Thursday, January 5, 2012

Demi Moore to Play Gloria Steinem in New Movie


For Demi Moore, there is most definitely life after Ashton.

The actress has landed a major role in an upcoming movie, agreeing to play feminist icon Gloria Steinem in Lovelace, a biopic about deceased Deep Throat actress Linda Lovelace.

Life After Ashton

The movie, currently shooting in Los Angeles and scheduled for a release in late 2012, will also star Amanda Seyfried as Lovelace, along with James Franco as Hugh Hefner.

Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine and was a strong opponent of pornography.

Moore recently wrapping filming on LOL, a drama that also features Miley Cyrus and Ashley Greene, but there's no word yet on when it will hit theaters.

[Photo: WENN.com]

according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/demi-moore-to-play-gloria-steinem-in-new-movie/

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Autism may be linked to abnormal immune system characteristics and novel protein fragment

ScienceDaily (Jan. 3, 2012) ? Immune system abnormalities that mimic those seen with autism spectrum disorders have been linked to the amyloid precursor protein (APP), reports a research team from the University of South Florida's Department of Psychiatry and the Silver Child Development Center.

The study, conducted with mouse models of autism, suggests that elevated levels of an APP fragment circulating in the blood could explain the aberrations in immune cell populations and function -- both observed in some autism patients. The findings were recently published online in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

The USF researchers concluded that the protein fragment might be both a biomarker for autism and a new research target for understanding the physiology of the disorder.

"Autism affects one in 110 children in the United States today," said research team leader Jun Tan, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and the Robert A. Silver Chair, Rashid Laboratory for Developmental Neurobiology at USF's Silver Child Development Center. "While there are reports of abnormal T-cell numbers and function in some persons affected with autism, no specific cause has been identified. The disorder is diagnosed by behavioral observation and to date no associated biomarkers have been identified."

"Not only are there no associated biomarkers, but the prognosis for autism is poor and the costs associated with care are climbing," said Francisco Fernandez, MD, department chair and head of the Silver Center. "The work of Dr. Tan and his team is a start that may lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments."

The amyloid precursor protein is typically the focus of research related to Alzheimer's disease. However, recent scientific reports have identified elevated levels of the particular protein fragment, called, sAPP-?, in the blood of autistic children. The fragment is a well-known growth factor for nerves, and studies imply that it plays a role in T-cell immune responses as well.

To study the autism-related effects of this protein fragment on postnatal neurodevelopment and behavior, Dr. Tan and his team inserted the human DNA sequence coding for the sAPP-? fragment into the genome of a mouse model for autism. While the studies are ongoing, the researchers documented the protein fragment's effects on the immune system of the test mice.

"We used molecular biology and immunohistochemistry techniques to characterize T-cell development in the thymus and also function in the spleen of the test animals," Dr. Tan said. "Then we compared transgenic mice to their wild-type littermates."

The researchers found that increased levels of sAPP-? in the transgenic mice led to increased cytotoxic T-cell numbers. The investigators also discovered subsequent impairment in the recall function of memory T-cells in the test mice, suggesting that the adaptive immune response is negatively affected in the presence of high levels of the protein fragment.

"Our work suggests that the negative effects of elevated sAPP-? on the adaptive immune system is a novel mechanism underlying certain forms of autism," concluded Dr. Tan, who holds the Silver Chair in Developmental Neurobiology. "The findings also add support to the role of sAPP-? in the T-cell response."

Other researchers involved in this study were Antoinette Bailey, Dr. Huayan Hou, Dr. Demian Obregon, Jun Tian, Dr. Yuyan Zhu, Dr. Qiang Zou, Dr. William Nikolic, Dr. Michael Bengston, Dr. Takashi Mori (Saitama Medical Center/Saitama Medical University, Japan) and Dr. Tanya Murphy.

The work was supported by the Silver Endowment and a grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Mental Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of South Florida (USF Health).

