FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2012, file photo, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning sets up to throw a pass against the Cleveland Browns in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Denver. Manning was selected to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2012, file photo, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning sets up to throw a pass against the Cleveland Browns in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Denver. Manning was selected to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2012, file photo, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson runs with the ball during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in St. Louis. Peterson was selected to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2012, file photo, Washington Redskins' Robert Griffin III throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. Griffin was selected to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Perez, File)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson want to cap their sensational comebacks with Super Bowl appearances. For now, they can be proud of Pro Bowl spots.
So can Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, one of two rookies chosen Wednesday for the Jan. 27 NFL all-star game.
Manning missed all of the 2011 season with neck and back problems that required several operations. He then signed with Denver as a free agent and has led the Broncos on a 10-game winning streak to take the AFC West.
"I know there's great players out there in the NFL, but there's some great players on this team this year that deserve to go," said Manning, whose 12th Pro Bowl is a record for quarterbacks. He ranks fourth in league passing this year, has thrown 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Four other Broncos made the AFC roster: DE Elvis Dumervil, linebacker Von Miller, CB Champ Bailey and tackle Ryan Clady. Bailey's 12th appearance is a record for defensive backs.
"My goal has always been to go out and help the team win and play at a high level," Manning added. "Anything that comes along with that, like being honored as a Pro Bowl selection, is very humbling."
Minnesota's Peterson tore up his left knee on Christmas Eve last year, underwent major surgery, then was back for the season opener. He's gone from uncertain to unstoppable, running away with the rushing title with a career-high 1,898 yards and lifting the Vikings toward an NFC wild card.
"Coming into the season after going through the rehab process, I just told myself that I wanted to lead my team to a championship and make sure that I contribute and do my part," Peterson said. "I've been doing it."
Griffin is one of three rookie QBs who had superb debut seasons, along with Andrew Luck of Indianapolis and Russell Wilson of Seattle. Luck and Wilson weren't voted to the Pro Bowl by players, coaches and fans, although their teams are in the playoffs; Griffin can get to the postseason if Washington beats Dallas on Sunday.
"You can't play down those kind of things," Griffin said. "I've always said my whole football career that you don't play for awards. They just come. You don't say you're going to win the Heisman. You don't say you're going to win MVP. You go out and you prove it on the field, and if everyone feels that way then they'll give you that award."
San Francisco had the most players selected, nine, including six from its second-ranked defense. Houston was next with eight, six on offense.
Kansas City, despite its 2-13 record that is tied with Jacksonville for worst in the league, had five Pro Bowlers, including RB Jamaal Charles, who like Peterson is coming back from a torn ACL.
One other rookie, Minnesota kicker Blair Walsh, was chosen. Walsh has nine field goals of at least 50 yards, an NFL mark.
The AFC kicker is at the other end of the spectrum: Cleveland's Phil Dawson earned his first selection in his 14th NFL season.
"I deliberately tried not to know," Dawson said. "We wanted to watch the show with my kids. I had a really good idea what was going on, but it was a pretty priceless moment when we saw the name flash up on the screen. My kids went nuts 'cause my wife went nuts. That makes these 15 years of waiting worth it."
Another record setter will be heading to Honolulu: Detroit WR Calvin Johnson.
Johnson broke Jerry Rice's single-season yards receiving record and has 1,892 yards with a game left.
Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez set the record for Pro Bowls at his position by being chosen for the 13th time.
The league's top two sackmasters, DEs Aldon Smith of San Francisco and J.J. Watt of Houston, were first-time selections. Watt has 20 1-2 sacks, one ahead of Smith; the NFL record is 22 1-2.
Other newcomers, along with Griffin, Walsh and Dawson, were AFC players tackle Duane Brown and guard Wade Smith of Houston; safety LaRon Landry of the Jets; kick returner Jacoby Jones of Baltimore; and punter Dustin Colquitt of Kansas City.
For the NFC, first-timers were Giants WR Victor Cruz; Atlanta WR Julio Jones; Seattle tackle Russell Okung and center Max Unger; San Francisco guard Mike Iupati, linebacker NaVorro Bowman and safety Donte Whitner; Chicago cornerback Tim Jennings and defensive tackle Henry Melton; Washington tackle Trent Williams and special teamer Lorenzo Alexander; Minnesota fullback Jerome Felton; Tampa Bay DT Gerald McCoy; and New Orleans punter Thomas Morstead.
Eight teams had no Pro Bowl players: Carolina, Philadelphia and St. Louis in the NFC, Tennessee, Buffalo, Jacksonville, San Diego and Oakland in the AFC.
___
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
View images of civil rights leader Nelson Mandela, who went from anti-apartheid activist to prisoner to South Africa's first black president.
By NBC News staff and wire services
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Former South African President Nelson Mandela was released from a hospital in Pretoria on Wednesday evening, a government spokesman told NBC News.
Mandela, 94, had been admitted more than two weeks ago for what were described as routine tests but then was treated for a recurring lung infection and then underwent surgery to remove gallstones.
Mac Maharaj, a spokesman for President Jacob Zuma, told NBC News that doctors were satisfied with?Mandela's progess and that the anti-apartheid hero will receive "high care" at his Johannesburg home.
Zuma had visited Mandela on Christmas Day and had said he was "in good spirits."
"He was happy to have visitors on this special day and is looking much better. The doctors are happy with the progress that he is making," said Zuma.
Mandela, who came to power in historic elections in 1994 after decades struggling against apartheid, remains a symbol of resistance to racism and injustice at home and around the world.?
He has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis while in jail as a political prisoner. But this is his longest stay in hospital since he was released from prison in 1990.
He spent time in a Johannesburg hospital in 2011 with a respiratory condition, and again in February this year because of abdominal pains though he was released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing serious.
Zuma, who has just been re-elected as president of the ruling African National Congress party, last week described Mandela's condition as serious.
"The Mandela family truly appreciates all the support they are receiving from the public. That is what keeps them going at this difficult time," said Zuma.?
