SEOUL (Reuters) ? A consortium led by South Korean retailer E-Land is among the short-listed bidders vying to buy the U.S. Major League Los Angeles Dodgers baseball franchise, Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday, estimating the price tag at between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion for the storied team.
The Dodgers filed for bankruptcy protection in June last year and a sale of the franchise was announced last week. A preliminary round of bidding has been completed.
The E-Land consortium was on a short-list of bidders for the Dodgers, Yonhap reported, quoting an unnamed industry official.
Blackstone Group LP, which is handling the high-profile auction of one of baseball's oldest franchises, picked suitable bidders from among some of the biggest names in business and sports to advance.
A preferred bidder is expected to be selected in April, Yonhap reported.
An estimated 12 parties lodged non-binding first-round bids for the team, the first to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball by signing black player Jackie Robinson, who played his first game with the team on April 15, 1947 when the team was based in Brooklyn.
The team left Brooklyn after the 1957 season.
Robinson helped the Brooklyn Dodgers capture their first World Series title in 1955 by defeating cross-town rival New York Yankees for the first time in the so-called subway series, a feat chronicled in the book, "The Boys of Summer."
Baseball is one of most popular sports in South Korea, along with soccer and golf. South Korean pitcher Park Chan-ho made his Major League Baseball debut with the Dodgers in 1994. Los Angeles also is home to a large Korean population and the city has defined an area in the Wilshire neighborhood as Koreatown.
Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier that billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen and ex-Yankees and Dodgers manager Joe Torre had received the green light, while basketball great Magic Johnson was also in the running.
E-Land executives were not immediately available to comment.
The unlisted retail group recently expanded into construction and restaurants.
It operates discount retail outlets and its apparel brands include Teenie Weenie, New Balance and Eblin. The group recorded an operating profit of 462 billion won ($411.3 million) for 2010 on sales of 4.6 trillion won, according to its website.
SAN ANTONIO ? An attorney for one of nine groups suing to block electoral redistricting maps drawn up by Texas' Republican-led Legislature says negotiations between the two sides have stalled.
Luis Vera, who represents the League of United Latin American Citizens, said Monday he wouldn't bet on a deal getting done in time to keep Texas' April 3 primaries from being delayed again. They were originally scheduled for March.
A federal court in San Antonio last week gave the sides until Feb. 6 to draw up temporary maps that would remain in place through November's election. If they don't, Texas' primaries will be pushed back.
Vera says a major obstacle is that the state isn't involving all parties in the negotiations.
The Texas attorney general's office didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.
LUTZ, Fla. ? Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich called Sunday for a commission to study the ethical issues relating to in vitro fertilization clinics, where infertile women receive treatment to get pregnant and large numbers of embryos are created.
"If you have in vitro fertilization you are creating life. And therefore we should look seriously at what should the rules be for clinics that do that because they're creating life," said Gingrich, who opposes abortion and says life begins at conception.
Gingrich, who is campaigning for votes in Tuesday's Florida primary, did not expand on his proposal for a commission. His remarks seemed to open the possibility of a larger federal role over IVF clinics across the country than currently exists.
Standing outside the Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church, where he had attended Sunday worship services, Gingrich also said he opposes the use of leftover embryos for stem cell research, which advocates say offers the hope of treatments or even cures for a variety of diseases.
The issue of stem cell research has become politically charged over the past decade, as scientific technique has advanced.
Former President George W. Bush, who opposed abortion rights, signed an executive order in 2001 that said federal funds could be used for stem cell research only on lines that were already in existence, which scientists subsequently said had been compromised.
President Barack Obama, who supports abortion rights, jettisoned Bush's restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research after taking office.
In vitro fertilization involves creating an embryo outside a woman's body, then implanting it inside the womb. Excess embryos may be stored at the clinic, discarded, used for research or made available to other couples. A study nearly a decade ago estimated there were as many as 400,000 in existence.
I've published eight books in the past seven years,?five with traditional publishers (Wiley, Penguin, HarperCollins), one comic book, ?and the last two I've self-published. In this post I give?the specific details of all of my sales numbers and advances?with the traditional publishers. Although the jury is still out on my self-published books,?"How to be the Luckiest Man Alive"?and?"I Was Blind But Now I See"??I can tell you these two have already sold more than my five books with traditional publishers, combined. If you, the entrepreneur, self-publish a book you will stand out, you will make more money, you will kick your competitors right in the XX, and you will look amazingly cool at cocktail parties. I know this because I am seldom cool but at cocktail parties, with my very own comic book, I can basically have sex with anyone in the room. But don't believe me, it costs you nothing and almost no time to try it yourself.
While President Barack Obama touted the ?Buffet Rule? at his State of the Union address, even inviting Warren Buffet?s secretary as his guest, the billionaire pro-tax advocate?s home state of Nebraska was hard at work trying to cut taxes and, in particular, finish off the last vestiges of the state?s death tax.
On Jan. 12 Nebraska Republican Gov. Dave Heineman used his annual State of the State address to propose the set of tax cuts, focusing on corporate and individual income taxes as well as the inheritance tax, which penalizes the deceased?s money as it is handed down to their beneficiary.
Though Nebraska already did away with its estate tax ? a tax on the actual deceased?s holdings before they are even transferred ? its continuation of the inheritance tax still landed it on Forbes list of ?Where Not to Die in 2012,? published one month before the State of the State address.
The state?s revenue committee is holding hearings on the abolition of the tax on Thursday. The governor and experts from both sides of the debate are expected to testify.
The abolition of the inheritance tax is opposed most strongly by county officials. In Nebraska, the majority of money from inheritance taxes goes to the counties, and they fear lost revenue if the tax is repealed.
