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Pakistani rescue workers and local residents gather at the site of a suicide bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed several people including a provincial government official at a political rally held Saturday by a party that has opposed the Taliban, officials said. (AP Photo/Sohail Iqbal)

Pakistani plainclothes police officers and local residents examine at the site of a suicide bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed several people including a provincial government official at a political rally held Saturday by a party that has opposed the Taliban, officials said. (AP Photo/Sohail Iqbal)

Pakistanis mourn for their relative killed in a suicide bombing, at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed several people including a provincial government official at a political rally held Saturday by a party that has opposed the Taliban, officials said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

People carry the casket of Pakistani Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's senior minister Bashir Bilour, who was killed in the suicide bombing, at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed several people including a provincial government official at a political rally held Saturday by a party that has opposed the Taliban, officials said. Among the dead was Bashir Bilour, the second most senior member of the provincial Cabinet, said Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, the politician's brother and federal railways minister. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

People carry the casket of Pakistani Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's senior minister Bashir Bilour, who was killed in a suicide bombing, at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed several people including a provincial government official at a political rally held Saturday by a party that has opposed the Taliban, officials said. Among the dead was Bashir Bilour, the second most senior member of the provincial Cabinet, said Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, the politician's brother and federal railways minister. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) ? A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed nine people including a provincial government official at a political rally held Saturday by a party that has opposed the Taliban, officials said.

The rally in Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was held by the Awami National Party, whose members have been repeatedly targeted by the Taliban.

Among the dead was Bashir Bilour, the second most senior member of the provincial Cabinet, said Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, the politician's brother and federal railways minister.

Over 20 others were wounded by the blast, said local police officer Sabir Khan.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the bombing in a statement, reiterating the United Nations' support for Pakistani efforts "to combat the scourge of terrorism."

Bilour was leaving the rally after delivering the keynote speech when the attack occurred, said Nazir Khan, a local Awami National Party leader.

"There was smoke and dust all around, and dead and wounded people were lying on the ground," he said.

The suicide bomber was on foot, said another police officer, Imtiaz Khan.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information minister and a member of the Awami National Party, said both he and Bilour had repeatedly received threats from militants. He condemned the attack and said the government needed to intensify its battle against the Taliban.

"Terrorism has engulfed our whole society," said Hussain. "They are targeting our bases, our mosques, our bazars, public meetings and our security checkpoints."

Ten Taliban militants attacked the military area of an international airport in Peshawar with rockets and car bombs a week ago, killing four people and wounding over 40 others. Five of the militants were killed during the attack, and five others died the next day in a gunbattle with security forces.

Also Saturday, police said a mob in southern Pakistan stormed a police station to seize a mentally unstable Muslim man accused of burning a copy of Islam's holy book. The crowd beat him to death, and then set fire to his body.

The case is likely to raise further concerns about the country's harsh blasphemy laws, which can result in a death sentence or life in prison to anyone found guilty. An accusation or investigation alone can lead to deaths, as people take the law into their own hands and kill those accused of violating it. Police stations and even courts have been attacked by mobs.

Police arrested the man on Friday after being informed by residents that he had burned a Quran inside a mosque where he had been staying for a night, said local police official Biharud Deen.

An angry mob of more than 200 people then broke into the police station in the southern town of Dadu and took the accused man, who they say was under questioning. Deen said police tried their best to save the man's life but were unable to stop the furious crowd.

Police have arrested 30 people for suspected involvement in the attack, said Deen. The head of the local police station and seven officers had been suspended, he said.

Past attempts by governments in predominantly Muslim Pakistan to review these laws have met with violent opposition from hardline Islamist parties.

In southwestern Pakistan, gunmen late Friday killed 11 Pakistanis and Afghans who were trying to cross into neighboring Iran to travel on to Europe as illegal immigrants, said local government official Zubair Ahmed. The shooting took place in Sunsar town in Baluchistan province, he said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but hundreds of Pakistanis and Afghans are captured by Iranian border guards every year for illegally trying to travel to Europe to find better jobs.

___

Associated Press writers Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Pakistan, and Adil Jawad in Karachi, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-22-Pakistan/id-02fa93f3436843bbae1438f0e7541ce2

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All 102 of the condos in the Four Seasons Hotel Residences Denver have been sold.

It?s mission accomplished for the ?ber-luxurious condominiums in the Four Seasons in downtown Denver.

All 102 of the condos in the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Denver???the most expensive residential real estate project ever constructed in downtown???have been sold.

?It?s pretty remarkable,? said Chris Norton, CEO of the Social Intelligence Group (formerly Fingerprint Strategies), which has been marketing the units in the 45-story hotel and condo project at 14th and Arapahoe Streets.

?The last one will close this week,? Norton said ?The unit is under contract and is scheduled to close this Thursday.?

