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Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Jordan: In his prime, he could beat LeBron, others..

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NBA legend Michael Jordan believes he could beat LeBron James in a one-on-one basketball game when he was in his prime.

He's not sure about Kobe Bryant.
In a video promoting the NBA 2K14 video game that was released Tuesday, Jordan said there's a long list of players he would've liked to have played one-on-one - Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Bryant and James, who dons the cover of this year's game.
''I don't think I would lose,'' Jordan said in the video, before smiling and adding, ''Other than to Kobe Bryant because he steals all of my moves.''
Responded James: ''MJ said that?''

James was told of Jordan's comments after the Miami Heat completed their first training camp practice in the Bahamas on Tuesday, and said that the buzz would serve as good promotion for the game.
''Absolutely, I thought about the matchup,'' James said. ''But no one would ever see it. It's not going to happen. But it's good for people to talk about.''
Jordan was listed as 6-foot-6 and 213 pounds during his prime. He averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game during his 15 seasons in the NBA.
Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and considered by many the greatest basketball player ever, has had a sponsorship deal with 2K Sports since 2011, when he first appeared on the cover of the popular game. James, 6-8, 250 pounds, has averaged 25.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6 assists during his first 10 seasons in the league.
The 50-year-old Jordan, who was a five-time league MVP and is the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, also shared the cover in 2012 with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

This year will be the first time on the cover for James, a four-time league MVP who has led the Heat to back-to-back NBA championships.

Coaches Heat Index – Greg Schiano is sinking his ship in Tampa Bay...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano continues to stay in the hot seat as he proceeds to mishandle his obvious dislike of quarterback Josh Freeman.
It began when Schiano drafted quarterback Mike Glennon this past offseason, and continued through his many denials that Freeman would lose his job. Schiano’s mishandling of the situation continued when he admitted to reporters Freeman had missed a team photo and other events. Then instead of actually coaching up Freeman, Schiano decided to start Glennon against the Arizona Cardinals. The comedy show continued when Schiano banished Freeman from the sidelines this past weekend and said both parties agreed, but that was refuted by the quarterback’s agent.
As if that was not enough, Freeman was forced to clarify why he is in the league's substance-abuse program. Considering only a few people know that information, it appeared liked another attempt to smear Freeman’s reputation.
Oh, and Schiano’s inability to win three close games this year does not help.
THIS WEEK'S THREE HOTTEST SEATS
Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Outside of Freeman, Schiano’s team is 0-4 and probably will not make the postseason with Glennon under center. Schiano has one win in Tampa Bay’s last 10 games, and the hiring of Schiano looks worse than the decision not to provide former coach Raheem Morris with enough talent to win.
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
If the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the New York Giants this weekend, Justin Tuck may have to punch a lot of teammates who may turn against Coughlin. Safety Antrel Rolle may believe New York can win 12 straight, but Coughlin needs one win to cool down this hot seat.
Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
Absence does make the heart grow founder, but a bye week does not erase Rivera’s track record. He remains in the hot seat until he proves otherwise.
GETTING WARMER
Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons Many NFL observers believed Atlanta could contend for a Super Bowl title, but the Falcons are currently 1-3 and struggling to keep pace with the New Orleans Saints (4-0). Injuries have hurt Atlanta, but Smith has a 1-4 playoff record, and at some point being “good” is just not enough.
GETTING COLDER
Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions
Schwartz’s hot seat is freezing right about now. After managing only four wins last season, Detroit leads the NFC North. Barring an epic collapse, Schwartz is close to solidifying his coaching future in Detroit.
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Bale out of Copenhagen showdown...

Real Madrid's Welsh forward Gareth Bale takes part in a training session at the Valdebebas training ground in Madrid on September 27, 2013 (AFP Photo/Dani Pozo)

Kieran Canning 1 hour ago

Madrid (AFP) - Gareth Bale is out of Real Madrid's Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen on Wednesday after missing training with his teammates on Tuesday.
The Welshman had instead taken part in an individual session in the gym, but he has been left out of coach Carlo Ancelotti's 21-man squad for the game against the Danish champions.
"Gareth Bale has not trained with the group due to muscular problems in his left thigh," said a statement on the club's website.
"The diagnosis is dependent upon tests which will be carried out tomorrow."
The 24-year-old also missed league games against Getafe and Elche last week due to a left thigh problem.
However, he returned to make his home debut as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
That defeat left Real already five points behind Atletico and Barcelona, who have both made 100 percent starts to La Liga after seven games.
And Ancelotti said he expects a reaction from his players upon their return to Champions League duty.
"I'm less happy after the game against Atletico because it wasn't good, losing a derby is never a good thing," he told a press conference on Tuesday.
"We need to react quickly, both in terms of our performance and results. I have confidence in the players that they will respond well. It is a question of spirit and attitude."
Defender Sergio Ramos also backed Ancelotti to turn things around and insisted that Real will compete for all of La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey this season.

