US giving Latin American leaders cancer: Chavez

CARACAS: Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez speculated on Wednesday that the United States might have developed a way to give Latin American leaders cancer, after Argentina's Cristina Fernandez joined the list of presidents diagnosed with the disease.

It was a typically controversial statement by Venezuela's socialist leader, who underwent surgery in June to remove a tumor from his pelvis. But he stressed that he was not making any accusations, just thinking aloud.

"It would not be strange if they had developed the technology to induce cancer and nobody knew about it until now ... I don't know. I'm just reflecting," he said in a televised speech to troops at a military base. "But this is very, very, very strange ... it's a bit difficult to explain this, to reason it, including using the law of probabilities."

Chavez, Fernandez, Paraguay's Fernando Lugo, Brazil's Dilma Rousseff and former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have all been diagnosed recently with cancer. All of them are leftists. Doctors say Fernandez has a very good chance of recovery and will not need chemotherapy or radiotherapy . Chavez said other regional leaders should beware, including his close ally, Bolivian president Evo Morales. "We'll have to take good care of Evo. Take care Evo!" he said.

The leader is Latin America's loudest critic of US foreign policy along with Cuba's ex-leader Fidel Castro.

Source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/fy/8at2EtZ0V5Ej31W5/story01.htm

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Video: GOP ?slow and methodical? about picking nominee

To succeed at your New Year's diet, keep mum

A slew of psychology studies, some dating as far back as the 1920s, suggest that if you want to stick to your New Year?s diet ? or whatever your big 2012 goal may be ? you might want to shut up about it, already.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45809443#45809443

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US wants 2012 talks for Taliban political office (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Obama administration hopes to restore momentum in the spring to U.S. talks with the Taliban insurgency that had reached a critical point before falling apart this month because of objections from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, U.S. and Afghan officials said.

One goal of renewed talks with the insurgents would be to identify cease-fire zones that could be used as a steppingstone toward a full peace agreement that stops most fighting, a senior administration official told The Associated Press ? a goal that remains far out of reach.

U.S. officials from the State Department and White House plan to continue a series of secret meetings with Taliban representatives in Europe and the Persian Gulf region next year, assuming a small group of Taliban emissaries the U.S. considers legitimate remains willing, two officials said.

The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive and precarious U.S. outreach to the Taliban leadership.

The U.S. outreach to the Taliban this year had fits and starts but had progressed to the point that there was active discussion of two steps the Taliban seeks as precursors to negotiations, the senior U.S. official said. Talks are on an unofficial hiatus at Karzai's request, U.S. and other officials said.

Those trust-building measures were a Taliban headquarters office and the release from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, of about five Afghan prisoners considered affiliated with the Taliban. Those steps were to be matched by assurances from at least part of the Taliban leadership that the insurgents would cut ties with al-Qaida, accept the elected civilian government of Afghanistan and bargain in good faith.

The Taliban office idea is seen the most likely to regain traction next year, but it's unclear when it might open. A political office in a neutral third country would be authorized to conduct talks on a peaceful end to the 10-year war.

Karzai remains opposed to the more difficult prisoner transfer plan, which is further complicated by new congressional restrictions on any prisoner transfers.

The U.S. tentatively had agreed to transfer a handful of Afghan prisoners to house arrest in a third country, probably Qatar, before the deal unraveled, U.S. officials said.

The Associated Press has learned the identity of some of the proposed transferees, including Khairullah Khairkhwa, former Taliban governor of Herat, and Mullah Mohammed Fazl, a former top Taliban military commander believed responsible for sectarian killings before the U.S. invasion that toppled the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2001.

Karzai's own advisers seeking peace with the Taliban had named those men among several Afghan Taliban prisoners it wanted released from Guantanamo as a goodwill gesture, but Karzai wants the prisoners to come to Afghanistan, not a third country, a senior Afghan official in the region said.

Sending Afghans to an Arab country could offend Afghans' sense of sovereignty and suggest that the U.S. does not think Afghanistan is fit to hold or try the men, officials said.

"As soon as I was released, I met President Karzai and he promised that he would not allow Afghan prisoners to be sent anywhere except Afghanistan," said Haji Ruhollah, an Afghan who was released from Guantanamo in 2010. "They are all Afghans and they should be brought and kept in Afghanistan."

U.S. and Afghan officials also pointed to Karzai's longstanding unease with what he sees as a rush by the U.S. to broker deals ahead of the planned exit of U.S. combat forces by 2015. Karzai has political problems at home, including newly resurgent militias, and the assassination of his chief peace negotiator in September clouds his own outreach to the Taliban.

The U.S. once swore off direct talks with the Taliban until the insurgents essentially were beaten but shifted position as the war dragged on in near stalemate. Participants said they still consider a peace deal a long shot, and the insurgent leadership has shown no sign it wants to stop fighting a guerrilla war it thinks it can sustain until after most foreign forces depart.

The Associated Press is not identifying U.S. officials involved in the direct talks in consideration of their safety. One member of the Taliban negotiating team has been publicly identified as Tayyab Aga, an emissary of Pakistan-based Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. Other participants include a former Taliban ambassador to Saudi Arabia and a former Taliban deputy health minister, the senior Afghan official said.

The U.S. goal is to midwife talks between the insurgents and the U.S.-backed Afghan government led by Karzai, who frequently has felt sidelined by the U.S. as it pursues talks with his enemies. He bills peace talks as an Afghan-led process, which the U.S. insists is also its goal. The U.S. outreach is meant to jump-start negotiations, U.S. officials have said, but they acknowledge that their efforts can feed the perception that Karzai is not fully in charge.

