Marine in hazing suicide case goes to trial

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii?? A U.S. Marine accused of hazing a colleague who committed suicide at their remote outpost in Afghanistan is appearing in court after agreeing to a plea bargain.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. Romney: Gingrich attacks ?painful to watch?
   2. Updated 63 minutes ago 1/30/2012 5:16:22 PM +00:00 These Super Bowl ads didn't need toilet humor
   3. Fast food goes around-the-clock
   4. After teen hockey injuries, safety push gains support
   5. NBC News poll: Romney leads Gingrich in Fla.
   6. US coupon craze turns to medical care
   7. Meet 'Rosie' and 'Ken': 2 chimps, many experiments

Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Jacoby was referred to a general court-martial in October on charges that he assaulted, threatened, and humiliated Lance Cpl. Harry Lew, who killed himself on April 3.

Jacoby will appear Monday before a special court martial ? a venue for less serious crimes than a general court-martial? at a Marine base in Hawaii after reaching a plea agreement. The Marines didn't release details of the agreement ahead of the trial.

Two other Marines have also been accused of hazing Lew, 21, a nephew of U.S. Rep. Judy Chu of California, before Lew shot himself with his machine gun. Sgt. Benjamin Johns and Lance Cpl. Carlos Orozco III will have separate courts-martial at later dates.

In a separate but similar case, eight U.S. soldiers are charged in the death of a 19-year-old private, Danny Chen, who shot himself on Oct. 3 after what investigators say were weeks of physical abuse, humiliation and racial slurs.

Related: Soldier may not face manslaughter charge

At an Article 32 hearing ? the equivalent of a grand jury hearing in the civilian world ? in September, Marines testified Lew had repeatedly fallen asleep while he was on duty. Squad members and officers had tried referring him up the chain of command for discipline and taking him off patrols for more rest.

But on Lew's last night, those efforts escalated, according to charges outlined at the hearing. The Marines were accused of punching and kicking him, making him do push-ups and pouring sand in his face.

Most of the questions raised at the hearing focused on whether the fellow Marines intended to humiliate and harm Lew or discipline him so he would stop falling asleep while on duty.

Before Lew shot himself, he scrawled a note on his arm: "May hate me now, but in the long run this was the right choice I'm sorry my mom deserves the truth."

A Marine commander in retrospect speculated Lew may have been falling asleep because he suffered from depression or some other medical condition.

Chu has issued a statement saying no one deserves being "hazed and tortured" like her nephew was, and the military justice system must hold "any wrongdoers accountable."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46188830/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

zip code finder zip code finder blackhawks tigers tigers rangers nlcs

[OOC] The Encounters

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?The Encounters?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "The Encounters"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

???Yakumezi???

Edward Yakumezi

Member for 0 years

---

---

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: 13lazer31, Abalyth, Abyss of Dreams, Ace, Adig01, Agent*, Alan23, Alexander_Right, almostinsane, Alpha Type Shurelia*, AmiOfTheRain, Andaho*, AngelicPride*, Aniihya*, animorph11*, Annaky*, Archlkan*, Athra*, B14ck J0k3r, Barel, BekaL101, bellelaine, BilgeWater*, Billie_blujean, birdguard, Black_Blooded_Queen, Blackbird26*, blackwolf*, Boxer, Brass pole at law, Bromander Shepard, Brony Otaku, BSDJoker, Calvazara*, Canibelle*, ChaosxChild13, Chiba Tomoe, Chulance*, CriminalMinds*, Crooked Thoughts*, danm36*, dealing with it, DeepResign, DemiKara*, dig17*, DonkeyKongDude, Doodlepad, DragonWriter, Draruto, Drowssword, dudedude889, duskdriver, Eiris*, Eleera Cain*, Erlanis, Essence*, Fatal_Flaw_Enki, FizzGig*, Forget~Me~Not*, FunnyGuy*, Furry Dragon, Gamer_Templar*, Gasmask*, GenericUserName*, Gigabot [Bot], girlwt, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, Grimpunker96, Hadespwr*, Halfanelf, HerHeroine, Hitomi-san, Imagine That!, inara1917*, I'm a Radical Dame!, Jadeling Hawkins*, JayZeroSnake, Jeffrey!, Jo_Tunn*, kathrin, Ken Shiro, KenXin*, Kesteven*, Kincaid, Kirinak*, kkpigs, KrazyTigger*, Lawlietkun, LeNarcissus*, Lifecharacter, Lightning Flash*, Lovely ?, LSunday, Lupine*, Majestic-12 [Bot], MarchHare*, Marionette, McDevious*, Mr. Crow*, MSNbot Media, MusicLover*, Nevan*, Nobu*, NorthernSoul, NotAFlyingToy*, NotSoHeartless*, NymaLaputa, Oddmouse, OdiOdi, Oran Tarlin, OurLadyofSorrows, PeTeTe809, PolarOpposites*, Princess Awinita*, PrincessX18, rabble_rouser, RainWish, Random Kat, Rawr413*, Rem?us*, Robinwing*, Romaneck, Ropeburn*, Rougeshadow*, Sabimaru, Saviarre*, Script*, Scumbag_Brain, Scythe Massak?r*, Sebastian Vettel, Sebito, Sephula, Shadetree76, shmband, silverangel_of_light*, SinAngel*, Skylite, Smileybird*, Something?, Sora112112, spudjohnson, Starryskies*, Steppin' Razor*, Stilts, StrawberryFoxglove, Sullenkiller*, SuperQ19*, supertoastgirl, sweetgal, Syn_Maxwell, T?far?s, Talisman*, Tearen Wover*, The Angry Penguin*, The Illusionist*, The Painkiller, the_judged*, TheDarkWorgen*, TheRaven&ThePawn, Thorait, tomatomash, Trickster*, TRUE-ASSASSIN, Tyliana*, Tyro, UsagiArwen*, Usui*, VampyrKidd*, ViceVersus, victim130*, VitaminHeart*, Walking-travesty, Wheatley, WindOnFire*, Winds Of Fate, Wudgeous, XavierDantius32*, Ylanne, zerr0max*, ? ????????? ?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/swPjKjJAME8/viewtopic.php

earned income credit florida primary 2012 eli whitney occupy dc trisomy 18 jack white the villages florida

Japanese auto suppliers to pay price-fixing fine

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Two Japanese auto suppliers have agreed to pay more than half a billion dollars in criminal fines for a price-fixing conspiracy in the sale of parts to U.S. automakers, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Yazaki Corp. agreed to pay a $470 million fine, the second-largest criminal fine obtained for an antitrust violation. The second company, DENSO Corp., agreed to pay a $78 million fine. Four Yazaki executives, all Japanese citizens, will serve up to two years in U.S. prison as part of the deal to plead guilty to one felony count.

