Monday 28 November 2011

UN conference to deal with carbon reductions (AP)

DURBAN, South Africa ? The U.N.'s top climate official says she expects governments to make a long-delayed decision on whether industrial countries should make further commitments to reduce emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases.

Delegates from about 190 countries are in Durban for a two-week conference beginning Monday. They hope to break deadlocks on how to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

Christiana Figueres, head of the UN climate secretariat, says a decision on extending emission reduction commitments under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol has been postponed for two years. Previous commitments expire next year.

She told reporters Sunday that "it's a tall order for governments to face this," but that they show no interest in yet another delay.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111127/ap_on_sc/af_climate_conference

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'Twilight' keeps shining with $42M second weekend (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? The latest "Twilight" movie has plenty of daylight left with a second-straight win at the weekend box office.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 1" took in $42 million domestically over the three-day weekend and $62.3 million in the five-day Thanksgiving boom time from Wednesday to Sunday. That raised its domestic total to $221.3 million, while it added $71.5 million overseas, lifting its worldwide total to $489.3 million.

Debuting at No. 2 was the family flick "The Muppets," with $29.5 million for the three-day weekend and $42 million over the five-day holiday haul.

Three other family films rounded out the top-five for the three-day weekend: "Happy Feet Two" at 3 with $13.4 million; "Arthur Christmas" at No. 4 with $12.7 million; and "Hugo" at No. 5 with $11.4 million.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111127/ap_en_ot/us_box_office

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Sunday 27 November 2011

[OOC] Relationships

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

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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.

Post here how you think your character will react to each of the other characters. Also post any existing relationship, or relationships you wish to develop with other characters. You can post anything from wanting your character to rival another, or love another. ;D

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Missing SD student turns up at NY Occupy protest (Providence Journal)

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Attorney says suit planned in FAMU band death (Providence Journal)

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Saturday 26 November 2011

The Best Videos of the Week [Video]

Maybe you were visiting with family all week and couldn't check your favorite Gawker Media sites. Or maybe they're all still around and you could use a distraction. Whatever the case, we've got you covered. Here are some of the best videos we watched during the week that was.
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Moroccans hold Arab Spring-inspired election

A Moroccan woman leaves a polling booth before casting her vote in a polling station in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. Moroccans began voting for a new parliament Friday in Arab Spring-inspired elections that are facing a boycott by democracy campaigners who say the ruling monarchy isn't committed to real change. Small sign reads: voting booth. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

A Moroccan woman leaves a polling booth before casting her vote in a polling station in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. Moroccans began voting for a new parliament Friday in Arab Spring-inspired elections that are facing a boycott by democracy campaigners who say the ruling monarchy isn't committed to real change. Small sign reads: voting booth. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

Abdelilah Benkirane, the secretary general of Morocco's Islamist Justice and Development Party, leaves the voting booth in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. Moroccans began voting for a new parliament Friday in Arab Spring-inspired elections that are facing a boycott by democracy campaigners who say the ruling monarchy isn't committed to real change. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

Moroccan Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar, tipped as possibly the next prime minister, casts his ballot in the affluent neighborhood of Souissi, Rabat. Moroccans voted on Friday Nov. 25, 2011 in parliamentary elections brought forward as part of the king's package of reforms to respond to the Arab Spring. (AP Photo/Paul Schemm)

A man clutching his car keys and smartphone votes in the affluent Rabat neighborhood of Agdal early in the morning Friday Nov. 25 2011. Moroccans voted Friday in parliamentary elections brought forward as part of the king's package of reforms to respond to the Arab Spring. (AP Photo/Paul Schemm)

A woman deposits her ballot paper after voting in Rabat, Morocco, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. Moroccans voted for a new parliament Friday in Arab Spring-inspired elections that are facing a boycott by democracy campaigners who say the ruling monarchy isn't committed to real change. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

(AP) ? Moroccans voted for a new parliament Friday in Arab Spring-inspired elections that are facing a boycott by democracy campaigners who say the ruling monarchy isn't committed to real change.

A moderate Islamist party and a pro-palace coalition led by the finance minister are competing for the top spot, but a key test for the authorities' legitimacy will be how many voters cast ballots.

The king amended the constitution over the summer giving the prime minister new powers, including the ability to dissolve parliament and make certain appointments, in response to pro-democracy protests. But the ultimate authority remains with the king.

The election result will be closely watched by Morocco's U.S. and other Western allies, as well as European tourists who cherish its beaches and resorts, to see how this North African kingdom navigates its own Arab Spring.

In the affluent Agdal neighborhood of Rabat, a steady stream of professionals lined up early in the morning at a polling station to vote before work.

"I've always voted, but this time it is more important," said Dr. Mohammed Ennabli. "Before it was the king who chose, now it is the people who choose."

Many people, however, scorned a process they say has been going on for decades without any tangible effect on their lives.

"I won't vote, the promises are never kept ? with or without the new constitution, it is the same," said Abdallah Cherachaoui, an unemployed 45 year old in the lower income district of Akkari. "They are laughing at us."

