Caroline Kennedy has been picked as ambassador despite never having worked in government. Photo: AP
Washington: President Barack Obama has nominated Caroline Kennedy to be ambassador to Japan, moving to give a scion of America's most enduring political dynasty a diplomatic post that has often gone to political heavyweights.
In naming Ms Kennedy, whose appointment had been rumoured for months, Mr Obama is keeping with a long tradition of rewarding important campaign supporters with plum embassies. He recently nominated major fund-raisers to be envoys in London and Berlin.
But Ms Kennedy's value to Mr Obama has been less about money than mystique. As the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, her imprimatur on his candidacy in 2008 - along with that of her uncle Senator Edward Kennedy - elevated him at a key moment against his better-known rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
And it gave Ms Kennedy lasting ties to Mr Obama, something analysts said would be useful in Japan, where public officials and journalists have been buzzing with speculation about a Kennedy in Tokyo.
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Ms Kennedy, 55, a lawyer, author and director of numerous non-profit organisations, has never worked in government and has no special expertise in Japan. But some experts said her lack of knowledge was outweighed by her connections to the Oval Office.
She shares that with other marquee figures who have been ambassadors to Tokyo, including former vice-president Walter Mondale; Howard Baker, a former senator and White House chief of staff; and Thomas Foley, a former speaker of the House.
"For those who say she doesn't know a lot about Japan, I say, sure, but neither did Walter Mondale," said Kurt Campbell, a Japan expert who was assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs.
"What you really want in an ambassador is someone who can get the president of the United States on the phone," Mr Campbell said. "I can't think of anybody in the United States who could do that more quickly than Caroline Kennedy."
(ST. JOSEPH) A press conference was held at the St. Joseph Country Club on Tuesday to announce the celebrities that will attend the first Mayor's Pony Express Rider Cup.?
The tournament will take place Friday, July 26 at the club and is billed as pitting St. Joe against Kansas City.
Mayor Bill Falkner announced both he and Kansas City Mayor Sly James will attend along with former Chiefs Will Shields, Ted McKnight and Shawn Barber. Former Royal Al Fitzmorris will also be there.
A meet and greet will be held for the public at 5 p.m. following the tournament. Admission is $50 per person, which includes appetizers and two drink tickets.?
Fred Hutch team receives $4M from NCI to develop precision cancer treatmentsPublic release date: 23-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kristen Woodward media@fhcrc.org 206-667-2210 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Breakthrough research uses high-throughput screening to identify and target specific cancer genes in patients
SEATTLE A research team headed by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists Christopher Kemp, Ph.D., and Carla Grandori, M.D., Ph.D., has received a $4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop precision therapies that selectively kill cancer cells while sparing normal, healthy tissue.
Utilizing high-throughput screening and RNA interference to rapidly test thousands of genes in patient-derived tumor cells, the team's work will identify new genes to target that may be highly specific to that patient's tumor.
"Therapies that target specific genes represent the future of oncology treatments," said Kemp, a member of the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutch. "For the most part, cancer therapy hasn't changed over the past several decades. Today's standard treatment is still based on conventional chemotherapy, which attacks all the cells in the body in order to kill the cancer cells. We are pioneering a more precise method that will specifically target cancer cells while sparing the normal cells."
Until recently, the complexities of cancer genomes, the frequent development of drug resistance and the lack of suitable technology have limited the availability and clinical success of targeted therapies. However, using high-throughput screening rather than the traditional method of testing one gene at a time can accelerate the discovery process a thousand-fold, cutting years off the time required to discover new drug targets.
"Most cancer therapies are specific to neither the individual patient nor the relevant underlying molecular features of a particular cancer," said Grandori, a research associate member of the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutch. "Applying high-throughput screening on a larger scale will allow us to identify and precisely target the unique vulnerabilities of cancers and develop personalized treatments," she said.
Although targeted therapies already in the clinic show great promise to be effective without the devastating side effects of chemotherapy, the menu of such therapies is still very limited, Grandori said. "While there a dozen or two targeted therapies, there are more than 20,000 genes, potentially many of them representing future targeted therapies. We have pioneered a method to sort through these thousands of genes efficiently and rapidly in patient-derived cancer cells."
The research team will identify new classes of drug targets and identify patient stratification criteria to match patients to the right drug targets. Initially, the focus will be on the aggressive subtypes of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and triple-negative breast cancer. Plans to expand screening into ovarian and childhood cancer types are also in the works.
The team has already demonstrated success in the preclinical setting; two tumor types for which no effective therapies exist have responded well to novel drug treatments. Kemp and Grandori are hopeful that these studies will be the basis to start clinical trials next year.
"This is just the beginning. We anticipate that our discoveries will lead to the next generation of precision medicines, including novel rational combination therapies tailored to molecular types of cancer," Kemp said. "Working with a local 'dream team' of cancer researchers, oncologists and computational scientists at Fred Hutch, the University of Washington and Sage Bionetworks we hope to bring this breakthrough method out of the lab and into the doctor's office."
