Malaria Vaccine Candidate Produces Disappointing Results in Clinical Trial

The latest clinical trial of the world?s leading malaria vaccine candidate produced disappointing results on Friday. The infants it was given to had only about a third fewer infections than a control group.

But researchers said they wanted to press on, assuming they keep getting financial support, because the number of children who die of malaria is so great that even an inefficient vaccine can save thousands of lives.

Three shots of the vaccine, known as RTS, S or Mosquirix and produced by GlaxoSmithKline, gave babies fewer than 12 weeks old 31 percent protection against detectable malaria and 37 percent protection against severe malaria, according to an announcement by the company at a vaccines conference in Cape Town.

Last year, in a trial in children up to 17 months old, the same vaccine gave 55 percent protection against detectable malaria and 47 percent against severe malaria.

The new trial ?is less than we?d hoped for,? Moncef Slaoui, Glaxo?s chairman of research and development said in a telephone interview. ?But if a million babies were vaccinated, we would prevent 260,000 cases of malaria a year. This is a disease that kills 655,000 babies a year ? 31 percent of that is a very large number.?

The company, which has already spent more than $300 million on the vaccine, wants to keep forging ahead, he said, ?but it is not just our decision.?

It also depends on the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, which has put more than $200 million of its Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation financing into the vaccine, and on the World Health Organization, which has helped talk seven African countries into allowing the vaccine to be tested on their children.

The Gates Foundation declined to say how much money it was ultimately prepared to spend on an imperfect vaccine; this set of trials is set to go into 2014.

?The efficacy came back lower than we had hoped, but developing a vaccine against a parasite is a very hard thing to do,? Bill Gates said in a prepared statement. ?The trial is continuing, and we look forward to getting more data to help determine whether and how to deploy this vaccine.?

All the families in the trial were given insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets and encouraged to use them; 86 percent did, so the vaccine worked despite other anti-malaria measures.

RTS, S contains a protein found on the parasite?s surface that provokes an immune reaction. It was first identified decades ago by two New York University scientists, Ruth and Victor Nussenzweig. The vaccine was developed by Glaxo in Belgium and initially tested on American volunteers by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. When the Gates Foundation began focusing on global health in the early part of this century, it was one of the first projects the foundation adopted. Different ways to make the vaccine more effective, including adding different boosters and giving more shots, are being experimented with. Other vaccines using different ways to provoke an immune reaction exist, but none are as far along in clinical trials.

Like an H.I.V. vaccine, one against malaria has proved an elusive goal. The parasite morphs several times, exhibiting different surface proteins as it goes from mosquito saliva into blood and then into and out of the liver. Also, even the best natural ?vaccine? ? catching the disease itself ? is not very effective. While one bout of measles immunizes a child for life, it usually takes several bouts of malaria to confer even partial immunity. Pregnancy can cause women to stop being immune, and immunity can fade out if someone moves away from a malarial area ? presumably because they no longer get ?boosters? from repeated mosquito bites.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/10/health/malaria-vaccine-candidate-produces-disappointing-results-in-clinical-trial.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

bryce harper may day stoudemire jordan hill tony nominations dark knight trailer delmon young

Boehner says Obama should take lead on immigration

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio calls on a reporter during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Boehner said any deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff should include lower tax rates, eliminating special interest loopholes and revising the tax code. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio calls on a reporter during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Boehner said any deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff should include lower tax rates, eliminating special interest loopholes and revising the tax code. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gestures as he speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Boehner said any deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff should include lower tax rates, eliminating special interest loopholes and revising the tax code. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio calls on a reporter during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Boehner said any deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff should include lower tax rates, eliminating special interest loopholes and revising the tax code. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? House Speaker John Boehner on Friday said it was time to address immigration policy and urged President Barack Obama to take the lead in coming up with a plan that would look at both improved enforcement of immigration law and the future of the estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally.

Immigration policy, largely ignored during Obama's first four years in office, has reemerged as a key issue as Republicans seek ways to rebound from the beating they got from Hispanic voters during the presidential election. More than 70 percent of Hispanic voters supported Obama, who has been more open than Republicans to comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws.

"It's just time to get the job done," Boehner said at a news conference. He said lawmakers from both parties want to resolve the issue. "But again, on an issue this big, the president has to lead."

But Boehner would not commit to supporting legislation that might open a pathway to citizenship ? an idea that most Republicans have strongly opposed ? for those living in the country illegally.

"I'm not talking about a 3,000-page bill," he said. "What I'm talking about is a common-sense, step-by-step approach to secure our borders, allow us to enforce the laws and fix a broken immigration system."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said after the election that the vote showed that Democrats are the party of diversity, and he plans to bring up an immigration reform bill next year. He said Republicans would block such legislation at their own "peril."

Boehner, in an earlier interview with ABC, appeared to open the way for discussion on immigration by saying that a comprehensive approach is long overdue, and "I'm confident that the president, myself, others can find the common ground to take care of this issue once and for all."

That won praise from Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., head of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, who called Boehner's recognition of the urgent need for immigration reform a "breakthrough."

But Rep. John Fleming, R-La., also expressed concern that Boehner was "getting ahead of House Republicans when he commits to getting a 'comprehensive approach' to immigration."

"There's been zero discussion of this issue within the conference, and I'm urging the speaker to talk with House Republicans before making pledges on the national news," Fleming said.

Hispanics proved to be a critical source of support for Obama, and Republicans have since cited their failure to attract Hispanic voters as one reason for Obama's victory. The two candidates offered a stark contrast during the campaign.

