Research examines college students' knowledge about eating disorders

Public release date: 31-Oct-2011
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Contact: Dawn Fuller
dawn.fuller@uc.edu
513-556-1823
University of Cincinnati

They're the prime demographic for developing eating disorders, yet new research out of the University of Cincinnati suggests that it could be difficult for college students to notice the warning signs. On Oct. 31, Ashlee Hoffman, a UC doctoral student in health promotion and education, will present her research, titled, "University Students' Knowledge of An Ability to Identify Disordered Eating, Warning Signs and Risk Factors," at the American Public Health Association's 139th annual meeting and exposition in Washington, DC.

Disordered eating, Hoffman explains, involves unhealthy habits over time that can lead up to, but may not yet fit the medical diagnoses of an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.

Hoffman's poster research presentation is based on her survey of 428 college students. The survey examined whether they could differentiate between the myths and facts surrounding disordered eating, as well as the risk factors and warning signs.

The survey also revealed that one out of four survey participants reported "lifetime involvement in disordered eating," and that 50 percent of the participants knew someone who had an eating disorder.

Hoffman says the majority of the study participants could identify the most common risk factors associated with disordered eating, such as depression and anxiety. However, the students who reported longtime disordered eating were the most unlikely group among males, females, freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors to correctly identify risk factors.

The study also found that only a moderate percentage of the students surveyed could identify other risk factors that could trigger disordered eating, such as a recent life change, a critical family member or involvement in a sport that emphasizes being lean.

Females were significantly more likely than males to know risk factors as well as warning signs of disordered eating, such as abnormal weight loss, purging and distorted body image.

Hoffman's survey also found that college freshmen and sophomores were more familiar with the primary risk factors than upperclassmen and graduate students.

Figures from the National Institute of Mental Health in 2004 found that eating disorders affected 24 million Americans with the majority of sufferers between the ages of 12 and 25. "Eating disorders hold the highest death rate out of any mental illness affecting this age group, with a large number of cases ending in suicide," Hoffman says. "The survey also found that some students mistakenly believe disordered eating is a vanity issue, when in fact, it is a compulsive, addictive behavior that sufferers can use as a coping mechanism for stress."

Hoffman says that her future research will explore how to better educate college-age students about identifying disordered eating, as well as how to open the doors of communication with friends who they suspect might be struggling with disordered eating. "It's an issue that's been long perceived as a taboo subject, partly because of the efforts that people make in hiding disordered eating," Hoffman says. "If it's not appropriately addressed in conversation, it can make the problem even worse."

Secondary researchers on the study were Keith King, UC professor of health promotion and education, and Rebecca Vidourek, UC assistant professor of human services.

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Public release date: 31-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dawn Fuller
dawn.fuller@uc.edu
513-556-1823
University of Cincinnati

They're the prime demographic for developing eating disorders, yet new research out of the University of Cincinnati suggests that it could be difficult for college students to notice the warning signs. On Oct. 31, Ashlee Hoffman, a UC doctoral student in health promotion and education, will present her research, titled, "University Students' Knowledge of An Ability to Identify Disordered Eating, Warning Signs and Risk Factors," at the American Public Health Association's 139th annual meeting and exposition in Washington, DC.

Disordered eating, Hoffman explains, involves unhealthy habits over time that can lead up to, but may not yet fit the medical diagnoses of an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.

Hoffman's poster research presentation is based on her survey of 428 college students. The survey examined whether they could differentiate between the myths and facts surrounding disordered eating, as well as the risk factors and warning signs.

The survey also revealed that one out of four survey participants reported "lifetime involvement in disordered eating," and that 50 percent of the participants knew someone who had an eating disorder.

Hoffman says the majority of the study participants could identify the most common risk factors associated with disordered eating, such as depression and anxiety. However, the students who reported longtime disordered eating were the most unlikely group among males, females, freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors to correctly identify risk factors.

The study also found that only a moderate percentage of the students surveyed could identify other risk factors that could trigger disordered eating, such as a recent life change, a critical family member or involvement in a sport that emphasizes being lean.

Females were significantly more likely than males to know risk factors as well as warning signs of disordered eating, such as abnormal weight loss, purging and distorted body image.

Hoffman's survey also found that college freshmen and sophomores were more familiar with the primary risk factors than upperclassmen and graduate students.

Figures from the National Institute of Mental Health in 2004 found that eating disorders affected 24 million Americans with the majority of sufferers between the ages of 12 and 25. "Eating disorders hold the highest death rate out of any mental illness affecting this age group, with a large number of cases ending in suicide," Hoffman says. "The survey also found that some students mistakenly believe disordered eating is a vanity issue, when in fact, it is a compulsive, addictive behavior that sufferers can use as a coping mechanism for stress."

Hoffman says that her future research will explore how to better educate college-age students about identifying disordered eating, as well as how to open the doors of communication with friends who they suspect might be struggling with disordered eating. "It's an issue that's been long perceived as a taboo subject, partly because of the efforts that people make in hiding disordered eating," Hoffman says. "If it's not appropriately addressed in conversation, it can make the problem even worse."

Secondary researchers on the study were Keith King, UC professor of health promotion and education, and Rebecca Vidourek, UC assistant professor of human services.

