EA's botched launch of latest "SimCity" leaves gamers fuming

(Reuters) - Electronic Arts Inc's launch of the newest game in its signature "SimCity" franchise this week was marred by a series of technical faults that shut out some gamers for days, triggering an outcry on social networks and Internet forums.

Players of the city-building simulation, now hosted wholly online rather than stored on personal computers, were plagued by constant error alerts when trying to log in.

EA blamed "server instability" caused by too many players.

The company has been in damage-control mode since the game's North American launch on Tuesday, and has scrambled to bring additional servers online. But the botched launch is a black eye for EA and a 24-year-old franchise that has proven one of the company's most reliable cash cows.

While EA acknowledged that it had more to do, it said the situation had improved since Tuesday, when it expanded the game to Europe and elsewhere.

"As we continue launches in Europe, we've seen positive feedback where the additional server capacity has already shown improvement to the service levels," said Lucy Bradshaw, general manager of EA's Maxis label, which makes the game. "We have more work to do, but tens of thousands of new players are logging in, building their cities, and enjoying the game."

The classic city-building game first came out in 1989 and became one of Electronic Arts' biggest hits. The new, $60 game was given a modern-day look and feel, and received positive reviews before its launch.

Through a post on its SimCity forum, Kip Katsarelis, senior producer of SimCity, updated fans on Thursday, saying more servers are being added over the course of the next three days.

"And, our plan is to continue to bring more servers online until we have enough to meet the demand, increase player capacity and let more people through the gates and into the game," Katsarelis said.

Although the post was intended to allay users' concerns, it triggered many outraged responses on the site.

"Did you not foresee any of this EA? We paid you for a specified product, and service. Your product and services rendered are nonexistent. When can we expect to see refunds?" posted a user identified as "Graywolf400."

EA's latest, online-only SimCity won plaudits for incorporating some of the most topical themes in urban planning, including environmental and renewable energy issues to enhance game play.

Shares of Electronic Arts dipped 0.7 percent to close at $18.58 on the Nasdaq on Friday.

(Reporting by Malathi Nayak in San Francisco; editing by Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eas-botched-launch-latest-simcity-leaves-gamers-fuming-222141132--sector.html

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Federal judge strikes down Idaho ban on late-term abortions

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a 2011 Idaho law that banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, ruling that the measure is unconstitutional.

Idaho is one of at least eight states that have enacted late-term abortion prohibitions in recent years based on controversial medical research suggesting that a fetus feels pain starting at 20 weeks of gestation.

Arkansas became the latest to enact such a measure on February 28 when the state Senate voted to join its lower house of the legislature in overriding a gubernatorial veto of it.

On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Arkansas legislature overrode a separate veto by Democratic Governor Mike Beebe to enact the most restrictive abortion law in the United States - one banning the procedure after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

That law, the Arkansas Human Heartbeat Protection Act, will likely take effect in August, if it survives expected legal challenges.

Idaho's measure made it a felony to perform an abortion after 20 weeks unless there was proof the pregnancy endangered the woman's life.

Wednesday's decision by U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill in Pocatello, Idaho, stems from a lawsuit marking one of the first federal court cases challenging such statutes.

The lawsuit was brought in September 2011 by then-33-year-old Jennie Linn McCormack, who according to prosecutors had terminated her own pregnancy at between 20 and 21 weeks using abortion pills she obtained from an online distributor.

Winmill previously ruled that McCormack had lacked legal standing to seek a temporary restraining order against the "fetal pain" law because she was no longer pregnant and could not demonstrate imminent harm from the statute.

But McCormack's attorney, Richard Hearn, who also is a physician, gained standing to challenge the 20-week cutoff for legal abortions himself.

He also challenged separate Idaho statutes that could penalize a woman if her abortion provider failed to meet state requirements about how and where abortions are performed and a third law that subjects providers to criminal charges under certain conditions.

On Wednesday, Winmill sided with Hearn and McCormack, ruling the statutes in question all infringed on a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy as established under the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

Referring to Idaho's 20-week abortion ban, Winmill wrote, "Here, an outright ban on abortions at or after twenty weeks' gestation places, not just a substantial obstacle, but an absolute obstacle, in the path of women seeking such abortions."

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last August blocked a late-term abortion ban in Arizona from being enforced and agreed to an expedited review of that measure in a case that was argued before a three-judge panel in November. A decision is pending.