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Journal Reference:

  1. A. R. Bailey, H. Hou, D. F. Obregon, J. Tian, Y. Zhu, Q. Zou, W. V. Nikolic, M. Bengtson, T. Mori, T. Murphy, J. Tan. Aberrant T-lymphocyte development and function in mice overexpressing human soluble amyloid precursor protein-?: implications for autism. The FASEB Journal, 2011; DOI: 10.1096/fj.11-195438

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/~3/HmqX6gLEgzg/120103150755.htm

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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Republican rivals face first test of 2012 in Iowa (Reuters)

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) ? Republican candidates criss-crossed Iowa making late appeals to voters, with polls giving at least three - Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul - a shot at winning the first contest of the 2012 presidential campaign on Tuesday.

Iowa's quirky caucuses are known more for weeding out candidates than picking the future president. Finishing in a top spot could provide a big boost to any contender in the volatile contest to choose a Republican challenger to President Barack Obama in the November 6 election.

The tight Republican race, marked by rollercoaster ups and downs in opinion polls for most candidates, has sparked weeks of negative campaigning in Iowa. Millions of dollars has been spent by outside "Super PAC" fundraising groups.

Former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, a one-time front-runner pummeled by such attack advertisements, lashed out at Romney on Tuesday for trying to distance himself from the ads. Asked if he was calling Romney a liar, Gingrich said, "Yes" on CBS' "The Early Show."

"This is a man whose staff created the PAC, his millionaire friends fund the PAC, he pretends he has nothing to do with the PAC. It's baloney," said Gingrich.

In response, Romney reiterated that his campaign did not coordinate with the Super PAC and told Gingrich to toughen up.

"This is a campaign where you need to have broader shoulders," Romney said on Fox News. "If you can't stand the heat of this little kitchen, wait for the hell's kitchen that's coming from Barack Obama."

Polls give Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, a narrow lead over social conservative Santorum and libertarian Paul ahead of Tuesday evening's caucuses. But many voters are still undecided, leaving the contest up for grabs.

More than 100,000 voters will gather across the midwestern state at more than 800 schools, libraries and other public spots starting at 7 p.m. CST. Results should begin coming in within a few hours.

The weather was expected to be fairly cold, but dry, which should boost turnout. Ice or snow would prompt some voters to avoid the long caucus meetings.

"I'm kind of on the fence. A name that's been kind of sticking out, along with everyone, is Rick Santorum. We're not a hundred percent for sure yet," Des Moines resident Jason Harpineau said, just hours before the start of the caucuses.

The stakes are high. A strong performance in Iowa would provide momentum and a surge in donations to the winner or winners - a strong possibility given there is not much breathing space among the three front runners. Ahead is what is expected to be the most expensive election in history.

Romney is aiming for a win that could ease persistent doubts among conservatives about his relatively moderate past stances and propel him toward clinching the nomination early. He is heavily favored to win next week's New Hampshire primary.

Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, hopes positions such as his staunch opposition to gay marriage will consolidate Iowa's influential religious right to emerge from Iowa as the latest conservative alternative to Romney.

A win by Paul would help the Texas congressman extend his minimal-government stance and broaden the appeal of his campaign outside his zealous base, many of them young voters.

Struggling rivals like Texas Governor Rick Perry and U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann are fighting for at least a fourth-place finish that could preserve their flickering hopes.

Gingrich, who led the race just weeks ago, aims to end his slide and prove he can make another comeback.

MOMENTUM AND ELECTABILITY

Romney's Iowa campaign chairman, Brian Kennedy, said he thought a higher turnout would bode well for Romney because he draws support from a broad swath of the party.

"We're in a strong position but the unique thing about caucuses is you never really know," Kennedy said. "If he does well, it will give him a lot of momentum going to New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida."

Surveys show Romney performs best of all the Republicans in head-to-head matchups with Obama in a general election campaign certain to focus on the economy and high unemployment.

The caucuses start a frenzied month for the Republican presidential hopefuls that will include a half-dozen debates in January and three more state votes -- on January 10 in New Hampshire, January 21 in South Carolina and January 31 in Florida.

