NFL Odds: Computer projects Pats, Seahawks will advance to Super Bowl

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NFL Computer Projects Patriots and Seahawks to Win on Sunday

The Indianapolis Colts are just 3-7 straight up and 4-6 against the spread in their last 10 games as a road underdog. The Colts will be an underdog this Sunday when they visit the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Championship Game.

Indianapolis is a 6.5-point road underdog at sportsboooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Colts have strung together two straight impressive performances on defense this postseason with a 26-10 win over Cincinnati and a 24-13 win over Denver to improve to 7-1 straight up and 5-2-1 against the spread over their last eight games. In the game prior to their current eight-game hot streak, the Colts lost to New England 42-20.

New England hosts Indianapolis with a 5-0 straight up record in its last five games against the Colts and a 3-0 ATS record over its last three games against them. The Patriots have won by 21 or more points in their last three games against Indianapolis, but the OddsShark Computer sees this one being a closer game in churning out a score of 36.8 to 29.5 for New England. Even with the score potentially being closer, New England is picked to cover the spread.

Green Bay visits Seattle in the early game on Sunday. The Packers have gone just 1-5 straight up and against the spread in their last six road games against NFC West opponents according to the OddsShark NFL Database and 1-8 straight up and against the spread in their last nine games as road underdogs. Green Bay has gone 6-3 straight up and 4-3-2 against the spread in its last nine games against Seattle with a 3-2 straight up and against the spread record in its last five games against the Seahawks.

Seattle comes into the game as a 7.5-point favorite at home. The Seahawks have been dominant of late with a 7-0 straight up and 6-1 against the spread record that includes seven-straight double-digit wins. Seattle is also 5-1 straight up and against the spread in its last six playoff games. But while many of the trends are pointing toward a Seattle win and cover, the OddsShark Computer predicts that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers can keep this one close and cover the spread in a 31.8 to 35.9 loss to the Seahawks.

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NFL Odds: Computer projects Pats, Seahawks will advance to Super Bowl

Navy report: 2014 Super Hornet crash was preventable

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By Mike Hixenbaugh The Virginian-Pilot January 15, 2015

Several thousand feet abovethe Atlantic Ocean, a year ago today: Two Navy fighter jets banked toward each other at more than 400 mph.

The roaring F/A-18 Super Hornets converged, crossing within 1,000 feet before zooming back into formation and preparing to do it again.

The aerial sparring - intended to simulate a high-stakes combat engagement with an enemy fighter - is typical off the coast of Virginia Beach, where pilots from Oceana Naval Air Station regularly practice basic flight maneuvers.

But on this day, Jan. 15, 2014, something was about to go terribly wrong. The investigation that followed revealed shortcomings in pilot training, and it serves as a cautionary tale for novice fighter pilots still learning how to keep their bearings while twisting and turning through the sky at the speed of sound.

After their third round that morning, the two pilots from Strike Fighter Squadron 143 leveled off and prepared for one more drill.

In one of the jets, a young pilot was flying his first training mission since becoming qualified to use a special helmet that projects key flight data - such as air speed, altitude, target range - onto his visor.

The pilot, investigators learned later, hadn't gone through a recommended computer-based course before being cleared to fly with the visor-mounted display. In fact, the investigator discovered, out of 17 squadrons based at Oceana, none reported requiring pilots to complete the course; only one squadron was even aware it existed.

Out the left side of his cockpit, the pilot could see the other jet flying on a parallel course about 2 miles away. That pilot, a more experienced aviator, called out a signal, and the two jets again turned in toward each other.

The younger pilot pushed the throttle to maximum power and angled his jet down as he entered a left-hand turn at 12,000 feet above sea level. He began the turn at more than 400 mph, well above the recommended speed for an extreme nose-down maneuver.

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Navy report: 2014 Super Hornet crash was preventable

Parkinson's stem cell trial approaches

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A therapy for Parkinson's disease from Carlsbad's International Stem Cell Corp. is expected to get approval for testing in Australia as soon as February, the company said this week.

The publicly traded company has grown neural stem cells, which can mature into cells making the neurotransmitter dopamine, deficient in Parkinson's. The company plans to implant these stem cells into the the brains of Parkinson's patients, restoring dopamine production and normal movement in the patients.

If approved, the trial will be the first test of therapy with the company's cells, derived from unfertilized, or parthenogenetic human egg cells. The cells, which in theory can produce nearly all types of cells found in the body, are grown into neural stem cells. These cells will be implanted and mature in place.

