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Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The art of stabilizing entangled spaghetti-like materials
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Public release date: 28-Nov-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Renate Bayaz
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Controlling forces between oppositely charged polymers opens a new route towards creating vectors for gene therapy
Gene therapy can only be effective if delivered by a stable complex molecule. Now, scientists have determined the conditions that would stabilise complex molecular structures that are subject to inherent attractions and repulsions triggered by electric charges at the surfaces of the molecules, in a study about to be published in EPJ E, by Valentina Mengarelli and her colleagues from the Solid State Physics Laboratory at the Paris-Sud University in Orsay, France, in collaboration with Paris 7 and vry Universities scientists.
The authors studied soluble complexes made of negatively charged DNA or another negatively charged polymer polystyrene-sulfonate (PSSNa) and a so-called condensation agent, which is a negatively charged polymer, known as linear polyethyleneimine (PEI). PEI participates in the condensation process by tying onto a molecule such as DNA, like tangled hair, to form an overall positively charged DNA/polymer complex structure.
Previous research focused mainly on non-soluble complexes, while the few attempts at focusing on soluble complexes dealt either with smaller polymers or those with a weaker electric charge, which may therefore be easier to stabilise.
The French team thus confirmed experimentally that the complexation process does not depend on the rigidity of the original molecule, be it DNA or PSSNa, but on the positive/negative electric charge ratio and on the polymer concentrations. It is the interactions between electrically charged parts within the complex that govern its properties. When the condensation agent is in excess, the positively charged complex is then attracted to negatively charged biological cell membranes. This could be used to deliver the DNA into a targeted cell nucleus as part of gene therapy treatment.
Future work will focus on using long DNA molecules and novel polymers to form complexes of controlled size and electric charge for gene therapy.
###
References
1. Charge inversion, condensation and decondensation of DNA and Polystyrene sulfonate by polyethylenimine, Mengarelli V, Auvray L, Pastr D, and Zeghal M, European Physical Journal E (EPJE) 34, 127, DOI 10.1140/epje/i2011/11127-3
2. For more information, please visit www.epj.org.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 28-Nov-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Renate Bayaz
renate.bayaz@springer.com
49-622-148-78531
Springer
Controlling forces between oppositely charged polymers opens a new route towards creating vectors for gene therapy
Gene therapy can only be effective if delivered by a stable complex molecule. Now, scientists have determined the conditions that would stabilise complex molecular structures that are subject to inherent attractions and repulsions triggered by electric charges at the surfaces of the molecules, in a study about to be published in EPJ E, by Valentina Mengarelli and her colleagues from the Solid State Physics Laboratory at the Paris-Sud University in Orsay, France, in collaboration with Paris 7 and vry Universities scientists.
The authors studied soluble complexes made of negatively charged DNA or another negatively charged polymer polystyrene-sulfonate (PSSNa) and a so-called condensation agent, which is a negatively charged polymer, known as linear polyethyleneimine (PEI). PEI participates in the condensation process by tying onto a molecule such as DNA, like tangled hair, to form an overall positively charged DNA/polymer complex structure.
Previous research focused mainly on non-soluble complexes, while the few attempts at focusing on soluble complexes dealt either with smaller polymers or those with a weaker electric charge, which may therefore be easier to stabilise.
The French team thus confirmed experimentally that the complexation process does not depend on the rigidity of the original molecule, be it DNA or PSSNa, but on the positive/negative electric charge ratio and on the polymer concentrations. It is the interactions between electrically charged parts within the complex that govern its properties. When the condensation agent is in excess, the positively charged complex is then attracted to negatively charged biological cell membranes. This could be used to deliver the DNA into a targeted cell nucleus as part of gene therapy treatment.
Future work will focus on using long DNA molecules and novel polymers to form complexes of controlled size and electric charge for gene therapy.
###
References
1. Charge inversion, condensation and decondensation of DNA and Polystyrene sulfonate by polyethylenimine, Mengarelli V, Auvray L, Pastr D, and Zeghal M, European Physical Journal E (EPJE) 34, 127, DOI 10.1140/epje/i2011/11127-3
2. For more information, please visit www.epj.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/s-tao112811.php
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Harvey Weinstein: How Marilyn Monroe Got Her Groove, and How Dad Became Cool
The council of foreign relations is the nickname we have given the weekly meeting between my three very hip, very cool daughters and their very unhip, uncool dad. Once a week, school or business is torpedoed and we meet in a restaurant (I have a fourth daughter, but at 14 months she would destroy any restaurant because she has more destructive moves than Jackie Chan and is way faster).
About a year ago, my mother, their grandmother, the infamous Miriam Weinstein, decided to drop by. Miriam of course, is the one we named Miramax after. By the way, when Disney kept the name Miramax, I always thought my mom was going to take on Michael Eisner. To her threats, Bob and I always said "you can't do that" and she said, "yes I can, I'm right and he's wrong, and that name is synonymous with a certain kind of filmmaking. And your father. And besides, if they take me into custody, I'll get off".
Bob and I replied, "how would you get off?"
"Because I know Bert Fields and David Boies", she replied. That in a nutshell is Miriam. Lest anyone wonder where Bob and I get it from. As the conversation progressed my daughters complained about too much homework they had and how tough their teachers were. Of course I'm on their side and I tell them that I think homework is way overrated.
Then, as the evening ended, Miriam asked me, "why are you making a movie about Marilyn Monroe? Hasn't everything been said on that subject already?" Whereupon, I tell my mom that a number of years ago I had read two books by Colin Clark. Those being The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me and My Week with Marilyn; both books about his experience making the movie when she came to London in 1956 and also detailing his fairytale romance and magical week with her. This all happened because her husband, Arthur Miller had an argument with her and left her in the middle of their honeymoon. As I progressed the story, Miriam was stunned. "I thought there were three main people in her life, the agent, what was his name?", she continued, "oh yeah Johnny Hyde, Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller. Who is this Colin Clark?"
I told Mom and the kids that sometimes movies are snapshots of little incidents. Actual moments in time that give you insight into a character. My daughters said dad, you made a movie like that, bringing up The King's Speech, to which I replied, yes, a footnote with giant implications. The story of the king of England who stuttered and overcame his speech impediment. Here, I told my gang, was another snapshot. A beautiful, but mature Marilyn Monroe at age 30, allowing herself to be innocent for once swept away by a younger man. My middle daughter then said, it reminded her of Roman Holiday.
