(Reuters) ? The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission got a fresh dressing-down from the judge who rejected its $285 million settlement with Citigroup Inc, as he said the regulator kept him out of the loop on its efforts to salvage the case.
In his latest sharply-worded order, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff chastised the SEC for not telling him it had filed an emergency request with an appeals court to put the case on hold, after making the same request to him.
So when Rakoff on Tuesday issued a ruling opposing any delay in the case, he was beaten to the punch; 78 seconds earlier, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had granted the SEC the temporary halt it sought.
He also accused the SEC and Citigroup of potentially "misleading" the court, saying they called him around 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT) on Tuesday to discuss the case, without mentioning the filing with the 2nd Circuit.
Less than an hour later, the 2nd Circuit ruled, and so did Rakoff. That 2nd Circuit order negated the work Rakoff said he had done over the weekend to get a ruling to the SEC as quickly as he could.
Rakoff wrote that he "spent the intervening Christmas holiday considering the parties' positions and drafting an opinion, so that (the court) could file it on December 27, i.e. the first business day after the Christmas holiday."
To prevent a recurrence, Rakoff ordered the SEC and Citigroup to "promptly notify" him of any filings they make in the appeals court.
An SEC spokeswoman had no immediate comment. A Citigroup spokeswoman declined to comment.
The $285 million settlement was intended to resolve charges that Citigroup sold risky mortgage-linked securities in 2007 without telling investors that it was betting against the debt, and causing more than $700 million of losses.
In rejecting the accord in November, Rakoff said the SEC's failure to require Citigroup to admit or deny its charges left him no way to know whether the settlement was fair. Rakoff also called the payout "pocket change" for the third-largest U.S. bank.
The 2nd Circuit case is SEC v Citigroup Global Markets Inc, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 11-05227. The district court case is SEC v. Citigroup Global Markets Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-07387.
(Reporting By Aruna Viswanatha and Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
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RICHMOND?? A massive Christmas Eve search for a 2-year-old boy who was in the backseat of an SUV that was stolen following a double-slaying in Richmond ended around midnight with the boy being found safe, police said.
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Richmond police said in a Tweet late Saturday: "2-year-old Kaiden Burnside is OK. Found alone inside SUV off Jennie Scher Road. Thanks to everyone for assistance."
City police spokeswoman Karla Peters told the Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/svXlqT ) the child was found sleeping alone in the parked vehicle.
"He's being checked out by EMS and will soon be reunited with his mother," Peters said.
Authorities late Saturday identified the suspect as 27-year-old Jamal Louis Clemons of Richmond, Va. They say Clemons is wanted for abduction, robbery, robbery with a firearm and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony by a convicted felon.
Richmond city police said in a press release that shortly after 5 p.m., officers responded to a report of two persons down and found an adult man and an adult woman inside a Church Hill residence. Both had been fatally shot.
Witnesses reported that a man fled the scene inside a 2012 white GMC Terrain SUV that was left with the motor running and the boy strapped in the back seat, the news release said.
The Virginia State Police issued an Amber Alert at 9:39 p.m. EST Saturday for the boy, identified as Kaiden Gage Burnside. They described him as having short blond hair and blue eyes, and wearing a red plaid shirt, a cream-colored vest with a red truck carrying a Christmas tree, dark green corduroy slacks and white light-up sneakers.
"The child is believed to be in extreme danger," the alert said.
City police described the suspect ? later identified as Clemons ? as a black man in his mid- to late 20s, 5-foot-8 and 150 to 160 pounds, with black hair and wearing dark jeans and a black zip-up sweat shirt with a hood. He is believed to be armed with a revolver.
"We don't believe that he knew there was a child in the back seat," Richmond police Maj. Steve Drew told the newspaper.
Police said they didn't believe the shooting was random but have not released additional details about the victims or their potential relationship to the suspect.
Officers continued to search early Sunday for the suspect.
Richmond police did not return repeated calls from The Associated Press on Saturday evening.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Unnamed sources close to Apple's supply chain in Taiwan suggest that the next iPad launch could be coming on February 24, the same day as Steve Jobs' birthday.
With Christmas today comes the gift of another iPad 3 rumor, this one relating to the unannounced tablet?s release date. It?s February 24, the same day as Steve Jobs? birthday. At least according to unnamed sources ?close to Taiwanese makers in the iPad 3 supply chain? speaking to Chinese-language newspaper Economic Daily News (via Focus Taiwan). It?s not clear if the date refers to a product launch or an announcement, though 9to5mac notes that Apple traditionally launches new products on Fridays, as February 24 is.
