Fire kills 16 in Myanmar's main city of Yangon (AP)

YANGON, Myanmar ? A fire followed by several explosions engulfed many state warehouses and neighboring homes, killing at least 16 people and injuring 108 in Myanmar's main city of Yangon on Thursday.

The blasts occurred as firefighters were putting out the fire that had started in a state-owned warehouse before spreading to other warehouses and nearby homes and buildings before dawn.

The Yangon General Hospital's emergency ward was in commotion as dozens of injured people and dead bodies were brought in by ambulances and pickup trucks.

A total of 108 injured people were brought in and more were continuing to arrive, said a senior nurse. She confirmed that 16 people had died.

She said the dead include at least three firefighters who were caught in an explosion during the conflagration in Mingalar Tahung Nyunt township in eastern Yangon.

The nurse did not want to be identified because she is not authorized to speak to the media.

"Many of the dead were hit by flying debris of broken walls and stone slabs that were flung on to the streets due to the explosion," Maung Win, a 45-year-old resident, told the Associated Press.

The explosions knocked down buildings including a Buddhist monastery near the warehouse. Windows from the nearby buildings were shattered due to powerful explosions, witnesses said.

The explosions rocked the entire city, jolting residents from sleep. A 20-foot (6-meter) -wide and 15-foot (4.5-meter) -deep crater was visible at the site. Black smoke was seen billowing from the rubble Thursday morning.

Firefighters were searching for bodies from among the debris.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire and the explosion.

Residents said the fire started in a warehouse that stored electronic goods and spread to another warehouse that stored some kind of chemicals. Officials did not immediately given any details.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111229/ap_on_re_as/as_myanmar_fire

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A Power Line Holiday Road Trip (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Why Warmer Water Leads to Male Offspring -- If You're a Fish (Time.com)

To a list that includes extreme weather patterns and disappearing polar bears, you can add another dispiriting effect of climate change: too many males. Three years ago, Francesc Piferrer and other scientists working at Barcelona's Institute of Marine Sciences proved that rising water temperatures caused some species of fish to produce a disproportionate ratio of males to females. Now, Piferrer and his team have gone on to discover something of a mechanism behind that imbalance.

Most fish species don't have the x and y chromosomes that differentiate the sexes in humans. In fact, at least 40 species of fish -- as well as many reptiles -- are more dependent on temperature than genes when it comes to separating the boys from the girls. In these TSD ( temperature-dependent sex determination) species, the sex of offspring is fixed by temperatures experienced during embryonic development. In the 2008 study, Piferrer's team showed that in a species like the Atlantic silverside, a water temperature increase of 4 degrees Celsius could result in a population that was 98% male. (See "The End of the Line.")

But until now, no one has been able to explain how exactly that process works. "One of the questions that came out of that earlier study," says Piferrer, "was how can temperature affect the developmental fate of the gonads when they're not even formed yet?"

In their new study, published December 29 in the scientific journal Public Library of Science, Piferrer and his co-authors argue they've found at least a partial answer: epigenetics. The word refers to inheritable changes in gene activity that are caused by things other than alterations to the DNA sequence. "Think of it like a book," explains Piferrer. "The words that are printed in the book are the DNA. The ones you write in pencil in the margins are epigenetic."

In the case of the European sea bass that the team studied, an epigenetic process called DNA methylation suppresses the enzyme that converts male hormones into female ones -- a conversion necessary for the formation of ovaries in non-mammal vertebrates. And DNA methylation, it turns out, is susceptible to temperature. Raise water temperature, and methylation increases, which means that more of that critical enzyme (called aromatase) is suppressed. And that means fewer females. (See "Oily: How a San Francisco Oil Spill Took Its Toll on Fish.")

The scientists saw the greatest impact during the first 20 days of a fish's life, an embryonic stage that comes before gonads develop. Exposed to a three or four degree increase in water temperature during that time, the normal 50/50 ratio between the sexes skewed 80% male. "What this shows," says Piferrer, "is that conditions at the very beginning of life continue to have important effects through the animal's life."

It also helps explain the heavily male populations of many fish farms. Sea bass in the wild generally spawn in water that is 13-17 degrees. But most hatcheries keep sea bass larvae in 21-degree water.

More sobering are the potential effects in the wild. The International Panel on Climate Control's predicts that sea water temperatures will rise at least 1.5 degrees in this century, a rise that, by Piferrer's calculations, is enough to alter sex ratios in some populations. Some populations of Canary rockfish are already showing more males than females. Although the wide number of variables has so far prevented scientists in those cases from pinpointing a single cause for the imbalance, Scott Heppell, a fish biologist at Oregon State University notes, "The data shows a skew toward males, and the modeling shows that if this skew is real, then the population is in more trouble." ( See "Brain Food: Eating Fish May Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer's.")

Migration and other forms of adaptation may protect TSD species from extinction. And Heppell notes that, by itself, a sex ratio imbalance is less worrying than other climate change-induced threats to the seas. The cumulative effects, however, are another story.

"Say that some species are spawning at slightly the wrong time so their offspring can't find food. And their metabolisms are running ever so slightly higher because of increased temperatures. And then you add in this DNA methylation so you get a skewed sex ratio," says Heppell. "It adds up. It's death by a thousand cuts."

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20111230/wl_time/08599210333300

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1stwebdesigner: interesting - iOS & Android Shatter Records on Christmas Day http://t.co/EQgbbsU9

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2006 (56) BMW 320D SE Automatic Saloon, Full BMW Service History, Road Tax and MOT Low Mileage : London : £7,575

Rauf on 07795176273

• Make

  BMW

• Model

  320d Se Auto

• Body type

  4 Door Saloon

• Fuel type

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• Year

  2006

• Transmission

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• Colour

  Grey

• Engine size

  1,995 cc

• Mileage

  86,000 miles

• Seller type

  Private

4 Doors, Automatic, Saloon, Diesel, 86000 miles, Registered on 24/11/2006 Full Bmw Service History, 7 Stamps, All previous MOT Metallic Grey. ABS, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Central locking, Cruise control, Front armrest, Immobiliser, Passenger airbag, Side airbags, Radio/CD, Rear headrests, Traction control, Drivers airbag, Remote central locking, Body coloured bumpers, Front electric windows, Front head restraints, Height adjustable drivers seat, PAS, Solid Paint, Steering wheel rake adjustment, Steering wheel reach adjustment, Trip computer, Isofix child seat anchor points, Rear electric windows, Cloth seat trim, Electric door mirrors, Heated door mirrors, Audio remote control, Service indicator, Front fog lights, Reverse parking aid.Parrot Phone 6 Months Road Tax 10 Months MOT,
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WeddingPaprDiva: Have you and your fianc? disagreed on anything throughout the wedding planning process?