In the working class city of Sale, across the river from the capital Rabat, there was a steady trickle of voters to the school acting as a polling station, but some stayed outside.

"I voted in 2007 because the candidate was a member of my family, but he also disappointed me and as soon as the elections were over, I never saw him again, so I'm not making that mistake again," said Brahim Errami, 25, from his seat in a nearby cafe. "I pity the people going in and out of that school."

Morocco's reputation as a stable kingdom in North Africa has taken a hit with this year's protests over government corruption and heavy handed security forces. And its once-steady economy is creaking from the amount of money the government has pumped into raising salaries and subsidies to keep people calm amid the Arab world turmoil.

The election campaign has been strangely subdued, unlike the lively politicking in nearby Tunisia when it held the first elections prompted by the Arab uprisings last month.

Morocco with its many political parties and regular elections under the tight control of an all-powerful monarch was once the bright star in a region of dictatorships.

But all that has changed with the Arab uprisings that toppled dictators in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Now a political system that holds elections but leaves all powers in the hands of a hereditary king does not look so liberal.

Some 31 political parties are fielding 5,392 candidates to compete for 395 seats in parliament, including 60 set aside for women and 30 for "youth," under 40.

A complex proportional system of representation means no party is likely to take more than 20 percent of the seats.

Under the new constitution, the king asks the party with the most seats to form the government, which could well be the Islamist Justice and Development party, known by its French initials PJD. But there's uncertainty over whether it can truly change anything in the face of the palace's power.

The Islamists' biggest rival for the top spot is Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar's Rally of Independents, which leads an alliance of seven other pro-palace parties.

"This is a very important election for the Moroccan people and it confirms the choice made for an open process of democratization that is being consolidated by this election," he told The Associated Press after voting. "This is really a moment of great emotion."

Like elsewhere in the Arab world, Moroccans hit the streets in the first half of 2011 calling for more democracy, and King Mohammed VI responded by amending the constitution and bringing forward elections.

But since then the sense of change has dissipated, and while the king remains a respected figure, few have much confidence in parliament or the politicians in it.

"I voted because we need to elect a new parliament, but I voted blank for the simple reason that there is no one I can trust from the people that are being elected," said Chamseddin Baba, the manager of an IT company who voted in the wealthy suburb of Souissi. "I would like to vote for the best, but the best are not there."

The 2007 elections, the first with widespread international observation, had just 37 percent turnout, and some fear it could be even lower this time around.

Now, however, the number of registered voters has dropped from 15 million to 13.5 million, despite population increases, so turnout will almost certainly be higher.

There will be 3,200 election observers, though they will likely only cover a fraction of the 40,000 polling stations scattered across the country.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-25-ML-Morocco-Elections/id-a41decf2f084425883da0ded59a48c3e

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EU's Rehn: Italy moving in right direction (AP)

ROME ? Economic reforms being shepherded by Italy's new premier are "going in the right direction" but more action is needed, the EU's monetary chief said Friday, hours after Italy's borrowing rates skyrocketed during bond auctions.

Olli Rehn also told reporters after meeting Premier Mario Monti in Rome that Italy's economic fundamentals were "solid."

Many investors did not appear to agree with his sentiments, however, and Italy's soaring borrowing rates Friday temporarily battered stock markets in Europe. Investors worried whether Monti, an economist who came to power only a week ago, will succeed in bringing the eurozone's third-largest economy back from the brink of financial disaster.

Monti's medicine ? budget rigor and growth measures while fairly distributing the social pain ? are "the right ones," Rehn said. "I fully endorse them."

Economic reforms announced so far, including liberalizing professions and encouraging employers to hire and making it easier for them to transfer worker are "going in the right direction," the monetary affairs commissioner said, after a day of meetings that included talks with top economic and banking officials. "We expect that more will follow."

Specifically, Rehn said, "Italy needs a comprehensive and wide-ranging package of reforms to kick-start growth and offer young people not only more jobs but better jobs."

Against a backdrop of Europe's escalating debt crisis, Friday's dismal auction results were another sign that Monti's new technocratic government faces a battle to convince investors it has a strategy to cut down the country's euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) debt. They are also likely to fuel calls for the European Central Bank to use more firepower to cool down a rapidly escalating debt crisis.

Driving market fears is the knowledge that Italy is too big for Europe to bail out, like it has done with smaller nations Greece, Portugal and Ireland. Given the size of its debts ? Italy must refinance $300 billion next year alone ? the government has to continually tap investors for money. But when borrowing rates get too high, that can fuel a potentially devastating debt spiral which could bankrupt the country.

Friday's auctions showed that investors see Italian debt as increasingly risky. The country had to pay an average yield of 7.814 percent to raise euro2 billion ($2.7 billion) in two-year bills ? sharply higher than the 4.628 percent it paid in the previous auction in October. And even raising euro8 billion ($10.7 billion) for six months proved exorbitantly expensive, as the yield for that spiked to 6.504 percent, nearly double the 3.535 percent rate last month.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111125/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_financial_crisis

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Egypt releases three U.S. students: source (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? The Egyptian authorities on Thursday released three U.S. students held in Cairo on suspicion of taking part in violence during a protest against the country's ruling military council, a security source said.

