Signs of Skin Cancer: Deadly Skin Cancer Types

An important warning for us all with regard to skin cancer types. Today more patients than ever survive dangerous melanoma than in past generations, but the rate of death for one form of this disease hasn't budged in 30 years.

Nodular melanoma accounts for 14% of melanomas that are diagnosed, but makes up a startling 37% of untimely deaths from the disease according to a recent study.

The reason this form of cancer contributes to so many deaths is that it doesn't always look like what we expect to see. It can appear without warning on the surface of the skin and can be hard to spot because it's often light or nearly colorless, and doesn't adhere to the ABCD characteristics we've all been taught to look for.

Just like the more well known radial melanoma, nodular melanomas start out in skin cells that are called melanocytes that product melanin. Most melanomas stay in the skin's top layer, going down no more than one tenth of a millimeter. Radial melanomas are easier to see as the diameter goes up.

For nodular melanoma the cancerous cells reach a point where they start to grow vertically, sending roots into the fat and other tissues of the body. The depth of the cancer determines how likely you are to survive. For a cancerous growth that goes 3.5 to 4 millimeters deep, only 60% of patients will live for five years.

This latest study examined over 100,000 cases of melanoma diagnosed between the years 1978 and 2007.

They saw that at least 20% of nodular melanomas were fatal. You should understand that there's an acknowledged limitation of the work - not all physicians report the type of melanoma and the team was unable to double check the reports during the study.

While public health officials and others have done a great job of getting the word out about ABCD characteristics when it comes to identifying skin cancer, experts now believe other letters should be added to the mix to help identify the nodular types of these cancers. We've been taught to watch for any of these...

- Asymmetry, one side doesn't match the other

- Borders, where moles have irregular edges

- Color, color changes or a variety of colors

- Diameter, anything over 6 millimeters wide

But we should also be watching our skin surface for E, F and G as well. Any mole or other growth that has all of these characteristics should be checked by a dermatologist at once. They are...

- Evolving, where the mole or nodule is changing quickly over a short period of time

- Firm to the touch

- Growing for more than two to three weeks

Also good to know, nodular melanoma can happen in a mole, but are more likely to develop without warning on normal skin

In most cases the various skin cancer types, including melanomas are easy to detect, treat and cure. Dermatologists suggest that you get to know your own skin by doing full body self-exams once each month. If you're worried about something you see... get to the doctor right away. Often patients realize something is wrong. Don't give up if the first physician you see doesn't respond as you like... keep looking until you find one who will take action.

Source: http://signs-of-skin-cancer.blogspot.com/2012/08/deadly-skin-cancer-types.html

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: a locomotive that runs on hydrogen, honey detective and a 30 mph-capable hover bike

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

DNP Inhabitat's Week in Green tktktk

Inhabitat is always on the lookout for new and interesting innovations, but some of the things that flashed across our screens this week truly defy the rules of physics. Take, for example, the story of 51-year-old Chinese man Sun Jifa, who lost both of his arms in an explosion and built his own bionic hands out of scrap metal. Building functional prosthetic limbs is one thing, but doing it without the aid of fingers? That's downright mind-blowing. We were also pretty excited to hear that a California-based tech company has developed a working hover bike that travels up to 30 mph. It isn't quite ready for a high-speed chase in the forest a la Star Wars, but it still looks pretty cool. And in another amazing development, a team of Harvard researchers has figured out a way to store 70 billion books in a space the size of your thumbnail.

Continue reading Inhabitat's Week in Green: a locomotive that runs on hydrogen, honey detective and a 30 mph-capable hover bike

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/A7_rEtHfVdI/

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Australia reopens probe of 1982 anti-Israel ... - World News Tomorrow

World News

WORLD NEWS ? SYDNEY? ? Australian police Sunday reopened inquiries into the 1982 bombing of the Israeli consulate in Sydney and a Jewish club, reportedly after interviewing an extremist jailed over a blast on a Pan Am flight that year.

No one was killed but two people were injured in the attacks on the consulate and the Jewish Hakoah sports club in Bondi on December 23, 1982 ? crimes that have gone unsolved for almost 30 years.

