Monday, January 30, 2012

Discovery may lead to new treatment for Rett Syndrome

Monday, January 30, 2012

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (http://www.ohsu.edu) have discovered that a molecule critical to the development and plasticity of nerve cells ? brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) -- is severely lacking in brainstem neurons in mutations leading to Rett syndrome, a neurological developmental disorder. The finding has implications for the treatment of neurological disorders, including Rett syndrome that affects one in 10,000 baby girls.

Using a mouse model of Rett syndrome, the OHSU team found that mutant neurons in the brainstem fail miserably at making BDNF. When normal neurons are faced with a respiratory challenge, such as low oxygen, they dramatically increase the production of BDNF, whereas mutant neurons do not.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Rett syndrome is estimated to affect one in every 10,000 to 15,000 live births and almost exclusively girls because it is caused by an X-linked gene mutation. In addition to severe problems with motor function, other symptoms of Rett syndrome may include breathing difficulties while awake.

"The new finding, coupled with our previously published data that show BDNF is involved in normal maturation of neuronal pathways controlling cardiorespiratory function, could play a significant role in the development of a treatment for Rett syndrome," said Agnieszka Balkowiec, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator and associate professor of integrative biosciences in the OHSU School of Dentistry; and adjunct assistant professor of physiology and pharmacology in the OHSU School of Medicine. To conduct this research, Balkowiec partnered with John M. Bissonnette, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and cell and developmental biology in the OHSU School of Medicine.

###

The new discovery is published online in Neuroscience (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452212000395?v=s5) and is expected in the print issue of Neuroscience in March.

Oregon Health & Science University: http://www.ohsu.edu

Thanks to Oregon Health & Science University 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/117162/Discovery_may_lead_to_new_treatment_for_Rett_Syndrome

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Video: Lester Holt on ?Wendy Williams?

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46173902#46173902

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Obama administration reveals new ATF gun probe rules (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Obama administration on Friday revealed new reforms undertaken to improve how it conducts undercover gun trafficking investigations in the wake of a botched operation in which scores of weapons disappeared.

The reforms require additional oversight of undercover operations, including those that involve more than 50 firearms, and, in most cases, ends the practice of paying gun dealers to serve as confidential informants.

Additionally, a new review committee has been established to monitor sensitive undercover cases or those that would have a "significant regional or national impact," according to the Justice Department.

The details were revealed just before Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on Thursday before members of the House of Representatives' Oversight and Government Reform Committee about the bungled operation known as "Fast and Furious."

The operation, run out of the Phoenix offices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and U.S. Attorney's office was meant to follow the guns from the initial buyers along the U.S. border to violent drug cartel leaders in Mexico.

However ATF agents did not track the weapons after they were transferred from the initial buyer to others who smuggled them across the border. As many as 2,000 guns may have been sold under the operation.

Two AK-47 style weapons from that program were found in Arizona 18 miles from the border where a U.S. Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry, was shot and killed during a December 2010 shootout with illegal immigrants.

A similar, smaller program was run during the Bush administration dubbed "Wide Receiver."

"We are undertaking key enhancements to existing department policies and procedures to ensure that mistakes like those that occurred in 'Wide Receiver' and 'Fast and Furious' are not repeated," Deputy Attorney General James Cole said in a letter to Congress.

Republicans have been demanding to know who in the Obama administration knew about the "Fast and Furious" operation and when. Holder and other senior ATF and Justice Department officials said they did not learn about it until early 2011.

(Reporting By Jeremy Pelofsky)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/pl_nm/us_usa_mexico_guns

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

[OOC] Monsters Manual

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

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Scumbag_Brain
Member for 1 years



Goblins by Scumbag_Brain

Image

Goblins are a kneehigh species of low to moderate intellect covered in green frog-like skin and sporting a pair of large pointed ears. Native to the wetlands of the south, wild goblin tribes once numbered in the tens of thousands. They now number in the hundreds of thousands, a trend of population growth at odds with other monsters who have seen their numbers drop near to zero after encountering the humans. Goblins, however, were lucky enough to be perfectly adapted for life in the sewers of the expanding kingdoms. Those not shipped to reservations in the west found new homes beneath the streets. There they scavenged for a living and accumulated wealth through the only means open to them, crime.

For the 'civilized' races, goblins are a plague, infesting the city substructure like packs of sentient rats. Young adventurers often start their careers by descending into the dank underworld in search of goblin heads. Goblins are not only small but preternaturally limber so chasing them through the narrow pipes of the sewers is no easy challenge. They also excel at traps and ambushes. Attacking from hiding and in great numbers, they have overpowered many a confident warrior or wizard.

Only a very small percentage of the goblin population actually lives on the reservation and even fewer of those keep the old ways alive. More shamans die every year and every year more goblins convert to the self hating dogma peddled by human priests.