(Reporting by Laura Zuckerman; Editing by Steve Gorman and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/federal-judge-strikes-down-idaho-ban-term-abortions-020506514.html

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Late winter storm barrels through Midwest

Commuters walk during a snow storm as they arrive in downtown Chicago Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Chicago was hit by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day, the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Commuters walk during a snow storm as they arrive in downtown Chicago Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Chicago was hit by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day, the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Commuters wait for a bus Tuesday, March 5, 2013 in Chicago during the start of a snow storm. Chicago was hit by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day, the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Cris Colon shovels snows from around his car Tuesday, March 5, 2013, in Rockford, Ill. Many areas in northern Illinois are forecast to get 8 to 10 inches by the end of the day. (AP Photo/Rockford Register Star, Amy J. Correnti) MANDATORY CREDIT

A Rockford Public Works employee plows the wet, slushy snow from an intersection Tuesday, March 5, 2013, in Rockford, Ill., as a winter storm blows through the area. Many areas in northern Illinois are forecast to get 8 to 10 inches by the end of the day. (AP Photo/Rockford Register Star, Amy J. Correnti) MANDATORY CREDIT

A snow plow slowly navigates around parked cars along West 3rd Street in Dubuque, Iowa during a snow storm Tuesday March 5, 2013. Forecasters say more snow is on the way to snarl travel and disrupt people's daily routines. (AP Photo/The Telegraph Herald, Dave Kettering)

CHICAGO (AP) ? A late winter storm packing up to 10 inches of snow sent authorities in weather-hardened Chicago into action Tuesday to prevent a repeat of scenes from two years ago, when a blizzard stranded hundreds of people in cars and buses.

The storm rolling into Chicago was expected to dump the most snow the city has seen since the 2011 blizzard. The storm system started Sunday in Montana, hit the Dakotas and Minnesota on Monday and then barreled through Wisconsin and Illinois on its way to Washington, where it was expected late Tuesday night.

Even in Chicago, some were caught off guard by the last gasp from Old Man Winter.

"I thought it was just media hype," said Stacia Copplin, who was fleeing her financial services job shortly after noon and walking through the blast of wet snow to catch a train to the suburbs.

Schools were closed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, where officials urged caution on snow-slickened roads. In western Wisconsin, a semi-trailer slid off a snow-covered interstate near Menomonie and into the Red Cedar River, killing one person. Authorities said they were searching for a second person, believed to be a passenger.

Airlines canceled more than 1,100 flights at Chicago airports, prompting delays and closures at others around the region. Airlines along the storm's projected path were already cutting flights too, including about 450 on Wednesday, mostly at Dulles and Reagan National airports in the Washington area, according to FlightAware.com. Daniel Baker, CEO of the flight-tracking service, said he expected the numbers to rise.

In Chicago, officials were working to keep Lake Shore Drive safe. A February 2011 blizzard embarrassed the city by doing the unthinkable ? shutting down the iconic lakefront thoroughfare at rush hour, entombing hundreds of cars and buses and trapping passengers overnight.

The city government has taken steps to prevent a repeat. Among the new procedures, officials have opened a removable barrier in the median of the four-lane roadway. Plows and salt-spreading trucks are in easier striking distance of Lake Shore Drive, and they started treating the roadway hours before snow began falling.

"We are prepared as a city to deal with this snow," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel at Chicago's emergency snow command center, where officials keep an eye a bank of monitors feeding in real-time images from 1,500 cameras and data from roadway sensors.

The city's full fleet of nearly 300 plows was out in force, but Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Charles Williams expected a tough afternoon commute. He said it will be easier for plows to move around overnight to get roads clear by morning.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-05-US-Winter-Storm/id-dfbffabe903140b29e81fd3a6890179b

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Double check that discount

Getty Images

The backlash surely was stronger than the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady had anticipated.? Via carefully leaked partial details, Brady?s new contract was sold as a team-first gesture by a player who had opted to take less.

Initially, it worked.? To the casual fan (and to the zealous fan with only a casual knowledge of how NFL contracts work), news of the three-year, $27 million extension that cleared $15 million in cap space over the next two years created the unmistakable impression that Brady was taking less ? not only in the future, but now.

The full truth, which emerged one day (and, in today?s world, multiple news cycles) later, told a different story.? Instead of earning $30 million over the next two years, Brady will be getting $30 million right now, along with an extra $3 million.? As a result, Brady and the Patriots quickly were criticized by many for trying to pull a fast one in the characterization of the contract.

Yes, Brady eventually will be taking less starting in 2015, when his compensation will be $7 million.? But few believe that, if Brady is playing at a high level, the deal will be honored as written.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft insists that it will be.