But police reopened the case Sunday, publishing photographs of two male suspects, after a review of the Sydney bombings reportedly led them to convicted extremist Mohammed Rashed, in jail for a blast on Pan Am flight 830.

A Japanese teenager died and 15 others were wounded when a bomb exploded on the flight from Tokyo to Honolulu on August 11, 1982.

?This review, and a range of enquiries here and overseas, were able to establish that there were sufficient grounds to warrant a formal re-investigation into the bombings upon the Israeli consulate and Hakoah Club in 1982,? said assistant commissioner Peter Dein, head of the counter-terrorism squad.

?It was luck more than anything else that no one was killed in these bombings, and while it is almost 30 years ago we know there are people out there living with the knowledge or guilt of these crimes.?

Dein refused to confirm the link to Rashed but several media reports citing police sources close to the case said the Jordanian-born explosives expert had been interviewed by officers in the US and was key to the case being reopened.

Rashed was part of an Iraq-based pro-Palestinian group, 15 May, that targeted US and Israeli interests in the 1980s, and he received leniency in his Pan Am sentence for cooperating with international authorities as an informant.

Sydney police have long believed 15 May, named for the date of the first Arab-Israeli war, was linked to the Hakoah club and consulate bombings.

Dein said the investigation would apply ?new technologies and investigative procedures to an historical crime?.

Two people, including a Hungarian holocaust survivor, were wounded when a bomb went off in a stairwell of the Israeli consulate in central Sydney at 2:00 pm on December 23, 1982.

The second bomb, detonated about five hours later in the Hakoah Club?s carpark, failed to explode properly and did not injure anyone, but there was extensive damage to the car it was in and two others nearby.

There were a ?large number? of athletes inside the building at the time, according to police.

Source: http://www.worldnewstomorrow.com/?p=3010

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Here's All the Tropical Storm Isaac Emergency Info You Need, Courtesy of Google [Google Maps]

At this point, it's impossible to know exactly what path Tropical Storm Isaac is going to take or how much damage it'll do. But Google's crisis team went ahead and made an indispensable map to help those who might be in harm's way. Here's where to get all of the information you need in one centralized location. The index contains data from NOAA and Weather.com; provides links to government websites and live webcams, as well as to information that might be needed at a moment's notice like alerts, shelter information, and evacuation routes. If you're in the southern United States now's the time to bookmark this guide. [Google Maps via LA Times] More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/TvCJwqZ443g/googles-guide-to-all-the-tropical-storm-isaac-emergency-information-you-need

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FEMA Agrees to Extend Low-Cost Flood Insurance to Nassau ...

Together with U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand, I announced Wednesday that FEMA has agreed to their call for an extension of the low-cost preferred risk flood insurance policies for Nassau County property owners.

Under the existing flood insurance program, homeowners who live in an area designated as a flood zone are required to purchase flood insurance. These policies can cost up to $2,000 per year on Long Island. Certain residents in Nassau County, however, who only recently were determined to live in flood hazard areas due to new mapping, were allowed to purchase Preferred Risk Policies (PRP) ? a lower-cost alternative ? at premium rates of $200 to $400 per year. Those subsidized policies were set to expire on Dec. 31, 2012 and Schumer, Gillibrand, and I urged FEMA to extend them. FEMA agreed to do just that, extending the availability of the PRP for eligible households indefinitely.

This is great news for thousands of families living on Long Island and even more across the country, many of whom are saving thousands of dollars per year under the PRP program. I?m glad that FEMA is heeding our request and extending the PRP program to provide some much-needed relief to Long Islanders.

In June, Schumer, Gillibrand and I noted that, until FEMA finalizes a new Jamaica Bay study and updates Nassau County flood maps with local dating reflecting appropriate base flood elevations, residents shouldn?t be forced to pay thousands of dollars in higher insurance premiums.?

In September 2009, FEMA implemented new flood maps throughout Nassau County that forced thousands of residents to purchase flood insurance plans, costing up to $2,000 per year. In communities like Valley Stream, Massapequa Park, and throughout the Town of Hempstead ? areas which have little to no recorded history of significant flooding to the new base elevation levels ? residents are being forced to purchase insurance at the same levels as coastal communities. Nassau residents and officials argue that the maps are faulty because they are based on Suffolk County data, and therefore does not utilize the best available science or the appropriate base flood elevation data.

