Fluctuation Still Existing in Cancer Survival Rates | TopNews New ...

As per reports, survival rates for various terminal forms of cancer have climbed unexpectedly but not much improvements has been recorded in terms of other widespread forms. In this regard, the cancer charity Macmillan has released its latest reports, wherein it has been claimed that the average projected time of survival for people confirmed with cancer has increased from nearly one year to almost six years over the last 40 years or so.

The latest reports released by Macmillan clearly highlight elephantine improvements in various aspects. For instance, people confirmed for colon cancer are now generally expected to survive for a decade. It has evidently marked immense improved when evaluated against a survival time or mere seven months in case they would have been confirmed for the terminal colon cancer some 40 years ago.

But still, it seems like there is an immense urgency for boosting the survival rates when it comes to various perilous forms of cancer, including pancreatic cancer, stomach cancers and lung cancer, which have shown negligible improvement regardless of 40 years of medical progression.

The report, which was formulated by Macmillan Cancer Support with the intent of estimating average survival rates for people following confirmations for different types of widespread cancer, studied data for people diagnosed with cancer and their respective survival rates during 1971 and 2001. Based on their observations, the researchers figured out average life expectancy for cancer patients in 2007.

In general, cancer survival rates are studied in form of percentage of people that will remain alive for a period of five or ten years following diagnosis. However, the latest report from Macmillan was based on historic data for predicting how long on people would live on an average once they are diagnosed for some form of terminal cancer.

Source: http://topnews.net.nz/content/220348-fluctuation-still-existing-cancer-survival-rates

chiefs canon powershot elph 300 hs christmas lights canon eos rebel t3 christmas photo cards ar 15 2012 nfl mock draft

NSN CEO sees no more cash from Nokia, Siemens: report (Reuters)

FRANKFURT (Reuters) ? The chief executive of Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), the world's second-largest maker of mobile phone network equipment, has warned employees NSN cannot expect any more money from its parent companies, a German magazine reported on Sunday.

Parents Nokia and Siemens have provided capital "for the last time" and expect this investment will provide results, Spiegel reported, citing a copy of a letter sent from Rajeev Suri to NSN's 9,000 employees in Germany.

"Our profitability is still too low, we're burning cash reserves, have too many business areas that have never produced adequate returns and regions that have always been loss-making," Spiegel cited the letter as saying.

NSN has struggled to make a profit since being set up in 2007 and last week announced plans to axe 17,000 jobs, or nearly

a quarter of its workforce.

Nobody at NSN was immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Additional reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by David Holmes)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111127/wr_nm/us_nsn_germany

drake take care herman cain accuser herman cain accuser election day kawasaki disease joe frazier conrad murray

Teddy Roosevelt's NY home set for $6.2M rehab (AP)

OYSTER BAY, N.Y. ? Theodore Roosevelt had a lot of stuff.

There's the massive head of a 2,000-pound African cape buffalo hanging over a fireplace near the front entrance of his home, Sagamore Hill, on the north shore of Long Island. Next to a large desk in the North Room sits a wastepaper basket made from the hollowed foot of an elephant. Nearby, there's an inkwell crafted from part of a rhino. More than four dozen rugs made from bearskins and other creatures taken down by the noted big game hunter adorn nearly every room.

There are 8,000 books, and thousands of items from flags to furniture, busts to baubles and medals to mementoes.

Everything must go.

The entire contents of Sagamore Hill are being packed up and put in storage as the National Park Service prepares for a three-year, $6.2 million renovation of the 28-room, Queen Anne-Shingle style mansion in Oyster Bay. The 26th president of the United States, who had the home built for him in 1885, lived there until his death in 1919. He used Sagamore Hill as a "summer White House" during his presidency from 1901-1909.

Workers have already spent nine months packing books and other smaller items into boxes, using special care to catalog every one and place it on a computer spreadsheet. The three-story home has 15 bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well as sitting rooms and offices. It sits on a nearly 83-acre high atop a hill overlooking an inlet that leads to Long Island Sound.

Sagamore Hill, which sees about 50,000 visitors annually, closes to the public on Dec. 5 so craftspeople can begin the heavy lifting in earnest to rehabilitate the 1885 home that hasn't seen any major renovations in more than a half century. A much smaller display of Roosevelt memorabilia ? including his White House china ? will remain on display in a smaller building on the property throughout the three-year project.

Plans call for upgrades to the electrical, heating, security and fire suppression systems throughout the home, which has been a National Park Service historic site since the early 1960s. Exterior work will include a new roof, gutter and drainage system, foundation waterproofing, and restoration of 78 historic windows, doors, porches and siding.

Also to be restored are Sagamore Hill's original rear porch and a skylight in the center of the house, both of which were altered or removed in the 1950s when the Theodore Roosevelt Association owned the property and first opened it to public visits. The association ran Sagamore Hill for about a decade before the National Park Service took over in 1962 ? a somewhat fitting custodian for the home of the man who championed the creation of the national park system.

"Theodore Roosevelt's house is like anybody else's house," said Amy Verone, chief of cultural resources at Sagamore Hill. She joked, however, that not everyone tackling a renovation project in their home has to contend with finding a place for 10-foot-elephant tusks adorned with silver inlays.

"You should replace your furnace system, you should update your electrical system, you should do all those kinds of things," Verone said. "But in order to facilitate that work, we have to empty the house, because the artifacts are historic. We can't just run out and buy a new one if we drop or break something."

National Park officials at Sagamore Hill first talked of rehabilitating the mansion in the late 1990s, competing for finances with other park projects across the country. Finally, funding was awarded in 2008, and after three years of planning, actual construction is set to begin next spring.

Although officials have consulted with museum experts ? including someone at the Smithsonian Institution who advised on the care and storage of the animal skin rugs ? they confess finding inspiration in many places. "We love `This Old House,' Verone said of the PBS series on home fix-ups. "We're always watching it for clues."

Sagamore Hill is somewhat of a precursor to the modern concept of presidential libraries, which didn't come into fashion until one was built for President Herbert Hoover in the 1930s, Verone said. Before that, presidents usually gave their official papers to the Library of Congress, as was the case with Roosevelt, although his personal papers went to Harvard, his alma mater, she said.