Gingrich dropped in Iowa polls after attacks from Paul and the Super PAC backing Romney. Gingrich's jab at Romney in the intense contest's last hours was a sharp contrast with his promises to stick to a positive message.

"I would simply ask you go to the caucus tonight, and say to your friends and neighbors, that Iowa has a remarkable opportunity to say no to every candidate that has been running negative ads," Gingrich urged supporters in Burlington, Iowa.

Iowa's nominating contest has traditionally cleared the field of losers and elevated surprise contenders. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee won the 2008 Republican caucuses. The eventual nominee, Arizona Senator John McCain, finished fourth.

Obama launched his White House run with an Iowa win four years ago. This time, Obama is the only Democrat running, but the party is holding caucuses anyway and he will address caucus-goers by video on Tuesday night.

Marcia Brom Smith, a Democrat and U.S. Navy veteran, attended a Romney rally in Des Moines to see if she would consider voting for him instead of Obama in the general election, but was not yet convinced.

"I liked some of what he said. I don't think Obama should be blamed for the bad economy. The Congress is partly to blame in my view," she said. "I did like what he (Romney) had to say about getting back to American values."

(Additional reporting by Eric Johnson, John Whitesides and Lindsay Claiborn in Iowa; Writing by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120103/pl_nm/us_usa_campaign

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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

CatsPolitics: @rachelveronica My mom was diagnosed w/terminal breast cancer in 1978. She's still alive! And very healthy. Have hope!

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@rachelveronica My mom was diagnosed w/terminal breast cancer in 1978. She's still alive! And very healthy. Have hope! CatsPolitics

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Thatcher, ?The Iron Lady,? Inspires GOP Candidates

Margaret Thatcher, 86, the first woman to lead a political party in Britain, is suddenly ?hot? again. A strict conservative who espoused?a free-market ideology, took a hard line against trade unions, and warned against the Soviet Union, Thatcher was a tough, competent leader who held the top spot for 11 years. Now, her story is on the big screen.?

The new biopic starring Meryl Streep as The Iron Lady, which opened this weekend in New York and Los Angeles, promises to be another Oscar-winning role for Streep. But reviews have been mixed, with some critics saying there is too much emphasis on Thatcher?s late-in-life dementia. Others have been disappointed by the ?only-the-highlights? treatment. Still others note the compelling story the film tells. Charles Moore, who?is writing Thatcher?s authorized biography, told the Associated Press, ?It is an extraordinary story of somebody who comes from outside the establishment by sex and by class.?

Thatcher?s election was a breakthrough for women in politics. Michele Bachmann, working hard to pull ahead in?Iowa before the caucuses vote, is referencing Mrs. Thatcher in some campaign appearances. The only woman competing for the nomination, Bachmann is urging voters to embrace the idea of a ?strong woman in the White House? and molding herself as ?America?s Iron Lady? in the Thatcher vein. Bachmann advisers say her new Thatcher comparisons as an ally of Ronald Reagan are meant in part to remind voters of a prominent woman on the world stage.?

Newt Gingrich, in a review in The Washington Times of a Thatcher biography, There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters, wrote, ?Mrs. Thatcher clearly understood that the great threat of socialism was moral and not economic. Socialism is bad because it destroys freedom. It destroys self-reliance, destroys individual initiative, and transfers power from the citizen to the politician and the bureaucrat?.The evils of socialism and the virtues of freedom will be the central choice for Americans in ? 2012, and Mrs. Thatcher will be our tutor in that argument.?

With Thatcher?s political and economic policies in the spotlight, The Fiscal Times looks at some of the standout dates, facts and statements by and about Margaret Thatcher:

    ??1925: Born on October 13, in Grantham, Lincolnshire. Her father was a grocer who was also active in politics and religion.

    ??1947: Graduated from Oxford with a bachelor of science in chemistry. Conservative politics had always been a feature of her home life. Her father was a local councilor in Grantham and talked through with her the issues of the day. She was elected president of the student Conservative Association at Oxford and met many prominent politicians, making herself known to the leadership of her party at the time of its devastating defeat by Labor at the General Election of 1945.

