The release of the HTC One and Sense 5 is a significant milestone for HTC. Gone are the days of iterative development and evolving HTC's user interface, and we're going to see a complete redesign. Some folks will hate it, some folks will love it, and some will dismiss it without ever using it -- the Internet is a fickle beast. All of us here are in agreement that it certainly looks interesting, and will be well worth a close look. The only thing anyone can be sure of is that the HTC One will certainly usher in a new era of HTC design, both in the hardware and the software.
Drew Bamford, Director of User Experience at HTC, has spent time with the new Sense 5. Probably more time than we can imagine. He took to the HTC blog today to talk a little about it, and the challenges of coming up with something new in an age when we've seen it all.
According to Bamford, research discovered three consistent things that needed considered before he and his team dove in and revamped Sense.
Most people don’t differentiate between apps and widgets.
Widgets aren’t widely used – weather, clock and music are the most used and after that, fewer than 10% of customers use any other widgets.
Most of you don’t modify your home screens much. In fact, after the first month of use, approximately 80% of you don’t change your home screens any more.
That meant a big overhaul was needed instead of the small polishing updates to Sense we've seen since the HTC Hero.
It looks like they have accomplished just that. The BlinkFeed home screen borrows design elements from elsewhere and brings them to Sense 5 with a distinctive HTC look. Other changes, like the Zoe feature and a revolutionary new camera work with BlinkFeed to tie it all together in a way we've not seen before. Nobody can say how successful it will be, but we can get a little insight into just how the Sense team was inspired to build it. It's an interesting read, and even if you're not excited about the HTC One and Sense 5 you should give it a look.
This Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 photo shows a detail of a video wall that shows New York city police officers an interactive map of the area, security footage from nearby cameras, locations where high radiation levels are detected and whether any other threats have been made in New York. The Domain Awareness System, known as ?the dashboard,? instantaneously mines data from the NYPD?s vast collection of arrest records, 911 calls, more than 3,000 security cameras city-wide, license plate readers and portable radiation detectors and aggregates it into a user-friendly, readable form. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
This Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 photo shows a detail of a video wall that shows New York city police officers an interactive map of the area, security footage from nearby cameras, locations where high radiation levels are detected and whether any other threats have been made in New York. The Domain Awareness System, known as ?the dashboard,? instantaneously mines data from the NYPD?s vast collection of arrest records, 911 calls, more than 3,000 security cameras city-wide, license plate readers and portable radiation detectors and aggregates it into a user-friendly, readable form. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
In this Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 photo, police officers monitor computer screens showing an interactive map of an area of the city, security footage from nearby cameras, if there are high radiation levels and whether any other threats have been made in New York city. The Domain Awareness System, known as ?the dashboard,? instantaneously mines data from the NYPD?s vast collection of arrest records, 911 calls, more than 3,000 security cameras city-wide, license plate readers and portable radiation detectors and aggregates it into a user-friendly, readable form. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
This Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 photo shows a detail of a video wall showing New York city police officers an interactive map of an area in the city, security footage from nearby cameras, if there are high radiation levels and whether any other threats have been made in New York. The Domain Awareness System, known as ?the dashboard,? instantaneously mines data from the NYPD?s vast collection of arrest records, 911 calls, more than 3,000 security cameras city-wide, license plate readers and portable radiation detectors and aggregates it into a user-friendly, readable form. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
This Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 photo shows a detail of a video wall showing New York city police officers an interactive map of the area, security footage from nearby cameras, if there are high radiation levels and whether any other threats have been made in New York. The Domain Awareness System, known as ?the dashboard,? instantaneously mines data from the NYPD?s vast collection of arrest records, 911 calls, more than 3,000 security cameras city-wide, license plate readers and portable radiation detectors and aggregates it into a user-friendly, readable form. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
NEW YORK (AP) ? A 911 call comes in about a possible bomb in lower Manhattan and an alert pops up on computer screens at the New York Police Department, instantly showing officers an interactive map of the neighborhood, footage from nearby security cameras, whether there are high radiation levels and whether any other threats have been made against the city.
In a click, police know exactly what they're getting into.
Such a hypothetical scenario may seem like something out of a futuristic crime drama, but the technology is real, developed in a partnership between the nation's largest police department and Microsoft Corp., and the latest version has been quietly in use for about a year.
The project could pay off in more ways than one: The NYPD could make tens of millions of dollars under an unprecedented marketing deal that allows Microsoft to sell the system to other law enforcement agencies and civilian companies around the world. The city will get a 30 percent cut.
The Domain Awareness System, known as "the dashboard," instantaneously mines data from the police department's voluminous arrest records, 911 calls, more than 3,000 security cameras citywide, license plate readers and portable radiation detectors, and assembles it in an easy-to-use form.
Right now, it is used only in NYPD offices, mostly in the counterterrorism unit. Eventually, the system could supply crime-fighting information in real time to officers on laptops in their squad cars and on mobile devices while they walk the beat.
"It works incredibly well," said Jessica Tisch, director of planning and policy for the counterterrorism unit.
For example, officers used the system during a deadly shooting outside the Empire State Building in August. Dozens of 911 calls were coming in, and it initially looked like an attack staged by several gunmen. But officers mapped the information and pulled up cameras within 500 feet of the reported shots to determine there was only one shooter.
Analysts are cautious about the potential profits, saying that largely depends on Microsoft's sales efforts and whether any major competition arises. While there other data-drilling products made by other companies, they say the NYPD's involvement could set the dashboard apart.
"This is the kind of stuff you used to only see in movies," said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group, a technology analysis firm. "Getting it to work in a way that police departments can use in real time is huge."
The venture began in 2009 when the NYPD approached Microsoft about building software to help mine data for the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative, a network of private and public cameras and other tools monitored by the department's counterterrorism bureau. Development cost the department between $30 million and $40 million, officials said.
"Usually, you purchase software that you try to work with, but we wanted this to be something that really worked well for us, so we set about creating it with them," said Richard Daddario, the NYPD's deputy commissioner for counterterrorism.
Officers were involved throughout the process with the programmers, offering advice on what they need during an emergency.
"It was created by cops for cops," Tisch said. "We thought a lot about what information we want up close and personal, and what needs to be a click away. It's all baked in there."