The 5,000-square-foot unit is selling at $2.25 million, the equivalent of $450 per square foot. Initially, it would have been priced at $3.9 million, or $780 per square foot, according to Norton.

When Denver developers Jeffrey Selby and Michael Brenneman started to plan the project a decade ago, they thought the condos would sell for an average of $1,080 per square foot.

Overall, thanks to a massive and complicated restructuring of debt involving lenders in the U.S., Europe and ?Japan, as well as equity from Mexico, the average sales price has topped $530 per square foot, about a 50 percent haircut from the original projection, but still the high-water mark for downtown.?The condos are in the top 31 stories of the building designed by architect John Carney, formerly of Denver, who now lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, while the 239 hotel rooms are on the first 14 floors.

?That is 40 percent above the market in downtown,? Norton said. ?The original plan, and we have been here since the beginning, was to achieve a 40 percent premium over the rest of the market. Initially, that was to be at more than $1,000 per square foot. We achieved the 40 percent premium, but at a lower price point,? because the rest of the market also nose-dived from the peak.

The Four Seasons was first envisioned a year after the terrorist attacks of 2001.

?The hotel part of the project was to be funded by the sale of the condos,? Norton said. ?Condos were the hot properties in 2002. After 9-11, no one would fund hotels.?

In 2007, 48 of the units had been pre-sold, but not closed, and construction began. Only 16 of those ended up closing.

Another view of the 45-story Four Seasons in Denver.

By the time it opened in 2010, hotels were hot again and condos were just about impossible to sell. In fact, not a single unit was purchased in 2010 or 2011.

The Four Seasons, including the hotel, was saddled with about $300 million in debt. The most senior debt was held by Goldman Sachs Group, followed by a group of German banks led by Munich Re AG. In third place were Japanese lenders led by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co.

Much of the equity was contributed by GD Holdings, the real estate arm of the privately held Grupo Denim, a leading manufacturer of denim apparel, primarily bluejeans manufactured in Mexico and Nicaragua. GD Holdings kicked in another $15 million in debt to restructure the loan in early 2012. GD Holdings in 2009 bought a 50 percent ownership and management interest in the Ritz Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek.

?The Japanese group, being in third position, closed that entire business and wrote off the loan,? Norton said. ?That brought the debt to a manageable level,? allowing the prices to be slashed.

?If we didn?t have this unique capital stacking, we never would have been able to restructure it,? Norton said.

With the lower prices, condos began to move. Mostly, the buyers who bought the units as their primary residences, he said. He estimated only 10 percent of the buyers use it as a second home.

?I think the Four Seasons was always a great project,? Norton said. ?It provided something in the Denver market, a level of luxury, that no one had ever seen before.?

The drop in prices came as the luxury market began to perk-up.

?Let?s face it: We experienced five years of a terrible market,? Norton said. ?At the Four Seasons, we have tapped into affluent people who were ready to make a move once the price made sense. Living in the Four Seasons is like living no place else in Denver. There is no other option like it. The hotel is what really makes the residences like no other place in Denver.?

Selling out the project also speaks volumes about the high-end market in Denver, he said.

?What it says about Denver is that Denver is a deeper market than people think it is,? Norton said. ?Many times over the years we have heard people talk about what a small market Denver is and how it is still kind of a cow town. But it is a much more sophisticated place than many people give it credit for.?

Douglas D. Kerbs, a broker with Fuller Sotheby?s International Realty, sold a dozen of the condos.

?Purchasing a private residence at the Four Seasons is a sound, long-term investment for buyers,? Kerbs said. ?The future potential of the building is infinite as the Four Seasons continues to remain a vital player in downtown luxury real estate.?

He said one buyer has bought a half-floor unit plans a custom remodel that will create an ?extraordinary? unit that will hit the market next spring.

His timing might be right.

?Twelve months ago, we looked at this building and thought, ?We have a real problem here.? Now, we wish we had more units to sell,? Norton said. ?Today, we could sell another 10 floors.?

Interested in buying a home in downtown Denver? Please check out COhomefinder.com.

Have a story idea or real estate tip? Contact John Rebchook at JRCHOOK@gmail.com. InsideRealEstateNews.com is sponsored by Universal Lending, Land Title Guarantee and 8z Real Estate. To read more articles by John Rebchook, subscribe to the Colorado Real Estate Journal.

?

Under Abe, the Liberal Democrats claim to have been reborn, though their platform differs little from strategies of the past, calling for a restoration of Japan's economic strength through public works spending, greater emphasis on patriotism and love of country, and a more nationalist foreign policy.

"We have reflected deeply over these three years," Abe proclaimed in a final day of campaigning Saturday, speaking to a crowd of several hundred mostly middle-aged and older supporters massed in the morning chill outside a train station in Wako, a Tokyo bedroom community of 80,000 in the city's northwest suburbs.

