U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee drops bin Laden film probe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One day after "Zero Dark Thirty" failed to win major awards at the Oscars, a congressional aide said on Monday the Senate Intelligence Committee has closed its inquiry into the filmmakers' contacts with the Central Intelligence Agency.

The intelligence committee gathered more information from the CIA and will not take further action, according to the aide, who requested anonymity.

Sony Pictures Entertainment, which distributed the film in the United States, said it was in touch with the filmmakers but had no immediate comment. Screenwriter Mark Boal said he had no comment. But attacks by Washington politicians may have damaged its prospects at the Academy Awards. "Zero Dark Thirty" was nominated for a best picture award, which it did not win. Also, in what industry watchers considered a snub, director Kathryn Bigelow did not receive a best director nomination.

The Senate committee launched its review of the film, a dramatization of how the U.S. government located and killed Osama bin Laden, after its chairwoman, Senator Dianne Feinstein, expressed outrage over scenes that implied that "enhanced interrogations" of CIA detainees produced an breakthrough that helped lead to the al Qaeda leader.

In December, as "Zero Dark Thirty" was about to premiere nationwide, Feinstein joined fellow Democrat Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Republican Senator John McCain in condemning "particularly graphic scenes of CIA officers torturing detainees" in the film.

A source familiar with contacts between the filmmakers and intelligence officials said the CIA did not tell the filmmakers "enhanced interrogations" led to bin Laden. Instead, the agency helped develop characters in the film, said the source.

The political fallout prompted Bigelow to write in an op-ed piece: "Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time."

The government cooperated as much, if not more, on "Argo," the film about the 1979-81 hostage crisis in Iran that won the best picture Oscar. Actor-director Ben Affleck and his team were allowed to film scenes in the lobby of the CIA building in Langley, Virginia; the "Zero Dark Thirty" crew did no such filming.

(Reporting By Mark Hosenball. Editing by Warren Strobel and Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-intelligence-committee-drops-bin-laden-film-probe-032120783.html

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Liver stem cells grown in culture, transplanted with demonstrated therapeutic benefit

Feb. 25, 2013 ? For decades scientists around the world have attempted to regenerate primary liver cells known as hepatocytes because of their numerous biomedical applications, including hepatitis research, drug metabolism and toxicity studies, as well as transplantation for cirrhosis and other chronic liver conditions. But no lab in the world has been successful in identifying and growing liver stem cells in culture -- using any available technique -- until now.

In the journal Nature, physician-scientists in the Pap? Family Pediatric Research Institute at Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Portland, Ore., along with investigators at the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, Netherlands, describe a new method through which they were able to infinitely expand liver stem cells from a mouse in a dish.

"This study raises the hope that the human equivalent of these mouse liver stem cells can be grown in a similar way and efficiently converted into functional liver cells," said Markus Grompe, M.D., study co-author, director of the Pap? Family Pediatric Research Institute at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital; and professor of pediatrics, and molecular and medical genetics in the OHSU School of Medicine.

In a previous Nature study, investigators at the Hubrecht Institute, led by Hans Clever, M.D, Ph.D., were the first to identify stem cells in the small intestine and colon by observing the expression of the adult stem cell marker Lgr5 and growth in response to a growth factor called Wnt. They also hypothesized that the unique expression pattern of Lgr5 could mark stem cells in other adult tissues, including the liver, an organ for which stem cell identification remained elusive.

In the current Nature study, Grompe and colleagues in the Pap? Family Pediatric Research Institute at OHSU Doernbecher used a modified version of the Clever method and discovered that Wnt-induced Lgr5 expression not only marks stem cell production in the liver, but it also defines a class of stem cells that become active when the liver is damaged.

The scientists were able to grow these liver stem cells exponentially in a dish -- an accomplishment never before achieved -- and then transplant them in a specially designed mouse model of liver disease, where they continued to grow and show a modest therapeutic effect.

