U.S. Ranked 32nd in World for Press Freedom?At Least We?re Not China

When New York City police began their surprise raid on the Occupy Wall Street camp in November 2011, authorities tried to impose a media blackout. Sanitation crews began dismantling tents and peeling mattresses and abandoned guitars off the street and tossing them into Dumpsters. Reporters trying to cover the story were badgered and harassed. Some journalists resisted police orders to leave the area and were arrested.

Police displayed the same intolerance to press presence in subsequent Occupy crackdowns in cities around the country. This seemingly systemic battering and removal of journalists caused America to slide down 27 places in the World Press Freedom Index, a ranking that?s based on things like transparency, plurality, media censorship and a safe working environment for reporters. In 2011, Niger and El Salvador were considered easier places for journalists to work than the United States.

?Even in strong democracies, when there are huge demonstration movements, sometimes the authorities forget the normal rights of journalists to access information,? Delphine Halgand, Washington, D.C., director of Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the press freedom advocacy group that complies the Index, tells TakePart.?

In 2012, the United States rebounded?although not nearly to the heights of Finland (ranked best in world), Netherlands (trying harder at number two) or Norway (a solid third globally)?and now sits in 32nd place, ahead of Lithuania but behind Surinam. The world?s leading democracy still has a long way to go, says Halgand. ?[President] Obama made a lot of promises, but we didn?t see a lot translated into reality.?

She points to the USA?s lack of a federal shield law to protect journalists from being compelled to reveal confidential sources in court proceedings. Such a law might have spared New York Times reporter James Risen entanglement in the Obama Administration?s prosecution of former CIA agent Jeffrey?Sterling, whom the administration alleges was a source for Risen?s reporting on national security.

In 2011, Niger and El Salvador were considered easier places for journalists to work than the United States.

Moreover, Halgand points to the upcoming trial of Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of leaking national security secrets to WikiLeaks. ?It?s really difficult to follow. There?s no written transcript,? she says. ?It can still be very difficult to have access to information.?

While America has climbed in the rankings, its neighbors to the north and south didn?t fare so well last year.

Canada barely avoided dropping out of the top 20 after falling 10 positions. The downgrade was due to Canadian authorities? obstruction of journalists during the so-called ?Maple Spring? student movement in Quebec and to continuing threats to the confidentiality of journalists? sources and Internet users? personal data from the C-30 bill on cyber-crime, according to the RWB report.

To the south, Mexico?where six journalists were killed last year?has maintained its status as the hemisphere?s most dangerous country for the media. It ranks 153 in the world for press freedom, three places behind Iraq.

But it could be worse. China?s military reportedly hacked into the computers of several New York Times journalists who were reporting on the country?s corrupt political leadership. China is ranked 173rd and ?shows no sign of improving,? according to the report. ?Its prisons still hold many journalists and netizens, while increasingly unpopular Internet censorship continues to be a major obstacle to access to information.?

Meanwhile, Eritrea and North Korea?are the bottom one and two on the Index, giving them the distinction of being the countries that respect media freedom least in the world.?

What issues do you feel are underreported in the U.S. press? Call for action in COMMENTS.

Related Stories on TakePart:

? Guess Which Country Ranks 47th in Press Freedoms

? Ron Haviv: "There Is a Need for Photojournalists"

? New York Times' David Carr: 'If I Don't Type This, Then I Don't Really Exist'

---

Sean J. Miller is a Los Angeles-based writer. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Back Stage, The?Christian Science Monitor and?The Hill.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-ranked-32nd-world-press-freedom-least-not-184055071.html

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Are Stocks Getting Ready To Correct? | Stock Market Blog ...

Odds Favor Pullback vs. Ongoing Vertical Ascent

A common sense tenet of investing is assessing possible risk relative to the possible reward. As we have noted since January 24, the stock market?s risk/reward ratio has entered unfavorable territory. When markets correct, it is typical to ?retrace or give back? 38.2% of the recent gains. As shown below, if the stock market experienced a typical ?give back?, the S&P 500 could drop 63 points.