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Mandela spent 27 years in prison, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off Cape Town.?
After his release, he used his popularity to push for reconciliation between whites and blacks. This reconciliation is the bedrock of the post-apartheid "Rainbow Nation."
Sworn in as South Africa's first black president in 1994, Mandela stepped down in 1999 after one term in office and has largely been absent from public life for the last decade.
His fragile health has prevented him from making any public appearances in South Africa, though he has continued to receive high-profile domestic and international visitors, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton in July.
Mandela now will receive treatment at his home in Houghton, a suburb of Johannesburg.?
This article includes reporting by NBC News' Rohit Kachroo and Reuters.?
Leon Neal / AFP - Getty Images file
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Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our very own Amol Koldhekar!
My childhood may have kicked off the 1990s, but I grew up surrounded by remnants of the 80s, like the Apple II that temporarily lived in my dad's home office or the Nintendo Entertainment System that was originally my older sister's console. I think all younger siblings of that era can identify with having to play as Luigi on Super Mario Bros. My sister eventually lost interest in her NES, so I took claim to it. While I had loads of fun playing Excitebike and Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, I always spent an inordinate amount of time escaped in Duck Hunt while I was busy peering through the glass end of the NES gun, trying to see how it worked. Ironically, this curiosity may have impeded obtaining better devices early on -- when my NES stopped working, I tinkered with its innards and somehow got it to work, negating the need for my parents to get me a Super Nintendo. As I grew older, I grew wiser, deeming the NES a lost cause in order to convince my parents to let me get a Nintendo 64 with birthday money. How amazing that the NES was soon repaired and still works!
CAIRO (AP) ? The official approval of Egypt's disputed, Islamist-backed constitution Tuesday held out little hope of stabilizing the country after two years of turmoil and Islamist President Mohammed Morsi may now face a more immediate crisis with the economy falling deeper into distress.
In a clear sign of anxiety over the economy, the turbulence of the past month and expected austerity measures ahead have some Egyptians hoarding dollars for fear the currency is about to take a significant turn for the weaker.
The battle over the constitution left Egypt deeply polarized at a time when the government is increasingly cash-strapped. Supporters of the charter campaigned for it on the grounds that it will lead to stability, improve the grip of Morsi and his allies on state institutions, restore investor confidence and bring back tourists.
"In times of change, politics are the driver of the economy and not the other way around," said Mourad Aly, a media adviser for the political arm of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, the backbone of Morsi's presidency and the main group that backed the constitution.
Morsi signed a decree Tuesday night that put the new constitution into effect after the election commission announced the official results of the referendum held over the past two weekends. It said the constitution has passed with a 63.8 percent "yes."
Turnout of 32.9 percent of Egypt's nearly 52 million registered voters was lower than most other elections since the uprising nearly two years ago that ousted authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.
The U.S. State Department bluntly told Morsi it was now time to make compromises, acknowledging deep concerns over the constitution.
"President Morsi, as the democratically elected leader of Egypt, has a special responsibility to move forward in a way that recognizes the urgent need to bridge divisions, build trust, and broaden support for the political process," said Patrick Ventrell, acting deputy spokesman. "We hope those Egyptians disappointed by the result will seek more and deeper engagement. "
He said Egypt "needs a strong, inclusive government to meet its many challenges."
But there are already multiple fights on the horizon.
Morsi is expected to call for a new election of parliament's lawmaking lower house within two months.
In the meantime, the traditionally toothless upper house, the Shura Council, will hold legislative power. But the chamber is overwhelmingly Islamist-dominated so any laws it passes could spark a backlash from the opposition. Many fear a legal crackdown on independent media, highly critical of Islamists.
In a bid to reach out to opposition, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood said he hoped the charter will be a "good omen" for Egyptians.
"Let's all begin to build the renaissance of our country with free will, good intentions and strong determination, men, women, Muslims and Christians," Mohammed Badie said on his Twitter account.
But the opposition said the passing of the document is was not the end of the political dispute. Critics fear the constitution will usher in Islamic law in Egypt and restrict personal freedoms.
"This is not a constitution that will last for a long time," said Khaled Dawoud, a spokesman for the main opposition group, the National Salvation Front, vowing to fight for more freedoms, social and economic rights.
In a sign that the new front for the opposition against Morsi's policies may be the economy, Dawoud said the Morsi administration was "confused" both on the political and economic fronts.
"We want stability and economic prosperity like everybody else. But we don't believe that the policies of Morsi and the Brotherhood will lead to more stability," he said.
The turmoil over the constitution sparked huge protests that turned deadly at times. For a moment, the tension looked like it was spiraling out of control and only added to an already weakened economy.
At the height of the protests, the government called off its talks with the International Monetary Fund over a $4.8 billion loan which Morsi's government viewed as a way to attract much needed foreign investors, and deal with a high budget deficit.
Major foreign currency earners, such as foreign direct investment and tourism, have dropped off because of political unrest and deterioration in security following Mubarak's ouster in February 2011.
Over the last two years, the country has lost more than half of its foreign currency reserves from $36 billion in 2010 to around $15 billion currently. The reserve level has been slightly propped up by some Qatari deposits in past months.
Economic experts say that Egypt's current foreign reserves barely cover three months of imports, which is the IMF's minimum recommended coverage.
There were signs on Tuesday that some Egyptians were starting to hoard dollars for fear that the local currency could weaken significantly.
The run on the dollar was fueled in part by a decree issued by Morsi late Monday banning people from leaving Egypt with more than $10,000 or its equivalent in other currencies.
Some currency exchanges in the upscale Cairo neighborhood of Zamalek ran out of dollars by midday and offered only euros ? a rare occurrence. Some banks, too, said they had run out of cash dollars.
"I asked around in many exchange places and can't find dollars anywhere," said Cairo resident Mahmoud Kamel after unsuccessfully visiting one exchange office. "I want to exchange money because I'm afraid the Egyptian pound will not have any value soon."