Although the Karzai government shares the goal of outreach and eventual political reconciliation with the Afghan Taliban movement, he resents the insurgents' demand only to speak with what they call American occupiers. He has argued that the U.S. undercuts his leverage, and his inner circle derailed initial U.S.-Taliban talks earlier this year, several officials previously told the AP.

Karzai has supported the general idea of an office, preferably in Afghanistan, but he balked when the plan for Qatar appeared to have been settled without him, officials said. Earlier this month, Kabul recalled its ambassador to Qatar for consultations over reports that the Taliban was planning to open an office there.

An Afghan official, who could not be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said at the time that the ambassador was recalled because Qatar had not consulted with them throughout the process. The Afghan government supports the establishment of an office for the Taliban only as a facilitative step in the peace process, not as any kind of a concession to them, the official said.

On Tuesday, Karzai backed down. He said his government would accept the Qatar office to hold peace talks, although Saudi Arabia or Turkey would be preferable venues.

If the United States insists that the insurgents establish a liaison office in Qatar, "we are agreed," Karzai said in a presidential statement.

Karzai's preference for Saudi Arabia or Turkey over Qatar is based on his belief that the Saudis can be trusted and their status as an established Muslim power broker, the senior Afghan official said. Turkey is a neighbor of Afghanistan and already involved in international efforts to stabilize the country.

Karzai and his inner circle think the tiny gas-rich Arab state of Qatar is not a strong Muslim country and is not particularly close to Afghanistan, the official said.

___

Gannon reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Patrick Quinn in Kabul contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111230/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_afghanistan_taliban

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The morning after: PlayStation Vita sales go cold during first full week in Japan

It's hard to set much store by early sales performance, particularly after the evergreen 3DS faced such a rocky road. Nevertheless, the Vita's latest stats do look disappointing for such a highly anticipated -- not to mention high-quality -- console: after shifting a remarkable 321,000 units during its first two days on sale in Japan, it could only muster 72,500 in the whole week between December 19th and Christmas Day. In comparison, the PS3 sold 76,000 units during the same period, while the 3DS rang up half a million. This doesn't necessarily reflect a lack of interest, however: there have been stock shortages, and it's also possible that buyers are waiting to make sure that all the launch bugs get cleaned up. As for us, our alarms remain firmly set for February 22nd.

The morning after: PlayStation Vita sales go cold during first full week in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/w00FzcG2nlY/

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John Legend engaged to model Chrissy Teigen (AP)

NEW YORK ? John Legend will no longer be a bachelor: He's engaged.

The singer's publicist said Tuesday that Legend proposed to his girlfriend, model Chrissy Teigen, recently in the Maldives.

No more details are being provided.

Legend has won nine Grammys and released four albums. Teigen was named "rookie of the year" in the Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue last year. She also has a food blog.

Legend turns 33 Wednesday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_en_mu/us_people_john_legend

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Wendy's goes gourmet in Japan

By Sean O'Neill, Budget Travel

Today, fast-food chain Wendy's, known for its cheap staples of meat bombs, unveiled the Foie Gras Rossini Burger at its new restaurant in Tokyo.?The price is 1280 yen, or nearly $17 at today's exchange rates.

Other surprises in the new "Japan Premium" line-up of burgers include the Avocado Wasabi Burger, the Chili Burger, and the Truffle and Porcini Grilled Chicken Sandwich.

No other Wendy's in the world has foie gras, the liver of a specially fattened goose or duck. The burgers bulge and glisten with oil like sumo wrestlers.

The fancy burgers are sold at a gleaming new store in the Ometsando district of Japan's capital, famed for its fashion shops. The location is a bit away from the main drag though; find it on a map, here.

The store is Wendy's first of 100 planned locations for the country, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The fast-food empire bowed out of Japan a couple of years ago due to falling profits, reports AFP.

The new menu items can be seen on the Japanese website for Wendy's. There's no Baconator Double on it, sadly.

More from Budget Travel:

Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/27/9742791-wendys-goes-gourmet-in-japan

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2008 FORD RANGER LXT SUPERCAB 4X4

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Source: http://app1.unmc.edu/PublicAffairs/TodaySite/sitefiles/adview_Result_rss.cfm?match=14855

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Oil from 2007 spill surprisingly toxic to fish, scientists report

Thick, tarry fuel oil disgorged into San Francisco Bay from a damaged cargo ship in 2007 was surprisingly toxic to fish embryos, devastating the herring population that feeds seabirds, whales and the bay's last commercial fishery, scientists reported Monday.

Although the bay's herring spawning grounds are now free of toxic oil, studies have found that the moderate-size spill of 54,000 gallons had an unexpectedly large and lethal effect.

The culprit, a common type of ship fuel called "bunker fuel," appears to be especially toxic to fish embryos, particularly when exposed to sunlight, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"That's the big lesson," said John Incardona, a toxicologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service. "This bunker oil is literally the dregs of the barrel, and it's much more toxic than crude oil."

The container ship Cosco Busan spilled low-grade bunker fuel after it sideswiped the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on a foggy November morning four years ago. This type of sludge-like fuel is cheap and thus popular among operators of commercial shipping fleets that transport raw materials and goods around the globe.