The sources say that employees at a number of companies known or believed to be working on the iPad 3 have been told to expect a heavy workload around the Lunar New Year. Apple manufacturer Foxconn reportedly isn?t allowing employees to take any more than five days off during the holiday. The word is that the iPad 3?s initial shipment ?could exceed 4 million units.?
Remember that this is all rumor for now, and will likely stay that way until early next year. Even if there weren?t hard evidence to support it, there would be little doubt that a third iPad is coming soon. Apple is a company that likes sticking to a script, and the script clearly pegs another tablet announcement/launch for the start of the year. Yes, the iPhone 4S launch was shuffled just this year from the usual summer release to the fall. My money?s still on early ?12 for the next iPad though.
This week the jingle of bells, the tacky twinkle of electricity-wasting flashing lights dangling off storefronts, the blow up snow men and stupid faux reindeer on neighbors' front porches has been enough to launch me into crying jags that could overflow the levees of the Mississippi. If one more person in a silly hat offers to spray me with perfume or sell me some piece of crap made in China I'm likely to go postal.
When I decided to end my seven-year-marriage (one year ago) I did not envision sitting by the fire alone on Christmas Eve or negotiating to get my twin boys for half-a-holiday. I imagined that my life would become a cross between The Tudors and the L-Word: illicit sexual encounters with strikingly gorgeous Hollywood actors in Elizabethan garb. Surely, I'd have to fend off admirers the way King Henry the 8th had to fend off mistresses.
To my amazement, one year after my release from marital life, my in-box at OkayStupid remains profoundly empty except for the occasional message from guys like: MansGottaHaveWife and FatCheapBaldGuyLuvsBeerNU. Rather than Shakespearean sonnets delivered by flying doves, I get emails that say: "I likes to read uh-lot two." Or "I rully connect with yr profile. U look deep. Me two." Or my personal favorite, "Why is a great guy like me still available? Ask my wife! We have an open relationship!"
The shock of having to start over at the age of forty-three is sort of like having to rebuild after a tsunami. My friend Kathryn, who's about to deliver twins, put it to me this way: "This year is your C-section." The downside is, I don't have access to injectable painkillers.
In a desperate attempt to salvage myself from my looming holiday breakdown I contacted all my Jewish friends. Throwing self-respect to the wind I send out emails and texts that read: "What are you doing for the holidays? I'm alone this year. Looking forward to the peace and quiet, but wondering if you need some extra help cooking? Just checking in! I'll be fine! Don't worry!"
My email box fills up: "Sorry, Going to Mexico!" "Eating Chinese! Good luck!" Everyone's terribly sorry and terribly busy.
A businessman friend tells me he cherishes being alone. He means well. My therapist says, isn't it a great opportunity to begin a new tradition? For this kind of wisdom I pay her.
In an attempt to look on the bright side, I share the following reflections. Ten reasons to be grateful you are divorced during the holiday season:
1. You won't be forced to remove your aging in-law's head from the plate of mashed potatoes after he O.D.s on painkillers for that aching leg injury that is the source of fascinating conversation that you won't miss this year.
2. You won't have to make small talk with the bipolar in-law about her latest invention: a new invention for separating the scotch tape from the roll when it gets stuck!
3. Hundreds of dollars will be saved on under-appreciated gifts for all seventeen members of your ex's family, including the overweight cat, the neighbor with dementia, and the plumber who married your aunt-in-law for a green card, or the alcoholic cousin who enjoyed spilling red wine on your favorite sofa, while watching you wash her dishes.
4. You won't have to nag your ex to buy Christmas gifts for his mother (cousin, sister, aunt, you) before the day before Christmas.
5. You don't have to display the flashing, singing colored Christmas lights and your ex's favorite broken ceramic Christmas tree or the Tigger Tiger light that reminds him of his childhood and makes you think of Christmas in a trailer park.
6. You can take down the Christmas tree on January first, rather than waiting until June!
7. No more need to fake delight over the crystal snowman trapped in a cube that is gifted to you by your in laws from Utah!
8. No more battling the downtown shopping crush because you've spent your savings on lawyers and your ex took the rest. Think of the Buddhist delights of a simpler and more empty home---free of material waste! Who needs furniture anyhow? Sitting on a cold tile floor in a house free of furniture and humans reminds you of what really matters.
9. No more arguing over whose turn it is to walk the dog, change the diaper, wash the dishes, or cook the yams. This year you get to do it all your way! And you can listen to Johnny Cash and no one will make fun of you, and when you're done you get to pick the movie.
10. Best of all you won't have to write a single thank you note for presents you secretly hated. Instead write a thank you note to yourself: What are you thankful for?
Frankincense comes from the Boswellia sacra tree, which grows mainly in the Horn of Africa. The number of trees that produce the fragrant resin could decline by 90 percent in the next 50 years.