Parthenogenetic cells have much the same potential as embryonic stem cells without the ethical objections some have, says International Stem Cell, which has 38 employees. In addition, these parthenogenetic stem cells are less likely to provoke an immune reaction, the company says.

International Stem Cell Corp. chose Australia for its first trial because its regulatory agency is more "interactive" than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Simon Craw, executive vice president for business development. The FDA is inclined to give yes-or-no answers for proposed cell-based treatments, Craw said. In addition, patient recruitment takes place more slowly, which delays trial completion. The FDA does this for safety reasons.

Simon Craw / International Stem Cell Corp.

The Australian agency helps guide companies through the application process, Craw said in an interview Wednesday at Biotech Showcase, an annual life science conference in San Francisco. Craw also gave a company presentation on Tuesday at the conference.

"We're in the process of submitting the (application)," to Australian regulators, Craw said. "We're going back and forth with them right now. We expect to hear back from them by the end of February."

The trial will primarily assess safety, but also look for evidence of efficacy, Craw said.

The trial will take place at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Craw said. The hospital is headquartered in Parkville, in the state of Victoria. The principal investigator, Dr. Andrew Evans, will recruit patients from his own practice.

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Parkinson's stem cell trial approaches

City man who ran stem-cell trial for MS patients fabricated credentials, overstated results

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Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska previously ran a lumber business. (REGENETEK.COM)

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Regenetek is located on Chevrier Boulevard, but its stem-cell study is being conducted at a hospital in India. The study is not listed on any clinical-trial registry. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )

The hope of dancing at her sons summertime wedding led Sharon Nordstrom to pay $38,000 for a treatment she hoped would keep her multiple-sclerosis symptoms at bay.

That money paid for what she hoped would be a life-changing stem-cell procedure at a hospital in Pune, India. It was part of what she, and nearly 70 other patients from Manitoba and from as far away as Australia, believed was a clinical study helmed by a brilliant Winnipeg medical researcher with a PhD, who said the procedure could stop MS in its tracks.

Soon after her return in May, Nordstrom began to uncover troubling facts. Doug Broeska, whom patients reverently call "Dr. Doug," has no recognized medical credentials. Regenetek Research, his company based out of a spartan office on Chevrier Boulevard, boasted credentials and positive medical results that didnt add up. Patients who were once ardent supporters were attacked as saboteurs or shills for "Big Pharma" and threatened with removal from the study after they asked questions.

A Free Press investigation has found Broeska fabricated his credentials, including his PhD, and overstated the effects of the stem-cell treatment, for which he often charged desperately ill people $45,000. Four patients spoke to the Free Press on the record, saying they got no benefit from the treatment, got none of the followup common in clinical trials such as MRIs or physical acuity tests and believe they are victims of fraud.

Patients, doctors in India and now Canadian officials are questioning the claims of Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska and his $45,000 stem-cell therapy for MS sufferers.

At least two of Regeneteks former patients have complained to the RCMP, and sources say the Canada Revenue Agency is investigating, though CRA officials would not confirm that. Last week, Regeneteks website, Broeskas LinkedIn page and a "patient-run" Facebook group were taken down.

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City man who ran stem-cell trial for MS patients fabricated credentials, overstated results

Alberta MS patient says researcher seen as 'some sort of god'

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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

By: Mary Agnes Welch

Posted: 3:00 AM | Comments:

BEFORE flying to India for experimental stem-cell therapy, Alberta businessman Lee Chuckry quit taking Tysabri, a drug many multiple-sclerosis patients use to shrink brain lesions and reduce attacks.

"It was quite effective for me," said Chuckry from his home in Airdrie, Alta. "I didn't have attacks when I was on it."

Doug Broeska, founder of Winnipeg-based Regenetek Research and the clinical trial's principal investigator, told Chuckry that Tysabri would damage the effectiveness of the implanted stem cells.

Tysabri is one of a long list of medications Broeska advised clinical-trial participants to avoid, all mentioned in a blog posted last fall.

"My first attack started just when I was leaving India," said Chuckry. "I'd stopped the drug three months before."

Chuckry knew Broeska was not a physician, but believed Broeska had a PhD and was a bona fide health researcher. Chuckry felt no better after the $24,000 stem-cell therapy. He became increasingly skeptical of Broeska and Regenetek when he returned home from India in May 2013 -- his MS just as bad, if not worse.

