A SHARP new microscope for the next generation of biochips

ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2011) ? Moore's Law, hardly a law but undeniably a persistent trend, says that every year and a half, the number of transistors that fit on a chip roughly doubles. It's why electronics -- from smart phones to flat screens, from MP4 players to movie cameras, from tablets to supercomputers -- grow ever more varied, powerful, and compact, but also ever less expensive. Whether the trend can continue until it runs up against immutable laws of nature, like the finite size of an atom, depends on how far scientists and technicians can push electronic technologies down into the nanoworld with better tools for using short-wavelength light.

Now scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have partnered with colleagues at leading semiconductor manufacturers to create the world's most advanced extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) microscope. Called SHARP (a succinct acronym for a long name, the Semiconductor High-NA Actinic Reticle Review Project), the new microscope will be dedicated to photolithography, the central process in the creation of computer chips.

The $4.1 million, 1.5-year project will be led by Kenneth Goldberg of the Center for X-Ray Optics (CXRO) in Berkeley Lab's Materials Science Division (MSD). Initially SHARP will be used in parallel with operations at the existing microscope on beamline 11.3.2 of Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source (ALS). By the last quarter of 2012 the new EUV photomask-imaging microscope will replace the beamline's aging facilities.

"EUV light is tricky to work with," says Goldberg, "because every material absorbs it so strongly. So instead of glass lenses, EUV optical systems rely mainly on specialized mirrors with atomic-scale smoothness, topped by multilayercoatings for high reflectivity." To maintain efficiency, the entire optical system has to be placed in a high-vacuum environment.

While the existing eight-year-old microscope at beamline 11.3.2, dubbed the AIT (for Actinic Inspection Tool), has unique imaging capabilities, the fast-moving nature of semiconductor technology means its future is limited. SHARP will exceed its performance in every metric: resolution, speed, uniformity of illumination, and coherence control. SHARP will enable forward-looking research years before commercial tools become available.

Within a few years, semiconductor devices will be measured in dimensions of 16, 11, or 8 nanometers, mere billionths of a meter. To mass-produce them, industry is pushing a photolithography process that uses EUV light with a wavelength of just 13.5 nanometers, 40 times smaller than visible light.

"At this short wavelength, we can print and image circuit patterns at nanometer length scales," says Goldberg. "The new microscope will leverage years of cutting-edge EUV and soft-x?ray microscopy experience, experimental systems-engineering at CXRO, and EUV optics expertise developed as part of the lithography research programs here." Goldberg says that the ALS, as one of the world's brightest sources of EUV light, "is a great place to develop EUV lithography technologies."

In lithography, photomasks are the key to mass production. A series of photomasks carry the master circuit patterns that are transferred onto a chip, layer by layer, to create working semiconductor devices. The masks are analogous to the negatives in a photographer's darkroom, or master pages on a photocopier.

Minute imperfections or tiny particles of dust on a master, if not found and cleaned or fixed, ultimately cause chips to fail. Goldberg and his team have shown that defects and patterns can appear very different when viewed with non-EUV inspection tools such as electron microscopes, making EUV microscopy essential for the development of EUV masks because only in this way can damaging dust particles and other defects be identified reliably.

"Other microscopes can have wonderfully high resolution, but they can't detect the wavelength-specific EUV response of mask patterns and defects," says Goldberg, "and that's necessary to make successful repairs."

SHARP is called an "actinic" microscope because it uses the same EUV wavelengths used in production. Thus the new EUV microscope will enable semiconductor company researchers to better evaluate defects and repair strategies, mask materials and architectures, and advanced pattern features.

Like its predecessor, the SHARP microscope will also feature an array of lenses, side by side, so users can select the different imaging properties they need, much as a common lab microscope mounts different lenses on a rotating turret.

The high-magnification objective lenses for the new microscope are holographic Fresnel zoneplatelenses, microscopic objects produced by CXRO's Nanowriter. The Nanowriter, under the direction of Erik Anderson, holds the world record for creating the highest resolution zoneplates for many synchrotron and other short-wavelength applications. The lenses are only slightly wider than a single human hair, yet they project high-quality images of the mask surface with up to 2,000 times magnification.

A special feature of the new microscope will be illumination coherence control. The ALS produces an EUV beam with laser-like coherence, ideal for many experiments. For microscopy, however, the image resolution can be improved by a factor of two by carefully re-engineering the illumination into a state called partial coherence. Microscopists have recognized the importance of partial coherence for years, and the synchrotron community is now catching up.

An angle-scanning mirror in the new microscope's beamline illuminator will take the highly-coherent ALS light and steer it into patterns, like a mini-laser-light show, breaking and re-shaping the coherence properties. In this way, the SHARP microscope will replicate the properties of current and future tools for lithography production and research, giving researchers the most advanced look at what's to come.

With sales of some $51 billion a year, semiconductors are the United States' second largest export product.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

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

---

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031121221.htm

haunted houses favicon.ico favicon.ico nascar footloose best iphone 4 case best iphone 4 case

India shuts server linked to Duqu computer virus (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Indian authorities seized computer equipment from a data center in Mumbai as part of an investigation into the Duqu malicious software that some security experts warned could be the next big cyber threat.

Two workers at a web-hosting company called Web Werks told Reuters that officials from India's Department of Information Technology last week took several hard drives and other components from a server that security firm Symantec Corp told them was communicating with computers infected with Duqu.

News of Duqu first surfaced last week when Symantec said it had found a mysterious computer virus that contained code similar to Stuxnet, a piece of malware believed to have wreaked havoc on Iran's nuclear program.

Government and private investigators around the world are racing to unlock the secret of Duqu, with early analysis suggesting that it was developed by sophisticated hackers to help lay the groundwork for attacks on critical infrastructure such as power plants, oil refineries and pipelines.

The equipment seized from Web Werks, a privately held company in Mumbai with about 200 employees, might hold valuable data to help investigators determine who built Duqu and how it can be used. But putting the pieces together is a long and difficult process, experts said.

"This one is challenging," said Marty Edwards, director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team. "It's a very complex piece of software."

He declined to comment on the investigation by authorities in India, but said that his agency was working with counterparts in other countries to learn more about Duqu.

Two employees at Web Werks said officials from India's Department of Information Technology came to their office last week to take hard drives and other parts from a server.

They said they did not know how the malware got on to Web Werks' server. "We couldn't track down this customer," said one of the two employees, who did not want to be identified for fear of losing their jobs.

An official in India's Department of Information Technology who investigates cyber attacks also declined to discuss the matter. "I am not able to comment on any investigations," said Gulshan Rai, director of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT-In.

UNLOCKING THE SECRET

Stuxnet is malicious software designed to target widely used industrial control systems built by Germany's Siemens. It is believed to have crippled centrifuges that Iran uses to enrich uranium for what the United States and some European nations have charged is a covert nuclear weapons program.

Duqu appears to be more narrowly targeted than Stuxnet as researchers estimate the new trojan virus has infected at most dozens of machines so far. By comparison, Stuxnet spread much more quickly, popping up on thousands of computer systems.

Security firms including Dell Inc's SecureWorks, Intel Corp's McAfee, Kaspersky Lab and Symantec say they found Duqu victims in Europe, Iran, Sudan and the United States. They declined to provide their identities.

Duqu -- so named because it creates files with "DQ" in the prefix -- was designed to steal secrets from the computers it infects, researchers said, such as design documents from makers of highly sophisticated valves, motors, pipes and switches.

