This should not be how a grateful nation says thank you.
Buried deep within the detail of the City of Toronto?s 2013 interim report on homelessness is a single startling fact.
Around 16% of those living rough on the streets of Canada?s biggest city said they had served in the Canadian military.
That?s right. Almost one in five self-identify as military veterans yet they make their home on the sidewalk or under a bridge.
This is something that should shock all Canadians.
Nobody is forced to serve in our all-volunteer navy, army and air force. People choose to don our military uniform and prepare to defend Canada from her enemies at home and abroad at considerable personal sacrifice.
Be it in the skies over Libya or the mountains of Afghanistan, in recent years more and more military personnel have gone into harm?s way for Canada and freedom.
Then there are those who also stand and serve without leaving the country but are essential none the less.
The findings of the Toronto survey roughly align with a study released two weeks ago by Western University in London, Ont.
It found that Canadian Forces veterans, who at one time served and protected their country, are now facing one of the toughest battles of their lives ? homelessness.
A national study by assistant nursing professor Susan Ray and nursing professor Cheryl Forchuk, the first of its kind on Canada?s homeless veterans, identified this new trend of homeless ex-military personnel.
Prior research on the subject, which has primarily originated in the United States, presents the scenario of homeless veterans having seen overseas deployment, witnessing trauma, having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and not being able to adjust when they get home.
Research with Canadian homeless veterans shows a whole different number of causes ? the primary one being alcohol abuse ? but it is a growing problem all the same.
?For a lot of them it was from drinking, which started in the military, escalated over time and 10 years later you would see the alcoholism, and through that they would lose their job, their relationships, their housing,? Prof. Ray says.
Perhaps the single biggest challenge for vets is making the successful transition from military to civilian life and that remains a large factor in the veterans? homelessness.
A spokesman for Julian Fantino, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, told the Toronto Sun that in 2012 Ottawa launched a national pilot project reaching out to former servicemen and women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
?Canadian veterans are entitled to thousands of dollars worth of benefits and services that are not available to the general public, which makes even one case of a homeless veteran deeply unfortunate and unnecessary,? he said.
The spokesman urged anyone who is aware of a vet living on the streets to contact 1-866-522-2122 (English) or 1-866-522-2022 (French) so that emergency funding and a certified case manager can be assigned.
Which shows that the federal minister is aware of the problem, however waiting for those in need to ask for help may not be the best way forward.
Too many of the homeless live on the margins of society and remain unaware of how close help can be.
Plenty speak about the difficulty in adjusting to an unstructured civilian life and the lack of supports at all levels they received BEFORE moving from military to civilian life.
No matter the reason or the causes, the fact that increasing numbers of our former military personnel face a life of homeless desperation should shame us all.
After pushing back the launch due to a last-minute mechanical problem, the Android-based handheld gaming console is now available for purchase. It costs $299, and is being sold through Nvidia and Newegg, and at select GameStop, Micro Center and Canada Computers retail stores.
The Shield was first introduced at CES, and it?s the first consumer hardware product for Nvidia, which is best known for making the components that provide the graphics power in many of today?s smartphones, tablets and computers.
The Shield features a flip-up, five-inch, 1,280 by 720-pixel touchscreen attached to an Xbox-style controller. Powered by Nvidia?s Tegra 4 processor and running Android Jelly Bean, it can play any Android game, and even supports Android apps, including Netflix, Hulu Plus and Chrome Web browser. It also includes a feature that allows users to stream PC games over Wi-Fi, though this is still in a testing phase.
Nvidia certainly isn?t the first company to try its hand at an Android gaming console. Startups like Ouya, Green Throttle and BlueStacks have all gotten into the game, though all three focus on bringing Android games to the TV.
Though interest in these devices has been great, the execution hasn?t been overly positive. In her review of Ouya, Lauren Goode said there wasn?t much of a broad appeal for the device. And when I checked out Green Throttle, I was frustrated by the lack of games.
So far, early reviews for the Nvidia Shield have been generally positive. The theme seems to be that it?s a really good first effort, but that?s not much of a selling point to lure customers away from the PS Vita, Nintendo 3DS or even standalone tablets. I should be getting my hands on one soon, so stay tuned for my thoughts on the device.
Google is bringing more Glass Explorers into the program, and it's doing that the best way it knows how: by letting current users invite a friend. Those among you old enough to remember when Gmail first started will remember this was once the only method to get on board with that service, and now Glass-owning folks can ask a single friend to join them in testing out Glass before its wide consumer release.
Yes, even the kind with iron phosphate. A recent review of pet exposures reported to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) found 56 cases involving 61 dogs that showed signs compatible with iron toxicosis after being exposed to iron phosphate baits. Those signs include lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea. Most of the time, dogs had access to the area where baits were used or they got into products that were stored insecurely.
