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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Business, labor close on deal for immigration bill

FILE - In this May 17, 2012 file photo, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Big business and major labor unions appeared ready Friday, March 29, 2013 to end a fight over a new low-skilled worker program that had threatened to upend negotiations on a sweeping immigration bill in the Senate providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million immigrants already in the U.S. Schumer, who's been brokering talks between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that negotiators are "very close, closer than we have ever been, and we are very optimistic." He said there were still a few issues remaining. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Prospects for a Senate deal on an ambitious rewrite of the nation's immigration laws improved markedly as business and labor appeared ready to set aside their differences over a new low-skilled worker program holding up the agreement.

The AFL-CIO and U.S. Chamber of Commerce had been fighting over wages for tens of thousands of low-skilled workers who would be brought in under the new program to fill jobs in construction, hotels and resorts, nursing homes and restaurants, and other industries. But on Friday, officials from both sides said there was basic agreement on the wage issue, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said a final deal on the low-wage worker dispute was very close.

That likely would clear the way for Schumer and seven other senators in a bipartisan group to unveil legislation the week of April 8 to overhaul the U.S. immigration system, strengthening the border, cracking down on employers, allowing in tens of thousands of new high- and low-skilled workers and providing a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country.

"We're feeling very optimistic on immigration: Aspiring Americans will receive the road map to citizenship they deserve and we can modernize 'future flow' without reducing wages for any local workers, regardless of what papers they carry," AFL-CIO spokesman Jeff Hauser said in a statement. "Future flow" refers to future arrivals of legal immigrants.

Under the emerging agreement between business and labor, a new "W'' visa program would bring tens of thousands of lower-skilled workers a year to the country. The program would be capped at 200,000 a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau pushed by the labor movement as an objective monitor of the market.

The workers would be able to change jobs and could seek permanent residency. Under current temporary worker programs, personnel can't move from employer to employer and have no path to permanent U.S. residence and citizenship. And currently there's no good way for employers to bring many low-skilled workers to the U.S. An existing visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers is capped at 66,000 per year and is supposed to apply only to seasonal or temporary jobs.

The Chamber of Commerce said workers would earn actual wages paid to American workers or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department determines prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so that it varies from city to city.

There was also disagreement about how to deal with certain higher-skilled construction jobs, such as electricians and welders, and it appears those will be excluded from the deal, said Geoff Burr, vice president of federal affairs at Associated Builders and Contractors. Burr said his group opposes such an exclusion because, even though unemployment in the construction industry is high right now, at times when it is low there can be labor shortages in high-skilled trades, and contractors want to be able to bring in foreign workers. But unions pressed for the exclusion, Burr said.

The low-skilled worker issue had loomed for weeks as perhaps the toughest matter to settle in monthslong closed-door talks on immigration among the senators, including Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Marco Rubio of Florida. The issue helped sink the last major attempt at immigration overhaul in 2007, when the legislation foundered on the Senate floor after an amendment was added to end a temporary worker program after five years, threatening a key priority of the business community.

The amendment passed by just one vote, 49-48. President Barack Obama, a senator at the time, joined in the narrow majority voting to end the program after five years.

___

Follow Erica Werner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawerner

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-30-Immigration/id-51f78aac15a646e3b109a9b176cede5f

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Google Keep, Instructables, Sidewalk Buddy, and More

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you had no excuse for being unproductive this week. What with Google's new note taking service coming out (and staying out), a coupon organizer in the palm of your hand, and easy to use instructions that can basically tell you how to do anything, any thing you didn't get done is on you. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ZuoyVPYYL-E/google-keep-instructables-sidewalk-buddy-and-more

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Here?s the Internet/cable TV ad they ought to run (video) (Americablog)

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SGN - Seattle Gay News - Page 7 - Huck won't have it - Former ...

by Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer

Less than 24 hours after being endorsed by RNC chair Reince Priebus as a potential Republican Party spokesperson on LGBT issues, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee threatened that he and his fellow evangelicals would 'take a walk' if the GOP supports marriage equality.

As a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, Huckabee won a reputation as a common-sense politician with a sense of humor and the ability to relate to rank-and-file voters.

'I always tell people: Listen to Governor Mike Huckabee,' Priebus said March 25, echoing the public perception of the former governor. 'I don't know anyone that talks about [same-sex marriage] any better.'

Huckabee's reputation was always at odds with his fundamentalist religious views, however, as he demonstrated in a NewsMax interview soon after Priebus's remarks. Asked about Republican Sen. Rob Portman's endorsement of marriage equality and the possibility that the GOP as a whole might also reverse course and accept same-sex marriage, Huckabee responded with a threat to withdraw from the party.

'They might [endorse same-sex marriage],' he said. 'And if they do, they're going to lose a large part of their base because evangelicals will take a walk.'

AN 'OBJECTIVE STANDARD'
'And it's not because there's an anti-homosexual mood, and nobody's homophobic that I know of, but many of us, and I consider myself included, base our standards not on the latest Washington Post poll, but on an objective standard, not a subjective standard,' Huckabee continued.

'I have great sympathy and extraordinary admiration for Senator Portman. I consider him a friend and I value his work in the Senate and think he's a great person. The mistake is that we sometimes base our public-policy decisions on how we feel, how we think, maybe even some personal experiences, and we don't regard a lot of these issues from the standpoint of an objective standard.

'Let me explain what I mean by that. If we have subjective standards, that means that we're willing to move our standards based on the prevailing whims of culture. Politicians have an obligation to be thermostats, not just thermometers. They're not simply to reflect the temperature of the room, or the culture, as it were. They're to set the standards for law, for what's right, for what's wrong, understanding that not everybody's going to agree with it.

'On this issue, I recognize the culture is moving away from the traditional standard, but it's almost like saying, well, we have a basketball team and nobody on the team can hit the goal that's 10 feet off the floor so we're going to lower the goal down to six feet and that way everybody can slam-dunk the ball.