Since the November 2012 low, the S&P 500 has gained 166 points ? a big move. From a risk/reward perspective, a fair question is ?are the odds better for the S&P 500 to tack on another 63 points or do the odds favor the market giving back 63 points?? While we are not calling for a 63 point pullback, we believe the answer is the ?63 point give back? is the higher probability outcome.

Cyclical Stocks Losing Momentum

According to the AMEX, the Morgan Stanley (MS) Cyclical Index:

?Is designed to measure the performance of economically sensitive industries within the U.S. economy and detect shifts in investor sentiment. The CYC Index comprises 30 stocks from over 25 industries, including automobiles, metals, papers, machinery, chemicals and transportation.?

When the MS Cyclical Index is outperforming the broader market, it reflects optimism about the economy. When the index begins to lose steam relative to the S&P 500, it is indicative of slowing bullish momentum about future economic outcomes. As we explain in detail at the 6:28 mark of the video below, the MS Cyclical Index has been hinting at a possible reversal relative to the broader market, which in turn is concerning for stock bulls.

After you click play, use the button in the lower-right corner of the video player to view in full-screen mode. Hit Esc to exit full-screen mode.

Below is an updated version of the MS Cyclical Index?s performance relative to the S&P 500. Recently, reversals within the blue trend channel (see A1 & B1) have been followed by weakness in the S&P 500 (see above A2 & B2). If the pattern holds, the turn down this week below C1 hints at some corrective action in the stock market.

Fear Index Says ?Be Careful?

The VIX is also known as the Fear Index. When the S&P 500 is outperforming the VIX, ?risk-on? tends to be in fashion. Conversely, when the VIX begins to outperform stocks, the odds of entering a ?risk-off? or corrective phase increase. As shown below, the S&P 500 relative to the VIX recently broke above resistance in a manner consistent with ?risk-on?. Since then, the breakout is beginning to look more like a ?fake out?. As of Thursday morning, the VIX has beaten the S&P 500 by roughly 10% this week, which raises a yellow flag for stock bulls.

The Battle of Inflation vs. Deflation

Stock market corrections tend to coincide with increasing concerns about future economic growth. Prolonged periods of economic weakness are deflationary events since waning demand causes asset prices to fall. When investors are more concerned about inflation vs. deflation, the ratio of silver (SLV) to Treasuries (TLT) tends to rise. When investors are more concerned about economic weakness and deflation, the ratio below tends to fall (see chart below).

With the Fed running the printing presses at breakneck speed, fears of inflation have had the upper hand in recent weeks. If the chart above breaks out to the upside, our concerns about a stock market correction would lessen. If the ratio begins to fall into the ?Deflation Fears? area above, our concerns about stock prices would increase.

What Goes Up Can Come Down ? Fast

As we noted January 25, when markets begin to advance in a near-vertical manner, it becomes more and more difficult to manage risk. Charts that ?go straight up? can also ?come straight down?. If the NASDAQ breaks below the blue support lines shown below, a fairly quick drop back toward 3060 could be in the cards. Markets tend to fill ?white space? on charts once bullish momentum deteriorates.

After noting an improving risk/reward profile on November 19, 2012, we began buying back stocks. Last week, as the risk/reward profile was becoming increasingly less favorable we booked profits in small-caps (IWM), transportation (IYT), mid-caps (MDY), emerging markets (EEM), technology (QQQ), and the broad market (SPY). The market can quickly erase gains that have taken months to accrue. By converting the gains to cash, they cannot be taken away by the market. Thus, with profits booked we are in better control relative to our next moves. If the market corrects, we can redeploy our profits at lower levels. If the market begins behaving in a more favorable manner, we can always buy back in when the risk/reward ratio is more favorable.

Could stocks continue to march higher in a straight line? Absolutely, positively yes, but it is not likely. We are not calling a top; just trying to invest prudently and protect our gains.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 31st, 2013 at 12:43 pm and is filed under Stocks - U.S.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://ciovaccocapital.com/wordpress/index.php/stock-market-us/are-stocks-getting-ready-to-correct/

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Archaic Native Americans built massive Louisiana mound in less than 90 days

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Nominated early this year for recognition on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which includes such famous cultural sites as the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and Stonehenge, the earthen works at Poverty Point, La., have been described as one of the world's greatest feats of construction by an archaic civilization of hunters and gatherers.