Obama has been supportive to immigration law overhaul and in June announced that people brought here illegally as children who had graduated high school or served in the military would not be deported and would be granted work permits. GOP candidate Mitt Romney, meanwhile, supported more hardline policies and at one point called for "self-deportation" to shrink the number of people in the country illegally.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-11-09-Boehner-Immigration/id-985d837ca2f044219a41e514ac75535f

nfl mock draft project m rubio colts colts big ten tournament 2012 dennis quaid

News Summary: Chevron profit hurt by lower prices

{ttle}

{cptn}","template_name":"ss_thmb_play_ttle","i18n":{"end_of_gallery_header":"End of Gallery","end_of_gallery_next":"View Again"},"metadata":{"pagination":"{firstVisible} - {lastVisible} of {numItems}","ult":{"spaceid":"7663536","sec":""}}},{"id": "hcm-carousel-631299761", "dataManager": C.dmgr, "mediator": C.mdtr, "group_name":"hcm-carousel-631299761", "track_item_selected":1,"tracking":{ "spaceid" : "7663536", "events" : { "click" : { "any" : { "yui-carousel-prev" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"prev","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } }, "yui-carousel-next" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"next","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // no more pages, don't beacon again // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } } } } } } })); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function() { try{ if (Math.floor(Math.random()*10) == 1) { var loc = window.location, decoded = decodeURI(loc.pathname), encoded = encodeURI(decoded), uri = loc.protocol + "//" + loc.host + encoded + ((loc.search.length > 0) ? loc.search + '&' : '?') + "_cacheable=1", xmlhttp; if (window.XMLHttpRequest) xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); else xmlhttp = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); xmlhttp.open("GET",uri,true); xmlhttp.send(); } }catch(e){} })(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings = '"projectId": "10001256862979", "documentName": "", "documentGroup": "", "ywaColo" : "vscale3", "spaceId" : "7663536" ,"customFields" : { "12" : "classic", "13" : "story" }'; Y.Media.YWA.init(Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(document.onclick===YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.newClick){document.onclick=YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.oldClick;} }); }); });

Facebook adds a way for you to really, really 'like' something

17 hrs.

Joel Johnson

Richard Metzger isn't very happy with Mark Zuckerberg.?

The founder of Dangerous Minds,?an outsider arts and?culture blog, Metzger has cultivated more than 50,000 fans on his Facebook page over the last three years. But ever since Facebook went public in May, changes to the social networking giant's content algorithm have made Dangerous Minds' content an increasingly infrequent part of fans' daily Facebook timeline.

When you click "like" on something, you may think that means your timeline will get all the?updates from that brand. And it used to. But in an attempt to improve the usefulness of data it shows you on your timeline???which can mean removing content you don't interact with???Facebook has also confused what users and publishers?can expect "liking" something to mean.?In an attempt to clear up that confusion, Facebook has added new "like" options, such as "Get Notifications" and "Show in News Feed," which ask users to micromanage the properties that they already "liked."

In a fiery public complaint,?Metzger accused Facebook of "the biggest bait 'n' switch in history" with the introduction of "Promoted Posts." Essentially,?Facebook started asking Dangerous Minds to pay to promote posts to its willing?followers, a charge that Metzger estimated?could amount to $672,000 a year or more ? for something that was once?freely distributed to the same audience.?

Metzger broke down his calculations:

At Dangerous Minds, we post anywhere from 10 to 16 items per day, fewer on the weekends. To reach 100 percent of of our 50k+ Facebook fans [on fans' timelines] they?d charge us $200 per post. That would cost us between $2,000 and $3,200 per day???but let?s go with the lower, easier to multiply number. We post seven days a week, that would be about $14,000 per week, $56,000 per month? a grand total of $672,000 for what we got for free before Facebook started turning the traffic spigot down in spring of this year???wouldn?t you know it???right around the time of their badly managed IPO.

According to Metzger, traffic from Facebook back to Dangerous Minds has dropped by half to two-thirds from its previous levels, with the only apparent recourse being paying Facebook to promote posts to fans.

A?Facebook spokesperson told?NBC News that Metzger has misinterpreted the idea behind promoted posts: According to Facebook, they're going for quality, not quantity.

"We?re continuing to optimize (the)?news feed to show the posts that people are most likely to engage with, ensuring they see the most interesting stories," said the spokesperson. "This aligns with our vision that all content should be as engaging as the posts you see from friends and family."?

Facebook's advertising is designed????and priced????so that "the most engaging content" is promoted, but not in the way you might think: The most "organic engagement" a piece of content has????natural momentum from people viewing the content, commenting on it, or clicking "Like"????the less Facebook charges an advertiser to promote it.?

Just because a Facebook user has clicked "Like" on a fan page doesn't mean that person, publication, organization or brand will have unfettered access to push updates into a Facebook user's timeline? (even though, not that long ago, that's more or less how Facebook worked).

This can be confusing for some users and publishers, who had grown used to previous iterations of Facebook that operated more like Twitter or feed readers such as Google Reader, which show every bit of content from "liked" brands or publications in personal timelines.

But what does clicking "like" on a fan page mean to a user? As Allen Tingley said to me on Twitter, "Just because I 'like' something does not mean I want your marketing [crap] all day long in my newsfeed. social != free ads." But for?other users, clicking "like" may mean they want to be reached by? their "like-ee" as often as possible.

The confusion stems not just from users' varying perception of what clicking "like" means, but also from changes Facebook has made (and continues to make) to the way the algorithm that surfaces content to a user's timeline works over the last year.?

Clicking "like" is only one of "ten portions that count as engagement," according to Facebook. (The only way to count "disengagement," as it were, is to click the button that hides posts on your timeline.)?

Writing a post on a wall, tagging a photo, commenting on a fan page????all of these things add up behind the scenes to inform Facebook of what it should and shouldn't post on your timeline. As Facebook learns more about you from watching your online behavior, it attempts to present to you the content it thinks you most want to see.

The more you engage with a brand, an organization, or a person on Facebook, the more likely it is you'll see their content in your timeline. (Unfortunately, that's about as much direct control as you have over your timeline; there's no "See Everything From So-And-So" switch.)

Unless, of course, an advertiser???anyone from a big brand to a small publisher like Metzger, or even one of your personal friends???pays Facebook to push content to your timeline. Like Google, Facebook is at heart an advertising company. Or at least it is now that it must begin to pay back its investors.