There was good news in the review of pet exposures. Exposures to the other kind of slug & snail bait, metaldehyde, fell from 209 in 2005 to 21 in 2011, a tenfold decrease! Metaldehyde is more toxic to dogs than iron phosphate.
?????? Always read and follow the label directions, even when the product is considered natural, organic, or less toxic than other pesticides.
?????? Store pesticides where pets cannot gain access. We heard stories about pets opening cabinets, knocking packages off high shelves, and digging up buried bait pellets.
?????? Don?t create piles of bait.
?????? Pay attention to the amount applied. The labels are very specific.
UT Southwestern researchers identify novel mechanism that helps stomach bug cause illnessPublic release date: 29-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wormser deborah.wormser@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS July 29, 2013 A seafood contaminant that thrives in brackish water during the summer works like a spy to infiltrate cells and quickly open communication channels to sicken the host, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria, which cause gastroenteritis, inject proteins called effectors into host cells. One of those effectors, VopQ, almost immediately starts to disrupt the important process of autophagy via a novel channel-forming mechanism, the scientists report in the investigation available online at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Autophagy is the cellular housekeeping mechanism used to recycle nutrients in cells as well as to fight off pathogens. The term autophagy comes from the Greek words for self and eating. During the process, nutrients are recycled by the lysosome, an internal organelle, to produce metabolites that can be used by the cell.
"Our study identifies a bacterial effector that creates gated ion channels and reveals a novel mechanism that may regulate autophagy," said Dr. Kim Orth, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry. She is a corresponding author on the published study. The first author is Anju Sreelatha, a graduate student in Dr. Orth's laboratory.
"Disruptions of autophagic pathways are implicated in many human diseases, including neurodegenerative disease, liver disease, some cancers, and cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)," Ms. Sreelatha said.
She explained that ion channels are pores in the membranes of cells or of organelles within cells that allow regulated passage of small molecules or ions across membranes. Gated channels have a mechanism that opens and closes them, making these proteins potential targets for drug development.
"The identification of a channel that opens and closes and thereby affects autophagy may give us a handle by which to modulate this important process," she said, adding that the researchers found that VopQ's channel activity turned off autophagy.
"During infection, VopQ is injected into the host cell where the protein binds to a lysosomal membrane protein and forms small pores, all within minutes of infection. The resulting complex of proteins causes ions to leak and the lysosomes to de-acidify. Lacking acidification, lysosomes cannot degrade the unneeded cellular components and autophagy is disrupted," Ms. Sreelatha said.
Dr. Orth said "Bacterial pathogens have evolved a number of ways to target and manipulate host cell signaling; the ability of VopQ to form a gated ion channel and to inhibit autophagy represents a novel mechanism."
Further characterization of the mechanism by which VopQ sabotages cells to disrupt autophagy may lead to a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions as well as advance our understanding of the pathway, eventually leading to new treatments for diseases in which autophagy has gone awry, they noted.
###
Other UT Southwestern scientists involved were Dr. Hui Zheng, a postdoctoral researcher of cell biology, and Dr. Qiu-Xing Jiang, assistant professor of cell biology. Also participating were Terry Bennett and Dr. Vincent Starai of the University of Georgia.
Funding was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation; the Welch Foundation; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas; and by University of Georgia Startup Funds.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty has many distinguished members, including five who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985. Numbering more than 2,700, the faculty is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to nearly 90,000 hospitalized patients and oversee more than 1.9 million outpatient visits a year.
This news release is available on our home page at
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html
To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via email,
subscribe at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews
[ | 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.
UT Southwestern researchers identify novel mechanism that helps stomach bug cause illnessPublic release date: 29-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wormser deborah.wormser@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS July 29, 2013 A seafood contaminant that thrives in brackish water during the summer works like a spy to infiltrate cells and quickly open communication channels to sicken the host, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria, which cause gastroenteritis, inject proteins called effectors into host cells. One of those effectors, VopQ, almost immediately starts to disrupt the important process of autophagy via a novel channel-forming mechanism, the scientists report in the investigation available online at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Autophagy is the cellular housekeeping mechanism used to recycle nutrients in cells as well as to fight off pathogens. The term autophagy comes from the Greek words for self and eating. During the process, nutrients are recycled by the lysosome, an internal organelle, to produce metabolites that can be used by the cell.
"Our study identifies a bacterial effector that creates gated ion channels and reveals a novel mechanism that may regulate autophagy," said Dr. Kim Orth, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry. She is a corresponding author on the published study. The first author is Anju Sreelatha, a graduate student in Dr. Orth's laboratory.
"Disruptions of autophagic pathways are implicated in many human diseases, including neurodegenerative disease, liver disease, some cancers, and cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)," Ms. Sreelatha said.