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Scumbag_Brain
Member for 1 years


Gargoyles

Image

As a race:
The creatures that were originally sculptures or ornaments have been known to become animated if in a place of healing or holy worship. They are immortal until they either shatter or erode and are surprisingly quick. They are active mainly during the night time but if disturbed they will move during the day light but at a slower rate than during the night.
Different breeds of Gargoyle have been proven to exist. The oldest and most aggressive yet fragile are made of wood and can be easily disposed of if burnt thoroughly. Wooden Gargoyles will attack and feed on any living creature. If one encounters a wooden Gargoyle they should grab a large weapon or run and tell the local authorities.
The youngest and most durable and dormant being the metal gargoyle which has not developed sufficient energy to be any real threat. They feed on passing birds and animals. To dispose of a metal gargoyle you must allow it to rust and decay and then break it away piece by piece. If one encounters a metal Gargoyle they should let the local authorities know and maintain watch on the creature.
Now beware the most cunning of Gargoyle, the stone gargoyle. It has been existence long enough to gain strength to move and is made of a solid material that fire and water do not have such a great effect. This gargoyle has to be shattered or left alone. A rare few have been known to be civil but the vast majority keep to the monasteries they were placed and feast upon the dying or the frail. If one encounters a stone gargoyle and it doesn?t greet them there best bet is to leave it alone and warn the authorities.
No gargoyle is identical and they are masters at blending into there surroundings. If one suspects they are being hunted they should get into a large open area and call for help off anyone nearby.

Weaponry and abilities of the Gargoyle:
If one is to fight a Gargoyle ensure it is during the daylight hours and outside.
Gargoyles can be found with any kind of weapon. Most commonly found with halberds and axes but it is not impossible to find one armed with nothing but its claws. If a gargoyle wishes it can allow itself to appear inanimate by simply staying still, this can cause confusion within its opponent or its prey and allow for it to preform an ambush when the moment is right. Gargoyles have also been known to be exceptional users of holy magic if they have came from a holy ground. They can climb on any surface and move at fast speeds if in the dark. Although a gargoyle may be made to have wings they are far too heavy to fly and the only ones that can glide are wooden gargoyles due to the light nature and how they can be swept up by the strong winds. During the daylight however they can not climb on any surface and so there performance is reduced. Due to the fact they are nocturnal they have enhanced vision at night and dulled vision during the day. Due to the Gargoyles slow metabolism they must only eat once a month or risk damaging themselves.

All alone and the fire grows

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pathfinder Z
Member for 0 years


Vampire

Vampire are said to have appeared 400 years ago, but they were only recognized as ?real? 200 years ago. The official story says that a necromancer named Juniper Betz was researching immortality, the fruit of this research was a process in which he could take the life force of other living creatures. This new magic allowed him to become immortal, this came with a price. He no longer could get nutrition from normal food, his body could only work once he ingested pure life energy, which was easiest to obtain through the blood of living beings.

This gave the necromancer the incredible ability to use life force itself as a means to use magic, this type of magic would later be called ?blood magic?. Blood magic is a brand of the magic arts that uses life force itself as means of energy, this makes blood magic very good at interacting with living beings. This include mind control, shape shifting, creation and destruction of life forms and others.

After a while Juniper started a new cult dedicated to his worship,in time those devout enough received the gift of immortality. The cult grew in numbers quickly as the word spread about the miracle powers of Juniper. But once the cult became large enough Juniper and his minions could no longer feed only on their followers. They started hunting the nearby area for humans, soon enough everyone close to the castle was forced to give away their lives or become a devout follower. 50 years later and the area was devoid of any life. The cult slowly began to dwindle, some vampires fought and ate each other, others just left to the wilderness and others left to the cities of the humans.

A small group of vampires formed in the human cities. They began to think of themselves as better than any other race. They constructed a plan to infiltrate and control the human government by political means. For 150 years the vampires worked in the shadow, trying to manipulate their way into the human governments to try and obtain ultimate control. But the vampires arrogance and thirst got the best of them. After a while the constant reports of dead people and the strange disappearances forced the government to launch an investigation. The political power that vampires had helped them at first, but once wards were created to detect necromantic power their true identities were revealed. The whole vampires organization was destroyed, they were proclaimed ?evil? by the government and they have been hunted as monsters ever since.

Now hunted for 200 years, vampires are the verge of extinction, those who survive are cunning and ruthless. most stay way from the human and elven magics that can easily find them. they use their ability at shape shifting to integrate to other races and they are rarely seen close to cities. The last sign of the once powerful vampire race that remains is the old castle of the necromancer. Although abandoned, most peasants and knights stay away from it, as it is thought that if you enter those walls you might end up a vampire yourself.

Vampires Strengths

Vampires are incredibly strong and agile, they are immortal and regenerate at incredible rates while they remain well fed. They can use blood magic, which is exclusive to them and the Dhampirs. Although they can shape shift few are good enough to actually take the shape of anything other than a humanoid race.

Vampire Weaknesses

Vampires are relatively weak to direct sun light. The more a vampire stays in the sun light the weaker he becomes. Being the product of necromancy vampires are also weak to holy magic.

Dhampir

Dhampirs are the half human/ half vampire hybrids. Officially they don?t exist but some branches of the government are investigating this phenomenon. Dhampirs are almost human. They retain their ability to eat normal foods but this can only act as temporary solutions and sooner or later they have to feed on the life energy of live creatures.

Dhampirs also have some very big differences with the normal strain of vampires. Dhampirs are more human than vampires in a certain way. They cannot be detected with the wards that detect normal vampires. They are not affected by sunlight and they do not have such a strong weakness to holy magic, Holy magic does not harm them but it?s not very good at healing them either. Because of this most Dhampirs can live in the cities with general impunity and most of them do.

On the other hand Dampirs Physical abilities and blood magic capabilities are usually weaker than the normal vampires because they don?t usually feed unless they have to. With a similar diet vampires and dahmpirs do have the same the capabilities with 2 notable exceptions.