Many voters seem less interested, anyway, in new ideas than in a return to the familiar ? just what Abe has to offer:

"We tried with the Democratic Party of Japan for the last three years, which made me realize how much better the Liberal Democratic Party was," said part-time worker Hitomi Furuya, 45, after Abe sped off to his next campaign stop.

"We believe the LDP is more capable," said Fumie Asano, beaming as she stood outside the train station with her husband. "I trust them more," said Asano, a member of the Buddhist-backed Komeito party, which is expected to join with the Liberal Democrats in a coalition that would return Abe to the boxy glass and granite Kantei, Japan's version of the White House.

Abe's return to the pinnacle of Japanese leadership is as unlikely a rebound as his first ascent seemed inevitable.

When he took office the first time, in 2006, Abe was the country's youngest prime minister, a princeling with an impeccable political lineage: his father Shintaro Abe was a former foreign minister, and his grandfather Nobusuke Kishi, was arrested as a war criminal after World War II, but reinstated to become prime minister.

Abe graduated from Tokyo's Seikei University in 1977 and studied politics at the University of Southern California. He worked for a time at Kobe Steel before becoming a political aide to his father in 1982. After his father's death, Abe ran for Parliament's lower house and was elected in 1993.

A soft-spoken, natty dresser, Abe's rise through the Liberal Democratic ranks was aided by a successful, high-profile battle in 2002 to win the release from North Korea of five kidnapped Japanese citizens, who returned home for what was supposed to be a brief visit and, at his insistence, stayed.

That helped burnish his image as a defense hawk. But scandals among his cabinet ministers, and problems with ulcerative colitis, brought that term in office to an abrupt end.

In a September party election, Abe came from behind to defeat ex-defense chief Shigeru Ishiba as head of the Liberal Democrats.

Abe long has allied himself with other conservative politicians who favor a higher profile role for Japan's military and support controversial visits to the Yasukuni war shrine. He denies there is proof that Japan's military really forced women into sexual slavery during the war and maintains that Japan's history textbooks are too self-critical over past wartime atrocities.

Such stances are certain to rile China at a time of already acute antagonisms over a territorial dispute.

Still, economic imperatives, and Abe's strong links to the corporate world, may help temper his hard line toward China.

His wife, Akie, is the socialite daughter of a former president of one of Japan's leading confectioners, Morinaga & Co. Despite the Liberal Democrats' conservative stance on gender equality, the future first lady is a businesswoman in her own right, owning a pub in downtown Tokyo.

Surveys forecasting a Liberal Democratic victory have driven recent rallies on Japan's stock market and helped drive the Japanese yen ? which Abe has pledged to weaken ? to a 20-month low against the U.S. dollar on Friday.

Abe is calling for sharply increased public works spending and further easing of Japan's already loose monetary policies. Such strategies could give Japan's construction and materials' industries at least a temporary boost, and help exporters by weakening the Japanese yen ? which has remained at stubbornly high levels thanks to the conviction among global investors that the country remains a financial safe haven.

Abe-nomics, the magazine Shukan Bunshun, calls it: "From People to Concrete. The Abe Bubble is Coming!" it said in a front-page story forecasting a return to old-time pork barrel politics and a "fast-forwarding" of mortgage lending.

Despite his convictions, Abe's room to maneuver likely will be constrained, both by Liberal Democrats' coalition partner, if it is the Komeito, by powerful business interests and even by Japan's main ally, the U.S., Funabashi, now chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, told a conference last week in Tokyo.

"These will be pressuring Abe toward the center," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nationalist-shinzo-abe-likely-japans-next-pm-135645738.html

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View Post shady, on 16 December 2012 - 11:20 PM, said:

Regardless of videos I've watched, I've seen a gaming rig running an up to date game, the difference is still not big.

Well yeah Doom 3 BFG doesn't look all that different??than it did on PC but you can't compare games like BF3, Sleeping Dogs, Witcher 2, and Batman Arkham City to their console counterparts.

Source: http://www.dayonepatch.com/index.php?/topic/72696-why-i-use-a-pc-over-a-console/

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A blast killed 10 Afghan girls as they were collecting firewood in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, government officials said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion in volatile Nangarhar province. It could have been a bomb planted by Taliban insurgents or a landmine left over from decades of conflict.

The girls, between nine and 11 years old, were collecting wood in remote Chaparhar district, near the porous border with Pakistan, which is infested with some of the world's most dangerous militant groups.

"Unfortunately, 10 little girls were killed and two others wounded but we don't know whether it was planted by the Taliban," said Ahmadzia Abdulzai, provincial government spokesman.

Women and children are often the victims of the war between the Taliban and U.S.-led NATO and Afghan forces, now in its eleventh year.

Many Afghans are growing increasingly worried that the nation could face another civil war or a major Taliban push to seize power again when most NATO combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014.

