Ravens QB Flacco signs NFL's richest contract

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) ? Joe Flacco knows his stature as the highest-paid player in NFL history may not last for long, and he's OK with it.

What matters most to the Super Bowl MVP is that the Baltimore Ravens were willing to pay him that kind of money in the first place.

Flacco signed his new contract Monday worth $120.6 million over six years. He will receive a $29 million signing bonus, $52 million in guaranteed money and $51 million over the first two years of the deal.

The former first-round draft pick out of Delaware is the first starting quarterback in NFL history to make the playoffs in each of his first five seasons. He's led the Ravens to nine wins over that span, tying Tom Brady for most among quarterbacks in the first five years of a career.

Flacco threw 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions during the recent postseason and led Baltimore to a 34-31 Super Bowl win over San Francisco.

And it all made the Ravens willing to pay him more money than Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees or any other of the great quarterbacks in the game today.

"When guys that are drafted in the first round, when guys that win football games for you, quarterbacks like that, when the time comes up for those guys to get paid, they usually become the highest paid guy in the league," Flacco said. "I'm sure in a couple of months from now, someone is going to sign a deal, and you guys are going to be talking to them about how they are the highest paid guy in NFL history. That's just the name of the game.

"I know that this isn't going to hold up for that long, but that's not a priority of mine to be the highest-paid guy. The priority of mine was to get that respect that I felt, that I feel now from this organization."

Flacco is the quarterback the Ravens have longed to have for years, and they weren't about to let him get away.

"We just returned from the (scouting) combine, and I remember the days of going there and studying and hoping that one of the quarterbacks could be our guy. ... We've been out in that desert before," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "That all changed when we drafted Joe in 2008, and now we've secured him for many more years. He's a significant reason we've been to the playoffs five years in a row, played in three AFC championship games, and now, we are Super Bowl champs with Joe as MVP."

Flacco's performance this past offseason almost certainly helped him receive his record-breaking contract. But the quarterback thought he was good enough to receive all that money before he threw three touchdown passes against the 49ers.

"Listen, winning the Super Bowl, winning the Super Bowl MVP doesn't make me as valuable as I am," he said. "I think I bring to the table what I bring to the table. I think I'm an asset to this team, and I'm worth what I'm worth. The fact that we won the Super Bowl just comes with that. If we didn't win the Super Bowl this year, I still think I'm worth the same, and I still think I'm the same person to this organization. It may not be seen that way, but that's the bottom line. I still think I give the team the best chance to win moving forward."

By signing Monday, Flacco avoided receiving the franchise tag, which would have hindered the Ravens' salary cap in 2013.

"I know we have a lot of good players on the team, and I love to play with those guys, so hopefully it works out very good for the organization and we can keep as many people as we need," he said.

Flacco turned down a contract before the 2012 season that would have paid him roughly $15 million a year. His decision turned out to be a wise one.

"I thought I was worth more and didn't really see any circumstances where I wouldn't end up getting paid more than what they were willing to give me at that point," Flacco said.

That assessment was as precise as one of his many sharp spirals in the Super Bowl.

"The real risk is that I could get hurt," he said. "I always kind of had faith that we were going to get something done here no matter what. I didn't know if we were going to go win the Super Bowl and all of that, so that kind of helped the situation out, I think, a little bit."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ravens-qb-flacco-signs-nfls-richest-contract-200411636--nfl.html

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Daily-use HIV prevention approaches prove ineffective among women, study suggests

Mar. 4, 2013 ? Three antiretroviral-based strategies intended to prevent HIV infection among women did not prove effective in a major clinical trial in Africa. For reasons that are unclear, a majority of study participants -- particularly young, single women -- were unable to use their assigned approaches daily as directed, according to findings presented today by one of the study's co-leaders at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Atlanta.

