LANCASTER, Texas - Family friends say a Texas man accused of killing six relatives in a Christmas Day murder-suicide was struggling financially and didn't like that his estranged wife was doing well.
Authorities say 56-year-old Aziz Yazdanpanah (ah-ZEEZ' YAWZ'-dahn-pahn-aw) was dressed as Santa when he fatally shot his estranged wife, their two teenage children and three other relatives Sunday inside an apartment in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine.
After a private burial for the six victims Thursday, family friend Azar Shahbazi (AH'-zahr shah-BAH'-zee) said she believed Yazdanpanah was upset because his wife "was doing good on her own."
The wife's brother, Ali Rahmaty (AH'-lee rah-MAH'-tee), says he'd been financially supporting the family. He says Yazdanpanah had been unemployed for more than a decade, but says he never thought Yazdanpanah would become violent.
Can landlubbers use blubber?: Discover one of the tricks some animals have evolved to keep warm in chilly waters. Image: George Retseck
Key concepts
Temperature
Heat transfer
Adaptation
Insulation
Fatty tissue
Introduction
Have you ever wondered how whales and other marine mammals survive and keep warm in the cold oceans? Warm-blooded mammals can live in these chilly conditions because their bodies have some cool warmth-saving adaptations, thanks to generations of natural selection.
In other words, to pass on characteristics (via their genes), the predecessors of modern marine mammals had to overcome different challenges to reproduce, and their descendants received the genes that allowed for their survival. This kind of change in organisms over time is what fuels evolution. An important adaptation for marine mammals is blubber, a thick, insulating layer of fat beneath the skin that helps to keep body warmth in and the cold of the air or water out. Will a layer of fake blubber?in the form of shortening?help you keep from getting cold?
Background
Mammals that have evolved to live in cold waters, such as whales, seals, sea lions and polar bears, commonly have a layer of blubber. Whether they are living in cold waters near the North Pole or around Antarctica or are visiting the deep ocean, these animals' blubber is vital to their survival. During the winter, the air in the Arctic (the northernmost part of the world) is often below ?40 degrees Celsius (?40 degrees Fahrenheit). Antarctica, the coldest place in the world, can be below ?60 degrees C (?76 degrees F). Depending on the species, whales dive more than 400 or 500 meters (about one fourth of a mile) deep in the ocean, where the water can be colder than 12 degrees C (54 degrees F).
Blubber helps these marine mammals from getting too cold. (Cold-blooded marine animals, such as fish, sharks or crabs, do not need to stay warm and can let their body temperatures get closer to that of the water. Thus, they do not need to have this extra insulation.) Blubber is a thick layer of fat (adipose) tissue. Animals store extra digested food in the form of adipose tissue, which contains molecules called lipids. Adipose tissue has a relatively low thermal conductivity, which means that it does not transfer heat as well as other tissues and materials?such as muscle or skin. That way, it helps to insulate an animal's body.
Materials
??? ?Two bowls
??? ?Cold water
??? ?Warm water
??? ?Ice cubes
??? ?Shortening (such as Crisco)
??? ?Paper towels
??? ?Stopwatch
??? ?Thermometer
??? ?A partner
Preparation
??? ?Put an equal number of ice cubes into each bowl without filling either bowl too full. Add cold water to each bowl.
??? ?Measure the temperature of the water in each bowl with a thermometer. They should be the same temperature. When the temperature levels off (which should happen quickly), the water is ready for the test.
Procedure
??? ?Cover your pointer finger on one hand with a thick layer of shortening, covering the entire area that will be submerged in the water. Leave your other pointer finger clean and bare.
??? ?Have your partner prepare the stopwatch. When he or she is ready, put the pointer finger of each hand into one of the bowls of ice water and have your partner start timing you. As soon as your finger feels too cold to keep it in the water any longer, take it out. How long did you leave each finger in the bowl?
??? ?Let your fingers warm up and return to their normal color. If any shortening came off of the covered finger, reapply it.
??? ?Have your partner help you pour the cold water down the sink and refill the two bowls with warm water (make sure it is warm but not hot enough to burn the skin).
??? ?Measure the temperature of the water in each bowl with a thermometer. They should be about the same. In the warm water, do you think you'll see the same result?
??? ?Have your partner time how long you can leave each finger in the bowls of warm water. How long did you leave each finger in the bowl? Was the time difference between the two fingers larger or smaller than when you put your fingers in the ice-cold water?? ?
??? ?Extra: How consistent are your results? You can repeat this activity two or three times, recording the temperature of the different waters tested and the time each finger was in the water. Then make a graph out of your results. In which environment did the shortening "adaptation" consistently give an advantage?
Source: www.nytimes.com --- Wednesday, December 28, 2011 Northeastern University, based in Boston, opened its first satellite campus, which combines virtual and in-person instruction, this year in Charlotte, N.C. Seattle is next. ...
