Thursday, December 27, 2012

Newtown Officials Ask Gift-Givers To Stop Sending Packages

  • Charlotte Bacon, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> They were supposed to be for the holidays, but finally on Friday, after hearing much begging, Charlotte Bacon's mother relented and let her wear the new pink dress and boots to school. It was the last outfit the outgoing redhead would ever pick out. Charlotte's older brother, Guy, was also in the school but was not shot. Her parents, JoAnn and Joel, had lived in Newtown for four or five years, JoAnn's brother John Hagen, of Nisswa, Minn., told Newsday. "She was going to go some places in this world," Hagen told the newspaper. "This little girl could light up the room for anyone."

  • Daniel Barden, 7

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> Daniel's family says he was "fearless in the pursuit of happiness in life." He was the youngest of three children and in a statement to the media, his family said Daniel earned his missing two front teeth and ripped jeans. "Words really cannot express what a special boy Daniel was. Such a light. Always smiling, unfailingly polite, incredibly affectionate, fair and so thoughtful towards others, imaginative in play, both intelligent and articulate in conversation: in all, a constant source of laughter and joy," the family said.

  • Rachel D'avino, 29

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP: </a>Days before the Connecticut shooting rampage, the boyfriend of Rachel D'Avino had asked her parents for permission to marry her. D'Avino was a behavioral therapist who had only recently started working at the school where she was killed, according to Lissa Lovetere Stone, a friend who is handling her funeral planned for Friday. D'Avino's boyfriend, Anthony Cerritelli, planned to ask her to marry him on Christmas Eve, Lovetere Stone said.

  • Olivia Engel, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> Images of Olivia Rose Engel show a happy child, one with a great sense of humor, as her family said in a statement. There she is, visiting with Santa Claus, or feasting on a slice of birthday cake. Or swinging a pink baseball bat, posing on a boat, or making a silly face. Olivia loved school, did very well in math and reading, and was "insightful for her age," said the statement released by her uncle, John Engel. She was a child who "lit up a room and the people around her." Creative with drawing and designing, she was also a tennis and soccer player and took art classes, swimming, and dance lessons in ballet and hip hop. A Daisy Girl Scout, she enjoyed musical theater.

  • Josephine Gay, 7

    Josephine Gay was nicknamed "Boo" because she looked so much like the character of the same name in the movie "Monsters, Inc.," the <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/ci_22201501/sandy-hook-shooting-victim-josephine-gay-profile">Denver Post reported.</a> She would set up lemonade stands in the summer, enjoyed riding her bike in the street, and celebrated her 7th birthday only three days before the shooting.

  • Dawn Hochsprung, 47

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP: </a> Dawn Hochsprung's pride in Sandy Hook Elementary was clear. She regularly tweeted photos from her time as principal there, giving indelible glimpses of life at a place now known for tragedy. Just this week, it was an image of fourth-graders rehearsing for their winter concert; days before that, the tiny hands of kindergartners exchanging play money at their makeshift grocery store. She viewed her school as a model, telling The Newtown Bee in 2010 that "I don't think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day." She had worked to make Sandy Hook a place of safety, too, and in October, the 47-year-old Hochsprung shared a picture of the school's evacuation drill with the message "safety first." When the unthinkable came, she was ready to defend. Officials said she died while lunging at the gunman in an attempt to overtake him.

  • Madeline Hsu

    <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324481204578181244231543014.html">Madeline Hsu was "very upbeat and kind," </a>a neighbor told the Wall Street Journal, remembering the young girl's love of bright, flowery dresses.<a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/18/massacre-victim-madeleine-hsu-lit-up-around-dogs/"> Hsu's face would "light up" </a>when she got off the bus and saw the neighbor's golden retriever each day, the woman told CBS.

  • Catherine V. Hubbard, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> Catherine V. Hubbard, aged six, one of the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, who was shot by Adam Lanza, 20, and died in hospital. Catherine's parents released a statement expressing gratitude to emergency responders and for the support of the community. "We are greatly saddened by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Catherine Violet and our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have been affected by this tragedy," Jennifer and Matthew Hubbard said. "We ask that you continue to pray for us and the other families who have experienced loss in this tragedy."

  • Chase Kowalski, 7

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> Chase Kowalski was always outside, playing in the backyard, riding his bicycle. Just last week, he was visiting neighbor Kevin Grimes, telling him about completing ? and winning ? his first mini-triathlon. "You couldn't think of a better child," Grimes said.

  • Nancy Lanza, 52

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP: </a>She once was known simply for the game nights she hosted and the holiday decorations she put up at her house. Now Nancy Lanza is known as her son's first victim. Authorities say her 20-year-old son Adam gunned her down before killing 26 others at Sandy Hook. The two shared a home in a well-to-do Newtown neighborhood, but details were slow to emerge of who she was and what might have led her son to carry out such horror. Kingston, N.H., Police Chief Donald Briggs Jr. said Nancy Lanza once lived in the community and was a kind, considerate and loving person. The former stockbroker at John Hancock in Boston was well-respected, Briggs said.

  • Jesse Lewis, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> Six-year-old Jesse Lewis had hot chocolate with his favorite breakfast sandwich ? sausage, egg and cheese ? at the neighborhood deli before going to school Friday morning. Jesse and his parents were regulars at the Misty Vale Deli in Sandy Hook, Conn., owner Angel Salazar told The Wall Street Journal. "He was always friendly; he always liked to talk," Salazar said. Jesse's family has a collection of animals he enjoyed playing with, and he was learning to ride horseback. Family friend Barbara McSperrin told the Journal that Jesse was "a typical 6-year-old little boy, full of life."

  • Ana Marquez-Greene, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> A year ago, 6-year-old Ana Marquez-Greene was reveling in holiday celebrations with her extended family on her first trip to Puerto Rico. This year will be heartbreakingly different. The girl's grandmother, Elba Marquez, said the family moved to Connecticut just two months ago, drawn from Canada, in part, by Sandy Hook's sterling reputation. The grandmother's brother, Jorge Marquez, is mayor of a Puerto Rican town and said the child's 9-year-old brother also was at the school but escaped safely.

  • James Mattioli, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> James Mattioli especially loved recess and math, and his family described him as a "numbers guy" who came up with insights beyond his years to explain the relationship between numbers. He particularly loved the concept of googolplex, which a friend taught him. He was born four weeks before his due date, and his family often joked that he came into the world early because he was hungry. They wrote in his obituary that 6-year-old James, fondly called `J,' loved hamburgers with ketchup, his Dad's egg omelets with bacon, and his Mom's french toast. He often asked to stop at Subway and wanted to know how old he needed to be to order a footlong sandwich. He loved sports and wore shorts and T-shirts no matter the weather. He was a loud and enthusiastic singer and once asked, "How old do I have to be to sing on a stage?"

