No link found between prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke and autism, Swedish study finds

ScienceDaily (Jan. 12, 2012) ? A large population-based study in Sweden indicates that there is no link between smoking during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. The study, led by Dr. Brian Lee, an assistant professor at Drexel University and a team of international collaborators, will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and was published online in December.

Researchers have considered a variety of chemical exposures in the environment during pregnancy and early life as possible contributing factors in the development of autism spectrum disorders. Many have considered prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke a possible cause due to known associations with behavioral disorders and obstetric complications. Past studies of maternal smoking and autism have had mixed results.

"We found no evidence that maternal smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of autism spectrum disorders," said Lee, an epidemiologist at Drexel's School of Public Health, who led the research in collaboration with researchers from Sweden's Karolinska Institute and the University of Bristol (Bristol, UK). "Past studies that showed an association were most likely influenced by social and demographic factors such as income and occupation that have associations with both the likelihood of smoking and with the rate of autism spectrum disorders."

In the new study, Lee and colleagues analyzed data from Swedish national and regional registries for a set of 3,958 children with autism spectrum disorders, along with a control set of 38,983 children born during the same period who did not receive an ASD diagnosis. Overall, 19.8 percent of the ASD cases were exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy, compared to 18.4 percent of control cases. These rates showed an association between maternal smoking and the odds of an autism spectrum disorder, in unadjusted analyses. However, the association disappeared when the analysis was adjusted for sociodemographic factors such as the parents' income level, education, and occupation.

The report helps to reassure mothers who smoked during pregnancy that their behavior wasn't likely responsible for their child's autism, Lee said, and "crosses off another suspect on the list of possible environmental risk factors for ASD." He cautioned, however, that smoking during pregnancy is still unhealthy for mothers and has other known risks for their children.

Lee received his Ph.D. and M.H.S. degrees in Epidemiology from The Johns Hopkins University, and graduated Cum laude with an A.B. in Biological Anthropology from Harvard College. His research interests include the epidemiology of neurological development, maintenance and decline, including prenatal environmental exposures and autism risk; gene-environment interaction; and epidemiological methods including causal inference methodology, data mining and machine learning algorithms.

Lee was recently awarded a 3-year grant from Autism Speaks to study whether early immune system abnormalities are associated with the risk of autism spectrum disorders.

The maternal smoking risk study was funded by a grant from the Stockholm County Council.

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Journal Reference:

1. Brian K. Lee, Renee M. Gardner, Henrik Dal, Anna Svensson, Maria Rosaria Galanti, Dheeraj Rai, Christina Dalman, Cecilia Magnusson. Brief Report: Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2011; DOI: 10.1007/s10803-011-1425-4

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193220.htm

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The best TV and home theater gear at CES

David Friedman / msnbc.com

By Gary Merson
HD Guru

The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show was packed with new and innovative home theater products as?the major home entertainment manufacturers debuted their latest ?product lines. HD Guru and Geoff Morrison spent the week scouring news events and company booths seeking out the best new HDTV, 3-D TV, Blu-ray player, streaming media player, sound bar and the HD Guru Best In Show.

This year?s HDTV products are ?the most innovative we?ve seen in years, with much larger screen sizes, new big screen display technology, new remote controls and much more. On to the winners ...

Gary Merson / HD Guru

Best HDTV
Picture improvements came from almost every major TV maker, and that?gave us a long lists of finalists to consider. However, the improvements in the 2012 Panasonic top-of-the-line VT50 plasma series are significant. Last year?s VT30 series took top honors for picture performance. In 2012 Panasonic raised the bar with a new way to drive the pixels that lowers the black level to the deepest ever, and better motion clarity using its new 2500 focused field drive circuit, according to a Panasonic spokesperson.

In a side-by-side comparison of the VT30 and VT 50 plasmas on the show floor, the improvements were clear. The VT50 had the best image quality of any 2012 plasma or LED LCD we saw at the show.

