The prosecution has become one of the most expensive legal cases in New Zealand?s history.
On Friday the High Court of New Zealandordered police to go through all of the digital material taken from Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom in a January 2012 raid and return anything irrelevant to their investigation.
And boy is Dotcom pleased.
The ruling is the latest legal victory for the39-year-old dual citizen of Germany and Finland, who is fighting extradition to the U.S. relating to charges including engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to commit copyright infringement, conspiring to commit money laundering, and two counts of criminal copyright infringement.
In June 2012?Chief Justice Helen Winkelmannruled that the search warrants used in the raid on Dotcom's estate ?requested by the FBI and carried out by the New Zealand police Special Tactics Group ? were overly broad, and therefore illegal.
In Friday's decision Winkelmann reiterated that point, adding that the faulty warrants "has given rise to a miscarriage of justice."
Since the warrants did not allow for the offshore shipment of the hard drives without checking if they contained relevant material, any device found to contain irrelevant material must be returned to the plaintiffs and any copy destroyed.
Before it was shut down in January 2012, the file-sharing site Megaupload was one of the world's most popular websites ? millions of users stored data, either for free or by paying for premium service. The site carried 4 percent of internet traffic.
Dotcom has since established the site kim.com in defiance of the prosecution in addition to?creating?a new, simplified, super-encrypted successor to Megaupload called MEGA.
He also recently?released a white paper that provides a legal argument for his innocence:
?The prosecution seeks to hold Megaupload and its executives criminally responsible for alleged infringement by the company?s third-party cloud storage users. The problem with the theory, however, is that secondary copyright infringement is not ? nor has it ever been ? a crime in the United States.?
The two-bit phone hacker turned tech playboy seems quite pleased with the latest decision:
Mike Masnick of Techdirt notes that FBI may completely ignore the order, and that would further complicate the extradition case.
The extradition hearing has already been postponed from March to August, and the Kiwi outlet Stuff notes that it is likely to be delayed again given the complexity of the case.
In the meantime the New Zealand Supreme Court is expected to hear an appeal to determine whether Dotcom should have access to documents ? including nearly 22 million emails ? seized in the raid. About $42 million in assets were also seized.
Many solid tumors carry genetic changes targeted by existing compoundsPublic release date: 30-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Quattrone diana.quattrone@fccc.edu 215-815-7828 Fox Chase Cancer Center
In the future, doctors may sequence tumors routinely to determine the most appropriate course of treatment
CHICAGO, IL (May 28, 2013)Nearly two-thirds of solid tumors carry at least one mutation that may be targeted, or medicated, by an existing compound, according to new findings from researchers Fox Chase Cancer Center that will be presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on June 3. The results suggest that it may one day become commonplace for doctors to sequence tumors before deciding on a treatment regimen.
"Extended sequencing of a patient's tumor is not something that's routinely done now," says study author Patrick Boland, MD, a hematology/oncology fellow at Fox Chase. "Our ultimate hope is that, if we determine testing is worthwhile, it becomes routine for a doctor to send off a tumor sample to look for mutations before deciding on a course of treatment."
In some forms of cancer, such as lung cancer, doctors do check for a limited number of mutations. Mutations found with this focused testing only affect the treatment of a small proportion of patients. However, most tumors likely have many mutations, some of which may be targeted specifically by drugs already on the market, or under development.
To investigate, 77 patients with solid tumorsprimarily inflammatory breast cancer and colon cancer underwent genetic profiling looking for nearly 200 mutations associated with cancer. Boland and his co-author Alan Skarbnik reviewed the DNA sequencing to analyze the net results of testing and consider the potential impact on patient care.
Most of the patients96%carried one mutation or more. Nearly two-thirds had at least one mutation the researchers termed "actionable," meaning it is targeted by a drug that is on the market or in development. Many of the mutations were amplifications, in which multiple copies of a single gene were present, which ramps up its effect on the body.
Boland stresses that even though these genetic alterations are present, in many cases it's not clear which ones if any are driving the cancers. "Even if we find a [change], we don't know if it's something that's driving the tumor to grow, or something that just happened along the way." The results from this study highlight the need for more research to understand the basic biology of tumors, he notes. "We need our colleagues in the basic sciences to continue investigating the genetic underpinnings of cancer, so we can determine which mutations are most important to target."
The sequenced data was reviewed by the patients' doctors, and in some cases, they prescribed new medications that targeted the identified mutations. Even though patients had all triedand failedtreatments in the past, some responded well to the new medicine, including one patient who has been on the treatment for at least 6 months.
A major limiting factor in sequencing all tumors, says Boland, is costthe list price of the sequencing test used in the study, from the company Foundation Medicine, is nearly $6,000. "We hope that, once sequencing tumors becomes the standard of care, it will be routinely covered by insurance."
