Dear Lifehacker, I really need to exercise more often. I've considered trying something like the Lifehacker Workout, but I just don't feel like I have the time. I'm up in the morning and right out the door to work, then when I get home I barely have time to eat and relax before I have to go to bed. How can I squeeze a workout into my routine? Signed, Getting Pudgy
Photo by cumidanciki.
Dear Getting Pudgy, We know how you feel! It can be difficult to carve out time to exercise or take care of yourself when you have so many other responsibilities pulling you in every direction. That said, finding time for a half-hour to an hour-long workout every day doesn't have to be difficult. Here are a few ways to hack your schedule so you find the time to work out, or at least force yourself into making the time. After all, your health is important. You should definitely make time for it.
Work Out With Other People
One of the best things about The Lifehacker Workout is that it's designed to be done with other people. Even if you're alone in your home when you work out, you still have to chart your progress and tell other people how well you're doing. Use your Twitter followers or Facebook friends to encourage you, and post your workouts to your social networks so your friends can keep up with your activities and cheer you on. (Just don't spam them!) The encouragement you'll get from your friends and family cuts both ways, too: when you miss a workout or miss your goals, everyone will see, so you have some real encouragement to keep up the pace. Photo by Deane Thomas Rimerman.
Another way to build on that social motivation is to use a webapp or service that encourages social exercise. The Lifehacker Workout uses Fleetly, a social workout tool that's built to help groups and friends track their workouts, share their progress, and engage in a little friendly competition. You may also want to consider a service like Fitocracy that encourages group participation, challenges, and social encouragement.
Put It On the Calendar
I know, easier said than done. Still, if your employer thinks boring staff meetings are important enough to put on your calendar every day, don't you think taking care of yourself is important enough to make your calendar too? Pick a time that you really want to squeeze your workout into, and just schedule it. If it doesn't work out, you can always move it later. I'm a fan of scheduling a workout right after work, so you get the benefit of having something to force you to stop working and leave the office. The same applies if you schedule your workouts first thing in the morning: give yourself something rewarding and energizing to do before you start the day. Either way, clearing out a specific time, bookending other important activities, and putting it on the calendar?complete with reminders?will make sure it stays on your radar and you don't forget it.
Get a Workout Buddy
Online encouragement will only take you so far. If you really want to make sure you get a workout into your regular routine is to schedule your workouts with another person. The two of you can encourage and support each other, and if you ever try to sneak out of your daily workout, your friend can make sure to drag you to the gym (and vice versa.) Plus, making sure to schedule your workout with a buddy for every day after work, for example, makes sure that you'll actually make time to hit the gym. You'll quickly find yourself more inclined to hit the gym if there's someone else involved that may be disappointed if you don't show up. Photo by Maria Ly.
Find Exercise That You Enjoy
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's important to make sure you find an exercise regimen that you'll actually look forward to doing every morning or every other day. If you hate running but love biking, hit the stationary bike instead of the treadmill. If you love swimming, find a gym with a pool where you can swim every day after work. You can even sweeten the pot by combining your exercise with entertainment. Make your workout time the time you listen to your favorite podcasts or audiobooks, watch your favorite TV shows on TiVo or Netflix. It's difficult enough to get motivated enough to exercise when you have a busy schedule. Make those workouts something you'll actually look forward to doing, and you'll be more likely to do them. With luck, eventually you'll look forward to them at the end of a long day or a great way to jumpstart your morning.
While there's no way to actually add hours to the day or make your daily routine any less hectic, there are ways to make sure you step back, find a little time to squeeze in some exercise?even if it's only a half-hour after work, and put it on the calendar so you never forget it. Once you put it on the calendar, all you have to do is make sure your workout is enjoyable enough that you'll want to go, and social enough that you have a reason to go. Before you know it, you'll wonder why you didn't find the time to exercise sooner.
How do you make sure to fit your workout into your routine? How do you find the time to exercise? Share your tips in the comments.
You can reach Alan Henry, the author of this post, at alan@lifehacker.com, or better yet, follow him on Twitter or Google+.
NIAMEY (Reuters) ? The likely flight of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi from Libya to neighbouring Niger leaves the West African nation trying to balance its commitment to the International Criminal Court with avoiding another rebellion by heavily armed Tuareg tribesmen.
After the killing of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya itself risks tribal violence, insurgency and chaos unless Tripoli's new government disarms regional militias and eases the grievances bottled up during 42 years of one-man rule.
Thought to be on the run somewhere in the mountains on Libya's southern borders with Algeria and Niger, Saif al-Islam, 39, is desperately seeking to avoid the fate of his father, who was beaten, abused and shot as forces of Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) captured him on October 20 after the fall of his home town Sirte.
Saif al-Islam's surrender to the ICC would help restore the image of the NATO-backed campaign to overthrow Gaddafi which was tarnished in the eyes of some in the West by film of the former strongman humiliated, killed and put on public display.
The ICC wants to try Saif al-Islam for crimes against humanity and its prosecutor said on Sunday he had "substantial evidence" that Saif al-Islam had helped hire mercenaries to attack Libyan civilians protesting against his father's rule.
"We have a witness who explained how Saif was involved with the planning of the attacks against civilians, including in particular the hiring of core mercenaries from different countries and the transport of them, and also the financial aspects he was covering," ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told Reuters during a visit to Beijing.
"So we have substantial evidence to prove the case, but of course Saif is still (presumed) innocent, and (will) have to go to court and the judge will decide," he said.
Moreno-Ocampo said he would brief the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday about the court's work in Libya.
A senior member of Niger's coalition government told Reuters Saif al-Islam's whereabouts remained unknown, but that surrender was his best option. Niger would cooperate with the ICC to ensure he was handed over as safely as possible.
"It's perhaps best that he goes of his own accord rather than to be hunted and caught by Libyans who will end up lynching him as they did to his father," said Habi Mahamadou Salissou, vice-president of the Nigerien Democratic Movement.