But counties shouldn?t oppose the tax?s repeal, said Palmer Schoening, director of federal affairs for the American Family Business Institute, a trade association that represents family business owners and farmers.
?A study by former director of the Congressional Budget Office finds that the federal estate tax costs the U.S. economy 1.5 million small business jobs,? said Schoening. ?In Nebraska alone, over 10,000 jobs would eventually be created from repealing the federal estate tax.?
Studies in Connecticut to Tennessee supported this expectation, added Schoening, who will?testimony before the state committee on Thursday.
When testifying before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee in 2007, Buffet, who was born in Omaha, Nebraska, said that the estate tax should be higher than it currently is, testifying that, ?A progressive and meaningful estate tax is needed to curb the movement of a democracy toward a plutocracy.?
This is the essential argument of those who favor the death tax: That not only is it an important source of government revenue, but it is a blockade against the development of an American ruling class.?(RELATED: Anti-death-tax advocates eye victory in Tennessee)
Those who oppose the tax maintain that by taxing people large amounts of money for saving, rather than spending, the government is double-taxing, creating disincentives for responsibility and destroying family businesses that cannot protect their assets from death like their big-business competition does.
But Buffet?s motives may not be entirely innocent. Through his company, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffet owns General Re Life, IdeaLife Insurance, Central States Indemnity Life, First Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Co. and Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Co. of Nebraska. This is noteworthy because life insurance companies make a profit when citizens pay them to help get their estate in order for the complicated, and often very expensive, act of passing away.
To date, 38 states do not have any death tax. Including Nebraska, the tax is only retained in 22 states and the District of Columbia.
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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif (Reuters) ? A U.S. Marine sergeant accused of leading a 2005 massacre of 24 civilians in Iraq expressed sorrow for the killings as he returned to military court on Tuesday to face sentencing for his role in the deaths.
Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, 31, pleaded guilty on Monday to a single count of dereliction of duty as part of a deal with military prosecutors in which more serious charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault were dismissed.
The plea deal, which sparked outrage in Iraq, cut short Wuterich's court-martial and ended the final prosecution over the killings in Haditha, which sparked public outrage and brought international condemnation of U.S. troops.
As part of his guilty plea, Wuterich accepted responsibility for providing negligent verbal instructions to the Marines under his command when he told them to "shoot first and ask questions later," which resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians.
Wuterich, in his pre-sentencing statement on Tuesday, added that when he gave that order, "the intent wasn't that they should shoot civilians. It was that they would not hesitate in the face of the enemy."
The squad leader, who was originally charged with murder in the case, said he realized that his name "will always be associated with a massacre, being a cold-blooded baby-killer, an 'out of control monster.'"
But he insisted that he and his fellow Marines behaved honorably under extreme circumstances, and he said he "never fired my weapon at any women or children that day."
In a final plea for leniency, his civilian defense lawyer, Neal Puckett, said his client "is not evil."
"He is decent and moral, and his integrity is unfaltering," Puckett said. "He knows that his Marine Corps career has come to an end."
FACES MAXIMUM THREE MONTH SENTENCE
Wuterich faces a maximum sentence of three months of confinement, forfeiture of two-thirds of his pay for three months and a reduction in rank when he is sentenced on Tuesday, a Camp Pendleton spokesman said. Any discharge process faced by Wuterich, a father of three girls, will be separate from his sentencing.
Word of the maximum sentence sparked outrage in Iraq, where Ali Badr, a Haditha resident and relative of one of the victims, called it "an insult to all Iraqis" and "solid proof that the Americans don't respect human rights."
Wuterich was accused of being the ringleader in a series of November 19, 2005, shootings and grenade attacks that left two dozen civilians dead in Haditha, a city west of Baghdad that was then an insurgent hotspot.
The killings were portrayed by Iraqi witnesses and military prosecutors as a massacre of unarmed civilians -- men, women and children -- carried out by Marines in anger after a member of their unit was killed by a roadside bomb.
Defense lawyers argued the deaths resulted from a fast-moving combat situation in which the Marines believed they were under enemy fire.
In his statement on Tuesday, Wuterich, directed an apology to family members of those killed in Iraq, he said, "words cannot express my sorrow for the loss of your loved ones." But he insisted civilians were not singled out for attack.
"The truth is, I don't believe anyone in my squad ... behaved in any way that was dishonorable or contrary to the highest ideals that we all live by as Marines," he said. "But even with the best intentions, sometimes combat actions can cause tragic results."
Called to the stand as a character witness on Tuesday, Jeffrey Dinsmore, an intelligence officer with Wuterich's battalion at the time of the killings, said "insurgent groups ... had complete control over the city (of Haditha) at the time" and the unit had received word that an ambush was likely.
He also said insurgents were known to commandeer homes as places to launch attacks and to deliberately use civilians as human shields.
Six out of the eight Marines originally accused in the case had their charges dismissed by military judges, and a seventh was cleared of criminal wrongdoing.
Wuterich enlisted in the Marines after his 1998 graduation from high school, where he was an athletic honor-roll student and played with the marching band.
He was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq when the Haditha incident occurred.
(Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Greg McCune and Cynthia Johnston)
Contact: Amaia Portugal a.portugal@elhuyar.com 34-943-363-040 Elhuyar Fundazioa
The concentration of CO2 is on the rise, which could make these plants more resistant when facing future droughts, according to Anabel Robredo of the University of the Basque Country
This release is available in Spanish.