"Now is the time when we need to be most united," he said.
"It is true that we are playing badly and that people are not feeling comfortable, but we will get there because it is our obligation and we have a great team. Let nobody be in doubt, we will be fighting for the three titles.
"The team is more united than ever, with a great atmosphere, a coach with whom we are more than happy and the results will come."
Madrid's struggles to adapt to Ancelotti's possession based game after three years where they were more dangerous on the counter-attack under Jose Mourinho were particularly exposed by Atletico.
However, Ancelotti believes it will just take some time for his new troops to adjust to a new style of play.
"We can do more. We are not comfortable in possession at the minute and we have lost some of our defensive balance. Right now we are not winning the ball back well enough, but it is still very early."
However, in Europe, things have started extremely well for Madrid with their 6-1 hammering of Galatasaray two weeks ago allied to Juventus' 1-1 draw with Copenhagen handing the Spanish giants an early advantage in Group B.
And Ancelotti says the point Copenhagen took from his countrymen should serve as a warning to his side not to take the Danish champions lightly despite their own domestic struggles.
"They have had the same system and coach for a while. We know they haven't had a great start in the league, but they drew against Juventus so we have to be alert."
Iker Casillas is set to make his first competitive appearance at the Bernabeu for nine months as Ancelotti intends to play the Spanish captain in the Champions League and Copa del Rey whilst Diego Lopez maintains the number one jersey in La Liga.

Ancelotti may also recall Marcelo and Raphael Varane to the defence as they have both returned to full fitness.

At U.N., Netanyahu calls Iran's president 'wolf in sheep's clothing'...

By Louis Charbonneau and Dan Williams

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed a charm offensive by Iran's new president as a ruse concocted by a "wolf in sheep's clothing," and declared that Israel was ready to stand alone to deny Tehran an atomic weapon.
In a combative address to the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu spoke harshly about Hassan Rouhani, Iran's new, centrist president who has made diplomatic overtures to the United States and spoke by telephone last week with President Barack Obama.
"Rouhani doesn't sound like Ahmadinejad," Netanyahu said, referring to Rouhani's hardline predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"But when it comes to Iran's nuclear weapons program, the only difference between them is this: Ahmadinejad was a wolf in wolf's clothing, Rouhani is a wolf in sheep's clothing, a wolf who thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of the international community," Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu's address reflected Israeli worries that the emerging signs of what could become a U.S.-Iranian rapprochement might lead to a premature easing of international pressure designed to deny Tehran the means to make a bomb.
"Don't let up the pressure," Netanyahu said, adding that the only deal that could be made with Rouhani was one that "fully dismantles Iran's nuclear weapons program."
The United States, Israel and other countries accuse Iran of using its nuclear program to try to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says the program is for peaceful energy purposes only.
"I want there to be no confusion on this point. Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone. Yet in standing alone, Israel will know that we will be defending many, many others," Netanyahu said.
Rouhani led an Iranian charm offensive at the world forum last week, with long-term adversaries Iran and the United States now preparing for renewed nuclear talks.
In a response to Netanyahu's speech, Khodadad Seifi, a representative of the Iranian U.N. delegation, rejected the Israeli allegations and told the 193-nation General Assembly that Iran was "fully committed" to its nuclear non-proliferation obligations.
"All Iranian nuclear activities are and have always been exclusively for peaceful purposes," he said. "Iran continues to fully cooperate with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)." He was referring to the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog.
Netanyahu said Iran's nuclear program had continued at a "vast and feverish" pace since the election in June of Rouhani.
"Like everyone else, I wish we could believe Rouhani's words, but we must focus on Iran's action," Netanyahu said, adding that sanctions should be tightened if the Iranians pursue nuclear projects while negotiating with world powers.
Referring to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, Netanyahu said, "Since that time, presidents of Iran have come and gone. Some presidents were considered moderates, others hardliners. But they have all served that same unforgiving creed, that same unforgiving regime. ... President Rouhani, like the presidents who came before him, is a loyal servant of the regime."
After meeting with Netanyahu on Monday, Obama reiterated his determination to prevent Iran from getting nuclear arms. Both leaders said their countries were cooperating on the issue.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu made clear that Israel, believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, was prepared to resort to unilateral military action against Iran if it deems diplomacy a dead end.
The bulk of his speech was about Iran, but he also touched on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying the Jewish state was prepared to make a "historic compromise," but he faulted Palestinian leaders for not reciprocating enough.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau, Michelle Nichols and Dan Williams; Editing by Will Dunham)

U.N. shifts Syria aid focus to prepare for long term...

