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Powerball jackpot could go higher than $600 million
1 of 3. People wait in line to purchase Powerball lottery tickets at the Port Authority bus station in New York May 17, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid
AUSTIN, Texas |
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – The Powerball jackpot Saturday night could be even higher than the record $ 600 million being advertised, possibly rivaling the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, a Texas Lottery official said on Saturday.
“Oftentimes, the advertised amount is lower than what the actual jackpot ends up being,” said Kelly Cripe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Lottery. “It’s entirely possible this $ 600 million jackpot will end up being a bigger jackpot.”
The Powerball record in November was advertised at $ 550 million, but ended up being $ 587.5 million when the winning numbers were drawn, thanks to last-minute sales.
Powerball officials told participating states on Saturday they would not be raising the advertised number for the drawing, Cripe said.
There had been speculation the advertised amount for the lottery would be increased to surpass $ 656 million – the largest jackpot in U.S. history, set by the Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012. The lottery is offered in 43 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
That prize was split between winners in Maryland, Kansas and Illinois.
Chances of winning the Powerball on Saturday were one in 175 million, Cripe said.
If the drawing yields no winner, all records will be shattered as the jackpot for Wednesday would go to $ 925 million.
But players across the country weren’t pushing their luck, shelling out bills for the nighttime drawing.
“It’s only a couple bucks for a small daydream,” said Russell Williams, 35, a salesman in Austin, Texas.
In New York City, talent acquisition agent Michelle Amici was playing the “if I win” game.
“Not sure that I’d buy anything,” she said. “Rather, I’d attempt to quench my wanderlust by traveling the world. I’d also donate a large portion to education reform.”
El Paso, Texas, mom Bonnie Carreno rarely plays but was taking a chance on this one. “I only ever buy a ticket when I see the amazing numbers in the headlines,” she said.
For Austin marketing professional Becky Arreaga, the odds are not so long that she was discouraged about her chances.
“As long as the odds are 1 in anything, I’m in,” said Arreaga, a partner at Mercury Mambo marketing firm. “I truly believe I could be the one.”
“Just takes one ticket to win,” echoed Tela Mange of Austin.
The popular lottery has not had a winner in two months.
The $ 2 tickets allow players pick five numbers from 1 to 59, and a Powerball number from 1 to 35. The numbers will be drawn Saturday at 10:59 p.m. EDT (02:59 GMT on Sunday) in Tallahassee, Florida.
(Reporting by Karen Brooks; Editing by Greg McCune, Doina Chiacu)
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College Women More Prone to Problem Drinking Than Men: Study
FRIDAY May 17, 2013 — It comes as little surprise that college students sometimes binge drink, but new research shows that college women are more likely to drink unhealthy amounts of alcohol on a weekly basis than are college men.
Much of this difference is probably because the amount of alcohol that’s considered safe on a weekly basis is much lower for women than it is for men: seven drinks for women versus 14 for men. But, there’s good reason for that difference. Women don’t metabolize alcohol in the same way as men, and lesser amounts of alcohol can increase the risk of breast cancer and liver disease in women.
Throughout the study, 15 percent of women exceeded weekly drinking limits compared to 12 percent of men. In addition, men’s weekly drinking appeared to go down throughout the year, but not so for women.
“College women adopt a drinking style that will cause toxicity soon. Overall, women drink less than men do, but they don’t seem to know how much less they should be drinking in a week,” explained Bettina Hoeppner, lead study author and an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.
Hoeppner said the biggest concern is that women may be setting themselves up for long-term health problems, particularly if they’re not aware of the safe weekly alcohol limits. She noted that women might think they’re fine if they don’t binge drink, but it’s easy to hit the weekly limit by just having a glass of wine with dinner every night.
The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines low-risk drinking as no more than three drinks a day or seven drinks a week for women. For men, those limits are four drinks a day and 14 drinks a week.
The daily limits were set to avoid the physical and thinking problems that can occur from drinking too much in one day. The weekly limits took into account how much alcohol someone would need to consume to raise their risk of chronic health conditions, such as liver disease, sleep disorders, heart disease and some cancers.
Hoeppner’s study included 992 college students: 575 females and 417 males. The students provided biweekly reports of their daily drinking habits through a Web-based questionnaire.
Two-thirds of both the men and women exceeded the NIAAA weekly or daily guidelines at least once during the year, according to the study. Slightly more than 51 percent of the women and about 45 percent of the men exceeded weekly drinking limits at least once during the year.