###

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/uoc-rec103111.php

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Wall Street protesters prepare for harsh weather (Providence Journal)

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Video: Job Creators: A Poem by Rep. Gwen Moore (The Nation)

The Nation -- ?Today at a meeting with progressive journalists and bloggers, Representative Gwen Moore of Wisconsin?the only person to have beaten Governor Scott Walker in an election?read her original poem called ?Job Creators.? It?s a challenge to that vaunted group, which Republicans eagerly claim to promote and protect at all costs. It was really too amazing not to post right away:

Like this article? Try 4 issues of The Nation at home (and online) FREE.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politicsopinion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20111027/cm_thenation/164235

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Turkey survivor emerges from quake rubble

Turkish rescuers tend Ferhat Tokay, 13, after he was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Ercis, Van, Turkey, early Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. Rescuers, working under floodlights, pulled the 13-year-old boy alive from the rubble of the collapsed apartment building 108 hours after Sunday's earthquake that hit eastern Turkey. (AP Photo)

Turkish rescuers tend Ferhat Tokay, 13, after he was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Ercis, Van, Turkey, early Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. Rescuers, working under floodlights, pulled the 13-year-old boy alive from the rubble of the collapsed apartment building 108 hours after Sunday's earthquake that hit eastern Turkey. (AP Photo)

An unidentified earthquake survivor carries free soup and lemons distributed by Turkish Red Crescent in a tent city set up in a soccer field in Ercis, Van, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011. The death toll after the powerful Sunday quake hit eastern Turkey has now reached over 500. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Earthquake survivor Bilal Kilic, 70, father of 12 stands in front of a tent where 15 his family members has spent the night without any heating in a tent city set up in a soccer field in Ercis, Van, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011. The death toll after the powerful Sunday quake hit eastern Turkey has now reached over 500. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

In this image taken from a video footage by Anatolia, rescuers pull Ferhat Tokay, 13, center left, from the rubble of a collapsed building in Ercis, Van, Turkey, early Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. Rescuers, working under floodlights, pulled the 13-year-old boy alive from the rubble of the collapsed apartment building 108 hours after Sunday's earthquake that hit eastern Turkey. (AP Photo/Anatolia via APTN) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, TURKEY OUT, ROJ TV OUT, TV OUT

Turkish rescuers carry Ferhat Tokay, 13, after he was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Ercis, Van, Turkey, early Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. Rescuers, working under floodlights, pulled the 13-year-old boy alive from the rubble of the collapsed apartment building 108 hours after Sunday's earthquake that hit eastern Turkey. (AP Photo)

ERCIS, Turkey (AP) ? Rescuers, working under floodlights, pulled a 13-year-old boy alive from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building early Friday, over 100 hours after a massive earthquake leveled many buildings in eastern Turkey, killing at least 550 people.

A picture by the state-run Anatolia news agency showed a rescue team carrying, Ferhat Tokay, out of the debris, wearing a neck brace. In other pictures from a field hospital, he appeared conscious and looking at his rescuers.

Tokay's rescue came 108 hours after Sunday's 7.2-magnitude earthquake, the agency said.

The agency said the boy was injured but did not give further details. The collapsed building from which Tokay was rescued was in Ecris, the town worst hit by the quake.

The temblor has killed at least 550 people and injured 2,300 others, according to the country's disaster management, AFAD, website updated Thursday evening. Thousands of homeless in tents were struggling in the bitter cold as rain and snow brought on more hardship.

Television footage on Thursday showed a rescue team cheering and clapping as another young man, wearing a red sweater and strapped to a stretcher, was also carried out of the debris. His eyes were shut most of the time, but he opened them at one point.

The Anatolia agency identified the man as 18-year-old Imdat Padak. He was rescued by an Azerbaijani crew.

Padak was flown to the nearby city of Van and was dehydrated, but in good condition, according to the news agency.

Emergency officials said 187 have been rescued from the rubble. About 2,000 buildings have been destroyed and authorities declared another 3,700 buildings unfit for habitation.

More aid began to reach survivors, with Turkish authorities delivering more tents after acknowledging distribution problems that included aid trucks being looted even before they reached Ercis.

Families who did snag precious aid tents shared them with others. But some people spent a fifth night outdoors huddled under blankets in front of campfires, either waiting for news of the missing or keeping watch over damaged homes.

As survivors gathered pieces of wood to light campfires or stove-heaters, The Red Crescent and several pro-Islamic groups set up kitchens and dished out soup or rice and beans.

Sermin Yildirim, eight months pregnant, was sharing a tent with a family of four who were distant relatives, along with her own twins and husband. Her family was too afraid of returning to their apartment.

"It's getting colder, my kids are coughing. I don't know how long we will have to stay here," Yildirim said. "We were not able to get a tent. We are waiting to get our own."

Muhlise Bakan, 41, was not happy to share her tent with her husband's second wife, Hamide.

"I have four children, she has five," Bakan said. "We were sleeping in separate rooms at our house, and now we are sleeping side by side here."

However, she acknowledged the two women were now "closer" as they struggled together in hard times. Turkish law does not recognize second marriages, but some conservative men in the country's southeast still marry more than one wife in religious ceremonies.

Health problems increased the hardship.

"I am very sick, I need medicine," said Kevsel Astan, 40, who had a kidney transplant four years ago.

She said she was being treated at the state hospital until the quake struck. The damaged hospital was evacuated and doctors were focusing on emergency cases.

Burke Cinar, a sociologist with a Turkish foundation, said the group was trying to get tents for the families of 15 children with leukemia in Ercis.

Looking ahead, Turkey's weather agency predicted intermittent snowfall for the next three days.

Foreign assistance also began arriving. Israel, which has a troubled political relationship with Turkey, sent emergency housing units, blankets and clothing. Britain said it was dispatching 1,000 tents and Germany, Russia, Romania and Ukraine also contributed. A Japanese disaster rescue team was working alongside Turkish rescuers.

