A Sears store in Longmont, Colo., displays sale signs on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. The Hoffman Estates-based retailer Sears announced specific stores it would close on Thursday, Dec. 29. Sears announced this week that it would close as many as 120 stores nationally after poor holiday sales. The Longmont, Colo., store (above) is one of the stores that will close, but for now the Rome Sears and Kmart stores have been spared. (Joshua Buck, Associated Press)
slideshow A preliminary closing list issued Thursday does not call for the shuttering of either of Rome?s Sears or Kmart stores.
Sears Holding Corp. announced earlier this week it would close as many as 120 stores to raise cash.
A preliminary closing list of 79 stores does not include the Sears at Mount Berry Square or the Kmart on Hicks Drive, which also sells Sears appliances and a few other Sears items. It was not known Thursday when more closures will be announced.
In Georgia, Sears Holdings Corp. says it will close its store at the Macon mall, along with several Kmarts in Buford, Columbus, Douglasville, Jonesboro and Southwest Atlanta.
Florida will be hit the hardest by the closing of Sears and Kmart stores, losing 11.
Ohio, Michigan and Georgia are not far behind with six store closures planned in their states. Tennessee, North Carolina and Minnesota are set to lose four stores each.
A spokeswoman for Sears Holding Corp. said each store employs between 40 and 80 people.
None of the closures announced so far are in Sears? home state of Illinois.
The projected closings represent only about 3 percent of Sears Holdings? U.S. stores. Sears and Kmart merged in 2005. The company now has about 3,560 stores in the U.S. That?s up from 3,500 immediately after the merger, because of the addition of more small stores.
Six children and a teacher were wounded when assailants threw a homemade bomb at an Islamic school in a predominantly Christian area, police in Nigeria said Wednesday.
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The attack took place in the city of Sapele, as about 50 children were gathered for an Arabic class.
Delta State police spokesman Charles Muka said that the attackers drove by a school and threw homemade explosives into a classroom Tuesday morning.
Story: Nigeria fears more bombs after 39 killed in Christmas attacks
The wounded children were all aged younger than nine, Reuters reported. At least one was aged four.
Investigators suspect a local vigilante group was behind the incident, Muka added.
The latest incident follows coordinated attacks by radical Islamist militants on Christmas Day, which killed at least 39 people.
Video: Deadly bombings strike Nigeria (on this page)
Analysts say the attacks risk reviving sectarian violence between the mostly Muslim north and Christian south, which has claimed thousands of lives in the past decade.
The radical Muslim sect known as Boko Haram? has claimed responsbility for the church attacks. Boko Haram aims to impose Islamic Shariah law across Nigeria.
Many northern Nigerian Christians fear the Christmas Day bombings could lead to a religious war in Africa's most populous country.
Meanwhile, a family of four was killed in a machete attack on Wednesday in Nigeria's ethnically and religiously mixed Plateau state ? on the threshold of the country's largely Muslim north and its mostly Christian south.
There was no immediate suggestion the killings had any link to Sunday's church bombings.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Twitter / Matt Miller: David Ash makes me want to ...David Ash makes me want to hurt a baby. How is this the starting quarterback at Texas? Applewhite-Young-McCoy-Ash? No thanksIl y a environ 2 heuresvia TweetDeck
PBT: In dispatching the Celtics on Tuesday, Miami looked like a relentless machine. The Heat were two games away from a title and they look better than they did last season. Much better. Which is scary for the other 29 teams.
"This approach can be looked upon as a third major component of treatment for ovarian cancer and related malignancies," says Robert A. Burger, MD, lead investigator on the GOG study and director of the Women's Cancer Center at Fox Chase Cancer Center. "We've had the combination of surgical management and cytotoxic chemotherapy for many years, but we haven't really seen anything else in terms of a fundamental class of treatment. This represents a new way for us to control the disease."
The placebo-controlled study, which was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, enrolled 1,873 patients with previously untreated advanced disease from 336 sites, primarily in the United States, but also in Canada, South Korea, and Japan. The patients either had stage III ovarian cancer that could not be entirely removed with surgery, or stage IV disease, and were randomly assigned to one of three groups. For patients who received bevacizumab with chemotherapy followed by bevacizumab for up to an additional 10 months, the median time until their cancer progressed was 14.1 months, compared to 10.3 months for patients in the control group, who received chemotherapy with a placebo and then continued with a placebo. The net effect was a 28% reduction in the risk of disease of ovarian cancer progression over time. Patients who received bevacizumab only with chemotherapy, but not afterward, had a median progression-free survival of 11.2 months.
The National Cancer Institute estimates that nearly 22,000 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2011, and more than 15,000 died of the disease. For patients diagnosed before the cancer has spread, the five-year relative survival rate is about 93 percent (relative survival measures survival of cancer only, independent of other causes of death). But ovarian cancer is insidious?early symptoms, like bloating, abdominal pain, and trouble eating, are typical of many illnesses and easily dismissed as non-threatening. Women often do not learn they have the disease until it's already spread. In 62 percent of new cases, the patient's cancer has metastasized to distant sites, and the five-year survival rate is just under 27 percent.
Bevacizumab is already FDA-approved for use against some types of colon, lung, kidney and brain cancers; its accelerated approval for metastatic breast cancer was recently revoked by the FDA. The drug acts by binding with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a protein produced by certain cancers that helps initiate the growth of new blood vessels that feed the tumor. The process of growing new blood vessels is called angiogenesis, and bevacizumab is an angiogenesis inhibitor.