What if you could turn your experience with breast cancer into a gift to give to others? How wonderful is it to think that you can use your cancer story to bless others this Christmas season? Mailet Lopez not only turned her story about stage 2 breast cancer into something that could bless others, she has created a forum where all cancer survivors have the opportunity to bless someone else whose life is touched by cancer. She created a social network for people touched by cancer. IHadCancer.com is a website where survivors, those newly diagnosed, and those who have a loved one or friend touched by cancer can connect. It is simple yet brilliant.
I know how quickly you feel isolated when you receive a cancer diagnosis; you feel different from the people around you. The fear and uncertainty are overwhelming, and often your family and friends don?t know how to help you. Well, someone does ? another survivor.
Mailet built her website for those who are newly diagnosed or have a loved one who has been diagnosed with cancer. The social network that she and her co-founders have created can be a lifeline for cancer victims. The stories are heartwarming, encouraging, informational and inspiring. You don?t feel so alone when you can find someone who knows exactly what you are going through and who can tell you that you will get through it. I can think of no better gift to give a cancer patient than the support of someone on the other side of the battle. Your story has the power to lead someone through the dark and painful months of treatment.
The website is beautiful. IHadCancer.com is the only website that has ever made me cry. I cried when I read what it was about; I cried when I heard Mailet?s story, and I cried when I realized the power this site has in the battle against breast cancer and other forms of the disease. It was an experience that touched me and reminded me that we are a community of warriors and survivors. This network of courageous people helping each other and providing insight and encouragement for families facing cancer is unique and awe-inspiring.
The website itself is easy to navigate and provides all the information you need to understand, use and join it. This Christmas season, we can all turn our cancer experiences into a gift; we each have a story to share with someone who needs a friend. What a remarkable gift idea!
CAIRO, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Eight people have been killed as clashes between troops and protesters in central Cairo spilled over into a second day, Egyptian state television said on Saturday.
It also said that 303 people had been wounded in the unrest in the capital, whose centre has turned into a smoke-filled battleground in some of the most violent clashes since a popular uprising ousted President Hosni Mubarak last February.
Egypt's Dar al-Iftah, the body that issues Islamic fatwas (edicts), said one of its senior officials, Emad Effat, was among the dead, state news agency MENA said.
Clashes around government offices and parliament raged on after nightfall on Friday, with protesters throwing petrol bombs and stones at soldiers who used batons and what witnesses said appeared to be electric cattle prods.
The violence has sharpened tensions between the ruling army and its opponents, and clouded a parliamentary vote set to bring Islamists, long repressed by Mubarak, to the verge of power.
Who needs to make a successful tablet, or even a successful tablet OS when you can just make a tablet-compatible keyboard? That seems to be the thinking over at Microsoft these days–the company has just announced a portable Bluetooth keyboard called the Mobile Keyboard 5000. As is usually the case with Microsoft peripherals, the 5000 looks [...]
John Schiller, Energy XXI chairman & CEO, discusses Wednesday's lease sale for spots in the Gulf of Mexico and whether his company will continue to acquire of properties in the future.
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Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com
A gene that protects against colorectal cancersPublic release date: 14-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Inserm Presse presse@inserm.fr INSERM (Institut national de la sant et de la recherche mdicale)
The research team at Lyon has developed an animal model carrying a mutation of the DCC gene. Mice carrying the mutation develop tumours, because this gene can no longer induce the death of the cancer cells. This discovery could lead to the development of a new targeted cancer treatment that aims to reactivate the dying of cancer cells.
The results of this study have been published as a Letter in the 11th December 2011 issue of the journal Nature.
The team led by Patrick Mehlen, Director of the DEVweCAN 'Laboratory of Excellence' at the Lyon Cancer Research Centre (CNRS/Inserm/Centre Lon Brard/Universit Claude Bernard 1), studies the cell death process (apoptosis) and, in particular, the mechanism that makes the cells understand that they should initiate a self-destruction process when they become abnormal. Patrick Mehlen's team suggested that this mechanism could operate via sentinels located on the surface of cells, which examine their environment. The scientists named these sentinels 'dependence receptors'.
The research team focused on this concept of 'dependence receptors'. When a cell receptor is associated with its ligand, the classic message indicates 'all is well', and leads to cell survival. On the other hand, when the receptor is deprived of its ligand, it can send a message leading to cell death. This mechanism is also called 'apoptosis.' When this is applied to cancer research, the absence of ligands could cause the death of cancer cells that proliferate in an anarchic manner.
In this study, Patrick Mehlen's team shows that the DCC gene (Deleted Colorectal Cancer), which codes for a 'dependence receptor', protects the organism from the onset of cancer by causing the death of cells that become cancerous. The researchers used a mouse model where the DCC gene has been genetically modified. The mutation of this dependence receptor prevents the induction of apoptosis. When the DCC gene is eliminated by mutation, the mouse spontaneously develops colon cancer.
