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Twitter / Benson Henderson: Must say even tho the defe ...Must say even tho the defenses were porous is on the radar of college football fans everywhere...stats this year are on point!!!Il y a environ 5 heuresvia Echofon
The Force is strong with Oregon's latest football uniforms, but can the galactic empire shut down Wisconsin's ground game? We shall find out January 2.
The school, whose Nike Pro Combat gear claims to be the most advanced football uniform system in the world, is ready to do battle in the Rose Bowl.
Most advanced? Debatable. Most frequently changing, terrifying and hilarious? Yes.
With Nike CEO and Oregon alum Phil Knight introducing new versions more often than we can count, the Ducks' uniforms are always a hot college football topic.
Their new, Darth Vader-esque iteration allegedly features 11 different synthetic materials within the jersey and pants alone, and 16 in the complete uniform.
None of which could shut down Matt Barkley a few weeks back. Just saying.
To help identify your favorite Ducks, the new unis include larger, bolder numbers with an iridescent sheen similar to that of Vader's cape a mallard's feathers.
No word if the tinted, all-black visor also features a James Earl Jones voice modulator.
Plus, a few other choices during this post-Christmas lull.
It's shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that the home video choices this week are rather slim; most studios try to make sure they have all of their best stuff ready to go before Christmas, naturally. With that in mind, we bring you an abbreviated edition of RT on DVD, focusing on just five new releases that are hitting shelves. For those of you who are also avid television-watchers, some items of interest we won't be covering include Season 2 of the animated series Archer, the first seasons of two Showtime dramas The Borgias and Shameless, and the first season of IFC sitcom The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, which stars Arrested Development alumni David Cross and Will Arnett. That said, we will be covering two horror movies, a raunchy comedy, a Romanian film, and a fascinating documentary. See below for the full list!
Felipe Cabrera Sarabia, alias "El Inge," is shown to the press under the custody of army soldiers at the federal organized crime investigations headquarters (SIEDO) in Mexico City, Monday Dec. 26, 2011. According to federal authorities, Sarabia is a close associate and head of security for Mexico's most wanted criminal, Joaquin Guzman Loera, alias "El Chapo," leader of the Sinaloa cartel in the Durango mountains region. Authorities say Sarabia was captured on Friday in the capital of Sinaloa state. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Source: AP - Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LOS ANGELES ? The moon has come a long way since Galileo first peered at it through a telescope. Unmanned probes have circled around it and landed on its surface. Twelve American astronauts have walked on it. And lunar rocks and soil have been hauled back from it.
Despite being well studied, Earth's closest neighbor remains an enigma.
Over the New Year's weekend, a pair of spacecraft the size of washing machines are set to enter orbit around it in the latest lunar mission. Their job is to measure the uneven gravity field and determine what lies beneath ? straight down to the core.
Since rocketing from the Florida coast in September, the near-identical Grail spacecraft have been independently traveling to their destination and will arrive 24 hours apart. Their paths are right on target that engineers recently decided not to tweak their positions.
"Both spacecraft have performed essentially flawlessly since launch, but one can never take anything for granted in this business," said mission chief scientist Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The nail-biting part is yet to come. On New Year's Eve, one of the Grail probes ? short for Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory ? will fire its engine to slow down so that it could be captured into orbit. This move will be repeated by the other the following day.
Engineers said the chances of the probes overshooting are slim since their trajectories have been precise. Getting struck by a cosmic ray may prevent the completion of the engine burn and they won't get boosted into the right orbit.
"I know I'm going to be nervous. I'm definitely a worrywart," said project manager David Lehman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $496 million, three-month mission.
Once in orbit, the spacecraft will spend the next two months flying in formation and chasing one another around the moon until they are about 35 miles above the surface with an average separation of 124 miles. Data collection won't begin until March.
Previous missions have attempted to measure lunar gravity with mixed success. Grail is the first mission dedicated to this goal.
As the probes circle the moon, regional changes in the lunar gravity field will cause them to speed up or slow down. This in turn will change the distance between them. Radio signals transmitted by the spacecraft will measure the slight distance gaps, allowing researchers to map the underlying gravity field.
Using the gravity information, scientists can deduce what's below or at the lunar surface such as mountains and craters and may help explain why the far side of the moon is more rugged than the side that faces Earth.
The probes are officially known as Grail-A and Grail-B. Several months ago, NASA hosted a contest inviting schools and students to submit new names. The probes will be christened with the winning names after the second orbit insertion, Zuber said.
Besides the one instrument on board, each spacecraft also carries a camera for educational purposes. Run by a company founded by Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, middle school students from participating schools can choose their own lunar targets to image during the mission.
A trip to the moon is typically relatively quick. It took Apollo astronauts three days to get there. Since Grail was launched from a relatively small rocket to save on costs, the journey took 3 1/2 months.
Scientists expect the mission to yield a bounty of new information about the moon, but don't count on the U.S. sending astronauts back anytime soon. The Constellation program was canceled last year by President Barack Obama, who favors landing on an asteroid as a stepping stone to Mars.
FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2011 file photo, Christy Embry, left, and Crystal Coleman wait in a long check out line during the Black Friday sale at Bass Pro Shops, in Memphis, Tenn. A new economic reality and new traditions gave birth to new types of shoppers this holiday 2011 season: the extreme discount bargain hunter, the Black Friday novice, the big returner and the selfish shopper. (AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Alan Spearman, file)
FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2011 file photo, Christy Embry, left, and Crystal Coleman wait in a long check out line during the Black Friday sale at Bass Pro Shops, in Memphis, Tenn. A new economic reality and new traditions gave birth to new types of shoppers this holiday 2011 season: the extreme discount bargain hunter, the Black Friday novice, the big returner and the selfish shopper. (AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Alan Spearman, file)
FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2011 photo, shoppers line up in the electronics department at a North Little Rock, Ark., Sears store. A new economic reality and new traditions gave birth to new types of shoppers this holiday 2011 season: the extreme discount bargain hunter, the Black Friday novice, the big returner and the selfish shopper. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston. File)
FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2011 file photo, Jasmine Rogers shops in a Kmart in Chicago. A new economic reality and new traditions gave birth to new types of shoppers this holiday 2011 season: the extreme discount bargain hunter, the Black Friday novice, the big returner and the selfish shopper.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2011 file photo, Jasmin Garcia checks a sleeping wear price at a Kmart in Chicago. A new economic reality and new traditions gave birth to new types of shoppers this holiday 2011 season: the extreme discount bargain hunter, the Black Friday novice, the big returner and the selfish shopper. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Four types of American shoppers have altered the shopping landscape this holiday season.
There's the bargain hunter who times deals. The midnight buyer who stays up late for discounts. The returner who gets buyer's remorse. And the "me" shopper who self-gifts.
It's the latest shift by consumers in the fourth year of a weak U.S. economy. Shoppers are expected to spend $469.1 billion during the holiday shopping season that runs from November through December. While it won't be known just how much Americans spent until the season ends on Saturday, it's clear they are shopping differently than in years past.
