Nervous System May Hold Key to Weight Loss (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- People with higher levels of nerve activity may have an easier time losing weight, a small study suggests.

Researchers looked at 42 overweight or obese people who took part in a 12-week weight-loss program that cut their daily calorie intake by 30 percent. The participants' resting sympathetic nerve activity was measured at the start of the study.

The sympathetic nervous system, which spreads throughout the body, regulates many functions, including control of resting metabolic rate and the use of calories from food consumption.

The researchers found that successful weight losers had significantly higher resting sympathetic nerve activity than those who had trouble shedding pounds. They also found that successful weight losers showed large increases in nerve activity after they ate a carbohydrate test meal. This did not occur in those who were weight-loss resistant.

The study will appear in the February 2012 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"We have demonstrated for the first time that resting muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) is a significant independent predictor of weight-loss outcome in a cohort of overweight or obese subjects," lead author Nora Straznicky, of the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, said in a journal news release.

"Our findings provide two opportunities. First, we may be able to identify those persons who would benefit most from lifestyle weight-loss interventions such as dieting. Secondly, the findings may also help in developing weight-loss treatments through stimulating this specific nervous activity."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains how to select a safe and successful weight-loss program.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weightloss/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111206/hl_hsn/nervoussystemmayholdkeytoweightloss

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Russia's ruling party wary as nation votes (AP)

MOSCOW ? Russians cast their ballots with muted enthusiasm in parliamentary elections Sunday, a vote opinion polls suggest could reduce the strength of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's party. Rival parties and election monitors, which have suffered from government crackdowns, alleged significant violations at the polls.

Although Putin and his United Russia party have dominated Russian politics for more than a decade, popular discontent appears to be growing with Putin's strongman style, widespread official corruption and the gap between ordinary Russians and the country's floridly super-rich.

United Russia holds a two-thirds majority in the outgoing State Duma. But a survey last month by the independent Levada Center polling agency indicated the party could get only about 53 percent of the vote in this election, depriving it of the number of seats necessary to change the constitution unchallenged.

Putin wants United Russia ? which many critics now deride as the "party of crooks and thieves" ? to do well in the parliamentary election to help pave the way for his return to the presidency in a vote now three months away. He previously served as president in 2000-2008.

He has warned that a parliament with a wide array of parties would lead to political instability and claimed that Western governments want to undermine the election. A Western-funded election-monitoring group has come under strong official pressure and its Web site was incapacitated by hackers on Sunday.

Only seven parties have been allowed to field candidates for parliament this year, while the most vocal opposition groups have been denied registration and barred from campaigning.

Several parties complained Sunday of extensive election violations aimed at boosting United Russia's vote count, including party observers being hindered in their work.

Communist chief Gennady Zyuganov said his party monitors thwarted an attempt to stuff a ballot box at a Moscow polling station where they found 300 ballots already in the box before the start of the vote.

He said incidents of ballot-stuffing were reported at several other stations in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other areas. In the southern city of Krasnodar, unidentified people posing as Communist monitors had shown up at polling stations and the real observers from the party weren't allowed in, Zyuganov said.

In Vladivostok, voters complained to police that United Russia was offering free food in exchange for promises to vote for the party. In St. Petersburg, an Associated Press photographer saw a United Russia emblem affixed to the curtains on a voting booth.

Golos, the country's only independent election-monitoring group, said that in the Volga River city of Samara observers and election commission members from opposition parties had been barred from verifying that the ballot boxes were properly sealed at all polling stations.

Many violations involve absentee ballots, Golos director Liliya Shibanova said. People with absentee certificates were being bused to cast ballots at multiple polling stations in so-called "cruise voting."

Mikhail Kasyanov, a former prime minister during Putin's first presidential term, said he and other opposition activists who voted Sunday are under no illusion that their votes will be counted fairly.

"It is absolutely clear there will be no real count," he said. "The authorities created an imitation of a very important institution whose name is free election, that is not free and is not elections."

