Children born to teen mothers have delayed development, likely due to social factors

Public release date: 16-Oct-2013
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Contact: Geoff Koehler
koehlerg@smh.ca
416-864-6060 x6537
St. Michael's Hospital

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2013--Babies born to teen mothers have less developed speaking skills at age five than children of older mothers, a new study has found.

"We don't believe that having a baby in your teens is the cause of underdeveloped speaking skills," said Dr. Julia Morinis, the lead author and researcher in the Centre for Research on Inner City Health of St. Michael's Hospital. "It's likely that being a teen mother is a risk factor that indicates poorer circumstance for development opportunities in some cases."

Dr. Morinis points to teen mothers' limited opportunities for education and well-paid jobs or single parenthood as social factors that have a significant negative impact on childhood development.

"Most differences in non-verbal and spatial abilities between these two groups of children can be attributed to significant sociodemographic inequalities in circumstance," said Dr. Morinis. "But for verbal ability, there seems to be more going on."

The study, published online today in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, identified parenting involvement such as playing, reading, and singing with the child was predictive of higher-level child development.

"In Ontario, we're fortunate to have free services like Early Years Centres that can help offset the effects of being born into a negative social situation," said Dr. Morinis, who is also a staff physician at The Hospital for Sick Children.

Ontario Early Years Centres offer children up to the age of six and their caregivers opportunities to take part in programs and activities together. Early Years Centres, library programs or drop-in play programs are resources Dr. Morinis recommends to families that are concerned about increasing parenting involvement and improving child development.

The study used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a long-term nationally representative study of almost 19,000 children born between 2000 and 2001 across Britain. These children were assessed for reasoning skills and intelligence when they were five years old.

More research is needed to more closely monitor and engage with families of young parents to determine the differences in their interactions and the child's abilities are.

###

Dr. Morinis's research was funded by a scholarship from the Clarendon Fund at the University of Oxford. The Millennium Cohort study was funded by Britain's Economic and Social Research Council.

About St. Michael's Hospital

St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Media contacts

For more information, or to arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact:

Geoff Koehler

Adviser, Media Relations

416-864-6060 ext. 6537

koehlerg@smh.ca

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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.

Public release date: 16-Oct-2013
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Contact: Geoff Koehler
koehlerg@smh.ca
416-864-6060 x6537
St. Michael's Hospital

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2013--Babies born to teen mothers have less developed speaking skills at age five than children of older mothers, a new study has found.

"We don't believe that having a baby in your teens is the cause of underdeveloped speaking skills," said Dr. Julia Morinis, the lead author and researcher in the Centre for Research on Inner City Health of St. Michael's Hospital. "It's likely that being a teen mother is a risk factor that indicates poorer circumstance for development opportunities in some cases."

Dr. Morinis points to teen mothers' limited opportunities for education and well-paid jobs or single parenthood as social factors that have a significant negative impact on childhood development.

"Most differences in non-verbal and spatial abilities between these two groups of children can be attributed to significant sociodemographic inequalities in circumstance," said Dr. Morinis. "But for verbal ability, there seems to be more going on."

The study, published online today in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, identified parenting involvement such as playing, reading, and singing with the child was predictive of higher-level child development.

"In Ontario, we're fortunate to have free services like Early Years Centres that can help offset the effects of being born into a negative social situation," said Dr. Morinis, who is also a staff physician at The Hospital for Sick Children.

Ontario Early Years Centres offer children up to the age of six and their caregivers opportunities to take part in programs and activities together. Early Years Centres, library programs or drop-in play programs are resources Dr. Morinis recommends to families that are concerned about increasing parenting involvement and improving child development.

The study used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a long-term nationally representative study of almost 19,000 children born between 2000 and 2001 across Britain. These children were assessed for reasoning skills and intelligence when they were five years old.

More research is needed to more closely monitor and engage with families of young parents to determine the differences in their interactions and the child's abilities are.

###

Dr. Morinis's research was funded by a scholarship from the Clarendon Fund at the University of Oxford. The Millennium Cohort study was funded by Britain's Economic and Social Research Council.

About St. Michael's Hospital

St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Media contacts

For more information, or to arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact:

Geoff Koehler

Adviser, Media Relations

416-864-6060 ext. 6537

koehlerg@smh.ca

---

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| 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/smh-cbt101613.php
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TV's Top Showrunners Talk Deleted Scenes, Network Censorship, More

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Liz Meriwether, Dan Harmon, Aaron Sorkin

How I Met Your Mother's Carter Bays is still mourning the loss of Goodwin Games. New Girl's Liz Meriwether is coming clean about the do's and don'ts of "vagina" talk. And Community's reinstalled showrunner Dan Harmon is simply relieved security let him back on the lot.

Below, 13 top showrunners from this year's Power List offer candid responses about scrapped plans, debates in their writers room and the thing they wish they knew before becoming a showrunner.

PHOTOS: Power Showrunners: Inside the Minds Behind 'Walking Dead,' 'Bates Motel,' 'Arrow'

Before I became a showrunner, I wish someone had warned me about …

Beau Willimon (House of Cards): Fraturday -- when a night shoot on Friday night continues until Saturday morning. Think long weekend, but the opposite of that.

Aaron Sorkin (Newsroom): Having to write a second episode after the pilot.

Liz Meriwether (New Girl): All the sleep I would get! It's almost too much sleep!

Christopher Lloyd (Modern Family): Executives and notes. I'm often reminded of a story about Marvin Gaye. In his prime, he was a big strong guy, who fancied himself a decent boxer. One day he met this heavyweight fighter (not a champion, but a contender) and told him he wanted to spar with him. They made the date and Marvin Gaye came in kind of cocky, sure he was going to beat this guy, demanding that the guy not go easy on him, and … the guy kind of beat him up. Afterward, a reporter who had observed the whole thing asked the boxer why he'd done so and he said, "This is what I do all day long. This is all I've ever done. How could he disrespect me like that? This ring is my office."