Best media player
LG?s SP820 Smart Upgrader turns any HDTV into a Smart TV providing instant streaming from Vudu, Amazon Instant, Cinema Now, Internet browser and more. In addition there are many apps available from LG?s app shop. This 2012 version adds Flash, HTML5 content viewing capability and LG?s Magic Motion remote that allows control by buttons, moving and tilting or with a wheel. The SP820 will ship this spring.

Best sound bar
Sharp is no stranger to the audio business, making audio components for decades. This year it is introducing the innovative HT-SL77 2.1 system. The midrange and tweeter sections can be placed horizontally below the screen and come with extensions to match the width of 46-, 52-, 60- or 70-inch HDTVs. The HT-SL77 can also be separated into?sections as left and right vertical towers and includes an attachable base for each speaker. The height can be set to match 60- or 70-inch flat panels.

The HT-SL77 also includes a wireless subwoofer. The HDMI output supports the Audio Return Channel feature found within 2011 and 2012 Sharp and many other major brand HDTVs to direct the audio from multiple HDMI sources such as HD cable box, game console and Blu-ray player to the sound bar seamlessly. The H-SL77 ships in April with a retail price of $449.99.

Gary Merson / HD Guru

Best Blu-ray player
The Panasonic DMP-BBT01 is like no other Blu-ray player Panasonic has ever produced. It is heavily featured with Panasonic?s latest video processor, offers Smartphone remote control capability, a new touchpad remote control, 3-D disc play, 2-D-to-3-D up-conversion, and Internet streaming through Panasonic?s VieraConnect system. The player comes wrapped in a new, small, slim design with a slot-in drive that allows you to insert a disc without the need for a tray. The DMP-BBT01 player comes with a stand and can be operated vertically or horizontally.

Best 3-D TV
The LG 84LM9600 is loaded with industry firsts. It is the largest consumer flat panel HDTV?for sale. It is the first to offer a screen with four times the resolution of HDTV (3840?2160). LG calls it UHD. The cherry on top is the 84LM9600 is the first 3-D TV using inexpensive, lightweight passive 3-D glasses to maintain full HD vertical resolution (1080 as half of 2160), overcoming our biggest objection regarding passive 3-D technology.

The 3-D image is not only big, but bright and beautiful because?it doesn?t have the visible lines when viewing 3-D that to date has been associated with all other passive 3-D TVs. As the top series in LG?s 2012 LED LCD HDTV line, this giant screen set includes Internet streaming and apps, and LG?s best new Magic Motion remote with voice and gesture control. It all comes wrapped in a slim, brushed aluminum bezel. The 84 converts all content to its 4K resolution and will accept future 4K sources through its HDMI input. Scheduled for release in spring, LG has not yet revealed pricing.

Gary Merson / HD Guru

Best In Show
OLED (organic light emitting diodes) is the first new big screen flat panel tech since 1997. The 55EM9600 delivers everything big screen OLED promises ? vivid color, fantastic contrast, 180-degree viewing angle and pitch black blacks. Coming from a 4mm-thick design, the OLED image beat out everything else at CES.

The 55-Inch 55EM9600 has two configurations. One is a table stand version with the speakers and electronics built into the base. The other is a wall mount version with the electronics and downward firing speakers housed within a backpack that sits between the wall and the screen. This OLED is a full-featured HDTV with 1080p resolution, Smart TV with voice and gesture remote and 3-D. Expect to see it yourself in Q3, at a priced to be announced.