Scientists have traditionally focused on larger crude oil spills, such as last year's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico or 1989's Exxon Valdez tanker disaster, in which 11 million gallons of oil were discharged into Alaska's Prince William Sound. The Exxon spill is suspected of wiping out the sound's herring fishery, which has never bounced back.

From studies in Alaska, scientists knew that oil could cause heart deformities to developing herring in their embryonic sacs.

But after examining herring embryos placed in cages in shallow waters near the Cosco Busan spill site, researchers were surprised to find that nearly all had died, and their tissues were deteriorating faster than expected in the bay's chilly water.

"We didn't think there was enough oil spilled to cause this much damage," said Gary Cherr, a study coauthor and director of the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. He described the total spill as similar in size to a large backyard swimming pool.

Oil and water don't mix. The fat-filled herring egg sacs can act like little sponges, soaking up the highly toxic compounds from the bunker fuel. Once exposed to sunlight during low tides, the oil compounds became even more lethal to developing fish.

"Bunker fuel is used worldwide and is spilled relatively often," Cherr said. "It is important to look at small spills in sensitive areas," he added, now that science understands the lethal potential of low concentrations.

The owners and operators of the Cosco Busan in September agreed to pay $44.4 million to cover government claims, the cost of the cleanup ? about half of the spilled oil was captured ? and bay restoration programs. Besides tarring about 30% of the bay's herring spawning grounds, the spill killed about 6,800 seabirds and closed beaches for months.

ken.weiss@latimes.com

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-herring-kill-20111228,0,4022950.story?track=rss

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Peace Corps member with ties to Englewood dies while serving in Africa

Elizabeth Alden Landis

The granddaughter of longtime Englewood community volunteer Joan Van Alstyne Johnson has died in a car accident while serving in the Peace Corps in Mozambique.

Elizabeth Alden Landis, of Yarrow Point, Wash., was 23.

Landis, who went by Alden, and Lena Jenison, of Wisconsin, died Dec. 20. Both were sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers Dec. 8, after arriving in Mozambique in September for pre-training services.

Both women were assigned to teach science at local schools and were expected to volunteer through December 2013.

?Alden and Lena were both committed and dedicated Peace Corps volunteers who were excited to teach in their new Peace Corps communities,? Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams said in a statement. ?This is a tragic loss for the entire Peace Corps community, including their fellow volunteers in Mozambique. Our thoughts are with both of their families during this difficult time.?

Van Alstyne Johnson and her daughter Keats Landis could not be reached for comment.

Landis comes from a long-time Englewood family. Her great grandparents moved from a farm in Brooklyn to the area that became the city?s first ward in the late 1800s.

Her great grandfather David Van Alstyne Jr. lead the Bergen County Republican Party and was a prominent state senator. His wife Janet Graham Van Alystne was a well-known civic activist and served as a board trustee for Englewood Hospital in the 1940s, where she also volunteered as a nurse?s aid during World War II.

Van Alstyne Johnson has long been involved in city organizations, leading The Community Chest, serving on the board at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, the Junior League of Bergen County, the Family and Social Service Federation, the Volunteer Center of Bergen County and the Garden Club of Englewood, which her mother also volunteered with.

She has also served as a trustee of the Elisabeth Morrow School, the American Anorexia-Bulimia Association, and Flat Rock Brook Nature Center Association and on the boards of American Red Cross Bergen Crossroads Chapter and Northern Valley League of Women Voters.

Source: http://blog.northjersey.com/bergenbeat/3200/peace-corps-member-with-ties-to-englewood-dies-while-serving-in-africa/

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0045 Two Saudi female students of Um Al-Qura University Rank First in IEEE Forum

?news in photo Crown Prince Receives Message from Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (SPA) 30/1/1433H

Makkah, Muharram 30, 1433, Dec 25, 2011, SPA -- Two Saudi female graduated from Computer Science Department, Faculty of Computer and Information Systems of Um Al-Qura University, ranked first in the forum held recently in Jeddah Province by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Association (IEEE), a renowned U.S. professional association. IEEE, a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York city, granted the two Saudi female students researchers, composed of Rehab Al-Sudais and Munirah Al-Otaibi, the first place for their study, entitled "Information system for smart library using technology of Radio Frequency Identification RFID" in order to implement the service of self-borrowing and return in the library using RFID technology. IEEE is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence. It has more than 400,000 members in more than 160 countries. --SPA 20:41 LOCAL TIME 17:41 GMT

? Latest news Saudi Press Agency (SPA) Ends Transmission... more details Ankara, Safar 1, 1433, Dec 26, 2011, SPA -- Turkey and Azerbaijan plan to build a pipeline to Europe that will carry 16 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year, officials of the two states said Monday. The Trans-Anatolian pipeline could cost 5 billion dollars, Turkish Energy Minister Taner... more details Mexico, Safar 1, 1433, Dec 26, 2011, SPA -- The bodies of 13 people were found in a truck that had been abandoned in the north-eastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, local officials said Monday. In the truck, which was found Sunday, were messages that referred to the rivalry between criminal... more details Jacksonville, Safar 1, 1433, Dec 26, 2011, SPA -- A helicopter leaving the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, with three aboard crashed early Sunday, UPI quoted officials as saying. The Florida Times-Union said all three apparently were killed. Searchers from several counties were... more details Ramallah, Safar 1, 1433, Dec 26, 2011, SPA -- The number of Palestinians worldwide is expected to reach 11.2 million by the end of the year, half of them living in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and in Israel, dpa quoted the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics as saying Monday. A report issued... more details

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?Weather Report MAKKAH 30 21 MADINAH 22 9 RIYADH 22 8 DAMMAM 27 12 JEDDAH 30 19 ABHA 22 7 HAIL 16 5 BURAIDAH 20 9 Details

?Riyal Rates U.S. Dollar 3.75 Euro 4.895 U.K. Pound 5.858 Emirati Dirham 1.021 Kuwaiti Dinar 13.467 Bahraini Dinar 9.946 Jordanian Dinar 5.282 more details

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5662997471

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North Korean heir's uncle shown in key role

PYONGYANG, North Korea?? North Korea on Sunday aired footage showing the uncle and key patron of anointed heir Kim Jong Un wearing a military uniform with a general's insignia ? a strong sign he'll play a greater role in efforts to secure the young man's rise to power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, a week ago.

