenon, and one that should receive close attention," Arndt says. "I would also think that schools should have a heightened awareness that children from deployed parents may need extra help."
###
In addition to Arndt, the research team included Laura Acion, Ph.D., Marizen Ramirez, Ph.D., and Ricardo Jorge, M.D.
[ | 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.
Sony's next-gen console, the PlayStation 4, is getting an updated DualShock controller when it arrives at retail this holiday. It's also getting an updated PlayStation Eye camera, which brings the camera much more in line with Microsoft's Kinect than any previous versions. We found the PS4 peripherals trapped under a glass box on the Game Developers Conference show floor, and Sony sadly wouldn't let us free them. We of course snapped a mess of pictures regardless, which you can see just below in the gallery. We anticipate the first hands-on opportunity with the DualShock 4 and PS4 Eye at E3 2013 in June, so hang tight for a few months!
The Oregon motel where Michael Boysen has stayed for several days is surrounded by Oregon police. Michael "Chad" Boysen.is accused of killing his grandparents shortly after his release from prison.
By Lauren Gambino,?Associated Press / March 12, 2013
Michael "Chad" Boysen is accused of killing his grandparents in Renton, Wash., shortly after his March 8 release from prison. The Oregon motel where he has been staying is now surrounded by police.
Cindi L. West / King County Sheriff?s Office / AP
Enlarge
Police pointed rifles at a beachfront motel on the Oregon coast, fired blasts from a water cannon and used a bullhorn Tuesday afternoon to try to persuade a man believed to have killed his grandparents last weekend to surrender.
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Michael?Boysen?has been the subject of a multistate manhunt since Saturday, when the bodies of his grandparents were found in their suburban Seattle home. Washington state authorities have said?Boysen?killed the couple the day after they threw a welcome home party for him after his release from prison.
After negotiations with the man holed up inside the Westshore OceanFront Suites in this tourist town went nowhere on Tuesday, police used three blasts from a water cannon to break a window at the motel because "the guy had been quiet for too long," said Lincoln City Police Chief Keith Kilian.
"There was a lack of activity going in there, so we did a strategic breach, which caused conversations to be continued," Kilian said. "We weren't progressing, so we stepped it up a little bit."
A state police negotiator used a bullhorn to try to persuade the person inside the second-floor motel room to disarm and surrender. The voice on the loudspeaker said, "There's a lot of people who want to see you come out OK."
At one point police officers were seen going into an adjacent room. Earlier in the day, police had sent a small robot up some stairs and onto a balcony of the motel.
Rooms at the motel were quietly evacuated and surrounding streets were closed off. Nearby residents were told to remain in their homes, and a growing number of officers converged on the motel.
Boysen?checked into the motel Monday night under his own name, but the name wasn't recognized until Tuesday morning when a desk clerk saw a television story about the case and called the Lincoln City police, Kilian said.
A State Police negotiator used a bullhorn to talk to the man, but hadn't made headway.
"He asked for us to leave, that's about it," Kilian said.
Officers haven't seen the man display any weapons, he said.
Boysen, 26, made threats against members of his family and law enforcement while behind bars, Corrections Department spokesman Chad Lewis said Tuesday. But authorities didn't learn of the threats until after the bodies of the grandparents were found and authorities had started looking for?Boysen.
"Sources went to our staff at the Monroe Correctional Center and told us he had been threatening to do all this," Lewis said.
The information was passed on to King County deputies, and that's why King County Sheriff John Urquhart called?Boysen?extremely dangerous at a Monday news conference.
Boysen?just finished serving nine months in prison on a burglary conviction, Lewis said. He had no violent infractions in prison ? "nothing extraordinary," Lewis said.
He served a previous sentence between 2006 and February 2011 for four robbery convictions. Those convictions were related to an addiction to narcotic painkillers, Lewis said.
Boysen's?grandparents picked him up from prison in Monroe on Friday, drove him to meet his probation officer and to get an identification card from the Department of Licensing. They held a welcome home party for him Friday night.
The bodies were discovered by?Boysen's?mother Saturday evening. She had been called by a family member who became concerned that the couple hadn't answered their door.
Authorities haven't said how they died. Investigators determined that?Boysen?had been searching the Internet for gun shows.