Indeed, genetic sequencing is getting more affordable, notes Boland. Once tumor DNA can be analyzed readily, doctors learn more regarding how to use that information to guide treatment, and patients get more access to medicines that target these mutations which may be beneficial. It may become commonplace for most doctors to sequence tumors before deciding how to treat them. "The expectation is that, sometime soon, these kinds of tests will be done on a routine basis," predicts Boland. "We're not there yet."
###
Co-authors on the study include AP Skarbnik, M Cristofanilli, RK Alpaugh, and AJ Olszanski.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation's first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase also was among the first institutions to receive the National Cancer Institute's prestigious comprehensive cancer center designation in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center's nursing program has achieved Magnet status for excellence three consecutive times. Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research and oversees programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. For more information, call 1-888-FOX-CHASE (1-888-369-2427) or visit http://www.foxchase.org.
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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.
Many solid tumors carry genetic changes targeted by existing compoundsPublic release date: 30-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Quattrone diana.quattrone@fccc.edu 215-815-7828 Fox Chase Cancer Center
In the future, doctors may sequence tumors routinely to determine the most appropriate course of treatment
CHICAGO, IL (May 28, 2013)Nearly two-thirds of solid tumors carry at least one mutation that may be targeted, or medicated, by an existing compound, according to new findings from researchers Fox Chase Cancer Center that will be presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on June 3. The results suggest that it may one day become commonplace for doctors to sequence tumors before deciding on a treatment regimen.
"Extended sequencing of a patient's tumor is not something that's routinely done now," says study author Patrick Boland, MD, a hematology/oncology fellow at Fox Chase. "Our ultimate hope is that, if we determine testing is worthwhile, it becomes routine for a doctor to send off a tumor sample to look for mutations before deciding on a course of treatment."
In some forms of cancer, such as lung cancer, doctors do check for a limited number of mutations. Mutations found with this focused testing only affect the treatment of a small proportion of patients. However, most tumors likely have many mutations, some of which may be targeted specifically by drugs already on the market, or under development.
To investigate, 77 patients with solid tumorsprimarily inflammatory breast cancer and colon cancer underwent genetic profiling looking for nearly 200 mutations associated with cancer. Boland and his co-author Alan Skarbnik reviewed the DNA sequencing to analyze the net results of testing and consider the potential impact on patient care.
Most of the patients96%carried one mutation or more. Nearly two-thirds had at least one mutation the researchers termed "actionable," meaning it is targeted by a drug that is on the market or in development. Many of the mutations were amplifications, in which multiple copies of a single gene were present, which ramps up its effect on the body.
Boland stresses that even though these genetic alterations are present, in many cases it's not clear which ones if any are driving the cancers. "Even if we find a [change], we don't know if it's something that's driving the tumor to grow, or something that just happened along the way." The results from this study highlight the need for more research to understand the basic biology of tumors, he notes. "We need our colleagues in the basic sciences to continue investigating the genetic underpinnings of cancer, so we can determine which mutations are most important to target."
The sequenced data was reviewed by the patients' doctors, and in some cases, they prescribed new medications that targeted the identified mutations. Even though patients had all triedand failedtreatments in the past, some responded well to the new medicine, including one patient who has been on the treatment for at least 6 months.
A major limiting factor in sequencing all tumors, says Boland, is costthe list price of the sequencing test used in the study, from the company Foundation Medicine, is nearly $6,000. "We hope that, once sequencing tumors becomes the standard of care, it will be routinely covered by insurance."
Indeed, genetic sequencing is getting more affordable, notes Boland. Once tumor DNA can be analyzed readily, doctors learn more regarding how to use that information to guide treatment, and patients get more access to medicines that target these mutations which may be beneficial. It may become commonplace for most doctors to sequence tumors before deciding how to treat them. "The expectation is that, sometime soon, these kinds of tests will be done on a routine basis," predicts Boland. "We're not there yet."
###
Co-authors on the study include AP Skarbnik, M Cristofanilli, RK Alpaugh, and AJ Olszanski.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation's first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase also was among the first institutions to receive the National Cancer Institute's prestigious comprehensive cancer center designation in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center's nursing program has achieved Magnet status for excellence three consecutive times. Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research and oversees programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. For more information, call 1-888-FOX-CHASE (1-888-369-2427) or visit http://www.foxchase.org.
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?
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.