Experts suspect that information is being gathered for use in developing future cyber weapons that would target the control systems of critical infrastructure.

The hackers behind Duqu are unknown, but their sophistication suggests they are backed by a government, researchers say.

"A cyber saboteur should understand the engineering specifications of every component that could be targeted for destruction in an operation," said John Bumgarner, chief technology officer for the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit.

That is exactly what the authors of Stuxnet did when they built that cyber weapon, said Bumgarner, who is writing a paper on the development of Stuxnet.

"They studied the technical details of gas centrifuges and figured out how they could be destroyed," he said.

Such cyber reconnaissance missions are examples of an increasingly common phenomenon known as "blended" attacks, where elite hackers infiltrate one target to facilitate access to another.

Hackers who infiltrated Nasdaq's computer systems last year installed malware that allowed them to spy on the directors of publicly held companies.

In March, hackers stole digital security keys from EMC Corp's RSA Security division that they later used to breach the networks of defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.

Researchers said they are still trying to figure out what the next phase of Duqu attacks might be.

"We are a little bit behind in the game," said Don Jackson, a director of the Dell SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit. "Knowing what these guys are doing, they are probably a step ahead."

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in New York, Jim Finkle in Boston; Additional reporting by Henry Foy in Mumbai; Editing by Tiffany Wu)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111028/wr_nm/us_cybersecurity_india

time change reggie bush ufc 137 boston news black friday day light savings time matilda

Snowstorm tests resolve of Wall St protesters (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? A rare October snowstorm tested the resolve of anti-Wall Street protesters camped out in a New York park on Saturday, as police arrested demonstrators in Denver and evicted others from a Nashville plaza.

In Washington, demonstrators marched in sleet to the Treasury to urge higher taxes on the financial sector, beating a drum and chanting "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!"

Buffeted by strong winds, protesters hunkered down in snow-covered tents in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan, where the Occupy Wall Street movement against economic inequality first set up camp six weeks ago, sparking dozens of similar occupations in city parks across the United States.

A day after New York authorities confiscated their generators, hundreds of protesters struggled to stay warm and dry after more than an inch of snow fell in the city with temperatures forecast to drop to freezing overnight.

"We knew this would be tough. We didn't start this as a sort of summer of love, it's the winter of discontent," said Alan Collinge, 41, from Seattle, poking his head out a tent.

He estimated one in five protesters in the park had left due to the unusually early storm, but added, "They'll be back, we're not going anywhere."

On Friday, the New York Fire Department took away six generators and fuel that had been powering heat, computers and a kitchen at the camp because they were considered a safety hazard, a move that Mayor Michael Bloomberg said was not a bid to remove the protesters.

But recent evictions of demonstrators in places like Oakland, California, where police used tear gas and stun grenades, and Atlanta, have the protest movement on edge.

In Nashville, state troopers swept through a makeshift camp in Legislative Plaza for a second night on Saturday to enforce a curfew and 26 people were taken into custody for refusing to leave. They were given misdemeanor citations for trespassing.

Judicial authorities have told police there are no grounds to charge the protesters and have also questioned the legality of the 10 p.m curfew used to clear the plaza.

In Denver, 20 economic protesters were arrested trying to occupy the steps of the state capitol building, police said.

About 2,000 demonstrators marched peacefully through Denver as they have for the past several Saturdays, but the situation heated up when some of them entered the capitol grounds and riot police fired pepper balls and mace into the crowd.

PEACEFUL PROTESTS

Protesters say they are upset that the billions of dollars in bank bailouts doled out during the recession allowed banks to resume earning huge profits while average Americans have had no relief from high unemployment and job insecurity.

They also believe the richest 1 percent of Americans do not pay their fair share in taxes.

Occupy Arrests, a Twitter feed compiling arrests related to Occupy Wall Street, said about 2,800 people have been arrested worldwide, including about 1,000 in New York City, since the movement began five weeks ago.

The demonstrations have been largely peaceful, but turned violent on Tuesday in Oakland, where former U.S. Marine Scott Olsen was badly injured in clashes with police who fired tear gas canisters at demonstrators.

Unlike protesters elsewhere, who rallied in city parks which typically have a curfew at night, those in New York set up camp in a privately-owned park open to the public 24 hours a day and cannot be removed unless the owner, Brookfield Office Properties, officially complains to the city.

Justin Stone-Diaz, 38, a spokesman for the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York, which prides itself on not having a leader, said that up to 3,000 people visited the camp during the day and up to 400 people were sleeping there at night.

"Once the real snow begins in a few weeks you will see we will contract a bit but we're prepared to stay here for the full winter," he said.

A small brass band marched through the New York park playing music as protesters covered their shoes with plastic bags, wrapped themselves in space blankets and huddled together in mainly donated tents.

"There's a lot of people out there with no roof over their heads, nowhere to sleep, the constant fear of getting sick or hurt because you will go bankrupt, and then there are other people with multiple houses, multiples cars and it just doesn't work," said Eric Larson, an electronics assembler who walked through the park handing out hats, gloves and ponchos.

"Having people here is a reminder that there's a big disparity in this country," he said.

(Additional reporting by Tim Ghianni in Nashville, Keith Coffman in Denver and Susan Cornwell Washington; editing by Anthony Boadle)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111030/us_nm/us_usa_wallstreet_protests

meg whitman f8 f8 catherine the great dark shadows ted haggard ted haggard

Ryuku vs. Garzahd (Powered Mid-tier)

Garzahd wrung his hands in frustration and anger. It was the third time today he had been distracted while casting the teleportation ritual by an errant thought sailing through his mind at the worst possible time: the destination focus. As a result, he had teleported both his friend and his master, successively, to some wildly unknown location. If either ever found their way back, he knew he was never going to hear the end of it... and he didn't relish the ideas of what sort of punishment his master would likely administer, as even the lesser ones were usually grotesque and painful.

He shuddered involuntarily. As it was, he had other things to worry about, seeing as he had no idea where he was, either. Rubbing his beard stubble with his hand, Garzahd gazed out at his surroundings. He had arrived in a great city, it's streets and buildings concentrically converging on a grand crystalline castle, upon whose rampart he currently stood. Here and there, wisps of smoke still trailed from a damaged building, and the evidence of violence was rampant. The city seemed to be devoid of life, with not even a single corpse in sight.

This peculiarity of this immediately forestalled all thoughts of returning home. A small smile crept onto his features, as he pondered the possibilities. Is this the work of the Legion? Have they been here already? No, no, this is too clean to have been them... they would have stayed and razed everything to the ground... made corpse trophies. No, this must be a local force.... and if so... this must be a virgin world. Excellent, most excellent. Today... I will become a herald of the Legion in a way that few ever have! The stars smile upon me, they have turned my ill fortune into glory! He laughed aloud a cold, measured laugh tinged with just the slightest bit of malice. "Aetyra will be proud."

As the wind brushed past him, he turned with a great billowing of his cloak to look at the tallest spire of the crystal castle. He could sense a powerful magic there, something certainly strong enough to anchor a portal to this unsuspecting world. He nodded to himself, satisfied. He would have to make his way there soon. He glanced back out over the ruined city, as if to reassure himself that this was all indeed real, when he caught a glimpse of movement in the streets.