?No, no, no,? Patriots owner Robert Kraft told Peter King of Sports Illustrated regarding the possibility of another new contract.? ?This is a real deal.? Look at our track record.? We don?t do fake deals.? The contract we have with Tom Brady is a real contract we will both live by.?

The problem for the Patriots is that, if Brady continues to play at a high level over the next two years and the deal isn?t reworked, suspicions will persist that Kraft and Brady likewise brokered a wink-nod side deal that will kick in once Brady?s career ends.? The fact that Kraft laid out this contract directly with Brady on a long plane flight, bypassing agent Don Yee, will serve only to increase those suspicions.

Let?s be clear once again on this:? There is no evidence of a side deal.? And there?s currently no tangible reason to believe there is one.? But when unusual things happen, reasonable minds yearn for a reasonable explanation.? The idea that Brady opted to do a multi-million-dollar solid for an organization worth well over a billion dollars makes no sense to many.

From a salary cap standpoint, the deal makes plenty of sense, because it reverses the trend of gigantic cap dollars for one position at a time when the cap isn?t going up by very much.

?If we were going to have to pay him elite-quarterback money and have elite-quarterback cap numbers, I just didn?t think we would be able to build a team,? Kraft told King.? ?We don?t want to have a team where we?re paying 18 to 20 percent to a player on the cap.? I wanted to do something elegant that would work for everybody.? I had been talking to him off and on for maybe 18 months, about how I wanted him to finish his career here, and about how we both have to be smart about it.? I just really want him to end his career a Patriot.?

Eighteen months ago, another contract in which Kraft had been directly involved had just been completed ? the labor deal between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.? Kraft knew at the time (and has said so since then) that the salary cap won?t be shooting up any time soon.? In the interim, Brady saw for himself that the cap went up by only $600,000 per team in 2012 (a 0.5-percent increase) and by only $2.4 million in 2013 (a 1.9-percent climb).

So, yes, the Patriots? reason for doing the deal makes sense.? Brady?s decision to commit to three below-market seasons in the name of creating cap space now doesn?t.? He could have insisted on higher base salaries in 2015, 2016, and 2017, realizing that he could be faced with a request to take a pay cut (or take a hike) in the out years.? Instead, he took the future pay cut in advance ? without knowing whether his skills will be the same or whether the cap will indeed go up once the TV deals kick in.

Then again, maybe Brady finally has gotten to the point in his life where he realizes that no amount of money (his or his wife?s) can buy the feeling he last experienced more than eight years ago.? The feeling of being a champion.

?We?re going to spend to the cap,? Kraft said.? ?Tom knows that it?s not like whatever we don?t pay him we?re putting in the Kraft family pocket.? He gets it, and now he?s rooting for us to make the right decisions in building the team.?

The fact that Brady took less surely will be used to help build the team with other players who, influenced by Brady?s gesture, will do the same.? There?s nothing unfair or improper about it; the system is the system, and the goal for every team is to find a way to win within the confines of the rules.

Of course, that won?t stop some from wondering whether the team is indeed coloring outside the lines.

?These people don?t know the relationship between Tommy and this team,? Kraft told King.? ?Maybe they hate the Patriots, or they?re jealous.? I understand the naysayers are out there, but we want to build a team capable of winning every year, and while this is not perfect in every way, we think this will help us get there.?

There?s no doubt the Patriots will continue to knock on the door of their fourth Super Bowl win.? And if one comes in the next two years, the question will be whether Brady is knocking on Kraft?s door for a raise in 2015.

Either way, the skepticism will persist.? And it?s a small price to pay for being a consistent contender for more than a decade.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/03/flacco-deal-makes-rodgers-contract-even-more-glaring/related/

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5-Figure Launch in Action - Internet Independence

I couldn?t believe my eyes.

Each morning, after my writing, workout, Facebook QnA, and breakfast, I finally sit down and check a select number of emails.

One of them is my daily Clickbank update from Lesa, my assistant.

In it she reports on all of my accounts. Sometimes she gets the numbers wrong. And I surely thought that was the case that morning with the sales from our new TRXBodyRev account.

$7,215 was the number staring back at me.

That can?t be right, I thought. It was only about $2,000 at 3 p.m. yesterday. Where the heck did that extra $5K come from?

Now don?t get me wrong, I was excited to see this Clickbank bounty. But I still didn?t trust it. So I logged into the account to see for myself.

From Zero to Seven Thousand in 24 hours

Sure enough, the numbers were right.

Excellent!