For a small publisher like Metzger, who spent years investing time and resources into building a Facebook community because of the traffic it sent to his website in return, Facebook's recent monetization of his work feels like deception. "The idea that Facebook's senior management wouldn't have anticipated something like this???a very negative reaction from their most engaged user base???happening just boggles the mind," Metzger told NBC News. To Metzger, those 50,000 people are friends ??or at least "friends"????while Facebook sees them as mutually shared customers.

Yet Facebook can't operate as a free service forever, at least not for everyone. Since it's not likely that individual users will pay for Facebook accounts, that leaves only advertisers. Even if, as in the case of Metzger and Dangerous Minds, the social network didn't think they were an advertiser, but instead another user.

It's a new twist on the old aphorism, "If you're not paying for the merchandise, you are the merchandise." This time around, Dangerous Minds is both the merchandise and the customer: The blog?built a community and provided content to Facebook; Facebook built a social network that provided traffic and tools to Dangerous Minds in return for free, until the community that Metzger built became valuable enough to sell to advertisers???including Metzger.

While Facebook is unlikely to roll back changes to its sharing?algorithm?to "full blast," the company has confirmed that users will now have a way to opt in to receiving full updates from companies, organizations or publications they "like" by clicking a "Get Notifications" toggle on the Like button itself. Of course, this demands followers to go to the company page and specifically adjust settings ? something most likely won't do.

Metzger sees it as an improvement, if only just. As he told NBC News, "Obviously, from just about every perspective I can think of, this is a?significant change for the better, but if [Facebook's algorithm] was the?opt-in feature to begin with, and not an opt-out thing,?then Facebook wouldn't have invited the [storm] of toxic public?opinion that greeted the roll-out of their promoted posts scheme." Metzger still considers the original implementation "amateur-hour vulture capitalism."

In other Facebook users,?Metzger may have struck a nerve, telling NBC News that his rant currently had been "liked" over 20,000 times within 24 hours of its posting ??on Facebook.

Joel Johnson is a tech & science reporter who lives in Brooklyn.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/responding-criticism-facebook-adds-way-you-really-really-something-1C6669506

brock lesnar vs alistair overeem times square new years eve liquor store how to tie a bow tie diverticulitis jello shots bowl games

Watch These New Yorkers Celebrate in the Streets After Getting Power Back By Eric...

Watch These New Yorkers Celebrate in the Streets After Getting Power Back

By Eric Limer

Manhattan’s lower east side had the pleasure of finally getting its power back yesterday, after about a week of going without. As you can imagine, people were pretty stoked. This passerby caught some footage of the celebration. The whole scene is positively jubilant. Enjoy. [Reddit]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/m9TNPrNY3u8/34909233058

politico Medal of Honor Warfighter Richard Mourdock d t p zynga

10 Things to Know for Friday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about on Friday:

1. WHO'S THE REAL CANDIDATE OF CHANGE

Both Romney and Obama vie for the mantle as they make their closing arguments in an unpredictably close race for the White House.

2. THE ECONOMY BEGINS TO SHINE AGAIN

Several reports show a brightening view with cheaper gas, rising home prices and lower unemployment, giving consumers the confidence to spend more.

3. AS ROUTINE RETURNS TO NYC, IT'S JOINED BY FRUSTRATION

City residents grapple with traffic, bus lines and shortages, prompting one to exclaim "I'm tired of it, big-time."

4. A TRAGIC ENDING IN THE SEARCH FOR MISSING BOYS

Police find the bodies of the children, ages 2 and 4, who were separated from their frantic mother in Staten Island at the height of Superstorm Sandy by the rising water.

5. WHAT THE CIA SAYS REALLY HAPPENED IN BENGHAZI

Agency officers say they responded to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in less than 25 minutes and were never told to delay or stand down.

6. WHY PUTIN IS KEEPING A LOW PROFILE

Speculation abounds that the Russian president injured himself during a publicity stunt when he used a motorized hang-glider to fly with cranes, though his office denies it.

7. HOW THE REBELS ARE STRIKING BACK IN SYRIA

Assaults on military checkpoints in the north and other attacks result in the deaths of 78 regime soldiers

8. TWO CHILDREN STABBED TO DEATH IN GRUESOME SCENE

A suburban Chicago woman tells investigators she killed her 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old girl because she was angry that her husband, a trucker, was often away, prosecutors say.

9. NYC MARATHON: THE RACE MUST GO ON

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the Sunday run won't divert resources from storm victims as he defends the decision not to cancel the event.

10. BLAKE'S BIG NIGHT AT THE CMA's

Blake Shelton, "The Voice" star, wins entertainer of the year at the Country Music Association Awards.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-things-know-friday-103047600.html

flyers 2012 white house correspondents dinner forrest gump bernard hopkins nfl draft grades devils dodgers

Blake Shelton pulls off surprise win at CMAs

Miranda Lambert, left, and Blake Shelton embrace onstage after winning the award for song of the year for "Over You" at the 46th Annual Country Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Wade Payne/Invision/AP)

Miranda Lambert, left, and Blake Shelton embrace onstage after winning the award for song of the year for "Over You" at the 46th Annual Country Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Wade Payne/Invision/AP)

Miranda Lambert, winner of the awards for song of the year for "Over You" and female vocalist of the year, left, and Blake Shelton, winner of the awards for male vocalist of the year, song of the year for "Over You" and entertainer of the year, pose backstage at the 46th Annual Country Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Jimi Westbrook, from left, Kimberly Schlapman, Karen Fairchild and Phillip Sweet, of Little Big Town, accept the award for vocal group of the year at the 46th Annual Country Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Wade Payne/Invision/AP)

Eric Church accepts the award for album of the year for "Chief" at the 46th Annual Country Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Wade Payne/Invision/AP)

Jason Aldean performs during the opening of the 46th Annual Country Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Wayde Payne/Invision/AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ? Winning the Country Music Association Awards' entertainer of the year is a top honor and always counted as a career high point. But for Blake Shelton it wasn't even the most memorable moment of an amazing Thursday night.

