Monthly Archives: October 2012

Upgraded Master Lock Vault Service Offers "Safe Deposit Box" Security Plus Convenience for Digital Storage

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MILWAUKEE, WI--(Marketwire - Oct 9, 2012) - The average person has 25 online accounts, more than six passwords, and uses eight different log-ins a day* -- making security measures and a simple digital data storage solution to protect these Web-based lifestyles essential, now more than ever. As a leader in safety and security, Master Lock is announcing yet another tool to help consumers protect their online data by announcing new features for its trusted website and mobile app for password and lock combination storage, the Master Lock Vault. With the expanded Master Lock Vault consumers can now store and organize a wider range of personal information, save passwords, set reminders for important dates or deadlines, upload documents for easy access on the go, and retrieve cloud-based backup master codes for Vault enabled Master Lock electronic products.

"October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is perfect timing to talk about the importance of organizing and protecting valuable information online.This is just as important as securing more tangible items such as a home, car or jewelry," said Rebecca Smith, vice president, marketing for Master Lock. "The Master Lock Vault service offers users a more organized, private hub to safely store valuable information that can be conveniently accessed while on-the-go -- giving users with busy lifestyles increased peace of mind."

The Master Lock Vault provides the highest level of website security available today -- a 256-bit SSL encrypted connection -- for safe storage of users' security-sensitive information. The Vault also employs strong device and user authentication controls as well as redundant firewall protection and intrusion detection monitoring 24/7.Users simply set up an account and then can review, add, change and delete stored information quickly, easily and safely from any computer or smart phone.

Master Lock Vault Enhancements: A Digital Safe Deposit Box Master Lock relied on consumer feedback to develop enhanced services and new capabilities for the Vault including:

Each free Vault subscription includes unlimited use of the Save Passwords, Get Help, Remind Me, and My Products features plus 1GB free Upload Stuff storage. Depending on formats, 1GB gives users approximately 120,000 pages of double-spaced text documents, 1,000 digital images, or 20 minutes of video.

Online Safety and Security Tips For additional protection to help safeguard your information, Master Lock encourages consumers to:

Master Lock Vault Compatibility The Vault works on a variety of browsers, including Internet Explorer versions 7+, the last 3 versions of Firefox and Safari as well as Chrome. Additionally, smart phone and tablet users can find mobile versions of the app available at the same address. Those with Apple, Droid or Amazon devices can download the Master Lock Vault app from their various App Stores for secure, instant access to their stored information anytime, anywhere. To begin using the free Master Lock Vault, visit http://www.masterlockvault.com.

For more information, visit the Master Lock website at http://www.masterlock.com or the Master Lock Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/masterlock.

About Master Lock Master Lock is the world's largest manufacturer of padlocks and related security products providing innovative security solutions for home, automotive, campus, power sports, bike and storage security needs for consumers and industry alike. Master Lock Company LLC is an operating unit of Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc., a leading consumer brands company. Headquartered in Deerfield, Ill., Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. ( NYSE : FBHS ) is included in the S&P MidCap 400 Index.For more information about Master Lock, see http://www.masterlock.com.

* According to "A Large-Scale Study of Web Password Habits" from Microsoft Research.

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Upgraded Master Lock Vault Service Offers "Safe Deposit Box" Security Plus Convenience for Digital Storage

So IS he just not that into you? The website helping women decipher men's cryptic texts

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By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 09:56 EST, 9 October 2012 | UPDATED: 13:26 EST, 9 October 2012

Mixed messages: HeTexted is a new website that helps hopeless romantics decipher their date's cryptic text messages

Most single women can identify with overanyalzing a date's cryptic text message.

Now,HeTexted aims to take all the angst out of communication confusion by doing the deciphering for you.

The new website lets users upload screen shots of their love interest's texts, and after careful examination by people visiting the site, they can vote whether 'he's just not that into you,' while also leaving helpful comments on your date's state of mind.

Lisa Winning, 29, and Carrie Henderson-McDermott, 25, who previously worked at Glamour magazine, relaunched HeTexted on Sunday with a new design and already users are browsing the site for over an hour, the founders say.

'Basically...my girlfriends were constantly talking about it - theyd come back from dates and be almost obsessive about analyzing what the text messages meant and what their next move should be,' Miss Winning told the Huffington Post.

