U.S. Open 2012: Tiger Woods Tied For Lead After Two Rounds

By Mark Lamport-Stokes
SAN FRANCISCO, June 15 (Reuters) - It was not easy going in swirling winds on a lightning-fast layout but Tiger Woods was delighted be back in the position he covets after moving into a tie for the lead in Friday's second round at the U.S. Open.
Four long years after he last won a major title, Woods stayed patient on the frustratingly difficult Lake Course at the Olympic Club, grinding out a level-par 70 to join fellow Americans Jim Furyk and David Toms at the top of the leaderboard.
"I'm right there in a good spot," Woods told reporters after making a few errors, hitting several superb shots and suffering one or two bad breaks before ending the day at one-under 139.
"This tournament, you are just plodding along. This is a different tournament. You have to stay patient, got to stay present, and you're just playing for a lot of pars.
"This is not a tournament where we have to make a bunch of birdies. You've just got to hang in there with a bunch of pars."
The 14-times major champion felt his second-round 70 was better than his opening 69, given how much faster the brutally challenging layout had become.
"Absolutely it was probably better," Woods said after mixing three birdies with three bogeys in the second round. "Even though I didn't miss a shot in the last three holes, I ended up with just three pars.
"It was one of those days where you just had to be so patient. If the wind wasn't blowing, it wouldn't have been so bad.
"That golf course was some kind of quick. It got dried out. It was really, really tough. You just had to stay as patient as possible and I did a really good job of that today."
WORST BREAKS
One of the worst breaks Woods suffered on Friday came at the par-five 17th where he struck what initially appeared to be an exquisite soft four-iron for his second shot.
The three-times U.S. Open champion watched in horror as his ball bounced short of the green, then rolled all the way over the back and 40 yards down a hill into a run-off area.
"I thought I threw it up high enough to land it soft enough and evidently it didn't," Woods said. "Then I'm down there in a spot where it's as tough to get it close, and I thought I did a pretty good job of that."
Woods salvaged a par on that hole, and also the last, to remain in a three-way tie for the lead at the championship's halfway point, a position he has relished over the years.
Eight times out of nine when he has held at least a share of the lead after 36 holes at a major he has gone on to win.
"As far as being in that position, I like it," said the former world number one, who clinched the most recent of his majors at the 2008 U.S. Open. "I know that it takes a bit out of us, but so be it.
"I'd much rather be there than missing cuts or just making the cut. It's a wonderful place to be with a chance to win your nation's Open." (Editing by Julian Linden)

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Of 2 Minds: How Fast and Slow Thinking Shape Perception and Choice [Excerpt]

Features | Mind & Brain

In psychologist Daniel Kahneman's recent book, he reveals the dual systems of your brain, their pitfalls and their power

By Daniel Kahneman ?| June 15, 2012?|

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. Image:

In this groundbreaking adventure into the worlds of psychopaths, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that there is a fine line between a brilliant...

Read More??

To survive physically or psychologically, we sometimes need to react automatically to a speeding taxi as we step off the curb or to the subtle facial cues of an angry boss. That automatic mode of thinking, not under voluntary control, contrasts with the need to slow down and deliberately fiddle with pencil and paper when working through an algebra problem. These two systems that the brain uses to process information are the focus of Nobelist Daniel Kahneman's new book, Thinking, Fast and Slow (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC., 2011). The following excerpt is the first chapter, entitled "The Characters of the Story," which introduces readers to these systems. (Used with permission.)

Understanding fast and slow thinking could help us find more rational solutions to problems that we as a society face. For example, a commentary in the March issue of the journal Nature Climate Change outlined how carbon labeling that appeals to both systems could be more successful than previous efforts to change consumer habits. (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.) Understanding how we think can also guide more personal decisions. Last month, Kahneman highlighted in a lecture given at the National Academy of Sciences "The Science of Science Communication" conference how realizing the limitations of each system can help us catch our own mistakes.
?

To observe your mind in automatic mode, glance at the image below.

Your experience as you look at the woman?s face seamlessly combines what we normally call seeing and intuitive thinking. As surely and quickly as you saw that the young woman?s hair is dark, you knew she is angry. Furthermore, what you saw extended into the future. You sensed that this woman is about to say some very unkind words, probably in a loud and strident voice. A premonition of what she was going to do next came to mind automatically and effortlessly. You did not intend to assess her mood or to anticipate what she might do, and your reaction to the picture did not have the feel of something you did. It just happened to you. It was an instance of fast thinking.

Now look at the following problem:

17 ? 24

You knew immediately that this is a multiplication problem, and probably knew that you could solve it, with paper and pencil, if not without. You also had some vague intuitive knowledge of the range of possible results. You would be quick to recognize that both 12,609 and 123 are implausible. Without spending some time on the problem, however, you would not be certain that the answer is not 568. A precise solution did not come to mind, and you felt that you could choose whether or not to engage in the computation. If you have not done so yet, you should attempt the multiplication problem now, completing at least part of it.

You experienced slow thinking as you proceeded through a sequence of steps. You first retrieved from memory the cognitive program for multiplication that you learned in school, then you implemented it. Carrying out the computation was a strain. You felt the burden of holding much material in memory, as you needed to keep track of where you were and of where you were going, while holding on to the intermediate result. The process was mental work: deliberate, effortful, and orderly?a prototype of slow thinking. The computation was not only an event in your mind; your body was also involved. Your muscles tensed up, your blood pressure rose, and your heart rate increased. Someone looking closely at your eyes while you tackled this problem would have seen your pupils dilate. Your pupils contracted back to normal size as soon as you ended your work?when you found the answer (which is 408, by the way) or when you gave up.
?

