Four Things To Know About Cory Booker's Election

Mayor Cory Booker talks to supporters during a Senate election night victory party Wednesday in Newark, N.J.

Julio Cortez/AP

Cory Booker's victory Wednesday in New Jersey's special Senate election didn't surprise anyone.

From the moment he captured the Democratic nomination in the reliably blue state, the Newark mayor was the heavy favorite to defeat Republican Steve Lonegan.

With his media savvy and national celebrity, the senator-elect is already a recognizable figure outside his home state.

But here are a few things you might not have known about Booker's election:

An Historic Election

When Booker is officially sworn in, he will become the ninth African-American in history to serve in the U.S. Senate, and just the fourth to have been popularly elected.

The last African-American elected to the Senate? Barack Obama, out of Illinois in 2004. The other two were Massachusetts Republican Edward Brooke in 1966 and Illinois Democrat Carol Moseley Braun in 1992.

The only current African-American senator is Tim Scott, the South Carolina Republican appointed by Gov. Nikki Haley last December after Jim DeMint resigned to head the Heritage Foundation.

New Jersey, A Republican-Free Zone

Counting Booker's victory, Democrats have now won 14 straight U.S. Senate races in New Jersey — the party's third-longest winning streak in the nation.

The last Republican Senate victory in the Garden State came in 1972, when Sen. Clifford Case won his third term (other Republicans were appointed to the Senate during this period, but not elected).

Hawaii and West Virginia are the only states with a longer GOP drought. A Republican Senate candidate hasn't won in Hawaii since 1970 or in West Virginia since 1956.

Booker vs. Obama

Booker won fairly comfortably Wednesday night, earning about 55 percent of the vote to Lonegan's 44 percent. Still, the score was closer than many expected — and Booker even lagged behind President Obama's state performance in 2012 when he won 58 percent to Mitt Romney's 41 percent.

Of course, it isn't a perfect comparison. Off-year or special Senate races garner far less attention than presidential contests, meaning dramatically lower turnout. And on top that, the election occurred on a Wednesday, rather than the traditional Tuesday.

The Never-Ending Campaign

Booker supporters shouldn't even bother to take down their yard signs: He's back on the ballot again in about a year.

While senators typically have a six-year respite between elections, Booker only gets a short breather — he won a special election to serve out the remainder of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg's term, which ends in January 2015.

That means Booker will be back on the campaign trail in no time, and that Democrats can expect more fundraising pleas from him in the coming weeks.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/10/17/236335402/four-things-to-know-about-cory-bookers-election?ft=1&f=1001
Tags: wes welker   twerking   danity kane   Joanna Krupa   emmy nominations  

Amanda Seyfried to Star Opposite Russell Crowe in 'Fathers and Daughters'

Getty Images

Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried has been cast as Russell Crowe’s daughter in the drama Fathers and Daughters.  

Gabriele Muccino is directing the project centered on a woman dealing with a crumbling relationship in the present and looking back on the relationship she had with her father, a famous novelist, 25 years earlier.

STORY: Amanda Seyfried, Chiwetel Ejiofor Starring in 'Z for Zachariah' 

Crowe’s deal to play the father closed earlier this week.

Voltage Pictures’ Nicolas Chartier and Craig J. Flores are producing. Sherryl Clark is also producing.

Seyfried’s last year has been quite eventful. She was a key player in Les Miserables, starred in Lovelace and wrapped Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/film/~3/0eYAh6IRy2w/story01.htm
Similar Articles: Manny Machado   burn notice   9/11 Pictures   Demi Lovato   emmy nominations  

Iraq: Wave of car, suicide blasts kill at least 61

Iraqi Shiite Muslim women attend the Eid al-Adha prayer, outside the party headquarters of the Supreme Islamic Council, in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013. Muslims all over the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha by sacrificing sheep, goats, cows and camels, to commemorate the Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Iraqi Shiite Muslim women attend the Eid al-Adha prayer, outside the party headquarters of the Supreme Islamic Council, in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013. Muslims all over the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha by sacrificing sheep, goats, cows and camels, to commemorate the Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Mohammed Moses grieves by the grave of his father who was killed by a suicide car bomb attack near Qabak elementary school in the Shiite Turkomen village of Qabak, just outside the town of in Tal Afar, 260 miles (420 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 7, 2013. Deadly attacks in Iraq killed tens of on Sunday, including a dozen children slain when a suicide bomber detonated the explosives-laden car he was driving near their elementary school in the north of the country, officials said. (AP Photo)

