NJ woman accused of streaming kid sex abuse cries (AP)

TRENTON, N.J. ? A New Jersey waitress cried in court Monday as she heard a prosecutor accuse her of "extreme sexual assault" on a 5-year-old girl she was baby-sitting and of streaming video of the abuse online.

Authorities say Jennifer Mahoney, 32, of Manalapan, laughed while she sexually assaulted the child, and again as she streamed the video to at least two other people. They say she confessed twice to different sets of investigators.

Mahoney has been charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. At a federal court hearing in Trenton, she had requested to wear a global positioning device, stay away from the victim and post her parents' home as collateral for bail. The judge denied bail on the federal charges; Mahoney is being held on $500,000 bail on state charges stemming from the same assault.

"Law enforcement has recovered a video capture of extreme sexual assault," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Clabby said. "There is danger to the public, and the risk of flight."

During the hearing in U.S. District Court, Mahoney wiped away tears, buried her face in her hands and cried softly as her attorney, Herbert Ellis, rubbed her back. Later, she rocked quickly back and forth in her chair, not speaking except to reply, "Yes, your honor," when asked whether she understood her rights.

Ellis, her lawyer, said he needs to speak to Mahoney in detail before deciding how to proceed. He said he wants to see her videotaped confession to authorities to determine how it was given and under what circumstances.

Mahoney has been in custody since Dec. 14, the day after three pornographic videos showing assaults on the girl were found on the computer of a 32-year-old Texas man to whom she had streamed them, prosecutors said.

That man, Robert Ramos Jr. of Austin, was charged with possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors. Prosecutors in Texas say he set up seven fake Facebook accounts to solicit teenage girls to send him nude photos and videos of themselves engaged in sexual acts.

When the FBI questioned her, she acknowledged performing a sex act on the child while she was baby-sitting her, court documents say.

She also told investigators she streamed live video of one of the sexual assaults to two men using a chat service and acknowledged filming another assault with her cellphone and sending video of it to two other people, court documents say. No other mention of a second recipient is included in court documents.

Later on the day of her arrest, she gave a separate videotaped confession to New Jersey authorities, Clabby said.

Two of the videos appeared to have been made in Mahoney's bedroom, the third in the bathtub of her home, the affidavit says.

The affidavit describes the sexual assaults in graphic terms. On one, the FBI agent notes, there is no audio. But, the agent notes, "it appears that the adult female is talking and laughing during the video, and it appears that the adult female is talking to another person over the Internet via a webcam."

Ramos remains in custody in Texas. Court documents include a transcript of a handwritten statement Ramos gave to the FBI in which he acknowledges soliciting underage girls to send him nude photos but insists he never had sexual contact with a minor.

"What I have done was stupid and not worth anything," he wrote. "I am very sorry and have made some terrible mistakes."

His lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment Monday.

___

Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_hi_te/us_child_molestation_streaming_video

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Cutting off the oxygen supply to serious diseases

ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2012) ? A new family of proteins which regulate the human body?s ?hypoxic response? to low levels of oxygen has been discovered by scientists at Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary, University of London and The University of Nottingham.

The discovery has been published in the international journal Nature Cell Biology. It marks a significant step towards understanding the complex processes involved in the hypoxic response which, when it malfunctions, can cause and affect the progress of many types of serious disease, including cancer.

The researchers have uncovered a previously unknown level of hypoxic regulation at a molecular level in human cells which could provide a novel pathway for the development of new drug therapeutics to fight disease. The cutting-edge work was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Proteins are biochemical compounds which carry out specific duties within the living cell. Every cell in our body has the ability to recognise and respond to changes in the availability of oxygen. The best example of this is when we climb to high altitudes where the air contains less oxygen. The cells recognise the decrease in oxygen via the bloodstream and are able to react, using the ?hypoxic response?, to produce a protein called EPO. This protein in turn stimulates the body to produce more red blood cells to absorb as much of the reduced levels of oxygen as possible.

This response is essential for a normal healthy physiology but when the hypoxic response in cells malfunctions, diseases like cancer can develop and spread. Cancer cells have a faulty hypoxic response which means that as the cells multiply they highjack the response to create their own rogue blood supply. In this way the cells can form large tumours. The new blood supply also helps the cancer cells spread to other parts of the body, called ?metastasis?, which is how ultimately cancer kills patients.

The scientists have identified a new family of hypoxic regulator proteins called ?LIM domain containing proteins? which function as molecular scaffolds or ?adapters? bringing together or bridging two key enzymes in the hypoxic response pathway, namely PHD2 and VHL. Both of these are involved in down-regulating the master regulator protein called Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF1). The research has shown that loss of LIMD1 breaks down the bridge it creates between PHD2 and VHL and this then enables the master regulator to function out of control and thus contribute to cancer formation.

Molecular Oncologist, Dr Tyson Sharp, who carried out research for the project at The University of Nottingham?s School of Biomedical Sciences, said: ?The results from this research represent a significant advancement in our understanding of precisely how the hypoxic response works. It will help researchers develop better drugs to fight cancer and also other human diseases that are caused by low levels of oxygen within our body such as anaemia, myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke and peripheral arterial disease. Further work in this fascinating area is now continuing at Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London and will form the basis of a whole new additional research theme for my group.?

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Nottingham, via AlphaGalileo.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Daniel E. Foxler, Katherine S. Bridge, Victoria James, Thomas M. Webb, Maureen Mee, Sybil C. K. Wong, Yunfeng Feng, Dumitru Constantin-Teodosiu, Thorgunnur Eyfjord Petursdottir, Johannes Bjornsson, Sigurdur Ingvarsson, Peter J. Ratcliffe, Gregory D. Longmore, Tyson V. Sharp. The LIMD1 protein bridges an association between the prolyl hydroxylases and VHL to repress HIF-1 activity. Nature Cell Biology, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/ncb2424

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130130419.htm

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Driving America: Exhibit explores car culture

Courtesy The Henry Ford

The automobile gave rise to new roadside industries in America, such as the motor inn.

