PTSD, Respiratory Problems May Be Linked in 9/11 Responders (HealthDay)

FRIDAY, Dec. 30 (HealthDay News) --Among 9/11 responders at the World Trade Center, the onset of respiratory problems and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) seems to be strongly correlated, with indications that PTSD may lay the groundwork for the development of breathing issues, a new study finds.

"This study illustrates the integral relationship between mental health and physical diseases that WTC responders suffer," study co-author Dr. Benjamin Luft said in a Stony Brook University Medical Center news release.

"The analysis not only shows that relationship but also connects PTSD as a possible co-factor in responders' diseases," said Luft, medical director of Stony Brook's World Trade Center Health Program. The findings, he suggested, add ballast to the view that "the illnesses suffered by 9/11 responders are a compilation of problems that often present as an entire syndrome of diseases and conditions."

Luft and his colleagues report their findings in the current online edition of Psychological Medicine.

The researchers look at data from examinations conducted between 2002 and 2008 among more than 8,500 so-called "traditional responders" (mostly police officers) as well as more than 12,300 "nontraditional responders," such as maintenance and transportation workers.

The exams, which looked at WTC exposure, PTSD, respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function, took place at WTC Health Program Clinics that were part of a network set in place by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

The team found that PTSD was more common among nontraditional responders than among police (23 percent vs. about 6 percent). Respiratory illness was also somewhat more common among nontraditional responders than police (more than 28 percent versus about 23 percent). Pulmonary function, however, was comparable across groups.

In all, the researchers concluded that PTSD and respiratory difficulties were correlated, and that PTSD may have a "mediating role" in terms of respiratory risk.

"The results are indicative that PTSD appears to have a major and complex role in relation to respiratory illnesses in this patient population," study co-author Dr. Evelyn Bromet, an expert in psychiatric epidemiology and disaster research, said in the release. "Our findings mirror research results found in several veterans' populations and in patients in primary care settings around the world. Mental and physical health are integrally linked. It is not always obvious which one is the driver, but in the end, what matters is that both mental and physical health are recognized and treated with equal care and respect."

"The results are a first step in nailing down the exact relationship between PTSD and respiratory illness," Luft said. "We need to continue to study the relationship and its implications to help us to better treat responders who suffer from multiple mental and physical conditions."

More information

For more on the health impact of 9/11, visit the New York City government.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/usmilitary/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111231/hl_hsn/ptsdrespiratoryproblemsmaybelinkedin911responders

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Adrian Moore Discussing How California Wants Kim Kardashian To Help Tax The Rich

The total link site for the news and information junkie: Libertarianism. Property Rights. Government Corruption. Chicago Mob. Struggle Against Socialism. Union Corruption. Pension Meltdown. Blacked Out History. New York Mob. Higher Education rip-offs. Housing Crash. Rent-seeking. Obama-Chicago Democratic Machine. Gun Control Monopolists. The Ron Paul Revolution. Organized Crime...Other Politically Incorrect matters of interest.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/wHtV/~3/Pup889BOfls/adrian-moore-discussing-how-california.html

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NY bill would require bachelor's degrees for RNs

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) ? New registered nurses would have to earn bachelor's degrees within 10 years to keep working in New York under a bill lawmakers are considering as part of a national push to raise educational standards for nurses, even as the health care industry faces staffing shortages.

The "BSN in 10" initiative backed by nursing associations and major health policy organizations aims to attack the complex problem of too few nurses trained to care for an aging population that includes hundreds of thousands of nurses expected to retire in the coming years. But some in the health care industry worry that increased education requirements could worsen the problem by discouraging entrants into the field.

Currently, most registered nurses have two-year associate's degrees. No state requires a four-year degree for initial licensing or afterward, though New Jersey and Rhode Island have considered proposals similar to New York's over the past several years. New York's legislation died in committee last session, but it has bipartisan support in both chambers this year and could be debated as early as January.

Demand for more skilled nurses is increasing as the population gets older and has more chronic diseases, and as the new federal health care law promises to help 32 million more Americans gain insurance within a few years.

Federal health officials have recommended upgrading nurse education to BSNs for more than a decade, and the idea got a boost in a 2010 report, "The Future of Nursing," by the National Academy of Sciences nonprofit Institute of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As of 2008, about a third of RNs had bachelor's degrees or higher, according to federal statistics. The institute recommended increasing that to 80 percent by 2020.

Advocates say that in addition to improving patient care, a key reason for requiring more education is to put more nurses in position to move on to jobs in administration and in-demand specialties like oncology, and to teach at nursing schools, where the average faculty age is 53.

"More and more hospitals are looking to hire BSNs, but the catch is that not that many schools offer the RN-to-BSN program or have the faculty to teach it," said Sharon Shockness, an adjunct teacher at Mercy College in Westchester County.

The New York bill's main sponsors, Democratic Assemblyman Joseph Morelle of Rochester and Republican Sen. James Alesi of Monroe County, said the bill is needed to further professionalize nursing. Both serve on their respective higher education committees and represent districts that include University of Rochester Medical Center and St. John Fisher College, which have BSN programs.

In addition to helping provide future teachers, the lawmakers say the added education and critical thinking skills are needed as patient care has become more sophisticated and studies show staff with higher levels of education serve patients better.

In a memo supporting the bill, the New York State Nurses Association cites a 2003 University of Pennsylvania study that found every 10 percent increase in staffing by nurses with bachelor's degrees results in a 5 percent decrease in surgical deaths.

Current registered nurses would be exempt from the education requirement to prevent driving more nurses from the field.

"This bill shouldn't discourage anyone at this point because it doesn't involve anyone even applying for licensure right now ... and 10 years is a long time to get a degree that will give you better pay," Alesi said.

Alesi contends the measure will "improve the landscape of nursing" by increasing the pool of RNs who can go on to obtain master's degrees and teach.

Researchers say almost 900,000 of the nation's roughly 3 million licensed RNs are older than 50, and while there's been an uptick in new, younger nurses, shortages are still expected as the health care industry continues to add nursing jobs. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated in 2009 that almost 582,000 new RN jobs would be created by 2018.

Federal projections in 2004, the most recent available, forecast a shortfall of 54,000 RN jobs in New York by 2020; the state currently has about 170,000 working nurses. But the state and national shortage estimates have varied greatly as the overall economy and national health policy have changed. A study published this year in the journal Health Affairs reports a surge among younger RNs entering the workforce, pointing to an easing of a national shortage previously forecast to reach 400,000 by 2020.