The system uses hundreds of thousands of pieces of information. Security camera footage can be rewound five minutes so that officers can see suspects who may have fled. Sensors pick up whether a bag has been left sitting for a while. When an emergency call comes in, officers can check prior 911 calls from that address to see what they might be up against.
Prospective clients can customize it to fit their organization.
Dave Mosher, a Microsoft vice president in charge of program management, said the company started to market the system in August and is looking at smaller municipalities, law enforcement agencies and companies that handle major sporting events.
He would not say whether any clients have been lined up and would not give details on the price except to say that it would depend on how much customization must be done.
Shawn McCarthy, an analyst with the research firm IDC, described the partnership ? and outcome ? as unusual in the tech world. "I see huge potential, but so much depends on the price and competition," he said.
No firm timetable has been set on when the dashboard will be rolled out to the entire 34,000-offficer department.
___
Associated Press video journalist Bonny Ghosh contributed to this report.
On last week's Access Hollywood Live , Julianne Hough revealed she had her first date at 16, with a young man named Creed Archibald. Today, Creed -- who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma as a seventh grade teacher -- shared his side of their first date story with Access Hollywood's Billy Bush.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State John Kerry will bypass Israel on his first official trip to the Middle East, U.S. officials said Tuesday as they announced a jam-packed itinerary through nine nations, including several in Europe.
Kerry's maiden voyage begins Sunday. He will visit close U.S. allies and partners in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. His diplomacy will focus on the conflicts in Mali, Syria and Afghanistan, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
But there will be no stops in Israel or the Palestinian territories, which together have formed an epicenter of American diplomatic efforts over the past six decades.
Nuland said the U.S. was waiting for Israeli political parties to form a new government after their recent elections. "The Israelis are still working on their coalition," she told reporters, adding that Kerry won't travel to Jerusalem or Ramallah until this spring -- when he accompanies President Barack Obama to the region.
The announcement will likely dampen any lingering hopes that the Obama administration might unveil a fresh initiative to revive the moribund Mideast peace process.
The State Department never formally announced Kerry stops in Israel or the West Bank on his first trip, but officials had included them among the most likely destinations and predicted that the 2004 presidential candidate's visit would lay the groundwork for Obama's upcoming visit.
Kerry, who is scheduled to return to Washington on March 6, will meet first with senior British officials in London. He'll then discuss trans-Atlantic issues with German youth in Berlin, where he spent time as a child as the son of an American diplomat posted to the divided Cold War outpost.
In Paris, Kerry will discuss France's ongoing intervention in Mali. And in Rome, he'll attend a meeting with Syrian opposition leaders.
Nuland said the former Massachusetts senator is primarily on a "listening tour" when it comes to Syria, and wouldn't be advocating any shift in U.S. policy that would see American military support for the rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's regime. He will continue Syria diplomacy in meetings in Cairo; Ankara, Turkey; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Doha, Qatar.
Not on the agenda as of yet is a face-to-face meeting with the foreign minister of Russia, which up to now has stymied American efforts to halt the violence in Syria through international sanctions or other pressure. Washington also charges Moscow with providing Assad continued military and diplomatic support two years into a civil war that has claimed some 60,000 lives.
Kerry spoke by telephone over the weekend with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and the two agreed to meet soon -- despite the ongoing disagreements between their governments.
"If it works on the trip, that's great," Nuland said. "If not, then we'll keep working on soon thereafter."
(Copyright (c) 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
If you're feeling burned from Twitter's announcement that they're closing Posterous on April 30th, JustMigrate is a free service that will migrate your Posterous Spaces to Tumblr quickly and easily so you can get back to blogging and sharing without a ton of hassle.
We explained how to migrate your Posterous Spaces to Tumblr, Blogger, or Wordpress before, but some of those tools are a little hack-y. There's Posthaven, which we mentioned yesterday, but it costs money. If you're on a budget, or you want to hop on the Tumblr bandwagon, JustMigrate makes the process incredibly easy.
Just type in your Posterous username and authorize the app to access your Tumblr account, and JustMigrate takes care of the rest. It supports audio, image, text, and even posts with embedded video. The JustMigrate tool even brings tags, titles, post dates, and more, and will clean up the post code so it plays nicely with Tumblr. It doesn't work with private Posterous blogs and it won't pull in comments (since Tumblr doesn't natively support them), but aside from that, it's the easiest, most hassle-free method of moving your data we've seen. Of course, moving from Posterous to Tumblr is going from one free web service to another, so while Tumblr doesn't have plans to close anytime soon, you should still visit Posterous and back up your data so you have a copy for safe keeping. Hit the link below to give JustMigrate a try.
Any mock that has us taking anyone other than Geno Smith at #1, and subsequently has someone else taking him in the top 10 is worthless. Nobody needs a qb more than KC and Arizona. Two QB's will be gone in the top 15, count on it.
With the end of the lockout between the NFL and the referees association came the possibility of full-time officials for the first time in league history.
Former V.P. of officiating Carl Johnson stepped down from his role in December to return to the field and became the league?s first full-time referee. The league?s competition committee has been meeting this week in Indianapolis in advance of the NFL combine. New V.P. of officiating, Dean Blandino, said in an interview with Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network that the league is looking at increasing its stable of full-time officials.
?We?re looking at possibly going to seven full-time officials, one at each position, and they will work throughout the season and the off-season,? Blandino said. ?They?ll be able to go to OTAs, work practices, go to training camp, that type of thing ? put together guidelines, mechanics manuals, competition committees like this they could be a part of, so we?re excited about the possibility of full-time officials and what they can bring to the program.?
Johnson is expected to return to his prior role as a line judge for next season. If the league adds a full-time official at all seven position, they would also be adding a referee, umpire, head linesman, field judge, back judge and side judge. Blandino also said the league is looking at creating a developmental program for college officials that will be able to work the NFL during the off-season. Those officials will be able to work during off-season workouts and mini-camps to get a feel for being an NFL official and could even end up working preseason games to get a feel for the game environment before becoming a game official.
All the changes are pointed toward trying to improve the consistency of officiating across the league.
