Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Man cleared of murder in '66 shooting still jailed (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? The continued imprisonment of an elderly man acquitted of murder charges filed after a police officer he shot in 1966 died in 2007 is a vindictive effort by authorities to have him die in prison and a violation of his constitutional right to due process, his lawyers argued Tuesday.

William Barnes, 76, has been incarcerated since the August 2007 death of police Officer Walter Barclay, whom Barnes shot and paralyzed 41 years earlier during a botched burglary. Barnes had served 16 years for shooting Barclay but was charged with murder after the officer died.

Although a jury acquitted Barnes in May 2010, he remained in prison for having a cellphone and driving a car without his parole officer's approval at the time of his 2007 arrest. He was given six months for those technical violations but has been repeatedly denied parole.

"The bottom line is he's going to get denied for different reasons every time," defense attorney Samuel Silver told U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Rice at a hearing Tuesday. "There is no end in sight for Bill Barnes if we leave it to the parole board."

Rice will make a recommendation report to U.S. District Judge James Knoll Gardner in Allentown on whether Barnes' rights have been violated and whether the case can advance in federal court.

Before the murder charges, Silver told the judge, the parole board released Barnes for reasons that still stand: He expressed remorse for his wrongdoings, maintained a perfect conduct record and showed no indication of returning to a life of crime.

The board's view of Barnes radically changed when the murder charges were filed and persisted even after the acquittal, Silver said. The change occurred as the lead prosecutor, the officer's relatives and the Fraternal Order of Police vowed to fight Barnes' release.

Barnes has been denied parole four times ? twice since his acquittal ? based on what Silver called constantly shifting requirements for parole, unexplained reversals of prior assessments about his contrition and threat to society, and over-reliance on "highly inflammatory" correspondence from the assistant district attorney who lost at trial and "wants the board of parole to undo the jury's verdict."

A district attorney's office spokeswoman declined to comment except to say "the letter speaks for itself." Prosecutor Ed Cameron calls Barnes, among other things, a "vile criminal" who "should spend the rest of his life in prison."

If he serves the maximum for the crimes for which he was granted parole shortly before Barclay's death ? unrelated robbery and escape convictions dating from the 1980s ? Barnes will be eligible for release in 2030 at age 94.

U.S. Attorney Barry Kramer said the case belongs in state court, not federal court, and the state parole board followed proper procedures when deciding on Barnes' parole.

There is no "grand, nefarious conspiracy between the district attorney's office and the Board of Probation and Parole," Kramer said. "Every board decision was made pursuant to Pennsylvania statute."

Barclay was a 23-year-old rookie investigating a report of a prowler when Barnes, then a 30-year-old petty criminal with a long record, shot him Nov. 27, 1966. Paralyzed from the waist down, Barclay suffered from decades of infections, bedsores and other ailments before dying at age 64 of complications from a urinary tract infection.

Barnes spent much of his life in prison, largely for robbery, theft and escape, but was paroled in April 2007. When he was re-arrested after Barclay died four months later, Barnes was living in a halfway house and working as a supermarket janitor. He also was lecturing at Temple University and Eastern State Penitentiary, now a museum, where he once served time.

In charging Barnes with murder, prosecutors said his actions directly caused Barclay's death four decades later. Barnes' lawyers said Barclay suffered from falls, car accidents and caretaker abuse over the years that contributed to his demise.

Barnes attended Tuesday's hearing via video teleconference from prison but did not testify. Jimmy Barnes, who came to court with other family members, said his older brother is "cautiously optimistic."

"Parole is redemption," he said. "He's determined to come out one more time."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_re_us/us1966_police_shooting

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Can Obama's health-care law force Catholics to support birth control? (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Obama administration has stirred up new and vocal opposition to its health-care law, as Roman Catholic institutions confront a rule that in their view violates religious liberty.

Institutions with ties to the Catholic church, such as hospitals and schools, say they are getting no exemption from a rule requiring that health insurance plans cover contraceptive services. The administration announced the rule, arising from the Affordable Care Act of 2010, about 10 days ago.

This past weekend, it became a topic in Catholic parishes across the country, as priests delivered statements opposing the step.

They argue that it amounts to forcing members of the church, which has long opposed birth control, to offer it or pay for it in health plans. The coverage of contraceptive services could include abortion-inducing drugs, the church says.

Election 101: Where the GOP candidates stand on abortion and other social issues

"Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those 'services' in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced  to buy that coverage as a part of their policies," said Alexander Sample, Bishop of Marquette, Mich., in one of the letters read to local Catholics. The rule doesn't apply to houses of worship, but does apply to church-affiliated hospitals, colleges, and social service agencies.

Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama's secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), has said the move "strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services."

She made that statement while announcing the "interim final rule" on Jan. 20. She said the rule, while allowing some exceptions and giving church-linked institutions a year from Aug. 1 to comply, is designed to ensure that women have access to birth control without co-pays or a deductible.

"Scientists have abundant evidence that birth control has significant health benefits for women and their families," she said. "It is documented to significantly reduce health costs, and is the most commonly taken drug in America by young and middle-aged women."

The issue has long been politically sensitive. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich seized it to lash out at Mr. Obama and at rival Republican Mitt Romney.