'I graduated college three years ago and I have really smart, strong girlfriends,' added Miss Henderson-McDermott.

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So IS he just not that into you? The website helping women decipher men's cryptic texts

Stem Cell Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine

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Kyodo / Reuters

Kyoto University Professor Shinya Yamanaka (left) and John Gurdon of the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, England, at a symposium on induced pluripotent stem cells in Tokyo in April 2008

In a testament to the revolutionary potential of the field of regenerative medicine, in which scientists are able to create and replace any cells that are at fault in disease, the Nobel Prize committee on Monday awarded the 2012 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine to two researchers whose discoveries have made such cellular alchemy possible.

The prize went to John B. Gurdon of the University of Cambridge in England, who was among the first to clone an animal, a frog, in 1962, and to Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan who in 2006 discovered the four genes necessary to reprogram an adult cell back to an embryonic state.

Sir John Gurdon, who is now a professor at an institute that bears his name, earned the ridicule of many colleagues back in the 1960s when he set out on a series of experiments to show that the development of cells could be reversed. At the time, biologists knew that all cells in an embryo had the potential to become any cell in the body, but they believed that once a developmental path was set for each cell toward becoming part of the brain, or a nerve or muscle it could not be returned to its embryonic state. The thinking was that as a cell developed, it would either shed or silence the genes it no longer used, so that it would be impossible for a cell from an adult animal, for example, to return to its embryonic state and make other cells.

(MORE: Stem Cell Miracle? New Therapies May Cure Chronic Conditions Like Alzheimers)

Working with frogs, Gurdon proved his critics wrong, showing that some reprogramming could occur. Gurdon took the DNA from a mature frogs gut cell and inserted it into an egg cell. The resulting egg, when fertilized, developed into a normal tadpole, a strong indication that the genes of the gut cell were amenable to reprogramming; they had the ability to function as more than just an intestinal cell, and could give rise to any of the cells needed to create an entirely new frog.

Just as Gurdon was facing his critics in England, a young boy was born in Osaka, Japan, who would eventually take Gurdons finding to unthinkable extremes. Initially, Shinya Yamanaka would follow his fathers wishes and become an orthopedic surgeon, but he found himself ill-suited to the surgeons life. Intrigued more by the behind-the-scenes biological processes that make the body work, he found himself drawn to basic research, and began his career by trying to find a way to lower cholesterol production. That work also wasnt successful, but it drew him to the challenge of understanding what makes cells divide, proliferate and develop in specific ways.

In 2006, while at Kyoto University, Yamanaka stunned scientists by announcing he had successfully achieved what Gurdon had with the frog cells, but without using eggs at all. Yamanaka mixed four genes in with skin cells from adult mice and turned those cells back to an embryo-like state, essentially erasing their development and turning back their clock. The four genes reactivated other genes that are prolific in the early embryo, and turned off those that directed the cells to behave like skin.

(MORE: Ovary Stem Cells Can Produce New Human Eggs)

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Stem Cell Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine

Foundation Medicine to Collaborate with Eisai on International Oncology Clinical Trial

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Foundation Medicine, Inc. announced today a multi-year collaboration with Eisai Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan for genomic profiling and diagnostic discovery in a multi-site, international clinical trial of an Eisai targeted therapeutic candidate. The goal of the collaboration is to prospectively identify specific genomic alterations in each patients tumor and use the results to inform patient stratification, to guide drug development decisions and potentially for the commercialization of new molecular diagnostics. Foundation Medicine will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for future diagnostic rights.

Eisai is dedicated to bringing new treatment options to cancer patients, said Takashi Owa, Ph.D., chief innovation officer, Eisai. This collaboration with Foundation Medicine, utilizing their depth of molecular oncology knowledge and ability to partner on a global scale, will help Eisai better understand the genomic makeup of each patient as we work to deliver new targeted treatments that may benefit patients.

This collaboration represents the continued advancement of our partnership strategy as we gain greater understanding into the key alterations driving tumor growth, said Michael J. Pellini, M.D., president and chief executive officer, Foundation Medicine. By using our comprehensive genomic profile to inform trial enrollment and outcomes analysis, Eisai can reveal the genomic drivers of an individual patients disease and may be able to more rapidly advance effective targeted treatments for cancer.