Have you and your fianc? disagreed on anything throughout the wedding planning process? Il y a environ 5 heures via web

Source: http://twitter.com/WeddingPaprDiva/statuses/152084616109490176

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Lakers rout Jazz, easily avoid 0-3 season start

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) sticks out his tongue after making a three-point shot against the Utah Jazz during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. Lakers won the game 96-71. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) sticks out his tongue after making a three-point shot against the Utah Jazz during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. Lakers won the game 96-71. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Blake, center, shoots between Utah Jazz forwards Paul Millsap, left, and Enes Kanter (0), of Turkey, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. Lakers won the game 96-71. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace (15) is fouled by Utah Jazz forward C.J. Miles (34) on a shot attempt during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. Lakers won the game 96-715. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson, right, pulls down a rebound against Los Angeles Lakers forwards Josh McRoberts, (6) Metta World Peace, second from left, and guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace (15) drives to the baskt against Utah Jazz forward Josh Howard (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? After finishing three games in roughly 56 hours with their best effort yet, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers demonstrated why their demise might not be as imminent as many thought.

Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 22 points and nine rebounds, and the Lakers avoided just the fourth 0-3 start in franchise history with a 96-71 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

Metta World Peace scored 14 points for the Lakers, who had much more life than the Jazz despite playing their third game in three nights to open the season. Los Angeles ran away with a dominant third quarter, making a 27-8 surge out of halftime in the club's first win for coach Mike Brown.

After a tumultuous preseason under a new coaching staff, several injuries and the NBA's only three-games-in-three-nights start, the Lakers realize they're still lacking a consistent identity and a thorough knowledge of Brown's game plan. At least a blowout win over the Jazz allowed them to enjoy their first day off since training camp began.

"We're a very active team," Bryant said. "This is a blue-collar team. We're a scrappy bunch. You saw that. We're going to fight and scratch and claw for everything, as it should be. That'll get us by."

With a Christmas loss to the Chicago Bulls and another defeat in Sacramento one night later, the Lakers got off to their first 0-2 start since the 2002-03 season. But Los Angeles has started 0-3 just three times in franchise history ? just once in the last 50 years (1978-79).

Utah missed 17 of its first 19 shots in the second quarter while the Lakers made a 13-0 run capped by a one-handed dunk by World Peace, the normally ground-bound leader of Los Angeles' second unit. Los Angeles blew out the Jazz after halftime, jumping to a 68-39 lead with a 12-2 run.

"To hold a team to 32 percent and 71 points in an NBA game, I don't care who you're playing, you're doing something right on that end of the floor," Brown said. "The focus, the energy, the effort, that communication and trust that we brought defensively, was exciting to see."

The Lakers comprehensively shut down the Jazz, the last NBA team to open its regular season. Paul Millsap had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Utah, but coach Tyrone Corbin scowled throughout the lowest-scoring performance in an opener in franchise history.

"They're a veteran team, they have a lot of pride, and they have some great players in that locker room," Corbin said. "I told our guys before the game, 'If you expect them to come out and lay down because they're playing there games in three nights, you're mistaken.' They wanted to get the monkey off their back as soon as they could, and they played like it."

In the Jazz's first season opener without coach Jerry Sloan running their bench since 1988, Utah made just 20 shots in the first three quarters and shot 20 fewer free throws than the Lakers. Al Jefferson went 2 for 16, C.J. Miles was 1 for 8, and rookie Enes Kanter was 1 for 7 in his NBA debut.

At least Utah's 25-point loss was one point better than the biggest blowout loss in Utah opener history.

"It didn't seem like much was working for us," said Utah forward Gordon Hayward, who had seven points. "It felt like we were a little stagnant, just standing around and watching a little bit. They kind of blew it open in the third quarter, and we can't allow that to happen. But it's just one game. We just need to be more confident shooters."

The Lakers got their only back-to-back-to-back series of games out of the way immediately, although they still won't even get consecutive days off until mid-January. When the New York Knicks visit Staples Center on Thursday night, Los Angeles still will be without starting center Andrew Bynum, who will finish his four-game suspension for misbehavior in last spring's playoffs.

The Lakers already are hurting this season, with Bryant nursing a torn ligament in his right wrist and Gasol wearing extra support for his sprained right shoulder. Veteran Matt Barnes, who's dealing with bursitis in his left hip, didn't play for the second time in three games despite a loud fan chant for him in the fourth quarter.

Millsap came off the Utah bench, playing through tendinitis in his right quadriceps that nearly kept him out of uniform. Jazz newcomer Josh Howard had 10 points in 24 minutes.

NOTES: Corbin waited until right before game time to rule in Millsap, the Jazz's sturdy power forward. Millsap was a reserve for most of his first four NBA seasons, but started all 76 games in which he appeared last season. ... Lakers F Troy Murphy fouled out in 32 scoreless minutes, but he also had 11 rebounds and four assists. ... Utah plays five games in the next seven days, including a one-day trip to San Antonio. The Lakers have four games in the next seven days.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-28-BKN-Jazz-Lakers/id-a7291a9d80af47189d2205eae954ef4e

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Ali Lohan Turns 18, Celebrates With Lindsay

Lindsay Lohan's model sister, Ali, would like to be called by her full name, Aliana Lohan, now that she's turned 18. It sounds more mature. That's her reasoning.

Whatever name you call her by, she's now a legal adult, and the family feted Aliana with a birthday celebration at Beaumarchais restaurant in NYC December 21.

Lindsay, along with a group of her friends, mom, Dina, and younger brothers Cody and Michael Jr. - also celebrating his 24th birthday BTW - honored Ali/Aliana.

"It's clear Lindsay and Michael Jr. are very close. They were talking a lot. Michael had his arm around her. She seemed to be confiding in him," an eyewitness said.

She also went outside to smoke cigarettes with her mom at one point.

Later on that night, Playboy cover girl Lindsay "ordered a bunch of glasses of champagne for the table and switched to drinking that," says a source.

Yay. Later, Ali Lohan and her new face snapped photos on Lindsay's camera before her older sister got up to ask the restaurant staff to prepare a cake.

