Thursday, December 22, 2011

A single cell endoscope

ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2011) ? An endoscope that can provide high-resolution optical images of the interior of a single living cell, or precisely deliver genes, proteins, therapeutic drugs or other cargo without injuring or damaging the cell, has been developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). This highly versatile and mechanically robust nanowire-based optical probe can also be applied to biosensing and single-cell electrophysiology.

A team of researchers from Berkeley Lab and the University of California (UC) Berkeley attached a tin oxide nanowire waveguide to the tapered end of an optical fibre to create a novel endoscope system. Light travelling along the optical fibre can be effectively coupled into the nanowire where it is re-emitted into free space when it reaches the tip. The nanowire tip is extremely flexible due to its small size and high aspect ratio, yet can endure repeated bending and buckling so that it can be used multiple times.

"By combining the advantages of nanowire waveguides and fibre-optic fluorescence imaging, we can manipulate light at the nanoscale inside living cells for studying biological processes within single living cells with high spatial and temporal resolution," says Peidong Yang, a chemist with Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division, who led this research. "We've shown that our nanowire-based endoscope can also detect optical signals from subcellular regions and, through light-activated mechanisms, can deliver payloads into cells with spatial and temporal specificity."

Yang, who also holds appointments with the University of California Berkeley's Chemistry Department and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, is the corresponding author of a paper in the journal Nature Nanotechnology describing this work titled "Nanowire-based single-cell endoscopy." Co-authoring the paper were Ruoxue Yan, Ji-Ho Park, Yeonho Choi, Chul-Joon Heo, Seung-Man Yang and Luke Lee.

Despite significant advancements in electron and scanning probe microscopy, visible light microscopy remains the workhorse for the study of biological cells. Because cells are optically transparent, they can be noninvasively imaged with visible light in three-dimensions. Also, visible light allows the fluorescent tagging and detection of cellular constituents, such as proteins, nucleic acids and lipids. The one drawback to visible light imaging in biology has been the diffraction barrier, which prevents visible light from resolving structures smaller than half the wavelength of the incident light. Recent breakthroughs in nanophotonics have made it possible to overcome this barrier and bring subcellular components into view with optical imaging systems. However, such systems are complex, expensive and, oddly enough, bulky in size.

"Previously, we had shown that subwavelength dielectric nanowire waveguides can efficiently shuttle ultraviolet and visible light in air and fluidic media," Yang says. "By incorporating one of our nanophotonic components into a simple, low-cost, bench-top fibre-optical set-up, we were able to miniaturize our endoscopic system."

To test their nanowire endoscope as a local light source for subcellular imaging, Yang and his co-authors optically coupled it to an excitation laser then waveguided blue light across the membrane and into the interiors of individual HeLa cells, the most commonly used immortalized human cell line for scientific research.

"The optical output from the endoscope emission was closely confined to the nanowire tip and thereby offered highly directional and localized illumination," Yang says. "The insertion of our tin oxide nanowire into the cell cytoplasm did not induce cell death, apoptosis, significant cellular stress, or membrane rupture. Moreover, illuminating the intracellular environment of HeLa cells with blue light using the nanoprobe did not harm the cells because the illumination volume was so small, down to the picolitre-scale."

Having demonstrated the biocompatibility of their nanowire endoscope, Yang and his co-authors next tested its capabilities for delivering payloads to specific sites inside a cell. While carbon and boron nitride nanotube-based single-cell delivery systems have been reported, these systems suffer from delivery times that range from 20-to-30 minutes, plus a lack of temporal control over the delivery process. To overcome these limitations, Yang and his co-authors attached quantum dots to the tin oxide nanowire tip of their endoscope using photo-activated linkers that can be cleaved by low-power ultraviolet radiation. Within one minute, their functionalized nanowire endoscope was able to release its quantum dot cargo into the targeted intracellular sites.

"Confocal microscopy scanning of the cell confirmed that the quantum dots were successfully delivered past the fluorescently labeled membrane and into the cytoplasm," Yang says. "Photoactivation to release the dots had no significant effect on cell viability."

The highly directional blue laser light was used to excite one of two quantum dot clusters that were located only two micrometers apart. With the tight illumination area and small separation between the light source and the dots, low background fluorescence and high imaging contrast were ensured.

"In the future, in addition to optical imaging and cargo delivery, we could also use this nanowire endoscope to electrically or optically stimulate a living cell," Yang says.

The nanowires used in these experiments were originally developed to study size-dependent novel electronic and optical properties for energy applications.

