Mixed vitamin E may support blood vessel health in healthy adults

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Short-term supplementation with vitamin E may support the function of cells lining blood cells from potential damage during the increase in blood sugar levels after eating, says a new study.

Five days of supplementation with a gamma-tocopherol-rich mixture of tocopherols maintained vascular endothelial function the function of the cells lining blood vessels, according to findings published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry .

The vitamin E supplement was also associated with supporting blood flow in the arteries and a reduction in increases of malondialdehyde (MDA - a reactive carbonyl compound and a well-established marker of oxidative stress).

This study demonstrates that short-term gamma-tocopherol-rich mixture of tocopherols supplementation in healthy men maintains vascular endothelial function that is otherwise impaired by postprandial hyperglycemia likely by decreasing lipid peroxidation [] without affecting inflammatory responses, report researchers from the University of Connecticut (USA) and Changwon National University (South Korea).

There are eight forms of vitamin E: four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). Alpha-tocopherol is the main source found in supplements and in the European diet, while gamma-tocopherol is the most common form in the American diet.

Study details

Led by Richard Bruno, the researchers recruited 15 health men with an average age of 22 to participate in their randomized, crossover study. The men were randomly assigned to receive the vitamin E supplement or no supplement for five days prior to fasting and then receiving 75 grams of glucose.

The vitamin E supplement provided 500 milligrams of gamma-tocopherol, 60 mg of alpha-tocopherol, 170 mg of delta-tocopherol, and 9 mg of beta-tocopherol (Archer Daniels Midland, USA).

Results showed that the glucose test produced significant increases in MDA levels, and decreases of 30-44% in blood flow, as measured by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). However, vitamin E supplementation prevented such changes, said the researchers.

The researchers also report for the first time that vascular endothelial function was maintained in the men after consuming the vitamin E supplement.

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Mixed vitamin E may support blood vessel health in healthy adults

Edward Dennis of La Jolla takes scholarly approach to his long career in science

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Edward A. Dennis is Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine at UCSD. He received his BA from Yale University in 1963 and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1967, a Doctorate in Medicine (honorary) from Goethe University in Frankfurt in 2008, and he served as a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School 1967-69.

Edward Dennis

At UCSD, Dr. Dennis has served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chair of the Faculty Academic Senate, and on the Board of Overseers. He has also been Visiting Professor at several universities and is an adjunct professor at The Scripps Research Institute. He has authored 350 research publications, patented 15 inventions, and edited 13 books. Dr. Dennis was named an inaugural Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 1984, and was the recipient of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biologys Avanti Award in Lipid Enzymology in 2000, the European Federation for Lipid Science and Technologys European Lipid Science Award in 2007, and Yale Universitys Yale Medal in 2008.

What brought you to La Jolla? On Jan. 1, 1970 I started on a cross-country drive to a little village on the other ocean for my first job as an assistant professor in the formative days of UCSD. It was a great move and I never looked back.

What are your favorite places to go in La Jolla? I enjoy walking on the La Jolla Shores beach, the Coast Walk cliff and alongside La Jolla Cove.

If you could snap your fingers and have it done, what might you add to improve La Jolla? Rebalance the human and animal interests in the Cove.

Who or what inspires you? Im inspired by the creativity, curiosity, and inventiveness of the many outstanding educational/research institutions of La Jolla.

If you hosted a dinner party for eight, whom (living or deceased) would you invite? It would be a potluck six-course dinner, hosted by my wife and I with six memorable chefs, both past and present, each bringing their favorite dish. The list of chefs includes Julia Child, Pierre Troisgros, Tetsuya Wakuda, Alex Atala, Eric Pras and Thomas Keller.I

Tell us about what you are reading. The Entrepreneurial President, a recently published book about the leadership of Dick Atkinson, former Chancellor of UCSD and president of the University of California.

What would be your dream vacation? A flying tour of the greatest vineyards of the world starting in California and progressing south to Argentina and Chile, west to New Zealand, across Australia, on to South Africa, then to Germany, and finally, France.

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Edward Dennis of La Jolla takes scholarly approach to his long career in science

Anatomy of a Toy Slump

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By William Bias - August 7, 2012 | Tickers: HAS, MAT | 0 Comments

William is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

In a previous article I discussed the Perils of Nostalgic Investing in which affinity for a product such as Hasbros (NASDAQ: HAS) Transformers or Mattels (NASDAQ: MAT) Matchbox cars can lead to faulty assumptions that the company that makes these products must be a good investment. I noted that it is important to do ones research before taking the plunge.

