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Health Habit Myths
A little more than a year ago, my eye doctor prescribed new disposable contact lenses. My insurance, he explained, would pay for only one six-month supply per year.
“I'll just take six months' worth then,†I told him.
Last week, I called to reorder. Since it's been more than a year, my insurance will pay for my next “6-month†supply, which I hope will last me a year or so.
You see, a few years ago, I got some advice from Keith Baratz, M.D., an associate professor of ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic. If a contact lens is approved for continuous day and night wear for 2 weeks, he said, it can last twice as long if you wear it only during the day. (Read The Truth about Calories to discover even more need-to-know health and nutrition advice.)
When it comes to staying healthy, much of what we accept as gospel is actually heresy. But some of it is completely unnecessary. Here are 8 more items you can cross off your to-do list.
See your dentist twice a year
This advice originally came from an old toothpaste ad. There was no science behind it, and there still isn't. A 2003 review looked at 29 studies and found no conclusive evidence supporting a need to go every 6 months. If your choppers (and gums!) are healthy, once a year is enough to catch any developing problems, says James Bader, a research professor at the University of North Carolina school of dentistry.
Just don't wait longer than that: A study presented at the American Heart Association meeting last year found that having your teeth cleaned by a professional once a year lowers your risk of heart attack by 24 percent and stroke by 13 percent.
Don't eat after 8 PM
Calories can't tell time. There's no difference between the 6:30 a.m. and 8:20 p.m. kinds, says Susan Bowerman, assistant director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. Plus, hitting the sack hungry can disrupt sleep patterns. In fact, new research suggests you should eat right before bed if you exercise at night, or if you're over 60. A protein-packed meal-or even a whey protein shake-provides more fuel for your body to synthesize muscle. (To add more flavor and nutrition to your drink, find out how to make the perfect shake.) It also helps combat the effects of age-related muscle loss.
How much protein? A recent study in the American Journal of Physiology found that elderly men who ate 35 grams of whey protein experienced more muscle growth than those who ate 10 or 20 grams.
Go for an annual full-body scan
They're pretty useless, particularly for the abdomen and pelvis, says Dr. Jonathan Goldin, a radiologist at UCLA. Often, scans miss lesions, giving a false sense of security-or they "find" something that's not there, leading to unnecessary anxiety and more tests. Scans can help detect lung cancer and coronary-artery calcium, but these tests are recommended only for people over 45 who have risk factors like smoking, moderately high blood pressure, or moderately high cholesterol. If that isn't you, you don't need a scan.
Throw away milk when it reaches the expiration date
The date on the carton is just the date after which it can't be sold. The milk probably has another week of freshness, says Bowerman. Give it a sniff and proceed. And if you drink sour milk, there'll be a flavor problem-oh, yes indeed-but you don't need to have your stomach pumped. There's another word for curdled milk: cheese.
Feed a cold
There's no science behind this old adage, says Dr. Jack M. Gwaltney Jr., head of the division of epidemiology and virology at the University of Virginia. "In the short term, what you eat doesn't matter at all," he says. "Drink lots of fluids, but eat whatever you feel like." That said, the cysteine in chicken soup has been proven to relieve mucus buildup and sore throat.
Starve a fever
Wrong again. A high temperature boosts your metabolism, causing you to burn calories. If you're weakened, the illness will hang around longer. So try to replace calories any way you can, says Dr. Ben Ansell, director of the Comprehensive Health Program at UCLA. "It's even more important to maintain regular fluid intake, as your body's demands may be at least twice what they are in other circumstances." Your fever could be caused by any number of ailments, so monitor it and see a doctor if it gets to 105 degrees or lasts for several days. Steer clear of colds and flu by avoiding the 6 Germiest Places You Touch Every Day.
Use a hard toothbrush to clean your teeth better
A soft one cleans just as well and causes less damage to teeth and gums, says Philip Mendelovitz, an associate professor of dentistry at the UCLA school of medicine.
Brush and floss twice a day
In terms of dental health, once a day is fine. "Plaque takes 24 hours to harden," Mendelovitz says. "One really good brushing every 24 hours is better than two half-baked attempts." But commit to the job-spend at least 2 minutes. And do it before bed. Saliva combats plaque, and its production decreases when you sleep, Bader says. But remember: This is just about plaque. Your breath is still going to reek in the morning, so be a good coworker/friend/close talker and either brush or use mouthwash when you wake up.Â
Another reason to floss every day: New York University researchers found that people who floss infrequently are three times more likely to develop stomach cancer. Jot down a plan of when, where, and how you'll floss each day and you'll be more likely to actually do it, a German study found. Another great way to keep your teeth clean and healthy: Avoid these 12 Foods Your Dentist Would Never Eat!