The three, students at the American University in Cairo, were paraded Tuesday on Egyptian television. It cited an Interior Ministry official saying they had been detained after throwing petrol bombs at police protecting the Interior Ministry building. The university had previously named them as Gregory Porter, Luke Gates and Derrik Sweeney.

(Writing by Tom Perry)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111124/wl_nm/us_egypt_protest_students

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Closer to a cure for eczema

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Scientists have found that a strain of yeast implicated in inflammatory skin conditions, including eczema, can be killed by certain peptides and could potentially provide a new treatment for these debilitating skin conditions. This research is published today in the Society for Applied Microbiology's journal, Letters in Applied Microbiology.

20% of children in the UK suffer from atopic eczema and whilst this usually clears up in adolescence, 7% of adults will continue to suffer throughout their lifetime. Furthermore, this type of eczema, characterized by dry, itchy, flaking skin, is increasing in prevalence. Whilst the cause of eczema remains unknown, one known trigger factor is the yeast Malassezia sympodialis.

This strain of yeast is one of the most common skin yeasts in both healthy individuals and those suffering from eczema. The skin barrier is more fragile and often broken in those suffering from such skin conditions, and this allows the yeast to cause infection which then further exacerbates the condition. Scientists at Karolinska Institute in Sweden looked for a way to kill Malassezia sympodialis without harming healthy human cells.

The researchers looked at the effect on the yeast of 21 peptides which had either; cell-penetrating or antimicrobial properties. Cell-penetrating peptides are often investigated as drug delivery vectors and are able to cross the cell membrane, although the exact mechanism for this is unknown. Antimicrobial peptides, on the other hand, are natural antibiotics and kill many different types of microbe including some bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Tina Holm and her colleagues at Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute, added these different peptides types to separate yeast colonies and assessed the toxicity of each peptide type to the yeast. They found that six of the 21 peptides they tested successfully killed the yeast without damaging the membrane of keratinocytes, human skin cells.

Tina commented "Many questions remain to be solved before these peptides can be used in humans. However, the appealing combination of being toxic to the yeast at low concentrations whilst sparing human cells makes them very promising as antifungal agents. We hope that these peptides in the future can be used to ease the symptoms of patients suffering from atopic eczema and significantly increase their quality of life."

The next step will be to further examine the mechanism(s) used by the peptides to kill yeast cells, in order to develop a potential treatment for eczema and other skin conditions.

###

Wiley-Blackwell: http://www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Thanks to Wiley-Blackwell 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.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115464/Closer_to_a_cure_for_eczema

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Friday 25 November 2011

Economy means scaled-back Thanksgiving for many (AP)

Some are holding potluck dinners instead of springing for the entire feast. Others are staying home rather than flying. And a few are skipping the turkey altogether.

On this the fourth Thanksgiving since the economy sank, prices for everything from airline flights to groceries are going up, and some Americans are scaling back. Yet in many households, the occasion is too important to skimp on. Said one mother: "I don't have much to give, but I'll be cooking, and the door will be open."

Thanksgiving airfares are up 20 percent this year, and the average price of a gallon of gas has risen almost 20 percent, according to travel tracker AAA. Rail travelers were also affected, with fares on most one-way Amtrak tickets up 2 to 5 percent.

Still, about 42.5 million people are expected to travel, the highest number since the start of the recession.

But even those who choose to stay home and cook for themselves will probably spend more. A 16-pound turkey and all the trimmings will cost an average of $49.20, a 13 percent jump from last year, or about $5.73 more, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, which says grocers have raised prices to keep pace with higher-priced commodities.

In Pawtucket, R.I., Jackie Galinis was among those looking for help to put a proper meal on the table. She stopped at a community center this week seeking a donated food basket. But by the time she arrived, all 300 turkeys had been claimed.

So Galinis, an unemployed retail worker, will make do with what's in her apartment. "We'll have to eat whatever I've got, so I'm thinking chicken," she said.

Then her eyes lit up. "Actually, I think I've got red meat in the freezer, some corned beef. We could do a boiled dinner."

Galinis has another reason to clear out her apartment's freezer: Her landlord is in the process of evicting her and her 3-year-old son. The unemployment rate in Pawtucket, a city struggling with the loss of manufacturing jobs, is 12.1 percent, well above the national average.

Carole Goldsmith of Fresno, Calif., decided she didn't need to have a feast, even if she could still afford it.

Goldsmith, an administrator at a community college in Coalinga, Calif., said she typically hosts an "over-the-top meal" for friends and family. This year, she canceled the meal and donated a dozen turkeys to two homeless shelters. She plans to spend Thursday volunteering before holding a small celebration Friday with soup, bread "and lots of gratitude."

"I think everybody is OK with it," she said. "They understand. Everybody is in a different place than they were a year ago."

