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Thursday, February 28, 2013
Spyware Implanted in PDFs Has Been Sneaking Into Government Computers Worldwide
Excluded by the UK's fiber rollout, Oxfordshire villages roll their own 1Gbps broadband service
No matter which provider you plump for, the UK's fiber broadband roll-out won't connect many under-served rural communities. Annoyed at the snub, residents of Frilford and Frilford Heath teamed up with infrastructure business Gigaclear to do something about it -- with startling results. The company's fiber broadband service promises a whopping 1,000Mbps, putting it in the same leagues as Google's Kansas-based internet experiment. While it'll set locals back £195 ($295) to reach that top speed, it's far better than having no choice at all.
Filed under: Networking
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/28/oxfordshire-villages-get-1gbps-fiber/
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Progress at Iran nuke talks?
ALMATY (Reuters) - Major powers offered Iran limited sanctions relief in return for a halt to the most controversial part of its atomic work during the first day of nuclear talks on Tuesday, and Iran promised to respond with a proposal on the same scale.
The talks in Kazakhstan were the first in eight months between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany - the "P5+1" - on a decade-old dispute that threatens to trigger another war in the Middle East.
Iran has used the time since the last meeting in June to further expand activity that the West suspects is aimed at enabling it to build a nuclear bomb, something that Israel has suggested it will prevent by force if diplomacy fails.
The two-day negotiations in the city of Almaty follow inconclusive meetings last year in Istanbul, Baghdad and Moscow.
Western diplomats described the first day of talks as "useful" but said Iranian negotiators did not immediately respond to the P5+1's demand that Tehran closes its underground nuclear facility Fordow, at the center of their concerns.
"Hopefully the Iranians will be able to reflect overnight and will come back and view our proposal positively," said a spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton who oversees Iranian diplomacy for the six powers.
With the Islamic Republic's political elite preoccupied with worsening infighting before a presidential election in June, few believe the meeting will yield a quick breakthrough.
"It is clear that nobody expects to come from Almaty with a fully done deal," the EU spokesman, Michael Mann, said before the meeting started.
OFFER PRESENTED
A U.S. official said that the offer - an updated version of one rejected by Tehran last year - would take into account its recent nuclear advances, but also take "some steps in the sanctions arena".
For years, the powers had attempted a mix of economic pressure and diplomacy to persuade Iran to scale back its atomic work, but Tehran has insisted that sanctions are lifted before it complies with any demands.
In Almaty, a source close to the Iranian negotiators told reporters: "Depending on what proposal we receive from the other side we will present our own proposal of the same weight. The continuation of talks depends on how this exchange of proposals goes forward".
At best, diplomats and analysts say, Iran will take the joint offer from the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Britain and China seriously and agree to hold further talks soon on practical steps to ease the tension. Initial meetings could involve only technical experts, who cannot strike deals.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in Berlin that he hoped Iran "will make its choice to move down the path of a diplomatic solution".
But Iran, whose chief negotiator Saeed Jalili is close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and is a veteran of Iran's 1980s war against Iraq and the Western powers that backed it, has shown no sign of willingness to scale back its nuclear work.
It says it has a sovereign right to carry out nuclear enrichment for peaceful energy purposes, and in particular refuses to close the underground Fordow enrichment plant, a condition the powers have set for any sanctions relief.
FASTER ENRICHMENT
A U.N. nuclear watchdog report last week said Iran was for the first time installing advanced centrifuges that would allow it to significantly speed up its enrichment of uranium, which can have both civilian and military purposes.
Accelerating Western sanctions on Iran over the last 14 months are hurting Iran's economy and slashing oil revenue. Its currency has more than halved in value, which in turn has pushed up inflation.
The central bank governor was quoted on Monday as saying Iran's inflation was likely to top 30 percent in coming weeks as the sanctions contribute to shortages and stockpiling. [ID:nL6N0BP51A] Iranians say inflation is already much higher than that official figure.
But analysts say the sanctions are not close to having the crippling effect envisaged by Washington and - so far at least - they have not prompted a change in Iran's nuclear course.
Western officials said the powers' offer would include an easing of restrictions on trade in gold and other precious metals if Tehran closes Fordow.
The facility is used for enriching uranium to 20 percent fissile purity, a short technical step from weapons grade.
Western officials acknowledge an easing of U.S. and EU sanctions on trade in gold represents a relatively modest step. But the metal could be used as part of barter transactions that might allow Iran to circumvent financial sanctions.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman last week dismissed the reported incentive as insufficient and a senior Iranian lawmaker has ruled out closing Fordow, close to the holy city of Qom.
(Additional reporting by Fredrik Dahl in Almaty, Zahra Hosseinian in Zurich, Arshad Mohammed and Stephen Brown in Berlin; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powers-offer-iran-sanctions-relief-nuclear-talks-055616179.html
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Threats of violence in Kenyan slums color election
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? Dozens of shack homes have been burned to the ground in recent weeks in Mathare, Nairobi's most dangerous slum. Families are moving into zones controlled by their own clans, fearful of attacks between the tribes of Kenya's top two presidential candidates.
Kenya on Monday holds its first presidential election since the 2007 vote devolved into months of tribal violence that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced 600,000 from their homes. In a hopeful sign, this year's presidential candidates pledged at a weekend prayer rally to accept the outcome of the election and ensure violence doesn't again break out.
But the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday released a long list of physical attacks, hate speech and cases of ethnic intimidation Kenya has seen in recent weeks, exposing an undercurrent of tribal tension.
Those strains are on high display in Mathare, where at least seven people have died and 100 shacks burned in the last two months. Officially Mathare suffered 112 deaths during the 2007-08 election violence, though one policeman, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, says Mathare really suffered over 370 killings.
Lewis Kamau is a Kikuyu but wears the bright orange hat of the Luo candidate, Raila Odinga. Kamau is not crossing party lines; he says the hat protects him from Luo attacks. He says he expects Luos to react negatively if Odinga loses.
"Violence will erupt because of results they don't like," he said. "I know these people. They won't accept the results."