Now in my house, Roman Holiday holds a special place. My daughters have always had a phobia of black and white movies. Black and white to them meant old. In fact, black and white to them meant very old, the kind of movies their dad would watch. The only thing worse than black and white to them was subtitles.
So one night, I said to them that if they could make it through this old movie, I'd take them all to the mall and buy them each a gift at their favorite store. The movie was Roman Holiday. They loved the movie so much they watched it again and gave me a pass at the mall. Of course, Roman Holiday is the story of a young princess, played by Audrey Hepburn, who sneaks out the palace window and has a beautiful night in Rome alongside a dashing American reporter played by Gregory Peck. As I told my daughters the story, I explained that My Week With Marilyn has similarities to Roman Holiday.
I told the girls that I have a weakness for movies about the creative process. They reminded me that Shakespeare in Love was about writing Romeo and Juliet and Finding Neverland explored how Sir James Peter Barrie wrote Peter Pan. Those were the movies they remembered of mine about the creative process. I told them that this new one was about the making of a fun, very clumsy movie, but that the way Colin Clark described making the movie gave you great insight and poked fun at the whole movie process. Sometimes, like a needle to a balloon, I said.
My girls had an idea of who Marilyn Monroe was, but they certainly did not know who Sir Laurence Olivier was. Nor did they have any idea about method acting or classic acting. But I told them the clash provided a lot of comedy in the piece and that the movie had huge laughs and hopefully, if I can convince everybody, maybe a couple of fun musical numbers, too. As I went around the room, looking for a thumbs up, I saw their faces reluctant to give it to me. So I pulled out the trump card. Michelle Williams. Now my girls are lucky enough to know Michelle Williams and they know her daughter too. She is as sweet to my daughters as she is to her own. When a hair colorist had made a mistake on one of the girls, Michelle did an operation worthy of Bond, James Bond, and got it all sorted and fixed. In my house, that made her a folk hero. And that proved to be the closer.
So off we went to London with Simon Curtis directing and David Parfitt producing. We assembled an all-star cast with Kenneth Branagh as Olivier and Dame Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike. We got the effervescent Emma Watson, the charming Dominic Cooper, the dashing Dougray Scott and the vivacious Julia Ormond. To play Colin Clark, we enlisted the tony award winning Eddie Redmayne. In due time, every girl on the set fell in love with. He is an actor of great vulnerability and also panache, both vital requirements to play Colin Clark.
Simon Curtis wanted to immerse the film in reality so we shot it at the locations that it took place in in real life. So Windsor Castle was Windsor Castle. The Aristocratic British School for Boys was Eaton. No one ever gets to film in these locations, yet magic strings were pulled and red tape disappeared. The rumor was that somehow the royal family pulled those strings. In 1956 Marilyn Monroe met the Queen at a royal premiere. You can watch some of this footage on YouTube. They had a wonderful rapport and it was reported in all the British newspapers that they got along famously. The irony of Marilyn meeting the Queen was that they were the same age as the Queen. Imagine, Marilyn in her 80s.
Pinewood Studios was where the original film The Prince and the Showgirl was made and lo and behold Simon arranges for Michelle Williams to have Marilyn Monroe's dressing room. In the film there is a magic moment when Marilyn Monroe comes down to greet the company of players who are making this film. When the door opened to Marilyn/Michelle's dressing room and she came out in a beautiful gown, something very similar to what Marilyn wore, and greeted Kenneth, Toby, Derek, Judi, Dougray, Julia and Eddie, you could hear a pin drop. The applause that you hear in the movie for Marilyn's entrance was just as real for Michelle's entrance as Marilyn. Everyday Michelle performed alchemy to transform into Monroe. Her use of makeup was as splendid as it was detailed. She practiced the voice, the walk, the wiggle, the waddle, the signing and the dancing.
For anybody who loves movies, this is a movie about making movies. We see Colin Clark start to work his way from a lowly third assistant director to finally becoming Laurence Oliver's right hand man on set (later on in life, Clark became a key executive at Olivier's production company and finally a great documentary filmmaker, producer, writer, director and author).
He witnesses Marilyn's fateful argument when Arthur Miller writes in his journal that it is impossible to live with Monroe after only 30 days of marriage. That the paparazzi had rendered him soulless. They fight, she ends up alone.
Colin then tells Marilyn the truth about herself. Through the relationship of making the movie, they become friends and eventually become romantic.
All the comedy that Simon intended to be in the film is there. Watching Kenneth Branagh and Michelle Williams dual of wits is bloody entertaining. Nothing is more satisfying to me than watching an audience reaction to a movie. We screened the final cut of Marilyn to Michelle in Detroit where she was shooting Sam Raimi's Oz when a packed theater erupted into huge laughter, but the best sight was watching Michelle's laughter too.
The finished movie was rated R. A problem for an 8-year-old, a 13-year-old and a 16-year-old. But I decided to take them to the New York Film Festival with their grandmother where My Week With Marilyn was the centerpiece and the film had its official premiere. It had been one year since that dinner at Cipriani when I got the green light to get involved in the film. So there I was, presenting an R-rated movie to my daughters. Much less their grandmother who tends to get rather conservative over things like that. When the lights went down, the magic began and I could hear the laughter and cheers from my girls. Even though they didn't really know who Marilyn Monroe or Laurence Olivier where, they too were laughing at those jokes. The older one whispered Roman Holiday and that from watching this movie she thought that Michelle Williams was a modern day Audrey Hepburn.
Miriam, in her true parlance (even though she'd been told the story ten times), said she had no idea that Marilyn Monroe fell in love with a 23-year-old boy. Then grandma said to her daughters, "you should not be seeing an R-rated movie, you could get in trouble for that".
To this I responded, "don't worry Mom, I know Bert Fields and David Boies too."
As we filed out of the theater, the girls started talking about Marilyn Monroe saying she was a strong independent woman. They said she was smart, funny and determined. They said she had a kind streak in her. That she was misunderstood and that they could feel her warmth.
They said that in the 1950s, when women were just going along with the status quo, she stood out. That she was rebellious, but had a sense of humor about it and was thus very effective.
And then finally, the corker. They said Marilyn Monroe was cool and that as a result, I was kind of cool for making the movie.
The epilogue to the story, is that two weeks ago, Katy Perry saw the film and tweeted about how much she liked it. When I told my girls she wanted to meet me they said, "you're not cool enough to meet Katy Perry," and that they should go in my place. As a father of four daughters, I've learned that COOL is a gift that only comes occasionally, but for a short time, Marilyn Monroe made dad cool.
?