(Reporting by Rafiq Sherzad; Writing by Hamid Shalizi; Editing by Michael Georgy and Robert Birsel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blast-heard-afghan-capital-064326795.html

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Southwest fee takes effect sometime in 2013. No-show passengers who fail to cancel their tickets will pay the Southwest fee.

By David Koenig,?AP Airlines Writer / December 16, 2012

In this 2010 photo, passengers traveling on Southwest Airlines watch as one plane waits to takeoff and another lands at Midway Airport in Chicago. The airline said it would initiate a new fee next year on no-show passengers as well as raise baggage fees. The airline didn't say when the new Southwest fee would take effect or how much it would be.

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP/File

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Southwest?Airlines Co. will start charging a no-show?fee?for passengers who fail to cancel tickets before their flights.

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The company also said Friday that?fees?on early check-in and oversized bags are going up. And it repeated a longtime goal for boosting profits that could only be met next year if it doubles earnings.

Southwest?brags that it doesn't charge ticket-change?fees, and it lets customers apply the price of an unused ticket to a later trip.

But customers who take advantage of those policies are leaving too many seats empty, the airline says.

So beginning sometime next year,?Southwest?will charge a no-show?fee?on its cheapest fares, known as "Wanna Get Away" tickets. Neither the date nor the amount of the?fee has been set.

CEO Gary Kelly said the Southwest fee will bring the airline closer in line with policies at other airlines and won't alienate customers.

"By our research, customers understand that we all could benefit ? customers and the company ? from the opportunity to resell a seat," Kelly said. "Once the airplane takes off and (a seat) is empty, we can't ever reclaim that."

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Written by: James Dalgarno

Toronto city council is considering bringing in a new attraction to the city, a province-run casino. Although several major U.S.-based casino entertainment companies have already made their interest in opening a casino in the city clear, many Torontonians are concerned this will lead to problems for residents.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) modernization plan for 2017 aims to enhance and revamp the future of gaming in Ontario. The plans include the creation of a casino in the Toronto area, a first for the city, which is currently waiting for approval from city council. The main question is whether residents will accept a province-run gambling facility in their neighbourhood.

?

?The province and OLG have made it clear that we will not establish a [casino] facility in Toronto unless the city residents want it,? said Don Pister, manager of public relations and spokesperson for OLG.
The casino project is only one of many laid out in OLG?s modernization plan. The next step, now that companies have expressed interest in creating a Toronto casino, is to to review these bids, make a selection, and move forward with the city.
Pister could not comment on which companies have shown interest in building a Toronto casino with OLG. However, several companies such as Las Vegas? renowned MGM International and Caesars Entertainment have already gone public with their radical development plans for Toronto. Both have also stated their desire to create an ?integrated resort? development consisting of hotels, retail and business space.
Residents feel the new casino complex will be an opportunity to bring more tourists into the city, drawing them away from gaming sites like Niagara Falls and Montr?al and adding to Toronto?s diverse tourism industry. ?Toronto?s charm comes from having different neighbourhoods with different characteristics and there is something for everyone,? said Daniela Spagnuolo, first-year international development student at UTSC.
According to OLG?s website, last year $110 million from the revenue of its gaming operations was given back to local communities. Any community in the GTA, ?given? the new casino and tourism complex, is expected to earn millions in revenue and taxes each year.
Other benefits would include ?world class gaming entertainment and increased employment opportunities to city residents,? according to Pister.
But problems such as space and infrastructure, lower than expected revenue and increased crime rates are the negative factors being raised by anti-casino groups like nocasinotoronto.com, who are against the development of gambling in Toronto.
?I don?t like casinos,? said Kate Nitis, first-year french student at UTSC. ?A friend of my family lost a lot because of a gambling addiction. Bad things may come of it,? she said.
Greater opposition from anti-casino groups will likely be heard in the new year, when Toronto city council is set to make its decision on the casino. In the meantime, OLG remains positive in negotiations with companies willing to spend billions of dollars in private funding to create a casino and tourism complex in the city.
However, it is not yet clear if the potential risks to Toronto residents will outweigh the increased revenue to the city.

Source: http://www.the-underground.ca/news/2012/12/casino-talks-divide-torontonians/

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Lt. J. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police conducts a news briefing, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 in Newtown, Conn. The massacre of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary school elicited horror and soul-searching around the world even as it raised more basic questions about why the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, would have been driven to such a crime and how he chose his victims. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The scope and senselessness of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting challenged journalists' ability to do much more than lend, or impose, their presence on the scene.

Pressed with the awful urgency of the story, television, along with other media, fell prey to reporting "facts" that were often in conflict or wrong.

How many people were killed? Which Lanza brother was the shooter: Adam or Ryan? Was their mother, who was among the slain, a teacher at the school?

Like the rest of the news media, television outlets were faced with intense competitive pressures and an audience ravenous for details in an age when the best-available information was seldom as reliable as the networks' high-tech delivery systems.