"We were able to massively expand the liver cells and subsequently convert them to hepatocytes at a modest percentage. Going forward, we will enlist other growth factors and conditions to improve that percentage. Liver stem cell therapy for chronic liver disease in humans is coming," said Grompe.

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Journal Reference:

1. Meritxell Huch, Craig Dorrell, Sylvia F. Boj, Johan H. van Es, Vivian S. W. Li, Marc van de Wetering, Toshiro Sato, Karien Hamer, Nobuo Sasaki, Milton J. Finegold, Annelise Haft, Robert G. Vries, Markus Grompe, Hans Clevers. In vitro expansion of single Lgr5 liver stem cells induced by Wnt-driven regeneration. Nature, 2013; 494 (7436): 247 DOI: 10.1038/nature11826

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/co-OcQp_tVg/130225153130.htm

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Rebecca Green Gasper: Dating Violence Knows No Boundaries

It does not discriminate.

It runs across all race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, nationality, geography, age and social-economic lines.

No one is above it.

No one is immune to it.

And no one deserves to be abused.

Did you know that the prevalence of dating violence among LGBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning) adolescents is similar to that of heterosexuals?

The truth is that 1 in 3 teens and young adults (straight, gay, bisexual...anyone) experience some form of dating abuse.

In many ways, domestic violence in LGBTQ relationships is the same as in opposite-gendered/ heterosexually-paired relationships and includes but not limited to: emotional abuse, sexual abuse, digital abuse, financial abuse, physical abuse, and stalking.

It is a myth that LGBTQ battering is mutual.

Resources for LGBTQ is limited, and gay/bisexual/transgender men who are in an abusive relationship have much more difficult time finding support than those in a heterosexual relationship.

Because the LGBTQ community is small in many areas, anonymity is not an option for many.

There are many obstacles that LGBTQ individuals face such as: Shame and embarrassment--an abuser may use this against his/her partner to exhibit control and power. Fear of not being believed--a victim may worry about not being taken serious if he/she reports the abuse because of common stereo-types like abuse is mutual, it just doesn't occur, or can only happen to a female in a heterosexual relationship. Fear of retaliation, harassment, rejection, or bullying. Lack of knowledge of legal protection--many victims may not be aware that they have legal options for protection -- including obtaining restraining orders.

Regardless, everyone deserves a healthy relationship and everyone needs to know that there is help and resources out there.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship or has questions about their relationship please contact:

The hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE http://www.thehotline.org/

OR:

Loveisrespect.org

or text "loveis" to 77054

Resources: loveisrespect.org, http://www.newhopeforwomen.org/gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgendered-domestic-abuse, National domestic Hotline

Source: http://rebeccagreengasper.blogspot.com/2013/02/dating-violence-knows-no-boundaries.html

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Race linked to childhood food allergies, not environmental allergies

Feb. 23, 2013 ? Research conducted at Henry Ford Hospital shows that race and possibly genetics play a role in children's sensitivity to developing allergies. Researchers found:

• African-American children were sensitized to at least one food allergen three times more often than Caucasian children.
• African-American children with one allergic parent were sensitized to an environmental allergen twice as often as African-American children without an allergic parent.

The study will be presented February 23 at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology annual meeting,

"Our findings suggest that African Americans may have a gene making them more susceptible to food allergen sensitization or the sensitization is just more prevalent in African American children than white children at age 2," says Haejim Kim, M.D., a Henry Ford allergist and the study's lead author. "More research is needed to further look at the development of allergy."

Sensitization means a person's immune system produces a specific antibody to an allergen. It does not mean the person will experience allergy symptoms.

According to an AAAI study from 2009-2010, an estimated 8 percent of children have a food allergy, and 30 percent of children have multiple food allergies. Peanut is the most prevalent allergen, followed by milk and shellfish. 1The Henry Ford study consisted of a longitudinal birth cohort of 543 children who were interviewed with their parents and examined at a clinical visit at age 2. Data included parental self-report of allergies and self-reported race (African American or white/non-Hispanic). The children were skin-tested for three food allergens -- egg whites, peanuts and milk -- and seven environmental allergens.

