Senator Murkowski says will not back down in Alaska road fight

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican on the Senate Energy Committee said on Wednesday she would not back down in her drive to reverse a finding by the Interior Department that blocks construction of an emergency road for a remote Alaskan community.

The fight threatens to hold up the White House's nomination of Sally Jewell as Interior Secretary.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she would use "every tool in her tool box," including placing a hold on Jewell's nomination, if the department does not allow the road to be built. The committee is slated to consider Jewell's nomination on March 7.

"This is about the safety of the people I represent," Murkowski told reporters at a briefing. "This is an issue I will not back down from."

Residents of King Cove, Alaska - population 938 as of the 2010 Census - were hoping a road would be constructed through 206 acres of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to an airport in nearby Cold Bay for emergency medical evacuations.

However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an arm of the Interior Department, issued an environmental assessment this month saying the road would "irretrievably damage" the ecology of the refuge and its ability to support native wildlife, including grizzly bear, caribou, waterfowl and shorebirds.

Murkowski met with Jewell, currently the chief executive of outdoor retailer REI, for over an hour on Wednesday. The senator said she stressed her desire to see the road built for her constituents and said she hoped the issue would be resolved before Jewell was confirmed.

Murkowski said she would not rule out placing a hold on the nomination, which would require 60 votes to overcome in the Senate if it were not lifted.

"You don't want to threaten, but it has taken an awful lot to get the attention of the administration on this issue," Murkowski said. "We apparently now have their attention and hopefully this will move things in the right direction."

A number of residents of King Cove traveled to Washington, D.C., and are due to meet with the current Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, on Thursday.

Appearing at the briefing, residents described the sometimes treacherous conditions residents must face to get to the nearest airport. Tiny King Cove is on the Alaska Peninsula, about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Residents have to travel by boat for three or more hours or be evacuated by the Coast Guard or helicopter for urgent medical attention, they said. High winds and rough seas sometimes prevent travel by boat or plane, and a road would provide reliable transportation, the residents argued. A trip by car through the refuge would take about 40 minutes.

"It saddens me to see that my people could die because Salazar cares more about a bird than about a person," said Dustin Newman, a 15-year-old high school sophomore who tearfully described seeing his grandmother being evacuated by the Coast Guard because of a health emergency.

(Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe, editing by Ros Krasny and Prudence Crowther)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senator-murkowski-says-not-back-down-alaska-road-014951290.html

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The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation ...

27.02.2013

The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg was selected by the Board of Manifesta Foundation because of its critical intellectual and historical relationship with East and West Europe: a uniting principal that is also central to Manifesta, as the single roving European biennial of contemporary art. Manifesta 10 will consider the historical perspective of St. Petersburg?s view to the West, and its extensive relationship with Europe at large. Other venues in the city will also participate and further details will be announced soon.

2014 will mark the 20th anniversary of Manifesta, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art, which was initiated in response to the new social, cultural and political reality that emerged in the aftermath of the Cold War. This Jubilee year event will analyse the 25 years of changing realities and experiences as they transformed within this new global world order.

One of the oldest and most prestigious museums in the world, the State Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great as her personal art collection and has been open to the public since 1852. In 2014 the museum celebrates 250 years of existence. The newly renovated General Staff Building, the new premises of the State Hermitage Museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art, will be fully open in 2014, and will be the main stage of Manifesta 10.

www.manifesta.org

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Source: http://www.biennialfoundation.org/2013/02/the-state-hermitage-museum-in-st-petersburg-russian-federation-will-be-the-host-of-manifesta-10-the-collaboration-between-these-institutions-for-the-upcoming-edition-of-manifesta-to-be-held-in-2014/

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Stringer wins 900th as Rutgers tops South Florida

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) ? C. Vivian Stringer fought back tears as her Rutgers women's basketball players celebrated their coach's entrance to the exclusive 900 win club, then let out a sigh of relief.

As it turned out, the fifth time was the charm for Stringer, who became the fourth women's college basketball coach to reach 900 wins as Rutgers cruised past South Florida 68-56 on Tuesday night.

Stringer, a Hall of Famer in her 42nd season as head coach, reached the milestone thanks to Erica Wheeler, who scored 24 points to help the Scarlet Knights (15-12, 6-8 Big East) snap a four-game losing streak.

"I think it's beyond words," said Stringer, whose record stands at 900-330. "I'm happy that it's over. I can hardly breathe. It's over and now I can just coach and smile, and get back to what I love to do because it's never been about numbers.

"If it's something special for all the generations of players and coaches that I've been a part of, then, yeah, I'm happy. But I'm looking forward to more."