?My whole focus is striving for consistency. I think that?s what everybody wants,? Blandino said. ?Coaches, players, owners, officials, we want consistency. We want to be transparent. We?re going to communicate. Whether it?s clubs, whether it?s the media, if we make a mistake we?re going to admit but people have to understand it?s a fast game. It happens quickly and our officials do a tremendous job. Our officials are going to strive for consistency and that?s what everybody wants.?
Chinese Military Group Identified in Attacks on U.S. Networks: Mandiant
Incident response firm Mandiant and U.S. intelligence officials gather evidence that shows hundreds of attacks coming from a single building on the outskirts of Shanghai calling it a major Chinese military operation.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/RSS/...?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/RSS/...:V_sGLiPBpW U http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/RSS/...?d=7Q72WNTAKBA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/RSS/...?d=dnMXMwOfBR0
Tributes have been paid to Liam Thompson, who has died after a battle with cancer.
Liam, 23,?of Broughton, married his partner Alice in October in a dream wedding made possible by the generosity of local businesses and Scunthorpe Telegraph readers.
He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer, in August 2011 and the couple brought forward their plans to marry after his health deteriorated.
Writing on social network Facebook, Alice, 21, said: "He was a real diamond and a fighter. I love you soooo much sweetheart and I hope you're not causing too much trouble up there :) rip babe I love you xxxxxxxxxx"
Im going to be doing a Draw for a Childrens Jewellery making party , what you need to do to enter is send me your name, contact details and you will be entered in to a Free Draw.
Terms:
max 10 children. Local party only please.
Contact: 07707 196971
Valid until: Sunday, March 31 2013
Friends of the couple also posted messages on the website.
James Delrosa told Alice: "You and Liam were fab together.? You were both so strong and I'm sure it was you that kept Liam going so long.? It was a pleasure and honour to be at your wedding. All our love. x"
Sam Thornton said:? "Sorry to hear it Alice, keep your head held high and hold on to those special moments you shared together! You two were each others soul mate and it showed. xxx"
Vincent Marshall said: "I never met Liam but I know a couple of his friends and he was such a fighter.? My thoughts are with you all at this sad time."
Jamie Beacock, who was Liam's best man at his wedding, said: "Love this guy so much.? RIP mate xxxx"
WASHINGTON (AP) ? House and Senate lawmakers are investigating a nearly $100 million shortfall at the federal Job Corps program that has prompted the Labor Department to freeze enrollment at all 125 job centers around the country.
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., has called on the agency's inspector general to investigate "serious questions about the management by the department" that will prevent 30,000 disadvantaged and at-risk youth from getting job training this year.
Last month, the Job Corps announced it would stop accepting any new enrollees from Jan. 28 until at least June 30. Some exceptions are being made for applicants who are homeless, runaways or in the foster care system.
"If there were mistakes made that led to this problem, the ones losing out here are going to be young people at risk," Casey said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. "Apparently, Labor Department officials were admitting that they made some kind of mistake with the budget" to people working at the Job Corps centers.
Labor Department spokesman Carl Fillichio said the Job Corps began taking steps last year to reduce operating costs, such as curtailing contracts, reducing administrative costs and slashing the national TV advertising budget.
"Unfortunately, the savings from these efforts have not been sufficient to meet the budget demands of the current program year," he said. "The decision to suspend enrollment was not made lightly."
The Job Corps, which began as part of President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" program in the 1960s, offers free education and vocational job training for students ages 16 to 24. It serves about 60,000 students each year with an annual budget of $1.7 billion.
The goal is to help steer young people away from poverty and crime into productive careers through a program that includes supervised dormitory housing, meals, medical care and counseling. Those enrolled usually complete training within a few months to two years and receive help making the transition to new careers or getting further education. The government pays private contractors to run the job centers.
In 2011, the Labor Department announced a $39 million funding shortfall in the Job Corps program. The agency then took emergency steps to fill the gap, such as transferring funds from other employment and training programs.
But the shortfall continued and increased to an additional $60 million in 2012. As a result, the Job Corps announced on January 18 that it was suspending all new enrollments at centers nationwide.
A total freeze on accepting new students is virtually unprecedented in the nearly 50-year history of the program, said LaVera Leonard, president of the National Job Corps Association, a group that includes private contractors and labor and community groups that support the Job Corps' goals.
Leonard said she made a number of cost-cutting recommendations in the past year ? to no avail ? to Jane Oates, who heads the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration, which oversees Job Corps.
"We were trying to be proactive and the cost savings that we recommended would not have hurt students, would not have meant staff layoffs," Leonard said. "We got no response and were totally caught off guard when the announcement of a nationwide enrollment suspension occurred on Jan. 18."
Fillichio, the Labor Department spokesman, said the agency did consider recommendations made "by work groups that included representatives of the Job Corps contractor community."
He said Job Corps is conducting an exhaustive review of its current operating costs in order to make changes that ensure program costs "are sustainable in the future."
In a letter last June to Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the Labor Department said the 2011 shortfall happened in part because of a lack of "program monitoring tools and internal controls to sufficiently analyze" spending trends by operators and contractors.
The freeze on new enrollment has caused alarm in congressional offices around the country, with lawmakers concerned about the loss of hundreds of jobs among those working at the centers and the loss of opportunity for young people looking for work.
"It's clear the management and oversight of the Job Corps program has been deficient, and it's unfortunate and disappointing that our nation's disadvantaged youth will suffer the consequences of this failure," Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a Feb. 6 letter to acting Labor Secretary Seth Harris.
Minnesota Rep. John Kline, chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, launched an investigation of the program earlier this month. He asked for an explanation of why the shortfall happened, saying his committee is growing "increasingly concerned with the ability of the department and its contractors to manage the program's budget in the short and long term."
The Labor Department had not yet responded to Kline's request as of late Friday.
Casey, who heads a panel of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, pledged to hold a hearing on the matter within the next two months.
___
Follow Sam Hananel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SamHananelAP
Improve English with Antonyms An Educational Mobile App Launched by Dev IT Solutions for iPad to Aid Kids in Learning Antonyms? (February 17, 2013)
(PRWEB) February 17, 2013
Dev IT Solutions is well known IT company and they have launched various educational mobile apps for kids to learn English. These mobile apps, designed initially for I-Pad and I-Phone platforms, provide a creative opportunity to kids, parents and teachers to integrate technology with learning even at a very early stage.