Syrian refugees rest at a new refugee camp on the outskirts of the city of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan …By Tom Miles

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations is shifting its aid effort for Syria to prepare for long-term help to neighboring countries to cope with the humanitarian crisis, the head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday.
More than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria's 2-1/2-year conflict as rebels fight to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Over half of its 20 million people need aid and around 2 million have fled to neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
"The new approach is to combine the emergency with the long-term. For that, humanitarian agencies alone cannot do it," UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres told a news conference in Geneva.
"What we want from now is ... a longer-term kind of approach, not only in relation to humanitarian aspects but in relation to structural aspects, namely related to those areas that are more directly impacted - education, health, infrastructure, housing, environment."
U.N. agencies want to join forces with the World Bank and other international financial agencies to help neighbors of Syria that are shouldering the heaviest burden.
UNHCR said 17 countries were participating in its program to resettle Syrian refugees, including 12 European countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and Mexico.
But resettlement programs so far cover about 10,000 people - a drop in the ocean for a refugee population of 2.1 million and a further 4.25 million displaced people within Syria.
With no sign of a rapid end to the conflict, aid agencies are preparing for a third winter of war.
"Already the impact of this crisis in terms of damage has been huge in terms of damage to the Syrian economy, to the Lebanese economy, to Jordan (and the region)," said Anthony Lake, head of U.N. children's agency UNICEF.
He told Reuters UNICEF in the region was increasingly focusing on building "capacity for the future", citing for example Lebanon's public school system where displaced Syrian children will outnumber Lebanese within a few months.
But UNICEF was also trying to save Syrian children from becoming a "lost generation". Lake said 1 million children were caught in conflict areas and could not be reached by U.N. aid.
"We're increasingly seeing the kids are severely affected, not only physically but also psychologically. So when we help them get back into school or provide textbooks, we are helping to train them for the future with what's in their minds."
The U.N. World Food Programme says it faces growing problems in getting supplies to desperate people in all parts of Syria.
"All sectors of the Syrian economy are collapsing, shortages are forcing food prices up beyond the means of ordinary people, even in the middle classes," said Muhannad Hadi, the WFP's regional emergency coordinator based in Jordan.
Hadi said many WFP convoys were stopped from reaching their destinations by both fighting and roadblocks set up by government forces and rebel units. "We never know when those blocks are going to appear."

(Reporting by Tom Miles and Robert Evans; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

U.S. defends diplomats expelled from Venezuela...

In the latest spat between the ideological foes, Maduro on Monday ordered out three U.S. diplomats including Kelly Keiderling, temporarily in charge of the mission.
He alleged they had been meeting with "right wing" opposition leaders and encouraging acts of sabotage against the South American nation's electricity grid and economy.
"We completely reject the Venezuelan government's allegations of U.S. government involvement in any type of conspiracy to destabilize the Venezuelan government," the embassy said in a statement. "We likewise reject the specific claims against the three members of our embassy."
The U.S. government is still evaluating how it will respond and may take reciprocal action in accordance with the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, the statement said.
Venezuelan state TV, to a backdrop of dramatic music, showed images of diplomatic vehicles and a flight manifest with the names of the U.S. officials that commentators said was proof they met with the opposition in the southeast of the nation.
"The three people were in Bolivar state conducting normal diplomatic engagement," the U.S. Embassy statement said.
"We maintain regular contacts across the Venezuelan political spectrum ... This is what diplomats do."
The expulsions throw a wrench into cautious efforts this year to restore full diplomatic ties that were frayed for most of the 14-year rule of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.
Maduro, Chavez's successor, named a new acting head of Venezuela's U.S. diplomatic mission shortly after his April election in what many took as a sign of warming relations.
That official may now face expulsion in the tit-for-tat style retaliation that has characterized similar incidents in the past.
Chavez in 2008 expelled Ambassador Patrick Duddy over what he called Washington's involvement in violent protests in Bolivia. In 2010, he blocked the nomination of diplomat Larry Palmer over comments that there were "clear ties" between members of Chavez's government and leftist Colombian rebels.

(Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Cynthai Osterman)

Obama blasts ‘Republican shutdown,’ defends Obamacare...

President Obama Blames GOP 'Ideological Crusade' for Government Shutdown (ABC News)

President Barack Obama on Tuesday defiantly declared that “this Republican shutdown” risks hurting the fragile economy and pressed the House GOP to abandon its “ideological crusade” against Obamacare.