She explained that ion channels are pores in the membranes of cells or of organelles within cells that allow regulated passage of small molecules or ions across membranes. Gated channels have a mechanism that opens and closes them, making these proteins potential targets for drug development.
"The identification of a channel that opens and closes and thereby affects autophagy may give us a handle by which to modulate this important process," she said, adding that the researchers found that VopQ's channel activity turned off autophagy.
"During infection, VopQ is injected into the host cell where the protein binds to a lysosomal membrane protein and forms small pores, all within minutes of infection. The resulting complex of proteins causes ions to leak and the lysosomes to de-acidify. Lacking acidification, lysosomes cannot degrade the unneeded cellular components and autophagy is disrupted," Ms. Sreelatha said.
Dr. Orth said "Bacterial pathogens have evolved a number of ways to target and manipulate host cell signaling; the ability of VopQ to form a gated ion channel and to inhibit autophagy represents a novel mechanism."
Further characterization of the mechanism by which VopQ sabotages cells to disrupt autophagy may lead to a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions as well as advance our understanding of the pathway, eventually leading to new treatments for diseases in which autophagy has gone awry, they noted.
###
Other UT Southwestern scientists involved were Dr. Hui Zheng, a postdoctoral researcher of cell biology, and Dr. Qiu-Xing Jiang, assistant professor of cell biology. Also participating were Terry Bennett and Dr. Vincent Starai of the University of Georgia.
Funding was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation; the Welch Foundation; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas; and by University of Georgia Startup Funds.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty has many distinguished members, including five who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985. Numbering more than 2,700, the faculty is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to nearly 90,000 hospitalized patients and oversee more than 1.9 million outpatient visits a year.
This news release is available on our home page at
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html
To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via email,
subscribe at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews
[ | 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.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Don't let the global economy fool you: Luxury is hardly dead.
Saks Inc. agreed to sell itself to Hudson's Bay Co., the Canadian parent of upscale retailer Lord & Taylor, for about $2.4 billion in a deal that will bring luxury to more North American locales.
The acquisition combines three department-store brands ? Hudson's Bay, Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue? and creates a North American upscale retailing behemoth with 320 stores in some of the biggest and most populous cities in the U.S. and Canada.
Lord & Taylor and Hudson's Bay, Canadian's biggest department store chain, both cater to well-heeled shoppers who can afford $98 Free People blouses and $250 Coach handbags. Saks customers, on the other hand, are more affluent and can shell out $800 for Christian Louboutin heels or a couple of thousand dollars for Gucci handbags.
During a conference call with investors on Monday, Hudson's Bay Chairman and CEO Richard Baker said the goal is to bring Saks luxury brand into Canada. The company plans to open up seven Saks Fifth Avenue stores and 25 Off Fifth outlet stores to Canada, while creating a Saks website targeted to Canadians. Hudson's Bay also plans to renovate Saks stores and to make the brand more "luxurious."
"With the addition of Saks, (Hudson's Bay) will offer consumers an unprecedented range of retailing categories and shopping experiences," Baker said.
Hudson's Bay is making a play for luxury at a time when shoppers still appear to be willing to shell out money for posh handbags and expensive sports cars despite global economic challenges. Global luxury sales, including higher-end jewelry and clothes, rose an estimated 10 percent to $281.96 billion last year, according to the latest study from Bain & Co. In North American, luxury sales were up an estimated 12 percent to $81.33 billion.
Still, Saks has lagged behind its peers in the luxury sector. It's been trying to keep up with its rivals Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, which have performed well post-recession.
After getting battered by the Great Recession, Saks discounted heavily to bring shoppers back. That move hurt the chain's image, which is higher-brow.
Saks since has returned to selling clothes and other merchandise at full price and focused on closing unprofitable stores. But its sales haven't rebounded quickly to the level before the U.S. financial meltdown in 2008.
In the latest fiscal year, Saks reported annual revenue of $3.15 billion, up more than 4 percent from the previous year but still below the $3.28 billion in the year ended in January 2008. Saks' net income fell nearly 16 percent to $62.8 million in the latest year.
Belus Capital Markets analyst Brian Sozzi said that Saks shopping experience still isn't as inviting as that of Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. For example, Nordstrom has been doing things like allowing shoppers to checkout in fitting rooms using sales associates' hand-held gadgets. And Neiman Marcus, which didn't suffer during the Great Recession, has a long-held reputation for coddling its affluent shoppers through its loyalty programs.
"There has been a lot of promise in terms of potential but Saks hasn't lived up to the hype," Sozzi said.
Still, Hudson's Bay sees promise in Saks. Hudson's Bay will pay $16 per share for Saks, a 5 percent premium over the company's Friday closing price of $15.31. The companies put the deal's total value at about $2.9 billion including debt.
