মঙ্গলবার, ৩১ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

FDA approves Roche skin cancer drug Erivedge (AP)

NEW YORK ? Federal regulators on Monday approved a pill that treats the most common type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.

The pill is called Erivedge and is made by Genentech, a unit of Swiss drugmaker Roche. Erivedge is intended to treat locally advanced cancer for patients who are not candidates for surgery or radiation, and for patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The capsule is taken once per day.

Genentech said Erivedge is the first drug approved to treat advanced basal cell carcinoma. It said the drug will be available within one to two weeks.

The drug's label will warn that it is linked to fetal death and severe birth defects when it is used by pregnant women. The most common side effects of Erivedge include muscle spasms, hair loss, weight loss, diarrhea, fatigue, changes or loss in sense of taste, decreased appetite, constipation, and vomiting.

Curis Inc. of Lexington, Mass., which collaborated with Genentech on the drug, is getting a $10 million payment from Genentech now that the drug has been approved.

The approval comes ahead of schedule, as the Food and Drug Administration previously said it would make a decision on Erivedge by March 8. The drug was given a fast six-month review because there are no approved treatments for basal cell carcinoma.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_he_me/us_roche_skin_cancer_drug

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Study may answer questions about enigmatic Little Ice Age

Monday, January 30, 2012

A new University of Colorado Boulder-led study appears to answer contentious questions about the onset and cause of Earth's Little Ice Age, a period of cooling temperatures that began after the Middle Ages and lasted into the late 19th century.

According to the new study, the Little Ice Age began abruptly between A.D. 1275 and 1300, triggered by repeated, explosive volcanism and sustained by a self- perpetuating sea ice-ocean feedback system in the North Atlantic Ocean, according to CU-Boulder Professor Gifford Miller, who led the study. The primary evidence comes from radiocarbon dates from dead vegetation emerging from rapidly melting icecaps on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, combined with ice and sediment core data from the poles and Iceland and from sea ice climate model simulations, said Miller.

While scientific estimates regarding the onset of the Little Ice Age range from the 13th century to the 16th century, there is little consensus, said Miller. There is evidence the Little Ice Age affected places as far away as South America and China, although it was particularly evident in northern Europe. Advancing glaciers in mountain valleys destroyed towns, and famous paintings from the period depict people ice skating on the Thames River in London and canals in the Netherlands, waterways that were ice-free in winter before and after the Little Ice Age.

"The dominant way scientists have defined the Little Ice Age is by the expansion of big valley glaciers in the Alps and in Norway," said Miller. "But the time it took for European glaciers to advance far enough to demolish villages would have been long after the onset of the cold period," said Miller, a fellow at CU's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.

Most scientists think the Little Ice Age was caused either by decreased summer solar radiation, erupting volcanoes that cooled the planet by ejecting shiny aerosol particles that reflected sunlight back into space, or a combination of both, said Miller.

The new study suggests that the onset of the Little Ice Age was caused by an unusual, 50-year-long episode of four massive tropical volcanic eruptions. Climate models used in the new study showed that the persistence of cold summers following the eruptions is best explained by a sea ice-ocean feedback system originating in the North Atlantic Ocean.

"This is the first time anyone has clearly identified the specific onset of the cold times marking the start of the Little Ice Age," said Miller. "We also have provided an understandable climate feedback system that explains how this cold period could be sustained for a long period of time. If the climate system is hit again and again by cold conditions over a relatively short period -- in this case, from volcanic eruptions -- there appears to be a cumulative cooling effect."

A paper on the subject is being published Jan. 31 in Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union. The paper was authored by scientists and students from CU-Boulder, the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, the University of Iceland, the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The study was funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the Icelandic Science Foundation.

As part of the study, Miller and his colleagues radiocarbon-dated roughly 150 samples of dead plant material with roots intact collected from beneath receding ice margins of ice caps on Baffin Island. There was a large cluster of "kill dates" between A.D. 1275 and 1300, indicating the plants had been frozen and engulfed by ice during a relatively sudden event.

Both low-lying and higher altitude plants all died at roughly the same time, indicating the onset of the Little Ice Age on Baffin Island -- the fifth largest island in the world -- was abrupt. The team saw a second spike in plant kill dates at about A.D. 1450, indicating the quick onset of a second major cooling event.

To broaden the study, the team analyzed sediment cores from a glacial lake linked to the 367-square-mile Langj?kull ice cap in the central highlands of Iceland that reaches nearly a mile high. The annual layers in the cores -- which can be reliably dated by using tephra deposits from known historic volcanic eruptions on Iceland going back more than 1,000 years -- suddenly became thicker in the late 13th century and again in the 15th century due to increased erosion caused by the expansion of the ice cap as the climate cooled, he said.

"That showed us the signal we got from Baffin Island was not just a local signal, it was a North Atlantic signal," said Miller. "This gave us a great deal more confidence that there was a major perturbation to the Northern Hemisphere climate near the end of the 13th century." Average summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere did not return to those of the Middle Ages until the 20th century, and the temperatures of the Middle Ages are now exceeded in many areas, he said.

The team used the NCAR-based Community Climate System Model to test the effects of volcanic cooling on Arctic sea ice extent and mass. The model, which simulated various sea ice conditions from about A.D. 1150-1700, showed several large, closely spaced eruptions could have cooled the Northern Hemisphere enough to trigger Arctic sea ice growth.

The models showed sustained cooling from volcanoes would have sent some of the expanding Arctic sea ice down along the eastern coast of Greenland until it eventually melted in the North Atlantic. Since sea ice contains almost no salt, when it melted the surface water became less dense, preventing it from mixing with deeper North Atlantic water. This weakened heat transport back to the Arctic and creating a self-sustaining feedback system on the sea ice long after the effects of the volcanic aerosols subsided, he said.

"Our simulations showed that the volcanic eruptions may have had a profound cooling effect," says NCAR scientist Bette Otto-Bliesner, a co-author of the study. "The eruptions could have triggered a chain reaction, affecting sea ice and ocean currents in a way that lowered temperatures for centuries."

The researchers set the solar radiation at a constant level in the climate models, and Miller said the Little Ice Age likely would have occurred without decreased summer solar radiation at the time. "Estimates of the sun's variability over time are getting smaller, it's now thought by some scientists to have varied little more in the last millennia than during a standard 11-year solar cycle," he said.

One of the primary questions pertaining to the Little Ice Age is how unusual the warming of Earth is today, he said. A previous study led by Miller in 2008 on Baffin Island indicated temperatures today are the warmest in at least 2,000 years.