The pleas are part of an ongoing investigation that is the largest ever in the Justice Department antitrust division. Sharis Pozen, the division's acting head, told reporters in a briefing that "pernicious cartel conduct" in the auto parts industry has harmed car buyers and auto manufacturing businesses nationwide. "The numbers that we are talking about here are astronomical," she said.

Court documents filed in federal court in Detroit say the Japanese companies and executives sold automotive electrical components to automakers in the United States and elsewhere at inflated prices. The Justice Department says they met to monitor and enforce adherence to the bid-rigging and price-fixing scheme from at least January 2000 through February 2010.

"This criminal activity has a significant impact on the automotive manufacturers in the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe and had been occurring at least a decade," the FBI's Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena said in a statement. "The conduct had also affected commerce on a global scale in almost every market where automobiles are manufactured and/or sold."

The Justice Department would not comment on which automakers were affected by the conspiracy, how many models were affected and how much the price-fixing scheme inflated vehicle prices because the investigation continues. But Pozen said there's no doubt consumers were hurt financially.

Prosecutors say Yazaki's bid rigging included automotive wire harnesses used to direct and control a vehicle's electronic components, instrument panel clusters that drivers use on the dashboard to gauge vehicle performance and fuel senders that measure the amount of gas in the tank. DENSO's alleged price-fixing involved electronic control units that control electronic systems and heater control panels that control temperature inside the vehicle from the center console.

It's almost impossible to calculate how much more automakers had to pay for the parts, said Jim Gillette, an analyst with the firm IHS Automotive. But the scheme likely drove up costs for consumers since the prices were illegally fixed on expensive electrical parts and have risen in cost as cars have become more complex in recent years, he said.

Gillette estimated that price-fixing of wiring harnesses alone cost carmakers hundreds of millions of dollars. Climate control units are even more expensive because they have become more than just dials and switches in recent years. Even entry-level cars have digital controls that allow drivers and passengers to set their own temperatures, he said.

The two-year sentences against the executives would be the longest term of imprisonment ever imposed on a foreign national voluntarily submitting to U.S. jurisdiction for a Sherman Act antitrust violation, the Justice Department said.

The executives are Tsuneaki Hanamura, a branch manager at Yazaki North America in Columbus, Ohio, and a Honda division sales manager in Japan; Ryoji Kawai, director of Toyota Sales of Yazaki North America in Lexington, Kentucky, and vice division head of Yazaki's Toyota Business Unit in Japan; Shigeru Ogawa, assistant section manager and later section manager in Yazaki's Honda Business Unit in Japan and branch manager in Yazaki's Honda Sales Unit and later director at Yazaki North America in Columbus; and Hisamitsu Takada, assistant manager in Yazaki's Toyota Business Unit, director of Yazaki North America in Lexington, and manager of a sales department of Yazaki's Toyota Business Unit in Japan.

Hanamura and Kawai have each agreed to serve two years, and Ogawa and Takada have each agreed to serve 15 months. Each of the four has also agreed to pay a $20,000 criminal fine.

In November, Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $200 million fine for its role in the wire harnesses price-fixing and bid-rigging conspiracy. Three Furukawa executives also pleaded guilty and serve prison terms in the United States.

The largest fine in antitrust history was $500 million in 1999 against Swiss drug company F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. for leading a worldwide conspiracy to raise and fix prices for vitamins.

___

AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-30-Auto%20Parts%20Price-Fixing/id-3f861affe6cb42c59a7079e227b5e4fd

prickly pear jcole jcole j cole j. cole j. cole austin weather

Indy battens down hatches for Super Bowl security (AP)

INDIANAPOLIS ? From pickpockets and prostitutes to dirty bombs and exploding manhole covers, authorities are bracing for whatever threat the first Super Bowl in downtown Indianapolis might bring.

Some ? nuclear terrorism, for instance ? are likely to remain just hypothetical. But others, like thieves and wayward manhole covers, are all too real.

Though Indianapolis has ample experience hosting large sporting events ? the Indianapolis 500 attracts more than 200,000 fans each year, and the NCAA's men's Final Four basketball tournament has been held here six times since 1980_ the city's first Super Bowl poses some unique challenges.

Unlike the Final Four, which is compressed into a weekend, the Super Bowl offers crowd, travel and other logistical challenges over 10 days leading up to the Feb. 5 game. And unlike the 500, where events are largely concentrated at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway about seven miles from Lucas Oil Stadium, the NFL's showcase event will consume 44 blocks ? about a mile square ? in the heart of the city, closing off streets and forcing an anticipated 150,000 or more NFL fans to jockey with downtown workers for space much of the week.

"This is clearly bigger in terms of the amount of people who will be downtown over an extended period of time," city Public Safety Director Frank Straub said.

Under a security risk rating system used by the federal government, the Super Bowl ranks just below national security events involving the president and the Secret Service, said Indianapolis Chief of Homeland Security Gary Coons. The ratings are based on factors including international attention, media coverage, number of people the event attracts and visits by celebrities and foreign dignitaries, he said. The Indianapolis 500 ranks two levels below the Super Bowl.