Saudi King Abdullah ordered a $50 million donation to help Turkey deal with the aftermath of the quake, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

Syrians who had fled across the border to Turkey to escape violence in their homeland donated blood for the injured, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Search and rescue operations ended in the provincial capital of Van, state-run TRT television said. But searchers in bright orange raincoats continued digging through debris in Ercis, 55 miles (90 kilometers) to the north.

They pulled out the bodies of two dead teenage sisters and their parents who were holding hands, and a mother clutching her baby boy, according to media reports.

Two teachers and a university student were rescued from ruined buildings Wednesday. One of the teachers later died in the hospital.

Some media reports said rescuers pulled out a 19-year-old alive early Thursday, but rescue team chief Mustafa Ozden told The Associated Press the youth was rescued on Tuesday.

The region has been rocked by hundreds of aftershocks. On Thursday, a 5.4-magnitude tremor hit the neighboring province of Hakkari, sending people rushing out of buildings in panic. No damage was reported but NTV television said some people were slightly injured trying to escape through windows.

Turkish television stations, meanwhile, organized a joint aid telethon that brought in just under 62 million Turkish Lira ($37 million).

___

Suzan Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-28-EU-Turkey-Quake/id-76b478f1c8ed4f2097dd77db743533da

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Coldplay keeps 'Mylo Xyloto' off streaming plans

Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin performs during their first concert of a European tour, at the Las Ventas bullring in Madrid Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul White)

Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin performs during their first concert of a European tour, at the Las Ventas bullring in Madrid Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul White)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? British band Coldplay is withholding its latest album, "Mylo Xyloto," from all-you-can-listen streaming services such as Spotify and Rhapsody ? making it the biggest band yet to express reservations about a system that pays artists a fraction of a penny every time someone listens to a song.

The decision for the hot-selling album, released Tuesday, is a blow to such services, which have millions of tracks available but rely on new tunes to keep listeners interested.

Consumers typically pay $10 a month for the right to pick any track or album from a library of millions and listen on demand via online streaming. Users can also download songs to mobile devices. Some services offer lengthy trials or free options with ads.

Usually, new tracks are available on the services on Tuesday, the same day they are released for sale.

The lack of availability of Coldplay's fifth album on subscription plans could push consumers to buy the album outright.

Coldplay's recording company, EMI, said in a statement "We always work with our artists and their management on a case by case basis to deliver the best outcome for each release."

Rhapsody president Jon Irwin said he respects the band's decision and needs to do a better job explaining the benefits of the subscription system to artists.

In an editorial he wrote for Billboard magazine on Monday, Irwin said he agreed that some reported royalties paid to artists ? as low as 0.015 cents per play on Spotify and 0.91 cents on Rhapsody ? "seem awfully small."

By comparison, recording labels and artists share about 70 percent of the $1.29 per track or $9.99 per album when music is bought on Apple Inc.'s iTunes.

Irwin argued that royalties from subscription music plans are recurring, not one-time as is the case with iTunes sales. Thus, he said, revenue will build over time.

And in any case, he said it is better than what artists get paid for pirated songs ? zero.

"Those plays for that artist, they're going to get compensated by it," he said in an interview Thursday. "That goes on forever, and it doesn't end with the sale of an MP3" song file.

Spotify said in a statement that it also respects the decision of any artist regarding where their songs are made available.

But the company pointed out that its service has "convinced millions of consumers to pay for music again." Spotify said it has paid $150 million to recording companies, artists and publishers since its launch three years ago.

Spotify has said it has more than 2 million paying customers globally, while Rhapsody is the leading service in the U.S. with more than 800,000 subscribers. Other popular subscription services include MOG and Rdio.

Early indications are that "Mylo Xyloto" will be one of the top-selling albums of the year. Its debut single "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" has racked up sales of 763,000 so far, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and Billboard estimates between 440,000 and 450,000 copies of the album will be sold through Sunday.

Coldplay's managers did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-10-27-Coldplay-Online%20Music%20Streaming/id-f2e39c9a340d427c9d38dd973fab8494

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X-Ray Screening Doesn't Prevent Lung Cancer Deaths: Study (HealthDay)

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Using chest X-rays to screen for lung cancer doesn't prevent deaths from the disease, a new study finds.

"There really was no benefit of the screening," said study co-author Dr. Christine Berg, chief of the early detection research group at the division of cancer prevention at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. "We detected some of the cancers a little earlier than we would have, but not early enough or in large enough numbers to really have an impact on lung cancer mortality."

Experts noted that the results of the large randomized clinical trial should put an end to any lingering questions about whether X-rays are useful in lung cancer screening. Recent research has indicated that CT scans are more effective at spotting malignancies earlier.

The study involved more than 150,000 never smokers, former smokers and current smokers aged 55 to 74 taking part in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

Half of the participants, including smokers and nonsmokers, underwent annual chest X-rays for three or four years between 1993 and 2001; half did not get screened.

During 13 years of follow-up, similar numbers of people in both groups were diagnosed with lung cancer -- 1,696 in the screened group and 1,620 who were not screened.

There were 1,213 lung cancer deaths in the screened group and 1,230 in the unscreened group. Those who were not screened were no more likely to die of lung cancer than those who underwent the annual X-rays, according to the study in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research was published early online and is scheduled to be presented Wednesday at the American College of Chest Physicians annual meeting, in Honolulu.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and worldwide, according to background information in the study.

Starting in the 1950s and through the 1970s -- a time when there were both lots of American smokers and a growing understanding about the dangers of smoking -- there was great interest in using chest X-rays to screen for lung cancer, Berg explained.

Studies published in the 1980s showed chest X-rays weren't all that effective, but those studies had small numbers of participants and other flaws that left lingering questions that have been answered in a more definitive way in this new study, Berg said.