This research was supported by the DOE Office of Science and a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Ruoxue Yan, Ji-Ho Park, Yeonho Choi, Chul-Joon Heo, Seung-Man Yang, Luke P. Lee, Peidong Yang. Nanowire-based single-cell endoscopy. Nature Nanotechnology, 2011; DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.226

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/rFxy1ICZASI/111220154052.htm

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Selena Gomez Cancels Concerts Due To Family Emergency

www.eonline.com:

Selena Gomez has pulled the plug on two holiday-themed concerts scheduled for tonight and tomorrow.
Her rep says Selena is OK, instead citing a "family emergency" as the reason for the abrupt cancellation.

What happened?

Read the whole story: www.eonline.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/17/selena-gomez-cancels-family-emergency_n_1155723.html

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Historic visit to Libya by Pentagon chief Panetta

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, center right, with U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Crets, center left, and Gen. Carter Ham, Commander U.S. Africa Command, third from left, places a wreath at the grave site of 13 U.S. Navy sailors during a ceremony at the Protestant Cemetery in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. Panetta visited the grave site of the sailors, who where killed on the USS Intrepid in 1804. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, center right, with U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Crets, center left, and Gen. Carter Ham, Commander U.S. Africa Command, third from left, places a wreath at the grave site of 13 U.S. Navy sailors during a ceremony at the Protestant Cemetery in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. Panetta visited the grave site of the sailors, who where killed on the USS Intrepid in 1804. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Libyan Prime Minister Abd al-Rheem Al-Keeb greet one another during their joint news conference in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, second from left, leaves the grave site of 13 U.S. Navy sailors at the Protestant Cemetery in Tripoli, Libya, after participating in a wreath laying ceremony Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. Panetta visited the grave site of the sailors, who where killed on the USS Intrepid in 1804. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, center, leaves his challenge coin on the grave stone during the wreath laying ceremony with U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Crets, obscured third from left, and Gen. Carter Ham, second from left, Commander U.S. Africa Command, at grave site of 13 U.S. Navy sailors at the Protestant Cemetery in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. Panetta visited the grave site of the sailors, who where killed on the USS Intrepid in 1804. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)

U.S. Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta, left, is presented with a gift during his meeting with Libyan Minister of Defense Usama al-Jwayli, right, in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) ? U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said "the torch of freedom" has passed to the Libyan people and he pledged during a historic visit Saturday to Tripoli that the United States will do all it can to help the country move toward democracy.

But he and his Libyan hosts acknowledged the threat of Islamic militants gaining ground in this period of political uncertainty following the ouster and death of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Panetta and Libyan leaders identified challenges for the government now forming, including how to gain control of the militias that overthrew Gadhafi during an eight-month civil war.

"This will be a long and difficult transition, but I have confidence that you will succeed in realizing the dream of a representative government," Panetta said during a news conference with Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib.

"The torch of freedom that has passed throughout the centuries and now passes from nation to nation in the Middle East and North Africa burns brightly here in Libya. May it light your way to a future of peace, prosperity and freedom," Panetta said.

While his visit was brief, Panetta made history as the first U.S. Pentagon chief to set foot on Libyan soil.

He evoked U.S. history, too, with a visit to the cemetery presumed to hold remains of U.S. sailors killed in Tripoli harbor in 1804. Their deaths were memorialized in the famous "shores of Tripoli" line in the Marine Corps hymn.

Both Panetta and al-Keeb expressed confidence that the fledgling government will be able to reach out to the militias and bring them together.

"We know how serious this issue is," said al-Keeb, "We realize it is not matter of saying 'OK, put down your arms, go back to work or do what you want to do.' We realize that there are lots of things that we need to be organized."

More broadly, Panetta said the revolts across the region represent a quest for sovereignty by the people, but they will all involve different approaches and challenges.

During meetings with the Libyan leaders, Panetta expressed concern about al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb militants gaining a foothold amid the chaos of an unfolding democracy. But they told him that the Libyan people will reject the terrorist group, said a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.

Panetta's motorcade from the airport into the city provided views of the nation's violent past and future promise ? lush orange groves, carcasses of bombed buildings and charred and graffiti-covered compound once occupied by Gadhafi. Flying from rooftops were the green, black and red flags, adorned with a star and a crescent, belonging to the new government.

At one point, amid the graffiti splashed across the walls of Gadhafi's former compound was a short comment in English: "Thanx US/UK."

The visit also put the man who has led much of the U.S. terrorism fight over the past several years at the scene of one of the first American wars on terror, more than two centuries ago.

Panetta went to what historians believe is the gravesite of as many as 13 U.S. sailors killed in 1804, when the Navy ship Intrepid exploded while slipping into Tripoli harbor to attack pirate ships that had captured an American frigate.

As the story goes, governments along the Barbary coast had turned to state-sponsored piracy to raise money, attacking and taking over merchant ships, enslaving their crews and stealing their bounties. Unwilling to pay fees to protect its ships, the U.S. sent the Navy frigate Philadelphia to the region but it ran aground just off Tripoli and was captured.