I also noted that there were some opportunities for Hasbro with the then up and coming Battleship movie based on the popular game Battleship and the future release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which is based on the G.I. Joe toy line. When researching for this story, I decided that Hasbro and Mattel are suffering a slump brought on basically by being in between popular movies and the stronger dollar.

The Inter-Movie Slump

The first movie opportunity, Battleship, was not a blockbuster hit compared to The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Hasbros consolidated net revenue declined 8% for the six months ending July 1, 2012. Hasbro did note an up-tick in the Battleship portion of its revenue during that time frame so the movie did some good in promoting sales of the game but probably not as well as anticipated.

The second opportunity I saw for Hasbro is the anticipated release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation. I thought this would generate interest in their G.I. Joe product line and thus boost consolidated revenues. However, at the last minute Paramount pictures decided to delay the release of the movie from June 2012 until March 2013 in order to convert the movie to 3D. This will extend a delay in the spike of interest in G.I. Joe products to well past the holiday season. The release of the latest Joe movie before the holidays would have created interest in the product in the summer season in addition to boosting the all important holiday sales.

Transformers sales have also declined as we move further away from Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) and wait for a new sequel to be made. Animated series such as Transformers Prime and Transformers: Animated do generate interim interest in the products, but dont do justice to going to a movie theater and seeing live action robots in 3D.

Mattel also saw a 1% decline in its consolidated revenue for the first half of 2012, mostly due to a decline in sales ofCars 2 revenue. As we move further from the Cars 2 release date the products associated with this movie are going to experience a natural decline. Mattel will need more movie licenses to boost its revenue.

The Other Products

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Anatomy of a Toy Slump

Veggie Fest returns to Naperville

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Napervilles Veggie Fest started out as an experiment, something organizers thought theyd try out, unsure if it would succeed.

The Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, which sponsors the festival, held roughly 30 classes a month teaching the community about all aspects of spirituality and vegetarianism.

It naturally progressed from there that organizers wanted some way to pull all of the lessons into a single event and so the Veggie Fest was born.

The experiment turned out better than organizers hoped. Now in its seventh year, the festival draws more than 20,000 people over its two days, making it the largest vegetarian food festival in the country.

It was very small and then, all of a sudden, it just grew, event coordinator Jonathan Kruger said. It surpassed our expectations.

Veggie Fest will run this year from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 11 and 12, on the grounds of the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center in Naperville.

Attendees can watch food demonstrations from restaurant and commercial chefs and cookbook authors and coaches. An international food court will feature roughly 30 different selections of vegetarian cuisine from around the world, and 100 vendor booths will provide information, products and services related to vegetarianism and an all-around healthy lifestyle.

Arjan Stephens, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Natures Path, will be at Veggie Fest with the company started by his parents in 1985 that has turned into the largest organic cereal brand in the country. Natures Path will hand out free samples and representatives will talk with attendees about the companys products.

At Natures Path, we firmly believe in a vegetarian diet, Stephens said. Its the healthiest diet you can eat. We only market and launch products that are vegetarian because we believe in that philosophy.

Kruger said there was a greater effort this year to ensure vendor booths were related to the vegetarian way of life.

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Teacher hosts radio show in space

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Published: Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 2:10 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 2:10 p.m.

Zipping around the Earth at 17,500 mph, former Dunnellon Middle School teacher Joe Acaba became the first DJ in space last Friday by hosting "The Joe Show" from the International Space Station.

In this file photo, quarantined Expedition 31 Flight Engineer Joe Acaba answers reporters questions from behind glass during a prelaunch press conference held at the Cosmonaut Hotel on Monday, May 14, 2012 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

BORN: Inglewood, Calif., in 1967.

EDUCATION: Esperanza High School, Anaheim, Calif., 1985; bachelor's degree, geology, University of California-Santa Barbara, 1990; master's degree, geology, University of Arizona, 1992.

EXPERIENCE: U.S. Marine Corps, Reserves; hydro-geologist in Los Angeles; Peace Corps; teacher, Melbourne High School, 1999; math and science teacher at Dunnellon Middle School, 2000 to 2004.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected as mission specialist by NASA in May 2004; completed training in 2006; two stints on International Space station, 2009 and 2012.

It wasn't just a quick sound bite to promote NASA. The astronaut actually spent two hours on "Third Rock Radio," an Internet rock station powered by NASA that can be heard at thirdrockradio.net.

