Villages gather to protest in Haimen. Riot police fired teargas in an attempt to end the demonstrations, now running into their fourth day. Photograph: AP
Chinese riot police have fired teargas to break up a protest against a planned power station, while a state TV station showed confessions by two detained activists in an attempt to get other protesters off the streets.
Footage from Hong Kong's Cable TV showed police firing several rounds of teargas in Haimen town in the southern province of Guangdong, forcing hundreds of people to flee covering their mouths and noses with their hands.
Hours later, a local TV station carried interviews with two detained protesters, a man named Li and a woman, Yung. Sitting behind bars with their heads bowed and handcuffs in full view, the two took turns to confess. "It was wrong to surround the government and block the highway," Li said, with his eyes lowered.
"I do not know the law. If I knew, I will not block the expressway. If I could have understood this, I wouldn't have been so brash," Yung said, her voice shaking.
In an obvious attempt to end the demonstrations now running into their fourth day, the Shantou TV station also lined up several Chinese legal experts and quoted them as saying that such actions carried a maximum penalty of five years in jail, and urging protesters to surrender.
The protests in Haimen, a coastal town of about 120,000 people under the jurisdiction of Shantou city, intensified this week as people in Wukan village, about 80 miles further along the coast, called off a 10-day blockade of their village in protest against what they said was a land grab by officials.
Protests in China have become relatively common over issues such as corruption, pollution, wages, and land grabs that local officials justify in the name of development. People have become increasingly unwilling to accept the relentless speed of urbanisation and industrialisation and the impact on the environment and health.
Chinese experts put the number of "mass incidents", as such protests are known, at about 90,000 a year in recent years. While Communist party rule is not directly threatened by such incidents of unrest, officials fear they could coalesce into broader, more organised challenges to their power.
Residents of Haimen took to the streets on Tuesday to protest against plans to build a coal-fired power plant after what they complain has been years of air and water pollution from existing power plants in the town.
"Villagers complained that the current power plant had led to a rise in the number of cancer patients, the deterioration of the environment, and a drop in fishing hauls," state Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. "The Shantou city government announced Tuesday evening, shortly after the protest, that the project would be suspended. Some village residents said that they knew nothing about the announcement, while others said they had no trust in the suspension decision."
Hong Kong newspapers reported earlier that the villagers wanted the project to be scrapped altogether and have pledged to keep up their action if police did not release detained protesters. China's state news agency, Xinhua, had reported that police had detained five people for vandalism on Wednesday evening.
VIENNA ? Moody's says it is keeping Austria's triple-A status due to the nation's robust economy and plans to cap budget deficits.
A statement on the rating agency's web site notes Austria's "very high economic strength ... skilled labour force and a competitive export sector ... have helped Austria to grow faster than the European average in recent years."
The statement, issued Friday, says the agency "views positively the recent announcement by the government to introduce a balanced budget requirement into the constitution as well as attempts to limit the sovereign's exposure to the banking system's foreign operations."
Moody's says Austria's outlook remains stable but warns that could depend on the length and severity of the eurozone financial crisis, which could spill over into triple-A countries.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An emotional Melanie Amaro won the TV singing contest "The X Factor" on Thursday, earning a $5 million recording contract and closing the first U.S. season of the heavily hyped Fox show.
Josh Krajcik finished second after a public vote and Chris Rene came in third after a Christmas-themed, two-hour finale that also saw performances by Justin Bieber, Stevie Wonder, Leona Lewis and 50 Cent.
Amaro, 19, a ballad singer whose voice has drawn comparisons to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, had been tipped by the four judges to win after delivering a powerful rendition of Beyonce's hit "Listen" in Wednesday's live show.
On Thursday, she dropped to her knees in prayer and wept with joy, speechless at her victory.
More than 100,000 people auditioned for a chance to compete in "The X Factor," which judge and entrepreneur Simon Cowell brought to American television after making it the most-watched show in his native Britain.
But the U.S. show has fallen short of the ratings and critical expectations set up by Cowell this year. It has drawn an average of 12 million viewers or about half the audience for long-running singing contest "American Idol" that is also on Fox.
Amaro gets a $5 million contract with Cowell's Sony Music-owned record label SyCo and a starring role in a new commercial from sponsor Pepsi.
"We came here to find a superstar and we found a superstar," said a delighted Cowell after Amaro won the contest.
Krajcik, 30, a bluesy rock singer who worked in a burrito restaurant before joining the show, also congratulated Amaro.
"Melanie deserves it. She has a wonderful voice. I have had such an incredible experience. I got to be myself and sing what I wanted to sing. I couldn't be happier," Krajcik said.
Rene, 28, a recovering drug addict and rapper whose original song "Young Homies" has been a YouTube hit, was eliminated at the halfway point of Thursday's live show.
All three contestants had performed two songs apiece on Wednesday. Host Steve Jones did not reveal the number of votes cast by the public by phone, text message, Twitter and online.
"I feel amazing that I got to do this, that I am here," Rene said. "I got to touch a lot of people's hearts out here."
"The X Factor" will return for a second U.S. season in the fall of 2012.
Nokia's seems to have finally realized that it can't just kill off a long-standing name like Symbian with a mere three-word mention (in parentheses) on its official blog. It's now posted up a marginally more detailed statement in response to "heaps of questions" from Nokia fans about the name change, and it reads as follows:
"We are still using Symbian Belle with some audiences like developers but now we also have the flexibility of using Nokia Belle when referring to our greatest and latest Symbian software update."
There, that should clear it up. Or maybe not. The idea of switching between different names for the same product might be considered bad branding, and the notion of developers being an "audience" is confusing too. But what more can you expect from a single sentence? In other news, the update also clarified that Nokia/Symbian Belle will be coming to the Nokia 500, along with the devices mentioned yesterday, and that it's delay until February 2012 was due to this being a "major software update" that will "make such a big difference in the user experience."
