Cancer charity halts grants to Planned Parenthood (AP)

NEW YORK ? The nation's leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates ? creating a bitter rift, linked to the abortion debate, between two iconic organizations that have assisted millions of women.

The change will mean a cutoff of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants, mainly for breast exams.

Planned Parenthood says the move results from Komen bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists. Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress ? a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.

The rupture, which has not been publicly announced as it unfolded, is wrenching for some of those who've learned about it and admire both organizations.

"We're kind of reeling," said Patrick Hurd, who is CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia ? recipient of a 2010 grant from Komen ? and whose wife, Betsi, is a veteran of several Komen fundraising races and is currently battling breast cancer.

"It sounds almost trite, going through this with Betsi, but cancer doesn't care if you're pro-choice, anti-choice, progressive, conservative," Hurd said. "Victims of cancer could care less about people's politics."

Planned Parenthood said the Komen grants totaled roughly $680,000 last year and $580,000 the year before, going to at least 19 of its affiliates for breast-cancer screening and other breast-health services.

Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said the cutoff results from the charity's newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. According to Komen, this applies to Planned Parenthood because it's the focus of an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., seeking to determine whether public money was improperly spent on abortions.

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has depicted Stearns' probe as politically motivated and said she was dismayed that it had contributed to Komen's decision to halt the grants to PPFA affiliates.

"It's hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women's lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying," Richards told The Associated Press. "It's really hurtful."

Reaction to the news was swift and passionate. On Twitter, it was one of the most discussed topics Tuesday evening, with some tweets praising Komen's decision and others angrily vowing never to give to it again.

Two Democrats in Congress ? Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Michael Honda of California ? issued statements denouncing Komen's action.

"I am stunned and saddened," said Honda, whose longtime chief of staff, Jennifer VanderHeide, had breast cancer last year. "I call on Komen to reconsider this decision, stand strong in the face of political pressure and do the right thing for the health of millions of women everywhere."

Anti-abortion groups, in contrast, welcomed the news. The Alliance Defense Fund praised Komen "for seeing the contradiction between its lifesaving work and its relationship with an abortionist that has ended millions of lives."

A statement issued Tuesday evening by Komen made no reference to the vehement reactions, instead citing its new grant-making criteria and pledging to ensure there were no gaps in service to women.

"While it is regrettable when changes in priorities and policies affect any of our grantees, such as a long-standing partner like Planned Parenthood, we must continue to evolve to best meet the needs of the women we serve and most fully advance our mission," the statement said.

Planned Parenthood has been a perennial target of protests, boycotts and funding cutoffs because of its role as the largest provider of abortions in the United States. Its nearly 800 health centers nationwide provide an array of other services, including birth control, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and cancer screening.

According to Planned Parenthood, its centers performed more than 4 million breast exams over the past five years, including nearly 170,000 as a result of Komen grants.

Komen, founded in 1982, has invested more than $1.9 billion since then in breast-cancer research, health services and advocacy. Its Race for the Cure fundraising events have become a global phenomenon.

For all its mainstream popularity, however, Komen has been a target of anti-abortion groups since it began its partnerships with Planned Parenthood in 2005.

Life Decisions International includes Komen on its "boycott list" of companies and organizations that support or collaborate with Planned Parenthood. In December, Lifeway Christian Resources, the publishing division of the Southern Baptist Convention announced a recall of pink Bibles it had sold because some of the money generated for Komen was being routed to Planned Parenthood.

Aun, the Komen spokeswoman, said such pressure tactics were not the reason for the funding cutoff and cited Stearns' House investigation as a key factor.

That investigation, which has no set timetable, was launched in September when Stearns asked Planned Parenthood for more than a decade's worth of documents.

Stearns, in a statement emailed to the AP on Monday, said he is still working with Planned Parenthood on getting the requested documents. He said he is looking into possible violations of state and local reporting requirements, as well as allegations of financial abuse, and would consider holding a hearing depending on what he learns.

Many of the allegations were outlined in a report presented to Stearns last year by Americans United for Life, a national anti-abortion group, which urged him to investigate.

Democrats and Planned Parenthood supporters have assailed the probe as an unwarranted political ploy.

Komen, while not publicly announcing its decision to halt the grants, has conveyed the news to its 100-plus U.S. affiliates. Richards said she was informed via a phone call from Komen's president, Elizabeth Thompson, in December.

"It was incredibly surprising," Richards said. "It wasn't even a conversation ? it was an announcement."

Richards subsequently sent a letter to Komen's top leaders ? CEO Nancy Brinker and board chairman Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr. ? requesting a meeting with the board and asserting that Komen had misrepresented Planned Parenthood's funding-eligibility status in some states.

According to Planned Parenthood, the Komen leaders replied to Richards with a brief letter ignoring the request for a meeting, defending the new grant criteria, and adding, "We understand the disappointment of any organization that is affected by these policy and strategy updates."

Aun, in a telephone interview, said Komen was not accusing Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing.

"We want to maintain a positive relationship with them," she said. "We're not making any judgment."

Richards said Planned Parenthood is intent on raising funds quickly to replace the lost grants so that women in need do not go without breast-screening services. Already, the family foundation of Dallas oilman/philanthropist Lee Fikes and his wife, Amy, has donated $250,000 for this purpose, Planned Parenthood said.

The Komen decision was perplexing to Dottie Lamm, a Denver newspaper columnist and breast cancer survivor. She has done fundraising for Planned Parenthood, participated in several Races for the Cure, and serves on an honorary advisory council for the local Komen affiliate.

"It really makes me sad," said Lamm, wife of former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm. "I kind of suspect there's a political agenda that got to Komen ... I hope it can be worked out."

Stephanie Kight, a vice president with Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, said her affiliate in Southern California received a Komen grant for 2011 and was able to obtain an additional grant of $120,000 for 2012 by signing the deal with its local Komen counterpart just before Komen's new criteria took effect. Under the criteria, no further grants will be allowed unless the pending House inquiry is resolved in Planned Parenthood's favor.

Kight said her conversations with local Komen leaders indicated there was a shared sense of frustration over the national Komen decision.

