"The Artist" director Michel Hazanavicius wins DGA award (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? "The Artist" director Michel Hazanavicius was named the year's best feature film director by the Directors Guild of America on Saturday, further positioning the silent movie-era romance as a frontrunner for Oscars.

The movie about a fading star whose career is eclipsed by the woman he loves just as talkies are putting an end to silent pictures has been a critical darling throughout the Hollywood's current awards season.

"This is really touching and moving for me," said French director Hazanavicius upon accepting his award at the Grand Ballroom adjacent to the Kodak Theatre where the Oscars, the film industry's highest honors, will be given out on February 26.

"It's maybe the highest recognition I could hope for," he said.

The DGA Awards are a key indicator of who may win Academy Awards next month because only six times since the DGA began handing out annual honors in 1948 has the its winner failed to also be named best director by Oscar voters.

More important, there is a long history among members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Oscars, to give their Academy Award for best film to the movie made by the winner of best director.

The next stop in the race for Oscars is Sunday's Screen Actors Guild awards in Los Angeles where "The Artist" will look to extend its streak of victories, including a Golden Globe for best film musical or comedy and honors from critics groups.

The DGA also gives out other awards, including one for best film documentary, which went to James Marsh for "Project Nim."

Among TV award winners, Patty Jenkins was given the DGA trophy for best drama series for the pilot episode of "The Killing" and Robert B. Weide took home the DGA award for best comedy series for an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Bill Trott)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/people_nm/us_dgaawards

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Tamron and Kenko bring third-party glass to the Micro Four Thirds bash

Tamron and Kenko bring third-party glass to the Micro Four Thirds bash
The fresh trend of Micro Four Thirds shooters is on the rise, thus it shouldn't come as a surprise that more glass-makers are jumping on the MFT bandwagon. Joining the likes of Panasonic, Olympus and Kodak as part of the Micro Four Thirds Group, is a trifecta of third-party lens manufacturers: Tamron, Kenko Tokina and ASTRODESIGN. Following closely behind rival Sigma, the newcomers are looking to make a dent in the four-thirds universe. Better late than never, right? There's still no sign of these optics being available for you to stack in your camera bag, but the news just came in, so it shouldn't be too long before you can get some extra glass for your shiny new GX1.

Continue reading Tamron and Kenko bring third-party glass to the Micro Four Thirds bash

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/28/tamron-kenko-tokina-join-micro-four-thirds-group/

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Children May Be Exposed to Higher Chemical Concentrations Than Their Mothers

Image: ? istockphoto/patrickheagney

Children living near DuPont?s plant in West Virginia are exposed to much higher concentrations of an industrial chemical than their mothers, according to a newly published study.

Children under 5, who are exposed from drinking water as well as their mothers? breast milk, had 44 percent more of the chemical in their blood than their moms. The study was undertaken by a court-approved panel of three scientists who have spent seven years trying to determine whether the DuPont chemical is making people sick in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

The chemical is perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA, also known as C8, and it is used in the manufacture of Teflon nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging and other products.

Nearly everyone worldwide has traces of perfluorinated chemical in their bodies. But people near the DuPont plant have extraordinary levels of PFOA -- about seven times more than the U.S. average ? because the compound, used at the plant since 1951, has contaminated drinking water supplies.

The scientists studied 4,943 child-mother pairs who drank water for at least one year in communities near the plant where water wells were known to contain PFOA.

??Children seemed to concentrate the chemical more than their mothers up to about age 12. This is probably due to exposure via drinking water as well as exposure in utero and via breast milk,? the team from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine wrote in the article, published online Monday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The lead author was Tony Fletcher, who serves on the court-approved panel.

For a related chemical called PFOS, blood concentrations were 42 percent higher in children than their mothers, and it persisted until the children were 19.

The new finding about children and their moms comes at the same time that other scientists, studying children in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, linked perfluorinated compounds to reduced effectiveness of childhood vaccinations. That is a possible sign that the chemical suppresses the immune system.

