Smartphone Shrink: 5 Apps To Help Your Mental Health

Northwestern University researchers recently launched Mobilyze, an app that tracks users' behavior patterns and moods to identify states that trigger depression before it happens. The app gathers data from more than 40 sensors including GPS, accelerometer, and Wi-Fi, which it uses to figure out the user's activity level and location. This data, combined with information the users supply about their mood and social context, identifies situations in which people are likely to become depressed and reminds them to take action that might prevent it, such as going outside or visiting friends. Alternatively, when users are doing well and adhering to their treatment goals, the app offers positive reinforcement in the form of text messages or email kudos.

And while it might incorrectly interpret a lazy Sunday at home as a potential bout of depression, Northwestern psychologist and Mobilyze creator David Mohr says they want this to happen. "We recognize the system will get it wrong sometimes, but we hope it does, because we're trying to treat people." Mohr says the system will constantly learn and recalibrate, so that next time it will know not to send a reminder under these circumstances.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/med-tech/smartphone-shrink-5-apps-to-help-your-mental-health?src=rss

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Sketchy reports emerge on alleged high school gunman

By msnbc.com staff

A student who was nicked in the ear Monday during a shooting in a high school cafeteria in Chardon, Ohio, has identified the teen gunman as a fellow student who had ?got into a gothic phase? in recent years.

Nate Mueller, a student at Chardon High School, told NBC affiliate WKYC.com that he was sitting in the cafeteria at a table with three of the victims and was grazed in the ear by one of the bullets as he turned away from the gunman. He said he was friends with the suspect until the end of eighth grade.

?He kind of got into the gothic phase and kind of silenced himself from his friends,? Mueller said. ?But I mean, he still had friends. He was still a nice kid ? I don?t think anybody really ever expected it to be him. We didn?t think he would hurt anybody.?

(Because the suspect is a juvenile and has not been named by authorities, msnbc.com is not publishing?his name.)

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Other students and a parent, reacting to reports identifying the alleged shooter, described him as an ?outcast,? a victim of bullying and being from a "broken home."

?He was not like a jock, a popular kid,"? Evan Erasmus, an 18-year-old high school senior, told Channel 5. ?He has friends, but he would be considered the outcast type."

Official: 1 dead, 4 wounded in Ohio school shooting

In a separate interview with CNN, Erasmus said, ?He just came from a really broken down home and he was living with his grandparents. He was more of a quiet type of kid. He was really nice, though, if you did talk to him.?

Mueller, the student who was in the cafeteria when the gunfire erupted, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that one of the friends he was sitting with was dating the suspect's ex-girlfriend.

Another student, freshman Danny Komertz, told The Associated Press that the gunman was an outcast who had been apparently bullied.

Greg Fletcher, a parent who said his son, a 10th grader, was about 15 feet from the shooter in the cafeteria, told Fox8.com that his son did not know the suspect but other students had told him he was ?kind of shady and possibly suicidal.?

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/27/10519723-sketchy-reports-emerge-on-alleged-high-school-gunman

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NJ girl in transplant visa flap leaves hospital (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - A 5-year-old New Jersey girl whose bone marrow transplant was in doubt at one point due to a visa dispute involving her older sister emerged from the hospital Monday, ready to begin the slow process of resuming a normal life.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120220/ap_on_re_us/us_visa_dispute_cancer

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Stars mourn Whitney Houston at rousing New Jersey funeral (Reuters)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - Stars, family and friends mourned Whitney Houston in a spirited Baptist funeral service at her hometown church on Saturday, a week after the death of the singer whose spectacular voice made her one of the biggest pop stars of her era.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120218/ts_nm/us_whitneyhouston

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Internet Business, Auction And Item Ad ? Turkish Politics

For nearly all auctions, significant decorating must not be necessary. An online auction means buying or selling of products via the process of bidding and offering the goods on the highest bidder via the internet. RoboBomb is in addition pushing forward everyday with marketing, networking and squeeze relations. Online bidders bid instantly against other web based bidders and exist auction attendees. The car public sale inspector also writes information on issues that he?s got found. A skilled auctioneer may craft enticing descriptions from the items to have them sold. If consignors are caught accomplishing this in some retail houses, they are expelled with the premises.

