Paris Jackson: Dad's death 'never gets easier'

By Joy Jernigan

It's been nearly three years since the death of Michael Jackson. Now his 14-year-old daughter, Paris, opens up to Oprah Winfrey about growing up with a superstar dad.

In an interview on "Oprah's Next Chapter"?(airing Sunday at 9 p.m. on OWN), Paris --?the late King of Pop's only daughter (with ex-wife Deborah Rowe) -- recalls how her dad used to keep her and her two siblings covered up in public because he wanted them to have "a normal childhood."


"I was really confused, like I didn't get why I was wearing a mask," Paris told Oprah. "But I understand it now." ?

"He told us that when he was younger, he didn't really have a childhood," Paris said. "And he wanted us to have that. ... Chuck E. Cheese and Toys 'R' Us were our favorite places to go."

Michael Jackson was 50 when he died on June 25, 2009. Along with his daughter, he is survived by his sons Prince, 15, and Blanket, 10.

At his 2009 memorial service, Paris, then 11, tearfully paid tribute to her father?during the first public statement of her life.??Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine,? she said. ?And I just wanted to say I love him ? so much.?

NBC

Paris Jackson, then 11, tearfully expressed her love for her father, Michael Jackson, at his memorial service in 2009 as uncle Randy and aunt Janet supported her.

In a promo spot for her interview with Oprah, Paris says of losing her father, "It never gets easier."

In December, Paris scored her first role in a feature film, fantasy flick "Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys," Us Weekly reports.?

"I love acting. It's my passion," she told Ellen DeGeneres,?also in December, during her first-ever solo interview. "When I was really little, because my dad was in the movie 'Moonwalker.' I knew he could sing, like, really well, but I didn't know he could act. I saw that and I'm like, 'Wow, I want to be just like him.' "

Paris Jackson's interview with Oprah comes on the heels of Michael Jackson's newest posthumous release, "Don't Be Messin' 'Round," which was released on Tuesday.?The demo track is a bonus on a re-release of the first No. 1 single from "Bad," "I Just Can't Stop Loving You."

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Panetta: Patience with Pakistan 'reaching limits'

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, center right, speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker, second right, and the head of NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Allen, center left, upon his arrival at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan Thursday, June 7, 2012. Panetta arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday to take stock of progress in the war and discuss plans for the troop drawdown, even as violence spiked in the south. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, center right, speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker, second right, and the head of NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Allen, center left, upon his arrival at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan Thursday, June 7, 2012. Panetta arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday to take stock of progress in the war and discuss plans for the troop drawdown, even as violence spiked in the south. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, second right, speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker, right, and the head of NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Allen, third right, upon his arrival at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan Thursday, June 7, 2012. Panetta arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday to take stock of progress in the war and discuss plans for the troop drawdown, even as violence spiked in the south. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta walks off his plane as he arrives at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan Thursday, June 7, 2012. Panetta arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday to take stock of progress in the war and discuss plans for the troop drawdown, even as violence spiked in the south. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, center at the bottom, arrives at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan Thursday, June 7, 2012. Panetta arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday to take stock of progress in the war and discuss plans for the troop drawdown, even as violence spiked in the south. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

(AP) ? U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday pressured Pakistan to do more to root out the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani terrorist network from its territory, saying that U.S. officials are "reaching the limits of our patience."

The Haqqani group has been blamed for several attacks on Americans in Afghanistan, including last year's attack against the U.S. Embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul. It also has ties to the Taliban and has emerged as perhaps the biggest threat to stability in Afghanistan.

U.S. lawmakers from both parties have been urging the U.S. State Department to designate the Haqqani network a foreign terrorist organization.

The U.S. has given Pakistan billions of dollars in aid for its support in fighting Islamist militants. Despite pressure from the U.S., Pakistan has remained reluctant to go after insurgents, particularly the Haqqani network.

Panetta's remarks capped two days of blunt commentary on Pakistan.

"It is an increasing concern that the safe haven exists and that there are those ? likely Haqqanis ? who are making use of that to attack our forces," Panetta said at a news conference with Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak.

"We are reaching the limits of our patience here, and for that reason it is extremely important that Pakistan take action to prevent this kind of safe haven from taking place and allowing terrorists to use their country as a safety net in order to conduct their attacks on our forces."

Panetta then underscored his point.

