After turmoil, Texas cancer agency gets 2nd chance

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? Gone are the large conferences, big pharma funding, Nobel laureates and lavishly paid state officials who vowed scientific breakthroughs from Texas' unprecedented $3 billion crusade against cancer.

What's left of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas isn't flashy, but that's precisely the goal for an agency regaining its footing after a year of turmoil and an ongoing a criminal investigation.

"When this started off, when we had Lance Armstrong and all the other advocates, it was ballyhooed," said Wayne Roberts, the interim executive director of the agency. "Publicized. Promoted. Listen, $3 billion for something like cancer ? it's going to have to really be in trouble before they don't support it."

A Texas grand jury is still weighing criminal charges against former officials, and rebukes from some of the nation's top researchers have sullied the agency's reputation. But CPRIT, like the cancer patients it was created to help, is getting a second chance.

Skeptics still aren't convinced that lessons were learned. Some nationally acclaimed scientists who severed ties with CPRIT last year say they haven't bothered keeping up with the sweeping reforms and housecleaning that are supposed to right an agency that hands out $300 million in taxpayer dollars every year.

Others mindful of dwindling research money are willing to put their disappointment aside.

"I guess it's like when the Dallas Cowboys have a down season," said Dr. Ian Thompson, director of the cancer and therapy research center at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, which has received more than $23 million from CPRIT. "Do you walk away from the Cowboys? Absolutely not."

Before packed abortion-rights protests at the state Capitol this summer caught even the attention of President Barack Obama, few issues dominated the Texas Legislature in 2013 like the fate of CPRIT. The agency controls the second-biggest pot of available cancer research dollars in the nation, behind only the National Institutes of Health, which has suffered with government cutbacks.

CPRIT launched in 2009. The public paid little attention to the agency after a celebrated rollout while researchers and private companies eagerly lined up for a shot at the taxpayer dollars.

Then the national attention CPRIT craved arrived, but for all the wrong reasons. Lucrative grants had been awarded without vetting; elite researchers levied allegations of "hucksterism"; state auditors uncovered mismanagement and questionable spending. One grant recipient spent more than $100,000 on office furniture.

By December, lawmakers froze the agency under a moratorium, and public corruption prosecutors began pulling CPRIT records. Big-shot lobbyists in Capitol hallways bet that "CPRIT is not going to live," Roberts said he later learned.

Lawmakers instead cleaned house and put the agency on a tighter leash. The entire 11-member oversight board was ousted. A nonprofit foundation that solicited money from donors and pharmaceutical giants such as Novartis and Pfizer Inc. ? partly to help two state officials take home a combined $1 million in salary ? dissolved and won't be replaced.

Now, after being effectively frozen for eight months, the agency hopes to begin taking applications for new grants by October. Leading the way is Roberts, a former aide to Gov. Rick Perry and budget wonk who is deliberately pushing CPRIT ahead with all the pizazz of the state's insurance department.

None of the three founding executives of CPRIT, which included a Nobel laureate and executive of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had experience running a state agency. Roberts said it became clear to him after taking over that was part of the problem.

Cathy Bonner, who helped hatch the idea for CPRIT, agreed.

"You run a boring state agency by the books, and you're a careful steward of the public money," said Bonner, an aide to former Texas Gov. Ann Richards. "You don't have that corruption. And I think they didn't have enough people who knew how to run a public agency with public money. It would thrill me completely if this was a boring state agency that does remarkable, boring research."

What's next for CPRIT is the appointment of a new governing board and the restocking of peer-review panels that were left bare as waves of scientists resigned. Roberts said some who resigned have approached the agency about coming back but declined to name them.

"We got a pretty direct message ? you're getting a second chance," Roberts said. "You ain't getting a third chance."