So we?ve devised a listing of 8 things for you to do to prepare yourself to have online real real estate auction. Is there your brake Auction Sites light bulb that might be replaced? Your car (next to your residence) is probably your costliest piece of equity and with this thought, it can be tempting to dispose of it, purchase a less expensive make or style and pocket the particular difference. When the rent or rental period of time ends, leasing companies might enter their previous stock into marketplace as their customers are keen on leasing brand fresh vehicles. All of it?s due upon completion from a signed purchase legal contract by both get-togethers. Expecting customers for you to bid the reserve amount right away instead of venturing out low and doing work their way up is pretty naive. You will find a number of car auctions there Hope this will aid.

For things that are not deeply in love with the open marketplace, or items which have been signed and not really professionally valued, list ?priceless? as being the value and price dependant on instinct as recommended above. Lots of girl?s Hermes silk jewelry, gloves and belts held his or her as well, and the over-all sale?s topmost value was achieved utilizing a black crocodile Kelly pouch that sold regarding 16, 000 francs (, 500). So if the user gets feedback make sure it really is from someone you?re thinking that is reputable independently! At worst the deal can falter and you should give up a earnest money. Note all discrepancies from the actual auction all kinds and catalog labeling. Prospective bidders should research most of penny auctions so that they know which site would work for their wants.

In a regular auction (often known as a forward public sale), buyers bid at a good or product, and the largest bid wins. The auctioneer may possibly offer to settle for a half bid in the number of , thereby bringing the bid as much as 0 from the last bid of 0. Bidding starts by some low amount for example or 1 cent, although the product or service being bid on can have a retail significance of several 100 dollars. You don?t choose to rush into a person?s nearest auto public sale without knowing things know about expect. Whenever you pick up your paddle or simply card, sit down together with stay put. The research and technology used in advanced ?clean diesel? engines means you can now drive ?normal looking? cars nonetheless leave a scaled-down carbon footprint within the environment.

It?s fine to likewise have some items that do not need displays ? some certificates paired jointly ? plan item numbering making sure that these items alternate in the display with that physical items, to keep desks from being cluttered in certain areas and clear in others. If, within a particular period, there is virtually no competing bidder so that you can challenge the located bid, then the latter is undoubtedly the winner. This monumental beautiful event was set in place when The Praetorian Preserve first killed this emperor Pertinax, and then offered the complete empire to a very high bidder. This valuation may very well be equally paid intended for by seller as well as successful buyer, and also take away mortgage providers requirement for additional valuations. I don?t believe this really is achievable on this Gold Coast on an auction when 2 from 3 auctions are unsuccessful. It was recorded which the sales of almost all these assets lasted with regard to months.

Source: http://turkishpolitics.us/?p=2197

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Ask About The Sorts Of Services And Activities The Retirement Home

- Ask About The Sorts Of Services And Activities The Retirement Home Makes Provision For Residents.

Posted by Editor on Feb 16, 2012 in Medicaid

Where any business or home wants prime quality furniture of varied kinds, it is maybe of the greatest seriousness that retirement home furniture is cosy, given the quantity of time folks will spend sitting on them. Nursing and residential centers contain a large amount of furniture as they typically serve an important number of residents. In this piece we will take a look at the primary kinds of furniture that should be considered. Lounge Furniture If you visit a care home, you will notice that almost all of the residents stay in the day room.

When the situation has gone outside the first warning indicators the old residents health is in trouble, they could slip into a coma from the absence of the right quantity of liquids. This when it's time to consult an old abuse lawyer to hold the care home responsible. Their desires include being monitored so they don't become dehydrated, this ageing adult doesn't always realize they aren't drinking enough liquids and the nursing staff should notice this, it is their job. This lawyer knows the laws that are established for abuse of the ageing adult, and they know the retirement home is responsible to have a correctly trained staff. Be certain to call the retirement home office and arrange an appointment to tour the retirement home before you visit. It also enables you to talk with care home staff, the people that live and get care at the retirement home and their family members. ? Ask about the kinds of services and activities the retirement home makes provision for residents.

? Ask to see a copy of the latest inspection report for the facility. Discover if there's an additional charge for any special medical desires the one that you love might have. Without a complete nursing guide, the nursing houses will not be well placed to play their roles and responsibility to look after each resident. In all probability the residents will complaint if they're not well-treated. Besides enhancing the regulatory standards, the care home authorities should tighten up their enforcement too. Next, if you're privy to the nursing home?s trend, you'll find out the most urgent problem is inadequate of manpower. The candidate must medically need retirement home care. If both spouses live in a retirement home they can only have $3,000. The candidate must not have given away any assets in the last 5 years. This promise is formed in the shape of a Certified Earnings Only Trust. So long as the quantity of revenue which is over $2,022 is deposited into the Revenue Trust and then paid to the care home, the candidate can remain Medicaid admissible.