Key findings:

• 20.1 percent of African-American children were sensitized to an food allergen compared to 6.4 percent in Caucasian children.
• 13.9 percent of African-American children were sensitized to an environmental allergen compared to 11 percent of Caucasian children.
• African-American children with an allergic parent were sensitized to an environmental allergen 2.45 times more often than African-American children without an allergic parent.

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/PEhRA35hK94/130223111515.htm

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Egypt parliament election start moved to April 22

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's parliamentary elections, previously scheduled to begin on April 27, have been brought forward to start on April 22, the presidential spokesman said on his Facebook page on Saturday.

Members of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority had criticized the planned timing of the elections because some voting would take place during their Easter holiday.

(Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; editing by David Stamp)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/divided-egypt-opposition-attacks-mursi-election-call-033353602.html

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Let Your iPhone Toot Its Own Horn With These Custom Brass Amplifiers

There are plenty of speaker solutions out there for turning your iOS device something of a future-boombox, but none are quite as awesomely old-school as using re-purposed brass instruments. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/iV0thCBNY2Q/let-your-iphone-toot-its-own-horn-with-these-custom-brass-amplifiers

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SPORTS: Area basketball players earn all-league recognition

Many North Olympic Peninsula basketball players have been selected to all-league teams or named honorable mention by their leagues' coaches.

Sequim's Jayson Brocklesby and Gabe Carter and Port Angeles' Maddy Hinrichs and Macy Walker all received Olympic League first-team recognition. As reported in the Feb. 13 edition of the Peninsula Daily News, Braden Decker of Forks also earned first-team honors from the SWL-Evergreen Division first team.

Port Angeles coach Michael Poindexter was named the Olympic League girls coach of the year.

Here are the all-league lists for the Olympic League boys and girls, the SWL-Evergreen Division boys and girls and the Nisqually League girls:

Olympic League Boys All-League

MVP: Quentin Phillips, Senior, Olympic

First Team
Jayson Brocklesby, Senior, Sequim
Deonti Dixon, Junior, Bremerton
KT Deam, Senior, Kingston
Andrew Shadle, Senior, Bremerton
Gabe Carter, Senior, Sequim

Second Team
Brian Tyson, Senior, Olympic
Connor Wall, Senior, Kingston
Hans Shippers, Senior, Kingston
Kendal Gill, Senior, North Kitsap
Michael Ward, Senior, Klahowya

Honorable Mention
Tarence Mosely , Junior, Olympic
Kyle Setten, Junior, Olympic
Hayden Gunderson, Junior, Port Angeles
Anthony Pinza, Junior, Sequim
Shaq Jones, Senior, Bremerton
Cody Russell, Junior, Port Townsend
Anthony Price , Senior, North Mason
Riley McKean, Senior, North Mason
Jacob Sheets , Senior, Klahowya
Josh Ganowski, Senior, Klahowya
Jacob Hill, Senior, North Kitsap
Riley Lindsey, Senior, North Kitsap

Coach of the Year: Devin Huff, Olympic
Team Sportsmanship: Olympic

Olympic League Girls All-League

MVP: Ashli Payne, Senior, Olympic

First Team
Sawyer Kluge, Junior, Bremerton
Rebekah Baugh, Sophomore, North Kitsap
Maddy Hinrichs, Junior, Port Angeles
Kristin Brown, Junior, North Kitsap
Jewel Johnson, Junior, Port Townsend
Macy Walker, Senior, Port Angeles

Second Team
Olivia Williams, Sophomore, Olympic
Codi Hallinan, Senior, Port Townsend
Kori Holt, Senior, Klahowya
Eboni Harpes, Senior, Bremerton
Katelyn Carper, Sophomore, Kingston
Krista Johnson, Junior, Port Angeles
Jennifer Hicks, Senior, North Mason

