Experts want suicide risk warning on ADHD drug (Reuters)

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland (Reuters) ? Children who take a common drug for attention deficit disorder should be warned about the risk of suicidal thoughts, U.S. pediatric health advisers said on Monday.

Several members of an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration asked the agency to change the label for Focalin, an attention deficit medicine made by Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG, to reflect this risk. The drug is approved for children aged 6 or older.

The FDA often follows the advice of its committees, although it is not required to.

The FDA said it received eight reports of suicidal thoughts for children or adolescents who took the drug over the past six years, and four of the cases appeared to be linked to the medicine. The link for the remaining cases was less clear.

"The suicidal ideation seems to be pretty serious," said Dr. Sheldon Kaplan, panel member and chief of infectious diseases at Texas Children's Hospital.

But the FDA said the risk of suicidal thoughts did not appear in clinical trials for Focalin, and the later reports were a tiny number compared to how many children used the drug.

"I'm somewhat puzzled by the focus of suicidal ideation," said Tom Laughren, head of the FDA's psychiatric products division, in response to the panel's recommendation.

"These drugs are very widely used. And what you're seeing here are a handful of reports that are difficult to interpret with regard to causality," he said.

The number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has skyrocketed in recent years, with the condition now affecting 3 to 5 percent of kids globally.

Children with ADHD are excessively restless, impulsive and easily distracted, and often have trouble at home and in school. There is no cure, but the symptoms can be kept in check by a combination of behavioral therapy and medication.

In the United States, some 2.7 million people have prescriptions for ADHD drugs including Novartis' Ritalin, Johnson & Johnson's Concerta, Shire's Adderall and Vyvanse and Eli Lilly's Strattera.

Some patient advocates say doctors and parents may be too quick to diagnose kids with the condition, and the drugs may cause side effects that can damage children's health.

The FDA said about 1.8 million children received prescriptions for Focalin or its generic versions from May 2005 to July 2011.

The label for Focalin already warns patients that they may have new psychotic or manic symptoms after taking the drug, but does not mention suicidal thoughts.

Out of other ADHD drugs, only Strattera's label mentions thoughts of suicide as a side effect, as part of a restrictive "black box" warning.

The FDA monitors reports of side effects from medicines after they've been approved in order to discover potential safety problems. For drugs that are used by children, the agency must hold regular advisory meetings to review their safety.

The advisory committee and FDA reviewers also recommended a change to Focalin's label to reflect the risk of anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction, and angioedema, a type of swelling beneath the skin.

Novartis said it is will make any necessary changes to Focalin's label after discussing them with the FDA.

"Novartis is committed to patient safety and will continue to work closely with the FDA as the agency completes its review," said Brandi Robinson, spokeswoman for the company.

(Reporting by Anna Yukhananov; Editing by Richard Chang)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/hl_nm/us_fda_adhd

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Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac

You may have heard that mechanical keyboards are making a comeback. Correction: If anyone you live or work with has started using one, you?ve definitely heard. These are peripherals that return typing to its glory days, where you don?t just create letters from nothing, you summon a distinctive sound, and can feel a firm bounce beneath your fingertips as you do so. Few companies have hawked their wares as energetically as Metadot, which over the last several years has released a series of mechanical keyboards intended for use with PCs. Now that there?s the Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac ($133 list), that?s all changed. Apple owners now have a substantial-feeling, legitimately clicky keyboard to call their own?provided they don?t care about how it looks.

We?ll get to that in due time. For now, let?s review what the Das Keyboard is and why you want it. It?s of fairly typical size for a desktop model (1 by 18 by 6.5 inches, HWD), but is heavier than most these days (about three pounds). That?s because, instead of using a lighter dome-switch (aka membrane) mechanism that creates electrical signals by pressing two circuit board traces together using rubber ?domes? beneath the keys, it uses honest-to-goodness mechanical switches like the ones you once would have found in a typewriter. This causes the keys, and thus the keyboard that contains them, to have a much sturdier and more responsive feel than you?ll find in even dedicated Mac keyboards.

Because the specific switches used in this version of the Das Keyboard are Cherry MX Blue, you also get outstanding feedback for both your hands (the unquestionable press down and a light bounce back up) and your ears (the satisfying ?click? that, until the advent of cheap PC keyboards, always told you typing was occurring). And because those switches are gold-plated, you also get unusual durability: Each key is rated for 50 million presses, several times more than on an average keyboard, and cannot rust.

But if you?re in for some chicly retro typing, everything else is sparklingly up to date. The keyboard works with all Mac operating systems, and requires no additional drivers. (We had to perform a brief setup procedure to help Mac OS X 10.7 Lion identify the keys, but it took just a few seconds, and the keyboard worked fine afterward.) It connects to your computer with a 6.6-foot USB cable that terminates in two connectors: one for transmitting the keyboard data, and one for driving the two-port USB 2.0 hub you?ll find in the keyboard?s upper-right corner. (It?s compatible with USB-based KVM switches as well.) The F6-F11 keys even double as media keys for Rewind, Play/Pause, Forward, Mute, Lower Volume, and Raise Volume, and F1 also functions as Sleep; to activate these functions, hit a blue-labeled function key in the lower-right corner.

Provided you?re disposed to this sort of typing?and, as it?s been a while since Macs went down this road, it?s possible you may need a little coaxing?you?re almost certain to find this ideal for whatever you want to do. In fact, aside from the price, which is admittedly high even for mechanical keyboards, this Das Keyboard has almost no significant drawbacks.

Except its design. We wouldn?t normally knock a product as good as this for something this mundane, but this keyboard is a special case. For better or worse, Macs are generally treated by Apple (and seen by its customers) as design statements, in which form exists in blessed union with function. Any company aiming an external piece of hardware at that audience must take that into account, and Metadot hasn?t. This keyboard is?sorry, there?s no other way to put it?black: matte on the keys and glossy everywhere else. And it's more distinctly angular and asymmetrical than you will ever see from an Apple product. On PCs, where keyboards can be (and frequently are) any color, this is less of an issue. But used with a Mac, this Das Keyboard stands out?and not in a good way.

True, Apple has occasionally utilized black in its keyboards in the past, and even does so on its current lines of laptops. In all these cases, however, it?s as part of a larger, more elegant design usually based on an abundance of silver and white. The complete absence of that here makes the Das Keyboard look like an out-of-place port from the PC, something that sends the wrong signal. We wish these things mattered less for Macs, but alas they do, and many people like the computers specifically for that kind of consistency. Metadot has cleverly demonstrated that in one unsuspected place: The keys (which contain Command and Option, of course) are labeled with lower-case letters, just like you?d see on an official Mac keyboard. So there?s no lack of attention to detail, and when we asked our contact about this, he said that white may be an option in the future; that?s definitely something to watch for.

Whether the Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac is ideal for you, then, depends on your personal taste and tolerance level. If you don?t mind having something on your desk that looks this astonishingly different from everything that surrounds it, you?ll have a hard time finding a better typing keyboard than this one. But if how your computer setup looks is just as important to you as how it works, you?re probably going to find the Das Keyboard an unwelcome interloper?though we?d encourage you to consider putting aside your prejudices so you can feel what you didn?t know your fingers have been missing.

