Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Monday, January 30, 2012

Stocks fall. Greece weighs on markets.

Stocks are down in Asia and Europe ahead of a key European summit. S&P futures are also lower. Investors shun stocks as concerns linger about Greece's long-term solvency. ?

World?stock?markets fell Monday as uncertainty about a tentative deal to resolve Greece's debt crisis weighed on investor sentiment ahead of a summit of European leaders.

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The leaders gathering in Brussels hope to focus on how to stimulate economic growth and create jobs at a time when huge government spending cuts threaten to push many countries back into recession.

The latest data showed Spain was one step closer to recession ? technically defined as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction ? after its economy shrank in the last three months of 2011.

Experts say Europe's efforts to cut its high levels of debt will be for nothing if its economies remain uncompetitive. The leaders will also discuss a new treaty on tightening budget controls and setting up a permanent bailout fund.

But the meeting will be dominated by another topic that is not officially for discussion ? Greece's debt problem.

Greece has reached a tentative deal with its private creditors that could avert a disastrous default this spring. Investors holding ?206 billion ($272 billion) in Greek bonds would exchange them for bonds with half the face value. The replacement bonds would have a longer maturity and pay a lower interest rate. When the bonds mature, Greece would have to pay its bondholders only ?103 billion.

But because Greece has been in recession for years, some experts fear it could need more rescue loans from its bailout partners ? other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund ? if it is to remain solvent.

Richer countries like Germany, however, are losing patience with giving Athens loans, saying the Greek government is not implementing reforms and austerity cuts quickly enough.

A German official even proposed to have an EU official directly oversee Athens' government spending. The idea was quickly rejected, however, by both the European Commission and Greek leaders.

Despite progress in Greece's debt talks with private creditors, the continued uncertainty over its finances pushed stocks lower Monday.

Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.8 percent to 5,689.76 and Germany's DAX lost 0.9 percent to 6,4552.51. France's CAC-40 shed 1.1 percent to 3,281.48. Wall Street was also headed for a lower open, with Dow Jones industrial futures falling 0.6 percent to 12,533 and S&P 500 futures down 0.8 percent to 1,302.50.

Sentiment, which has been relatively buoyant so far this year on hopes for a recovery in the U.S., was also dented by Fitch Ratings agency's announcement late Friday that it had downgraded five eurozone countries, including Italy and Spain.

Looking ahead, investors will keep an eye on an Italian bond auction and more earnings, which were mixed Monday in Europe ? airline Ryanair beat expectations but appliances maker Philips disappointed.

In Asia, most indexes closed lower as investors there reacted to Friday's release of data showing the U.S. economy grew more slowly than expected in the last three months of 2011. The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the October-December quarter, lower than the 3 percent that economists were expecting.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index shed 0.5 percent to close at 8,793.05. South Korea's Kospi was 1.2 percent lower at 1,940.55 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.7 percent to 20,160.41. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.4 percent at 4,272.70.

Benchmarks in mainland China, Singapore, Indonesia, India and the Philippines also fell. Taiwan and New Zealand rose.

Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp. plummeted 14.8 percent after the Defense Ministry and the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center said they would not sign contracts with the electric machinery manufacturer, which acknowledged it had overcharged on defense and space-related projects, Kyodo News agency reported.

Traders are awaiting more data this week for clues about which way the U.S. economy is headed. On Wednesday, the Institute for Supply Management will release its manufacturing index for January and the U.S. Labor Department will release monthly employment data Friday.

"Because the market has been expecting rather good economic data from the U.S. ... I am afraid if those figures disappoint the market, it may trigger further correction in the?stock?market," said Louis Wong, dealing director of Phillip Securities Ltd.

Benchmark oil for March delivery was down 60 cents to $98.96 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 14 cents to end at $99.56 per barrel on the Nymex on Friday.

In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3129 from $1.3208 late Friday in New York. The dollar fell to 76.70 yen from 76.72 yen.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/lSzg3owr9N0/Stocks-fall.-Greece-weighs-on-markets.

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Jury finds Afghan family guilty in honor killings (AP)

KINGSTON, Ontario ? A jury on Sunday found three members of an Afghan family guilty of killing three teenage sisters and another woman in what the judge described as "cold-blooded, shameful murders" resulting from a "twisted concept of honor," ending a case that shocked and riveted Canadians.

Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly killed the three teenage sisters because they dishonored the family by defying its disciplinarian rules on dress, dating, socializing and using the Internet.

The jury took 15 hours to find Mohammad Shafia, 58; his wife Tooba Yahya, 42; and their son Hamed, 21, each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder. First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

After the verdict was read, the three defendants again declared their innocence in the killings of sisters Zainab, 19, Sahar 17, and Geeti, 13, as well as Rona Amir Mohammad, 52, Shafia's childless first wife in a polygamous marriage.

Their bodies were found June 30, 2009, in a car submerged in a canal in Kingston, Ontario, where the family had stopped for the night on their way home to Montreal from Niagara Falls, Ontario.

The prosecution alleged it was a case of premeditated murder, staged to look like an accident after it was carried out. Prosecutors said the defendants drowned their victims elsewhere on the site, placed their bodies in the car and pushed it into the canal.

Ontario Superior Court Judge Robert Maranger said the evidence clearly supported the conviction.

"It is difficult to conceive of a more heinous, more despicable, more honorless crime," Maranger said. "The apparent reason behind these cold-blooded, shameful murders was that the four completely innocent victims offended your completely twisted concept of honor ... that has absolutely no place in any civilized society."

In a statement following the verdict, Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson called honor killings a practice that is "barbaric and unacceptable in Canada."

Defense lawyers said the deaths were accidental. They said the Nissan car accidentally plunged into the canal after the eldest daughter, Zainab, took it for a joy ride with her sisters and her father's first wife. Hamed said he watched the accident, although he didn't call police from the scene.

After the jury returned the verdicts, Mohammad Shafia, speaking through a translator, said, "We are not criminal, we are not murderer, we didn't commit the murder and this is unjust."

His weeping wife, Tooba, also declared the verdict unjust, saying, "I am not a murderer, and I am a mother, a mother."