'So the question is, have you have improved your basketball game? Or have you actually just changed the standard so it looks like you're doing better? And that's my concern.'

FIGHTING THE FUTURE
While these views might have come as a surprise to Reince Priebus, they should not surprise anyone who is familiar with Huckabee's record.

'I support and have always supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman,' Huckabee wrote on his 2008 campaign website. 'As President, I will fight for passage of this amendment. My personal belief is that marriage is between one man and one woman, for life.'

Huckabee has also opposed ENDA, DADT repeal, federal hate-crimes protections for LGBT people, and adoption rights for Gay and Lesbian couples.

If Huckabee's intransigent opposition to equality is typical of the evangelical wing of the Republican Party, and it probably is, the GOP will face huge obstacles trying to update its image and appeal to younger voters, who overwhelmingly accept Gay and Lesbian relationships.

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Source: http://www.sgn.org/sgnnews41_13/page7.cfm

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Airports suing FAA over planned tower shutdowns

FILE - In this March 9, 2010 file photo, an American Eagle flight waits for release from the air traffic control tower at Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, Ill. Airports have begun mounting a legal challenge to the FAA's decision to shut down 149 air traffic control towers under federal budget cuts. Central Illinois Regional Airport is among the latest to file suit with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington. (AP Photo/The Pantagraph, Steve Smedley, File)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Airport operators are mounting a legal challenge to the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to cut funding for 149 air traffic control towers, accusing the agency of violating federal law meant to ensure major changes at airports do not erode safety.

Several airports are now asking a federal court to halt the plan and compel the FAA to more carefully study the potential safety impact, said Carl Olson, director of the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, Ill. He warned that without a more cautious approach, lives will be put at risk by cuts that he contends are arbitrary and the result of reckless political brinkmanship in Washington.

"I think everybody's going to realize what the industry knows, and that is there is a razor thin margin of error in aviation and any diminishment of safety is going to have an immediate and cascading effect," Olson said in an interview Friday. "And all the talk to the contrary won't change that fact."

Olson's airport is among the latest to file a lawsuit this week with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington. The others are Spokane Airports in Washington state, and the operators of Florida airports in Naples, Ormond Beach and Punta Gorda. The court combined the suits into a single case Thursday.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said Friday that the agency could not comment on the pending litigation.

The agency's administrator, Michael Huerta, has stressed that safety remains the FAA's top priority even as it is forced by the budget cutting known as sequestration to trim $637 million for the rest of the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

The FAA said it had no choice but to subject most of its 47,000 employees, including tower controllers, to periodic furloughs and to close air traffic facilities run by contractors at 149 small airports with lighter traffic. The first of those closures will happen April 7. Olson's airport is slated to lose its funding May 5.

The tower shutdowns will not mean that airports have to close. All pilots are required to know how to land at un-towered airports and to practice those procedures, which include communicating with other pilots over a shared radio frequency.

But airport directors, pilots and others in the aviation sector say stripping away an extra layer of safety during the most critical stages of flight will elevate risks and at the very least slow years of progress that made the U.S. aviation network the safest in the world.

Lawrence Krauter, director of Spokane International Airport, said he expects more airports and possibly trade associations to join the legal challenge. He said the tower closures amount to one of the most significant changes to the national air system's safety network in recent history and deserve to be studied carefully.

"No one's going to tell you ... that there aren't some contract towers out there that could be closed," Krauter said. "What we're saying is that we think that there needs to be a more reasoned and appropriate process."

Spokane's second and smaller airport, Felts Field, is set to lose its tower funding May 5. Like many of the airports losing funding, it has a busy flight school and serves the area's medical air evacuation operation in addition to handling private aircraft.

Local airport authorities have been scrambling to find the money to keep their towers running once the federal funding runs out. And several of the airport operators wrote to Huerta to ask that he halt the plans and detail exactly what study and review processes, if any, the FAA has carried out.

Olson said he's gotten no response and suspects that no substantive review has been conducted.

"We're not aware of any," Olson said. "There doesn't appear to be any consideration for the individual operations, safety or environmental consequences."

The lawsuits specifically mention the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires extensive review of any airport changes, as well as the Safety Management Systems protocols requiring thorough risk analysis that the FAA must carry out.

"That requirement is not excused" by the budget cuts, Olson said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-29-Budget%20Battle-Airports/id-b3cdad08e6cf439281a4e6c2664e1941

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

N.Korea claims 'a state of war' with S.Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea declared Saturday it has entered "a state of war" with South Korea in the latest of a string of threats that have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea's government, parties and organizations said in a joint statement that all matters between the two countries will now be dealt with in a manner befitting war

The Korean Peninsula is already in a technical state of war because the Korean War ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. But Pyongyang ditched that armistice earlier this month.

South Korea's Unification Ministry quickly released a statement calling the latest threat not new and saying it is a follow-up to Kim's earlier order to put troops on a high alert in response to annual U.S-South Korean defense drills. Pyongyang sees those drills as rehearsals for an invasion.

On Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned his forces were ready "to settle accounts with the U.S." after two American B-2 bombers flew a training mission in South Korea.

Analysts say a full-scale conflict is unlikely and even suicidal for Pyongyang and the threats are aimed at drawing Washington into talks. But the threats from North Korea and rising animosity from the rivals that have followed U.N. sanctions over Pyongyang's Feb. 12 nuclear test do raise worries of a misjudgment leading to a clash.

On Friday at the main square in Pyongyang, tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for a 90-minute mass rally in support of Kim's call to arms. Small North Korean warships, including patrol boats, conducted maritime drills off both coasts of North Korea near the border with South Korea earlier this week, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing Friday. He didn't provide details.

The spokesman said that South Korea's military was mindful of the possibility that North Korean drills could lead to an actual provocation. He said that the South Korean and U.S. militaries are watching closely for any signs of missile launch preparations in North Korea. He didn't elaborate.