The city has invested millions of dollars and worked with local, state and federal agencies to try to keep all those people safe. Up to 1,000 city police officers will be in the stadium and on the street, carrying smartphones and other electronic hand-held devices that will enable them to feed photos and video to a new state-of-the-art operations center on the city's east side or to cruisers driven by officers providing backup, Straub said. Hundreds of officers from other agencies, including the state police and the FBI, will be scanning the crowd for signs of pickpocketing, prostitution or other trouble.

One concern has been a series of explosions in Indianapolis Power & Light's underground network of utility cables. A dozen underground explosions have occurred since 2005, sending manhole covers flying.

Eight explosions have occurred since 2010. The latest, on Nov. 19, turned a manhole cover into a projectile that heavily damaged a parked car and raised concerns about the safety of Super Bowl visitors walking on streets and soaring above the Super Bowl village on four zip lines installed for the festivities.

Since December, IPL has spent about $180,000 to install 150 new locking manhole covers, primarily in the Super Bowl village and other areas expected to see high pre-game traffic.

IPL officials say the new Swiveloc manhole covers can be locked for security reasons during the Super Bowl. In case of an explosion, the covers lift a couple of inches off the ground ? enough to vent gas out without feeding in oxygen to make an explosion bigger ? before falling back into place.

An Atlanta consultant hired by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission last summer to audit IPL's underground network of cables for a cause of the explosions says the new covers are merely a Band-Aid.

"We've argued it's better to prevent," said Dan O'Neill of O'Neill Management Consulting, which filed its report in December.

O'Neill's team couldn't pinpoint an exact cause for the explosions but said a flawed inspection process contributed, noting that IPL workers missed warning signs such as road salt corroding an old cable or leaks in nearby steam pipes. In a report filed Jan. 19 with Indiana utility regulators, the power company said it had overhauled its inspection process.

IPL will dispatch extra crews to the area around the stadium in case of power-related problems, such as a recent breaker fire that left 10,000 customers in homes south of downtown without power. Spokeswoman Crystal Livers-Powers said the company doesn't anticipate any power issues.

Straub, the public safety director, said he's confident the city is prepared and notes that Indianapolis hosts major events "pretty regularly."

Special teams from the Department of Energy will sweep Lucas Oil Stadium and the surrounding area for nuclear terror threats, and a new $18 million high-tech communications center that opened in time for the lead-up to the game will tie it all together.

"We're using more technology, and state of the art technology, than has been used in any Super Bowl before this one," Straub said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_super_bowl_security

rickross uganda rick ross black hawk down black hawk down dennis the menace dylan ratigan

Who's pressuring Brad to marry Angelina?

After sporting a cane for a few months due to a knee injury, Brad Pitt?s walking stick has become a play toy for his and Angelina Jolie?s kids as Brad begins the process of strengthening his atrophied leg.

Story: 'The Help' earns top honor at SAG Awards

?I was getting all lopsided,? Brad, 48, explained to Access Hollywood?s Shaun Robinson at the 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. ?So, I?m trying to balance out now.?

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Big Screen Gentlemen: Hollywood?s Leading Men

1. More Entertainment stories
   1. 'Scary Potter' movie comes to theaters

      Best bets: Daniel Radcliffe is onscreen with "Woman in Black," while Madonna is behind the camera with "W.E." And on the s...

   2. Anyone? Ferris Bueller returning ... to TV
   3. Demi Moore 911 call: 'She smoked something'
   4. Fran Drescher: Aliens implanted me with chip
   5. Readers bid farewell to 'Kotter's' Juan Epstein

The actor ? who, in addition to his SAG Award nomination for ?Moneyball,? was also nominated for two Academy Awards this year ? revealed the Jolie-Pitt family enjoyed a good old-fashioned pancake breakfast to celebrate his Oscar nod.

Slideshow: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (on this page)

?I got ?em all jacked up on sugar,? he told Shaun. ?I?m surprised they weren?t sent home from school!?

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Brangelina?s Family Album

Earlier on Sunday, the actor revealed to ?CBS Morning News? correspondent Lee Cowan he?s been receiving ?a lot of pressure? from his kids to marry Angelina ? a comment the actor is beginning to regret.

Brad Pitt on quitting 'way too much dope'

?Why did I say that?? Brad laughed, when asked about the already-highly-publicized marriage reveal. ?No, but there?s an issue of equality in marriage, and we wanted to hold out until everyone had the right.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie

?I was just commenting on, one, it?s really difficult (to wait) when you love someone, and two, that we?re getting a lot of heat from the kids,? he explained.

Copyright 2012 by NBC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46187484/ns/today-entertainment/

somali pirates navy seals navy seal team 6 tim gunn tim gunn built to last obama state of the union address 2012

93% Pina

All Critics (69) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (5) | DVD (1)

This meditation on movement and space, transportation and transcendence is not to be missed.

What the filmmaker has created is an inspired simulacrum - a jewel-box that contains more of Bausch's kinetic soul than film has any right to.

Crane and steadycam allow Wenders to get so close to the action that in the minimalist Caf? M?ller, one's illusion of being on stage is uncanny.

"Pina"is the best possible tribute to Bausch, and to adventurous image-making.

I watched the film in a sort of reverie.

Whether you're familiar with Pina Bausch's work or not, the new film "Pina" is a knockout.

This seems like a ripping good idea. In practice, "Pina" turns out to have a few problems.

Suggests thrilling new possibilities for the marriage of movies and dance.

Even for someone who would rather count sheep than attend a ballet, these scenes are nothing short of astonishing, beautifully presenting dance's ability to depict words.

You won't hear the names Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor or Bob Fosse breathed herein.

An exhilarating experience, both in its celebration of Bausch's groundbreaking work and in the thrilling way that Wenders captures it on camera.

It's not an overview of Bausch's career or a statement on her art, but a celebration of her work and the dancers who bring it to life.

This is a stunning film, a glorious homage to modern dance and one of its premier authors and the best justification of 3D technology to date.

With a breakout use of 3D for artistic rather than solely commercial blockbuster purposes, German director Wim Wenders gives extraordinary life to the work of choreographer Pina Bausch.

