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gynseke

I was initially not going to do a year in review, but all the cool kids are doing it, so why not? It was an eventful year, after all.

The launch of this network was the #1 event of the year for me. But I also traveled a lot ? every month (or so) to New York City, also to Boston, Philly, Washington DC (twice), Asheville, Winston-Salem, Flagstaff, London (UK) and Belgrade (Serbia). I did not blog much about those travels or personal stuff. And my blogging is not nearly as frequent as it once was (remember when my output was 8.2 posts per day?). A lot of the quick stuff ? links, quotes, personal stuff, humor/cartoons, etc. ? I moved to Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, Google Plus, Tumblr and Posterous, leaving the blog for the most important and serious stuff only. I also have to write or edit multiple blogs now, so A Blog Around The Clock is not the only place I can focus my attention to. But here we go ? the key posts of the year:

January is all about ScienceOnline, of course, but I did manage to sneak in a post that was not about it:

Can WordPress do this?

In February I wrote my first big SciAm science post, and also went to AAAS meeting and blogged about it:

Circadian clock without DNA?History and the power of metaphor

Web breaks echo-chambers, or, ?Echo-chamber? is just a derogatory term for ?community? ? my remarks at #AAASmtg

March was a fun month ? lots of work, though, so not much time left for my own blogging:

A ?sixth sense? for earthquake prediction? Give me a break!

Book review: Pink Boots and the Machete by Mireya Mayor

In April I tried my hand at this ?journalism? thing I am supposed to be doing now:

Giant Dino exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, or why I should not be a photojournalist

May was noisy around here, so why not write about it:

Cicadas, or how I Am Such A Scientist, or a demonstration of good editing

Is education what journalists do?

Scientific Communication all-you-can-eat Linkfest

In June I participated in the World Science Festival and left some trail of it on the blog:

The Bezos Scholars Program at the World Science Festival

Stories: what we did at #WSF11 last week

July was the Big Month ? the launch of the network, and my renewed energy for blogging:

Introducing: the new Scientific American blog network!

Welcome to A Blog Around The Clock ? Next Generation.

Telling science stories?wait, what?s a ?story??

Blogs: face the conversation

August was calm, so I managed to write about science:

City Of Light: Insomniac Urban Animals

Identity ? what is it really?

Hmm, just a bunch or re-posts from the archives in September, as I was spending my time in Europe?

October was back-to-work time, but I did manage to blog a little bit:

The Fracking Song

ScienceOnline participants? interviews

Two posts I really enjoyed writing in November:

Myths about myths about Thanksgiving turkey making you sleepy

Books: ?Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science? by Michael Nielsen

Not sure what happened in December, but I was quite productive blogging science, including reporting on a paper the same moment its embargo lifted:

The New Meanings of How and Why in Biology?

The wonderful quail?and what Sen.Coburn should learn about it.

Data for #drunksci: Daily rhythm of alcohol tolerance

Now I have to write the Preface for Open Laboratory anthology, and another lengthy media/blogging post before #scio12, but organization of that meeting will probably suck up most of my free (i.e., writing/blogging) time in January. Let?s hope the next year is even better and productive than this one. Have a Happy New Year!

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=563c4c2bf6b7384e22557612083c4198

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gynseke

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.nationalpost.com/World+Junior+Hockey+2012+Denmark+looks+past+Canada+relegation+round/5925675/story.html

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gynseke

Date available

24/12/11
Property type

Flat
Number of beds

1
Seller type

Trade

Luxury studio apartment in this newly refurbished period property. The Studio is light, airy and tastefully decorated in neutral colours with wood laminate flooring. There is gas central heating & newly fitted double glazing, the kitchen has a brand new electric hob and fridge, the shower room is fully tiled in white and features a power shower in a glass cubicle. The flat is less than 5 minutes walk to Barons Court Piccaddilly & District Line Tube (Zone 2). The rent includes Council Tax, Heating, and Gas & Water. NO DSS.

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gynseke

Pauline Kael became the voice for a new generation of film-goers.