"We have made that very clear time and time again and we will continue to do that, but as I said, we are reaching the limits of our patience."

For more than three decades the Haqqani network, led by the elderly Jalaluddin Haqqani, has maintained headquarters in Pakistan's Miran Shah district of North Waziristan. Pakistan has denied aiding the Haqqanis, and the Pakistani military has refused to carry out an offensive in the North Waziristan tribal region, saying it would unleash a tribal-wide war that Pakistan could not contain.

Panetta said the U.S. continues to see Haqqani fighters moving from Pakistan into Afghanistan to attack American forces ? most recently on June 1 when he said they detonated a truck bomb and then tried to storm Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province. Some U.S. service members were wounded in the attack, which was repelled by coalition forces. Fourteen heavily armed militants were killed.

"It is very important that Pakistan take steps to deal with this threat," Panetta said. "We have made that clear time and time again. We will continue to make that clear that it is an intolerable situation to have those attacking our people, our forces, have the convenience of being able to return to a safe haven in Pakistan."

Panetta's explicit description of frustration, which he also voiced in his visit to neighboring India, appeared to signal a somewhat tougher stance and a suggestion that the U.S. is becoming even more willing and quick to strike terrorist targets inside Pakistan. A senior U.S. official acknowledged Thursday that the recent increase in drone strikes on insurgents in Pakistan is due in part to frustration with Islamabad. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations.

The Afghan defense minister also said he thought Pakistan could do more to eliminate the sanctuaries that militants are using in Pakistan, saying the Pakistanis are in a better position to provide intelligence or take law enforcement or military actions.

"I do hope that gradually they will come to the conclusion to cooperate with us," Wardak said.

"If that cooperation starts, we will be able to disrupt their command and control, disrupt their training, disrupt their weapon recruitment and also will be able to eliminate or capture their leadership."

"Without doing that, I think our endeavor to achieve victory will become much more difficult."

Panetta arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday to take stock of progress in the war and discuss plans for the troop drawdown, even as violence spiked in the south.

Making his fourth trip to the war zone as defense secretary, Panetta acknowledged the increase in attacks and that the insurgents appear to be much more organized. But he insisted that the overall level of violence was down, and that commanders had expected the uptick.

Panetta said he wants to get an assessment of the situation from the top U.S. commander, Marine Gen. John Allen, and see how confident he is about NATO's ability to confront the threats both from the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

"I think it's important to make sure we are aware of the kind of attacks they're going to engage in ... as we go through the rest of the summer," Panetta told reporters traveling with him during a stop in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday.

Speaking to troops gathered Thursday at the airport in Kabul, Panetta kept up the drumbeat on Pakistan that began during his visit to India. Panetta told the troops that "we have every responsibility to defend ourselves and we are going to make very clear that we are prepared to take them on and we've got to put pressure on Pakistan to take them on as well."

Panetta spoke in Kabul just a day after three suicide attackers blew themselves up in a marketplace in southern Afghanistan, killing 22 people and wounding at least 50 others. In the east, meanwhile, Afghan officials and residents said a pre-dawn NATO airstrike targeting militants killed civilians celebrating a wedding, including women and children. A NATO forces spokesman said the coalition had no reports of civilians being killed in a raid, but was investigating the allegations of civilian casualties.

Allen has to withdraw 23,000 American troops by the end of September, leaving about 68,000 U.S. military personnel in the country. Officials have said the bulk of the 23,000 probably will not come out until shortly before the deadline.

As those troops leave, Allen has said that Afghan forces will be used to fill in the gaps in the eastern and southwestern parts of the country. They will be buttressed by U.S. advisory teams that will work with the Afghan units.

Once the 23,000 U.S. troops depart, Allen is expected to review how the fighting season is going and then will begin to put together an analysis for President Barack Obama on how troop withdrawals will proceed next year.

The defense secretary also joked with troops at the Kabul airport about the U.S. strike that killed an al-Qaida leader Monday, saying, "the worst job you can get these days is to be a deputy leader in al-Qaida, or for that matter a leader"

Associated Press

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Taking Issue With Claims That American Science Education is 'Dismal'

Every few years we have people trying to legislate science out of the class room because it conflicts with their vision of religion. Of course our science classes are messed up, people have a vested interest in them being so.

Oh Rubbish. One of the reasons why people think science education is bad is this kind of nonsense. "There's a religious conspiracy to kill science!!!". Please.

