Wolfram Alpha, the "computational knowledge engine" that instantly performs complex analysis on data and queries, has introduced a new tool that gives an amazingly thorough look at your Facebook usage and friends ? from what hour and weekday you post the most links, to the marital status of everyone you know over the years.
Millions of people post millions of things to Facebook every day, but after a week or so most links, statuses and comments are filed away, usually never to be seen again. Wolfram Alpha will dig through all this information, and whatever your friends have made visible?to you, and produce a bewildering?spread of data relating to your Facebook usage.
Some of it is fun but straightforward: what apps you use the most, how many of your friends are named "Chris," and so on. But it also surfaces some very interesting and well-presented data, like a visual map of your friend connections and a representation showing your usage patterns over the week. Are you in the habit of dumping your photos for the week into an album on Sunday night, or making rambling status updates after a night out with friends? You'll see that clearly.
All this information would likely be very valuable to companies and brands that rely on Facebook for social promotion, but right now the service is limited to personal accounts. A version for Facebook Pages may also be in the works.
To access the service, simply go to Wolfram Alpha and put "Facebook report" into the field?(or just follow the link); it will ask you to create an account at the site and to give it permission to pull data from your posts and friends list.?The app does access a ton of your private data, but it's kept private unless you specifically share a part of it, and after an hour it's deleted from the system.
More information on the service can be found at a blog post by the site's founder, Stephen Wolfram; he says that?based on how people use the service, new features will be added.?And of course the report will change in some ways as your habits and friends evolve, so it's worth doing again in a month or two anyway.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's address Friday in Jackson Hole, Wyo., will be closely scrutinized for hints of future central bank action.
It is annual rite rite of late summer: The Federal Reserve chairman flies far beyond the Beltway to scenic Jackson Hole, Wyo., for a major address on monetary policy.
When central bank chairman Ben Bernanke takes part in the ritual Friday, his influential audience will be hanging on every word, listening for any hint of what policymakers might do next month to spur the sluggish economy. Pundits and the few journalists invited will quickly rush out to expound on Bernanke's speech, taking advantage of the telegenic setting against the Teton mountains.
But don't hold your breath. Most Fed watchers expect Bernanke to avoid tipping his hand ahead of the Sept. 12-13 rate-setting meeting, especially given recent signs of a slight firming in the economy.
The title of the Friday morning speech, "Monetary Policy Since the Crisis," suggests Bernanke "might take a broad ?lessons learned? approach? rather than lay out potential next steps, Goldman Sachs economists said in a note.
In part that is because the Fed has little ammunition left after five years of slashing interest rates to rock-bottom levels and injecting cash into the economy through other means. But also it is because economic data are beginning to show signs of improvement, and central bankers will want to gather as much data as possible before acting.
In particular the August jobs data, due to be published Sept. 7, could be key to Fed thinking.
?If the chairman's thought process is anything like ours, he has not yet decided whether to press for a substantive easing move as soon as Sept. 13,? Credit Suisse chief economist Neal Soss said in a recent note.
Investors are waiting to see whether the Fed will go forward with a third round of bond buying, aka quantitative easing, aka QE3.
At its last meeting, which ended Aug. 1, Fed policymakers agreed they were ready to act ?fairly soon unless incoming information pointed to a substantial and sustainable strengthening? of the economy, according to minutes released last week.
Since then, data has shown that the housing market continues to rebound, and the economy grew at a slightly faster pace last spring than previously reported.
?It is not clear whether these positive developments are compelling enough to postpone what had looked like a strong chance of a September 13 QE3 announcement,? Soss said, referring to the past month's worth of data.
Indeed, the Fed itself issued a report Wednesday that showed manufacturing activity slowing in many parts of the country in July and August.
Joseph Gagnon, senior fellow at Peterson Institute for International Economics, noted that Bernanke probably will at least want to study upcoming employment and manufacturing data before making any decisions.
?What he might say (Friday could) give us a hint of how he views the incoming data," Gagnon said.
The uncertainty of what the upcoming numbers will show could lead to a speech that disappoints investors hoping for a road map. ?
?Since the August meeting, I think the data has improved enough to push off QE3, but we may see something on the rate guidance front,??said Michael Gapen, director of U.S. economics and asset allocation for Barclays.?
"I?think the market after the minutes is very focused on the question of when, and I don't think he?s going to give much clarity on that," said Lewis Alexander,?chief U.S. economist for Nomura.?
The ?benefits and costs? of monetary stimulus measures mentioned in the latest Fed minutes gave some analysts hope that Bernanke, in his speech Friday, will catalog the different actions the Fed is considering and potentially indicate which actions are at the top of the list.
Besides adding to the money supply via either finite or open-ended purchases of Treasuries or mortgage-backed securities, Bernanke could discuss a commitment to keeping rates low even further into the future, discount window lending and changing the rate the Fed pays banks to warehouse their cash reserves with it. Already the Fed is on record that it plans to keep interest ratest at current "exceptionally low levels" at least through late 2014.?
?
CNBC's Steve Liesman, provides a preview of Fed chief Bernanke's speech at Jackson Hole and whether investor are likely to hear hints of additional quantitative easing.
In discussing the costs, Bernanke could certainly mention the potential for inflation over the next few years. The chairman also might broach the topic of whether?an increase in the money supply would overheat the stock market, otherwise distort financial markets or encourage poor financial decision-making.
Investors will also miss the chance to get insight from Europe's top central banker after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi withdrew from the Jackson Hole conference Tuesday. Draghi had been scheduled to speak Saturday to an audience intensely interested in how European policymakers plan to turn around the eurozone's ailing economy.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Asian markets were mostly higher early Wednesday, as investors bet that the mixed economic data from the U.S. would prompt the Federal Reserve to take more steps to spur economic growth.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei rose 0.3 percent to 9,061.56 and South Korea's Kospi added 0.6 percent to 1927.27. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.1 percent at 19,832.55. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.1 percent to 4,380.60.
Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan and New Zealand also rose, while Indonesia and Malaysia fell. Mainland Chinese shares were mixed.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will deliver a key speech Friday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming that investors will watch carefully for clues about the central bank's intentions to try to speed up the U.S. economic recovery.
Analysts said global stock markets are expected to continue light trading as investors are fixated on the results of the Friday meeting.
"Both hopes and concerns co-exist among investors before the Jackson Hole meeting," said Jun Ji-won, a market analyst at Seoul-based Kiwoom Securities. "There are no significant changes in the key indices until the speech gives directions to the market. Stocks are moving by sectors."
In South Korea, tech exporters staged a rally led by Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest technology company by revenues. Samsung rose 2 percent, as investors shrugged off shock from Apple's decisive patent victory in the U.S. last week that sent Samsung shares 7.5 percent lower on Monday.
Samsung vowed to appeal all the way to the highest court in the U.S., while Apple asked the court to block eight Samsung products in the U.S. for patent infringement. Samsung's smaller rival LG Electronics Inc. rose 4 percent while Japan's Sony Corp. jumped 3.2 percent in Japan.
A report showed Tuesday that U.S. house prices increased in all major U.S. cities in June, the latest sign that the housing market has been rebounding.
But on the downside, consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level since November 2011. The Conference Board said consumer confidence index fell to 60.6, down from 65.4 in July. Economists had expected a reading of 66.
The results show that Americans are still worried about the economy despite a slight rise in job growth. Analysts believe that weak consumer sentiment might spur the Fed to take more action.
In China, government data showed that profits at China's industrial companies plunged in July for the fourth straight month, adding pressure on Beijing to step up spending to offset private sector weakness.
On Tuesday, Wall Street closed mixed. The Dow Jones industrial average retreated 0.2 percent to 13,102.99. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index slipped marginally to 1,409.30 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 0.1 percent to 3,077.14.
Benchmark oil for October delivery fell 50 cents to $95.83 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 86 cents to finish at $96.33 per barrel on the Nymex on Tuesday.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.2556 from $1.2564 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar rose to 78.58 yen from 78.53 yen.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Twin typhoons are renewing fears of a humanitarian crisis in North Korea, where poor drainage, widespread deforestation and crumbling infrastructure can turn even a routine rainstorm into a catastrophic flood.
Typhoon Bolaven struck the North on Tuesday and Wednesday, submerging houses and roads, ruining thousands of acres of crops and triggering landslides that buried train tracks ? scenes that are all too familiar in this disaster-prone nation. A second major storm, Typhoon Tembin, is forecast to dump more rain on the Korean Peninsula on Thursday and Friday.
The storms come as North Korea is still recovering from earlier floods that killed more than 170 people and destroyed thousands of homes. That in turn followed a springtime drought that was the worst in a century in some areas.
Foreign aid groups contacted Thursday said they are standing by in Pyongyang, but had not received requests for help from the North Korean government. They had little information on the extent of damage and were relying on reports from state media. The country's wariness toward the outside world, as well as a primitive rural road system, means aid may be slow arriving, if it is allowed to come at all.
"These fresh storms, coming just a few weeks after the serious flooding ? they do raise concerns because we see parts of the countryside battered again that have already been left in a vulnerable state," said Francis Markus, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in East Asia.
Heavy rains that could be little more than an inconvenience elsewhere can be calamitous in North Korea.
Downpours trigger landslides that barrel down the country's deforested mountains and valleys. For decades, rural people have felled trees because they have no other source of fuel or warmth, leaving the landscape barren and heavily eroded. Rivers overflow, submerging crops, inundating roads and engulfing hamlets.
Since June, tens of thousands have been left without clean water, electricity and access to food and other supplies. That leads to a risk of water-borne and respiratory diseases and malnutrition, aid workers say.
Because the North annually struggles to produce enough food from its rocky, mountainous landscape to feed its 24 million people, a poorly timed natural disaster can easily tip the country into crisis, like the famine in the 1990s that followed a similar succession of devastating storms.
A North Korean land management official acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that widespread deforestation and a lack of basic infrastructure have made the country vulnerable to the typhoons and storms that batter the peninsula each year.
"It's important for the future of our children to make our country rich and beautiful," Ri Song Il, director of external affairs for the Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection, said in June.
He said a campaign is under way to replenish forests, build highways and construct proper irrigation at the order of North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong Un. He held up a green pamphlet on land management that was the first official document Kim published after taking power from his father.
But it may be too little, too late, for this year's summer rains.
In Pyongyang, North Korea's showcase capital of grand monuments and broad boulevards, the rains have been little more than a nuisance for residents tromping about in rubber boots and umbrellas.
Outside the capital, it's a different story.
In villages without the luxury of paved roads, summer downpours have sliced through roadways and washed away bridges, all but cutting off already isolated communities from supplies, food and help.
Two weeks ago, AP journalists visited a flood-ravaged mining hamlet in South Phyongan province where gushing waters from an earlier storm swallowed a whole block of homes. The trip, a mere 40-mile (60-kilometer) drive northeast of Pyongyang, required a bumpy four-hour ride along rutted, muddy roads.
Along the way, workers piled stones along the roadside as a bulwark against landslides, but they were no match for the water rushing down mountainsides.
Villagers crouched in makeshift lean-tos and camped on the rubble where their houses once stood. They vowed to rebuild once the roads are restored and trucks can cart in cement. But there are concerns about how vulnerable their new homes would be if they rebuild at the foot of a mountain in the county of Songchon, which means "place where many waters come together."
North Korea has no clear long-term strategy to deal with disasters or climate change, the United Nations said in a report issued in June.