Kamau ? who backs the Kikuyu candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta ? is standing 20 feet from a dirt lot scorched by fire, one of the shacks burned in Luo-on-Kikuyu attacks that began in late December and carried over into January.
"Just the other day they burned here and we didn't retaliate," he said, motioning to the charred lot. "We kept quiet. On Monday after the (election results) announcement, we will be ready for it."
Odinga or Kenyatta must win at least 50 percent of the vote in Monday's election, or the two will go to a second-round runoff, where attention will be even more focused on the two, heightening tensions further.
Many in Mathare, and across town in Nairobi's biggest slum, Kibera, say that Kenyans have learned from the 2007-08 violence, and won't repeat it. But many of those pronouncements come from people who assume their candidate will win.
"I think given the 2007 experience we will accept the results, even if, God forbid, we Luos lose. But I don't see us losing," said Daniel Omondo, an information technology specialist in Mathare.
The Kikuyu-Luo rift goes back decades, to when Odinga's father was asked by British colonialist to be Kenya's prime minister. The elder Odinga declined, saying that Jomo Kenyatta ? Uhuru's father ? was the rightful leader. Kenyatta eventually became president, with Odinga as his vice president. But a few years later Kenyatta forced Odinga out of the government, and the tribes' relations began a long slide downward.
In a small tin shack in Kibera where illegal, home-made whisky is served, one Odinga backer who gave his name as Christian Nyambega said the country needs its political leaders to accept the results and for the voters to remain calm. Then one of his drinking colleagues became agitated at the memory of the disputed 2007 election win of current President Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu.
"They're going to steal the vote the way they did for Kibaki. The Kikuyus are not the only tribe in Kenya. We have 42 tribes in Kenya," said the man, who gave his name only as Patrick, saying her feared government retribution.
Of the dozens of worrying cases of political tensions described by the human rights commission on Wednesday was one in which Kikuyu landlords in a low-income area of Nairobi ejected Luo tenants from their rental houses. It also said a member of Kenyatta's party has been linked to the use of gangs to threaten opponents. The report also documented cases of residents voluntarily moving to areas controlled by their own tribe.
One Western embassy official watching election developments closely said he expects less violence this election season than in 2007. But he said if 200 people die in violence, it might have to be considered progress compared with the more than 1,000 deaths in 2007-08.
There are other areas of concern in addition to the Luo-Kikuyu rift in Nairobi. A United Nations official who is watching election developments said that Kenya's Rift Valley has seen an influx of imported guns that didn't exist five years ago, and the Tana River area ? a region that has seen serious tribal fighting over the last year ? is likely to see more deaths.
The official said that violence in Mathare will be the worst in Nairobi, and that members of Amnesty International and Kenya's Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission have been receiving serious threats. The official said he could not be identified because he was not authorized to share election data.
Since Kenya's last election, the country now has a new constitution, a new judicial system that is lauded as less corrupted, and the police force is being overhauled. Many residents hold out hope that those changes will help ensure that government systems ? instead of massive street violence ? will be used to settle election disputes.
"The violence (in 2007-08) came because of the stealing of votes. The Odinga supporters thought it was rigged, so there was an outcry. This time we have a credible judicial commission and we have seen many changes in police," said Bernard Titus, a Kibera resident.
In addition, four prominent Kenyans ? including Kenyatta and his vice presidential candidate ? face charges at the International Criminal Court over allegations that they orchestrated the 2007 election violence. Some Kenyans believe those charges have reduced the chances that power brokers will hire thugs ? mostly young men and boys from the slums hired for $5 to $10 a day ? and send them into the street.
Grace Kalibo runs a small shop selling basic food goods in Kibera. She attended Sunday's massive peace rally where Odinga and Kenyatta shook hands and pledged peace. She believes Kenya will avoid the massive violence of five years ago. So does her neighbor, Lucas Awol, a 39-year-old bar owner where poor Kibera men gather on Sunday afternoons.
"This time they won't react at all. They are tired of war," said Awol. "This time it will be peaceful. People say so."
___
Associated Press reporter Tom Odula contributed to this report
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/threats-violence-kenyan-slums-color-election-182400085--politics.html
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Must See HDTV (February 25th - March 3rd)
Among the usual returning shows we have a few all new entries, including two new Comedy Central series as well as ABC's Red Widow conspiracy drama. For something we truly have not seen on TV before, Syfy is tossing in Robot Combat League, while ESPN does its part with a couple of 3D broadcasts planned.Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
Robot Combat League
If you were an avid Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots player or a huge fan of the movie Real Steel, Syfy's latest reality / game show is probably made for you. Robot Combat League is hosted by wrestler Chris Jericho and features competitors strapped into suits that translate their movements to eight-foot-tall robot avatars that actually do the fighting. Not sold? Take a peek now with not only a trailer embedded after the break, but also the first two episodes in their entirety (also viewable on the site in a larger window here). It's different to say the least and there's $100,000 on the line to make things interesting.
(February 26th, Syfy, 10PM)
Psych
One of our favorite shows returns for its seventh season as Shawn and Gus continue to operate their fake psychic detective agency. As always, we expect a number of nostalgic 80s and 90s throwbacks, complete with guest stars from the era. The show has manage to operate in a basic cable niche in a way network shows like Community don't get the chance to, although if you're not into its particular comedic flavor, it's unlikely to change gears at this point. Check out a trailer after the break.
(February 27th, USA, 10PM)
MLS
A new season of MLS kicks off this weekend and for US soccer fans all 20 matches will be aired ESPN channels, with 18 of them on Sundays for a more consistent -- and potentially subbing in for that other football -- schedule. Notable this season is that this is the first time the soccer league will be in 3D, with plans for seven live broadcasts plus an eighth that will be tape delayed. There are also plans for international matches, the All-Star game and the playoffs, dates and times TBD. the Portland Timbers vs. New York Red Bulls game this weekend will be the first in 3D, check the schedule for the rest.
