The Obama administration is defending the Affordable Care Act over its faulty website, and reports that Americans are losing insurance coverage because of the law. To sort out the truth from the rumors, host Michel Martin speaks with Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News and technology developer Clay Johnson.
So, what happens after you've become an international pariah? The PRISM revelations may rattle along, but the figure who started it all is trying to return to something approaching a normal life. Edward Snowden's lawyer has revealed that, after settling at an undisclosed location in Russia, the NSA ...
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/VafuL8VRYcA/Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) reacts after being sacked during the first half of an NFL football game New York Giants Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) reacts after being sacked during the first half of an NFL football game New York Giants Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)
New York Giants strong safety Antrel Rolle (26) sacks Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)
Philadelphia Eagles' Michael Vick (7) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was pulled Sunday against the New York Giants in his first start since he injured his left hamstring on Oct. 6.
Vick was replaced by Matt Barkley late in the second quarter. Vick was 6 of 9 for 31 yards and threw an interception on Philadelphia's drive of the game. He had little mobility and did not appear close to recovered. He missed the last two games.
Vick rode the stationary bike between drives while Barkley warmed up on the sideline for most of the second quarter.
Barkley replaced Vick with the Eagles trailing 12-0. Vick sat on the bench with a towel on his head for Barkley's first snap.
Nick Foles, who started last week for the Eagles, was inactive after he suffered a concussion.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-27-Eagles-Vick%20Out/id-3d2a0fd9fa8f49b0a7a49a558b3f3095Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell speaks during a news conference before a workout at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Red Sox are scheduled to host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of baseball's World Series on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell speaks during a news conference before a workout at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Red Sox are scheduled to host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of baseball's World Series on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell watches during practice before Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell laughs as he watches his team during baseball practice on Friday, Oct. 25, 2013, in St. Louis. The Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals are set to play Game 3 of the World Series, Saturday in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester (31) is taken out of the game by manager John Farrell during the eighth inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series Monday, Oct. 28, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell talks to Shane Victorino after Victorino was hit by a pitch during the eighth inning of Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
BOSTON (AP) — John Farrell failed in his last managerial job. The Boston Red Sox had their worst record in nearly a half century.
After a dismal 2012 season for both, they're together now and that past seems so far away.
It's a match made for the World Series.
"I try to live out what our team has lived out this year and, that is, not to look back," Farrell said.
Why would he want to?
The Toronto Blue Jays were 73-89 last season, their second under Farrell, and actually trailed Boston in the standings with 10 games left. Then the Red Sox finally won something — the race to the bottom of the AL East. They lost nine of their last 10 games, dropping to 69-93 and insuring that Bobby Valentine's tumultuous term as manager would end after one season.
Enter Farrell.
He had one year left on his contract with the Blue Jays so the Red Sox had to trade to get their old pitching coach back to run the show as manager.
His impact was immediate in spring training, the transition smoothed by his familiarity with many of his players.
"He came in there with a presence," pitching ace Jon Lester said, "Came in there with his idea of how he wanted to run this team and stood up there in front of us and told us how he wanted it done.
"And I think the 40 guys or whatever that was in that room kind of looked around and it was like, 'OK, let's go do it.' "
So they did, with a consistency and clubhouse cohesion missing from Valentine's Way.
The Red Sox spent an AL-best 158 days in first place, were one of two major-league teams above .500 all year and had no losing streak longer than three games for just the second time in their 113 seasons.
And the players bonded long before their beards blossomed.
Gone were highly paid disgruntled players like Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. In their place were team-oriented hustlers like Jonny Gomes, Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew and David Ross.
But it took the even-keeled Farrell and his communication skills to bring them all together after Valentine's shoot-from-the-lip style failed.
"The thing with John is he's so smart. I think it seems like he learns from every single person he's around in baseball," second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "John this year has been unbelievable with all of us, just the communication."
At 6-foot-4, the broad-shouldered Farrell has a military bearing. He leads his players and listens to them. He lets them know their roles, explains why they're not in the lineup and sees them produce off the bench.
Before World Series games, he sits at an interview table, rarely blinking as he listens closely to questions. Then he answers thoughtfully, occasionally breaking into a smile.
And he's not afraid to admit that he's wrong.
