Hornets select Davis with No. 1 pick in NBA draft

NBA Commissioner David Stern, left, poses with the No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Davis, of Kentucky, who was selected by the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June, 28, 2012, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

NBA Commissioner David Stern, left, poses with the No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Davis, of Kentucky, who was selected by the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June, 28, 2012, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Kentucky's Anthony Davis talks to reporters after being drafted No. 1 overall by the New Orleans Hornets during the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 28, 2012, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

NBA Commissioner David Stern, left, poses with the No. 2 overall draft pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, of Kentucky, who was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June, 28, 2012, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Kentucky's Anthony Davis listens to a question before the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June, 28, 2012, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

NBA basketball draftees stand on stage before the draft on Thursday, June, 28, 2012, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? Anthony Davis hugged his college teammate, hugged his coach, and climbed on stage as the No. 1 pick.

Turns out, that was just the start of Kentucky's party at the NBA draft.

The Wildcats became the first school to have the top two picks and tied a record with six players taken overall Thursday night.

After the New Orleans Hornets made the long-expected selection of Davis, Charlotte followed by taking fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Saying he was nervous even though his selection was no surprise, Davis shared an embrace with Kidd-Gilchrist, seated at a nearby table.

"My arm was shaking and my hands were sweaty. Got up and hugged Michael, my best friend, wanted to hug him for a minute," Davis said. "When my name got called, wanted to make sure he stayed close."

He did ? following Davis as the next player to climb up and shake Commissioner David Stern's hand.

"It's crazy," Davis said moments after Kidd-Gilchrist's selection. "Michael is a great player. We have two down and four more to go. Hopefully, all of them will go in the first round."

They didn't, the only disappointment for the Wildcats. They settled for four in the first round and a tie with North Carolina, which won the race to four picks ? all in the top 17 selections.

Harrison Barnes (No. 7, Golden State), Kendall Marshall (No. 13, Phoenix), John Henson (No. 14, Milwaukee) and Tyler Zeller (No. 17, Dallas and later traded to Cleveland) all went between Kidd-Gilchrist and the next Kentucky player, Terrence Jones at No. 18 to Houston.

Otherwise, it was the Wildcats' night.

Kentucky got its fourth first-round pick at No. 29 with Marquis Teague, another freshman, who is headed to Chicago as a possible replacement for the injured Derrick Rose. Doron Lamb went 42nd to Milwaukee, and Darius Miller was 46th to New Orleans.

Only UNLV in 1977 had six players drafted ? but none in the first round.

Kentucky coach John Calipari has been criticized for recruiting "one-and-done" players, they stay the required one year and leave, but he looked thrilled hugging his two stars at the start of the night.

It's been a long time since a school made such an impact at the top of the draft.

UCLA had the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in 1969, when Milwaukee took Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ? then Lew Alcindor ? and Lucius Allen went third to the Seattle SuperSonics.

Davis will begin his pro career in the same city where he ended it with a national title. College basketball's player of the year as a freshman was the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four despite shooting just 1 for 10 from the field in the championship game, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking six shots in the victory over Kansas.

Davis slipped on a blue and purple Hornets hat above a conservative gray suit that took no attention away from basketball's most famous eyebrow. Davis even attempted to capitalize on the attention his unibrow gets, trademarking "Fear The Brow" and "Raise The Brow" earlier this month.

On the floor, Davis has the agility of a guard ? and he was one only a few years ago.

The 6-foot-10 Davis averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks, becoming a dominant defender after growing 7 inches from the start of his junior year of high school.

A season after the Hornets traded longtime star Chris Paul, Davis is ready to be their centerpiece, since playing for the Wildcats means he is already accustomed to plenty of attention.

"Like I said, at Kentucky we had it all the time, especially the six who played, we had the spotlight all the time," Davis said. "I think it really prepared me."

Charlotte, coming off a 7-59 season and the worst winning percentage in NBA history, had been open to moving the No. 2 pick if it found the right deal. Instead, Michael Jordan's team went with Kidd-Gilchrist, whose selection by the Bobcats was loudly cheered, a sharp contrast from the boos Stern received when he came out to announce the picks.

The new Charlotte swingman played in high school at nearby St. Patrick's in Elizabeth, N.J., and fans chanted "MKG! MKG!" as he walked off the stage. Though he and Davis talked before the draft, they didn't discuss the history the Wildcats were about to make.

"No. I was shocked at first," Kidd-Gilchrist said. "I was shocked. But no, we didn't. We didn't at all."

Florida's Bradley Beal went third to Washington, making it three SEC freshman in the first three picks. Cleveland followed with the surprisingly early pick of Syracuse sixth man Dion Waiters at No. 4.

Thomas Robinson of Kansas, who hoped to go second, fell to Sacramento at No. 5. Portland took Weber State's Damian Lillard at No. 6 with its first of two lottery picks, and Barnes was taken seventh by Golden State.

After Washington's Terrence Ross went to Toronto and Connecticut's Andre Drummond to Detroit, the Hornets rounded out the top 10 by taking Duke guard Austin Rivers with a pick they acquired in the Paul trade. Rivers hugged his father, Boston coach Doc Rivers, who came to be with his family instead of with the Celtics, who owned two later first-round picks.

Davis was the only clear-cut pick entering the draft, and there were some early surprises. Players such as Waiters and Ross went higher than expected, while Robinson dropped to the Kings.

"I really didn't know where I was going to end up at, but it is a bit of a surprise," he said, tearing up when talking about his difficult journey that included the deaths of multiple family members in college. "I didn't work out for Sacramento at all, I probably talked to them about once. But I'm here, so I'm meant to be here."

Houston took Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut at No. 12 with its first of three top-20 picks. But the Rockets, who also had the Nos. 16 and 18 picks, were hoping not to use all of them, instead packaging them for an established player after their pursuit of the Lakers' Pau Gasol fell through last year.

The Rockets tabbed Iowa State's Royce White at No. 16, and Terrence Jones two picks later.

Jared Sullinger, once considered a top-10 pick, ended up in a draft free-fall over concerns with his back but was finally taken at No. 21 by Boston. The Celtics followed with Fab Melo of Syracuse, giving them two potential replacements if Kevin Garnett doesn't return.

