David Beckham Super Bowl Ad: Shirtless For H&M!

With all these Super Bowl ads leaking early (see Matthew Broderick's from earlier), you won't have to worry if you need to during the game ... in a different way.

Or maybe you'll want to stick around for another look at this one, especially if you're female. Usually it's half-naked girls in Super Bowl commercials. Not here.

David Beckham's new ad for his H&M underwear line was just released, showing the soccer hunk wearing nothing more than "Bodywear" briefs and a smile:

David Beckham Super Bowl Ad

With the camera utilizing more angles than the Kim Kardashian sex tape, the tattooed 36-year-old shows off his line - briefs are $12.95 and trunks $14.95, guys.

In a press release, Becks said "I'm excited about my bodywear ad featuring in this year's Super Bowl ... it's been a fantastic collaborative experience. I'm very happy with the end result. Like every fan, I'm looking forward to Super Bowl Sunday."

For Victoria Beckham, every day must feel like Super Bowl Sunday.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/david-beckham-super-bowl-ad-shirtless-for-handm/

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Syrian authorities agree to Moscow talks: Russia (Reuters)

MOSCOW (Reuters) ? Syria has agreed to take part in Moscow-mediated talks on solving the country's crisis, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday, calling on the Syrian opposition to join the planned negotiations.

However, a senior member of the Syrian opposition council said that no invitation had been received from Moscow and that it would be refused anyway.

Moscow, a permanent United Nations Security Council member with veto powers, has offered to host the talks in an effort to end the bloodshed since protests began 10 months ago against President Bashar al-Assad.

"We have received a positive response from the Syrian authorities to our call (to hold talks in Moscow)," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website www.mid.ru.

"We hope ... that the Syrian opposition will agree to that in the next few days, putting the interests of the Syrian people above all other concerns."

Moscow's offer of talks may be an attempt to strengthen its arguments against a Western draft resolution at the Security Council supporting an Arab League call for Assad to cede power.

Russia has said that Assad's resignation must not be a precondition for the Syrian peace process. It has remained one of Assad's few allies and has supplied him with arms and ammunition during the protests.

Moscow has repeatedly said Assad's opponents share the blame for the bloodshed. It fears a Western resolution could be interpreted broadly enough to lead to a Libyan-style military intervention, which Russia says it will not allow.

Russia submitted its own draft resolution in December, but Western diplomats said they could not accept Russian wording assigning blame to government and opposition for the violence, which the United Nations says has killed more than 5,000 people.

(Reporting By Alexei Anishchuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage and David Stamp)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/ts_nm/us_russia_syria_talks

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Russia backs Assad, last friend in Arab world (AP)

MOSCOW ? Russia's defiance of international efforts to end Syrian President Bashar Assad's crackdown on protests is rooted in a calculation that it can keep a Mideast presence by propping up its last remaining ally in the region ? and has nothing to lose if it fails.

The Kremlin has put itself in conflict with the West as it shields Assad's regime from United Nations sanctions and continues to provide it with weapons even as others impose arms embargoes.

But Moscow's relations with Washington are already strained amid controversy over U.S. missile defense plans and other disputes. And Prime Minister Vladimir Putin seems eager to defy the U.S. as he campaigns to reclaim the presidency in March elections.

"It would make no sense for Russia to drop its support for Assad," said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the independent Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. "He is Russia's last remaining ally in the Middle East, allowing it to preserve some influence in the region."

Moscow may also hope that Assad can hang on to power with its help and repay Moscow with more weapons contracts and other lucrative deals.

And observers note that even as it has nothing to lose from backing Assad, it has nothing to gain from switching course and supporting the opposition.

"Russia has crossed the Rubicon," said Igor Korotchenko, head of the Center for Analysis of Global Weapons Trade.

He said Russia will always be marked as the patron of the Assad regime regardless of the conflict's outcome, so there's little incentive to build bridges with the protesters.

"Russia will be seen as the dictator's ally. If Assad's regime is driven from power, it will mean an end to Russia's presence," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs.

Syria has been Moscow's top ally in the Middle East since Soviet times, when it was led by the incumbent's father, Hafez Assad. The Kremlin saw it as a bulwark for countering U.S. influence in the region and heavily armed Syria against Israel.

While Russia's relations with Israel have improved greatly since the Soviet collapse, ties with Damascus helped Russia retain its clout as a member of the Quartet of international mediators trying to negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

After Bashar Assad succeeded his father in 2000, Russia sought to boost ties by agreeing to annul 73 percent of Syria's Soviet-era debt. In the mid-2000s, Putin said Russia would re-establish its place in the Mideast via "the Syria route."

Syria's port of Tartus is now the only naval base Russia has outside the former Soviet Union. A Russian navy squadron made a call there this month in what was seen by many as a show of support for Assad.

For decades, Syria has been a major customer for the Russian arms industries, buying billions of dollars' worth of combat jets, missiles, tanks and other heavy weapons. And unlike some other nations, such as Venezuela, which obtained Russian weapons on Kremlin loans, Assad's regime paid cash.

The respected newspaper Kommersant reported this week that Syria has ordered 36 Yak-130 combat jets worth $550 million. The deal, which officials wouldn't confirm or deny, may signal preparations for even bigger purchases of combat planes.

Korotchenko said Syria needs the jets to train its pilots to fly the advanced MiG-29M or MiG-35 fighter jets it wants to purchase: "It's a precursor of future deals."

Korotchenko said Syria's importance as a leading importer of Russian weapons in the region grew after the loss of the lucrative Iraqi and Libyan markets.

Russia, whose abstention in a U.N. vote cleared the way for military intervention in Libya, later voiced frustration with what it described as a disproportional use of force by NATO.

The Kremlin has vowed not to allow a replay of the Libyan strategy in Syria, warning that it would block any U.N. resolution on Syria lacking a clear ban on any foreign military interference.

Moscow accuses the West of turning a blind eye to shipments of weapons to the Syrian opposition and warns it won't be bound by Western sanctions.

Earlier this month, a Syria-bound Russian ship allegedly carrying tons of munitions was stopped by officials in Cyprus, an EU member, who said it was violating an EU arms embargo. The ship's captain promised to head to Turkey but then made a dash to Syria.

Asked about the ship, Russia's foreign minister bluntly responded that Moscow owes neither explanation nor apology to anyone because it has broken no international rules.