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Recession, Stalemate in Washington vs. Obama's record

This transcript is automatically generated

Long term remember that the economic vision of mr.

Romney and his allies in congress.

What's tested just a few years ago we try this.

Their policies did not grow the economy.

Cannot grow the middle class.

They did not reduce our debt.

Why would we think that they would work.

Better this time.

He has put together almost as much public debt as all the prior presidents combined.

You want four more years of that.

You call that forward.

That's forward over a cliff.

That that's forward on the way to Greece I don't want that I will finally get America on track to have a balanced budget that we will limit the size of government.

Obama and got a.

Romney almost bumped into each other today President Obama and governor -- both in Ohio and both playing out there competing economic visions.

Farm presidential candidate senator Fred Thompson -- there thank you good with you put it takes a lot harder -- a bad economy to be the incumbent he said his statement president Obama's that we test that we tried this he's been an -- three and a half years the first thing I thought of the Yangtze at 69000 jobs in May which was terrible which is -- and out of -- up eight point 2% so under that theory we tried -- he's argued against himself.

Yeah yeah he's between a rock and a hard place.

-- for the last.

Three and a few years he's been demonstrating the -- and understand the basics of the economy and what to do about.

They came in very convinced that games' in economics you bail amount.

They were very brash about what they thought the unemployment.

Percentage would be after -- policies were a student dead wrong about that dead wrong about the effect of the stimulus.

Went around -- that you know we don't turn this thing around me you know give us you know you can kick us out Clinton said that.

And couple years ago.

As well as Obama so now.

They can only resort he can only resort to going back and the reason he stumbled so much -- because he's looking backwards all the and that's a strategy apparently.

Well it certainly -- width and blessing economy starts soaring between now and November if it continues to stay as it is or even declines -- all those problems in Europe which could have a ripple effect.

Which we're likely to feel here at home.

Is that it almost becomes what we're governor -- doesn't even need an economic strategy or policy because I would think that the voters think -- but he.

But because we've we've tried this and didn't work so unless unless he shows you are an improvement and strong trend.

Governor Romney.

Is -- and tactically doesn't mean I would say that the shop much.

I think that's a big dangers when would get a -- I think that I.

I'm not suggesting you do that -- and that it let's admit.

That is due to the event and on the day you know the president didn't seem to feel this way right now it's gonna be the person that the people feel like.

Is gonna do the most for the economy in the future and the one that will be the best caretaker going forward -- There's sort of looking back here and I think that LeBron is getting his legs under him they made a very good speech -- they didn't use approach teleprompter.

President was up there you know same old teleprompter saying little -- been giving you know same old litany of good things that presence of them saying they wanted since George Washington.

I -- which is -- you're working against.

So.

I think that.

You know the president is.

Is intent on rewriting history.

He talks about the failed policies of the past you know Republicans don't wanna be tied to George W.

Bush anybody else so they let that person shouldn't.

People are to me anyway I don't have to let that parents should leave.

The policies of George WW bush should not be measured but the last 24 hours -- worst year of his administration.

Fact my bush tax -- she didn't cause this -- didn't cause this deficit after the bush tax cuts we have the greatest increase in revenue for the federal government.

In the history.

And lots of things -- recessions you know we've had five or six of them in my generation.

We always come out of recession.

I've actually congress we've can be blamed that collectively for the analog reception because of the housing bubble and and their inability to be good stewards of our economy and all the things with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac so there's a week so -- Moos there -- and a lot of there's a lot of blame to go around you know what I -- us it said the president strength was in inspiring people.

And today he see says something he admits economically that and that our economy isn't where it needs to be.

And I thought you know he's he's he's he's so off -- balance in terms of inspiring people obscenity you know I -- He's used -- making admissions that I think take away from it strikes.

He's literally out of things to say.

I mean they -- this is there's a framework speech you know going forward and all but you know the president at this -- the game with this economy.

I was standing up there I'm saying -- our plan is education.

Infrastructure.

Balanced budget balanced budget -- it but but all those I mean.

Come home I mean you know we have now.

A half a million more people unemployed.

Then.

Than we did the day took office.

He can't escape his own.

Tenure in office you know weren't -- Romney did twenty years ago -- the private sector he thinks is Roland what bush did you know 458.

Years ago we've -- drove it.

But what he's doing today him for the last three and a half years.

Is not relevant the fact of the matter is.

That and we got out of this recession about a half a year and and Obama's first years.

I mean if you talk about.

Turning turning the corner about six months then we turned the corner built up to grow through about 4% of their time in the last part of his first year.

-- the first part of his second year we were up to about 4%.

Then there's something strange happened usually who have moved the -- the recession the quicker the bounce back we started bounced back and then something happened.

And that was that things turned back around again just -- his spending.

Started kicking and the economy started going down has been going down ever sense and now it's more what one point 71 point eight.

Is that growth -- and he says he's got six months so our last 200 that are up there on time.

There's no -- bed and you know you know singling out the 1% you noted demagogue.

There's there's not gonna get it done he's talking about dividing the country and then re dividing the economic times simply trying to make the -- bigger -- about it.

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Affairs of politics and heart mark French election

PARIS (AP) ? Back-room deals, black lists and bitter duels. Political and personal intrigue has wormed its way into Sunday's final round of French legislative elections. President Francois Hollande's Socialist Party is battling to assure a solid majority and fulfill his vows to boost growth in Europe and redefine the presidency as one beholden to the people.

Barring surprises, the Socialists and their allies should win enough seats to control the crucial 577-seat lower house of parliament, after a strong showing in the first round a week ago. To get there, the party is trying to fend off conservatives who dominated parliament under former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

They're also trying to shame those in the mainstream right who are cutting vote-getting deals with the extreme right, anti-immigrant National Front, which is conniving for its first real presence in parliament in more than a quarter century.

