Pakistan: Rocket attack near bin Laden's compound (AP)

ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan ? Unknown assailants fired rocket propelled grenades at the military academy near Osama bin Laden's compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad early Friday morning, causing damage but no casualties, police said.

It was the first attack in the normally peaceful northwest city since U.S. Navy Seals killed bin Laden during a daring night raid on his compound last May. The grenades damaged a wall of the academy, said senior local police officer Abdul Karim.

The operation against bin Laden outraged Pakistani officials because they were not told about it beforehand. Many U.S. officials questioned how bin Laden could live for years near Pakistan's equivalent of West Point. But the U.S. has not found evidence senior Pakistani leaders knew he was there.

On Thursday, Iranian security forces killed six Pakistani traders taking goats into Iran, a Pakistani official said. Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment.

The incident happened on the Iranian side of the border near the southeastern Pakistani town of Gwadar, said its deputy commissioner Abdur Rehman.

Rehman said Iranian authorities were not releasing the bodies. He gave no more details.

Earlier this month, Iranian security personnel allegedly crossed into southwest Pakistan and killed one man.

There is occasional violence along the poorly marked border, where smuggling, banditry and terrorism are rife.

The incidents do not appear to have affected Islamabad's relations with Tehran, which are based on larger regional interests.

Pakistan's ties with Iran have ebbed and flowed over the last 20 years, dependent largely on developments elsewhere in a turbulent region, where Iran's archrivals Saudi Arabia and the United States have also sought influence. Sunni-Shia tensions within Pakistan have also been a factor.

Relations have been stable since the downfall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2002.

Pakistan is battling an Islamist militant insurgency along its border with Afghanistan in the northwest of the country.

Earlier Thursday, security forces killed at least 20 militants in the northwestern Kurram tribal region after coming under attack, said local government official Wajid Khan. He said 22 troops were also wounded in the attack.

The death toll could not be independently confirmed as the fighting was in a remote area off-limits to journalists.

Kurram is considered a main base for the Pakistani Taliban. Scores of insurgents are believed to hiding there after escaping military operations in the nearby tribal regions in recent years.

____

Associated Press writer Abdul Sattar contributed to this report from Quetta, Pakistan.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan

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CDC Says More Parents Having Home Births (ContributorNetwork)

The number of babies born at home instead of in a hospital has increased by almost one-third between 2004 and 2009, says a recent report from the Center for Disease Control. One of every 90 babies is now born at home. Here are details for parents about home vs. hospital births and why more parents are choosing midwifery and at-home childbirth.

* According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 1900 most all babies were born at home. That trend reversed and by 1969, 99 percent of births happened in hospitals or birthing centers. Home births are still rare, but in the last few years have increased by 29 percent in all population groups.

* The U.S. National Library of Medicine says that in 1989, birth certificate reporting laws changed to include data on several medical and lifestyle risk factors involved with the mother's pregnancy and the baby's birth. The U.S. Certificate of Live Birth lists birthing procedures performed, delivery method (vaginal or Cesarean section), unusual conditions and birth defects in the infant. Names of people attending the baby's birth, place of birth and ethnic origins of parents were added, too. This additional data helps statisticians track parent birthing habits.

* According to the CDC, 36 percent more non-Hispanic Caucasian mothers opted to birth babies at home. Fewer women in other ethnic backgrounds chose home delivery. Home births were more common among mothers over 35 and among those who already had children.

* The risks with home births are lower than with hospital births, said the research. Fewer teen and unwed mothers had babies at home. Fewer babies were born preterm, with low birth weight or in multiples.

* According to Health Day, the biggest concern with home birth is lack of access to medical equipment and procedures should sometime go wrong. Mothers with previous or current high-risk pregnancies are typically advised by doctors to deliver in a medical center. However, parents who chose home births said that what they liked most about this method at home was less obstetric intervention. A chief reason for having a midwife deliver the baby at home is that she is trained in a variety of less-invasive natural birthing practices, whereas hospitals rely more on C-section, labor induction and other clinical procedures.

* The American College of Nurse-Midwives says that continuous, individualized care and therapeutic vs. medical childbirth are the biggest reasons most mothers choose to have babies at home. Parents also like to have control over the environment in which their children enter the world. As long as the mother is not at medical risk, midwives say, giving birth at home is safer for mom and baby.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about parenting from 23 years raising four children and 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and homeschool.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120128/hl_ac/10893357_cdc_says_more_parents_having_home_births

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Unemployment up in 5 Ill. metro areas, down in 5 (AP)

CHICAGO ? Unemployment dropped in five of Illinois' 12 metro areas and increased in five others during December when compared to a year earlier.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security said Thursday in its monthly report on metro unemployment that one of the biggest increases was in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville area where the rate jumped from 8.6 to 9.3 percent. That increase was matched in the Illinois section of the St. Louis area where unemployment rose from 9 to 9.7 percent.

The biggest decrease was in the Peoria area. Unemployment there dropped from 8.7 to 8.1 percent.

