Supreme Court Gene Patents Ruling Opens Genetic Test Options

reverse transcriptase is a naturally occouring enzyme, and viruses make cDNA all the time, and your cells remove introns all the time, so there is absofuckinglutely nothing patentable about cDNA

But the cDNAs that people would like to patent is not simply endogenously present - it has to be created using an entirely artificial process. And reverse transcriptase isn't a naturally occurring enzyme in humans, or at least not the kind that's used to make cDNA*. And our cells remove introns only to make mRNA, not cDNA. So it's a little deceptive to say that cDNA is a natural product and therefore not patentable. If your rather simplistic argument were valid, a vast number of forms of gene manipulation and genetic engineering would become unpatentable, because organisms undergo gene manipulation all the time. (The most extreme example is probably horizontal gene transfer, but there are plenty of other weird things going on, many involving viruses.)

Now, my personal preference (as both a scientist and a consumer) is for as few patents as possible on any genetic material, and I was relieved to see Myriad get slapped down by all nine justices. But what I prefer isn't always in line with what current case law decrees is allowable, and I wouldn't call the Supreme Court incompetent just because they didn't reach the conclusion I personally favor.

(* In fact, the polymerases used in molecular biology labs are often heavily engineered for greater stability and control, and of course they're not endogenously produced but rather purified from a [heavily modified] recombinant organism expressing the protein on a [human-designed] plasmid, so the connection to the naturally occurring proteins is tenuous.)

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/Do1q5ZgbnE8/story01.htm

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NBA Finals 2013: 5 Things Of Note From Seven Heat-Spurs Games (VIDEO/PHOTOS)

San Antonio Spurs v Miami Heat - Game 7

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat looks to pass against Manu Ginobili #20 and Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter during Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals at AmericanAirlines Arena on June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

San Antonio Spurs v Miami Heat - Game 7

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs passes the ball against Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat in the first quarter during Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals at AmericanAirlines Arena on June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

LeBron James,Manu Ginobili

The Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) moves the ball against San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili (20) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Kawhi Leonard ,Hea's Mario

The San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) moves the ball against Miami Heat's Mario Chalmers (15) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) shoots against San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili (20) of Argentina during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Tony Parker,Mike Miller

San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) shoots against the Miami Heat's Mike Miller (13) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green (4) shoots over Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Tim Duncan

San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) dunks the ball against the Miami Heat during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) and the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) work during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

A fan holds a sign before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts to play against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tim Duncan ,Dwyane Wade

San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) works for the ball against and Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tony Parker

San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) reacts to play against the Miami Heat during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Gregg Popovich

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich speaks to players during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tony Parker,Gregg Popovich

San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich speak during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tim Duncan ,Chris Bosh

San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) blocks the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Ray allen, Kawhi Leonard

The Miami Heat's Ray Allen (34) shoots against San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) and Boris Diaw (33) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Gary Neal , Ray allen

The San Antonio Spurs' Gary Neal (14) shoots as the Miami Heat's Ray Allen (34) defends during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tim Duncan,Chris Andersen

The San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) shoots against Miami Heat's Chris Andersen (11) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

LeBron James ,Mario Chalmers

The Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) speaks with Mario Chalmers (15) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

LeBron James, Chris Andersen ,Kawhi Leonard

Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) and Chris Andersen (11) defend San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Chris Bosh ,Kawhi Leonard

Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) defends San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Tim Duncan,Dwyane Wade

San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) and the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) work during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

LeBron James ,Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) calls a play as Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Manu Ginobili

The San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili (20) shoots against the Miami Heat during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Kawhi Leonard ,LeBron James

San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) blocks a shot by Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh

The San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) blocks a shot by the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Tim Duncan ,Dan Craford

San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) talks to NBA official Dan Craford (43) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Mario Chalmers (,Tim Duncan

The Miami Heat's Mario Chalmers (15) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Chris Bosh,LeBron James

The Miami Heat's Chris Bosh and LeBron James sit on the bench during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Drake

