Video: Researchers show how viruses evolve, and in some cases, become deadly

Friday, January 27, 2012

In the current issue of Science, researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations.

The scientists showed for the first time how the virus called "Lambda" evolved to find a new way to attack host cells, an innovation that took four mutations to accomplish. This virus infects bacteria, in particular the common E. coli bacterium. Lambda isn't dangerous to humans, but this research demonstrated how viruses evolve complex and potentially deadly new traits, said Justin Meyer, MSU graduate student, who co-authored the paper with Richard Lenski, MSU Hannah Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

"We were surprised at first to see Lambda evolve this new function, this ability to attack and enter the cell through a new receptor ? and it happened so fast," Meyer said. "But when we re-ran the evolution experiment, we saw the same thing happen over and over."

Researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, shedding light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations. Credit: Michigan State University/Jeremy Polk, National Science Foundation

This paper follows recent news that scientists in the United States and the Netherlands produced a deadly version of bird flu. Even though bird flu is a mere five mutations away from becoming transmissible between humans, it's highly unlikely the virus could naturally obtain all of the beneficial mutations all at once. However, it might evolve sequentially, gaining benefits one-by-one, if conditions are favorable at each step, he added.

Through research conducted at BEACON, MSU's National Science Foundation Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Meyer and his colleagues' ability to duplicate the results implied that adaptation by natural selection, or survival of the fittest, had an important role in the virus' evolution.

When the genomes of the adaptable virus were sequenced, they always had four mutations in common. The viruses that didn't evolve the new way of entering cells had some of the four mutations but never all four together, said Meyer, who holds the Barnett Rosenberg Fellowship in MSU's College of Natural Science.

"In other words, natural selection promoted the virus' evolution because the mutations helped them use both their old and new attacks," Meyer said. "The finding raises questions of whether the five bird flu mutations may also have multiple functions, and could they evolve naturally?"

###

National Science Foundation: http://www.nsf.gov

Thanks to National Science Foundation for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117147/Video__Researchers_show_how_viruses_evolve__and_in_some_cases__become_deadly

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Quest for the golden cross (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? January has turned out strong for equities with just two trading days to go. If you're afraid to miss the ride, there's still time to jump in. You just might want to wear a neck brace.

The new year lured buyers into growth-related sectors, the ones that were more beaten down last year. The economy is getting better, but not dramatically. Earnings are beating expectations, but at a lower rate than in recent quarters. Nothing too bad is coming out of Europe's debt crisis - and nothing good, either - at least not yet.

"No one item is a major positive, but collectively, it's been enough to tilt it towards net buying," said John Schlitz, chief market technician at Instinet in New York.

Still, relatively weak volume and a six-month high hit this week make some doubt that the gains are sustainable.

But then there's the golden cross.

Many market skeptics take notice when this technical indicator, a holy grail of sorts for many technicians, shows up on the horizon.

As early as Monday, the rising 50-day moving average of the S&P 500 could tick above its rising 200-day moving average. This occurrence - known as a golden cross - means the medium-term momentum is increasingly bullish. You have a good chance of making money in the next six months if you put it to work in large-cap stocks.

In the last 50 years, according to data compiled by Birinyi Associates, a golden cross on the S&P 500 has

augured further gains six months ahead in eight out of 10 times. The average gain has been 6.6 percent.

That means the benchmark is on solid footing to not only hold onto the 14 percent advance over the last nine weeks, but to flirt with 1,400, a level it hasn't hit since mid-2008.

The gains, as expected, would not be in a straight line. But any weakness could be used by long-term investors as buying opportunities.

"The cross is an intermediate bullish event," Schlitz said. "You have to interpret it as constructive, but I caution people to take a bullish stance, if they have a short-term horizon ."

GREECE, U.S. PAYROLLS AND MOMENTUM

Less than halfway into the earnings season and with Greek debt talks over the weekend, payrolls data next week and the S&P 500 near its highest since July, there's plenty of room for something to go wrong. If that happens, the market could easily give back some of its recent advance.

But the benchmark's recent rally and momentum shift allow for a pullback before the technical picture deteriorates.

"We bounced off 1,325, which is resistance. We're testing 1,310, which should be support. We are stuck in that range," said Ken Polcari, managing director at ICAP Equities in New York.

"If over the weekend, Greece comes out with another big nothing, then you will see further weakness next week," he said. "A 1 (percent) or 2 percent pullback isn't out of the question or out of line."

On Friday, the S&P 500 (.INX) and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) closed their fourth consecutive week of gains, while the Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) dipped and capped three weeks of gains. For the day, the Dow dropped 74.17 points, or 0.58 percent, to close at 12,660.46. The S&P 500 fell 2.10 points, or 0.16 percent, to 1,316.33. But the Nasdaq gained 11.27 points, or 0.40 percent, to end at 2,816.55.

For the week, the Dow slipped 0.47 percent, while the S&P 500 inched up 0.07 percent and the Nasdaq jumped 1.07 percent.

A DATA-PACKED EARNINGS WEEK

Next week is filled with heavy-hitting data on the housing, manufacturing and employment sectors.

Personal income and consumption on Monday will be followed by the S&P/Case-Shiller home prices index, consumer confidence and the Chicago PMI - all on Tuesday.

Wednesday will bring the Institute for Supply Management index on U.S. manufacturing and the first of three key readings on the labor market - namely, the ADP private-sector employment report. Jobless claims on Thursday will give way on Friday to the U.S. government's non-farm payrolls report. The forecast calls for a net gain of 150,000 jobs in January, according to economists polled by Reuters.