But Tuareg nomads straddling the border region, many of them returning home with their weapons after fighting for Gaddafi in Libya, still feel a sense of loyalty to the late dictator who bankrolled their revolts in Niger.
"Gaddafi backed virtually all the rebellions in Niger and then managed to find a solution to them," said Salissou, a former foreign minister.
"NO NEGOTIATIONS"
Now Niger risks sparking a new Tuareg revolt if it mishandles any entry by Saif al-Islam onto its soil, a leading human rights official there said.
"Niger has the same border, is part of the same family as Libya and has lots of ties with Libya and the Libyans of Gaddafi," said Moustapha Kadi, national coordinator of Niger's human rights and democracy groups.
"Even if the government takes the decision (to hand al-Islam over) national opinion must be consulted to make sure that this does not create further tensions -- that is the last thing we need right now," he said in an interview.
Thanks in part to talks hosted by Gaddafi, Niger and neighbouring Mali managed in 2009 to seal a shaky peace with Tuareg rebels after a two-year insurgency that was just the latest bout of unrest in the north going back decades.
"If he decides to seek asylum, the government is free to study that - without ruling out the ICC's request. We should put Niger's interests first," said Kadi. "We have just got shot of a rebellion. We don't want any more conflict in the north."
The NTC may try Saif al-Islam itself, but the fugitive Libyan has been in indirect contact with the ICC over a possible surrender, though he may also harbour hopes that mercenaries can spirit him to a friendly African country.
Algeria, which took in Saif al-Islam's mother, sister, brother Hannibal and half-brother Mohammed, is not a signatory to the treaty that set up the ICC. Nor is Sudan or Zimbabwe.
The Hague-based ICC has warned Saif al-Islam that it could order a mid-air interception if he tried to flee by plane from his unidentified Sahara desert hideout for a safe haven.
"We received through an informal intermediary some questions from Saif apparently about the legal system -- what happens to him if he appears before the judges, can he be sent to Libya, what happens if he's convicted, what happens if he's acquitted," said Moreno-Ocampo.
"We are not in any negotiations with Saif," he said, adding that the ICC would not later force him to return to Libya provided another country is willing to receive him after he is either acquitted or is convicted and has served his sentence.
The NTC's interim information minister, Mahmoud Shammam, said the council had not discussed the indirect contacts between Saif al-Islam and the ICC. "We don't have a formal position on the reports," he told Reuters in Tripoli.
Before a popular uprising imperiled his father's grip on Libya, Saif al-Islam had cast himself as an enlightened supporter of reform at home and across the Arab world. But then he swore to crush opponents of his father's 42-year rule.
Asked about Saif al-Islam's metamorphosis, Moreno-Ocampo said: "After all these years, nothing surprises me."
(Additional reporting by Barry Malone in Tripoli, Samia Nakhoul in London, Ibrahim Diallo in Agadez and Abdoulaye Massalaatchi in Niamey; Writing by Jon Hemming; Editing by Myra MacDonald)
Florida tight end Jordan Reed (11) dives for yardage after being tackled by Georgia safety Sanders Commings (19) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP/Photo Stephen Morton)
Florida tight end Jordan Reed (11) dives for yardage after being tackled by Georgia safety Sanders Commings (19) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP/Photo Stephen Morton)
Florida running back Jeff Demps (28) flips the ball to an official after scoring on a 99-yard kick return during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP/Photo Stephen Morton)
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray (11) runs past Florida linebacker Jonathan Bostic (52) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP/Photo Stephen Morton)
Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell (1) stiff arms Florida cornerback Cody Riggs (31) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP/Photo Stephen Morton)
Florida head coach Will Muschamp celebrates with Florida safety Matt Elam (22) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP/Photo Stephen Morton)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? Georgia coach Mark Richt took several steps toward midfield with his son draped around his neck. His players and assistant coaches were in the background, celebrating in the same end zone that caused such a stir during the Bulldogs' last win against Florida.
This one was special.
And everyone knew it.
Richt may have saved his job with two gutsy, fourth-down calls that resulted in touchdowns, and No. 22 Georgia overcame several mistakes to beat Southeastern Conference rival Florida 24-20 Saturday.
"I know it was just a ballgame, but it seemed like a lot more than that," Richt said. "Just to see our players and fans celebrate, in this place especially, was awesome."
Georgia kept pace with South Carolina in the Eastern Division, and maybe more important, the Bulldogs picked up their fourth win in 22 tries against Florida. This one was huge for Richt, who had been under pressure since losing to Boise State and the Gamecocks to open the season.
The Bulldogs (6-2, 5-1 SEC) have now won six straight.
"I can say this now that it's over, but this was more than just another game to win and to keep pace in the Eastern Division," Richt said. "You could see it with our guys, but we didn't want to try to make it any bigger than it needed to be."
Richt shook hands with Florida coach Will Muschamp, then headed straight for the end zone to start dancing with his players. They screamed, shouted, hooted and hollered.
They eventually made their way to the locker room, where Richt had everyone sing "Rocky Top." The Bulldogs needed Tennessee to beat South Carolina later Saturday to take the lead in the East.
The Gators, meanwhile, trudged off the field with a fourth consecutive loss. It's the program's first four-game slide since 1988, a streak that certainly will taint Muschamp's first season in Gainesville.
The latest loss came against Muschamp's alma mater and eliminated Florida (4-4, 2-4) in the division race.
"Obviously, I didn't do a very good job of getting our team ready," Muschamp said.
Like so many times before in this series, Georgia found ways to try to give the game away. The Bulldogs allowed a touchdown on a fourth-and-19 play in the first quarter, gave up a 99-yard kickoff return, missed two field goals and had a ball bounce off a running back's helmet for an interception.
But they overcame those mistakes with Aaron Murray's two touchdown passes on fourth down and a defensive performance in the second half that will go down in Florida-Georgia lore. The Bulldogs allowed 32 yards and one first down in the second half.
