Perfect nanotubes shine brightest: Researchers show how length, imperfections affect carbon nanotube fluorescence

ScienceDaily (Jan. 31, 2012) ? A painstaking study by Rice University has brought a wealth of new information about single-walled carbon nanotubes through analysis of their fluorescence.

The current issue of the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano features an article about work by the Rice lab of chemist Bruce Weisman to understand how the lengths and imperfections of individual nanotubes affect their fluorescence -- in this case, the light they emit at near-infrared wavelengths.

The researchers found that the brightest nanotubes of the same length show consistent fluorescence intensity, and the longer the tube, the brighter. "There's a rather well-defined limit to how bright they appear," Weisman said. "And that maximum brightness is proportional to length, which suggests those tubes are not affected by imperfections."

But they found that brightness among nanotubes of the same length varied widely, likely due to damaged or defective structures or chemical reactions that allowed atoms to latch onto the surface.

The study first reported late last year by Weisman, lead author/former graduate student Tonya Leeuw Cherukuri and postdoctoral fellow Dmitri Tsyboulski detailed the method by which Cherukuri analyzed the characteristics of 400 individual nanotubes of a specific physical structure known as (10,2).

"It's a tribute to Tonya's dedication and talent that she was able to make this large number of accurate measurements," Weisman said of his former student.

The researchers applied spectral filtering to selectively view the specific type of nanotube. "We used spectroscopy to take this very polydisperse sample containing many different structures and study just one of them, the (10,2) nanotubes," Weisman said. "But even within that one type, there's a wide range of lengths."

Weisman said the study involved singling out one or two isolated nanotubes at a time in a dilute sample and finding their lengths by analyzing videos of the moving tubes captured with a special fluorescence microscope. The movies also allowed Cherukuri to catalog their maximum brightness.

"I think of these tubes as fluorescence underachievers," he said. "There are a few bright ones that fluoresce to their full potential, but most of them are just slackers, and they're half as bright, or 20 percent as bright, as they should be.

"What we want to do is change that distribution and leave no tube behind, try to get them all to the top. We want to know how their fluorescence is affected by growth methods and processing, to see if we're inflicting damage that's causing the dimming.

"These are insights you really can't get from measurements on bulk samples," he said.

Graduate student Jason Streit is extending Cherukuri's research. "He's worked up a way to automate the experiments so we can image and analyze dozens of nanotubes at once, rather than one or two. That will let us do in a couple of weeks what had taken months with the original method," Weisman said.

The research was supported by the Welch Foundation, the National Science Foundation and Applied NanoFluorescence.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rice University.

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Journal Reference:

1. Tonya K. Cherukuri, Dmitri A. Tsyboulski, R. Bruce Weisman. Length- and Defect-Dependent Fluorescence Efficiencies of Individual Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. ACS Nano, 2012; 6 (1): 843 DOI: 10.1021/nn2043516

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131122456.htm

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China to make Shanghai global yuan hub by 2015 (Reuters)

SHANGHAI (Reuters) ? China intends to establish Shanghai as the global centre for yuan trading, clearing and pricing over the next three years as part of broader plans to make the commercial hub an international financial centre by 2020.

The plan for Shanghai's financial innovations through 2015, published jointly by the country's economic planning agency and the Shanghai government on Monday, set goals on a wide range of areas aimed at further developing Shanghai, though some analysts said many of them appeared ambitious.

"This anticipated pace of development looks a bit quick to me," said Frances Cheung, a strategist at Credit Agricole in Hong Kong.

China wants to transform Shanghai into an international financial centre on par with the likes of New York and London by 2020. That goal was set in 2009 by the State Council and analysts have taken it as a broad deadline for liberalizing the currency.

The state economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, outlined a series of goals under the 2015 yuan plan.

These included making the daily yuan mid-point published by the central bank in the onshore yuan market serve as the benchmark for both domestic and foreign yuan trading markets.

Currency traders interpreted the statement partly as a message from Beijing that the yuan's movements, which have increasingly been influenced by the offshore market over the past few months, should be decided by the government.

"There have been recent developments that have put Hong Kong's offshore market in the spotlight from time to time, such as its pricing of the yuan quite differently from the onshore market," said a trader at a European bank in Shanghai.

"In this sense, the NDRC statement is published at a sensitive time and means the government once again wants to emphasize that it has the final say in the value of the yuan."

The plan also aims to make the government-backed Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate (Shibor) the benchmark for yuan credit everywhere and targeting to more than double the annual non-forex financial market trading volume to 1,000 trillion yuan by 2015.

While the plan lacked details on how China would achieve these targets, analysts were skeptical on the feasibility of some of the planks in the platform.

"Shibor is not even a very well established benchmark onshore," Cheung said. Markets currently use the government's seven-day repurchase rate as the lending benchmark.

Analysts said the NDRC's plan gave no fresh insight into how quickly China would liberalize its capital account, a crucial step in Shanghai's attempt to become a global money hub.

China has taken a series of measures over the past two years to invigorate the offshore yuan market in Hong Kong as part of a longer-term plan to promote the use of the yuan overseas and make it a fully-convertible and international reserve currency along with the U.S. dollar.

Earlier this month, Britain said it was teaming up with its former colony to secure London a top spot as an offshore trading centre for the yuan.

The NDRC's plan would not threaten Hong Kong's current position as the main offshore yuan centre, analysts said.

"Promoting Shanghai as an onshore yuan centre complements Hong Kong's growing role as an offshore yuan center, and should help to strengthen the circle of onshore-offshore yuan flows underpinning the yuan trade settlement process," said Donna H J Kwok, economist at HSBC in Hong Kong.

China will also encourage overseas companies to sell yuan-denominated shares in its domestic stock markets, but the plan did not give a detailed timetable.

Authorities have been discussing launching a so-called "international board" on the Shanghai stock exchange for listing foreign companies' shares, seen as a centerpiece for the 2020 goal, but the city's mayor said this month that the time was not currently right for its launch.

Shanghai will explore M&A opportunities involving overseas stock exchanges to increase its global clout, the NDRC's plan said without elaborating.

(Additional reporting by Zhou Xin in Beijing, Saikat Chatterjee in Hong Kong and Lu Jianxin in Shanghai; Editing by Jason Subler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/bs_nm/us_china_economy_shanghai

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Pamela Glasner: Who Protects and Serves When The Elderly Are Fleeced?

Nine months ago, before my mother passed away, before this horror show (my awareness of my parents' money being stolen right out from under everyone's noses) began, if anyone had suggested to me just how easy it is to steal from the elderly and just how often it happens -- AND how unattainable justice is after the fact -- I think I might have gasped incredulously but privately I'd probably have reassured myself with something like, "It's a terrible crime, of course, but it could not possibly happen with that kind of frequency. Surely, in this great country of ours, such horrendous and flagrant violations of the law could not possibly go unpunished!"