Nassau County residents who wish to buy insurance or are required to by their lender will be allowed to continue purchasing PRPs at a cost only $200 to $400 instead of up to $2,000. Without this action, PRP policies would have expired on Dec. 31, 2012.

Last month, Schumer?s bill requiring a 5-year moratorium on the implementation of new flood maps on Long Island and requires the collection of new local data in Nassau County was signed into law, forcing FEMA to establish new maps with local data. Schumer?s bill required FEMA to remake their existing flood maps that failed to use Nassau-specific data during major map changes put in place in late 2009. Flood zones affected by the Jamaica Bay flood study, including Valley Stream, an area that saw thousands of homes added in 2009, and those parts of the Town of Hempstead affected by the 2009 remapping. FEMA is now required to produce new preliminary maps within one year. Upon presentation of those maps, localities on Long Island will then have an opportunity to challenge any new maps. The extension of the PRP will allow homeowners to continue paying lower rates, while new maps are developed.

A copy of the letter Schumer, Gillibrand, and I sent to Administrator Fugate can be found below.

Dear Administrator Fugate,

We write today to urge the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to extend the preferred risk policy for property owners until the new Jamaica Bay flood maps are finalized. Currently, the preferred risk policy is set to expire on December 31, 2012, but it is still a necessity for our constituents who reside in Queens and Long Island.

As you know, thousands of residents living in Queens and Long Island have been impacted by FEMA?s 2009 flood mapping and thousands more will be affected by the Jamaica Bay flood study currently underway. The preferred risk policy allows affected property owners to pay a reduced flood insurance rate of approximately $200 to $400 per year on average. Once this policy expires, residents? flood insurance rates will sky rocket to approximately $2,000 per year on average. With the high cost of living on Long Island, these flood insurance rates are exorbitant and homeowners will have difficulty selling their homes because of the premium.

In addition, FEMA used Suffolk County data to plot out Nassau County?s flood maps. Until FEMA finalizes a new Jamaica Bay flood map that truly reflects the best available science and utilizes an applicable base flood elevation calculation, communities impacted by new flood elevation requirements should continue to be offered the preferred risk policy.

We strongly urge you to extend the preferred risk policy for these property owners until the Jamaica Bay flood maps are finalized. It is critical for homeowners already stretched to the limit, and forcing them to pay premiums that are many times what they are paying now is simply unfair under the circumstances, with flood maps that are in need of revision. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Sen. Charles Schumer
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy

Carolyn McCarthy?is the representative of New York?s Fourth Congressional District. She was first elected in 1996.?????

Source: http://mineola.patch.com/articles/fema-agrees-to-extend-low-cost-flood-insurance-to-nassau-homeowners

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China blamed for fake goods seized in Italy

Italy's police said Saturday they have seized so far this year 52 million counterfeit items, including train tickets, smartphones, condoms and detergents, with much of them coming from China.

The financial police's counter-fraud division said 97 members of organised criminal gangs, 41 percent of them Italian, were arrested during the same first seven months of 2012 in connection with the counterfeit goods.

A statement said that 35 daily monitoring operations helped deprive the underground economy of some two million euros (2.5 million dollars) of illicit revenue per day.

It said two million counterfeit train tickets worth 14 euros apiece (17.5 dollars) for the trip from Termini station to Fiumicino airport in Rome were made in China, along with 100,000 condoms and one million toys.

In Fiumicino, the authorities dismantled a gang that imported through various ports in northern Europe fake Ray Ban sunglasses as well as Nike and Adidas shoes. Seven Chinese living in Rome were arrested, the police said.

In the Sicilian port of Palermo, the authorities seized 9,000 boxes of brand name detergent that contained completely ineffective powder.

In the northern city of Salo, police confiscated fake Apple, HTC and Nokia smartphones that were sold via the Internet.

In Venice, a classic distribution scheme of fake Rolex, Philippe and Cartier watches was discovered at the height of the tourist season.