Another hectic earnings week will kick into gear with almost a fifth of the S&P 500 components posting quarterly results. Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), Amazon (AMZN.O), UPS (UPS.N), Pfizer (PFE.N), Kellogg (K.N) and MasterCard (MA.N) are among the names most likely to grab the headlines.

With almost 200 companies' reports in so far, about 59 percent have beaten earnings expectations - down from about 70 percent in recent quarters.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak and Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/bs_nm/us_usa_stocks_weekahead

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10-Year-Old Kid Got Lost Inside a Computer—For Real [Computers]

TNW has a great little anecdote today: a 10-year-old kid got lost inside a computer in the 1950s. That was the time when computers less powerful than your current phone were bigger than most homes. This is his story: More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Si-HUReuYJ0/10+year+old-kid-got-lost-inside-a-computer++for-real

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Shop Android Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Crystal Case for Verizon Galaxy Nexus

The Jan. 26 Shop Android Deal of the Day is the Mobi Products Crystal Case for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. The case is specifically designed for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus and will add very little weight or bulk to your device. There are cutouts for the camera, speaker, and screen, and the smooth exterior of the case provides easy insertion and removal from your pocket or purse. And it's available today only for just $4.95 -- that's 75 percent off! Get yours while supplies last!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/fnB2j81mDQU/story01.htm

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Plea hearing in Va. for accused Pentagon shooter (AP)

ALEXANDRIA, Va. ? An ex-Marine from Virginia is expected to enter a guilty plea related to charges that he fired shots at the Pentagon, the Marine Corps museum in Quantico and other military-related targets.

Court records show a plea-agreement hearing has been scheduled Thursday morning for 24-year-old Yonathan Melaku (meh-LAH-koo) of Alexandria. Prosecutors charged Melaku last year.

They say they have evidence linking him to a series of overnight shootings in October and November 2010 at a number of military buildings in northern Virginia. No one was injured.

Melaku was arrested in June when he was spotted after dark in Arlington National Cemetery with a backpack containing potential explosives material and notations referring to jihad and Osama bin Laden. That arrest set off a security scare in and around the Pentagon.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_us/us_military_buildings_shootings

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1000s of Journalists Use Facebook Subscribe, Here?s How They Get Likes

4 months after it launched its Twitter-style?asymmetrical Subscribe feature, Facebook and its?Journalist Program Manager?Vadim Lavrusik's efforts to weaken Twitter's stranglehold on breaking news are paying off.?The company?just announced that thousands of journalists now use Subscribe, including 90 reporters from The New York Times and 50 from the Washington Post. If Facebook can get your favorite journalists publishing through Subscribe, you'll have less need for Twitter. Next I hear it's setting its sights on getting celebrities and ?entertainment tastemakers onboard. Additionally, Facebook released some best practices for how journalists can maximize the engagement (Likes, comments, and shares) on their posts.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/i4Uhz04v91g/

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Howard Schweber: Newt Gingrich and the Politics of Resentment (Huffington post)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/190671270?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Obama makes case for fairness; GOP calls it rehash

On the day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office along the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

On the day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office along the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Graphic shows number of words used in official and unofficial State of the Union addresses; will be updated following Obama???s 2012 speech

On the day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office along the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Following the Republicans' weekly strategy session, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. McConnell took aim at President Obama who will be delivering his State of the Union address later. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Following the Democrats' weekly strategy session, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is promising the nation an economy that gives a shot to everyone and not just the rich, using Tuesday night's State of the Union address to draw an election-year battle line with Republicans over fairness and the free market. Driving everything about the speech: jobs, including his own.

Overshadowed for weeks by the fierce race of the Republicans seeking his job, for one night Obama had a grand stage to himself.

He planned to pitch his plans to a bitterly divided Congress and to a country underwhelmed by his handling of the economy. Targeting anxiety about a slumping middle class, Obama was calling for the rich to pay more in taxes. Every proposal was to be underlined by the idea that hard work and responsibility still count.

Tens of millions of people were expected to watch on television, turning an always-political speech into Obama's best chance yet to sell his vision for another four years.

For an incumbent on the attack about income inequality, the timing could not be better.

Ahead of Obama's 9 p.m. EST speech, Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney released his tax returns under political pressure, revealing that he earned nearly $22 million in 2010 and paid an effective tax rate of about 14 percent. That's a lesser rate than many Americans pay because of how investment income is taxed in the United States.

Obama, though, has his own considerable messaging challenges three years into his term.

The economy is improving, but unemployment still stands at the high rate of 8.5 percent. More than 13 million people are out of work. Government debt stands at $15.2 trillion, a record, and up from $10.6 trillion when he took office. Most Americans think the country is on the wrong track.

Obama's relations with Republicans in Congress are poor, casting huge doubt on any of his major ideas for the rest of this year. Republicans control the House and have the votes to stall matters in the Senate, although Obama has tried to take the offensive since a big jobs speech in September and a slew of executive actions ever since.

"It's hard not to feel a sense of disappointment even before tonight's speech is delivered," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. "The goal isn't to conquer the nation's problems. It's to conquer Republicans. The goal isn't to prevent gridlock, but to guarantee it."

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has called the themes of Obama's speech a "pathetic" rehash of unhelpful policies.

The State of the Union remains one of the most closely watched moments in American politics. Despite the political atmosphere in Washington, the scene is expected to have at least one unifying touch. Outgoing Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt a year ago, is expected to attend with her colleagues. Her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, was attending as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama.