Number one, Dhampirs are not immortal they do have a very long life span (around 300 years) but contrary to vampires as they feed their bodies create a combination of an immunity and an allergic reaction to the life energy of other beings. They will need to feed more and more as times go by but at the same time the life energy triggers an adverse effect that becomes more extreme with each consumption. Dhampirs that have the same diet as a normal vampire tend to life around 200 years and than die quick deaths thanks to the allergic reaction.

Number two, dhampirs are relatively bad at shape shifting and the creation or transfiguration of living beings. Because of this Dhampirs tend to move away every 10 years or so to avoid suspicion.

User avatar
TechGorilla
Member for 2 years


Ogre

Ogres are a species of large bipeds native to the mountainous region Tuchanka, an area known for its harsh climate, scarce resources, and overabundance of vicious predators. Due to the brutality of their surroundings, natural selection has played a significant role in the evolution of the Ogre. Their thick hides are virtually impervious to cuts, scrapes or contusions, and they are highly resistant to environmental hazards, including toxins, radiation, and extreme heat and cold. Consequently their diets can include food and drink which would prove very dangerous to other species?a fact reflected in the Ogre liquor of choice, ryncol, which "hits humans like ground glass". Younger Ogre have yellow or blue tint to their skin only maturing to a deep green after puberty. Their bones are incredibly thick and dense making them nearly impossible to break. Do to that they can fall from incredible heights which is quite common for younger ogre growing up on the mountains more dangerous areas. Ogre are famous for their size and strength, growing to around 11-13 feet. There are legends that say it was Ogre's that formed the mountains by tearing into the earth and piling it up to reach the clouds.

Culture and Government

The harsh Ogre homeland conditioned Ogres psychology for toughness just as it did the body. Ogres have always had a tendency to be selfish, unsympathetic, and blunt. They respect strength and loyalty and tend to view treachery and betrayel to ones Krantt as a death wish. The weak and selfless do not live long. Young Ogre undergo a rite of passage that is overseen by a shaman respective to the clan the Ogre wishes to join. This rite consists of battling various wild fauna, ending with an encounter with a thresher maw. Merely surviving for five minutes is considered proof of worthiness. Killing the thresher maw increases the initiate's prestige and standing. Few outsiders have seen the rite of passage take place, even though there are no rules in Ogre tradition that state that a non-Ogre can't help with the undertaking of the rite by acting as the participants Krantt. The rite of passage and all other rites and traditions are preserved by the clan shaman. The shaman must undergo lengthy and torturous rites to assume the position, and is required to give up his name. Because of this level of commitment, the shaman is one of the most respected members of a clan. Membership of a clan allows a Ogre to own property, join the Horde and apply to serve under a Battlemaster. Ogre have powerful territorial instincts which serve them well in combat, but can create problems; when traveling on the road, for example, Ogre find sharing quarters nearly impossible.

Religion

Ogres have strong religious beliefs. One such example is the ritualistic burial grounds called the Hollows, where the skulls of their ancestors are displayed to remind them of "where we all come from, and where we all go." The Hollows are as sacred as any Ogre place can be, and violence there is forbidden. "The Void" is the Ogre version of the afterlife. The only Deity Ogre are known to pray to is Okeer, believed to be the first Ogre. Though Ogres do recognize other deities whom they call "The Old Gods".

Military Doctrine
Traditional Ogre tactics are built on attritional mass-unit warfare. Equipped with cheap, rugged gear, troop formations were powerful but inflexible. Command and control was very centralized; soldiers in the field who saw a target only needed wait for the order to charge. They focus on developing clean, brute-force economy of motion that exploits their brutal strength to incapacitate enemies with a swift single blow of overwhelming power. Battle Masters and Sergeants are not 'spit and polish,' but they do believe in being well-armed and equipped, preferably with a weapon for each limb. They are callous and brutal, but methodical and disciplined. They use any means at their disposal to achieve their goals, no matter how reprehensible. Hostage-taking and genocide are acceptable means to ensure victory.

Ranking System

The Ogre Horde is broken down into unabashedly simple ranks. At the very top you have the Supreme Battle Master. The Ogre version of a king, will rule with an iron fist. Though discouraged it is not uncommon for the Supreme Battle Master to engage in combat personally, he is Ogre after all.

Councilmen are the members of the Supreme Battle Master's war council. Technically his advisers. Chosen from the Battle Masters who have proven their worth to the horde and most importantly The Supreme Battle Master.

Battle Master is the title given to the commanders of the separate clans in the Horde. Each clan has a Battle Master who is permitted to run things as he sees fit in his village.

Sergeants are in charge of the individual squads or "Krantt" of Ogre warriors. There are usually anywhere from 2 to 20 Sergeants per clan depending on the size of the village.

I should go.

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Bromander Shepard
Member for 0 years


Zombies

Zombies are often confused by the living to be the same as skeletons in the fact that both are undead. While they share a few of the same characteristics there are actually a load of differences. First off, zombies rarely form naturally. Despite all of humanities constant ranting and raging against necromancy, their kind are the ones that practice it the most. And zombies are the unfortunate bastard children of the livings constant intrusions into the realm of the dead

Since most zombies are the byproduct of some back fired attempt from a magician trying to break the natural rules, zombies have a varying degree of behavior. Intelligence can range depending on the type of zombie. Some are about as dumb as a sack of hammers, while others are able to keep hold of some of their memories from when they were alive. Their general abilities depend on how they were formed. However they do share some of the more common traits with other forms of undead, such as being stronger at night, vulnerability to fire, being strong against physical attacks and most having a weakness to holy magic (due to most being forged from necromancy).