In suburban Chicago, the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry got rid of turkey altogether. Last year, the pantry had a lottery in October to distribute 600 turkeys between almost 1,500 families.

The pantry's management has decided to give all of its families a choice between other kinds of meat ? ground turkey, sliced chicken, fish sticks and hamburger patties ? along with the other trappings of a Thanksgiving feast. The decision will save $16,000, money that can go to feeding the hungry for the rest of the year.

"Do we give turkeys and hams to half of the people or do we give them to none of them and put that money back in the general food budget?" said the pantry's executive director, Kathy Russell.

The Greater Chicago Food Depository is paying more for many basic items. Executive Director Kate Maehr said she recently ordered peanut butter that cost 38 percent more than just six months ago. And the increase comes at a bad time, when the economy has forced more families to resort to food pantries, she said.

Andrew Thomas, a mailroom worker for a Washington, D.C., law firm, had hoped to take his two children to see his grandmother in North Carolina. But with Christmas around the corner, Thomas concluded he needed to save money.

"We're just going to eat real good and stay home for this year," he said.

But George Gorham and his fiance, Patricia Horner, weren't deterred. They flew across the country to visit Gorham's son at North Carolina's Fort Bragg.

They used frequent-flier miles and planned to visit tourist attractions in the nation's capital along the way. Horner said they still would have made the trip without the miles, but "it would have been more painful."

Thanksgiving travelers were also at the mercy of the weather. Forecasters warned of rain and scattered thunderstorms in much of the Northeast, with a mixture of snow and freezing rain expected in upstate New York and northern New England. Mountainous areas could see 4 to 8 inches of snow.

In Juneau, Alaska, the Rev. George Silides and his wife will bring turkey to a church potluck, but not much more. Like millions of others, Silides said, the couple was "feeling the economic pinch."

Juneau, Alaska's capital, is an expensive place to live. The only way in or out is by air or boat. Silides' wife now works as an English teacher to support their family of six.

In previous years, Stacy Hansen would either host a large Thanksgiving meal or fly from her Florida home to be with family in Minnesota. Not this year.

Hansen and her teenage son are staying home in Tarpon Springs, Fla., near Tampa. They picked out a 10-pound turkey and two frozen, buy-one-get-one-free pies at the supermarket. She can't afford to fly herself and her son north, and her two grown children can't afford to fly back to Florida.

"It's going to be a quiet Thanksgiving," she said. "We're going to be thankful for what we do have."

Galinis plans a similar holiday using whatever she can find.

"Even if I only had two nickels to rub together, I'd do something," she said. "I don't have much to give, but I'll be cooking and the door will be open."

___

Associated Press writers Deanna Bellandi in Chicago; Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Jeff Karoub in Brandon Township, Mich.; Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, Fla.; Carolyn Thompson in Lackawanna, N.Y.; Eric Tucker in Washington; and Gosia Wozniacka in Fresno, Calif., contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_bi_ge/us_cost_of_thanksgiving

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Debate coach: Who can you believe in debates? (CNN)

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All the Gaming Black Friday Deals

All the Gaming Black Friday Deals Check out these Black Friday gaming deals, courtesy of our taller, more popular, better looking older brothers at Gizmodo, who have a larger list with electronics, as well. [Thanks for writing the intro copy, Gizmodo. ?Ed.] The interactive tool works in most modern browsers, but if you're having problems, the plaintext mode should work in most browsers. Deals will be added throughout the next few days. Not loading? Click here: ? ?
This is not compatible with Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8

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Source: http://kotaku.com/5862098/all-the-gaming-black-friday-deals

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Thursday 24 November 2011

Esther Wojcicki: Why I Am Thankful (Huffington post)

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Summary Box: Bank earnings highest in 4 years (AP)

EARNINGS UP: Banks earnings rose over the summer to their highest level in more than four years, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday. More than 60 percent of banks reported higher earnings

BAD BANKS DOWN: The FDIC also said there were 844 banks on its confidential "problem" list in the quarter, or roughly 11.5 percent of all federally insured banks. That's down from the April-June period and the second straight quarterly decline.

LESS LOSSES: Government regulators say the bulk of the gains were because banks, especially credit card companies, set aside less money for potential losses.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_bi_ge/us_bank_earnings_summary_box

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Coroner: Ark. football player had heart condition

FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2011, file photo, Arkansas tight end Garrett Uekman greets fans after an NCAA college football game against New Mexico in Little Rock, Ark. The Washington County coroner Roger Morris said in a statement Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, a heart condition that likely was undiagnosed killed the Uekman, who died after being found unconscious in his dorm room over the weekend. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2011, file photo, Arkansas tight end Garrett Uekman greets fans after an NCAA college football game against New Mexico in Little Rock, Ark. The Washington County coroner Roger Morris said in a statement Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, a heart condition that likely was undiagnosed killed the Uekman, who died after being found unconscious in his dorm room over the weekend. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

This photo taken Sept. 3, 2011 shows Arkansas tight end Garrett Uekman (88) huddling with the team during warm ups before the start of an NCAA college football game against Missouri State in Fayetteville, Ark. Uekman was pronounced dead Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Ark., after Uekman was found unconscious and unresponsive in his dorm room on campus at approximately 11:15 a.m. The cause of death has not been determined. (AP Photo/April L. Brown)

(AP) ? A heart condition that likely was undiagnosed killed the University of Arkansas football player who was found unconscious in his dorm room over the weekend, a coroner said Tuesday.