Fake Hogan sports shoes produced in underground factories were being exported from Naples and the port close to Caserta.

Police in Florence obtained "impressive" results on Italian-Chinese counterfeiting gangs, the statement said. They identified 155 illegal operators who conducted some 242,000 illegal money transfers using 58 aliases.

Since 2010, the same operation has led to the discovery of money transfers to China totalling 4.5 billion euros (5.6 billion dollars), the implication of 581 suspects, including 24 who were arrested, and the seizure of 207 firms, 283 properties and 471 cars.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-blamed-fake-goods-seized-italy-181916719--finance.html

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Your Anti Snoring Solution Is In How You Sleep : : Critical Care 2011

True, there are many things that give rise to a snoring problem, but a few of them are more persistent than others. Thus, if you deal with the most contributory factors, there is also a huge chance that the smaller issues that are attached to it will also be resolved. When you acknowledge that you have a snoring problem, do not immediately go to a doctor without doing some self-assessment first. There is a huge chance that the doctor will only tell you to change something about your lifestyle in order to make the snoring go away.

It is often the case that people who snore in their sleep are not even aware that they are actually doing it. In fact, you might be living in ignorance if no one else tells you about it. You may even find it difficult to accept the fact that your snoring problem could be caused and exacerbated by how you sleep. In fact, it might come as a surprise to you to find out that you can kiss your snoring problem goodbye if you just find out how to sleep the right way. The real question to this predicament is, how does one know what it takes to be sleep in the right way to avoid snoring.

The first thing you should know about are the positions that encourage snoring so you can avoid them. Sleeping in a wrong position will cause difficulty in breathing while you are asleep, making you breathe through your mouth and, inevitably, snore. Lying flat on one- back is a definitely a wrong position. This is because of the improper spine alignment, which will only be worsened by a low quality mattress. The neck will be affected, as well as the air passages. The difficulty in breathing will then lead to snoring. Therefore, a huge way of put this habit in check is by switching the way we sleep and be on our sides. The position enables a good flow on the backline and clearways to allow better breathing. It is also important that your body is ready for bed once you go to sleep. Exhaustion often leads us to go to sleep directly, and that is something to take note of. Extreme exhaustion should not be taken to bed or directly to sleep. Instead, we should try to find a way to relax before we call it the end of a day. Some yoga poses, naps in between tasks during the daytime and some specific yoga poses will be useful in achieving some relaxation. Do not just climb into bed and make sure you are in the right position. Most likely, that will not be enough. During those nights when you are especially exhausted to even remember checking your sleeping position, you should probably put something beside you that will keep you on your side when you are asleep. So if you are wondering on , you should try out these simple tips and tricks regarding the way you sleep.

Submitted By,

Krish Cilimonas

Related Links

  1. Marcello Malpighi
  2. James Mourilyan Tanner
  3. Harvey Cushing
  4. Richard Morton
  5. Gunnar B. Stickler

Source: http://www.criticalcare2011.org/your-anti-snoring-solution-is-in-how-you-sleep

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Marketing On the internet - Home Business | Tips to Investment


The internet is among the greatest inventions of all times. By way of web sites and email we?re in a position to operate a company, network, advertise and maintain in touch with our consumers. In the event you tend not to have funds to get a large promoting campaign, you could possibly want to attempt internet marketing. It truly is much less expensive than Television, radio or printed ads, but lots of goods do sell by means of Internet marketing.

Marketing On the internet - 8 Sorts of Online marketingInternet marketing differs from print marketing and person-to-person advertising, but there are actually rather a number of methods to reach prospects and get them to purchase on line. Right here are a handful of of your much more well known and efficient online promoting approaches:

1. The additional traffic your Web-site receives, the a lot more sales you happen to be likely to close. A single solution to enhance website traffic for your web site is via Search engine optimization (seo). This indicates your Web page is clear of any obstacles that would deflect targeted traffic and has a good amount of search phrases and metatags to attract search engines. I recommend you employ somebody who knows the way to write in code language and make style sheets as opposed to set up your own personal web-site by means of among the templates provided by email providers.