The Vaginal and Oral Interventions to Control the Epidemic (VOICE) study, or MTN 003, was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three HIV prevention strategies compared to placebo. Specifically, the trial tested an investigational vaginal gel containing the antiretroviral drug tenofovir, a pill form of tenofovir (brand name Viread), and a pill containing a combination of tenofovir and emtricitabine (brand name Truvada). The study was sponsored and largely funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

In the trial, the three strategies were tested among 5,029 sexually active women 18 to 45 years of age at 15 sites in South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Nearly half of the study participants were under the age of 25, and most were unmarried (79 percent). Participants in each of the three groups were counseled to use their assigned pill or gel once daily and received free condoms, ongoing counseling on how to reduce their HIV risk, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Prior to enrollment, all potential study participants engaged in an oral and written consent process explaining the details of the study.

Study results presented today indicate that most VOICE participants did not adhere to the daily use schedule. Moreover, single women 25 years of age and younger were the least likely to use the investigational products and the most likely to become infected with HIV. The rate of new HIV infections among these young women was nearly 10 percent at some of the study sites in South Africa, reflecting a very high incidence of HIV infection among young women in these communities.

"We do not know why many participants in the VOICE study did not adhere to daily use of these HIV prevention strategies," said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "We must continue to conduct research to find additional HIV prevention tools that women will find acceptable and use consistently to protect themselves against infection."

In other HIV prevention studies involving different study populations, including men and women, both oral Truvada and oral tenofovir have demonstrated an ability to reduce the risk of HIV infection when used consistently. However, the VOICE study results are consistent with another clinical trial known as the FEM-PrEP study, which tested daily use of oral Truvada among a similar population of women. Like the VOICE study, researchers found that the majority of FEM-PrEP participants did not follow the daily regimen.

The VOICE study, which launched in 2009, was led by co-investigators Zvavahera Mike Chirenje, M.D., of the University of Zimbabwe in Harare, and Jeanne Marrazzo, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of Washington, Seattle. In fall 2011, oral tenofovir and tenofovir vaginal gel were dropped from the VOICE trial after separate routine reviews of the study data by an independent data and safety monitoring board determined that while each product was safe, neither was effective in preventing HIV compared with placebo. Researchers continued to evaluate oral Truvada until the study's scheduled conclusion in August 2012. Results presented today at the CROI meeting by Dr. Marazzo provided an analysis for each of the study's three product arms.

Of the 5,029 women who enrolled in the VOICE study, 312 became infected with HIV for an overall 5.7 percent rate of new HIV infections -- reflecting a very high overall rate of infection among women in these areas. Twenty-two women were found to be HIV-infected at time of enrollment; therefore, the study's primary analysis was based on 5,007 participants.

There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of new infections between women assigned to the three investigational products and women using placebo. Among the 994 women who were assigned to daily use of Truvada, 61 women became infected with HIV (4.7 percent rate of new infections) compared with 60 of 1,008 women who became infected in the oral placebo group (4.6 percent rate of new infections). Of the 1,002 participants in the daily oral tenofovir group, 60 women acquired HIV. However, the rate of new HIV infections was calculated to reflect what had occurred up until Oct. 3, 2011, when study sites began informing participants that testing of oral tenofovir would end. At this time, 52 women acquired HIV (6.3 percent rate of new infections) compared with 35 of 1,008 women who became infected in the placebo arm (4.2 percent rate of new infections). Of the 1,003 women assigned to use daily tenofovir gel, 61 became infected with HIV (5.9 percent rate of new infections), and 70 infections occurred among the 1,000 women in the placebo gel group (6.8 percent rate of new infections). Women who became infected with HIV during the VOICE study were referred to local sites for appropriate medical care and treatment.

During the course of the study, adherence to each of the three approaches was anticipated to be roughly 90 percent based on what study participants reported to clinic site staff and monthly counts of unused gel applicators and leftover study pills that were returned to the sites. However, in a blood sample analysis of 773 participants, including 185 participants who became HIV-infected, it became clear that adherence was low across each of the study's three investigational product groups. Drug was detected in the blood of 29 percent of the women in the Truvada group, 28 percent in the oral tenofovir group and 23 percent among those in the tenofovir gel group. When examining the data by age, young, single women were less likely to use their assigned treatment strategy. For example, among the women assigned to use oral Truvada, drug was detected in the blood of only 21 percent of young, single women compared to 54 percent of those married and over the age of 25.