More Critic Reviews

No quotes approved yet for Pina. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pina_3d/

pueblo co pueblo co pineapple express martyn martyn ecri stacey dash

Plummer, Spencer win early SAG film awards (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Hollywood's actors began picking the best performances of 2011's movies when the curtain came up on the annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday with Christopher Plummer taking home the first film honor for supporting actor.

Plummer, 82, who plays an elderly man who comes out of the closet as a gay man much to the chagrin of his family, thanked his fellow actors from the stage, calling them a wacky but wonderful bunch of artists.

"I just can't tell you what fun I've had being a member of the world's second oldest profession," Plummer joked on stage. "When they honor you, it's like being lit by the holy grail. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

The second film award went to Octavia Spencer for supporting actress in a movie, "The Help," that proved to be a surprise over Berenice Bejo of silent film romance, "The Artist."

Many of Hollywood's biggest film stars including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Michelle Williams turned out on the red carpet, as did TV's Julianna Margulies, Lea Michelle and other TV actresses and actors.

As with previous Hollywood honors programs, many of the women showed off low-cut or strapless gowns. Some wore vintage or sequined dresses. Colors -- violets, reds and teals -- proved popular. The men wore tuxedos or stylish suits with bow ties.

The SAG honors are closely watched in the race for Oscars, and this year they followed Golden Globe, Critics' Choice and other awards from media watchers, as well as acknowledgements from U.S. producer and director guilds that represent their respective professional groups in industry matters.

Because actors make up the biggest branch of voters at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Oscars, the SAG awards are closely watched. And coming on the heels of so many other programs, this year's SAG winners could help solidify frontrunner status of silent movie "The Artist" or possibly turn the voting tide in favor of other hopefuls.

TOP CATEGORIES TO COME

Awards in top film categories will be given out later, and "The Artist," a romantic tale of a fading actor in the slumping silent movie era whose career is eclipsed by the woman he loves, aims to do well with actors in two more groups, ensemble cast and lead actor.

But it faces stiff competition from civil rights-era drama "The Help," which has four nominations, more than any movie, as well as from George Clooney-starring "The Descendants".

The actors in all three of those movies, along with the performers in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" and the ladies of comedy "Bridesmaids," will compete for the night's top honor, best ensemble cast in a film.

In other SAG races, Clooney, playing a father struggling to keep his family together, squares off against Jean Dujardin of "Artist" fame and Brad Pitt for his role as a numbers-crunching baseball executive in "Moneyball." The other two nominees in that category are Demian Bichir in the little seen "A Better Life" and Leonardo DiCaprio for "J. Edgar."

The SAG race for best actress is seen as a tight one among Meryl Streep playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady," Viola Davis as a maid in "The Help" and Michelle Williams for her turn as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week with Marilyn."

Rounding out that category are Glenn Close in a gender-bending role as a butler in "Albert Nobbs" and Tilda Swinton as a troubled mother in dark drama, "We Need to Talk about Kevin."

SAG also hands out awards for performances in TV dramas, comedies and mini-series. But because of SAG's importance in the Oscar race, the film categories are most closely followed.

The Oscars will be given out on February 26 in Hollywood.

(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte and Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Sandra Maler and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/media_nm/us_sagawards

epic beard man new york jets nfl standings giants vs jets ny jets ny jets chargers

Soldiers, rebels killed in battle for Damascus suburbs

The crisis in Syria takes a dramatic turn for the worse. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

By Associated Press

In dozens of tanks and armored vehicles, Syrian troops stormed rebellious areas near the capital Sunday, shelling neighborhoods that have fallen under the control of army dissidents and clashing with fighters. At least 62 people were killed in violence nationwide, activists and residents said.

The widescale offensive near the capital suggested the regime is worried that military defectors could close in on Damascus, which has remained relatively quiet while most other Syrian cities descended into chaos after the uprising began in March.

The rising bloodshed added urgency to Arab and Western diplomatic efforts to end the 10-month conflict.

The violence has gradually approached the capital. In the past two weeks, army dissidents have become more visible, seizing several suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus and setting up checkpoints where masked men wearing military attire and wielding assault rifles stop motorists and protect anti-regime protests.

Their presence so close to the capital is astonishing in tightly controlled Syria and suggests the Assad regime may either be losing control or setting up a trap for the fighters before going on the offensive.

Residents of Damascus reported hearing clashes in the nearby suburbs, particularly at night, shattering the city's calm.

"The current battles taking place in and around Damascus may not yet lead to the unraveling of the regime, but the illusion of normalcy that the Assads have sought hard to maintain in the capital since the beginning of the revolution has surely unraveled," said Ammar Abdulhamid, a U.S.-based Syrian dissident.

"Once illusions unravel, reality soon follows," he wrote in his blog Sunday.

Related: Arab League halts observer mission due to violence

Soldiers riding some 50 tanks and dozens of armored vehicles stormed a belt of suburbs and villages on the eastern outskirts of Damascus known as al-Ghouta Sunday, a predominantly Sunni Muslim agricultural area where large anti-regime protests have been held.

Some of the fighting on Sunday was less than three miles (four kilometers) from Damascus, in Ein Tarma, making it the closest yet to the capital.

"There are heavy clashes going on in all of the Damascus suburbs," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who relies on a network of activists on the ground. "Troops were able to enter some areas but are still facing stiff resistance in others."

The fighting using mortars and machine guns sent entire families fleeing, some of them on foot carrying bags of belongings, to the capital.

"The shelling and bullets have not stopped since yesterday," said a man who left his home in Ein Tarma with his family Sunday. "It's terrifying, there's no electricity or water, it's a real war," he said by telephone on condition of anonymity, for fear of reprisals.

The uprising against Assad, which began with largely peaceful demonstrations, has grown increasingly militarized recently as more frustrated protesters and army defectors have taken up arms.

In a bid to stamp out resistance in the capital's outskirts, the military has responded with a withering assault on a string of suburbs, leading to a spike in violence that has killed at least 150 people since Thursday.

The United Nations says at least 5,400 people have been killed in the 10 months of violence.