More Keyboard Reviews:
??? Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac
??? Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Stealth Edition
??? Kensington KeyFolio Pro Universal Removable Bluetooth Keyboard for 10" Tablets
??? iLuv Portable Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad
??? Logitech Fold-Up Keyboard for iPad
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/t3RmJLMWu0Y/0,2817,2399442,00.asp

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Euro zone confidence improves, highlights divergence (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? Confidence in the euro zone's economy strengthened in January for the first time since early 2011, EU data showed on Monday, but a recovery in Germany masked a deterioration in France and Italy, highlighting the bloc's diverging fortunes.

Germany has shown more resilience to the euro zone's troubles than many of its neighbors, helped by fiscal prudence, a competitive edge and good demand for its high quality goods.

France and Italy have struggled to keep up, facing questions about the sustainability of their own finances as Greece tries to agree a debt restructuring and Portugal comes under fresh scrutiny in financial markets.

The divergence complicates the task of EU leaders who are meeting in Brussels on Monday to try and sketch a path out of the economic slump.

The European Commission's economic sentiment indicator rose by 0.6 points in the euro zone to 93.4, the first improvement in sentiment since March last year as some confidence returned to services, consumers and construction.

"We're seeing a slight stabilization and we expect the recession the euro zone will end in the spring," said Christoph Weil, an economist at Commerzbank.

"But we can also see that the divergence in the euro zone is increasing and that is of great concern," he said.

The European Central Bank's decision in December to provide 3-year loans to banks averted a credit freeze, while the U.S. economy expanded strongly in the last quarter of 2011 and China has remained robust, maintaining demand for Europe's goods.

But budget austerity and political divisions over how to solve the two-year debt crisis continue to depress business in the euro zone and the wider European Union, with non-euro zone country Britain heading for a recession in early 2011.

The rising optimism is still tempered by EU leaders' inability to resolve the euro zone debt crisis and the sentiment indicator was slightly lower than forecast by economists polled by Reuters.

Following last week's surprisingly positive purchasing managers' indices, or PMIs, business climate rose for the second month in a row to -0.21, in line with economists' expectations.

But factory managers saw a deterioration in the view of their order books and although this was offset by a positive assessment of stocks, it confirmed the mixed economic picture.

Industrial confidence remained at the lowest level since April 2010 while confidence in services rebounded by 2 points in the euro zone and construction was up 0.6 points.

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For a graphic on the data: http://link.reuters.com/bas36s

For full multimedia coverage: http://r.reuters.com/xyt94s

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GERMAN RENEWAL, GREEK PAIN

The European Commission forecasts 2012 economic growth of just 0.5 percent for the 17 nations in the euro zone, which generates 16 percent of global economic output.

The International Monetary Fund is more pessimistic, forecasting a 0.5 percent contraction in 2012 that it says could drag the world into recession.

EU leaders face a tough task at Monday's summit as they try and bridge the divergence in economic performance among the 27-nation bloc's economies and reconcile austerity with growth.

Recent data suggests Germany will avoid a recession, while non-euro zone member Britain, as well as euro states Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal, are likely to see their economies contract in 2012. Belgium and the Netherlands, also members of the single currency, will struggle to grow at all.

The Commission's data also supported that view, as economic sentiment improved in Germany by 2.3 points, the second consecutive monthly rise, but fell in France, Italy and the Netherlands.

While large economies such as France and the Netherlands will likely benefit from Germany's recovery, Italy and Greece must confront falling productivity and high debts to avoid years of stagnation.

"Weakened domestic economic activity, intensified fiscal tightening in many countries and still serious uncertainties and concerns over the euro zone sovereign debt crisis continue to limit an improvement in sentiment," said Howard Archer, chief European economist at IHS Global Insight.

(Reporting By Robin Emmott; editing by Rex Merrifield/Anna Willard)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/bs_nm/us_eurozone_sentiment

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Cancer sequencing initiative discovers mutations tied to aggressive childhood brain tumors

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2012) ? St. Jude Children's Research Hospital -- Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project has provided the first evidence linking cancer to mutations in genes involved in DNA organization. Researchers studying a rare, lethal childhood tumor of the brainstem discovered that nearly 80 percent of the tumors have mutations in genes not previously tied to cancer. Early evidence suggests the alterations play a unique role in other aggressive pediatric brain tumors as well.

The findings from the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital -- Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP) offer important insight into a poorly understood tumor that kills more than 90 percent of patients within two years. The tumor, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), is found almost exclusively in children and accounts for 10 to 15 percent of pediatric tumors of the brain and central nervous system.

"We are hopeful that identifying these mutations will lead us to new selective therapeutic targets, which are particularly important since this tumor cannot be treated surgically and still lacks effective therapies," said Suzanne Baker, Ph.D., co-leader of the St. Jude Neurobiology and Brain Tumor Program and a member of the St. Jude Department of Developmental Neurobiology. She is a corresponding author of the study published in the January 29 online edition of the scientific journal Nature Genetics.

DIPG is an extremely invasive tumor that occurs in the brainstem, which is at the base of the skull and controls such vital functions as breathing and heart rate. DIPG cannot be cured by surgery and is accurately diagnosed by non-invasive imaging. As a result, DIPG is rarely biopsied in the U.S. and little is known about it.

Cancer occurs when normal gene activity is disrupted, allowing for the unchecked cell growth and spread that makes cancer so lethal. In this study, investigators found 78 percent of the DIPG tumors had alterations in one of two genes that carry instructions for making proteins that play similar roles in packaging DNA inside cells. Both belong to the histone H3 family of proteins. DNA must be wrapped around histones so that it is compact enough to fit into the nucleus. The packaging of DNA by histones influences which genes are switched on or off, as well as the repair of mutations in DNA and the stability of DNA. Disruption of any of these processes can contribute to cancer.

Researchers said that the mutations seem unique to aggressive childhood brain tumors.

"It is amazing to see that this particular tumor type appears to be characterized by a molecular 'smoking gun' and that these mutations are unique to fast-growing pediatric cancers in the brain," said Richard K. Wilson, Ph.D., director of The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and one of the study's corresponding authors. "This is exactly the type of result one hopes to find when studying the genomes of cancer patients."

The results are the latest from the PCGP, an ambitious three-year effort to sequence the complete normal and cancer genomes of 600 children with some of the most poorly understood and aggressive pediatric cancers. The human genome includes the complete set of instructions needed to assemble and sustain human life. The goal is to identify differences that explain why cancer develops, spreads and kills. Researchers believe the findings will provide the foundation for new tools to diagnose, treat or prevent the disease.

For this study, researchers sequenced the complete normal and cancer genomes of seven patients with DIPG. "The mutations were found at such high frequency in the cancer genomes of those seven patients that we immediately checked for the same alterations in a larger group of DIPGs," Baker said. When researchers sequenced all 16 of the related genes that make closely related variants of histone H3 proteins in an additional 43 DIPGs, they found many of the tumors contained the same mistakes in only two of these genes.