"Based on our findings, it is clear that young, single women in Africa continue to be at very high risk for HIV infection and may need the greatest assistance with using prevention strategies consistently," said Dr. Marrazzo. Among VOICE study participants, the rate of new HIV infections was nearly 9 percent among unmarried women under the age of 25 compared to 0.8 percent for older married women, a statistically significant difference.

Through two ongoing behavioral studies involving VOICE participants, researchers are hoping to gain insight as to why the women did or did not use the investigational products. Results from those two studies are expected later this year.

NIAID funded the VOICE study with co-funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, also part of the NIH. The trial was conducted by the NIH-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN). Gilead Sciences, Inc., of Foster City, Calif., donated the tenofovir and Truvada tablets. CONRAD of Arlington, Va., provided the tenofovir gel and applicators used to insert the product.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/c3MrH1OsvV4/130304151856.htm

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Plight of the bumblebee: Disappearance?

Honey bees aren't the only ones in trouble. The fuzzy American bumblebee, once the most dominant bee species in the Midwest, seems to be disappearing.

By Beth Borenstein,?Associated Press / February 28, 2013

Amateur Illinois bee spotter Johanna James-Heinz found this rusty-patched bumblebee in 2008 in Peoria, Ill. It is one of four species of bumblebees that researchers say is in trouble.

Johanna James-Heinz / AP

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It's not just honey bees that are in trouble. The fuzzy American bumblebee seems to be disappearing in the Midwest.

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Two new studies in Thursday's journal Science conclude that wild bees like the American bumblebee are increasingly important in pollinating flowers and crops that provide us with food. And, at least in the Midwest, they seem to be dwindling in an alarming manner, possibly from disease and parasites.

Wild bees are difficult to track, so scientists have had a hard time knowing what's happening to them. But because of one man in a small town in Illinois in the 1890s, researchers now have a better clue.

Naturalist Charles Robertson went out daily in a horse-drawn buggy and meticulously collected and categorized insects in Carlinville in southern Illinois.

More than a century later, Laura Burkle of Montana State University went back to see what changed. Burkle and her colleagues reported that they could only find half the species of wild bees that Robertson found ? 54 of 109 types.

"That's a significant decline. It's a scary decline," Burkle said Thursday.

And what's most noticeable is the near absence of one particular species, the yellow-and-black American bumblebee. There are 4,000 species of wild bees in America and 49 of them are bumblebees. In the Midwest, the most common bee has been Bombus pensylvanicus, known as the American bumblebee. It only stings defensively, experts say.

But in 447 hours of searching, Burkle's team found only one American bumblebee, a queen.

That fits with a study that University of Illinois entomologist Sydney Cameron did two years ago when she found a dramatic reduction in the number and range of the American bumblebee.

"It was the most dominant bumblebee in the Midwest," Cameron said, saying it now has pretty much disappeared from much of its northern range. Overall, its range has shrunk by about 23 percent, although it is still strong in Texas and the West, she said.

"People call them the big fuzzies," Cameron said. "They're phenomenal animals. They can fly in the snow."

Her research found four species of bumblebees in trouble: the American bumblebee, the rusty-patched bumblebee, the western bumblebee and the yellow-banded bumblebee.

A separate Science study by a European team showed that wild bees in general have a larger role in pollinating plants than the honey bees that are trucked in to do the job professionally.

Those domesticated bees are already in trouble with record high prices for bees to pollinate California almond trees, said David Inouye at the University of Maryland.

Scientists suspect a combination of disease and parasites for the dwindling of both wild and domesticated bees.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/cdYknn47hSQ/Plight-of-the-bumblebee-Disappearance

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SpaceX rocket develops problem mid-flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) ? A commercial vessel carrying a ton of supplies for the International Space Station ran into trouble shortly after liftoff Friday.

SpaceX's billionaire founder Elon Musk reported a problem with the thrusters on the unmanned spacecraft, named Dragon. Three of the four sets of thrusters did not kick in, he said via Twitter, and flight controllers for the company were trying to override the system.

Musk said from SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, Calif., that he wants at least two thruster pods active before the twin solar panels that provide power are deployed.

