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The $587 million question on the identity of the winners in the historic Powerball jackpot is still a mystery, but residents in Missouri and Maryland say they already know who the two lucky winners are.
Employees and customers at Marlboro Village Exxon in Upper Marlboro, Md., said a tall, black, bald man held the winning ticket purchased in Arizona, according to ABC News affiliate WJLA-TV.
Meanwhile, speculation began running wild in the small town of Dearborn, Mo., when a factory worker named Mark Hill updated his Facebook account late Thursday, writing, "We are truly blessed, we are lucky winners of the Powerball."
Within hours, his family began celebrating, telling ABC News Hill is one of the two big winners.
"Just shocked. I mean, I thought we were all going to have heart attacks," Hill's mother, Shirley, said Thursday.
Hill's mother says her son and his wife, Cindy, have three grown sons and an adopted daughter from China, but the family has been struggling financially.
Hill works in a hot dog and deli packaging factory, but it was unclear whether he showed up for work Thursday night.
"I'm very happy for him. He's worked hard in his life; well, not anymore," Hill's son Jason said. "Well, I hope we all stay very grounded, stay humble and don't forget who we are."
Missouri Lottery official Susan Goedde confirmed to ABC News Thursday that one of the winning tickets was purchased at a Trex Mart in Dearborn, about 30 miles north of Kansas City.
Lottery officials won't confirm whether Hill is the winner but family members offered another clue: Some of the winning numbers turned out to be the jersey numbers of some all-star Kansas City Royals baseball players, Hill's favorite team.
Hall of Fame third basemen George Brett wore 5; Willie Wilson 6; Bo Jackson 16.
The winning numbers were 5, 23, 16, 22 and 29; Powerball was 6.
Hill did not respond to ABC News' requests for comment.
In Maryland, surveillance cameras at the Upper Marlboro gas station captured the apparent winner walking into the store Thursday afternoon, digging into his chest pocket for his lottery tickets. After a few seconds of scanning the wad of tickets, the man began jumping up and down, pumping his arms.
The man gave the tickets to store clerk Nagassi Ghebre, who says the six Powerball numbers was on the ticket, which the apparent winner said he bought in Arizona.
"And then he said, 'I got to get out of here,'" employee Freddie Lopez told WJLA.
But before leaving, the possible winner felt the need to check again to see whether he really had the ticket that millions of Americans dreamed of having.
"He says, 'Is this the right number? I don't know.' And I said, 'Yeah that's the numbers. You got them all,'" customer Paul Gaug told WJLA.
Employees and customers said the main stuck around for a few more seconds shouting, "I won," before leaving.
"He came back a minute later and said, 'I forgot to get my gas. What am I thinking?'" Lopez said.
The man drove out of the gas station in a black car and on a full tank of gas with a cash payout of $192.5 million coming his way.
"He said he lives in Maryland. I'm pretty sure," Gaug said.
The possible jackpot winner was wearing bright neon clothing and store employees told WJLA that he appeared to be a highway or construction worker.
Arizona lottery officials told WJLA that if the man does have the winning ticket, it needs to be redeemed within 180 days of the drawing in Arizona.
The winning Arizona ticket was purchased at a Four Sons Food Store in Fountain Hills, Ariz., and was part of a $10 Quick Pick ticket, officials announced Thursday afternoon. Arizona lottery officials said they had no information on that state's winner or winners as of Thursday.
A news conference to reveal the Missouri winner is planned for later today at a high school in Dearborn.
"It's been insane," Trex Mart employee Kelly Blount said. "I would never have thought we would have sold the winning ticket. It's wonderful."
Store manager Chris Naurez told The Associated Press that business had been "crazy" for Powerball tickets lately and that the store had sold about $27,000 worth of tickets in the past few days. Naurez says this lottery win could make Dearborn, a town of 498, famous.
"This really puts Dearborn on the map," he said.
ABC News' Alex Perez and David Kerley contributed to this report.
A couple nights ago, our parent education topic was "kindergarten readiness." Although there are some schools, sadly, that expect 5-year-olds to already possess certain literacy and math skills, most are more concerned with?self-help skills like zipping up jackets, putting on shoes, and using the toilet, as well as knowing vital information like their own last names, their parent?s first names, their addresses and phone numbers. ?I don?t currently teach most of these things, at least not consciously, although I did teach these skills as a parent. I'm inspired to put a little more emphasis on those things, but have also found myself thinking about what "kindergarten readiness" skills I?am?trying to teach.
The ability to function effectively in a group Most of my kids are heading off to Seattle Public School kindergartens, which means that they'll potentially be in classes of 20 or more, with a teacher and an assistant of some kind. If Woodland Park kids are going to thrive, it will help to have a little experience with navigating a class of that size. That?s one of the reasons I like larger classes in the context of a cooperative preschool. My?ideal class sizes?are 20 plus. This might sound outrageously large, and it would be in a traditional preschool, but because of our cooperative model we maintain child:adult ratios of between 4:1 and 2:1 depending on age, whatever our class size.?
Children who can focus on a single activity, even one in which they might not at first be interested or with which they struggle, for 20-30 minute stretches will be ready for the kind of curriculum that naturally emerges from the 10+:1 child-adult ratios found in kindergarten. As a teacher, when you alone are responsible for so many kids, you need them to have the capacity to engage in activities ? even ?challenging? ones???without a ton of adult guidance or persuasion.?We begin practicing this skill with circle time, stretching the kids out as they get older. For our Pre-3 class, this might mean 20-25 minutes by the end of the year. As I wrote a few days ago, our 5's class has already demonstrated an ability to stay focused, as a group, for up to 45 minutes!