"Everyone has been saying how lopsided the series with Florida has been over the years, but this team was 0-0 going into this game," Murray said. "And now we're 1-0."
Murray completed 15 of 34 passes for 169 yards, with an interception. He was sacked three times, but also had 42 yards rushing.
The Bulldogs ran 49 times for 185 yards, the latest team to gouge the Gators on the ground. Most of them came after Georgia battled back from a 14-point deficit.
Florida led 17-3 before committing two turnovers that gave the Bulldogs short fields. And Richt, quite possibly with his job on the line with Georgia fans impatient after two straight lackluster seasons, didn't want to squander the opportunities.
Richt went for it on a fourth-and-5 play at the Florida 20, and Murray found Michael Bennett for a touchdown just before halftime. He also went for it on fourth-and-6 at the Florida 14 in the third. Murray threw a jump ball to the corner, and Tavarres King came down with game-tying score.
Florida followed with a 63-yard kickoff return, which led to a field goal and a 20-17 lead.
It was short-lived, though. Georgia, which had scored first in every game this season, took its first lead on Richard Samuel's 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
The defense did the rest, pressuring John Brantley and minimizing speedsters Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps.
Jarvis Jones had four of Georgia's six sacks.
"Our seniors and coaches deserved this win," Jones said. "This was a big game for coach; it was a huge game for the SEC race."
Brantley, playing for the first time since badly spraining his right ankle four weeks ago, had some success early. He threw for 226 yards in the first half but was mediocre at best after the break.
He was 12 of 34 passing for 245 yards, but just 2 of 14 in the second half.
"That second half, we've just got to be able to finish the game," Brantley said. "We had our opportunities. Like I said, we've just got to be able to finish."
This is a weekend of things that go boo in the dark, so here's a little bit of boo (which turns into a love story between a skeleton and a beautiful maiden). They meet?or have they already met? ? in a famous bookstore in Paris.
This comes from filmmaker Spike Jonze and designer Olympia Le-Tan. It's called Mourir Aupres de toi, or To Die By Your Side.
Many beautiful books and one very famous whale make cameo appearances.
Warning: There's explicitly sexual behavior at the very end, during the credits, but because everybody is dead, there are no x-rated body parts. Still, imaginative youngsters might want to leave when the story ends.
President Barack Obama answers a reporter's question about the European debt deal as he meets with Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas, not shown, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama answers a reporter's question about the European debt deal as he meets with Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas, not shown, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
A Whirlpool logo is seen on a Whirlpool appliance on the Singers showroom floor Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011 in Philadelphia. Appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. says it will cut 5,000 jobs in an effort as it faces soft demand and higher costs for materials. The jobs to be cut are mostly in North America and Europe. They include 1,200 salaried positions and the closing of the company's Fort Smith, Ark., plant. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Florida Democratic Party State Convention Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Vice President Joe Biden said he and President Barack Obama have made progress on fixing the problems they inherited from Republicans, but the GOP is using obstructionist tactics to keep the administration from doing more for the economy and middle class. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is banking on a new report detailing the income disparity in the country as further evidence of the need for his $447 billion jobs bill.
A report this past week by the Congressional Budget Office found that average after-tax income for the top 1 percent of U.S. households had increased by 275 percent over the past three decades. Middle-income households saw just a 40 percent rise. For those at the bottom of the economic scale, the jump was 18 percent.
Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday that he would pay for his jobs plan with an added tax on people who make at least $1 million a year.
Senate Republicans have blocked action on the bill, which mixes tax breaks for businesses and public works spending, because they oppose much of the increased spending and the tax on millionaires.
"These are the same folks who have seen their incomes go up so much, and I believe this is a contribution they're willing to make," Obama said. "Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress aren't paying attention. They're not getting the message."
Obama is now trying to get Congress to pass the individual components of the bill. But Senate Republicans also stalled progress on the first of those measures, $35 billion to help local governments keep teachers on the job and pay the salaries of police officers, firefighters and other emergency services workers.
Saying the country cannot wait for Congress, Obama has begun bypassing Congress and taking steps on his own that he says will encourage economic growth.
On Friday, Obama directed government agencies to shorten the time it takes for federal research to turn into commercial products in the marketplace. The goal is to help startup companies and small businesses create jobs and expand their operations more quickly.
The president also called for creating a centralized online site for companies to easily find information about federal services. He previously had announced help for people who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth and for the repayment of student loans. The White House also challenged community health centers to hire veterans.
"We can no longer wait for Congress to do its job," Obama said. "So where Congress won't act, I will."
The congressional report, based on Internal Revenue Service and Census Bureau data, was released as the Occupy Wall Street movement spreading across the country protests bailouts for corporations and the income gap.
In the weekly GOP message, Illinois Rep. Bobby Schilling urged Obama to support bills that Republicans say would help create jobs by blocking various energy and environmental regulations and streamlining administrative procedures. The bills, passed by the Republican-controlled House, await action in the Democratic-run Senate.
Shilling said the bills give the White House and Congress an opportunity to build on the common ground created by the passage of recent free-trade agreements, and a measure to void a law requiring federal, state and many local governments to withhold 3 percent of their payments to contractors until their taxes are paid. Obama included repealing that tax in his jobs plan.
"Republicans have a jobs plan, one with some bipartisan support, but it's stuck in the Senate," said Schilling, owner of a pizza parlor in Moline, Ill. "We're asking President Obama to work with us and call on the Senate to pass the 'forgotten 15' to help the private sector create jobs, American jobs desperately needed."
NEW YORK ? Occidental Petroleum says its third-quarter net income jumped nearly 50 percent on the back of record domestic production and higher oil prices.
Worldwide crude oil prices were $97.33 per barrel over the first nine months of 2011, compared with only $73.58 per barrel during the same period last year, Occidental said.
"The third quarter 2011 domestic production was 436,000 (barrels of oil equivalent) per day," said President and CEO Stephen I. Chazen. "The highest in Occidental's history."