The footage on state television showed Jang Song Thaek paying respects at Kim Jong Il's body lying in state at Kumsusan Memorial Palace. It indicates Jang has been appointed to a new military job. Seoul's Unification Ministry says it's the first time Jang has been shown wearing a military uniform on state TV.

South Korean intelligence has predicted Kim Jong Un's aunt Kim Kyong Hui, a key Workers' Party official, and her husband Jang, who is a vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission, will play larger roles supporting the heir.

The North is ramping up its campaign to install Kim Jong Un as the nation's next leader as the mourning for his father continued a week after his death.

North Korea is hailing heir Kim Jong Un as "supreme leader" of the 1.2-million strong military.

Kim Jong Un made a third visit Saturday to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace ? this time as "supreme leader of the revolutionary armed forces" and accompanied by North Korea's top military brass, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

The new title and public show of support from the military leadership sent a strong signal that the nation will maintain Kim Jong Il's "military first" policy for the time being.

Earlier Saturday, the newspaper Rodong Sinmun, mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party, urged Kim Jong Un to accept the top military post: "Comrade Kim Jong Un, please assume the supreme commandership, as wished by the people."

Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and was unveiled in September 2010 as his father's choice as successor, will be the third-generation Kim to rule the nation of 24 million. His father and grandfather led the country under different titles, and it remains unclear which other titles will be bestowed on the grandson.

Kim Il Sung, who founded North Korea in 1948, retains the title of "eternal president" even after his death in 1994.

Son Kim Jong Il ruled as chairman of the National Defense Commission, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and general secretary of the Workers' Party.

1. The death of Kim Jong Il

   1. Report: Red skies, stormy seas marked Kim's death
   2. Circumstances of Kim Jong Il's death fabricated?
   3. Politics trump hunger in N.Korea
   4. Slideshow: The life of Kim Jong ll
   5. Source: Military coup in N. Korea 'unlikely'
   6. NYT: In Kim's death, an extensive intelligence failure
   7. Cartoons: The life and death of Kim Jong Il
   8. Analysis: Opportunities, dangers loom over N. Korea
   9. Even in death, details of Kim Jong Il's life elusive
   10. Kim Jong Il remembered as 'Team America' star

Kim Jong Un was promoted to four-star general and appointed a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party. He had been expected to assume a number of other key posts while being groomed to succeed his father.

His father's death comes at a sensitive time for North Korea, which was in the middle of negotiations with the U.S. on restarting talks to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program in exchange for aid, and had been preparing for 2012 celebrations marking Kim Il Sung's 100th birthday. Suffering from a shortfall in basic staples after several harsh seasons, officials also had been asking for help feeding its people.

North Korea has emphasized the Kim family legacy during the sped-up succession movement for Kim Jong Un. State media invoked Kim Il Sung in declaring the people's support for the next leader, comparing the occasion to Kim Jong Il's ascension to "supreme commander" exactly 20 years ago Saturday.

At the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, Kim Jong Un and senior commanders paid silent tribute to the late leader, "praying for his immortality," KCNA said. The military also pledged its loyalty to Kim Jong Un, the report said.

"Let the whole army remain true to the leadership of Kim Jong Un over the army," KCNA reported ? a pledge reminiscent of those made when Kim Jong Il was named supreme commander.

Slideshow: Journey into North Korea (on this page)

The call to rally behind Kim Jong Un, dubbed the "Great Successor" in the wake of his father's death on Dec. 17 from a heart attack, comes amid displays of grief across North Korea. The country is to remain in an official state of mourning until after Kim's funeral Wednesday and a memorial Thursday.

In Pyongyang, mourners continued Saturday to bow and lay flowers at Kim's portrait at plazas and government buildings, including the Pyongyang Circus Theater and Kim Il Sung Square, even as temperatures dropped to 14 degrees below Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit).

At the April 25 People's Army House of Culture, workers at beverage kiosks handed steaming cups of water to shivering mourners, including children bundled up in colorful thick parkas. A sign urged mourners to thaw out inside a heated bus.

The order to provide food and warming huts for mourners came from Kim Jong Un, officials said.

Earlier, a throng of North Koreans climbed stairs and placed flowers and wreaths neatly in a row below a portrait of Kim Jong Il as solemn music filled the air and young uniformed soldiers, their heads shaved, bowed before his picture.

A sobbing Jong Myong Hui, a Pyongyang citizen taking a break from shoveling snow, told AP Television News that she came out voluntarily to "clear the way for Kim Jong Il's last journey."

For days, life in Pyongyang has come to a standstill, with shops and restaurants closed. Downtown Koryo Hotel, one of several in Pyongyang catering to foreigners, was nearly empty.

But there are signs that the country is beginning to move on.