That shortage concerns New York's health care providers.

William Van Slyke, spokesman for the Healthcare Association of New York State, said the organization representing health care networks and hospitals supports having a better educated nursing workforce, but opposes a four-year degree mandate.

One problem, he said, is the lack of nursing faculty ? the same issue advocates say the bill would address.

"If you start the clock and you don't have the educational system, we may find ourselves having to turn away staff and have shortages," Van Slyke said.

The association has proposed legislation that would provide incentives like loan forgiveness to encourage people to become nurse educators, he said, but lawmakers haven't taken up the idea.

Morelle, the Assembly sponsor, said the state's community colleges also have expressed concerns that the requirement will cut into the number of people seeking the 2-year degrees they offer.

"Their classes are overflowing," Morelle said, and there is a "whole host of programs" that allow students to progress from a 2-year to a 4-year program.

A spokesman for the New York nurses association said New York City metropolitan area hospitals are increasingly requiring new RNs to have a bachelor's degree or earn one within five years, creating a disparity in standards between downstate and upstate, where fewer candidates have four-year degrees.

"Even without the legislation in place, hospitals and other medical facilities are making hiring decisions that favor those with BSN degrees over those without them," said Dr. Peggy Tallier, program director and associate professor in nursing school health at Mercy College.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2011-12-30-NY%20Nurse%20Education/id-241628b7062445eeb3475d279bc63cd5

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Scope 5 Secures Financing for Energy and Sustainability Software Service

Pacific Biomarkers Announces the Appointment of Amar A. Sethi, MD, PhD as Its New Chief Scientific Officer

SEATTLE, WA-- - Pacific Biomarkers , a Seattle, WA-based limited liability company that provides premier biomarker and specialty efficacy testing services to the drug development industry, has named the ... [?]

Pacific Biomarkers Announces the Appointment of Amar A. Sethi, MD, PhD as Its New Chief Scientific Officer

SEATTLE, WA-- - Pacific Biomarkers , a Seattle, WA-based limited liability company that provides premier biomarker and specialty efficacy testing services to the drug development industry, has named the ... [?]

Commuters switching from cars to mass transit

KIRKLAND, Wash . -- As tolls on the 520 bridge kicked off early Thursday, some commuters were switching from their cars to mass transit. [?]

Commuters switching from cars to mass transit

KIRKLAND, Wash . -- As tolls on the 520 bridge kicked off early Thursday, some commuters were switching from their cars to mass transit. [?]

Suspects arrested for stealing 44 guns from Fife Sportco

FIFE, Wash. -- Two men accused of stealing 44 guns from a Fife sporting goods store this month have been arrested. [?]

Suspects arrested for stealing 44 guns from Fife Sportco

FIFE, Wash. -- Two men accused of stealing 44 guns from a Fife sporting goods store this month have been arrested. [?]

2011 is the Best Holiday Ever for Kindle

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN) - Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that 2011 was the best holiday ever for the Kindle family as customers purchased millions of Kindle Fires and millions of Kindle e-readers. Authors also continue to benefit from the success of Kindle ? the #1 and #4 best-selling Kindle books released in 2011?were?both published indep [?]

Source: http://seattle10.cityspur.com/2011/12/29/scope-5-secures-financing-for-energy-and-sustainability-software-service-2/

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Company to close at least 100 Sears, Kmart stores

Pedestrians pass a Kmart location Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011, in New York. Sears Holdings Corporation, the parent company of Sears and Kmart department stores, announced Tuesday morning that it will close 100 to 120 stores after a sluggish holiday season.(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Pedestrians pass a Kmart location Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011, in New York. Sears Holdings Corporation, the parent company of Sears and Kmart department stores, announced Tuesday morning that it will close 100 to 120 stores after a sluggish holiday season.(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Shoppers leave a Kmart location Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011, in New York. Sears Holdings Corporation, the parent company of Sears and Kmart department stores, announced Tuesday morning that it will close 100 to 120 stores after a sluggish holiday season.(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Graphic shows Sears Holding???s total revenues, net income and number of stores over five years

NEW YORK (AP) ? After a disastrous holiday shopping season, the parent company of Sears and Kmart will close at least 100 stores to raise cash ? a move that sparked speculation about whether the 125-year-old retailer can avoid a death spiral fed by declining sales and deteriorating stores.

Sears Holdings Corp., a pillar of American retailing that famously began with a mail-order catalog in the 1880s, declared Tuesday that it would no longer prop up "marginally performing" locations. The company pledged to refocus its efforts on stores that make money.

Sears' stock quickly plunged, dropping 27 percent.

The closings are the latest and most visible move by Eddie Lampert, the hands-on chairman who has struggled to reverse the company's fortunes.

As rivals Wal-Mart and Target Corp. spruced up stores in recent years, Sears Holdings struggled with falling sales and perceptions of dowdy merchandise.

Some analysts wondered if it was already too late, questioning whether the retailer can afford to upgrade stores as it burns through its cash reserves.

The sales weakness "begins and some would argue ends with Sears' reluctance to invest in stores and service," Credit Suisse analyst Gary Balter wrote in a note to clients.

"There's no reason to go to Sears," added New York-based independent retail analyst Brian Sozzi. "It offers a depressing shopping experience and uncompetitive prices."

Sears and Kmart were both retail pioneers. Sears' catalog and department stores were fixtures of American life stretching back to the 19th century before being hurt in recent years by competition from steep discounters and by missteps that included forays into financial services and the decision to sell off a lucrative credit card business.

Kmart helped create the discount-store format that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. came to dominate.

Some customers complained that they have a hard time connecting with the Kmart and Sears of today.

Preschool teacher Sara Kriz, picking up hair conditioner at a Kmart on Tuesday in Manhattan, said she used to shop at Kmart often but now goes there only once every few months: "Only when I have to," she said.

"It seems easier to go to Target and Wal-Mart to get the same thing at the same price," Kriz added. "The stores are cleaner and they're better stocked."

Sears Holdings has watched its cash and short-term investments plummet by nearly half since Jan. 31, from about $1.3 billion to about $700 million.