Obama's tone was under as much scrutiny as his proposals.

He was aiming to find all the right balances: offering outreach to Republicans while sharpening his competing vision, outlining re-election themes without overtly campaigning and pledging to work with Congress even as he presses a campaign to act without it.

The context was set not just by the re-election year, but by the awful past year of partisan breakdowns in Washington. The government neared both a shutdown and, even worse, a default on its obligations for the first time in history.

Less than 10 months before Election Day, the presidential race is shaping up as a contest between unmistakably different views of the economy and the role of government.

Obama is campaigning on the idea of helping people at least get a fair shot at a job, a house, a career and a better life. Republicans say he and his philosophy have become a crushing burden on free enterprise and that the president is resorting to what amounts to class warfare to get elected again.

Obama's speech was to feature manufacturing, clean energy, education and American values. He was to unveil new proposals to address the housing crisis that has left many people trapped, and he planned to promote steps to make college education more affordable.

The president was planning a traditional rundown on the state of American security and foreign policy ? and a reminder that he kept a promise to end the Iraq war.

But his driving focus was to secure faith in the economic recovery and in voters' confidence that he is getting the country on the right path.

Obama planned to renew his call for his "Buffet Rule" ? a principle that millionaires should not pay a lower tax rate than typical workers. While middle-income filers fall in the 15 or 25 percent bracket, and millionaires face a 35 percent tax bracket, those who get their income from investments ? not a paycheck ? pay 15 percent.

The president named his idea after billionaire Warren Buffet, who says it is unfair that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. The White House invited Buffett's secretary, Debbie Bosanek, to attend the State of the Union as a special guest.

Obama was to outline a tax system "where everybody is paying their fair share," said senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.

And then for three days following his speech, Obama will promote his ideas in five states key to his re-election bid. On Wednesday he'll visit Iowa and Arizona to promote ideas to boost American manufacturing; on Thursday in Nevada and Colorado he'll discuss energy, and in Michigan on Friday he'll talk about college affordability, education and training.

Polling shows Americans are divided about Obama's overall job performance but unsatisfied with his handling of the economy.

The speech Tuesday night comes just one week before the Florida Republican primary that could help set the trajectory for the rest of the race.

Romney, caught up in a tight contest with a resurgent Newt Gingrich, commented in advance to Obama's speech.

"Tonight will mark another chapter in the misguided policies of the last three years ? and the failed leadership of one man," Romney said from Florida.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-24-State%20of%20the%20Union/id-86af2111a71a4cd39c76e0d05cffed6a

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Disgust?s Evolutionary Role Is Irresistible to Researchers

[unable to retrieve full-text content]What disgusts humans is proving irresistible to researchers exploring the evolutionary value of revulsion.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=4c22afce19001fb6a00713f49bdf7006

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Van der Sloot appeals sentence in Peru (AP)

LIMA, Peru ? Joran van der Sloot's attorney says he has appealed his client's 28-year sentence for murdering a young Peruvian woman he met in a Lima casino.

Attorney Jose Jimenez says the three judges who sentenced Van der Sloot on Jan. 13 did not take into account his client's initial confession to police.

Jimenez said Monday that Van der Sloot never denied killing Stephany Flores. Her May 2010 death came five years to the day after the disappearance in Aruba of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway.

Van der Sloot remains the main suspect in that case.

He is at Piedras Gordas prison north of Lima, where his lawyer says he is temporarily segregated from other inmates.

Jimenez says the appeal was filed last week.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_peru_van_der_sloot

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Solar Flare May Spark Weekend Northern Lights Show (SPACE.com)

A powerful flare erupted from the sun Thursday (Jan. 19), unleashing a plasma wave that may supercharge the northern lights for skywatchers in high latitudes this weekend.

The solar flare occurred at about 11:30 am EST (1600 GMT) and touched off a massive solar explosion ? known as a coronal mass ejection ? aimed at Earth, space weather experts and officials said. The charged particles from the sun explosion should reach Earth by Saturday night (Jan. 21), and could amp up northern lights displays when they hit the upper atmosphere.

"Forecasters say strong geomagnetic storms are possible when the cloud arrives during the late hours of Jan. 21st. High-latitude (and possibly middle-latitude) sky watchers should be alert for auroras this weekend," the skywatching website Spaceweather.com announced in an alert.

Several space telescopes recorded photos and video of the solar flare, including NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). [Photo and video of the solar flare]

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center maintained by NOAA, Thursday's solar flare erupted from an active sunspot group called Region 1401. Another solar hotspot, called Region 1402, is also fired off a flare, the center reported.?

Auroras occur when charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's upper atmosphere, releasing visible light in the process. The particles are funneled toward Earth's polar regions by the planet's magnetic field, with the northern auroral displays known as the aurora borealis, or northern lights. The southern counterpart is called the aurora australis, or southern lights.?

Thursday's solar flare rated as a powerful M2-class sun storm on the scale used by astronomers to measure flare strength. M-class storms are powerful, but mid-range, types of solar flares. They fall between the weaker C-class flares and the most powerful X-class solar storms, which can pose a threat to satellites and astronauts in orbit, cause widespread communications interference and damage infrastructure on Earth when aimed directly at the planet.

SDO mission scientists have said that sunspot group 1401 has been unleashing solar flares almost daily as the sun's rotation slowly turned the solar hotspot toward Earth in recent days. On Wednesday (Jan. 18), the region unleashed an M1.7-class solar flare, they said in a Twitter post.

