Benn Steil, acting director & economist, Council on Foreign Relations, explains that the markets were prepared for the downgrade. But, he says, there could be an impact on the markets over the next few weeks.
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45993394/
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Third time's the charm for Halle Berry!?
The 45-year-old actress and Olivier Martinez are engaged, a source confirms to the new Us Weekly, on stands Friday.
PHOTOS: Stars who got engaged in 2011
Over the holidays, Martinez, 46, proposed with an emerald-and-diamond ring from Gurhan.
Berry, who has a 3-year-old daughter, Nahla, with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, has been married twice before. (She dated model Aubry, 36, for nearly five years before splitting in April 2010.) She wed former baseball player David Justice in 1993 and divorced four years later. She then married R&B singer Eric Benet in 2001, only to separate in 2003 and finalize their divorce in 2005.
PHOTOS: Halle's hottest red carpet looks
She first met French actor Martinez while working on the film Dark Tide; they stepped out as a couple in fall 2010. He previously dated Australian pop star Kylie Minogue for several years before splitting in 2007.
PHOTOS: Nahla and more of 2011's cutest tots
A source tells Us she "had given up on being married, but she trusts Olivier. He makes her feel safe. He's a keeper!"?
For more on Berry and Martinez's engagement, check out the new Us Weekly, on stands Friday.
Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly
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Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a pass to Jed Collins for a first down against the the Detroit Lions during first quarter action of an NFL playoff on Saturday, Jan. 7 2011 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Sun Herald, Amanda McCoy)
Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a pass to Jed Collins for a first down against the the Detroit Lions during first quarter action of an NFL playoff on Saturday, Jan. 7 2011 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Sun Herald, Amanda McCoy)
FILE- In this file photo taken Dec. 19, 2011, San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts against the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL football game in San Francisco. Harbaugh has become the favorite for Coach of the Year by doing things his way from Day 1. He doesn't care about making friends in the NFL or being popular among his peers. The 49ers, a Super Bowl contender this season, head into Saturday's, Jan. 14, 2012, home playoff game against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints as an underdog, just as he likes it. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
In this Sept. 25, 2011, photo, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis waits for a play during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati. Willis was one of eight 49ers named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) celebrates after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in overtime of an NFL wild card playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
As NFL matchups go, this one is a classic: unstoppable offense against impenetrable defense.
The second round of the playoffs begins Saturday in San Francisco, where one of the league's top defenses ? the 49ers yielded 229 points and ranked fourth overall in yards allowed, first against the run ? takes on Drew Brees and the Saints' record-setting attack.
If defense wins championships, as has been the theory in pro football for decades, the edge clearly belongs to the 49ers. Then again, the NFL hasn't seen an offense as prolific as the Saints.
"They've been very consistent all year," Saints coach Sean Payton said of the NFC West champion Niners (13-3). "The formula has been outstanding defense. ... They're the No. 1 team in taking the football away and they're the No. 1 team in protecting the football offensively. Those are significant numbers.
"I think you can see week to week on tape their production on both sides of the ball. You're talking about a Pro Bowl punter and a kicking game that's near the top of the league in almost every statistic. In all three phases, they've been consistent. They've received great production and as a result they've played very well."
The 49ers have five All-Pros: linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, defensive tackle Justin Smith, who also plays a lot at end, kicker David Akers and punter Andy Lee. Their offense has been so efficient that San Francisco had only 10 giveaways, which equaled the 2010 Patriots for fewest in NFL history.
"It's going to be a battle," Willis said. "We know that and I'm sure they know that as well. They're going to do what they need to do to prepare to come in to play against us and we're going to do that same (thing). We'll see where the chips lay when the game is over, but we're certainly going to come with everything we have. It's either win or go home."
The Saints tore through the NFL, setting NFL marks for total yards on offense (7,474) and yards passing (5,347, including sacks), with Brees shattering Dan Marino's 27-year-old record of 5,084 yards passing by throwing for 5,476. He had 468 completions, breaking Peyton Manning's 2010 mark of 450, and completed 71.6 percent of his passes, breaking his own 2009 record of a 70.6 completion percentage.
Darren Sproles had an NFL-record 2,696 combined yards, easily breaking the previous mark of 2,690 set by Derrick Mason with Tennessee in 2000.
"We always go into every game with an aggressive mentality," Brees said. "We're going to be balanced, but within the framework of that we're going to take our shots. We're going to throw the kitchen sink at everybody with our tempo, personnel groups, formations, running the ball, outside, drop-back pass, bootlegs, heavy play-action, everything. But within the framework of that, you understand, especially early on, you check it down, move on."
Also looking to move on Saturday are the AFC East champion Patriots (13-3), who host the AFC West winners, the Denver Broncos (9-8). On Sunday, AFC South winner Houston (11-6) is at AFC North champ Baltimore (12-4) before defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay (15-1) hosts NFC East champ New York (10-7).