Dell may already have a 23-inch multi-touch display, but if you're looking for something a little smaller and cheaper, then we have good news for you. The company informed us of its new model named "S2240T," a 21.5-inch touch monitor with the same 1,920 x 1,080 resolution as its larger sibling. It also stands on a sliding base that can tilt as much as 60 degrees, but unlike the other model this one can't lay flat. Other features include HDMI, DVI and VGA ports, as well as a relatively efficient power consumption of just 20W. Dell's already offering the S2240T on its website for $399.99 -- quite a drop from the S2340T's $699.99 price tag. Hit the source link for more information.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The average U.S. household has a long way to go to recover the wealth it lost to the Great Recession, a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis concluded Thursday.
The typical household has regained less than half its wealth, the analysis found. A separate Federal Reserve report in March calculated that Americans as a whole had regained 91 percent of their losses.
Household wealth plunged $16 trillion from the third quarter of 2007 through the first quarter of 2009. By the final three months of 2012, American households as a group had regained $14.7 trillion.
Yet once those figures are adjusted for inflation and averaged across the U.S. population, the picture doesn't look so bright: The average household has recovered only 45 percent of its wealth, the St. Louis Fed concluded.
That suggests that consumer spending could remain modest as many Americans try to rebuild their wealth by saving more and paying off debts.
The number of U.S. households grew 3.8 million to 115 million from the third quarter of 2007 through the final three months of last year, the report said. As a result, the rebound in wealth has been spread across more people and reduced the average wealth for each household.
In addition, though inflation has averaged just 2 percent over the past five years, it's eroded some of the purchasing power of Americans' regained wealth.
The St. Louis Fed's analysis noted that the rebound in wealth hasn't been equally distributed. As a result, many households are even further behind than the average.
Nearly two-thirds of the increase in household wealth since 2009 is due to rising stock prices, the authors note. Stock indexes reached record highs this month. Those gains disproportionately benefit affluent households: About 80 percent of stocks are held by the wealthiest 10 percent of the population.
For middle- and lower-income households, home values represent the biggest chunk of total wealth. And home prices remain about 30 percent below their peak, even after jumping nearly 11 percent in the past year.
The analysis was written by William Emmons, an economist at the St. Louis Fed, and Ray Boshara, who directs its new Center for Household Financial Stability.
"It's like the economy is this airplane and not all the engines are firing," Emmons said.
Still, wealthier households account for a disproportionate share of consumer spending: About 20 percent of Americans account for about 40 percent of spending.
Consequently, the rise in stock prices should provide some lift to spending, Emmons said.
The average household had a net worth of $539,500 at the end of last year, according to a separate paper the St. Louis Fed released Thursday. That was up from $469,900 in the first quarter of 2009. But it was sharply below the peak of $641,000 in the first quarter of 2007.
May 29, 2013 ? Researchers have published in the current issue of The Lancet the most comprehensive analyses of the benefits and risks of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors (coxibs).
Under the direction of the Clinical Trial Service and Epidemiology Studies Unit at the University of Oxford, researchers from around the world conducted a world-wide meta-analyses using individual participant data from 280 trials of NSAIDs vs. placebo and 474 trials of NSAID vs. another NSAID, which involved a total of 353,809 participants and a total of 233,798 person-years. These results address risks and benefits of drugs used for relief of inflammatory arthritis including cardiovascular disease and other relevant outcomes such as gastrointestinal effects.
"The vascular risks of high-dose diclofenac and ibuprofen are comparable to coxibs, while high-dose naproxen is associated with less vascular risk than other NSAIDs," said Charles H. Hennekens, MD, DrPH, the first Sir Richard Doll professor and senior academic advisor to the dean in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University. "Although NSAIDs increase vascular and gastrointestinal risks, their magnitude can be predicted, which may help guide clinical decision-making."
David J. Bjorkman, MD, MSPH, dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU and a gastroenterologist noted that "these are the most comprehensive analyses ever conducted of the benefits and risks of NSAIDs, which include coxibs, and should help guide healthcare providers in their prescribing patterns."
Hennekens concluded that "from a clinical and policy perspective, the available data suggest that for relief of pain of inflammatory arthritis, naproxen may have the best benefit-to-risk ratio on cardiovascular disease (CVD). In contrast to naproxen, other traditional NSAIDS and coxibs confer similar moderately increased risks of CVD. At present, individual clinical judgments about coxibs and nonselective NSAIDs should not be limited to risks of CVD. They should also include concerns about non-CVD risks, such as gastrointestinal bleeding and other benefits, including improved quality of life resulting from decreases in impairment from musculoskeletal pain syndromes."
May 29, 2013 ? Many patients who have experienced strokes or mini strokes take blood thinners such as aspirin or warfarin (Coumadin) to reduce the risk of blood clots that can cause strokes.