Environmental health scientists say that fetuses, infants and young children are the most vulnerable to the toxic effects of industrial chemicals such as PFOA and PFOS because they might interfere with development of their brains, reproductive tracts and hormones.

The panel of scientists was created as part of a settlement after residents from West Virginia and Ohio communities filed a class action lawsuit against DuPont in 2001 alleging health damage from contaminated water.

The panel is scheduled to reach a conclusion this July about the probability of health effects from PFOA exposure. Under a settlement between DuPont and the plaintiffs, if the scientists conclude that a ?probable link? exists between the chemical and any diseases, DuPont will fund a medical monitoring program for the residents.

In previous research in the communities, the scientists have found associations between PFOA exposure and markers that suggest potential liver disease, changes in children?s thyroid hormones and increased risk of kidney cancer deaths. Last month, the panel also reported ?a probable link between C8 (PFOA) and pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia.? It found no link to birth defects, preterm births, low birth weight or pregnancy loss.

The chemical is ubiquitous and long-lasting in the environment, which led to an agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and DuPont and other manufacturers to eliminate emissions by 2015.

In 2005, DuPont paid a $10.25 million fine for violating federal environmental statutes, which is the largest civil administrative penalty on record for the EPA, plus more than $6 million for environmental studies. The agency accused the company of hiding information on public health threats.

This article originally ran at Environmental Health News, a news source published by Environmental Health Sciences, a nonprofit media company.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=9f9c6f160b8ed720e7f6208f44267708

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Down the Apple food chain, profits and some worry (AP)

NEW YORK ? If you like Apple's stock, you're going to love its suppliers.

The companies that make iPhone casings, chips for the iPad and other components are attracting so many investors, they're making the stock of the beloved tech juggernaut look like it's gathering dust.

Many are virtual unknowns, sporting names like TriQuint Semiconductor, Aphenol and the hopeful-sounding Skyworks Solutions, but that may be why they're doing so well. Apple has risen 10 percent this year, but these companies are up two or three times more.

Investors apparently are hoping supplier anonymity means bargains, and they're scooping up shares with gusto ? maybe too much gusto.

"People are thinking the Apple goodies aren't baked into the stock yet," says Pacific Crest analyst Nathan Johnsen, referring to TriQuint, which he thinks is no bargain after its 24 percent jump so far this year.

Fueling the latest spurt higher was Apple's announcement Tuesday that it sold 37 million iPhones in the last three months of 2011, trouncing analysts' already high expectations. It turned a record $13 billion profit for the quarter.

Apple stock, which traded at $100 as recently as March 2009 and at $200 as recently as February 2010, closed at $446 on Wednesday.

Apple is set to regain its position as the world's largest maker of smartphones. For parts makers, it is unchallenged as their most sought-after customer.

Part of the difficulty of investing in Apple suppliers is the mystery surrounding them. Apple's notorious secrecy means it's tough knowing even whom they're buying from, much less for how much.

Hence the enthusiasm when analysts and bloggers crack open iPhones, a process called teardowns, and write tell-alls.

In a recent report following a teardown of the iPhone 4S, research firm IHS Inc. touted a component it uncovered that allows the phone to work on different wireless systems worldwide. It fingered Avago Technologies as the supplier.

"We believe this is one of the unsung heroes of the iPhone 4S," Vijay Rakesh, an analyst for broker Sterne Agee, wrote in a report Wednesday.

Avago is up 18 percent this year.

Other suppliers rising fast include Jabil Circuit Inc., up 17 percent this year, and audio chip maker Cirrus Logic Inc., up 39 percent.

One Cirrus fan, Tore Svanberg, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, published a report Jan. 10 noting that the semiconductor maker was trading at 11 times its expected per share earnings for the coming year, a bargain next to its rivals' 21 times.

The stock has risen more than a third since, but Svanberg still thinks it's worth buying because of its close ties to Apple. "The stock has been trading like it's a problem," he adds.

Perhaps for good reason. Professional investors like to buy suppliers with many customers so that if one cancels a contract, profits will still roll in. In Cirrus' latest quarterly report filed with regulators, Apple accounted for 59 percent of its sales.