Pausing, he pulled out a spyglass from one of his many inner pockets and trained it there. Sure enough, the spyglass confirmed it... there was a silver-haired, bare-chested man making his way through the rubble in the streets, clearly en route to the castle. Garzahd frowned as a new set of thoughts raced through his head. Is this the one responsible then? Maybe, possibly, but I doubt it. More likely someone sent to investigate. He could also be here to claim that magical font in the tower. Hm. There is no alternative, I have to stop him.

Replacing the spyglass in its pocket, Garzahd tried to clear his mind. He would need focus for the battle ahead. Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes for a moment to exhale. Ready. He could feel the impatient magics already pricking at the back of his mind, yearning to be unleashed. Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, he climbed boldly into view on the gatehouse rampart overlooking the entry into the castle's courtyard, where he stood, staring coldly down at the approaching man. The stranger would have to pass through here to get inside. Garzahd would see to it that he would not.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/44MSNDm-1_g/viewtopic.php

casey jones casey jones debit card fees debit card fees how to be a gentleman how to be a gentleman iphone 5 case

Unsolved cases pile up in Puerto Rico

In this picture taken Oct. 21, 2011, a forensic investigator examines the body of a men killed by unidentified gunmen at a crime scene in Carolina, Puerto Rico. A recent U.S. Department of Justice report found that police in Puerto Rico are arresting suspects for only 43 percent of the island's homicides, making it the only U.S. jurisdiction where fewer than half of all homicides lead to an arrest. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

In this picture taken Oct. 21, 2011, a forensic investigator examines the body of a men killed by unidentified gunmen at a crime scene in Carolina, Puerto Rico. A recent U.S. Department of Justice report found that police in Puerto Rico are arresting suspects for only 43 percent of the island's homicides, making it the only U.S. jurisdiction where fewer than half of all homicides lead to an arrest. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

In this picture taken July 25, 2011, a police officer walks through a crime scene where two men lie dead on a car after they were shot by unidentified gunmen in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. A recent U.S. Department of Justice report found that police in Puerto Rico are arresting suspects for only 43 percent of the island's homicides, making it the only U.S. jurisdiction where fewer than half of all homicides lead to an arrest. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ? The 8-year-old boy was found in his bed bleeding from a fatal blow to the head. His house in a gated coastal community showed no apparent signs of forced entry. In fact, at least five people were home when the boy was injured.

Some 20 months later, there have been no arrests in a case that police have classified as a homicide. The boy's mother and maternal grandmother tearfully allege that police mishandled evidence, didn't secure the crime scene or properly question suspects.

While the case has become a media sensation in this U.S. territory, it's only one in a growing number of unsolved murders over the past two decades. At the same time, the island is on track to set a record number of killings this year with a homicide rate more than four times the national average.

All that has sparked public outrage over what many perceive as police ineffectiveness in the face of soaring crime, and much of the anger in Puerto Rico has focused on the unexplained killing of the boy, Lorenzo Gonzalez. He has been the subject of candlelight vigils, Facebook support pages and a local gossip show that features the case almost daily.

Yvette Gonzalez, grandmother of the slain boy, said police appear simply incapable of solving the case.

"It is very disheartening, because as time goes by, we realize that the authorities don't have the means nor the skills to do an in-depth investigation," she said.

Carlos Sanchez, a lawyer for Ahmed Ali Gonzalez, the boy's father, said homicides plague the island.

"It is certainly something alarming what we're seeing here in Puerto Rico," Sanchez said.

A recent U.S. Department of Justice report found that police are arresting suspects for only 43 percent of the island's homicides, making it the only U.S. jurisdiction where fewer than half of all homicides lead to an arrest. The island's rate of homicide arrests has plummeted since hitting 60 percent in the late '80s and early '90s.

The U.S. national average is 66 percent, according to the federal report on the island's police force, which accuses authorities of illegal killings, corruption and widespread civil rights violations.

Gov. Luis Fortuno and other officials have said the island is addressing many of the 130 recommendations in the federal report, such as offering additional police training and buying recorders and digital cameras to speed up investigations. But the body count of unsolved homicides continues to grow.

Open cases from recent months include that of Maurice J. Spagnoletti, a 57-year-old executive from New Jersey who had been working for Puerto Rico's second-largest bank for less than six months. He was shot several times in June as he sat in traffic on one of the busiest roads in San Juan, the island's capital.

Police initially offered several theories about the shooting and consulted with the FBI, but no arrests have been made.

Other unsolved homicides in the public eye include that of a mortgage broker who was a former president of a real estate industry association and was shot to death in her SUV. Two well-known volleyball players were also killed in their car outside a bar in early September.

While details remain unclear about the more high-profile cases, most of the island's killings involve gangs fighting over control of drug distribution in the island's public housing projects or are related to international drug trafficking.

Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock, the island's equivalent to a lieutenant governor, said that helps explain why Puerto Rico's homicide rate hit 22.5 killings per 100,000 people in 2009, higher than any U.S. state and nearly double that of Louisiana, according to the federal report.

With more than 936 people reported killed so far this year, Puerto Rico is on track to break its annual homicide record of 995 murders in 1995.

McClintock said law enforcement budget cuts have resulted in less police expertise and resources to solve cases. For example, smaller staffs mean cadets spend less time at academies while under pressure to quickly hit the streets.

The island's police department has also struggled to buy materials because of budget cuts, while a drop in federal funds and U.S. agents also has been blamed for an increase in crime, McClintock said. Officials are moving more money to public safety budgets to bolster security.

"We have been assigning additional resources so that more and better evidence can be collected," he said.

The low arrest rate starts a vicious cycle, as witnesses hesitate to speak to police because they're too fearful of retribution on a relatively small island where police seem incapable of solving crimes.

"A big problem is the distrust that people have in the system," said Dora Nevarez-Muniz, a criminologist and law professor at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. "A lot of times the witness doesn't want to speak."

Puerto Rico has been turning to outside help such as Robert Warshaw, a former police chief and associate director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy who's consulting the island.

Fortuno also has appointed a retired National Guard general, Emilio Diaz Colon, to replace the island's police chief, who resigned in July over rising crime. Colon declined to comment through a spokeswoman. Other high-ranking officials contacted referred all questions to Colon.

Shortly after the Justice Department report came out, the governor announced a joint task force would prosecute some violent crimes as federal cases, which would bring in added resources and expertise.

The same day of the announcement, Ana Cacho, mother of Lorenzo Gonzalez, urged the new task force to investigate her son's murder. So far, police consider her a lead suspect, and authorities have barred her from seeing or communicating with her two daughters.

Her father, Carlos Cacho, recently handed Fortuno an envelope with information about the case. Fortuno declined to comment further except to say he forwarded the contents to Justice Secretary Guillermo Somoza, who has reiterated that the investigation is ongoing.

Somoza said this week that a male family friend who was at the home with Cacho the day the boy died is considered a suspect. The man's attorney has denied his client was there.

Despite the new announcement, the boy's maternal grandmother doubts the case will be solved.

Yvette Gonzalez accused investigators of withholding evidence and of missing signs that a stranger broke into the house.

"Aside from the terrible loss of a boy who was so loved, you have the disappointment in a system like the one we have seen," the grandmother said. "You lose faith."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-29-CB-Puerto-Rico-Unsolved-Cases/id-fe8dd5fd92ab41d99511536f789d6480

widespread panic richard stallman richard stallman williston north dakota williston north dakota kody brown transylvania

Study: Japan nuke radiation higher than estimated (AP)

NEW YORK ? The Fukushima nuclear disaster released twice as much of a dangerous radioactive substance into the atmosphere as Japanese authorities estimated, reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl, a preliminary report says.