"The Voice" star took home three trophies, including his third straight male vocalist victory, but nothing compared to sharing song of the year with wife Miranda Lambert. The pair wrote "Over You," about the death of Shelton's brother Richie in a car wreck 15 years ago. He said that trophy will always have a special place in their Oklahoma home.

"For me as a songwriter that is as personal as I can get," Shelton said. "So that songwriter award, song of the year award, it will have its own shelf. It will have spotlights on it and an alarm and everything. Trip wires and there will be a land mine if you walk towards it. It is a real big deal to Miranda and I."

Shelton's entertainer win was the biggest surprise of a night full of them. Even he couldn't believe he'd won the award in a field that included Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley.

"I didn't think about that tonight. I was thinking there's Taylor Swift right there," he said of the two-time entertainer of the year. "Really, this is pretty dumb that there's anyone else even nominated."

The reality, though, is Shelton capped one of the most impressive career reboots in country music history with the win. About three years ago, he was searching for a hit or a gimmick that might return him to the top of the charts, without much luck. He scored a novelty hit with Trace Adkins called "Hillbilly Bone," began a run of hits and then joined "The Voice" in a move that made him an instant celebrity outside the country world.

He hasn't sold as many records as Swift, whose "Red" just moved 1.2 million copies in its first week, or as many concert tickets as Chesney or Aldean. But his leading-man looks, wicked sense of humor, Twitter presence and mellow baritone have made him one of country's top stars.

While Shelton didn't give himself much of a shot, Lambert ? who also won her third straight female vocalist of the year award ? thought he fit the definition of entertainer of the year after doing a little research.

"I realized that it just meant not only touring numbers, not only ticket sales or how much production you have, but the way that you represent country music within a year," Lambert said. "The media that you do and the work that you do and the TV shows that you are on and how you represent yourself and how you speak out about country music. When you think about it that way, Blake Shelton deserved to win that trophy tonight."

Shelton's victory was just one of many surprises during the awards. Quartet Little Big Town joined Lambert with two wins apiece, taking home vocal group and single of the year for "Pontoon." And Thompson Square's Shawna and Keifer Thompson won vocal duo of the year, ending Sugarland's five-year run in that category.

"Y'all, this has been a 13-year journey," Karen Fairchild said as members of the group fist-pumped, jumped up and down and shouted on stage. "We're living proof that if you work really hard and chase your dream, all the good stuff happens and it follows you. Nashville, you made us your band. Thank you for letting us do this."

Like fellow outsiders LBT, Eric Church felt the love from the CMA's voters for the first time. He won the prestigious album of the year for his breakthrough record "Chief," signaling the North Carolina native's complete acceptance by the country music community.

"I spent a lot of my career wondering where I fit in ? too country, too rock," Church told the crowd. "I want to thank you guys for giving me somewhere to hang my hat tonight."

The awards went off-script early, and not just for Little Big Town. Thompson Square won in a category that's been locked up by either Sugarland or Brooks & Dunn 19 of the last 20 years.

"Ever since I was 5 years old, I used to practice in the kitchen with one of my Meemaw's Mason jars for this moment here," Shawna Thompson said.

Hunter Hayes won new artist of the year, while Chesney and Tim McGraw won musical event of the year for "Party Like a Rock Star" and Toby Keith won video of the year for "Red Solo Cup."

Church helped kick off the show by combining forces with Aldean and Luke Bryan. Playing with a large American flag behind them, the trio of performers teamed up on Aldean's new single "The Only Way I Know" from his new album "Night Train" and earned a standing ovation. Each returned later to play singles, showing how large a market share they now own in country music.

Most of country's top stars were on hand at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena for the celebration, with many slated to perform. Swift performed her somber new single "Begin Again" on a set with a picture of the Eiffel Tower and falling leaves in the background. She received an ovation of her own.

Shelton, McGraw and wife Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum and Keith Urban joined together to salute lifetime achievement winner Willie Nelson, ending with a group sing-along of his iconic "On the Road Again."

Little Big Town performed their winner "Pontoon," a song that was something of a departure for Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet. Produced by Jay Joyce, the song has a sharper groove than LBT's previous efforts.

In a coincidence, Joyce also produced Church's "Chief." The hard edge he brought to both paid off all around.

Church said album of the year, arguably the CMA's second most prestigious award, was a win that fit right in with his and Joyce's philosophy.

"I still think in this day and time the only way to really get a fan base is you've got to give them more than one chapter of a book," Church said. "They've got to read the whole book."

___

AP writer Kristin M. Hall in Nashville contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://cmaworld.com

http://abc.go.com/shows/cma-awards

___

For the latest country music news from the Associated Press: http://twitter.com. Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-11-02-Music-CMA%20Awards/id-4b24dcbb253f42ca9e0629d8edee797b

Olympic Games Dana Vollmer phillies phillies Ryan Dempster Phelps NBC Olympics Live

Young illegal immigrants weigh in on obama's deferred action ...

Browse >
Home / News / Young illegal immigrants weigh in on obama?s deferred action

ATLANTA (AP) ? Viridiana Martinez has been on the front lines in the debate over immigration reform, organizing protests and getting arrested in acts of civil disobedience. But when the president announced a policy allowing young people like her to temporarily avoid deportation, she was anything but elated.

?It?s all political theater,? said the 26-year-old who came to the U.S. illegally from Mexico when she was 6 and grew up in North Carolina. ?For me, at this point, applying for deferred action would be like accepting that theater, and I can?t do that.?

The lukewarm responses of Martinez and other leaders of the so-called DREAMers movement come after they have spent months or even years traveling the country while openly declaring themselves ?undocumented and unafraid.? They have gotten themselves arrested, boldly given interviews to the press and allowed their pictures to be taken, and many are known to immigration authorities, who have taken no steps to deport them.

The policy shift announced by President Barack Obama in June provides a two-year protection from deportation to certain young people brought to this country illegally and the chance to apply for a work permit. Now the young activist leaders are deciding whether it?s worth accepting a deal that falls far short of what they?re asking for.