The nasty truth of it is that there are two kinds of problem with science education, and neither of them are related to religion whatsoever. The first is a huge section of students with generally poor scores in science classes and tests. But these students almost always have poor scores in everything, so it's not a science problem here, it's an education problem as a whole, which could be anything from bad teachers and schools, to.. and this is more likely... unmotivated students that frankly don't care about school, with parents that could care even less. All of the money and resources and promotion of science education in the world won't change this.

The second problem really isn't a problem at all. It comes from scientists and mathematicians and educators that are unhappy that more kids aren't taking an interest in hard science classes. We regularly see lamentations from these advocates that America is sliding to hell in a handbasket if we don't have more high schoolers taking calculus, physics, software development classes, etc. But this is foolish. Most people aren't going to become scientists anymore than most people aren't going to become engineers or symphony conductors or astronauts. Professional math and science fields tend to be an elite, populated by a few capable people that are highly motivated and truly love what they do. That's reality, and if you don't like it, tough. You can no more make more scientists out of our kids than you can make more Beethovens.One of the problems I have with movies like "Stand and Deliver" is the idea that if we just had a few more Jaime Escalantes in our classrooms, we'd have this wave of untapped Isaac Newtons just waiting to make new discoveries in math and science. And it just isn't true.

Most people are not particularly brilliant at anything. Most people, with work and experience, can become at least competent, and maybe good at something. But these somethings are usually pretty ordinary fields. Unless they destroy themselves with bad decisions... drug addiction, for example... then most kids generally gravitate to what they want to do if they have any motivation. And if they don't have any motivation, then they just work at whatever pays the bills. The former might take an interest in science, but most wont. The later is pretty much a lost case, as far as science ed goes.

All we can do is make sure there are opportunities for those interested to learn. The vast majority of these kids will. The rest... why worry about it, as far as science education is concerned? A calculus or physics class will do them no more good than a class in Sanskrit. They won't like it, and they'll forget about it, and it'll generally be a waste of time all around for all involved. The truth of it is that hard math and science really isn't for most people. Instead of trying to cram more kids in an AP Physics class, we should instead provide better general science classes to kids that are more interesting and that give an appreciation for the fact that science and math is important. What you really want is a large population that supports math and science, not one that does math and science. The later is unrealistic.

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Water polo coach claims he was fired for being gay

Mitch Stein, a gay television producer living with his partner and two daughters in Pomona, Calif., had forgotten about some "fun" photos that he had posted online years ago.

One was a photo of the 36-year-old eating a corn dog at a fair and the other was a Halloween shot jokingly surrounded by drag queens.

But he believes those photos cost him his job last August as an assistant boys' water polo and swim coach at the Charter Oak Unified School District, where his 15-year-old biological daughter goes to school and is on the girls' team.

"I feel like they are fun photos taken with friends on my personal time, years before I even worked at Charter Oak," he told ABCNews.com.

Now, he claims in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court this week, that he was fired because he was gay.

Stein said he had tried mediation, but the school did not agree. "Obviously, my daughter goes to the school and I would rather their funds be used for something else," he said. "But I should have the same rights as any other parent."

The school district argues that the "sexual content" of the photos was offensive.

"Since the case is in litigation, I cannot comment except to say, as I have done in the past, that Mitch Stein was not terminated due to his sexual orientation," said Charter Oak Unified Superintendent Mike Hendricks in an email.

Stein has asked for an undetermined amount of punitive damages, a clean personnel record and his old job back, according to the lawsuit.

According to Stein, the Facebook and MySpace photos were sent to school principal Kathleen Wiard anonymously. He said had never personally met her until the day she called him into the office to fire him, calling the photos "obscene."

He also said her questioning suggested that she falsely equated homosexuality with pedophilia.

ABCNews.com obtained the photos. One, showed Stein fully clothed being lifted up by five men in drag. In the other, he had an open mouth and was ready to eat a corn dog.

"As we know from Michelle Bachman, the ones of eating a hot dog make people look ridiculous," said Stein's Los Angeles lawyer, Brad Kane.

"My client was not immediately aware they were on the Internet," said Kane. "They were years old. But taking them down was not sufficient. They terminated him because they didn't want 'people like you close to children.' What does that say?"

Kane said a local reporter had found a photo of a "drunk straight teacher" online and brought it to the attention of the school, but he was not disciplined.