The upsurge in droughts is one of the main consequences of climate change, and affects crops in particular. However, Anabel Robredo, a biologist at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), has confirmed that in the case of barley at least, climate change itself is providing it with self-defence mechanisms to tackle a lack of water. Climate change is in fact also responsible for a considerable increase in the concentration of CO2, a gas that, paradoxically, is providing this plant with certain characteristics enabling it to offset the effects of drought. Her thesis is entitled Mecanismos fisiolgicos de respuesta de la cebada al impacto de la sequia y el elevado CO2: adaptacin al cambio climtico (Physiological Response Mechanisms of Barley to the impact of drought and elevated CO2: adaptation to climate change). Various international publications have also echoed this research, the most recent being Environmental and Experimental Botany.
Basically, Robredo has analysed the effect that takes place in the barley as a result of the combination of two of the main consequences brought to us by climate change: the enriching of CO2 and drought. As the researcher explains, "the atmospheric concentration of this gas has increased considerably within the last few decades, and it is expected to increase much more. So we compared barley plants that grow in a CO2 concentration equal to the current (ambient) one with others cultivated in double the concentration, which is what we are expected to reach by the end of this century." The study was carried out through a progressive imposition of drought so it also determined the capacity of these plants to recover following the lack of irrigation, in an ambient CO2 concentration as well as in the one expected for the future.
More efficient use of water
When discussing plants in general, the effects of an elevated concentration of CO2 were already known. The bibliographical references quoted by Robredo show that this is in fact so, since among other things, this elevated concentration increases biomass, root growth and total leaf area, and alters net photosynthesis rates and efficiency in water use. The so-called stomatal conductance is one of the keys, explains the researcher: "Stomata are pores that plants have in their leaves, and it is through them that they carry out the water and air exchange. When a plant is subjected to a high level of CO2, it closes its stomata to a certain degree. This causes the water to escape less, which is translated into greater efficiency in its use."
So a greater concentration of CO2 would appear to put the plants in an advantageous situation to address droughts. "If they use the water more slowly, they use it more efficiently and can grow over a longer period of time," explains Robredo. At least this is what she has been able to confirm in the case of barley. The results show that even though drought is harmful, its effect on barley is less when combined with an elevated concentration of CO2. In comparison with a situation in which an ambient level of this gas exists, its increase causes leaf and soil water content to fall less, the rates of photosynthesis to be maintained for longer, growth to be greater and the assimilation of nitrogen and carbon to be less affected. The researcher does in fact explain the importance of maintaining the balance between the nitrogen and the carbon: "Both the take-up of carbon and the assimilation of nitrogen have increased in a balanced way."
On the other hand, when irrigation is re-established in barley plants that have been through a drought, its effect has been seen to revert more rapidly to its original state under elevated CO2 conditions, in most of the parameters analysed.
It cannot be extrapolated
So, under future CO2 conditions, the negative repercussions of drought driven by climate change would be delayed further in comparison with the current concentration of this gas. In the case of barley this is so. However, can these results be extrapolated to other crops? As this researcher points out, it is not that simple: "You have to be very careful because plant species often respond very differently, even displaying the opposite. But what we can say is that most plant species tend to use water more efficiently in conditions of elevated CO2 and drought, and that they grow more."
###
About the author
Anabel Robredo-Ruiz de Azua (Bilbao, 1976) is a graduate in Biological Sciences. She wrote up her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Alberto Muoz Rueda (Professor of Plant Physiology) and Dr. Amaia Mena-Petite (Associate Professor), both from the Department of Plant Biology and Ecology of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the UPV/EHU. Today, Robredo belongs to PhD Research Personnel at the laboratory of Plant Physiology of this same department and faculty.
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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.
Contact: Amaia Portugal a.portugal@elhuyar.com 34-943-363-040 Elhuyar Fundazioa
The concentration of CO2 is on the rise, which could make these plants more resistant when facing future droughts, according to Anabel Robredo of the University of the Basque Country
This release is available in Spanish.
The upsurge in droughts is one of the main consequences of climate change, and affects crops in particular. However, Anabel Robredo, a biologist at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), has confirmed that in the case of barley at least, climate change itself is providing it with self-defence mechanisms to tackle a lack of water. Climate change is in fact also responsible for a considerable increase in the concentration of CO2, a gas that, paradoxically, is providing this plant with certain characteristics enabling it to offset the effects of drought. Her thesis is entitled Mecanismos fisiolgicos de respuesta de la cebada al impacto de la sequia y el elevado CO2: adaptacin al cambio climtico (Physiological Response Mechanisms of Barley to the impact of drought and elevated CO2: adaptation to climate change). Various international publications have also echoed this research, the most recent being Environmental and Experimental Botany.
Basically, Robredo has analysed the effect that takes place in the barley as a result of the combination of two of the main consequences brought to us by climate change: the enriching of CO2 and drought. As the researcher explains, "the atmospheric concentration of this gas has increased considerably within the last few decades, and it is expected to increase much more. So we compared barley plants that grow in a CO2 concentration equal to the current (ambient) one with others cultivated in double the concentration, which is what we are expected to reach by the end of this century." The study was carried out through a progressive imposition of drought so it also determined the capacity of these plants to recover following the lack of irrigation, in an ambient CO2 concentration as well as in the one expected for the future.
More efficient use of water
When discussing plants in general, the effects of an elevated concentration of CO2 were already known. The bibliographical references quoted by Robredo show that this is in fact so, since among other things, this elevated concentration increases biomass, root growth and total leaf area, and alters net photosynthesis rates and efficiency in water use. The so-called stomatal conductance is one of the keys, explains the researcher: "Stomata are pores that plants have in their leaves, and it is through them that they carry out the water and air exchange. When a plant is subjected to a high level of CO2, it closes its stomata to a certain degree. This causes the water to escape less, which is translated into greater efficiency in its use."