I like Woodland Park kids to be confident in front of an audience, and its a skill we concentrate on with the 4 and 5 year olds, making sure each of them has a turn in front of the class at least once a week. Public speaking is like a muscle: exercise it, or it will whither. It doesn?t have to be a nerve-wracking experience.?Raising hands?is the entry level version of public speaking, but during their Pre-K and 5's years they find themselves in front of the room during their weekly ?sharing time? (show and tell) as well as during ?journals? (I read their journal entries to the class). By the time they ?graduate? they will have had opportunities to sit in the ?birthday throne? to talk about their lives, and an unlimited number of opportunities to present their?stories?from the front of the room. American?s consistently report ?public speaking? as among their greatest fears, often ahead of ?death.? Given how important that skill is, and how pervasive the fear, it only makes sense to work on it at a young age. Identifying and engaging the basic concept of?fairness?is an important social skill that we actively teach at Woodland Park. Children who expect to be treated fairly and who seek to treat others fairly, will not only tend to attract more friends and grow up to be better citizens, but they will also be better equipped for standing up to bullying. I want our kids to have a strong sense of what they know and to have the confidence to question adults when they are being told things that don?t fit their reality. The children at Woodland Park learn early that Teacher Tom often says things that are flat out wrong and it?s their job to set him right. When I say that I want them to?question authority?I don?t mean it in a defiant sense, but rather in the sense of our best educational traditions. I?ve spoken to a number of kindergarten teachers, from both public and private schools over the years about what they?re looking for as far as ?academic? skills. They are?not?expecting the children to be reading, nor are then expecting them to be familiar with mathematical algorithms. It?s enough that they know the alphabet, can write their own names, count to 10, and be able to cut on a line with scissors. I?ve never gone out of my way to teach any of those skills, but we?ve never sent a child off to kindergarten who hadn?t mastered them.
?. . . it is the job of our schools to get ready for their incoming kindergarteners, not the kids? job to get ready for kindergarten. This is because kids come in such a wide range of skills and developmental needs.
But even still, we want to help children be prepared to be successful as they move ahead in school. The most important thing that I think Pre-K teachers can do is keep school fun and help their students love to learn. Encourage their curiosity, interest to discover and explore, and creativity. We want them to love learning and have a desire to learn more.
Ultimately, that's the kind of kid who will thrive in kindergarten and beyond.
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49ers coach Jim Harbaugh?s first two seasons with the team have provided a twist on the time-honored formula for a big-screen love story.? Instead of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again, it?s been boy meets girl, boy publicly professes love for girl, boy evaluates second girl, boy professes love again for first girl, boy meets third girl, boy tries to date both as long as he can before kicking first girl to the curb.
The Niners? version of Girl No. 1, quarterback Alex Smith, reacted on Thursday to the reality that, while he?s still one of Harbaugh?s guys, he?s no longer ?the guy.?
?I mean, it sucks,? Smith said, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.? ?I don?t know what else to say.?
There?s nothing more to say.? Except, maybe, ?This is why players hide concussions.?
Smith didn?t say that.? But everyone is thinking it.? When Smith told trainers during a Week 10 game against the Rams that he was experiencing blurry vision after being hit in the head, Smith set in motion a chain of events that could ultimately cost him a shot at earning a Super Bowl ring and $7.5 million in 2012 compensation.
So, yeah, it sucks.? Even though Harbaugh made what he believes to be the best decision for the present and future of the franchise.
UPDATE 4:03 p.m. ET:? Actually, Smith came close to saying ?this is why players hide concussions.??? According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, Smith also said, ?I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion.?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy grew faster than initially thought in the third quarter as restocking by businesses provided a big boost, but consumer and business spending were revised lower in a sobering reminder of the recovery's underlying weakness.
Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.7 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said on Thursday, with export growth also helping to offset the weakest consumer spending and first drop in business investment in more than a year.
It was the fastest growth since late 2011 and much quicker than the 2 percent rate the government estimated last month. But it was hardly a sign of strength as the lift from inventories will likely be lost in the fourth quarter.
Growth in consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, was cut by more than half a percentage point, suggesting the rise in inventories reflected unwanted goods piling up in warehouses.
The possibility of an inventory overhang, the drag from superstorm Sandy and fears over the so-called fiscal cliff look set to undermine the economy in the final months of the year.
Separately, retailers reported unexpectedly weak sales in November, which many pinned on the storm that ripped into the East Coast late last month.
"The headwinds for fourth quarter GDP have kind of intensified. At best, the economy may just coast its way into 2013," said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody's Analytics in West Chester Pennsylvania.
The fiscal cliff could suck $600 billion from the economy early next year and fuel a fresh recession, unless Congress and the Obama administration agree on a less-severe plan to cut budget deficits.
STORM OVERHANG
A separate report from the Labor Department showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 393,000 last week. Still, they remain well above where they stood before Sandy hit.
There are fears the monster storm could severely dent employment growth in November, further undercutting the economy.
"Employment growth could slow dramatically in November to around the 100,000 range (from 171,000 in October)," said Millan Mulraine, a senior economist at TD Securities in New York. The government releases data on November employment on December 7.
Prices for U.S. government debt rose for a fourth straight day on the GDP data and lack of progress on the fiscal cliff talks in Washington. Stocks on Wall Street closed higher for a second day in a row on bargain hunting.
The dollar fell marginally against a basket of currencies.
INVENTORIES ADD, NOT SUBTRACT
Business inventories added more than three quarters of a percentage point to third-quarter GDP growth, rather than being a drag as previously reported.
Excluding inventories, GDP rose at a revised 1.9 percent rate, underscoring the sluggishness of demand. Final sales of goods and services produced in the United States previously had been estimated to have increased at a 2.1 percent pace.
A smaller trade deficit was also a factor behind the upward revision to GDP as export growth outpaced a rise in imports. But the trend in exports is unlikely to be sustained given slowing global demand, especially in China and debt troubled Europe.
Government spending rose sharply in the quarter, but that is not expected to last given belt-tightening in Washington.
Other details of the report were rather weak. Consumer spending was cut to a 1.4 percent growth rate - the slowest since the second quarter of 2011 - from the 2 percent gain previously reported.
Even more worrying, there were downward revisions to personal income and the saving rate, which suggests consumer spending will remain lackluster in the months ahead.
Business spending was revised to show a much deeper cutback, with equipment and software spending the weakest since the second quarter of 2009.
"It is hard to have a strong economy when households are not hitting the malls hard and businesses have assumed the turtle position fearful of a crash due to the fiscal cliff," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania.
There was a modest downward revision to spending on residential construction, which continues to benefit from the Federal Reserve's ultra accommodative monetary policy stance, which has driven mortgage rates to record lows.
The firming housing market tone was captured by a third report showing contracts to buy previously owned homes surged in October.