After an announcer declared it was time for the first radio program from 250 miles up in space, the former math and science teacher sprung into action shortly after 4 p.m. Friday.

"Hello, I'm Joe Acaba ... your DJ on the International Space Station."

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Teacher hosts radio show in space

NASA TV Capture of MSL Curiosity Rover Landing on Mars – Video

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06-08-2012 01:09 This is a screen capture of the 6 minutes before and after the NASA MSL Curiosity rover landed on Mars. The entire mission control room bursts into cheers around time 5:30 upon confirmation of landing and the first images from Mars arrive around time 7:30. Alongside the NASA TV stream, I'm running the Eyes on the Solar System computer simulation which was using live telemetry data from the spacecraft to show what was happening in near real-time. All of this was captured on my laptop in Australia using the ScreenFlow app, streaming the event over the 3G connection from my iPhone. See more updates and images from NASA's MSL homepage: In 1970, a NASA scientist wrote to a nun working with starving kids in Africa and defended costly space exploration. If you think spending money on space is a waste, read this: If you see a derogatory comment below, please vote it down so that it gets removed.

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NASA TV Capture of MSL Curiosity Rover Landing on Mars - Video

NASA cheers new photos from Mars

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PASADENA, Calif. NASA celebrated the precision landing of a rover on Mars and marveled over the mission's first photographs Monday grainy, black-and-white images of Martian gravel, a mountain at sunset and, most exciting of all, the spacecraft's white-knuckle plunge through the red planet's atmosphere.

Curiosity, a roving laboratory the size of a compact car, landed right on target late Sunday night after an eight-month, 352-million-mile journey.

Cheers and applause echoed through NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and engineers hugged, high-fived and thrust their fists in the air after signals from space indicated the vehicle had survived the harrowing descent through Mars' pinkish atmosphere.

JPL Director Charles Elachi likened the team to Olympic athletes: "This team came back with the gold."

"Everybody in the morning should be sticking their chests out and saying, 'That's my rover on Mars,'" NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said on NASA TV.

Extraordinary efforts were needed for the landing because the rover weighs one ton, and the thin Martian atmosphere offers little friction to slow a spacecraft down. Curiosity had to go from 13,000 mph to zero in seven minutes, unfurling a parachute, then firing rockets to brake. In a Hollywood-style finish, cables delicately lowered it to the ground at 2 mph.

At the end of what NASA called "seven minutes of terror," the vehicle settled into place almost perfectly flat in the crater it was aiming for.

"We have ended one phase of the mission much to our enjoyment," mission manager Mike Watkins said. "But another part has just begun."

The nuclear-powered Curiosity will dig into the Martian surface to analyze what's there and hunt for some of the molecular building blocks of life, including carbon.

It won't start moving for a couple of weeks, because all the systems on the $2.5 billion rover have to be checked out. Color photos, panoramas and video will start coming in the next few days.

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Medicine Park family recovered after 2011 fires

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MEDICINE PARK, Okla_It has been a little over a year since fires tore through Medicine Park threatening many homes and burning thousands of acres. We wanted to go back and check on those who live in Big Rock Estates to see how things look one year later, and find out how things might have changed since the fires.

The Fahrion family has lived in Big Rock Estates for 10 years. They say when the fire first broke out, they were terrified, fearing that their home they had worked so hard to put together would go up in flames. They were one of the luckier families. Their home was still standing after the fire came through, but the siding was charred, and the inside was covered in soot. A year later they say they are happy with the rebuilding progress and glad to still call Medicine Park home.

Muriel Fahrion said she will never forget hearing the dreadful knocking at her door with firefighters telling her to evacuate her home because fires would soon be taking over Medicine Park.

"It was extremely scary. What do you grab if you have to evacuate?"

Ten minutes later, Muriel said they grabbed what they could and ran outside. In that short amount of time, ash had begun falling on their heads. She said that's when it became real.

For the next few days Muriel and her husband kept a close eye on the fire. When they were able to return, they saw their home standing but not the way they had left it.

"The outside we had maybe 2/5 of the house was the cedar siding, all that cedar siding because fire surrounded the house it came from all sides all curled and it was worthless."

Now the once cedar siding wall is hardy board, a molded concrete mix not to mention the inside of the house had to be repainted and completely washed down. Soot covered the inside of the home and trees that once stood lush were now burnt to a crisp.

"It was so much more than I think people even think is going to happen. With a fire they hear on TV their house was saved but meanwhile a month later and $33,000 we were finally back to at least being able to live in our house."