Here was the normal gestation of an unfolding story. But with wall-to-wall cable coverage and second-by-second Twitter postings, the process of updating and correcting it was visible to every onlooker. And as facts were gathered by authorities, then shared with reporters (often on background), a seemingly higher-than-usual number of points failed to pan out:

? The number of dead was initially reported as anywhere from the high teens to nearly 30. The final count was established Friday afternoon: 20 children and six adults, as well as Lanza's mother and the shooter himself.

? For hours on Friday, the shooter was identified as Ryan Lanza, with his age alternatively reported as 24 or 20. The confusion seemed explainable when a person who had spoken with Ryan Lanza said that 20-year-old Adam Lanza, the shooter who had then killed himself, could have been carrying identification belonging to his 24-year-old sibling.

This case of mistaken identity was painfully reminiscent of the Atlanta Olympics bombing case in 1996, when authorities fingered an innocent man, and the news media ran with it, destroying his life. Such damage was averted in Ryan Lanza's case largely by his public protestations on social media, repeatedly declaring "It wasn't me."

? Initial reports differed as to whether Lanza's mother, Nancy, was shot at the school, where she was said to be a teacher, or at the home she shared with Adam Lanza. By Friday afternoon, it was determined that she had been shot at their home.

Then doubts arose about whether Nancy Lanza had any link to Sandy Hook Elementary. At least one parent said she was a substitute teacher, but by early Saturday, an official said investigators had been unable to establish any connection with the school.

That seemed to make the massacre even more confusing. Early on, the attack was said to have taken place in her own classroom and was interpreted by more than one on-air analyst as possibly a way for Adam Lanza to strike back at children with whom he felt rivalry for his mother's affection.

? At first, authorities said Lanza had used two pistols (a Glock and a Sig Sauer) in the attack and left a .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle in the trunk of a vehicle. But by Saturday afternoon, the latest information was that all the victims had been shot with the rifle at close range.

? There were numerous versions of what Lanza was wearing, including camouflage attire and black paramilitary garb.

With so many unanswered questions, TV correspondents were left to set the scene and to convey the impact in words that continually failed them.

However apt, the phrase "parents' worst nightmare" became an instant cliche.

And the word "unimaginable" was used countless times. But "imagine" was exactly what the horrified audience was helpless not to do.

The screen was mostly occupied by grim or tearful faces, sparing everybody besides law enforcement officials the most chilling sight: the death scene in the school, where ? as viewers were reminded over and over ? the bodies remained while evidence was gathered. But who could keep from imagining it?

Ironically, perhaps the most powerful video came from 300 miles away, in Washington, where President Barack Obama delivered brief remarks about the tragedy. His somber face, the flat tone of his voice, the tears he daubed from his eyes, and his long, tormented pauses said as much as his heartfelt words. He seemed to speak for everyone who heard them.

The Associated Press was also caught in the swirl of imprecise information. When key elements of the story changed, the AP issued two advisories ? one to correct that Adam Lanza, not his brother, was the gunman, and another that called into question the original report that Lanza's mother taught at the school.

But TV had hours to fill.

Children from the school were interviewed. It was a questionable decision for which the networks took heat from media critics and viewers alike. But the decision lay more in the hands of the willing parents (who were present), and there was value in hearing what these tiny witnesses had to say.

"We had to lock our doors so the animal couldn't get in," said one little boy, his words painting a haunting picture.

In the absence of hard facts, speculation was a regular fallback. Correspondents and other "experts" persisted in diagnosing the shooter, a man none of them had ever met or even heard of until hours earlier.

CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" scored an interview with a former classmate of Lanza's ? with an emphasis on "former."

"I really only knew him closely when we were very, very young, in elementary school together," she said.

Determined to unlock Lanza's personality, Morgan asked the woman if she "could have ever predicted that he would one day flip and do something as monstrous as this?"

"I don't know if I could have predicted it," she replied, struggling to give Morgan what he wanted. "I mean, there was something 'off' about him."

The larger implications of the tragedy were broached throughout the coverage ? not least by Obama.

"We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics," he said, which may have gladdened proponents of stricter gun laws.

But CBS correspondent Nancy Cordes noted, "There's often an assumption that after a horrific event like this, it will spark a fierce debate on the issue. But in recent years, that hasn't been the case."

Appearing on "The O'Reilly Factor" Friday night, Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera voiced his own solution.

"I want an armed cop at every school," he said.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore(at)ap.org and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-15-Connecticut%20School%20Shooting-Media/id-4325a1c7ee1944f48193217d2b668f9c

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VAL GARDENA, Italy (AP) ? American skier Steven Nyman took advantage of changing conditions for an improbable win in a World Cup downhill that was shortened because of heavy snowfall and low visibility on Saturday.

Nyman also won this race in 2006 ? his only previous victory ? but struggled with injuries in recent seasons. He started with the No. 39 bib, with the first 30 start positions reserved for the top-ranked skiers.