"The right no longer knows where it lives. It no longer knows what it is," said Economy Minister Pierre Moscovici this week on France 2 TV. "It's lost its markers, its identity, its values."

One unexpected hitch for the Socialists flew straight out of Hollande's most inner circle: His live-in companion's tweet this week in support of a dissident candidate in western France, a not-so-subtle attack on the Socialist Party's official candidate ? the president's ex-partner and mother of his four children, Segolene Royal.

Royal is portrayed in the French press as the nemesis of a jealous Valerie Trierweiler, whose tweet on Tuesday upended the image Hollande has been trying to project: that of a "normal" leader intent on keeping the public and private spheres separate.

That stance is meant to set Hollande apart from the brash Sarkozy, who grabbed headlines with his complicated private life while building up a presidency that critics said was too centered on his own personality and his rich friends' interests. Hollande defeated him in the May 6 presidential vote, amid voter frustrations with Sarkozy's handling of the economy and the presidency.

The tweet also dealt a blow to Royal, whose chances of winning her parliamentary race were already shaky. Polls suggest that Royal, a former presidential candidate, will lose to dissident Socialist Olivier Falorni by a wide margin, a defeat that would leave her without a job in politics.

Far more grave is the perception that the moral ramparts built to ensure that the anti-immigration National Front remains a political pariah are being chinked away by conservative politicians. Sarkozy's conservative UMP party is struggling to hold onto seats, and many candidates are angling for far-right votes to defy polls and win.

Polling firms have calculated the National Front could get up to three seats in the National Assembly, a symbolic victory. The party's leader, Marine Le Pen ? who is running in a former coal mining region in northern France ? says one seat would be a victory since the party hasn't had a real parliamentary presence since 1986. In that year, 35 lawmakers were elected under a voting system that favors smaller parties ? but the system was abolished two years later. Le Pen thinks pollsters underestimate the National Front's potential.

The newly robust anti-immigration party, which wants to abandon the euro currency and stop immigration, is on a roll. Le Pen has revamped the party to bury its reputation as racist and anti-Semitic inherited under the reign of party founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Daughter Marine placed a solid third in spring presidential elections and its candidates ranked third in last Sunday's first round of parliamentary voting.

Sarkozy has disappeared into the shadows but he and his Union for a Popular Movement, or UMP, are being blamed for blurring the lines between the mainstream and extreme right by taking up some National Front themes, including the need to preserve France's national identity or try to ensure a low profile for Muslims.

Socialist Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault accuses the conservatives of creating a "strategic alliance" with the National Front.

"There is no alliance," UMP leader Jean-Francois Cope said in an interview published Friday in the daily Le Figaro.

"The French must understand that if the left gets all the power Sunday, it's like signing a blank check for five years," Cope said.

The Socialist Party already controls the Senate and most regional and local governments, and adversaries say the majority it expects on Sunday would amount to a "Socialist state" in France.

Any candidate who won support of more than 12.5 percent of registered voters in the first round advances to Sunday's runoff, and many districts have three-way races, including several with National Front candidates.

Nadine Morano, a former Sarkozy minister battling for a parliamentary seat in the eastern Moselle region, has publicly reached out to National Front voters "who share our values, my values."

"I don't hear extremist words coming from their mouths," she said this week on TF1, in the company of former Prime Minister Francois Fillon on a campaign outing.

For Le Pen, the isolation wall "has imploded."

The conservatives "have evolved under the pressure of their voters and their base," Le Pen was quoted as saying Wednesday in the online publication Le Telegramme." A very large majority of UMP voters feel close" to National Front's views.

The anti-Racism group SOS Racism denounces deal-makers as the "candidates of shame."

Says the No. 2 in the Socialist Party, Harlem D?sir: "The extreme right is advancing inside UMP like in Swiss cheese."

___

Cecile Brisson in Paris contributed to this report.

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Want a Retina MacBook Pro? It'll take a month or so

3 hrs.

Devin Coldewey

The latest object of adoration in the tech world is Apple's new MacBook Pro, with its sleek exterior and high-resolution display. But it's proving hard to find: as stock runs low, online orders are not expected to ship for three to four weeks, and stores are getting limited inventory.

Is it a ploy by Apple to keep their luxury item scarce and desirable? Or can they literally just not make them fast enough? As much as Apple's savvy market tactics might suggest the former, in all likelihood they really are just in short supply. Even Apple Stores can't get enough ? one store in Seattle reported that they'd received only a handful of the laptops, and even then they were strictly?for display purposes. Customers looking to buy would be helped through the online purchasing process.

Blame the Retina display. This type of high-quality display, both in the MacBook and previously in the iPad, has been nothing but trouble for manufacturers. Samsung, Sharp, LG and others have all been aiming at producing the high-resolution panels, but the amount they could successfully create was limited. Why, only they could tell you, but it most likely has to do with the precision needed to create the tiny sub-pixel machinery ? no easy task even for less advanced displays.

The other parts of the laptop aren't nearly so thin on the ground. Apple famously has control over a huge amount of the world's advanced aluminum milling lines, so the unibody construction is no problem. The flash memory, RAM, CPU and graphics chips may be in a custom configuration, but they aren't themselves exotic ? just fairly high-quality off-the-shelf parts.

Chances are that every factory that can reliably manufacture Retina displays is working literally around the clock to produce as many as physically possible. And after Apple's initial stockpile ran out, that amount just isn't enough.