Nonetheless, Moscow has shown restraint in its arms trade with Damascus, avoiding the sales of weapons that could significantly tilt the military balance in the region.

In one example, the Kremlin has turned down Damascus' requests for truck-mounted Iskander missiles that can hit ground targets 280 kilometers (175 miles) away with deadly precision. While the sale of such missiles wouldn't be banned under any international agreements, Moscow has apparently heeded strong U.S. and Israeli objections to such a deal.

Moscow also has stonewalled Damascus' request for the advanced S-300 air defense missile system, only agreeing to sell short-range ground-to-air missiles.

"Russia has taken a very careful and cautious stance on contracts with Syria," Korotchenko said.

The most powerful Russian weapon reportedly delivered to Syria is the Bastion anti-ship missile complex intended to protect its coast. The Bastion is armed with supersonic Yakhont cruise missiles that can sink any warship at a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles) and are extremely difficult to intercept, providing a strong deterrent against any attack from the sea.

Observers in Moscow said that Russia can do little else to help Assad. The chief of the Russian upper house's foreign affairs committee, Mikhail Margelov, openly acknowledged that this week, saying that Russia has "exhausted its arsenal" of means to support Syria by protecting it from the U.N. sanctions.

Lukyanov said Russia has made it clear it would block any attempts to give U.N. cover to any foreign military intervention in Syria, but wouldn't be able to prevent Syria's neighbors from mounting such action.

"Russia realizes that it has limited opportunities and can't play a decisive role," he said.

Pukhov also predicted that Russia wouldn't take any stronger moves in support for Damascus.

"Going further would mean an open confrontation with the West, and Russia doesn't need that," he said.

____

Elizabeth A. Kennedy contributed from Beirut.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_syrian_game

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SAG Awards Red Carpet Ruled By Pastels, Sexy Details

Emma Stone, Lea Michele and Angelina Jolie flaunt what they've got in couture on Sunday night.
By Jocelyn Vena

Angelina Jolie at the 2012 SAG Awards
Photo: Getty Images

The SAG Awards may honor actors and their hard work, but on the red carpet on Sunday (January 29), it was all about recognizing all of the hard work they put into their looks. At the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, the overarching trend seemed to be flaunting what you've got.

For photos of the stars on the SAG Awards red carpet, click here.

Zoe Saldana went light in a sequined white dress with a drop waist and floral detailing. Kristin Wiig's look, though, had a bit of a split personality: Her pale-hued Balenciaga gown was decidedly glam thanks to tailoring that showed off her long, lean body, but her black metal choker was a bit too heavy and goth for the overall look.

Two of the biggest divas on Fox's "Glee," Lea Michele and Naya Rivera, made pale colors look red-hot. Michele's lavender Versace had a body-hugging bodice and thigh-high slit, while Rivera's ice-blue dress was made even sexier thanks to a plunging neckline.

Red also ruled the carpet. "My Week With Marilyn" star Michelle Williams was chic in a bright-red Valentino dress, which was cut right above the ankle. Her ladylike look was capped off with lace detailing along her sleeves and neckline. "Dexter" star Jennifer Carpenter also opted for a red-and-lace red-carpet look.

Using a similar color palette, Sofia Vergara's hot pink, strapless Marchesa gown was super hot. Her "Modern Family" co-star Julie Bowen went Grecian in a purple gown.

Emma Stone, Angelina Jolie, Tina Fey and Ashlee Simpson decided that a little black dress wasn't too simple for Sunday's show. Jolie played up her inner vixen in a Jenny Packham halter gown with a draped neckline. Meanwhile, Stone went quirky in a three-quarter-length strapless black dress with lace details. "The Help" star played up the fun aspect of the Alexander McQueen design with platform shoes.

Simpson, meanwhile, looked like a character right out of boyfriend Vincent Piazza's show "Boardwalk Empire" in a '20s-style Jenny Packham gown with sequins and see-through fabric along the neckline. Fey brought the "va va voom" in her black strapless column dress: It was all party on top — with grey and black shades — and business at the bottom in a plain black fabric.

The guys didn't disappoint, either. Fellas like Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Jonah Hill kept it classic and simple in tuxedos, choosing ties over bowties. One guy, however, had a little fun with it, and that honor went to "Modern Family" star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who wore a blue pinstripe suit with a matching blue-velvet bowtie.

Share your favorite SAG red-carpet looks on our Facebook page.

Stick with MTV News all night for the 2012 SAG Awards winners, and don't miss all the fashion from the red carpet!

Related Photos

• Stars Light Up The SAG Awards Stage
• SAG Awards 2012 Red Carpet

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678103/sag-awards-2012-red-carpet-fashion.jhtml

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Prejudices? Quite normal!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Girls are not as good at playing football as boys, and they do not have a clue about cars. Instead they know better how to dance and do not get into mischief as often as boys. Prejudices like these are cultivated from early childhood onwards by everyone. "Approximately at the age of three to four years children start to prefer children of the same sex, and later the same ethnic group or nationality," Prof. Dr. Andreas Beelmann of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) states. This is part of an entirely normal personality development, the director of the Institute for Psychology explains. "It only gets problematic when the more positive evaluation of the own social group, which is adopted automatically in the course of identity formation, at some point reverts into bias and discrimination against others," Beelmann continues.

To prevent this, the Jena psychologist and his team have been working on a prevention programme for children. It is designed to reduce prejudice and to encourage tolerance for others. But when is the right time to start? Jena psychologists Dr. Tobias Raabe and Prof. Dr. Andreas Beelmann systematically summarise scientific studies on that topic and published the results of their research in the science journal Child Development (DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01668.x.).

According to this, the development of prejudice increases steadily at pre-school age and reaches its highest level between five and seven years of age. With increasing age this development is reversed and the prejudices decline. "This reflects normal cognitive development of children," Prof. Beelmann explains. "At first they adopt the social categories from their social environment, mainly the parents. Then they start to build up their own social identity according to social groups, before they finally learn to differentiate and individual evaluations of others will prevail over stereotypes." Therefore the psychologists reckon this age is the ideal time to start well-designed prevention programmes against prejudice. "Prevention starting at that age supports the normal course of development," Beelmann says. As the new study and the experience of the Jena psychologists with their prevention programme so far show, the prejudices are strongly diminished at primary school age, when children get in touch with members of so-called social out groups like, for instance children of a different nationality or skin colour. "This also works when they don't even get in touch with real people but learn it instead via books or told stories."