The motive for the killings remains unknown, King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West said.
"Between the family and detectives we have no idea," she said. "It's just bizarre. The family loved and supported him the whole time he was in prison."
The King County medical examiner's office hasn't released their names. But family and neighbors told KOMO News they are Robert R. Taylor, 82, and Norma J. Taylor, 80.
Associated Press writers Jeff Barnard in Grants Pass, Ore., and Doug Esser in Seattle contributed to this report.
BANGKOK (AP) ? World stock markets ran out of steam Wednesday after a sharp drop in Britain's industrial production and a warning from the head of Germany's central bank that the euro debt crisis isn't over.
Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann said Tuesday that the European Union needs to move ahead with reforms to keep troubles in the banking system from dragging down government finances.
He also urged faster reforms in the financially troubled countries, saying "only governments and not the central bank system" can solve the crisis.
Meanwhile, the British government issued data showing industrial production for January dropped sharply, a day after data released by the French government for factory output showed the same result.
The British data raised fears that Europe's third-largest economy might be heading for its third recession in four years.
"The sharp drop in UK industrial production and a warning by the Bundesbank's Weidmann that the euro zone crisis was not over added a dose of caution to the market," said analysts at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong.
Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.6 percent at 6,470.92. Germany's DAX lost 0.2 percent to 7,954.39. France's CAC-40 fell 0.3 percent to 3,826.93. In New York, the Dow looked set to snap an eight-day winning streak. Dow Jones industrial futures fell 0.1 percent to 14,372 while S&P 500 futures slipped marginally to 1,546.20.
Stock market losses began in Asia. Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.6 percent to close at 12,239.66 after the yen's fall against the dollar paused. The yen has been weak against other currencies in recent weeks because of expectations of monetary easing by the Bank of Japan under the leadership of its incoming chief, Haruhiko Kuroda.
Kuroda has been critical of the central bank's policies in the past and is thought to back Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's strategies for seeking to revive Japan's economy by fighting deflation through monetary easing and hefty government spending.
South Korea's Kospi rose 0.2 percent to 1,997.69. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.5 percent at 5,092.40.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1.5 percent to 22,556.65. Stocks in mainland China also fell. The Shanghai Composite Index tumbled 1.4 percent to 2,253.74. The smaller Shenzhen Composite Index lost 1.9 percent at 918.10.
Linus Yip, strategist at First Shanghai Securities in Hong Kong, said investors were retreating because of renewed concerns about Europe's debt crisis and lagging growth.
But investors were also having a second look at China's economy and whether future growth can match past performance. The latest Chinese data, including retail sales and manufacturing, was below expectations, he said.
"At the end of the year, the market was expecting accelerating growth in mainland China. Market sentiment was pretty high," Yip said. "Right now, we don't say it is slowing down in mainland China, but maybe stable growth."
Among individual stocks, China Railway Construction Corp. fell 5.6 percent in Hong Kong. Japan's Nikon Corp. advanced 3.9 percent.
Benchmark oil for April delivery was up 34 cents to $92.91 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 48 cents to close at $92.54 per barrel on the Nymex on Tuesday.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3014 from $1.3026 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar fell to 95.83 yen from 95.93 yen.
___
Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson
On the eve of NFL free agency, trades involving top receivers Anquan Boldin and Percy Harvin grabbed the headlines.
In an odd twist Monday, Boldin went from the Ravens to the San Francisco 49ers, the team he helped Baltimore beat 34-31 in last month's Super Bowl.
Harvin, who expressed his discontent in Minnesota, was sent to Seattle, where he will join former Vikings teammate Sidney Rice.
San Francisco acquired the 32-year-old Boldin for a sixth-round draft pick. Boldin, a star in Baltimore's run to the Super Bowl title last season, must pass a physical to complete the deal.
"Anquan was a great receiver for myself and for our football team," said quarterback Joe Flacco, who signed a six-year, $120.6 million deal with the Ravens last week. "It's sad to see a guy like that go, but at the same time, you want what's best for him and you just wish him the best of luck.
"Anquan was a big part of this football team, a big part of this offense. He's one of the main reasons we won the Super Bowl this year."
