Some figures in the history of philosophy and sociology are household names: Heidegger, Durkheim, Weber. What organizers of an upcoming symposium want to stress is the importance of a once central – and later marginal and plagiarized – figure. 

Georg Simmel (1858-1918) was “one of the founders of the discipline of sociology, influenced directly – or by plagiarism – a huge number of intellectual currents, and was deeply in touch with some issues that are just now playing out,” said conference organizer Don Levine, Peter B. Ritzma Professor Emeritus of Sociology.

Set for Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12, the symposium, “Georg Simmel:  Life, Self, Culture, Society,” is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Franke Institute for the Humanities, the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought, the Divinity School, the divisions of the Humanities and the Social Sciences, and the departments of Germanic Studies, Music, Philosophy and Sociology. 

The direct catalyst for this event is the first full English translation of Simmel’s final work, The View of Life: Four Metaphysical Essays with Journal Aphorisms. Ultimately, said Levine, it will be a “double healing.” Those who have paid attention to Simmel have usually focused either on his sociology or on his philosophy, rarely both. 

More to the point, the topics Simmel reflected on during his career also spanned art, music, theater, morals, history, and money. This symposium, the first major international conference on Simmel in the United States, will provide scholars with an opportunity to meet colleagues who have studied “other aspects of Simmel’s work that they probably haven’t paid much attention to.”

Some of Simmel’s reflections that may have eluded many scholars, particularly those who only consider him a sociologist, are his thoughts on death and immortality. “In 1919,” said Levine, “Heidegger gave a public lecture acknowledging Simmel’s important ideas about time and death and historicity and being. Then in 1927, Being and Time came out, and there’s no mention of Simmel, except for one disparaging footnote.” Levine said Heidegger and later writers took many ideas directly from Simmel, usually without giving him proper credit or even mentioning him as their source.

Ryan Coyne, assistant professor of the philosophy of religions and theology at the Divinity School, will present a paper arguing that, to some extent, Heidegger may not only be derivative of Simmel, but Simmel may also serve as a correction to some problems in Heidegger’s later work. 

He also generated “an amazing analysis of the modern money economy and the philosophy of money.” Alessandro Cavalli, an Italian scholar, will give a talk showing how Simmel fosters an understanding of today’s Euro crisis. 

“He also was the first one to use the term ‘religiosity,’’’added Levine—focusing on religion as its own domain of experience. “I think that Simmel still has an enormous amount to teach us about both life in general and, in particular, modernity.”

Megan Doherty, PhD’10, received her doctoral degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Symposium, Nov. 11-12, to celebrate reflections of forgotten philosopher Georg Simmel | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

A genome-wide association study published in the August issue of Nature Medicine has found two tiny genetic variations that can predict which patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are most likely to develop radiation-induced second cancers years after treatment. Knowing in advance who is at risk could help physicians tailor treatment to reduce the risks for patients who are most susceptible to long-term damage.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers, with more than 90 percent of patients surviving after a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. But nearly 20 percent of patients treated as children develop a second cancer within 30 years. The younger the patients are when treated and the higher the radiation dose, the greater the risk. This late side effect of treatment is the second leading cause of death for long-term Hodgkin’s survivors.

“This finding means we can better identify children who are most susceptible to radiation-induced cancers before treatment begins and modify their care to prevent this serious long-term complication,” said Kenan Onel, associate professor of pediatrics and senior author of the study. “Luckily our options for Hodgkin’s are broad enough that we can find ways to control the initial disease without relying on radiation therapy.”

“This is also a triumph for genome-wide association studies,” he added. “Many previous GWAS studies found multiple genetic differences, with each of them playing only a modest role, with minimal impact on clinical management. In this study, which focused on the interaction between genes and a very specific environmental factor—cancer long after radiation therapy—a small number of genetic differences produced a very big impact.”

Onel and colleagues analyzed the genomes of 178 Hodgkin’s patients who had been treated between the ages of 8 and 20 with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Within 30 years after treatment, 96 of them had developed second cancers and 82 had not.

When they scanned each patient’s genome, focusing on 665,313 tiny genetic variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, they found three variations that appeared far more often in patients with second cancers. When they repeated the study using a different set of patients—62 cases with second cancers and 71 without—two of the three markers were significant.

Those two markers were both from a small region known as 21q on chromosome 6. Both are positioned near a gene known as PRDM1.

The genetic variations closely associated with increased cancer risk, and with each other, appeared to decrease activation of the PRMD1 gene. They had no detectable effect any other genes. Cells with the protective version of both markers expressed PRDM1 after being exposed to radiation. Cells with the variants linked to subsequent cancers did not produce any PRDM1.

Previous studies have found that PRDM1 is involved in a variety of fundamental cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis—which can all go awry in cancer. The gene’s activity is lost in many cancer types.

