Giffords seeks "bold" action as Congress takes up gun control

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, grievously wounded in a 2011 mass shooting, made an emotional plea on Wednesday for Congress to take action to curb gun violence, but a National Rifle Association executive said new gun laws "have failed in the past and they'll fail again."

Speaking haltingly, Giffords urged lawmakers to be bold and courageous as she opened testimony at the first congressional hearing on gun violence since the December 14 massacre in which a gunman shot dead 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Responding to outrage across the country following that incident, President Barack Obama and other Democrats have asked Congress to pass the largest package of gun restrictions in decades.

"Speaking is difficult. But I need to say something important," Giffords, who survived a head wound in an assassination attempt in Tucson, Arizona in which six people were killed and 13 others wounded, told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying - too many children. We must do something. It will be hard, but the time is now," said Giffords, who was accompanied by her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly. "You must act. Be bold, be courageous. Americans are counting on you."

Obama's proposals to curb gun violence include reinstating the U.S. ban on military-style assault weapons, limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines, and more extensive background checks of prospective gun buyers, largely to verify whether they have a history of crime or mental illness.

Witnesses and lawmakers at the hearing agreed on the constitutional right to own guns but clashed over Obama's proposals, particularly the call for universal background checks for all gun buyers. That is seen as the most likely restriction to gain bipartisan support in a sharply divided Congress.

Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president and CEO of the powerful gun rights lobbying group the National Rifle Association, dismissed Obama's plan to close loopholes in the background check law.

"Let's be honest, background checks will never be universal because criminals will never submit to them," LaPierre said.

Federally licensed firearms dealers are required to run background checks for criminal records on gun buyers. But the government estimates that 40 percent of purchasers avoid screening by obtaining their guns from private sellers, including those at gun shows.

Kelly said tightening background checks for all gun buyers would be one of the most important ways to prevent guns from falling into the hands of criminals or the mentally ill.

"I mean, I can't think of something that would make our country safer than doing just that," Kelly testified, calling it the "common sense thing to do."

Obama's gun restrictions face a difficult challenge getting through the Democratic-led Senate and Republican-led House of Representatives, where many Republicans and some pro-gun Democrats have long opposed stronger gun-control laws.

'AWASH IN GUNS'

LaPierre said the proposals would not reduce gun violence and called for more active prosecution of current laws and improved protection for schools, including armed guards.

"Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals," LaPierre said. "We need to be honest about what works and what does not work. Proposals that would only serve to burden the law-abiding have failed in the past and they'll fail again."

Senator Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, sharply challenged LaPierre, saying the city of Chicago in his home state is "awash in guns."

"We have guns everywhere, and some believe the solution to this is more guns," he said. "I disagree."

LaPierre and some Republicans on the panel said there has been a decline in prosecution of gun laws since Obama took office in 2009. "It's a disgrace," he said.

While background checks are seen as the most likely common ground in the renewed gun-control debate, Obama's plan to ban the sale of rapid-firing assault weapons like the one used in the Connecticut shootings faces much tougher opposition.

Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the committee, said the 1994 federal ban on assault weapons, which expired in 2004, did not stop mass shootings like the one at Columbine High School in Colorado.

"We should not rush to pass legislation that will not reduce mass killings. Banning guns based on their appearance does not make sense," Grassley said. "I also question limitations on magazine capacity. Those can be circumvented by carrying multiple guns, as many killers have done."

Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, said the panel hoped to finish its work on gun-control legislation by late February and send it to the Senate floor.

That could ignite a fierce legislative battle in Congress at a time when lawmakers are also wrestling with ambitious immigration reform proposals and urgent deadlines to reach agreement on federal spending.

The hearing featured a few sharp exchanges, including one between Leahy and LaPierre over the NRA's position on background checks. "I do not believe, the way the law is working now unfortunately, that it does any good to extend the law," LaPierre said.

Kelly, who along with Giffords recently founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, a group intended to combat gun violence, said the couple was in favor of gun ownership but against gun violence. "When dangerous people get dangerous guns, we are all the more vulnerable," he said.

Leahy made clear whatever measures would be considered to rein in gun violence, there would be no move to erode the fundamental right of Americans to own a gun, which is protected under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a former federal prosecutor, agreed with the NRA that the government needs to better enforce existing gun laws.

"You have to prosecute," Sessions said.

(Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amid-questions-senate-begins-hearings-gun-control-115838971.html

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New Orleans' challenge: policing 2 huge parties

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? New Orleans police are in the middle of an unprecedented security challenge with an estimated 150,000 Super Bowl fans packing the city during the raucous annual buildup to Mardi Gras, when thousands of revelers flock to the historic French Quarter and its restaurants, bars and strip clubs.

It all began in earnest Friday night with the first of the city's major float-filled Mardi Gras season parades. This week, the parade schedule is on hold while the Super Bowl takes center stage. Mardi Gras preparations resume once Sunday's game is over and the parades roll again starting Wednesday.

The city's police force of 1,200 officers is working more than three weeks' worth of 12-hour days, on the lookout for everything from petty crime and public drunkenness to random gunfire and the threat of terrorism. It will be an exhausting stretch that city officials say will cost the city several million dollars in police overtime.

"If we can, we'd like to give them some time down," said police chief Ronal Serpas. "But if we can't, they know it and they'll stand up for it."

It's also a unique chance for Serpas to show off one of the strengths of a department beset by scandals involving brutality and mismanagement. City officials have carried out numerous reforms aimed at cleaning up the department, which has seen five officers convicted of civil rights violations stemming from deadly shootings of unarmed residents after Hurricane Katrina.

For years, though, crowd control has been the department's bright spot, especially during Mardi Gras revelry on the narrow streets of the nearly 300-year-old French Quarter, home to fancy restaurants and art galleries as well as sleazy bars and strip joints.