Dan Harmon (Community): Capitalism.

Mara Brock Akil (The Game): The hair and makeup department! There should be a whole course on how to negotiate that!

Betsy Beers (Grey's Anatomy, Scandal) Keeping up with a network episodic schedule. The pace takes your breath away -- especially when you first start out -- and living at the office becomes the new normal. Oh, and the constant and endless supply of sugary food groups at said office. Beware …

The most memorable debate in our writers room this past year was …

Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy): If the skittish white guy in the alley outside our office was dealing crack or meth.

Carter Bays (How I Met Your Mother): First prize: Did Walt mean what he said on the phone with Skyler or was it all a smokescreen because he knew the cops were listening in? Runner up: Should we do a season nine?

Sorkin: Whether a particular line should reference Bridget Jones or Holly Golightly.

Harmon: Whether to replace departing castmembers with NFL players or just keep grabbing dead people from Breaking Bad.

Bill Lawrence (Cougar Town): Generally, these are about where to order lunch when we're working. No one has nailed this yet.

Craig Thomas (How I Met Your Mother): Whether or not to reveal "The Mother" from our show's title (Side-bar: I've decided to start avoiding the phrase "titular mother," because gross).

STORY: 10 Power Showrunners: A Day in the Life, From Carlton Cuse to Jenji Kohan

The toughest scene I had to write this past year was …

Sutter: Figuring out new and imaginative ways to blow shit up, kill a guy, chase down/run from an enemy. Adding original, organic action to the show gets more difficult every season.

Meriwether: Some reshoot stuff. But a lady never talks about reshoots unless the lady has a drink in her. Half a drink, to be honest.

Matthew Weiner (Mad Men): Don and Ted deciding to merge their companies.

Sorkin: The scene that opened with the season premiere and ended with the season finale.

I can't believe I got away with …

Meriwether: Getting Nick and Jess together. But now I feel like I jinxed it.

Weiner: Bob Benson's shorts.

Harmon: Seasons four, three, one and two in that order.

The moment I wish had made it to air but didn't was …

Meriwether: So many moments. There was one particular joke for Winston in the premiere that we couldn't get away with because of Standards and Practices. Lamorne [Morris] knocked it out of the park. I guess you're not allowed to use the word "in" as it relates to the word "vagina." It turns out almost no prepositions are allowed near that noun.

Beers: There was a wonderful scene from last season in episode 219 -- Olivia Pope, who is starting to undress in her bedroom, remembers Jake Ballard has placed surveillance in there. She proceeds to taunt him through the camera. A terrific performance from Kerry Washington -- and a nice twist at the end when we find out it isn't Jake Ballard who is watching!

Bays: The last six episodes of The Goodwin Games.

Sorkin: The scene in "One Step Too Many" that explained the title of the episode.

STORY: The Hollywood Reporter Names the 50 Power Showrunners of 2013

The episode from this past year that I wish we could do over would be …

Meriwether: The premiere.

Thomas: I'll up the ante on this question and go from "episode" to "series": I wish we could do The Goodwin Games over with the same amazing cast and crew, but on a network that would give it a real shot.

Bays: It's not from this last year, but season seven's "The Burning Beekeeper" will follow me to my grave. One more week of writing, one more week of shooting, one more week of editing, and it could have been something awesome. But that's how it goes when you have a 24 episode season. Sometimes you run out of time.

Sorkin: I've never written anything I wish I couldn't do over.

Weiner: What are you trying to say?

My proudest accomplishment this year was …

Harmon: Convincing security to let me back on the lot.

Lloyd: Finding a way to take two common sitcom stories -- a birth story and a proposal story -- and make them both funny and surprising, and ultimately touching.

Willimon: Remaining sane. Writing and producing 13 hours of story in six months is a form of voluntary insanity. A delicious, rewarding, exhilarating form of insanity, mind you. It takes a special breed of folks to put in 80 hour weeks for half a year. Luckily on our show the inmates get to run the asylum, and between our cast, crew, writers and designers, there's not other asylum I'd rather be committed to.

Thomas: The brief three or four seconds in May/June when Carter and I had two shows on TV (HIMYM and the all-too-short-lived The Goodwin Games.)

Lawrence: Hiring and empowering talented people like Adam Sztykiel (Undateable), Jeff Astrof (Ground Floor), Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker (Surviving Jack) and Blake McCormick (Cougar Town) to run our TV shows. Then I just step in and take credit for all their hard work. Any work they can't do is handled by Jeff Ingold and Randall Winston (my partners). I generally just drink a lot of coffee.

STORY: Power Showrunners: 10 to Watch for 2014

If my writers were to describe my style as a showrunner in five words or less, they might say …

Salim Akil (The Game): Salim -- Loveable asshole.

Sutter: Control. Control. Control. Control. Weepy.

Lloyd: Respectful, respectfully demanding, always late.

Meriwether: "Go back to set, Liz."

Weiner: "You're looking tall today, sir."

Harmon: "Quick, he's sleeping, stab him."

Lawrence: Moderately effective, disorganized chaos.

Bays: Handsome, handsome, handsome, handsome, handsome!

Sorkin: Nobody on our show uses five words or less.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/live_feed/~3/ZaXWUY5FvIw/story01.htm
Tags: breast cancer awareness   zach mettenberger   Julius Thomas   VMA 2013   Jason Dufner  

Apple Cuts iPhone 5C Production (Report)

Apple is cutting back production of its lower-cost iPhone 5C for the fourth quarter, according to sources close to the two Taiwanese companies that assemble the device. The news gives ammunition to analysts who questioned the company’s pricing strategy for the new addition to the iPhone line.