Chuckry spent 10 days trying to get in touch with Broeska to find out whether going back on his MS medication, this time a steroid called prednisone, would interfere with the effectiveness of his newly implanted stem cells. He could not get an answer from Broeska for days, and said there was no real followup care typically seen in a proper clinical trial -- no MRIs, no examination by a physician, no tests, no questionnaires.

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Alberta MS patient says researcher seen as 'some sort of god'

Alberta MS patient says researcher was seen as 'some sort of god'

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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

By: Mary Agnes Welch

Posted: 2:00 AM | Comments:

CHRIS BOLIN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Lee Chuckry, who has MS, took part in a stem-cell trial run by Doug Broeska and Regenetek Research. The Airdrie, Alta., man eventually became one of Regenetek's most vocal critics. Photo Store

Before flying to India for experimental stem-cell therapy, Alberta businessman Lee Chuckry quit taking Tysabri, a drug many multiple-sclerosis patients use to shrink brain lesions and reduce attacks.

"It was quite effective for me," said Chuckry from his home in Airdrie, Alta. "I didnt have attacks when I was on it."

Doug Broeska, founder of Winnipeg-based Regenetek Research and the clinical trials principal investigator, told Chuckry that Tysabri would damage the effectiveness of the implanted stem cells.

Tysabri is one of a long list of medications Broeska advised clinical-trial participants to avoid, all mentioned in a blog posted last fall.

"My first attack started just when I was leaving India," said Chuckry. "Id stopped the drug three months before."

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Alberta MS patient says researcher was seen as 'some sort of god'

Buddha statue baffles York police

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HAVE you found spiritual enlightenment?

More specifically, have you lost a statue of the human incarnation of spiritual enlightenment?

North Yorkshire Police have appealed to the public after a large metal statue of Buddha was found at a property in Huntington, and a check of recently stolen items showed no matching reports.

PCSO Laura Harper said she had been with the force for eight years, and this was the most unusual item she'd had to help find the owner of.

PCSO Harper said: "Every day is different in this job at the moment, there are always surprises around the corner but this is probably the most unusual item someone's reported. We normally get bikes, wallets, handbags, rucksacks, and try to locate the owners, but this is the first Buddha we've had.

"It was quite fun trying to search our system to work out what someone has put it in as. We tried everything. That brought quite a few giggles in the office."

PCSO Harper said the statue was found by a resident next to their garage in Skewsby Grove, Huntington, along with other items which are believed to have been stolen in recent weeks.

Although the other items which were found with the statue have been reunited with their owners, the foot-high statue itself has yet to be claimed.

PCSO Harper said: "We believe it could have been involved in some form of crime, but nobody has reported a brass Buddha missing.

"It's fairly heavy so whether it's an inside or outdoor ornament, we're not sure. Either way, we would think someone would be missing it."

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Buddha statue baffles York police

New Book, Jersey Yogi, Explains How Highly Extraordinary Spirituality Can Come to Ordinary People

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Matawan, NJ (PRWEB) January 14, 2015

Once upon a time, Jim Starr, author of Jersey Yogi: The Unintentional Enlightenment of an Uptight Man, pictured his future much the same as his past: an average lifestyle as an average NJ man in a cookie-cutter suburban neighborhood.

Thats why, several years later, he was amazed to find himself standing stark naked in a massage seminar, shaken out of a comfortable existence and involved in a world of New Age healing, spirituality and ashrams. In spite of himself, he was on a path.

I was an apprehensive, cynical and pragmatic guy from New Jersey who thought all the New Age bullshit just wasnt for me, but a debilitating back injury and associated emotional suffering triggered within me an improbable series of coincidences that shook me out of my ordinary world, says Starr, a computer programmer and hospice volunteer.

Like so many men from his hometown of Matawan, N.J., Starr was doing his best within the confines of tradition working for a living, paying bills, raising a family and looking forward to the weekend barbeque with friends. But his devastating sports injury would eventually transport him to exotic places, both in terms of location and mentality. He would be lead to his life-changing guru, Swami Muktananda, to the holy Ganges River in India, and, ultimately, to the Himalayan mountains and a spectacular near death experience.

At one point in the mountains of India, I found myself with my friend, Don, barely able to comprehend the danger we were facing. But it was then I found an immutable, spiritual source within that remains with me to this day.

My books title, Jersey Yogi: The Unintentional Enlightenment of an Uptight Man, is ultimately my own. Being Jersey Yogi reminds me of my journey who I am. I am the guy who emerged, and I want others to know that they can, too.