Source: http://www.medicaidnursinghome.ca/ask-about-the-sorts-of-services-and-activities-the-retirement-home-makes-provision-for-residents/

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Radiation generates cancer stem cells from less aggressive breast ...

By Kim Irwin February 14, 2012 Category: Health Sciences, Research

Dr. Frank Pajonk

Breast cancer stem cells, thought to be the sole source of tumor recurrence, are known to be resistant to radiation therapy and don't respond well to chemotherapy.

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Now, researchers with the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center report for the first time that radiation treatment, despite killing half of all tumor cells during every treatment, transforms other cancer cells into treatment-resistant breast cancer stem cells.

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The generating of these breast cancer stem cells counteracts the otherwise highly efficient radiation treatment. If scientists can uncover the mechanisms and prevent this transformation from occurring, radiation treatment for breast cancer could become even more effective, said study senior author Dr. Frank Pajonk, an associate professor of radiation oncology and Jonsson Cancer Center researcher.

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"We found that these induced breast cancer stem cells (iBCSC) were generated by radiation-induced activation of the same cellular pathways used to reprogram normal cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) in regenerative medicine," said Pajonk, who also is a scientist with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine at UCLA. "It was remarkable that these breast cancers used the same reprogramming pathways to fight back against the radiation treatment."

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The study was published Feb. 13 in the early online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells.

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"Controlling the radiation resistance of breast cancer stem cells and the generation of new iBCSC during radiation treatment may ultimately improve curability and may allow for de-escalation of the total radiation doses currently given to breast cancer patients, thereby reducing acute and long-term adverse effects," the study states.

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Very few breast cancer stem cells are found among the larger pool of breast cancer cells. In this study, Pajonk and his team eliminated the smaller pool of breast cancer stem cells and then irradiated the remaining breast cancer cells and placed them into mice.

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Using a unique imaging system, Pajonk and his team developed to visualize cancer stem cells, the researchers were able to observe the initial generation into iBCSC in response to the radiation treatment. The newly generated iBCSC were remarkably similar to breast cancer stem cells found in tumors that had not been irradiated, Pajonk said.

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The team also found that the iBCSC had a more than 30-fold increased ability to form tumors, compared with the non-irradiated breast cancer cells from which they originated.

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Pajonk said that the study unites the competing models of clonal evolution and the hierarchical organization of breast cancers, as it suggests that undisturbed, growing tumors maintain a small number of cancer stem cells. However, if challenged by various stressors that threaten their numbers, including ionizing radiation, the breast cancer cells generate iBCSC that may, together with the surviving cancer stem cells, repopulate the tumor.

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"What is really exciting about this study is that it gives us a much more complex understanding of the interaction of radiation with cancer cells that goes far beyond DNA damage and cell killing," Pajonk said. "The study may carry enormous potential to make radiation even better."

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Pajonk stressed that breast cancer patients should not be alarmed by the study findings and should continue to undergo radiation if recommended by their oncologists.

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"Radiation is an extremely powerful tool in the fight against breast cancer," he said. "If we can uncover the mechanism driving this transformation, we may be able to stop it and make the therapy even more powerful."

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The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the California Breast Cancer Research Program and the U.S. Department of Defense.

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UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center?has more than 240 researchers and clinicians engaged in disease research, prevention, detection, control, treatment and education. One of the nation's largest comprehensive cancer centers, the Jonsson Center is dedicated to promoting research and translating basic science into leading-edge clinical studies. In July 2011, the center was named among the top 10 cancer centers nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, a ranking it has held for 11 of the last 12 years.

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Source: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/radiation-treatments-generate-229002.aspx

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Contraceptive pill associated with increased prostate cancer risk ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.roguecare.com/contraceptive-pill-associated-with-increased-prostate-cancer-risk-worldwide-study-finds/

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Just Show Me: How to check your data usage on Android 4.0 (Yahoo! News)

Welcome to?Just Show Me on?Tecca TV, where we show you tips and tricks for getting the most out of the?gadgets in your life. In today's episode we'll show you how to check your data usage on your?Android 4.0 phone.

Android 4.0 (aka?Ice Cream Sandwich) lets you quickly and easily check your monthly data usage, right from the phone's operating system. Unlike previous Android versions, there's no need to install 3rd-party programs.

