Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Program for 2012 Berlin Film Festival (AP)

A list of the movies being shown in the official program at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, which runs Feb. 9-19.

In competition:

"A moi seule" ("Coming Home"), director Frederic Videau.

"Aujourd'hui," Alain Gomis.

"Bai lu yuan," Wang Quan'an.

"Barbara," Christian Petzold.

"Captive," Brillante Mendoza.

"Cesare deve Morire" ("Caesar Must Die"), Paolo and Vittorio Taviani.

"Csak a szel" ("Just The Wind"), Bence Fliegauf.

"Dictado" ("Childish Games"), Antonio Chavarrias.

"En kongelig affaere" ("A Royal Affair"), Nikolaj Arcel.

"Gnade" ("Mercy"), Matthias Glasner.

"Jayne Mansfield's Car," Billy Bob Thornton.

"Kebun binatang" ("Postcards From The Zoo"), Edwin.

"L'enfant d'en haut" ("Sister"), Ursula Meier.

"Les Adieux a la Reine" ("Farewell My Queen"), Benoit Jacquot.

"Meteora," Spiros Stathoulopoulos.

"Rebelle," Kim Nguyen.

"Tabu," Miguel Gomes.

"Was bleibt" ("Home For The Weekend"), Hans-Christian Schmid.

Out of competition:

"Bel Ami," Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod.

"Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close," Stephen Daldry.

"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," Tsui Hark.

"Jin ling Shi San Chai" ("The Flowers Of War"), Zhang Yimou.

"Shadow Dancer," James Marsh.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_en_mo/eu_berlin_film_festival_glance

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Belgium strikes on day of EU summit

A protest banner is seen below a banner for the euro currency during a demonstration outside of a EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. The eurozone crisis will dominate an EU summit on Monday, with an emphasis on growth and budget discipline. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A protest banner is seen below a banner for the euro currency during a demonstration outside of a EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. The eurozone crisis will dominate an EU summit on Monday, with an emphasis on growth and budget discipline. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A road sign and a banner with the euro currency are seen outside of an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. The eurozone crisis will dominate an EU summit on Monday, with an emphasis on growth and budget discipline. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A man walks by a banner outside of a EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. The eurozone crisis will dominate an EU summit on Monday, with an emphasis on growth and budget discipline. Banner reads, 'Competitiveness Pact, no, austerity pact, no, solidarity, yes'. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Union members put up a banner outside of a EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. The eurozone crisis will dominate an EU summit on Monday, with an emphasis on growth and budget discipline. Banner reads 'no to austerity, yes to solidarity'. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A union member puts up a banner outside of a EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. The eurozone crisis will dominate an EU summit on Monday, with an emphasis on growth and budget discipline. Banner reads 'no to austerity, yes to solidarity'. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

(AP) ? Belgian trade unions organizing a nationwide strike Monday called on leaders attending the European Union summit in Brussels to move away from austerity measures and start boosting growth and employment.

The 27 EU leaders converging on Brussels for their informal summit were largely unaffected by a train and public transport strike, even though some had to come through a small military airport instead of the main one in Brussels.

"We used our military plane ? very small ? but it functions. It is quite cold, but nevertheless we came," said Finland Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen.

Belgium's three main unions have called for efforts to reinvigorate the European economy by centering on taxing multinationals and boosting public investment instead of slashing public services and imposing a pension reform that forces people to work longer and cuts payments in some cases.

One of the country's airports was closed and Brussels' international airport suffered cancellations, delays and diversions. Traffic delays were limited since many people either worked from home or took a day off.

Trade union leaders converged at the summit building for a small demonstration, demanding a better deal for the workers.

"What we need is growth. Growth creates jobs. And you don't get growth when you suck the oxygen out of the economy by austerity, austerity, and then some," said Christian Democrat union leader Marc Leemans.

Overall, 23 million people are jobless across the EU, 10 percent of the active population.

As part of the demonstration at the summit building, union leaders delivered a symbolic "eurobond" ? pressing for a joint pooling of debt in the eurozone, a measure that has been steadfastly opposed by Germany. Struggling member states like Greece, Portugal and Ireland would benefit most from such bonds.

"At this stage, the poor members states are left in misery and the rich stand by and watch," said Leemans.

After two years of centering summit efforts on austerity and ways to keep debt down, the leaders are assessing ways to spur employment on Monday.

"Only now, we are talking about work and employment. It is too late, but better now than never," said socialist trade union leader Rudy De Leeuw.

Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said both could go hand in hand.

"Restoring growth that is what is essential for us. Also, we need more budgetary discipline. Together these two elements offer a way out of the crisis," Di Rupo said.

To help jump-start the EU toward more growth and employment, the EU Commission is proposing to the summit leaders to redirect euro82 billion in existing funds toward countries in dire need of help to fix their labor market.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-30-EU-Belgium-Strike/id-7443a71749de4b018fa12f368893229e

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Glitzy new AU headquarters a symbol of China-Africa ties (Reuters)

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) ? Standing on what was once Ethiopia's oldest maximum security prison, the new African Union headquarters funded by China is a symbol of the Asian giant's push to stay ahead in Africa and gain greater access to the continent's resources.

Critics point to an imbalance in what they see as the new "Scramble for Africa." But the prospect of growing Chinese economic influence is welcomed by African leaders, who see Beijing as a partner to help build their economies at a time when Europe and the United States are mired in economic turmoil.

And Africans are hoping for more Chinese largesse.

"The future prospects of our partnership are even brighter," Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Saturday at the new headquarters' multi-storey amphitheatre, where an African heads of states' summit will take place Sunday and Monday.

"China - its amazing re-emergence and its commitments for a win-win partnership with Africa - is one of the reasons for the beginning of the African renaissance," he said.