___

Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pauljweber

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turmoil-texas-cancer-agency-gets-2nd-chance-151437463.html

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Obama: No tax reform without spending to spur jobs

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama says there are no gimmicks to grow the economy ? just difficult steps that require Washington's focus.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama is promoting a plan he says can break through gridlock. He's calling it a grand bargain for the middle class.

Obama says he's willing to work with Republicans to reform the tax code for businesses. That would mean lowering rates but ending many loopholes and deductions.

But Obama says he'll only do it if money generated is used for infrastructure, training and job growth.

In the Republican address, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says Obama's health care law will cost jobs. She wants to change the law to require companies to provide insurance to employees working 40 hours a week, not 30.

___

Online:

White House address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: www.youtube.com/gopweeklyaddress

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-no-tax-reform-without-spending-spur-jobs-100312543.html

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DirecTV sides with Time Warner over CBS fee dispute

(Reuters) - In an unusual show of solidarity between rivals, satellite TV provider DirecTV issued a statement on Saturday applauding Time Warner Cable's decision to drop CBS programming from its lineup in the nation's two largest markets after the two failed to reach an agreement over fees.

The blackout on Friday by Time Warner of CBS, the No. 1-rated U.S. broadcast network, followed weeks of protracted and acrimonious negotiations between the two companies.

CBS retaliated on Friday by suspending videos of full episodes of its programming on CBS.com for customers with Internet access provided by Time Warner Cable in the affected markets, a move that affects DirecTV customers.

"DirecTV has certainly had its share of these battles, so we applaud Time Warner Cable for fighting back against exorbitant programming cost increases," the company said in a statement.

"We are also appalled to learn that CBS is now punishing DIRECTV customers, who may happen to have Time Warner as their Internet provider, by denying them access to CBS content online," the company said, saying the efforts of content companies to extract "outrageous fees" from distributors may have reached "a new low."

DirecTV had its own blackout last summer in which 20 million customers lost access to Viacom channels such as MTV and Nickelodeon for 10 days.

CBS is home to such hits as "The Big Bang Theory" and "NCIS" and is seen by an estimated 3.5 million customers in the affected markets, which include New York, Los Angeles and Dallas.

A source familiar with the CBS negotiating strategy told Reuters on Friday the company had offered to extend current terms and keep negotiating in the coming days, adding that no new talks between the sides are scheduled.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/directv-sides-time-warner-over-cbs-fee-dispute-195443481.html

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Congress eyes second push for legislation that would rein in NSA ...

Members of Congress are considering 11 legislative measures to constrain the activities of the National Security Agency, in a major shift of political opinion in the eight weeks since the first revelations from whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The proposals range from repealing the legal foundations of key US surveillance powers to more moderate reforms of the secretive court proceedings for domestic spying. If enacted, the laws would represent the first rollback of the NSA's powers since 9/11.

The Guardian has spoken to six key lawmakers involved in the push to rein in the NSA, and those involved in the process argue there is now an emerging consensus that the bulk collection of millions of phone records needs to be overhauled or even ended.

Justin Amash, the Republican congressman whose measure to terminate the indiscriminate collection of phone data was narrowly defeated 10 days ago, said he was certain the next legislative push will succeed. "The people who voted no are, I think, hopeful to get another opportunity to vote yes on reforming this program and other programs," he said.

In the Senate, Democrat Ron Wyden said there was similarly "strong bipartisan support for fundamental reforms", a direct consequence of revelations about the nature and power of NSA surveillance. "Eight weeks ago, we wouldn't have had this debate in the Congress," he said. "Eight weeks ago there wouldn't have been this extraordinary vote."

On Thursday, Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia, to the fury of Washington. The White House said it was "extremely disappointed" in the decision, and hinted that Barack Obama may pull out of a bilateral summit with Vladimir Putin in September.

But even as Snowden was leaving the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for more than a month, Obama was telling key members of Congress at a meeting at the Oval Office that he was "open to suggestions" for reforming the NSA surveillance programs that have embroiled his administration in controversy.