The school has no policy on private posting of photos online, according to Kane. The employment application Stein signed also does not mention "sexual orientation," which is a protected class.

Stein said he was "openly gay" when he was hired by the district.

"I didn't say that in my job interview," he said. "I am open, but I don't walk up to people. It's a little irritating when you have the adjective in front of you -- 'gay coach' and 'gay father.'"

Coach 'Standing Up' for Other LGBT Teachers

Stein used to play water polo for Charter Oak and said he was asked by the head coach to help out in May 2011. He only makes $2,500 a term and said the lawsuit is "not about the money" but standing up for his rights and those of other LGBT teachers and students at the school.

Stein said his immediate reaction was to leave the school, but his teenage daughter Devynn talked him out of it.

"She said, 'No, Dad. If we leave, they have won,'" said Stein. "She taught me a lesson."

Since then Stein has received support from others at the school. "One teacher actually apologized to me," he said. "One teacher actually apologized to me. He worked for the same school district in 2003 and had similar problems and knew he was being treated differently because he was gay. Instead of standing up and fighting, he had left."

According to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the story, that male teacher filed a sexual orientation discrimination complaint saying he was harassed by an administrator.

The district said it did a "thorough investigation," according to the Times, and there was nothing to substantiate the claim http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/03/local/la-me-mitch-stein-20120604

The day the lawsuit was filed, students and parents protested outside the court on behalf of Stein, according to his attorney Brad Kane.

A new Pew Research Center poll released this week found a sharp increase in support for LGBT teachers.

"While just 25 years ago, 51 percent of Americans said school boards should be able to fire teachers purely based on their sexual orientation, that number has dropped to just 21 percent today," said advocacy the group, Think Progress.

Gay rights groups like GLAAD were supportive of Stein.

"It's time school administrators go on record and answer the question: would this even be an issue if Mr. Stein were straight?" said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. "Keeping homophobia out of America's classrooms and creating safe learning environments for students should be the school's focus, not decades-old photos."

Stein said that he has been a good coach, even refusing to coach the girls' water polo team to avoid accusations that he favored his daughter who is one of the players. He had never been disciplined before and never had an opportunity to take down the photos or address the real issues behind the firing.

Despite losing the coaching position, Stein still goes to practices every day and was just elected president of the booster club, helping the team raise $15,000 this year for the aquatic program.

"Right now, with the Republican primary and so many people in the news saying we have to protect the family, no one sat there and said how it would affect my daughter and my family," said Stein, choking up on the phone.

He and his partner Hugo Horta have had a tumultuous time in the last few months. His 7-week old Tuolumne Horta-Stein, the daughter of a drug-addicted mother, nearly died at birth and has just arrived home from the hospital.

But that won?t deter him from seeking justice from the school.

"We have these laws in California and if no one enacts those laws, things are not going to change," said Stein. "The social climate in that district is toxic. Gay students have come to me and said they are afraid if they do it to me, they can do it to them. I need to set an example."

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Bruce S. Rabin

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 6-Jun-2012
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Contact: Garth Hogan
ghogan@asmusa.org
American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Bruce S. Rabin, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, and Medical Director of the Division of Clinical Immunopathology and the Healthy Lifestyle Program for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has been awarded the 2012 Abbott Award in Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology. This award honors a distinguished scientist for outstanding contributions to the fields of clinical or diagnostic immunology. "Rabin has pursued a unique role in the evolution of contemporary clinical and diagnostic immunology," says nominator Noel Rose, Johns Hopkins University. "By studying the mechanisms by which the nervous system, endocrine organs, and immune response interact, Rabin has elucidated many of the dark corners of immunology. At the same time, he has brought sound immunologic principals to the study of mental health and disease in humans."

Rabin attended medical and graduate school at the State University of New York at Buffalo, receiving his Ph.D. in immunology with Rose as his mentor. He continued his education with a residency in clinical pathology at the Medical College of Virginia. Rabin first joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1972, where he has remained ever since.

Rabin's professional life has been dedicated to understanding the immune system and the factors which influence it. "He has been innovative in unique concepts related to antibodies in neurologic disease and associations with genetic markers," says Steven Douglas, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. Rabin discovered early on that stressa variable in every person's lifeexerts a profound influence on the human immune system and health. From that point forward, his work focused on the effects of stress and the pathways of communication between the brain and the immune system: the mind-body connection.