“This Republican shutdown did not have to happen,” Obama said in the Rose Garden, surrounded by a dozen Americans who stand to benefit from his landmark health care overhaul.
“They’ve shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans,” he charged. "This, more than anything else, seems to be what the Republican Party stands for these days. I know it's strange that one party would make keeping people uninsured the centerpiece of their agenda, but that apparently is what it is."

Obama pointed to the last partial government shutdown, in 1996, and warned that a closure will hurt the economy.
“And we know that the longer this shutdown continues, the worse the effects will be — more families will be hurt, more businesses will be harmed,” he said. “So once again, I urge House Republicans to reopen the government, restart the services Americans depend on and allow the public servants who have been sent home to return to work.”
Obama directed those listening to www.healthcare.gov if they want to apply for health care exchanges where they can buy insurance, saying it’s time to “get America covered, once and for all.”
The president allowed that the site had suffered glitches — but portrayed it as victim of its own success, saying more than 1 million people visited the site before 7 a.m.
“We're going to be speeding things up in the next few hours to handle all of this demand that exceeds anything that we had expected,” Obama said. “Consider that just a couple of weeks ago, Apple rolled out a new mobile operating system, and within days, they found a glitch, so they fixed it. I don't remember anybody suggesting Apple should stop selling iPhones or iPads or threatening to shut down the company if they didn't. That's not how we do things in America. We don't actively root for failure.”

But House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R.-Calif., said the problems showed the law's underlying failures.
"Americans are attempting to purchase health insurance on Obamacare exchanges and are being met with crashing websites, missing price information, confusing forms and in some cases, exchanges that had to delay their start date because they aren’t ready yet," Issa said in a statement. "These ‘glitches,’ which the President is trying to brush off, reveal how totally unprepared the government is for this launch even with three and a half years to prepare. This is nothing, however, compared to the potentially irreversible damage the law threatens in the long term."

As he began his remarks, Obama’s microphone generated feedback, leading him to worry about a technical glitch. “Can everybody hear me? Mic work?”

NYPD: Motorcyclists pull over, beat SUV driver...

NEW YORK (AP) — A man driving with his family along a New York City highway was attacked and beaten by a large group of motorcyclists who first surrounded his SUV and stopped it on the road, then chased him for miles after he plowed through the blockade of bikes in an attempt to escape.

One biker suffered two broken legs and other severe injuries when the SUV ran over him, police said. A second biker suffered a leg injury. The driver, who was traveling with his wife and toddler, was taken to a hospital where he required stitches to his face.
The frightening assault on the 33-year-old man began around 1:30 p.m. Sunday on Manhattan's West Side Highway and was partially captured on a helmet-mounted video camera worn by one of the riders involved in the chase.
A portion of the video posted on the Internet by an unidentified user shows a large group of bikers swarming around the Range Rover as it heads north on the highway. One of the bikers then moves into the SUV's lane and rides briefly alongside the vehicle, peering in through the driver's side window. It isn't clear from the video what the driver might have done to anger the motorcyclist.
The biker then cuts in front of the Range Rover and, still staring at the driver, suddenly slows down. It isn't captured on the video, but the motorcycle and SUV bumped, police said.
The motorcyclists, 20 to 30 in all, then come to a complete halt on the highway, blocking the SUV's path. Some dismount and approach the vehicle. Police said some of the bikers then began damaging the Range Rover, which isn't clear from the video.
The video shows the SUV suddenly accelerating, bouncing over at least one of the motorcycles and its rider as others scramble to get out of the way. The cyclists give chase, pursuing the driver for about 2 1/2 miles. At one point, the bikers succeed in getting the SUV to stop. One ripped open the driver's door, but he sped away.
The chase ended when the SUV exited the highway and got stuck in traffic on a city street. The video shows one biker using his helmet to smash the driver's window. Police said the group then pulled the man from the SUV and beat him, although that part isn't shown on the recording posted online. The police department confirmed that the video circulating online is authentic.
Police didn't identify the driver, who was not charged. His wife and child were not injured.
On Tuesday, police arrested the biker who was involved in the initial accident. Christopher Cruz, 28, of Passaic, N.J., was charged with reckless endangerment, reckless driving, endangering the welfare of a child and menacing. He was not injured. Cruz was in custody awaiting arraignment Tuesday and hadn't yet been assigned a lawyer. A woman who answered a phone number listed in some records as being connected with the address where Cruz lives said she didn't speak English and hung up the phone.
Police distributed images of two bikers they said were involved in the chase and said they were wanted for assault.
Police believe some of the bikers belong to a gang known as Hollywood Stuntz. They said the motorcyclists were part of a planned but unauthorized event in which hundreds of riders gathered outside of Manhattan, with the intent of driving into Times Square en masse.

Federal shutdown closes the Statue of Liberty and other top tourist sites...