This can pose a dilemma when a patient needs to undergo a surgical procedure, because blood thinners can increase the risk of bleeding. But a new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology advises that it is likely safe to continue taking blood thinners before minor procedures such as dental procedures, cataract surgery or dermatologic procedures. The guideline is published in Neurology, the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"This guideline is expected to be useful to neurologists, primary care physicians, surgeons, dentists and other healthcare providers caring for these patients," said Dr. Jose Biller, chair of the Department of Neurology of Loyola University Medical Center. Dr. Biller is one of nine co-authors of the guideline; three other authors also have Loyola ties.
The physicians evaluated evidence from 133 studies. Among their findings:
There's a high likelihood that taking aspirin or warfarin before dental procedures will not increase the bleeding risk.
Aspirin is likely to not increase bleeding risk before such procedures as cataract surgery, dermatologic procedures, prostate biopsy and carpal tunnel syndrome surgery. Similarly, warfarin likely will not increase the bleeding risk in dermatologic procedures and invasive ocular anesthesia.
Aspirin possibly does not increase bleeding risk for such procedures as retinal surgery and ultrasound-guided biopsy.
Aspirin is likely to increase the bleeding risk in orthopaedic hip procedures.
The authors provide three hypothetical examples of how the guideline could be applied:
A 65-year-old man who had a stroke a year ago is due for routine colonoscopy screening. Given that the patient may not need to have a polyp removed during the colonoscopy -- and there's only a 2 percent chance of bleeding even if a polyp is removed -- his neurologist recommends he continue taking aspirin.
A 70-year-old breast cancer patient who had a previous stroke is undergoing a mastectomy. There is little research on the bleeding risk of taking aspirin before such invasive procedures. So to be safe, the neurologist and patient decide to discontinue aspirin seven days before surgery, and restart it the day after surgery.
A 60-year-old man who has had a stroke is undergoing cataract surgery. The neurologist reviews the guideline and finds the risks associated with warfarin during ophthalmologic procedures have not been established with sufficient precision. Nevertheless, the patient would rather face the risk of increased bleeding than risk another stroke. So the ophthalmologist, neurologist and patient decide to continue warfarin during the cataract surgery.
First author Dr. Melissa J. Armstrong began work on the guideline while she was a neurology resident at Loyola. She now is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Other guideline authors with Loyola ties are Dr. Jose Biller and Dr. Michael Schneck, professors in the Department of Neurology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and Dr. Rima Dafer, a former associate professor of Neurology at Loyola who now is at NorthShore University HealthSystem.
The guideline was developed with financial support from the American Academy of Neurology. None of the authors received reimbursement, honoraria or stipends for their participation in development of the guideline.
May 29, 2013 ? That the United States and Europe have been following different energy policies over the past few decades won't come as a surprise. However, according to one researcher, their divergence -- with the US leading 'the shale gas revolution' and Europe investing heavily in modern renewables -- is a good thing for the development of both alternative-energy sources.
Writing in the Journal of Transatlantic Studies, Marianne Haug of the University of Hohenheim argues that although the transatlantic energy partners continue to be committed to common goals -- namely energy security, environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness -- the relative priority given to each has changed substantially since the early 1990s. Domestic issues, geopolitical concerns, differing resource bases, changing energy markets, government policy, public opinion, the accession of new countries to the EU and the choices of investors have all altered the landscape. To address these new challenges, both the US and Europe have jointly and separately reached out to new markets, partners and collaboration arrangements.
Haug points to the example of the Kyoto Protocol as a turning point for energy policy. Before the 1997 agreement, which the US did not ratify, energy security was considered the most important of the three goals. After Kyoto, European countries gave higher, if not equal, priority to environmental concerns. European countries entered into partnerships beyond the US to develop low-carbon technologies, such as windmills, photovoltaic units, solar thermal hot-water installations and rapeseed biofuel. The EU also developed emission-trading systems, biofuel targets, energy-efficiency guidelines and standards, which stimulated the market for renewables and the industry as a whole.
In the United States, where the European acceptance of the potential dangers of continued fossil-fuel use is not widespread, public and private investors have spent heavily on shale gas, building on existing fossil-fuel technology. The ability to extract shale gas efficiently could indeed 'change the game' for the US and other countries by contributing to energy security and bringing lower prices. However, the industry is still in its infancy in Europe, due both to stricter regulations and public opinion. This may be changing, at least in the UK: the government stated in its March 2013 budget the intention to invest in its production.
Haug concludes that this parallel development of shale gas in the US and renewables in Europe diversifies and enriches the world's energy-supply choices. They are complementary technology pathways to limit import dependence for both partners and contribute to secure, affordable and sustainable energy for all. They are the result of transatlantic diversification -- initially driven by energy-security then environmental concerns -- through public and private R&D and supportive government policies. Now further cooperation between the transatlantic partners is needed to scale up the development of both forms of alternative energy for the benefit of the global energy community. This article is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the major players' current positions on alternative-energy sources and what the future might hold for global energy supply.