About Jim Starr

Jim Starr is an author, philosopher, certified Rolfer and avid student of the human condition. Currently residing in Colorado, he is also a computer programmer, hospice volunteer and amateur musician. A true native of New Jersey, Starr plays plenty of handball and has won the Colorado state championship in his age division numerous times. He has lived the story of the Jersey Yogi: The Unintentional Enlightenment of an Uptight Man.

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New Book, Jersey Yogi, Explains How Highly Extraordinary Spirituality Can Come to Ordinary People

Astronauts Flee US Side of Space Station but No Sign of …

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In a rare scare, astronauts fled the American side of the International Space Station on Wednesday after an alarm indicated a possible toxic leak. NASA later said there was no leak of ammonia coolant and a computer problem likely set off the false alarm.

By Wednesday afternoon, the astronauts were back in the U.S. part of the orbiting outpost. Earlier, the six crew members had huddled safely on the Russian side once when the alarm sounded and again following an initial all-clear.

"Hey everybody, thanks for your concern," Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti said via Twitter. "We're all safe & doing well in the Russian segment."

The "unscheduled excitement," as NASA called it, occurred around 4 a.m. EST, well into the station crew's workday.

As alarms blared, the astronauts followed emergency procedures in slapping on oxygen masks, taking cover in the Russian quarters, then sealing the hatches between the U.S. and Russian sides. At the same time, flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston turned off non-essential equipment.

Within minutes, Mission Control gave an all-clear, but sent the astronauts scurrying back over to the Russian side again when there was more evidence of a possible leak of the coolant.

The highly toxic liquid ammonia, flowing outside the space station, is used to cool electronics. Flight controllers originally feared it had gotten into the water system running inside. Now, it's believed that a failed card in a computer-relay box was the culprit.

The crew three Russians, two Americans and the Italian Cristoforetti stayed in the three, relatively small Russian compartments while Mission Control analyzed data. Engineers wanted to understand the computer failure and confirm "that the system is tight like we believe it to be," space station program manager Mike Suffredini said on NASA TV.

About 11 hours after the ammonia system-alarm sounded, the hatch to the U.S. segment was reopened. Cristoforetti and U.S. astronaut Terry Virts ran tests and no ammonia was detected.

When the alarm went off, the crew had been dealing with supplies and experiments from the newly arrived SpaceX capsule including fruit flies. None of the research appears to be jeopardized, Suffredini said.

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Astronauts Flee US Side of Space Station but No Sign of ...

Space Station Astronauts Return to US Segment After Leak False Alarm

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NASA (via Flickr) European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and NASA's Terry Virts participate in an emergency exercise training drill on Dec. 1, 2014.

Crewmembers on the International Space Station have now been allowed into the U.S. segment of the orbiting outpost, after a false alarm caused astronauts to evacuate that part of the station early Wednesday (Jan. 14).

The alarm could have indicated a possible leak of toxic ammonia into the station's cabin; however, NASA has found no evidence of a leak. NASA astronauts Terry Virts, Barry "Butch" Wilmore and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti re-entered the U.S. side which include the European, Japanese and U.S. station modules wearing masks at about 3:05 p.m. EST (2005 GMT). Cristoforetti and Virts took samples of the station's air and found no ammonia, according to NASA.

"The crew is in good condition, was never in any danger and no ammonia leak has been detected on the orbital laboratory," NASA officials wrote in an update.

NASA Crewmembers were forced to evacuate the U.S. segment of the International Space Station on Jan. 14, 2015 due to a possible ammonia leak.

NASA officials were worried that the space station's cooling system which uses ammonia to help regulate temperatures on the station could have been leaking the noxious gas into the station's atmosphere. [Inside the International Space Station (Infographic)]

Virts, Cristoforetti and Wilmore joined cosmonauts Elena Serova, Alexander Samokutyaev and Anton Shkaplerov in the Russian segment for much of the day after the alarm sounded at about 4 a.m. EST (0900 GMT). Because there is no sign of ammonia in the cabin, the crewmembers should be allowed to take of their masks and roam freely through all parts of the station, according to NASA.

Officials now think that the false alarm may have been caused by an error in a computer used to beam information to and from the space station. The computer, called a multiplexer-demultiplexer, now seems to be in good shape after officials turned the device off and on again, NASA officials said.

Mission Controllers are still working to understand exactly what set off the alarm, but work for the astronauts should continue as normal on Thursday (Jan. 15). NASA officials will now take steps to re-activate a cooling loop powered down because of the alarm.

NASA officials do not think that the research on the station was negatively impacted because of the evacuation.

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Space Station Astronauts Return to US Segment After Leak False Alarm