By Dan Carney, msnbc.com contributor

Industrial cities such as?Detroit may not be typical vacation destinations, but that doesn?t mean there aren?t worthwhile places to visit.?Think of Cleveland?s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

So, quick: What do you know about Detroit??They make cars, right??That?s why the city?s nickname is Motown and the basketball team is called the Pistons. It turns out that you don?t have to go on a tour of a car factory or watch a car-themed sports team for entertainment when in Detroit.?You can always go to a museum.? About cars.

Actually The Henry Ford?museum is about Americana, but considering the museum?s namesake founder and its location in Dearborn, Mich., the Detroit suburb where Ford?s world headquarters is located, it is no surprise that the museum?s signature exhibit is of cars.

A freshly revamped 80,000-square-foot exhibit, ?Driving America? opened to the public Sunday. While the museum?s previous automotive exhibits were presented from the perspective of the people in Detroit who designed and built cars, (they show other things too, including an upcoming visit by the touring ?Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit,? which arrives March 31), this exhibit is designed from the perspective of the general population, explained Bob Casey, automotive curator.

That means looking at the car?s impact on society, with the rise of previously non-existent traffic laws, taxes on gasoline, roadside industries to support drivers and a rise in consumer interest in safety.

The Henry Ford

The "Driving America" exhibit features a 1949 Airstream Trailwind travel trailer and a 1959 Volkswagen Westfalia camper.

Courtesy The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford integrated 18 touchscreen kiosks into the "Driving America" exhibit

Of course there is plenty of Detroit iron to see, along with cars from other places. The car on display that probably summarizes the change in public attitudes toward personal mechanized transportation is the locomotive-like Roper, of 1865.

When Sylvester Roper built a series of steam-powered, self-propelled carriages and motorcycles in the middle of the 19th century, the cars were regarded as curiosities, which people would pay to see drive around at the fair but had no interest in owning.

But near the turn of the century, opinion had changed, so when the Duryea car appeared in 1896, there was a public frenzy of interest in buying cars that launched the industry.? ?By 1896 there was a huge change in the public?s attitude,? Casey said.

This change drove the car?s influence on society through the 20th century, as illustrated by the roadside diner and Texaco gas station exhibits.? Some of these influences have waxed and waned, as shown by a ?talk like a trucker? demonstration.? No, it's not a lesson in cursing cars that cut you off in traffic, but a primer on citizens band, or CB radio, slang of the 1970s.

But the cars themselves are the real reason people go to a car museum.? Casey said that visitors most often ask the whereabouts of the ?65 Mustang.? His personal favorite is the 1906 Locomobile that won the famous Vanderbilt Cup race on Long Island in 1908, because he recalls reading about that car in a book when he was in junior high school, he said.

I was irresistibly attracted to the 1935 Miller Indy Car, for its amazing technology from eight decades ago.? But the best part is that with 130 vehicles and 60 display cases, ?Driving America? is likely to have your favorite, too.

If that isn?t enough, the museum has an Imax theater and is co-located with Greenfield Village, Ford?s re-creation of an American town in the 19th century.? And if you are really hoping to get a little grease under your fingernails, there is the option of going on a tour of Ford?s Rouge factory, which once made the Model T and now makes Ford F-150 pickups.

If you go
Admission: adults, $17; seniors, $15; children 5-12, $12.50; children 4 and under, free.

Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., seven days a week, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

More on Itineraries

?

Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10252895-driving-america-museum-exhibit-explores-cars-impact

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Cuba Communist Party eyes term limits at gathering (AP)

HAVANA ? Cuba's Communist Party closed the first day of its national conference Saturday with declarations of support for the burgeoning private-sector class, tough talk on corruption and vows to be attentive to islanders' complaints.

But there were no concrete resolutions on President Raul Castro's call for political term limits or word on leadership changes during the closed-door gathering, a two-day follow-up to last April's historic party summit where delegates opened up long-shut doors of economic opportunity by green-lighting fledgling reforms.

While the government has essentially followed through on its economic promises like liberalizing home and car sales, expanding private-sector activity and offering loans to support farmers, entrepreneurs and homeowners, expectations were low that this weekend would yield any blockbuster news beyond what officials already hinted at.

"The expectations were high because this conference was perceived as an act of continuity with relation to the Sixth Congress, as a space to complete the economic adjustment with complementary political reforms," said Cuban-born economist Arturo Lopez-Levy, a lecturer at the University of Denver. "It became clear that that vision was unfoundedly optimistic."

Foreign journalists were not allowed access, and no major announcements were made through the island's official media.

State-run website Cubadebate showed photos of President Raul Castro presiding over the conference wearing a gray blazer and a dark, open-collar shirt, with what appeared to be a small bandage on the tip of his nose. There was no word of any appearance by Fidel Castro, who was greeted with a standing ovation and some tears at the April congress.

In a brief snippet of video posted on Cubadebate, Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura said in a keynote speech that the conference would focus on "the everyday work of the organization."

Raul Castro himself dampened expectations for any big announcements, saying two weeks ago that nobody should have "great illusions about the conference" and the topics of debate were more "an internal question for the party."

According to a draft agenda that circulated last fall, one matter up for discussion will be his call to limit officeholders including the president to two five-year terms, with the goal of achieving a "gradual renewal in leadership."

Over the years a number of rising young stars considered potential successors to Raul Castro, 80, and his brother Fidel, retired and largely out of sight at 85, have been unceremoniously fired. There are no obvious replacements waiting in the wings.

In April the younger Castro, who is also party chief, lamented the lack of politicians prepared to take over from the 70- and 80-somethings who occupy many top posts. Grooming new leaders would be a priority during his five-year term, he said.

Recently a Cuban official told The Associated Press that despite the lack of movement in visible roles like cabinet ministers, many midlevel government posts have quietly changed hands, with younger officials moving up. If true, that would bolster Raul Castro's claim that his government was laying the groundwork, albeit slowly, for generational change. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, and his assertions could not be independently confirmed.

Communist Party newspaper Granma said Saturday that delegates would consider how best to promote women, blacks and young people through the ranks of the party and government.

They also evaluated the party's role in "the direction and systematic control of the process of updating the economic model and the progress of the economy," Granma said.