Zombies tend to harbor resentment toward beings that practice necromancy, due to subconscious blame at the living creatures that dragged them out of their resting places in the afterlife and shoving them into rotting husk.

The most well known kind of zombie is the lich. A lich is able to keep hold of it's memories from life, and sometimes it's own time in the after life if they are allowed, which makes them much smarter then the mindless thralls that work as slaves for necromancers. More dangerous to, as a lich can operate independently and even preform magic. A lich can either be made by a necromancer trying to raise someone from the dead or the necromancer trying to turn undead themselves in an attempt to prolong their time on the living world. The magic that binds a zombie to a necromancer in considered very painful to the undead, giving a feeling like its suffocating when the magic puts a strangle hold on their souls. Raised liches often turn on their masters when they get the chance, which helps cement the popular opinion that all undead are evil even though the lich in question is just trying to stop the necromancer from tormenting it.

Slimes

slimes are arguably the most common, varied and wide spread species in the world. A slime is a strange genderless life form made entirely of liquid. They can be found almost anywhere in the world, from under city sewers, too deep forest, to high mountain ranges, too deep underground caverns, but they mostly prefer area's with access to water. And while they most often encountered and referred in the traditional form of a 'slime', they do have a a huge number of sub-species variations.

Adventurers mostly regard slimes as little more then annoying pest that are at best harmless and at worst annoying. And usually their right, as most slimes are small and aren't aggressive unless provoked, making slimes little more then a distraction. The key word, however, is usually. Some slimes are made out of dangerous substances, making their bodies deadly weapons against hostile creatures. Examples can range from acid, to poison or diseases. Sometimes they can even be made out of liquid metal, able to make their bodies hard and able to crush their enemies with blunt force. Some rare variations are even made of lava! And even if they didn't have these particular breeds as part of their kin, slimes can be extremely dangerous when in groups. All slimes have the innate ability to combine their bodies with others to make larger slimes. Most slime related death are the result of some foolish adventurer thinking they could pass the time bullying some poor defenseless slime, only to turn around and find that it's friends and merged together into a very large, very angry behemoth slime.

Since they often share the sewers with goblins, some slimes are known to coexist peacefully with goblin tribes. The relationship can be from being simple neighbors, to acting as companions.

There are a few facts about slimes that most people aren't aware of. The first is that slimes are actually nearly immortal, in meaning that they don't age. And while the more common breeds are as easy to beat as taking a single swing, actually killing a slime permanently requires effort in removing the remains as they can simply reform themselves after several hours. The exact length of time a slime needs to reform, however, depends on a few factors such as it's size and body make up.

The other fact is that slimes actually are sentient, indeed they will sometimes even take on humanoid shapes for short periods of time. They even have their own language, however few outside of their race can make sense of it, as it mostly consist of squeaks, whistles, and whines. Exactly how intelligent the slimes are is up for debate though. They rarely show examples of their apparent intellect, and there is little to say on how to tell if one slime is any more intelligent then the other.

As you can probably tell there aren't exactly a lot of epic tales of battles with the slimes told by bards. The closest thing to any real excitement with them is the occasional territorial battle between magma slimes and dwarves. Even then the dwarves usually back off as there rarely is anything valuable enough to bother trying to pillage from magma slime nest. However there is one old story about the 'mother' slime, the suppossed goddess that all slimes are decended from that was said to be 'as big as a castle'. This is regarded as just a made up story by some drunken adventurer trying ti make himself sound more impressive.

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Wake
Member for 1 years



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Friday, January 27, 2012

Happy 3rd Birthday, Children of Octomom!


Octomom Nadya Suleman's octuplets turn three today.

Pray for them. Even if you're not religious ... just pray.

We're legitimately shocked they all survived this long, looking relatively healthy to boot, her as the mom, but hey, it's a very pleasant surprise. Eight times over.

Octomom Birthday Party

Nadya Suleman took her octuplets out for some fun to celebrate, hitting up the Seascape Kids Fun venue in Los Angeles. Looks like a good time was had, except perhaps by the random paparazzi guy creeping in the background.

Suleman's octuplets are Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariah, Makai, Josiah, Jeremiah and Jonah.

Her other children are Elijah Makai, Amerah Yasmeen, Joshua Jacob, Aiden, Calyssa Airelle and Caleb Kai. Yes, that makes 14 kids and no jobs in all.

Again, pray for them.

[Photo: Pacific Coast News]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/happy-3rd-birthday-children-of-octomom/

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NASA satellites see cyclone Funso exiting Mozambique Channel

ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2012) ? Powerful Cyclone Funso is now beginning to exit the Mozambique Channel, and NASA's Aqua satellite captured a stunning image of the storm that shows the depth and extent of it.

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Funso on January 26 at 1110 UTC (6:10 a.m. EST). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, better known as the MODIS instrument captured a true color image of the storm that showed a 25 nautical-mile-wide (29 miles/~46 km) eye, and clouds swirling down into it. The outer extent of Funso's clouds skirted Madagascar to the east, and Mozambique to the west.

At 0900 UTC (4 a.m. EST) on January 26, Funso's maximum sustained winds were down to 100 knots (115 mph/185 kph). It was located about 277 nautical miles (319 miles/513 km) east-northeast of Maputo, Mozambique. Its center was pinpointed near 24.0 South latitude and 39.2 East longitude. It was moving to the south-southeast near 4 knots (4.6 mph/7.4 kph). The storm is over 400 nautical miles (460 miles/~741 km) in diameter, which is the extent of tropical-storm-force winds.