May 28, 2013 ? Cells have a sophisticated system to control and dispose of defective, superfluous proteins and thus to prevent damage to the body. Dr. Katrin Bagola and Professor Thomas Sommer of the Max Delbr?ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch as well as Professor Michael Glickman and Professor Aaron Ciechanover of Technion, the Technical University of Israel in Haifa, have now discovered a new function of an enzyme that is involved in this vital process. Using yeast cells as a model organism, the researchers showed that a specific factor, abbreviated Cue1, is not only a receptor and activator for a component of the degradation apparatus, but also contributes to ensuring that the defective protein is marked with a molecular tag for degradation.
Proteins are molecular machines in the cells of an organism. Different types of proteins perform many different functions: They transport materials to their destination, ward off pathogens, enable chemical reactions in the cell and much more. Many proteins are produced in a cell organelle, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), are then folded and subsequently transported to their destination.
Some proteins are only required for a specific, time-limited purpose and must be degraded once their purpose has been served. But errors also frequently occur during production and folding. These defective proteins are not functional and can even harm the organism. Therefore they, too, must be degraded.
The cells therefore have a sophisticated system to dispose of defective, superfluous proteins. In the ER there is a special process for protein degradation, known as ER-associated degradation (ERAD). This system contains a number of enzymes that cooperate to ensure that a defective protein is marked with a molecular tag, the molecule ubiquitin. This process is called ubiquitylation. A chain of four to six molecules serves as degradation signal. A protein tagged with such a molecular chain is transported to the proteasome, the protein-cleaving machinery of the cell, where it is separated into its components.
This ubiquitin-proteasome system is found in all eukaryotic cells; it is ubiquitous. It is one of the most complex cellular systems and protects the body from severe diseases. Defective proteins that escape this system trigger serious diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease, cystic fibrosis or diabetes. The scientist who discovered this protective program is Professor Ciechanover. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 for this achievement together with Professor Avram Hershko (Technion) and Professor Irwin Rose (University of California, Irvine, USA).
Several enzymes must work in concert to facilitate the attachment of a ubiquitin chain to a defective protein. Some of these enzymes are anchored in the membrane of the ER, others such as the enzyme Ubc7 swim freely inside the cell. A factor called CUE1, which itself is bound to the membrane, is responsible for recruiting Ubc7 and escorting it to the enzymes at the membrane. To achieve this, it has a domain which binds specifically to Ubc7. Another domain of the factor is the so-called CUE domain. Dr. Bagola and Professor Sommer have studied its function in yeast cells together with their colleagues Professor Glickman and Professor Ciechanover.
Fateful connection
The CUE domain is a ubiquitin-binding domain (UBD). UBDs bind to specific ubiquitin patterns. For example, they can recognize whether one or more ubiquitin molecules have been attached to a protein and how the respective ubiquitin molecules are linked together in chains. The ubiquitin pattern determines which ubiquitin domain binds to which protein and thus determines the subsequent fate of the protein.
Direct impact on molecular chain formation -- Signal for protein degradation
The MDC and Technion researchers, who have collaborated closely for many years, showed that the CUE domain of the factor Cue1 binds to ubiquitin chains that are linked together via a specific building block of the individual ubiquitin molecules. These chains subsequently serve as a degradation signal for proteins. In addition, the researchers found that the CUE domain also has a direct impact on the length of the ubiquitin chains: If the CUE domain was lacking or limited in its function due to a mutation, the ubiquitin chains developed more slowly and were shorter in length. Apparently, the CUE domain stabilizes the ubiquitin chains, allowing additional ubiquitin molecules to be attached more easily.
In yeast cells, the researchers found that the CUE domain of Cue1 in this way actually affects how effectively the ERAD system can degrade proteins. The researchers suspect that the CUE domain is used specifically for the disposal of proteins which are bound to the ER membrane. However, they seem to have no influence on the degradation of soluble proteins. "Our results show that a ubiquitin-binding domain can also regulate the formation of ubiquitin chains," the researchers said. "This function was previously unknown until now."
Like most retired players former Lions offensive tackle Jeff Backus said he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Just not all of it.
According to Tim Twentyman of the Lions? official website, Backus will join the coaching staff as a part-time intern this season, and work with the linemen.
The Lions already have two coaches for the offensive line (Jeremiah Washburn and first-year assistant Terry Heffernan), but Backus will be hanging around helping from time to time.
?It really just started with Jeremiah asking me to come in and sit in on meetings and watch some of their workouts and to be a mentor to some of their young offensive tackles,? Backus said. ?They don?t have any veteran offensive tackles in the room right now. I still live in the area and he just asked me, when I have time, to come in and do what I?ve always done.?