Some, like Martinez, are rejecting the program because its narrow scope doesn?t provide a path to legalization or any security for their families. But others have decided to apply despite misgivings, lured by the chance to get a driver?s license and qualify for in-state tuition in some states and to get a work permit.

Keish Kim, brought from Korea when she was 8, has been a vocal and active critic of a policy that effectively bars students who can?t prove their citizenship or legal residency from attending Georgia?s most competitive state colleges and universities. She?s skeptical of the new program, but decided to apply.

?If I do get deferred action, I can legally work and help sustain my family financially,? said the 21-year-old Syracuse University student. ?That means a lot to a lot of undocumented families.?

The government began accepting applications Aug. 15. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that as many as 1.7 million people could be eligible. By Oct. 10, about 180,000 people had applied and nearly 4,600 applications had been approved.

Throngs of young people have turned out at events nationwide where immigration lawyers have offered free guidance on completing applications. Still, some are concerned about signaling their presence to immigration authorities. And there are other obstacles: the $465 application fee and the extensive documentation required to prove eligibility.

Mohammad Abdollahi, 27, who grew up in Michigan after being brought here illegally from Iran at age 3, said he is concerned about applicants who might get rejected. The leader of many protests around the country said he doesn?t plan to apply until the guidelines are more inclusive.

?Getting a work permit would help me,? he said. ?But I know there are so many other people who are not out and are not organizing that are not going to qualify or their applications are going to get rejected.?

Many critics say the policy ? which they contend falls short even as a stopgap measure ? is a way for Obama to pander to the growing Latino voting bloc ahead of the elections.

?He got away with making it seem like he became our friend,? Martinez said of the president. ?I?m not going to drink the Kool-Aid.?

Martinez has been arrested during civil disobedience actions in Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., and recently purposely got herself detained in a federal immigration detention center in south Florida to gather stories of others locked up and to try to help win their release.

She is not applying out of principle, but recognizes her high profile may give her more protection from deportation than others. Her sister, who lives in a small town in North Carolina, has applied for the program to gain work authorization.

To be eligible, applicants have to prove that they arrived in the U.S. before they turned 16 and are under 30 years old. They must be high school graduates or in school, or have served in the military, and they cannot have a serious criminal record.

The requirements are similar to those of the failed DREAM Act, which would have provided a path to legal residency for many brought here illegally as children. The new policy does not provide legal status, and both protection from deportation and work authorization is only for two years.

Last spring, groups of young activists staged sit-ins at Obama campaign offices around the country and gathered signatures asking the president to issue an executive order halting deportations for anyone who would be eligible for the DREAM Act had it passed.

Some believe confusion about the new policy has ended up giving more credit to Obama than he deserves, and that more comprehensive reform may be shelved.

?I?m just afraid that people will push aside immigration as if it was addressed,? said Kim.

The program is not an executive order, but rather a policy directive that will those who are approved in a state of limbo. They will also not be eligible for certain benefits that legal immigrants and American citizens can access.

For some, the cost is an issue.

Georgina Perez, a 23-year-old full-time college student with no job, wants a work permit, but she can?t afford the $465 application fee.

?I was very cautious (when the policy was announced). I didn?t celebrate it right away,? said Perez, who came from Mexico when she was two and has helped lead immigration protests in Georgia and got arrested during a civil disobedience action last year. ?Now I see that I should go ahead and apply for it, but there?s another roadblock, the money.?

?

Posted by Marcus Atkinson ? Filed Under News?
Tagged:

Source: http://hispanicohio.northcoastnow.com/2012/10/29/young-illegal-immigrants-weigh-in-on-obamas-deferred-action/

what will my baby look like gary carter died cmas cmas tcu dr. oz heart attack grill las vegas

Here's a Chrome Extension That Kicks Politics Out of Your Feeds

Good news—there are only 13 days left until the election! Bad news—there are 15 days left until the election. If you're on political overload, you can use a handy Chrome extension called Unpolitic.me to remove all the politics talk from your Facebook and Twitter feeds. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/7qTuFanFavY/heres-a-chrome-extension-that-kicks-politics-out-of-your-feeds

walking dead bcs rankings earthquake today earthquake today Heather Clem Romney abc news

ECB's Draghi faces German lawmakers

BERLIN (AP) ? The European Central Bank's president drew a broadly positive response from German lawmakers Wednesday when he told them that his bond-buying plan won't stoke inflation and will not allow struggling countries to backslide on economic reforms.

In an effort to win over skeptical public opinion in Europe's biggest economy, Mario Draghi met for two hours at Berlin's Reichstag building with more than 100 politicians, including members of the budget, finance and European affairs committees.

He said afterward that the closed-doors exchange was "an important component of confidence-building, trust-building."

The ECB last month announced its plan to buy unlimited amounts of short-term bonds of troubled euro economies ? a program aimed at keeping a lid on the borrowing costs of indebted countries such as Spain and Italy.

Although Chancellor Angela Merkel's government supports the plan, the president of Germany's central bank, Jens Weidmann, argues that they come too close to using the ECB's power to print money to support governments' finances directly, which the bank isn't allowed to do.

And there are worries in Germany that unlimited bond purchases could undermine the ECB's official mission of fighting inflation.

Draghi tackled those concerns in remarks to the gathering released by the ECB, insisting that investors' "unfounded fears about the future of the euro area had to be removed."

"The only way to do so was to establish a fully credible backstop against disaster scenarios," he said.

Draghi highlighted the fact that bond-buying will only be triggered once countries apply for help from European rescue funds ? which impose conditions for granting aid.

And, he insisted, the purchases "will not lead to inflation."

"In our assessment, the greater risk to price stability is currently falling prices in some euro area countries," he said. "In this sense, (bond purchases) are not in contradiction to our mandate: in fact, they are essential for ensuring we can continue to achieve it."

Norbert Barthle, a senior lawmaker with Merkel's Christian Democrats, appeared satisfied. He told reporters that the Italian "struck us as a Prussian southern European."

"His answers were very convincing, and so I think we can send the message to German citizens that the worries about inflation that have been expressed here and there are unfounded," he added.