The brown marble and glass monolith was fully paid for by China, right down to the office furniture, and cost $200 million. The office complex and almost 100 metre (330 foot) tower is Addis Ababa's tallest building by far.

For the past decade, Africa has recorded economic growth of an average of 5 percent but its under-developed infrastructure has in part hindered its capacity to develop further.

Chinese companies are changing that. They are building roads and investing in the energy sector, and are active in areas such as telecoms technology.

China's most senior political adviser, Jia Qinglin, said trade between the two partners had grown to $150 billion, and the unveiling of the headquarters was a "milestone" in the ties between China and Africa.

As the biggest consumer of iron-ore, China has a relentless hunger for African minerals and energy.

Beijing now appears keener to flex its diplomatic muscle in the continent. It has also contributed $4.5 million for the African Union peacekeeping force battling Islamist militants in Somalia.

Outside the complex, hundreds of Chinese support staff, delegates and officials snapped pictures of their country's most ostentatious presence yet in Africa.

Critics point to land grabs and mistreatment of African workers on Chinese-funded projects. Even when it comes to job opportunities, in some instances China brings in teams of workers and technical experts.

Yet African officials insist they aren't being manipulated by China, and say the relationship is not based on aid but on trade and development.

"There are people who still consider Africans like children who can be easily manipulated. The good thing about this partnership is that it's give and take," the Democratic Republic of Congo's ambassador to Washington, Faida Mitifu, told Reuters.

(Editing by James Macharia and Alessandra Rizzo)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/wl_nm/us_africa_china

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Etta James remembered as triumphant trailblazer

Stevie Wonder performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Stevie Wonder performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Stevie Wonder performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Donto James, son singer Etta James speaks at his mother's funeral, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Christina Aguilera performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Christina Aguilera performs at the funeral of singer Etta James, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, Calif. James died last Friday at age 73 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She was most famous for her classic "At Last," but over her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate singing voice. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

(AP) ? Rhythm & blues legend Etta James was remembered at a service Saturday attended by hundreds of friends, family and fans as a woman who triumphed against all odds to break down cultural and musical barriers in a style that was unfailingly honest.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, eulogized James in a rousing speech, describing her remarkable rise from poverty and pain to become a woman whose music became an enduring anthem for weddings and commercials.

Perhaps most famously, President Barack Obama and the first lady shared their first inaugural ball dance to a version of the song sung by Beyonce, who portrayed James in the film "Cadillac Records." Sharpton on Saturday opened his remarks by reading a statement from the president.

"Etta will be remembered for her legendary voice and her contributions to our nation's musical heritage," Obama's statement read.

The Grammy-winning singer died Jan. 20 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She had retreated from public life in recent years, but on Saturday her legacy was on display as mourners of all ages and races converged on the City of Refuge church in Gardena, south of downtown Los Angeles.

Among the stars performing tributes to James were Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera, who told the gathering that she has included "At Last" in every concert she's performed as a tribute to her musical inspiration.

Wonder performed three songs, including "Shelter In the Rain" and a harmonica solo. James' rose-draped casket was on display, surrounded by wreaths and floral arrangements and pictures of the singer.

Sharpton, who met James when he was an up-and-coming preacher, credited her with helping break down racial barriers through her music.

"She was able to get us on the same rhythms and humming the same ballads and understanding each other's melodies way before we could even use the same hotels," Sharpton said, referring to the era when racial segregation was the law in many U.S. states.

He said James' fame and influence would have been unthinkable to a woman with James' background ? growing up in a broken home during segregation and at times battling her own demons.

"The genius of Etta James is she flipped the script," Sharpton said, alluding to her struggles with addiction, which she eventually overcame.

"She waited until she turned her pain into power," he said, adding that it turned her story away from being a tragic one into one of triumph.

"You beat 'em Etta," Sharpton said in concluding his eulogy. "At last. At last. At last!"

The assembly roared to their feet, and would again stand to applaud performances by Wonder and Aguilera, who filled the sanctuary with their voices.

"Out of all the singers that I've ever heard, she was the one that cut right to my soul and spoke to me," Aguilera said before her performance.

Throughout the service, a portrait of James as a woman who beat the odds in pursuit of her dreams repeatedly emerged.

"Etta is special to me and for me, because she represents the life, the triumphs, the tribulations of a lot of black women all over this world," said U.S. Rep Maxine Waters, a California Democrat.

"It does not matter who sang 'At Last' before or after Etta. It does not matter when it was sung, or where it was sung. 'At Last' was branded by Etta, the raunchy diva ? that's her signature and we will always remember her."

James won four Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement honor, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. In her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate, soulful singing voice.

She scored her first hit when she was just a teenager with the suggestive "Roll With Me, Henry," which had to be changed to "The Wallflower" in order to get airplay. Her 1967 album, "Tell Mama," became one of the most highly regarded soul albums of all time, a mix of rock and gospel music.

She rebounded from a heroin addiction to see her career surge after performing the national anthem at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She won her first Grammy Award a decade later, and two more in 2003 and 2004.

James is survived by her husband of 42 years, Artis Mills, and two sons, Donto and Sametto James.

"Mom, I love you," Donto James said during brief remarks. "When I get to the gates, can you please be there for me?"

___

Follow Anthony McCartney at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-28-Etta%20James-Funeral/id-1d902050374c4cecb43a8f6b2fda27db

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Senegalese court approves president's candidacy (AP)

DAKAR, Senegal ? Police in Senegal fired tear gas in a square where hundreds have been protesting the constitutional court's decision to allow President Abdoulaye Wade to run for a third term in next month's election.

The youths burnt tires and ran into side streets at Place de l'Obelisque as security forces lobbed tear gas canisters.

Senegal's constitutional court approved a list of 14 candidates who had met the requirements to run for president in the Feb. 26 election, and among them was the 85-year-old Wade. The opposition had earlier vowed to take to the streets because the constitution has a two-term limit.

