Russia blames radiation for space probe failure (AP)

MOSCOW ? The head of Russia's space agency said Tuesday that cosmic radiation was the most likely cause of the failure of a Mars moon probe that crashed to Earth this month, and suggested that a low-quality imported component may have been vulnerable to the radiation.

Vladimir Popovkin also said a manned launch to the International Space Station is being postponed from March 30 because of faults found in the Soyuz capsule.

The statements underline an array of trouble that has afflicted the country's vaunted space program in recent months, including the August crash of a supply ship for the space station and last month's crash of a communications satellite.

Since the end of the U.S. space shuttle program last year, Russian craft are the only means to send crew to and from the ISS.

The unmanned Phobos-Ground probe was to have gone to the Mars moon of Phobos, taken soil samples and brought them back. But it became stuck in Earth orbit soon after its launch on Nov. 9. It fell out of orbit on Jan. 15, reportedly off the coast of Chile, but no fragments have been found.

The failure was a severe embarrassment to Russia, and Popovkin initially suggested it could have been due to foreign sabotage.

But on Tuesday he said in televised remarks that an investigation showed the probable cause was "localized influence of heavily radiated space particles."

Popovkin, speaking in the city of Voronezh where the report was presented to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, said two units of the Phobos-Ground probe's onboard computer system went into an energy-saving "restart" mode, apparently due to the radiation, while the craft was in its second orbital circuit.

It was not immediately clear why the units could not be brought out of that mode.

Popovkin said that some microchips used on the craft were imported and possibly of inadequate quality to resist radiation. He did not specify where the chips were manufactured.

Yuri Koptev, a former space agency head who led the Phobos-Ground investigation, said 62 percent of the microchips used in the probe were "industrial" class, a less-sophisticated level than should be used in space flight.

Popovkin said the craft's builder, Moscow-based NPO Lavochkin, should have taken into account the possibility of radiation interfering with the operation and said Lavochkin officials would face punishment for the oversight.

Popovkin later announced that a March 30 planned launch of two Russian cosmonauts, Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin, and NASA's astronaut Joseph M. Acaba ? to the space station will be postponed "likely until the end of April" because of problems with the capsule. He did not specify, but the state news agency RIA Novosti cited the director of Russia's cosmonaut-training program as saying leaks had been found in the capsule's seals.

It would be the second significant postponement of a manned Russian launch in the past year. The August crash of the supply ship pushed back a manned launch to the ISS because the booster rocket that failed in the crash was similar to the ones used in manned missions.

Currently, the ISS hosts a crew of six, including three Russians, two Americans and a Dutchman.

The Soyuz capsule is scheduled to bring back two Russian cosmonauts ? Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin and U.S. astronaut Daniel Burbank.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_sc/eu_russia_falling_spacecraft

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Volcanic eruptions emerge as lead cause for Little Ice Age

The Little Ice Age began in the late 13th century, scientists now posit, and lasted about 400 years. Some regions cooled significantly. A series of volcanic eruptions has become a leading culprit.

Sequences of explosive volcanic eruptions in the tropics were the likely trigger for the Little Ice Age, according to a new study.

Skip to next paragraph

The research attempts to answer two longstanding questions swirling?around the roughly 400-year span of slightly cooler-than normal?temperatures: Exactly when did it begin? And what was its initial trigger?

Previous estimates for the onset of the Little Ice Age range from as?early as the late 1200s to as late as the 1500s, the research team?notes. Globally, temperatures averaged a modest 0.6 degrees Celsius, or?about 1 degree Fahrenheit cooler than usual.

But regionally, cooling could be profound. Glaciers in the Alps grew, bulldozing mountain villages. In Europe, the growing season became shorter, with spring and summers often cold and wet, triggering famines. In China, provinces that for centuries had produced bountiful citrus harvests no longer could provide them. With an additional climate-cooling blast from Mt. Tambora in Indonesia in 1815, North America and Europe experienced the year without summer in 1816.

Researchers have proposed a range of possible causes for the Little Ice Age ? from decline in the sun's output, volcanic activity, some combination of the two, or some form of natural variability within the climate system.

The problem either with a decline in the sun's output, which happened during this period, or volcanism is that neither was powerful enough on its own to account for the cooling, says Gifford Miller, a climate scientist at the University of Colorado's Institute of Arctic and Alpine research at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Recent research on solar activity has indicated the sun didn't dim as deeply as earlier research suggested. And volcanic activity typically affects climate only for a few years after an explosive eruption. It does this by hurling vast amounts of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, where the SO2 particles reflect sunlight back into space. Those particles eventually drift back into the lower atmosphere, where they get washed out of the sky during storms.

Instead, Dr. Miller's team proposed that the initial trigger involved several major volcano eruptions occurring within about a decade of one another, followed by another set roughly 150 years later, which intensified the cooling.

The cooling effect of those eruptions, the team posits, probably triggered the growth of Arctic summer sea-ice cover and changes in North Atlantic ocean circulation. These changes reinforced the cooling trend, turning what might have been relatively short cool periods into a centuries-long chill.