About Foundation Medicine

Foundation Medicine is a molecular information company dedicated to a transformation in cancer care in which treatment is informed by a deep understanding of the genomic changes that contribute to each patients unique cancer. The companys initial clinical product, FoundationOne, is a fully informative genomic profile to identify a patients individual molecular alterations and match them with relevant targeted therapies and clinical trials. Foundation Medicines molecular information platform aims to improve day-to-day care for patients by serving the needs of clinicians, academic researchers and drug developers to help advance the science of molecular medicine in cancer. For more information, please visit http://www.foundationmedicine.com.

About Eisai Co., Ltd.

Eisai Co., Ltd. is a research-based human health care (hhc) company that discovers, develops and markets products throughout the world. Through a global network of research facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, Eisai actively participates in all aspects of the worldwide healthcare system. For more information about Eisai, please visit http://www.eisai.com.

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Medical marijuana fight fires up in Berthoud

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BERTHOUDRound Three in the fight over medical marijuana in this Larimer County town of 5,000 is set for Wednesday night, with a forum featuring two notable anti-pot experts.

Speakers include Tom Gorman, director of the Rocky Mountain High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Dr. Christian Thurstone. Thurstone is medical director of one of Colorado's largest youth substance abuse treatment clinics and an associated professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver, where he researches youth substance abuse and addiction.

Both are coming at the request of Dwayne White, a Berthoud grandpa who launched an effort to rid the town of its lone dispensary, Herb's Medicinals.

"I've got eight grandkids in Berthoud and last week a teenager was over at the school trying to line up customers to buy marijuana," White said. "This is something I don't want my kids to be around."

Berthoud and Herb's Medicinals became a hot destination for medical marijuana users this year, after Fort Collins banned dispensaries in city limits. White says that has led to an outbreak of drug-related crime in the town, an allegation backed by a Berthoud police report that says pot-related police calls are up 57 percent since the dispensary opened.

"This is a small town and these are cases we didn't see in the past," Berthoud Police Chief Glenn Johnson said.

Round One in the pot battle happened this spring when White and others began gathering signatures for a ballot issue aimed at putting Herb's out of business.

Enough signatures were gathered 468 when only 413 were needed to place Question 300 on the ballot. That ushered in Round Two, a pro-medical marijuana town forum in September.

A Herb's patient spoke about how medical marijuana made dealing with his colon cancer bearable. Another speaker was Dr. Alan Shackelford, a Harvard-trained physician who advocates the use of medical pot.

Erik Williams who is the campaign spokesman for Herb's said residents will back the business at the ballot box.

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Medical marijuana fight fires up in Berthoud

Western Michigan University to break ground on medical school renovations Friday

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In December, Mattawan-based MPI Research donated a 330,000 square-foot facility at 300 Portage St. to the university.

WMU named the facility the W.E. Upjohn Campus in June, honoring the founder of the Upjohn Co. and the great grandfather of MPI's chairman and CEO William U. Parfet.The facility, widely known as Building 267, was once part of the Upjohn, Pharmacia and Pfizer downtown campuses.

A public ceremony is set for 11 a.m. at the building at 300 Portage St. Officials will unveil renderings and reveal details about the project, which is being built and renovated by engineering firm S/L/A/M Collaborative.

WMU will lease the building to the School of Medicine, which is a private 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation and a collaboration involving Kalamazoo's two teaching hospitals, Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare. The medical school is expected to welcome its first class in fall 2014.

Over the past year, employees and staff at Michigan State Universitys Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies merged with the School of Medicine. The WMU Board of Trustees approved the university borrowing up to $30 million to renovate, furnish and equip the facility, which the university expects will cost $68 million.

WMU received a $100-million gift designated for the medical school from an anonymous donor in 2011.

In July, Western Michigan University School of Medicine Clinics earned approval from the Joint Commission for complying with national standards for health care quality and safety as a primary care medical provider and was also granted "candidate school status" this summer by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

The school now hopes to achieve preliminary accreditation, which allows the medical school to begin recruiting students by the end of the year. The university plans to have the new school fully accredited before it graduates students, who would begin classes in 2014 and graduate in 2018.