"I think the NOPD does take a particular pride in its long-standing history and long-standing demonstration that managing large crowds is something we do very well," said Serpas, who is in his third year running the department.

Shoulder-to-shoulder, alcohol-fueled crowds often spill over into the neighboring Faubourg Marigny, an increasingly popular area of music clubs and restaurants. A 15-block-long stretch of Poydras Street, linking the Superdome to the Mississippi River and the massive Harrah's Casino, is seeing increased foot traffic during sports events with the opening of more bars and restaurants in recent years. And, outside the Quarter, lavish Carnival season parades draw tens of thousands to the miles-long routes. During the final weekend of Mardi Gras, streets of the metro area can be packed with more than a million people, and more than a few will be overdoing it.

"The thing about Mardi Gras crowds is, we get this impression that some of the people may have been drinking," Serpas deadpanned.

Police perched atop horses watch for problems on the horizon and keep people moving, while uniformed officers on foot mingle and build rapport with the partiers to keep the peace. Plainclothes officers will be on the lookout for weapons and other less visible problems. Arrest numbers vary from year to year, though police commonly arrest at least several hundred people each year during Mardi Gras-related celebrations ? most for relatively minor transgressions.

Joining the department's officers for Super Bowl week are more than 200 state troopers and about 100 officers from surrounding local jurisdictions. Also, with the Super Bowl considered a potential terrorist target, there is a beefed-up federal contingent. That includes close to 100 extra FBI personnel supplementing the regular New Orleans FBI staff of 200 agents and support staff, said Michael Anderson, the agent in charge of the New Orleans office.

That office will be home to a joint operations center where the goings-on will be constantly monitored by representatives from all involved state, local and federal law enforcement and security agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Such a center is standard operating procedure for the Super Bowl each year, Anderson said.

New Orleans police will take the lead on local crime, traffic or public disturbances, Anderson said. "If there's any inkling of a terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack in any way," he said, "then we kick in with our full apparatus."

At Louis Armstrong International Airport, the Transportation Safety Administration is adding personnel and equipment to handle security checks, said TSA spokesman Jon Allen. He said there will be 11 additional checkpoint lanes added to the 14 existing lanes for passenger screening.

Five additional explosives-detecting machines have been added to screen checked baggage, and more than 100 transportation security officers will be brought in from other airports starting Sunday to help local airport staff, Allen said. The officers will stay through the middle of next week, he said.

Beyond the city's police costs, exact security costs are difficult to determine. Federal officials declined to detail specifics, and an NFL representative would say only that the league will spend millions.

Mardi Gras season happens every year, and the city is no stranger to Super Bowls, having hosted nine ? including the 2002 game that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Although security planning for the Super Bowl has grown increasingly complex since the attacks, no acts of terror or other serious problems have been reported at Super Bowls in recent years.

Most Super Bowl problems in recent years resulted from human gridlock. At last year's Super Bowl in Indianapolis, 11 people suffered minor injuries during a free outdoor concert. But officials said otherwise there were few problems.

This year, officers will be prepared to reroute or block vehicle traffic when streets are full of pedestrians. As for terrorism worries, Anderson said preparations include formation of SWAT teams and "hazardous incident teams" ? specialists in hazardous materials or explosives assembled from the various federal local and state agencies.

Serpas welcomes the help, but he said much of the cooperation comes from the partiers themselves ? a diverse crowd that can consist of locals and families picnicking on parade routes and a more adult, heavier-drinking crowd downtown and in the Quarter.

"You look at that parade route, and on any one block there could be 10,000 people and two cops," Serpas said. "How do those two cops stay safe, and how does that crowd stay safe? We're actually working together."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/orleans-challenge-policing-2-huge-parties-081329911--spt.html

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Stocks end lower after GDP data released

1 hr.

Javier E. David , CNBC

Major U.S. stock benchmarks fell on Wednesday, after dour U.S. growth data reinforced a decision by the?Federal Reserve?to maintain its commitment to massive economic stimulus.

In a decision widely expected by analysts, the Fed emphasized that it would stick to its bond-buying program. That outcome was cast into doubt just weeks ago, after minutes from the central bank's last policy meeting showed some Fed members were growing concerned about ultra-low borrowing costs.

The decision converged with data that showed the U.S. economy?shrank by an annualized?0.1 percent in the final three months of 2012, and reinforced expectations that the Fed would likely err on the side of more stimulus.

Despite a run of strong corporate earnings, the GDP data fanned concerns about the economy's ability to absorb higher tax rates ? some of which took effect when the payroll tax holiday expired at the beginning of the year ? and efforts to cut government spending.

"The real risk out there, and the Fed was very vague in how they characterized it?I think we're going to see major government spending cuts that are going to come through sequestration," Diane Swonk, chief economist and senior managing director,?Mesirow Financial, told CNBC's "Street Signs"

"That is something the Fed has to deal with. That not only means weaker growth, which justifies lower rates, but it also means more Fed action."

After floating for most of the session between modest gains and losses in directionless trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed about 44 points, trading around 13,910.19, drifting further away from the psychologically-important 14,000 barrier being watched by analysts.

The S&P 500 Index slipped by nearly six points to 1,501.93, while the the Nasdaq dipped five points to trade above 3,142.31.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered to be the market's best gauge of fear in the market, rose above just shy of 14.

After floating for most of the session between modest gains and losses in directionless trading, the?Dow Jones Industrial Average?shed about 44 points, trading around 13,910.19, drifting further away from the psychologically-important 14,000 barrier being watched by analysts.

The?S&P 500?Index slipped by nearly six points to 1,501.93, while the the?Nasdaq?dipped five points to trade above 3,142.31.

The?CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered to be the market's best gauge of fear in the market, rose above just shy of 14.