Their son, Hamed, speaking in English said, "I did not drown my sisters anywhere."

Hamed's lawyer, Patrick McCann, said he was disappointed with the verdict, but said his client will appeal and he believes the other two defendants will as well.

But prosecutor Gerard Laarhuis welcomed the verdict.

"This jury found that four strong, vivacious and freedom-loving women were murdered by their own family in the most troubling of circumstances," Laarhuis said outside court.

"This verdict sends a very clear message about our Canadian values and the core principles in a free and democratic society that all Canadians enjoy and even visitors to Canada enjoy," he said to cheers of approval from onlookers.

The family had left Afghanistan in 1992 and lived in Pakistan, Australia and Dubai before settling in Canada in 2007. Shafia, a wealthy businessman, married Yahya because his first wife could not have children.

Shafia's first wife was living with him and his second wife. The polygamous relationship, if revealed, could have resulted in their deportation.

The prosecution painted a picture of a household controlled by a domineering Shafia, with Hamed keeping his sisters in line and doling out discipline when his father was away on frequent business trips to Dubai.

The months leading up to the deaths were not happy ones in the Shafia household, according to evidence presented at trial. Zainab, the oldest daughter, was forbidden to attend school for a year because she had a young Pakistani-Canadian boyfriend, and she fled to a shelter, terrified of her father, the court was told.

The prosecution said her parents found condoms in Sahar's room as well as photos of her wearing short skirts and hugging her Christian boyfriend, a relationship she had kept secret. Geeti was becoming almost impossible to control: skipping school, failing classes, being sent home for wearing revealing clothes and stealing, while declaring to authority figures that she wanted to be placed in foster care, according to the prosecution.

Shafia's first wife wrote in a diary that her husband beat her and "made life a torture," while his second wife called her a servant.

The prosecution presented wire taps and mobile phone records from the Shafia family in court to support their honor killing allegation. The wiretaps, which capture Shafia spewing vitriol about his dead daughters, calling them treacherous and whores and invoking the devil to defecate on their graves, were a focal point of the trial.

"There can be no betrayal, no treachery, no violation more than this," Shafia said on one recording. "Even if they hoist me up onto the gallows ... nothing is more dear to me than my honor."

Defense lawyers argued that at no point in the intercepts do the accused say they drowned the victims.

Shafia's lawyer, Peter Kemp, said after the verdicts that he believes the comments his client made on the wiretaps may have weighed more heavily on the jury's minds than the physical evidence in the case.

"He wasn't convicted for what he did," Kemp said. "He was convicted for what he said."

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

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Peru: 26 killed in fire at rehabilitation center (AP)

LIMA, Peru ? A fire swept through a private rehabilitation center for addicts in Peru's capital on Saturday, killing at least 26 people and injuring 10 as firefighters punched holes through walls to rescue residents trapped inside.

One resident of the "Christ is Love" center for drug and alcohol addicts in Lima's eastern Zarate district said he was eating breakfast at 9 a.m. local time on the center's second floor when he saw flames coming from the first floor, where the blaze apparently originated.

Gianfranco Huerta told local RPP newsradio station that he leapt from a second floor window to safety.

"The doors were locked, there was no way to get out," he told the station.

Health Minister Alberto Tejada said the number of deaths had risen to 26 with 10 people injured.

Peru's chief fire fighter, Antonio Zavala, said the fire was of "Dantesque proportions." Firefighters had to punch a hole through a wall with an adjoining building to help the people trapped inside the rehabilitation center.

"We've had to use electric saws to cut through the metal bars of the doors to be able to work," Zavala said.

Television images showed relatives of center residents weeping in front of the building, located in a poor section of eastern Lima.

The cause of the fire is still not known, said Zarate police chief Clever Zegarra.

Local media reported that the "Christ is Love" rehabilitation center sought to use Biblical teachings to help treat addicts.

No representative of the center could be immediately reached for comment.

Peru's fire fighters are notoriously underfunded. All the South American country's firefighters are volunteer and the annual firefighting budget for the entire country is $19 million.

(This version CORRECTS name of center to 'Christ is Love' instead of 'God is Love.')

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

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HBO places its bets on horse racing drama `Luck' (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? David Milch had the script for a horse racing drama kicking around in his head for 30 years. The screenwriter and producer was just too busy living it to put words to paper.

As a 6-year-old, Milch first accompanied his father to the racetrack in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was too young to wager, but Milch's father worked things out anyway.

"`You want to gamble, don't you? Well, you can't gamble because you have to be 18 years old,'" Milch recalled his father telling him. "`I've set it up with Max the waiter. He'll run your bets for you.'"

That mixed message sent Milch off on a lifelong fascination with the track and an eventual gambling addiction. Along the way, he owned two Breeders' Cup champions.

Milch's portrait of horse racing's seedier side comes to life in the drama series "Luck," starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, debuting Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. EST.

He couldn't write it sooner "because I had to quit gambling," he said.

The nine-episode first season was filmed at sun-dappled Santa Anita in suburban Arcadia, an art deco racetrack set against the San Gabriel Mountains. Milch has won and lost money there, but he said he never hit the betting windows during shooting.

"You can't do what we were doing and conduct yourself that way," he said. "It's disrespectful to the material and distorts everything that you're doing. I had to let that go."

Michael Mann ("Heat," "The Insider") directed the pilot and Milch wrote it, with the eight subsequent episodes directed and written by others, including Daily Racing Form columnist Jay Hovdey.

Mann lent a theatrical touch to the sound and look of the series, with Massive Attack's "Splitting the Atom" playing over the opening credits and racing scenes unfolding mere feet from the camera mounted on a tracking vehicle.

"We were able to get where you never can get," Mann said. "We're used to seeing animals sprint but they're rabbits, they're not 1,400 pounds. A really athletic horse with not much body fat moving that fast, you don't really see things that can move that fast. That informed some of the shots."

Milch's script eschews the heroic story lines seen in recent movies such as "Secretariat" and "Seabiscuit" in favor of the sport's insular side featuring the characters who populate the stable area and grandstands.

"We're not sentimental," Mann said.

Viewers may find themselves tripping over the language unique to racing, including terms such as "bug boy," "Pick Six" and "chalk," referring to the wagering favorite in a race.