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Paradise Cost: Fed Judges Plan $1M Junket in Maui
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Shown here are justices with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.AP
On the heels of the scandal surrounding one government agency's lavish Las Vegas conference, federal judges in the western U.S. circuit are catching flak from Congress for a planned Maui getaway that could cost taxpayers more than $1 million.Â
The Maui meet-up is scheduled for August under the banner of the 2012 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, and will include judges, attorneys, staff and "special guests" from various federal courts spread across nine western states -- including judges on the California-based Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.Â
While in Hawaii, the guests are scheduled to stay in the upscale Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa. And they'll have the chance to kick back with an array of recreational activities -- sport fishing, golf, paddle-board lessons, yoga, Zumba, even a floral design workshop.Â
The official website for the conference stresses that "government funds are not used for any recreational or sporting activities."Â
But Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in a letter to Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, called the activities "unrelated to the business of the court" and questioned whether the Ninth Circuit really needed to ship everyone out to the islands -- a trip that incurs substantial costs in travel and lodging alone.Â
"The programs read more like a vacation than a business trip to discuss the means of improving the administration of justice," they wrote. "We are concerned about the overall cost of this conference and do not believe that discussions about the administration of justice would be less successful were they held somewhere other than a spa and resort in Hawaii."Â
A statement from the senators estimated the trip could cost more than $1 million -- pegging the cost of accommodations alone at more than $500,000. That factors in room rates of between $230 and $250 per night for four nights.Â
The government also provides a per diem -- according to the conference website, this per diem starts at a base level of $289.Â
The hotel itself is situated on Kaanapali Beach, in the northwestern corner of the island on the outskirts of the island's lush rainforests. The resort features a full-service spa, a salon, 1,800 feet of beachfront property, two pools with waterfalls, a rope bridge and an outdoor whirlpool.Â
The GOP senators, in their letter, fired off a slew of questions for the Ninth Circuit about the cost of past conventions and the rationale for the upcoming one. They referenced the scandal over the General Services Administration conference in Las Vegas, which cost taxpayers more than $800,000.Â
"Technology is so advanced that people are earning college degrees online and soldiers serving halfway across the world use Skype with their families at home," Grassley said in a statement.Â
"Likewise, a judicial circuit court should be capable of using technology to share information without requiring a trip to an island paradise. It's especially tone-deaf to plan a pricey conference after the GSA debacle. The taxpayers can't sustain this kind of spending, and they shouldn't have to. The court should re-examine whether this is the best use of tax dollars."Â
A representative with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has not returned a request for comment.
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Prosecutor launches Strauss-Kahn rape probe
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July 1: Former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn listens to proceedings in New York State Supreme court in New York.AP
PARIS â€"  French prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation into allegations of rape in a Washington hotel by former IMF chief and one-time French presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
The prosecutor in Lille in northern France followed a request by investigating judges earlier this month to broaden a suspected prostitution probe to examine the claims of rape in December 2010.
The Lille prosecutor's office said in a statement Monday that they are looking into the allegation that Strauss-Kahn may have been involved in a rape during a sex party in the hotel while he was chief of the International Monetary Fund.
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Babe Ruth Jersey SellsFor a Record $4.4 Million
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May 20, 2012: This undated photo provided by SCP Auctions shows a circa 1920 New York Yankees baseball jersey worn by Babe Ruth that sold for more than $4.4 million at auction.AP/©LeslieBIrd
Babe Ruth equals big bucks.
A baseball jersey worn by The Bambino sold for more than $4.4 million Sunday, a record for any item of sports memorabilia, according to the buyer and seller.
SCP Auctions, based in California, said the circa 1920 New York Yankees uniform top is the earliest known jersey worn by Ruth and it fetched $4,415,658 at the company's April auction, which ended Sunday. That price broke the previous record of $4,338,500 set in 2010 for James Naismith's founding rules of basketball.
Lelands.com said it submitted the winning bid for the jersey, which had been displayed for years at The Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum in Baltimore. The road top has "New York" written across the front and the Hall of Fame slugger wore it shortly after he was sold to the Yankees by the Boston Red Sox for $100,000 following the 1919 season.