In Onel’s small samples, only three percent of patients with both of the protective variants developed second cancers within 30 years; nearly 33 percent of those with both of the high-risk variations did.

“Taken together,” the authors note, “our findings support a novel role for PRDM1 as a radiation-responsive tumor suppressor.” PRMD1 may be important for understanding the causes of second cancers in survivors of pediatric Hodgkin’s lymphoma as well as in other cancer patients treated with radiation therapy.”

This study should also “bring some optimism” back to genome-wide association studies, Onel added. Most previous cancer-related markers found through GWAS have been “of little clinical value for predicting risk, response to therapy or survival.” But by incorporating environmental exposure, such as radiation therapy, into genomic investigations, “much of the missing heritability can be revealed,” he said. “By folding in the environmental component, we were able to ask a more targeted question. This approach could improve our ability to integrate genomics into routine cancer care.”

The National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Cancer Research Foundation, and the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center supported this research.

Additional authors include Timothy Best, Andrew Skol, Sarah Jackson, Olufunmilayo Olopade and Stephanie Huang of the University of Chicago; Dalin Li, Thomas Mack, Wendy Cozen and David Conti of University of Southern California; Kenneth Offit and Thomas Kirchhoff of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Yutaka Yasui of the University of Alberta; Smita Bhatia of City of Hope; Louise Strong of the MD Anderson Cancer Center; Susan Domchek and Katherine Nathanson of the University of Pennsylvania; and Leslie Robison of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Two genetic variations predict second cancers after radiation treatment for children with Hodgkin’s | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

July 25, 2011

A genome-wide association study published in the August issue of Nature Medicine has found two tiny genetic variations that can predict which patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are most likely to develop radiation-induced second cancers years after treatment. Knowing in advance who is at risk could help physicians tailor treatment to reduce the risks for patients who are most susceptible to long-term damage.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers, with more than 90 percent of patients surviving after a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. But nearly 20 percent of patients treated as children develop a second cancer within 30 years. The younger the patients are when treated and the higher the radiation dose, the greater the risk. This late side effect of treatment is the second leading cause of death for long-term Hodgkin’s survivors.

“This finding means we can better identify children who are most susceptible to radiation-induced cancers before treatment begins and modify their care to prevent this serious long-term complication,” said Kenan Onel, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and senior author of the study. “Luckily our options for Hodgkin’s are broad enough that we can find ways to control the initial disease without relying on radiation therapy.”

“This is also a triumph for genome-wide association studies,” he added. “Many previous GWAS studies found multiple genetic differences, with each of them playing only a modest role, with minimal impact on clinical management. In this study, which focused on the interaction between genes and a very specific environmental factor–cancer long after radiation therapy–a small number of genetic differences produced a very big impact.”

Onel and colleagues analyzed the genomes of 178 Hodgkin’s patients who had been treated between the ages of 8 and 20 with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Within 30 years after treatment, 96 of them had developed second cancers and 82 had not.

When they scanned each patient’s genome, focusing on 665,313 tiny genetic variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, they found three variations that appeared far more often in patients with second cancers. When they repeated the study using a different set of patients–62 cases with second cancers and 71 without–two of the three markers were significant.

Those two markers were both from a small region known as 21q on chromosome 6. Both are positioned near a gene known as PRDM1.

The genetic variations closely associated with increased cancer risk, and with each other, appeared to decrease activation of the PRMD1 gene. They had no detectable effect on any other genes. Cells with the protective version of both markers expressed PRDM1 after being exposed to radiation. Cells with the variants linked to subsequent cancers did not produce any PRDM1.

Previous studies have found that PRDM1 is involved in a variety of fundamental cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis–which can all go awry in cancer. The gene’s activity is lost in many cancer types.

In Onel’s small samples, only three percent of patients with both of the protective variants developed second cancers within 30 years; nearly 33 percent of those with both of the high-risk variations did.

“Taken together,” the authors note, “our findings support a novel role for PRDM1 as a radiation-responsive tumor suppressor.” PRMD1 may be important for understanding the causes of second cancers in survivors of pediatric Hodgkin’s lymphoma as well as in other cancer patients treated with radiation therapy.”

This study should also “bring some optimism” back to genome-wide association studies, Onel added. Most previous cancer-related markers found through GWAS have been “of little clinical value for predicting risk, response to therapy or survival.” But by incorporating environmental exposure, such as radiation therapy, into genomic investigations, “much of the missing heritability can be revealed,” he said. “By folding in the environmental component, we were able to ask a more targeted question. This approach could improve our ability to integrate genomics into routine cancer care.”

The National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Cancer Research Foundation, and the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center supported this research.