(March 3rd, ESPN 2 / ESPN 3D, 7:30PM)
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/must-see-hdtv-february-25th-march-3rd/
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DLP's IntelliBright tech promises brighter pico projection at no extra power
Most portable projectors are tasked with striking a delicate balance between power consumption and picture quality. With this in mind, Texas Instruments' DLP arm has unveiled a new system at MWC known as IntelliBright, which is intended to improve the brightness of pico projectors without making hardware hungrier. It's no fancy set of circuits, though, but a pair of algorithms which tinker with image brightness and contrast to produce a more radiant picture. What's more, the algorithms can be tweaked separately by hardware manufacturers for any desired result, and can incorporate data from ambient light sensors to increase projector efficiency. DLP recently introduced its new Tilt & Roll Pixel chip architecture at CES, which is also designed to make pictures brighter and batteries happier in the next generation of pico products. All we hope is the developments inspire Samsung to create a Galaxy Beam II, just with more focus on the phone part this time
Filed under: Displays, Misc, Portable Audio/Video, Software, HD, Mobile
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Z-SdpLrt_TA/
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Cortisone can increase risk of acute pancreatitis
Feb. 25, 2013 ? A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that cortisone -- a hormone used in certain medicines -- increases the risk of acute pancreatitis. The results are published in the scientific journal JAMA Internal Medicine. According to the researchers, they suggest that patients treated with cortisone in some forms should be informed of the risks and advised to refrain from alcohol and smoking.
Acute pancreatitis is the most common disease of the pancreas and is caused by a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Most patients recover without complications. However in 15 to 20 per cent of patients the disease develops to a life-threatening condition. The most common causes of the disease are gallstones and high alcohol consumption, but in a quarter of patients the causes are unknown.
Previous studies based on individual cases have indicated a link between acute pancreatitis and some medicines, such as preparations containing cortisone. Endogenous cortisone derives from an adrenal hormone and is related to stress and the regulation of the circadian rhythm. The most common form in humans is cortisol (or hydrocortisone). Synthetic cortisone is used to treat a number of medical conditions, such as asthma and autoimmune diseases (e.g. rheumatic diseases).
The present study is the first systematic study to demonstrate the relationship between medical cortisone and acute pancreatitis. Six thousand patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis between 2006 and 2008 were compared with 61,000 healthy controls. The results show that people treated with cortisone in tablet form ran a 70 per cent higher risk of developing acute pancreatitis. This connection was observed after three days' medication, substantiating the evidence that the causal factor was the cortisone rather than the treated disease per se.
"However, there was no observable increase in risk for people who used aerosol cortisone, such as asthma inhalers," says the study's principal author Dr Omid Sadr-Azodi. "But people who start a course of cortisone are recommended to refrain from drinking and smoking, which are risk factors for acute pancreatitis."
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Karolinska Institutet.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Omid Sadr-Azodi, Fredrik Mattsson, Tomas Sj?berg Bexelius, Mats Lindblad, Jesper Lagergren & Rickard Ljung. Association of Oral Glucocorticoid Use With an Increased Risk of Acute Pancreatitis
A Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study Glucocorticoid Use and Risk of Acute Pancreatitis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.2737
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/68T5CrOrPbQ/130225210321.htm
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TomTom to supply maps to Intel's Telmap, creates a total navigation app package
Intel scored access to code for location-based services when it acquired Telmap, but it didn't get the all-important location data needed to make the code sing. Rather than leave developers to find the content themselves, Telmap has struck a deal to get mapping information from TomTom. Navigation apps built around Telmap's work will soon have access both to TomTom's base maps as well as 3D maps, junctions, points of interest and voice mapping. While there's no mention of exactly when TomTom data will show up, the union is characterized as a "long-term partnership" -- we'd expect TomTom routing to quickly become a mainstay of Telmap's platforms (and potentially Intel's) in the near future.
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Software, Intel
Source: Telmap
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ZK_WDjxgnlE/
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Rapper 50 Cent Left Hanging When He Tried To Kiss Erin Andrews (VIDEO)
Rapper 50 Cent Left Hanging When He Tried To Kiss Erin Andrews (VIDEO)
Rapper 50 Cent has a rather embarrassing moment captured on camera, when he went in for a little smooch with reporter Erin Andrews and was denied! Erin Andrews was covering the NASCAR Daytona 500 race and on her way to interview racer Danica Patrick, when 50 Cent tried to get a little sugar. 50 Cent, ...
Rapper 50 Cent Left Hanging When He Tried To Kiss Erin Andrews (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
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Koop, who transformed surgeon general post, dies
FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2002 file photo, former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop testifies in Concord, N.H. Koop, who raised the profile of the surgeon general by riveting America's attention on the then-emerging disease known as AIDS and by railing against smoking, has died in New Hampshire at age 96. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2002 file photo, former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop testifies in Concord, N.H. Koop, who raised the profile of the surgeon general by riveting America's attention on the then-emerging disease known as AIDS and by railing against smoking, has died in New Hampshire at age 96. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)
FILE - In this May 12, 1997 file photo, former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop discusses the proposed increase of the New Hampshire cigarette tax at the governor's office in the Statehouse in Concord, H.H. Koop, who raised the profile of the surgeon general by riveting America's attention on the then-emerging disease known as AIDS and by railing against smoking, died Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Hanover, N.H. He was 96. (AP Photo/Andrew Sullivan, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 1, 1993 file photo, former Surgeon Genera C. Everett Koop, left, sits with then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton during a meeting with more than 100 prominent doctors in the White House in Washington. Koop, who raised the profile of the surgeon general by riveting America's attention on the then-emerging disease known as AIDS and by railing against smoking, died Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Hanover, N.H. He was 96. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 29, 1991 file photo, former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop speaks in Washington during a conference for preventing transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis B Virus to patients during procedures by medical personal. Koop, who raised the profile of the surgeon general by riveting America's attention on the then-emerging disease known as AIDS and by railing against smoking, died Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Hanover, N.H. He was 96. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 14, 1988 file photo, U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop speaks in Philadelphia. Koop, who raised the profile of the surgeon general by riveting America's attention on the then-emerging disease known as AIDS and by railing against smoking, died Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Hanover, N.H. He was 96. (AP Photo/Robert J. Gurecki, File)
With his striking beard and starched uniform, former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop became one of the most recognizable figures of the Reagan era ? and one of the most unexpectedly enduring.