Wyden, a long-standing critic of dragnet surveillance, is backing a range of legislative efforts that would end bulk phone records acquisition and revamp the foreign intelligence surveillance (Fisa) court, which grants the NSA legal authorization for its mass collection.

Several senators are supporting a bill introduced on Thursday by Democrat Richard Blumenthal which would introduce a public advocate into some proceedings at the court, which currently only hears the US government's case. In the past 30 years, it has turned down just 11 of the nearly 34,000 warrant requests submitted by federal authorities.

Senior administration officials have indicated they are open to Blumenthal's proposals ? which would not in themselves curtail the NSA's powers.

Another measure directed at the Fisa court is being brought by House Democrat Adam Schiff, who sits on the powerful intelligence committee. Under his plan, the court's judges, who are currently selected by the chief justice of the supreme court, would be appointed instead by the president, a process that would require them to undergo a congressional confirmation process.

"Then you have these judges publicly vetted on their fourth amendment views prior to being placed on the court," Schiff said, referring to the constitutional freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Other measures seek to make government surveillance more transparent. This week Democratic senator Al Franken introduced a bill to force the US government to regularly report on the number of Americans whose data is being collated by the NSA. It would also permit internet companies to disclose the number of requests they receive for data. "The American public deserves more transparency, and my bill goes a long toward doing that," Franken said.

A similar bill has been introduced by his Democratic colleague Jeff Merkley, who wants to compel the administration to disclose the key legal ruling from the Fisa court that governs how phone records are collected.

Representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat who on Friday introduced a bill promoting greater transparency around surveillance orders received by private companies, stressed the cross-party nature of the measures. "If you've noticed, we've not had a rash of bipartisan efforts in the House," she said, referring to the gridlock that has held up other legislation.

There are other lawmakers who are pushing for more profound reforms. They include Republican James Sensenbrenner, the author of the post-9/11 Patriot Act, which the NSA has used to justify some of its data collection methods. His support of the Amash amendment last week revealed how far Congress has shifted in the weeks since the Snowden leaks were published.

Sensenbrenner said the Patriot Act was being interpreted to allow for forms of surveillance that were never envisaged when it was passed. He now supports an Amash-style bill that would prevent the NSA from hoovering up phone records without specific justification.

Most of the efforts focus on constraining the NSA's ability to spy on Americans. There is less congressional support for limiting its spying on foreigners' internet communication. One major exception is a measure introduced by House Democrat Rush Holt, that would repeal both the Patriot Act and the Fisa Amendments Act of 2008, two legislative pillars of post-9/11 surveillance.

Holt, who previously served on the intelligence committee, represents the most sceptical wing of Congress. "I learned that the heads of the NSA and other intelligence agencies are schooled in secrecy and deception. You can't always believe everything they say," he said. "They say these have stopped 50 attacks or something like that, and though I'm not on the intelligence committee right now, and I can't speak item-by-item, I can be pretty sure that there's probably not too much truth to it."

His bill represents the most radical congressional attempt at surveillance reform. Its prospects are not good, particularly because it would curtail Prism, one of the NSA programs to spy on the internet communications in foreign lands.

Schiff said Prism was more popular in congress for two reasons. First, Prism "is focused outside the United States and not on US citizens". Second, Schiff said its effectiveness is "much more substantial" than the phone records collection.

Intelligence officials have struggled to show how collecting bulk phone metadata was critical to foiling even one terrorist plot.

Lawmakers may fume at the idea of collecting the phone records of Americans, but they seem nonplussed at the notion the NSA can freely access the emails of foreigners.

Even those who do have concerns about Prism ? such as Wyden ? are looking for ways to ensure Americans are not ensnared in its dragnet, rather than ending it entirely.

"It has become increasingly apparent that the balance between security and liberty has been tainted," Sensenbrenner said in a statement after he left the White House meeting. "The conversation was very productive and everyone agreed something must be done."