Contact: Lynn Yarris lcyarris@lbl.gov 510-486-5375 DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Joint BioEnergy Institute researchers develop CAD-Type tools for engineering RNA control systems
The computer assisted design (CAD) tools that made it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with millions of transistors may soon be coming to the biological sciences. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed CAD-type models and simulations for RNA molecules that make it possible to engineer biological components or "RNA devices" for controlling genetic expression in microbes. This holds enormous potential for microbial-based sustainable production of advanced biofuels, biodegradable plastics, therapeutic drugs and a host of other goods now derived from petrochemicals.
"Because biological systems exhibit functional complexity at multiple scales, a big question has been whether effective design tools can be created to increase the sizes and complexities of the microbial systems we engineer to meet specific needs," says Jay Keasling, director of JBEI and a world authority on synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. "Our work establishes a foundation for developing CAD platforms to engineer complex RNA-based control systems that can process cellular information and program the expression of very large numbers of genes. Perhaps even more importantly, we have provided a framework for studying RNA functions and demonstrated the potential of using biochemical and biophysical modeling to develop rigorous design-driven engineering strategies for biology."
Keasling, who also holds appointments with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkley, is the corresponding author of a paper in the journal Science that describes this work. The paper is titled "Model-driven engineering of RNA devices to quantitatively-program gene expression." Other co-authors are James Carothers, Jonathan Goler and Darmawi Juminaga.
Synthetic biology is an emerging scientific field in which novel biological devices, such as molecules, genetic circuits or cells, are designed and constructed, or existing biological systems, such as microbes, are re-designed and engineered. A major goal is to produce valuable chemical products from simple, inexpensive and renewable starting materials in a sustainable manner. As with other engineering disciplines, CAD tools for simulating and designing global functions based upon local component behaviors are essential for constructing complex biological devices and systems. However, until this work, CAD-type models and simulation tools for biology have been very limited.
"Identifying the relevant design parameters and defining the domains over which expected component behaviors are exerted have been key steps in the development of CAD tools for other engineering disciplines," says Carothers, a bioengineer and lead author of the Science paper who is a member of Keasling's research groups with both JBEI and the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences. "We've applied generalizable engineering strategies for managing functional complexity to develop CAD-type simulation and modeling tools for designing RNA-based genetic control systems. Ultimately we'd like to develop CAD platforms for synthetic biology that rival the tools found in more established engineering disciplines, and we see this work as an important technical and conceptual step in that direction."
Keasling, Carothers and their co-authors focused their design-driven approach on RNA sequences that can fold into complicated three dimensional shapes, called ribozymes and aptazymes. Like proteins, ribozymes and aptazymes can bind metabolites, catalyze reactions and act to control gene expression in bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells. Using mechanistic models of biochemical function and kinetic biophysical simulations of RNA folding, ribozyme and aptazyme devices with quantitatively predictable functions were assembled from components that were characterized in vitro, in vivo and in silico. The models and design strategy were then verified by constructing 28 genetic expression devices for the Escherichia coli bacterium. When tested, these devices showed excellent agreement 94-percent correlation - between predicted and measured gene expression levels.
"We needed to formulate models that would be sophisticated enough to capture the details required for simulating system functions, but simple enough to be framed in terms of measurable and tunable component characteristics or design variables," Carothers says. "We think of design variables as the parts of the system that can be predictably modified, in the same way that a chemical engineer might tune the operation of a chemical plant by turning knobs that control fluid flow through valves. In our case, knob-turns are represented by specific kinetic terms for RNA folding and ribozyme catalysis, and our models are needed to tell us how a combination of these knob-turns will affect overall system function."
JBEI researchers are now using their RNA CAD-type models and simulations as well as the ribozyme and aptazyme devices they constructed to help them engineer metabolic pathways that will increase microbial fuel production. JBEI is one of three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers established by DOE's Office of Science to advance the technology for the commercial production of clean, green and renewable biofuels. A key to JBEI's success will be the engineering of microbes that can digest lignocellulosic biomass and synthesize from the sugars transportation fuels that can replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuels in today's engines.
"In addition to advanced biofuels, we're also looking into engineering microbes to produce chemicals from renewable feedstocks that are difficult to produce cheaply and in high yield using traditional organic chemistry technology," Carothers says.
While the RNA models and simulations developed at JBEI to date fall short of being a full-fledged RNA CAD platform, Keasling, Carothers and their coauthors are moving towards that goal.
"We are also actively trying to make our models and simulations more accessible to researchers who may not want to become RNA control system experts but would nonetheless like to use our approach and RNA devices in their own work," Carothers says.
While the work at JBEI focused on E. coli and the microbial production of advanced biofuels, the authors of the Science paper believe that their concepts could also be used for programming function into mammalian systems and cells.
"We recently initiated a research project to investigate how we can use our approach to engineer RNA-based genetic control systems that will increase the safety and efficacy of regenerative medicine therapies that use cultured stem cells to treat diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's," Carothers says.
###
This research was supported in part by grants from the DOE Office of Science through JBEI, and the National Science Foundation through the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC).
JBEI is one of three Bioenergy Research Centers established by the DOE's Office of Science in 2007. It is a scientific partnership led by Berkeley Lab and includes the Sandia National Laboratories, the University of California campuses of Berkeley and Davis, the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. DOE's Bioenergy Research Centers support multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research teams pursuing the fundamental scientific breakthroughs needed to make production of cellulosic biofuels, or biofuels from nonfood plant fiber, cost-effective on a national scale. For more visit http://www.jbei.org
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.
DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the Unites States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more, visit http://www.science.energy.gov.