Visit MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette later this week for an update on the WMed's curriculum and progress from founding dean Dr. Hal Jenson and for coverage of Friday's groundbreaking.

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Western Michigan University to break ground on medical school renovations Friday

comment: Digging an Early Grave for Radio Liberty

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By Tatiana Yankelevich

Published: October 10, 2012 (Issue # 1730)

InOctober 2004, I stood next tomy mother, Yelena Bonner, atan elegant dinner atStanford Universitys Hoover Institution andtranslated her keynote remarks addressed tothe participants ofa conference onthe impact ofCold War broadcasting. This three-day conference brought together theveterans ofRadio Free Europe andRadio Liberty andthose, who like my mother andmyself, represented theaudience onthe other side ofthe Iron Curtain. Our lives andthe fates ofthe countries we lived inwere directly affected bythe independent news coverage andanalysis coming fromthese programs.

My mother, inher usual direct manner, was not afraid toutter words that were not exactly insync with thefestive andpleasant atmosphere. I did my best toconvey thesense andstyle ofher remarks, though, as often with translators, it was not easy toovercome thetemptation tosmooth over therough edges. She predicted that should theplans toreorganize Radio Liberty materialize, they would alter its image beyond recognition andput anend toRadio Liberty as we know it.

Two months later, inDecember 2004, Bonner, together with dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, wrote acomment inThe Moscow Times about thedanger ofignoring thereality ofthe times: The Constitution has been demolished. Thetwo-chamber parliament has been destroyed. Elections were violated. Federalism has been annihilated. Independent courts are being liquidated. TheOrthodox church is coalescing with thepolitical authorities andthreatening thesecular nature ofthe state. Public officials atall levels are being replaced byveterans ofagencies like theNKVD, KGB andFSB. All this is taking place while almost all theindependent media, thepress as well as radio andtelevision are being wiped out.

Mothers are usually right, andin theeight years that followed I had many chances toconfirm this. Still I have not felt theneed toget involved directly until now. Today agrave andgross error ofjudgement is taking place with Radio Liberty.

It would not be anoverstatement tosay that Radio Liberty has been asource offree speech andfree thought over theyears, allowing aunique, albeit dangerous, chance tothose behind theIron Curtain toexercise theright toa free flow ofinformation andideas.

Today, when theregime ofPresident Vladimir Putin has initiated anew attack onfreedom ofspeech andthe democracy movement inRussia, human rights organizations have been declared foreign agents, andUSAID has been ousted fromRussia, theU.S. management team ofRadio Liberty has ended its medium-wave broadcasts anddismissed its top journalists, whose broadcasts attracted hundreds ofthousands oflisteners.

These actions go against thespirit andthe mission ofRadio Liberty. These actions dig anearly grave forRadio Liberty as free andindependent radio broadcasting. They put anend tothe collaboration ofpeople ofhigh public repute, essential fora democratic public discourse, andthey completely compromise thestations moral authority.

This is why I am raising my voice against these policies. They are foolhardy atbest andcynical atworst. They will quickly lead toa sad day when, toparaphrase writer Yevgeny Zamyatin, Radio Liberty will have only one future: its past.

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comment: Digging an Early Grave for Radio Liberty

Liberty Mutual Insurance Mobile Application Lets Employers Help New Mothers Easily Activate Disability Benefits

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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Liberty Mutual Insurance Group Benefits, the first group life and disability carrier to launch a mobile application to help employees conveniently manage multiple benefits using mobile devices, has extended the functionality of its MyLibertyMobile application to make life easier for new moms.

MyLibertyMobiles Report a Birth now offers a quick, convenient way for new mothers to activate their disability benefits using a smartphone or tablet following the birth of a child, allowing them to concentrate on the new priority in their life.

Weve harnessed technology so our customers employees can literally tap into their benefits in the hectic days following delivery, notes Jean Scarrow, chief operating officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group Benefits. Now, a new mother can complete the necessary steps through her mobile device.

Two-thirds of women of childbearing age use a smartphone, according to the Pew Research Center. It only makes sense to apply mobile technology to group disability programs, notes Scarrow.Mobile technology helps employers drive employee engagement by providing employees with greater convenience and flexibility at key milestones in their lives.