Muriel said no amount of fire damage would keep them out of Medicine Park. She said she's thankful that though the fire tried to take down the house it didn't bring down their determination to get their home back where it once was.

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Medicine Park family recovered after 2011 fires

Penn Medicine Professor Selected for Emerging Leaders Fund Grant from the Claneil Foundation to Support Puentes de Salud

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Puentes de Salud co-founders Steve Larson, MD, associate professor, Emergency Medicine, and Matthew O'Brien MD, MSc, were recently selected for an Emerging Leaders Fund grant from the Claneil Foundation to support Puentes de Salud, a nonprofit free health clinic for Latino immigrants in Philadelphia.

The Emerging Leaders Fund provides founders and leaders of young organizations who show great potential for strong positive impact with $200,000 of unrestricted funding over four years and a peer group of other leaders for guidance. The organization turns to more than 80 sources to pool prospective recipients and then selects up to four annually.

Puentes de Salud was founded on the belief that community health and wellness are not the domain of merely one group or discipline, but rather a collaborative community effort. The organization partners with community leaders, local government, educational, and nonprofit institutions to address the detrimental economic and social attributes impacting the health of South Philadelphia's Latino population. In doing so, Puentes de Salud promotes health and wellness in this population and educates future generations of community advocates, health care providers, educators and leaders by offering opportunities for responsible and respectful community engagement.

"It is a tremendous honor for Puentes de Salud to receive this award from the Claneil Foundation and acknowledges the passion, patience, and perseverance that has defined the dedicated efforts of countless Puentes volunteers to ensure the health and wellness of South Philadelphia's vibrant, yet vulnerable Latino immigrant population," said Larson.

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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.

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Penn Medicine Professor Selected for Emerging Leaders Fund Grant from the Claneil Foundation to Support Puentes de Salud

Clinical trial for rabies monoclonal antibody

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Public release date: 7-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mark L. Shelton mark.shelton@umassmed.edu 508-856-2000 University of Massachusetts Medical School

BOSTON, Mass. A pivotal clinical trial for an anti-rabies human monoclonal antibody (RMAb) being developed through a collaborative partnership between MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Serum Institute of India, Ltd., is starting to enroll patients. The study, sponsored by the Serum Institute, will evaluate the efficacy of post-exposure prophylaxis following rabies exposure with RMAb and vaccine compared to standard treatment of human rabies immune globulin (hRIG) and vaccine. Post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies that includes a monoclonal antibody should provide a more affordable, safer alternative to prevent the disease, which is a world-wide public health problem impacting 10 million people a year and resulting in some 55,000 deaths.

"We are extremely pleased that this potentially life-saving product has moved forward to the pivotal clinical trial phase," said Deborah Molrine, MD, deputy director of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at MassBiologics and an associate professor of pediatrics at UMass Medical School. "Rabies is a major public health problem in Asia and Africa, and we are hopeful that the findings of this study may result in a treatment option readily available in those areas where it is needed most."

The randomized, comparator-controlled study being conducted in India will enroll 200 patients who have had a high-risk (category III as defined by the World Health Organization) exposure to a suspected rabid animal. Study participants will receive proper wound care followed by injections of either the investigational RMAb or standard hRIG treatment in combination with a five-dose rabies vaccine series.

The primary endpoint of the study is to demonstrate that the level of neutralizing antibody to rabies virus in the blood of participants who received RMAb and vaccine is at least as much as the level of anti-rabies neutralizing antibody in the blood of those who received hRIG and vaccine.

While deaths from rabies in the United States are rare, rabies remains a significant problem with approximately 95 percent of human deaths from rabies occurring in Asia and Africa. Death from rabies is preventable with timely post-exposure prophylaxis consisting of wound hygiene, administration of rabies immune globulin, and active immunization with rabies vaccine. In persons wounded by a suspected rabid animal, the vaccine works to stimulate the immune system to fight the rabies virus, while the rabies immune globulin provides immediate protection with neutralizing antibodies before the immune system begins making its own antibodies.

Human rabies immune globulin, derived from human blood, is an expensive product and carries a potential risk of contamination with blood-borne pathogens. Equine immune globulin (eRIG), derived from horse serum, is used in many parts of the world, but its use is associated with significant adverse effects such as anaphylaxis or serum sickness. Both products are often in short supply and costly for inhabitants of areas of the world where rabies is endemic. In India alone, it is estimated only 2 percent of patients whose wounds require the rabies immune globulin receive appropriate post-exposure treatment.