Although Aliana has been called an anorexic waif, she doesn't seem to be watching what she eats. Adds the eyewitness, she wolfed down the whole meal!

We hope it stayed down. Not to be cynical, but just saying.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/ali-lohan-turns-18-celebrates-with-lindsay/

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N.C. looks again at auto insurance | CharlotteObserver.com & The ...

RALEIGH Is it more important to keep overall car insurance premiums low, or to make sure everyone is paying what they deserve?

North Carolina legislators once again examining the unique rate-setting system for the state's roughly 7 million insured personal vehicles will be hard-pressed in 2012 to agree whether changes are needed to address the balance between insurance risks and costs. Insurers are divided on the issue.

Proposals floated in 2011 at the General Assembly to alter the system could have lowered rates for bad drivers considered too risky for conventional insurance. But supporters of the current system say the bills would have raised rates on many others who have neither caused accidents nor been convicted of speeding recently, yet still sit in the state's large high-risk pool.

The proposals are about better matching premium rates with the level of risk each driver presents, according to a group of insurers led by national industry leader State Farm, along with Geico, Progressive and trade associations seeking a system overhaul. They say they're hamstrung in what they can charge customers because all auto insurers file one combined annual plan to raise or lower rates together through what's called the N.C. Rate Bureau. The state insurance commissioner can approve or change those rates.

The coalition supported legislation filed this year that would have eliminated the Rate Bureau for auto insurance and given insurance companies more authority to raise or decrease rates by up to 15 percent overall annually without the commissioner's consent.

"It's an antiquated system that was used way long ago and no longer has a purpose in today's marketplace," said Liz Reynolds with the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, a member of the Fair Automobile Rates for North Carolina coalition.

Nationwide Insurance, which has the No. 1 automobile market share in the state, along with N.C. Farm Bureau Insurance at No. 3, and others, aren't in the coalition. Nationwide says the rate-filing mechanism promotes stability and hasn't discouraged insurers from writing policies in North Carolina.

Depending on who's calculating, North Carolina's average premium rates rank seventh or eighth lowest in the country.

Insurance commissioner Wayne Goodwin, who opposed the 2011 bills, said the changes would have harmed the public.

The Republican-led Legislature agreed to study the auto insurance system over the next few months, only three years after a similar panel created under Democratic rule covered the same ground.

Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/12/26/2876609/nc-looks-again-at-auto-insurance.html

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Utility customers purchase over 1 million energy efficient CFL bulbs

SCE&G?s ENERGY STAR? Lighting Program continues to provide energy efficient savings as more than 1 million compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have been purchased in 2011. The program is currently offering consumers instant discounts of up to $3 per bulb at participating retailers throughout SCE&G?s service territory.

?

?It?s great to see more residential customers switch to CFL bulbs,? said Nakeeah Garland, ENERGY STAR? lighting incentives program manager at SCE&G. ?This simple switch is an easy ? and effective ? way for customers to save money and energy year round.?

?

CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and can last up to 10 times longer. On average, a single CFL bulb can save more than $40 in electricity costs over its lifetime.

?

?Using CFLs instead of standard incandescent bulbs can add up to real savings for customers,? said Garland. ?Given that the average household has approximately 40 light fixtures, CFLs can save customers as much as $1,600 over the lifetime of the bulbs.?

?

Available for lighting options throughout the home, including recessed can lights, bathroom vanities and three way lamps, CFLs come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Many retailers and other entities provide recycling stations for CFLs, making the option to switch and save easier than ever before.

?

The ENERGY STAR? Lighting Program is just one of SCE&G?s EnergyWise programs that provide rebates and incentives, as well as tips and ideas on ways in which customers can be energy wise year round. To learn more, including how to properly recycle CFLs, visit www.sceg.com/energywise. ???

Source: http://fortjackson.wistv.com/news/business/50863-utility-customers-purchase-over-1-million-energy-efficient-cfl-bulbs

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Cruise takes quiet Christmas with $26.5M 'Mission' (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Tom Cruise's latest mission has won a holiday weekend that's shaping up with some silent nights at movie theaters as business continues to lag.

Studio estimates Sunday placed Cruise's "Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol" a solid No. 1 with $26.5 million domestically over its first weekend in full release. The movie raised its total to $59 million since it started a week earlier in huge-screen cinemas and expanded nationwide last Wednesday, and distributor Paramount estimated that revenues will reach $72.7 million by Monday.

Cruise's fourth "Mission" flick was a bright spot over a Christmas weekend filled with so-so tidings for Hollywood, whose usually busy holiday stretch since Thanksgiving has been a bust.

Generally well-reviewed movies from Steven Spielberg ("The Adventures of Tintin"), David Fincher ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") and Cameron Crowe ("We Bought a Zoo") ? with casts that include Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Daniel Craig ? opened with modest to weak results.

Despite predictions from studio executives that 2011 could be a record-setter that would finish with a bang, domestic revenues remained stuck at a sluggish pace that has lingered all year.

Hollywood should finish the year with $10.1 billion domestically, down 4.5 percent from 2010, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

The picture gets worse taking into account higher ticket prices, which mean Hollywood brings in fewer fans for each dollar spent. Actual domestic attendance for 2011 will close out at about 1.27 billion, down 5.3 percent from the previous year's and the lowest head count since 1995, when admissions totaled 1.26 billion.

"Thank God 2011 is almost over, because we've had a real rough run here at the end of the year," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "We always count on the holiday season to give us a big boost at the end of the year, and it just didn't happen.

"These admission numbers this year just tell me that we maybe have to set our sights a little lower in terms of attendance every year."

Since peaking at a modern high of 1.6 billion in 2002, domestic movie admissions have been on a general decline since.

Studio executives always insist that slow times result from weak films, but on paper, the strong lineup Hollywood presented this year should have had fans lining up in huge numbers. Pretty good films are out there this holiday season, yet blockbuster expectations fizzled, a sign that people might be skipping a trip to the theater in favor of home-viewing, video games or the countless other entertainment options their gadgets now offer.

Rising ticket prices, particularly the extra few dollars it costs to see 3-D films, also could be causing a backlash among fans.

With "Ghost Protocol" climbing toward the $100 million mark, it's a return to box-office form for Cruise, who had been Hollywood's most-dependable earner for two decades until he turned off fans with odd antics in his personal life six years ago.