Meanwhile, after weeks of buying on the rumor of?Research In Motion's new BlackBerry 10, investors on Wednesday opted to sell the fact.

The company ? which officially changed its corporate name to BlackBerry ? unveiled the new smartphone that many analysts see as essential to its long-term survival. Still, investors voted with their feet as RIM shares?plunged more than ten percent in volatile trading. It finished the session near near $14.

Volume in the company's stock this month is 85 percent higher than the average daily volume in the previous three months, 34.2 million. RIM?shares?are?up about 29 percent this month, its largest gain?since November, when it rose 46 percent.

The GDP report came just on the heels of a policy decision by the Fed. Some analysts, however, saw the slippage in U.S. growth as a temporary blip.

"[The] bottom line is that while this is the first reading for output for the final quarter, both inventories and trade could be revised firmer," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at?Miller Tabak.

"We expect 2013 to start with a rebound in inventory building, something evidenced by firm durable goods orders that will likely filter through into shipments moving into" the first quarter of this year, he added.

Still, markets were encouraged by a spate of strong quarterly earnings reports.?Boeing?rose one percent after the company reported fourth-quarter profit of?$1.28 per share, above analyst estimates. The company dismissed speculation that its bottom line would take a hit from widely publicized problems with its 787 Dreamliner, and expects to maintain its production and delivery forecast.

Amazon.com?surged by more than four percent, trading near $270 and within striking distance of a new 52-week high despite seeing a?fourth-quarter shortfall?on both the top and bottom lines. Analysts preferred to focus instead on what they expect will be Amazon's impressive profit margins.

Looking ahead, social networking giant Facebook notched gains ahead of its fourth quarter earnings, scheduled to be released after the bell. After broad pessimism pushed its stock below $20 last year, the company's stock has steadily climbed back above $30.

? 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/stocks-end-lower-after-gdp-data-released-1B8183010

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Academic gains, improved teacher relationships found among high risk kids in Head Start

Jan. 30, 2013 ? A new study by Oregon State University researchers finds that Head Start can make a positive impact in the lives of some of its highest risk children, both academically and behaviorally.

Published in the current issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, the study sheds light on how Head Start has helped children living in non-parental care, or living with someone who is not a parent or step-parent by biology or adoption.

"These children tend to have unstable home lives, sometimes transitioning between different relatives, living with their grandma one month, and later with an aunt or other family member," said lead author Shannon Lipscomb, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at OSU-Cascades.

"These are kids who face heightened risk factors even beyond those of other children living in poverty. They are more similar to what we find in kids in child welfare. They have a lot of challenges in their lives, and the stresses of that can cause behavioral and development issues."

The researchers obtained data from the Head Start Impact Study, a nationally representative sample of Head Start programs and families commissioned by the federal government. Head Start provides comprehensive early child development services to low-income children and their families. That original study, published in 2010, looked at the general population of children attending Head Start programs, but did not examine impacts for children living in non-parental care.

"Children in non-parental care showed more problems with academics, behavior, and a wide variety of risk factors at the beginning of the study," Lipscomb said. "In addition, Head Start is designed as a wrap-around program, which links child, teacher, and parent. So we wanted to know if this model even works for kids who don't have a traditional family, and may have different caregivers at any given time."

The researchers found that Head Start appears to be as beneficial for this group of children as it is for the general population of children living in poverty who attend the program. Analyzing the data on 253 children in non-parental care, they found the program had short-term positive impacts on school readiness, particularly in regards to early academic skills, positive teacher-child relationships, and a reduction in behavior problems.

"Our findings show Head Start is at least as effective for this very high risk group as prior studies have shown that it is for other children," Lipscomb said. "The impact we saw was modest, not huge, but statistically significant. We think the positive impact on child-teacher relationships is especially important."

Lipscomb said this was a new finding; prior analysis of Head Start's impacts on children who live with their parents haven't found this effect.

Lipscomb is an expert on early childhood development, with an emphasis on preschool and early child care experiences, and how those early social experiences help kids prepare for success in life. Her work focuses on children from at-risk backgrounds.

"Children in non-parental care tend to struggle with socio-emotional development, likely due to the risk factors they experience such as transitioning between homes, special needs, and behavioral problems," she said. "Perhaps as a result of Head Start's whole-child focus and standards for teacher qualifications, their teachers may be more effective than caregivers in other types of programs in establishing positive relationships with children who have high needs."

OSU doctoral students Megan Pratt and Sara Schmitt, as well as Katherine Pears and Hyoun Kim of the Oregon Social Learning Center, contributed to this study.

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Journal Reference:

1. Shannon T. Lipscomb, Megan E. Pratt, Sara A. Schmitt, Katherine C. Pears, Hyoun K. Kim. School readiness in children living in non-parental care: Impacts of Head Start. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2013; 34 (1): 28 DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2012.09.001

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/top_news/top_health/~3/i8MOfHgA7lM/130130121654.htm

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Alex Rodriguez named in a new doping report

A man in south Florida supplied performance-enhancing drugs to more than half a dozen major league players, including Alex Rodriguez, according to a Miami New Times report that officials at Major League Baseball believe will grow into a doping scandal that could rival the BALCO case that tarnished Barry Bonds.