The estimate of much higher levels of radioactive cesium-137 comes from a worldwide network of sensors. Study author Andreas Stohl of the Norwegian Institute for Air Research says the Japanese government estimate came only from data in Japan, and that would have missed emissions blown out to sea.

The study did not consider health implications of the radiation. The long-term effects of the nuclear accident are unclear because of the difficulty of measuring radiation amounts people received.

In a telephone interview, Stohl said emission estimates are so imprecise that finding twice the amount of cesium isn't considered a major difference. He said some previous estimates had been higher than his.

The journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics posted the report online for comment, but the study has not yet completed a formal review by experts in the field or been accepted for publication.

Cesium-137 is dangerous because it can last for decades in the environment, releasing cancer-causing radiation.

Last summer, the Japanese government estimated that the March 11 Fukushima accident released 15,000 terabecquerels of cesium. Terabecquerels are a radiation measurement. The new report from Stohl and co-authors estimates about 36,000 terabecquerels through April 20. That's about 42 percent of the estimated release from Chernobyl, the report says.

It also says about a fifth of the cesium fell on land in Japan, while most of the rest fell into the Pacific Ocean. Only about 2 percent of the fallout came down on land outside Japan, the report concluded.

Experts have no firm projections about how many cancers could result because they're still trying to find out what doses people received. Some radiation from the accident has also been detected in Tokyo and in the United States but experts say they expect no significant health consequences there.

Still, concern about radiation is strong in Japan. Many parents of small children in Tokyo worry about the discovery of radiation hotspots even though government officials say they don't pose a health risk. And former prime minister Naoto Kan has said the most contaminated areas inside the evacuation zone could be uninhabitable for decades.

Stohl also noted that his study found cesium-137 emissions dropped suddenly at the time workers started spraying water on the spent fuel pool from one of the reactors. That challenges previous thinking that the pool wasn't emitting cesium, he said.

___

Online:

New study: http://bit.ly/tFURSr

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_sc/us_sci_japan_nuclear

scrimshaw jacoby ellsbury jacoby ellsbury facebook charging pittsburgh steelers act scores the good wife

ELLEN- COLDPLAY- Chris Martin & Jonny Buckland

COLDPLAY will make their first appearance on ?The Ellen DeGeneres Show? on Thursday, October 27th. Ellen sits down with front man Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland. Ellen talks with Chris about how his wife Gwyneth Paltrow and reveals the longest relationship he has ever had is with Jonny. Plus, Coldplay will perform ?Paradise? [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/ellen-coldplay-chris-martin-jonny-buckland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ellen-coldplay-chris-martin-jonny-buckland

bloomberg tv bloomberg tv david koch the state republican debate republican presidential candidates republican presidential candidates

Official: Gadhafi's spy chief in Mali, son on way (AP)

DAKAR, Senegal ? Moammar Gadhafi's intelligence chief who is wanted by Interpol fled to Mali overnight after making his way across Niger where he has been hiding for several days in the country's northern desert, an adviser to Niger's president said Thursday.

The official, who could not be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said that Abdullah al-Senoussi entered Mali late Wednesday via the Kidal region, which shares a border with Niger. He is guarded by a unit of about a dozen people and arrived in a convoy piloted by ethnic Tuaregs from Mali.

The adviser said that Gadhafi's hunted son, Seif al-Islam, is also on his way to Mali and is traveling across the invisible line separating Algeria from Niger. The area, a lawless expanse of dunes stretching for hundreds of miles, has been used for years by drug traffickers as well as an offshoot of al-Qaida and has nearly no government presence.

"Senoussi is in Mali," said the adviser, an influential elder in the ethnic Tuareg community which overwhelmingly supported Gadhafi and remained loyal to him despite Niger's official stance backing the country's new rulers.

"Seif is going to Mali too. He is right now between Niger and Algeria. He is in the territory at the frontier between the two, heading to Mali," the adviser said. "For the moment, they do not plan to approach the government. They are protected by the Tuaregs ... and they are choosing to stay in the desert."

The region through which they traveled is the traditional home of the Tuaregs, the desert dwellers whose members live in the nations abutting the Sahara desert from Mauritania in the east, through Mali, Niger, Libya and Chad. The group felt a kinship with Gadhafi who elevated the nomadic life by pitching his tent in the courtyards of four-star hotels in Europe, and hundreds of Tuareg youth from both Mali and Niger traveled to Libya to fight as Gadhafi's hired guns in the final months of the conflict.

Videos posted online showing how Gadhafi was abused after he was caught, and his body after he was killed, have deeply offended Tuareg communities throughout Africa.

Starting at dinnertime Wednesday, Tuareg elders met in Agadez to discuss the conflict posed by the arrival of Gadhafi's most trusted collaborators in light of the Niger's government's commitment to hand over anyone wanted by the world court. Both the son and the intelligence chief are wanted by the International Criminal Court which issued warrants for their arrest in May for crimes against humanity committed during the monthslong struggle for power in Libya.

About 30 other regime loyalists, including another Gadhafi son, al-Saadi, fled to Niger in September, but were apprehended by Niger's government and placed under house arrest.

In Mali, the Director of State Security Hildebert Traore said he could not confirm that the fugitive intelligence chief had crossed into the country.

"Up to now, we have not been able to determine the position of Mr. Sanoussi, whether he's in our territory or someone else's," Traore said. "People like him usually take care to contact the authorities of the country in question before entering it, but he has not contacted us to say that he's coming."

Observers in Niger and Mali suspect that the wanted members of Gadhafi's regime did not stop in Niger because of worries that the government will hand them over to the International Criminal Court, or ICC. In Niger's capital, the chief of staff of President Mahamadou Issoufou reiterated the government's position.

"We are hearing the same reports as you, that Seif is in our zone. But our security forces have not run into him," said Massoudou Hassoumi. "The day that we run into him we will arrest him. He is pursued by the ICC, and we will hand him over in keeping with our international obligations."

In Mali, a tribal elder from the country's north where the fugitives are believed to be hiding, said that he doesn't think Mali will shield them from the ICC.

"People on the ground are saying that Senoussi is there," said the elder who asked not to be named because of the delicate nature of the issue.

"I don't know if Gadhafi's son is there too. It's a small group of vehicles which is to the northeast of Kidal Town. It's possible that they are with other Tuaregs who have returned from Libya," the elder said. "I think they know if they came here that Mali is going to hand them over to the ICC. In fact I think that's why they came here because they want to be safely handed over."

Niger's government, which is heavily dependent on aid, has been put in an impossible spot, forced to choose between its obligations to the international community and its powerful Tuareg community. The problem is similar in Mali, but President Amadou Toumani Toure is at the tail-end of his second term and is not seeking re-election, making him possibly freer to choose a course of action without fear of political repercussions.

___

Martin Vogl contributed to this report from Bamako, Mali.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_re_af/af_mali_libya

the lion king 3d missoni maker faire the hub the hub penn state pat robertson

Report: Ex-Goldman director to face charges

Former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta will surrender to the FBI on Wednesday to face criminal charges related to an ongoing insider trading investigation, sources close to the case told The New York Times and Reuters.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. Super-social gene may hold clues to autism, other disorders
   2. An oasis of fun in Kabul - a bowling alley
   3. PhotoBlog: World population set to exceed seven billion
   4. China cracks down on economic leaks
   5. Ohio bargaining measure as a 2012 litmus
   6. An outside-in effort to help poor students achieve
   7. The stress of work could really take a physical toll

Gupta was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam's trial earlier this year. He has denied wrongdoing.