BAGHDAD (AP) — A barrage of car bomb and suicide bomb blasts rocked Baghdad and two northern Iraqi communities Thursday, killing at least 61 people during a major holiday period and extending a relentless wave of bloodshed gripping the country.

The bulk of the blasts struck in mainly Shiite Muslim parts of the Iraqi capital shortly after nightfall, sending ambulances racing through the streets with sirens blaring. Authorities reported nine car bomb explosions across Baghdad, including one near a playground that killed two children.

It was the deadliest day in Iraq since Oct. 5, when a suicide bombing targeting Shiite pilgrims and other attacks left at least 75 dead.

Iraq is weathering its deadliest outburst of violence since 2008, raising fears the country is returning to the widespread sectarian killing that pushed it to the brink of civil war in the years after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Iraq's resurgent branch of al-Qaida is believed to be behind much of the killing as part of its campaign to undermine the Shiite-led government.

Thursday's bloodshed began early in the morning when a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car among houses in an ethnic minority village in northern Iraq. That attack, in the Shabak village of al-Mouafaqiyah near the restive city of Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, killed at least 15 and wounded 52, police said.

The United Nations envoy to Iraq condemned the attack and said rising violence in Ninevah province requires "urgent action and strengthened security cooperation" between regional authorities and the central government.

"The United Nations pays particular attention to the protection of minority communities who continue suffering from heinous attacks (and) economic and social barriers," envoy Nickolay Mladenov said.

Another suicide bomber struck hours later, setting off an explosives belt inside a cafe in Tuz Khormato, killing three and wounding 28, police chief Col. Hussein Ali Rasheed said.

The town, a frequent flashpoint for violence, sits in a band of territory contested by Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen about 200 kilometers (130 miles) north of Baghdad.

The attacks struck as Muslims around the world this week mark the religious holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice. The holiday marks the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim — or Abraham, as he is known in the Bible — to sacrifice his son in accordance with God's will, and is often a time for family celebrations and outings.

The Baghdad explosions went off in quick succession after sunset as families were heading out to parks, coffee shops and restaurants, police said.

Back-to-back car bombs exploded about two blocks apart in the mainly Shiite neighborhood of Husseiniyah, killing a total of 11 and wounding 22, authorities said.

Other mainly Shiite neighborhoods hit were the southeastern New Baghdad, where four died and 12 were wounded, and the eastern Sadr City, where a car bomb near a playground killed five, including two children, and wounded 16, officials said. Another car bomb exploded near a restaurant in the northeastern Shiite neighborhood of Gareat, killing seven and wounding 14, authorities said.

Elsewhere, a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a police checkpoint in the southern district of Dora, killing five people, including three police officers, and wounding nine, authorities said.

Two parked car bombs exploded near an outdoor market and shops in the mixed Shiite and Christian neighborhood of Garage al-Amana, killing eight and wounding 15, officials said.

The predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Shurta also was hit, with three killed and 12 wounded when a car bomb exploded in a commercial street, authorities said.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Thursday's blasts, though suicide bombings and car bombings are a favorite tactic of Al-Qaida's local branch. It frequently targets Shiites, whom it considers heretics, and those seen as closely allied to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

Violence has escalated sharply since late April following a deadly crackdown by security forces on a camp for Sunni protesters in the northern town of Hawija.

The U.N. reported 979 people killed violently in Iraq last month. At least 350 more have died in attacks in Iraq so far this month, according to an Associated Press count.

___

Associated Press writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed reporting.

___

Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at www.twitter.com/adamschreck.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-10-17-Iraq/id-606f60efca314454b44c9a3c3bcbf4e6
Similar Articles: james spader   Kliff Kingsbury   Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 10   Charlie Manuel   Duck Dynasty  

Yahoo's 3Q results drop along with ad prices

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo is regaining its appeal among investors a lot faster than with the online advertisers who generate most of its revenue.