Stringer joined Pat Summitt, Jody Conradt and Sylvia Hatchell, who reached the mark on Feb. 7. Only three Division I men's coaches have reached 900 victories -- Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight and Jim Boeheim.

"I am fortunate to call Vivian my friend and could not be happier that she has reached the 900-win milestone in her career. I have great respect and admiration for Vivian and consider her one of the great pioneers of our game," Summitt said in a statement. "She has had an incredible journey, and I hope she adds many more to her 'W' column!"

As the game ended, a crowd of 1,304 at the Rutgers Athletic Center saluted Stringer with chants of "900" and "C.V.S." and Scarlet Knights Athletics Director Tim Pernetti was among the first to greet her with a framed No. 900 jersey. Rutgers' cheerleaders unfurled a banner that read "Congratulations Coach Stringer - 900 wins," and her players took turns hugging their emotional coach at midcourt.

"When I look back on my life, this team, probably this year, best reflects what 900 has been," said Stringer, the first coach in men's or women's basketball to take three different schools to the Final Four, including Rutgers in 2000 and '07. "It helped me to remember that it was never easy. But unless you really have a passion, unless you really know how fortunate you are not to have had a lot of major injuries to a lot of players, which is what happened to this team, and unless you remember how fortunate you are to be able to get to those special places."

Rutgers had lost four straight games since beating Cincinnati for Stringer's 899th career victory.

"It's more than a game, it's about a preparation for life," said Stringer, who is in her 18th season at Rutgers. "It's about understanding that when things are rough you may get knocked down and there may be doubters but you'll still rise."

Betnijah Laney added 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Scarlet Knights, who secured a much-needed win to enhance their NCAA tournament resume. Rutgers, which entered the game 10th in the Big East standings, is in danger of missing the NCAA tournament after 10 straight appearances.

"Everything will take care of itself," Stringer said, dismissing a question related to her postseason fate. "This was a major win, and it's important to win down the (stretch) as it is right now."

Laney and Wheeler had six points apiece and Syessence Davis made a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer as the Scarlet Knights used a 17-6 closing run to go into intermission with a 35-24 advantage.

Rachel Hollivay scored six of her eight points after the break for Rutgers, which didn't allow South Florida (19-8, 8-6) within eight points in the second half.

"It's almost a little heartbreaking because she gives her heart out when she coaches," Wheeler said. "So to not get her that 900th win as soon as we needed to, I cried a couple times at night. It was important tonight to definitely get her that win."

The Bulls, who saw their three-game winning streak snapped, were led by Courtney Williams' 15 points.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stringer-wins-900th-rutgers-tops-south-florida-023755887--spt.html

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Video: Captain Shermin: 'We have been good stewards of this resource'

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

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50962483/

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Too much vitamin D during pregnancy can cause food allergies, research suggests

Feb. 27, 2013 ? Pregnant women should avoid taking vitamin D supplements, new research suggests. Substitution appears to raise the risk of children developing a food allergy after birth. This was the conclusion drawn from a new survey carried out by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and the Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg in Germany which was published in the February issue of the medical journal Allergy.

Vitamin D has always had a good reputation: it strengthens bones, protects against infections particularly during the cold winter months and aids the nervous and muscular systems. Especially in the prevention and treatment of rickets, it has been given to babies and infants around the world for around 50 years. However, recent scientific investigations are increasingly questioning the positive aspect of the "bone vitamin." At the end of the 1990's, for the first time people's attention was drawn to a link between high vitamin D levels and the development of allergies.

To pursue the problem, together with Prof. Gabriele Stangl's group from the Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences at the Martin-Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg, Dr. Kristin Wei?e from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig devoted herself to the following task: can it be proved that there is a correlation between the concentration of vitamin D in the blood of expectant mothers and in cord blood of the babies? The researchers from the UFZ in Leipzig were furthermore interested in the association between vitamin D levels during pregnancy and at birth, the immune status and allergic diseases of the children later in life. Or, in other words: does the vitamin D level of pregnant women affect the allergy risk of their children?

To investigate the question, Dr. Kristin Wei?e's team from Leipzig used samples from the LiNA cohort that the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) had established together with the St. Georg municipal clinic between 2006 and 2008 headed by Dr. Irina Lehmann. In total, it was possible to include 622 mothers and their 629 children in the long-term study "Lifestyle and environmental factors and their impact on the newborn allergy risk." The level of vitamin D was tested in the blood of the pregnant mothers and also in the cord blood of the children born. In addition to this, questionnaires were used to assess the occurrence of food allergies during the first two years of the children's lives.