His nomination in 1981 met a wall of opposition from women's groups and liberal politicians, who complained President Ronald Reagan selected Koop, a pediatric surgeon and evangelical Christian from Philadelphia, only because of his conservative views, especially his staunch opposition to abortion.
Soon, though, he was a hero to AIDS activists, who chanted "Koop, Koop" at his appearances but booed other officials. And when he left his post in 1989, he left behind a landscape where AIDS was a top research and educational priority, smoking was considered a public health hazard, and access to abortion remained largely intact.
Koop, who turned his once-obscure post into a bully pulpit for seven years during the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and who surprised both ends of the political spectrum by setting aside his conservative personal views on issues such as homosexuality and abortion to keep his focus sharply medical, died Monday at his home in Hanover, N.H. He was 96.
An assistant at Koop's Dartmouth College institute, Susan Wills, confirmed his death but didn't disclose its cause.
Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as surgeon general a decade ago under President George W. Bush, said Koop was a mentor to him and preached the importance of staying true to the science even if it made politicians uncomfortable.
"He set the bar high for all who followed in his footsteps," Carmona said.
Although the surgeon general has no real authority to set government policy, Koop described himself as "the health conscience of the country" and said modestly just before leaving his post that "my only influence was through moral suasion."
A former pipe smoker, Koop carried out a crusade to end smoking in the United States; his goal had been to do so by 2000. He said cigarettes were as addictive as heroin and cocaine. And he shocked his conservative supporters when he endorsed condoms and sex education to stop the spread of AIDS.
Chris Collins, a vice president of amFAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, said many people don't realize what an important role Koop played in the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.
"At the time, he really changed the national conversation, and he showed real courage in pursuing the duties of his job," Collins said.
Even after leaving office, Koop continued to promote public health causes, from preventing childhood accidents to better training for doctors.
"I will use the written word, the spoken word and whatever I can in the electronic media to deliver health messages to this country as long as people will listen," he promised.
In 1996, he rapped Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole for suggesting that tobacco was not invariably addictive, saying Dole's comments "either exposed his abysmal lack of knowledge of nicotine addiction or his blind support of the tobacco industry."
Although Koop eventually won wide respect with his blend of old-fashioned values, pragmatism and empathy, his nomination met staunch opposition.
Foes noted that Koop traveled the country in 1979 and 1980 giving speeches that predicted a progression "from liberalized abortion to infanticide to passive euthanasia to active euthanasia, indeed to the very beginnings of the political climate that led to Auschwitz, Dachau and Belsen."
But Koop, a devout Presbyterian, was confirmed after he told a Senate panel he would not use the surgeon general's post to promote his religious ideology. He kept his word.
In 1986, he issued a frank report on AIDS, urging the use of condoms for "safe sex" and advocating sex education as early as third grade.
He also maneuvered around uncooperative Reagan administration officials in 1988 to send an educational AIDS pamphlet to more than 100 million U.S. households, the largest public health mailing ever.
Koop personally opposed homosexuality and believed sex should be saved for marriage. But he insisted that Americans, especially young people, must not die because they were deprived of explicit information about how HIV was transmitted.
Koop further angered conservatives by refusing to issue a report requested by the Reagan White House, saying he could not find enough scientific evidence to determine whether abortion has harmful psychological effects on women.
Koop maintained his personal opposition to abortion, however. After he left office, he told medical students it violated their Hippocratic oath. In 2009, he wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, urging that health care legislation include a provision to ensure doctors and medical students would not be forced to perform abortions. The letter briefly set off a security scare because it was hand delivered.
Koop served as chairman of the National Safe Kids Campaign and as an adviser to President Bill Clinton's health care reform plan.
At a congressional hearing in 2007, Koop spoke about political pressure on the surgeon general post. He said Reagan was pressed to fire him every day, but Reagan would not interfere.
Koop, worried that medicine had lost old-fashioned caring and personal relationships between doctors and patients, opened his institute at Dartmouth to teach medical students basic values and ethics. He also was a part-owner of a short-lived venture, drkoop.com, to provide consumer health care information via the Internet.
Koop was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the only son of a Manhattan banker and the nephew of a doctor. He said by age 5 he knew he wanted to be a surgeon and at age 13 he practiced his skills on neighborhood cats.
He attended Dartmouth, where he received the nickname Chick, short for "chicken Koop." It stuck for life.
Koop received his medical degree at Cornell Medical College, choosing pediatric surgery because so few surgeons practiced it.
In 1938, he married Elizabeth Flanagan, the daughter of a Connecticut doctor. They had four children, one of whom died in a mountain climbing accident when he was 20.
Koop was appointed surgeon-in-chief at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and served as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
He pioneered surgery on newborns and successfully separated three sets of conjoined twins. He won national acclaim by reconstructing the chest of a baby born with the heart outside the body.
Although raised as a Baptist, he was drawn to a Presbyterian church near the hospital, where he developed an abiding faith. He began praying at the bedside of his young patients ? ignoring the snickers of some of his colleagues.
Koop's wife died in 2007, and he married Cora Hogue in 2010.
He was by far the best-known surgeon general and for decades afterward was still a recognized personality.
"I was walking down the street with him one time" about five years ago, recalled Dr. George Wohlreich, director of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a medical society with which Koop had longstanding ties. "People were yelling out, 'There goes Dr. Koop!' You'd have thought he was a rock star."
___
Ring reported from Montpelier, Vt. Cass reported from Washington. AP Medical Writers Lauran Neergaard in Washington and Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.
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Lindsay Lohan guest-starring on Sheen sitcom
NEW YORK (AP) ? Lindsay Lohan will be playing herself, but as a therapy patient, in an upcoming episode of the FX sitcom "Anger Management."
Producer Lionsgate Television says Lohan will develop a romantic relationship during her sessions with the therapist character played by series star Charlie Sheen.
Lionsgate says the episode is set to air in April. Sheen and Lohan have also recently worked together in the upcoming "Scary Movie 5," which is set to debut the same month.
"Anger Management" airs Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time.
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Doing good is good for you: Volunteer adolescents enjoy healthier hearts
Feb. 25, 2013 ? Giving back through volunteering is good for your heart, even at a young age, according to University of British Columbia researchers.