Suzan French, a spokeswoman for Lelands.com, said the company plans to sell the jersey privately rather than re-auction it.
"Such a spectacular piece will find a home with one of our private clients who truly appreciates its historic significance," Lelands.com president Michael Heffner said in a statement.
Ruth retired in 1935 with 714 home runs, the major league record for nearly 40 years. Hank Aaron broke that mark and then was passed by Barry Bonds, who finished with 762.
In addition, Ruth's 1934 New York Yankees cap that was owned by former major league pitcher David Wells sold for $537,278 at auction. The colorful Wells bought the cap for about $30,000 from a collector and famously paid homage to his idol by wearing it on the mound with the Yankees during a game on June 28, 1997.
Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor's New York Giants Super Bowl ring from the 1990 season went for $230,401.
Those items also set records, for a baseball cap and a Super Bowl ring, SCP Auctions said.
"This proves again that Babe Ruth is `king' in the sports memorabilia world," SCP Auctions president David Kohler said in a statement.
Also included in the auction was the high-end baseball card collection belonging to former big league All-Star Dmitri Young. Top prices were a 1954 Hank Aaron rookie card ($537,954) and a 1955 Roberto Clemente rookie card ($432,690). The proceeds will help Young begin a foundation to help kids and student athletes near his home in Ventura County, Calif., SCP Auctions said.
Other auction highlights included:
-- 1924-28 Babe Ruth H&B professional model game-used bat ($591,007).
-- 1968 Mickey Mantle autographed New York Yankees game-worn road jersey ($366,967).
-- Circa 1931 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees game-worn home jersey ($275,706).
-- Bobby Thomson's 1951 "Shot Heard `Round the World" cap ($173,102).
-- Jackie Robinson 1950 All-Star game professional model bat ($133,234).
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Man dragged from car, beaten in Dodgers parking lot
LOS ANGELES â€"  A man was dragged out of his car and beaten outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday night after apparently causing a minor collision, KABC-TV reported.
The victim suffered non-life-threatening head and facial injuries in the parking lot attack, which happened after the home team beat the St. Louis Cardinals before more than 44,000 spectators.
He was taken to the hospital for treatment while his companion, a heavily pregnant woman, was also hospitalized as a precaution.
Police said at least one person assaulted the man, and four people were detained for questioning.
The incident comes 14 months after a horrific attack in the stadium parking lot on 42-year-old San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow, who spent months in a coma after being knocked unconscious then repeatedly kicked in the head.
Two men have pleaded not guilty to charges of mayhem, assault and battery in the Stow case.
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Lockerbie bomber Megrahi to be laid to rest in Libya
TRIPOLI, Libya â€"  The funeral for Abdel Baset al Megrahi, who was convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, will take place in Libya on Monday.
Megrahi's funeral was originally set to take place on the day of his death due to Islamic traditions, but was postponed to allow time for relatives to travel to Tripoli from his southern hometown of Sebha, The (London) Daily Telegraph reported.
More than 100 friends and relatives of Megrahi had already gathered Monday at the villa built for him by the Qaddafi regime -- many protesting his innocence and saying he was a scapegoat.
Megrahi died on Sunday after a long battle with cancer that saw him released from a Scotland prison on compassionate grounds in 2009 and allowed to return to Libya. Doctors said at the time that he had terminal cancer and only three months left to live.
Megrahi, 60, was convicted in a Scottish court in 2001 for his role in the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in southern Scotland.
Most of those killed in the bombing of the Boeing 747 jet were Americans. All 259 passengers and crew died in the tragedy, along with 11 people on the ground.
His prison release was roundly condemned by victims' relatives and senior US politicians, including President Barack Obama. Then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond were forced to deny accusations that political convenience and business interests in Libya were behind the release.
Megrahi was greeted as a hero on his return to Libya after having served eight years of a minimum 27-year sentence for his role in the tragedy.
The only person ever convicted of the Lockerbie atrocity, Megrahi had always maintained his innocence over the bombing.
His family has claimed that Megrahi was exploited by Qaddafi's regime, which they said let him take the blame for a crime he did not commit.
Last month, Megrahi was hospitalized in critical condition at the al Alfa clinic, near Tripoli's international airport. He was reportedly unconscious and undergoing emergency blood transfusions at the time.
On April 16 his brother brought him home but said there was no hope of recovery.
Megrahi is survived by his wife and five children.