The Internet company's third-quarter numbers released Tuesday are the latest to underscore the challenges facing CEO Marissa Mayer even as Yahoo's stock continues to soar under her leadership. The shares have more than doubled since Yahoo lured Mayer away from rival Google Inc. 15 months ago, largely because investors prize Yahoo's 24 percent stake in Chinese Internet star Alibaba Group Holding.

Alibaba is already making far more money than Yahoo while growing at a rapid pace that bodes well for the future. Yahoo is leaning on Alibaba and another investment in Yahoo Japan for most of its income, a trend highlighted again in the latest quarter.

Yahoo Inc., meanwhile, is still struggling to revive its revenue growth even though marketers are spending more on online ads. Most of that money, though, is flowing to search leader Google and social networking front-runner Facebook Inc. Both of those companies have built addictive services and networks that have proven to be more effective marketing vehicles.

After subtracting the commissions paid to its partners, Yahoo's ad revenue during the three months ending in September dipped by 2 percent from the same time last year.

"It was a pretty dismal quarter," said BGC Financial analyst Colin Gillis. "They are very fortunate to have Alibaba."

A change in the way Yahoo will eventually have to sell its Alibaba holdings seemed to please investors. Under a new arrangement announced Tuesday, Yahoo will now be required to sell 208 million of its Alibaba shares in an IPO widely expected to occur next year. That's down from 261.5 million under a deal reached 17 months ago. The revised terms will be a boon for Yahoo if Alibaba's stock soars above its IPO price, as often happens with promising technology stocks.

Yahoo's stock gained 26 cents to $33.64 in extended trading after Tuesday's news came out.

Mayer, 38, is pleading for patience to get Yahoo's own business in better shape, saying it may take another year or two before Yahoo's sales are growing at the same rate as the overall market. In the first half of this year, Internet ad spending climbed 18 percent from the same period in 2012.

In an online video presentation Tuesday, Mayer sought to shift the focus to signs that Web surfers are relishing the changes she has been making to Yahoo's products. Her revisions are an attempt to bring in more people on mobile devices and persuade them to stick around for longer periods of time. She said the number of digital pages on Yahoo's services is now back to the levels of two years ago and predicted ad spending will eventually rebound, too.

"I am more encouraged than ever in Yahoo's potential for growth in both the near and long-term," Mayer said. "It will take some time for increased engagement to translate into revenue but I'm confident we are on the right track."

Mayer's optimism couldn't mask the third-quarter declines in both of Yahoo's advertising categories: The Sunnyvale, Calif. company sold fewer display ads at lower prices in the quarter, and the amount of money marketers paid for the text ads next to Yahoo's search results declined even as those ads drew more clicks.

Yahoo earned $297 million, or 28 cents per share, in the three months ending in September. That's a 91 percent drop from nearly $3.2 billion, or $2.64 per share, during the same period a year ago.

It wasn't an apples-to-apples comparison because last year's profit was lifted by a $2.8 billion windfall from Yahoo's sale of nearly half its Alibaba stake.

If not for certain items unrelated to its ongoing business, Yahoo said it would have earned $358 million, or 34 cents per share. That per-share figure was a penny above the average estimate among analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Revenue fell 5 percent from last year to $1.1 billion.

After subtracting ad commissions, Yahoo's revenue stood at $1.08 million to match analyst projections.

The company expects its revenue, minus commissions, to range from $1.18 billion to $1.22 billion in the current quarter ending in December. Analysts had been anticipating revenue of $1.25 billion.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-15-Earns-Yahoo/id-3b08f132b83445c39a2eb5702a408f9e
Related Topics: GTA 5 Cheats   friday the 13th   harry potter   michael beasley   engadget  

Reality Check with Lea Black

Hello everyone, can you believe it’s already the middle of October? Where does the time go? I love the fall season and I thought I would share some of my favorite things this week. I am so lucky to have some of my friend’s suggestions.