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-weinstein/marilyn-monroe-_b_1113982.html
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Monday, November 28, 2011
LG confirms Optimus 2X, Optimus Black, Optimus 3D and Optimus LTE to get Ice Cream Sandwich
LG this morning on its Facebook page announced four of its smartphones -- its top four, in case you're wondering -- will receive updates to Ice Cream Sandwich. The lucky quorum are the Optimus 2X, Optimus Black, Optimus 3D and Optimus LTE. Timing for the upgrade schedule is yet to be determined. Here's the skinny:
LG confirms today that the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS will be initially available for the following high-end LG smartphones which were introduced this year: the Optimus 2X, the Optimus Black, the Optimus 3D and the Optimus LTE. We are also continuing to evaluate the ICS OS to determine whether it is compatible with the functionality, features and performance of other LG smartphones to make the ICS OS available on as many LG smartphones as possible.
In December this year, the forthcoming upgrade schedule and additional specific models for the ICS OS upgrade will be posted on our LG Mobile Global Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LGMobile) and on our local LG websites. Please stay tuned for more updates from LG.
No idea just yet what that means for the likes of the T-Mobile G2X, the Thrill 4G on AT&T or any other U.S. derivative. Stay tuned.
Source: LG Mobile Facebook
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/c90aXVtMKOU/story01.htm
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NASA launches super-size rover to Mars: 'Go, Go!'
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover lifts off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. The rocket will deliver a science laboratory to Mars to study potential habitable environments on the planet. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover lifts off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. The rocket will deliver a science laboratory to Mars to study potential habitable environments on the planet. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Curiosity rover lifts off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. The rocket will deliver a science laboratory to Mars to study potential habitable environments on the planet. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Backdropped by the Atlantic Ocean, the 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rolls toward the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Friday Nov. 25, 2011. Atop the rocket is NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover nicknamed Curiosity enclosed in its payload fairing. Liftoff is planned during a launch window which extends from 10:02 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EST on Saturday Nov. 26. Curiosity, has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and will help determine if the gas is from a biological or geological source. (AP Photo/NASA
In this 2011 artist's rendering provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech, the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover examines a rock on Mars with a set of tools at the end of its arm, which extends about 2 meters (7 feet). The mobile robot is designed to investigate Mars' past or present ability to sustain microbial life. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) ? A rover of "monster truck" proportions zoomed toward Mars on an 8?-month, 354 million-mile journey Saturday, the biggest, best equipped robot ever sent to explore another planet.
NASA's six-wheeled, one-armed wonder, Curiosity, will reach Mars next summer and use its jackhammer drill, rock-zapping laser machine and other devices to search for evidence that Earth's next-door neighbor might once have been home to the teeniest forms of life.
More than 13,000 invited guests jammed the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday morning to witness NASA's first launch to Mars in four years, and the first flight of a Martian rover in eight years.
Mars fever gripped the crowd.
NASA astrobiologist Pan Conrad, whose carbon compound-seeking instrument is on the rover, wore a bright blue, short-sleeve blouse emblazoned with rockets, planets and the words, "Next stop Mars!" She jumped, cheered and snapped pictures as the Atlas V rocket blasted off. So did Los Alamos National Laboratory's Roger Wiens, a planetary scientist in charge of Curiosity's laser blaster, called ChemCam.
Surrounded by 50 U.S. and French members of his team, Wiens shouted "Go, Go, Go!" as the rocket soared into a cloudy sky. "It was beautiful," he later observed, just as NASA declared the launch a full success.
A few miles away at the space center's visitor complex, Lego teamed up with NASA for a toy spacecraft-building event for children this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The irresistible lure: 800,000 Lego bricks.
The 1-ton Curiosity ? 10 feet long, 9 feet wide and 7 feet tall at its mast ? is a mobile, nuclear-powered laboratory holding 10 science instruments that will sample Martian soil and rocks, and with unprecedented skill, analyze them right on the spot.
It's as big as a car. But NASA's Mars exploration program director calls it "the monster truck of Mars."
"It's an enormous mission. It's equivalent of three missions, frankly, and quite an undertaking," said the ecstatic program director, Doug McCuistion. "Science fiction is now science fact. We're flying to Mars. We'll get it on the ground and see what we find."
The primary goal of the $2.5 billion mission is to see whether cold, dry, barren Mars might have been hospitable for microbial life once upon a time ? or might even still be conducive to life now. No actual life detectors are on board; rather, the instruments will hunt for organic compounds.
Curiosity's 7-foot arm has a jackhammer on the end to drill into the Martian red rock, and the 7-foot mast on the rover is topped with high-definition and laser cameras.
With Mars the ultimate goal for astronauts, NASA will use Curiosity to measure radiation at the red planet. The rover also has a weather station on board that will provide temperature, wind and humidity readings; a computer software app with daily weather updates is planned.
No previous Martian rover has been so sophisticated.
The world has launched more than three dozen missions to the ever-alluring Mars, which is more like Earth than the other solar-system planets. Yet fewer than half those quests have succeeded.
Just two weeks ago, a Russian spacecraft ended up stuck in orbit around Earth, rather than en route to the Martian moon Phobos.
"Mars really is the Bermuda Triangle of the solar system," said NASA's Colleen Hartman, assistant associate administrator for science. "It's the death planet, and the United States of America is the only nation in the world that has ever landed and driven robotic explorers on the surface of Mars, and now we're set to do it again."
Curiosity's arrival next August will be particularly hair-raising.
In a spacecraft first, the rover will be lowered onto the Martian surface via a jet pack and tether system similar to the sky cranes used to lower heavy equipment into remote areas on Earth.
Curiosity is too heavy to use air bags like its much smaller predecessors, Spirit and Opportunity, did in 2004. Besides, this new way should provide for a more accurate landing.
Astronauts will need to make similarly precise landings on Mars one day.
Curiosity will spend a minimum of two years roaming around Gale Crater, chosen from among more than 50 potential landing sites because it's so rich in minerals. Scientists said if there is any place on Mars that might have been ripe for life, it may well be there.
The rover should go farther and work harder than any previous Mars explorer because of its power source: 10.6 pounds of radioactive plutonium. The nuclear generator was encased in several protective layers in case of a launch accident.
NASA expects to put at least 12 miles on the odometer, once the rover sets down on the Martian surface.
McCuistion anticipates being blown away by the never-before-seen vistas. "Those first images are going to just be stunning, I believe. It will be like sitting in the bottom of the Grand Canyon," he said at a post-launch news conference.