Have a question for the HD Guru??Email

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Source: http://gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/12/10143645-the-best-tv-and-home-theater-gear-at-ces

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People's Choice Awards Preview: 'Hunger Games' Cast, Demi Lovato, More Set To Hit Stage

Stars of 'Twilight' and 'Harry Potter' also on star-studded lineup for show airing tonight on CBS at 9 p.m. ET.
By John Mitchell

Jennifer Lawrence
Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The People's Choice Awards may be one of the more democratic awards shows of the season. After all, it's fans, and not a faceless "academy" of industry professionals, that decide who'll take home the big PCA prizes in categories like Favorite Tour Headliner, Favorite TV Celebreality Star and Favorite Movie Star Under 25. And it's all happening tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

Host Kaley Cuoco, herself a nominee for her turn on "The Big Bang Theory," promised a fun-filled evening, telling Ryan Seacrest on his radio show, "I'm really looking forward to it and there are a lot of great musical numbers and it's going to be fun." She also joked with the "American Idol" host that she plans on "changing 47 times, 47 dresses. I'm changing every five minutes. I want to go down in the Hall of Fame with that. So we'll see how many times I can possibly change."

So who can fans expect to see on the red carpet? Only some of the biggest A-listers from the worlds of film, TV and music, including "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson and Ashley Greene; "Hunger Games" leads Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson; as well as Emma Stone, Vanessa Hudgens, Chloe Grace Moretz, Maroon 5's Adam Levine, Julianne Hough and "Glee" stars Lea Michele and Cory Monteith.

Also expected to attend are Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Tom Felton of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," which leads all nominees this year. "Potter" heads into the awards with nine nominations for Favorite Movie and Favorite Action Movie, Favorite Actor (Radcliffe), Favorite Movie Star Under 25 (Radcliffe, Grint, Felton and Watson), Favorite Ensemble Movie Cast and Favorite Book Adaptation.

One notable absence is nominee Katy Perry, who was set to make her first public appearance following the announcement of her divorce from Russell Brand at tonight's live event but canceled earlier this week. She apologized to her fans on Twitter, writing, "Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the People's Choice Awards. I want to thank u all for voting for me, fingers crossed! #KATYCATS."

Perry is nominated for a whopping seven People's Choice Awards, including Favorite Female Artist, Favorite Song of the Year ("E.T."), Favorite Pop Artist, Favorite Animated Movie Voice ("The Smurfs") and Favorite Music Video for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)." PCA executive producer Mark Burnett clearly sympathizes with Perry's decision not to attend, telling E! News that her choice was completely "understandable."

The show will include musical performances from Faith Hill and Demi Lovato as well as comedy sketches featuring Jimmy Fallon, Jane Lynch and the casts of "Parks and Recreation" and Cuoco's own "The Big Bang Theory."

Among the other major nominees are "Bridesmaids," "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," "The Help," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "Potter" for Favorite Movie. Ryan Reynolds, Pattinson, Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman, and Radcliffe will vie for Favorite Movie Actor, while Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon are squaring off for Favorite Movie Actress.

In the music categories, the Favorite Male and Female Artist races are a who's who of MTV favorites, including Eminem, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Perry, Adele, new mom Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. The Song of the Year race includes Gaga's "The Edge of Glory," LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger," Perry's "E.T." and MTV's Best Song of 2011, Adele's "Rolling in the Deep."

Who are you rooting for on the 2011 People's Choice Awards? Tell us in the comments!

Catch the People's Choice Awards tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. And stick with MTV News for red-carpet coverage, winners, fashion and all the buzz.

Related Artists

• Demi Lovato

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677123/peoples-choice-awards-hunger-games-jennifer-lawrence-robert-pattinson.jhtml

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Scot Armstrong, 47, Georgetown, Texas

Scot Armstrong, 47, no longer suffering or in pain went home to be with the Lord, Thursday, January 5, 2012. Scot was married to the love of his life Linda for 21 years. Scot loved to work in the wood shop, golf and fish. For over 25 years Scot worked highway and heavy construction starting as a laborer and quickly moving up the ranks to the job he was born to do and most proud of as a crane operator.

Scot is survived by his parents, Jane Franklin of Georgetown and Melvin and Catherine Armstrong of Bastrop, Sisters Cathy Dickenson and husband Ken of Cypress, Jennifer Abreu and husband George of Humble, brother James Orlando of Virginia, 6 sister-in-laws and their spouses, numerous nieces and nephews and many friends who loved him dearly. Scot is preceded in death by his grandparents Helen Hickman Edgar, Doyle Hickman and Fred & Josie Armstrong.