An interim report from an elections-monitoring mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe noted that "most parties have expressed a lack of trust in the fairness of the electoral process."

United Russia's dominance of politics has induced a grudging sense of impotence among many in the country of 143 million. In Vladivostok, voter Artysh Munzuk noted the contrast between the desire to do one's civic duty and the feeling that it doesn't matter.

"It's very important to come to the polling stations and vote, but many say that it's useless," said the 20-year-old university student.

There are around 110 million eligible voters in Russia and turnout in many areas was lower Sunday compared to the previous election. In several far eastern regions and in Siberia turnout varied between 40 to 48 percent with two hours to go until the polls closed.

A few dozen activists of the Left Front opposition group tried to stage an unsanctioned protest just outside Moscow's Red Square on Sunday, but were quickly dispersed by police, who detained about a dozen of them. Later in the evening, police said they arrested more than 100 other opposition demonstrators in the capital and about 70 in St. Petersburg when they attempted to hold an unauthorized rally.

The websites of Golos and Ekho Moskvy, a prominent, independent-minded radio station were down on Sunday. Both claimed the failures were due to denial-of-service hacker attacks.

"The attack on the site on election day is obviously connected to attempts to interfere with publication of information about violations," Ekho Moskvy editor Alexey Venediktov said in a Twitter post.

Golos, which is funded by U.S. and European grants, has come under massive official pressure in the past week after Putin accused Western governments of trying to influence the election and likened recipients of Western aid to Judas.

Shibanova, the Golos leader, said its hotline was flooded Sunday with autonomically made calls that effectively blocked it. Prior to the vote, many of the group's activists were visited by secret police, while Shibanova was held for 12 hours at an airport and forced to hand over her laptop.

On Friday, the group was fined the equivalent of $1,000 by a Moscow court for violating a law that prohibits publication of election opinion research for five days before a vote.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle said in his blog that he called the Golos head Saturday "to express my support for the work they have been doing, and convey the concern of the White House about the pressure they have been experiencing over the last week."

The group has compiled some 5,300 complaints of election-law violations ahead of the vote, most of which are linked to United Russia. Roughly a third of the complainants ? mostly government employees and students ? say employers and professors are pressuring them to vote for the party.

____

Lynn Berry, Nataliya Vasilyeva and Vladimir Isachenkov contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111204/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_election

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Ednaldo Lula counting on Junior dos Santos? help for UFC debut

By Marcelo Barone

Photo Guilherme Cruz

The second edition of UFC Rio, on January 14th, at HSBC Arena, has 11 Brazilians on its card, but only one is a debutant. It?s Ednaldo Lula, who fights Rob Broughton, on the only confirmed bout on the heavyweight division. Used to the daily battles of trainings, Law School and the work as a security guard at the university, Lula will have, on the beginning of 2012, the chance to right his story on the biggest MMA event in the world. "I want to show a lot of guts and objectivity in the UFC. I'm going for it, to finish it, I?ll do everything to knockout".

How did you get the invitation from UFC?

It was a surprise. I had a bout scheduled at WFE Platinum, on December 16th, and almost signing with Bellator. A friend of mine, Danilo Indio, came here to train with me one day, said I shouldn?t sign because there was a better thing coming my way. I didn?t understand it back then. It didn?t take much longer, he was on Facebook and said he had good news, but didn?t wanna tell me what was it.

How many fights are predicted on your contract?

Six. It was a surprise, because usually they offer like two or three fights. My obligation is even bigger now. All fighters dream on fighting in the UFC and I got it, with a great contract. I was training because I?d fight next month, so it came to me on the right time.

Do you fear the pressure since you?ll be debiting in an event that big?

It?s a pressure of an international event, but there?s the good side, because my first fight will be in Brazil, my country. Thank God the fans will be on my side. It?d be a bigger pressure if I fought outside, like in England, for instance, but I?m used. The responsibility is different now, there?re many things to be risked and my obligation is greater now.