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A sign in Battery Park says the Statue of Liberty is closed due to the government shutdown, Oct. 1, 2013, in New York City (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

NEW YORK—JoAnn Wilson had been planning her trip to the Statue of Liberty since March, when she and a friend booked plane tickets to travel from Seattle to the East Coast. But when they traveled to lower Manhattan Tuesday morning where visitors board ferries to Liberty Island, the women were met with two major disappointments.

First they were scammed by a man who was selling what they later learned from police were counterfeit tickets to the Liberty Island ferry. Then they saw the signs that the Statue of Liberty was closed until further notice along with thousands of other national attractions because of the federal government shutdown. Visitors could still pay to take a $24 cruise to circle the island, but the statue was off limits.

“It’s incredibly disappointing,” Wilson said, as she sat on a bench planning her next steps. She said she had been vaguely familiar with the looming threat of a government shutdown, but didn’t realize it would directly impact a vacation she had planned for months.

“I guess we can hold out hope that maybe they fix this while we are still here, but who wants to bet on that? Neither side down there seems to be interested in working together, and we’re the ones who feel the impact," she said.
Wilson’s frustration was echoed across the country as Americans faced the first full day of the first government shutdown in 17 years.

The shutdown closed some of the nation’s most popular tourist spots, including the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and the hundreds of national parks around the country. That includes Yosemite National Park in California, which had been set to mark its 123th anniversary on Tuesday but was closed.
In Washington, D.C., the memorials and museums along the National Mall were closed or blocked by barricades, including the Lincoln Memorial. But down the mall, visitors to the World War II Memorial--including dozens of veterans--knocked down those barricades and entered the park anyway.
In New York, there seemed to be more reporters than tourists near the site where Park Service officials would usually screen tourists for a trip to Liberty Island. But large tour groups still occasionally wandered up—only to see the signs and walk away dejectedly.
There were no park employees around—save for one.

David Luchsinger, the superintendent of Liberty Island and Ellis Island, was spotted milling among the tourists dressed in his park ranger uniform and hat. He had come to talk to tourists, even though he had been furloughed like thousands of other federal employees around the country.
Asked why he was there, Luchsinger said he felt a responsibility to meet people who had made the pilgrimage to see Lady Liberty and try to explain what was happening.
“People keep asking me, ‘Why?’” he said. “For many people, especially our foreign visitors, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, coming here, and it’s just sad that we have to turn people away.”
But he also worried about the impact on his staff—many of whom had never experienced a government shutdown before and live paycheck to paycheck. That was his experience during the last shutdown 17 years ago, when he was laid off for three weeks while working at Fire Island National Park and was forced to take a temporary job working at a gas station to support his family.

“I don’t profess to understand this or why this is happening,” he said. “I just hope Congress does their job so that we can do ours.”

28-Year-Old Man And His Daughter Arrested For Having S*x With Each Other...

A man and his step-daughter have been arrested and charged with incest in West Virginia.
According to reports, Police arrested 28-year-old Kelcey Nicholas and 21-year-old Lataura Jarrett and charged them with incest even though they are not related by blood and are both over the age of consent.
The couple reportedly face 15 years jail term.
Nicholas married Jarrett’s mother five years ago and authorities allege that she calls him ‘father’
Prosecuting Attorney James ‘P.K.’ Milam, Hopkins clarifies the definition of daughter in West Virginia law;According to state law, a daughter is the natural daughter of a person’s husband or wife — and Nicholas is still married to Jarrett’s mother, Hopkins said.
The two were charged with seven counts of incest, which under West Virginia law carried a penalty of anywhere between five and fifteen years in prison.

Source:

Santa Monica Airport crash..Terrible..

Four bodies were found inside the burned wreckage of a private jet that crashed into a hangar while landing during the weekend, a coroner's official said Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013.

A crew was working to remove the remains from the aircraft at Santa Monica Airport, said Betsy Magdaleno, an investigator with the Los Angeles County coroner's office. (Associated Press)

New Treatment Restore Fertility To Five Barren Women..