The Little Ice Age is the coldest century-scale climate swing in the Northern Hemisphere in the past 8,000 years, Miller says. ?Our work says: Here is a potential way that you can explain it.?

The Little Ice Age began suddenly between 1275 and 1300 AD, the team estimates. It bases its estimate on vegetation samples gathered from Canada's Baffin Island during field trips between 2005 and 2010. The location once was covered with ice but lost it to global warming. Because the ice was on relatively flat ground, it preserved the vegetation it buried, without grinding it to powder. Using carbon-14 dating, the team analyzed some 147 samples and found two sudden periods of intense die-offs that took place when the ice cap experienced growth spurts. One occurred between 1275 and 1300, and the other between 1430 and 1450.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/yasSlql9YPU/Volcanic-eruptions-emerge-as-lead-cause-for-Little-Ice-Age

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Amber Portwood Cops Plea, Narrowly Avoids Jail in Probation Case

Maligned Teen Mom all-star Amber Portwood has copped a plea in her probation case and will not be sentenced to five years in prison ... at least not yet.

In jail since before Christmas awaiting trial for felony drug possession case, Ambs cut a deal Friday to avoid spending the foreseeable future behind bars.

Portwood pleaded not guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance - a medication she had no prescription for - and one probation violation.

In return, she remains on probation and, if she hopes to remain free, must complete the Madison County (Ind.) Drug Court program. Or else.

Her next hearing is scheduled for February 6.

Amber Portwood is on probation following her domestic violence case involving baby daddy Gary Shirley. She missed a probation hearing last month, a big no-no.

When police showed up at her house to check on her, they found the pills in her bag ... and she was unable to produce a prescription. Even bigger no-no.

While she's been in jail and making officials worried that she will shiv someone, Portwood's now-former landlord had sued to have her evicted.

A judge said she is already in the process of moving out, so the lawsuit is not necessary. A separate hearing on that issue is set for March 14.

[Photo: Fame Pictures]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/amber-portwood-cops-plea-avoids-jail-in-probation-case/

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RBS chief waives bonus after UK political storm (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? The chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) has decided to waive a bonus worth almost a million pounds ($1.6 million), the bank said on Sunday, after the handout angered Britons bearing the brunt of government austerity measures.

A spokesman for the partly state-owned bank said CEO Stephen Hester would no longer be taking the bonus, which was awarded at a time when most British workers are suffering wage freezes or sub-inflation rises.

"He's waived the bonus," said the spokesman for RBS, which is 83 percent owned by the British government following a state bailout during the 2008 credit crisis.

Hester had been due for the stock bonus, worth roughly 998,640 pounds based on Friday's closing price of RBS shares, on top of his basic salary of 1.2 million pounds. His decision followed a similar move by RBS Chairman Philip Hampton.

The deal had provoked a row across Britain's political spectrum, with the opposition Labor Party leading the attack.

The Liberal Democrat party, junior partner in the coalition government, also criticized the planned payment and even some members of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives joined the assault.

RBS made its announcement shortly after Labor stepped up the pressure by saying it would force a parliamentary debate in which it would have called on the government to use its 83 percent stake in RBS to cancel Hester's bonus.

Salaries at RBS and Lloyds (LLOY.L) are particularly controversial as both banks were bailed out with 66 billion pounds of taxpayers' money during the crisis. The British government owns 40 percent of Lloyds, along with its RBS stake.

DEFLECTED ATTENTION

Britain's Conservative finance minister George Osborne welcomed Hester's decision to decline his bonus.

"This is a sensible and welcome decision that enables Stephen Hester to focus on the very important job he has got to do, namely to get back billions of pounds of taxpayers' money that was put into RBS," he said.

Throughout the past week the Conservatives - the senior coalition party - had sought to deflect criticism over the government's handling of the affair by saying it was up to Hester to decide whether or not to take up his bonus.

The government had said overruling the RBS board would risk destabilizing a bank whose balance sheet is as large as Britain's entire economy. It also pointed out that the bonus scheme had been drawn up under the previous Labor government.

Hester, a former Abbey National and Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX) banker, joined RBS in October 2008 from property company British Land (BLND.L) as RBS was reeling from its disastrous acquisition of Dutch bank ABN AMRO and the effects of the credit crisis.

Britain used about 45 billion pounds of taxpayers' money to rescue RBS, leading to the eventual resignation of former head Sir Fred Goodwin, who was replaced by Hester.

Hester was given a brief to restructure RBS and restore its fortunes, and the bank has cut more than 30,000 jobs under him.

Like many banks, RBS's share price has fallen sharply over the last year, which again made Hester's bonus hard to justify.

Britain aims to sell its state holdings in RBS and Lloyds back to the private sector, although volatile markets have meant the timing of any disposal is uncertain.

(Editing by David Stamp)

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

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Researchers find cancer in ancient Egyptian mummy (AP)

CAIRO ? A professor from American University in Cairo says discovery of prostate cancer in a 2,200-year-old mummy indicates the disease was caused by genetics, not environment.

The genetics-environment question is key to understanding cancer.