What do you know about your opponent? Almost all of his wins were by KO or submission?

I only know his name, and I don?t even know how to pronounce it (laughs). My coaches are in charge of that (giving him the information).

What changes in your career are you hoping for after UFC Rio?

You can?t compare UFC, it gives me perspective of living to fight. But I?m grateful to WFE, event that helped me a lot professionally.

Do you do something else?

I work as a security guard every other day from 10om until 7am where I go to law school. After that I go home and have breakfast and 9am I go train. I?m on the ninth period and I?ll graduate next year. I lost many classes because I had the tests, but I had to train first. Now it?s the UFC. I gotta train harder because my life is on the line.

What can the fans hope of you?

My game is focusing on Boxing and the stand-up, what they like better to see. I?m a BJJ black belt, so I?m not dumb on the ground. I train many kicks, wrestling, but I?m better on the stand-up. I want to show a lot of guts and objectivity in the UFC. I'm going for it, to finish it, I?ll do everything to knockout.

Will Junior dos Santos help you?

Cigano is a guy who has always helped me professionally, he has always helped and I?ve always helped him as his sparring. I don?t know if he?s helping me on the trainings, because he might go through a knee surgery, but only saying nice things, telling me about stepping in that octagon many times, it?s helpful. When we fight, wherever it is, even in any place here in Brazil, he calls me to talk to me, say some words? He?s like a brother.

You were known as ?Lula Molusco? (Squidward). Why did you leave it behind?

I guess Ednaldo Lula sounds more professional.

Source: http://www.tatame.com/2011/12/03/Ednaldo-Lula-counting-on-Junior-dos-Santos-help-for-UFC-debut

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Priest and nun tag-team Rahm (Politico)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Thursday got some good-natured ribbing from a reverend and nun over his decision to cut off free water for a Chicago non-profit organization.

Appearing at a breakfast fundraiser for Misericordia, a a group that helps children and adults with developmental disabilities, the former White House chief of staff was in the crowd as the members of the clergy took aim.

Continue Reading

?Thank you, Lord, for the gift of water,? Father Jack Clair prayed, according to Chicago Business. ?Oh wait, it?s not a gift anymore.?

Sister Rosemary Connelly, who invited Emanuel to attend the fundraiser, said the mayor had always been afraid of her.

?To show you how courageous this man is, despite his fear, he is going to charge Mirsericordia for water, which will add to our projected $13 million debt,? she said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. ?Would you not think it would be the right approach for the mayor to join us each year in one fundraising effort? He?s off the hook for 2012 because this event will pay for our water bill.?

Taking the stage later, Emanuel responded with a joke of his own.

?Prior to this event, I thought Jewish mothers had a corner on the market as it relates to guilt,? the mayor said, shaking his head, according to the Sun-Times.

Misericordia is a home for 600 adults and children and is faced with an annual water bill of $350,000.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1211_69574_html/43777785/SIG=11mq481r2/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/69574.html

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Islamists poised for big win in Egypt vote

Egypt's ruling military painted a dire picture of the economy on Thursday as election officials delayed releasing results of a landmark parliamentary poll that Islamist parties looked set to win, saying votes were still being counted.

They said first-round results would be declared on Friday, a day when youthful protesters demanding an immediate end to army rule have called a rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square to remember the 42 people killed in clashes with riot police last month.

The election commission previously said results from the two-day balloting would be announced late Thursday. But the state MENA news agency quoted commission head Abdel-Mooaez Ibrahim as saying a large voter turnout has slowed down the counting process.

Egyptians voting freely for the first time since army officers ousted the king in 1952 seem willing to give Islamists a chance. "We tried everyone, why not try Sharia (Islamic law) once?" asked Ramadan Abdel Fattah, 48, a bearded civil servant.

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Islamist success at the polls in Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, would reinforce a trend in North Africa, where moderate Islamists now lead governments in Morocco and post-uprising Tunisia after election wins in the last two months.