Additional authors include Timothy Best, Andrew Skol, Sarah Jackson, Olufunmilayo Olopade and Stephanie Huang of the University of Chicago; Dalin Li, Thomas Mack, Wendy Cozen and David Conti of University of Southern California; Kenneth Offit and Thomas Kirchhoff of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Yutaka Yasui of the University of Alberta; Smita Bhatia of City of Hope; Louise Strong of the MD Anderson Cancer Center; Susan Domchek and Katherine Nathanson of the University of Pennsylvania; and Leslie Robison of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Two genetic variations predict second cancers after radiation treatment for children with Hodgkin lymphoma | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Those are the words of Fritzie Burkett describing the horrifying moments when she watched her five-week-old son, Genesis, pass away in front of her eyes. Genesis had allegedly been given over 60 times the amount of sodium chloride prescribed by his doctor. Now, Fritzie and her husband Cameron Burkett have filed a wrongful death suit against Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

Genesis was born prematurely in 2010 and spent 40 days at Lutheran General. The Burketts’ lawsuit claims that his doctor ordered 14.7 milli-equivalents of sodium chloride, but instead received 982 milli-equivalents, an amount that, according to the family’s attorney, is enough to kill an adult. He was allegedly given this dose for almost 20 hours, and then died a few hours afterwards. Doctors attempted to save him, but by then, nothing could be done.

Officials from the hospital informed the family after learning the nature of the error. A statement released indicates that Genesis “passed away after a hospital process error led to an incorrect concentration of sodium in his IV fluids. It was determined that a data entry error was made in the formulation of the IV solution.”

Lutheran General also noted that it has taken additional measures to ensure that this does not happen again.

For Fritzie Burkett, who had miscarried twice and has had fertility problems, the emotional hardship from this incident is almost too much for her to bear.

“It’s not about anger,” the Chicago mother said when asked if she was angry. “It’s more just hoping that … no other baby has to go and experience this again.”

Advocate Lutheran General sued for infant’s death | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

March 9, 2011

Originally reported by Illinois Statehouse News. Read the original article here.

Illinois ends death penalty | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

By Diane S. W. Lee

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday signed legislation to abolish the death penalty in Illinois, and commuted the sentences of the 15 inmates now on death row to natural life imprisonment, without the possibility of parole or release.

Quinn mulled over his decision this past weekend and signed the new law in his statehouse office.

“This was the most difficult decision I’ve made as governor,” Quinn said later during a news conference. “It was made after many days and nights of reflection and review. For those who support this decision, I’ve received many communications. And for those who oppose this decision, I’ve received many communications.”

Morgan County Sheriff Randy Duvendack is one of those opponents.  Duvendack said the death penalty was used as a “tool” to fight crime, and it is needed for the “most shocking cases.”

“My opinion is there is still a place for it,” he said. “I also wonder about police officers, prison guards, who are guarding murderers. What is the incentive for them not to do it? If you are mad at a guard, what are you going to do? If you are mad at a guard, what are you going to get? Another life sentence?”

As a former prosecutor, Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon said cases are tried to make sure defendants are guilty of crimes beyond a reasonable doubt. But in the past, several media investigations determined innocent people had been sent to death row on wrongful convictions. Simon, who in recent days urged Quinn to sign the proposal, called Wednesday a “historic day.”

“This is a particular courageous stand to take, but it is one, I think, (that) is required by justice in the state of Illinois,” Simon said.

Quinn ends dealth penalty in Illinois | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

February 4, 2011

Originally reported by Illinois Statehouse News. Read the original article here.

Quinn pondering death penalty abolition, considering current death row inmates | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

NEW YORK – Lugging around a few extra pounds? One of the largest studies to look at health and weight finds that you don’t have to be obese to raise your risk of premature death. Merely being overweight carries some risk, too.

Obesity increases the risk of death from heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. But whether being merely overweight contributes to an early death as well has been uncertain and controversial. Some research has suggested being a little pudgy has little effect or can even be a good thing.

The latest research involving about 1.5 million people concluded that healthy white adults who were overweight were 13 percent more likely to die during the time they were followed in the study than those whose weight is in an ideal range.

“Having a little extra meat on your bones — if that meat happens to be fat — is harmful, not beneficial,” said Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society, senior author of the study.

The study’s conclusions, published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine, are similar to three other large studies, said the lead author, Amy Berrington of the National Cancer Institute.

“Now there’s really a very large body of evidence which supports the finding that being overweight is associated with a small increased risk of death,” Berrington said.

For their government-funded analysis, the researchers pooled 19 long-term studies of mostly white adults. They used each person’s body mass index — a measure of height and weight — and checked to see who died during the follow-up periods, which ranged from five to 28 years.

They focused on people who were healthy at the beginning of the studies, excluding smokers and those with heart disease or cancer because those affect death rates and researchers wanted to see the impact of weight alone.