"Bevacizumab blocks the growth factor VEGF, which is important in the process of ovarian cancer progression," says Burger, "and we've seen that this drug is also active in patients with recurrent disease."
Angiogenesis happens at the interface between the host and the disease, which makes it an appealing target for treatment, says Burger, who also led the Phase II GOG study on using bevacizumab in women with recurrent ovarian cancer. He says different ovarian cancers may appear identical under the microscope but differ biologically, which means they'll respond differently to treatment.
In the NEJM paper, Burger and his co-authors point out that another ovarian cancer trial conducted primarily in Europe called ICON7 demonstrated positive results in using becavizumab in combination with chemotherapy and then continued for up to 7 months.
The Kepler spacecraft has made two landmark discoveries of Earth-like planets this month. But determining whether such planets can sustain life would require years of additional study.?
What makes for a potentially livable planet? That question moved center stage this month as NASA's Kepler mission passed two milestones.
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On Tuesday, the Kepler team announced the discovery of two truly Earth-size planets orbiting another star ? but too close to the star for life to emerge. This followed an announcement on Dec. 5 that the Kepler team had found a planet?in the host star's habitable zone, but?2.4?times larger that Earth.
The findings move the Kepler team closer to its goal of finding other planets like ours. The spacecraft is searching 150,000 stars to see how many are like the sun and have planets roughly the same size and distance away as Earth.
But researchers caution that even when Kepler eventually scores a direct hit, that will not be the end of the story. Astronomers will have to answer many more questions about such planets before they can suggest that any of them may be Earth-like, let alone livable for some form of life.
According to Yale University astronomer Debra Fischer, three important pieces of this habitability puzzle begin with: a planet's distance from its sun, its mass, and the shape of its orbit.
Watch video aboot the newly discovered habitable planet Kepler-22b?here:
Other traits come into play, but "if we can find 100 planets that meet the three conditions, we will have have gone a long ways in our search for life," she writes in an e-mail exchange.
Distance is most straightforward for Kepler to gauge.?The distance from the sun to the Earth is about 93 million miles, or 1 Astronomical Unit (AU). By some estimates, the habitable zone around a sun-like star ??where with a little help from an atmosphere, water can exist on the surface as solid, liquid, and gas ? is between 0.95 and 1.37 AU.
The planet announced Dec. 5, Kepler 22b, is almost exactly 1 AU from its star.?But its mass has yet to be confidently established.
Mass is important, because if a planet is a lightweight, with less than about half Earth's mass, it won't have enough gravity to retain much of an atmosphere. Mars, at 10 percent of Earth's mass, has had much of its atmosphere stripped away.
"Too big is harder to quantify," Dr. Fischer adds.
If a planet has only a few times Earth's mass, it might still be potentially habitable. But if a planet becomes too massive, its gravity could be too strong, meaning that it builds a thick, deep atmosphere, resulting in crushing atmospheric pressures on the surface.?
For Kepler 22b, the best the Kepler team can do at the moment is give an upper limit to the mass ? 124 times Earth's mass.?The reason: Kepler's technique for pinpointing planets. It does this by gauging how they?briefly dim the light of their host star when they pass in front of it.
While the team can make some rough estimates about a planet's mass from this technique, the best information on mass, as well as the shape of the orbit,?comes from a different technique used by ground-based astronomers. This approach measures the wobble the planet imposes on host star's spectrum as it orbits.?
Knowing the planet's mass and its volume, researchers can also estimate its density, and so glean something about the planet's general composition by comparing its density with that of water. If the density is relatively small, it could be more gaseous, like a mini-Neptune. If the density is larger, it could suggest a denser, rocky planet.?
In an episode that was chock-full of cameos by former cast mates, December 17's "Weekend Update" featured one of the biggest thrills of the night, a head-to-head joke-off pitting former co-anchors Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon against Amy Poehler and (current anchor) Seth Meyers.
After reporting on a toy drive by a local strip club, Meyers quipped that patrons could "give a toy to Charity, and Charity will give it to the manager." But not a moment after, Fallon rolled up to the desk, chiding Meyers for his lackluster performance in the face of such a meaty story. Challenges to a joke off were then made and accepted, and before you knew it, "Update" alums Tina Fey and Amy Poehler had joined the fray.
A dozen or so one-liners later, television magic had been made.
WASHINGTON ? The House has passed a $1 trillion-plus catchall budget bill paying for day-to-day operations of 10 Cabinet departments and averting a government shutdown, while Senate talks on renewing a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits reached a critical phase.
The 296-121 vote to approve the spending measure represented a rare moment of bipartisanship in a polarized Capitol. The Senate's top Republican, meanwhile, raised the stakes in the showdown over the payroll tax cut, insisting he won't back a compromise extension unless the bill includes language aimed at forcing construction of a Canada-to-Texas pipeline.
As negotiations on the payroll tax bill proceeded Friday, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, "I will not be able to support the package that doesn't include the pipeline."
The GOP's pipeline demands added uncertainty to efforts by McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to quickly reach a deal on a bill renewing payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.
Negotiators on the payroll tax measure worked behind closed doors Friday in hopes of sealing agreement on how to pay for the measure. Simply extending the current 2 percentage point payroll tax cut would cost $120 billion, while extending unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless and preventing a cut in Medicare payment to physicians would add tens of billions of dollars more.
A House-passed version of the payroll tax bill would give President Barack Obama 60 days to decide whether to build the proposed, 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline.
Obama, with the support of congressional Democrats, has announced he will delay that decision until after next year's elections, citing a need to study the impact the pipeline would have on sensitive lands in Nebraska. Obama has threatened to reject a payroll tax bill if it includes language easing work on the pipeline.