###

University of Colorado at Boulder: http://www.colorado.edu/news

Thanks to University of Colorado at Boulder for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117183/Study_may_answer_questions_about_enigmatic_Little_Ice_Age_

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সোমবার, ৩০ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

RBS CEO turns down bonus amid criticism of payout

A sign of RBS, Royal Bank of Scotland, is seen at its office in the City of London, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. RBS bank's board of directors have awarded the bank's CEO Stephen Hester 3.6 million shares for his work over the last year, worth about 963,000 pounds ($1.5 million) based on Thursday's closing share price, although 82 percent of the bank is owned by the British government after recent financial bailouts. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

A sign of RBS, Royal Bank of Scotland, is seen at its office in the City of London, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. RBS bank's board of directors have awarded the bank's CEO Stephen Hester 3.6 million shares for his work over the last year, worth about 963,000 pounds ($1.5 million) based on Thursday's closing share price, although 82 percent of the bank is owned by the British government after recent financial bailouts. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

A sign of RBS, Royal Bank of Scotland, is seen at its office in the City of London, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. RBS bank's board of directors have awarded the bank's CEO Stephen Hester 3.6 million shares for his work over the last year, worth about 963,000 pounds ($1.5 million) based on Thursday's closing share price, although 82 percent of the bank is owned by the British government after recent financial bailouts.(AP Photo/Sang Tan)

In this photo made with extreme wide angle lens, the RBS, Royal Bank of Scotland, offices in the City of London, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. RBS bank's board of directors have awarded the bank's CEO Stephen Hester 3.6 million shares for his work over the last year, worth about 963,000 pounds ($1.5 million) based on Thursday's closing share price, although 82 percent of the bank is owned by the British government after recent financial bailouts. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

(AP) ? Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Stephen Hester will not be accepting a 1 million pound ($1.5 million) bonus that drew criticism from British public and politicians, the bank said Sunday.

Spokesman David Gaffney said Hester would not receive the bonus of 3.6 million shares he was awarded last week by the board of the largely state-owned bank.

The British government spent 45 billion pounds bailing out RBS three years ago. It still owns an 82 percent stake, and politicians had criticized the reward at a time when Britons face painful spending cuts and tax hikes.

The government ? which has insisted it has no control over the bank's bonuses ? welcomed the announcement.

"This is a sensible and welcome decision that enables Stephen Hester to focus on the very important job he has got to do, namely to get back billions of pounds of taxpayers' money that was put into RBS," Treasury chief George Osborne said.

The decision follows Saturday's announcement that RBS chairman Philip Hampton was waiving his own bonus of 1.4 million pounds in shares.

Hester and Hampton were brought in after Fred Goodwin, who led RBS's ill-fated takeover of Dutch bank ABN Amro, stepped down in October 2008 as the government was spending billions to prop up the bank.

The board of directors decided last week to award Hester a bonus of 3.6 million shares ? worth just under 1 million pounds at Friday's closing share price of 27.74 pence. That came on top of his annual salary of 1.2 million pounds.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Saturday that Hester's bonus was "a matter for him," but pointed out it was much less than last year's.

The government claimed it had no control over bonuses awarded by the bank, and said replacing Hester if he resigned would be more costly than paying the reward.

But many politicians were critical. London Mayor Boris Johnson, a Conservative like Cameron, said he found the bonus "absolutely bewildering."

Rachel Reeves, Treasury spokeswoman for the opposition Labour Party, said Sunday the sum was inappropriate "when families are feeling the pinch."

"It's time the government explained why they have allowed these bonuses to go through unchallenged," she said.

Before the bank's announcement, the Labour Party said it would force a vote in the House of Commons next month calling for Hester to be stripped of his bonus.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-29-EU-Britain-RBS/id-a870091af7194c3eb31c8d04c022c1b5

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Sudan: Army frees some abducted Chinese workers (AP)

KHARTOUM, Sudan ? The Sudanese army has freed 14 Chinese road construction workers, part of a group reportedly abducted by militants in a remote region in the country's south, officials said Monday.

The Chinese workers were "liberated" by Sudanese troops and were evacuated to the town of El Obeid, Omdurman Radio quoted South Kordofan province's governor Ahmed Haroun on Monday as saying. He said that they were in good health.

The report, which was also carried on the state-run SUNA news agency, did not say when the rescue occurred. Haroun said the army and security forces are trying to free the remaining abducted workers.

It did not say how many workers remained captive, but the Chinese embassy in Khartoum has said that a total of 29 had been taken in the Saturday attack near Abbasiya town in South Kordofan province, some 390 miles (630 kilometers) south of Khartoum.

Sudanese officials have blamed the attack on the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a branch of a guerrilla movement which has fought various regimes in Khartoum for decades.

Many of the SPLM's members hail from a minority ethnic group now in control of much of South Sudan, which became the world's newest country only six months ago in a breakaway from Sudan.

Sudan has accused South Sudan of arming pro-South Sudan groups in South Kordofan. The government of South Sudan has called such accusations a smoke screen intended to justify a future invasion of the South.

China has sent large numbers of workers to potentially unstable regions such as Sudan and last year was forced to send ships and planes to help with the emergency evacuation of 30,000 of its citizens from the fighting in Libya.

China has consistently used its clout in diplomatic forums such as the United Nations to defend Sudan and its longtime leader Omar al-Bashir. In recent years, it has also sought to build good relations with leaders from the south, where most of Sudan's oil is located.

Chinese companies have also invested heavily in Sudanese oil production.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_sudan_china

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Johnson, Williams carry No. 10 Miami women past BC (AP)

BOSTON ? Shenise Johnson scored 16 of her 22 points in the opening half to lead No. 10 Miami to its eighth straight win, an 88-57 rout over Boston College on Sunday.

The Hurricanes (19-3, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed and pulled to a double digit lead on Riquna Williams' basket in the lane 5:44 into the game. Their advantage never dropped into single digits the rest of the way.

Williams had 15 of her 18 points in the first half while Stefanie Yderstrom added 15 points for Miami, which hasn't lost since dropping its conference opener at North Carolina on Jan. 2.

Tessah Holt paced Boston College (5-16, 0-8) with 12 points. The Eagles have lost eight straight.

Williams, who needs six points to become the program's fifth player to reach 2,000, also grabbed eight rebounds. Johnson became the fourth to reach the 2,000-point mark earlier this season.