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Lynn Yarris lcyarris@lbl.gov 510-486-5375 DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Joint BioEnergy Institute researchers develop CAD-Type tools for engineering RNA control systems
The computer assisted design (CAD) tools that made it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with millions of transistors may soon be coming to the biological sciences. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed CAD-type models and simulations for RNA molecules that make it possible to engineer biological components or "RNA devices" for controlling genetic expression in microbes. This holds enormous potential for microbial-based sustainable production of advanced biofuels, biodegradable plastics, therapeutic drugs and a host of other goods now derived from petrochemicals.
"Because biological systems exhibit functional complexity at multiple scales, a big question has been whether effective design tools can be created to increase the sizes and complexities of the microbial systems we engineer to meet specific needs," says Jay Keasling, director of JBEI and a world authority on synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. "Our work establishes a foundation for developing CAD platforms to engineer complex RNA-based control systems that can process cellular information and program the expression of very large numbers of genes. Perhaps even more importantly, we have provided a framework for studying RNA functions and demonstrated the potential of using biochemical and biophysical modeling to develop rigorous design-driven engineering strategies for biology."
Keasling, who also holds appointments with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkley, is the corresponding author of a paper in the journal Science that describes this work. The paper is titled "Model-driven engineering of RNA devices to quantitatively-program gene expression." Other co-authors are James Carothers, Jonathan Goler and Darmawi Juminaga.
Synthetic biology is an emerging scientific field in which novel biological devices, such as molecules, genetic circuits or cells, are designed and constructed, or existing biological systems, such as microbes, are re-designed and engineered. A major goal is to produce valuable chemical products from simple, inexpensive and renewable starting materials in a sustainable manner. As with other engineering disciplines, CAD tools for simulating and designing global functions based upon local component behaviors are essential for constructing complex biological devices and systems. However, until this work, CAD-type models and simulation tools for biology have been very limited.
"Identifying the relevant design parameters and defining the domains over which expected component behaviors are exerted have been key steps in the development of CAD tools for other engineering disciplines," says Carothers, a bioengineer and lead author of the Science paper who is a member of Keasling's research groups with both JBEI and the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences. "We've applied generalizable engineering strategies for managing functional complexity to develop CAD-type simulation and modeling tools for designing RNA-based genetic control systems. Ultimately we'd like to develop CAD platforms for synthetic biology that rival the tools found in more established engineering disciplines, and we see this work as an important technical and conceptual step in that direction."
Keasling, Carothers and their co-authors focused their design-driven approach on RNA sequences that can fold into complicated three dimensional shapes, called ribozymes and aptazymes. Like proteins, ribozymes and aptazymes can bind metabolites, catalyze reactions and act to control gene expression in bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells. Using mechanistic models of biochemical function and kinetic biophysical simulations of RNA folding, ribozyme and aptazyme devices with quantitatively predictable functions were assembled from components that were characterized in vitro, in vivo and in silico. The models and design strategy were then verified by constructing 28 genetic expression devices for the Escherichia coli bacterium. When tested, these devices showed excellent agreement 94-percent correlation - between predicted and measured gene expression levels.
"We needed to formulate models that would be sophisticated enough to capture the details required for simulating system functions, but simple enough to be framed in terms of measurable and tunable component characteristics or design variables," Carothers says. "We think of design variables as the parts of the system that can be predictably modified, in the same way that a chemical engineer might tune the operation of a chemical plant by turning knobs that control fluid flow through valves. In our case, knob-turns are represented by specific kinetic terms for RNA folding and ribozyme catalysis, and our models are needed to tell us how a combination of these knob-turns will affect overall system function."
JBEI researchers are now using their RNA CAD-type models and simulations as well as the ribozyme and aptazyme devices they constructed to help them engineer metabolic pathways that will increase microbial fuel production. JBEI is one of three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers established by DOE's Office of Science to advance the technology for the commercial production of clean, green and renewable biofuels. A key to JBEI's success will be the engineering of microbes that can digest lignocellulosic biomass and synthesize from the sugars transportation fuels that can replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuels in today's engines.
"In addition to advanced biofuels, we're also looking into engineering microbes to produce chemicals from renewable feedstocks that are difficult to produce cheaply and in high yield using traditional organic chemistry technology," Carothers says.
While the RNA models and simulations developed at JBEI to date fall short of being a full-fledged RNA CAD platform, Keasling, Carothers and their coauthors are moving towards that goal.
"We are also actively trying to make our models and simulations more accessible to researchers who may not want to become RNA control system experts but would nonetheless like to use our approach and RNA devices in their own work," Carothers says.
While the work at JBEI focused on E. coli and the microbial production of advanced biofuels, the authors of the Science paper believe that their concepts could also be used for programming function into mammalian systems and cells.
"We recently initiated a research project to investigate how we can use our approach to engineer RNA-based genetic control systems that will increase the safety and efficacy of regenerative medicine therapies that use cultured stem cells to treat diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's," Carothers says.
###
This research was supported in part by grants from the DOE Office of Science through JBEI, and the National Science Foundation through the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC).
JBEI is one of three Bioenergy Research Centers established by the DOE's Office of Science in 2007. It is a scientific partnership led by Berkeley Lab and includes the Sandia National Laboratories, the University of California campuses of Berkeley and Davis, the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. DOE's Bioenergy Research Centers support multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research teams pursuing the fundamental scientific breakthroughs needed to make production of cellulosic biofuels, or biofuels from nonfood plant fiber, cost-effective on a national scale. For more visit http://www.jbei.org
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.
DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the Unites States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more, visit http://www.science.energy.gov.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) ? NATO closed its seven-year training mission in Iraq on Saturday, at the same time as U.S. troops withdraw from the country after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
The alliance said on Monday it would end its mission after talks with Iraqi officials to extend the programme failed, due to disagreements over legal framework covering NATO forces in Iraq.
"We respect the decisions of a sovereign Iraq and salute the fact that Iraqi is fully responsible for directing its own path," NATO training mission commander Lieutenant General Robert Caslen said at the closing ceremony.
