US officials link al-Qaida to Syria bombings

Top U.S. intelligence officials pointed to al-Qaida in Iraq on Thursday as the likely culprit behind recent bombings in Syria, the deadliest attacks against the Syrian government in the 11-month uprising.

Though the U.S. has called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, his fall could lead to a power vacuum that al-Qaida's largest regional affiliate or other extremist groups could fill, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told Congress. And that could allow such groups to help themselves to Syria's vast stockpiles of chemical weapons, he said.

Russia, China oppose UN General Assembly resolution on Syria

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the crisis in Syria has become "that much more serious" and worrisome to the United States as a result of indications that al-Qaida has infiltrated the government's opposition.

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"It does raise concerns for us that al-Qaida is trying to assert a presence there," he said. "As to just what their role is and how extensive their role is, I think that still remains to be seen."

In New York, meanwhile, the U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution backing an Arab League plan calling for Assad to step down and strongly condemning human rights violations it said his government had committed. The vote, though not legally binding, reflects widespread world opinion.

Likewise, in Vienna, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accused the Syrian government of committing "almost certain" crimes against humanity as activists reported fresh violence and the arrest of several prominent dissidents, including a U.S.-born blogger.

Story: UN's Ban Ki-moon accuses Syrian regime of potential crimes against humanity

The comments by Panetta and Clapper in Washington marked a diplomatically dissonant moment of near-agreement between American officials and the Syrian leadership they have called on to step down, after the deaths of thousands of Syrians in the unrest that started during last year's Arab Spring.

Syrian President Assad has long blamed terrorists for starting the uprising, which has pitted his military against a rag-tag group of angry Syrians, divided by religion and neighborhood.

Al-Qaida's leader called for Assad's ouster last week. That endorsement has created new obstacles for the U.S., its Western allies and Arab states trying to figure out a way to help push Assad from power.

Clapper said bombings against Syrian security and intelligence targets in Damascus in December, and two more recent bombings in the nation's largest city, Aleppo, bear "all the earmarks of an al-Qaida-like attack," leading the U.S. intelligence to believe the Iraqi militant branch is extending its reach into Syria.

He added the mixture of Syrian opposition groups may have been infiltrated by such militants, probably without their knowledge.

Video: Inside Daraa, the heart of the Syrian revolution (on this page)

"We've seen evidence of Sunni extremists," he said. "Can't label them specifically as al-Qaida, but similar ilk who are infiltrating the oppositionist groups."

Clapper predicted continued stalemate in Syria, with the opposition too disorganized to present a formidable threat on one side, and Iran providing arms and continued support to prop up the government on the other.

But he warned Assad's fall would be a boon to extremists.

"There is no identifiable group that would succeed him," Clapper said. "So there would be kind of a vacuum, I think, that would lend itself to extremists operating in Syria," who could potentially access the country's multiple chemical weapons sites.

Al-Qaida in Iraq is best positioned to take advantage of that chaos, with its strong family and Sunni religious ties in Syria. The group has long used the country as a transit point to smuggle bombers and bomb-making material over Syria's long desert border with Iraq. During the U.S. war in Iraq, Syrian coordinators were able to smuggle fighters back and forth between the two countries.

Clapper said the Iraq-based group "remains capable of high-profile attacks" inside Iraq, and is likely to continue attacking U.S. interests there.

Prior to Clapper's remarks, U.S. intelligence officials had been more circumspect, saying the main trunk of al-Qaida was seeking to ally itself with the Syrian rebels as a way to reinvigorate its overall campaign, so under siege is the group from the CIA drone war in Pakistan and the steady drumbeat of special operations raids and air strikes in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia.

Toward that end, core al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri released a video calling on Muslims to support Syrian rebels over the weekend.

But there has been no discernible rush of would-be attackers to Syria from the outside, added Defense Intelligence Agency chief Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess at the same hearing.

Clapper also downplayed another recent core al-Qaida announcement of a new union with Somalia based al-Shabab.

"Core al-Qaida is an organization under siege and is in decline. Al-Shabab, for its part, is under pressure" from both Ethiopian and Kenyan troops, Clapper said. "They've lost territory and are under the gun."

AP National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46421168/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Out & About

mo2.jpg
BAFTA nominee Michelle Williams and BAFTA presenter Christina Hendricks sparkled in Forevermark diamonds at the Royal Opera House for the 2012 British Academy Film Awards.

The Millionaire Matchmaker's Patti Stanger was spotted at the Century 21 department store in NYC.