The NBA champion Miami Heat took forward Arnett Moultrie of Mississippi State at No. 27 with their first-round pick, but traded his rights to Philadelphia for the rights to LSU center Justin Hamilton and a future first-round pick.

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-06-29-NBA%20Draft/id-faf92eaab23f42bebf8d8d0bc54388bc

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President Obama's remarks in Colorado Springs on Waldo Canyon Fire

Here is the text of the remarks President Barack Obama made June 29 at Fire Station No. 2 in Colorado Springs after touring the area of the Waldo Canyon Fire, as released by the White House.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we just had a chance to tour some of the damage that's been done by this devastating fire. I've had a chance to thank Mayor Bach as well as Governor Hickenlooper. And the entire congressional delegation, members of the fire service, the Forest Service, as well as local fire officials have gotten a full briefing.

I think what you see here is an example of outstanding

coordination and cooperation between federal, state and local agencies. We have been putting everything we have into trying to deal with what's one of the worst fires that we've seen here in Colorado. And it's still early in the fire season, and we still got a lot more work to do. But because of the outstanding work that's been done, because of not only the coordination but also some unprecedented arrangements that have been made with military resources combined with the civil resources, we're starting to see progress.

Obviously, as you saw in the some of these subdivisions, the devastation is enormous. And our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who have been affected.

One of the things that I've tried to emphasize is that whether it's fires in Colorado or flooding in the northern parts of Florida, when natural disasters like this hit, America comes together. And we all recognize that there but for the grace of God, go I. We've got to make sure that we have each other's backs. And that spirit is what you're seeing in terms of volunteers, in terms of firefighters, in terms of government officials. Everybody is pulling together to try to deal with this situation.

Now, as I said, we're not completely out of the woods yet. These folks, some of them have been working 18-hour days, 20-hour days, trying to make sure that these fires get put out. They're going to be carefully monitoring the situation, and ultimately they're going to need a little bit of help from Mother Nature in order to fully extinguish these fires.

In the meantime, some lessons are being learned about how we can mitigate some of these fires in the future, and I know that the Mayor and Governor, and other local officials are already in those conversations. It means that hopefully, out of this tragedy, some long-term planning occurs, and it may be that we can curb some of the damage that happens the next time, even though you obviously can't fully control fires that are starting up in these mountains.

Last point I just want to make -- and that is that we can provide all the resources, we can make sure that they're well-coordinated, but as I just told these firefighters, what we can do is to provide them with the courage and the determination and the professionalism, the heart that they show when they're out there battling these fires.

When we had a chance on site to see some guys who had just saved three homes in a community that had been devastated, for those families, the work and the sacrifice of those firefighters means the world to them, and they are genuine heroes.

And so we want to just say thank you to all the folks who have been involved in this. We're proud of you. We appreciate what you do each and every day. And so for folks all around the country, I hope you are reminded of how important our fire departments are, our Forest Service is. Sometimes they don't get the credit that they deserve until your house is burning down, or your community is being threatened. And you have to understand they're putting their lives at risk to save us and to help us. We've got to make sure that we remember that 365 days a year, not just when tragedies like this strike.

Thank you very much, everybody.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dp-news-local/~3/Ohelo1KnyFU/president-obamas-remarks-colorado-springs-waldo-canyon-fire

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Getting Over

For Heilbut, then, to be a fan is to know where, and what, the heart is. And throughout the book, across art forms, he argues that the heart is with those who have been turned out; that the center of a community and an art are in fact not at the center, but at the margin. So Aretha got over not because she left gospel behind, but because she kept faith with all of those?Clara Ward, Mahalia, her own father?who came before her. So the German ?migr? Jews, like Heilbut himself, are the truest expression of America, just as, Heilbut argues, Jewish culture was the heart and soul of German culture. The soap opera, that benighted, disdained pastime for working-class women, becomes, through Heilbut's obsessive chronicling, a quintessential American expression. Josh White, the much sneered-at inauthentic token bluesman of the folk revival, displaces Robert Johnson in Heilbut?s pantheon of authenticity, craft, and soul. And everywhere, in everything, from gospel to soap opera to ?migr? literature, the gay experience emerges as inseparable from every form of art and of life.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=b793e89be0053af763ff8b9d0c418fa2

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PFT: PM kickoffs pushed back by 10 minutes

Getty Images

The Saints reportedly are poised to make Drew Brees the highest-paid player in NFL history, and the Saints allegedly aren?t negotiating with Brees in good faith.

We?d hate to see how much money the Saints would be offering Brees if they were acting in good faith.

Lost in the contention that Brees? role in the 2011 labor talks are being used against Brees in his contract talks is the fact that the Saints have repeatedly made very significant offers to Brees.? In 2011, they made an offer that would have put Brees in the Peyton Manning/Tom Brady ballpark.? In February 2012, they applied the exclusive version of the franchise tag, which put Brees in line for $16.371 million this season, more than $1 million per game.? In March 2012, they offered another deal that would have made him the highest paid player in the league.? In June 2012, they upped the ante once again.

So where?s the bad faith?

Not giving a guy everything he wants isn?t bad faith.? Not blowing out a team?s salary cap for one player isn?t bad faith.

If the Saints aren?t happy with their most important player because of his role in the labor talks, then the other 31 teams presumably like him even less.? So bad faith would have been, at a minimum, using the non-exclusive version of the franchise tag, since no other team would have signed him to an offer sheet and given the Saints a pair of first-round picks if the Saints hadn?t matched.

Bad faith also would have been giving him no franchise tag at all, thrusting him onto a market full of teams that would have collectively lowballed him, as their way of blackballing him.

Drew knows deep down that the Saints aren?t sticking it to him, because of his role in the CBA talks or for any other reason.? That?s why the initial report from Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com regarding the union?s contention that the Saints are discriminating against Brees contains the ludicrous suggestion that ?The quarterback did not play a role in the decision . . . with the union moving forward of its own accord.?? Brees wants to squeeze the Saints with an unfounded claim without getting his hands dirty, so he?s hiding behind the notion that the NFLPA has decided on its own, without regard to the wishes of a member of its Executive Committee, to make an outlandish charge that the Saints, by offering consistently to make him the highest-paid player in the league, are screwing him.