And guess what? I'd have been dead wrong. This is not Law and Order, and it will not get neatly wrapped up at the end of sixty minutes. In fact, hard a pill as it is for me to swallow, I now know it will never get wrapped up, neatly or otherwise. Hence the birth of my upcoming film, Last Will and Embezzlement -- a feature-length documentary which delves deeply into topic of elder exploitation. I had to something ...

What most Americans are unaware of (and that included me, I assure you!) are the "threshold policies" throughout the US. Simplistically put, because resources are stretched so thin these days, and because all prosecutions have an expense associated with them, each state establishes its own "off the books" policy regarding "dollar amount thresholds" -- the actual financial value assigned to a particular embezzlement case (money stolen vs. what the state might be able to realize at the end of a successful prosecution) -- below which a case simply is not in their interest to pursue. In other words, if they don't think it's worth it, the authorities will simply refuse to do anything about it. Of course, they will never state it that way, but that's what happens.

The effect of these thresholds, outside of saving the state loads of money, is that the lion's share of perpetrators will never be prosecuted -- and they know it. And the effect of that is that it actually encourages repeat offenses, because it creates safety zones in which these perpetrators may operate with impunity.

Implausible as all this may sound, it is more often the rule than the exception. And if you think for one moment that this social problem is not something that effects you, think again. Baby Boomers control 80% of the world's personal finances and we are turning 65 at a rate of 61,000 per day across the globe (in modernized countries, that is).

Our world is facing the largest transfer of wealth from one generation to the next in history, putting into harm's way more than 500 million Baby Boomers as we march headlong into old age ourselves -- not to mention our adult children and our already-aged parents. And all I can say is every man, woman and child had better wake up and they'd better do it soon.

Pamela S. K. Glasner is a published author and a filmmaker. More information about Last Will and Embezzlement and Ms. Glasner can be found at www.lastwillandembezzlement.com, http://tinyurl.com/6tmtfmp, and http://tinyurl.com/2cn8bpo

Copyright by Pamela S. K. Glasner ? 2011, All Rights Reserved

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pamela-glasner/who-protects-and-serves-w_b_1229134.html

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Tributes to Paterno highlight influence of wife (AP)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. ? For decades, Joe Paterno was the public face of Penn State. For almost as long, his near-constant companion, wife Sue, seemingly wielded as much influence.

As tributes flowed this week for the late Hall of Fame coach, the extent of Sue Paterno's sway on her husband, the football program and the university became obvious, for those watching in or outside of Happy Valley.

She served as a host to potential recruits at the family home, a tutor to players, a counselor to concerned parents who entrusted their football-playing sons to her husband, and a prodigious fundraiser for the university and charitable organizations.

While a bronze statue outside Beaver Stadium memorializes the legacy of the winningest coach in major college football, it was Sue Paterno who was her husband's rock.

"For my dad, he never doubted my mother," their son Jay said at Thursday's memorial service for his father. "My mother had it all and continues to have it all. He could do his job and we could share him with Penn State because he knew my mother was in complete command on the home front."

Through the recent months of scandal that engulfed the university and a week's worth of private and public memorials for Penn State's longtime coach, other lasting images of Sue Paterno have emerged:

_She showed her spunk by coming to her husband's defense with a quick callback to a trustee after Joe Paterno was unceremoniously fired via a phone call. "After 61 years he deserved better," Sue Paterno said according to The Washington Post. Then, she hung up.

_A short time after being dismissed, she stood arm in arm with her husband as they stepped outside their modest State College home and greeted hundreds of well-wishers.

_And at the end of an emotional week in State College, Sue Paterno appeared composed, only occasionally fighting back tears, with her arms around some of her grandchildren as about 12,000 people gathered for public memorial. She rose from her seat and joined in a standing ovation as speakers defended his legacy against criticism that he failed to do more when told about an alleged child sexual assault involving one of his former assistants.

The Paternos were about as close to royalty as you can get in Happy Valley ? a modest first family of college football.

"They went everywhere together," former quarterback Daryll Clark said this week. "They were one and one."

Joe Paterno died Sunday at age 85, less than three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

"Joe Paterno indeed had an indomitable will with one exception: when his will ran counter to that of his wife and my mother," Jay Paterno said in a light moment from the memorial service for the man who became lovingly known around town as "JoePa."

Save for a few moments, 71-year-old Sue Paterno looked composed for a widow who just lost her husband under already emotional circumstances. Their family announced Paterno had been diagnosed with cancer just 10 days after he was ousted on Nov. 9 as Penn State coach following 46 seasons.

Sue and Joe Paterno were side by side on the family's front walk the night of the dismissal as he tried to console fans upset that he had been fired in the aftermath of child sex abuse charges against retired assistant Jerry Sandusky.

She joined the rest of the crowd at the memorial service giving Phil Knight a standing ovation after the Nike founder and CEO gave the most impassioned defense yet of her husband's legacy in the wake of the firing.

Appearing to nearly tear up at times, she otherwise looked poised during the emotional service that included several video tributes to Paterno, who amassed 409 victories.

Despite their recognition, they led lives similar to others who worked at Penn State. They raised five children in a ranch home next to a local park. There's no fence lining the front yard and no gates guarding the driveway.

The family's phone number is listed in the phone book. It was a way, Sue Paterno has said, for families of players to reach them in an emergency.

Besides tutoring players and helping to counsel players' parents, Sue Paterno was a prodigious fundraiser for the university library that bears the family's name ? it was, after all, where Joe and Sue met, when he was an assistant coach and she a freshman at the school.

He had a degree in English literature from Brown. She was an English student.

Outside of football, they rarely spent a moment apart.

"Besides Joe coaching and being at the football building, those two were inseparable," Clark said. He said the Paternos treated him as if he were one of their own children.

Sue Paterno baked spreads of cookies and desserts when the family hosted recruiting visits. Current and former players still rave about them.

At the memorial service, former receiver Kenny Jackson recounted a conversation Sue Paterno had with his family while he was being recruited. She reinforced the themes Joe Paterno promoted in his "grand experiment" of placing as much emphasis on academics as athletics.

"Sue only promised two things: the first, Kenny will go to class; second, he will get a quality education," Jackson said. "That's all she said. She never talked about anything else but my education. So I thank you Sue. ... You always made sure that was the first priority."

And she's responsible for perhaps one of the most lasting game-day memories of Joe Paterno.

Back in the late `60s, Sue Paterno suggested he raise the cuffs on his pants so mud wouldn't get on his wool slacks while coaching. It wasn't as much a concern when JoePa switched to his trademark khakis ? but Sue Paterno said her husband kept rolling them up anyway as a superstition.