The dollar rush prompted the Central Bank of Egypt to issue a statement on Monday calling on banks not to listen to rumors circulating about the fiscal health of the nation.
The bank declared its commitment to guarantee all deposits in local and foreign currencies to banks in Egypt and said banks are "financially strong enough."
There was one particularly nerve-rattling report in recent days that longtime Central Bank Governor Farouk Okdah had resigned. The report came on Saturday during the second and final round of voting on the constitutional referendum.
Official media quickly retracted the news after reporting it. The governor then turned up at a meeting of the government's economic team on Sunday in an apparent attempt to quell nervousness over the state of the economy.
Egypt's currency had been stable trading around 6 pounds to the dollar for the first half of the year. It has since slipped, especially in the past two months as political instability worsened. The dollar was selling Tuesday at 6.18 to the Egyptian pound.
In another blow, Standard & Poors downgraded Egypt's long-term credit rating.
Khaled Abdel-Hamid, head of Treasury at Union National Bank of the UAE in Egypt predicted the pound will continue to devalue and inflation rates will rise in 2013, affecting the price of food and basic commodities.
"What matters is the end result. People want to live. If people can't find food or security, what does it mean if there is a president or constitution?" Abdel-Hamid said.
Rumors swirling around impending tax hikes, subsidy cuts and other bread-and-butter issues have heightened the public's concern. Around 40 percent of Egyptians live just at or below the poverty line of surviving on around $2 a day.
In a sign of the worsening economy, the number of people living on under $1 a day rose to 25 percent in 2011, up from 21.6 percent in 2009, according to government statistics released last month.
Promises that the Islamist-drafted constitution would bring about the stability Egyptians crave were dismissed by economic experts who warned that without enough currency reserves, there is little to stop the pound from falling steeply in value.
"The instability of the foreign exchange rate is not at all detached from the political instability. It is a reflection and clear mirror to what is happening," said Haytham Abdel Fattah, head of the Treasury and International Markets Manager at Industrial Development Bank.
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A new study shows that the rate of American service members with signs of coronary artery disease has declined sharply in the last half century, falling to roughly 1 in 10 military personnel today from about 8 in 10 during the Korean War.
The findings came as a surprise to some researchers, who expected that the nationwide rise in obesity and Type 2 diabetes, including among young people, might have led to a similar trend in heart disease in the military. But instead it appears that national reductions in other risk factors for heart disease, like hypertension, smoking and high cholesterol, have had a greater effect on cardiovascular health.
Some experts had debated whether the steep decline was real, given that those in today?s all-volunteer military are fitter than the general population and, presumably, those who served during the draft era of the Korean War. But most said the trend was hard to dispute.
?The changes in prevalence of coronary disease are so great that I can only conclude that most of the differences are likely real,? said Dr. Daniel Levy, a cardiologist and director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute?s Framingham Heart Study, who was not directly involved in the study. ?This isn?t a subtle difference; it?s a vast difference.?
The authors of the new study, which was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday, drew their findings from autopsies and medical records of nearly 4,000 service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2001 to 2011. Most of them were men, with an average age of 26. Over all, 8.5 percent had some degree of hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries, known as coronary atherosclerosis.
During the Korean War, pathologists who carried out similar research, groundbreaking at the time, on 300 soldiers killed in combat found that 77 percent had coronary atherosclerosis. The finding that so many seemingly healthy men in their late teens and 20s had significant buildup of plaques in the arteries shattered the perception of heart disease as purely an affliction of older people, revealing that the disease had a silent and relatively early onset.
Two decades later, a study of 105 soldiers killed in Vietnam showed that nearly half had signs of coronary atherosclerosis as well.
A shift in the 1970s from a military draft to voluntary enlistment may have produced a so-called healthy warrior phenomenon in recent years, said Dr. Bryant J. Webber of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md, who led the current study. Only 4 percent of those who died in Iraq or Afghanistan were obese, for example, compared with about 18 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds in the general American population.
During the Korean War, ?some of the people they classified as having early or mild disease we might classify as normal? today, Dr. Webber added.
Even so, the downward trend in evidence of heart disease held up even when the researchers looked solely at advanced cases of atherosclerosis, which are hard to misinterpret. Fifteen percent of the Korean War soldiers had severe coronary atherosclerosis, compared with 5 percent of the Vietnam soldiers and just 2.3 percent of the troops in the latest study.
?That?s a fairly reliable and accurate measure, and that decline is pretty steep,? Dr. Webber said.
While obesity and diabetes dominate the public health discussion today, other cardiovascular risk factors, like high cholesterol and uncontrolled high blood pressure, have been falling for decades. And between 1980 and 2000, smoking rates among service members fell by 40 percent. Nationwide, deaths from heart disease, after adjusting for age, have dropped by 72 percent since 1968.
Dr. Levy said it was easy to connect the dots: The prevalence of coronary artery disease in young people is on the decline. The Korean War study revealed a silent epidemic of coronary artery disease, he said, and now the pendulum is swinging in the other direction as a result of prevention efforts.
?There?s a lot of good news here,? he said. But for the general population, at least, ?the problem of obesity holds the potential to reverse these gains.?
Autopsy-based study examines prevalence of atherosclerosis among US service membersPublic release date: 25-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sharon Willis sharon.willis@usuhs.edu 301-295-3578 JAMA and Archives Journals
Among deployed U.S. service members who died of combat or unintentional injuries between 2001-2011 and underwent autopsies, the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis was 8.5 percent, with factors associated with a higher prevalence of the disease including older age, lower educational level and prior diagnoses of dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity, according to a study in the December 26 issue of JAMA.
"An early breakthrough in the understanding of the natural history of atherosclerotic heart disease was achieved in 1953, when Enos and colleagues at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology reported a 77 percent prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis among U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean War. By demonstrating anatomically that atherosclerosis affected a large proportion of young individuals without clinical evidence of heart disease, their study revolutionized the understanding of the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease. A follow-up report in the Vietnam War era, along with a number of autopsy studies in the civilian population provided additional evidence that the onset of atherosclerosis may occur at an early age," according to background information in the article. Since the publication of these studies, health policies have been implemented to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and smoking.