In research that might redefine the limits of reproductive technology, scientists were able to restore fertility to five completely infertile women, one of whom later delivered a baby.
The unlikely new mother was a 29-year-old Japanese woman who had been in early menopause. She delivered a healthy baby boy in December using a new procedure developed at Stanford University. The study and the birth were reported Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The experiment was a small one; it involved 27 women in Japan with a condition called primary ovarian insufficiency, in which patients enter early menopause before the age of 40. Of these women, the researchers were able to help eight of them ovulate. They were able to create embryos from eggs retrieved from five of the women. Thus far, two of the women have become pregnant, and one has already successfully given birth, and the other is still pregnant.
While the procedure is still in its infancy, the authors of the report say it could have widespread applications to women who are barren and those who have low rates of ovulation.
“This procedure could be helpful to cancer survivors … [and] middle-aged woman with infrequent menses,” said lead study author Dr. Aaron Hsueh, who is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University.
The procedure is experimental for right now, and likely far too invasive to be considered by most women. It involves removing a woman’s ovary, cutting it into small pieces, treating these pieces with a medicine that stimulates egg development and re-implanting pieces of that ovary near the fallopian tubes, according to the study.
But while the procedure in the study might seem very invasive, Hseuh said he hopes to develop a more local, less invasive treatment in which the medicines used in the study can be directly injected into patients, thus bypassing the surgical removal of the ovary that was done in this study.
Hsueh added that one day, when it is combined with today’s IVF technologies, it might help increase the overall rates of successful pregnancies.
Dr. Rick Paulson, director of the fertility program at the University of Southern California, said the study, while preliminary, might offer promise going forward for women who today have no real prospects of being able to get pregnant.
“This is completely outside of current clinical practice,” said Paulson, who was not involved with the study.

Bukenya one for the future - Baxter..

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter welcomed Amakhosi’s new signing Ivan Bukenya following his conclusion of a two-year deal on Monday and described him as one for the future.

Speaking after taking the team's morning training session on Tuesday, Baxter said he was impressed by the Ugandan international. He added that the signing was part of the team's re-engineering process.

"This is part of the process of refreshing the team. Ivan is tall and very strong plus he has age on his side. We are strong at the back and we looked at him as one for the future and also giving us options tactically. He understands his role in the team as we have described it to him. He is willing to adapt and to take it one step at the time. I am excited to have him as part of the squad," said Baxter.

The Amakhosi coach said it might take some time before the Ugandan is given a run in the league or official cup competitions.

"I will not rush him until we are satisfied that he has adapted to our system as well as the culture in and around the Club. As I said before he arrived I heard good things about him and had an opportunity to look at him in the past month to analyse him and I am satisfied with what I have seen so far," Baxter said.

Bukenya will however get a taste of how it feels to wear the Chiefs jersey when his new team plays Bloemfontein Celtic in the Macufe Cup October 13 in Bloemfontein.

Obamacare: The Exchanges Are Here. Experts Answer Your Questions Live...

The federal government isn’t quite open for business today, but the health exchanges – the centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010 – have officially launched today. (The exchanges are not affected by the shutdown that began at midnight because they are already funded.)

The Obama administration expects millions of consumers to apply for private insurance coverage. The first open enrollment period is six months – beginning in October and going through March 2014. And most Americans will be required to have health insurance, or pay a fine, starting in January.

So how do these insurance exchanges work and who should use them? There is, of course, much confusion. The rollout will, no doubt, come with some glitches. But if all (or most) goes according to plan, consumers who don’t have insurance or who buy it on their own will be able to shop for coverage online, and get subsidies depending on their income. Currently, 14 states have their own online exchanges, while the rest run in whole or part by the government.
Whether you’re generally confused about what the law does or you’re unclear how your medical history will impact your eligibility for getting insurance, post your questions in our live chat above, and our experts will do their best to help.

Congress continues to squabble on first day of a government shutdown..

On the morning of the first federal government shutdown in 17 years, the political brinkmanship reached a stalemate when the Senate rejected a House request for a conference committee to take up a proposal to fund the government through Dec. 15 and delay a key part of the Affordable Care Act.
The Democrat-controlled Senate on Tuesday voted to table the House bill passed overnight that proposed the committee. The House bill also included language that would prohibit congressional staff members from receiving subsidies for their health care plans and delay Obamacare’s individual mandate to buy health insurance for one year.

By transitioning to a conference committee, the House and Senate would each appoint members to work out a deal to fund the government and end the shutdown. But appointing a committee would take the talks from public view to closed-door negotiating rooms where lawmakers and staffers could hash out their differences in private.
The Senate's refusal to accept the Republican proposal is the latest indication that the government shutdown, which began at midnight Tuesday, won't end immediately. This is the first shutdown since federal operations closed down under former President Bill Clinton in 1996
Before turning down the latest House offer Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the upper chamber would not accept conference talks until the House approves a measure to fund the government for six weeks that includes no extra amendments such as the ones aimed at crippling the federal health care law. Until the House passes a “clean” bill, he said, negotiations would stall.
"We will not go to conference with a gun to our head,” Reid said on the Senate floor.
The result of a shutdown came after House Republicans repeatedly refused to pass a bill to set federal spending levels unless the federal health care law was defunded or delayed. Senate Democrats and President Barack Obama repeatedly said they would not accept any spending bill that tampers with the law.
Last week, the House passed a bill to completely defund the health law. When the Senate rejected it, the House passed another version that would have abolished a tax on medical devices and delayed the law for a year. When the Senate rejected that, House Republicans passed another bill that would have delayed the individual mandate and revoked health insurance subsidies for congressional staffers. After the Senate said no to that, the clock ran out and the government shut down. That’s when the House asked for private negotiations — surprise, the Senate turned that down — and that’s where the parties stand now.