Brees has built up plenty of equity in New Orleans and elsewhere over the years.? If Saints fans take the time to see through this one, it could all be gone in the blink of an eye.

None of this changes the fact that the Saints foolishly have delayed getting this deal done.? With coach Sean Payton suspended for the year and with the franchise otherwise in disarray, Brees? presence during the entire offseason program should have been regarded as critical to a successful effort in 2012 ? especially since the Saints? postseason performance hinges on home-field advantage unlike any other team in the league.

The Saints also had been leaking that Brees wants more money than he actually has demanded.? Stupid, yes.? Bad faith, no.

The Saints need Brees.? The Saints love Brees.? But his role in the CBA talks is irrelevant to the ongoing inability to work out a long-term deal, and Brees knows it.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/28/nfl-bumps-late-afternoon-kickoffs-by-10-minutes/related/

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Obama camp takes a celebratory lap, by way of a t-shirt (Washington Bureau)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Nexus 7 Guidebook available for free in Google Play Books

Read enough about the Google Nexus 7 yet? Just in case you haven't, and you need some light reading while waiting for your shiny new Nexus 7 to arrive, Google's got you covered. Downloadable for free, as we speak, is the official Nexus 7 Guidebook from Google. 

OK, so it's basically an instruction manual. But, there's a couple of really nice sections in there. There's a chunk on the new Google Now service -- and how to disable it -- and another section centered on the new notifications area in Jelly Bean. It's free, and worth a read just for  these two sections alone. To grab yourself a copy, fire up Google Play Books and go get it. 

Download: Google Nexus 7 Guidebook

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/w7TmHiAXiEk/story01.htm

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Video: Five-year-old pitches to NY Yankees

>>> finally tonight our making a difference report. most professional sports teams are deeply involved in their host cities and the same is true here in new york . as we said earlier, love them or hate them, the new york yankees are one of the great names in sports and they get to play in a great place. one week a year, they salute some great people. matt lauer has our "making a difference" report here tonight.

>> the 3-2.

>> reporter: heroes don't get any bigger than this.

>> 3,000!

>> reporter: but even heroes need some inspiration. and this week the new york yankees found some right in their back yard.

>> reach for the sky !

>> reporter: this may just look like horsing around, but for 9-year-old owen atkins it's a chance to be like everyone else. flying means provides riding therapy to children with special needs like owen, who has cerebral palsy .

>> this kind of opportunity to help get him through the hard times , you know?

>> reporter: this day yankees ' first baseman mark teixeira is trading his gold glove for a day in the saddle stealing hearts. seniors at east haven nursing home were stunned. these long-time fans treated to makeovers and manicures. folks like 100-year-old selma filed, buffed, and polished by none other than right fielder nick swisher .

>> just to be able to spend time with somebody like that and hear some of the stories they have to tell. i think it's what it's all about.

>> reporter: finally, my special hope week buddy. 5-year-old andy fess has a condition which usually keeps him out of the sun and has left him legally blind . but like any little boy he dreams about playing baseball and now that dream has taken him all the way to yankee stadium . throwing the first pitch, high fiving the team after the victory.

>> the easy way is to give money but i think when you look at people that give their time, that's something that i think is cherished a little bit more.

>> reporter: even when it's getting a 5-year-old something as simple as some water.

>> thank you.

>> reporter: in 10 years or so he'll look at the video and say i asked derek jeter to get me an ice cold water.

>> the thing is derek jeter got it for him.

>> reporter: that's the beauty of hope week.

>> without a doubt.

>> reporter: matt lauer , nbc news, new

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/48021311/

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Ex-lawmaker to chair Israel WWII survivors' group

JERUSALEM (AP) ? A prominent ex-lawmaker and Holocaust survivor has been appointed to lead Israel's umbrella organization of Holocaust survivors.

Colette Avital, originally from Romania, was a longtime Israeli diplomat, serving as consul general in New York City.

As a member of parliament, she headed an inquiry identifying properties in Israel owned by European Jews who were killed in the Holocaust.

The Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel represents 50 organizations that assist Holocaust survivors. The organization's previous head, the late Noah Flug, fought governments to compensate survivors.

Six million Jews were killed by Nazis in World War II. Fewer than 200,000 Holocaust survivors remain in Israel. Some live in poverty.

Avital told The Associated Press on Thursday she fears governmental budget cuts could reduce assistance for needy survivors.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-06-28-Israel-Holocaust/id-aef60f25faae4b228a20a3c5956bdc84

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Research at UH finds cognitive-behavioral therapy effective in combatting anxiety disorders

Public release date: 28-Jun-2012
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Contact: Melissa Carroll
mcarroll@uh.edu
713-743-8153
University of Houston

Combination of treatments provides improvement for disorders such as fear of flying, public speaking or spiders

Whether it is a phobia like a fear of flying, public speaking or spiders, or a diagnosis such as obsessive compulsive disorder, new research finds patients suffering from anxiety disorders showed the most improvement when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in conjunction with a "transdiagnostic" approach a model that allows therapists to apply one set of principles across anxiety disorders.

The combination was more effective than CBT combined with other types of anxiety disorder treatments, like relaxation training according to Peter Norton, associate professor in clinical psychology and director of the Anxiety Disorder Clinic at the University of Houston (UH).

Norton concludes that therapists treating people with anxiety disorders may effectively use a treatment that applies one set of principals across all types of anxiety disorders. The findings are the result of a decade of research, four separate clinical trials and the completion of a five-year grant funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

Norton defines anxiety disorders as when anxiety and fear are so overwhelming that it can start to negatively impact a person's day-to-day life. He notes anxiety disorders include: panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder, specific phobias and generalized anxiety disorder. Often anxiety disorders occur with a secondary illness, such as depression, substance or alcohol abuse. Norton says there are targeted treatments for each diagnosis, but there has been little recognition that the treatments don't differ much, and they only differ in very specific ways.

"The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has been an important breakthrough in understanding mental health, but people are dissatisfied with its fine level of differentiation," said Norton. "Panic disorders are considered something different from social phobia, which is considered something different from PTSD. The hope was that by getting refined in the diagnosis we could target interventions for each of these diagnoses, but in reality that just hasn't played out."