While on tour for Lady Gaga, makeup artist Sarah Tanno uses SKINDIN?VIA'S Finishing Spray ($29). Each spray uses the patented Temperature Control Technology? that prevents makeup from melting, drying out, becoming shiny, or creasing.

Adrienne Bailon enjoyed a POM Wonderful cocktail at Ami James' fashion week lounge in the Empire Hotel .

Kathy Griffin hung out with friends at The James hotel Chicago.

Jill Martin wore a $1 million necklace from the de Grisogono collection at the Kim Hicks Couture Fall 2012 fashion show in New York's Woolworth Mansion.

DJ Cassidy and Questlove deejayed VEVO's I'm With the Band Grammy party at Soho House in West Hollywood, sponsored by Nike + Fuelband.

Melissa Gorga sipped on Valentine Voli Vodka cocktails with hubby Joe Gorga at Osaka in Hollywood.

Malin Akerman checked out Foster The People at the Model X Launch at Tesla Design Studio in Los Angeles.

Rebecca Romijin danced to the music of DJ Whoo Kid at the Nivea Million Moments of Touch Movement launch in NYC.

Halle Berry was spotted over the weekend in Los Angeles wearing a T-shirt from Rosebud Los Angeles. She was wearing the Rosebud Los Angeles Z-Zebra V-Neck T-Shirt ($89).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTouchWeekly/~3/Mb7Szwp3Pf0/out_about_199.php

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Obama balancing the 99 percent and the 1 percent

President Barack Obama greets the crowd while he waits to get his Chinese food from Great Eastern Restaurant in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Obama is on a three-day trip to the West Coast for fundraising. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama greets the crowd while he waits to get his Chinese food from Great Eastern Restaurant in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Obama is on a three-day trip to the West Coast for fundraising. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama gets Chinese food from Great Eastern Restaurant in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Obama is on a three-day trip to the West Coast for fundraising. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama gets Chinese food from Great Eastern Restaurant in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Obama is on a three-day trip to the West Coast for fundraising. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Jodi Fisher of Cayucos, Calif., second from right, who has inoperable cancer and her daughter Callie, 11, meet President Barack Obama upon his arrival at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Fisher was able to meet the President and fulfill a dream on what she calls her "wish" list. President Obama is spending the night in San Francisco attending a number of private fundraising events. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

(AP) ? President Barack Obama is preaching an economic message aimed at the 99 percent and raising campaign cash among the 1 percent, walking an election year tight rope complicated by the need for hundreds of millions of dollars at a time of high unemployment.

At a beachside community in southern California on Thursday, fresh off a dinner that included actor George Clooney, Obama was in the middle of a three-day fundraising tour through opulent homes along California's coast ? a trip to be bookended by images of the president inside factories talking up job creation.

The president hauled in $750 million in 2008, shattering records, and his campaign has outpaced his Republican opponents, collecting more than $220 million in 2011 even as it faces the prospect of hundreds of millions from GOP-backed outside groups targeting his re-election.

To be sure, Obama's campaign has mastered the art of raising money among the masses. In 2011, the campaign said it received money from 1.3 million donors, including 583,000 people who gave during the final three months of the year. More than 98 percent of supporters gave donations of $250 or less and the average donation was $55.

Yet a list of prominent donors released by the campaign shows nearly 450 well-heeled backers who have collectively steered at least $74.7 million to the president's campaign so far. Fully 62 of them collected at least $500,000 each to give to the campaign, including movie producers Jeffrey Katzenberg and Harvey Weinstein, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

California, where Obama scheduled six fundraisers during this three-day trip, figured most prominently on his roster of big-money "bundlers." Sixteen are from California; 13 are from New York.

Fundraising is an inescapable aspect of politics, and candidates from both parties tap deep-pocketed supporters for cash and for help raising more from their network of wealthy friends. Many of those donors are the same ones that Obama is referring to when he tells audiences ? whether well-off or working class ? that the rich must pay a greater share in taxes.

Obama's campaign pitch is aimed at the middle class. He sharpened his focus in a December speech in Osawatomie, Kan., where he decried a growing inequality between chief executives and their workers. He reprised the theme in his State of the Union address last month and unveiled a budget proposal this month that put a policy sheen on that populist message.

As he pushes his economic agenda and as he raises money, Obama more and more is being forced to juxtapose working-class audiences and posh surroundings.

In Los Angeles, 1,000 Obama supporters watched a performance of the Grammy-winning rock band Foo Fighters on the well-manicured grounds of the home of Brad Bell, a prominent television producer.

"Love the Foo Fighters," Obama told the crowd. "They were tired of winning so many awards, so they said, 'Let's do something else tonight.'"