(Additional reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Neil Stempleman, Tim Ahmann and Andrew Hay)
HAVANA (AP) ? A prominent New York rabbi and physician visited an American subcontractor serving a long jail term in Cuba and said the man is in good health, despite his family's concerns about a growth on his right shoulder.
Rabbi Elie Abadie, who is also a gastroenterologist, told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview following Tuesday's 2 1/2-hour visit at a military hospital in Havana that he personally examined Alan Gross and received a lengthy briefing from a team of Cuban physicians who have attended him.
He said the 1 1/2- inch growth on Gross's shoulder appeared to be a non-cancerous hematoma that should clear up by itself, adding that the American no longer wants Cuban doctors to conduct a biopsy.
"Alan Gross does not have any cancerous growth at this time, at least based on the studies I was shown and based on the examination, and I think he understands that also," Abadie said.
Abadie said the hematoma, basically internal bleeding linked to the rupture of muscle fiber, was likely caused by exercise Gross does in jail. He said the growth ought to eventually disappear on its own.
Gross's plight has put already chilly relations between Cuba and the United States in a deep freeze. The Maryland native was arrested in December 2009 while on a USAID-funded democracy building program and later sentenced to 15 years in jail for crimes against the state.
He claims he was only trying to help the island's small Jewish community gain Internet access.
Gross's health has been an ongoing issue during his incarceration. The 63-year-old, who was obese when arrested, has lost more than 100 pounds while in jail.
Abadie, a rabbi at New York's Edmund J. Safra Synagogue, said Gross's weight is appropriate for a man his age and height.
Photos that Abadie and a colleague provided to AP of Tuesday's meeting with Gross showed him looking thin, but generally appearing to be in good spirits.
In one photo, Gross holds up a handwritten note that says "Hi Mom."
Gross's family has repeatedly appealed for his release on humanitarian grounds, noting his health problems and the fact that his adult daughter and elderly mother have both been battling cancer. Gross and his wife recently filed a $60 million lawsuit against his former Maryland employer and the United States government, saying they didn't adequately train him or disclose risks he was undertaking by doing development work on the Communist-run island.
They filed another lawsuit against an insurance company they say has reneged on commitments to pay compensation in case of his wrongful detention.
Separately, a lawyer for Gross has written the United Nations' anti-torture expert, saying Cuban officials' treatment of his client "will surely amount to torture" if he continues to be denied medical care.
Rumors have been swirling in U.S. media that Cuba might soon release Gross as a gesture of good will or in the hopes of winning concessions from the administration of President Barack Obama, but Abadie said that those reports appeared to be false.
"As far as I know there is no truth to it," he said.
Abadie said he met with senior Cuban officials who expressed their desire to resolve the case "as quickly as possible," but would not say specifically who he spoke with or what they offered.
"They claim that they are more than willing to sit at the table," he said.
Cuban officials have strongly implied they hope to trade Gross for five Cuban agents sentenced to long jail terms in the United States, one of whom is already free on bail.
Abadie said Gross made clear that he does not want his case linked to that of the agents, known in Cuba as "The Five Heroes," because he does not believe he is guilty of espionage.
But Abadie said Gross is hoping for a "constructive and productive" dialogue between U.S. and Cuban officials to resolve his case.
___
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?Truth. Everyone of my REO properties are listed at fair market value.? Asset managers are willing to wait out the 4-6 month market time in order to find that buyer willing to pay market value and occupy REO homes that are in average marketable condition. Utilities are on, pools are being maintained, and repairs are being made.
Realty Times - Foreclosures Selling Near, At Traditional Listing Prices
A member of the media uses the map function of iPhone 5 after its introduction during Apple Inc.'s iPhone media event in San Francisco, California in this September 12, 2012 file photo. REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach/Files
Sales of the iPhone 5 helped Apple (AAPL) edge out Google's (GOOG) Android for the lead in U.S. smartphone market share in the 12 weeks that ended Oct. 28.
Apple managed to grab 48.1 percent of the smartphone market during the period. That was just enough to beat out phones running Android, Google's mobile operating system, which took 46.7 percent of the market, according to Kantar Worldpanel, which measures smartphone sales data.
The numbers are especially impressive for Apple considering the iPhone 5, which launched Sept. 21, was on sale for less than half of the measured period.
According to Kantar Worldpanel, Apple managed the same feat after launching the iPhone 4S last year. Apple was able to hold on to the top spot for 36 consecutive weeks.
"This time we predict that Apple will beat its previous high of 49.3 percent and achieve its highest ever share of the U.S. smartphone market within the next two periods," said Dominic Sunnebo, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
More than half of all iPhone 5 sales during the period, 62 percent, came from existing Apple owners who upgraded their phone.
An additional 13 percent came from Android users making a switch and 6 percent came from BlackBerry owners.
Despite the U.S. success, Kantar Worldpanel points out that Android is still top dog in Europe.
There, Android has a tight grip on the market, particularly in Germany and in Spain, where Android held 73.9 percent and 81.7 percent of the market during the period, respectively.
Internet advertising is a very broad term which encompasses hundreds of different methods, all designed to get you traffic and customers. There are many places that you can buy internet advertising: any of the search engines (with Pay Per Click ? PPC ? Advertising), on business websites that attract similar customers to your business, in E zines (online magazines), on paid classified advertising sites, and more.
Sometimes you don?t even need to buy internet advertising. You can do it for free on the social networking sites, forums that are relevant to your business or products/services or through article marketing.
But before you start advertising for free or otherwise, you need to first figure out who you are advertising to and what they are looking for. The more specific you can get about this, the more effective your advertising will be so you need to put in quite a bit of thought and research into this. Where can you find what people are looking for? One of the easiest ways is to do some keyword research. You can use many of the free keyword research tools to see exactly what people in your business area are typing into the search engines. You can then use these keywords in many of your online marketing and advertisements.
You can then go about designing your own internet advertising campaign or you can choose an agency or service to do one for you. Doing it on your own when first starting out may be long and tedious, but hiring someone to do the work for you can be expensive. If you decide to pay an agency, do some research on which one fits your needs best first. Also, it?s better if you can find someone who will actually explain their processes and methods to you?not a company that just takes care of it all for you. This is how you can start learning to make your ads more effective as well.