The Los Angeles company on Thursday reported earnings of $1.77 billion, or $2.17 per share, for the quarter. That compares with $1.19 billion, or $1.46 per share, for the same part of 2010. Revenue increased 26.1 percent to $6.01 billion.
The results shattered Wall Street estimates of $1.97 per share on revenue of $5.46 billion, according to FactSet. Shares of Occidental Petroleum Corp. jumped 4 percent, or $3.52, in premarket trading to $90.72.
Domestic volumes spiked thanks to operations in South Texas and the Williston Basin, even as production in the Middle East and North Africa production declined because of the conflict in Libya and price issues.
During the quarter, Occidental cranked up oil and gas production by 5 percent to 739,000 barrels per day. Oil prices increased 34.5 percent to $97.24 per barrel and natural gas prices rose slightly to $4.23 per 1,000 cubic feet.
And earnings in the chemical segment hit $717 million over the first three quarters of the year, more than doubling earnings from the same period in 2010. Occidental saw strong exports of its chemicals and higher margins with demand higher for almost all of its products.
In this picture taken Oct. 21, 2011, a forensic investigator examines the body of a men killed by unidentified gunmen at a crime scene in Carolina, Puerto Rico. A recent U.S. Department of Justice report found that police in Puerto Rico are arresting suspects for only 43 percent of the island's homicides, making it the only U.S. jurisdiction where fewer than half of all homicides lead to an arrest. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)
In this picture taken Oct. 21, 2011, a forensic investigator examines the body of a men killed by unidentified gunmen at a crime scene in Carolina, Puerto Rico. A recent U.S. Department of Justice report found that police in Puerto Rico are arresting suspects for only 43 percent of the island's homicides, making it the only U.S. jurisdiction where fewer than half of all homicides lead to an arrest. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)
In this picture taken July 25, 2011, a police officer walks through a crime scene where two men lie dead on a car after they were shot by unidentified gunmen in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. A recent U.S. Department of Justice report found that police in Puerto Rico are arresting suspects for only 43 percent of the island's homicides, making it the only U.S. jurisdiction where fewer than half of all homicides lead to an arrest. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ? The 8-year-old boy was found in his bed bleeding from a fatal blow to the head. His house in a gated coastal community showed no apparent signs of forced entry. In fact, at least five people were home when the boy was injured.
Some 20 months later, there have been no arrests in a case that police have classified as a homicide. The boy's mother and maternal grandmother tearfully allege that police mishandled evidence, didn't secure the crime scene or properly question suspects.
While the case has become a media sensation in this U.S. territory, it's only one in a growing number of unsolved murders over the past two decades. At the same time, the island is on track to set a record number of killings this year with a homicide rate more than four times the national average.
All that has sparked public outrage over what many perceive as police ineffectiveness in the face of soaring crime, and much of the anger in Puerto Rico has focused on the unexplained killing of the boy, Lorenzo Gonzalez. He has been the subject of candlelight vigils, Facebook support pages and a local gossip show that features the case almost daily.
Yvette Gonzalez, grandmother of the slain boy, said police appear simply incapable of solving the case.
"It is very disheartening, because as time goes by, we realize that the authorities don't have the means nor the skills to do an in-depth investigation," she said.
Carlos Sanchez, a lawyer for Ahmed Ali Gonzalez, the boy's father, said homicides plague the island.
"It is certainly something alarming what we're seeing here in Puerto Rico," Sanchez said.
A recent U.S. Department of Justice report found that police are arresting suspects for only 43 percent of the island's homicides, making it the only U.S. jurisdiction where fewer than half of all homicides lead to an arrest. The island's rate of homicide arrests has plummeted since hitting 60 percent in the late '80s and early '90s.
The U.S. national average is 66 percent, according to the federal report on the island's police force, which accuses authorities of illegal killings, corruption and widespread civil rights violations.
Gov. Luis Fortuno and other officials have said the island is addressing many of the 130 recommendations in the federal report, such as offering additional police training and buying recorders and digital cameras to speed up investigations. But the body count of unsolved homicides continues to grow.
Open cases from recent months include that of Maurice J. Spagnoletti, a 57-year-old executive from New Jersey who had been working for Puerto Rico's second-largest bank for less than six months. He was shot several times in June as he sat in traffic on one of the busiest roads in San Juan, the island's capital.
Police initially offered several theories about the shooting and consulted with the FBI, but no arrests have been made.
Other unsolved homicides in the public eye include that of a mortgage broker who was a former president of a real estate industry association and was shot to death in her SUV. Two well-known volleyball players were also killed in their car outside a bar in early September.
While details remain unclear about the more high-profile cases, most of the island's killings involve gangs fighting over control of drug distribution in the island's public housing projects or are related to international drug trafficking.
Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock, the island's equivalent to a lieutenant governor, said that helps explain why Puerto Rico's homicide rate hit 22.5 killings per 100,000 people in 2009, higher than any U.S. state and nearly double that of Louisiana, according to the federal report.
With more than 936 people reported killed so far this year, Puerto Rico is on track to break its annual homicide record of 995 murders in 1995.
McClintock said law enforcement budget cuts have resulted in less police expertise and resources to solve cases. For example, smaller staffs mean cadets spend less time at academies while under pressure to quickly hit the streets.
The island's police department has also struggled to buy materials because of budget cuts, while a drop in federal funds and U.S. agents also has been blamed for an increase in crime, McClintock said. Officials are moving more money to public safety budgets to bolster security.
"We have been assigning additional resources so that more and better evidence can be collected," he said.
The low arrest rate starts a vicious cycle, as witnesses hesitate to speak to police because they're too fearful of retribution on a relatively small island where police seem incapable of solving crimes.
"A big problem is the distrust that people have in the system," said Dora Nevarez-Muniz, a criminologist and law professor at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. "A lot of times the witness doesn't want to speak."
Puerto Rico has been turning to outside help such as Robert Warshaw, a former police chief and associate director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy who's consulting the island.