Courtesy of Lea Black

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Sarah Rayer, my social media pro, shared with me this great blog, Ms. Mishigas, about living, loving and surviving cancer. I love the logo; the best part is it is a temporary tattoo! What a great symbol. Log on to get yours here.

Courtesy of Lea Black

My spiritual bible Do You QuantumThink? by Dianne Collins is my go to daily source for inspiration and motivation. I have been using this book as a “guide to” for my everyday life and career for many years. One of my favorite affirmations from the book is “What enhances life force? Purity, clarity, focus and awareness.” Available through order here.

Courtesy of Lea Black

I love this look, the color and style of this trench coat over the classic black and white is a perfect ensemble for a work day and night transition! This is something I would try interpret to fit my shape and form of my body. All that is missing in the model’s hand is my black Starstruck clutch, a perfect accessory for after five, night out on the town.

Courtesy of Lea Black

And of course beauty! You know how much I protect my skin from the sun, but that doesn’t mean, I don’t like a nice little glow, my friend Edward Cruz, (makeup artist to clients like Anna Wintour) swears by SONIA KASHUK Undetectable Creme Bronzer. It gives your skin a second chance, when it comes to looking 10 years younger!!! How fun is that!

What’s your favorite beauty product these days? Are you all caught up on Real Housewives of Miami? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @OKMagazine.

Source: http://okmagazine.com/meet-the-stars/reality-check-with-lea-black-3/
Tags: Merritt Wever   2020 Olympics   Vma 2013 Miley Cyrus   pga championship   Edward Snowden  

Asked about Irsay comments, Manning passes

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Thanks to the musings of his former owner, Peyton Manning's return to Indianapolis this week has turned into something less than the warm-and-fuzzy homecoming it could have been.

If any of that bothers No. 18, it's not showing.

Dictating the terms of his Wednesday news conference as effectively as he orchestrates his offense from the line of scrimmage, Manning paid virtually no heed to this week's comments from Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Manning said he had no comment when asked for his reaction to Irsay's interview earlier this week when he said he had to give up the old Indy offense's "Star Wars" numbers in a quest for more Super Bowl rings.

On Sunday, Manning returns to Indianapolis for his first game as a visitor.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asked-irsay-comments-manning-passes-221623493--spt.html
Similar Articles: Cressida Bonas   jennifer lawrence   Government Shutdown 2013   nfl   Lee Thompson Young  

Ronan Farrow joins MSNBC to host new show

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ronan Farrow, the 25-year-old son of actress Mia Farrow, will host a one-hour weekday show starting early next year on MSNBC, the U.S. television channel said on Wednesday.

The writer and human rights lawyer, who has been in talks with MSNBC about the show for months, will also contribute to the channel's website and NBC News.

"Ronan has established himself as a provocative, independent journalist capable of challenging people's assumptions and empowering audiences," Phil Griffin, MSNBC's president, said in a statement.

"His show will be a game changer for MSNBC, representing a fresh approach to how we deliver news."

Farrow, a Yale Law School graduate and Rhodes Scholar, said the show would be geared for a more engaged generation of viewers and what they can do to be part of the story.

"I'm excited to shake up people's expectations for cable news. And to get a ton of Twitter followers," he said.

Farrow worked as a foreign policy official in the first Obama administration and served as a U.S. diplomat with a focus on the conflict of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He was thought to be the biological son of Oscar-winning director Woody Allen. But his mother cast doubt on his paternity when she said earlier this month in an interview that her former husband, singer-actor Frank Sinatra, could "possibly" be his father.

Sinatra, who died in 1998 at age 82, and Mia Farrow, 68, were married from 1966 to 1968. But the actress said the relationship continued after their divorce.

In a tweet posted after the news was reported, Farrow said, "Listen, we're all 'possibly' Frank Sinatra's son."

His mother and Allen parted in 1992 after the director's relationship with Mia Farrow's adopted daughter, Soon-Yi, was revealed.

Farrow, named Satchel Ronan O'Sullivan Farrow at birth, and two of his siblings were the subjects of a custody suit between Allen, 77, and his mother, which the actress won.

Earlier this month, "30 Rock" actor Alec Baldwin's late- night current events and culture talk show premiered on MSNBC, with New York Democratic mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio as his first guest.