"Ghost Protocol" will be Cruise's first top-billed $100 million hit since 2006's "Mission: Impossible III." He had a supporting role in 2008's $100 million comedy hit "Tropic Thunder," which was headlined by Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black.

Even with a No. 1 debut, "Ghost Protocol" still was a shadow of its predecessors. The first three "Mission: Impossible" movies ranged from $45 million to $58 million over opening weekend, but those installments opened at the start of the busy summer season.

As of Friday, "Ghost Protocol" also had brought in a healthy $118 million overseas.

Downey's "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" fell from No., 1 to No. 2 in its second weekend with $17.8 million. The family sequel "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" dropped from second to third with $13.3 million.

Both sequels trail well behind the business their predecessors did. "A Game of Shadows," from Warner Bros., lifted its domestic haul to $76.6 million, while 20th Century Fox's "Chipwrecked" pushed its receipts to $50.3 million.

The weekend's newcomers failed to light up the box office, too. Fincher and Craig's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" from Sony was No. 4 with $13 million, Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" from Paramount was No. 5 with $9.1 million and Crowe, Damon and Johansson's "We Bought a Zoo" from 20th Century Fox was No. 6 with $7.8 million.

"Dragon Tattoo" raised its total to $21.4 million since opening Tuesday night, while "Tintin" lifted its take to $17.1 million since debuting Wednesday.

European literary exports "Dragon Tattoo," adapted from Stieg Larsson's Swedish best-seller, and "Tintin," based on Belgian artist Herge's storybook classics, are finding a lukewarm reception among U.S. crowds.

"Dragon Tattoo" has been a sensation among U.S. readers yet failed to challenge "Mission: Impossible" and the other established franchises at the top of the box office.

Beloved by generations of readers overseas, "Tintin" launched internationally two months ahead of its U.S. release. But the blockbuster global attention, with nearly $250 million already in the bank from foreign markets, did not translate to crowds in the United States.

The calendar made it a tough weekend for Hollywood, with Christmas Eve ? always a slow night for movie-going ? falling on Saturday, usually the best day of the week at theaters.

Christmas Day typically is a strong one for movies, as fans squeeze in a film between unwrapping presents and sitting down to family dinners.

Two big holiday releases ? Spielberg's World War I epic "War Horse" and Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock's Sept. 11 drama "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" ? opened Christmas Day, but estimates on their revenues will not be available until Monday.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol," $26.5 million.

2. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," $17.8 million.

3. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," $13.3 million ($20.1 million international).

4. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," $13 million.

5. "The Adventures of Tintin," $9.1 million.

6. "We Bought a Zoo," $7.8 million ($1.1 million international).

7. "New Year's Eve," $3 million.

8. "Arthur Christmas," $2.7 million ($9.7 million international).

9. "Hugo," $2.03 million.

10. "The Muppets," $2 million ($500,000 international).

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_cruise_takes_quiet_christmas26_5m_mission_182242793/44003446/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/cruise-takes-quiet-christmas-26-5m-mission-182242793.html

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Fundamentals For Solar Energy Look Great, But Companies With The Right Strategy Are Lacking

Alternative energy has been a growing focus of mine over the past few months, and so I've been looking for the right uranium, solar, and wind energy stocks to add to my portfolio as buy and hold value plays. Here is a short summary of my analysis of the current situation in the solar energy market:

1. Solar ETFs have been some of the worst performing ETFs in 2011 -- which of course piques my buying interest quite a bit. While I consider it quite likely these stocks could continue to go further down, I don't think the underlying fundamentals have changed; concerns over peak oil and the need to transition away from fossil fuels are only growing, and players like China and Google are still viable candidates for being the "smart money" that can bring the demand to push prices higher -- demand upon which small-time players like individual investors can piggyback on. China's domestic demand for solar energy continues to grow, as does Google's interest solar as evidenced by its recent KKR deal.

2. But while solar as a sector is set to grow for years and will help the world transition away from fossil fuels, not all parts of the solar value network are the same. Indeed, I believe the value network is still evolving rapidly as new technologies -- particularly those related to storage -- continue to come on to the scene. However, one trend that I think is particularly important, and will drive much of how the value network changes and profit opportunities are created, is the rapidly declining price of solar panels. As solar panels continue to fall in price, I suspect profit opportunities will transition to firms that specialize in installation and the development of custom solar solutions. In other words, companies that are more service-oriented and customer-relations centric rather than pure product makers.

And here is where I come to a stand still, and why I have yet to make an investment in the solar sector. There simply isn't a company I've found that has the strategy I'm looking to back as well as a stable balance sheet and competent leadership. The solar ETFs, KWT and TAN, could be viable ways of playing the entire sector, though I don't think they have the right kind of companies -- companies pursuing the strategy I've outlined in this post -- in their portfolio. And so, I'm still on the sidelines when it comes to solar, and will continue to focus on uranium stocks and nuclear energy which I think has more companies with viable strategies and a more mature value network safer for investing as well.

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/315906-fundamentals-for-solar-energy-look-great-but-companies-with-the-right-strategy-are-lacking?source=feed

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Obama uses public pressure to push GOP on tax cuts (AP)

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama on Thursday chided House Republicans he said are holding up an extension of expiring payroll tax cuts, saying the debate is "about the American people."

To make his point, Obama was flanked at the White House by people who said they would be stretched thin financially if Congress failed to extend the cuts before the end of the year. If no deal is reached, the White House says a person making $50,000 a year would see a loss of about $40 per paycheck.

"Now there may be some folks in the House who refuse to vote for this compromise because they don't think 40 bucks is a lot of money," Obama said. "But anyone who knows how to stretch a budget knows that at the end of the week or the end of the month, $40 can make all the difference in the world."

In seeking to ratchet up pressure on Republicans for a deal, Obama reiterated his call for a two-month extension of the payroll tax cuts, a measure already agreed to by an overwhelming majority of Senators from both parties. He said the House GOP's refusal to sign on to the bipartisan deal was exactly why the American people have grown so frustrated with Washington.

"This is an issue where an overwhelming number of people in both parties agree," Obama said. "How can we not get that done? Has this place become so dysfunctional that even when people agree to things we can't do it? It doesn't make any sense. Enough is enough."

House Republicans say they oppose the two-month deal because it doesn't provide the public and businesses enough certainty. They've called on Obama and Senate Democrats to instead negotiate a full-year extension now.