Milch assumes the audience will catch on as the show unfolds.

"It's an act of faith," he said. "Your fundamental response is to stay true to the deepest nature and intention of the materials. That's what we did."

Mann said, "To this day I don't think I know how to bet a Pick Six."

The wager involves selecting the winning horses in six consecutive races, with the bet having to be placed before the start of the first race. Payouts can be huge, and the wager is a central theme in the pilot episode.

Hoffman takes on his first recurring role on television as crime kingpin Chester "Ace" Bernstein, who is released from three years in federal prison as the series opens.

He's met by his driver and bodyguard Gus Demitriou, played by Dennis Farina, who fronts as the owner of a $2 million horse that Bernstein just bought. It's part of a mysterious revenge plot engineered by Bernstein.

Nolte plays Walter Smith, a veteran trainer turned owner with his own promising horse, who has a dark history and shadow of scandal behind it. Jill Hennessy, John Ortiz, Jason Gedrick, retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens and current rider Chantal Sutherland have recurring roles.

"I don't get ensembles like this in regular movies," Hoffman said.

The 74-year-old two-time Oscar winner relished the opportunity to take his character in so many different directions.

"I have not had this experience before," Hoffman said. "You can't get a shot at doing your best work in the studio system. They can get involved in kind of a quasi-creative way, but they buck heads with people they shouldn't be bucking heads with."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_en_ot/us_tv_luck

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

A confident Dana White defends policy of confidentiality on fighter pay and welcomes government scrutiny

CHICAGO -- Dana White has his mind made up. You're never going to know what UFC fighters truly make and that's just the way it has to be.

"So just because you don't know everything, you don't have to know anything, and to be honest with you? It's none of your [expletive] business how much these guys are making. They're making a lot of money. [...] How much money is none of your business. I'm not asking how much money you're making," said White (3:10 mark).

White believes that the salary information, so readily available in the other pro sports has ruined things for the athletes. He pointed to the recent $214 million megadeal inked by Detroit Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder.

"His whole life is going to change. He thought it was bad before with the (expletive) he had going on in his life? Everybody and their mother is coming after that 214," White said (2:10 mark). "Believe me when I tell you. Mark my words, Prince Fielder talk to me in five years and tell me what it was like when the news put out there that you were making $214 million dollars. I'm not going to do that to my guys."

The UFC often gets a bad rap for fighter pay because the only numbers revealed are those given to state commissions. The promotion beefs up the pay with behind-the-scenes discretionary and pay-per-view bonuses. White is often asked if all the complaints about pay would go away if Zuffa simply revealed all the details.

"Even when we sat down and had that first FOX meeting, the guys at FOX were like, holy [expletive]! They're like, 'Why don't you plaster this everywhere? This is the thing that will put you guys over the top. This is the thing that people love to see and talk about. Look at Mike Tyson.' And I said, 'Yeah, look at Mike Tyson,'" White said. "I've had these conversations with Mike. Mike said that when his money was reported, his [expletive] life was miserable. I'm not doing it."

Some believe the UFC's reluctance to be more transparent prompted the Federal Trade Commission to open an anti-trust violation investigation to look into Zuffa's practices.

"My understanding is that yes [the FTC has] opened a non-public investigation based on the acquisition we made of Strikeforce," said UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta.

CBSSports.com's Gregg Doyel said this is a sign of awful things to come for the UFC.

The FTC vs. the UFC? That's a heavyweight fight. That's Dana White's worst nightmare. The FTC looks for antitrust violations, picking apart monopolies as the unfair bullies they are -- and as far as I'm concerned, the UFC is guilty as charged.

The story set off White.

"There was guy yesterday, he wrote this story and you could tell this thing was like 'I want some attention. I want some attention. Maybe he'll get mad and say some [expletive].' [...] When we get stories written about us like that, I know it seems like I get crazy and come off too personal ... well, [expletive] yeah it's personal! What you're saying is untrue," said White (0:51 mark).

White said everything about the promotion is on the up and up.

"If the government wants to come in and look inside and take a peak and look around, they're more than welcome," White said. "Many of you have heard stories and all kinds of things ... mark my [expletive] words right here, right now, today ... we're not going anywhere. And everything we say is true."

As far as we know the FTC is still looking at Zuffa. White certainly came off sounding very confident nothing will come from the investigation.

White pointed out that there is no sport that has been more heavily scrutinized by governments all levels. The promotion has survived and thrived to become what White called the best sports story of the last 50 years.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/confident-dana-white-defends-policy-confidentiality-fighter-pay-175442433.html

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New Sam & Max iOS game pits dog and bunny P.I.s against Santa Claus

Sam and Max, the quintessential dog and bunny duo, are coming back to iPhone to start the next season of their episodic game series. Episode one of "Beyond Time and Space" is called "Ice Station Santa".


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/vDUECUCVNJc/story01.htm

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Radical theory explains the origin, evolution, and nature of life, challenges conventional wisdom

ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2012) ? Earth is alive, asserts a revolutionary scientific theory of life emerging from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The trans-disciplinary theory demonstrates that purportedly inanimate, non-living objects -- for example, planets, water, proteins, and DNA -- are animate, that is, alive. With its broad explanatory power, applicable to all areas of science and medicine, this novel paradigm aims to catalyze a veritable renaissance.

Erik Andrulis, PhD, assistant professor of molecular biology and microbiology, advanced his controversial framework in his manuscript "Theory of the Origin, Evolution, and Nature of Life," published in the peer-reviewed journal, Life. His theory explains not only the evolutionary emergence of life on earth and in the universe but also the structure and function of existing cells and biospheres.

In addition to resolving long-standing paradoxes and puzzles in chemistry and biology, Dr. Andrulis' theory unifies quantum and celestial mechanics. His unorthodox solution to this quintessential problem in physics differs from mainstream approaches, like string theory, as it is simple, non-mathematical, and experimentally and experientially verifiable. As such, the new portrait of quantum gravity is radical.