A memorial service celebrating Scot's life will be held Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, Kyle, TX. Please come celebrate Scot's life. Donations can be made to the American Heart Association or the National Kidney Foundation.

Source: http://kxan.tributes.com/show/Scot-Armstrong-93059208

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Hawaii hit by number of endangered seal killings

In this Dec. 15, 2011 photo, a nearly blind, endangered Hawaiian monk seal swims at the Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu. Hoailona, also known as KP2, has spent the past two years at a California research lab. He was first rescued when federal officials found him suckling on a rock three days after his mother abandoned him on Kauai. Hawaiian monk seals are so rare and under so many environmental threats that they're on a path to go extinct in 50 to 100 years. As if that wasn't enough, anonymous humans appear to have deliberately killed at least three and maybe four seals on two islands in the past two months. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

In this Dec. 15, 2011 photo, a nearly blind, endangered Hawaiian monk seal swims at the Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu. Hoailona, also known as KP2, has spent the past two years at a California research lab. He was first rescued when federal officials found him suckling on a rock three days after his mother abandoned him on Kauai. Hawaiian monk seals are so rare and under so many environmental threats that they're on a path to go extinct in 50 to 100 years. As if that wasn't enough, anonymous humans appear to have deliberately killed at least three and maybe four seals on two islands in the past two months. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

HONOLULU (AP) ? Two Hawaiian monk seals were found bludgeoned to death on a remote coast of Molokai ? one was killed in mid-November and the other shortly before Christmas. Earlier this month, a dead seal showed up on Kauai. A fourth possible killing on Molokai is also under investigation.

No one knows who is killing the seals ? a critically endangered species ? or why.

But the deaths are coming as the federal government steps up its efforts to protect the seals, leading to simmering resentment among some fishermen who fear new regulations will trample upon their right to fish. The killings are also happening as the misguided notion spreads that the animals aren't native to Hawaii and don't belong here.

"It's really serious. This attitude, this negative attitude toward the seals has overpowered the concern that this is a species that's going to become extinct," said Walter Ritte, a Molokai resident and longtime activist who has sounded an alarm about the killings.

Like pandas, the seals are adored by many humans for being cute, though their lazy demeanor and pudgy appearance belies the strength of a wild animal. Also like pandas, the animal is dangerously close to disappearing. There are only 1,100 left in the world, and scientists say the seal is on course to vanish in 50 to 100 years.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last year proposed two initiatives to give the seals a better shot at surviving.

One would temporarily bring a few seals from the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands ? where competition for food and predators mean only a dismal 20 percent of seal pups live to be adults ? to the main Hawaiian Islands.

There aren't as many sharks to prey on seal pups, or large fish to compete with seal pups for food, around Kauai, Oahu, Maui and other places in the main Hawaiian Islands. This gives seals in this area, which is also where the state's 1.4 million people live, an 80 percent chance of living to adulthood.

NOAA is also proposing to expand federally protected zones ? or critical habitat ? for the seal to include parts of the main Hawaiian Islands. Parts of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands have been designated critical habitat since the 1980s.

Neil Kanemoto, a lifelong recreational fisherman, said he didn't know who was killing the seals. He pointed out the last person to be convicted of killing a seal, a 78-year-old man who shot a pregnant monk seal on Kauai in 2009, was not a fisherman.

But he said fishermen and locals are unhappy with the new regulations NOAA wants, and the agency wasn't doing enough to work with local people to manage the situation. People may end up taking out their frustration on the seals, Kanemoto said.

"The point is, don't shove this down people's throats," he said. "They're making it an issue, and as a result, the poor monk seal may ? I'm not saying it is ? may fall victim to repercussions from locals."

He said he wouldn't be surprised of if more seals were killed.