    ??1950-1951: In her mid-twenties, she ran as the Conservative candidate for the Labor seat of Dartford at the General Elections, winning national publicity as the youngest woman candidate in the country. Her mature political style was formed in Dartford, a largely working-class constituency that suffered as much as any from post-war rationing and shortages, as well as the rising level of taxation and state regulation.

    ??1951: Married Denis Thatcher.

    ??1953: Qualified for the bar, specializing in taxation (a connection exploited by Bachmann).

    ??1959: Became a Member of Parliament.

    ??1961: Promoted to the Front Bench as Parliamentary Undersecretary at the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance, under Harold Macmillan.

    ??1966: Moved to the Shadow Treasury Team.

    ??1970: Appointed Secretary of State for Education and Science, under Edward Heath. She had a rough ride as Education Minister. The early 1970s saw student radicalism at its height and British politics at its least civil. Protesters disrupted her speeches, the opposition press vilified her, and education policy itself seemed set immovably in a leftwards course, which she and many Conservatives found uncomfortable.

    ??1975: Met Ronald Reagan at the House of Commons.?Ronald Reagan?s letter of thanks afterwards appears to have been the earliest in their long correspondence, written as news of the fall of Saigon was reaching the U.S. (?a dark day ... somehow the shadows seem to have lengthened?).

    The two met again in November 1978 (again at the House of Commons) by which time Reagan had run unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination against the sitting president, Gerald Ford, and established himself a leading candidate for the 1980 election. These early meetings ? before either Thatcher or Reagan won office ? established their warm regard for one another and a sense of shared purpose.

    ??1975: Became Leader of the Conservative Party and of the Opposition.

    ??1976: Dubbed ?The Iron Lady? on January 19, after making a speech in Kensington Town Hall in which she said this about the Soviet Union: ?The Russians are bent on world dominance, and they are rapidly acquiring the means to become the most powerful imperial nation the world has seen. The men in the Soviet Politburo do not have to worry about the ebb and flow of public opinion. They put guns before butter, while we put just about everything before guns.? The Soviet Defense Ministry newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star), in response, gave her the Iron Lady nickname.

    ??1979: Elected British Prime Minister.

    During her time as P.M., she lowered direct taxes on income and increased indirect taxes; increased interest rates to slow the growth of the money supply and?lower inflation; introduced cash limits on public spending; and reduced expenditures on social services such as education and housing.

      ??Standout lines from her October 10, 1980, speech to the Conservative Party conference in Brighton (also known as ?The Lady?s Not for Turning? speech):
      o??Independence does not mean contracting out of all relationships with others. A nation can be free but it will not stay free for long if it has no friends and no alliances. Above all, it will not stay free if it cannot pay its own way in the world.?
      ??and ?
      o??If spending money like water was the answer to our country?s problems, we would have no problems now. If ever a nation has spent, spent, spent and spent again, ours has. Today that dream is over. All of that money has got us nowhere, but it still has to come from somewhere.?
      ??and ?
      o??Without a?healthy economy we cannot have a healthy society. Without a healthy society, the economy will not stay healthy for long. But it is not the state that creates a healthy society. When the state grows too powerful, people feel that they count for less and less. The state drains society, not only of its wealth but of initiative, of energy, the will to improve and innovate as well as to preserve what is best. Our aim is to let people feel that they count for more and more.?

    ??1983: Re-elected for a second term.

    ??1987: Re-elected for a third term.

    ??1990: Resigned her P.M. post.

    ??1992: Became a member of the House of Lords.

    ??1993 and 1995: Best-selling memoirs are published: The Downing Street Years (1993) and The Path to Power (1995).

Note:? Some dates and details are from the Margaret Thatcher Foundation.??

Margaret Thatcher, 86, the first woman to lead a political party in Britain, is suddenly ?hot? again. A strict conservative who espoused?a free-market ideology, took a hard line against trade unions, and warned against the Soviet Union, Thatcher was a tough, competent leader who held the top spot for 11 years. Now, her story is on the big screen.?