The sun is currently in the middle of an active phase of its 11-year solar weather cycle. The current sun storm cycle, called Solar Cycle 24, is expected to peak in 2013, NASA scientists have said.

Editor's note: If you snap an amazing northern lights photo, or other skywatching image, and would like to share it for a possible story or gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at?tmalik@space.com.

Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter?@Spacedotcom?and on?Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120120/sc_space/solarflaremaysparkweekendnorthernlightsshow

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Hospital confirms Paterno died of spreading cancer | The Associated ...

The Pennsylvania hospital where Joe Paterno died confirms that the cause was a spreading lung cancer.
Mount Nittany Medical Center says in a statement that Paterno died at 9:25 a.m. Sunday of "metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung." Metastatic indicates an illness that has spread from one part of the body to an unrelated area.
The hospital says Paterno was surrounded by family members, who have requested privacy.
Paterno's son had said in November that his father had been diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer during a follow-up visit for a bronchial illness.

Source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/news/health/2012/01/hospital-paterno-died-spreading-lung-cancer

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Starbucks Builds a Drive-Through Out of Shipping Containers [Architecture]

Even industrial shipping containers wear out eventually. But rather than scrap them, Starbucks' in-house architects upcycled the containers into a unique drive-through cafe. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/e2QYq5Oza0U/starbucks-builds-a-drive+through-out-of-shipping-containers

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Canada won't confirm expulsion of Russia diplomats (Reuters)

OTTAWA (Reuters) ? Ottawa on Friday declined to confirm media reports that it had expelled four Russian embassy staff after authorities in Canada arrested a Canadian navy intelligence officer and charged him with spying.

The Globe and Mail newspaper said two diplomats and two technical staff at the Russian embassy had been dropped from the official list of diplomatic, consular and foreign government representatives recognized by Ottawa.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper declined to comment. Authorities have not said who the intelligence officer was supposedly spying for.

A Russian embassy official denied the four had been expelled, telling the newspaper that they had left Ottawa after coming to the end of their postings.

This week Canadian authorities charged Navy Sub-Lieutenant Jeffrey Paul Delisle with giving "a foreign entity" secret information between July 6, 2007 and Jan 13, 2012. He was arrested in Halifax, Nova Scotia and will stay in jail until his next hearing on Jan 25.

Delisle is the first person charged under a new secrecy law enacted after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Canada's Conservative government has had poor relations with Moscow since it took power in 2006, complaining about "increasingly aggressive Russian actions around the globe" and reconnaissance flights which approach Canadian airspace.

The two nations are jostling for influence in the mineral-rich Arctic region.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120120/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_russia_expulsions

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Visa reforms could be a boon for US hotels

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Maybe it'll be magic for U.S. hotels. President Barack Obama unveils a strategy aimed at boosting tourism and travel in front of Cinderella's Castle at Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando.

By Martha C. White

America's hotel industry is ailing; President Barack Obama thinks he has the cure.

In a bid to reverse a downturn in international tourism, Obama this week announced a plan to streamline the visa procurement process and make other changes.

"The fact that the president recognized the importance of international tourism is an incredibly positive move," said?Jim Evans, CEO of Brand USA, a public-private tourism promotion organization. "It definitely will have a very positive impact on hotel occupancies," which in turn will boost profitability and growth in tourism-related jobs. "It just has a positive effect on all metrics for hospitality."

The timing is also good. Analysts say a surge of visitors from places like China and Brazil also could help offset a potential drop in demand if Europe's economic troubles grow.

The United Nation's World Tourism Organizations predicts that the number of international travelers will hit the 1 billion mark this year, but analysts say the United States has been missing out on these visitors and their economic potential because the time-consuming, expensive process of obtaining a visa deters many would-be tourists.?

Foreign tourists are universally coveted: They pay for hotel rooms, eat in restaurants,?shop and pay all of the associated taxes that go along with these expenditures.?When they go back to their home countries, the money they spend stays behind.

Yet even as more people travel internationally, America's share of that market dropped from 17 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2010. In an announcement at Walt Disney World in Orlando on Thursday,?Obama unveiled his plan to reverse the decline.

"Just looking at the sheer numbers, it's going to be huge," said Kathleen Matthews, executive vice president of public affairs at Marriott International and member of the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. "Reducing the wait time is going to be tremendous."

The administration's goal of reducing visa wait times to 21 days from months will open up the floodgates, she predicted. "I think within three months, you could see [an] increased flow" of foreign visitors.

Owners and managers of hotels in major gateway cities like New York, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas will be early beneficiaries, according to David Loeb,?senior hotel research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co.?Much of the U.S.-bound tourism coming from?emerging markets tends to be from affluent consumers, so boutique and luxury properties will fare well. Group-oriented hotels will benefit too; many Chinese like to travel in large groups, for example.?

Further down the road, midtier hotels will also benefit from the surge in international visitors, predicts?Robert Mandelbaum, director of research information services at PKF Hospitality Research. "I?think if you open it up to more leisure travelers, more middle class ... you might see more benefit to moderately priced hotels," he said.

Brands that offer fewer frills and amenities than their full-service counterparts like Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn could be attractive to middle-class travelers who don't have the budget for a five-star stay but want the familiarity of a well-known brand.?

Loeb says global hotel companies already have been laying the groundwork by growing their footprints abroad.?Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts, for instance, has made an aggressive push into the domestic Chinese market. "It's building that loyalty and building that familiarity," Loeb said.?When travelers are looking for a place to stay when visiting the U.S., they'll gravitate toward brands they already know. Marriott also is hoping to boost foreign tourist bookings by building hotels in visitors' home countries. Matthews says the company plans to build 100 of its midlevel Fairfield Inn hotels in Brazil over the next decade.