The decision followed U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement in October that U.S. troops would go home at year-end after talks to keep thousands in Iraq as trainers fell apart over Washington's demand for legal immunity for troops.
American forces signed over their last military base to Iraqi officials on Friday following a formal ceremony to end nearly nine years of war in Iraq.
NATO started its training mission in Iraq in 2004, although unlike in Afghanistan, its Iraq operation has been small and largely under the radar.
The alliance has provided expertise in areas like logistics and policing for Iraqi security forces, with around 100 troops training more than 5,000 military and 10,000 police in Iraq.
>>>with one of our favorite guests around here,
sandra bullock
. two years after winning the oscar she is finally returning to the
big screen
and the new movie is called "
extremely loud and incredibly close
."
sandra
plays a 9/11 widow and mom to a 9-year-old boy trying to cope after their tragic loss. take a look.
>>what do you miss about him?
>>oh, i miss so many things about him.
>>i miss how he could tell the weather just by touching the window.
>>when woe cohe would come in the house and yell "what's everybody doing?"
>>he told me. he said, i really love your mother. she's such a good girl.
>>welcome back,
sandra
. it's nice to see you.
>>thank you.
>>i feel the need to start this interview by telling our viewers two things. one, bring tissues.
>>yes.
>>it's a very emotional and powerful movie. the second is if they're going to this movie because they want to see you, up on screen for the whole film, this is not that movie.
>>true.
>>you're in there about
15 minutes
.
>>it's actually
24 minutes
.
>>sorry. i miscalculated.
>>throughout the whole film. strategically placed moments.
>>yes.
>>but, no. it's truly this amazing story of this child's point of view of what happened in his life that was this horribly tragic event and to see it through his eyes is far more i think poignant and impactful than to see it through an adult's eyes.
>>i bring it up only -- first of all, you are great in those
22 minutes
.
>>24.
>>sorry. because -- 15 the way i calculate.
>>24.
>>i like it because i like the fact that did you this. i think there are a lot of a-list actors who would have said this isn't a big enough star term for me and i admire your choice on that.
>>i've already had those moments i think. i'm -- there might be more. i don't know. but i don't know how many moments and opportunities like this there will be with stories like this, with directors and casts like this. you know, it's where, like, the rare moments in life where all the elements are there and they all come together for some strange or bigger reason and i, you know, you can't say no to that.
>>it's haunting stuff. i mean, it takes place, 9/11, or as it's called in the movie sometimes the worst day. here in new
york city
as those planes hit the
world trade center
, you were actually in the city, so this is close and personal for you as it is for a lot of people. as part of the research for this movie you went and listened to the voice mails
left behind
by people trapped in that tower for their families. talk to me about that.
>>the fact we were given access to them by the families or that they allowed people to have access to them is pretty --
>>why do you think they shared? were you surprised?
>>i was at first until you see the tremendous gift it was to them, left by those who are no longer here. you know, so many of them were a progression of e-mails from i'm going to be fine. everything is great. don't worry. to, we're trying to find a way out. and then of course the final outcome. but i was absolutely and still am -- it's haunting and it's inspiring that the last message inevitably was one of hope for the families
left behind
and i -- as a
human being
you don't know how to comprehend that. but i -- i am so glad that those handful of people had that gift. they didn't have the contact that they would have loved, but they are able to have this gift and the strength of the loved one just what they gave is just mind blowing.
>>let's talk about the young man who plays your son in this, thomas horn. i mean, he is in just about every scene. you're in eight minutes. but he is in about every scene here and he is extraordinary.
>>yeah, yeah.
>>when you look at him and you know this movie is going to change his career.
>>yeah.
>>what advice do you have for a young man like that?
>>you don't give someone like thomas horn advice.
>>why not?
>>because he doesn't need it. this isn't going to be his sole career. he is destined to do so many things of great worth. not that acting isn't something of great worth. but he has his -- he knows what he is here to do and he has so many interests and he might only be 13, 14. i don't know if he's 13 or 14. but he is far more educated, wiser, kind, empathetic than most adults in this room and i don't say that as a negative thing. i just say that he is an extraordinary
human being
and he was given this opportunity. it was something he wanted to take. and he did not shy away from it from day one. it's frightening to watch his level of professionalism. it was frightening.
>>tom hanks
as well. max -- he never says a word without giving anything away about who his character is. he is a guy who either has lost the ability to speak or chooses not to speak. we don't know. and the power he brings is -- i was
blown away
by him.
>>yeah. the beauty of this story is it shows so many points of view of grief and how vastly different they are. and, you know, we like to see pretty grief on film but in the end you have such a cathartic response to this movie. it lets you feel what you're feeling whatever it is. you know? and it's a rare thing.
>>let's leave them laughing. let's end on a lighter note. christmas around the corner. i was reading you're going to spoil the pants off louie.
>>yes.
>>we have him in a
sound proof
booth down at nbc.
>>yes.
>>so he can't hear. what is the most extravagant thing you'll buy him?
>>i don't know if i've stopped.
>>what did you buy?
>>i am not going to tell you.
>>he can't hear.
>>no. i'm not going to tell you because he understands everything.
>>you bought him a plane didn't you?
>>i kind of did. i got him a g-5. maybe he'll let mommy use it. i don't know.
>>he'll grow into it. what is your favorite
christmas song
? since you're musically trained.
>>yeah, because that gene did not pass on to me like sometimes two doctors don't have a surgeon child. they have, well, we've seen what happens. it's usually my favorite
christmas songs
are ones that are like by some beautiful choir with a great orchestration and sounds like in some
holy place
.
>>do you have a name?
>>no, again, because there are many. i know you want me to pick one thing but life isn't about just one thing, matt.
>>it's true.
>>i'm sorry, you guys. you have to do this every day. i have to deal with this once every two years.
>>the movie is incredible.
extremely loud and incredibly close
.
sandra
's two minutes in this movie are just incredible.