The projected closings represent only about 3 percent of Sears Holdings' U.S. stores. And the company has actually added stores since the Sears-Kmart merger in 2005. It has about 3,560 stores in the U.S., up from 3,500 right after the merger, thanks to the addition of more small stores.

But the company hinted that more closings could be on the horizon as it focuses on honing the better-performing stores.

The store closings were expected to generate $140 million to $170 million in cash as the company sells down their inventory. Selling or subleasing the properties could generate more money.

Spokesman Chris Brathwaite said the company had not determined which stores would close or how many jobs might be cut. He disputed speculation that the company will have problems surviving, noting it still has $2.9 billion available under its credit lines.

"While our operating performance has not met our expectations, we have significant assets," including inventory, real estate and proprietary brands like Kenmore and Craftsman, Brathwaite said.

Still, the company's announcements were grim. In addition to the closings, it announced that revenue at stores open at least a year fell 5.2 percent for the eight weeks ended Dec. 25, a crucial time because of the holiday shopping season.

Kmart's layaway program, meant to help cash-strapped customers buy presents by paying for them a little at a time, faltered as Wal-Mart and Toy R Us introduced or expanded competing programs. Sears stores reported softer sales of home appliances, usually a strength.

The company predicted that fourth-quarter adjusted earnings will be less than half the $933 million reported for the same quarter last year. It also expects a non-cash charge of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion in the quarter to write off the value of carried-over tax deductions it now doesn't expect to be profitable enough to use.

Part of Sears Holdings' problem is the weak economy that is hurting virtually all retailers that cater to low- and middle-income shoppers, who are being forced to cut back on spending.

But both Lampert and Lou D'Ambrosio, who was named CEO in February, have said the company needs to keep up with the changing retail landscape, where shoppers are going online for convenience and finding better prices on their smartphones even once they're in the store.

Andrew Jassin, at clothing consultant Jassin Consulting Group, said his clients that sell to Sears aren't limiting orders, but they're watching to see what steps the company will take next.

"People are generally questioning the survivability long-term," Jassin said.

Hedge fund manager Lampert engineered the combination of Sears and Kmart in 2005, about two years after he helped bring Kmart out of bankruptcy. Skeptics criticized the combination as the marriage of two weak companies that would only hurt each other.

But both stores were once giants.

Sears, which started with a lone Minnesota watch seller in 1886, helped define the mail-order catalog industry, selling shoes, clothes, guns and even ready-to-assemble homes to farmers across the country.

Kmart, which started as a five-and-dime in Detroit in 1899, once commanded a retail empire that included Waldenbooks, Borders, OfficeMax and Sports Authority before spinning them off. A long sales decline and an ill-advised price war against Wal-Mart led to its 2003 bankruptcy filing, which let Lampert gain control of the company.

Analysts and investors were initially enthused by speculation that Lampert was combining the companies to unlock the value of their real estate. But years passed without a big move to do that ? and commercial real estate values took a painful hit in the Great Recession.

Lynn Crosbie, shopping at a Sears store in Portland, Ore., said she wasn't surprised by news of the closings.

Crosbie said she goes to Kmart for stocking stuffers and was disappointed this year by messy, understaffed stores.

"The quality has gone downhill," she said, looking around the nearly empty store. "Even the cashiers aren't as happy or friendly."

___

Associated Press Writers Anne D'Innocenzio in New York and Sarah Skidmore in Portland, Ore., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-27-Sears-Store%20Closings/id-ce0dada876c945cab67fdd5910a876e8

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MTV-India?s new hit, filmed in Israel

One of the cast members of The Chat House.

"Transmedia storytelling is the only way to engage this wired generation. We experimented with Crunch and now we are doing it again with Chat House. Integrating three screens seamlessly will give viewers the window to connect with the show wherever, whenever. With MTV Chat House, we are turning the fundamentals of a reality show on its head. It is inclusion instead of elimination, because today, if you don't have friends, you are nobody," said Aditya Swamy, executive vice president of MTV-India.

There was just one catch: MTV-India wanted the creators to be on hand during the filming - but Golan and Joseffson both have young children and didn't want to be away from home for three months. "Jokingly, I said they could come to Israel," says Golan, "and after a budget check, they did."

Some 100 crew, 15 participants and one VJ are now in Israel making television history.

"The Indians love Israel. They were not worried to come and they're excited that they're in Israel," Golan tells ISRAEL21c. "They're insisting that they go on a tour of Jerusalem after the show. I think I'll need at least two buses."

Israeli technology behind-the-scenes

The format of the new program was one thing. Turning it into a reality for TV was another.

The creators and producers knew about the radical 3D sensoring technology that has taken the gaming industry by storm. And they knew that at the head of the pack of innovators was Tel Aviv-based PrimeSense - with its 3D interactive sensor system that allows gamers to literally put themselves in the game.

The task of using PrimeSense's hardware technology for Tanin's format idea arrived on Smite Entertainment founder and CEO Erez Yerushalmi's desk one month before The Chat House went on air.

"We took the challenge," Yerushalmi tells ISRAEL21c. "This is not the same as [online virtual world] Second Life, where you're controlling an avatar of how you see yourself. We're walking the thin line between virtual and reality; people on this show are a digitalized self."

On the show, the 12 contenders wear headsets and speak into depth-sensing cameras when chatting with the three masters. Their every move is recorded and shown via their avatars.

"We took these depth-cameras and developed software that enables the camera to shoot a real person in real time and whatever he does the avatar does in real time," says Yerushalmi.

Fans have left positive comments about the show on MTV-India's site.

"It's more than saying Israeli technology is great. If you look at the layers of this phenomenon, all of it was made in Israel. Tanin wrote the TV format, the IT [PrimeSense] is based in Israel and the application, avatars and game format were done by Smite," sums up Yerushalmi. "We completed a total experience -- idea, technology, application."

120 million viewers

The Chat House kicked off on November 25, and is set to run 60 days. The show is broadcast in Hindi but English is the language of communication on set.

Production figures are already impressive, with a reported 120 million viewers and three million "likes" on Facebook on the first day.

"In India, they're very excited. They smell that it's going to be a very successful show," says Golan. "I think by the end of the show we can reach 20 million 'likes.'"

With numerous other Israeli-made television formats now airing around the world -- including Homeland (Showtime), In Treatment (HBO) and Traffic Light (Fox) -- Golan says the secret to Israel's success is its oomph.