PPC ads are one form of paid online advertising and perhaps the most popular. These are the ads that you see on the right-hand side of your computer screen when you click a term in your search engine browser. The most popular search engines are Google, Yahoo and MSN, but there are hundreds more out there. With PPC advertising, you create an advertisement based on a keyword or keywords that people are searching for on the internet (after you?ve done your keyword research). You then pay the search engine each time someone clicks on your advertisement.
With E zine advertising, you choose an e zine that fits your target market and place ads within its newsletters. The prices of these ads depend on the size and quality of the e zine subscriber list.
Many business websites grant you the possibility to advertise on their sites as well. Again, prices here will vary.
When you buy internet advertising, you must also make sure that you are tracking which ads work and which ones don?t. This is the only way you can improve your traffic and conversions.
A senior member of Bite Communications' finance team is suspected of embezzling nearly $3 million from the company, its corporate parent disclosed today in a delayed annual report.
San Francisco-based Bite's clients include Microsoft, Nokia, Sony and Mozilla
The executive was not named.
?I feel like we had a relative of Bernie Madoff working for us without us knowing,? CEO Tim Dyson told PRWeek. ?We expect the case will take many months to work its way through the legal systems due in part to its complexity.?
Next Fifteen, the British PR agency holding company, disclosed in its annual report that the fraud was "an act of personal embezzlement by a long-serving employee in a trusted position heading up the finance team in the Bite office in San Francisco. This entailed a cheque fraud over a number of years, involving forging signatures and producing forged documentation. The weaknesses of controls that allowed this to happen were a lack of segregation of duties, management override of controls and inadequate review."
The FBI and SFPD are investigating. The Guardian previously noted:
Next Fifteen said that it has informed the FBI and is working with BDO, its external auditors, as well as hiring investigations firm Kroll to carry out a full forensic investigation of all the activities within this part of the business.
There has been a recent management shuffle at the company, but none of the executives named publicly to new positions are believed to be involved, according to PRWeek. Bite also lost its HP account, according to O'Dwyer's.
Here are all the details known publicly about the fraud, condensed and compiled from Next Fifteen's annual report. (Readers: if you know something about what happened at Bite, we'd love to hear from you.)
On 31 October 2012 we informed shareholders that, in the latter stages of finalising the audit, a fraud was discovered in the San Francisco office of Bite Communications. This has now been thoroughly investigated with the conclusion that this was an act of personal embezzlement by a long-standing member of the finance team in a trusted position. The required accounting adjustment has been to write off as an exceptional item $2.8m (?1.8m) (see note 4) relating to unrecoverable assets and unrecorded liabilities, reflecting cash stolen from the business. The fraud continued into the early part of the current financial year, which will require a further write-off of $0.2m (?0.1m). This crime is now being investigated by the FBI and the SFPD. All steps will be taken to recoup lost assets but it is too soon to estimate the likely scale of any recovery.
The Board is undertaking a comprehensive review of the internal financial controls environment, the details of which you can find in the Financial Review. Meanwhile, as indicated in the statement of 31 October, this regrettable event will not impact the operational performance of the Group or affect its ability to make the investments it has planned for the coming year.
As described in the Chairman?s Statement, the Group has suffered from an act of personal embezzlement by a long-serving employee in a trusted position heading up the finance team in the Bite office in San Francisco. This entailed a cheque fraud over a number of years, involving forging signatures and producing forged documentation. The weaknesses of controls that allowed this to happen were a lack of segregation of duties, management override of controls and inadequate review. Prior to 1 August 2010 the amounts were small and were expensed through the income statement, amounting to an identified total of $300k (?190k). As the amounts increased they were accumulated in the balance sheet, spread over two statutory entities. The total amount of cash taken is around $3m (?1.9m). We have identified that $200k (?127k) was taken after 31 July 2012 and will therefore be expensed in the current year. For the remaining $2.8m (?1.8m), the ongoing investigation has so far identified that around $1.4m (?0.9m) cash was extracted in 2012, and $1.4m (?0.9m) prior to 2012 ($0.7m (?0.4m) in 2011 and $0.7m (?0.4m) prior to 2011).
As at 31 July 2012, a total of $2.5m (?1.6m) was held on the balance sheet and represented by fictitious assets. Of that $2.5m (?1.6m), an amount of $1.1m (?0.7m) had existed at 31 July 2011. The Board have concluded that allocating the impact of the write off across each respective prior year would not make a material difference to an understanding of the accounts.
A further $0.3m (?190k) was identified relating to unrecorded tax liabilities and associated penalties and interest which have now been accrued. The write off and recognition of liabilities has resulted in a total charge associated with the fraud of $2.8m (?1.8m) being recognised in the 2012 income statement (see note 4).
In response to this fraud, the Board is undertaking a comprehensive review of the internal financial controls environment, including cash management involving both payments and receipts. A decision has been taken to create a dedicated Internal Audit function, with resources to be recruited in the US and UK.
Scatter radiation from mammography presents no cancer riskPublic release date: 27-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America
CHICAGO The radiation dose to areas of the body near the breast during mammography is negligible, or very low, and does not result in an increased risk of cancer, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The results suggest that the use of thyroid shields during mammography is unnecessary.
"Thyroid shields can impede good mammographic quality and, therefore, are not recommended during mammography," said Alison L. Chetlen, D.O., assistant professor of radiology at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
During mammography, some X-rays scatter away from the primary beam in the breast and spread outward in different directions. Although this scatter radiation is much weaker than the primary beam, there has been concern that women exposed to it during mammography could face an increased risk of cancer, especially in radiosensitive areas like the thyroid gland.
To better understand the potential impact of scatter radiation, Dr. Chetlen and colleagues set out to measure the dose received by the thyroid gland, salivary gland, sternum, uterus and the lens of the eye during screening digital mammography. Each of the 207 women in the study group wore six optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters -- a device used to measure an absorbed dose of ionizing radiation -- while undergoing two-view screening mammography.
Analysis of the dosimeters by a medical physicist immediately after the exam revealed that the doses to the various areas outside of the breast ranged from negligible to very low.
Absorbed radiation dose is measured in a unit called a milligray (mGy). The average estimated organ dose to the salivary gland was 0.05 mGy. The average estimated organ dose to the thyroid gland was 0.05 mGy. These doses are only a fraction of the radiation people are exposed to from natural background sources, such as cosmic radiation and radionuclides in the ground. In fact, all areas except for the sternum received less than 2 percent of annual background radiation dose.