Pyongyang uses the U.S. nuclear arsenal as a justification for its own push for nuclear weapons. It claims that U.S. nuclear firepower is a threat to its existence and provocation.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-says-state-war-skorea-014344604.html

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Gene discovery may yield lettuce that will sprout in hot weather

Mar. 28, 2013 ? A team of researchers, led by a University of California, Davis, plant scientist, has identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather -- a discovery that could lead to lettuces that can sprout year-round, even at high temperatures.

The study also included researchers from Arcadia Biosciences and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India.

The finding is particularly important to the nearly $2 billion lettuce industries of California and Arizona, which together produce more than 90 percent of the nation's lettuce. The study results appear online in the journal The Plant Cell.

"Discovery of the genes will enable plant breeders to develop lettuce varieties that can better germinate and grow to maturity under high temperatures," said the study's lead author Kent Bradford, a professor of plant sciences and director of the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center.

"And because this mechanism that inhibits hot-weather germination in lettuce seeds appears to be quite common in many plant species, we suspect that other crops also could be modified to improve their germination," he said. "This could be increasingly important as global temperatures are predicted to rise."

Most lettuce varieties flower in spring or early summer and then drop their seeds -- a trait that is likely linked to their origin in the Mediterranean region, which, like California, characteristically has dry summers. Scientists have observed for years that a built-in dormancy mechanism seems to prevent lettuce seeds from germinating under conditions that would be too hot and dry to sustain growth. While this naturally occurring inhibition works well in the wild, it is an obstacle to commercial lettuce production.

In the California and Arizona lettuce industries, lettuce seeds are planted somewhere every day of the year -- even in September in the Imperial Valley of California and near Yuma, Ariz., where fall temperatures frequently reach 110 degrees.

In order to jump-start seed germination for a winter crop in these hot climates, lettuce growers have turned to cooling the soil with sprinkler irrigation or priming the seeds to germinate by pre-soaking them at cool temperatures and re-drying them before planting -- methods that are expensive and not always successful.

In the new study, researchers turned to lettuce genetics to better understand the temperature-related mechanisms governing seed germination. They identified a region of chromosome six in a wild ancestor of commercial lettuce varieties that enables seeds to germinate in warm temperatures. When that chromosome region was crossed into cultivated lettuce varieties, those varieties gained the ability to germinate in warm temperatures.

Further genetic mapping studies zeroed in on a specific gene that governs production of a plant hormone called abscisic acid -- known to inhibit seed germination. The newly identified gene "turns on" in most lettuce seeds when the seed is exposed to moisture at warm temperatures, increasing production of abscisic acid. In the wild ancestor that the researchers were studying, however, this gene does not turn on at high temperatures. As a result, abscisic acid is not produced and the seeds can still germinate.

The researchers then demonstrated that they could either "silence" or mutate the germination-inhibiting gene in cultivated lettuce varieties, thus enabling those varieties to germinate and grow even in high temperatures.

Other researchers on the study were: Post-doctoral researcher Heqiang Huo and staff researcher Peetambar Dahal, both of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences; Keshavulu Kunusoth of Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India; and Claire McCallum of Arcadia Biosciences, which provided the lettuce lines with variants of the target gene to help confirm the study's findings.

Funding for the study was provided the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Davis.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

H. Huo, P. Dahal, K. Kunusoth, C. M. McCallum, K. J. Bradford. Expression of 9-cis-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE4 Is Essential for Thermoinhibition of Lettuce Seed Germination but Not for Seed Development or Stress Tolerance. The Plant Cell, 2013; DOI: 10.1105/tpc.112.108902

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/l_5Ao2sF1pE/130329125309.htm

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Veterans fight changes to disability payments

In this March 24, 2013 photo, former Marine Corps Cpl. Marshall Archer, left, a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, speaks to a man on a street in Portland. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

In this March 24, 2013 photo, veterans' liaison Marshall Archer, a former Marine Corps corporal, poses for a photo in Portland, Maine. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already.

Government benefits are adjusted according to inflation, and President Barack Obama has endorsed using a slightly different measure of inflation to calculate Social Security benefits. Benefits would still grow but at a slower rate.

Advocates for the nation's 22 million veterans fear that the alternative inflation measure would also apply to disability payments to nearly 4 million veterans as well as pension payments for an additional 500,000 low-income veterans and surviving families.

"I think veterans have already paid their fair share to support this nation," said the American Legion's Louis Celli. "They've paid it in lower wages while serving, they've paid it through their wounds and sacrifices on the battlefield and they're paying it now as they try to recover from those wounds."

Economists generally agree that projected long-term debt increases stemming largely from the growth in federal health care programs pose a threat to the country's economic competitiveness. Addressing the threat means difficult decisions for lawmakers and pain for many constituents in the decades ahead.

But the veterans groups point out that their members bore the burden of a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the past month, they've held news conferences on Capitol Hill and raised the issue in meetings with lawmakers and their staffs. They'll be closely watching the unveiling of the president's budget next month to see whether he continues to recommend the change.

Obama and others support changing the benefit calculations to a variation of the Consumer Price Index, a measure called "chained CPI." The conventional CPI measures changes in retail prices of a constant marketbasket of goods and services. Chained CPI considers changes in the quantity of goods purchased as well as the prices of those goods. If the price of steak goes up, for example, many consumers will buy more chicken, a cheaper alternative to steak, rather than buying less steak or going without meat.

Supporters argue that chained CPI is a truer indication of inflation because it measures changes in consumer behavior. It also tends to be less than the conventional CPI, which would impact how cost-of-living raises are computed.

Under the current inflation update, monthly disability and pension payments increased 1.7 percent this year. Under chained CPI, those payments would have increased 1.4 percent.

The Congressional Budget Office projects that moving to chained CPI would trim the deficit by nearly $340 billion over the next decade. About two-thirds of the deficit closing would come from less spending and the other third would come from additional revenue because of adjustments that tax brackets would undergo.

Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow in economic studies at The Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, said she understands why veterans, senior citizens and others have come out against the change, but she believes it's necessary.

"We are in an era where benefits are going to be reduced and revenues are going to rise. There's just no way around that. We're on an unsustainable fiscal course," Sawhill said. "Dealing with it is going to be painful, and the American public has not yet accepted that. As long as every group keeps saying, 'I need a carve-out, I need an exception,' this is not going to work."

Sawhill argued that making changes now will actually make it easier for veterans in the long run.

"The longer we wait to make these changes, the worse the hole we'll be in and the more draconian the cuts will have to be," she said.

That's not the way Sen. Bernie Sanders sees it. The chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs said he recently warned Obama that every veterans group he knows of has come out strongly against changing the benefit calculations for disability benefits and pensions by using chained CPI.

"I don't believe the American people want to see our budget balanced on the backs of disabled veterans. It's especially absurd for the White House, which has been quite generous in terms of funding for the VA," said Sanders, I-Vt. "Why they now want to do this, I just don't understand."

Sanders succeeded in getting the Senate to approve an amendment last week against changing how the cost-of-living increases are calculated, but the vote was largely symbolic. Lawmakers would still have a decision to make if moving to chained CPI were to be included as part of a bargain on taxes and spending.

Sanders' counterpart on the House side, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, appears at least open to the idea of going to chained CPI.

"My first priority is ensuring that America's more than 20 million veterans receive the care and benefits they have earned, but with a national debt fast approaching $17 trillion, Washington's fiscal irresponsibility may threaten the very provision of veterans' benefits," Miller said. "Achieving a balanced budget and reducing our national debt will help us keep the promises America has made to those who have worn the uniform, and I am committed to working with Democrats and Republicans to do just that."

Marshall Archer, 30, a former Marine Corps corporal who served two stints in Iraq, has a unique perspective about the impact of slowing the growth of veterans' benefits. He collects disability payments to compensate him for damaged knees and shoulders as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. He also works as a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, helping some 200 low-income veterans find housing.

Archer notes that on a personal level, the reduction in future disability payments would also be accompanied down the road by a smaller Social Security check when he retires. That means he would take a double hit to his income.

"We all volunteered to serve, so we all volunteered to sacrifice," he said. "I don't believe that you should ever ask those who have already volunteered to sacrifice to then sacrifice again."

That said, Archer indicated he would be willing to "chip in" if he believes that everyone is required to give as well.

He said he's more worried about the veterans he's trying to help find a place to sleep. About a third of his clients rely on VA pension payments averaging just over $1,000 a month. He said their VA pension allows them to pay rent, heat their home and buy groceries, but that's about it.

"This policy, if it ever went into effect, would actually place those already in poverty in even more poverty," Archer said.

The changes that would occur by using the slower inflation calculation seem modest at first. For a veteran with no dependents who has a 60 percent disability rating, the use of chained CPI this year would have lowered the veteran's monthly payments by $3 a month. Instead of getting $1,026 a month, the veteran would have received $1,023.

Raymond Kelly, legislative director for Veterans of Foreign Wars, acknowledged that veterans would see little change in their income during the first few years of the change. But even a $36 hit over the course of a year is "huge" for many of the disabled veterans living on the edge, he said.

The amount lost over time becomes more substantial as the years go by. Sanders said that a veteran with a 100 percent disability rating who begins getting payments at age 30 would see their annual payments trimmed by more than $2,300 a year when they turn 55.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-30-US-Budget-Battle-Veterans/id-05819c3ebd0c4cbf8ae5701f9cf62fc5

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Business, labor close on deal for immigration bill

Several southwest Michigan pastors along with immigrant families and members of the general public take part in a pray-in for immigration reform event outside of Representative Fred Upton's office in downtown Kalamazoo on Friday, March 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette-MLive Media Group, Matt Gade ) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT

That likely would clear the way for Schumer and seven other senators in a bipartisan group to unveil legislation the week of April 8 to overhaul the U.S. immigration system ? strengthening the border, cracking down on employers, allowing in tens of thousands of new high- and low-skilled workers and providing a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country.

The amendment passed by just one vote, 49-48. President Barack Obama, a senator at the time, joined in the narrow majority voting to end the program after five years.

___

Follow Erica Werner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawerner

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-30-Immigration/id-a3fadbb327c54553995beec5214f28fb

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Miscellaneous Mentionables : Mom Knows It All. ? PR Friendly New ...

You are here: Home ? Announcements ? Miscellaneous Mentionables

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I frequently receive email from companies asking me to share news or discounts with my readers. Each week I?ll gather the best requests and share them with you here.

Voots ?Get Kids Growing? Garden Grants

Voots? Veggie Fruit-Tarts along with Kidsgardening.org, a resource of the National Gardening Association, recently hosted the Voots ?Get Kids Growing,? interactive gardening workshop at The Americana at Brand in Glendale, Calif. with celebrity mom Christina Milian to help empower children and their families to lead healthier lives and build stronger communities through gardening!

While kids and their families had fun learning about gardening and healthy eating at the event, the main announcement was the unveiling of the Voots ?Get Kids Growing? Garden Grants, a partnership program that will award 20 grant recipients with $700* in gardening supplies including a raised bed, tools, and a curriculum guide from the Gardening with Kids Shop, and a check for $50 to be used to purchase soil amendments and fruit and vegetable plantings. The total award package is valued at over $750. Additionally, one recipient will be awarded a grand prize based on their submission, receiving an additional $1,250 in gardening supplies.

There?s still have time to participate in the grant program for a chance to win ? the deadline is April 1, 2013! More information can be found here: http://grants.kidsgardening.org/voots%C2%AE-get-kids-growing-garden-grants.

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Category: Announcements

Source: http://www.valmg.com/index.php/2013/miscellaneous-mentionables-158/

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New study aims to prevent sports-related brain injury in youngsters

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Ice hockey accounts for nearly half of all traumatic brain injuries among children and youth participating in organized sports who required a trip to an emergency department in Canada, according to a new study out of St. Michael's Hospital.

