Minnesota to legalize gay marriage

May 13 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $5,849,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,388,064 3. Kevin Streelman $2,572,989 4. Billy Horschel $2,567,891 5. Matt Kuchar $2,493,387 6. Phil Mickelson $2,220,280 7. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,207,683 8. D.A. Points $2,019,702 9. Steve Stricker $1,977,140 10. Graeme McDowell $1,910,654 11. Jason Day $1,802,797 12. Webb Simpson $1,759,015 13. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 14. Hunter Mahan $1,682,939 15. Charles Howell III $1,561,988 16. Russell Henley $1,546,638 17. Martin Laird $1,531,950 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/minnesota-legalizes-gay-marriage-212923538.html

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Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile join AT&T's 'It Can Wait' campaign

The fight against texting and driving has done something nearly unheard of in this mobile industry -- the four major U.S. carriers are joining forces to take part in the "It Can Wait" campaign. The new initiative begins May 20 with a co-branded advertising campaign in which you'll hear the real stories of folks whose lives have been affected by texting and driving. It'll kick off with the story of Xzavier Davis-Bilbo, AT&T says, who in 2010, at just 5 years old, was paralyzed from the waist down after being struck by a car driven by a young woman who was texting while driving.

In March, a study commissioned by AT&T found that 49 percent of commuters reported having texted while driving, compared to 43 percent of teenagers in a companion study.

You'll also see the "It Can Wait" campaign in various retailers nationwide.

More: AT&T

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/doRjmu1jM_U/story01.htm

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Poultry drug increases levels of toxic arsenic in chicken meat

May 13, 2013 ? Chickens likely raised with arsenic-based drugs result in chicken meat that has higher levels of inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

This is the first study to show concentrations of specific forms of arsenic (e.g., inorganic arsenic versus other forms) in retail chicken meat, and the first to compare those concentrations according to whether or not the poultry was raised with arsenical drugs. The findings provide evidence that arsenical use in chickens poses public health risks and indicate that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency responsible for regulating animal drugs, should ban arsenicals, experts say.

The study was published online today in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Conventional, antibiotic-free, and USDA Organic chicken samples were purchased from 10 U.S. metropolitan areas between December 2010 and June 2011, when an arsenic-based drug then manufactured by Pfizer and known as roxarsone was readily available to poultry companies that wished to add it to their feed. In addition to inorganic arsenic, the researchers were able to identify residual roxarsone in the meat they studied; in the meat where roxarsone was detected, levels of inorganic arsenic were four times higher than the levels in USDA Organic chicken (in which roxarsone and other arsenicals are prohibited from use).

Arsenic-based drugs have been used in poultry production for decades. Arsenical drugs are approved to make poultry grow faster and improve the pigmentation of the meat. The drugs are also approved to treat and prevent parasites in poultry. In 2010, industry representatives estimated that 88 percent of the roughly nine billion chickens raised for human consumption in the U.S. received roxarsone. In July 2011, Pfizer voluntarily removed roxarsone from the U.S. market, but the company may sell the drug overseas and could resume marketing it in the U.S. at any time. Pfizer still domestically markets the arsenical drug nitarsone, which is chemically similar to roxarsone. Currently in the U.S., there is no federal law prohibiting the sale or use of arsenic-based drugs in poultry feed. (In January, Maryland became the first U.S. state to ban the use of most arsenicals in chicken feed.)

Lead author Keeve Nachman, PhD, said, "The suspension of roxarsone sales is a good thing in the short term, but it isn't a real solution. Hopefully this study will persuade FDA to ban the drug and permanently keep it off the market."

Chronic inorganic arsenic exposure has been shown to cause lung, bladder and skin cancers and has been associated with other conditions, as well, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive deficits, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, at least 75 percent of Americans regularly eat chicken.

The FDA has not established safety standards for inorganic arsenic in foods, although the agency did, for a brief time in 2011, suggest that concentrations should be well below 1 microgram per kilogram of meat. The levels of inorganic arsenic discovered in the meat where roxarsone was found were two and three times greater than that level.

Another significant finding of the study is that when roxarsone was present in raw meat, cooking decreased the levels of roxarsone and increased the levels of inorganic arsenic.

The authors of the study are Keeve E. Nachman, PhD, Patrick A. Baron, MHS, Georg Raber, PhD, Kevin A. Francesconi, PhD, Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD, and David C. Love, PhD.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/eZYlpjqTswA/130513095030.htm

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Nokia reveals another new Lumia smartphone in UK ad, teases 'more than your eyes can see' (video)

We're still days away from Nokia's London media event, but the comapny's apparently got a real taste for teasers. A new 20-second promo clip aired today in the UK, and although it doesn't outline any outright specs or model numbers, we we get a (very) up-close look at a dual-flash arrangement (unlike the xenon flash seen on Verizon's Lumia 928), a glossy white shell and some metal detailing. We're relieved that Nokia has something new to unveil in the UK next week, but we're now itching hearing exactly how this Windows Phone will differ from the now-public Lumia 928. We'll have all the details on Tuesday morning.