The postponement would let Democrats avoid having to choose between two of the party's core constituencies: environmentalists who oppose Keystone and some unions who covet the jobs it would produce.
But McConnell and other Republicans say the project would create thousands of jobs. The company's developer, TransCanada, says it could produce up to 20,000 jobs, while critics say the figure would be fewer than 3,500, including less than 1,000 that would be permanent.
After passing the catchall spending bill House leaders sent their members home until Monday or later, planning to return when the Senate produces a payroll tax cut measure for the House to vote on.
The way was smoother for the compromise spending bill, which passed on a 296-121 vote. It would fund 10 Cabinet-level departments, such as the Pentagon and the Department of Education, and dozens of smaller agencies. It would finance everything from U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to veterans' services, and from airport security inspections to Congress' own operations.
Reid and McConnell said that even if only the House had approved the spending bill by midnight Friday, the Obama administration agreed there would be no federal shutdown. For extra measure, the House also passed two stopgap spending bills, one to fund the government for a single day and the other for a week.
Agreement on the spending legislation was reached after Republicans agreed to drop language that would have blocked Obama from easing rules on people who visit and send money to relatives in Cuba. But a GOP provision will stay in the bill thwarting a 2007 law, passed during President George W. Bush's administration, on energy efficiency standards that critics argued would make it hard for people to purchase inexpensive incandescent light bulbs.
This year's 4.2 percent payroll tax rate will jump back to its normal 6.2 percent on Jan. 1 unless action is taken by Congress. Few lawmakers want to be blamed for a tax increase that would affect 160 million people.
Extended benefits for long-term jobless people will also expire Jan. 1 without congressional action.
That same day, a 27 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors would take effect unless lawmakers act, a reduction that could convince some doctors to stop treating Medicare patients.
Obama and congressional Democrats have proposed dropping next year's payroll tax rate to 3.1 percent, but an extension of this year's 4.2 percent rate seems likely to prevail. The payroll tax is the major source of financing for Social Security.
Obama also wants to leave in place the current maximum of 99 weeks of benefits for the long-term unemployed. A payroll tax cut bill approved by the House reduces that total by 20 weeks, which the administration says would cut off 3.3 million individuals. Democrats are hoping to soften if not reverse what's in the House version.
Even without the Keystone pipeline dispute, bargainers had still not reached agreement on how to extend a payroll tax cut through 2012, with major disagreements remaining over how to finance the package.
The spending bill advanced after Democrats blocked a series of GOP assaults on Environmental Protection Agency regulations, though the agency's budget absorbed a cut of more than 3 percent.
GOP leaders did succeed in delays in regulations of coal dust and eliminating federal funding of needle exchange programs.
War costs would be $115 billion, a $43 billion cut from the previous year.
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Get a load of that "Rock Of Ages" trailer, will ya. Holy power ballads, big hair, leather pants and bad decisions. There's Julianne Hough being Julianne Hough, Russell Brand being Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin being Alec Baldwin in that he's scene-stealing up a storm, Catherine Zeta Jones likely killing it as a very uptight mom/PTA [...]
Teenage Dream now has six top-five hits, tying Janet Jackson and George Michael's record. By Jocelyn Vena
Katy Perry Photo: J.B. Lacroix/ WireImage
What do Katy Perry, Janet Jackson and George Michael all have in common? Well, aside from making catchy tunes, they are also the only three artists to spawn six top-five hits from a single album on the Hot 100 chart in Billboard history.
Thanks to Katy's latest Teenage Dream single, "The One That Got Away," jumping five spots from #9 to #4, she tied the two pop stars.
It's been a while since anyone matched George and Janet. Michael did it in the mid-'80s with his album Faith, which included hits like the title track, "I Want Your Sex" and "Father Figure." Jackson followed him several years later with Rhythm Nation 1814, which launched hits like "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," "Escapade" and "Black Cat."
This is hardly Perry's first Billboard record. She previously tied with Michael Jackson and his Bad album when she notched five #1 singles from her 2010 album. Those five chart-toppers are "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework" and "E.T." And now, she's set her latest record with "The One That Got Away."
"This song shows a very different side of me that I haven't shown with my past singles on this record," Perry has previously said about the Teenage Dream midtempo track. "I think that everyone can relate to this song. I wrote this song about when you promise someone forever, but you end up not being able to follow through. It's a bittersweet story — hopefully, the listener learns from hearing it and never has to say they had 'The One' get away."
Another Dream megahit, "Firework," sits at #10 on MTV's Best Songs of 2011 list. Perry's inspirational dance track is joined on the list by LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now," Rihanna's "We Found Love" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," to name a few.
All this week, watch "AMTV" on MTV every day at 8 a.m. ET for our Best of 2011 lists. Then, come to MTVNews.com at 5 p.m. as we reveal our top picks of the year!
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Third Point LLC, an activist shareholder in Yahoo Inc, expressed fresh concern on Tuesday that the Internet company is looking at a "sweetheart" deal with private equity that could entrench founder Jerry Yang and the current board.
Daniel Loeb, chief executive officer of hedge fund Third Point, said in a statement that Yahoo should consider selling the company as a whole, and its ongoing strategic review should not "rob" shareholders of any opportunity to obtain a control premium.
Reuters reported previously that Yahoo is in talks with private equity firms about a deal to sell a minority stake while giving them effective control of the company.
"As significant shareholders with our own fiduciary duties to investors to uphold, we cannot stand by silently if such reports are accurate and Yahoo, a company in no need of cash, plans to engage in a sweetheart deal," Loeb said in the statement.