????Small kids learn better in informal and creative environment filled with fun & joy. Our mobile apps are doing exactly this as they are divided into several levels that are filled with funny sounds and colorful pictures to develop the interest of kids.Dev IT Solutions, since its inception, has been constantly delivering high quality services and products. Improve English with Antonyms iPad is designed by the team of expert and experienced mobile apps developers.
????The launch of these English coaching mobile apps is welcomed by teachers and parents as English is constantly gaining popularity as the most important global language. It is very crucial to introduce and help children learn English in terms of Synonyms& Antonyms effortlessly and these mobile apps make it stress free for kids. Talking about this innovative English Synonyms & Antonyms mobile app, a senior spokesperson from Dev It Solutions said, We are pleased to announce the launch these unique kinds of mobile apps, specially designed for kids. It helps them learn Basic English skills at a relaxed pace. It relieves kids of boring lessons which, at times overburden their young minds.
????This interesting app will first help kids to learn Antonyms of basic words from A to Z used in day to day life and also example sentences using these words. It contains 2000+ words with their respective Antonyms and example sentences. It also allows kids, parents & teachers to bookmark words and example sentences to refer when required. Once through with the words and sentences, this app will allow kids to test their understanding and also allow parents and teachers to analyze the progress & learning curve.
For more information, visit http://www.devitsolutions.com/devitmobileapplication/
About Dev IT Solutions
Dev IT Solutions is one of the leading companies providing cutting-edge solutions for Mobile Application Development on various platforms. It has a dedicated team for Development of Mobile Applications i.e. iPhone Application Development, Android Application Development, Blackberry Application Development and Window Mobile Application Development.
Contact: Dev IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd. A-302, Shapth Hexa, Opp. High Court, S.G. Highway, Sola - 380060 Email:info(at)DevITSolutions(dot)com
iPhone, iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., Android is trademarks of Google Inc., Blackberry is trademarks of RIM Inc., Windows is trademarks of Microsoft Inc.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10439726.htm.
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CANBERRA, Australia (WHDH) -- Kangaroos often show up on Australian golf courses, but not usually when pros are in the middle of a tournament.
On Canberra Thursday, ten of the best women's golfers in the world were competing at the Australian Women's Open when some unexpected obstacles arrived.
The large marsupials feasted on the fairways and grazed on the greens.
Canberra, the Australian capital, is dry this time of year and the kangaroos can't resist the lush green grass on golf courses.
(Copyright (c) 2013 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Until tomorrow night only, subscribe to?Natural Health?Magazine for just $4.29 per year. You can order up to three (3) years at this price! Just enter coupon code?QUEENBEE?at checkout.?This offer expires Sunday, 02/17/13, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Magazine description:?This magazine is for people interested in alternative health, natural living, the mind-body-spirit connection and self-care. Topics include vitamins, fitness, herbs, foods that heal, home remedies, new products, recipes and prevention.
You can actually use the coupon code?QUEENBEE?sitewide at?Discount Mags?? often saving at least 20% off of the listed sale prices! They have lots of magazine available to choose from.
"This is geek central," says artist Toni Dove of her New York City studio. Dove employs an infrared motion-sensing interface, voice recognition software, 3-D mechanical projection screens, video puppets and lots of other tech to bring her mixed media productions to life. Science Friday stopped by for a sneak peak of her newest piece, "Lucid Possession."
It's easy to sit around like an old fart and complain about how great All-Star games used to be. In some ways, the old farts are right. There were NBA All-Star games in the `80s and `90s where the number of future Hall of Famers numbered in the mid-teens. No offense to the Jerry Stackhouse, Anthony Davis, Michael Finley and Stephon Marbury-led squads of the early 2000s, but they just don't stack up.
Still, today's NBA is a bit different. Looking at the rosters for both the Eastern and Western Conferences, it is easy to imagine as many as six or seven Hall selections just among the starters. LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant are three of the best from any era and its hard to imagine a future where Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard aren't in the conversation.
But, typically, the NBA likes to spread the wealth and the game features players heading into their twilight, in their prime and on the come.
The "Old" Timers Bryant and Garnett, both locks for the Hall, will appear in yet another All-Star game -- they have 30 selections between them. They will be joined by a surprising but deserving reserve selection, Tim Duncan, who is in the conversation as the best ever at power forward with guys like Karl Malone and Kevin McHale.
It's weird to consider Bryant as an "old timer" considering he's still in his early 30s, but he entered the NBA directly from high school and has been in the league for 16 years. But Duncan and Garnett certainly qualify and while Duncan is deserving on merit, Garnett is in on the fan vote.
For those hoping Republicans and Democrats could put aside their partisan differences on this day of love, sorry to disappoint.
The RNC fired the first shots of the day (and no, they weren't arrows from cupid's bow) with a batch of ironic e-cards on their website's landing page.
The GOP site invited users to pick from a number of top Dems (and one Republican - Chuck Hagel) for their free Valentine's e-cards.
Each e-card came with a topical jab at the person pictured, sometimes implicating a second Democrat as well. President Obama's two-for-one card referenced a gaffe he made when debating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary race.
"Dear Hillary, You're Likable Enough," read the text of the card, next to a photo of the president with a dubious expression on his face.
The RNC put out similar cards in 2012 with a cast of characters that included Anthony Weiner, Jon Corzine and Kathleen Sebelius. A Republican spokesperson said the tradition dates back to 2008.
Shortly after the RNC put up their parody, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hit back with a pitch to supporters entitled, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY: How House Republicans Say 'I'm Yours.'"
The DCCC drafted cards of their own in a slideshow. The cards were the Dems' mocking vision of what a member of the GOP might say to a valentine.
One card from "House Republicans" to "Big Oil," read, "We could vote 109 times to make you richer, and it still doesn't show you how much we care."
Some of the DCCC cards dropped all pretense of punning and simply attacked. For example, the message on a card from the House GOP to "Birthers," said, "Show me your birth certificate, I still won't believe you."
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., called on Congress to kiss sugar subsidies goodbye this Valentine's Day.
Today I sent my Senate colleagues a #Valentine to end #sugar's sweet deal. Let's put $14B back in consumer's wallets twitter.com/SenatorShaheen?
? Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (@SenatorShaheen) February 14, 2013
Political Matchmaker JD Beebe is hoping partisan singles will use one of his sites, Red State Date and Blue State Date, to find love this holiday season. Those sites are offering a Valentine's special with half off the first month's membership costs.
And in other Valentine's Day news - a Maryland sheriff has a unique way of celebrating the holiday.
He's appealing to spouses of criminals on the run and offering a bouquet of roses to tipsters that help bring them in. Read more from ABC affiliate WJLA and watch Sheriff Gary Hofmann's video here.
The chairman of a Lewisham Council committee that introduced a planning policy to protect pubs is urging the Mayor of London to introduce something similar to preserve all outlets across the capital.
The Catford Tavern: it was saved from closure
It comes as the south-east London council?s sustainable development select committee?s recommendations were accepted by the Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock.
The policy includes showing that a pub has been marketed for three years before change of use will be allowed; and including available spaces in pubs on the council?s register of community venues for hire.
Councillor Liam Curran, chairman of the committee, said: ?In Lewisham we have suffered the loss of many pubs. Half have disappeared in the past 20 years.
?We looked into it and needed a series of recommendations, which we presented to the Mayor.
?The Catford Bridge Tavern was a closed pub but when Antic London took it over, it was really popular. But then the freeholder wanted to turn it into a Tesco. It was a prominent and fine pub and we were able to stop it [using temporary powers].
?With the greater planning policy in place, the council has more weapons in its armoury to prevent change of use. For pubs in London, this is a useful blueprint for other boroughs to adopt.
?The London Mayor [Boris Johnson] is reviewing the over-arching planning policy for London, so I call on him to amend the London plan to enable local authorities to protect pubs. We are at a tipping point. It will be too late if the Mayor does not act now. It takes time, which is one thing we do not have.?
For further protection of pubs, Curran is also calling on the Mayor of Lewisham to make all pubs in the borough listed buildings.
?Some people think that if a pub is not listed, it is not valuable, but you can ?locally list? buildings,? said Curran.
?I?m also urging the Mayor to put all pubs in Lewisham on the local list. Most of the pubs under threat are handsome buildings. They are too important to let go.?
To keep your brain fit and smart all your life it is important to keep your brain active throughout. The biggest notion is that we use only 10% of our brain. We certainly don?t know whether this statement is true or a myth but it is cent percent true that we fail to make most from our brain power. But with the power of touch screen and app world your can enhance your fitness and also improve your memory and the power to recollect. To boost your brain power, we bring you the top 10 best memory game apps. *Images courtesy: ? Thinkstock photos/ Getty Images?
'; $("#SiteLoginDiv").html(statusLoginStr); $("#SiteLoginDiv").show(); $("#CommonLoginDiv").hide(); //-To Show the Twitter Post Box T("#maincommentdivfortweeter").tweetBox({ height: 100, width: 600, defaultContent: "http://toi.in/qwy1ib", onTweet : function (data){ //--------------Function to Post data to the insert2dbfile var whihcflag = $("#whichcontype").val(); var first_name = $("#first_name").val(); var last_name = $("#second_name").val(); var screenName = $("#userscreenname").val(); var profile_url = $("#userprofilelink").val(); var profileImage = $("#userprofileimage").val(); var loginusertypeid = $("#loginusertypeid").val(); var comment_text = data.replace("http://toi.in/qwy1ib",""); var comment_parentid = $("#comment_parentid").val(); var content_id = $("#content_id").val(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'twitter','whihcflag':whihcflag,'first_name':first_name,'last_name':last_name,'screenName':screenName,'profile_url':profile_url,'profileImage':profileImage,'loginusertypeid':loginusertypeid,'comment_text':comment_text,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid},function(data){ if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep Healthmeup a happy place!'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1","whichflag":whihcflag},function(data){ $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+19449).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+19449).html(''); $('#comment_'+19449).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } }); } }); } }); //$("#login-logout").append('Sign out of Twitter'); $("#signout").bind("click", function () { twttr.anywhere.signOut(); $("#first_name").val(''); $("#userscreenname").val(''); $("#userprofilelink").val(''); $("#userprofileimage").val(''); $("#loginusertypeid").val(''); window.location.reload(); }); $("#logindiv").hide(); }else{ T("#twitter-connect-placeholder").connectButton({ authComplete: function(user) { // triggered when auth completed successfully setQuestion(); window.location.reload(); } }); /*document.getElementById("twitter-connect-placeholder").onclick = function () { T.signIn();}; T.bind("authComplete", function (e, user) { // triggered when auth completed successfully window.location.reload(); });*/ //$("#logindiv").show(); $("#maincommentdiv").show(); //$("#facebooktwitteruserdetails").hide(); $("#maincommentdivfortweeter").hide(); }; }); });//------------Document Ready //-------------------FAcebook User Starts var badword=0; function postthecomment1(){ var comment_text = jQuery.trim($("#comment_text").val()); var comment_parentid = jQuery.trim($("#comment_parentid").val()); var content_id = jQuery.trim($("#content_id").val()); var whihcflag = $("#whichcontype").val(); $("#showerrorComment").hide(); $("#commentBoxRes").hide(); if(comment_text==""){ errmsg = "Please Enter Your Comment"; $("#comment_text").val('') $('#comment_text').focus(); flag=1; $("#showerrorComment").html(errmsg); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; return false; } if($("#whichusertype").val()=='1'){ var first_name = $("#first_name").val(); var last_name = $("#second_name").val(); if($('#UsernameSelector').attr('checked') == true){ var screenName = 'Anonymous'; } else{ var screenName = $("#userscreenname").val(); } var profile_url = $("#userprofilelink").val(); var profileImage = $("#userprofileimage").val(); var loginusertypeid = $("#loginusertypeid").val(); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled','disabled'); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'facebook','whihcflag':whihcflag,'first_name':first_name,'last_name':last_name,'username':screenName,'profile_url':profile_url,'profileImage':profileImage,'loginusertypeid':loginusertypeid,'comment_text':comment_text,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid},function(data){ if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ badword=1; $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep luxpresso a happy place!'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1"},function(data){ //alert(data); $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); $("#commentBoxRes").show(); //$("#Username").val(''); //$("#Useremail").val(''); $("#comment_text").val(''); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+19449).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+19449).html(''); $('#comment_'+19449).