In addition to the new Report a Birth function, MyLibertyMobile also offers Report Intermittent Absence functionality, which allows employees to enter time away from work during approved leaves with any web-enabled mobile device.

More information on MyLibertyMobile can be seen at LibertyMutualGroup.com/Mobile.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2011 direct premiums written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 84th on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2011 revenue. As of December 31, 2011, Liberty Mutual Insurance had $117.1 billion in consolidated assets, $99.3 billion in consolidated liabilities, and $34.7 billion in annual consolidated revenue.

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Liberty Mutual Insurance Mobile Application Lets Employers Help New Mothers Easily Activate Disability Benefits

Western Alliance Bancorporation and Western Liberty Bancorp Announce Filing of Proxy Statement/Prospectus Supplement

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PHOENIX & LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Western Alliance Bancorporation (WAL) and Western Liberty Bancorp (WLBC), referred to herein as Western Alliance and Western Liberty, announced today the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and the mailing to Western Liberty stockholders, of a supplement to the proxy statement/prospectus provided to stockholders in connection with the proposed merger of Western Liberty and Western Alliance. The merger is to be voted on by Western Liberty stockholders at a special meeting of Western Liberty stockholders scheduled for 10:00 am on October 17, 2012 at Western Libertys headquarters in Las Vegas.

The additional disclosures supplement the disclosure contained in the proxy statement/prospectus filed by Western Liberty and Western Alliance with the SEC on September 12, 2012 and mailed to Western Liberty stockholders, and should be read in conjunction with the disclosures contained in the proxy statement/prospectus, which in turn should be read in its entirety. A copy of the supplement is attached to this press release.

The supplement has been filed in connection with a proposed settlement of a putative class action lawsuit that was filed in the District Court of the State of Nevada, Clark County, on September 21, 2012 by plaintiff David Raul against Western Alliance, Western Liberty and the directors of Western Liberty. The action alleges, among other things, that Western Libertys board of directors breached its fiduciary duties in connection with the board of directors approval of the proposed merger and that Western Alliance aided and abetted such alleged breach of fiduciary duties. The plaintiff seeks injunctive relief preventing the merger, an order rescinding the proposed merger in the event it is not enjoined, and damages as a result of the alleged actions of the defendants, including attorneys and experts fees.

The defendants believe this lawsuit is without merit but in order to avoid the costs, risks and uncertainties inherent in litigation and to allow stockholders to vote on the proposal to adopt the merger agreement at the scheduled special meeting, counsel for Western Liberty, Western Alliance and the other defendants have entered into a memorandum of understanding with plaintiffs counsel to settle the action subject to court approval. The settlement requires Western Liberty and Western Alliance to provide certain additional disclosures set forth in the supplement to the proxy statement/prospectus, but will not affect the merger consideration to be received by Western Liberty stockholders or the timing of the special meeting of the Western Liberty stockholders scheduled for October 17, 2012. If the Nevada court approves the settlement, the action will be dismissed with prejudice.

Nothing in this press release, the proposed settlement or the supplement to the proxy statement/prospectus shall be deemed an admission of the legal necessity or materiality of any of the disclosures set forth in the supplement.

About Western Alliance Bancorporation

With $7.2 billion in assets, Western Alliance Bancorporation is the parent company of Bank of Nevada, Western Alliance Bank doing business as Alliance Bank of Arizona and First Independent Bank, Torrey Pines Bank, and Shine Investment Advisory Services. These dynamic organizations provide a broad array of deposit and credit services to clients in Nevada, Arizona and California, and investment services in Colorado. Staffed with experienced financial professionals, these organizations deliver a broader product array and larger credit capacity than community banks, yet are empowered to be more responsive to customers' needs than larger institutions. Additional investor information can be accessed on the Investor Relations page of the company's website, http://www.westernalliancebancorp.com.

About Western Liberty Bancorp

With $199 million in assets, Western Liberty Bancorp is a Nevada bank holding company which conducts operations through Service1st Bank of Nevada, its wholly-owned banking subsidiary, and Las Vegas Sunset Properties. Service1st Bank operates as a traditional community bank and provides a full range of deposit, lending and other banking services to locally-owned businesses, professional firms, individuals and other customers from its headquarters and two retail banking facilities located in the greater Las Vegas area. Services provided include basic commercial and consumer depository services, commercial working capital and equipment loans, commercial real estate loans, and other traditional commercial banking services. Primarily all of the banks business is generated in the Nevada market.