With a career that has spanned almost 40 years, Rabin's work is widely referencedfrom the scientific community to national news to local health care articles. He has been sought out to serve on a number of government panels to advance awareness and promote research in mind-body medicine. "He was a pioneer in the field of clinical immunopathology, making important contributions in the establishment of assays now used routinely for the diagnoses of autoimmune diseases and monitoring of transplant recipients," described Alan Landay, Rush University Medical Center. Rabin's research has yielded more than 300 publications, and his research laboratory has trained over 50 young scientists who are making their own contributions to medicine. In addition, he has served as President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society, which is the premier scientific organization for the promotion of research in mind-body medicine, and President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists.

Rabin has been instrumental in applying science and research to the real world by developing programs designed to help people identify, learn, and adhere to behaviors that will maintain their wellness and lower their risk of developing serious and potentially life threatening conditions and diseases. He has been quoted extensively on the topic of stress by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and has also been featured in national magazines. Rabin is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

###

To view Dr. Rabin's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-abbott-award-in-clinical-a...

The Abbott Award in Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well?being.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 6-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan
ghogan@asmusa.org
American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Bruce S. Rabin, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, and Medical Director of the Division of Clinical Immunopathology and the Healthy Lifestyle Program for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has been awarded the 2012 Abbott Award in Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology. This award honors a distinguished scientist for outstanding contributions to the fields of clinical or diagnostic immunology. "Rabin has pursued a unique role in the evolution of contemporary clinical and diagnostic immunology," says nominator Noel Rose, Johns Hopkins University. "By studying the mechanisms by which the nervous system, endocrine organs, and immune response interact, Rabin has elucidated many of the dark corners of immunology. At the same time, he has brought sound immunologic principals to the study of mental health and disease in humans."

Rabin attended medical and graduate school at the State University of New York at Buffalo, receiving his Ph.D. in immunology with Rose as his mentor. He continued his education with a residency in clinical pathology at the Medical College of Virginia. Rabin first joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1972, where he has remained ever since.

Rabin's professional life has been dedicated to understanding the immune system and the factors which influence it. "He has been innovative in unique concepts related to antibodies in neurologic disease and associations with genetic markers," says Steven Douglas, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. Rabin discovered early on that stressa variable in every person's lifeexerts a profound influence on the human immune system and health. From that point forward, his work focused on the effects of stress and the pathways of communication between the brain and the immune system: the mind-body connection.

With a career that has spanned almost 40 years, Rabin's work is widely referencedfrom the scientific community to national news to local health care articles. He has been sought out to serve on a number of government panels to advance awareness and promote research in mind-body medicine. "He was a pioneer in the field of clinical immunopathology, making important contributions in the establishment of assays now used routinely for the diagnoses of autoimmune diseases and monitoring of transplant recipients," described Alan Landay, Rush University Medical Center. Rabin's research has yielded more than 300 publications, and his research laboratory has trained over 50 young scientists who are making their own contributions to medicine. In addition, he has served as President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society, which is the premier scientific organization for the promotion of research in mind-body medicine, and President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists.

Rabin has been instrumental in applying science and research to the real world by developing programs designed to help people identify, learn, and adhere to behaviors that will maintain their wellness and lower their risk of developing serious and potentially life threatening conditions and diseases. He has been quoted extensively on the topic of stress by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and has also been featured in national magazines. Rabin is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

###

To view Dr. Rabin's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-abbott-award-in-clinical-a...

The Abbott Award in Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well?being.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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.


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TransUnion: Ohioans finding it easier to pay car loans | Used Car ...

The share of Ohioans at least 60 days behind on their car payments was among the lowest in the nation in the first quarter, a credit reporting agency said Wednesday.

The auto loan delinquency rate in Ohio during the first three months of the year stood at 0.24 percent, says the report from Chicago-based TransUnion. Nationally, the rate eased to 0.36 percent, its lowest since 1999, when TransUnion started tracking the data.

Six states showed auto loan delinquency rates greater than 0.51 percent ? Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Mississippi?s rate of 0.77 percent was the highest.

The easing delinquency rate ?can be attributed primarily to growing demand for both new and used vehicles and higher used-vehicle values, which equates to an increase in equity for consumers,? Peter Turek, automotive vice president in TransUnion?s financial services business unit, said in a release. ?We are seeing increases in both lending and leasing across the board, along with a higher number of loans originated in the non-prime risk segments.?