As a graduate student in Nebraska, Norton couldn't get enough people together on the same night to run a group treatment for social phobia, and that marked the beginning 10 years of work on the transdiagnostic treatment approach.

"What I realized is that I could open a group to people with anxiety disorders in general and develop a treatment program regardless of the artificial distinctions between social phobia and panic disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, and focus on the core underlying things that are going wrong," said Norton.

Norton finds cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of treatment with a specific time frame and goals, helps patients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors to be the most effective treatment. The twist for him was using CBT in conjunction with the transdiagnostic approach. The patients receiving the transdiagnostic treatment showed considerable improvement, especially with treating comorbid diagnoses, a disease or

condition that co-exists with a primary disease and can stand on its own as a specific disease, like depression.

"What I have learned from my past research is that if you treat your principal diagnosis, such as social phobia and you hate public speaking, you are going to show improvement on some of your secondary diagnosis. Your mood is going to get a little better, your fear of heights might dissipate. So there is some effect there, but what we find is when we approach things with a transdiagnostic approach, we see a much bigger impact on comorbid diagnoses," said Norton. "In my research study, over two-thirds of comorbid diagnoses went away, versus what we typically we find when I'm treating a specific diagnosis such as a panic disorder, where only about 40 percent of people will show that sort of remission in their secondary diagnosis. The transdiagnostic treatment approach is more efficient in treating the whole person rather than just treating the diagnosis, then treating the next diagnoses."

Norton notes the larger contributions of the studies are to guide further development and interventions for how clinical psychologists, therapists and social workers treat people with anxiety disorders. The data collected will be useful for people out on the front lines to effectively and efficiently treat people to reduce anxiety disorders.

###

Norton is the author of the book, "Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy of Anxiety. A Transdiagnostic Treatment Manual," and co-author of "The Anti-Anxiety Workbook: Proven Strategies to Overcome Worry, Phobias, Panic and Obsessions." He has authored more than 90 research papers on such topics as anxiety disorders, CBT and chronic pain, and he serves on the editorial boards of two scientific journals. He has received early career awards and research grants for his work on studying and treating anxiety from the National Institute of Mental Health, the University of Nebraska Lincoln, UH, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and the American Psychological Association.

About the Anxiety Disorder Clinic

The Anxiety Disorder Clinic (ADC) is a specialty treatment and research clinic at the University of Houston. The goal of the ADC is to help clients overcome their problems with anxiety without medication by using the most effective psychological therapies available. Both research opportunities and low-cost clinical services based on the latest scientific evidence are offered to individuals. For more information about research opportunities and clinical services at ADC, please call 713-743-8600 or visit the ADC website www.uh.edu/anxiety

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 39,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.

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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.

Public release date: 28-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Melissa Carroll
mcarroll@uh.edu
713-743-8153
University of Houston

Combination of treatments provides improvement for disorders such as fear of flying, public speaking or spiders

Whether it is a phobia like a fear of flying, public speaking or spiders, or a diagnosis such as obsessive compulsive disorder, new research finds patients suffering from anxiety disorders showed the most improvement when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in conjunction with a "transdiagnostic" approach a model that allows therapists to apply one set of principles across anxiety disorders.

The combination was more effective than CBT combined with other types of anxiety disorder treatments, like relaxation training according to Peter Norton, associate professor in clinical psychology and director of the Anxiety Disorder Clinic at the University of Houston (UH).

Norton concludes that therapists treating people with anxiety disorders may effectively use a treatment that applies one set of principals across all types of anxiety disorders. The findings are the result of a decade of research, four separate clinical trials and the completion of a five-year grant funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

Norton defines anxiety disorders as when anxiety and fear are so overwhelming that it can start to negatively impact a person's day-to-day life. He notes anxiety disorders include: panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder, specific phobias and generalized anxiety disorder. Often anxiety disorders occur with a secondary illness, such as depression, substance or alcohol abuse. Norton says there are targeted treatments for each diagnosis, but there has been little recognition that the treatments don't differ much, and they only differ in very specific ways.

"The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has been an important breakthrough in understanding mental health, but people are dissatisfied with its fine level of differentiation," said Norton. "Panic disorders are considered something different from social phobia, which is considered something different from PTSD. The hope was that by getting refined in the diagnosis we could target interventions for each of these diagnoses, but in reality that just hasn't played out."

As a graduate student in Nebraska, Norton couldn't get enough people together on the same night to run a group treatment for social phobia, and that marked the beginning 10 years of work on the transdiagnostic treatment approach.

"What I realized is that I could open a group to people with anxiety disorders in general and develop a treatment program regardless of the artificial distinctions between social phobia and panic disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, and focus on the core underlying things that are going wrong," said Norton.

Norton finds cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of treatment with a specific time frame and goals, helps patients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors to be the most effective treatment. The twist for him was using CBT in conjunction with the transdiagnostic approach. The patients receiving the transdiagnostic treatment showed considerable improvement, especially with treating comorbid diagnoses, a disease or

condition that co-exists with a primary disease and can stand on its own as a specific disease, like depression.

"What I have learned from my past research is that if you treat your principal diagnosis, such as social phobia and you hate public speaking, you are going to show improvement on some of your secondary diagnosis. Your mood is going to get a little better, your fear of heights might dissipate. So there is some effect there, but what we find is when we approach things with a transdiagnostic approach, we see a much bigger impact on comorbid diagnoses," said Norton. "In my research study, over two-thirds of comorbid diagnoses went away, versus what we typically we find when I'm treating a specific diagnosis such as a panic disorder, where only about 40 percent of people will show that sort of remission in their secondary diagnosis. The transdiagnostic treatment approach is more efficient in treating the whole person rather than just treating the diagnosis, then treating the next diagnoses."

Norton notes the larger contributions of the studies are to guide further development and interventions for how clinical psychologists, therapists and social workers treat people with anxiety disorders. The data collected will be useful for people out on the front lines to effectively and efficiently treat people to reduce anxiety disorders.