The U.N. is holding talks on a new resolution on Syria and next week will discuss an Arab League peace plan aimed at ending the crisis. But the initiatives face two major obstacles: Damascus' rejection of an Arab plan that it says impinges on its sovereignty, and Russia's willingness to use its U.N. Security Council veto to protect Syria from sanctions.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby told reporters Sunday in Egypt that contacts were under way with China and Russia.

"I hope that their stand will be adjusted in line with the final drafting of the draft resolution," he told reporters before leaving for New York with Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim.

The two will seek U.N. support for the latest Arab plan to end Syria's crisis. The plan calls for a two-month transition to a unity government, with Assad giving his vice president full powers to work with the proposed government.

Because of the escalating violence, the Arab League on Saturday halted the work of its observer mission in Syria at least until the League's council can meet. Arab foreign ministers were to meet Sunday in Cairo to discuss the Syrian crisis in light of the suspension of the observers' work and Damascus' refusal to agree to the transition timetable, the League said.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "concerned" about the League's decision to suspend its monitoring mission and called on Assad to "immediately stop the bloodshed." He spoke Sunday at an African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

While the international community scrambles to find a resolution to the crisis, the violence on the ground in Syria has continued unabated.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 27 civilians were killed Sunday in Syria, most of them in fighting in the Damascus suburbs and in the central city of Homs, a hotbed of anti-regime protests. Twenty-six soldiers and nine defectors were also killed, it said. The soldiers were killed in ambushes that targeted military vehicles near the capital and in the northern province of Idlib.

The Local Coordination Committees' activist network said 50 people were killed Sunday, including 13 who were killed in the suburbs of the capital and two defectors. That count excluded soldiers killed Sunday.

The differing counts could not be reconciled, and the reports could not be independently confirmed. Syrian authorities keep tight control on the media and have banned many foreign journalists from entering the country.

Syria's state-run news agency said "terrorists" detonated a roadside bomb by remote control near a bus carrying soldiers in the Damascus suburb of Sahnaya, killing six soldiers and wounding six others. Among those killed in the attack some 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of the capital were two first lieutenants, SANA said.

In Irbil, a Kurdish city in northern Iraq, about 200 members of Syria's Kurdish parties were holding two days of meetings to explore ways of supporting efforts to topple Assad.

Abdul-Baqi Youssef, a member of the Syrian Kurdish Union Party, said representatives of 11 Kurdish parties formed the Syrian Kurdish National Council that will coordinate anti-government activities with Syria's opposition.

Kurds make up 15 percent of Syria's 23 million people and have long complained of discrimination.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/29/10262653-soldiers-rebels-killed-in-fight-to-control-damascus-suburbs

gisele bundchen saints willis mcgahee willis mcgahee new orleans saints ship aground off italy nfl live

Video: Ferris Bueller returning

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46173845#46173845

republican candidates gla virginia tech mike martz hokies quadrantid norv turner

What is open source? [Android A to Z]

What is open source? Open-source software is software that makes the source code freely available, for anyone to see and use. There are different open-source licenses that have different use conditions, from the GPL (GNU General Public License) -- which allows "free distribution under the condition that further developments and applications are put under the same license" -- to more liberal licenses like the Apache License, which doesn't require modifications to be open and have the source code available.  Android uses both of these licenses, and we'll have a look at them in turn.

The Linux kernel that is used in the OS is covered under the GPL.  This means that any changes made to the source code must be made available when a binary (geek-speak for a compiled, executable piece of software) is released to the public.  This means manufacturers like HTC, Samsung, Motorola and the rest must release the kernel source-code for any devices they sell at the same time they begin selling them.  For the most part, hardware manufacturers are pretty good about doing so, but they often miss the time frame and release the source code a little later than we would like.  These are the code releases you see us mention -- the kernel and other open-source "bits" that are covered under the GPL.

The Android OS source code is released mostly under the Apache License.  Anybody is allowed to download the source code and change it however they like, but they are not required to make their changes available in source code form to the public.  This is why we can't change and recompile things like HTC Sense or MotoBlur -- the changes to the base Android source code aren't available to us.  While many folks (myself included) don't like this situation very much, it does make sense from a business standpoint.  If manufacturers had to share all of their secrets, there wouldn't be as much monetary incentive to innovate, so the source was offered with a far more liberal license.  It certainly worked, as we see devices from many major players in the electronics world.

Previously on Android A to Z: What is NFC?; Find more in the Android Dictionary

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/wBwcHYL7XT4/story01.htm

sturgis sturgis rob lowe fox news sanctum the notebook duke basketball

Cosmology in a Petri dish

Friday, January 27, 2012

Scientists have found that micron-size particles which are trapped at fluid interfaces exhibit a collective dynamic that is subject to seemingly unrelated governing laws. These laws show a smooth transitioning from long-ranged cosmological-style gravitational attraction down to short-range attractive and repulsive forces. The study by Johannes Bleibel from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany, and his colleagues has just been published in the journal EPJ E? .

The authors used so-called colloidal particles that are larger than molecules but too small to be observed with the naked eye. These particles are adsorbed at the interface between two fluids and assembled into a monolayer. This constitutes a 2D model in which particles that are larger than a micron deform the interface through their own weight and generate an effective long-range attraction which looks like gravitation in 2D. Thus, the particles assemble in clusters.

To model long-range forces between particles, the researchers used numerical simulations based on random movement of particles, known as Brownian dynamics. Here, they took advantage of the formal analogy between so-called capillary attraction ? the long-ranged interaction through interface deformation ? and gravitational attraction. They used a particle-mesh method as employed in simulations of what are known as self-gravitating fluids, corresponding to the collapse of a system under its own gravity, traditionally used in cosmological studies.

The authors also found that this long-range interaction no longer matters beyond a certain length determined by the properties of both the particles and the interface, and short-range forces come into play. This means that for systems exceeding this length, particles first tend to self-assemble into several clusters which eventually merge into a single, large cluster.

The study of monolayer aggregates of micron-size colloids is used as a template for nanoparticles deposited onto substrates in nanotechnology applications.