As demand tapers off and more factories are added to the process, the wait should be reduced. But how long that will take is anyone's guess. In the meantime, you can find them on eBay ? for a hefty markup, naturally.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

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FT sees BlackBerry with smaller role in future

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Skype For Mac Update Brings Improved Contact List, Video Calls & Screen Sharing, But No ?Conversation Ads? Just Yet

Skype just announced a new version of its Mac software which brings changes based on user feedback, including the return of the resizable contact list and improvements to video calls and screen sharing features. The news follows yesterday's announcement from the company which said that Windows users on Skype's free service would now see advertisements in the software. However, no mention of the same was made in detailing today's new feature set for Mac.

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English youth academy player charged with murder

Associated Press Sports

updated 10:18 a.m. ET June 14, 2012

LONDON (AP) - An English youth academy player has been charged with the stabbing murder of a 15-year-old girl last weekend.

Andrew Hall, 18, who plays for Premier League team Stoke's academy, is accused of killing Megan-Leigh Peat on Saturday at a house in Bedfordshire, England.

Hall was taken to a hospital after the incident to receive treatment for injuries while being kept under guard until he was able to be interviewed. He was charged with murder on Wednesday.

Police say Hall is being held in custody and will appear at Luton magistrates court on Thursday.

Stoke City had offered Hall a professional development contract.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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PST: Croatia might regret not putting Italy away

PST: Croatia had a bad first half and recovered. They remain undefeated against Italy and in the group. Unfortunately, the match was there for the taking, and if they can?t get a result against Spain, they?ll like the made to rue not putting Italy away.

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Avery Rape Attends the NCAA Career in Sports Forum

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A World You'll Never Know

If you had the power to save everyone you knew, would you?

Owner:

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?A World You'll Never Know?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "A World You'll Never Know"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

"I saw the traveler make his way toward the monolith,
That thin gash amidst the clouds;
An open seam between heaven and earth that eluded the Eye of God.

Or perhaps it had not; perhaps it beckoned from one realm
To the other, wedded And ruled as one;
For look how clean it splits the horizon 'twain, absorbs it,
Makes it Strange,
An indomitable beam,
A Tower of Heaven."

Beach-Born-Boy

Member for 0 years

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Adele Tops Billboard Chart Again, Ties Purple Rain Record

Neil Young, Big K.R.I.T. and Curren$y all debut in top 10 as well.
By Gil Kaufman

Adele
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

Adele is making this look way too easy. In a week when there were no less than six new faces in the Billboard 200 top 10, the 21 singer still managed to climb back into the #1 slot after weeks of hanging around in the #2 and #3 positions.

In her remarkable 68th week in the top 10, the singer sold 75,000 copies of 21, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, giving her a total north of 9.3 million to date. While the majority of titles in the top 20 had sales losses or negligible gains, Adele's sales were up 30 percent thanks to her prime-time special on NBC.

With the exception of one week at #7, and five weeks in the 4-5 zone, Adele has spent more than 60 weeks in the top 3 and her latest triumph ties her with the "Saturday Night Fever" and "Purple Rain" soundtracks for 24 non-consecutive weeks at #1. Her next goal is catching up to Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, Harry Belafonte's Calypso and the "South Pacific" soundtrack, which all spent 31 non-consecutive weeks at #1.

Her triumph came in a squeaker over country singer Alan Jackson, whose Thirty Miles West debuted at #2 on sales of 73,000, which aced out the comeback album from the Beach Boys, That's Why God Made the Radio, which landed at #3 (61,000). Another rock veteran, Neil Young, landed at #4 with Americana, an album of fuzzed-out covers of old-timey songs performed with his longtime cohorts in Crazy Horse that sold 44,000 copies.

Rapper Big K.R.I.T.'s long-awaited major-label debut, Live From the Underground, opened at #5 (41,000), while fellow MC Curren$y hit #8 with Stoned Immaculate (36,000) and singer Brandi Carlile just snuck into the top 10 with Bear Creek (#10, 27,000).

The rest of the top 10: One Direction, Up All Night (#6, 40,000), last week's #1, John Mayer's Born And Raised (down 41 percent to #7, 39,000) and Carrie Underwood's Blown Away (#9, 27,000).

Longtime Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh was back in the game with the solo album Analog Man (23,000), the "Rock of Ages" soundtrack slipped in at #15 (18,000) and the second volume of songs from the TV show "Victorious" debuted at #18 (17,000).

Further down the line, rockers Japandroids
 made it to the #37 spot thanks to more than 9,000 in sales for Celebration Rock.

Over on the iTunes chart, Justin Bieber protégé Carly Rae Jepsen topped the singles tally with her ubiquitous hit "Call Me Maybe", followed by Maroon 5's "Payphone," Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know," Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" and Justin Bieber's "All Around the World." Pitbull was at #6 with his "Men In Black III" theme song, "Back in Time," just ahead of Rihanna's "Where Have You Been," One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful," Nicki Minaj's "Starships" and Bieber's "Boyfriend."

Mayer managed to hold the top slot on the iTunes album chart, besting K.R.I.T., Adele, One Direction and Fun.'s Some Nights. Carlile was in at #6, followed by Curren$y, country singer and "One Tree Hill" star Jana Kramer's self-titled debut, Jackson and the first effort from folk rocker trio the Lumineers.

Adele's trip to the pole position might be short-lived, as this week's releases include the latest from Usher 
, Waka Flocka Flame, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and country singer Josh Turner.

Related Videos

• Adele's 'Magical' Road To Success
• 'RapFix Live' Goes Big With K.R.I.T., N.O.R.E And A 'Yo! MTV Raps' Reunion

Related Artists

• Adele
• Neil Young
• Big K.R.I.T.

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Alarms Calgary - Alarms Calgary Systems Must Meet the ...