So a greater concentration of CO2 would appear to put the plants in an advantageous situation to address droughts. "If they use the water more slowly, they use it more efficiently and can grow over a longer period of time," explains Robredo. At least this is what she has been able to confirm in the case of barley. The results show that even though drought is harmful, its effect on barley is less when combined with an elevated concentration of CO2. In comparison with a situation in which an ambient level of this gas exists, its increase causes leaf and soil water content to fall less, the rates of photosynthesis to be maintained for longer, growth to be greater and the assimilation of nitrogen and carbon to be less affected. The researcher does in fact explain the importance of maintaining the balance between the nitrogen and the carbon: "Both the take-up of carbon and the assimilation of nitrogen have increased in a balanced way."
On the other hand, when irrigation is re-established in barley plants that have been through a drought, its effect has been seen to revert more rapidly to its original state under elevated CO2 conditions, in most of the parameters analysed.
It cannot be extrapolated
So, under future CO2 conditions, the negative repercussions of drought driven by climate change would be delayed further in comparison with the current concentration of this gas. In the case of barley this is so. However, can these results be extrapolated to other crops? As this researcher points out, it is not that simple: "You have to be very careful because plant species often respond very differently, even displaying the opposite. But what we can say is that most plant species tend to use water more efficiently in conditions of elevated CO2 and drought, and that they grow more."
###
About the author
Anabel Robredo-Ruiz de Azua (Bilbao, 1976) is a graduate in Biological Sciences. She wrote up her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Alberto Muoz Rueda (Professor of Plant Physiology) and Dr. Amaia Mena-Petite (Associate Professor), both from the Department of Plant Biology and Ecology of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the UPV/EHU. Today, Robredo belongs to PhD Research Personnel at the laboratory of Plant Physiology of this same department and faculty.
[ | 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.
STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) ? Football fans, former players and mourners who thought of Penn State coach Joe Paterno as family lined up on Tuesday to pay their respects to the late, legendary Hall of Famer, whose casket was set out for public viewing.
At the head of the line of hundreds of people braving the chilly wintry weather were former players at Penn State under Paterno, who died on Sunday of lung cancer.
With his unrivaled record of major college football victories, Paterno was the face of Penn State for half a century until he was fired last fall for doing too little about a child sexual abuse scandal.
One former player Brian Dozier, an offensive tackle for Penn State from 1989 to 1991, credited Paterno with teaching him to prepare for adversity.
"One of the things I learned was that life will not always be fair," said Dozier, an investment advisor in Chester, Pennsylvania, as he stood on line outside the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the Penn State campus.
Paterno's family revealed in November that he was suffering from lung cancer, just days after he was fired by the Penn State Board of Trustees for failing to intervene more forcefully when former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was accused of molesting young boys.
Paterno told university officials but not police about an allegation that Sandusky sexually abused a young boy in the Penn State football showers in 2002, opening himself to criticism that he protected Sandusky for nine years.
Sandusky, 67, faces 52 criminal counts accusing him of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years. He has maintained his innocence and is under house arrest.
Alumnus Gary Smith, a football season ticketholder since he graduated in 1980, voiced the sentiment of those alumni who feel Paterno was treated callously by the board, which fired him in a telephone call, after his stellar career at the helm of Penn State's multi-million-dollar football program.
"They could have called him and said, 'Come in and talk to us,'" said Smith.
Smith's sister Jodi Haaf, 47, said she and her brother drove more than three hours from Matamoras, Pennsylvania, to attend the viewing.
"Joe's family," she said.
Paterno's family paid a private visit to the religious center on Tuesday morning, followed by players on the 2011 football squad.
The closed-casket viewing for the public was slated to end at 11 p.m.
A private funeral was planned for Wednesday and a public memorial service was scheduled for Thursday in Penn State's basketball arena, the Bryce Jordan Center.
(Writing by Ellen Wulfhorst. Editing by Paul Thomasch)
KUWAIT CITY (AP) ? Sheik Saud Al Nasser Al Sabah, who served as Kuwait's ambassador to the U.S. during Iraq's 1990 invasion of the oil-rich country and the American-led war to oust Saddam Hussein's forces, has died, a government-backed newspaper reported Sunday. He was 68.
Al-Qabas said the former diplomat died Saturday. It gave no cause of death.
A member of Kuwait's royal family, Sheik Nasser was a leading voice calling for international help during Iraq's occupation. But he was forced to defend his tactics when it was revealed that his then-teenage daughter, Nayirah, told U.S. lawmakers in October 1990 that she had witnessed Iraqi soldiers yank newborn babies from incubators. Several rights groups later questioned the account, which helped galvanize U.S. public opinion in favor of war.
A statement Sunday from former President George H. W. Bush called Sheik Nasser a "trusted partner" during the occupation and the U.S.-led war in 1991 that drove Saddam's military from Kuwait.
"Throughout that defining ordeal, he stood proudly with the United States as our coalition ejected Saddam's forces from Kuwaiti soil and upheld international law," said Bush's statement from Houston. "He was truly a good man, and a joy with whom to work."
Sheik Nasser served as Kuwait's envoy to Washington from 1981 to 1992. He later served in Kuwait's government as information minister and oil minister.
In the past decade, he played an elder statesmen's role with close ties to the White House and U.S. officials.
He also was a strong opponent of anti-Western views by Islamic hard-liners in Kuwait. In 2003, he joined other Kuwaiti leaders in endorsing the U.S. invasion of Iraq and called it the "beginning of the end" for Muslim extremists.
Al-Qabas newspaper said a funeral was scheduled for Sunday.
YANGON, Myanmar ? Prominent student activists recently released from prison in Myanmar said Saturday they will work with political reformers and support pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in upcoming by-elections.
Min Ko Naing, a top member of the 88 Generation Students Group, said it would always side with those who strive for "fairness, freedom and equality" and join hands with supporters of President Thein Sein's reforms.