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Western Alliance Bancorporation and Western Liberty Bancorp Announce Filing of Proxy Statement/Prospectus Supplement

No ruling yet on challenge to Libertarian slate

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The status of Libertarian Party candidates on the Pennsylvania ballot remains uncertain as a court hearing stretched into another day.

Lawyers for the party and for challengers supported by the state Republican Party sparred Tuesday over a few dozen signatures that could put the Libertarians over the 20,601 signatures they need.

Commonwealth Court Senior Judge James Gardner Colins did not immediately rule on those motions and extended the hearing into Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the lawyers resumed their review of the last few hundred signatures - a process that could give the Libertarians the signatures they need regardless of how the judge rules.

The Libertarian candidates for president, U.S. Senate and the three state row offices are currently on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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No ruling yet on challenge to Libertarian slate

Libertarians predict victory in Pa. ballot fight

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HARRISBURG, Pa. - A lawyer for the Libertarian Party predicted Monday that its candidates will remain on the Pennsylvania ballot, overcoming a protracted challenge backed by the Republican Party.

The attorney, Paul Rossi, said there is "zero chance" that the Libertarians will come up shy of the 20,601 voters' signatures they need to keep presidential nominee Gary Johnson and the party's other statewide candidates listed on the ballot in the Nov. 6 election.

"I'm feeling fantastic," Rossi said in a telephone interview as the review of tens of thousands of petition signatures entered its eighth week, including a rare weekend session on Saturday.

The challengers are seeking to disqualify about 100 signatures they had previously stipulated as acceptable in a motion that Commonwealth Court Senior Judge James Gardner Colins is expected to consider at a Philadelphia hearing on Tuesday afternoon.

Rossi said approval of the motion is unlikely and speculated that, even if it is approved, the Libertarians could easily pick up more than enough additional signatures through reviews of the more than 1,000 that were still contested.

Even the judge, in an e-mail obtained by The Associated Press, implied that the Libertarians appeared likely to prevail.

"Obviously, you both can see that magic number of 20,601 has been reached," Colins wrote, thanking lawyers for their Saturday efforts. "However, the count will continue on Tuesday morning as there is still outstanding the motion to withdraw stipulations."

The challengers were not conceding Monday.

"The numbers are what they are, but we will be in court tomorrow," said Larry Otter, an attorney for the challengers.

Johnson, a former two-term Republican New Mexico governor, has campaigned in Pennsylvania three times this year.

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Libertarians predict victory in Pa. ballot fight

Libertarian Presidential candidate to visit Richmond

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Posted on: 4:22 pm, October 9, 2012, by Lauren Mackey and Alix Bryan, updated on: 04:52pm, October 9, 2012

Richmond, VA (WTVR)- Libertarian presidential candidate and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson will visit Richmond later this week.

Johnson will travel to the Maggie Walker Governors School on Thursday to meet with students.

Maggie Walker is the only one of Virginias 19 academic Governors Schools whose mission focuses on government and international studies.

The Libertarian group at Maggie Walker is known as the Students of Liberty, and they encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free individuals, through promoting the benefits of free markets, civil society, and individual liberty.

Johnsonwas the Republican Governor of New Mexico from 1995-2003. He believes that decisions should be made based on cost-benefit analysis rather than strict ideology.

His website is here:http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/about

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Libertarian Presidential candidate to visit Richmond

Aqua-Chem, Inc. Awarded 4th Contract for Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Plant in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the …

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GRAND TURK, Turks & Caicos Islands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Aqua-Chem, Inc., the leader in global water solutions, proudly announced today it has been awarded a contract for the supply and installation of a 300,000 USGPD (1,136 M3/day) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant by the Turks and Caicos Islands Government in the British West Indies. This will be the fourth SWRO plant provided by Aqua-Chem, Inc., to the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. Previous agreements were signed in 1994, 1997, and 2001 for facilities producing 20,000, 75,000, and 150,000 USGPD respectively.