He added that in order to ally investor concerns and provide transparency on the strategic review process, Yahoo should make public the letters in which it invited third parties to make proposals for the company.
Yahoo's board fired CEO Carol Bartz in September and hired Goldman Sachs and Allen & Co to conduct a strategic review.
WASHINGTON ? TITLE: "Is The America We Love A Thing Of the Past? Newt Says No."
LENGTH: One minute.
AIRING: Scheduled for Iowa television and cable markets.
KEY IMAGES: The ad is laden with Americana, down to the white picket fence, the Statue of Liberty and the American stars and stripes.
Gingrich's ad uses stock images of Main Street, a mountain range, a steel plant and a farm, all appealing to a sense of patriotism. As Gingrich speaks, the imagery fades from one tableau to another.
"Some people say the America we know and love is a thing of the past. I don't believe that, because working together I know we can rebuild America," Gingrich says into the camera in the minute-long spot.
"We can revive our economy and create jobs, shrink government and the regulations that strangle our businesses, throw out the tax code and replace it with one that is simple and fair," Gingrich continues as the video shows a woman working as a florist and men working in a factory.
"We can regain the world's respect by standing strong again, being true to our faith and respecting one another," he says as the ad shows Marines in dress uniforms and church steeples.
"We can return power to the people and to the states we live in so we'll all have more freedom, opportunity and control of our lives. Yes, working together, we can and will rebuild the America we love," Gingrich concludes while the ad shows a rancher herding cattle, the Des Moines statehouse and a teacher working with a student.
ANALYSIS: The Reagan-esque, upbeat ad doesn't mention any of Gingrich's rivals for the Republican presidential nomination and instead tugs at caucus-goers' heartstrings.
Gingrich, enjoying a popular surge, is using his first ad to promote a positive vision for a campaign rooted in optimism and ideas. The former House speaker is leaning heavily on rosy nostalgia as he looks to quickly build support that his rivals have had months ? if not years ? to put together.
Gingrich's ad is a hearty helping of what Republican voters are looking for ? American greatness, criticism of Washington's regulation and taxes, and faith. And while it never explicitly criticizes President Barack Obama, the ad clearly depicts Gingrich as the answer to the struggling economy that tops voters' concerns.
Gingrich's campaign imploded and went broke during the summer but is having something of a comeback just as voters are tuning in. Gingrich went into October with more than a million dollars in debt but seems to have picked up the fundraising pace as his rivals stumbled. Coming off a string of strong debate performances, Gingrich has turned to GOP donors and voters with the pitch that he's best suited to take on Obama next year.
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas already are airing ads in Iowa.
For the first time, a US appellate court has ruled that the federal government must continue to protect an animal ? in this case, Yellowstone grizzly bears ? in part because of consequences of global warming.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.
Even more than their high-profile polar cousins, Yellowstone grizzly bears could become the newest cause c?l?bre for how global warming is threatening ecosystems worldwide.
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On Nov. 22, a US appellate court ruled for the first time that the federal government must continue to protect an animal ? in this case, Yellowstone grizzlies ? in part because of the emerging effects of rising temperatures.
For environmentalists arguing that urgent congressional action to combat global warming is needed, the ruling is seen as a benchmark that establishes a legal foothold. It could lower the bar on when the government should take action to try to preserve species threatened by climate changes.
Moreover, the ruling opens the door to charges that federal programs designed to conserve species one at a time ? such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) ? could be overwhelmed by a mega-event like climate change, which could affect whole suites of flora and fauna.
"It raises the question of what happens when one species gets in trouble, and its decline pulls the rug out from another species," says attorney Doug Honnold, who helped conservation groups halt the removal of grizzlies from federal protection.
In its ruling, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said the country's famous Yellowstone bruin population should remain classified as "threatened" under the ESA. The reason: One of its primary food sources is being wiped out, with help from global warming, many scientists say.
Grizzlies gorge on highly nutritious seeds in the cones of whitebark pines. Studies show the nutlike edibles are important in producing healthier, fatter bears and larger numbers of cubs. In addition, because whitebark grow on remote mountain ridgelines, their location draws foraging bears away from places where people live.
However, within the past decade, an outbreak of mountain pine beetles and a disease called blister rust have decimated the whitebark pine forest. Aerial surveys indicate that more than 80 percent of whitebark trees are now dead or dying.
Experts blame warmer temperatures with hastening the spread of beetles that otherwise would be beaten back by cold winters. They say the die-off is unprecedented, prompting an effort to have whitebark itself put on the federal protected list.
The Ninth Circuit's order stays in effect at least until the US Fish and Wildlife Service can figure out a way to deal with the whitebark pine forest's dramatic disappearance.
Indirectly, it also raises questions about similarly threatened species. For example, a tiny alpine rodent, the heat-intolerant pika, is disappearing from mountainous areas in the West. Biologists also worry about impacts of reduced snowpack trends on wolverine, white-tailed ptarmigan, and yellow-bellied marmot.