Alex Rodriguez is once again at the center of a possible PED scandal. (AP Photo) The newspaper reported Tuesday morning that Anthony Bosch, a self-styled biochemist seen frequently in Latin American baseball circles, distributed large amounts of human growth hormone, synthetic testosterone and other cocktails of PEDs to players who previously had not been linked, such as Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz. Some of the players could be subject to a 50-game suspension for a violation of the league's PED policy, a league official told Yahoo! Sports. Three of Bosch's alleged clients ? outfielder Melky Cabrera, pitcher Bartolo Colon and catcher Yasmani Grandal ? already have been caught and suspended by the league. Following a relatively quiet period, PED busts spiked in baseball last season. From Ryan Braun's positive test for testosterone ? which got overturned because of alleged mishandling of evidence ? to the suspensions of Cabrera, Colon, Grandal, Freddy Galvis, Marlon Byrd, Guillermo Mota and Carlos Ruiz, baseball is facing a renaissance of use, one it believes centered in south Florida. While MLB had investigated wellness clinics and other suspected PED purveyors in the Miami area, it had not uncovered much of the blockbuster information revealed in the New Times story, the official told Yahoo! Sports. [Also: Texas hopes to replace Josh Hamilton with prospects]

The records of players' use, given to the New Times by a former employee at Bosch's Biogenesis clinic, are especially detailed in the cases of Rodriguez and Cabrera. Rodriguez, referred to as "Alex Rodriguez," "Alex Rod" or "Cacique," received HGH, testosterone cream and insulin-like growth factor, all banned under MLB's PED policy. He also was given "troches," a lozenge that has 15 percent testosterone, and other types of growth hormone, according to the report.

Rodriguez's account was "paid through April 30th" of 2012, according to the records. Cruz, the slugging outfielder whom Bosch nicknamed "Mohamad," gave Bosch $4,000 in July 2012, the records said, for a regimen that included "troches." The report also links Washington Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez to Bosch, though the five mentions of him in the records are less specific. While they include a $1,000 charge, Gonzalez's father, Max, said he was the one working with Bosch to lose weight. Florida state and federal authorities have amped up their inquiries into Bosch in recent months, the league official said, as he operated a number of clinics that catered to athletes as well as the growing group that seeks HGH and testosterone as anti-aging treatments. [Also: Milwaukee Brewers will wear fan-designed uniform]

Pedro Bosch, a doctor who has worked in Florida for more than 35 years and is Anthony's father, supplied the fertility-drug prescription to Manny Ramirez that prompted his first PED suspension in 2009.

While the Drug Enforcement Agency looked into the Bosches supplying the players, it chose not to pursue a case, according to ESPN.com. MLB and the players association strengthened the league's PED policy this offseason, instituting random blood testing for HGH and a stronger test for synthetic testosterone triggered by a variation from a baseline testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio the league will keep on every player. Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Ray Lewis dealing with pain of ailing grandmother
? Colin Kaepernick taking silence-is-golden approach to media circus
? Why J.J. Redick had to attend Justin Bieber show
? Man U fan gets unwanted attention after peeing on Mario Balotelli's car

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alex-rodriguez-is-the-biggest-name-in-a-new-ped-report-that-could-rival-balco-143803741.html

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3D Systems, Stratasys Retrench As ExOne Sets IPO ... - Investors.com

The two leading makers of three-dimensional printers sold off with gusto Monday. 3D Systems (DDD) led the rock slide, losing 14% in five times its average trade.

Peer Stratasys (SSYS) shed 10% on a big volume bump.

Stratasys stopped at its 50-day moving average and 3D Systems stopped well above its 50-day line. The level of selling in both stocks was serious. In 3D's case, shares fell on the highest volume since a breakout in April.

The main news in the sector came from 3D printing company ExOne, which set terms Monday for its $75 million initial public offering.

The Pennsylvania-based company, which provides printing machines and printed products to industrial customers, plans to sell 5 million shares priced between 14 and 16. The company plans to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol XONE.

Its printers reportedly offer fast, low-cost prototypes made from metal, glass or ceramic powder. But there is no clear read yet, analysts say, on how the new and much smaller entrant may affect the competitive field.

The news arrived just as 3D Systems shares had reached a bit of a precarious position. The stock gapped up 5% last week, breaking above an upper channel line ? a line drawn across the highs since May .

A break above this line is a sell signal, a sign the stock's run may be weakening. In the case of 3D Systems, the signal's importance is compounded by the fact the stock has already broken out of a third-stage base.

Also, shares rose 86% above their 200-day moving average last week. Advances of 70% to 100% above a stock's 200-day moving average may also warn of weakness in a stock's uptrend.

Analysts' consensus forecast for the company's earnings is an increase of 138% in Q4 on a 49% gain in sales. The company will report before the market opens Feb. 25.

Stratasys is also above a third-stage base but it has given up most gains from its November breakout. It had run up as much as 33% from its buy point, vs. a 60% advance for 3D Systems.

Source: http://news.investors.com/investing-ibd-industry-themes/012813-642205-3d-systems-and-stratsys-sell-off.htm

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Obama launches push for immigration overhaul

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.. center, answers a reporter's question as he and a bipartisan group of leading senators announce that they have reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. From left are Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. The deal covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.. center, answers a reporter's question as he and a bipartisan group of leading senators announce that they have reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. From left are Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. The deal covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Seeking swift action on immigration, President Barack Obama on Tuesday will try to rally public support behind his proposals for giving millions of illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship, as well as making improvements to the legal immigration system and border security.

The president will launch his push in a campaign-style event in Las Vegas, a day after a bipartisan group of senators unveiled their own plan for addressing an issue that has languished in Washington for years.

Administration officials said Obama would largely endorse the senators' efforts, though immigration advocates said they expected the president's own proposals to be more progressive than the Senate group's, including a faster pathway to citizenship.

The simultaneous immigration campaigns were spurred by the November presidential election, in which Obama won an overwhelming majority of Hispanic voters. The results caused Republican lawmakers who had previously opposed immigration reform to reconsider in order to rebuild the party's reputation among Hispanics, an increasingly powerful political force.

Most of the recommendations Obama will make Tuesday are not new. He outlined an immigration blueprint in May 2011 but exerted little political capital to get it passed by Congress, to the disappointment of many Hispanics.