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } var message = comment_text; var article_title = "Mental Health: Top 10 Best Memory Game Apps"; var article_page_link = "http://healthmeup.com/photogallery-healthy-living/mental-health-top-10-best-memory-game-apps/19449/1"; var story_section ="Photogallery"; var story_section_url ="http://healthmeup.com/archive/content/5/1"; var author_name = "Renita Tisha Pinto"; var author_name_url = "http://healthmeup.com/author/renita-tisha-pinto/1190"; var posteddate = "Feb 12th 2013 at 7:30AM" var article_image_path ="http://images.idiva.com/media/healthmeup/photogallery/2013/Feb/brain_120x90.jpg"; var attachment = {'name': article_title, 'href': article_page_link ,'properties' : { 'Filed under': {'text': story_section, 'href': story_section_url}, 'Author ' : {'text': author_name, 'href':author_name_url}, 'Posted On': posteddate} ,'media': [{ 'type': 'image', 'src': article_image_path, 'href': article_page_link }] }; var action_links = [{'text':'luxpresso', 'href':'http://luxpresso.com/'}]; // FB.Connect.streamPublish(message, attachment, action_links); streamPublish(attachment, 'Healthmeup', 'http://healthmeup.com/', 'Share healthmeup.com'); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled',''); }); } }); }else{ var username= jQuery.trim($("#Username").val()); var useremailid= jQuery.trim($("#Useremail").val()); var comment_parentid=jQuery.trim($("#comment_parentid").val()); var userpassword=jQuery.trim($("#Password").val()); var content_id=jQuery.trim($("#content_id").val()); var whihcflag =jQuery.trim($("#whichcontype").val()); var flag = 0; if($('#UsernameSelector').attr('checked') == true){ var username = 'Anonymous'; } else{ var username = $("#Username").val(); } if(comment_text==""){ errmsg = "Please Enter Your Comment"; $("#comment_text").val('') $('#comment_text').focus(); flag=1; }else if(username=="" || useremailid==""){ errmsg = "Please login to comment."; flag=1; }else if (userpassword == "" || userpassword == "Password"){ errmsg = "Please Enter Password"; $('#Password').focus(); flag=1; } if(flag==0){ //alert("asda"); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled','disabled'); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'normaluser','EmailId':useremailid,'whihcflag':whihcflag,'Username':username,"userpassword":userpassword,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid,'comment_text':comment_text,'screenName':screenName},function(data){ //alert(trim(data)); if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); $("#showerrorComment").show(); }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ //alert("dsf") $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('
Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep luxpresso a happy place!
Information prompts individuals to consult physician, inform relatives
A 23andMe study of consumers' reactions to genetic testing found that even when the tests revealed high-risk mutations in individuals, those individuals had few negative reactions to the news. Instead of inducing serious anxiety, the test results prompted people to take positive steps, including follow-up visits with a doctor and discussions with family members who could also be at risk.
The study, titled "Dealing with the unexpected: Consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing" published today as part of the launch of PeerJ, a new peer reviewed open access journal in which all articles are freely available to everyone.
"The paper addresses one of the most urgent questions in the field of genetics and genomics, namely the impact of receiving unexpected information about high genetic risk for a life-threatening disease," said the lead author of the paper and 23andMe's Senior Medical Director Dr. Uta Francke.
The study looked at how people reacted when they learned for the first time that they carried a mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene that put them at higher risk for breast and ovarian cancer. The study included interviews conducted with 32 individuals found to be mutation carriers and 31 individuals found to be non-carriers. Five to ten percent of breast cancers occur in women with a genetic predisposition for the disease, usually due to mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. The mutations at the center of this study are responsible for a substantial number of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers among women with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
Those who acquired the potentially life-saving information not only took appropriate actions on their own behalf, but also notified relatives who might share that risk. In what the study described as a "cascade effect," a number of relatives who were subsequently tested discovered they too had one of the mutations.
The findings are important given that a frequent concern regarding direct-to-consumer testing is based on the assumption that it causes either serious emotional distress or triggers deleterious actions on the part of consumers. Individuals who learned they had the mutation said they did not suffer serious emotional distress, and did not take inappropriate actions. All but one of the 32 mutation-positive participants appreciated learning their BRCA mutation status. None of the 31 mutation-negative individuals misinterpreted their result to think they are free from all risks and safe to abandon routine cancer screening.
The study provides important preliminary data that suggest some of the bioethical concerns may be overstated, at least for the self-selected pool of individuals who seek DTC personal genomics information. The authors suggested that broader screening of Ashkenazi Jewish women for these three BRCA mutations should be considered." ?
###
This article is being published as part of the launch of PeerJ (a new Open Access journal). There is a separate Press Release for the PeerJ launch, at: http://bit.ly/PeerJPR02052013
Competing Interests Statement (from the article): "UF, AKK, NE, BM, JYT and JLM are and CD was employed by 23andMe. UF, AKK, NE, BM, JYT and JLM hold stock options in the company. UF is an Academic Editor on PeerJ."
Funding Statement (from the article): "This work was supported by 23andMe, Inc. "Funding" consisted of the company paying the authors' salaries, the transcription service and Amazon gift certificates to participants who completed the phone interviews. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript."
Ethical Approval (from the article): "The following information relates to ethical approvals: AAHRPP-accredited Ethical & Independent Review Services Institutional Review Board (E&I Review Document IRB-1-02.5)."
Handling Academic Editor (conducted the peer review and approved the publication): Jennifer Wagner, Center for the Integration of Genetic Healthcare Technologies, Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, University of Pennsylvania
PeerJ encourages authors to publish the peer reviews, and author rebuttals, for their article. For the purposes of due diligence by the Press, we provide these materials as a PDF at the following link (this link will NOT work after the embargo lifts after that time the review comments will be accessible via the live article URL noted above): http://bit.ly/FranckePeerJReviews
Citation to the article: Francke et al. (2013), Dealing with the unexpected: consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing. PeerJ 1:e8; DOI 10.7717/peerj.8
About PeerJ
PeerJ is an Open Access publisher of scholarly scientific content, which offers researchers a lifetime membership, for a single low price, giving them the ability to openly publish all future articles for free. The launch of PeerJ occurred on February 12th, 2013 with the publication of 30 articles. PeerJ is based in San Francisco, CA and London, UK and can be accessed at https://peerj.com/.