  • Grace Audrey McDonnell, 7

    Grace McDonnell, 7, was a "girly girl" who loved playing dress-up and wearing pink, her grandmother Mary Ann McDonnell told <a href="http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Little-angel-Grace-McDonnell-remembered-by-family-after-Newtown-massacre-183767921.html"> Irish Central.</a> "Grace was like a little doll. She was utterly adorable," said neighbor Dorothy Werden.

  • Anne Marie Murphy, 52

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP: </a>A happy soul. A good mother, wife and daughter. Artistic, fun-loving, witty and hardworking. Remembering their daughter, Anne Marie Murphy, her parents had no shortage of adjectives to offer Newsday. When news of the shooting broke, Hugh and Alice McGowan waited for word of their daughter as hours ticked by. And then it came. Authorities told the couple their daughter was a hero who helped shield some of her students from the rain of bullets. As the grim news arrived, the victim's mother reached for her rosary. "You don't expect your daughter to be murdered," her father told the newspaper. "It happens on TV. It happens elsewhere."

  • Emilie Parker, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP: </a>Quick to cheer up those in need of a smile, Emilie Parker never missed a chance to draw a picture or make a card. Her father, Robbie Parker, fought back tears as he described the beautiful, blond, always-smiling girl who loved to try new things, except foods. Parker, one of the first parents to publicly talk about his loss, expressed no animosity for the gunman, even as he struggled to explain the death to his other two children, ages 3 and 4. He's sustained by the fact that the world is better for having had Emilie in it. "I'm so blessed to be her dad," he said.

  • Jack Pinto, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> Jack Pinto was a huge New York Giants fan. New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz said he talked to Pinto's family, which is considering burying the 6-year-old boy in Cruz's No. 80 jersey. Cruz honored Jack Sunday on his cleats, writing on them the words "Jack Pinto, My Hero" and "R.I.P. Jack Pinto." "I also spoke to an older brother and he was distraught as well. I told him to stay strong and I was going to do whatever I can to honor him," Cruz said after the Giant's game with the Atlanta Falcons. "He was fighting tears and could barely speak to me." Cruz said he plans to give the gloves he wore during the game to the boy's family, and spend some time with them. "There's no words that can describe the type of feeling that you get when a kid idolizes you so much that unfortunately they want to put him in the casket with your jersey on," he said. "I can't even explain it." Jack's funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday at the Honan Funeral Home in Newtown, followed by burial at the Newtown Village Cemetery.

  • Noah Pozner, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> Noah was "smart as a whip," gentle but with a rambunctious streak, said his uncle, Alexis Haller of Woodinville, Wash. Noah's twin sister Arielle, assigned to a different classroom, survived the shooting. He called her his best friend, and with their 8-year-old sister, Sophia, they were inseparable. "They were always playing together, they loved to do things together," Haller said. When his mother, a nurse, would tell him she loved him, he would answer, "Not as much as I love you, Mom." Haller said Noah loved to read and liked to figure out how things worked mechanically. For his birthday two weeks ago, he got a new Wii. "He was just a really lively, smart kid," Haller said. "He would have become a great man, I think. He would have grown up to be a great dad."

  • Caroline Previdi, 6

    Caroline Previdi is remembered as a "sweet" and "precious" girl, <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/ci_22204448/sandy-hook-shooting-victim-caroline-previdi-profile">the Denver Post reported.</a> She loved to draw and dance, and her smile brought happiness to everyone around her, according to her <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newstimes/obituary.aspx?n=caroline-previdi&pid=161771763#fbLoggedOut">obituary.</a>

  • Jessica Rekos, 6

    "Jessica loved everything about horses," her family said in a statement, <a href="http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/12/16/meet-jessica-rekos/">MSNBC reported,</a> adding that they planned on getting their daughter her own horse when she turned 10. "She was a creative, beautiful little girl who loved playing with her little brothers, Travis and Shane," the statement reads. She spent time writing in her journals, making up stories, and doing ?research? on orca whales ? one of her passions after seeing the movie Free Willy last year. She said her dream was to see a real orca. Thankfully her dream was realized in October when she went to SeaWorld.

  • Lauren Rousseau, 30

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP: </a>Lauren Rousseau had spent years working as a substitute teacher and doing other jobs. So she was thrilled when she finally realized her goal this fall to become a full-time teacher at Sandy Hook. Her mother, Teresa Rousseau, a copy editor at the Danbury News-Times, released a statement Saturday that said state police told them just after midnight that she was among the victims. "Lauren wanted to be a teacher from before she even went to kindergarten," she said. "We will miss her terribly and will take comfort knowing that she had achieved that dream." Her mother said she was thrilled to get the job. "It was the best year of her life," she told the newspaper.

  • Mary Sherlach, 56

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> When the shots rang out, Mary Sherlach threw herself into the danger. Janet Robinson, the superintendent of Newtown Public Schools, said Sherlach and the school's principal ran toward the shooter. They lost their own lives, rushing toward him. Even as Sherlach neared retirement, her job at Sandy Hook was one she loved. Those who knew her called her a wonderful neighbor, a beautiful person, a dedicated educator. Her son-in-law, Eric Schwartz, told the South Jersey Times that Sherlach rooted on the Miami Dolphins, enjoyed visiting the Finger Lakes, relished helping children overcome their problems. She had planned to leave work early on Friday, he said, but never had the chance. In a news conference Saturday, he told reporters the loss was devastating, but that Sherlach was doing what she loved. "Mary felt like she was doing God's work," he said, "working with the children."

  • Victoria Soto, 27

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> She beams in snapshots. Her enthusiasm and cheer was evident. She was doing, those who knew her say, what she loved. And now, Victoria Soto is being called a hero. Though details of the 27-year-old teacher's death remained fuzzy, her name has been invoked again and again as a portrait of selflessness and humanity among unfathomable evil. Those who knew her said they weren't surprised by reports she shielded her first-graders from danger. "She put those children first. That's all she ever talked about," said a friend, Andrea Crowell. "She wanted to do her best for them, to teach them something new every day." Photos of Soto show her always with a wide smile, in pictures of her at her college graduation and in mundane daily life. She looks so young, barely an adult herself. Her goal was simply to be a teacher. "You have a teacher who cared more about her students than herself," said Mayor John Harkins of Stratford, the town Soto hailed from and where more than 300 people gathered for a memorial service Saturday night. "That speaks volumes to her character, and her commitment and dedication."