The basic idea of Dr. Andrulis' framework is that all physical reality can be modeled by a single geometric entity with life-like characteristics: the gyre. The so-called "gyromodel" depicts objects -- particles, atoms, chemicals, molecules, and cells -- as quantized packets of energy and matter that cycle between excited and ground states around a singularity, the gyromodel's center. A singularity is itself modeled as a gyre, wholly compatible with the thermodynamic and fractal nature of life. An example of this nested, self-similar organization is the Russian Matryoshka doll.

By fitting the gyromodel to facts accumulated over scientific history, Dr. Andrulis confirms the proposed existence of eight laws of nature. One of these, the natural law of unity, decrees that the living cell and any part of the visible universe are irreducible. This law formally establishes that there is one physical reality.

Another natural law dictates that the atomic and cosmic realms abide by identical organizational constraints. Simply put, atoms in the human body and solar systems in the universe move and behave in the exact same manner.

"Modern science lacks a unifying, interdisciplinary theory of life. In other words, current theories are unable to explain why life is the way it is and not any other way," Dr. Andrulis says. "This general paradigm furnishes a fresh perspective on the character and meaning of life, offers solutions to protracted problems, and strives to end divisive debates."

One debate swirls around the scientific merit of James Lovelock's popular Gaia hypothesis. By showing that Earth is theoretically synonymous with life, Dr. Andrulis' paradigm substantiates the Gaian premise that all organisms and their surroundings on earth are closely integrated to form a single self-regulating complex system.

Another legendary quarrel is that between biblical creationists and neo-Darwinian evolutionists. In demonstrating that the origin and evolution of life is a consequence of natural laws and physical forces, this theory synthesizes arguments and dispels assumptions from both sides of the creation-evolution debate.

To test his paradigm, Dr. Andrulis designed bidirectional flow diagrams that both depict and predict the dynamics of energy and matter. While such diagrams may be foreign to some scientists, they are standard reaction notation to chemists, biochemists, and biologists.

Dr. Andrulis has used his theory to successfully predict and identify a hidden signature of RNA biogenesis in his laboratory at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He is now applying the gyromodel to unify and explain the evolution and development of human beings.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Case Western Reserve University, via Newswise.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Erik D. Andrulis. Theory of the Origin, Evolution, and Nature of Life. Life, 2011; 2 (1): 1 DOI: 10.3390/life2010001

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126115127.htm

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Bruce Jenner: My teens don't need college

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

?

By Us Weekly

Who needs a college degree when fame and fortune awaits?

Since their first appearance on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" in 2007, Kendall and Kylie Jenner have become stars in their own right, thanks to lucrative modeling campaigns and a thriving teen fashion empire.

PHOTOS: Kardashians as kids

When Us Weekly spoke to their father Bruce Jenner at the Performance 3D demonstration in NYC Monday, the 62-year-old Olympian admitted his girls' careers are so busy they may not pursue higher education.

"If they want to go to college, certainly, I think it's a good idea. But I'm not the advocate of, 'You've got to go to college!'" Bruce said. "I think by the time they graduate from high school, they will probably be in a position to go right to working."

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Bruce defends Kendall's racy bikini photo shoot

Like their older sisters Kourtney, 32, Kim, 31, and Khloe, 27, Kendall and Kylie are becoming branded businesswomen, Bruce explained. "They've just developing their clothing line for Sears -- it's a little more teen-oriented, the clothing line. And they're working all the time on the show."

With two magazine covers under her belt (American Cheerleader and Teen Prom), Kendall, 16, is poised to become the next big supermodel, Bruce added.

VIDEO: Bruce freaks out when he finds out Kendall is on birth control

"She'll probably have a career by the time she's out of high school," Bruce told Us. "If that's what she wants to do, that's good. I don't know if college is going to be that important for her."

Do you agree the girls don't need college? Vote in our poll, and tell us on Facebook.

Bruce Jenner's teens have millions. Do they need college?

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10235644-bruce-jenner-my-teens-dont-need-college

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Country music great Haggard recovering from pneumonia (omg!)

Country music performer Merle Haggard walks the red carpet at the California Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento, California December 14, 2010.    REUTERS/Kevin Bartram

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - Country singer Merle Haggard, who was admitted to a Georgia hospital last week after illness forced him to cancel a show, was recovering from a host of health issues discovered while he was being treated for pneumonia, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Haggard was admitted to hospital on January 17, when illness forced him to cancel a show in Macon, Georgia, just moments before taking the stage. He later said that being hospitalized "probably saved my life."

The 74-year-old singer, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, is recovering from double-pneumonia but was also being treated for a number of serious ailments that doctors discovered while he was hospitalized.

Haggard's pneumonia is "almost completely clear, while he is recovering from three stomach ulcers, the removal of eight polyps from his colon and diverticulitis in his esophagus," which were discovered by the Macon medical staff, according to his Los Angeles-based spokesperson Tresa Redburn.

"He will be back up and running in 30 days," said Redburn, adding that Haggard would be in the hospital for "at least a few more days."

"Thanks to the wonderful people all over the world that prayed their special prayers," Redburn quoted Haggard as saying.

"I'm a new man. Another special thanks to the folks of Macon, Georgia, for their kindness, their intelligence and probably saving my life," he said.

Haggard had to cancel the remainder of his January tour and was planning on beginning his performance schedule again in late February.

With influences ranging from Lefty Frizzell to Bob Wills to Jimmie Rodgers, Haggard is an architect of country music's so-called "Bakersfield Sound." He is best known for songs like "Mama Tried," "Okie from Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side of Me."

(Reporting By Tim Ghianni; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_country_music_great_haggard_recovering_pneumonia061731044/44295994/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/country-music-great-haggard-recovering-pneumonia-061731044.html

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Cardiologists suggest patient-centered approach to replacing implantable cardioverter-defibrillators

Cardiologists suggest patient-centered approach to replacing implantable cardioverter-defibrillators [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jerry Berger
jberger@bidmc.harvard.edu
617-667-7308
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Not all ICDs need to be replaced because battery is depleted

BOSTON More than 100,000 implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are implanted in the United States annually, fully a quarter of those are generator replacements simply because the battery is depleted. But are all those replacements necessary and should they actually be performed?

Writing in the Jan. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors at the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggest the answer is surely no.