Wade argues that the constitution was revised to impose term limits after he came to office. He says the law cannot be retroactive and so he should be allowed to run for a third term.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) ? Senegal's president can run for a third term in next month's election, the constitutional court ruled Friday, after security forces were put on alert to prevent opposition protests from turning violent.

After President Abdoulaye Wade was elected in 2000, the constitution was revised to impose a two-term limit. The 85-year-old Wade, who is a lawyer by training, argued the new law was not retroactive, and so he should be allowed to run for a third term.

The constitutional court deliberated behind closed doors for hours before emerging and issuing a statement, listing 14 approved candidates including Wade.

Youssou Ndour, arguably Africa's most famous musician, was not included on the list ? another blow to the country's opposition, which had hoped that Ndour's candidacy would shine an international spotlight on the race.

Hundreds of youths carrying cardboard signs calling for the departure of Wade milled around a downtown square, where they vowed to spend the night in protest if the court approved the leader's candidacy.

Police wearing fiberglass helmets took up positions at strategic intersections in the capital before the ruling. Businesses sent their employees home early.

The legality of Wade's candidacy is bitterly disputed, because the constitution was revised soon after he was elected in 2000 in order to impose a two-term limit. The ruling party argues that because Wade was elected under the previous constitution he should be allowed to run for a third term. Earlier this week, he defied calls to step aside and turned in his application to run in the Feb. 26 election.

A lawyer by training with multiple degrees from universities in France, Wade spent 25 years as the country's opposition leader. He ran and lost four elections before his victory in the election 11 years ago, hailed as a breakthrough for democracy on a continent better known for strongman rule. Former President Abdou Diouf stunned the world by calling Wade to concede defeat, a gesture unheard of in the region. Now many are wondering if Wade himself will step aside gracefully.

Since taking office he has come under mounting criticism, first for delegating an increasing share of power to his son, as well as for the corruption scandals that have overshadowed his administration's achievements, including the building of numerous roads and bridges.

In 2001, the government revised the constitution to impose a two-term limit and after winning a second term in 2007, Wade told reporters he would not seek a third term. He then reversed course, arguing that the term limits were imposed after he was elected, and that no law can be applied retroactively, so he should be allowed to run for a third term.

"I'm a lawyer too. And the constitution, it's me that revised it. All by myself. No one knows it better than me ... No one can interpret it better than me," Wade told the news portal Dakaractu.Com in an interview this week. "I was elected in 2000 on the basis of a law dating from 1963. After I was elected, I saw to it that a new constitution was adopted. Everyone knows that a law dictates the present, and the future, but it cannot be retroactive."

Senegal is considered one of the most mature democracies in Africa, and unlike many of its neighbors, its democratic tradition dates to even before independence from France 51 years ago. Starting in the mid-1800s, France allowed its colony to elect a deputy who served in the French parliament.

And in his official biography, Wade traces his roots to the Cayor kingdom located in Senegal's central plains, where kings were elected by a circle of elders rather than through a hereditary system common in many other parts of Africa.

"What shocks people is that he would try to run for a third term," says the country's leading investigative journalist Abdou Latif Coulibaly, the editor-in-chief of The Gazette magazine who voted for Wade in 2000 but who is now supporting the opposition. "It's the problem of his age. It's the problem of the constitution. And to be frank, people are very scared that he will try to hand power to his son ? which is something that the population does not want at all."

Hours before the court was due to release its verdict, Pape Sy circled the city looking for an open gas station. For three days, a fuel strike had closed down gas stations, adding yet another point of applied pressure. Finally in the Medina neighborhood of the capital, he pulled in behind the 13 other cars lined up head-to-toe at a Total station, which had just reopened. His gasoline gauge had already dipped below 0.

"Things don't smell good," he said, summing up the mood in the capital. "There are economic problems, and these other issues are attaching themselves onto that like pieces of Scotchttape. People want change. ... To me this really feels like the end of a reign."

Unlike nearly all its neighbors, Senegal does not have history of violent demonstrations, or of military intervention in state affairs. The country was shaken, however, by the riots that shut down the capital last summer when Wade's party attempted to rush a law through parliament that would have created the post of vice president, a move that critics said was as an attempt to create a mechanism of succession through which Wade could pass power to his son.

At Place de l'Obelisque, hundreds of youths gathered to protest before the court's decision, saying they planned to turn it into the equivalent of Egypt's Tahrir Square if the five judges presiding over the constitutional court validate Wade's candidacy.

"Everyone knows that the Senegalese people are politically mature. Everyone knows that Wade's candidacy is anti-constitutional. The court must play the role of referee," said 34-year-old Ibrahima Diop, who like many in the square is unemployed. "We placed a lot of hope in Abdoulaye Wade. He let us down. We deserve better."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_af/af_senegal_election

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Nevada GOP to release results via Twitter, Google (AP)

CARSON CITY, Nev. ? Results of the Nevada Republican presidential caucus will be released through Twitter and Google, the first time the social network will play a central role in announcing the outcome of a political presidential contest.

Precinct and county results will be mapped by Google and linked to the Nevada Republican Party website. State GOP officials anticipate 50,000 to 60,000 will participate in the caucuses, which begin at different times according to schedules set up at the county level. The earliest commence at 7 a.m. PST.

Adam Sharp, Twitter manager of government and politics, said Friday the plan to release the results would "open up access to this real-time information."

Voting from all but Nevada's largest county, home to Las Vegas, will be released starting at 5 p.m. on Feb. 4. Totals from Clark County, where three-fourths of the state's citizens reside, will come sometime after 7 p.m., when a special evening caucus begins there for Jewish voters marking the Sabbath. That will delay final results from the presidential nominating contest by several hours.

The Clark County Republican Party has said the nighttime caucus will accommodate conservative Jewish voters and others, such as Seventh Day Adventists, who observe the traditional weekly day of worship.