  • Benjamin Wheeler, 6

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> Music surrounded Benjamin Wheeler as he grew up in a household where both his mother and father were performers. They left behind stage careers in New York City when they moved to Newtown with Benjamin and his older brother Nate. "We knew we wanted a piece of lawn, somewhere quiet, somewhere with good schools," Francine Wheeler told the Newtown Bee in a profile. She is a music educator and singer-songwriter. Sometimes the musical mother would try out tunes on her own children, with some tunes that she made up for Ben as a baby eventually finding their way onto a CD, she told the newspaper. In writing songs for children, melodies needn't be simplified, she said. "I try to make it my mission to always present good music to kids." Benjamin's father, David, a former film and television actor, writes and performs still, according to a profile on the website of the Flagpole Radio Cafe theater, with which he's performed in Newtown. The family are members of Trinity Episcopal Church, whose website noted that Nate, also a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School, was not harmed in Friday's shooting.

  • Allison Wyatt, 6

    <a href="http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Allison-Wyatt-Made-the-World-a-Better-Place--184002071.html">Allison Wyatt "loved to laugh</a> and was developing her own wonderful sense of humor that ranged from just being a silly six-year old to coming up with observations that more than once had us crying with laughter,? her family wrote in a statement obtained by NBC. She was talented and wanted to be an artist, and would often "surprise [her family] with random acts of kindness -- once even offering snacks to a complete stranger on a plane."

  • Victoria Soto's Sister, Jillian

    Jillian Soto uses a phone to get information about her sister, Victoria Soto, a teacher at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Conn. Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 after a gunman killed over two dozen people, including 20 children. Victoria Soto, 27, was among those killed. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

  • Emilie Parker, 6

    This photo posted to the Emilie Parker Fund Facebook page shows Emilie Parker and her father Robbie Parker. Fighting back tears and struggling to catch his breath, Robbie Parker the father of 6-year-old Emile Parker who was gunned down in Friday's school shooting in Connecticut told the world about a little girl who loved to draw and was always smiling, and he also reserved surprising words of sympathy for the gunman. (AP Photo/Emilie Parker Fund)

  • Robbie Parker

    Robbie Parker, the father of six-year-old Emilie who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, fights back tears as he speaks during a news conference, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

  • Victoria Soto's Mother, Donna

    STRATFORD, CT - DECEMBER 15: Donna Soto (R), mother of Victoria Soto, the first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who was shot and killed while protecting her students, leans on her son Matthew while mourning their loss at a candlelight vigil in honor of Victoria at Stratford High School on December 15, 2012 in Stratford, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire in the school. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza was found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

  • Emilie Parker, 6

    This photo posted to the Emilie Parker Fund Facebook page shows Emilie Parker and her father Robbie Parker. Fighting back tears and struggling to catch his breath, Robbie Parker the father of 6-year-old Emile Parker who was gunned down in Friday's school shooting in Connecticut told the world about a little girl who loved to draw and was always smiling, and he also reserved surprising words of sympathy for the gunman. (AP Photo/Emilie Parker Fund)

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/newtown-gifts_n_2366658.html

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    Wednesday, December 26, 2012

    Bush spokesman says ex-president's fever rising

    FILE - In a Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, former President George H.W. Bush, and his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, arrive for the premiere of HBO's new documentary on his life near the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday, Dec. 26. 2012 that doctors at the Houston hospital where Bush has been treated for a month remain ?cautiously optimistic? that he will recover. Still, no discharge date has been set, and McGrath says that doctors are being cautious because at Bush?s age ?sometimes issues crop up that are beyond anybody?s ability to discern or foretell.?(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

    FILE - In a Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, former President George H.W. Bush, and his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, arrive for the premiere of HBO's new documentary on his life near the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday, Dec. 26. 2012 that doctors at the Houston hospital where Bush has been treated for a month remain ?cautiously optimistic? that he will recover. Still, no discharge date has been set, and McGrath says that doctors are being cautious because at Bush?s age ?sometimes issues crop up that are beyond anybody?s ability to discern or foretell.?(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

    HOUSTON (AP) ? A "stubborn" fever that kept former President George H.W. Bush in a hospital over Christmas has gotten worse, and doctors have put him on a liquids-only diet, his spokesman said Wednesday.

    Jim McGrath, Bush's spokesman in Houston, had said earlier in the day that the fever had gone away, but he later corrected himself.

    "It's an elevated fever, so it's actually gone up in the last day or two," McGrath told The Associated Press. "It's a stubborn fever that won't go away."

    Doctors at Methodist Hospital in Houston have run tests and are treating the fever with Tylenol, but they still haven't nailed down a cause, McGrath said. Doctors also have put Bush on a liquid diet, though McGrath could not say why.

    The bronchitis-like cough that initially brought Bush to the hospital on Nov. 23 has improved, McGrath said. The 88-year-old is now coughing about once a day, he said.

    Bush was visited on Christmas by his wife, Barbara, his son, Neil, and Neil's wife, Maria, and a grandson, McGrath said. Bush's daughter, Dorothy, will arrive Wednesday in Houston from Bethesda, Md. The 41st president has also been visited twice by his sons, George W. Bush, the 43rd president, and Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida.

    Bush and his wife live in Houston during the winter and spend their summers at a home in Kennebunkport, Maine.

    The former president was a naval aviator in World War II ? at one point the youngest in the Navy ? and was shot down over the Pacific. He achieved notoriety in retirement for skydiving on at least three of his birthdays since leaving the White House in 1992.

    ___

    Plushnick-Masti can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RamitMastiAP

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-26-Bush%20Hospitalized/id-d3cdde18b0b64424beb48772b9ba705d

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    Scientists sequence genome of pathogen responsible for pneumocystis pneumonia

    Dec. 26, 2012 ? Scientists have sequenced the genome of the fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii, an advancement that could help identify new targets for drugs to treat and prevent Pneumocystis pneumonia, a common and often deadly infection in immunocompromised patients. The study will be published on December 26, 2012 in mBio?, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The organism cannot yet be isolated and grown for study in the laboratory, so details about Pneumocystis pneumonia, the biology of P. jirovecii, and its pathogenicity are hard to come by. The genome sequence represents a wealth of new information for doctors and researchers tackling this disease.

    Pneumocystis pneumonia is an opportunistic infection that strikes most often in individuals with diminished immune systems. The corresponding author of the study in mBio?, Philippe Hauser of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, in Switzerland, says the disease gained importance in the 1980s.