Aubrey Drake Graham, known as Drake watches play between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat fans react while watching the Game 7 in the NBA Finals between the Heat and the San Antonio Spurs in Miami, on Thursday, June 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Miami Heat fans react while watching the Game 7 in the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Rashard Lewis,Monty McCutchen

The San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) argues a call with NBA official Monty McCutchen (13) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

LeBron James , Danny Green

The Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green (4) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat fans react while watching the Game 7 in the NBA Finals between the Heat and the San Antonio Spurs in Miami, on Thursday, June 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Chris Andersen

Miami Heat power forward Chris Andersen (11) gets the crowd to cheer against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Chris Andersen,Tony Parker

Miami Heat's Chris Andersen (11) defends against San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Kawhi Leonard ,LeBron James

San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) defends against Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Manu Ginobili ,Gregg Popovich

The San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili (20) speaks with head coach Gregg Popovich during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Pat Riley

Miami Heat president Pat Riley and his wife Chris watch action before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Julia Dale sings the national anthem before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Dwyane Wade

The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

LeBron James

The Miami Heat's LeBron James warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Chris Andersen

The Miami Heat's Chris Andersen (11) warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Dylan Roston, 13, of Miami, watches teams swarm up before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Manu Ginobili

San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili stretches before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell, Pool)

Mike Miller

The Miami Heat' Mike Miller warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Norris Cole

Miami Heat's Norris Cole warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Norris Cole

Miami Heat's Norris Cole warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell, Pool)

Nelson Gomez, right, and his family friend Joshua Castaneda arrive for Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/nba-finals-2013-heat-spurs_n_3476656.html

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Junior Czech coalition party wins speaker post in reshuffle plan

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech coalition agreed on Saturday that the junior party can have the post of parliamentary speaker if the current one becomes prime minister in a reshuffle caused by a spying and bribery scandal.

The deal clears a potential hurdle for the three-party center-right coalition which hopes to avoid a snap election after Prime Minister Petr Necas resigned over the scandal.

It has put forward lower house speaker Miroslava Nemcova, from Necas's Civic Democrat party, to replace him.

President Milos Zeman, a leftist who has criticized the government, has the sole right to appoint a prime minister. He is holding meetings with party heads over the weekend before announcing a decision on Tuesday.

Zeman has not said if he will accept Nemcova or pick a leader of his choice. The opposition Social Democrats are pushing for a snap election - ahead of the one scheduled for May next year. Opinion polls indicate it would win easily.

Saturday's deal is a victory for the TOP09 party, which had hinted that it wanted the speaker's position as the price of sustaining the shaky coalition that has faced collapse several times since taking power in 2010.

"TOP09 should make the nomination and the coalition should stand behind it," Martin Kuba, acting Civic Democrat party leader, said in comments broadcast on Czech Television.

Police have charged eight people for offences including bribery and illegal spying on people including the prime minister's wife.

Necas's closest aide, Jana Nagyova, is charged with ordering illegal spying. Prosecutors also accuse her of offering bribes, in the form of posts at state companies, to three parliamentary deputies last year in exchange for abandoning a rebellion against the prime minister.

Necas himself has not been charged but his Civic Democrats have suffered a severe hit in popularity.

A lawyer for Nagyova, who is in custody, says she denies some of the allegations against her, while on others she argues that she acted in good faith.

(Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/junior-czech-coalition-party-wins-speaker-post-reshuffle-204801613.html

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Video: What's Bernanke's Next Move?

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52279871/

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That One Time I Found a Time Capsule From 1969

Did you bury a time capsule in St. Paul in 1969? Because I found it. Well, technically my friend found it. But he knew I was the only person in his life who might care about this nondescript plastic bottle that was buried in his backyard. Most people would easily mistake the thing for trash. And I guess it kind of was. Nature is not terribly gentle with things we put in the ground.

Back in early September of 2011, I was helping my friend dig up his yard to put in a new patio. We were digging for hours, constantly hitting rocks in the soil with our shovels ? a sharp clanging noise reverberating through the neighborhood with each push into the ground. But then my friend hit something a bit softer. Turns out, it was a time capsule.