Now, new research in the current issue of the journal Geoarchaeology, offers compelling evidence that one of the massive earthen mounds at Poverty Point was constructed in less than 90 days, and perhaps as quickly as 30 days ? an incredible accomplishment for what was thought to be a loosely organized society consisting of small, widely scattered bands of foragers.

"What's extraordinary about these findings is that it provides some of the first evidence that early American hunter-gatherers were not as simplistic as we've tended to imagine," says study co-author T.R. Kidder, PhD, professor and chair of anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

"Our findings go against what has long been considered the academic consensus on hunter-gather societies ? that they lack the political organization necessary to bring together so many people to complete a labor-intensive project in such a short period."

Co-authored by Anthony Ortmann, PhD, assistant professor of geosciences at Murray State University in Kentucky, the study offers a detailed analysis of how the massive mound was constructed some 3,200 years ago along a Mississippi River bayou in northeastern Louisiana.

Based on more than a decade of excavations, core samplings and sophisticated sedimentary analysis, the study's key assertion is that Mound A at Poverty Point had to have been built in a very short period because an exhaustive examination reveals no signs of rainfall or erosion during its construction.

"We're talking about an area of northern Louisiana that now tends to receive a great deal of rainfall," Kidder says. "Even in a very dry year, it would seem very unlikely that this location could go more than 90 days without experiencing some significant level of rainfall. Yet, the soil in these mounds shows no sign of erosion taking place during the construction period. There is no evidence from the region of an epic drought at this time, either."

Part of a much larger complex of earthen works at Poverty Point, Mound A is believed to be the final and crowning addition to the sprawling 700-acre site, which includes five smaller mounds and a series of six concentric C-shaped embankments that rise in parallel formation surrounding a small flat plaza along the river. At the time of construction, Poverty Point was the largest earthworks in North America.

Built on the western edge of the complex, Mound A covers about 538,000 square feet [roughly 50,000 square meters] at its base and rises 72 feet above the river. Its construction required an estimated 238,500 cubic meters ? about eight million bushel baskets ? of soil to be brought in from various locations near the site. Kidder figures it would take a modern, 10-wheel dump truck about 31,217 loads to move that much dirt today.

"The Poverty Point mounds were built by people who had no access to domesticated draft animals, no wheelbarrows, no sophisticated tools for moving earth," Kidder explains. "It's likely that these mounds were built using a simple 'bucket brigade' system, with thousands of people passing soil along from one to another using some form of crude container, such as a woven basket, a hide sack or a wooden platter."

Kidder analyzes the varied colors and layers of the soils of Mound A, which are a result of the building process. Indians carried basket-loads of dirt weighing roughly 55 pounds and piled them up carefully to form the mound.

To complete such a task within 90 days, the study estimates it would require the full attention of some 3,000 laborers. Assuming that each worker may have been accompanied by at least two other family members, say a wife and a child, the community gathered for the build must have included as many as 9,000 people, the study suggests.

"Given that a band of 25-30 people is considered quite large for most hunter-gatherer communities, it's truly amazing that this ancient society could bring together a group of nearly 10,000 people, find some way to feed them and get this mound built in a matter of months," Kidder says.

Soil testing indicates that the mound is located on top of land that was once low-lying swamp or marsh land ? evidence of ancient tree roots and swamp life still exists in undisturbed soils at the base of the mound. Tests confirm that the site was first cleared for construction by burning and quickly covered with a layer of fine silt soil. A mix of other heavier soils then were brought in and dumped in small adjacent piles, gradually building the mound layer upon layer.

As Kidder notes, previous theories about the construction of most of the world's ancient earthen mounds have suggested that they were laid down slowly over a period of hundreds of years involving small contributions of material from many different people spanning generations of a society. While this may be the case for other earthen structures at Poverty Point, the evidence from Mound A offers a sharp departure from this accretional theory.

Kidder's home base in St. Louis is just across the Mississippi River from one of America's best known ancient earthen structures, the Monk Mound at Cahokia, Ill. He notes that the Monk Mound was built many centuries later than the mounds at Poverty Point by a civilization that was much more reliant on agriculture, a far cry from the hunter-gatherer group that built Poverty Point. Even so, Mound A at Poverty Point is much larger than almost any other mound found in North America; only Monk's Mound at Cahokia is larger.