For their study, published February 25 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, researchers from UBC's Faculty of Education and Department of Psychology wanted to find out how volunteering might impact physical health among adolescents.
"It was encouraging to see how a social intervention to support members of the community also improved the health of adolescents," says Hannah Schreier, who conducted this research during her doctoral studies at UBC.
Researchers split 106 Grade 10 students from an urban, inner-city Vancouver high school into two groups -- a group that volunteered regularly for 10 weeks and a group that was wait-listed for volunteer activities. The researchers measured the students' body mass index (BMI), inflammation and cholesterol levels before and after the study. They also assessed the students' self-esteem, mental health, mood, and empathy.
The volunteer group of students spent one hour per week working with elementary school children in after-school programs in their neighborhood. After 10 weeks they had lower levels of inflammation and cholesterol and lower BMIs than the students who were wait-listed.
"The volunteers who reported the greatest increases in empathy, altruistic behaviour and mental health were the ones who also saw the greatest improvements in their cardiovascular health," says Schreier, now a postdoctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of mortality in Canada and the United States. The first signs of the disease can begin to appear during adolescence. Previous studies show that psychosocial factors, such as stress, depression and wellbeing, play a role in the disease.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of British Columbia.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Hannah M. C. Schreier. Effect of Volunteering on Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Adolescents
A Randomized Controlled Trial Volunteering and Cardiovascular Disease Risks. JAMA Pediatrics, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.1100
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/t9hBPGyOioE/130225162229.htm
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Monday, February 25, 2013
Daytona put to work again after accident at track
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood said "We'll be ready to go racing" and is confident the track will be repaired in time Sunday for the Daytona 500.
At least 28 NASCAR fans were injured Saturday when large chunks of debris, including a tire, sailed into the grandstands when a car flew into the fence on a frightening last-lap accident in the second-tier Nationwide Series race.
Chitwood says he doesn't anticipate moving any fans from those affected seats for Sunday's race. He says the fence that separates the track from the seats will be repaired. The grandstands where fans were injured are about 200 feet from the start-finish line.
This will be the third time in four years the track has needed major repairs on Daytona 500 weekend. The 2010 race was interrupted for more than two hours because of a pothole on the track. Juan Pablo Montoya slammed into a jet dryer in last year's race that caused a raging inferno that stopped the event for two hours.
"We're very confident that we'll be ready for tomorrow's event with the 55th running of the Daytona 500," Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's senior vice president of racing operations, said. "As with any of these incidents, we'll conduct a thorough review and work closely with the tracks as we do with all our events, learn what we can and see what we can apply in the future."
Chitwood said there where was not enough time to put back the crossover gate, which allows fans to walk from the grandstands to the infield.
He stressed proper safety protocols were met.
"Our security maintained a buffer that separates the fans from the fencing area," he said. "With the fencing being prepared tonight to our safety protocols, we expect to go racing tomorrow with no changes."
The accident happened the day before the Daytona 500, the season-opening race in the Sprint Cup series and NASCAR's biggest race. The horror in the stands marred what had been a week of celebration that kicked off with Danica Patrick becoming the first woman to win a pole in the premier series.
Wreckage flew into the upper deck and emergency crews treated fans on both levels. There were five stretchers that appeared to be carrying fans out, and a helicopter flew overhead. A forklift was used to pluck driver Kyle Larson's engine out of the fence, and there appeared to be a tire in the stands.
Across the track, fans pressed against a fence and used binoculars trying to watch. Reporters were threatened to leave the area.
Hours after the wreck, the fence was down and soft walls were being repaired as TV news helicopters hovered overhead
Otherwise, it was business as usual as the track underwent its makeover for "The Great American Race." The stages for driver introductions and the pre-race concert were already in place, as were the generators on pit road. The Daytona 500 logo was being painted on the grass and other track logs got a touch up. If not for the steady buzz from the welding done on the fence, it would look like any other late Saturday night at Daytona.
Fans seated in the area of the wreck uploaded videos on YouTube that showed fans feeing in horror and covering their heads as tires and an engine hurled their way. Most of the videos were soon removed from YouTube.
The scene was similar to a 2009 race at Talladega Superspeedway ? Daytona's sister track in Alabama ? when Carl Edwards' car went sailing into the fence on a last-lap accident.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/daytona-put-again-accident-track-001743456--spt.html
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Iran says it has captured a foreign 'enemy drone'
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday that it captured a foreign unmanned aircraft during a military exercise in southern Iran.
Gen. Hamid Sarkheili, a spokesman for the military exercise, said the Guard's electronic warfare unit spotted signals indicating that foreign drones were trying to enter Iranian airspace. Sarkheili said Guard experts took control of one drone's navigation system and brought it down near the city of Sirjan where the military drills began on Saturday.
"While probing signals in the area, we spotted foreign and enemy drones which attempted to enter the area of the war game," the official IRNA news agency quoted the general as saying. "We were able to get one enemy drone to land."
Sarkheili did not say whether the drone was American.
Iran has claimed to have captured several U.S. drones, including an advanced RQ-170 Sentinel CIA spy drone in December 2011 and at least three ScanEagle aircraft.
State TV said the Guard's military exercise, code-named Great Prophet-8, involved ground forces of the Guard, Iran's most powerful military force. State TV showed tanks and artillery attacking hypothetical enemy positions. He said various systems, including unmanned planes that operate like suicide bombers, were tested.
"Reconnaissance as well as suicide drones, which are capable of attacking the hypothetical enemies, were deployed and their operational capabilities were studied," the semi-official Fars news agency quoted him as saying.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-says-captured-foreign-enemy-drone-183530547.html
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Video: Kanye West Rants Live In London
?I swear I?ll put the pink polo back on?
During his show at the?Hammersmith Apollo in London tonight, Yeezy got a few things off his chest after performing ?Clique? in true Kanye freestyle/rant form. Topics include his dislike of corporations, The Grammy awards and more.
Shouts to Team Kanye Daily for the assist.