"Israeli TV formats are not lazy. We work very hard because we're a small country and we have to bring to the world something new, shocking, something that will attract attention," says Golan, who has sold formats to some 70 countries.

Since The Chat House has been on MTV-India, interest around the world has spiked. Golan says his company has sold the same format to France, Germany, Turkey and Greece.

Says Golan: "You must bring something with a twist; otherwise you don't have any chance to survive. That's why Israelis are very successful now."

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5664465939

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arturbm: @Santander_br Vcs sabem informar se a nova agencia da Al dos Arapanes em Sao Paulo ja esta funcionando?

@ Vcs sabem informar se a nova agencia da Al dos Arapanes em Sao Paulo ja esta funcionando? Il y a environ 7 heures via web

Source: http://twitter.com/arturbm/statuses/152056139431948288

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Back in campaign mode, presidential hopefuls focus (AP)

DES MOINES, Iowa ? Republicans in search of their party's presidential nomination are returning to campaign mode after a brief Christmas respite, with Rick Santorum planning a hunting trip with conservatives in Iowa and Mitt Romney phoning supporters.

With just a week until Iowa holds its leadoff caucuses and many caucus-goers undecided, the final push ahead of the Jan. 3 contests was heading into a critical time. Campaigns planned new television ads and phone calls to persuade holdouts still weighing their options.

Romney, who kept this state at arm's length for most of the year, seemed to increase his efforts in Iowa as polls found him in a stronger position. He planned to talk with supporters in a series of telephone calls here and to New Hampshire and Florida on Monday between working on a speech that aides described as his final pitch to Iowans. Romney planned to deliver that speech Tuesday evening and then set out on a bus tour of Iowa.

However, he was to share the highways with Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. All scheduled bus tours to start then, too.

Each is running out of time and looking to derail Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas congressman who seems to have the most sophisticated network of volunteers ready to organize for the caucuses. Paul was to return to Iowa this week to meet with supporters he has kept in touch with since his unsuccessful run in 2008.

Others, too, were ready to turn on their own political machines and put fresh ads on the air.

Gingrich, who last week criticized the negative tone of the campaign, was preparing to directly challenge Romney on the economy, an issue Romney has made central to his campaign. Gingrich's standing in public and private polls has slipped as he faced unrelenting criticism from the candidates and their allies.

Gingrich was expected to use clips from Romney's previous campaigns distancing himself from President Ronald Reagan and pitch his own economic plan as "Reaganomics 2.0." Gingrich also was expected to compare Romney's tax plan with his own.

Romney released a new TV ad in Iowa on Monday that touts him as a conservative businessman and in which he says "it is a moral imperative for America to stop spending more money than we take in."

"It's killing jobs and it's keeping our kids from having the bright prospects they deserve," he says in the spot. "The experience of balancing budgets is desperately needed in Washington and I will take it there."

Santorum, meanwhile, planned to announce support from another wave of Iowa conservatives. He scheduled a pheasant hunting trip in Adel for Monday afternoon. While he trails in polls and has not spent significant money on ads, Santorum is hoping his nonstop courtship of Iowans yields a late surge. He visited all 99 of Iowa's counties during the summer ? an accomplishment Bachmann has feverishly tried to replicate.

Bachmann, a congresswoman from Minnesota, last week darted through small towns, reminding voters that Santorum lost his 2006 re-election bid in a blowout and that Paul's foreign policy views were outside the party's orthodoxy.

Looking to recapture voters' interest, her plan was to return to hand-to-hand campaigning Tuesday and paint herself as the only acceptable conservative in the race.

"You can always count on me to stay true to my word and put America and Americans first," she said in a fundraising email sent Monday. "I am the consistent conservative who will put our nation back on a path towards prosperity and restore our values to government."

Perry, too, was looking to keep up the message that his rivals are insiders unable to change Washington. He planned to resume his tour bus on Tuesday.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman kept his focus on New Hampshire. Huntsman said early in the campaign that he would not compete in Iowa and instead make his start in New Hampshire, which comes second on the nominating calendar with a Jan. 10 primary.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_el_ge/us_gop_campaign

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HiltonOnline: RT @SEILERTRAVEL: @HiltonOnline abre dos nuevas propiedades cercanas al Aeropuerto Internacional de Frankfurt #Alemania || http://t.co/X ...

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@HiltonOnline abre dos nuevas propiedades cercanas al Aeropuerto Internacional de Frankfurt #Alemania || ow.ly/89llE 7:30 AM Dec 24th via HootSuite Retweeted by 1 person

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roadmanwknr: @andysimms @LarryGrant54 The Ohio State University! O - H -

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Hackers target supporters of breached think tank

NEW YORK?? Victims of a data breach at security think tank Stratfor apparently are being targeted a second time after speaking out.

Stratfor said Monday on its Facebook page that people who offered support after the company revealed that the loose-knit hacking movement "Anonymous" had broken into its computers "may be being targeted for doing so."

Here's more from Stratfor's Facebook warning post:

It's come to our attention that our members who are speaking out in support of us on Facebook may be being targeted for doing so and are at risk of having sensitive information repeatedly published on other websites. So, in order to protect yourselves, we recommend taking security precautions when speaking out on Facebook or abstaining from it altogether.

A Twitter feed that asserts it's associated with Anonymous on Monday mocked victims who spoke to The Associated Press. And affiliates of anonymous asserted they'd removed more funds from the account of a victim who spoke out on Facebook.

Stratfor's website and email remained suspended Monday.

Hackers said they stole thousands of client credit card numbers and other personal information from the company. Unauthorized donations made from some of the accounts are likely to be reversed.

Related: 'Anonymous' hackers target US security think tank

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45791528/ns/technology_and_science-security/

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Egypt deports 93 Ethiopians before reaching Israel

CAIRO -- An Egyptian airport official says the government has deported 93 Ethiopians who entered Egypt with hopes of crossing the Sinai desert into Israel illegally.

The airport official says 42 Ethiopians were repatriated on Sunday and another 51 were sent back home a day earlier.

The official says the migrants crossed into Egypt from its southern border with Sudan two weeks ago. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

Most of the migrants make the long and dangerous journey through Egypt to Israel in search of jobs.