The lowest death rate for healthy women who had never smoked was in the high end of the ideal body mass index range — between 22.5 and 24.9. Compared with that group, those who were overweight had an increased risk of death of 13 percent. The increased risk ranged from 44 to 88 percent for those who were obese. The morbidly obese were 2 1/2 times more likely to die prematurely. The results for men were similar.

Most of the participants in the studies were white so the research focused on them. Results may be different in other ethnic and racial groups, Berrington said. She said evidence suggests that for the same BMI level, African-Americans might have a lower risk of death and Asians a higher risk.

Two-thirds of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. Overweight begins at a BMI measurement of 25, obese at 30 and morbidly obese at 40. A 5-foot-6 person is considered overweight at 155 pounds, obese at 186 pounds and morbidly obese at 248 pounds.

Because of its size and the diversity of studies included, the research “provides strong evidence against the position that it’s a good thing for health to be overweight,” Thun said.

The notion that a “bit of reserves” would help keep you from getting sick probably stems from the days when food was scarce, he said.

The latest research was launched after a controversial 2005 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that concluded being overweight didn’t raise the risk of death; that report included smokers and those with pre-existing illnesses.

University of South Carolina obesity researcher Steven Blair said the results were consistent with other studies and the “massive effort” was commendable. But he said there wasn’t enough information available about fitness level or physical activity. A proponent of the “fit and fat” theory, Blair said his research has shown that obese people who are tested and deemed fit did not face increased risks of dying.

“If we want to get to the bottom of the health hazards of overweight and obesity, we have to have better data on physical activity,” Blair said. “Until we do that, there’s uncertainty of how important BMI is as an important predictor of mortality.”

___

Online:

BMI calculator: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

New England Journal: http://www.nejm.org

Study says even being a bit overweight is risky (AP) | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

CHICAGO — A stadium official says the death of 23-year-old man who fell from a concourse at Chicago’s Soldier Field during halftime of Sunday’s Bears-Eagles game appears to have been accidental.

Soldier Field spokesman Luca Serra said Monday that the man’s death was an “unfortunate accident.” He called it an “isolated incident.”

The Cook County medical examiner’s office publicly identified the man Monday as Stewart Haverty of Woodstock.

Chicago police spokesman John Mirabelli says Haverty’s death doesn’t appear to have been criminal. He didn’t have details on how Haverty came to fall approximately 35 feet onto the roof of a stadium storage area.

Stewart was declared dead shortly after arriving at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Sunday.

Autopsy results are pending.

Originally reported by Yahoo. Read the original story here.

Official: Fan death at Bears game tragic accident | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Originally reported by WISH-TV News. Read the original article here.

Meeting to examine death penalty costs | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Osmond painfully recalled the night that Michael died, starting with a phone call from him just as she was going on stage during her Vegas show. She said that she was going through a costume change when her phone rang. “I couldn’t get to it,” she admitted. Later when she called him back, he didn’t pick up.

“I believe in female intuition. I especially believe in mother’s intuition. I knew something was wrong.”

She asked her daughter to stay with her that night in the hotel and at 2 AM the phone rang. On the other line was a security guard from her gated community. “He said ‘there are some people here to see you. It’s the police I believe’ … He said, ‘well it’s the coroner’s office.’”

“I knew it was Michael,” she said with tears streaming.

According to the police report, the time of death was around 9:30 PM. Osmond told Oprah that he called her about 45 minutes before that. “You know some particulars are so in stone, other things are just like this wave that comes in and out of your heart. I’ve been through some tough times in my life, Oprah. This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever been through.”

When asked by Oprah if she thought things would have been different if she had just spoken to Michael when he called, Osmond responded by saying, “I think if you live in ‘what ifs,’ you stop living.”

While many media outlets have reported that Michael’s suicide stemmed from the conflict between his Mormon upbringing and his reported homosexuality, Osmond denied these claims. “My son was not gay,” she said. “And it wouldn’t matter if he was.”

She added, “I know I’ll see him again because of what I believe.”

She told Oprah that Blosil started abusing drugs when he was 12 and took several trips to rehab, however, she disputed any notion that narcotics played a role in his death.

“My son was clean when he jumped,” she said of the teen, who was a student at L.A.’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. “There were no drugs in his system, but I believe that the ramifications of them were there. That was the hard part.”

Blosil left a suicide note, and Osmond did her best to summarize it: “He basically said he knew that morning was the last time he would get up and brush his teeth, make his bed, those kinds of things. He had made his decision, I guess. And uh, he wrote that he loved his family … The pain was so intense.”

Osmond also confirmed rumors that her son had attempted suicide while she was competing on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ in 2007. “During that time I was going through a very public divorce. Going through custody battles … and he received some news that something had happened to some of his family members … and he couldn’t deal with it. He promised he would never do it again.”

Originally reported by PopEater.com. Read the original article here.