Seven of the 12 metro areas added jobs in December. Manufacturing was a key driver, increasing in nine metro areas.

The department said last week that the state's overall unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in December.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_bi_ge/us_illinois_metro_unemployment_illinois

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AP Exclusive: New taste for Thai elephant meat

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 file photo, elephants are fed with fresh sugarcanes at the elephant camp in Ayutthaya province, central Thailand. Thailand's revered national symbol, the elephant, may face a new threat of extinction: being poached not just for their tusks, but for their meat. Two wild elephants were found slaughtered in December 2011 in a national park in western Thailand, alerting authorities to the new practice of consuming elephant meat. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong, File)

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 file photo, elephants are fed with fresh sugarcanes at the elephant camp in Ayutthaya province, central Thailand. Thailand's revered national symbol, the elephant, may face a new threat of extinction: being poached not just for their tusks, but for their meat. Two wild elephants were found slaughtered in December 2011 in a national park in western Thailand, alerting authorities to the new practice of consuming elephant meat. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong, File)

BANGKOK (AP) ? A new taste for eating elephant meat ? everything from trunks to sex organs ? has emerged in Thailand and could pose a new threat to the survival of the species.

Wildlife officials told The Associated Press that they were alerted to the practice after finding two elephants slaughtered last month in a national park in western Thailand.

"The poachers took away the elephants' sex organs and trunks ... for human consumption," Damrong Phidet, director-general of Thailand's wildlife agency, said in a telephone interview. Some meat was to be consumed without cooking, like "elephant sashimi," he said.

Poachers typically just remove tusks, which are most commonly found on Asian male elephants and fetch thousands of dollars on the black market. A market for elephant meat, however, could lead to killing of the wider elephant population, Damrong said.

"If you keep hunting elephants for this, then they'll become extinct," he said.

Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals' reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess.

Damrong said the elephant meat was ordered by restaurants in Phuket, a popular travel destination in the country's south. It wasn't clear if the diners were foreigners.

The accusation drew a quick rebuttal from Phuket Governor Tri Akradecha, who told Thai media that he had never heard of such restaurants but ordered officials to look into the matter.

Poaching elephants is banned, and trafficking or possessing poached animal parts also is illegal. Elephant tusks are sought in the illegal ivory trade, and baby wild elephants are sometimes poached to be trained for talent shows.

"The situation has come to a crisis point. The longer we allow these cruel acts to happen, the sooner they will become extinct," Damrong said.

The quest for ivory remains the top reason poachers kill elephants in Thailand, other environmentalists say.

Soraida Salwala, the founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation, said a full grown pair of tusks could be sold from 1 million to 2 million baht ($31,600 to $63,300), while the estimated value of an elephant's penis is more than 30,000 baht ($950).

"There's only a handful of people who like to eat elephant meat, but once there's demand, poachers will find it hard to resist the big money," she cautioned.

Thailand has fewer than 3,000 wild elephants and about 4,000 domesticated elephants, according to the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.

The pachyderms were a mainstay of the logging industry in the northern and western parts of the country until logging contracts were revoked in the late 1980s.

Domesticated animals today are used mainly for heavy lifting and entertainment.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-26-AS-Thailand-Elephants/id-42f334b0e6134b398aec4cdb5a5afc5c

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School lunches to have more veggies, whole grains (AP)

ALEXANDRIA, Va. ? The first major nutritional overhaul of school meals in more than 15 years means most offerings, including popular pizza, will come with less sodium and more whole grains, with a wider selection of fruits and vegetables on the side, first lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced during a visit Wednesday with elementary students.

Pizza won't disappear from lunch lines, but will be made with healthier ingredients.

Mrs. Obama, also joined by celebrity chef Rachael Ray, said youngsters will learn better if they don't have growling stomachs at school.

"We have a right to expect the food (our kids) get at school is the same kind of food we want to serve at our own kitchen tables," she said.

After the announcement, the three went through the line with students and ate turkey tacos with brown rice, black bean and corn salad and fruit ? all Ray's recipes ? with children in the Parklawn Elementary lunchroom.

The new rules aren't as aggressive as the Obama administration had hoped. Congress last year blocked the Agriculture Department from making some of the desired changes, including limiting french fries and pizzas.

A bill passed in November would require the department to allow tomato paste on pizzas to be counted as a vegetable, as it is now. The initial draft of the department's guidelines, released a year ago, would have prevented that. Congress also blocked the department from limiting servings of potatoes to two servings a week. The final rules have incorporated those directions from Congress.

Among those who had sought the changes were potato growers and food companies that produce frozen pizzas for schools. Conservatives in Congress called the guidelines an overreach and said the government shouldn't tell children what to eat. School districts also objected to some of the requirements, saying they go too far and would cost too much.

The new guidelines apply to lunches subsidized by the federal government. A child nutrition bill signed by President Barack Obama in 2010 will help school districts pay for some of the increased costs. Some of the changes will take place as soon as this September; others will be phased in over time.