The case against Gupta broadens the reach of the probe into the country's most powerful businesses, according to The New York Times.? Most of the people charged with insider trading in the last two years worked on Wall Street, the newspaper noted.

Aside from being a director at Goldman Sachs, Gupta also sat on the board of Procter & Gamble and led one of the world's most powerful consulting companies, McKinsey & Company, the Times reported.

Rajaratnam was sentenced to 11-years in prison this month.

Gupta's attorney, Gary Naftalis, called any charges against Gupta "totally baseless."

"The facts demonstrate that Mr. Gupta is an innocent man and that he has always acted with honesty and integrity," he said in a statement to NBC News.? "He did not trade in any securities, did not tip Mr. Rajaratnam so he could trade, and did not share in any profits as part of any quid pro quo."

"Mr. Gupta lost his entire investment in the fund at the time of the events in question, negating any motive to deviate from a lifetime of probity and distinguished service," his attorney said.

? 2011 msnbc.com

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45040483/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

bobby flay clemson football the new girl miami hurricanes football miami hurricanes football emmy winners emmy winners

DOE glitch: Student data revealed (Politico)

When the Education Department?s direct loans website fell pray to a technical ?glitch? earlier this month, the financial details of thousands of students were made public, an education official said in a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

James Runice, the chief operating officer of the Education Department?s office of federal student aid, revealed on Tuesday that the financial data had been made public for a 67-minute window, and that as many as 5,000 college students? personal financial data had been laid to bare, according to the Associated Press.

Continue Reading

Runice?s testimony came during a hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training about government-run student loans.

Last week, the Education Department said in a statement that on Oct. 12, ?a small number of borrowers? had logged into myedaccount.com and were able to view the personal information of other borrowers during a ?brief website glitch,? and that the department ?became aware of the problem within minutes and took immediate action to resolve the issue.?

?We?ve reached out by phone and email to the borrowers who were directly impacted, and offered them free credit monitoring, support and the opportunity to ask questions about what happened,? Education Department spokesman Justin Hamilton had said, noting that there was ?no reason to believe that any of the information has been misused.?

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the chairwoman of the subcommittee, said the purpose of the hearing was to examine the federal takeover of the student loan industry in light of Republican lawmakers? concerns about this ?political tactic.?

?Any time the federal government assumes control over a private sector industry, there can be national implications,? Foxx said, according to prepared remarks of her opening statement.

One of the concerns the congresswoman mentioned was the glitch that the direct loan website suffered earlier this month. ?The implications of this kind of website malfunction are severe, particularly when it affects millions of borrowers nationwide,? Foxx said.

Runice said in his introductory statement that he believes the transition to the direct loan program has been a ?success.?

The directors of financial aid for Kennesaw State University and Denison University, as well as the vice president for enrollment management at Baker University, were also witnesses at the subcommittee hearing.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1011_66818_html/43383625/SIG=11m1hr6ub/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66818.html

arrested development arrested development shannon tweed shannon tweed don lapre aladdin dallas cowboys

AP Exclusive: Members flee Legion as reforms stall (AP)

VATICAN CITY ? When Pope Benedict XVI took over the disgraced Legion of Christ religious order last year, expectations were high that heads would roll over one of the greatest scandals of the 20th century Roman Catholic Church.

One year later, none of the Legion's superiors has been held to account for facilitating the crimes of late founder Rev. Marciel Maciel, a drug addict who sexually abused his seminarians, fathered three children and created a cult-like movement within the church that damaged some of its members spiritually and emotionally.

An Associated Press tally shows that disillusioned members are leaving the movement in droves as they lose faith that the Vatican will push through the changes needed. The collapse of the order, once one of the most influential in the church, has broader implications for Catholicism, which is shedding members in some places because the hierarchy covered up widespread sexual abuse by priests.

In an exclusive interview, the man tapped by Benedict to turn the Legion around insisted that the pope tasked him only with guiding the Legion and helping rewrite its norms ? not "decapitating" its leadership or avenging wrongdoing.

Cardinal Velasio De Paolis ruled out any further investigation into the crimes of Maciel, who as a favorite of Pope John Paul II had been held up as a living saint despite well-founded allegations ? later proven ? that he was a pedophile.

"I don't see what good would be served" by further inquiry into a coverup, the Italian cardinal said. "Rather, we would run the risk of finding ourselves in an intrigue with no end. Because these are things that are too private for me to go investigating."

The Holy See knew of the pedophile accusations, yet for years ignored his victims ? as well as complaints about his cult-like sect ? because he attracted men and money to the priesthood. As it is, John Paul's legacy was marred by his close association with Maciel; Benedict's legacy, already tarnished by the sex abuse scandal, may well rest in part on how he cleans up Maciel's mess.

Critics, including some Vatican officials, contend De Paolis has an obligation to uncover the truth and take more radical action, given that the Vatican itself found Maciel created a twisted, abusive order to cater to his double life.

The Vatican also determined that for the Legion to survive it must be "purified" of the influence of Maciel, who died in 2008, since its very structure and culture had been so contaminated by his obsession with obedience and secrecy. Members were forbidden from criticizing their superiors, were isolated from their families, and told how to do everything from praying to eating an orange.

In the absence of radical change, the movement has seen a dramatic decline in membership since the scandal was revealed in 2009.

An estimated 70 of the 890 Legion priests and upwards of a third of the movement's 900 consecrated women have left or are taking time away to ponder their future. Seminarians have fled ? 232 last year alone, an unusually high 16 percent dropout rate for one year. New recruits are expected to number fewer than 100 this year, half what they averaged before the scandal.

The AP compiled the figures based on interviews with more than a dozen current and former members, who outlined inconsistencies in partial statistics provided by the Legion.

In August, about 20 current and former Legion priests met secretly for a week in Cordoba, Spain, to discuss forming an association to support Legion priests who leave the order, participants told the AP. The move could well encourage more to leave.

And earlier this month, the six editors of the Legion-affiliated Catholic news agency Zenit quit en masse, following the resignation of Zenit's founder. He had cited differences in editorial vision and a loss of trust with the Legion's superiors over the way they covered up Maciel's crimes.

The Rev. Richard Gill, a prominent U.S. Legion priest until he left the congregation in 2010 after 29 years, has openly criticized De Paolis' efforts, particularly his refusal to remove compromised superiors, saying "dismissals will be needed to restore some measure of confidence in the Legion."

He called for an investigation into the origins of the scandal and noted that for most of the 70-odd priests who have left, "loss of trust in the leadership has been the primary reason."

Claudia Madero left the movement in August after living like a nun for 35 years, citing the refusal of her Mexican superiors and De Paolis to embrace change.

"It's true there have been some changes, but these are incidental, not essential," she wrote in her resignation letter.

Benedict, however, gave De Paolis an unofficial vote of confidence last month when he kept him on as his Legion envoy while letting the 76-year-old Italian retire as head of the Vatican's economics office.

Benedict's spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, declined to say if the pope thought De Paolis' mandate should be changed given the exodus, saying the cardinal speaks for himself.

Legion spokesman the Rev. Andreas Schoeggl, meanwhile, gave De Paolis a thumbs up, saying his work had been "great," with all Legion priests helping rewrite the order's constitutions ? a shift from the past when decisions were made only at the top.