Category: Chicago
Source: http://www.fakeshoredrive.com/2013/02/video-kanye-west-rants-live-in-london.html/
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Sunday, February 24, 2013
Syria opposition spurns US, Russia invitations
Muzaffar Salman / REUTERS
Demonstrators hold a giant opposition flag during a protest against Syria's President Bashar Assad in Bustan al-Qasr district in Aleppo, Feb. 22, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman
The main Syrian opposition grouping has said it turned down invitations to visit Washington and Moscow to protest what it described as international silence over destruction of the ancient city of Aleppo by Syrian missile strikes.
A statement late on Friday by the Syrian National Coalition, an umbrella group of opposition political forces, said it also had suspended participation in a Friends of Syria conference of international powers due in Rome next month to protest the attacks it said have caused many civilian casualties.
"Hundreds or civilians have been killed by Scud missile strikes. Aleppo, the city and the civilization, is being destroyed systematically," the statement said.
"The Russian leadership especially bears moral and political responsibility for supplying the regime with weapons," it added, referring to Moscow's status as a leading ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"In protest of this shameful international stand, the coalition has decided to suspend its participation in the Rome conference for the Friends of Syria and decline the invitations to visit Russia and the United States."
The invitations had been extended to opposition coalition leader Mouaz Alkhatib after he met the Russian and U.S. foreign ministers in Munich this month.
The invitations were made shortly after Alkhatib offered to negotiate Assad's departure with members of the Syrian government who were not tainted by having participated in the crackdown on the 23-month-long revolt.
Rocket attacks on eastern districts of Aleppo, Syria's industrial and commercial hub, killed at least 29 people on Friday and trapped a family of 10 in the ruins of their home, opposition activists in the city said.
On Tuesday activists said at least 20 people were killed when a large missile hit the rebel-held district of Jabal Badro, also in the east of the contested city.
Reuters
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Williams scores 46 to lead New Mexico past CSU
New Mexico guard Kendall Williams reacts after hiting a three-point basket against Colorado State in the second half of New Mexico's 91-82 victory in an NCAA basketball game in Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Williams scored 46 points to lead the Lobos to the come-from-behind win. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
New Mexico guard Kendall Williams reacts after hiting a three-point basket against Colorado State in the second half of New Mexico's 91-82 victory in an NCAA basketball game in Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Williams scored 46 points to lead the Lobos to the come-from-behind win. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
New Mexico guard Kendall Williams, right, takes a shot over Colorado State guard Dorian Green in the first half of New Mexico's 91-82 victory in an NCAA basketball game in Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Williams scored 46 points in the game, which set a new single-game point record for Moby Arena since it opened in 1966. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
New Mexico guard Kendall Williams, left, takes to the air to block a pass by Colorado State forward Greg Smith in the second half of New Mexico's 91-82 victory in an NCAA basketball game in Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
New Mexico guard Kendall Williams, bottom, scores a basket as Colorado State guard Dorian Green takes to the air to block the shot in the second half of New Mexico's 91-82 victory in an NCAA basketball game in Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Williams racked up 46 points to lead the Lobos to the win. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
New Mexico guard Kendall Williams, left, drives for a basket past Colorado State guad Wes Eikmeier in the second half of New Mexico's 91-82 victory in an NCAA basketball game in Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Williams scored 46 points in the game. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) ? With 9 minutes left, New Mexico guard Kendall Williams trudged to the bench with a career-high 28 points ? and four fouls.
While he caught his breath, No. 22 Colorado State built a six-point lead over the 16th-ranked Lobos.
Moby Arena was rocking and the Rams were rolling, about to extend the nation's third-longest home winning streak to 28 games.
Williams had other things in mind ? and 18 points left to score.
"Luckily, some shots went in," said the junior guard from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., who finished with a career-best 46 points ? almost double his previous career high of 24 ? in leading New Mexico to a 91-82 win Saturday.
Williams set a Mountain West Conference record with 10 3-pointers and his 46 points were the most in the 47-year-old arena, topping the 44 scored by Portland State's Freeman Williams on Nov. 29, 1975.
"He should be hands-down player of the week, I would think," Lobos coach Steve Alford deadpanned.
Williams helped the Lobos overcome that 70-64 deficit at the 6-minute mark by hitting a trio of 3-pointers, a dunk and seven free throws down the stretch as New Mexico outscored the Rams 27-12.
"He got on a roll today," Alford said. "And it was a 40-minute roll."
Actually, it was a 33-minute roll. He spent seven minutes on the bench in foul trouble.
"That's what's really impressive," Alford said. "He sat about a four-minute stretch there in the second half and still scores and does what he does. It's pretty amazing. But he did a great job in that last six minutes not picking up that fifth" foul.
Center Alex Kirk added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lobos (23-4, 10-2), who increased their lead in the conference race to two games over the Rams (21-5, 8-4).
Colton Iverson had 26 points and 15 boards for the Rams, who looked like they were going to move into a first-place tie atop the standings after taking a 70-64 lead at the 6-minute mark.
Williams' treys highlighted a 14-2 run that gave New Mexico a 78-72 lead before the Rams sent the Lobos to the line over the final two minutes.
"Well, that was a special night to watch," Alford said. "I told him that. I said I never had a 10-3 game, I never got to 46. Forty-two was the most I ever scored and eight 3s was the most I ever made in a game."
"There's not too many one-ups you can get on Coach Alford, especially in scoring," Williams said. "I might be on top of the world for the rest of the weekend."
Williams' previous career best was 24 points against Indiana State and New Mexico State earlier this season.
"The players kept feeding me the ball," said Williams, who had 15 family members, including his grandmother, in the stands. "It was really just a team effort, some of the shots I hit were tough. But if the teammates didn't put me in position and the coaches didn't put me in position, I wouldn't have had quite the night I had."
The Rams blamed themselves for Williams' big game.
"We had no answer for him," Rams coach Larry Eustachy said. "... He was completely unstoppable. I want to see film on how many of those shots were contested."
His bet is that not many were.
The Rams, who gave up 45 points to Air Force's Michael Lyons a week earlier, left Williams open early on while locking down Tony Snell, who scored 10 points Saturday after getting 23 in their first meeting last month.
"He hadn't been shooting well this year," Dorian Green said. "We gave him some uncontested looks, let him get hot. Guys are too good in our league to do that."