The original Christmas presents were gold, frankincense and myrrh. That's what wise men brought to the baby Jesus, according to the Gospel of Matthew. Frankincense is still used today ? for perfumes, incense and traditional medicines ? but a new study suggests that its future looks grim.
The trees that produce this fragrant resin are in serious trouble, says Frans Bongers, a forestry expert at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He says production of frankincense could be cut in half in just 15 years. And in the next 50 years, tree numbers could decline by 90 percent, according to his new study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
Frankincense comes from various species of Boswellia, a tree that mainly grows in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. People make cuts in the bark and let the tree sap ooze out. After it hardens into yellowish lumps, they come back to collect it, and then make more cuts. "And so they come back every two weeks for the whole dry season, and that's about nine months," Bongers explains.
He and colleagues monitored forests in Ethiopia with thousands of frankincense trees for about two years, comparing plots where trees were tapped with plots where trees were left alone.
They found that the forests were declining, regardless of whether they were tapped for frankincense or not. In general, they found big, old trees that were dying at an alarming rate, possibly because of insect attack.
Meanwhile, they found a dearth of younger trees. Bongers said they mainly saw just tiny seedlings in the grass. "They do not grow into a sapling, and they do not grow into a new tree," says Bongers.
He says that's because they burn up in fires set by farmers or are eaten by grazing cattle.
The only hope of preserving frankincense is to set aside large areas, to let young trees get established, says Bongers. But that's a hard case to make when local people are struggling to make a living.
"People say, 'Well, yes, we do understand, but at the same time we have to survive,' " he says. "So I'm realistic on this, I think."
Already, in some countries, like Yemen and Oman, says Bongers, the frankincense is almost gone.
In her latest blog, Layla fills us in on Melody's birthday party, her and Steven's fall wedding, and asks for help on getting Melody back in her own bedroom. Tell her your tips!
Five billion years from now... oh fuck it, I need a drink.
Sobering up now, this "dead star" is really a white dwarf, isn't it? Time scales become truly mind-boggling when, after eons as a white dwarf, the nuclear reaction peters out, the "ember" still emitting heat for eons upon eons.
If the proton decays, when the last white dwarf goes out, around 10^14 years from now, the Universe passes from the Stelliferous Era to the Degenerate Era, everything slowly cooling down, matter slowly disintegrating or being su
ScienceDaily (Dec. 16, 2011) ? Your parents were right: Hard experiences may indeed make you tough. Psychological scientists have found that, while going through many experiences like assault, hurricanes, and bereavement can be psychologically damaging, small amounts of trauma may help people develop resilience.
"Of course, everybody's heard the aphorism, 'Whatever does not kill you makes you stronger,'" says Mark D. Seery of the University at Buffalo. His paper on adversity and resilience appears in the December issue of Current Directions inPsychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. But in psychology, he says, a lot of ideas that seem like common sense aren't supported by scientific evidence.
Indeed, a lot of solid psychology research shows that having miserable life experiences is bad for you. Serious events, like the death of a child or parent, a natural disaster, being physically attacked, experiencing sexual abuse, or being forcibly separated from your family, can cause psychological problems. In fact, some research has suggested that the best way to go through life is having nothing ever happen to you. But not only is that unrealistic, it's not necessarily healthy, Seery says.
In one study, Seery and his colleagues found that people who experienced many traumatic life events were more distressed in general -- but they also found that people who had experienced no negative life events had similar problems. The people with the best outcomes were those who had experienced some negative events. Another study found that people with chronic back pain were able to get around better if they had experienced some serious adversity, whereas people with either a lot of adversity or none at all were more impaired.
One possibility for this pattern is that people who have been through difficult experiences have had a chance to develop their ability to cope. "The idea is that negative life experiences can toughen people, making them better able to manage subsequent difficulties," Seery says. In addition, people who get through bad events may have tested out their social network, learning how to get help when they need it.
This research isn't telling parents to abuse their kids so they'll grow up to be well-adjusted adults, Seery says. "Negative events have negative effects," he says. "I really look at this as being a silver lining. Just because something bad has happened to someone doesn't mean they're doomed to be damaged from that point on."
The article is entitled, Resilience: A Silver Lining to Experiencing Adverse Life Events?.
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If you needed a good, valid reason to Hulk Out today, this might be it. Dell, which recently retired its Streak 5 and Streak 7 tablets, is apparently axing its Mini line of netbooks as well. According to the MyDellMini forums, conducting a search for a laptop with a 10-inch display on the Dell Shop will yield no results, while a search for specific models brings up a variety of messages confirming the world's loss. Fortunately, the full-sized notebooks appear to be in abundant supply, and the search engine will happily suggest one of Dell's 14-inch laptops for $469 and up. Because, you know, a 14-inch machine will totally serve the same purpose as a 10-inch one.