Measured dose to the bridge of the eye and umbilicus was negligible, indicating no increased risk to the patient of cataracts or interference with normal embryonic development in early pregnancy.
"The risk of cancer induction at these low levels is indistinguishable from background incidence of cancer due to other sources," Dr. Chetlen said.
The findings are particularly important in light of a recent increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer, one of the most radiosensitive of all cancers. The number of thyroid cancer diagnoses in women nearly doubled from 2000 to 2008, leading some to suspect that mammography may be a contributing factor and that women should wear lead thyroid shields during exams, an idea that Dr. Chetlen and other mammography experts strongly discourage.
Based on the extremely low scatter radiation dose to the thyroidequivalent to just a few minutes of background radiation, thyroid shields are unnecessary during mammography. In addition, the researchers warn that use of thyroid shields could result in an increased radiation dose to patients.
"A thyroid shield gets in the way of the exam and can actually cause an increase in radiation dose by necessitating repeat exams," Dr. Chetlen said.
Dr. Chetlen also pointed out that the thyroid gland is far less radiosensitive after age 30. The American Cancer Society and other organizations recommend that women have mammography screening once every year, beginning at age 40.
"In the age group eligible for screening, the thyroid gland is not very radiosensitive," Dr. Chetlen said.
###
Coauthors are Steven King, M.S., Karen Brown, C.H.P., D.A.B.R., Brian Lorah, Susann Schetter, D.O., Claudia Kasales, M.D., Shelley Tuzzato, R.T.R.M., and Shelly Rambler, R.T.R.M.
Note: Copies of RSNA 2012 news releases and electronic images will be available online at RSNA.org/press12 beginning Monday, Nov. 26.
RSNA is an association of more than 50,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists, promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill.
Editor's note: The data in these releases may differ from those in the published abstract and those actually presented at the meeting, as researchers continue to update their data right up until the meeting. To ensure you are using the most up-to-date information, please call the RSNA Newsroom at 1-312-949-3233.
For patient-friendly information on mammography, visit RadiologyInfo.org.
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Scatter radiation from mammography presents no cancer riskPublic release date: 27-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America
CHICAGO The radiation dose to areas of the body near the breast during mammography is negligible, or very low, and does not result in an increased risk of cancer, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The results suggest that the use of thyroid shields during mammography is unnecessary.
"Thyroid shields can impede good mammographic quality and, therefore, are not recommended during mammography," said Alison L. Chetlen, D.O., assistant professor of radiology at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
During mammography, some X-rays scatter away from the primary beam in the breast and spread outward in different directions. Although this scatter radiation is much weaker than the primary beam, there has been concern that women exposed to it during mammography could face an increased risk of cancer, especially in radiosensitive areas like the thyroid gland.
To better understand the potential impact of scatter radiation, Dr. Chetlen and colleagues set out to measure the dose received by the thyroid gland, salivary gland, sternum, uterus and the lens of the eye during screening digital mammography. Each of the 207 women in the study group wore six optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters -- a device used to measure an absorbed dose of ionizing radiation -- while undergoing two-view screening mammography.
Analysis of the dosimeters by a medical physicist immediately after the exam revealed that the doses to the various areas outside of the breast ranged from negligible to very low.
Absorbed radiation dose is measured in a unit called a milligray (mGy). The average estimated organ dose to the salivary gland was 0.05 mGy. The average estimated organ dose to the thyroid gland was 0.05 mGy. These doses are only a fraction of the radiation people are exposed to from natural background sources, such as cosmic radiation and radionuclides in the ground. In fact, all areas except for the sternum received less than 2 percent of annual background radiation dose.
Measured dose to the bridge of the eye and umbilicus was negligible, indicating no increased risk to the patient of cataracts or interference with normal embryonic development in early pregnancy.
"The risk of cancer induction at these low levels is indistinguishable from background incidence of cancer due to other sources," Dr. Chetlen said.
The findings are particularly important in light of a recent increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer, one of the most radiosensitive of all cancers. The number of thyroid cancer diagnoses in women nearly doubled from 2000 to 2008, leading some to suspect that mammography may be a contributing factor and that women should wear lead thyroid shields during exams, an idea that Dr. Chetlen and other mammography experts strongly discourage.
Based on the extremely low scatter radiation dose to the thyroidequivalent to just a few minutes of background radiation, thyroid shields are unnecessary during mammography. In addition, the researchers warn that use of thyroid shields could result in an increased radiation dose to patients.
"A thyroid shield gets in the way of the exam and can actually cause an increase in radiation dose by necessitating repeat exams," Dr. Chetlen said.
Dr. Chetlen also pointed out that the thyroid gland is far less radiosensitive after age 30. The American Cancer Society and other organizations recommend that women have mammography screening once every year, beginning at age 40.
"In the age group eligible for screening, the thyroid gland is not very radiosensitive," Dr. Chetlen said.
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Coauthors are Steven King, M.S., Karen Brown, C.H.P., D.A.B.R., Brian Lorah, Susann Schetter, D.O., Claudia Kasales, M.D., Shelley Tuzzato, R.T.R.M., and Shelly Rambler, R.T.R.M.
Note: Copies of RSNA 2012 news releases and electronic images will be available online at RSNA.org/press12 beginning Monday, Nov. 26.
RSNA is an association of more than 50,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists, promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill.
Editor's note: The data in these releases may differ from those in the published abstract and those actually presented at the meeting, as researchers continue to update their data right up until the meeting. To ensure you are using the most up-to-date information, please call the RSNA Newsroom at 1-312-949-3233.
For patient-friendly information on mammography, visit RadiologyInfo.org.
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Posted by Fred Gagnon on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?
Internet marketing is an effective technique to increase your sales without having to spend lots of money. With the right internet marketing campaign, online sales can easily be boosted by creating more traffic to the site. Here are some ways to market your business online that will guarantee an increase in online customers when implemented correctly:
1. Search Engine Optimisation
An essential part of marketing your business is making certain that it is found on search sites such as Google and Yahoo. A good way to do this, is to make sure your website appears in natural and organic search.