"We're seeing different types of buying behavior in a new economic reality," says C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group.
THE BARGAIN TIMER
Cost-conscious shoppers haven't just been looking for bargains this season. They've also been more deliberate about when to find those deals. Many believe the biggest bargains come at the beginning and end of the season, which has created a kind of "dumbbell effect" in sales.
For the week ended on Nov. 26, which included the traditional start of the holiday shopping season on the day after Thanksgiving, stores had the biggest sales surge compared with the prior week since 1993, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Stores Sales Index. The cumulative two-week-sales drop-off that followed marked the biggest percentage decline since 2000. Then, stores had another surge in the final days, as retailers stepped up promotions again.
"Shoppers are budgeting their money and time," says Paco Underhill, whose company, Envirosell, studies how consumers behave in stores. "They're focused on being opportunistic bargain shopping vultures."
Kalilah Middleton, 30, of Queens, is one of them. Starting late on Thanksgiving night, she spent five hours and $400 at Wal-Mart and Target. She bought a TV and clothing at 50 percent off. Then, she waited until Christmas Eve to shop again because she believed she'd find lower prices later in the season.
"This is when you get the best deals," says Middleton, an office manager, about her holiday shopping.
Shoppers expect even bigger discounts later in the season. According to America's Research Group, about one-third of shoppers say they want to see post-Christmas discounts of about 70 to 80 percent.
THE MIDNIGHT BUYER
Bargain shoppers used to wake up at the crack of dawn to take advantage of big discounts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. This year, some shoppers instead stayed up late on Thanksgiving night.
This shift in behavior was in large part due to retailers' efforts to outdo each other during the traditional start to the holiday shopping season. Stores like Macy's, Best Buy and Target for the first time opened at midnight on Thanksgiving night, offering deals that once were reserved for the next day.
Twenty-four percent of Black Friday shoppers were at stores at midnight, according to a poll by the National Retail Federation, the industry's biggest trade group. That's up from 9.5 percent the year before when only a few stores were open during that time.
But those hours mostly appealed to the younger set. Of those shopping at midnight on Black Friday, 37 percent were ages 18 to 34. Older shoppers weren't as quick to run to the malls. Only 23.5 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds were in stores by midnight.
Macy's, for one, drew 10,000 people to its midnight opening. Terry Lundgren, Macy's CEO, says many of them were young people who turned out for the Justin Bieber $65 gift sets and discounted fashions.
Anika Ruud, 15, of Boca Raton, Fla., went out with her four cousins to Macy's at midnight and then shopped at Target until 2:30 a.m. She picked up two bras at Macy's for $10. Then, she and her cousins went home to bed.
"It's always been inconvenient," Ruud says of the traditional 4 a.m. Black Friday openings of years past. "No one likes to wake up early."
THE RETURNER
Shoppers who were lured into stores by bargains gleefully loaded up on everything from discounted tablet computers to clothing early in the holiday season. But soon after, many suffered a case of buyer's remorse and rushed back to return some of the items that they bought.
For instance, Elizabeth Yamada, 55, of Fort Lee, N.J., says she got caught up in the shopping frenzy over the Thanksgiving weekend and purchased a $350 coat that was marked down more than 50 percent at Macy's. She returned it a week later.
"It was nice, but I didn't need it," says Yamada, who works part-time as a waitress and a hospital aide. "It was impulsive shopping. But I am doing more reflecting."
For every dollar stores take in this holiday season, it's expected they will have to give back 9.9 cents in returns, up from 9.8 last year, according to the a survey of 110 retailers the NRF. It would be the highest return rate since the recession. In better economic times, it's about 7 cents.
Stores have themselves to blame for the higher returns. They lured shoppers in with deals of up to 60 percent off as early as October. Because of the deals, shoppers spent more than they normally would ? and then many felt bad about it. Retailers' policies have been more lax since 2008, with some making it even easier to return purchases this year, so a lot of items that were purchased early in the season went back.
THE "ME" SHOPPER
One for you; one for me.
After scrimping on themselves during the recession, Americans turned more self-indulgent. It's a trend that started last year, but became more prevalent this season.
According to the NRF, spending for non-gift items will increase by 16 percent this holiday season to $130.43 per person. That's the highest number recorded since it started tracking it in 2004.
"This season, the consumer put herself ahead of the giving," says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with market research firm The NPD Group.
Betty Thomas, a health care coordinator at a hospital in Raleigh, N.C., says she spent $1,700 on a ring and bracelet for herself and a rug for her home during the holiday season. That's up dramatically from the $200 she spent last year.
"I have been putting other people first," Thomas says. "I definitely felt I earned it."
Stores have been encouraging such self-gifting.
AnnTaylor's "Perfect Presents: One for you. One for her" campaign highlighted merchandise like brightly colored sweaters. Brookstone's print ads urged shoppers to get accessories for their iPads and other electronics with the words: "gifts for your gadgets." And Shopittome.com, an online site that alerts consumers to clothing sales they're interested in, launched "Treat Yourself Tuesday" after Thanksgiving weekend.
_____
Anne D'Innocenzio reported from New York.
Christina Rexrode in Raleigh, N.C. contributed to this report.
Follow AP retail coverage at http://www.twitter.com/AP--Retail.
Five garbage-time minutes remained in Sunday's holiday spanking when Mark Cuban finally got LeBron James' attention.
Play was in. The clock was running.
The Heat had the ball and a 20-point lead on their way to a 105-94 victory on a shockingly easy Christmas afternoon.
But that didn't stop the Mavericks owner, arms folded tightly across his gray T-shirt as he slumped in his usual baseline seat, from launching a quick salvo.
Judging from the wry smile on Cuban's face and the way he shook his head in mock resignation, he wasn't heckling LeBron.
Far from it.
More like crying "uncle."
The way the rest of the NBA could soon be if this sort of thing continues.
"Cuban's a good guy, man," LeBron said after his 37-point showing. "I'm not going to tell you what he said."
Not even a hint?
"Ask him what he said," LeBron said, laughing aloud at the thought. "It's all good."
Last year's championship banner was raised to the rafters before Sunday's tipoff. It was a 10-minute ceremony the Heat wisely chose to skip before coming out and putting the rest of the basketball world on notice.
You thought the Heat were dominant at times last season in coming within two wins of the NBA title?
You thought they looked overwhelming during the first three playoff rounds, when they dropped just one game apiece to the Sixers, Celtics and Bulls?
That was nothing compared to how they played for much of this season opener at American Airlines Center.
Dwyane Wade (26 points) was the only other Heat player in double figures. Chris Bosh missed seven of nine shots from the field.
Yet that hardly mattered with LeBron tossing in turnaround bank shots with his left hand.
Not to mention the sort of team defense and rebounding the Heat put on display.
Those factors led to 31 fastbreak points and a 35-point bulge after the break that felt twice that large.
They held the Mavericks to 29-percent shooting in the first half, more than doubled them up on the boards and turned what was supposed to be a victory lap into a public flogging.