"One of the things these organizations share is the trust of women across the United States," Kight said. "That's what we're concerned about ? not losing the trust of these women, who turn to both of us at their most difficult moments."

___

Online:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure: http://ww5.komen.org/

Planned Parenthood: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

___

David Crary can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CraryAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_he_me/us_planned_parenthood_komen

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Oxygen molecule survives to enormously high pressures

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Jian Sun
jian.sun@theochem.rub.de
49-234-322-2121
Ruhr-University Bochum

Physical Review Letters: Oxygen as insulator, semiconductor, and metal

Using computer simulations, a RUB researcher has shown that the oxygen molecule (O2) is stable up to pressures of 1.9 terapascal, which is about nineteen million times higher than atmosphere pressure. Above that, it polymerizes, i.e. builds larger molecules or structures. "This is very surprising" says Dr. Jian Sun from the Department of Theoretical Chemistry. "Other simple molecules like nitrogen or hydrogen do not survive such high pressures." In cooperation with colleagues from University College London, the University of Cambridge, and the National Research Council of Canada, the researcher also reports that the behaviour of oxygen with increasing pressure is very complicated. It's electrical conductivity first increases, then decreases, and finally increases again. The results are published in Physical Review Letters.

Weaker bonds, greater stability

The oxygen atoms in the O2 molecule are held together by a double covalent bond. Nitrogen (N2), on the other hand, possesses a triple bond. "You would think that the weaker double bond is easier to break than the triple bond and that oxygen would therefore polymerize at lower pressures than nitrogen" says Sun. "We found the opposite, which is astonishing at first sight."

Coming together when pressure increases

However, in the condensed phase when pressure increases, the molecules become closer to each other. The research team suggests that, under these conditions, the electron lone pairs on different molecules repel one another strongly, thus hindering the molecules from approaching each other. Since oxygen has more lone pairs than nitrogen, the repulsive force between these molecules is stronger, which makes polymerization more difficult. However, the number of lone pairs cannot be the only determinant of the polymerization pressure. "We believe that it is a combination of the number of lone pairs and the strength of the bonds between the atoms", says Sun.

The many structures of oxygen

At high pressures, gaseous molecules such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or nitrogen polymerize into chains, layers, or framework structures. At the same time they usually change from insulators to metals, i.e. they become more conductive with increasing pressure. The research team, however, showed that things are more complicated with oxygen. Under standard conditions, the molecule has insulating properties. If the pressure increases, oxygen metallises and becomes a superconductor. With further pressure increase, its structure changes into a polymer and it becomes semi-conducting. If the pressure rises even more, oxygen once more assumes metallic properties, meaning that the conductivity goes up again. The metallic polymer structure finally changes into a metallic layered structure.

Inside planets

"The polymerization of small molecules under high pressure has attracted much attention because it helps to understand the fundamental physics and chemistry of geological and planetary processes" explains Sun. "For instance, the pressure at the centre of Jupiter is estimated to be about seven terapascal. It was also found that polymerized molecules, like N2 and CO2, have intriguing properties, such as high energy densities and super-hardness." Dr. Jian Sun joined the RUB-research group of Prof. Dr. Dominik Marx as a Humboldt Research Fellow in 2008 to work on vibrational spectroscopy of aqueous solutions. In parallel to this joint work in "Solvation Science" he developed independent research interests into high pressure chemical physics as an Early Career Researcher.

###

Bibliographic record

J. Sun, M. Martinez-Canales, D.D. Klug, C.J. Pickard, R.J. Needs (2012): Persistence and eventual demise of oxygen molecules at terapascal pressures, Physical Review Letters, doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.045503

Figure online

A figure related to this press release can be found online: http://aktuell.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/pm2012/pm00035.html.en

Further information

Dr. Jian Sun, Department of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Ruhr-Universitt, 44780 Bochum, Tel.: 49-234-32-22121, jian.sun@theochem.rub.de

Click for more

Department of Theoretical Chemistry http://www.theochem.rub.de/home.en.html

Editorial journalist

Dr. Julia Weiler

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Jian Sun
jian.sun@theochem.rub.de
49-234-322-2121
Ruhr-University Bochum

Physical Review Letters: Oxygen as insulator, semiconductor, and metal

Using computer simulations, a RUB researcher has shown that the oxygen molecule (O2) is stable up to pressures of 1.9 terapascal, which is about nineteen million times higher than atmosphere pressure. Above that, it polymerizes, i.e. builds larger molecules or structures. "This is very surprising" says Dr. Jian Sun from the Department of Theoretical Chemistry. "Other simple molecules like nitrogen or hydrogen do not survive such high pressures." In cooperation with colleagues from University College London, the University of Cambridge, and the National Research Council of Canada, the researcher also reports that the behaviour of oxygen with increasing pressure is very complicated. It's electrical conductivity first increases, then decreases, and finally increases again. The results are published in Physical Review Letters.

Weaker bonds, greater stability

The oxygen atoms in the O2 molecule are held together by a double covalent bond. Nitrogen (N2), on the other hand, possesses a triple bond. "You would think that the weaker double bond is easier to break than the triple bond and that oxygen would therefore polymerize at lower pressures than nitrogen" says Sun. "We found the opposite, which is astonishing at first sight."

Coming together when pressure increases

However, in the condensed phase when pressure increases, the molecules become closer to each other. The research team suggests that, under these conditions, the electron lone pairs on different molecules repel one another strongly, thus hindering the molecules from approaching each other. Since oxygen has more lone pairs than nitrogen, the repulsive force between these molecules is stronger, which makes polymerization more difficult. However, the number of lone pairs cannot be the only determinant of the polymerization pressure. "We believe that it is a combination of the number of lone pairs and the strength of the bonds between the atoms", says Sun.

The many structures of oxygen

At high pressures, gaseous molecules such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or nitrogen polymerize into chains, layers, or framework structures. At the same time they usually change from insulators to metals, i.e. they become more conductive with increasing pressure. The research team, however, showed that things are more complicated with oxygen. Under standard conditions, the molecule has insulating properties. If the pressure increases, oxygen metallises and becomes a superconductor. With further pressure increase, its structure changes into a polymer and it becomes semi-conducting. If the pressure rises even more, oxygen once more assumes metallic properties, meaning that the conductivity goes up again. The metallic polymer structure finally changes into a metallic layered structure.