Washington County coroner Roger Morris said that to the best of his knowledge, Garrett Uekman's condition, called cardiomyopathy, was not previously detected. In the condition, the heart becomes enlarged.

Uekman, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman tight end, was last seen by his roommate playing video games Sunday morning. He was found unresponsive in his dorm room an hour later and was in cardiac arrest by the time emergency services personnel arrived. He was pronounced dead shortly after noon.

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long has said the university wasn't aware of any pre-existing medical condition for Uekman. A university spokesman declined comment because school officials hadn't yet seen the written report.

Uekman's toxicology report came back with no indications of improper drug use, Morris said. He said the manner of death was natural. University police have said there were no suspicious circumstances about Uekman's death.

Weekend funeral services will be held in Little Rock.

There are several types of cardiomyopathy, though it wasn't clear which type Uekman suffered from, Morris said. One kind, called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, thickens the heart and makes it harder to pump blood, and is often the culprit when young athletes suddenly collapse and die. Symptoms can include an irregular heartbeat and shortness of breath. In many cases, it goes undetected.

"This young man may have not shown any signs (being) in that great of physical shape," Morris said.

Several thousand mourners gathered in Fayetteville on Monday for a candlelight vigil to remember Uekman. His picture remained on the videoboard at the Bud Walton Arena throughout the ceremony, and those in attendance wore stickers that had black ribbons wrapped in red with a white "88" on them, in honor of Uekman's number.

The No. 3 Razorbacks (10-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) face No. 1 LSU (11-0, 7-0) in Baton Rouge, La., on Friday.

___

Follow Jeannie Nuss at http://twitter.com/jeannienuss

___

Associated Press sports writer Kurt Voigt contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-22-T25-Arkansas-Uekman%20Death/id-3001ccb328234faaabdadeb1e2d7386b

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Rats help Colombia sniff out deadly landmines

BOGOTA | Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:57am EST

BOGOTA (Reuters) - In a laboratory on the grounds of a police-guarded complex, 11 white-furred rats wait their turn to impress trainers and perhaps receive a bit of sugar as reward.

The rodents could play an important role in making conflict-wracked Colombia safer. They are in the final stages of a training program to find landmines that kill or injure hundreds of people each year in Colombia.

The government project, which began in 2006, trains specially bred rats to detect the metals used in landmines, thousands of which have been laid during the country's decades-long conflict with left-wing guerrillas.

Colombian scientists decided to use rats because, like the dogs more traditionally used in land mine detection, they have a highly developed sense of smell. But the rats are lightweight and unlikely to detonate mines.

The rats are first taught to recognize voice commands and the specific smells of metals used in landmines, and then to work in large, outdoor areas.

It has taken government scientists five generations of rats to be confident their training program is thorough enough to begin sending rats out into the countryside.

In the laboratory, an element of instinct has been built into the training, with baby rats scurrying after their mothers in plastic mazes during practice sessions. The mothers show their young how finding the dead end containing the same wires and metal pieces used in landmines can earn you a treat.

"These rats will be a great help, and will provide great input to those trying to carry out demining," said Erick Guzman, the police official and former canine handler who now is responsible for much of the rats' outdoor training.

"We are hoping that this generation will be ready at the beginning of next year to be tested in a real environment," he added as his favorite rat Sophie perched on his shoulder.

LANDMINES A CONSTANT MENACE

Experts say it is impossible to estimate the number of undetonated mines which remain in Colombia, but their impact is horrifying real.

In the first half of 2011, for example, mines killed 40 people and injured another 247, government statistics show. That compared with 535 dead and injured throughout 2010.

Experts confirm that most mines are planted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), other guerrilla groups and criminal gangs to deter security forces. The government says 31 of the country's 32 provinces may contain mines.

"Contrary to what you see in other countries that have signed the Mine Ban Treaty, mines continue to be planted in our country ... while other countries continue to get the number of mines down, ours goes up," Luisa Fernanda Mendez, the scientific director of the rat program said.

Landmines are a pressing problem for security forces. More than half, 63 percent according to government figures, of land mine victims are military and police personnel.

Land mine clearance in Colombia is unusually slow-going because mines are sown in very close proximity to each other, making clearance operations treacherous.

The Colombian government cleared less than a tenth of a square mile in all of 2010, but uncovered a total of 194 explosive devices.

Non-government organizations (NGOs) in Colombia have until recently only been allowed to help land mine victims, not to mount demining operations themselves.

"Currently there is no humanitarian demining process except the one undertaken by the armed forces ... we have objections to that demining because, in our judgment, the process is not compatible with international standards for humanitarian demining," said Alvaro Jimenez, the national coordinator of the Colombian Campaign Against Mines.