There are many people residing in Calgary who have recently decided to purchase alarms Calgary systems

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There are many people residing in Calgary who have recently decided to purchase alarms Calgary systems. The reality is, until one is being proactive about his or her house's security, it is quite difficult to feel comfy or have peace of mind at house. Fixing alarms Calgary system is considered to be general enough practice, but when an individual intends to find a great security system, it is very much significant to know what his or her exact needs. ?This will contribute him or her to find out the perfect alarm system for his or her home security.

Every house and every neighborhood is going to have exclusive considerations as far as the home security is concerned. Some neighborhoods candidly require more security in comparison to the others, while others need less security or protection. It is significant that individuals check into thoroughly their neighborhood's crime statistics before obtaining security or safety, so they can know what their house security requirements are. In accordance to that, the individuals will look for the alarms security companies offering the best alarms Calgary systems which are accessible in the contemporary market.

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When it comes time to explore the alarms Calgary companies, most of the individuals find success by obtaining multiple consultation and multiple quotes. This permits them to wait unless they find an organization that is really interested in their exclusive requirements, and is eager to be adjustable in their offerings to feed those demands. It is important to take your time while selecting a security company. In this case individuals must know how long-term this relationship is, and even lose sight of the eminent importance of the service that is being furnished. When it is the question of the home security people should not compromise with any aspects.

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Video: Bush Sr. ?I like a colorful sock?

>>> our former presidents tend to be beloved figures in this country. we're with lucky to have four of them alive today. the senior of them is george senior. he's turning 88. his legs give him a little trouble, he's slowed down a bit. he sat down at the family compound in maine with with jenna bush hager who began with a fashion note.

>> so your socks have been making headlines.

>> well, i like a colorful sock. i'm a sock man. this is a modest pair here today. subdued you might say.

>> these days my grandfather says he's happiest on the sea, spending time with family.

>> we had picnics on that island over there.

>> six kids, 17 grandkids and the newest edition, a great granddaughter born last year.

>> she's a beautiful girl . and it takes me back. i wish i were going to be around to see her grow old. i won't be.

>> what's with anding like?

>> aging's all right, better than the alternative, which is not being here.

>> sometimes i know you can hear me, but you pretend you can't.

>> right.

>> why do you do that?

>> keeps you on the ball.

>> is that one of the advantages of aging, if you don't want to hear what people are saying, you just say what?

>> three generations of my family recently returned to the white house . dad said, and i'm going to start crying, which i promised myself i wouldn't. he loves that his portrait is going to be hanging near yours.

>> that's sweet. that's very nice, we're pleased. and two presidents in one family, that's pretty good. we're both lucky. lucky to have served. he had two terms as president, and did a great job. i'm proud to be next to your dad there. very proud.

>> in a recent letter to his children, always the bpoetic letter writer, my grandfather finishes his thoughts on aging.

>> as the seas get higher, the winter colder, i'll be making some notes, writing it down so lest i forget. so i can add to the report on getting older. maybe they'll come up with a new drug that makes legs bend easier, joints hurt less, memory come roaring back, and fears of falling off fishing rafts go away. i'll be there ready when you are, but i'll be there ready when you are, there's so much excitement ahead, so many grandkids to watch grow. if you need me i'll be here, devot devotedly, dad.

>> he may be dad to them, but he's mr. president to us. 41 reflecting on his 88 with his granddaughter after a life well lived. congratulations, mr. president. that's our

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Gene inactivation drives spread of melanoma

ScienceDaily (June 11, 2012) ? Why do some cancers spread rapidly to other organs and others don't metastasize? A team of UNC researchers led by Norman Sharpless, MD, have identified a key genetic switch that determines whether melanoma, a lethal skin cancer, spreads by metastasis.

Treating melanoma is extremely challenging. The cancer spreads rapidly and to sites in the body that are remote from the original cancer site. Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer, and advanced melanoma kills more than 8600 Americans each year. It is the most common form of cancer in young adults, aged 25-29 and the incidence of people under 30 developing melanoma is increasing fast -- more than 50 percent in young women since 1980.

In a paper published June 11 in the journal Cancer Cell, a team from UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center demonstrates that inactivating a gene called LKB1 (or STK11) causes non-aggressive melanoma cells to become highly metastatic when tested in a variety of models using tumors from humans and mice. While Sharpless and his colleagues showed a role for LKB1 inactivation in lung cancer metastasis, the effects of LKB1 loss on melanoma spread is even more dramatic.

"Although we are not totally certain how LKB1 loss promotes metastasis in multiple cancer types, one important effect is the loss of LKB1 starts a chain reaction, activating a family of proteins called SRC kinases, which are known to drive metastasis," said Sharpless, who is associate director for translational research at UNC Lineberger.

"Loss of LKB1 occurs in about 30 percent of lung cancer and 10 percent of melanoma, and ongoing studies at UNC and elsewhere will determine if these LKB1 deficient tumors have a worse prognosis. These data suggest LKB1 deficient cancers will be more likely to metastasize, and therefore more likely to be incurable."

"The work is exciting because the laboratory model reliably replicates distant metastases, helping us better understand what treatments may work for melanoma that has spread. While several targeted drugs have recently been approved by the FDA for metastatic disease, these targeted mutations don't indicate whether the disease is likely to metastasize," said Stergios Moschos, MD, clinical associate professor of hematology/oncology. Moschos works in the area of drug development for melanoma but was not involved in this research project.