Casino billionaire and Newt Gingrich supporter Sheldon Adelson had raised concerns about the Sabbath conflict. The evening gathering will be held at a school named after Adelson.

State officials acknowledged some campaigns have raised concerns about the Adelson school location because he and his wife contributed $10 million to Gingrich's Super PAC. Party officials said the location was chosen before the donations were known.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_el_pr/us_nevada_caucus

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Can Mindfulness Help Breast Cancer Survivors? | Dialectical ...

breast cancer ribbonDepression can be a factor in the treatment of an array of different health problems.? It has an impact on the treatment of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.? Depression may not be the cause of these diseases, but it often co-occurs with them and can influence whether patients follow through on treatment recommendations.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction training can help breast cancer survivors in their struggle with depression.

The number of women who survive breast cancer has increased in recent years.? However, side-effects of breast cancer treatment, including sleep problems and depression, can disrupt people?s lives and interfere with their treatment. According to a study conducted by Mary Jane Massie (2004), depression may impact as many as 50% of women with breast cancer.

In a recent study at the University of Missouri Jane Armer and other researchers found that breast cancer survivors? health improved after they completed mindfulness-based stress reduction training that incorporates meditation, yoga and physical awareness.

What is Mindfulness-based stress reduction?

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction involves learning to focus attention, on purpose.? Attention is focused on the present moment with an openness to experience.? The quality of this attention is a gentle, non-judgmental acceptance of whatever arises into awareness.

Mindfulness is often seen as a way of counteracting emotional reactivity that can leave us stressed, anxious and depressed.? Instead of simply reacting to feelings, thoughts and events in life, with mindfulness you learn to become aware of your reactions and to respond to your experience out of awareness and consciousness.

At his mindfulness based stress reduction program in Worcester, Massachusetts, Jon Kabat-Zinn teaches participants this increased awareness through meditation, yoga and dialogue in day-to-day awareness of life.? Participants attend groups and complete homework assignments that include daily meditations.

This training is aimed at teaching people to use their innate abilities to respond effectively to stress, pain and illness.? Surviving breast cancer is certainly stressful.

Studies have found that breast cancer survivors who have finished treatment experienced more depression and far higher levels of fatigue, sleep problems, and difficulty working and concentrating than healthy subjects.? Mindfulness-based stress reduction is a treatment that may be a fit for many in their recovery.

Breast cancer ribbon photo available from Shutterstock.

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????Last reviewed: 26 Jan 2012

APA Reference
Matta, C. (2012). Can Mindfulness Help Breast Cancer Survivors?. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 27, 2012, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/dbt/2012/01/can-mindfulness-help-breast-cancer-survivors/

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Source: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/dbt/2012/01/can-mindfulness-help-breast-cancer-survivors/

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Man jailed for false claim against X factor's Walsh (Reuters)

DUBLIN (Reuters) ? An Irish man who falsely accused television star and pop impresario Louis Walsh of groping him in a Dublin night club was jailed for six months on Wednesday.

Walsh, who manages boy band Westlife and stars on the popular UK television talent show "X Factor," was accused in June last year of the assault by Leonard Watters, 24, who later retracted the allegations.

"The public must be protected from this type of untrue, unfounded allegations, he put the injured party through a lot of pain and anguish," said District Court Judge Dermot Dempsey.

Watters said he would appeal against the sentence.

(Reporting by Conor Humphries, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/tv_nm/us_louiswalsh_xfactor

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Marine spared from jail time in Iraq killings (Reuters)

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif (Reuters) ? A U.S. Marine accused of leading a 2005 massacre of 24 civilians in the Iraqi city of Haditha was spared jail time when he was sentenced on Tuesday for his role in killings that brought international condemnation on U.S. troops.

The harshest penalty Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, 31, now faces for his guilty plea on Monday to a single count of dereliction of duty is a demotion to the rank of private, the lowest rank in the service, as recommended by a military judge.

More serious charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault were dismissed as part of a plea deal that cut short Wuterich's court-martial.

The outcome appeared certain to stoke outrage among Iraqis, adding to anger over other abuses by U.S. soldiers or private security contractors, including the 2004 Abu Ghraib prison scandal, during the more than eight years troops spent in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Even before it became clear that Wuterich would be spared from serving time in jail, relatives of the victims decried the results of his court-martial as a disgrace.

The head of the Iraqi parliament's human rights committee, Saleem al-Jubouri, said terms of the plea deal were "a violation of Iraqis' dignity" and vowed to convene his panel on Wednesday to discuss the matter.

Wuterich, whose guilty plea had carried a maximum possible penalty of three months in jail, showed no emotion as a military judge pronounced his sentence.

But in a pre-sentencing statement he read in court earlier in the day, Wuterich expressed remorse for the slayings and said he realized his name would always be associated with "being a cold-blooded baby-killer, an out of control monster."

As part of his guilty plea, Wuterich accepted responsibility for giving negligent verbal instructions to the Marines under his command when he told them to "shoot first and ask questions later," orders that resulted in the deaths of civilians.

In his court statement on Tuesday, Wuterich added that when he gave that order, "the intent wasn't that they should shoot civilians. It was that they would not hesitate in the face of the enemy."

He said that he and his fellow Marines behaved honorably under extreme circumstances, and that he "never fired my weapon at any women or children that day."

A final decision on a demotion of rank for Wuterich is up to the commander of the Marine Corps Forces Central Command, Lieutenant General Thomas Waldhauser, who had ruled out any confinement as part of the punishment.

Any discharge process faced by Wuterich, a father of three girls, will be separate from his sentencing.

OUTRAGE IN IRAQ

Wuterich was accused of being the ringleader in a series of shootings and grenade attacks on November 19, 2005, that left two dozen civilians dead in Haditha, a city west of Baghdad that was then an insurgent hotspot.