"Demining should be a development carried out in service of the community, and the community should participate in all the steps."

The Organization of American States hopes to help NGOs expand their fledgling demining operations. They have mounted a program, to be completed by the end of the year, to train and accredit NGO demining teams to work in Colombia.

But despite any critiques of the government's current demining effort, rat project director Mendez has high hopes.

"If we do not begin to master the demining process, we will never complete the terms of the treaty, and moreover, we'll never have a free countryside," she said, while giving the rat crawling up the sleeve of her lab coat an affectionate pat.

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/ERfa_o0FSAg/us-colombia-rats-idUSTRE7AM0NG20111123

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Wednesday 23 November 2011

No respite for Spain on markets despite election result (Reuters)

MADRID (Reuters) ? The election of a new conservative government failed to curb mounting market pressure on Spain on Tuesday with Madrid forced to pay the highest interest in 14 years on a sale of government debt.

The auction of short term paper was seen as the first test of whether Prime Minister-elect Mariano Rajoy could reassure investors after his center-right People's Party (PP) won the biggest victory for 30 years in Sunday's election. The answer was a resounding "no."

The average yield on a three-month bill more than doubled to just over 5 percent from almost 2.3 percent a month earlier. The interest paid on a 6-month bill also soared to over 5 percent from over 3.3 percent paid in October.

With Spain at the heart of a euro zone crisis that is escalating by the day, the final average yields on both bills leapt more than 70 basis points even from secondary market levels on Monday afternoon.

The dismal performance in the auction piled pressure on Rajoy, who does not take power until just before Christmas, to give some detail on his austerity plans -- something he refused to do on Monday night to the frustration of markets.

"Rajoy has to hurry with the measures. The market will not give him much time," said a senior Spanish banker, who asked not to be named.

Fitch ratings agency said the incoming government must outline additional measures to cut Spain's deficit.

"It must positively surprise investors with an ambitious and radical fiscal and structural reform program," it said in a statement.

Jo Tomkins, a strategist at consultancy 4Cast, said borrowing costs were at "eye-popping levels."

"The lack of relief on the back of Sunday's election speaks volumes despite what was a very solid majority win for Rajoy. No doubt about it he will have his work cut out, but a bold if not brazen message could be what is needed to shore up confidence in Spain," she said.

The jump in Spain's short-term borrowing costs has pushed up what banks pay for their funding, piling pressure on its struggling financial sector as well as cash-strapped ordinary people and businesses unable to access loans.

Investors had hoped before the election for a clear victory for the People's Party, which promised tough measures to tackle the worst economic crisis in decades.

ELECTION ROUT

But with no detail so far on Rajoy's plans, the election rout of the ruling Socialists has signally failed to calm jumpy markets as the euro zone crisis gains momentum in the absence of concerted European efforts to confront it.

Italy and Spain's borrowing costs are close to levels that forced Greece and Portugal into an international bailout, putting the euro zone's third and fourth economies in the eye of the storm. Rescuing them would overcome Europe's existing defences.

Rajoy showed no sign of hurrying after his victory on Sunday, saying he will keep impatient markets and edgy Spaniards guessing until he is sworn in just before Christmas.

The PP is not expected to take power formally until as late as December 20, under an agonizingly long transition required by Spanish law.

Rajoy says he will hold his first cabinet meeting on December 23, and has resisted pressure to at least give some crumbs to nervous investors on precisely what he intends to do to cut the deficit and restore market confidence.

The PP's manifesto was short on detail, as Rajoy sat back and relied on anger over a grinding crisis that has put one in five Spaniards out of work -- the highest rate in the European Union -- to rocket him to overwhelming victory.

Before the elections, Rajoy pleaded with markets to give him "preferably more than half an hour" to get his cabinet and program in place.

Whatever the new government does, many analysts say the euro zone crisis is now systemic and beyond the control of individual countries.

"It is worrying that Spain's fate in the coming weeks is not in its own hands. It hinges critically on decisions taken by EU leaders who, time and again, have shown themselves to be inadequate to the task," said Nicholas Spiro of Spiro Sovereign Strategy.

"It's not what Spain does, it's what Europe does," said Bill Blain, senior director at Newedge brokers.

Analysts said markets had priced in a Rajoy victory with an absolute majority and were now looking for concrete policies.

Antonio Hormigos de la Casa, CEO of Mirabaud Asset Management in Spain, said the PP did not want to appear to be reacting to outside pressure to announce either its policy or the name of the new economy minister for fear of "burning" him before he took power.

The new government plans three reforms as soon as it assumes power, Expansion newspaper reported, citing PP sources.

The measures would tighten budgetary limits on Spain's over-spending regional governments, force banks to acknowledge losses on toxic real estate assets on their balance sheets, and speed up reform of the rigid labor market, the paper said.

($1 = 0.7425 euros)

(Additional reporting by Paul Day, writing by Barry Moody, editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111122/wl_nm/us_spain_election

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Buffy the Facebook phone coming?