The draft agenda for the conference was discussed at thousands of local party and committee meetings and many of its objectives modified. The purpose of the conference was to turn the agenda into policy in support of last year's reforms, Machado Ventura said.

"Let us make our best effort to cast off obsolete mindsets of inertia and old prejudices," he said in comments broadcast on the news. "Let us work with responsibility and an eye toward the future, with the goal of strengthening the foundation of the (party's) work."

The Communist Party, the only party allowed in Cuba, does not have lawmaking powers but issues guidelines that are later taken up by parliament.

The conference's opening day was timed to coincide with the 159th anniversary of the birth of poet and independence hero Jose Marti, in whose honor a noontime 21-cannon salute thundered from a historic fort overlooking the Havana harbor.

But some said that's about all the fireworks they expect this weekend.

"The only thing that might be interesting is if they have some kind of election, to see who they put in the political bureau, especially if they put someone there who's not 80 years old," said Javier Blanco, a 32-year-old Havana resident. "Other than that... I don't think anything will come out that we don't already know."

Many Cubans were disappointed last month when authorities scuttled a proposal to eliminate the exit visa required for travel off the island.

Lopez-Levy said recent signals from Cuban leadership suggest there's no prospect for major political change in the near future.

"The Cuban Communist Party is going to make an adjustment to its internal life ... but it's not going to subject its political model to open debate on structural reforms as it did with its economic and social project," he said. "It's a low-risk strategy for the short term, but it could complicate the future."

___

Associated Press writers Andrea Rodriguez and Anne-Marie Garcia contributed to this report.

___

Peter Orsi on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Peter(underscore)Orsi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_communist_party_conference

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Iolo System Mechanic 10.7

If sluggish PC performance is giving you the blues, you'd do well to invest in the $39.95 Iolo System Mechanic 10.7, a utility suite?designed to blow the virtual dust out of worn machines by repairing the registry, defragging the hard drive, and eliminating files that stymie snappy performance. Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 serves up a host of new features not present in previous builds we've reviewed, including Designated Drivers which manages drivers in an attempt to keep your PC problem free. All in all, Iolo System Mechanic remains one of the best PC tune-up utilities around, as it digs deep, cleans up PCs well, and offers informative, easy-to-understand help about the problems that plague computers.

System Requirements and Interface
Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP PCs, Iolo System Mechanics 10 requires just 30MB of disk space, 256MB of RAM, and an Internet connection for activating the license.?Unlike most PC tune-up utilities such as TuneUp Utilities 2012 (4 stars, $49.95), which limit you on the number of licenses, Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 lets you install the software on any number of computers provided that it's not for business purposes?a welcome feature in the age of the multi-PC household.

The interface looks very similar to previous entries in the Iolo System Mechanic family with the familiar red-white-and-blue color scheme. Like the previous version of System Mechanic, this version has several options in the left pane (Overview, Problems, Automated Tasks, Anti-malware, Firewall, All-in-One Tools, Individual Tools) the content of which appears in the main pane when clicked.

Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 also installs a useful widget on the desktop that gives you at-a-glance PC health and security readings. From this widget, you can launch any number of Iolo System Mechanic 10.7's features to begin the clean up process.

The Clean Up Process
The Overview screen opens by default when the program is launched, and it's where the "Analyze Now" button lives. Clicking the arrow next to it opened drop-down box that presented two choices: "Perform Quick Analysis" and "Perform Deep Analysis." The former is a one- to two-minute scan that looks for the most common PC problems; the latter is a five- to seven-minute scan that checks for all problems. Considering the heavy use that our test laptop had received, I went with the second option. Approximately six minutes later finished the scan and uncovered over 2,000 problems.

Beneath the reading appeared a highlighted message: "Boost speed and stability by removing redundant programs with CRUDD Remover." CRUDD is Iolo's acronym for Commonly Redundant or Unnecessary Decelerators and Destabilizers?fancy talk for duplicate programs that clog your system. The idea behind CRUDD Remover is to eliminate those extra programs as each application install theoretically slows your PC's performance a bit. After running CRUDD Remover, 9 problems were detected on the PC, which were explained in wonderful detail on the "Problems" screen.

What I found truly cool was that Iolo System Mechanic 10 didn't just serve up a number?it provided blurbs that explained why these problems negatively impact performance. I checked off all nine problems, clicked the "Repair All" button, and performed the required reboot. Performing another deep scan revealed that all but one problem was fixed, and that straggler was one beyond Iolo System Mechanic 10.7's scope: No installed anti-malware program was detected on the system.

I also ran Iolo's patent-pending Program Accelerator, which smartly re-aligns all of a program's dependent files on the hard drive. It's touted as being better than disk defragmenters, which can blindly compact and separate files even more. Program Accelerator took approximately 15 minutes for to work its magic, and, when it was done, I discovered that it had re-aligned over 30,000 files and eliminated nearly 100 file fragments. Four further files were defragmented after a restart.

Performance Improvements
I tested Iolo System Mechanic 10.7's ability to whip a PC back into shape by performing three tests?running the Geekbench system performance tool, measuring boot times, and transferring a 1.1GB folder of mixed media to external storage?before and after running the software to compare the computer's potency. Each test was run three times and averaged. Before AVG PC Tuneup 2011 scrubbed the system, the 2-GHz Intel Core i7 X990 Style-Note notebook with 4GB of RAM, and an 80GB Intel SSD drive achieved a 5,903 Geekbench score, booted in 50.3 seconds, and transferred the 1.1GB folder in 40.5 seconds.

After using Iolo System Mechanic 10.7, the system saw the most improved performance of all the tune-up utilities tested: The GeekBench score rose to 6064 (better than TuneUp Utilities 2012's 6045); the boot time decreased to just 37.1 seconds (on a par with TuneUp Utilities 2012's 37 seconds). The file transfer speed dropped to 40.8 seconds (swifter than TuneUp Utilities 2012's 41.1 seconds).?The overall system performance was incredibly fast and snappy?windows and menus opened in a blink.