Boldin had six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl victory. He had said he'd consider retirement rather than leave Baltimore. But going to the NFC champions might change his mind.
"It's a business, man. Those things are going to happen," Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones said. "I wish Q the best. He's always a Raven with me, and we got something they can't take from us."
Added fellow Baltimore receiver Torrey Smith: "It's not so much about football when you lose someone like that, someone you love like a brother and would do anything for you."
The 24-year-old Harvin, Minnesota's moody and multi-talented receiver, will join the Seahawks for a package of draft picks that includes Seattle's first-round selection next month, No. 25 overall. He also must pass a physical.
Minnesota will also get Seattle's seventh-round pick this year and third-round selection in 2014.
League MVP Adrian Peterson was not thrilled over the news.
"The best all around player I ever seen or you'll ever see! Goes to Seattle! I feel like I just got kicked in the stomach. Several times!!!" Peterson posted on Twitter.
Harvin was producing at an All-Pro level until badly spraining his left ankle last Nov. 4 in a game at Seattle. He was placed on injured reserve a month later. He led the NFL in total yards at the time of his injury.
Harvin, who also has suffered from migraines, will enter the fifth and final season of his rookie deal with a $2.9 million salary that's well under market value ? unless the Seahawks rework it.
Also Monday:
?The Giants are allowing Victor Cruz to enter restricted free agency, placing a first-round tender on the wide receiver.
Team owner John Mara said the Giants will risk having Cruz agree to a contract with another club. New York has the right to match any offer. If the Giants allow him to leave, they will get a first-round draft choice as compensation.
The tender is worth $2.879 million for 2012 for Cruz, who has not made half of that in his three pro seasons.
?Cornerback DeAngelo Hall was cut by the Redskins, a casualty of the team's NFL-imposed salary cap penalty. Washington is over the cap because of an $18 million sanction for the way it structured contracts during the 2010 uncapped season.
Hall had two years remaining on the six-year, $54 million deal and was due to make $7.5 million in salary in 2013.
?The Broncos released nine-year veteran linebacker D.J. Williams, freeing up his $6 million salary in 2013 for other needs. Williams missed nine games while serving a pair of NFL-mandated suspensions last season and was deemed expendable after Wesley Woodyard had a breakout season at weakside linebacker.
Denver also released third quarterback Caleb Hanie, who didn't take a single snap in his one season in Denver, and finalized a three-year deal to keep backup safety David Bruton, their top special teams player.
? The Jets signed quarterback David Garrard to back up ? and provide a challenge to ? starter Mark Sanchez. Garrard has not played in the NFL since 2010. He started 76 games in nine seasons with Jacksonville and played in the 2009 Pro Bowl.
?The Cardinals released running back Beanie Wells after four injury-plagued seasons. A first-round pick in 2009, Wells showed flashes of the brilliance he had at Ohio State, but has only played one full season ? his rookie year.
Wells eclipsed 1,000 yards and scored 10 touchdowns in 2011, but was limited to eight games last season due to turf toe.
? Dallas released linebacker Dan Connor and restructured the contracts of guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, defensive tackle Jay Ratliff and cornerback Orlando Scandrick.
Connor was one of seven free agents Dallas added in free agency last offseason. He got a two-year contract and started eight games after Sean Lee and Bruce Carter were injured.
? Tennessee placed a second-round tender on center Fernando Velasco before the start of free agency. If another team offers Velasco a contract, the tender allows the Titans to match the offer or receive a second-round selection in April's draft from the team signing the lineman.
Velasco started 16 games for Tennessee last season with 13 at center and three at guard, and he has played in 49 career games for the Titans after signing originally in 2008 as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia.
? St. Louis released Quintin Mikell, a strong safety, to clear salary cap space. He was third on the team with 114 tackles and three sacks and three forced fumbles.
Dahl started every game at free safety and had 100 tackles and an interception but struggled in coverage.
Sales professionals have long closed deals in the physical presence of target audience, but the game has changed with new software and systems, which seem to make things easy, but keep distracting from executing core functions.
Author:
Kelly Lunttu
OK, let?s be clear from the beginning: this article has five tips for the 21st century salesman who works from his desktop to achieve better sales ? they are not tips on how to give sales training, but from people who conduct sales training themselves.