Parliament speaker Norbert Lammert, also a Christian Democrat, said the meeting "contributed a lot to understanding each other's concerns and intentions somewhat better" and to building confidence.

The ECB head argued that the bond program "will not lead to disguised financing of governments" because bonds will be bought from investors on so-called secondary markets, not from governments.

Draghi repeated his oft-stated mantra that it is up to governments to fix their finances, reform their economies and work together to improve the eurozone's structure ? which is line with official thinking in Germany.

He maintained that bond purchases won't create "excessive risks" for European taxpayers because "such risks would only materialize if a country were to run unsound policies." But that, he added, is "explicitly prohibited" by eurozone rescue fund programs.

No country has yet sought to tap the new ECB program, though Spain faces pressure to given the parlous state of its economy and its elevated borrowing costs.

Germany's Parliament would have to approve any application for money from the eurozone's own rescue funds ? an application that is necessary before the ECB can act to assist a eurozone nation.

Some lawmakers suggested they weren't convinced it made sense for the independent central bank to link its actions to financial policy conditions.

And Carsten Schneider, a budget committee member for the opposition Social Democrats, said concerns about extra risks to taxpayers remained.

But he argued that foot-dragging by Merkel was responsible for "the current situation that the ECB is moving away from its normal mandate of ... fighting inflation and taking on tasks to save the euro that it is not actually created for."

Though rhetoric in Germany on the bond-buying program has sometimes been shrill, the atmosphere Wednesday was calm. "The tone was, as is customary in German politics, civil," said Social Democrat Joachim Poss.

Asked whether he considered his mission of winning over German public opinion accomplished, Draghi laughed and said: "Oh, that would be too ambitious."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ecbs-draghi-faces-german-lawmakers-132012247--finance.html

wii u wii u boxing news Coptic Christian saturday night live julio cesar chavez jr Topless Kate

Barnes & Noble says PIN pads in 63 stores hacked

NEW YORK (AP) ? Barnes & Noble Inc. said Tuesday that devices used by customers to swipe credit and debit cards have been tampered with in 63 of its stores in nine states.

The company warned customers to check for unauthorized transactions and to change their personal identification numbers, or PINs. It didn't say how many accounts may have been compromised.

But The New York Times, citing a high-ranking company official it did not name, reported that hackers had made unauthorized purchases on some customer credit cards.

The New York-based bookseller said in a statement Tuesday only one of the devices, known as PIN pads, was tampered with in each of the 63 stores. The stores are in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

All the PIN pads in its nearly 700 stores nationwide were disconnected on Sept. 14 after the company learned of the tampering. Federal authorities are helping in its investigation.

Barnes & Noble said it is working with banks and card issuers to identify compromised accounts so that additional fraud-protection measures can be taken.

Customers at its book stores will now have to ask cashiers to swipe credit or debit cards on card readers connected to cash registers, a process that is secure, Barnes & Noble said.

Anything bought on Barnes & Noble.com or with the chain's Nook devices and app were not affected, the company said. It also said its customer database is secure.

Barnes & Noble is only the latest major retailer to be a victim of a serious data breach. In one of the largest, more than 45 million credit and debit cards were exposed to possible fraud because of hackers who broke into the computer system of TJX Cos., the parent company of retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshall's, starting in 2005.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/barnes-noble-says-pin-pads-63-stores-hacked-023657958.html

olivier martinez peoples choice awards 2012 ford recalls robert kardashian chicago weather forecast narcolepsy narcolepsy

Video: Alter: Right wing attacks on Obama are ?racist tropes?

Sandoval's 3 HRs help Giants to 6-1 opener lead

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Pablo Sandoval became just the fourth player to hit three home runs in a World Series game, connecting twice against Justin Verlander and once off Al Alburquerque to boost the San Francisco Giants into a 6-1 lead over the Detroit Tigers after six innings of Wednesday night's opener.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49542185#49542185

pirate bay philadelphia eagles revenge revenge once upon a time once upon a time adam shulman

Heidi Montag: Plastic Surgery Was Not Smart

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/10/heidi-montag-plastic-surgery-was-not-smart/

pid corned beef hash the walking dead season 2 finale born free walking dead finale nascar bristol narwhal

Sports journalists join 'Discerning Voters' to back President Mahama

Discerning Voters, a group of independent professionals of the National Democratic Congress, on Tuesday stated their commitment to rally undecided voters to ensure victory for the party in the December 2012 polls.

?We are committing to win 80% of undecided voters for the President through an ongoing peaceful, yet robust and massive strategy that will change the dynamics of Ghanaian politics.?

The Discerning Voters said this at a media briefing to inaugurate the Group in Accra.

Mr Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, a sports journalist and the Convener of the group noted that the group was inspired by President John Mahama's sense of maturity, humility, competence and continuous dedication to the needs of Ghanaians.

?If there ever was a man who has made such tremendous impression and impact as President of his country in just four months, then that man is President John Mahama, and surely this man deserves to continue in office as our President?

He noted that the group had begun massive campaign in villages to inform the electorate about what the NDC had to offer, adding ?we want to encourage you to join us to stand up for Ghana, stand up for truth and stand for President John Mahama?.

According to Mr Ampofo Ankrah, the decision to campaign for the NDC was not instigated by any form of financial gains, as speculated among a section of the public.

?So confident are we in the Better Ghana Agenda that many of us have resigned from our jobs and put our businesses on hold to ensure this humble desire by President Mahama to continue to save the ordinary Ghanaians??

Nana Yaw Agyemang, a television sports commentator, who also declared his support for President Mahama, stated that he had a mind of his own and therefore decided on what he considered to be right.

?I cannot be pushed around by anybody, neither can anyone influence me to do anything, but this is to set an example for those who are afraid to declare their stand. I believe President Mahama is the best person to lead the country.