Dan?s awesome product and energy, Mikey ?Everything I Touch Turns to Golden Pancakes? Whitfield?s marketing magic touch, and the vision that Bedros and I had for this product are all coming together.

Another Publishing Partner Product Launch success story.

A lot of the success had to do with the fact that both Bedros and I could email our lists and get a great response.

I want to share the emails that Bedros and I sent to our lists to promote this product. We?ll start with Bedros and his cool, calm, and casual conversational tone that he always uses with his list.

Subject: 191 new exercises to use with your clients

I love finding new resources, exercise programs and eating habits and trying them out.

It?s the trainer in me.

I want to know what?s new, what?s working best, and what?s giving folks great results.

For example, over Superbowl weekend I met IFBB pro bodybuilder Ben Pakulski who competed in Olympia last year, and is going to be back on stage for the O this year.

Ben shard his MI40 training system with me at Joel Marion?s kitchen table and I?ve been using it in my training program for the last two weeks.

And about a month ago I got turned onto intermittent fasting, it?s different? works with my schedule? and I?ve gotten leaner eating this way without losing any strength.

It?s not for everyone, but it?s something I wanted try out myself to see what it was all about.

And just today Dan Long, trainer to NFL champ Dekoda Watson and suspension training expert released his first program (FINALLY) for folks who want to work out with suspension trainers like TRX straps and Jungle Gym XT.

Check Out 191 Suspension Training Exercises Here

I?ve been to Tampa and seen how Dan trains his clients and pro athletes using suspension trainers.

The dude is a machine, and he comes up with exercises that I?ve never seen anyone else do with suspension straps!

I thought it might be something that you want to look at and add to our exercise library if you use TRX or any kind of suspension straps.

You can check out his program here?

http://www.SuspensionRevolution.com/

Dan?s got it on sale for under thirty bucks, so now is the time to pick it up.

Committed to your success,

Bedros

***

Now here are links to the emails I sent.

Email #1 ? Intro to the product with an email based around core training.

- http://www.ttfatloss.com/core-circuit-workout/

Email #2 ? A promotional email for the product with some scarcity.

- http://turbulencetraining.blogspot.ca/2013/02/cure-for-boring-workouts.html

Email #3 ? Another training content based email

- http://www.ttfatloss.com/trx-ab-blasting-superset/

By the way, emails #1 and #3 were good enough to be used as content pieces on my main TTFatLoss.com blog. Therefore I leveraged my time by creating an article and promoting the product.

Also, the affiliate link for this product is:

http://YOURCBID.trxbodyrev.hop.clickbank.net

Just make sure to insert your clickbank ID in place of YOURCBID.

Five figures in 36 hours and we?re just getting started.

That is how you launch a product,

Craig Ballantyne

P.S. ? Make sure to watch Dan?s video on the sales page.

His energy is intense and off the charts 24-7. You?ll meet him at Fitness Business Summit if you?re attending this week.

Don?t miss my presentation on Saturday night.

Source: http://internetindependence.com/5-figure-launch-in-action

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12 charged with manslaughter in FAMU death

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? Twelve former Florida A&M University band members were charged Monday with manslaughter in the 2011 hazing death of a drum major.

Ten of the band members had been charged last May with third-degree felony hazing for the death of 26-year-old Robert Champion, but the state attorney's office said they are adding the charge of manslaughter for each defendant. They also have charged two additional defendants with manslaughter, though they have yet to be arrested.

The second-degree manslaughter charge, which was announced during a status hearing Monday afternoon, carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

Champion died in Orlando in November 2011 after he collapsed following what prosecutors say was a savage beating during a hazing ritual. It happened on a bus parked in a hotel parking lot after Florida A&M played Bethune-Cookman in their annual rivalry football game.

Authorities said Champion had bruises on his chest, arms, shoulder and back and died of internal bleeding. Witnesses told emergency dispatchers that the drum major was vomiting before he was found unresponsive aboard the bus.

Prosecutors had originally filed felony hazing charges because the charges only required that they prove the defendants took part in a hazing that resulted in death. It didn't require them to prove who struck the fatal blows.

Two former band members whose cases were resolved last year weren't among those charged Monday. Brian Jones and Ryan Dean, have already been sentenced after pleading no-contest to third-degree felony hazing last year. Both initially pleaded not guilty.

Jones was sentenced last October to six months of community control, which strictly limits his freedom with measures including frequent check-ins with probation officials. He also was given two years of probation and required to perform 200 hours of community service.

Dean was sentenced the following month and received four years of probation and 200 hours of community service.