This article provides five simple tips to bring your work under control and actualize your sales. So here goes:
1. Recapture your time ? All the new tools and software your bosses are throwing at you keeps inundating you with data and pulling you in a million directions at the same time. Get rid of the distractions and recapture your time to spend it proactively for new business opportunities, not for sorting old data ? delegate to someone who loves counting numbers and not counting sales.
2. Use your email and voice messaging to full effect ? People don?t have time to talk, and it?s not always possible to do the job under three minutes. So, break up the message in formats where the target can access them when he/she is interested and has time. Learn to use emails and voice mails to their full effect ? don?t pour out everything in a single mail, but use a series of short emails, voice messages, and direct phone calls to get things done. Because, no one can give you so much time, nowadays, at a single sitting. But, reserving your best only for physical meetings is a mistake. Spread your sales strategy throughout the short bits of different modes of communication.
3. Don?t waste time with those who are not decision makers ? Companies give fancy titles to people just to act as foils and steer off distraction. You can?t blame them. But learn quickly to spot people who do not have the power to make a purchase decision. It?s awful to spend a month after a fancy title holder, he keeps on asking for new proposals and better estimates only to learn he?s not the guy who takes the decision, or has any say on the matter. If you go for a kill, find the throat at first shot, don?t poke around everywhere.
4. Develop your questioning skills ? When you ask the right questions, you build trust and confidence of the target in your expertise. When you have only a few seconds with big decision makers to ask questions, learn to ask questions that can help you lead a sale to a close. This is very important.
5. Get rid of all assumptions ? In wars, in the court, and on the sales front, nothing is as bad as letting your mind be controlled by assumptions. Focus on the task of getting sales done and get rid of all assumptions, because only by getting rid of assumptions, you would start to ask questions, and then be able to find what is paining the target. To learn to listen, you need to learn how to get rid of assumptions.
These five tips would set you on the path to becoming a great salesperson, while you need to control your campaigns from behind the desktop. Take your time to read over these sales training tips and if you are in the profession, you?d know these comprise five most important skills you can develop to find success.
About Author
For Better Sales, company must give sales training to their executives because to execute sales plan successfully and to run it for long period company needs to have a sales teams which has ability to take strategic decision based on situation. BBI provides the best sales training based on their breakthrough method.For more: http://www.businessbreakthroughs.com/index.cfm/id/virtual-sales-training
ABOARD THE USS FREEDOM (AP) ? The U.S. Navy's hottest new ship and the centerpiece of its renewed focus on Asia isn't its largest vessel, or its most technologically advanced. But it has advantages that its bigger siblings lack.
The 388-foot USS Freedom is small enough to move among the many islands and shallow waters of Southeast Asia, a trait that allows the Navy to train alongside similar-sized vessels in the region's navies and build relationships with them.
All this, the Navy believes, will help it make sure the region's critical waterways stay open to the trillions of dollars in oil and other trade that passes through each year. It's an objective so important the Navy is sending the Freedom to Singapore this month even as automatic federal spending cuts carve into its budget.
"We hold our commitment to them, to our area, our theater, so highly that this deployment has not been affected," said Rear Adm. Hugh Wetherald, the U.S. Pacific Fleet deputy chief of staff for plans, policies and requirements.
"The Navy and the Pacific Fleet are still on watch," he said.
Freedom on Monday sailed to Pearl Harbor, into the prime mooring spot the Navy often reserves for ships it wants to show off. The blue and gray camouflage painted on its sides ? designed to confuse hostile small boats and make it less visible from shore ? stood out amid the plain gray hulls of the other surface vessels in port.
Until now, most U.S. ships visiting Southeast Asia have been aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers and other large boats well equipped for jobs like firing cruise missiles or defending against fighter jets.
But they dwarf smaller ships U.S. partner navies from other countries ? such as Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand ? use for missions like patrolling the seas, catching pirates and stopping human and drug trafficking.
The larger vessels are also too big to pull into shallower ports, forcing them to sometimes anchor offshore while in the region.
The Freedom is equipped with guns and a helicopter and is designed to defend against small boats and other threats. The Navy will later have the option of swapping out its surface warfare equipment with so-called modules for hunting submarines and finding and disabling mines.