If you have any topics you'd like to see us cover, just drop us a line in the comments.

This article originally appeared on Tecca

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120209/tc_yblog_technews/just-show-me-how-to-check-your-data-usage-on-android-4-0

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'Halftime in America' ad creates political debate (AP)

DETROIT ? People rarely pick a fight with Dirty Harry. But Chrysler's "Halftime in America" ad featuring quintessential tough guy Clint Eastwood has generated fierce debate about whether it accurately portrays the country's most economically distressed city or amounts to a campaign ad for President Barack Obama and the auto bailouts.

The 2-minute ad holds up Detroit as a model for American recovery while idealistic images of families, middle class workers and factories scroll across the screen.

"People are out of work and they're hurting," the 81-year-old Eastwood says in his trademark gravelly voice. "And they're all wondering what they're gonna do to make a comeback. And we're all scared because this isn't a game. The people of Detroit know a little something about this. They almost lost everything. But we all pulled together. Now, Motor City is fighting again."

Conservatives, including GOP strategist Karl Rove, criticized the ad as a not-so-thinly veiled endorsement of the federal government's auto industry bailouts. Others questioned basing a story of economic resurgence in a city that remains in fiscal disarray, with a $200 million budget deficit and cash flow concerns that have it fending off a state takeover.

But is it political? That depends on who you ask.

"I can't stop anybody from associating themselves with a message, but it was not intended to be any type of political overture on our part," Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne told WJR-AM in Detroit. "You know, we're just an ingredient of a big machine here in this country that makes us go on."

Last year was a pivotal turnaround year for Chrysler, which nearly collapsed in 2009. The company and its financial arm needed a $12.5 billion government bailout and a trip through bankruptcy protection to survive. Chrysler has since repaid its U.S. and Canadian government loans by refinancing them, but the U.S. government says it lost about $1.3 billion on the deal.

The ad with Eastwood, who previously publicly slammed the auto bailout, follows a highly popular one that aired last Super Bowl featuring hip-hop star and Detroit-native Eminem driving a Chrysler 200 through stark city streets ? and introduced the tagline "Imported From Detroit."

This time around, the focus was on faces and factories ? far less on cars. Monday editions of USA Today came wrapped in a four-page ad that features Eastwood and images from the commercial. It also touts investments outside Detroit, specifically in Belvidere, Ill., where it's making the new Dodge Dart.

That ad notes the company is "doing our part to move America forward. To help win this country's second half for all of us."

But despite "Halftime in America's" celebration of Detroit, none of the new footage was filmed in that city, said Wieden + Kennedy, the Portland, Ore., agency that produced the ad. The portions of the commercial featuring Eastwood were filmed in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the rest of the production was shot in New Orleans and Northern California. The ad does feature previously filmed footage of Detroit, said Dianna Gutierrez, a Chrysler spokeswoman.

"It was very powerful, not only for Detroit but for the country and also for Chrysler," said Allen Adamson, a managing director at brand consulting firm Landor Associates Adamson. "Of all the three, Chrysler was the least likely to succeed, the least likely to survive the storm. And they have come out with potentially the strongest story."

Adamson also compared the spot to Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America" ad in 1984, which tried to capture a feeling of American optimism during his re-election campaign. Reagan's ad showed images of people going to work, buying homes, and getting married in greater numbers.

Rove told Fox News on Monday that he was "offended" by Chrysler's ad, saying it amounted to "using our tax dollars to buy corporate advertising and the best-wishes of the management which is benefited by getting a bunch of our money that they'll never pay back."

Obama spokesman Jay Carney told the AP that the White House had no role in in the ad's production, but said it pointed out "a simple fact, which is that the auto industry in this country was on its back and potentially poised to liquidate three years ago."

"This president made decisions that were not very popular at the time that were guided by two important principles," Carney said. "One, that he should do what he could to ensure that one million jobs would not be lost and, two, that the American automobile industry should be able to thrive globally if the right conditions were created, and that included the kinds of reforms and restructuring that Chrysler and GM undertook in exchange for the assistance from the American taxpayer."

Eastwood, a fiscal conservative who is more liberal on social issues including gay marriage and environmental protections, has mixed with politics before. The former nonpartisan mayor of Carmel, Calif., who supported GOP presidential contender John McCain in 2008, told the Los Angeles Times last November that he can't ever recall voting for a Democrat for president but expressed admiration for California's Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown.