To address the supply and adverse effects issues, MassBiologics and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed an anti- rabies monoclonal antibody with the goal that it might be used in place of hRIG or eRIG. MassBiologics then partnered with the Serum Institute to develop and manufacture the monoclonal antibody in India. "A monoclonal antibody for rabies has the advantage of being able to be produced in large quantities, at much lower costs than blood products," said Prasad Kulkarni, MD, medical director at the Serum Institute of India, Ltd. "And since they are not derived from blood serum, they have none of the safety issues associated with human blood products. If the primary endpoint from this pivotal trial is met, a new therapy could become available to thousands of patients each year to prevent the too-often fatal outcome of this infection."

In a phase 1 trial at the King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) in Mumbai, India, 74 healthy volunteers were randomized into several groups that either received RMAb or of hRIG combined with vaccine. Results showed that the RMAb was well tolerated by all subjects, with no serious side-effects. A dose of RMAb was selected from this study that produced comparable levels of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies in the blood from volunteers who received RMAb and vaccine compared to those who received the standard regimen of hRIG and vaccine.

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Clinical trial for rabies monoclonal antibody

Acid spill at Harvard Med School prompts evacuation

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A chemical spill prompted firefighters to evacuated a Harvard Medical School building for several hours Tuesday afternoon after a doctor working in a lab spilled several large bottles of acids, according to firefighters.

The doctor went to get a bottle off a shelf in a 10th floor lab on Avenue Louis Pasteur at about 3 p.m. and inadvertantly knocked three bottles containing acids, which rolled off the shelf and smashed, said Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald.

The doctor, who was dressed in protective lab clothing, followed protocol and immediately jumped under a lab shower to decontaminate herself, said MacDonald, who told the Herald no one was injured in the spill.

MacDonald said Harvard hired a cleanup company to clean up the spilled bottles, which were about two liters each and contained acetic and hydrochloric acids.

Acetic acid is flammable and both acids are irritants. They can cause burns if you come in contact with them and they can cause some distress if you inhale the chemicals, said MacDonald.

Boston firefighters, who sealed off the street during the incident, also conducted air quality readings to ensure the 10-story medical school building was safe, according to MacDonald.

Harvard Medical School issued a statement saying the chemical spill on the buildings top floor happened in the Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology and confirmed the top three floors of the building would remain evacuated until further notice.

A Harvard Medical spokeswoman declined to say whether the incident would prompt a review of chemical storage practices in the labs.

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Acid spill at Harvard Med School prompts evacuation

Hazmat crews respond to Harvard Medical School after acid spills in 10th-floor lab

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By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

A Harvard Medical School building was evacuated this afternoon after chemicals spilled on the 10th floor, the Boston Fire Department said.

Steve MacDonald, a Fire Department spokesman, said three two-liter bottles containing acetic and hydrochloric acid broke and the substances spilled about 3 p.m. inside a lab at the building at 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur in Boston.

MacDonald said the spill was contained to the 10th floor, and no one was injured. A doctor who was in the area of the spill was wearing the proper protective gear and followed procedure for self-decontamination, MacDonald said.

She was allowed to go home after paramedics examined her at the scene, he said. There were no injuries.

MacDonald said at the scene at about 5 p.m. that a hazardous materials cleanup team was en route and it was not clear when the building would reopen.

My experiments ruined, said Russell Griffin, 28, a research technician who was working on the 6th floor when the spill occurred.

MacDonald said both acetic and hydrochloric acids are irritants and can cause burns, and that acetic acid is flammable.

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Hazmat crews respond to Harvard Medical School after acid spills in 10th-floor lab

Hazmat crews at Harvard Medical School spill

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A Harvard Medical School building was evacuated on Tuesday afternoon after two types of acid spilled on the 10th floor, a fire official said. Steve MacDonald, a Boston Fire Department spokesman, said three 2-liter bottles containing acetic and hydrochloric acid broke and the fluids spilled at about 3 p.m. inside a lab in the building at 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur. MacDonald said that the spill was contained to the 10th floor and that no one was injured. He said firefighters evacuated the building for about 3 hours while they took chemical readings and a crew cleaned up the spillage area. MacDonald said both acids can cause burns.

Travis Andersen can be reached at tandersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.

Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company.

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Hazmat crews at Harvard Medical School spill

Stunning Liberty Ross Resurfaces Without Wedding Ring Following Rupert Sanders' Fling With Kristen Stewart

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Ross' ravishing revenge!

On Sunday, Liberty Ross was photographed for one of the first times since director husband Rupert Sanders was caught cheating with his Snow White and the Huntsman star Kristen Stewart.

