The U.S. Supreme Court decision Thursday upholding the landmark health reform law will enable California to continue moving full speed to implement it, including setting up a new insurance marketplace for consumers and expanding Medi-Cal in 2014.
The ruling saves programs and consumer protections affecting millions of Californians and will bring billions of dollars in additional federal revenue to the state.
California, with 7 million uninsured residents, has been at the forefront of states seeking to put the reforms in place.
Now those programs will continue as the state gears up for additional changes that are to take place in 2014.
California programs that will survive include:
Low-Income Health Program: More than 400,000 low-income, mostly childless adults are receiving coverage through interim programs in 47 counties. These people are to be transferred to Medi-Cal when it expands in 2014.
Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan: Nearly 11,000 people are covered under this plan set up for those whose health problems make it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain insurance. This program, funded through the national health reform law, will last until 2014 when insurers can no longer reject people based on their medical condition.
California Health Benefit Exchange: The state plans to open a marketplace in 2014 where many consumers can choose a health plan and determine whether they qualify for subsidies. The state has hired staff and is making the policy decisions to begin pre-enrolling people in October 2013.
Many Californians who have closely followed the decision were worried about losing consumer protections provided under the law. These will now continue, including:
Help for seniors who hit a Medicare prescription drug coverage gap known as "the doughnut hole."
The elimination of lifetime caps on health insurance benefits.
Free annual wellness visits for Medicare recipients and free preventive services such as mammograms and colonoscopies.
Insurance company rebates. These are required when insurers fail to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on medical care and quality improvement, rather than salaries and other administrative costs. Nearly 1.9 million Californians will receive $73.9 million in rebates this summer, averaging $65 per family.
A requirement that beginning in 2014, insurers accept all people, regardless of pre-existing health problems.
Young adults will be able to remain on their parents' health insurance policies up to age 26.
Insurers can no longer reject children under 18 because of their health problems.
New health insurance policies must cover maternity services beginning Sunday.
Insurers can no longer cancel people's coverage when they become ill because of unintentional misrepresentations on their applications.
Ever felt like dropping everything and leaving it all behind for a few days or weeks? We?ve all come to that point, maybe after a long period of stressful work or a trying time in your life. Sometimes it comes after happy times, like after you decide to propose, your anniversary comes around, or you need to plan an emergency birthday treat. Whatever the case, when you want to have a spontaneous holiday, nothing says cozy and comforting fun like a holiday cottage. You should always have a few of these options in mind in case you need an idea when the urge hits.
Short Notice Cottages
Cottages are often pretty readily available even at a very short notice, and with just a bit of searching in the right places you should have no problem finding what you need. There are manylast minute holiday cottages scattered throughout the rural areas of the country, perfect for relaxation and enjoyment within a few hours of your decision. If you want to get away from it all, a cottage in the hills will suit you just fine.
Finding Good Locations
Finding the location that you want to stay in might be harder, as if you have an ideal in mind there may not be a cottage available. Your best bet is to go to a site where cottages are catalogued and offered online, and where you can contact the cottage owners and representatives directly without a whole bunch of red tape. A little cottage shouldn?t be too much of a hassle to find, and you can often connect with the people who can arrange everything for you through cottage advertising sites and listings.
For Promotions and Events
Even if you?re planning to throw a huge event or you need to stage a promotion, holiday cottages can be your go to solution. Some are designed more to cater to the needs of small groups, while others can easily accommodate huge and extravagant gatherings. It might cost you more at such a short notice, but having such an easily solution at your fingertips is worth the little extra it might cost.
If you need a holiday and you need it fast, or if you need a place to go for a few days and maybe to bring others along with you, a cottage out in the Cotswolds, in Dartmoor, in Norfolk, or in some other pleasant location might be perfect for you. Check out what you can find online and what local travel agents can offer you.
This gust post was written for Travel & Leisure Group, leading timeshare resales brokers with over 20 years of successful business.
After eating asparagus, about one in five people detects a distinct scent in their urine that, depending on the person, carries a pungent bouquet that?s been compared to a vegetable garden, sulfur, cabbage soup -- or simply cooked asparagus.
You shall be part of a team that supports and delivers the Information Technology, Analytics and Value-Add-Service mandate of Assurance clients. As Assurance Assistant Manager, you?ll make a technical contribution to audit client engagements and internal projects. Within your role, you?ll actively establish, maintain and strengthen internal and external relationships, execute complex assurance procedures by making use of IT Analytics specialized software, use your in-depth understanding of financial audits in designing efficient and effective automated audit procedures, supervise junior engagement team members and help define the audit strategy by making full use of IT Analytics / Automated procedures. Working under the supervision of dedicated IT executives, you?ll help execute all IT related work and present its findings to the assurance executives and, in turn, to the client.With a clear focus on anticipating and identifying business / IT risks, you?ll escalate issues as appropriate. Working closely with colleagues, you?ll determine whether the work plan is properly executed, documented and concluded in compliance with our Quality & Risk Management (Q&RM) guidelines. As an influential member of the team, you?ll help to create a positive learning culture, will coach and counsel junior team members and help them to develop.