"People don't realize how much she's done for this place," Joe Paterno said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2009. "I've said many times that they won't have any problems replacing me, but if they can find a coach's wife like Sue, they'll hit the jackpot."

The Paternos became renowned in the community for their generosity. They championed Special Olympics and THON, the Penn State student-organized dance marathon charity that raises millions of dollars annually for childhood cancer research and treatment.

They've contributed more than $4 million to the university during his tenure, including $3.5 million in 1998 to endow faculty positions and scholarships, and support two building projects.

Minus endorsements outside his university contract, Paterno made just more than $1 million a year, a relative bargain for a coach with two national championships.

Three years ago, the Paternos pledged $1 million to help build a new wing at Mount Nittany Medical Center, the State College hospital where Joe Paterno died Sunday.

There were no flowers or balloons in the room, Scott Paterno said ? not Joe's style. He suspected his mother had them redirected to other patients in the hospital.

Joe Paterno died less than three months after the emergence of the stunning scandal that led to his dismissal. University trustees ousted him Nov. 9, four days after charges were first filed against Sandusky. He is out on bail and awaiting trial after denying the allegations.

Paterno was a witness before a state grand jury investigating Sandusky, and authorities have said he was not a target of the probe. Paterno had testified he had relayed a 2002 abuse allegation passed on by a graduate assistant to campus superiors, fulfilling his legal obligation.

School trustees in recent weeks have cited, in part, Paterno's failure to fulfill a moral duty to tell police outside the university as a reason for his dismissal.

A tenure of more than six decades with the football program, including 15 years as an assistant before being promoted to head coach, had come to an end in early November. The cancer diagnosis came several days later.

Sue Paterno was constantly at her husband's side, Scott Paterno said.

One of Scott Paterno's lasting memories from the last few months, as his father fought illness, was the picture of his parents sitting at a table at home, surrounded by their children and 17 grandchildren on Dec. 21 as they celebrated his 85th birthday.

"She's got his hand on him and they're sitting there looking around and they've got their smiles on their faces," Scott Paterno said. "Just two of the most happy and contented people looking around the house, looking at their children and their grandchildren and it was like `You know, this is what our life is, this is what we built.'"

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_penn_state_the_paternos

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Katy Perry's First Post-Split Red Carpet (omg!)

Katy Perry stepped out on a red carpet on Friday night, for the first time since her split from husband Russell Brand.

Katy posed with her pal, jewelry designer Markus Molinari, at the event at 1 Oak club in Las Vegas which benefited givelove.org, an organization which supports community-led sanitation projects in Haiti.

Markus told People.com that Katy had joined in the event because "that's what friends do" and said that she's doing "amazing."

Meanwhile, Russell Brand was spotted Saturday attending a Kundalini yoga class at Golden Bridge Yoga in Los Angeles, California.

Russell filed for divorce from Katy shortly after Christmas.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_katy_perry_first_post_split_red_carpet212000555/44340446/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/katy-perry-first-post-split-red-carpet-212000555.html

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US women qualify for Olympics

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - So much was on the line for the U.S. women's soccer team that maybe some jitters were understandable. When a 30-yard shot hit the frame of goalpost, leaving the ball sitting in front of an empty net, the hearts really started pounding.

"That," defender Rachel Buehler said, "was a very intense moment in the game."

Buehler motored in to save the day, knocking an opposing striker off the ball. The Americans had survived another dicey moment. It took a while, but eventually they wore down a heavy underdog and earned their spot in the Olympics.

The United States booked its way to London on Friday night with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in the semifinals of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, a game more suspenseful than most anyone expected.

"There were moments where I think Costa Rica were outplaying us, and it just shows you how important it was to all of us," forward Abby Wambach said. "Nobody wanted to make that mistake. And luckily we didn't."

Tobin Heath scored in the 16th minute to give U.S. all the offense it needed, and goals by Carli Lloyd (72nd) and Alex Morgan (89th) put the game away.

"We know that sometimes under big game circumstances players can get a little tight," Wambach said. "And you've just kind of got to deal with it. ... It was almost as if we scored that goal and nobody wanted to get stuck into a tackle. We were kind of playing a little bit soft, and we fixed that in the second half."

The top-ranked Americans were certainly not as crisp as they were when they were beating teams by a combined 31-0 in their previous three games and drawing criticism for running up the score. Sloppy passes led to giveaways in the first half, forcing goalkeeper Hope Solo to work harder than she has all tournament.

"When you play games that matter, everybody's a little bit nervous. ... We gave away the ball way too often," coach Pia Sundhage said.

Costa Rica is ranked No. 41 in the world, has never qualified for an Olympics or a World Cup and has never scored on the U.S. in eight meetings. Las Ticas proved to be scrappy opponents, however, occasionally frustrating the Americans with physical play and just missing on two solid scoring chances in the first half in the London-or-bust match. As the possibility of an upset lingered deep into the second half, the plucky team in red gained the rousing support of the Canadian fans at BC Place.

"We put together three great games in group play," said Solo, who played despite a slightly pulled right quadriceps that had been bothering her all week. "You can't play four, five, six. Not every team is going to play perfectly every single game, but we got the job done."

The U.S. will be the two-time defending champions in London, having taken gold in Athens in 2004 and in Beijing in 2008. It will be the third straight Olympics in which the Americans will be trying to make amends for World Cup disappointment from the previous year. They finished second at last year's World Cup in Germany, losing to Japan in the final.

The victory also puts the Americans into the tournament final Sunday, a bragging-rights-only game against Canada, a 3-1 winner over Mexico in the second semifinal.

The U.S. had scored so easily in the tournament that it seemed odd to see the game scoreless until the 16th minute, when a set piece produced the first goal. Lauren Cheney's corner kick was headed down at the far post by Shannon Boxx. Goalkeeper Erika Miranda made the save but deflected the ball to Heath, whose looping header was her fifth career U.S. national team goal.

Costa Rica, outscored 34-0 in the seven previous games against the U.S., nearly tied the game after a giveaway by Buehler set up Fernanda Barrantes with a clean look from 15 yards in the 20th minute, forcing Solo to the ground to make the save.

Then, in the 27th, came the play that nearly changed the game. Carol Sanchez launched the 30-yarder that clanged off the frame at the intersection of the post and the crossbar. With Solo on the ground, Buehler fought off Barrantes to keep the striker from getting the rebound with a clean shot at the net.

"I just did everything I could to get back there, get in front of that girl and just prevent the goal," Buehler said.