President Thomas Jefferson sent a team to get the Philadelphia back or destroy it. Under cover of darkness, the Intrepid sailed into the harbor, killed about 25 pirates and burned the Philadelphia.

A few months later, Jefferson sent the Intrepid back to destroy as many of the pirate ships as possible. The plan was to pack the ketch with explosives, sail into the harbor and blow her up.

The 13 sailors never got to their destination. The ship exploded prematurely killing all aboard and the next day bodies washed ashore. They were buried outside Tripoli, but in 1949 the remains were moved to The Protestant Cemetery by the Libyan government.

On Saturday, Panetta walked into the small walled cemetery and slowly made his way to a corner where five large but simple white gravestones mark the graves of the American sailors. Markers on four of the stones read, "Here lies an American sailor who gave his life in the explosion of the United States Ship Intrepid in Tripoli Harbour, Sept. 4, 1804."

Panetta placed a wreath at the site and, after a moment of silence, placed one of his U.S. secretary of defense souvenir coins on top of one of the stones.

New life was breathed into the long-ago tale by Congress this year. Lawmakers, prodded by descendants of the sailors, added provisions to the defense bill ordering the Pentagon to study the feasibility of exhuming the bodies and bringing them home to America.

In a statement, Panetta said the recent effort to restore the cemetery is "a symbol of the values we share."

Officials said that Panetta made no specific offers of assistance to the Libyan leaders, and he told reporters that there was no discussion of providing military equipment or weapons.

"They have to determine what their needs are and what kind of assistance is required," he said. "And whatever they need, the United States will be happy to respond."

Ahead of Panetta's visit, the Obama administration announced it had lifted penalties that were imposed on Libya in February to choke off Gadhafi's financial resources while his government was using violence to suppress peaceful protests.

The U.S. at the time blocked some $37 billion in Libyan assets, and a White House statement said Friday's action "unfreezes all government and central bank funds within U.S. jurisdiction, with limited exceptions."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-17-US-Libya/id-5739c4ce08b94a6a92e6a26554db480c

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Varying Trends belonging to the Insurance Industry Market ...

Author name: Walter D.S. Ritts

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The theme form simply allows the lending company to need full control with the insurance plan. This allows the lending company to earn changes into the policy that include beneficiary material, payment option, face number or alternative. It in addition gives additional security into the lender how the loan will probably be paid from the borrower?s un controlled death.

Source: http://www.iacapap2006.com/varying-trends-belonging-to-the-insurance-industry-market/

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Congo supreme court upholds president's victory

(AP) ? Congo's supreme court on Friday upheld President Joseph Kabila's victory following a contested election, raising fears of more violence in sub-Saharan Africa's largest nation because the main opposition candidate already has rejected the results showing he placed second.

The November election was only the second democratic vote in Congo's 51-year history, and the first to be organized by the Congolese government rather than by the international community. Observers have expressed concern about irregularities, saying voter turnout results were impossibly high in some districts.

Kabila, Congo's incumbent president, had faced 10 candidates, including Etienne Tshisekedi, a 79-year-old longtime opposition leader who is enormously popular with the country's impoverished masses. Observers fear unrest if Tshisekedi orders his supporters to take to the streets. So far, Tshisekedi has called for calm, telling his supporters to await his instructions.

Another opposition candidate, Vital Kamerhe, had appealed to Congo's supreme court to annul the presidential vote, but the court said late Friday that his complaint was groundless and lacked sufficient evidence. The decision was announced by Justice Jerome Kitoko, the court's vice president.

Kabila first came to power after his father's assassination and now has led the massive, mineral-rich Central African nation for a decade. Results released one week ago showed he had 49 percent of the vote, and Tshisekedi had 32 percent of the nearly 19 million votes cast.

Just 24 hours after those results were published, U.S. observers from the Atlanta-based Carter Center founded by former President Jimmy Carter issued a statement saying the vote lacked credibility.

David Pottie, one of the senior observers with the Carter Center, said it was impossible to have 100 percent voter turnout in a region where less than 2 percent of the roads are paved, and equally improbable for all the votes to go to Kabila, when there were 11 candidates on the ballot.

Country experts and opposition leaders originally had urged the government to delay the vote due to massive logistical problems. Instead, the poll went ahead although it was extended by several days so that more voters could cast ballots.

Congo sprawls across an area the size of Western Europe in the heart of Africa and neighbors nine other countries. Some districts of Congo, which suffered decades of dictatorship and two civil wars, are so remote that ballot boxes had to be transported across muddy trails on the heads of porters, and by dugout canoe across churning rivers.