Saks' stock jumped nearly 4 percent, or 56 cents to $15.88 in Monday trading. Shares are up 46 percent for the year to date.
The acquisition will marry two storied retailers. Founded in 1924 by Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel, Saks' flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City is a landmark of retailing and sits on some of the most valuable real estate in the world. The company employs about 15,000 people across 41 stores.
Hudson's Bay, meanwhile, was founded in 1670 as a trading firm for furs and other goods. It is considered the oldest company in operation in North America. There are about 90 Hudson's Bay location in Canada
"We are excited about what this opportunity and being part of a much larger enterprise can mean for the future of the Saks Fifth Avenue brand," Saks Chairman and CEO Steve Sadove said in a statement.
News of the deal comes a little over a month after reports first surfaced that Hudson's Bay was interested in buying Saks Inc.
Saks, which is based in New York City, will continue to run as a separate company under Hudson's Bay and will have its own merchandising, marketing and store operations employees. Key management personnel are expected to remain with the company. But it wasn't clear whether Sadove would be staying on.
In an email statement to The Associated Press, Saks spokeswoman Julia Bentley said "specific decisions about management and the organizational structure have not been made at this time."
Saks will have a 40-day period in which to seek out alternative third-party bids.
The buyout, which was approved by both companies' boards, is targeted to close before year's end. It still needs approval from Saks' shareholders.
Hudson's Bay said that it will look at strategic options for the combined property portfolio, which could include establishing a real estate investment trust.
Hudson's Bay said it aims to save $100 million in operating costs in the first three years by combining distribution centers and other back-office facilities of Hudson's Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Barnaby Jack, a computer-security professional with a showman's flair for demonstrating technical weaknesses in ATMs and medical devices, has died. He was 36.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? A prominent hacker who discovered a way to have ATMs spit out cash and was set to deliver a talk about hacking pacemakers and other wireless implantable medical devices has died in San Francisco, authorities and his employer said.
Barnaby Jack died at his home in San Francisco Thursday, although the cause of death is still under investigation, San Francisco Deputy Coroner Kris Barbrich said.
Jack, who was in his mid-30s, was scheduled to speak on Aug. 1 at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. The headline of his talk was, ?Implantable Medical Devices: Hacking Humans,? according to a synopsis on the Black Hat conference website.
Jack planned to reveal software that uses a common transmitter to scan for and ?interrogate? individual medical implants, the website said.
The topic is reminiscent of the second season of the TV drama ?Homeland,? when terrorists kill the vice president by hacking into his heart device. Jack planned to discuss ways manufacturers could improve the security of the devices.
Jennifer Steffens, the CEO of computer security firm IOActive, Inc., where Jack worked, called Jack one of the most accomplished security researchers. He dedicated his career to exploiting weaknesses in onboard computers in cars, automated teller machines and other so-called ?embedded devices? so that they can be better protected.
?A truly visionary man in many ways, Barnaby?s recent critical research into the safety of medical devices such as pacemakers leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten,? Steffens said in a statement. ?IOActive will be working with the industry as a whole to ensure the advancements Barnaby started in this field will continue saving lives for years to come.?
Jack made headlines at the Black Hat conference in 2010 when he demonstrated, his ability to hack stand-alone ATMs. He was able to hack them in two ways ? remotely and using physical keys that come with the machines.
He had spent years tinkering with ATMs he bought online and found that the keys that came with his machines were the same for all ATMs of that type made by that manufacturer. He used his key to unlock a compartment in the ATM, and then used a USB slot to insert a program that commanded the ATM to dump its vaults.
In the second method, he exploited weaknesses in the way ATM makers communicate with the machines over the Internet.
During his talk entitled ?Jackpotting ATMs,? he didn?t go into detail about how he hacked the machines remotely, saying his goal was not to teach people how to hack ATMs but to get manufacturers to be proactive about implementing fixes.
?Barnaby had the ability to take complex technology and intricate research and make it tangible and accessible for everyone to learn and grow from,? Black Hat said in a statement.
The conference said it will not replace Jack?s talk, but instead leave the slot open so people can commemorate his life and work.
He was survived by his mother and sister in New Zealand and girlfriend in California.
Google is bringing more Glass Explorers into the program, and it's doing that the best way it knows how: by letting current users invite a friend. Those among you old enough to remember when Gmail first started will remember this was once the only method to get on board with that service, and now Glass-owning folks can ask a single friend to join them in testing out Glass before its wide consumer release.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u6bH0Tswk_AIVDtGI-i_X4CtSwl_FeWO7_Oz7LukmdhaPSuBvvnMF_kvlq89yRyAb_gPmQyJdnuN5bGZxjOvM4fIBEzHJbNXJekyXnYQk=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 29-Jul-2013
Share ]