###

Bleibel J, Dom?nguez A, Oettel M, Dietrich S (2011). Collective dynamics of colloids at fluid interfaces, European Physical Journal E (EPJ E) 34:125, DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2011-11125-2

Springer: http://www.springer.com

Thanks to Springer for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 29 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117098/Cosmology_in_a_Petri_dish

world aids day horse slaughter horse slaughter world aids day 2011 chester mcglockton chester mcglockton arsenic

Stock index futures signal steady open (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stock index futures pointed to a steady open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.02 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.05 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.2 percent at 4 a.m. ET.

European stocks dipped in early trade following strong increases in the previous session, as gains sparked by the Federal Reserve's pledge of low interest rates gave way to worries about Portugal, seen as the potential next domino in the euro zone crisis, and uncertainty over Greek debt talks. (.EU)

The Federal Reserve's latest efforts to bolster the recovery with unprecedented policy tools will hurt the U.S. economy in the long run, a former member of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's inner circle suggested on Thursday.

3M Co's (MMM.N) board of directors are divided over whether to extend the contract of chief executive George Buckley once it expires in a month, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The economy likely grew at its fastest pace in nearly two years at the end of 2011, but a rebuilding of stocks by businesses and weak exports could be early warning signs of a slowdown in early 2012. U.S. gross domestic product is expected to have expanded at a 3.0 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, according to a Reuters poll.

The yield on the benchmark U.S. Treasury note was steady in Asia on Friday, while the yield on five-year paper was slightly above a multi-decade low as investors awaited U.S. data later in the session that is likely to show the economy has picked up.

Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Jeffrey Lacker said on Friday he voted against the central bank's decision this week to keep rates near zero until at least late 2014 because he believes rates will need to rise before then.

Juniper Networks (JNPR.N) and Riverbed Technologies (RVBD.O) disappointed investors with gloomy first quarter outlooks that were below expectations, raising fears that demand for companies that help manage Internet traffic may be weak for some time.

Cirrus Logic Inc (CRUS.O) forecast fourth-quarter revenue higher than analysts' estimates as the analog chipmaker expects to launch several new products during the period.

Delphi Automotive PLC (DLPH.N) reported a nearly four-fold increase in fourth-quarter earnings on stronger sales of vehicle electronics and engine systems in its first results since returning as a public company.

Sallie Mae (SLM.O), the largest U.S. student lender, raised its quarterly dividend and said its board authorized a $500 million share buyback program.

A Brazilian prosecutor plans to file criminal charges against Chevron Corp (CVX.N) and some of its local managers within weeks, adding the threat of prison sentences to an $11 billion civil lawsuit as punishment for a November offshore oil spill.

A month-long rally on Wall Street appears to be sputtering as stocks slipped on Thursday in what investors called a possible warning of weakness ahead. Weaker-than-expected home sales figures and a group of mixed earnings reports tempered the market's recent buying interest.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 22.33 points, or 0.18 percent, at 12,734.63. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was down 7.60 points, or 0.57 percent, at 1,318.45. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was down 13.03 points, or 0.46 percent, at 2,805.28.

(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

maksim chmerkovskiy aurora borealis s.978 larry ellison go ask alice go ask alice john mccarthy

How the major stock indexes fared on Thursday (AP)

A brief morning rally pushed the Dow Jones industrial average above its highest closing price since the financial crisis Thursday, but stocks closed lower after mixed economic data tempered traders' optimism.

Solid news on factory orders and strong earnings from U.S. manufacturers highlighted one of the economy's bright spots before the market opened. The Dow and broader indexes turned negative after weaker reports on home sales and future economic growth were released in the late morning.

The Dow closed down 22.33 points, or 0.2 percent, at 12,734.63.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed down 7.63 points, or 0.6 percent, at 1,318.43.

The Nasdaq shed 13.03 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 2,805.28.

For the week so far:

The Dow is up 14.15 points, or 0.1 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 3.05 points, or 0.2 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 18.58 points, or 0.7 percent.

For the month and year so far:

The Dow is up 517.07 points, or 4.2 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 60.83 points, or 4.8 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 200.13 points, or 7.7 percent.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_bi_ge/us_wall_street_box

lea michele michael buble michael buble teddy roosevelt rita hayworth rita hayworth lakers rumors

Rubio: Immigration not only issue for Hispanics (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/191764459?client_source=feed&format=rss

san antonio weather austin box austin box the academy is the academy is colorado avalanche colorado avalanche

Bill Gates pledges $750 million to troubled AIDS fund (Reuters)

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) ? Microsoft chairman and philanthropist Bill Gates pledged a further $750 million to the troubled global AIDS fund on Thursday and urged governments to continue their support to save lives.

"These are tough economic times, but that is no excuse for cutting aid to the world's poorest," he said in Davos at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced two days ago that its executive director, Michel Kazatchkine, was stepping down early following criticism over misuse of funds and cuts in funding.

The public-private organization, based in Geneva, accounts for around a quarter of international financing to fight HIV and AIDS, as well as the majority of funds to fight TB and malaria.

But it has been forced to cut back and said last year it would make no new grants or funding until 2014.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is giving $750 million through a promissory note -- a fresh injection in addition to the $650 million that the Gates charity has contributed since the fund was launched 10 years ago.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Jon Boyle; For full Reuters coverage from Davos go to www.reuters.com/davos)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/hl_nm/us_davos_aids

slither chattanooga joey lawrence joey lawrence loma prieta loma prieta harold camping

Hostage rescue: Will US intervene more in Somalia?

The US military has largely left East African nations to bring peace to Somalia. But hostage rescue, such as the SEAL operation Tuesday, is a tool the US military is using more often.

Now that the US Navy Seals have successfully rescued two hostages ? an American and a Dane ? from Somali criminal gangs, will the US military begin to increase its presence in the ongoing Somali civil war?

Skip to next paragraph

Not likely.