?
Client responsibilities
? Support the planning, execution and delivery of IT Audits, Data Analytics and other assurance engagements
? Work effectively as a team member, sharing responsibility, providing support, maintaining communication and updating senior team members on progress
? Assist in preparing reports and schedules that will be delivered to clients and other parties
? Develop and maintain productive working relationships with client personnel
? Build strong internal relationships within Ernst & Young Assurance and across other services
?
People responsibilities
? Coach, supervise and conduct performance review and contribute to performance feedback for staff
? Contribute to people initiatives, including recruiting and retaining assurance professionals
? Maintain an educational program to continually develop personal skills of all staff
Understand and follow workplace policies and procedures
Technical skills requirements
? Should be a Chartered Accountant with 4-6 years of Audit experience coupled with IT Audits, Analytics etc
? Preferred to have CISA, CISSP or other equivalent IT Certifications
? Thorough knowledge of current auditing techniques
? Experience of the entire audit process
? Understanding of risk-based auditing and risk and control strategies
? Understanding of Q&RM procedures
? Compliance with and understanding of regulatory requirements
?
Additional skills requirements
? Track record with a leading audit firm
? Strong academic record including a degree
? Proficiency in English, Arabic language skills are highly desirable
?
Who we are
?
Assurance gives organizations and their investors the confidence that the results they report give a true and fair picture of their business. As an assurance professional at Ernst & Young, you?ll work in a high-performing and inclusive environment that offers you great opportunities to develop an interesting and fulfilling career, wherever you are in the world. You?ll work in multidisciplinary teams to handle complex issues and resolve challenges for leading companies. We?ll support you in your professional development so you achieve your potential. At Ernst & Young, we know it?s your point of view, energy and enthusiasm that make the difference.
Study finds new gene mutations that lead to enlarged brain size, cancer, autism, epilepsyPublic release date: 29-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@seattlechildrens.org 206-987-7334 Seattle Children's
Researchers shed light on molecular cause of childhoods worst conditions as first step toward developing more effective treatments
SEATTLE June 28, 2012 A research team led by Seattle Children's Research Institute has discovered new gene mutations associated with markedly enlarged brain size, or megalencephaly. Mutations in three genes, AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA, were also found to be associated with a constellation of disorders including cancer, hydrocephalus, epilepsy, autism, vascular anomalies and skin growth disorders. The study, "De novo germline and postzygotic mutations in AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA cause a spectrum of related megalencephaly syndromes," was published online June 24 in Nature Genetics.
The discovery offers several important lessons and hope for the future in medicine. First, the research team discovered additional proof that the genetic make-up of a person is not completely determined at the moment of conception. Researchers previously recognized that genetic changes may occur after conception, but this was believed to be quite rare. Second, discovery of the genetic causes of these human diseases, including developmental disorders, may also lead directly to new possibilities for treatment.
AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA are present in all humans, but mutations in the genes are what lead to conditions including megalencephaly, cancer and other disorders. PIK3CA is a known cancer-related gene, and appears able to make cancer more aggressive. Scientists at Boston Children's Hospital recently published similar findings related to PIK3CA and a rare condition known as CLOVES syndrome in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Physician researcher James Olson, MD, PhD, a pediatric cancer expert at Seattle Children's and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who was not affiliated with the study, acknowledged the two decades-worth of work that led to the findings. "This study represents ideal integration of clinical medicine and cutting-edge genomics," he said. "I hope and believe that the research will establish a foundation for successfully using drugs that were originally developed to treat cancer in a way that helps normalize intellectual and physical development of affected children. The team 'knocked it out of the park' by deep sequencing exceptionally rare familial cases and unrelated cases to identify the culprit pathway." The genes AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CAall encode core components of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (P13K)/AKT pathway, the "culprit pathway" referenced by Olson.
The research provides a first, critical step in solving the mystery behind chronic childhood conditions and diseases. At the bedside, children with these conditions could see new treatments in the next decade. "This is a huge finding that provides not only new insight for certain brain malformations, but also, and more importantly, provides clues for what to look for in less severe cases and in conditions that affect many children," said William Dobyns, MD, a geneticist at Seattle Children's Research Institute. "Kids with cancer, for example, do not have a brain malformation, but they may have subtle growth features that haven't yet been identified. Physicians and researchers can now take an additional look at these genes in the search for underlying causes and answers."