Meanwhile, Obama, who has called on Congress to pass a clean bill to fund the government, called the shutdown “completely preventable.”
"This shutdown was completely preventable,” Obama wrote in a letter to federal employees. “It should not have happened."

Obama is scheduled to make a statement in the Rose Garden at 12:25 p.m. ET about the opening Tuesday of Obamacare insurance exchanges and about the government shutdown.

The back-and-forth between the parties will continue throughout the day, as House Republicans recalibrate their strategy and Senate lawmakers huddle for partisan meetings this afternoon.

Unless they can find a compromise, the government will remain shut down until further notice.

The Republican strategy of coupling anti-Obamacare legislation with the threat of a government shutdown is unpopular, according to a national Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. American voters oppose the GOP's tactic by a ratio of 72 to 22 percent, according to the poll.

Kim Kardashian Stuns at Paris Fashion Week With Two Sexy Looks..

Kim and Kanye head to Givenchy / Kim looks leggy and gorgeous strolling around Paris (WireImage/PacificCoastNe …

She's baaack!
Three and a half months after giving birth to daughter North West, Kim Kardashian made a triumphant return to the spotlight at Paris Fashion Week.

The 32-year-old reality star seriously stepped up her style game, rocking several fashion-forward looks over the weekend.
Leaving little Nori at home, Kim departed L.A. on Friday to meet up with beau Kanye West in the City of Light. After the 11-hour flight, Kim naturally looked a bit tired, but the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star quickly ditched her comfy leggings in favor of more fashionable attire.

On Saturday, Kim wore a form-fitting nude dress, an oversized camel wool coat, nude heels, and a gold "Nori" nameplate necklace (although she kept it tucked under her frock at times) as she and Kanye headed to the office of designer Stephane Rolland. The nude color did wonders to accentuate Kim's leggy look!
After their meeting, the 36-year-old rapper, who looked effortlessly chic as well, took his lady love to dine at the posh L'Avenue for lunch.

Kim looked a bit tired after touching down in Paris, but she sure rebounded nicely! (Splash News)

That certainly wasn't Kim's only great look of the weekend.
The superstar couple sat front row at the Givenchy show on Sunday evening and upon their arrival Kim turned heads thanks to her edgy gown.
Sporting a sexy black peplum dress with a thigh-high split and strappy red stilettos, Kardashian looked confident as she hit the town with Kanye, who opted for an all-black getup.
On Sunday, Kardashian took to Twitter to thank Riccardo Tisci, the creative director of the French fashion house, who apparently made the dress for Kim just one day prior to the event.
"Thank you Ricky for making this for me the day before the show. I die for you. ‪#Givenchy4lifebaby," she wrote on Instagram.
Tisci also designed the dress Kim wore to the Met Gala in May, which was widely panned online and only encouraged those people who were already criticizing her pregnancy weight gain to attack her more.

Clearly, Kardashian is getting the last laugh.

Serero must explain - Igesund..

Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Thulani Serero will not be considered for future Bafana Bafana matches until he has written a letter to the association explaining himself after claiming that he was injured only to feature for his club a few days later.

The exclusion of Serero from the squad that will player Morocco on October 11 was not a surprise as the former Ajax Cape Town player is currently nursing an injury.

Bafana coach Gordon Igesund said that, even if the player was fit, he would have not been considered for this match. This is due to outstanding issues from the last camp where Serero was ordered out of the camp on the eve of the crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier against Botswana in Durban last month. This, Igesund said, did not mean that the door is closed on Serero.

Serero was asked to leave the camp for his lack of commitment after claiming that he was injured when, according to the medical team, that was not the case. However, Serero went on the offensive subsequent to that. He released a statement through his manager in SA stating that he did not fake injury and that he was committed to the national team.

A few days later he featured for his Dutch team in a league match before coming on as a second-half substitute in the Uefa Champions League match against Barcelona last week.

Igesund said the matter is now in the hands of the association, who have requested Serero to write a letter explaining himself. Until then, the player will not be considered for selection, Igesund said.