New England has lost its last three postseason games: the 2008 Super Bowl to the Giants, then home matchups with Baltimore and the Jets the last two Januarys. Now comes the Tim Tebow phenomenon, and it's become difficult to doubt Denver with the way it has responded to tough times.
After blowing a 14-point lead and being forced to overtime by Pittsburgh, the Broncos needed all of one play ? a dynamic 80-yard catch-and run by Demaryius Thomas ? to beat the far more experienced Steelers.
The challenge is just as formidable in Foxborough.
"You're definitely at a high, you're feeling great, a lot of momentum, and that's good," Tebow said. "But you really have to take that enthusiasm, that momentum into the next week's work, using that as fuel for next week and trying to continually improve on that. I think you can't necessarily relish on it too much because the next day we have to get ready for a big game and the Patriots."
Baltimore is getting ready for its first playoff home game under coach John Harbaugh, Jim's brother. The Ravens have made the playoffs in all four seasons under Harbaugh, but as wild cards.
They won their eight home games in 2011, including beating the Texans 29-14 in October.
"We did what we had to do to get that first-week bye," defensive end Cory Redding said. "We came out of the back stretch 3-1, and that was our main focus. Guys are fighting on the field with big gashes down their legs and almost bruised ribs, messed up knees and toes and ankles and hands, and yet we still fought our way.
"That was the biggest thing. We got that accomplished. We got control in the AFC North accomplished, and now it's time to rest, recover and get ready for the second season and winning Game 1. That was the mindset for the guys. It was a big accomplishment."
Like the Texans, the Giants are trying to accomplish a difficult feat: winning at Lambeau Field, where the Packers were 8-0, and defeating a team that beat them in early December in the Meadowlands.
New York is banking on a revived defense, especially the pass rush, and an invigorated running game.
"Persistence ... and the ability to ride the ups and the downs and stay together," Giants coach Tom Coughlin credited for his team's recent surge. "The development of the feeling of 'team.' The confidence that grows from a little bit of success. The ability to put some of the pieces to the puzzle together that haven't been there, that weren't there, that do breed the confidence."
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UNITED NATIONS ? The Iranian government has called on the United Nations to condemn the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist, calling it a "terrorist attack," and blaming foreign powers.
Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan was killed Wednesday by a bomb attached to his car by a passing bicyclist.
In a letter to the U.N. secretary general, Iran's Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee called on the U.N. to condemn the killing and two earlier attacks as attempts to disrupt "Iran's peaceful nuclear program."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton denied any U.S. role in the slaying. Israeli officials, in contrast, have hinted at covert campaigns against Iran without directly admitting involvement.
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TEHRAN, Iran ? An Iranian court has convicted an American man of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death, state radio reported Monday, in a case adding to the accelerating tension between the United States and Iran.
Iran charges that as a former U.S. Marine, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, received special training and served at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission. The radio report did not say when the verdict was issued.
The 28-year-old former military translator was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. His family is of Iranian origin. His father, a professor at a community college in Flint, Michigan, has said his son is not a CIA spy and was visiting his grandmothers in Iran when he was arrested.
Behnaz Hekmati, his mother, said in an email to The Associated Press that she and her husband, Ali, are "shocked and terrified" that their son has been sentenced to death. She said the verdict is "the result of a process that was neither transparent nor fair."
Under Iranian law, he has 20 days to appeal. Hekmati has a court-appointed lawyer who was identified only by his surname, Samadi, and there was no word about an appeal.
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, spokesman for Iran's judiciary said if the verdict is appealed, it would go to Iran's Supreme Court, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Hekmati's trial took place as the U.S. announced new, tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, which Washington believes Tehran is using to develop a possible atomic weapons capability.
Iran, which says it only seeks nuclear reactors for energy and research, has sharply increased its threats and military posturing against stronger pressures, including the U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's Central Bank in attempts to complicate its ability to sell oil.
The U.S. State Department has demanded Hekmati's release.
The court convicted him of working with a hostile country, belonging to the CIA and trying to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism, Monday's report said.
In its ruling, a branch of Tehran Revolutionary Court described Hekmati as a mohareb, an Islamic term that means a fighter against God, and a mofsed, or one who spreads corruption on earth. Both terms appear frequently in Iranian court rulings.
In a closed court hearing in late December, the prosecution asked for the death penalty for Hekmati.
The U.S. government has called on Iranian authorities to grant Swiss diplomats access to him in prison. The Swiss government represents U.S. interests in Iran because the two countries don't have diplomatic relations.
Hekmati is a dual U.S.-Iranian national. Iran considers him an Iranian since the country's law does not recognize dual citizenship.
Similar cases against Americans accused of spying have heightened tensions throughout the years-long standoff over Iran's nuclear program.
Iran arrested three Americans in July 2009 along the border with Iraq and accused them of espionage, though the Americans said they were just hiking in the scenic and relatively peaceful Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
One of them was released after a year in prison, and the other two were freed in September in deals involving bail payments that were brokered by the Gulf sultanate of Oman, which has good relations with Iran and the U.S.