Other members of the research team from UNC-Chapel Hill include Wenjin Liu, PhD; Kimberly Monahan, PhD; and Jessica Sorrentino, BS, from the department of genetics; Adam Pfefferle, BS, and Ryan Miller, MD, from the department of pathology and laboratory medicine; Keefe Chan, PhD, David Roadcap, PhD, and James Bear, PhD; from the department of cell and developmental biology; David Ollila, MD, from the division of surgical oncology and endocrine surgery; and Charles Perou, PhD, of the departments of genetics and pathology and the Carolina Genome Sciences Center. Dr. Miller, Bear, Ollila, and Perou are also members of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and Dr. Bear is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

Kwok-Kin Wong, MD PhD, from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School and Diego Castrillon, MD PhD, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center also contributed to the finding.

The research was funded by the National Cancer Institute and the NCI's Mouse Model of Human Cancer Consortium (MMHCC), the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (all part of the National Institutes of Health.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of North Carolina Health Care.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Wenjin Liu, Kimberly?B. Monahan, Adam?D. Pfefferle, Takeshi Shimamura, Jessica Sorrentino, Keefe?T. Chan, David?W. Roadcap, David?W. Ollila, Nancy?E. Thomas, Diego?H. Castrillon, C.?Ryan Miller, Charles?M. Perou, Kwok-Kin Wong, James?E. Bear, Norman?E. Sharpless. LKB1/STK11 Inactivation Leads to Expansion of a Prometastatic Tumor Subpopulation in Melanoma. Cancer Cell, 2012; 21 (6): 751 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2012.03.048

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.

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An alternate aliens-as-gods premise (Unqualified Offerings)

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China: Five Month Pregnant Woman Still in Danger of Forced Abortion

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CHANGSHA, HUNAN PROVINCE, China, June 11, 2012 /Standard Newswire/ -- On the night of June 6, 2012, Women's Rights Without Frontiers received an emergency email about a Chinese woman in danger of forced abortion.

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At least a dozen family planning officials broke into the home of Cao Ruyi, five months pregnant with her second child, and dragged her to the hospital for a forced abortion. Her husband, Li Fu, was beaten on the way to the hospital and told that if he and his wife did not consent to a "voluntary" abortion, his wife would be forced to abort. Over the weekend, the hospital released Cao Ruyi upon payment of a fine of US $1500 "social compensation fee." Family Planning Officials still demand an additional payment of US $25,000 for her to continue her pregnancy.

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Women's Rights Without Frontiers president Reggie Littlejohn stated, "The plight of Mrs. Cao and her husband vividly demonstrates the brutality of China's One Child Policy. The Chinese Communist Party has reported 13 million abortions a year. How many millions of Chinese women will be forced to abort their babies this year? We strongly condemn forced abortion and urge the international community to take a stand against this heinous crime against humanity."

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Littlejohn continued, "The suffering of this couple reveals several truths about the One Child Policy. Despite official denials, China still enforces its One Child Policy through late term forced abortion. These forced abortions occur in major cities, such as Changsha, not just in the countryside. Also, officials will beat and detain 'illegally pregnant' couples to extract consent to a 'voluntary' abortion. Finally we see the enormity of the fines, which can reach ten times a person's annual salary. These fines are impossible for most couples to pay. They then may become victims of forced abortion."

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Congressman Chris Smith issued a statement urging that Cao Ruyi be allowed to continue her pregnancy. Bob Fu, president of China Aid, communicated with the couple over the weekend.

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"WRWF is relieved that Mrs. Cao was released from the hospital. But if the couple is unable to pay this heavy additional fine, what will happen to them? Unless international pressure is applied, Mrs. Cao will likely be forcibly aborted. They are not out of danger."

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Stop Forced Abortion ? China's War on Women! Video (4 mins)

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Facebashing: Twitter's Non-IPO Vs. Facebook's IPO

"Reality is what we take to be true. What we take to be true is what we believe. What we believe is based upon our perceptions. What we perceive depends upon what we look for. What we look for depends upon what we think. What we think depends upon what we perceive. What we perceive determines what we believe. What we believe determines what we take to be true. What we take to be true is our reality." Gary Zukav

Facebook bashing has entered the realm of the utterly absurd. This morning I came across an article comparing Facebook (FB) to Twitter, and arguing that a future Twitter IPO would blow the Facebook IPO away. Then in the afternoon I read an article from Wall Street Cheat Sheet that argued for a Facebook comparable Apple (AAPL)/Google (GOOG) valuation of six to seven dollars; a pretty amusing argument when you consider that Facebook is sitting on almost five dollars a share in cash on hand. And let's not forget the ridiculous Reuters survey which seemed to be almost commissioned to have something negative to report. Yep, tearing something down is a lot more fun than building it up.

That is no surprise, but you'd think with something this big that at least some people would have a nice grasp of what is going on and get the message out. Sadly, that has not happened yet, so I have taken it upon myself to weigh in with an article or two that offers what I think is a more accurate assessment of the 'Facebook Fiasco'.

For this note I will focus on the misconception that Facebook's IPO was somehow a failure, and more specifically on a TheStreet.com article which compared how Facebook has been managed to Twitter. An article which, by the way, I was surprised to discover was written by SA regular contributor and fellow Netflix (NFLX) bear Rocco Pendola.

In his article, Rocco, who admittedly is bullish on Facebook, makes an argument that somehow implies Twitter has executed better than Facebook. To be specific, Rocco writes, "everything Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook have done well, Dick Costolo and Twitter have done better." Really? With all due respect to Rocco, that is a ridiculous statement and very typical of the type of stuff Facebook is getting hammered with on a daily basis. And let's be clear I am saying this despite the fact that there is no web property that has caught my eye more than Twitter over the past couple of years. It is in fact the only stock I have ever personally purchased on a secondary market, and also one that I professionally lobbied for acquiring a position in at a valuation closer to $2.5 billion. Suffice to say, I know a thing or two about the company.