"Streets, buses and the metro are all crowded with people going to their work. They are not giving way simply to sorrow," KCNA said. "They are getting over the demise of their leader, promoted by a strong will to closely rally around respected Comrade Kim Jong Un."

Among the mourners in Pyongyang was the youngest son of Unification Church founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who is expected to take over the multibillion-dollar religious and business empire founded by his father in South Korea.

Interactive: Meet North Korea?s first family (on this page)

The Rev. Hyung-jin Moon helped carry a wreath to the main mourning site at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang. The American-born Moon had been in North Korea earlier in the month. The church has several business interests in North Korea.

The Korean peninsula has remained in a technical state of war since the Koreas' 1950-53 conflict, but two groups from South Korea have received permission from the South Korean government to visit the North to pay their respects, South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Choi Boh-seon said Saturday.

One group will be led by the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, who held a landmark summit with Kim Jong Il in 2000, and the other by the wife of a late businessman with ties to the North.

Citizens in Pyongyang, meanwhile, received a special gift from the late Kim Jong Il: loads of fish. State-run media said Kim was worried about the supply of fish in Pyongyang and had looked into the matter the day before he died.

Rodong Sinmun showed a photo of a woman covering her mouth in sadness and gratitude as she watched loads of herring and walleye pollack being distributed at a crowded grocery store where they were piled up in baskets.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45782565/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/

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WinFuture: Der Kartendienst Bing Maps Streetside von Microsoft ist startklar. http://t.co/QDFWqxGd

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Der Kartendienst Bing Maps Streetside von Microsoft ist startklar. goo.gl/3Tm5Q Il y a environ 6 heures via WinFuture.de CMS Retweeted by 1 person

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DNA mismatch repair happens only during a brief window of opportunity

Thursday, December 22, 2011

In eukaryotes ? the group of organisms that include humans ? a key to survival is the ability of certain proteins to quickly and accurately repair genetic errors that occur when DNA is replicated to make new cells.

In a paper published in the December 23, 2011 issue of the journal Science, researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have solved part of the mystery of how these proteins do their job, a process called DNA mismatch repair (MMR).

"One of the major questions in MMR is how MMR proteins figure out which base in a DNA mispair is the wrong one," said Ludwig Institute assistant investigator Christopher D. Putnam, PhD, an adjunct assistant professor of medicine at UC San Diego. "For example, if guanine (G) is inappropriately in a base-pair with thymine (T), is the G or the T the error? Picking the wrong base results in mutations, not fixes."

Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or baker's yeast, as their model organism, the researchers, led by Richard D. Kolodner, PhD, Ludwig Institute investigator and UCSD professor of medicine and cellular and molecular medicine, discovered that newly replicated DNA produces a temporary signal for 10 to 15 minutes after replication which helps identify it as new ? and thus a potential subject for MMR.

The actual signal was not identified, but Putnam said it might be tell-tale nicks in single-stranded DNA or certain proteins associated with replication. The scientists are working to pinpoint the precise signal.

The findings, combined with earlier, published work that visualized MMR in a living cell for the first time, more fully explains how eukaryotes eliminate DNA replication errors, which can result in defects and the development of cancers.

"How eukaryotes identify the newly synthesized strand of DNA is a mystery that has persisted for at least 30 years," said Putnam. "These findings really change our ideas of how MMR works," said Putnam.

###

University of California - San Diego: http://www.ucsd.edu

Thanks to University of California - San Diego for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116283/DNA_mismatch_repair_happens_only_during_a_brief_window_of_opportunity

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Coffee With Vervet Monkeys In Limpopo, South Africa

Scientists will tell you that vervet monkeys eat fruit, figs, flowers and termites. Don't believe them. In Limpopo, South Africa, these grayish monkeys with the white-fringed, black faces prefer coffee and sugar.

If you so much as leave your window cracked, as I did at the Shiluvari Lakeside Lodge, an eco-lodge overlooking the Luonde Mountains, these adorable varmints will figure out a way to sneak in and plunder your supply.

Don't get me wrong. I love being awakened by the sounds of nature (Limpopo's 600 species of birds perform a delightful wake-up call), but caffeine-starved monkeys with powder blue balls (the males have equally bright red penises) are not my idea of early morning company.

Everything else about Shiluvari was perfect. Set in the heart of a nature conservancy on the banks of the Albasini Dam, this quirky, family-run lodge has 14 rooms and thatched chalets, each decorated with art by local artists. Even the cabinets, rugs and bathroom amenities are hand-made by locals, in some cases out of baobab leaves and rhino and elephant dung.

Shiluvari was started in 1995 on the estate of a long-time Swiss French family whose great grandfather opened the mission hospital in nearby Elim. It's off the beaten path, to be sure, but it has everything you could ever want in a vacation: history (the family knew Gandhi), legends (white lions, tribal medicine men, etc.) and a pet warthog named Petunia.

Okay, so Petunia finally had to go, but Jack, the Jack Russell terrier, is on hand and ever-vigilant at picking up crumbs that escape from sumptuous evening dinners on the patio of the lodge's Wood-Owl Country Restaurant that overlooks the lake. Not that I'd willingly let a crumb go -- the African-fusion cuisine is much too delicious -- but with all the fascinating tales masterfully woven by Michel Girardin, one of the owners who joined us for dinner, a scrap or two was bound to fall into Jack's waiting jaws.

Girardin calls the province of Limpopo, South Africa's "wild west."