Inside planets

"The polymerization of small molecules under high pressure has attracted much attention because it helps to understand the fundamental physics and chemistry of geological and planetary processes" explains Sun. "For instance, the pressure at the centre of Jupiter is estimated to be about seven terapascal. It was also found that polymerized molecules, like N2 and CO2, have intriguing properties, such as high energy densities and super-hardness." Dr. Jian Sun joined the RUB-research group of Prof. Dr. Dominik Marx as a Humboldt Research Fellow in 2008 to work on vibrational spectroscopy of aqueous solutions. In parallel to this joint work in "Solvation Science" he developed independent research interests into high pressure chemical physics as an Early Career Researcher.

###

Bibliographic record

J. Sun, M. Martinez-Canales, D.D. Klug, C.J. Pickard, R.J. Needs (2012): Persistence and eventual demise of oxygen molecules at terapascal pressures, Physical Review Letters, doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.045503

Figure online

A figure related to this press release can be found online: http://aktuell.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/pm2012/pm00035.html.en

Further information

Dr. Jian Sun, Department of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Ruhr-Universitt, 44780 Bochum, Tel.: 49-234-32-22121, jian.sun@theochem.rub.de

Click for more

Department of Theoretical Chemistry http://www.theochem.rub.de/home.en.html

Editorial journalist

Dr. Julia Weiler

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/rb-oms013012.php

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Winter cold snap kills 36 in eastern Europe (AP)

BELGRADE, Serbia ? Heavy snow and a severe cold snap have killed at least 36 people across eastern Europe and many areas were under emergency measures Monday as schools closed down, roads became impassible and power supplies were cut off.

As temperatures dropped to around minus 20 Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit), authorities opened hundreds of emergency shelters across the region and urged people to be careful and stay indoors. Police went searching for homeless people to make sure they didn't freeze to death.

Ukraine's Emergency Situations Ministry said 18 people died of hypothermia and nearly 500 people sought medical help for frostbites and hypothermia in just three days last week. Twelve of the dead were homeless people whose bodies were discovered on the streets.

Temperatures in parts of Ukraine plunged to minus 16 C (3 F) during the day and minus 23 C (minus 10 F) during the night. Authorities opened 1,500 shelters to provide food and heat and shut down schools and nurseries.

At least 10 people froze to death in Poland as the cold reached minus 26 C (minus 15 F) on Monday.

Malgorzata Wozniak, a spokeswoman for Poland's Interior Ministry, told The Associated Press that elderly people and the homeless were among the dead and police were checking unheated empty buildings to corral the homeless into shelters.

Until now, Poland had been having a mild winter with little snow and temperatures just below freezing.

In central Serbia, three people died and two more were missing and 14 municipalities were operating under emergency decrees. Efforts to clear roads of snow were hampered by strong winds and dozens of towns faced power outages.

Police said one woman froze to death in a snowstorm in a central Serbian village, while two elderly men were found dead, one in the snow outside his home. Further south, emergency crews are searching for two men in their 70s who are feared dead.

In Romania, local media reported four people had died due to the frigid weather. Hungry dogs and puppies near the Romanian capital of Bucharest got a helping hand after a dozen prison inmates shoveled snow Monday to unblock paths to a stray dog shelter housing 300 dogs.

The strays had been frozen in after snowstorms and icy weather swept Romania. Bucharest is home to some 50,000 stray dogs.

In neighboring Bulgaria, a 57-year-old man froze to death in a northwestern village and emergency decrees were declared in 25 of the country's 28 districts. In the capital of Sofia, authorities handed out hot tea and placed homeless people in emergency shelters.

Strong winds also closed down Bulgaria's main Black Sea port of Varna.

In the Czech capital of Prague, city authorities worked to set up tents for an estimated 3,000 homeless people. Freezing temperatures also damaged train tracks, slowing railway traffic.

_____

Associated Press writers Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria, Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic, Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Maria Danilova in Kiev and Alison Mutler in Bucharest contributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_eu/eu_europe_weather

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What You Need to Know About Investing That May Help You Succeed

If you are going to get into the arena of investing, you may have to consider several factors and carefully think about them. One of them is the amount of cash that you are prepared to invest. If you put your dollars in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, or options, you have to come up with a certain amount so that you can buy a unit or open an account.

With regards to financial investments, two kinds of products are usually traded on the market ? short-term investments and long-term investments.

The primary difference between both is that short-term investments are supposed to give considerable returns within a short period of time, whereas long-term investments are supposed to last for many years or so and characterized by a slow but progressive increase in return.

If your aim as an investor is to raise your wealth or keep the purchasing power of your capital over the years, then it?s crucial that your investments must improve in value that at least keeps up with inflation rate. Having a good mix of property investments or equity shares might just be an effective long-term strategy in comparison with having only fixed-term investments.

Your investment portfolio must be well spread across various varieties of investment instruments so as to effectively minimize your risk. It is a classic the actual application of the old phrase ?Don?t put all your eggs in one basket.? The many investment products available these days are becoming a lot more complicated with huge and institutional investors trying to surpass each other.

If you are an individual investor, you simply need to invest on something you?re comfortable with and not to products you don?t fully grasp. You need to be definite with your investing criteria because it is important in evaluating your alternatives. When you are unsure, the perfect approach is to find good advice.

Interesting facts about investments are accessible that could help you with your investment decisions.

Source: http://internetarticledirectory.info/2012/01/what-you-need-to-know-about-investing-that-may-help-you-succeed/

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This Beautiful Hand Mixer Sadly Doesn't Actually Exist [Concepts]

It is a crime against humanity, at least those who cook, that Meike Harde's beautiful Quix handheld mixer only exists as a concept prototype. Because it somehow improves upon every one I've ever used with a design that's actually simpler. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/tkGXREuDzgg/this-beautiful-hand-mixer-sadly-doesnt-actually-exist

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What really happened prior to 'Snowball Earth'?

Friday, January 27, 2012

In a study published in the journal Geology, scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science suggest that the large changes in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates which occurred prior to the major climatic event more than 500 million years ago, known as 'Snowball Earth,' are unrelated to worldwide glacial events.