With Game 3 tied 4-4 with one out in the top of the ninth, Farrell let Brandon Workman bat with one out rather than have Napoli pinch hit and make a double-switch at first base and pitcher.
Workman struck out. Then he left the game with one out and a runner at first in the bottom of the ninth when the Cardinals won 5-4 on an obstruction play.
"In retrospect, sure, I would have liked to (use a pinch hitter)," Farrell said. "Still, I wasn't going to pinch-hit for Workman with no guarantee that Napoli drives one out of the ballpark."
He also handles critics — there haven't been many in Boston — with respect.
When he was booed by fans on his return to Toronto with Boston on April 4, Farrell said, "That goes back to how much people care, and that's a good thing.
"Unfortunately, over the past couple of years, some things didn't play out on the field as we had hoped."
But now he's in Boston where his philosophy is working out just fine.
"There's a relentless approach to play a complete game every night," Farrell said. "That attitude is what has allowed us to come back from so many deficits this year and never give an at-bat away, and certainly play to the 27th out every night."
Unlike his predecessor, in Boston he has a strong relationship with his coaches and doesn't call attention to himself by criticizing players.
Farrell hired Juan Nieves as his pitching coach then stayed out of his way despite having served in that role with the Red Sox from 2007-2010. The staff ERA of 3.79 was nearly a run less than last season's and Boston's best in 11 years.
"His genuineness as a person to me was the one thing that would allow him to connect with players," Farrell said of Nieves.
Just like Farrell.
From that first meeting in spring training.
"Nobody had any questions," Lester said. "It was our job to go out there and do what he told us to do. And I think we've done a good job of that."
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-30-BBO-World-Series-Red-Sox-Farrell/id-a9d01ee86cd846c0822d21c50b776897
The National Security Agency has secretly taped the networks of Google and Yahoo to monitor real-time communication, according to newly revealed documents from whistleblower, Edward Snowden [PDF].
“The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, according to documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with knowledgeable officials,” according to The Washington Post, which obtained the hand-scribbled documents.
Both Google and Yahoo maintain expensive fiber-optic data linkages in strategic data centers around the world to optimize the flow of information. This infiltration would allow the NSA to know “who sent or received e-mails and when, to content such as text, audio and video.”
Upon learning about the NSA tapping into their networks, Google released a statement, saying the company is “troubled by allegations of the government intercepting traffic between our data centers, and we are not aware of this activity.”
Codenamed, MUSCULAR, the surveillance project is operated jointly with British Intelligence agency, GCHQ.
While the NSA already had access to communication through court-sanctioned collection program PRISM, the agency may prefer international territory because it permits them to subvert American privacy law. The NSA is forbidden from spying on Americans without stringent court oversight; international law may be less restrictive.
The Post reports that upon showing this information to two engineers familiar with Google’s system, they “exploded in profanity” and said “I hope you publish this.”
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 30-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Julie Robert
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-934-1934 x71381
McGill University Health Centre
This news release is available in French.
MONTREAL, October 30, 2013 Diagnosing colorectal cancer (CRC) is complex; it relies on significant invasive tests and subjective evaluations. This process may soon become much easier thanks to a medical breakthrough by scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). The researchers have identified genetic changes in the colon lining, or mucosa, in colorectal cancer patients that could be used as biomarkers of the disease. That will allow doctors to diagnose patients earlier, more accurately and less invasively. The study, recently published online, in Cancer Prevention Research, has implications for the nearly one million people diagnosed annually worldwide.
"The gold standard of diagnosis is currently colonoscopy," says corresponding author of the study, Dr. Rima Rozen, a geneticist from the Departments of Human Genetics and Pediatrics at The Montreal Children's Hospital of the MUHC and McGill University. "This is an invasive procedure, where the physician looks for abnormal tissue or growths also known as polyps." Additionally, given surging demand for colonoscopies, this research may ultimately offer an alternative option for early diagnosis, paving the way for the reduction in wait time.
According to Dr. Rozen, who is also a researcher of the Medical Genetics and Genomics Axis at the RI-MUHC, having genetic biomarkers of CRC will enhance the diagnostic procedure. "This new method could help to avoid false negative findings, which can occur in 10 to 15 per cent of endoscopic procedures," she says. "The key is using the right genes. I believe the ones we have identified are good candidates."