AUC professor Salima Ikram, a member of the team that studied the mummy in Portugal for two years, said Sunday the mummy was of a man who died in his forties.

She said this was the second oldest known case of prostate cancer.

"Living conditions in ancient times were very different; there were no pollutants or modified foods, which leads us to believe that the disease is not necessarily only linked to industrial factors," she said.

A statement from AUC says the oldest known case came from a 2,700 year-old skeleton of a king in Russia.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_sc/ml_egypt_ancient_cancer

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Prejudices? Quite normal!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Girls are not as good at playing football as boys, and they do not have a clue about cars. Instead they know better how to dance and do not get into mischief as often as boys. Prejudices like these are cultivated from early childhood onwards by everyone. "Approximately at the age of three to four years children start to prefer children of the same sex, and later the same ethnic group or nationality," Prof. Dr. Andreas Beelmann of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) states. This is part of an entirely normal personality development, the director of the Institute for Psychology explains. "It only gets problematic when the more positive evaluation of the own social group, which is adopted automatically in the course of identity formation, at some point reverts into bias and discrimination against others," Beelmann continues.

To prevent this, the Jena psychologist and his team have been working on a prevention programme for children. It is designed to reduce prejudice and to encourage tolerance for others. But when is the right time to start? Jena psychologists Dr. Tobias Raabe and Prof. Dr. Andreas Beelmann systematically summarise scientific studies on that topic and published the results of their research in the science journal Child Development (DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01668.x.).

According to this, the development of prejudice increases steadily at pre-school age and reaches its highest level between five and seven years of age. With increasing age this development is reversed and the prejudices decline. "This reflects normal cognitive development of children," Prof. Beelmann explains. "At first they adopt the social categories from their social environment, mainly the parents. Then they start to build up their own social identity according to social groups, before they finally learn to differentiate and individual evaluations of others will prevail over stereotypes." Therefore the psychologists reckon this age is the ideal time to start well-designed prevention programmes against prejudice. "Prevention starting at that age supports the normal course of development," Beelmann says. As the new study and the experience of the Jena psychologists with their prevention programme so far show, the prejudices are strongly diminished at primary school age, when children get in touch with members of so-called social out groups like, for instance children of a different nationality or skin colour. "This also works when they don't even get in touch with real people but learn it instead via books or told stories."

But at the same time the primary school age is a critical time for prejudices to consolidate. "If there is no or only a few contact to members of social out groups, there is no personal experience to be made and generalising negative evaluations stick longer." In this, scientists see an explanation for the particularly strong xenophobia in regions with a very low percentage of foreigners or migrants.

Moreover the Jena psychologists noticed that social ideas and prejudices are formed differently in children of social minorities. They do not have a negative attitude towards the majority to start with, more often it is even a positive one. The reason is the higher social status of the majority, which is being regarded as a role model. Only later, after having experienced discrimination, they develop prejudices, that then sticks with them much more persistently than with other children. "In this case prevention has to start earlier so it doesn't even get that far," Beelmann is convinced.

Generally, the psychologist of the Jena University stresses, the results of the new study don't imply that the children's and youths attitudes towards different social groups can't be changed at a later age. But this would then less depend on the individual development and very much more on the social environment like for instance changing social norms in our society. Tolerance on the other hand could be encouraged at any age. The psychologists' "prescription": As many diverse contacts to individuals belonging to different social groups as possible. "People who can identify with many groups will be less inclined to make sweeping generalisations in the evaluation of individuals belonging to different social groups or even to discriminate against them," Prof. Beelmann says.

###

Raabe T, Beelmann A.: Development of ethnic, racial, and national prejudice in childhood and adolescence: A multinational meta-analysis of age differences. Child Development. 2011; 82(6):1715-37. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01668.x.

Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena: http://www.uni-jena.de

Thanks to Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena 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/117152/Prejudices__Quite_normal_

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Grammy-winning composer Clare Fischer dead at 83 (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Clare Fischer, a Grammy-winning composer who wrote scores for television and movies and worked with legendary musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, has died. He was 83.

Fischer died Thursday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after suffering a heart attack two weeks ago, family spokeswoman Claris Sayadian-Dodge said.

An uncommonly versatile musician, Fischer worked as a composer, arranger, conductor and pianist for more than 60 years.

He is best known for his arrangements for Prince, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Branford Marsalis, Raphael Saadiq, Usher and Brandy.

Nominated for a Grammy 11 times in the Best Instrumental Arrangement category, Fischer won in 1986 for his album "Free Fall" and in 1981 for "Salsa Picante plus 2+2."

Born in Durand, Mich., Fischer got his start playing piano and writing jazz-inspired arrangements for the group The Hi-Lo's, an a capella quartet popular in the 1950s.

He worked as the arranger on Gillespie's "Jazz Portrait of Duke Ellington."

Fischer recorded 51 albums over his lifetime with his son Brent Fischer. The music ranges in style from jazz to salsa to symphonies.

"Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept," Herbie Hancock is quoted as saying on Fischer's website.