Obama "believes that we are at a moment now where there seems to be support coalescing at a bipartisan level behind the very principles that he has long put forward and behind principles that have in the past enjoyed bipartisan support," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday. "And that is a very positive thing."

The president was to make his pitch in Nevada, a political battleground he carried in November, in large part because of support from Hispanics in the state.

Nationally, Obama won 71 percent of the Hispanic vote, giving him a key advantage over Republican rival Mitt Romney.

Administration officials said the president would bolster his 2011 immigration blueprint with some fresh details. His original plan centered on four key areas: a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., improved border security, an overhaul of the legal immigration system, and an easier process for businesses to verify the legal status of workers.

Administration officials said they were encouraged to see the Senate backing the same broad principles. In part because of the fast action on Capitol Hill, Obama does not currently plan to send lawmakers formal immigration legislation.

However, officials said the White House does have legislation drafted and could fall back on it should the Senate process stall. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal strategy.

Gay and lesbian advocates were also expecting Obama's proposals to include recognition of same-sex couples where one partner is American and another is not.

Obama's previous proposals for creating a pathway to citizenship required those already in the U.S. illegally to register with the government and submit to security checks; pay registration fees, a series of fines and back taxes; and learn English. After eight years, individuals would be allowed to become legal permanent residents and could eventually become citizens five years later.

The Senate group's pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the U.S. would be contingent upon securing the border and improving tracking of people in the U.S. on visas. Linking citizenship to border security could become a sticking point between the White House and lawmakers.

The Senate framework would also require those here illegally to pass background checks and pay fines and taxes in order to qualify for a "probationary legal status" that would allow them to live and work here ? but not qualify for federal benefits ? before being able to apply for permanent residency, a critical step toward citizenship. Once they are allowed to apply they would do so behind everyone else already waiting for a green card within the current immigration system.

Passage of legislation by the full Democratic-controlled Senate is far from assured, but the tallest hurdle could come in the House, which is dominated by conservative Republicans who've shown little interest in immigration reform.

The senators involved in formulating the immigration proposals were Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado; and Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona.

Several of these lawmakers have worked for years on the issue. McCain collaborated with the late Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on comprehensive immigration legislation pushed by then-President George W. Bush in 2007, only to see it collapse in the Senate when it couldn't get enough GOP support.

___

Associated Press writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-29-Obama/id-44af5aa8ca564744bc9c806c7c4cfe95

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Caterpillar 4Q earnings fall by half

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? Caterpillar's fourth-quarter net income fell by half after it took a big charge for a deal in China that went bad, and because of slower growth in China and economic uncertainty in the U.S. and Europe.

Still, its adjusted profit and revenue were better than analysts expected. And while cautious about the global economic outlook, Caterpillar does expect conditions to pick up later in the year, outside of Europe. Shares rose 2.4 percent in premarket trading.

Caterpillar Inc. makes construction and mining equipment as well as power generators, so its growth rises and falls with the world's economy.

For the fourth quarter, Caterpillar earned $697 million, or $1.04 per share. That was down from a profit of $1.55 billion, or $2.32 per share a year earlier.

Revenue fell 7 percent to $16.08 billion as dealers reduced inventory.

The most recent quarter included a non-cash charge of 87 cents per share to write down the purchase of Zhengzhou Siwei. Not counting that, analysts surveyed by FactSet had been expecting a profit of $1.70 per share.

Caterpillar's purchase of Siwei last year gave it a new business ? roofing supports for mines ? in a country where mining is growing quickly. But on Jan. 18, Caterpillar said it had found "deliberate, multi-year, coordinated accounting misconduct" in the accounting at Siwei, and said it will write down its investment in the company by $580 million. It also said it dismissed several senior managers at the company.

For this year, Caterpillar expects revenue of $60 billion to $68 billion, with a profit of $7 to $9 per share.

Analysts had been expecting a profit of $8.54 per share on revenue of $64.58 billion.

Caterpillar said there's a wide range in its outlook because of the high level of uncertainty in the world. It expects relatively weak growth in the U.S. economy. Growth in China will improve, but not back to the levels seen in 2010 or 2011, Caterpillar said.

For all of 2012, the company's profits rose 15 percent to $5.68 billion, or $8.48 per share, up from $4.93 billion, or $7.40 per share, in 2011. Revenue rose 10 percent to $65.88 billion, from $60.14 billion.

Shares of the Peoria, Ill.-based company rose $2.32 to $97.90 in premarket trading.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/caterpillar-4q-earnings-fall-half-130355098--finance.html

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Patients' own skin cells are transformed into heart cells to create 'disease in a dish'

Patients' own skin cells are transformed into heart cells to create 'disease in a dish'

Monday, January 28, 2013

Most patients with an inherited heart condition known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) don't know they have a problem until they're in their early 20s. The lack of symptoms at younger ages makes it very difficult for researchers to study how ARVD/C evolves or to develop treatments. A new stem cell-based technology created by 2012 Nobel Prize winner Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D., helps solve this problem. With this technology, researchers can generate heart muscle cells from a patient's own skin cells. However, these newly made heart cells are mostly immature. That raises questions about whether or not they can be used to mimic a disease that occurs in adulthood. In a paper published January 27 in Nature, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and Johns Hopkins University unveil the first maturation-based "disease in a dish" model for ARVD/C. The model was created using Yamanaka's technology and a new method to mimic maturity by making the cells' metabolism more like that in adult hearts. For that reason, this model is likely more relevant to human ARVD/C than other models and therefore better suited for studying the disease and testing new treatments.

"It's tough to demonstrate that a disease-in-a-dish model is clinically relevant for an adult-onset disease. But we made a key finding here?we can recapitulate the defects in this disease only when we induce adult-like metabolism. This is an important breakthrough considering that ARVD/C symptoms usually don't arise until young adulthood. Yet the stem cells we're working with are embryonic in nature," said Huei-Sheng Vincent Chen, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor at Sanford-Burnham and senior author of the study.