The Israeli government estimates that, since 2006, some 50,000 Africans have illegally entered southern Israel through its 150 mile (250-kilometer) long border with Egypt's Sinai desert.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/25/2561495/egypt-deports-93-ethiopians-before.html

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Apple Files Patents for Fuel Cell Computers (NewsFactor)

A laptop powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, going for weeks without refueling. That vision of the future is described in a pair of patent applications filed by Apple and made public Thursday.

One of the patent applications, entitled Fuel Cell System to Power a Portable Computing Device, describes a fuel cell system with a fuel cell stack that generates electricity, as well as a system controller and a bidirectional communication link between the controller and the device.

'Days or Even Weeks'

The other application, Fuel Cell System Coupled to a Portable Computing Device, describes a fuel cell system that "is capable of both providing power to and receiving power from a rechargeable battery in a portable computing device." The application notes that this would eliminate "the need for a bulky and heavy battery within the fuel cell system," thus significantly reducing the size, weight, and cost of the fuel cell.

Fuel cells, such as hydrogen fuel cells, can pack a lot of electricity-generating power into a small package. As one of the applications noted, "Fuel cells and associated fuels can potentially achieve high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities," which could potentially mean that portable devices could operate for "days or even weeks without refueling." Similarly, the other application's description of linking the fuel cell to the rechargeable battery helps to keep size and weight down, and time between refueling up.

Apple's applications discuss using sodium borohydride powder mixed with water as a fuel, and the hydrogen would be obtained from the sodium borohydride. The hydrogen then mixes with oxygen via a membrane, producing electricity and water vapor.

'Future Proofing'

The integration of the fuel cell system into the device would assumedly be one of the key features for which patent protection is sought. Another patent application by Apple, published in October, described a design for fuel cell plates.

Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp., said Apple's patents indicated it was "future proofing and hedging its bets," and that the real question was whether the innovative company "has something cooking like this in the back room?"

She added that it was possible that Apple is not moving forward on this front, but simply looking to protect itself against other companies' ventures into fuel-cell powered mobile computing devices. Even if the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is using some of its large supply of cash to conduct R&D in this area, DiDio said, it was unlikely that mainstream products would emerge in the next decade or so.

As with many large technology companies, patents figure prominently in Apple's strategy. The biggest example of the importance of patents is the ongoing legal war by Apple with Samsung, HTC, and Motorola Mobility, over aspects of those companies' Android-based devices that Apple says violate its patents. Apple recently won a minor victory in its U.S. patent fight with HTC, lost a next step in its war with Samsung in Australia, and both won and lost some battles with Samsung in Europe.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111224/bs_nf/81511

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Turkey's Waning Assyrian Community to Submit Report to EU

A report detailing the problems Turkey's long forgotten Syriac Christian communities face, prepared with the backing of the European Syriac Union (ESU) and the Dutch Foreign Ministry, will be presented to European Parliament in the coming days.

"Previously issued statements were based on estimated information, but now we have concrete conclusions," Tuma ?elik, the head of ESU's Turkey branch, told the H?rriyet Daily News.

The report prepared by the Southeastern Syriac Culture in Solidarity Association is based on research conducted in the southeastern provinces of Mardin, ??rnak and Batman, where there once was a heavily concentrated Syriac Christian population.

The occasion marks the first time such a study was conducted in Turkey's eastern and southeastern regions, ?elik said on behalf of the association.

Entitled "Syriacs in a Multi-Cultural Environment and the Right of Property," the report covers a number of issues, including the unresolved murders of Syriacs in connection with the 1980s and 1990s fighting between government forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the southeast.

The Syriac population in Mardin's Midyat district, a traditional Syriac homeland, fell from 1800 residents before the year 1985 down to a mere 130 residents in 2011, while the same figure in the district of Yemi?li dropped from 270 down to 18, according to the report.

Syriac populations in other districts mentioned in the document also experienced a similar decline, despite very slight increases over the past decade.

The report also covers other issues, such as the occupation of lands owned by Syriacs, the problems Syriacs who fled and those returning to Turkey have faced and other rights violations, HDN reported.

www.panarmenian.net

Source: http://www.aina.org/news/20111224041159.htm

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?Football Freakonomics?: Does Firing Your Head Coach Fix Anything?

Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley, who was fired earlier this month. (Photo: Barry Lenard)

The following is a cross-post from NFL.com, where we?ve recently launched a Football Freakonomics Project.

?Tis the season ? for the firing of head coaches, that is. In the space of two weeks, three teams ? the Jaguars, Chiefs, and Dolphins ? canned their top man.

Allow me to make two seemingly contradictory points:

• An NFL head coach is probably the most influential, hands-on coach in the four major sports; but:
• Firing the head coach of a bad team probably does a lot less to improve that team than most of us think.

Our latest ?Football Freakonomics? segment (video below) asks whether firing a head coach really does much to improve a team?s chances ? or if it?s simply the standard move for losing organizations, meant to appease critics in the media, the stands, and even the locker room.

First, let?s look at some numbers: between 2000 and 2010, there were 17 coaches fired during the season. Teams that went 47-105 (.309) before the firing went 43-77 (.358) with a new guy. That?s a pretty significant improvement, no? Indeed, the 4-9 Dolphins last week won their first game under interim coach Todd Bowles while the 5-8 Chiefs, under interim coach Romeo Crenell, beat previously undefeated Green Bay!

But: whoa. There are at least three reasons to think that coaching changes have significantly less impact than teams would like to think.?

1. Regression to the mean: teams that have done very badly for a long time are more likely to win a bit more in the future, whether they get a new coach or not. Sadly, the opposite is also true for winning teams.
2. As Sam Farmer of the L.A. Times points out in our video, most former NFL Coaches of the Year are eventually fired. Did they suddenly forget how to coach? Did their brilliant strategies evaporate? Or, more likely, was their former winning a consequence of a lot of factors that went well beyond coaching?
3. It is hard in general to satisfactorily measure leadership ? whether we?re talking about a football coach, a CEO, or the President of the United States ? but a variety of empirical research shows that an institution?s top man or woman is seldom as influential as we think. It?s a natural inclination to pin a lot of blame (or, occasionally, glory) on the figurehead. But just as the President don?t actually have much control over the economy, a football coach has limited control over his team?s outcome.

That?s not to say there aren?t a lot of vital duties performed by a coach; of course there are. And some coaches are plainly much better than others. But a losing team that blindly fires its head coach without looking for the real reasons behind its stinky record is a bit like someone with a high fever tossing the thermometer in the trash.