This year, North Korea is at a particularly dangerous juncture, said the Red Cross' Markus. Over the last two years, he said, "we've been seeing a gradual deterioration in the humanitarian situation."
The Red Cross works with villagers to prepare evacuation plans and other ways to protect themselves, their homes and their farmland in the event of a disaster, he said.
But severe weather remains an omnipresent threat, and poor infrastructure and massive deforestation are "a major factor in exacerbating these weather events," he said. "There's no doubt that the vulnerabilities in the countryside are considerable."
___
Associated Press writer Foster Klug contributed to this report. Follow Lee, AP's Korea bureau chief, at twitter.com/newsjean and Klug at twitter.com/APKlug.
By Accommodation Times Bureau Environmental features include water courses, large urban greens, coastline features, open spaces and water bodies
The study to help city planners systematize Mumbai better
Mumbai, August 28, 2012 ? The Environment Improvement Society (EIS) ? formed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority ? today, released a study report encompassing environmental features in the city of Mumbai during a seminar on Inventorisation of Environmental Features of Mumbai organized by the Environment Improvement Society. The project was initiated with an objective of preparing a comprehensive database of environmental features so as to notify planning processes. The study was released at the hands of Mr.Rahul Asthana, President, MMR-EIS and Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA. Present on the occasion were Mr.D.M.Sukhtankar, State?s former Chief Secretary; Mr.B.C.Khatua, Director, MTSU; Mr.R.S.Kukunur, Chief Engineer, Development Plan, MCGM and MMRDA?s Additional Metropolitan Commissioner Ms.Ashwini Bhide.
The environmental features included in the study are Water Courses (Rivers and Natural Drains); Large Urban Greens such as Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Arey Area etc.; Coastline features (Rocky outcrops and beaches); Open Spaces (Playgrounds, recreational grounds and gardens which were reserved in the Development Plan of Mumbai, 1991) and Water Bodies (Lakes, Tanks etc.).
?The study has identified 24 water sources, 46 coastline features, 7 large urban greens, 103 water bodies and 3,246 open spaces and observed that the open spaces are only a 5-minute walk away for most Mumbaikars?, informed Mr.Rahul Asthana,.
The crucial study ? one-of-its-kind in the country ? identified and documented 3,493 environmental features in the city. The study has also brought to the fore a few basic issues of direct disposal of Industrial and other waste into the water courses besides garbage dumping, encroachment, construction debris, sludge and poor embankments which cause high soil erosion of water courses at several places in the city. The study has further indicated plastic littering, dumping of fishing equipment, oil spills, restricted accessibility to beaches and open defecation as the reasons, among various other, for declining coastlines. The study further points out the slums and encroachment for the lack of large urban greens.
?We hope the study will awaken the city planners of the woes our vibrant city is suffering through. The database created through this study will help them plan future projects and also guide the administrators of the city take appropriate steps in appropriate direction?, said Mr.Rahul Asthana.
The 3-year study for water courses, large urban greens and coastline features was conducted by M/s. HCP-Design Project Management Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad, and by M/s. Adarkar Associates, Mumbai, for open spaces and water bodies.
Homes are flooded as Hurricane Isaac hits Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Braithwaite, La. As Isaac made landfall, it was expected to dump as much as 20 inches of rain in several parts of Louisiana. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Homes are flooded as Hurricane Isaac hits Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Braithwaite, La. As Isaac made landfall, it was expected to dump as much as 20 inches of rain in several parts of Louisiana. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Chuck Cropp, center, his son Piers, left, and wife Liz, right, wade through floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in New Orleans. As Isaac made landfall, it was expected to dump as much as 20 inches of rain in several parts of Louisiana. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
People and a dog who were rescued from their flooded homes are loaded into a Louisiana National Guard truck, after Hurricane Isaac made landfall and flooded homes with 10 feet of water in Braithwaite, La., in Plaquemines Parish Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Residents who were rescued from their flooded homes are transported to waiting assistance, after Hurricane Isaac made landfall and flooded homes with 10 feet of water in Braithwaite, La., Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. Isaac was packing 80 mph winds, making it a Category 1 hurricane. It came ashore early Tuesday near the mouth of the Mississippi River, driving a wall of water nearly 11 feet high inland and soaking a neck of land that stretches into the Gulf. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Research students from the the University of Alabama measure wind speeds as Hurricane Isaac makes landfall, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in New Orleans, La. Isaac was packing 80 mph winds, making it a Category 1 hurricane. It came ashore early Tuesday near the mouth of the Mississippi River, driving a wall of water nearly 11 feet high inland and soaking a neck of land that stretches into the Gulf. The storm stalled for several hours before resuming a slow trek inland, and forecasters said that was in keeping with the its erratic history. The slow motion over land means Isaac could be a major soaker, dumping up to 20 inches of rain in some areas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Hurricane Isaac sidestepped New Orleans on Wednesday, sending the worst of its howling wind and heavy rain into a cluster of rural fishing villages that had few defenses against the slow-moving storm that could bring days of unending rain.
Isaac arrived exactly seven years after Hurricane Katrina and passed slightly to the west of New Orleans, where the city's fortified levee system easily handled the assault.
The city's biggest problems seemed to be downed power lines, scattered tree limbs and minor flooding. Just one person was reported killed, compared with 1,800 deaths from Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. And police reported few problems with looting. Mayor Mitch Landrieu ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew just to be sure.
But in Plaquemines Parish, a sparsely populated area south of the city that is outside the federal levee system, dozens of people were stranded in flooded coastal areas and had to be rescued. The storm pushed water over an 18-mile levee and put so much pressure on it that authorities planned to intentionally puncture the floodwall to relieve the strain.
"I'm getting text messages from all over asking for help," said Joshua Brockhaus, an electrician who was rescuing neighbors in his boat. "I'm dropping my dogs off, and I'm going back out there."