Research collaborators include Eduardo Mendez, M.D., an assistant professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at UW and an assistant member of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch; Vijayakrishna Gadi, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at UW and an assistant member of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch; and Adam Margolin, Ph.D., director of computational biology at Sage Bionetworks.
###
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch's pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation's first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women's Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. For more information visit http://www.fredhutch.org or follow Fred Hutch on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
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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.
Fred Hutch team receives $4M from NCI to develop precision cancer treatmentsPublic release date: 23-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kristen Woodward media@fhcrc.org 206-667-2210 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Breakthrough research uses high-throughput screening to identify and target specific cancer genes in patients
SEATTLE A research team headed by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists Christopher Kemp, Ph.D., and Carla Grandori, M.D., Ph.D., has received a $4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop precision therapies that selectively kill cancer cells while sparing normal, healthy tissue.
Utilizing high-throughput screening and RNA interference to rapidly test thousands of genes in patient-derived tumor cells, the team's work will identify new genes to target that may be highly specific to that patient's tumor.
"Therapies that target specific genes represent the future of oncology treatments," said Kemp, a member of the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutch. "For the most part, cancer therapy hasn't changed over the past several decades. Today's standard treatment is still based on conventional chemotherapy, which attacks all the cells in the body in order to kill the cancer cells. We are pioneering a more precise method that will specifically target cancer cells while sparing the normal cells."
Until recently, the complexities of cancer genomes, the frequent development of drug resistance and the lack of suitable technology have limited the availability and clinical success of targeted therapies. However, using high-throughput screening rather than the traditional method of testing one gene at a time can accelerate the discovery process a thousand-fold, cutting years off the time required to discover new drug targets.
"Most cancer therapies are specific to neither the individual patient nor the relevant underlying molecular features of a particular cancer," said Grandori, a research associate member of the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutch. "Applying high-throughput screening on a larger scale will allow us to identify and precisely target the unique vulnerabilities of cancers and develop personalized treatments," she said.
Although targeted therapies already in the clinic show great promise to be effective without the devastating side effects of chemotherapy, the menu of such therapies is still very limited, Grandori said. "While there a dozen or two targeted therapies, there are more than 20,000 genes, potentially many of them representing future targeted therapies. We have pioneered a method to sort through these thousands of genes efficiently and rapidly in patient-derived cancer cells."
The research team will identify new classes of drug targets and identify patient stratification criteria to match patients to the right drug targets. Initially, the focus will be on the aggressive subtypes of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and triple-negative breast cancer. Plans to expand screening into ovarian and childhood cancer types are also in the works.
The team has already demonstrated success in the preclinical setting; two tumor types for which no effective therapies exist have responded well to novel drug treatments. Kemp and Grandori are hopeful that these studies will be the basis to start clinical trials next year.
"This is just the beginning. We anticipate that our discoveries will lead to the next generation of precision medicines, including novel rational combination therapies tailored to molecular types of cancer," Kemp said. "Working with a local 'dream team' of cancer researchers, oncologists and computational scientists at Fred Hutch, the University of Washington and Sage Bionetworks we hope to bring this breakthrough method out of the lab and into the doctor's office."
Research collaborators include Eduardo Mendez, M.D., an assistant professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at UW and an assistant member of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch; Vijayakrishna Gadi, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at UW and an assistant member of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch; and Adam Margolin, Ph.D., director of computational biology at Sage Bionetworks.
###
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch's pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation's first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women's Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. For more information visit http://www.fredhutch.org or follow Fred Hutch on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
[ | 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.
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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Cardiothoracic surgeons have found that off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery has failed to show any significant improvement in short-term morbidity or mortality as compared to the traditional on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
NEW YORK (AP) ? New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner admitted on Tuesday to sending additional sexually explicit photos and texts to a woman he met online ? an exchange she says began more than a year after he resigned from Congress for similar behavior.
The allegation could severely test voters' willingness to forgive Weiner, who has said he spent the two years since the scandal trying to make things right with his wife and earn redemption. Three of his rivals for mayor immediately called on Weiner to drop out of the race.
Weiner, who resigned his House seat in June 2011 after acknowledging having sexual conversations with at least a half-dozen women, has been near the top of most mayoral polls since his late entry into the race this spring.
The newly revealed X-rated correspondence was posted Monday by the gossip website The Dirty. The woman involved was not identified.
"I said that other texts and photos were likely to come out and today they have," Weiner said in a statement issued by his campaign. "I want to again say that I am very sorry to anyone who was on the receiving end of these messages and the disruption this has caused."
The 48-year-old Democrat did not say when the exchanges occurred, but he said his behavior created "challenges in our marriage that extended past my resignation."