Designated Drivers and NetBooster
Designated Drivers, a new feature to version 10.7, helps you find and install safe drivers for your computer?drivers that have been tested and certified by Microsoft. I liked that this driver utility is a part of Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 and not a separate application (which is the case with SlimWare Utilities SlimCleaner and SlimWare Utilities DiverUpdate). Designated Drivers found two driver updates for my PC, but Slimware Utilities DriverUpdate found a whopping 74.

The NetBooster internet booster is designed to stabilize and speed up your internet connection by optimizing settings?Iolo states that it's beneficial to run it before playing Web-connected video games and assists in opening Web pages faster. Cracked.com loaded in 5.9 seconds before running NetBooster, which decreased slightly (after clearing the browser's Internet history, rebooting, and activating the tool) to 5.3 seconds?a marginal increase.

Should You Use Iolo System Mechanic 10.7?
The answer is a resounding yes. Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 has simple interface, easy-to-understand problem definitions, and a deep array of performance-enhancing tools that produce excellent all-around scores. Iolo System Mechanic remains the PC tune-up-utility champion.

More Utility Suites Reviews:
??? Iolo System Mechanic 10.7
??? Diskeeper 2011 Professional
??? Avanquest Fix-It Utilities 11 Professional
??? Norton Utilities
??? AVG PC Tuneup 2011
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/w-7L2zSR7ZE/0,2817,2371043,00.asp

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Celebrity pot busts put tiny Texas county on map (AP)

SIERRA BLANCA, Texas ? Nestled among the few remaining businesses that dot a rundown highway in this dusty West Texas town stands what's become a surprise destination for marijuana-toting celebrities: the Hudspeth County Jail.

Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg and actor Armie Hammer have been among the thousands of people busted for possession at a Border Patrol checkpoint outside town in recent years, bringing a bit of notoriety to one of Texas' most sparsely populated counties.

"Once I was in Arizona, and when I said where I was from, they said, `That's where Willie Nelson was busted,'" said Louise Barantley, manager at the Coyote Sunset souvenir shop in Sierra Blanca.

Hudspeth County cameos aren't only for outlaws: Action movie star Steven Seagal, who's already deputized in Louisiana and Arizona for his reality show "Steven Seagal Lawman" on A&E, has signed on to become a county officer.

Locals already have found ways to rub shoulders with their celebrity guests.

Deputies posed for pictures with Snoop Dogg after authorities said they found several joints on his bus earlier this month. When Nelson was busted here in 2010, the county's lead prosecutor suggested the singer settle his marijuana charges by performing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" for the court. Nelson paid a fine instead, but not before county commissioner Wayne West played one of his own songs for the country music legend.

West acknowledged he's a big fan of Nelson and wanted to capitalize on a golden chance to perform for such a noted "captive audience."

"Willie loved the song, he is a real outgoing individual" he added.

The once-thriving town of Sierra Blanca began to shrink to its current 1,000-person population after the construction of nearby Interstate 10 ? a main artery linking cities from California to Florida ? offered an easy way to bypass the community.

Now the highway is sending thousands of drug bust cases Sierra Blanca's way, courtesy of a Border Patrol checkpoint just outside of town where drug-sniffing dogs inspect more than 17,000 trucks, travelers ? and tour buses ? daily for whiffs of contraband that may have made its way inland from the border.

Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West, younger brother of the musically inclined commissioner, said his office handled about 2,000 cases last year, most of them having to do with drugs seized at the checkpoint.

Border Patrol agents say people busted with small amounts of pot often say they have medical marijuana licenses from California, Arizona or New Mexico ? three states along I-10 that, unlike Texas, allow for medicinal pot prescriptions ? and claim to believe the licenses were valid nationwide.

Nelson's publicists declined to comment about the specifics of the singer's case. Representatives for Snoop Dogg, who will pay a fine and court costs after being cited for possession of marijuana paraphernalia, did not return several messages seeking comment.

County authorities have not yet decided whether to prosecute or issue a citation for Hammer, who starred in the 2010 film "The Social Network" and more recently played FBI's number two man in "J. Edgar" He was arrested in November on his way to his wife's bakery in San Antonio after authorities said they found marijuana-laced brownies and cookies. His attorney Kent Schaffer has called the case a "total non-issue."

Local officials say they're not on a celebrity witch hunt, but some residents are enjoying the publicity from the high-profile arrests. They say the once forgotten town of Sierra Blanca should take pride in not pandering to famous people caught breaking the law.

"We get attention because something is being done right," resident Adolfo Gonzalez said while shopping at a local convenience store. "It'd be worse if we'd let them go because they are celebrities."

That's not expected to change when Seagal comes to town. Sheriff West insists the "Under Siege" star hasn't indicated any plans to film his show here ? but the sheriff isn't ruling it out.

"If he wants to, we can do it but that's not what he said this was about," West said.

West's spokesman, Rusty Flemming, said Seagal will patrol the area and train colleagues in martial arts and weapons techniques. The actor is expected to arrive in Hudspeth County within months, once he's done filming a new movie in Canada.

Seagal's management agency did not return calls and emails seeking comment about his plans in Texas.

Commissioner West, meanwhile, is keeping his musical skills sharp ? just in case another performer pays a surprise visit to the county jail. The lead guitarist and vocalist of a local band, West said he regrets not having a chance to sing for Snoop Dogg, but wasn't sure if the rapper would have enjoyed the performance anyway.

"Our stuff is laid back," he said. "Mas o menos (more or less) country."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_en_ot/us_celebrity_checkpoint

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What We're Reading for the Week of January 23rd (Democracyforamerica)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/192416128?client_source=feed&format=rss

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American Idol to President Obama & Al Green: Sing For Us!

If you haven't seen the video of President Obama singing Al Green at a fundraiser at New York City's legendary Apollo Theater last week, you need to.

No matter what you think of his views, the Prez proved with his riff on "Let's Stay Together" that he's got pipes! And we weren't the only ones impressed.

American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe Tweeted an offer to the Commander in Chief that he can't refuse. Or at least he shouldn't:

Obama Sings Al Green

"@BarackObama we loved your vocal performance so much we'd love to invite you on to #AmericanIdol this Season for a duet with Al Green."

Now that would be the DVR moment of the decade.