At first I didn't believe it. Could my friend be playing a joke on his weirdo friend who was obsessed with time capsules? Judging by what was inside, this would've had to have been a joke over forty years in the making.

Unscrewing the top, I found a soggy, rolled up piece of brown paper inside. The tiny pages were sticking together and I was terrified of destroying it. Of all the words mashed together in a wet crumpled mess, the only things I could make out definitively were a name: Barbara. And a year: 1969. It wasn't much, but it was enough to establish that this little bottle was probably intentionally buried in that backyard. Probably by a woman named Barbara in 1969, if I had to take a wild guess.

My mind wandered and I started to imagine what possessed Barbara (if that was indeed the name of the time capsuler) to bury this in the backyard of her St. Paul home. The ground in Minnesota is frozen for much of the year, so I started to speculate that it was probably buried in the summer. Could this have been in commemoration of the moon landing on July 20, 1969? I truly have no idea, but people really enjoy burying time capsules during historic events.

I wish I could've deciphered more of the writing in the time capsule, but the water damage was irreversible. Putting something in the ground is literally the worst thing you can do for any object you'd like to preserve for the future. And yet, something tells me we'll continue burying our time capsules for generations to come. Which is fine by me. But if you can afford it, there are plenty of fancy, commercial time capsules available for purchase. The spendiest capsules can set you back $4,000, but let me gently suggest you get a cheaper one (or build your own, if you know what you're doing) and invest the difference in something more worthwhile than a diamond-encrusted tomb for your newspaper clippings.

Make sure to register your time capsule with Oglethorpe University, where they maintain an international database of time capsules through their International Time Capsule Society. If you care about someone finding your capsule (and historic markers are no guarantee they will) it's probably your best chance of ensuring that people of the future can locate your time capsule.

And with all due respect to Barbara, if you decide to build a time capsule, maybe include something more clever than a piece of crumpled brown paper with your name on it. Future time capsule nerds will thank you.

Source: http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/that-one-time-i-found-a-time-capsule-from-1969-512928077

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Gambit Wellness Expo| Dr. Leon Watkins| Foot Health Education

?

On June 8th, the staff of Gulf South Foot and Ankle participated in the 2013 Gambit Wellness Expo at Lakeside Mall. ?This is an annual event that provides information about the latest trends in nutrition, fitness, healthcare, and beauty. ?Dr. Leon Watkins was on hand to provide complimentary foot screenings and foot health education to the community. ?

Source: http://gulfsouthfootandankle.com/2013/06/gambit-expo/

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The Gae Ceann: Bikers & the Supernatural

Enter a group of fearsome bikers from all walks of life, or for that matter, unlife. The The Gae Ceann have a bad reputation for crime, smuggling, whoring and committing crimes. A welcoming brotherhood of vampires, undead and things that should not be have all united into this gang seeking a new life among their unnatural kin.

The law seeks to punish the lawbreakers, internal conflict punishes the groups sinners, and chaos is rife within the gang as the politics shift for a new leader. A line is crossed, and the sins of the gang are exposed for the world to see. The Gae Ceann are encompassed by enemies and need brothers and sisters more than ever.

You are invited as writers to join this brotherhood of bikers, all you have to do is create a biker related character and report to the clubhouse or shoot me a PM on this right here magical website.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/YeD0buuGYvM/viewtopic.php

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Carl's Jr. Jenny McCarthy Ad Features Salad With A Side Of Cleavage (VIDEO)

COUSINS

Yes, they share the last name, but with McCarthy a fairly common surname it still came as a surprise when former Playboy Playmate <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/true_false_new_emmy_winner_melissa/264653#ixzz1YQVm3lpL" target="_hplink">Jenny tweeted</a> at the hilarious "Bridesmaids" star: "Congrats to my cousin melissa mccarthy on her Emmy win!!" Apparently the funny bone runs in this family: Jenny was previously with comedian Jim Carrey for five years. <br> (Getty)

COUSINS

Tom Cruise and cousin William Mapother not only share a last name -- Cruise was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV -- but also even kind of look a like. The TV actor ("Lost," "The Mentalist") <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0544611/bio" target="_hplink">has said</a> about his famous "Mission Impossible" first cousin: "I never really worried about it. As I've amassed a body of work, the questions about Tom have gone away. I figured that if I did good work, I'd be seen for what I am." <br> (Getty)

AUNT AND NIECE

Emma Roberts is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts.