The election took place amid significant unrest in Congo's east, where dozens of militia groups and rebels continue to terrorize people. Government soldiers and rebels have brutally raped women, men and children, and burned down villages. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes because of violence.

The fighting is fueled by the competition to control mines, many operated by soldiers, rebels and militiamen who use the minerals to fund their armed groups.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects Tshisekedi's age to 79 to reflect his birthday this week.)

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-16-AF-Congo-Election/id-3a29b9a7bb6d45549442a43570e093d6

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Biography of Simon Cowell set for spring release (omg!)

NEW YORK (AP) ? A biography of former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell is coming soon.

Ballantine Books announced Thursday that it will publish Tom Bower's "Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell" in the spring. According to Ballantine, an imprint of Random House Inc., Bower has had "hundreds of hours" of access to Cowell. The book will also include "direct contributions" from Cowell's friends and foes.

The acerbic Brit was a judge on Fox's "American Idol" for nine seasons. He left "Idol" to launch his British-born hit series "The X Factor" in the U.S. It debuted on Fox this fall.

Bower has written 19 books, including biographies of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and media mogul Conrad Black.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_biography_simon_cowell_set_spring_release153720770/43915892/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/biography-simon-cowell-set-spring-release-153720770.html

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Friday, December 16, 2011

RI economic summit leaders selected by SBA (AP)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ? The leaders of several panels that will drive the discussion and make recommendations at an annual economic summit in Rhode Island next month have been announced by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Among them are Grafton "Cap" Willey IV, who will chair the taxes and budget committee; Mark Deion, who will chair the economic development committee; and John Gregory, who will chair the workforce development and education committee. There are other panels on energy, health care and regulations.

The summit, in its sixth year, is sponsored by the Small Business Administration and the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center at Johnson & Wales University. It is taking place Jan. 27 at the university's Harborside campus.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111214/ap_on_bi_ge/us_economic_summit_leaders_rhode_island

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Scientists find microbes in lava tube living in conditions like those on Mars

ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2011) ? A team of scientists from Oregon has collected microbes from ice within a lava tube in the Cascade Mountains and found that they thrive in cold, Mars-like conditions.

The microbes tolerate temperatures near freezing and low levels of oxygen, and they can grow in the absence of organic food. Under these conditions their metabolism is driven by the oxidation of iron from olivine, a common volcanic mineral found in the rocks of the lava tube. These factors make the microbes capable of living in the subsurface of Mars and other planetary bodies, the scientists say.

The findings, supported by a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), are detailed in the journal Astrobiology.

"This microbe is from one of the most common genera of bacteria on Earth," said Amy Smith, a doctoral student at Oregon State University and one of the authors of the study. "You can find its cousins in caves, on your skin, at the bottom of the ocean and just about anywhere. What is different, in this case, is its unique qualities that allow it to grow in Mars-like conditions."

In a laboratory setting at room temperature and with normal oxygen levels, the scientists demonstrated that the microbes can consume organic material (sugar). But when the researchers removed the organic material, reduced the temperature to near-freezing, and lowered the oxygen levels, the microbes began to use the iron within olivine -- a common silicate material found in volcanic rocks on Earth and on Mars -- as its energy source.

"This reaction involving a common mineral from volcanic rocks just hasn't been documented before," said Martin Fisk, a professor in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and an author on the study. "In volcanic rocks directly exposed to air and at warmer temperatures, the oxygen in the atmosphere oxidizes the iron before the microbes can use it. But in the lava tube, where the bacteria are covered in ice and thus sheltered from the atmosphere, they out-compete the oxygen for the iron.

"By mimicking those conditions, we got the microbes to repeat that behavior in the laboratory," Fisk added.

The microbes were collected from a lava tube near Newberry Crater in Oregon's Cascades Mountains, at an elevation of about 5,000 feet. They were within the ice on rocks some 100 feet inside the lava tube, in a low-oxygen, near-freezing environment. Scientists, including Fisk, have said that the subsurface of Mars could have similar conditions and harbor bacteria.

In fact, Fisk has examined a meteorite originating from Mars that contained tracks -- which could indicate consumption by microbes -- though no living material was discovered. Similar tracks were found on the rocks from the Newberry Crater lava tube, he said.

"Conditions in the lava tube are not as harsh as on Mars," Fisk said. "On Mars, temperatures rarely get to the freezing point, oxygen levels are lower and at the surface, liquid water is not present. But water is hypothesized to be present in the warmer subsurface of Mars. Although this study does not exactly duplicate what you would find on Mars, it does show that bacteria can live in similar conditions.

"We know from direct examination, as well as satellite imagery, that olivine is in Martian rocks," Fisk added. "And now we know that olivine can sustain microbial life."