"It has a fantastic landscape, ancient kingdoms, extraordinary Venda and Shangaan legends, the Big Five and from a pricing point of view, it offers a bloody good deal," he says.

Birding tours, led by Samson Mulaudzi, Shiluvari's resident bird guide, are popular pastimes as is the Ribolla Arts Route. Betty Hlungwane, the lodge manager, provided us with a map of the route that leads to the homes and studios of 30 local artists where we were able to sit under avocado and paw-paw trees, watch the artists at work and hear about the dreams, visions and spiritual beliefs that lead to each piece of art. In these Venda villages, it's possible to strike up conversations with potters, batik makers, wood carvers, bead designers, drum crafters and young women dancing like pythons.

Although many of the artists on the route are unknowns and don't have computers, let alone phones, others, such as sculptor Noria Mabaso, impressionist Jackson Hlungwane and drum-maker Phineas Masivhelele, regularly sell to overseas clients.

I was particularly struck by Thomas Kubayi's 12-foot wood carving of Nelson Mandela with angel wings. Kubayi, who tutors local kids in carving from salvaged wood, also produces indigenous music CD's, one of which is playing while I write this.

Perhaps the best part of the Ribolla Arts Route and Shiluvari Lodge are the unexpected surprises along the way -- women balancing baskets of fruit on their heads, moms washing their toddlers outside in big plastic buckets, teenagers roasting prawns in wheelbarrows. And, yes, even pesky vervet monkeys.

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Follow Pam Grout on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PamGrout

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pam-grout/coffee-with-vervet-monkey_b_1163506.html

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Banks gorge on ECB loans (Reuters)

FRANKFURT (Reuters) ? Banks gobbled up nearly 490 billion euros in three-year cut-price loans from the European Central Bank on Wednesday, easing immediate fears of a credit crunch but leaving unresolved how much will flow to needy euro zone economies.

Following a string of failed attempts by euro zone leaders to thwart market attacks on the bloc's weaker members, hopes of crisis relief before the year-end had been pinned on a massive uptake of the ECB's ultra-long and ultra-cheap loans.

The near half a trillion euro take-up of ECB funds exceeded almost all forecasts. A total of 523 banks borrowed with demand way above the 310 billion euros expected by traders polled by Reuters, making it the most the bank has ever pumped into the financial system.

"The take-up was massive ... much higher than the expected 300 billion euros. Liquidity on the banking system has now increased considerably," said Annalisa Piazza at Newedge Strategy.

The funding should bolster banks' finances, ease the threat of a credit crunch and maybe tempt them to buy Italian and Spanish bonds, thereby easing the currency area's sovereign debt crisis.

But analysts said there was little prospect of the cash being hurled at the debt of euro zone weaklings and, while an interbank lending freeze may have been averted, the lack of trust between banks to lend to each other remains unresolved.

Optimism that the lunge for funding would ease Europe's two-year old debt crisis quickly faded, sending the euro and stocks lower after an initial jump.

Banks have struggled to attract funding mainly because of worries about the underlying health of euro zone countries and their exposure to it, so becoming more reliant on the ECB and pledging more assets against those loans may add to the problem.

"It's helpful. It's more than a sticking plaster, although it's by no means the solution longer term," said Chris Wheeler, bank analyst at Mediobanca in London.

HELP FOR ITALY AND SPAIN?

The debt problems of Greece, Portugal, Ireland and now Italy and Spain have taken the euro zone's troubles to new heights in recent months and raised serious questions about whether the euro, the currency shared by the 17 euro zone countries, can survive in its current form.

While a lending crunch may have been avoided thanks to the ECB's latest move, it is much less certain that banks will use the money to buy Italian and Spanish government debt, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged, given the competing pressures on them to cut risk, rebuild capital and lend to business.

"While this might help to address recent signs of renewed tensions in credit markets and support bank lending, we remain skeptical of the idea that the operation will ease the sovereign debt crisis too," said Jonathan Loynes, Chief European Economist at Capital Economics.

Banks will not increase their exposure to sovereign debt because European Bank Authority (EBA) rules discourage it, Italy's banking association (ABI) said.

"The EBA rules are a deterrent for buying sovereign bonds, so not even the ECB's important liquidity injection ... can be used to support sovereign debt," ABI director general Giovanni Sabatini told reporters.

Given those doubts, most market experts say only more aggressive and direct buying of government bonds by the ECB will help ameliorate the crisis, something it is reluctant to do.

Italy alone faces about 150 billion euros of debt refinancing between April and March and data on Wednesday showed its economy - the euro zone's third largest - shrank in the third quarter, while the ABI forecast a recession next year.

"The crisis is far from over. What I am particularly concerned about is the first quarter of 2012, because of financing needs which are very high," one senior euro zone policymaker told Reuters.

"The fact that the ECB has now made available the 3 year credit lines plus made the collateral more flexible will help banks a lot."

More than a dozen Italian banks, including top lenders UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo, tapped at least 49 billion euros ($64.2 billion) of new three-year loans, according to data and banking sources.

One source from a Spanish bank said nearly all Spanish banks had participated in the 3-year ECB auction.

FUNDING JUGGLE

One of the key factors certain to have boosted demand is that banks are now more reliant than ever on central bank funds. The ECB on Monday said, in its semi-annual Financial Stability Review, that this dependency could be difficult to cure.

French banks have almost quadrupled their intake of ECB money since June to 150 billion euros, while banks in Italy and Spain are each taking more than 100 billion euros.