From the beginning of his mayoral bid, Weiner has said that he learned from his mistakes and that his wife ? Huma Abedin, a longtime adviser to Hillary Rodham Clinton ? was the driving force behind his comeback attempt.
The woman, who told the website she was 22 when she began chatting with Weiner on the social networking site Formspring, said their online relationship began in July 2012 and lasted for six months. She claimed Weiner used the alias "Carlos Danger" for their exchanges, but she knew she was talking to the former congressman.
She said Weiner promised to help her get a job at the political website Politico and suggested meeting in a Chicago condo for a tryst.
The exchanges posted on The Dirty consist of sexually explicit fantasizing about various sex acts. At one point, the man reported to be Weiner wrote, "I'm deeply flawed."
The woman claimed that she and Weiner exchanged nude photos of themselves and engaged in frequent phone sex. The Dirty ran a pixelated photo of what appears to be a man's genitals.
"This was a bad situation for me because I really admired him. Even post scandal, I thought he was misunderstood. Until I got to know him. I thought I loved him. Pretty pathetic," the woman was quoted as telling the website.
She said he later asked her to destroy the evidence of their chats. She insisted that she never had sex with Weiner or received any payment from him.
The woman claimed her relationship with Weiner "fizzled" in November 2012. She said she last heard from him this past April, when his intention to run for mayor was first revealed in a New York Times Magazine profile.
"This behavior is behind me," Weiner said in his statement Tuesday. "I apologized to Huma and am grateful that she has worked through these issues with me and for her forgiveness."
He also said that "some things posted today are true and some are not," but he did not elaborate.
Weiner's campaign spokeswoman did not respond to requests to clarify the timing of the newly revealed exchange. Weiner's campaign announced a late-afternoon news conference. He was also expected to attend a mayoral forum later Tuesday evening.
His wife, who was pregnant when the sexting scandal broke in 2011 and gave birth months later, has played a large and increasing role in his mayoral campaign. She made an appearance in his campaign kick-off video, has led his fundraising effort and recently made her debut on the campaign trail. Two weekends ago, she walked hand-in-hand with Weiner as they talked to voters on a Harlem street.
Two of his mayoral rivals ? Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and former City Councilman Sal Albanese, both Democrats, and billionaire John Catsimatidis, a Republican ? quickly called on Weiner to abandon his quest for office, as did a lesser candidate in the race.
"Enough is enough," said de Blasio. "The sideshows of this election have gotten in the way of the debate we should be having about the future of this city."
Another mayoral hopeful, city Comptroller John Liu, stopped short of calling for Weiner to bow out, but suggested his "propensity for pornographic selfies is a valid issue for voters."
The other leading Democratic candidates, including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and former City Comptroller Bill Thompson, did not immediately comment on the new revelations.
The disclosure suddenly puts Weiner's indiscretions, judgment and candor back in the forefront of his campaign and could test voters' confidence in him, political analysts said.
Some voters have said they felt Weiner had atoned for his past and were willing to give him a second chance. But a third, after hearing allegations that his misbehavior continued after his resignation?
"It makes it tougher to believe this is behind him," said Democratic former state Assemblyman Michael Benjamin, now a political consultant.
But given the corps of voters who have shown willingness to forgive Weiner's prior behavior, the latest revelation may not be a campaign knockout, said Jerry Skurnik, a longtime Democratic consultant who is not working with any mayoral candidates this year.
"At best, it's a minor negative" that will turn off some voters, he said. "The question is whether it's a major negative" ? and whether there were enough forgiving voters to begin with for Weiner to win.
Some New Yorkers were disappointed by the news that Weiner had apparently continued his online activities even after leaving office.
"I think he had a chance to redeem himself and if he did it twice, he really betrayed the public's trust again," said Jeremy Green, 22. "I think he's past the point of no return for New Yorkers."
The revelations come just two weeks after another scandal-scarred candidate, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, announced his own attempt at political redemption. Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 after admitting to paying for sex with prostitutes, is running for city comptroller.
A spokeswoman for Spitzer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Weiner's problems began in May 2011, when a website run by conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart posted a photograph of a man's bulging underwear and said it had been sent from Weiner's Twitter account to a Seattle woman. Weiner denied he sent the photo, claiming his Twitter had been hacked.
But after more women came forward and more photographic evidence emerged, Weiner admitted he lied.
He then entered two years of self-imposed political exile, only to return this spring.
Under a huge media spotlight, he apologized repeatedly for his behavior in the initial days of his bid but then pivoted quickly into an issues-based campaign. He was largely well-received by voters and quickly established himself as a favorite in the race.
___
Reach Jonathan Lemire on Twitter at: @JonLemire
Associated Press reporter Jennifer Peltz contributed to this story from New York.
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Public release date: 23-Jul-2013
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