(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ronan-farrow-joins-msnbc-host-show-222526949--sector.html
Similar Articles: packers   Naya Rivera   Miley Cyrus Vmas 2013 Video   Linda Ronstadt   heidi klum  

A Lightweight Backpack Made From Fabric That's 10X Stronger Than Steel

If you're not the type to take care of your belongings, you might want to check out Outlier's new Minimal Backpack when you're on the hunt for a new bag. You can think of it as the Tonka truck of carry-alls, except that instead of metal it's actually made from a lightweight fabric called Dyneema that has a strength-to-weight ratio that's about ten to fifteen times stronger than steel.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-AUpdlF-FJM/a-lightweight-backpack-made-from-fabric-thats-10x-stro-1446382929
Tags: cleveland browns   tom hanks   9news   Joanna Krupa   JJ Cale  

Apple updates Java, Canon and HP printer drivers for OS X

Apple has posted updates to Java for OS X along with new Canon and HP printer drivers. All are available for download from Apple's support web site and through the Software Update system preference.

Separate updates to Java are available for Snow Leopard and for later versions of OS X; The Java for OS X 2013-005 update for Lion and Mountain Lion "delivers improved security, reliability, and compatibility by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_65."

The printer downloads offer the latest drivers for printers from HP and laser printers from Canon.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/AYf2JoElLC4/story01.htm
Tags: 9 news   USA VS Mexico   lea michele   Breaking Bad Season 6   vanessa hudgens  

Candice Swanepoel Scores Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bra Honors

Next month the Victoria’s Secret Angels will take to the runway for the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and Candice Swanepoel will shine a little brighter than the rest.

The 24-year-old South African supermodel was named as the lucky lady who will wear the $10 million Fantasy Bra, following in the footsteps of Gisele Bundchen, Heidi Klum, and Alessandra Ambrosio.

Candice told People, “They had to mold my body to be able to make [the bra], and I was really excited. I tried to imagine after they’d done the mold, how would they make it, how it would look. My imagination didn’t do it justice. My favorite part is this beautiful 52-carat pear-shaped ruby. Every part of it is exquisite.”

“I’ve never worn anything this pricey, and we have to put gloves on when we put it on. It’s kind of a big ordeal. The bra comes with two bodyguards and we have to handle it with a lot of care!”

Ms. Swanepoel added, “Definitely being the Fantasy Bra model is more nerve-wracking [than shooting swim] because it’s a one-time thing. Walking around wearing $10 million does seem to make me a little bit nervous.”

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/candice-swanepoel/candice-swanepoel-scores-victoria%E2%80%99s-secret-fantasy-bra-honors-1023258
Tags: kenya   apple   Jameis Winston   Brickyard 400   david ortiz  

Senate, House on Separate Paths to Deal (ABC News)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/334232360?client_source=feed&format=rss
Tags: Dario Franchitti   iTunes Radio   Kliff Kingsbury   yom kippur   Star Trek Into Darkness  

HTC One Max and HTC Sense 5.5 video walkthrough

The HTC One Max is upon us, with a UK arrival imminent, and Sprint and Verizon launches scheduled for the holidays. We've also published our full review of the Max, with the detailed rundown of what's going on with HTC's 5.9-inch monster phone. Today we're bringing you a video walkthrough of the HTC One Max, showing the phone's hardware in detail, as well as the new software tricks in HTC Sense 5.5. Check it out above, then hit up the rest of our One Max coverage, linked below.

More: HTC One Max review; One Max specs; One Max availability

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/0mw0RlgdSVA/story01.htm
Related Topics: Under the Dome   jadeveon clowney   pharrell  

Okkervil River: Tiny Desk Concert

At first blush, Okkervil River is obviously a good rock 'n' roll band, but listen closely — especially to its lyrics — and you'll hear a great rock 'n' roll band. The group has been making sharp, thoughtful music since the late '90s, with the first of its seven albums coming out a dozen years ago.