    "Recognized first among malnourished infants, P. jirovecii pneumonia became a public issue with the advent of the HIV epidemic," says Hauser. Today, the disease most commonly affects HIV-infected persons who are unaware of their status as well as solid organ transplant recipients and patients with hemato-oncologic or autoimmune diseases. Since the organism cannot be grown in the lab for study, researchers have long made do with studying P. jirovecii's lab-friendly relatives, species that infect animals and plants, in order to explore the secrets of the human disease.

    "It is obviously better to study [P. jirovecii's] genes rather that those of Pneumocystis species from animal models. The genome has both medical and evolutionary interests for the scientific community," says Hauser.

    Under normal circumstances, scientists sequencing the genome of a microorganism simply extract DNA from thick cultures of cells they grow in the lab. Since they were unable to grow P. jirovecii cells for their genomic DNA, Hauser and his colleagues took a different approach. They took a sample of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from an individual infected with Pneumocystis pneumonia, then concentrated the P. jirovecii cells using immuno-precipitation and created copies of the DNA in the sample using a technique called random DNA amplification. This mixture of DNA strands, from P. jirovecii, human, and other microbes from the lungs of the infected patient, was then sequenced using high throughput technologies.

    According to Hauser and his colleagues, the fact that the sequence data represented DNA from many different species created the biggest challenge they faced. "The major challenge of the study was the in silico sorting of the reads out of a mixture representing the human host and different organisms present in the lung microbiome," he says. This challenge was met through a collaboration with Marco Pagni of the Vital-IT group of the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, who provided indispensable expertise and infrastructure.

    Once the sorting task was accomplished, the researchers assembled the sequences into a genome and attempted to identify the functions of P. jirovecii's genes. This is the first time scientists have assembled the genome of a fungus from a mixed pool of DNA from a single source, often called a metagenome. Their analyses reveal a surprising fact: P. jirovecii is a parasite that must live within the human body to survive.

    P. jirovecii lacks the genes necessary for creating some of the essential ingredients of life, a hallmark of obligate parasites, organisms that must rely on another creature for sustenance. "It implies that they need their host to provide these molecules. Thus, this has been quite an important finding which implied that human beings represent the reservoir of this pathogen," says Hauser. This is useful information, since it means that people are the only significant source of the organism and that both infected people and healthy carriers represent the only control points for limiting the spread of the disease.

    The genome also shows that P. jirovecii apparently lacks the ability to make toxins and virulence factors, molecules that enable a microbe to invade and take advantage of its host. This makes sense, since P. jirovecii does not cause disease in healthy people, but only runs out of control when it is not confronted with an immune response.

    In the study of infectious disease, access to the genome of a pathogen provides new information that can be pivotal in combating the diseases is causes. The hope is that the genome of P. jirovecii will lead to new advances in therapies for those suffering from Pneumocystis pneumonia. The current drugs of choice for treating Pneumocystis pneumonia are antifolates, but certain isolates of P. jirovecii have already developed resistance to antifolates, an ability that is very likely to spread. Now that the genome of P. jirovecii is assembled and available to researchers all over the world, scientists can tease out clues about the organism that will help identify targets for some badly needed new drugs.

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    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/_LiDeWUJJr4/121226080900.htm

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    Tuesday, December 25, 2012

    Retailers hope for last-minute Christmas surge

    21 hrs.

    CHICAGO/WHITE PLAINS, New York - Retailers limped into Christmas with last-minute blowout deals on everything from TVs to celebrity-branded clothing, after a disappointing few weeks of sales led many analysts to lower their expectations for the holiday season.?

    Some industry watchers said shoppers were making smaller purchases, even though they are still visiting stores and browsing online. Since the holiday quarter can account for about 30 percent of annual sales and half of profit for many chains, such small distinctions can be crucial.?

    "The attitude of the shopper went from Christmas euphoria on Thanksgiving weekend to more subdued, to less frenetic," said Thom Blischok, chief retail strategist and a senior executive adviser with consulting firm Booz & Company's retail practice.?

    Before the season began, Blischok was looking for sales to rise more than 5 percent in November and December over the same period in 2011. Now, he said a gain of 2 percent to 2.5 percent appears more likely.?

    Research firm ShopperTrak lowered its forecast last week for November and December sales. It is now calling for an increase of 2.5 percent, rather than 3.3 percent.?

    "The season will be an OK season, it won't be as strong as last year but it won't be maybe as bad as feared heading into it," said Joseph Feldman, managing director and senior research analyst at Telsey Advisory Group. "Christmas comes every year."?

    Some of those who are buying said they were holding back.?

    Terene Collymore, a student of criminology at Monroe College in New Rochelle, New York, was at a Walmart on Monday, buying last-minute gifts, such as knitting supplies for her mother.?

    Collymore said she was being more careful this year and not spending more on herself.?

    "I don't throw money away," she said.?

    Cheap TVs abound
    Sales for the November-December holiday season are expected to rise 4.1 percent to $586.1 billion this year after a 5.6 percent increase in 2011, according to the National Retail Federation.?

    But even with the diminished forecasts, retailers have done a good job controlling inventory levels this season, analysts said.?

    The iPad mini has been tough to find in some places but is still available, while the new iPhone 5 is still in stock, suggesting that people may have stuck with their prior models or bought the less expensive iPhone 4S instead, said Feldman.?

    The season has been "decent" but "not exceptional," said Noam Paransky, vice president in AlixPartners retail practice.?

    He said he has not seen unplanned discounting or too much excess inventory despite slightly slower-than-expected growth.?

    "Retailers have been disciplined. They haven't hit the panic button yet," Paransky said.?

    Still, Target Corp slashed the price of its collaborative holiday collection with Neiman Marcus by 50 percent a few days ago. The collection was still marked at full price at Neiman Marcus.?

    Meanwhile Sears was offering 60 percent off clothing from the reality TV family's "Kardashian Kollection," and Target, Walmart and Best Buy all had last-minute discounts hundreds of dollars deep on big-screen TVs.?

    After-Christmas sales
    Superstorm Sandy hit sales in the densely populated Northeast in late October and early November but retailers were able to bounce back weeks later with a strong turnout on Thanksgiving weekend.?

    Now, fresh concerns about whether Washington will reach an agreement to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts before January 1 is leading some shoppers to curb spending.?

    Overall, analysts said inventory levels appeared about right, though consumers' minds have changed since retailers placed orders for items such as apparel back in the spring.?

    "I don't think it's an issue of ordering too much, I think it's the fact that the consumer has recognized 'I can learn to live with less, I don't have to have that fourteenth sweater, I just don't have to have it,'" said Blischok.?

    Those retailers who are seeing weakness before the holiday could use after-Christmas sales to sell discounted goods, analysts said. Typically, retailers like to clear out their holiday merchandise quickly, so that shoppers coming in with the gift cards they received are more likely to buy full-price spring merchandise at fatter profit margins.?

    Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/retailers-hope-last-minute-christmas-shoppers-bring-good-cheer-1C7661429

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    Internet Marketing Search Engine Optimization SEM SEO service ...

    Optimizing your site for the search engines can be smart, but only if you are smart about it. Using this article, you can ensure your site will be seen and avoid problems with search engines.

    When you are selecting the keywords and phrases you want to use to attract the search engines, try to think like a customer rather than an insider. People will use easy terms when they are looking for something.

    Search engines will lower your page rankings if you are found to be manipulating the rating system to artificially achieve top search rankings. In some cases, major search engines will ban your site outright. Use good ethics when you are utilizing search engine optimization techniques on your site.

    Websites which are properly executed for strong SEO results usually will not employ image links. Image links do not offer search engines any more than a URL for the linked file.

    Including a site map on your website is key to any search engine optimization process. Spiders can more easily access all of your site through a site map. If you site is on the larger side, a second map may be needed. A good rule to go by is to show only 100 links maximum on any given site map.

    Search engines use bots which constantly search for new and updated content. Adding new content on a daily basis will invite these bots to take a look at your site. Furthermore, articles that are well-written are likely to be shared with others. Interesting content will also draw return traffic, especially from people who have recommended the content to their friends.

    Your title should be focused around your chosen keyword or keyword phrase if you want to truly optimize your search engine results. The title tag should be on all the pages of your website, so that they can be linked together. Also end your title link with your company name, which will connect all pages together. People aren?t very likely to search for your company by name unless it is truly well-known.

    When fine-tuning your site?s search engine optimization, use efficiently-worded meta tag descriptions that will attract the right viewers. This tag should not be more than 30 words. The entire page should not be more than one hundred KB.

    Ask yourself the question ?how would somebody find my site if they were searching for it?? Then ensure that you have multiple uses of these keywords scattered through your site. These keywords should be in the titles and all over the content, but you need to avoid overusing these keywords because this can cause your site to be labeled as spam by the search engines. This is why you have to find a balance.

    Product feeds are an excellent tool for boosting traffic, increasing your online presence, and expanding your customer base. Such feeds provide detailed information about your offerings, such as pictures, descriptions and prices. Submit your blog posts to shopping comparison websites and all of the major search engines. A feed reader is a program which allows people to keep up with their favorite websites via email. Your clients may interested in following your feed this way.

    You should strive to create different looking pages within your website. Your title selection should be varied and distinctive. You?d be lacking if you don?t pay attention to the useful information published here. Make sure you add your keywords to the titles on your website.

    Blog and comment where relevant, so that you can get links for your site. Blog writers will allow you to leave your link on their page if your contribution is substantial. Just be sure that the blog ties into your business before you leave a link on that blog. Plus, it is important that the comments you make add value to their site. If you?re familiar with the subject at hand, it?ll take no time to leave appropriate comments on blogs, along with a link to your site.

    Blogging about your website, business, or personal life can really boost your search engine rankings. Since search engines like highly-structured websites and new content, blogs often rank high on them. Backlinking is an essential part of boosting your search engine rankings.

    Use search engines to get more traffic. Making your site spider friendly will increase your search engine raking. Make sure you tag the images on your site, because spiders are only able to read text. The information you include should have as many keywords as possible.

    If you are managing a business website, encourage the CEO or the owner of the business to become involved online. Your customers will want to read something from the head of the business.

    SEO takes time, so you must be patient when you are trying to increase the search engine optimization for your site. Significant changes and massive traffic will not come overnight. It may take several months, especially if you have a new website. As in a business you would run on offline, your reputation will take time to build.

    Use powerful keywords when promoting your site. Search engines put the most weight on words in the title tag of the site. The best keywords should be used for optimal results.

    Your search visibility raises if you blog on your site. There will be more people visiting your site than ever.

    As previously stated, there are effective and ineffective methods to employ SEO. What you just read can help you gain more customers and prevent search engines from blocking you.

    Search Engine Optimization, SEO

    Source: http://www.websitehostdirect.com/seo-tips-and-tricks-that-will-take-your-site-to-the-top-2/

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    USAF Awards Harris $85 M IDIQ Contract for Falcon Tactical Radios


    • Includes $33 Million Initial Delivery Order
    • Significant new IDIQ contract fulfills Air Force's next-generation tactical communication requirements.
    • JTRS-certified radios will provide personnel with voice and wideband data networking.
    • Further expands deployment of combat-proven Falcon radio portfolio across all branches of U.S. Department of Defense.

    Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, has been awarded an $85 million indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide the U.S. Air Force with Falcon multiband manpack tactical radios and accessories. In conjunction with the contract, Harris also received initial delivery orders of $33 million.

    The Air Force will deploy the Falcon III? AN/PRC-117G across ground units to serve as its next-generation radio platform for tactical voice and wideband data communications. The AN/PRC-117G will provide the Air Force with seamless connectivity to the Global Information Grid in support of a range of existing and emerging network-enabled missions.

    "The Air Force will modernize its tactical communications around the wideband AN/PRC-117G, providing its personnel with enhanced situational awareness, ISR and command and control capabilities," said George Helm, president, Department of Defense business, Harris RF Communications. "This new IDIQ will allow the Air Force to address both current JTRS requirements as well as emerging interoperability requirements through an affordable, upgradeable, combat-proven platform. The USAF is rapidly advancing its tactical radio modernization program, taking full advantage of the JTRS-Certified AN/PRC-117G manpack radio available today."

    The Falcon III AN/PRC-117G is the world's most widely fielded next-generation radio, combining line-of-sight, beyond-line-of-sight and wideband communications capabilities in a single lightweight package. The radio provides enhanced situational awareness of the battlefield by connecting warfighters to the Tactical Internet.

    Harris has shipped more than 25,000 AN/PRC-117G radios to all branches of the U.S. military as well as over a dozen allies including Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Poland and several other countries in NATO. The radio is combat proven and exhaustively tested in field exercises, laboratory environments and has been employed as a secure wideband tactical networking radio in Operation Enduring Freedom since 2009.

    Harris RF Communications is the leading global supplier of secure radio communications and embedded high-grade encryption solutions for military, government and commercial organizations. The company's Falcon? family of software-defined tactical radio systems encompasses manpack, handheld and vehicular applications. Falcon III is the next generation of radios supporting the U.S. military's Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) requirements, as well as network-centric operations worldwide. Harris RF Communications is also a leading supplier of assured communications? systems and equipment for public safety, utility and transportation markets ? with products ranging from the most advanced IP voice and data networks to portable and mobile single- and multiband radios.