"(Fischer) and Bill Evans, and Ravel and Gil Evans, finally. You know, that's where it really came from. Almost all of the harmony that I play can be traced to one of those four people and whoever their influences were," Hancock said.

Clare Fischer is survived by his wife, Donna; sons Lee and Brent; daughter Tahlia; and three grandchildren.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obits/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_en_tv/us_obit_fischer

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Rhapsody officially acquires Napster International, eyes European launch

After having already acquired Napster here in the US, Rhapsody has taken its expansion one step further, with the acquisition of Napster International. Under the deal, announced today, Rhapsody will continue to offer Napster-branded services across the UK and Germany, as promised, and will eventually migrate Napster subscribers to its own infrastructure in March, with existing personal libraries remaining intact (Napster is already live in the UK, but has yet to make its official German launch). The move will also bring changes to Napster users' mobile apps and web clients, with Rhapsody promising improved offline playback and enhanced library management tools "in the coming months." For more details, check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Rhapsody officially acquires Napster International, eyes European launch

Rhapsody officially acquires Napster International, eyes European launch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/rhapsody-officially-acquires-napster-international-eyes-europea/

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Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China

It's no secret that certain countries have different views over freedom of expression on the internet, but this hasn't stopped Twitter's attempt to keep its service running in as many places as possible. In its latest blog post, the microblogging service announced that it'll begin "to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country" when required, in order to keep said content available to all users elsewhere (as opposed to blocking it globally). The withheld tweets will be marked accordingly while their authors get notified with reasons where possible, and internet legal rights monitor Chilling Effects will also post the relevant take-down notices on a dedicated page.

This may seem like some form of censorship taking over Twitter, but the company only mentioned those of "historical or cultural reasons" like the ban of pro-Nazi content in France and Germany; so it's not clear whether Twitter will also handle similarly with tweets that potentially lead to events such as the UK riots last year. Even though Twitter didn't elaborate further for Reuters, there is one reassuring line in the post:

"Some [countries] differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there."

One such country is most likely China, and back at AsiaD in October, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told us that there's simply no way for his company to work with the Chinese government (you can watch him answering us at 38:17 in the video -- courtesy of All Things D -- after the break):

"The unfortunate fact is we're just not allowed to compete in this market, and that's not up to us to change. The person to ask is trade experts between both governments, but at the end of the day we can't compete. They (Chinese microblogging platforms) can compete in our markets, and we're certainly interested in what that means for us... We would love to have a strong Twitter in China, but we'd need to be allowed to do that."

There are obviously many factors that add up to this sour relationship, but the contradiction between China's strict internet monitoring policy and Twitter's core values is the most likely the biggest obstacle. And of course, the Chinese government would favor its home-grown tech properties, anyway. That said, several months ago, one of the country's largest microblogging services Sina Weibo was criticized by the authorities for not censoring fast enough, so it's obvious that it'd be even trickier to work with a foreign company that sees things differently. Things are unlikely to change any time soon, or ever, unless China relaxes its policy.

Continue reading Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China

Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/27/twitter-censors-content-in-specific-countries/

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Roche's Avastin helps colorectal cancer patients (Reuters)

ZURICH (Reuters) ? Patients with advanced colorectal cancer who received Roche's Avastin live longer when they also receive the drug as part of their second round of treatment, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday, citing a late-stage study.

Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer first treated with Avastin and standard chemotherapy before being given Avastin with a different chemotherapy after their disease had progressed lived significantly longer than those given only chemotherapy in the second-line setting, Roche said.

The news is likely to boost sentiment around the drug, which recently suffered a major setback when U.S. authorities decided to revoke their backing of its use in breast cancer.

Roche will submit the results of the ML 18147 study at an upcoming medical meeting.

In Europe, Avastin is currently approved in colorectal, lung, renal, breast cancer and it has just won approval in ovarian cancer.

(Reporting by Katie Reid; Editing by Hans-Juergen Peters)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/hl_nm/us_roche

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French brand Courreges takes retro fashion online (Reuters)

PARIS (Reuters) ? Courreges, the futuristic fashion brand of the 1960s, is poised to bring its vinyl boots and A-line mini-dresses back into vogue, relaunching the French name online.

A year after the brand was sold for more than 10 million euros ($13.05 million) to two directors from advertising agency Young & Rubicam, Jacques Bungert and Frederic Torloting, Courreges is now also aiming to expand its perfume business.

The simple shapes and minimalist black and white palette of the couturier Andre Courreges -- a protege of Balenciaga -- had their heydey in the 1960s and 70s, rivaling Chanel and Dior, before being sold to Japanese investors in the 1980s.

A decade later Courreges and his wife Coqueline bought back the brand but it largely disappeared from sight before the purchase by Bungert and Torloting in January 2011.

"We're hoping that the brand returns, in five to 10 years, to its former stature as a global brand with its dimension of innovation that earlier made its success," Bungert told Reuters.

"When the feeling of a brand is respected, it can be reborn without losing its integrity," he added.

Currently, Courreges clothes and accessories are sold at its Paris boutique in the posh Eighth Arrondissement, where sales have risen 40 percent in a year, Bungert said. Total revenue for the brand is now about 20 million, the executives said.