###

Norton is the author of the book, "Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy of Anxiety. A Transdiagnostic Treatment Manual," and co-author of "The Anti-Anxiety Workbook: Proven Strategies to Overcome Worry, Phobias, Panic and Obsessions." He has authored more than 90 research papers on such topics as anxiety disorders, CBT and chronic pain, and he serves on the editorial boards of two scientific journals. He has received early career awards and research grants for his work on studying and treating anxiety from the National Institute of Mental Health, the University of Nebraska Lincoln, UH, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and the American Psychological Association.

About the Anxiety Disorder Clinic

The Anxiety Disorder Clinic (ADC) is a specialty treatment and research clinic at the University of Houston. The goal of the ADC is to help clients overcome their problems with anxiety without medication by using the most effective psychological therapies available. Both research opportunities and low-cost clinical services based on the latest scientific evidence are offered to individuals. For more information about research opportunities and clinical services at ADC, please call 713-743-8600 or visit the ADC website www.uh.edu/anxiety

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 39,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-06/uoh-rau062812.php

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Obama opens up lead in three crucial states (Washington Bureau)

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Debby weakens, but Fla. still faces flooding risk

ST. GEORGE ISLAND, Fla. (AP) ? Debby, the guest that wouldn't leave, is ruining things for a lot of other visitors despite weakening to a tropical depression and leaving Florida's Gulf Coast behind.

The National Hurricane Center said late Tuesday that Debby was 110 miles (177 kilometers) west of Daytona Beach and moving southeastward at 7 mph (11 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (56 kph) as it slogged across northern Florida toward the Atlantic coast.

Forecasters said they expected Debby to turn toward the east overnight, and then veer east-northeast while picking up speed. The storm's center is expected to cross the northern Florida peninsula overnight and head out to sea as early as Wednesday afternoon.

But the center warned that the storm continues to pose dangers even if it no longer packs the same punch.

Isolated tornadoes are possible across the Florida peninsula on Wednesday, and coastal areas may see flooding because of the combination of a storm surge and the tide.

For their part, vacationers were wearing ponchos instead of swimsuits at the peak of the summer season because of the tropical storm, which has drenched Florida for at least four days straight like a giant shower head set up over the state's Gulf Coast. Debby has dumped as much as 26 inches of rain in some spots.

Disney World wasn't as crowded as usual, and one of its water parks closed because of the soggy, windy weather.

Along the Florida Panhandle, where Debby sat offshore nearly motionless for days, the parking lot at the 100-room Buccaneer Inn was empty because of a power outage ahead of the usually big pre-July Fourth weekend.

"We've had bad luck on this island," said the inn's vice president, JoAnn Shiver. "We've had Dennis. We've had Katrina. We had the oil spill."

In a state where the biggest attractions are the sand and the sun, Debby forced many to make other plans.

Douglas and Carolyn Green of Nashville, Tenn., were supposed to spend a week on St. George Island with three generations of family, but arrived to find the electricity was out and the bridge closed to non-residents for fear of looters. They spent Monday night in nearby Apalachicola, and then all nine relatives headed to Fort Walton Beach.

"We never saw the island," said Douglas Green. "We're moving on. Plan B, I guess you'd call it."

Debby finally blew ashore Tuesday afternoon near Steinhatchee in the Big Bend area, the crook of Florida's elbow. At that point, it had sustained winds near 40 mph, barely a tropical storm hours before it was downgraded.

Several areas in northern Florida have received more than 10 inches of rain, and forecasters said southeastern Georgia could expect the same. Wakulla, an area in northwestern Florida known for camping and canoeing, had gotten more than 26 inches as of Tuesday.

A woman was killed in a tornado spun off from the storm on Sunday, and a man disappeared in the rough surf over the weekend in Alabama. The storm knocked out power to 250,000 homes and business starting last weekend, but electricity had been restored to all but about 15,000 Progress Energy customers by mid-Tuesday. Debby has caused mostly scattered flooding and opened up sinkholes, but forecasters warned it could get worse.

"Even though the winds are coming down, the rain threat continues," said James Franklin at the hurricane center. "We expect another 4 to 8 inches, in some of these areas up in north Florida, in particular."

President Barack Obama called Florida Gov. Rick Scott and promised the state will have "no unmet needs" as it deals with the flooding, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

In New Port Richey, a suburb about 30 miles north of Tampa, most of the 170-plus elevated homes at the Suncoast Gateway park for retirees had water underneath them. Several dozen homeowners decided to stay, despite having no electricity or tap water.

Some of those who left returned by kayak to collect their belongings.

Luisa Santoro decided to flee on Tuesday. Wearing rubber boots, she returned briefly to get her cat.

"My cat is atop the furniture," she said in Spanish, adding that her home was dry but that she feared a swollen retention pond nearby would rise further.

Portions of Interstate 10, the main east-west highway across northern Florida, were shut down because of flooding and remained closed late Tuesday.

In Apalachicola, the hugely popular Boss Oyster restaurant was closed for the third day in a row after the rain overwhelmed the sewers and knocked out drinking water.

"We've taken a hit," said manager Matthew Bouzemann, adding that normally up to 800 customers a day would be coming in for the oysters.

In the Panama City Beach area, there was no exodus of tourists, said Jennifer Jenkins, executive director for the Gulf County tourism council. But it wasn't business as usual.

"I think most people went to the grocery store, maybe bought some board games and just decided to hang out till it's over," she said.

___

Associated Press writers Tamara Lush in New Port Richey, Tony Winton in Miami, Melissa Nelson in Pensacola and Ken Thomas aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.

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lern2play Resources and Information. This website is for sale!

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Young Aroostook County athletes make strong showing at Maine ...

BREWER, Maine ? Kes Lavoie has always been a baseball player. The 13-year-old from Bangor played this spring on the Cohen Middle School ?A? team and also competes on a Junior League squad.

On a damp, gray Tuesday, she demonstrated her strong throwing arm ? this time, with a softball in her hand.

Lavoie uncorked a throw of 145 feet, 6 inches to win the ages 13-14 softball throw during the 35th Maine Hershey Track and Field State Championship meet at Pendleton Street Field in Brewer.