The guidelines will limit the total number of calories in an individual meal and require that milk be low in fat. Flavored milks will have to be nonfat.

While many schools are improving meals already, others still serve children meals high in fat, salt and calories. The guidelines are designed to combat childhood obesity and are based on 2009 recommendations by the Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences.

Vilsack said food companies are reformulating many of the foods they sell to schools in anticipation of the changes.

"The food industry is already responding," he said. "This is a movement that has started, it's gaining momentum."

The subsidized meals that would fall under the guidelines are served as free and low-cost meals to low-income children and long have been subject to government nutrition standards. The 2010 law will extend, for the first time, nutrition standards to other foods sold in schools that aren't subsidized by the federal government. That includes "a la carte" foods on the lunch line and snacks in vending machines.

Those standards, while expected to be similar, will be written separately and have not yet been proposed by the department.

___

Online:

Agriculture Department: http://tinyurl.com/7r2cj6b

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_healthier_school_lunches

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HTC Rezound update documents live, OTA should follow soon

The "official" update document for the HTC Rezound is now live on Verizon's website, which usually means an OTA update is nigh.  According to the page, the Rezound should soon be seeing software Version 2.01.605.11 and baseband version 0.95.00.1118r, so unfortunately this is not the Ice Cream Sandwich ROM that was leaked a week or so ago.  If anything, it looks like a maintenance release to get some bugs ironed out, which nobody should be complaining about.  The changelog in handy bullet-point form:

• Updated signal strength meter to 5 bar Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI).
• Screen Timeout issues while connected to Wifi have been resolved.
• Resolved issue with Mobile Hotspot data stalling while multiple users are connected.
• Improved audio quality during voice call.
• Reduced forced closures related to the People application.
• Improved device stability reduces continuous resets.
• Resolved issue with Task Manager stopping Mail background service.

All very welcome fixes indeed.  The Rezound is a hell of a phone as is, and knowing that HTC and Big Red aren't going to let it wither by the wayside is great news for all of us.  Security patches and bug fixes are just as important as complete OS updates, so we'll take them every time.

Of course, there's no guarantee that this is coming soon, but in the past we have seen the support page for Verizon phones go live a few days before the OTA begins to push out.  There's no reason not to think this will be the same situation, so if I had a Rezound and was interested in accepting a stock update, I'd be preparing for it.  Jump in the Rezound forums and discuss!

Source: Verizon (pdf); via Android Central forums.  Thanks, iLLusive!

 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/A68SYhUBtn0/story01.htm

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Romney's mountain of wealth could cast loud echo (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Mitt Romney's newly released tax returns represent an extraordinary accounting of the household finances and far-reaching corporate investments of one of the richest U.S. presidential candidates in generations, with an annual income that tops $20 million.

How the details of Romney's extensive wealth will play among Republican taxpayers, rival campaigns, the media and the American public only started to emerge Tuesday, as more than 500 pages from a 2010 tax return and a 2011 estimate spilled out both significant and minor revelations about Romney's scattered holdings, tax strategies and charitable donations.

The returns outline both the dimensions of Romney's finances and the complexity of the tactics used to reduce his effective tax rate close to the low 15 percent paid by many middle-class Americans. Among the new details contained in the documents are Romney's continuing profits from the private equity firm he founded but no longer runs, a Swiss bank account closed just as Romney launched his White House run and new listings of investment funds that were set up in offshore locations from the Caribbean to Ireland and Luxembourg.

Romney's advisers stressed that he met all his federal tax obligations, provided maximum transparency and did not take advantage of "aggressive" strategies often used by the ultra-rich. Still, for millions of American taxpayers who are just beginning to grapple with their latest returns as tax season looms, Romney's multimillion-dollar returns provide a window into an unfamiliar world.

Tax law experts familiar with the formidable financial portfolios of investment fund managers said Romney's returns would at the very least reinforce the rising public issue of income inequity.

"The average American has a hard time understanding their own two-page tax return let alone Gov. Romney's 200-page return," said Joseph Bankman, a Stanford University professor of business and law who has testified to Congress on tax issues. "What would jump out at anyone is the sheer amount of money and low tax rate he pays, as well as the enormous complexity of his financial transactions."

Romney paid about $3 million in federal income taxes in 2010, having earned more than seven times that from his investments. That income, $21.7 million, put him among the wealthiest of American taxpayers. Romney's campaign said Tuesday he followed all tax laws.

At the same time, Romney gave nearly $3 million to charity ? about half of that amount to the Mormon Church ? which helped lower his effective tax rate to a modest 14 percent, according to records his campaign released Tuesday.

Romney's income puts him in the top 0.006 percent of Americans, based on the most recent Internal Revenue Service data, from 2009. That year, only 8,274 filers reported income above $10 million.

He could be worth up to $250 million, based on previously released financial information.

The documents were released as President Barack Obama prepared to deliver his State of the Union message, in which he is expected to talk about economic fairness.