Similar to a pacemaker, an ICD is implanted in the chest with a wire running to the heart of patients at risk for sudden cardiac death. The device delivers a shock of electricity to the heart when it detects an abnormal and potentially life threatening heart rhythm.

"Though ICDs are lifesaving for some patients, evaluation of the clinical and ethical aspects of ICD replacement is long overdue," writes lead author Daniel B. Kramer, MD, a Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellow at BIDMC and Clinical Fellow in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, who believes patients and doctors must move beyond the view that this type of therapy as a lifelong treatment.

"Some patients may elect to keep these devices for the rest of their lives," says Kramer. "But for others, the risks associated with replacing the device may outweigh any expected benefit. We really need to make decisions on an individual basis."

Kramer suggests that patients be assessed carefully before replacement, just as they were when the ICD was initially implanted.

Patient experiences with the device should also be factored in, such as inappropriate shocks, the patient's value system and personal preferences for end of life care. "A more concrete expression of a patient's wishes might emerge through an advance directive." The medical system itself also plays a significant role in clouding decisions around ICD replacement.

"There are often several doctors and several specialties consulting on one person's care," says Kramer, . "with ambiguity about who is ultimately responsible. Who makes the decision to avoid the possibly unnecessary and certainly very costly procedure?" he asks, adding that the current fee-for-service system offers little to no incentive for doctors to decline the procedure.

More challenging for doctors, may be the moral objection from doctors and patients to stopping a potentially life-saving or life-prolonging device.

"Indeed, some patients or physicians might consider non-replacement equivalent to either physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, despite consensus statements that clearly reject this view."

"What we really need are clinical trials focusing on ICD replacement," says Kramer. "Doctors and patients need data evaluating outcomes to better inform the decision making process."

While awaiting studies that can help inform evidence-based guidelines, Kramer suggests doctors who implant ICDs should take the lead in educating "primary care physicians, general cardiologists, and other specialists regarding the appropriateness of ICD replacement for individual patients."

And conversations with patients and family members about down-the-line replacement should start early, ideally at the time of the initial placement.

"Patients should not find themselves committed to a lifelong therapy or trapped by misconceptions about clinical, ethical, and legal aspects of choosing not to replace a device."

###

In addition to Kramer, co-authors are Alfred E. Buxton, MD and Peter J. Zimetbaum, MD from the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

There are no reported sources of funding.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and currently ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org.


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Cardiologists suggest patient-centered approach to replacing implantable cardioverter-defibrillators [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
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Contact: Jerry Berger
jberger@bidmc.harvard.edu
617-667-7308
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Not all ICDs need to be replaced because battery is depleted

BOSTON More than 100,000 implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are implanted in the United States annually, fully a quarter of those are generator replacements simply because the battery is depleted. But are all those replacements necessary and should they actually be performed?

Writing in the Jan. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors at the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggest the answer is surely no.

Similar to a pacemaker, an ICD is implanted in the chest with a wire running to the heart of patients at risk for sudden cardiac death. The device delivers a shock of electricity to the heart when it detects an abnormal and potentially life threatening heart rhythm.

"Though ICDs are lifesaving for some patients, evaluation of the clinical and ethical aspects of ICD replacement is long overdue," writes lead author Daniel B. Kramer, MD, a Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellow at BIDMC and Clinical Fellow in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, who believes patients and doctors must move beyond the view that this type of therapy as a lifelong treatment.

"Some patients may elect to keep these devices for the rest of their lives," says Kramer. "But for others, the risks associated with replacing the device may outweigh any expected benefit. We really need to make decisions on an individual basis."

Kramer suggests that patients be assessed carefully before replacement, just as they were when the ICD was initially implanted.

Patient experiences with the device should also be factored in, such as inappropriate shocks, the patient's value system and personal preferences for end of life care. "A more concrete expression of a patient's wishes might emerge through an advance directive." The medical system itself also plays a significant role in clouding decisions around ICD replacement.

"There are often several doctors and several specialties consulting on one person's care," says Kramer, . "with ambiguity about who is ultimately responsible. Who makes the decision to avoid the possibly unnecessary and certainly very costly procedure?" he asks, adding that the current fee-for-service system offers little to no incentive for doctors to decline the procedure.

More challenging for doctors, may be the moral objection from doctors and patients to stopping a potentially life-saving or life-prolonging device.

"Indeed, some patients or physicians might consider non-replacement equivalent to either physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, despite consensus statements that clearly reject this view."

"What we really need are clinical trials focusing on ICD replacement," says Kramer. "Doctors and patients need data evaluating outcomes to better inform the decision making process."

While awaiting studies that can help inform evidence-based guidelines, Kramer suggests doctors who implant ICDs should take the lead in educating "primary care physicians, general cardiologists, and other specialists regarding the appropriateness of ICD replacement for individual patients."

And conversations with patients and family members about down-the-line replacement should start early, ideally at the time of the initial placement.

"Patients should not find themselves committed to a lifelong therapy or trapped by misconceptions about clinical, ethical, and legal aspects of choosing not to replace a device."

###

In addition to Kramer, co-authors are Alfred E. Buxton, MD and Peter J. Zimetbaum, MD from the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

There are no reported sources of funding.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and currently ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org.


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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/bidm-csp012312.php

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

EU states agree ban on Iranian oil imports, central bank (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? European Union governments agreed on Monday to an immediate ban on all new contracts to import, buy or transport Iranian crude oil, a move to put pressure on Tehran's disputed nuclear program by shutting off its main source of foreign income.

However, to protect Europe's economy as it battles to overcome a debilitating debt crisis, the governments agreed to phase in the embargo, giving countries with existing contracts with Iran until July 1, 2012 to end those deals.

At a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, EU governments also agreed to freeze the assets of Iran's central bank and to ban all trade in gold and other precious metals with the bank and other public bodies, EU officials said.

Western powers hope the far stricter sanctions net, which brings the EU more closely into line with U.S. policy, will force Iran to scale back or halt its nuclear work, which Europe and the United States believe is aimed at developing weapons. Iran says it is enriching uranium solely for peaceful purposes.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she wanted financial sanctions to persuade Tehran to return to negotiations with the West, which she represents in talks with Iran.