Researchers at Seattle Children's Research Institute will now delve more deeply into the findings, with an aim to uncover even more about the potential medical implications for children. "Based on what we've found, we believe that we can eventually reduce the burden of and need for surgery for kids with hydrocephalus and change the way we treat other conditions, including cancer, autism and epilepsy," said Jean-Baptiste Rivire, PhD, at Seattle Children's Research Institute. "This research truly helps advance the concept of personalized medicine."
Drs. Dobyns, Rivire and team made this discovery through exome sequencing, a strategy used to selectively sequence the coding regions of the genome as an inexpensive but effective alternative to whole genome sequencing. An exome is the most functionally relevant part of a genome, and is most likely to contribute to the phenotype, or observed traits and characteristics, of an organism.
###
Background On Researchers
Seattle Children's Research Institute conducted this study in collaboration with teams from University of Washington Genome Sciences Department, FORGE (Finding of Rare Disease Genes) Canada Consortium, Cedars Sinai Medical Center and University of Sussex.
Dr. Dobyns, who is also a UW professor of pediatrics, is a renowned researcher whose life-long work has been to try to identify the causes of children's developmental brain disorders such as megalencephaly. He discovered the first known chromosome abnormality associated with lissencephaly (Miller-Dieker syndrome) while still in training in child neurology at Texas Children's Hospital in 1983. That research led, 10 years later, to the discovery by Dobyns and others of the first lissencephaly gene known as LIS1.
Dr. Rivire is supported by a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. As a lead researcher in the Dobyns lab, he also identified two new genes that cause Baraitser-Winter syndrome, a rare smooth brain malformation.
Co-authors on this study include: Jean-Baptiste Rivire, PhD, Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at Seattle Children's Research Institute; Judith St-Onge, Seattle Children's Research Institute; Christopher Sullivan, Seattle Children's Research Institute; Thomas Ward, Seattle Children's Research Institute; Ghayda Mirzaa, MD, University of Chicago; Brian O'Roak, PhD, University of Washington; Jay Shendure, MD, PhD, University of Washington; Mark O'Driscoll, PhD, University of Sussex; John Graham, MD, ScD, Cedars Sinai Medical Center; Kym Boycott, MD, PhD, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario; and many other physicians and scientists from North America and Europe.
Additional Resources
"De novo germline and postzygotic mutations in AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA cause a spectrum of related megalencephaly syndromes": http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ng.2331.html
"Researchers find gene for 9-year-old girl's 1-in-a-million disease", CommonHealth/WBUR, May 2012: http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/05/life-of-riley-gene-cloves
"Cause of rare growth disease discovered", MedicalXpress, June 2012: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-rare-growth-disease.html
"Gene Mutations Cause Massive Brain Asymmetry", UC San Diego Health System, June 2012: http://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/2012-25-hemimegalencephaly.aspx
About Seattle Children's Research Institute
At the forefront of pediatric medical research, Seattle Children's Research Institute is setting new standards in pediatric care and finding new cures for childhood diseases. Internationally recognized scientists and physicians at the Research Institute are advancing new discoveries in cancer, genetics, immunology, pathology, infectious disease, injury prevention and bioethics. With Seattle Children's Hospital and Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation, the Research Institute brings together the best minds in pediatric research to provide patients with the best care possible. Children's serves as the primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, which consistently ranks as one of the best pediatric departments in the country. For more information, visit http://www.seattlechildrens.org/research.
[ | E-mail | 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.
Study finds new gene mutations that lead to enlarged brain size, cancer, autism, epilepsyPublic release date: 29-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@seattlechildrens.org 206-987-7334 Seattle Children's
Researchers shed light on molecular cause of childhoods worst conditions as first step toward developing more effective treatments
SEATTLE June 28, 2012 A research team led by Seattle Children's Research Institute has discovered new gene mutations associated with markedly enlarged brain size, or megalencephaly. Mutations in three genes, AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA, were also found to be associated with a constellation of disorders including cancer, hydrocephalus, epilepsy, autism, vascular anomalies and skin growth disorders. The study, "De novo germline and postzygotic mutations in AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA cause a spectrum of related megalencephaly syndromes," was published online June 24 in Nature Genetics.
The discovery offers several important lessons and hope for the future in medicine. First, the research team discovered additional proof that the genetic make-up of a person is not completely determined at the moment of conception. Researchers previously recognized that genetic changes may occur after conception, but this was believed to be quite rare. Second, discovery of the genetic causes of these human diseases, including developmental disorders, may also lead directly to new possibilities for treatment.
AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA are present in all humans, but mutations in the genes are what lead to conditions including megalencephaly, cancer and other disorders. PIK3CA is a known cancer-related gene, and appears able to make cancer more aggressive. Scientists at Boston Children's Hospital recently published similar findings related to PIK3CA and a rare condition known as CLOVES syndrome in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Physician researcher James Olson, MD, PhD, a pediatric cancer expert at Seattle Children's and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who was not affiliated with the study, acknowledged the two decades-worth of work that led to the findings. "This study represents ideal integration of clinical medicine and cutting-edge genomics," he said. "I hope and believe that the research will establish a foundation for successfully using drugs that were originally developed to treat cancer in a way that helps normalize intellectual and physical development of affected children. The team 'knocked it out of the park' by deep sequencing exceptionally rare familial cases and unrelated cases to identify the culprit pathway." The genes AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CAall encode core components of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (P13K)/AKT pathway, the "culprit pathway" referenced by Olson.
The research provides a first, critical step in solving the mystery behind chronic childhood conditions and diseases. At the bedside, children with these conditions could see new treatments in the next decade. "This is a huge finding that provides not only new insight for certain brain malformations, but also, and more importantly, provides clues for what to look for in less severe cases and in conditions that affect many children," said William Dobyns, MD, a geneticist at Seattle Children's Research Institute. "Kids with cancer, for example, do not have a brain malformation, but they may have subtle growth features that haven't yet been identified. Physicians and researchers can now take an additional look at these genes in the search for underlying causes and answers."
Researchers at Seattle Children's Research Institute will now delve more deeply into the findings, with an aim to uncover even more about the potential medical implications for children. "Based on what we've found, we believe that we can eventually reduce the burden of and need for surgery for kids with hydrocephalus and change the way we treat other conditions, including cancer, autism and epilepsy," said Jean-Baptiste Rivire, PhD, at Seattle Children's Research Institute. "This research truly helps advance the concept of personalized medicine."
Drs. Dobyns, Rivire and team made this discovery through exome sequencing, a strategy used to selectively sequence the coding regions of the genome as an inexpensive but effective alternative to whole genome sequencing. An exome is the most functionally relevant part of a genome, and is most likely to contribute to the phenotype, or observed traits and characteristics, of an organism.
###
Background On Researchers
Seattle Children's Research Institute conducted this study in collaboration with teams from University of Washington Genome Sciences Department, FORGE (Finding of Rare Disease Genes) Canada Consortium, Cedars Sinai Medical Center and University of Sussex.
Dr. Dobyns, who is also a UW professor of pediatrics, is a renowned researcher whose life-long work has been to try to identify the causes of children's developmental brain disorders such as megalencephaly. He discovered the first known chromosome abnormality associated with lissencephaly (Miller-Dieker syndrome) while still in training in child neurology at Texas Children's Hospital in 1983. That research led, 10 years later, to the discovery by Dobyns and others of the first lissencephaly gene known as LIS1.
Dr. Rivire is supported by a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. As a lead researcher in the Dobyns lab, he also identified two new genes that cause Baraitser-Winter syndrome, a rare smooth brain malformation.
Co-authors on this study include: Jean-Baptiste Rivire, PhD, Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at Seattle Children's Research Institute; Judith St-Onge, Seattle Children's Research Institute; Christopher Sullivan, Seattle Children's Research Institute; Thomas Ward, Seattle Children's Research Institute; Ghayda Mirzaa, MD, University of Chicago; Brian O'Roak, PhD, University of Washington; Jay Shendure, MD, PhD, University of Washington; Mark O'Driscoll, PhD, University of Sussex; John Graham, MD, ScD, Cedars Sinai Medical Center; Kym Boycott, MD, PhD, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario; and many other physicians and scientists from North America and Europe.
Additional Resources
"De novo germline and postzygotic mutations in AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA cause a spectrum of related megalencephaly syndromes": http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ng.2331.html
"Researchers find gene for 9-year-old girl's 1-in-a-million disease", CommonHealth/WBUR, May 2012: http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/05/life-of-riley-gene-cloves
"Cause of rare growth disease discovered", MedicalXpress, June 2012: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-rare-growth-disease.html
"Gene Mutations Cause Massive Brain Asymmetry", UC San Diego Health System, June 2012: http://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/2012-25-hemimegalencephaly.aspx
About Seattle Children's Research Institute
At the forefront of pediatric medical research, Seattle Children's Research Institute is setting new standards in pediatric care and finding new cures for childhood diseases. Internationally recognized scientists and physicians at the Research Institute are advancing new discoveries in cancer, genetics, immunology, pathology, infectious disease, injury prevention and bioethics. With Seattle Children's Hospital and Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation, the Research Institute brings together the best minds in pediatric research to provide patients with the best care possible. Children's serves as the primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, which consistently ranks as one of the best pediatric departments in the country. For more information, visit http://www.seattlechildrens.org/research.