Of the 50 DIPG tumors included in this study, 60 percent had a single alteration in the makeup of the H3F3A gene. When the mutated gene was translated into a protein, the point mutation led to the substitution of methionine for lysine as the 27th amino acid in this variant of histone H3 protein. Another 18 percent of the DIPG patients carried the same mistake in a different gene, HIST1H3B.

Researchers are now working to understand how mutations in H3F3A and HIST1H3B impact cell function and contribute to cancer. Earlier research provides some clues. The lysine that is mutated is normally targeted by enzymes that attach other molecules to histone H3, influencing how it interacts with other proteins that regulate gene expression, Baker said. Mutations in the enzymes that target histone H3 have been identified in other cancers, but this is the first report showing a specific alteration of histones in cancer.

H3F3A and HIST1H3B were also mutated in other aggressive childhood brain tumors, glioblastoma, that develop outside the brain stem. Of 36 such tumors included in this study, 36 percent carried one of three distinct point mutations in the genes. The alterations included another single change in the makeup of H3F3A not found in DIPGs.

The histone H3 genes, however, were not mutated in any of the 252 other childhood tumors researchers checked for this study. The list included the brain tumors known as low-grade gliomas, medulloblastomas and ependymomas plus other cancers outside the brain and nervous system. The H3 changes have not been reported in any other cancers, including adult glioblastoma. "This suggests these particular mutations give a very important selective advantage, particularly in the developing brainstem and to a lesser degree in the developing brain, which leads to a terribly aggressive brain tumor in children, but not in adults," Baker said.

"This discovery would not have been possible without the unbiased approach taken by the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project," Baker said. "The mutations had not been reported in any other tumor, so we would not have searched for them in DIPGs. Yet the alterations clearly play an important role in generating this particular tumor."

The study's first authors are Gang Wu, Alberto Broniscer and Troy McEachron, all of St. Jude. The study's other corresponding authors are Jinghui Zhang and James Downing, both of St. Jude. The other study authors are Charles Lu, Li Ding and Elaine Mardis, all of Washington University; and Barbara Paugh, Jared Becksfort, Chunxu Qu, Robert Huether, Matthew Parker, Junyuan Zhang, Amar Gajjar, Michael Dyer, Charles Mullighan, Richard Gilbertson and David Ellison, all of St. Jude.

The research was funded in part by the PCGP, including Kay Jewelers, a lead project sponsor; the National Institutes of Health, the Sydney Schlobohm Chair of Research from the National Brain Tumor Society; the Cure Starts Now Foundation, Smile for Sophie Forever Foundation, Tyler's Treehouse Foundation, Musicians Against Childhood Cancer, the Noyes Brain Tumor Foundation and ALSAC.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

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. Gang Wu, Alberto Broniscer, Troy A McEachron, Charles Lu, Barbara S Paugh, Jared Becksfort, Chunxu Qu, Li Ding, Robert Huether, Matthew Parker, Junyuan Zhang, Amar Gajjar, Michael A Dyer, Charles G Mullighan, Richard J Gilbertson, Elaine R Mardis, Richard K Wilson, James R Downing, David W Ellison, Jinghui Zhang, Suzanne J Baker. Somatic histone H3 alterations in pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas and non-brainstem glioblastomas. Nature Genetics, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/ng.1102

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/WaN7w02bim8/120129151048.htm

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Blood found at home where Maine tot was last seen

FILE - This undated file photo obtained from a Facebook page shows missing toddler Alya Reynolds. Investigators say they've found blood inside the Maine home where a toddler was reported missing six weeks ago. State police spokesman Steve McCausland said the blood was found in the basement early in the investigation into Ayla Reynolds' disappearance from her father's home in Waterville. The father, Justin DiPietro, said Ayla was missing from her bed when he checked on her the morning of Dec. 17. (AP Photo/obtained from Facebook, File)

FILE - This undated file photo obtained from a Facebook page shows missing toddler Alya Reynolds. Investigators say they've found blood inside the Maine home where a toddler was reported missing six weeks ago. State police spokesman Steve McCausland said the blood was found in the basement early in the investigation into Ayla Reynolds' disappearance from her father's home in Waterville. The father, Justin DiPietro, said Ayla was missing from her bed when he checked on her the morning of Dec. 17. (AP Photo/obtained from Facebook, File)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? Maine State Police investigators have been analyzing blood that was found in the home where a toddler was reported missing six weeks ago, an official said Saturday.

The blood was found in the basement early in the investigation into Ayla Reynolds' disappearance from her father's home in Waterville, spokesman Steve McCausland said. The state crime laboratory has been running tests on it since then, but it was unclear when the test results would be ready.

Ayla's whereabouts have been unknown since her father, Justin DiPietro, reported her missing the morning of Dec. 17.

McCausland called the discovery of the blood "troubling."

"We have questioned the three adults that were there in the home that night," McCausland told The Associated Press. "We believe they have not given us the full story."

Ayla was 20 months old when she disappeared. DiPietro told police she was wearing green pajamas with polka dots and the words "Daddy's Princess" on them and had a soft cast on her broken left arm when he put to bed Dec. 16. He said she wasn't there the next morning.

Ayla had been staying with her father at the time. Her mother, Trista Reynolds, lives in Portland.

A vigil in her honor was being held Saturday in downtown Waterville.

The discovery of the blood, first reported Saturday by WCVB-TV in Boston, is the latest development in the investigation.

McCausland declined to discuss how much blood was found in the basement or how old it might have been. The blood was one of hundreds of pieces of potential evidence that were removed from the house where DiPietro lives with his mother, McCausland said.

Justin DiPietro did not immediately return a message left on his cellphone. Trista Reynolds was participating in Saturday's vigil and wasn't available for comment.

A woman who answered DiPietro's mother's cellphone hung up after being asked about the blood.

Ronald Reynolds, who is Trista Reynolds' father, said DiPietro hasn't been forthcoming with his version of what happened or what he knows. DiPietro has said he took a polygraph test, but has declined to say what the results were.

"They haven't given the full story, but this family has gone through so much pain, so much hurt," said Reynolds, who lives in Portland. "We're going into two months now and don't know anything, and all we get is the runaround."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-28-Missing%20Toddler/id-0aec1eed13b5435fbf69b45866923a5b

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Attn Student Entrepreneurs: Highland Capital Wants To Help Kickstart Your Business

VC firm Highland Capital Partners is sounding the horn for their fifth annual "Summer@Highland" entrepreneurship program. The 10-week program aims to provide young, talented entrepreneurs with the environment and resources they need to kickstart their early-stage technology companies.

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

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Marshall football: Curry prepares for bowl, future in NFL

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Vinny Curry lugged his Marshall helmet and green pants to Mobile, Ala., where he has competed this week under the intense scrutiny of football talent evaluators in advance of Saturday's Senior Bowl.

Curry, who measured at 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds, has been judged on everything from his burst to his leverage by National Football League scouts.

The media has opined on his draft potential, but the former Herd pass rusher hasn't had the time to peruse the Internet and skim the write-ups and reports.

He isn't oblivious, though.

"All I know is what people send me on Twitter or text message me," Curry said in a phone interview from his hotel room Wednesday night. "When I hear good things, it's like a breath of fresh air. I'm just relieved."