It's always amusing to see companies offering crappy offers in an attempt to boost sales. The latest is from Kobo, which is offering a free book every month to new Touch eReader owners. Amazon must be terrified. More »
?Party Rock Anthem? is a smash, but ?Sexy and I Know It? is, in a rout, the duo?s best song. The lyrics are about strutting one?s stuff: coming as you are, feeling desirable, and performing that desirability with liberated, goofball gusto. ?When I walk in the spot, this is what I see/ Everybody stops and they staring at me,? Redfoo raps. ?I got a passion in my pants and I ain?t afraid to show it/ I'm sexy and I know it.? Like the Potheads trailer, the ?Sexy and I Know It? video features some impressive Redfoo physical comedy that elevates the whole enterprise. With his crotch framed in an extreme close-up, he tears away leopard-print boardshorts to reveal leopard-print Speedos beneath. His package front-and-center, he humps at the air, his penis flopping around like a fish in the bottom of a boat. This move turns out to have a name?the Wiggle?and listeners are encouraged, later in the song, to perform it themselves. ?Wiggle-wiggle-wiggle-wiggle-wiggle?yeah!? Redfoo chants. Women are not explicitly discouraged from wiggling, but it?s clear they?re not the target demographic: In the video?s climactic wiggle-off, 10 men face each other and throw their penises in each other?s directions. There?s something delightful about the whole junk-drunk spectacle. It?s not like guys needed an anthem of penile uplift, of course?dicks are funny, but they are hardly underdogs?but not since The Full Monty has a gang of ostensible heterosexuals whirled schlongs with such winning camaraderie and heart-melting glee.
MOSCOW (Reuters) ? President Dmitry Medvedev urged Russians on Friday to vote "for the future" by electing a strong parliament to maintain stability and said all parties had been treated equally, despite opposition complaints of foul play.
Medvedev is leading Vladimir Putin's United Russia into Sunday's election, but made no direct reference to the party in a pre-election address in his capacity as head of state, although the party's slogan is: "The future belongs to us".
In an apparent reference to the chaos of the 1990s, when parliament was bitterly divided before United Russia's dominance, he said a unified legislature would best be able to defend national interests.
"Will this be a legislative body that is torn by irreconcilable differences and is unable to decide anything, as we have unfortunately already had in our history?" he said in a national address.
"Or will we get a functioning legislature where the majority are responsible politicians who can help raise the quality of life of our people, whose actions will be guided by the voters' interests and national interests?" he said.
United Russia is expected to win the election but with a reduced majority following signs of voter apathy and weariness with the party and Putin since he announced plans to reclaim the presidency next year after four years as prime minister.
Under Putin's plan, announced in September, Medvedev would become prime minister after the presidential election which Putin, 59, is all but certain to win next March.
Opposition parties say United Russia has benefited from favorable television coverage and fear there will be voting irregularities, but Medvedev said: "In accordance with the law, conditions were created for free and equal competition."
Many voters say they are not planning to vote because they expect the voting to be rigged and they are fed up with politicians not fulfilling their promises.
"I'm not going to vote because there's no difference between all the political forces. They've all been around for 20 years, making the same promises and doing nothing," said a 35-year-old Muscovite who gave his name only as Dmitry.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT MEDIA COVERAGE
Campaign posters for United Russia have dominated cities in the run-up to the election and opposition parties say it has benefited from much more air time on television.
Kommersant newspaper, which publishes the daily average amount of television coverage given to competing parties, showed United Russia taking the lion's share of air time with over an hour. The liberal Yabloko party was second with 10 minutes.
The seven parties competing in the election planned a series of rallies or meetings with voters on Friday, the last day of campaigning across the world's largest country and the biggest energy producer.
Medvedev and Putin have appeared in numerous high-profile events to try to win votes for United Russia but opinion polls show it is unlikely to retain its two-thirds majority in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
Although Putin's personal ratings are still high, they have slipped from their peak and he was jeered when he spoke after a martial arts bout in Moscow last month.
He has reverted less often in the past few weeks to the kind of stunts that built up his macho image, such as shooting a tiger or riding a horse bare-chested, in a sign that advisers believe voters may have grown tired of such antics.
The biggest gainer in the election is expected to be Gennady Zyuganov's Communist Party, still the main opposition force 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union. Opinion polls suggest it will come second, but far behind United Russia.
Also hoping for gains are Vladimir Zhirinovsky's nationalist LDPR and Grigory Yavlinsky's Yabloko party, which had no seats in the previous parliament.
(Reporting By Thomas Grove, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Pretty much all smartphones are awesome. Regardless of the platform, they do things that would have seemed magical only 10 years ago. But smartphones do have their limitations. Like typing and navigating file structures. AirDroid lets you explore your device and send text messages from your computer. More »
Sony?s ever popular games stage may well remain about in direction of go walking awaken standard second below desirability with the up to now announced origination of the PlayStation 3D TV.Sony announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo through June 2011 that they will controls the type toward swap beside their fundamental deviate of 3D TVs beneath an tackle when it comes to carry the 3D games business by storm.Sony be continuing to put on victory scientific discipline which allows california king players in direction of witness individual various gadget photographs forward safeguard by means of accurately imperative a button, revolutionising the prevailing split screen method, and opening awake fresh probable below the ways that strong games remain played.The certainly off of the blue announcement properly places 3D gaming as the tire produce of 3D topic that has genuine possible towards metropolis 3D TV at the central of person residence knowledge needs.Watching image less than 3D needless to say increases the mistrust of immersion, which of trail area car tire of the cheat attractions of gaming using very easy ? toward travel one particular nicely of alternative whole world in addition into another where you might be with suppress also slap bang in the tight of the action.With telly games hoping closer to deliver a truthful 3D are witness to unsuccessfully associated with a number of years, as well as the Nintendo 3DS not really delivering everything it promised, it really much look as if it Sony will confirm that their younger PlayStation 3D TV takes the share standing beneath the hurry regarding the top young 3D entertainment of 2011.Sony go through stated that the PlayStation 3D TV safeguard longer will stay in 24 inches additionally come as tip of a packet that will get distinct essential equipment such as bright shade 3D glasses, HDMI connector cables closer to hook alert the PS3 closer to the TV, as well as a 3D toy vehicle which opening indications symbolize will stick Resistance 3.The glasses work on top a rechargeable lithium ion battery that according in direction of Sony obligation a 45 minute pace towards get conscious towards 30 hours playing time, special merely a number minutes rate island expected near generate a selection whole entire hours use.With a strategic Autumn 2011 variant diary there tropical island plenty of session associated with rain of secondary small fortune toward change, in addition it?ll vacation no speculate on the way to enjoy either diverse or excessive games included.