"We've come to realize that the social fabric of these socieites must have been much stronger and more complex that we might previously have given them credit. These results contradict the popular notion that pre-agricultural people were socially, politically, and economically simple and unable to organize themselves into large groups that could build elaborate architecture or engage in so-called complex social behavior," Kidder says. "The prevailing model of hunter-gatherers living a life 'nasty, brutish and short' is contradicted and our work indicates these people were practicing a sophisticated ritual/religious life that involved building these monumental mounds."

###

Washington University in St. Louis: http://www.wustl.edu

Thanks to Washington University in St. Louis for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126557/Archaic_Native_Americans_built_massive_Louisiana_mound_in_less_than____days

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RIM rebrands as BlackBerry; launches nifty new devices

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd on Wednesday unveiled the long-delayed line of smartphones it hopes will put it on the comeback trail, but it disappointed investors by saying U.S. sales of its all-new BlackBerry 10 devices will not start until March, sending its share price tumbling 12 percent.

Chief Executive Thorsten Heins also announced that RIM was abandoning the name it has used since its inception in 1985 to take the name of its signature product, signaling his hopes for a fresh start for the company that pioneered on-your-hip email.

"From this point forward, RIM becomes BlackBerry," Heins said at the New York launch. "It is one brand; it is one promise."

RIM, which is already starting to call itself BlackBerry, had initially planned to launch the new BlackBerry 10 devices a year ago. But it pushed the release date back twice as it struggled to perfect a new operating system.

Ahead of Wednesday's announcements, analysts had said that any launch after February would be a black mark for the Canada-based company.

"The biggest disappointment was the delay in the U.S., that it will take so long before the devices get going there," said Eric Jackson, founder and managing Partner at Ironfire Capital LLC in New York.

Heins said the delays reflected the need for U.S. carrier testing, although carrier AT&T Inc offered few clues on what that meant. Instead, the carrier merely stated it was enthusiastic about the devices and would announce availability, pricing and other information at a later date.

"Carriers in all other parts of the world get their devices through the testing process significantly faster than the U.S. carriers do," said John Jackson, an analyst at IDC, adding that the U.S. process can often take "weeks" longer.

Nevertheless investors were extremely disappointed with the delay and RIM shares on the Nasdaq ended the day 12 percent lower at $13.78. Its Toronto-listed shares fell by almost the same margin to close at C$13.86.

RIM launched its first BlackBerry back in 1999 as a way for busy executives to stay in touch with their clients and their offices, and the company quickly cornered the market for secure corporate and government emails.

But its star faded as competition rose and the BlackBerry is now a far-behind also-ran in the race for market share, with a 3.4 percent global showing in the fourth quarter - down from 20 percent three years before. Its North American market share is even smaller - a mere 2 percent in the fourth quarter.

RIM shares have tumbled along with the company's market share and the stock is down 90 percent since its 2008 peak. Despite the pullback on Wednesday, RIM's share price has more than doubled over the last four months, reflecting the growing buzz about its new devices.

TOUCH COMPETITION

The new BlackBerry 10 phones will compete with Apple's iPhone and devices using Google's Android technology, both of which have soared above the BlackBerry in a competitive market.

The BlackBerry 10 devices boast fast browsers, new features, smart cameras and - unlike previous BlackBerry models - enter the market primed with a large application library, including services such as Skype and the popular game Angry Birds.

The BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen device, in black or white, will be the first to hit the market, with a country-by-country rollout that starts in Britain on Thursday.

A Q10 model, equipped with a small "qwerty" keyboard that RIM made into its trademark, will launch globally in April.

"I'm still confident that a lot of the subscriber base are going to want the upgrade to BlackBerry 10. It's a very strong improvement over what they currently have. This is not going to cause mass defections from iOS and Android, but it doesn't have to be a success for RIM. You've got to start somewhere," said Jackson of Ironfire, which owns shares in RIM.