"The Obama administration has just launched an attack on Christianity so severe that every single church in Florida had a letter read from the bishops yesterday," he said in a CBS appearance Monday. "Romneycare [in Massachusetts] does the same thing."

Mr. Gingrich painted the issue as an example of why Florida's voters should choose him rather than Mr. Romney to face Obama in November.

The choice to use contraceptive services will still lie with individuals. But critics of the move say it puts many employees at Catholic hospitals in the position of performing services that violate their conscience.

Washington Post political columnist E.J. Dionne argued that the White House has blundered on an issue, church-state relations, on which the president has in the past shown considerable sensitivity.

"Speaking as a Catholic, I wish the Church would be more open on the contraception question," he wrote Sunday. "But speaking as an American liberal who believes that religious pluralism imposes certain obligations on government, I think the Church?s leaders had a right to ask for broader relief from a contraception mandate that would require it to act against its own teachings."

Mr. Dionne praised a Hawaii law calling on religious employers that decline to cover birth control to outline alternate ways for enrollees to access such coverage, and urged the Obama administration to renew its own past efforts to find a compromise on the issue.

Election 101: Where the GOP candidates stand on abortion and other social issues

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20120130/ts_csm/458614

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Philips CEO warns H1 2012 "won't be easy" (Reuters)

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) ? Dutch Electronics giant Philips will book further, unspecified, restructuring charges in the first half of 2012, Chief Executive Officer Frans van Houten said on Monday.

"The first half of 2012 will see the impact of these charges and overall we are cautious about the development of the first half of the year. It is not going to be an easy first half," said Van Houten.

Earlier on Monday, Philips reported a 45 percent fall in fourth-quarter core profit due to losses at both its health and lighting divisions, and said it was cautious about 2012 given uncertainty in the global economy, particularly in Europe.

Van Houten also said the firm is committed to achieving its 2013 financial targets.

(Reporting By Roberta B. Cowan, Editing by Mark Potter)

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

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T-Mobile UK launches 'truly unlimited' Full Monty contract, wants to give you everything

T-Mobile launches 'truly unlimited' Full Monty contract, wants to give you everything
While beans were vaguely spilled ahead of its official launch, T-Mobile UK today unveiled its latest attempt to differentiate itself from the competitive world of British carriers with a new no-holds-barred tariff. From the network that previously nixed its fair use policy around this time last year, the Full Monty offers up truly -- yes, truly; we checked -- unlimited data alongside unlimited cross network calls and text messages. While the entry-level £36 contract limits calls to 2,000 per month, unlimited calling starts at £41 per month, reaching the dizzying heights of £61 if you're shopping for the latest iPhone. New phones will similarly be absorbed into what is now T-Mob's premier contract. It'll join mobile carrier Three, which was previously the only other major operator to offer unlimited data. Alongside the above package, which includes tethering, T-Mobile phones will also nab access to BT Openzone, the UK's largest WiFi hotspot network.

When the Fully Monty launches on February 1st, it'll be accompanied by a new Android and iOS app that adds one-click connectivity to those WiFi networks. The deal isn't available SIM-only, although T-Mobile UK's Head of Propositions, Ben Fritsch, told us that the new deal is pitched at users looking to take the smartphone plunge. Its existing collection of tariffs will also see a similar refresh -- but there's no details on those just yet. American readers can gaze with envy at the full release below.

Update: Electricpig reports that there may be traffic control in effect if users (somehow) hit above 80GB.

Continue reading T-Mobile UK launches 'truly unlimited' Full Monty contract, wants to give you everything

T-Mobile UK launches 'truly unlimited' Full Monty contract, wants to give you everything originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

WrestleMania XXVIII Axxess tickets now available

The ultimate interactive WWE fan experience ? WrestleMania Axxess ? is coming to Miami from March 29 - April 1 at the Miami Beach Convention Center (Hall D). This is one event WWE fans of all ages will want to be part of! (WATCH)

TICKETS
Available now at:
?- Ticketmaster
?- Ticketmaster.com
?- Charge by phone: 800-745-3000

ATTRACTIONS
?- Live matches
?- Superstar Q&A's
?- Superstar signings
?- Photo stations
?- WWE Shop
?- Undertaker's Graveyard
?- WWE Championship Titles
?- Memorabilia Display
????? And much more! ?

LIMITED VIP TICKETS - $95*

VIP TICKETS INCLUDE:
?- Autograph from designated Superstar at VIP Autograph Stage
?- Entrance to VIP standing area next to ring at WrestleMania Axxess
?- 8x10 Superstar Photo
?- VIP wristband required for meet & greet (wristband will be provided once tickets are scanned on site)

VIP MEET & GREET WITH AUTOGRAPH SIGNING AND MORE!
Thursday, March 29 - Meet WWE Superstar CM Punk - SOLD OUT
Thursday, March 29 - Meet 2012 WWE Hall of Famer Edge - SOLD OUT
Friday, March 30 - Meet WWE Superstar Triple H - SOLD OUT
Friday, March 30 - Meet WWE Superstar John Cena - SOLD OUT
Saturday, March 31 - Meet WWE Superstar Randy Orton - SOLD OUT
Saturday, March 31 - Meet 2011 WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels - SOLD OUT
Saturday, March 31 - Meet WWE Superstar Chris Jericho - SOLD OUT
Saturday, March 31 - Meet WWE Legend Mick Foley
Sunday, April 1 - Meet WWE Superstar Sheamus - SOLD OUT
Sunday, April 1 - Meet WWE Superstar?Big Show - SOLD OUT
Sunday, April 1 - Meet WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio - SOLD OUT

GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS - $40*

SESSION SCHEDULE & TIMES
Thursday, March 29
6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Friday, March 30
6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 31
? Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
? Session 2: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
? Session 3: 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 1
? Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
? Session 2: 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Children 3 years and under - FREE

*Prices are PER SESSION and do not include applicable fees or sales tax.