MOSCOW ? The election official had a problem. Workers at his polling station had been stuffing ballot boxes with votes for Vladimir Putin's party all day, he says, but when the votes were counted United Russia still didn't have enough.
So he huddled with the election commission he chaired at the Moscow precinct. The decision: Putin's party would get the desired 65 percent. One member objected, but relented when the others tossed his Communist Party a few dozen votes.
The commission chairman spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job. He also said he could be punished for disobeying orders to report any contact with foreign observers or journalists to the FSB, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
His account closely matches reports by independent observers of rampant vote-rigging during Sunday's election, in which United Russia maintained its majority in parliament. Amateur videos posted on the Internet also appeared to show falsified ballots spilling out of boxes at polling stations.
Officially, United Russia got roughly 50 percent of the vote, a significant drop from the 64 percent the party won in the last election. But the reports of fraud indicate it may have lost even more support than those results suggest. Central Election Commission officials said they have received no reports of serious violations but would investigate any formal complaints.
This election was emerging as a watershed moment in a country where people have long seemed inured to vote manipulation, both before and after the fall of the Soviet Union. The fraud allegations have set off protests in the street and stirred broader public indignation, suggesting that the political system Putin built to solidify his control has begun to crack just three months ahead of a vote on his return to the presidency. The lackluster opposition has suddenly been energized.
Anger over the election drew more than 5,000 people Monday night, in one of the biggest anti-Putin protests in years. Police detained about 300 protesters to prevent them from marching to the Central Elections Commission near the Kremlin. New protests on Tuesday night were thwarted by police, who were out in force after having been taken by surprise the night before.
Amateur videos claiming to show the vote being rigged have spread via social media networks, including one in which the chairman of an election commission is filling out a stack of ballots. The clip attracted so much attention that city election officials were forced to acknowledge that the chairman had been caught falsifying the vote and could face charges.
The commission chairman who spoke to the AP said that representatives of Russia's four main parties got together before the election to negotiate how many votes each would get in district precincts. United Russia initially wanted 68 to 70 percent, but conceded that was too high and settled for around 65.
On voting day, the chairman said, election workers quietly slipped ballots into the boxes, as many as 50 at a time, being careful to keep the papers from rustling and attracting the attention of observers.
He said workers were trained on how to stuff ballots, each a thin sheet roughly the size of standard letter paper. He demonstrated how a stack of up to 30 or even 50 ballots could be folded in half, hidden inside a jacket and slipped into the ballot box without making any noise.
The chairman said there was a limit to the amount of ballot stuffing his commission could do. So district election officials took a few hundred of the precincts ballot, filled them out for United Russia and gave them to migrant men not on the precinct's rolls. Fake voter lists were substituted for the real ones.
During a tour of the polling station, the commission chairman pointed to a spot along the far wall where he had put chairs for observers. He said one observer was particularly zealous, never leaving the room during the 12-hour voting period, even to use the toilet.
The chairman said he got the police to evict the observer 10 minutes before the polls closed, too late for a replacement to be sent. Election monitoring groups and political parties have complained that their observers were barred from many polling places.
When the votes were counted, United Russia got only about 50 percent, even with all the extra ballots; the chairman said its real support had been about 25 percent. Turnout also was low, another setback for the Putin camp.
But when the chairman reported the 50 percent result to the district election commission, he said, he was told to make it 65 percent in the official report, which needed to be signed by all 15 members of the commission. Turnout was also to be inflated.
Most of the commission members willingly went along with the change, he said, and the one holdout was appeased when a few dozen votes were taken from smaller parties and given to the Communists.
The director of Golos, an independent election watchdog, said chairmen of election commissions at polling stations are at the center of efforts to rig the vote and routinely come under heavy pressure.
"Most of the violations we see happen at the local level," Liliya Shibanova said.
Golos says many violations involved busing people with absentee ballots to multiple polling stations so they can vote, a system called "cruise" or "carousel" voting.
Putin, who served as president from 2000 to 2008 and then moved into the prime minister's office because of presidential term limits, is hoping to return to the presidency after the March election. He had been counting on a strong show of popular support for United Russia in the parliamentary election to add legitimacy to his campaign.
He has appeared shaken by the election results and by the overall lack of enthusiasm over his decision to reclaim the presidency from Dmitry Medvedev.
Many Russians are growing weary of his leadership, and of the pervasive corruption and great social inequality it has fostered.
Still, there is little doubt that Putin will win the presidential election. He remains more popular than his party and will likely face only tepid opposition, given his control over who is allowed to run.
Putin seems to realize that he needs to respond to the discontent, but gave no sign Tuesday that he knows how.