Full Bafana Squad

Goalkeepers: Itumeleng Khune (C) (Kaizer Chiefs), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United), Darren Keet (KV Kortrijk, Belgium)

Defenders: Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk, Belgium), Thabo Nthete (Bloemfontein Celtic), Bongani Khumalo (Doncaster Rovers, England), Tsepo Masilela (Kaizer Chiefs), Buhle Mkhwanazi (Tuks), Siyanda Xulu (FC Rostov, Russia), Kgosi Nthle (Peterborough, England)

Midfielders: Kamohelo Mokotjo (PEC Zwolle, Holland), Bongani Zungu (Mamelodi Sundowns), Sibusiso Vilakazi (Bidvest Wits), Ayanda Patosi (Lokeren, Belgium), Daylon Claasen (Lech Poznan, Poland), Keagan Dolly (Ajax Cape Town), Dean Furman (Doncaster Rovers, England), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Crystal Palace, England), Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs), Lerato Chabangu (Moroka Swallows)

Strikers: Tokelo Rantie (Bournemouth, England), Kermit Erasmus (Orlando Pirates), Bernard Parker (Kaizer Chiefs).

Rhino horn poaching hits new record in South Africa..

The carcass of a rhino is seen after it was killed for its horn by poachers at the Kruger National Park …

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The number of rhinos killed by poachers has hit a new annual record in South Africa, raising worries of a downward population spiral in a country that is home to almost all of Africa's rhinos.
As of the end of September, 704 rhinos had been killed by poachers in South Africa, exceeding the annual record of 668 set in 2012, according to data provided by the Environmental Affairs ministry on Tuesday.
If the trend keeps at its current pace, more than 1,000 rhinos would be killed in 2014, putting the species on the brink of a population decline that the ministry has said could lead to the end of wild rhinos in about a decade.
The greatest threat to the estimated 22,000 rhinos in South Africa comes from those trying to cash in on the black market value of their horn, which sells at prices higher than gold.
Many of the poachers come from neighbouring Mozambique and sell the horn to crime syndicates to feed rapidly rising demand in Southeast Asia, where the horn is thought by some to cure cancer and tame hangovers.
"We need people to be ashamed of this. The fact that our rhinos are killed is because there is a market out there. There are people who are coming to steal our heritage," said Fundisile Mketeni, a top biodiversity official at the ministry.
He said a baby boom among rhino stocks is softening the blow, while the ministry has mounted a global campaign to shut the doors for illegal exports to places such as Vietnam, China and Thailand, which are the main consumers of the contraband.
ARMS RACE
Most of the killings are taking place in the flagship Kruger National Park, which borders Mozambique. The park covers an area about the size of Israel and has been the focus of an arms race between poachers and rangers.
The park service has been turning its rangers into soldiers, using drones to patrol airspace and sending out crack units by helicopter once suspected poachers have been sighted.
"The poaching syndicates are determined to carry on with their nefarious acts, using the poverty that is prevalent in Mozambique and South Africa to recruit poachers," said Ike Phaahla, a spokesman with South African National Parks.
Up until about 2010, only a handful of rhinos were poached but the number shot up when rumours circulated at about that time that a Vietnamese minister's relative was cured of cancer by the horn. There is no basis in science to support the claim.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the horn was used to treat maladies from rheumatism to devil possession. Now, many newly rich Vietnamese consume it after a hard night of partying.
Rhino horn, once seen as a treatment only for royalty, is being swallowed by a small segment of the Vietnamese population who can afford prices of about $65,000 a kilogram, conservation groups say.
Due to the high costs, much of the so-called rhino horn sold at pharmacies in major cities is fake, with buffalo horn the main substitute.

"There is a small group who have the money for rhino horn. We need to get out scientific evidence to show the people of Vietnam that it doesn't work," Vo Tuan Nhan, vice chairman of the Vietnamese parliament's science and environment committee, told a seminar in Johannesburg last month.

How Lolo Jones Gained 30 Pounds For Bobsled...

For Lolo Jones, it was part of her job.

The Olympic hurdler, who is now hoping to make the Winter Olympic team as a bobsledder, told USA Today that she's gained some 30 pounds during the past few months. She's done so by eating 9,000 calories a day on a diet which includes two 1,365-calorie protein shakes and a McDonald's double bacon cheeseburger.

And it looks like she's thrown a donut or two into the mix:

Whereas in track the leaner the better, in bobsled the idea is "mass pushes mass." And Jones could not be more satisfied with her new weight.

"I'm the heaviest ever in my life," Jones said. "It took so much work. I'm three pounds away from my ultimate goal."

While Jones says she weighed in at about 135 pounds when she competed in the London Olympics last year, after coming away without a medal she became depressed let her weight slip into the 120s.

It wasn't easy to gain so much weight while also maintaing her figure, but leave it to a potential two-sport Olympic athlete to pull it off.

"I'm pumped about this muscle weight," Jones said. "My abs are still there. I'm still cut, just super solid."