NASA flight controllers in Houston offered help as they monitored space station operations.

The problem cropped up immediately following Dragon's separation from the rocket upper stage, nine minutes into the flight. The launch itself appeared to go flawlessly.

More than 1 ton of space station supplies is aboard the Dragon, including some much-needed equipment for air purifiers. The capsule is supposed to arrive at the space station Saturday morning after an unusually short chase.

This is the first major trouble to strike a Dragon in orbit. Two previous capsules, launched last year, had no problem getting to the space station.

SpaceX has a billion-dollar contract with NASA to restock the orbiting lab, and hopes the venture will lead to astronaut rides in a few years.

The private California company run by the billionaire who helped create PayPal, launched its unmanned Falcon rocket into clouds right on time. It was the third supply run by a Dragon capsule, an unparalleled accomplishment all under a year.

Launch controllers applauded and gave high-fives to one another, once the spacecraft safely reached orbit. The successful separation of the Dragon from the rocket was broadcast live on NASA TV; on-board cameras provided the unique views nine minutes into the flight.

Then the trouble struck.

The space station and its six-man crew were orbiting 250 miles above the Atlantic, just off the New England coast, when the Falcon soared. Astronauts are to use a hefty robot arm to draw the Dragon in and dock it to the station.

SpaceX tucked fresh fruit into the Dragon for the station residents; the apples and other treats are straight from the orchard of an employee's family. Also on board: 640 seeds of a flowering weed used for research, mouse stems cells, protein crystals, astronaut meals and clothing, trash bags, air-purifying devices, computer parts and other gear.

SpaceX ? formally Space Exploration Technologies Corp. ? has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA for space station shipments.

NASA's deputy administrator, Lori Garver, said using commercial providers is more efficient for the space agency. It's part of a long-term program, she noted, that has NASA spending less money on low-Earth orbit and investing more in deep-space missions. That's one reason why the space shuttles were retired in 2011 after the station was completed.

The goal is to have SpaceX and other private firms take over the job of ferrying astronauts to and from the space station in the next few years.

SpaceX ? so far the leader of the pack ? is aiming for a manned Dragon flight by 2015.

This is the second in a planned series of 12 SpaceX deliveries under the contract with NASA; the first was last October. A company-sponsored demo mission kicked everything off last May.

Competitor Orbital Sciences Corp. has yet to get off its Virginia launch pad. The company plans to launch a free-flying test of its Antares rocket and Cygnus supply ship in April, followed by a demo run to the space station in early summer. Then the so-called operational supply runs can begin.

Russia, Japan and Europe regularly make station deliveries as well, and Russia is the only option for astronaut rides. But only the Dragon is designed to bring back substantial amounts of research and used merchandise.

This Dragon is scheduled will spend more than three weeks at the space station before being cut loose by the crew on March 25. It will parachute into the Pacific with more than a ton of medical samples, plant and cell specimens, Japanese fish and old machinery, and used spacewalking gloves and other items.

SpaceX plans to launch its next Dragon to the station in late fall.

More than 2,000 guests jammed the Cape Canaveral launch site Friday morning to watch the Falcon take flight. It wasn't much of a show because of all the clouds.

___

Online:

SpaceX: http://www.spacex.com/

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-rocket-launched-problem-thrusters-155943133.html

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NSS objects to new workplace guidelines on religious discrimination

The National Secular Society has objected to new workplace guidelines issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission to reflect the outcome of the recent European Court cases relating to the four Christians who claimed they had been discriminated against at work.

We were given the opportunity to comment on draft guidelines, which included a fictional example about a Hindu nurse offering prayers to a patient, and concluded that this was not inappropriate. We objected to the example on the basis that it was practically identical to the actual case of Caroline Petrie, the Somerset nurse who offered prayers to a patient at home, where prayers were considered not to be appropriate. A Christian, sensitive to the likely inappropriateness of this to those who would not want prayers, complained to the Health Authority. It transpired that nurse Petrie had already being disciplined for such behaviour and instructed not to repeat it. She lost her case at the employment tribunal.