Pauline Kael is reported to have said to Robert Altman, after the screening of his film Three Women, ?I loved the first part of the movie, Bob, but I hated the second part.?? My response was similar to Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark, Brian Kellow?s biography of the celebrated film critic.?

Skip to next paragraph

Part of this can?t be helped. It?s always more interesting to read the fortunes of a rising star, battling her way to the top, making friends and enemies along the way, surviving on a shoestring.?

Kellow offers a detailed account of Kael?s childhood at a chicken farm in the Jewish community of Petaluma, Calif., her stint at Berkley (she dropped out as a senior), and her hard-won career as a film critic ? culminating in her hire as the reviewer for The New Yorker at the age of 48. [Correction: This review originally misstated Kael's age.] Kael?s struggles and rise to fame make for a compelling read, as does the backdrop against which it is set: the evolution of the movies out of the Hollywood Production Code and Studio System (established in the 1930s and crumbling by the 1960s) as well as the broader social history, culminating in the rise of the counterculture and the anti-war movement.?

Kael, though not young herself, became a voice for the generation that reveled in films like Bonnie and Clyde and M*A*S*H, movies that an older generation of critics dismissed. Likewise, her very style of writing pushed film criticism to reflect a new voice, one that dropped the pretense of objectivity in keeping with New Journalists like Joan Didion and Norman Mailer, and leaned on the vernacular and the occasional sexual metaphor.? (Battles between Kael and genteel New Yorker editor William Shawn over her salty language were regular occurrences.)

Though she spoke for youth culture, Kael herself hailed from the Greatest Generation, and as a writer who was neither male, Gentile, nor from the East, her reflection of that generation?s belief in hard work as a means to an achievable end served her well in writing her way into the New York literary establishment.?

Her reviewing became a passionate advocacy for what the movies could and should do ? that is, ?depict American life with some degree of authenticity,? as messy as that might be ? and driven by this passion, she moved from margin to center. In this way, Kael?s is an American success story, if not quite from rags to riches, then from obscurity to prominence and influence.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/0nCjpcBvKpk/Pauline-Kael-A-Life-in-the-Dark

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gynseke · 31 December 2011

31 December 2011 Last updated at 01:23 By Anna-Louise Taylor BBC News

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

See the moment when a venomous cone snail ensares and devours a goatfish

The BBC has filmed the moment when a venomous cone snail engulfs its prey, spears it with a harpoon-like barb, paralyses it and eats it.

The fish-eating Conus geographus is the most venomous cone snail known.

There are more than 640 different species of the predatory cone snail, or Conus, globally, most of which live in the tropics around coral reefs.

Cone snails are the largest known genus of invertebrates. They eat molluscs, worms or fish, which they catch using "harpoon-like" spears that are loaded with a venomous containing up to 200 different toxins.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

It darts the fish and it is left paralysed and then eaten?

End Quote Howards Peters Marine biologist

Howard Peters, a marine biologist at the University of York in the UK, is studying the global population of cone snails.

He says their venom makes them totally unique.

"Their venom - and the way they deliver it - is the most interesting thing," he explains.

"What they tend to do is bury themselves in the sand and then use their sensors to detect when a sizeable fish comes along.

"They manufacture and store little hollow harpoons in a sac in their body, and they have another sac which synthesises venom."

When the snails sense a worm, mollusc or fish approaching, they "load" their harpoons into their proboscis, and arm them with venom. This poisonous mixture acts as a neurotoxin; it affects the prey's nervous system.

"[They] dart the fish, which it is left paralysed and then eaten," says Mr Peters.

Fish-eating cone snails like the Conus geographus only use a harpoon once. They swallow it while digesting their prey.

Conus geographus was filmed for the BBC Two programme Great Barrier Reef in an aquarium at the James Cook University in Cairns, Australia.

On average, each species has 100 toxins - meaning there are about 50,000 different toxins across all species of cone snail, with very little replication.

Their nerve-blocking chemical cocktails have triggered a great deal of interest in the cone snail in the field of biomedical research.

Cone snail toxins, Mr Peters says, have been studied and developed in to a painkiller for cancer sufferers, which has similar properties to morphine.