Watching it all from courtside was David Stern, kind enough not to void this Christmas clunker and declare a do-over.
Earlier, the NBA commissioner had used three prime adjectives to describe this Heat team.
"Interesting" was the first.
"Fun" was the second.
Later, he tossed in "formidable" for good measure.
Gee, ya think?
"Those are great words," Wade said. "Coming from the commissioner, those are great words for us as a team. We appreciate the kind words."
No more finger-wagging between those two.
Basketball is back, and with it the Heat's pursuit of an NBA crown that nearly became theirs six months ago, probably a year ahead of schedule.
Now along comes Superfriends: Version 2.0, and even Stern seems to be coming around.
"Those are accurate descriptions of who we are," James Jones said. "Whenever you have three big stars, you're formidable, and we're a unique, interesting team because of the personalties we have. Our guys are tremendous athletes but they're also charismatic, soft-spoken and electric."
Who needs a Thesaurus with this guy around?
Newcomer Shane Battier also endorsed Stern's word choices.
"I would agree with all of those," Battier said. "Pretty apropos. This is a dynamic team in more ways than one. The key word is 'team.' "
Then there was LeBron, who hasn't always felt like one of Stern's favorites.
"He said that about us?" LeBron said, a bit stunned for a moment. "What does that last word mean? I didn't go to college."
Formidable? Uh, that means "inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense or capable."
All of which applied Sunday.
"OK," LeBron said, nodding. "I appreciate the words of kindness from the commissioner."
Ford says it is ready to help Santa Claus go green, slashing his carbon footprint with a concept sleigh design powered by a new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine.
Santa's new ride, packed with Ford technology, would allow Rudolph and friends to enjoy a well-deserved retirement, while Santa makes his annual deliveries saving 191,843 tonnes of CO2 and ?110 million on fuel costs.
"They may look cute, but Santa's team of nine reindeer create a staggering 214,670 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions each year, so something had to be done to help him re-discover his greener roots," comments Ford car designer Paul Wraith.
The benefits of switching to the concept sleigh go beyond the environmental, though. Travelling such huge distances ? some 200,237,360km ? means Santa currently spends in excess of ?122 million on carrots alone to fuel his reindeer.
The impressive fuel efficiency of the 1 litre EcoBoost would reduce Santa's fuel costs by 90% to just ?12 million.
While Santa himself is understandably unavailable for comment, Mrs Claus states: "I am not looking forward to telling Donner and Blitzen the news, but the polar bears in the North Pole will certainly welcome the Ford EcoBoost-powered sleigh."
And she adds: "l would, of course, back anything that means my husband can get home that bit quicker. Getting presents in a shorter amount of time to all the good children each year may even give him time to reconsider a few names on the naughty list. But I can't promise."
Innovative engineering means the new EcoBoost engine delivers performance to rival a traditional 1.6-litre engine but with significantly improved fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions of just 114g/km CO2.
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost cylinder block also fits onto a single sheet of A4 paper, but still delivers up to 125PS and 170Nm peak torque, with 200Nm overboost, giving it the highest power density of any Ford production engine to date.
"Our tongue may be firmly in cheek as we launch this sleigh design, but our heart is in the right place," says Wraith. "At Ford, we're dreaming of a green Christmas. We're already thinking of the concept sleigh mark II. With electric vehicle battery technology developing all the time, we are keen to get to work on a zero-carbon version of our sleigh."
Highlights of Ford's technology in the new sleigh include:
Active park assist: technology that first checks if a parking space is big enough, then automatically steers your sleigh into it. Useful for Santa in making those tight reverse rooftop landings.
Door edge protector: a simple, but ingenious addition to Ford doors, helping thwart dents, dings and scratches even in the tightest parking spot. Vital to help Santa stop scratching the door of his sleigh on all those chimneys.
SYNC: in-van, voice-activated technology that will help Santa keep in touch with the elves back at base, stay en route with GPS navigation and enable him to listen to and change his favourite Christmas music.
EcoMode: in-van software that provides useful advice for drivers on achieving better fuel economy tailored to their individual driving styles. A specially modified version of the software will include an electronic Christmas tree image. The better Santa's green driving performance, the more of the trees branch symbols will light-up.
Active City Stop & Blind Spot Information System: two driver assistance technologies, the first detecting if the vehicle in front unexpectedly stops and braking automatically in response; the second helps detecting vehicles in blind spots during normal driving. Both will be useful to Santa, as he tries to avoid planes in our increasingly crowded skies.
MyKey: enabling Santa to encourage his elves to drive more safely and fuel efficiently, with increased safety-belt usage, through a range of driver specific configurable features.
Although it?s insane to even think that?the Redskins have a shot at matching their win total from just a year ago, it's in fact true. And technically, the Redskins can exceed last year's total if they can pull out both wins against Minnesota and Philadelphia.
The playoffs, however, have been out of the question since about Week 8.
But being eliminated from playoff contention with two games remaining on the schedule doesn?t necessarily call for this season to be thrown to the wayside. In fact, the remaining two games will be very telling for the Redskins, the coaches and the future of this team.
In Mike Shanahan?s first year as head coach of the Redskins last season, the team went 6-10 under intense culture and scheme changes. The coaches were weeding through the inherited crap, dealing with their own bad acquisition and attempting to emulate the Redskins? glory days of yesteryear (like, two decades ago actually).
At this point, the Redskins? odds are stacked against them in terms of exceeding last year?s win total. And digression, whether measured in wins or not, never makes for a comfortable coaching seat.
The Redskins remaining schedule of Minnesota and Philadelphia will be Shanahan?s greatest test of the season to show that his coaching remains a valuable asset in the NFL and to the Washington Redskins.
Although they may be favored at home against Minnesota on Christmas Eve, the Redskins should be underdogs in Philadelphia for the season finale. Injuries have plagued the team all year, the quarterback situation has been arguably the league?s worst and the latest season-ending suspensions handed down to leading receiver Fred Davis and starting left tackle Trent Williams make for serious bumps in the road.
How Confident Are You In Mike Shanahan?
How Confident Are You In Mike Shanahan?
8-10 Confident
5-7 I'm in the middle
2-4 I think we need to change
0-2 Never have, never will
But let?s forget about wins and losses for a moment and come to the realization that our preseason hopes as Redskins fans were once again unsurprisingly shot down. Instead, let?s focus on what Shanahan does with this team to close out a season that most would refer to as a total loss and/or complete waste.
If Shanahan somehow finds a way to match last year?s win total and doesn?t technically digress, are people still calling for his head?
Probably so. But judge fairly. I understand that injuries are a part of the game and that suspensions can happen to the best of players, but it still has to be taken into account.
An offensive line that has seen seven different alignments this season shouldn?t go un-noted. Even though Shanahan may have done it to himself, Rex Grossman being your team?s best option at quarterback has to be marked with an asterisk. And most of all, it?s important to recognize that this is only the second year of a supposed five-year plan.
I know it sounds like I?m making excuses, like I have a personal love interest in Mike Shanahan. But I?ll promise you that?s not the case.?Matthew McConaughey? Sure. But not Mike Shanahan.?
