The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel in London

Finally, some hotel business from London has made it to Luxatic, and it has done it in style. We?re now featuring the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, located between the famous Knightsbridge and Hyde park, right in central London. The spot is a gorgeous place to do some sightseeing and shopping.

Found nearby are the Westminster and Kensington Palace, while a plethora of shopping destinations like Harvey Nichols and Harrods are just the throw of a stick away. Furthermore, I bet many of our readers would love to see the Household Cavalry marching down the royal park, towards Buckingham Palace.

Aside from the impressive presence, the building also includes staggering suites and rooms, all appointed to nearly royal levels. Each of the rooms at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London is unique, creating a gorgeous atmosphere alongside the hotel?s extensive range of luxurious fabrics, art collections and antiquities. The local award-winning spa provides customizable treatments from feet to the top of your head.

In addition, culinary-wise, guests may choose two of the most impressive dining spots in London. Bar Boulud is the first, boasting with a superbly stocked wine cellar and an entire collection of beers from all over the world, all adding to exquisite French cuisine. The experienced hands of Heston Blumenthal are also ready to take your taste buds to unseen places, reminding of Britain?s majestic gastronomic history.

Ultimately, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London is situated just an hour away from Heathrow International Airport. One can make this journey through either taxi, car, train or even underground. The Gatwick Airport is way closer, though. Nightly rates start at ?325 (or $504).

[KiwiCollection]

Source: http://luxatic.com/the-mandarin-oriental-hyde-park-hotel-in-london/

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Memory appears susceptible to eradication of fear responses

Feb. 18, 2013 ? Fear responses can only be erased when people learn something new while retrieving the fear memory. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by scientists from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and published in the journal Science.

Researchers Dieuwke Sevenster MSc, Dr Tom Beckers and Prof. Merel Kindt have developed a method to determine whether an acquired fear response is susceptible to modification. By doing so, they have revealed the circumstances under which an acquired fear response can be eradicated. In order to measure whether a person actually learnt something new, the researchers used a measure for Prediction Error -- in other words, the discrepancy between a person's anticipation of what is going to happen and what actually happens.

No fear response

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is currently the most common and effective type of treatment for people suffering from anxiety disorders. However, the effects are often short-lived and the fear returns in many patients. One major finding of Van Kindt's research lab is that when participants were given propranolol, a beta blocker, while retrieving a specific fear memory, the acquired fear response was shown to be totally erased a day or month later. The researchers repeatedly found that the fear did not come back, despite the use of techniques specifically aimed to make it return. This indicates that the fear memory was either fully eradicated, or could no longer be accessed. One crucial finding was that while participants could still remember the association with the fear, that particular memory no longer triggered the former fear response.

Fear conditioning

For their study the researchers used a fear conditioning procedure in which a specific picture was followed by a nasty painful stimulus. While the participants viewed the pictures, the researchers measured the anticipation of the painful stimulus as well as the more autonomous fear response on the basis of the startle reflex.

The current findings will contribute to the further development of more effective and efficient therapies for patients suffering from excessive anxiety disorders, such as trauma victims. There was no independent measure to indicate whether the memory is susceptible to modification up until now. The researchers have shown that the fear response can be eradicated completely, provided that the person concerned actually learns something new while retrieving the fear memory.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universiteit van Amsterdam (UVA).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. D. Sevenster, T. Beckers, M. Kindt. Prediction Error Governs Pharmacologically Induced Amnesia for Learned Fear. Science, 2013; 339 (6121): 830 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231357

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/a8YeG5bmQaw/130218102914.htm

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kevinhoth: A few shots from my El Camino Real Numero Dos trip...

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Source: http://iceplanethoth.tumblr.com/post/43269864738

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Europe split over military support for Syrian rebels

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Brussels, Feb 18:??

Britain, apparently backed by a handful of European Union allies, is fighting to lift an EU arms embargo barring the supply of weapons to the Syrian rebel coalition battling President Bashar al-Assad.

As EU foreign ministers go into a daylong meeting on the issue today, the internal row remains unresolved despite weeks of talks that diplomats from member states describe as both ?difficult? and ?divisive?.

But time is running out to resolve the dispute.

The EU?s wide-ranging sanctions against Syria, including the arms ban but also targeting scores of Assad cronies and regime-friendly firms, as well as oil, trade and finance, expire at the end of the month and a deal to renew the package requires unanimity.

Britain and France had seen the March 1 deadline as an opportunity to respond to requests for weaponry by the opposition.

But France appears to have cooled, leaving Britain facing opposition from Germany, Sweden and even the EU?s foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, a British baroness who represents London on the European Commission.

?Delivering arms might bring about a new military balance on the ground,? said an internal paper on the matter drafted for the member states by Ashton?s service.

?But it could also fuel further militarisation of the conflict, increase risks of dissemination among extremist groups and of arms proliferation in a post-Assad Syria,? said the paper, which was obtained by AFP.