This is the third astronomical mission to be launched from Cape Canaveral by NASA since the retirement of the venerable space shuttle fleet this summer. The Juno probe is en route to Jupiter, and twin spacecraft named Grail will arrive at Earth's moon on New Year's Eve and Day.
Unlike Juno and Grail, Curiosity suffered development programs and came in two years late and nearly $1 billion over budget. Scientists involved in the project noted Saturday that the money is being spent on Earth, not Mars, and the mission is costing every American about the price of a movie.
"I'll leave you to judge for yourself whether or not that's a movie you'd like to see," said California Institute of Technology's John Grotzinger, the project scientist. "I know that's one I would."
___
Online:
NASA: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/
Lego: http://legospace.com/
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Sunday, November 27, 2011
Week in iPad for November 27, 2011
Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We’re not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here — you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! — but we’re carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and...
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/idcTK04aIaM/story01.htm
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Gingrich's Manchester Union-Leader Endorsement Gives Campaign Boost (ContributorNetwork)
COMMENTARY | The Manchester Union-Leader, the influential newspaper in the first in the nation primary state of New Hampshire, has given its much sought-after endorsement to Newt Gingrich, granting his campaign a boost in a state dominated by his rival, Mitt Romney.
The Union-Leader endorsement can have an effect of the results of the New Hampshire Primary. It endorsed John McCain in 2008. McCain went on to edge Romney 37 percent to 31 percent. It endorsed Ronald Reagan in 1980, that year's winner of the primary and eventual nominee and winner in the general election. Pat Buchanan, who got the endorsement in 1992 and 1996, made a shocking strong showing against then-President George H.W. Bush in the former year and won the primary in 1996.
However, the newspaper endorsed Steve Forbes in 2000. Forbes came in a distant third.
Romney, who was governor of neighboring Massachusetts, remains in a strong poll position at about 40 percent. Gingrich is running third at 11 percent, behind Romney and Rep. Ron Paul. But with memories of 2008, losing a primary he had counted on winning, Romney cannot be happy with losing out on the Union-Leader's endorsement. A loss or a close first in the Jan. 10 primary would be devastating for Romney's hope of making a second time a charm.
Gingrich, who is surging in Iowa and nationwide, has gotten an undoubted boost to his campaign to be the conservative alternative to Romney. The flap over his somewhat soft view on illegal immigration has generated a lot of noise in the media and on the campaign trail, but it has not yet eaten into his poll numbers.
The endorsement is bad news to Gingrich's rivals on the right: Rick Perry. Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum, each of whom might have benefited from such a nod. A win by Gingrich in Iowa and a win or good second-place showing in New Hampshire could give him just enough momentum to propel him through South Carolina and Florida, knocking out the others, setting himself up to confront Romney alone. Romney, who has never cracked above 25 percent, would be the likely loser in such a contest.
Front-runner status also translates to more donations and more volunteers. That in turn adds up to a campaign that is on a roll and may be unstoppable.
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Egyptian court orders release of 3 US students (AP)
PHILADELPHIA ? A court in Egypt has ordered the release of three American students arrested during a protest in Cairo, a lawyer in Philadelphia confirmed Thursday.
Derrik Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter, who attend the American University in Cairo, were arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square on Sunday. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters.
Attorney Theodore Simon, who represents Porter, a 19-year-old student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said his client remained in custody at a police station as of Thursday afternoon Eastern time.
But Simon said he was able to speak by phone with Porter, describing the student's demeanor as "calm and measured, demonstrating a maturity well beyond his 19 years."
"He was extremely thankful and appreciative for our efforts and the unconditional support of his mother and father," Simon said.
Porter is from Glenside, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia.
Sweeney's mother, Joy Sweeney, said she is "absolutely elated" at the news of her 19-year-old son's release.
"I can't wait to give him a huge hug and tell him how much I love him," she said, adding that the news of the court order was the best Thanksgiving gift.
The 21-year-old Gates is a student of Indiana University.
The State Department released a statement saying it was trying to independently confirm the reports of the students' release.
Earlier Thursday, Egypt officials said the Abdeen Court in Cairo had ordered their release. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. They did not say when the students would be released.
In Bloomington, Ind., a spokesman for Indiana University, said he could not confirm that Gates and the other has already been freed. Mark Land earlier said he had spoken to Gates' parents and that they had been told by the State Department that their son has been released.
Joy Sweeney said she wasn't sure when her son, a student at Georgetown University, would be returning to their home in Jefferson City, Mo.
"If he can find his passport (then he'll leave) tomorrow, if not, it won't be until Monday," she said.
She said the U.S. consul general in Egypt, Roberto Powers, recommended that her son leave Egypt as soon as possible.
"He also conveyed that that was what Derrik had conveyed to him that he wanted to do. He was enjoying his experience but (was) ready to be done with it," Sweeney said.
Derrik Sweeney interned for U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., earlier this year. Luetkemeyer's spokesman Paul Sloca, said the congressman is "extremely pleased that he's safe and coming home, especially on Thanksgiving."
Sweeney said she had not prepared for a Thanksgiving celebration, although a friend had taken her some food. She said the idea of a Thanksgiving feast had seemed "absolutely irrelevant" before the news of her son's pending freedom.
Asked what she thought her son would take away from his arrest, Sweeney said she thought he would make something useful of it.
"I'm sure that he'll put a life-lesson learning experience into a positive story," Sweeney said. "He's a writer, he will write about this experience."
___
Associated Press reporter Ed Donahue in Washington contributed to this report. Maggie Michael reported from Cairo.
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Americans Are 20 Pounds Heavier Today Than Two Decades Ago: Report
Americans are reporting that they weigh, on average, about 20 pounds more than they did 20 years ago, according to a new report from Gallup.
The findings, based on the annual Gallup Health and Healthcare Survey, show that men are reporting they weigh 196 pounds on average and women are reporting they weigh 160 pounds on average, up nearly 20 pounds from self-reported weights in 1990.
In addition, our "ideal weight" has also increased -- for men, it is now 181 pounds (up from 177 pounds a decade ago), and for women, it is now 138 pounds (up from 137 a decade ago), according to the report.
The findings also indicate that most Americans consider their weight as "just-right" -- despite a previous Gallup report showing that 61.6 percent of people in the U.S. are overweight or obese. In that previous Gallup report, published last month, researchers found that obesity rates were slightly decreasing for most U.S. demographic groups, although there are still fewer normal weight people in the U.S. than there are obese and/or overweight people.