Parliament, whose exact makeup will be clear only after Egypt's staggered voting process ends in January, may challenge the power of the generals who took over in February after a popular uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak, an ex-air force chief.

Muslim Brotherhood bends rules to win big in Egypt

The army council, under growing pressure to make way for civilian rule, has said it will keep powers to pick or fire a cabinet. But the head of the Muslim Brotherhood's party said this week the majority in parliament should form a government.

The poll results had been expected on Thursday, but some constituencies had not completed their counts.

In an alarming revelation, an army official said foreign reserves would plunge to $15 billion by the end of January, down from the $22 billion reported by the central bank in October.

Mahmoud Nasr, financial assistant to army chief Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, told a news briefing that a widening budget deficit might force a review of costly subsidies, especially on petrol, to save money.

The economic crunch has forced the Egyptian pound to its lowest level in nearly seven years after tourism and foreign investment collapsed in the turmoil since Mubarak's overthrow.

The world is closely watching the election, keen for stability in Egypt, which has a peace treaty with Israel, owns the Suez Canal linking Europe and Asia, and which in Mubarak's time was an ally in countering Islamist militants in the region.

Washington and its European allies have urged the generals to step aside swiftly and make way for civilian rule.

Gains for Islamists
Western powers are coming to accept that the advent of democracy in the Arab world may bring Islamists to power, but they also worry that Islamist rule in Egypt might erode social freedoms and threaten Cairo's 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist group, says its new Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) is set to win about 40 percent of seats allocated to party lists in this week's vote, which passed off peacefully, albeit with many irregularities.

FJP officials say the party also leads the race for individual seats that make up a third of the total in the poll.

Al-Nour Party, one of several newly formed ultra-conservative Salafi Islamist groups, said on Thursday that it expects to pick up 20 percent of assembly seats overall.

"In light of the media campaign against us, we believe our results are largely acceptable," said Youssry Hamad, Nour's spokesman. "We are doing as well as the Muslim Brotherhood."

Story: Egypt's Christians prepare for new political climate

The liberal multi-party Egyptian Bloc has said it is on track to secure about a fifth of votes for party lists.

"For the first time in Egypt we don't see a political intention by the state to forge the elections," said Magdy Abdel Halim, coordinator of an EU-backed group of election monitors.

He said the infractions observed did not affect the legitimacy of a vote held in a "reasonably fair atmosphere."

Egypt's April 6 youth movement, a prime mover in the revolt against Mubarak, said an Islamist win should not cause concern.

"No one should worry about the victory of one list or political current. This is democracy and this great nation will not allow anyone to exploit it again," its Facebook page said.

If the FJP and Nour secure the number of seats they expect, they could combine to form a solid majority bloc, although it is far from certain the Brotherhood would want such an alliance.

Senior FJP official Essam el-Erian said before the vote that Salafis, who had kept a low profile and shunned politics during Mubarak's 30-year rule, would be "a burden for any coalition."

The FJP might seek other partners, such as the liberal Wafd or the moderate Islamist Wasat Party, set up by ex-Brotherhood members in 1996, although only licensed after Mubarak's fall.

Nour Party spokesman Hamad said solving Egypt's problems might be beyond one party. "We believe a coalition government that comprises all political streams is the best option. The burden is too much after all these years of corruption."

Perils of democracy
Some Egyptians fear the Muslim Brotherhood might try to impose Islamic curbs on a tourism-dependent country whose 80 million people include a 10 percent Coptic Christian minority.

Ali Khafagi, the leader of the FJP's youth committee, said the Brotherhood's goal was to end corruption and revive the economy. Only a "mad group" would try to ban alcohol or force women to wear headscarves, he said.

The priority of the Brotherhood, which gained trust by aiding the poor under Mubarak, is likely to be economic growth to ease poverty and convince voters they are fit to govern.

Essam Sharaf's outgoing government quit during protests against army rule last month in which 42 people were killed, most near Cairo's Tahrir Square, hub of the anti-Mubarak revolt.