Curry is wearing that familiar No. 99 while playing defensive end for the North team. He is being used on all special teams, too.

The North versus South contest will be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and will be televised live on the NFL Network at 4 p.m. Saturday.

"Every play, every down is a job interview," Curry said. "Everybody we go against is good. It's the best all of the time. This is basically like the Pro Bowl for college players."

NFL scouts flock to practices to scribble notes about the prospects that are on display.

Curry met with general managers, coaches and scouts after practices, and media reports became more glowing as the week progressed. ?

Here is what some observers are saying about the former Marshall star: ?

Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor - "A day after leaping to prominence by darting into the backfield and forcing a fumble, the undersized pass rusher was the star of the day in the North squad's practice for Saturday's Senior Bowl game. Following the morning session, Curry was surrounded by scouts seeking personal information.

"He was quick, elusive, forceful and disruptive. He looked every part of a playmaker. Curry was the best of the tweeners in a Senior Bowl that is loaded with tweeners on both teams' rosters."

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Vinny Curry lugged his Marshall helmet and green pants to Mobile, Ala., where he has competed this week under the intense scrutiny of football talent evaluators in advance of Saturday's Senior Bowl.

Curry, who measured at 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds, has been judged on everything from his burst to his leverage by National Football League scouts.

The media has opined on his draft potential, but the former Herd pass rusher hasn't had the time to peruse the Internet and skim the write-ups and reports.

He isn't oblivious, though.

"All I know is what people send me on Twitter or text message me," Curry said in a phone interview from his hotel room Wednesday night. "When I hear good things, it's like a breath of fresh air. I'm just relieved."

Curry is wearing that familiar No. 99 while playing defensive end for the North team. He is being used on all special teams, too.

The North versus South contest will be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and will be televised live on the NFL Network at 4 p.m. Saturday.

"Every play, every down is a job interview," Curry said. "Everybody we go against is good. It's the best all of the time. This is basically like the Pro Bowl for college players."

NFL scouts flock to practices to scribble notes about the prospects that are on display.

Curry met with general managers, coaches and scouts after practices, and media reports became more glowing as the week progressed. ?

Here is what some observers are saying about the former Marshall star: ?

Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor - "A day after leaping to prominence by darting into the backfield and forcing a fumble, the undersized pass rusher was the star of the day in the North squad's practice for Saturday's Senior Bowl game. Following the morning session, Curry was surrounded by scouts seeking personal information.

"He was quick, elusive, forceful and disruptive. He looked every part of a playmaker. Curry was the best of the tweeners in a Senior Bowl that is loaded with tweeners on both teams' rosters."

Tony Pauline, SI.com draft analyst - "Very athletic, very quick, natural pass rusher. Quick change of direction. Has all the attributes to make the change to outside linebacker in a 3-4."

New York Times NFL Blog - "Curry showed his quick burst off the edge and ability to penetrate against the run against top competition. There are still blemishes in his game, but he'll have many teams taking a second look at his tape."

Mike Mayock, NFL Network - "I like Vinny Curry. He plays with a great motor, great leverage. He gets up the field. He's quick. I think he's probably a second-round pick."

A Mock Draft by The Sporting News had Curry selected by the New England Patriots with the final pick of the first round.

"I don't have a preference," the Neptune, N.J. native said.

Curry finished with 77 tackles (22 for a loss), 11 sacks and seven forced fumbles as a senior. His 49 career tackles for a loss is the seventh-most in Marshall history and his 26.5 sacks are fourth best all-time at MU.

Curry signed with Kevin Conner, who is CEO and President of University Sports Entertainment and Management. The agency is located in Atlanta, where Curry worked out prior to arriving at the Senior Bowl.

His daily All-Star game activities include a morning meeting, 9:30 a.m. practice, an afternoon meeting and then a series of conversations with representatives from NFL teams.

Curry is one of 14 players on the North roster (and 24 in the game) from non-BCS leagues.

He is the fifth Marshall player to participate in the Senior Bowl, joining John Wade, Chad Pennington, Steve Sciullo and Lee Smith.

Curry noticed three Marshall fans during Wednesday's workouts, which he appreciated.

"I'm just trying to be the same guy I was at Marshall," Curry said. "The same Vinny with a smile on his face. Trying to make plays and make people proud."

Contact sportswriter Chuck McGill at chuck.mcg...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.

Source: http://dailymail.com/rssFeeds/201201260224

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No energy industry backing for the word 'fracking'

Gillie Waddington of Enfield, N.Y., raises a fist during rally against hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, N.Y., on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. About 600 people registered to lobby lawmakers Monday on various bills related to the technology known as "fracking." Many are pushing a bill that would ban fracking, which stimulates gas production by using chemically treated water to fracture shale. Others are supporting a bill putting a moratorium on shale gas development. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Gillie Waddington of Enfield, N.Y., raises a fist during rally against hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, N.Y., on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. About 600 people registered to lobby lawmakers Monday on various bills related to the technology known as "fracking." Many are pushing a bill that would ban fracking, which stimulates gas production by using chemically treated water to fracture shale. Others are supporting a bill putting a moratorium on shale gas development. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

NEW YORK (AP) ? A different kind of F-word is stirring a linguistic and political debate as controversial as what it defines.

The word is "fracking" ? as in hydraulic fracturing, a technique long used by the oil and gas industry to free oil and gas from rock.

It's not in the dictionary, the industry hates it, and President Barack Obama didn't use it in his State of the Union speech ? even as he praised federal subsidies for it.

The word sounds nasty, and environmental advocates have been able to use it to generate opposition ? and revulsion ? to what they say is a nasty process that threatens water supplies.

"It obviously calls to mind other less socially polite terms, and folks have been able to take advantage of that," said Kate Sinding, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who works on drilling issues.

One of the chants at an anti-drilling rally in Albany earlier this month was "No fracking way!"

Industry executives argue that the word is deliberately misspelled by environmental activists and that it has become a slur that should not be used by media outlets that strive for objectivity.

"It's a co-opted word and a co-opted spelling used to make it look as offensive as people can try to make it look," said Michael Kehs, vice president for Strategic Affairs at Chesapeake Energy, the nation's second-largest natural gas producer.

To the surviving humans of the sci-fi TV series "Battlestar Galactica," it has nothing to do with oil and gas. It is used as a substitute for the very down-to-Earth curse word.

Michael Weiss, a professor of linguistics at Cornell University, says the word originated as simple industry jargon, but has taken on a negative meaning over time ? much like the word "silly" once meant "holy."

But "frack" also happens to sound like "smack" and "whack," with more violent connotations.

"When you hear the word 'fracking,' what lights up your brain is the profanity," says Deborah Mitchell, who teaches marketing at the University of Wisconsin's School of Business. "Negative things come to mind."

Obama did not use the word in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, when he said his administration will help ensure natural gas will be developed safely, suggesting it would support 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade.

In hydraulic fracturing, millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are pumped into wells to break up underground rock formations and create escape routes for the oil and gas. In recent years, the industry has learned to combine the practice with the ability to drill horizontally into beds of shale, layers of fine-grained rock that in some cases have trapped ancient organic matter that has cooked into oil and gas.