Honorable Mention
Savannah Turrieta, Senior, Kingston
Leah Baugh, Senior, North Kitsap
Annie Lever, Senior, Klahowya
Mariah Frazier, Senior, Port Angeles
Julie Johnson, Senior, North Mason
Alexas Besand, Junior, Sequim
Shania Anderson, Junior, Olympic

Coach of the Year: Michael Poindexter, Port Angeles
Team Sportsmanship: North Mason

SWL-Evergreen Division Boys All-League
MVP: Devante Harris, Senior, Tenino

First team
Braden Decker, Senior, Forks
Ronnie Espedal, Senior, Hoquiam
Cole Smith, Senior, Hoquiam
Justin Conklin, Senior, Tenino
Zach Froembling, Junior, Rainier

Second team
Kenny Roy, Junior, Montesano
Layne Bruner, Senior, Montesano
Chance Bremer, Junior, Elma
Ray Stark, Junior, Elma
Tyler Gedney, Junior, Rochester

Honorable mention
Leo Gonzales, Junior, Forks
Mark Jacobson, Senior, Forks
Elma: Ryan Collin, Junior, Elma
Rochester: Colton Smith, Senior, Rochester
Tenino: Ben Peterson, Senior, Tenino
Dustin Hammond, Senior, Tenino
Gabe Egge, Senior, Tenino

Coach of the year: Rod Enos, Tenino

SWL-Evergreen Division Girls All-League

MVP: Megan Finger, Elma, Senior

First Team
Brooke Goldsmith, Elma, Junior
Keeli Demers, Rochester, Sophomore
Megan Choate, Montesano, Sophomore
Kelsey Eygabroad, Rainier, Senior
Chelsy Stewart, Hoquiam, Senior

Second Team
Sydney Smythe, Elma, Junior
Jillian Raben, Forks, Senior
Brandi Creviston, Hoquiam, Junior
Kelli Brown, Rainier, Senior
Sierra Seymour, Rochester, Sophomore

Honorable Mention
Ellie Quercia, Sophomore, Hoquiam
Miranda McDonald, Senior, Elma
Mackinzie Malizia, Senior, Montesano
Ashley Honaker, Junior, Rainier
Joni Lancaster, Freshman, Rochester

All-Nisqually League Girls

MVP: Kaycee Creech, Cascade Christian, Senior

First Team
Laura Goodnight, Cedar Park Christian, Junior
Kaelyn Voss, Eatonville, Junior
Shoni Pritchett, Charles Wright, Freshman
Katie Rozumny, Cascade Christian, Junior
Hailey Latherow - Eatonville, Senior
Vanessa Davis- Charles Wright, Junior

Second Team
Ashley Osborn, Bellevue Christian, Sophomore
Madelyn Weber, Seattle Christian, Sophomore
Chloe Read, Cascade Christian, Senior
Alayna Gleason, Seattle Christian, Senior
Noelle Crosby, Bellevue Christian, Senior
Alyssa Kaler, Seattle Christian, Junior

Honorable Mention
Bellevue Christian, Rachel Williams, Junior
Cascade Christian- Olivia Tuttle, Junior
Mallori Cossell, Chimacum, Senior
Lauren Thacker, Chimacum, Junior
Eatonville, Kayley Bass, Senior
Taylor Boles, Life Christian, Sophomore
Johnnise Moore, Life Christian, Junior
Anya Quig, Vashon Island, Junior
Taegan Lynch, Vashon Island, Junior

Coach of the Year: Bryan Peterson, Cascade Christian
Team Sportsmanship: Bellevue Christian

Last modified: February 22. 2013 11:17AM

Source: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013130229994

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Georgetown vs Syracuse NCAA Basketball Picks 2013

The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY, will be the site for an interesting NCAA basketball picks 2013 showdown between the Georgetown Hoyas and the Syracuse Orange.

This Big East Conference affair is scheduled to get underway today at 4 PM ET and it?ll be broadcast live on ESPN. This morning?s college basketball betting odds have Syracuse listed as a 7.5-point favorite over Georgetown (+7.5) and the OVER/UNDER equals 123 points.