American hotel brands are getting ready for more international visitors in a variety of ways, hiring more bilingual employees, offering instruction in languages like Portuguese and Mandarin along with training in cultural differences and sensitivities.?Beginning last year, Marriott International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Worldwide started rolling out welcome programs for Chinese travelers that include perks like Chinese food and newspapers to help visitors feel at home. Some are now adding outreach efforts for the Brazilian and Indian markets.

Baird's Loeb said American hotels will be able to enjoy higher occupancies and room rates for another couple of years before the number of hotel rooms starts to catch up to the increase in demand. "We are still very much in a supply-constrained environment," he said, predicting less than a 1 percent growth in the number of hotel rooms throughout the country both this year and next.

"A lot of that has to do with the financing environment" as lenders continue to deal with the hangover of soured commercial loans. For travelers, this might translate to annoyances like higher prices and less availability, but for hotels, it's a welcome bright spot.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10200361-obamas-visa-reforms-could-be-a-boon-for-american-hotels

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GOP maps strategy in wake of payroll tax debacle

Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, front right, shakes hands with a boy during a visit to the Vidigal slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday Jan. 9, 2012. Boehner toured a Rio de Janeiro shantytown that has recently been taken over from drug traffickers by police. Boehner is leading a seven-member congressional delegation to Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, front right, shakes hands with a boy during a visit to the Vidigal slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday Jan. 9, 2012. Boehner toured a Rio de Janeiro shantytown that has recently been taken over from drug traffickers by police. Boehner is leading a seven-member congressional delegation to Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

FILE - In this photo taken Nov. 16, 2011, astronaut and former Ohio Sen. John Glenn, center, poses with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., left, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., on Capitol Hill in Washington, during a ceremony where Glenn received a Congressional Gold Medal. Glenn says he believes an "unattractive" elections process discourages the best people from pursuing public service. The 90-year-old Democrat is optimistic that good people will run for office but understands some might shy from opening their lives to intense public scrutiny, he told The Columbus Dispatch in a wide-ranging interview published Sunday, Jan. 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? When last seen in Washington, House Republicans were furious with their own leader, Speaker John Boehner, and angry with their Senate Republican brethren over how the showdown over the Social Security tax cut turned into a year-end political debacle.

The holidays and three weeks away from the Capitol have tempered some of the bad feelings, but several GOP lawmakers' emotions are still raw as Congress returns for a 2012 session certain to be driven by election-year politics and fierce fights over the size and scope of government and its taxing, spending and borrowing practices.

In the week before Christmas, House Republicans revolted against the Senate-passed deal to extend the payroll tax cut for two months for 160 million workers and ensure jobless benefits for millions more long-term unemployed. Facing intense political pressure, Boehner, R-Ohio, caved, daring tea partyers and other dissenters to challenge his decision to pass the short-term plan without a roll-call vote. None stepped forward to stop him.

"A lot of us who went into battle turned around and no one was behind us," freshman Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., said last week, sounding like the fight was still fresh and insistent that leadership had abandoned them.

"A lot of us are still smarting," he added.

The two-month extension that Senate Republican and Democratic leaders Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid had characterized as a draw ended up as a big victory for President Barack Obama at the end of a year in which Republicans had forced him to accept a series of spending cuts.

Grievances are certain to be aired at a House GOP retreat in Baltimore later this week. The strategy and agenda session also will be a gripe session for some of the 242 House Republicans.

"It might be a little more spunky than normal," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.

Senators come back to Capitol Hill on Jan. 23.

The wave of Republicans who lifted the GOP to the House majority in the 2010 elections emerged from their first year frustrated by the limitations of divided government and the recurring, down-to-the-wire fights over spending ? in April, the squabble was over keeping the government operating, and in August lawmakers dueled over increasing the nation's borrowing authority. And at year's end, there was another rhetorical shoot-out over keeping the government running.

Tea partyers who came to Washington intent on deep cuts to counter the growing deficit railed against the budget numbers and the all-too-frequent fights.

"There was a Groundhog Day quality to 2011," said freshman Rep. Nan Hayworth, R-N.Y.

Boehner, who frequently had to rally the disparate elements of his caucus, was a bit bruised by the year's final act. Still, he remains well in control of his caucus, with Republicans recognizing that any leadership challenge or internal strife now would be politically disastrous.

In the coming year, House Republicans remain doubtful about accomplishing anything more than the must-do spending bills and a year-long extension of the Social Security tax cuts, unemployment benefits and a reprieve in the cuts to doctors for Medicare payments. Congress faces a Feb. 29 deadline to agree on a new extension, no easy task after last year's deep divisions but politically inevitable as lawmakers would be loath to raise taxes in an election year.

Uncertain is the fate of a highway bill and reauthorization of a farm bill, legislation that could mean jobs in a struggling economy but measures also likely to get caught up in the typical fight over how to pay for the programs.

Republicans are pinning their hopes on November's elections and the tantalizing possibility that the GOP holds the House, wins four or more of the Senate seats needed to seize control and the party's nominee ousts Obama. Controlling both the presidency and Congress would be a mandate for significant change.

Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., bemoaned the failure last summer of the so-called "grand bargain" between Obama and Boehner for massive spending cuts, the promise of overhauling the tax code and reductions in entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. The bipartisan deficit-reduction supercommittee fared no better in the fall.