The Z10 device won a lukewarm review from The Wall Street Journal's tech blogger Walt Mossberg, who complained of a shortage of apps.

On the other hand, David Pogue, who writes for The New York Times, apologized for describing BlackBerry as doomed in the past. The Z10 touchscreen device was "lovely, fast and efficient, bristling with fresh, useful ideas," he said.

While technology analysts conceded that RIM has done quite a remarkable job on many of the features of BlackBerry 10 and on the array of its app selection for a new platform, many argue it will be a very tough slog for RIM to regain its crown.

"I don't think that RIM will return to its glory days," said Charles Golvin, analyst at Forrester Research. "Success for them looks like staunching the bleeding and clawing back a percentage or point or two of market share."

Announcements about pricing so far have been in line with expectations. U.S. carrier Verizon Wireless said the phone would cost $199 for a two-year contract, while Canada's Rogers Communications is quoting C$149 ($150) for certain three-year plans.

GLITZY LAUNCH

RIM picked a range of venues for its global launch parties, including Dubai's $650-a-night Armani Hotel, which occupies six floors of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower.

The New York event took place in a sprawling basketball facility on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, just north of the Manhattan Bridge. The BlackBerry has been "Re-designed. Re-engineered. Re-invented," RIM said.

RIM, which is splurging on a Super Bowl ad to promote its new phones, also introduced Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Alicia Keys as its global creative director.

"I was in a long-term relationship with BlackBerry and then I started to notice some new, kind of hotter, attractive, sexier phones at the gym, and I kind of broke up with you for something that had a little more bling," Keys said at the New York launch.

"But I always missed the way you organized my life and the way you were there for me at my job, and so I started to have two phones - I was kind of playing the field. But then ... you added a lot more features ... and now, we're exclusively dating again, and I'm very happy," she said.

($1=$1.0029 Canadian)

(Writing by Janet Guttsman; editing by Frank McGurty, Lisa Von Ahn, Peter Galloway, G Crosse)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rim-rebrands-blackberry-launches-nifty-devices-000429316.html

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Squishy Science: Extract DNA from Smashed Strawberries

A genetically geared activity from Science Buddies

By Science Buddies

Image: George Resteck

• 

  Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

  Read More??

Key concepts
DNA
Genome
Genes
Extraction
Laboratory techniques

Introduction
Have you ever wondered how scientists extract DNA from an organism? All living organisms have DNA, which is short for deoxyribonucleic acid; it is basically the blueprint for everything that happens inside an organism?s cells. Overall, DNA tells an organism how to develop and function, and is so important that this complex compound is found in virtually every one of its cells. In this activity you?ll make your own DNA extraction kit from household chemicals and use it to separate DNA from strawberries.?
??
Background
Whether you?re a human, rat, tomato or bacterium, each of your cells will have DNA inside of it (with some rare exceptions, such as mature red blood cells in humans). Each cell has an entire copy of the same set of instructions, and this set is called the genome. Scientists study DNA for many reasons: They can figure out how the instructions stored in DNA help your body to function properly. They can use DNA to make new medicines or genetically modify crops to be resistant to insects. They can solve who is a suspect of a crime, and can even use ancient DNA to reconstruct evolutionary histories!

To get the DNA from a cell, scientists typically rely on one of many DNA extraction kits available from biotechnology companies. During a DNA extraction, a detergent will cause the cell to pop open, or lyse, so that the DNA is released into solution. Then alcohol added to the solution causes the DNA to precipitate out. In this activity, strawberries will be used because each strawberry cell has eight copies of the genome, giving them a lot of DNA per cell. (Most organisms only have one genome copy per cell.)

Materials

• Rubbing alcohol
• Measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Salt
• Water
• Dishwashing liquid (for hand-washing dishes)
• Glass or small bowl
• Cheesecloth
• Funnel
• Tall drinking glass
• Three strawberries
• Resealable plastic sandwich bag
• Small glass jar (such as a spice or baby food jar)
• Bamboo skewer, available at most grocery stores. (If you use a baby food or short spice jar, you could substitute a toothpick for the skewer.)