[ | E-mail | 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.
'He hit me, and I was like, 'Oww, man!' ' frontman recalls of his training during 'MTV First: Maroon 5.' By Kara Warner, with reporting by James Montgomery
Maroon 5's Adam Levine Photo:
Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine gets his Raging Bull on in the new "One More Night" video.
Levine and lead guitarist James Valentine were kind enough to premiere the action-packed new music video during "MTV First: Maroon 5" on Monday (June 25), and during the Q&A that immediately followed that debut, Levine revealed that he happily took a beating to prepare for the boxing aspect of the shoot.
"I had a little bit of training. I'll never forget. During the little bit of training, I got the guy who was training me. He hit me, and it hurt," Levine admitted. "I've never really been in a full-blown fight before, but the guy hit me pretty hard. I'm a wimp, so it was worse [for me] than someone who's tough, but he hit me, and I was like, 'Oww, man!' "
Levine said the boxing in the clip, which was born from the video treatment Levine wrote himself and delivered to director Peter Berg, is a metaphor for how our romantic entanglements can sometimes feel like a fight.
" 'One More Night' was one of the songs that was more far along when we heard it," Levine recalled of first hearing the Max Martin and Shellback-produced track. "Shellback, who did 'Moves Like Jagger' with us, it was one of those things that the instant we heard it as a group, we thought, 'Wow.'
"I do love the lyrics," Levine continued. "The metaphor that we spoke of earlier, a relationship between two people, sometimes when it's not going so well, it feels like a battle. Like a boxing match."
Stick with MTV News for more from our exclusive interview with Maroon 5!
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A good Samaritan has agreed to pay the bills of a woman set alight by her estranged boyfriend, according to reports.
Naomie Breton, 34, was?set on fire at a Boynton Beach, Fla.,?gas station?and was later billed more than $500 for towing services,?WPTV?reported. Breton was billed after her car and her boyfriend's car,?which remains under her name, were towed from the scene.
According to the station, the stranger, who wished to remain anonymous, saw Breton's story on air and decided to help.
"You're going to make me cry," Breton told the anonymous woman, according to WPTV.
The woman said she was surprised Breton was being billed and that no one had offered to help make payments.
"Perfect stranger. She didn't know me, she didn't have to do what she did for me," said Breton.
Watch the video of the incident. Warning - Graphic video.
Breton's boyfriend, 52-year-old Roosevelt Mondesir, faces a charge of attempted first-degree murder for the attack.
?
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CAIRO (AP) ? Islamist candidate Mohammed Morsi claimed a hollow victory Monday in Egypt's presidential vote just hours after the country's military rulers stripped the office of its most important powers.
The power grab by the ruling generals delivered another major blow to hopes for a democratic transition born out of last year's uprising that ousted authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.
The generals, who deny having effectively staged a coup and rendering the elected president a mere figurehead, will maintain authority over the crafting of laws and the drafting of a new constitution. Civilian oversight of their budget and other affairs will be strictly off-limits.
If Morsi's victory is confirmed in the official result expected on Thursday, it would be the first victory of an Islamist as head of state in the stunning wave of pro-democracy uprisings that swept the Middle East the past year. But the military's moves to retain power sharpen the possibility of confrontation and more of the turmoil that has beset Egypt since Mubarak's overthrow.
"The military may partially exit from power after a new round of tough negotiations with the Islamist and the secular opposition on safeguarding its interests," said Azzedine Layachi, a Middle East expert from St. John's University in New York. "However, and no matter what, the military will continue to play a dominant role in Egyptian politics. The question for now is whether they will continue to do so directly for the coming years or indirectly behind the fa?ade of a civilian rule."
In Washington, Pentagon press secretary George Little said the U.S. was troubled by the timing of the military leaders' announcement and would urge them "to relinquish power to civilian-elected authorities and to respect the universal rights of the Egyptian people and the rule of law."
"This is a critical moment in Egypt, and the world is watching closely," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. "We are particularly concerned by decisions that appear to prolong the military's hold on power."
The Obama administration has sought to safeguard its interests while championing change in Egypt. Mubarak made Cairo a bulwark of American influence in the Middle East before being pushed from power in February 2011.
The new measures came just days after a court packed with judges appointed by Mubarak dissolved the Islamist-dominated parliament, and the military assumed broad authority to arrest civilians ? and less than two weeks from the date the rulers set for a transfer of power back to civilians.
The generals issued a "constitutional declaration" late Sunday before even a single ballot was counted at the end of the second and final day of a presidential runoff that pitted Morsi, a U.S.-trained engineer, against Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister.
The new president, according to the document, will not be able to declare war or order troops out on the streets in case of domestic unrest without the prior consent of the military. He will also have no say in the affairs of the military, whose top brass will exclusively exercise the right to appoint commanders and extend their service.