For starters, the US has largely delegated regional security to others. The?fight to control Somalia, led by a shaky transitional Somali government and supported by an African Union peacekeeping force, as well as Kenyan and Ethiopian military forces, is primarily an East African affair. In this fight against the radical Al Shabab Islamist militia, the US military plays only a sporadic and peripheral role. Even in the ongoing foreign naval patrols aimed at controlling Somali piracies in the Indian Ocean, the US Navy is just one of many participants in an operation under European Union naval command.

Yet President Obama praised the Special Operations Forces (members of the famed Navy Seal Team 6), and said that commando operations sent a strong message to kidnappers like Somali pirates.?

?The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice,? Mr. Obama said. ?This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people.?

But even as a tool to combat kidnapping in Somalia, the military option has its drawbacks. While it has proven effective in some individual cases, going in with guns has tended to increase the militancy of the?Somali pirates and kidnap gangs, and merely displaced rather than dispersed them.?

?The rise in kidnapping on land in Somalia is in part due to the fact that the operations against piracy on the sea have increased,? says E.J. Hogendoorn, director of the Horn of Africa program for the International Crisis Group. ?The pirate gangs are not trying to take the ships, they are kidnapping the crews and holding them for ransom from the shipping companies, much as the gangs are now kidnapping foreigners on land and holding them for ransom.?

Increased naval sea patrols have managed to protect sea lanes along the crucial route through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and US Navy ships have mounted some surprising rescue missions, including the freeing of Iranian flagged fishing boat Al-Molai on Jan. 5.

But studies have shown that increased military patrolling have not reduced pirate attacks, but may have simply spread them out over a wider area, reaching as far east as the Indian coast and as far south as the Seychelles and the coastline of Mozambique. For every pirate ?mother ship? captured by European Naval forces, there are dozens of others operating with impunity.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/C8h9raA8pWo/Hostage-rescue-Will-US-intervene-more-in-Somalia

meg whitman f8 f8 catherine the great dark shadows ted haggard ted haggard

Finding Paul Simon, seeking "Sugar Man" at Sundance (Reuters)

PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) ? Two documentaries that cast eyes back to South African apartheid and speak to music's healing power have shared the spotlight at the Sundance Film Festival this week among a wide selection of movies about songs, singers and musicians.

Nonfiction films "Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap," in which rapper and actor Ice-T interviews Eminem, Nas, Snoop Dogg and others about the roots of hip hop, and "Shut Up and Play the Hits," about LCD Soundsystem's last concert in New York, have focused on music.

"Filly Brown," about a female hip hop artist, "California Solo" in which Robert Carlyle plays a washed up rock star, and "I Am Not A Hipster," about a tortured singer songwriter, were among fictional films about the lives of musicians.

But it was singer-songwriter Paul Simon who captured the media spotlight with the premiere of documentary "Under African Skies," and another nonfiction film "Searching for Sugar Man" that wowed crowds here. Both of them are linked to South Africa.

"Under African Skies," recounts the making of Simon's groundbreaking 1986 album "Graceland" and shows Simon returning to South Africa where he recorded much of the acclaimed record that sparked controversy for breaking a cultural boycott of that country due to apartheid policies.

The film shows footage of original recording sessions from "Graceland" in South Africa and chronicles Simon's 2011 reunion with the album's musicians for a 25th anniversary concert.

The film makes the case that the album and resulting concert tour were overwhelming forces in bringing together people of various races and that political attacks against Simon by groups including the African National Congress were unwarranted.

"The 'Graceland' phenomenon really came from a musical source and didn't have an overt political point of view," Simon told the Sundance audience about recording in South Africa. "I am actually saying, 'I have no regard for the structures of apartheid, I am here purely on a musical basis.'"

The film cuts back-and-forth between Simon's 2011 reunion trip and the original "Graceland" recording sessions, offering insight into how hit songs like "You can call me Al" were assembled after Simon was inspired by South African music groups including Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

"My first impulse was to go where the music was and the musicians that I wanted to play with, and I didn't know how it was going to come out," Simon, now 70, told the audience.

"What happened with Graceland in becoming a worldwide hit was that the traditional music of South Africa became hip all over the world and South Africa began to take pride in what was a musical form that they considered old hat, really," he said.

"SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN"

In stark contrast to Simon's success as an artist, there is the story of an obscure, 1970s Detroit folk singer known as Rodriguez, who is the focus of "Searching for Sugar Man."

Producers of his only two albums, "Cold Fact" and "Coming From Reality," considered Rodriguez better than Bob Dylan with his poetic lyrics protesting racial and economic inequality. He wrote about a hard life on the streets of Detroit.

His records failed to sell in the United States.

The film about him has won standing ovations from cheering, tearful audiences at Sundance where many have said it was among the best movies they had seen.

"Searching for Sugar Man" begins in South Africa where the folk singer's song, "Sugar Man", was banned on the radio and he became an enigmatic, cult hero in the 1970s to a mostly white, liberal crowd spurred by his anti-establishment message in their questioning of apartheid.

Yet, after his two albums bombed in the U.S., Rodriguez faded into obscurity, never recording again nor knowing about his success in South Africa.

A record retailer in that country, Stephen "Sugar" Segerman termed him, "bigger than Elvis," and set about searching for the Mexican-American singer rumored to have shot himself or set himself afire on stage.

"It's been quite a journey to make this film, it took five years," said director Malik Bendjelloul who painstakingly uses grainy footage, animation and interviews to reconstruct Segerman and music journalist Craig Bartholomew's quest to find out what happened to the singer and his royalties. The film's soundtrack utilizes the folk singer's songs.

"We knew nothing, his name never cropped up anywhere," Segerman said of the search. "There was a mythology around this man for 30 years."

And in a strange twist of Sundance fate, Segerman believes one reason Rodriguez's first album never took off was because it was released near the same time as Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon's seminal smash hit, "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

(Additonal reporting by Zorianna Kit, Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/en_nm/us_sundance_paulsimon

lumpectomy robin williams blaine gabbert netflix stock home affordable refinance program harp harp

Mitt Romney's Tax Returns: Like Father, like Son? (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The tax issue is something Mitt Romney has been accused of avoiding for quite some time. On Jan. 24, he finally revealed his returns. They confirmed what everyone already knew: Mitt Romney makes more than most people and is taxed at a lower rate.