Preparation

• Chill the rubbing alcohol in the freezer. (You?ll need it later.)
• Mix one half teaspoon of salt, one third cup of water and one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid in a glass or small bowl. Set the mixture aside. This is your extraction liquid. Why do you think there is detergent in the extraction liquid?
• Completely line the funnel with cheesecloth. Insert the funnel tube into the tall drinking glass (not the glass with the extraction liquid in it).
• Remove and discard the green tops from the strawberries.

Procedure

• Put the strawberries into a resealable plastic sandwich bag and push out all of the extra air. Seal the bag tightly.
• With your fingers, squeeze and smash the strawberries for two minutes. How do the smashed strawberries look?
• Add three tablespoons of the extraction liquid you prepared to the strawberries in the bag. Push out all of the extra air and reseal the bag. How do you think the detergent and salt will affect the strawberry cells?
• Squeeze the strawberry mixture with your fingers for one minute. How do the smashed strawberries look now?
• Pour the strawberry mixture from the bag into the funnel. Let it drip through the cheesecloth and into the tall glass until there is very little liquid left in the funnel (only wet pulp remains). How does the filtered strawberry liquid look?
• Pour the filtered strawberry liquid from the tall glass into the small glass jar so that the jar is one quarter full.
• Measure out one half cup of cold rubbing alcohol.
• Tilt the jar and very slowly pour the alcohol down its side. Pour until the alcohol has formed approximately a one-inch-deep layer on top of the strawberry liquid. You may not need all of the one half cup of alcohol to form the one-inch layer. Do not let the strawberry liquid and alcohol mix.
• Study the mixture inside of the jar. The strawberry DNA will appear as gooey clear/white stringy stuff. Do you see anything in the jar that might be strawberry DNA? If so, where in the jar is it?
• Dip the bamboo skewer into the jar where the strawberry liquid and alcohol layers meet and then pull up the skewer. Did you see anything stick to the skewer that might be DNA? Can you spool any DNA onto the skewer????
• Extra: You can try using this DNA extraction activity on lots of other things. Grab some oatmeal or kiwis from the kitchen and try it again! Which foods give you the most DNA?
• Extra: If you have access to a milligram scale (called a balance), you can measure how much DNA you get (called a yield). Just weigh your clean bamboo skewer and then weigh the skewer again after you have used it to fish out as much DNA as you could from your strawberry DNA extraction. Subtract the initial weight of the skewer from its weight with the DNA to get your final yield of DNA. What was the weight of your DNA yield?
• Extra: Try to tweak different variables in this activity to see how you could change your strawberry DNA yield. For example, you could try starting with different amounts of strawberries, using different detergents or different DNA sources (such as oatmeal or kiwis). Which conditions give you the best DNA yield?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=7edf7a4697fe9a890d420068e17cc1fd

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Dr. Pollock of Stuart, FL has been named a Patients' Choice Award Winner for 2012

STUART, Fla., Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Among the select few physicians honored with the prestigious Patients' Choice Award this year is Dr. James Pollock.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130130/DC51280)

In fact, of the nation's 870,000 active physicians and dentists, just five percent?consistently received top scores from their patients on sites like Vitals (http://www.vitals.com), qualifying them for this honor in 2012.

Millions of patients go online each year to rate their doctors on various components of care, including accuracy of their diagnosis, the amount of time they spent with the doctor, and the doctor's bedside manner and follow-up care. Patients' Choice reviews these rankings and other quality measures to compile its yearly list of award winners.

Dr. James Pollock commented on the recognition: "I'm so honored to receive an award that's based on how my patients view the quality of care I provide. I strive each day to exceed my patients' expectations, and I'm grateful that they've recognized my efforts."

About James Pollock: a short profile by and about the honoree:
The most important relationship that a Physician can have with a patient is through the love of Jesus Christ. As an active duty USAF/SOCOM (OIF VET X 2) Combat Doctor before getting wounded in Iraq 2008, I learned this truth. I am now part of the best MBA training program in the U.S. while still serving my patients, Wounded Warrior Foundation (www.WoundedSoldierFoundation.org), my family/friends, patients & scores of Doctors via one-on-one instruction. I value my relationships with Congressmen in those areas above.

For more information on this Patients' Choice Award winner, please visit Dr. James Pollock's profile on PatientsChoice.org.