The killings were portrayed by Iraqi witnesses and military prosecutors as a massacre of unarmed civilians -- men, women and children -- carried out by Marines in anger after a member of their unit was killed by a roadside bomb.

Defense lawyers argued the deaths resulted from a chaotic, fast-moving combat situation in which the Marines believed they were under enemy fire.

Jeffrey Dinsmore, an intelligence officer with Wuterich's battalion, testified on Tuesday that insurgent forces "had complete control over the city (of Haditha) at the time" and the unit had received word that an ambush was likely.

He said insurgents were known to commandeer homes as places to launch attacks and to use civilians as human shields.

Six of the seven other Marines originally accused in the case had previously had their charges dismissed by military judges, while another was cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

Even before sentencing, word of a plea deal that carried a jail term of no more than 90 days for Wuterich sparked indignation in Iraq, where Ali Badr, a Haditha resident and relative of one of the victims, called it "solid proof that the Americans don't respect human rights."

"This is not a traffic felony," said Khalid Salman, a lawyer for the Haditha victims' relatives and a cousin of one of those killed, expressing his shock at the plea ahead of sentencing.

Wuterich, in his statement on Tuesday, directed an apology to family members of those killed in Iraq, but said civilians were not singled out for attack.

"Words cannot express my sorrow for the loss of your loved ones," he said. "The truth is, I don't believe anyone in my squad ... behaved in any way that was dishonorable or contrary to the highest ideals that we all live by as Marines."

"But even with the best intentions, sometimes combat actions can cause tragic results," he added, reading calmly and deliberately.

In his own remarks to the judge before sentencing, Wuterich's civilian defense lawyer, Neal Puckett, said his client had unfaltering integrity and was "not evil," but knew that his Marine career was at its end.

After the proceedings, his lawyers said Wuterich planned to pursue a post-military career in information technology.

Wuterich enlisted in the Marines after his 1998 graduation from high school, where he was an athletic honor-roll student and played with the marching band. He was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq when the Haditha incident occurred.

(Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/us_nm/us_marine_haditha

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Charlie Sheen talks ladies ? onscreen and off

Charlie Sheen is set to make his return to the small screen in the upcoming ?Anger Management? on FX, but which female actress is in the lead to play opposite the headline-maker?

?[Selma Blair] is a strong frontrunner. She?s a very special lady and is as pretty as the day is long and has never really had the opportunity to do something where she can shine, because off camera she?s hilarious,? Sheen told Billy Bush on Tuesday?s "Access Hollywood Live," which aired live from a poolside at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. ?I think [she?s] one of the prettiest women in Hollywood.?

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Winning, Tiger Blood & More! Shots Of Charlie Sheen

As for his former real life leading lady, Denise Richards, who he recently vacationed with in Mexico, the actor said he was overjoyed to reconnect with his children ? daughters Sam, 7, and Lola, 6 ? and his and ex-wife.

?It was fabulous. It was one of those trips that reestablished what should have been in place a long time ago. But things happen when they?re supposed to,? Sheen continued. ?I came home with like a whole new family.?

VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Many Women Of Charlie Sheen

The trip even made the actor ponder why their marriage went south.

?She?s really fabulous, best mom in the world,? he said of Richards ? who he affectionately referred to as a ?stone cold hammer.? ?I?m like, ?Why did I leave her?? Oh right, she left me!?

Currently, Sheen doesn?t have a serious relationship with anyone special.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: A Look Back at Charlie Sheen & Brooke Mueller

?I don?t have a girlfriend, no, but I?m having a good time,? he explained.

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His good times include owning up to his past mishaps and shenanigans.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen: The Early Years

?Listen to this crap! Did this really happen? It?s so silly. It was an odyssey of, ?What was that??? Sheen said as Bush read the actor a few of his now infamous phrases like, ?Winning,? and ?Tiger Blood.? ?I don?t think that can happen again, but I own that whole experience. It was really kind of an elaborate lesson to remind me to basically stick to what you know.?

Adding, ?I insist on enjoying every moment these days.?

?Anger Management? premieres on FX in June.

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

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46121147/ns/today-entertainment/

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Dyslexia's Brain Changes May Occur Before Kids Learn to Read (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- New imaging research shows that the reduced brain activity associated with the onset of dyslexia appears to develop before, not after, a child starts to read.

Key parts of the brain's rear left hemisphere critical to language processing do not undergo activity changes as a consequence of dyslexia, the study suggests, but may instead be part of the cause.

The finding could ultimately help clinicians screen for at-risk children at an early pre-reading age, when interventions to reduce the severity of the condition might be most effective.

"We already knew that children and adults with a diagnosis of dyslexia show brain alterations within the left posterior -- back -- part of the brain," said study co-author Nadine Gaab, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the neuroscience program at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston. "However, it was unclear whether these alterations are a result of dyslexia [that] show up after years of reading failure or whether they predate the reading onset," she noted.

"[Here] we could show that they predate reading onset," Gaab said. "This suggests that children are either born with it or that it develops within the first few years of life."

The study, published in the Jan. 23 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focused on 36 healthy kindergarteners aged 5 and 6 years who had not begun to read.

Half of the children were at a high risk for developing dyslexia, as at least one of their immediate family members had been previously diagnosed with the disability. None of the children had difficulty with hearing or vision, and none had a history of either neurological or psychological illness.

After completing standard pre-reading language and vocabulary skills assessments, all of the children participated in a couple of audio-identification tasks. First, they were asked to listen to a male or female voice uttering a single word twice and then indicate if the two words sounded the same. Next, they listened to a pairing of words and were asked to indicate if the gender of the voice uttering each successive word was the same.

Throughout the testing, the children also underwent functional MRI (fMRI) to monitor their brain activity, with particular focus on two regions of the rear, left brain: the bilateral occipitotemporal and left temporoparietal areas. Both have previously been shown to have a role in dyslexia.