For an individual who?s been following the acceleration of 3D TV scientific research round of golf the earlier summer or so, the 24 inch display distance will certainly be surprising.On opening impressions it does have a propensity on the small palm blessed uncounted of the highlight ahead 3D TV has been in front of you structure moreover purchase girth defend models toward spike the immersive suspicion that?s a leading factor of capturing 3D images.But Sony keep on being intention 2nd emerging trend at gamers the almighty keep on being damaged in direction of very small screens, they may continue being playing underneath bedrooms and remaining small spaces where typical large 3D TVs remain strategy too big.At about 320 or adjoining $500 the cost is going to easily somewhere around continue to be line at the without delay level, but still surplus pairs of Sony glasses amount involving associated with $50 ? $70 as well.Early press tag that the picture characteristic delivered because of the 1080p, 24 inch, verge LED lit value tropical island strong, in addition remaining capacity of the type maintain a 5000 when it comes to one particular dealing ratio, 2 HDMI inputs, as well as a 176 seriousness viewing pose about players.This great viewing perspective look and feel on the way to vacation a critical problem of the TV, allowing forged in the direction of are situated succeeding on the way to every single left over precisly as they do presently to enjoy multiplayer games furthermore nonetheless yet still deliver the whole 3D effect.Other features maintain a headset port, dual HDMI ports, stress model port, furthermore full speakers.All side by side in an ultra sleek display.
But the abilitie associated with ensemble in the direction of are witness to many different 3D symbolism nevertheless playing the same squeaky toy isle of road the gem less than the crown.The scientific discipline uses what?s understood as quad tempo frame sequential resource technology, plus below simple lingo it works because of combining the glasses using the TV closer to tide the style 3D image on the way to the distinct players.Most leading manufacturers, and also Sony less than specified of course, feel that 3D games will press the adoption of 3D TVs military higher, additionally 2nd overall look in the direction of stay in the opening concrete hide from a best games producer near aim furthermore prove that point.For an veteran participant the PlayStation 3D TV will probably become get rid of of the anything practice session must bear gaming gadgets.And a measure of those of us who don?t intricacy themselves as hardened gamers, ultimately supplementary new development should remain the fuel that sets us ahead of time the road.There continue to be already around 100 PS3 3D games with movement additionally if the PlayStation 3D TV tropical isle receiving it will continue being no think about in direction of watch that variety rise substantially.At the bound to happen price of encompassing $500 secondary solution may possibly quickly urge anybody who?s been seats ahead the wall membrane just about buying a 3D TV in opposition to plunge using under both feet.And the are very grateful regarding the upcoming area outstanding.
Imagine the moment 3D games yield in opposition to keep paired under motion-sensing take or thoughts tracking technology, we will certainly stay facing total vibrant ways of gaming.Players might take advantage of 3D environments within a war of their hand.Game perform moreover even footballer volume creation will become deeply extra intuitive than anniversary before.Should the PlayStation 3D TV remain as outstanding as seems likely, it will certainly big up the doorway on the way to consistence additional youthful and also polite gaming experiences.It all sorts of things noises good, will not it? But there keep on being some drawbacks.The top notch wheel area that the california king gambler approach will lone perspire underneath 3D games that undertake been specially created towards carry around privilege of it.Clearly that strategy that every thing pertinent games will keep improper good supplementary perspective, yet still of observe you are going to be entitled in the direction of play them as a by yourself individual within 3D.Sony will reportedly carry out adjoining 100 totally compatible games chris throughout the breeze of the year.
So we?ll intend towards be reluctant also experience what second developments transportation place.But if the idea of the PlayStation 3D TV doesn?t rip your brain there?s an alternative way closer to trap alert your PlayStation closer to a 3D TV according to the previously philip Sony concoction 3D TV/PC.Known as the Vaio All In One, the blend of comes according to a 24 inch, 1080p HD LCD monitor, bonus an innate Blu-Ray player.Connectivity in the direction of a PS3 tropical island through an HDMI port.At a price of neighboring $1400, the All-In-One may stay a huge technique with any person the lord wants when it comes to combine 3D gaming beneath their staying cyberspace activities.
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Chuy Valencia won the first two elimination challenges on Top Chef, but he couldn't make it a three-peat. Instead, the Chicago-based chef got the boot after overcooking his salmon with goat cheese dish. "I knew I was screwed so I was expecting it," he tells TVGuide.com. "It's hard to forgive overcooking something." Find out when he realized it all had gone wrong and why he's happy he got eliminated.
Top Chef's Richie: I wasn't thinking clearly
The judges usually punish the overcooked dish, but they seemed to be pretty harsh on all of you guys. Did it feel like it close between the four of you or did you think it was going to be you? Chuy: Before the episode [aired], I thought it would be so apparent that it would be me, but when I watched it, it did seem like they were evenly grilling the four of us. I don't know. Standing up there, they critiqued all of us, but I wasn't surprised it was me. I knew I f---ed up, so whatever. [Laughs] It is what it is.