20th Century Fox Television

By Helen A.S. Popkin

"Slayer" was the working name when Facebook labs first launched its black ops detail, tasked with building a real-life Facebook phone ? something we first heard about almost a year and half ago.??

Short for "Social Layer," Slayer was expected to feature integrated hardware and software, and allow Facebook to monetize in-app payments, All Things D recently reported. With the code name later changed to the less-violent sounding "Buffy" ? in honor of one of the best TV shows ever ? the team worked in its own separate building on Facebook?s Palo Alto campus, access to which came via restricted keycards.

Fourteen months later ? following several poorly-selling HTC handsets with little more than dedicated Facebook sharing buttons ? the long-rumored Facebook phone may soon be more than the stuff of legend.?

"Facebook is now partnering with HTC to build an Android-based phone ? code-named "Buffy" ? around its social operating system platform," AllThingsD reports. Despite Facebook?s frenemy status with Google, the Facebook phone will reportedly operate on a customized Android OS?? and it?s got a real hero?s journey ahead.

More than fashionably late to the party, the Facebook phone would enter a market owned by Apple and Android. What was the hold up? According to AllThingsD, Facebook?s original goal was to build a cellular device better than iPhone.

The project crashed and burned, reportedly because of budget constraints and office politics confounding the overly ambitious attempt to do something outside Facebook?s field of expertise. But "Buffy" is back?? projected to hit the market in 12 to 18 months ? even though there?s no clear indication that anybody wants to buy it.

"Our mobile strategy is simple: We think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social," a Facebook spokesperson told AllThingsD, neither confirming or denying Buffy is on the way. ?We?re working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world."

Conquering mobile may be crucial to Facebook?s ongoing success, however. The social network is one of the most popular apps going, but as AllThingsD notes, in the end it?s just an app.

"Apple has has fought to maintain strict control over payments within its mobile apps, even if those apps run off of Facebook?s platform, and it also made Twitter its social partner," AllThingsD reports. "Google is increasingly a direct competitor, as it is working to promote and integrate its own social network, Google+, across all its products."

While Facebook is now part of our daily lives, it?s hard to imagine anybody wants a phone with deeper integration, which notably means more to the social network than to mobile users. Facebook wants the money that comes from the ability to process in-app payments ? something it doesn?t get with its current partnered phones.

Using a Facebook-customized Android OS, however, may mean that mobile customers won?t have access to the Google apps we now have in our daily lives. A phone without access to Google Maps isn?t a world anybody wants to live in. Besides that, even the most hardcore Facebook users would be hard-pressed to dump the iPhone because it?s better for the social network.

More on Facebook:

via All Things D

Helen A.S. Popkin?goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook.?Also, Google+.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/22/8958230-buffy-the-facebook-phone-coming

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Brilliant Creations Beginner Laptop

Point and click your way to learning fun with the Brilliant Creations Beginner Laptop by VTech ($34.99 list). This innovative learning toy looks like the real thing and comes loaded with 80 activities featured on a brilliant color screen to educate your child in essential skills.

The laptop measures 1.6 by 10.6 by 7.2 inches (HWD). With the Brilliant Creations Beginner Laptop your child is connected to an entire world of learning! This role-play computer features an LCD color screen and educates your child in a fun and colorful way through 80 learning activities that focus on creativity, letters, vocabulary, counting, matching and more! A real working cursor mouse is included on this electronic learning toy for added interactivity.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/2399bXqNt90/0,2817,2396651,00.asp

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Tuesday 22 November 2011

Mother of bomb plot suspect apologizes to NYers

Jose Pimentel is arraigned at Manhattan criminal court, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in New York. Pimentel, an "al-Qaida sympathizer" accused of plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home, was charged with criminal possession of explosive devices with the intent to use in a terrorist manner. (AP Photo/Jefferson Siegel, Pool)

Jose Pimentel is arraigned at Manhattan criminal court, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in New York. Pimentel, an "al-Qaida sympathizer" accused of plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home, was charged with criminal possession of explosive devices with the intent to use in a terrorist manner. (AP Photo/Jefferson Siegel, Pool)

Jose Pimentel, 27, right, represented by attorney Joseph Zablocki, left, is arraigned at Manhattan criminal court, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in New York. Pimentel, an "al-Qaida sympathizer" accused of plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home, was charged with criminal possession of explosive devices with the intent to use in a terrorist manner. (AP Photo/Jefferson Siegel, Pool)

Jose Pimentel, 27, right, represented by attorney Joseph Zablocki, left, is arraigned at Manhattan criminal court, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in New York. Pimentel, 27, an "al-Qaida sympathizer" accused of plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home, was charged with criminal possession of explosive devices with the intent to use in a terrorist manner. (AP Photo/Jefferson Siegel, Pool)

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly holds a component of a mocked up pipe bomb, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in New York. 27-year-old Jose Pimentel of Manhattan, a U.S. citizen originally from the Dominican Republic, was arrested Saturday for allegedly plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly holds a component of a mocked up pipe bomb, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in New York. 27-year-old Jose Pimentel of Manhattan, a U.S. citizen originally from the Dominican Republic, was arrested Saturday for allegedly plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)

(AP) ? The mother of a "lone wolf" accused of plotting to attack police stations and post offices with homemade bombs apologized to New Yorkers on Monday, even as questions arose about why federal authorities ? who typically handle terrorism cases ? declined to get involved in what city officials called a serious threat.