Yet if the current membership trends continue, the Legion may simply wither away as fewer people join a scandal-tainted congregation that the Vatican itself said has no clearly defined "charism" ? a church term for the essential spirit that inspires a religious order and makes it unique.

After all, what would happen to the Franciscans if St. Francis were discredited? The Missionaries of Charity if Mother Teresa were found to be a fraud?

De Paolis paused when asked to define the Legion's charism. "Bella domanda," he said ? "good question." Noting that it was a work in progress, De Paolis cited the Legion's evangelical zeal and insisted that even without a clearly defined charism, the vast majority of Legion members are happy, doing good work and serving the church.

But three current members of the movement say the reality is more complex: Some are thinking of leaving but haven't taken the leap, some are in denial of the extent of the scandals, while others are actively working toward reform.

Members have coined the terms "awake" and "asleep" to describe where colleagues are in discovering the abuses of the Legion system, a process that is complicated by the Legion's restrictions on use of the Internet and email.

And despite some changes, abuses continue: "Dissidents" are transferred away from their communities and subject to emotional harassment to test their resolve, three current members said on condition of anonymity because of fear of punishment.

De Paolis defended his commitment and approach to the reform, saying said he had "inserted" himself into the Legion's administration, expanded the Legion's governing council and shuffled some superiors around. He said he hasn't dismissed any superiors outright because he needs them to learn the complex details of the order's structure, culture and finances.

"How can I, someone who doesn't know the Legion, who knows only a bit of Spanish, enter saying I'm in charge?" he asked. "If they (the superiors) wanted to sabotage me, it would have been so easy. If I had made myself the superior, they wouldn't give me information, they would have hidden it from me." He said his priority was to persuade the Legion's leaders to sow change from within.

Maciel founded the Legion in Mexico in 1941 and it became one of the fastest-growing religious orders in the world, praised by Vatican officials who routinely celebrated Masses for the Legion and in Maciel's honor.

Victims began to go public in the mid-1990s with allegations that Maciel had sexually abused them as seminarians, but the Vatican shut down a church trial, only to resurrect it years later. Maciel was sentenced in 2006 to a lifetime of penance and prayer ? an inglorious end for a man who had enjoyed unparalleled access to the pope.

In his interview with the AP, De Paolis revealed for the first time that the Legion had reached financial settlements with "four or five" people who said they were sexually abused by Maciel, paying a relatively modest $21,000 to $28,000 (euro15,000-euro20,000) apiece. Negotiations, however, stalled with one victim who demanded millions, he said.

No one has publicly accused top Legion superiors of sexual abuse. But few believe Maciel's closest aides were ignorant of his double life, given that he would disappear for weeks on end with thousands of dollars to visit his family and, by the end of his life, was openly living with his girlfriend.

Monsignor Rino Fisichella, who heads the Vatican's evangelization office, said last year that the Vatican would be wise to look at who covered up for Maciel inside the Legion ? "those who took his appointments, those who kept his agenda, those who drove him around."

Yet some suggest De Paolis' reluctance to investigate the coverup is based on fears the revelations could point to complicity by Vatican officials, who defended Maciel even after the sex abuse allegations were established.

"With the Legion I believe there were some who knew, but very few," De Paolis said of Holy See officials. "The others saw that this group was blossoming, that it brought fruits, it offered a service to the church."

De Paolis says he wants to save the fruits, the good that remains in the Legion. But those who have been harmed insist the Vatican must assign blame where it's due and fix the wrongs, or lose all credibility.

"We're angry at the church for allowing this," said Peter Kingsland, a Catholic from Surrey, British Columbia, whose daughter was consecrated in 1992. "They could have claimed ignorance before, but they're no longer ignorant ? and now they're a party to it."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_legion_of_christ

breast cancer awareness month barbara walters new ipod touch new ipod touch dwts results vanessa paradis vanessa paradis

The human cost of defending Libya's oil (Reuters)

AMAL, Libya (Reuters) ? Abdula Altako was killed in March guarding the oil field he worked for, one of the first but by no means the last of Libya's oil workers to die defending the country's lifeblood.

Abandoned by their foreign owners during the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, the fields have been watched over by local workers aiming to deter looters and prevent facilities from falling into disrepair.

Altako, who worked for private German oil and gas company Wintershall, was starting his morning guard shift when he was ambushed and shot dead in his car.

"We have a lot of patriots protecting fields. I signed orders that sent engineers out that ended up dying," interim oil and finance minister Ali Tarhouni told Reuters in an interview.

Tarhouni credits the heroism of ordinary Libyans for the fact that the industry is returning to normal faster than expected. But the sacrifice will come to nothing if oil firms are not prepared to send foreign workers back.

OIL OIL OIL

Libya is reliant on oil for about 80 percent of its GDP, exporting around 1.3 million barrels of oil per day before the war. Other potential sources of wealth -- a neglected tourism industry and unexploited mineral reserves in the south -- will take time to develop.

Almost all of Libya's estimated $170 billion in assets are still frozen despite sweeping pledges to make funds available, and the country is desperate for cash.

It is little wonder then that there are still many Libyans prepared to make dangerous journeys to isolated areas of the vast Saharan desert, accompanied by squads of rebel fighters or simply armed locals, to evaluate the damage inflicted by the war and to carry out essential repairs.

"Makes sense really; no point in getting rid of the regime if you're not willing to then do what it takes to repair the damage to the economy (and) oil sector," said Zara Rahman, a researcher at OpenOil, an organization that promotes transparency in the oil industry.

Rahman spent a week in October interviewing oil workers at different companies in Libya for an OpenOil report.

"Given the high level of education that is required to have any sort of position in the oil sector, they're all educated enough to realize that the oil sector is what drives the Libyan economy," she said.

But there are still few signs foreign oil firms are prepared to take the plunge.

Oil companies are still mainly visible only in hotel lobbies in the form of security contractors hired to assess infrastructure and monitor threats to security. The first step no doubt, but it is only a tentative move.

The few foreign engineers here are understandably rattled by the constant ring of gunfire even in supposedly peaceful areas like Tripoli, where gun battles between rebels and pockets of Gaddafi loyalists erupted in four districts only a week ago.

Anti-aircraft rocket launchers and machine guns mounted on pick-up trucks across the capital and fighters brandishing AK-47s at every turn do little to soothe worries about further outbreaks of violence.

Foreigners are also disgruntled about a perceived build-up in tension within the new government and between tribes, and some are preparing for the worst.

"They put a lot of pressure on us to come back. But you'll see, in a month we'll be gone again," said one Italian engineer, one of the first to be sent back by the foreign oil company he works for.

SAFETY ISSUES REMAIN PARAMOUNT

The dangers that local oil workers are agreeing to undertake to restart production remain unthinkable to many in the west.

Wintershall, Libya's second largest foreign oil producer, succeeded in restarting output largely thanks to a small, mustachioed colonel.

Abelulla Mahdy volunteered to fly a team of around 20 of the company's Libyan employees past the battlefield at Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown and the city outside which he was killed last week, and over the Sahara for nearly 200 km (125 miles) to a base at an oil field called Amal, an hour's drive to the Wintershall site.

The flight required special permission from NATO and the usual company plane had to be left behind in Tripoli.

"The pilot was too frightened to fly," said Mahdy, dressed in his usual army-green jumpsuit, the lines on his deeply tanned face creasing into a grin.