Earlier this year, a report in the Lancet suggested that half of Americans will be obese by the year 2030 if obesity and overweight trends continue as they are now.
"At the rate we're looking at right now, it's a dire prediction," study researcher Claire Wang, of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, told ABC News. "Something has to be done."
For a look at the obesity of certain demographics in the U.S. based on the October Gallup report, click through this slideshow:
1. Blacks: 35.4% Obese
1?of?15
Black people are still the demographic with the highest incidence of obesity, with 35.4 percent obese so far this year. However, the incidence of obesity has decreased from last year, going down 0.6 percent. In 2008, 35.1 percent of these people were obese.
Black people are still the demographic with the highest incidence of obesity, with 35.4 percent obese so far this year. However, the incidence of obesity has decreased from last year, going down 0.6 percent. In 2008, 35.1 percent of these people were obese.
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1. Blacks: 35.4% Obese
Black people are still the demographic with the highest incidence of obesity, with 35.4 percent obese so far this year. However, the incidence of obesity has decreased from last year, going down 0.6 percent. In 2008, 35.1 percent of these people were obese.
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/25/20-pounds-heavier-americans-weight_n_1110883.html
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Saturday, November 26, 2011
Plane with 3 men, 3 children crashes in Arizona (AP)
PHOENIX ? A small airplane slammed into a sheer cliff in the mile-high mountains east of Phoenix and exploded, killing the six people onboard, including the pilot and his three young children who were to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with him, authorities said.
The body of one child was recovered and dozens of sheriff's search and rescue personnel worked Thursday to recover the remains of the other victims, said Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.
A search and rescue team was in the rugged Superstition Mountains searching for three missing teenagers Wednesday evening and saw the explosion as the twin-engine plane hit the cliff, Babeu said. The searchers found the teens, then went up the mountain to try to reach the crash site.
Ten deputies who spent the night on the mountain were relieved by 10 more early Thursday. They and dozens of volunteers began searching the crash site at first light. Video from news helicopters Thursday morning showed the wreckage strewn at the bottom of a blackened cliff.
The dead included pilot Shawn Perry, 39, his two sons and his daughter, Babeu said. Morgan Perry, 9, Logan Perry, 8, and Luke Perry, 6, lived with their mother in the community of Gold Canyon in Pinal County. Their father lived in Safford in southeastern Arizona and owned a small aviation business there.
He had flown to the Phoenix suburb of Mesa with another pilot who co-owned the company and a company mechanic to pick up the children for Thanksgiving. The plane was headed back to Safford when it crashed.
The other pilot was identified as Russell Hardy, 31, of Thatcher, Ariz., and the mechanic was Joseph Hardwick, 22, of Safford.
Babeu said he personally notified the mother late Wednesday. The woman, who is divorced from the children's father, is also a pilot.
"This is their entire family ? it's terrible," Babeu said. "Our hearts go out to the mom and the (families) of all the crash victims. We have has so many people that are working this day, and we just want to support them and embrace them and try to bring closure to this tragedy."
There was no indication the plane was in distress or that the pilot had radioed controllers about any problem, the sheriff said.
It was very dark at the time, and the plane missed clearing the peak by only several hundred feet. The aircraft slammed into an area of rugged peaks and outcroppings in the Superstition Mountains, 40 miles east of downtown Phoenix, at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.
People called 911 reporting an explosion near a peak known as the Flat Iron, close to Lost Dutchman State Park, sheriff's spokeswoman Angelique Graham said.
Witnesses saw a fireball and an explosion.
"I looked up and saw this fireball and it rose up," Dave Dibble told KPHO-TV. "All of a sudden, boom."
Rescue crews flown in by helicopter to reach the crash site reported finding two debris fields on fire, suggesting that the plane broke apart on impact.
"The fuselage is stuck down into some of the crevices of this rough terrain," Babeu said late Wednesday. "This is not a flat area, this is jagged peaks, almost like a cliff-type rugged terrain."
Video after the crash showed several fires burning on the mountainside, where heavy brush is common. Flames could still be seen from the suburban communities of Mesa and Apache Junction hours later.
The region is filled with steep canyons, soaring rocky outcroppings and cactus. Treasure hunters who frequent the area have been looking for the legendary Lost Dutchman mine for more than a century.
Some witnesses told Phoenix-area television stations they heard a plane trying to rev its engines to climb higher before apparently hitting the mountains. The elevation is about 5,000 feet at the Superstition Mountains' highest point.
The plane was a Rockwell AC-690A and was registered to Ponderosa Aviation Inc. in Safford, which Babeu said was co-owned by Perry.
Kenitzer said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board would be investigating the cause of the crash.
___
Associated Press writer Michelle Price contributed to this report.
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Suh's stomp won't be reviewed before next week
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (90) talks with head coach Jim Schwartz during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Detroit, on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Suh was ejected from the game after he stepped on an opposing offensive lineman. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (90) talks with head coach Jim Schwartz during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Detroit, on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Suh was ejected from the game after he stepped on an opposing offensive lineman. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
FILE-This Dec. 12, 2010 file photo shows Detroit Lions defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill (91), Detroit Lions defensive tackle Andre Fluellen (96) and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (90) sacking Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn (10) in the second half the NFL football game in Detroit. The Packers might be a perfect 10-0, but their offensive linemen haven't forgotten what happened in their last game at Detroit. The Lions' defensive line thoroughly beat them up front last December, knocking Aaron Rodgers out of the game with a concussion and holding the Packers' offense in check all day for a 7-3 victory. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski, File)
DETROIT (AP) ? For the first season-and-a-half of his young career, Ndamukong Suh could almost brush off talk about his penalties and fines, saying he would keep doing what was needed to help his Detroit Lions.
On Thursday, Suh was publicly apologizing to his teammates after he was ejected from a loss to Green Bay.
It could be several days before Suh finds out the true cost of his third-quarter stomp in Detroit's 27-15 loss to the Packers on Thanksgiving. An NFL spokesman said Friday that plays from Week 12 looked at for potential discipline won't be reviewed until all games are completed.
Detroit coach Jim Schwartz was curt after Thursday's defeat when asked if he was worried about a possible suspension.
"I'm worried about losing this game," Schwartz said.
Suh was dismissed after tangling with Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith. After being pushed off Dietrich-Smith, Suh stepped down hard with his right foot, appearing to make contact with Dietrich-Smith's right arm.
Suh said he was trying to keep his balance while freeing himself from the brief scuffle. He apologized to teammates, coaches and fans for "allowing the refs to have an opportunity to take me out of this game," but he insisted he didn't intentionally step on anyone.