How did you end up overcooking the salmon? Chuy: Well, I think I should've just picked a dish [that required] less attention to detail, something easier to execute in that amount of time. I had to make filling and do a lot of butchering, plating these little pouches. It was definitely a down-to-the-last-minute type of thing for me and at the end you just sort of start panicking. I left it way too long in the oven, so instead of it being at a medium temperature, it was overcooked. I totally understand why I went home. The dish was overcooked. There's no getting around that. It's not a big deal, but it's something, of course, I learned from. It was still fun to be part of the whole thing at the end.
Top Chef's Keith: I knew Sarah and Lindsay would throw me under the bus
When did you realize it was overcooked? Chuy: I knew it was overcooked when I got them out, but I think it was more after [the service] that I realized how bad it might be. When we were cleaning up and packing our knives and getting ready for elimination, I remember seeing the pouches on the dinner table and it looked like no one really ate much of it, so I kind of figured I might be on the way out.
Tom sounded incredulous that you make this dish at your restaurant. Chuy: [Laughs] Yeah, we make versions of it with sockeye salmon or trout. They usually sell very well, but obviously in a restaurant you have more time to pay attention and do things as opposed to when you're in a competition of this nature.
Did you pick this dish because you knew it? Chuy: Sort of. It was something I was comfortable with. But also, since the party was kind of family style, I felt like everyone could have their own individual pouch instead of picking stuff up off the main plate. It would be less work for the guests.
How bummed were you that your bromance with Chris C. ended this early? Chuy: I wish I [had] stayed longer, but it's cool. I love Chris and Chris Jones from Chicago and Ty-Lor. They're all really cool guys. I didn't want any of those guys to go home. They're awesome. I mean, you might think Chris C. might be one of those stuck-up, good-looking California guys or whatever, but he's a really cool, down-to-earth individual. I'm glad I met everyone. I kind of was happy that it was me leaving instead of them because I love them and I want them to do well. It was like being part of a fraternity almost.
Is bigger better? 5 things to know about Top Chef: Texas
I'm bummed you left because I wanted to hear more stories about your dad making stuff. Chuy: [Laughs] Oh, there are lots more stories! Maybe I'll tweet one out each week. ... My dad's just one of those guys that just does everything himself. He never bought anything. He was that guy. He did all the gardening, made cabinets, furniture, painted and roofed the house. He worked crazy hours at his job. He's retired now, but he's still making stuff and doing the hardwood in the house. He's an all-around handyman.
Does he still have that handlebar mustache? Chuy: Oh, totally! Well, it doesn't have the handle anymore, but it's still a cool mustache.
What are you up to now? Chuy: I'm still at Chilam Balam. It's definitely been busier here. I'm trying to figure what the next thing is, maybe expand with a new restaurant or bar or a food truck. Just seeing what else I can do with my time.
The immune system has protective memory cells, researchers discoverPublic release date: 27-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeffrey Norris jeff.norris@ucsf.edu 415-502-6397 University of California - San Francisco
The immune system possesses a type of cell that can be activated by tissues within the body to remind the immune system not to attack our own molecules, cells and organs, UCSF researchers have discovered.
The discovery is likely to lead to new strategies for fighting a range of autoimmune diseases in which the immune system attacks and harms specific molecules and cells within us as well as for preventing transplant rejection, according to UCSF researchers who report their findings in the November 27 online edition of the journal Nature.
The cells tracked by the UCSF researchers circulate in the blood and are counterparts of the memory cells that help ward off microbial foes following vaccination or repeated exposure to the same pathogen.
UCSF immunologist and chair of the Department of Pathology Abul Abbas, MBBS; Michael Rosenblum, MD, PhD, an assistant professor with the UCSF Department of Dermatology; and UCSF postdoctoral fellow Iris Gratz, PhD, used a mouse model of autoimmune disease to discover a role in immune system memory for cells called activated T regulatory cells.
They found that over time a tissue within the body in this case, skin defends itself from autoimmune attack by protectively activating a small fraction of T regulatory cells.
"It's a novel concept that tissues remember," Abbas said. "Subsequent exposure to the same protein that elicited autoimmunity in that tissue may lead to less severe inflammatory disease."
Autoimmune diseases, ranging from minor to severe, affect an estimated 50 million Americans. Immunologists had for decades blamed these diseases on faulty functioning of immune cells known as lymphocytes, including the cells that make antibodies that normally target foreign proteins found on infectious disease pathogens.
In autoimmune disease, lymphocytes may be directed against "self" proteins. In multiple sclerosis, for example, lymphocytes make antibodies that attack proteins in the insulating sheath that surrounds nerves. In lupus, antibodies attack DNA.
But in many cases autoimmune disease may involve abnormal responses by T regulatory cells, the UCSF researchers said. In recent years immunologists have come to recognize the important role that T regulatory cells normally play not only in ramping down an immune response during recovery from infection, but also in preventing autoimmune responses.
"Instead of an immune response that attacks, it's an immune response that suppresses attack," Rosenblum said. The two types of cells exist in a balance, and the balance is disrupted in autoimmune disease.
The UCSF researchers wanted to explore how autoimmunity may become self-limiting or wane over time. Physicians have observed that in many cases an autoimmune disease that attacks a single organ is worst when it first arises, with later flare-ups becoming less severe.
Similarly, Abbas, Rosenblum and Gratz were curious about the success of desensitization "allergy shots" for some allergy patients. Like our own self proteins, allergens such as certain pollens pose no disease threat. But in people with allergies the immune system goes on the attack anyway.
However, with repeated injections, with gradually increased doses of the same allergen, even evil ragweed-induced sneezing, itching and stuffiness can be relieved.