Funso is expected to maintain cyclone strength over the next couple of days as it moves out of the Mozambique Channel and into the open waters of the Southern Indian Ocean, where it will begin to weaken.

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Crude price rises on promise of low interest rates (AP)

NEW YORK ? Benchmark oil prices rose Wednesday afternoon, briefly topping $100 per barrel, after the Federal Reserve said it would keep interest rates at record lows for a year longer than expected.

The Fed's plan allows consumers and business to continue to borrow money cheaply in the U.S., which should help boost the economy of the world's largest oil consumer. The central bank, which has kept its benchmark interest rate near zero for three years, said it doesn't plan to raise the rate before late 2014.

"They're telling investors `Hey, there's a lot of uncertainty in this world, but the one thing you can count on is that we're going to keep interest rates low,'" PFG Best analyst Phil Flynn said. That kind of promise should spark more expansion among American businesses "and that will hopefully encourage more energy demand."

Benchmark crude on Wednesday rose by 45 cents to finish at $99.40 per barrel in New York. At one point it was as high as $100.40. Brent crude fell 22 cents to end at $110.21 per barrel in London.

Major stock indices also rose in afternoon trading following the Fed statement.

Earlier in the day, the Energy Department said the nation's crude supplies increased by 3.6 million barrels last week, far more than analysts expected. Demand for oil dropped by about 4 percent. Gasoline demand was down as well, with the four-week average 6.4 percent below year-ago levels.

Supplies of gasoline and distillates, which include diesel fuel, dropped as refineries slowed operations in the face of slack demand.

Meanwhile, Iran ratcheted up tensions in the Persian Gulf with threats to halt oil sales to Europe.

Iran, the world's third-largest oil exporter, has been engaged in a lengthy dustup with Western nations over its secretive nuclear program, which may be developing a nuclear bomb. The European Union recently announced plans to embargo Iranian oil this summer. Iran now threatens to cut oil off to Europe sooner than that. EU nations account for about 18 percent of Iran's oil sales, and Iranian lawmakers think stopping oil sales to Europe would hurt those nations more than it would Iran.

Natural gas prices continued to rebound from recent 10-year lows, rising 17 cents, or nearly 7 percent, to finish at $2.73 per 1,000 cubic feet on Wednesday. Prices are being pushed up by forecasts for cooler winter temperatures across much of the country, closer to average for this time of year. The mild winter thus far has slowed demand for natural gas to heat homes.

Gasoline pump prices in the U.S. were flat on Wednesday at a national average of $3.38 per gallon, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That's about the same as a week ago, 15 cents higher than a month ago and 27 cents more than a year ago.

In other energy trading heating oil was virtually unchanged at $3.02 a gallon and gasoline futures rose by 3 cents to end at $2.83 a gallon.

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

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Cold Plasma Layer Detected High Above Earth (SPACE.com)

Cold, electrically charged particles have long been suspected to exist tens of thousands of miles above the Earth's surface, and now scientists have detected such ions there for the first time. And they are significantly more abundant at those heights than previously imagined.

Cold is, of course, a relative term. Although these low-energy ions are 1,000 times cooler than what researchers might consider hot plasma, these particles still have an energy that would correspond to about 1 million degrees Fahrenheit (500,000 degrees Celsius). But because the density of the "cold" ions in space is so low, satellites and spacecraft can orbit through them without getting destroyed.

Scientists had detected the ions at altitudes of about 60 miles (100 kilometers), but for decades, researchers wanted to look for them much higher, between 12,400 and 60,000 miles (20,000 and 100,000 km). Knowing how many cold ions dwell up there could help better understand how our planet interacts with storms of charged particles from the sun ? like the one that slammed into the planet yesterday (Jan 24) ? that create auroras, damage satellites and sometimes wreak havoc with power grids on Earth.

However, detecting cold plasma at those high altitudes has proven difficult. Spacecraft that far up accumulate an electrical charge, due to sunlight that makes them repel the cold ions.

The breakthrough came with one of the European Space Agency's four CLUSTER spacecraft. These are equipped with a detector composed of thin wire arms that measure the electric field between them as the satellite rotates.

"It is surprising we found the cold ions at all with our instrument," researcher Mats Andr?, a space scientist at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Uppsala, told OurAmazingPlanet. "It was not at all designed to do this. It was designed to observe electric fields."

'Ugly' electrical fields

Two mysterious trends appeared when the scientists analyzed data from these detectors ? strong electric fields turned up in unexpected regions of space, and as the spacecraft rotated, the measurements of the electrical fields did not fluctuate in the smoothly changing manner that investigators expected.

"To a scientist, it looked pretty ugly," Andr? said. "We tried to figure out what was wrong with the instrument. Then we realized there's nothing wrong with the instrument."

Their findings suggest that cold plasma was influencing electrical fields around the satellite. Once the scientists understood that, they could measure how much of the once-hidden ions there were.

"The more you look for low-energy ions, the more you find," Andr? said. "We didn't know how much was out there. It's more than even I thought."

Although the concentration of the previously hidden cold ions varies, about 50 to 70 percent of the time the researchers find they make up most of the mass of high-altitude zones. These previously elusive low-energy ions were detected even at altitudes of about 60,000 miles (100,000 km), about a third of the distance to the moon. Finding so many relatively cool ions in those regions is surprising, because the solar wind blasts Earth's high altitudes.