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US-Pakistan Rift Complicates Summit
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May 19, 2012: Pakistani mechanic Arbaaz khan,walks between oil tankers, used to transport NATO fuel supplies to Afghanistan, in Karachi, Pakistan.AP
CHICAGO â€"  U.S. tensions with Pakistan complicated the opening day of the NATO summit in Chicago, where allies gathered to solidify a strategy for ending the war in Afghanistan.
The Obama administration has so far been unable to reach an agreement with Pakistan to reopen key supply routes into Afghanistan that were closed after a Nov. 26 U.S. strike on two border posts that killed two dozen Pakistani troops.
U.S. and NATO officials intend to use the summit to intensify pressure on Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to cut a deal to reopen the supply routes, though hopes for an immediate breakthrough have faded, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Zardari was invited to attend the two-day summit at the last minute in hopes that would lead to a deal, but the two sides remain at odds over how much the U.S. and its allies should pay Pakistan to move cargo through the route.
FOX News Channel reported that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Zardari, with a State Department spokesperson saying, "They discussed the importance of reopening the NATO supply lines" and of addressing terrorist threats from "Al Qaeda and the Haqqani Network."
"The United States is committed to a strong, mutually beneficial relationship built on concrete actions to enhance the security and prosperity of Pakistan, the United States and the region," the spokesperson said.
The impasse quickly became an undercurrent of the summit, which already was confronting Obama with an election-year balancing act: rallying NATO leaders around a plan to remain engaged in Afghanistan through 2024 and spotlighting his commitment to withdraw U.S. troops from a war that has grown deeply unpopular at home, the Journal reported.
Obama stressed Sunday that under the U.S. and NATO allies' plan, within the next two years "the Afghan war, as we understand it, is over." At the same time, speaking after meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Obama said summit attendees are "also painting a vision" for Afghanistan over the long-term, one in which the U.S. will have a central role.
Karzai, in turn, said Afghanistan is looking forward to the time when it "is no longer a burden" to the international community and thanked the U.S. for the "support of your taxpayers' money" since the war began in the fall of 2001.
John Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, played down the impact of the closure of Pakistan's border crossings on the day-to-day military campaign. He said the U.S. does not know when a deal might be reached, but "sooner is better than later."
But according to U.S. officials, Pakistan has proposed raising transit fees per container by as much as 3,000 percent or 30-fold, a demand that Washington and its allies have rejected as excessive.
Pakistan's closure of the supply routes has forced the U.S. to expand an alternative northern distribution network, which winds its way from Baltic and Caspian ports through Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Transporting a container to Afghanistan through the northern network costs more than 21 times as much as it would to bring the same container through Pakistan before the supply routes were closed.
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Lebanon fears Syria spillover as Beirut clashes kill 1
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May 18, 2012: An anti-Syrian regime protester, chants slogans during a demonstration to show solidarity with the Syrian revolution in Beirut, Lebanon.AP
BEIRUT â€"  Lebanese security officials say overnight clashes in Beirut between Sunni groups that support and oppose the regime in Damascus have killed one person and wounded 10.
The clashes in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Tariq Jadidah are Beirut's worst in four years. They erupted hours after an anti-Syrian cleric and his bodyguard were shot dead in northern Lebanon.
The officials said Monday that the man who was killed was a member of a pro-Syrian Sunni group. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Lebanon and Syria share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries, which are easily enflamed. Last week, clashes sparked by the Syrian crisis killed at least eight people and wounded dozens in the northern city of Tripoli.
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Hiker dead, 4 others possibly missing on Everest
KATMANDU, Nepal â€"  A German doctor has died while descending from the Everest summit, and a Nepalese official says four other climbers may be missing on the world's highest mountain.
Ang Tshering of the Asian Trekking in Katmandu said 61-year-old Eberhard Schaaf died Saturday. Doctors believe he had high altitude cerebral edema.
Kamal Shrestha of Nepal's Mountaineering Department said a Nepal-born Canadian national identified as Shriya Shah is also missing on the mountain.
Shrestha said he has heard of a Korean, a Chinese and a Nepali Sherpa guide missing on their way back but did not have any more details.
May is the busiest month for climbing attempts on the 29,035-foot summit.