By midafternoon, Isaac had been downgraded to a tropical storm. The Louisiana National Guard wrapped up rescue operations in Plaquemines Parish, saying they felt confident they had gotten everyone out and there were no serious injuries but would stay in the area over the coming days to help, National Guard spokesman Capt. Lance Cagnolatti said.
Isaac's maximum sustained winds had decreased to 60 mph by Wednesday evening. Even at its strongest, Isaac was far weaker than Hurricane Katrina, which crippled New Orleans in 2005. Because Isaac's coiled bands of rain and wind were moving at only 5 mph ? about the pace of a brisk walk ? the threat of storm surges and flooding was expected to last into a second night as the immense comma-shaped system crawled across Louisiana.
"We didn't think it was going to be like that," Brockhaus said. "The storm stayed over the top of us. For Katrina, we got 8 inches of water. Now we have 13 feet."
In Plaquemines Parish, about two dozen people who defied evacuation orders needed to be rescued. The stranded included two police officers whose car became stuck.
"I think a lot of people were caught with their pants down," said Jerry Larpenter, sheriff in nearby Terrebonne Parish. "This storm was never predicted right since it entered the Gulf. It was supposed to go to Florida, Panama City, Biloxi, New Orleans. We hope it loses its punch once it comes in all the way."
The storm knocked out power to as many as 700,000 people, stripped branches off trees and flattened fields of sugar cane so completely that they looked as if a tank had driven over them.
Plaquemines Parish ordered a mandatory evacuation for the west bank of the Mississippi below Belle Chasse because of worries about a storm surge. The order affected about 3,000 people, including a nursing home with 112 residents. In Jefferson Parish, the sheriff ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew.
West of New Orleans in St. John the Baptist Parish, flooding from Isaac forced 1,500 people to evacuate. And Gov. Bobby Jindal's office said thousands in the area needed to evacuate. Rising water closed off all main thoroughfares into the parish, and in many areas, water lapped up against houses and left cars stranded.
After wind-driven water spilled over the levee in Plaquemines Parish, state officials said they would cut a hole in it as soon as weather allowed and equipment could be brought to the site.
In coastal Mississippi, wildlife officers used small motorboats Wednesday to rescue at least two dozen people from a neighborhood Isaac flooded in Pearlington.
Back in New Orleans, the storm canceled remembrance ceremonies for those killed by Katrina. Since that catastrophe, the city's levee system has been bolstered by $14 billion in federal repairs and improvements. The bigger, stronger levees were tested for the first time by Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
Army Corps of Engineers spokeswoman Rachel Rodi said the flood-control measures were working "as intended" during Isaac.
"We don't see any issues with the hurricane system at this point," she said.
Isaac came ashore late Tuesday as a Category 1 hurricane, with 80 mph winds near the mouth of the Mississippi River. It drove a wall of water nearly 11 feet high inland.
In Vermilion Parish, a 36-year-old man died after falling 18 feet from a tree while helping friends move a vehicle ahead of the storm. Deputies did not know why he climbed the tree.
The storm stalled for several hours before resuming a slow trek inland, and forecasters said that was in keeping with its erratic history. The slow motion over land means Isaac could be a major soaker, dumping up to 20 inches of rain in some areas. But every system is different.
"It's totally up to the storm," said Ken Graham, chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Slidell, La.
Slashing rain and wind gusts up to 100 mph buffeted New Orleans skyscrapers.
In the French Quarter near Bourbon Street, Jimmy Maiuri was shooting video from outside his second-floor apartment. Maiuri, who fled from Katrina at the last minute, stayed behind this time with no regrets. He was amazed at the storm's timing.
"It's definitely not one to take lightly, but it's not Katrina," he said. "No one is going to forget Aug. 29, forever. Not here at least."
As hard wind and heavy rain pelted Melba Leggett-Barnes' home in the Lower 9th Ward, an area leveled during Katrina, she felt more secure than she did seven years ago.
"I have a hurricane house this time," said Barnes, who has been living in her newly rebuilt home since 2008. She and her husband, Baxter Barnes, were among the first to get a home through Brad Pitt's Make It Right program.
Her yellow house with a large porch and iron trellis was taking a beating but holding strong.
"I don't have power, but I'm all right," said Barnes, a cafeteria worker for the New Orleans school system.
In Mississippi, some sections of the main highway that runs along the Gulf, U.S. 90, were closed by flooding.
In Pass Christian, a Mississippi coastal community wiped out by hurricanes Camille and Katrina, Mayor Chipper McDermott was optimistic that Isaac would not deal a heavy blow.
"It's not too bad, but the whole coast is going to be a mess," he said.
Forecasters expected Isaac to move inland over the next several days, dumping rain on drought-stricken states across the nation's midsection before finally breaking up over the weekend.
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Brian Schwaner and Stacy Plaisance in New Orleans; Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge; Kevin McGill in Houma; Holbrook Mohr in Waveland and Pass Christian, Miss.; and Jeff Amy in Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Marine Corps is using interactive videos and other measures to reduce the number of suicides in its ranks, but it expects 2012 to be another "tough year" for the entire U.S. military, the service's top general said on Tuesday.
Marine Corps Commandant General James Amos said concerted efforts had helped reduce the number of suicides in the Marine Corps to 32 in 2011 from a record high of 52 in 2009, but the trend looked worse for this year.
"Even with the attention of the leadership, I think all the services are feeling it," Amos said after a speech at the National Press Club. "This year ... is going to be a tough year for all the services."
The Marine Corps recorded eight suspected suicides in July, up from six in June. That brought the number of suicides in the service to 32 for the first seven months of 2012, matching the total for all of last year.