"As for the question of what exactly is worrying people and why they don't vote for United Russia but vote for other parties, of course we need to think about this," he said. "We need to analyze these problems and formulate further suggestions on solving them."
Newt Gingrich likes to boast that he runs an unconventional campaign that relies more on grassroots outreach than expensive infrastructure, but as he?s soared in the polls, he?s turned his sights to a traditional cash source: K Street.
Gingrich?s Washington offensive launches in earnest Wednesday, with a $1,000-a-head fundraiser at the power restaurant Occidental Grill and Seafood.
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It?s a turnaround from this summer, when Washington?s political class mostly turned its back on the former House speaker after his staff quit en masse and his fundraising slowed to a trickle.
Now a crew of Gingrich loyalists, employees and business partners from his three-decade political career are trying to capitalize on his recent momentum by building a network of donors that can undercut GOP rivals Rick Perry and Mitt Romney?s base inside the Beltway and turn Gingrich?s relatively meager war chest into one that can support a front runner.
Gingrich has certain advantages over his rivals when it comes to courting Washington. Even as he?s tried to cast himself as a reformer, his years as a political insider ? capped by a decade in the advocacy industry ? have left him with countless influential connections on K Street, the Hill and the conservative movement.
And those ties are reflected in the fundraiser host committee, which includes former Reps. Robert Livingston (R-La.) and Robert Walker (R-Pa.), both of whom built lucrative lobbying practices after leaving Congress.
Also involved are several folks who worked for or with Gingrich in Congress and afterwards as he built his own successful political business empire.
Dan Crowley was the top lawyer for Gingrich as speaker, while Missy Jenkins was a health policy advisor and Rachel Robinson worked in his speaker?s office. David Merritt and Jim Frogue are former senior level employees of Gingrich?s for-profit healthcare think tank, the Center for Health Transformation, and Sreedhar Potarazu is president of VitalSpring Technologies, a member of the Center that was featured in a New York Times story about how Gingrich used the group to further the interests of its members.
The roster of supporters assembled for the fundraiser represents ?the tip of the iceberg? of Gingrich?s potential Washington presence, said Crowley, now a lobbyist at the mega-firm K&L Gates. Asserting that hundreds of people who worked for Gingrich or members of the GOP conference during his speakership could become the basis of a formidable Washington operation, Crowley said ?Newt World was extensive and most of those people are still around and some are just starting to appreciate that his campaign is viable.? He added ?They all have their own political pedigree and are activists in their own right, and what is emerging as a result is a truly organic political organization.?
FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2011 file photo, Model Christie Brinkley attends the premiere of "Ides of March" at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York. Brinkley vows she'll immediately repay the $531,000 she owes in back taxes. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2011 file photo, Model Christie Brinkley attends the premiere of "Ides of March" at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York. Brinkley vows she'll immediately repay the $531,000 she owes in back taxes. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Christie Brinkley vows she'll immediately repay the $531,000 she owes in back taxes.
New York's Daily News recently reported the Internal Revenue Service has filed a tax lien against the supermodel.
Brinkley says in a statement the lien was a "result of an error" and pledges it will be paid in full by Wednesday.
Brinkley says she regrets not paying more attention to her accounting. She says she's been focused on her parents, who are dealing with "serious health issues."
The 57-year-old Brinkley was married to Billy Joel and appeared in his "Uptown Girl" video. She made her Broadway debut this year playing Roxie Hart in the musical "Chicago."
She says she considers herself "lucky to have been employed" since she was 17 years old.
Man are they late to the party, but I guess better late than never.
The Good
Extensive customization options for all pets
?Mysteries? add hours of fun to the core gameplay
Six new karma powers.
The Bad
Pets limited to cats and dogs
You can?t import sims from the original game
Some frame rate and load time sluggishness.
Continue?
Source: Sims Nieuws
About the author
The Black Scorpion loves anything Maxis. The Black Scorpion especially loves The Sims and SimCity franchises (excluding Societies). I am a Texan, but not by choice. I am a so-so cook. I sometimes refer to myself in third person. That is all for now... or is it? Muahahaha!!!
Pakistani officials gave the go-ahead to a NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops, unaware that their own forces were in the area, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday quoting U.S. officials.
JOHANNESBURG ? A new movie being released in South Africa is using animation to show viewers how people become infected with HIV and spread the virus.
The cast and characters are Kenyan, Nigerian and South African ? which producers hope will help the film travel across the continent hardest hit by the disease.
The movie, called "Inside Story: The Science of HIV/AIDS," is premiering Thursday, which is World AIDS Day.
The film will make its U.S. debut in January in Washington and then in Nigeria later next year.
It took five years and $2 million ? raised from the U.S. and South African governments, the U.N. AIDS agency and other donors ? to put together the movie.