Backus insisted this was a part-time role.
?My No. 1 thing now that I?m retired is taking care of my responsibilities around the house and taking some trips that we haven?t been able to do and living our life,? he said. ?But at the same time, I have a lot of friends with the Lions. I really like the offensive line group. I want to see them succeed. So, when I have time, and I?m available during the offseason program, I?m going to try to be down there and help them out.?
The Lions are hoping last year?s first-rounder Riley Reiff can take over at left tackle, with competition on the other side where they lost former right tackle Gosder Cherilus to the Colts free agency.
Involving recently retired players can be a good idea, for groups that lack veteran leadership. The Jets have extended a similar offer to quarterback David Garrard, and in some cases, the recent playing experience might help bridge the us-them communication gap which exists naturally between players and coaches.
Website marketing IdeasNetwork marketing can be a system in addition to skills implemented online to attain a general website marketing accomplishment on the business. Internet Promoting is additionally named for the reason that website advertising, Web advertising, seo, eMarketing. Internet promotional may well do? To make across the world world wide web reputation of the supplier and a business. ? It might provide Replica Carrera Sunglasses contact with the outer management and business earth. ? It might yield business leads? It could make speedy reply in addition to facts require towards audience. ? To make a new assurance with the customerTop periods within Website advertising: First fully understand who seem to an individual's buyer is normally in addition to what exactly is a give? Phase 1: Exploration ones own MarketPhase a pair of: Cook a great AnalysisPhase 3: Make a StrategyPhase some: Observe an individual's performanceImportance with Website advertising: ? House audience might at all times employ world wide web to help acquisitions merchandise. ? Shopper is capable of having an apparent graphic images and additionally outline pertaining to a person's merchandise or even service? Immediate get exchange is straightforward. ? Guide coming to your website is not hard. ? It'll impression return from your company? It could raise a Product IdentityKey critical measures to get achievements with Web marketing: 1. Online ApplicationRelated: ? Site along with straightforward direction-finding systems? Quality Content? Transparent Customer Interface? Material software System? Online site visitor support? Are living conversation application? Safeguarded transfer support? Internet marketer Replica Ferragamo Belts in addition to merchant internet marketing system? Touchdown Page? Online community and Concept board2. Several Website marketing collaterals? Movie & Stereo reason of one's product or service or even service? Banners along with skyscraper advertising? Appear ads? Paid advertising Advertising? Opt-in newssheet service? Connection return programFour critical factors will have an impact on your web advertising Results: ? Density? Proximity? Saturation? DepthWhere you have to use your hard earned cash inside Web marketing: Best important Fake Louis Vuitton Bags game enthusiasts are? Search engine Adwords, Search engine Adsense, Yahoo bottom part, Search engine Catalogs? Google Search engine marketing, Google Establishments, ? WINDOWS LIVE MESSENGER Investigation beta? Next-Tag? LookSmart? Company. comTips for the Web marketing Strategy: Consider Yahoo and google Adwords? Aim for best suited Audiences? Investigation a person's keywords? Examination many commercials a single by means of one? Comprise of aimed keyword phrases in your own ads? Push targeted visitors to be able to useful Getting Page.
Earlier this month, I was horrified to read the story about Steve Flesch, a backpacker who was shot in the back of the head by members of a gang in Costa Rica. The poor man, after a month in the hospital under an induced coma, sadly succumbed to his injuries. Adding weight to this tragedy was the fact that Steve hadn?t purchased travel insurance. His family would be responsible for paying tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
I know many single people- like Steve- who decide not to get travel insurance. The thought makes me shiver. Yet it?s families who decide not to invest in travel insurance who I really worry about.?
Yes, there really are families who decide not to get travel insurance. Many of them, in fact. Mine isn?t one of them. While I hope my daughter and I will be healthy and happy during all of our international trips, the mere thought of something happening to either of us and not being able to pay for it is enough to make me bite the proverbial bullet and purchase travel insurance.
While there are countless providers, I buy our travel insurance through?World Nomads. Our insurance covers unexpected medical care, emergency or security evacuations, trip cancellation or interruption and lost and stolen property. I opted for a slightly more expensive plan that would cover injuries received from adventure sports and activities. The total for five weeks in Peru for the two of us? $314.
While in Peru, I?ll be carrying copies of the documents with me, and have already sent the details to my parents. I?ve told my kid where she can find the documents in our belongings, and also what she should do if the worst ever happens. Hopefully we won?t need to ever use our travel insurance, but if we do, it?s there. My immediate AND extended family can rest easy knowing that they?ll never need to put together a huge fundraising campaign to raise funds to cover international medical bills.