These biologically active molecules - known as peptides - have also become the focus of research for drugs to treat epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's.

While cone snails are not being over-fished for research, Mr Peters warns: "If a species goes extinct, you lose the potential to use those toxins forever."

He has been studying cone snail populations around the world to establish which species are vulnerable or already under threat, and is providing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species database with information.

"We have to research every species, its abundance, its distributions, conservation measures, and [the] trade in them," he says.

Snail trade

The 120 or so species of cone snails on the Great Barrier Reef are among the best protected anywhere, with 90 different species found around Australia generally.

The species around the coral triangle and the south Pacific are widely distributed in a number of areas including Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.

While they are mostly found in shallow water up to 20m, there are a number of deep-water species that can live as deep as 500m.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

Professional collectors look for rarity, size and quality which makes them more valuable?

End Quote Howard Peters Marine biologist

But it is hard to know the status of deep water species as no-one knows where they are, and smaller species in specific locations could face uncertainty in the future, says Mr Peters.

"Occasionally you'll find a species which is highly restricted - that lives in a single bay of a single seamount (undersea mountain)," he says.

"They are more likely to become threatened due to habitat loss."

The biggest dangers to cone snails are thought to be pollution, destruction of habitats and dredging.

Mr Peters adds that it is important to protect the the snails in order to avoid an imbalance in the food chain.

But there is also an international trade in cone snail shells; rare specimens can fetch up to US$5,000.

"Shell collecting seems an innocent pastime but it is one area that can have a high impact," says Mr Peters.

"The trade in cone snail shells is mostly fairly low-cost; [but] it's a bit like postage stamps.

"Professional collectors look for rarity, size and quality, which makes [a shell] more valuable.

Left-handed cone snail shells, meaning they grow by coiling around to the left - something that is much less common than a right-handed shell - also increases the value."

Precious and deadly

Conus geographus is thought to have caused at least 30 human deaths; a person has about a 30% chance of surviving if stung, according to Mr Peters.

His research, which he is undertaking for his PhD, draws together expert opinion from around the world, and is due to be completed in a year's time.

When it is, it could provide a crucial yardstick against which to measure cone snail populations in the future.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/16222577

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gynseke

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Source: www.techspot.com --- Friday, December 30, 2011
...

Source: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic175394.html

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gynseke

The Gillmor Gang ? Mike Arrington, John Borthwick, Robert Scoble, John Taschek, and Steve Gillmor ? are recording live at 9am PT.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ytir6hXk5Is/

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gynseke

BEIJING?? China's manufacturing slowed in December for a second month due to weak global demand amid U.S. and European economic woes, a survey released Friday showed.

The latest HSBC Purchasing Managers Index added to growing signs of strain on China's manufacturers and exporters. They have been battered by a plunge in global demand and lending curbs that have driven thousands of entrepreneurs into bankruptcy, wiping out jobs and raising the specter of unrest.

The index for December stood at 48.7 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 indicate a contraction in activity. It said companies reported a drop in foreign orders due to sluggish global demand.

"Weakening external demand is starting to bite," said HSBC economist Hongbin Qu in a statement with the survey.

The latest data will add to pressure on Beijing to ease spending and lending controls to stabilize growth and spur job creation, Qu said.

"Hard landings should be avoided so long as easing measures filter through in the coming months," he said.

China's export growth declined in November for a third month, falling to 13.8 percent from the 15.9 percent the previous month.

The slump in global demand has battered export-driven southern coastal regions, where thousands of small companies have been driven out of business and the survivors have laid off tens of thousands of workers.

Smaller private companies were hard hit by bank lending curbs imposed to cool inflation and a boom in housing prices. The government has promised to have state banks lend more to help struggling entrepreneurs but says most of its curbs will remain in place.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45821607/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

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gynseke

HONOLULU (AP) ? The sale of $30 billion worth of F-15SA fighter jets to Saudi Arabia has been finalized, the Obama administration said Thursday, boosting the military strength of a key U.S. ally in the Middle East to help counter Iran.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will send Saudi Arabia 84 new fighter jets and upgrades for 70 more. Production of the aircraft, which will be manufactured by Boeing Co., will support 50,000 jobs and have a $3.5 billion annual economic impact in the U.S., the White House said.