"I'm pretty psyched," Nyman said. "Weather is definitely a huge factor. ... On days like today you just got to hope for good conditions and take advantage of it."

Rok Perko of Slovenia, another late starter, finished second for his first career podium result, 0.19 seconds behind Nyman's time of 1 minute, 28.82 seconds. Downhill world champion Erik Guay of Canada was third, 0.24 back.

Norwegian teammates Kjetil Jansrus and overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

The start of the race was delayed for more than two hours due to the weather conditions, which also changed once the event got underway. With the start lowered to the super-G, about 30 seconds were cut from the race.

Dominik Paris of Italy took the early lead before about a 20-minute delay due to fog rolling in across the course. When the fog moved out, Guay put down a blistering run that might have been good enough to win if the conditions remained the same.

But it then stopped snowing and the fog lifted even more and all of a sudden later starters had a chance.

Perko started 35th, and Nyman was able to watch his run on a TV screen at the start.

"When I heard Rok coming on the lead I was like, 'Right on, the door is open,'" Nyman said. "I hit the soft snow in some places, but I nailed the line I wanted to hit and just kept working the terrain and searching for my tuck everywhere I could and it was good. ... It was awesome."

No man had won a downhill with such a high start number since Fritz Stribl wearing No. 43 in Val d'Isere, France, in 1996.

Back in 2006 and 2007, Nyman posted three podium finishes in a 12-month span and appeared ready to join Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves as accomplished American downhillers.

But then the injuries hit: A bulging disk in his back that pinched a nerve and required him to wear a custom-fitted cast for six weeks; a badly bruised shin; operations on both knees; and a year ago, a torn Achilles tendon, which kept him out all of last season.

"I had a lot of confidence and then I lost it because of the injuries, but now it's back," Nyman said. "It's just been a journey. I've always believed I had the speed and I hope to continue proving it throughout the year ? that's my goal: consistency."

Perko's previous best result was 12th in two downhills in Kvitfjell, Norway.

Guay won the downhill at the world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, two seasons ago ? but hadn't cracked the top 10 in his last four races.

Considering the changing conditions, however, Guay wasn't certain of making the podium until the end.

"It was a nervous race for me until No. 60 (the last racer) came through," Guay said. "I knew it was going to be that kind of race today. (Nyman) definitely took advantage of his start number. He threw it down and he's on top."

Nyman's ski man Leo Mussi previously worked for Kristian Ghedina, the Italian who shares the record of four downhill victories in Val Gardena.

"Now Leo has six wins," Ghedina said. "Leo is the man in Val Gardena."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-skier-steven-nyman-wins-world-cup-downhill-174508321--spt.html

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woodsonmilton06

Click here to read Holiday Treats Are Even Better When You Destroy Them in Slow Motion

Conan O'Brien probably understands the absurdity of slow-motion destruction porn better than anyone else. But really, we've never seen anything like Andy Richter dressed as Santa getting doused by an ocean of egg nog in slow motion. So sticky. So good. Bless you, Conan. [Devour] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/FwiAKlvaH5E/holiday-treats-are-even-better-when-you-destroy-them-in-slow-motion

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woodsonmilton06

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) ? The parent company of the Discovery Channel says it's buying 12 TV networks in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland in a deal worth about $1.7 billion.

Discovery Communications Inc. says the deal with German TV company ProSiebenSat.1 Group for its SBS Nordic operations expands its presence in the Nordic markets.

It also boosts its brand portfolio by adding general entertainment, scripted and sports programming to its lineup of services for the first time. The acquisition also includes SBS Nordic's 19 radio stations and other assets.

The deal is subject to regulatory review and is expected to close in early 2013.

Discovery also says that its board approved a $1 billion increase to its existing stock repurchase program.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/discovery-buy-nordic-tv-networks-1-7b-125517259--finance.html

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woodsonmilton06

Raising the blockade

Public release date: 14-Dec-2012
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Contact: Kathrin Bilgeri
kathrin.bilgeri@lmu.de
49-892-180-6938
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen

At crucial points in the metabolism of all organisms, a protein with the unwieldy name of Translation Elongation Factor P (EF-P, for short) takes center stage. What it actually does during protein synthesis has only now been elucidated by researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt in Munich.

The research group led by Kirsten Jung, Professor of Microbiology at LMU, actually focused on how bacteria cope with stress, for example how the receptor meolecule CadC monitors the acidity in the environment and alerts the cell to take countermeasures to protect itself. However, one day Kirsten Jung found herself asking questions about protein synthesis, the core biosynthetic process that makes all metabolism possible. This arose because she discovered that, in the absence of Elongation Factor P, the cell doesn't make enough CadC to carry out its job effectively.