Another danger for suppliers is becoming Apple-obsessed ? so worried over losing their contract with the big guys that they neglect other buyers.

Before it shot up recently, the stock of TriQuint, a supplier of power amplifiers that help iPhones communicate with cell towers, was falling fast. It was down 58 percent in 2011.

A big reason: The company turned over so much of its factories to churning out parts for Apple, it couldn't keep up with orders from rivals making Android phones, according to Pacific Crest's Johnsen.

Things got so bad, he says, that at one point the company had to help Android makers find new suppliers.

He says investors might be making a mistake bidding up TriQuint stock.

"They've held on to Apple, but outside of that company, they'll be suffering," Johnsen predicts. "Supplying Apple is a double-edged sword."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_us/us_the_apple_universe

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Nigeria's Boko Haram killed 935 people since 2009: report (Reuters)

ABUJA (Reuters) ? The Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram has killed at least 935 people since it launched an uprising in 2009, including more than 250 in the first weeks of this year, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sinful" in the Hausa language spoken in northern Nigeria, is loosely modeled on Afghanistan's Taliban. It has claimed responsibility for bombing churches, police stations, military facilities, banks and beer parlors in the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria.

The sect focuses its attacks mostly on the police, military and government, but has recently increased its attacks on Christian institutions. It says it is fighting enemies who have wronged its members through violence, arrests or economic neglect and corruption.

Bomb attacks and gun battles in Nigeria's second largest city, Kano, killed 186 people on January 20, in Boko Haram's most deadly attack to date. Gunfire was heard in Kano early on Tuesday, witnesses said.

"Boko Haram's attacks show a complete and utter disregard for human life," said Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"The Nigerian authorities need to call a halt to this campaign of terror and bring to justice those responsible for planning and carrying out these reprehensible crimes."

The report said 550 people were killed in 115 separate attacks by Boko Haram last year, mostly in the far northeastern state of Borno, where the sect was founded in 2002.

Boko Haram has moved from drive-by shootings and petrol bombs to suicide attacks using large and increasingly sophisticated explosives. A suicide car bomb last year killed 25 people at the United Nations headquarters in the capital Abuja.

In July 2009 the sect launched an uprising in the northeast in which more than 800 people were killed in five days of fighting with security forces.

The sect originally said it wanted sharia (Islamic law) to be applied more widely across Nigeria.

President Goodluck Jonathan has been severely criticized for not getting a grip on a group he says has infiltrated the police, military and all areas of government.

"Jonathan's inability to respond effectively, or articulate a credible strategy, reinforces the growing perception of a deep leadership void in Abuja," London-based risk adviser Eurasia Group said in a research note on Tuesday.

"So far militarization of the region and strict curfews have only had limited effect and huge (military) spending outlays in 2012 offer little hope for a credible broader strategy."

(Reporting by Tim Cocks, Joe Brock and Mike Oboh; Writing by Joe Brock; editing by Tim Pearce)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/wl_nm/us_nigeria_sect

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Gadhafi loyalists seize Libyan city

FILE, in this Sept. 18, 2011 file photo, Former rebel fighters put a pre-Gadhafi flag at the northern gate of Bani Walid, as smokes raise from the town, Libya. Moammar Gadhafi loyalists seized control of a Libyan city and raised the ousted regime's green flag, an official and military commanders said Tuesday Jan 24 2011, in the most serious revolt yet against the country's government. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini, File)

FILE, in this Sept. 18, 2011 file photo, Former rebel fighters put a pre-Gadhafi flag at the northern gate of Bani Walid, as smokes raise from the town, Libya. Moammar Gadhafi loyalists seized control of a Libyan city and raised the ousted regime's green flag, an official and military commanders said Tuesday Jan 24 2011, in the most serious revolt yet against the country's government. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2011 file photo, former rebel fighters celebrate as smoke rises from Bani Walid, Libya, at the northern gate of the town. Moammar Gadhafi loyalists seized control of a Libyan city and raised the ousted regime's green flag, an official and military commanders said Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, in the most serious revolt yet against the country's government. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini, File)

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) ? Moammar Gadhafi loyalists seized control of a Libyan mountain city in the most serious challenge to the central government since the strongman's fall, underlining the increasing weakness of Libya's Western-backed rulers as they try to unify the country under their authority.