The sale is part of a larger U.S. effort to realign its defense policies in the Persian Gulf to keep Iran in check. The announcement came as U.S. officials weighed a fresh threat from Tehran, which warned this week it could disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital Persian Gulf oil transport route, if Washington levies new sanctions targeting Iran's crude exports.

Administration officials said the timing of Thursday's announcement was not tied to the new threat from Tehran. But they did make clear that the fighter jet sale would help Saudi Arabia counter potential troubles with Iran.

"This sale will send a strong message to countries in the region that the United States is committed to stability in the Gulf and broader Middle East," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro. "It will enhance Saudi Arabia's ability to deter and defend against external threats to its sovereignty."

The fighter jet sale is part of a larger 10-year, $60 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia that also includes helicopters, a broad array of missiles, bombs and delivery systems, as well as radar warning systems and night-vision goggles. Congress gave the deal the go-ahead about a year ago.

The plan initially raised concerns from pro-Israeli lawmakers, but U.S. officials reassured Congress that Israel's military edge would not be undercut by the sale. Additionally, there is now broad agreement among Israel, the Gulf Arab states and the West that Iran poses a significant and unpredictable threat.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter regional rivals. Tensions between them were further stoked earlier this year after the U.S. accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. in Washington.

Saudi Arabia is already the most militarily advanced of the Arab Gulf states, one of the richest countries in the world, and central to American policy in the Middle East. It is also vital to U.S. energy security, with Saudi Arabia ranking as the third-largest source of U.S. oil imports.

But relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia grew frosty earlier this year, as the allies found themselves at odds during the protests that swept through the Arab world. The Obama administration angered the Saudis by pulling support from former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, a longtime ally of both countries. And the U.S. bristled when Saudi Arabia sent troops into Bahrain to quell protests there.

The White House announced the agreement with Saudi Arabia from Hawaii, where President Barack Obama is vacationing.

___

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-29-US-Saudi%20Arabia/id-399a3516262147728fd8847f4094b8fd

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gynseke

NEW YORK ? Verizon Wireless, the country's largest cellphone company, said Thursday that it will start charging $2 for every payment subscribers make over the phone or online with their credit cards.

The company said this "convenience fee" will be introduced Jan. 15.

The fee won't apply to electronic check payments or to automatic credit card payments set up through Verizon's AutoPay system. Paying by credit card in a Verizon store will also be free, as will mailing a check.

Other carriers have tried to get subscribers to move to automatic payments through other means. AT&T Inc. offers a $10 gift card for those who set up AutoPay. Sprint Nextel Corp. charges subscribers who have caps on the fees they can rack up each month. Those people are charged $5 monthly unless they set up automatic payments.

It's not uncommon for utilities, universities and even state tax departments to charge convenience fees for online payments. Each credit-card payment comes with fees that the companies can avoid by getting electronic checks instead. Automatic payments mean less trouble for companies in going after late payments.

Verizon Communications Inc., the landline phone company that owns most of Verizon Wireless, tried last year to introduce a $3.50 fee for people who paid their bill for FiOS TV or Internet service month-to-month by credit card. It backed off after complaints.

Verizon Wireless serves 91 million phones and other devices on accounts that pay the company directly, and more who pay indirectly through other companies.

___

Online:

Verizon statement: http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2011/12/pr2011-12-29b.html

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111229/ap_on_hi_te/us_verizon_wireless_monthly_fees

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gynseke

BEAUMONT - The funeral of a civil rights leader drew a large crowd to a church in Beaumont.

Cleveland Nisby's funeral began at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Starlight Baptist Church on Buford Street in Beaumont.

Nisby died last Friday morning at his home in Beaumont.

He was 92 years old.

Relatives tell KFDM News Nisby had been in poor health in recent years and was placed in hospice a few days before his death.

