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ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) ? After most of the world's population is wiped off the map by a wayward meteorite or hail of nuclear missiles, the survival of the human race might just depend on a few thousand people huddled in recreational vehicles deep in the bowels of an eastern Kansas mine.

That's the vision of a California man who is creating what he calls the world's largest private underground survivor shelter, using a complex of limestone caves dug more than 100 years ago beneath gently rolling hills overlooking the Missouri River.

"I do believe I am on a mission and doing a spiritual thing," said Robert Vicino, who has purchased a large portion of the former U.S. Army storage facility on the southeast edge of Atchison, about 50 miles northwest of Kansas City, Mo. "We will certainly be part of the genesis."

Before it comes time to ride out Armageddon or a deadly global pandemic, though, Vicino says the Vivos Survival Shelter and Resort will be a fun place for members to take vacations and learn assorted survival skills to prepare them for whatever world-changing catastrophe awaits.

Jacque Pregont, president of the Atchison Chamber of Commerce, said some people think the shelter plan sounds creepy or that Vicino has "lost his mind," while others are excited because they will finally get a chance to tour the property.

Atchison is known as the birthplace of Amelia Earhart and one of the most haunted towns in Kansas, Pregont said, so the survival shelter is likely to add to the town's tourism draw.

"It's quirky, and quirky gets attention," she said.

Recent Hollywood movies have done big business exploring themes about threats to the human race, either through climate shifts, meteor impacts or zombie invasions. And the National Geographic Channel show, "Doomsday Preppers," documents the efforts of Americans who are preparing for the end of the world with elaborate shelters and plenty of freeze-dried rations.

Paul Seyfried, who belongs to a group that promotes preparing for manmade or natural disasters, said Americans have become complacent ever since the death of John F. Kennedy, the last president who urged people to build fallout shelters.

"There has been no war on our soil in over 100 years, so the horror of war is not stamped indelibly in Americans' minds," said Seyfried, a member of The American Civil Defense Association's advisory board.

Ken Rose, a history professor at California State University-Chico, is an outspoken critic of underground shelters. Though he acknowledged that interest in underground shelters is growing, he called projects like the Kansas facility a "colossal waste of time and money."

"Some people are just obsessed by this idea," Rose said. "... Without minimizing the terror threat here today, the threats were much greater at the height of the Cold War. At least then anxiety was based on a realistic scenario."

The Kansas caverns are 100 feet to 150 feet below the surface and have a constant natural temperature in the low 70s. They are supported by thick limestone pillars six times stronger than concrete and will have blast doors built to withstand a one-megaton nuclear explosion as close as 10 miles away, Vicino said.

Other than being surrounded by more than a mile and a half of 6-foot-high chain-link fence topped with sharp rows of barbed wire, the land above ground isn't distinguishable from expanses of hills and trees that surround it. The proposed shelter's entrances ? nondescript concrete loading docks tucked discretely into the wooded hillside ? are easily defensible against any potential intruders provided there's not a full-scale military attack, Vicino said.

The Army used the caverns ? created by limestone mining operations that started in the late 1880s ? for decades as a storage facility before putting them up for auction last year. The winning bid in December was $1.7 million, but financing fell through and the site was put up for sale again.

Springfield, Mo., investor Coby Cullins submitted his winning $510,000 bid for the property in early April, and he immediately started looking for ways to use it. One of his ideas was to lease the land to a company that builds survival bunkers.

Vicino, whose company is based in Del Mar, Calif., said he received an email from Cullins and flew to Kansas two days later to check out the property. Vicino agreed to purchase 75 percent of the complex, rather than lease it, while Cullins retained the rest and is marketing it to local businesses.

The complex consists of two fully lighted, temperature-controlled mines with concrete floors. The east cave, which Cullins owns, encompasses about 15 acres and contains offices, vaults, restrooms and other developed work spaces. The much larger west cave, which covers about 45 acres, is mostly undeveloped and will be converted into the Vivos facility.

The shelter will have enough space for more than 1,000 RVs and up to about 5,000 people. Members will be charged $1,000 for every lineal foot of their RV to purchase their space, plus $1,500 per person for food. That means a person who plans to park a 30-foot vehicle in the shelter with four people inside will pay $30,000 for the space and $6,000 for food.

Actual sales won't begin until a "critical mass" of reservations are received and processed, Vicino said, which hasn't happened yet at the Kansas shelter.

Vivos also owns a shelter in Indiana with room for 80 people to live comfortably for up to a year. There, members pay $50,000 per adult and $35,000 per child, so a family with two adults and two children would have to come up with $170,000 to be part of the post-apocalyptic generation.

Purchasers will be required to pay for the full balance before taking possession of their shelter space, though the company has offered limited financing in the past with a sizable down payment.