The idea for exploring the lava tube came from Radu Popa, an assistant professor at Portland State University and lead author on the paper. Popa used to explore caves in his native Romania and was familiar with the environmental conditions. Because lava tubes are a sheltered environment and exist on both Earth and Mars, Popa proposed the idea of studying microbes from them to see if life may exist -- or could have existed -- on the Red Planet.

"When temperatures and atmospheric pressure on Mars are higher, as they have been in the past, ecosystems based on this type of bacteria could flourish," Popa said. "The fingerprints left by such bacteria on mineral surfaces can be used by scientists as tools to analyze whether life ever existed on Mars."

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Story Source:

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Journal Reference:

  1. Radu Popa, Amy R. Smith, Rodica Popa, Jane Boone, Martin Fisk. Olivine-Respiring Bacteria Isolated from the Rock-Ice Interface in a Lava-Tube Cave, a Mars Analog Environment. Astrobiology, 2011; 111214063927003 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2011.0639

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215135929.htm

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

13-Year-Old Girl Shot In Chest During Violent Chicago Weekend

A 13-year-old girl was hospitalized in critical condition after she was shot in the chest early Sunday in Chicago's West Englewood neighborhood.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the girl was shot at from a white sedan that drove by around 12:45 a.m. as she walked on the sidewalk in the 2100 block of West 71st Street.

The girl's condition has since stabilized and no arrests have been made in the shooting.

Elsewhere in the city, three people were killed and at least seven other people were wounded in unrelated shootings Saturday and early Sunday, during a weekend of warmer-than-average temperatures.

Dale Fisher, 16, of the 7700 block of South Langley Avenue, was fatally shot during a drive-by shooting around 3:45 p.m. Saturday in the 6200 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Lorenzo Johnson, 37, was found dead with a shooting wound to his abdomen inside an apartment located in the 6200 block of South Elizabeth Avenue around 10:50 p.m. Saturday. Earlier Saturday, a man shot in the chest was found on the building's back porch, though police have not yet concluded that the shootings were related, CBS Chicago reports.

Edward Clark, 20, was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in the 4700 block of North Winthrop Avenue, according to CBS.

Photo by [puamelia] via Flickr.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/04/13-year-old-girl-shot-in-_n_1128187.html

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Video: Missing girl's mom: 'We are searching everywhere'



>>> police are searching for a missing 2-year-old girl in detroit. they're questioning her father's version of what happened when the girl disappeared. she was last seen on friday. her father says she was driving with bianca when a man forced him from the car from gunpoint. the car was pound but bianca was not inside. they're helping them search for bianca . at the news conference her 7-year-old sister made a heart-wrenching plea.

>> i want my sister back really, really bad.

>> i'm joined now from detroit by bianca 's mother, banica jones. our heart goes out to you. i don't know any words that i can offer you at this point. i know the volunteers are out looking for your daughter. can you tell me a little bit more about what her father says happened here?

>> i don't really know what his version of events is. i've not been made aware of that. that's the investigative side of things. i'm really focusing all of my concern on finding bianca .

>> part of finding bianca may lie in what deandre has told police regarding what happened. investigators say he told them that a carjacker took his car on friday and she was inside. there are reports that he may have failed a lie detector test . have you had a chance to speak with him about what happened?

>> no, no, i haven't. i haven't spoken to him at all. i've only been in contact with the police department and the fbi. they've given me no information concerning any of the investigation. they've chiefly been helping me to get out and look for my daughter and helping me to organize volunteers and continue to search.

>> where are you looking right now? i know that as a mentioned you said as well the volunteers are trying to help. where are they looking?

>> we are searching everywhere. we are looking in all -- in any place that we can possibly think of. we have tips coming in from everywhere, and so many people are being so very helpful. there are so many volunteers, and we are just attempting to leave no stone unturned in our search.

>> when were you last with your daughter?

>> on her birthday, november 26th .

>> does she live with deandre?

>> no. my daughter lives with me.

>> so she's with you. can you tell me what happened the day and the events again leading up to her leaving with him?

>> my daughter's birthday was saturday, november 26th . her dad had offered to take her to a movie for her birthday, and she was very excited to go. they went out. they say ""the lion king "" in 3d and came back to my home. she was excite. she told me about the movie. we had a small family gathering with cake and ice cream and she blew out her candles. we watched more television at home, and she waived bye-bye and gave me a hug and kiss and left.

>> well, again, the volunteers are out helping to look for her. we hope that she will be brought home to you. looking at this picture, she's absolutely beautiful baby and bianca -- with everything going on we so appreciate you talking with us and hopelefully someone will hear your words or see her little sister who broke down in tears, her 7-year-old sister breaking down just wanting her to be brought back home. thank you, binica.