The IRS explains that "tax rates that apply to net capital gain are generally lower than the tax rates that apply to other income. For 2010, the maximum capital gains rate for most people is 15 percent. " For Romney, that number was less than 14 percent; he paid $3 million on $21.7 million he received in mostly investment income.

His father was also a wealthy man, but he was more forthcoming than Mitt has been in providing his financial records while vying for the Republican nomination in 1968. George Romney, in what USA Today reports was a "move without precedent in American politics" at the time, voluntarily disclosed 12 years worth of records when he ran for president in 1968.

Unlike his son, the American Motors President was not accused of being a "vulture capitalist." He actually saved the company from bankruptcy and got millions through stock options. He did, however, lose the Republican nomination that year to Richard Nixon. Perhaps his loss is why Mitt Romney is only providing two years worth of tax returns.

An Associated Press examination of Romney's financial records identified at least six funds set up in the Cayman Islands totaling more than $32 million. A 2010 Congressional Research Report on tax havens revealed that "the annual cost of offshore tax abuses may be around $100 billion per year." The same report lists the Cayman Islands as one of the known tax havens. There is no indication that Romney's Cayman accounts are abusive of our tax system.

However, there are plenty of reasons to think he might not be able to relate to the average American who considers $374,000 quite a bit of money, who pays almost double what he pays in taxes and who isn't in favor of just letting the housing market bottom out. I can't, in good conscience, give my vote to someone who has no idea what it's like to actually have to value money, to someone who would squander ten grand on a bet. And I won't be voting for Romney.

We desperately need our economy to improve, and the only candidates who will get my vote are those who understand that money does matter. Yes, wealth can be measured through children, as Mrs. Romney points out. (It's assumed that she wasn't referring to tax credits.) However, children are like offshore accounts; if you run out of money to invest in them, they can dwindle away to nothing.

My biggest concern about Romney is that he's the multi-millionaire son of a millionaire, both of whom had interest in being the President of the United States. I worry that he can't relate to everyday Americans enough to make good decisions on behalf of the majority who aren't wealthy.

In these tumultuous economic times, we need someone whose greatest desire is to help turn things around for the majority who are struggling. I'm just not convinced that Romney is the man to make that happen.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120125/us_ac/10878497_mitt_romneys_tax_returns_like_father_like_son

cedric benson pinewood derby cars charles addams playoff schedule republican debate tonight tinker tailor soldier spy rich forever rick ross

Davos leaders look to China's investments abroad

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? The head of one of China's biggest private equity firms says Chinese investors are trying to follow the rules when investing abroad.

He spoke at the World Economic Forum, where business and political leaders are turning their attention Thursday to China, Africa and the Arab world.

John Zhao, CEO of Hony Capital, says foreign prejudice about Chinese investments is unfair, but acknowledged that some companies are still learning a game that much of the world has been involved in for decades.

Chinese companies and governments funds have been using vast reserves of cash to buy up foreign companies and invest in foreign government bonds in recent years.

Zhao told a panel that "the vast majority of Chinese companies are trying to follow the rules as they understand it."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-26-EU-Davos-Forum/id-193f40d93749446ea44dd276793a4101

wall street protesters att new york yankees pittsburgh penguins westboro baptist church kurt warner kurt warner

Seal: Reconciliation with Heidi Klum "May Happen"

When Heidi Klum and Seal confirmed their separation on Sunday, it sounded pretty darn final. But Seal says that the love is still there -- and during an appearance on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, he reveals that he and Heidi could still reconcile. Watch the clip below!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/seal-reconciliation-heidi-klum-may-happen/1-a-422131?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aseal-reconciliation-heidi-klum-may-happen-422131

rick perry travis barker get back on board ibooks author rob lowe peyton manning what is sopa marianne gingrich

Could Alzheimer's disease be diagnosed with a simple blood test?

ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2012) ? Spanish researchers, led by Pedro Carmona from the Instituto de Estructura de la Materia in Madrid, have uncovered a new promising way to diagnose Alzheimer's disease more accurately. Their technique, which is non-invasive, fast and low-cost, measures how much infrared radiation is either emitted or absorbed by white blood cells. Because of its high sensitivity, this method is able to distinguish between the different clinical stages of disease development thereby allowing reliable diagnosis of both mild and moderate stages of Alzheimer's.

The work is published online in Springer's journal Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of adult onset dementia and is characterized by the degeneration of the nervous system. In particular, as the disease progresses, the amount of amyloid-? peptide in the body rises. At present, the most reliable and sensitive diagnostic techniques are invasive, e.g. require analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord). However, white blood cells (or mononuclear leukocytes) are also thought to carry amyloid-? peptide in Alzheimer patients.

The researchers used two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy to measure and compare the infrared radiation emitted or absorbed by white blood cells of healthy controls, versus those of patients with mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer's disease. A total of 50 patients with Alzheimer's and 20 healthy controls took part in the study and gave blood samples.

The authors found significant differences in the range of infrared wavelengths displayed between subjects, which were attributable to the different stages of formation of amyloid-? structures in the blood cells. The results showed that, with this method, healthy controls could be distinguished from mild and moderate sufferers of Alzheimer's disease. The method is being explored as a tool for early diagnosis.

The authors conclude: "The method we used can potentially offer a more simple detection of alternative biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Mononuclear leukocytes seem to offer a stable medium to determine ?-sheet structure levels as a function of disease development. Our measurements seem to be more sensitive for earlier stages of Alzheimer's disease, namely mild and moderate."

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Springer Science+Business Media.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Pedro Carmona, Marina Molina, Miguel Calero, F?lix Bermejo-Pareja, Pablo Mart?nez-Mart?n, Isabel Alvarez, Adolfo Toledano. Infrared spectroscopic analysis of mononuclear leukocytes in peripheral blood from Alzheimer?s disease patients. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2012; DOI: 10.1007/s00216-011-5669-9

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125112703.htm

adobe air 2005yu55 advanced search alexander the great personhood amendment haynesworth haynesworth