"We gave him open looks early," Wes Eikmeier added. "He got hot and then he was feeling it the rest of the night."
Green (20) and Eikmeier (22) gave the Rams three 20-point scorers in their losing effort. Eikmeier scored 11 straight to put the Rams ahead 55-50.
The Lobos quieted the crowd with a 12-6 run to regain the lead at 62-61, but Williams, less than a minute after returning to the lineup, was whistled for his fourth foul and took a seat at the nine-minute mark.
"I was real mad," Williams said. "My emotions were high, but (assistant coach Craig) Neal came over while Coach Alford was doing his thing and calmed me down and says, 'You're going to have to bring it home, kid. Don't foul and get the shots that you need.' And that's exactly what I did."
The Rams were coming off a two-point loss at UNLV on Wednesday night that snapped their six-game winning streak, which began after a 66-61 loss to the Lobos in Albuquerque last month.
They hadn't lost at home since Nov. 11, 2012, to Southern Miss., which was coached at the time by Eustachy, who took the Rams job last offseason.
Williams' 10th 3-pointer ? in 13 tries ? broke the conference mark of nine set by several players, most recently UNLV's Chace Stanback against Central Arkansas on Dec. 28, 2011. It was a difficult shot from the right corner.
"Why not? Just throw it up there, had hit a few already," Williams said. "With the hoop the size it was tonight and the rhythm I was feeling, it just felt like I had to throw that one up."
___
Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton
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Governors: Automatic cuts could undermine economy
Budget stalemate in Washington worries Democratic and Republican governors. Automatic spending cuts March 1 cut stall recent economic gains, they warn.?
National Governors Association Vice Chairman Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, left, with Chairman Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware, speaks during a news conference at the NGA Winter Meeting in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. U.S. governors urged Washington to avoid spending cuts that would affect states' defense and federal agencies and expressed concerns that they would hamper their economic recovery.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
EnlargeWashington's protracted budget stalemate could seriously undermine the economy and stall gains made since the recession, exasperated governors said Saturday as they tried to gauge the fallout from impending federal spending cuts.
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At the annual National Governors Association meeting, both Democrat and Republican chief executives expressed pessimism that both sides could find a way to avoid the massive, automatic spending cuts set to begin March 1, pointing to the impasse as another crisis between the White House and Congress that hampers their ability to construct state spending plans and spooks local businesses from hiring.
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, a former congressman, noted that the cuts ? known in Washington-speak as "the?sequester" ? could lead to 19,000 workers laid off at Pearl Harbor, site of the surprise attack in 1941 that launched the United States into World War II. Today, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam supports Air Force and Navy missions.
"That will undermine our capacity for readiness at Pearl Harbor. If that doesn't symbolize for the nation ... what happens when we fail to meet our responsibilities congressionally, I don't know what does," Abercrombie said.
The budget fight came as many states say they are on the cusp of an economic comeback from the financial upheaval in 2008 and 2009. States expect their general fund revenues this year to surpass the amounts collected before the Great Recession kicked in. An estimated $693 billion in revenues is expected for the 2013 budget year, nearly a 4 percent increase over the previous year.
"It's a damn shame," said Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat. "We've actually had the fastest rate of jobs recovery of any state in our region. And this really threatens to hurt a lot of families in our state and kind of flat line our job growth for the next several months."
At their weekend meetings, governors were focusing on ways to boost job development and grow their state economies, measures to restrict gun violence and implement the new health care law approved during Obama's first term.
Some Republican governors have blocked the use of Medicaid to expand health insurance coverage for millions of uninsured while others have joined Democrats in a wholesale expansion as the law allows. The Medicaid expansion aims to cover about half of the 30 million uninsured people expected to eventually gain coverage under the health care overhaul.
Yet for many governors, the budget-cut fight remains front-and-center and fuels a pervasive sense of frustration with Washington.
"My feeling is I can't help what's going on in Washington," Gov. Terry Branstad, R-Iowa, said in an interview Saturday. "I can't help the fact that there's no leadership here, and it's all politics as usual and gridlock. But I can do something about the way we do things in the state of Iowa."
Indeed, right now no issue carries the same level of urgency as the budget impasse.
Congressional leaders have indicated a willingness to let the cuts take effect and stay in place for weeks, if not much longer.
The cuts would trim $85 billion in domestic and defense spending, leading to furloughs for hundreds of thousands of workers at the Transportation Department, Defense Department and elsewhere.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said the cuts would harm the readiness of U.S. fighting forces.
The looming cuts were never supposed to happen. They were intended to be a draconian fallback intended to ensure a special deficit reduction committee would come up with $1 trillion or more in savings from benefit programs. It didn't.
"We should go back and remember that sequestration was originally designed by both the administration and Congress as something so odious, so repellent, that it would force both sides to a compromise. There can't be any question, this is something that nobody wants," said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat.
Obama has stepped up efforts to tell the public about the cuts' negative impact and pressure Republicans who oppose his approach of reducing deficits through a combination of targeted savings and tax increases. House Republicans have said reduced spending needs to be the focus and have rejected the president's fresh demand to include higher taxes as part of a compromise.
Governors said they are asking the Obama administration for more flexibility to deal with some of the potential cuts.
"We're just saying that as you identify federal cuts and savings, allow the states to be able to realize those savings, too," said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican and the association's vice chairwoman.
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Google I/O Registration Date Leaks, Be Ready To Sign Up On March 13
A tipster has sent in a screen grab of what appears to be a landing page announcing registration dates for Google's massive I/O developers conference in May. The page has been pulled, so the link no longer works. However, the screen grab says that registration for Google I/O will open up on March 13, at 7am PDT (10am ET).Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/K_WdhGDVvtA/
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Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Sports Den's Daily NBA Picks - 2/21
The Sports Den had a decent night going 3-2 with it's picks. here are our picks for the two game on the NBA schedule tonight, and last nights results. Lines are from Sportsbook.
?????????????????????????? Thursday Feb. 21, 2013
???????????????? Game??????????????????????????????????? Pick
???? ?????Heat?@ Bulls????????????????????????????????Bulls????+3.5
????????? Spurs?@ Clippers???????????????????????? Spurs???+3.5
?????????????????????????? Wednesday Feb. 20 Results??