The first national historic site was designated in the 19th century when volunteers worked to rehabilitate George Washington's home at Mount Vernon after it had fallen into disrepair. Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello and several locations associated with Abraham Lincoln are among the other sites. Most former presidents are remembered in some way, either by private associations, the park service or state-run programs, she said.

Roosevelt's birthplace in Manhattan, the site where he was inaugurated in Buffalo after the assassination of William McKinley, a national park in North Dakota and a small island in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., are also historic sites operated by the Park Service. Sagamore Hill superintendent Tom Ross said "TR" also has a "home" at Mount Rushmore.

Sagamore Hill, Ross said, "is a priceless, irreplaceable resource." He said the preservation is important "so that we can preserve the history and heritage and share it with future generations."

Verone said visitors to Sagamore Hill learn that Roosevelt tackled many of the same problems the country faces today. "What kind of country will we be? A place like Sagamore Hill helps remind the public of that.

"These aren't new problems; these are conversations we've been having for 100 years."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_re_us/us_saving_sagamore_hill

kroy biermann nene leakes duggars danny woodhead forgetting sarah marshall jets tom brady

Deal of the Day ? Big Savings with LogicBUY Black Friday Deals

Today, LogicBUY has a variety of special deals to help you plan your Black Friday shopping. Save 15% on Herman Miller Aeron chairs 20% off Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Tablet PC w/Multi-touch and?4GB DDR3 RAM, bgn Wifi, DisplayPort output, 3 USB 2.0 ports, and 4-in-1 card reader 15% off?13.3″ Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Core i3 2.3GHz Ultra-thin [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/24/deal-of-the-day-%e2%80%93-big-savings-with-logicbuy-black-friday-deals/

san francisco 49ers lauren alaina lowes 49ers best buy black friday bath and body works coupons frys ad

SF, LA negotiating to close Occupy encampments

In this Nov. 2, 2011 photo, an Occupy Los Angeles protester walks past tents set up outside Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles. The Occupy Los Angeles encampment around City Hall will be cleared sometime next week, a city official and a lawyer for demonstrators said Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

In this Nov. 2, 2011 photo, an Occupy Los Angeles protester walks past tents set up outside Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles. The Occupy Los Angeles encampment around City Hall will be cleared sometime next week, a city official and a lawyer for demonstrators said Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

In this Nov. 2, 2011, photo, a Los Angeles police officer looks at tents set up outside Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles. The Occupy Los Angeles encampment around City Hall will be cleared sometime next week, a city official and a lawyer for demonstrators said Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2011 file photo, a group of San Francisco police officers look out at the Occupy SF encampment along the waterfront in San Francisco. Los Angeles and San Francisco are desperate for long-term solutions to the entrenched encampments by anti-Wall Street protesters to end the drain on resources and the frayed nerves among police and politicians. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Los Angeles and San Francisco are seeking long-term solutions to the entrenched encampments by anti-Wall Street protesters, hoping to end the drain on resources and the frayed nerves among police and politicians.

Officials in both cities have considered providing protesters with indoor space that would allow the movement to carry out its work in more sanitary, less public facilities.

Occupiers are debating among themselves about whether to hold their ground or try to take advantage of possible moves.

Talks in both cities mark a distinctly different approach than tactics used elsewhere that have seen police sent in to dislodge Occupy camps. Violence and arrests plagued camps in Oakland and New York, while the use of batons and pepper spray against peaceful protesters on University of California campuses has led to national outrage and derision.

San Francisco is negotiating with Occupy SF members about moving their encampment from the heart of the financial district to an empty school in the city's hip Mission district. That would allow the occupiers to have access to toilets and a room for their daily meetings, while camping out in the parking lot of what was once a small high school.

The move also could help them weed out drug addicts and drunks, and those not wholly committed to their cause.

Protesters in Los Angeles said officials rescinded a similar deal, in which the city would have leased a 10,000-square-foot space that once housed a bookstore in Los Angeles Mall to the protesters for $1 a year.

But after the proposal was made public at an Occupy LA general assembly, it generated outrage from some who saw it as a giveaway of public resources by a city struggling with financial problems, and the offer was withdrawn.

Deputy Mayor Matt Szabo told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the encampment around City Hall would be shut down at some point next week.

"The encampment as it exists is unsustainable," Szabo said.

Whether the city continues to negotiate with Occupy LA for a new location remains to be seen.

Occupy LA camper Alifah Ali said she would pack up her tent at City Hall when the order to leave came down in Los Angeles and welcome the possibility of new digs.

"Maybe we need to move," Ali said. "Maybe this will give us room to organize, make our voice clear."

Los Angeles officials initially endorsed the movement and allowed tents to sprout on City Halls lawns. More than 480 tents have since been erected. But problems arose with sanitation, drug use and homeless people moving into the camp.

In San Francisco, several hundred protesters have been hunkered down for some six weeks in about 100 tents at Justin Herman Plaza, at the eastern end of Market Street and across from the tourist-catching Ferry Building on the bay. The city has declared the plaza a public health nuisance, though city officials also credit the campers for their efforts to rid the camp of garbage and keep the grassy area clean.

Mayor Ed Lee has met with the occupiers at several heated closed-door meetings at City Hall. He's repeatedly told them he supports their cause and the right to protest the nation's confounding inequality between the rich and the poor.

But they cannot, he has said, continue to camp out overnight in a public plaza.

"The mayor is being patient," said Christine Falvey, a spokeswoman for Lee. "He wants to see some sort of long-term, sustainable plan because the city cannot sustain overnight camping for any long period of time."

Ken Cleaveland of the Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco, which represents the hotels and businesses that have been impacted by the noise, loss of tourism and concerns of violence, said some hotels had to reimburse guests who could not sleep, and small businesses in the tourist hub have lost thousands of dollars.

"It's time to move the camp," he said. "Nobody's disagreeing with their right to protest or the inequities in society that they are protesting, but it's not a place to camp out permanently."

A survey by The Associated Press found that during the first two months of the nationwide Occupy protests, the movement that is demanding more out of the wealthiest Americans cost taxpayers at least $13 million in police overtime and other municipal services.

Gentle Blythe, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco public school district, said city officials had approached the district about allowing Occupy SF to relocate to the Mission site that formerly housed Phoenix High School. The School Board is considering a facility permit that would allow the city to lease the property for six months.