But at the same time the primary school age is a critical time for prejudices to consolidate. "If there is no or only a few contact to members of social out groups, there is no personal experience to be made and generalising negative evaluations stick longer." In this, scientists see an explanation for the particularly strong xenophobia in regions with a very low percentage of foreigners or migrants.

Moreover the Jena psychologists noticed that social ideas and prejudices are formed differently in children of social minorities. They do not have a negative attitude towards the majority to start with, more often it is even a positive one. The reason is the higher social status of the majority, which is being regarded as a role model. Only later, after having experienced discrimination, they develop prejudices, that then sticks with them much more persistently than with other children. "In this case prevention has to start earlier so it doesn't even get that far," Beelmann is convinced.

Generally, the psychologist of the Jena University stresses, the results of the new study don't imply that the children's and youths attitudes towards different social groups can't be changed at a later age. But this would then less depend on the individual development and very much more on the social environment like for instance changing social norms in our society. Tolerance on the other hand could be encouraged at any age. The psychologists' "prescription": As many diverse contacts to individuals belonging to different social groups as possible. "People who can identify with many groups will be less inclined to make sweeping generalisations in the evaluation of individuals belonging to different social groups or even to discriminate against them," Prof. Beelmann says.

###

Raabe T, Beelmann A.: Development of ethnic, racial, and national prejudice in childhood and adolescence: A multinational meta-analysis of age differences. Child Development. 2011; 82(6):1715-37. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01668.x.

Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena: http://www.uni-jena.de

Thanks to Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 59 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117152/Prejudices__Quite_normal_

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New

Hello!
I'm new here, but I'm not that new to roleplaying though. I've been roleplaying twice before. But nothing fell into my taste, it was either too interactive or boring.

I'm 15, 16 in about a month, from Sweden, girl. I'm currently studying Japanese because I love the language and the country. I'm able to speak Swedish, English, Arabic and some German..eh. I like to draw, write, make movies and listen to music. Shy around new ppl, but turn into a really weird creature when I know somebody better. That was probably everything that you don't really need to know. Eh.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/drnLcPA3KvE/viewtopic.php

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Cancer free?

I have stage II OVC and had my 6 month check up since completing chemotheraphy today. My CA 125 score was a 9 and my doctor told me that everything looks good. I was just wondering what is the time frame or what has to happen for you to be considered cancer free?

Source: http://www.inspire.com/groups/ovarian-cancer-national-alliance/discussion/cancer-free-7/

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'The Office': Five More Spin-Off Ideas

In light of Rainn Wilson's impending new show, the MTV News team has compiled its own wish list of TV spin-offs.
By Josh Wigler

Rainn Wilson on the "Office"
Photo: NBC

"The Office" is reportedly following the "Battlestar Galactica" model of launching a spin-off of its very own: a show following Rainn Wilson's maniacal assistant regional manager assistant to the regional manager, Dwight Schrute. In the spirit of Dwight leaving Dunder Mifflin for greener, beet-ier pastures, the MTV News team has created its own wish list of TV spin-offs.

Dwight's permanent relocation to the Schrute family beet farm is a controversial move, certainly, but also a potentially awesome one. Think about all the television characters from your favorite series, both canceled and ongoing, that you would want to see in a show of their own. Peter Dinklage's Tyrion Lannister yucking it up with mercenary buddy Bronn all over Westeros? "True Blood" hunk Eric Northman's days as a Viking before arriving in Bon Temps? There's simply no way that these shows would not be incredible, or, at the least, wonderfully epic failures.

Read on for our highest hopes, and drop your own wishes in the comments section!

"Full Measure"
The most we ever learn about Mike on "Breaking Bad" comes from the episode "Half Measures." During a four-minute monologue, he shares a story about his previous life as a beat cop and one of the biggest regrets of his life, the time he didn't kill an abusive husband when he had the chance. A spin-off following Mike during his transition from beat cop to hired muscle would work not only because he's a total badass, but thematically his arc would mirror Walter White's in a way. When did the cop become a drug lord's right hand? That's a show I'd watch. — Kevin P. Sullivan

"Masuka: Forensic Investigator"
Sure, Dexter's fine. But what about everyone's favorite quirky, bald pervert? Masuka's spin-off would be a lot like "Dexter," except with less murder and more strippers. Like, way more strippers. In fact, 75 percent of the show would take place at a strip club. Just think of all of the raunchy things he would say in his inner monologue! — Ryan Rigley

"Lost: The Hurley Years"
Of course the most epic spin-off of all would star none other than Hugo "Hurley" Reyes of "Lost" fame. He and Ben Linus could go around the world recruiting awesome young people with supernatural bird-killing powers whose plots never get resolved, and eating all the Mr. Cluck's the world has to offer. I'd call it "Hurley's Super Fun Time Island Action Team Protection Squad," or something to that effect. — Brian Phares

"The Ugly Truth"
This series is based on the aftermath of the drama-filled "Pretty Little Liars" finale in which it is revealed that Aria is undoubtedly "A" and the brutal murderer of "Queen Bee" Alison. After it is exposed that Aria is the one responsible for all the torment, trickery and burden "A" caused, her friends, family and basically every breathing thing hates her. Forced to live in a world full of "Haters," Aria's life is filled with everlasting sorrow and "she be dealing with some issues that you can't believe!" #KanyeVoice. — Miranda Johnson

"The Smash"
Coach Eric Taylor, Tim "33" Riggins, Matt "QB1" Saracen... great characters, all. But the "Friday Night Lights" star I find myself thinking about most often is Brian "Smash" Williams, the astonishingly talented Dillon Panthers running back who left early in season three to bring his A-game to Texas A&M. Unlike most actors who came and went on "FNL," we never saw Smash again following his departure (save for a few shout-outs here and there). Of all the later season cameos, how on earth did we never get to see him again? Haven't you heard: he's the Smash, baby! Peter Berg, Jason Katims and Gaius Charles, I'm begging you: bring the Williams family back to the small screen with Smash's days as an Aggie and, inevitably, his transition to the pros. After all, you know what they say: clear eyes, full hearts, awesome spin-offs — can't lose! — Josh Wigler

Tell us the TV spin-offs you want to see in the comments section!