"It's hard to see us getting out of the mess we're in until there's another election," Rooney said.

The year of brinksmanship produced little legislation that became law while approval ratings for Congress dropped to single digits. The House passed 384 measures in 2011, the Senate 402, according to the Congressional Record. The Senate had 24 bills enacted into law, the House 56 in one of the least productive years in history.

Republicans are gearing up for Obama campaign attacks on a "do-nothing Congress," ready to counter that many of their bills went nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Top on the list: The House completed a budget last year and the Senate did not.

Last April, the House passed a $1.019 trillion budget plan that would have sharply cut spending, changed Medicaid into a block grant program and transformed Medicare by providing voucher-style federal payments to buy private insurance coverage instead of direct government payments to health care providers. Democrats vilified the plan by Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and warned of the impact the Medicare changes would have on seniors.

Ryan is expected to unveil another budget this spring. Mulvaney said the GOP is eager to push for changes in the budget process, beginning with requiring Congress to pass a budget.

Adding to the uncertainty in a volatile election year are the dozen or so House Republicans whose tea party purity about reducing the government's reach often outweighs re-election concerns, making other Republicans nervous as the party looks to hold onto its 50-seat edge.

Some have dubbed the tea partiers the "Braveheart caucus" for their affection for the 1995 Mel Gibson movie about William Wallace, who led the fight for Scotland's independence. Wallace was hanged and quartered.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-16-Smarting%20Republicans/id-5dbc3cb5295944a8b3de415ddb922f76

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Wisconsin couple dedicate land they love as nature sanctuary

As a boy, Ken Aldridge climbed a fire tower to get a view of the sprawling pines and creeks west of Minocqua, Wis., where his family spent many summer vacations. Now that vast expanse of woodland is the sanctuary where Aldridge takes his own wife and kids to ski, hike and fish.

The chief executive of Aldridge Electric Co. decided to ensure that it would remain a sanctuary for everyone. He and his wife purchased the property and dedicated what Wisconsin officials call the largest conservation easement of private land in their state's history ? almost 3,200 acres.

"We wanted to preserve something that has a lot of beauty to it," Aldridge said.

Aldridge has long been interested in environmental issues ? but that interest sometimes has met with controversy. His company's 150-foot wind turbine in Libertyville, Ill., has fueled complaints about noise and other nuisances among its neighbors, who have filed lawsuits to have it removed.

But in northern Wisconsin, Aldridge's neighbors are applauding.

Once eyed by developers, the 3,195 acres that Aldridge and his wife, Carolyn, bought last year for $4.5 million are now protected by an agreement that spells out how the Northwoods Land Trust will limit its use. Northwoods is a nonprofit conservation organization in Eagle River, Wis., that works with landowners to preserve natural resources and provide stewardship of protected land.

Instead of large-scale development, a handful of cottages might one day dot the serene landscape ? but skiers and other nature lovers will always have access, officials say.

The Aldridges signed a permanent conservation easement Dec. 1, creating the Winter Park Pines Nature Preserve. Although it remains private land, the Aldridges granted permanent recreation access.

Home to bald eagles, osprey and timber wolves, Winter Park Pines has nearly 27 miles of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails. Now it's part of the Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center's trail system, said Northwoods Executive Director Bryan Pierce.

The Aldridges purchased the land in June 2010 from a paper company, Potlatch Corp., which had been clear-cutting trees near the nordic center's cross-country ski trail system, Pierce said.

"It's a huge gift to the Northwoods," Pierce said. "The company that owned it had put together some development plans to put in a series of developments along the system. Anybody could have purchased it. It would've been up to them to do what they wanted with it."

Under the conservation easement, the 3,195 acres can be split into 12 parcels and sold individually, and one small cottage could be built on each parcel. But future owners must abide by the conservation easement, Pierce said.

Conservation is what's important, Aldridge said.

"I've been coming up here my whole life, and I want to preserve why people came here in the first place," Aldridge said. "People come up here for woods and water. I have three kids, and they've all enjoyed it since they were young."

aalderman@tribune.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/lIeATrgYPJQ/la-na-land-trust-20120115,0,3817153.story

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At UFC 142, Erick Silva disqualified for illegal blows

Erick Silva got his first UFC win in just 40 seconds. It looked like he had another quick win, but controversy erupted as soon as the 29-second bout was over.

From the opening touch of the gloves, Silva threw a knee, which caused Prater to fall to his knees. Silva followed up with several hits to the side of Prater's head. The bout was stopped by referee Mario Yamasaki, and it seemed like Silva was on the way to his second straight win.

But the official decision took longer than normal to announced, and Yamasaki explained to Silva that he was disqualified because Yamasaki said the blows were to the back of Prater's head.

UFC commentator Joe Rogan disagreed with the call, saying that the punches hit the side of Prater's head. Yamasaki said that he needed to make the call in the moment, and he saw the blows hit the back of Prater's head. MMA referees do not have instant replay.

Silva took the disappointment well.

"I have great respect for the referee," Silva told Rogan. "I don't think they were hitting the back of the head."

The bout will go down as a loss on Silva's record.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-142-erick-silva-disqualified-illegal-blows-035820320.html

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India government backs case against internet giants (Reuters)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) ? The Indian government on Friday threw its weight behind a case against internet giants including Google and Facebook, who are embroiled in a battle over offensive content after a judge warned websites may be blocked "like in China."