The colorful, plastic encased iPhone 5C debuted in September along with the high-end iPhone 5S, which costs $100 more and comes with the fastest mass market smartphone chips to date, along with a fingerprint sensor. 

STORY: Apple iPhones Go on Sale in China, Posthaste

Apple told its Taiwanese assemblers Pegatron Corp. and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. that it would be cutting shipments of the iPhone 5C in the fourth quarter, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

Pegatron, which the Journal says assembles two thirds of Apple’s iPhone 5Cs, was told orders would be cut by less than 20 percent. Hon Hai, which assembles the rest of Apple’s 5Cs, was told its orders would be reduced by a third.

Prior to Apple’s iPhone release event in September, investors had been anticipating, and arguing for, the company to release a lower cost model – with pricetag around  $350 --to compete in developing markets, such as China, where the company has been losing market share, because many consumers don’t have the disposable income for its “affordable luxury” class products. The iPhone 5C was the company’s answer to this demand, but analysts were disappointed by the $550-plus price point for the device. 

Consumer demand for the gold version of the 5S, however, has outstripped expectations, leading Apple to increase orders for that model.  

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHollywoodReporter-Technology/~3/28SlRw6_d3M/story01.htm
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Dear Monty: Dealing with 'condition issues' when selling your home ...

Posted by Wicked Local Staff on Oct 16, 2013 in Feed, Home & Garden | Comments Off

Reader question: My garage floods due to driveway runoff during heavy rains. I am getting ready to put the house on the market as I am relocating to a different state. Do I need to disclose this as a drainage issue on my seller’s disclosure? Thanks. Brad W.

Monty's answer: Hello, Brad, and thanks for your question. The law requires sellers to disclose defects or conditions that negatively affect value, affect the health of occupants or that if not repaired, removed or replaced would significantly shorten or adversely affect the expected average life of the premises.

It is the right step

As a seller, it is a smart idea to disclose even if the law did not require it. Doing so may eliminate the cost and likelihood of a future lawsuit or small claims judgment. Not disclosing the issue carries a high probability that whoever buys the property will become aware of it, and when they do, a neighbor will make an unwitting comment like “Oh, I thought they took care of that problem. He used to be hauling wet boxes out of the garage every week.” People have a tendency to become upset when they come to believe they have not been treated fairly.

Make the sale easy

Consider the idea of not having the issue on a seller condition report at all. If it has been correctly and permanently repaired, it is not a requirement to report a problem that no longer exists. Here is a quick test: If a buyer has two homes they like that are identical, except home “A” has water rushing into the garage during heavy rains and home “B” has no issues. Which property will they buy? Taking this test helps see the benefit of repair clearly. As a follow-up question, ask “How much would the seller of home “A” have to reduce the price to swing the buyer back over their way? The typical buyer does not want to buy a problem, unless there is a financial incentive.

You could save money

There are other positives in fixing the problem before placing the home on the market. By fixing it first, there is no already nervous homebuyer looking over your shoulder. Also, making the repair after a price is established for the home comes out of your pocket. When making the repair prior to a sale, the cost can often be factored into the asking price. Buyers have a tendency to overestimate the cost of repairs; so taking these potential issues out of the home selling equation are a plus.

Pay the buyer to do it

A common problem in real estate transactions is a buyer that complains because the seller's repair work is shoddy. A similar complaint is "They found the cheapest material." If money is tight, consider negotiating with the buyer to accept a reduced price for the cost of repairs. When the buyer completes, or supervises the repairs, it is difficult to have complaints.

A seller will often overlook the correct repair for an inexpensive method. Identify several contractor or concrete contractor "experts" and solicit 3 written proposals to fix the problem permanently. Make certain they include a “not to exceed” price. They each may have a different solution, and sometimes the least expensive one makes the most sense. If a seller cannot come up with the cash to make the necessary repairs, having 3 estimates to share with a buyer is a positive.

Make lemons into lemonade

In some cases, fixing the issue can also add a new selling point to the equation. For example, perhaps the best solution is to remove the concrete driveway, lower the grade 3 inches and re-pour the driveway. When driveways are cracked and un-even, fixing the water problem creates a home improvement, as well. If a below-grade cap gutter cut into the concrete outside the garage door is the best solution, it may also serve as a floor drain for the garage.

Most water-related issues could be repaired. The main exception is when the home is located in a flood zone.

 

Richard Montgomery gives no-nonsense real estate advice to readers most pressing questions. He is a real estate industry veteran who has championed industry reform for over a quarter century. You can ask him questions at DearMonty.com.

Source: http://wickedlocalhomes.com/homes/real-estate/2013/10/dear-monty-dealing-with-condition-issues-when-selling-your-home/
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Friday Gut Check: Should Malala have won the Nobel Prize?

Is it racist to want a ‘white Republican’ in the White House?

Morgan Whitaker, @morganwinn, Politics Nation

The man known as Joe the Plumber is pushing the assertion that the answer is no, and that critics of the president are unfairly categorized as racists, but as Rev. Sharpton pointed out on Monday's show, the right often critiques Obama as "the other." Read More

Source: http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/10/11/friday-gut-check-should-malala-have-won-the-nobel-prize/
Tags: Naya Rivera   Jonathan Ferrell   Apple.com   Call Of Duty Ghosts   Hyperloop  

Entourage Movie May Never Get Made

By Lex October 15, 2013 @ 1:47 PM

Fuck no. If there’s something that needs to get done right now, it’s a movie based off a mediocre TV show that became downright unwatchable in its final few seasons. But Marky Mark says the Entourage movies is on hold because ‘them guys are being greedy’. To which I think he’s referring to the Entourage actors who want a big payday to make a movie since it’s likely going to be their only source of income for the next forever. I’d ask for bank too. Marky Mark still gets $12 million plus backend to make his two to three crappy movies a year. You know the next and only project Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, and Kevin Dillon have listed on their schedules? Yeah, Entourage the Movie.