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677954/office-spinoff-dwight-schrute-farms.jhtml

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Oil above $100 as Fed vows to keep key rate low

BANGKOK (AP) ? Oil rose above $100 a barrel Thursday in Asia after the U.S. Federal Reserve said it would keep interest rates at record lows at least until 2014 to help jump-start the world's biggest economy.

Benchmark crude for March delivery was up 71 cents at $100.11 a barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose by 45 cents to finish at $99.40 per barrel in New York on Wednesday. At one point it was as high as $100.40.

Brent crude for March delivery was up 88 cents at $110.69 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange in London.

The U.S. central bank, which has kept its benchmark interest rate near zero for three years, said Wednesday that it doesn't plan to raise the rate before late 2014.

That caused the dollar to turn lower against major currencies, which makes dollar-priced oil less expensive for holders of other currencies.

"That would mean the U.S. dollar would continue to be cheap versus other currencies, and there is typically an inverse correlation between the value of the dollar and commodity pricing," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst at consultancy Purvin & Gertz in Singapore.

"So oil prices are supported by the Federal Reserve statement," he said.

But other analysts saw room for oil prices to fall.

Leaving rates low would encourage businesses and consumers to borrow money cheaply, boosting the economy and leading to higher oil demand. But the Fed also "telegraphed its concern regarding U.S. economic growth ... which is intuitively bearish for oil," said energy trader and consultant The Schork Group.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil rose 2.8 cents to $3.04 per gallon and gasoline futures gained 1.7 cents at $2.86 per gallon. Natural gas advanced 2.4 cents to $2.75 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-26-Oil%20Prices/id-5f4d3284f19c45a0bd86af8939416dc3

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#SciAmBlogs Wednesday - Sword-Swallowing, Fracking, Aurorae, Secrets, and more

By Bora Zivkovic?| January 25, 2012 |??

Share ?Email

---

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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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.

More??

#SciAmBlogs Wednesday ? Sword-Swallowing, Fracking, Aurorae, Secrets, and more

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.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=252bbeb72dae4a5f70133faafdc088f2

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KATHERINE HEIGL TELLS MARTHA STEWART THAT SHE WOULD LOVE HER DAUGHTER ?TO GO INTO MEDICINE, NOT JUST PLAY A DOCTOR ON TV?

On the Monday, February 6th edition of Hallmark Channel’s ?The Martha Stewart Show? (airs weekdays at 10 AM ET/9 AM C ? same day encore airing, 2 PM ET/next day airing, 1 PM ET), Katherine Heigl, star of the upcoming film, ?One For The Money,? receives a much needed baking lesson from Martha Stewart just [...]

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2011 was another bumper crop for CEO pay and golden parachutes (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Pets, No Longer Forgotten, As Final Days Approach for Their Owner ...

Filed by Ben Allen in Art & Life, Feature, Local News.
January 24, 2012
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Click here to download audio

Click here for more information about Pet Peace of Mind, and hospice programs in Oklahoma that offer the service.

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Hospice care aims to make the last days of one?s life as peaceful and painless as possible. At a handful of programs in Oklahoma, that includes taking care of pets. Pet Peace of Mind, in Ponca City, Stillwater and Tulsa, takes all kinds of animals to doctor?s appointments, helps feed them, even takes them on walks. It?s all so those reaching the end get to spend it with their longtime companions?

?I did have one experience,? says Neda Lutman, as she describes a special trip she would take as a volunteer with Hospice of Green Country.

?I would go pick up the dogs where they were boarding at a vet and take them to where she was and sit in her room for two hours and let her have the dogs on her lap, and it was real important to her.?

All of this, and it was worth it. Lutman says she felt like she was doing something good. It?s hard to say how the patient felt, but I don?t think its exaggerating to say those were the best two hours of each day.

This isn?t an uncommon experience either. Rita Temple has volunteered with the hospice since it started offering care for pets.

?The pets and the owner, they?re just so excited to see each other. And it?s just gratifying to see what the reaction is between the pet and the owner because they?re just both are really happen and know where they belong.?

My problem with this story is I?ve never had a pet. No barking was heard in the Allen household, there was no litter box in the corner, I never had to feed the fish.

So I asked Valerie Bloodgood to try to make up for my 22 years without a pet in a couple sentences. She runs the program at Judith Karman Hospice in Stillwater. She also has five roommates at home: two dogs and three cats.

?They don?t care how sick you are. They don?t care that you?re not able to do some of the things you?re able to do or that you don?t look the way you did due to an illness so that pet provides just I?m not even sure if I can describe it other than its just unconditional love.?

Now, I understood why Oklahoma State University alum Dr. Delena Taylor- McNac would launch Pet Peace of Mind in 2007. Tulsa?s Hospice of Green Country was the first to get the program, and it has quickly spread nationwide. The Banfield Charitable Trust provides initial funding, and checks in to keep things running smoothly.

?For some folks the way that life has turned out they may outlived their peers, they may have family and extended family that live in another state or even in another country. And as a result, pets tend to fill that void relationally for people,? said Taylor-McNac.

Volunteer Neda Lutmen is in that camp. She?s retired and has her husband, but beyond that, not much extended family around northeast Oklahoma. Lutmen turns to animals to fill the void. Same combination as Valerie Bloodgood, too: two dogs, three cats. As Bloodgood tells me, a pet can help slow things down.

?It gives them a sense of continuity with their life and when they?re able to have their dog or cat curl up with them, who wouldn?t like that??

At such a turbulent time, achieving emotional peace is more than enough. Rita Temple says patients sometimes find that will to live in their pets. When asked if Pet Peace of Mind is actually lengthening people?s lives, Temple responds,

?Oh yes, oh yes. Definitely. Probably better than a lot of medicine they have.?

When the patient eventually passes on, pets aren?t forgotten. If a family member can?t or won?t take them in, Pet Peace of Mind will find a home for them.

Source: http://kosu.org/2012/01/how-pets-mean-more/

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Hamas lawmakers arrested at Red Cross in Jerusalem (AP)

JERUSALEM ? Two lawmakers from the militant Palestinian party Hamas were arrested after hiding for over a year inside a Red Cross compound in Jerusalem, an Israeli police spokesman said Monday.

The spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said the men were wanted for "Hamas activities." He would not elaborate.

Red Cross officials confirmed the men had been holed up inside. In a statement, the Red Cross said that Khaled Abu Arfa and Mohammed Totah sought refuge in the compound on July 1, 2010, to escape Israeli arrest.

Israel, the U.S., EU and Israel list Hamas as a terror group due to its suicide bombings and other attacks aimed at civilians that have killed hundreds of Israelis.

Israel bans Hamas from operating in Jerusalem. Last week Israel arrested the Hamas speaker of the Palestinian parliament.

Rosenfeld said the Hamas men were arrested when they ventured outside the Red Cross compound Monday.

Shortly after the arrests, a group of Palestinians forced their way into the Red Cross compound, Red Cross spokeswoman Cecilia Goin said. "They acted violently against Red Cross staff and then left," Goin said. Nobody was seriously hurt, she said.

Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri confirmed they were hiding at the Red Cross for a year and a half. "This is a Zionist crime," he said. "Their abduction is a violation of their rights."

Hamas lawmakers have taken refuge at the Red Cross compound before. Last September Israeli police arrested another Hamas lawmaker who had been hiding at the facility for a year.

The men were Hamas lawmakers in the Palestinian parliament, which has not functioned since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 from the Palestinian Fatah Party of President Mahmoud Abbas.

They were among four Hamas officials Israel arrested in 2006 after an Israeli soldier was abducted by Gaza militants allied to the militant Islamic group.

After spending time in jail, they were ordered to leave Jerusalem but hid at the Red Cross instead to avoid expulsion.

"Hamas forcing itself on the Red Cross is not new," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said. "It raises serious questions about the abuse by Hamas of Red Cross neutrality and about the impotence of the Red Cross to counter such abuse."

In July last year, Israel sought clarifications from the Red Cross following a demonstration outside the organization's Gaza headquarters for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, including many involved in deadly attacks. Israel charged that the Red Cross helped organize the event and said such activities compromise its neutrality.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

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I Really Want to Drink This Wine Aged with a 4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite [Booze]

I'm not that big a fan of the vino but I really want to drink the Cabernet Sauvignon from Ian Hutchinson's vineyard in Chile's Cachapoal Valley. Why? Well, for some reason, it's aged with a three-inch, 4.5 billion years old meteor from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. SPACEWINE. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/gk53HJZpLgU/i-really-want-to-drink-this-wine-aged-with-a-45-billion+year+old-meteorite

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Newt Gingrich, Filled With More Excrement Than Your Average Politician (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/188955290?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Japan cult member charged after years on run (AP)

TOKYO ? A senior member of the doomsday cult behind the 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo subways has been charged in a kidnapping case, one of dozens of cult-related crimes in the 1990s.

Tokyo prosecutors Friday indicted Makoto Hirata, a 46-year-old member of Aum Shinrikyo, for his role in the abduction and confinement of a follower's relative in 1995.

The victim later was slain and burned inside the cult's commune, but prosecutors said Hirata wasn't responsible in these.

Weeks later, Aum released sarin nerve gas in Tokyo's subways, killing 13 and injuring more than 6,000.

Hirata turned himself in to police on the New Year's eve and was arrested on the spot. His sudden reappearance after 17 years on the run has shocked Japan.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_doomsday_cult

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Cell senescence does not stop tumor growth

Friday, January 20, 2012

Since cancer cells grow indefinitely, it is commonly believed that senescence could act as a barrier against tumor growth and potentially be used as a way to treat cancer. A collaboration between a cancer biologist from the University of Milano, Italy, and two physicists, from the National Research Council of Italy and from Cornell University, has shown that cell senescence occurs spontaneously in melanoma cells, but does not stop their growth, which is sustained by a small population of cancer stem cells. The results, published in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology on January 19 explain why it is difficult to treat cancer cells by inducing senescence alone.

The work explores the relationship between melanoma and senescence, the normal process where cells decline and eventually stop duplicating after reaching maturity. The investigators followed the long-term evolution of melanoma cell populations, monitoring the number of senescent cells. After three months, growth slowed and most of the cells turned senescent, however growth did not stop and eventually resumed its initial rate until the senescent cells had almost disappeared.

The authors mathematically modeled the experimental data using the cancer stem cell hypothesis, where a sub-group of cancer cells replicate indefinitely, and are thus unaffected by senescence. These cancer stem cells give rise to a larger population of cancer cells that can duplicate only a finite number of times. The model yielded an indirect confirmation of the presence of cancer stem cells in melanoma, an issue that is still controversial in the cancer research community.

Although a large fraction of cancer cells are susceptible to senescence, the researchers conclude that inducing senescence is unlikely to provide a successful therapeutic strategy because these cells are irrelevant for tumor growth. However, the indirect evidence of cancer stem cells in melanoma may enable the development of new methods to treat specific kinds of cancer. The challenge will be in the strong resistance to drug induced senescence that would be found in the cancer stem cells. Along this line of research, treatment of tumors would focus on targeting only these cancer stem cells, rather than every single cancerous cell.

###

La Porta CAM, Zapperi S, Sethna JP (2012) Senescent Cells in Growing Tumors: Population Dynamics and Cancer Stem Cells. PLoS Comput Biol 8(1): e1002316. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002316

Public Library of Science: http://www.plos.org

Thanks to Public Library of Science for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116906/Cell_senescence_does_not_stop_tumor_growth

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Arab League considers extension of Syria mission

In this Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 photo, anti-Syrian regime protesters chant slogans and flash the victory sign as they march during a demonstration at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 photo, anti-Syrian regime protesters chant slogans and flash the victory sign as they march during a demonstration at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

In this Tuedsay, Jan. 17, 2012 photo, a young anti-Syrian regime protester shows bullet casings, said by protesters to be left by Syrian army soldiers, at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, an anti-Syrian regime protester flashes the victory sign as he waves the Syrian revolution flag during a demonstration, at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

In this photo taken on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, anti-Syrian regime protesters shout slogans and flash the victory sign as they march during a demonstration, at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the border with Lebanon. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian government tanks and armored vehicles have pulled back from an embattled mountain town near Damascus, activists and witnesses said Thursday, but at least 16 people were killed by security forces elsewhere as a monthlong Arab League fact-finding mission expired.