2. Another approach to bring a lot more site visitors to your internet site is by working with spend per click programs where you generate advertisements and link them to key phrases. Both Yahoo and Google have these programs obtainable. You only spend when someone clicks on your ad. The rate may perhaps be from two cents to hundreds of dollars per click. The far more you pay per click the higher your ad appears inside the search engines.

3. Google AdSense is really a program that allows you to create income by placing other people?s text or image ads on your web-site and in turn have your ad appear on the pages of websites related for your product or service. You are able to filter out your competitor?s ad so it does not appear on your Web site. AdSense puts your ad all more than the Net and creates links back to your web page which increases your ranking in the search engines. These usually are not pop up advertisements that open a box or new screen though you?re trying to read the text of a Website. Net page, the hyped up ad remains and may be hard to close. Pop up advertisements are annoying and together with spamming, they are the worst advertising schemes offered.

four. Banner Ads are typically animated, colorful graphics that go horizontally across the leading of a Net page. Sky-scraper Advertisements are related but they run vertically on the left or suitable side of a page. Each advertisements link to one more Internet site (yours) and entice the visitor to leave the page they are on to determine what the other web site has to present. These are losing reputation since men and women don?t take pleasure in being distracted by the movement. Advertisements that do not move or speak are extra productive.

five. E-commerce newsletters allow us to create relationships with our customers and let them know when we invent something they may be considering. You could start with just some names and e mail addresses asking those people to forward your newsletter (it should really have a link to a permission-based sign up form) to their friends and urge them to sign up. Before long you have got a brand new client base to market your item. You may not be spamming given that absolutely everyone on your list has given you permission to email them.

6. On line magazines offer ad space for a fee (based upon the magazine?s reputation and targeted traffic) and may perhaps seem for the duration of the present concern with the magazine. By selecting a magazine that relates to your product that you are able to direct your ad to your target marketplace instead of to a generic audience.

7. On-line city guides or market directories for instance Hellometro.com and CitySearch.com are Yellow Pages online rather of in print. They feature companies inside a certain location. As an example, if somebody in Atlanta is on the lookout for a toy shop, they may well use the search engine to browse the on line guide and come across all of the toy shops inside a ten mile radius of their zip code. Furthermore towards the common listing which are numerous times cost-free, you could buy an ad to get a connected page.

8. Internet site Lead Generation delivers you with qualified leads at a set value per lead. These are generated by telemarketing companies who do cold calling to locate prospective customers for you. Lead Generation Services guarantee a specific amount of ROI (return on investment) and frees your staff of marketing and advertising efforts.

You?ll find other sorts of internet marketing, but one factor they all lack is individual interaction using the prospective client. You have to convey your message with words and pictures to sell your item. Consequently, your web page needs to possess a call to action. Ask the buyer to buy your product or hire you. At the extremely least ask the visitor to click on a link and get much more data. Make sure you have an easy payment system in location to handle credit card purchases. A frustrated consumer will take their on the web enterprise elsewhere.

Source: http://www.michelinsmartcables.com/marketing-internet-8-sorts-online-marketing.html

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2 killed, 9 wounded outside Empire State Building

New York City police approach the lifeless body of Jeffrey Johnson lying on a sidewalk near the Empire State Building in New York following a shooting Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Police say 58-year-old Johnson, who was laid off from a nearby shop in 2011, shot a former colleague to death near the iconic skyscraper, then randomly opened fire on people nearby before firing on police. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said some of the victims may have been hit by police bullets as police and the gunman exchanged fire. (AP Photo/Guillermo Ratzlaff)

New York City police approach the lifeless body of Jeffrey Johnson lying on a sidewalk near the Empire State Building in New York following a shooting Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Police say 58-year-old Johnson, who was laid off from a nearby shop in 2011, shot a former colleague to death near the iconic skyscraper, then randomly opened fire on people nearby before firing on police. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said some of the victims may have been hit by police bullets as police and the gunman exchanged fire. (AP Photo/Guillermo Ratzlaff)

Bystanders and a police officer stand on Fifth Avenue to view the scene after a multiple shooting outside the Empire State Building, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in New York. At least four people were shot on Friday morning and the gunman was dead, New York City officials said. A witness said the gunman was firing indiscriminately. Police said as many as 10 people were injured, but it is unclear how many were hit by bullets. A law enforcement official said the shooting was related to a workplace dispute. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