ECB President Mario Draghi had been pressing banks to take the money since announcing the plans earlier this month. He warned of a chance of a credit crunch on Monday and said that euro zone bond market pressure could rise to unprecedented levels early next year.

The 3-year funds were offered at an interest rate which will be the average of ECB's main interest rate over the next three years. That benchmark rate is, after a rate cut earlier this month, at a record low of 1.0 percent.

For some banks the new money could be more than 3 percentage points cheaper than they can get on the open market. As part of the deal, they were able to convert one-year loans they took from the ECB in October into the new three-year loans and also will be able to pay it back after just a year if they so wish.

The ECB was already lending banks 515 billion euros before Wednesday but the new loans will not simply stack on top.

Banks switched 45.7 billion euros out of the one-year loans they took in October. They also scaled down their three-month borrowing from the ECB to 30 billion euros from 140 billion and almost halved their intake of one-week loans this week.

Analysts at Royal Bank of Scotland said the actual amount of new money going in to the system as a result of that juggling reduced the headline number to around 200 billion euros.

"The key question now is whether this net new liquidity addition of close to 200 billion euros will be used to purchase sovereign bonds, lend to the economy or pay maturing bonds," said RBS economist Nick Matthews.

(Reporting by Marc Jones, additional reporting Luca Trogni, Gabriella Bruschi, Steve Slater, Jesus Aguado and Jan Strupczewski, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111221/bs_nm/us_ecb3yr_loans

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Hipstamatic brings automatic sharing with Disposable (Appolicious)

Taking photos in a large group can result in some great memories, but it can also result in a chorus of ?You have to send me that photo!? causing you email and text exhaustion. Hipstamatic?s new app Hipstamatic Disposable, for iPhone and iPod Touch, aims to take the work out of group photography by setting up an automatically shared camera ? with a twist.

The app comes with two free camera styles, but you can pick up a third pack by liking the app on Facebook. Although you can use the cameras an unlimited number of times, this is a throwback app ? each camera only offers 24 exposures (remember those days?). When you set up the camera, you can create a custom sticker (in case you have more than one camera working at once) and share the camera with other Hipstamatic Disposable-using friends ? ideal for when you?re at a gathering and want to capture different event angles. Oh, and just like film, you won?t be able to see any of your images until the roll of 24 is complete. Some might consider this a frustration, but I think it?s an interesting concept in the land of digital immediacy. It also will cut down on the overwhelming ?Let me see? chorus in group settings.

Once you?ve completed your camera roll, the images are automatically shared with all of the friends on the camera. From here you can share the images further with Twitter and email, or save individual shots to your photo library.

The biggest problem I see with Hipstamatic Disposable is its pricing model. Additional camera filters are available for in-app purchase, but not all of these are unlimited use. In fact, the company has already changed the model once, responding to public criticism, and added unlimited options to the Hipstamart. Caveat emptor, since some of the filters are still restricted; for instance, Dreamy includes nine cameras of 24 exposures each for a buck, and 99 cameras for $3.99. I didn?t buy in, but I?d be highly surprised if the filter is anything that special, and the idea of paying for something repeatedly should be a user turn-off.

I like Hipstamatic Disposable?s nostalgic quality and the group sharing is a big bonus, but I?d stick with the free cameras if you pick up this app.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10559_hipstamatic_brings_automatic_sharing_with_disposable/43990660/SIG=135n5ctoe/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/10559-hipstamatic-brings-automatic-sharing-with-disposable

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Google, TransCanada set solar plant deals (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Google Inc and TransCanada Corp announced deals to buy solar power projects on Tuesday, just days after billionaire Warren Buffett made his second major purchase in the sector.

Prices for solar panels have fallen more than 40 percent this year, pushing the cost to install the renewable energy systems to their cheapest levels ever.

But solar panel makers have struggled as the price decline eroded profit margins for the nascent industry, driving share prices across the sector sharply lower.

Google is teaming up with private equity firm KKR & Co to buy four solar plants in California with a total capacity of 88 megawatts from developer Recurrent Energy, which is owned by Sharp Corp.

The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, brings Google's total investment in the sector to more than $915 million.

Solar installations in the United States have reached record levels this year, with more than 1,000 MW installed through the first nine months of the year, about equal to the output of a large nuclear reactor.

Meanwhile, TransCanada, whose efforts to build the Keystone XL pipeline connecting the Canadian province of Alberta's oil sands fields to the U.S. Gulf Coast have been delayed by the Obama administration, announced its first deal in the solar sector.

The company said it would pay $470 million to Canadian Solar, which will build nine projects in Ontario. Solar plants in that province receive a "feed-in tariff" that guarantees a higher-than-market price for the electricity produced.

Shares of Canadian Solar rose 29 percent to $2.85 in premarket trading, while Google gained 0.8 percent to $626.88.

Last week, Buffett's power company, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, said it would buy a 49 percent stake in the 290 MW Agua Caliente plant in Arizona from NRG Energy.

That followed MidAmerican's purchase a week earlier of the 550 MW Topaz solar project from First Solar, which is also building the Agua Caliente plant.

(Reporting By Matt Daily in New York and Aftab Ahmed, Vaishnavi Bala and Supantha Mukherjee in Bangalore)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111220/wr_nm/us_solar

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Once-conjoined girls return to Dominican Republic (AP)

RICHMOND, Va. ? Once-conjoined toddler girls from the Dominican Republic have left Virginia and are heading home for Christmas.