Fortuno also has appointed a retired National Guard general, Emilio Diaz Colon, to replace the island's police chief, who resigned in July over rising crime. Colon declined to comment through a spokeswoman. Other high-ranking officials contacted referred all questions to Colon.
Shortly after the Justice Department report came out, the governor announced a joint task force would prosecute some violent crimes as federal cases, which would bring in added resources and expertise.
The same day of the announcement, Ana Cacho, mother of Lorenzo Gonzalez, urged the new task force to investigate her son's murder. So far, police consider her a lead suspect, and authorities have barred her from seeing or communicating with her two daughters.
Her father, Carlos Cacho, recently handed Fortuno an envelope with information about the case. Fortuno declined to comment further except to say he forwarded the contents to Justice Secretary Guillermo Somoza, who has reiterated that the investigation is ongoing.
Somoza said this week that a male family friend who was at the home with Cacho the day the boy died is considered a suspect. The man's attorney has denied his client was there.
Despite the new announcement, the boy's maternal grandmother doubts the case will be solved.
Yvette Gonzalez accused investigators of withholding evidence and of missing signs that a stranger broke into the house.
"Aside from the terrible loss of a boy who was so loved, you have the disappointment in a system like the one we have seen," the grandmother said. "You lose faith."
Hotels might have to consider offering tiered fees for better wifi service
Hotel wifi has never been the best internet connection for many people, but it might actually have gotten worse recently. The New York Times reports an increasing number of complaints about hotel wifi so slow you can compare it to dial-up connections of old. The culprit, according to hotel and meeting industries information provider?iBAHN, is Apple's iPad.
More people now carry multiple mobile devices on the road, and the iPad in particular is used for bandwidth-heavy tasks like streaming videos due to its relatively large screen real estate. "The bits used for video streaming and downloading increased thirtyfold on our network in one year," says iBAHN chief executive David W. Garrison. In that regard, you can say that tablets of similar size share the responsibility of clogging up hotel wifi connections. But since the iPad accounts for a massive 97% of tablet-based web traffic, it's getting all the blame.
The growth in hotel internet bandwidth demand compels owners to rethink their wifi services. Studies conducted on the subject for iBAHN all result in the same thing ? free wifi is essential when choosing hotels to stay in. But as the quality of internet connection matters as well, hoteliers now have to choose between continuing to offer free but crappy wifi or introducing a tiered fee system.
A tiered system retains a free wifi option, although it comes with limited capabilities. Only those who are willing to pony up some cash for premium connectivity during their stay can get the best coverage possible. Yes, it will hurt your wallet, but if fast internet connection on the road is essential for higher productivity, then perhaps setting aside some cash for the best hotel wifi connection is worth it.
NY Times via TUAW
This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca
Booyah was one of the early leaders in the location gaming market with MyTown, a check-in game that raced out ahead of Foursquare and Gowalla, but differentiated itself with its Monopoly for the real world approach. After 4.5 million downloads of MyTown, Booyah is back with MyTown 2, a new take on gaming that incorporates more of a CityVille approach while still using the real world as a game board.
MyTown 2, a universal iOS app which hits the App Store Thursday, works the city building angle but allows you to apply it to the real world. The original game also allowed you to buy real locations but the sequel now comes with an overhead view of the world that looks more like CityVille and We Rule. It also changes some of the mechanics. Now the price of a location is based on its real-world popularity with other players, who can also own the same property, and that also determines how much money the location produces. Gamers look to expand their town?s population, which allows players to build more business and improve their economy. Check-ins are no longer necessary to buy locations, but can be used to get bonuses, boosts and special rewards.
Booyah CEO Jason Willig, who replaced founder Keith Lee a month ago, said the sequel tries to find game experiences from the first game that spoke to people and expand upon them.
It?s an interesting move for Booyah, which has moved away from location-based gaming with titles like Night Club City and Early Bird. It?s now showing it still wants to innovate on this idea of location-based gaming. Booyah was never really in competition with Foursquare and Gowalla, which provide more of a utility for check-ins. And now those companies are moving even further away from their gaming mechanics while MyTown is trying to be even more like a real game.
I think it?s interesting that MyTown has also de-emphasized the check-in, which Willig said is not central to the game anymore but can serve more like a slot machine providing extras. It reminds of what Ville Vesterinen, founder of location-based game Shadow Cities noted, that much of location games are played from home or work so games need to allow people to play without necessarily always venturing out into the real world. Will MyTown 2 find an audience? Its predecessor raced out to?3 million downloads in its first year?though growth slowed after that. MyTown 2 has got an interesting take on city-building in the real world and I?m?hoping it can help explore more of the location-gaming genre, which is still just getting going.
Booyah could use some more momentum to justify the almost $30 million it?s raised from?Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Accel and DAG Ventures .
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ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) ? Although corticosteroid injections are one of the most common treatments for shoulder pain, there have been relatively few high-quality investigations of their efficacy and duration of action. In a study scheduled for publication in the December issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, researchers report on the first comparative study of the two most commonly corticosteroid doses administered for shoulder pain. They found that lower doses were just as effective as higher doses in terms of reduction of pain, improved range of motion and duration of efficacy.
"There has been no guidance for adequate corticosteroid doses during subacromial injection. Physicians have depended mainly on their experience for the selection of dose," commented lead investigator Seung-Hyun Yoon, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea. "This is the first study to assess the efficacy of corticosteroid according to two different doses, which are the most widely used in subacromial injection for participants with periarticular shoulder disorders. Initial use of a low dose is encouraged because there was no difference in efficacy according to dose, and the effect of corticosteroid lasted up to 8 weeks."
Investigators conducted a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in which 79 patients with at least one month's duration of pain were enrolled. Subjects were randomly assigned to three groups with 27 participants receiving a 40 mg dose of triamcinolone acetonide; 25 a 20 mg dose and 27 a placebo injection. All were followed up at 2, 4, and 8 weeks after treatment. All injections were performed using ultrasound guidance to insure proper placement of the therapeutic agent in the bursa.