"Our study suggests that the geochemical record documented in rocks prior to the Marinoan glaciation or 'Snowball Earth' are unrelated to the glaciation itself," said UM Rosenstiel professor Peter Swart, a co-author of the study. "Instead the changes in the carbon isotopic ratio are related to alteration by freshwater as sea level fell."

In order to better understand the environmental conditions prior to 'Snowball Earth', the research team analyzed geochemical signatures preserved in carbonate rock cores from similar climactic events that happened more recently ? two million years ago ? during the Pliocene-Pleistocene period.

The team analyzed the ratio of the rare isotope of carbon (13C) to the more abundant carbon isotope (12C) from cores drilled in the Bahamas and the Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. The geochemical patterns that were observed in these cores were nearly identical to the pattern seen prior to the Marinoan glaciation, which suggests that the alteration of rocks by water, a process known as diagenesis, is the source of the changes seen during that time period.

Prior to this study, scientists theorized that large changes in the cycling of carbon between the organic and inorganic reservoirs occurred in the atmosphere and oceans, setting the stage for the global glacial event known as 'Snowball Earth'.

"It is widely accepted that changes in the carbon isotopic ratio during the Pliocene-Pleistocene time are the result of alteration of rocks by freshwater," said Swart. "We believe this is also what occurred during the Neoproterozoic. Instead of being related to massive and complicated changes in the carbon cycle, the variations seen in the Neoproterozoic can be explained by simple process which we understand very well."

Scientists acknowledge that multiple sea level fluctuations occurred during the Pliocene-Pleistocene glaciations resulting from water being locked up in glaciers. Similar sea-level changes during the Neoproterozoic caused the variations in the global carbon isotopic signal preserved in the older rocks, not a change in the distribution of carbon as had been widely postulated.

###

University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science: http://www.rsmas.miami.edu

Thanks to University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117150/What_really_happened_prior_to__Snowball_Earth__

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Video: Obama looks confident for 2012

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46169326#46169326

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St. Louis hosts 1st big parade on Iraq War's end

Niliah Banks, foreground, works with other students in her fifth grade class at Ross Elementary create hand-made signs Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Creve Coeur, Mo. The signs will be used when St. Louis hosts a "Welcome Home the Heroes from Iraq Day" on Jan. 28 with a noontime parade through downtown to welcome veterans of the war in Iraq. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Niliah Banks, foreground, works with other students in her fifth grade class at Ross Elementary create hand-made signs Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Creve Coeur, Mo. The signs will be used when St. Louis hosts a "Welcome Home the Heroes from Iraq Day" on Jan. 28 with a noontime parade through downtown to welcome veterans of the war in Iraq. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Ross Elementary fifth grade students, clockwise from left, Juilanna Bell, Mollie Weinberg, Courtney Turner and Mckenzie Thompson work to create a hand-made sign Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Creve Coeur, Mo. The sign will be used when St. Louis hosts a "Welcome Home the Heroes from Iraq Day" on Jan. 28 with a noontime parade through downtown to welcome veterans of the war in Iraq. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Since the Iraq War ended there has been little fanfare for the veterans returning home. No ticker-tape parades. No massive, flag-waving public celebrations.

So, two friends from St. Louis decided to change that. They sought donations, launched a Facebook page, met with the mayor and mapped a route. On Saturday, hundreds of veterans are expected to march in downtown St. Louis in the nation's first big welcome home parade since the last troops left Iraq in December.

"It struck me that there was this debate going on as to whether there should or shouldn't be a parade," said Tom Appelbaum, one of the organizers. "Instead of waiting around for somebody somewhere to say, 'Yes, let's have a parade,' we said, 'Let's just do it.'"

Appelbaum, a 46-year-old lawyer, and Craig Schneider, a 41-year-old school technology coordinator, said they were puzzled by the lack of celebrations marking the war's end. But, they wondered, if St. Louis could host thousands of people for a parade after their beloved Cardinals won the World Series, why couldn't there be a party for the troops who put their lives on the line?

The effort got help with donations from two corporations with St. Louis connections ? $10,000 from Anheuser-Busch and $7,500 from the Mayflower moving company. Individual donations have boosted the project's total budget to about $35,000. By comparison, more than $5 million was spent two decades ago on New York's welcome-home parade for Gulf War veterans who helped drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

Ticker-tape salutes to returning troops are part of the American culture, including parades in many cities honoring veterans of World War I and World War II.

Since the end of the latest war in Iraq, there have only been small events at military posts, gatherings of families at airports and a low-key appearance by President Barack Obama at Fort Bragg, N.C., a base that endured more than 200 deaths from fighting in the war.

In St. Louis, Army Spc. James Casey appreciates the handshakes he's gotten at local and often informal observances of his 11.5 years with the Army Reserve and three tours in Iraq, which included the 2003 invasion. But the 29-year-old father of a year-old daughter relishes attending the St. Louis parade he considers "the proper welcoming home we all know we deserve."

He hopes larger U.S. cities follow suit.

"For the longest time, St. Louis has been the east-meets-west society, so I'm not surprised it's happening here. Hopefully, everybody sees what we're doing and grabs onto this," Casey said Friday. "Something like this ? where it's showing support for those that have served ? is not just a thank you. It's an embracing of the sacrifice so many Americans have made."

Celebrating the end of the Iraq War hasn't been as simple as the outpourings after the world wars, said Wayne Fields, professor of English and American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. With 91,000 troops still fighting in Afghanistan, many Iraq veterans could be redeployed ? suggesting to some that it's premature to celebrate their homecoming.

"We're not celebrating the end of a war the way we were with V-E Day or V-J Day (after World War II)," Fields said. "Part of what this is trying to do is recognize the special service of those who were there even though we can't declare a victory over a clearly identified enemy."

In May 2003, then-President George W. Bush landed on an aircraft carrier to hail the end of major combat operations in Iraq. Behind him during that speech was a banner that read, "Mission Accomplished," yet U.S. troops remained in Iraq for 8 ? more years.