>> yes, thank you so much. thank you.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/45557577/

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Where Antarctic predatory seabirds overwinter

ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2011) ? When it comes to choosing their wintering destinations Antarctic skuas are flexible. This is shown in a study of an international research team led by the polar-ornithologist Dr. Hans-Ulrich Peter from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany). According to the study, a great part of the South Polar skuas spend the Antarctic winter in the Northern Atlantic. At the same time about one third of the same species overwinters in the Northern Pacific, tens of thousands of miles away.

In order to identify the flight routes of the birds, postgraduate Matthias Kopp, under the guidance of Dr. Peter, equipped South Polar skuas with geolocators in their breeding areas on King George Island, about 120 kilometers off the Antarctic Mainland. Thus he has been screening their position data over a period of several years, followed by an analysis together with British colleagues and a scientist from Switzerland. "With the help of these data we can now for the first time definitely say that the South Polar skuas are not overwintering, like their close relatives, the brown skuas, off the Argentine coast but mainly in the northern hemisphere," explains the head of research, Dr. Peter. So far the scientists could only speculate about where the birds overwinter and which routes they are heading for. "The observation of single birds led us to the assumption that they overwinter in the Atlantic. But so far it wasn't known that a great part of them stay as well in the middle of the Northern Pacific in the winter," says the Jena scientist who has been researching in Antarctica since 1983 on a regular basis.

No matter, which ocean the birds are heading towards for overwintering, their flight routes show remarkable similarities. Thus the flight routes from the north and the return travel to the south are always shaped like a slip knot crossing on the equator. On both flights together the birds showed a big figure-of-eight flight pattern. At first the skuas which are overwintering in the Atlantic fly on a wide corridor northwards along the east coast of South America, and then change direction after having passed the equator and head towards the northwest. At the end of May they arrive at their destination in the Northern Atlantic. In the three months they spent on the open sea they wander along with the wind and the ocean current for more than 1,000 kilometers in a eastward direction, before they start their return flight in end-August. Before arriving at their breeding sites on King George Island they have a stop-over. For up to three weeks the birds are resting off the Patagonian coast and refill their body reserves.

The flight route into the North Pacific leads at first along the coast of South America and then changes direction towards the northwest above the equator. In mid-May, two weeks earlier than their conspecifics overwintering in the Atlantic, the skuas arrive at their winter quarters in the Pacific. These animals too, let themselves drift along with the wind and the waves up to 3,000 kilometers eastwards. Their way back leads them in a wide curve in a southwestern direction towards New Zealand and finally turns in a southeasterly direction into Antarctica. There, they are resting for a few days as well before they return to their breeding site. "We think that the animals need this resting phase to recover from the strain of the long trip through the tropics where food is scarce," Dr. Peter says.

Once the skuas have decided on an ocean for a winter quarter, they will head towards the same destination in the following years as well. Until now the scientists didn't know the ultimate reason for the animals' decision on one particular direction. "We know for sure though that the animals get their own bearings and don't learn the route from their parents," Dr. Peter says. And so for him and his colleagues some questions still remain unanswered. Therefore the Jena scientist will leave for a research trip to Antarctica this year -- 100 years after Roald Amundsen, the first person ever to reach the South Pole. Two of Dr. Peter's students are already on site and have captured the first Skuas. For Hans-Ulrich Peter it is he 22th expedition to the world's most southern continent.

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111202091011.htm

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

toddbishop: Name that Tech Tune for a chance to watch Microsoft?s startup documentary http://t.co/sKgNQ9Y0

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Name that Tech Tune for a chance to watch Microsoft?s startup documentary bit.ly/vMaFb1 toddbishop

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Source: http://twitter.com/toddbishop/statuses/142990227269615616

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Volt is drivers' favorite, topping even Porsche

By Dan Carney

A Chevrolet Volt electric is shown at GM's Flint, Mich., plant. The car is wildly popular among owners.

The Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car is the most popular among owners, topping a perennial favorite that costs twice as much,?the Porsche 911,?and a recent addition, the Dodge Challenger, according to an annual survey published Thursday by Consumer Reports.

The magazine was?careful to specify that?only the Challenger equipped with the ?That thang got a Hemi innit?? V8 engine was named to the list, and not the girly-man fuel-sipping V6 version.

But I digress.? The Volt is the overall winner of the owner?satisfaction survey, with the announcement coming at a time when the Volt is in the news for a less-good reason: fires in crash-tested vehicles days or weeks after the crash.? Ninety-three percent of owners surveyed said they would buy the Volt again, compared with 91 percent of 911 and Challenger buyers.

The Volt has a starting list price of $41,000, compared with $82,100 for the Porsche and about $30,000 for the Challenger.