Asked during a round of TV interviews Tuesday about Romney's tax rate, given that he's a multimillionaire, White House adviser David Plouffe said: "We need to change our tax system. We need to change our tax code so that everybody is doing their fair share."

Other Democratic Party voices were less restrained. "He used every loophole in the book available to the wealthy and corporations to avoid paying his fair share," said Democratic National Committee Executive Director Patrick Gaspard.

Romney's GOP rivals had no immediate comment. But House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, defended the Romney's tax rate as being close to what most Americans pay on long-term capital gains from the sale of investments.

"We all know that there's a reason we have low rates on capital gains," Boehner told reporters "That is because it spurs new investment in our economy and allows capital to move more quickly."

Romney had long refused to disclose any federal tax returns, then hinted he would only offer a single year's return in April. But mounting criticism from his rivals and a hard loss in last week's South Carolina primary forced his hand.

For 2011, Romney will pay about $3.2 million with an effective tax rate of about 15.4 percent, the campaign said. Those returns haven't yet been filed yet.

In total, he would pay more than $6.2 million in taxes on $45 million in income in the past two years, his campaign said.

"Gov. Romney has paid 100 percent of what he owes," said Benjamin Ginsberg, the Romney campaign's legal counsel. Ginsberg and other advisers insisted Romney did not use any aggressive tax strategies to help reduce or defer his tax income.

The advisers acknowledged that Romney continues to earn money from investments from Bain Capital, the Boston-based private equity firm the candidate founded and managed between 1984 and early 1999. Under an agreement with the firm when he left, Romney continued to earn "carried interest" on new Bain investments as a former partner in the firm even though he no longer ran the operation.

Romney earned $7.5 million in Bain earnings in 2010 and expects to make $5.5 million in 2011, Ginsberg said.

The former Massachusetts governor had been cast by his GOP opponents as a wealthy businessman who earned lucrative payouts from his investments while Bain slashed jobs in the private sector. Rival Newt Gingrich released his 2010 returns last Thursday showing he paid almost $1 million in income taxes, a tax rate of about 31 percent.

Romney's advisers acknowledged Tuesday that Romney and his wife, Ann, had a bank account in Switzerland as part of her trust. The account was worth $3 million and was held in the United Bank of Switzerland, said R. Bradford Malt, a Boston lawyer who makes investments for the Romneys and oversees their blind trust, which was set up to avoid any conflicts of interest in investments during his run for the presidency.

In 2009, UBS admitted assisting U.S. citizens in evading taxes, and agreed to pay a $780 million penalty as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.

Malt said he closed the account in early 2010 for "diversification" and because it "just wasn't worth it." He sidestepped a question about whether he did so because the account could have been a political liability, saying it "might or might not be inconsistent with Gov. Romney's political views." Malt has sold off other accounts in recent years ? including investments in firms that did business with Iran and China ? because of possible political inconsistency or embarrassment with Romney's political positions.

Malt also confirmed that some of Romney's investments are routed through affiliate funds set up in the Cayman Islands. He insisted there were no actual offshore accounts, and added that Romney paid the same amount of U.S. taxes using the Cayman affiliates as he would have if the investment funds were set up in the U.S.

Romney's 2010 tax return also shows a number of foreign investments, including funds based in Ireland, Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg. The documents also detailed another investment fund routed through a Bain Capital affiliate set up in Bermuda.

The returns showed about $4.5 million in itemized deductions, including $1.5 million to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Romney's charitable giving is above average, even for someone at his income level. In 2009, more than 37 million filers claimed charitable deductions averaging more than $4,000. Among those making more than $10 million, the average charitable deduction was about $1.7 million, according to the IRS.

Before the tax records were released, Romney's old investments in two government-backed housing lenders stirred up new questions at the same time his campaign targeted Gingrich for his work for Freddie Mac.

Gingrich earned $1.6 million in consulting fees from Freddie Mac. Romney has as much as $500,000 invested in the U.S.-backed lender and its sister entity, Fannie Mae.

The fight over releasing the tax information highlighted an argument that Democrats are already starting to use against Romney ? that he is out-of-touch with normal Americans. And it probably hurt him in the South Carolina primary, where he lost by 12 percentage points to Gingrich after spending several days resisting calls to release the returns.

___

Associated Press writers Kasie Hunt reported from Tampa and Stephen Ohlemacher from Washington.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_el_pr/us_romney_taxes

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Just Show Me: How to change the theme on your PlayStation 3 (Yahoo! News)

Welcome to?Just Show Me on?Tecca TV, where we show you tips and tricks for getting the most out of the?gadgets in your life. In today's episode we'll show you how to change the theme on?your?PlayStation 3.

The home screen on your PlayStation 3 can be customized to display different background, themes, etc. Personalize your PlayStation 3 to reflect who you are!

Take a look at these other episodes of Just Show Me that'll help you use your PlayStation 3 to its full potential:

For even more episodes of Just Show Me,?subscribe to Tecca TV's YouTube channel and?check out all our Just Show Me episodes. If you have any topics you'd like to see us cover, just drop us a line in the comments.