By doing so, drillers have unlocked natural gas deposits across the East, South and Midwest that are large enough to supply the U.S. for decades. Natural gas prices have dipped to decade-low levels, reducing customer bills and prompting manufacturers who depend on the fuel to expand operations in the U.S.

Environmentalists worry that the fluid could leak into water supplies from cracked casings in wells. They are also concerned that wastewater from the process could contaminate water supplies if not properly treated or disposed of. And they worry the method allows too much methane, the main component of natural gas and an extraordinarily potent greenhouse gas, to escape.

Some want to ban the practice altogether, while others want tighter regulations.

The Environmental Protection Agency is studying the issue and may propose federal regulations. The industry prefers that states regulate the process.

Some states have banned it. A New York proposal to lift its ban drew about 40,000 public comments ? an unprecedented total ? inspired in part by slogans such as "Don't Frack With New York."

The drilling industry has generally spelled the word without a "K," using terms like "frac job" or "frac fluid."

Energy historian Daniel Yergin spells it "fraccing" in his book, "The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World." The glossary maintained by the oilfield services company Schlumberger includes only "frac" and "hydraulic fracturing."

The spelling of "fracking" began appearing in the media and in oil and gas company materials long before the process became controversial. It first was used in an Associated Press story in 1981. That same year, an oil and gas company called Velvet Exploration, based in British Columbia, issued a press release that detailed its plans to complete "fracking" a well.

The word was used in trade journals throughout the 1980s. In 1990, Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher announced U.S. oil engineers would travel to the Soviet Union to share drilling technology, including fracking.

The word does not appear in The Associated Press Stylebook, a guide for news organizations. David Minthorn, deputy standards editor at the AP, says there are tentative plans to include an entry in the 2012 edition.

He said the current standard is to avoid using the word except in direct quotes, and to instead use "hydraulic fracturing."

That won't stop activists ? sometimes called "fracktivists" ? from repeating the word as often as possible.

"It was created by the industry, and the industry is going to have to live with it," says the NRDC's Sinding.

Dave McCurdy, CEO of the American Gas Association, agrees, much to his dismay: "It's Madison Avenue hell," he says.

___

Jonathan Fahey can be reached at http://twitter.com/JonathanFahey.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-26-US-Fracking/id-9476c1f8df564d1e88f00877b03f7e58

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Moore 'Hyper' and on Adderall Before 911 Call? (omg!)

Since Demi Moore's shocking hospitalization on Monday night for "exhaustion", troubling new reports are surfacing that shed light on what may have led to the actress' trip to the hospital after 911 was called to her home near Benedict Canyon.

According to E! News, the 49-year-old was "acting crazy" and "pretty hyper" that night at a birthday dinner party she hosted for her friend, Hollywood socialite Heather Perry. Later that night, Moore reportedly began to convulse "like she was having a seizure," prompting a guest that had stayed behind to dial 911.

Demi Moore To Be Treated for 'Exhaustion'

According to TMZ, the actress had inhaled a dangerous amount of nitrous oxide, also known as "whip-its."

Radar is reporting that Moore will now be seeking treatment for anorexia and substance abuse addictions -- Adderall being her prescription drug of choice, according to the news outlet.

"The pills and starvation destroyed Demi and this has been a problem for about a year," a source tells Radar. "She's constantly jacked up on Adderall and combining that with not eating accounts for her loopy behavior and anorexic body frame. She literally refuses to eat any food."

The actress' rep tells ET only that, "Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. She looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends."

The past couple of months have been a trying time for Moore, splitting from husband Ashton Kutcher last November after rampant rumors of Kutcher's extramarital affairs. Tabloids have also scrutinized her apparent recent rapid weight loss.

Love Gone Bad: Ashton & Demi in Happier Times

"She's depressed over her career and coupled with the stress and heartbreak over the split, all of this emotional turmoil in totality has taken a serious physical toll on her body," a source tells Radar.

Moore does however, seem to have a loyal friend in Madonna.

Madonna reached out to Moore shortly after news broke of her hospitalization, E! News reports.

"Madonna told Demi she was there if she needs anything," a source tells E!. "They're pretty tight."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_moore_hyper_adderall911_call_214100433/44319412/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/moore-hyper-adderall-911-call-214100433.html

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Brewer receives book critique from president

Front

By JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press

Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012 9:03 AM MST

MESA ? Gov. Jan Brewer came to greet President Barack Obama upon his arrival outside Phoenix Wednesday. What she got was a critique. Of her book.

The two leaders could be seen engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One?s steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time.

Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: ?He was a little disturbed about my book.?

Brewer recently published a book, ?Scorpions for Breakfast,? something of a memoir of her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona?s controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes.

Obama was objecting to Brewer?s description of a meeting he and Brewer had at the White House, where she described Obama as lecturing her. In an interview in November Brewer described two tense meetings. The first took place before his commencement address at Arizona State University. ?He did blow me off at ASU,? she said in the television interview in November.

She also described meeting the president at the White House in 2010 to talk about immigration. ?I felt a little bit like I was being lectured to, and I was a little kid in a classroom, if you will, and he was this wise professor and I was this little kid, and this little kid knows what the problem is and I felt minimized to say the least.?

On the tarmac, Brewer handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border.

?I said to him, you know, I have always respected the office of the president and that the book is what the book is,? she told reporters Wednesday. She said Obama complained that she described him as not treating her cordially.

?I said that I was sorry that he felt that way. Anyway, we?re glad he?s here, and we?ll regroup.?

A White House official said Brewer handed Obama a letter and said she was inviting him to meet with her. The official said Obama told her he would be glad to meet with her again. The official said Obama did note that after their last meeting, which the official described as a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation between the president and the governor.

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Greenlight Capital fined $11M for insider trading (AP)

LONDON ? High-profile hedge fund manager David Einhorn and his U.S.-based Greenlight Capital Inc. have been fined 7.2 million pounds ($11.2 million) for trading on inside information, Britain's market regulator said Wednesday.

The Financial Services Authority said Einhorn had been tipped off that leading British pub operator Punch Taverns PLC was about to begin raising money by issuing new shares only minutes before he dumped millions of the company's shares on June 9, 2009. As the value of Punch shares would have fallen following the announcement of the share issue, Greenlight avoided making a substantial loss by dumping the shares.

The authority said that while it accepted that Einhorn did not believe he was breaking the rules, the tip-off "was inside information and Einhorn should have appreciated this." The authority added that the lapse was particularly egregious given Einhorn's prominence.

"Einhorn is an experienced professional with a high profile in the industry," said Tracey McDermott, the authority's acting director of enforcement and financial crime. "We expect someone in his position to be able to identify inside information when he receives it and to act appropriately. His failure to do so is a serious breach of the expected standards of market conduct."

Einhorn said in a statement that while he believes he did nothing wrong, he and his company had decided to put the matter to rest "rather than continue an arduous fight."

He said the fine would not be borne by Greenlight funds.

Einhorn has been the subject of several media profiles and is the author of "Fooling Some of the People All of The Time."