The pullback from Zabadani left the town under the control of the opposition, activists said. The besieged town of Zabadani has witnessed heavy exchanges of fire between army troops and anti-government military defectors over the past six days.

The 10-month uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad has turned increasingly militarized and chaotic as more frustrated regime opponents and army defectors arm themselves and fight back against government forces. The capital has seen three suicide bombings since late December which the government blamed on terrorist extremists.

Arab League foreign ministers will consider extending the League's observer mission in Syria in a meeting Sunday in Cairo, officials said Thursday.

Although the mission expired Thursday, Adnan al-Khudeir, head of Cairo operations room that handles reports by the monitors, told The Associated Press that observers will remain in Syria until a decision is made on Sunday.

According to al-Khudeir, the meeting chaired by the Qatari foreign minister will discuss a report by the head of the mission Gen. Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi who is arriving in Cairo from Syria on Thursday.

The monitors will remain in 17 different places around Syria until the Arab League makes a final decision, he says.

"If there is a decision to extend the mission of the observers, we are ready to send more monitors after training them in three days," he said, adding that the total number of monitors might reach 300.

The mission has been mired in controversy, with the opposition claiming it served as a cover for the regime to continue its brutal crackdown against protesters.

Rejecting charges that the observers have been ineffective in reducing violence, another official said extending the mission would help the opposition more than the regime.

"The killings are less, the protests increase," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no decision has been made. "The mission's presence offers assurance to the people because the observers can spot any violations. There is a conviction even among Syria opponents that the extension is better than withdrawal."

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday the monitors have had a "mixed picture" of results, enabling some protests and some media coverage, but violence continues.

"We believe that we've got to increase the economic pressure on the Assad regime to change course," she said.

More than 5,400 people have been killed since the uprising erupted last March.

Activists reported continued violence Thursday. In Damascus, a Syrian security agent was wounded when a small explosive device tore through his car in the Tadamon neighborhood, a Syrian official said. No other damages were reported from the morning explosion, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give statements.

A military security brigadier, Adel Mustafa, also was killed by soldiers who had defected and refused his orders to shoot at civilians in the Bab Qibli area of Homs, according to the Local Coordination Committees, an umbrella group of activists. The officer had previously overseen many killing and arrest operations, according to the LCC.

In Zabadani, activist Fares Mohammad said Syrian forces withdrew Wednesday night to two military barracks on the outskirts.

"There is a cautious calm, but fear of another major assault being prepared against Zabadani," he told The Associated Press by telephone from the resort town, located alongside the Lebanese border 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of Damascus.

The Syrian opposition has on several occasions throughout the uprising gained control of a town or city, but ultimately forces loyal to Assad retook them. It is unusual however for the army to take so long to recapture a town so close to the capital.

The activist said the siege had eased, although heating oil has not been allowed into the town, where it snowed earlier this week. Military checkpoints surrounding the Zabadani were still in place, he said, while about 100 armed defectors were "protecting" it.

Residents said government mortars had shelled the town on Wednesday, but that too had stopped.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the pullout from Zabadani, saying only two armored personnel carriers were left behind at one of the checkpoints near the town.

Syrian officials issued no comment about the fighting in Zabadani.

Activists said at least 16 people were killed by security forces across Syria on Thursday, including four activists who were ambushed in the northern Jabal al-Zawiya region.

___

Michael reported from Cairo. Additional reporting by Bradley Klapper in Washington.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-19-ML-Syria/id-dd8dd87cbb87473fb96056f317d2c83f

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All Local News Teams Should Use Puppets Instead of Court Sketches [Video]

If you're a local news outlet that's been blocked from entering a courtroom to cover an event live, you have two options. The first is to send in a artist who can sketch the proceedings in a lumpy, boring, pastel blah kinda way. The second? Puppet reenactments. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ckXotx_Iwv8/all-local-news-teams-should-use-puppets-instead-of-court-sketches

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Police fire tear gas at Romanian protesters (Reuters)

BUCHAREST (Reuters) ? Romanian riot police fired tear gas at protesters who threw bricks and bottles back at them on Thursday in Bucharest's main square where demonstrations against the government's austerity drive have taken place since last week.

The police arrested up to 50 people believed to have triggered the violence including throwing metal fencing at them, according to private television station Realitatea TV.

Hundreds of demonstrators from an opposition rally which took place earlier in the day joined the protest in the main square in the evening. Traffic was blocked and protester numbers there rose to 1,500, riot police said.

About 7,000 opposition supporters rallied in Bucharest earlier on Thursday to demand the government's resignation, following a week of anti-austerity protests across the country which have sometimes turned violent.

The rally was organized by the leftist opposition USL to press for the resignation of Prime Minister Emil Boc's centrist coalition and his ally President Traian Basescu.

They paraded along a main boulevard from Bucharest's triumphal arch - modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris - to the government headquarters, chanting "Down with Basescu" and comparing him with former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

"People are out on the streets in all the cities of Romania," USL co-leader Victor Ponta told the crowd, gathered in freezing temperatures.

"People are upset: many are angry because they lost their jobs, many are angry because their pensions were slashed, many others are humiliated by the rulers every day. But there is a single thing that unites us - we all want Basescu out."

The USL staged its march separately from main square protests which erupted spontaneously last week after a popular deputy minister, a respected Palestinian-born medic clashed with Basescu and resigned over a controversial health reform plan.

Hundreds of demonstrators supporting the spontaneous movement are meeting every day in the square, as well as other cities, to attack pay cuts and tax increases the government has implemented under an International Monetary Fund-led aid deal.

They have protested against the opposition as well as the government and there has been little violence since the weekend.

The austerity policies have helped Romania to put its once troubled finances on a steadier footing, but have also slowed recovery from a deep and painful recession

The USL has committed to stick with the IMF, but said it would revoke some of Boc's austerity measures if it takes power. It has called for a parliamentary election to be brought forward from late this year.

Latest opinion polls show support for the USL, a fragile leftist alliance, on about 50 percent compared with 18 percent for Boc's PDL.

Analysts say the protests are not big enough to sway policy but will make it even more difficult for the PDL to regain ground in the polls and hang on to power.