WrestleMania XXVII Axxess photos
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/28/axxess-tickets

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[OOC] Death Witness

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

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Death Witness"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

~Stop, stop breaking my heart. I love you boy. Stop, stop breaking my heart. I need you boy~
- Teen Top
The passion is CRAZY, but the drive is pure <3

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theMoonlightTheory
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Saturday, January 28, 2012

DoCoMo to ask for changes in Android -Nikkei (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? NTT DoCoMo Inc (9437.T) will ask Google Inc (GOOG.O) to modify its Android operating system so that smartphones using it would put less pressure on networks, a move that could spark wider protests against the leading mobile software platform, the Nikkei reported.

The leading Japanese mobile phone service provider identified an Android application, which enables free-of-charge voice communication, as a major cause behind a service disruption that occurred on Wednesday, the business daily said.

Some Android applications send out control signals once every three to five minutes even when not in use. This translates to ten times that of a conventional mobile phone, placing additional strain on the network, the newspaper said.

A sharp rise in data consumption puts more pressure on wireless operators to speed up capacity investments, as they are struggling with clogged telecom networks to keep up with growing demand for data services on the go.

DoCoMo intends to request that Google make Android transmit control signals less often, since frequent service disruptions could hurt the popularity of Android phones, the Nikkei reported.

"Other operators have complained, some publicly, about the pressure Android apps in particular are putting on their networks," said John Jackson, analyst at British wireless consultancy CCS Insight.

The Japanese paper said that DoCoMo also hopes to team up with other mobile service providers, along with Google, to ask Android application developers to limit the frequency of control signals.

"I expect that at the very least operators worldwide will watch this dispute closely to see what remedy might be in the offing," Jackson said.

Other operators may use the dispute as an occasion to demand similar modifications, he said.

"Either way, DoCoMo's move comes at a challenging time for Google with the Android ecosystem failing to generate Apple-like (AAPL.O) revenue and OEM licensees coming under legal pressure from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) in particular," he added

(Reporting by Meenakshi Iyer in Bangalore and Tarmo Virki in Helsinki; Editing by Joyjeet Das, Gary Hill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/tc_nm/us_docomo

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Connecticut killer sentenced to die for "unimaginable horror" (Reuters)

NEW HAVEN, Conn (Reuters) ? A judge formally sentenced Joshua Komisarjevsky to death for the murders of a mother and her two daughters during a brutal home invasion in Connecticut, saying he committed a crime of "unimaginable horror."

Judge Jon Blue on Friday told Komisarjevsky, 31, that he alone was to blame for his new address on death row after the 2007 triple murders of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and her daughters Hayley Petit, 17, and Michaela Petit, 11, and beating of husband and father Dr. William Petit Jr.

"This is a terrible sentence but one you have written for yourself," Blue told Komisarjevsky in New Haven Superior Court.

"Your crime was one of unimaginable horror and sadness," the judge said. "Your fate is now in the hands of others. May God have mercy on your soul."

He set an execution date of July 20, 2012, pending an appeal, which could drag out the matter for years.

Before the judge spoke, Komisarjevsky, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, denied he killed or raped anyone.

But he told the judge, "The clock is now ticking and I owe a debt I cannot repay."

Komisarjevsky now joins his accomplice, Steven Hayes, 48, who was sentenced to death last year for killings in which Hawke-Petit was strangled and the girls died of smoke inhalation after the home was set afire. Hawke-Petit was raped and Michaela Petit was sexually assaulted.

The killer's portrayal of innocence was in stark contrast to the "evil" described by the sole survivor of the attack, Dr. Petit, who told the court how Komisarjevsky's actions had destroyed his family.

"July 23, 2007 was my own personal holocaust," said Petit, who was beaten unconscious but escaped. "Evil does live among us."

He said he missed his late night chats with his wife and their partnership raising their daughters, who he will never walk down the wedding aisle and who will never bear the grandchildren he would have loved to have known.

Outside the courthouse, Petit's father spoke of the slow emotional recovery of his son, who is now engaged to be married.

"He's starting to come back a little bit now to what he was. He never will come all the way back," William Petit Sr. told reporters after the sentencing.

"To know Bill, the brilliant young doctor that he was, the happy young man, the good father, brother, cousin, uncle, all of those things, and son, and then to see him after this is just heartbreaking."

A jury convicted Komisarjevsky last fall, then sentenced him to death.

Komisarjevsky targeted Hawke-Petit and her younger daughter at a local grocery store and followed them home, he confessed during the investigation. He later returned with Hayes in the early morning, while the family was sleeping, and bashed Petit with a baseball bat and tied him to a pole in the basement.