The songs in this Tiny Desk Concert are from The Silver Gymnasium, a record inspired by the childhood of 37-year-old singer-songwriter Will Sheff; he grew up a bespectacled, crooked-toothed redhead in the small New Hampshire town of Meriden. His lyrics are drenched in specific memories, pop-culture references and youthful insecurity. Look at these lines from "Down Down the Deep River":

Tell me 'bout the greatest show or the greatest movie you know

Or the greatest song that you taped from off the radio

Play it again and again — it cuts off at the ending, though

Tell me I'm always gonna be your best friend

Now you said it one time — why don't you say it again?

The stories pop a bit more in this acoustic set-up for Okkervil River, but they rock plenty hard in concert and on their albums. If you've missed the past dozen years of this band, start here and then work your way back through its catalog. The Stage Names is my favorite, but nothing disappoints.

Set List

• "On A Balcony"


• "Pink Slips"


• "Down Down The Deep River"

Credits

Producers: Bob Boilen, Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Becky Harlan, Abbey Oldham; photo by Meredith Rizzo/NPR

Source: http://www.npr.org/event/music/232122323/okkervil-river-tiny-desk-concert?ft=1&f=1110
Related Topics: Lake Natron   The Crazy Ones   GTA 5 Cheats   Clemson University   the bachelorette  

Geography affects what drugs seniors prescribed

WASHINGTON (AP) — Where seniors live makes a difference not only in how much health care they receive but also the medications they're prescribed — as some miss out on key treatments while others get risky ones, new research shows.

More than 1 in 4 patients on Medicare's prescription drug plan filled at least one prescription for medications long deemed high-risk for seniors, according to the study released Tuesday by the Dartmouth Atlas Project.

Seniors who live in Alexandria, La., were more than three times as likely as those in Rochester, Minn., to receive those potentially harmful drugs, which include muscle relaxants and anxiety relievers that can cause excessive sedation, falls and other problems in older adults.

On the flip side, far more seniors who survived a heart attack were filling prescriptions for cholesterol-lowering statin drugs in Ogden, Utah, than in Abilene, Texas — 91 percent compared to just 44 percent, the study found. That's even though statins are proven to reduce those patients' risk of another heart attack.

Even more surprising, the study found just 14 percent of seniors who've broken a bone because of osteoporosis were receiving proven medications to guard against another fracture — ranging from 7 percent of those patients in Newark, N.J., to 28 percent in Honolulu.

"There's no good reason" for that variation, said lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Munson, an assistant professor at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

Researchers with the Dartmouth Atlas have long shown that the type and amount of health care that people receive varies widely around the country, and that those who live where Medicare spends more don't get better quality care.

The newest report examined 2010 prescription data from the 37 million patients who get drug coverage under Medicare Part D, and found even more of a mixed picture when it comes to seniors' medications. For example, patients in the South were more likely to fill prescriptions for those riskier medications, but less likely than those in other regions to get the long-recommended treatments for heart and bone conditions.

The average Part D patient filled 49 monthlong prescriptions — either new ones or refills — in 2010.

But the study suggests doctors in some areas prescribe more readily. The highest number of prescriptions filled was in Miami — 63 — and the lowest in Grand Junction, Colo., 39.

Overall, patients in regions where Medicare Part D spent more on medications weren't more likely to receive the most effective medications, the study found.

Yes, seniors who are sicker will use more medications, but the general health of a region's Medicare population explains less than a third of the variation, the researchers concluded.

Patients don't always fill their prescriptions, because of cost or fear of side effects or myriad other reasons — something this study couldn't measure. It also didn't examine differences in benefits between cheaper and more expensive Part D plans.

But if doctors were following guidelines on best medication practices, there would be far less variation around the country, Munson said.

Doctors "really need to ask themselves, 'Is there a good reason why my patients are getting less effective care than patients in the other regions,'" he said.

He urged patients to ask more questions, too: Why is this medicine being prescribed? What are the pros and cons? Is there something else I should consider taking?

The Dartmouth Atlas, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, studies health trends using Medicare data; similar figures aren't readily available for the general population.