Source: http://www.wwtdd.com/2013/10/entourage-movie-may-never-get-made/
Related Topics: christina milian   apple   catherine zeta jones   elvis presley   mila kunis  

10 Things to Know for Wednesday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:

1. HOW LAWMAKERS SPENT THE DAY BEFORE THREATENED TREASURY DEFAULT

Hour after hour in Congress is taken up by secret meetings and frenzied maneuvering.

2. FITCH PLACES US CREDIT RATING ON NEGATIVE WATCH

Even with a higher debt limit, the agency says "reduced financing flexibility" could lead to a default.

3. IRAN PRESENTS NEW NUCLEAR PROPOSAL

The plan offers reductions in the number of centrifuges and the amount of uranium that is being enriched, a source tells the AP.

4. OBAMA BESTOWS MEDAL OF HONOR ON AFGHAN VET

William D. Swenson, recognized for bravery in a battle against Taliban insurgents in 2009, now wants to return to active duty.

5. ALLEGED TERRORIST CAPTURED IN LIBYA PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN NYC

The case renews debate about whether it's best to try terror suspects in military or civilian courts.

6. SHERIFF: GIRL'S TORMENTOR ARRESTED AFTER FACEBOOK BOAST

A teen said to be primarily responsible for bullying a classmate who then committed suicide brags about it online. She and a 12-year-old now face charges of stalking.

7. BOOKER'S NJ SENATE CAMPAIGN BUMPY

While still safely ahead in most polls, the Newark mayor has faced sustained criticism ahead of Wednesday's special election.

8. WHY ALL TRACES OF CONN. SCHOOL ARE BEING ERADICATED

The goal during demolition of the site of the Sandy Hook shootings will be to prevent exploitation of any remnants of the building, an official says.

9. TIP SENDS ATF TO WEAPONS AT ARIZONA RANCH

A raid nets dozens of weapons, ammunition and two convicted felons from a notorious family that once aimed to set up a whites-only nation.

10. WHERE A RARE SEA CREATURE WAS DISCOVERED

A woman snorkeling off the Southern California coast finds the carcass of an 18-foot oarfish — a deep-water species that can grow up to 50-feet long.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-things-know-wednesday-103500895.html
Category: christina milian   dodgers   castle   rose byrne   Emmy Winners 2013  

Leaders Express 'Cautious Optimism' Over Iran Nuclear Plan

Catherine Ashton, the EU high representative for foreign affairs, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif share a light moment Tuesday at the start of two-day talks on Iran's nuclear program.

Fabrice Coffrini/AP

Catherine Ashton, the EU high representative for foreign affairs, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif share a light moment Tuesday at the start of two-day talks on Iran's nuclear program.

Fabrice Coffrini/AP

Iran's proposal for easing the standoff over its nuclear program got seemingly positive initial reviews at Tuesday's start of multiparty talks in Geneva.

A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the Iranian delegation had made a PowerPoint presentation outlining the plan at the beginning of the two-day session. The spokesman said the plan had been received with "cautious optimism" but gave no further details of the close-door meeting, describing the proceedings as "confidential."

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there had been a "good" first reaction to Tehran's proposals, according to Reuters.

As the BBC reports:

"The discussions bring together Iran officials and representatives of the 'P5+1 group,' made up of Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany.

"In a Facebook entry posted at the weekend, [Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad] Zarif said the talks were the 'start of a difficult and relatively time-consuming way forward.' "

The talks are the first since moderate President Hasan Rouhani was elected four months ago. Since then, Rouhani has ratcheted down the bombastic rhetoric of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As The Associated Press writes, the talks are seen as "a key test of Iran's overtures to the West."

Foreign Policy says: "While there is little optimism that this week's talks will resolve the matter of Iranian nuclear weapons development entirely, U.S. officials have hinted that progress made could result in immediate relief from U.S. imposed sanctions."

Update At 1:45 p.m. ET:

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney warned that "despite positive signs" from the Geneva talks, "no one should expect a breakthrough overnight."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/15/234638759/leader-express-cautious-optimism-over-iran-nuclear-plan?ft=1&f=1009
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UFC 166 Free Fight: Nelson vs. Cro Cop

Heavyweights “Big Country” and Cro Cop face off in a clash of styles and personalities at UFC 137. Be sure to check out this video and tune in Saturday as Nelson takes on Daniel Cormer at UFC 166.

Front-Page Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/94928/ufc-166-free-fight-nelson-vs-cro-cop/
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Anthony Hopkins Gushes Over 'Breaking Bad' Star Bryan Cranston in Fan Letter

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Anthony Hopkins and Bryan Cranston

Count Anthony Hopkins among the legions of Breaking Bad fans who couldn’t get enough of the show.

Just over two weeks after the AMC drama aired its series finale, a letter surfaced that Hopkins wrote to star Bryan Cranston, in which he gushes over the actor's performance. Hopkins says he just finished watching a marathon of all five seasons of the show (he refers to a sixth season, but the fifth season was actually split into two).

PHOTOS: What's Next for 'Breaking Bad's' Stars

"A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing," he writes. "I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant! Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen -- ever. I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really. But this work of yours is spectacular -- absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production."

Hopkins also goes on to praise the rest of the cast as well, and asks Cranston to "pass on my admiration to everyone."

"Everyone gave master classes of performance," he writes.

He also praises the Vince Gilligan-created show's overall arc and storytelling.

"From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell," he writes. "It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian [sic] or Greek Tragedy."

The letter first surfaced over the weekend on Breaking Bad co-star Steven Michael Quezada's Facebook page, according to Gawker, but the post has since been deleted, as has a tweet he wrote about the letter. But The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Hopkins is indeed the author and that the letter is authentic.