Costa Rica finally had its hopes deflated in the 72nd, when Wambach's chip shot was cleared off the line by Daniela Cruz and out to Lloyd, whose left-footer from the top of the 18-yard box doubled the lead.

Morgan, back in her usual role as second-half super-sub, chipped in the insurance goal shortly before the final whistle.

Even with the closer-than-expected result, the Americans have evoked the good old days at this tournament with their mostly lopsided scores. While that's hardly surprising given the slow development of women's soccer in parts of North and Central American and the Caribbean, it's also indicative the U.S. still have the deepest, most talented team in the world.

But Sundhage's team arrived in Canada with a bit of apprehension. The Americans, having become somewhat complacent from years of uncontested success in the region, were stunned in a World Cup qualifier by host Mexico in November 2010, forcing them into a home-and-away playoff with Italy just to get for the World Cup. Also, the format for Olympic qualifying is such that everything hinges on one game - the do-or-die semifinals - regardless of how a team performs in the rest of the tournament.

Determined to take nothing for granted, the Americans had been full throttle for every game. They set a U.S. team record for goals in a game in a 14-0 win over the Dominican Republic, then nearly matched the feat in a 13-0 rout of Guatemala. Then came a 4-0 win a much anticipated rematch with Mexico to set up the semifinal against Costa Rica.

And even though the vital game didn't go quite as planned, the outcome was all that mattered.

"We," Sundhage said, smiling, "are going to London."

? 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.universalsports.com/news-blogs/article/newsid=577414.html#u+s+womens+team+qualifies+olympics

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Friday Candidate Schedule (TIME)

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

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Bats occupy Israeli army ghost bunkers (Reuters)

QASR AL-YAHUD, West Bank (Reuters) ? Abandoned Israeli army bunkers along the Jordan River are providing a lifeline for bats on the endangered species list, researchers say.

Soldiers left Israel's underground forts along the frontier with Jordan after a 1994 peace treaty between the two countries. With much of the former front line, some of it dotted by mine fields, still designated by the military as off-limits to civilians, bats swooped into the secluded and dark steel caverns.

Several years ago, researchers from Tel Aviv University were granted access to the ghost bunkers. Now, they say, they have identified 12 indigenous bat species in the 100-kilometre- (60 mile)-long tract between the Sea of Galilee in Israel and the Dead Sea's northern edge in the occupied West Bank.

Two of the species commonly known as the Mediterranean horseshoe bat and Geoffroy's bat are on the critical list and three others are designated as endangered.

"There is no doubt that by being in a closed military zone that has prevented human interference, the bat habitat will allow these delicate creatures to thrive," said one of the researchers, Eran Levin.

But he said it was too early to quantify the growth of the local bat population, estimated to be in the thousands, because the research project was not yet complete.

One former bunker -- overlooking the spot along the Jordan River where some Christian faithful believe Jesus was baptized by John -- has been turned into a more accommodating home for the webbed-wing mammals.

To give the bats more grip, the research team roughed up its smooth steel and concrete walls, suspended mesh sheets and wooden palates, sprayed insulating foam and stuck stones to surfaces.

Different bat species each preferred different grip surfaces, Levin said.

A thick layer of bat guano now covers the floor and metal bunk-bed frames the military left behind.

A night-vision camera follows the bats' movements during the period they inhabit the bunkers from March to October when daytime temperatures in the area soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Enjoying their own peace dividend, the bat population could also give something back to Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians in the area.

Aviam Atar of Israel's Nature and Parks Authority said the bats help to reduce crop damage by eating insects at night, coming out to feed in the dark when the fields are empty.

"Because each bat can eat a few grams of insects each night, they reduce the need for the use of pesticides and this certainly has potential for facilitating green farming. The crop growers don't even know this is happening," he said.

(Writing by Ori Lewis, Editing by Jeffrey Heller)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/pets/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/lf_nm_life/us_israel_bats

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Atty: DA probing NYC police boss' son

NEW YORK (AP) ? A son of the city police commissioner is under investigation by prosecutors and denies any wrongdoing, his lawyer said Thursday, without elaborating on the allegations.

Greg Kelly, a local television show co-host and a son of Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, is cooperating with the Manhattan district attorney's office investigation and "strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind," lawyer Andrew Lankler said in an emailed statement.

"We know that the District Attorney's investigation will prove Mr. Kelly's innocence," Lankler said. He didn't immediately respond to questions Thursday night about the focus of the probe.

The DA's office declined to comment. Chief police spokesman Paul Browne said he couldn't comment and was referring inquiries to the DA's office because of the potential conflict of interest.

Greg Kelly, 43, co-hosts "Good Day New York," a morning television show on local Fox affiliate, WNYW-TV. Messages left for the station weren't immediately returned late Thursday.

He joined Fox News Channel in 2002 and was the White House correspondent from 2005-2007, according to his biography on WNYW's website. A Marine Corps veteran and reservist, he also covered the Iraq War, including four assignments in Baghdad.

Before that, he covered politics for local cable news channel New York 1 and was an anchor and reporter for NewsChannel 34, an ABC and NBC affiliate in Binghamton, N.Y., his bio said.

He also served for nearly a decade in the Marine Corps and is now a lieutenant colonel in its reserves.

Raymond Kelly returned to the police commissioner's post in 2002 after a stint in the 1990s.

___

Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-26-Police%20Commissioner-Son/id-5d9898daa5ae40df9cb440723125779e

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A 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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The 'strongest solar storm since 2005': A guide (The Week)

New York ? A massive eruption from the sun's surface has Earth primed for a close encounter with a powerful solar flare

A powerful solar eruption is blasting by Earth on Tuesday and will continue through Wednesday ? the strongest such storm since 2005. The flare was originally spewed from an increasingly active sunspot on the our sun's surface ? and with it, potentially harmful radiation. How strong is this storm? Here's what you should know:

What is a solar flare?
It's a burst of high-energy particles emanating directly from the sun's surface, says the Associated Press. The explosion releases radiation and plasma from the sun itself. That plasma then travels several million miles per hour. At those speeds, it doesn't take long for solar storms to travel the 93 million miles between the Earth and sun.

SEE MORE: Did NASA spot an alien spaceship near Mercury?

?

Are solar flares dangerous?
They can certainly cause problems here on Earth, including communication issues for airplanes, satellite disruptions, and even electrical grid outages. In 1989, for instance, a powerful solar flare caused a "massive blackout" throughout Quebec. One bright side for skygazers is that solar storms can also pull the shimmery northern lights further south than usual, as evidenced by "freak" auroras spotted as far south as Alabama during a storm last October.?

How powerful is this storm?
It's the "strongest solar storm since 2005," says the AP. This event is ranked at a level that can typically "impact high-frequency communications and can cause electronic errors in spacecraft," says Martin LaMonica at CNET. Thankfully, the AP notes, "the worst of the storm is likely to go north of Earth."