Following the publication of?James Pollock 's selection for the?Patients' Choice Award,?American Registry seconded the honor and added?Dr. Pollock?to The Registry? of Business Excellence. An exclusive recognition plaque?has been designed to commemorate the honor. The doctor's custom?wall plaque is shown here.

For more information on Dr. James Pollock , located in Stuart , FL , please call (305)781-9444, or visit www.WoundedSoldierFoundation.org.

This press release was written by American Registry, LLC with approval by and/or contributions from Dr. Pollock and was distributed by PR Newswire, a subsidiary of UBM plc.

Patients' Choice provides in-depth information on doctors in your area who have been recognized and awarded for outstanding patient care and expertise.?The Patients' Choice Award is the honor roll of physicians who have received the highest ratings by their patients.

American Registry, LLC, recognizes excellence in top businesses and professionals. The Registry? includes over 2 million significant business and professional recognitions. For more information, search The Registry at http://www.americanregistry.com.

Contact Info:
Dr. James Pollock
Phone: (305)781-9444
Email Address: pollock.james@sbcglobal.net

SOURCE American Registry

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dr-pollock-stuart-fl-named-patients-choice-award-223600603.html

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French troops control key airport in north Mali

SEVARE, Mali (AP) ? French forces have taken control of the airport in Kidal, seizing a key position in one of three provincial capitals the Islamist militants took over last year, officials said Wednesday. One Malian official said French troops even moved into the city, which was the last remaining urban stronghold of the Islamists in Mali.

French and Malian troops have recaptured two of the other provincial capitals, Timbuktu and Gao, in recent days, and been welcomed by overjoyed crowds. However, already concerns are emerging about whether the Islamists will try to return once France hands over the military operation to Mali and soldiers from neighboring countries.

Haminy Maiga, the interim president of the Kidal regional assembly, said French forces met no resistance when they arrived late Tuesday.

"The French arrived at 9:30 p.m. aboard four planes, which landed one after another. Afterwards they took the airport and then entered the town, and there was no combat," said Maiga, who had been in touch with people in the town by satellite phone as all the normal phone networks were down.

"The French are patrolling the town and two helicopters are patrolling overhead," he added.

In Paris, French army Col. Thierry Burkhard confirmed that the airport was taken overnight and described the operation in Kidal itself as "ongoing."

On Tuesday, a secular Tuareg rebel group had asserted that they were in control of Kidal and other small towns in northern Mali. Maiga said those fighters had left Kidal and were at the entry posts on the roads from Gao and Tessalit.

France, the former colonial ruler, began sending in troops, helicopters and warplanes on Jan. 11 to turn the tide after the armed Islamists began encroaching on the south, toward the capital. French and Malian troops seized Gao during the weekend, welcomed by joyous crowds. They took Timbuktu on Monday. The Islamists gave up both cities and retreated into the surrounding desert.

To help battle the Islamists in their desert hideouts, a U.S. military official says the Pentagon is considering setting up a drone base in northwest Africa to increase intelligence collection.

While most crowds in the freed cities have been joyous, months of resentment toward the Islamists already has erupted into violence in Gao.

Video footage filmed by an amateur cameraman and obtained by The Associated Press shows a mob attacking the symbol of the oppressive regime, the Islamic police headquarters.

Some celebrate cheering "I am Malian," while others armed with sticks and machetes attack suspected members of the Islamist regime. The graphic images show the mob as they mutilate the corpses of two young suspected jihadists lying dead in the street.

France's president said his country's forces would stay in Mali as long as necessary, but the French also have said they expect troops from African nations to take the lead as soon as they are able. There are now some 2,900 African soldiers in Mali, including 1,400 from Chad who are used to fighting in harsh, desert terrain like northern Mali.

Mali's military was severely affected by last year's coup and has a reputation for disorganization and bad discipline. Already Malian soldiers have been accused of fatally shooting civilians suspected of links to the Islamists. The military has promised to investigate the allegations.

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Ahmed reported from Segou, Mali. Associated Press writer Lori Hinnant in Paris and Andrew Drake in Gao, Mali contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-troops-control-key-airport-north-mali-082639367.html

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