Update: The Verge has managed to upload a digital copy of the ad. See it for yourself right after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

Comments

Source: Pocket-Lint, The Verge

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/lDG6vOVfASY/

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Spacewalkers are hopeful that new pump fixed station's coolant leak

Astronaut helmet camera captures video of NASA engineers Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn replacing a pump on International Space Station suspected of leaking ammonia.

By Tariq Malik, Space.com

Two spacewalking astronauts may have fixed an ammonia leak outside the International Space Station on Saturday, perhaps bringing the outpost's vital cooling system back up to full strength.

Clad in bulky spacesuits, NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn replaced a pump control box thought to be responsible for the?leak of ammonia, which cools down the orbiting lab's systems. It looks like this fix did the trick, as no ammonia flakes were seen streaming into space when Mission Control turned on the newly installed gear.

"We're not seeing anything," Cassidy said at around 12:35 p.m. ET, several minutes after the pump was turned on. "No snow." [Emergency Spacewalk to Fix Space Station Leak in Photos]

---

NASA officials stopped short of declaring total victory, however, saying that time will tell if the fix holds.

"It will take some diagnostics, still, over the course of the next several days by the thermal systems specialists to fully determine that we have solved the problem of the?ammonia leak,"?NASA spokesperson Rob Navias?said during live mission commentary. "But so far, so good."?

An emergency spacewalk?
Cassidy and Marshburn floated outside the space station at 8:44 a.m. ET Saturday, beginning what officials described as a six-hour detective's investigation to find ? and hopefully fix ? the ammonia leak.

Cassidy, who led the spacewalk, reported seeing "no smoking gun" as he and Marshburn began their inspection of the old ammonia pump control box, one of several on the space station's far left segment, known as the Port 6 truss. It is part of the cooling system for the two wing-like solar arrays extending from the Port 6 segment.

Upon removing the box, the spacewalkers still saw no signs of ammonia flakes.

"It looks really, really clean, surprisingly so," Cassidy said while peering deep inside the box using what looked like a dentist's mirror.

NASA TV

NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy (striped spacesuit) holds an ammonia pump control box during a spacewalk to hunt for an ammonia leak outside the International Space Station on May 13, 2013. The spacesuit of astronaut Tom Marshburn can be seen behind him.

Flakes of ammonia were discovered leaking out of the cooling system on International Space Station, and two astronauts are taking a spacewalk to repair it. NBC's Tom Costello reports.

The ammonia leak was first spotted by space station astronauts last Thursday, when the crew reported seeing flakes of frozen coolant floating outside. They recorded video of the ammonia leak and sent it down to Mission Control for analysis.

While the leak posed no danger to the space station's crew, it could have impacted the amount of power available for daily operations on the orbiting laboratory if left unchecked, NASA officials said. So Cassidy and Marshburn were sent out on an emergency spacewalk to attempt a fix.

The roughly 48-hour turnaround made this the?fastest spacewalk plan of its kind?ever devised for a space station crew, mission managers have said.

By about 1:00 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT), a little more than four hours into the spacewalk, Cassidy and Marshburn were getting ready to head back to a space station airlock, where they must clean their spacesuits to make sure they don't bring any toxic ammonia into the orbiting lab.

A history of ammonia leaks
This is not the first time astronauts have had to tackle ammonia leaks in the?space station's cooling system?during a spacewalk.

Last year, astronauts Sunita Williams of NASA and Akihiko Hoshide of Japan performed a spacewalk to fix a leak that was also found on the Port 6 truss. That ammonia leak was in the same coolant loop as the current leak, but engineers do not yet know if the two leaks are related.

The station's Port 6 truss is the oldest piece of the space station's scaffolding-like backbone and carries two of the outpost's eight wing-like solar arrays. It launched in November 2000 and was originally installed on the station's roof, towering over the orbiting lap. In 2007, visiting shuttle astronauts relocated the P6 truss to its final location on the station's far left side.

This was the fourth spacewalk for both Marshburn and Cassidy, and the 168th total to support space station assembly and maintenance. Inside the?International Space Station, commander Chris Hadfield of Canada and Russian cosmonauts Roman Romanenko, Alexander Misurkin and Pavel Vinogradov followed the spacewalkers' progress.