The declaration removes the title of "Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces" from the next president, breaking with the tradition enshrined by Egypt's four presidents since the overthrow of the monarchy nearly 60 years ago. All four were career military officers.
Using its legislative authority, the military council issued another decree made public on Monday forming a new national defense council made up of 11 senior military commanders, including the defense minister, as well as the president. Though the council's mandate was not specified, it appears to be another step to limit the role of the president and enshrine the role of the military as the highest authority over national security policy.
Additionally, implicit in the new political timeline spelled out in the first document is that the next president may not serve more than one year of his four-year term and that the generals would remain in power at least until early next year.
The declaration says preparations for a new general election must start within a month of adopting a permanent constitution in a nationwide vote, something that is not likely to happen before late this year. With a new constitution widely expected to redefine the nation's political system, including the powers of the legislative and executive branches, new presidential elections will most likely be inevitable soon thereafter.
The declaration gives the generals the right to replace the 100-member panel selected by the dissolved legislature last week to draft a new constitution. Liberals and others have boycotted the panel to protest what they said was its domination by Islamists, the same reason that led to the dissolution of a previous panel by a court ruling.
Mostly Islamist lawmakers announced plans to try to force their way into parliament's building on Tuesday. The military has warned that soldiers stationed outside the facility since Thursday's court order would arrest anyone who tries.
Kristen A. Stilt, a Middle East expert from Northwestern University in Illinois, believes the scope of the military's concerns began to "dramatically broaden" when the Islamist-dominated parliament first sat about six months ago and later when the lawmakers sought to dominate a panel mandated to write a new constitution.
When Morsi's chances to win the presidency appeared to be good, the generals made their move when they still had the chance.
"From their point of view, these events threatened more than the military's privileges and interests, and the military moved in for what is being called a 'legal coup' ? using the tools of law rather than, at least to date, significant force," she said.
Without naming Morsi, the generals on Monday sought to assure the nation that the next president will have full presidential powers and that the transfer of power remained on track for before the end of this month. They said the new president will have the authority to appoint and dismiss the government and can reject legislation forwarded by the military as the interim legislative branch.
"We'll never tire or be bored from assuring everyone that we will hand over power before the end of June," Maj.-Gen. Mohammed al-Assar, a senior member of the ruling military council, told a televised news conference Monday. The transfer, he said, will take place in a "grand ceremony" for the whole world to see. He did not give an exact date.
"The military risks squandering the support it has if it seems like it is resisting any form of change," said Jon Alterman, a Middle East expert from Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. "As I read it, there is a broad constituency for measured change in Egypt, and the military has demonstrated great difficulty managing expectations."
But the promise by the ruling council to hand over power did not satisfy Islamists like Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most powerful political group.
In a statement, the Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice party, said the generals had no right to issue the constitutional declaration less than two weeks before the scheduled handover, and rejected their endorsement of the court ruling that dissolved the legislature.
The military has been the single most dominant institution in Egypt since a group of young officers seized power in a 1952 coup and later overthrew the monarchy. Many in the pro-democracy youth groups behind last year's anti-Mubarak uprising have warned that the generals who took over from Mubarak would not willingly step down and allow civilians to take over the reins of power. Also at stake is that the generals don't want anyone meddling in their affairs and demand immunity from civilian scrutiny of their vast economic interests.
The backdrop to those concerns is a history of enmity between the military and the Brotherhood, which emerged after Mubarak's ouster as the nation's most powerful group.
The army officers who seized power in 1952 turned against the Brotherhood two years later, jailing its leaders along with thousands of their supporters. Mubarak, mentor of the generals who succeeded him, spent most of his 29 years in office cracking down on the group.
The Brotherhood has spent most of the 84 years since its inception as an outlawed group, a time it used to master underground work and discipline its members. Also over the years, it has built a reputation for opportunism and backroom deals.
Secular activists say the group has abandoned them during a series of anti-military protests in the 16 months since Mubarak's ouster in which security forces used deadly force. At the time, they claim, the Brotherhood was close to realizing its dream of political domination and did not want to do anything to upset the generals.
Though official results have not yet been announced, the Brotherhood released a tally that showed Morsi took nearly 52 percent of the vote to defeat Shafiq, who mustered 48 percent in a very close race. The count was based on results announced by election officials at individual polling centers, where each campaign has representatives who compile and release the numbers before the formal announcement.
The Shafiq campaign rejected Morsi's claim of victory and accused him to trying to "usurp" the presidency or lay the groundwork to challenge the official result if it shows Shafiq winning.