The average auto debt of $11,780 per borrower in Ohio was second-lowest in the quarter trailing Nebraska at $11,406, the report said. The highest auto debt per borrower was $14,961 in Wyoming.

Our company is used car loan loan merchants that specialize in offering clients car finance that definitely have adverse credit.

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Healthy habits can prevent disease

ScienceDaily (June 4, 2012) ? Five new studies provide evidence to support simple steps we can take to prevent illness and improve our overall health. In the June issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers report on fish consumption to reduce the risk of colon cancer; the effectiveness ofhypnotherapy and acupuncture for smoking cessation; regular teeth cleaning to improve cardiovascular health; the effectiveness of primary care physicians in weight loss programs; and the use of low-dose aspirin to reduce cancer risk.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the Western world. Research linking fish consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer has been inconclusive, although people who live in countries with high levels of fish consumption are known to develop the disease less frequently. Now, scientists from Xi'an, China, have reviewed the literature and find that eating fresh fish regularly reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 12%. They evaluated 41 studies on fish consumption and colorectal cancer risk published between 1990 and 2011 and tracked cancer diagnoses. The protective effect of fish consumption is more prominent in rectal cancer than in colon cancer. The risk reduction for rectal cancer was as much as 21%, whereas the reduction for colon cancer was 4%.

"Despite the fact that colon and rectal cancer share many features and are often referred to as colorectal cancer,' they tend to demonstrate many different characteristics," notes lead author Daiming Fan, of the Fourth Military Medical University. "One possible reason for the difference may be because colon cancers are generally more molecularly diverse, whereas rectal cancers mostly arise via a single neoplastic pathway."

Mark J. Eisenberg, MD, MPH, of McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec, and colleagues report that the use of unconventional smoking cessation aids, including acupuncture and hypnotherapy, results in substantial increases of smoking cessation. A meta-analysis of 14 trials found that smokers who underwent hypnotherapy were 4.55 times more likely, and those who underwent acupuncture were 3.53 times more likely, to abstain from smoking than those who did not. Aversive smoking may also help smokers quit; however, there were no recent trials investigating this intervention.

Regular tooth scaling is associated with a decreased risk for future cardiovascular events. A study by H-B. Leu, MD, of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, and colleagues examined 10,887 subjects who had undergone tooth scaling, and 10,989 subjects who had not received tooth scaling. During an average follow-up period of seven years, the group that had undergone tooth scaling had a lower incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke, and total cardiovascular events. Increasing frequency of tooth scaling correlates with a higher risk reduction.

A study by William C. Haas, MD, of East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, and colleagues finds thatphysicians in primary care practices can be as effective as weight loss clinics in helping the moderately obese lose weight. Patients received behavioral modification sessions and a diet plan partially or fully supplemented by meal replacements at either a primary care clinic or a weight loss center. Primary care clinics were as effective as weight loss centers at reducing weight, and better at reducing body fat. Regardless of location, participants completing 12 weeks of treatment lost an average of 11.1% of their body weight. Participants who selected full meal replacement had better results.

Low-dose aspirin, a common strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease, can also reduce nonvascular deaths, including cancer deaths. A meta-analysis of 23 randomized studies by Edward J. Mills, PhD, MSc, of the University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues offers conclusive evidence that low-dose aspirin offers cancer preventive effects, and showed significant treatment effects after approximately four years of follow up.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Elsevier, via AlphaGalileo.

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


Journal References:

  1. Shengjun Wu, Bin Feng, Kai Li, Xia Zhu, Shuhui Liang, Xufeng Liu, Shuang Han, Biaoluo Wang, Kaichun Wu, Danmin Miao, Jie Liang, Daiming Fan. Fish Consumption and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. The American Journal of Medicine, 2012; 125 (6): 551 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2012.01.022
  2. Mehdi Tahiri, Salvatore Mottillo, Lawrence Joseph, Louise Pilote, Mark J. Eisenberg. Alternative Smoking Cessation Aids: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. The American Journal of Medicine, 2012; 125 (6): 576 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.09.028
  3. Zu-Yin Chen, Chia-Hung Chiang, Chin-Chou Huang, Chia-Min Chung, Wan-Leong Chan, Po-Hsun Huang, Shing-Jong Lin, Jaw-Wen Chen, Hsin-Bang Leu. The Association of Tooth Scaling and Decreased Cardiovascular Disease: A Nationwide Population-based Study. The American Journal of Medicine, 2012; 125 (6): 568 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.10.034
  4. William C. Haas, Justin B. Moore, Michael Kaplan, Suzanne Lazorick. Outcomes from a Medical Weight Loss Program: Primary Care Clinics Versus Weight Loss Clinics. The American Journal of Medicine, 2012; 125 (6): 603.e7 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.07.039
  5. Edward J. Mills, Ping Wu, Mark Alberton, Steve Kanters, Angel Lanas, Richard Lester. Low-dose Aspirin and Cancer Mortality: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials. The American Journal of Medicine, 2012; 125 (6): 560 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2012.01.017