Judge Marc Lubet conferenced with all the attorneys involved before Monday's hearing and said in court that it was a consensus that because of a witness list that includes more than 100 people, a June trial date was unlikely.

He has set another status hearing in the case for August.

___

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-04-US-FAMU-Hazing/id-33a78291f5944adabc47a2246cc325fb

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Mourning in NY as baby dies after hit-and-run

This undated photo, provided by the New York City Police Department on Monday March 4, 2013, shows Julio Acevedo, 44, who police are looking for in connection with the death of an expectant couple that was killed in a car accident in Brooklyn early Sunday morning and their premature baby, who was delivered alive but did not survive. Police are searching for the driver of a BMW and a passenger who fled on foot after slamming into the livery cab transporting Nachman Glauber and his pregnant wife Raizy, both 21 years old. (AP Photo/NYPD)

This undated photo, provided by the New York City Police Department on Monday March 4, 2013, shows Julio Acevedo, 44, who police are looking for in connection with the death of an expectant couple that was killed in a car accident in Brooklyn early Sunday morning and their premature baby, who was delivered alive but did not survive. Police are searching for the driver of a BMW and a passenger who fled on foot after slamming into the livery cab transporting Nachman Glauber and his pregnant wife Raizy, both 21 years old. (AP Photo/NYPD)

FILE - In this file photo of March 3, 2013, mourners surround a casket outside the Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar synagogue at the funeral for two expectant parents who were killed in a car accident early Sunday, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The baby of Nachman and Raizy Glauber, a boy, was delivered prematurely cesarean section and survived until the next morning but died around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, March 4, 2013. Police were searching for the driver of a BMW and a passenger who fled on foot after slamming into the livery cab that transporting the 21-year-old couple to a hospital. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

In this March 3, 2013, photo provided by VosIzNeias.com, Orthodox Jewish mourners gather outside the Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar synagogue in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood for the funeral of two expectant parents who were killed in a car accident early Sunday, in New York. The baby of Nachman and Raizy Glauber, a boy, was delivered prematurely by cesarean section and survived until the next morning, but died around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, March 4. Police were searching for the driver of a BMW and a passenger who fled on foot after slamming into the livery cab that was transporting the 21-year-old couple to a hospital. (AP Photo/VosIzNeias.com, Eli Wohl)

NEW YORK (AP) ? A close-knit ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn was plunged into a new round of mourning Monday by the death of a baby who was delivered by cesarean section after his parents were killed in a grisly hit-and-run crash a day earlier.

Police hunted for the suspected driver, identified as Julio Acevedo, saying he was barreling down a residential street in a BMW at 60 mph, or twice the speed limit, early Sunday when he collided with a car hired to take the couple to the hospital.

The death of the newborn on Monday piled tragedy upon tragedy and compounded the community's grief.

The baby was buried near the fresh graves of his parents, Nachman and Raizy Glauber, both 21, according to Isaac Abraham, a spokesman for the Hasidic Jewish community. About a thousand community members turned out for the young couple's funeral a day earlier.

"The mood in the neighborhood is very heavy," said Oscar Sabel, a retired printer who lives near the scene of the accident. "We all hoped the baby would survive."

Brooklyn is home to the largest community of ultra-Orthodox Jews outside Israel, more than 250,000. The couple wed last year in a marriage arranged through a matchmaker and were living in the Williamsburg neighborhood.

They were members of the Satmar Hasidic sect, whose men dress in dark coats and hats, wear long beards like their Eastern European ancestors and have limited dealings with the outside world. Raizy Glauber grew up in a prominent rabbinical family. Her husband was studying at a rabbinical college; his family founded a line of clothing for Orthodox Jews.

Sabel, dressed in the traditional long black coat of the Satmar, said it was a terrible tragedy.

"But it's what God wants," he said. "Maybe the baby's death, and his parents', is not for nothing; God doesn't have to give us answers."

Shortly after midnight Sunday, Raizy Glauber, who was seven months pregnant, wasn't feeling well, so the couple decided to go to the hospital, said Sara Glauber, Nachman Glauber's cousin. They called a livery cab, a hired car that is arranged via telephone, not hailed off the street like a yellow cab.

The livery cab had a stop sign, but it's not clear if the driver stopped. Police said the crash with the BMW reduced the cab to a crumpled heap, and Raizy Glauber was thrown from the wreck. The engine ended up in the back seat, Abraham said.

Police said the driver of the BMW ran away.

The baby weighed only about 4 pounds when he was delivered, neighbors and friends said. He died of extreme prematurity, the city medical examiner's office said.