PHOTOS: 'Breaking Bad's' 10 Most Mind-Blowing Episodes

The Breaking Bad series finale aired Sept. 29, drawing a record 10.3 million viewers.

While many in Hollywood tweeted their enthusiasm for the show and especially the series finale, Oliver Stone and Britney Spears recently expressed their displeasure with the events of the final episode.

Read Hopkins' full letter below.

Dear Mister Cranston.

I wanted to write you this email – so I am contacting you through Jeremy Barber – I take it we are both represented by UTA . Great agency.

I’ve just finished a marathon of watching “BREAKING BAD” – from episode one of the First Season – to the last eight episodes of the Sixth Season. (I downloaded the last season on AMAZON) A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing.

I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant!

Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen – ever.

I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really.

But this work of yours is spectacular – absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production. What was it? Five or six years in the making? How the producers (yourself being one of them), the writers, directors, cinematographers…. every department – casting etc. managed to keep the discipline and control from beginning to the end is (that over used word) awesome.

From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell. It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy.

If you ever get a chance to – would you pass on my admiration to everyone – Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, Betsy Brandt, R.J. Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Steven Michael Quezada – everyone – everyone gave master classes of performance … The list is endless.

Thank you. That kind of work/artistry is rare, and when, once in a while, it occurs, as in this epic work, it restores confidence.

You and all the cast are the best actors I’ve ever seen.

That may sound like a good lung full of smoke blowing. But it is not. It’s almost midnight out here in Malibu, and I felt compelled to write this email.

Congratulations and my deepest respect. You are truly a great, great actor.

Best regards

Tony Hopkins.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/live_feed/~3/7DXfSvddUkw/story01.htm
Tags: Alice Munro   elizabeth smart   Ronan Farrow   Allison Micheletti   George Duke  

The Surprising Story of 'Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an'

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Author Denise Spellberg's book draws parallels between the beliefs of the founding father and religious tolerance in the United States today.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NprProgramsATC/~3/X_1Q7Lbkly4/the-surprising-story-of-thomas-jeffersons-quran
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Fearless Felix Supersonic Space Jump Still Awesome One Year Later

Today is the anniversary of brave Felix Baumgartner's space jump. His heart was racing at 185 beats per minute when he jumped from an altitude of 127,852 feet, then started to spin at 60 revolutions per minute and kept spinning for 13 seconds after jumping, reaching a maximum vertical speed of Mach 1.25. An incredible feat.

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Scotland's Hogg set to miss November Tests

Edinburgh (AFP) - Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg is likely to miss all of his country's November Tests after undergoing wrist surgery, coach Scott Johnson indicated Friday.

Australian interim coach Johnson believes Hogg will "probably" be ruled out of next month's internationals at home to Japan, South Africa and Australia after the 21-year-old was injured playing for club side Glasgow against Irish province Leinster three weeks ago.

"Are we counting Hoggy out of the Autumn Tests? Yeah, probably," Johnson said. "There is a chance that he might make a game but that is unlikely."

New Zealander Vern Cotter is to take over from Johnson as Scotland coach next year having made his reputation in Europe in charge of French Top 14 side Clermont.

Johnson, however, will stay with the Scottish Rugby Union but in the new position of director of rugby.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scotlands-hogg-set-miss-november-tests-190604013.html
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Breastfeeding boosts ability to climb social ladder

June 25, 2013 ? Breastfeeding not only boosts children's chances of climbing the social ladder, but it also reduces the chances of downwards mobility, suggests a large study published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

The findings are based on changes in the social class of two groups of individuals born in 1958 (17,419 people) and in 1970 (16,771 people).

The researchers asked each of the children's mums, when their child was five or seven years old, whether they had breastfed him/her.

They then compared people's social class as children -- based on the social class of their father when they were 10 or 11 -- with their social class as adults, measured when they were 33 or 34.

Social class was categorised on a four-point scale ranging from unskilled/semi-skilled manual to professional/managerial.

The research also took account of a wide range of other potentially influential factors, derived from regular follow-ups every few years. These included children's brain (cognitive) development and stress scores, which were assessed using validated tests at the ages of 10-11.

Significantly fewer children were breastfed in 1970 than in 1958. More than two-thirds (68%) of mothers breastfed their children in 1958, compared with just over one in three (36%) in 1970.

Social mobility also changed over time, with those born in 1970 more likely to be upwardly mobile, and less likely to be downwardly mobile, than those born in 1958.

None the less, when background factors were accounted for, children who had been breastfed were consistently more likely to have climbed the social ladder than those who had not been breastfed. This was true of those born in both 1958 and 1970.

What's more, the size of the "breastfeeding effect" was the same in both time periods. Breastfeeding increased the odds of upwards mobility by 24% and reduced the odds of downward mobility by around 20% for both groups.

Intellect and stress accounted for around a third (36%) of the total impact of breastfeeding: breastfeeding enhances brain development, which boosts intellect, which in turn increases upwards social mobility. Breastfed children also showed fewer signs of stress.

The evidence suggests that breastfeeding confers a range of long-term health, developmental, and behavioural advantages to children, which persist into adulthood, say the authors.

They note that it is difficult to pinpoint which affords the greatest benefit to the child -- the nutrients found in breast milk or the skin to skin contact and associated bonding during breastfeeding.

"Perhaps the combination of physical contact and the most appropriate nutrients required for growth and brain development is implicated in the better neurocognitive and adult outcomes of breastfed infants," they suggest.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/ipNwKfxDVmM/130625074203.htm

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Rare giant catfish faces new threat in Southeast Asia's Mekong

Laos' controversial Xayaburi Dam could bring the Giant Catfish to extinction, as well as devastate the Mekong River's other fisheries. The challenge: How to build a dam that allows a 600-pound fish to swim up stream?