Source: http://www.modernghana.com/sports/425838/2/sports-journalists-join-discerning-voters-to-back-.html

beach boys tony bennett joe walsh the civil wars paul mccartney duggar miscarriage roman holiday

Diabetes drug could be effective in treating addiction, researchers find

ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2012) ? Vanderbilt researchers are reporting that a drug currently used to treat type 2 diabetes could be just as effective in treating addiction to drugs, including cocaine.

The findings, published online as a Letter To The Editor in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, could have far-reaching implications for patients worldwide who suffer from addiction.

"What we have demonstrated is that a brain mechanism already known to be therapeutic for the treatment of diabetes also appears to be implicated in at least certain types of drug addiction," said Gregg Stanwood, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and an investigator within the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and Vanderbilt Brain Institute.

"We found that this drug called Exendin-4 that is already used for the medical management of diabetes, reduces the rewarding effects of cocaine in animals. We suspect that this is a general mechanism that will translate to additional drugs of abuse, especially other stimulants like amphetamine and methamphetamine."

Co-author Aurelio Galli, Ph.D., professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and Vanderbilt Brain Institute investigator, said Exendin-4 is already FDA-approved for diabetes (Byetta and Bydureon), so this target isn't just "druggable" -- it's already "drugged."

"I think the power of this research is that it is so easily translatable to humans because it is already FDA approved," said Galli, also co-director of the Neuroscience Program in Substance Abuse (N-PISA) at Vanderbilt University. "This is the first indication that it will work on psychostimulants. So our studies offer immediate translational opportunities to improve outcomes in human abusers."

"Any disease that is based on dysregulated dopamine can be potentially targeted. There is a lot of co-morbidity between metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity and psychiatric disease like addiction and schizophrenia."

Lead author, Devon Graham, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in Pharmacology, injected animals with a drug called Exendin-4, which is a long-lasting version of the natural peptide hormone GLP-1, and observed a significant blunting of the rewarding effects of cocaine. The findings were consistent, regardless of the Ex-4 dose administered, the authors reported. The study reports no evidence of negative side effects or addiction to Ex-4 treatment.

Stanwood said that although is important to be very cautious in extrapolating the results into the human population, these are very promising data. Addiction in a human being is a very complex disorder with a variety of genetic and environmental factors at play, he said, so it is unlikely that all of human drug addiction would respond homogeneously to this therapy in all people.

"There are no medically based therapies for stimulant addiction that have been successful in the clinic although there are a variety of psychosocial and behavioral therapies that are somewhat effective in some people," Stanwood said. "The beauty of this is that it targets a completely new mechanism so we are cautiously hopeful that the field will be able to exploit this, to provide a pharmacological way to help patients combat the disorder.

"We don't expect this to be a magic bullet where one can simply take this drug and their addiction goes away, but hopefully a medicine like this, in combination with social and behavioral support, will help an addict on the road to recovery," he said.

Kevin Erreger, Ph.D., instructor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, also contributed to the study. The research was supported by NIH R01DK085712, R01DA013975 and K99DA025716.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. D L Graham, K Erreger, A Galli, G D Stanwood. GLP-1 analog attenuates cocaine reward. Molecular Psychiatry, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/mp.2012.141

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/NUBBws67c4U/121023100909.htm

protandim weightless ellen degeneres jcpenney yeardley love nba all star reserves rock center christine

Alwaleed says Citigroup has great potential

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who has a stake in Citigroup , said on Monday the U.S. bank has great potential under new management following the departure of Vikram Pandit as chief executive.

Alwaleed, speaking at a conference, said Pandit had done "a pretty good job" at Citigroup over the past several years and investors would need two to three years to see the results of the new management.

Pandit resigned earlier this month and was replaced by Michael Corbat, previously the head of European, Middle Eastern and African operations at Citigroup.

Alwaleed, who conducts much of his investment through his Kingdom Holding , praised Citigroup's status as a global bank - the world's only truly global bank, he said - and the fact that it did not pull back from overseas during the global financial crisis as other Western banks have done.

He also said he would stick with his investment in Apple Inc .

"In the next year or two we still want to be living with the legacy of Steve Jobs," said Alwaleed, referring to Apple's co-founder and former chief executive who died last year.

Alwaleed a nephew of Saudi Arabia's king, was estimated by Forbes magazine last year to have a fortune of over $19 billion.

He said he saw a wide range of investment opportunities in Africa, but that the global economy was still fragile with Europe facing a particularly severe threat in the debt problems of Italy and Spain.

"Although we are out of the intensive care unit, we're not out of the woods yet," he said of the global economic environment.

(Reporting by Mirna Sleiman; Writing by Andrew Torchia; Editing by Dan Lalor and Mark Potter)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alwaleed-says-citigroup-great-potential-101932843--finance.html

phoebe snow jennifer hudson tribute to whitney houston nicki minaj grammy jason whitlock beach boys tony bennett joe walsh

Dino's Boxing Bootcamp | Ridgewood Sports & Recreation and

129 S Broad St, Ridgewood, NJ | Get?Directions??
FREE

Come into New York Sports Clubs and try out our new class for free!

High-energy boot camp style training system that combines H.I.G.T (High Intensity group training) and it's principles with boxing techniques to build lean sexy muscle & torch loads of body fat, to build & sculpt your best body ever.

TO REGISTER:

Email your name and number to:

Anastasiya.Marino@town-sports.com

?

*Come in 15 minutes early to pick up your guest pass. ?All guests must be at least 14 years old & provide proper ID.

40.977467

-74.121214

primary

Dino's Boxing Bootcamp

October 20, 2012, 2:00 pm?3:00 pm

129 S Broad St, Ridgewood, NJ

New York Sports Clubs

/events/dinos-boxing-bootcamp

/locations/8035601

Source: http://ridgewood.patch.com/events/dinos-boxing-bootcamp

erin andrews erin andrews Pepco tour de france instagram Magic Mike Anderson Cooper Gay

Source: http://tearaway-demure.blogspot.com/2012/10/dino-boxing-bootcamp-ridgewood-sports.html

amare stoudemire tallest building in the world the pitch brandon inge freedom tower freedom tower eric church

Source: http://factorial-percheron.blogspot.com/2012/10/dino-boxing-bootcamp-ridgewood-sports.html

law school rankings jon hamm heather morris ncaa bracket predictions jeff foxworthy the bachelor finale march madness bracket

US to aid Beirut bomb probe amid Lebanon violence

Hussam Shebaro / Reuters

A Sunni Muslim gunman with a weapon rides a motorcycle through the streets of Kaskas in Beirut, Monday, after a night of tension.