Bryant J. Webber, M.D., of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md., and colleagues conducted a study to assess the prevalence of atherosclerosis in the U.S. armed forces. The study included all U.S. service members who died of combat or unintentional injuries in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn between October 2001 and August 2011 and whose cardiovascular autopsy reports were available at the time of data collection in January 2012. Prevalence of atherosclerosis was analyzed by various demographic characteristics and medical history. Classifications of coronary atherosclerosis severity were determined prior to data analysis and designed to provide consistency with previous military studies: minimal (fatty streaking only), moderate (10 percent - 49 percent luminal [interior of the vessel] narrowing of one or more vessels), and severe (50 percent or more narrowing of one or more vessels). Of the 3,832 service members included in the analysis, the average age was 26 years.
The overall prevalence of coronary or aortic atherosclerosis was 12.1 percent. The prevalence of any coronary atherosclerosis was 8.5 percent; severe coronary atherosclerosis was present in 2.3 percent, moderate in 4.7 percent, and minimal in 1.5 percent. The researchers found that age consistently produced the strongest association with prevalent atherosclerosis. Service members with atherosclerosis (average age, 30.5) were approximately 5 years older than those without; those 40 years of age and older had about 7 times the prevalence of disease as compared with those 24 years of age and younger (45.9 percent vs. 6.6 percent)
Lower education level and higher military entrance body mass index (BMI) were significantly associated with prevalent atherosclerosis, after adjusting for age. As compared with those who completed high school or less, those who completed at least some college had lower prevalence of disease. As compared with those with a normal BMI on military entrance, those with a BMI in the overweight or obese range had a significantly higher prevalence of atherosclerosis
The authors also found that age-adjusted atherosclerosis prevalence was associated with several diagnoses. As compared with those with no major cardiovascular risk factor diagnoses, those with a diagnosis of dyslipidemia (50.0 percent vs. 11.1 percent), hypertension (43.6 percent vs. 11.1 percent), or obesity (22.3 percent vs. 11.1 percent) had a significantly higher prevalence of atherosclerosis.
The researchers note that the prevalence rates found in this study demonstrate a decline from the rates of 77 percent noted in the Korean War and 45 percent in the Vietnam War, but add that targets for further improvement remain.
"Military and civilian health care systems should continue to help patients reduce their cardiovascular risk factors, beginning in childhood and continuing throughout adult life. Despite remarkable progress in prevention and treatment, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States and other developed nations, and even small improvements in the prevalence of smoking and other risk factors may reduce death rates further and prolong healthy lives."
(JAMA. 2012;308(24):2577-2583; Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)
Editor's Note: This study was supported by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, and Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.
Please Note: For this study, there will be multimedia content available, including the JAMA Report video, embedded and downloadable video, audio files, text, documents, and related links. This content will be available at 3 p.m. CT Tuesday, December 25 at this link.
Editorial: Combating the Epidemic of Heart Disease
Daniel Levy, M.D., of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md., comments on the findings of this study in an accompanying editorial.
"Autopsy studies have demonstrated that coronary disease begins at a young age. Consequently, primary prevention campaigns to address obesity and related risks should begin in childhood. Declines in cardiovascular disease risk factors have almost certainly contributed to the observed reductions in prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis, incidence of clinical atherosclerotic disease, and deaths from heart disease. Although age-adjusted heart disease death rates have declined by 72 percent since their peak during the Vietnam War years, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. The national battle against heart disease is not over; increasing rates of obesity and diabetes signal a need to engage earlier and with greater intensity in a campaign of pre-emption and prevention.
(JAMA. 2012;308(24):2624-2625; Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)
Editor's Note: The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.
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Autopsy-based study examines prevalence of atherosclerosis among US service membersPublic release date: 25-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sharon Willis sharon.willis@usuhs.edu 301-295-3578 JAMA and Archives Journals
Among deployed U.S. service members who died of combat or unintentional injuries between 2001-2011 and underwent autopsies, the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis was 8.5 percent, with factors associated with a higher prevalence of the disease including older age, lower educational level and prior diagnoses of dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity, according to a study in the December 26 issue of JAMA.
"An early breakthrough in the understanding of the natural history of atherosclerotic heart disease was achieved in 1953, when Enos and colleagues at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology reported a 77 percent prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis among U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean War. By demonstrating anatomically that atherosclerosis affected a large proportion of young individuals without clinical evidence of heart disease, their study revolutionized the understanding of the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease. A follow-up report in the Vietnam War era, along with a number of autopsy studies in the civilian population provided additional evidence that the onset of atherosclerosis may occur at an early age," according to background information in the article. Since the publication of these studies, health policies have been implemented to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and smoking.
Bryant J. Webber, M.D., of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md., and colleagues conducted a study to assess the prevalence of atherosclerosis in the U.S. armed forces. The study included all U.S. service members who died of combat or unintentional injuries in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn between October 2001 and August 2011 and whose cardiovascular autopsy reports were available at the time of data collection in January 2012. Prevalence of atherosclerosis was analyzed by various demographic characteristics and medical history. Classifications of coronary atherosclerosis severity were determined prior to data analysis and designed to provide consistency with previous military studies: minimal (fatty streaking only), moderate (10 percent - 49 percent luminal [interior of the vessel] narrowing of one or more vessels), and severe (50 percent or more narrowing of one or more vessels). Of the 3,832 service members included in the analysis, the average age was 26 years.