>>why am i here? why did i show up today?
>>merry christmas
.
>>you too.
>>good to see you. it opens in theaters on
january 20th
. and nationwide on that
BRUSSELS ? Russian officials indicated Thursday that their country may offer more than the $10 billion it already has promised the International Monetary Fund to help support the struggling euro currency.
Speaking at a news conference with EU President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said: "We are ready to invest the necessary financial means to back the EU and the eurozone. We are ready to consider other measures of support."
He didn't elaborate, but Russian officials have said their country would offer up to $10 billion to the IMF to help support the euro. And Arkady Dvorkovich, a Medvedev economic adviser, indicated Thursday the total may be greater because Russia has a big economic stake in the EU, where a debt crisis is dragging down economies and the 17-nation eurozone.
"We are ready to contribute our part via the IMF. We are committed to do it. Ten billion dollars is the minimum commitment," Dvorkovich told journalists reporting from the 28th EU-Russia summit in Brussels, where other major issues included visa liberalization and alleged fraud during Russia's parliamentary election last week.
Last week, EU governments said they would give the IMF euro200 million ($264 billion), which in turn could help out the eurozone. The fund also expects other nations to participate in the rescue fund.
Medvedev said it is in Russia's interest to assist its largest trade partner overcome the economic crisis.
Russia exports more to the EU than to any other market, and Russia is the EU's third-largest trading partner. Total trade amounts to euro245 billion ($318 billion). Russia also is the EU's most important source of energy imports, accounting for nearly a quarter of its natural gas consumption and 30 percent of its oil.
Medvedev said that 41 percent of his country's foreign currency reserves are denominated in euros.
"Russia is interested in the EU's preservation as a powerful economic and political force," Medvedev said. "We have advantageous ties, and for us united Europe is very important."
Van Rompuy, meanwhile, acknowledged that Russia and the EU "are strongly interdependent." Van Rompuy was hosting Medvedev for the twice-yearly meeting.
The summit came as the World Trade Organization was set to approve Russia's long-delayed membership on Friday. Russia ? the largest economy still outside the WTO ? has been trying to join for 18 years. A Swiss-brokered deal with Georgia last month cleared the last major hurdle for Russia.
Medvedev thanked the EU for its support of Russia's candidacy, saying: "It will give a strong impulse to our cooperation."
Van Rompuy said: "Russian WTO accession is a major achievement (which) opens a myriad of possibilities for trade and growth."
Medvedev dismissed complaints about the conduct of Russia's Dec. 4 legislative elections. On Wednesday, European Parliament speaker Jerzy Buzek called for new free-and-fair elections and a probe into reports of fraud and intimidation at Russian polling stations.
"It means nothing to me," Medvedev said.
The EU has avoided overt criticism of the elections, which have sparked massive anti-government protests in Moscow and other Russian cities.
After years of negotiations, the two sides also launched a set of joint steps that will lead to visa-free travel for Russian citizens ? a long-standing goal in relations. The measures include the introduction of biometric passports, as well as improved border management to combat transnational crime, terrorism and corruption.
Officials said Syria and Iran were also discussed. Russia has blocked a bid by the United States and EU nations to impose sanctions against Syria, where a government crackdown on dissidents has killed thousands of people. Russia opposes any further moves against Iran, whose nuclear program worries the West.
___
Slobodan Lekic can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/slekich
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Birth control drugs that were heavily promoted as having fewer side effects and the ability to clear up acne and other hormonal bothers are under new scrutiny from safety regulators.
Research suggesting that newer birth control formulations are more likely to cause blood clots than older drugs has prompted the Food and Drug Administration to consider new safety measures in meetings later this week. The increased risk is slight, but significant because blood clots can cause heart attacks, strokes and blockages in lungs or blood vessels, which can be fatal.
Regulators could order new warning labels on several contraceptives that gained popularity in the last decade, including Bayer's pill Yaz, which was the best-selling birth control pill in the U.S. for 2008 and 2009.
Yaz, Yasmin and similar drugs use a version of a female hormone which appears to reduce side effects found in older drugs, including bloating and mood swings.
Bayer AG spent more than $270 million on TV and magazine advertisements for Yaz between 2007 and 2010, according TNS Media Intelligence. Such big-budget campaigns are rare for birth control products. One advertisement featured young women singing the Twisted Sister anthem, "We're Not Gonna Take It," while popping balloons labeled "moodiness," ''bloating" and "acne."
Sales of Yaz have fallen since regulators forced Bayer to correct advertisements that overstated Yaz's benefits and as safety questions drew scrutiny in both the U.S. and Europe.
FDA also is reviewing research on clot risks associated with Johnson & Johnson's weekly Ortho Evra patch, which is marketed as an "option for busy women who are looking to simplify life." The drug uses a different version of the female hormone progestin.
Millions of women have used the products since they launched a decade ago, but recent studies comparing the medical histories of women taking the newer drugs to older ones suggest a slightly higher risk of blood clots in the legs and lungs. Last year, the U.S. market for female contraceptive drugs totaled $3.4 billion, according to IMS Health.
Sorting out the blood clot risk of birth control drugs is especially difficult because all hormone-based drugs increase the risk of clotting. Further complicating the matter is that clots can be caused by factors such as smoking, obesity or family history.
Yaz, Yasmin and other pills containing a synthetic hormone called drospirenone are the focus of a discussion Thursday. The next day's meeting focuses on the Ortho Evra patch, which uses the hormone norelgestromin.
Bayer says its studies have shown no difference in blood clot risk between its drugs and the older birth control drugs. But several large, independent studies suggest the risk with Yaz and similar medications is slightly higher. The latest analysis by the FDA estimates the risk of a blood clot with drospirenone-containing pills is 1.5-fold higher than other hormone-based contraceptives. That translates into an estimated 10 in 10,000 women on the newer drugs experiencing a blood clot, compared with 6 in 10,000 women on older contraceptives, according to the FDA.