This could be easily done, by utilizing keywords that apply to your business throughout your website. One example is, for a tiling business in Portsmouth, Hampshire ? you would make sure keywords such as tiling and Portsmouth were used in the majority of your website. Using the words in the titles, headers and meta tags also raises the likeliness of the website appearing high on search results when the phrases are searched.
2. Paid Search
Google also provides paid search, allowing the site to surface at the top of the page and the right hand side on Google when a certain phrase or keyword is searched. When done properly by an online marketing agency, this can guarantee clicks to the website.
3. Social Media
Social media sites are a free and simple way to market your business. Putting in groups and pages on Twitter and Facebook, allows an online presence for the business that will boost awareness. These pages are really simple to put in place and can be employed to post offers, discounts and to talk with consumers. Blogging is yet another way of reaching your customers and an effective way to demonstrate expertise.
4. Email Marketing
After you?ve established visitors to your site, you can let them join a mailing list. This can be used to keep your business fresh in the mind of your target market and inform them of the bargains and offers that your business is offering.
5. Web Design
Professional web design sets your business far from its competitors and can give it a superb reputation. The website is like the cover of a book and will be judged before reading any of the information, so it is vital to make a professional and easy to navigate website.
6. News releases
Send press releases over to online news sites that your business would be applicable to. This is a good method market your business or product and create interest. Also register to directories and comparison sites to get exposure.
Overall, internet marketing is a relatively cheap and straight forward way to bring exposure to your business. You should know your target market and what they will be hunting in your business. Knowing this, you can use the methods above to target your consumers directly thereby boost awareness.
If you?re a small business owner looking to get a BIG presence online then you?ve found the right place here at Atlanta Internet Marketing or Atlanta Web Marketing. Thank you for coming to our page.. This article, Helpful Tips For Internet Marketing For Businesses is released under a creative commons attribution license.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama signed legislation Tuesday that affords greater protection to federal employees who expose fraud, waste and abuse in government operations.
Capping a 13-year effort by supporters of whistle-blower rights, the new law closes loopholes created by court rulings, which removed protections for federal whistle-blowers. One loophole specified that whistle-blowers were only protected when they were the first to report misconduct.
Obama also signed legislation that protects U.S. airlines from having to pay into a European Union program to cut down on pollutants. Earlier this month, the EU postponed its enforcement of the payment for non-EU airlines amid protests from numerous countries and threats of a possible trade war.
The whistle-blower law makes it easier to punish supervisors who try to retaliate against the government workers.
The federal official who investigates retaliation, Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner, said her office "stands ready to implement these important reforms, which will better ensure that no employee suffers retaliation for speaking out against government waste or misconduct."
The new legislation, however, would go beyond restoring protections, to expand whistle-blower rights and clarify certain protections. For example, whistle-blowers could challenge the consequences of government policy decisions.
Specific protections would be given to certain employees, including government scientists who challenge censorship. Workers at the Transportation Security Administration, who provide airport security, would be covered under the law for the first time.
The bill also would clarify that whistleblowers have the right to communicate with Congress.
To stop illegal retaliation, the bill would make it easier to discipline those responsible, by modifying the burden of proof required when taking action against those trying to punish whistle-blowers. Also, the Office of Special Counsel, which was established to protect federal employees, would no longer be liable for attorney fees of government managers if the office does not prevail in a disciplinary action.
The new legislation would suspend the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals' sole jurisdiction to review decisions in whistle-blower cases.
The bill's supporters said the court consistently narrowed protections and ruled for whistle-blowers only three times in 229 cases between October 1994 and May 2012. A review by all federal circuit courts was added as a two-year experiment.
Tom Devine, legal director of the Government Accountability Project, said, "This reform took 13 years to pass because it can make so much difference against fraud, waste and abuse. Government managers at all levels made pleas and repeatedly blocked the bill through procedural sabotage."
Devine, whose organization represents whistle-blowers, said the bill sailed through Congress once some senators who previously worked in secret to block a vote dropped their opposition.
The new airlines law was a response to an EU program that places a cap on carbon dioxide emissions from industrial polluters. Early this year, the law was expanded to include all airlines flying into and out of Europe.
U.S. airlines complained that they would be charged even for the emissions discharged over the United States or the Atlantic on their way to European destinations. The U.S. industry says it would cost them some $3.1 billion between 2012 and 2020. Those payments were to start in April, but the EU postponed that earlier this month.
"Although European leaders have temporarily pulled back their tax proposal, the law signed by the president today will help ensure the EU scheme will not resurface next year like a phoenix rising from the ashes," said Rep. John Mica of Florida, the Republican chairman of the House transportation committee,
The airlines emissions legislation urges the administration to engage in international talks to seek a global approach to aircraft emissions.
"The Obama administration should seek binding regulations and limits on such pollution when it meets with international partners to establish these rules at the International Civil Aviation Organization," said Sarah Saylor of the environmental group Earthjustice.
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Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.
How does an Inn in Savannah Georgia, with so many outstanding hospitality properties achieve? TripAdvisors rating as the number three hotel in Savannah? Well, it isn?t easy.
In the first place, it needs a dynamite location overlooking one of the outstanding squares in the middle of the downtown historic district. Second, it needs a striking architectural presence among many fine historic B&B?s and other historic buildings. Third, it needs meticulously restored interiors and a rich balance of antiques and guest friendly furnishings. Finally, the Inn needs owners who put their guests? needs first.
This current offering fulfills those characteristics and this rating is a just reward. Another reward is a strong business, with sales approaching $1,000,000.00.
The Inn has 17 well appointed rooms, a high occupancy rate of 60%,? and a strong bottom line. It is a chosen member of Select Registry, has been chosen for BedandBreakfast.com?s Diamond Collection and is also a Four Diamond AAA Inn. The price is $4,995,000.00. The cash flow will easily cover the debt service and provide a decent income for new owners. For those with the resources, this is a rare opportunity to own the best.
Select Registry?s only Bed & Breakfast Hotel in Savannah
Travel & Leisure Magazine voted this as one of America?s Most Romantic Hotels in 2012
AAA Four Diamond
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click here for more information on multiple Inns.
Computers have a lot of parts and in some cases you may have a break down and need help getting it fixed. Computer forensics is a method to retrieve information form your system when you need it. You also may have a situation were you need to diagnose your computer to see why it is not working. This will help you to find the problem and get it fixed.