Participants were asked to rate their degree of shoulder pain on a 0 to 10 scale and to answer a Shoulder Disability Questionnaire. They also were asked to move their shoulders slowly until they experienced pain, and evaluators measured the Active Range of Motion (AROM) in 4 different directions (forward flexion, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation of the shoulder in a standing position).
Compared with pretreatment (within-group comparisons), the high- (40 mg) and low-dose corticosteroid (20 mg) groups both showed improvement in pain, disability, and AROM, while the placebo group showed no difference. Importantly, this study showed no significant inter-group differences between the high- and low-dose corticosteroid groups. Because a higher dose may increase the incidence of local and general complications, a lower dose is indicated at the initial treatment stage.
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Journal Reference:
Ji Yeon Hong, Seung-Hyun Yoon, Do Jun Moon, Kyu-Sung Kwack, Bohyun Joen, Hyun Young Lee. Comparison of High- and Low-Dose Corticosteroid in Subacromial Injection for Periarticular Shoulder Disorder: A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, December 2011; DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2011.06.033
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.
ERCIS, Turkey ? A 2-week-old baby girl, her mother and grandmother were pulled alive from the rubble of an apartment building in a dramatic rescue Tuesday, 48 hours after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake toppled some 2,000 buildings in eastern Turkey.
Television footage showed a rescuer, Kadir Direk, in an orange jumpsuit squeezing into the hulk of crushed concrete and metal to free the baby. The infant, named Azra Karaduman, was wrapped in a blanket and handed over to a medic amid a scrum of media and applauding emergency workers.
Close to 500 aftershocks have rattled the area since Sunday, according to Turkey's Kandilli seismology center, and a moderately strong one on Tuesday, measuring 5.4, sent residents rushing into the streets.
Authorities said the death toll had jumped to 432 as rescuers in Ercis and the provincial capital, Van, raced against time to free dozens of people trapped inside mounds of concrete, twisted steel and construction debris. At least nine people were rescued on Tuesday, although many more bodies were discovered.
Authorities have warned survivors in the mainly Kurdish area not to enter damaged buildings and thousands spent a second night outdoors in cars or tents in near-freezing conditions, afraid to return to their homes. Some 1,300 people were injured.
There was still no power or running water and aid distribution was disrupted as desperate people stopped trucks even before they entered Ercis. Aid workers said they were able to find emergency housing for only about half the people who needed it.
The baby's mother, Semiha, and grandmother, Gulsaadet, were huddled together, with the baby clinging to her mother's shoulder when rescuers found them, Direk, the emergency worker, told The Associated Press. There was a bakery at the ground floor of the building, which may have kept them warm, he said.
The baby was in good health but was flown to a hospital in Ankara, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. Hours after she was freed, the two others were pulled from the large, half-flattened building and rushed to ambulances as onlookers clapped and cheered. The mother had been semiconscious, but woke up when rescuers arrived, Direk said.
"Bringing them out is such happiness. I wouldn't be happier if they gave me tons of money," said rescuer Oytun Gulpinar.
Firefighters and rescuers ordered silence while they listened for noise from other possible survivors in the large 5-story apartment block, parts of which were being supported by a crane. Workers could not find the baby's father and there were no other signs of life in the shattered building, said Direk.
Direk was chosen to rescue the three because he was thinnest in the group and was able to squeeze through the narrow corridor that they had drilled, according to NTV television.
He chatted with the woman while trying to get her out, at one point jokingly asking her to name the baby after his own son, Cagan.
"She replied that the baby was a girl, and that she wanted her named Azra," said Direk, who traveled from the western city of Izmir.
The Hurriyet newspaper reported the family live in Sivas, central Turkey, but were visiting the girl's grandmother and grandfather.
Nine-year-old Oguz Isler was rescued along with his sister and cousin, but on Tuesday he was waiting at the foot of the same pile of debris that was his aunt's apartment block for news of his parents and of other relatives who remain buried inside.
Turkish rescue workers in bright orange overalls and Azerbaijani military rescuers in camouflage uniforms searched through the debris, using excavators, picks and shovels to look for Oguz's mother and father and other relatives still inside.
Dogs sniffed for possible survivors in gaps that opened up as their work progressed.
"They should send more people," Oguz said as he and other family members watched the rescuers. An elder cousin comforted him.
Mehmet Ali Hekimoglu, a medic, said the dogs indicated that there were three or four people inside the building, but it was not known if they were alive.
The boy, his sister and a cousin were trapped in the building's third-floor stairway as they tried to escape when the quake hit. A steel door fell over him.
"I fell on the ground face down. When I tried to move my head, it hit the door," he said. "I tried to get out and was able to open a gap with my fists in the wall but could not move my body further. The wall crumbled quickly when I hit it."
"We started shouting: 'Help! We're here,'" he said. "They found us a few hours later, they took me out about 8 1/2 hours later. ... I was OK but felt very bad, lonely. ... I still have a headache, but the doctor said I was fine."
"They took me out last because I was in good shape and the door was protecting me. I was hearing stones falling on it," the boy said.
Hundreds of rescue teams from throughout Turkey rushed to the area, while Turkish Red Crescent dispatched tents and blankets and set up soup kitchens. Some residents complained that they could not get tents and stoves for their families. The Milliyet newspaper on Tuesday reported fistfights in front of some aid trucks.
"The aid is coming in but we're not getting it. We need more police, soldiers," resident Baran Gungor said.
Tents were erected in two stadiums but many preferred to stay close to their homes for news of the missing or to keep watch on damaged buildings. Some left Van to seek shelter with friends or relatives elsewhere.
Turkish Red Crescent director Omer Tasli admitted shortfalls in sheltering all the survivors.
"We couldn't cover ... all the families," he said. "Now just maybe 50 percent of them (are) under a tent."