"It's not going to end. My position is, if the feds keep pushing in this way, it's going to increase," Kanemoto said.

Ritte said part of the problem was that older people, who didn't see many seals growing up or hear about them from their elders, are spreading the word that the seals don't belong in Hawaii.

A NOAA report released last year showed 35 percent of those surveyed at beaches and popular fishing areas on Kauai and Molokai believed the seals aren't native to the islands.

This is contradicted by archaeological digs that found monk seal bones in a human trash pit dating between the 15th and 18th centuries. The Hawaiian creation chant, the Kumulipo, also mentions a creature like a monk seal ? "a rat running beside the wave."

By the early 1900s, however, most monk seals in the main Hawaiian Islands had been hunted and killed for their meat and fur. Even until a decade ago, it was rare to encounter one in the main islands.

Ritte said the seals have been showing up regularly on Molokai, a rural island of just 7,000 people, for about the past seven years. They've started to compete with subsistence fishermen who are already catching less because pollution runoff and overfishing have depleted fish stocks in the area.

The issue is serious on Molokai, where the unemployment rate hovers over 15 percent and where people get one-third of their food from hunting, fishing, and gathering.

"So here you have a fisherman. He's been walking two to three hours to get to his fishing grounds over rough terrain. And then he runs into these seals. And it causes him to get only half his catch and a quarter of his catch," Ritte said. "I think that is the essence of why."

He said the NOAA's proposals are making things worse.

"It's like fuel to the fire," he said.

NOAA says moving a few seals to the main Hawaiian Islands was the only feasible and effective way to address the high mortality rate for seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Further, it says critical habitats aren't intended to prevent public access to beaches and oceans. The agency says it wants to continue talking to fishermen and to address their concerns.

Ritte believes no one would kill the seals if they understood the animals have been in Hawaii for millions of years.

He said the state and federal governments and environmentalists need to get the word out quickly that the seals belong here. Usually he would say everyone should focus on educating the children, so they'll grow up knowing better. But he said that approach may not work this time.

"I don't think we have that luxury because the seals might be gone by then. So we need to hit this generation. That's going to take a lot of effort," he said.

William Aila, the head of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, said the state was preparing a monetary award for information that leads to the conviction of those responsible. He said the department would also link its website to a page with information on the deep roots monk seals have in Hawaiian tradition.

"We have a responsibility to do our part to help this species recover," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-07-US-Monk-Seal-Deaths/id-b1d41ace848c4b0c9a452fef896aa530

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Amazing photos show space station crossing moon

Two photographers have snapped spectacular portraits of the International Space Station streaking across the night sky, catching the orbiting lab crossing the moon and slipping by Jupiter.

In one series of photos, NASA photographer Lauren Harnett captured images of the moon at the exact moment that the space station passed across its face in what scientists call a "transit."

Harnett took the photos on Jan. 4 from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. She then combined several images into a composite view that shows the space station just before and after it crossed the moon's disk.

"She had to struggle with a window of visibility limited by fog and clouds, and I think she got some excellent results," said NASA spokesman Mike Gentry at the space center. [ See the space station and moon photos ]

The International Space Station is the largest spacecraft ever built, with a main truss that is longer than a football field. ?It is currently home to six men (three Russians, two Americans and a Dutch astronaut) and flies 240 miles above Earth at a speed of about 17,500 mph.

At its brightest, the space station can outshine the planet Venus and be easily spotted with the unaided eye by skywatchers who know where to look.

"The space station can be seen in the night sky with the naked eye, and a pair of field binoculars may reveal some detail of the structural shape of the spacecraft," NASA officials explained in an image description.

In Harnett's photos, the moon appears in crystal-clear detail, and the shape of the space station's huge solar arrays and backbone-like main truss can be recognized.

Harnett was not the only one to photograph the space station this week.

On Thursday, photographer Mike Killian spotted the space station from central Florida as it passed near the bright planet Jupiter.