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

Kate Hudson began calling Kurt Russell, "dad," soon after he began dating her mother, Goldie Hawn, in 1983.

BROTHERS

If you squint your eyes, Dave Franco ("21 Jump Street") could almost pass for his more famous older brother James. With cleaner hair. <br> (Getty)

COUSINS

By now, we all know that actress Kyra Sedgwick was the cousin once removed of Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol's muse and Factory girl who met a tragic early death at age 28. The Sedgwicks came from a long line of distinguished people, including Judge Theodore Sedgwick and Ellery Sedgwick, owner and editor of The Atlantic Monthly. <br> (Getty)

BROTHERS IN LAW

Jake Gyllenhaal pals around with a number of his co-stars, but he's extra friendly with fellow actor Peter Sarsgaard, who married sister Maggie in May 2009. The Gyllenhaal siblings -- who got their big break starring in 2001's "Donnie Darko" together -- are themselves no stranger to keeping it all in the family: Father Stephen is a film director and mother Naomi is a film producer and screenwriter. <br> (Getty)

COUSINS

And now in your dose of highbrow news: highly celebrated American composer Philip Glass is the first cousin once removed of highly celebrated American radio journalist Ira Glass. Philip has even composed a song or two for Ira's "This American Life" program. Meanwhile, both share a love for glasses and smart jackets. <br> (Getty)

COUSINS

It's a mob mentality worthy of "The Godfather:" Director Francis Ford Coppola's only daughter, "Lost In Tranlation" director Sofia, is cousins with actors Jason Schwartzman and Nicolas Cage (n? Nicolas Coppola). Meanwhile, Sofia's older brother Roman is also a director; grandfather Carmine was a well-known composer who scored the soundtrack to Francis's films like "Apocalypse Now." <br> (Getty)

FATHER AND SON

Fans of "True Blood" who feel like Alexander Skarsgard arrived with the sudden fright of his fanged character and glamoured the heck out of them may be surprised to know that father Stellan was already well-established in Hollywood. The elder Skarsgard played the tough-loving teacher in "Good Will Hunting" and one of Meryl Streep's courters in "Mamma Mia!". Most recently, father and son appeared together in fellow Scandinavian Lars Van Trier's "Meloncholia." <br> (Getty)

COUSINS

Actors Rip Torn and Sissy Spacek are first cousins; the former helped the latter get her start into the film biz by helping her enroll in Strasberg's Actors Studio in New York. <br> (Getty)

SISTERS

Elizabeth Olsen is the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

GODFATHER

The Barrymores need no introduction in Hollywood, but among the famous faces Drew Barrymore, now 36, can count among her upbringing is director Steven Spielberg, who, along with Sophia Loren, was deigned her Godparent. Steven Spielberg later went on to cast seven-year-old Drew in 1982's "E.T." The two remained close, with Drew pointing to the famed director as a constant stabilizing force in her publicly traumatic childhood. "He's been a very important mentor. He was the first stable male figure in my life. The best attribute a parent can have is consistency," <a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/interview-drew-barrymore?page=2" target="_hplink">she told <em>Reader's Digest </em></a>in 2009. <br> (Getty)

FATHER AND DAUGHTER

You've seen Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria in last year's "Eclipse" or in her breakout role as Ivy in "The Village." Perhaps you didn't realize her father is Ron Howard.

STEP-SIBLINGS

Let's not forget that Brody Jenner and Kim Kardashian are step-siblings.

BROTHER AND SISTER

Joan Cusack and her brother, John.