"I want the pressure of these sanctions to result in negotiations," she told reporters before the ministers met.

"I want to see Iran come back to the table and either pick up all the ideas that we left on the table ... last year ... or to come forward with its own ideas," she said.

Tehran says its nuclear program is necessary to meet its rising energy needs, but the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency said last year it had evidence that suggested Iran had worked on designing a nuclear weapon.

EU sanctions follow fresh financial measures signed into law by U.S. President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve and mainly targeting the oil sector, which accounts for some 90 percent of Iranian exports to the EU. The European Union is Iran's largest oil customer after China.

MEASURED STEPS

Economic considerations weighed heavily on EU preparations for the embargo in recent weeks because of the heavy dependence of some EU states on Iranian crude. Greece, which is at the heart of the debt crisis, is almost entirely dependent on Iranian oil. It must now seek alternative sources.

Diplomats will return to the issue of oil sanctions before May, officials said, to assess whether the measures are effective and whether EU states are succeeding in finding sufficient alternative resources.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other oil-rich states in the Gulf are expected to increase their output of crude oil to offset the loss of access to Iranian exports.

"There will be a review of the embargo before May," one EU official said. The review could potentially affect the date when the full ban takes effect, diplomats said.

Greece, which depends on financial help from the EU and the International Monetary Fund to stay afloat, gets nearly a quarter of its oil from Iran, thanks to favorable financing terms from Tehran.

"The financial situation of Greece at the moment is not the brightest one, and rightly they are asking us to help them find a solution," a senior EU official told reporters on Friday.

With a significant part of EU purchases of Iranian oil covered by long-term contracts, the grace period will be an important factor in the effectiveness of the EU measures.

The unprecedented effort to take Iran's 2.6 million barrels of oil per day of exports off international markets has kept global prices high, pushed down Iran's rial currency and caused a surge in the cost of basic goods for Iranians.

(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in London and Sebastian Moffett in Brussels; Editing by Luke Baker and)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wl_nm/us_iran_eu_deal

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

US beats Venezuela 1-0 on Clark's late goal

Jermaine Jones, Jose Velasquez

By BOB BAUM

updated 12:49 a.m. ET Jan. 22, 2012

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Ricardo Clark had barely played in the last six months. His last appearance for his German second-division team came in July, and this was his first game for the U.S. national squad since August.

Finally given a chance, he provided the goal that had eluded his team all night.

Clark headed Jermaine Jones' corner kick into the net in the 7th minute of stoppage time and the United States beat Venezuela 1-0 in a friendly on Saturday night.

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann inserted Clark into the game in the 86th minute.

"Ricardo came in and you could see that he was struggling because he hasn't played for many months," Klinsmann said. "He was trying hard to catch up with the group and still not there because of that long stretch. But once on the field he is a player that is technically very gifted."

The U.S. had dominated play with nothing to show for it before Clark beat goalkeeper Jose Morales from 7 yards away for his third international goal and first since September 2009.

Venezuela was livid at the finish, upset with a series of calls and non-calls by officials that led to a series of events concluding with the winning goal.

Moments after Clark scored, Venezuela's Jose Velasquez was ejected with a red card. Venezuela drew four yellow cards to one for the United States.

"For us, it was sad to give up a goal in the 98th minute," Venezuela coach Cesar Farias said. "For us, this result leaves a sour taste and the way we lost, but the experience is important."

The first match between the countries in five years featured the "B" teams of both nations because the top players are with their professional squads.

An exception was Jones, who is playing with the national team while serving an eight-game suspension by the German soccer federation.

"It was a great cross," Clark said of the corner kick that led to the goal. "I found a good spot and made the most of it."

It was Clark's first game since the United States played Mexico on Aug. 10. He last scored in international competition against Trinidad and Tobago on Sept. 9, 2009.

The 28-year-old midfielder from Jonesboro, Ga., is ignominiously remembered for a play in the 2010 World Cup, when Ghana's Kevin-Prince Boateng stripped the ball from him and put the Black Stars ahead in the fifth minute. Ghana went on to eliminate the Americans 2-1 in overtime.

Jones, who served as U.S. captain for the game, was suspended when the German federation concluded he had intentionally stepped on the foot of star player Marco Reus during a break in the action of a German Cup game between Jones' team Schalke and Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The U.S. outshot Venezuela 15-6, many of the opportunities from short range, but the shots were errant, or Morales made one of his five saves.

Even though it was a struggle, Klinsmann liked what he saw from his young players.

"We had 10, 12 chances and they had no chances, we controlled completely and that gives them confidence," he said. "We wanted to give them a feeling of this type of game that they can play with these nations."

Morales was shaken up after he took a knee to the left thigh from American C.J. Sapong. The goalkeeper sat on the ground for several minutes until the decision was made to leave him in the game, an incident that led to the extended stopping time that featured the winning goal.

The United States beat a team from South America for the first time since a 3-1 win over Ecuador on March 25, 2007. The U.S. had 10 losses and three ties against teams from that continent since then.

The U.S .improved to 3-4-1 since former German World Cup star Klinsmann took over from Bob Bradley as coach last year.

Jones had one of the best chances for a goal but missed from point-blank range. The U.S. had also failed miserably on set plays until the game winner.

Venezuela had a scoring shot in the 62nd minute but Carlos Salazar's header went right into the hands of goalkeeper Bill Hamid. Moments later, the U.S. squad missed another chance when Teal Bunbury's shot off a breakaway was just right of the post.

Venezuela and the United States played for the fourth time. The U.S. leads the series 2-0-1.

Clark's goal was only the sixth for the U.S. teams in Klinsmann's eight games as coach.

Clark, a former player with Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo, is with Eintracht Frankfurt but has fallen out of favor and hasn't been in a match for the team since July 25, the second game of the season.

The United States plays Panama in Panama City on Wednesday.

Hamid made his U.S. national team debut along with defender A.J. DeLaGarza, midfielder Graham Zusi and substitute Sapong.