After ransacking the home for valuables and finding little, they two men tied the girls to their beds and concocted a plan to take Hawke-Petit to the bank to withdraw $15,000.

Despite his last-minute denial at the sentencing, Komisarjevsky admitted to investigators that he molested Michaela while her mother was at the bank, according to police.

With the police circling the home, Hayes raped and strangled Hawke-Petit and the two men doused the family room and the girls' beds with gasoline.

Dr. Petit escaped through bulkhead doors in the basement as the home went up in flames.

Police caught Komisarjevsky and Hayes as they tried to flee.

During the trial, prosecutors laid blame for the predatory nature of the crime and the escalating violence on Komisarjevsky.

Defense attorneys said Komisarjevsky never intended for anyone to die and suffered mental health problems stemming from his upbringing by rigidly religious parents as well as from suffering several concussions and years of childhood sexual assault at the hands of a foster child in the family home.

Komisarjevsky's sentencing brings to 11 the number of men on the Connecticut's death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Connecticut has executed only one person, in 2005, since the death penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1976, the center said.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst, Barbara Goldberg and Paul Thomasch)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/us_nm/us_crime_homeinvasion

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NASA sees development of tropical storm 09S in southern Indian Ocean

ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2012) ? NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the low pressure system called System 97S on Jan. 24 and observed a large area of strong thunderstorms around its center that hinted at further development. On Jan. 25, the low strengthened into the ninth tropical depression and now a tropical storm of the Southern Indian Ocean.

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm 09S on January 25 at 7:05 UTC (2:05 a.m. EST), and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument measured the cloud top temperatures. Just as they appeared in infrared imagery on January 24, thunderstorm cloud tops around the entire center of circulation and in some of the bands of thunderstorms that circled the center from northwest to northeast were colder than -63 Fahrenheit (-52.7 Celsius). Temperatures that cold indicate uplift (and evaporation) of air is very strong, and it pushes the cloud tops to the top of the troposphere. When cloud tops get that high, they tend to drop heavy rainfall (around 2 inches/50 mm per hour).

AIRS infrared imagery revealed that the convection continues to strengthen and during the early hours on January 25, bands of thunderstorms were developing around the center.

Although Tropical Storm 09S has moved in a westerly direction over the last couple of days, a weather system (elongated area of high pressure, called a ridge) will begin pushing it eastward toward Western Australia late on January 25. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center has forecast Tropical Storm 09S (TS09S) to come closest to the coastline of Western Australia by January 29 and 30, 2012.

At 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EST) on January 25, TS09S had maximum sustained winds near 35 knots (40 mph/~65 kph). It was located near 16.0 South latitude and 107.8 East longitude, about 515 nautical miles (~592 miles/~953 km) northwest of Learmonth, Australia. The storm was still moving to the west at 5 knots (~6 mph/9 kph), but is expected to change course to the east-southeast.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects that Tropical Storm 09S will continue to strengthen over the next couple of days and could reach Cyclone status.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/jjCDJP4t3YY/120125163408.htm

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Europe's top clubs report rising losses in 2010

By GRAHAM DUNBAR

updated 7:28 a.m. ET Jan. 25, 2012

NYON, Switzerland - UEFA says Europe's top soccer clubs collectively lost more than $2 billion in 2010, and their debts keep rising ahead of planned rules to sanction clubs for overspending.

UEFA analysis of around 650 clubs revealed 56 percent lost money in the 2010 financial year, and their total debt was $10.9 billion.

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said it was "a last wake-up call" with clubs subject to UEFA's financial fair play monitoring since July 2011.

UEFA's study showed clubs' combined annual loss rose 36 percent, around $520 million, on 2009 figures.

This was despite rising revenues totaling $16.6 billion for top-tier European clubs, an increased income of 6.6 percent.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Barca holds off Madrid rally

??Pedro Rodriguez and Daniel Alves scored first-half goals, and Barcelona held off a spirited Real Madrid comeback attempt to eliminate the defending Copa del Rey champion with a 2-2 tie Wednesday night.

Do-or-die

The U.S. women's soccer team was still on the field, having dispatched rival Mexico, when Abby Wambach gathered her teammates for a little speech.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46129048/ns/sports-soccer/

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Scientists say Facebook's roots go way, way?back

Coren Apicella

A woman from Tanzania's Hadzabe tribe studies a social-networking chart.

By Alan Boyle

Hunter-gatherers exhibit many of the "friending" habits familiar to Facebook users, suggesting that the patterns for social networking were set early in the history of our species.

At least that's the conclusion from a group of researchers who mapped the connections among members of the Hadza ethnic group in Tanzania's Lake Eyasi region. The results were published in this week's issue of the journal Nature.


"The astonishing thing is that ancient human social networks so very much resemble what we see today," senior author Nicholas Christakis, a sociologist at Harvard Medical School, said in a university news release. Researchers from Harvard, the University of California at San Diego and Cambridge University worked together to document the Hadza's social networks.

"From the time we were around campfires and had words floating through the air, to today when we have digital packets floating through the ether, we've made networks of basically the same kind," Christakis said.

Another co-author of the study, UCSD's James Fowler, said the results suggest that the structure of today's social networks go back to a time before the invention of agriculture, tens of thousands of years ago.