Even some of the festivities in St. Louis will serve as a reminder that Bush launched the Iraq War as part of the larger war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

As part of the weekend, a "Reading of the Fallen" will begin at 9:11 p.m. Friday at Soldiers Memorial downtown. It will continue until the names of the approximate 6,500 Americans killed since the attacks are read.

"Veterans have sacrificed so much for the safety and well-being of St. Louisans," Mayor Francis Slay said. "This is a chance to demonstrate our appreciation for them."

City officials agreed to waive permit fees and allow use of streets for the parade from the heart of downtown along Market Street to Union Station, the former train station that is now a shopping center and hotel. A "Resource Village" will be set up there that will include food, music and entertainment but will also connect returning vets with organizations to help ease transition to civilian life.

Organizers expect about 100 parade entries ? floats, marching bands, first-responders, veterans groups. Appelbaum said that while the parade marks the end of the Iraq War, any military personnel involved in post-Sept. 11 conflicts are welcome.

Appelbaum has no idea how many people will turn out to cheer on the troops but said response has been overwhelming despite the lack of any substantial marketing.

"It's significant that this is strictly a grassroots effort, and coming out of the heartland of the U.S., I think it really says something," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-27-Iraq%20War-Parade/id-0cb57a954f6c474ca4301a700dbb5c99

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Factbox: Main competition films at Berlin festival (Reuters)

BERLIN (Reuters) ? The 62nd Berlin film festival opens on Thursday February 9. and ends on February 19., with the awards ceremony taking place on February 18.

Following are the 22 films in the main competition line-up, along with the production countries, the name of the director and the names of major stars. Five are not in the running for awards. Another film will be announced on January 31.

- Aujourdhui (France/Senegal) by Alain Gomis.

- Coming Home (France) by Fr?d?ric Videau.

- Barbara (Germany) by Christian Petzold.

- Bel Ami (Britain) by Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod and starring Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Christina Ricci.*

- Captive (France/Philippines/Germany/Britain) by Brillante Mendoza.

- Caesar Must Die (Italy) by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani.

- Just The Wind (Hungary/Germany/ France) by Bence Fliegauf.

- Childish Games (Spain) by Antonio Chavarr?as.

- A Royal Affair (Denmark/Czech Republic/Germany/Sweden) by Nikolaj Arcel.

- Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close (USA) by Stephen Daldry and starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.*

- Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate (Hong Kong, China) by Hark Tsui.*

- Mercy (Germany/Norway) by Matthias Glasner.

- Jayne Mansfield's Car (Russian Federation/USA) by Billy Bob Thornton and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Duvall, John Hurt, and Kevin Bacon.

- Postcards From The Zoo (Indonesia/Germany/Hong Kong, China) by Edwin.

- Sister (Switzerland/France) by Ursula Meier.

- Farewell My Queen (France/Spain) by Beno?t Jacquot, starring Diane Kruger.

- Meteora (Germany/Greece) by Spiros Stathoulopoulos.

- Rebelle (Canada) by Kim Nguyen.

- Shadow Dancer (Britain/Ireland) by James Marsh and starring Clive Owen.*

- The Flowers Of War (People's Republic of China) by Zhang Yimou and starring Christian Bale.*

- Tabu (Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France) by Miguel Gomes.

- Home For The Weekend (Germany) by Hans-Christian Schmid.

NOTE: * denotes films not competing for prizes.

(Reporting by Alice Baghdjian, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/stage_nm/us_germany_berlin_film

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Putin: crackdown needed on illegal immigration (AP)

MOSCOW ? Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday that government officials must crack down on migrant workers who break the nation's laws by failing to register or get work permits, and on companies that profit by hiring them.

Putin, who is campaigning for Russia's March presidential election, was addressing an issue that angers many Russians because Moscow is overrun with immigrants who often sleep in basements and overcrowded apartments.

Some 10 million labor migrants, mostly from ex-Soviet Central Asia, flock to Russia visa-free annually. Many face abuses, low pay and enslavement, while their presence triggers xenophobia and hate attacks in a country where unemployment stood at about 7 percent last year.

Violent xenophobic groups have flourished in Russia over the past two decades. Their members kill and beat non-Slavs and anti-racism activists and crudely denounce the influx of immigrants from Central Asia and Russia's Caucasus. Some Russians and nationalist politicians have accused the immigrants of stealing jobs and forming ethnic gangs.

Putin, who is expected to win the presidential election, said Thursday that people who violate immigration and labor laws should be barred from entering the country for up to 10 years.

He also said that Russians who profit by hiring and enslaving migrants, or by issuing fake work and residential permits, should face criminal charges instead of "symbolic fines."

"We need to toughen sanctions against those who hire people without permits, basically as defenseless slaves," Putin said in televised remarks addressing immigration officials.

He said that of the nearly 10 million foreigners now in Russia only 4 million work legally.

Ethnic Russians comprise two thirds of the country's population of 142 million, but their birth dates are plummeting. The remaining third of Russia's population are mostly from predominantly Muslim Caucasus.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_putin

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Key Greek bondholders meet to discuss debt deal

BRUSSELS (AP) ? Representatives of Greece's private sector bondholders will meet on Wednesday to discuss how and whether to continue talks on a bond swap after the EU toughened its demands, a person close to the investors said.

The so-called steering committee of the Institute of International Finance will gather in Paris for an "important meeting ... to really take stock" of the talks, the person said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The committee represents banks and other investment funds that hold a large part of Greece's debt.

On Monday, eurozone finance ministers decided to cap the average interest rate Greece can pay to investors taking part in a debt swap designed to cut Greece's debt by euro100 billion ($130 billion) at well below 4 percent.

In their offer last week, the bondholders said the average interest rate should be above 4 percent.

The finance ministers also made clear that they would not increase the amount of rescue loans for Greece above the euro130 billion ($169 billion) tentatively agreed in October.

The interest rate is one of the most important variables in the bond swap that investors as well as the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund hope will bring Greece's debt back to a sustainable level. The plan is to have private investors exchange their old Greek bonds for ones with half the face value and to push repayments 20 to 30 years into the future.