'The organism is naturally protected from the development of cancers thanks to the presence of this tumour-suppressing gene. Unfortunately, certain cancer cells escape from this control by blocking this 'dependence receptor' mechanism. That is how we know that the DCC gene is extinguished in most human cancers,' explains Patrick Mehlen.
In the near future, this research work could lead to a new targeted treatment that aims to reactivate the death of the cancer cells to destroy breast cancer, lung cancer, etc. 'Our group has developed several candidate drugs that reactivate the cell death induced by the DCC receptor in animal models, and we hope to be able to carry out human clinical testing of these candidate drugs in three years' time,' concludes Patrick Mehlen.
###
Patrick Mehlen's work will be supported via the Liliane Bettencourt Schueller Life Sciences Prize, which he has just won. The prize will be awarded on 15th December 2011. To visit the Foundation's website: http://www.fondationbs.org/
Sources
DCC constrains tumour progression via its dependence receptor activity Marie Castets1, Laura Broutier1, Yann Molin1, Marie Brevet2, Guillaume Chazot1, Nicolas Gadot2, Armelle Paquet2, Laetitia Mazelin1, Loraine Jarrosson-Wuilleme1, Jean-Yves Scoazec2, AgnesBernet1 & Patrick Mehlen1
1 Apoptosis, Cancer and Development Laboratory - Equipe labellise 'La Ligue', LabEx DEVweCAN, Centre de Cancrologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Universit de Lyon, Centre Lon Brard, 69008 Lyon, France.
2 Endocrine Differentiation Laboratory, Centre de Cancrologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Universit de Lyon, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hpital Edouard Herriot, Anatomie Pathologique, 69437 Lyon, France.
Nature, 11 dcembre 2011doi:10.1038/nature10708
[ | 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.
A gene that protects against colorectal cancersPublic release date: 14-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Inserm Presse presse@inserm.fr INSERM (Institut national de la sant et de la recherche mdicale)
The research team at Lyon has developed an animal model carrying a mutation of the DCC gene. Mice carrying the mutation develop tumours, because this gene can no longer induce the death of the cancer cells. This discovery could lead to the development of a new targeted cancer treatment that aims to reactivate the dying of cancer cells.
The results of this study have been published as a Letter in the 11th December 2011 issue of the journal Nature.
The team led by Patrick Mehlen, Director of the DEVweCAN 'Laboratory of Excellence' at the Lyon Cancer Research Centre (CNRS/Inserm/Centre Lon Brard/Universit Claude Bernard 1), studies the cell death process (apoptosis) and, in particular, the mechanism that makes the cells understand that they should initiate a self-destruction process when they become abnormal. Patrick Mehlen's team suggested that this mechanism could operate via sentinels located on the surface of cells, which examine their environment. The scientists named these sentinels 'dependence receptors'.
The research team focused on this concept of 'dependence receptors'. When a cell receptor is associated with its ligand, the classic message indicates 'all is well', and leads to cell survival. On the other hand, when the receptor is deprived of its ligand, it can send a message leading to cell death. This mechanism is also called 'apoptosis.' When this is applied to cancer research, the absence of ligands could cause the death of cancer cells that proliferate in an anarchic manner.
In this study, Patrick Mehlen's team shows that the DCC gene (Deleted Colorectal Cancer), which codes for a 'dependence receptor', protects the organism from the onset of cancer by causing the death of cells that become cancerous. The researchers used a mouse model where the DCC gene has been genetically modified. The mutation of this dependence receptor prevents the induction of apoptosis. When the DCC gene is eliminated by mutation, the mouse spontaneously develops colon cancer.
'The organism is naturally protected from the development of cancers thanks to the presence of this tumour-suppressing gene. Unfortunately, certain cancer cells escape from this control by blocking this 'dependence receptor' mechanism. That is how we know that the DCC gene is extinguished in most human cancers,' explains Patrick Mehlen.
In the near future, this research work could lead to a new targeted treatment that aims to reactivate the death of the cancer cells to destroy breast cancer, lung cancer, etc. 'Our group has developed several candidate drugs that reactivate the cell death induced by the DCC receptor in animal models, and we hope to be able to carry out human clinical testing of these candidate drugs in three years' time,' concludes Patrick Mehlen.