Earlier Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner called Obama, their second conversation in as many days. The White House said Obama committed to immediately starting talks on a full-year deal if the House first passes the two-month extension. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has also urged the House to pass a short-term extension while starting work on the full-year deal.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111222/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_payroll_tax

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AMD Radeon HD 7970

The perpetual war for supremacy between AMD and Nvidia constantly leaves enthusiasts dodging shrapnel: When you want the best video card you can afford, why buy one now instead of waiting for the better one the competing chipset designer will undoubtedly release in a few months? This leaves reviewers in a tough spot, too, as we're constantly proclaiming that nearly every new card is the fastest ever. But because you can only live in the world you live in, we're obliged to go there. So, here goes once again: The just-released AMD Radeon HD 7970 ($549 list) is the latest fastest and most feature-rich single-GPU card ever, surpassing our previous Editors' Choice winner, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 580.

Though we have little doubt that Nvidia will yank back that title with its next generation of cards, the 7970 is an impressive achievement for the moment.? (It's?rumored to become widely available by early January of?2012.)? The inaugural member of the Southern Islands family, it utilizes a fresh architecture AMD refers to as "Graphics Core Next." Based on a new 28nm process technology and utilizing more than 4.3 billion transistors, Graphics Core Next uses a revised instruction set architecture, gives each compute unit the ability to simultaneously execute instructions from multiple kernels, and delivers an increased number of instructions per clock cycle per square millimeter of GPU space. The result, so AMD claims, is "designed for high utilization, high throughput, and multitasking."

We'll examine how well the 7970 achieves those goals in due time, but first we should look more deeply at what the card offers on a component level. The maxed-out new Southern Islands GPU (the 7900 series, code-named "Tahiti") can contain up to 32 compute units (CUs) supported by two geometry engines and rasterizers (one of each for every collection of 16 CUs), one L2 cache up to 768KB, four render back-ends (offering 32 color ROPs per clock and 128 Z/stencil ROPs per clock), and a 384-bit GDDR5 memory interface with bandwidth up to 264GBps. Cards in the 7900 series can also make full use of the newest and speediest PCI Express (PCIe) 3.0 x16 bus interface.

AMD didn't stop with just internal developments. The company promises that the Southern Islands cards will offer improved cooling and acoustics, by way of a new sixth-generation vapor chamber and a wider fan with new blades that are capable of wicking away more heat than before. Power issues have received plenty of attention as well, with PowerTune technology for intelligent monitoring of energy usage on an application-by-application basis when the proper electrical and thermal headroom are available.

Also new is ZeroCore Power Technology, which shuts down the GPU and turns off the fan during long idle states, for a reduction in idle power usage of up to 95 percent. According to AMD, this delivers additional benefits in CrossFireX configurations: Secondary GPUs are always in the ZeroCore Power state when they're not in use, with the primary GPU joining them during long idle periods, thus saving even more power in systems that traditionally suck it up with party-animal abandon.

Like all of the company's video cards, those in the 7900 series support?DirectX 11 (and it's posed for?DX11.1 when Windows 8?comes around)?the full range of AMD's proprietary technologies. Eyefinity is back, but with a twist: Though it still makes for an easy way to run multiple monitors, the 7970 is the first card capable of driving three stereoscopic 3D displays by itself using new monitors that support DisplayPort 3D; the 7900 series isn't even limited to a single audio stream, but can out multiple independent streams at once. Other new Eyefinity features introduced with the Catalyst 11.10 driver update include new monitor configurations (5-by-1 landscape and portrait), full support for setups using multiple 1,920-by-1,200 and 2,560-by-1,600 monitors, and flexible bezel compensation.

If the 7970 sounds beefy from a spec standpoint, it is indeed. The card's 250-watt TDP hasn't changed from the 6970, but almost everything else has been dialed up. The card is driven by an astonishing 2,048 stream processors and has a 925MHz engine clock; AMD estimates the card delivers 3.79 teraflops of compute performance. Thirty-two ROPs and 128 Z/stencils max out the GPU's capability. Memory has been packed on, too, with the 7970 housing a remarkable 3GB of GDDR5, twice what the GTX 580 carries; the bandwidth is the aforementioned 264GBps, the memory clock runs at 1,375MHz, and the overall data rate is 5.5Gbps. (The last two specs are not increases over those of AMD's last-generation top single-GPU card, the Radeon HD 6970, for what it's worth.)

Video outputs are a strong collection as well, with two Mini DisplayPort jacks (supporting the DisplayPort 1.2 standard), one HDMI 1.4a port, and one dual-link DVI port. The last is beginning to look mighty legacy, as both the Mini DisplayPort and HDMI ports are now capable of driving the 4K displays that are almost certainly coming in the next generation or so. (AMD touts its cards as being the first on the market to support this new hardware.) And there is again a switch that lets you return to the factory settings any time you want, so you can overclock to your heart's content safe in the knowledge it will be tough to do any permanent damage.

Positive as all this is, the typical downsides to such a powerful card are here as well.? You will need to run two additional cables from your power supply (one eight-pin, one six-pin), and the card's oversize fan?heat sink unit means it blocks an adjacent expansion slot. But because the card is of a reasonable length (11 inches), these are minor annoyances well in keeping with video cards this high up in the enthusiast spectrum.

What does all this mean in terms of gaming performance? A lot. In our testing (on a system set up using an Asus P9X79 Deluxe motherboard running the Intel Core i7-3960X CPU) we saw some significant jumps over both AMD's own 6970 and Nvidia's GTX 580. The 7970's overall 3DMark 11 score was 2,734, an 861-point increase over what we saw from the 6970 (1,873) and 619 points higher than what the GTX 580 earned (2,115). The 7970 triumphed in almost all of our gaming benchmarks, often by large degrees, at least at 1,920 by 1,200. When we tested Aliens vs. Predator at that resolution, for example, the 7970's result of 55.1 frames per second (fps) was well ahead of the 6970's 47.2fps and the GTX 580's 43.6fps. The 7970 barely eked out a playable 31fps against the GTX 580's 27.2fps in Total War: Shogun 2 at 1,920 by 1,200, though the GTX 580 couldn't even run the game's benchmark with all the details cranked.