"It's a very small percentage of patients that develop these, but it's such a serious side effect that I think doctors have to use a lot of caution," said Dr. Jennifer Wu, of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
Even if Yaz and other newer drugs get additional warning labels some doctors say they don't expect to stop prescribing them. They point out that the risk of blood clots with any birth control pill is still far lower than that associated with pregnancy and birth, when hormone levels and reduced blood flow increase clotting risk.
"At the end of the day I tell my patients the absolute risk is still very, very low compared to pregnancy and post-partum risk," said Dr. Rebecca Starck, of Cleveland Clinic's Fairview Hospital. "There are still many benefits to combination birth control pills."
The Ortho Evra patch already carries warning labels about an increased risk of blood clots compared with pills. Some, but not all, studies suggest patch users have twice the risk of clots. The FDA will try to further define that risk using the latest data.
Most birth control drugs use a combination of two female hormones, estrogen and progestin, to stop ovulation and help block sperm. But for decades many women have reported bloating and mood swings as side effects.
Introduced in 2001, Yasmin was the first birth control pill to use a new form of progestin called drospirenone, which appeared to have fewer side effects. The reformulated version of the drug, Yaz, was approved in 2006 with approval to claim on the label that it decreased acne and a severe type of mood disorder.
Yaz quickly grew into the best-selling birth control pill in the U.S. Sales plummeted more than 50 percent in 2010, after the company was forced to run corrective TV and magazine advertisements. Among other problems, the FDA said the company's commercials suggested Yaz could treat premenstrual syndrome when it has only been shown to decrease incidence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a severe mood disorder associated with major depression. Yaz currently ranks fourth in sales among contraceptive pills in the U.S.
Newer drugs like Yaz are no more effective than older pills, generally allowing one unplanned pregnancy per year for every 100 women.
"Many women will do fine on the older generation drugs, but some women will not," said Dr. Petra Casey, of the Mayo Clinic. "I think the newer drugs help many women in terms of mood and the water retention."
About 4,000 lawsuits against Bayer argue that any additional risk with the newer drugs should have been detected and emphasized to the public.
On Thursday, Cindy Rippee will tell the FDA panel about her 20-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, who died Christmas Eve 2008 when a blood clot traveled to her lung. Rippee says her daughter had been taking Yasmin for about two months.
"I really feel that if my daughter had been told about the increased risk she would have made a different decision," said Rippee, of Escondido, Calif.
Jason Aldean topped the second annual American Country Awards, which aired on Fox live from Las Vegas Monday.
He won six awards including artist of the year. "It's been a helluva year," Aldean said. Carrie Underwood took home three guitar trophies at the show, broadcast live from Las Vegas."I have got an amazing 2012 planned for you guys," she told the crowd. "We're going to have a lot of fun!"
Check out red carpet arrivals from the 2011 American Country Awards
Toby Keith was named the artist of the decade and received a special video introduction to his performance of "Red Solo Cup" from Stephen Colbert who ? yes ? raised his red solo cup to Urban.
Check out the full list of winners:
Artist of the Year, Jason Aldean
Male Artist of the Year, Brad Paisley
Female Artist of the Year, Carrie Underwood
Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Chris Young
New Artist of the Year, Scotty McCreery
Album of the Year, My Kinda Party, Jason Aldean
Single of the Year, "Voices," Chris Young
Single of the Year: Male, "My Kinda Party," Jason Aldean
Single of the Year: Female, "Mama's Song," Carrie Underwood
Single of the Year: Duo or Group, "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not," Thompson Square
Single of the Year: New Artist, " Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not," Thompson Square
Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration, "Don't You Wanna Stay," Jason Aldean Feat. Kelly Clarkson
Music Video of the Year, "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking," Blake Shelton
Music Video: Male, "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking," Blake Shelton
Music Video: Female, "Mama's Song," Carrie Underwood
Music Video: Duo or Group,?"Don't You Wanna Stay," Jason Aldean Feat. Kelly Clarkson
Music Video: New Artist, "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not," Thompson Square
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Federal agents searched the home and office of former Syracuse basketball coach Bernie Fine last month for pornographic materials and items detailing his relationships with young boys, court records showed.
A federal judge in Syracuse on Monday unsealed four search warrants executed on three days in late November related to Fine, the former Syracuse assistant basketball coach accused of fondling ball boys working with the highly ranked college team.
The search warrants showed that agents looking for items including pornography "that could have been used to sexually arouse or groom young males to engage in sex acts" had seized cell phones, iPads, computers, handheld electronics and more than 400 CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes.
Three men have accused Fine of sexually abusing them when they were juveniles, and a grand jury is looking into the allegations. Fine, who has not been charged with any crime, has called the accusations "patently false in every aspect."
Fine was fired after ESPN aired audio of what it said was a telephone call between Fine's wife Laurie and an alleged victim in which she appeared to admit knowledge of the alleged abuse.
The Syracuse allegations have been compared to the Penn State scandal, in which an assistant football coach was charged with abusing eight boys over 15 years. That scandal led to the dismissal of the university president and legendary coach Joe Paterno for failure to tell police about the alleged abuse.
In the Syracuse case, agents conducting searches had looked for all records detailing Fine's "present or past association, contact, and/or activities with minor males." That includes young boys that have stayed over at his home in the past, one warrant said.
Some of the records seized from Fine included bank statements, travel receipts, checks and several photos and film. Aside from searches at Fine's home and office, a warrant was also granted to search three of his safety deposit boxes at two banks where several documents were seized.
Officials at the U.S. Attorney's office could not be reached for comment to discuss what the seized items revealed. Fine's attorneys could also not be reached for comment.
A judge ordered the search warrants unsealed on Monday after several reporters petitioned for their release.