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Skywatchers prepare for rare Venus fly-by

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Tue Jun 5, 2012 6:59pm EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida

(Reuters) - One of the rarest astronomical events occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday when the planet Venus passes directly between the sun and Earth, a transit that won't occur again until 2117.

Transits of Venus happen in pairs eight years apart, with more than a century between cycles. During the pass, Venus appears as a small, dark round spot moving across the face of the sun, like a bug on a dinner plate.

?"The Venus transit really brings home to us, in a unique way, how ordinary our sun is. It's just another star," said scientist and author Mark Anderson.

"?There's something very humbling out of this experience. We are another planet in orbit around another star in another galaxy in another corner of the universe. It really brings it home to us," Anderson said.

Tuesday's transit, which bookends a 2004-2012 pair, begins at 6:09 p.m. EDT (2209 GMT) and lasts for six hours and 40 minutes. Times can vary by seven minutes depending on the location of the observer.

Skywatchers on seven continents, including Antarctica, will be able to see all or part of the Venus transit, which should only be observed with telescopes outfitted with solar filters to protect the eyes.

The Internet will be a hub of activity, with live video and pictures from an armada of space- and ground-based observatories.

Even astronauts aboard the International Space Station are joining in the event.

"?I've been planning this for a while," space station flight engineer Don Pettit said in a NASA interview. "?I knew the transit of Venus would occur during my rotation, so I brought a solar filter with me."

It's not all about pretty pictures. Several science experiments are planned, including studies that should help in the search for habitable planets beyond Earth.

MEASURING VENUS' ATMOSPHERE

Telescopes, such as NASA's Kepler space telescope, are being used to find so-called extra solar planets that pass in front of their parent stars, much like Venus will pass by the sun. During the transit, astronomers will be able to measure Venus' thick atmosphere and use the data to develop techniques for measuring atmospheres around other planets.

Studies of Venus' atmosphere also could shed light on why Earth and Venus, which are almost exactly the same size and orbit approximately the same distance from the sun, ended up so different.

Venus has a chokingly dense atmosphere 100 times thicker than Earth's that is mostly carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that heats up Venus' surface to a lead-melting 900 degrees Fahrenheit (482 degrees Celsius).

The weather is brutal, with towering clouds of sulfuric acid that jet around the planet at 220 mph, regularly dousing the planet with acid rain.

?"A human being transported to this hellish environment would be crushed, suffocate, desiccate, and possibly ignite," wrote Tony Phillips, with Science@NASA.

Scientists are interested in learning more about Venus' climate in hopes of understanding changes in Earth's atmosphere.

During previous transits of Venus, scientists were able to figure out the size of the solar system and the distance between the sun and the planets.

Tuesday's transit is only the eighth since the invention of the telescope, and it will be the last one until December 10-11, 2117. It also is the first to take place with a spacecraft at Venus.

Observations from Europe's Venus Express probe will be compared with those made by several ground and space-based telescopes including NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, the joint U.S.-European Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and Japan's Hinode spacecraft.

Armchair astronomers have rich choice of websites to monitor. NASA's compilation will be here

Slooh Space Camera will broadcast 10 real-time feeds of the transit from solar telescopes located in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii, Norway, Arizona, and New Mexico. The webcast at events.slooh.com/ begins at 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT).

And, of course, there's an app for that. Owners of mobile devices using Apple and Android operating systems can download a free app to learn about the transit, interact with skywatchers and track the transit as it occurs around the world. The app is available at tov2012.esri.com/ and several websites, including (transitofvenus.nl/wp/) and www.eclipse-maps.com.

(Editing by Jane Sutton and Cynthia Osterman)

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Northern rebels agree to join talks on Yemen's future

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