This state of the art plant features Aqua-Chem, Inc.s, process design and energy recovery technology, which provides low lifecycle cost and ease of maintenance. The plant is expected to be operational in the 1st quarter of 2013. The project is Aqua-Chem, Inc.s, first joint venture with micro utilities developer Matrix Enviro, Ltd., which is based in the Bahamas. Aqua-Chem, Inc., has been a leader in Caribbean SWRO projects for more than 25 years, with operations in countries like the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Haiti, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Antigua, Jamaica, Mexico, Columbia and Aruba.

David J. Gensterblum, President and CEO, said, We are gratified by the confidence shown by the Turks and Caicos Islands Government in awarding this contract to Aqua-Chem, Inc. The nearly 20-year-duration of our involvement in supporting the Turks and Caicos vital SWRO infrastructure is a testament to the Governments willingness to address the water needs of residents and visitors alike.

Governor Damian Roderic (Ric) Todd of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government said, Aqua-Chem, Inc.s, technology and service has proven itself well over nearly two decades of operation. We are confident that the relationship will continue to provide value for many years to come.

About Aqua-Chem, Inc.

Headquartered in Knoxville, TN, Aqua-Chem, Inc. specializes in providing water treatment solutions to a multitude of industries with a full range of thermal and membrane water treatment technologies. These include vapor compression distillation, flash evaporation, reverse osmosis, membrane filtration and ion exchange. The company has been working with the U.S. government since 1943 ensuring deployed troops have drinking water that is safe. Aqua-Chem, Inc. conducts business around the world in the following industrial sectors including offshore oil and gas, pharmaceutical, commercial marine, micro utility, beverage and industrial.

Aqua-Chem, Inc. is a portfolio company of Altus Capital Partners, LLC, a private equity firm specializing in investing in middle market manufacturing companies domiciled in the U.S.

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Aqua-Chem, Inc. Awarded 4th Contract for Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Plant in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the ...

Iran May Cut Ties With UAE Over Disputed Islands

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Iran on Tuesday warned the United Arab Emirates it could cut diplomatic relations between the two countries if the Arab nation keeps repeating claims to three Gulf islands that are controlled by Tehran.

Later, Iranian officials appeared to be trying to walk back the threat.

Iran took control of the Gulf islands in 1971, after British forces left the region. The islands the tiny Abu Musa and the nearby Greater and Lesser Tunb dominate the approach to the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about one-fifth of the world's oil supply passes.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the U.S. Navy patrol the narrow waterway, which Iran has threatened to choke off in retaliation for tougher Western sanctions over its suspect nuclear program.

Since 1992, the UAE has repeatedly claimed the islands and last month at the U.N. General Assembly, it said Iran's "occupation" violates international law.

The news website of Iran's parliament, ICANA.ir, quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying that Iran will either cut or reduce ties with the UAE if it repeats its charges

"If baseless anti-Iranian claims become too much, and downgrading or cutting diplomatic ties becomes the only option to secure national interests, this will be done," Mehmanparast was quoted as saying. "The continuous and repeated Emirati claims will have a negative impact on various parts of the relationship" with Iran.

The comments marked the first time that Iran has threatened to cut ties with the UAE. In the past, Tehran has said it was willing to discuss the case on the bilateral level though it never said relinquishing the islands was an option.

In an apparent attempt to water down the threat to cut ties, an unnamed Foreign Ministry official claimed Mehmanparast was misquoted, blaming media outlets though the quote was carried on official Iranian state news media.

Iran is a top trading partner of Dubai, with the Islamic Republic importing annually $10 billion worth of goods on average in recent years. Visiting Dubai, deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Hasan Qashqavi added reassurance, saying, "Iran's relations with the Emirates are expanding," adding "warm greetings" to the Emirates, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported.

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Iran May Cut Ties With UAE Over Disputed Islands

Outsmarting breast cancer

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In a groundbreaking study hailed as a roadmap for new targeted treatments, Professor Charles Perou and his colleagues collected DNA and tumor samples from 825 breast cancer patients for the first comprehensive look at the underlying genetics behind the deadly disease.

The researchers conducted an exhaustive examination of all 20,000 or so genes in the human body for each sample. They were looking for patterns of genetic mutations that promote the tumors and can potentially be counteracted with new or even existing drugs.

Its a mountain of data, but Perou never forgets those samples came from real human beings grappling with a terrifying diagnosis.

Its what drives him.