Porsche via AP

The 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera is due out in February. The current edition of the car, which came in second in Consumer Reports' annual owner satisfaction survey, sells for $82,000 and up.

Chevy also grabbed the last spot on the list with the Aveo minicar, which would only retain 37 percent of its owners.? The Aveo has since been replaced by the Sonic (see review here), ensuring, at least, that the Aveo will not be last again next year. (See the full list here. Subscription required.)

Volt drivers are happy with their cars for a couple reasons.? Firstly, they are electric vehicle?zealots, and they would be happy with an EZ-Go golf cart as long as it was fully charged.? EV zealotry even tops sports car zealotry, as seen by the Volt?s defeat of the 911, which is popular among sports car zealots despite its high price, useless back seat and thirst for fuel.

?These models reflect a larger trend we?ve seen in recent years: sporty cars and fuel-efficient cars with alternative drivetrains tend to generate more enthusiasm and loyalty than most other types of vehicles,? said Rik Paul, Consumer Reports automotive editor.

The second reason for Volt owners? satisfaction is the dedicated manservant Volt adviser issued by Chevrolet who talks with owners daily about the Volt?s awesomeness.?? ?From the very beginning we?ve tried to provide an extraordinary customer experience to go with the technology,? said GM spokesman Greg Martin.

The combination of engaged owners and continuous discussion between GM and Volt owners has stemmed any rush to the exits even since the reports?of?post-crash-test fires.? For the record, these fires took place days or weeks after extreme crash testing in which the Volt successfully protected occupants and earned the highest possible safety scores.

Following the tests, the cars? batteries were left fully charged, and because the car were also rolled over and because the battery coolant system was damaged in the tests, coolant leaked onto the charged batteries and eventually sparked fires.

The lesson here is to get out of a crashed car within a few days, and be sure to turn off the lights when exiting.? A gasoline car might not be as obliging in providing an opportunity to climb out before combusting.

Despite recent safety concerns about the Chevy Volt's battery, the popularity of electric cars is picking up traction, with CNBC's Phil LeBeau.

In the real world, ?five or six? Volts have been totaled in severe crashes, with no fires resulting, Martin said.

To mollify any potential concerns while GM undertakes its investigation into how best to prevent post-crash fires, the company is offering a free loaner car to Volt owners who prefer to park their electric car for now. GM CEO Daniel Akerson even has offered to?buy back the Volts of anyone who is concerned about the fire hazard, according to The Associated Press.

The number of drivers asking for a loaner car is ?a handful,? according to Martin.? Hmm, that?s suspiciously similar to the number who have already crashed their cars.? Is anyone checking to see if the people asking for loaners have already totaled their Volt?

Which car would you most like to own?

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/01/9142147-volt-is-drivers-favorite-topping-even-porsche

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U.S. to world: Dude, where's my vacation?

Sean Gallup / Getty Images file

Bathers relax on inflatable water mattresses near the beach at Porto Katsiki, on the island of Lefkada, Greece, in 2010.

By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

There?s good news and bad news on the American vacation front courtesy of a survey from Expedia.com.

Released on Wednesday, the Vacation Deprivation Study revealed that U.S. workers let two days of vacation go unused this year, down from three days last year.

Unfortunately, the drop wasn?t realized because people took more vacation days ? the average American worker took 12 days in both years ? but because they received, on average, 14 days of vacation this year vs. 15 in 2010.

Live Poll

Do you take all of your allotted vacation time?

  • 169594

    Yes -- and I'd take more vacation days if I had them.

    55%

  • 169595

    No -- it's too tough to get away from work.

    16%

  • 169596

    Almost -- I take time off work, but I give up some time each year.

    11%

  • 169597

    Are you nuts? -- I wish I had the time and money for vacations.

    18%

VoteTotal Votes: 6493

?In terms of days they left on the table, as in ?It?s yours and you gave it away,? it went down,? said Joe Megibow, vice president and general manager. ?But we?d like to see the gap get closed by people using more of their vacation days rather than having employers give them less.?

Less, of course, is a relative term as the annual study once again showed Americans getting far fewer vacation days than their peers in most other developed countries. Surveying 7,800 employed adults in 20 countries, the study (as usual) showed that workers in Europe get far more time off ? 25 to 30 days per year ? and tend to use almost all of it.

?In Europe, vacations are considered a way of life not a luxury,? said Megibow. ?Even in countries where respondents reported less financial strength, they still go on vacation.?

Conversely, almost half of U.S. respondents reported their financial situation as ?solid? or ?good,? which according to Megibow, suggests a very different point of view: ?In the U.S., people view vacations as a luxury,? he told msnbc.com. ?Even though Americans report slightly stronger financial health, vacations are still one of the things that gets cut.?