BUSAN, South Korea ? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States strongly condemns an Iranian mob attack on British diplomatic compounds in Tehran.
Clinton says that the United States expects Iran's government to protect the lives and property of diplomats. She spoke Wednesday at a global aid development forum in South Korea.
She calls the attack an affront against the British people and the international community.
Hard-line Iranian protesters stormed the British compounds Tuesday. They hauled down the British flag, torched an embassy vehicle and pelted buildings with petrol bombs.
WASHINGTON ? The Internal Revenue Service has $153 million in undelivered tax refund checks looking for the right homes.
The agency says there are 99,123 taxpayers to whom the checks weren't delivered because it had the wrong mailing address. The returned checks average $1,547 apiece.
It's an annual exercise for the IRS, which has been nudging taxpayers toward accepting their refunds through direct, electronic deposits to their bank accounts. Out of the nearly 103 million refunds the IRS issued through early June this year, 76 million were direct deposits.
Of those delivered by the mail, about 0.3 percent bounced back to the IRS because of return address problems.
Taxpayers hoping to claim their refund can click on the "Check on Your Refund" link at www.irs.gov, or call 1-800-829-1954.
Hillary Clinton will be visiting Shwedagon Pagoda which at 2,500 years old is said to be the world's oldest pagoda.
By Ian Williams, NBC News correspondent
YANGON, Myanmar ? U Nine Nine has spent 17 of the past 21 years behind bars as a political prisoner, and on the face of it, he would seem to have little reason to be upbeat about Myanmar's recent reforms.
"Time will tell," he told me. "But I'm cautiously optimistic. It is difficult for them to turn back now [from the recent changes]. The next few weeks will be crucial."
After 49 years of totalitarian rule, Myanmar?s military junta is beginning to loosen up.
Just last November, in what was widely condemned as a rigged election, Myanmar's ruling generals exchanged their uniforms for civilian suits. There was little hope for change.???
Yet beginning in October of this year, the government has introduced a series of dizzying changes: The new government led by a former general, Thein Sein, has eased censorship, released political prisoners, introduced a limited right to strike and protest, and started a dialogue with the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi that has convinced her not only of their good intensions, but also to run for what she had dismissed as a rubber-stamp parliament.?
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is flying in here Wednesday to judge the "Burma Spring" for herself ? she is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country in more than 50 years.
Political party back in action The recent developments are cause for excitement at Nine Nine?s office. He runs an assistance program for political prisoners and is also in charge of the Yangon division of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi, which has just decided to contest elections again.
Suu Kyi, who spent 15 years under house arrest, is now planning to stand in an election before the end of the year.
I met Nine Nine at the bustling office of the NLD, which is close to Yangon's famous Shwedagon Pagoda. He told me that by his calculations around 290 political prisoners have so far been released, but close to 500 remain in jail.
Ian Williams / NBC News
Cleanin up at the Shwedagon pagoda ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Myanmar.
There's a real buzz at the NLD office, but they are quick to remind you that they won the last freely contested election, in 1990, by a landslide, only to have the result annulled by the generals. That heralded the beginning of Nine Nine's first stint in prison.
Yet something is stirring in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma.
?Hillary repairs? Myanmar authorities have thrown the door open to international journalists to cover Clinton?s trip. It's the first time that I have been issued an official visa in 10 years, and while they didn't quite roll out the red carpet, our welcome has been warm.
My guide pointed to the hasty road repairs on the drive in from the airport. "Hillary repairs," he called them. And later, on a visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda, I came across a group of giggling young women scrubbing the floor. "Hillary Clinton is coming," they said.
Along one of the city's many dilapidated streets, I came across a stall heaving with photographs of Suu Kyi and her father, the independence hero Aung San. That would have been a dangerous act of defiance and almost unheard of just a few weeks ago, but no longer. It was clearly still a novelty, though, and I watched as passersby stopped and pointed out the signs to friends.?
An elderly monk stopped me in the street and handed me an old currency note, no longer in circulation, but sporting a picture of Aung San. "For you. A real hero," he told me, before moving off into the crowd. A monk-led uprising four years ago was crushed by the generals.
Local newspapers, which have been carrying prominent stories about Suu Kyi ? again unheard of until very recently ? were carrying upbeat features Tuesday about the desire for closer relations with the U.S. (and by implication, a little loosening of their dependence on China, which goes down well in Washington these days).??
Real change? There certainly does seem to be hope here, but many remain wary. Can one of the world's most thuggish regimes really change its stripes so quickly?
Clinton will meet with President Thein Sein on Thursday and will likely push for faster democratic change. She'll meet Suu Kyi on Friday to gauge more fully how Myanmar's pro-democracy leader judges the reforms, and whether an easing of international sanctions might be merited.