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/02/congress-nsa-legislation-surveillance

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Young brain cancer patient returns home

2004 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, CALL CRIMESTOPPERS AT 1-800-SPEAK-UP. Carmen: IN LIVONIA, A SPECIAL HOMECOMING FOR A LITTLE GIRL FOLLOWING A BATTLE WITH BRAIN CANCER. Devin: ABBEY IS COMING HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL FOR A BREAK AND PEOPLE IN HER LIVONIA NEIGHBORHOOD WANTED TO MAKE SURE SHE GOT A HERO'S WELCOME. Carmen: OUR WILL JONES HAS MORE. A DONATION ON BEHALF OF THE PIPERS. MY DAUGHTER HAD A LEMONADE STAND YESTERDAY AND WE'RE DONATING THIS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILY. Will: IT'S THINGS LIKE THAT THAT KEEP HER ROLLING ON. NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, ALL THOSE WHO LOVE HER, WELCOMING HER HOME IN HER BATTLE AGAINST BRAIN CANCER. SHE IS REALLY, REALLY SWEET AND SERVES. Will: SHE HAD STROKE-LIKE SYMPTOMS ON A SCHOOL FIELD TRIP AND RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL. THE NEXT DAY SHE SPENT HOURS IN SURGERY FOR A BRAIN TUMOR IN AN AREA OF THE BRAIN THAT CONTROLS BODY MOVEMENT. SHE WAS VOMITING THREE MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS. WE WERE SHOCKED AND IT TURNED OUR LIVES UPSIDE DOWN. ABBEY! ABBEY! Will: HER PARENTS HAVE BEEN BY HER SIDE THROUGH RADIATION AND RECOVERY. WE LOVE YOU! WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HOME. [APPLAUSE] Will: THE COMMUNITY WAS THERE ALONG THE WAY IN SPIRIT. WHEN WORD SPREAD SHE WAS COMING HOME, HER FRIENDS WANTED TO MAKE SURE SHE KNOWS HOW MUCH THEY LOVE HER AND IT GIVES HER STRENGTH AS HER TREATMENT CONTINUES.

Source: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/young-brain-cancer-patient-returns-home/-/1719418/21312760/-/aleaio/-/index.html

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Baby owls sleep like baby humans: Owlets spend more time in REM sleep than adult owls

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Baby birds have sleep patterns similar to baby mammals, and their sleep changes in the same way when growing up. This is what a biologists found out working with barn owls in the wild. The team also discovered that this change in sleep was strongly correlated with the expression of a gene involved in producing dark, melanic feather spots, a trait known to covary with behavioral and physiological traits in adult owls. These findings raise the intriguing possibility that sleep-related developmental processes in the brain contribute to the link between melanism and other traits observed in adult barn owls and other animals.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/jpKZOdz3dCs/130802094840.htm

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My Windows XP VM is growing like a beanstalk

New to parallels - please be gentle - I do think it's fantastic by the way.

I can see from searching previous posts that this is a common observation - but many responses are dated so I thought it worth asking the question for an up to date answer in light of current software functionality.

I put parallels on my MBA just to run Microsoft Money. As its the only program I need under Windows, I went for Windows XP to (hopefully) minimise resources consumed (disk space, memory etc), and Money runs 100% ok under XP. I installed Parallels and Money and hey ho, all was fantastic. Brilliant performance and consumption of resources hardly noticeable.

But the VM is now growing in size. It started at 6Gb, went to 8, went to 12, went to 14, now its at 16GB. All in three weeks. I let it be and thought it would settle down, but its just growing and growing. Something's wrong! I'm just running this one application.

I checked a couple of things like turning off system restore, and setting the optimisation settings to work in concert with Time Machine. No difference, the VM is just growing and eating up my precious solid state for no good reason that I can see.

Any suggestions please?

Source: http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?289610-My-Windows-XP-VM-is-growing-like-a-beanstalk&goto=newpost

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