Source: http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/12/24/%E2%80%9Cfootball-freakonomics%E2%80%9D-does-firing-your-head-coach-fix-anything/

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Croatia energy group reduces further oil production in Syria

ZAGREB: Croatia?s energy group INA has further reduced production at its oil and gas fields in Syria following developments in that country and new European Union sanctions on it, the company said Wednesday. INA also asked for a temporary suspension of trading in its shares in Zagreb and London until Jan. 9, 2012. The Zagreb bourse responded and temporarily suspended trade until 1100 GMT Wednesday.

?Due to big uncertainties that events in Syria create for INA business, INA has additionally reduced its production of oil and gas by 1,300 barrels of oil per day. As INA has no control or influence over developments in Syria, we have asked for a temporary trading suspension,? INA said in a statement.

It also said developments in Syria could negatively affect its business and profitability.

The Zagreb bourse said Wednesday?s trading suspension gives enough time to investors to acquire all relevant information. Some 6 percent of INA shares are currently in free float, almost all of it in Zagreb.

Last month INA reduced its production in Syria by 1,500 barrels of oil per day.

INA has not disclosed its total output in Syria but said the overall output from all of its oilfields worldwide amounts to 76,223 barrels per day.

Syria is a small oil producer, and its net oil exports were just 109,000 bpd in 2010, some 99 percent of that to Europe, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

INA, whose biggest shareholder is Hungary?s MOL, said that tightened EU sanctions from Dec. 1 and growing instability in Syria influence its business in that country.

Croatia signed the EU accession treaty this month and is due to join the bloc on July 1, 2013.

INA has both upstream and downstream segments and is active in gas and oil exploration at home, in the Middle East and in Africa. MOL owns 47.46 percent, while the Croatian government has 44.84 percent in the company.

Trading in INA shares restarted in Zagreb Monday, after an eight-month suspension ordered by Croatian financial market regulator Hanfa, which said MOL and INA had manipulated with privileged information. It said last week that INA had removed internal deficiencies in dealing with privileged information.

Source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2011/Dec-22/157592-croatia-energy-group-reduces-further-oil-production-in-syria.ashx

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Scrapbook tells how Rudolph went down in history

Peter Carini holds a first edition of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer", part of a special collection at Dartmouth College, on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 in Hanover, N.H. The book is from the estate of Robert May, a Dartmouth graduate who wrote the famous story in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign, and includes a list of other names he considered.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Peter Carini holds a first edition of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer", part of a special collection at Dartmouth College, on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 in Hanover, N.H. The book is from the estate of Robert May, a Dartmouth graduate who wrote the famous story in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign, and includes a list of other names he considered.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Peter Carini stands next to a full size Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, part of a special collection at Dartmouth College, on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 in Hanover, N.H. The collection is from the estate of Robert May, a Dartmouth graduate who wrote the famous story in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign, and includes a list of other names he considered.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

A hand-written list of possible names for "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer", part of a special collection at Dartmouth College, is displayed on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 in Hanover, N.H. The list is from the estate of Robert May, a Dartmouth graduate who wrote the famous story in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

A first edition of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer", left, a photo of Robert May with his daughter, Barbara, right, and an original layout, top, are part of a special collection at Dartmouth College, dispalyed Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 in Hanover, N.H. The ittems are from the estate of Robert May, a Dartmouth graduate who wrote the famous story in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

A first edition of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer", bottom, and an original layout, top, part of a special collection at Dartmouth College, are displayed on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 in Hanover, N.H. The book is from the estate of Robert May, a Dartmouth graduate who wrote the famous story in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) ? You know Dasher and Dancer and the rest of the gang. But do you recall, the most "Perfect Christmas Crowd-Bringer" of all?

That's how executives at Montgomery Ward originally described Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, who first appeared in a 1939 book written by one of the company's advertising copywriter and given free to children as a way to drive traffic to the stores.

Curious to know more about how Rudolph really went down in history? It's all in the pages of a long-overlooked scrapbook compiled by the story's author, Robert L. May, and housed at his alma mater, Dartmouth College.

May donated his hand-written first draft and illustrated mock-up to Dartmouth before his death at age 71 in 1976, and his family later added to what has become a large collection of Rudolph-related documents and merchandise, including a life-sized papier-mache reindeer that now stands among the stacks at the Rauner Special Collections Library. But May's scrapbook about the book's launch and success went unnoticed until last year, when Dartmouth archivist Peter Carini came across it while looking for something else.

"No one on staff currently knew we had it. I pulled it out and all the pieces started falling out. It was just a mess," Carini said.

The scrapbook, which has since been restored and catalogued, includes May's list of possible names for his story's title character ? from Rodney and Rollo to Reginald and Romeo. There's a map showing how many books went to each state and letters of praise from adults and children alike.

The scrapbook also chronicles the massive marketing campaign Montgomery Ward launched to drum up newspaper coverage of the book giveaway and its efforts to promote it within the company.

Near the front of the scrapbook is a large, colored poster instructing Montgomery Ward stores about how to order and distribute the book. An illustration of Rudolph sweeps across the page, his name written in ornate script. There are exclamation points galore. "The rollinckingest, rip-roaringest, riot-provokingest, Christmas give-away your town has ever seen!" ''A laugh and a thrill for every boy and girl in your town (and for their parents, too!)"

Rudolph is described as "the perfect Christmas crowd-bringer," if stores follow a few rules, including giving the book only to children accompanied by adults. "This will limit 'street urchin' traffic to a minimum, and will bring in the PARENTS ... the people you want to sell!"

The response was overwhelming ? at a time when a print-run of 50,000 books was considered a best-seller, the company gave away more than 2 million copies that first year, and by the following year was selling an assortment of Rudolph-themed toys and other items.

But lest this become a story about corporate greed, it should be noted that in 1947, Montgomery Ward took the unusual step of turning over the copyright to the book to May, who was struggling financially after the death of his first wife.

"He then made several million dollars using that in various ways, through the movie, the song, merchandising and things like that," Carini said. "I think it's a great story, because it shows how corporations used to think of themselves as part of civil society, and how much that has changed."

May eventually left Montgomery Ward to essentially manage Rudolph's career, which really took off after May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, wrote the song (made famous by Gene Autry in 1949), and the release of a stop-motion animated television special in 1964.