When he commanded ships moving through the region, Wetherald remembered, his counterparts from other countries would tell him that they'd like to work with smaller U.S. vessels.
"Their flag officers would say, 'Hey, I'm glad you're here, I love your big ship, but can you send us smaller ships? Can we exercise with smaller ships because your ship is very big,'" he recalled.
The littoral combat ship weighs less than half as much as a typical U.S. destroyer and carries a crew of fewer than 100 sailors. It measures about the length of one football field ? a scale that will allow the U.S. to join countries as a partner.
"It's a whole different world," Wetherald said.
The Navy plans to keep the Freedom in the region for eight months, though its San Diego-based crew will rotate out after four. Another crew will serve the rest of the deployment and take the ship back home to California.
Wetherald said the Freedom will spend its deployment practicing basic naval skills in bilateral exercises with partner nations. Some drills will involve practicing responses to disasters and providing humanitarian assistance.
In a few years, the Navy aims to have the ships participate in multilateral exercises.
The U.S. is building two dozen littoral combat ships in all. It eventually plans to use some of them to replace minesweepers operating out of Bahrain and Japan.
Singapore has agreed to allow the Freedom and its crew to refuel, restock on food and get other supplies while it's deployed. In a couple of years, the Navy plans to send another so it will have two littoral combat ships in the region at a time. It ultimately hopes to have as many as four in the area.
The U.S. says it's emphasizing Asia and the Pacific because it's such an important part of the global economy. Though U.S. officials don't like to advertise the point, Washington is also responding to China's growth as a military power.
China is on the minds of countries in the region as well.
Tim Huxley, Asia executive director for the International Institute for Security Studies, said accommodating the deployments is a way for Singapore to encourage the U.S. to stay involved in Southeast Asia as a counterweight to China.
This adheres to the small city-state's long-held strategy of ensuring its own security by keeping major powers involved in the neighborhood and balancing them off each other, Huxley said.
Huxley said the deployment comes at a time when regional security is "becoming more complex and potentially more dangerous."
There are active territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where six governments ? China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan ? have overlapping claims. Insurgencies are brewing in the southern Philippines and southern Thailand. And the regional power balance, especially between the U.S. and China, is "in a state of flux," he said.
He suspects the arrival of the littoral combat ship will add stability instead of complicating the situation further.
"It sends a tangible signal that the U.S. is determined to remain deeply involved in regional security. And at a time of change, I think that's a useful message to send," Huxley said by telephone from in Singapore.
Enterprise storage company SwiftStack has raised $6.1 million in Series A funding led by Mayfield Fund with additional participation from Storm Ventures and UMC Capital. This brings the company's total funding to $7.8 million
Beduareo Marquez climbs up the pond embankment where he retrieved a shoe from the crash site that six teens died on Park Ave. in Warren, Ohio on Sunday, March 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Scott R. Galvin)
Beduareo Marquez climbs up the pond embankment where he retrieved a shoe from the crash site that six teens died on Park Ave. in Warren, Ohio on Sunday, March 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Scott R. Galvin)
Mindy Morgan reads a note at the memorial where six teens were killed in a car crash on Park Ave. in Warren, Ohio on Sunday, March 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Scott R. Galvin)
This Sunday, March 10, 2013 photo shows a Honda Passport that crashed into a guardrail and flipped over into a swampy pond Sunday morning in Warren, Ohio. Highway Patrol officials say speed was a factor in the violent early morning crash of the vehicle that killed six teenagers in northeast Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom Sheeran)
Kasmond Parker, right, consoles Cyndy Mann at the crash site where six teens were killed early in the morning on Park Ave. in Warren, Ohio on Sunday, March 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Scott R. Galvin)
Mariah Brant cries as she visits the crash site that killed her half-brother, Daylan Ray, early in the morning on Park Ave. in Warren, Ohio on Sunday, March 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Scott R. Galvin)
WARREN, Ohio (AP) ? Two teens who escaped a crash that killed six friends in a swampy pond wriggled out of the wreckage by smashing a rear window and swimming away from the SUV, a state trooper said Monday.