The space station "made a six-minute pass over central FL last night," Killian told SPACE.com in an email. "Viewing conditions were perfect."

There are several websites that can help amateur and seasoned skywatchers alike prepare for a night of space station and satellite observing.

Another good site is this one, which provides real-time satellite tracking and shows at any given moment during the day or night where over Earth the space station or shuttle happen to be.????

The International Space Station is not the only satellite that can be spotted by the unaided eye. Other bright satellites, such as China's Tiangong 1 space laboratory, can be seen from the Earth without telescopes (as could NASA's space shuttles, before they were retired in 2011).

And seeing satellites from Earth is not a one-time event. The International Space Station, for example, has been orbiting Earth since 1998 and completes one trip around the planet every 90 minutes.

"It's certainly not something that's limited to happening just a few times a year," Gentry said.

Editor's note: If you snapped an amazing photo the space station or any other skywatching sight and would like to share it with SPACE.com, contact managing editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.

You can follow Tariq Malik on Twitter @tariqjmalik. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

? 2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45911341/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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Iran's currency crash a blow to Ahmadinejad

The Iranian currency ? the rial ? has been essential in shoring up a view of Iran as strong and independent in recent years. Now it's collapsing on President Ahmadinejad's watch.

As Iran experiences new, harsh US and international economic sanctions over its nuclear program ? a program considered by much of the country as a matter of national pride ? a stable currency has become a national security priority.

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?Even though it's not necessarily good for the economy, amidst sanctions a stable currency creates an illusion of strength,? says a veteran analyst in Tehran. ?It reflects how nonvulnerable the Iranian economy is to sanctions.?

But in the past week Iran's currency ? the rial ? dropped almost 30 percent after President Obama approved new sanctions targeting Iran's Central Bank. The rial has since rebounded significantly from a low of 17,800 rials to the dollar on Monday. However the Central Bank has tried to introduce a cap on the market rate of 14,000 rials to the dollar, and the government announced that anyone caught selling rials at a higher rate would be arrested.

A sign of national strength

In a country such as Iran, with a rich history of empire and a powerful literary tradition, national pride has remained strong even in the wake of growing discontent with the country's Islamic regime and mounting global isolation. A stable currency in recent years, in the face of economic sanctions, has shored up that pride.

Since Iran's 1979 revolution, which led to the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy and the eventual establishment of an Islamic Republic, Tehran has used massive state subsidies as a means of fulfilling its revolutionary promise to redistribute wealth and achieve ?economic justice? for all Iranians.

A stable, overvalued currency was considered a critical aspect of these programs. In the wake of the Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980, a strong currency became a symbol to both the world and the Iranian population, which was beleaguered by war with Iraq throughout the 1980s ? that an Islamic government could keep the country as strong and stable as its imperial predecessor.

But the overvaluing of Iran's currency has come at a considerable price. It has worsened the country's imbalance in foreign trade by encouraging imports and discouraging non-oil exports. It has also reduced state spending on economic development programs, subsidized large-scale consumption of imported goods ? particularly among the country's wealthier urban classes ? and poured more of Iran's natural and state resources into commerce instead of production.

Bad for Ahmadinejad

For President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration, which has embarked on a controversial state program to cut national subsidies while engaging in large-scale government spending, a strong currency creates a sense of domestic economic strength and stability on the Iranian street, which is extremely sensitive to Iran's damaged standing in the eyes of the international community.

The recent precipitous decline of Iran's currency, has therefore been a big blow for the Iranian president ? and for Iranian pride.

?For Ahmadinejad, a strong rial is a part of this whole idea of, 'It's us against the world,'? the analyst in Tehran says. ?This breaks that image.?

Get daily or weekly updates from CSMonitor.com delivered to your inbox.?Sign up today.

Follow Roshanak Taghavi on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RoshanakT.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/kb5zgWengIU/Iran-s-currency-crash-a-blow-to-Ahmadinejad

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