The 7970, it should be noted, didn't ace every test. The GTX 580 did marginally better in DiRT 3 (69.5fps versus 66.9fps) and HAWX 2 (140 versus 130), both at 1,920 by 1200. And a lot of the 7970's impressive leads dropped at 2,560 by 1,600, with only about 7fps separating the cards at Aliens vs. Predator (34.7fps versus 27.5fps), 1fps at DiRT 3 (47.7fps versus 46.7fps, the 7970 winning the competition here it couldn't quite at 1,920 by 1,200), and 12fps in Just Cause 2 (40.6fps versus 28.6fps, as compared with the wider gap between 60fps and 36.8fps for that game we saw at 1,920 by 1,200). And looked at beside either AMD's or Nvidia's more expensive?dual-GPU gaming cards, the Radeon HD 6990 and the GeForce GTX 590 respectively, the 7970 looks like small performance potatoes. (Though, for the record, the GTX 590 couldn't run Total War: Shogun 2 at 2,560 by 1,600.)

Where the 7970 really distinguished itself was in terms of power usage. AMD's efforts in this regard really paid off, as our test bed was able to idle at an impressive minimum of 99.8 watts; that's less than we saw with either the 6970 (107.8) or the GTX 580 (117.3). But when running under full graphics load the 7970's full-system power draw rose to only 245.9 watts?again, this is below the results we got from both the 6970 (249.8 watts) and the GTX 580 (264.6 watts), and the 7970 gives you the most polygon-pushing power.

So, folks, it's that time again to declare a new Editors' Choice and a new "sensibly priced" (as opposed to the dual-GPU models, anyway) enthusiast video card. No matter what game you want to play or, within reason, what resolution you want to play it at, this is the one-GPU card that will excel most at the job best. Its price may still be steep, and you may be able to find GTX 580 cards on the market for less (around $500), but if full-tilt gaming without compromises?is what you crave, you won't be able?to do better than the AMD Radeon HD 7970. At least for a while.

More Graphics Card reviews:
??? AMD Radeon HD 7970
??? Nvidia Quadro 4000
??? Nvidia Quadro 5000
??? Nvidia Quadro 2000
??? AMD Radeon HD 6450
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/4-__4XbVDms/0,2817,2397914,00.asp

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Chinese scientist gets 7 years for stealing US secrets

A Chinese scientist on Wednesday was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for stealing trade secrets of major US agribusiness firms to benefit China.

Huang Kexue, 46, stole secrets on organic insecticides from Dow AgroSciences, where he worked from 2003-2008, and handed them over to research students at or linked to Hunan Normal University, where he also was involved in research, the Justice Department said.

He was sentenced to 87 months in prison, after entering into a plea agreement on two counts hoping to reduce his sentence.

Huang, who was sentenced by the US District Judge William Lawrence in the Southern District of Indiana, had faced up to 25 years in prison on the two charges.

"Mr. Huang stole valuable trade secrets from two American companies and disseminated them to individuals in Germany and China," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer.

"Economic espionage and trade secret theft are serious crimes that, as today's sentence shows, must be punished severely. Protecting trade secrets is vital to our nation's economic success," Breuer stressed.

In a plea agreement, Huang admitted to one count each of economic espionage "to benefit a component of the Chinese government" and theft of trade secrets.

The plea agreement said that "in stealing, transferring and using the trade secrets," Huang "intended to benefit the Hunan Normal University, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the 863 Program," all controlled and funded by the Chinese government.

The 863 Program is a Chinese government initiative to develop and acquire high-level technologies to build the country's global position in scientific research and in technology-intensive industries.

The plea agreement said Huang had used the Dow AgroSciences secrets to apply for grants from the National Natural Science Foundation and the 863 Program in 2007-2010, and that at least two applications to the foundation resulted in funds for research through Hunan Normal.

The plea agreement said Huang also stole secrets on enzymes for a new food product from another company, identified in a separate statement as Cargill, when he worked there in 2009.

Source: http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/Chinese_scientist_gets_7_years_for_stealing_US_secrets_999.html

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Unemployment applications lowest since April '08 (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped last week to its lowest level since April 2008, extending a downward trend that shows the job market strengthening.

First-time applications for unemployment benefits fell 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 364,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It was the third straight weekly drop.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile gauge, fell for the 11th time in 13 weeks. At 380,250, it's the lowest since June 2008. Applications generally must fall below 375,000 ? consistently ? before hiring is strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate.

Unemployment applications are a measure of the pace of layoffs. Job cuts have fallen sharply since the recession, though many employers remain slow to start hiring.

The declining number of applications suggests that the economy may finally be regaining strength, 2 1/2 years after the Great Recession ended. The nation added at least 100,000 jobs every month from July through November, the first five-month streak since 2006.

"When you fire fewer people, hiring unquestionably follows," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG LLC.

If unemployment applications continue declining, Greenhaus said, the number of jobs created each month will rise to 200,000 and the unemployment rate might fall as low as 8 percent before November's elections.

In the past three months, employers have added an average of 143,000 net jobs a month. That compares with an average of 84,000 in the previous three months.

More small businesses plan to hire than at any time in three years, a trade group said last week. A separate private-sector survey found more companies are planning to add workers than at any time since 2008.

Overall economic growth appears to be tracking the job market's improvement. The economy was barely growing when the year started. In the final quarter, growth might exceed 3 percent, up from 2 percent in the July-September period.

Still, applications for unemployment benefits are above the level needed to lower the unemployment rate significantly. The four-week moving average for new claims has exceeded that number since June 2008. Unemployment has been above 8 percent for almost three years.

Before the recession, there generally were 280,000 to 350,000 new applications for unemployment benefits each week. The number peaked at 659,000 in March 2009.

The unemployment rate fell in November to 8.6 percent from 9 percent, but about half that decline occurred because many of the unemployed gave up looking for work. When people stop looking for a job, they're no longer counted as unemployed.

And weak hiring doesn't always appear in unemployment claims data. Employers slashed payrolls deeply during the recession. If they're worried about the slow pace of recovery, they may hold off layoffs ? but not hire, either.

The figures come as Congress appears close to going home without extending emergency unemployment benefits, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

About 6.7 million people are receiving unemployment benefits. About 2.2 million of them will lose their benefits by mid-February and 3.6 million others will lose theirs by the end of March if Congress doesn't extend the emergency benefits.

Lawmakers are deadlocked over continuing the program, which is attached to legislation that would extend a Social Security tax cut.

House Republicans rejected a two-month extension passed by a bipartisan majority in the Senate. President Barack Obama has called on lawmakers to approve the short-term measure so that they will have time to negotiate a full-year extension.