A higher interest rate could help buffer losses for investors, but the eurozone and the IMF say it will prevent Greece's debt from falling to 120 percent of gross domestic product by 2020 ? the maximum level they see as sustainable. Without the debt swap, Greece's debt would approach 200 percent of GDP by the end of this year.

If the investors decide against moving ahead with talks for a voluntary deal, the eurozone would face a stark choice between a forced default or new, bigger aid payments to Greece.

In a forced default, bondholders would likely stand to lose an even bigger part of their investments issued and traded by banks and other investors.

The eurozone has so far worked hard to prevent a payout of CDS, since the CDS market is obscure ? without a clear picture of who owes what to whom ? and they worry that it could create uncertainty and panic on financial markets. The private investors also argue that a forced default would make investors reluctant to lend to Greece and other vulnerable euro countries.

The person close to the private bondholders said the meeting was called for Wednesday because some eurozone officials wanted the deal to be ready for a summit of EU leaders on Monday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-25-EU-Europe-Financial-Crisis/id-45eab94bad054528aa29ba8c4d0741f6

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Bachmann Will Run for Re-Election (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/191362894?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Poll: NJ residents like having their gas pumped (AP)

TRENTON, N.J. ? New Jersey residents aren't primed about pumping their own gasoline.

A new poll shows nearly two-thirds support the state rule requiring that only station attendants can pump gas in the Garden State.

Forty-eight states allow self-serve gas pumps. Only New Jersey and Oregon do not.

The Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released Monday finds 63 percent of respondents like New Jersey's current law, while 23 percent oppose it and 14 percent aren't sure.

The poll finds Democrats and women are more strongly in favor of having their gas pumped by someone else than are Republicans and men.

The telephone poll of 800 registered New Jersey voters was taken between Jan. 2-8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

___

On the Web: http://publicmind.fdu.edu

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gas_pumping_poll_new_jersey

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EP legal service consistently overlooks known issues with ACTA ...

Today the FFII sent a letter to the European Parliament about the EP legal service?s opinion on ACTA. (pfd version, see also press release)

Dear Members of the European Parliament,

In the coming months the Parliament will have to decide whether to give consent to ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) or not. In preparation, the INTA and JURI committees asked the Parliament?s legal service an opinion on ACTA.

We welcome the decision to release this opinion. We have compared the legal service?s opinion with multiple academic opinions on ACTA and some civil society analyses.

We found that many issues pointed out by academic opinions and the study commissioned by the INTA committee are not addressed by the legal service?s opinion.

The legal service fails to see major issues with damages, injunctions and provisional, border and criminal measures. The legal service consistently overlooks known issues. Taking the issues the legal service did not address into consideration, it is clear that ACTA goes beyond current EU law, the acquis.

The legal service underestimates problems with Internet governance and access to medicine. It fails to see ACTA is not compatible with fundamental rights, international agreements and the EU Treaties.

ACTA will negatively impact innovation, start up companies, mass digitization projects, access to medicines and Internet governance. ACTA threatens the rule of law and fundamental rights.

We call upon the Parliament to say no to ACTA.

Below we will present the main conclusions. Please find attached this letter as a pdf and the full analysis.

Yours sincerely,

Ante Wessels

Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure

MAIN CONCLUSIONS

1. Compatibility with current EU law

Damages: The legal service overlooks that ACTA?s damages based on retail price lead to damages based on an imaginary gross revenue, which is way beyond actual loss suffered. This issue has been pointed out by NGOs, the European academics Opinion and the EP INTA study. In our analysis, we provide some simple examples which show that ACTA?s damages are much higher than EU law damages.

Border measures: Both the European Academics Opinion on ACTA and the EP INTA committee study had pointed out there is a serious issue with the condition ?not discriminate unjustifiably?. The Commission did not provide the justification to limit ACTA to EU law. While the legal service quotes article 13 ACTA, it leaves out this condition. Since DG-Trade and the US Trade Representative undermine the Doha Declaration in other fora, there is also a threat to access to medicine.

Injunctions and provisional measures: The legal service does not address the issues with injunctions and provisional measures, pointed out in multiple academic opinions.

Compatibility: Taking the issues the legal service did not address into consideration, it is clear that ACTA goes beyond current EU law, the acquis.

2. Criminal measures: The legal service fails to see ACTA removes the scale element from the definition of the crime. The legal service fails to notice ACTA criminalises everyday computer use. ACTA can be used to criminalise newspapers and websites revealing a document, office workers forwarding a file, people making a private copy and whistle-blowers revealing documents in the public interest.

3. Internet: ACTA?s criminal and heightened civil measures will also apply to the digital environment. This will put pressure on Internet Service Providers, who may decide to pre-emptively censor Internet communications. ACTA incites privatised enforcement outside the rule of law.

4. Fundamental rights: To establish whether ACTA violates fundamental rights, fair balance tests are needed. The legal service does not provide any fair balance test. The 61 pages Douwe Korff & Ian Brown opinion provides many such tests. These tests show ACTA is manifestly incompatible with fundamental rights. Just providing a general reference to fundamental rights is not enough.

The ARTICLE 19 organisation ?finds that ACTA fundamentally flawed from a freedom of expression and information perspective. If enacted, it will greatly endanger the free-flow of information and the free exchange of ideas, particularly on the internet.?

Korff & Brown conclude: ?Overall, ACTA tilts the balance of IPR protection manifestly unfairly towards one group of beneficiaries of the right to property, IP right holders, and unfairly against others, equally disproportionally interferes with a range of other fundamental rights, and provides for (or allows for) the determination of such rights in procedures that fail to allow for the taking into account of the different, competing interests, but rather, stack all the weight at one end.

This makes the entire Agreement, in our opinion, incompatible with fundamental European human rights instruments and -standards.?

5. Public health: The legal service mentions references to the TRIPS agreement and the Doha Declaration in the ACTA text. But the combination of heightened measures with a non binding reference to the Doha Declaration, and undermining the Doha Declaration in other fora does not provide sufficient safeguards for access to medicine.

6. International agreements: The legal service does not address the global pricing problem and the right to take part in cultural life. ACTA is not compatible with article 15 of the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR),

The ARTICLE 19 organisation also notes issues with Article 15 of the ICESCR, and with articles 17 and 19 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

7. EU Treaties: ACTA is not compatible with article 21 Treaty on European Union (TEU): ?The Union?s action on the international scene shall be guided by the principles (?): democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms (?)?