Other experts agreed. "The study shows that lung cancer screening with chest X-ray isn't very effective, and certainly not as effective as CT scans," said Robert Smith, director of cancer screening at the American Cancer Society. "This paper indicates that the long tradition of using a chest X-ray to screen for lung cancer is over."

Another study, published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that using a newer technology cut the death rate by 20 percent compared to X-rays.

Helical CT, also called "spiral" CT scan, gives a more precise look at lung tissue. While an X-ray is a single image, portions of which can be blocked by the ribs, a spiral CT scan takes pictures of multiple layers of the lungs to create a three-dimensional image. Think of it like slicing a loaf of bread, with each image about 2.5 millimeters to 3 millimeters thick, Berg explained.

"Lung cancer screening with low-dose helical CT is the only technology that has ever been shown to lower lung cancer mortality," she said.

The downsides of CT scans are that they're more expensive, and they have many more false positives because they're so sensitive, she added.

While lung cancer caught early is more treatable than lung cancer caught later, one challenge with the disease is that many lung cancers are aggressive and difficult to treat, Berg noted. "It's only recently that the drug companies and researchers are beginning to find some drugs that work," she said.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on lung cancer.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111027/hl_hsn/xrayscreeningdoesntpreventlungcancerdeathsstudy

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#scio11 - How can we maintain high journalism standards on the web?

By Bora Zivkovic?| October 27, 2011?|

Share ?Email

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About the Author: Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

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Ally: How I use my iPhone to run a small iOS device repair, development and consulting business

I run a company that specializes in iOS device repair, web development, and consulting. I rely on my iPhone everyday to not only keep my appointments and consults straight but as a tool to manage all aspects of my work life. Every iOS upgrade has made it easier and easier to stay organized. And where iOS fails, many third party apps have stepped up to the challenge quite well.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/b0BkoerPGDc/

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New risk for Occupy Wall Street: less media interest (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? "Occupy Wall Street" is occupying less space in TV broadcasts, newspapers and social media as the story settles into a familiar pattern and protesters dig in for what could be a protracted fight.

While the movement's reliance on Twitter and Facebook to spread its message is well established, it has also benefited from becoming a media curiosity, at times drawing legions of TV crews and reporters to its encampments. Coverage fed on itself, as more people joined in more cities.

But experts say the protests are now making a natural -- yet challenging -- progression off the front page and cable news, as new events like the death of Muammar Gaddafi take prominence.

Any loss of the limelight, especially when the onset of cold weather has already started to reduce the ranks of protesters prepared to camp out overnight in lower Manhattan, could dampen the momentum of the movement.

"Without the oxygen to fuel their fire they're very much at risk of losing relevance," said Daniel Tisch, chairman of the Global Alliance of Public Relations & Communication Management, a confederation of national PR societies.

To some extent, even the protesters agree they are likely to get less attention as time goes by.

"People know what the general storyline is," said Senia Barragan, a protester from New Jersey acting as a spokeswoman for the occupation when not working on a doctorate at Columbia University. "I think they're moving on to other stories."

The loss of media interest is the latest roadblock to Occupy's momentum.

Experts on social movements have said the protesters need a "second act" of sorts as fatigue sets in and as cold weather starts to descend on New York and other protest sites.

In the days leading up to a series of worldwide protests on October 15, there were practically as many reporters as occupiers at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan -- to the consternation of some protesters, who started charging to have their pictures taken.

But with more than five weeks gone since the concrete plaza was first taken, the media's fascination with the story has started to wane.

DOWN SHARPLY LAST WEEK

The Pew Research Center produces a weekly News Coverage Index, which charts what percentage of total news coverage across dozens of outlets is taken up by a variety of topics. In the week ended October 16, coverage of Occupy Wall Street peaked at 10 percent of the total "newshole."

But last week it fell sharply to just 4 percent of news coverage, according to the latest version of the index, about the same as the mass release of exotic animals in Ohio.

Other data also support the finding. The Factiva news database shows 18,341 mentions of "Occupy Wall Street" in the week ended October 23, down 19 percent from the week prior.

While mentions rose daily during the week ended October 16, the numbers declined steadily the following week. From October 17 to 23, the number of daily uses of the phrase fell by more than half.

Even on those social media platforms that have been a backbone of the Occupy protests, there is less attention now.

Trendistic, a website that lets people monitor Twitter trends, shows clearly that the "#OccupyWallSt" hashtag has been declining as a percentage of overall hashtag use worldwide since October 15.

The same holds for other popular tags of the movement like "OWS" and simply "Occupy."

TV data is harder to come by, but anyone who has spent any time at Zuccotti Park over the last month can tell there are fewer TV operations than there were before. On Monday morning, there was just one satellite truck and a small handful of foreign camera crews.

Media watchers said all of these changes were to be expected in the context of what has been an extremely busy news year thus far.

"There's a lot of other things going on. This could just, instead of being front page news, be relegated ... further in the newspaper than the front page," said Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media.

(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz; editing by Edward Tobin)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111025/us_nm/us_protests

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Romney keeps attacks focused on Obama, not rivals (Reuters)

CONCORD, New Hampshire (Reuters) ? White House hopeful Mitt Romney kept his attacks focused on President Barack Obama rather than his Republican rivals on Monday, after picking up a big endorsement in New Hampshire.

The former Massachusetts governor ripped Obama's handling of the economy at a rally that followed Romney's filing of official paperwork to compete in the New Hampshire presidential primary, likely to be held in mid-January.

"President Obama for too many years has taken his guidance from the social democrats of Europe," Romney said on the statehouse steps in Concord, New Hampshire. "The right course is not to believe in Europe but to believe in America."