SEE MORE: Space worms: The key to human survival on Mars??

?

Are we in danger?
Probably not. NASA says the six astronauts onboard the International Space Station should be safe. "The flight surgeons have reviewed the space weather forecasts for the flare and determined that there are no expected adverse effects or actions required to protect the on-orbit crew," a spokesman tells Space.com.?As a precaution, however, flights are being diverted from around the poles.

Sources: Associated Press, CNET,?MSNBC, Space.com

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China vice president to visit White House Feb. 14 (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Vice President Xi (shee) Jinping who is expected to succeed Hu Jintao as the next president of China will visit the White House on Feb. 14.

The White House made the announcement Monday. It reciprocates Vice President Joe Biden's visit to China last August.

Xi will meet with President Barack Obama, Biden and other senior administration officials to discuss a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues.

He also will travel to Iowa and California.

The trip is an opportunity for Xi to meet U.S. leaders ahead of his own elevation, as Hu nears the end of his 10 years as China's Communist Party chief.

U.S.-China relations have deepened in recent years but remain troubled by economic and trade disputes and an emerging military rivalry.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_china

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AFC Championship fulcrum: Ravens offense vs. Patriots defense

New England's offense and Baltimore's defense are well known. But their opposite numbers could actually decide who goes to the Super Bowl.

Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs versus Tom Brady, Wes Welker, and Rob Gronkowski.

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Conventional wisdom says those are the key match ups. Those six men will lead their units - Ravens defense and Patriots offense, respectively - in the AFC Championship game this Sunday (3 p.m. ET on CBS) in New England.

To stop the Patriotis offense, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (the only team member with a SuperBowl XXXV ring) must stop Brady from completing passes to Welker and Gronkowski across the middle. Safety Ed Reed's omnipresence is a key reason no team has more than one touchdown pass against the Ravens this season. And outside linebacker Terrell Suggs must move Brady off his in the pocket for Baltimore to have a chance.

The match up between those two groups will be part chess match, and part mixed martial arts. But that match up? could also end in a draw. So, the deciding factors may lie elsewhere. It may be left to Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense versus the 325-pound Immovable Object aka Vince Wilfork and the New England defense to determine who the AFC rep in Super Bowl XLVI will be.

Just for the record and based on yards per game, the Patriots offense was the second-best team in the NFL during the regular season while the Ravens defense checked in at No. 3 in the league.

When it comes to the Ravens offense, Flacco has the luxury of being able to hand the ball off to Ray Rice. The running back gained 1,364 yards on the ground in 2011. He was also the team's leading receiver with 76 catches for 704 yards on the season.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/_mTB6xTU8Jk/AFC-Championship-fulcrum-Ravens-offense-vs.-Patriots-defense

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New Target Discovered for Pain Relief

News | Health

A neuropathic pain expert says, however, that in the past 30 years virtually no new drug targets have made it into the clinic as effective pain-relief drugs

By Katharine Sanderson and Nature magazine ?| January 22, 2012?|

Image: National Cancer Institute

An uncharted trawl through thousands of small molecules involved in the body's metabolism may have uncovered a potential route to treating pain caused by nerve damage.

Neuropathic pain is a widespread and distressing condition, and is notoriously difficult to treat. So Gary Siuzdak, a chemist and molecular biologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and his team decided to take an unusual route to finding a therapy. Their results are published today in?Nature Chemical Biology.

They took rats with surgically damaged paws, who were consequently suffering from neuropathic pain, and instead of analyzing changes in gene expression and proteins in the animals, focused on metabolites?the biochemical intermediates and end-products of bodily processes such as respiration and the synthesis and breakdown of molecules. The science that looks at the body's metabolite composition is known as metabolomics. Using mass spectrometry, which can detect many different chemicals simultaneously, the researchers were able to identify the metabolites present in these animals 21 days after surgery.

Surprise finding

The team analyzed samples of the injured rats? blood plasma, of tissue near the injured paw, and of tissue from different areas of the spinal column, and compared the metabolites present with that of the same site in healthy rats. One particular area differed markedly between the two cases: the dorsal horn in the spinal column.

"It took me by surprise,? says Siuzdak, who had expected to see most differences in metabolite composition near the site of injury.

The researchers then looked more closely at the metabolites and recognized that the ones that were changing the most were associated with the metabolic pathway that synthesizes and breaks down the phospholipid sphingomyelin, a component of cell membranes, and its ceramide precursors.

?It was a huge flare to us that this was something we should home in on,? says team member Gary Patti, a chemist at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri.

Using cultures of spinal cord cells the researchers then tried to work out which of the altered metabolites might be responsible for pain. One molecule,?the previously unidentified metabolite?N,N-dimethylsphingosine (DMS), stood out for the amount of pain signallng it triggered in the cells.

Untargeted screening

To test experimentally whether this molecule was involved in neuropathic pain, the team then injected small amounts of DMS into healthy rats, and sure enough, those rats showed signs of pain.

The team hopes that DMS might prove to be important in the biochemistry of pain, and perhaps offer a target for drug manufacturers. But neuropathic pain expert Andrew Rice at Imperial College London says that in the past 30 years he has seen many targets identified, but virtually none of them has made it into the clinic as an effective pain-relief drug.

Rice lauds the attention shown to neuropathic pain but is concerned that the current animal model for pain is limited: it only corresponds to pain resulting from trauma, and not to the many other sources of neuropathic pain, which include diabetes, HIV infection and stroke. ?I?d like to see if this is more than a peripheral nerve damage model,? he says.

Siuzdak says his untargeted screening technique could prove useful in identifying drug targets for many other conditions. The more conventional way of using metabolomics is with targeted searches, where the molecule of interest is identified first, before seeing where it might be present. ?[Our approach] is more challenging than targeted analyses,? he says. ?You have to be open to any possibility of what pathways are affected.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=5967977961895dbf40382ede0b3926fc

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These are the states hemorrhaging red ink

AP

Nevada is among the states most stung by the downturn. Between 2006 and 2010, home values plummeted a staggering 44.5 percent.

By Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale and Ashley C. Allen, 24/7 Wall St.

Balancing the budget is not just a federal problem, but a state one as well. The Great Recession resulted in some of the worst state revenues and budget shortages of all time. According to a report on state budgets by the Center for Budget Policy Priorities, dozens of states faced shortfalls of hundreds of millions ? or even billions ? of dollars.

24/7 Wall St. examined the 10 states that had budget shortfalls of 27 percent or more of their general funds for fiscal year 2011 ? the states that were short the most money before they balanced their budgets. For the most part, the states with the worst budget gaps also had among the most anemic economies. Because of their budget shortfalls, all of them have been forced to make dramatic cuts to government services.