All works published in PeerJ are Open Access and published using a Creative Commons license (CC-BY 3.0). Everything is immediately availableto read, download, redistribute, include in databases and otherwise usewithout cost to anyone, anywhere, subject only to the condition that the original authors and source are properly attributed.
PeerJ Media Resources (including logos) can be found at: https://peerj.com/about/press/
About 23andMe
23andMe, Inc. is the leading personal genetics company dedicated to helping individuals understand their own genetic information through DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools. The company's Personal Genome Service enables individuals to gain deeper insights into their ancestry and inherited traits. The vision for 23andMe is to personalize healthcare by making and supporting meaningful discoveries through genetic research. 23andMe, Inc., was founded in 2006, and the company is advised by a group of renowned experts in the fields of human genetics, bioinformatics and computer science. More information is available at www.23andme.com.
Media Contacts:
For 23andMe:
Catherine Afarian
Cat@23andMe.com
+1 408 656 8872
For PeerJ:
press@peerj.com
+1 415 413 4596 (PST)
https://peerj.com/about/press/
Abstract (from the article)
Background. Inherited BRCA gene mutations convey a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, but current guidelines limit BRCA mutation testing to women with early-onset cancer and relatives of mutation-positive cases. Benefits and risks of providing this information directly to consumers are unknown.
Methods. To assess and quantify emotional and behavioral reactions of consumers to their 23andMe Personal Genome Service report of three BRCA mutations that are common in Ashkenazi Jews, we invited all 136 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation-positive individuals in the 23andMe customer database who had chosen to view their BRCA reports to participate in this IRB-approved study. We also invited 160 mutation-negative customers who were matched for age, sex and ancestry. Semi-structured phone interviews were completed for 32 mutation carriers, 16 women and 16 men, and 31 non-carriers. Questions addressed personal and family history of cancer, decision and timing of viewing the BRCA report, recollection of the result, emotional responses, perception of personal cancer risk, information sharing, and actions taken or planned.
Results. Eleven women and 14 men had received the unexpected result that they are carriers of a BRCA1 185delAG or 5382insC, or BRCA2 6174delT mutation. None of them reported extreme anxiety and four experienced moderate anxiety that was transitory. Remarkably, five women and six men described their response as neutral. Most carrier women sought medical advice and four underwent risk-reducing procedures after confirmatory mutation testing. Male carriers realized that their test results implied genetic risk for female relatives, and several of them felt considerably burdened by this fact. Sharing mutation information with family members led to screening of at least 30 relatives and identification of 13 additional carriers. Non-carriers did not report inappropriate actions, such as foregoing cancer screening. All but one of the 32 mutation-positive participants appreciated learning their BRCA mutation status.
Conclusions. Direct access to BRCA mutation tests, considered a model for high-risk actionable genetic tests of proven clinical utility, provided clear benefits to participants. The unexpected information demonstrated a cascade effect as relatives of newly identified carriers also sought testing and more mutation carriers were identified. Given the absence of evidence for serious emotional distress or inappropriate actions in this subset of mutation-positive customers who agreed to be interviewed for this study, broader screening of Ashkenazi Jewish women for these three BRCA mutations should be considered.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Consumers have few negative reactions to the results of genetic testing for cancer mutationsPublic release date: 12-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Information prompts individuals to consult physician, inform relatives
A 23andMe study of consumers' reactions to genetic testing found that even when the tests revealed high-risk mutations in individuals, those individuals had few negative reactions to the news. Instead of inducing serious anxiety, the test results prompted people to take positive steps, including follow-up visits with a doctor and discussions with family members who could also be at risk.
The study, titled "Dealing with the unexpected: Consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing" published today as part of the launch of PeerJ, a new peer reviewed open access journal in which all articles are freely available to everyone.
"The paper addresses one of the most urgent questions in the field of genetics and genomics, namely the impact of receiving unexpected information about high genetic risk for a life-threatening disease," said the lead author of the paper and 23andMe's Senior Medical Director Dr. Uta Francke.
The study looked at how people reacted when they learned for the first time that they carried a mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene that put them at higher risk for breast and ovarian cancer. The study included interviews conducted with 32 individuals found to be mutation carriers and 31 individuals found to be non-carriers. Five to ten percent of breast cancers occur in women with a genetic predisposition for the disease, usually due to mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. The mutations at the center of this study are responsible for a substantial number of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers among women with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
Those who acquired the potentially life-saving information not only took appropriate actions on their own behalf, but also notified relatives who might share that risk. In what the study described as a "cascade effect," a number of relatives who were subsequently tested discovered they too had one of the mutations.
The findings are important given that a frequent concern regarding direct-to-consumer testing is based on the assumption that it causes either serious emotional distress or triggers deleterious actions on the part of consumers. Individuals who learned they had the mutation said they did not suffer serious emotional distress, and did not take inappropriate actions. All but one of the 32 mutation-positive participants appreciated learning their BRCA mutation status. None of the 31 mutation-negative individuals misinterpreted their result to think they are free from all risks and safe to abandon routine cancer screening.
The study provides important preliminary data that suggest some of the bioethical concerns may be overstated, at least for the self-selected pool of individuals who seek DTC personal genomics information. The authors suggested that broader screening of Ashkenazi Jewish women for these three BRCA mutations should be considered." ?
###
This article is being published as part of the launch of PeerJ (a new Open Access journal). There is a separate Press Release for the PeerJ launch, at: http://bit.ly/PeerJPR02052013
Competing Interests Statement (from the article): "UF, AKK, NE, BM, JYT and JLM are and CD was employed by 23andMe. UF, AKK, NE, BM, JYT and JLM hold stock options in the company. UF is an Academic Editor on PeerJ."
Funding Statement (from the article): "This work was supported by 23andMe, Inc. "Funding" consisted of the company paying the authors' salaries, the transcription service and Amazon gift certificates to participants who completed the phone interviews. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript."