The results: Children in the at-risk group were found to have reduced brain activity in the two key brain areas, compared to their peers with similar age and IQ who did not have family risk factors.

In addition, the research team found that among at-risk pre-reading children there was no evidence of activity increases in key frontal lobe brain regions previously linked to dyslexia. This, they said, suggested that the brain's method for trying to compensate for the problems associated with dyslexia does not appear to be set in motion until after children begin to read.

"Early identification of children at risk in kindergarten or even before then offers a chance to reduce the clinical, psychological and social implications of reading disability/dyslexia," Gaab said. "Identifying early predictors will also help educators, parents and scientists to find ways to support the academic and cognitive development of children with reading disability/dyslexia and may also lead to strategies that will reduce the severity of reading disability."

Guinevere Eden, director of the Center for the Study of Learning and a professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., expressed enthusiasm for what she deemed to be "the first study of its kind."

"The question has always been, are these physiological changes the result of dyslexia or are they there to begin with?" said Eden, who is also the immediate past-president of the International Dyslexia Association.

"And so what's interesting about this study, is that by using non-invasive tools, they were able to find that the kind of differences that have been shown in older people with dyslexia are apparently already present in children at risk for dyslexia before they even begin to read," Eden said.

"And that means they have found a physiological signature for a child who is likely at risk for dyslexia, which will be of great help in doing what everyone really wants to do: identifying and treating children with dyslexia as early as possible," Eden added.

More information

Visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine for more on dyslexia.

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

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Johnny Depp In 1988 Talks 'Strange' Fame, Fans (VIDEO)

Johnny Depp is America's favorite movie star, according to a new poll released earlier this week. By now, the popularity is par for the course for the eccentric, Oscar-nominated "Pirates" actor, what with his tabloid life and red carpet bows, but he didn't always find fame such a familiar experience.

In this 1988 interview with Entertainment Tonight -- his first with the show -- Depp, who was a 25-year old starring on "21 Jump Street," ruminates on the "strange" venture of being a star in Hollywood.

"You don't expect people to be there, waiting for you, it's very new to me," he says of walking the red carpet. "I'm dealing with it the best way i know how, which is right now, I try to meet as many people as I can and when a situation like they have downstairs with all the kids, I try to sign as many things as I can, I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings or make them feel like I don't have time. But it's very strange time because they're saying, 'Please sign this, please sign this,' and then I have these guard guys pulling me, saying, C'mon, we got to go, we got to go,' so it's a little strange to be in that situation."

WATCH:

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/21/johnny-depp-in-1988-talks_n_1220816.html

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Extraordinary Gingrich comeback also vindication

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich laughs while speaking during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich laughs while speaking during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich waves to the crowd with his wife Callista during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, greets supporters at his South Carolina primary election night reception at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won the Republican primary Saturday night. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

(AP) ? To say Newt Gingrich capped an extraordinary comeback with a South Carolina victory doesn't quite capture what happened.

It was more like vindication.

The former House speaker came from behind to overtake Mitt Romney on Saturday in a state that for decades has chosen the eventual Republican nominee. On the way there, Gingrich triumphed over months of campaign turmoil and at least two political near-death experiences as well as millions of dollars of attack advertisements and potentially damning personal allegations.

He did it by finding his voice and rallying conservatives with a populist defiance.

"The American people feel that they have elites who have been trying to force us to stop being Americans," Gingrich told cheering supporters in Columbia after he was declared the victor. "It's not that I am a good debater. It's that I articulate the deepest-felt values of the American people."

It was on the debate stage that the pugnacious Gingrich arguably revived his presidential campaign, not once but twice in the past year, by giving a tea party-infused GOP exactly what it's hungering for ? a no-holds-barred attack dog willing to go after President Barack Obama with abandon. If Gingrich wins the nomination, his confrontational attitude against all things Obama likely will be a big reason Republicans choose him over chief rival Romney.

Gingrich, a political strategist in his own right who has a knack for understanding precisely what the GOP electorate wants, has aggressively taken it to Obama since the moment he entered the race last spring determined to turn his nationwide grass-roots network of support that he's cultivated for a decade into a front-running White House campaign.

But he stumbled early, including by disparaging the House Republicans' Medicare proposal as "right-wing social engineering" and was all but forced to apologize after the conservative outcry. His campaign nearly imploded over strategy squabbles, with virtually his entire senior staff abandoning him before the summer even began. And he was broke after spending lavishly.

Gingrich spent the next six months running his own campaign on a shoestring. The former college professor used a series of debates in the fall ? and the free media they afforded him ? to show Republican voters his political and oratory skills. Their adoration ended up catapulting him back into contention in Iowa. He vowed to stay positive and focus on Obama ? even as his rivals, sensing a very real threat, went on the attack with a barrage of negative TV advertising.

His rivals and allied groups ? primarily the pro-Romney Restore Our Future political action committee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul ? castigated him for a tumultuous speakership and career in Washington after Congress, knocking him way off course and nearly bludgeoning him to political death.

It turned out Gingrich didn't have the money to respond on TV. And his standing slid as the new year began, and he ended up coming in a distant fourth place in the leadoff caucuses on Jan. 3.

He was but an afterthought in the next state to vote, New Hampshire, where he spent a full week on the attack against Romney while complaining about the beating he took in Iowa on the air. But the cash-strapped Gingrich didn't have money to take his criticism of Romney to the TV airwaves. He seemed completely off his game, losing big in the first-in-the-nation primary state.

Then came Sheldon Adelson to the rescue.