The group's name refers to a failed democracy uprising in 1988 that resulted in long prison terms for the activists. They were at the cutting edge of that rebellion and are widely admired for their perseverance and dedication despite the threat of re-arrest always hanging over them.
At least four 88 Generation members spoke at the news conference, attended by about 500 people, including many of their supporters. It was their first joint public appearance since being released from prison on Jan. 13.
Thein Sein took office last year as chief executive of a military-backed but elected government after two decades of military repression made Myanmar a pariah state. Reforms he has initiated include starting a dialogue with Suu Kyi, legalizing labor unions and signing a cease-fire agreement in a long-running campaign against Karen insurgents.
An 88 Generation statement said the group "will participate to the fullest extent with the government led by the President, the parliament, military, political parties and ethnic minority groups for the emergence of democracy, peace and development."
"There are those who want to carry out reforms and those who are averse to reforms. We promise that the 88 Generation Students will side with the reformists," said Min Ko Naing.
Suu Kyi has expressed cautious optimism in the reform movement and lent her support by having her National League for Democracy reregister as a legal political party, and contest all 48 seats at stake in an April 1 by-election. The NLD had boycotted the November 2010 general election, saying it was conducted in an unfair and undemocratic manner.
Another Generation 88 member, Ko Ko Gyi, said the group would not run in the upcoming polls but "will support ... Aung San Suu Kyi who has made a risky and practical choice in order to achieve national reconciliation."
Some critics fear the military is using Suu Kyi as window-dressing to promote Myanmar as democratic while the countries constitution ensures army dominance over politics. For more than two decades, the military had kept the upper hand despite Suu Kyi's nonviolent resistance, armed conflict with ethnic minority groups, and political and economic sanctions by Western nations.
Another Generation 88 member, Mya Aye said that many political prisoners remain in prison.
"The fact is that the government's denial to acknowledge the existence of political prisoners amounts to ignoring the reality," he said.
After the initial euphoria over this month's release of about 500 political prisoners, it became evident that many convicts who are political detainees by most definitions remain behind bars because they were convicted of crimes not regarded by the government as political offenses.
The number of those still held is nearly impossible to determine because of the various crimes under which they are held and the limited information available about the detainees.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), based in neighboring Thailand, welcomed the releases, but pointed out that they are conditional and can be withdrawn, putting practical limits on those freed.
MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the fact that sunburn in childhood greatly raises a person's lifelong risk for skin cancer, just 25 percent of 14-year-olds in a new U.S. study said they used sunscreen regularly.
What's more, behaviors linked to risky sun exposure increased as kids got older, with older teens reporting more time in the sun and less use of sunscreen than when they were young.
In the study, published in the February issue of Pediatrics, researchers led by Dr. Stephen Dusza of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City, examined data on 360 fifth graders in Massachusetts who were surveyed in 2004 and again three years later in 2007.
Looking at changes in sun-protective behaviors over that period of time, the team found that more than half (53 percent) of the youngsters had already suffered at least one sunburn by the age of 11 and that that rate of sunburn remained constant over the next three years.
But during that same time period, rates of using sunscreen "often or always" actually dropped: While half of the kids used such products at the beginning of the study, only 25 percent still did so three years later.
The authors noted that the proportion of children who admitted to "liking a tan and spending time outside to get a tan significantly increased" as they grew older, as well.
The years of "periadolescence" covered by the study (ages 11 to 14) appear to be "a crucial period" when young people often either "increase or decrease their use of sun protection, obtain sunburns, or change their tan-promoting attitudes," the authors wrote.
"Adolescence and teenage years are tremendously difficult because it is a period of flexing independence, coupled with feelings of invincibility," they added. Dusza and his team believe that educational outreach during these years will be key to ensuring kids make healthier choices that can help ward off skin cancers over their lifetime.
More information
For more on skin cancer, head to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Immediately following his win at the 2012 Golden Globes ceremony, ubiquitous fan-favorite Idris Elba was hit up by journalists wanting to know more about his upcoming film schedule, which could possibly include both Marvel?s Thor 2 and The Avengers, as well as the James Bond franchise somewhere down the road (if rumor mongering is anything to go by).
Elba is currently back in Toronto, where he?s working on filmmaker Guillermo del Toro?s anticipated sci-fi/giant monster movie, Pacific Rim. However, before he departed the Globes event, the English actor dropped a few tidbits about which upcoming movies he will for certain show up in ? as well as which ones remain possibilities.
MTV asked Elba about whether or not he?ll be reprising his well-liked turn as the Guardian of Worlds, Heimdall, in either (or both) this summer?s The Avengers and the upcoming Thor sequel. Elba revealed that he has not yet met with newly-minted Thor 2 helmer Alan Taylor, but that he?s a lock to return for that comic book flick; Avengers, on the other hand, is a project he?s ?unsure? about right now.
That leaves Elba in the same boat as his Thor co-star, Jaimie Alexander, who also refused to rule out the appearance of her onscreen Asgardian counterpart, the warrior gal Sif, in writer/director Joss Whedon?s superhero teamup flick. Obviously, at this point, their theoretical parts in the film would amount to nothing more than a glorified cameo, but there remains the chance that both characters (as well as Asgard itself) could appear briefly during The Avengers ? or, rather, in an after-credits scene, in keeping with Marvel Studio?s tradition.
Idris Elba as Heimdall in 'Thor'
In addition to his aforementioned comments, Elba also spoke briefly with journalists at the Golden Globes about his possibly becoming Daniel Craig?s successor to the 007 throne. Here?s what he had to say:
?There was a huge rumor that once?Daniel?Craig finishes playing Bond that they were looking for someone different and my name was in that mix. And I answered a bunch of questions and the bottom line is of course, I?d be honoured to play the part if it comes my way.?