Both the song and movie depart significantly from May's original plot, however. In May's story, Rudolph doesn't live at the North Pole or grow up aspiring to pull Santa's sleigh ? he lives in a reindeer village and Santa discovers him while filling Rudolph's stocking on a foggy Christmas eve.

"And you," Santa tells Rudolph, "May yet save the day! Your wonderful forehead may yet pave the way!'"

May's story is written in verse, similar to "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore, and opens, "'Twas the day before Christmas and all through the hills/ The reindeer were playing ... enjoying the spills."

"It's lovely to hear it read out loud, it really comes alive," Virginia Herz, one of May's daughters, said in a phone interview this week.

As a small child, Herz, who declined to reveal her age, didn't think there was anything unusual about growing up in a house surrounded by Rudolph merchandise. It wasn't until she was older that she realized her father's job of "taking care of Rudolph" was a bit different. She tells her grandchildren that their great-grandpa wrote a story about Rudolph, not that he created the character.

"As I child, that's how I felt. I knew my dad had written a wonderful book about Rudolph and now there were Rudolph toys and other things all around us," she said. "But it was no different than the guy next door who sold cars, or the guy down the street who was a painting contractor."

She acknowledges the myths that have become entwined in Rudolph's history ? including the notion that May wrote the story as a Christmas gift for his older daughter, Barbara, when his wife was dying of cancer and that a Montgomery Ward manager "caught wind of the little storybook." In reality, Montgomery Ward assigned May to write a Christmas book around the same time his wife was ill, Herz said.

"''What's out there on the Internet is a softer telling," she said. "My dad was aware of it and considered it appropriate. There's the softer, romantic version and the more fact-based version."

Herz said her father would be thrilled to see how his creation and its many incarnations have become part of American culture.

"I think he would be startlingly amazed," she said. "It really is an eternal part of Christmas. He would have been amazed."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-23-Rudolph's%20Scrapbook/id-7a0d41880c084c7a8b8874665b49dc77

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US Army: 8 charged in fellow soldier's death

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? The U.S. Army says that eight American soldiers have been charged in connection with the Oct. 3 death of a fellow soldier in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province.

In a statement Wednesday, it says Pvt. Danny Chen, a 19-year-old from New York, N.Y., was found in a guard tower at Combat Outpost Palace with what the Army described as "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Chen was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

The military said the eight soldiers from Chen's company face charges including dereliction of duty, assault, negligent homicide and involuntary manslaughter. It did not provide further details.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-21-AS-Afghanistan-Soldiers-Charged/id-5287fb27be6e44a982f5719b1153654a

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Gingrich says rivals' criticism taking a toll

Republican presidential candidate andformer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a town hall meeting at Memminger Auditorium, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

Republican presidential candidate andformer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a town hall meeting at Memminger Auditorium, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

Republican presidential candidates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, left, and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, arrive for a Republican presidential debate in Sioux City, Iowa, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn, answers questions during a campaign stop at the Dutch Bakery, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, in Orange City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, speaks during a Republican presidential debate in Sioux City, Iowa, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, Pool)

Republican presidential candidate former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman speaks during a Republican presidential debate in Sioux City, Iowa, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, Pool)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) ? Newt Gingrich acknowledged Saturday that his rivals' attacks have taken their toll on his presidential campaign as he's zoomed to be Mitt Romney's chief challenger. Romney predicted that conservative voters will reject Gingrich as they learn more about the former House speaker's lengthy Washington record.

Gingrich cited "the extraordinary negativity of the campaign" in explaining why he was inclined to hold teleconferences with supporters every few days so people can discuss ideas and his campaign can "encourage them to raise any of these things that you get in the mail that are junk and dishonest."

"I'll be glad to personally answer, so you're hearing it from my very own lips," he said Saturday from Washington in such a forum with Iowa backers. "We don't have our advertising versus their advertising, but you get to ask me directly."

Romney campaigned in early voting South Carolina, where tea party activists have given Gingrich a strong lead in polls. Romney told reporters that many voters now are just beginning to pay attention to the race and will turn on Gingrich after they learn about his time in Washington and his role with mortgage company Freddie Mac, a quasi-government agency.

Gingrich's consulting firm collected $1.6 million from the company.

"I think as tea partyers concentrate on that, for instance, they'll say, 'Wow, this really isn't the guy that would represent our views,'" Romney said after a town hall meeting with South Carolina Rep. Tim Scott. "Many tea party folks, I believe, are going to find me to be the ideal candidate."

Gingrich said the attacks on his record have been brutal, but he insisted they are exaggerated.

"I just want to set the record straight," Gingrich told Iowa supporters. "We were paid annually for six years, so the numbers you see are six years of work. Most of that money went to pay overhead ? for staff, for other things. It didn't go directly to me. It went to the company that provided consulting advice."

Romney also went after Gingrich's repeated insistence that he never lobbied Congress after he stepped down as speaker.

"I'm going to let the lawyers decide what is and what is not lobbying, but when it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, typically it's a duck," Romney said.

Other candidates focused their campaigns on Iowa, which holds its leadoff caucuses Jan. 3.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry were on bus tours through rural Iowa. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum stuck to a plan that has won him the honor of spending the most time in the state, yet has not yet translated into support in polls.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who has a loyal following among his party's libertarian wing, worked to build momentum and organization in Iowa, although he did not have public events scheduled until midweek.

With Iowans incredibly undecided, most candidates are redoubling efforts before voters largely tune out the race for the week between Christmas and New Year.

Gingrich, who faces the toughest criticism on the airwaves, had a conference call with reporters and planned to appear on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

As the Iowa vote neared, his decision to take the weekend off from campaigning raised eyebrows given his rivals' busy schedules.

Gingrich has prided himself on a nontraditional campaign, but his advantages in the polls could shift if the only exposure to Gingrich comes through rivals' negative ads.

Paul last week released an ad accusing Gingrich of "serial hypocrisy" and Bachmann opened her bus tour on Friday suggesting that he was arrogant during this past week's final debate before the caucuses.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who has kept Iowa at arm's length after investing heavily here four years ago only to come up short, planned town hall-style meetings in Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Even so, his advisers note they have kept in touch with supporters of his 2008 campaign that came in second place in Iowa.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who early on decided against competing in Iowa, planned a town hall-style meeting in New Hampshire. Huntsman, who also served as President Barack Obama's ambassador to China, has kept his focus on New Hampshire, where independent voters are the largest bloc and can vote in either party's primary.