Miami missed its first two shots from the floor before its superior tandem of Johnson and Williams combined with its pressure defense to take charge.

Johnson missed the first shot of the game ? a short jumper in the lane ? but hit six of her next eight during the first half. She scored eight of her team's initial 16 points as the Hurricanes pulled to a 13-point lead on her 3-pointer.

After Johnson's offensive surge, Williams dominated, scoring 11 straight Miami points and 13 of 16 as the Hurricanes pushed their lead to 27-11 midway into the half.

Johnson's two free throws gave the Hurricanes a 41-16 edge, their largest lead in the opening half.

Miami, which forced 15 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, led 48-27 at intermission.

The Hurricanes pushed their lead over 30 points (61-29) on Williams' basket early into the second half. They came out after intermission and scored 13 of the initial 15 points, making sure the Eagles wouldn't give them any threat.

Williams came down awkwardly after a basket late in the first half and walked to the bench gingerly, but she started the second half.

The Hurricanes entered the game leading the conference averaging 14.3 steals per game.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkw_t25_miami_boston_college

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Suspect shown by Mexico cops says he beat Canadian (AP)

CULIACAN, Mexico ? A Mexican man charged with severely beating a Canadian woman at a resort hotel has told journalists that he tried to hold her in an elevator and punched her several times when she yelled for help.

Jose Ramon Acosta said during a Saturday news conference held by police that he had sneaked into the hotel in Mazatlan early the morning of Jan. 20 and encountered Sheila Nabb of Calgary, Alberta, by chance.

State prosecutor Marco Antonio Higuera Gomez says Acosta had been drinking and using drugs. Prosecutor have said the suspect was seen on a hotel security camera as he left the elevator.

The victim has been flown to Canada where she remains hospitalized.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_canadian_attacked

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রবিবার, ২৯ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Probe of NYPD boss' son puts DA in spotlight, too (AP)

NEW YORK ? While the city's powerful police commissioner faced questions Friday about a rape allegation against his TV-anchor son, the probe has also put the district attorney in a delicate position.

The Manhattan DA who brought and dropped sex charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn is now in the thick of another sensitive, highly scrutinized sex-attack investigation, this one involving a relative of a key law enforcement ally. But the new inquiry presents major differences; for one, there have been no arrests.

The commissioner refused to discuss the investigation as he faced the media Friday for the first time since reports surfaced that a woman had accused his son Greg of rape.

"I'm not going to ... with all due respect, answer any questions on this matter," Kelly said at a news conference at police headquarters, saying questions should be addressed to the DA's office. Police have turned the matter over to prosecutors because of the potential conflict of interest in investigating one of the commissioner's sons.

Greg Kelly, the 43-year-old co-host of the local TV morning show "Good Day New York," has vehemently denied doing anything wrong in the episode.

The allegation presents a new high-profile sex-crime probe less than six months after the attempted rape charge against the former International Monetary Fund leader collapsed amid doubt about his accuser's trustworthiness in the biggest case of Cyrus R. Vance Jr.'s two years as DA.

Indeed, the Strauss-Kahn case still looms large enough that Greg Kelly himself queried Vance on-air about it just this Monday. But the two matters are far from parallel, legal experts say.

The DA's office stayed silent about the matter Friday as Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised how Kelly and the police department addressed it and called Vance "a tough, smart guy" who could handle the hot seat.

For a DA in one of the most prominent prosecutor's jobs in the country, "there's always going to be high-profile, complicated cases. There's always going to be second-guessing. He's tough enough to focus on the job," Bloomberg said on "The John Gambling Show with Mayor Mike" on WOR-AM radio.

The woman told police Tuesday she met Greg Kelly for drinks on Oct. 8, they went to her lower Manhattan law office and he assaulted her while she wasn't capable of consenting to sex, a person familiar with the investigation has said.

The woman and Kelly stayed in contact afterward, the person said.

She said she became pregnant from the encounter and had an abortion, according to a law enforcement official. Neither the person nor the official was authorized to speak publicly, and they talked to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

At some point, the woman's boyfriend confronted the commissioner in person at a public event, saying Greg Kelly had ruined his girlfriend's life but declining to elaborate on the spot when asked what he meant, according to police spokesman Paul Browne. Browne said the commissioner suggested the boyfriend send him a letter, but the man apparently never did.

Greg Kelly's lawyer, Andrew Lankler, has said the investigation "will prove Mr. Kelly's innocence."

Kelly took time off starting Thursday from his show on local Fox affiliate WNYW-TV, the station said.

Three days before, Vance appeared on the program to talk about the problem of elder abuse. Kelly also questioned him about the case against Strauss-Kahn, who was charged in May with making a hotel maid perform oral sex. The onetime French presidential hopeful has said the encounter was "inappropriate" but not violent.

Prosecutors said they dropped the case in August because the woman had undercut her credibility by lying about her background and changing her account of her actions right after the alleged attack. She says she was truthful about the encounter and is pursuing her claims in a lawsuit.

Some have questioned whether "if she were a more prominent citizen, member of the community, she would not have been subjected to that kind of interrogation," Kelly noted to Vance on the show.

Vance called that a "misimpression and incorrect assessment of the case" and said his office looks at each case carefully.

Even from the few details known so far, the investigation into Kelly has some sharp distinctions from the Strauss-Kahn case, but it may pose just as significant challenges, experts said.

Strauss-Kahn's accuser swiftly reported the alleged attack, prompting an arrest within hours and allowing investigators to gather a sample of the then-International Monetary Fund leader's semen on the woman's work clothes. It's unclear whether they will have any forensic evidence to work with in the investigation into Kelly, or whether his accuser sought medical attention.

Concerned that Strauss-Kahn might flee overseas, prosecutors persuaded a judge initially to hold him without bail. Although Strauss-Kahn was released to house arrest days later, his jailing had forced prosecutors to obtain an indictment because of legal time limits on holding someone without one. The DA's office later faced some criticism that it had rushed to indict before completely investigating, though some legal observers said Strauss-Kahn's foreign ties left prosecutors no choice.

Kelly, on the other hand, hasn't been charged with any crime, so there's no legal deadline looming over prosecutors' investigation.

"There are very significant differences, and that's a justification for (prosecutors) to be more deliberate in how they go about it," said Fordham Law School professor James A. Cohen.

The investigation involves not only the public attention that surrounds any well-connected target, but the added complication of investigating a son of an official who works closely with the DA, noted Pace Law School professor Bennett L. Gershman. He worked in the 1970s for a special state prosecutor appointed to investigate corruption in the criminal justice system.