The results are part of a first-of-its-kind study led by Dr. Michael Cusimano that looked at causes of sports-related brain injuries in Canadian youth and also uncovered some prevention tactics that could be immediately implemented to make sports safer for kids.

"Unless we understand how children are getting hurt in sport, we can't develop ways to prevent these serious injuries from happening," said Dr. Cusimano, a neurosurgeon and the lead author of the study. "One would think that we know the reasons why kids are having brain injuries in sports, but until know, it was based mainly on anecdotes."

The study used data from The Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program to look at the almost 13,000 children and youth aged 5-19 who had a sports-related brain injury between 1990 and 2009. The results appeared in the journal PLOS ONE today.

The researchers categorized injuries by players' ages, what sport they occurred in and what mechanisms had caused them -- "struck by player," "struck by object" (such as net or post), "struck by sport implement" (such as ball or stick), "struck by playing surface" and "other."

Hockey accounted for 44.3 per cent of all injuries and almost 70 per cent of them occurred in children over 10 as a result of player-to-player contact or being hit into the boards.

Dr. Cusimano said they expected to see high numbers in hockey because it's Canada's "national sport."

"This shows that body contact is still an area where we need to make major inroads to preventing brain injuries," Dr. Cusimano said. "For example, enforcing existing rules and making more effective incentives and disincentives about checking from behind could make huge improvements."

Nineteen per cent of the youth who suffered brain injuries got them during soccer, with most in the 10 to 14 or 15 to 19 age group. In these age ranges, the most common cause of injury was being struck by another player, kicks to the head or head-on-head collisions. In the younger group, age five to nine, players were more likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury from striking a surface or a goal post than those in older groups.

"There's a really straightforward solution here," Dr. Cusimano said. "Padding the goal posts could have potentially prevented a large number of these brain injuries in young children."

The results also found that the youngest age group was at the highest risk for getting seriously injured in baseball. Most of the 15.3 per cent of injuries occurred in children under the age of 14, with 45 per cent of them in children under nine.

Ball and bat injuries were most common, with the majority of injuries caused because the players stood too close to the batter or bat and were not supervised by an adult.

"These results give us a very specific prevention message for kids under nine who play baseball: make helmets and supervision a mandatory," said Dr. Cusimano. "The younger the child, the more supervision they need when using things like bats and balls. Simple rules around not being close to the batter can be taught to children and adults."

Football and rugby accounted for 12.9 per cent 5.6 per cent of injuries respectively, and the majority of them were caused by tackling.

Basketball made up 11.6 per cent of injuries, mostly caused by player-to-player elbowing, which increased as players got older.

"There is a real opportunity for prevention here," Dr. Cusimano said. "Having educational programs, proper equipment, rules and other incentives that support a culture of safety in sports should be a mandate of parents, coaches, players, sports organizations, schools, sports sponsors, and other groups like governments."

Funding for the research was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by St. Michael's Hospital, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Michael D. Cusimano, Newton Cho, Khizer Amin, Mariam Shirazi, Steven R. McFaull, Minh T. Do, Matthew C. Wong, Kelly Russell. Mechanisms of Team-Sport-Related Brain Injuries in Children 5 to 19 Years Old: Opportunities for Prevention. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e58868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058868

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/~3/3M3mmJkKrl8/130329125301.htm

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FGCU's NCAA run ends with 62-50 loss to Florida

Florida's Will Yeguete dunks against Florida Gulf Coast during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

From left, Florida Gulf Coast's Brett Comer, Sherwood Brown, Eddie Murray and Dajuan Graf react during the final minutes of a regional semifinal game against Florida in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Florida Gulf Coast's Eric McKnight (12) reacts during the final minutes of a regional semifinal game against Florida in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Florida's Mike Rosario (3) reacts after beating Florida Gulf Coast 62-50 after a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Florida's Scottie Wilbekin (5) shoots as Florida Gulf Coast's Sherwood Brown (25) defends during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? That high-flying act from "Dunk City" busted most everybody's NCAA tournament brackets and left an indelible mark on March.

Bet you know what FGCU is now.

Florida Gulf Coast, the No. 15 seed few people knew much about only a week ago, had its improbable run to the NCAA round of 16 ended by a 62-50 loss late Friday night ? actually only a few minutes before midnight. SEC regular-season champion Florida is headed to its third consecutive regional final.

"We definitely defied a lot of odds," said Sherwood Brown, the dreadlocked guard who is Gulf Coast's only senior starter. "Pretty much no one in the nation expected us to make it this far."

Early against Florida, the Eagles (26-11) seemed even looser than they had in their victories over No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 seed San Diego State. And they had a big run that came early this time.

Chase Fieler had 3-pointers to start and cap an 11-0 run, raising his hands in the air after the second that put Gulf Coast ahead 15-4 and led to a timeout by Florida coach Billy Donovan less than 7 minutes into the game.

In between the 3s, Gulf Coast had some of the schoolyard-like plays that earned them that "Dunk City" moniker.

After Brett Comer stole a pass, he ran down the court and threw up an alley-oop pass for the trailing Brown, who delivered an emphatic slam that sent the announced crowd of more than 40,000 into a frenzy ? except for those in Gator orange.

Comer then flipped another backward pass to Bernard Thompson for a 3-pointer before Fieler's other 3.

"It was very exciting to get out to that big run, playing in the Sweet 16, playing the way we were playing early in the tournament against a great team in Florida," Fieler said.

That run was so similar to extended spurts they had in upsetting No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 seed San Diego State.

But the Gators (29-7) still had plenty of time ? and know how to go on big runs of their own.

"I thought we did a great job of putting pressure and making those guys feel uncomfortable," said Mike Rosario, who led Florida with 15 points.

The Eagles had 12 turnovers in the first half ? one less than they had in each of their first two NCAA tourney games ? and finished with 20.