Romney had come under criticism from leading New Hampshire Republicans after it was revealed his campaign had lobbied Nevada to move its presidential caucus to January 14 from early February, a step that threatened to push New Hampshire's traditional first-in-the-nation primary into December.

On Saturday, Nevada Republicans voted to move the caucus back to February 4, clearing the way for New Hampshire to schedule its primary in mid-January. An announcement on the date could come within days.

Romney over the weekend won the endorsement of former New Hampshire Governor John H. Sununu, a power broker in state Republican politics who also served as chief of staff to President George H. W. Bush.

Sununu called Romney "a solid conservative who is committed to reducing taxes, cutting spending and preserving America's military strength."

The endorsement drew a rebuke from former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who has staked his campaign on a strong showing in New Hampshire.

Huntsman criticized the frontrunner for changing his positions on issues including healthcare, abortion and gun control.

"When you look at his past statements, positions and voting record, the idea that Mitt Romney is a principled conservative is an impossible conclusion," Huntsman wrote.

With President Obama preparing to visit Nevada to criticize Republicans for failing to back his jobs bill, Romney's campaign released a new anti-Obama video.

The video said Nevada has the highest rates of unemployment -- 13.4 percent as of September -- and mortgage foreclosure in the nation.

Romney has proposed cutting government spending and regulations as a solution to high unemployment and falling home values.

"America should be led by free people choosing their course in life," he said on Monday. "Government has become too intrusive, too big, too fat."

(Reporting by Jason McLure; Editing by Ros Krasny)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111024/pl_nm/us_campaign_romney

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Burress 3 TDs rally Jets

QB Sanchez connects with wide receiver to erase deficit against San Diego

Ray Stubblebine / Reuters

New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress, right, and quarterback Mark Sanchez celebrate after?a touchdown.

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr.

updated 4:30 p.m. ET Oct. 23, 2011

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Plaxico Burress caught three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score that was set up by an interception by Darrelle Revis, and the New York Jets stormed back in the second half and held on to defeat the San Diego Chargers 27-21 on Sunday.

Leading 21-17, the Chargers (4-2) appeared to be driving for a possible game-sealing score when Philip Rivers threw toward Vincent Jackson. The ball tipped off the receiver's hands and right to Revis, who returned the interception 64 yards to the Chargers 19.

After a few runs by Shonn Greene and a defensive holding call ? the Chargers' 11th penalty in the game ? Mark Sanchez found Burress on a slant for a 3-yard touchdown to give the Jets (4-3) their first lead midway through the fourth quarter. It was the second time in his career Burress caught three touchdowns, and first since 2007 while with the Giants.

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? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Burress 3 TDs rally Jets

??Plaxico Burress caught three touchdown passes as?New York stormed back to defeat San Diego Chargers 27-21.

Tebow rallies Broncos to improbable OT win

??Tim Tebow rallied the Denver Broncos for two touchdowns in the final 2:44 of the fourth quarter to force overtime, and Matt Prater's 52-yard field goal gave them an improbable 18-15 victory Sunday over the stunned Miami Dolphins.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45007840/ns/sports-nfl/

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Shuttlesworth eclipsed by King in life and death (AP)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ? When a little-known black Baptist preacher named Martin Luther King took the helm of the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott in 1955, the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was already in Birmingham trying to start a movement, but nobody was paying attention.

Shuttlesworth was from a small church. His credentials and pedigree made it easy for local whites to dismiss him as a radical. Until King came to Birmingham, Shuttlesworth couldn't get the national press to recognize his city as the embodiment of the horrors of the segregated South.

He was just another black preacher getting beat up, said former Atlanta mayor, congressman and United Nations ambassador Andrew Young, who worked alongside King and Shuttlesworth in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. All three men helped establish the organization in 1957.

"They were sued together, they helped organize SCLC together," Young said of King and Shuttlesworth. "He wanted the spotlight very much, but there wasn't but one Martin Luther King."

It was King who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and went on to become the icon of the civil rights movement. Shuttlesworth, who was overshadowed in life by his comrade in the movement, was again eclipsed by King in death.

Though he died nearly three weeks ago, Shuttlesworth is only now being buried. The reason for the delay: The dedication of the King Memorial on the National Mall, sending most of Shuttlesworth's civil rights colleagues to Washington last weekend.

Had they not been there, they would have likely been in Birmingham remembering Shuttlesworth.

"His friends and Martin's friends were the same," Young said. "But you don't have two memorials at the same time if you want your friends to come." Shuttlesworth's funeral will be Monday.

Among the scheduled events this weekend to remember Shuttlesworth were a pastoral remembrance at the historic 16th Street Baptist Church ? where four black girls were killed in a bombing before Sunday services on September 15, 1963 ? and a candlelight vigil across the street in Kelly Ingram Park, made famous the same year when news footage of policemen and firemen unleashing dogs and blasting water hoses on defenseless civil rights marchers was broadcast to a shocked international audience.

Long before the television cameras arrived, Shuttlesworth was there, organizing many such nonviolent protests.

Shuttlesworth survived a Christmas 1956 bombing that destroyed his home, an assault during a 1957 protest, chest injuries when Birmingham authorities turned the hoses on demonstrators in 1963 and countless arrests. He moved to Ohio to pastor a church in the early 1960s, but returned frequently to Alabama for key protests. He came back to live in the Birmingham area after he retired a few years ago.

"He was able to see how the civil rights struggle kept reinventing itself in different forms," said Diane McWhorter, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama, the Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution."

"He was always there to make it clear that this was a continuous struggle."