For decades, social scientists have puzzled over the origins of cooperative and altruistic behavior that benefits the group at the expense of the individual. That seems to run counter to a basic "tooth and claw" view of evolution, in which each individual fights for survival, or at least the survival of its gene pool. One of the leading hypotheses is that a system to reward cooperation and punish non-cooperators ("free riders") grew out of a sense of genetic kinship between related individuals. But how far back did such a system arise?

Harvard Medical School researcher Coren Apicella discusses the Hadza social network.

To investigate that question, researchers spent two months interviewing more than 200 adult members of the Hadza group who still live in a traditional, nomadic, pre-agricultural setting. To chart the social connections, the researchers asked the adults to identify the individuals they'd like to live with in their next encampment. They also looked into gift-giving connections by giving their experimental subjects three straws of honey ? one of the Hadza's best-loved treats ? and asking them to assign them secretly to anyone else in the camp. That exercise produced a complex web of 1,263 "campmate ties" and 426 "gift ties."

Separately, the researchers gave the Hadza additional honey straws that they could either keep for themselves or donate for group distribution. That was used as a measure of cooperation vs. non-cooperation.

When the researchers analyzed all the linkages, they found that cooperators tended to group themselves together into one set of social clusters, while non-cooperators were in separate clusters. Even when other factors were taken into account, such as connections between kin and geographical proximity, the cooperation vs. non-cooperation distinction was significant. That finding suggested that even in pre-agricultural societies, social networking strengthened the connections between people inclined toward different kinds of behavior.

"If you can get cooperators to cluster together in social space, cooperation can evolve," said Coren Apicella, a postdoctoral researcher specializing in health-care policy at Harvard Medical School and the Nature paper's first author. "Social networks allow this to happen."

The researchers said the dynamics of the Hadza social networks ? including the kinds of ties that bind a group's most popular members and the reciprocal connections within the group?? were indistinguishable from previously gathered data about social networks in modern communities.

"We turned the data over lots of different ways," Fowler said in the news release. "We looked at over a dozen measures that social network analysts use to compare networks, and pretty much, the Hadza are like us."

Beyond the Facebook angle, the rise of relationships between cooperative individuals has larger implications for the study of human evolution. "This suggests that social networks may have co-evolved with the widespread cooperation in humans that we observe today," the researchers wrote.

Update for 2:15 p.m. ET: In a Nature commentary, University of British Columbia anthropologist Joseph Henrich said that the study provided a "glimpse into the social dynamics of one of the few remaining populations of nomadic hunter-gatherers" ? and pointed up the parallels between modern-day social networking and the kind of society in which our distant ancestors lived.

One of the more interesting findings was that non-cooperators preferred to associate with other non-cooperators, rather than with the givers in the Hadza group, Henrich told me. That could be because people tend to make those they associate with more similar to themselves ? sort of like a curmudgeonly married couple. Or it could be because non-cooperative types avoid the cooperators in the first place ? sort of like the high-school kids who shun the goody-goodies and form their own clique of bad boys and girls.

Henrich said the cooperation vs. non-cooperation distinction was surprisingly strong. "In fact, the gift-network results indicate that this extends to friends of friends: if your friend's friend is highly cooperative, you are likely to cooperate more, too."

He said the findings support the principle of homophily in social relations: "People tend to pick people like themselves." But does the cooperation connection apply to modern-day social networks as well? If you're a giving person, do you tend to friend other givers online? "We don't know," Henrich told me. That's a topic for further research.

Update for 10:35 p.m. ET: In a follow-up phone interview, Fowler told me the results that he and his colleagues are reporting add a new twist to the old nature vs. nurture debate. People aren't shaped merely by genetics and their physical environment, he said.

"Social networks were actually just as important as the other two," he said. There may even be a genetic component to the associations you make. Along with Christakis and UCSD's Christopher Dawes,?Fowler conducted research suggesting that genetic factors?affect social behaviors.?Previous studies have also shown that social networking among hunter-gatherer societies like the Hadza are not governed strictly by kin-based relationships.

"What's new here is that we've specifically tied this idea of cooperation to ties between non-kin," Fowler said.

Fowler acknowledged that studying hunter-gatherer societies are not a foolproof way to trace the evolutionary roots of the behaviors we see in modern-day society, including Facebook friending and Twitter tweeting. "This isn't necessarily the be-all and end-all of determining what we were like hundreds of thousands of years ago," he said. But considering that scientists can't interview?Stone Age social networkers, Fowler believes this is one of the best methods available to anthropologists.

More social-network science:


In addition to Apicella, Christakis and Fowler, authors of "Social Networks and Cooperation in Hunter-Gatherers" include Cambridge University's Frank Marlowe.

Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10234789-facebooks-roots-go-way-way-back

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

How an embargo of Iranian oil could affect markets (AP)

NEW YORK ? The U.S. and Europe are trying to stop Iran, the world's third-biggest oil exporter, from selling crude. Iran's response is to threaten to disrupt shipments from the entire Middle East.

Yet oil prices have hardly budged. They're at $98.95, up just 12 cent since the start of year.

Just a year ago, uprisings in far less important oil-producing countries such as Egypt and Libya sent oil and gasoline prices to their highest levels in three years and prompted Western nations to release millions of barrels of oil from emergency supplies.