___

Online:

Financial Services Authority: http://www.fsa.gov.uk/

Greenlight Capital: https://www.greenlightcapital.com/

Einhorn's book: http://foolingsomepeople.com/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_greenlight_capital

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Coastal storms have long-reaching effects, study says

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Yael Franco
yfranco@plos.org
415-568-3169
Public Library of Science

Coastal storms are known to cause serious damage along the shoreline, but they also cause significant disruption of the deep-sea ecosystem as well, according to a study of extreme coastal storms in the Western Mediterranean published in the Jan. 25 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.

The researchers, led by Anna Sanchez-Vidal of the University of Barcelona in Spain, identified a storm in Dec. 2008 as the most extreme storm in the area over the last 25 years, and found that it resulted in major redistribution of marine organic carbon associated to clay particles from shallow to deep water. This injection of carbon helps support life in the deeper water and boosts carbon sequestration, the authors write. Despite the importance of such events for deep-sea ecosystems, however, the severe damage to coastal environments must also be taken into account, and both of these factors must be considered when considering how human-induced climate change might alter the overall ocean ecosystem.

###

Citation: Sanchez-Vidal A, Canals M, Calafat AM, Lastras G, Pedrosa-Pa`mies R, et al. (2012) Impacts on the Deep-Sea Ecosystem by a Severe Coastal Storm. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30395. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030395

Financial Disclosure: This work was supported by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme projects HERMIONE (226354) and ARISTEUS (PERG04-GA-2008-239175), the Spanish projects ROV-CAN ONES (CTM2009-06778), GRACCIE-CONSOLIDER (CSD2007-00067), DOS MARES (CTM2010-21810-C03), REDECO (CTM2008-04973-E) and PIE-CSIC (200430E599) and a Catalan Government Grups de Recerca Consolidats grant (2009 SGR 1305). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Disclaimer: This press release refers to upcoming articles in PLoS ONE. The releases have been provided by the article authors and/or journal staff. Any opinions expressed in these are the personal views of the contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of PLoS. PLoS expressly disclaims any and all warranties and liability in connection with the information found in the release and article and your use of such information.

About PLoS ONE

PLoS ONE is the first journal of primary research from all areas of science to employ a combination of peer review and post-publication rating and commenting, to maximize the impact of every report it publishes. PLoS ONE is published by the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the open-access publisher whose goal is to make the world's scientific and medical literature a public resource.

All works published in PLoS ONE are Open Access. Everything is immediately availableto read, download, redistribute, include in databases and otherwise usewithout cost to anyone, anywhere, subject only to the condition that the original authors and source are properly attributed. For more information about PLoS ONE relevant to journalists, bloggers and press officers, including details of our press release process and our embargo policy, see the everyONE blog at http://everyone.plos.org/media.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Yael Franco
yfranco@plos.org
415-568-3169
Public Library of Science

Coastal storms are known to cause serious damage along the shoreline, but they also cause significant disruption of the deep-sea ecosystem as well, according to a study of extreme coastal storms in the Western Mediterranean published in the Jan. 25 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.

The researchers, led by Anna Sanchez-Vidal of the University of Barcelona in Spain, identified a storm in Dec. 2008 as the most extreme storm in the area over the last 25 years, and found that it resulted in major redistribution of marine organic carbon associated to clay particles from shallow to deep water. This injection of carbon helps support life in the deeper water and boosts carbon sequestration, the authors write. Despite the importance of such events for deep-sea ecosystems, however, the severe damage to coastal environments must also be taken into account, and both of these factors must be considered when considering how human-induced climate change might alter the overall ocean ecosystem.

###

Citation: Sanchez-Vidal A, Canals M, Calafat AM, Lastras G, Pedrosa-Pa`mies R, et al. (2012) Impacts on the Deep-Sea Ecosystem by a Severe Coastal Storm. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30395. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030395

Financial Disclosure: This work was supported by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme projects HERMIONE (226354) and ARISTEUS (PERG04-GA-2008-239175), the Spanish projects ROV-CAN ONES (CTM2009-06778), GRACCIE-CONSOLIDER (CSD2007-00067), DOS MARES (CTM2010-21810-C03), REDECO (CTM2008-04973-E) and PIE-CSIC (200430E599) and a Catalan Government Grups de Recerca Consolidats grant (2009 SGR 1305). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Disclaimer: This press release refers to upcoming articles in PLoS ONE. The releases have been provided by the article authors and/or journal staff. Any opinions expressed in these are the personal views of the contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of PLoS. PLoS expressly disclaims any and all warranties and liability in connection with the information found in the release and article and your use of such information.

About PLoS ONE

PLoS ONE is the first journal of primary research from all areas of science to employ a combination of peer review and post-publication rating and commenting, to maximize the impact of every report it publishes. PLoS ONE is published by the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the open-access publisher whose goal is to make the world's scientific and medical literature a public resource.

All works published in PLoS ONE are Open Access. Everything is immediately availableto read, download, redistribute, include in databases and otherwise usewithout cost to anyone, anywhere, subject only to the condition that the original authors and source are properly attributed. For more information about PLoS ONE relevant to journalists, bloggers and press officers, including details of our press release process and our embargo policy, see the everyONE blog at http://everyone.plos.org/media.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/plos-csh012312.php

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Man Publishes Father-In-Law's Entire Life One Picture At a Time [Photography]

The late Nick DeWolf—a MIT engineer who designed more than 300 semiconductor and electronic systems—really loved photography. So much that he carried a camera for most of his life. Now his son-in-law is digitizing all his pictures and publishing them one by one. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/jwI_JuTHJrk/

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Giffords' decision to resign sets up Ariz. race (AP)

PHOENIX ? The race to replace Rep. Gabrielle Giffords begins in earnest Monday as the Arizona congresswoman's planned resignation sets up a free-for-all in a competitive district.

The three-term Democrat announced Sunday that she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering. She was grievously injured just over a year ago in an assassination attempt that shook the country.

Giffords could have stayed in office for another year even without seeking re-election, but her decision to resign scrambles the political landscape. Arizona must hold a special primary and general election to find someone to finish out her term, as well as hold the regular primary and general election later this year.

"I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice," she said on a video announcing her decision.

Interspersed with photos, the video showed a close-up of Giffords gazing directly at the camera and speaking in a voice that is both firm and halting.

"I have more work to do on my recovery," the congresswoman said at the end of the two-minute-long "A Message from Gabby," appearing to strain with all of her will to communicate. "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 in January 2011 as she was meeting with constituents outside a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz. Six people died and Giffords and 12 others were injured. Her progress had seemed remarkable, to the point that she was able to walk into the House chamber last August to cast a vote.

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

With Giffords stepping down from her seat in southeast Arizona's 8th Congressional District, Gov. Jan Brewer will call a special primary election likely in April, followed by a general election in June. Before the cycle begins for the regular election, the district will be remapped and renumbered as the 2nd Congressional District.

The regular primary for the new district, which will cover most of the current district's territory, was scheduled for August.

The Republican governor acknowledged that the twin election cycles were going to create a mess, especially for potential candidates.

"I think that it's putting a lot of pressure on a lot of people awfully quick, given the fact that they're going to be filling that continuing seat that expires this year, and then we have elections coming (along) new congressional lines," Brewer said. "So there's going to be a lot of confusion in that congressional district."