This article originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/techblog/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120123/tc_yblog_technews/just-show-me-how-to-change-the-theme-on-your-playstation-3

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New Genetic Clues to Breast Cancer? (HealthDay)

SUNDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified three new genomic regions they believe are linked with breast cancer that may help explain why some women develop the disease.

All three newly identified areas "contain interesting genes that open up new avenues for biological and clinical research," said researcher Douglas Easton, a professor of genetic epidemiology at the University of Cambridge in England.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, with about 1 million new cases annually worldwide and more than 400,000 deaths a year.

Scientists conducting genome-wide association studies -- research that looks at the association between genetic factors and disease to pinpoint possible causes -- had already identified 22 breast cancer susceptibility loci. Locus is the physical location of a gene or DNA sequence on a chromosome.

"The three [newly identified] loci take the number of common susceptibility loci from 22 to 25," said Easton.

However, the three new susceptibility loci might explain only about 0.7 percent of the familial risks of breast cancer, bringing the total contribution to about 9 percent, the researchers said.

Michael Melner, scientific program director for the American Cancer Society, said this current research adds some important new clues to existing evidence, but he agreed that the number of cases likely associated with these three variants is probably low.

"So the total impact in terms of patients would be fairly small," Melner said.

The study is published online Jan. 22 in Nature Genetics.

To find the new clues, Easton's team worked with genetic information on about 57,000 breast cancer patients and 58,000 healthy women obtained from two genome-wide association studies.

The investigators zeroed in on 72 different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A SNP -- pronounced "snip" -- is a change in which a single base in the DNA differs from the usual base. The human genome has millions of SNPs, some linked with disease, while others are normal variations.

The researchers focused on three SNPs -- on chromosomes 12p11, 12q24 and 21q21.

Easton's team found that the variant on the 12p11 chromosome is linked with both estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer (which needs estrogen to grow) and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. The other two variants are only linked with ER-positive cancers, they said.

One of the newly identified variants is in an area with a gene that has a role in the development of mammary glands and bones. Easton said it was already known that mammary gland development in puberty is an important period in terms of determining later cancer risk. "But these are the first susceptibility genes to be shown to be involved in this process," he said.

One of the other SNPs is in an area that can affect estrogen receptor signaling, the researchers found.

Melner, noting some of the research is "fine tuning" of other work, said in his view the new understanding of the signaling pathways and their genetic links is the most important finding.

"When you delineate a pathway, you bring up new potential targets for therapy," he said. "The more targets you have, you open up the potential for having multiple drugs and attacking a cancer more easily, without it becoming more resistant."

Overall, Melner added, the results underscore the complexity of the different mechanisms involved in breast cancer development.

More information

For more about the genetics of breast cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120123/hl_hsn/newgeneticcluestobreastcancer

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EU bans Iranian oil, Tehran responds with threats (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 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 diamonds, gold and other precious metals with the bank and other public bodies.

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.

In a statement, EU ministers said a recent move by Iran to start enriching uranium at its underground Fordow nuclear plant was a "flagrant violation" of U.N. resolutions.

"(It) further aggravates concerns about possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program," the ministers said.

EU sanctions follow fresh financial measures signed into law by U.S. President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve mainly targeting the oil sector, which accounts for some 90 percent of Iranian exports to the EU. The European Union, a bloc of more than half a billion people, 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. As a result, concessions pushed for by states such Greece will likely blunt the impact of EU sanctions for now, experts said.

Greece, which is at the heart of the debt crisis and relies on international aid to stay afloat, sources about a quarter of its oil imports from Iran because of favorable financing terms, and must now seek alternative sources.

It had pushed strongly for a grace period on existing deals and had originally argued it needed a year to prepare.

To reassure the Greek government, its EU peers agreed to return to the issue of oil sanctions before May to assess whether the measures are effective and whether EU states are succeeding in finding sufficient alternative resources.

The review could potentially affect the date when the full ban takes effect, diplomats said.

"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.

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

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.

Emanuele Ottolenghi of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington said the oil embargo was possibly the last card Western governments could play to avoid military confrontation with Iran.

But, he said, Europe's gradual approach and the possibility of waivers in U.S. measures weakened their impact.

"Regrettably, Europe's delay and America's loopholes mean Iran gets a reprieve at a time when, with Iran's nuclear program accelerating, it would have been preferable to see an embargo implemented sooner," he said.

European ministers also agreed to outlaw the export of key equipment and technology for the oil sector to Iran, and new investment in Iranian petrochemical firms.

Measures against the central bank will go into effect with the provision that allowed trade can continue, allowing for limited impact on the Iranian population.

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 Rex Merrifield)

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

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[OOC] The Frostwoods

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

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

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

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This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "The Frostwoods"

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Aniihya

Member for 3 years

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If possible, I'd like to reserve Sniper.
and a question...even though this is a parallel world, is the weapon tech similar? As in bolt action sniper rifles, first generation sub machine guns?