Vicino says he won't say specifically where the Indiana shelter or any of his smaller facilities are located because he fears there would be anarchy in the event of a world-changing catastrophe.

And it doesn't matter who comes knocking at the "moment of truth," Vicino said, they're probably not getting in.

"I've heard people say, 'I will just show up at the door,'" he said. "Our response is, 'great, where is the door?' At our secret shelters, you don't know where to go, and your cash will be worthless at that time."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/developer-kan-caverns-could-preserve-human-race-071249444.html

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ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (AP) -- Well, that was close. Or was it? Shortly after wrapping up one of the most peaceful Group of Eight summits in recent memory, Prime Minister David Cameron let a cat out of the bag.

"Now #G8UK is over I can reveal a bomb was found in Lough Erne," he posted on Twitter. "It was American from WW2. Apparently they had a practice mortar range here!"

Not to worry, however. Northern Ireland police mounted a massive security operation to protect the Loch Erne resort west of Enniskillen involving thousands of officers, restricted airspace and contingencies for protesters. While the security appeared aimed at more modern threats, it clearly paid off.

Police in Northern Ireland confirmed that "during ongoing checks" ahead of the G-8, a suspicious item was discovered on June 12, which later was confirmed to be military ordnance from WWII.

___

While Dad was off deep in talks of pressing world affairs, presidential daughters Malia and Sasha Obama joined their mom for lunch with Irish rock star Bono.

Hundreds of onlookers had gathered by the time Bono and wife Ali Hewson arrived at the U2 frontman's favored local pub, Finnegan's, in the exclusive Dublin suburb of Dalkey. "I thought this was supposed to be secret," the singer said to the crowd. The spectators may have been tipped off by the U.S. flag flying outside and the restaurant closed to the public amid tight security.

The Obamas dined on fish and chips, natch, with cookies and tea for dessert. "We talked about everything and nothing," said Bono, who is well known to world leaders as an anti-poverty campaigner. "It was a family lunch."

Earlier Tuesday, the Obama ladies had a private guided tour of the Wicklow Mountains National Park south of Dublin. The sun was shining, but the heat brought swarms of unwelcome visitors ? swarming flies called "midges" that forced 12-year-old Sasha to flail her arms as she toured monastic ruins.

But the flies didn't dampen her spirit. Sasha closed the door to the ruins of a 1,500-year-old church, then turned to 14-year-old Malia and the first lady for a high-five.

___

Cameron has been pushing three T's throughout the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland ? tax, trade and transparency.

He might've tacked on one more as he closed out the gathering of world leaders, making a hard sell for tourism to rejuvenate Northern Ireland's economy.

Cameron acknowledged that many people had a negative impression of Northern Ireland after the country's divisions and struggles. He said that he'd had many goals for the summit ? and improving the image of Northern Ireland was one of them through a bit of free advertising.

You couldn't put a value on the "infomercial" that was the G-8 summit, he told reporters. He boasted that all his fellow G-8 leaders were impressed by their meeting site.

"It's only when you come and see it for yourself that you just see what a magnificent part of the United Kingdom this is," he said.

Cameron isn't the only one hoping that the free advertising pays off. The Loch Erne resort where he spoke went bankrupt in 2011.

___

While Russian President Vladimir Putin might be more prone to pose for sporting pictures, it appears Cameron might have one-upped him ? if anyone can find the evidence.

Cameron told reporters he'd gone for a dip in Loch Erne, saying a swim in the chilly waters was a good way to prepare for a day of tough negotiations.

"It certainly wakes you up in the morning and gets you going for a hard day of chairing these meetings," he told a press conference.

The prime minister's spokesman described the experience as "brisk" in earlier remarks to reporters. Temperatures around Loch Erne were in the low 60s ? but felt much chillier.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/g-8-notebook-cameron-tweets-115704250.html

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The mom-to-be (again!) shows off her baby bump while grabbing lunch with a friend. Plus, check out more pics of your favorite stars on the scene!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/star-snapshots-celebrity-photo-gallery-2012/1-b-450006?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Astar-snapshots-celebrity-photo-gallery-2012-450006

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terrykawa · May 20, 2013

May 20, 2013 ? A new report suggests that improved health care and significant reductions in drug costs might be attained by breaking up the age-old relationship between physicians and drug company representatives who promote the newest, more costly and often unnecessary prescription drugs.

This system, which has been in place for decades, at one time benefited doctors by keeping them up to date on new medications, and always provided generous amounts of "free" samples to get patients started on the newest drugs, as well as other supplies and gifts.