The overall prevalence of coronary or aortic atherosclerosis was 12.1 percent. The prevalence of any coronary atherosclerosis was 8.5 percent; severe coronary atherosclerosis was present in 2.3 percent, moderate in 4.7 percent, and minimal in 1.5 percent. The researchers found that age consistently produced the strongest association with prevalent atherosclerosis. Service members with atherosclerosis (average age, 30.5) were approximately 5 years older than those without; those 40 years of age and older had about 7 times the prevalence of disease as compared with those 24 years of age and younger (45.9 percent vs. 6.6 percent)
Lower education level and higher military entrance body mass index (BMI) were significantly associated with prevalent atherosclerosis, after adjusting for age. As compared with those who completed high school or less, those who completed at least some college had lower prevalence of disease. As compared with those with a normal BMI on military entrance, those with a BMI in the overweight or obese range had a significantly higher prevalence of atherosclerosis
The authors also found that age-adjusted atherosclerosis prevalence was associated with several diagnoses. As compared with those with no major cardiovascular risk factor diagnoses, those with a diagnosis of dyslipidemia (50.0 percent vs. 11.1 percent), hypertension (43.6 percent vs. 11.1 percent), or obesity (22.3 percent vs. 11.1 percent) had a significantly higher prevalence of atherosclerosis.
The researchers note that the prevalence rates found in this study demonstrate a decline from the rates of 77 percent noted in the Korean War and 45 percent in the Vietnam War, but add that targets for further improvement remain.
"Military and civilian health care systems should continue to help patients reduce their cardiovascular risk factors, beginning in childhood and continuing throughout adult life. Despite remarkable progress in prevention and treatment, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States and other developed nations, and even small improvements in the prevalence of smoking and other risk factors may reduce death rates further and prolong healthy lives."
(JAMA. 2012;308(24):2577-2583; Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)
Editor's Note: This study was supported by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, and Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.
Please Note: For this study, there will be multimedia content available, including the JAMA Report video, embedded and downloadable video, audio files, text, documents, and related links. This content will be available at 3 p.m. CT Tuesday, December 25 at this link.
Editorial: Combating the Epidemic of Heart Disease
Daniel Levy, M.D., of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md., comments on the findings of this study in an accompanying editorial.
"Autopsy studies have demonstrated that coronary disease begins at a young age. Consequently, primary prevention campaigns to address obesity and related risks should begin in childhood. Declines in cardiovascular disease risk factors have almost certainly contributed to the observed reductions in prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis, incidence of clinical atherosclerotic disease, and deaths from heart disease. Although age-adjusted heart disease death rates have declined by 72 percent since their peak during the Vietnam War years, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. The national battle against heart disease is not over; increasing rates of obesity and diabetes signal a need to engage earlier and with greater intensity in a campaign of pre-emption and prevention.
(JAMA. 2012;308(24):2624-2625; Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)
Editor's Note: The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.
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JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? A chipped street mural in South Africa's Soweto township depicts stations in the life of Nelson Mandela, each matched by a portrait of the global icon as he advanced from robust youth to old age. Now this infirm giant of history faces a struggle with mortality, its duration unknown but its outcome certain.
There may be no living figure so revered around the world as a symbol of sacrifice and reconciliation, his legacy forged in the fight against apartheid, the system of white minority rule that imprisoned him for 27 years.
As an idea, Mandela is monumental. As a 94-year-old man, he is frail and vulnerable, in hospital since Dec. 8, shielded from outside scrutiny by protective relatives and the South African government and military.
"He's sick. What can we do? He's sick," said Beauty Sedunedi, a Soweto resident who described Mandela as a hero. "People are crying, 'Oh, he mustn't die, he mustn't...' If God says 'come,' he'll come."
The former president would probably agree with that down-to-earth sentiment, as a man who is said to have been uncomfortable with his iconic status. The narrative of what he endured and what he contributed in the name of all South Africans tends to eclipse any personal failings, or shortcomings as a president when he took office for a five-year term after the country's first democratic elections in 1994. The country today struggles with poverty and inequality, but Mandela is widely credited with helping to avert race-driven chaos as South Africa emerged from apartheid.
He was diagnosed with a lung infection and had a procedure to remove gallstones after being admitted to a Pretoria hospital, and the South African presidency said Monday that Mandela would spend Christmas Day there. The physical decline of Mandela, who boxed in his youth and exercised regularly in prison, could be anyone's story; an ordinary man would make this wistful journey alone, or within the cocoon of family intimacy.
In the case of a man-turned-myth, however, the media, the government and the nation are passengers on what has become an awkward ride, defined by tension between the right to medical privacy and the public's interest.
"They were very secretive about his health," Sebastian Moloi, another resident of the Johannesburg township of Soweto, said of the government's initial, sometimes contradictory pronouncements about Mandela's condition. "They shouldn't keep it away from the public."
Moloi spoke outside Regina Mundi, a Catholic church that was a center of protests and funeral services for activists during the apartheid years. He said Mandela was the "godfather" of South Africa, but objected to extreme discretion about Mandela's hospital stay, saying: "He gets enough privacy in his home."
Officials have reported that Mandela has steadily improved, but warn the situation is inherently uncertain because of his age. The media has urged the government to provide regular updates or briefings with doctors. Dire rumors have swirled on social media, angering Mac Maharaj, the presidency's spokesman.
"Why are there no voices raised in our society against the human depravity manifested in such rumors?" Eyewitness News, a South African media outlet, quoted Maharaj as saying. "It has become a matter of concern. Is it not time for all of us to look at ourselves in the mirror?"
In fact, Mandela's public image has been closely managed for a long time. He has not been seen on a major stage since South Africa hosted the World Cup football tournament in 2010, and his meetings have become increasingly rare.
In August, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Mandela at his home in the village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province. An Associated Press photographer who accompanied Clinton said the former leader appeared "fragile although also happy," and seemed pleased to see his visitor.
"After some deliberation, at the last moment, I was allowed inside to photograph them together. While I was in the room I never heard him say a word or hardly even move," photographer Jacquelyn Martin wrote in an email. She described how aides encouraged Mandela to smile for the camera and remarked fondly to him on what a beautiful smile he had. They called him "Madiba," which is Mandela's clan name, a term of affection.