The taking of Bani Walid, one of the last Gadhafi strongholds captured by the new leadership late last year, was the first such organized operation by armed remnants of Gadhafi's regime. A simultaneous outbreak of shootings in the capital and Libya's second largest city Benghazi raised authorities' concerned that other networks of loyalists were active elsewhere.

The security woes add to the difficulties of the ruling National Transitional Council, which is struggling to establish its authority and show Libyans progress in stability and good government. Bani Walid's fall comes after violent protests in Benghazi, where Libyans angry over lack of reform stormed the NTC headquarters and trashed offices.

In Bani Walid, hundreds of well-equipped and highly trained remnants of Gadhafi's forces battled for eight hours on Monday with the local pro-NTC revolutionary brigade, known as the May 28 Brigade, said Mubarak al-Fatmani, the head of Bani Walid local council. The brigade was driven out and Gadhafi loyalists then raised their old green flag over buildings in the western city.

Four revolutionary fighters were killed and 25 others were wounded in the fighting, al-Fatmani said.

There were no immediate signs that the uprising was part of some direct attempt to restore the family of Gadhafi, who was swept out of power in August and then killed in the nearby city of Sirte in October. His sons, daughter and wife have been killed, arrested or have fled to neighboring countries.

Instead, the fighting seemed to reflect a rejection of NTC control by a city that never deeply accepted its rule, highlighting the still unresolved tensions between those who benefited under Gadhafi's regime and those now in power. Those tensions are tightly wound up with tribal and regional rivalries around the country.

The May 28 Brigade had kept only a superficial control over the city, the head of Bani Walid's military council, Abdullah al-Khazmi, acknowledged.

"The only link between Bani Walid and the revolution was May 28, now it is gone and 99 percent of Bani Walid people are Gadhafi loyalists," he said.

He spoke to The Associated Press at a position on the eastern outskirts of Bani Walid, where hundreds of pro-NTC reinforcements from Benghazi were deployed with convoys of cars mounted with machine guns, though there was no immediate move to retake the city.

The fighters who captured the city Monday night belong to Brigade 93, a militia newly created by Gadhafi loyalists who reassembled after the fall of the regime, said al-Khazmi and al-Fatmani. The fighters, flush with cash and heavy weaponry including incendiary bombs, have been increasing in power in the city, they said.

There was no possibility to confirm their claims. However, there were no mass evacuations from the town after the clashes, an indication that the residents appear to accept the new arrangement, said Ali al-Fatmani, a revolutionary brigade commander in Bani Walid.

Authorities in Benghazi, where the NTC is centered, appeared concerned that the Bani Walid uprising could have sent a signal to other cells of Gadhafi forces.

An AP reporter who was present in the Benghazi operation room heard military commanders on Monday saying coordinated incidents of drive-by shootings in Tripoli and, to a lesser extent, Benghazi erupted as news of the Bani Walid takeover spread. In Tripoli, some shops closed, and fighters responsible for security in the capital were on a state of alert over the shootings.

Five months since the Gadhafi regime's fall and three months since his death, the National Transitional Council has so far made little progress in unifying its armed forces. Instead it relies largely on multiple "revolutionary brigades," militias made up of citizens-turned-fighters, usually all from a specific city or even neighborhood.

The militias were created during the months of civil war against Gadhafi's forces last year, and since the war ended in October, the various brigades remain in control of security affairs of each city they liberated. Though loyal to the NTC, they have also feuded among themselves and acted on their own initiative, and the council has been unable to control them.

A month ago, Gadhafi loyalists attacked another revolutionary brigade from Tripoli that entered Bani Walid, killing 13, said Mubarak al-Fatmani.