On Dec. 18, Iran's state TV broadcast video of Hekmati delivering a purported confession in which he said he was part of a plot to infiltrate Iran's Intelligence Ministry.
In a statement released the same day, the Intelligence Ministry said its agents identified Hekmati before his arrival in Iran, at Bagram Air Field in neighboring Afghanistan. Bagram is the main base for American and other international forces outside Kabul, the Afghan capital.
It is not clear exactly when he was arrested. News reports have said he was detained in late August or early September.
Hekmati's father said in a December interview with The Associated Press, that his son was a former Arabic translator in the U.S. Marines who entered Iran about four months earlier to visit his grandmothers.
At the time, he was working in Qatar as a contractor for a company "that served the Marines," his father said, without providing more specific details.
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Public release date: 9-Jan-2012
Share ] Contact: Sarah Avery
sarah.avery@duke.edu
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Duke University Medical Center
DURHAM, N.C. Tuning in to tune out may be just what's needed for men undergoing a prostate biopsy, according to researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute.
The Duke team found that noise-cancelling headphones playing a classical melody may reduce the pain and anxiety of the often uncomfortable procedure.
The finding, published this month in the journal Urology, points to a simple and inexpensive way to help an estimated 700,000 U.S. men who undergo a prostate biopsy a year. The procedure is essentially the only way to diagnose prostate cancer, which strikes one in six men during their lifetimes.
"It's a matter of shifting attention, so the music provides a distraction from the procedure," said Matvey Tsivian, M.D., a Duke urologic oncology fellow and lead author.
For the study, which was conceived by medical students and had no outside funding, the Duke team enrolled 88 patients and randomly assigned them to three groups. The first had no headphones; the second wore the noise-cancelling headphones but heard no music; and the third wore the headphones and listened to Bach concertos.
Blood pressure was taken before and after a trans-rectal biopsy, which is an intrusive procedure involving an ultrasound probe and a spring-loaded needle that has a loud trigger. The noise alone causes many men to flinch even if they report no pain, and 20 percent of men experience high stress and anxiety about the procedure.
Among study participants in both groups with no musical intervention, diastolic blood pressure remained elevated after the procedure, compared to before. But the men who wore the headphones and listened to Bach had no such spike in blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure often rises as a function of stress and anxiety.
Study participants who had the music also reported less pain, as measured by questionnaires. The researchers said they did not determine whether the choice of music might have had an impact.
"We couldn't study all the permutations and variables, but it's evident that this kind of approach works," said Thomas Polascik, M.D., director of Urologic Oncology at the Duke Cancer Institute and senior author of the study. "This is something that could be broadly employed. It's easy and inexpensive a set of headphones and music. That's it."
###
In addition to Tsivian and Polascik, study authors included Peter Qi; Masaki Kimura; Valerie Chen; Stephanie Chen; and Tong J Gan.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 9-Jan-2012 Share ] Contact: Sarah Avery
sarah.avery@duke.edu
919-660-1306
Duke University Medical Center
DURHAM, N.C. Tuning in to tune out may be just what's needed for men undergoing a prostate biopsy, according to researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute.
The Duke team found that noise-cancelling headphones playing a classical melody may reduce the pain and anxiety of the often uncomfortable procedure.
The finding, published this month in the journal Urology, points to a simple and inexpensive way to help an estimated 700,000 U.S. men who undergo a prostate biopsy a year. The procedure is essentially the only way to diagnose prostate cancer, which strikes one in six men during their lifetimes.
"It's a matter of shifting attention, so the music provides a distraction from the procedure," said Matvey Tsivian, M.D., a Duke urologic oncology fellow and lead author.
For the study, which was conceived by medical students and had no outside funding, the Duke team enrolled 88 patients and randomly assigned them to three groups. The first had no headphones; the second wore the noise-cancelling headphones but heard no music; and the third wore the headphones and listened to Bach concertos.
Blood pressure was taken before and after a trans-rectal biopsy, which is an intrusive procedure involving an ultrasound probe and a spring-loaded needle that has a loud trigger. The noise alone causes many men to flinch even if they report no pain, and 20 percent of men experience high stress and anxiety about the procedure.
Among study participants in both groups with no musical intervention, diastolic blood pressure remained elevated after the procedure, compared to before. But the men who wore the headphones and listened to Bach had no such spike in blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure often rises as a function of stress and anxiety.
Study participants who had the music also reported less pain, as measured by questionnaires. The researchers said they did not determine whether the choice of music might have had an impact.
"We couldn't study all the permutations and variables, but it's evident that this kind of approach works," said Thomas Polascik, M.D., director of Urologic Oncology at the Duke Cancer Institute and senior author of the study. "This is something that could be broadly employed. It's easy and inexpensive a set of headphones and music. That's it."
###
In addition to Tsivian and Polascik, study authors included Peter Qi; Masaki Kimura; Valerie Chen; Stephanie Chen; and Tong J Gan.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/dumc-hme010912.php
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