McWhorter said she never got the sense that Shuttlesworth was bitter about King overpowering the narrative of the movement, and that he never badmouthed King to her.

"He had a huge ego ... but he never said anything like, `Oh, I should've been the leader of the movement,'" she said. "He kind of recognized that he couldn't have done what King did. But he was just such a key ingredient that it couldn't have happened without him, either."

In his 1963 book "Why We Can't Wait," King himself called Shuttlesworth "one of the nation's most courageous freedom fighters."

After Shuttlesworth's death on Oct. 5 ? the same week the Rev. Joseph Lowery turned 89 and the Rev. Jesse Jackson turned 70 ? Alabama lowered its state flags to half-mast.

"I really do feel like he has sort of gotten his due more and more over the last number of years," McWhorter said. "Partly because he's outlasted everybody, with distinction and class."

Young agreed that Shuttlesworth ultimately received his due, and is recognized as one of the true heroes of the movement. Besides, he pointed out, attention is no substitute for longevity.

"Yes, Martin overshadowed him," Young said of Shuttlesworth. "But he got to live to 89. Martin didn't make it to 40."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111023/ap_on_re_us/us_shuttlesworth_remembered

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Nevada Gives, And GOP Primary Will Wait for 2012 (The Atlantic Wire)

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"Some Girls" reissue to include unreleased track (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? An upcoming reissue of the classic Rolling Stones album "Some Girls" will include a recently discovered track which will also be released as a single.

"No Spare Parts," which was recorded in Paris and was recently discovered by producer Don Was for inclusion on the new editions of "Some Girls" due out on November 21, tells the story of a trip from Los Angeles to San Antonio.

It features Mick Jagger on electric piano, Keith Richards on acoustic piano, Ron Wood on pedal steel guitar, Charlie Watts on drums and Bill Wyman on bass, Universal Republic Records said Thursday.

The label said the song, first recorded by Chris Kimsey in early 1978, features a "country guitar twang, subtle groove and soulful storytelling," describing it as "a powerful and poignant acoustic tune."

"Some Girls," a 1978 release that featured "Miss You" and "Beast of Burden," went a long way toward reestablishing

the Stones' then-flagging youthful appeal. It reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts and No. 2 in the United Kingdom.

"No Spare Parts" is slated for a world premiere on October 20 on the "Ken Bruce" show on BBC Radio 2, and will be available the same day on U.S. platforms beginning at 10 a.m.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111020/music_nm/us_rollingstones

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Video: Crib escape caught on tape

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44997955#44997955

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A bridge too far for owners and players in NBA labor dispute (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? The likelihood of the NBA season starting at any point over the coming months appeared to be fast disappearing after marathon talks between players and owners ended this week without a deal being struck.

If anything, the gap between the two sides in their long-running labor dispute loomed as large as ever, despite indications that some progress had been made early on in their meetings in New York with federal mediator George Cohen.

When negotiations were finally halted on Thursday night after a total of 30 hours of discussions spread over three days, the body language on both sides summed up the impasse.

"We've kind of worn each other out," a grim-faced Peter Holt, chairman of the NBA's labor relations committee, told reporters. "We are where we are and they are where they are."

NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver, sitting next to Holt, said: "Ultimately, we were unable to bridge the gap that separates the two parties. At this time, we have no further discussions scheduled with the union."

The two sides are divided over two key issues -- the division of basketball-related income and the structure of the salary cap system.

NBA owners contend the league lost $300 million last season with 22 of 30 teams in the red and initially demanded players cut their share of revenue from 57 to 47 percent from the previous collective bargaining agreement, along with a firm salary cap and shorter contracts.

The players offered to reduce their share from 57 to 53 percent, and lowered that to 52.5 percent Thursday.

That was not enough for the owners, who had formally proposed a 50-50 split.

"That's when we broke off," Silver said of the abrupt halt to negotiations after five hours of mediation on Thursday.

BITTER TASTE

NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher was left with a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I want to make it clear that you guys were lied to earlier," he told reporters. "It's that simple. We've spent the last few days making our best effort to try and find resolution here. Not one that was necessarily a win-win.

"It wouldn't be a win for us, it wouldn't be a win for them but one that we felt like could get our game back-started and get our guys back on the court, get our vendors back to work, get the arenas open and get these communities revitalized."

The pre-season and the first two weeks of the regular season had already been canceled due to the protracted lockout that began on July 1 after the players and owners failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

Fisher, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, said the owners had incorrectly portrayed the union as having pre-conditions coming into the mediation talks.

"We in no way implied that we're not here to continue to negotiate," he added. "We in no way tied any one part to the other. We did not pre-condition our time and effort here.

"We continued to express our willingness to negotiate on the split as well as the system. We didn't say if they're not willing to come from 50 up to us at 52.5, that the talks are off.

"Coming into this process, we felt we were at 53 and they were at 50 and we would find a way to bridge that gap. Obviously they have no intention of moving from 50."

The NBA owners appear to be more focused on trying to find a way to give every team in the league an opportunity to be profitable.

"The competitive issues are as big an issue for us, as owners of these teams, as the economic issues are -- and particularly for the small markets," Holt said.

"We want to get to the point where all 30 markets have an opportunity, nothing guaranteed, but an opportunity to be competitive and an opportunity to make a few bucks.

"And so, on both sides of those issues, we went back and forth, and have been going back and forth for two years, and we're still pretty far apart."

(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Patrick Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111022/sp_nm/us_nba_dispute

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What's next for Libya: 4 theories (The Week)

New York ? For Libyans, Moammar Gadhafi's bloody death marks the end of a 42-year era of repression. Will the future be better?

?