Michael Frazier made a pair of 3-pointers from in front of the FGCU bench, the only baskets he made, to start a 16-0 run late in the first half.

That put the Gators in the lead to stay.

"As bad as we started off, I'm happy for my team that we fought back. They're a second-half team. We did a good job of attacking them in the first 4 minutes of the second half," said Kenny Boynton, whose three-point play sparked a quick 7-0 Gators run right after halftime.

The Gators will play Michigan in the South Regional final on that raised court at Cowboys Stadium on Sunday. They are trying to get to their first NCAA Final Four since consecutive national championships in 2006 and 2007.

Michigan overcame a 14-point deficit and knocked off No. 1 seed Kansas 87-85 in overtime earlier Friday night.

Brown led FGCU with 14 points, while Fieler had 12. Scottie Wilbekin had 13 points for Florida and Casey Prather 11.

This is the last chance for seniors Boynton and Erik Murphy to win a title of their own. And there was a business-like feel in the winning Florida locker room after the game.

On the other side, things weren't all that bleak despite the disappointment of being done and matching a season low for points.

"It's sad we lost tonight, but it was a great ride," said post player Eddie Murray, the only other senior on the Gulf Coast roster. "It hurts right now but when you step back and look at it, it's all been amazing."

FGCU heads back to Fort Myers (aka Dunk City), where it has man-made lakes and a beach on campus, having given the tournament a blast of fresh air while its players were just having a blast. The South Florida state school also got about the best free publicity its administrators could ever hope for.

"It was great to see the excitement across the country with the underdog and it's just a real feeling when you're the underdog and you're the talk of the nation," coach Andy Enfield said. "Our plan wasn't to become some great national story. Our plan was to go in and compete and win games. It was unbelievable to see the excitement and passion of not only our local community, the students, but also the national level.

"Our players believed, and they accomplished something special."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-30-NCAA-Florida%20Gulf%20Coast-Florida%20Folo/id-4ec382b3474846a0af56e237a1ab43a6

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Part involving Bulk SMS Guru services within TEXT Affiliate ...

Many of us receive SMS daily; some concerning an outlet starting, several for the guide release, a few regarding discounted presents and much more. Even though some of the TEXT fit each of our requires, other people seem trash to us given that they do not fit the profiles, and the info in the messages do not profit us at all. These kinds of communications are delivered having a particular purpose. These kinds of messages are fundamentally adverts and that we will be the market who else may well think about the adverts beneficial, as well as take heed of the promoted services or products. It is commonly called TXT marketing and advertising.

All of these communications tend to be submitted majority. There are actually mass SMS suppliers who have face the activity of sending TXT inside plenty fairly simple. Their own major activity would be to offer an SMS entrance or even application that will assists this. The suppliers possess scarves using portable networks and this also the actual amazing of the TXT rather trouble totally free. More often than not there is certainly weighty site visitors within the mobile phone systems. The work of the company is usually to locate alternative approaches to provide the meaning, skipping the actual visitors. Typically a small business TXT targeted at helping advertising and marketing functions, is constructed of 160 or even a lesser amount of characters. Nonetheless occasionally this particular limitation is crossed. Some bulk TXT suppliers can provide functions which can be special and permit us to increase how big is the actual your TEXT MESSAGE.

Many of these announcements are generally delivered over the web. The tv-sender is generally a firm who wants to publicize items or goods actually selling. It is therefore absurd when you consider a man/woman will certainly be seated and variety a note after which send out it to several individuals. This particular exercise should be completed with dexterity. Hence, it is arranged inside a different vogue. The web is employed to send typically the TXT at once. Typically the marketers and also campaigners draft a summary of titles that they think about like a potential focus on. Their own cell phone numbers are usually lined up and also an TEXT is brought to these. Applications are employed to total this unconditionally. It is known as mailing an online SMS to be able to mobile phone. This process will save you a lot of time, minimizes scope associated with fault, as well as permits visitors to when the particular message has been sent or not.

There are actually two types regarding quantities used intended for sending TEXT MESSAGE in large volumes. It is either a 15 number number, or perhaps a 5 number amount. The particular last mentioned is usually called a quick codes. Most people favor using this quantities in the event the career is always to only send out SMS and be given a reply. The main advantage of employing a quick codes is their span. Getting merely 4 or 5 digits, you can easily recall. Additionally, most of these figures are generally supported by key companies and will attain typically the people quickly without delay. The whole procedure for environment some sort of marketing campaign system by using TEXT is definitely special. With cautious planning, the best final results is possible, and also the art or advertising might be raised to your fresh levels.

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Source: http://fredrickjames.com/blog/personal-tax/part-involving-bulk-sms-guru-services-within-text-affiliate-marketing/

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'Dangerous dog' concerns in Center Point after deputy shoots pit bull ...

CENTER POINT, Alabama -- Although a city ordinance bans pit bulls and other "dangerous dogs" inside city limits, recent incidents have raised concerns about the animals.

Mary Margaret Hampton on Thursday told city council members three pit bulls belonging to a neighbor entered her yard twice since January, killing her Siamese cat and a Chihuahua puppy.

"They tried to attack me," Hampton said. "They tore the gate off the porch and tried to get into my house."

On Wednesday, a Jefferson County deputy sheriff shot a pit bull that lunged at him in Center Point. The dog was one of three that chased a woman into her house, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian. Another of the dogs was captured.

After Hampton's cat was killed, the neighbor's dogs were quarantined and the owners were told they had a week to get rid of the animals or a citation would be issued, a deputy told city officials Thursday night. Despite the warning, the animals were later brought back.

Mayor Tom Henderson said that happens all too often.

"Write them a citation right then. They're illegal period," Henderson said.

Other city officials agreed.

"You have to issue the citation to get the court process started," said Council President Roger Barlow.