"People are going to have their own opinions ? that's fine," he said. "The only (people) that I really care about are my teammates, my true fans and my coaches and their opinions, and that's where it lies. And honestly, the most important person in this whole thing that I have to deal with is the man upstairs."
In less than two seasons as a pro, Suh has established himself as one of the game's strongest and most athletic defensive linemen, but he's also received his share of fines.
Suh requested and received a meeting earlier this month with Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his play. He said that dialogue was helpful, but now the league will have to decide whether more discipline is merited after he was ejected on national television.
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan came up with one tongue-in-cheek solution Friday.
"I'll be honest with you, I think the young man, he should be released ... and come to the Jets," Ryan joked. "I'm just throwing that out there. I don't think he's that good of a player. I don't know about the incident and all that jazz, but we'll take him. We'll sacrifice that way."
Ryan then turned a little more serious.
"I don't even know what to say on it," Ryan said. "You've seen things like that happen on the field before. It's an emotional game."
In 2006, Albert Haynesworth, then with the Tennessee Titans, was suspended five games after swiping his cleats across the head of helmetless Dallas center Andre Gurode. Suh's stomp wasn't toward Dietrich-Smith's head, and the Green Bay player didn't seem too much worse for wear.
When asked afterward where Suh stepped on him, Dietrich-Smith sounded like he didn't want to stir the pot.
"I have no idea," he said. "I have to watch the tape."
If Suh is suspended early next week, he would have a chance to keep playing pending any appeal ? but that appeals process can be expedited. Detroit plays at New Orleans on Dec. 4.
The NFL moved that game to prime time, a reflection of the buzz surrounding the improved Lions this season. Led by young stars Suh, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, Detroit won its first five games, but the Lions have since lost four of six.
Defensive backs Louis Delmas, Chris Houston and Brandon McDonald went down with injuries against the Packers, and so did running back Kevin Smith. If the Lions are without Suh for an extended period, it could hurt them in the playoff race.
"He plays aggressive. All of us, sometimes, might overreact in certain situations," Detroit defensive lineman Cliff Avril said. "We've got to play real smart."
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Easing Our Way Into Subscription-Based Gaming
It's starting to feel a bit that way with subscription-based gaming. We're not quite there yet?we have yet to see the fabled future where a monthly fee gains us unlimited access to every video game, Rhapsody- or Spotify-style?but subscription gaming walks among us already. It's feeling increasingly like it's only a matter of time before we hit a tipping point.
Just today, Big Fish Games announced that Apple was letting them offer a subscription model for their games on iOS. Much like the publications available in Apple's "Newsstand" interface, users will pay $6.99 a month for unlimited access to all of Big Fish's games. (Update: It looks as though Apple has pulled the plug on Big Fish Games' program just after green-lighting it.)
Of course, this comes with the caveat that the user must be connected to the internet at all times to play the game. Whether this is due to the fact that the game is streaming or whether it's due to always-on copy protection, it's a big caveat. Furthermore, is there a single developer on iOS whose games you would pay $6.99 a month to play? I'm guessing your response is the same as mine: "No."
But I can certainly imagine something that would work: a monthly subscription to access all App Store game content. I know, I know. It'd be crazy?the logistics would be a nightmare, and Apple would have to come up with a way to pay developers for their games. But in the long term, is it out of the realm of possibility? The fact that Apple has allowed one developer to do something like this (even if they did pull the plug later) means that they have the ability to do it.
I think I've finally reached that tipping point with subscription-based music. For the longest time, I didn't want Rhapsody or any of its competitors, I was happy with my ridiculously bloated library of MP3s. But then, Spotify came out, and I finally came around. I can access all of this music, in a high(ish) quality, with no ads, and take it anywhere on my mobile device? For $9.99 a month? Okay, I am into this. It's even better for trying out new music without having to buy it first. Onlive users can already try out games, and full game trials are becoming more common on the PlayStation store, as well.
I can't think of a lone developer whose catalog I would pay a subscription fee to play-not even Blizzard!
This weekend, I was watching the latest segment of Game Trailers' always-delightful Bonus Round, and Shacknews' Garnett Lee floated an idea that I thought was interesting: What if, when Sony's handheld Vita launches, Sony makes the console's entire library available digitally for a flat subscription fee?
What if, indeed? One of the primary challenges facing the Vita (and the Nintendo 3DS) is that mobile gamers are becoming increasingly used to the $1-$10 price point hit by most games in Apple's App Store. But if Sony announced that for, say, $10 or $20 a month, players could have access to all of the Vita's games, I would sign up for in a heartbeat. It's not so outlandish?given that Sony seems to be pushing their games into digital release very shortly after publishing them (for example, Sony just put Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One on the PlayStation Store as a full digital download, mere weeks after its release), it's within the realm of possibility that they could begin to offer some sort of subscription package, too.
All this prognosticating makes me think about what it would take to make me pony up for a subscription to a gaming service. I think that more than anything, the service would have to include every game possible, or at least every game on a given platform. It's not enough to have each subscription be tied to a different developer a la Big Fish Games. I can't think of a lone developer whose catalog I would pay a subscription fee to play-not even Blizzard!
When it comes to content, half-measures aren't appealing, either. Onlive's $9.99 subscription gets you access to a whole bunch of games, but not everything in their catalog. Most of the highest profile games are only available for rent or purchase (new games tend to run $49.99). The GameGadget that we reported on earlier this week sounds interesting, but we don't have enough information to know whether it's going to be viable.
A required internet connection would be also a deal-breaker for any theoretical subscription model?one way or another, I'd have to be able to download the game to my system and play it anywhere. And maybe this goes without saying, but the service would need to work smoothly, all the time.
So:
1) Comprehensive
2) Allows for offline play
3) Isn't a pain in the ass to use
A digital game subscription service that met those criteria would be tempting. iOS devices and the Vita could both theoretically allow for this kind of thing. Will we see something like that with the Vita? Seems doubtful. Would it be nice? Absolutely.
There's an argument to be made that in many ways, Valve's phenomenally popular PC game distribution service Steam is already a rental service?we pay to play the games, but due to Steam's copy-protection, they're never truly ours. Regardless of how you see that particular argument, Steam illustrates how close we really are to the reality of a subscription-based service that meets the criteria above. Steam is comprehensive, allows for offline play, and it works very well. What if we could just pay $20 a month to play every Steam game?
That too may never come to pass, but sooner or later, someone's going to sell me on a service in the same way that Spotify has sold me on subscription music services. When they do, I'll give subscription gaming a shot.