Elba previously made it clear that he?s simply interested in portraying a new cinematic incarnation of James Bond, rather than playing ?a black version? of the iconic secret agent. Craig is reportedly being considered to portray 007 for five more films, following the release of Skyfall later this year, but that deal is far from set in stone; not to mention, there?s been no word as to whether or not Craig actually wants?to continue wearing the Bond suit for that long.
In other words: don?t count out Elba or any other rumored candidates (like Henry Cavill and Michael Fassbender) as contenders to eventually take on the title of Mr. Bond just?yet.
-
The Avengers will be released in 2D and 3D theaters in the U.S. on May 4th, 2012.
Thor 2 is slated for a U.S. theatrical release on November 15th, 2013.
Combining 2 anti-HER2 drugs may provide better preoperative breast cancer treatmentPublic release date: 16-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Katie Marquedant kmarquedant@partners.org 617-314-3986 Massachusetts General Hospital
Using two drugs that inhibit the growth factor HER2 for preoperative treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer appears to have better results than treatment with a single agent. In a report in the January 17 issue of The Lancet, an international research team reports that a protocol adding lapatinib (Tykerb) to trastuzumab (Herceptin) was more effective than single-drug treatment with either drug in eliminating microscopic signs of cancer at the time the tumors were surgically removed.
"This is the first demonstration that adding a second anti-HER2 therapy, lapatinib, to trastuzumab is superior to trastuzumab alone in patients with early breast cancer," says Jos Baselga, MD, PhD, chief of Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, who led the study. "It opens up the concept of dual HER2 blockade as a better approach for patients with early, non-metastatic, HER2 breast cancer."
Approximately 20 to 30 percent of breast cancers are driven by overexpression of HER2, and such tumors are particularly aggressive. Both trastuzumab and lapatinib are agents that target HER2 and have been shown to improve the outcome of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab is currently approved in the U.S. for postoperative treatment and in Europe for both pre- and postoperative therapy; lapatinib is used in combination with chemotherapy for patients whose tumors have stopped responding to trastuzumab. Since the two drugs have different mechanisms of action, combination therapy is being investigated to reduce the development of treatment-resistant disease.
The current investigation the NeoAdjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization (NeoALTTO) study enrolled 455 patients in 23 countries. Participants had early-stage, nonmetastatic HER2-positive breast tumors that had not yet been treated and were randomized to one of three treatment arms: anti-HER2 treatment with either intravenous trastuzumab, oral lapatinib or both for 6 weeks. For all participants the same anti-HER2 therapy was continued for another 12 weeks, with the addition of a weekly dose of paclitaxel (Taxol). Tumors were removed surgically within 4 weeks of the last paclitaxel dose. At the completion of surgery, patients received additional chemotherapy and then continued to receive the same anti-HER2 therapy, for a total of one year of anti-HER2 treatment.
More than half the participants receiving combined anti-HER2 therapy achieved a pathological complete response, which means is they had no visible cancer cells in pathologic samples of the removed tissue, a standard measure of the success of preoperative also called neoadjuvant therapy. Similar results were seen in less than a third of those receiving a single anti-HER2 agent. The impact of these protocols on patients' postsurgical survival will be reported in a future study. The authors conclude that, compared to the standard trastuzumab treatment, the combined approach statistically improved the rate of complete remissions.
"We are also conducting a companion study, comparing dual HER2 blockade to single-drug therapy in adjuvant [postoperative] treatment of 8,000 patients," Baselga says. "If that study's results confirm our current findings, the implications could be profound for the way we design clinical trials, suggesting that we could answer important questions with much smaller trials." Baselga is a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. The study was supported by GlaxoSmithKline, which manufactures lapatinib.
###
Massachusetts General Hospital (www.massgeneral.org), founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $750 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine.
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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.
Combining 2 anti-HER2 drugs may provide better preoperative breast cancer treatmentPublic release date: 16-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Katie Marquedant kmarquedant@partners.org 617-314-3986 Massachusetts General Hospital
Using two drugs that inhibit the growth factor HER2 for preoperative treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer appears to have better results than treatment with a single agent. In a report in the January 17 issue of The Lancet, an international research team reports that a protocol adding lapatinib (Tykerb) to trastuzumab (Herceptin) was more effective than single-drug treatment with either drug in eliminating microscopic signs of cancer at the time the tumors were surgically removed.
"This is the first demonstration that adding a second anti-HER2 therapy, lapatinib, to trastuzumab is superior to trastuzumab alone in patients with early breast cancer," says Jos Baselga, MD, PhD, chief of Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, who led the study. "It opens up the concept of dual HER2 blockade as a better approach for patients with early, non-metastatic, HER2 breast cancer."
Approximately 20 to 30 percent of breast cancers are driven by overexpression of HER2, and such tumors are particularly aggressive. Both trastuzumab and lapatinib are agents that target HER2 and have been shown to improve the outcome of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab is currently approved in the U.S. for postoperative treatment and in Europe for both pre- and postoperative therapy; lapatinib is used in combination with chemotherapy for patients whose tumors have stopped responding to trastuzumab. Since the two drugs have different mechanisms of action, combination therapy is being investigated to reduce the development of treatment-resistant disease.
The current investigation the NeoAdjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization (NeoALTTO) study enrolled 455 patients in 23 countries. Participants had early-stage, nonmetastatic HER2-positive breast tumors that had not yet been treated and were randomized to one of three treatment arms: anti-HER2 treatment with either intravenous trastuzumab, oral lapatinib or both for 6 weeks. For all participants the same anti-HER2 therapy was continued for another 12 weeks, with the addition of a weekly dose of paclitaxel (Taxol). Tumors were removed surgically within 4 weeks of the last paclitaxel dose. At the completion of surgery, patients received additional chemotherapy and then continued to receive the same anti-HER2 therapy, for a total of one year of anti-HER2 treatment.