___

Online:

Dartmouth Atlas: http://www.dartmouthatlas.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/geography-affects-drugs-seniors-prescribed-203205703--politics.html
Category: yosemite national park   new orleans saints   Manny Machado   Teyana Taylor   Miley Cyrus Vmas 2013 Youtube  

BBC Strikes Deal to Create U.K. Theme Park Area Based on Kids Channel

Getty Images

BBC headquarters in London

LONDON – The BBC's commercial arm has reached a deal with the most-visited U.K. theme park to create a themed area that will feature rides and other offers based on shows and characters of the British public broadcaster's pre-school channel CBeebies.

While financial and creative details weren't disclosed, the Guardian reported that the planned CBeebies Land will include features based on such characters as Postman Pat, as well as Upsy Daisy and Igglepiggle from In The Night Garden.

STORY: BBC Director General Tony Hall Aims to Create a More 'Bespoke' Broadcaster

The themed area will be part of Alton Towers, a theme park and resort in Alton, England operated by Merlin Entertainments. In 2012, it drew 2.4 million visitors, making it the top U.K. theme park. Merlin also operates such U.K. attractions as Madame Tussauds and Legoland.

The deal with BBC Worldwide is expected to lead to the launch of CBeebies Land in the spring. The companies said the themed area will include rides, "immersive play areas," live experiences, character appearances and seasonal events.

"CBeebies Land will be a fun and exciting way for children and adults to immerse themselves in and explore the CBeebies environment and to enjoy their favorite characters," said Marcus Arthur, managing director U.K. at BBC Worldwide.

Joe Godwin, director BBC Children’s, added: "CBeebies has long been the number one TV channel for pre-school children and their families, but we also know that these days they want to be able to have days out and happy memories with their favorite characters in the real world as well.”

E-mail: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/television/~3/MBsCwmgTBRI/story01.htm
Similar Articles: Navy Yard shooting   al jazeera   Jason Dufner   Low Winter Sun   Flossie  

Water discovered in remnants of extrasolar rocky world orbiting white dwarf

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Astrophysicists have found the first evidence of a water-rich rocky planetary body outside our solar system in its shattered remains orbiting a white dwarf.Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131010142739.htm
Tags: charlie hunnam   harry potter   Jameis Winston   FOX Sports 1   Emmy nominations 2013  

Va. race previews shutdown politics for 2014

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Playing out just across the Potomac River from shutdown central, the Virginia governor's race has turned into a real-time test of Republican and Democratic positions in the congressional budget battle raging in the nation's capital.

With polls indicating more public resentment toward Republicans than Democrats, the federal work stoppage directly affecting thousands of Virginia residents has forced Republican Ken Cuccinelli on the defensive while giving Democrat Terry McAuliffe an opening in a race that had been neck-and-neck for months.

Now, public and internal surveys show voter support has started breaking McAuliffe's way, with the Democrat leading by 8 percentage points in a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. The same poll showed that by a nearly 3-1 majority, Virginians opposed Congress shutting down the government in a fight over President Barack Obama's health care law.

The outcome of the Nov. 5 election in this swing-voting state could provide clues about how the issue will play in next fall's House and Senate midterm elections — and give both parties a road map as they fight for control of Congress.

Cuccinelli, the conservative state attorney general, has sought to carefully distance himself from House GOP leaders and tea party lawmakers without alienating his conservative core supporters or moderate independents — particularly in the affluent and fast-growing Washington suburbs.

Earlier this month, Cuccinelli called on congressional Republicans to drop their insistence that Congress dismantle the health care law as a condition for reopening the government. Two days later, he appeared at a conservative Christian group's fundraiser that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also attended. But Cuccinelli didn't make any public mention of Cruz, the tea party hero who led the Senate GOP's effort to defund the health care law.

Cuccinelli has lambasted McAuliffe for saying he wouldn't sign a Virginia budget that didn't include a Medicaid expansion, the mechanism the health care law uses to extend coverage to the poor.

To people in Virginia, Cuccinelli said, McAuliffe's position amounts to "a government shutdown."

McAuliffe is a former national Democratic Party chairman and a friend of former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. McAuliffe has been stoking the notion — on the campaign trail and in TV ads blanketing the state — that Republicans are to blame for the shutdown and that Cuccinelli is no different from those whose demands helped trigger it. He's sought to link Cuccinelli to the tea party and paint him as too ideologically extreme for Virginia.