Later, 80 people paying $35,800 apiece attended a dinner at Bell's home, where guests drank wine from Kistler Vineyards and champagne by France's Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. Hollywood celebrities such as Clooney and actor Jim Belushi joined Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and others in a large dining room beneath a soaring chandelier.

In Orange County, Obama's motorcade traveled along the Pacific Ocean to a beachside community in Corona del Mar, where the neighborhood was lined with Mercedes-Benz sedans, Toyota Prius hybrids and even a light-blue Nissan Leaf electric car. Speaking to guests beneath a white tent at the home of real estate developer Jeff Stack, Obama thanked the family for opening its "spectacular home."

The fundraisers contrasted with a more modest official stop in Milwaukee on Wednesday. Obama visited the Master Lock plant where unionized workers manufacture padlocks famous for being "tough under fire."

In San Francisco, Obama made an unscheduled stop in the heart of the city's Chinatown neighborhood, shaking hands with diners and holding a crying baby. After posing for photos, the president pulled out some cash and paid for two bags of dim sum dumplings.

Obama was scheduled to end his three-day trip Friday in Seattle, where he planned to address workers at Boeing's Everett Production Facility.

Republicans have repeatedly cited his high-wattage fundraisers to try to undercut Obama's image with working-class voters. "President Obama campaigned on hope and change, but three years later he's just another typical politician," said Kirsten Kukowski, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman.

Democratic strategist Chris Lehane said the public generally understands that presidential candidates need to raise money among the wealthy but that the key is to have a consistent message whether they're talking to Hollywood moguls and tech titans or blue-collar workers.

"You certainly do not want to come off where you appear that you're elitist," Lehane said. He said Obama's message has remained consistent that Americans deserve a "fair shake" regardless of their economic background.

___

Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-02-16-Obama/id-8a6ab0408e51405a989d0c5becd99f99

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Simple Tips, Tricks And Techniques To Build Your Muscle Mass ...

New Health And Fitness.Org - Health Information You Can Use

You may believe that it takes years of hard gym hours to get muscles. Building muscles is not all about exercise. You need to learn learn how to grow muscle in a way that is effective, without taking a wealth of time. Keep reading for some effective tips for muscle building.

Take a naked picture of yourself every few days. Since you use a mirror frequently, it will often be difficult to see true progression. This will enable you to compare your photos over time and see your muscle growth, as well as identify any areas that need more work.

If you are looking to gain muscle, you will need to eat a lot more. You need to eat the amount necessary to pack on one more pound each week. Look for more ways to take in more calories. After two weeks, increase your intake again if you notice no weight changes.

Don?t forget the importance of pre-workout stretching. Stretching is an important part of your workout routine. You can protect muscles from injury by doing some warm-up stretches and can relax muscles to prevent soreness and stimulate building after you finish your workout. Deep tissue massage is also an effective way for you to relax post-exercise tension in your muscles.

Think about going to a gym if you?re a weight training rookie. It is beneficial for several reasons. First, gyms offer a wide range of equipment that make training easier and more effective. Second, there are usually professionals on hand to show you the proper technique or way to use specific equipment. You will have the chance to ask questions as needed.

Keep your protein intake high to increase muscle mass. Muscles are comprised of protein, so its availability is key to increasing your strength. You body has trouble sustaining muscle mass when you do not eat enough. Two-thirds of your meals and snacks should incorporate lean proteins to ensure your body has an ample supply to draw upon.

What you learn here can be used through out your life. Keep your strength of willpower high, and stay dedicated to achieve the body condition you are aiming for. Remember that change isn?t going to happen right away, it takes time to build muscle mass and get your body strong.

If you?re looking for more information about muscle building, check out Jill Wilson?s site, Muscle Building GuideMuscle Building Diet Plan.

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Source: http://newhealthandfitness.org/2012/02/15/simple-tips-tricks-and-techniques-to-build-your-muscle-mass/

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How Organisational Structure And Strategic Planning Can Help ...

Strategic planning is important for all businesses because this is when they set there aims and will discuss how they can achieve that aim. These aims have to be realistic and the owners will discuss this with their workers. Some aims might be hard to get but executives will want their workers to push hard so that it can be achieved. Marks and Spencer?s aim was to be the best supermarket in Britain but the recession had affected them really bad giving them losses of over 100 million pounds. Currently they are making profits of 50 million pounds but it is nowhere near what they made a few years ago.