More than half the participants receiving combined anti-HER2 therapy achieved a pathological complete response, which means is they had no visible cancer cells in pathologic samples of the removed tissue, a standard measure of the success of preoperative also called neoadjuvant therapy. Similar results were seen in less than a third of those receiving a single anti-HER2 agent. The impact of these protocols on patients' postsurgical survival will be reported in a future study. The authors conclude that, compared to the standard trastuzumab treatment, the combined approach statistically improved the rate of complete remissions.
"We are also conducting a companion study, comparing dual HER2 blockade to single-drug therapy in adjuvant [postoperative] treatment of 8,000 patients," Baselga says. "If that study's results confirm our current findings, the implications could be profound for the way we design clinical trials, suggesting that we could answer important questions with much smaller trials." Baselga is a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. The study was supported by GlaxoSmithKline, which manufactures lapatinib.
###
Massachusetts General Hospital (www.massgeneral.org), founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $750 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine.
[ | 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.
We didn't have much to complain about when it came to Samsung's flagship phone and tablet, so we're glad to see that both the Galaxy S II and Tab 10.1 have managed to jump through the requisite hoops for FIPS certification. The business-centric feature means that both Samsung devices have been given the thumbs up for use in governmental agencies and other similarly stickler-for-the-rule industries. While the Tab 10.1 certainly isn't the first tablet to receive the certification, it's perhaps the most pervasive. Does this lay the ghost of underwhelming business phones to rest? We hope so.
BEIJING (Reuters) ? Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pressed Saudi Arabia to open its huge oil and gas resources to expanded Chinese investment, media reports said on Sunday against a backdrop of growing tension over Iran and worries over its crude exports to the Asian power.
The Saudi kingdom is China's biggest source of imported oil, and securing energy security was high on Wen's agenda in Riyadh, in part reflecting concerns about how nuclear tensions and sanctions could unsettle ties with Iran.
"China and Saudi Arabia are both in important stages of development, and there are broad prospects for enhancing cooperation," Wen on Saturday told Prince Nayef, who is a senior member of the Saudi government, according to Xinhua.
"Both sides must strive together to expand trade and cooperation, upstream and downstream, in crude oil and natural gas," said Wen, referring to access to extracting oil and gas and then processing the them.
The Xinhua report made no mention of any discussion of Iran, whose oil exports to China face pressure from new U.S. sanctions. The U.S. sanctions threat is a particular worry for China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil. Only Saudi Arabia and Angola sell it more crude.
"Beijing is concerned with the potential response to Iranian bellicose statements and with the spike in oil prices that would ensue from greater turmoil in Syria and Iran," Michal Meidan, an analyst in London with the Eurasia Group who studies Chinese energy investment and policy, said in an emailed research note.
Late on Saturday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced U.S. punishment of China's state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp.
On Thursday, the Obama administration invoked U.S. law to sanction Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, which it said was Iran's largest supplier of refined petroleum products.
"Imposing sanctions on a Chinese company based on a domestic (U.S.) law is totally unreasonable, and does not conform to the spirit or content of U.N. Security Council resolutions about the Iran nuclear issue," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in a statement issued on the ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn).
"China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and adamant opposition," said Liu.
The Obama administration said its sanctions against the Chinese company and two other firms are part of a broadening effort to target Iran's energy sector and press Tehran to curb in its nuclear ambitions, which Western governments say appear aimed at developing the means to make atomic weapons.
Iran says its nuclear activities are legitimate and entirely for peaceful ends.
China cut oil imports from Iran in January and February in a commercial dispute over contract terms, and has been looking for alternative supplies.
Yet China is unlikely to dramatically boost crude imports from Saudi Arabia, even with the Iranian worries, said Meidan, the analyst with the Eurasia Group.
"In the likely event that Iran will offer discounted oil, Chinese traders will buy more Iranian barrels and could consequently reduce their Saudi imports," she said.
"Wen will therefore need to convey both commercial and diplomatic realities to Saudi Arabia, China's number one source of crude imports, and ensure that bilateral ties remain on steady footing."
MORE TRADE TOO, PLEASE
Wen also said his government wants "strong and reputable" Chinese companies to invest in Saudi Arabia's ports, railways and infrastructure, the Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.
China and Saudi Arabia should keep deepening cooperation "in the face of changeable and complicated regional and international trends," he said, according to Xinhua.
Crown Prince Nayef is King Abdullah's half brother and became heir to the throne in October. The Xinhua report paraphrased the prince as saying that Saudi Arabia is willing to expand cooperation in energy and infrastructure.
China is already Saudi Arabia's biggest customer and the kingdom is keen to diversify its economic ties.
On Saturday, the state-run Saudi oil giant Aramco and Chinese companies finalized an initial agreement signed last year to develop a 400,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Yanbu, on the kingdom's Red Sea coast.
Aramco will hold a 62.5 percent stake in the joint venture formed to develop Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Co (YASREF), and Sinopec will own the rest.
In the first 11 months of 2011, top supplier Saudi Arabia shipped 45.5 million tons of crude to China, a rise of 12.9 percent over the same period in 2010, according to Chinese customs data. Angola and Iran were China's second and third biggest suppliers.
Wen is also scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
(Reporting by Chris Buckley, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)
Don't let Rousimar Palhares get near you. If he does you're probably going to walk away from the fight with a limp
Palhares flashed brilliance in taking down Mike Massenzio, quickly getting a hold of his leg and finishing things with a heel hook just 63 second into pay-per-view fight No. 3 of night at UFC 142.