A grand jury is investigating accusations that Fine molested a former ball boy, Bobby Davis, 39, and Davis's stepbrother Mike Lang, 45, when they were juveniles. Lang has said in a CNN interview that Fine touched him inappropriately as a child at least 30-40 times.
There is no evidence so far that head Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim knew of the alleged abuse.
Police in Pittsburgh said they were also working with the U.S. Attorney's office in Northern New York regarding allegations by a third accuser, Zach Tomaselli, 23, who told Reuters Fine tried to fondle him and make him watch pornography at a hotel in 2002 when he was 13.
Federal authorities took the lead in the Fine investigation after questions were raised about how vigorously the Syracuse police pursued a tip nine years ago.
JOHANNESBURG ? South African lesbians are abused by even those closest to them, a reality that contrasts with the high ideals of the country's constitution, Human Rights Watch said Monday.
"Lesbians and transgender men live in constant fear of harassment as well as physical and sexual violence," the watchdog group said in a report released Monday.
The report, "We'll Show You You're a Woman," was based on interviews with 121 lesbians, bisexual women and transgender men in the impoverished black townships where the majority of South Africans live.
Their lives contrast with those of urban, wealthy, often white gay South Africans who have turned parts of some cities into liberal havens. Gay pride parades are held annually in Johannesburg and Cape Town, which reaches out to gay tourists from around the world. Next year, an international pageant for gay men will be held in Johannesburg.
Same-sex marriage is legal in South Africa and the country has among the most liberal laws on sexual orientation on the continent. But cultural attitudes don't always match the constitution approved in 1996 by lawmakers determined to show they were more progressive then their apartheid predecessors.
One woman told Human Rights Watch of a series of rapes by her cousin, her coach and her pastor. Another said a female cousin spiked her drink so that the cousin's boyfriend could rape her. A third said that after a rape. "I really hated myself."
Raping a lesbian, HRW researchers found, can make a man a township hero. Attackers boast publicly of their crimes and declare to their victims, "We'll show you you're a woman," the report said. Such attacks are known as "corrective rapes" in South Africa.
Lesbians and others who don't fit the norm respond by avoiding being alone in public, trying not to attract men's attention, and hiding their sexual orientation, the report said.
Human Rights Watch called on South Africa's government to act against the attackers. At a news conference in Johannesburg on Monday, Dipika Nath, the lead researcher on the report, acknowledged that addressing the crimes would have a limited effect.
"What we really need is a sustained, large program" that embraces education in schools and engages with religious leaders, she said.
Corlia Kok, a high-ranking Department of Justice official said South Africans should rally to defend their constitution.
"I have my Bible and I have got the constitution in my handbag," she said, holding up a pocket-sized copy of national charter to demonstrate the importance she placed on the document. Kok participated in a panel discussion organized for the report by Human Rights Watch on Monday.
Kok chairs a task force formed earlier this year to bring together prosecutors, police and others to address crimes against homosexuals and others who do not fit traditional sexual identities. Kok said the government was taking the problem seriously, but acknowledged her task force does not yet have its own budget and was diverting funds from other government projects and seeking help from foreign donors.
"It can't be government alone," she said. "We all need to say that this is a challenge that is facing every one of us."
Nomboniso Gasa, a South African women's rights activist, said the constitution was written by leaders who dared "to imagine a different society," and that South Africa today was in need of such leadership in the face of conservative traditional leaders and fundamentalist Christians.
"We are very far from the society we wanted to build," said Gasa, who spoke on Monday's panel. "Our society is trying to sanctify heterosexuality as the only form of sexual being. We are told that to be non-heterosexual is to be non-African."
Contempt for homosexuals has led to anti-gay legal measures elsewhere in Africa. Last week, Nigeria's Senate voted in favor of a bill that would criminalize gay marriage, gay advocacy groups and same-sex public displays of affection. Two years ago, Ugandan legislators introduced a bill that would impose the death penalty for some gays and lesbians, though it has yet to become law.
TIRANA, Albania ? The self-proclaimed heir to Albania's royal throne was buried on Saturday during a ceremony attended by the country's top leaders and broadcast live on national television.
Though a parliamentary republic, Albanian authorities held official ceremonies for the self-styled king ? who called himself Leka I Zogu ? at the Parliament building. They also declared Saturday a day of national mourning, with flags flying at and a minute of silence at noon.
Zogu, who returned home from exile to try to claim the throne himself, died Wednesday of a heart attack. He was 72.
He was the son of King Ahmet Zogu, a Muslim chieftain who proclaimed himself Albania's monarch in 1928 and ruled for 11 years during a time that many older Albanians now remember as prosperous and stable.
Albania's communist rulers abolished the monarchy in 1946, but, even in exile, the royal family insisted that Leka Zogu was Albania's legitimate ruler.
President Bamir Topi and Prime Minister Sali Berisha, joined hundreds of other officials and leaders in paying their respect during a ceremony that was broadcast live on public television and some other private channels. Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga also attended.
"We have come here today ... to honor, with full historic gratitude and national pride, the work of Leka Zogu, son of Ahmet Zogu, King of Albanians," said Tirana's Mayor Lulzim Basha
"Leka Zogu's commitment to the democracy in Albania was never separate from the extraordinary attention to Kosovo's fate," Basha said.
Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox prayers were read by religious leaders.
He was buried next to his wife's and mother's grave at the public Sharra cemetery in a Tirana suburb.
"I, Prince Leka II, swear in front of the body of my father that I will follow the road of King Zogu, of King Leka I to be at the service of the nation, the homeland," said Leka II, his only son.
No opposition leaders were present at the ceremony. Erion Brace, an opposition lawmaker, said that Leka Zogu was never the country's king.
Born just two days before Albania was occupied by Italian forces in 1939, Leka Zogu, the only son of King Ahmet Zogu, spent most of his life in exile in Europe and Africa while his country was ruled by Communists.