He was one of three African-Americans who filed lawsuits in the 1980's to increase the opportunities for blacks to be elected to city and county government as well as the school board.

Nisby was also active in trying to improve the lives of senior citizens in Southeast Texas.

Cleveland Nisby was buried at Magnolia Cemetery in Beaumont.

One of his sons told KFDM News that Nisby was a trailblazer and the number of black public servants in the Golden Triangle is a direct result of the hard work of his father and others in the 1960's, 70's and 80's.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers you send donations to the Cleveland Nisby Scholarship Fund. You can mail donations or bring them by Mercy Funeral Home, 1395 Glady Street, Beaumont, Texas, 77701.

The fund helps young people pay for college.

Source: http://www.kfdm.com/news/nisby-46375-beaumont-cleveland.html

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gynseke

T Whitney Cox / Courtesy Casa Lever

At Casa Lever in New York City, nearly 20 giant Andy Warhol portraits line the dining room.

?

By Jordan Kisner, Departures

Art and food have always had a harmonious relationship ? just look at Leonardo Da Vinci?s The Last Supper. Indeed, Pablo Picasso, Norman Rockwell and Pierre Auguste Renoir all created artworks about breaking bread and, in fact, Picasso and Henri Matisse were both known to paint for their dinners. So it comes as no surprise that a big trend in art today has to do with eating: Fine-dining establishments are morphing into art galleries.

Slideshow: See the art in the eateries

At first, world-class restaurants simply started popping up in museums. In 2005, the Museum of Modern Art debuted The Modern, in which restaurateur Danny Meyer elevated institutionalized museum fare to a Michelin-starred level in a setting overlooking works by Alexander Calder, Auguste Rodin and more in MoMa?s Sculpture Garden. Wolfgang Puck has been dabbling in the museum restaurant arena for years as well, setting up shop in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington; the view from his 20.21 restaurant at Minneapolis?s Walker Art Center (now a new b?ite called Gather) was the cherry on top (literally ? diners had a view of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen?s iconic sculpture Spoonbridge and Cherry).

These days, though, you don?t have to eat at a museum to see excellent art. Restaurants around the world are attracting patrons with their own art collections and rotating exhibitions. In Zurich, Kronenhalle?s original owner, Hulda Zumsteg, and her son, Gustav, spent decades amassing a personal art collection, filling the restaurant with art by German and Swiss painter Paul Klee, Russian Abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky, Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler and others. The furniture is also priceless: The tables in the bar area are by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti. On the Strip in Las Vegas, the Bellagio?s Picasso restaurant has originals by the namesake. Even Puck has gotten in on the craze with his steak house Cut, at London?s 45 Park Lane Hotel, where Damien Hirst?s Pslams series is on view.

Similar to gallery owners who champion the work of emerging artists, restaurateurs are doing so too. Mr. Chow is perhaps the modern pioneer: he traded noodles for artwork n the height of the 1980s art craze; now his restaurants have shown works by artists ranging from Andy Warhol to Keith Haring. Meanwhile, the Santa Monica outpost of New York power-lunching hub Michael?s has an upstairs gallery with rotating exhibitions with work by local artists. And the Michelin-starred Number One, at the Balmoral in Edinburgh, displays work by graduates of the Royal College of Art in London.

With restaurants becoming the world?s best galleries, here are eight spots worth the art and food. Grab a glass of wine, a comfortable chair and a delicious excuse to sit and stare at the walls for an hour or two.

More from Departures

?

Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/12/9394541-best-restaurant-art-collections

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gynseke

By Adam Vingan - Capitals Editor

The Caps will look to make a statement Wednesday against the East-leading Rangers at Verizon Center. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.

Dec 27, 2011 - The Washington Capitals have been trying to rebound so much this season that they could rival the Washington Wizards.

After yet another setback Monday, the Caps look to regroup and make a statement against the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers Wednesday at Verizon Center.

Monday's 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres sent the Caps to their seventh loss in 12 games under Dale Hunter. Washington is on the outside of the East playoff picture in 11th place; according to NHL.com, this is the latest the Caps have been out a playoff spot since April 4, 2008.