Giffords would have been heavily favored to win re-election, since she gained immense public support as she recovered from the shooting. She was elected to her third term just two months before she was shot, winning by only about 1 percent over a tea party Republican.

A bevy of Republicans and Democrats have been mentioned as possible candidates for her seat, with several in the GOP already forming official exploratory committees. Republicans who have expressed interest include state Sen. Frank Antenori and sports broadcaster Dave Sitton, among others.

Democratic state lawmakers have been mentioned as possible candidates, as has the name of Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, although he has publically quashed such speculation.

"That's the great `mentioner' out there, and there are going to be a lot of people mentioned," said Arizona Democratic Party chairman Andrei Cherny. "I think the best rule in situations like this is, `The folks who are talking don't know, and the folks who know aren't talking.'"

Those who decide to throw their hat into the ring will face yet another quirk in the race: the deadline to turn in nominating signatures for the general election comes before the special general election.

"I'm sure both parties and candidates of all stripes will in the days to come be thinking wide and hard about this district, and I'm sure there's going to be a very vigorous contest," Arizona Democratic Party chairman Andrei Cherny said Sunday. "But today's about thinking about a member of Congress who's going to be irreplaceable no matter who wins that seat."

Late Sunday night, Giffords' office said she will complete the meet-and-greet political event in Tucson Monday that erupted in the shooting last year. Among those attending will be some of the wounded, those who helped them and those who subdued the gunman. She will also visit a family assistance center set up after she was shot, and event billed as her final act as a congresswoman in her district.

Giffords also planned to attend President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. And her political career may not be over, said a state Democratic party official who was among a group that met with her Sunday.

Jim Woodbrey, a senior vice chairman of the state party, said at the meeting, Giffords strongly implied she would run again for office someday. He said the decision to resign came after much thought.

"It was Gabby's individual decision, and she was not in any condition to make that decision five months ago," he said. "So I think waiting so that she could make an informed decision on her own was the right thing to do."

___

AP Special Correspondent David Espo contributed to this story from Washington, D.C.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_el_ho/us_giffords

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Murtazin: 'Nokia Lumia 910 will arrive in May, pack 12MP camera'

Ah, Eldar Murtazin. Sometimes he's (sort of) right, sometimes he's wrong. But he manged to predict the Nokia-WinPho love-in ahead of any official announcement and that still counts for something, right? His latest missive concerns the news of the Lumia 900's likely summer-time flight across the Atlantic. While it's not going to tout the LTE radios of the American edition, Eldar's more concerned about a phone that no-one's yet heard of. Yes, the Lumia 910, which according to the thorn in Nokia's side, will land in the old country sometime in May -- ahead of the posited June launch for the Lumia 900 in the UK. Murtazin is keeping any other details close to his chest for now, aside from the tantalizing mention of a whopping 12 megapixel camera. We know that Nokia knows exactly how to craft a good cameraphone, but we're keeping this rumor firmly in the maybe-could-be-possibly camp, right next to the salt mines.

Murtazin: 'Nokia Lumia 910 will arrive in May, pack 12MP camera' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Eldar Murtazin (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/nokia-lumia-910-12mp-camera-eldar-murtazin/

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Pakistan rejects U.S. report on NATO attack (Reuters)

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) ? Pakistan's military Monday rejected U.S. findings on a November 26 NATO cross-border air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, reducing the chances of a resolution of the dispute and an improvement in ties which are at their lowest in years.

"Pakistan does not agree with several portions and findings of the investigation report, as these are factually not correct," the military said in a statement after a detailed review of the U.S. investigation.

The U.S. report released on December 22 found both American and Pakistani forces were to blame for the incident near the Afghan border, inflaming already strained ties.

"Affixing partial responsibility of the incident on Pakistan is therefore unjustified and unacceptable," said the Pakistani military.

Pakistan responded to the attack by shutting down ground routes to supply U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan and forced the United States to vacate an air base used to launch drone flights.

"This is going to affect the relationship. The relationship was already in the doldrums, it was in bad shape. I don't know if it has the capacity to get any worse," said Mahmud Durrani, a retired Pakistan army major general.

"It's very unusual because normally allies fight side by side."

Last week, a senior Pakistani security official told Reuters the routes would be reopened, but heavy tariffs would be imposed.

"The fundamental cause of the incident of 26th November, 2011, was the failure of U.S./ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) to share its near-border operation with Pakistan at any level," said the military.

The death of the Pakistani soldiers dug in along the mountainous, isolated border area, along with the initial NATO response, has incensed Pakistanis and marked yet another setback in the Obama administration's efforts to improve chronically troubled ties with an uneasy ally.

The U.S. military blamed Pakistani soldiers for firing at NATO forces as they prepared for a mission in the remote corner of eastern Afghanistan.

The U.S. investigation also conceded a critical error by U.S. troops, who told Pakistan the cross-border shooting was taking place about 9 miles away due to mapping error. Pakistan responded by saying it had no troops there.

Pakistan admitted that its posts engaged in "speculative "fire," including the use of mortar bombs, which the U.S. interpreted as hostile fire.

But it denies that it fired in the direction of the Afghan and NATO forces and was instead firing at "suspected militant movement."

(Additional reporting by Rebecca Conway and Chris Allbritton; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

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

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Kim Kardashian: Marriage Was a "Bad Business Decision"

Kim Kardashian is still fighting hard against rumors that her 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries was all for show. While guest-cohosting LIVE! With Kelly on Monday morning, the reality star told Kelly Ripa that, from a purely business and image standpoint, she would have profited more if she'd stayed in her bad marriage longer. Watch the clip below (talk turns to Kim's marriage around the 5:00 mark).

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/kim-kardashian-marriage-was-bad-business-decision/1-a-421400?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akim-kardashian-marriage-was-bad-business-decision-421400

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Dr. David Liepert: Muhammad Liked Christians, Muslims Should Too

I have a lot of great friends from a variety of religions, best evidenced by the outpouring of support, affection and prayers when my wife had major cancer surgery last month. I was truly touched when I received word of prayer services in churches, mosques and synagogues literally from around the world. Words cannot express the depth of our gratitude for all your earnest kindness. My wife was particularly moved to learn that across her birth country of Pakistan and the Middle East, food was donated and hungry people were fed in her name. God bless you all.

But my agnostic friends also deserve a shout-out. Because even though they weren't sure whether their prayers could do any good, they were in there with me throughout all the same, doing everything they could think of to help out too, as far as I'm concerned doing just as good of a job honoring God's commands that we look after each-other as everyone else did, even though they're not even sure whether God exists or not!

However, it's the prayers I want to talk about.

Because although my Muslim and Jewish friends didn't feel it necessary to clarify exactly which God they were praying to because everyone of us knows we pray to the same one. Many of my Christian friends -- respectfully, kindly and to my mind tragically -- felt they needed to assure me they were praying to the God of Abraham rather than to Jesus, because they thought I'd be offended otherwise.