Council member Linda Kennemur, chairwoman of the public safety committee, said the issue would be a good topic of discussion for the next community watch meeting, being held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The city Council in 2008 passed what it calls a "dangerous dog ordinance" that outlaws the keeping of pit bulls and any dogs "with a propensity, tendency or disposition to attack unprovoked" or any dog that is aggressive by nature.

Source: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/03/dangerous_dog_concerns_in_cent.html

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Richard Griffiths, Uncle Vernon In 'Harry Potter,' Has Passed Away

Best known for playing two uncles, Uncle Vernon in the "Harry Potter" films and Uncle Monty in "Withnail & I," English actor Richard Griffiths has passed away at the age of 65 due to complications from heart surgery. Daniel Radcliffe, Griffiths' on-screen nephew and "Equus" co-star, was among the first to release a statement. "Richard [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/03/29/richard-griffiths-uncle-vernon-dead/

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Cyprus reopens banks under tight restrictions

By Karolina Tagaris and Michele Kambas

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriots queued calmly at banks as they reopened on Thursday under tight controls imposed on transactions to prevent a run on deposits after the government was forced to accept a stringent EU rescue package to avert bankruptcy.

Banks were shut almost two weeks ago as the government negotiated a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) international bailout, the first in Europe's single currency zone to impose losses on bank depositors.

Bank staff turned up for work early in Nicosia as cash was delivered by armored trucks, and queues of at least a dozen people formed at some branches in the capital. Doors opened at noon (6:00 a.m. EDT).

Authorities say the emergency rules imposed to limit withdrawals and prevent a bank run will be temporary, initially for seven days, but economists say they will be difficult to lift as long as the economy is in crisis.

The capital controls decree was taped to the windows of bank branches and staff handed out copies to customers. In Nicosia, there was relief, but some apprehension about what might happen.

"You've no idea how much I've been waiting for this," said 64-year-old pensioner Froso Kokikou, waiting in line at a branch of Cyprus Popular Bank, also known as Laiki.

"I feel a sense of fear and disappointment having to queue up like this; it feels like a Third World country, but what can you do?" Kokikou said. "This is what they imposed on us and we have to live with it."

Kostas Nikolaou, a 60-year-old pensioner, said the uncertainty of the past two weeks had been "like a slow death".

He added: "How can they tell you that you can't access your own money in the bank? It's our money, we are entitled to it."

The Cyprus stock exchange said it would remain closed on Thursday.

Container trucks loaded with cash pulled up inside the compound of the central bank in the capital Nicosia on Wednesday night to prepare for the reopening, a central bank source said. A helicopter hovered overhead, and police with rifles were stationed around the compound.

As in all countries that use the euro, Cyprus's central bank supplies cash for its banks from the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. Officials have promised that enough funds will be on hand to meet demand. The ECB did not comment on reports it had sent extra cash to the island.

A Finance Ministry decree limited cash withdrawals to no more than 300 euros per day and banned the cashing of cheques.

The island's central bank will review all commercial transactions over 5,000 euros and scrutinize transactions over 200,000 euros on an individual basis. People leaving Cyprus can take only 1,000 euros with them.

With just 860,000 people, Cyprus has about 68 billion euros in its banks - a vastly outsized financial system that attracted deposits from foreigners, especially Russians, as an offshore haven but foundered after investments in neighboring Greece went sour.

The European Union and International Monetary Fund concluded that Cyprus could not afford a rescue unless it imposed losses on depositors, seen as anathema in previous euro zone bailouts.

"CYPRUS EURO"

Cyprus's financial difficulties have sent tremors through the already fragile single European currency. The imposition of capital controls has led economists to warn that a second-class "Cyprus euro" could emerge, with funds trapped on the island less valuable than euros that can be freely spent abroad.

Reflecting fears of a spillover from the Cypriot crisis, ratings agency Moody's said it kept euro zone strugglers Ireland and Portugal on negative outlook, citing the Cyprus bailout as an extra risk.

The European Commission said the capital controls were legal and justified under EU law provided they were strictly temporary and proportionate. The EU executive said it would monitor "the need to extend the validity of or revise the measures".

Many experts are skeptical. In a Reuters poll of economists this week 30 out of 46 said the controls would last months, while 13 expected they would endure a matter of weeks. Three said they could last years.

"This is a typical set of exchange control measures, more reminiscent of Latin America or Africa," said Bob Lyddon, General Secretary of the international banking association IBOS.

"These are permanent controls until the economy recovers."

The bailout, agreed in Brussels on Monday, looks set to push Cyprus deeper into an economic slump, shrink the banking sector and cost thousands of jobs.

Cyprus Popular Bank will be closed and its guaranteed deposits of up to 100,000 euros transferred to the biggest bank, Bank of Cyprus.

Deposits of more than 100,000 euros at both banks, too big to enjoy a state guarantee, will be frozen, and some of those funds will be exchanged for shares issued by the banks to recapitalize them.

While big depositors will lose money, the authorities say deposits up to 100,000 euros will be protected. The Cypriot parliament had vetoed an earlier plan, approved by euro zone finance ministers, that would also have hit small depositors.

European leaders said the bailout deal averted a chaotic national bankruptcy that might have forced Cyprus out of the euro. Many Cypriots say the deal was foisted upon them by partners in the 17-nation euro zone, notably EU paymaster Germany, and some have taken to the streets to vent their frustration.

(Additional reporting by Laura Noonan and Costas Pitas; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Giles Elgood and Paul Taylor)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cyprus-reopens-banks-under-strict-restrictions-011937977--finance.html

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Vegan Drinks: Radish Bloody Mary | Nutrition Rocks

A delicious Bloody Mary recipe complete with retro celery sticks and the requisite balance of fresh and bold flavours. This can be made to taste depending on your guest. The addition of the radish rubbing shoulders with the lime presents a really effective new twist to a classic drink.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 5 minutes

You?ll need:

100ml vodka

50ml sherry

? tbsp freshly grated horseradish

25ml Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco to taste

? tsp celery salt

Cracked black pepper to taste

750ml tomato juice

500g ice cubes

100g sliced radishes

1 lime cut into wedges

4 celery sticks to garnish

What to do:

Mix together the vodka, sherry, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, celery salt, black pepper and tomato juice in a large jug.