The new biopic starring Meryl Streep as The Iron Lady, which opened this weekend in New York and Los Angeles, promises to be another Oscar-winning role for Streep. But reviews have been mixed, with some critics saying there is too much emphasis on Thatcher?s late-in-life dementia. Others have been disappointed by the ?only-the-highlights? treatment. Still others note the compelling story the film tells. Charles Moore, who?is writing Thatcher?s authorized biography, told the Associated Press, ?It is an extraordinary story of somebody who comes from outside the establishment by sex and by class.?

Thatcher?s election was a breakthrough for women in politics. Michele Bachmann, working hard to pull ahead in?Iowa before the caucuses vote, is referencing Mrs. Thatcher in some campaign appearances. The only woman competing for the nomination, Bachmann is urging voters to embrace the idea of a ?strong woman in the White House? and molding herself as ?America?s Iron Lady? in the Thatcher vein. Bachmann advisers say her new Thatcher comparisons as an ally of Ronald Reagan are meant in part to remind voters of a prominent woman on the world stage.?

Newt Gingrich, in a review in The Washington Times of a Thatcher biography, There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters, wrote, ?Mrs. Thatcher clearly understood that the great threat of socialism was moral and not economic. Socialism is bad because it destroys freedom. It destroys self-reliance, destroys individual initiative, and transfers power from the citizen to the politician and the bureaucrat?.The evils of socialism and the virtues of freedom will be the central choice for Americans in ? 2012, and Mrs. Thatcher will be our tutor in that argument.?

With Thatcher?s political and economic policies in the spotlight, The Fiscal Times looks at some of the standout dates, facts and statements by and about Margaret Thatcher:

    ??1925: Born on October 13, in Grantham, Lincolnshire. Her father was a grocer who was also active in politics and religion.

    ??1947: Graduated from Oxford with a bachelor of science in chemistry. Conservative politics had always been a feature of her home life. Her father was a local councilor in Grantham and talked through with her the issues of the day. She was elected president of the student Conservative Association at Oxford and met many prominent politicians, making herself known to the leadership of her party at the time of its devastating defeat by Labor at the General Election of 1945.

    ??1950-1951: In her mid-twenties, she ran as the Conservative candidate for the Labor seat of Dartford at the General Elections, winning national publicity as the youngest woman candidate in the country. Her mature political style was formed in Dartford, a largely working-class constituency that suffered as much as any from post-war rationing and shortages, as well as the rising level of taxation and state regulation.

    ??1951: Married Denis Thatcher.

    ??1953: Qualified for the bar, specializing in taxation (a connection exploited by Bachmann).

    ??1959: Became a Member of Parliament.

    ??1961: Promoted to the Front Bench as Parliamentary Undersecretary at the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance, under Harold Macmillan.

    ??1966: Moved to the Shadow Treasury Team.

    ??1970: Appointed Secretary of State for Education and Science, under Edward Heath. She had a rough ride as Education Minister. The early 1970s saw student radicalism at its height and British politics at its least civil. Protesters disrupted her speeches, the opposition press vilified her, and education policy itself seemed set immovably in a leftwards course, which she and many Conservatives found uncomfortable.

    ??1975: Met Ronald Reagan at the House of Commons.?Ronald Reagan?s letter of thanks afterwards appears to have been the earliest in their long correspondence, written as news of the fall of Saigon was reaching the U.S. (?a dark day ... somehow the shadows seem to have lengthened?).

    The two met again in November 1978 (again at the House of Commons) by which time Reagan had run unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination against the sitting president, Gerald Ford, and established himself a leading candidate for the 1980 election. These early meetings ? before either Thatcher or Reagan won office ? established their warm regard for one another and a sense of shared purpose.

    ??1975: Became Leader of the Conservative Party and of the Opposition.