On Monday, he told Fox News he is "certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama."

"It was meant to be a message about just about job growth and the spirit of America," Eastwood said of the Chrysler ad. "I think all politicians will agree with it. I thought the spirit was OK."

Eastwood's longtime manager Leonard Hirshan told the AP that any stance Eastwood took on the auto bailout "has nothing to do with the commercial." He said the actor donated his fee from the commercial to a charity in Monterey, Calif., near where he lives.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing called Chrysler's ad a bit of positive public relations for a city that rarely pats itself on the back.

"I think the history in Detroit is one that is gritty. People have been down, but they get back up and they don't quit," Bing said. "Chrysler, they've been down more than once and they have not quit and they've come back."

Analyst Bill Carroll of New York-based Katz Media called the ad effective American and industry boosterism.

"I don't know that I would consider it political, other than if being pro-American is political, then it's political," Carroll said. "If underscoring the fact that the auto industry has made a significant comeback and is bringing back manufacturing jobs to the U.S. is political, then so be it."

___

Associated Press writers Mae Anderson in New York, Jim Kuhnhenn in Washington, Lynn Elber in Los Angeles and Tom Krisher, David Runk and Mike Householder in Detroit contributed to this report.

Online:

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120207/ap_en_ce/us_detroit_halftime_in_america

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Rangers' Hamilton confirms alcohol relapse

Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton pauses during a baseball news conference at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Max Faulkner) MAGS OUT

Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton pauses during a baseball news conference at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Max Faulkner) MAGS OUT

Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton pauses during a baseball news conference at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton speaks during a baseball news conference at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton speaks during a baseball news conference at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton pauses during a baseball news conference at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

ARLINGTON, Texas. (AP) ? Josh Hamilton shed no tears, used no prepared statement as he apologized and shared few details about his relapse with alcohol. Still, it was clear he was upset by what he had done.

The Texas Rangers slugger and recovering drug addict said he had "three or four" drinks during dinner at a Dallas restaurant and bar Monday and continued drinking later that night.

"Things happened that me, personally, I'm not proud of after I drank, and they are personal and are being handled as that," he said Friday during a news conference at the ballpark called specifically to address the incident. "Knowing this was going to get out in social media, Twitter, people get excited. There was no pictures taken of me having a beer with somebody or anything like that, but I did take pictures with people."

Hamilton didn't elaborate or give any real indication about what happened.

Hamilton was suspended for more than three years for drug and alcohol use while in the Tampa Bay organization. The former No. 1 overall draft pick missed the entire 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons, but has become one of the best players in baseball on a team that has won the last two American League pennants. He was the AL MVP in 2010.

The 30-year-old Hamilton said his latest actions "hurt a lot of people very close to me." He closed his eyes at one point and seemed to force a smile another time. He didn't take questions.

Without being specific, Hamilton said he had a "weak moment" that stemmed from "personal reasons" involving a family member. He said he walked to a restaurant to have dinner and ended up "ordering a drink, and probably had three or four drinks"

Hamilton said he did not take any drugs, and had no thoughts of doing so. He said he has been tested for drugs twice since Monday, part of his normal mandated routine.

This is Hamilton's second known alcohol-related relapse in three years. Both came during the offseason, and this one has put on hold talks with the Rangers about a contract extension.

In January 2009, he drank to excess in a bar in Tempe, Ariz. He apologized for that a few months later when a dozen or so pictures were posted online showing Hamilton taking shots off the bar, and dancing and hugging several young women. He said then that he had been sober since October 2005.

Hamilton and general manager Jon Daniels said the outfielder will meet soon with Major League Baseball doctors and counselors in New York for an evaluation in his continued recovery.

"My life in general is based on making the right choices, everything as far as my recovery, as far as my baseball goes, it's all based around my relationship with the Lord," Hamilton said. "And I look at it like that, you all know how hard I play on the field and I give it everything I absolutely have. When I don't do that off the field, I leave myself open for a weak moment."

After having a few drinks with dinner, Hamilton called Ian Kinsler to come hang out with him.

Hamilton said Kinsler didn't know he had been drinking, and that he never had a drink in front of his teammate, even when they left before the restaurant closed and went to another place nearby for 25-30 minutes. Then Kinsler drove him back to where he was staying not far away.

Though Hamilton told Kinsler he was not going anywhere else, Hamilton said he later returned to the place they had left and had more drinks.