"It is surprising that there were so many cold ions," Andr? said. "There have been hints for a long time, and with previous spacecraft, but I do not think anyone, not me, thought this cold, hidden population could dominate so-large volumes, [for] so-large fractions of the time."

Losing ions

Space physicists have struggled to accurately determine how many low-energy ions are leaving the planet. The new findings suggest that about two lbs. (1 kilogram) of cold plasma escape from Earth's atmosphere every second.

Knowing that rate of loss for Earth might help scientists better figure out what became of the atmosphere of Mars, which is thought to once have been denser, and more similar to Earth's. The new cold plasma results might also help researchers explain atmospheric traits of other planets and moons, including alien worlds or exoplanets, Andr? said.

"If someone is living on an exoplanet, they probably want an atmosphere that is not blowing away," Andr? said.

Moreover, as scientists further map cold plasma around Earth, they could discover more about how it reacts during solar storms and other events, deepening our understanding of space weather. Andr? compared the swaths of low-energy ions to a low-pressure area in our familiar, down-to-Earth weather. "You may want to know where the low-pressure area is, to predict a storm," he said.

Andr? and his colleague Christopher Cully detailed their findings Dec. 23 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

This story was provided by OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site to SPACE.com. Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120126/sc_space/coldplasmalayerdetectedhighaboveearth

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Academy Award (Oscar) Nominations 2012

Academy Award (Oscar) Nominations 2012

The nominees for the 84th annual Academy Awards were announced this morning. The Oscars will be held on February 26, 2012, hosted by actor/comedian Billy [...]

Academy Award (Oscar) Nominations 2012 Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/ZPiUq0TKQ24/

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Utah professor in porn-on-plane case resigns job (AP)

SALT LAKE CITY ? A University of Utah professor charged with viewing child pornography on a plane has resigned.

University spokesman Remi Barron says 47-year-old Grant Smith stepped down last month, several weeks after he was arrested Nov. 26 following a flight from Salt Lake City to Boston.

He had been placed on paid administrative leave upon his arrest, but Barron tells the Deseret News ( http://bit.ly/xmWxcT) Smith left before the school started any internal disciplinary action against him.

Prosecutors say a fellow first-class passenger saw Smith viewing the images and took a cellphone photo before alerting a flight attendant.

Smith was a materials science and engineering professor at the university. He has pleaded not guilty to child pornography possession.

___

Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_us/us_plane_arrest_child_porn

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Boy meets girl, grandpa meets robot in quirky Sundance comedies (omg!)

PARK CITY, Utah, Jan 22 (TheWrap.com) - Saturday's substantial snowfall may have slowed the Park City shuttle buses that take Sundance audiences from screening to screening, but the film festival kept on keeping on, with two afternoon world premieres that -- like previous Sundance hits "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Kids Are All Right" -- tweak genre conventions while remaining exceedingly audience-friendly.

Frank Langella gives another compelling performance in "Robot and Frank," a movie that often felt like a cross between "Driving Miss Daisy" and the senior-citizens-rob-a-bank comedy "Going in Style," with a science fiction twist.

Set in the near future (you can tell because the adults all have names like "Hunter" and "Madison"), the film sees the elderly Frank (Langella), who's fighting off dementia, being left in the care of a nurse robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) provided to Frank by his estranged son (James Marsden). We come to realize that Frank used to be a cat burglar, and since the robot hasn't been programmed with a moral compass, Frank teaches him how to pick locks and to be the perfect criminal sidekick.

The pensioner's health blossoms now that he has a new project to tackle, but what if he gets caught? What if his hippie-dippie, anti-robot daughter (Liv Tyler) moves back in to take care of him? And what about Frank's romance with the sexy local librarian (Susan Sarandon)?

"Robot and Frank" often winds up being the sum of its gimmick, but this talented cast (assembled by first-time director Jake Schreier) makes the movie loads of fun. Screenwriter Christopher D. Ford, also making his debut, even tosses in a few surprising third-act twists, and when's the last time you didn't see one of those coming?

The dialogue of teen rom-com "The First Time" winds up being one of the film's big flaws, but the cast and storytelling is so charming that you forgive the fact that almost all of the characters talk like screenwriters. (In this case, Jonathan Kasdan, who also directed.)

Kasdan's TV credits include "Dawson's Creek" and "Freaks and Geeks," but you'd never guess it from the quippy, artificial banter that takes up so much of this often delightful story about two high-schoolers who meet, fall hard and have sex over the course of one weekend. The sex part, of course, winds up complicating matters more than they ever could have expected, and the two have to figure out if they have a future together after that first awkward naked encounter.

It's hard not to be won over by "The First Time," though, since TV vets Britt Robertson ("The Secret Circle") and Dylan O'Brien ("Teen Wolf") are so utterly charming. Robertson, in particular, brings a brainy-pixie vibe that reminded me of the late, great Adrienne Shelley in those early Hal Hartley movies.

As for O'Brien, he's certainly charismatic, but he's tough to buy as the nerdy sensitive guy (who another character actually calls "average-looking") when he could clearly be an underwear model.

Nonetheless, the two actors click as slightly eccentric adolescents who feel like real people, even if they don't always talk like them.