Among options on the table are restricting the embargo to the Syrian Government, exempting members of the opposition Syrian National Coalition from the arms ban, or amending it to allow some weapons to be delivered with a view to increasing the protection of civilian populations.

?There is a real question here,? said a senior EU diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity. ?But is this the right moment given the current efforts to push a political settlement??

UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was supposed to attend today?s talks with the EU ministers but had to pull out as efforts mount to make good an offer from opposition leader Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib to negotiate with some regime figures.

?In today?s political context, would this be an appropriate measure?? added the diplomat.

Just over a week ago, French President Francois Hollande ruled out lifting the arms embargo for the time being, saying this could only happen ?if we?re sure there are no further possibilities of political dialogue.?

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/international/europe-split-over-military-support-for-syrian-rebels/article4427410.ece

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#SciAmBlogs Friday - Russian meteor, poxvirus cancer treatment, online rudeness, Mars Time, and more.

About the Author: Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.

More??

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

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Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a0b0c2f9e84b62df8a97c13eb8f10922

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Minister says relocating Liquor Distribution Warehouse ... - Cknw

Shane Woodford | Email news tips to shane.woodford@corusent.com
2/16/2013

?It?s not entirely about the money,? says the minister responsible as the province looks at relocating the Liquor Distribution Warehouse in Vancouver.

Rich Coleman says the current building is not tall enough and the operation could become more efficient in a new updated facility.

But Coleman also admits the real estate it is sitting on is worth a few bucks and the Province might look at selling it after the move.

Asked if they have a new location locked down Coleman said:

?"No we will ask the real estate market to give us some options as to what is out there we are hoping to find something that is already purpose built rather than having to wait but we don't know what the market is yet. We wanted to make a decision on the move first and then now we will go to the market and have them make a proposal to us."

The BC Government and Employees Union says the Province just wants to sell the land and use the dollars to balance the government books.

Source: http://www.cknw.com/news/vancouver/story.aspx?ID=1889808

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Alcohol: a heart disease-cancer balancing act - Harvard Health ...

The message that drinking a little alcohol is good for the heart has gotten plenty of attention. A new study linking alcohol with increased risk of dying from various cancers may temper that message a bit.

About 4% of cancer deaths worldwide are related to alcohol use. No one has done a major study of this issue in the United States for more than 30 years. During that time, we?ve learned a lot about alcohol and cancer, and powerful statistical methods have been developed for estimating risk.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute and other institutions delved into many studies and information databases. They calculated that alcohol causes 3.5% of U.S. cancer deaths, or about 20,000 cancer-related deaths each year. The study was published online yesterday in the American Journal of Public Health.

The most common alcohol-related cancers were mouth, throat, and esophageal cancer in men, and breast cancer in women.

Experts still aren?t completely sure how alcohol causes cancer. Possibilities include:

• toxic effects from chemicals produced when the body breaks down alcohol
• increased production of cell- and DNA-damaging free radicals
• changes in the way the body handles vitamin B₆ (folic acid)
• boosting estrogen levels, which can increase the risk of breast and other cancers
• making other cancer causing agents, such as tobacco products, more harmful

Heart benefits

But what about the reduced risk of heart related deaths in people that drink a little alcohol compared to those that don?t drink at all? A recent detailed analysis of 84 of the best studies looking at the alcohol and heart connection included more than two million men and women. They were followed for an average of 11 years. Compared to people who didn?t drink alcohol, those who were moderate drinkers had a

• 29% lower risk of being diagnosed with coronary artery disease
• 25% lower risk of dying from a heart attack
• 25% lower risk of dying from any heart or blood vessel disease
• 13% lower risk of dying from any cause (this included cancer deaths, too)

Moderate drinking is defined as no more than two alcoholic drinks a day for men and no more than one a day for women.

Striking a balance

The idea that alcohol can be bad and good isn?t a new one. We?ve known for ages that alcohol?usually too much alcohol?can cause liver problems, is a key contributor to automobile accidents and deaths, and can harm personal relationships. The new study adds cancer to alcohol?s potential harms. But moderate alcohol consumption also appears to reduce the odds of developing or dying from heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.

If you don?t drink alcohol now, there?s no reason to start. But also don?t worry if you occasionally have a drink.

If you do enjoy alcohol, keep your drinking in the moderate range. You don?t get any additional heart protection by drinking more. And your risk of cancer?and many other problems?rises dramatically with higher consumption.

The issue of whether or not to drink alcohol can be a very tricky one for a woman at higher than average risk of breast cancer or one worried about developing breast cancer. Not drinking would eliminate one possible contributor to breast cancer risk. At the same time, heart disease is more common and deadly among women than breast cancer. An increased heart disease risk might tilt the balance toward moderate alcohol use.

Advances in genetics may one day let us predict more accurately who can use alcohol in moderation and who should avoid it completely. Until then, it?s best to personally weigh the benefits and risks, ideally with a trusted health care provider.

Source: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/alcohol-a-heart-disease-cancer-balancing-act-201302155909

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