Dozens of those women will likely die of the disease. Some surely already have in just the few years since the samples were collected.

I think about that all the time. Personally, its a huge motivation for me. These studies are dealing with real human beings and every death is a tragedy, said Perou, a professor of genetics at the University of North Carolina and the lead author on the study which was published in the journal Nature and is part of a large federal project, the Cancer Genome Atlas, looking at genetic mutations associated with various types of cancer.

Perou said the term genetics can be confusing. Whats at issue is not the so-called breast cancer genes, by which a person inherits a susceptibility to breast cancer. About 10 percent of women with breast cancer fall into that category.

We are talking about the other 90 percent of women who are presumably born with no particular tendency to develop the disease. For those women, one in eight will develop breast cancer and seven in eight will not.

In all those cases, there are genetic mutations that cause the disease, Perou said.

The genome study does not address the vital but murky question of what causes those mutations.

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Outsmarting breast cancer

This Week in PNAS

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An international team led by investigators at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, the US Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute, and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics presents results from a genome sequencing study of the button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, in the early, online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The team generated draft genome sequences for two A. bisporus representatives a cultivated European strain from the A. bisporus variety bisporus and a California strain from the burnetti variety that makes it home in the leaf litter around woody plants. By folding in transcriptome data for different mushroom developmental stages and for mushrooms grown on different substrates, the group uncovered clues about the fungal adaptations that the mushroom uses for growth in humic acid-rich environments, including genes coding for enzymes involved in the decomposition of leaves and other plant materials.

Adult stress levels and socio-economic status during childhood appear to influence some DNA methylation differences that exist between individuals within a community, according to a study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and Stanford University. The researchers performed array-based DNA methylation profiling on peripheral mononuclear white blood cells from 92 individuals between the ages of 24 and 45 from a community in and around Vancouver, Canada. When they looked at how methylation patterns at the promoters of nearly 14,500 human genes corresponded to individuals' gene expression profiles, blood composition, early-life socio-economic status and so on, the researchers found several factors that seemed to coincide with inter-individual methylation differences. These included the proportion of different white blood cell types present in the individuals' sample, their stress hormone output sex, age, and ethnicity as well as experiences such as childhood poverty and stress during adulthood. Even so, the DNA methylation differences detected often did not coincide with gene expression shifts at nearby genes, the researchers reported, "suggesting a more complex relationship than anticipated."

Another PNAS study looks at the bacterioplankton communities present in ocean samples collected in the Antarctic and the Arctic. By sequencing the V6 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene, Desert Research Institute investigators Alison Murray and colleagues from several centers around the world catalogued the bacteria found in surface or deep water bacterioplankton communities in the Southern and Arctic Oceans. The researchers then looked at how deep-water and shallow-water communities in the 20 Southern Ocean samples and the 24 Arctic Ocean samples tested compared with one another and with four-dozen samples collected at lower latitude ocean sites. "Our results suggest differences in environmental conditions at the poles and different selection mechanisms controlling surface and deep ocean community structure and diversity," the study's authors say. "Surface bacterioplankton may be subjected to more short-term variable conditions, whereas deep communities appear to be structured by longer water-mass residence times and connectivity through ocean circulation."

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This Week in PNAS

Giving a Boost to New Haven school children – Video

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09-10-2012 05:17 (WTNH) -- The John Martinez School is part of New Haven's Boost! program. That means the school works with the United Way to help students not only with their academics, but to get them health care and family support as well. You say you didn't know that? Well, that's why folks are going door to door this Saturday to let everyone know.

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Giving a Boost to New Haven school children - Video

Big gap in Romney health plan

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By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he has a plan to help people with pre-existing medical conditions get health insurance. But there's a huge catch: You basically have to be covered in the first place.

If you had a significant break in health insurance coverage an insurer still could delve into your medical history, looking for anything from a bad back to high blood pressure that could foreshadow future claims. They'd be able to turn you down.

That's a contrast to President Barack Obama's health care law, which guarantees that people in poor health can get comprehensive coverage at the same rates everybody else pays, and provides government subsidies to help low- to middle-income households pay premiums.

Starting Jan. 1, 2014, an insurer "may not impose any pre-existing condition exclusion," the law says.

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Big gap in Romney health plan