Part of the problem may be that such feelings are being tempered by past events. ?People are still focusing on the bad news and not taking in good news like retailers doing well,? said Alden Cass, a performance coach and CEO of Competitive Streak Consulting Inc. ?They?re almost having a PTSD-like reaction to things that are out of their control.?

Far better, suggests Cass, is to just let go. ?People need to get away to reduce the amount of anxiety in their lives, to disengage from their BlackBerrys and iPhones and to not worry about the things they do on a daily basis,? he told msnbc.com. ?Sometimes lying on a Caribbean beach where there?s no Internet access is the best recipe for coming back with a clear head, an objective mindset and a better attitude.?

On the subject of disengaging, at least, Americans seem to be getting the message. When survey participants were asked how often they checked e-mail or voicemail while on vacation, 41 percent said never, 34 percent said sometimes, 20 percent said regularly and just 4 percent said constantly.

?Americans don?t get a lot of vacation,? said Megibow, ?but on the few days they take, most are checking out [from work], which is great.?

More stories you might like:

Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.?

Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/29/9097884-us-to-world-dude-wheres-my-vacation

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Europe's Getting a Kick Out of the GOP Field (The Atlantic Wire)

Ever wonder what our nation looks like to folks from afar? Here we look at how a uniquely American story--the kind of news we can have trouble explaining even to ourselves--is being told overseas.?

Related: The World Considers the Racist Obama Chimpanzee Email

Checking in on how Europe is covering the race for the GOP nomination, it turns out our media brethren across the Atlantic are just as focused on the candidates' gaffes and blunders as we are.?Here's a survey of the rather merciless drubbing the GOP field is receiving this week.

Related: Five Best Thursday Columns

Germany

Related: Five Best Monday Columns

Related: Die-Hard Romney-Haters Who Won't Go Away

Google Translation: "Club of liars, demagogues, ignorant"

Related: At Least Lobbyists Love Romney

Fresh off the presses from the German weekly Der Spiegel, the magazine's correspondent Marc Pitzke pens a primary retrospective laced with acid. The Google translation is a little clunky but if you didn't get the point from the headline, the lede should clears things up: "Africa is a country.?In Libya, the Taliban rule.?Muslims are terrorists, immigrants are usually criminal, Occupy protesters always dirty.?And women who feel sexually harassed, should please not nice such a fuss. Welcome to the wonderful world of the?U.S. Republicans.?Or rather: the Distortion World."

France

Google Translation: "Top 8: The best of the worst blunders of Republican candidates"

This roundup, published in France's Metro earlier today, catalogs the various gaffes GOP candidates have made from MIchele Bachmann's promise to close America's embassy in Iran (we don't have one there), to Herman Cain's Libya moment of silence, to Rick Perry's voting age mixup. The French had a field day with this one.

Google Translation: "Newt Gingrich, finally a real villain"

Published yesterday in one of France's largest newspapers Le Monde, the Gingrich takedown is a rather straightforward hit piece, chronicling the former House speaker's ethics violations in the '90s, his arguably inflated ego and ticking off his failed marriages.

Sweden

Google Translation: "Rick Perry's brain melt"

Catching up to Perry's bumbling debate performance, Sweden's Expressen recalled the moment Perry couldn't remember the third government agency he wanted to destroy. "It began well.?Ministry of Trade.?Ministry of Education.?But then it stops ... It was actually hard to watch," wrote the newspaper.

Poland

Google Translation: "Rivals are still too weak for Obama"

In Poland's Polska, Catherine Philp writes somewhat sympathetically about the Republican Party's difficulty finding a candidate who can beat President Obama. Still, the overall assessment is similar to other European accounts. "Republicans are not able to emerge reasonable candidate.?What's worse - those who fight for the nomination, they commit the same blunder."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20111201/wl_atlantic/europesgettingkickoutgopfield45644

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Monday, November 28, 2011

Sony 4K home cinema projector coming in January for ?18,000

You were so happy with that 1080p projection spread across your garage wall. But then you got up to fetch a beer and noticed horrible fingernail-sized pixels all over Johnny Depp's mustache. The illusion promptly shattered and you realized it was time for an upgrade. An £18,000 ($28,000) upgrade, no less, which will render your Blu-rays bearable again by upscaling them to four times the resolution of Full HD and blasting them out at 2,000 lumens. We've seen the VPL-PW1000ES in action with 2D content from a PS3 and its 'Reality Creation' upscaling algorithm really does make a big difference, but if you absolutely insist on having native 4K video then you'll currently need to budget an extra $65,000 for a player. (Well, you insisted.)

Sony 4K home cinema projector coming in January for ?18,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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