But it's actually a powerful marketing process into which the pharmaceutical industry pours tens of billions of dollars a year, with more than 90,000 drug representatives providing gifts and advice. There is one drug representative for every eight doctors in the United States. This doesn't necessarily serve the best interests of the patient in terms of economy, efficacy, safety or accuracy of information, experts say.

In one of the first reports of its type -- titled "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" -- researchers from Oregon State University, Oregon Health & Science University and the University of Washington outlined the deliberate process that one central Oregon medical clinic went through to remove drug company representatives from their practice. It explored the obstacles they faced and the ultimate, successful result. The findings were just published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

The study found that avoiding conflicts of interest and becoming "pharma-free" is possible, but not easy.

"This is a culture change, one that's already happening but still has a ways to go, especially in smaller private practices," said Dr. David Evans, now with the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington, and previously a physician at the Madras, Ore., clinic featured in the article.

"The relationship between physicians and drug company representatives goes back generations, and it took a methodical, deliberate campaign to change it," Evans said. "We ultimately decided something had to be done when our medical clinic was visited by drug reps 199 times in six months. That number was just staggering."

Part of what allows the change, the researchers said, is that information on new medications is now available in many other forums. These may have less bias and be more evidence-based than the material traditionally provided by the pharmaceutical industry, which wanted to sell the latest product. In the Madras clinic, the physicians replaced information previously supplied by drug reps with monthly meetings to stay current on new medications, based on peer-reviewed, rather than promotional literature.

"In the past 5-10 years there's been more of a move toward what we call 'academic detailing,' in which universities and other impartial sources of information can provide accurate information without bias," said Daniel Hartung, assistant professor in the OSU College of Pharmacy. "This is being supported by some states and the federal government, and it's a move in the right direction."

Moves to separate the drug industry from the practice of medicine have been more aggressive in large medical teaching hospitals, Hartung said, but much less so in smaller private practice. Of the 800,000 physicians in the U.S., only 22 percent practice in academic settings, the study noted, and 84 percent of primary care physicians still have close relationships with the pharmaceutical industry.

The stakes can be high, the researchers said. In the study example, the "sample cabinet" of medications at the Madras clinic, provided for free by the pharmaceutical representatives, had an average price of $90 for a month's supply of the medications. Less expensive, generic medications were identified for 38 of the 46 sample drugs, which would have cost $22 a month.

The new analysis explored the necessary steps that a private clinic can take to help address this concern, including quantifying the clinic-industry relationship, anticipating clinician and staff concerns, finding new ways to provide up-to-date information, and educating patients and the public.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/qnl5Jy21UwU/130520133749.htm

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Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/stephanie-redus-arrested-for-putting-3-year-old-son-up-for-adopt/

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Crazy ants are taking over areas once occupied by fire ants in the South. The sting of Crazy ants isn't as painful and migrate slowly. But Crazy ants multiply faster.

By Douglas Main,?LiveScience / May 18, 2013

Invasive fire ants have been a thorn in the sides of Southerners for years. But another invasive species, the so-called "crazy" ant ? that many describe as being worse ? has arrived and is displacing fire ants in several places.

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"When you talk to folks who live in the invaded areas, they tell you they want their fire ants back," said Edward LeBrun, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, in a statement from the school. "Fire ants are in many ways very polite. They live in your yard. They form mounds and stay there, and they only interact with you if you step on their mound."

Crazy ants, on the other hand, "go everywhere," invading homes and nesting in walls and crawlspaces, even damaging electrical equipment by swarming inside appliances. [Image Gallery: Ants of the World]

A study published in the April issue of the journal Biological Invasions found that in areas infested with crazy ants, few to no fire ants were present. Exactly how they are able to outcompete fire ants is so far unknown. In areas with crazy ants, the researchers also found greatly diminished numbers of native ant species, according to the study.

Fire ants are known for their painful stings and have spread through the Southeast since arriving from South America in the 1930s. Crazy ants were first discovered in Houston in 2002, and they have already spread to coastal areas from Texas to Florida, according to the researchers. Although the "crazies" don't have as painful a sting as fire ants, they multiply in even greater numbers. They are also difficult to control since they don't eat the same poison baits as fire ants do, the statement noted.

Last year, the crazy ant species was identified as Nylanderia fulva, which hails from northern Argentina and southern Brazil, according to a 2012 study in PLOS ONE. It's also known as the tawny crazy ant and was previously named the Rasberry crazy ant after the exterminator Tom Rasberry, who first discovered it. The "crazy" moniker comes from the ant's quick, seemingly random movements.

Luckily, the crazy ant doesn't spread as quickly as the fire ant, advancing only 650 feet (200 meters) per year on its own, the release noted. Therefore, it's vital that people don't accidentally transport the ant, the prime method by which it has spread, according to the release.