The billionaire casino magnate and longtime Gingrich backer ponied up at least $5 million for an outside group ? made up of former Gingrich aides ? to help put his buddy back in the game. It wasn't long before the group ? Winning Our Future ? was exacting payback on Romney for his allies pummeling Gingrich in Iowa. And the group started raising questions about Romney's time at the helm of a private equity firm, Bain Capital, putting Romney on the defensive for the first time during the campaign.

When the race turned to South Carolina, it didn't take long for Gingrich? a former Georgia congressman ? to hit his stride. The state had always been a campaign firewall for him. He had visited often, built his biggest staff of any of the first three early-voting states and spent $2.5 million on advertising.

Over the past 10 days, he raised questions about Romney's private business experience while Winning Our Future reinforced the message by financing millions of dollars in South Carolina advertising characterizing Romney as a corporate predator who dismantled companies while running Bain Capital. Gingrich also started working to undercut Romney's strength ? the notion that the former Massachusetts governor was the Republicans' best chance to beat Obama in the fall.

"What you are seeing him doing is convincing people first that he can win," senior Gingrich adviser David Winston explained at one point. "He's in the process of crossing that threshold."

It was his performance in two debates last week that may have helped him seal the deal with undecided Republicans who were questioning his viability as a candidate.

He turned his vulnerabilities ? a comment some interpreted as racist and an allegation by an ex-wife that he had wanted an "open marriage" ? into moments of strength by answering questions about those issues with nothing short of a character assassination on the national media. In both instances, he clearly tickled his conservative audience ? many of whom are skeptical of a media industry they view as left-leaning.

In Myrtle Beach last Monday, Gingrich lashed out when FOX News Juan Williams had asked him if comments he made urging poor minority children to work as janitors were racially insensitive.

"The fact is that more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history," Gingrich retorted ? and then turned up the intensity.

His voice rose and he jabbed a finger into the podium as he said: "I believe every American of every background has been endowed by their creator with the right to pursue happiness. And if that makes liberals unhappy, I'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job, and learn some day to own the job."

The clip became the heart of Gingrich's final television ad in South Carolina, and won high praise from supporters at the barbecue joints and sportsmen's clubs he visited in the campaign's closing days.

But three days later, Gingrich had what seemed like a problem on his hands.

An ex-wife, Marianne Gingrich, did an interview with ABC News in which she said Gingrich had asked her to allow him to have a mistress while they were married. It was unclear how the allegation would play in a Baptist state where many in the GOP electorate call themselves evangelical.

Gingrich ended up using the allegation to his advantage on a debate stage in Charleston, when CNN moderator John King opened the candidate face-off by asking Gingrich about his ex-wife's claim.

"Every person in here knows personal pain. Every person in here has had someone close to them go through painful things," an indigent Gingrich said. "To take an ex-wife and make it, two days before the primary, a significant question for a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything I can imagine."

The audience roared and rose to its feet.

Several things also fell Gingrich's way.

Romney's personal wealth was thrust into the spotlight as he stumbled over whether ? and then eventually when ? he would release his tax returns. Gingrich pounced, suggesting Romney may have something to hide that could pose a liability against Obama. Romney also took a hit when the Iowa GOP declared that Rick Santorum, not Romney had won the leadoff caucuses.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry also quit the race two days before the primary and endorsed Gingrich. And evangelical conservatives in the state largely ignored the pleas of national Christian leaders who had voted to endorse Santorum and started coalescing behind Gingrich, the only other candidate in the race fighting over the support of the right flank.

In the end, South Carolina Republican strategist Chip Felkel said: "His supporters were fired up, and it's contagious, especially given Romney's failure to generate that kind of enthusiasm."

The coming weeks will determine whether Gingrich can stay on top this time.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-22-How%20Gingrich%20Won/id-619cb2d06fee458a9e71003d2bfda63e

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Non-Consenting Adults

The law required the researchers to offer a means for opting out. Northfield's answer was to provide plastic bracelets inscribed with the words "I decline the PolyHeme study." Crucially, to opt out, one first had to know the study existed?a challenge, because the obligatory community notification tended to be desultory. Ross McKinney Jr., vice-dean for research at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, estimated that consultation in his area reached about 450 out of a possible 267,000 people.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=3c68c356eb589acaaab64ded43deef9a

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Johnny Otis of 'Willie and the Hand Jive' dies (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Johnny Otis, the "godfather of rhythm and blues" who wrote and recorded the R&B classic "Willie and the Hand Jive" and for decades evangelized black music to white audiences as a bandleader and radio host, has died. He was 90.

Otis, who had been in poor health for several years, died at his home in the Los Angeles foothill suburb of Altadena on Tuesday, said his manager, Terry Gould.

Otis, who was white, was born John Veliotes to Greek immigrants and grew up in a black section of Berkeley, where he said he identified far more with black culture than his own. As a teenager, he changed his name because he thought Johnny Otis sounded more black.

"As a kid, I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black," he once explained.

His musical tastes clearly reflected that adopted culture and even after he became famous, his dark skin and hair often led audiences and club promoters to assume he was black like his band mates.

Otis was leading his own band in 1945 when he scored his first big hit, "Harlem Nocturne." In 1950, 10 of his songs made Billboard Magazine's R&B chart. His "Willie and the Hand Jive" sold more than 1.5 million copies and was covered years later by Eric Clapton.

He later wrote "Every Beat of My Heart," which was a hit for Gladys Knight & the Pips.

But the influence of Otis was felt most through his ability to recognize and promote talent. He wove into his bands such diverse and legendary R&B vocalists as Etta James, Hank Ballard, Big Mama Thornton and The Robins, the latter a group that would evolve into the Coasters.

He produced Thornton's original recording of "Hound Dog," a song that would later become an even bigger hit for Elvis Presley.

"His band shows a different style on pretty much every new recording," said Piero Scaruffi, author of "A History of Rock Music, 1951-2000." "The reason is that Otis did not force his personality on others but worked with the personality of the others. He may not have been a great composer or performer himself, but he was an impressive conductor."