Zombicide93

Member for 1 years

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Yes. Just one tiny difference. Imagine that most of Estias tanks are tiny like the tankette but very durable and made with a powerful gun.

And to everyone wanting to play. Use the damn character sheet I wrote for you. I even wrote it in the rules and it still happened! Poorly written applications and applications in the wrong form will not be accepted.

Aniihya

Member for 3 years

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Post a reply

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Obama's State of the Union: Jobs, re-election time (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Vilified by the Republicans who want his job, President Barack Obama will stand before the nation Tuesday night determined to frame the election-year debate on his terms, using his State of the Union address to outline a lasting economic recovery that will "work for everyone, not just a wealthy few."

As his most powerful chance to make a case for a second term, the prime-time speech carries enormous political stakes for the Democratic incumbent who presides over a country divided about his performance and pessimistic about the nation's direction. He will try to offer a stark contrast with his opponents by offering a vision of fairness and opportunity for everyone.

In a preview Saturday, Obama said in a video to supporters that the speech will be an economic blueprint built around manufacturing, energy, education and American values.

He is expected to announce ideas to make college more affordable and to address the housing crisis still hampering the economy three years into his term, people familiar with the speech said. Obama will also propose fresh ideas to ensure that the wealthy pay more in taxes, reiterating what he considers a matter of basic fairness, the officials said.

His policy proposals will be less important than what Obama hopes they all add up to: a narrative of renewed American security with him at the center, leading the fight.

"We can go in two directions," Obama said in the campaign video. "One is toward less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few."

That line of argument is intended to tap directly into concerns of voters who think America has become a nation of income inequality, with rules rigged to help the rich. The degree to which Obama or his eventual Republican opponent can better connect with millions of hurting Americans is expected to determine November's presidential election.

Obama released his video hours ahead of the South Carolina primary, where Republican candidates fought in the latest fierce contest to become his general election rival.

The White House knows Obama is about to get his own stage to outline a re-election vision, but carefully. The speech is supposed to an American moment, not a campaign event.

Obama didn't mention national security or foreign policy in his preview, and he is not expected to break ground on either one in his speech.

He will focus on the economy and is expected to promote unfinished parts of his jobs plan, including the extension of a payroll tax cut that is soon to expire.

Whatever Obama proposes is likely to face long odds in a deeply divided Congress.

More people than not disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy, and he is showing real vulnerability among the independent voters who could swing the election. Yet he will step into the moment just as the economy is showing life. The unemployment rate is still at a troubling 8.5 percent, but at its lowest rate in nearly three years. Consumer confidence is up.

By giving a sneak peek to millions of supporters on his email list, Obama played to his Democratic base and sought to generate an even larger audience for Tuesday's address. He is unlikely to getter a bigger stage all year.

More people watched last year's State of the Union than tuned in to see Obama accept the Democratic presidential nomination in Denver in 2008.

The foundation of Obama's speech is the one he gave in Kansas last month, when he declared that the middle class was at a make-or-break moment and he railed against "you're on your own" economics of the Republican Party. His theme then was about a government that ensures people get a fair shot to succeed.

The State of the Union will be the details to back that up.

But even so, the speech will still be a framework ? part governing, part inspiration.

The details will be rolled out in full over the next several weeks, as part of Obama's next budget proposal and during his travels, which will allow him more media coverage.

On national security, Obama will ask the nation to reflect with him on a momentous year of change, including the end of the war in Iraq, the killing of al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and the Arab Spring protests, with people clamoring for freedom. He is expected to note the troubles posed by Iran and Syria without offering new positions about them.

Despite low expectations for legislation this year, Obama will offer short-term ideas that would require action from Congress. For now, the main looming to-do item is an extension of a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, both due to expire by March.

His travel schedule following his speech, to politically important regions, offers clues to the policies he was expected to unveil.

Both Phoenix and Las Vegas have been hard hit by foreclosures. Denver is where Obama outlined ways of helping college students deal with school loan debt. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Detroit are home to a number of manufacturers. And Michigan was a major beneficiary of the president's decision to intervene to rescue the American auto industry.

Republican leaders in Congress say Obama has made the chances of cooperation even dimmer just over the last several days. He enraged Republicans by installing a consumer watchdog chief by going around the Senate, which had blocked him, and then rejected a major oil pipeline project the GOP has embraced.

Obama is likely, once again, to offer ways in which a broken Washington must work together. Yet that theme seems but a dream given the gridlock he has been unable to change.

The address remains an old-fashioned moment of national attention; 43 million people watched it on TV last year. The White House website will offer a live stream of the speech, promising extra wrinkles for people who watch it there, and then invite people to send in questions to administration officials through social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Obama's campaign is also organizing and promoting parties around the nation for people to watch the speech.

__

AP deputy director of polling Jennifer Agiesta and Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.