"He scarcely moved and was a whisper of the legend," Martin wrote. She said Mandela was seated in a corner with a blanket over his legs and a newspaper in his lap. His wife, Graca Machel, was also there.
In 2009, British journalist David James Smith met the Nobel laureate while working on "Young Mandela," a book that sought, in part, to humanize the man by examining reports about his often conflicted family life.
In an email, Smith said he was required to sign a document promising he would not ask "direct questions," take photos or ask Mandela to endorse any products.
"He was sitting in his huge office behind a massive desk and seemed slightly shrivelled and sparrow-like in comparison with the sharp-suited giant of the 1950s I had come to know so well from my research," Smith wrote.
"He apologized for not getting up to greet me. 'My knees will not allow it.' I struggled to get a conversation going for a few minutes until I told him I had been to Qunu and met his 'brother' Sitsheketshe, who had been brought up with Mandela as his brother after his own parents had died."
Smith recounted: "'Ah, Sitsheketshe!' he boomed. 'Do you know the story of how he came to live with my family?' I did but said I didn't and off he went ... He seemed mortal and ordinary and that I think is one of the reasons why, though not a saint, he is a very great human being."
Sitsheketshe Morris Mandela, Nelson's cousin, died this year at the age of 80.
History offers rough parallels for Mandela and the movement to safeguard his legacy as he approaches the end of his life. Men of his stature ? American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and Indian independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi ? were assassinated while actively engaged in their callings. Tragedy elevated their reputations.
The Soweto mural marks Mandela's birth in 1918; the Rivonia trial that led to his conviction for sabotage in 1964; the 1990 release from prison; the 1993 awarding of the Nobel peace prize to Mandela and the last white ruler, F.W. de Klerk; Mandela's 1994 election as South Africa's first black president; and his 90th birthday in 2008.
Truly, a momentous life. Yet Mandela, whose image adorns South African banknotes and statues and whose name was bestowed on buildings and squares, found ambiguity in it. In a passage described as part of an unpublished sequel to his autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom," he wrote:
"One issue that deeply worried me in prison was the false image that I unwittingly projected to the outside world; of being regarded as a saint. I never was one, even on the basis of an earthly definition of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying."
Reflecting on his 2009 meeting, Smith said in an interview that Mandela still retained his spark of charisma, "the glint of mischief that he had that people were so charmed by, presidents and paupers."
But he added: "You can imagine that must be almost gone now."
You will have to come up with new types of techniques to be successful. There will always be some core guidelines that you will want to stick to when dealing with online marketing, however.
Keeping up with growing trends will ensure that your affiliate marketing plans give you the desired level of success. Make an effort to ensure that you are always on top of trends and developments related to your affiliate program. New and improved techniques are constantly being introduced into the world of affiliate marketing, resulting in increased effectiveness and the ability to better entice potential customers.
TIP! Make sure you are keeping track of affiliate tasks assigned by email in an efficient way rather than wasting time with constant checking. Try to organize the points from these emails into a document.
Be honest about your affiliate relationships. As with any other type of business, being up-front and trustworthy will help you in internet marketing. Being open about why you are participating in an affiliate program will make people more likely to follow your links.
As you set out to build your affiliate marketing program, you should always start small. This will enable you to learn as you go along, and to have easier initial success. This approach will ensure that you have a strong knowledge base to work from when you attempt to take on more competitive markets.
TIP! When it comes to affiliate marketing, honesty is the best policy. Building a solid base of loyal visitors is only possible if you are honest and display integrity.
Keeping tabs on where your links perform well is important in managing your web marketing. Try moving the link to different parts of the page to see how it performs in different places- top, bottom, middle and sidebars. You might also use duplicate copy that has been rearranged only to accommodate the location of the link.
Many affiliate marketers feel a compulsive need to do too much. They try to juggle too many balls and end up dropping them all. You have to keep in mind that maximum results are not an option. It?s more important to find out what works best for you and your business.
TIP! If you have lead ads, maybe create a mystery question and have the consumer visit your web page to get the question?s answer. Curiosity will get the best of many people, and they will click the banner to get the answer to the quiz question.
Research a program no matter how it is ranked. Be sure you can get it out there without having issues.
In early 2011, all the affiliates in California lost their accounts and their links temporarily; however, now all accounts and links are reinstated. Amazon has resolved legal conflicts that prevented programs from being immplemented. If it affected you, be sure to sign up.
TIP! You should consider giving your customers the opportunity to also market your product. When someone believes in what you are selling enough to buy it, chances are they can also help you sell it.
Don?t automatically assume that all 100% commission programs are scams. Many times these programs are over looked because people think they are too good to be true. Take the time and read the small print to find out what they are offering. It could be that this is a situation where the company will pay 100% on the initial purchase only, and retain the profits from follow-up subscriptions for themselves. These can still make you money, so look closely when you see these offers.
Get yourself an accountant. Your accountant doesn?t even need to be human; good accounting software can do the job. Having accounting skills lets you see if there?s anything amiss with your payments. It is essential that you complete this step before money comes in or goes out, so that you are organized from the beginning.
TIP! Select affiliates carefully and with the needs of your audience in mind. Focus your marketing dollars in the appropriate direction when offering products to your visitors.
Don?t clutter up your site with too many banner ads. By doing this, you will not only diminish the quality of your site, but you?ll scare people off by being unprofessional and pushy. Have plenty more content than you have banners on your website, and make sure that whatever banners you have are strategically placed around your website so they don?t all end up cluttered on one page.
Information from a few high-quality affiliate marketing sources will always be more valuable than meaningless advice from dozens of irrelevant books or sites. You have to be willing to do the upfront work for nothing and have faith it will pay off in the long run. If you just read and don?t do anything, you won?t get anywhere. Choose a few good tips, put down the books, and put what you?ve learned into action.
TIP! Complete a thorough review of referral programs that your affiliates offer. Certain businesses will offer better compensation if you refer other people to their company.