"I wouldn't even be in the same room with Ted Cruz with the damage he has brought to so many Virginia families," McAuliffe said. "And if I'd gone to the room, I'd tell him to stop using a government shutdown as an ideological bargaining chip."

The arguments are salient in this state, which is home to many federal employees and receives the most military spending per capita in the nation.

Cuccinelli's political adviser, GOP strategist Christopher J. LaCivita, acknowledged that the shutdown has created a challenge for his candidate at a critical time, saying, "We don't get to talk about the good stuff Ken would do as governor."

Josh Schwerin, a senior aide to McAuliffe, said the shutdown played right into his candidate's key argument against Cuccinelli and the tea party: "They're more concerned about pushing their ideological agenda than solving problems."

Downright nasty now, the race has been very negative from almost the start because it pitted two deeply unpopular candidates against each other.

Majorities of Virginia voters long have viewed Cuccinelli and McAuliffe in a negative light, and both brought considerable political baggage into this fall's only competitive governor's race.

Cuccinelli is testing the notion of whether a Republican as conservative as him can win in a swing-voting state.

He was the first attorney general in the nation to challenge the new health overhaul law. A global-warming skeptic, he mounted a two-year inquest into whether a former University of Virginia climate scientist used manipulated data to land federal grants. And only weeks after taking office, Cuccinelli warned Virginia's public college officials that they could not enact policies against discrimination toward gays that are tougher than state law, an action Gov. Bob McDonnell, a fellow Republican social conservative, rescinded.

As attorney general, Cuccinelli pressured members of the State Board of Health to reverse their decision to exempt existing abortion clinics from new regulations that hold facilities where a certain number of abortions are performed to the stringent architectural requirements of hospitals. The board ultimately decided to apply the standards to existing clinics.

Since March, Cuccinelli has been dogged by his ties to a wealthy benefactor whose more than $145,000 in personal gifts and loans to McDonnell and his family remains a subject of federal and state criminal investigations. Cuccinelli accepted $18,000 in gifts from that benefactor, Jonnie R. Williams, chief executive of a Virginia-based nutritional supplements company.

The governor's scandal not only stained Cuccinelli, it drowned out his campaign's message throughout the spring and summer, and it sidelined his most formidable advocate and fundraiser, the sitting governor.

McAuliffe, with his vast national network of donors, has raised nearly twice as much as Cuccinelli.

But he's had his own troubles.

McAuliffe headed a small electric-car company that bypassed Virginia to set up operations in north Mississippi two years ago. Now federal authorities are investigating the company's use of a federal program that grants visas to foreign investors who put at least $500,000 into qualifying American-grown business ventures. McAuliffe was the company's chairman for three years before quietly stepping down after declaring his candidacy last November.

Last week, McAuliffe's name surfaced on a list of investors with a Rhode Island estate planner who is now jailed for using the stolen identities of terminally ill people to secure annuities on them without their knowledge, then collecting insurance benefits when they died.

There is no allegation of wrongdoing by McAuliffe or that he or other investors knew of efforts to defraud the terminally ill. McAuliffe said he was only a passive investor and unaware of the scheme.

The Associated Press last Wednesday initially reported McAuliffe was accused in court documents of having lied to a federal investigator looking into the benefit scheme, but then said the reporting was wrong and withdrew the story. The documents referred to someone by the initials "T.M.," but did not identify McAuliffe as that person.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/va-race-previews-shutdown-politics-2014-061656473--election.html
Related Topics: tom brady   big brother   Mary Lambert   Elmore Leonard   Nexus 7  

NSA collecting email and messaging contacts worldwide, Yahoo moves to encrypt webmail by default

Don't think that the NSA's bulk communication data collection is focused solely on the communications themselves. The Washington Post has published more Edward Snowden documents which reveal that the agency collects large volumes of contact lists from email and instant messaging users around the ...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/KA22wNXgehc/
Similar Articles: ny giants   oakland raiders   djokovic   dave chappelle   amanda bynes