    ??1976: Dubbed ?The Iron Lady? on January 19, after making a speech in Kensington Town Hall in which she said this about the Soviet Union: ?The Russians are bent on world dominance, and they are rapidly acquiring the means to become the most powerful imperial nation the world has seen. The men in the Soviet Politburo do not have to worry about the ebb and flow of public opinion. They put guns before butter, while we put just about everything before guns.? The Soviet Defense Ministry newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star), in response, gave her the Iron Lady nickname.

    ??1979: Elected British Prime Minister.

    During her time as P.M., she lowered direct taxes on income and increased indirect taxes; increased interest rates to slow the growth of the money supply and?lower inflation; introduced cash limits on public spending; and reduced expenditures on social services such as education and housing.

      ??Standout lines from her October 10, 1980, speech to the Conservative Party conference in Brighton (also known as ?The Lady?s Not for Turning? speech):
      o??Independence does not mean contracting out of all relationships with others. A nation can be free but it will not stay free for long if it has no friends and no alliances. Above all, it will not stay free if it cannot pay its own way in the world.?
      ??and ?
      o??If spending money like water was the answer to our country?s problems, we would have no problems now. If ever a nation has spent, spent, spent and spent again, ours has. Today that dream is over. All of that money has got us nowhere, but it still has to come from somewhere.?
      ??and ?
      o??Without a?healthy economy we cannot have a healthy society. Without a healthy society, the economy will not stay healthy for long. But it is not the state that creates a healthy society. When the state grows too powerful, people feel that they count for less and less. The state drains society, not only of its wealth but of initiative, of energy, the will to improve and innovate as well as to preserve what is best. Our aim is to let people feel that they count for more and more.?

    ??1983: Re-elected for a second term.

    ??1987: Re-elected for a third term.

    ??1990: Resigned her P.M. post.

    ??1992: Became a member of the House of Lords.

    ??1993 and 1995: Best-selling memoirs are published: The Downing Street Years (1993) and The Path to Power (1995).

Note:? Some dates and details are from the Margaret Thatcher Foundation.??

Source: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2012/01/01/Thatcher-The-Iron-Lady-Inspires-GOP-Candidates.aspx

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Monday, January 2, 2012

North Korea says names Kim Jong-un top military commander (Reuters)

SEOUL (Reuters) ? North Korea announced on Saturday it has appointed Kim Jong-un, the anointed successor and youngest son of Kim Jong-il, as supreme commander of its 1.2 million-strong military, two days after official mourning for the late leader ended.

The North's state news agency KCNA said the appointment was made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party on Friday.

KCNA said the Political Bureau members "courteously proclaimed the dear comrade Kim Jong-un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, assumed the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army," according to a will made by Kim Jong-il on October 8.

It did not elaborate on the will.

Since Kim Jong-il's death on December 17, the North's state media have dubbed Kim Jong-un "supreme commander." Some Korea-watchers say it may take Kim Jong-un some months to assume the full panoply of official titles held by his father.

But the announcement of the politburo's decision not only meant official approval of his control of one of the world's most powerful armed forces but also indicated the consolidation of his power could be much faster than expected.

Footage aired recently by the North's state TV has shown Kim Jong-un, believed to be in his 20s, flanked or followed by the North's top military officers and a coterie of leaders during a series of mourning ceremonies for his father.

This signaled a smooth transfer of power to Kim Jong-un, the third generation of his family to rule the unpredictable and reclusive communist state since shortly after World War Two.

"Faced with the sudden death of his father, Kim Jong-un and his supporters, who appear to be less prepared and insecure, may think they do not have much time in solidifying the young Kim's position," Professor Koh Yu-hwan, an expert on the North's leadership from Seoul's Dongguk University, told Reuters.

"The approval (of his supreme leadership of the military) should be one of the fastest ways to allow him the sovereign ruler position," Koh said. This ties in with the North's "military-first" policies on which Kim Jong-il relied heavily.

Kim Jong-un was named a four-star general and given the vice-chairmanship of the ruling party's Central Military Commission by his father in 2010.

Many Korea-watchers also expect the inexperienced new leader, who had only been groomed for rule since 2009, to lead with the aid of a close coterie around him that includes his uncle and key power-broker, Jang Song-thaek, at least in the early stages of the power transition.