Nor is ACTA compatible with articles 3.3, 3.5 and 5 Treaty on European Union.

Source: http://acta.ffii.org/?p=1057

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HTC and IBM hooking up to charm commercial clients

HTC is looking to turn green to blue: it's banking that its hardware expertise will meet the needs of IBM's long list of commercial clients to become a big enterprise player. At the start of IBM Lotusphere, the former PC maker showed off "smart business" applications that ran on the smartphone maker's gear. HTC's David Jaeger has set a sales target of 100 million devices, hoping that whenever big blue is "talking about Android or tablets, HTC is in the conversation." The 'lil green phone company has reportedly taken great pains to ensure its gear is secure and that the Scribe software used in the HTC Flyer and Jetstream plays nice with all of IBM's business-kit. Our tip? It might think about lowering the price on those $80 styluses before it goes schmoozing cash-strapped IT Buyers.

HTC and IBM hooking up to charm commercial clients originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/-Ly5oYOXBUY/

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British skier sets record for solo Antarctic trek

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) ? British adventurer Felicity Aston completed her crossing of Antarctica on Monday, becoming the first woman to ski across the icy continent alone.

Aston also set another record: the first human to ski solo across Antarctica using only her own muscle power.

She did it in 59 days, pulling two sledges for 1,084 miles (1744 kilometers) from her starting point on the Leverett Glacier back in November.

Now she's tweeting that she has made it to Hercules Inlet on the Ronne Ice Shelf, completing her journey. She's still alone in a tent, waiting in bad weather for a small plane to pick her up and take her to a base camp.

"!!!Congratulations to the 1st female to traverse Antarctica SOLO.V proud," her Twitter message said.

Aston was still alone Monday. A support team was waiting for weather to clear in order to greet her.

"Just in case I was in danger of feeling sentimental, a violent wind has appeared from nowhere and is beating the tent like the bad old days," she tweeted.

___

Online:

Aston's expedition site: www.kasperskyonetransantarcticexpedition.com

Aston on Twitter: www.twitter.com/felicity(underscore)aston

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-23-AA-Antarctica-Solo-Crossing/id-f713097dd8ff4cb4812f1b3bb1e8adb8

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Comedian Harvey heads to Ala. principal's office (omg!)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) ? Steve Harvey is relinquishing his role as one of the Original Kings of Comedy to become an Alabama school principal ? at least for one day.

Students at Phillips Academy in Birmingham will be answering to Principal Steve Harvey on Thursday after the school won a contest sponsored by Harvey's morning radio show and General Mills.

The Birmingham News reports (http://bit.ly/zJyubE) that Angela Strozier, the mother of an eighth-grader at Phillips Academy, entered the contest by submitting an essay about the school's success. In it, she described how the deadly tornado outbreak in Alabama last April had affected many Phillips students.

In a statement, Harvey said he was impressed by the school's "strong parental and community involvement."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_comedian_harvey_heads_ala_principals_office192742569/44256396/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/comedian-harvey-heads-ala-principals-office-192742569.html

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Ask Engadget: Are there UK-based Voicemail to SMS/email alternatives?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Nish, who needs to replace his voicemail to SMS/email system due to Ribbit Mobile's forthcoming closure. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"Hi there, I've been using Ribbit Mobile for the past few years for voicemail -- the voicemail to SMS/email function is brilliant. However, the beta trial is ending on the 31st January with no immediate plans to go live. Do you know of any UK-based alternatives for voicemail to SMS/email systems I can switch to? Thanks!"

So guys, come help out a brother from the motherland with your suggestions for digital telephony transcription, any Brits out there find Google Voice to be the answer? Is there something only a few of you know about that'll change the world? If you're in an animal home, sat down on your own, why not share your knowledge in the comments below.

Ask Engadget: Are there UK-based Voicemail to SMS/email alternatives? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/7nE7zBQkYzY/

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Giants' Manning, 49ers' Smith overcome scrutiny (AP)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. ? The Giants' Eli Manning has been forced to escape the shadow of superstar big brother, Peyton. San Francisco's Alex Smith? He only has a pair of Hall of Famers in Joe Montana and Steve Young hanging over him in 49ers lore.

Two No. 1 pick quarterbacks a draft apart, Manning and Smith meet Sunday in the NFC championship game with a shot at the Super Bowl after each has faced immense scrutiny over the years while playing on opposite coasts.

Manning made his mark by winning the 2008 Super Bowl. Smith took a significant step toward finally silencing the skeptics ? for the time being, anyway ? by leading last week's thrilling, last-second 36-32 victory over Drew Brees and the favored Saints in a spectacular playoff debut.

Early on, there were the questions about whether Manning would ever become an elite NFL quarterback like the other big-time QBs in the family, including father, Archie.

It calmed down for a time once he won a title. Then, the criticism returned last season, when Manning threw 25 interceptions. That's when he boldly let it be known he should be in the same conversation as Patriots star Tom Brady and the rest of the NFL's best lining up under center.

"I consider myself in that class," Manning said in August.

Smith, drafted No. 1 from Utah in 2005 one year after Manning was the top pick out of Ole Miss, won't begin to compare his situation out West to what Manning has endured.

"His is a little different. To be Peyton's little brother, No. 1 pick, you go to New York with the Giants, obviously that's a lot of pressure," Smith said. "I don't think anyone has been in the situation he has. Those are pretty unique circumstances. Your older brother is arguably the greatest quarterback ever and a lot of expectations on you and then you go to the big city like New York. I didn't have to face those things."

Smith got booed by his home fans at some point in nearly every game at Candlestick Park in recent seasons before leading a remarkable turnaround this year under first-year NFL coach Jim Harbaugh. He's been benched and belittled by more than one of his coaches along the way.