By NBC News staff and wire reports

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged to help Lebanon investigate Friday's deadly car bombing in Beirut, as parts of the city were engulfed in violence that some observers say heralds the spread of civil war from neighboring Syria.?

She spoke with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati?on Sunday to reiterate U.S. condemnation of the attack - which?killed intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan - calling it "heinous",?State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.

---

"The secretary emphasized the United States' firm commitment to Lebanon's stability, independence, sovereignty and security," Nuland said in a statement.

PhotoBlog: Tension on Beirut streets as political crisis deepens

"She noted the importance of political leaders working together at this sensitive time to ensure that calm prevails and that those responsible for the attack are brought to justice,? the statement said.

Protesters rushed the prime minister's office Sunday in Lebanon, ripping up barbed wire and hurling rocks. The situation, which started as a peaceful protest, has become a standoff between protesters and the military. It has also triggered concern that Syria's civil war is spreading. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.

Nuland said Clinton and Mikati agreed that the United States "would provide assistance in the investigation of the bombing."

Syria blamed by Lebanese opposition
Opposition leaders and their supporters accuse Syria of being behind Friday's attack, and say Mikati is too close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese ally Hezbollah, which is part of Mikati's government.

Thousands turned out Sunday in downtown Beirut's Martyrs' Square for Hassan's funeral, which also served as a political rally. Violence erupted after an opposition leader demanded that Mikati step down to pave the way for talks on the crisis.

"The Syrian regime started a war against us and we will fight this battle until the end," said Anthony Labaki, a 24-year-old physiotherapist.

Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP - Getty Images

Huge blast explodes in a central Beirut street injures dozens, kills at least eight.

Sunday's clashes fed into a growing political crisis in Lebanon linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.?Israeli news site Haaretz reported that the clashes "raised the specter of the nation once again becoming torn apart by civil war."

A group marched to the prime minister's office, then overturned barriers, pulled apart barbed wire coils and threw steel rods, stones and bottle at soldiers and police.

Security forces responded by shooting into air and firing teargas, forcing the protesters to scatter.

"Lebanon is in the eye of the storm," said Fawaz A. Gerges, head of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. "The fact that the protesters came close to storming the parliament shows how deep the crisis of the state is and how weak the leadership has become."

Fire exchanged in southern Beirut
On Sunday night, gunmen armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades exchanged fire in southern districts of Beirut, security sources told Reuters, and residents could hear the sound of ambulance sirens.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the clashes in the capital, but in the northern city of Tripoli a 9-year-old girl was killed by a sniper and several people were wounded in clashes.

PhotoBlog: Violence erupts in Beirut after slain official's funeral

Gunmen have been patrolling the streets in Tripoli, scene of previous clashes between Sunnis and Alawites sympathetic to different sides in the Syria war.

Opposition leader Saad al-Hariri urged supporters to refrain from any more violence.

"We want peace, the government should fall but we want that in a peaceful way. I call on all those who are in the streets to pull back," Hariri said on the Future Television channel.

Sectarian tensions
Sunday's events highlighted how the 19-month-old uprising against Assad has sharpened deep-seated sectarian tensions in Lebanon, which is still scarred from its 1975-90 civil war.

Sunni-led rebels are fighting to overthrow Assad, who is from the Alawite minority, which has its roots in Shiite Islam. Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those that support Assad and those that back the rebels.

Hassan, 47, was a senior intelligence official who had helped uncover a bomb plot that led to the arrest and indictment in August of a pro-Assad former Lebanese minister.

A Sunni Muslim, he also led an investigation that implicated Syria and the Shiite Hezbollah in the 2005 assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon.

Damascus and Hezbollah have condemned Hassan's killing.

NBC's Paul Nassar describes the scene after a bomb killed 8 people in Lebanon Friday.

But mourners at Martyrs' Square on Sunday accused Syria of involvement and called for Mikati to quit. One banner read "Go, go Najib" echoing the slogans of the Arab Spring.

"We came for Lebanon's future," said mourner Rama Fakhouri, an interior designer. "And to show that we will not be scared."

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/22/14608889-us-pledges-to-aid-beirut-bomb-probe-amid-lebanon-violence?lite

internal revenue service intc ipad mini andrew shaw christina aguilera tupac hologram

All the interviews for 2012 (Offthekuff)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/257305755?client_source=feed&format=rss

chuck colson ufc 145 results orrin hatch marlon byrd charles colson humber raffi torres

Nobody needs to see Darrell Issa naked (Unqualified Offerings)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/257202780?client_source=feed&format=rss

don cornelius whitney houston i will always love you breaking news whitney houston carmen whitney houston last performance cpac straw poll breaking dawn part 2

UN: Southern Africa food shortages worsen

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) ? The United Nations deputy humanitarian chief says food shortages are "a chronic problem" in southern Africa and more than 5.5 million people in eight countries need aid this year, a 40 percent increase compared to 2011.

Catherine Bragg, winding up a five-day southern Africa trip Saturday, said worsening food shortages are the result of drought or floods and rising world food prices.

In Zimbabwe, 1.6 million people are affected by food shortages and many rural families have begun selling village livestock, often kept as a symbol of status and wellbeing, to cope with the "dire situation," Bragg said.

A decade of seizures of commercial farms has disrupted food production in Zimbabwe, a former regional breadbasket.

Food shortages are also particularly acute in Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland, Bragg said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-20-Southern%20Africa-Food%20Shortages/id-40c7cf00d2324478afc57f8965fbed27

jason smith jon corzine austin rivers austin rivers sweet home alabama etch a sketch the host