    Source : Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS)

    Published on ASDNews: Dec 24, 2012
    ?

    Source: http://www.asdnews.com/news-46869/USAF_Awards_Harris_$85_M_IDIQ_Contract_for_Falcon_Tactical_Radios.htm

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    Take The Initiative With These Self Help Suggestions | Mind and ...

    It?s of utmost importance to work on your self improvement. From developing a healthier lifestyle, to developing better spending habits. It?s vital that you work on yourself to live the best life you can. Think of personal development as a lifelong journey that could take you places you have not thought of yet. You are sure to have a much happier and healthier life if you find a way to develop and maintain good habits every day.

    Personal development comes from the decisions that you make when you choose not to miss an opportunity. Even if you don?t have all the information you would like, don?t be scared to make decisions. Good instincts derive from making successful decisions. Even bad decisions serve a purpose, as they teach valuable lessons. You?ll make a better decision next time.

    TIP! Everyone makes mistakes, especially when it comes to following a healthy diet. Stress can be just as detrimental to your health as a sugary meal, so keep that fact in mind, and try to relax.

    When you are working toward self improvement, an important thing to keep in mind is that you are entitled to the best. You have no one to disappoint but yourself. You can?t have any regrets if you know that you performed to the best of your abilities.

    A fundamental basic of personal development includes improvements to your health. People feel better physically and mentally when in the best shape. When your health is good you think wisely and make good decisions. You also save money on medical expenses. You?ll often find that making one healthy choice leads to another, helping you to continue to improve your healthy lifestyle.

    TIP! A critical step of personal development is the realization and acceptance of your insignificance. Realizing how tiny you are in the grand scheme of things will help you to admit your ignorance.

    Demonstrate altruism to improve your life. If you direct your energy outward to make others? lives better, while temporarily putting your own needs second, you can greatly improve your character. Making sacrifices for others can help you to transcend feelings of selfishness and jealousy.

    Be aware of your physical limitations when reaching for your goals and do not overwhelm your body. Do your best, but do not overwork yourself to the point of physical or mental exhaustion. Making sure you stay healthy is important when you are trying to reach your goals. This will end up being counter-productive in your personal development.

    TIP! Your body?s health and your mental health are two sides of the same coin, and each has a close effect on the other. Regular exercise and nutritious foods are important to gaining total personal fitness.

    Act with your core values in place. Each individual has beliefs that he or she follows all the time. Following these beliefs will help your sense of self-esteem. It gives your life meaning and a solid structure to build around. Better yet, this practice encourages consistency, which is an excellent character trait to maintain.

    It may become discouraging to begin developing better personal habits and lifestyles, but once you start noticing your life developing towards a better future, you will never want to stop. You can always develop better ways to do things and it?s important to always try hard towards any personal development goals you have.

    TIP! Exercise is not only for people wanting to lose weight. The physical reasons for exercising are numerous.

    You should now know more about the complex world of emotional freedom. Researching emotional freedom was an essential step. If you?re still curious, don?t be afraid to find other articles about emotional freedom to read through.

    Categories: Personal Development | Tags: Personal Development | Permalink

    Author: manpro

    European Marketing Professional Online- and Networkmarketer Online Afiliate Marketer

    Source: http://www.mindandbodymagic.com/take-the-initiative-with-these-self-help-suggestions/

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    Source: http://yvinedep.posterous.com/take-the-initiative-with-these-self-help-sugg

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    Monday, December 24, 2012

    Syria activists: airstrikes kills tens near Hama

    Free Syrian Army fighters walk amid the ruins of a village situated a short distance from an area where fighting between rebels and government forces continues, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Hoang)

    Free Syrian Army fighters walk amid the ruins of a village situated a short distance from an area where fighting between rebels and government forces continues, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Hoang)

    FOR USE AS DESIRED, YEAR END PHOTOS - FILE - In this May 30, 2012 file photo, a Syrian woman, cries as she carries her injured son who was shot in his hand by the Syrian border guard when they were crossing a river from Syria to Lebanon, at the northern Lebanese-Syrian border town of Wadi Khaled, in Akkar, north Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

    (AP) ? A government airstrike killed tens of people Sunday in a town near the central city of Hama, anti-regime activists in Syria said.

    The attack came as the main international envoy was beginning talks in Damascus aimed at ending the civil war.

    The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "tens of people" were killed in a strike by a fighter jet on Halfaya Sunday.

    An amateur video released online Sunday shows people rushing toward a building an off-camera narrator says is a bakery. The bodies of about a dozen dead or seriously wounded people lie in the street, some of them in puddles of blood.

    Rubble and dust cover another pile of bodies along the building's wall. Residents and armed rebels carry the wounded away while others dig through the rubble looking for survivors.

    It was unclear why Syrian forces targeted the town.

    Activists and rights groups accuse the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad of taking revenge for victories by rebel forces on civilian populations who support them.

    Rebels have been clashing with government forces in recent days in the region around Halfaya, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of Hama, most notably in the village of Morek. Activists say rebels have taken over a number of regime checkpoints there as part of an effort to control the country's main north-south highway.

    Syria's crisis began in March 2011 with political protests and has since evolved into a civil war, with scores of rebel groups across the country battling Assad's forces.

    Activist say more than 40,000 people have been killed.

    International diplomacy has failed to slow the crisis.

    International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was in Damascus Sunday to push for a negotiated solution to the conflict. Previous efforts have proved fruitless.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-23-Syria/id-fb8576dbb778435bb2a6f60a0c433d45

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    Neo Geo X hacked to run Unibios, unofficial game ROMS

    Neo Geo X hacked to run Unibios, unofficial game ROMS

    After witnessing the fall of the DS, DSi, 3DS and PlayStation Vita, it's no surprise to hear that the Neo Geo X has succumbed to the talents of the homebrew community, but it is a little shocking how easy the handheld was to conquer. Upon cracking the device open, enthusiasts were surprised to find no copy protection to speak of -- just a lightly glued MicroSD card. The folks on the Neo Geo forum wasted no time experimenting, and soon found that the handheld's Bios and game ROMs can be successfully swapped for new games or custom loaders. Substitute files need to retain the name of the file they replace, and swapped games remain mislabeled in the Neo Geo X menu, but the trick has already allowed some users to install the popular AES Unibios. The community hopes that the discovery will eventually allow them to tweak the handheld's TV-out resolution and enable manual switching between AES / MVS game modes. It's hardly a "hack," considering the SD card is completely unprotected, but it's a good start. Check out the source link below to peer at the device's insides, or just to watch the community in action.