Strategic planning will show what direction the business is going to achieve its aims. The planning may last for up to 4 years and is drawn up by high ranking staff. Refinements will be made as months go by because changes can happen within the business. Marks will have a strategic plan that may last for two years. They are struggling at the moment and their rivals are doing much better with healthy profits We write better ! Get Free Quote or Order now!

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Source: http://nyessay.com/uncategorized/how-organisational-structure-and-strategic-planning-can-help-businesses-to-achieve-their-purpose-and-aims/

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Popular Diets That Work ? The Best Popular Diet to Try

Published by Sherry | February 14, 2012 | | 38

Were you aware of all the popular diets that work only one can truly claim long term results? Find out today what the best popular diet is to try and how it effectively burns fat off of the body without causing side effects or forcing you to starve or take dieting pills. Best of all the results on this diet are retained because this diet works!

How the Diet Works

It?s all about eating, at least for the calorie shifting diet that?s all that matters. The focus of the diet is on eating food to stimulate your metabolism into burning more fat. Most diets focus on avoiding calories in order to lose weight, this however is actually counter-productive as your metabolism is constantly balancing out and will actually weaken because of a decrease in calorie consumption. This can actually result in weight gain following the diet!

With calorie shifting by eating based on the calorie shifting diet system your body will increase its metabolism in reaction to the foods you eat.

It requires you eat 4 meals a day that are complete but not so much that you feel stuffed. The diet then rotates the foods you eat every day, it?s this sophisticated rotation that causes your metabolism to become triggered and fat loss ensues.

Why Calorie Shifting is the Best Diet

Hands down any diet which can burn fat instead of causing weight loss due to starving the body is superior, not only that but the results stay around since you never negatively impact the metabolism as other diets tend to do. Calorie shifting is the evolution of dieting, burning fat from eating instead of avoiding it.

Source: http://www.1directory.net/health-fitness/popular-diets-that-work-the-best-popular-diet-to-try-4068.html

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Willie sings Coldplay better than Coldplay?

By Courtney Garcia

Does country legend Willie Nelson?make a better?Coldplay than Coldplay?

?If the reaction to Coldplay?s?Sunday night Grammy performance?is any indication,?that might be true.?It appears an ad for Chipotle immediately following the pop crooners' stint on the show outdid them at their own game.

The commercial features?a charming rendition of Coldplay?s ?The Scientist,? covered by Willie Nelson on his banjo. It?aired after what many critics called a rather humdrum showing by the quartet. The ad, on the other hand, featuring a farmer on his ranch, was quirky and fun.

Instantly, Twitter?s harshest critics fell in love, with some calling the commercial the best performance of the night, others observing how it only reaffirmed anti-Coldplay sentiment in their minds.

??My biggest takeaway from the Chipotle commercial is that I really dislike the lead singer of Coldplay,? tweeted @chimpotle, while Allyn White commented, ?Coldplay bested by Chipotle commercial with a Willie Nelson cover of their song.?

Even fellow musicians took note. Alt-rock duo Tegan and Sara remarked, ?In a strange twist, Chipotle commercial that followed w/ Willie singing a Coldplay song captivated me more??

Though the jingle was previously released online last August, its primetime debut after the band?s performance was cleverly timed on the part of some programmer with a sense of humor, particularly given the fact viewers were encouraged to download it on iTunes as a contribution to Chipotle?s sustainable farming practices.??

Of course, not everyone agreed.

??Willie Nelson is completely butchering Coldplay's the scientist in this Chipotle commercial,? tweeted Emily Trauth.

Who would you rather listen to performing Coldplay songs?

?

?What did you think of Willie Nelson covering Coldplay? Tell us on Facebook.

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/13/10397009-willie-nelson-sings-coldplay-better-than-coldplay

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Former receiver Freddie Solomon dies (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Freddie Solomon, the former Miami Dolphins and 49ers wide receiver who became known as "Fabulous Freddie" and committed himself to community service, has died. He was 59.

The 49ers announced the passing of Solomon, who lived in Florida and had battled cancer over the past year. He played on the first of the franchise's four Super Bowl championship teams in the 1980s during an 11-year NFL career.

"The 49ers lost a member of our family today. We'll miss you, Freddie Solomon," CEO Jed York posted on his Twitter account on Monday.

The Dolphins selected Solomon in the second round of the 1975 draft out of the University of Tampa. He spent his first three NFL seasons with Miami and his final eight in San Francisco, finishing with 371 receptions for 5,846 yards and 48 touchdowns in 371 games.

His 43 TD catches with the Niners are tied for sixth most in team history.