The U.S. Army earlier this month reported that 26 active-duty soldiers were believed to have committed suicide in July, more than double the number reported for June and the most suicides ever recorded in a month since the U.S. Army began compiling detailed statistics on such deaths.
As of June, the Pentagon had recorded 154 suicides across all the military services, a rate of about one suicide per day, according to a Defense Department spokeswoman. No updated statistics were available.
Testifying before the House of Representatives Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last month described suicide as "one of the most frustrating problems" he had come across in his role.
Brigadier General Paul Kennedy, head of Marine Corps public affairs, said closer ties between military leaders and their troops -- and frank discussions about mental health issues -- could prove effective in combating the high number of suicides.
Pentagon leaders have made suicide prevention a top priority in recent years, adding more behavioral healthcare providers to front-line units and primary care settings, and trying to reduce the stigma associated with mental health treatment.
(Reporting By Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
The Oneida Indian Nation has launched a statewide ad campaign pledging its commitment to responsible gaming and reinvestment in the local community, spurred by New York?s consideration to legalize commercial gambling.
The Nation?s model of reinvesting gaming revenue ?in the long-term prosperity of the region and the state? has helped make it one of the major economic drivers in Upstate New York. The Nation owns and operates Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona in Central New York and a number of other enterprises that employ nearly 5,000 people and generate hundreds of millions of dollars benefiting the local and state economy.
In March, the New York Legislature started the process of amending the state Constitution to allow up to seven commercial casinos in the state.
The Nation?s pledge highlights the tenets of responsible gaming considered essential by the Oneida Indian Nation. The text of the Pledge is provided in its entirety below:
The Oneida Indian Nation Responsible Gaming Pledge
In 1993, prior to the opening of Turning Stone Resort Casino, the Oneida Indian Nation made a commitment to the people of New York to use the revenue generated from gaming to reinvest in the long-term prosperity of the region and the state. Now, 20 years later, the Oneida Nation is one of the largest employers in Central New York, with nearly 5,000 workers. The Nation draws nearly four and a half million visitors a year to the community and reinvests hundreds of millions of dollars back into that community by supporting local and state businesses.
Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter said, ?The Oneida Nation?s investments into the region are made with the belief that New York State and its leaders will support our growth and development, rather than advance policies that would undermine existing economic development currently benefiting the people of New York. I look forward to working with the state as a resource for responsible gaming as a way to provide a better future for the seventh generation.?
The Oneida Indian Nation Responsible Gaming Pledge outlines in specific terms the Nation?s commitment to stand by the standards it established for responsible gaming.
The pledge includes commitments to support good paying jobs with pensions and healthcare benefits, reinvest the majority of gaming revenue back into the local community, and advance the quality of life in New York?s communities. The Pledge also includes a commitment to support responsible gaming that will attract businesses that are truly invested in local communities and are not making decisions based simply on what?s best for shareholders located outside New York.
The statewide ad campaign has launched along with the web site www.OneidaNationPledge.com.
As New York now explores whether or not to amend the state constitution to legalize Las Vegas-style gambling, the Oneida Nation believes that our successful experience underscores that the commitments we have lived by must be followed in order for the people of New York to benefit for this effort:
The Oneida Indian Nation PLEDGES its continued support for responsible gaming that requires an investment in good-paying jobs with retirement benefits and health care.
The Oneida Indian Nation PLEDGES its continued support for responsible gaming that will keep the majority of the revenue it generates from gaming reinvested into the local community.
The Oneida Indian Nation PLEDGES its continued support for responsible gaming that is consistent with and does not undermine ongoing economic growth.
The Oneida Indian Nation PLEDGES its continued support for responsible gaming that advances the quality of life in New York?s communities.
The Oneida Indian Nation PLEDGES its continued support for responsible gaming that will attract businesses that are truly invested in local communities and are not making decisions based simply on what?s best for shareholders located outside of New York.
The Oneida Indian Nation PLEDGES to all New Yorkers to follow and live by these commitments today and always.
After some security woes, the folks at Dropbox have finally made two-step verification available to their users. Here's what that means, why it's important?and how to use it.
Two-step (or two-factor) verification means that logging into an account?requires two proofs of identity ? typically a password and a temporary code sent to a cellphone or generated by an app.?This process keeps?your account safe even if your password is somehow compromised (or if the cellphone which receives the temporary codes is misplaced). Without both items, it's not possible to log into the account.
In order to enable two-step verification on your Dropbox account, you'll need to sign into the Dropbox website and open your account menu (by clicking on your name, in the upper-right corner). Once in there,?open the settings and click on the "security" tab. In the "account sign in" section, you'll find the option to turn on two-step verification.?You'll be asked to enter your Dropbox password and then get the option of receiving your temporary security codes via text message or by using a mobile app. You'll also be prompted to write down a?backup code, which you should keep somewhere safe?? so that you have it in case your phone ever disappears.
And that's it. After you've gone through these steps, you'll use your password and a temporary security code to log into Dropbox. And you'll rest easily, knowing that your account is far more secure.
Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both 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+.
If you?re only seeing a snapshot of your business?s finances around tax time, you?re missing out on day-to-day and seasonal ups and downs that could provide important insight into your business. With Xero?s cloud-based accounting platform, your business?s finances are accessible anywhere you are. Plus you can increase your chances of getting paid on time by always being on top of invoice terms and due dates. Xero?s dashboard is easy to read, and if you want extra help on using Xero?s system, you can take training and watch webinars to make the most of their tools.