I can also tell you that my interest in Twitter carried over into other microblogging sites like Sina's (SINA) Weibo (a much better bargain valuation wise) before they became mainstream market stories. So why was Twitter so interesting to me? Simple: It was and still is a web property acquisition candidate the likes of which you rarely come across in markets. To me a Twitter Google marriage was a no-brainer from day one. (The same argument goes for Baidu (BIDU) and Weibo.) The problem with this view is that Twitter knows this and so do Facebook, Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo (YHOO), and Apple. That is what has always appealed to me about this stock, the near certainty of a nice fat premium from an acquirer was always too tempting to pass up.

But let's be clear, knowing you are an attractive piece of web real estate isn't a measure of execution. Twitter is by no means executing better than Facebook. In fact, odds are Costolo and co. will never come close to accomplishing 10% of what Zuckerberg has accomplished. This is because Twitter's path to comparable monetization is 1000x harder than Facebook's. Twitter for me is like having Bloomberg Anywhere except I don't pay $3000+ a month for it and the array of information is much more diversified.

It is an incredible feed of data, but completely lacking in valuable display real estate or a clear subscription revenue model capable of justifying the current valuation. This is why Twitter recorded revenue of less than $150 million last year versus $3.8 billion for Facebook. So, for all the criticism about mobile, at least Facebook actually has valuable display real estate to fall back on.

See, I am of the belief that mobile is not going to be an advertising rainmaker for anyone of the big internet companies. I think the real money in mobile will go to the network operators, the transaction/payment processors, and the premium branded hardware sellers. Mobile from an ad standpoint is just not valuable display real estate, and odds are it may never be. It is similar to what has transpired in television with sporting events as on demand killed the captive live TV audience. If you control the valuable piece of a shrinking pie, you will retain pricing power. The NFL, NBA, and the likes have figured that out. The same philosophy will apply to online advertising. Basically, if Facebook owns the most valuable real estate you are checking into via a non-mobile device, they will continue to prosper even as mobile web usage rates continue to rise.

Yep, mobile monetization is a challenge for all the major content players on the web, so I am not going to lose a lot of sleep over it right now. This is also why when I hear Twitter's Costolo touting how well they are doing on mobile now that this has become a hot topic, I can do nothing but smirk. Twitter doesn't have a real display business, and thus no cash cow to milk while they experiment with ways to milk the mobile web. Their strength is also on the go news which makes them more suited for mobile as far as engagement, but that doesn't mean mobile monetization will be any easier for them than it is for Google or Facebook. Honestly, if you cornered Dick Costolo I am sure you could get him to admit that he wished he had Facebook's 'mobile problem' because as things stand he still hasn't figured out how to generate significant revenue, let alone profits, out of the entire Twitter platform.

This monetization problem has been what has held back the Twitter and Weibo IPOs, not some sort of management steady as she goes philosophy. That was the case before Facebook, which contrary to popular belief, timed its IPO to perfection. Yes, in the land of going public, raising a $7 billion war chest and providing insiders a fat $10 billion single day cash out at a $100 billion valuation is the definition of perfection.

Understand that Facebook not only raised enough cash to do as they see fit for the next decade, but they also guaranteed themselves that they hit the top of a cycle. This is pretty good news if your future business model is hiring talent and acquiring smaller start- ups. When the perception in the capital markets is that there is no more easy money in your sector, valuations start to fall and jobs disappear. If you are Facebook, you couldn't ask for a better environment to execute your strategy.

This is why I have a hard time understanding how anyone could argue that Costolo has done a better job of positioning Twitter for its seminal market moment. Twitter didn't have what it took to IPO before Facebook rang the bell, and after Facebook they have almost no chance of coming to market without disappointing a bunch of their current investors. Their last major round was north of $8 billion. Run the numbers and you will realize that this is over 50x trailing revenue or 3x where Facebook is at today. Oh, and at this valuation the last VC guys who put in the capital Twitter is burning through while it tries to figure out its model get to break even. So explain to me how such an IPO will blow the Facebook IPO away when the last major round Facebook raised was at $50 billion, and those investors got a partial exit at $100 billion in under two years?

As things stand, the Twitter story is all about having a good poker face as a private sale is the only realistic exit that will satisfy all Twitter investors at this point in time. If they try to go the IPO route (which I still think is not an option because of de minimus relative revenue), they will have to do a managed IPO in which they float a tiny slice and play the artificial demand game and try to facilitate their exit.

This is also assuming Twitter's revenue growth - which has been a major challenge - really comes through and hits this $1 billion by 2014 mark that has been loosely tossed around. And let's not even bother with a profitability conversation right now let alone make comparisons to Facebook's pre-IPO EBITDA margins.

See, if you consider how intricately Twitter has woven itself into our daily lives, its revenue at this point in time is very disappointing. You can't say the same thing for Facebook, and that my friends, is what you call execution.

Disclosure: I am long FB via call options.

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Apple expected to show fresh software, new Macs

NEW YORK (AP) ? Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to show off new iPhone software, updated Mac computers and provide more details on future releases of Mac software when he kicks off the company's annual conference for software developers on Monday.

The announcement of new software for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch has been confirmed by banners that appeared at the Moscone conference center in San Francisco on Friday, reading "iOS 6." It's not much of a surprise. Apple has used its Worldwide Developers Conference as an opportunity to announce new iPhone software for the past few years.

What's not known is what new features will come with iOS 6, or when it will be released to consumers. Usually, the new software becomes available for download around the time a new iPhone model appears. Apple-watchers expect the next version of the iPhone, the iPhone 5, to appear this fall, about a year after the launch of the 4S model.

In 2010, Apple demonstrated the new iPhone 4 at the WWDC, but analysts don't expect the company to show off a phone model this year.