???????????????? Game?????????????????????????????????? Pick???????????????????????? W/L/T
?????????Grizzlies 90 - Raptors 82???????????????Grizzlies???+1??????????????? W
???????? Pistons 105 - Bobcats 99????????????? Pistons???? -3???????????????? W
???????? Lakers 113 - Celtics 99???????????????? Lakers?????-7?????????????????W
???????? Rockets? 124 - Thunder 119?????????Thunder???? -3.5????????????? L
???????? T'wolves 94 - 76ers 89????????????????? 76ers??????+3.5?????????????? L?
???????? Last Night: 3-2???
???????? Season: 238-236-12??
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Israel Antiquities Authority: An ancient industrial installation was revealed beneath the asphalt in Yafo
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Source: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=60888
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Friday, February 22, 2013
The Daily Roundup for 02.20.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/a-ITbbkuDjw/
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Obama considers weighing in on gay marriage case
FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in Chicago. The Obama administration is quietly considering urging the Supreme Court to overturn California?s ban on gay marriage, a step that could be a major political victory for advocates of same-sex unions. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in Chicago. The Obama administration is quietly considering urging the Supreme Court to overturn California?s ban on gay marriage, a step that could be a major political victory for advocates of same-sex unions. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
FILE - This Sept. 6, 2011 file photo shows a man walking past a group of people protesting against gay marriage outside a courtroom where the California Supreme Court was hearing arguments in San Francisco. The Obama administration is quietly considering urging the Supreme Court to overturn California?s ban on gay marriage, a step that could be a major political victory for advocates of same-sex unions. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration is quietly considering urging the Supreme Court to overturn California's ban on gay marriage, a step that would mark a political victory for advocates of same-sex unions and a deepening commitment by President Barack Obama to rights for gay couples.
Obama raised expectations among opponents of the Proposition 8 ban when he declared in last month's inaugural address that gays and lesbians must be "treated like anyone else under the law." The administration has until Feb. 28 to intervene in the case by filing a "friend of the court" brief.
The Proposition 8 ballot initiative was approved by California voters in 2008 and overturned a state Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage. Twenty-nine other states have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, while nine states and Washington, D.C., recognize same-sex marriage.
An administration brief alone is unlikely to sway the Justices but the federal government's opinion does carry weight with the court.
A final decision on whether to file a brief has not been made, a senior administration official said. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli is consulting with the White House on the matter, said the official, speaking only on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to address the private deliberations publicly.
While the Justice Department would formally make the filing, the president himself is almost certain to make the ultimate decision on whether to file.
"I have to make sure that I'm not interjecting myself too much into this process, particularly when we're not a party to the case," Obama said Wednesday in interview with San Francisco's KGO-TV.
He said his personal view is that gay couples should have the same rights as straight couples and said his administration would do whatever it could to promote that principle.
Obama has a complicated history on gay marriage. As a presidential candidate in 2008, he opposed the California ban but didn't endorse gay marriage. As he ran for re-election last year, he announced his personal support for same-sex marriage but said marriage was an issue that should be decided by the states, not the federal government.
To some, Obama's broad call for gay rights during his Jan. 21 inaugural address was a signal that he now sees a federal role in defining marriage.
"Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law," Obama said during his remarks on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. "For if we are truly created equal, than surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."
But administration officials said Obama ? a former constitutional law professor ? was not foreshadowing any legal action in his remarks and was simply restating his personal belief in the right of gays and lesbians to marry.
Seeking to capitalize on growing public support for gay marriage, advocates are calling on the administration to file a broad brief not only asking the court to declare California's ban unconstitutional but also urging the Justices to make all state bans illegal.
"If they do make that argument and the court accepts it, the ramifications could be very sweeping," said Richard Socarides, an attorney and advocate.
The administration could also file a narrower brief that would ask the court to issue a decision applying only to California. Or it could decide not to weigh in on the case at all.
The Supreme Court, which will take up the case on March 26, has several options for its eventual ruling. Among them:
? The justices could uphold the state ban on gay marriage and say citizens of a state have the right to make that call.
? The court could endorse an appeals court ruling that would make same-sex marriage legal in California but apply only to that state.
? The court could issue a broader ruling that would apply to California and seven other states: Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island. In those states, gay couples can join in civil unions that have all the benefits of marriage but cannot be married.
? The broadest ruling would be one that says the Constitution forbids states from banning same-sex unions.
For weeks, supporters and opponents of Proposition 8 have been lobbying the administration to side with them.
Last month, Theodore Olson and David Boies, lawyers arguing for gay marriage, met with Verrilli and other government lawyers to urge the administration to file a brief in the case. A few days later, Charles Cooper, the lawyer defending Proposition 8, met with the solicitor general to ask the government to stay out of the case. Those kinds of meetings are typical in a high court case when the government is not a party and is not asked by the court to make its views known.
Boies and Chad Griffin, president of the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, also had a meeting at the White House on the case.
Ahead of next week's deadline, nearly two dozen states have filed briefs with the Supreme Court asking the Justices to uphold the California measure.
"There's a critical mass of states that have spoken out and believe states should continue to have the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman," said Jim Campbell, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents supporters of Proposition 8.
Public opinion has shifted in support of gay marriage in recent years. In May 2008, Gallup found that 56 percent of Americans felt same-sex marriages should not be recognized by the law as valid. By November 2012, some 53 percent felt they should be legally recognized.
Obama has overwhelming political support among those who support same-sex marriage. Exit polls from the November election showed that 49 percent of voters believed their states should legally recognize gay marriage. More than 70 percent of those voters backed Obama over Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
One day after the court hears the California case, the justices will hear arguments on another gay marriage case, this one involving provisions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA. The act defines marriage as between a man and a woman for the purpose of deciding who can receive a range of federal benefits.
The Obama administration abandoned its defense of the law in 2011 but continues to enforce it. Because DOMA is a federal law and the government is a party to the case, the administration does not have to state its opposition through a friend of the court brief.
___
Associated Press writer Mark Sherman and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.
___
Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
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