The views expressed here are the author's alone and not those of Network Solutions or its partners.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Accounting and Taxes, Compliance, Resources, Small Business, small business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
JCI early table of contents for Aug. 27, 2012 Public release date: 27-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jillian Hurst press_release@the-jci.org Journal of Clinical Investigation
New model of muscular dystrophy provides insight into disease development
Muscular dystrophy is a complicated set of genetic diseases in which genetic mutations affect the various proteins that contribute to a complex that is required for a structural bridge between muscle cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides the physical and chemical environment required for their development and function. The affects of these genetic mutations in patients vary widely, even when the same gene is affected. In order to develop treatments for this disease, it is important to have an animal model that accurately reflects the course of the disease in humans. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at the University of Iowa report the development of a mouse model of Fukuyama's muscular dystrophy that copies the pathology seen in the human form of the disease.
By removing the gene fukutin from mouse embryos at various points during development, researchers led by Kevin Campbell were able to determine that fukutin disrupts important modifications of dystrophin that prevent the muscle cells from attaching to the ECM. Disruption of the gene earlier in development led to a more severe form of the disease, suggesting that fukutin is important for muscle maturation. Disruptions in later stages of development caused a less severe form of the disease. In a companion piece, Elizabeth McNally of the University of Chicago discusses the implications of this disease model for the development of new therapies to treat muscular dystrophy.
TITLE:
Mouse fukutin deletion impairs dystroglycan processing and recapitulates muscular dystrophy
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65483?key=df6b582b4b253322e7df
Vitamin B3 helps fight staph infections in mice
Staph infections are responsible for an increasing number of life threatening infections and the bacteria that cause these infections are widespread in the community and the healthcare system. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus normally resides on skin and in noses and typically infects tissues through cuts or rashes. The infections can remain minor, but they can also lead to illnesses ranging from abscesses and boils to necrotizing skin infections, pneumonia, or blood stream infections.
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles have been working to identify immune system components that fight off bacterial infections. Humans that lack a molecule known as C/EBP? are missing an important bacteria-fighting component of their immune systems and are highly susceptible to bacterial infections, including staph.
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Dr. George Liu and colleagues demonstrate that C/EBP? -deficient mice are also highly susceptible to staph infections and increasing the expression of C/EBP? allowed the mice to clear the infection. Vitamin B3 has previously been shown to increase expression of C/EBP?. Pre-treating the mice with vitamin B3 resulted in significantly increased infection clearance, suggesting that vitamin B3 may help the immune system to kill bacteria and clear infections.
TITLE:
C/EBP? mediates nicotinamide-enhanced clearance of Staphylococcus aureus in mice
AUTHOR CONTACT:
George Liu
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone: 310-423-4471; E-mail: george.liu@cshs.org
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/62070?key=a39ce7efc2f764ede04b
TECHNICAL ADVANCE
New biomarkers allow researchers to track neurodegeneration in cerebrospinal fluid | Back to top
Biomarkers are important tools for diagnosing and monitoring diseases and are useful in assessing patient responses to new therapies. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are particularly difficult to monitor because the site of disease (the brain) isn't readily accessible.
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Patrizia Fanara of KineMed, Inc. in Emeryville, CA and Marc Hellerstein of the University of California, San Francisco report the development of a novel class of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based kinetic biomarkers. The biomarkers measure axonal transport, a cellular process that is altered in PD, AD, Huntington's disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The researchers first analyzed the biomarkers in a mouse model of Parkinsons' disease. Prior to the test, the mice drank "labeled" water, which was metabolized and incorporated into molecules that could then be measured in CSF. The study was then repeated in humans. Fanara and colleagues observed marked alterations in CSF from patients with PD compared to healthy subjects. In a companion piece, William Potter, a member of the National Institutes of Health Neuroscience Steering Committee, discusses the use of CSF as a biomarker source and the implications of this technology for the study of neurological diseases.
TITLE:
Cerebrospinal fluidbased kinetic biomarkers of axonal transport in monitoring neurodegeneration
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Patrizia Fanara
KineMed Inc., Emeryville, CA, USA
Phone: 5106556525; E-mail: pfanara@kinemed.com
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/64575?key=2327e0ba88b87a685c83
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE:
Mining the secrets of the CSF: developing biomarkers of neurodegeneration
AUTHOR CONTACT:
William Potter
National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Phone: 215-827-9729; E-mail: wzpottermd@gmail.com
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65309?key=5a4cab61960e0a7afdba
Out-PHOXed: Mutation in PHOX2B underlies multiple pediatric developmental disorders
In the developing embryo, neural crest cells (NCCs) give rise to various cell types, including neural, endocrine, and craniofacial cells. Impairment of NCC development can lead to a wide spectrum of disorders known as neurocristopathies. Three neuroscristopathies, Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR), central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), and neuroblastoma (NB) are some of the most common pediatric developmental disorders and frequently occur in the same patient. Despite being highly dis-similar disease states, affecting function of the bowel, control of breathing, and the development of pediatric brain cancer, all three are linked to mutations in the PHOX2B gene.
To gain a better understanding of the cellular and molecular origins of these diseases, researchers at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan examined the effects of PHOX2B mutations in mice. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Hideki Enomoto and colleagues demonstrate that a particular PHOX2B mutation disrupts the formation of neural cells, autonomic ganglia, that are required for the function of the autonomic nervous system, impairs enervation of part of the bowel, and promotes tumor development. In a companion piece, Michael Gershon of Columbia University discusses the impact of this work on our understanding of neurocristopathies.
TITLE:
Autonomic neurocristopathy-associated mutations in PHOX2B dysregulate Sox10 expression
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Hideki Enomoto
RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, , JPN
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/63884?key=2281f71ea2c1879ebc35
Targeting inflammation to stop cancer
Chronic inflammation is frequently at the route of multiple cancers, particularly in colorectal cancers where ulcerative colitis increases the risk of developing colon cancer 20-fold. Patients with ulcerative colitis are often treated with NSAIDs to reduce inflammation, which can reduce their cancer risk by 50%. Molecules that drive inflammation may be attractive therapeutic targets to prevent and treat inflammation-driven cancers.