If Congress doesn't renew the two measures for 2012, economists say, the economy's growth could slow by as much as 1 percentage point

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111222/ap_on_bi_ge/us_unemployment_benefits

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Long intervening non-coding RNAs play pivotal roles in brain development

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Whitehead Institute scientists have identified conserved, long intervening non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) that play key roles during embryonic brain development in zebrafish. They also show that the human versions of the lincRNAs can substitute for the zebrafish versions, which implies that the functions of these non-coding RNAs have been retained in humans as well as fish.

Until now, lincRNAs have been studied primarily in cell lines rather than at the organismal level, which has precluded research into how lincRNAs affect growth and development.

"These studies show that zebrafish, an animal that is frequently used to study the genetics of animal development, can also serve as a tool to uncover in systematic fashion the functions of lincRNAs," says Whitehead Member David Bartel, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a professor of biology at MIT. "This is another case in which a phenomenon in zebrafish provides insight into what's probably happening in humans, as has been established in many studies of protein-coding genes."

Only a minority of RNAs transcribed in a human cell goes on to template protein production, according to a 2007 assessment of the human genome by the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project Consortium, which was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute. The rest of the RNAs are dubbed non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), with those located between protein-coding genes and with lengths of 200 base pairs or longer referred to as lincRNAs.

Despite their prevalence in the cell, lincRNAs have been referred to as the "dark matter" of all the transcribed RNAs because little is known of their functions or mechanisms. One limitation to studying this class of RNAs is their low sequence similarity between species. Unlike protein-coding genes, which are frequently well-conserved between species, lincRNA genes typically have a very small bit of conserved DNA between species, if any. This lack of conservation makes identification of related lincRNAs difficult in closely related species and nearly impossible in distantly related species.

For example, Bartel lab scientists Igor Ulitsky and Alena Shkumatava identified more than 500 lincRNAs in zebrafish but found that only 29 of these have homologs in both humans and mice.

Ulitsky and Shkumatava, who report their findings in this week's issue of the journal Cell, tested the function of two of the 29 lincRNAs by knocking them down in zebrafish embryos. Both knockdowns had striking effects on the zebrafish's brain development. Reduction of one of the lincRNAs, which they called cyrano, caused the zebrafish to have enlarged snouts, small heads and eyes, and short, curly tails, while the zebrafish lacking the lincRNA they called megamind had abnormally shaped heads and enlarged brain ventricles.

To test if the human homologs of the cyrano and megamind lincRNAs are functionally equivalent, Shkumatava injected the human versions into the knocked-down zebrafish. Remarkably, the human lincRNAs rescued the zebrafish and restored brain development and head size for both lincRNAs, indicating that the human lincRNAs may have the same role in embryonic development as their zebrafish analogs.

"This work represents a major advance because it provides a framework for studying lincRNAs, a poorly understood, but abundant class of molecules," says Michael Bender, who oversees RNA processing and function grants at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which partially funded the work. "The discovery that human lincRNAs appear to function much like their zebrafish counterparts in embryonic development suggests that the framework will prove valuable in bringing new insights on the roles played by lincRNAs in mammalian organisms."

The zebrafish is already a powerful tool for studying genetics. Whitehead Member Hazel Sive, who collaborated with Bartel and his lab members on the Cell paper, uses zebrafish to study brain development and genetic mutations linked to autism.

Says Sive, "The zebrafish is a fantastic, facile system for discovering the mechanisms by which genes work."

"We humans share with zebrafish this subset of ancient, peculiar genes, and the functionality has been retained in them," says Ulitsky. "We can perturb them in zebrafish and then replace them with the human ones and, at least in the lincRNAs we look at, the human ones function to restore proper development."

"Because of this functional conservation of lincRNAs between zebrafish and humans, we're introducing the zebrafish as a new vertebrate tool that could be used basically to uncover the functions of other lincRNAs," says Shkumatava.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH's) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), Human Frontiers Science Program, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

###

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research: http://www.wi.mit.edu/index.html

Thanks to Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116276/Long_intervening_non_coding_RNAs_play_pivotal_roles_in_brain_development

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Grammy-winning singer Cesaria Evora dies at age 70

LISBON, Portugal?? Cesaria Evora, who started singing as a teenager in the bayside bars of Cape Verde in the 1950s and won a Grammy in 2003 after she took her African islands music to stages across the world, died Saturday. She was 70.

Evora, known as the "Barefoot Diva" because she always performed without shoes, died in the Baptista de Sousa Hospital in Mindelo, on her native island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, her label Lusafrica said in a statement on its website. It gave no further details.

Evora retired in September because of health problems. In recent years she had had several operations, including open-heart surgery last year.

She sang the traditional music of the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa, a former Portuguese colony. She mostly sang in the version of creole spoken there, but even audiences who couldn't understand the lyrics were moved by her stirring renditions, her unpretentious manner and the music's infectious beat.

Her singing style brought comparisons to American jazz singer Billie Holiday. "She belongs to the aristocracy of bar singers," French newspaper Le Monde said in 1991, adding that Evora had "a voice to melt the soul."

Evora's international fame came late in life. Her 1988 album "La Diva Aux Pieds Nus" ("Barefoot Diva"), recorded in France where she first found popularity, launched her international career.

Her 1995 album "Cesaria" was released in more than a dozen countries and brought her first Grammy nomination, leading to a tour of major concert halls around the world and album sales in the millions.

She won a Grammy in the World Music category of the 2003 awards for her album "Voz D'Amor".

Evora, known to her close friends as Cize (pronounced see-ZEH), was the best-known performer of "morna," Cape Verde's national music. It is a complex, soulful sound, mixing an array of influences arising from the African and seafaring traditions of the 10 volcanic islands.

Evora was born Aug. 27, 1941, and grew up in Mindelo, a port city of 47,000 people on the island of Sao Vicente, where sailors from Europe, America, Africa and Asia mingled in what was a lively cosmopolitan town with a fabled nightlife.

The local musical style borrowed from those cultures, defying attempts to classify it.

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"Our music is a lot of things," Evora told The Associated Press in a 2000 interview at her home. "Some say it's like the blues, or jazz. Others says it's like Brazilian or African music, but no one really knows. Not even the old ones."

Evora was 7 years old when her father died, leaving a widow and seven children. At 10, with her mother unable to make ends meet, she was placed in an orphanage.

"I didn't like it. I value my freedom," she told the AP.