"The council (NTC) did absolutely nothing," said al-Fatmani, who resigned from his local council chief post to protest the NTC's failure to investigate the ambush. He still holds his position, since his resignation has not yet been accepted.

The council has faced increasing complaints that it is doing little to bring stability to the country. It faces a daunting task, since Gadhafi's regime stripped Libya of most institutions, and the civil war has stirred up widespread divisions, rivalries and resentments.

In the Benghazi unrest last Saturday, protesters broke into the NTC headquarters, smashed windows and carted off furniture and electronics, then threw bottles at NTC chief Mustafa Abdul-Jalil as he tried to address them and torched his car. The next day, Abdul-Jalil suspended the Benghazi representatives on the council in an apparent attempt to appease protesters. The deputy chief of the NTC resigned in protest over the suspension.

Bani Walid, a city of 100,000 located in the mountains 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli, held out for weeks against revolutionary forces after Gadhafi's fall from power, with loyalist fighters dug into its formidable terrain of valleys and crevasses. Pro-NTC fighters finally took it in October.

The main tribe in Bani Walid is a branch of the Warfala tribal confederation, which stretches around the country with around 1 million members. The Bani Walid branch was one of the most privileged under Gadhafi, who gave them top positions and used their fighters to try to crush protests in the early months of last year's uprising against his rule.

That has left a deep enmity between the tribe and others. Ali al-Fatmani said Bani Walid loyalists were among Gadhafi troops that tried to march on Benghazi during the civil war and were used to in the siege of Zawiya, west of Tripoli. There were reports, he said, that Bani Walid fighters desecrated graves of fallen revolutionary fighters in Zawiya.

"The hatred and mistrust have been building up during the revolution," said al-Fatmani, himself a Warfala.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-24-Libya/id-4b7caa9bb0ba4adfb70edca418722774

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State Of The Union Address Inspires 'Spark' For Obama

President Obama's speech has supporters feeling optimistic, young voters tell MTV News.
By Kimberly Reynolds, with reporting by Uptin Saiidi


President Barack Obama
Photo: Bill O'Leary/ Getty Images

Young voters across the country tuned in with anticipation Tuesday night to watch President Obama's State of the Union address. At a New York viewing party sponsored by Gen44 — a Democratic National Committee initiative to politically engage young professionals — MTV News asked voters for their opinions on how the president plans to address the issues facing the country.

While the event was filled with mostly Obama supporters, there were still some skeptics. Simone Rakhit supported Obama in the 2008 election — as did 66 percent of voters age 18 to 29 — but has become disengaged with the president in the three years since he took office and in the upcoming election. "For me, I had lost a little bit of interest, but seeing him tonight, I kind of got that spark back," Rakhit said. "I kind of got excited again."

Many young voters agreed that the president has a tough road ahead of him in accomplishing the goals he set forth in the State of the Union address, especially in boosting the economy. But they were still optimistic he could get the job done.

"I think the president did a great job tonight in addressing all of my concerns, and I think he did it in such a way that he could get a lot of people to rally around him and not just his supporters," Karsten Vagner said. "I think Americans are led by example. I think if we're divided as a country, it's because our government is divided."

Despite the president's low approval rating and this being an election year, voters we spoke to were glad the president did not hold back in his speech. "I thought it was great that he had Warren Buffett's secretary out there to serve as a visual example of just how absurd our tax system really is," Michael Ettanani said.

Vagner appreciated Obama's no-holds-barred approach to the speech: "Tonight was a really good example of seeing people together, and I think it's because we have a strong leader in the White House."

Shatha Dweik, who is pursuing a master's degree, was most interested in hearing the president's plans for job creation for recent graduates as well as his plan to extend the tuition tax credit. "My biggest concern is getting a job, and a good paying job at that," Dweik shared. After the speech, Dweik said she had "a little bit of confidence in him — a little bit more than I had going into the address." For her, the message of Tuesday night's speech was: "There is still hope."

Share your thoughts on the president's State of the Union address in the comments below.