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UN Nuke Chief Positive Ahead of Key Iran Talks
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May 20, 2012: Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Yukiya Amano from Japan and Herman Nackaerts, from left, of the IAEA the chief agency official in charge of the Iran file speak to the media before his flight to Iran at the Vienna International Airport near Schwechat, Austria.AP
VIENNA â€"  The head of the U.N. nuclear agency has arrived in Tehran on a key mission that could lead to the resumption of probes on whether Iran has secretly worked on a nuclear weapon.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano and his two aides landed early Monday morning in Iran but where quickly whisked away from the Tehran airport.
They are to meet Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, as well as the foreign minister and other Iranian officials later in the day.
The visit is focused on getting Iran to agree to terms that will allow IAEA probes of suspect Iranian sites. Tehran denies having worked on atomic weapons.
Western diplomats have expressed skepticism that Iran will honor a deal. But with both Iran and the IAEA reporting progress in a previous round last week, anticipation was high as Amano prepared to board his flight to Tehran.
While expressing some optimism, Amano said he could not predict whether he would clinch a deal that would allow his agency to renew its long-stalled probe.
"Nothing is certain in life, in diplomacy," he told reporters at Vienna's airport. "But there has been good progress.
"I really think this is the right time to reach agreement."
The one-day trip is significant both for what it can achieve in terms of probing Iran's secretive nuclear program and as a mood-setter for talks Wednesday in Baghdad between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
The latter six nations are in the forefront of trying to persuade Tehran to curb its nuclear program and ease concerns it wants to use it to make nuclear weapons.
Iran will seek to stay looming U.S. and European Union sanctions on its oil exports at the Baghdad talks.
The six in turn will attempt to get Iran to commit to stop enriching uranium to a level that can be turned quickly into the fissile core of nuclear warheads, while ignoring - for now - its program of lower enrichment, which would take longer to turn toward weapons-making.
Iran insists it is enriching uranium only to produce nuclear fuel. It denies that it worked secretly on developing components of a nuclear arms program, despite what the IAEA describes as credible intelligence and other evidence that it hid work "specific to nuclear weapons."
Amano's visit and the talks in Baghdad are thus separate but indirectly related - a point that Amano touched on as well, saying he hoped they "will give (a) positive good impact (on) each other." His lead partner in the Tehran talks will be Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, who will also lead his country's delegation to Baghdad.
Western diplomats following the IAEA's work are skeptical that Iran would honor the terms of any deal suddenly allowing the IAEA access to sites, people and documents it seeks in its probe, pointing out that Tehran has stonewalled the agency's efforts since 2007. They say Tehran is seeking to make points ahead of the Baghdad talks, where it would refer to any deal with the IAEA as a sign of its good will and demand that the upcoming sanctions on Iranian oil be suspended.
Diplomats told The Associated Press ahead of the Baghdad talks that there is agreement among the six powers not to give in to such demands. G-8 leaders last week set the stage for a united release of world oil reserves to balance any disruption in world markets when those tough new sanctions are imposed. President Barack Obama said world powers "are unified in our approach to Iran."
Still, an Iran-IAEA deal could reopen fissures among the six, with Russia and China - traditional opponents of tough anti-Iran sanctions - demanding that the oil penalties be held up to reward the Islamic Republic's approval of a deal with the IAEA.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the Baghdad talks should already focus on lifting of sanctions if Iran shows signs of compromise, in comments reported Sunday by the Itar-Tass news agency.
"Russia denies the efficiency of sanctions against Iran; it thinks that the sanctions are driving the problem into an impasse," he was quoted as saying. "Yet bearing in mind the adherence of Western partners to sanctions, I think they should think about the time when the sanctions may be suspended and lifted."
Amano deferred an Iranian invitation to visit Tehran last year, saying he would go only if he was assured of progress in the standoff over the IAEA probe. Pressed at the airport whether he expected to come back with a deal in his pocket, he repeated that "nothing is certain but ... I stay positive."
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Millions gaze skyward for rare eclipse
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\'Idol\' Backs Tourette\'s Film
Eighteen-year-old Ariel Small has had an interesting childhood, going from ‘troublemaker' to ‘filmmaker,' all before graduating high school.
The journey started for the Chicago high school senior when he was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at just 6 years old. Â His parents noticed that he had odd facial movements that he was unable to control. Â The condition, which affects about three out of every 1,000 children, is characterized by repeated, quick movements or sounds that a person cannot control.
Throughout grade school and middle school, Small ultimately found it hard to communicate his situation to his teachers, so he was constantly getting in trouble.