Marie Osmond Talks to Oprah About Son’s Suicide: ‘I Knew Something Was Wrong’ | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

When Gibson was quickly replaced by Liam Neeson, an insider told Page Six that Mel was downright “furious” about getting the boot, then went on to mention Tyson by name: “He doesn’t understand why Mike Tyson, a drug user and convicted rapist, as EW.com pointed out who turned his life around, was given a chance while Mel was kicked to the curb. Everybody deserves a second chance.”

It’s been speculated that Zach Galifianakis may have been the reason Gibson was forced out of the sequel.

Speaking on the Comedy Death-Ray podcast recently, Galifianakis said, “A movie you’re acting in, you don’t have a lot of control — you just show up and vomit your lines out. I’m not the boss. I’m in a deep protest right now with a movie I’m working on, up in arms about something. But I can’t get the guys to listen … I’m not making any leeway.”

Pressed for details, Galifianakis wouldn’t identify ‘The Hangover 2′ or Mel Gibson by name, but added: “It has something to do with a movie I’m working on, yeah. I’ll tell you about it later. It’s very frustrating.”

Originally reported by PopEater.com. Read the original article here.

Mike Tyson Would Have Worked With Mel Gibson on ‘The Hangover 2′ | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Originally reported by PopEater.com. Read the original article here.

‘Hangover’ Director Says Mel Gibson Wasn’t Fired | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – In a highly unusual public rebuke of a former A-list movie star, Warner Bros. has dropped Mel Gibson from the cast of “The Hangover Part II.”

Gibson, whose anti-Semitic, racist and misogynist rants have made him radioactive in some Hollywood circles, was to have a cameo as a tattoo artist in the sequel to the 2009 hit.

But the stunt casting, which was picked up by the media this week, triggered an internal backlash at the studio and on the film set. And the studio, where Gibson reigned as a major star during the ’80s and ’90s with such movies as the Lethal Weapon series, decided to go public with a statement that the actor was no longer involved in the project. Gibson’s spokesman declined comment.

Zach Galifianakis — who is reteaming for the sequel with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Justin Bertha and director Todd Phillips — appears to be among those who objected to Gibson.

In a Comedy Death-Ray podcast released last week, Galifianakis alluded to trouble on the set of “Hangover II,” without naming the film. Interviewed by host Scott Aukerman, he said he was in “deep protest” and “up in arms” about a film he’s working on.

Without naming names, he said: “A movie you’re acting in, you don’t have a lot of control; you just show up and vomit your lines out. I’m not the boss. I’m in deep protest right now about a movie I’m working on, up in arms about something. But I can’t get the guys to (listen). … I’m not making any leeway.”

Pressed for details, Galifianakis said: “It has something to do with a movie I’m working on, yeah. I’ll tell you about it later. It’s very frustrating.”

Reps for the actor declined comment.

Other members of the movie’s cast and crew also are said to have opposed Gibson’s casting, and insiders said high-level execs at the studio also objected.

One studio worker in his 20s suggested that there was a generational divide between older execs and the audience at which the “Hangover” movies are aimed.

“Our generation doesn’t really care about most of what (Gibson) said,” said the worker. “To the people going to the movie, he’s just another wacky celebrity.”

One source close to the script had called Gibson’s casting “genius.” “He’s a mean, crazy guy you’re afraid to ask questions of,” said the source.

While the original movie revolved around a Las Vegas bachelor party that devolves into drunken lost weekend, the follow-up tracks the same quartet on a misbegotten trip to Bangkok.

A source familiar with the production said the character of the tattoo artist is “pivotal” to the plot, in which one of the stars gets a tattoo during a night of debauchery.

The movie began shooting September 30 on the Warners lot, but Gibson’s cameo had yet to be filmed.

On Thursday, Warners, production partner Legendary and Phillips released a joint statement saying that Gibson would not make an appearance in the movie.

“I thought Mel would have been great in the movie, and I had the full backing of (Warner Bros. Pictures Group president) Jeff Robinov and his team,” Phillips said. “But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew.”

Beyond the immediate backlash the casting triggered, a number of other considerations came into play.

The first “Hangover” also made use of stunt casting by recruiting Mike Tyson, who played himself in the movie. The former boxer has had plenty of infamous brushes with notoriety, including a 1992 conviction of sexual assault for which he served three years in prison. Tyson also makes an appearance in the “Hangover II” script, though there is no official word whether he will reprise the role.

In the eyes of the studio and filmmakers, though, Tyson’s offenses occurred long enough ago that he is no longer viewed as a controversial figure. His appearance in the first movie, which grossed $467.5 million worldwide, was generally greeted as a comic goof.

Gibson’s own 2006 drunk-driving arrest, in which he unleashed a string of anti-Semitic and sexist remarks, had begun to fade into the past, but the actor was thrust back into the tabloid headlines this summer when angry voicemail messages surfaced in the midst of contentious legal action between Gibson and his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, who also bore him a daughter.