The mother of Jose Pimentel spoke to reporters outside her upper Manhattan home the day after her son was arraigned in state court on terrorism-related charges.

"I didn't raise my son in that way," Carmen Sosa said. "I feel bad about this situation."

She also praised the New York Police Department, saying, "I think they handled it well."

Officials with the NYPD, which conducted the undercover investigation using a confidential informant and a bugged apartment, said the department had to move quickly because Pimentel was about to test a pipe bomb made out of match heads, nails and other ingredients bought at neighborhood hardware and discount stores.

Federal authorities were aware of the probe, but under the circumstances, "it was appropriate to proceed under state charges," District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in announcing the arrest late Sunday.

Two law enforcement officials said Monday that the NYPD's Intelligence Division had sought to get the FBI involved at least twice as the investigation unfolded. Both times, the FBI concluded that he wasn't a serious threat, they said.

The FBI thought Pimentel "didn't have the predisposition or the ability to do anything on his own," one of the officials said.

The officials were not authorized to speak about the case and spoke on condition of anonymity. The FBI's New York office and the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan both declined to comment on Monday.

Pimentel's lawyer, Joseph Zablocki, said his client was never a true threat.

"If the goal here is to be stopping terror ... I'm not sure that this is where we should be spending our resources," he said.

The arrest marked the second time this year that the police department took the unusual step of working with a state prosecutor to bring a terrorism case. In May, two men were indicted on charges they told an NYPD undercover detective about their desire to attack synagogues.

A grand jury declined to indict Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh on the most serious charge initially brought against them ? a high-level terror conspiracy count that carried the potential for life in prison without parole. They were, however, indicted on lesser state terrorism and hate crime charges, including one punishable by up to 32 years behind bars.

Attorneys for Ferhani said hate crime charges and a rarely used state terrorism law were misapplied to what they have called a case of police entrapment.

State prosecutors insist that there's ample evidence that Pimentel went well beyond merely talking about terrorism ? and that he was acting on his own initiative.

"The people whom we're prosecuting have well crossed that line," Adam Kaufmann, head of the district attorney's investigative division, said Monday. "They've gone from sort of espousing an idea to creating a plan to act upon it."

At an arraignment where Pimentel was ordered held without bail, prosecutors said investigators have "countless hours" of audio and video in this case. And in a criminal complaint, an intelligence division detective alleges Pimentel told him after the arrest that he was about an hour away from finishing the bomb and felt Islamic law obligates all Muslims to wage war against Americans to avenge U.S. military action in their homelands.

A former federal prosecutor praised the police and state prosecutors for going through with the investigation and charges.

"A person who puts out conspiratorial information and then takes steps to build a bomb should not be walking the streets of New York," whatever his mental state or his interactions with an informant, said Michael Wildes, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Brooklyn who worked on terrorism-related cases. "Considering the facts that have been revealed to the public, the decision was done well, in this instance, to go ahead with this case and for the FBI not to be the lead agency."

Publicly, NYPD and federal officials claim they have a strong working relationship. But behind the scenes, there has been tension ever since the department mounted its own aggressive anti-terrorism effort, including undercover investigations targeting potential homegrown threats.

The effort is needed, NYPD officials say, because the city remains a prime terrorist target a decade after the Sept. 11 attack. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there have been at least 14 foiled plots against the city, including the latest suspected scheme.

The most serious threats came from Pakistani immigrant Faisal Shahzad, who tried to detonate a car bomb in Times Square in May 2010 and is now serving a life sentence, and Najibullah Zazi, who targeted the subway system a year earlier. Zazi pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges and is awaiting sentencing.

Authorities described Pimentel as an unemployed U.S. citizen and "al-Qaida sympathizer" who was born in the Dominican Republic. He had lived most of his life in Manhattan, aside from about five years in the upstate city of Schenectady.

His mother said he was raised Roman Catholic. But he converted to Islam in 2004 and went by the name Muhammad Yusuf, authorities said.

"He appears to be a total lone wolf," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "He was not part of a larger conspiracy emanating from abroad."

Based on tip from police in Albany, the NYPD had watching Pimentel using a confidential informant for the past year. Investigators learned that he was energized and motivated to carry out his plan by the Sept. 30 killing of al-Qaida's U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, police said.

Pimentel was under constant surveillance as he shopped for the pipe bomb materials. He also was overheard talking about attacking police patrol cars and postal facilities, killing soldiers returning home from abroad and bombing a police station in Bayonne, N.J., authorizes said.

___

Associated Press writers Colleen Long and Jim Fitzgerald contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-21-NYC%20Bomb%20Plot/id-5db8af023cef4d48937afd41aa5aa080

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