The result was clear: in cases where expectant mothers were found to have a low vitamin D level in the blood, the occurrence of food allergies among their two-year old children was rarer than in cases where expectant mothers had a high vitamin D blood level. In reverse, this means that a high vitamin D level in pregnant women is associated with a higher risk of their children to develop a food allergy during infancy. Furthermore, those children were found to have a high level of the specific immunoglobulin E to food allergens such as egg white, milk protein, wheat flour, peanuts or soya beans. The UFZ scientists also got evidence fot the mechanism that could link vitamin D and food allergies. Dr. Gunda Herberth -- also from the Department of Environmental Immunology at the UFZ -- took a closer look at the immune response of the affected children and analysed regulatory T-cells in cord blood in particular. The cells are capable of preventing the immune system from overreacting to allergens, with the result that they protect against allergies. The UFZ researchers know from earlier analyses that the allergy risk increases in cases where too few regulatory T-cells are present in cord blood. The interesting result of the current research project: the higher the level of vitamin D found in the blood of mothers and children, the fewer regulatory T-cells could be detected. The correlation could mean that vitamin D suppresses the development of regulatory T-cells and thus increases the risk of allergy.

Apart from diet, Dr. Kristin Wei?e explained that the level of vitamin D is mainly affected by conditions such as season, exposure to the sun and the amount of time spent outdoors -- these factors were also taken into account in the current risk analyses of vitamin D and food allergy. Even though the occurrence of food allergies is undoubtedly affected by many other factors than just the vitamin D level, it is still important to take this aspect into consideration. The UFZ researchers would rather advise pregnant women not to take vitamin D supplements. "Based on our information, an excess of vitamin D can increase the risk of children developing a food allergy in the first two years of their life."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Centre For Environmental Research - UFZ.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. K. Weisse, S. Winkler, F. Hirche, G. Herberth, D. Hinz, M. Bauer, S. R?der, U. Rolle-Kampczyk, M. von Bergen, S. Olek, U. Sack, T. Richter, U. Diez, M. Borte, G. I. Stangl, I. Lehmann. Maternal and newborn vitamin D status and its impact on food allergy development in the German LINA cohort study. Allergy, 2013; 68 (2): 220 DOI: 10.1111/all.12081

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/health_medicine/nutrition/~3/W4N94gjgAaE/130227085838.htm

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PFT: Te'o blames slow 40 on stress of combine

AP

Former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te?o has refused to blame his poor performance during the BCS national title game on the stress resulting from the knowledge that, inevitably, the story of his fake dead girlfriend would be exposed.

On Monday, Te?o blamed his poor performance during the 40-yard dash on the overall stress of the Scouting Combine.

?I was running near a 4.6, a 4.5,? Te?o told NFL Network after officially clocking a 4.82-second 40-yard dash. ?Today was just a long, long day.?

Te?o called the Combine a ?very exhausting process,? explaining that he got to bed late and got up early, with roughly four hours of sleep per night.

Of course, Te?o experienced plenty of mental stress, too. He met with 20 teams individually, and he endured a packed-house press conference on Saturday.

He promises to have an improved showing at the Notre Dame Pro Day workout. ?[People can expect] better numbers,? Te?o said. ?[I will be] rested.? One day you hit it hard and then you are done.?

Rested or not, Te?o will have even more pressure on him when it?s time to run again.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/25/teo-blames-slow-40-time-on-combine-stress/related/

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Nintendo president: No price cut for Wii U

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata claims no price cuts are in the works for the Wii U console, one day after the company reported?a?third-fiscal-quarter profit, according to the Associated Press.

?We are already offering it at a good price,? he reportedly said while speaking to investors and reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.

During a third quarter financial results briefing, Iwata said the company has taken a resolute stance in pricing the console below its manufacturing cost, and is not planning to perform a markdown.??I would like to make this point absolutely clear,? Iwata said. ?We are putting our lessons from Nintendo 3DS to good use, as I have already publicly stated. However, given that it has now become clear that we have not yet fully communicated the value of our product, we will try to do so before the software lineup is enhanced, and at the same time work to enrich the software lineup, which could make consumers understand the appeal of Wii U.?

Although the company has?sold 3 million Wii U units since its November 18 launch, Iwata admits sales of the console, and of the Nintendo 3DS handheld, ran out of steam during the holiday shopping season.?Yesterday, Nintendo slashed its Wii U sales forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31 to 4 million consoles. It ?previously forecasted sales of 5.5 million. It also cut its 3DS sales estimate to 15 million units, down from 17.5 million.

The Wii U is Nintendo?s first?new home console in six years.?The basic version retails for $299.99 in the U.S.

Source: http://venturebeat.feedsportal.com/c/34021/f/617406/s/2814287e/l/0Lventurebeat0N0C20A130C0A10C30A0Cnintendo0Epresident0Eno0Eprice0Ecut0Efor0Ewii0Eu0C/story01.htm

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