?I?ve been playing baseball and I realized that I was able to throw a lot farther than most of the girls my age,? Lavoie said.

?My farthest throw I?ve done is 157, so I was trying to get 160 today, but I don?t know what happened,? she said. ?The ball was kind of wet and it was harder to throw.?

More than 200 youngsters ages 9 to 14 earned the right to compete in the state meet, which is run by the Maine Recreation and Parks Association and sponsored by the Hershey Co.

The athletes, who came from cities and towns across Maine, were vying to earn spots in the Hershey Track and Field Games North American Final, scheduled Aug. 4-5 in Hershey, Pa.

Tim Baude, Maine chairman for the Hershey Games, said each state and Canadian province is guaranteed five competitors at the North American Final. Mainers are going up against competitors from the other New England states and the Maritimes.

He said it will be approximately two weeks before any of the Maine winners learn whether they earned a trip to Hershey.

?[It?s a] four-day, all-expenses-paid trip by Hershey,? said Baude, adding that the athletes and their parents are flown to Pennsylvania, where they stay and eat for free. ?They actually open the [candy-making] plant one day for us. They get to go to Hershey Park, stay at college dorms and get to meet kids from all around the United States and Canada.?

Tuesday?s meet brought together runners, jumpers and throwers in three different age groups: 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14.

Aspen Cote of Madawaska and Daniel Hemminger of Portland demonstrated their versatility as three-event winners.

Cote claimed the 100 meters (14.27 seconds), the 200 (29.71) and the long jump (7 feet, 4? inches) in the girls 13-14 age group. Hemminger won the 100 (14.32) and also took the 200 (29.80) and the softball throw (147-10) for boys ages 11-12.

Adam Bohlen of Bucksport enjoyed a successful day on the track in the boys 13-14 division. He claimed the 1,600 with a time of 5:41.43 and then won the 800 in 2:34.69.

?It felt great,? said the 13-year-old, who runs middle school cross country and track in Bucksport. ?I beat my last record [in the 1,600] by 10 seconds.?

In both races, Bohlen had to fend off late challenges by competitors. He edged Jake Flewelling of Easton in the 1,600 and Thomas Dupuy of Greenville in the 800.

?I heard him [Flewelling] behind me, but that means I know the last lap I had to go even harder,? Bohlen said.

Caribou?s Parker Deprey won the 100 (16.12), the softball throw (119-9) and ran on the first-place 4?100 relay (1:10.87) along with Ethan Holdsworth, Carter Quist and Jordan Duplissie in the 9-10 division. Isaac Robison of Bangor won the 100 (13.36) and the long jump (8-7) for 13-14 boys.

Niko Naranja of Fort Kent won the 400 meters (1:13.67) and was part of a first-place quartet in the 4?100 (1:04.38) along with Alex Nissenbaum, Zachary Nadeau and Max Ouellette among 11- and 12-year-olds.

That group continued Fort Kent?s tradition of excellence in the boys relay. Nadeau, Naranjo and Ouellette had been part of previous Hershey winners.

?If you actually trust your friends, that they can do well, you have this feeling that it?s going to be easier for you to push it because they?re depending on you and themselves,? Ouellette said.

Aroostook County sent 133 athletes to the meet, including a talented 9-10 girls contingent. Paige Espling of Caribou won both the 400 (1:25.61) and the long jump (6-7?) and finished second to Caribou?s Emma Hixon by one-hundredth of a second in the 50.

?I start out jogging and then when I get to that [last] corner I usually start sprinting,? Espling said of the 400.

Bailey Bellefleur of St. Agatha, running for Fort Kent, showed off her speed in the 11-12 girls bracket. The 11-year-old won both the 100 (14.82) and the 200 (31.40).

Fort Kent teammate Dolice Tanguay was a double winner among the 9-10 girls, taking the 100 (16.02) and the 200 (33.94). Kolleen Bouchard of Houlton, competing in the 11-12 girls, threw the softball 129-2 to earn first place and was second in the 100.

?I don?t know if it?s enough to make it to Hershey. They can throw far down there,? she said of her softball throw.

Bouchard also is playing in an all-star softball tournament at Hermon.

Other girls winners included ? ages 9-10, girls: 4?100, Houlton (Emma Drew, Alyssa Abbotoni, Grace Johnson, Lauren McGillicuddy), 1:14.71; softball throw, Alana Legasse (PI), 65-8; boys: 50, Connor Demerchant (PI), 8.50; 400, Ethan Holdsworth (Car), 1:19.21; 200, Sawyer Deprey (Car), 34.12; long jump, Holden Stoutameyer (PI) 6-7.

11-12, girls: 400, Annah Rossvall (Portland), 1:08.26; 800, Alexis Rodriguez (Car), 3:09.09; 4?100, PI (Miranda Drost, Kate Goulet, Isabelle Jackson, Libby Moreau), 1:08.48; long jump, Abby Pipkin (Port), 7-1; boys: 800, Evan Michaud (Car), 2:43.28; long jump, Cole Winslow (Hou) 7-1.

13-14, girls: 1,600, Jordan Tanguay (FK), 6:09.53; 800, Gentle Prescott (FK), 2:47.05; 4?100, Easton (Emma Bonner, Sara Gilman, Elise Allen, Breann Clayton), 1:07.10; boys: 100, Isaac Robison (Bangor), 13.36; 200, Jacob O?Berry (PI), 25.71; 4?100, PI (Gavin Kelley, Max Bartley, John Saucier, Jacob O?Berry), 1:01.00; long jump, Isaac Robison (Bangor), 8-7; softball throw, Cole Tweedie (Hampden) 182-9.

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Nora Ephron Dies at 71, Celebs Tweet Their Reactions

Screenwriter and director Nora Ephron died Tuesday at the age of 71 following a private battle with leukemia, her son Jacob Bernstein confirmed to the New York Times. Ephron, who only told a select group of confidants she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, passed away June 26 in her hometown of Manhattan.

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Harnessing the Power of the Internet IV 06/27 by Grandmas Secrets ...

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'Wild Things' author spoke of desire to kill Bush

By Kurt Schlosser

In one of his final interviews, celebrated children's book author Maurice Sendak said he fantasized about killing former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

The "Where the Wild Things Are" author and illustrator, who died on May 8 at age 83, spoke with Gary Groth for an interview in The Comics Journal. A preview of the interview was published last month.