All I?m preaching is that consistency is important. That the final product of this season over the team?s last two games, whether they be wins or losses, are imperative to the job that Shanahan is doing in Washington.
We must all keep in mind that serious draft potential hangs in the balance for the Redskins, in which case, losing the remaining two games could be more beneficial. But, the draft can only be dissected following season's end.?
This season may be lost in the sense that we?ll be watching the playoffs from the same place as teams like the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and St. Louis Rams. But this season is an important piece of the puzzle for Shanahan and the Redskins? future. And this season isn?t over yet.
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Welcome LAPD to twitter @911LAPD -The Official Twitter feed of Communications Division of the Los Angeles Police DepartmentIl y a environ 6 heuresvia HootSuiteRetweeted by 13 people
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ? A series of strong earthquakes struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Friday, rattling buildings, sending goods tumbling from shelves and prompting terrified holiday shoppers to flee into the streets. There was no tsunami alert issued and the city appeared to have been spared major damage.
One person was injured at a city mall and was taken to a hospital, and four people had to be rescued after being trapped by a rock fall, Christchurch police said in a statement. But there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or widespread damage in the city, which is still recovering from a devastating February earthquake that killed 182 people and destroyed much of the downtown area.
The first 5.8-magnitude quake struck Friday afternoon, 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of Christchurch and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) deep, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Minutes later, a 5.3-magnitude aftershock hit. About an hour after that, the city was shaken by another 5.8-magnitude temblor, the U.S.G.S. said, though New Zealand's geological agency GNS Science recorded that aftershock as a magnitude-6.0. Both aftershocks were less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) deep.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue an alert.
The city's airport was evacuated after the first quake and all city malls shut down as a precaution.
About 60 people were treated for minor injuries, including fractures, injuries sustained in falls and people with "emotional difficulties," Christchurch St. John Ambulance operations manager Tony Dowell told The Associated Press.
"We have had no significant injuries reported as a result of the earthquakes today," he said.
Warwick Isaacs, demolitions manager for the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, said most buildings had been evacuated "as an emergency measure." The area has recorded more than 7,000 earthquakes since a magnitude-7.0 quake rocked the city on Sept. 4, 2010. That quake did not cause any deaths.
Rock falls had occurred in one area and there was liquefaction ? when an earthquake forces underground water up through loose soil ? in several places, Isaacs told New Zealand's National Radio.
"There has been quite a lot of stuff falling out of cupboards, off shelves in shops and that sort of thing, again," he said.
Isaacs said his immediate concern was for demolition workers involved in tearing down buildings wrecked in previous quakes.
"It ... started slow then really got going. It was a big swaying one but not as jolting or as violent as in February," Christchurch resident Rita Langley said. "Everyone seems fairly chilled, though the traffic buildup sounds like a beehive that has just been kicked as everyone leaves (the) town (center)."
The shaking was severe in the nearby port town of Lyttelton, the epicenter of the Feb. 22 quake.
"We stayed inside until the shaking stopped. Then most people went out into the street outside," resident Andrew Turner said. "People are emotionally shocked by what happened this afternoon."
Around 26,000 homes were without power in Christchurch, after the shaking tripped switches that cut supplies, Orion energy company CEO Rob Jamieson said.
"We don't seem to have damage to our equipment," he said. "We hope to have power back on to those customers by nightfall."
Hundreds of miles of sewer and fresh water lines have been repaired in the city since the February quake.
One partly demolished building and a vacant house collapsed after Friday's quakes, police said.
Central City Business Association manager Paul Lonsdale said the quakes came at the worst possible time for retailers, with people rushing to finish their Christmas shopping.
Despite the sizable quakes, there was no visible damage in the central business district, where 28 stores have reopened in shipping containers after their buildings were wrecked by the February quake, he said.
"Hopefully tomorrow we'll be feeling a little bit better again and restoring our faith in the will to live and to stay in Christchurch," the city's deputy mayor, Ngaire Button, told National Radio.
Army Pfc. Bradley Manning leaves U.S. Magistrate Court at Fort Meade, Md., on Tuesday.
By Mike Brunkermsnbc.com
Raising the hackles of some attorneys who work on transgender legal issues, defense attorneys for Bradley Manning apparently intend to make an almost novel legal argument -- that the Army private was suffering from gender identity disorder when his alleged crimes were committed -- if his case proceeds to court martial as expected.
In the first five days of Manning?s preliminary hearing at Fort Meade, Md., prosecutors and defense attorneys have both presented evidence that Manning, accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of secret government documents to the WikiLeaks website, was wrestling with gender issues in the period leading up to the publication of the documents.
The defense stated Saturday that Manning, 24, had written to one of his supervisors when he was stationed in Iraq before his arrest and said he had concluded he was suffering from gender identity disorder, which is classified as a medical disorder in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. He included a photo of himself dressed as a woman in the letter and said the issue was affecting his ability to do his job or think clearly.
A defense attorney and a witness also stated that Manning had created a Facebook profile and opened at least one email account using the name ?Breanna Manning,? which the attorney described as an ?alter-ego.?
As the hearing continued Tuesday, prosecutors presented testimony indicating that Manning had used another soldier?s laptop to order a book on female facial reconstructive surgery from Amazon.com that he had shipped to his Potomac address.
A search of Amazon.com for the term ?female facial reconstructive surgery? returns just one title, ?Facial Feminization Surgery: A Guide for the Transgendered Woman.?
Also Tuesday, Manning?s attorneys did little to challenge testimony by prosecution witnesses tying Manning to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and other electronic evidence collected in the case.
Manning is charged with aiding the enemy and violating the Espionage Act. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
If Manning?s case does go to court martial, his attorneys will apparently be just the second defense team to attempt to use a gender identity disorder as at least a partial defense in a military case, according to Jack King, a staff attorney with the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys specializing in mental health issues.
The only other case on record, he said, involved Karen Davis, a Navy electrician's mate, second class, formerly known as Charles Marx, who was prosecuted in the mid-1980s ?for wearing women's clothing (a skirt, nylons, a women's blouse, a bra, women's fashion jeans, nail polish, a purse, and a wig) on numerous occasions while at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.?
In appealing her court martial in 1988, Davis' attorneys argued that such conduct was not illegal. They also stated that, while living as Marx, she had been diagnosed by several Navy psychiatrists as having gender identity disorder and that cross-dressing was therapeutic.
The military appeals court allowed her dishonorable discharge to stand for the reason that?cross-dressing was??prejudicial to good order and discipline and discrediting of the Armed Forces."
King said such a case would be unlikely today, given the greater understanding of gender identity disorder.
?Now, if a person could show that because he or she believed themselves to be a member of the opposite sex they had an irresistible impulse to cross-dress, they would in all likelihood qualify for a medical discharge,? he said.