###
Patrick Mehlen's work will be supported via the Liliane Bettencourt Schueller Life Sciences Prize, which he has just won. The prize will be awarded on 15th December 2011. To visit the Foundation's website: http://www.fondationbs.org/
Sources
DCC constrains tumour progression via its dependence receptor activity Marie Castets1, Laura Broutier1, Yann Molin1, Marie Brevet2, Guillaume Chazot1, Nicolas Gadot2, Armelle Paquet2, Laetitia Mazelin1, Loraine Jarrosson-Wuilleme1, Jean-Yves Scoazec2, AgnesBernet1 & Patrick Mehlen1
1 Apoptosis, Cancer and Development Laboratory - Equipe labellise 'La Ligue', LabEx DEVweCAN, Centre de Cancrologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Universit de Lyon, Centre Lon Brard, 69008 Lyon, France.
2 Endocrine Differentiation Laboratory, Centre de Cancrologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Universit de Lyon, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hpital Edouard Herriot, Anatomie Pathologique, 69437 Lyon, France.
Nature, 11 dcembre 2011doi:10.1038/nature10708
[ | 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.
The 3DS sure had a bumpy start, but it seems Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata's hunch that sales will pick up (we reported last week) is right. According to Japan?s biggest video game magazine Famitsu, the 3DS sold a solid 378,114 units between December 5 and 11. Nintendo reported 371,326 units sold in the first two days after launch in Japan, but the last week was the most successful one for big N after initial interest got weaker (see graph below). Apart from the general boost for the video game market as a whole observed every holiday season, there is one specific reason for the spike the 3DS has seen last week: Capcom's Monster Hunter 3G, which went on sale in Japan on December 10, and apparently made many new players buy the system.
Police inspect the scene of a bomb attack in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Three bombs went off in a popular open-air market Thursday evening, killing and wounding scores of people, police said. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)
Police inspect the scene of a bomb attack in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Three bombs went off in a popular open-air market Thursday evening, killing and wounding scores of people, police said. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)
Security forces inspect the scene of a bomb attack in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Three bombs went off in a popular open-air market Thursday evening, killing and wounding scores of people, police said. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)
BASRA, Iraq (AP) ? A string of bombings in a southern oil city killed 19 people Thursday evening and injured dozens more, a grim sign of the security challenges Iraq will face after American troops go home.
The U.S. military is drawing down its troops ahead of an end-of-December deadline to have all American forces out of the country. Incidents like Thursday's triple bombing in a city seen as key to Iraq's economic development show the dangerous prospects awaiting Iraqis next year.
Three bombs went off in a popular open-air market in Basra, police and health officials said.
The third bomb exploded a few minutes after Iraqi army and police forces arrived on the scene in response to the earlier blasts, officials said. The third blast caused all the fatalities and almost all of the injuries, the officials said.
Among the dead and wounded were many policemen and Iraqi army soldiers.
The police officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.
Kamal Ali was working at a clothing shop across the street when the blasts went off. He said after the first explosion, bystanders rushed to help the victims. When another blast went off about five minutes later, the terrified people ran to escape.
Then police and soldiers rushed to the scene before the third and most deadly bomb went off.
"Most of the casualties are police and Iraqi troops who rushed to help the victims and cordoned off the scene. They sacrificed their lives for the poor people," Ali said.
The head of the Basra provincial council, Ahmed al-Sulaiti, confirmed the incident.
"We can't blame the security forces for this act. They were the people most hurt," he said by telephone from Basra.
Basra is about 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad It is considered the center of Iraq's burgeoning oil sector.
Many foreign oil companies have offices there. The country is relying on foreign companies to bring the money and expertise needed to develop Iraq's vast oil sector, which has been ravaged by war, sanctions and neglect.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings, and it was not clear whether it was the work of Sunni extremists like al-Qaida, or by Shiite militias. Sunni militants often stagger their blasts in order to cause the most carnage, and they often target security officials, whom they see as propping up the Shiite-led government.
The area where the blasts occurred is also a stronghold for Shiite militia members, who have been known to use violence as they jockey for power and control.
__
Associated Press writers Mazin Yahya and Rebecca Santana in Baghdad contributed to this report.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? Euro zone states may ditch plans to impose losses on private bondholders should countries need to restructure their debt under a new bailout fund due to launch in mid-2013, four EU officials told Reuters on Friday.
Discussions are taking place against a backdrop of flagging market confidence in the region's debt and as part of wider negotiations over introducing stricter fiscal rules to the EU treaty.
Euro zone powerhouse Germany is insisting on tighter budgets
and private sector involvement (PSI) in bailouts as a precondition for deeper economic integration among euro zone countries.
Commercial banks and insurance companies are still expected to take a hit on their holdings of Greek sovereign bonds as part of the second bailout package being finalized for Athens.
But clauses relating to PSI in the statutes of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) - the permanent facility scheduled to start operating from July 2013 - could be withdrawn, with the majority of euro zone states now opposed to them.
The concern is that forcing the private sector bondholders to take losses if a country restructures its debt is undermining confidence in euro zone sovereign bonds. If those stipulations are removed, most countries in the euro zone argue, market sentiment might improve.