The driver of the livery cab, Pedro Nunez Delacruz, was knocked unconscious but was not seriously hurt. His vehicle should not have been sent to pick up the passengers because an application to use the Toyota as a livery cab had not yet been approved, the city Taxi and Limousine Commission said.

Acevedo, 44, was arrested last month on a charge of driving while under the influence, and the case is pending. He served about a decade in prison in the 1990s for manslaughter. No one answered the door at Acevedo's last known address, in a public housing complex in Brooklyn. Neighbors said his mother lived in the same building, but she did not answer her door.

"We in the community are demanding that the prosecutor charge the driver of BMW that caused the death of this couple and infant ... with triple homicide," Abraham said in a statement. "This coward left the scene of the accident not even bothering to check on the people of the other car."

How Acevedo came to possess the BMW is also under investigation. The registered owner, Takia Walker, was arrested on insurance fraud charges Sunday in a scam involving the car, police said. She was not involved in the crash. A telephone number registered to Walker rang unanswered.

A person familiar with the investigation said Walker bought the car legally, or allowed her identification to be used in the purchase, then gave the vehicle to a middleman who either lent or rented it out to the driver. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

___

Associated Press Writer Jim Fitzgerald in Kiryas Joel, N.Y., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-04-Expectant%20Parents%20Killed/id-2a03c87727664917af90ab12c0e14c7b

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Researchers discover how to shutdown cancer's powerful master protein

Monday, March 4, 2013

The powerful master regulatory transcription factor called Bcl6 is key to the survival of a majority of aggressive lymphomas, which arise from the B-cells of the immune system. The protein has long been considered too complex to target with a drug since it is also crucial to the healthy functioning of many immune cells in the body, not just B cells gone bad.

But now, in the journal Nature Immunology, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College report that it is possible to shut down Bcl6 in the cancer, known as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), while not affecting its vital function in T cells and macrophages that are needed to support a healthy immune system.

"The finding comes as a very welcome surprise," says the study's lead investigator, Dr. Ari Melnick, Gebroe Family Professor of Hematology/Oncology and director of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical and Physical Sciences at Weill Cornell.

"This means the drugs we have developed against Bcl6 are more likely to be significantly less toxic and safer for patients with this cancer than we realized," says Dr. Melnick, who is also a hematologist-oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

If Bcl6 is completely inhibited, patients might suffer from systemic inflammation and atherosclerosis. Weill Cornell researchers conducted this new study to help clarify possible risks, as well as to understand how Bcl6 controls the various aspects of the immune system.

DLBCL is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma -- the seventh most frequently diagnosed cancer -- and many of these patients are resistant to currently available treatments.

"Scientists have been searching for the right answer to treat this difficult lymphoma, which, after initial treatment, can be at high risk of relapse and resistant to current therapies," Dr. Melnick says. "Believing that Bcl6 could not be targeted, some researchers have been testing alternative therapeutic approaches. This study strongly supports the notion of using Bcl6-targeting drugs."

In fact, the findings in this study were inspired from preclinical testing of two Bcl6-targeting agents that Dr. Melnick and his Weill Cornell colleagues have developed to treat DLBCLs. These experimental drugs are RI-BPI, a peptide mimic, and the small molecule agent 79-6.

Dr. Melnick says the discovery that a master regulatory transcription factor can be targeted offers implications beyond just treating DLBCL. Recent studies from Dr. Melnick and others have revealed that Bcl6 plays a key role in the most aggressive forms of acute leukemia, as well as certain solid tumors.

Transcription factors are responsible for either inhibiting or promoting the expression of genes, and master regulatory transcription factors are the equivalent of the CPU of a computer ? their actions regulate thousands of genes in different kinds of cells. For example, Bcl6 can control the type of immune cell that develops in the bone marrow -- playing many roles in the development of B cells, T cells, macrophages and other cells -- including a primary and essential role in enabling B-cells to generate specific antibodies against pathogens.

"When cells lose control of Bcl6, lymphomas develop in the immune system. Lymphomas are 'addicted' to Bcl6, and therefore Bcl6 inhibitors powerfully and quickly destroy lymphoma cells," Dr. Melnick says.

The big surprise in the current study is that rather than functioning as a single molecular machine, Bcl6 instead seems to function more like a Swiss Army knife, using different tools to control different cell types. This multi-function paradigm could represent a general model for the functioning of other master regulatory transcription factors.