By Elizabeth Barber,?Contributor / June 22, 2013

Two Thai fishermen show a 293-kilogram (646-pound) giant catfish they caught from the Mekong River in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai Province, northern Thailand in 2005.

Suthep Kritsanavarin/AP

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The Giant Catfish is an enormous fish with thin, down-turned lips that give it a lonely look. And such a "mournful" visage is not unwarranted.

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Already one of the most endangered fish in the world, a new study has found that a dam under way in Laos could push it to extinction.?

So rare that it is nearly a legend of the Mekong River?s depths, the Giant Catfish belongs to the?shark catfish family and reach more than 600 pounds and some 10 feet in length. The Brobdingnagian?fish has dwindled in number an estimated 90 percent over the past 20 years ??possibly to just a few hundred animals, though tracking the elusive fish is difficult. It is now found only in the lower Mekong, which runs like a mud-colored vein carrying the economic lifeblood of Southeast Asia through Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In recent years, though, progress had been made in rescuing Giant Catfish fish from extinction, as those five countries introduced new protections that banned fishing it.

Now, Laos's controversial Xayaburi Dam threatens to undo that.

?The Giant Catfish is endangered, but there?s still a chance for it, and all the countries involved have gotten on board to restrict fishing ? but just when we solved one problem we?re now facing this new one,? says Zeb Hogan, the?study?s author and associate research professor at the University of Nevada,?in a telephone interview.

The Xayabari, the first dam in the lower Mekong, will, if finished, block the Giant Catfish from making its lifecycle migration from the floodplain rearing areas to upstream spawning sites in northern Laos and Thailand, the study said. The dam could also alter Mekong flows, disrupting the natural cues the fish needs to spawn.

This is not the first warning that the Xayabari project could mean the end for the Giant Catfish. Two years ago, the Mekong River Commission???an advisory body established in 1995 as part of an agreement between five Southeast Asian countries on the development of the Mekong ??convened a panel of experts who concluded that the dam would obstruct the migrations of some 23 to 100 species of fish, including the Great Catfish. The panel recommended a 10-year hold on the Xayaburi project, pending more information on how the dam would affect the river?s ecology.

"The gaps in knowledge on the number of migratory fish species, their biomass and their ability to successfully pass a dam and reservoir leads to considerable uncertainty about the scale of impact on fisheries and associated livelihoods, both locally and in a transboundary context," the report said.

But in November 2012, Laos officially began what is expected to be seven years of construction of the Xayabari Dam, the first in several controversial dams planned for the lower Mekong.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/CCrYxnsRm6U/Rare-giant-catfish-faces-new-threat-in-Southeast-Asia-s-Mekong

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Apps pinpoint locations of nearby concerts for music lovers

By Natasha Baker

(Reuters) - Music lovers looking for a nearby concert can turn to apps that detect a person's location and list nearby live events based on the type of tunes they and their friends like.

Apps such as Bandsintown and Songkick scan fans' music libraries on their mobile devices and iTunes, along with music streaming services such as Spotify, Pandora and SoundCloud, to learn musical preferences so fans never miss a show.

Bandsintown also shows users which bands their friends are heading to see.

"There are two reasons why someone might go to a concert. The first is that they like a particular style of music or the artist. The second is that it's a social event with friends," said Julien Mitelberg, the CEO of New-York based Bandsintown.

The app makes recommendations for concerts nearby and notifies users when friends indicate they are going to see a show. Users can also invite friends using the app, which is available worldwide for iPhone and Android.

Songkick, which is available worldwide for iPhone and Android, gathers information from ticket vendors, websites and newspapers to compile its database of concerts.

An app from music streaming service Rhapsody, called Rhapsody Concerts, shows upcoming concerts nearby and lets users stream a band's albums before deciding whether to buy tickets.

"Our customers like to go see live music. But there weren't really any services out there that combined an unlimited catalog of songs with live music discovery," said Paul Springer, senior vice president of product at Rhapsody International, which is based in Seattle.

Thrillcall, which started four years ago, lets users buy tickets for any concert in every major city from their iPhone and Android apps.

The company also introduced exclusive offers in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and San Francisco that allow fans to meet the band, bypass lines and buy VIP tickets and merchandise.

Matthew Tomaszewicz, co-founder of Thrillcall, said one of the main benefits of the app is that users can buy tickets to shows in two clicks on the app.

About 100,000 concerts are available in the app at any time.

(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Phil Berlowitz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apps-pinpoint-locations-nearby-concerts-music-lovers-181346425.html

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88% What Maisie Knew

All Critics (73) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (9)

The film is touching, filled with taste and care, but not enough to avoid being coy and sentimental.

On the surface, this indie does sound like standard-issue material, but its dynamics are far more complex than its simple exterior.

What Maisie Knew gives the audience a ground-eye view of its mesmerizing title character, a plucky, charismatic New Yorker who navigates downtown bars and building lobbies with the street savvy of a pro.

The result is a film that deeply engages us on multiple levels. Not only do we wonder what Maisie knows and how she knows it, we want to get this seedling to a place where she won't have to be transplanted every day.

It's a study of human nature, not at its worst, but at its most typically pathetic, and it goes to show that the more things don't change, the more they stay lousy.

Intimate, unnerving and entirely addictive.

This is a film that deals in subtle details, and its value lies in the way the filmmakers draw out small moments of surprise or truth from the familiar scenario.

It's far from the first story of a child dealing with the consequences of parental break-up -- but it may be one of the best.

The worthwhile subject matter becomes trivialized.

A wonderful modernized re-telling of the 1897 Henry James short story.

It's an intimate, well-acted and nuanced film that provides a fresh angle on an all-too-familiar struggle.

Onata Aprile is never showy and always authentic, a rare find in a child actor. In fact, she is one of the most self-possessed actors I've seen of any age.