We're gonna guess that Obama will cite scheduling conflicts and pass, but if you think about it, what better way to win over voters in an election year?

Okay, perhaps a robust economy would be a bigger ballot box boost, but you get the idea. The guy's vocal chops need to be showcased more often.

President Obama in 2012?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/american-idol-to-president-obama-and-al-green-sing-for-us/

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Obama to propose tax credit for natgas trucks (reuters)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/191726848?client_source=feed&format=rss

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How Google+ Could Threaten Google's Core Search Business ...

Farhad Manjoo has done it again. Manjoo, the resident tech writer at Slate who writes with a unique clarity and seems to grok the way consumers think and how companies should market to them to achieve mainstream success, recently wrote an?article?on the changes in Google's SERPs following the arrival of Google Search Plus Your World. While?Manjoo makes a number of cogent points about Google's melding of social results in the search results,?I want to focus on a few specifics, with the goal of calling out a broader point.

Manjoo cites an example mentioned by Google's Distinguished Engineer?Matt Cutts?of where the presentation of personal results in the SERPs supposedly 'work'.

On his blog, Matt Cutts, who heads Google's Webspam team, points out how his query for general tso's chicken is improved by social links. He follows Jennifer 8. Lee, the author of a book about Chinese restaurants, on Google+. When he searches for general tso's, he gets a link to Lee's definitive Quora post on the history of the dish. If you don't follow Lee and you do the same search, you won't get that post.

But I don't see the logic here. Isn't the Quora post a good result for general tso's chicken whether or not you're friends with Lee? And the reason it's a good result is that she's an expert on the topic, not that she's your friend or colleague. If Lee's post isn't coming up for all Google searchers?rather than just the ones who are perceptive enough to follow her?it would seem to suggest something is amiss with Google's algorithm. You shouldn't have to friend a plumber in order to find a good link about unclogging your toilet.

(emphasis mine)

In the aftermath of the announcement?the industry has been (understandably) primarily focused on the antitrust implications of Google's promoting their social network in the search engine with the largest market share. That left a question?one that Manjoo raises with his article ? largely unasked.

Antitrust implications aside, are searchers, in fact, better off for having personalized results in their search results? As Manjoo states, the reason we turn to a search engine is to get the collective view of all Web users, and that has worked particularly well until now. "Not once", he says "did I get to a Google results page and lament that I couldn't see my friends' ideas about the car I should buy or the hotel I ought to book."

The question becomes even more significant when we consider that search is a zero-sum game: whatever personalized results Google is showing me is taking real estate away from the collective view of all web users I am after.

You can?turn off personalized results at the top of the search results page but it is on by default, the icon is not clearly labeled and would not pass the 'would my mother know what it's for, much less take action to use it' test? And, in what seems to be a particularly devious way of driving additional personalized searches, the toggle is session specific: once it is turned off, personalized search turns back on the very next search.

One has to wonder if the decision to meld personal results in the SERPs is another in a lengthy history of Google decisions that, in practice 'tested well', but falls down on a faulty core assumption that escaped notice because it is not immediately testable.

Google Wave?might test well in the lab, but what is the reason a consumer would need an online collaboration tool? Navigation test scores in the lab may have been high for SERPs with social results, but is anything in fact being added to the searcher experience by adding personalized results?

SERP Clutter Increases Searcher Anxiety

The recent Google changes have additional unintended consequences for users of the search engine. My instinct is to describe the problem as a SERP that has become far too busy, but that limits the problem to one of 'busy' versus 'not busy', when in reality it is greater than that.

Making decisions is hard. The more options available to us the more challenging it becomes. While it is a concept that is inherently intuitive, there is real science behind it. Psychologist Barry Schwartz writes about it in "The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less"?where he draws on his research to demonstrate how consumer anxiety is created by too much choice.

He writes:

...[consumers] constantly being asked to make choices, even about the simplest things, forces us to invest time, energy, and no small amount of self-doubt, and dread.

His research shows that eliminating consumer choices can greatly reduce anxiety for shoppers. This is a concept that translates well to human information retrieval of all kinds.

And, there's this research?covered in MIT's Technology Review on dating sites where "users presented with too many choices experience cognitive overload and make poorer decisions as a result."

In adding personalized results to the SERPs, Google is adding yet another clickable item outside of the core search results that the searcher is forced to make a decision about ? this one in prime real estate at the top of the search page. This is on top of the social options that already appear at the right side of the page for logged-in users and the bloated sidebar that runs down the left side of the page.

Today, not counting core search results, there are no less than 15 'click' or 'don't click' decisions the searcher has to make on Google's SERPs. With more than 26 Billion searches taking place every month, certainly a non-trivial percentage are from mainstream, non-techie users and Google continues to take them (take us all?) down a path of choice anxiety.

Google has achieved such success in search ? to the point that 7 out of 10 web searches are made today on their search engine ? because in the early days of the web, their results were far more relevant than alternatives, but also?because they stayed out of the way of the searcher and didn't create choice anxiety.?I'd argue that searchers are still really looking for that.

Give me the information that I am looking for so I can get in and get out. Today, increasingly it feels like Google is tripping over itself, increasingly getting in the way of my getting information from my search engine and getting out.

How Do We Find Ourselves Here?

One has to wonder how Google could have made such decisions?where questionably relevant Google + results are littered in the search results and the tried and true simplistic user interface that brought them $37.9 billion?this past year in revenue has become something a bloated eyesore with social cues all over the page.

How could they have ended up in a place where Manjoo, one of the most respected minds in tech journalism who, in my years of reading him, has proven to be a largely impartial and non-sensationalist in his headline writing describes the changes as, 'Google just broke its search engine'?

Avoiding Pressure from the Street, but Blinded to Pressure from Within

The answer, ironically, can be found in analyzing the way Google handled its IPO. They went to great lengths to IPO in such a way that stockholders would not control enough voting stock where pressure from the Street would begin to bleed into product decisions.

Yet, that is exactly the situation they find themselves in - only the pressure comes from within, in the form of a fledgling social network that, at the direction of the CEO is a win-at-all-costs proposition. By famously tying personal compensation?to the success of social, the situation we find ourselves in today became all but predictable.