In a victory speech at his headquarters in the middle of the night, Morsi, 60, clearly sought to assuage the fears of many Egyptians that the Brotherhood would try to impose stricter provisions of Islamic law. He said he seeks "stability, love and brotherhood for the Egyptian civil, national, democratic, constitutional and modern state" and made no mention of Islamic law.
"Thank God, who successfully led us to this blessed revolution," he said. "Thank God, who guided the people of Egypt to this correct path, the road of freedom, democracy."
___
Associated Press correspondents Bradley Klapper and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
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Needing to boost his donor base, President Barack Obama is banking on elite entertainers for help so often they have essentially become a cast of characters in his campaign. He is using his Hollywood access and raffling it off as a prize to others, tapping into a culture that revels in celebrity even in hard economic times.
Obama's big-name tour makes its next stop on Thursday at Sarah Jessica Parker's place in the West Village of New York City. The "Sex and the City" star, who is married to actor Matthew Broderick, is hosting a cozy $40,000-per-person fundraiser along with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
The president and first lady Michelle Obama will then appear at a second glitzy fundraiser in Manhattan, headlined by a performance by Mariah Carey.
While Democrats have long held political and ideological ties to the TV and movie industry, the dynamic is different this time for Obama. His own celebrity has faded a bit after more than three years in the slog of governing, and some reliable donors have gotten so used to seeing him, they want more ? like a real movie star.
What's more, Obama's team is getting outraised by motivated Republicans in a new, freewheeling environment, one in which wealthy donors can give unlimited amounts of money to outside political groups, known as super PACs, that can have huge sway over the presidential race.
As one counter-response, Obama is borrowing on the power of entertainers to give big bucks themselves and to encourage others to give what they can.
The strategy holds the potential for peril. It allows opponents to paint Obama as hobnobbing for dollars with middle-class angst riding high. The Republican Party lampooned Obama as tone deaf when his campaign promoted the Parker/Wintour event on the same day news broke of climbing unemployment.
Pressed about Obama's relationship with the stars, his spokesman, Jay Carney, fired back: "Two words. Donald Trump. Next question?" Obama's Republican rival, Mitt Romney, has received fundraising help from Trump, the camera-finding real estate mogul whom Obama has dismissed as a carnival barker.
So far, the rewards of relying on celebrity help have outweighed the risks for the president in a tight re-election race.
"I think people, particularly in times of economic hardship, always look to the entertainment world for a diversion, to take their minds off what's going on in the economy," said California-based Bill Carrick, a veteran Democratic consultant. "I don't think there's much potential here for backlash."
From Tinseltown to Broadway, Obama has surrounded himself with blockbuster names lately: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Spike Lee, Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Cher and many others who make more in one year that most people do in a lifetime.
Obama played basketball with a Batman (Clooney) and a Spiderman (Tobey Maguire), all in one game. He held a private chat in Los Angeles with some of the town's younger stars last week, including Jessica Alba and Jeremy Renner. He has had some of the most popular musicians in the business perform at his fundraisers, such as Alicia Keys, Cee Lo Green, Dave Matthews and the Foo Fighters. For his gig with Obama, Jon Bon Jovi even caught a ride on Air Force One.
"Let's face it: They help raise the money that you need to wage a serious campaign," said Robert Schmuhl, a professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame who has written about the intersection of politics and celebrity. "Most Americans today are involved in what we call the 'celebrity culture' anyway. They understand how it works."
One way Obama makes it work: Raffling access to donors, and not just to dinners with him, but ones that also offer star power at private affairs like the one at Parker's house. The contests typically ask donors to give $3 or whatever they can spare.
The Obama campaign calls it a way to lure donors who may not otherwise be involved in politics at all. Throw in Clooney, and watch the dollars flow.
A fundraising dinner held at the star's house last month drew an eye-popping $15 million, with more of it coming from a low-dollar raffle for entry to the event than from those who paid for tickets.
That result showed how Obama's team, using Web ads and social media, is using celebrity to raise money from people who will never get in the room.
Implicit in the arrangement is that access to Obama, the president of the United States, is not enough of a draw. Obama's campaign has gone so far as to make its next "Dinner With Barack" raffle more enticing by telling would-be donors that they can help pick Obama's guest ? naming Clooney and Parker as examples.
All the star wattage comes as Obama's campaign is warning supporters that they need to give or Obama could lose. Central to Obama's strategy is having a larger number of people giving small-to-medium donations. His campaign says 98 percent of donations received in May came in amounts of $250 or less.
"The other side has the money," campaign manager Jim Messina said in one appeal to donors. "They know they can buy the election if they spend it."
But Obama-friendly Hollywood has the money, too.
"There's a reason it feels like he's been here every two weeks for the last two years," Carrick, in Los Angeles, said of Obama. "Every time we turn around, there's someone on the radio telling you that you have to drive around the motorcade traffic."