Email?Douglas Main?or follow him on?Twitter?or?Google+. Follow us @livescience, ?Facebook?or ?Google+. Article originally on LiveScience.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/3FwH4s3kfNU/Crazy-ants-vs.-Fire-ants-Who-s-winning-video

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Computational tool translates complex data into simplified 2-dimensional images

Public release date: 19-May-2013
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Contact: Karin Eskenazi
ket2116@columbia.edu
212-342-0508
Columbia University Medical Center

May allow doctors to track progression of cancer, response to treatment, and risk of relapse

NEW YORK, NY (May 19, 2013) In their quest to learn more about the variability of cells between and within tissues, biomedical scientists have devised tools capable of simultaneously measuring dozens of characteristics of individual cells. These technologies have led to new challenges, however, as scientists now struggle with how to make sense of the resulting trove of data. Now a solution may be at hand. Researchers at Columbia University and Stanford University have developed a computational method that enables scientists to visualize and interpret "high-dimensional" data produced by single-cell measurement technologies such as mass cytometry. The method, published today in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology, has particular relevance to cancer research and therapeutics.

Researchers now understand that cancer within an individual can harbor subpopulations of cells with different molecular characteristics. Groups of cells may behave differently from one another, including in how they respond to treatment. The ability to study single cells, as well as to identify and characterize subpopulations of cancerous cells within an individual, could lead to more precise methods of diagnosis and treatment.

"Our method not only will allow scientists to explore the heterogeneity of cancer cells and to characterize drug-resistant cancer cells, but also will allow physicians to track tumor progression, identify drug-resistant cancer cells, and detect minute quantities of cancer cells that increase the risk of relapse," said co-senior author Dana Pe'er, PhD, associate professor of biological sciences and systems biology at Columbia. The other co-senior author is Garry P. Nolan, PhD, professor of microbiology & immunology at Stanford.

The method, called viSNE (visual interactive Stochastic Neighbor Embedding), is based on a sophisticated algorithm that translates high-dimensional data (e.g., a dataset that includes many different simultaneous measurements from single cells) into visual representations similar to two-dimensional "scatter plots"the simple graphs with X and Y axes that many people first encounter in high school math and biology. "Basically, viSNE provides a way to visualize very high-dimensional data in two dimensions, while maintaining the most important organization and structure of the data," said Dr. Pe'er. "Color is used as a third dimension to enable users to interactively visualize various features of the cells."

The viSNE software can analyze measurements of dozens of molecular markers. In the two-dimensional maps that result, the distance between points represents the degree of similarity between single cells. The maps can reveal clearly defined groups of cells with distinct behaviors (e.g., drug resistance) even if they are only a tiny fraction of the total population. This should enable the design of ways to physically isolate and study these cell subpopulations in the laboratory.

Although the algorithm underlying the method is complex, Dr. Pe'er expects that all researchers, no matter their level of mathematical expertise, will be able to use viSNE.

To demonstrate the software's utility, Dr. Pe'er and her colleagues used mass cytometry and viSNE to study bone marrow cells from patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Currently, clinicians can incorporate at most 4 to 8 markers to assess the cells. Because mass cytometry and viSNE can incorporate many more markers, viSNE is able to identify more subtle differences between cells. Using the algorithm, Dr. Pe'er and her colleagues were able to reveal previously unrecognized heterogeneity in the bone marrow cells they studied.

The researchers also showed that viSNE could detect minimal residual disease (MRD) extremely small quantities of cancer cells that persist after chemotherapy and raise the risk of recurrence. "In blinded tests, we were able to find as few as 20 cancer cells out of tens of thousands of healthy cells," said Dr. Pe'er. Such a small quantity of cells is extremely difficult to detect, even by the most experienced pathologist.

"The ability to detect MRD is critical for curing cancer," added Dr. Pe'er. "Eliminating even 99.9 percent of a tumor doesn't bring about a cure. You have to be able to find, and then eliminate, the tiny populations of cells that can survive therapy and lead to disease relapse."

###

The paper is titled, "viSNE enables visualization of high dimensional single-cell data and reveals phenotypic heterogeneity of leukemia." The other authors are: El-ad David Amir (Columbia), Kara L. Davis (Stanford University), Michelle D. Tadmor (Columbia), Erin F. Simonds (Stanford), Jacob H. Levine (Columbia), Sean C. Bendall (Stanford), Daniel K. Shenfeld (Columbia), and Smita Krishnaswamy (Columbia).

The study was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (MCB-1149728), National Institutes of Health Roadmap Initiative, the NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program (1-DP2-OD002414-01), and the National Centers for Biomedical Computing (1U54CA121852-01A1).

The authors declare no financial or other conflicts of interest.

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, preclinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit cumc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org.

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