Internet sales begin February 1, and women will be able to shop online for nearly all the clothes and accessories currently sold in the boutique.

Torloting said Courreges' design lends itself well to online sales, as the brand does not use the kind of delicate fabrics that could get damaged in transit.

As for perfume, Courreges' "Empreinte" and "Eau de Courreges," currently sold only in the boutique, will now be distributed more widely, and a publicity campaign, the first since 1996, is planned.

As Paris Fashion Week launched Monday with its bi-annual Haute Couture shows, Torloting said he has no intention of parading twice-yearly collections on the catwalk at the industry's fashion weeks.

Founder Andre Courreges refused to use celebrities to promote his swinging sixties styles, claiming designs such as his 1964 "Space Age" collection were created for the "ordinary woman."

"The idea of creating collections that push each other out is not very modern in our view," Torloting told Reuters.

"We don't want to manufacture our own obsolescence," he said.

(Writing by Alexandria Sage, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/fashion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/stage_nm/us_fashion_courreges

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Make-A-Wish Foundation honors WWE and John Cena for their commitment to wish-granting

PHOENIX ? The Make-A-Wish Foundation honored WWE Superstar John Cena and WWE for their contributions to wish kids by dedicating a WWE-themed conference room in the charity?s global headquarters. (PHOTOS)

Cena is on pace to grant 300 wishes to kids with life-threatening medical conditions, making him the first celebrity wish granter ever to reach that lofty goal. In 2009, John Cena received the Foundation?s ?Chris Greicius Award? for his outstanding efforts on behalf of wish kids. (MORE ABOUT CENA'S INVOLVEMENT)

Recently, Cena teamed up with Post Foods to prominently display the Make-A-Wish Foundation alongside his image on newly designed boxes of Post Fruity Pebbles Cereal (MORE), which are available nationwide through March.?

WWE and WWE Superstars have been granting wishes with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for more than 30 years and have donated a significant amount of funds to help cover costs associated with many of those wishes. Cena continues to be one of the most frequently requested celebrity wishes. In addition to John Cena, WWE and its talent have received the ?Chris Greicius Award? award four additional times.?

?WWE wishes have been popular since early in the Foundation?s history and we are proud to count the WWE and its Superstars as longtime supporters,? said David Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. ?John Cena?s commitment to our mission and his connection with our wish kids make him one of our best wish ambassadors. We are grateful for everything John and WWE have done, and we look forward to them granting many more wishes in the future.?

Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/wweinyourcorner/make-a-wish-honors-cena-wwe

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Meet the $2,400 Porsche smartphone (Yahoo! News)

The ultra-expensive BlackBerry is sold only in the UK and Middle East

Looking for a way to prove that you have more money than you know what to do with? Look no further than the?BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981, a $2,400 smartphone that helps the world identify you as "that guy who just spent $2,400 on a cell phone."

The specs of the?BlackBerry itself aren't nearly as impressive as you'd expect for a phone that costs about what the average U.S. worker earns in a month. What you get for your money is a 2.8-inch, 640 x 480 touch screen (for those keeping score, smaller and lower resolution than the?iPhone 4S), a?5-megapixel camera and 720p HD video recording (the iPhone 4S offers 8-megapixels and 1080p), and 768MB of RAM. In other words, the ridiculously expensive?smartphone looks obsolete when put next to a phone that came out three months ago.

The phone is hardly the most expensive we've seen ? a Danish retailer released a?$60,000 cell phone last year, and Tag Heuer offers a?$6,700 leather Android smartphone.?And what do you really get for your money? The Porsche name, an admittedly cool design, and higher-quality construction.

Our advice? Your money would be better spent buying 12 iPhone 4S's and throwing 11 of them in the trash.

BlackBerry via?Engadget

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120125/tc_yblog_technews/meet-the-2400-porsche-smartphone

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Mitt Romney's Tax Filings Mean Nothing to the 2012 Presidential Campaign (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | As reported by Reuters, Mitt Romney has bowed to pressure by Newt Gingrich and released his 2010-2011 tax filings. The filings reveal that the former Massachusetts governor had income of $45 million and paid taxes on that totaling $6.7 million.

Gingrich made the claims that Mitt was hiding his income and attempted to paint him as someone out of touch with main street America. Yet the governor's forced release of his tax information showed none of this. His largest source of income is held in blind trust which he has no control over, and he is about as in touch with the everyday American as any other politician. Can Gingrich name a presidential candidate in history that went from working at McDonald's to the White House? All candidates are millionaires whose typical employment is either as a lawyer, CEO, or a career politician.

Since Gingrich brought the issues of tax filings into the campaign, let us take a look at his 2010 filing as shown on his website and see how it compares to Romney's return. Gingrich made $3,162,424 in income for the year yet only had $127,290 withheld for Federal Taxes and a total tax liability of $996,251 for the year putting his taxes at about 32 percent. This is offset some by a carry-forward of a tax credit from last year of $485,860. Where did this tax credit come from? To ask the same thing that Gingrich is asking Mitt, is Gingrich trying to hide something from last year that gave him a tax refund of at least $485,860? The filing goes on to say that Gingrich gave only a little over $81,000 to charity. That's only a meager 4 percent as compared an estimated 15 percent that Romney gave in donations. I say these things with a touch of sarcasm to illustrate the point that this tit-for-tat is pointless.