Among the former political prisoners released so far is Zarganar, Myanmar's most famous comedian, who got into hot water for poking fun at the generals. He was jailed for criticizing their response to Cyclone Nargis, a 2008 disaster that left 135,000 people dead or missing.?
On his release from prison he reportedly cracked another joke at the expense of the president. This time he got away with it, and is expected to be among those briefing Clinton on Friday about the intensions of the former generals, not known for humor or compassion, but who just might have decided that change and dialogue is the only way forward for impoverished Myanmar.
NTU-led research probes potential link between cancer and a common chemical in consumer productsPublic release date: 29-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lester Kok lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg 65-679-06804 Nanyang Technological University
A study led by a group of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) researchers has found that a chemical commonly used in consumer products can potentially cause cancer.
The chemical, Zinc Oxide, is used to absorb harmful ultra violet light. But when it is turned into nano-sized particles, they are able to enter human cells and may damage the cells' DNA. This in turn activates a protein called p53, whose duty is to prevent damaged cells from multiplying and becoming cancerous. However, cells that lack p53 or do not produce enough functional p53 may instead develop into cancerous cells when they come into contact with Zinc Oxide nanoparticles.
The study is led by Assistant Professor Joachim Loo, 34, and Assistant Professor Ng Kee Woei, 37, from NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering. They worked with Assistant Professor David Leong, 38, from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, a joint senior author of this research paper.
The findings suggest that companies may need to reassess the health impact of nano-sized Zinc Oxide particles used in everyday products. More studies are also needed on the use and concentration levels of nanomaterials in consumer products, how often a consumer uses them and in what quantities.
"Currently there is a lack of information about the risks of the nanomaterials used in consumer products and what they can pose to the human body. This study points to the need for further research in this area and we hope to work with the relevant authorities on this," said Asst Prof Loo.
The groundbreaking research findings were published in this month's edition of Biomaterials, one of the world's top journals in the field of biomaterials research. The breakthrough also validated efforts by Asst Prof Loo and Asst Prof Ng to pioneer a research group in the emerging field of nanotoxicology, which is still very much in its infancy throughout the world.
Nanotoxicology studies materials to see if they are toxic or harmful when they are turned into nano-sized particles. This is because nanomaterials usually have very different properties when compared to when the materials are of a larger size.
Asst Prof Ng said the team will carry out further research as the DNA damage brought about by nano-sized Zinc Oxide particles is currently a result of an unknown mechanism. But what is clear is that besides causing DNA damage, nanoparticles can also cause other harmful effects when used in high doses.
"From our studies, we found that nanoparticles can also increase stress levels in cells, cause inflammation or simply kill cells," said Asst Prof Ng who added that apart from finding out the cellular mechanism, more focused research is also expected to ascertain the physiological effects and damage that nano-sized Zinc Oxide particles can cause.
Asst Prof Loo pointed out that besides enhancing the understanding of the potential risks of using nanomaterials, advancements in nanotoxicology research will also help scientists put nanomaterials to good use in biomedical applications.
For example, although killing cells in our bodies is typically undesirable, this becomes a positive outcome if it can be effectively directed towards cancer cells in the body. At the same time, the team is also studying how nanomaterials can be "re-designed" to pose a lesser risk to humans, yet still possess the desired beneficial properties.
This research discovery is one of the latest in a series of biomedical breakthroughs by NTU in healthcare. Future healthcare is one of NTU's Five Peaks of Excellence with which the university aims to make its mark globally under the NTU 2015 five-year strategic plan. The other four peaks are sustainable earth, new media, the best of the East and West, and innovation.
Moving forward, the team hopes to work with existing and new collaborative partners, within and outside of Singapore, to orchestrate a more concerted effort towards the advancement of the fledgling field of nanotoxicology here, with the aim of helping regulatory bodies in Singapore formulate guidelines to protect consumer interests.
The research team would also like to work with the European Union to uncover the risks involving nanomaterials and how these materials should be regulated before they are made commercially available. Asst Prof Joachim Loo, who received his Bachelor and Doctorate degrees from NTU, was the only Singaporean representative in a recent nanotechnology workshop held in Europe. At the workshop, it was agreed that research collaborations in nanotoxicology between EU and South-east Asia should be increased.
###
Media contact:
Lester Kok
Assistant Manager
Corporate Communications Office
Nanyang Technological University
Tel: 6790 6804
Email: lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg
About Nanyang Technological University
A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, and Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences. In 2013, NTU will enrol the first batch of students at its new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, which is set up jointly with Imperial College London.
NTU is also home to four world-class autonomous institutes the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).
A fast-growing university with an international outlook, NTU is putting its global stamp on Five Peaks of Excellence: Sustainable Earth, Future Healthcare, New Media, New Silk Road, and Innovation Asia.