Occupy SF members say they're mulling over the proposal.

"We're waiting for whatever caveats the city is going to come back at us with," said Jerry Selness, a retired Navy medic from Eugene, Ore., who has volunteered for a more than a month at the Occupy SF medical tent.

"I do feel that we're at a crux point here: we are either going to give this movement enough time to be able to make our next move, which will be to not only to move this camp, but move to a new phase in the way that we occupy," he said.

There is debate among the occupiers in San Francisco as to whether it's better to stay put, move to another long-term location or make quick hit-and-run occupies at symbolic sites such as bank lobbies and foreclosures auctions.

"For instance, there's a neighborhood in San Francisco right now where they're foreclosing on 11 houses in one street," Selness said. "What a perfect place for us to occupy."

---

Hoag reported from Los Angeles

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-24-Occupy%20California/id-e2ab0262882444eda4a872e75efc25b7

nobel peace prize verizon wireless oregon ducks football the league the ides of march yankees espn magazine

Closer to a cure for eczema

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Scientists have found that a strain of yeast implicated in inflammatory skin conditions, including eczema, can be killed by certain peptides and could potentially provide a new treatment for these debilitating skin conditions. This research is published today in the Society for Applied Microbiology's journal, Letters in Applied Microbiology.

20% of children in the UK suffer from atopic eczema and whilst this usually clears up in adolescence, 7% of adults will continue to suffer throughout their lifetime. Furthermore, this type of eczema, characterized by dry, itchy, flaking skin, is increasing in prevalence. Whilst the cause of eczema remains unknown, one known trigger factor is the yeast Malassezia sympodialis.

This strain of yeast is one of the most common skin yeasts in both healthy individuals and those suffering from eczema. The skin barrier is more fragile and often broken in those suffering from such skin conditions, and this allows the yeast to cause infection which then further exacerbates the condition. Scientists at Karolinska Institute in Sweden looked for a way to kill Malassezia sympodialis without harming healthy human cells.

The researchers looked at the effect on the yeast of 21 peptides which had either; cell-penetrating or antimicrobial properties. Cell-penetrating peptides are often investigated as drug delivery vectors and are able to cross the cell membrane, although the exact mechanism for this is unknown. Antimicrobial peptides, on the other hand, are natural antibiotics and kill many different types of microbe including some bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Tina Holm and her colleagues at Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute, added these different peptides types to separate yeast colonies and assessed the toxicity of each peptide type to the yeast. They found that six of the 21 peptides they tested successfully killed the yeast without damaging the membrane of keratinocytes, human skin cells.

Tina commented "Many questions remain to be solved before these peptides can be used in humans. However, the appealing combination of being toxic to the yeast at low concentrations whilst sparing human cells makes them very promising as antifungal agents. We hope that these peptides in the future can be used to ease the symptoms of patients suffering from atopic eczema and significantly increase their quality of life."

The next step will be to further examine the mechanism(s) used by the peptides to kill yeast cells, in order to develop a potential treatment for eczema and other skin conditions.

###

Wiley-Blackwell: http://www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Thanks to Wiley-Blackwell for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 78 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115464/Closer_to_a_cure_for_eczema

kristin davis kristin davis phillies phillies philadelphia phillies sand dollar sand dollar

Think Klout Is For Suckers? Flout.me Wants You To Set Your Own Social Influence Score.

Some people love Klout, while others are in doubt. But, the fact of the matter is that, in the end, all this talking about Klout is ... good for Klout. Apparently, in 100 million ways. At the very least, when it comes to social media influence and reputation, Klout is hard to ignore. Even if, like Alexia, one believes that no one really gives a damn about your Klout score. Well, thanks to Josh Constine's legwork and research, we bring you another solution. Enter the snark-ily named Flout.me, founded by Pat Nakajima and Anoop Ranganath. In the duo's own words: "Sites like Klout try to tell you how important you are. That's ridiculous! Only you know how important you are. Flout lets you flaunt it to the world."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/dIV0OhNv0o4/

republican presidential candidates republican presidential candidates bet hip hop awards 2011 bet hip hop awards 2011 kraken kraken calvin johnson

Netflix to sell convertible debt, shares fall (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Netflix Inc said late on Monday that it agreed to sell $200 million of convertible debt to long-time backer Technology Crossover Ventures as the struggling online video rental company tries to raise new capital.

The zero-coupon notes, due in 2018, convert to Netflix common stock at a price of about $85.80 per share.

The deal requires Netflix to raise at least $200 million selling common stock to other, unaffiliated investors, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Shares of Netflix fell 2.5 percent to $70.61 in extended trade as investors prepared to be diluted by new stock that may hit the market.

Netflix, which had $159.2 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of September, has lost about two-thirds of its market value since the company's shares touched a high of almost $300 in July.

The company has struggled to renegotiate video content deals. It has also lost subscribers and warned of a first-quarter loss.

TCV, a leading venture capital firm, has been an investor in Netflix for many years. TCV co-founder Jay Hoag is on Netflix's board.

TCV also has investments in Groupon, Facebook and Electronic Arts.

(Reporting by Himank Sharma in Bangalore and Alistair Barr in San Francisco; Editing by Maju Samuel)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/tc_nm/us_netflix

karina smirnoff turkey recipes turkey recipes hazing sweet potato pie sweet potato pie stuffing recipe

Threadless Testing Vending Machines For Those Who Still Don't Shop Online [Shopping]

It's one of the most popular online t-shirt stores, but just in time for the start of the holiday shopping rush Threadless is testing a small number of vending machines throughout its hometown of Chicago. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/r-MViwHVcgU/threadless-testing-vending-machines-for-those-who-still-dont-shop-online

gabby marcel the shell with shoes on ecu john wooden pujols mirror mirror tanuki

India's Parliament forced to adjourn by protests (AP)

NEW DELHI ? India's Parliament opened its winter session on Tuesday and then quickly adjourned itself amid renewed protests by lawmakers angry about everything from corruption to soaring inflation.

The 21-day session was scheduled to debate a bill creating a government ombudsman that was a key demand of anti-corruption protests over the summer. It was also expected to deal with bills on education, pensions and judicial standards.

However, soon after the session was convened, lawmakers jumped to their feet and began shouting protests. Some ruling party lawmakers from the south called for the split of the current state of Andhra Pradesh. Opposition lawmakers railed against rising prices.

When Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram rose to address the lower chamber, the opposition exploded in protests and refused to listen to him because of his alleged role in the shady sale of cellphone spectrum when he was finance minister.

Both chambers of the house were quickly adjourned for the day.

"This is a form of legitimate parliamentary tactics that we are going to resort to," said Arun Jaitley, a leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

Parliament lost almost all of last year's winter session to opposition protests against corruption, and government officials appealed to their colleagues to stop obstructing the legislature and allow important bills to be debated and passed.

"There is work to do and we must proceed with the work," Law Minister Salman Kurshid told Times Now news channel.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_re_as/as_india_parliament

chanukah chanukah 11 11 11 meaning miracle berry billy crystal veterans day thank you veterans day thank you

After deaths, Egyptians dig in for more protests (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Egyptian activists called for a huge turnout in protests on Tuesday to put an end to rule by the military which also saw its authority challenged by the resignation of the civilian cabinet, casting uncertainty on elections due next week.

Some 20,000 defiantly demonstrated in Cairo's Tahrir Square overnight despite the deaths of at least 33 since Saturday. But the protests have yet to attract the hundreds of thousands who toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February.

"The people want the fall of the marshal," protesters chanted, referring to Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Mubarak's defense minister for two decades and head of the army council.

"This land belongs to Egyptians. It is not for sale and does not need any guardians," one banner read. "All Egyptians demand an Egypt run by civilians," another said.

With people huddling under blankets to shelter from the cold, and others gathering for breakfast around street vendors, the protesters complained they were being penned in by police in Tahrir Square.

"They are trying to limit the space we can move in," protester Gamal el-Hawy said. "They want to trap us inside the square, to hurt our morale and they are doing it inch by inch."

The ruling council late on Monday urged calm and called for crisis talks with political forces to find a way forward. The council voiced its "deep regret for the victims in these painful incidents," state news agency MENA said.

"It called on all sections of the nation to show the greatest degree of self-restraint so that the matter does not lead to more victims and casualties," the agency added.

The military council did not say whether it would accept the resignation of the cabinet, tendered on Sunday. A military source said it was seeking agreement on a new prime minister.

The resignation of the cabinet, in office since March, was another blow to the military council's authority and casts further doubt on Egypt's first free parliamentary elections in decades, which are due to start next Monday.

Clashes flared in side-streets near Tahrir. Witnesses said looters, not necessarily connected to the protests, had attacked the American University in Cairo and other buildings.

Many demonstrators condemned the military's call for talks.

"All the military council is saying now makes absolutely no sense. They kill us and then say they want to investigate the incident. I want to understand how can they be party to the battle and at the same time be the arbitrator," said Mohamed Sobhy, a 30-year-old translator.

Security forces also battled about 4,000 demonstrators in the port city of Ismailia on the Suez Canal, witnesses said. Two protesters were killed there, medical sources said.

Some 5,000 people surrounded a security headquarters in the northern coastal city of Alexandria and police responded by firing live ammunition, witnesses said. The state news agency MENA said 40 security officers were injured in the clashes.

BULLET WOUNDS

Protesters have brandished bullet casings in Tahrir Square, where police used batons and tear gas to try to disperse demonstrators. Police deny using live fire.

Medical sources at Cairo's main morgue said 33 corpses had been received since Saturday, most with bullet wounds. The Health Ministry put the toll at 24 dead and 1,250 wounded.

"I've seen the police beat women my mother's age. I want military rule to end," said protester Mohamed Gamal, 21.

Army generals were feted for their part in easing Mubarak out, but hostility to their rule has hardened since, especially over attempts to set new constitutional principles that would keep the military permanently beyond civilian control.

The violence casts a pall over the first round of Egypt's staggered and complex election process, which starts on November 28 in Cairo and elsewhere. The army says the polls will go ahead.

"The January 25 revolution is continuing and there are attempts to run it off its course and there are those that are pushing it in the direction of chaos. That is why these protests have started," presidential candidate Amr Moussa told Al-Hayat Television.

Islamist presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, who had joined the protests in Tahrir Square, described the military council's apology for the deaths of protesters as worthless. "I call on them to step down."

INTERNATIONAL CONCERN

The United States called for restraint on all sides and urged Egypt to proceed with elections despite the violence.

"The United States continues to believe that these tragic events should not stand in the way of elections," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton echoed that message and said the EU was keen to monitor the polls.

"The Egyptian authorities have been very clear that they wish to conduct these elections themselves. We believe it would give credibility to them to have international observation," she told British lawmakers in London.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored the loss of life and called on the transitional authorities "to guarantee the protection of human rights and civil liberties for all Egyptians, including the right to peaceful protest."

In an apparent sop to protesters, the army council issued a law to bar from political life "those who work to corrupt political life and damage the interests of the nation."

The announcement was unlikely to satisfy political parties and activists who have called for a blanket ban on former members of Mubarak's now defunct National Democratic Party.

"The council is out of step with the people," said activist Mohamed Fahmy, describing the new law as a "meaningless move."

Some Egyptians, including Islamists who expect to do well in the vote, say the ruling army council may be stirring insecurity to prolong its rule, a charge the military denies.

Political uncertainty has gripped Egypt since Mubarak's fall, while sectarian clashes, labor unrest, gas pipeline sabotage and a gaping absence of tourists have paralyzed the economy and prompted a widespread yearning for stability.

(Additional reporting by Tim Castle in London, Shaimaa Fayed and Marwa Awad in Cairo, Abdel Rahman Youssef in Alexandria and Yusri Mohamed in Ismailia; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111122/wl_nm/us_egypt_protests

occupy san francisco jack the cat frank lucas house of wax lego man lego man cheryl hines

Mich. congressman denies sexual abuse allegations (AP)

DETROIT ? A Michigan congressman said Monday that allegations of sexual abuse made against him by his 63-year-old second cousin are the result of the man's mental illness and other relatives' attempts to extort money from him.

"It's false and outrageous charges," U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "It's based upon a long history of mental illness ... (and) an attempt to blackmail me."

Patrick Kildee told Saginaw CBS affiliate WNEM that Dale Kildee sexually abused him on multiple occasions when he was 15 years old and that the congressman acknowledged the abuse during a visit decades later, saying, "You have no idea how much I suffer because of what I did to you."