Chemokine receptors are one of the primary classes of molecules that regulate inflammation and many cancers express molecules that activate these receptors. Researchers at the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland recently demonstrated that the chemokine receptor CXCR2 is a critical mediator of inflammation-driven tumorigenesis. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Thomas Jamieson and colleagues show that mice lacking CXCR2 or mice that are treated with CXCR2 inhibitors are less susceptible to inflammation-driven colon and skin cancer. These studies indicate that CXCR2 inhibitors may have potential as a therapy to treat or prevent inflammation-driven cancers.
TITLE:
Inhibition of CXCR2 profoundly suppresses inflammation-driven and spontaneous tumorigenesis
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61067?key=533354e1dda2f8b553e8
Partners in crime: T Follicular Helper Cells assist HIV in thwarting the immune system
Antibodies play an essential role in protecting against viral infection by preventing viral entry into host cells and eliminating cells infected with virus. A few viruses, including HIV and SIV, have developed mechanisms to evade the body's antibody response, allowing the virus to persist and making it very difficult to develop effective vaccines. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, two research groups report that accumulation of a type of immune cell known as T follicular helper (TFH) cells accumulate during HIV and SIV infection to help the viruses escape antibody-mediated immune responses.
Hendrick Streeck and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School found that there was significant increase in the number of TFH cells in patients with chronic HIV infections. The extra TFH cells were associated with alterations in the development of B cells, which are responsible for antibody production in response to viral infections. Constantinos Petrovas's group at NIH discovered that the gene profile of TFH cells in SIV-infected rhesus macaques, demonstrating that TFH cells are highly susceptible to SIV infection. In a companion piece, Carola Vinuesa of the Australian National University in Canberra, AU discusses the implications of these findings for the development of new HIV therapies.
TITLE:
Expansion of HIV-specific T follicular helper cells in chronic HIV infection
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Hendrik Streeck
Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Charlestown, MA, USA
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65175?key=77d9ab61bfb939c8bd4a
###
[ | 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.
JCI early table of contents for Aug. 27, 2012 Public release date: 27-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jillian Hurst press_release@the-jci.org Journal of Clinical Investigation
New model of muscular dystrophy provides insight into disease development
Muscular dystrophy is a complicated set of genetic diseases in which genetic mutations affect the various proteins that contribute to a complex that is required for a structural bridge between muscle cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides the physical and chemical environment required for their development and function. The affects of these genetic mutations in patients vary widely, even when the same gene is affected. In order to develop treatments for this disease, it is important to have an animal model that accurately reflects the course of the disease in humans. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at the University of Iowa report the development of a mouse model of Fukuyama's muscular dystrophy that copies the pathology seen in the human form of the disease.
By removing the gene fukutin from mouse embryos at various points during development, researchers led by Kevin Campbell were able to determine that fukutin disrupts important modifications of dystrophin that prevent the muscle cells from attaching to the ECM. Disruption of the gene earlier in development led to a more severe form of the disease, suggesting that fukutin is important for muscle maturation. Disruptions in later stages of development caused a less severe form of the disease. In a companion piece, Elizabeth McNally of the University of Chicago discusses the implications of this disease model for the development of new therapies to treat muscular dystrophy.
TITLE:
Mouse fukutin deletion impairs dystroglycan processing and recapitulates muscular dystrophy
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65483?key=df6b582b4b253322e7df
Vitamin B3 helps fight staph infections in mice
Staph infections are responsible for an increasing number of life threatening infections and the bacteria that cause these infections are widespread in the community and the healthcare system. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus normally resides on skin and in noses and typically infects tissues through cuts or rashes. The infections can remain minor, but they can also lead to illnesses ranging from abscesses and boils to necrotizing skin infections, pneumonia, or blood stream infections.
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles have been working to identify immune system components that fight off bacterial infections. Humans that lack a molecule known as C/EBP? are missing an important bacteria-fighting component of their immune systems and are highly susceptible to bacterial infections, including staph.
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Dr. George Liu and colleagues demonstrate that C/EBP? -deficient mice are also highly susceptible to staph infections and increasing the expression of C/EBP? allowed the mice to clear the infection. Vitamin B3 has previously been shown to increase expression of C/EBP?. Pre-treating the mice with vitamin B3 resulted in significantly increased infection clearance, suggesting that vitamin B3 may help the immune system to kill bacteria and clear infections.
TITLE:
C/EBP? mediates nicotinamide-enhanced clearance of Staphylococcus aureus in mice
AUTHOR CONTACT:
George Liu
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone: 310-423-4471; E-mail: george.liu@cshs.org
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/62070?key=a39ce7efc2f764ede04b
TECHNICAL ADVANCE
New biomarkers allow researchers to track neurodegeneration in cerebrospinal fluid | Back to top
Biomarkers are important tools for diagnosing and monitoring diseases and are useful in assessing patient responses to new therapies. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are particularly difficult to monitor because the site of disease (the brain) isn't readily accessible.
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Patrizia Fanara of KineMed, Inc. in Emeryville, CA and Marc Hellerstein of the University of California, San Francisco report the development of a novel class of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based kinetic biomarkers. The biomarkers measure axonal transport, a cellular process that is altered in PD, AD, Huntington's disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The researchers first analyzed the biomarkers in a mouse model of Parkinsons' disease. Prior to the test, the mice drank "labeled" water, which was metabolized and incorporated into molecules that could then be measured in CSF. The study was then repeated in humans. Fanara and colleagues observed marked alterations in CSF from patients with PD compared to healthy subjects. In a companion piece, William Potter, a member of the National Institutes of Health Neuroscience Steering Committee, discusses the use of CSF as a biomarker source and the implications of this technology for the study of neurological diseases.