Besides the main Yunnan Garden campus, NTU also has a satellite campus in Singapore's science and tech hub, one-north, and is setting up a third campus in Novena, Singapore's medical district.
For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NTU-led research probes potential link between cancer and a common chemical in consumer productsPublic release date: 29-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lester Kok lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg 65-679-06804 Nanyang Technological University
A study led by a group of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) researchers has found that a chemical commonly used in consumer products can potentially cause cancer.
The chemical, Zinc Oxide, is used to absorb harmful ultra violet light. But when it is turned into nano-sized particles, they are able to enter human cells and may damage the cells' DNA. This in turn activates a protein called p53, whose duty is to prevent damaged cells from multiplying and becoming cancerous. However, cells that lack p53 or do not produce enough functional p53 may instead develop into cancerous cells when they come into contact with Zinc Oxide nanoparticles.
The study is led by Assistant Professor Joachim Loo, 34, and Assistant Professor Ng Kee Woei, 37, from NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering. They worked with Assistant Professor David Leong, 38, from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, a joint senior author of this research paper.
The findings suggest that companies may need to reassess the health impact of nano-sized Zinc Oxide particles used in everyday products. More studies are also needed on the use and concentration levels of nanomaterials in consumer products, how often a consumer uses them and in what quantities.
"Currently there is a lack of information about the risks of the nanomaterials used in consumer products and what they can pose to the human body. This study points to the need for further research in this area and we hope to work with the relevant authorities on this," said Asst Prof Loo.
The groundbreaking research findings were published in this month's edition of Biomaterials, one of the world's top journals in the field of biomaterials research. The breakthrough also validated efforts by Asst Prof Loo and Asst Prof Ng to pioneer a research group in the emerging field of nanotoxicology, which is still very much in its infancy throughout the world.
Nanotoxicology studies materials to see if they are toxic or harmful when they are turned into nano-sized particles. This is because nanomaterials usually have very different properties when compared to when the materials are of a larger size.
Asst Prof Ng said the team will carry out further research as the DNA damage brought about by nano-sized Zinc Oxide particles is currently a result of an unknown mechanism. But what is clear is that besides causing DNA damage, nanoparticles can also cause other harmful effects when used in high doses.
"From our studies, we found that nanoparticles can also increase stress levels in cells, cause inflammation or simply kill cells," said Asst Prof Ng who added that apart from finding out the cellular mechanism, more focused research is also expected to ascertain the physiological effects and damage that nano-sized Zinc Oxide particles can cause.
Asst Prof Loo pointed out that besides enhancing the understanding of the potential risks of using nanomaterials, advancements in nanotoxicology research will also help scientists put nanomaterials to good use in biomedical applications.
For example, although killing cells in our bodies is typically undesirable, this becomes a positive outcome if it can be effectively directed towards cancer cells in the body. At the same time, the team is also studying how nanomaterials can be "re-designed" to pose a lesser risk to humans, yet still possess the desired beneficial properties.
This research discovery is one of the latest in a series of biomedical breakthroughs by NTU in healthcare. Future healthcare is one of NTU's Five Peaks of Excellence with which the university aims to make its mark globally under the NTU 2015 five-year strategic plan. The other four peaks are sustainable earth, new media, the best of the East and West, and innovation.
Moving forward, the team hopes to work with existing and new collaborative partners, within and outside of Singapore, to orchestrate a more concerted effort towards the advancement of the fledgling field of nanotoxicology here, with the aim of helping regulatory bodies in Singapore formulate guidelines to protect consumer interests.
The research team would also like to work with the European Union to uncover the risks involving nanomaterials and how these materials should be regulated before they are made commercially available. Asst Prof Joachim Loo, who received his Bachelor and Doctorate degrees from NTU, was the only Singaporean representative in a recent nanotechnology workshop held in Europe. At the workshop, it was agreed that research collaborations in nanotoxicology between EU and South-east Asia should be increased.
###
Media contact:
Lester Kok
Assistant Manager
Corporate Communications Office
Nanyang Technological University
Tel: 6790 6804
Email: lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg
About Nanyang Technological University
A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, and Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences. In 2013, NTU will enrol the first batch of students at its new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, which is set up jointly with Imperial College London.
NTU is also home to four world-class autonomous institutes the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).
A fast-growing university with an international outlook, NTU is putting its global stamp on Five Peaks of Excellence: Sustainable Earth, Future Healthcare, New Media, New Silk Road, and Innovation Asia.
Besides the main Yunnan Garden campus, NTU also has a satellite campus in Singapore's science and tech hub, one-north, and is setting up a third campus in Novena, Singapore's medical district.
For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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