Kamal al-Ganzouri, asked by the army to form a "national salvation government," aims to complete the task in the next day or two, but acknowledged on Wednesday that five presidential candidates had turned down invitations to join his cabinet.

Protesters who returned to Tahrir last month, angered by the military's apparent reluctance to cede power, say the generals should step aside now, instead of appointing a man of the past like Ganzouri, 78, who was a premier for Mubarak in the 1990s.

Mohamed Taha, 46, an accountant who supports the liberal Egyptian Bloc, said the election showed that young activists had failed to present a viable program. "Their revolution was stolen and they are stuck searching for who stole it," he said.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45510369/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Two feared dead in New Zealand helicopter crash (AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand ? A pilot and conservation worker are missing and feared dead after the helicopter they were flying to fight a fire crashed into the ocean off New Zealand's far north coast.

Northland police inspector Lou Alofa said the helicopter was located Thursday morning in about seven meters (23 feet) of water and that dive teams were on their way to the scene. He said the chopper went missing Wednesday night while fighting a large scrub fire in Matai Bay near Kaitaia.

Alofa said the fire broke out at about 7 p.m. Wednesday. Reports indicate the fire burned down at least two homes.

Department of Conservation spokesman Rory Newsam said a Northland staff member is missing and the agency was meeting Thursday with the family of the worker.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111130/ap_on_re_as/as_new_zealand_chopper_crash

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Video: Remembering a journalism giant

>>> in this country, we learned today tom wicker has died. his name was known to millions of americans in the post war era, the cold war era , through vietnam and watergate and beyond. for those who grew up in that time dreaming of becoming a journalist, tom wicker auz a giant. he grew up in north carolina , the son of a railroad conductor . he served in the navy in world war ii , then tushed to journalism. local papers at first and then the new york times where he was washington bureau chief. tom wicker was riding in the motorcade in dallas, texas, 48 years and three days ago when jfk was assassinated. he wrote the first draft of history, front page of the next day's paper. he covered and knew his share of u.s. presidents and as a columnist he regularly managed to anger the political right and the left. he went after business, government, media and secrets of all kinds. he was the author of 20 books, nonfiction and novels. tom wicker died at his adopted home in vermont. he was 85 years old.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45440326/

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Thousands queue in Indonesia to buy new Blackberry (AP)

JAKARTA, Indonesia ? Thousands of Indonesians jammed into a glitzy shopping mall Friday to get hold of the first BlackBerry Bold 9790s being sold worldwide.

Fearing a riot, hundreds of police were deployed outside, tying up traffic in the heart of the capital for hours.

With a 50 percent discount on the $540 phone for the first 1,000 buyers, lines started forming in front of Pacific Place mall on Thursday night. By daybreak, impatient shoppers started rattling the gates.

And when rumors spread that the new smartphones ? commonly known as Bellagio ? had already sold out, the crowd of 3,000 went crazy. Several people fainted in the crush.

Indonesia, a nation of 240 million people, has experienced a come-from-nowhere tech frenzy in recent years.

With 6 million users, BlackBerry dominates the smartphone market.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111125/ap_on_hi_te/as_indonesia_blackberry_frenzy

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Samsung mocks iPhone fanboys in hilarious new ad

YouTube

By Rosa Golijan

As an iPhone user?? and fangirl?? I generally frown whenever I have to listen to yet another joke about the cult-like behavior of Apple product lovers. But even I can't deny that Samsung's new Galaxy S II commercial is absolutely hilarious in all its iPhone-mocking glory.

The commercial?? which you can watch below?? takes jabs at the iPhone fanboy culture by presenting us with a line of people who appear to be waiting for a new Apple product to be released. They discuss it, complain about its specs, obsessively check blogs for rumors, and wait for days without complaint.

But then they see people with Samsung Galaxy S II devices and the reality distortion field begins to crumble just a bit:

Related stories:

Want more tech news, silly puns or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts, or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8974771-samsung-mocks-iphone-fanboys-in-hilarious-new-ad

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