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


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Lumia 900 hits Carphone Warehouse, possibly coming to the UK in June

Nokia Lumia 900
We bet some of you over in the UK were just a wee bit little jealous when it was revealed that we here in the good ol' U-S-of-A would be getting first dibs on the Lumia 900 (a little payback for keeping the 800 all to yourselves). Well, lucky for you, we're not so greedy and you'll get your own shot at Nokia's latest and greatest... eventually. Carphone Warehouse has the dual-camera sporting Mango phone listed as "coming soon" with an expected launch date of June 2012. These plans are clearly still unofficial at the moment, but you can sign up for more info from the outlet as it becomes available. The biggest question, though, is whether or not the Lumia 900 will ship with LTE on board. The product page makes no mention of 4G and, with compatible networks still in trial stages at best, we wouldn't get our hopes up. Still, even without "blazingly fast" downloads, the front-facing cam, RGB matrix screen and beefy battery present plenty of reason for excitement.

Lumia 900 hits Carphone Warehouse, possibly coming to the UK in June originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Ancient dinosaur nursery -- the oldest nesting site ever found

Ancient dinosaur nursery -- the oldest nesting site ever found [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Vivienne Rowland
Vivienne.Rowland@wits.ac.za
27-117-171-017
University of the Witwatersrand

An excavation at a site in South Africa has unearthed the 190-million-year-old dinosaur nesting site of the prosauropod dinosaur Massospondylus revealing significant clues about the evolution of complex reproductive behaviour in early dinosaurs.

A new study, entitled Oldest known dinosaurian nesting site and reproductive biology of the Early Jurassic sauropodomorph Massospondylus and published in the prestigious international journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was led by Canadian palaeontologist Prof. Robert Reisz, a professor of biology at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, and co-authored by Drs. Hans-Dieter Sues (Smithsonian Institute, USA), Eric Roberts (James Cook University, Australia), and Adam Yates (Bernard Price Institute (BPI) for Palaeontological Research at Wits).

The study reveals clutches of eggs, many with embryos, as well as tiny dinosaur footprints, providing the oldest known evidence that the hatchlings remained at the nesting site long enough to at least double in size.

Prof. Bruce Rubidge, Director of the BPI at Wits, says: "This research project, which has been ongoing since 2005 continues to produce groundbreaking results and excavations continue. First it was the oldest dinosaur eggs and embryos, now it is the oldest evidence of dinosaur nesting behaviour."

The authors say the newly unearthed dinosaur nesting ground is more than 100 million years older than previously known nesting sites.

At least ten nests have been discovered at several levels at this site, each with up to 34 round eggs in tightly clustered clutches. The distribution of the nests in the sediments indicate that these early dinosaurs returned repeatedly (nesting site fidelity) to this site, and likely assembled in groups (colonial nesting) to lay their eggs, the oldest known evidence of such behaviour in the fossil record.

The large size of the mother, at six metres in length, the small size of the eggs, about six to seven centimetres in diameter, and the highly organised nature of the nest, suggest that the mother may have arranged them carefully after she laid them.

"The eggs, embryos, and nests come from the rocks of a nearly vertical road cut only 25 metres long," says Reisz. "Even so, we found ten nests, suggesting that there are a lot more nests in the cliff, still covered by tons of rock. We predict that many more nests will be eroded out in time, as natural weathering processes continue."

The fossils were found in sedimentary rocks from the Early Jurassic Period in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in South Africa. This site has previously yielded the oldest known embryos belonging to Massospondylus, a relative of the giant, long-necked sauropods of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

"Even though the fossil record of dinosaurs is extensive, we actually have very little fossil information about their reproductive biology, particularly for early dinosaurs," says David Evans, a University of Toronto at Mississauga alumnus and a curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum.

"This amazing series of 190 million year old nests gives us the first detailed look at dinosaur reproduction early in their evolutionary history, and documents the antiquity of nesting strategies that are only known much later in the dinosaur record," says Evans.

###

For media enquiries and pictures contact Vivienne Rowland on (011) 717-1017 or email Vivienne.rowland@wits.ac.za


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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.


Ancient dinosaur nursery -- the oldest nesting site ever found [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Vivienne Rowland
Vivienne.Rowland@wits.ac.za
27-117-171-017
University of the Witwatersrand

An excavation at a site in South Africa has unearthed the 190-million-year-old dinosaur nesting site of the prosauropod dinosaur Massospondylus revealing significant clues about the evolution of complex reproductive behaviour in early dinosaurs.

A new study, entitled Oldest known dinosaurian nesting site and reproductive biology of the Early Jurassic sauropodomorph Massospondylus and published in the prestigious international journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was led by Canadian palaeontologist Prof. Robert Reisz, a professor of biology at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, and co-authored by Drs. Hans-Dieter Sues (Smithsonian Institute, USA), Eric Roberts (James Cook University, Australia), and Adam Yates (Bernard Price Institute (BPI) for Palaeontological Research at Wits).

The study reveals clutches of eggs, many with embryos, as well as tiny dinosaur footprints, providing the oldest known evidence that the hatchlings remained at the nesting site long enough to at least double in size.

Prof. Bruce Rubidge, Director of the BPI at Wits, says: "This research project, which has been ongoing since 2005 continues to produce groundbreaking results and excavations continue. First it was the oldest dinosaur eggs and embryos, now it is the oldest evidence of dinosaur nesting behaviour."

The authors say the newly unearthed dinosaur nesting ground is more than 100 million years older than previously known nesting sites.

At least ten nests have been discovered at several levels at this site, each with up to 34 round eggs in tightly clustered clutches. The distribution of the nests in the sediments indicate that these early dinosaurs returned repeatedly (nesting site fidelity) to this site, and likely assembled in groups (colonial nesting) to lay their eggs, the oldest known evidence of such behaviour in the fossil record.

The large size of the mother, at six metres in length, the small size of the eggs, about six to seven centimetres in diameter, and the highly organised nature of the nest, suggest that the mother may have arranged them carefully after she laid them.

"The eggs, embryos, and nests come from the rocks of a nearly vertical road cut only 25 metres long," says Reisz. "Even so, we found ten nests, suggesting that there are a lot more nests in the cliff, still covered by tons of rock. We predict that many more nests will be eroded out in time, as natural weathering processes continue."