    Filed under:

    Comments

    Via: Kotaku

    Source: Neo Geo

    Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/fY7MN4fCHtU/

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    Unemployment down: which states are doing better than others

    Unemployment rates fell in 45 states in November, but the strength of the job market varies widely by region, according to US data. Local resources and housing markets are among the reasons.

    By Mark Trumbull,?Staff writer / December 21, 2012

    This Nov 2012 photo shows a veteran job and resource fair at the Michigan National Guard Armory in Lansing, Mich.

    Greg DeRuiter/Lansing State Journal/AP

    Enlarge

    Unemployment fell in 45 states in November, but that doesn't mean the job market is uniformly strong.

    Skip to next paragraph

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    The newly released data from the Labor Department reveal stark?differences by state and region: Some are still mired in deep trouble, while others are improving rapidly or enjoy "full employment" conditions.

    Some overall patterns:

    ? The Plains states, rich in energy and agriculture and relatively?light on population, have the strongest job conditions. The?unemployment rate is just 3.7 percent in Nebraska, for instance, and still falling. That's close enough to zero that the state can be?considered at full employment (given that any labor market tends to have some people in transition at any given moment).?Joblessness in a number of neighboring states is in the 5 percent range.

    ? Many housing bust states are improving along with the market for real estate. The biggest centers of the housing collapse were "sand" states: California, Arizona, Nevada, Florida. All still have?unemployment rates above the national average, but joblessness has been falling steadily this year. In fact, Arizona and Florida are at 7.8 and 8.1 percent, respectively, not far above the nationwide rate of 7.7 percent. California stands at 9.8 percent, and Nevada at a nation-leading 10.8 percent.

    ? The Northeast has the biggest momentum problem. Although the?unemployment rate improved in these states last month, compared with October, the picture has actually darkened when measured over a six-month span. New Jersey, plus all six New England states except Rhode Island, have seen the jobless rate rise since May. New York, for its part, has been essentially flat over the past 12 months.

    Why? One reason may be a tepid housing market. Home prices in the region have been falling in five of these eight states over the past year, and are nearly flat in two others (with Vermont showing a 3 percent price gain), according to Federal Housing Finance Agency data.

    The woes of New Jersey and Connecticut, at least in these statistical comparisons, don't have to do with Hurricane Sandy. The official unemployment numbers in those states improved a bit between September and November (with the storm striking in late October). In part, that's because of people who were recently counted by the Labor Department as not in the labor force, for weather-related reasons.

    ? Elsewhere, two Midwestern states, Illinois and Michigan, deserve mention as populous places where the jobless rate is high and stubborn. Unemployment is higher in these states than it was six months ago.

    By contrast, nearby Indiana and Ohio have seen their job markets?improving, similar to patterns seen in much of the West and South.

    Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/XJwePs9tyKs/Unemployment-down-which-states-are-doing-better-than-others

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    Syria jets kill tens as international envoy visits

    EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - This image taken from the Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrians removing the bodies of those killed after a government airstrike hit the Hama Suburb of Halfaya, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. A government airstrike on a rebel-held town in central Syria killed tens of people on Sunday, activists said, while the international envoy charged with negotiating an end to the country?s civil war was in Damascus to meet with top officials. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

    EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - This image taken from the Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrians removing the bodies of those killed after a government airstrike hit the Hama Suburb of Halfaya, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. A government airstrike on a rebel-held town in central Syria killed tens of people on Sunday, activists said, while the international envoy charged with negotiating an end to the country?s civil war was in Damascus to meet with top officials. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

    (AP) ? A government airstrike on a bakery in a rebel-held town in central Syria killed more than 60 people on Sunday, activists said, casting a pall over a visit by the international envoy charged with negotiating an end to the country's civil war.

    The strike on the town of Halfaya left scattered bodies and debris up and down a street, and more than a dozen dead and wounded were trapped in tangled heap of dirt and rubble.

    The attack appeared to be the government response to a newly announced rebel offensive seeking to drive the Syrian army from a constellation of towns and village north of the central city of Hama. Halfaya was the first of the area's towns to be "liberated" by rebel fighters, and activists saw Sunday's attack as payback.

    "Halfaya was the first and biggest victory in the Hama countryside," said Hama activist Mousab Alhamadee via Skype. "That's why the regime is punishing them in this way."

    The total death toll remained unclear, but the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 60 people were killed. That number is expected to rise, it said, because some 50 of those wounded in the strike are in critical condition.

    Amateur videos posted online Sunday showed residents and armed rebels rushing to the scene. One stopped to cover a mound of human flesh lying in the street with his coat.

    More than a dozen dead or seriously wounded people lay in the street near a simple, concrete building, some in puddles of blood. Near its front wall, bodies jutted from a pile of dirt and rubble on the sidewalk.

    Rebels screamed in distress while trying to extract the bodies, while others carried away the wounded.

    It was unclear from the videos if the building was indeed a bakery. Nearly all the dead and wounded appeared to be men, some wore camouflage, raising the possibility that the jet had targeted a rebel gathering.

    For the past week, rebels have been launching attacks in the area, most notably in the nearby village of Morek, where they hope to seize control of the country's main north-south highway, preventing the regime from getting supplies to its forces further north in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo.

    On Saturday, one rebel group threatened to storm two predominantly Christian towns nearby if their residents did not "evict" government troops they said were using them as a base to attack nearby areas.

    The activist accounts could not be independently verified due to restrictions on reporting in Syria. The Syrian government does not respond to requests for comment on its military activities.

    The attack coincided with the start of a two-day visit by Lakhdar Barhimi, who represents the U.N. And the Arab League, to meet with top Syrian officials.

    Brahimi has made little apparent progress toward ending Syria's crisis since assuming his post in September, mostly because the sides appear more interested in fighting it out than in sitting down for talks.

    Brahimi did not speak publicly upon arriving in Damascus for a two-day mission, and it was unclear whether he would present new ideas to end the war. His trip appeared troubled from the start.

    Instead of flying directly to Syria as he had on previous visits, Brahimi landed in Beirut and traveled to the Syrian capital by land because of fighting near the Damascus airport, Lebanese officials said.

    The Lebanese officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters, said Brahimi was expected to meet Syria's foreign minister later Sunday and President Bashar Assad on Monday.

    The trip is Brahimi's third since taking the job following the resignation of former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan after both sides disregarded a cease-fire he brokered in April.

    While not advancing a comprehensive peace plan, Brahimi has called on the sides to negotiate a solution.

    The security situation has gotten notably worse for the regime since his last visit, with rebels storming a number of military bases and seizing valuable munitions. Russia, Assad's most powerful international backer, also appears to have changed his assessment of Assad's strength, as top officials say they do not seek to preserve his regime, while still calling for a negotiated solution.