Still, even if Kasdan bobbles the dialogue, he gets a lot of high school life just right, from messy keggers to Saturday night at the multiplex to the difference between calling a girl on her cell and calling her parents' number. Teenagers are probably likely to be way more forgiving of the beyond-their-years sophistication of the witty chat, and they might even make "The First Time" a hit.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_boy_meets_girl_grandpa_meets_robot_quirky_sundance222909632/44266652/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/boy-meets-girl-grandpa-meets-robot-quirky-sundance-222909632.html

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Verizon releases Q4 results, sees jump in revenue, broadband subscribers

Verizon has just come out with its Q4 results this morning, ending the fiscal year with yet another solid performance. According to the provider, total revenue reached $18.3 billion during the final quarter of 2011, up 13 percent from last year. Verizon saw a particularly notable spike in data revenue, which reached $6.3 billion, representing a 19.2 percent increase over the year, and comprising nearly 42 percent of all revenue. The company also saw an increase in its subscriber base, adding 98,000 broadband customers in the span of a quarter, along with a net increase of 1.2 million postpaid subscribers. As far as demographics go, smartphones now comprise a full 44 percent of Verizon's consumer base, up from 39 percent last quarter. For the full year, total revenue finished at $70.2 billion, up 10.6 percent from Big Red's 2010 figures. For more stats and breakdowns, check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Verizon releases Q4 results, sees jump in revenue, broadband subscribers

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Monday, January 23, 2012

UK shareholders to get vote on executive pay (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Shareholders should be given a binding vote over how large British companies manage executive pay and more companies should be able to claw back cash from highly-paid staff who fail to deliver, Business Secretary Vince Cable said on Monday.

Firms should also need 75 percent of shareholders to agree to any pay proposals, Cable told parliament, announcing measures to improve executive pay policy at Britain's biggest companies.

Big bonus payouts at Britain's banks - and large pay rises for bosses at other firms - have sparked a public and political backlash over perceived excess in executive pay, at a time when the economy is stalling and many workers are enduring negligible pay increases or wage freezes.

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has pledged to clamp down on out-of-control pay culture, although ministers are wary of pushing too far with regulation, for fear of driving talent away from Britain's top companies.

"No proposal on its own is a magic bullet but together they can enable a major transformation to get under way," Cable told parliament.

"Shareholders need new powers to hold the board (of companies) to account and I will consult shortly on specific proposals to reform the current voting arrangements and give shareholders a binding vote, enabling them to exert more pressure on boards," he said.

The binding vote will cover how directors' performance is judged and the scope of potential payouts. The government will also extend to all big firms a requirement for contracts to include clawback mechanisms -- not just in financial services.

Simon Wong, a partner in corporate governance watchdog Governance for Owners said moves to explain how pay structures reflect and support company strategy were welcome but investors would need to develop the capacity to assess the merits of individual arrangements instead of standard performance metrics like earnings per share.

UNIONS ATTACK

Trade unions, some representing millions of public sector workers who have had their pay frozen as part of Britain's budget deficit reduction plan, complained that Cable's much-hyped proposals had not gone far enough.

"Ministers have spectacularly failed to make any significant changes to the status quo," said Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress umbrella organization.

"Whilst the business secretary has announced a few welcome tinkers to current boardroom pay regime, he has shied away from the big decisions on all of the major proposed reforms, from worker representation to company pay ratios and open advertising for posts on remuneration committees."

Barber's views echoed those of Alan MacDougall, managing director of proxy agency PIRC, who said real change depended on asset managers using their new powers responsibly.

"..If the strongest emphasis is put on giving shareholders better information and more powers then a huge amount rests on the voting decisions of asset managers. With notable exceptions, their recent voting behavior does not lend confidence that they will shoulder the burden effectively," he said.

Sacha Sadan, director of corporate governance at Legal & General Investment Management, said public confidence in executive pay would only be restored if the basic principles of simplicity, transparency and alignment were applied.

"Pay and especially bonuses need to be aligned to the long-term interests of shareholders and executives themselves should own a meaningful amount of shares in the company," Sadan said.

Cable, a Liberal Democrat, said he wanted to engineer greater diversity on the remuneration committees which decide executive pay, but fell short of making it compulsory.

Speaking on BBC radio following his speech to parliament, Cable conceded that the proposals were unlikely to stir immediate or sweeping reforms.

"I don't think anyone's going to be terrified but I think what they will recognize is that this is the beginning of serious change of culture in the business community and in executive pay," Cable told BBC radio.

Britain's big state-supported banks - RBS (RBS.L) and Lloyds (LLOY.L) - have come under further pressure this year to pay less in bonuses than last year, with many blaming irresponsible behavior in the sector for triggering the global economic and debt crises.

"We've made it very clear that we do expect to see restraint in bonuses in the banking system - and RBS in particular - and we will see what happens," Cable said.

The government says FTSE 100 CEO pay increased by an average 13.6 percent per year between 1999 and 2010, compared with an average increase of 1.7 percent on the FTSE 100 index itself.

(Additional reporting by Sinead Cruise; Editing by Mohammed Abbas and Helen Massy-Beresford)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/bs_nm/us_britain_pay

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Former Penn State coach Paterno dies (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Legendary former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, fired in November after 46 years as head coach in the wake of a child sex abuse scandal involving an assistant, died on Sunday, the family said in a statement.

"He died as he lived," the family said. "He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been."

Paterno, the winningest coach in major college football history, disclosed he had treatable lung cancer shortly after university trustees ousted him for failing to tell police about a sex abuse allegation years earlier against longtime assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Paterno, 85, had been in and out of the hospital since the cancer disclosure for treatment with radiation and chemotherapy, and also after he fell at home in December and broke his pelvis.