Overall, this really should not be an issue for the Republicans. As the well known writer, Napoleon Hill said, "Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness."

We are the party of achievement. We celebrate success. We praise those that provide for their family and their descendants. Yet here Gingrich is, waving the Democrats' banner for them. He is trying to make people hate Romney for no other reason than he has money. We as the voter need to demand that Gingrich and the rest of the GOP candidates focus the campaign on one thing and one thing only, beating Obama and the Democrats. Nitpicking each other over how much money that person has or if that person has a Swiss bank account or not is only making it easier for the Democrats.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120124/pl_ac/10877591_mitt_romneys_tax_filings_mean_nothing_to_the_2012_presidential_campaign

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HBT: Vizquel, 44, agrees to deal with Blue Jays

UPDATE: ESPN?s Jerry Crasnick originally reported that Vizquel was getting a one-year deal, but it?s actually a minor-league deal with a spring training invite. He?s expected to battle?Mike McCoy and Luis Valbuena for a utility infield job.

8:00 PM: While we haven?t heard much about Omar Vizquel this winter, we?re happy to pass along word that he?s coming back for at least one more season.

ESPN?s Jerry Crasnick reports that the veteran infielder has agreed to a one-year contract with the Blue Jays.

Vizquel, who turns 45 in April, batted .251/.287/.305 with seven doubles and eight RBI and a .592 OPS over 182 plate appearances with the White Sox in 2011. He made 20 starts at third base, 14 at second base and eight at shortstop last season, so he?ll likely function in a similar utility infield role with Toronto. Of course, he?s also a nice tutor to have around for their young infielders.

This will be Vizquel?s 24th big-league season. The 11-time Gold Glove Award winner has a .272 lifetime average to go along with 2,812 career hits and three All-Star appearances. 49-year-old Jamie Moyer and 45-year-old Tim Wakefield are the only older ?active? players in the majors.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/omar-vizquel-agrees-to-one-year-deal-with-blue-jays/related/

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Bonus season not as festive for bank CEOs

In a Feb. 13, 2009, file photo, JP Morgan Chase and Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon listens in the East Room of the White House in Washington. JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank, posted record profit for 2011. Morgan Stanley's latest quarter topped expectations as the bank trimmed costs and cleaned up mortgage-related problems. But CEOs Dimon and James Gorman aren't taking home bigger bonuses. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

In a Feb. 13, 2009, file photo, JP Morgan Chase and Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon listens in the East Room of the White House in Washington. JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank, posted record profit for 2011. Morgan Stanley's latest quarter topped expectations as the bank trimmed costs and cleaned up mortgage-related problems. But CEOs Dimon and James Gorman aren't taking home bigger bonuses. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

In this Nov. 8, 2010, file photo, James P. Gorman, president and CEO of Morgan Stanley, smiles as he attends at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association "Invested in America" annual meeting, in New York. JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank, posted record profit for 2011. Morgan Stanley's latest quarter topped expectations as the bank trimmed costs and cleaned up mortgage-related problems. But CEOs Jamie Dimon, of JPMorgan Chase, and Gorman aren't taking home bigger bonuses. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? JPMorgan Chase, the nation's largest bank, posted a record profit for 2011. That didn't translate into a bigger bonus for CEO Jamie Dimon. Morgan Stanley's latest quarterly results topped expectations as the bank trimmed costs and cleaned up problems dating from the financial crisis. But CEO James Gorman saw the value of his stock awards for the year fall by half.

Across their ranks, Wall Street banks are curbing bonus pay for last year's performance, which was marked by big drops in stock prices and still-hefty costs for mortgage-related problems. In the last three months of the year, fear about the European debt crisis made the stock and bond markets volatile, and clients of all the major banks shied away from mergers and acquisitions and public offerings of stock. That sharply reduced investment banking and underwriting fees. The banks also faced a surge in populist anger, as the Occupy Wall Street movement went national.

Financial stocks were some of the worst performing in 2011. While the S&P 500 Index finished the year flat, Morgan Stanley shares plunged 44 percent, JPMorgan dropped nearly 22 percent and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. tanked 46 percent.

Compensation followed the downward trend. In a closely watched and politically charged gauge, JPMorgan Chase & Co. revealed earlier this month that it set aside 36 percent less than the year before to pay its investment bankers. Morgan Stanley shed 700 workers last year and capped the amount that workers can get in their bonuses immediately, deferring anything over $125,000. Rival Goldman eliminated 7 percent of its employees and cut 2011 pay by 21 percent.

And it appears the banks' CEOs are not immune. On Friday, Morgan Stanley's regulatory filing showed that the value of Gorman's stock award for the year dropped to $5.1 million from $10.2 million in 2010.