While the DAs sometimes investigate police officers or their relatives, "this is a special case," Gershman said. "It puts him in a very difficult position."

Indeed, police were defendants in one of Vance's other most prominent and difficult cases: last year's trial of two officers accused of raping a drunken woman they were called to help get home.

The officers were convicted of official misconduct for returning to her apartment without reporting where they were. But they were acquitted of all other charges in a verdict that came less than two weeks after Strauss-Kahn's arrest.

The DA's office has since logged a number of wins in noted sex-crime cases, including a 428-year sentence for a man convicted of sexually attacking five women and a rape conviction and 20-year sentence for a man accused of holding himself out as a worldly French-language journalist to approach women.

While the Kelly investigation may put the DA under pressure again, "it's only comparable to the (Strauss-Kahn and two officers') cases in that it's high-profile," said Linda Fairstein, a former longtime chief sex-crimes prosecutor in Manhattan. "...It'll get done like any other case."

___

Associated Press writers Samantha Gross and Tom Hays contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_us/us_police_commissioner_son

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Occupy Oakland: Police Teargas Protestors, Use Flash Grenades

OAKLAND, Calif. ? Police were in the process of arresting about 100 Occupy protesters for failing to disperse Saturday night, hours after officers used tear gas on a rowdy group of demonstrators who threw rocks and flares at them and tore down fences.

Police Sgt. Christopher Bolton said the arrests came after protesters marched through downtown Oakland a little before 8 p.m. Saturday, with some of them entering a YMCA building.

Meanwhile, about 100 police officers surrounded City Hall while others were swept the inside of the building to see if any protesters broke in.

More help from other police agencies was also on the way, with busloads of Alameda County sheriff's deputies arriving in the downtown area late Saturday.

The nighttime arrests came after 19 people were taken into custody in Occupy Oakland protests hours earlier.

Police used tear gas and "flash" grenades on the group Saturday afternoon after some demonstrators threw rocks and other objects at them. Police said three officers were hurt, but they released no details.

Police said the group assembled at a downtown plaza Saturday morning, with demonstrators threatening to take over the vacant Henry Kaiser Convention Center. The group then marched through the streets, disrupting traffic.

The crowd grew as the day wore on, with afternoon estimates ranging from about 1,000 to 2,000 people.

The protesters walked to the vacant convention center, where some started tearing down perimeter fencing and "destroying construction equipment" shortly before 3 p.m., police said.

Police said they issued a dispersal order and used smoke and tear gas after some protesters pelted them with bottles, rocks, burning flares and other objects.

Most of the arrests were made when protesters ignored orders to leave and assaulted officers, police said. By 4 p.m., the bulk of the crowd had left the convention center and headed back downtown.

The demonstration comes after Occupy protesters said earlier this week that they planned to move into a vacant building and turn it into a social center and political hub. They also threatened to try to shut down the port, occupy the airport and take over City Hall.

In a statement Friday, Oakland City Administrator Deanna Santana said the city would not be "bullied by threats of violence or illegal activity."

Interim police Chief Howard Jordan also warned that officers would arrest those carrying out illegal actions.

Oakland officials said Friday that since the Occupy Oakland encampment was first established in late October, police have arrested about 300 people.

The national Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces corporate excess and economic inequality, began in New York City in the fall but has been largely dormant lately.

Oakland, New York and Los Angeles were among the cities with the largest and most vocal Occupy protests early on. The demonstrations ebbed after those cities used force to move out hundreds of demonstrators who had set up tent cities.

In Oakland, the police department received heavy criticism for using force to break up earlier protests. Among the critics was Mayor Jean Quan, who said she wasn't briefed on the department's plans. Earlier this month, a court-appointed monitor submitted a report to a federal judge that included "serious concerns" about the department's handling of the Occupy protests.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/28/occupy-oakland-police-tea_n_1239232.html

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Mars-bound instrument detects solar burst's effects: RAD measures radiation from solar storm

ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2012) ? The largest solar particle event since 2005 hit Earth, Mars and the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft traveling in-between, allowing the onboard Radiation Assessment Detector to measure the radiation a human astronaut could be exposed to en route to the Red Planet.

On Sunday, a huge coronal mass ejection erupted from the surface of the sun, spewing a cloud of charged particles in our direction, causing a strong "S3" solar storm. A NASA Goddard Space Weather Lab animation of the CME illustrates how the disturbance impacts Earth, Mars and several spacecraft. Solar storms can affect Earth's aurorae, satellites, air travel and GPS systems; no harmful effects to the Mars Science Laboratory have been detected from this solar event.

???We only have a few hours of data downloaded from the RAD so far, but we clearly see the event, said RAD Principal Investigator Don Hassler, science program director in the Space Studies Department at Southwest Research Institute. The Mars Science Laboratory, launched Nov. 26, will land a sophisticated car-sized rover called Curiosity on the surface of the planet in August. Loaded with 10 instruments including RAD, Curiosity will traverse the landing site looking for the building blocks of life and characterizing factors that may influence life, such as the harsh radiation environment expected on Mars. "This SPE encounter is particularly exciting in light of the alignment between Earth, MSL and Mars right now and for the next few months. It will be very interesting to compare the RAD data, collected from inside the capsule, with the data from other spacecraft."

This event has also been seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, Geostationary Operational Environment Satellites, the Advanced Composition Explorer, and the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft in Earth orbit as well as the Solar Heliospheric Observatory flying between Earth and the sun.

"RAD was designed to characterize radiation levels on the surface of Mars, but an important secondary objective is measuring the radiation during the almost nine-month journey through interplanetary space to prepare for future human exploration," said Hassler. "RAD is an important bridge between the science and exploration sides of NASA.

"Not only will this give us insight into the physics of these giant clouds, but like an astronaut, RAD is tucked inside the MSL 'spacecraft,'" Hassler continued. "Measurements from RAD will give us insight about the shielding provided by spacecraft for future manned missions in deep space."

RAD will collect data nearly continuously during cruise and will downlink data every 24 hours. Positioned in the front-left corner of the rover, the instrument is about the size of a coffee can and weighs about three pounds, but has capabilities of an Earth-bound instrument nearly 10 times its size. When MSL arrives at Mars, RAD will detect charged particles arriving from space and will measure neutrons and gamma rays coming from Mars' atmosphere above, or the surface material below, the rover.

SwRI, together with Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, built RAD with funding from the NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and Germany's national aerospace research center, Deutsches Zentrum f?r Luft- und Raumfahrt.

The Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech. The mission's rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.

Movie/Measuring radiation on Mars: http://youtu.be/2x99mFg_Jyc

Movie/Measuring radiation en route to Mars: http://youtu.be/v5WSnxyjvJk

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Pre-caffeine tech: Google+ for teens, Facebook for seniors!

By Helen A.S. Popkin

via BuzzFeed

Our pre-caffeine roundup is a collection of the hottest, strangest, and most amusing stories of the morning. Here's everything that you need to know before taking that first sip of coffee today.

Apple CEO does not care for your comments about Apple not caring about worker abuse in China.

Twitter announced Thursday that it would begin restricting Tweets in certain countries, marking a policy shift for the social media platform that helped propel the popular uprisings recently sweeping across the Middle East.

But here's how you get around those restrictions.

Teens ages 13 and up in the U.S. can now join Google's social network, Google+, although the search giant said it is adding safety measures for younger users. What it didn't say is that it adds to Google's efforts to get more users on Google+, including an announcement earlier this week it will allow users to have alternate names.

Meanwhile, Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill didn't spare Facebook in her speech opening?a forum on Data Privacy Day ? even though the event was live-streamed by the social network, in conjunction with the National Cyber Security Counsel.

Meanwhile, Aerosmith's?Steven Tyler might've sung about a?"dude [who] looks like a lady," but Google's convinced that a lady?? yours truly?? has the Internet browsing habits of a dude.

The next time you make a particularly strange typo, don't throw your keyboard out the window ? instead just smile. Smile, because it's possible for a simple typo to lead to a marriage -- like it did there these two.?

In closing: "Facebook & Twitter For Seniors For Dummies" exists.?

???compiled by Helen A.S. Popkin, who invites you to join her on Twitter and/or Facebook.?Also, Google+.??

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10250925-pre-caffeine-tech-google-for-teens-facebook-for-seniors

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শনিবার, ২৮ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Pat Sajak: Vanna White and I were drunk on "Wheel of Fortune" (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak has said in a broadcast interview that he and fellow host Vanna White were drunk when they taped some early episodes of the show, but that he is too old for that now.

The 65-year-old Sajak made the revelation in an appearance earlier this week on cable network ESPN2's show "Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable."

"When I first started and was much younger and could tolerate those things, we had a different show then," Sajak said in the broadcast interview.

Sajak explained that during the production of those "Wheel of Fortune" shows, he and co-host Vanna White would take two and a half-hour breaks while prizes were loaded onto the set in Burbank, California. So, they would go to a nearby restaurant and have "great margaritas," he said.

"Vanna and I would go across and have two or three or six (margaritas), and then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet," Sajak said on the program.

Sajak further explained that he no longer mixes alcohol and his hosting duties.

"Now, if I were to inhale the cork and a bottle of wine I would probably keel over, I'm getting a little older for this," he said.

Sajak and White have hosted "Wheel of Fortune" since 1983.

(Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/people_nm/us_patsajak

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Clarknt67: Newark Mayor @CoryBooker delivers a heroic, spontaneous case for #MarriageEquality in #NJ. Well done, sir. #LGBT http://t.co/c1l4QTVE

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Source: http://twitter.com/Clarknt67/statuses/162775438131859456

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Second Florida GOP Debate Covers Immigration, Health Care, and Lunar Colonies (ContributorNetwork)

The four Republican candidates for president met tonight in the second of two debates before Florida's primary on Tuesday. The debate was moderated by Wolf Blitzer, and topics ranged from immigration, to health care, to the idea of a colony on the moon.

What did the candidates have to say about their positions on immigration?

This topic was largely debated between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Romney demanded an apology from Gingrich for saying that he was the most "anti-immigrant" of the four GOP candidates.

Romney was asked to discuss claims from his campaign ads that Gingrich had insinuated in a speech from 2007 that Spanish was "the language of living in a ghetto." Romney claimed not to have seen the ads in question. The debate between the two then moved to encompass the topic of self-deportation and amnesty for illegal immigrants who had lived in the United States for 25 years or more.

How did the health care portion of the debate break down?

Rick Santorum challenged Romney on Massachusetts' health care program, drawing parallels between it and President Barack Obama's current health care program. Politico quoted Santorum's claim that Romney favored "government-run, top-down medicine," such as Obama's national health care plan. Romney denied Santorum's assertions, stating that repealing "Obamacare" would be one of his first priorities in office.

Why was the idea of building a colony on the moon part of the debate?

NASA and its future are big issues in Florida. As such, Blitzer asked Gingrich to explain his proposal to build a colony on the moon at the same time that he intended to balance the federal budget.

According to the Washington Post, both Romney and Ron Paul responded negatively to the concept, with Paul stating that he didn't think people should go to the moon, but that "we should send some politicians up there." Romney asserted that as a businessman he would have fired a person that presented the idea of spending billions of dollars to build a moon colony. Gingrich defended himself by saying that candidates should be "responsive to the needs of the states that they campaigned in."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120127/pl_ac/10891375_second_florida_gop_debate_covers_immigration_health_care_and_lunar_colonies

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শুক্রবার, ২৭ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Latest Details On Demi Moore: Doing Whip-Its Before Seizure? (VIDEO)

Latest Details On Demi Moore: Doing Whip-Its Before Seizure? (VIDEO)

There are more details out on actress Demi Moore‘s recent hospitalization, with sources revealing “whip-its” are to blame. Seriously, whip-its? That certainly doesn’t seem like [...]

Latest Details On Demi Moore: Doing Whip-Its Before Seizure? (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/qPbdIvshuKg/

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Analysis: Romney is fiery, focused in Fla. Debate (AP)

ORLANDO, Fla. ? Mitt Romney, forced to prove his resilience after a stinging loss in South Carolina, is showing why the so-called Republican establishment thinks he has the best discipline, organization and campaign smarts to challenge President Barack Obama this fall.

The former Massachusetts governor turned in his best debate performance yet Thursday night, putting chief rival Newt Gingrich on the defensive from the opening minutes in Jacksonville, Fla., and never letting up for two hours. It was a striking change after two South Carolina debates in which Gingrich revived his own campaign with fiery populist and media-bashing zingers that made Romney appear pallid in comparison.

Romney hired a new debate coach after those events. He was considerably more aggressive in a debate Monday in Tampa.