Find a website dedicated to document sharing, and post an e-book of your creation. You can showcase how much you know and bring people into your site that want more information. Make sure there are several links to your business site embedded in the article.
Don?t be satisfied with your accomplishments to be a good affiliate marketer. Your affiliate marketing plans should be in constant forward motion. Try making another blog or website to make more money. It?s crucial that you never stop working.
TIP! You can make a good deal of cash with affiliate marketing, but to make money, you need the right information. You will need to find a way to make your blog/website ranked high by all of the search engines.
Make sure that you will be compensated on every sale before you put your name on the dotted line for an affiliate company. Are they capable of managing orders created from various sources like the telephone, fax and postal mail? You should make sure you get each and every penny that is owed to you.
Someone who visits your sports-related website is already in a frame of mind to think about sports. Adding affiliate links unrelated to sports will provide little in the way of tangible results. Your customers will most likely look at a link relevant to the info you have on your website.
TIP! Honesty about his business is one of the most important things a good affiliate marketer knows he must hold onto. Be honest with your customers by listing your affiliations, and provide a clear statement about what your business is about.
There are a wide variety of affiliate programs. You?ll find different products to promote, different payouts and different payout schedules.
Most people unsubscribe from mailing lists and you will constantly have generate new customers. To find new customers, make sure to give them your best emails in order to make a good impression.
TIP! Always consider your target customers when choosing items for affiliate marketing techniques. If your product is inexpensive, simply casting a wide marketing net may generate sales.
You need to do things especially for your audience, especially if they are older. Increasing the size of your font by one or two points can make a huge difference in sales ? if they can read it, they will buy it!
Do not let anyone trick you into using their tracking system. Sticking with a trustworthy tracking system can spare you a lot of stress and heartache.
TIP! Don?t affiliate without thinking it through; choose affiliates that make sense given your audience. When you do this, your prospective customers will see that you know what you are talking about, and you understand what they need.
Offering a product for only a limited amount of time can be an effective online marketing strategy. Some visitors may be more inclined to purchase your product if they see that their window of opportunity is dwindling. Using deadlines and specials is a good way to boost sales.
Here?s a good idea to create buzz for your affiliate programs: develop a contest or giveaway for your website. This is a great way to bring readers back to visit your site again, and gives them something to tell their friends about if they win the prize or if your contest offer is really great.
TIP! Always have confidence in the products that you are promoting. What products you recommend reflects back on your business.
Try and pick affiliate companies that use many resources to help sell your products. These companies are in it to make profit just like you are. They study what marketing techniques really convert customers. Good companies will give that info to their affiliates, and they can use it to sell more and make more.
TIP! When working to push one of your affiliate?s products, suggest alternate uses for it. For instance, if you offer a mat to go outside the door, you may also market how the mat will trap dirt from your animals feet to ensure they don?t track it inside.
Google Plus is an avenue for new business ventures. Try to get involved with it now while it is still in its infancy. Make your Google Plus ID known amongst your followers on Facebook and Twitter, and place the Google Plus icon for your website right next to the other links on your site for social media. Give them good information so they want to visit your site.
To get the most out of your affiliate program, choose a company that has a high sales conversion ratio. Consider using a one percent ratio as a benchmark.
They do it because it has worked for them and brought in more customers. Your job is to figure out how you can apply it to the position you?re in. Once you do that, success should follow.
For more tips on Affiliate Marketing and to see the platform I use, go to: http://www.financialreboot.com.com
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (1)
"Brooklyn Castle" easily checkmates your inner cynic.
Katie Dellamaggiore's lively and affecting documentary introduces us to a cast of characters that's very winning (in both senses of the word).
It's not To Sir, With Love: It's fierce ambition, the channeling of emotion, and hours of drilling.
Enlightening, inspiring and expertly crafted.
An irresistibly uplifting doc.
Castle is suspenseful, funny and, particularly in its depiction of the challenging home lives of some of the kids, moving.
... a powerful and positive story about dedicated teachers helping kids succeed no matter what their circumstances
Like chess, not exactly a high-energy experience but seeing what these kids accomplish, seemingly against all odds is breathtaking all the same.
...provides a corrective to the popular image of American schools as obsessed with sports and popularity, and it makes the strongest possible case for funding after-school activities.
Chess, brilliant young students and great teachers potent mix.
The I.S. 318 team? A delightfully motley, vulnerable, multicultural bunch, whose addiction to chess has allowed them higher aspirations for top high schools and, eventually, college and careers. You will root for them like crazy.
We meet five of the team's members and several of their teachers; by its end, you'll be rooting for them all.
"BROOKLYN CASTLE is a compelling, engaging and inspiring Documentary, featuring Junior High kids that you can relate to. Even if you don't know the game of Chess all too well, it won't stop you from enjoying this pleasant film."
Brooklyn Castle provides a snapshot of indomitable American can-do attitude, and gives one hope.
The admirable Brooklyn Castle transcends its formula to become an optimistic look at extracurricular education and young people.
Great story, well-made, what's not to like?
It's clear that chess isn't just a game; for these students, it can also open doors.
No quotes approved yet for Brooklyn Castle. Logged in users can submit quotes.
It sure looks that way, unless the gun clip Gregory held up today was just a dummy prop.
I saw a number of tweets linking to this post David Gregory Violates DC Gun Law On National TV?quoting D.C. Official Code 7-2506.01 (emphasis in original):
b) No person in the District shall possess, sell, or transfer any large capacity ammunition feeding device regardless of whether the device is attached to a firearm. For the purposes of this subsection, the term ?large capacity ammunition feeding device? means a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device that has a capacity of, or that can be readily restored or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The term ?large capacity ammunition feeding device? shall not include an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.
I confirmed via Westlaw that this is in fact existing D.C. law.? Here?s the entire section:
? 7-2506.01. Persons permitted to possess ammunition.