TITLE:
Cerebrospinal fluidbased kinetic biomarkers of axonal transport in monitoring neurodegeneration
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Patrizia Fanara
KineMed Inc., Emeryville, CA, USA
Phone: 5106556525; E-mail: pfanara@kinemed.com
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/64575?key=2327e0ba88b87a685c83
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE:
Mining the secrets of the CSF: developing biomarkers of neurodegeneration
AUTHOR CONTACT:
William Potter
National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Phone: 215-827-9729; E-mail: wzpottermd@gmail.com
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65309?key=5a4cab61960e0a7afdba
Out-PHOXed: Mutation in PHOX2B underlies multiple pediatric developmental disorders
In the developing embryo, neural crest cells (NCCs) give rise to various cell types, including neural, endocrine, and craniofacial cells. Impairment of NCC development can lead to a wide spectrum of disorders known as neurocristopathies. Three neuroscristopathies, Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR), central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), and neuroblastoma (NB) are some of the most common pediatric developmental disorders and frequently occur in the same patient. Despite being highly dis-similar disease states, affecting function of the bowel, control of breathing, and the development of pediatric brain cancer, all three are linked to mutations in the PHOX2B gene.
To gain a better understanding of the cellular and molecular origins of these diseases, researchers at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan examined the effects of PHOX2B mutations in mice. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Hideki Enomoto and colleagues demonstrate that a particular PHOX2B mutation disrupts the formation of neural cells, autonomic ganglia, that are required for the function of the autonomic nervous system, impairs enervation of part of the bowel, and promotes tumor development. In a companion piece, Michael Gershon of Columbia University discusses the impact of this work on our understanding of neurocristopathies.
TITLE:
Autonomic neurocristopathy-associated mutations in PHOX2B dysregulate Sox10 expression
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Hideki Enomoto
RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, , JPN
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/63884?key=2281f71ea2c1879ebc35
Targeting inflammation to stop cancer
Chronic inflammation is frequently at the route of multiple cancers, particularly in colorectal cancers where ulcerative colitis increases the risk of developing colon cancer 20-fold. Patients with ulcerative colitis are often treated with NSAIDs to reduce inflammation, which can reduce their cancer risk by 50%. Molecules that drive inflammation may be attractive therapeutic targets to prevent and treat inflammation-driven cancers.
Chemokine receptors are one of the primary classes of molecules that regulate inflammation and many cancers express molecules that activate these receptors. Researchers at the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland recently demonstrated that the chemokine receptor CXCR2 is a critical mediator of inflammation-driven tumorigenesis. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Thomas Jamieson and colleagues show that mice lacking CXCR2 or mice that are treated with CXCR2 inhibitors are less susceptible to inflammation-driven colon and skin cancer. These studies indicate that CXCR2 inhibitors may have potential as a therapy to treat or prevent inflammation-driven cancers.
TITLE:
Inhibition of CXCR2 profoundly suppresses inflammation-driven and spontaneous tumorigenesis
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61067?key=533354e1dda2f8b553e8
Partners in crime: T Follicular Helper Cells assist HIV in thwarting the immune system
Antibodies play an essential role in protecting against viral infection by preventing viral entry into host cells and eliminating cells infected with virus. A few viruses, including HIV and SIV, have developed mechanisms to evade the body's antibody response, allowing the virus to persist and making it very difficult to develop effective vaccines. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, two research groups report that accumulation of a type of immune cell known as T follicular helper (TFH) cells accumulate during HIV and SIV infection to help the viruses escape antibody-mediated immune responses.
Hendrick Streeck and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School found that there was significant increase in the number of TFH cells in patients with chronic HIV infections. The extra TFH cells were associated with alterations in the development of B cells, which are responsible for antibody production in response to viral infections. Constantinos Petrovas's group at NIH discovered that the gene profile of TFH cells in SIV-infected rhesus macaques, demonstrating that TFH cells are highly susceptible to SIV infection. In a companion piece, Carola Vinuesa of the Australian National University in Canberra, AU discusses the implications of these findings for the development of new HIV therapies.
TITLE:
Expansion of HIV-specific T follicular helper cells in chronic HIV infection
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Hendrik Streeck
Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Charlestown, MA, USA
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65175?key=77d9ab61bfb939c8bd4a
###
[ | 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.
The human population has started to evolve. For some strange reason, on the day of the eclipse, several people develop strange and supernatural powers. But a shadow looms over this strange event.....
Owner:
Game Masters:
This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Hero: Awakening?. Anything posted here will also show up there.
Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup. Here are the Villians we know of.
????- Ability to Steal Powers, has several powers including Electrokinesis, Super Strength, Gravity Manipulation, and possibly more. He has some insane craving to kill other people with powers for their powers.
Alana White- Ability to create a "Nightmare World", trapping someone in a World that lets her subject them to all sorts of Torment and chaos. Anything that happens in the Nightmare World happens in real life however. You also can not die in the Nightmare World, like how you always wake up before you die in a dream, but you wont wake up. You will still be trapped. The more people in the Nightmare World however, the harder it is to maintain. She works for T.A.N.C., who use Special Helmets that negate Telepathy and Telepathy like Powers.
Damion Monroe- He has the power of Light Refraction, allowing him to bend light around him and certain objects. This makes him invisible and such,
POWER TO THE ROLE PLAYERS: Most Recent Roleplay
i am 33% evil, 33% insane, 33% role player, and 1% other (Note: Insane and Brilliant are the same thing!)
My test:
My Brothers Test: [CENTER]
Mr. Baneling Squishy
Member for 2 years
Post a reply
RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.
If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_snCbsmJC_qH1s59MmP93KByLsGCiHe-nPcINQQfK1cosdriIaHY5EqUdFz4UUW5a2aRYEVDqUZ2uArY9qf9KYMJrW6VJRVBwVGg9z1W-M=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 27-Aug-2012
Share ] 