This photo posted to an Instagram account belonging to a person identified as mr_mookie, an eyewitness at the scene, shows a victim of a shooting being tended to by pedestrians outside the Empire State Building in New York, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. The identity or condition of the victim was not immediately known. Law enforcement officials in New York City say at least four people have been shot outside the Empire State Building in violence that stemmed from a workplace dispute, and that the gunman has been killed by police. The shooting happened at about 9 a.m. Friday at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. (AP Photo/mr_mookie via Instagram)

An unidentified woman is treated by emergency medical technicians inside an ambulance following a multiple shooting outside the Empire State Building, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in New York. At least four people were shot on Friday morning and the gunman was dead, New York City officials said. A witness said the gunman was firing indiscriminately. Police said as many as 10 people were injured, but it is unclear how many were hit by bullets. A law enforcement official said the shooting was related to a workplace dispute. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

An official inspects evidence near the Empire State Building following a shooting, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in New York. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said some of the victims may have been hit by police bullets as police and the gunman exchanged fire. Police say a recently laid-off worker shot a former colleague to death near the iconic skyscraper and then randomly opened fired on people nearby before firing on police. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

NEW YORK (AP) ? A laid-off worker fatally shot an executive at his former company outside the Empire State Building on Friday, setting off a chaotic showdown with police in front of one of the world's best-known landmarks. Officers killed the gunman and at least nine others were wounded, some by stray police gunfire, authorities said.

The gunshots rang out on the Fifth Avenue side of the building at around 9 a.m., when pedestrians on their way to work packed sidewalks and merchants were opening their shops.

"People were yelling 'Get down! Get down!" said Marc Engel, an accountant who was on a bus in the area when he heard the shots. "It took about 15 seconds, a lot of pop, pop, pop, pop, one shot after the other."

Afterward, he saw the sidewalks littered with the wounded, including one person "dripping enough blood to leave a stream."

Wearing a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase, women's accessories designer Jeffrey Johnson walked up to the import company vice president, Steven Ercolino, put a gun to his head and fired five times without saying a word, authorities said.

A witness told investigators that Johnson shot Ercolino once in the head and, after he fell to the sidewalk, stood over him and shot him again. The gunman walked away and calmly turned up 5th Avenue, where he blended in with the crowd, police said.

"Jeffrey just came from behind two cars, pulled out his gun, put it up to Steve's head and shot him," said Carol Timan, whose daughter, Irene, was walking to Hazan Imports at the time with Ercolino.

Johnson, 58, and Ercolino had traded accusations of harassment when Johnson worked there, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. Johnson had been laid off about a year ago. Police said he blamed the victim, believing Ercolino had failed to aggressively promote his line of women's T-shirts.

A construction worker who saw the shooting followed Johnson and alerted two police officers, a detail regularly assigned to patrol city landmarks like the 1,454-foot skyscraper since the 9/11 terror attacks, officials said.

There were conflicting accounts about whether Johnson fired at the police officers or just pointed the gun at them.

Kelly initially said the officers were fired upon, but later said police were investigating. Johnson can be seen on video reaching into a bag, pulling out a .45-caliber pistol and pointing it at officers, Kelly said.

The two officers drew their weapons and fired 16 rounds, killing Johnson, Kelly said.

"These officers ... had absolutely no choice," Kelly said. "This individual took a gun out very close to them and perhaps fired at them."

Kelly said investigators believe police may be responsible for some of the injuries, because of the limited capacity of the gunman's weapon. Johnson's semi-automatic weapon was equipped to fire at least eight rounds; at least one round was left in the clip, police said. Another loaded magazine was in his briefcase.

Johnson legally bought the gun in Sarasota, Fla., in 1991, but he didn't have a required permit to possess the weapon in New York City, police said.

"New York City, as you know, is the safest big city in the country, and we are on pace to have a record low number of murders this year," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "But we are not immune to the national problem of gun violence," he said about the shooting, which comes in the wake of mass shootings inside a Colorado movie theater and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Robert Asika, who was shot in the right arm, said he was "100 percent positive" that a police officer had shot him. He also said he saw Johnson fire his gun at the officers.