The government said it would set up temporary homes and would begin planning to rebuild destroyed areas with better housing. Turks across the country began sending blankets and warm clothing.
The earthquake's epicenter was the village of Tabanli but damage there was minimal; No deaths were reported and its mud-brick homes were relatively unharmed.
Turkey lies in one of the world's most active seismic zones and is crossed by numerous fault lines. In 1999, two earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7 struck northwestern Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.
Istanbul, the country's largest city with more than 12 million people, lies in northwestern Turkey near a major fault line, and experts say tens of thousands could be killed if a major quake struck there.
__
Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, and Christopher Torchia in Istanbul, contributed to this report.
LOS ANGELES ? The elaborate mission to recover a moon rock led NASA agents to one of the most down-to-earth places: a Denny's restaurant in Riverside County.
But at the end of the sting operation, agents were left holding a speck of lunar dust smaller than a grain of rice and a 74-year-old suspect who was terrified by armed officials.
Five months after NASA investigators and local agents swooped into the restaurant and hailed their operation as a cautionary tale for anyone trying to sell national treasure, no charges have been filed, NASA isn't talking and the case appears stalled.
The target, Joann Davis, a grandmother who says she was trying to raise money for her sick son, asserts the lunar material was rightfully hers, having been given to her space-engineer husband by Neil Armstrong in the 1970s.
"It's a very upsetting thing," Davis told The Associated Press. "It's very detrimental, very humiliating, all of it a lie."
The strange case centers on a speck of authenticated moon rock encased in an acrylic-looking dome that appears to be a paperweight. For years, NASA has gone after anyone selling lunar material gathered on the Apollo missions because it is considered government property, so cannot be sold for profit.
Still, NASA has given hundreds of lunar samples to nations, states and high-profile individuals but only on the understanding they remain government property. NASA's inspector general works to arrest anyone trying to sell them.
The case was triggered by Davis herself, according to a search warrant affidavit written by Norman Conley, an agent for the inspector general.
She emailed a NASA contractor May 10 trying to find a buyer for the rock, as well as a nickel-sized piece of the heat shield that protected the Apollo 11 space capsule as it returned to earth from the first successful manned mission to the moon in 1969.
"I've been searching the internet for months attempting to find a buyer," Davis wrote. "If you have any thoughts as to how I can proceed with the sale of these two items, please call."
Davis told AP the items were among many of the space-related heirlooms her husband left her when he died in 1986. She said she had worked as a lexicographer and he had worked as an engineer for North American Rockwell, which contracted for NASA during the Apollo era.
Davis claims Armstrong gave the items to her husband, though the affidavit says the first man on the moon has previously told investigators he never gave or sold lunar material to anyone.
In follow-up phone conversations with a NASA agent, Davis acknowledged the rock was not sellable on the open market and fretted about an agent knocking on her door and taking the material, which she was willing to sell for "big money underground."
"She must know that this is a questionable transaction because she used the term `black market,'" Agent Conley states in the search warrant.
Curiously, though, Davis agreed to sell the sample to NASA for a stellar $1.7 million. She said she wanted to leave her three children an inheritance and take care of her sick son.
NASA investigators then arranged the sting, where Conley met with Davis and her current husband at the Denny's at Lake Elsinore in Riverside County.
Soon after settling into a booth, Davis said, she pulled out the moon sample and about half a dozen sheriff's deputies and NASA investigators rushed into the eatery.
When officers in flack vests took a hold of her, the 4-foot-11 woman said she was so scared she lost control of her bladder and was taken outside to a parking lot, where she was questioned and detained for about two hours.
"They grabbed me and pulled me out of the booth," Davis claimed. "I had very, very deep bruises on my left side."
Conley declined to comment and NASA Office of the Inspector General spokeswoman Renee Juhans said she could not talk about an ongoing investigation.
Davis was eventually allowed home, without the moon rock, and was never booked into a police station or charged.
The affidavit states authorities believed Davis was in possession of stolen government property but so far they have not publicly revealed any proof.
"This (is) abhorrent behavior by the federal government to steal something from a retiree that was given to her," said Davis's attorney, Peter Schlueter, who is planning legal action.
Joseph Gutheinz, a University of Phoenix instructor and former NASA investigator who has spent years tracking down missing moon rocks, said prosecuting Davis could prove tricky.
Gutheinz said he recently learned that NASA did not always take good care of lunar materials. In some instances, space suits were simply hosed off and any moon dust on them lost forever.
While bigger rocks, such as those given to various countries and museums were carefully inventoried and tracked, it now appears there are unknown numbers of much smaller pieces circulating in the public. Some of these may have been turned into paperweights and informally given away by NASA engineers.
"I have a real moral problem with what's happened here in California," Gutheinz said. "I've always taken the position that no one should own an Apollo-era moon rock. They belong to the people. But if we did such a poor job of safeguarding (lunar samples,) I cannot fault that person."
About 2,200 samples of lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles, sand and dust ? weighing about 840 pounds ? were brought to Earth by NASA's Apollo lunar landing missions from 1969 to 1972. A recent count showed 10 states and more than 90 countries could not account for their shares of the gray rocks.
___
Watkins can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/thomaswatkins
Over the years, I have reviewed multiple very nice flashlights. The cream of that crop has always been the SureFire flashlights I have had the privilege to review. There is little argument that the folks at SureFire make extremely well made hardware. However, many comments in my SureFire reviews say they are too expensive and [...]
Sleeping sickness drug may provide long-term protection against skin cancerPublic release date: 23-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeremy Moore Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org 267-646-0557 American Association for Cancer Research
BOSTON An antiparasitic agent used to treat African sleeping sickness might someday be used to prevent nonmelanoma skin cancers. Researchers found that DFMO, or ?-difluoromethylornithine, still appeared to protect against nonmelanoma skin cancers years after people stopped taking the drug, according to a poster presented at the 10th AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held Oct. 22-25, 2011.