Mahdy flew the team in a small cargo plane. Many of the passengers spent the two-hour flight on the freezing floor in between luggage, munching on cakes, flatbreads and cheese distributed by two engineers who had volunteered to act as stewards. As the plane began its descent, the tension in the air broke into smiles and laughter.

"The most important thing is that Libyans restart production," said Sammy Nuas, one of the workers who had volunteered to return.

Many workers are anxious, however, worried that they are sitting ducks in the middle of the Sahara, armed with only a handful of Kalashnikovs and a few machine guns. Militia armed by Gaddafi still roam the desert and remote oil fields are obvious and vulnerable targets for groups aiming to weaken the new government.

Without the help of foreign workers, flows can only ramp up to a third or at best half of capacity depending on the field, Libyans say. The speed with which flows rise is tied to the state of wells and pipelines that have not been used for eight or nine months.

Even at Wintershall's site, which pumped close to 100,000 barrels of oil per day before the war -- and where there is no trace of the battle that has scarred other parts of Libya -- it could take six months or more for flows to reach their pre-war output rate, according to workers onsite.

"It all depends on conditions here, whether pipelines are in good condition or we find leaks," said Salah Abdulmalik, a product controller.

The return to production could take much longer in areas sabotaged or looted during the war, and some sites were even bombed by NATO because they were being used as a base for Gaddafi's fighters.

ALONE AND ARMED

In the southwest region of Fezzan, the scale of destruction at two huge sites that produced almost half a million barrels per day is severe, and firms have taken the first step of deploying small teams with squads of fighters to assess damage and begin making essential repairs. It could be many months before significant volumes of oil begins flowing from this area.

Meanwhile, in early October, even in safer, southeastern parts of the oil-rich Sirte basin, local workers were alone and still prepared for the worst.

Close to Wintershall's site in the southeast, at the Amal oil field joint-operated by Canadian oil firm Suncor, the manager recounted how locals defended the site from looters and attacks during the war and were ready to face more action.

When war broke out, they obtained weapons from the local authority and were briefly shown how to use them. Then, alone, they mounted a defense for eight long months.

"We loaded trucks with missile launchers and coordinated with towns close by to protect the fields," said Saad Ali Eshiem, who oversees the 50 or so workers who have returned so far.

The field's 24-hour patrols continued and machine guns were still mounted in a row on pick-up trucks standing to attention in the shade.

Mohammad Zuay, a 26-year-old oil worker on patrol, was armed with a Kalashnikov. When asked if he had ever had to fire his gun, he broke out into a tired smile.

"Many times," he replied.

(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111026/wl_nm/us_libya_oil_workers

alicia witt alicia witt nobel peace prize verizon wireless oregon ducks football the league the ides of march

Pew study: Tablet users don't want to pay for news

NEW YORK (AP) ? Although tablet owners spend more time consuming news than poking around on Facebook, they're reluctant to pay for news content.

That's according to a study released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center's Project for the Excellence in Journalism. It found that 11 percent of American adults own a tablet of some kind, and they spend on average 90 minutes a day using the device.

Consuming news is one of the most popular activities, up there with email and more popular than social networking. Only general Web-browsing proved more popular on tablets than news and email.

Even so, just 14 percent of those who consume news on tablets said they have paid for news content on their devices. Another 23 percent, though, pay for a print subscription that includes tablet content. So in all, about a third of tablet news consumers have paid to access news on their gadgets.

"That is a much higher number than previous research has found more broadly of people paying for digital content," the report says. Nonetheless, a "large majority" of people who have not paid for news are "reluctant to do so, even if that was the only way to get news from their favorite sources," the report adds.

This is bad news for media companies hoping to boost revenue by charging for content on Apple Inc.'s iPad and other tablets. Of the people who have not paid directly to access news on their tablet, just 21 percent said they would spend $5 a month if that was the only way to access their favorite news outlet.

Apps, it turns out, are not the most popular way to access news content. Only 21 percent of tablet news users said they get their news mainly through apps they have downloaded. By contrast, 40 percent said they get their news mainly by way of a Web browser, while 31 percent said they use apps and the browser equally.

The study was conducted on landlines and cellphones from June 30 to July 31 among 5,014 adults in the U.S.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-10-25-Pew-Tablets/id-424f06afc0e44f27abf003cfd8713d46

buffalo bills molly sims tony stewart mixology sarah shourd sensa sister wives season 2

Oil hovers above $91 ahead of Europe debt plan (AP)

SINGAPORE ? Oil prices hovered above $91 a barrel Tuesday in Asia as investors await details of Europe's plan to contain its debt crisis.

Benchmark crude for December delivery was up 17 cents at $91.44 a barrel at midmorning Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $3.87, or 4.4 percent, to settle at $91.27 in New York on Monday.

Brent crude was down 20 cents at $111.25 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange in London.

Oil has jumped 21 percent in three weeks amid growing investor optimism that European leaders will devise a plan to limit the damage from a possible default of Greek sovereign debt. Details of the plan are expected to be announced Wednesday.

"Although the euro zone debt issue remains quite murky, the market appears to be pricing in a viable resolution to this crisis," energy consultant Ritterbusch and Associates said in a report. "Wednesday's EU summit could still bring some bearish news if a comprehensive debt plan is not forthcoming."

Crude has also rebounded this month because of signs global economic growth may not slow as much as some investors had previously expected. China, which has led global commodity demand growth in recent years, said Monday manufacturing likely improved in October from September.

Last week, China said its economy grew 9.1 percent in the third quarter.

"We continue to grow more positive on the outlook for China's commodity import demand over the remainder of the year," Barclays Capital said in a report. "Improving evidence from the macroeconomic front for October are in line with our soft landing assumptions."

In other Nymex trading, heating oil fell 1.1 cents to $3.04 per gallon and gasoline futures slid 1.0 cent at $2.66 per gallon. Natural gas was steady at $3.61 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111025/ap_on_re_as/oil_prices

apple update download ios 5 pokey find my mac gumby derrick mason derrick mason

Super-Powered Launch App Quicksilver Adds Support For OS X Lion

If you're on a Mac and haven't expanded your horizons beyond Spotlight, you owe it to yourself to check out Quicksilver, a free, open sourced launchbar app that can prove very handy once you've gotten over the learning curve. The app has just been updated with a slew of new features including automatic Plugin updates (see their blog for a full rundown), and has also been optimized for Mac OS X Lion. Quicksilver has an interesting history. The app was originally developed by Blacktree Software, which ceased active development several years ago ??but not before open-sourcing their code. Since then it's seen periodic updates, but they've been few and far between, to the point that some longtime fans gave up?and looked elsewhere.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/rVnEbr1g9gk/

9 11 lightning dominica fiji fiji ruby tuesday aliens

Demi Lovato & Wilmer Valderrama Are Back Together!

Demi Lovato & Wilmer Valderrama Are Back Together!

Demi Lovato has apparently reunited with her former boyfriend, actor Wilmer Valderrama. The singer/actress, 19, split from the “That 70s Show” actor, 31, in June [...]

Demi Lovato & Wilmer Valderrama Are Back Together! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/ZJ6vuls-8vQ/

dr oz kym johnson hakeem nicks hakeem nicks alpha lipoic acid 105.1 alex trebek

NASA's future rides on commercial space ships

LAS CRUCES, N.M.?? For NASA to achieve any of its lofty goals for the future, the commercial space industry must succeed, NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver said.

The space agency has bet big that private spaceships will be ready to carry cargo and astronauts to orbit soon. The future of the International Space Station, as well as the future of NASA's robotic science missions and human deep space ambitions, depend on that outcome, Garver said yesterday (Oct. 20) here at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight.