Several attorneys who work with transgender legal issues said they were not aware of a gender identity disorder defense being raised in a civilian court, and King said it?s easy to see why not, noting that such a diagnosis ?doesn?t prevent you from knowing right from wrong.? The disorder is most often raised in criminal proceedings as part of an overall insanity defense, or by expert witnesses arguing that a defendant is so mentally damaged that he or she should be committed, he said.
And several lawyers who work with transgender clients indicated they were not happy with the direction that the Manning proceedings have taken.
?We don?t think that being transgender, if he in fact is, has anything to do with him breaking the law,? said Kylar Broadus, an attorney with the Transgender Law and Policy Institute. ?Obviously the charges are serious and we don?t want the trial to be sensationalized or detracted from by him being transgender.?
?Our opinion is there is no correlation between anything he has done and gender identity disorder,? agreed Dru Levasseur, a transgender rights attorney with Lambda Legal.
?This plays into stereotypes that are not true,? he continued. ?There are a lot of gender identity disorder people fighting for their lives to be respected and understood as human beings who need equal access to the law. This type of scenario just confuses the situation.?
This picture of Earth at night is based on 1994-1995 satellite data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System, which maps the location of permanent lights on the planet. The borders of North Korea are outlined in white, with Japan off to the right, China to the left and South Korea below.
Alan Boyle writes
The death of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, serves as a reminder that the hard-line communist country has long been in the dark ? literally. A white border highlights the dark spot known as North Korea in this visualization of our planet's city lights.
This iconic "Earth at Night" picture?is based on data gathered by military satellites in 1994-1995, just after Kim inherited power from his late?father, Kim Il Sung. The darkness shows how much North Korea has?lagged behind its neighbors ? South Korea, China, Russia and Japan???in electrification and industrial development. Updates of the data sets show that there's been?no change in North Korea's city-light situation between 1992 and 2009. Check out NASA's "Science on a Sphere" webpage for more about the "Earth at Night" satellite data project.
A different?kind of satellite project shows where North Korea has made progress during the dark age of Kim Jong Il: For years, the Institute for Science and International Security has been using satellite imagery to document the state of North Korea's nuclear program. Pictures acquired from orbit over the past couple of years show new construction at the country's Yongbyon nuclear center.
Here's a recent picture of the Yongbyon site from DigitalGlobe, a commercial satellite imaging venture. ISIS says the blue roofs on a gas centrifuge plant and an adjoining building appear to be part of increased construction activity:
DigitalGlobe
This high-resolution satellite image from DigitalGlobe, acquired on Nov. 4, 2010, shows new construction at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear site. The building with a deep blue roof is thought to be a gas centrifuge plant.
"Whatever the purpose, these activities show that more is going on at Yongbyon than commonly believed," ISIS analyst Paul Brannan wrote in his latest report. The future of North Korea's nuclear program will be a top?concern for the United States and its allies as they?assess Pyongyang's leadership transition ? and satellites will provide the key data for that assessment.
These satellite views of North Korea serve as today's offering from the Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar, which presents?views of Earth from space every day from now until Christmas. Catch up on these previous entries from the calendar:
Tip o' the Log to Ezra Klein's Wonkblog at The Washington Post and Afrikent.
Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
While in China to promote his historical drama The Flowers of War ? also known as the most expensive Chinese film ever made ? Christian Bale embarked on an eight-hour drive with a CNN news crew to visit Chen Guangcheng, a civil rights activist who has been under house arrest for the past year. Only instead of a polite meet-and-greet, Bale and the news team were manhandled by security guards outside Guangcheng?s home before being chased for 30 minutes. Didn?t the Chinese authorities know they were dealing with Batman?
Bale had reached out to the CNN news crew after following the cable channel?s coverage of Guangcheng, a blind Chinese lawyer and women?s rights activist who has been confined to his home since late 2010, when he was released from prison following a four-year sentence. Guangcheng had been charged with damaging property and disrupting traffic in a protest.
When Bale and CNN?s international news crew arrived at Guangcheng?s home on Thursday, a group of security guards blocked the actor from the house before physically pushing him off the premise.
?I?m not being brave doing this,? Bale told the camera crew as they sped away from Guangcheng?s home, authorities in tow. ?The local people who are standing up to the authorities and insisting on going to visit Chen and his family and getting beaten up for it and my understanding is getting detained for it, I want to support what they?re doing.?
The Flowers of War, which chronicles the 1937 Nanking Massacre, arrives in limited release Dec. 21.
? Christian Bale Fights Chinese Guards, Chen Guangcheng Meeting Denied (VIDEO) [HuffPo]
Cancer weakened, but did not soften Christopher Hitchens. He did not repent or forgive or ask for pity. As if granted diplomatic immunity, his mind's eye looked plainly upon the attack and counterattack of disease and treatments that robbed him of his hair, his stamina, his speaking voice and eventually his life.
"I love the imagery of struggle," he wrote about his illness in an August 2010 essay in Vanity Fair. "I sometimes wish I were suffering in a good cause, or risking my life for the good of others, instead of just being a gravely endangered patient."
Hitchens, a Washington, D.C.-based author, essayist and polemicist who waged verbal and occasional physical battle on behalf of causes left and right, died Thursday night at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston of pneumonia, a complication of his esophageal cancer, according to a statement from Vanity Fair magazine. He was 62.
"There will never be another like Christopher. A man of ferocious intellect, who was as vibrant on the page as he was at the bar," said Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. "Those who read him felt they knew him, and those who knew him were profoundly fortunate souls."
He had enjoyed his drink (enough to "to kill or stun the average mule") and cigarettes, until he announced in June 2010 that he was being treated for cancer of the esophagus.
He was a most engaged, prolific and public intellectual who wrote numerous books, was a frequent television commentator and a contributor to Vanity Fair, Slate and other publications. He became a popular author in 2007 thanks to "God is Not Great," a manifesto for atheists.
Long after his diagnosis, his columns and essays appeared regularly, savaging the royal family, reveling in the death of Osama bin Laden, or pondering the letters of poet Philip Larkin. He was intolerant of nonsense, including about his own health. In a piece which appeared in the January 2012 issue of Vanity Fair, he dismissed the old saying that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
"So far, I have decided to take whatever my disease can throw at me, and to stay combative even while taking the measure of my inevitable decline. I repeat, this is no more than what a healthy person has to do in slower motion," he wrote. "It is our common fate. In either case, though, one can dispense with facile maxims that don't live up to their apparent billing."
Eloquent and intemperate, bawdy and urbane, Hitchens was an acknowledged contrarian and contradiction ? half-Christian, half-Jewish and fully non-believing; a native of England who settled in America; a former Trotskyite who backed the Iraq war and supported George W. Bush. But his passions remained constant and targets of his youth, from Henry Kissinger to Mother Teresa, remained hated.
He was a militant humanist who believed in pluralism and racial justice and freedom of speech, big cities and fine art and the willingness to stand the consequences. He was smacked in the rear by then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and beaten up in Beirut. He once submitted to waterboarding to prove that it was indeed torture.
Hitchens was a committed sensualist who abstained from clean living as if it were just another kind of church. In 2005, he would recall a trip to Aspen, Colo., and a brief encounter after stepping off a ski lift.