__

Online:

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov

___

Follow Ben Feller at http://twitter.com/BenFellerDC

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_state_of_the_union

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Panetta: Military commits to Marine's F-35 fighter (AP)

PATUXENT RIVER NAVAL AIR STATION, Md. ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says the U.S. military is committed to developing the Marine Corps version of the next-generation strike fighter jet, but warns the program is "not out of the woods yet."

Panetta says the Pentagon needs "to make sure we're on the cutting edge" of military technology. And he says the F-35, the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program, is absolutely vital to maintaining America's air superiority.

He spoke as he stood in front of one of the fighter aircraft at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, where the program is run.

The Marine's version of the jet has faced schedule delays and cost overruns and the program was placed on probation by former defense chief Robert Gates. Panetta says the probation period is over.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_fighter_jet

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Saturday Morning Open Thread (Balloon Juice)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/189206686?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Kenny G's wife says goodbye to all that jazz

Maybe all that jazz ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Kenny G's wife of nearly 20 years, Lyndie Benson-Gorelick, has filed for a legal separation, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason, according to court documents obtained by E! News.

Yes, that's what the G stands for ? Gorelick.

READ: Glee's Jayma Mays gives Kenny G a shout-out

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      It was a strange group of 38 that made it through, but by the end of the hour, a couple of legitimate contenders emerged f...

   2. Ricki Lake: 'DWTS' led to post-traumatic stress
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   5. Springsteen dives back into politics on new CD

The duo have two sons together, Max and Noah, who at 14 is the only minor.

Lyndie hasn't filed for the "big D" from G yet, but both of them have enlisted high-profile L.A. divorce attorneys, Laura Wasser on Kenny's end and Gary Fishbein on Lyndie's.

MORE: View the petition

And the Malibu residents probably have a few bucks. In 2006, Kenny G was certified by the Recording Industry Association of America as one of the top-selling artists of all time with 48 million albums sold.

GALLERY: Big Celebrity Splits

Among his more recent projects, the famed saxophone player had a cameo in Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" video and jammed with Foster the People when they appeared on "Saturday Night Live" in October.

? 2012 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46069449/ns/today-entertainment/

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Pitt and Syracuse won't be on 2012 ACC football schedule

Wedge
1st String


Posts: 2,092
Joined: May 2010
Reputation: 40
I Root For: California
Location: Bear Territory

Pitt and Syracuse won't be on 2012 ACC football schedule Not a surprise, given the ACC's previous statements that they were willing to wait... http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01...ly-to.html Quote:Barring sudden changes, Pittsburgh and Syracuse will not be included in the 2012 ACC football season. The league plans to announce its entire schedule in early February and although some modifications could be made later, it would be difficult to extensively revise if the Big East released the two new ACC members without notice. "You never say never, but it?s unlikely there would be major changes once it?s set," said Mike Finn, the ACC associate commissioner in charge of football communications. Finn said the schedule will not be announced on national signing day (Feb. 1), but would likely be released shortly thereafter. The 2011 league schedule was released on Feb. 14.

Today 12:08 PM College Sports

I Root For: College Sports
Location: Everywhere orangefan
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Posts: 820
Joined: Mar 2007
Reputation: 18
I Root For: Syracuse
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RE: Pitt and Syracuse won't be on 2012 ACC football schedule (Today 12:08 PM)Wedge Wrote: ?Not a surprise, given the ACC's previous statements that they were willing to wait... http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01...ly-to.html Quote:Barring sudden changes, Pittsburgh and Syracuse will not be included in the 2012 ACC football season. The league plans to announce its entire schedule in early February and although some modifications could be made later, it would be difficult to extensively revise if the Big East released the two new ACC members without notice. "You never say never, but it?s unlikely there would be major changes once it?s set," said Mike Finn, the ACC associate commissioner in charge of football communications. Finn said the schedule will not be announced on national signing day (Feb. 1), but would likely be released shortly thereafter. The 2011 league schedule was released on Feb. 14. Did anybody think they would be?

Today 12:16 PM

Source: http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=549194

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Billy Crystal hints at Oscar theme in online video (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? The Academy Awards is the best awards show on TV ? at least according to Billy Crystal.

The veteran Oscar host calls it "the granddaddy of all the shows" and says in a new video that he appreciates being "trusted with this show again."

Crystal says he and Oscar producers are approaching the show "as fans of the movies and movie theaters and our first experiences in them."

Wearing a tuxedo and dancing among oversized Oscar statues, the 63-year-old comedian acknowledges that "there's so much expected" of his return and hints that he'll take his traditional approach to opening the show by inserting himself into the year's films.

The video is among special content the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is offering through its official show website, Oscar.com.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_en_mo/us_oscars_billy_crystal

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Canada-Australia collaboration to reveal chardonnay's secrets

Public release date: 18-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lorraine Chan
lorraine.chan@ubc.ca
604-822-2644
University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia's Wine Research Centre has launched an international collaboration with the Australian Wine Research Institute to sequence the Chardonnay grape genome.

In the first initiative of its kind, a multidisciplinary team of Canadian and Australian scientists will explore the genomics of the world's most planted grape variety, red or white.