Jang, husband of Kim Jong-il's younger sister, Kim Kyong-hui, stood behind his nephew in Wednesday's mass funeral parade, escorting the hearse carrying Kim's body.

Despite Pyongyang's determination to project an unbroken line from Kim Jong-un's iron-fisted predecessors, which began with his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, there have been questions among outsiders about his capacity to lead the country.

North Korea, whose military is pursuing a nuclear arms program, is technically still at war with the South and is suffering from chronic food shortages.

Labeling its opponents "foolish," North Korea warned the South on Friday it would stick to its hardline policies and said

Pyongyang would never engage with the current government of South Korea.

(Reporting by Sung-won Shim; Editing by Paul Tait)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111231/wl_nm/us_korea_north_military

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Obama delays request for $1.2T debt limit increase

HONOLULU (AP) ? President Barack Obama is delaying his request for another $1.2 trillion increase in the United States' debt limit at the request of congressional leaders.

It's basically because of a technicality.

The White House had been ready to ask for the increase Friday because the government is within $100 billion of exhausting its current borrowing authority. Congress would then have 15 days to reject the request, though Obama would veto any objections in order to ensure that the government does not default on its obligations.

But with Congress not due to return to Washington until mid-January, a bipartisan group of lawmakers asked Obama to delay his request so they would be in session during the 15-day period allowed for objections.

"The administration is in discussions with leaders in both houses to determine the best timing for submission of certification and any subsequent votes in the two houses," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday.

Kevin Smith, a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner, said the House leadership preferred not having to call members back to Washington early to vote on the increase request, but would have done so if necessary.

A senior White House official said Obama will make his request within days. The Treasury Department will use accounting measures to ensure that the nation does not reach its debt limit before the $1.2 trillion increase is finalized, said the official, who requested anonymity because the person lacked authority to speak publicly.

The debt limit is the amount the government can borrow to finance its operations. It has soared because the government has run record deficits over the past decade. The borrowed money has helped pay for two wars, stimulate the nation's economy after the worst recession since the Great Depression and keep intact broad tax cuts initiated during the Bush administration.

Obama's request to increase the nation's borrowing authority would boost the debt limit to a record $16.4 trillion. The president and Congress agreed to raise it to that level in three steps as part of the August deal that was struck hours before a threatened government default.

Officials say the $1.2 trillion increase should be enough to allow the government to keep borrowing until the end of 2012, or just after the presidential election.

Congress agreed to raise the debt limit by $400 billion in August and by another $500 billion in September. House Republicans voted against the second increase, but failed to block it because the Senate approved it. The increases are scheduled to take effect unless both chambers vote against them.

The White House announced the delay in the debt limit request from Hawaii, where the president is on vacation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-30-Obama-Borrowing%20Limit/id-f8201bb992be43f2977578192aeb1fdd

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Sunday, January 1, 2012

Cru Hunter commented on Kyle Hilliard's post about Anonymous Threatens Sony With Robotic Voice On YouTube .

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    Top 10 Long Beach Area Sports Stories

    It's odd when a Top 10 list of the year in Long Beach sports is devoid of high school football, and the story with perhaps the longest impact is a continuing one that involves the legacy and structure of prep coaching in the city.

    That said, there were champions aplenty, some breakthroughs at Long Beach State, and a pair of notable comebacks.

    1. Poly boys basketball wins CIF

    The 68-52 final score in the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA title game against Corona Centennial doesn't reflect how lopsided the game was. Poly led 62-29 in the second half before calling off the 'rabbits. It was Poly's first boys hoop title since 2004 and reinforced the good work Sharrief Metoyer has done in maintaining the sense of class and performance around Poly basketball he inherited from Ron Palmer. His current team is a contender to repeat.

    2. LBSU scores in soccer

    The 49ers women's soccer program has been taking steps toward the high end of the sport for several years and it took a major leap this year by advancing to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament before being stopped by Duke. It beat Pepperdine, Miami and San Diego on its way to North Carolina.