"France, Italy, Spain and all the peripherals" are in favor of removing the clauses, one EU official told Reuters. "Against it are Germany, Finland and the Netherlands." Austria is also opposed, another source said.
A third official said that while German insistence on retaining private sector involvement in the ESM was fading, collective action clauses would only be removed as part of broader negotiations under way over changes to the EU treaty.
Berlin wants all 27 EU countries, or at least the 17 in the euro zone, to provide full backing for alterations to the treaty before it will consider giving ground on other issues member states want it to shift on, officials say.
Germany is under pressure to soften its opposition to the European Central Bank playing a more direct role in combating the crisis, and member states also want Berlin to give its backing to the idea of jointly issued euro zone bonds.
German officials dismiss any suggestion of a 'grand bargain' being put together, but officials in other euro zone capitals, including Brussels, say such a deal is taking shape and suggest Berlin will move when it has the commitments it is seeking, although it's unclear when that will be.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Strasbourg on Thursday that there was no quid pro quo being set up.
"This is not about give and take," she said.
Euro zone finance ministers will discuss the ESM at a meeting in Brussels on November 29-30, including the implications of dropping collective action clauses from its statutes.
COMPLICATIONS
While most euro zone countries just want to forget about enforced private sector involvement, some are adamant that there must be a way to ensure banks and not just taxpayers shoulder some of the costs of bailing countries out.
Austria's opposition Green Party, whose support the government needs to secure backing for the ESM in the Vienna parliament, insists collective action clauses must remain a part of the ESM. It's also far from unclear whether the finance committee of the German lower house Bundestag would agree to such changes being made to the ESM.
Any changes to the mechanism would have to be approved by all member states and ratified by national parliaments before they can take effect, meaning fixed Austrian and German opposition could derail the push for changes.
Germany and some other member states were hoping to bring the ESM, which will have a lending capacity of 500 billion euros, into force as early as July next year, but disagreement over its structure could delay that.
(Reporting by Julien Toyer, John O'Donnell and Luke Baker in Brussels, Andreas Rinke in Berlin and Mike Shields in Vienna; writing by Luke Baker; editing by Rex Merrifield, John Stonestreet)
Doom for everyone. It's not a particularly festive message, but as promised earlier this week, the Doom 3 source code is now out on a general public license. Programming types can meddle with the game's inner workings as wintery temperatures force them to huddle close to the warm hum of excessive gaming rigs. Doom dad John Carmack announced the release to his horde of Twitter followers, while doffing his cap to Timothee Besset, who helped sidestep some shadow rendering license issues that had dogged an earlier release. Peer into the source code at the link below, and know the true face of despair Doom.
Side-stepping the moody design tones of its RAZR brethren, Motorola has announced a new Android-powered smartphone for Taiwan. Measuring in at 9.8mm thin, this Gingerbread-powered slab sports the outfit's MotoBlur-derived Moto Switch UI, with an eight megapixel camera on the back and a VGA shooter on the front. The XT615 packs quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900), WCDMA (900/2100) and HSPA (7.2Mbps) radios, while processing power comes from a slightly underwhelming 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227A-0, possibly explaining the NTD$10,900 ($360) price tag. The pearly-toned phone hasn't revealed any plans to leave the island nation of Taiwan just yet, but that doesn't mean you can't familiarize yourself with the full specifications in the PR below.
Justin Verlander?s?deserved MVP nod on Monday ended an 18-year drought?in which only position players had been awarded the game?s ultimate single-season honor. No pitcher had won an MVP award since A?s closer Dennis Eckersley in 1992. No starter had won since Boston?s Roger Clemens in 1986.
Now that the BBWAA is again showing a willingness to vote for pitchers ? at least if no position player on a first-place team truly stands out ? let?s correct a couple of wrongs from the last 20 years.
- Roger Clemens ? 1997 Blue Jays
Clemens went 21-7, led the AL in ERA at 2.05, strikeouts with 292, innings pitched with 264 and complete games with nine, yet he finished a mere 10th in the MVP balloting. Randy Myers, who pitched 59 2/3 innings with a WHIP worse than Clemens?, came?in fourth. At least the voters did pick the right position player this year, as Ken Griffey Jr. got the nod.
- Pedro Martinez ? 1999 Red Sox
After finishing 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 313 strikeouts, Martinez got eight first-place votes, but he was also left off a couple of ballots and finished second in the balloting to Ivan Rodriguez, who was probably the league?s fourth or fifth best position player. Martinez was even better the following year in 2000, when he went 18-6 with a 1.74 ERA, but he came in fifth that year.