"I was met by immaculate specimens of young American womanhood, holding silver trays and flashing perfect dentition," he wrote. "What would I like? I thought a gin and tonic would meet the case. `Sir, that would be inappropriate.' In what respect? `At this altitude gin would be very much more toxic than at ground level.' In that case, I said, make it a double."
An emphatic ally and inspired foe, he stood by friends in trouble ("Satanic Verses" novelist Salman Rushdie) and against enemies in power (Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini). His heroes included George Orwell, Thomas Paine and Gore Vidal (pre-Sept. 11). Among those on the Hitchens list of shame: Michael Moore, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il, Sarah Palin, Gore Vidal (post Sept. 11) and Prince Charles.
"We have known for a long time that Prince Charles' empty sails are so rigged as to be swelled by any passing waft or breeze of crankiness and cant," Hitchens wrote in Slate in 2010 after the heir to the British throne gave a speech criticizing Galileo for the scientist's focus on "the material aspect of reality."
"He fell for the fake anthropologist Laurens van der Post. He was bowled over by the charms of homeopathic medicine. He has been believably reported as saying that plants do better if you talk to them in a soothing and encouraging way. But this latest departure promotes him from an advocate of harmless nonsense to positively sinister nonsense."
Hitchens was born in Portsmouth, England, in 1949. His father, Eric, was a "purse-lipped" Navy veteran known as "The Commander"; his mother, Yvonne, a romantic who later kill herself during an extra-marital rendezvous in Greece. Young Christopher would have rather read a book. He was a "a mere weed and weakling and kick-bag" who discovered that "words could function as weapons" and so stockpiled them.
In college, Oxford, he made such longtime friends as authors Martin Amis and Ian McEwan and claimed to be nearby when visiting Rhodes scholar Bill Clinton did or did not inhale marijuana. Radicalized by the 1960s, Hitchens was often arrested at political rallies, was kicked out of Britain's Labour Party over his opposition to the Vietnam War and became a correspondent for the radical magazine International Socialiam. His reputation broadened in the 1970s through his writings for the New Statesman.
Wavy-haired and brooding and aflame with wit and righteous anger, he was a star of the left on paper and on camera, a popular television guest and a columnist for one of the world's oldest liberal publications, The Nation. In friendlier times, Vidal was quoted as citing Hitchens as a worthy heir to his satirical throne.
But Hitchens never could simply nod his head. He feuded with fellow Nation columnist Alexander Cockburn, broke with Vidal and angered freedom of choice supporters by stating that the child's life begins at conception. An essay for Vanity Fair was titled "Why Women Aren't Funny," and Hitchens wasn't kidding.
He had long been unhappy with the left's reluctance to confront enemies or friends. He would note his strong disappointment that Arthur Miller and other leading liberals shied from making public appearances on behalf of Rushdie after the Ayatollah Khomeini called for his death. He advocated intervention in Bosnia and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
No Democrat angered him more than Clinton, whose presidency led to the bitter end of Hitchens' friendship with White House aide Sidney Blumenthal and other Clinton backers. As Hitchens wrote in his memoir, he found Clinton "hateful in his behavior to women, pathological as a liar, and deeply suspect when it came to money in politics."
He wrote the anti-Clinton book, "No One Left to Lie To," at a time when most liberals were supporting the president as he faced impeachment over his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Hitchens also loathed Hillary Rodham Clinton and switched his affiliation from independent to Democrat in 2008 just so he could vote against her in the presidential primary.
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, completed his exit. He fought with Vidal, Noam Chomsky and others who either suggested that U.S. foreign policy had helped caused the tragedy or that the Bush administration had advanced knowledge. He supported the Iraq war, quit The Nation, backed Bush for re-election in 2004 and repeatedly chastised those whom he believed worried unduly about the feelings of Muslims.
"It's not enough that faith claims to be the solution to all problems," he wrote in Slate in 2009 after a Danish newspaper apologized for publishing cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that led Muslim organizations to threaten legal action. "It is now demanded that such a preposterous claim be made immune from any inquiry, any critique, and any ridicule."
His essays were compiled in such books as "For the Sake of Argument" and "Prepared for the Worst." He also wrote short biographies/appreciations of Paine and Thomas Jefferson, a tribute to Orwell and "Letters to a Young Contrarian (Art of Mentoring)," in which he advised that "Only an open conflict of ideas and principles can produce any clarity." A collection of essays, "Arguably," came out in September 2011 and he was planning a "book-length meditation on malady and mortality." He appeared in a 2010 documentary about the topical singer Phil Ochs.
Survived by his second wife, author Carol Blue, and by his three children (Alexander, Sophia and Antonia), Hitchens had quotable ideas about posterity, clarified years ago when he saw himself referred to as "the late" Christopher Hitchens in print. For the May 2010 issue of Vanity Fair, before his illness, Hitchens submitted answers for the Proust Questionnaire, a probing and personal survey for which the famous have revealed everything from their favorite color to their greatest fear.
His vision of earthly bliss: "To be vindicated in my own lifetime."
His ideal way to die: "Fully conscious, and either fighting or reciting (or fooling around)."
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Six former top executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were sued by U.S. regulators on charges of misleading investors about the mortgage finance companies' exposure to risky home loans in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought civil fraud charges on Friday against former Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd, former Freddie Mac CEO Richard Syron and four other one-time high-level executives.
Mudd, now chief executive of Fortress Investment Group, and Syron left the mortgage finance companies after they were taken over by the government in 2008 as mortgage losses spiraled. The two firms have been propped up by $169 billion in federal aid since they were seized.
The SEC is seeking to bar the defendants from serving as officers or directors of public companies, among other penalties.
Fortress, one of the few publicly traded hedge fund and private equity companies, said it would review "the matters addressed in the complaint" but noted that the lawsuit concerned Mudd's previous job at Fannie Mae.
An attorney for Syron said the SEC case was "without merit" and relied on a mistaken approach in examining the mortgage giant's disclosures, and said the firm had appropriately disclosed the amount of risk underlying its loans.
"Simply stated, there was no shortage of meaningful disclosures, all of which permitted the reader to asses the degree of risk in Freddie Mac's guaranteed portfolio. The SEC's theory and approach are fatally flawed," attorney Thomas Green said.
The other defendants include former Fannie Mae Chief Risk Officer Enrico Dallavecchia, who later became chief risk officer at PNC Financial Services. PNC spokesman Frederick Solomon said Dallavecchia stepped down from his PNC post on Friday and was on administrative leave.
Since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac nearly went bust, the congressionally chartered firms have repeatedly come under fire in the race for the U.S. Republican presidential nomination. The candidates say the mortgage firms are partly to blame for the foreclosure and housing crisis.
Republican front-runner Newt Gingrich has been harshly criticized by some of his opponents for accepting up to $1.6 million as a consultant to Freddie Mac from 1999 until 2008. Gingrich says he was not a lobbyist but was paid for "strategic advice."