"In order to make good on the entire plan, it is this part of the plan that must be successful," Garver said.

After 30 years of carrying astronauts into low-Earth orbit, NASA retired its space shuttle program earlier this year.

"Contrary to what you might have heard, that marks the beginning, not the end," Garver said. "With the support of the President and Congress, NASA has made a renewed commitment to human spaceflight."

One leg of that commitment is a plan to build a new heavy-lift rocket (called the Space Launch System) and a deep-space crew capsule (called the Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle) to take people first to an asteroid and then on to Mars.

But in order for NASA to devote its resources to that ambitious pursuit, private industry must take over transportation to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station, Garver said. [Top 10 Fantasy Spaceships Headed for Reality]

NASA and its partners plan to operate the space station through at least 2020, but without the space shuttle, Russia's Soyuz spacecraft is the only means of getting there. Until commercial spacecraft are ready, NASA must rent rides on the Soyuz for its astronauts.

For fiscal year 2012, NASA requested $850 million to devote to its Commercial Crew Development Program, which supports the development of these private vehicles.

The agency hopes to end its outsourcing to Russia by the year 2016, but "if we don't get full funding in 2012, this is at risk," Garver said. That could prove costly down the line. "One additional year from the Russians will cost us $450 million," she added.

The agency gave four private space companies ? Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, SpaceX and Boeing ? contracts under the most recent phase of the Commercial Crew Development Program. SpaceX, alone among the group, has already launched a test flight to orbit of its prototype spacecraft.

Still, Garver acknowledged that getting the private space industry off the ground isn't easy.

"Many of us are frustrated that we have not been able to advance this agenda faster," she said.

She also cited resistance from some within the space industry, particularly those who benefitted from NASA's previous contracting methods and now oppose the government turning over the domain of low-Earth orbit to the private sector.

"The establishment typically doesn't give away their own power and control readily without a fight," Garver said.

Yet the issue is complicated, as many players in the traditional space establishment are the same private companies involved in the new commercial space renaissance.

Ultimately, though, Garver said that NASA's encouragement of the commercial space industry will result in lowered costs, greater capabilities, and a more robust American space program overall.

"Together we're developing an industry that until recently had largely been science fiction," she said. "We know we can work miracles together."

You can follow SPACE.com Senior Writer Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz.Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

? 2011 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45007639/ns/technology_and_science-space/

joe mcginniss joan crawford joan crawford kat dennings listeriosis bonobos recent earthquakes

BU presents approach to access biorelevant structures by 'remodeling' natural products

Public release date: 24-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Patrick Farrell
pmfarrel@bu.edu
617-358-1185
Boston University Medical Center

There is an increasing need for pharmacological tools for biomedical and translational research applications. The field of diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) has been very fruitful in providing access to numerous new molecules with diverse shapes and chemical structures in order to discover candidate molecules for therapeutic use. Boston University researchers, in a paper published in the journal Nature Chemistry [23 OCTOBER 2011 | DOI: 10.1038/NCHEM.1178], present a new approach to accessing new, biorelevant structures by "remodelling" natural products. In this case, they demonstrate how the natural product derivative fumagillol can been remodelled to access a collection of new molecules using highly efficient chemical reactions.

"Overall, these studies should pave the way for work to identify pharmacological tools for use in CNS research, oncology, and as anti-infective agents," said John A. Porco, Jr., professor of chemistry at Boston University. "These studies also will enable future studies to remodel additional natural product scaffolds to access novel therapeutic agents."

In the search for novel biologically active molecules, DOS strategies break through the limitation of traditional library synthesis by sampling new chemical space. Many natural products can be regarded as useful starting points for DOS, wherein stereochemically rich core structures may be reorganized into chemotypes that are distinctly different from the parent structure. Ideally, to be suited to library applications, such transformations should be general and involve few steps.

With this objective in mind, Porco and colleagues including Professor John Snyder and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Brad Balthaser successfully remodelled the highly oxygenated natural product fumagillol in several ways using a reaction-discovery-based approach. In reactions with amines, excellent selectivity in a bis-epoxide opening/cyclization sequence was obtained using the appropriate metals catalysts forming either perhydroisoindole or perhydroisoquinoline products. Perhydroisoindoles were further remodelled to other complex structures including novel benzoxazepines.

###

About Boston UniversityFounded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized private research university with more than 30,000 students participating in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. As Boston University's largest academic division, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences is the heart of the BU experience with a global reach that enhances the University's reputation for teaching and research.

Contact information for the authors:

John A. Porco Jr.
Professor of Chemistry
Boston University
590 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
E-mail: porco@bu.edu
Phone: +1-617-353-2493
Group website: http://people.bu.edu/porcogrp
CMLD-BU website: http://cmld.bu.edu

Experts to comment on this story:

Dr. Miles Fabian, program director, Division of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
E-mail: fabianm@nigms.nih.gov
Phone: +1-301-594-3827

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 24-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Patrick Farrell
pmfarrel@bu.edu
617-358-1185
Boston University Medical Center

There is an increasing need for pharmacological tools for biomedical and translational research applications. The field of diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) has been very fruitful in providing access to numerous new molecules with diverse shapes and chemical structures in order to discover candidate molecules for therapeutic use. Boston University researchers, in a paper published in the journal Nature Chemistry [23 OCTOBER 2011 | DOI: 10.1038/NCHEM.1178], present a new approach to accessing new, biorelevant structures by "remodelling" natural products. In this case, they demonstrate how the natural product derivative fumagillol can been remodelled to access a collection of new molecules using highly efficient chemical reactions.

"Overall, these studies should pave the way for work to identify pharmacological tools for use in CNS research, oncology, and as anti-infective agents," said John A. Porco, Jr., professor of chemistry at Boston University. "These studies also will enable future studies to remodel additional natural product scaffolds to access novel therapeutic agents."

In the search for novel biologically active molecules, DOS strategies break through the limitation of traditional library synthesis by sampling new chemical space. Many natural products can be regarded as useful starting points for DOS, wherein stereochemically rich core structures may be reorganized into chemotypes that are distinctly different from the parent structure. Ideally, to be suited to library applications, such transformations should be general and involve few steps.

With this objective in mind, Porco and colleagues including Professor John Snyder and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Brad Balthaser successfully remodelled the highly oxygenated natural product fumagillol in several ways using a reaction-discovery-based approach. In reactions with amines, excellent selectivity in a bis-epoxide opening/cyclization sequence was obtained using the appropriate metals catalysts forming either perhydroisoindole or perhydroisoquinoline products. Perhydroisoindoles were further remodelled to other complex structures including novel benzoxazepines.

###

About Boston UniversityFounded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized private research university with more than 30,000 students participating in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. As Boston University's largest academic division, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences is the heart of the BU experience with a global reach that enhances the University's reputation for teaching and research.

Contact information for the authors:

John A. Porco Jr.
Professor of Chemistry
Boston University
590 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
E-mail: porco@bu.edu
Phone: +1-617-353-2493
Group website: http://people.bu.edu/porcogrp
CMLD-BU website: http://cmld.bu.edu

Experts to comment on this story:

Dr. Miles Fabian, program director, Division of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
E-mail: fabianm@nigms.nih.gov
Phone: +1-301-594-3827

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/bumc-bpa102411.php

the lion king john cabot john cabot safety razor safety razor star wars blu ray star wars blu ray