- Greg Maddux ? 1995 Braves
In the 144-game strike-shortened season, Maddux?was a remarkable 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP in 209 2/3 innings. All of those marks led the NL, of course, and Maddux?was pretty obviously the league?s most valuable player. Still, he finished third behind Barry Larkin and Coors Field-aided Dante Bichette in the balloting.
- Johan Santana ? 2004 Twins
The American League in 2004 had five guys drive in at least 120 runs. Not coincidentally, those five guys finished first-through-fifth in the MVP voting. Santana was sixth after going 20-6 with a 2.61 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. There was a case for actual winner Vladimir Guerrero over him, but Santana should have finished second at worst.
It appears that Samsung and Apple's never-endinggame of patentRisk is beginning to draw concern from government regulators. The European Union's Competition Commission is investigating the companies' various disputes out of a growing worry that the war could be stifling competition in the mobile market. The agency's commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, has request information about the patents in question from both companies, though he has yet to receive a reply. Almunia was careful to point out that this is hardly the only example of a potential abuse of intellectual property rights to distort the market, but with more than 20 cases in 10 countries it's certainly one of the largest and most high profile. If the commission chooses to pursue legal action both Samsung and Apple could be fined up to 10 percent of their annual revenue. Maybe under threat of such hefty fines, the two competitors will put aside their differences and actually compete... you know, in the marketplace instead of in the court room.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa (Reuters) ? All of the judges in Penn State University's home county have recused themselves from the child sexual abuse case against former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, the state courts system said on Tuesday.
The recusals by the four judges in the Center County Court of Common Pleas "are intended to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest due to real or perceived connections to the defendant, the Second Mile charity, or the Pennsylvania State University," the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts said in a statement.
Sandusky, a former defensive coordinator for Penn State's football team, faces 40 grand jury counts of molesting young boys over a 15-year period. Sandusky has said he is innocent.
Sandusky is the founder of the Second Mile charity. The grand jury charges allege he met the boys through the non-profit.
McKean County Senior Judge John Cleland, a former chairman of the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice, was appointed to take over the case.
Judge Kathy Morrow, who sits in Perry and Juniata counties, will handle matters until he can assume jurisdiction. the statement said.
Neither Morrow nor Cleland had any known connection with Sandusky, the Second Mile, Penn State or their representatives, it said.
A preliminary hearing was rescheduled on Tuesday for December 13 at the Center County Courthouse. It also will be handled by an out-of-county jurist, Westmoreland County Senior District Judge Robert Scott.
Scott replaced the district judge who set bail when Sandusky was arrested, Leslie Dutchcot of State College, who had ties to The Second Mile.
It may not look all that mouse-like, but this so-called micromouse robot can navigate a maze unlike any other -- robot or otherwise. Built by Ng Beng Kiat, the Min7.1 bot has a top speed of 12 kilometers per hour, and it recently set a new record in the Japan Micromouse Robot Competition with a time of 3.921 seconds. For those not up on their robot maze-racing stats, that's a full second under the previous record holder. Of course, it didn't just blaze through on its first attempt. The bots are first allowed an autonomous exploration phase, but even it is fairly impressive to watch. Check out it and the record-setting run after the break.
With Black Friday coming there is going to be plenty of sales happening but -- why wait? U.S. Cellular is hosting their black Friday sales right now, where you can pick up a smartphone for $100 or less. So what devices can you get?
Aside from the sale prices, U.S. Cellular has also introduced a new $39.99 plan that includes 450 minutes; free incoming calls, texts and pics, mobile-to-mobile calls, and nights and weekends beginning at 7:00 p.m. The full press release can be found after the break.
LUXEMBOURG/ATHENS (Reuters) ? Greece's new technocrat prime minister said on Tuesday he was confident fractious politicians would soon provide a written commitment to painful austerity measures as demanded by the EU that will unlock funds needed to stave off bankruptcy.
But as Lucas Papademos tried to reassure EU officials in Luxembourg, the conservative New Democracy party reiterated its refusal to sign any pledge and Greece's main private and public sector trade unions called a 24-hour strike for December 1.
It will be the first major strike since Papademos, a former vice president of the European Central Bank, formed his three-party coalition to secure payment of an 8 billion euro aid tranche to avert default in December.
"Our partners demand written commitments. They want political leaders to send a letter of commitment over the policies which will be implemented in the coming years," Papademos told reporters after talks with Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker in Luxembourg.
"I believe party leaders will fulfill their duty. I'm optimistic that a solution will be found soon. This must be done by the end of the month."
While two parties, the Socialist PASOK of fallen premier George Papandreou and the far-right LAOS, have signaled readiness to sign, New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras has infuriated EU leaders by insisting his verbal consent is sufficient.
The European Union and International Monetary Fund want the written commitment because they suspect party leaders might otherwise try to wriggle out of their responsibilities, especially with an election penciled in for February 19.