Gorman, who became CEO two years ago, has been slimming down the bank, selling off units like a mortgage servicing division and an asset management business. He's been emphasizing divisions like wealth management, which provide smaller returns than some investment banking operations but also carry a lot less risk because they're based on fees rather than markets. Unlike JPMorgan and some other big banks, Morgan Stanley doesn't have a large consumer deposit base to rely on when its investment bank stumbles.

JPMorgan's Dimon received restricted stock worth $12.6 million and stock appreciation rights reportedly valued at roughly $5 million for 2011, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday. That compares with about $17.1 million in stock and SARs that he was granted for 2010.

For the full year, JPMorgan posted a record profit of $19 billion, up from $17.4 billion in 2010. But the bank struggled amid the choppy financial markets, which hurt investment banking fees in the fourth quarter. The bank also disclosed that it spent $3.2 billion last year to fight lawsuits, almost all of them over poorly written mortgages. That's down from $5.7 billion in 2010, but Dimon acknowledged there's still a "huge drag" on earnings five years after the bubble burst.

Complete compensation details, including the value of the executives' 2011 cash compensation, perks and benefits weren't disclosed. None of the banks have filed annual proxy statements, which include those financial details.

Dimon received a total pay package for 2010 valued at $20.8 million, including a salary of $1 million and a cash bonus of $5 million. Gorman received compensation valued at $15.2 million, including a salary of $800,000 and a cash bonus of $3.9 million.

The Associated Press formula calculates an executive's total compensation during the last fiscal year by adding salary, bonuses, perks, above-market interest the company pays on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock and stock options awarded during the year. The AP formula does not count changes in the present value of pension benefits. That makes the AP total slightly different in most cases from the total reported by companies to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The value that a company assigned to an executive's stock and option awards for 2010 was the present value that the company expected the awards to be worth to the executive over time. Companies use one of several formulas to calculate that value. However, the number is just an estimate, and what an executive ultimately receives depends on the performance of the company's stock in the years after the awards are granted. Most stock compensation programs require an executive to wait a specified length of time to receive shares or exercise options.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-21-US-Bank-Bonuses/id-fec7f13d6e0c41d59595ab122c515502

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 122 - 01.21.2012

This podcast is all about vision, which proves that the Engadget Mobile Podcasters were not completely blinded by the light of the Consumer Electronics Show. They got close, though.

Hosts: Myriam Joire (tnkgrl), Brad Molen
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Tycho - Coastal Brake (Ghostly International)

00:01:37 - Huawei Honor review
00:31:05 - ZTE Tania arrives in the UK: a budget phone for budget buyers
00:32:00 - ZTE pays Microsoft around $27 for each Windows Phone made
00:44:36 - Editorial: Don't call it an ultrabook
01:01:36 - Google's Matias Duarte reveals design standards for Android 4.0 at CES 2012
01:16:48 - AT&T to adjust data plans January 22nd, offers more gigs for more money
01:27:38 - Virgin Mobile targets March 23rd to throttle data, take candy from children
01:28:45 - Samsung wasn't interested in buying RIM, still isn't interested in buying RIM
01:30:05 - Samsung's Bada - Tizen merger still looking pretty likely
01:31:24 - Verizon to sell $200 Droid RAZR, 16GB microSD card not included this time
01:36:05 - HTC EVO 3D: poof, no more Carrier IQ software
01:39:30 - Skype exec confirms that Windows Phone product is 'coming soon'
01:44:27 - KDDI and Kyocera create speaker-free smartphone, we go hands-on (video)
01:46:10 - Nokia Lumia 900 coming to retail on March 18?
01:46:25 - Texas Instruments demos first OMAP 5, Android 4.0-based reference design, promises it in laptops next year (video)
01:47:35 - SpareOne cellphone claims 15-year battery life, we go hands-on






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Engadget Mobile Podcast 122 - 01.21.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/oQopxOEMDs0/

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Radiation-induced damage to brain tissue reversed by oxygen starvation in mice

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Treating brain tumors with whole brain radiation therapy can damage healthy brain tissue, but a new study in mice reveals that limiting the oxygen supply, or hypoxia, can alleviate some of the cognitive impairment caused by the radiation. The results are reported in the Jan. 18 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.

The researchers, led by William Sonntag of University of Oklahoma, exposed the mice to a clinically relevant regimen of radiation, which caused progressive deterioration of spatial learning starting about two months post-radiation.

However, when mice were treated with chronic hypoxia for about three weeks, beginning one month after radiation exposure, they showed significant improvement in this area, which was maintained for at least two months after returning to normal oxygen levels.

The radiation treatment also caused an early decline in contextual learning and memory, but these deficiencies were transient and dissipated within three months post-radiation.

###

Warrington JP, Csiszar A, Mitschelen M, Lee YW, Sonntag WE (2012) Whole Brain Radiation-Induced Impairments in Learning and Memory Are Time-Sensitive and Reversible by Systemic Hypoxia. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30444. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030444

Public Library of Science: http://www.plos.org

Thanks to Public Library of 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.