But that's just me. What would it take for you to take the plunge?
Source: http://kotaku.com/5862349/easing-our-way-into-subscription+based-gaming
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Bing hitches holiday hopes to Rudolph the reindeer (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO ? Like Santa Claus on that one foggy Christmas Eve, Microsoft has summoned Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to guide some precious cargo ? a holiday marketing campaign for its Bing search engine.
The advertisements, debuting online and on TV this week, star Rudolph and other characters from the animated story about the most famous reindeer of all. The campaign is part of Microsoft's attempt to trip up Google Inc., an Internet search rival as imposing as the Abominable Snowman was before Yukon Cornelius tamed the monster.
Google has been countering with its own emotional ads throughout the year. Most of Google's ads show snippets of its dominant search engine and other products at work before swirling into the logo of the company's Chrome Web browser.
The dueling ads underscore the lucrative nature of search engines. Although visitors pay nothing to use them, search engines generate billions of dollars a year in revenue from ads posted alongside the search results.
The holiday season is a particularly opportune time for search companies because that's when people do more searches ? to find gifts online, look for party supplies and plan nights out on the town. That means more people to show ads to. Advertisers also tend to be willing to pay more per ad because they know people are in a buying mode.
To capture that audience, Microsoft and Google are both thinking outside the search box to promote their brands.
Although the text ads running alongside search results do a fine job of reeling in some customers, they still lack the broader, more visceral impact of a well-done television commercial, said Peter Daboll, chief executive of Ace Metrix, a firm that rates the effectiveness of ads.
"It's instructive that these companies who are all about the Internet and doing things in real time are actually doing these emotive ads on TV," Daboll said.
Search engines are particularly difficult to sell because the sophisticated technology required to make them work isn't something "you can touch or feel in a store, so you need to bring some emotion to it," said Sean Carver, Bing's advertising director. "The storytelling is important."
Microsoft Corp. licensed the rights to the characters from Rudolph's 47-year-old holiday special after convincing their owners that the Bing commercials would add an endearing chapter to the reindeer's story. The rights to Rudolph and the rest of the cast are owned by the children of Robert L. May, who wrote the story in 1939 while working as a copywriter at the Montgomery Ward department store (May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, later wrote the famous song).
Microsoft is far more experienced at marketing than Google.
For one thing, it's 23 years older than Google, which was founded in 1998.
More important, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were so contemptuous of traditional marketing campaigns that the company never bothered to advertise its search engine on national TV until the 2010 Super Bowl. Spending millions to be a part of TV's annual advertising extravaganza was so out of character that Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO at the time, heralded the Super Bowl ad with a post on Twitter that concluded "hell has indeed frozen over."
Since that breakthrough, Google has caught the advertising bug. Without breaking down its total ad budget, Google disclosed that it has spent $583 million more on television and other advertising during the first nine months of this year than it did at the same time last year.
The investment has won Google some respect in the advertising industry.
Google took five of the 10 top spots for most effective national TV ads that promote websites, based on Ace Metrix's study of viewer reactions to the commercials. Topping the list is an ad showing how a father used Google services such as Gmail to create an electronic journal of his daughter Sophie's life.
Three Bing ads also ranked in the 10 most effective, but it also had two ads on the least effective list.
"There doesn't seem to be a very coherent creative pattern to the Bing ads," Daboll said. "It's kind of hit and miss."
There's no mistaking the common theme in the four Rudolph ads produced for the Bing promotion. The ads are all done in the same stop-motion puppet animation used in the original 1964 TV special. One features Bumble the Abominable Snowman using Bing to get ideas for a more fearsome roar. Another shows some of the characters turning to Bing for suggestions on a vacation that leads to a getaway on an island of misfit toys.
Microsoft has bought seven slots on national TV to run those four 30-second ads. The company is going for high impact rather than high frequency and is placing those ads during holiday-themed specials, starting with "The Simpsons" on the Fox network on Thanksgiving night and ending on Dec. 21 during "South Park" on the Comedy Channel. Microsoft isn't buying time during the Rudolph special, though, which CBS is broadcasting next Tuesday and Dec. 10.
The ads also will be shown in more than 200 movie theaters before holiday films and will be available online beginning Wednesday.
Microsoft declined to say how much it's spending on the Rudolph campaign.
Aaron Lilly, a Microsoft executive who helps conceive Bing's promotions, came up with the idea to build holiday ads around the Rudolph story two years ago. It didn't happen then because the Aflac insurance company had already bought licensing rights to the characters for that holiday season.
The ads will be a success for Microsoft if they help the company gain more ground and cut its losses in Internet search, an area that remains weak for Microsoft even after years of investing in better technology.
While the Xbox video game console and familiar software such as Windows and Office provide most of Microsoft's earnings, Bing remains a financial drain. The online division anchored by Bing has suffered operating losses totaling $7 billion since June 2008, when Microsoft introduced the latest overhaul of its search engine.
Google's share of the Internet search market has increased since Bing's debut, according to the research firm comScore. Google now processes about two out of three search requests in the U.S. and rakes in an even larger share of the revenue that rolls when people click on ads next to search results.
Bing's market share has climbed from about 9 percent in June 2008 to roughly 15 percent in October, but most of those gains have come at the expense of Yahoo Inc., which hired Microsoft to run most of its search technology two years ago.
For Google, the ads are aimed at not only maintaining its dominance in search but also driving adoption of other Google products, including its Chrome browser. Google says Chrome now has 200 million users worldwide, up from about 120 million at the end of last year. Despite those gains, Chrome still trails Microsoft's Internet Explorer and the Mozilla's Firefox.
But Chrome has been able to narrow the gap separating it from Internet Explorer more than Bing has been able to do in its pursuit of Google in search. Bing is still hoping to emulate Rudolph, a one-time laughingstock who overcame the skeptics to leap of the front of the pack.
___
Online:
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/bing-originals-bumble-less/1vqjkdrpj
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Friday, November 25, 2011
Bahrain report: excessive force in crackdowns (AP)
MANAMA, Bahrain ? In a stinging blow to Bahrain's leaders, a special commission that investigated the kingdom's unrest charged Wednesday that authorities used torture, excessive force and fast-track justice in crackdowns on the largest Arab Spring uprising in the Gulf.
The head of the panel, Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, also said there was no evidence of Iranian links to Bahrain's Shiite-led protests. That was a clear rebuke Gulf leaders, who accuse Tehran of playing a role in the 10-month-old showdown in the Western-allied kingdom.