The messages contained racist and sexist language and Grigorieva also launched allegations of domestic abuse.

William Morris Endeavor dropped Gibson as a client. And Summit Entertainment has not yet to decided how to handle the pending release of Gibson’s next movie, “The Beaver,” directed by Jodie Foster.

A final factor may have been the fact that Phillips and Galifianakis are about to plunge into a media push for their movie “Due Date,” which opens November 5. Suddenly, they faced the prospect of answering dozens of questions about why Gibson was going to be appearing in “Hangover II” when they wanted to focus instead on talking about the new movie.

Mel Gibson dropped from "Hangover" sequel (omg!) | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute Launches Citywide Public Heart-Health Awareness Campaign

CHICAGO, Oct. 4 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — As one of the nation’s top cardiovascular institutions, Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is launching a first-of-its-kind consumer education and awareness campaign called “Hearts a Bluhm” to generate widespread awareness of the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America.

Centered around a citywide art display of giant, painted acrylic hearts “blooming” throughout key high-traffic Chicago area locations, “Hearts a Bluhm” will creatively promote the importance of heart health throughout February 2011 – National Heart Month.

“The ‘Hearts a Bluhm’ campaign comes at a time when millions of Americans are affected daily by cardiovascular disease, including thousands here in Chicago alone,” said Patrick M. McCarthy, MD, chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery for Northwestern Memorial and director of its Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. “Our intent with this bold public art display is to encourage conversations about cardiovascular disease and its prevention and to celebrate the people whose lives have been saved through proper diagnosis and treatment.”

Each of the 100 oversized acrylic hearts, which will be displayed on public sidewalk planters and thoroughfares, will be creatively embellished and painted by a sponsoring organization or company and will be accompanied by a heart health education tip.

Columbia College Chicago will serve as the “Hearts a Bluhm” exhibit’s artistic partner with students, faculty, staff and alumni expected to decorate a number of the hearts. During the months of November and December 2010, sponsoring organizations and companies will also be invited to embellish their “hearts” at a special art studio located in the city. There, Columbia College Chicago creative advisors will be on hand to provide artistic guidance as the hearts are painted.

“As the country’s largest arts and media college, it seemed quite natural for Columbia College Chicago to partner with Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute on this program,” said Columbia College President Warrick L. Carter, Ph.D. “This campaign is a wonderful opportunity for our community of artists to stretch their creativity and build their body of work through a public forum and for a very important cause.”

Heart sponsorships range from $2,500 to $10,000. A limited number of “celebrity designed” hearts featuring the artwork of a variety of high-profile athletes and Chicago personalities will also be available for sponsorship for $20,000. After the exhibit is complete, sponsors will own their “heart” and will be able to display it at their discretion. Proceeds from the sale of the hearts will benefit cardiovascular programs at Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, as well as art scholarships at Columbia College Chicago. A portion of each contribution is tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

Awareness efforts are also being aided by “Women with Heart”, prominent Chicago women, known for their commitment to giving back, who combined their strengths in support of spreading the word about “Hearts a Bluhm” and combating heart disease.

For more information about the “Hearts a Bluhm” campaign or to sponsor a heart, please visit www.heartsabluhm.org.

About Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Northwestern Memorial is one of the country’s premier academic medical center hospitals and is the primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Along with its Prentice Women’s Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry, the hospital comprises 854 beds, 1,603 affiliated physicians and 7,144 employees. Northwestern Memorial is recognized for providing exemplary patient care and state-of-the art advancements in the areas of cardiovascular care; women’s health; oncology; neurology and neurosurgery; solid organ and soft tissue transplants and orthopaedics.

Northwestern Memorial possesses nursing Magnet Status, the nation’s highest recognition for patient care and nursing excellence, and it is listed in 12 clinical specialties in U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 “America’s Best Hospitals” guide. For 10 years running, it has been rated among the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research Corporation’s annual survey for 11 years.

SOURCE Northwestern Memorial Hospital

http://www.nmh.orghttp://www.heartsabluhm.org

Hearts Will ‘Bluhm’ Throughout the City of Chicago in February 2011 | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

World Heart Federation and CanolaInfo Team Up to Promote Smart Eating for the Heart

CHICAGO, Aug. 24 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world, accounting for about a third (more than 17 million) of all lost lives. The good news is a healthy lifestyle can save the majority of these lives by preventing heart disease in the first place. In honor of World Heart Day on Sept. 26, 2010, CanolaInfo has joined forces with the World Heart Federation to promote global heart health.

(Photo: http://photos.CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM.com/prnh/20100824/DC54337)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100824/DC54337)

“No matter where you’re from, heart disease is preventable 80 percent of the time with good nutrition, exercise and other healthy habits,” says Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, attending cardiologist and director of Women and Heart Disease, Heart and Vascular Institute, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City.