The famously cranky Sendak?spoke at length about his comics career,?his life and times, and blowing up the president.

"Bush was president, I thought, 'Be brave. Tie a bomb to your shirt. Insist on going to the White House,'" Sendak told Groth. "And I wanna have a big hug with the vice president, definitely. And his wife, and the president, and his wife, and anybody else that can fit into the love hug.

"And then we?ll blow ourselves up, and I?d be a hero," Sendak said. "To hell with the kiddie books. He killed Bush. He killed the vice president. Oh my God. ... It would have been a very brave and wonderful thing. But I didn?t do it; I didn?t do it."

Eric Reynolds, associate publisher at Fantagraphics Books, where Groth is founder and president, said Tuesday that they've seen quite a bit of outrage on Twitter and a few?conservative blogs. "I saw a tweet just a few minutes ago that said, 'I wish I'd read and collected Sendak's books as a kid so I could burn them now.'"

Sendak certainly never shied from expressing his outrage at numerous things. In an interview with The Guardian last fall, he railed against everything from e-books to the American political right to Gwyneth Paltrow.

"Anyone who has watched Sendak's infamous interview on the 'Colbert Report' (or read his books, for that matter), should recognize that not only was he cranky, he had a razor-sharp wit and a very dark sense of humor," Reynolds said. "He was 83 years old when he gave this interview [to Groth]. He was at the point in his life where he clearly didn't give a damn about propriety; he could speak his mind and clearly enjoyed provocation. I see these comments as part and parcel of his personality, not as a legitimate, actionable, treasonous threat."

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Raging Colorado wildfire grows, threatens gated community

COLORADO SPRINGS (Reuters) - An out-of-control wildfire near some of Colorado's most visited tourist sites expanded overnight and kept some 6,000 people from their homes on Monday, threatening a gated community nestled in the foothills near the famous Garden of the Gods.

The fire sent a mushroom cloud of smoke nearly 20,000 feet into the air over Colorado Springs, shadowing Pikes Peak, whose vistas helped inspire the patriotic tune "America the Beautiful." Closer to the blaze, trees were visibly twisting from the heat.

A famous cog railway that transports tourists from around the world up the picturesque mountainside said it would be closed on Tuesday for a third straight day. The highway that leads up to Pikes Peak has been closed since the fire began nipping at its base over the weekend.

The closures on Pikes Peak, billed the world's second-most visited mountain after Japan's Mount Fuji, have drawn attention to the fire's negative impact on the tourism industry just at the start of the peak summer season.

Fire crews called in massive C-130 military planes on Monday, which swooped low through plumes of black and white smoke to dump fire retardant on the flames.

Firefighters on the ground concentrated on the gated upscale subdivision of Cedar Heights, overlooking the Garden of the Gods whose towering red rock formations jut up from the ground, trying to protect residential houses from nearby flames.

Raging about 80 miles south of Denver, the Waldo Canyon fire had initially prompted the evacuation of 11,000 people at the weekend although residents of the town of Manitou Springs were allowed home on Sunday night.

One of those residents was retired nurse Carol Yeager, 76, who left her stucco home on the orders of police late on Saturday, grabbing a handful of personal effects and her four cats.

"The flames were shooting skyward," she said. "It's cleared up a lot, but police told us if the wind shifts, it's touch and go, and they said to be ready to evacuate again."

FIRE NEAR AIR FORCE ACADEMY

The fire was also within six to 10 miles of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs as winds fanned the flames in its direction, and fire authorities listed the academy as being threatened by the blaze along with utilities and watershed.

A recreation area belonging to the Academy was ordered evacuated due to its proximity to the fire, and all trails leading west of the school were closed, the base said.

The blaze would still have to traverse rough terrain, burning down through steep canyons and up mountain ridges, before it could reach the Air Force Academy itself, Academy spokesman Meade Warthen said.

"We don't have any reason at this particular point to think we're going to be inundated, but we're standing by," he said. "There are contingency plans in place. If we need to implement them, we will."

The Department of Homeland Security said it was providing the Federal Emergency Management Agency financial assistance to help battle the Waldo Canyon blaze and other fires, noting the threat to 250 homes in the area.

The blaze ignited as firefighting resources were stretched by the monster High Park blaze northwest of Fort Collins, a university city north of Denver along the state's tinder-dry Front Range.

"We're going to be continuing to have to deal with these fires for weeks to come," U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said. "We anticipate it's going to be a long fire season."

The High Park Fire - the second-largest blaze on record in the state and its most destructive - has consumed 83,205 acres in steep canyons since it was sparked by lightning two weeks ago. It is blamed for the death of a 62-year-old grandmother in her mountain cabin and has destroyed 248 homes.

An estimated 4,300 people remain evacuated from their homes as that fire burns through grass, brush and Ponderosa pine.

In southwestern Colorado, the Weber Fire grew to 8,300 acres overnight but firefighters held it about one mile southeast of the small town of Mancos, east of Mesa Verde National Park. Roughly 50 homes were evacuated, officials said.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Utah, a fast-growing 39,000-acre (15,780-ha) wildfire continued to rage largely out of control on Monday after burning an estimated 30 homes and killing 75 sheep between the rural communities of Fountain Green and Indianola.

Governor Gary Herbert, who toured the fire by helicopter on Monday, estimated the property losses so far at $7 million. No injuries have been reported, but Herbert said fire officials did use a helicopter to rescue some shepherds from the fire's path.

More than 500 structures have been threatened by the Wood Hollow fire, forcing up to 1,500 people from homes.

"The big worry now is the weather. Everything that can be done is being done," Herbert told a televised news conference.

(Additional reporting by Ellen Miller in Grand Junction, Deborah Zabarenko in Washington, and Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake City; Writing and additional reporting by Mary Slosson; Editing by Eric Walsh)

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Court keeps upcoming health care decision secret (The Arizona Republic)

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Turkey takes jet downing to NATO, Syria tension soars

NATO said on Sunday it will discuss Turkey's accusation that Syria shot down one of its warplanes in international airspace, as Damascus suffered heavy casualties and violence scaled new heights.