Recovering from a stall

How then does EF-P regulate protein synthesis in general, and, in particular, the synthesis of CadC? In collaboration with Daniel Wilson's group at LMU's Gene Center, Jung's team has now teased out the mechanism. Molecular machines called ribosomes translate the genetic blueprints for proteins into the correct sequence of amino acids as they move along a messenger RNA molecule. However, when the blueprint calls for the addition of several successive proline amino acids onto the growing protein chain, the ribosomes grind to a halt. It turns out that EF-P is required to get these stalled ribosomes going again. Moreover, the factor not only fulfills this function in bacteria and in archaea, but also in the cells of eukaryotic organisms, which have their own versions of EF-P.

Jung and Wilson, who also cooperate within the context of the "Center for integrated Protein Science Munich", an Excellence Cluster, believe that the translation stop imposed by a short run of prolines provides a means of adjusting protein copy numbers in response to changing conditions. In bacteria, a functionally diverse set of around 100 proteins is known to contain such proline-rich motifs. This suggests that the stalling phenomenon indeed has a more general regulatory role, and may even provide a target for new antibiotics. Indeed, Daniel Wilson's group recently discovered the last enzyme in the EF-P modification pathway: For its rescue activity, the factor must be modified by other enzymes which are not found in humans.

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

Raising the blockade Public release date: 14-Dec-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kathrin Bilgeri
kathrin.bilgeri@lmu.de
49-892-180-6938
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen

At crucial points in the metabolism of all organisms, a protein with the unwieldy name of Translation Elongation Factor P (EF-P, for short) takes center stage. What it actually does during protein synthesis has only now been elucidated by researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt in Munich.

The research group led by Kirsten Jung, Professor of Microbiology at LMU, actually focused on how bacteria cope with stress, for example how the receptor meolecule CadC monitors the acidity in the environment and alerts the cell to take countermeasures to protect itself. However, one day Kirsten Jung found herself asking questions about protein synthesis, the core biosynthetic process that makes all metabolism possible. This arose because she discovered that, in the absence of Elongation Factor P, the cell doesn't make enough CadC to carry out its job effectively.

Recovering from a stall

How then does EF-P regulate protein synthesis in general, and, in particular, the synthesis of CadC? In collaboration with Daniel Wilson's group at LMU's Gene Center, Jung's team has now teased out the mechanism. Molecular machines called ribosomes translate the genetic blueprints for proteins into the correct sequence of amino acids as they move along a messenger RNA molecule. However, when the blueprint calls for the addition of several successive proline amino acids onto the growing protein chain, the ribosomes grind to a halt. It turns out that EF-P is required to get these stalled ribosomes going again. Moreover, the factor not only fulfills this function in bacteria and in archaea, but also in the cells of eukaryotic organisms, which have their own versions of EF-P.

Jung and Wilson, who also cooperate within the context of the "Center for integrated Protein Science Munich", an Excellence Cluster, believe that the translation stop imposed by a short run of prolines provides a means of adjusting protein copy numbers in response to changing conditions. In bacteria, a functionally diverse set of around 100 proteins is known to contain such proline-rich motifs. This suggests that the stalling phenomenon indeed has a more general regulatory role, and may even provide a target for new antibiotics. Indeed, Daniel Wilson's group recently discovered the last enzyme in the EF-P modification pathway: For its rescue activity, the factor must be modified by other enzymes which are not found in humans.

###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-12/lm-rtb121412.php
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woodsonmilton06 · Dec. 13, 2012

Dec. 13, 2012 ? The plague-causing bacteria Yersinia pestis evades detection and establishes a stronghold without setting off the body's early alarms. New discoveries reported December 13 help explain how the stealthy agent of Black Death avoids tripping a self-destruct mechanism inside germ-destroying cells.

The authors of the study, appearing in the Dec. 13 issue of Cell Host & Microbe, are Dr. Christopher N. LaRock of the University of Washington Department of Microbiology and Dr. Brad Cookson, UW professor of microbiology and laboratory medicine.

Normally, certain defender cells are programmed to burst if they are either invaded by or detect the presence of pathogens, Cookson explained. This host defense mechanism called pyroptosis ("going up in flames") eliminates places for the germs to reproduce. As it splits open, the cell spills a cauldron of antimicrobial chemicals and emits signals to alert of an attack and its precise location. Tissues become inflamed as more cells arrive to fight the infection.

The bacteria are widely believed to be behind the great pestilences of the Middle Ages in the 1300s. The pathogen had evolved a tactic to delay provoking people's protective inflammatory response until it was too late. Plague claimed an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of Europe's 14^th century population.

"People and pathogens have been in an eternal struggle since the dawn of humanity," Cookson said. With a hand over hand gesture he explained, "Humans continuously ratchet up their defenses, and germs repeatedly find a way around them."

During several medieval epidemics, the plague started in rats. High-jumping fleas transmitted it to and between humans. It commonly caused lymph nodes to rupture. Respiratory forms were more deadly. They damaged the lungs and were spread by sneezing. Plague bacteria in the blood stream ended lives through sepsis, in which the burden of infection overwhelms the body.