Every state but Vermont is required by its own law to balance the budget. In order to do so, state governments have to take extreme measures, instituting deep cuts that often hurt a diversity of residents. In the 2011 fiscal year, 29 states made cuts to services benefiting the disabled and elderly, 34 reduced funds for K-12 and early education, and all but six states reduced positions, benefits or wages of government employees.

24/7 Wall St.: The best- and worst-run states in America

The housing crisis was one of the primary causes for many of the largest budget deficits. The housing markets in states such as Nevada, Illinois and Arizona ? all of which are on the list ? have been hit particularly hard. Home values in Nevada declined the largest amount in the country between 2006 and 2010. Home values in Arizona decreased the fifth-largest amount over that same period. Sick housing markets weaken the economy and lower tax bases, which hurts state revenues and in turn helps create a budget gap.

Overall, weak state economies contributed to lower revenues and rising budget shortfalls. Not surprisingly, states with slower-growing economies tended to have a larger budget gaps. And although the GDP of every state in the nation grew between 2006 and 2010, seven of the 10 states on this list fell within the 15 states with the smallest increases.

While economic slowdowns and housing problems hit most of the states with the worst budget gaps, there were some exceptions. In four of the 10 states, home values actually rose between 2006 and 2010, the worst period of the recession. Similarly, other states with budget shortfalls weathered the recession relatively well and managed to maintain fairly healthy economies. In Washington state, for example, the median income rose 5.8 percent, the 16th-most in the country, while GDP increased 13.4 percent, the 12th most.

These are the states that cannot pay their bills.

24/7 Wall St.: Worst product flops of 2011

1. Nevada

• ?2011 budget shortfall as a percentage of general fund:?54.5
• ?2011 budget shortfall:?$1.8 billion
• ?2012 projected budget shortfall:?37.4 percent (the largest)
• ?GDP change (2006 - 2010):?+1.2 percent (smallest increase)
• ?Median home value change (2006 - 2010):?-44.5 percent (the largest decline)

No state has suffered during the recession more than Nevada. Between 2006 and 2010, home values plummeted a staggering 44.5 percent, the poverty rate increased 26 percent, median income dropped 3.8 percent and GDP increased only 1.2 percent. Each was the worst in the country for that category. Last year, Nevada?s budget gap was $1.8 billion, the equivalent of 54.5 percent of available funds. This was the third year in a row the state has had one of the worst shortfalls in the country, and that trend appears ready to continue through at least 2013. In order to balance its budget last year, Nevada was forced to raise taxes significantly, cut dental and vision services from Medicaid coverage for adults, reduce financial aid funding, and cut state employee salaries.

2. Illinois

• ?2011 budget shortfall as a percentage of general fund:?40.2
• ?2011 budget shortfall:?$13.5 billion
• ?2012 projected budget shortfall:?16.0 percent (11th largest)
• ?GDP change (2006 - 2010):?+8.2 percent (13th smallest increase)
• ?Median home value change (2006 - 2010):?-4.2 percent (11th largest decline)

Illinois has consistently had among the largest budget shortfalls in the country since 2009. It also was hit extremely hard by the recession. Between 2006 and 2010, home values decreased by 4.2 percent. GDP grew a relatively small 8.2 percent. Median household income increased less than 2 percent. The state made cuts in its budget for community mental health services for both children and adults, and it cut its school education funding by 4 percent, or $311 million. Governor Pat Quinn has announced also that he will lay off thousands of state employees.

24/7 Wall St.: The 10 most expensive weapons in the world

3. Arizona

• ?2011 budget shortfall as a percentage of general fund:?39.0
• ?2011 budget shortfall:?$3.3 billion
• ?2012 projected budget shortfall:?17.0 percent (10th largest)
• ?GDP change (2006 - 2010):?+2.7 percent (4th smallest increase)
• ?Median home value change (2006 - 2010):?-28.6 percent (4th largest decline)

Like its neighbor Nevada, Arizona was hit particularly hard by the subprime mortgage crisis. Between 2006 and 2010, median home values plunged 28.6 percent in the state, the fourth worst price drop in the country. GDP, poverty and income levels have either stagnated or become significantly worse during this period. Since 2009, the state has had among the worst budget gaps in the country, a combined total of $12.1 billion for the three years. To balance its budget, Arizona has made dramatic budget cuts, including revoking Medicaid eligibility of more than 1 million low-income residents and cutting preschool for more than 4,000 children.

Click here for more states that cannot pay their bills

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/11/10126535-nevada-illinois-among-states-that-cant-pay-their-bills

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Paul McCartney hints at role in 2012 Olympics (AP)

LONDON ? Paul McCartney says he is in talks to play a role in the London 2012 Olympic celebrations.

The former Beatle says he "might be doing something" in the Olympics but is not sure what role he may play in the events.

Speaking at a promotional event for his new album on Thursday, McCartney said he will go to a meeting about the Games on Friday where he expects to learn more about "something they want me to do."

McCartney also said he might be involved in another massive British celebration this year: Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

Describing himself as a "big fan of the queen," McCartney said he "could easily" participate in festivities if he is asked.

The Olympic Games take place July 27 to Aug. 12.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_paul_mccartney

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The Lone Ranger Rides Next Month

Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski?s The Lone Ranger has gone through all manner of rigmarole since its inception ? not the least of which was the inclusion of mystical werewolves (or should we say ?supernatural coyotes??) and a radically ballooning budget as a result.

But those werewolves/coyotes ? among other expensive items? have since been cut from the film in order for it to be greenlit, or so they say. Now, finally, Lone Ranger will begin shooting next month in New Mexico.

Check out a portion of the press release below from New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and the New Mexico Film Office:

January 13, 2012 SANTA FE ? Governor Susana Martinez and the New Mexico Film Office announced today that Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films? ?The Lone Ranger,? directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Johnny Depp, will begin principal photography in New Mexico in February 2012, with production planned in and around Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Shiprock and other locations around the state through the middle of August 2012.

?The Lone Ranger is proof that New Mexico?s film industry is alive and well,? said Governor Martinez. ?This administration is committed to fostering productive relationships with film studios so we can continue to offer our talented workforce and breathtaking backdrops for major productions. As we continue to build upon our reputation as a premier film production center, we are pleased to welcome The Lone Ranger to our state.?

[?]

The Lone Ranger is directed by Gore Verbinski, produced by Jerry Bruckeimer, and features an all-star cast with Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as John Reid, the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger is a thrilling action adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid a man of the law, into a legend of justice?taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.

That last paragraph almost makes it sound like a buddy-cop movie set in the wild, wild west, which isn?t automatically a bad thing.