The case, which has stoked worries about freedom of speech in the world's largest democracy, was brought by a private petitioner seeking to remove images considered offensive to Hindus, Muslims and Christians from websites.

The government on Friday officially sanctioned prosecuting 21 companies including Google and Facebook.

"The government of India...finds it appropriate to grant sanction...to proceed against the accused persons in the aforesaid complaint in national harmony, integration and national interest," a court document seen by Reuters said.

The next hearing was set for March and senior executives could be summoned, local media said.

Separately, the Delhi High Court is due to resume a hearing on Monday of an appeal against the case, which was originally brought in a lower court.

"The lower court gave a ruling asking the companies to take down some content, we appealed that ruling and it is in the higher court," said a Google spokesman in India on Friday.

The India units of Facebook, Yahoo! Inc and Microsoft Corp declined to comment.

"If a contraband is found in your house, it (is) your liability to take action against it," High Court Justice Suresh Kait told lawyers from Facebook India and Google India on Thursday, according to the Economic Times newspaper.

"Like China, we can block all such websites (that don't comply). But let us not go to that situation."

A law passed last year in India makes companies responsible for user content posted on their websites, requiring them to take it down within 36 hours in case of a complaint. The lower court affirmed the law last week.

Less than 10 percent of India's 1.2 billion people have Internet access, though the connected population is rapidly growing through social media tools on mobile phones, bringing many into contact for the first time with images intended to offend.

More than 880 million people have mobile phones in India, but more expensive Internet-capable 3G models are out of reach for many.

Civil rights groups opposed the laws, but politicians say that posting offensive images in the socially conservative country with a history of violence between religious groups presents a danger to the public as Internet use grows.

In December, Telecoms Minister Kapil Sibal weighed into the debate, urging Facebook, Twitter, Google and others to remove offensive material.

Despite rules to remove offensive content, India's Internet access is still largely free when compared with the tight controls in fellow Asian economic powerhouse China.

(Addtional reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Matthias Williams and Ed Lane)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120113/wr_nm/us_india_websites

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Corrections

In a Jan. 13 ?Culturebox,? Sarah Weinman incorrectly identified Penelope Gilliatt's debut novel as A State of Change. It was called One by One. In addition, Sunday, Bloody Sunday's lead characters, a divorced working woman and a well-off Jewish doctor who fall for the same man, are not married to each other.

In a Jan. 11 "Future Tense" blog entry, Konstantin Kakaes referred to Sputniks when he meant to say Soyuz, which is the name of both the spacecraft used to reach the International Space Station and the rockets used to launch them.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=1ba6bc3b7d15bf557d157bbbb519ac23

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Why Is This Winter So Weirdly Warm and Dry? [Science]

I was running around Manhattan the night of December 22nd and the temperature was 55 degrees. Being a bratty Californian, I admit I was thrilled to not be shivering. But the responsible part of my brain also found it disconcerting. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/VzgVOWFOFYI/why-is-this-winter-so-weirdly-warm-and-dry

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Snoop Dogg Busted for Marijuana Possession in Texas

Snoop Dogg has been arrested for ? well ? being Snoop Dogg.

The ?Sensual Seduction? hit-maker has reportedly been busted for pot possession in Texas.

How Willie Nelson of him!

TMZ.com reports that the rapper was caught red-handed with marijuana by a sniffing dog after his tour bus was stopped at a border patrol checkpoint in the Lonestar State. The patrol agents reportedly found a ?red prescription bottle with several joints inside? in a wastebasket on the bus.

Snoop readily admitted the drugs were his.

As if there was ever any question.

The rapper actually has a prescription for pot in California, but Texas has a ?zero tolerance? policy on cannabis.

A Justice of the Peace told TMZ that Snoop, who?s known for his fondness for weed, can pay $537 to ?resolve the issue? unless he wants to take it to court, which we doubt will happen.

? ? ? ?

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Source: http://www.popcrunch.com/snoop-dogg-arrested/

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Romney leads Republicans, narrows gap with Obama: poll (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? U.S. presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has sailed farther ahead of rival Republican candidates nationally and narrowed President Barack Obama's lead in the White House race, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday.

Thirty percent of Republicans in the poll would vote for Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, compared to 18 percent a month ago.

The poll suggests Romney has consolidated support among Republicans since winning the first nominating contest in Iowa by a slim margin last week.

He is expected to win New Hampshire's contest on Tuesday, propelling him forward in his quest to take on Obama in November.

Obama leads all of the Republican candidates in the poll, but Romney is gaining ground.

The survey showed Obama leading the Republican front-runner by 48 percent to 43 percent, compared to a 48 percent to 40 percent difference a month ago. The former governor bested Obama in a poll conducted in late October.

With both Obama and Romney strengthening their positions nationally, the competition between the two men is getting closer, Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson said.

"Now that Mitt Romney looks like he's got a clearer path to the Republican nomination, his standing is improved as well, so this race is tightening between Romney and Obama," he said.

Romney polled the strongest against the president. Obama beat former speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich 53 to 38 percent, Congressman Ron Paul by 48 to 41 percent, and former Senator Rick Santorum by 51 to 40 percent.

The president, who is benefitting from better economic data including improved jobs figures, maintained a steady approval rating of 47 percent, the same as last month.

RIVALS WAY BEHIND

Romney's closest Republican rival in the national poll was Gingrich, who had 20 percent support, down from 28 percent in December.

Gingrich lost momentum after a disappointing fourth place finish in Iowa, where he suffered from negative ads funded by a group associated with Romney.