Six culinary experts from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Japan, China and India created a World Heart-Smart Recipe Collection for CanolaInfo, supported by the World Heart Federation, which creates a “passport” to nutrition using traditional ethnic flavors and heart-healthy ingredients. Recipes include:  

• United States: Fusilli Pasta with Chile Sauce and Black Bean-Fennel Relish by Carla Hall, finalist on Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 5, Washington, D.C.
• Canada: Grilled Salmon with Dijon-Raspberry Vinaigrette by Mairlyn Smith, cookbook author, Toronto
• Mexico: Shredded Chicken Tostadas with Spicy Tomato Salsa by Alfredo Oropeza, host of “Al Sabor del Chef” and cookbook author, Mexico City
• China: Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup by Stella Fong, food writer, Billings, Mont.
• Japan: Steamed Snapper with Citrus Sweet and Sour Sauce by Gene Kato, executive chef of Japonais restaurant, Chicago
• India: Marinated Chicken with Cashew-Spinach Sauce by Raghavan Iyer, cookbook author, Minneapolis

Each recipe is made with canola oil, which has the least saturated fat of all cooking oils and is free of trans fat and cholesterol. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a qualified health claim for canola oil on its potential to reduce the risk of heart disease when used in place of saturated fat.

“It’s easy to forget that heart disease is not just a problem in one’s own country but also around the world,” says World Heart Federation Senior Science Officer Kathryn Taubert, Ph.D. “Diet plays a significant role in protecting or predisposing people to heart disease, so we hope to inspire them to eat more healthfully and make simple changes that may reduce their risk of the disease.”

For the entire heart-smart recipe collection or more information about canola oil, go to www.canolainfo.org. For heart health tips, go to www.worldheart.org.

The World Heart Federation is dedicated to leading the global fight against heart disease and stroke through a united community of more than 200 member organizations. It works to build global commitment to addressing cardiovascular health at the policy level, generates and exchanges ideas, shares best practices, advances scientific knowledge and promotes knowledge transfer to tackle cardiovascular disease – the world’s number one killer.

CanolaInfo is the information source about canola oil for consumers, health professionals, chefs, media, educators – everyone who wants to know more about one of the world’s healthiest oils. The CanolaInfo team is supported by Canada’s canola growers, crop input suppliers, exporters, processors, food manufacturers and governments.

SOURCE CanolaInfo

http://www.canolainfo.orghttp://www.worldheart.org

Celebrate World Heart Day with ‘Well Traveled’ Healthy Recipes | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Chicago – Police are investigating the Thursday night deaths of two 1-year-old twins at their Roseland home.

Police responded at 7:06 p.m. to the 10600 block of South Wentworth Avenue and found two 1-year-old twins unresponsive at their home, said police News Affairs Officer Darryl Baety, citing preliminary information.

Fire Media Affairs spokesman Joe Roccasalva said police requested the children be taken to Roseland Community Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Calumet Area detectives are conducting a “death investigation,” Baety said.

Originally reported by FOX News Chicago. Read the original article here.

Two 1-Year-Old Twins Found Dead at Home | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Chicago – Jacob Nodarse of Countryside won’t face the death penalty if he is convicted of gunning down three members of a Darien family inside their home last March, DuPage County prosecutors said Wednesday.

The announcement during a brief court hearing means 24-year-old  could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is found guilty.

During the hearing, prosecutors also said they are still waiting for the completion of mental evaluation to determine if Nodarse is fit to stand trial.

Nodarse is accused of gunning down 50-year-old Jeffrey Kramer, his wife, Lori Kramer, 48, and their 20-year-old son, Michael, after breaking into their upscale Darien home as the family slept.

Prosecutors contend Nodarse and his friend, 28-year-old Johnny Borizov of Willow Springs, targeted the family because Borizov was engaged in a custody dispute over his infant son with 25-year-old Angela Kramer, who also was in the house at the time of the attack.

She escaped uninjured, as did an older brother and a 17-year-old guest.

Nodarse drove to Florida, and prosecutors contend he used a prepaid cell phone to call Borizov while he was driving. He was arrested outside his parents home in near Fort Myers a day after the deadly shooting spree. Borizov was taken into custody shortly after the shooting.

Both Nodarse and Borizov have been charged with first-degree murder, as well as murder solicitation and conspiracy for their alleged roles in the killings.

Both have pleaded not guilty and they remain jailed without bond.

Prosecutors declined after the hearing to comment on the decision not to seek a death sentence for Nodarse.

Originally reported by FOX News Chicago. Read the original article here.

Darien Suspect Won’t Face Death Penalty | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

British journalist Robert Cox has finally received public recognition in Argentina of his bravery in the face of death during the period of military dictatorship in the 1970s.