Libya celebrated the capture and death of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi with gunfire and jubilation on Thursday. But when the sun finally rose on a Gadhafi-free society on Friday, lots of questions faced the National Transitional Council (NTC), Libya's many tribes, and even Libya's neighbors. "Libya will travel a long and winding road to full democracy," President Obama said Thursday. But nobody is sure how long or winding the road will be, or if it will really end in democracy. Here, four theories on what's next for Libya:

1. Libya can now build a democracy
Gadhafi's death is "a highly valuable prize" that should deflate the loyalist resistance and "trigger the formal transition period... to democratic elections and a new constitution," says Stefan Wolff in Reuters. Libyans, possibly for the first time ever, have a real shot to determine the kind of country they want to live in, making Gadhafi's overthrow "the only successful uprising of the Arab Spring to date." Thankfully, says The Washington Post in an editorial, the NTC used the past few months to prepare "an ambitious but reasonable transition plan," and Libya has the oil wealth to make it work.

2. Libya will descend into civil war
Without hatred of Gadhafi to hold it together, "I'm afraid the opposition is going to start fighting among themselves now," American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Rubin tells USA Today. "I'm afraid it's going to be a far bloodier period in Libya." There are lots of tribal and ethnic divisions, but Libya's biggest threat now is the East-West rivalry, says Peter Gelling in Salon. The Benghazi-based Eastern fighters "claim to be the real heroes" because they started the uprising, but the Misrata-based Western faction won the bloodiest battles. They've already been jostling for power, and they all have guns. "The Libyan conflict may be far from over."

3. We've helped create an Islamist enemy
The "most problematic" fallout from Gadhafi's death, says Ed Husain at the Council on Foreign Relations, is "the emergence of Islamist extremist and Salafist hardliners from within the ranks of the Libyan rebels." Islamist groups have been the biggest winner elsewhere in the Arab uprisings, and they may not welcome a secular government. We're looking at Gadhafi being replaced by a "straight Sharia regime populated by al Qaeda elements," says Robert Spencer in Jihad Watch. The new America-backed regime will end up "being even more anti-American" than Gadhafi was.

4. This will reignite the Arab Spring
The humiliating death of the region's longest-reigning dictator "will provide a fillip for those who seek to build democracy and the rule of law elsewhere" in the Arab world, says The Economist. Neighboring Egypt and Tunisia are on a rocky path to holding Arab Spring?seeded elections, and Syrians are bravely standing up to Bashar al-Assad. Gadhafi's demise will give them all "a big boost." The gruesome end to Africa's self-annointed "King of Kings" will certainly "unnerve rulers and energize pro-democracy forces," says Paul Koring in The Globe and Mail. But if it leads the despots to fight harder to retain power, the Arab Spring might turn into a bloody winter.

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20111021/cm_theweek/220621

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Sierra Nevada faults pose major quake risk, study finds

Two faults potentially hold the threat of major earthquakes for communities in the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the western United States, recent studies of the area have found.

Scientists had long suspected this part of the Sierra Nevada range was prone to major quakes. Specifically, large examples of a type of bluff linked with earthquakes and known as a fault scarp were seen in young sediments there. So "it was apparent to us more than one surface-rupturing earthquake had occurred in recent geologic time," said study researcher Alexandra Sarmiento, a geologist at the University of Nevada, Reno.

To find out more, Sarmiento and her colleagues excavated trenches 100 to 150 feet (30 to 45 meters) long intersecting two faults that bound the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada mountains ? in the Carson Range in Reno, Nev., and in Antelope Valley, Calif., in the western tip of the Mojave Desert.

Evidence for two surface-rupturing earthquakes occurring in the last 10,000 years was discovered in Antelope Valley. The most recent such temblor led to a surface rupture at least 14 miles (23 kilometers) long, caused perhaps by an earthquake of magnitude 7.5. [ The 10 Biggest Earthquakes in History ]

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Radiocarbon dating of soil samples suggested the most recent earthquake occurred approximately 1,350 years ago. The one before it took place about 6,250 years before the present day.

These findings suggest "communities all along the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada are at risk for experiencing strong or major earthquakes, as well as smaller events," Sarmiento told OurAmazingPlanet. "The big earthquakes are the ones that rupture the ground and build the mountains and can cause substantial structural damage, but smaller earthquakes are still capable of damaging some structures."

Their research only revealed ancient signs for large earthquakes that broke the surface. Evidence of more frequent smaller earthquakes are not generally preserved in the geologic record, making it difficult to tell how often they might occur, Sarmiento said.

The researchers would like to continue studying the fault in the Reno area. Sarmiento and her colleagues, Steven Wesnousky and Jayne Bormann, detailed their findings in the October issue of the journal Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.

? 2011 OurAmazingPlanet. All rights reserved. More from OurAmazingPlanet.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44960429/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Rancic a 'wreck' before breast cancer reveal

It was only hours ago that Giuliana Rancic went public with her breast cancer diagnosis. But it took mere moments to find out that she has a massive support network standing by.

"I feel like such a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders," she admitted on Monday's E! News to longtime friend and co-anchor Ryan Seacrest, whom she had just shared the news with last night. "I've been keeping this secret from a lot of dear friends for a while now and it's nice to get it out there and not hide anymore."

Story: Miss California Alyssa Campanella crowned Miss USA 2011

Via satellite from New York, Rancic admitted that the decision to go public "was a difficult one." But once the celeb thought about all the women she could inspire and perhaps educate ? regular breast exams are a must, ladies! ? she knew there was nowhere to go but in front of the cameras.