And as far as I am concerned, that's mostly because Muslims for the last thousand years have consistently failed to live up to either the commands of the Quran or the example of Muhammad regarding interfaith relations, and thereby have warped the development of both major world religions, leading up to the growing and unnecessary conflict we see developing between Islam and Christianity today.

Frankly, it's gotten so bad between us all that I even have to clarify my admission that I have great Jewish and Christian friends. Because extremist Muslims and extremist non-Muslims alike will tell me I can't because the Quran says Muslims shouldn't be friends with Jews or Christians.

The verse they're talking about is 5:51, which many translate as if it says, "O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for friends (awliyaa). They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk."

But they do so in woeful ignorance of the real meaning of the word awliyaa, because it doesn't mean "friend" at all. It's actually something much closer to "protector," "helper" or "guardian." It is from a family of words that mean "leader" or even "crown."

In ancient times, a person's awliyaa was an important role more akin to a modern day power of attorney. In that context, the command isn't against having friends among Jews or Christians, it's against putting our destiny into their hands: something that remains good advice to Muslims today.

But the way that command is willfully mis-translated by conflict seeking Muslims and non-Muslims alike speaks not just to how far we've all stepped off the path to peace God's prophets promote, but also how easy it would be for us to step back on if we're willing to listen.
In simplest terms, the question we have to ask ourselves is this: Does God care so much which team we play for, or does he care more about how we play the game?

Muslim/Christian religious chauvinism's not new, and it's not one-sided. In his "Narnia Chronicles," C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite Christian writers, wrote about a "false-God-follower" who, when he met the character Lewis thought represented the true God, was told: "I take to me the services which thou hast done to Tash [the false God] ... if any man swear by him and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him."

The thing is, in that series, the Calormen --who worshipped Tash-- obviously played to the worst anti-Arab stereotypes, demonstrating that Lewis wasn't immune to prejudice, but he made an important point about faith, which he clarified:

"I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god, or to a very imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know him. For He is (dimly) present in the good side of the inferior teachers they follow. In the parable of the Sheep and Goats those who are saved do not seem to know that they have served Christ."

And regardless of his prejudices, Lewis is certainly far kinder than many current Christian theologians, who seem quite prepared to consign even the best Muslims to eternal damnation. More importantly though, he's also completely in line with the teachings and behavior of Muhammad, Abraham, Moses, David and the Christ, among others, alike.

Because Muhammad liked Christians! And he liked and respected Jews and Judaism, too. (If you're interested, Google "Mukhayriq" and the Constitution of Medina.) His uncle Waraqah, the first person who declared his prophethood, likely remained a Christian til the day he died! What he didn't like was Christians and Jews who said one thing and did another, but he disliked Muslims who did that even more.

But more important from an Islamic perspective than his personal feelings were the way he treated Christians, and the promises he made them. The biggest theological difference between Islam and Christianity has to be belief in the Trinity, and that's the main doctrinal point the Quran takes issue with: few Christians today recall that belief in the Trinity wasn't even part of Christianity until the fourth century A.D., or realize that today's Muslims are likely much closer to the beliefs the earliest Christians held dear than today's Christians are.

But belief in the Trinity was taking hold among Christians at the time of Muhammad, and he had to deal with many Christians who not only believed that God could be Three as well as One, but also the belief that Jesus was God as well. Did he condemn them or abuse them for it? Absolutely not!

In fact, when the Christians of Najran came to Medina to debate theology, they quite respectfully asked permission to leave the city to worship the Christ. And even more respectfully, Muhammad told them they didn't have to leave the city at all, and invited them to use his own mosque for their worship! Because Muhammad knew that even though their belief was wrong, it was sincere, and like C.S. Lewis, among many others, he too knew that all good prayers and good deeds go to the same good place and the same good purpose, regardless of how much we know about it. And when they left Medina -- still Christians -- he promised them Muslim protection for their freedom of religion forever.

I often pose "dogmatic" believers a simple question: If I raised my children on a desert island, with no other influence but mine, to believe God wanted nothing more than for them to paint their bellies blue, and if they died with blue-tinged abdomens, would God punish my children or me? You'd be surprised how many figure out some way to justify God punishing us all.

Muhammad, on the other hand, didn't care so much about doctrinal purity. In fact, there's a Christian monastery that's been at the foot of Mount Sinai for the last 1,500 years, which cherishes a document that was dictated by Muhammad and transcribed by Ali (whom Shiite Muslims also revere) that promises Muslim protection for Christians and for Christianity, a promise they made binding on all Muslims everywhere till the end of time.

"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.

No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.

No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.

No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.

Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (the end of the world)."

Muslims in Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia in particular should take note.

Now, I think the reason why believers find themselves in conflict with other believers so often is a simple one: The one belief everyone shares, but that divides us from one another regardless, is that we're right about what we believe and we think it matters.

But how much do we know about exactly what Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael believed about God, beyond believing God was One and, as such, above believer's polytheistic playing-one-God-against-another manipulations? Did Moses think God's covenant was only with the children of Israel, or did David think Jerusalem's Temple was for Jews and Jews alone? Did Jesus need to indoctrinate either Samaritans or Roman Centurions before he served them? The answer to all those questions is a resounding "NO!" if you take the time to find out the answers for yourself.

And I think it's incredibly important that we all do so and soon. Not only does the belief that God cares WHAT we believe more than what we do about it divide us unnecessarily, it is also the belief that sits at the heart of the religious radicalism that's currently plaguing us all.

Thinking God cares more about your team jersey, about whether you play for the Saints or the Cardinals, the Servants or the Crusaders, than whether you play by the rules He's set out is

• what allowed the 9/11 bombers to destroy the World Trade Centre and think they could still make it to Heaven
,

• what allows Jewish settlers to abuse non-Jewish Palestinians and think they've serving God's purpose for Israel and


• what allows Christian theologians to exhort Americans to vengeful conquest and still think they're somehow serving the Christ.

They all sound equally crazy to me.

But I'm Muslim, and so I ask all my Muslim brothers and sisters around the world, and especially those who think they can or should abuse, mistreat or even kill non-Muslims: Does Allah really care so much what we believe, so much that He doesn't care what we do? Al-Baqarah 177 says otherwise:

It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in the Lord and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets; and giveth his wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and who sets slaves free; and who observeth proper worship and payeth the poor what they are due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the God fearing.

Because honestly? I think thinking YOU can make God do something; like let YOU into Heaven no matter what YOU do because of what YOU believe, makes YOU bigger than God -- at least in your own mind -- and that's the biggest sin in Islam!

So what's my bottom-line? Heaven can be as big as God wants it to be, even big enough for everyone if He chooses to make it so, and I think it's my agnostic friends who so far have the best of it.

Because by not trying to put God into a box of their own making by way of their own believing they show God the most respect of all of us, regardless of their uncertainties, which quite frankly are mostly the fault of us "true-believers" because of the awful things we've done purportedly on God's behalf anyways.

We Muslims and Christians and other believers, on the other hand, are well on our way to making earth a living Hell for all of us by pretending otherwise. We should put that sort of self-serving, short-sighted believing behind us, before it's too late for all of us.

Ameen.

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Follow Dr. David Liepert on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDavidLiepert

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-liepert/muhammad-liked-christians_b_1209044.html

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