(a) No person shall possess ammunition in the District of Columbia unless:
(1) He is a licensed dealer pursuant to subchapter IV of this unit;
(2) He is an officer, agent, or employee of the District of Columbia or the United States of America, on duty and acting within the scope of his duties when possessing such ammunition;
(3) He is the holder of the valid registration certificate for a firearm of the same gauge or caliber as the ammunition he possesses; except, that no such person shall possess restricted pistol bullets; or
(4) He holds an ammunition collector?s certificate on September 24, 1976.
(b) No person in the District shall possess, sell, or transfer any large capacity ammunition feeding device regardless of whether the device is attached to a firearm. For the purposes of this subsection, the term ?large capacity ammunition feeding device? means a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device that has a capacity of, or that can be readily restored or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The term ?large capacity ammunition feeding device? shall not include an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.
Here is the segment of today?s Meet the Press show in which Gregory holds up what appears to be a high-capacity (i.e., more than 10 round) ammunition clip while interviewing Wayne LaPierre this morning:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I sent Gregory a tweet, and I?ll try to reach out to NBC News, and I?ll update if I can get NBC?s position on whether Gregory just violated the law. Maybe it was just a dummy clip, not a real one:
Update 5:15 p.m. ? It has been 4 hours since I emailed the two communications people at NBC News with responsibility for Meet the Press, and almost two hours since I emailed the S.V.P. of Communications and left a voice mail on her cell phone, but no response yet from NBC News.
The disappearance of two friends has baffled authorities, who have searched by air, water and in wooded areas for the men, who seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
Zachary Wells, 21, and Prescott Wright, 23, were last seen hanging out at home in Kennebunkport, Maine., on Thursday, police chief Craig Sanford told ABC News affiliate WMTW-TV.
Both men are students at The Landing School in Arundel, Maine., where they were learning boat building and yacht design.
When the men failed to show up for classes on Thursday and Friday, administrators at the school contacted police.
Authorities found no signs of a disturbance at the home, Sanford said, and searches of the nearby area did not turn up any clues. Only one of the men owns a vehicle, and it remained parked in the driveway of the house, according to ABC affiliate WCVB-TV in Boston.
"There's no one area to pinpoint because we don't know where they might have gone," Sanford said, calling it one of the strangest cases he has ever seen.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Kennebunkport Police Department at 207-967-2454.
With the value on information rising day by day, one of thegreatest threats to businesses of any size is data loss. If thedata centers in your business have ever experienced a hard drivedisaster, you quicky realized just how valuable the informationlost is.
And then, the situation becomes even worse, when you realizehow much it is going to cost for a disaster recovery specialistto try and retrieve or restore your data for you.
Here are some basic tips for avoiding such a situation.
1. If you company is using older computers, be sure your techsupport is regulary checking for any problems on your harddrives. By discovering problems before they have a chance towreak havock on your data, they will have an opportuntiy to backthe data up before it is no longer retrievable.
2. Make sure your techies are giving you the old hard diskswhen they do hard drive upgrades on your systems. Even when theinformation has been copied onto new disks, the old drives stillcontain all your valuable data. You don?t want this getting intothe wrong hands. Plus, it is always good to have
a backup whilethe new hardware is settling in.
3. Especially in a fast paced office environment, the thousandsof computer files can become disorganized over time. Make sureyour computer support is running defragmentation programs on aregular basis.
4. Keep the operating systems the same across all machines inyour office. This will help prevent hard drive corruption fromvarious users incorrectly installing programs on a system theyare not familiar with. Better yet, leave program installation,removal and system partitioning to your tech support.
5. Make sure employess report any problems that crop up ontheir machines. If even one computer starts acting strangely,running slower, or giving error messages, have support run ascan disk or CHKDSK immediately. Remember, it will be muchcheaper to repair one computer?s hard drive than to pick up thetab after a total system disaster!
Keeping the following tips in mind when creating your data lossdisaster prevention plan will help limit not only headaches, butlosses to your bottom line.
James B. Allen blogs regularly about disaster recoveryplanning. To learn more about data recovery andother aspects of disaster recovery, visit James at:DisasterRecoveryData.com.
National Rifle Association board member and president of Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist said on Sunday that President Obama and Democrats are politicizing the Newtown tragedy by pushing for gun control.
"We ought to calm down and not take tragedies like this, crimes like this, and use them for political purposes," Norquist told me on "This Week." "President Obama has been president for four years. If he thought some gun control could solve this problem, he should have been pushing it years ago."
"Democrats had a majority in the House and a supermajority in the House and the Senate for the first two years that they were in office. If they thought that this was really an important issue they might have done something then. They didn't," he added.
Read a full transcript of this week's show HERE.
On Wednesday, Obama announced that Vice President Joe Biden would head a task force of leaders from across the country to evaluate solutions to reduce gun violence.
Norquist endorsed the recommendation made by NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre at a press conference on Friday to place armed guards in schools across the country.
Other members of the political roundtable pushed for what they called "common sense" gun laws.
Like "This Week" on Facebook here. You can also follow the show on Twitter here.
Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker, who is a member of the pro-gun control group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said that there is more agreement than disagreement on measures to stop the mentally ill and criminals from acquiring weapons.
"I don't think anyone has seen someone shot-I have," Booker said. "I don't know if anybody here has had to put their hand in somebody's chest, and try to stop the bleeding so that person doesn't die-I have. What frustrates me about this debate is that it is a false debate."
"Most of us in America including gun owners agree on things that would stop the kind of carnage that is going on in cities all across America," Booker said, adding that loopholes that allow criminals to buy guns in "secondary markets" should be closed.
Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com.
Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan said that LaPierre's suggestion that the effect of a violent culture on the mentally ill has contributed to increased gun violence, but she believes that Congress should pursue some gun control measures.
"I am for the banning of the extended magazines and extended clips," Noonan said.
Editor and Publisher of The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel said that focusing on the mentally ill is a distraction from the issue of gun violence.
"The mental illness argument has been used to evade action," vanden Huevel said. "More guns and bullets, more dead children."
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Public release date: 25-Dec-2012
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