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"There was a long period of time where I thought I was going to hide this from everyone, that I didn't need to tell anyone," Rancic revealed. "And then as time went by, I would see friends of mine that didn't know, and I would think, 'God, I wish I could let her know what I'm going through,' so that she goes and gets checked."

And the same goes for all of the young female viewers of E! News, "Fashion Police" and "Giuliana & Bill."

"I started realizing I could be an example for women to not just be aware of breast cancer but to act on it," she told Seacrest. "To make an appointment, to give themselves an exam. Because truly, Ryan, the bottom line is, the earlier you find it, the better chance you have of survival.

"So that's my situation. I'm going to survive, I'm going to be just fine, I'm not broken, but that's because I found it early."

MORE: Wanda Sykes Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Double Mastectomy

Rancic explained how her cancer was diagnosed following a mammogram that she at first didn't even want, but that her IVF doctor insisted upon if she was going to keep trying to get pregnant.

"I wasn't prepared to get a mammogram until I was 40 years old, like I'd been told," the 36-year-old Rancic told Ann Curry on TODAY. "I never in my wildest dreams expected anything to be wrong."

And that TODAY interview was no piece of cake, even for the seasoned TV personality.

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"Right before I went on, I was such a nervous wreck," she recalled. "Ann gave me tissues right before we started and said, 'Keep these under your dress.'" Rancic worried, though, that people were going to feel sorry for her.

"(Husband Bill Rancic) came over and said, 'Be yourself, just tell your story and help women. Show that you're a positive role model, that you're strong and that you're getting through this. Don't cry. It's OK, honey, you can do this.'"

MORE: Reese Witherspoon Joins Thousands for Breast Cancer Walk

"He was such an amazing support at the last minute," Rancic said of her hubby.

The perennially busy TV star is going to be taking some time off while she undergoes a lumpectomy and radiation therapy, but she warned Seacrest not to get too comfortable without her ? either on the air or behind the scenes.

"Can I use your closet space?" he teased. "You have a ton of space for your shoes and stuff and I'm tight on space.... Can I borrow your assistant? Something!"

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"No, don't touch my clothes, but you can have my parking space for the week!" Rancic laughed. "You really need more than four assistants? Leave my assistant alone!"

In the meantime, the entire E! family is wishing Giuliana a full and speedy recovery!

? 2011 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44941807/ns/today-entertainment/

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Harley struggles to make enough high-end bikes (AP)

NEW YORK ? Harley-Davidson isn't making enough of its most expensive motorcycles to meet demand.

That shortfall disappointed investors, who sent the Milwaukee company's stock down 7 percent on Tuesday even though Harley reported its third-quarter profit more than doubled.

Harley wasn't able to produce as many of the larger touring and custom bikes that customers wanted, shifting sales to smaller, less profitable models and reducing the average amount of money made on each.

The reason: as part of a larger restructuring, Harley has consolidated production of several models in a state-of-the-art assembly line at York, Penn. The changes, designed to boost the company's long-term profitability, reduced York's production of the more profitable bikes.

The result: third-quarter sales that fell short of Wall Street predictions and a drop in profit margins that worried investors and sparked a sell-off of shares.

After the global economy stalled in 2008 and the company's sales plunged 23 percent the next year, it embarked on a massive plan to slash its costs and transform the way it manufactures its motorcycles.

The plan has helped turn things around despite tough economic conditions. Harley's sales have picked up considerably this year, and on Tuesday it announced its second-straight quarter of higher U.S. sales. But the success is being offset by the manufacturing problems and currency issues.

Sales of new motorcycles rose 5.1 percent to 61,838 bikes and included a 5.4 percent increase in U.S. sales.

And while revenue from bike sales and related products rose 13.4 percent to $1.23 billion, it missed Wall Street predictions of $1.29 billion.

Harley-Davidson's third quarter gross margin ? or the proportion of revenue the company kept as profit ? fell to 33.7 percent from 34.9 percent a year earlier, which company officials attributed to the production issues at York and an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar compared with the Euro and other currencies.

The motorcycle maker also cut its profit margin prediction for the full year, citing the continued uncertainty surrounding future currency values.

The company earned $183.6 million, or 78 cents per share, up from $88.8 million, or 38 cents per share, a year earlier. Analysts, on average, expected earnings of 76 cents per share, according to a FactSet poll.

Harley-Davidson Inc.'s Chief Executive Keith Wandell said he knew the restructuring would be a massive undertaking, but added the changes are still in the best long-term interest of the company.

"Are we disappointed that things haven't been perfect? Yes. But I will tell you that we are pleased with where we are in this transformation," he said.

Harley makes motorcycles ranging from $8,000 sport bikes to custom touring models that can start at more than $30,000.

In heavy afternoon trading, the stock price tumbled $2.62, or 7 percent, to $34.59 a share. Over the past 52 weeks, the shares have traded between $29.86 and $46.88

Wedbush analyst Rommel Dionisio called the margin trends "disappointing." He said the company's overall recovery appears to be on track and noted that the bulk of the restructuring will be completed by the end of this year. The pressure on its margins should ease by early 2012. He backed his "Outperform" rating for Harley's stock.

Harley held its motorcycle shipment forecast steady for 2011, saying it still expects to ship between 228,000 and 235,000 new bikes worldwide. That would reflect an increase of 8 percent to 12 percent from 2010 levels.

Through the third quarter of this year, the company has shipped 182,387 motorcycles to its dealers and distributors, representing a 10-percent increase from the first nine months of 2010.

The company also lowered its prediction for the total cost of the big restructuring it began two years ago, saying it now expects one-time charges of $480 million to $495 million, including charges of $70 million to $80 million this year.

___

AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111018/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_harley_davidson

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