The reason for such calm this year: No oil has been blocked, and there's a good chance none will be.

The U.S. and Europe want to deprive Iran of the oil income it needs to run its government and, most importantly, fund what the West believes is an effort to build a nuclear weapon. Last year, Iran generated $100 billion in revenue from oil, up from $20 billion a decade ago, according to IHS CERA.

The European Union announced Monday it would ban the import of Iranian crude starting in July. The U.S. already bans Iranian oil, but it has placed sanctions on Iran's banks to make it harder for that nation to sell crude.

Iran, in retaliation, has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow Persian Gulf waterway between Iran and Oman through which one-fifth of the world's oil passes. If that were to happen, experts say oil prices could soar toward $200 per barrel and deliver a blow to already wobbly Western economies. Drivers would pay more for gasoline, airlines would spend more on fuel and shippers would pay more for diesel. That would leave people and companies with less money to spend and invest.

Using oil as a political weapon is an old tactic, but it may not be effective this time. If either side blocks the sale of oil in a meaningful way, it hurt itself. Iran's economy depends on the sale of oil. The economies of Western nations depend on reasonably priced oil.

Here are key questions and answers about what the European ban on Iranian oil could mean for oil markets.

Q: What is Iran's role in the world oil market?

A: Iran exports 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, about 3 percent of world supplies. About 500,000 barrels go to Europe and most of the rest goes to China, India, Japan and South Korea. Iranian fields produce a type of oil known as "heavy, sour" crude. While common, these crudes are sulfurous and require more refining and expense to turn into valuable fuels such as gasoline. As a result, they generally cost refiners less than so-called "lighter, sweeter" crudes.

Q: Will Iran try to block the Strait of Hormuz?

A: It's unlikely. The international naval response would be overwhelming because the strait is the world's most important energy choke point. Each day, 14 tankers on average squeeze through a shipping channel that, at its narrowest, is just 2 miles wide. If Iran could block it, it would send oil prices spiking to $150 to $200, analysts say, and badly damage Western economies.

If that happened, Iran would hurt itself and its best customers, not just Western nations and producers like Saudi Arabia that also use the strait. Eighty-five percent of the oil that travels through the strait goes to Asian nations, which are not participating in the embargo. Also, it would be all but impossible for Iran to keep its oil flowing through the strait while it tries to block oil from other countries.

Q. With all this saber rattling, why aren't oil prices soaring?

A: Because the strait is likely to remain open, keeping supplies flowing. And because Asian countries, already Iran's biggest customers, aren't joining the Europeans in banning Iranian oil. Also, the European embargo doesn't start until July, so oil markets will likely have time to adjust.

As Europe turns away from Iran to other markets, though, it could push up prices for certain types of global crudes. And the brinkmanship between Iran and the West may already be having some effect on prices, analysts say. "It could already be baked into the price (of oil)," says, Michael Levi, Director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change at the Council on Foreign Relations

Q: Will the embargo hurt or help Iran?

If Iran can no longer sell to Europe, it will have to find other buyers. That won't likely be difficult, especially given Asia's rising demand for oil. But Asian nations may be able to negotiate a discount for Iranian oil. "In the oil market, a little discount goes a long way," says Bhushan Bahree, a Middle East oil expert at IHS CERA.

On the other hand, if global oil prices rise and Iran can sell its oil for somewhat higher prices, Iran's oil revenue will grow.

Q: If supplies of Iranian crude are disrupted, will other nations be able to make up the difference?

A: Eventually, yes. The U.S. is pressuring other Middle East and African nations to increase production to help keep Europe and the world well-supplied as the embargo slowly takes effect. Saudi Arabia says it could increase its supplies to make up for any lost Iranian crude. Iran's relatively heavy crude is easier to replace than the Libyan light, sweet crude that was cut off during last year's uprising.

Still, an increase in production from other nations would leave little wiggle room for those countries to increase supplies further if needed. The oil market gets nervous, and sends prices higher, if it thinks producing nations don't have capacity to pump more oil to make up for a supply interruption somewhere in the world.

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

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_bi_ge/us_iran_oil_q_a

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New Target Discovered for Pain Relief

News | Health

A neuropathic pain expert says, however, that in the past 30 years virtually no new drug targets have made it into the clinic as effective pain-relief drugs


Image: National Cancer Institute

An uncharted trawl through thousands of small molecules involved in the body's metabolism may have uncovered a potential route to treating pain caused by nerve damage.

Neuropathic pain is a widespread and distressing condition, and is notoriously difficult to treat. So Gary Siuzdak, a chemist and molecular biologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and his team decided to take an unusual route to finding a therapy. Their results are published today in?Nature Chemical Biology.

They took rats with surgically damaged paws, who were consequently suffering from neuropathic pain, and instead of analyzing changes in gene expression and proteins in the animals, focused on metabolites?the biochemical intermediates and end-products of bodily processes such as respiration and the synthesis and breakdown of molecules. The science that looks at the body's metabolite composition is known as metabolomics. Using mass spectrometry, which can detect many different chemicals simultaneously, the researchers were able to identify the metabolites present in these animals 21 days after surgery.