"I was saying this a few years ago and got laughed at, but Alex was a guy that had about 60 percent of his ability, his potential brought out in him because of all kinds of circumstances," said Trent Dilfer, ESPN analyst and Smith's former teammate. "What he was really relying upon to survive in the NFL was his mental and emotional strength, toughness, giftedness, whatever you want to call it. He is so mentally strong, so resilient, refuses to let the demons affect him negatively. ... I knew once somebody came here and was able to develop him and train him like he started to get trained with Norv (Turner) in 2006 that you would start to see some of the physical stuff come out. I'm just so happy for him because he found a guy in Jim Harbaugh who coached him the way he needed to be coached."

Sunday's game will mark the second time two former No. 1 pick QBs will square off in the conference championship. Vinny Testaverde and John Elway met in the 1998 AFC championship game.

Manning and Smith have their teams on a roll. Each led five fourth-quarter comebacks during the season, then Smith had another in last Saturday's thriller in which he hit Vernon Davis from 14 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 9 seconds left.

There was the near miss for Manning at Candlestick back on Nov. 13, a 27-20 loss to the 49ers when he had a chance to win it in the closing minute but had a fourth-down pass batted by defensive tackle Justin Smith.

That gives Manning some added incentive as he arrives again in the Bay Area.

"This is where you want to be. We always talk about finishing and playing your best football at the end of the season. That's what we're doing now," Manning said. "We're playing great football on both sides of the ball. We have to continue to do that. We're playing smart. We can't turn the ball over."

Manning threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns to stun the defending champion Packers last weekend at Lambeau Field.

49ers linebacker Patrick Willis has known Manning's potential for years ? since their one-year stint as college teammates in 2003, the last time Willis had a winning season.

"As a freshman, I thought he was the greatest quarterback ever," Willis said. "That was the best season I'd ever had in football. To see the things that he's done, he's won a Super Bowl. That's the biggest accomplishment that we all try to go for, to win that. He's done that. He led his team back to being one game closer to that."

The 49ers forced five turnovers in beating the Saints, then watched Alex Smith shine at the end. On top of his game in the biggest of moments, at last. This is the Alex Smith the 49ers drafted over Aaron Rodgers nearly seven years ago.

"I always had confidence in Alex. He'll make plays, he will," Davis said. "And since Harbaugh stepped in, he didn't do anything but help Alex, help Alex get better. And to me, Alex is still growing. He still has a lot of room to get better."

Smith became one of five quarterbacks in playoff history to throw three touchdown passes without an interception and run for another, and he helped the 49ers become the first team in the NFL to score two lead-changing touchdowns in the final 3 minutes to win a playoff game, according to STATS LLC.

What a comeback road it's been considering he has played for seven offensive coordinators in as many seasons, dealt with a shoulder injury that sidelined him and faced two head coaches questioning both his talent and toughness.

"You have to have thick skin," said Young, who visited with Smith this week. "The guy has been through hell as far as quarterbacking. He's been through quarterbacking hell where you have a different coordinator, different language. He was trying to describe it like learning French and then learning Spanish and learning Japanese and just learning every weird, new language and having to be held accountable without the support.

"And this year, all of a sudden, he gets all of the support and he feels like: `Geez, I feel like I'm doing less. I feel like it's easier.' But yet, now he's doing remarkable things."

Smith was ready to walk away after last season, a year that began with promise only to deteriorate in a hurry with an 0-5 start. The Niners fired offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye early, wound up 6-10 and fired coach Mike Singletary with one game left. The playoff drought reached eight years.

Even this season, Smith had his share of doubters ? even after ex-NFL quarterback Harbaugh came aboard as the new coach ready to guide him.

Smith passed for a career-best 3,144 yards and 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions.

He seems unfazed with that not-so-complimentary "game manager" tag everybody put on him this season. Until his career-defining moments last weekend, Smith was known for doing just enough, nothing flashy.

"Well, he's been doing that all year, the way he's been leading this team, the way he's been playing, it's confidence," defensive tackle Justin Smith said. "It rubs off on everybody. With what he's been through here and the way he's handled himself, it's a good example for all the guys here in how to do it. Hopefully, he's got his game-manager label or whatever that label is off of him. Just put baller on there."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_nfc_championship

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Top Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke dies from injuries after accident

Ahead of the 2014 Olympic games,?Canadian freestyle skier?Sarah?Burke died on Thursday?from injuries sustained in a training accident in Utah last week, a family spokeswoman said.

Top Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke, seen as an early Olympic gold medal favorite ahead of the 2014 games, died on Thursday from injuries sustained in a training accident in Utah last week, a family spokeswoman said.

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Considered one of the leading half-pipe athletes in the world, the 29-year-old was airlifted to Salt Lake City last Tuesday after falling during a half-pipe run in Park City, Utah.

"Sarah passed away peacefully surrounded by those she loved. In accordance with Sarah's wishes, her organs and tissues were donated to save the lives of others," family spokeswoman Iris Yen said in a written statement released to Reuters.

Burke, who was married to fellow skier Rory Bushfield, had surgery last Wednesday at the University of Utah hospital to repair a tear in her vertebral artery, the hospital said.

Yen said that Burke had ruptured the artery in the fall on the Eagle Superpipe at Park City, which led to a severe intracranial hemorrhage.

"After the operation, numerous neurological examinations, electrodiagnostic tests and imaging studies revealed that Sarah sustained severe irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest," Yen said in the statement.

"While early reports in the media stated that Sarah's injury was a traumatic brain injury, it is important to note that Sarah's condition was the result of a lack of oxygen to the brain during cardiac arrest," she said.

Yen said Burke had been training for upcoming winter events at the time of the accident.

"Our hearts go out to Sarah's husband Rory and her entire family. It's difficult for us to imagine their pain and what they're going through," Peter Judge, chief executive of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, said in a statement.

"Sarah was certainly someone who lived life to the fullest and in doing so was a significant example to our community and far beyond," Judge said. "She will be greatly missed by all of us at the CFSA and the entire ski community."

Yen said Burke's family "was moved by the sincere and heartfelt sympathy expressed by people inspired by Sarah from all around the world." A public celebration of Burke's life would be held in the coming weeks, she added.

Burke reached the podium at every career World Cup start and is a four-time champion at the X-Games, according to the ski association.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/jf52IykzdMk/Top-Canadian-freestyle-skier-Sarah-Burke-dies-from-injuries-after-accident

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