Check back for up-to-the-minute coverage on the primary races and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the 2012 presidential election season.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677868/state-of-the-union-barack-obama.jhtml

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Only 1 in 4 Young Teens Uses Sunscreen Regularly, Study Finds (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the fact that sunburn in childhood greatly raises a person's lifelong risk for skin cancer, just 25 percent of 14-year-olds in a new U.S. study said they used sunscreen regularly.

What's more, behaviors linked to risky sun exposure increased as kids got older, with older teens reporting more time in the sun and less use of sunscreen than when they were young.

In the study, published in the February issue of Pediatrics, researchers led by Dr. Stephen Dusza of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City, examined data on 360 fifth graders in Massachusetts who were surveyed in 2004 and again three years later in 2007.

Looking at changes in sun-protective behaviors over that period of time, the team found that more than half (53 percent) of the youngsters had already suffered at least one sunburn by the age of 11 and that that rate of sunburn remained constant over the next three years.

But during that same time period, rates of using sunscreen "often or always" actually dropped: While half of the kids used such products at the beginning of the study, only 25 percent still did so three years later.

The authors noted that the proportion of children who admitted to "liking a tan and spending time outside to get a tan significantly increased" as they grew older, as well.

The years of "periadolescence" covered by the study (ages 11 to 14) appear to be "a crucial period" when young people often either "increase or decrease their use of sun protection, obtain sunburns, or change their tan-promoting attitudes," the authors wrote.

"Adolescence and teenage years are tremendously difficult because it is a period of flexing independence, coupled with feelings of invincibility," they added. Dusza and his team believe that educational outreach during these years will be key to ensuring kids make healthier choices that can help ward off skin cancers over their lifetime.

More information

For more on skin cancer, head to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120124/hl_hsn/only1in4youngteensusessunscreenregularlystudyfinds

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GOP Sen. Mark Kirk faces long recovery from stroke

In this Nov. 1, 2010 photo, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., looks to a crowd of supporters during a campaign rally in Wheaton, Ill. A spokesperson for Sen. Mark Kirk says the Illinois Republican has suffered a stroke and has undergone surgery early Monday, Jan. 23 2012 to relieve swelling around his brain. The 51-year-old Kirk checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital in Illinois. He was later transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where tests showed that he had suffered a stroke. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

In this Nov. 1, 2010 photo, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., looks to a crowd of supporters during a campaign rally in Wheaton, Ill. A spokesperson for Sen. Mark Kirk says the Illinois Republican has suffered a stroke and has undergone surgery early Monday, Jan. 23 2012 to relieve swelling around his brain. The 51-year-old Kirk checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital in Illinois. He was later transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where tests showed that he had suffered a stroke. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE -- In this April 1, 2011 file photo, Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. speaks in Springfield, Ill. Kirk's office says he has suffered a stroke, and is undergoing surgery. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

Dr. Richard Fessler, a neurosurgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital who performed surgery on U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. after he suffered a stroke, answers questions about the Senator's conditions at a news conference, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, in Chicago. Kirk, 52, checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital over the weekend before being transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where tests showed he had suffered a stroke. Kirk's office said he had a tear in the carotid artery on the right side of his neck. Carotid arteries carry blood to the brain; carotid tears are a common cause of strokes, which can involve blood clots traveling to the brain and causing bleeding there. The surgery was performed Sunday night. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Dr. Richard Fessler, a neurosurgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital who performed surgery on U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. after he suffered a stroke, answers questions about the Senator's conditions at a news conference, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, in Chicago. Kirk, 52, checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital over the weekend before being transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where tests showed he had suffered a stroke. Kirk's office said he had a tear in the carotid artery on the right side of his neck. Carotid arteries carry blood to the brain; carotid tears are a common cause of strokes, which can involve blood clots traveling to the brain and causing bleeding there. The surgery was performed Sunday night. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, talks to the Associated Press by phone after learning that U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. had suffered a stroke, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, in Chicago. Kirk, 52, checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital over the weekend before being transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where tests showed he had suffered a stroke. Kirk's office said he had a tear in the carotid artery on the right side of his neck. Carotid arteries carry blood to the brain; carotid tears are a common cause of strokes, which can involve blood clots traveling to the brain and causing bleeding there. The surgery was performed Sunday night. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

(AP) ? Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois could lose full use of his left arm and experience facial paralysis after a weekend stroke that required emergency surgery, but his physician said Monday the prospects for a complete mental recovery are strong.