Surprise finding

The team analyzed samples of the injured rats? blood plasma, of tissue near the injured paw, and of tissue from different areas of the spinal column, and compared the metabolites present with that of the same site in healthy rats. One particular area differed markedly between the two cases: the dorsal horn in the spinal column.

"It took me by surprise,? says Siuzdak, who had expected to see most differences in metabolite composition near the site of injury.

The researchers then looked more closely at the metabolites and recognized that the ones that were changing the most were associated with the metabolic pathway that synthesizes and breaks down the phospholipid sphingomyelin, a component of cell membranes, and its ceramide precursors.

?It was a huge flare to us that this was something we should home in on,? says team member Gary Patti, a chemist at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri.

Using cultures of spinal cord cells the researchers then tried to work out which of the altered metabolites might be responsible for pain. One molecule,?the previously unidentified metabolite?N,N-dimethylsphingosine (DMS), stood out for the amount of pain signallng it triggered in the cells.

Untargeted screening

To test experimentally whether this molecule was involved in neuropathic pain, the team then injected small amounts of DMS into healthy rats, and sure enough, those rats showed signs of pain.

The team hopes that DMS might prove to be important in the biochemistry of pain, and perhaps offer a target for drug manufacturers. But neuropathic pain expert Andrew Rice at Imperial College London says that in the past 30 years he has seen many targets identified, but virtually none of them has made it into the clinic as an effective pain-relief drug.

Rice lauds the attention shown to neuropathic pain but is concerned that the current animal model for pain is limited: it only corresponds to pain resulting from trauma, and not to the many other sources of neuropathic pain, which include diabetes, HIV infection and stroke. ?I?d like to see if this is more than a peripheral nerve damage model,? he says.

Siuzdak says his untargeted screening technique could prove useful in identifying drug targets for many other conditions. The more conventional way of using metabolomics is with targeted searches, where the molecule of interest is identified first, before seeing where it might be present. ?[Our approach] is more challenging than targeted analyses,? he says. ?You have to be open to any possibility of what pathways are affected.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=04551fe8a40f41d960dbae884bea5b53

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Yemen's leader allowed to come to US

FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 file photo, Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh speaks to reporters during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Sanaa, Yemen. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the U.S. regrets that Yemen's president has not complied with agreements to leave the country and allow elections for a successor. Her comments came as Yemen's foreign minister suggested next month's presidential vote could be delayed because of security concerns _ something that would violate the the U.S.-backed agreement that President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed recently. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hamoud, File)

FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 file photo, Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh speaks to reporters during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Sanaa, Yemen. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the U.S. regrets that Yemen's president has not complied with agreements to leave the country and allow elections for a successor. Her comments came as Yemen's foreign minister suggested next month's presidential vote could be delayed because of security concerns _ something that would violate the the U.S.-backed agreement that President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed recently. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hamoud, File)

Protestors react after receiving the news of the departure of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Sanaa to Oman in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 22, 2012. A spokesman for Yemen's embattled president says Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the country for the Persian Gulf country of Oman. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Protestors react after receiving the news of the departure of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Sanaa to Oman in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 22, 2012. A spokesman for Yemen's embattled president says Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the country for the Persian Gulf country of Oman. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

(AP) ? The Obama administration will allow Yemen's outgoing president to come to the U.S. temporarily for medical treatment, a move aimed at easing the political transition in Yemen, a key counterterrorism partner.

A senior administration official said Ali Abdullah Saleh would travel to New York this week, and probably stay in the U.S. until no later than the end of February. U.S. officials believe Saleh's exit from Yemen could lower the risk of disruptions in the lead-up to presidential elections planned there on Feb. 21.

A presidential spokesman in Yemen said Saleh had left the capital of Sanaa earlier Sunday on a jet headed for the Persian Gulf sultanate of Oman. An official close to Saleh, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the trip, said the president would undergo medical exams in Oman before heading to the U.S.

The U.S. official did not say whether Saleh planned to return to Yemen, Oman or elsewhere after finishing his treatment in the U.S. The official was not authorized to discuss details about Saleh and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Yemeni embassy in Washington said Saleh planned to return home in February to attend a swearing-in ceremony for the country's newly elected president.

The mercurial Saleh, who ruled Yemen for more than three decades, agreed to transfer power to his vice president late last year in exchange for immunity from prosecution. He had faced months of protests calling for his ouster, to which the Yemeni government responded with a bloody crackdown, leaving hundreds of protesters dead and sparking wider violence in the capital with rival militia.

Even after agreeing to leave power, Saleh continued to wield his influence behind the scenes, and U.S. officials believed getting him out of Yemen was necessary in order to ensure the February elections took place. The U.S. also worried about instability in a nation grappling with growing extremism, including the dangerous al-Qaida branch known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

Still, Saleh's request last month for a U.S. visa put the Obama administration in the awkward position of either having to bar a friendly president from U.S. soil or risking appearing to harbor an autocrat with blood on his hands.

As U.S. officials weighed Saleh's request, they sought assurances that he would not seek political asylum or any type of permanent relocation in the U.S.

"We wanted to make sure that there was an understanding that it would be for medical purposes and that's what it is for," John Brennan, President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, said Sunday.

Saleh was badly burned and wounded during a June rocket attack on his compound in Yemen. He sought medical treatment in neighboring Saudi Arabia for three months. American officials had hoped he would remain there, but the Yemeni leader returned and violence worsened anew.