Daniels was asked if he was concerned that the incident was more than just Hamilton having a few drinks. The GM referred to Hamilton saying that alcohol had led the outfielder to some things he wasn't proud of.

"I don't know. I wasn't there," said Daniels, speaking on a conference call. "That's how Josh wants to address those things right now."

In Twitter posts Friday, Hamilton's wife, Katie, wrote: "Truly appreciate all the encouraging & supportive tweets we've been getting. God is Faithful and forgives- so thankful that you all are ... Showing us such love and encouragement during this time."

When the Rangers acquired him from the Cincinnati Reds in December 2007, they were aware of Hamilton's off-the-field problems. He is tested for drug use three times a week and has had an accountability partner to support him in his recovery ? though that job is now vacant.

Assistant hitting coach Johnny Narron's primary role was to support the former No. 1 overall draft pick, but Narron left the Rangers in November for Milwaukee.

The Rangers announced last month that Hamilton's father-in-law had been hired as a staff special assistant to be the accountability partner, but Michael Dean Chadwick has since decided against accepting that position because of "family considerations."

Daniels said the team was close to hiring someone for the job, a process that was already in the final stages before the latest incident. He said an announcement could come next week.

But Daniels said such a person likely wouldn't have been with Hamilton during the offseason when he was home with his family, as was the case this week.

Hamilton can become a free agent after this season and had been talking to the Rangers about a contract extension.

"It would be nice if it was talking about a contract but we'll put that on the back burner for a while," Hamilton said before walking out of the room. Daniels concurred that he had agreed with Hamilton's agent, Mike Moye, that contract talks would be put on hold. Daniels said there was no timetable for resuming them.

While Daniels said Hamilton's relapse created a number of emotions, including disappointment, the GM said the overriding concern was for Hamilton and his family. Hamilton and his wife have four daughters, the youngest born last summer.

"For everybody who I have hurt, for everybody ? fans, kids, people who have addictions and look up to me ? apologize to you," he said. "When you're doing this, you don't mean to hurt anybody. You only think you're hurting yourself, but as I know, you're hurting a lot of people."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-02-03-BBA-Rangers-Hamilton/id-93ea77eb76a7427bb30e3a2f61d3bbd5

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Neil Patrick Harris: Career and Fatherhood Schedule is like a Tetris Game

Neil Patrick Harris is the ultimate jack-of-all-trades. The 38-year-old actor (who can sing, dance, act, and host) has gone from an underage doctor on Doogie Howser, M.D. to a genuine Hollywood triple threat. Harris recently talked to Parade.com about this season of How I Met Your Mother, his most important role as dad to one-year-old [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/neil-patrick-harris-career-and-fatherhood-schedule-is-like-a-tetris-game/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=neil-patrick-harris-career-and-fatherhood-schedule-is-like-a-tetris-game

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Global food prices easing, volatility still high: World Bank (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Global food prices are set to decline further in 2012 as a weaker world economy dampens consumer demand while food supplies rise, the World Bank said on Tuesday, warning that a possible rise in oil prices could reverse the trend.

The World Bank said prices have declined steadily but volatility has increased, including among staples like wheat, maize and rice. In some countries, domestic food prices are higher than levels in 2010, keeping pressure on poor households that spend the bulk of their income on food.

The World Bank increased its monitoring of global food prices in 2009 during a food and energy price crisis that hit food-importing countries the hardest and highlighted the chronic underinvestment in agriculture in developing countries.

The World Bank said its 2011 annual food price index shows prices are still 24 percent higher than in 2010 despite some decline. Global prices fell 8 percent in the three months from September to December 2011, ending the year 7 percent below December 2010 levels.

"The worst food price increases may be over but we must remain vigilant," said Otaviano Canuto, the World Bank Group's vice president for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management. "Prices of certain foods remain dangerously high in many countries, leaving millions of people at risk of malnutrition and hunger."

The Bank warned, however, that the steady decline in global food prices could be halted if weather patterns change, or if world oil prices rise, pushing up price volatility and demand for biofuels.

Price volatility adds uncertainty and keeps prices high because farmers are unsure how to price their products.

The World Bank's sister organization, the International Monetary Fund, warned last week that global crude oil prices could rise as much as 30 percent if Iran halts exports as a result of U.S. and European Union sanctions.

Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz shipping route, which handles 20 percent of oil traded globally.

(Reporting By Lesley Wroughton; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/wl_nm/us_worldbank_food

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