___

Elliott reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-17-GOP%20Campaign/id-f4a05194469049d3806840f3c76ed3d4

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The Guardian trims its print edition (Reuters)

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) ? The Guardian continues to downsize its print edition, announcing on Friday it will consolidate a few sections and reduce the paper's overall number of pages to cut costs.

The legendary U.K. paper already had begun a "cycle of integration" earlier this year that included folding the Media, Education and Society sections into the main section of the paper.

This latest round of changes includes folding the Sport section into the front section from Tuesday to Friday, an end to the Comment section on weekdays and a reduction in the number of obituary pages.

The changes will take effect in January.

"As part of our digital first strategy, we have been looking in detail at how we produce our newspapers and website, and over the next few days we will be telling staff about our plans for a new, simplified production process," a spokesperson for the paper said. "The changes to the paper take account of changing patterns of readership and advertising and are based on research with our readers."

"A new, simplified production process" sounds eerily like staff cuts may be coming as well, but perhaps not.

"The changes are intended to be incremental, and follow several months of work on mock-ups and reader research," Dan Sabbagh, the paper's head of media and technology, wrote in the paper. "A more radical plan to cut back on daily news content in favor of a product that largely featured long-form and investigative pieces was examined but ultimately dropped."

In some ways, this has been a banner year for the left-leaning British daily, which broke and continues to dominate the news of the News Corp. phone-hacking scandal. It also opened up new offices New York City to expand upon its already substantial U.S. audience.

However, the newspaper and its parent company, Guardian News & Media, continue to lose money as advertising revenue declines. The company announced an operating loss of about $85 million dollars for the year ending July 31.

The Guardian has an online audience in the tens of millions worldwide, but it does not charge for any of it via a paywall or subscription plan. Nonetheless, it has promoted a "digital first" strategy whereby it seeks to boost digital revenues to compensate for losses on the print side.

Previously the newspaper has also raised the weekday price of the paper and offered buyouts.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111216/media_nm/us_guardian

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Tottenham knocked out of Europa League

By GRAHAM DUNBAR

updated 5:30 p.m. ET Dec. 15, 2011

Tottenham was eliminated from the Europa League despite a 4-0 victory at Ireland's Shamrock Rovers on Thursday night as Rubin Kazan advanced to the knockout stage with a tie. Birmingham also was knocked out, one day after Fulham exited.

Udinese advanced to Friday's draw for the 32-team second round. Needing to avoid defeat at home against Glasgow Celtic, Udinese tied 1-1 after Antonio Di Natale equalized in first-half stoppage time. The Scottish club had led on Gary Hooper's 29th-minute goal.

Tottenham was in position to advance when leading 3-0 in Dublin while the Russians trailed 1-0 at Group A leader PAOK.

Rubin goalkeeper Sergei Ryzhikov was ejected for conceding a 16th-minute penalty kick scored by Vieirinha. But Rubin's Nelson Valdez tied the score in the 48th for a 1-1 draw.

That result made it academic when Harry Kane scored Tottenham's last goal. Steven Pienaar, Andros Townsend and Jermain Defoe had built a 3-0 halftime lead.

Tottenham reached the Champions League quarterfinals last season, but often failed to use regular starters in Europe's second-tier competition.

"We haven't not gone through for lack of trying," manager Harry Redknapp said. "It was disappointing. I want to win every game."

Redknapp also drew attention for apparently directing a gesture toward Shamrock fans who had targeted him with taunting chants for much of the match.

Hannover progressed to the final 32 by beating Vorskla 3-1 in Group B.

Brugges drew 1-1 with Braga as both progressed from Group H and edged out Birmingham, which beat Maribor 1-0. AZ Alkmaar advanced with a 1-1 draw at home against Group G winner Metalist Kharkiv. The Dutch club finished ahead of Austria Vienna, which beat last-place Malmo 2-0.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Broken leg for Villa

David Villa broke his left leg, marring Barcelona's 4-0 victory over Qatar's Al-Sadd on Thursday night that advanced the European champions to the Club World Cup final against Brazil's Santos.

Mike Stobe / Getty Images

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45689387/ns/sports-soccer/

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EPA Inspector General Concludes EPA Allowed Unsafe Handling of Asbestos (ContributorNetwork)

According to the Huffington Post, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General Arthur A. Elkins Jr. concluded that the EPA allowed the use of unsafe handling of asbestos while demolishing buildings. During testing in Texas and Arkansas in 2006 and 2007, EPA employees and contract workers were exposed to the toxic material.

The EPA had been conducting a study on an alternative demolition method for asbestos-containing buildings that was aimed to be quicker and cheaper. This now-deemed unsafe method circumvented the EPA's 1973 law that requires the removal of the toxic compound before demolition takes place. Here are some facts about asbestos and recent findings of contamination:

* The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported that asbestos are naturally occurring minerals and fibers cannot be seen with the naked eye, making them easily inhaled without knowing.

* The fibers can cause scar-like tissue to building up in the lungs, leading to the loss of lung function, other disabilities, and even death.

* Asbestos-related illnesses and diseases are most common among people who have worked with high levels of asbestos over an extended period of time without any type of breathing protection, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

* Before the health impacts were known, asbestos was used more than 3,000 different products ranging from ceiling tiles to brake pads to protective clothing due to it's affordability and flame-retardant properties.

* In 1989, the EPA issued a ban on most products containing the hazardous compound, but the rule was overturned in 1991 by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

* Although some asbestos items are banned, such as flooring felt and paper, the EPA does not have a full ban on all asbestos-containing products and products like millboard and roof coatings can include the material.

* The EPA found the material in a park in North Little Rock, Ark., but are now searching other nearby places, including a school, to determine is the contamination is more wide spread, noted Fox News.

* So far the agency has taken about 600 different samples and confirmed that an old processing plant, two homes, and the park have elevated levels.

* An article from the Associated Press noted that Libby, Mont., is the nation's deadliest Superfund site in which at least 400 residents have died from asbestos-related illnesses from the nearby vermiculite mine.

* Another 1,500 locals and other individuals have confirmed cases of lung damage from exposure and in June of 2009, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson declared a health emergency.

Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111216/us_ac/10689105_epa_inspector_general_concludes_epa_allowed_unsafe_handling_of_asbestos

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