BROTHER AND SISTER

Ray J may be most famous today for his sex tape with Kim Kardashian, but the singer is also the younger brother of actress-singer Brandy Norwood.

BROTHER AND SISTER

Yes, they're brother and sister: Warren Beatty was reportedly inspired to start acting after witnessing his older sister Shirley MacLaine's success in the biz. Now the brother and sister, who originally hail from Richmond, Virginia, are both famed Hollywood legends. Isn't that nice. <br> (Getty)

FATHER AND DAUGHTER

Twenty-two-year-old fashion model Daisy Lowe reportedly had no idea Bush singer Gavin Rossdale was her father until 2004, after a paternity test revealed that the rocker (and then-Godfather) was her biological parent. Though Rossdale initially refused to take the paternity test, it was later revealed that he and Daisy's mother Pearl had had a one-night stand. In the summer of 2011, Daisy appeared on the front cover of <em>Playboy</em>, in which she said of her father: "My whole life I thought my father was someone different... But Gavin and Gwen [Stefani] are really good people, and I value so much the time we get together." <br> (Getty)

FATHER AND SONS

Perhaps one of the best-known familial relations in the list, "Apocalypse Now" actor Martin Sheen's two sons Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez both went on to have successful careers in Hollywood, with one more vocally "winning" than the other. Estevez is the proper family surname; Martin adopted "Sheen" as his stage name, which Charlie then took on as well. The Hollywood connection doesn't stop there: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0261724/" target="_hplink">Martin's younger brother Joe Estevez</a> is also an actor. <br> (Getty)

BROTHERS

Actors and brothers William Baldwin, Stephen Baldwin, Alec Baldwin and Daniel Baldwin are living proof that talent really can run in the family.

STEPFATHER

She is known for her role as Jamie Stringer in "The Practice" and for her role as Dr. Arizona Robbins on the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," but Jessica Capshaw is also the stepdaughter to director Steven Spielberg.

FATHER AND DAUGHTER

Rashida, the daughter of music producer Quincy Jones, has made quite a name for herself in Hollywood.

BROTHERS

Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson? Now <em>these</em> are some talented siblings!

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/carls-jr-jenny-mccarthy_n_3479632.html

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Insight: Losses loom for investors enmeshed in mortgage chaos

By Michelle Conlin

(Reuters) - Since the financial crash, banks have been accused of wrongfully foreclosing on homeowners because they failed to create and maintain proper mortgage paperwork. Now, there are signs that chaotic document management is harming investors in mortgage bonds, too.

A review of loan documents, property records and the monthly reports made available to investors show that mortgage servicers are reporting individual houses are still in foreclosure long after they have been sold to new buyers or the underlying mortgages have been paid off.

These delays enable banks and other mortgage servicers to continue to charge monthly fees to investors in these mortgage-backed securities, the banks' investor reports show. It means that investors are buying mortgage bonds that may have billions of dollars of undisclosed losses that will become apparent only at a later stage. It could also lead to a new round of litigation for banks just when some appeared to have been putting their mortgage problems behind them.

The review, conducted by foreclosure investigator Lisa Epstein, found hundreds of instances across the United States where information about the status of individual home loans was incorrect. The information about the mortgages is sent from the mortgage servicer, which handles tasks such as collecting monthly mortgage payments and handling foreclosures, to the trustee of the mortgage bonds, which administers monthly reports and makes sure investors get paid.

In 2009, Epstein helped uncover the robo signing scandal, in which she discovered that banks had hired low-level workers to pose as executives, signing hundreds of legal affidavits a day without verifying a single word, as is required by law. The reporting lag issues she identified in mortgage bonds involved many of the same mortgage servicers who engaged in robo signing.

"This is all part and parcel of having servicers who are unable to keep the documentation straight," said Linda Allen, a banking professor at Baruch College, who specializes in mortgage servicing. She said Epstein's methodology was sound.

Mortgage experts estimate these reporting delays could mean that billions of dollars in losses may still be hidden in these bonds. Mortgage servicers may have also been charging late fees, property inspection fees, legal fees and other penalties against these loans long after they have been paid off, inflating the losses, they said.