(Writing by Radu Marinas)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/wl_nm/us_romania_protests

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Why The U.S. Might be Losing Technology Jobs to Asia

Jan. 18, 2012

?So, I am reading the paper this morning and an?article in the Chicago Tribune?catches my, one on how the U.S. has lost 30% of its technology jobs.??Being an election year, which now means every year is an election year, the blame will quickly be cast to our gridlocked political environment.??Or the European banking crisis, or the deficit, or the Fed, or whatever reason de jour one can come up with.

I suggest there is a more fundamental problem to this job loss, which I will demonstrate with a couple of stories.

?

I spent a good deal of time working in Silicon Valley.??I managed both technical and manufacturing groups.??I was lucky enough to work with a very diverse work force.??This was a heady time in Silicon Valley.?Apple was just starting up.??Microsoft had not been heard of yet.?Intel still had not made the CPU for PC?s.??Milpitas, CA (where I lived) had only one Headquarters of note ? Chucky Cheese (it later went on to house many technology companies).

?

In the San Jose Mercury News, every year they would publish a two page spread of valedictorians from the area High Schools.??In the early 80?s most of the kids featured were ?white?.??That is middle class, white, and often male.??By the end of the 80?s the two page spread did not have one native born American.??Not be discriminatory, but they were all Asian, 100%.??Asians put a high value on education, very high.??This continues on to secondary education as well.??When I attended classes at a local Community College, I noticed that the math and science classes were also dominated by Asians.

?

The focus on education and making it a high priority is just one reason that jobs are moving overseas.??We can blame low labor cost.?But if education is as important as we say it is (and it is), companies will go to where education is valued.??Right now, it is highly valued in the Far East (India, China, Korea, Japan).??In my view, we here in the U.S. give lip service to education.??Don?t believe me. Just ask a teacher.??Parents don?t seem to care much anymore, don?t come to meetings, heck some won?t even feed their kids or get them to school on time (or there at all).

?

Another story involves a ?buffalo?.??One time we had an assembly department working every minute of overtime we could get.??One guy, Frank, worked every minute he could.??He worked 7 days a week, 12 hour days.??Frank was a native of the Philippines.??I could not get the native born Americans to work, not like he did.

?

One day I mentioned to Frank that he might take a day off as he had worked every day for three months.??He laughed at that comment off and told me a story.??He said that every day back home in the Philippines, he got up before dawn, ate, and then went to work.??He spent the day plowing fields, behind a buffalo.??He quit when he sun went down, came home ate, went to sleep, repeated the next day ? every day. ?Here I work in air conditioning, I operate this machine and I wear a white coat.??There?s??no buffalo to walk behind.??No heat, no sweat.??I get water when I want and eat when I want.??This???This is not work????We are spoiled?.

?

So, a company wants to build a factory.??They value hard work and need an educated workforce.??Where do you think they are going to go?? (Note: They usually won't go where the dropout rate is close to 50%, which is what it is in our major Cities around the country.)

Source: http://www.realtown.com/grseidel/blog/jobs-lost-going-to-asia

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Rangers' Lowe agrees to $1.7 million contract (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? The American League champion Texas Rangers and reliever Mark Lowe have agreed to a one-year, $1.7 million deal to avoid arbitration, the Major League Baseball team said on Tuesday.

The right-hander, 28, appeared in 52 games out of the bullpen for Texas last season, compiling a 2-3 record and 3.80 earned run average.

He was acquired by Texas in 2010 from Seattle where he spent four-plus seasons.

(Reporting By Gene Cherry in Salvo North Carolina; Editing by Frank Pingue)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/sp_nm/us_baseball_rangers_lowe

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Report: Cruise ship captain claims he fell overboard

Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino has reportedly now told officials that he tripped and fell into a lifeboat shortly after the ship began taking on water near Giglio Island.

By msnbc.com and news services

Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET:?Francesco Schettino, captain of the doomed Costa Concordia that partially sunk on Friday, said he did not abandon ship, according to a transcript published by Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper and reported by the Associated Press.

"I did not abandon a ship with 100 people on board ... the ship suddenly listed and we were thrown into the water," Schettino reportedly said during a recorded telephone conversation with Capt. Gregorio De Falco of the Italian coast guard in Livorno.

The transcript also showed the coast guard official urgently commanding the captain to return to the cruise ship after he had abandoned it.

"You go on board! Is that clear? Do you hear me?" the Coast Guard officer shouted as Schettino sat safe in a life raft and frantic passengers struggled to escape the listing ship. "It is an order. Don't make any more excuses. You have declared 'Abandon ship.' Now I am in charge."?

The officer confronted him with an expletive-laced order to get back on board, which has quickly entered the Italian lexicon. The four-word phrase has become a Twitter hashtag and Italian media have shown photos of T-shirts bearing the command.?

Criminal charges including manslaughter and abandoning ship are expected to be filed by prosecutors shortly. Schettino faces a possible 12 years in prison on the abandoning ship charge alone.

Updated at 2:50 p.m. ET:?A German woman listed as missing from the Costa Concordia was located alive in Germany.

Gertrud Goergens alerted police in Germany that she was alive and well, according to the Associated Press, citing the prefect's office in Grosetto, Italy.

Goergens was removed from the official list of missing late Wednesday. Twenty-three passengers are still unaccounted for:

Dayana Arlotti, Italy;?William M. Arlotti, Italy;?Elisabeth Bauer, Germany;?Michael M. Blemand, France;?Maria Dintrono, Italy;?Horst Galle, Germany;?Jeanne Gannard, France;?Christina Mathi Ganz, Germany;?Norbert Josef Ganz, Germany;?Pierre Gregoire, France;?Gabriele Grube, Germany;?Barbara Heil, United States;?Gerald Heil, United States;?Egon Hoer, Germany;?Mylene Litzler, France;?Margarethe Neth, Germany;?Inge Schall, Germany;?Siglinde Stumpf, Germany;?Brunhild Werp, Germany;?Josef Werp, Germany;?Margrit Schroeter, Germany;?Maria Grazia Trecarichi, Italy;?Luisa Antonia Virzi, Italy.

Three crew members are also missing:?Girolamo Giuseppe, Italy;?Russel Terence Rebello, India;?Erika Fani Soriamolina, Peru.?

Eleven bodies have been recovered, though only one has been publicly identified: Crew member Sandor Feher, 38, of Hungary.?