But his family said on Saturday that his health had deteriorated in recent days, and asked that the family's privacy be respected "during this difficult time."

"His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community," the family statement said on Sunday.

A member of the College Hall of Fame, Paterno was head coach of the Nittany Lions for 46 years. With 409 victories at Penn State, he won more games in big-time college football than any other coach in the sport's history.

But disclosure of the charges against assistant coach Sandusky shocked the university and led to one of the biggest scandals in college sports history, and ultimately to Paterno's ouster on November 9, with just four games remaining in the football season.

The move by trustees triggered demonstrations by students who felt Paterno was treated unfairly, and anger among some alumni. The two top officers of the university trustees stepped down this week.

Sandusky, who has maintained his innocence, faces 52 counts of sexual abuse of boys over a period of 15 years, including some incidents at the football complex on campus.

A Penn State graduate assistant testified to a grand jury that he told Paterno in 2002 that he witnessed Sandusky assaulting a boy in the showers at the football building. Paterno said he passed the information on to his boss, then Athletic Director Tim Curley. But no one told police, and the abuse continued for years, according to prosecutors.

University President Graham Spanier was fired along with Paterno, and Curley and a former finance official in the athletic department face charges of lying to a grand jury about the alleged abuse.

Sandusky is under house arrest awaiting trial on the abuse charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

(Writing by Phil Barbara; Editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obits/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/ts_nm/us_usa_paterno

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Key lawmaker withdraws support for Aussie gov't (AP)

CANBERRA, Australia ? Prime Minister Julia Gillard's tenuous grip on power weakened on Saturday when a key independent lawmaker withdrew his support for her minority government.

Lawmaker Andrew Wilkie announced he had ended his 17-month-old agreement with the center-left Labor Party government after Gillard broke a promise to him to introduce legislation that would create new controls on slot machines.

His defection leaves Gillard with control of 75 of the 150 seats in House of Representatives, the lower chamber where parties form governments. This means Gillard could lose power if Labor loses a single by-election and the opposition unites lawmakers outside her coalition.

"I regard the prime minister to be in breach of the written agreement she signed, leaving me no option but to honor my word and end my current relationship with her government," Wilkie told reporters.

"I'm very let down by the prime minister ... and I think a lot of Australians are feeling very let down by the prime minister," he added.

Wilkie wants legislation that would force gamblers to set a limit on how much they are prepared to lose before they start playing slot machines. The aim is to reduce the losses of gambling addicts.

Gillard announced Saturday that she does not plan to introduce the new slot machine technology until 2016 ? two years later than she had promised Wilkie.

Gillard announced a compromise plan on Saturday in which limited trials of so-called pre-commitment technology would begin next year. In addition, automatic teller machines in slot machine venues would be limited to maximum withdrawals of $250.

Gillard said Wilkie's plan would not have been endorsed by Parliament.

"We need people working together on the same page to get change, and the package of reforms we're announcing today I believe will get that support in the Parliament," Gillard told reporters.

With polls pointing to the conservative opposition winning elections due next year, there are serious doubts about whether the changes will ever take place.

Slot machine operators mounted a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign against the reforms, which they claim would cost sporting and social clubs billions of dollars in lost revenue.

Gillard managed to form a government after elections in 2010 when three independent lawmakers and a legislator from the minor Greens party agreed to support the 72 Labor lawmakers in the House of Representatives, creating a majority of 76.

Wilkie's bargaining power diminished in November last year when an opposition lawmaker agreed to become House of Representatives speaker, replacing a Labor lawmaker. Because speakers can vote only to break a tie, the change effectively gave Gillard an additional vote on most legislation and a two-seat buffer.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_politics

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Indonesian charged with blasphemy for atheist post (AP)

PADANG, Indonesia ? Indonesian police say a civil servant who posted "God does not exist" on Facebook faces a maximum penalty of five years behind bars for blasphemy.

Thirty-one-year-old Alexander Aan was taken into police custody Friday after his remarks triggered public outcry in West Sumatra province.

He was attacked by a mob on his way to work.

Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim nation of 240 million, recognizes the right to practice five other religions. But atheism is illegal.

Col. Chairul Azis, police chief in the West Sumatran district of Dharmasraya, says Aan was charged because he used the social networking site to spread beliefs that violate the law.

He says Aan also lied on his job application by claiming he was Muslim.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_facebook_atheist

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Friday, January 20, 2012

Cops: Trainer sold 120 horses to slaughterhouse

By NBCPhiladelphia.com

A Pennsylvania horse trainer is facing felony charges after she allegedly sold as many as 120 horses to buyers for a Canadian slaughterhouse, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

State police say that 24-year-old Chester County-native Kelsey Lefever -- a well-known horse trainer and former Devon Horse Show competitor -- promised owners she could find good homes for their horses when they could no longer race, according to the paper.

What she really found for these horses was a quick death, police say.

For more, visit NBCPhiladelphia.com

They say Lefever was selling the horses she was in charge of finding homes for to contractors for a Canadian slaughterhouse. There, they would be butchered and sent overseas to be sold as food, the Inquirer reports.

Lefever admits to selling as many as 120 horses, according to the paper. Rescue groups that go to a weekly auction and purchase horses that might otherwise be sold for slaughter say Lefever was making about $300 a horse from the kill buyers.

A hearing is set for the beginning of February.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/19/10190070-cops-trainer-sold-more-than-100-horses-to-slaughterhouse

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