Men were slightly more likely to exceed daily limits than women: 28 percent of men versus 25 percent of women, but the researchers said this difference wasn’t statistically significant.
The study findings appear online May 17 and in the upcoming October print issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Dr. Marc Galanter, director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse at the NYU Langone Medical Center, said he suspects that college women may be trying to drink as much as their male counterparts. “I think these young women are independent souls and are motivated to drink in a manner that’s similar to the way that men are drinking,” he said. “In terms of what’s considered normative, there isn’t much difference between men and women now.”
But, he cautioned, “Comparable levels of drinking for women have a greater impact in terms of intoxication.”
Study author Hoeppner said she didn’t think that women were necessarily trying to drink as much as men, just that they might not be as aware of what’s considered a safe weekly limit.
“Women need to be reminded that there are weekly limits, and women can exceed those limits quickly. It’s important to track the number of drinks you have per week, not just on occasion. And, alcohol prevention information should address the rationale behind weekly limits,” Hoeppner suggested.
More information
Learn more about drinking in college from the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Posted: May 2013
Kandahar’s Killer Genetics…More Than Just War-Torn Blood Bud
Kandahar marijuana genetics are named for the southernmost province of Afghanistan, a scorched landscape that encompasses everything east of the Hindu Kush mountain range. In recent history, this area has been known for its bloody wars and emotional turmoil, but from a historic standpoint the city of Kandahar has a long and ancient history with both humankind and the cultivation of marijuana.
Kandahar is one of the oldest known human settlements and served as a bustling hub of trade, connecting crucial routes through Southern Afghanistan up into Central Asia. The Kandahar marketplace was once filled with an abundance of fragrances and textiles. From hemp, and silk, to wool and an assortment of dates and other dried fruits – no doubt some high-quality hash as well. This beautiful, yet arid region is still considered to be the birthplace of cannabis Indica.
The dominant traits which comprise Kandahar’s strain are primarily Indica, rich in pure Afghani genetics on the mother’s side, with an Afghanistan crossed – California skunk father.
Should an experience cultivator be fortunate enough to get their hands on some Kandahar seeds, you’ll find them to be the poster child for indicas traditional growth patterns. Short, stout and stinky. A compact plant with incredibly tight calyxes, which over time develop into a line green, resin encrusted flowers.
As Kandahar comes the end of its lifecycle, reaching full maturity, the fan leafs begin their autumn transformation. Going from line green to a bright yellow, peppered with bright purple leafs as the nights become cold. Not typical to all indicas, Kandahar truly enjoys a good feeding of PK – so be generous and enjoy the benefits. For those living and growing in a colder, wetter climate, Kandahar has shown a strong resistance to mold and mildew. And considering that she takes 8 to 9 weeks for her flowers to reach optimal expression, this can be a handy trait depending on the grow region you find yourselves trying to cultivate in.
Once cured, the flowers are nice tight little nuggets [when done right], with an earthy / nutty taste. A last-minute hint of sandalwood is detected as you exhale your deep, rich hits. The elevated sense of being settles deep in the body, with a potential for some serious downtime. Relaxing music, with soothing tempos – a little discovery channel, or some other undemanding – yet sensory rich activity will pair nicely with Kandahar’s anaesthetizing qualities. The day is over – your troubles are behind you, it’s time to sit back and enjoy the satisfying sense of relaxation you’ve earned.
More Than a Quarter of Melanoma Survivors Skip Sunscreen, Study Finds
And 2 percent continue to use tanning beds, researchers report
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) — Even people who have survived melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, often fail to protect themselves from the sun, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that of 171 melanoma survivors in a U.S. survey, more than 25 percent said they never used sunscreen when spending more than an hour outside on a sunny day. What’s more, 2 percent said they had used tanning beds in the past year.
“They did do a better job of protecting themselves than the average person,” said lead researcher Dr. Anees Chagpar, an associate professor of surgery at Yale University’s School of Medicine. “But there is room for improvement,” she added.
“Maybe we need to be more vigilant about education,” said Chagpar, who was to present the findings Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, in Washington, D.C.
The results are based on a 2010 government health survey that included 27,120 U.S. adults, 171 of whom reported a history of melanoma.
Melanoma is the least common form of skin cancer, accounting for less than 5 percent of skin cancers in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Still, most deaths from skin cancer are due to melanoma — which often spreads to other parts of the body if it’s not caught early.