Syria's surging bloodshed saw at least 72 people killed, a bulk of them soldiers in fighting with rebels, activists said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Ankara's southern neighbour not to challenge Turkey's military.

And Britain, another member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, offered support for "robust" international action.

Davutoglu told Turkey's TRT television that, "according to our conclusions, our plane was shot down in international airspace, 13 nautical miles from Syria."

Damascus did not issue a warning before shooting down the plane, which was on an unarmed training mission to carry out a radar system test, Turkey said.

"The Syrians knew full well that it was a Turkish military plane and the nature of its mission," he said. "Nobody should dare put Turkey's (military) capabilities to the test."

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lashed out at Syria for the "brazen and unacceptable" downing of the Turkish jet and vowed to work with Ankara on a suitable response.

"It is yet another reflection of the Syrian authorities' callous disregard for international norms, human life, and peace and security," Clinton said in a statement.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said President Bashar al-Assad's regime "should not make the mistake of believing that it can act with impunity. It will be held to account for its behaviour."

Italy, another NATO member, also condemned the regime for the shooting incident. "This is ... extremely serious and unacceptable," Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said.

He added that Rome voiced its "strong indignation and condemnation" and that Italy would "actively participate" in the NATO meeting, which is to be held on Tuesday.

A NATO spokeswoman said that, "under Article 4, any ally can request consultations whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened."

Damascus said it downed the F-4 Phantom on Friday after it violated Syrian airspace.

"Syria was merely exercising its right and sovereign duty and defence," Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi was quoted as saying on Sunday in Al-Watan, a pro-government daily.

"There is no enmity between Syria and Turkey, but political tension (exists) between the two countries.

"What happened was an accident and not an assault as some like to say, because the plane was shot while it was in Syrian airspace and flew over Syrian territorial waters," Makdissi said.

Turkey acknowledged on Saturday that the plane may have done so, in comments seen as a bid to cool tensions between the former allies, but it now appears to have taken a harder stance.

CNN-Turk television reported that search and rescue teams have located the wreckage of the jet at a depth of 1,300 metres (4,265 feet) in the sea, but did not give its precise location or refer to the fate of the two missing pilots.

Ankara said it could not confirm the report.

"We will bring this affair before public opinion and international law in the name of Turkey's honour," Davutoglu said.

Turkish-Syrian relations have already been strained by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's outspoken condemnation of the Assad's regime's bloody crackdown, which rights activists say has killed more than 15,000 people since March 2011.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed his "deep concern" about the incident, particularly about the "potential serious implications" for the region, spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

In a telephone call with Davutoglu, the UN chief "commended Turkey for the restraint shown in its initial reaction and appreciated Turkey and Syria for conducting a joint search operation."

At least 72 people were killed on Sunday in Syria, including 36 civilians, 27 soldiers and nine rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

At least 16 soldiers were killed in the northern province of Aleppo, while the rest died in neighbouring Idlib province and in the provinces of Damascus and Deir Ezzor in the east, the watchdog said.

The Observatory reported that following an attack on an artillery battalion in Aleppo, a number of soldiers defected, taking with them a large quantity of weapons.

The official SANA news agency reported that regime troops "were engaged in combat against a terrorist group that attacked people in the Jabaliye neighbourhood of Deir Ezzor killing scores of terrorists."

Syrian government uses the term "terrorists" to describe the rebels.

In another setback for the regime, rebels captured 11 government soldiers in the central province of Damascus, it added.

"This is one of the bloodiest weeks in the conflict," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Observatory, said.

The Observatory also reported that rebels had shot down a Syrian regime helicopter near the Jordanian border.

According to Observatory figures, 94 people were killed in Syria last Monday, 62 on Tuesday, 88 on Wednesday, 168 on Thursday, 116 on Friday and 116 more on Saturday.

"It's like we are in a war," Abdel Rahman said. "Sometimes when two countries are at war, not even 20 people are killed a day. But now in Syria it has become normal to have 100 killed each day."

A Russian ship that tried to deliver attack helicopters to Syria entered the northern port of Murmansk on Sunday after being forced to turn back when news of its mission was leaked.

An unnamed Russian diplomat said the ship, the Alaed, would soon try again to make the highly controversial delivery under the Russian flag.

The switch appears to be an attempt to avoid security inspections that come when sailing under the flag of a third country.

The Alaed was forced to turn back after its mission was initially mentioned by the US State Department and then reported in the British press. Those reports prompted the ship's British insurer to withdraw coverage.

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Maintain Your Fleet With An Operating Lease | Class Act Homes

Attempting to find the resources to purchase a further truck for your fleet can be complicated. And for a self employed it can seem impossible. In this economic situation, you'll not be able to commit such a large amount of capital to one major purchase. Your cash may work better invested into other areas of your business. So how can you have got the advantages of a new truck without the big capital outlay? With an operating lease you can have your new truck and hold on to your cash too.

An operating lease is trucking your way

An operating lease works for both new and second-hand trucks over $10k. So whether or not you are in the market for a new heavy rigid or a prime mover, an operating lease can get you on the road sooner. Fundamentally you'll enter into a lease with your finance broker. For one simple regular payment you?ll have immediate access to your chosen automobile. Possession will stay with your lender for the length of the lease. When your lease ends you have the option to purchase , extend, upgrade or hand your truck back without any remaining. Leaving you with only one decision: which operating lease suits your driving style?

• Fully maintained operating lease gives you a carefree drive with all maintenance and operating cost covered. This includes registration, repairs, toll and fine management, fuel, tyres and servicing.
• Non maintained operating lease gives you more flexibility, letting you budget for your own repairs and maintenance.

Your ride will be made even easier with these additional operating lease advantages:

• Flexible lease terms to match your business wants and requirements
• Fixed interest rates to eliminate budget surprises
• Direct debit repayment options

An operating lease can also work for passenger, light or heavy commercial automobiles.

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Mary Nebotakis has a B.Economics, Cert IV Workplace Learning & Assessment, Cert IV Finance Services. On her website she has got many engaging articles and videos on truck finance. You may also find more data on operating leases.

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