___
Follow Ben Feller at http://twitter.com/BenFellerDC
Microsoft's scaling back its three-fold approach to annual gaming conventions, today announcing that it'll skip both Germany's Gamescom in August and Japan's Tokyo Game Show in September. "This year, Xbox will be focusing on smaller, more localized promotions and experiences for press, partners, retailers and customers around the world," Microsoft director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb said on his blog this morning.
As a result of that "smaller, more localized" marketing focus, Microsoft's wares "won't be taking part in Gamescom or Tokyo Games Show this year." Hryb noted that "both are still important shows for the industry, and we do wish the organizers well." Microsoft is the second of the big three console manufacturers to bow out of Gamescom, with Nintendo announcing as much earlier this year.
Microsoft showed off Halo 4 and "Smart Glass" as major components of its E3 2012 press conference. The company is apparently confident enough in its already announced holiday lineup to skip the largest public game show on the planet.
Microsoft skipping Tokyo Game Show and Gamescom to focus on 'smaller, more localized promotions' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CONTENT Choosing Outdoor Wedding Venues Who wouldn?t love to experience a memorable wedding day? It is a never ending story that a person can keep narrating to his grandchildren. ?That was the best day of my life!? These can be the words that can be used to describe a wedding event for every happy couple who has gone through it. Getting married is indeed a dream that a man or a woman could ever think about. Wedding ceremonies these days are also complementing with the changing generation particularly if we talk about the available variety of wedding venues. Traditionally, weddings are held at churches but now outdoor venues are also becoming popular. Some couples find it more admirable to go for an outdoor wedding ceremony thus finding the best venue is required. What are the aspects that one should consider when choosing a venue? The Weather When finding a location, learn its common weather for a specific time of the year. Weather conditions can ruin your special day if you are not aware and prepared for what may happen. The Vicinity This is also one of the important factors. Ensure that the venue is easy to reach and provides a specific map or landmarks to help your visitors in finding the venue. The Visitors Have the approximate number of possible guests who will attend on your wedding day and ensure that your chosen place can accommodate all your expected visitors. The Motif All wedding events have their own themes that reflect the personalities of the marrying couple so in choosing a place make sure that it will harmonize with your theme, for instance if you have a magical theme, the physical features of the venue should match with it as well as the appropriate attire of the visitors. Wedding venues in East Texas offer a variety of wedding themes that people can easily choose and personalize. The Rates Your goal is for a perfect celebration but for practical purposes you must still consider the price of your prospective location especially if you have a limited budget. Does it offer a valuable service or wedding packages that will match your needs? Knowing the services included in specific wedding packages will let you choose the most affordable one. Flowers and Decorations Opt for a venue that comes with a flower shop like with those outdoor wedding venues in Texas as flowers are always present at wedding ceremonies. Recognize if they offer flexible areas for arranging decors and arrangements with an in-house manager who will be in charge in managing these. These are just some of the remarkable features that one must consider in searching an outdoor venue. Keeping these in mind will allow you to have an ideal place for your wedding moment that will further enhance the importance of the occasion. The Pineapple Manor can be one of your prospective venues. This place has adopted the symbol of the pineapple to make a distinctive combination of tropical bliss and traditional southern hospitality, perfect for your special event. They offer various venues to choose from according to your desired theme. To learn more of what they offer, just visit http://www.thepineapplemanor.com. The solemnity of the wedding ceremony is the most important thing to remember and the happiness of the marrying couple. The place signifies your union but it will be useless if you won?t value the real meaning of getting married.
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I’m a huge fan of TV shows like ABC’s Shark Tank and the Food Network’s Invention Hunters. It’s so fun to learn about new inventions and see how the inventors become successful. If you have an idea for a new product, there’s a way to get help.?George Davison (www.davison.com) is the founder of Inventionland, the [...]
Saturday's Game 7 between the Celtics and Heat in the East finals will mark the 111th time an NBA playoff series has gone to a Game 7. Here's a look back at every Game 7 in league history:
H W = Home team won A W = Away team won <= 6 = Score diff. of 6 points or less WG6? = Winner of Game 7 also won Game 6
Ever felt like dropping everything and leaving it all behind for a few days or weeks? We?ve all come to that point, maybe after a long period of stressful work or a trying time in your life. Sometimes it comes after happy times, like after you decide to propose, your anniversary comes around, or you need to plan an emergency birthday treat. Whatever the case, when you want to have a spontaneous holiday, nothing says cozy and comforting fun like a holiday cottage. You should always have a few of these options in mind in case you need an idea when the urge hits.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 29-Jun-2012
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Microsoft skipping Tokyo Game Show and Gamescom to focus on 'smaller, more localized promotions' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.