Our objection, backed up by 2009 Department of Health guidance warning about proselytising (pdf), was taken on board and the Hindu nurse example was removed. It seems that the Commission were determined to produce an example where praying was acceptable. So they replaced the Hindu nurse case with a Christian, but needed to introduce a ridiculously unlikely scenario in an attempt to do so:

"A Christian hospital nurse offers to say prayers for a patient, making it clear that there is no pressure or obligation on the patient to agree and he will not be offended if the patient declines. The patient decides that she would like the prayers to be said for her as she will gain some comfort from them. The hospital nurse's colleagues who witness this raise concerns with their manager who, after investigation, decides nothing inappropriate occurred in these circumstances. This was because the nurse had discussed and agreed in advance with his employer that he could offer prayers, when the hospital chaplain was unavailable, to patients who had identified spiritual needs and who accepted the offer without any pressure or abuse of power.

We have written to the EHRC Chair to complain about the inappropriateness of the example, but also about what appears to us to be the lack of even-handedness in the way the guidelines have been drawn together.

Source: http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2013/02/nss-objects-to-new-workplace-guidelines-on-religious-discrimination

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What All Homeowners Need to Know about Umbrella Insurance ...

Do you need insurance for your insurance? Technically, that is what umbrella insurance is ? additional coverage for your existing homeowner?s and automobile insurance policies. While this type of policy is not right for everyone, umbrella insurance is something that all homeowners should understand in case they reach a point where such a policy becomes prudent.

Umbrella insurance protects you in the event that your homeowner?s or auto insurance cannot cover the costs of an accident you are involved in. In an article entitled ?Umbrella Coverage for Preventing Your Ruin,? The New York Times paints the following scenario ? or rather ? nightmare, as Times writer Joseph Treaster put it.

?Your car skids. You crash into a Mercedes with a highly paid business executive at the wheel. He?s hurt so badly he cannot return to work. A jury awards him millions of dollars and you have to pay it.?

While the chances of this situation may be slim, if such an unfortunate day were to come, would you your assets be safe? If your homeowner?s or auto insurance policy in New Jersey cannot cover the costs of an accident, an umbrella insurance policy could save you from financial ruin. The difference an umbrella insurance policy can make in this situation could be the difference of keeping your life savings, keeping your home, and keeping your salary.

ABC Action News clarifies that while umbrella insurance is most commonly purchased by wealthy individuals, ?not-so-wealthy people also can benefit from the extra coverage if they own a home or condominium with a pool or trampoline, if they own a dog or if they have teenage drivers.?

In the past, umbrella policies were sometimes viewed as ?paranoia insurance.? But today, umbrella policyholders are simply facing the reality that we live in a ?lawsuit-happy society,? as one finance blogger David Bakke explains it. Umbrella insurance, in Bakke?s layman terms, can be viewed as ?lawsuit insurance.?

Umbrella policies are sold in $1 million increments. Since umbrella policies only go into effect when the underlying policies will not suffice, policyholders are required to have a certain amount of liability already in place with auto and homeowner?s policies.

There are a few ways to approach the decision of whether you should pursue an umbrella policy with an independent insurance broker in New Jersey. First, determine your net worth to see if it exceeds $1 million. Next, evaluate your lifestyle, including your place of residence, job, hobbies, and any other factors that increase your risk. Finally, decide how having an umbrella insurance policy in New Jersey will affect your peace of mind.

If are considering an umbrella insurance policy in New Jersey, contact one of our experienced agents here at Martin Financial Group, an independent insurance broker based in New Jersey, by calling 609-356-1500.

Image via Telnov Oleksii / Shutterstock

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Personal Lines Property and Casualty Insurance underwritten by insurers not affiliated with Prudential. Availability varies by carrier and state.

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Source: http://blog.immartin.com/homeowners-insurance/what-all-homeowners-need-to-know-about-umbrella-insurance/

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Sprint Force specs

The Sprint Force has just been announced, revealing its inferior hardware underneath a 4-inch WVGA display with a 480x800 resolution. While the low-end Android leaves much to be desired, it still offers 4G LTE and NFC at an affordable price of $49.99.  Get a full list of specs on the Sprint Force after the break.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/V4IRjNOScu0/story01.htm

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