Ethical Approval (from the article): "The following information relates to ethical approvals: AAHRPP-accredited Ethical & Independent Review Services Institutional Review Board (E&I Review Document IRB-1-02.5)."
Handling Academic Editor (conducted the peer review and approved the publication): Jennifer Wagner, Center for the Integration of Genetic Healthcare Technologies, Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, University of Pennsylvania
PeerJ encourages authors to publish the peer reviews, and author rebuttals, for their article. For the purposes of due diligence by the Press, we provide these materials as a PDF at the following link (this link will NOT work after the embargo lifts after that time the review comments will be accessible via the live article URL noted above): http://bit.ly/FranckePeerJReviews
Citation to the article: Francke et al. (2013), Dealing with the unexpected: consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing. PeerJ 1:e8; DOI 10.7717/peerj.8
About PeerJ
PeerJ is an Open Access publisher of scholarly scientific content, which offers researchers a lifetime membership, for a single low price, giving them the ability to openly publish all future articles for free. The launch of PeerJ occurred on February 12th, 2013 with the publication of 30 articles. PeerJ is based in San Francisco, CA and London, UK and can be accessed at https://peerj.com/.
All works published in PeerJ are Open Access and published using a Creative Commons license (CC-BY 3.0). Everything is immediately availableto read, download, redistribute, include in databases and otherwise usewithout cost to anyone, anywhere, subject only to the condition that the original authors and source are properly attributed.
PeerJ Media Resources (including logos) can be found at: https://peerj.com/about/press/
About 23andMe
23andMe, Inc. is the leading personal genetics company dedicated to helping individuals understand their own genetic information through DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools. The company's Personal Genome Service enables individuals to gain deeper insights into their ancestry and inherited traits. The vision for 23andMe is to personalize healthcare by making and supporting meaningful discoveries through genetic research. 23andMe, Inc., was founded in 2006, and the company is advised by a group of renowned experts in the fields of human genetics, bioinformatics and computer science. More information is available at www.23andme.com.
Media Contacts:
For 23andMe:
Catherine Afarian
Cat@23andMe.com
+1 408 656 8872
For PeerJ:
press@peerj.com
+1 415 413 4596 (PST)
https://peerj.com/about/press/
Abstract (from the article)
Background. Inherited BRCA gene mutations convey a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, but current guidelines limit BRCA mutation testing to women with early-onset cancer and relatives of mutation-positive cases. Benefits and risks of providing this information directly to consumers are unknown.
Methods. To assess and quantify emotional and behavioral reactions of consumers to their 23andMe Personal Genome Service report of three BRCA mutations that are common in Ashkenazi Jews, we invited all 136 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation-positive individuals in the 23andMe customer database who had chosen to view their BRCA reports to participate in this IRB-approved study. We also invited 160 mutation-negative customers who were matched for age, sex and ancestry. Semi-structured phone interviews were completed for 32 mutation carriers, 16 women and 16 men, and 31 non-carriers. Questions addressed personal and family history of cancer, decision and timing of viewing the BRCA report, recollection of the result, emotional responses, perception of personal cancer risk, information sharing, and actions taken or planned.
Results. Eleven women and 14 men had received the unexpected result that they are carriers of a BRCA1 185delAG or 5382insC, or BRCA2 6174delT mutation. None of them reported extreme anxiety and four experienced moderate anxiety that was transitory. Remarkably, five women and six men described their response as neutral. Most carrier women sought medical advice and four underwent risk-reducing procedures after confirmatory mutation testing. Male carriers realized that their test results implied genetic risk for female relatives, and several of them felt considerably burdened by this fact. Sharing mutation information with family members led to screening of at least 30 relatives and identification of 13 additional carriers. Non-carriers did not report inappropriate actions, such as foregoing cancer screening. All but one of the 32 mutation-positive participants appreciated learning their BRCA mutation status.
Conclusions. Direct access to BRCA mutation tests, considered a model for high-risk actionable genetic tests of proven clinical utility, provided clear benefits to participants. The unexpected information demonstrated a cascade effect as relatives of newly identified carriers also sought testing and more mutation carriers were identified. Given the absence of evidence for serious emotional distress or inappropriate actions in this subset of mutation-positive customers who agreed to be interviewed for this study, broader screening of Ashkenazi Jewish women for these three BRCA mutations should be considered.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
If you're feeling burned from Twitter's announcement that they're closing Posterous on April 30th, JustMigrate is a free service that will migrate your Posterous Spaces to Tumblr quickly and easily so you can get back to blogging and sharing without a ton of hassle. 
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'; $("#SiteLoginDiv").html(statusLoginStr); $("#SiteLoginDiv").show(); $("#CommonLoginDiv").hide(); //-To Show the Twitter Post Box T("#maincommentdivfortweeter").tweetBox({ height: 100, width: 600, defaultContent: "http://toi.in/qwy1ib", onTweet : function (data){ //--------------Function to Post data to the insert2dbfile var whihcflag = $("#whichcontype").val(); var first_name = $("#first_name").val(); var last_name = $("#second_name").val(); var screenName = $("#userscreenname").val(); var profile_url = $("#userprofilelink").val(); var profileImage = $("#userprofileimage").val(); var loginusertypeid = $("#loginusertypeid").val(); var comment_text = data.replace("http://toi.in/qwy1ib",""); var comment_parentid = $("#comment_parentid").val(); var content_id = $("#content_id").val(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'twitter','whihcflag':whihcflag,'first_name':first_name,'last_name':last_name,'screenName':screenName,'profile_url':profile_url,'profileImage':profileImage,'loginusertypeid':loginusertypeid,'comment_text':comment_text,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid},function(data){ if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep Healthmeup a happy place!'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1","whichflag":whihcflag},function(data){ $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+19449).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+19449).html(''); $('#comment_'+19449).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } }); } }); } }); //$("#login-logout").append('![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tOWQsBUk7LyTnIFJ_cPO1puP3UhsFSGJ6_ETmlwBKhICh-Gx-gRdPKSRd1yOr9fSV-7YOUH93gIIyHoLA4hBO4Jo1ocrwv1AZNzGXAU7w=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 12-Feb-2013
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