"It has to be clear that there is also commitment from the largest opposition leader (Samaras) to implement the package of reforms. Saying that words are enough -- we have passed that stage," Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said.
"We want a signature from this Mr Samaras. Otherwise they (Greece) won't get money, absolutely not," De Jager told Dutch television station RTL 7.
The Netherlands, Germany and Finland -- three of the most fiscally sound euro zone countries who particularly resent having to bail out debt-ridden Greece -- will meet on Friday to discuss latest developments in Athens, De Jager said.
ELECTION
Political analysts say Samaras wants to distance himself from the austerity measures and boost his party's support ahead of an election in which he has said he believes he can win a majority to govern Greece alone.
Opinion polls show New Democracy ahead of its rivals but unlikely to be able to form a majority government.
Samaras, a Harvard-educated economist, has long opposed the tax hikes and spending cuts backed by Papandreou, his bitter rival and former college roommate, arguing that Greece -- now in its fourth year of recession -- needs pro-growth policies.
"Everything that has been done (by Samaras) is sufficient and complete," New Democracy spokesman Yannis Mihelakis told the private ANT1 television channel, referring to the party's support for the Papademos coalition and its 2012 draft budget.
Papademos, who was also due to meet the head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi in Frankfurt later on Tuesday, said his government was focused on tackling the immediate economic challenges facing Greece.
"I believe the new government will overcome the crisis and achieve fiscal consolidation in Greece," he said, adding its plans included steps to boost the economy's competitiveness.
Along with the December aid tranche, Greece is also hoping its creditors will approve a 130 billion euro bailout agreed last month to keep it afloat until 2014. This will replace the original 110 billion package that has made up its aid so far.
But Papademos's government faces a number of hurdles in implementing reforms, including staunch opposition by unions and a population angered by years of austerity that have deepened Greece's recession and lowered living standards.
STRIKE LOOMS, AGAIN
GSEE, the country's umbrella trade union representing about 2.5 million private sector workers, called a strike for December 1 to protest against the 2012 budget, which is scheduled to be approved by parliament on December 7.
"The strike is against this budget of austerity and social spending cuts," said GSEE spokesman Stathis Anestis.
Public sector trade union ADEDY, which represents about 500,000 state employees, said it too would join the walkout. It also said unions planned some sort of action on December 7.
The 2012 budget includes a series of tax increases and spending cuts to ensure the budget deficit falls to at least 6.7 percent of GDP next year from 9 percent in 2011.
Greece's trade unions have staged numerous strikes and demonstrations since the debt crisis forced authorities to start taking austerity measures two years ago.
(Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou in Athens; Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Band's new album isn't a departure, because it doesn't have to be. By James Montgomery
Nickelback's Chad Kroeger Photo: Getty Images
When Nickelback set out to record their brand-new album Here and Now, which hit stores Monday (November 21), they decided not to stray far from the mantra that has made them one of the decade's biggest-selling acts: Namely, keep it simple, stupid.
"If we had a 'vision,' it was pretty much 'Record 11 songs, try to make sure they don't sound like any of the other 11 songs, and make 'em good,'" frontman Chad Kroeger said. "That was about it."
If Kroeger sounds like he's joking, he assures you, he's not. After all, for more than 15 years now, Nickelback have done one thing — write and record the kinds of songs that sound great played very loudly, be it on the radio, in the parking lot or inside venues that house professional sports franchises — and have done it exceptionally well, to the tune of some 50 million albums sold worldwide. And Here and Now seems destined to follow in those footsteps, both sonically (have you heard"Bottoms Up"?) and commercially. Then again, the latter doesn't seem to matter all that much to Kroeger and company, which may very well be the secret to their success.
"Did you read the bio [for the new album]? Oh my God, it's a thrill ride. It's like my mom wrote it. She's like, 'They've sold this many records worldwide, they've won all of these accolades, the band has set these records,' and you just go down it, and there's almost nothing about the new album," Kroeger laughed. "The adjectives are just like, 'Wow, this dude got a thesaurus for Christmas for sure, and he just blew the dust off it.'
"You know what? I think [sales] mean more to my mom. My mom is just pumped when this stuff comes out," he continued. "But I think sometimes, we'll be sitting at dinner, and we'll look at each other, if it's just the four of us, those are those little secret private moments where we'll look at each other and be like, 'That was pretty cool.' Or, you know, 'Pass the butter.' "
And so, on Here and Now, Nickelback return with much of the same that has led them to such lofty heights. They'll make no bones about it, either. It will probably sell a bazillion copies and launch singles onto modern rock radio for the foreseeable future. And it will most definitely be coming to an arena near you very soon. And all those things would be near-certainties even if the band decided to go with their original title for the album, which, truth be told, would've been pretty awesome, really.
"It's called Here and Now because it just represents a snapshot in time, a snapshot of who we were when we made it," Kroeger explained. "And of all the names we had, it was better than Wizard Beating."