Then on Thursday, he urged his supporters to pack the hall in Jacksonville for the debate aired by CNN. As soon as it started, he appeared more prepared, polished and focused than Gingrich, who curiously dropped the fire-breathing aggressiveness he had shown only hours earlier at a morning tea party rally.

In contrast to the rousing ovations that Gingrich, the former House speaker, had received in the two South Carolina debates, the Jacksonville audience seemed mostly on Romney's side.

"When I'm shot at, I'll return fire," Romney said moments after the debate ended. "I'm certainly no shrinking violet."

Many Republicans expect Tuesday's Florida primary to be close. And debate performances are only one part of the GOP presidential campaign. It also features millions of dollars in TV, radio and mail ads and heavy coverage of candidates' events by local news outlets.

This cycle's presidential debates, however, have drawn big audiences and played an unusually large role in shaping the campaign. Gingrich's feisty performances after his near-fatal finish in Iowa helped put him into strong contention with Romney.

Romney's performance Thursday will doubtlessly reassure many mainstream party members who see Gingrich as too mercurial and burdened by past political battles to make the strongest case against Obama.

"Romney took the right lesson from South Carolina: Keep your opponent down, don't let him back up," New Hampshire political scientist Dante Scala, who follows the contest closely, said on Twitter before the debate was half over.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas congressman Ron Paul also participated in the forum, although Paul is not actively campaigning in Florida. Santorum scored strong points by noting that both Gingrich and Romney have supported mandatory health insurance for individuals.

Santorum says that history weakens the two men's ability to challenge Obama on mandated health coverage. Santorum is struggling to compete in sprawling, expensive Florida, however, and he planned to return for a while to Pennsylvania on Friday.

Romney's performance in Jacksonville was by no means perfect. He said he didn't remember a Spanish-language radio ad that his campaign is airing against Gingrich. CNN's Wolf Blitzer assured him the ad was his, and Gingrich needled him about it.

Romney also spent long segments explaining that his millions of dollars in personal wealth are invested by a trustee who keeps the details private to avoid conflicts of interest. Such sound bites might hurt Romney in a general election, which draws independent and Democratic voters who are likely to be more skeptical of a millionaire's hired accountants and complex investing than are some Republican activists.

On balance, however, Gingrich's supporters are likely to look back on the CNN debate and wonder what happened to the fire that boiled inside their champion Thursday morning, when he accused Romney of lies and gross hypocrisy.

One moment was especially telling. Blitzer asked Gingrich to explain his criticism of Romney's investments in, among other places, Swiss banks and Cayman Island accounts. Those locations sometimes are used to avoid U.S. taxes.

Gingrich, who often delights conservative crowds by lecturing or berating reporters, said the question was inappropriate for a presidential debate. Blitzer pressed on, saying Gingrich had made serious allegations about the investments, which Romney defends as above-board.

In what seemed a peace offering, Gingrich turned to Romney and said, "You want to try again?"

Romney answered with a verbal smack. "Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't make accusations somewhere else that they weren't willing to defend here?" he said coldly.

The moment was reminiscent of Tim Pawlenty's refusal in an August debate to repeat a sharp criticism he had recently made of Romney. Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor, soon dropped out and endorsed Romney.

Romney seemed determined to attack Gingrich at the first opportunity, even at the risk of strained indignation. He pounced when Gingrich, pressed on whether Romney is "the most anti-immigrant candidate," said blandly, "I think, of the four of us, yes."

"That's simply inexcusable," Romney retorted.

Immigration is a sensitive issue among Florida's Hispanic voters. Gingrich recently dropped an ad that called Romney anti-immigrant, at the request of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., whose parents are from Cuba.

Romney said Gingrich's comments were "the kind of over-the-top rhetoric that has characterized American politics too long." He said Gingrich should apologize.

Gingrich regained some of his populist groove late in the debate.

"One of the reasons I am running is, there has been an increasingly aggressive war against religion, and in particular against Christianity in this country, largely by a secular elite and the academic, news media and judicial areas," he said. "It's important to have some leadership that stands up and says, `Enough.'"

The campaign question for Gingrich is: Did he do enough in his two debate opportunities in Florida to maintain his eye-popping momentum from South Carolina?

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? Charles Babington covers politics for The Associated Press.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politicsopinion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_an/us_gop_campaign_analysis

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Gingrich Rockets Past Romney on the Space Issue (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The all-important Florida primary could create the most closely watched "Space Race" since the United States and the Soviet Union competed for aerospace glory. And in this battle, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is likely to blast off past ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

As Newt Gingrich announced a John F. Kennedy-like speech on space exploration for Florida, cynics are likely to see it as nothing more than election year politics designed to appeal to a narrow slice of voters in a key state. But Gingrich has always been pro-space since he came to Congress.

In the 1980s, Newt Gingrich helped found the Congressional Space Caucus, designed to get legislators of both parties to support space exploration and ward off budget cuts, according to The Space Review by Jeff Foust. Foust writes that Gingrich was also "a member of the Board of Governors of the National Space Society. In several debates and campaign appearances over the last several months Gingrich, in response to questions and sometimes of his own volition, has brought up space policy."

This is more than just public talk as well. Gingrich pushed hard for space exploration behind closed doors in negotiations with the Clinton Administration in the 1990s, according to the U.S. News and World Report in a 2008 article. "Gingrich viewed it [the abortion issue] as a bargaining chip that could be used to exact concessions from Democrats on issues that were more important to him, such as increased spending for defense and space exploration," the U.S. News and World Report staff wrote.

Romney himself is no real fan of the space program, according to Foust. Though he endorsed Bush's space speech in 2004, he has never supported increasing NASA's budget. He opposes the idea of a lunar mining colony, and has used space spending to tease Gingrich, calling him "Newt Skywalker." Romney has changed his tune since coming to the Sunshine State, but he's more of a "Johnny-come-lately" on the issue, rather than a John Glenn on space enthusiasm.

In a neck-and-neck nomination battle, the Republican nominees are looking for any votes that they can. And Romney's early anti-space jibes against Gingrich were good for laughs in Iowa, but are likely to put him in the category with the Russians, looking at the American Apollo 11 moon landing with envy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120126/sc_ac/10888035_gingrich_rockets_past_romney_on_the_space_issue

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৬ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Steam Takes First Steps Into Mobile With iOS And Android Apps

steam-mobileAs a gamer with admittedly poor impulse control, the newly-released Steam app for iOS and Android has me very worried. On the one hand, it seems like an ideal way to to keep tabs on the popular gaming service on the go. On the other though, I could easily see myself going overboard on buying games I don't need when I should be pretending to be a productive member of society.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/7j7MCVGDy70/

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Revise and Extend (TIME)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/191981454?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Mr. Miyagi returns in Vita's Reality Fighters (Digital Trends)

The Karate Kid actor Pat Morita may have died in 2005, but his character in the hit movie franchise will make a return this March in Reality Fighters for the PlayStation Vita.