    Still, neither side appears willing to talk.

    In a lengthy Sunday news conference, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi repeated the Syrian government's line that it is fighting terrorist groups backed by foreign powers who seek to destroy Syria.

    Al-Zoubi said the government was willing to engage in dialogue but said the other side wasn't.

    "We speak of dialogue with those who believe in national dialogue," he said. "But those who rejected dialogue in their statements and called for arms and use of weapons, that's a different issue. They don't want dialogue."

    Rebel groups refuse to talk to Assad, saying too many people have died for him to be considered part of the solution.

    Violence raged elsewhere in the country on Sunday. Anti-regime activists reported government airstrikes on suburbs east of the capital and the northern province of Aleppo.

    Airstrikes on the town of al-Safira, south of Aleppo, killed 13 people, including a mother and five daughters from one family, a local activist named Hussein said via Skype. He gave only his first name for fear of retribution.

    The town lies next to a large military complex with factories and artillery and air defense bases. Hussein guessed the airstrike was payback for recent rebel attacks on the complex.

    "The strikes don't hit the fighters at all," he said. "They want to take revenge on the civilians."

    The Observatory said at least 10 rebels and an unknown number of government troops were killed in clashes in Afreen, near Aleppo, Syria's largest city, as rebels sought to storm an army base there.

    Anti-regime activists say more than 40,000 people have been killed since Syria's crisis began in March 2011.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Albert Aji contributed reporting from Damascus.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-23-Syria/id-6554ba05adfb4b759ab2971e9d20625a

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    Saturday, December 22, 2012

    Talks adjourn between Congo government and rebels

    KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) ? Uganda's defense minister says that talks between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels are being put on hold for two weeks.

    Crispus Kiyonda said Friday that the talks will resume on Jan. 4.

    Critics say the talks, which began earlier this month, have failed to make much progress as tensions deepen in eastern Congo.

    Uganda's defense minister, though, said progress had been made toward finalizing procedural rules and the agenda for the talks.

    He also said he would continue to consult with both sides by phone until negotiations resume next month.

    The rebels accuse Congo's government of failing to honor the terms of a 2009 peace deal that incorporated them into the national army. Rwanda is believed to be backing the rebels, a charge its government denies.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/talks-adjourn-between-congo-government-rebels-164120088.html

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    The 13 Most Amazing Science Stories of 2012

    2012 has been a big year for science: people sank to record depths, a private company made it into space, NASA landed something the size of a car on Mars, and physicists finally found the particle that could unify science once and for all. Here are 13 of the most exciting science stories we've covered this year. More »


    Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/76D-b3GQMkQ/

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    Friday, December 21, 2012

    Olive Garden owner shifts course to focus on deals

    NEW YORK (AP) ? After new ad campaigns touting the quality of its food failed to spark sales, the parent company of Olive Garden and Red Lobster is retooling its strategy to attract diners with more promotional deals.

    The shift comes after Darden Restaurants Inc. earlier this fall moved to update the image of its flagship chains and appeal to younger diners in their 20s and 30s, who increasingly prize fresh, high-quality ingredients. The problem is that many of those same diners also want cheaper prices and convenience, reflecting the rise of chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. and Panera Bread Co., which offer food that's a step up from traditional fast-food for slightly higher prices.

    In addition to those shifting tastes, Darden and other casual dining chains such as Applebee's are dealing with customers who are being more careful about where and how often they eat out in the weak economy.

    In a conference call with analysts Thursday, the company also stressed that none of its full-time employees would be put on part-time status as a way to limit costs tied to new health care regulations. Darden noted a publicity backlash over its tests to use more part-timers hurt sales in the latest quarter.

    To address the "affordability many guests need right now," Darden plans to dial back on its efforts to build revamp the image of its chains for now and increase the frequency of promotions that underscore value, said Drew Madsen, the company's chief operating officer. He declined to specify the exact nature of the revamped strategy, however, noting that the element of surprise is critical in a "highly competitive" industry that is once again expected to see only modest growth in the year ahead.

    He also noted that Darden had been "pre-empted" by competitors in the past by revealing its hand too early.

    The remarks came in a conference call with analysts to discuss Darden's fiscal second-quarter results, which showed a 37 percent drop in net income. For the three months ended Nov. 25, the company said it earned $33.6 million, or 26 cents per share. That's compared with $53.7 million, or 40 cents per share, a year ago.

    Analysts predicted slightly higher earnings of 27 cents per share, according to FactSet.

    Earlier this month, the company had warned that revenue would fall 2.7 percent at U.S. restaurants open at least a year for its three biggest chains; it fell 3.2 percent at Olive Garden, 2.7 percent at Red Lobster and 0.8 percent at LongHorn Steakhouse during the quarter. The figure is a key metric because it strips out the impact of newly opened and closed locations. For the year, Darden expects that figure to be flat or down 1 percent.

    At Olive Garden, executives noted that a "Dinner Today, Dinner Tomorrow" promotion didn't clearly communicate the nature of the deal, which gave customers who ate at the restaurant a free second meal to take home.

    At its specialty restaurant group, which includes smaller chains such as The Capital Grille and Bahama Breeze, the figure rose 0.7 percent. When including results from newly opened restaurants, Darden said total revenue for the quarter climbed 7 percent to $1.96 billion for the period, meeting Wall Street's forecast.

    In cutting its forecast for the year earlier on Dec. 4, Darden also said that it was hit by a publicity backlash from tests intended to gauge how it could limit costs for workers' health care. Starting in 2014, big employers such as Darden will be required to provide health insurance to full-time workers. The company had tested hiring more part-time workers and replacing full-time workers who left with part-time workers in select markets to gauge how it could mitigate those costs.

    Darden CEO Clarence Otis said the media coverage was a "secondary issue" that hurt the quarterly results. He said the coverage "misinterpreted our actions as a stand against health care reform." The company has since said it will not move any full-time workers to part-time status as a result of the regulations.

    With the topic set to remain an issue the coming year, he said it could continue to be a factor on the company's results.

    Darden has about 2,000 locations in North America; roughly 1,500 of them are Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants. The company plans to scale back slightly on new openings, with about 95 new locations planned for the year, down from 100 to 110. The figures do not reflect locations for Yard House, one of the company's smaller chains.

    The company's shares were down $1.52, or 3.3 percent, to $45.29 in afternoon trading.

    ___

    Follow Candice Choi at www.twitter.com/candicechoi

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/olive-garden-owner-shifts-course-focus-deals-151745409--finance.html

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