Led by Otto Porter Jr., the NCAA odds underdog Hoyas come in winners of eight straight games and looking to overtake the Orange in the Big East. Currently, Georgetown and Syracuse find themselves in a three-way tie for the top spot with the Marquette Golden Eagles.

In other words, this is a big game for the Big East in more ways than one. And although this will be the first meeting between these rivals, it wont be the last, as Syracuse and Georgetown will meet in the regular season finale on March. 9th.

Syracuse, on the other hand, comes in struggling a bit as of late. Heading into this matchup, the Orange have dropped three of their last 7 games played, which in turn, has opened the door and made things interesting in the Big East.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that Syracuse will finish things with one of the toughest schedules. Out of the five remaining games in the season, the Orange will face four nationally ranked opponents in (11) Georgetown twice, (17) Marquette and (10) Louisville.

Can the Orange stabilize this ship in time to win the Big East title, or are the Hoyas poised to play the role of ultimate spoiler this year?

Look, taking on the bookies by yourself is hard enough! Sign up to receive free NCAA basketball picks from now all the way through March Madness and you won?t regret it! Believe me when I tell you that these guys know their stuff!

• OSH Free NCAA Basketball Picks 2013: Georgetown Hoyas (+7.5)

If you're looking for the inside edge, subscribe to our?free sports picks?newsletter and get the insight you need to make an informed decision from the top NCAA basketball picks 2013 handicapping experts before every sports wager!

Submitted by Blake Stevens on Sat, 02/23/2013 - 8:17am.

Source: http://www.onlinesportshandicapping.com/news-992/basketball-picks/022313-georgetown-vs-syracuse-ncaa-basketball-picks-2013.html

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Weiner says media shouldn't jump to conclusions

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) ? Baseball union head Michael Weiner says reporters should refrain from jumping to conclusions about media reports linking players to a Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.

Starting his annual tour of the 30 spring training camps, Weiner cautioned that Major League Baseball is still investigating Biogenesis of America, a defunct anti-aging clinic in Coral Gables, Fla.

"The players understand that what's happening in Miami at this point remains to be seen in terms of fairness and judging things on the evidence," Weiner said Thursday. "But there is a lot of talk in the clubhouse about where we should be on the joint drug program, and that's a good thing."

After his one-hour session with the Mets, Weiner also discussed the agreement with management last month to extend blood testing for human growth hormone into the regular season. HGH testing began last year but was limited to spring training.

As part of the changes to the joint drug agreement, the World Anti-Doping Agency laboratory in Laval, Quebec, will keep records of each player, including his baseline ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone.

"They understand the blood testing is only postgame, so nobody can have their blood drawn pregame, and they also understand there are protections there in case there's a health-related or a weather/heat related reason why they can't give blood," Weiner said. "Players understand it's important to have the strongest program possible, and given both the testosterone changes and the HGH changes, they're very much for it."

Weiner succeeded Donald Fehr as union head in 2009, and this tour is his first of spring training since announcing in August he is being treated for a brain tumor. The 51-year-old appeared thin and never specifically addressed his health or how he was feeling. He spent time in the Mets clubhouse before the meeting chatting and laughing with players, including third baseman David Wright and pitcher Johan Santana.

Part of Weiner's talk with media was a discussion of changes to draft-pick compensation for free agents under the new labor contract. Teams made $13.3 million qualifying offers last November to nine free agents ? teams signing those players would lose a top selection in this June's amateur draft.

The Mets were hesitant to negotiate with outfielder Michael Bourn because they didn't want to lose the 11th overall pick. While the teams among the top 10 selections cannot lose their first-round pick, the Mets were vulnerable because they dropped from 10th to 11th in the selection order when Pittsburgh failed to sign No. 8 pick Mark Appel last summer ? meaning the Pirates gained an extra selection after this year's eighth pick.