The end result is that decisions are being made to promote the social network in a manner that impacts Google's core search business that generates $3.7B in annual revenue and finances everything from self-driving cars to the Google cafeteria. (By latest count search advertising is responsible for about 97 percent of Google's annual revenue.)

Google Approaches Uncharted Territories

So what does all this mean for Google? There have been numerous instances in the past where users have been up in arms about the latest Google change, insisting they were moving on to other search engines. Panda, while painful for many publishers ultimately proved itself to improve search results relevancy. Google Instant and Preview brought with them cries of "SEO is Dead!" and vows to move on to greener pastures. All the while the needle hasn't budged on Google's market share.

But what makes this time different is this is the first time the credibility of their core search results are being called into question.

Without question, social is an important part of how online users will consume and spread quality content. But it has to be integrated in a manner that doesn't degrade core search functionality, or worse, sully searcher trust in what is still the most utilized search engine in the world. Because this, more than anything Google's core competitors can do to them, could prove itself to be the tossed pebble that brings the mighty giant to its knees.

Register now for SES London 2012, the Leading Search & Social Marketing Event, taking place 20-24 February, 2012. SES Conference & Expo features presentations and panel discussions that cover all aspects of search engine-related promotion. Hurry, early bird rate expires February 3!

Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2141766/How-Google-Could-Threaten-Googles-Core-Search-Business

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Tame Theory: Did Bonobos Domesticate Themselves?

News | Evolution

A new hypothesis holds that the natural selection produced the chimpanzee's nicer cousin in much the same way that humans bred dogs from wolves

By Ed Yong ?| January 25, 2012?|

Image: whiteshark29, courtesy Flickr

Time and again humans have domesticated wild animals, producing tame individuals with softer appearances and more docile temperaments, such as dogs and guinea pigs. But a new study suggests that one of our primate cousins?the African ape known as the bonobo?did something similar without human involvement. It domesticated itself.

Anthropologist Brian Hare of Duke University's Institute for Brain Sciences noticed that the bonobo looks like a domestic version of its closest living relative, the chimpanzee. The bonobo is less aggressive than the chimp, with a smaller skull and shorter canine teeth. And it spends more time playing and having sex. These traits are very similar to those that separate domestic animals from their wild ancestors. They are all part of a constellation of characteristics known as the domestication syndrome.

The similarities between bonobos and domesticated species dawned on Hare during a large departmental dinner, where he listened to Harvard University anthropologist Richard Wrangham hold forth on bonobos. "He was talking about how bonobos are an evolutionary puzzle," Hare recalls. "'They have all these weird traits relative to chimps and we have no idea how to explain them,'" Wrangham had noted. "I said, 'Oh that's like the silver foxes!' Richard turned around and said, 'What silver foxes?'"

The foxes that Hare mentioned were the legacy of Russian geneticist Dmitri Belyaev. In the 1950s Belyaev started raising wild silver foxes in captivity and breeding those that were least aggressive toward their human handlers. Within just 20 generations, he had created the fox equivalent of our domestic pooches. Instead of snarling when humans approached, they wagged their tails. At the same time, their ears became floppier, tails curlier and skulls smaller.

Belyaev's experiments showed that if you select for nicer animals, the other parts of the domestication syndrome follow suit. Hare thinks that a similar process happened in bonobos, albeit without human intervention.

Rape, murder and warring neighbors are all regular aspects of chimp life. Bonobo societies, however, are far more peaceful. Hare thinks that the chimplike ancestors of bonobos found themselves in an environment where aggressive individuals fared poorly. By selecting for the most cooperative ones, evolution forged a "self-domesticated" ape, just as Belyaev produced domestic foxes by picking the most docile ones.

Hare has now laid out his ideas in a new paper, written with Wrangham and Harvard colleague Victoria Wobber, and published online January 20 in Animal Behaviour.
Bonobos and chimpanzees diverged from a common ancestor between one million and two million years ago, after the formation of the Congo River separated one population of apes into two. Considering that neither species can swim, the two populations "might as well have been on different planets," Hare says.

Both groups faced very different environments. Hare thinks that the northern population, which would eventually become chimps, had more competition from gorillas for their food. They were forced to compete fiercely with one another for whatever was left. Females got a particularly short shrift, and were easily overpowered by males for both sex and resources.

"In bonobo-land in the south, the story was different," Hare explains. "The river would have protected the ancestors of bonobos from gorillas." With more food to go around, females could gather in larger groups, form tight social bonds, and better resist the advances of males. In this land of plenty, the least aggressive males, who opted for alliances rather than brute force, were most likely to mate. South of the river, the nicer apes thrived.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=d7e08c29065be75f4abf272e4d054669

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New map for what to plant reflects global warming (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Global warming is hitting not just home, but garden. The color-coded map of planting zones often seen on the back of seed packets is being updated by the government, illustrating a hotter 21st century.

It's the first time since 1990 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised the official guide for the nation's 80 million gardeners, and much has changed. Nearly entire states, such as Ohio, Nebraska and Texas, are in warmer zones.

The new guide, unveiled Wednesday at the National Arboretum, arrives just as many home gardeners are receiving their seed catalogs and dreaming of lush flower beds in the spring.

It reflects a new reality: The coldest day of the year isn't as cold as it used to be, so some plants and trees can now survive farther north.

"People who grow plants are well aware of the fact that temperatures have gotten more mild throughout the year, particularly in the wintertime," said Boston University biology professor Richard Primack. "There's a lot of things you can grow now that you couldn't grow before."

He stand the giant fig tree in his suburban Boston yard stands as an example: "People don't think of figs as a crop you can grow in the Boston area. You can do it now."

The new guide also uses better weather data and offers more interactive technology. For example, gardeners using the online version can enter their ZIP code and get the exact average coldest temperature.

Also, for the first time, calculations include more detailed factors such as prevailing winds, the presence of nearby bodies of water, the slope of the land, and the way cities are hotter than suburbs and rural areas.