Palhares (14-3, 7-2 UFC) has posted five submissions in seven UFC wins. The Brazilian has also had his brushes with controversy. He's held onto several submission finishes even after the referee stopped things. Tonight, he behaved himself.
SAN FRANCISCO?? Prosecutors on Friday charged San Francisco's newly sworn-in sheriff with three misdemeanors, including domestic violence, related to a New Year's Eve incident with his wife, a former Venezuelan telenovela star.
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Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi faces one count each of domestic violence battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said.
A neighbor reported that Mirkarimi grabbed and bruised Eliana Lopez's arm during a heated argument at their home, according to a police affidavit.
The injury reportedly was shown on a video recorded by the neighbor, and a text message conversation between Lopez and the neighbor included details of the incident, according to the affidavit requesting a search warrant to obtain the video camera and phone.
Mirkarimi, 50, vowed to remain in office while he fights the charges. He spoke to a gaggle of reporters camped outside his office Friday afternoon and denied the allegations.
Lopez defended her husband in a written statement, saying the episode was "completely taken out of context."
The couple was married after having their first child in 2009.
Mirkarimi's lawyer, Robert Waggener, and spokesman Jim Stearns did not immediately respond to calls for comment Friday about the impending charges.
Days after the alleged dispute, Mirkarimi was sworn in as San Francisco sheriff, appearing at the ceremony with his wife and son. Asked about the incident, he called it "a private matter, a family matter."
San Francisco's sheriff does not have broad law enforcement powers as sheriffs do in other jurisdictions. The position mostly entails running the city and county's jail system and providing law enforcement at public buildings such as courthouses and City Hall.
Mirkarimi was elected in November after serving seven years as one of the city's more liberal supervisors. He's been an advocate for legalization of medical marijuana, was a co-founder of the California Green Party before becoming a Democrat in 2010, and led America's first successful attempt to ban plastic bags from supermarket chains.
If convicted of the misdemeanor charges, Mirkarimi would have to give up his department-issued firearm and possibly be subjected to searches as conditions of probation.
That would make him the only elected sheriff in the state forbidden from carrying a gun, said Merced County Sheriff Mark Tazi, president of the California State Sheriff's Association.
Under state law, Mirkarimi could only be automatically removed from office if convicted of a felony.
Mayor Ed Lee has the authority to charge Mirkarimi with official misconduct and suspend him from office, according to John St. Croix, executive director of the city's Ethics Commission.
After possible hearings, the commission could make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors about whether to reinstate him or permanently remove him from office.
Lee declined any comment until charges are formally filed.
On Thursday, a coalition of anti-domestic violence groups urged Mirkarimi to take a leave from his post until the case is resolved.
___
Associated Press writer Beth Duff-Brown contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LIMA (Reuters) ? Dutch citizen Joran Van der Sloot was sentenced to 28 years in prison by a Peruvian court on Friday for killing a woman in Lima in 2010, exactly five years since 18-year-old Alabama native Natalee Holloway disappeared after spending time with him.
He had accepted homicide and theft charges filed against him in his trial and apologized on Wednesday for killing 21-year-old business student Stephany Flores after meeting her in a casino in Peru's capital.
Van der Sloot, 24, fidgeted nervously and sweated profusely during sentencing and was ordered to pay 200,000 soles ($74,074) to the Flores family. He shook his head afterwards, sighed and was escorted out of the courtroom by guards. He did not say if he would appeal the ruling.
He could conceivably spend less than a decade behind bars because Peru often releases prisoners for good behavior after serving a third of their terms.
Peruvian police said Flores, a highly skilled poker player and the daughter of a wealthy businessman, was robbed and killed on May 30, 2010, five years to the day after U.S. citizen Holloway vanished during a high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.
Van der Sloot has told police he strangled, beat and suffocated Flores after he found her looking at his laptop computer in his hotel room. The laptop contained emails about Holloway's death.
He fled to Chile after Flores' death but was arrested there and returned to Peru for questioning.
The Flores murder probe brought renewed attention to the case of Holloway, who vanished during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, where Van der Sloot was living.
Van der Sloot was arrested twice in the Holloway case but he was never charged due to a lack of evidence as they never found her body. An Alabama judge declared her dead on Thursday.
Holloway's family has criticized Dutch authorities for not making more progress in the case.
The actress is taken to a hospital after an emergency phone call is placed from her home. By Jason Kaufman
Heather Locklear Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Heather Locklear was rushed to a California hospital on Thursday with what law officials are labeling "a medical emergency."
TMZ reports that the emergency was a dangerous mix of prescription medication and alcohol. She was taken by ambulance from her home after a call was placed to 911.
"Emergency response personnel responded to a medical emergency call at Ms. Locklear's residence," Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Mike Aranda told PEOPLE later Thursday. "Once they arrived, it was determined that Ms. Locklear needed to be transported to the hospital for further medical attention."
This is the second medical scare for the 50-year-old actress within the past 13 months. In December of 2010, Locklear landed in the hospital for a brief stay for a bacterial infection.
2011 was not without bumps for the actress either after a split with longtime beau Jack Wagner, once her co-star on 'Melrose.' The couple had been engaged for only three months.
Locklear had appeared in public as recently as Tuesday night at a Lakers game, reports TMZ.
Locklear had returned to television in 2009 to revive her role as Amanda Woodward on a reboot of 'Melrose Place.' Locklear had proved dependable for weekly watercooler discussion during the series' original run in the mid '90s.
I've published eight books in the past seven years,?five with traditional publishers (Wiley, Penguin, HarperCollins), one comic book, ?and the last two I've self-published. In this post I give?![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
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