Paul was next in the Republican race, coming in with 16 percent support. Santorum, who placed a close second in Iowa, was next with 13 percent, followed by Texas Governor Rick Perry, who came in at 7 percent.

The results in New Hampshire's contest will determine whether Romney can build on his momentum going forward.

Despite fierce attacks from his rivals, he is expected to win New Hampshire handily. If he does so, the margin of his victory will determine his strength going into the next state contests in South Carolina and Florida.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted January 5-9. It mostly took place before the toughest days of Romney's campaign in New Hampshire, where he had to fend off attacks on Monday about his record as a businessman and venture capitalist.

The poll was conducted by telephone with 1,046 adults and is considered accurate within 3 percentage points.

For a graphic on the poll, please click on: http://link.reuters.com/byx85s

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120110/ts_nm/us_usa_campaign_poll

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Albany?s first female mayor takes office

Read?more: Local, Politics, Community, Albany?S First Female Mayor Takes Office, Dorothy Hubbard, Albany's First Female Mayor, Dorothy Hubbard is Albany's First Female Mayor, Dr. Willie Adams, Albany Mayor, City Commission Meeting, Female Mayor Takes Office, Mayoral Seat, Mayoral Race, First Woman Mayor, Female Mayor, Female Mayor of Albany, Mayor, Plans for the City

Dorothy Hubbard takes office as Albany's first female mayor. &nbsp/&nbspJessica Fairley

ALBANY, GA. -- The city of Albany made history by swearing in Dorothy Hubbard as the city's first female mayor.

Hundreds turned out to see Hubbard take her seat in office. It was a moment that she never dreamed would happen.

?When I retired twelve years ago, I would not have thought that I would be here tonight,? said Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard.

Before passing on the torch, outgoing mayor Dr. Willie Adams, accepted praise for his contributions to the city. While his peers serenaded him with farewell wishes, he reassured them that they are in safe hands.

?She's been on this commission for six years and that gives her a lot of experience,? said outgoing Mayor Dr. Willie Adams.

Hubbard?s first order of business was passing a resolution recognizing Mayor Adams and his accomplishments during his tenure.

Under his supervision, the city formed?the Gang Task Force and lowered the mileage rate?for 5 of his 8 years in office.

The newly seated mayor says she's ready to work and her first goal is to clean up the city and county.

?The first thing we're going to do is a big cleanup. We're going to take the city commissioners on a tour of the city to look at how we're going to clean it up,? said Hubbard.

This means destroying blighted properties and making the streets clean by picking up trash alongside the roads.

Hubbard hopes to put an end to high crime, low graduation rates, and poverty.? But before this can be done, she says she needs the community on her side, along with a higher power.

?I know he has his arms around me as mayor of the city and he has his arms around this city to move us forward,? said Hubbard.

Source: http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?id=705625

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Armed Troops to Search Public During London Olympics Amid Increased Fears Over Terror Attack

You are here: Home / News / Exclusives / Armed Troops to Search Public During London Olympics Amid Increased Fears Over Terror Attack

The Intel Hub
January 9, 2011

A view of the inside of the London Olympics Stadium complete with Illuminati Symbolism ? Wikicommons Image

Armed military personal will be searching the public during the London Olympics amid growing fears of a possible terror attack during the games.

While the Olympics are obviously not taking place in America, the use of armed military to police the public during the games is a stark reminder of the full scale police state that the globalist banksters have constructed throughout the world.

A recent article in the Guardian outlined the ?terror fears?:

Dummy runs by London 2012 security staff have achieved a 90 per cent success rate in foiling attempts to smuggle devices into the site in Stratford, where the centrepiece Olympic stadium, velodrome and pool are based ? meaning at least one attempt succeeded.

The disclosure underlines growing concerns over security at the games. Such is the level of threat that all of the Army?s explosive search dogs are likely to be recalled from duty in Afghanistan to boost the security operation.

One security official said: ?The issue of explosive search dogs is crucial ? they are the tools that will find the bombs, but we don?t have enough of them. We have around 30 and they can only work for 30 to 40 minutes before they get distracted or bored. From what I understand there will be virtually none left in Afghanistan ? they will all be here.?

At the same time troops are to be used to search members of the public entering the Olympic and Paralympic site.

The current fear mongering taking place throughout Europe over a possible terror attack at the London Olympics is even more startling when you consider the recent article published on The Intel Hub that covered the fact that some believe there may be a nuclear false flag at the Olympics.

You can watch the full video here.

The research carried out by Rik Clay suggested that there was something special about the London Olympics and after reading Clay?s research, I realised that it was possible that the ?illuminati? might use the London Olympics to carry out a false flag attack.

So I did internet searches on the London Olympics and terrorism and found that the BBC had broadcasted a programme envisaging a nuclear attack at the London Olympics and that a reasonably well-known author had also written a short story for the Daily Mail, which also envisaged a nuclear attack at the London Olympics.

Given that before 9 / 11 and 7 / 7, those events were referenced beforehand in various media, it was reasonable to argue that two forms of media, both envisaging a nuclear attack on the London Olympics, could be another example of the ?illuminati? once again foretelling an event, before it actually happens.

While this possibility is obviously a conspiracy theory at this point, it does seem worth looking into considering the fact that al Qaeda was funded and created by western intelligence and the idea that they could actually carry out a massive attack on the heavily secured London Olympics is absolutely insane.

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Source: http://theintelhub.com/2012/01/09/armed-troops-to-search-public-during-london-olympics-amid-increased-fears-over-terror-attack/

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