Over at the official PlayStation Blog, the announcement of Mr. Miyagi?s return was accompanied by a few screenshots of the character and some details about the role he?ll play in the game.

?We specifically chose Mr. Miyagi for several reasons. Firstly, we needed someone who was a true fighting master who could easily take on the best fighters from around the world, but was also wise, and capable of teaching the player,? explained Mitsuo Hirakawa of SCE XDev Studio. ?Plus we had to consider the tongue-in-cheek nature of the game; some of our fight styles include ballet and break dance, as well as some unusual weapons like a toilet plunger. We needed someone who was tough, but also had a softer, more humorous side.?

Daniel-san?s Karate Kid mentor will serve as both instructor and playable character in the game, and be voiced by accomplished Call of Duty and Metal Gear Solid voice actor Jim Ward. Players will not only be able to unlock Miyagi himself, but also his handyman uniform and family headband.

?Before we decided on Mr. Miyagi, we shortlisted various characters such as Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jet Li and even Mike Myers,? added Hirakawa. ?It became clear that Mr. Miyagi ticked all the boxes for us in terms of a true master who has a humorous side. The Karate Kid movie being a worldwide hit and a film that we were all huge fans of also helped a little.?

Reality Fighters will hit shelves March 13 for the PS Vita.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20120126/tc_digitaltrends/mrmiyagireturnsinvitasrealityfighters

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Guidewire Hits The Public Market Running; Shares Jump 30% In Early Trading

Guidewire_logo_smallWhile there were some big IPOs in 2011, Zynga and Groupon among them, overall it was a disappointing year for IPOs. Will 2012 be any different? As the first tech IPO of the new year, Guidewire Software certainly hopes so. Back in September, the insurance software company joined MobiTV, Angie?s List, Brightcove, and Jive, filing its S-1, announcing plans to raise up to $100 million and to sell approximately 7.5 million shares at $10 to $12 per share, in advance of its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/wgjjI9b2-R8/

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Iran won't move toward nuclear weapon in 2012: ISIS report (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Iran is unlikely to move toward building a nuclear weapon this year because it does not yet have the capability to produce enough weapon-grade uranium, a draft report by the Institute for Science and International Security said on Wednesday.

The report by the institute founded by nuclear expert David Albright offered a more temperate view of Iran's nuclear program than some of the heated rhetoric that has surfaced since the United States and its allies stepped up sanctions on Tehran.

"Iran is unlikely to decide to dash toward making nuclear weapons as long as its uranium enrichment capability remains as limited as it is today," the report said.

The United States and Iran are engaged in a war of words over sanctions, with Iran threatening to retaliate by blocking oil shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States said it would not allow that to happen.

The escalating rhetoric and tensions have led to concerns about the potential for missteps between the adversaries that might spiral into a military confrontation that neither wants.

But the report, financed by a grant from the United States Institute of Peace, said Iran had not made a decision to build a nuclear bomb. The USIP is an independent, non-partisan center created by the U.S. Congress in 1984 that receives federal government funding.

"Iran is unlikely to break out in 2012, in great part because it is deterred from doing so," said the ISIS report, which has not yet been publicly released.

The report turns down the temperature, saying that sanctions and the fear of a military strike by Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities have worked as a deterrent.

The institute has advised U.S. and foreign governments about Iran's nuclear capabilities and Albright is considered a respected expert on the issue. The report tracks closely with what is known of official U.S. government assessments.

U.S. officials say Iran has not made the decision to build a nuclear weapon and that Iranian leaders haven't made the decision because they have to weigh the cost and benefits of building a nuclear weapon.

Much of what the Iranians are doing with their nuclear program has civilian uses, but they are keeping their options open, which significantly adds to the air of ambiguity, U.S. officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Some conservative and Israeli analysts in the past have challenged these types of assessments, asserting that Iranian nuclear efforts are sufficiently advanced that they could build a bomb in a year or less.

But according to the institute's report: "Although Iran is engaged in nuclear hedging, no evidence has emerged that the regime has decided to build nuclear weapons."

"Such a decision may be unlikely to occur until Iran is first able to augment its enrichment capability to a point where it would have the ability to make weapon-grade uranium quickly and secretly," the report obtained by Reuters said.

It added that despite a report last November by the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency alleging that Iran had made significant progress on nuclear weaponization, "Iran's essential challenge remains developing a secure capability to make enough weapon-grade uranium, likely for at least several nuclear weapons."

Some European intelligence officials have disputed a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate published in 2003 which said that Iran had stopped working on a program it had launched earlier to design and build a bomb.

The Europeans maintain that Iran never stopped research and scientific development efforts which could be bomb-related.

Tensions spiked after Iran announced earlier this month that it had begun to enrich uranium deep inside an underground facility near the holy city of Qom. The secretly built facility was publicly revealed by the United States in 2009.

AIRSTRIKES 'OVERSOLD'

Among possible policy options for halting Iran's nuclear program, one of the least likely to be successful is a military attack on its nuclear program, according to the institute's report.

Limited military options, such as airstrikes against nuclear facilities, are "oversold as to their ability to end or even significantly delay Iran's nuclear program," the report said. Limited bombing campaigns would be "unlikely to destroy Iran's main capability" to produce weapon-grade uranium, it said.

Iran has taken precautions by dispersing the centrifuges it uses for enrichment to multiple locations, has mastered the construction of centrifuges, and has probably stockpiled extra centrifuges, the institute said.

A bombing campaign that did not totally eliminate these capabilities would leave Iran "able to quickly rebuild" its nuclear program and even motivate it to set up a Manhattan Project-style crash program to build a bomb, which would only make the region more dangerous and unstable, according to the institute.

The report said that clandestine intelligence operations aimed at detecting secret Iranian nuclear activities, including the construction of new underground sites, are "vitally important." Known methods used by spy agencies include the recruitment of secret agents, cyber spying operations, overhead surveillance by satellites and drones, and bugging of equipment which Iran buys from foreign suppliers.