The SEC said on Friday that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will cooperate with the agency in its lawsuits and have agreed to admit responsibility for the alleged misconduct, without acknowledging or denying liability.
The firms have also entered into non-prosecution agreements with the agency, the SEC said.
MORTGAGE RISKS
In court papers filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the SEC said Mudd, Syron and others approved false statements to investors. The six defendants made it appear that their companies had far less exposure to risky mortgages in their loan portfolios than in fact existed, the SEC contends.
Attorneys for Mudd and Dallavecchia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In one episode in 2006, the SEC said, Syron said on an earnings conference call that "we, as you know, weren't really involved in underwriting much of that business, any of that business, directly," referring to the subprime loan market.
That statement, the SEC said, was "materially false and misleading," because at around that time Freddie Mac's single-family credit guarantee portfolio contained $141 billion worth of subprime loans, 10 percent of its total.
The SEC also charged Thomas Lund, a former executive vice president at Fannie Mae. His lawyer, Michael Levy, said his client "did not mislead anyone."
Former Freddie Mac executives Patricia Cook and Donald Bisenius were also charged. Their lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The cases come as U.S. lawmakers are turning their attention to tackling the future of the nation's housing finance system. Republicans and Democrats largely agree that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac eventually need to be shut down. Both companies were chartered by Congress to foster a liquid mortgage market.
MATERIALLY FALSE AND MISLEADING
The SEC is asking the court to order the six defendants to pay back alleged illegal profits. The documents did not specify what amount the SEC would be seeking.
"The companies adopted very broad definitions of subprime, leaving reasonable investors to conclude that what was disclosed in their filings was the entirety of their subprime exposure," Robert Khuzami, director of the SEC's enforcement division, said at a news conference.
"Investors were robbed of the opportunity to make informed investor choices," he said.
In the Fannie Mae complaint, the SEC said the executives made misleading statements between December 2006 and August 2008. In the Freddie Mac case, the regulator said the alleged wrongdoing took place between March 2007 and August 2008.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy loans from lenders and repackage them as guaranteed securities for sale to investors.
Freddie Mac, in a statement, said it had reached an agreement with the SEC but did not comment on the charges against its former executives. A Fannie Mae representative did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.
The cases are SEC v. Daniel Mudd et al., No. 11-9202 and SEC v. Syron et. al No. 11-9201, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
(Additional reporting by Margaret Chadbourn in Washington and Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Boston; editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Gunna Dickson and John Wallace)
New Research Demonstrates Lean Beef is Good for Heart HealthPublic release date: 15-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julie Sodano
jsodano@beef.org
303-850-3376
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Stephen McCauley
Stephen.Mccauley@porternovelli.com
202-973-3615
Porter Novelli
As part of a heart-healthy diet, eating lean beef daily can help lower cholesterol
Centennial, CO (Dec. 15, 2011) A new study published in the January 2012 edition of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that beef can play a role in a cholesterol-lowering diet, despite commonly held beliefs. The study found that diets including lean beef every day are as effective in lowering total and LDL "bad" cholesterol as the "gold standard" of heart-healthy diets (DASH, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).
The Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) clinical study (Effects on Lipids, Lipoproteins and Apolipoproteins),1 conducted by The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) researchers, evaluated adults with moderately elevated cholesterol levels, measuring the impact of diets including varying amounts of lean beef on total and LDL cholesterol levels. Study participants experienced a 10 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol from the start of the study, while consuming diets containing 4.0 and 5.4 oz. of lean beef daily.
"This research sheds new light on evidence supporting lean beef's role in a heart-healthy diet. Study participants ate lean beef every day and still met targets for saturated fat intake," says Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, distinguished professor of nutrition at PSU and the study's principal investigator. "This study shows that nutrient-rich lean beef can be included as part of a heart-healthy diet that improves risk factors for cardiovascular disease."
The Research
The study used a rigorously designed Randomized Controlled Clinical Intervention Study to investigate the effects of cholesterol-lowering diets with varying amounts of lean beef. Thirty-six participants (adults ages 30-65 with moderately elevated cholesterol) were randomly assigned to a treatment order and consumed a total of four diets for five weeks each. The cross-over design allowed each participant to serve as his or her own control, reducing any errors associated with biological variation.
The four diets tested in the study were: Healthy American Diet (HAD) as control; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH); Beef in Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD); and Beef in Optimal Lean Diet Plus (BOLD-PLUS). Although BOLD and DASH diets were both rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, the diets differed in their primary protein source. The BOLD and BOLD-PLUS diet's primary protein source came from lean beef while DASH and HAD included white meat and plant protein. The BOLD diet included an average of 4.0 oz/day of lean beef and the BOLD-PLUS diet included 5.4 oz/day of lean beef, while the HAD and DASH diets included 0.7 and 1.0 oz/day of lean beef, respectively. Many of the BOLD and BOLD-PLUS diet menu plans incorporated recipes from The Healthy Beef Cookbook.
Details on each of the dietary interventions are as follows:
HAD
2,097 calories, 17% of calories from protein, 50% of calories from carbohydrate, 33% of calories from fat, 12% of calories from saturated fat, 0.7 oz/day lean beef (weight before cooking)
DASH
2,106 calories, 18% of calories from protein, 55% of calories from carbohydrate, 27% of calories from fat, 6% of calories from saturated fat, 1.0 oz/day lean beef (weight before cooking)
BOLD
2,100 calories, 19% of calories from protein, 54% of calories from carbohydrate, 28% of calories from fat, 6% of calories from saturated fat, 4.0 oz/day lean beef (weight before cooking)
BOLD-PLUS
2,104 calories, 27% of calories from protein, 45% of calories from carbohydrate, 28% of calories from fat, 6% of calories from saturated fat, 5.4 oz/day lean beef (weight before cooking)
Research Findings
After five weeks, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in the participants were significantly reduced in the BOLD, BOLD-PLUS and DASH diets compared to the HAD diet.
Overall, participants following the BOLD and BOLD-PLUS diets experienced a 10 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol from the start of the study. The improvements in heart health risk factors seen from the BOLD diets were as effective as those from the DASH and other heart-healthy diets, many of which emphasize plant proteins.
This study adds to the body of evidence regarding lean beef in a heart-healthy diet, including a recent review of 20 epidemiological studies encompassing more than one million subjects concluding that red meat intake does not increase risk of heart disease.2
"This research adds to the body of evidence concluding that you can include beef in your diet every day and get heart-health benefits," says Shalene McNeill, PhD, RD, executive director, human nutrition research for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which contracts to manage programs for the beef checkoff. "Americans now have more scientific evidence for including lean beef in a heart-healthy diet."
Many of the most popular beef cuts, such as Top Sirloin steak, Tenderloin, T-Bone steak and 95% lean Ground Beef meet government guidelines for lean. In fact, sixty-five percent of all beef muscle cuts available in grocery stores are lean.3,4 On average, a 3 oz. serving of lean beef is about 150 calories, an excellent source of six nutrients (protein, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, niacin and selenium) and a good source of four nutrients (phosphorous, choline, iron and riboflavin).4
###
To access this study, please click here. For nutrition information, a fact sheet on this study or recipes featuring lean beef, visit http://www.BeefItsWhatsforDinner.com.