Dale Kildee told the AP, however, that his relative's story was "absolutely untrue." The 82-year-old Flint Democrat said he went to the FBI this fall after Patrick's son, Sean, contacted him in late September "indicating that he needed money very badly."

"I have no idea anymore why they're trying to blackmail (me)," the congressman told the AP, adding that another relative attempted to get money from him about 20 years ago.

Kildee's chief of staff, Callie Coffman, said Patrick Kildee spent time in a psychiatric facility about two decades ago.

Patrick Kildee couldn't be reached Monday at a phone listed in his name in New Mexico. A message left at a listed number for a Sean Patrick Kildee in Wisconsin was not immediately returned.

The Washington Times first reported the allegations and posted on its website video interviews with Patrick Kildee's mother, stepfather and sister. WNEM said it conducted its own six-month investigation into the abuse accusations.

The Associated Press does not usually name sexual assault victims, but Patrick Kildee came forward publicly in the television interview.

Dale Kildee, who already had announced plans to retire next year, put out a statement Sunday denying the allegations.

"I regret having to air all of this in public, but I feel like I have no choice," he wrote. "This is a concerted effort ... to destroy my reputation by lying about something that never took place more than 50 years ago."

Asked Monday whether he took a car ride with Patrick Kildee and confessed as his cousin claimed, Dale Kildee said, "It never happened."

The congressman said the allegations surfaced during his last congressional race but were rejected by authorities and news organizations.

Dale Kildee also distributed a copy of a letter, dated Jan. 12, 1988, which he says is the last communication he had with Patrick Kildee. The letter addresses the congressman as "My Dear Cousin Dale" and asks for assistance in combating hunger in Zimbabwe.

Dale and Gayle Kildee have been married since 1965 and have three adult children and 10 grandchildren.

___

Follow Kathy Barks Hoffman on Twitter (at)kathybhoffman

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_go_co/us_congressman_abuse_denial

weather houston diaspora breaking dawn premiere rock center nbpa itunes match itunes match

Open Thread (Balloon Juice)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/164502272?client_source=feed&format=rss

stevejobs stevejobs steve jobs commencement speech sarah palin espn body issue ijustine visionary

U.N. condemns alleged plot to kill Saudi envoy (Reuters)

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) ? The U.N. General Assembly on Friday condemned an alleged plot -- blamed by U.S. authorities on Iranian agents -- to kill Saudi Arabia's envoy to the United States and urged Iran to obey international law.

A resolution passed with 106 votes in favor, nine against and 40 abstentions did not specifically blame Iran, which has denied involvement, for the alleged assassination plan.

But it urged Tehran "to comply with all of its obligations under international law" by cooperating with investigations.

U.S. authorities said last month they had uncovered a plot by two Iranians linked to Tehran's security agencies to hire a hit man to kill Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir.

One of them, Manssor Arbabsiar, was arrested in September and has pleaded not guilty. The other, Gholam Shakuri -- said by U.S. officials to be a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards but by Iran to belong to an anti-Tehran rebel group -- is still at large.

The Saudi-crafted resolution said the 193-nation assembly "deplores the plot to assassinate the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America."

The passage of the resolution by a substantial majority came as Iran is under growing pressure over its nuclear program, which a U.N. report last week said appeared to have worked on designing an atom bomb.

Introducing the resolution, Saudi Arabia's U.N. Ambassador Abdullah al-Mouallimi said "enough is enough" with attacks on diplomatic personnel, but Riyadh was "not seeking to insult Iran or any other country."

Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told the assembly the resolution was "based on nothing but an unsubstantiated claim of one member state" -- the United States.

A White House statement said the resolution "sends a strong message to the Iranian government that the international community will not tolerate the targeting of diplomats."

(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau and Patrick Worsnip; editing by Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111119/wl_nm/us_saudi_plot_un

chris cooley chris cooley stevan ridley breast cancer awareness month breast cancer awareness month barbara walters new ipod touch

Rimac Automobili's Concept One supercar spotted in action, looks super (video)

Back in September, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Concept One -- the first electric supercar from Croatia's Rimac Automobili. Boasting a full 1,088 horsepower and capable of going from 0-62MPH in just 2.8 seconds, the Concept One is still very much a concept, but today, we've got video proof that it actually works. Spotted by an eagle-eyed tipster, the 70-second clip is a bit shaky, and doesn't show the car doing much more than pulling out of the driveway, but at least it's something. No word yet on whether the Concept One is moving any closer to production, though we're certainly keeping our fingers crossed. Cruise past the break to see it in action for yourself.

[Thanks, Matthaus]

Continue reading Rimac Automobili's Concept One supercar spotted in action, looks super (video)

Rimac Automobili's Concept One supercar spotted in action, looks super (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Brklja2 (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/18/rimac-automobilis-concept-one-supercar-spotted-in-action-looks/

seal beach ca seal beach seal beach bhutan zip code finder zip code finder blackhawks

Craig Crawford: Act 5

My best friend -- and finest journalist I've ever known -- Sean Holton determinedly took a break from brain cancer yesterday to post this response to Facebook well-wishers:

"Thanks to all who have left so many encouraging messages of support on my wall during the past couple of weeks. Your support has meant the world to me as I shrivel up in a state of near nothingness each afternoon watching cooking shows and storing my bodily waste in pickle jars and waiting for these damn Mormons to finish my blood transfusion so I can watch Ice Station Zebra one more time -- (with apologies to Howard Hughes)."

While he wrote, I told him I know it's sad but you're making me laugh. And that's exactly why we love him. It was more than two years ago, in his first month of this epic battle, he wrote the following piece for his blog. It's as though he was preparing us all those many months ago:

by Sean Holton
Same Time Tomorrow
(How Sean Holton Learned To Stop Worrying And Just Have Brain Cancer Instead)
August 24, 2009

I've been thinking lately about why the idea of the individual case of terminal cancer commands such enduring dramatic interest in our society. There are plenty of other life-ending cards people are dealt that are just as horrible and way more tragic in the end. People can be struck dead in a random instant in all kinds of ways -- by lightning, in a car or airplane crash, in a shooting or fire, in an accidental fall from a great height. There are other incurable diseases that are equally or more debilitating over the long haul - those who suffer from multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis come right to mind. People have heart attacks and die on the sidewalk all the time. They get hit by buses. Or they suffer from mental illnesses that lead to suicide or fatal substance abuse. Or they waste away with Alzheimer's disease. And let's not even get ourselves started on the tragedy of the individual deaths that pour forth from wars, genocides and natural disasters.