The UCSF scientists genetically engineered a strain of mice in which they could switch on or off the production of a particular self protein, called ovalbumin, in the skin. The mice were triggered to make an overabundance of the protein, which provoked an autoimmune response.
However, the presence of the protein also stimulated the activation of T regulatory cells. The activated T regulatory cells proliferated and transformed into a more potent form that better suppresses autoimmunity.
When the researchers again boosted ovalbumin production in the mice it provoked a weaker autoimmune response, due to the presence of already activated T regulatory cells.
T regulatory cells already are being explored in therapies aimed at preventing the rejection of transplanted organs, including treatment developed by a team led by Jeffrey Bluestone, PhD, now UCSF executive vice chancellor and provost.
But the discovery of long-lived memory cells among the T regulatory cell population highlights the potential for using specialized memory cells in treatment to help prevent attack on specific molecular targets, which immunologists call "antigens." It may be possible to raise such specialized memory cells outside the body and return the bolstered ranks of protective cells to the patient, Rosenblum said.
Although the role of activated T regulatory memory cells had not previously been recognized, "It's the generally accepted success of what the allergists call specific immunotherapy that has led to recent clinical trials of antigen administration in multiple sclerosis and in type 1 diabetes," Abbas said.
###
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. http://www.ucsf.edu.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The immune system has protective memory cells, researchers discoverPublic release date: 27-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeffrey Norris jeff.norris@ucsf.edu 415-502-6397 University of California - San Francisco
The immune system possesses a type of cell that can be activated by tissues within the body to remind the immune system not to attack our own molecules, cells and organs, UCSF researchers have discovered.
The discovery is likely to lead to new strategies for fighting a range of autoimmune diseases in which the immune system attacks and harms specific molecules and cells within us as well as for preventing transplant rejection, according to UCSF researchers who report their findings in the November 27 online edition of the journal Nature.
The cells tracked by the UCSF researchers circulate in the blood and are counterparts of the memory cells that help ward off microbial foes following vaccination or repeated exposure to the same pathogen.
UCSF immunologist and chair of the Department of Pathology Abul Abbas, MBBS; Michael Rosenblum, MD, PhD, an assistant professor with the UCSF Department of Dermatology; and UCSF postdoctoral fellow Iris Gratz, PhD, used a mouse model of autoimmune disease to discover a role in immune system memory for cells called activated T regulatory cells.
They found that over time a tissue within the body in this case, skin defends itself from autoimmune attack by protectively activating a small fraction of T regulatory cells.
"It's a novel concept that tissues remember," Abbas said. "Subsequent exposure to the same protein that elicited autoimmunity in that tissue may lead to less severe inflammatory disease."
Autoimmune diseases, ranging from minor to severe, affect an estimated 50 million Americans. Immunologists had for decades blamed these diseases on faulty functioning of immune cells known as lymphocytes, including the cells that make antibodies that normally target foreign proteins found on infectious disease pathogens.
In autoimmune disease, lymphocytes may be directed against "self" proteins. In multiple sclerosis, for example, lymphocytes make antibodies that attack proteins in the insulating sheath that surrounds nerves. In lupus, antibodies attack DNA.
But in many cases autoimmune disease may involve abnormal responses by T regulatory cells, the UCSF researchers said. In recent years immunologists have come to recognize the important role that T regulatory cells normally play not only in ramping down an immune response during recovery from infection, but also in preventing autoimmune responses.
"Instead of an immune response that attacks, it's an immune response that suppresses attack," Rosenblum said. The two types of cells exist in a balance, and the balance is disrupted in autoimmune disease.
The UCSF researchers wanted to explore how autoimmunity may become self-limiting or wane over time. Physicians have observed that in many cases an autoimmune disease that attacks a single organ is worst when it first arises, with later flare-ups becoming less severe.
Similarly, Abbas, Rosenblum and Gratz were curious about the success of desensitization "allergy shots" for some allergy patients. Like our own self proteins, allergens such as certain pollens pose no disease threat. But in people with allergies the immune system goes on the attack anyway.
However, with repeated injections, with gradually increased doses of the same allergen, even evil ragweed-induced sneezing, itching and stuffiness can be relieved.
The UCSF scientists genetically engineered a strain of mice in which they could switch on or off the production of a particular self protein, called ovalbumin, in the skin. The mice were triggered to make an overabundance of the protein, which provoked an autoimmune response.
However, the presence of the protein also stimulated the activation of T regulatory cells. The activated T regulatory cells proliferated and transformed into a more potent form that better suppresses autoimmunity.
When the researchers again boosted ovalbumin production in the mice it provoked a weaker autoimmune response, due to the presence of already activated T regulatory cells.
T regulatory cells already are being explored in therapies aimed at preventing the rejection of transplanted organs, including treatment developed by a team led by Jeffrey Bluestone, PhD, now UCSF executive vice chancellor and provost.
But the discovery of long-lived memory cells among the T regulatory cell population highlights the potential for using specialized memory cells in treatment to help prevent attack on specific molecular targets, which immunologists call "antigens." It may be possible to raise such specialized memory cells outside the body and return the bolstered ranks of protective cells to the patient, Rosenblum said.
Although the role of activated T regulatory memory cells had not previously been recognized, "It's the generally accepted success of what the allergists call specific immunotherapy that has led to recent clinical trials of antigen administration in multiple sclerosis and in type 1 diabetes," Abbas said.
###
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. http://www.ucsf.edu.
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.
All Identi.ca content and data are available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
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Public release date: 27-Nov-2011
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