A movie that's much easier to admire than to actually enjoy, no matter how well done or acted.

Onata Aprile's short career should blossom as people react to her subtle performance here.

Despite the big-name adults around her, it's the unknown Onata Aprile who is the star of this movie.

Gazing on Maisie, you want to know what she knows. That you can't is at once your dilemma and your opportunity, what adults must engage in order to be adults.

Despite a sensitive, mature performance from Onata Aprile as Maisie, the girl remains withdrawn and opaque throughout. In telling this sad story from her perspective, it never quite plugs in to what Maisie felt.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/what_maisie_knew_2012/

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Afghans rush to learn risky art of defusing bombs

CAMP BLACK HORSE, Afghanistan (AP) ? In a desolate field outside Kabul, an Afghan soldier hunches over a knee-high robot equipped with cameras, multidirectional pincers and tank-treads built for rough terrain. Carefully, he attaches four bottles of water and a tiny explosive charge to the robot. He uses a remote control to guide it 50 meters (yards) away to his target: a simulated backpack bomb.

"Explosion! Explosion! Explosion!" shouts the soldier, Naqibullah Qarizada, in a warning to others nearby. Then he remotely detonates the charge.

A small dust cloud kicks up. If all has gone well, the blast has pushed the water into the bomb with enough force to knock out its triggering mechanism. But to be safe, his partner, Hayatullah, climbs into a heavy protective suit before lumbering over to pluck out the blasting cap and seal it in a fortified box.

The two men are among hundreds of Afghan soldiers training to take over the dangerous fight against the war's biggest killers: the Taliban-planted bombs known as IEDs that kill and maim thousands of people each year on and around the country's roads and towns.

A few years ago, there were almost no Afghan bomb disposal experts. Now, there are 369 ? but that's far from enough. The international coalition is rushing to train hundreds more before the exit of most coalition forces by the end of next year.

Each day on average, two to three roadside or buried bombs explode somewhere in Afghanistan, according to numbers compiled by the United Nations, which says that the explosives killed 868 civilians last year, 40 percent of the civilian deaths in insurgent attacks. Also, buried or roadside bombs accounted for 64 percent of the 3,300 international coalition troops killed or wounded last year, the NATO force says.

Known in military parlance as improvised explosives devices (IEDs), the bombs have long been a favorite Taliban weapon that can be remotely detonated by radio or mobile phone when a target passes or triggered by pressure, like a vehicle driving over it.

The U.S. military has over the years developed advanced detection and disposal techniques that manage to defuse about 40 to 50 IEDs each day, says Col. Ace Campbell, chief of the Counter-IED training unit. The coalition is working to transfer that knowledge to the Afghans who will be responsible once most foreign troops leave next year, and Campbell says Afghan teams are now finding and disposing about half of the bombs most days.

"Whenever I hear about an IED or I find one myself ? maybe you will laugh, but I become very happy," says Hayatullah, 28, who has completed the highest level of training and like many Afghans uses just one name. "I am happy because it is my duty to defuse it, and I will save the lives of several people."

Hayatullah also has a personal reason for his chosen profession ? his father was killed in a mine explosion. He was just 13 when unknown attackers planted two anti-personnel mines outside their home in Parwan province, and he says the memory fuels his desire to save others.

The country's main bomb disposal school is located at Camp Black Horse, set among a dust-swept field on Kabul's eastern outskirts, where a rusted-out Russian tank looms on a distant hill, a reminder of Afghanistan's long legacy of war dating back to the 1980s Soviet occupation.

Here, a team of about 160 instructors runs 19 different courses, ranging from a basic four-week awareness program for regular Afghan soldiers to the eight-month advanced "IED defeat" course that is a slightly shorter version of the U.S. Army's own counter-explosives training.

"We are giving them the best instruction that we have available, and they are picking it up," said U.S. Army Maj. Joel Smith, one of the training program's leaders. "Some are getting killed, some are dropping out, but their numbers are growing."

Still, it is a race against time to produce enough experts to fill the gap left by foreign troops' withdrawal. On Tuesday, NATO formally handed over full security responsibility to Afghanistan's fledgling 350,000-strong security forces, though many of the remaining foreign troops will stay until next year in a support and training role.

The goal is to have 318 full-fledged Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams, each with two or three Afghan experts, spread out around the country. But Afghan security forces now have less than 60 percent of the bomb specialists they need ? hence the fever pitch of training.

"These guys are on a more accelerated program due to necessity," Smith said.

Equipping the Afghan teams is also a challenge. The coalition plans to distribute 12,000 metal detectors to regular police and army units, and each of the specialized disposal teams is slated to receive one of the high-tech robots that Qarizada and Hayatullah were working with. But Smith said each of the robots costs $17,000, and so far only about half of those needed are in the hands of Afghan teams. And that is not even taking into account who will maintain the sophisticated machines in a country where dust clogs nearly every machine and technical expertise is scarce.

Bomb disposal units gained widespread fame with the 2008 film "The Hurt Locker," but in real life the process ? while still dangerous ? is much slower and more methodical. The ultimate goal is to try not to approach a live bomb until it's been neutralized, which is the point of the exercise with the robot and the protective suit.

But with thousands of buried bombs and more being planted every day, it's impossible to have such sophisticated tools everywhere. That's why the program also trains regular Afghan army and police for four weeks in how to recognize signs of a smaller IED ? freshly moved earth, or perhaps a conveniently placed culvert next to a bridge ? and neutralize it in the crudest but simplest way: setting a smaller charge, moving far, far away and blowing it up in place.

Even such basic disposal takes weeks of training. Sitting attentively on rows of benches under a lean-to in the field, a group of Afghan soldiers listens to contractor James Webber, a former U.S. Air Force bomb disposal expert, as he explains how long to make a fuse so whoever sets it can then dash away for four minutes, or 240 seconds, to safety before the charge blows.