Dr. Rozen and her colleagues first identified five possible abnormal marker genes in a colon cancer mouse model. They then confirmed that these candidate biomarker genes were also abnormal in tissue obtained from colon cancer patients. "Not only did this show that our mouse model mimics the human disease," says Dr. Rozen. "But more importantly, it identified genes that could be used for colorectal cancer diagnosis."
Interestingly, the abnormal patterns of these genes were detected in otherwise normal colon cells that were not near the tumor site. "CRC develops in different stages," says Dr. Rozen. "This finding suggests that it may be possible to take tissue samples in more accessible regions of the gastrointestinal tract or, ideally, in blood or stool, and look for biomarkers as an early indicator of disease."
###
About colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer also known as bowel or colon cancer refers to the abnormal cell growth in the colon (intestine) and rectum. The abnormal cells can develop into benign (non-cancerous) tumours called polyps. Although not all polyps develop into colorectal cancer, colorectal cancer almost always develops from a polyp. Over time, genes in the polyp mutate and cells within them become malignant (cancerous). Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer in developed countries.
About the study:
The study, Genes with aberrant expression in murine preneoplastic intestine show epigenetic and expression changes in normal mucosa of colon cancer patients, was co-authored by Daniel Leclerc, Nancy Lvesque, Yuanhang Cao, Liyuan Deng, Qing Wu, and Rima Rozen of the RI-MUHC, Montreal and Jasmine Powell and Carmen Sapienza of the Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
This research was made possible thanks to funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Related links:
For more information please contact:
Julie Robert
Public Affairs and Strategic Planning
McGill University Health Centre
t: 514-843-1560
e: julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
facebook.com/cusm.muhc | http://www.muhc.ca
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 30-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Julie Robert
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-934-1934 x71381
McGill University Health Centre
This news release is available in French.
MONTREAL, October 30, 2013 Diagnosing colorectal cancer (CRC) is complex; it relies on significant invasive tests and subjective evaluations. This process may soon become much easier thanks to a medical breakthrough by scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). The researchers have identified genetic changes in the colon lining, or mucosa, in colorectal cancer patients that could be used as biomarkers of the disease. That will allow doctors to diagnose patients earlier, more accurately and less invasively. The study, recently published online, in Cancer Prevention Research, has implications for the nearly one million people diagnosed annually worldwide.
"The gold standard of diagnosis is currently colonoscopy," says corresponding author of the study, Dr. Rima Rozen, a geneticist from the Departments of Human Genetics and Pediatrics at The Montreal Children's Hospital of the MUHC and McGill University. "This is an invasive procedure, where the physician looks for abnormal tissue or growths also known as polyps." Additionally, given surging demand for colonoscopies, this research may ultimately offer an alternative option for early diagnosis, paving the way for the reduction in wait time.
According to Dr. Rozen, who is also a researcher of the Medical Genetics and Genomics Axis at the RI-MUHC, having genetic biomarkers of CRC will enhance the diagnostic procedure. "This new method could help to avoid false negative findings, which can occur in 10 to 15 per cent of endoscopic procedures," she says. "The key is using the right genes. I believe the ones we have identified are good candidates."
Dr. Rozen and her colleagues first identified five possible abnormal marker genes in a colon cancer mouse model. They then confirmed that these candidate biomarker genes were also abnormal in tissue obtained from colon cancer patients. "Not only did this show that our mouse model mimics the human disease," says Dr. Rozen. "But more importantly, it identified genes that could be used for colorectal cancer diagnosis."
Interestingly, the abnormal patterns of these genes were detected in otherwise normal colon cells that were not near the tumor site. "CRC develops in different stages," says Dr. Rozen. "This finding suggests that it may be possible to take tissue samples in more accessible regions of the gastrointestinal tract or, ideally, in blood or stool, and look for biomarkers as an early indicator of disease."
###
About colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer also known as bowel or colon cancer refers to the abnormal cell growth in the colon (intestine) and rectum. The abnormal cells can develop into benign (non-cancerous) tumours called polyps. Although not all polyps develop into colorectal cancer, colorectal cancer almost always develops from a polyp. Over time, genes in the polyp mutate and cells within them become malignant (cancerous). Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer in developed countries.