"The losses are building up inside these deals, and this is going to happen all over the place," said William Frey, founder of Greenwich Financial Services, which specializes in securitization.

Frey said his team analyzed about 500 mortgage-backed securities originated by every major bank and that he has yet to find a single bond where the accounting adds up as it should.

In one case, Reuters found that Bank of America Corp had been collecting a monthly servicing fee of $50.73 from investors on a loan that had been paid off nearly two years ago, investor reports show.

Bank of America filed a document at a local county office on July 22, 2011 showing that the $162,400 loan on a cream-colored duplex in Greenacres, Florida, owned by a drywall hanger named Roman Pino, had been satisfied and "cancelled." But investors in Pino's loan and more than 6,700 other similar mortgages that are bundled together in a subprime mortgage bond still have not been informed that the loan no longer exists, according to the last investor report in May.

Bank of America spokesman Lawrence Grayson said reporting lags are not typical, and can occur because a sale or mortgage insurance proceeds may not be finalized. Loans can sometimes be subject to litigation, which could explain the ongoing charging of fees, he said.

The bank declined to comment on the specifics of Pino's loan. According to Fitch Ratings, the loan did not have mortgage insurance.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp, the trustee, said that in keeping with industry practice, it relies on the information provided by the mortgage servicer.

Some of these latent losses are beginning to surface. Earlier this month, for example, investors learned of $1 billion in losses on dozens of subprime bonds, containing more than 75,000 home loans that were created during the housing boom. Many of the losses were not reported for a year or more.

"For whatever reason, these losses were basically pending out there for a while, and the reporting mechanism finally caught up and hit the bonds in the trust," said Roger Ashworth, an analyst with mortgage advisory firm Amherst Securities.

The bonds' trustee, Wells Fargo & Co, said that it relied upon the servicer, Ocwen Financial Corp, for the reclassification.

Ocwen said it stands by its monthly reporting. It added that it has helped tens of thousands of struggling families save their homes from foreclosure and significantly lowered investor losses, benefiting investors in mortgage bonds.

SIDE DEALS

Latent losses could play a role in some of the settlements that investors have already reached with banks over other mortgage misrepresentations.

For example, many of the mortgage bonds with reporting lags that Epstein identified are the same securities that are at issue in ongoing litigation between Bank of America and investors in those securities.

Bank of America settled with 22 large investors, including two of the biggest - Pacific Investment Management Co and Blackrock Inc - agreeing to pay $8.5 billion to end legal liability for more than one million Countrywide Financial mortgages whose borrower histories and credit quality were allegedly misrepresented by the bank.

Some other investors in the bonds, including American International Group Inc and Grand Rapids Police and Fire Retirement System, have objected to the settlement. They project the losses to be more than $100 billion.

An AIG spokesman said no one had reviewed the individual loans to analyze the merits of the settlement, which was originally over what the bank had told investors about the quality of the loans.

If opponents to the settlement prevail, the reporting lag issues could crop up in the discovery phase of the case.

BlackRock and Bank of America declined to comment on the case. PIMCO did not respond to a request for comment.

Estimates of latent losses in mortgage bonds vary. In a report on Monday, Fitch Ratings said that it had talked to major servicers and more such losses were possible, though it was unable to quantify the amount.

In June last year, independent credit rating agency R&R Consulting analyzed $1.4 trillion worth of residential mortgage-backed securities that were not guaranteed by a government-sponsored entity like Fannie Mae.

It found an estimated $300 billion in total expected future losses, meaning borrowers who were either in foreclosure, bankruptcy or 90 days delinquent. But of those, the firm says there are $175 billion that investors haven't learned about.

"There is such a thing as gravity, and sooner or later you have to do something with these numbers," said R&R founder Ann Rutledge.

(Reporting by Michelle Conlin in New York; Editing by Paritosh Bansal, Martin Howell and Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-losses-loom-investors-enmeshed-mortgage-chaos-052549994.html

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