About The Beef Checkoff Program
The Beef Checkoff Program (http://www.MyBeefCheckoff.com) was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
About the National Cattlemen's Beef Association
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is a contractor to the national Beef Checkoff Program, which is administered by the Cattlemen's Beef Board. Consumer-focused and producer-directed, NCBA and its state beef council partners work together as a marketing organization on behalf of the largest segment of the food and fiber industry.
1. Roussell MA, Hill AM, Gaugler TL, West SG, Vanden Heuvel JP, Alaupovic P, Gillies PJ, Kris-Etherton PM. Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet study: effects on lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins. Am J Clin Nutr 2012; 95(1).Internet: [http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2011/12/13/ajcn.111.016261.full.pdf+html] (accessed 14 December 2011).
2. Micha R, Wallace SK, Mozaffarian D. Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Circulation. 2010; 121:2271-2283.
3. Fresh Look Marketing Group, Total US Beef, 52 weeks ending 9/25/2011.
4. USDA, ARS. 2011. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 24. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page,
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
New Research Demonstrates Lean Beef is Good for Heart HealthPublic release date: 15-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julie Sodano
jsodano@beef.org
303-850-3376
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Stephen McCauley
Stephen.Mccauley@porternovelli.com
202-973-3615
Porter Novelli
As part of a heart-healthy diet, eating lean beef daily can help lower cholesterol
Centennial, CO (Dec. 15, 2011) A new study published in the January 2012 edition of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that beef can play a role in a cholesterol-lowering diet, despite commonly held beliefs. The study found that diets including lean beef every day are as effective in lowering total and LDL "bad" cholesterol as the "gold standard" of heart-healthy diets (DASH, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).
The Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) clinical study (Effects on Lipids, Lipoproteins and Apolipoproteins),1 conducted by The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) researchers, evaluated adults with moderately elevated cholesterol levels, measuring the impact of diets including varying amounts of lean beef on total and LDL cholesterol levels. Study participants experienced a 10 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol from the start of the study, while consuming diets containing 4.0 and 5.4 oz. of lean beef daily.
"This research sheds new light on evidence supporting lean beef's role in a heart-healthy diet. Study participants ate lean beef every day and still met targets for saturated fat intake," says Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, distinguished professor of nutrition at PSU and the study's principal investigator. "This study shows that nutrient-rich lean beef can be included as part of a heart-healthy diet that improves risk factors for cardiovascular disease."
The Research
The study used a rigorously designed Randomized Controlled Clinical Intervention Study to investigate the effects of cholesterol-lowering diets with varying amounts of lean beef. Thirty-six participants (adults ages 30-65 with moderately elevated cholesterol) were randomly assigned to a treatment order and consumed a total of four diets for five weeks each. The cross-over design allowed each participant to serve as his or her own control, reducing any errors associated with biological variation.
The four diets tested in the study were: Healthy American Diet (HAD) as control; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH); Beef in Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD); and Beef in Optimal Lean Diet Plus (BOLD-PLUS). Although BOLD and DASH diets were both rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, the diets differed in their primary protein source. The BOLD and BOLD-PLUS diet's primary protein source came from lean beef while DASH and HAD included white meat and plant protein. The BOLD diet included an average of 4.0 oz/day of lean beef and the BOLD-PLUS diet included 5.4 oz/day of lean beef, while the HAD and DASH diets included 0.7 and 1.0 oz/day of lean beef, respectively. Many of the BOLD and BOLD-PLUS diet menu plans incorporated recipes from The Healthy Beef Cookbook.
Details on each of the dietary interventions are as follows:
HAD
2,097 calories, 17% of calories from protein, 50% of calories from carbohydrate, 33% of calories from fat, 12% of calories from saturated fat, 0.7 oz/day lean beef (weight before cooking)
DASH
2,106 calories, 18% of calories from protein, 55% of calories from carbohydrate, 27% of calories from fat, 6% of calories from saturated fat, 1.0 oz/day lean beef (weight before cooking)
BOLD
2,100 calories, 19% of calories from protein, 54% of calories from carbohydrate, 28% of calories from fat, 6% of calories from saturated fat, 4.0 oz/day lean beef (weight before cooking)
BOLD-PLUS
2,104 calories, 27% of calories from protein, 45% of calories from carbohydrate, 28% of calories from fat, 6% of calories from saturated fat, 5.4 oz/day lean beef (weight before cooking)
Research Findings
After five weeks, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in the participants were significantly reduced in the BOLD, BOLD-PLUS and DASH diets compared to the HAD diet.
Overall, participants following the BOLD and BOLD-PLUS diets experienced a 10 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol from the start of the study. The improvements in heart health risk factors seen from the BOLD diets were as effective as those from the DASH and other heart-healthy diets, many of which emphasize plant proteins.
This study adds to the body of evidence regarding lean beef in a heart-healthy diet, including a recent review of 20 epidemiological studies encompassing more than one million subjects concluding that red meat intake does not increase risk of heart disease.2
"This research adds to the body of evidence concluding that you can include beef in your diet every day and get heart-health benefits," says Shalene McNeill, PhD, RD, executive director, human nutrition research for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which contracts to manage programs for the beef checkoff. "Americans now have more scientific evidence for including lean beef in a heart-healthy diet."
Many of the most popular beef cuts, such as Top Sirloin steak, Tenderloin, T-Bone steak and 95% lean Ground Beef meet government guidelines for lean. In fact, sixty-five percent of all beef muscle cuts available in grocery stores are lean.3,4 On average, a 3 oz. serving of lean beef is about 150 calories, an excellent source of six nutrients (protein, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, niacin and selenium) and a good source of four nutrients (phosphorous, choline, iron and riboflavin).4
###
To access this study, please click here. For nutrition information, a fact sheet on this study or recipes featuring lean beef, visit http://www.BeefItsWhatsforDinner.com.
About The Beef Checkoff Program
The Beef Checkoff Program (http://www.MyBeefCheckoff.com) was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
About the National Cattlemen's Beef Association
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is a contractor to the national Beef Checkoff Program, which is administered by the Cattlemen's Beef Board. Consumer-focused and producer-directed, NCBA and its state beef council partners work together as a marketing organization on behalf of the largest segment of the food and fiber industry.
1. Roussell MA, Hill AM, Gaugler TL, West SG, Vanden Heuvel JP, Alaupovic P, Gillies PJ, Kris-Etherton PM. Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet study: effects on lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins. Am J Clin Nutr 2012; 95(1).Internet: [http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2011/12/13/ajcn.111.016261.full.pdf+html] (accessed 14 December 2011).
2. Micha R, Wallace SK, Mozaffarian D. Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Circulation. 2010; 121:2271-2283.
3. Fresh Look Marketing Group, Total US Beef, 52 weeks ending 9/25/2011.
4. USDA, ARS. 2011. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 24. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page,
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
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Public release date: 15-Dec-2011
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