Think emergencies never happen? What?about this couple in their 70s, who had to come up with close to 100,000 pounds to get their son home to England after he crashed on a motorbike in Indonesia?
Here?s another story about a second family in England who needed to come up with funds to help their son after he also got into a motorbike accident in Indonesia.
Or what about this woman, who traveled with her partner for a quick five-day trip to Spain and unexpectedly gave birth to her daughter 13 weeks early? The couple and their new daughter became stranded, as they didn?t have the insurance needed to send them home by air ambulance.
Bottom line, travel insurance is the #1 item to purchase for a trip.It not only provides peace of mind, but, if the going gets rough, it would ensure that my extended family wouldn?t need to break the bank to fish us out of deep water.
In the portable world of digital music, it seems that most people are happy with whatever setup they have – whether it’s a laptop, iPod or smart phone. Ironically, the most expensive device from this list also has the worst audio output: your computer. That laptop or desktop (iMAC, for instance) computer has about the [...]
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A couple tools, a game and a few odds and ends to keep you busy this weekend
We all love to discover new apps, but no matter how much the Play Store tries to highlight the quality ones, with hundreds of thousands to choose from it can be a daunting challenge. The best app recommendations we often get are from friends and family about an app "you just have to try". We try to help out with this app discovery problem every week by showing off one app from each of the Android Central writers -- the ones that we're using on a regular basis.
Hang around with us after the break on this Saturday afternoon and find a few new apps to install on your devices for the long weekend.
ROME -- An Italian priest who stirred consciences with his anti-Mafia preaching and was gunned down by mobsters has been honored by the Vatican as a martyr.
The Rev. Giuseppe `'Pino" Puglisi was beatified in a ceremony Saturday in Palermo, the Sicilian capital where he worked in a mobster-infested, poor neighborhood.
He was slain in 1993, a few months after Pope John Paul II visited Sicily and urged priests to rally the faithful against organized crime.
Puglisi encouraged young people, often jobless and easily recruited by Cosa Nostra, to turn their backs on the mob.
Beatification is the last formal step in the Catholic church's process before possible sainthood.
Adrian Tomine has a talent for capturing the strangeness and beauty of life in a city, from creeping Brooklyn gentrification to the subway-borne Missed Connection. His frequent illustrations for The New Yorker have always made me wish I could own a larger print?in fact, a copy of his iconic post-Hurricane Sandy cover hangs in our living room.
Luckily, Tomine recently expanded his online store to include a bevy of new large-format prints, including a handful from New York Drawings, the beautiful collection of New York-centric illustrations he recently published with Drawn and Quarterly. At $250, they?re a pricey buy?but considering the name the 38-year-old Tomine has made for himself in his relatively short career as a graphic artist, it?s easy to think of them as investments. [Adrian Tomine Prints]
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? An Oregon high school student is being charged with attempted murder after the authorities say he planned to attack his high school with bombs.
The student, 17-year-old Grant Acord, was taken to a juvenile jail Thursday night after police received a tip that the youth was making a bomb to blow up West Albany High School.
Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson said late Saturday that authorities found six bombs in a secret compartment in the boy's bedroom.
Haroldson said Acord had written plans and checklists, and his intent was "forged and inspired by the model of the Columbine shootings."
Haroldson said the teen is being charged as an adult.
Police found no bombs during a search of West Albany High, which about 75 miles south of Portland.
CAP D'ANTIBES, France (AP) ? With an apt rendition of "Gold-finger," singing legend Shirley Bassey roused celebrity-revelers to dig deep into their pockets at the 20th amfAR gala in the Cap D'Antibes Thursday, helping to raise an estimated $25 million for AIDS research.
The British-born singer was one of several performers including Duran Duran who sang at the gold-themed auction event nearby the Cannes Film Festival, hosted by actress Sharon Stone, and held at the French Riviera's exclusive Hotel Du Cap over-looking the sea. The annual amfAR gala has for two decades attracted the film and fashion industries' rich and powerful ? and this year was no exception, with movie mogul Harvey Weinstein ? perhaps the Hollywood equivalent of the Midas touch ? Leonardo DiCaprio, Jessica Chastain, Janet Jackson, Milla Jovovich and Goldie Hawn sitting side by side. Stone, a pushy but charismatic host, is started to earn herself a legendary status presiding over the amfAR event, since the passing of its founder Elizabeth Taylor in 2011.
"I heard that somebody might go into outer space tonight. Maybe a rumor, maybe not," said Weinstein before the auction.
He was not wrong. Items sold under the hammer did indeed include a trip to space, but also more terrestrial items such as an Andy Warhol lithograph of Taylor, a chance to have a family portrait taken by iconic photographer Annie Leibovitz, a week in fashion designer's Donna Karan's Caribbean hide-away and a shimmering 53-carat diamond necklace.