New York had maintained its first-round pick should have been protected because it originally was among the top 10. Bourn agreed to a $48 million, four-year deal with Cleveland, and the issue never went before an arbitrator.

Pitcher Kyle Lohse is the only one of the nine free agents carrying compensation who remains unsigned.

"Prior to going to the qualifying offer system, we had 30, 35 guys that carried compensation with them; it was reduced to nine, and many of those nine had no problem signing like Nick Swisher or B.J. Upton and others," Weiner said. "Is it a concern that it seemed to be an issue and continues to be an issue with Kyle Lohse, that is seemed to be an issue with Adam LaRoche, that it seemed to be an issue with Michael Bourn? Yes. And we'll try to address that.

"The good news is we're down to, in the Basic Agreement, a very small number of players who carry compensation. The compensation affected those guys fairly dramatically this year, and we'd like to try to address that."

While the current collective bargaining agreement runs through 2016, Weiner said there could be discussions about altering the agreement before then.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/weiner-says-media-shouldnt-jump-conclusions-192125442--mlb.html

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Island access problem ?hitting jobs and tourism?

Island access problem ?hitting jobs and tourism?

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Yachts and other craft cannot access a scenic island because an old span on a bridge cannot be opened.

By Donal Hickey

The growth of marine tourism in south Kerry is being stymied because of problems with the bridge, linking Valentia Island with the mainland and built more than 40 years ago, it has been claimed.

However, there is no government funding to resolve the problem, estimated to cost more than ?500,000.

Raising the issue at a Kerry County Council meeting, Fianna F?il Cllr Paul O?Donoghue deplored a lack of action in tackling the issue: ?This is very disappointing at a time when we?re trying to create jobs in south Kerry. The problem was identified over 10 years ago, consultants were engaged to do a survey and plans were submitted to the Dept of Transport, but no progress has been made.

??At the same time, we?re advocating the promotion of marine tourism, but the fact that the span doesn?t open is making it less attractive for people to come to our coastline.??

Independent Cllr Johnny Healy-Rae said he was ?blue in the face? from people approaching him about the problem.

Home

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ieireland/~3/YFI47KegCCo/

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Should grandma join Facebook? It may give her a cognitive boost, study finds

Feb. 21, 2013 ? For older adults looking to sharpen their mental abilities, it might be time to log on to Facebook.

Preliminary research findings from the University of Arizona suggest that men and women older than 65 who learn to use Facebook could see a boost in cognitive function.

Janelle Wohltmann, a graduate student in the UA department of psychology, set out to see whether teaching older adults to use the popular social networking site could help improve their cognitive performance and make them feel more socially connected.

Her preliminary findings, which she shared this month at the International Neuropsychological Society Annual Meeting in Hawaii, show that older adults, after learning to use Facebook, performed about 25 percent better on tasks designed to measure their ability to continuously monitor and to quickly add or delete the contents of their working memory -- a function known in the psychology world as "updating."

Wohltmann, whose research is ongoing as part of her dissertation work, facilitated Facebook training for 14 older adults who had either never used the site or used it less than once a month. They were instructed to become Facebook friends only with those in their training group and were asked to post on the site at least once a day.

A second group of 14 non-Facebook using seniors instead was taught to use an online diary site, Penzu.com, in which entries are kept private, with no social sharing component. They were asked to make at least one entry a day, of no more than three to five sentences to emulate the shortness of messages that Facebook users typically post.

The study's third group of 14 was told they were on a "wait-list" for Facebook training, which they never actually completed.

Prior to learning any new technologies, study participants, who ranged in age from 68 to 91, completed a series of questionnaires and neuropsychological tests measuring social variables, such as their levels loneliness and social support, as well as their cognitive abilities. The assessments were done again at the end of the study, eight weeks later.

In the follow-ups, those who had learned to use Facebook performed about 25 percent better than they did at the start of the study on tasks designed to measure their mental updating abilities. Participants in the other groups saw no significant change in performance.