“When I was in eighth grade, I was suspended,†Small said.  “I went to my principal, and he said, ‘Well you know, I don't really think you have Tourette's. I think you're just using that as an excuse for bad behavior.' At the time, I just sat there dumbfounded, and I just had no idea how to respond.  As a 13 year old, I had no idea what to say.â€
After struggling with being able to advocate for himself, Small set out to become an ambassador for other kids with Tourette's in order to help them stand up for themselves. Â He visited multiple schools to talk about his personal struggles, but he soon found himself engaged by the stories of others.
“It was the first time I met other people with Tourette's,†Small said of his ambassador experience.  “I thought I had this incredible story, and I went out there and told them about how I was suspended â€" and then I realized that my story was crap.  These people were being expelled; they were being home-schooled.  [Some] couldn't even get admitted to any public schools.â€
“That's when I realized that my story is really just everyone's story,†Small added.  “It's just one unanimous experience with people with Tourette's and people with disorders.â€
Inspired by the numerous other students just like him, Small and his mother, Robin, decided to bring out the cameras and develop a documentary about Small's journey. Â Called Different is the New Normal, the film is meant to break common misconceptions about Tourette's, as well as encourage others struggling with the condition.
The title of the film is inspired by an upcoming song by 2011 American Idol finalist James Durbin, who had shared his experience with Tourette's on the highly-rated talent show.  As big fans of Durbin and the TV show, Small and his mother invited the finalist to be a part of the documentary â€" a request that Durbin gladly accepted.  The documentary features a moving on-camera conversation between Durbin and Small about their respective stories.
“I don't feel like a mentor or anything, I just feel like equals,†Durbin said of working with Small.  “I think that can be a goal out of this documentary â€" making people with Tourette's not to be looked at as an outcast or someone different.  Yeah we might need more attention in school just to help keep us on track and keep us at the same level as everyone else, but we're the same and we should be treated the same.â€
Another famous face, Michael J. Fox, also lent a helping hand by narrating the documentary. Â Different is the New Normal premieres May 20 at 7 PM on PBS (check for local listings).
Click for more about the documentary and to find out when it airs.
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Babe Ruth jersey sells for a record $4.4M at auction- Super Bowl ring sells for $230G at auction
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May 20, 2012: This undated photo provided by SCP Auctions shows a circa 1920 New York Yankees baseball jersey worn by Babe Ruth that sold for more than $4.4 million at auction.AP/©LeslieBIrd
Babe Ruth equals big bucks.
A baseball jersey worn by The Bambino sold for more than $4.4 million Sunday, a record for any item of sports memorabilia, according to the buyer and seller.
SCP Auctions, based in California, said the circa 1920 New York Yankees uniform top is the earliest known jersey worn by Ruth and it fetched $4,415,658 at the company's April auction, which ended Sunday. That price broke the previous record of $4,338,500 set in 2010 for James Naismith's founding rules of basketball.
Lelands.com said it submitted the winning bid for the jersey, which had been displayed for years at The Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum in Baltimore. The road top has "New York" written across the front and the Hall of Fame slugger wore it shortly after he was sold to the Yankees by the Boston Red Sox for $100,000 following the 1919 season.
Suzan French, a spokeswoman for Lelands.com, said the company plans to sell the jersey privately rather than re-auction it.
"Such a spectacular piece will find a home with one of our private clients who truly appreciates its historic significance," Lelands.com president Michael Heffner said in a statement.
Ruth retired in 1935 with 714 home runs, the major league record for nearly 40 years. Hank Aaron broke that mark and then was passed by Barry Bonds, who finished with 762.
In addition, Ruth's 1934 New York Yankees cap that was owned by former major league pitcher David Wells sold for $537,278 at auction. The colorful Wells bought the cap for about $30,000 from a collector and famously paid homage to his idol by wearing it on the mound with the Yankees during a game on June 28, 1997.
Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor's New York Giants Super Bowl ring from the 1990 season went for $230,401.
Those items also set records, for a baseball cap and a Super Bowl ring, SCP Auctions said.
"This proves again that Babe Ruth is `king' in the sports memorabilia world," SCP Auctions president David Kohler said in a statement.
Also included in the auction was the high-end baseball card collection belonging to former big league All-Star Dmitri Young. Top prices were a 1954 Hank Aaron rookie card ($537,954) and a 1955 Roberto Clemente rookie card ($432,690). The proceeds will help Young begin a foundation to help kids and student athletes near his home in Ventura County, Calif., SCP Auctions said.