"In this analogy, the Swiss Army knife, or transcription factor, keeps most of its tools folded, opening only the one it needs in any given cell type," Dr. Melnick says. "For B cells, it might open and use the knife tool; for T cells, the cork screw; for macrophages, the scissors. The amazing thing from a medical standpoint is that this means that you only need to prevent the master regulator from using certain tools to treat cancer. You don't need to eliminate the whole knife," he says. "In fact, we show that taking out the whole knife is harmful since the transcription factor has many other vital functions that other cells in the body need."

Prior to these study results, it was not known that a master regulator could separate its functions so precisely.

"Now we know we can take out a specific tool -- to shut down a specific part of the protein -- that causes the disease we want to treat."

Researchers hope this will be a major benefit to the treatment of DLBCL and perhaps other disorders that are influenced by Bcl6 and other master regulatory transcription factors.

###

Weill Cornell Medical College: http://www.med.cornell.edu/index.html

Thanks to Weill Cornell Medical College for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127106/Researchers_discover_how_to_shutdown_cancer_s_powerful_master_protein

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Natural News: Universal Flu (Population Reduction) Jab UpComing

"A Madison, Wisconsin-based vaccine company is about one year away from enrolling a new universal flu shot into clinical trials, according to reports. The vaccine, known as Redee Flu, is said to provide protection against a host of viral strains, and would only need to be administered once every three to five years -- but like all other flu shots currently available on the market, Redee Flu will more than likely also contain a potentially-deadly cocktail of toxic, chemical adjuvants."

This ad goes away when you register.

http://www.naturalnews.com/039344_un...#ixzz2Mal1sH1V

Source: http://indigosociety.com/showthread.php?65986-Natural-News-Universal-Flu-(Population-Reduction)-Jab-UpComing

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Spending cuts unpopular yet not set to go away

President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to reporters in the White House briefing room in Washington, Friday, March 1, 2013, following a meeting with congressional leaders regarding the automatic spending cuts. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to reporters in the White House briefing room in Washington, Friday, March 1, 2013, following a meeting with congressional leaders regarding the automatic spending cuts. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

FILE ? In this Feb. 26, 2013, file photo Senate Minority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate GOP leadership answer questions about the looming automatic spending cuts after a Republican strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington. McConnell is gearing up for a tough re-election fight in Kentucky next year by trying to head off a GOP primary challenge, trying to scare off potential Democratic contenders, and by giving all a glimpse of his no-holds-barred political tactics. From left, Sen.s John Cornyn, R-Texas, John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., right. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House said Monday the automatic spending cuts starting to take place across the federal government, with no end in sight, represent an "empty victory" for Republicans at odds with the party's priorities.

White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters it's remarkable some Republicans are calling the so-called "sequester" a win for the conservative tea party, or because Republicans stood up to the president, because the cuts go against usual GOP goals to increase defense spending and border security. He also said the cuts do nothing to address Republican priorities for long-term deficit reduction or tax reform.

Obama "hopes that having achieved this empty victory, at least as they see it, the Republicans will understand that their goals are being unmet here," Carney told reporters at the White House. "So not only are Americans suffering from this, regular folks, but their objectives are being unmet and there's an opportunity to change that dynamic."

The Senate's Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday called those cuts modest and House Speaker John Boehner said he isn't sure they will hurt the economy. White House economic adviser Gene Sperling says the pain isn't that bad ? yet.

After months of dire warnings, the deep budget cuts have started taking hold and there's no evidence officials are moving to reverse the $85 billion in reductions.

"This modest reduction of 2.4 percent in spending over the next six months is a little more than the average American experienced just two months ago, when their own pay went down when the payroll tax holiday expired," McConnell said.

"I don't know whether it's going to hurt the economy or not," Boehner said. "I don't think anyone quite understands how the sequester is really going to work."

But Sperling cautioned: "On Day One, it will not be as harmful as it will be over time."

Both parties cast blame on the other for the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts but gave little guidance on what to expect in the coming weeks. Republicans and Democrats pledged to retroactively undo the cuts, but signaled no hints as to how that process would start to take shape. Republicans insisted there would be no new taxes and Democrats refused to talk about any bargain without them.

"That's not going to work," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. "If we're going to increase revenue again, it's got to go to the debt with real entitlement reform and real tax reform when you actually lower rates. ... I'm not going to agree to any more tax increases that are going to go to increase more government."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said any tax increases were unacceptable.

"I'm not going to do any more small deals. I'm not going to raise taxes to fix sequestration. We don't need to raise taxes to fund the government," Graham said.

All of this comes ahead of a new, March 27 deadline to deal with the question of funding the government and a debt-ceiling clash coming in May.