    3. LBUSD coaching muddle

    The recession that has played havoc with everyone caused the Long Beach Unified School District its own pain as it started issuing pink slips like a pizza company hanging menus on door knobs. The end result was a lot of quality

    teachers/coaches moving on for secure jobs, while increasing the number of walk-on coaches, who can't be the steady campus presence a full-time teacher/coach can be. Moore League football has just one head coach with more than two years on the job. On the plus side, rowing great Joan Van Blom, the P.E. curriculum leader for the district, helped organize a fund-raising drive to save Middle School sports, which had been trimmed from the budget.

    4. Prep dynasties abound

    Poly winning a fourth straight CIF state girls track and field title wasn't exactly unexpected. But when the boys team won its title the same day, it set a bit of state history. Only three times have the state team titles been won by the same school, and Poly has done it all three times. In a historic three-peat, Poly diving sensation Deon Reid won his third consecutive state title and set a new state record in the process for the third straight time. It was without question, though, the year of consecutive CIF titles. The Downey girls volleyball team and wrestling team, St. Anthony girls basketball team and Paramount boys soccer team all won their second title in as many years. Lakewood's Kimo Napohaku won his second straight CIF wrestling title, too. St. John Bosco's Danny Martinez won the CIF State individual cross country championship. Other champs included Gahr boys basketball, Valley Christian boys volleyball, Los Alamitos girls volleyball, and Wilson boys water polo.

    5. Mike Conway's comeback

    Mike Conway won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in April, but what made his victory more special than usual was that just 11 months earlier, in May 2010 at the Indy 500, he was in a vicious crash in which he suffered a broken leg and compression fracture of one of his vertebrae and did not compete the rest of 2010. It was the kind of crash in which the driver is lucky to survive.

    6. Well-traveled Chase DeJong

    The junior pitcher led Wilson to the CIF-SS boys Division I baseball semifinals with a 10-2 record and 1.08 ERA, then went bouncing across the world for more baseball - a Perfect Game showcase event in Florida, a return to Long Beach for the American Legion season, to Cary, N.C., for the USA Under 18 tryout camp, back to Long Beach for the Area Code Games, then back to Cary for the final camp and then a trip to Cartagena, Colombia, for the World Championships. Next: A possible top-10 selection in the 2012 major league draft in June.

    7. Local boxing champ

    Professional boxer Abner Mares of Hawaiian Gardens, an Artesia High grad, became a bantweight world champion when he won a majority decision over Joseph Agbeko in Las Vegas. Mares became Golden Boy Promotions' first world champion from the ground up, having signed with Oscar De La Hoya's company right out of the amateurs. Mares repeated the win in a rematch against Agbeko on Dec. 3 at the Honda Center.

    8. More gold for Misty?

    The Long Beach State volleyball icon essentially retired after the U.S. domestic season folded in 2010, but chose to make a comeback in January with an eye on a third Olympic gold medal with partner Kerri Walsh at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Misty and Walsh finished second on the FIVB tour this year and are assured a trip to London.

    9. Big West goes back to the future

    The conference added Hawaii to its lineup earlier in the year, giving the previously all-California contingent greater depth and more potential in many notable sports. Then, this month, San Diego State returned to the fold, the league agreeing to take all of the Aztecs' programs starting in 2013. On the flip side, reports about financial woes at Cal State Northridge, CS Fullerton and UC Riverside leaves the conference wondering if it may lose someone sooner than later.

    10. Longoria's moment in time

    The final day of the 2011 baseball season was considered one of the greatest days in baseball history, with playoff spots changing within minutes. In Tampa, former Dirtbag Evan Longoria played a pivotal role. Down 7-0 and needing a win and Red Sox loss to earn the AL wild card, Longoria hit a three-run home run to draw within 7-6, then won the game in the 10th inning with a home run moments after the Red Sox were beaten.

    - Dave Felton, Bob Keisser, Robert Morales and Dave Werstine

    Source: http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_19650799?source=rss_viewed

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