The 500-page study ? authorized by Bahrain's Sunni rulers in a bid to ease tensions ? marks the most comprehensive document on security force actions during any of the revolts that have flared across the Arab world this year. It also displayed a stunning image of a powerful Arab monarch facing a harsh public reckoning, as King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa listened to a bullet-point summary of the report's conclusions.
Bassiouni's summary ? presented at a royal palace news conference attended by Bahrain's king and crown prince ? read like a checklist of complaints by rights groups since February: Middle-of-the-night raids to "create fear," purges from workplaces and universities, jail house abuses including electric shocks and beatings and destruction of Shiite mosques that "gave the impression of collective punishment."
At least 35 people have been killed in violence related to the uprising, including several members of the security forces.
It appeared unlikely that even the strong criticism would satisfy opposition forces, who accused the Sunni monarchy of using all methods at its disposal to avoid sharing power with the nation's Shiite majority. Just hours before the long-awaited report was released, security forces used tear gas and stun grenades in the latest of nearly daily clashes on the strategic island, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
Still, the inquest was seen as a bold step in a region of monarchs and sheiks who rarely acknowledge shortcomings or face uncomfortable criticism in public.
Bahrain's government promised "no immunity" for anyone suspected of abuses and said it would propose creating a permanent human rights commission.
"All those who have broken the law or ignored lawful orders and instructions will be held accountable," said a government statement, adding that the report notes that the "systematic practice of mistreatment" ended shortly after martial law was repealed on June 1.
Bahrain's Shiites comprise about 70 percent of the island nation's 525,000 citizens. They have complained of widespread discrimination such as being blocked from top government or military posts. The monarchy has offered numerous concessions ? including more powers to the parliament ? yet have refused to bow to protest demands to surrender its command of all top positions and main policies.
"A number of detainees were tortured ... which proved there was a deliberate practice by some," said Bassiouni, whose report covered the period between Feb. 14 and March 30.
The report also was highly critical of a special security court created under martial law that "overtook the national system of justice" and issued harsh sentences ? including life in prison and death row rulings ? that "denied most defendants elementary fair trial guarantees."
Bahrain has abolished the security court and some of its decisions are under review by civilian magistrates. Bassiouni urged Bahrain to review all the security court verdicts and drop charges against all those accused of nonviolent acts such as joining or supporting the protests.
"You found real shortcomings from some government institutions," Bahrain's king told Bassiouni, an Egyptian-born professor of international criminal law and a former member of U.N. human rights panels.
But the king lashed back at finding that Iran did not influence the uprising, saying his government could not provide clear evidence but insisting Tehran's role was clear to "all who have eyes and ears."
He blamed Arabic-language outlets in Iran's state media of "inciting our population to engage in acts of violence, sabotage and insurrection. Iran's propaganda fueled the flames of sectarian strife ? an intolerable interference in our internal affairs."
Although Bahrain's bloodshed and chaos is small in comparison with the huge upheavals across the Arab world, the island's conflict resonates from Tehran to Washington.
Bahrain is a critical U.S. ally and Washington has taken a cautious line because of what's at stake: urging Bahrain's leaders to open more dialogue with the opposition, but avoiding too much public pressure.
Some U.S. lawmakers have shown signs of growing impatience with Bahrain's rulers. A $53 million arms deal with Bahrain is on hold until the upcoming report is examined.
For Gulf leaders, led by powerful Saudi Arabia, Bahrain is seen as a firewall to keep pro-reform protests from spreading further across the region. Gulf rulers have rallied behind the kingdom's embattled monarchy and sent in military reinforcements during the height of the crackdowns and Saudi-led units still remain.
Shiite-led protesters began occupying a square in the capital Manama in February ? just days after crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square celebrated the downfall of Hosni Mubarak.
Weeks later, security forces stormed Manama's Pearl Square, tore down the landmark six-pronged monument at its center and imposed martial law. Hundreds of activists, political leaders and Shiite professionals such as lawyers, doctors, nurses and athletes were jailed and tried on anti-state crimes behind closed doors in a special security court that was set up during emergency rule.
On Tuesday, a group of Bahrain rights groups issued their own report on the unrest, accusing authorities of "systematic" abuses and "unceasing human rights violations."
___
Online: http://files.bici.org.bh/BICIreportEN.pdf
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Thousands queue in Indonesia to buy new Blackberry
Impatient Indonesians raise their fists to show their 'priority' wrist bands as they queue up to buy the new BlackBerry 9790 at discounted price for the first 1,000 buyers outside a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. Thousands of Indonesians jammed into a glitzy shopping mall Friday to get hold of the first BlackBerry Bold 9790s being sold worldwide. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Impatient Indonesians raise their fists to show their 'priority' wrist bands as they queue up to buy the new BlackBerry 9790 at discounted price for the first 1,000 buyers outside a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. Thousands of Indonesians jammed into a glitzy shopping mall Friday to get hold of the first BlackBerry Bold 9790s being sold worldwide. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Indonesian police officers stand guard as people queue up to buy the new BlackBerry 9790 at discounted price for the first 1,000 buyers outside a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. Thousands of Indonesians jammed into a glitzy shopping mall Friday to get hold of the first BlackBerry Bold 9790s being sold worldwide. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Security guards stand before Indonesians in a long queue to buy the new BlackBerry 9790 at discounted price for the first 1,000 buyers outside a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. Thousands of Indonesians jammed into a glitzy shopping mall Friday to get hold of the first BlackBerry Bold 9790s being sold worldwide. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Impatient Indonesians rush to the queue to buy the new BlackBerry 9790 at discounted price for the first 1,000 buyers outside a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. Thousands of Indonesians jammed into a glitzy shopping mall Friday to get hold of the first BlackBerry Bold 9790s being sold worldwide. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) ? Thousands of Indonesians jammed into a glitzy shopping mall Friday to get hold of the first BlackBerry Bold 9790s being sold worldwide.
Fearing a riot, hundreds of police were deployed outside, tying up traffic in the heart of the capital for hours.
With a 50 percent discount on the $540 phone for the first 1,000 buyers, lines started forming in front of Pacific Place mall on Thursday night. By daybreak, impatient shoppers started rattling the gates.
And when rumors spread that the new smartphones ? commonly known as Bellagio ? had already sold out, the crowd of 3,000 went crazy. Several people fainted in the crush.
Indonesia, a nation of 240 million people, has experienced a come-from-nowhere tech frenzy in recent years.
With 6 million users, BlackBerry dominates the smartphone market.
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