Obama has phoned lawmakers but it isn't clear to what end and the White House would not say whom Obama is calling.

Administration officials planned to criticize the cuts in appearances with those affected by them; Education Secretary Arne Duncan, for instance, planned to appear with school leaders who faced a leaner budget.

"Well, no one can think that that's been a success for the president," said Mitt Romney, Obama's unsuccessful rival in November's election. "He didn't think the sequester would happen. It is happening."

Obama and the Republicans have been fighting over federal spending since the opposition party regained control of the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections. The budget cuts were designed in 2011 to be so ruthless that both sides would be forced to find a better deal, but they haven't despite two years to find a compromise.

The $85 billion in cuts apply to the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. But without a deal they will continue slashing government spending by about $1 trillion more over a 10-year period.

McConnell spoke to CNN's "State of the Union." Boehner was interviewed on NBC's "Meet the Press." Sperling appeared on ABC's "This Week," NBC and CNN. Ayotte appeared on ABC. Graham spoke with CBS' "Face the Nation." Romney was a guest on "Fox News Sunday."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-04-Budget%20Battle/id-01c91fc1730a41b4850fe90adcd0bcc4

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The Saturdays Hope Girl Groups Achieve 'World Domination'

'We want to make everyone be into girl bands, not just boy bands,' singer Rochelle Humes tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena

The Saturdays
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702897/the-saturdays-world-domination.jhtml

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The World's Biggest Fiber LAN Lives at a Nuclear Weapons Research Lab

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premiere nuclear weapons research facility, and for more than 60 years, its researchers have poked and prodded the interiors of atoms to suss out their secrets—a task that has produced mountains of data that the facility's copper network struggles to contain. But now, even the most remote building's on Sandia's campuses have access to the biggest bandwidth modern technology can muster. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/SAZ8HEmMejk/the-worlds-biggest-fiber-lan-lives-at-a-nuclear-weapons-research-lab

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Don't Freak Out, But Mars Rover Curiosity Is Having Its First Big Problem

Considering what it's involved, Mars Rover Curiosity's mission has been going really well. Staggeringly well. But that couldn't last forever. The rover has hit its first real road bump with a gnarly computer failure that's going to delay all the science-ing for at least a week. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/zK72kBTpFM0/dont-freak-out-but-mars-rover-curiosity-is-having-its-first-big-problem

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Anastacia cancels European tour after second breast cancer diagnosis

By Agence France-Presse
Thursday, February 28, 2013 9:19 EST

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US pop singer Anastacia has announced she is cancelling her ?It?s A Man?s World? European tour after being diagnosed for the second time with breast cancer.

?Anastacia has sadly been diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time after having successfully survived her 2003 battle with the disease,? a statement on the singer?s Facebook page said Thursday.

?Consequently she has been forced to cancel all performances, tours and any travel from now until further notice.?

The LS agency organising her concert in Austria meanwhile confirmed the April 20 date in Vienna had also been cancelled.

Anastacia, 44, is best known for her chart-topping hits ?One Day in Your Life,? ?I?m Outta Love? and ?Left Outside Alone.?

?I feel so awful to be letting down all my amazing fans who were looking forward to ?It?s A Man?s World Tour?. It just breaks my heart to disappoint them,? the 44-year-old said in her statement, adding she hoped to plan a new tour soon.

All tickets for the ?It?s A Man?s World? tour, which was due to kick off in London on April 6, can be refunded.

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Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/28/anastacia-cancels-european-tour-after-second-breast-cancer-diagnosis/

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Nook leads decline as Barnes & Noble Q3 2013 revenue down 8.8 percent to $2.2 billion

Currently the subject of many a rumor, Barnes & Noble just announced its quarterly results for Q3 2013 (its current fiscal quarter), showing what many expected: revenue is down almost 9 percent over last year to $2.2 billion, with gross earnings showing a precipitous 63 percent decline to $55.5 million. Despite well regarded (and priced) tablets, Nook business took one of the biggest hits, taking in only $316 million compared to $427 million over last year, a decline of nearly 26 percent. The company recently denied innuendo that it might be stepping away from Nook hardware altogether, but said in today's statement that it'll be "calibrating its business model" to look at reducing costs in the segment. However, with other expenses considered, the company has dropped $47 million so far this year, compared to a loss of only $11 million at the same time last year -- a trend which the Amazon competitor will need to put the brakes on, one way or the other.

Comments

Source: Barnes & Noble

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/28/barnes-and-noble-q3-2013-revenue-down-8-8-percent/

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