At 16, when Evora was doing piecework as a seamstress, a friend persuaded her to sing in one of the many sailors' taverns in her town. As her popularity grew, she was also rowed out into the bay to sing on anchored ships.

She received no pay ? just free drinks. She used to smile when she recalled her fame as a heavy cognac drinker. And she sadly recalled the exact day ? Dec. 15, 1994 ? she had to give up drinking for her health's sake.

Evora didn't think much of her international stardom and she went back to Mindelo whenever she could. She rebuilt her childhood home, turning it into a 10-bedroom house where friends and family often stayed over, and she always made sure she was home for Christmas.

A heavy smoker for decades, Evora was diagnosed with heart problems in 2005. She suffered strokes in 2008 and in September 2011, when she announced she was retiring.

She had a son and a daughter by different men but never married. Family details were not immediately available.

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

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45707835/ns/today-entertainment/

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Dremel Saw-Max (SM20-02) Review

Along with gadgets and tech-toys, I like nice tools. Over the decades I have done countless home-improvement and construction projects,accumulating many very capable tools along the way. I have definitely learned that the ‘right tool for the job’ can save you huge amounts of time, money, and effort….safer too. Always looking to increase my arsenal [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/12/18/dremel-saw-max-sm20-02-review/

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Iraqi admits trying to send weapons to al-Qaida (AP)

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. ? An Iraqi man who had claimed he was innocent of terrorism-related charges did an abrupt about-face Friday, pleading guilty in a Kentucky courtroom to trying to funnel weapons and cash to al-Qaida operatives in his home country.

Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, appeared in federal court in this south-central Kentucky college town to plead guilty to conspiring to attack American soldiers in Iraq, conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

Alwan was arrested in May in Bowling Green and had previously pleaded not guilty to charges in an indictment that also named fellow Iraqi Mohanad Shareef Hammadi.

Alwan's attorney, federal Public Defender Scott Wendelsdorf, declined to comment after the hearing.

"Today in open court, Waad Alwan admitted to engaging in terrorist activities both here in the United States and in Iraq," U.S. Attorney David J. Hale said in a statement. "He acknowledged he had built and placed numerous improvised explosive devices (IEDs) aimed at killing and injuring American soldiers in Iraq, and he admitted that he tried to send numerous weapons from Kentucky to Iraq to be used against American soldiers."

Hale said the joint efforts of federal and local law enforcement had thwarted "the ongoing intentions of an experienced terrorist."

"The guilty plea today sends a strong message to anyone who would attempt similar crimes that they will face the same determined law enforcement and prosecution efforts," he said.

Alwan, appearing in an orange jail jumpsuit and wearing leg irons and with an interpreter seated next to him, pleaded guilty to all 23 counts in the indictment against him.

At one point in the proceedings, Alwan nodded and quietly told the interpreter he understood the charges and possible penalties.

He faces a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced April 3.

Alwan pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals abroad, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. nationals abroad, distributing information on how to make and use improvised explosive devices, attempting to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to transfer, possess and export Stinger missiles.

Hammadi, 24, was not mentioned during the hearing, and no trial date has been set for him. He has pleaded not guilty. Hale declined to say whether Alwan would testify against his co-defendant. "We can't discuss that issue," he said.

Hammadi's attorney, James Earhart, said Friday that Alwan's guilty plea does not affect Hammadi's case. When asked if Hammadi might also plead guilty, Earhart said, "We're continuing to explore that, but we've not reached any agreement."

Before the hearing, Alwan rubbed his eyes occasionally and would sometimes rest his chin against one of his hands.

Responding to a litany of questions from Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell, Alwan offered a brief autobiographical sketch, saying he had a high school education and had been a chicken factory worker in the U.S. He showed no emotion before the hearing or while answering the questions from the judge.

Alwan and Hammadi were living as refugees in Kentucky when they were arrested after an investigation that began months after their arrival in the U.S. in 2009. Neither has been charged with plotting attacks within the United States, and authorities said their weapons and money didn't make it to Iraq because of a tightly controlled undercover investigation.

Alwan was also charged with conspiring to attack American soldiers in Iraq. Other charges include conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

Hammadi is also charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to transfer, possess and export Stinger missiles.

Alwan admitted to trying to supply al-Qaida in Iraq with a cache of weapons that included machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, plastic explosives, sniper rifles, Stinger surface-to-air missile launcher systems and grenades.

Authorities have said the weapons and money didn't make it to Iraq because of a tightly controlled undercover investigation.

"The successful investigation, arrest, interrogation and prosecution of Mr. Alwan demonstrates the effectiveness of our intelligence and law enforcement authorities in bringing terrorists to justice and preventing them from harming the American people," Lisa Monaco, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement.

On multiple occasions, Alwan transferred money believing it would go to al-Qaida in Iraq for the purpose of killing Americans overseas, according to prosecutors. Alwan admitted to trying to feed the cash and weapons pipeline to al-Qaida from September 2010 through May 2011 from Kentucky.

While in Iraq, Alwan conspired with others to plant and detonate numerous roadside bombs against U.S. troops, according to the plea agreement and other court documents.

Alwan's fingerprints were lifted off an improvised explosive device found in Iraq in 2005. Before he entered the U.S. as a refugee in 2009, he had to provide a set of fingerprints for a security check.

Prosecutors said that from about 2003 through 2006, Alwan conspired to kill U.S. nationals in Iraq.

Alwan also drew diagrams of improvised explosive devices and provided detailed oral instructions on how to make and use them, prosecutors said, adding that the diagrams were intended to train others in how to make and use the bombs in order to kill Americans overseas.

Russell ruled in September that Alwan could be tried in civilian court, a matter that has escalated into a hot-button political issue.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., pushed to have Alwan and Hammadi tried at the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said terrorism-related trials can be successfully handled by civilian courts.

"Today's plea of guilt by Alwan, who boasted of killing U.S. troops in a warzone overseas, and bragged that his `lunch and dinner would be an American,' confirms that he was a combatant who was associated with enemy forces overseas," McConnell said in a statement issued Friday night. "The military should have had custody of him to begin with for purposes of intelligence, detention and punishment."

Alwan and Hammadi entered the United States through a refugee program in 2009.

Both have remained in federal custody since their arrests.

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Associated Press writer Dylan Lovan contributed to this report from Louisville, Ky.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111217/ap_on_re_us/us_terrorism_charges_iraqis

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