Protesters and human rights groups have criticized Saleh's immunity clause and insisted he stand trial for his alleged role in protester deaths.

Brennan said there was a divide in Yemen over Saleh's future, with some Yemenis supporting Saleh's decision to seek medical treatment in the U.S. In the short-term, he said, it was imperative to ensure that the February elections take place.

"We thought it was important, given where Yemen is right now as far as moving forward with its political transition, to do what we can to support the government and the elections that are scheduled for the 21st of February, and that seems to be on track," he said.

Yemeni Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi is expected to be rubber-stamped as the country's new leader in the elections, in which he is expected to be the only candidate.

Brennan spoke with Hadi on Sunday, and told him the U.S. was encouraged by his leadership during a difficult period of transition. With fresh demonstrations likely in the weeks leading up to the elections, Brennan urged Hadi to ensure that Yemeni security forces exercise restraint.

The Obama administration's approval of Saleh's visa brought back memories from three decades ago, when President Jimmy Carter allowed the exiled shah of Iran into the U.S. for medical treatment. The decision contributed to rapidly worsening relations between Washington and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's revolution in Tehran, with Iranian students occupying the U.S. Embassy in Iran a month later.

Fifty-two American hostages were held for 444 days in response to Carter's refusal to send the shah back to Iran for trial.

___

Associated Press writers Ahmed al-Haj and Ben Hubbard in Sanaa, Yemen, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-22-US-Yemen/id-1743a780c1c34396a4b26e5f4f438d9b

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Investing in beaten-down market sectors could be good bet in 2012 ...

Investors placing their bets for 2012 are faced with the classic dilemma. Stick with market sectors that performed best last year, or search for value in beaten-down names?

The question is especially tricky considering that 2011 was a turbulent ride of mixed economic news at home, worse news abroad and painful sell-offs that tested even seasoned traders. Investors? reaction was textbook ? dive into stock mutual funds stuffed with big, dividend-paying companies known for relative stability in good times and bad.

That meant top-performing funds focused on utilities, consumer staples and health care companies. On the other hand, mutual funds heavy on financial stocks were among the worst, sideswiped by Standard & Poor?s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating and continued financial turmoil in Europe.

With the U.S. economy showing more signs of strength, now might be a good time to move some money into depressed sectors.

But is that strategy a good policy for personal investing in 2012? Here?s a look at the sectors that analysts are watching:

Financials flop ? Mutual funds that focus on banks and brokerages are certainly trading at prices well below a year ago, but many analysts are not yet ready to jump in.

The S&P 500 financials were crushed in 2011, falling 18 percent amid Europe?s tumult and lingering trouble in the battered real estate industry. Not surprisingly, mutual funds that are heavy in financials got battered last year. Analysts say the banking industry remains under pressure, especially with no sign that the European debt crisis is ready to let up. There are a number of reasons to be concerned about the sector.

Story continues below

?You?ve got other factors, like regulation, Dodd-Frank, that are crimping the way large banks do business,? said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank in Chicago. He also pointed out that low interest rates hamper the sector.

Defensive moves ? With the state of the global economy in doubt, as it was for much of 2011, investors flocked to defensive stocks, companies that produce things people buy whether or not the economy is thriving. Utilities were the top-performing sector in the S&P 500. Consumer staples jumped 10.5 percent.

Many of the year?s top-performing funds focused on the utilities sector, including top-ranked ProFunds Utilities UltraSector, which returned nearly 26 percent. But some experts say defensive sectors such as utilities and consumer staples now are a little too expensive.

Health care stocks remain promising despite last year?s run-up, several analysts said. That?s because even after a 10 percent gain for the S&P health care stocks in 2011, the sector is still far below historic highs. And even with uncertainty in Washington about the future of health care, an aging population will increasingly need medical care.

Technology boost ? An anticipated jump in business spending may make technology ? a flat sector last year ? a good bet in 2012.

Since the financial crisis in 2008, corporations across the globe dialed back spending and instead sat on their cash. This might be exactly the time when companies begin to replace aging computers and other technology, especially with the U.S. economy looking a bit brighter. Tech stocks in the S&P 500 inched up just 1.3 percent overall in 2011.

Next Page ?

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/53336362-79/investors-percent-sectors-care.html.csp

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Haiti goalkeeper hospitalized after collision

Ednie Limage Samantha Marie-Ann Brand

updated 1:51 a.m. ET Jan. 20, 2012

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Haiti goalkeeper Ednie Limage was hospitalized Thursday night with a possible spinal injury after colliding with a teammate during an Olympic qualifying game against Canada.

Limage was reaching for a high ball when she struck hard by midfielder Samantha Marie-Ann Brand in the second half of Haiti's 6-0 loss. Limage fell to the ground in pain, still clutching the ball.

Limage was carried off the field on a hand-held stretcher and treated near the Haiti bench for much of the second half. Then she was immobilized on a hospital stretcher and taken from the stadium.

Coach Ronald Luxieux said through a translator that the 26-year-old Limage was "suffering quite a bit" and that "it might be a spinal injury." He said he expected to have an update Friday.

Limage lives in Canada and plays for the University of Moncton in New Brunswick.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46067808/ns/sports-olympic_sports/

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