Today, the plague-causing bacteria are still circulating in the world. It is held at bay by sanitation measures and drug treatment.

Plague is now rare, with fewer than 15 infections annually in the United States. The number of cases outside the U.S. is significantly larger, but not precisely known. Plague therefore remains of scientific interest for several reasons.

The Yersinia survival strategy against the programmed death that could kill it and its host cell may offer ideas for vaccine development, Cookson said. At present, no vaccine exists against the plague. Yesinia is of concern as a potential biological warfare pathogen because it can be aerosolized and unsuspectingly breathed into the lungs. Vaccines are being sought to offer widespread public safety, as are methods for enhancing people's overall infection-fighting capacity.

Yersinia's techniques for modulating an inflammatory response also offer scientists an overarching perspective on a fundamental aspect of a variety of important diseases.

"Many medical problems stem from too much or too little inflammatory reaction," Cookson said. People who launch an insufficient inflammatory response, or whose inflammatory response is suppressed by medications, are prone to viral, bacterial and fungal infections.

"On the other hand, excessive or improperly regulated inflammatory responses are responsible for a large number of chronic conditions," Cookson said. These include vascular flare-ups leading to stroke or heart attack, and autoimmune diseases, among them lupus, juvenile diabetes, ulcerative colitis and myasthenia gravis. Severe injury also can promote life-threatening lung inflammation.

Additionally, plague isn't the only pathogen to enhance its virulence by sidestepping the inflammatory cell death program. Several other dangerous germs do the same, but in different ways.

.

Usually immune system clean-up cells that have been breached by an infection assemble a molecular platform called an inflammasome. This assembly, the researchers explained, activates a powerful, protein-cleaving enzyme called caspase-1. The enzyme is made ready to go in the presence of noxious stimuli, including germs, inorganic irritants, and pore-forming toxins.

To survive, Yersinia pestis must disarm caspase-1. Until the present study, bacterial molecules that directly modulate the inflammasome had not yet been reported. LaRock and Cookson were able to identify a leucine-rich protein secreted by Yersinia pestis that binds and disables its arch-enemy, the caspase-1 enzyme. The potent substance, called Yop M, preempts the activity of caspase-1 and sequesters the enzyme to arrest the development of the inflammasome. As a consequence, the cell fails to sacrifice itself to get rid of the Yersinia and to warn other disease-fighting cells of the infection.

According to the researchers, the Yop M-mediated inhibition of caspase-1 is required for Yersinia to subvert immune signaling, delay inflammation and provoke severe illness. Its dual mechanism for blocking inflammatory cell death, by blocking enzymatic activity and inflammasome maturation, is distinctive.

While caspase-1 is helpful in combatting a number of other microbial infections, several researchers have reported it to be harmful when its activation is aberrant or poorly controlled. Faulty caspase-1 regulation is implicated in several inflammatory disorders. Learning how pathogens manage caspase-1 to their advantage may suggest treatments to limiting its excess activity.

The research was funding by National Institutes of Health research grants HG02360 and AI057141 and National Institute of Health training grant AI055396. The study also received assistance from the Northwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, which seeks countermeasures against pathogens of national importance.

Read the paper, "The Yersinia Virulence Effector YopM Binds Caspase-1 to Arrest Inflammasome Assembly and Processing" in Cell Host & Microbe: http://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/abstract/S1931-3128%2812%2900392-7

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington. The original article was written by Leila Gray.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Christopher?N. LaRock, Brad?T. Cookson. The Yersinia Virulence Effector YopM Binds Caspase-1 to Arrest Inflammasome Assembly and Processing. Cell Host & Microbe, 2012; 12 (6): 799 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2012.10.020

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/sOLk_AR01sk/121213151514.htm

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woodsonmilton06

By Jordan Zakarin, The Hollywood Reporter

A British man died after he collapsed from chest pains that formed following his performance of the dance to the hit song "Gangnam Style."

More from THR: Justin Bieber, Psy added to Seacrest's 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' lineup

Eamonn Kilbride, a 46-year-old IT manager, was dancing at his office party in Blackburn, England, performing the horse moves that have earned South Korean rapper?Psy?worldwide fame and nearly one billion YouTube video views. A father of three children between the ages of 22 and 18, Kilbride was celebrating his wife Julie's birthday at the party.

?He was up on stage and entertaining everybody. He said he had a bit of a pain and just collapsed," she?told the Telegraph of London. ?He loved me dearly and would tell people all the time. I know he thought the world of us.?

THR cover story: The drama behind 'Les Mis'

The death has health officials in England warning middle-aged men to monitor their activity and not to over-exert themselves. Kilbride's official cause of death was acute heart failure caused by coronary artery atheroma.

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Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/12/13/15890682-man-performing-gangnam-style-dance-collapses-and-dies?lite

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