He has been made “an Illustrious Citizen of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires”, a belated recognition of his journalistic heroism and integrity.

Cox, 76, was editor of the English-language Buenos Aires Herald in 1976 when a military junta deposed the elected government and imposed strict press censorship while setting up secret death camps in which some 30,000 mostly young people are thought to have died.

The mothers of these victims – known as “the disappeared” – pleaded for help from the Argentine press, but its publishers and journalists were too terrified of military reprisals.

In desperation, they turned to the Herald and Cox began publishing stories of the kidnappings on the front page. “I was only doing my job as a journalist,” he says. The Herald’s circulation jumped from a few thousand to more than 20,000 copies daily as people sought uncensored news.

In response, the generals imprisoned Cox. With a little help from the British embassy, he was released. But threats against his family forced him to flee the country in the last days of 1979. He settled in the US with his wife, Maud, and five children, eventually becoming deputy editor of the Charleston Post & Courier in South Carolina.

One of the people who welcomed Cox during his return to Buenos Aires was Jorge Fontevecchia, owner of the media group Perfil. “I owe my life to Cox,” he says.

Fontevecchia was a young journalist in 1979 when kidnapped by soldiers and taken to the Olimpo death camp. Thanks to Cox’s swift reporting, he was one of the lucky few to have survived. He says of Cox’s work that it was “journalism in its purest form.”

Fontevecchia was not the only beneficiary of Cox’s work. It is thought that the publicity he gave to many abducted people helped to save several of them from death. Cox’s remarkable acts of journalism have been recorded in a 2008 biography written by his son, David, who was nine when they went into exile and is now a journalist with CNN. It’s called Dirty Secrets, Dirty War: The Exile of Robert J. Cox (Buenos Aires, Argentina: 1976-1983).

He has been recognised in Britain with an OBE and was named as editor of the year in the 1980 What The Papers Say awards.

Sources: Buenos Aires Herald/Time

Originally reported by the Guardian. Read the original article here.

Heroic British journalist Robert Cox honoured in Argentina | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Too bad they didn’t aim to make it a little interesting.

This melodrama about a young man who puts his life in stasis after his kid brother’s death is a bore, despite a somewhat clever twist — somewhat because it momentarily jolts the story out of the doldrums before the movie settles back to sleep.

Adapted by director Burr Steers and screenwriters Craig Pearce and Lewis Colick from Ben Sherwood’s novel “The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud,” the movie deals with the biggest of issues — why are we here, where are we bound? — with the blandest of greeting-card sentiments.

While Efron aims to show he’s more than just a “High School Musical” heartthrob, he’s vacuous in the title role here, sleepwalking through what’s meant to be a journey from the deepest despair toward new hope.

Efron’s Charlie has everything going his way in his Pacific Northwest hometown. He’s a master yachtsman about to graduate from high school and head off to college with a sailing scholarship. His female classmates swoon at the sight of him. He’s best friend, idol and father figure to his young brother, Sam (Charlie Tahan).

Then Sam dies in a terrible accident, while Charlie is revived after a near-death experience that leaves him seeing dead people — not in a creepy “The Sixth Sense” manner but in an everyday, how’s-your-afterlife-going sort of way.

Five years later, Charlie’s stuck in limbo, working as the caretaker at the cemetery where Sam is buried and still looking after his little brother, who keeps popping up from beyond to hang out.

What could ever shock Charlie back to life? Why, the love of a fine woman, of course.

Just as she’s about to head off on a ’round-the-world solo sailing race, Charlie’s high school classmate Tess Carroll (Amanda Crew) comes back into his world, rekindling his interest in living people, the sea and everything else for which he once had a passion.

The surprise turn in the plot initially leaves hope for something better than a predictable Hollywood ending. But if you give any thought to that little twist, it makes no sense, even within a story where a guy chats with dead folks. So best not to give it any thought.

Kim Basinger and Ray Liotta appear in oddly fleeting roles — she as Charlie and Sam’s single mom, he as a paramedic who revived Charlie and asks him the Big Question — why’d you get to come back, kid?

Donal Logue also is on hand for a meager part as Tess’ sailing coach, an insignificant character except for his silly name — Tink Weatherbee.

Steers, who made the decent teen tale “Igby Goes Down” and also directed Efron in the piffling comedy “17 Again,” does a nice job putting some soul in the scenery, even if he can’t manage the same for the characters. The sailing images are lovely, the seascape is bleakly beautiful, and the town is pretty as a postcard.

Efron certainly looks pretty, too, and since he’s there for almost every frame of “Charlie St. Cloud,” maybe that’s enough for his young fans, even if no one’s home behind Charlie’s cloudy eyes.

“Charlie St. Cloud,” a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for language including some sexual references, an intense accident scene and some sensuality. Running time: 99 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G — General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.

Review: Efron sleepwalks through corny ‘Cloud’ | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.