While the Caps are reeling, the Rangers are surging. New York has won five straight and seven of 10 to take control of the East. Marian Gaborik is tied with Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead with 22 goals and Henrik Lundqvist has three shutouts, tied for second among goaltenders.

The Rangers defeated the Caps 6-3 November 25 in the teams' only meeting so far this season. New York has scored six or more goals against Washington three times during the regular season since the start of last year.

HBO's cameras will be at Verizon Center Wednesday as they follow the Rangers in preparation for the Winter Classic next week. The Caps lost to the other team being profiled, the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1 December 13.

Read More: Henrik Lundqvist (G - NYR), Marian Gaborik (RW - NYR), Steven Stamkos (C - TAM), Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres

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Source: http://dc.sbnation.com/2011/12/27/2665061/rangers-vs-capitals-preview

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gynseke

By BRADLEY KLAPPER and JULIE PACE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is weighing an unprecedented diplomatic act - whether to bar a friendly president from U.S. soil.

American officials were evaluating on Tuesday an awkward request from Yemeni strongman and longtime U.S. counterterrorism partner Ali Abdullah Saleh. Saleh has said he plans to come to the United States for medical treatment for injuries suffered in a June assassination attempt, and he has asked for a U.S. visa for entry to the country. Fearful of appearing to harbor an autocrat with blood on his hands, the Obama administration was trying to ensure that Saleh visits only for medical care and doesn't plan to stay, U.S. officials said.

Washington's hesitation reflects the shifting alliances and foreign policy strategy prompted by a year of upheaval in the Arab world. Saleh has served as an American ally against al-Qaida and will soon transfer power under a U.S.-backed deal with Yemen's opposition aimed at ending months of instability. He isn't subject to any U.S. or international sanctions.

But he also is accused of committing gross human rights violations during a year of internal conflict, and the U.S. is trying not to burn any bridges with Yemeni political groups likely to take part in future governments. Political asylum for Saleh in the United States, or the appearance of preferential treatment from an administration that has championed peaceful and democratic change, would be highly unpopular with Yemenis who've fought to depose their dictator of 33 years.

Officials close to the Saleh said Washington's suspicion that he may seek political asylum was delaying approval of his trip. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. But American officials appeared to substantiate those concerns and said they were troubled by Saleh's recent comments portraying his trip as a move designed to ease the political transition.

"What we're looking at now is a request to come to the United States for the sole purpose of medical treatment," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, refusing to go into the specific of the evaluation. "That permission has not been granted yet."

Toner declined to elaborate on the assurances the United States wanted from Saleh or offer a timetable for a decision. He also couldn't say whether any provisions existed under U.S. law to prevent the Yemeni leader from visiting the country - provided he assures officials he demonstrates he'll only stay temporarily.

In that case, Saleh almost surely will be granted entry, U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because visa evaluations are supposed to be confidential. It's unclear when, if ever, the last time the head of state of a friendly government was blocked from visiting the United States.

One official went so far as to say Saleh's exit from Yemen might be beneficial by lowering the risk of disruptions in the lead-up to planned February elections. The U.S. is committed to doing everything it can to ensure those elections take place, the official said, but President Barack Obama's national security team was expected to make the final decision on Saleh's request. Obama was being briefed on developments while on vacation in Hawaii.

Demonstrators began protesting against Saleh and calling for his ouster in February. The Yemeni government responded with a bloody crackdown, leaving hundreds of protesters dead, and stoking fears of instability in a nation grappling with burgeoning extremism. Yemen's dangerous al-Qaida branch, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, has taken advantage of the vacuum to expend its presence in the south of the country.

International pressure has mounted for months for Saleh to step aside. A June rocket attack on his compound left him badly burned and wounded, and led Saleh to seek medical treatment in neighboring Saudi Arabia for three months. American officials had hoped he would remain there, but the Yemeni leader returned and violence worsened anew.

Last month, Saleh agreed to a Saudi-backed deal to hand power to his vice president and commit to stepping down completely in exchange for immunity. The deal further angered Saleh's opponents, who demanded he be tried for his attacks on protesters. Opponents also lament that he has continued to wield influence through loyalists and relatives remaining in positions of power, and many fear he may find a way to continue his rule.