The map carves up the U.S. into 26 zones based on five-degree temperature increments. The old 1990 map mentions 34 U.S. cities in its key. On the 2012 map, 18 of those, including Honolulu, St. Louis, Des Moines, Iowa, St. Paul, Minn., and even Fairbanks, Alaska, are in newer, warmer zones.

Those differences matter in deciding what to plant.

For example, Des Moines used to be in zone 5a, meaning the lowest temperature on average was between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees. Now it's 5b, which has a lowest temperature of 10 to 15 degrees below zero. Jerry Holub, manager of a Des Moines plant nursery, said folks there might now be able to safely grow passion flowers.

Griffin, Ga., used to be in zone 7b, where the coldest day would average between 5 and 10 degrees. But the city is now in zone 8a, averaging a coldest day of 10 to 15 degrees. So growing bay laurel becomes possible. It wasn't recommended on the old map.

"It is great that the federal government is catching up with what the plants themselves have known for years now: The globe is warming and it is greatly influencing plants (and animals)," Stanford University biology professor Terry Root wrote in an email.

The changes come too late to make this year's seed packets, but they will be in next year's, said George Ball, chairman and CEO of the seed company W. Atlee Burpee, which puts the maps on packages of perennials, not annuals. But Ball said many of his customers already know what can grow in their own climate and how it has warmed.

"Climate change, which has been in the air for a long time, is not big news to gardeners," he said.

Mark Kaplan, a New York meteorologist who helped create the 1990 map, said the latest version clearly shows warmer zones migrating north. Other experts agreed.

The 1990 map was based on temperatures from 1974 to 1986, the new map from 1976 to 2005. The nation's average temperature from 1976 to 2005 was two-thirds of a degree higher than it was during the old time period, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

USDA spokeswoman Kim Kaplan, who was part of the map team, repeatedly tried to distance the new zones on the map from global warming. She said that while much of the country is in warmer zones, the map "is simply not a good instrument" to demonstrate climate change because it is based on just the coldest days of the year.

David W. Wolfe, a professor of plant and soil ecology at Cornell University, said that the USDA is being too cautious and that the map plainly reflects warming.

The revised map "gives us a clear picture of the `new normal' and will be an essential tool for gardeners, farmers and natural resource managers as they begin to cope with rapid climate change," Wolfe said in an email.

The Arbor Day Foundation issued its own hardiness guide six years ago, and the new government map is very similar, said Woodrow Nelson, a vice president at the plant-loving organization.

"We got a lot of comments that the 1990 map wasn't accurate anymore," Nelson said. "I look forward to (the new map). It's been a long time coming."

Nelson lives in Lincoln, Neb., where the zone warmed to a 5b. Nelson said he used to be in a "solid 4," but now he has Japanese maples and Fraser firs in his yard ? trees that shouldn't survive in a zone 4.

Vaughn Speer, an 87-year-old master gardener in Ames, Iowa, said he has seen redbud trees, one of the earliest blooming trees, a little farther north in recent years.

"They always said redbuds don't go beyond U.S. Highway 30," he said, "but I'm seeing them near Roland," 10 miles to the north.

___

AP Writer Michael J. Crumb contributed to this report from Des Moines.

___

Online:

Plant map: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_sc/us_sci_planting_zone_map

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Dropped heart successfully transplanted in Mexico (AP)

MEXICO CITY ? A heart that was dropped on the ground while being transported to a hospital has been successfully transplanted into a 28-year-old hair stylist.

Dr. Jaime Saldivar says Erika Hernandez doesn't yet know that her new heart made national news when a medic stumbled and the plastic-wrapped heart tumbled out of a cooler onto the street two weeks ago.

Saldivar says it will be up to the family to tell her.

A rosy-cheeked Hernandez spoke briefly with reporters on Tuesday and thanked the donor's family, saying "I have no words to express how happy I am."

Hernandez was born with a congenital heart defect. She received the heart of a man who died in a car accident.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_heart_dropped

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The 'deeply disturbing' rise in unsafe abortions: By the numbers (The Week)

New York ? About half of the world's abortions are performed illegally, resulting in dangerous complications and sometimes death

The number of women having unsafe abortions is on the rise, according to a report from the World Health Organization. While the global abortion rate has held steady for most of the past decade, researchers found that countries where the procedure is illegal had much higher rates of women dying from complications. Some women in Africa, for instance, resort to using broken soda bottles or consuming dangerous doses of medicine. "An abortion is actually a very simple and safe procedure," says Gilda Sedgh, the study's lead author. "All of these deaths and complications are easily avoidable." Here's a look at this "deeply disturbing"?trend, by the numbers:

43.8 million
Abortions performed worldwide between 2003 and 2008?

SEE MORE: iPhone uproar: Is Siri anti-abortion?

?

86
Percentage of worldwide abortions done in developing countries in 2008

1 in 5
Pregnancies that ended in abortion in 2008

SEE MORE: Sending kids to lobby against abortion: 'Cheap exploitation'?

?

49
Percentage of worldwide abortions classified as "unsafe" in 2008

44
Percentage of worldwide abortions classified as "unsafe" in 1995

47,000
Women who died from unsafe abortions in 2008

13?
Percentage of maternal deaths worldwide blamed on unsafe abortions

8.5 million
Women who had serious medical complications from unsafe abortions in 2008

28 per 1,000
Abortion rate for women aged 15 to 44 from 2003 to 2008, a period during which the rate remained virtually unchanged

12 per 1,000
Abortion rate for Western Europe ? the study's lowest

43 per 1,000
Abortion rate for Eastern Europe ? the study's highest

38 and 36 per 1,000
Abortion rates for Middle and Eastern Africa, respectively

19 per 1,000
Abortion rate in North America

95 to 97
Percentage of abortions in Latin America and Africa classified as "back-street" abortions. Legal restrictions making such procedures more common were "surprisingly associated with higher abortion rates."

Sources: Associated Press, CNN,?The Grio, Lancet

?

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120122/cm_theweek/223537

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World's Largest Turtle Gets New Protected Swimming Grounds (LiveScience.com)

Important marine living quarters of the world's largest turtle, the endangered leatherback, recently got some new protections, thanks to a decision from the U.S. government.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has designated roughly 42,000 square miles (108,800 square kilometers) of the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington as critical habitat for the largest marine reptiles on Earth, whose shells can reach ?6.5 feet (2 meters) in length and weigh up to 1,190 pounds (540 kilograms).