American Diabetes Association's preferred testing method fails to identify kids with diabetesPublic release date: 21-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lauren McLeod lemcleod@med.umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System
U-M study shows recommended test, Hemoglobin A1c, fails to identify children with diabetes or those at risk
In 2009, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended that Hemoglobin A1c be exclusively used for the diagnosis of diabetes in children. The simple test measures longer-term blood sugar levels -- without requiring patients to fast overnight. However, a new U-M study has shown that these tests are not very accurate in children.
"We found that Hemoglobin A1c is not as reliable a test for identifying children with diabetes or children at high risk for diabetes compared with other tests in children," says Joyce M. Lee, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and a pediatric endocrinologist at U-M's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. "In fact, it failed to diagnose two out of three children participating in the study who truly did have diabetes."
Although tests that require patients to fast are the most accurate tests, they are difficult to obtain in clinical practice, highlighting the need for improved nonfasting testing strategies.
Due in part to high rates of childhood obesity, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately 2.5 million children in the U.S. currently qualify for diabetes screening.
The study, published online ahead of print in the journal Diabetes Care, tested 254 overweight children using both fasting and non-fasting methods. Researchers found that the recommended test, Hemoglobin A1c, missed more cases of pre-diabetes or diabetes compared to other tests.
Participants in the study were defined as having prediabetes or diabetes based on a gold standard test. They were first tested using the Hemoglobin A1C test. After fasting for 12 hours, they returned on a separate day and were tested using a fasting method.
Based on the results, researchers urge that a nonfasting one-hour glucose challenge test, or a random glucose, may be promising methods for identifying children with prediabetes or diabetes.
"Other pediatric organizations, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, have not endorsed the use of HbA1c yet. However, there is concern that should they endorse it, more and more providers would use these testing methods, leading to an increase in missed diagnoses in the pediatric population," says Lee.
Researchers intend to use their data to drive future recommendations about screening for diabetes.
"We are currently studying whether the promising nonfasting tests, including the 1-hour glucose challenge test or the random glucose, could be used in combination with clinical characteristics to better identify which children have prediabetes or diabetes," says Lee.
###
Additional Authors: Achamyeleh Gebremariam, M.S, En-Ling Wu, B.A., Jennifer LaRose, B.S., James G. Gurney, Ph.D.
Citation: doi
Disclosures: None.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
American Diabetes Association's preferred testing method fails to identify kids with diabetesPublic release date: 21-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lauren McLeod lemcleod@med.umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System
U-M study shows recommended test, Hemoglobin A1c, fails to identify children with diabetes or those at risk
In 2009, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended that Hemoglobin A1c be exclusively used for the diagnosis of diabetes in children. The simple test measures longer-term blood sugar levels -- without requiring patients to fast overnight. However, a new U-M study has shown that these tests are not very accurate in children.
"We found that Hemoglobin A1c is not as reliable a test for identifying children with diabetes or children at high risk for diabetes compared with other tests in children," says Joyce M. Lee, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and a pediatric endocrinologist at U-M's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. "In fact, it failed to diagnose two out of three children participating in the study who truly did have diabetes."
Although tests that require patients to fast are the most accurate tests, they are difficult to obtain in clinical practice, highlighting the need for improved nonfasting testing strategies.
Due in part to high rates of childhood obesity, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately 2.5 million children in the U.S. currently qualify for diabetes screening.
The study, published online ahead of print in the journal Diabetes Care, tested 254 overweight children using both fasting and non-fasting methods. Researchers found that the recommended test, Hemoglobin A1c, missed more cases of pre-diabetes or diabetes compared to other tests.
Participants in the study were defined as having prediabetes or diabetes based on a gold standard test. They were first tested using the Hemoglobin A1C test. After fasting for 12 hours, they returned on a separate day and were tested using a fasting method.
Based on the results, researchers urge that a nonfasting one-hour glucose challenge test, or a random glucose, may be promising methods for identifying children with prediabetes or diabetes.
"Other pediatric organizations, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, have not endorsed the use of HbA1c yet. However, there is concern that should they endorse it, more and more providers would use these testing methods, leading to an increase in missed diagnoses in the pediatric population," says Lee.
Researchers intend to use their data to drive future recommendations about screening for diabetes.
"We are currently studying whether the promising nonfasting tests, including the 1-hour glucose challenge test or the random glucose, could be used in combination with clinical characteristics to better identify which children have prediabetes or diabetes," says Lee.
###
Additional Authors: Achamyeleh Gebremariam, M.S, En-Ling Wu, B.A., Jennifer LaRose, B.S., James G. Gurney, Ph.D.
Citation: doi
Disclosures: None.
[ | 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.
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Public release date: 14-Dec-2011
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