Protests have expanded recently to include labor strikes, calls for Saleh to be put on trial and demands that his loyalists to be removed from office. Activists said troops commanded by Saleh's relatives attacked protesters in the capital of Sanaa over the weekend, killing at least nine people. Tens of thousands demonstrated the following day.

Saleh's immediate plans are unclear. The wily leader of three decades has maintained his rule over a country divided by tribal and regional loyalties by consistently outsmarting his opponents, but Toner said the U.S. is trying to remind everyone of the "importance of continuing along this agreed-upon path of political transition that will lead to the next election."

"We need to see that process continue regardless of where President Saleh is," Toner said.

An American official said Saleh's office informed the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa that the outgoing leader would leave Yemen soon and travel elsewhere abroad first, before possibly coming to the U.S.

The situation offers an eerie parallel to three decades ago, when President Jimmy Carter allowed the exiled shah of Iran into the U.S. for medical treatment. The decision contributed to rapidly worsening relations between Washington and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's revolution in Tehran, with Iranian students occupying the U.S. Embassy in Iran a month later.

Fifty-two American hostages were held for 444 days in response to Carter's refusal to send the shah back to Iran for trial.

___

Pace reported from Honolulu. Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.wistv.com/story/16399853/yemens-leader-causes-headaches-in-washington

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So I went to a high school which didn't have much. Not many AP classes, SAT score was somewhere in the 1300s (average, for math + reading + writing), no sports, and really I lacked a backbone. Parents were not that supportive of my education goals. Overall, as many excuses as I can bother to list, I won't list them, I will simply take 100 percent responsibility for my mistakes.

In college I was not passionate about being a pre-med but my family did make a push to get me into it. 3 semesters later I am sitting at a 2.7 GPA. Failed organic chemistry with a D which depressed me to no ends.

Now with the winter break coming around, I have had time to learn some discipline. Told myself I was going to finish War and Peace in 7 days, just have about 200 more pages to read for today and I am done.

Sometimes the problem is I zone out. I grow into a victim mentality that I was literally screwed over in life. Unstable childhood, learning English late in life, not having a fair chance or even going to a half way decent high school, and having restrictive parents who barely let me do anything to build my resume.

I say its a fantasy because I know there is no humanly possible way I will ever get to attend Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, Duke, UC Berkeley, U of M Ann Arbour, or a school like Brown for graduate school or ever in my life for anything.

Thing is some of my childhood friends who went to private high schools are at such universities having the time of their life, they tell me this. Me? I am sitting at a college 5 minutes from my house and it hurts me at times thinking how much of an opportunity I never really had to get to a top school.

I am not saying I won't ever rise to the top but just I will never have that experience in life of going to an elite university or seeing how it is like being at one. I would like to get over this depression which frustrates me at times but how?

Source: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=877977&goto=newpost

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The online hacker group claims to have stolen credit card numbers from a global security firm and used the information to take money from bank accounts and give it to charity. NBC?s Pete Williams reports.

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Saturday, December 31, 2011

ABATC Year in Review - 2011

World Junior Hockey 2012: Denmark looks past Canada to relegation round

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Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark

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Gillmor Gang Live 12.30.11 (TCTV)

Surveys shows China manufacturing slowing further

US finalizes deal to sell F-15s to Saudi Arabia

Friday, December 30, 2011

Verizon Wireless to charge $2 for one-time payment (AP)

Community says goodbye to civil rights pioneer Cleveland Nisby

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Rangers Vs. Capitals: Washington Looks To Rebound Once Again Against New York

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Yemen's leader causes headaches in Washington

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

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How do I stop my top university fantasy from giving me depression at times?

A Little Help from His Friends (TIME)

Monday, December 26, 2011

Video: Anonymous goes on hacking spree

Analysis: Caution mutes US response to NKorea (AP)

Amy Grant, Vince Hill and Macy?s Santa sing, dance with children of Make-A-Wish at historic Ryman in Nashville