The designation will not directly affect recreational fishing, boating and other private activities within the area, only federal projects that have the potential to adversely modify or destroy critical habitat, NOAA noted in a statement.

Two other areas are already designated critical habitats for leatherback turtles?? along a beach on St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and another in adjacent Atlantic waters.

NOAA is designating this additional critical habitat in the Pacific Ocean as a result of an Endangered Species Act petition to revise the existing critical habitat for leatherbacks to include important habitat off the U.S. West Coast.?

Once an Endangered Species Act petition is received, NOAA Fisheries must evaluate the petition and scientific information provided to determine if the petitioned action is warranted. If it is, the agency determines how to move forward.

The leatherback sea turtle has been listed as endangered since 1970. Leatherbacks have the largest range of any living reptile, and live throughout the world's oceans.

They feed primarily on jellyfish and lay their eggs on tropical and subtropical beaches.

Although very little is known about their lifespan, biologists estimate leatherbacks can live for 45 years or more.

Leatherbacks face many dangers, both in the marine environment and on land, including being caught in fishing gear, habitat destruction and the harvest of eggs and adults on nesting beaches.

Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20120124/sc_livescience/worldslargestturtlegetsnewprotectedswimminggrounds

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Sun hurls strong geomagnetic storm toward Earth (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The strongest geomagnetic storm in more than six years was forecast to hit Earth's magnetic field on Tuesday, and it could affect airline routes, power grids and satellites, the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center said.

A coronal mass ejection - a big chunk of the Sun's atmosphere - was hurled toward Earth on Sunday, driving energized solar particles at about 5 million miles an hour (2,000 km per second), about five times faster than solar particles normally travel, the center's Terry Onsager said.

"When it hits us, it's like a big battering ram that pushes into Earth's magnetic field," Onsager said from Boulder, Colorado. "That energy causes Earth's magnetic field to fluctuate."

This energy can interfere with high frequency radio communications used by airlines to navigate close to the North Pole in flights between North America, Europe and Asia, so some routes may need to be shifted, Onsager said.

It could also affect power grids and satellite operations, the center said in a statement. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station may be advised to shield themselves in specific parts of the spacecraft to avoid a heightened dose of solar radiation, Onsager said.

The space weather center said the geomagnetic storm's intensity would probably be moderate or strong, levels two and three on a five-level scale, five being the most extreme.

(Reporting By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/sc_nm/us_sun_storm

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Rep. Giffords to resign from Congress this week

FILE - This Jan. 8, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waving at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords announced, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)

FILE - This Jan. 8, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waving at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords announced, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)

This video image provided by the Office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, walking. Giffords announced Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)

FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2012, file photo Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, left, accompanied by her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, reacts after leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six othersin Tucson, Ariz. Giffords said Sunday Jan, 22, 2012, that she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

This video image provided by the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords announcing her plans to resign, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona announced Sunday she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago that shook the country.

"I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice," the Democratic lawmaker said on a video posted without prior notice on her Facebook page.

"I'm getting better. Every day my spirit is high," she said. "I have more work to do on my recovery. So to do what's best for Arizona, I will step down this week."

Giffords was shot in the head and grievously wounded last January as she was meeting with constituents outside a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz. Her progress had seemed remarkable, to the point that she was able to walk dramatically into the House chamber last August to cast a vote.

Her shooting prompted an agonizing national debate about super-charged rhetoric in political campaigns, although the man charged in the shooting later turned out to be mentally ill.

In Washington, members of Congress were told to pay more attention to their physical security. Legislation was introduced to ban high-capacity ammunition clips, although it never advanced.

Under state law, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer must call a special election to fill out the remainder of Giffords' term, which ends at the end of 2012.

President Barack Obama on Sunday called Giffords "the very best of what public service should be."

"Gabby's cheerful presence will be missed in Washington," Obama said. "But she will remain an inspiration to all whose lives she touched ? myself included. And I'm confident that we haven't seen the last of this extraordinary American."

Vice President Joe Biden said he had spoken with Giffords' husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, and told him "the most important thing is Gabby's recovery."

"I know that Gabby will continue to make significant contributions to her state and country, and I stand with her in whatever endeavor she decides to pursue," Biden said.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he saluted Giffords "for her service and for the courage and perseverance she has shown in the face of tragedy. She will be missed."

In a statement, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said that "since the tragic events one year ago, Gabby has been an inspiring symbol of determination and courage to millions of Americans."

Democratic officials had held out hope for months that the congresswoman might recover sufficiently to run for re-election or even become a candidate to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jon Kyl.

The shooting on Jan. 8, 2011, left six people dead, a federal judge and a Giffords aide among them. Twelve others were wounded.

A 23-year-old man, Jared Lee Loughner, has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the shooting. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and is being forcibly medicated at a Missouri prison facility in an effort by authorities to make him mentally ready for trial.

In the months since she was shot, Giffords, 41, has been treated in Houston as well as Arizona as she re-learned how to walk and speak.

She made a dramatic appearance on the House floor Aug. 2, when she unexpectedly walked in to vote for an increase in the debt limit. Lawmakers from both parties cheered her presence, and she was enveloped in hugs.

More recently, she participated in an observance of the anniversary of the shooting in Arizona.

In "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope," a book released last year that she wrote with her husband, she spoke of how much she wanted to get better, regain what she lost and return to Congress.

She delivers the last chapter in her own voice, saying in a single page of short sentences and phrases that everything she does reminds her of that horrible day and that she was grateful to survive.

"I will get stronger. I will return," she wrote.

Giffords was shot in the left side of the brain, the part that controls speech and communication.

Kelly commanded the space shuttle Endeavour on its last mission in May. She watched the launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Kelly, who became a NASA astronaut in 1996 and made four trips into space aboard the space shuttle, retired in October.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-22-Giffords-Resign/id-5c5b8cf835f54c1fb6af0b8e3edb4b6f

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[OOC] 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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