The fossils were found in sedimentary rocks from the Early Jurassic Period in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in South Africa. This site has previously yielded the oldest known embryos belonging to Massospondylus, a relative of the giant, long-necked sauropods of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

"Even though the fossil record of dinosaurs is extensive, we actually have very little fossil information about their reproductive biology, particularly for early dinosaurs," says David Evans, a University of Toronto at Mississauga alumnus and a curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum.

"This amazing series of 190 million year old nests gives us the first detailed look at dinosaur reproduction early in their evolutionary history, and documents the antiquity of nesting strategies that are only known much later in the dinosaur record," says Evans.

###

For media enquiries and pictures contact Vivienne Rowland on (011) 717-1017 or email Vivienne.rowland@wits.ac.za


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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.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uotw-adn012312.php

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Cargo ship damaged after collision off Istanbul (AP)

ANKARA, Turkey ? A cargo ship brushed against two anchored vessels during severe weather off the coast of Istanbul on Friday and tilted to one side, taking on water for hours before authorities were forced to pull it ashore using a tug boat.

A senior maritime official said the disabled ship was not in danger of sinking, but most of its crew members were evacuated before it was towed.

The cargo ship's struggle came during a time of heightened attention on ship safety following last week's grounding of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off Italy's coast, an accident that killed 11 people and left 21 missing. Also Friday, a freighter ran aground off a Dutch beach.

In the Istanbul area, the Sierra Leone-flagged Kayan-1, an 86-meter (282-feet) freighter carrying empty containers, tilted on its right side after its collision. Salih Orakci, head of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, said the ship "cannot sink" but noted the weather was aggravating the situation.

Hours later, authorities decided to go with the only apparent option and pulled the ship aground.

The captain and two other crew had remained aboard to steer the vessel, which earlier had tried to pump out the water, authorities said. Ten other crew members were evacuated. Five maritime officials boarded the Kayan-1 to assess the situation, then left the vessel.

The ship was trying to moor due to the rough weather when it got dragged and brushed against two other cargo ships: the Netherlands-flagged Slochterdiep and Tanzania-flagged Adria Blu. The Kayan-1 came to a halt near the shore at a depth of 9-meter (30-feet), Coastal Safety said on its website.

The ship had 20 tons of diesel fuel but there was no leak, environmental authorities said

Authorities canceled several scheduled ferry trips in the Sea of Marmara and in the Bosporus, the narrow waterway that bisects Istanbul, due to strong winds and high seas.

Separately Friday, a Philippine-registered freighter ran aground off a Dutch beach after its anchor slipped in an overnight storm. Salvagers spent the day attaching lines to the ship and plan to try pulling it back out to sea at high tide in the early hours of Saturday.

The 500-foot (155-meter) Aztec Maiden was carrying no cargo when it drifted onto sand off the North Sea coastal town of Wijk aan Zee, 12 miles (20 kilometers) west of Amsterdam, the Dutch Coast Guard said.

The 21 crew members stayed on the ship. Tug boats will attempt to pull the vessel free at high tide around 1 p.m. (1200 GMT).

Spokesman Peter Verburg told national broadcaster NOS that the Coast Guard was closely monitoring the ship for any fuel leaks.

___

Associated Press Writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Mike Corder in Amsterdam contributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_ship_accident

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Multiple partners not the only way for corals to stay cool

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Recent experiments conducted at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) produced striking results, showing for the first time that corals hosting a single type of "zooxanthellae" can have different levels of thermal tolerance ? a feature that was only known previously for corals with a mix of zooxanthellae.

Zooxanthellae are algal cells that live within the tissue of living coral and provide the coral host with energy; the relationship is crucial for the coral's survival. Rising ocean temperatures can lead to the loss of zooxanthellae from the coral host, as a consequence the coral loses its tissue colour and its primary source of energy, a process known as 'coral bleaching'. Globally, coral bleaching has led to significant loss of coral, and with rising ocean temperatures, poses a major threat to coral reefs.

It was previously known that corals hosting more than one type of zooxanthellae could better cope with temperature changes by favouring types of zooxanthellae that have greater thermal tolerance. However, until now it was not known if corals hosting a single type of zooxanthellae could have different levels of thermal tolerance.

Results recently published in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature Climate Change, showed corals that only host a single type of zooxanthellae may in fact differ in their thermal tolerance. This finding is important because many species of coral are dominated by a single type of zooxanthellae.

PhD student, Ms Emily Howells from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) at James Cook University, Townsville, together with scientists from AIMS and CoECRS, collected two populations of a single type of zooxanthellae (known as C1) from two locations on the Great Barrier Reef. The population collected from Magnetic Island near Townsville experiences average ocean temperatures 2?C higher than the population collected from the Whitsunday Islands. In experiments at AIMS, young corals were treated with one or other of the two different populations of zooxanthellae, and exposed to elevated water temperatures, as might occur during bleaching events.

The results were striking. Corals with zooxanthellae from the warmer region coped well with higher temperatures, staying healthy and growing rapidly, whilst corals with zooxanthellae from the cooler region suffered severe bleaching (loss of the zooxanthellae) and actually reduced in size as they partly died off.

Madeleine van Oppen, ARC Future Fellow at AIMS, says the research results will likely have a major impact on the field, as until now corals associating with the same type of zooxanthellae have been viewed as physiologically similar, irrespective of their geographical location.

"Our research suggests that populations of a single type of zooxanthellae have adapted to local conditions as can be seen from the remarkably different results of the two populations used in this study. If zooxanthellae populations are able to further adapt to increases in temperature at the pace at which oceans warm, they may assist corals to increase their thermal tolerance and survive into the future." says Emily Howells.

"However, we do not yet know how fast zooxanthellae can adapt, highlighting an important area of future research", says Bette Willis, Professor from the CoECRS at James Cook University.

Research at AIMS is therefore currently assessing whether zooxanthellae can continue to adapt to increasing temperatures and at what rate. This work in progress will provide insights into the capacity of zooxanthellae to adapt to future climate change.

###

ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies: http://www.coralcoe.org.au/

Thanks to ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies 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/116912/Multiple_partners_not_the_only_way_for_corals_to_stay_cool_

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