Otis launched his professional music career as an 18-year-old drummer for bawdy barrelhouse pianist Count Otis Matthews, although he had never played the drums until then.

Matthews instructed him to simply pound out the syncopated "shave and a haircut, six bits" beat that would become the backbone of early rock `n' roll. His mastery of it soon proved his ticket to other bands and eventually to headlining his own group.

Otis saw himself as curator of black popular music, which for him represented much more than a diversion or livelihood. His cross-country R&B reviews and his radio and television appearances were dedicated to delivering black music to white audiences.

"The music isn't just the notes, it's the culture ? the way grandma cooked, the way grandpa told stories, the way the kids walked and talked," he once said.

While he always returned to playing music, in later years touring with his sons Shuggie and Nicky, Otis' eclectic interests also included politics, art and organic food.

He worked for years as deputy chief of staff to state Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally when Dymally served in the Assembly, state Senate, as lieutenant governor and as a congressman.

In later years, Otis spent much of his time painting and sculpting. He also opened an organic grocery store in Sebastopol in the early 1990s to sell his son Nicky's vegetables, decorating the store with his own colorful murals.

Although he had little success selling groceries, he did draw large crowds to the market every Friday and Saturday night when he performed there with his band.

"It was a smashing success," Gould said. "You had to make reservations three weeks ahead. It was amazing."

Otis also had a regular show playing records on the nonprofit Pacifica Radio Network's stations until failing health prompted him to retire in 2005.

In addition to his sons, Otis is survived by his wife, Phyllis, whom he married in 1941; daughters Janet and Laura; and several grandchildren.

__

Former Associated Press writer Andrew Glazer contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obits/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_en_mu/us_obit_otis

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

[OOC] Generation X

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Suffice to say, I enjoy roleplays that I can escape into.

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I'm still working on setting up the RP. Please be patient more information is coming, including a dressing room where you can create, and dress your character and link the image to your character sheet.

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Xistinna
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Delta rocket will launch Air Force communications satellite Thursday ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida -- A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket will launch an Air Force communications satellite Thursday from NASA's launch complex in Florida. The rocket was assembled at ULA's plant in Decatur, AL.

The communications satellite is part of a Wideband Global SATCOM network to improve communications for troops in the field. ULA says the network augments "more robust and flexible execution of Command and Control, Communications Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), as well as battle management and combat support information functions."

The 93-minute launch window opens at 6:38 p.m. CST.? A live webcast will be available on launch day on the ULA website.?


? ?

Source: http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/01/delta_rocket_will_launch_air_f.html

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Friday, January 20, 2012

Wylie W. Vale Jr. dies at 70; researcher helped discover stress hormone

Wylie W. Vale Jr., a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla and an internationally renowned expert on brain hormones who led a team of Salk researchers that discovered the brain hormone that triggers the body's reaction to stress, has died. He was 70.

Vale died unexpectedly in his sleep Jan. 3 while on vacation in Hana on the Hawaiian island of Maui, said his wife, Betty. The cause of death has not been determined.

The Texas-born Vale, who joined the Salk Institute in 1970, became one of the world's leading authorities on peptide hormones and growth factors that provide communication between the brain and endocrine system (the organs that produce the body's hormones).

His research team's landmark discovery came in 1981.

"He cracked one of the most challenging problems of our era: He discovered the brain hormone that serves as the on-off switch to the body's stress response, sometimes called the fight-or-flight response," said Ronald M. Evans, a professor and hormone expert at the Salk Institute.

"This has been the subject of speculation and investigation for more than a hundred years," said Evans, adding that Vale had been working on the problem for about 15.

"There was a big effort to try and find the secret for how the stress response is controlled, but the molecule was elusive, present in vanishingly small amounts," Evans said. "The technological challenge was enormous. This was like trying to climb Mt. Everest in biology."

Vale had earned a doctorate in physiology and biochemistry in 1968 at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he trained in the lab under Roger Guillemin.

After Vale followed Guillemin to the Salk Institute in 1970, they continued to work together on perfecting the technology that led to isolating the first two brain peptides. That work led to Guillemin's becoming one of three American scientists who won the 1977 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine.

In 1978, Vale struck out on his own, setting up an independent lab at the Salk Institute to continue the hunt for the elusive stress hormone.

After Vale's 1981 breakthrough, "neuropeptide discovery exploded into a whole new field of research, which continues today," Evans said.

"The molecule he isolated was called CRF ? corticotropin releasing factor," Evans said. "It's how the brain controls the production of cortisone from the adrenal gland, which is part of the stress response.

"But the discovery of CRF led to the realization that there was a small family of related neuropeptides that help to control anxiety, depression, anorexia, diabetes and drug abuse."

In 1982, Vale and his team discovered another hormone: the growth hormone releasing factor (GRF), which controls the body's growth. "It was another big advance in completing the puzzle of neuropeptides," Evans said.

Vale and his team discovered more than a dozen neuropeptides and their signaling mechanisms.

Vale co-founded two biotech companies ? Neurocrine Biosciences and Acceleron Pharma ? that have gone on to develop the medical and therapeutic potential of his discoveries.

"There are several drugs currently in the clinic and both are for controlling the stress response, as well as controlling metabolic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease," Evans said.

Another treatment that's in advanced clinical trials controls endometriosis, an inflammatory disease of the ovaries commonly linked to infertility.

Vale, who was born in Houston on July 3, 1941, and earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Rice University in 1964, also was an adjunct professor of medicine at UC San Diego. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1992.

In addition to his wife of 42 years, Vale is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth Gandhi and Susannah Howieson; his father, Wylie; his brother, Shannon; and a granddaughter.

dennis.mclellan@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/eLWbXO36DsM/la-me-wylie-vale-20120118,0,7810239.story

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