Solomon was born on Jan. 11, 1953, in Sumter, S.C.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_obit_solomon

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Vero Beach Real Estate | FALCON TRACE Homes For Sale ...

by starfish on February 11, 2012

Find FALCON TRACE Homes For Sale and FALCON TRACE Home Values. We also have information on mortgages, insurance, movers and other Treasure Coast Real Estate Services for anyone looking to sell or buy a home in beautiful INDIAN RIVER COUNTY Florida.

Paul Kitchen and Starfish Team provide clients, family and close friends with professional, honest and dependable service. A resident of Vero Beach, Paul is extremely familiar with the local neighborhoods including FALCON TRACE, school districts and the Treasure Coast Real Estate market in this beautiful Florida town.

Paul Kitchen
Broker-Owner
Starfish Real Estate
40 Royal Palm Pointe Vero Beach, FL 32960
(772) 539-8420
(800) 793-7304 toll free
Treasure Coast Real Estate
Treasure Coast Real Estate Blog

Starfish Real Estate

Source: http://www.treasure-coast-living.com/2012/02/11/vero-beach-real-estate-falcon-trace-homes-for-sale-february-2012/

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C-Sections Might Put Preemies at Risk for Breathing Problems (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Small, premature infants born by cesarean section are at 30 percent higher risk for serious breathing problems than those delivered vaginally, a new study finds.

Respiratory distress syndrome, which mostly affects premature newborns and can lead to ongoing breathing problems, blindness and brain damage, was more common in the babies born by cesarean, or C-section, delivery, researchers found.

"I would say that we at least showed that there may not be any benefit to cesarean delivery in preterm births, and more research is needed before the C-section rate goes up even further," said study leader Dr. Erika Werner, an assistant professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Between 2002 and 2009, cesarean deliveries in the United States rose from 27 percent of births to 34 percent, according to a HealthGrades report. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported a dip in rates to slightly under 33 percent in 2010.

Groups such as the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are trying to curb cesarean deliveries, but without much success.

"I'm acutely aware as a clinician that the C-section rate is rising, and there were prior studies that really had mixed results," Werner said. "Some suggested an increased risk of bleeding in the brain and some suggested increased risk of death in this population with a vaginal delivery. So I really wanted to look at a contemporary, diverse population."

The researchers analyzed birth data on 2,560 small-for-gestational-age babies delivered between 25 and 34 weeks of pregnancy in New York City hospitals from 1995 to 2003. (Before 37 weeks is considered preterm). Forty-six percent were delivered vaginally and 54 percent by C-section. The study only looked at live births and excluded mothers who had a previous cesarean delivery.

Vaginal deliveries that used forceps or vacuum were excluded from the study, but they're not usually a factor with such small newborns, Werner explained.

The study found no difference in the incidence of brain bleeds, seizure or sepsis between the two types of delivery. While cesarean-delivered babies had lower Apgar scores -- a measure of newborn health -- the difference was not significant after taking other factors into account. But the higher risk of respiratory distress syndrome still held.

The study is slated for presentation Thursday at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Dallas.

Dr. Diane Ashton, deputy medical director of the March of Dimes, who was not involved in the new study, said the results echo other recent findings.

"This particular study shows that for infants that are premature and small-for-gestational-age, which tend to be thought of as rather fragile infants, the cesarean delivery doesn't offer any protection from the adverse outcomes," Ashton said.

In general, the March of Dimes stance "is that elective deliveries -- and that's cesarean sections and inductions -- should not occur for infants born before 39 weeks unless there's a medical indication," she noted.

"For those instances where there is a strong medical indication, either because of the mother's health or the fetus' health, I think it's important that women understand that it's a major surgery and that it can be associated with complications," Ashton added.

Werner said her team did a similar study on premature infants whose weight fell in the normal range. "We had very similar outcomes, although the respiratory distress was even more impressive and there was more of a benefit to vaginal delivery," she said.

Ashton said that vaginal birth helps babies breathe. "The process of delivering babies vaginally and going through the birth canal and getting the amniotic fluid out of the lungs can enhance their respiratory status," she explained.

While the new study found an association between cesarean deliveries and breathing problems in preterm babies, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study relied on birth certificate and hospital-discharge data. "We don't know if C-section just selects a population more at risk for respiratory distress or if C-section causes respiratory distress. We can't tell which comes first in this kind of study," Werner said.

Ashton said it's not too soon for these and similar findings to influence practice.

"Certainly there should be some review and maybe recommendations from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as to where they think practice should change," Ashton said.

Data and conclusions presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about C-sections.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120210/hl_hsn/csectionsmightputpreemiesatriskforbreathingproblems

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