Other auction highlights included:
-- 1924-28 Babe Ruth H&B professional model game-used bat ($591,007).
-- 1968 Mickey Mantle autographed New York Yankees game-worn road jersey ($366,967).
-- Circa 1931 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees game-worn home jersey ($275,706).
-- Bobby Thomson's 1951 "Shot Heard `Round the World" cap ($173,102).
-- Jackie Robinson 1950 All-Star game professional model bat ($133,234).
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URGENT: One dead, at least 5 injured during prison riot in Mississippi
An ongoing prison riot in Mississippi has left one guard dead and five injured, authorities say.
The “inmate disturbance†began at 2:40pm at the Adams County Correctional Facility â€" a 2,567 low-security prison in Natchez, Miss., the Natchez Democrat reports.
Sheriff Chuck Mayfield told the newspaper that the riot was linked to a power struggle among hierarchies within the inmate ranks.
Witnesses say they saw white smoke â€" possibly tear gas â€" and sounds of gunfire coming from inside the prison.
Five employees at the prison were sent to a local hospital to be treated for various injures, the Natchez Democrat reports, while additional members are receiving medical care on-site.
Authorities say no inmates have escaped the prison.
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NATO: No Rush for Afghanistan Exits
CHICAGO â€"  The NATO alliance that has fought for a decade in Afghanistan is helping that nation shift toward stability and peace, but there will be "hard days ahead," President Obama said Sunday as alliance leaders insisted the fighting coalition will remain effective despite France's plans to yank combat troops out early.Â
With a global economic crisis and waning public support for the war in the backdrop, world leaders opened a NATO summit confronted by questions about Afghanistan's post-conflict future: money for security forces, coming elections and more. They were also papering over the crack in the fighting alliance with the planned French withdrawal.Â
"We still have a lot of work to do and there will be great challenges ahead," Obama said. "The loss of life continues in Afghanistan and there will be hard days ahead. "Â
The end of the war is in sight, Obama said following a lengthy discussion with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the sidelines of the NATO summit. The military alliance is pledged to remain in Afghanistan into 2014, but will seal plans Sunday and Monday to shift foreign forces off the front lines a year faster than once planned.Â
Afghan forces will take the lead throughout the nation next year, instead of in 2014, despite uneven performance under U.S. and other outside tutelage so far. The shift is in large part a response to plummeting public support for the war in Europe and the United States, contributors of most of the 130,000 foreign troops now fighting the Taliban-led insurgency. A majority of Americans now say the war is unwinnable or not worth continuing.Â
Karzai said his nation is looking forward to the end of war, "so that Afghanistan is no longer a burden on the shoulder of our friends in the international community, on the shoulders of the United States and our other allies."Â
Obama said NATO partners would discuss "a vision for post-2014 in which we have ended our combat role, the Afghan war as we understand it is over, but our commitment to friendship and partnership to Afghanistan continues."Â
Newly elected French President Francois Hollande has said he will withdraw all French combat troops from Afghanistan by year's end -- a full two years before the timeline agreed to by nations in the U.S.-led NATO coalition.Â
"There will be no rush for the exits," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. "Our goal, our strategy, our timetable remain unchanged."Â
Rasmussen denied there were fresh cracks in the alliance. He suggested a deal will emerge for France to move into a noncombat role but continue to support the international mission.Â
Before the one-hour meeting with Karzai, a senior U.S. official said Obama would focus on planning for Afghanistan's 2014 elections, as well as the prospect of a political settlement with the Taliban.Â
Karzai has said repeatedly he will step down from power when his term ends in 2014, opening the way for new elections. NATO's scheduled end of the war was built around those plans, with foreign forces staying until the 2014 election but exiting the country by 2015.Â
Obama and Karzai will discuss ways to ensure that political rivals can compete fairly in the run-up to the election, as well as ways to reduce fraud and support the winner who emerges, the official said.Â
Past Afghan elections were riddled with irregularities, and the U.S. applied heavy pressure to Karzai to schedule a second round of voting during the last presidential contest in 2009. The runoff was never held because Karzai's challenger pulled out, protesting what he said was an impossible level of corruption.Â
The election chapter opened a rift between the U.S. and Karzai, who suspected that the Obama administration wanted to replace him.Â
The Obama administration has mostly repaired its relationship with Karzai, but mistrust remains on both sides.Â
The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, said before the meeting that Obama and Karzai also were to discuss prospects for a political settlement or peace pact between Karzai's government and the Taliban-led insurgency. The Taliban pulled out of U.S.-led talks in March, but separate talks among Afghan and other contacts continue, the U.S. official said.Â