The report says another "well known tactic" used by Western spy agencies against Iran has been to infiltrate Iranian networks that smuggle nuclear-related equipment and supply them with plans or items which are faulty or sabotaged. The report says this tactic has helped the West to uncover at least one of Iran's secret nuclear sites and, according to official statements by the Iranians, has caused enrichment centrifuges to break.

Other more violent covert operations strategies, particularly the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists and engineers, have "serious downsides and implications," such as high risks of Iranian retaliation through militant attacks which could be directed against civilian targets. The United States has emphatically denied any involvement in the assassinations.

The report said that since thousands of specialists are involved in the Iranian nuclear program, assassinations were unlikely to be effective in slowing it down. It also warned that Iran could construe assassinations as acts of war and use them to justify retaliation.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wl_nm/us_usa_iran_nuclear

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বুধবার, ২৫ জানুয়ারী, ২০১২

Heartburn Meds Won't Help, May Harm Kids With Asthma (HealthDay)

TUESDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Children with asthma who don't have heartburn and other signs of gastroesophageal reflux don't get additional asthma control from acid-reducing medications, according to new research.

And, taking these medications when there are no digestive issues increases a child's risk of developing a respiratory infection, reports the study.

"There's a strong epidemiological link between acid reflux and asthma," explained study co-author Janet Holbrook, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. As a result, current asthma guidelines call for evaluating people with asthma for acid reflux, Holbrook said.

Because definitive tests for excess acid production can cause children discomfort, some doctors may choose to do a trial of acid-suppressing medications called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Some common brand names in this class of medication are Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium.

"Our findings suggest that physicians should not take kids with poorly controlled asthma and test whether PPIs will help," said Holbrook.

Results of the study are published in the Jan. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and conducted by the American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Centers.

Asthma and gastroesophageal reflux (GER or GERD) are common conditions in children. Youngsters with asthma often have symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux. In adults, PPIs seem to help people with asthma who also have symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, but not those who don't have symptoms, such as frequent heartburn.

The current study included 306 children recruited from 19 centers across the United States between 2007 and 2010. The average age was 11 years. All had poor asthma control despite receiving treatment with inhaled corticosteroids.

The children were randomly assigned to receive either lansoprazole -- a PPI -- or a placebo daily for six months. The dose of lansoprazole was based on the child's weight.

Asthma improvement was assessed through a change in the Asthma Control Questionnaire, which has a scale of 0 to 6. A change of 0.5 is considered clinically significant. Lung function was also measured.

After six months, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups. The average change in the Asthma Control Questionnaire score was only 0.2, and there were no statistically significant changes in lung function, quality of life or rate of asthma flare-ups.

In addition, among 115 children who also had a 24-hour esophageal acid study, 43 percent were found to have elevated levels of acid production. Yet even in this group, treatment with lansoprazole didn't improve asthma symptoms over placebo.

Holbrook said although this study only looked at one PPI, she believes the results would hold true for other medications in this class of drugs.

Children taking lansoprazole had about a 30 percent higher risk of respiratory infections and sore throats in this study. PPIs were also associated with a difference in the risk of activity-related bone fractures, although the difference was not statistically significant, according to an accompanying editorial in the same issue of the journal.

"PPIs do not improve asthma in children who do not have symptoms of GER/GERD, and it is unlikely to be of great benefit even in children who do have such symptoms," said the editorial author, Dr. Fernando Martinez, director of the Arizona Respiratory Center at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

"The substantial increase in use of PPIs in children during the last decade is worrisome and unwarranted," he wrote.

Still, Martinez advised parents not to abruptly discontinue any medications. Parents "should consult their pediatricians, who can best evaluate the clinical situation for each child," he said.

Holbrook agreed and said if a child is on a PPI, it's reasonable for parents to ask why. She noted that these medications may come with an additional risk and cost, and they may not have any additional benefit.

"If your child is on a PPI for asthma, it's not an effective treatment. These medications are approved for the treatment of acid reflux," said Holbrook.

More information

Learn more about asthma treatment from the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120124/hl_hsn/heartburnmedswonthelpmayharmkidswithasthma

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Farmer Groupies and Chicken Coddlers

Thus the paradox of the modern DIY movement. Farmers have gone from 20 percent to 2 percent of the American workforce since World War II, and 80 percent of Americans now live in cities. Modern Americans may yearn for simplicity and self-sufficiency, but they?re much less familiar with the gritty realities of rural life than even 45 years ago, when more city dwellers knew or were related to farmers. The result is that today?s back-to-the-landers, whether suburban chicken fanciers, serious urban foragers, or just obsessive locavores, have much farther to go before they can even get back to the land. Along the way, they?re learning lessons like: Test the soil for poisonous heavy metals before you farm for food in Detroit. Place your beehives far away from the maraschino cherry factory. And most of all, it seems: Make sure you?re ready before you slaughter your first rabbit.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=f70558f330268605d8c651c8eaa8a5c7

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Common Brings 'LUV' To Sundance

Sundance represents an opportunity to '[push] forward with Common as an actor and as a producer,' the rapper tells MTV News.
By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Common
Photo: MTV News

PARK CITY, Utah — When you're making your debut as a producer and lead actor in a feature film, it doesn't hurt to surround yourself with stellar actors like Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Dennis Haysbert and Michael K. Williams. With talent like that on your side, it's nearly impossible not to produce good work.

That's Common's hope, at least. The rapper/actor makes his first turn as a leading man in a feature film in "LUV," the Sundance Film Festival drama about an ex-con who leaves prison and strives to mentor his troubled nephew upon release. The film represents a lot of firsts for Common: It's his first starring role and it's the first movie he's ever acted in and produced to appear at Sundance.

"This is something that is me," Common told MTV News at the fest. "And it's a part of what I want to do pushing forward with Common as an actor and as a producer."

The Chicago MC is no stranger to appearing onscreen, of course. He's had memorable roles in movies like "Wanted" and "Terminator Salvation," and he stars on the AMC western "Hell on Wheels." But this is Common's first time in an independent movie, and the differences between the indie world and the studio system became abundantly clear to him very early on.

"Things are just different. But what's still cool about it is you're really using your artistic creativity to come together and make the best thing, because you don't have that many resources," he said. "You don't have the bigger budgets, you don't have the things that [studio films have]. You need to use total creativity to make things rise.

"So this is a first for me — and it's a great first," he added.

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is officially under way, and the MTV Movies team is on the ground reporting on the hottest stars and the movies everyone will be talking about in the year to come. Keep it locked with MTV Movies for everything there is to know about Sundance.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677813/common-luv-sundance-film-festival.jhtml

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