Today's spacewalk comes just two days before Hadfield, Marshburn and Romanenko are due to return to Earth to end their five-month mission in space.

The three men are due to leave the space station on Monday and land on the steppes of Kazakhstan in Central Asia. Those plans are still going forward, space station mission managers said.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him?@tariqjmalik??and?Google+.?Follow us?@Spacedotcom,?Facebook??and?Google+. Original article on?Space.com.

This story was originally published on Sat May 11, 2013 3:00 PM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2bcc1411/l/0Lscience0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A50C110C18180A20A0A0Espacewalkers0Eare0Ehopeful0Ethat0Enew0Epump0Efixed0Estations0Ecoolant0Eleak0Dlite/story01.htm

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Travel & Leisure Blog's: How You Can Reduce Costs When Booking ...

By Candy Coller

Years ago, only the very rich can afford to take a cruise vacation. The fact that there are several cruise package deals offered today has made it possible for everybody else to enjoy these luxury vacations. And there are a number of things you can do to cut down on expenses when booking these cruise vacations. To begin with, you could look for Cunard Cruises that easily fit your budget.

You can set a budget to help you locate some of the best cruise package deals and save time since you narrow down the number of options you can choose from. So before you start shopping around for cruise package deals, you need to be sure that you are going to set a price range first. This helps you get the cruise vacation you have always wanted without spending a fortune.

You also get to save money booking cruise vacations when you do so ahead of time. This is quite important if you have specific travel dates so you can be sure there are available cruises on your vacation dates. Besides, if you want to come across inexpensive Mediterranean Cruises, you have to shop around and that would take time so making advanced travel arrangements is necessary.

Making advanced travel arrangements is also helpful if you are working with a travel agent since you can let him know about your travel dates, chosen destinations and of course budget limits. Doing so helps the travel agent find cruise deals that fit your preferences and budget so he can provide you with options to choose from. This also gives you enough time to prepare any travel documents needed for the trip.

Making online travel arrangements is another way you can book easy to afford cruise vacations. Because you are at home checking out easy to afford cruise deals in websites such as Cheap Cruises, you get to cut down on your expenses searching for the cruise deals you are interested in. And because it is possible to visit more than two websites at a time, you are able to compare products and prices with each other until you find the best deals available.

It is important that you take your time learning as much as you can about the cruise package deals being offered before you book your tickets. This way, you can avoid hassles and delays when you book your trip. Before you finally choose a cruise package to book, be sure that you will study all your available options very carefully; after all you deserve this cruise vacation.

About the Author:

If people want to learn more about inexpensive Cunard Cruises or even what's in store for them they tend to look into the website.

Source: http://travel-leisure-blogs.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-you-can-reduce-costs-when-booking.html

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Health Secretary Goes Begging to Insurance Companies - Truthdig

Health Secretary Goes Begging to Insurance Companies

Posted on May?10,?2013

WHO U.S. Mission/Eric Bridiers

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

This is incredibly sad, outrageous or corrupt, depending on where you sit, but it is being reported that Kathleen Sebelius has been asking health insurers to help fund the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

As secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, it?s Sebelius? job to midwife the new health care law into being, but the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the former Kansas governor will need five to 10 times more money than Congress allocated to get the job done. Lawmakers have so far refused to spend more on Obamacare?s implementation, the states aren?t helping much and HHS has already diverted funds from elsewhere in its budget.

Conflicts of interest abound. How is the secretary supposed to regulate insurers if she depends on them for funding? Even if the money isn?t going to HHS, but the nonprofits helping to launch Obamacare, is she allowed to ask in the first place? According to The Washington Post, there are strict circumstances under which Cabinet secretaries can, as private citizens, fundraise for causes they champion. However it?s difficult to imagine such solicitations, if true (the Post report is based on an anonymous source), don?t cross some ethical boundary.

The Washington Post:

Sebelius must walk a tightrope in asking for money. Federal regulations do not allow department officials to fundraise in their professional capacity. They do, however, allow cabinet members to solicit donations as private citizens ?if you do not solicit funds from a subordinate or from someone who has or seeks business with the Department, and you do not use your official title,? according to Justice department regulations.

?It sounds like the people she?s going to are people that are being regulated by her agency, I think that is definitely problematic,? said Meredith McGehee, policy director for the Campaign Legal Center. ?That?s not a statement about the value of the law, but it?s a statement about using the power of government to compel giving or insinuate that giving is going to be looked at favorably by the government.?

The Health and Human Services official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the secretary?s private discussions, described her work as well within the bounds of her authority.

Read more

?Posted by Peter Z. Scheer. Follow him on Twitter: @peesch.

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Source: http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/health_secretary_goes_begging_to_insurance_companies_20130510/

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