The inside of the sport utility vehicle was entirely under water within minutes of the crash, said State Highway Patrol Lt. Brian Holt.
Investigators don't yet know why the eight were in the speeding vehicle without permission when it smashed into a guardrail and flipped over into the pond Sunday morning around daybreak, Holt said.
No one in the group had asked to take the vehicle and its owner was not related to any of the teens, Holt said. The vehicle was licensed to a resident of Youngstown, about 20 miles away.
"That's all we know right now," he said.
The two teens who escaped have talked with investigators, Holt said. The two boys ran a quarter-mile to a home to call 911, the highway patrol said.
Investigators were focused on speed as a key factor in the crash and said weather did not play a role.
While citing an unspecified "high rate" of speed, investigators wouldn't speculate on whether alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash on a two-lane road snugged between guardrails in an industrial section of the city.
"I can't believe you're gone," Mariah Bryant, 12, wrote in a message taped to a stuffed bear at the scene in memory of her half-brother, Daylan Ray, 15, who was killed.
"I love and miss you so much," said the message, which drew a steady stream of onlookers. The bear was part of a growing memorial of stuffed animals at the roadside.
Deanna Behner said her 15-year-old son and the other teenagers were close friends who lived in the same neighborhood on the east side of Warren, Youngstown TV stations WKBN and WYTV reported. Behner told the stations that authorities unsuccessfully tried for hours to save her son, Kirklan Behner.
The Honda Passport veered off the left side of a road and overturned about 60 miles east of Cleveland, State Highway Patrol Lt. Anne Ralston said. Investigators say it came to rest upside down in the swamp and sank with five of the victims trapped inside. A sixth, who was thrown from the SUV during the crash, was found under it when the vehicle was taken out of the water.
Holt said Sunday evening that speed was a factor, although investigators were still trying to determine the speed at the time of the accident.
"We will not be speculating on alcohol and-or drug usage pending toxicology reports," Holt said.
At an impound lot where the wreckage was taken, with windows smashed and extensive damage to the front end, hood and roof.
Ralston didn't know where the teens were headed when the crash happened and Holt said later it wasn't clear how long they had been out.
"All I know is my baby is gone," said Derrick Ray, who came to the crash site after viewing his 15-year-old son Daylan's body at the county morgue. He said he knew that his son, a talented football player who was looking forward to playing in high school, was out with friends, but didn't know their plans.
Warren Fire Department Capt. Bill Monrean said a cold water rescue team was deployed to the scene and got five teens out of the submerged vehicle.
"Being a cold water rescue situation, cold water extends life," Monrean told AP Radio. "We knew we had a chance; even being in there a while."
Two of the teens, both 15, were brought to a hospital in full cardiac arrest, St. Joseph Health Center nursing supervisor Julie Gill said, and were pronounced dead there. She said they were treated for hypothermic drowning trauma, indicating they had been submerged in cold water.
The two survivors, 18-year-old Brian Henry and 15-year-old Asher Lewis, both of Warren, were treated for bruising and other injuries and released, she said.
All those killed were ages 14 to 19, authorities said. State police identified the others as the 19-year-old driver Alexis Cayson; Andrique Bennett, 14; Brandon Murray, 14; and Kirklan Behner, Ramone White and Ray, all 15. The Highway Patrol said Cayson was the only female in the vehicle.
Rickie Bowling, 18, a friend of Behner, sobbed at the crash scene as she recalled his playfulness and reputation as a cut-up.
"He was one of a kind," she said. "Everyone knew him in the neighborhood. In school, he always made everyone laugh."
Officials opened a school where several of the victims attended to provide counseling for families Sunday night. Superintendent Michael Notar called the crowded closed-door session heartbreaking and said counselors would be available again Monday in schools.
Cheryl Moore, 54, whose nephew is a classmate of some of the victims, emerged from the counseling session and said it was helpful. "I just feel we have to come to grips with what happened today," she said.
All eight were from Warren.
Warren, located near the Pennsylvania state line, is a mostly blue-collar city that was hit by the decline of U.S. steel mills. It has more than 41,000 residents in the industrial Mahoning Valley region.
___
Associated Press writer John Seewer in Toledo and Dan Sewell in Cincinnati contributed this report.
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