Right now, I'd rather be dealing with my terminal but potentially manageable brain cancer than to be in any of the situations I just listed. In that twisted sense, I feel lucky.

So what is it about terminal cancer, then, that seems to set it apart and get people so wound up, so personally invested, time after time? How is it that there is this ready-made narrative that people seem to know by heart and are able to latch onto so instinctively?

I think it's because people naturally respond to drama, and lots of cancer cases have all the classic elements that make for the best drama. At the core of the cancer drama is that it is viewed paradoxically as "incurable" but at the same time is known to be "beatable." There is sadness, yet it is mixed with hope. From that essential conflict, you can just cue up the basic, five-act narrative structure that has been a bankable formula for packing cinema multiplexes and theater houses since Shakespeare made it so popular in Elizabethan England, and going back even further than that to when it was perfected by the ancient Greeks.

Act One unfolds by introducing us to both the too-young-to-die protagonist and the evil villain that is the devastating diagnosis. Then Act Two carries things forward by bringing in more complexity and texture, more medical details, the rallying of doctors, family and friends, the wearing of yellow bracelets and bandanas or the shaving of heads in solidarity. In Act Three, we get the marshalling of all available scientific resources to confront the dark force as we approach the climax of the uphill battle against all odds to "beat" the "unbeatable" disease. But dramatic tension is preserved because the final outcome is still unknown (this is crucial).

Acts Four and Five take us through either the heroic recovery of the protagonist or his tragic death and the resulting fallout from either outcome. And either ending does make for a good story in a strictly dramaturgical sense. So that's that.

Now let's look at the other examples I mentioned of how death commonly expresses itself in individual human stories and consider how they fail on the level of sustainable drama:

1. Sudden accidental death of any kind. Failing: The play is over before it can begin.

2. Wasting incurable, diseases of all sorts. Failing: The outcome is known from the start, there's not a lot of action to follow and the movie runs too long.

3. Mental illness, substance abuse and suicide. Failing: Too dark. People don't like talking about it, and they just turn away. Nobody's going to buy tickets for that.

4. Alzheimer's and old age: See #2 and #3.

5. Wars and natural disasters. Failing: These make good action movies, but individual human lives are mere props here. (See Joe Stalin: "An individual death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic.")

I don't go into all of this to be blithe about the nature of my specific illness, nor to minimize the real human pain that cancer doles out to its individual victims and their loved ones. But all of those other manifestations of individual death and disability I mentioned deal out equally intense human pain at all of the very same levels.

I saw a slice of this myself when I was coming out of my fog in the intensive care unit after the surgery to remove my tumor. Whole families would file past my door and down the hall, wide-eyed and wondering what they would find when they stepped past a curtain into their loved-one's room -- a loved one who most likely had suffered a sudden, unexpected heart attack or been mortally wounded in a common accident or shooting. And often I would see those families going back the other direction a few minutes later in tears, adults and kids devastated and crying, holding up each other for support as they walked away. Chances are, I thought, there is to be no further drama in those sad stories. The outcomes have already been written. No one will be shaving their heads in solidarity with those people. They'll just be going to a funeral in the next day or two and scattering some ashes or shoveling dirt on a grave.

People ask me how I can remain so positive and upbeat about my situation in the face of such uncertainty. Part of the reason is that I don't see my cancer diagnosis as a drama. I don't conceive of it as an uphill battle against all odds to beat something that is unbeatable. As a 49-year-old man who already has experienced a lot to be grateful for and who has no immediate dependents, I'm not really interested in that kind of story right now anyway.

Right now I see my diagnosis as something else entirely. It is a gift that will give me the opportunity to learn more than I thought I would ever know about the mysterious line between life and death.

In the meantime, it will teach me to love the people I love even more, and to hold them more closely than ever. It will bring me incredible amounts of life-giving strength from the support of friends, past acquaintances and even total strangers. Many people don't ever get that chance. They either just live, or they just die, and they never get to see what's in between. But my diagnosis puts the idea of death in slow motion. It lets me pick up death in my hand and turn it over again and again to study it in its every small detail. I can hold it up to the sunlight each precious day that I remain alive and see it illuminated from any angle I choose.

It is as if Death has softly perched itself on my shoulder in the form of a wild and rare bird. In this form it will neither kill me immediately nor has it yet chosen to kill me slowly and inevitably - as it routinely does to so many people in its so many other, more fearsome forms. Instead, it will allow me to hold it for a while and to look it calmly in the eye. It may even talk to me. After that, of course, the Death Bird may decide to burrow itself into my head and build another nest to lay a second egg-shaped tumor in my brain -- and so kill me in that fashion. Or it may just fly away from me as unexpectedly as it landed, never to visit again until the time comes for it to return to me years or even decades from now; not as a bird, but in another of its myriad forms.

I hope the bird does fly away one day, and I think there is a pretty good chance it might. I guess then I will be able to say I have "beaten" cancer. But I will not gloat, because I will not have beaten Death. No one ever does.

More of Sean's writings:

Sean Holton spent 25 years as an award-winning newspaper journalist. His widely-recognized work as a reporter, writer and editor focused on land development, public policy, politics and governmental issues, including nine years as a Washington DC correspondent and bureau chief for the Orlando Sentinel, and as Associate Managing Editor based in Orlando. Sean holds a master's degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in English and Political Science from Rockhurst University.

?

?

?