To establish this model, Chen teamed up with expert ARVD/C cardiologists Daniel Judge, M.D., Joseph Marine, M.D., and Hugh Calkins, M.D., at Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins is home to one of the largest ARVD/C patient registries in the world.

"There is currently no treatment to prevent progression of ARVD/C, a rare disorder that preferentially affects athletes. With this new model, we hope we are now on a path to develop better therapies for this life-threatening disease," said Judge, associate professor and medical director of the Center for Inherited Heart Disease at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Disease in a dish

To recreate a person's own unique ARVD/C in the lab, the team first obtained skin samples from ARVD/C patients with certain mutations believed to be involved in the disease. Next they performed Yamanaka's technique: adding a few molecules that dial back the developmental clock on these adult skin cells, producing embryonic-like induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The researchers then coaxed the iPSCs into producing an unlimited supply of patient-specific heart muscle cells. These heart cells were largely embryonic in nature, but carried along the original patient's genetic mutations.

However, for nearly a year, no matter what they tried, the team couldn't get their ARVD/C heart muscle cells to show any signs of the disease. Without actual signs of adult-onset ARVD/C, these young, patient-specific heart muscle cells were no use for studying the disease or testing new therapeutic drugs.

Speeding up time

Eventually, the team experienced the big "aha!" moment they'd been looking for. They discovered that metabolic maturity is the key to inducing signs of ARVD/C, an adult disease, in their embryonic-like cells. Human fetal heart muscle cells use glucose (sugar) as their primary source of energy. In contrast, adult heart muscle cells prefer using fat for energy production. So Chen's team applied several cocktails to trigger this shift to adult metabolism in their model.

After more trial and error, they discovered that metabolic malfunction is at the core of ARVD/C disease. Moreover, Chen's team tracked down the final piece of puzzle to make patient-specific heart muscle cells behave like sick ARVD/C hearts: the abnormal over-activation of a protein called PPAR?. Scientists previously attributed ARVD/C to a problem in weakened connections between heart muscle cells, which occur only in half of the ARVD/C patients. With the newly established model, they not only replicated this adult-onset disease in a dish, but also presented new potential drug targets for treating ARVD/C.

What's next?

Chen's team was recently awarded a new grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to create additional iPSC-based ARVD/C models. With more ARVD/C models, they will determine whether or not all (or at least most) patients develop the disease via the same metabolic defects discovered in this current study.

Together with the Johns Hopkins team, Chen also hopes to conduct preclinical studies to find a new therapy for this deadly heart condition.

###

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute: http://www.burnham-inst.org

Thanks to Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126483/Patients__own_skin_cells_are_transformed_into_heart_cells__to_create__disease_in_a_dish_

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Feeling flirty? Wait for the sun to shine

Jan. 28, 2013 ? We all know how casual flirtation can lift one's mood, which can be important at this time of year when the winter blues are at their peak. But if you are more serious about your flirting and hope to get that all important phone number, you're better off waiting until it's sunny, according to new French research published in the journal Social Influence.

Nicolas Gu?guen of the University of South Brittany -- who has previously investigated how wearing red lipstick can increase a waitress' tips -- conducted a study in which an 'attractive' 20 year old male approached 18-25 year old women walking alone in the street and asked them for their phone numbers. The women were solicited on both sunny and cloudy (but not rainy) days, when the temperature was about the same.

In the past other environmental factors have been found to make people more likely to flirt or exchange phone numbers -- the presence of pleasant smells, romantic music or certain colours have all been found to have an effect.

Previous research has also shown how the weather can affect certain social behaviours -- sunshine makes people more likely to help strangers or answer a survey, and people tend to leave bigger tips in restaurants on sunny days. But this is the first research to explore how the weather may influence courtship or dating behaviour.

It was found that women were more receptive to being approached and flirted with -- and give out their phone numbers -- on sunny days: over a fifth -- 22.4% -- of women did so when the sun was out, as opposed to 13.9% on the cloudy days.

(The phone numbers were later used to contact the women and tell them the true nature of the study, as per the recommendation of the ethics committee of the lab which reviewed the project!)

The message seems clear: flirting is more likely to have a positive outcome on sunny days. But Professor Gu?guen was careful to include certain caveats regarding the applicability of the research to everyday situations: the sunshine (or other factors) may after all have improved the attractive 20 year old male's flirting skills on those days. Other atmospheric conditions such as windiness or humidity were not accounted for. And, perhaps most crucially, the research was conducted in France, where 'men traditionally approach women in romantic relationships'.

The journal article concludes with suggestions for further study in this area -- for instance, are men themselves more likely to initiate flirting behaviour when the sun is shining? We'll have to wait until the Spring to find out!

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Taylor & Francis, via AlphaGalileo.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Nicolas Gu?guen. Weather and courtship behavior: A quasi-experiment with the flirty sunshine. Social Influence, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1080/15534510.2012.752401

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/top_news/top_health/~3/nJgVrRL2lXo/130128081950.htm

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Scouts considering retreat from no-gays policy

FILE - In this July 18, 2012 file photo, Jennifer Tyrrell, right, arrives for a meeting at the Boys Scouts of America national offices in Irving, Texas, with her son Jude Burns, 5, second from right, partner Alicia Burns, and son Cruz Burns, 7, left. The Ohio woman was ousted as a den mother because she is a lesbian. The Boys Scouts of America announced Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, that it is considering a dramatic retreat from its controversial policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - In this July 18, 2012 file photo, Jennifer Tyrrell, right, arrives for a meeting at the Boys Scouts of America national offices in Irving, Texas, with her son Jude Burns, 5, second from right, partner Alicia Burns, and son Cruz Burns, 7, left. The Ohio woman was ousted as a den mother because she is a lesbian. The Boys Scouts of America announced Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, that it is considering a dramatic retreat from its controversial policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - In this July 18, 2012 file photo, Jennifer Tyrrell hugs her son Cruz Burns, 7, outside Boy Scouts national offices in Irving, Texas, after a meeting with representatives of the 102-year-old organization. The Ohio woman was ousted as a den mother because she is a lesbian. The Boys Scouts of America announced Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, that it is considering a dramatic retreat from its controversial policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Boy Scouts of America may soon give sponsors of troops the authority to decide whether to accept gays as scouts and leaders - a potentially dramatic retreat from a nationwide no-gays policy that has provoked relentless protests.