Dr. Richard Fessler said it likely would be "very difficult" for the first-term Republican senator to regain movement in his left arm, and that his left leg and face also may be affected. Kirk was in intensive care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he appeared to recognize those around him and was responding to verbal commands, Fessler said.

Though Fessler could not say when Kirk would be able to return to work, he described the senator as "young, very healthy and in good shape."

"Sen. Kirk's job is cerebral, and I believe the functions required to do his job are going to be fine," said Fessler, a neurosurgeon who removed a 4-by-8-inch piece of Kirk's skull Sunday night to relieve swelling on his brain.

Kirk, 52, had reported feeling dizzy and checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital over the weekend before being transferred to Northwestern. Tests showed he had a tear in the carotid artery on the right side of his neck. Carotid arteries carry blood to the brain and carotid tears are a common cause of strokes in people in their 50s or younger.

Fessler said Kirk would undergo rehabilitation, but added that the "the prospects for his full physical recovery, particularly on the left side of his body, are not great."

Dr. Joseph Broderick, a University of Cincinnati stroke expert, said that when removing part of the skull is required, "that is a pretty significant stroke" that likely has caused substantial damage.

The damage typically occurs when clots formed from a carotid artery tear lodge in the brain, depriving brain cells of oxygen. Brain cells then die and may fill with fluid, causing swelling. The process can take days or even weeks, he said.

"Those people almost always will have some type of deficit long-term. Some may get back to being functional, but some are left with very severe deficits," Broderick said.

Kirk's family said in a statement that he had "always shown great courage and resilience and we are confident that the fighter in him will prevail."

"We are very grateful for the excellent treatment and care provided by the doctors and their medical teams ... We are equally grateful for the love and support of our family and friends," the family said.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, said Monday he was shocked to learn of Kirk's stroke because Kirk appeared to be a picture of health. A Kirk aide said the senator is a regular swimmer and has to pass medical checks every six months in the reserves.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, with whom Kirk planned to sit during Tuesday night's State of the Union Address, issued a statement calling Kirk a "dear friend and truly a great American."

He said he's confident Kirk "will make a speedy recovery and I will do everything I can to support him and his family until he is able to join us back here in Washington."

People can return successfully to high-profile jobs after serious brain injuries. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., suffered a brain hemorrhage in December 2006 and returned to the Senate the following fall. His speech was a bit slurred, and sometimes he used a scooter to get around. He later won re-election and chairs the Banking Committee.

Tradition holds that Kirk will continue to hold his seat in the Senate while recovering from the stroke. Democrats currently have a 51-47 advantage in the chamber, although two independents also caucus with them.

Kirk, a Naval reserve commander, won Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat for the Republican Party in 2010 after a hard-fought election during which the moderate from Chicago's northern suburbs had to make the transition to a statewide candidate who had to appeal to more conservative voters.

Kirk won the seat by campaigning as the level-headed voice of experience facing a young Democrat, citing his five previous terms in Congress.

Upon reaching the Senate, Kirk landed a seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee and late last year joined forces with Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey in imposing crippling sanctions on Iran.

The two senators sponsored an amendment to the annual defense bill that targets foreign financial institutions that do business with the Central Bank in Tehran. In a rare unanimous vote, the Senate backed the measure 100-0. Obama signed the wide-ranging defense bill with the sanctions on New Year's eve.

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Associated Press writers Tammy Webber and Lindsey Tanner in Chicago, Christopher Wills in Springfield and Andrew Taylor and Donna Cassata in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-23-Kirk-Stroke/id-845116752b3249b19793962d58307c0c

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