Fill another large jug with the ice, sliced radishes and lime wedges.

Pour the liquid over the ice, and serve straight away in chilled glasses with celery sticks in them.

Alternatively you can let your friends mix their own, depending on how spicy they like them!

Recipe from:?www.loveradish.co.uk

Source: http://nutrition-rocks.co.uk/?p=3733

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Ten years and 10,000 fewer premature deaths later

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg marked the tenth anniversary on Wednesday of his ban on smoking in bars and restaurants with a report saying the ban and subsequent anti-smoking measures had prevented 10,000 premature deaths.

"Ten years ago when New York City prohibited smoking in restaurants and bars, many predicted the end of the hospitality, restaurant and tourism industries," Bloomberg said in a statement.

"Yet ten years later, fewer New Yorkers are smoking, we are living longer, our industries are thriving and nobody longs for a return to smoke-filled bars and restaurants."

Critics of the move feared banning smoking would hurt the restaurant and bar business, but the Health Department report said there are now some 6,000 more restaurants and bars in the city than there were a decade ago.

The city's Smoke-Free Air Act came into effect a little over a year into Bloomberg's first term as mayor in 2003 and prohibited smoking inside bars, restaurants and most workplaces.

The following year, the city began providing free nicotine replacement therapy to smokers trying to quit and in 2011 expanded the smoking ban to the city's parks and beaches.

According to the report released on Wednesday, the proportion of adult smokers dropped by about a third to 15 percent in 2011 from 21.5 percent in 2002. The report, released by the city's Health Department, also said the proportion of youths under age 18 who smoke dropped by about half to 8.5 percent.

Bloomberg's tenure, which will end this year, has been marked by his efforts to improve New Yorkers' health by trying to induce them to eat less salt, trans fats and calories in general, among other measures.

Bloomberg has been criticized by some as paternalistic but his efforts have coincided with an increase in New Yorkers' life expectancy, including a decline in tobacco-related deaths.

Bloomberg's attempt to limit the size of sugary drinks sold in the city was derailed this month only hours before the new rules were to take effect when a judge ruled that they were "arbitrary and capricious". The city is appealing that decision.

A week later, Bloomberg announced his plan to require shops to hide cigarettes and tobacco products from public view, arguing that would shield young people from marketing efforts.

Some shop owners and cigarette manufacturers have criticized the plan as unnecessary extra regulation that would infringe the free speech provision of the U.S. Constitution.

Bloomberg also proposed a minimum price of $10.50 for a pack of cigarettes, in the hope that some smokers would find the habit too expensive to maintain. The two bills are now before the city council.

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature death in the city, according to the Health Department.

Ronald Bayer, a professor of public health at Columbia University, called Bloomberg's health initiatives a "major achievement" and said his efforts to make smoking less socially acceptable were an effective and legitimate use of his office.

He said it remains an open question how much further government could go to discourage smokers to quit.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst)

(In next-to-last paragraph, this story corrects spelling of professor's name to Bayer, not Beyer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/york-city-marks-tenth-anniversary-smoking-ban-192916192.html

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Declaring a truce with our microbiological frenemies

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Managing bacteria and other microorganisms in the body, rather than just fighting them, may be lead to better health and a stronger immune system, according to a Penn State biologist.

Researchers have historically focused on microbes in the body as primarily pathogens that must be fought, said Eric Harvill, professor of microbiology and infectious disease. However, he said that recent evidence of the complex interaction of the body with microbes suggests a new interpretation of the relationship.

"Now we are beginning to understand that the immune system interacts with far more beneficial bacteria than pathogens," said Harvill. "We need to re-envision what the true immune system really is."

Harvill said that this reinterpretation leads to a more flexible approach to understanding how the immune system interacts with microbes. This approach should balance between defending against pathogens and enlisting the help of beneficial microbes.

While the role that some bacteria play in aiding digestion is better known, microbes assist in improving body functions, including strengthening the immune system and responding to injuries.

In some cases, attacking pathogens can harm the beneficial effects microbes have on immune system, according to Harvill. For example, patients on antibiotics have an increased risk of contracting yeast infections and MRSA.

"Viewing everything currently considered immunity, including both resistance and tolerance, as aspects of a complex microbiome management system that mediates interactions with the sea of microbes that surround us, many of which are beneficial, can provide a much more positive outlook and different valuable perspectives," Harvill said.

The system that includes bacteria and other microbes in the human body, or the microbiome, is much larger and more integrated into human health than most people suspect, according to Harvill.

"The human body has 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells," said Harvill.

Adding to the complexity is the adaptive capacity of the human immune system. The immune system can develop antibodies against certain pathogens, which it can reuse when threatened by future attacks from the same pathogen.

Harvill, who described his alternative viewpoint in the latest issue of mBio, said that some researchers have not yet accepted this broader approach to the immune system.

"Among immunologists or microbiologists this is an alien concept," said Harvill. "It's not part of how we have historically looked at the immune system, but it's a useful viewpoint."

Other researchers who study plant and nonhuman biology are already starting to embrace the concept. For example, plant biologists are beginning to recognize that viruses can help plants resist drought and heat.

"Within nonhuman immunology, this is not an alien concept because they have seen many examples of beneficial relationships between the host and its microbial commensals," Harvill said.

Harvill said adopting this new perspective could be the first step toward new medical treatments.

"This new viewpoint suggests new experiments and results will published," said Harvill. "And, hopefully, the concept becomes more and more mainstream as supporting evidence accumulates."

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences supported this work.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Penn State. The original article was written by Matthew Swayne.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

E. T. Harvill. Cultivating Our "Frienemies": Viewing Immunity as Microbiome Management. mBio, 2013; 4 (2): e00027-13 DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00027-13

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/zVlE42gbOgI/130328125228.htm

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