Under the change now being discussed, the different religious and civic groups that sponsor Scout units would be able to decide for themselves how to address the issue ? either maintaining an exclusion of gays, as is now required of all units, or opening up their membership.

Gay-rights activists were elated at the prospect of change, sensing another milestone to go along with recent advances for same-sex marriage and the end of the ban on gays serving openly in the military.

However, Southern Baptist leaders ? who consider homosexuality a sin ? were furious about the possible change and said its approval might encourage Southern Baptist churches to support other boys' organizations instead of the BSA.

Monday's announcement of the possible change comes after years of protests over the no-gays policy ? including petition campaigns that have prompted some corporations to suspend donations to the Boy Scouts.

Under the proposed change, said BSA spokesman Deron Smith, "the Boy Scouts would not, under any circumstances, dictate a position to units, members, or parents."

Smith said the change could be announced as early as next week, after BSA's national board concludes a regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 6. The meeting will be closed to the public.

The BSA, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010, has long excluded both gays and atheists. Smith said a change in the policy toward atheists was not being considered, and that the BSA continued to view "Duty to God" as one of its basic principles.

Protests over the no-gays policy gained momentum in 2000, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the BSA's right to exclude gays. Scout units lost sponsorships by public schools and other entities that adhered to nondiscrimination policies, and several local Scout councils made public their displeasure with the policy.

More recently, pressure surfaced on the Scouts' own national executive board. Two high-powered members ? Ernst & Young CEO James Turley and AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson ? indicated they would try to work from within to change the membership policy, which stood in contrast to their own companies' non-discrimination policies.

Amid petition campaigns, shipping giant UPS Inc. and drug-manufacturer Merck announced that they were halting donations from their charitable foundations to the Boy Scouts as long as the no-gays policy was in force.

Also, local Scout officials drew widespread criticism in recent months for ousting Jennifer Tyrrell, a lesbian mom, as a den leader of her son's Cub Scout pack in Ohio and for refusing to approve an Eagle Scout application by Ryan Andresen, a California teen who came out as gay last fall.

Tyrrell said she's thrilled for parents and their children who've been excluded from scouting and "for those who are in Scouts and hiding who they are."

"For me it's not just about the Boy Scouts of America, it's about equality," she told The Associated Press. "This is a step toward equality in all aspects."

Many of the protest campaigns, including one seeking Tyrrell's reinstatement, had been waged with help from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

"The Boy Scouts of America have heard from scouts, corporations and millions of Americans that discriminating against gay scouts and scout leaders is wrong," said Herndon Graddick, GLAAD's president. "Scouting is a valuable institution, and this change will only strengthen its core principles of fairness and respect."

Among those urging the Boy Scouts to keep the no-gays policy was Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council.

"The Boy Scouts of America board would be making a serious mistake to bow to the strong-arm tactics of LGBT activists and open the organization to homosexuality," Perkins said. "The Boy Scouts should stand firm in their timeless values and respect the right of parents to discuss these sexual topics with their children."

The Scouts had reaffirmed the no-gays policy as recently as last year, and appeared to have strong backing from conservative religious denominations ? notably the Mormons, Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists ? which sponsor large numbers of Scout units. Under the proposed change, they could continue excluding gays.

Prior to Monday's announcement, the BSA conferred with some leaders of these religious groups, including the Rev. Frank Page, who leads the Southern Baptist Executive Committee.

According Roger S. Oldham, a spokesman for the executive committee, Page then wrote to the Scouts "expressing his tremendous dismay at the decision."

"They had been working for months on this proposal and just days before they informed us," Oldham said in a telephone interview. "We would anticipate that there would be a very significant backlash to this as churches reevaluate whether scouting comports with."

If the Scouts proceed with the change, Oldham said, SBC leaders were likely to issue a statement "expressing disappointed and encouraging our churches to support alternative boys organizations."

Neither the Catholic Church nor the Mormons' Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued official statements as to how they would respond.

Said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "The bishops hope the Boy Scouts will continue to work under the Judeo-Christians principles upon which they were founded and under which they have served youth well."

Were the change adopted, said Deron Smith, "there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, and the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with each organization's mission, principles, or religious beliefs.

"BSA members and parents would be able to choose a local unit that best meets the needs of their families," he said. "Under this proposed policy, the BSA would not require any chartered organization to act in ways inconsistent with that organization's mission, principles, or religious beliefs."

The announcement came shortly after new data showed that membership in the Cub Scouts ? the BSA's biggest division ? dropped sharply last year, and was down nearly 30 percent over the past 14 years.

According to figures provided by the organization, Cub Scout ranks dwindled by 3.4 percent, from 1,583,166 in 2011 to 1,528,673 in 2012. That's down from 2.17 million in 1998.

The Boy Scouts attribute the decline largely to broad social changes, including the allure of video games and the proliferation of youth sports leagues and other options for after-school activities.

However, critics of the Scouts suggest that its recruitment efforts have been hampered by high-profile controversies ? notably the court-ordered release of files dealing with sex abuse allegations and persistent protests over the no-gays policy.