Considered to be the principal international white wine standard, Chardonnay is Australia's dominant white variety and is the second most planted white variety in British Columbia. However, not many wineries know the type they have planted.

"Despite its popularity, not much is known about the Chardonnay genome," says project co-lead Prof. Hennie van Vuuren, director of the UBC Wine Research Centre at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. "Our goal is to help wineries identify their Chardonnay varieties so they can plant the most appropriate type for their climate, leading to improved quality of wine."

The researchers will examine 15 different varieties of the Chardonnay grape, looking at their distinct properties such as early or late ripening, loose or small bunch sizes and seedless or large berries.

"We're delighted to have secured this partnership with UBC for the benefit of Australian grape and wine producers," says Managing Director Dan Johnson of the Adelaide-based Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI). "Assembly of the Chardonnay genome will produce a foundational data resource that will underpin many such projects and, with time, will assist in developing practical game changing strategies for the growing of this variety."

Johnson adds, "Our work will benefit from the development of linkages with other groups working on grapevine sequencing initiatives for other varieties."

Also heading the project are Prof. Joerg Bohlmann from the UBC Michael Smith Laboratories and Prof. Sakkie Pretorius at the University of South Australia.

To date, the initiative has received a total of $585,000 from funders that include Genome British Columbia, UBC, the UBC Wine Research Centre, Bioplatforms Australia Ltd. and the AWRI.

###

About the UBC Wine Research Centre (WRC)

WRC's pioneering research bridges the sciences of grape growing (viticulture) and winemaking (enology). Established in 1999, the WRC attracts world-renowned scientists whose work on grape genomics and the yeast fermentation process is helping growers and winemakers improve wine production techniques. For example, the WRC has patented the world's first genetically enhanced wine yeast that makes drinking wine possible for the 30 per cent of the world's population that is sensitive to bioamines. These compounds are released during the fermentation process and can cause headaches.

As well, the WRC has established a state-of-the-art Wine Library that houses more than 22,000 bottles under ideal conditions. B.C. wines are carefully aged in the library and tested annually over a period of up to 24 years in order to discover which grape varietals thrive best in different regions.

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[ | E-mail | Share ]

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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.

Public release date: 18-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lorraine Chan
lorraine.chan@ubc.ca
604-822-2644
University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia's Wine Research Centre has launched an international collaboration with the Australian Wine Research Institute to sequence the Chardonnay grape genome.

In the first initiative of its kind, a multidisciplinary team of Canadian and Australian scientists will explore the genomics of the world's most planted grape variety, red or white.

Considered to be the principal international white wine standard, Chardonnay is Australia's dominant white variety and is the second most planted white variety in British Columbia. However, not many wineries know the type they have planted.

"Despite its popularity, not much is known about the Chardonnay genome," says project co-lead Prof. Hennie van Vuuren, director of the UBC Wine Research Centre at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. "Our goal is to help wineries identify their Chardonnay varieties so they can plant the most appropriate type for their climate, leading to improved quality of wine."

The researchers will examine 15 different varieties of the Chardonnay grape, looking at their distinct properties such as early or late ripening, loose or small bunch sizes and seedless or large berries.

"We're delighted to have secured this partnership with UBC for the benefit of Australian grape and wine producers," says Managing Director Dan Johnson of the Adelaide-based Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI). "Assembly of the Chardonnay genome will produce a foundational data resource that will underpin many such projects and, with time, will assist in developing practical game changing strategies for the growing of this variety."

Johnson adds, "Our work will benefit from the development of linkages with other groups working on grapevine sequencing initiatives for other varieties."

Also heading the project are Prof. Joerg Bohlmann from the UBC Michael Smith Laboratories and Prof. Sakkie Pretorius at the University of South Australia.

To date, the initiative has received a total of $585,000 from funders that include Genome British Columbia, UBC, the UBC Wine Research Centre, Bioplatforms Australia Ltd. and the AWRI.

###

About the UBC Wine Research Centre (WRC)

WRC's pioneering research bridges the sciences of grape growing (viticulture) and winemaking (enology). Established in 1999, the WRC attracts world-renowned scientists whose work on grape genomics and the yeast fermentation process is helping growers and winemakers improve wine production techniques. For example, the WRC has patented the world's first genetically enhanced wine yeast that makes drinking wine possible for the 30 per cent of the world's population that is sensitive to bioamines. These compounds are released during the fermentation process and can cause headaches.

As well, the WRC has established a state-of-the-art Wine Library that houses more than 22,000 bottles under ideal conditions. B.C. wines are carefully aged in the library and tested annually over a period of up to 24 years in order to discover which grape varietals thrive best in different regions.

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uobc-cct011812.php

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Video: What does the boisterous crowd say about the GOP?

Tanier: This weekend's tight ends are future of NFL

Tanier: Tight ends are still evolving. Given how athletically gifted they are, it?s not surprising that the 49ers and Patriots are finding new roles for players like Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Aaron Hernandez, and Rob Gronkowski.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46031082#46031082

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