The British model, 33, emerged in the L.A. area Aug. 5 smiling and holding hands with the adorable kids she shares with Sanders, 41: daughter Skyla, 7, and son Tennyson, 5.

PHOTOS: All the pics from Kristen and Rupert's shocking July 17 fling

The former British Vogue cover girl looked catwalk-slim in skinny jeans, a nearly-sheer T-shirt and leopard-print blouse. Missing from her ensemble? Her wedding ring.

Liberty Ross on August 6, 2012 in California. Credit: NPG.com

One day later, Ross made another public appearance, this times sans kids and looking seriously sexy and no-nonsense in a chic, black business suit and high heels.

PHOTOS: Kristen and Rupert's road to infidelity

How is Ross doing in the wake of Sanders' shocking fling with Stewart, 22? "Liberty is very upset but hasn't made any decisions," a source tells Us Weekly of her 15-year relationship with Sanders. "It's too early to tell what will happen with them."

The brunette (who played mother to a younger version of Stewart's character in Snow White) actually learned of Sanders' betrayal a week before Us Weekly's photos emerged, the source adds. "She was coming to terms with it."

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Stunning Liberty Ross Resurfaces Without Wedding Ring Following Rupert Sanders' Fling With Kristen Stewart

Liberty Hill builds for the future

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LIBERTY HILL, Texas (KXAN) - Liberty Hill Independent School District is building for its future. The first structures are starting to take shape at the new high school location on the Northwest corner of County Road 277 and SH 29.

The high school campus, which encompasses 95 acres, is just a part of an $86 million bond package passed in 2010. The project also includes upgrades to Liberty Hill's Junior High, Intermediate, and Elementary Schools, but the high school accounts for $61 million.

"Fortunately, people had a good vision as to what's going to happen in the future of Liberty Hill," said Liberty Hill ISD Superintendent Rob Hart. "So, voters approved it."

The high school will hold 1,600 students, which is about twice the current enrollment. But housing development in the area demands expansion.

"40-percent of the available home building lots in the Austin area are in Liberty Hill ISD," Hart added. "So, we're trying to stay ahead of the game."

The building will have 48 classrooms, nine science labs, 10 computer labs, one competition gym and two smaller practice gyms, career and technology classrooms, a band hall, choir room and an auditorium.

In addition, the school's athletic teams will get new facilities. The site will have parking for 1,100 vehicles,a football stadium for 5,000, an 8-lane track, two practice fields, a baseball field and softball field (both with seating for 500), tennis courts and field houses, a weight room and concession stands. The current football field is on the elementary school's campus.

"It's going to be a lot different than going to the elementary school to watch a high school football game," said Liberty Hill resident Tim McIlhaney. "We currently can't seat everybody. I mean, I get there five minutes late, and I can't sit down."

The brunt of funding will come over the next three years, increasing taxes on a $200-thousand dollar home anywhere from $138-188 a year.

"I've been in a lot of West Texas towns, and communities are dying," said McIlhaney. "The mentality is totally different than it is here."

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Liberty Hill builds for the future

Libertarian Candidate Takes on Uphill Climb in Reno

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The Biggest Little City is adding to its list of recent presidential campaign visits -- with a stop from Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson Tuesday.

During his brief visit, Johnson did something unusual for the campaign trail: he scaled the 70-foot first level of CommRow's outdoor climbing wall. It was a fitting metaphor for the uphill battle facing the third-party candidate.

"This is an uphill climb," Johnson said, "and I am going to argue that I'm not the third choice; that I'm the only choice in this race."

Johnson is gearing up not just for a difficult climb, but for a challenging campaign season. The two-party system in the United States makes it very difficult for a third-party candidate to get elected.

Johnson was the Republican governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, and was selected by the Libertarian party to be their candidate this election season.

Johnson said as a member of a third party, he can challenge both Democrats and Republicans on major issues, like civil liberties and the economy.

"Have that challenge," Johnson said, "as opposed to what you've got now, which is no compromise on two issues that are really important to Americans."

The third party perspective is what Mimi Garner says won her over to Johnson's fan base.

"I think we need somebody that's third party," Garner said, "that can cut through the pointing fingers and say 'This is what we're going to do, and how we're going to go about doing it.'"

Johnson said his ultimate goal is to win the election, but first he wants to be allowed to participate in the presidential debates, which traditionally only feature the two candidates from the major parties.

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Libertarian Candidate Takes on Uphill Climb in Reno