"So, 240 seconds divided by our burn rate - what do you get? Anyone got a calculator?" Webber asks.

The recruits nod, squint, calculate.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghans-rush-learn-risky-art-defusing-bombs-062833351.html

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WikiLeaks: Snowden going to Ecuador to seek asylum

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Admitted leaker Edward Snowden took flight Sunday in evasion of U.S. authorities, seeking asylum in Ecuador and leaving the Obama administration scrambling to determine its next step in what became a game of diplomatic cat-and-mouse.

The former National Security Agency contractor and CIA technician fled Hong Kong and arrived at the Moscow airport, where he planned to spend the night before boarding an Aeroflot flight to Cuba. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his government received an asylum request from Snowden, and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said it would help him.

"He goes to the very countries that have, at best, very tense relationships with the United States," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., adding that she feared Snowden would trade more U.S. secrets for asylum. "This is not going to play out well for the national security interests of the United States."

The move left the U.S. with limited options as Snowden's itinerary took him on a tour of what many see as anti-American capitals. Ecuador in particular has rejected the United States' previous efforts at cooperation, and has been helping WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, avoid prosecution by allowing him to stay at its embassy in London.

Snowden helped The Guardian and The Washington Post disclose U.S. surveillance programs that collect vast amounts of phone records and online data in the name of foreign intelligence, but often sweep up information on American citizens. Officials have the ability to collect phone and Internet information broadly but need a warrant to examine specific cases where they believe terrorism is involved.

Snowden had been in hiding for several weeks in Hong Kong, a former British colony with a high degree of autonomy from mainland China. The United States formally sought Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong but was rebuffed; Hong Kong officials said the U.S. request did not fully comply with their laws.

The Justice Department rejected that claim, saying its request met all of the requirements of the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Hong Kong.

During conversations last week, including a phone call Wednesday between Attorney General Eric Holder and Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen, Hong Kong officials never raised any issues regarding sufficiency of the U.S. request, a Justice spokesperson said.

A State Department official said the United States was in touch through diplomatic and law enforcement channels with countries that Snowden could travel through or to, reminding them that Snowden is wanted on criminal charges and reiterating Washington's position that Snowden should only be permitted to travel back to the U.S.

Those officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

The Justice Department said it would "pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel."

The White House would only say that President Barack Obama had been briefed on the developments by his national security advisers.

Russia's state ITAR-Tass news agency and Interfax cited an unnamed Aeroflot airline official as saying Snowden was on the plane that landed Sunday afternoon in Moscow.

Upon his arrival, Snowden did not leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. One explanation could be that he wasn't allowed; a U.S. official said Snowden's passport had been revoked, and special permission from Russian authorities would have been needed.

"It's almost hopeless unless we find some ways to lean on them," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.

The Russian media report said Snowden intended to fly to Cuba on Monday and then on to Caracas, Venezuela.

U.S. lawmakers scoffed. "The freedom trail is not exactly China-Russia-Cuba-Venezuela, so I hope we'll chase him to the ends of the earth, bring him to justice and let the Russians know there'll be consequences if they harbor this guy," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

With each suspected flight, efforts to secure Snowden's return to the United States appeared more complicated if not impossible. The United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, but does with Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. Even with an extradition agreement though, any country could give Snowden a political exemption.

The likelihood that any of these countries would stop Snowden from traveling on to Ecuador seemed remote. While diplomatic tensions have thawed in recent years, Cuba and the United States are hardly allies after a half century of distrust.

Venezuela, too, could prove difficult. Former President Hugo Chavez was a sworn enemy of the United States and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, earlier this year called Obama "grand chief of devils." The two countries do not exchange ambassadors.

U.S. pressure on Caracas also might be problematic given its energy exports. The U.S. Energy Information Agency reports Venezuela sent the United States 900,000 barrels of crude oil each day in 2012, making it the fourth-largest foreign source of U.S. oil.

"I think 10 percent of Snowden's issues are now legal, and 90 percent political," said Douglas McNabb, an expert in international extradition and a senior principal at international criminal defense firm McNabb Associates.

Assange's lawyer, Michael Ratner, said Snowden's options aren't numerous.

"You have to have a country that's going to stand up to the United States," Ratner said. "You're not talking about a huge range of countries here."

That is perhaps why Snowden first stopped in Russia, a nation with complicated relations with Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "aiding and abetting Snowden's escape," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

"Allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways, and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States," Schumer said. "That's not how allies should treat one another, and I think it will have serious consequences for the United States-Russia relationship."

It also wasn't clear Snowden was finished with disclosing highly classified information.

"I am very worried about what else he has," said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat who sits on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she had been told Snowden had perhaps more than 200 sensitive documents.

Ros-Lehtinen and King spoke with CNN. Graham spoke to "Fox News Sunday." Schumer was on CNN's "State of the Union." Sanchez appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press." Feinstein was on CBS' "Face the Nation."

___

Associated Press White House Correspondent Julie Pace and Associated Press writers Matthew V. Lee and Frederic J. Frommer in Washington, Lynn Berry in Moscow, Kevin Chan in Hong Kong and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wikileaks-snowden-going-ecuador-seek-asylum-170935684.html

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in a land contract - Zillow Real Estate Advice

I'm sorry to hear of your difficulty.

You've encountered one of the glaring issues related to land contracts as well as rent to own. ? They are a great way to lose a lot of money. ?

The owner has no obligation to renegotiate but if you see that $1000/month is a temporary situation perhaps they'll consider accepting $1000/month for three or four months while your husband finds steady employment.? If you aren't employed, you may also wish to find employment.?? If neither of those works, perhaps it is time to move and lose your down payment.? So sorry.

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/in-a-land-contract/498524/

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The mental illness taboo is a problem for all of us

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