Follow Craig Crawford on Twitter: www.twitter.com/craig_crawford

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-crawford/act-5_b_1100846.html

hilary duff pregnant psat psat brenda song mountain west mountain west rickross

Deepika enjoys her financial independence

Deepika Padukone is a modern age girl who does not depend on anybody for her financial needs. She is self ? reliant and self- willed. Recently, when the leggy lass was asked about her character in her upcoming film ?Desi Boyz?, Deepika revealed, “I am an independent girl in real life. I am not dependent [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/newslatest/~3/lZcidl0s7zg/6241.html

nick fairley barry sanders barry sanders tim allen enlightened enlightened stand and deliver

Strangers who helped each other reunite

--> AAA??Nov. 17, 2011?11:51 AM ET
Strangers who helped each other reunite
AP

In this photo provided by Mayo Clinic Health System, Victor Giesbrecht of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada sits in his hospital room on Nov. 16, 2011 in Eau Claire, Wis. Giesbrecht, 61, expressed his gratitude to first responders and to Sara Berg, the Eau Claire woman who administered CPR minutes after he helped her change a tire. Giesbrecht and his wife, Ann, were driving to Indiana Nov. 5 when they saw Berg, 40, and her cousin, Lisa Meier, stopped on the side of Interstate 94 with a flat tire. Giesbrecht pulled over and helped change their flat tire. Minutes after driving away, Giesbrecht suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness. Berg, a certified nursing assistant, discovered that Giesbrecht wasn?t breathing, she started CPR. (AP Photo/Mayo Clinic Health System)

In this photo provided by Mayo Clinic Health System, Victor Giesbrecht of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada sits in his hospital room on Nov. 16, 2011 in Eau Claire, Wis. Giesbrecht, 61, expressed his gratitude to first responders and to Sara Berg, the Eau Claire woman who administered CPR minutes after he helped her change a tire. Giesbrecht and his wife, Ann, were driving to Indiana Nov. 5 when they saw Berg, 40, and her cousin, Lisa Meier, stopped on the side of Interstate 94 with a flat tire. Giesbrecht pulled over and helped change their flat tire. Minutes after driving away, Giesbrecht suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness. Berg, a certified nursing assistant, discovered that Giesbrecht wasn?t breathing, she started CPR. (AP Photo/Mayo Clinic Health System)

In this photo provided by Mayo Clinic Health System, Sara Berg hugs Victor Giesbrecht of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in his hospital room on Nov. 16, 2011 in Eau Claire, Wis. Giesbrecht, 61, expressed his gratitude to first responders and to Sara Berg, the Eau Claire woman who administered CPR minutes after he helped her change a tire. Giesbrecht and his wife, Ann, were driving to Indiana Nov. 5 when they saw Berg, 40, and her cousin, Lisa Meier, stopped on the side of Interstate 94 with a flat tire. Giesbrecht pulled over and helped change their flat tire. Minutes after driving away, Giesbrecht suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness. Berg, a certified nursing assistant, discovered that Giesbrecht wasn?t breathing, she started CPR. (AP Photo/Mayo Clinic Health System)

In this photo provided by Mayo Clinic Health System, Sara Berg talks with Victor Giesbrecht of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in his hospital room on Nov. 16, 2011 in Eau Claire, Wis. Giesbrecht and his wife, Ann, were driving to Indiana Nov. 5 when they saw Berg, 40, and her cousin, Lisa Meier, stopped on the side of Interstate 94 with a flat tire. Giesbrecht pulled over and helped change their flat tire. Minutes after driving away, Giesbrecht suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness. Berg, a certified nursing assistant, discovered that Giesbrecht wasn?t breathing, she started CPR. (AP Photo/Mayo Clinic Health System)

Victor and Ann Giesbrecht of Wiinipeg, Canada have a reunion in Eau Claire, Wis., Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011 with the people involved with saving his life after he suffered cardiac arrest Nov. 5, 2011 while driving on Interstate 94. Sara Berg, left, who assisted Berg early with a flat tire, Performed CPR on Victor until law enforcement arrived. Berg is a certified nursing assistant with Mayo Clinic Health System. (AP Photo/The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, Shane Opatz)

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) ? A motorist who had a heart attack but was kept alive by a stranger whom just minutes earlier he had stopped to help along a Wisconsin interstate has had a tearful reunion with that woman and the first responders who saved his life.

Victor Giesbrecht, 61, expressed his gratitude Wednesday to Sara Berg, the Eau Claire woman who performed CPR on him just a few miles further along the Interstate 94 from where he had helped her to change a tire.

"He said 'thank you' and we hugged, then we both started crying," Berg told the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. First responders also attended the reunion at Giesbrecht's room at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Giesbrecht hoped to be released Thursday.

Giesbrecht, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and his wife, Ann, were driving to Indiana Nov. 5 when they saw Berg, 40, and her cousin, Lisa Meier, stopped on the side of the interstate with a flat tire. Giesbrecht pulled over, retrieved a jack from his pickup and helped change the flat.

Minutes after driving away, Giesbrecht suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness. His wife brought their pickup to a stop and called 911. Then along came the women whom Giesbrecht had just helped. When Berg, a certified nursing assistant, discovered that Giesbrecht wasn't breathing, she started CPR. First responders arrived a short time later and used an automated external defibrillator to restore a normal heart rhythm.

"If she wouldn't have come along, I don't think we'd be here right now," Giesbrecht said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2011-11-17-Good%20Deed%20Repaid/id-e5806af36ff447ecb28ca5a62f3b85b4

gene simmons my bloody valentine mario manningham mario manningham holes houston texans houston texans

'X Factor' Loses Stacy Francis As Astro Loses His Cool

'I don't want to perform for people who don't want me here,' mini-MC says after landing in the bottom two.
By Adam Graham

Stacy Francis on "X Factor"
Photo: FOX

Stacy Francis — the 42-year-old diva who once pleaded to Simon Cowell, "I don't want to die with this music in me!" — was eliminated from "The X Factor" Thursday night (November 17). But the bigger story was 15-year-old hip-hop dynamo Astro, who found himself in the bottom two with Francis and was none too pleased with his fate.

Asked to sing for his life in front of the judges, Astro nonchalantly strolled onto the stage and announced, "I really don't wanna perform. I feel like it's unnecessary." He turned to his mentor, L.A. Reid: "But I'mma leave it up to you. You're my mentor. Do you think I should perform?"

Reid told Astro he had come a long way in the competition and that he should perform. Astro turned back and proceeded to give a halfhearted, visibly jaded performance of a song in which he talked about his experiences on the show. Francis, for her song, belted out "Amazing Grace."