In this follow-up study, researchers evaluated prolonged evidence of a protective effect of DFMO among 209 people who had participated in an earlier study. The researchers also wanted to ensure there were no obvious deleterious effects associated with the drug, according to Howard H. Bailey, M.D., professor of medicine, and study presenter Sarah Lamont, a medical student, both from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
The original study was a phase III, randomized, double-blind, prospective study of 291 men and women with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer. They were assigned to either DFMO or a placebo for four to five years. At the end of the study period, researchers found a reduced skin cancer incidence among those assigned to DFMO.
"We showed a significant protective effect against basal cell carcinoma, but not a significant amount of protection against squamous cell carcinoma of the skin," Bailey said.
The main side effect was a slight ototoxicity that was found on testing, but this was not associated with a noticeable reduction in hearing by the subjects.
In the current retrospective study, researchers reviewed the electronic medical records of 209 of the original participants to establish cancer rates and to see if any other illnesses they might have developed could be attributed to DFMO.
"We found there is still evidence that the men and women assigned to DFMO for five years continued to have a lower incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancers compared with people assigned to placebo," Bailey said. "What we saw was that the presumed benefit that people got in taking DFMO appeared to persist for years after stopping it."
Study limitations include that participants may have been followed differently or changed their behaviors to limit sun exposure because of being in the original study, Bailey said.
"Our data suggest that the protective event that we saw in our prospective study appears to continue and there was no evidence of any rebound effect," he said. "We did not find any evidence that the people who received DFMO were harmed [other than the original ototoxicity]."
However, Bailey cautioned, more studies are needed before DFMO can be recommended as a prophylaxis against nonmelanoma skin cancers.
He added that such prophylaxis measures are needed because public health efforts to teach people about limiting sun exposure have not resulted in fewer cases of skin cancer, with more than 2 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosed each year. "The incidence continues to rise despite public health efforts to get people to lessen their sun exposure," Bailey said.
###
The study was sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 33,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowships and career development awards to young investigators, and it also funds cutting-edge research projects conducted by senior researchers. The AACR has numerous fruitful collaborations with organizations and foundations in the U.S. and abroad, and functions as the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, a charitable initiative that supports groundbreaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated time frame. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care, and Educational Workshops are held for the training of young cancer investigators. The AACR publishes seven major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Discovery; Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Prevention Research. In 2010, AACR journals received 20 percent of the total number of citations given to oncology journals. The AACR also publishes Cancer Today, a magazine for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers, which provides practical knowledge and new hope for cancer survivors. A major goal of the AACR is to educate the general public and policymakers about the value of cancer research in improving public health, the vital importance of increases in sustained funding for cancer research and biomedical science, and the need for national policies that foster innovation and the acceleration of progress against the 200 diseases we call cancer.
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Sleeping sickness drug may provide long-term protection against skin cancerPublic release date: 23-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeremy Moore Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org 267-646-0557 American Association for Cancer Research
BOSTON An antiparasitic agent used to treat African sleeping sickness might someday be used to prevent nonmelanoma skin cancers. Researchers found that DFMO, or ?-difluoromethylornithine, still appeared to protect against nonmelanoma skin cancers years after people stopped taking the drug, according to a poster presented at the 10th AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held Oct. 22-25, 2011.
In this follow-up study, researchers evaluated prolonged evidence of a protective effect of DFMO among 209 people who had participated in an earlier study. The researchers also wanted to ensure there were no obvious deleterious effects associated with the drug, according to Howard H. Bailey, M.D., professor of medicine, and study presenter Sarah Lamont, a medical student, both from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
The original study was a phase III, randomized, double-blind, prospective study of 291 men and women with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer. They were assigned to either DFMO or a placebo for four to five years. At the end of the study period, researchers found a reduced skin cancer incidence among those assigned to DFMO.
"We showed a significant protective effect against basal cell carcinoma, but not a significant amount of protection against squamous cell carcinoma of the skin," Bailey said.
The main side effect was a slight ototoxicity that was found on testing, but this was not associated with a noticeable reduction in hearing by the subjects.
In the current retrospective study, researchers reviewed the electronic medical records of 209 of the original participants to establish cancer rates and to see if any other illnesses they might have developed could be attributed to DFMO.
"We found there is still evidence that the men and women assigned to DFMO for five years continued to have a lower incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancers compared with people assigned to placebo," Bailey said. "What we saw was that the presumed benefit that people got in taking DFMO appeared to persist for years after stopping it."
Study limitations include that participants may have been followed differently or changed their behaviors to limit sun exposure because of being in the original study, Bailey said.
"Our data suggest that the protective event that we saw in our prospective study appears to continue and there was no evidence of any rebound effect," he said. "We did not find any evidence that the people who received DFMO were harmed [other than the original ototoxicity]."
However, Bailey cautioned, more studies are needed before DFMO can be recommended as a prophylaxis against nonmelanoma skin cancers.
He added that such prophylaxis measures are needed because public health efforts to teach people about limiting sun exposure have not resulted in fewer cases of skin cancer, with more than 2 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosed each year. "The incidence continues to rise despite public health efforts to get people to lessen their sun exposure," Bailey said.
###
The study was sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 33,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowships and career development awards to young investigators, and it also funds cutting-edge research projects conducted by senior researchers. The AACR has numerous fruitful collaborations with organizations and foundations in the U.S. and abroad, and functions as the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, a charitable initiative that supports groundbreaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated time frame. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care, and Educational Workshops are held for the training of young cancer investigators. The AACR publishes seven major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Discovery; Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Prevention Research. In 2010, AACR journals received 20 percent of the total number of citations given to oncology journals. The AACR also publishes Cancer Today, a magazine for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers, which provides practical knowledge and new hope for cancer survivors. A major goal of the AACR is to educate the general public and policymakers about the value of cancer research in improving public health, the vital importance of increases in sustained funding for cancer research and biomedical science, and the need for national policies that foster innovation and the acceleration of progress against the 200 diseases we call cancer.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 23-Oct-2011
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