Hungarian ministry spokesman Jozsef Toth said Feher's body was found inside the wreck and identified by his mother in the Italian city of Grosetto.

Jozsef Balog, a pianist who worked with Feher, a violinist, told the Budapest newspaper Blikk that Feher was wearing a lifejacket when he decided to return to his cabin to pack his violin. Feher was last seen on deck en route to a lifeboat. According to Balog, Feher helped put lifejackets on several crying children before returning to his cabin.

Captain Francesco Schettino, the man accused of causing the deadly wreck of a cruise ship off the coast of Italy, is out of jail and under house arrest, as additional bodies were found aboard the capsized ship. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.

Separately, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said Wednesday he will hold a hearing to review cruise ship safety. The exact date has not been determined, but Mica has requested Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) to aid in the investigation.

"The Costa Concordia tragedy is a wake-up call for the United States and international maritime organizations to carefully review and make certain we have in place all the appropriate standards to ensure passengers' safety on cruise ships," Mica said in a statement.

Updated at 11:40 a.m. ET:?

The Costa Concordia took a nearly identical route past Giglio Island in August to the one Friday that led to the sinking of the ship, NBC News has learned.

Adam Smallman, editor of shipping magazine Lloyd?s List, said the route taken in August, based on satellite tracking, was ?authorized by the company and the coast guard.?

DigitalGlobe

The Costa Concordia ran aground Jan. 13 off the coast of Italy, resulting in the evacuation of thousands of passengers as the ship began heavily listing.

"Our assessment of the route this vessel took (in August) is it must?have come perilously close, and?I mean possibly within touching distance of the rock that it hit this time ... which the company is saying wholly unauthorized in terms of its proximity to the island," Smallman said.

The search for missing passengers aboard the Costa Concordia is on hold over fears that the ship is shifting, making rescue efforts more dangerous.

The captain in charge of the specialist divers searching the stricken Costa Concordia tells NBC News that they need to blow four more holes in it to gain access to the bottom of the cruise ship. Asked about the search for bodies -- some 23 people are unaccounted for according to Reuters -- the captain said there was visual evidence suggesting some bodies were at the bottom of the sea.

NBC News, citing officials involved in the rescue effort,?reported that on Wednesday the ship had sunk 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) at the front and 1 meter (3.2 feet) at the back, raising concerns that the vessel may break up in the middle.

The coast guard is monitoring shifts with sensors installed by divers at the start of the rescue mission, and that movement is its main concern as it could trap divers. By late afternoon, officials still did not have enough data to reassure them that the ship had stopped resettling.

"The visibility is awful. Yesterday I couldn't see my hand in front of my face," Giuseppe Minciotti, director of a school for cave divers in the northern city of Verona and part of the specialist team deployed on the wreck, told Reuters.

"I grabbed a piece of floating debris, and I couldn't see what it was until I had my head out of the water. It was a woman's shoe," he said.? "We're waiting today for new openings to be made, and we'll see if the visibility is any better in those points."

Jim Fee, a yacht skipper for three decades, discusses the potential ecological problems related to the Costa Concordia disaster. NBC's Harry Smith reports.

Coast guard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro said work would focus on an evacuation assembly area on the partially submerged fourth deck, where most of the 11 bodies found so far have been located.

"It's where we have already found seven of the bodies and it's where the passengers and crew gathered to abandon ship," Nicastro said.

Fire services spokesman Luca Cari said the search was suspended at about 8 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) after a shift of a few inches, posing a potential threat to diving teams operating in the submerged spaces of the ship.

There was no word on when work might resume.?

The Costa Concordia had more than 4,200 passengers and crew on board when it slammed into a reef Friday off the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio after Capt. Francesco Schettino made an unauthorized maneuver from the ship's programmed course ? allegedly to show off the luxury liner to the island's residents.

Rescue workers discovered five bodies on Tuesday, bringing the death toll of the Costa Concordia accident to 11.?

The adult bodies, believed to be passengers, were all wearing life jackets and were found in the rear of the ship near an emergency evacuation point, according to Nicastro.

Schettino, whose actions during the disaster have come under intense scrutiny as details of his role on the night of the disaster emerge, appeared before a judge in Grosseto, Tuscany,?where he was questioned for three hours. Schettino remains under house arrest.

During a heated conversation the Italian coast guard told the captain of the Costa Concordia to go back to the ship. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.

Schettino's lawyer, Bruno Leporatti, said urine and hair samples have been taken from Schettino, apparently to determine if he might have consumed alcohol or used drugs before the accident.

Leporatti also told a news conference in Grosetto that house arrest made sense given there was no evidence the captain intended to flee. He cited the fact that the captain coordinated the evacuation from the shore after leaving the ship.

"He never left the scene," Leporatti said. "There has never been a danger of flight."

Leporatti added the captain was upset by the accident, contrary to depictions in the Italian media that he did not appear to show regret.

"He is a deeply shaken man, not only for the loss of his ship, which for a captain is a grave thing, but above all for what happened and the loss of human life," the lawyer said.

Martino Pellegrino, a crew-member on Costa Concordia, described Schettino as "authoritarian," "stubborn" and "egocentric," in an?interview with Italian newspaper La Republica on Tuesday.

"Schettino likes to be in control of the ship's wheel," he told the newspaper.

Also on Tuesday, a transcript of a conversation between Schettino and Capt. Gregorio De Falco of the Italian coast guard in Livorno, showed the coast guard official urgently commanding the captain to return to the cruise ship after he had abandoned it.

"There are people trapped on board," De Falco said. "Now you go with your boat under the prow on the starboard side. There is a pilot ladder. You will climb that ladder and go on board. You go on board and then you will tell me how many people there are. Is that clear? I'm recording this conversation, Cmdr. Schettino ..."

Passengers continued to make their way home, with consistent claims that crew members were ill-prepared to handle an emergency evacuation.

"The crew members had no specialized training ? the security man doubled as the cook and bartender, so obviously they did not know what to do," passenger Claudia Fehlandt told Chile's Channel 7 television after being embraced by relatives at Santiago's airport.

"In fact, the lifeboats, even the ones that did get lowered, they did not know how to lower them and they cut the ropes with axes," she said.

Msnbc.com staff, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/18/10179794-report-cruise-ship-captain-claims-he-fell-overboard

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