Maria and Teresa Tapia and their mother, Lisandra Sanatis, and their aunt Mari Reynaldo flew out of Richmond early Tuesday.

The girls underwent nearly daylong surgery Nov. 7 at Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University. The twins were conjoined at the chest, and a team led by university surgeon David Lanning divided the twins' liver, pancreas and other shared organ systems and reconstructed their abdominal walls.

The 20-month-old girls were the guests of honor Monday at a going-away party, where they wore matching dresses and ate hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and cake.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111220/ap_on_re_us/us_conjoined_twins

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Gingrich says rivals' criticism taking a toll (Star Tribune)

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'Barefoot Bandit,' Colton Harris-Moore to plead guilty in US court

Barefoot Bandit:?The 20-year-old Colton Harris-Moore hopscotched his way across the United States as he evaded authorities during a two-year crime spree.

The young U.S. thief who gained an international following as the "Barefoot?Bandit" by stealing planes, boats and cars is expected to plead guilty in Washington state.

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The 20-year-old Colton Harris-Moore hopscotched his way across the United States as he evaded authorities during a two-year crime spree. He was arrested after he flew a stolen plane from Indiana to the Bahamas in July 2010 and crash-landed it near a mangrove swamp.

Harris-Moore earned his nickname by committing some of the crimes?barefoot.

Harris-Moore has already pleaded guilty to federal charges, and on Friday he is expected to plead guilty to about 30 felonies, including burglary charges. Prosecutors will ask for a sentence of just under 10 years, while his lawyers are seeking a six-year term.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/1pBz_UWnb-E/Barefoot-Bandit-Colton-Harris-Moore-to-plead-guilty-in-US-court

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Rapper shot to death in Atlanta (Reuters)

ATLANTA (Reuters) ? Rapper Slim Dunkin has been shot to death in Atlanta, police said on Saturday.

Dunkin, 24, whose real name was Mario Hamilton, was killed on Friday at a studio where a music video was being filmed, Atlanta police said in a statement.

"Moments after his arrival, an argument began and the victim was shot," the statement said.

Dunkin was taken to Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital where he died a short time later. He belonged to a group called 1017 Brick Squad, which includes rappers Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame, according to the Atlanta group's Facebook page.

Police said there have been no arrests in the case.

(Reporting by David Beasley; Editing by Jerry Norton and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111218/people_nm/us_crime_rapper_murder

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Job market brightens as unemployment claims sink (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The outlook for the job market is looking brighter.

Far fewer people are seeking unemployment benefits than just three months ago ? a sign that layoffs are falling sharply.

The number of people applying for benefits fell last week to 366,000, the fewest since May 2008. If the number stayed that low consistently, it would likely signal that hiring is strong enough to lower unemployment.

The unemployment rate is now 8.6 percent. The last time applications were this low, the rate was 5.4 percent.

The big question is whether fewer layoffs will translate into robust hiring. It hasn't happened yet, even though job growth has increased in recent months.

The four-week average of weekly unemployment applications, which smooths out fluctuations, dropped last week to 387,750. That's the lowest four-week since July 2008. The four-week average has declined in 10 of the past 12 weeks.

"Labor market conditions have taken a turn for the better in recent weeks," Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays Capital, said in a note to clients. "Payroll growth should improve in the coming months."

Separately, the prices companies pay for factory and farm goods rose 0.3 percent last month. The figure was pushed up by higher food and pharmaceutical prices. But energy prices barely rose, keeping inflation in check.

In the 12 months ending in November, wholesale prices have increased 5.7 percent, the Labor Department said Thursday. It's the smallest year-over-year increase since March.

The department's producer price index measures price changes before they reach consumers.

A mixed picture of manufacturing emerged from other reports Thursday. Factory output fell in November for the first time in seven months, according to the Federal Reserve. Manufacturers made fewer cars, electronics and appliances.

But some economists noted that auto sales rose in November, suggesting that production will rebound.

And the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and New York said manufacturing expanded in their regions. Manufacturing has been a key source of growth this year.

Still, the U.S. manufacturing sector could weaken in 2012. Growth is slowing in Asia. Europe is likely already in recession. And U.S. companies are reducing their investment in machinery and other large equipment.

The downward trend in applications suggests that companies are cutting fewer workers as the economy picks up. It also comes as Congress is wrangling over whether to extend emergency unemployment benefits, which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Growth may top 3 percent in the final three months of this year, according to many economists. That would be up from 2 percent in the July-September quarter.

Other recent reports suggest the job market is improving a bit. In the past three months, net job gains have averaged 143,000 a month. That compares with an average of 84,000 in the previous three months.

In November, employers added 120,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent from 9 percent. That was the lowest unemployment rate in 2 1/2 years. But about half that decline occurred because many of the unemployed gave up looking for work. When people stop looking for a job, they're no longer counted as unemployed.

Employers posted fewer jobs in October than in the previous month, the government said Tuesday, though the decline was modest.

Job openings have risen by about 35 percent since the recession officially ended in June 2009. But they're still about 25 percent below pre-recession levels.

More than 7.4 million people are receiving unemployment benefits, according to Thursday's report. About 2 million will lose their benefits by mid-February if the emergency program expires.

Lawmakers differ over how long benefits should last. The House passed a Republican bill Tuesday that would renew emergency aid but reduce the maximum duration to 59 weeks from the current 99 weeks.

Democrats want to keep the full 99 weeks. The measure is part of broader legislation in the Democratic-led Senate that would also extend a Social Security tax cut.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_bi_ge/us_economy

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