After Albania's Communist regime fell in 1990, Leka Zogu made two disastrous attempts to return home ? being thrown out during the first in 1993 and charged with leading an armed uprising during the second in 1997.
The six-foot, five-inch (2-meter) tall Leka Zogu finally settled in Albania in 2002, leading a quiet life with his Australian wife, who died in 2004, and son but never relinquishing his claim to the throne. The royal family's official website listed his interests as "arms, shooting, reading and history."
Leka Zogu's Hungarian mother, Queen Geraldina, died in 2002.
His family was given back some of its old royal properties and granted diplomatic passports. Leka Zogu's son has since served as an adviser to several Albanian governments. Today, a small royalist party is allied to the governing Democratic Party's coalition of Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
The government has pledged to bring home from Paris the late king's remains, calling the monarch "one of the greatest, most distinguished personalities with a major contribution to the history of the Albanian nation."
WASHINGTON ? Finally, a flicker of economic hope for President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats, even if it's a faint one.
November's sharp drop in the unemployment rate shows that jobs are finally moving in the right direction and suggests the economy is on firmer footing as the country heads into a presidential election year.
The Labor Department reported the jobless rate fell to 8.6 percent in November from 9 percent the month before, a 2 1/2 year low.
That's still high unemployment by historical standards. And lots of problems still lurk ? from Europe's debt crisis to congressional gridlock to the tens of millions of Americans still out of work or otherwise feeling economic distress. Furthermore, part of the improvement came because 300,000 people stopped their job searches and were no longer counted as unemployed.
But Friday's report, combined with other recent economic data showing advances in manufacturing and consumer spending, could give Obama momentum for the re-election campaign.
The White House and congressional Democrats were quiet in showing any enthusiasm they might have felt, instead using the new figures to step up criticism of anti-tax Republicans for blocking measures they said could help create even more jobs. Those include an extension of an expiring Social Security payroll tax cut that largely benefits the middle class.
"The unemployment rate went down," Obama said. "And despite some strong headwinds this year, the American economy has now created in the private sector jobs for the past 21 months in a row. That's nearly 3 million new jobs in all, and more than half a million over the last four months."
Said House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson of Connecticut: "Today's unemployment numbers, while encouraging, simply underscore the urgency for Congress to address the top issue facing American families_ jobs."
Republicans were publicly unimpressed with the jobs report, insisting Obama hadn't done enough and emphasizing that the jobless rate was still higher than when he took office in January 2009, when it stood at 7.7 percent.
"Any job creation is welcome news, but the jobless rate in this country is still unacceptable. Today marks the 34th consecutive month of unemployment above 8 percent," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
That view was echoed on the campaign trail.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in a Fox News interview, acknowledged that the report was good news but said it wouldn't help Obama politically. "This is the slowest recovery we've seen since (President Herbert) Hoover," Romney said. "He's going to have a hard time putting perfume on this pig." Hoover held office from 1929 to early 1933, at the outset of the Great Depression.
Despite stimulus measures by the Obama administration, Congress and the Federal Reserve, unemployment has remained high, peaking at 10.1 percent in October 2009 and staying around 9 percent for most of 2011.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, another Republican seeking Obama's job, noted that a major part of the sharp drop in the unemployment rate was "not because entrepreneurs were creating new jobs" but because some 300,000 Americans "have simply given up looking for work."
"The Obama model of class warfare, government takeovers in the economy and creating fear and uncertainty for job-creators have failed," Gingrich asserted.
Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., made a similar point about discouraged jobless workers and said, "My heart breaks as we approach the holidays for American families who have been abandoned by this president so that he can implement his radical agenda."
The president didn't try to take credit for the lower figures.
Asked about Obama's measured response, White House press secretary Jay Carney said: "We don't make much out of one month's numbers. We look for trends, and we know we have an enormous amount of work to do. 8.6 percent unemployment is way too high."
Still, "there's a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel" for gloomy Democrats, said Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University. "It's good news, but it's the kind of thing you have to rejoice about quietly. You don't want to hear the champagne corks popping. There's still so many people unemployed."
But Baker said that if Obama can demonstrate a "reasonable decline over time" in the jobless rate, people might give him the benefit of the doubt. "It doesn't have to get to historical lows to convince people that you're on the right track."
No president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has been re-elected with a jobless rate higher than 8 percent. Roosevelt won re-election in 1936 with a rate of 16.6 percent, and again in 1940 with a rate of 14.6 percent ? but joblessness was on the way down from a peak of around 25 percent.
The jobless rate peaked at 10.6 percent during the brutal 16-month 1981-82 recession while Ronald Reagan was president. But on Election Day 1984 it had fallen to 7.2 percent.
Obama used a joint appearance with former President Bill Clinton on Friday to renew his call to a fractured Congress to extend and expand the cut in the payroll tax that finances Social Security and Medicare. The tax cut, due to expire at the end of the year, affects more than 160 million Americans.
Republicans favor extending the tax cut, but have blocked Democratic attempts to do so by paying for it with a new tax on households with more than $1 million in annual taxable income.
With polls showing most Americans favor higher taxes on the wealthy to help bring down soaring budget deficits, Obama and congressional Democrats are portraying Republicans as defenders of the wealthy at the expense of the middle class ? a political theme they're sure to carry into the election year.
The jobs report comes during a week that saw solid stock market gains, including a near-500-point Dow Jones industrials rise on Wednesday, all potential good news for Obama.
"Let's say the stock market goes up another 500 or 600 points, and unemployment goes down below 8 percent by Election Day. That could allow for a big Obama surge," said Thomas Cronin, a presidential historian at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colo.
But that "if" is a big one.
The prospects of significantly bringing down the jobless rate to pre-recession levels anytime soon "remain slim," suggests University of Maryland business economist Peter Morici. "The economy must add 13.1 million jobs over the next three years_364,000 each month_to bring unemployment down to 6 percent."
___
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Public release date: 22-Dec-2011
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