The official said Obama believes political reconciliation is essential to the country's future security.Â
The Taliban is urging nations fighting in Afghanistan to follow France's lead and pull their international forces from the war this year.Â
"We call upon all the other NATO member countries to avoid working for the political interests of American officials and answer the call of your own people by immediately removing all your troops from Afghanistan," the group said in a statement before the meeting.Â
The insurgent group cited declining public support for the war in the West and said political leaders should listen to their constituents and get out of Afghanistan.Â
The national security-focused NATO summit caps an extraordinary weekend of international summitry. Obama and the leaders of the world's leading industrial nations convened at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, for two days of talks focused in large part on Europe's economic crisis.Â
Joining Obama and many of the G-8 leaders in Chicago are the heads of NATO alliance nations and other countries with a stake in the Afghan war.Â
Prominent among those nations is Pakistan. Tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan have been running high following several incidents, including the U.S. raid in Pakistan that led to the death of Osama bin Laden and a U.S. airstrike that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers.Â
Both countries have been seeking to restore normal relations. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's acceptance of an invitation to attend the NATO summit was seen as an indication that his country would reopen major roads used to supply NATO fighting forces in Afghanistan, a key U.S. demand.Â
White House officials said that while they believe an agreement on reopening the supply routes will be reached, they do not expect that to happen during the NATO meetings. The two nations are haggling over how much Pakistan will be paid to allow the heavy transport truck to pass through. A senior U.S. official said the two sides are far apart. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.Â
Officials have indicated that Obama and Zardari will not hold a separate bilateral meeting until the matter is resolved. Although miffed, Zardari is expected to see Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other U.S. officials in Chicago.Â
"I do hope that we will see a reopening of the transit routes in the very near future," Rasmussen said. "These negotiations will continue, but I am hopeful that they will be concluded in a positive manner."
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Millions Across the World Watch \'Ring of Fire\' Eclipse
Millions of Asians watched as a rare "ring of fire" eclipse crossed their skies early Monday.
The annular eclipse, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges, was visible to wide areas across the continent. It will move across the Pacific and also be seen in parts of the western United States.
In Japan, "eclipse tours" were arranged at schools and parks, on pleasure boats and even private airplanes. Similar events were held in China and Taiwan as well, with skywatchers warned to protect their eyes.
The eclipse was broadcast live on TV in Tokyo, where such an eclipse hasn't been visible since 1839. Japanese TV crews watched from the top of Mount Fuji and even staked out a zoo south of Tokyo to capture the reaction of the chimpanzees -- who didn't seem to notice.
A light rain fell on Tokyo as the eclipse began, but the clouds thinned as it reached its peak, providing near perfect conditions.
"It was a very mysterious sight," said Kaori Sasaki, who joined a crowd in downtown Tokyo to watch event. "I've never seen anything like it."
At the Taipei Astronomical Museum in Taiwan, the spectacle emerged from dark clouds for only about 30 seconds. But the view was nearly perfect against Manila's orange skies.
"It's amazing. We do this for the awe (and) it has not disappointed. I am awed, literally floored," said astronomical hobbyist Garry Andreassen, whose long camera lenses were lined up with those of about 10 other gazers in a downtown Manila park.
Hong Kong skywatchers weren't so lucky.
Several hundred people gathered along the Kowloon waterfront on Hong Kong's famed Victoria Harbor, most of them students or commuters on their way to work. The eclipse was already underway as the sun began to rise, but heavy clouds obstructed the view.
The eclipse will follow a narrow 8,500-mile path for 3 1/2 hours. The ring phenomenon will last about five minutes, depending on location. People outside the narrow band for prime viewing will see a partial eclipse.
"Ring of Fire" eclipses are not as dramatic as a total eclipse, when the disk of the sun is entirely blocked by the moon. The moon is too far from Earth and appears too small in the sky to blot out the sun completely.
Doctors and education officials have warned of eye injuries from improper viewing. Before the event started, Japan's Education Minister Hirofumi Hirano demonstrated how to use eclipse glasses in a televised news conference.
Police also cautioned against traffic accidents -- warning drivers to keep their eyes on the road.
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NATO demonstrators storm Chicago
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