About the study:
The study, Genes with aberrant expression in murine preneoplastic intestine show epigenetic and expression changes in normal mucosa of colon cancer patients, was co-authored by Daniel Leclerc, Nancy Lvesque, Yuanhang Cao, Liyuan Deng, Qing Wu, and Rima Rozen of the RI-MUHC, Montreal and Jasmine Powell and Carmen Sapienza of the Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
This research was made possible thanks to funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Related links:
For more information please contact:
Julie Robert
Public Affairs and Strategic Planning
McGill University Health Centre
t: 514-843-1560
e: julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
facebook.com/cusm.muhc | http://www.muhc.ca
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2013 file photo, employees of the Washington Navy Yard line up to enter through a gate two days after a gunman killed twelve people and was killed himself inside. A new report says contract guards who protect federal facilities are receiving uneven training on responding to shootings like the one last month at the Washington Navy Yard. The report was released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office. A summary of the report was presented at a House subcommittee hearing on securing federal facilities. The report says officials at five guard companies said their guards had not received training on what to do when a gunman is opening fire. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2013 file photo, employees of the Washington Navy Yard line up to enter through a gate two days after a gunman killed twelve people and was killed himself inside. A new report says contract guards who protect federal facilities are receiving uneven training on responding to shootings like the one last month at the Washington Navy Yard. The report was released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office. A summary of the report was presented at a House subcommittee hearing on securing federal facilities. The report says officials at five guard companies said their guards had not received training on what to do when a gunman is opening fire. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials who oversee the security clearance process for government employees were to face a Senate committee investigating the events leading up to a deadly shooting at the Washington Navy Yard.
The hearing Thursday before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is to examine the adequacy of background checks and the security clearance system for federal employees and contract workers. It comes as officials investigate how Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old defense contractor, was able to acquire and maintain a secret clearance despite a series of violent outbursts, repeated brushes with the law and concerns about his mental health.
The former Navy reservist killed 12 people inside the Navy Yard building where he worked Sept. 16 before being fatally shot by police. He entered the property with a valid security badge.
"The tragic events at the Navy Yard highlight the need to be ever-vigilant in ensuring that individuals entrusted with access to classified information, and, more generally, other individuals with logical and physical access to federal facilities and information do not present either a national security risk or a personal security risk," Elaine Kaplan said in remarks prepared for the Senate hearing. Kaplan is acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees more than 90 percent of background investigations for the federal government.
President Barack Obama has also ordered the White House budget office to examine security standards for government contractors and employees across federal agencies. Concerns about weaknesses in the security clearance system have surfaced not only with Alexis but also with National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden and Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning, currently imprisoned for leaking classified documents.
"Many national security experts have long argued that the security clearance process is antiquated and in need of modernization. Given recent events, I think we have to ask whether the system is fundamentally flawed," Sen. Tom Carper, the committee chairman, said in prepared remarks.
Defense officials have said that when Alexis applied for security clearance with the Navy, he lied about a 2004 arrest in Seattle for shooting the tires of an unoccupied vehicle and he failed to disclose thousands of dollars in debts. An FBI fingerprint check revealed the arrest, but an investigative report from an OPM contractor omitted the fact that Alexis had fired shots, the Seattle police department did not turn over records of the arrest and no charges were filed.
He was granted a secret clearance in 2008 and held onto it despite multiple subsequent encounters with police, including a 2010 arrest in Texas, where a neighbor told police she was nearly struck by a bullet fired from his downstairs apartment. No charges were filed.
Kaplan said her staff has advised her that Alexis's file "complied with all applicable standards," but that OPM's office of internal oversight and compliance is reviewing the matter.
One month before the Navy Yard shooting, Alexis called police in Rhode Island to the hotel where he was staying and complained about voices wanting to harm him, according to the police report. The FBI has said he believed he was being bombarded with extremely low frequency radio waves.
Four senators on Wednesday introduced legislation to require more frequent checks on government employees and contractors who are awarded security clearances. Clearances last for five or 10 years depending on the level of secrecy required in the job and the level of clearance.
The bill requires OPM to do at least two audits of every security clearance at random times over each five years the clearance is in effect. Surprise audits would send the message that "you never know when the government is going to find out," so it's better to come forward with the information voluntarily, said one sponsor, Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri.
___
Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek contributed to this report.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-31-US-Navy-Yard-Shooting-Security-Clearances/id-b65bf31b98f549599a3478c1bb359906