With the launch of iOS 5 last year, Apple added many features already found in competing smartphone software. It also added the "Siri" virtual assistant feature, which interprets voice commands and talks back to the user.

This year, there are fewer "catch up" features to add, so Apple watchers expect more modest improvements. Some speculate that Facebook could become more tightly integrated, in much the same way that Apple baked Twitter functions into its software last year. That could make it easier to post Facebook status updates from within Apple's apps.

On the Mac software side, there are fewer unknowns. Apple already demonstrated most of the features of OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" in February and said it will go on sale late this summer. Developers are already able to download a version of the software. It narrows the gap between the PC and phone software packages, making Mac personal computers work more like iPhones.

Microsoft Corp., Apple's chief competitor in PC software, is on a parallel course. It's set to release Windows 8 later this year, bringing the look and user interface of Windows Phone to PCs.

Cook is also expected to announce new Mac models. Intel Corp. has just updated its processor line with faster, less power-hungry chips, and most of Apple's Mac lines haven't had a major update in a year.

The biggest mystery surrounds Apple's ambitions in television-making. Late company founder Steve Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he wanted to remake the TV. Apple does sell an "Apple TV," but it's small box that connects to a TV to display movies from iTunes. There's much speculation that Apple plans to make a full-blown TV set, integrated with iTunes.

Few company watchers expect Apple to reveal such a set at WWDC, but there's broad speculation that it could make a minor step toward Jobs' goal by releasing updated software for the Apple TV, expanding on its relatively limited functions.

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Undoing health care law could have messy ripple effects

WASHINGTON (AP) ? It sounds like a silver lining. Even if the Supreme Court overturns President Barack Obama's health care law, employers can keep offering popular coverage for the young adult children of their workers.

But here's the catch: The parents' taxes would go up.

That's only one of the messy potential ripple effects when the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the Affordable Care Act this month. The law affects most major components of the U.S. health care system in its effort to extend coverage to millions of uninsured people.

Because the legislation is so complicated, an orderly unwinding would prove difficult if it were overturned entirely or in part.

Better Medicare prescription benefits, currently saving hundreds of dollars for older people with high drug costs, would be suspended. Ditto for preventive care with no co-payments, now available to retirees and working families alike.

Partially overturning the law could leave hospitals, insurers and other service providers on the hook for tax increases and spending cuts without the law's promise of more paying customers to offset losses.

If the law is upheld, other kinds of complications could result.

The nation is so divided that states led by Republicans are largely unprepared to carry out critical requirements such as creating insurance markets. Things may not settle down.

"At the end of the day, I don't think any of the major players in the health insurance industry or the provider community really wants to see the whole thing overturned," said Christine Ferguson, a health policy expert who was commissioner of public health in Massachusetts when Mitt Romney was governor.

"Even though this is not the most ideal solution, at least it is moving us forward, and it does infuse some money into the system for coverage," said Ferguson, now at George Washington University. As the GOP presidential candidate, Romney has pledged to wipe Obama's law off the books. But he defends his Massachusetts law that served as a prototype for Obama's.

While it's unclear how the justices will rule, oral arguments did not go well for the Obama administration. The central issue is whether the government can require individuals to have health insurance and fine them if they don't.

That mandate takes effect in 2014, at the same time that the law would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to people with existing health problems. Most experts say the coverage guarantee would balloon costs unless virtually all people joined the insurance pool.

Opponents say Congress overstepped its constitutional authority by issuing the insurance mandate. The administration says the requirement is permissible because it serves to regulate interstate commerce. Most people already are insured. The law provides subsidies to help uninsured middle-class households pay premiums and expands Medicaid to pick up more low-income people.

The coverage for young adults up to age 26 on a parent's health insurance is a popular provision that no one's arguing about. A report last week from the Commonwealth Fund estimated that 6.6 million young adults have taken advantage of the benefit, while a new Gallup survey showed the uninsured rate for people age 18-25 continues to decline, down to 23 percent from 28 percent when the law took effect.

Families will be watching to see if their 20-somethings transitioning to the work world will get to keep that newfound security.

Because the benefit is a winner with consumers, experts say many employers and insurers would look for ways to keep offering it even if there's no legal requirement to do so.

But economist Paul Fronstin of the Employee Benefit Research Institute says many parents would pay higher taxes as a result because they would have to pay for the young adult's coverage with after-tax dollars. Under the health care law, that coverage now comes out of pre-tax dollars.

Fronstin says there's no way to tell exactly how much that tax increase might be, but a couple of hundred dollars a year or more is a reasonable ballpark estimate. Upper-income taxpayers would have a greater liability.

"Adult children aren't necessarily dependents for tax purposes, but an employer can allow anyone to be on a plan, just like they now allow domestic partners," said Fronstin. "If your employer said, 'I'm going to let you keep this,' it would become a taxable benefit for certain people."

Advocates for the elderly are also worried about untoward ripple effects.

If the entire law is overturned, seniors with high prescription costs in Medicare's "donut hole" coverage gap could lose annual discounts averaging about $600. AARP policy director David Certner says he would hope the discounts could remain in place at least through the end of this year.

Yet that might not be possible. Lacking legal authority, Medicare would have to take away the discounts. Drugmakers, now bearing the cost, could decide they want to keep offering discounts voluntarily. But then they'd risk running afoul of other federal rules that bar medical providers from offering financial inducements to Medicare recipients.

"I don't think anyone has any idea," said Certner.

A mixed verdict from the high court would be the most confusing outcome. Some parts of the law would be struck down while others lurch ahead.

That kind of result would seem to call for Congress to step in and smooth any necessary adjustments. Yet partisan divisions on Capitol Hill are so intense that hardly anyone sees a chance that would happen this year.

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