Asika, 23, sells tickets for the Empire State Building's observatory.

"When I woke up this morning, I didn't even want to go to work," he said. "Something told me not to go to work."

The wounded victims were five women and four men, aged 20 to 56, authorities said. All were from New York City, except a 35-year-old woman from Chapel Hill, N.C. They suffered graze wounds or other minor injuries, and police believe that at least some of the injuries were caused by bullet fragments that ricocheted off security planters.

Ercolino's profile on the business networking site LinkedIn identified him as a vice president of sales at Hazan Import. It said he was a graduate of the State University of New York at Oneonta.

He was single and had recently moved to New Jersey after living for a time in Warwick, just north of New York City, said his eldest brother, Paul Ercolino. He grew up in Nanuet, N.Y., with his two brothers and sister.

"He was in the prime of his life," Paul Ercolino said, adding that the family was in shock. He said his brother was a gregarious salesman ? known to some of his nieces and nephews as "uncle Ducky" because of his nearly blonde hair ? who had followed his father into the garment industry, then later worked in women's handbags and accessories.

He never mentioned to the family that he had any problems with a co-worker, Paul Ercolino said.

Hazan Import Corp. imports women's clothing and accessories, according to public records. Calls to its executives weren't immediately returned

Johnson worked at the company near the Empire State Building for about six years and was laid off because of downsizing, Kelly said.

Even after he was laid off, Johnson would leave left his Upper East Side apartment building each morning in a suit, and often returned about a half hour later after going to get breakfast at McDonald's, his neighbors said.

"He was always alone," said Gisela Casella, who lived a few floors above him. "I always felt bad. I said 'Doesn't he have a girlfriend?' I never saw him with anybody."

His superintendent, Guillermo Suarez, said he lived alone in a one-bedroom apartment that he was subletting from someone else. He called him a "very likable guy," who always wore a suit.

At the scene, New Yorkers took to Twitter and the photo-sharing service Instagram to post photos from the bloody sidewalk, just as they had less than two weeks ago when police shot a knife-wielding man on a Saturday night in Times Square. One office worker took an overhead shot of a pool of blood outside the Empire State Building.

"We were just working here and we just heard bang, bang, bang!" said Mohammed Bachchu, 22, of Queens, a worker at a nearby souvenir shop. He said he rushed from the building and saw seven people lying on the ground, covered in blood.

Queens resident Rebecca Fox, 27, said she saw people running down the street and initially thought it was a celebrity sighting, but then saw a woman shot in the foot and a man dead on the ground.

"I was scared and shocked and literally shaking," she said. She said police seemed to appear in seconds. "It was like 'CSI,' but it was real."

Hassam Cissa, 22, of the Bronx, said he saw two bodies on the ground and police applying a white cloth to a man's stomach wound.

Gunshots so close to one of the city's leading tourist attractions immediately prompted fears of terrorism, but federal officials said that wasn't the case, and a guard at skyscraper said it didn't involve the parts of the building where tourists gather to visit the skyscraper.

In 1997, a gunman opened fire on the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building, killing one tourist and wounding six others before fatally shooting himself.

Metal detectors and bag searchers have been standard at the 102-story skyscraper since the 1997 shooting.

Millions of tourists visiting New York ascend its heights to gape over the city from its observation deck, made famous in films such as "Sleepless in Seattle." It was 1933's "King Kong" that showed a giant ape clutching Fay Wray and fending off airplanes atop the tower.

The skyscraper and its observatories remained open throughout the mayhem Friday, the building's owner said.

"This unfortunate event had nothing to do with the Empire State Building and with terrorism," said Anthony Malkin of Malkin Holdings.

___

Contributing to this report from New York were Alex Katz, Samantha Gross, Julie Walker, David B. Caruso, Adam Geller, Karen Matthews, Ula Ilnytzky and Anne D'Innocenzio.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-08-24-Empire%20State%20Building-Shooting/id-3146abd9be0447529388bebb071fccd0

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