Because too much ultraviolet (UV) light is a major melanoma risk factor, experts advise everyone to limit their exposure. That means staying in the shade, donning sunscreen and covering up when you’re in the sun, and avoiding the tanning salon altogether.
You would expect that if anyone would follow that advice, it would be melanoma survivors, Chagpar said.
And some did, her team found. On days when they were going to be in the sun for more than an hour, one-third of melanoma survivors “always” wore sunscreen, versus 17 percent of other Americans. They were also more likely to always wear a cap (31 percent did) or a long-sleeved shirt (12 percent).
On the other hand, 27 percent of melanoma survivors said they never slathered on sunscreen before spending more than an hour in the sun.
“We were very surprised by that,” Chagpar said. What “blew her mind,” though, was the fact that 2 percent of melanoma survivors visited tanning beds.
She noted that other researchers are studying the possibility that tanning is addictive for some people. It’s possible, Chagpar speculated, that even some melanoma survivors may be hooked on the experience.
A dermatologist not involved in the study agreed that some of the findings are troubling. “It is certainly concerning that a quarter of the melanoma survivors never wear sunscreen,” said Dr. Hensin Tsao, a melanoma expert at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
More Than a Quarter of Melanoma Survivors Skip Sunscreen, Study Finds
MONDAY April 8, 2013 — Even people who have survived melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, often fail to protect themselves from the sun, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that of 171 melanoma survivors in a U.S. survey, more than 25 percent said they never used sunscreen when spending more than an hour outside on a sunny day. What’s more, 2 percent said they had used tanning beds in the past year.
“They did do a better job of protecting themselves than the average person,” said lead researcher Dr. Anees Chagpar, an associate professor of surgery at Yale University’s School of Medicine. “But there is room for improvement,” she added.
“Maybe we need to be more vigilant about education,” said Chagpar, who was to present the findings Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, in Washington, D.C.
The results are based on a 2010 government health survey that included 27,120 U.S. adults, 171 of whom reported a history of melanoma.
Melanoma is the least common form of skin cancer, accounting for less than 5 percent of skin cancers in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Still, most deaths from skin cancer are due to melanoma — which often spreads to other parts of the body if it’s not caught early.
Because too much ultraviolet (UV) light is a major melanoma risk factor, experts advise everyone to limit their exposure. That means staying in the shade, donning sunscreen and covering up when you’re in the sun, and avoiding the tanning salon altogether.
You would expect that if anyone would follow that advice, it would be melanoma survivors, Chagpar said.
And some did, her team found. On days when they were going to be in the sun for more than an hour, one-third of melanoma survivors “always” wore sunscreen, versus 17 percent of other Americans. They were also more likely to always wear a cap (31 percent did) or a long-sleeved shirt (12 percent).
On the other hand, 27 percent of melanoma survivors said they never slathered on sunscreen before spending more than an hour in the sun.
“We were very surprised by that,” Chagpar said. What “blew her mind,” though, was the fact that 2 percent of melanoma survivors visited tanning beds.
She noted that other researchers are studying the possibility that tanning is addictive for some people. It’s possible, Chagpar speculated, that even some melanoma survivors may be hooked on the experience.
A dermatologist not involved in the study agreed that some of the findings are troubling. “It is certainly concerning that a quarter of the melanoma survivors never wear sunscreen,” said Dr. Hensin Tsao, a melanoma expert at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
On the other hand, Tsao said he was “encouraged” by the fact that melanoma survivors were more serious about sun protection than the average person. That suggests that the message is getting through to many, he noted.
What’s not clear, according to Tsao, is whether people recently treated for melanoma were any more likely to protect themselves when compared to survivors who beat the disease years ago. It is possible that the farther you are away from the experience, the less vigilant you’ll be about UV protection.
“My sense is that if the study stratified by time from diagnosis, there would naturally be an erosion of the sun-protective behaviors,” Tsao said.
But, Chagpar said, survivors need to remember that their increased risk of developing another melanoma “never goes away.”
“There is no question that exposure to UV radiation increases your risk of melanoma,” she said. “For survivors, it’s particularly important to protect yourself.”
According to the American Cancer Society, about 76,700 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the United States this year. An estimated 9,500 Americans will die of the disease.
The data and conclusions of research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
Learn more about melanoma from the American Cancer Society.
Posted: April 2013