It?s unclear at this point how much of the mystical aspect of Gore Verbinski?s Lone Ranger will remain in the final product. One thing you can probably count on is that Tonto, as played by Johnny Depp, will likely be the protagonist to Armie Hammer?s sort-of-sidekick Lone Ranger (a la the tangentially-related Green Hornet). Other things you can expect: The rip-roaring adventure and comedy hijinks that Bruckheimer, Verbinski, and Depp made so popular in their Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.

Alas, if Lone Ranger turn out to be a box-office failure, one thing you should not expect is another big-budget western film for a very long time ? especially after Cowboys & Aliens? lukewarm success.

Are you guys looking forward to Gore Verbinski?s fresh new take on The Lone Ranger? Let us know in the comments.

-

Follow me on Twitter?@benandrewmoore.

The Lone Ranger?is expected to hit theaters May 31st, 2013.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924325/news/1924325/

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Immigration courtrooms silent during ICE review (AP)

DENVER ? In a trial of a politically divisive program, U.S. prosecutors in Denver and Baltimore are reviewing thousands of deportation cases to determine which illegal immigrants might stay in the country ? perhaps indefinitely ? so officials can reduce an overwhelming backlog by focusing mainly on detainees with criminal backgrounds or who are deemed threats to national security.

Federal deportation hearings for non-criminal defendants released from custody were suspended Dec. 5 for the review and resume this week. Similar reviews are planned across the country to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to target deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records or those who have been deported previously.

While the immigration courtrooms in Denver have fallen silent, prosecutors had time to examine case files, check residency history ? such as whether someone was brought to the country as a child ? as well as criminal history.

In Denver, 25 ICE prosecutors and three managers spent their work days during most of December and early this month poring over as many files in their case load as possible, ICE spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said.

"They come in on weekends," Gonzalez said. "They're looking at every case."

Officials have not released information on how many cases will be placed on low priority based on the review. When they're finished, cases of those here illegally but deemed not a threat to public safety or national security will be placed on administrative hold and the numbers will be released.

Citing tight budgets, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced this summer that nearly 300,000 deportation cases would be reviewed to determine which could be closed through "prosecutorial discretion." Republicans have decried the policy as a back-door way of granting amnesty to people who are living in the U.S. illegally.

"We simply cannot adjudicate all these cases that are pending," said spokeswoman Gonzalez. Some cases in Denver date to 1996, she said.

"It's a holiday for anybody in the country illegally," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Washington-based Federation for American Immigration Reform, which opposes the initiative. "They're doing this with the intention of dismissing as many of them as they possibly can."

Several attempts at immigration reform have failed in recent years, including the so-called DREAM Act, which would have allowed some young illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to earn legal status if they went to college or joined the military.

In June, ICE director John Morton announced that prosecutors and immigration agents would consider a defendant's length of time in the country, ties to the community, lack of criminal history and opportunity to qualify for some form of legal status in deciding whether to press for deportation.

Denver has about 7,800 deportation cases pending, while Baltimore has about 5,000. Hearings and deportations involving criminal immigrants continued in both Baltimore and Denver. The suspended hearings dealt only with non-criminal defendants.

Before expanding the program, officials will examine the effect of the review on caseloads. They are also seeking to balance hearing high priority cases with those in which a person might have a strong case but has waited years for a hearing because of the backlog, said former Immigration and Naturalization Service commissioner Dorris Meissner.

Those who offered prosecutorial discretion don't have to accept, and can insist on having their case heard by a judge.

"Everybody thinks that people just want to have their case dismissed," said Meissner. "If they accept prosecutorial discretion, it's true they don't go before a judge and they don't get deported, but their case is in limbo."

For some, word that their cases have been postponed brings relief ? but not closure. They're still in the country illegally.

Jesus Gerardo Noriega, 21, of Aurora, Colo., said he learned in December his case was being closed.

"I'm happy that I don't have to show up in court every six months so they don't deport me," Noriega said. But, he added: "I'm in limbo. I can't do anything."

Noriega's family brought him to the United States from Mexico when he was 9. His parents and three brothers live here legally, and he graduated from high school ? but only applied for a work visa last year. He faced deportation after being arrested in April 2010 for driving with no license plate light.

Deportation cases have risen sharply since 2007, when Homeland Security began using fingerprints collected from those held in local jails to identify and deport criminals and repeat immigration violators. Those cases increased from about 174,000 in 2007 to about 298,000 in 2011, according to figures compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a research group affiliated with Syracuse University.

Immigrant advocates have blasted the fingerprint program, called Secure Communities, for subjecting people to deportation after minor traffic infractions or misdemeanors. Some state laws require police to notify ICE of suspected illegal immigrants.

But advocates say they welcome the federal review as a way to deal with a sluggish immigration court system where cases can linger for years.

"The courts are a mess," said Susan Barciela, Miami-based policy director for Americans for Immigration Justice. "The volume keeps getting bigger and people's rights are being violated."

During the pilot program, Denver and Baltimore immigration judges were assigned to hear detainee cases elsewhere.

"The immigration courts are empty," said Denver immigration attorney Hans Meyer of the scene in December and early this month. "It's a pretty busy place, so it's kind of strange."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120116/ap_on_re_us/us_deportations_suspended

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Car bomb kills 8 in northern Iraq (AP)

BAGHDAD ? A car bomb killed at least eight people outside the northern city of Mosul on Monday, Iraq officials said, in the latest in a series of attacks to target the country's Shiites since the U.S. withdrawal last month.

Violence has surged across Iraq since the last American troops left the country, with a string of bombings that has left at least 150 people dead since the beginning of the year. Most of the attacks appear to be aimed at Iraq's Shiite majority, suggesting Sunni insurgents are seeking to undermine the Shiite-dominated government.

Monday's blast struck a Shiite district outside of Mosul, a predominantly Sunni city some 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, a police official said.

An official at Mosul's Al-Jomhouri hospital confirmed the death toll, and said at least six people were wounded in the attack.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

A member of the city's local council, Qusai Abbas, said the car bomb blew up near a group of houses where members of the Shebek minority have settled since being driven out of Mosul by Sunni militants during fierce sectarian fighting a few years ago.

The Shebeks are ethnic Turkomen and Shiite Muslims who mostly live in villages east of Mosul, the provincial capital of the ethnically mixed Ninevah province that is predominantly Sunni Muslim.

Mosul has been a hub for al-Qaida in Iraq in past years. Other Sunni insurgent groups have battled Kurdish militias for control over the city, Iraq's third largest, killing thousands of civilians in suicide bombings and shootings.