When it came time for the judges to make their decision, Astro was scolded for his attitude by the panel, with Reid telling him, "You acted a little bit like a quitter, and it upset me." But Cowell was the hardest on the Brooklyn MC — whom Rihanna once compared to "a mini J. Cole" — telling him, "I don't like your attitude right now."

"Look at me, and think about your mum watching the show," Cowell said to him. "Because you are showing disrespect to your mom. You are showing disrespect to the audience at home, and I don't like people with this attitude."

Astro retorted, "No disrespect to you or this show, but I just feel like if you're going to put me in the bottom two, I don't want to perform for people who don't want me here, you know what I'm saying? That's it."

By this time, Astro was being showered with boos from the audience, and a tear that had welled up in his eye began to stream down his face. Cowell asked if he'd take the same attitude if put in the position again, and Astro apologized, telling him, "Honestly, man, it's cool."

With the audience chanting, "Stacy! Stacy!" Cowell cast his deciding vote. "I really don't want to do this," he said, voting for Astro to stay, saying he thinks he had a better chance of winning the show and ultimately sending Francis packing with a 3-1 vote in favor of her ouster. (Nicole Scherzinger, Francis' mentor, was the sole vote for her to remain.)

Francis thanked the judges for her time on the show and took responsibility for her so-so rendition of Meat Loaf's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" the night prior, which was slammed by Cowell.

"I don't believe I did great last night. I go with that, and I have to suck up my pride and take responsibility for the performance I gave," Francis said. "I just want to thank Simon Cowell for giving me a chance, because I'm 42 years old, and he allowed me to sing for the world week to week."

Earlier in the night, Paula Abdul — who had already seen two of her groups get kicked off the show — caught a break when she learned her sole remaining group in the competition, Lakoda Rayne, was voted through to next week. Upon hearing the news, Cowell looked as though William Hung just won a Grammy, while Abdul proudly crowed, "I told you so, I told you so!" During the commercial break following the announcement, Cowell tweeted, "How the hell did that happen?"

The episode also featured a performance from Rihanna, who showcased her current Billboard chart-topping single "We Found Love." While it was presented as live, the performance was taped following Wednesday's episode.

The top 10 contestants opened the show with a group rendition of Queen's "We Will Rock You," celebrating the week's rock and roll theme.

What did you think of Astro's reaction to his near-elimination? Let us know in the comments!

Related Photos

• 'X Factor' Top Twelve Performances

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674624/x-factor-stacy-francis-astro.jhtml

tyler bray tyler bray rashard mendenhall san antonio weather austin box austin box nebraska football

Online Piracy Act endangered as opponents speak out (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (TheWrap.com) ? The tide seems to have turned against the Stop Online Piracy Act, as both Nancy Pelosi and Darrell Issa have come out against passage.

"Need to find a better solution than #SOPA #DontBreakTheInternet," the liberal Democratic House leader tweeted on Thursday, in response to a tweeter who asked: "Where do you stand on internet censoring and #SOPA?"

And, from the right, California Rep. Darrell Issa has told The Hill newspaper that the House of Representative's anti-piracy act has no chance of passage.

Congress, the leading Republican lawmaker said, is "realizing there are so many unintended consequences that they can't just use Google as a pinata and bash on it here."

There is, he said, "a very broad coalition from far left to far right who realize this will hurt innovation, something we can't afford to do. And there are other ways to accomplish what they say is their goal."

Pelosi has not elaborated, but her office was planning to issue a statement.

Introduced by Lamar Smith (R-TX) and heavily supported by the entertainment industry, the act would give federal authorities new power to block service providers, search engines, payment processors, and advertising networks it considers to be facilitating illegal on-line activity, such as streaming pirated television programs, films or selling pharmaceuticals.

"I don't believe this bill has any chance on the House floor," Issa said. "I think it's way too extreme, it infringes on too many areas that our leadership will know is simply too dangerous to do in its current form."

Opponents, including internet giants Google, Twitter, eBay and Facebook, as well as a host of public interest groups, say the legislation lays the groundwork for online censorship. The law, they point out, could shut down law-abiding websites when, for example, users post links to infringing websites.

Indeed, Google's Katherine Oyama testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday that the company had "grave concerns" about aspects of the law that provide authority to "disappear" foreign websites.

What's more, Oyama said, the law would inflict onerous monitoring costs upon internet companies, especially start-ups, which would stifle innovation.

Oyama was the only one of six witnesses to speak out against the bill at Wednesday's hearing, a situation public-interest organizations decried.

Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, called Wednesday's hearing a "great disappointment."

Sohn said the majority of the committee's comments "clearly reflected the views of only one industry -- the big media companies which are pushing this bill, yet another piece of legislation to impose Draconian measures on the technology sector -- the fastest-growing and most productive part of our economy."

Sohn said the committee did not extend invitations to an array of opponents "from human-rights groups to entrepreneurs to Internet engineers to civil libertarians."

Consumer Electronics Association president and CEO Gary Shapiro said in at statement that SOPA should be rewritten to "target bad actors without ensnaring legitimate companies."

As written, Shapiro said SOPA would "expose legitimate American businesses and innovators to broad and open-ended liability. The result will be more lawsuits, decreased venture capital investment, and fewer new jobs."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Tom Collamore blogged Wednesday that an anti-piracy law is crucial:

"While consumer health and safety is being undermined on one front, jobs in our most creative and innovative industries are being attacked on the other. The counterfeiting and piracy perpetuated by rogue sites stifles innovation by undercutting the investments in making the newest cancer drug, or latest 'it' movie, or most innovative home technology."

No action was taken at Wednesday's hearing. The bill has been referred to the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111117/media_nm/us_piracy

chicago bears devin hester devin hester shayne lamas cain velasquez gop debate dos santos

Google Programming Language is Go for 2012 launch

Compared to the gamut of conversational languages, the programming variety shifts at lighting-fast speed. And next year, a new language will get the official nod from Google, which first introduced Go in 2009. With its new language, Mountain View set out to create a programming environment that's easier and faster to use, without sacrificing efficiency. Programmers may need to wait until early 2012 for Go to launch out of experimental status, but you can buy that cute Gopher mascot (in furry plush form) over at the Google Store today.

Google Programming Language is Go for 2012 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  Google Go Blog  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/kUe70FvmU1c/

stanley tucci x factor voting “do a barrel roll” oakland texas judge texas judge tom brokaw