The gala's excess remained just a front to one of the world's biggest fundraisers in the fight against AIDS, a disease that amfAR says still affect some 34 million people worldwide.
"Yes, you can think it's a silly little dinner, you can deride it as full of celebrities dressed up," said Leibovitz, whose photo of Niagara Falls also sold at auction. "But that's missing the point. 80 million dollars amfAR has raised since it began. That's the point. It has saved lives."
Harvey Weinstein took the mike several times to praise the film industry's commitment to AIDS stressing that while two decades ago the illness was a "looming plague," now a cure might well be seen within "our lifetime."
Reminders of the serious nature of the event didn't manage to stop the fun, however.
For the second time in amfAR's history, the event's penchant for excess translated rather well into a glimmering catwalk show ? curated by stylist Carine Roitfeld. It featured some 38 gold and black looks from designers such as Dior, Chanel, Lanvin and Prada worn by models such as Karlie Kloss Karolina Kurkova, Angela Lindvall and Alessandra Ambrosio Models who strutted on a catwalk between dining tables. The standout dresses were a custom gold embroidered long sleeve gown courtesy of Valentino, and a custom gold pleated mini dress from Givenchy. All the dresses went under the hammer to a single bidder, selling in just a couple of minutes for a staggering $1.56 million.
Thought celebrities were in a generous mood, news that thieves outsmarted 80 security guards and made off with a necklace that creators say is worth a staggering 2 million euros ($2.6 million) ? the second such jewelry heist during this year's Cannes Film Festival ? had celebrities clinging more closely onto their jewels.
"Well yeah, I'm going to be watching how much champagne I drink," said Jovovich, smiling. "Because you never know somebody might come up and just shwoop, take it off."
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Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP
TAMPA - The remaking of the University of South Florida men's basketball staff began Wednesday with the hiring of assistant coach Mike Wells, who spent the past two years at George Mason but also worked for 17 years in the NBA.
Bulls coach Stan Heath described Wells as ?maybe a little bit out of the box hire? but said the NBA experience ?will help our team become more innovative and creative offensively and defensively.?
Andy Hipsher recently left USF to become associate head coach at Texas-Pan American, where his father, Dan, is the head coach. Meanwhile, Heath did not retain assistant coach Eric Skeeters or director of basketball operations Reggie Hanson, leaving him with two more full-time openings to fill.
In the NBA, Wells worked with the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards. He has experience under head coaches Rudy Tomjanovich, Gregg Popovich and Larry Brown.
"Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis has some choice words for the jury who found him guilty of falsely imprisoning three women in his California home. They're "mentally retarded" "stupid idiots" who are "jealous" of him and should be "put in jail" or even "lined up and shot," or so Francis told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview.
"I want that jury to know that each and every one of you are mentally f--ing retarded and you should be euthanized because, as Darwin said, you have naturally selected yourself," Francis told interviewer Stephen Galloway. "You are the weakest members of the herd. Goodbye! And if that jury wants to convict me because I didn't show up, which is the only reason why they did, then, you know, they should all be lined up and shot!"
Francis, 40, was found guilty May 6 of three counts of false imprisonment and one of assault likely to cause great bodily injury. Three students who Francis said he met at the bar and restaurant Supperclub Los Angeles were involved, but Francis says he was just being nice to the women when he invited them to his home.
"It just proves that any celebrity in Hollywood should never give a ride home to any girls," he said. "They (say they) got their head slammed on a tile floor and they were imprisoned here for hours. They said it was here on the tile floor. I don't see any tile right here."
Hollywood Reporter: 'Girls Gone Wild' mogul breaks his silence
Prosecutors say Francis could face five years, though legal sources told The Hollywood Reporter such a sentence was unlikely. "At the most I could get 90 days of anger management," Francis said.
The Hollywood Reporter recites his other brushes with the law, which include jail time in Florida and Nevada, a successful defamation lawsuit from Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn, indictments for tax evasion and filming underage girls, a ban on entering the Santa Monica offices of his own company, and a claim by a Los Angeles Times reporter that he pinned her to the car and twisted her arm so hard it brought tears.
Hollywood Reporter: How to Keep a Celebrity Sex Tape Off the Web
"Anybody who criticizes me, anybody who -- it's just a jealous guy, Francis told Galloway. "Everybody who says, 'Oh, Joe Francis is this' -- look at their penis and tell me if it's small."
Juries hate him because they want his life, he thinks. "I have private jets, I have a great life, I'm a good-looking guy," Francis said. "I'm not conceited, but like -- look, I have girls around me all the time, whatever I want. I make a lot of money. It's a great life. If I wasn't me, I'd f--ing hate me."
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Public release date: 30-May-2013
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