Hundreds of Christians, Yazeedis and members of other minority groups have been driven out Mosul in recent years as militants used violence and intimidation to tip the ethnic and religious balance into their group's favor.

Iraq is also facing a political crisis after the Shiite-dominated government charged Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi with running death squads, issuing an arrest warrant against him just as the last U.S. soldiers crossed into neighboring Kuwait.

The sectarian crisis in the government and the spike in attacks ? such as a bombing Saturday that killed more than 50 Shiite pilgrims and an assault Sunday on government buildings in western Anbar province that killed seven ? has raised concerns Iraq could return to the sort of sectarian bloodshed that killed tens of thousands of civilians after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and brought the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.

___

Associated Press writer Barbara Surk contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120116/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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Recession slows growth in public prekindergarten (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The expansion in public prekindergarten programs has slowed and even been reversed in some states as school districts cope with shrinking budgets. As a result, many 3- and 4-year-olds aren't going to preschool.

Kids from low-income families who start kindergarten without first attending a quality education program enter school an estimated 18 months behind their peers. Many never catch up, and research shows they are more likely to need special education services and to drop out. Kids in families with higher incomes also can benefit from early education, research shows.

Yet, roughly a quarter of the nation's 4-year-olds and more than half of 3-year-olds attend no preschool, either public or private. Families who earn about $40,000 to $50,000 annually face the greatest difficulties because they make too much to quality for many publicly funded programs, but can't afford private ones, said Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.

And as more students qualify for free or reduced lunch ? often a qualifier to get into a state-funded prekindergarten program ? many families are finding that slots simply aren't available, he said.

In Arizona, a block grant that funded prekindergarten for a small percentage of kids was cut altogether, although a separate public fund still supports some programs. In Georgia, a drop in state lottery dollars meant shaving 20 days off the prekindergarten school year. Proposed cuts in such programs have led to litigation in North Carolina and legislative battles in places like Iowa.

But even in states like New York, where state funding available for prekindergarten has remained relatively steady in recent years, fewer children have access to the programs because inflation has made them more expensive or districts can't come up with the required matching dollars, said Billy Easton, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education in Albany, N.Y.

Today's climate contrasts with that of 2007, when then-New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer promised universal, public prekindergarten for all 4-year-olds. Other governors made similar commitments when the economy was stronger.

Far from meeting Spitzer's goal, just 40 percent of 4-year-olds attend a state-funded prekindergarten program in about two-thirds of the state's school districts, according to the advocacy group Winning Beginning NY.

"I think it's a moment in time when we have to really push harder," Easton said. "Pre-K is proven to be the most effective education strategy that we can invest in. What it means is that because we failed to live up to our commitment so far to our youngest children, more of them will end up out of work or they will make less money than they would've otherwise and more of them will end up in prison."

Barnett's institute has estimated it would cost about $70 billion annually to provide full-day prekindergarten to every 3- and 4-year old in America, including before- and after-care services.

About 40 states fund prekindergarten programs, typically either in public schools or via funds paid to private grantees, for at least some children. That's in addition to the federal Head Start program, which is designed to serve extremely poor children and offers a broader range of social services. In some places, state-funded prekindergarten and Head Start programs are combined.

Typically, state-funded prekindergarten programs have a narrower focus on education and cognitive development and serve a broader population than the federal Head Start program, which serves nearly 1 million kids.

In Wisconsin, school districts that offer prekindergarten to 4-year-olds must offer it universally, and roughly 90 percent of districts do. But budget cuts mean districts are forced to make other changes like increasing the size of pre-K classes.

"Unfortunately, as the awareness and the need (for early learning) becomes more and more evident, our money gets tighter and tighter and tighter and more programs are not instituted in those areas," said Miles Turner, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators.

Three states offer prekindergarten to all 4-year-olds, according to Pre-K Now, a decade-long project of the Pew Center on the States.

The District of Columbia goes a step further, with universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds. The program is viewed by many as not just a way to help low-income children in the historically low-performing district, but also as a driver to keep middle- and upper-class families in the city and the school system.

At D.C.'s Powell Elementary School, 3- and 4-year-olds sit cross-legged with whiteboards and black markers in hand as teacher Laura Amling belts out, "Up, down, up, down" over classical music. The tots scribble marks similar to an "M" at her command.

This program is not child care. The schedule is filled with Spanish and other lessons, including "buddy reading," with kids describing books to one another.

The kids eat breakfast and lunch family style, so they learn proper etiquette. Songs are sung as the children move to activities to help curb behavior problems. Teachers teach children coping skills and make home visits to bond with parents and children.

While it's too early to know the long-term impact, Principal Janeece Docal says kindergarteners with a pre-K background are writing sentences and discussing books with 3rd-grade level content.

"They trust their teachers. They love their friends," Docal said. "They are invested in their education and you can see that they own that classroom."

Over the past decade, state dollars for prekindergarten more than doubled nationally to $5.1 billion, while at the same time access increased from a little more than 700,000 children to more than 1 million, according to Pre-K Now.

But cuts in state-funded programs began showing up in the 2009-10 school year, according to Barnett's group. He said he's concerned not just that fewer children will be served, but that the quality of the programs will also be affected.

Still, early childhood learning advocates say they are encouraged, in part, because of a recent federal emphasis on improving early childhood programs.

Nine states were awarded a collective $500 million in grants last month to improve access to and the quality of early childhood programs for kids from birth to age 5. A month earlier, President Barack Obama announced new rules under which lower-performing Head Start programs will have to compete for funding.

Not everyone is convinced it's worth the cost.

Chester E. Finn Jr., president of Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, said the government should tightly target its resources on families who really need the prekindergarten programs and otherwise aren't going to get them.

Finn, who has written a book about preschool policy, said Obama's effort on Head Start is a beginning, but more needs to be done. Finn also questioned whether the government was capable of funding universal prekindergarten at a quality level.

"What the universal programs do is they provide an unnecessary windfall for a lot of families that are otherwise doing this on their own just fine, or pretty well, and not enough for kids who really need it," Finn said.

Richard M. Clifford, senior scientist at the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said other developed countries ? including much of Europe ? provide prekindergarten programs.

"Kids come into the regular school better prepared to succeed in school," Clifford said. "In the long term, eventually, I think you'll see all 4-year-olds be eligible for pre-K in this country, but it will take a long time."

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Online:

Alliance for Quality Education: http://www.aqeny.org

FPG Child Development Institute: http://www.fpg.unc.edu

Head Start: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs

National Institute for Early Education Research: http://nieer.org

Pre-K Now: http://www.preknow.org

Thomas B. Fordham Institute: http://www.edexcellence.net

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Kimberly Hefling can be followed at http://twitter.com/khefling

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_go_ot/us_prekindergarten_cuts

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