You may also find that investigators will use computer forensics to get information they need when it comes to solving a crime. You will see that in some cases the person being accused will have information on there computer that can be used against them in a court case.
Many people who are skilled in this area of expertise can get deleted files from a computer. This is helpful when you need to see what websites have been viewed on a computer. They can find the browser history of a computer even if it has been deleted. You can also see instant messages in case you need to know what has been said between your teen and some stranger.
Computers technology is always advancing and it becomes more important that skilled professionals can retrieve information when they need to. It may be a law enforcement agency that need to get evidence for a crime that was committed or maybe you are trying to protect your young child from predators online.
Remember that using computer forensics can help you get information from your computer. It will allow you to get deleted information as well even if you think it no longer exist on your computer you can get this information.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Even if Colin Kaepernick's second start was hardly as spectacular as his first, he played well enough to extend coach Jim Harbaugh's quarterback quandary for at least another week.
With the 49ers' defense making big plays of its own, it might not have mattered who was under center.
Ahmad Brooks and Donte Whitner each returned interceptions for touchdowns, a pass rush led by Aldon Smith sacked Drew Brees five times, and San Francisco ended New Orleans' three-game winning streak, 31-21 on Sunday.
"We always want to be the best defense on the field, especially on the road," Whitner said. "When you play us, you are going to get hit. That's our identity: smart, hard-nose, physical football."
Kaepernick was solid in his second career start while Alex Smith, deemed healthy enough to suit up after recovering from a concussion, watched from the sideline in uniform. Kaepernick passed for 231 yards, including a short touchdown to Frank Gore. He also ran for a 7-yard score. He threw his first career interception, but it was inconsequential.
"We got a win, so that's all that really matters," Kaepernick said.
Niners coach Jim Harbaugh implied the decision to start Kaepernick had more to do with preserving Smith's long-term health than on performance, but he was noncommittal about who might start next week at St. Louis.
"The fact he had symptoms seven to eight days later, I'm not going to put a guy back out there," Harbaugh said of Smith. "He eventually got cleared. The plan was to rotate him back into the action (in practice), but not all the way to the front line. ... That would give him a chance to get cleared up completely."
Smith did not seem to think he needed to more time, but kept complaints to a minimum.
"Obviously I want to play. I want to start. I think I should, but it's not my decision," Smith said. "I'm part of this team and it's great to go out and get a win."
Brees finished with 267 yards and three TDs. After rushing for 140 yards or more in each of its previous three games, New Orleans (5-6) managed only 59 yards against San Francisco (8-2-1).
One of Brees' scoring passes went to Marques Colston, who set a Saints record with his 56th career touchdown for the club.
The Niners gained 144 yards on the ground, led by Gore with 83. The Saints shut down tight end Vernon Davis, but the Niners' other tight end, Delanie Walker, had three catches for 81 yards, including one for 45 yards to set up a touchdown.
The Saints had to play recently acquired reserve William Robinson at right tackle after rookie Bryce Harris, making his first start because of injuries to Zach Strief and Charles Brown, was carted off with an apparent right leg injury. But just about every Saints lineman was beaten on a Niners sack. Brooks, Aldon Smith and Justin Smith each had 1? sacks, all in the second half.
"They're a good defense," Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt said of San Francisco. "When you lose your right tackle and you've got to play with a young man who's been here four days, that's a tough challenge."
San Francisco's interceptions came during a 21-0 spurt that turned a 14-7 deficit into a 28-14 lead.
"You give them two free ones and that's what they thrive on," Brees said. "All of a sudden they rattle off 21 points in a short amount of time and we really felt like we had the game under control."
Brooks snagged the first, returning it 50 yards late in the first half to tie the game at 14.
The second came on Brees' first pass of the second half. The ball deflected off Colston's hands as the leaping receiver was upended and briefly shaken up. Whitner snagged the deflected pass and returned it 42 yards to make it 28-14.
Since losing to the New York Giants on Oct. 14, the Niners are 5-0-1 and hold a 2 1/2-game lead in the NFC West.
It seems their biggest problem at this point is deciding who should be their No. 1 QB. Smith, who led the Niners to the NFC title game last season, started the first nine games.
"That would be coach's decision," Kaepernick said. "I'm just trying to take a similar approach that I've been taking, just keep my head down, keep working and see where it takes me."
The Saints, meanwhile, missed a chance to pull into a tie for the last NFC wild card berth, and remain a game out with another tough game coming up at Atlanta on Thursday night.
Kaepernick gave the Niners the early lead, scoring easily on a read-option run that fooled the Saints' defense.
New Orleans tied it on tight end David Thomas' 6-yard catch, then took the lead on Colston's TD, capping a drive that began when Ted Ginn Jr.'s fumbled punt was recovered by Rafael Bush on the 49ers 10.
New Orleans was looking to go up by two scores after Kaepernick's interception on an underthrown pass that cornerback Patrick Robinson easily caught. Instead, Brooks tied it, stepping in front of a pass for Jimmy Graham.
NOTES: Saints DT Brodrick Bunkley was thrown out for unsportsmanlike conduct with 1:05 left for kicking lineman Alex Boone in the back of the helmet right after the Saints had blocked a field goal ... Aldon Smith's sack of Brees in the third quarter was his 16th this season, 30th in his career. He became only the second player to reach 30 sacks in his first two seasons, joining Reggie White (31) and Derrick Thomas (30). He reached it in fewer games (27) than either of them. ... Niners WR Kyle Williams and RB Kendall Hunter both were shaken up on the same play in the second half with apparent leg injuries. ... Saints S Isa Abdul-Quddus left the game after a hard collision with tight end Delanie Walker in the fourth quarter.
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Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
ScienceDaily (Nov. 25, 2012) ? Pathological changes typical of Alzheimer's disease were significantly reduced in mice by blockade of an immune system transmitter. A research team from Charit? -- Universit?tsmedizin Berlin and the University of Zurich has just published a new therapeutic approach in fighting Alzheimer's disease in the current issue of Nature Medicine. This approach promises potential in prevention, as well as in cases where the disease has already set in.
Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common causes of dementia. In Germany and Switzerland alone, around 1.5 million people are affected, and forecasts predict a doubling of the number of patients worldwide within the next 20 years. The accumulation of particular abnormal proteins, including amyloid-? (A?) among others, in patients' brains plays a central role in this disease. Prof. Frank Heppner from the Department of Neuropathology at Charit? and his colleague Prof. Burkhard Becher from the Institute for Experimental Immunology at the University of Zurich were able to show that turning off particular cytokines (immune system signal transmitters) reduced the Alzheimer's typical amyloid-? deposits in mice with the disease. As a result, the strongest effects were demonstrated after reducing amyloid-? by approximately 65 percent, when the immune molecule p40 was affected, which is a component of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 and -23.
Relevant for human therapy
Follow-up experiments also relevant for humans showed that substantial improvements in behavioral testing resulted when mice were given the antibody blocking the immune molecule p40. This effect was also achieved when the mice were already showing symptoms of the disease. Based on the current study by Prof. Heppner's and Prof. Becher's team, the level of p40 molecules is higher in Alzheimer's patients' brain fluid, which is in agreement with a recently published study by American colleagues demonstrating increased p40 levels in blood plasma of subjects with Alzheimer's disease, thus showing obvious relevance for human therapy.
The significance of the immune system in Alzheimer's research is the focus of current efforts. Prof. Heppner and Prof. Becher suspect that cytokines IL-12 and IL-23 themselves are not causative in the pathology, and that the mechanism of the immune molecule p40 in Alzheimer's requires additional clarification. However, they are convinced that the results of their six-years of research work justify the step toward clinical studies in humans, for which they plan to collaborate with a suitable industrial partner.
IIn the context of other illnesses, such as psoriasis, a medication that suppresses p40 in humans has already been applied. "Based on the safety data in patients," comment Profs. Heppner and Becher, "clinical studies could now be implemented without delay. Now, the goal is to bring the new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer patients quickly."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Zurich.
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Journal Reference:
Johannes vom Berg, Stefan Prokop, Kelly R Miller, Juliane Obst, Roland E K?lin, Ileana Lopategui-Cabezas, Anja Wegner, Florian Mair, Carola G Schipke, Oliver Peters, York Winter, Burkhard Becher, Frank L Heppner. Inhibition of IL-12/IL-23 signaling reduces Alzheimer's disease?like pathology and cognitive decline. Nature Medicine, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nm.2965
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said on Sunday they had captured a helicopter base east of Damascus after an overnight assault, their latest gain in a costly battle to unseat President Bashar al-Assad that is drawing nearer to his seat of power.
The Marj al-Sultan base, 15 km (10 miles) from the capital, is the second military facility on the outskirts of the city reported to have fallen to Assad's opponents this month.
Activists said rebels had destroyed two helicopters and taken 15 prisoners.
"We are coming for you Bashar," a rebel shouted in an internet video of what activists said was Marj al-Sultan. Restrictions on non-state media meant it could not be verified.
The rebels have been firming their hold on farmland and urban centers to the east and northeast of Damascus while a major battle has been underway for a week in the suburb of Daraya near the main highway south.
"We are seeing the starting signs of a rebel siege of Damascus," veteran opposition campaigner Fawaz Tello said from Berlin. "Marj al-Sultan is very near to the Damascus Airport road and to the airport itself. The rebels appear to be heading toward cutting this as well as the main northern artery to Aleppo."
Assad's core forces, drawn mainly from his minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam that has dominated power in Syria for nearly five decades, are entrenched in the capital.
They also have devastating air superiority although they have failed to prevent rebels increasing their presence on the edge of the capital and in neighborhoods on the periphery.
A Western diplomat following the fighting said Assad still had the upper hand. "The army will allow positions to fall here and there, but it can still easily muster the strength to drive back the rebels where it sees a danger," the diplomat said.
"The rebels are very short of international support and they do not have the supplies to keep up a sustained fight, especially in Damascus."
IRAN CONDEMNS PATRIOT PLAN
Iran said Turkey's request to NATO to deploy Patriot defensive missiles near its border with Syria would add to problems in the region, where Iran is pitted against mostly Sunni Turkey and Gulf Sunni powers.
Iran's Shi'ite rulers have stepped up support for Assad while Sunni Arab powers helped forge a new opposition coalition this month recognized by France and Britain as the sole representative of the Syrians.
Syria has called the missile request "provocative", seeing it as a first step toward a no-fly zone over Syrian airspace which the opposition is seeking to help them hold territory against an enemy with overwhelming firepower from the air.
Most foreign powers are reluctant to go that far.
NATO has said the possible deployment of the missiles was purely defensive. The U.S.-led Western alliance has had some talks on the request but has yet to take a decision.
Turkey fears security on its border may crumble as the Syrian army fights harder against the rebels, some of whom have enjoyed sanctuary in Turkey in their 20-month-old revolt against Assad's rule.
Ankara has scrambled fighter jets and returned fire after stray Syrian shells and mortar bombs from heavy fighting along the border landed in its territory.
More than 120,000 Syrian refugees are sheltering in camps in southern Turkey and more are expected with winter setting in and millions of people estimated to be short of food inside Syria.
Abu Mussab, a rebel operative in the area of Hajar al-Aswad in south Damascus, said the opposition fighters had given up expecting a no-fly zone. "The bet is now on better organization and tactics," he said.
The video said by activists to have been filmed at the Marj al-Sultan base showed rebel fighters carrying AK-47 rifles.
An anti-aircraft gun was positioned on top of an empty bunker and a rebel commander from the Ansar al-Islam, a major Muslim rebel unit, was shown next to a helicopter.
"With God's help, the Marj al-Sultan airbase in eastern Ghouta has been liberated," the commander said in the video. Eastern Ghouta, a mix of agricultural land and built-up urban areas, has been a rebel stronghold for months.
Damaged mobile radar stations could be seen on hilltops, with rebels waiving as they walked in the compound.
Footage from Saturday evening showed rebels firing rocket-propelled grenades at the base, and what appeared to be a helicopter engulfed in flames.
Last week rebels briefly captured an air defense base near the southern Damascus district of Hajar al-Aswad, seizing weapons and equipment before pulling out to avoid retaliation from Assad's air force.
(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans in Beirut Yeganeh Torbati in Dubai and Ece Toksabay in Istanbul; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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Public release date: 27-Nov-2012
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