Wohltmann conducted the study with help from her research adviser Betty Glisky, professor and head of the department of psychology, and a team of undergraduate and graduate research assistants. It was based on existing evidence about how learning new tasks can help older adults with overall cognitive function, as well as research suggesting a possible link between social connectedness and cognitive performance.

"The idea evolved from two bodies of research," she said. "One, there is evidence to suggest that staying more cognitively engaged -- learning new skills, not just becoming a couch potato when you retire but staying active -- leads to better cognitive performing. It's kind of this 'use it or lose it' hypothesis."

"There's also a large body of literature showing that people who are more socially engaged, are less lonely, have more social support and are more socially integrated are also doing better cognitively in older age," she said.

In Wohltmann's research, further analysis is needed to determine whether using Facebook made participants feel less lonely or more socially connected, she said.

Likewise, further analysis is needed to determine whether, or by how much, Facebook's social aspect contributed to improvements in cognitive performance. However, Wohltmann suspects that the complex nature of the Facebook interface, compared to the online diary site, was largely responsible for Facebook users' improved performance.

"The Facebook interface is actually quite complex. The big difference between the online diary and Facebook is that when you create a diary entry, you create the entry, you save it and that's all you see, versus if you're on Facebook, several people are posting new things, so new information is constantly getting posted," she said.

"You're seeing this new information coming in, and you need to focus on the new information and get rid of the old information, or keep it in mind if you want to go back and reference it later, so you have to constantly update what's there in your attention," she said.

Participants in the study, who had an average age of 79, represent a demographic whose social media behavior has not been closely examined.

"Facebook is obviously a huge phenomenon in our culture," Wohltmann said. "There's starting to be more research coming out about how younger adults use Facebook and online social networking, but we really don't know very much at all about older adults, and they actually are quite a large growing demographic on Facebook, so I think it's really important to do the research to find out."

One in three online seniors use a social networking site like Facebook, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Wohltmann says she also sees Facebook as a potential alternative to some online games marketed to seniors to help boost mental acuity.

"Those games can boring after a while, and this might be a new activity for people to learn that's more interesting and keeps them socially engaged," she said, adding that it can also help older adults stay connected with grandchildren and other family and friends.

Yet, Wohltmann cautions it may not be for everyone.

"One of the take-home messages could be that learning how to use Facebook is a way to build what we call cognitive reserve, to help protect against and stave off cognitive decline due to normal age-related changes in brain function. But there certainly are other ways to do this as well," she said.

"It's also important to understand and know about some of the aspects of Facebook that people have concerns about, like how to keep your profile secure," she said. "So I wouldn't suggest to anyone to get out and get Granny online right away, unless you or somebody else can provide the proper education and support to that person, so that they can use it in a safe way."

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Russia seeks EU guarantees over horse meat scandal

MOSCOW (AP) ? An official says Russia may suspend meat imports from European Union nations because of the horse meat scandal.

Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's chief sanitary official, said Thursday on Ekho Moskvy radio that he has sent a letter to the European Commission requesting its guarantee that meat products sold to Russia don't contain horse meat.

He added that Russia would have to temporarily suspend meat imports from EU nations, if the bloc fails to provide such assurances. He also called on Russians to choose locally produced meat.

Bulgaria on Thursday became the latest country to detect horse meat in food products labeled as beef in the widening European food scandal. Its government said that DNA tests conducted in Germany had found imported frozen dishes being sold in a supermarket chain to be as high as 80 percent horse meat.

The tests were ordered last week when suspicious frozen lasagna dishes were withdrawn from markets in Bulgaria.

The horse meat scandal began with tons of horse meat from Romanian abattoirs exported to France, where it was processed into ready-made meals. Romanian authorities said the meat was correctly labeled as horse and that the fraud occurred further down the food supply chain.

Horse meat has turned up across Europe in frozen supermarket meals and in restaurants, schools and hospitals.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-21-Europe-Horse%20Meat/id-f166bd942f5640829549722f5f8576ec

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