The BSA's overall "traditional youth membership" ? Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers ? totaled 2,658,794 in 2012, compared to more than 4 million in peak years of the past. There were 910,668 Boy Scouts last year, a tiny increase from 2011, while the ranks of Venturers ? a program for youths 14 and older? declined by 5.5 percent.

In addition to flak over the no-gays policy, the Scouts have been buffeted by multiple court cases related to past allegations of sexual abuse by Scout leaders, including those chronicled in long-confidential records that are widely known as the "perversion files."

Through various cases, the Scouts have been forced to reveal files dating from the 1960s to 1991. They detailed numerous cases where abuse claims were made and Boy Scout officials never alerted authorities and sometimes actively sought to protect the accused.

The Scouts are now under a California court order, affirmed this month by the state Supreme Court, to turn over sex-abuse files from 1991 through 2011 to the lawyers for a former Scout who claims a leader molested him in 2007, when he was 13. It's not clear how soon the files might become public.

The BSA has apologized for past lapses and cover-ups, and has stressed the steps taken to improve youth protection policy. Since 2010, for example, it has mandated that any suspected abuse be reported to police.

___

Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Rachel Zoll in New York contributed to this report.

___

Boy Scouts: http://www.scouting.org/

___

David Crary can be reached at http://twitter.com/CraryAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-28-Boy%20Scouts-Gays/id-b906a1f5c739428ebddba668356e3bf3

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Posted On: Sat, January 26th, 2013 | Comments: 0 | Views 6 | Word Count: 468

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Hot Real Estate Investment News This Week 2013-01-26

All the Real Estate News That?s Fit to RE-Print?

Welcome to our weekly edition of Hot Real Estate Investment News.

Real estate investing news items this week:

• The Milken Institute released its ?Best Performing Cities 2012.? Is your city on the list?

• Zillow?s fourth quarter Real Estate Market Reports? shows a 5.9 percent appreciation rate, the largest annual gain since August 2006.

• The number of loans in foreclosure shadow inventory decreased from Q2 to Q3

• DataQuick?s Property Intelligence Report for January 2013 is now available.

Here are the real estate investing related news items that caught our attention this past week. We hope they help you stay up-to-date with your real estate investment strategies and inspire some profitable real estate deals for you.

Where America?s Jobs are Created and Sustained

We?re always excited to see the release of this annual report by the Milken Institute. It tries to answer some very interesting questions and offers valuable insights for real estate investors.

From the report:

?Why are some places in America prospering, and some struggling? What separates the cities that are positioned well for the future from those that are still mired in the setbacks inflicted by the financial crisis and the Great Recession?

Our annual Best-Performing Cities index provides a data-driven, comprehensive measure of economic strength across metropolitan areas. We include job, wage, and technology metrics over a five-year period to capture the structural elements.

A relative handful of communities have seen employment rebound to pre-recession levels; they are poised to gain a bigger share of the accelerating expansion we expect to see. Identifying the regions that weathered the downturn best and are recovering fastest reveals a range of ideas and strategies for seizing opportunity and keeping risk at bay.

One clear takeaway is that communities and industries that embrace technological know-how can claim an enviable advantage. In 2012, rewards accrued to those that designed and produced communications and computing devices. It also helped to have the stuff in the ground to meet America?s energy needs and host industries that lent stability to the local economy, if not spectacular growth.?

Is your city on the list? Get your free copy of ?Best Performing Cities 2012? here.

?But High Growth Rate Likely Unsustainable?

Zillow?s fourth quarter Real Estate Market Report, released Monday, show home values increased 2.5% from the third to fourth quarter of 2012 to $157,400. This quarter marks four consecutive quarters of national home value appreciation. On an annual basis, the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) rose 5.9% from December 2011 levels?.

See also:

Home Values See Largest Annual Gain Since 2006

The 5.9 percent appreciation rate is the largest annual gain since August 2006, near the peak of the housing bubble.

Esther Cho reports:

According to a report from Moody?s Investors Service, ??Moody?s revealed the number of loans in foreclosure shadow inventory, or loans in the process of foreclosure but with no resolution, decreased from Q2 to Q3, with the exception of jumbo loans from Citi and subprime loans from Bank of America.

From DSnews.com:

?Lender Processing Services (LPS) offered preliminary data on mortgage performance in December, revealing foreclosure inventory and delinquency rates were both down year-over-year.

The foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate fell to 3.4 percent in December. The figure represents a 2 percent decrease from November and an 18 percent drop from December 2011.?

December was yet another positive month for most measures of housing performance. While a recovery in housing is underway nationally, the strength of the housing market varies across the country. In comparison to prior reports, we see that home price growth and sales performance improved, while foreclosure performance worsened.

Key Findings:

• Home price growth was positive in all 42 reported counties over the last month, quarter, and year.

• ?Sales increased in 32 of the 42 reported counties over the last month.

• Sales increased in 12 of the 42 reported counties over the last quarter.

• Sales increased in 38 of the 42 reported counties over the last year.

• Foreclosures increased in 26 of the 42 reported counties over the last month.

• Foreclosures increased in 27 of the 42 reported counties over the last quarter.

• Foreclosures increased in 21 of the 42 reported counties over the last year.

Source: http://www.creonline.com/blog/hot-real-estate-investment-news-this-week-2013-01-26/

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The Greatest Internet Marketing Advice That WIll Change Your ...

Every so often you get an idea for an amazing business. When the light in your head goes off, now is the time to get that business up and running. Read on and learn some great Internet promotion tips that are sure to increase your profits.

It may seem overwhelming trying to decide what your business and website will offer. You should take time to narrow your options to your preferences and needs. Your chosen niche should be one that you are knowledgeable in and will take pleasure in pursuing. Marketing your site

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