This press release has been viewed 39 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116851/Radiation_induced_damage_to_brain_tissue_reversed_by_oxygen_starvation_in_mice

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Rocket with military satellite launches from Florida

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:31pm EST

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - An unmanned heavy-lift Delta 4 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Thursday to put a high-speed broadband communications satellite into orbit for the U.S. military.

The 217-foot(66-metre)-long rocket, manufactured by the Boeing-Lockheed Martin partnership United Launch Alliance, lifted off at 7:38 p.m. EST (0038 GMT Friday).

It was the first of 12 launches planned from Cape Canaveral this year.

Perched atop the Delta 4 booster was a $464-million spacecraft, built by Boeing, called the Wideband Global SATCOM 4. It is designed to relay high-resolution video, imagery, communications and other data at significantly faster rates than predecessor spacecraft.

In addition to linking ground troops and command stations, the satellite will be used to route tracking and data streams from unmanned aerial drones.

"This launch will be another important step in advancing communications capabilities for U.S. warfighters and allies around the world," Boeing Vice President Craig Cooning said in a statement before launch.

The 6.5-tonne satellite is expected to be put into service next year supporting troops in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. It joins three other wideband global spacecraft already in orbit.

(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/lChGqLN8siY/us-space-usa-military-idUSTRE80J04V20120120

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Marine's trial in Iraq deaths to continue Friday (AP)

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. ? Proceedings were stalled for a second day Thursday in the military trial of a major Iraq war crimes case, but court was expected to reconvene Friday.

A military judge excused the all-Marine jury Wednesday and lawyers were asked to explore their options, fueling speculation that a plea deal was in the works that could end the trial of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn.

Wuterich led a squad that killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians during raids on homes in the town of Haditha in 2005 after a roadside bomb killed one Marine.

But defense attorney Neal Puckett told The Associated Press late Thursday that he expected a full day of testimony Friday, with a squad mate and a forensic scientist with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service expected to take the stand.

Puckett said prosecutors also will show outtakes that Wuterich gave in 2007 to CBS's "60 Minutes." The trial was delayed for years by pre-trial wrangling between the defense and prosecution, including over whether the military could use the unaired outtakes. Prosecutors eventually won the right to view the footage.

Wuterich has said he regretted the loss of civilian lives but believed he was operating within military combat rules.

Prosecutors have argued Wuterich lost control of himself after seeing the body of his friend blown apart by the bomb.

The incident still fuels anger in Iraq today and was a main reason behind the country's demands that U.S. troops not be given immunity from its legal system. Those demands were the deal breaker in keeping forces there after the war ended in December.

Wuterich is one of eight Marines initially charged. None has been convicted.

His squad members have testified during the trial, which started 10 days ago. Several said they did not positively identify their targets before opening fire and tossing grenades into two homes near the bomb site. Some also said they did not believe the squad did anything wrong because they believed insurgents were in the homes.

The raid went on for 45 minutes. The Marines found no weapons or insurgents, and they met no gunfire in the homes. Among the dead were women, children and elderly, including a man in a wheelchair.

Six squad members have had charges dropped or dismissed, and one was acquitted.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_us/us_marines_haditha

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Video: American Migration Patterns

A look at where Americans are moving and what it says about a housing recovery, with Brian Iles, UniGroup Worldwide president.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46059912/

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Government Wants ?More Oversight? On Automotive Electronics ...

A panel convened by the?National Academy of Sciences is calling for NHTSA to??become more familiar with and engaged in?. What does this mean for you? More government intervention in new cars, of course.

Automotive News reported that

?The panel recommended that regulators require event data recorders in cars and that the safety agency research the design and placement of accelerator and brake pedals to minimize the risk of drivers mistaking one for the other.?NHTSA plans to propose a rule requiring data recorders and to update its accelerator-control safety standard to require a so-called brake override system in a few months, Lynda Tran, an agency spokeswoman, said.?

I don?t know about you, but I?ve never ever confused the brake and gas pedals in my life. As for the event data recorded law? Well, I?m sure the Best and Brightest will have lots to say about that. Maybe Ronnie can give Ray LaHood a piece of his mind on behalf of TTAC next time they run into one another.

Source: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/01/government-wants-more-oversight-on-automotive-electronics/

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97% The Artist

Wow. I really can't think of anything bad to say about this movie. It was such a treat. It's really a remarkable film; it looks exactly as if it were made in, like, 1933: The sets, the costumes, the film techniques, the narrative style, the look and mannerisms of the actors, the lighting, the style of humour and the music all create the near-flawless illusion that this is a genuine product of old Hollywood. It's really really astounding, but you don't have to be an old-school film nerd to like it. Despite being peppered with references to cinema history (Garbo, the Hays Code), it's still really accessible, no matter what your tastes. It's amazing how it blends the showiness of a classical musical comedy with a genuinely emotional (which is at times gritty and tragic) story of the cinema world leaving behind its erstwhile most beloved star. Jean Dujardin is mesmerizing and really endearing as George Valentin, the eternal showman and star of the silent screen who feels increasingly alienated and obsolete in the face of sound cinema. He's a captivating character, a man whose practised fake smile looks exactly like his real one and therefore keeps whatever pain he feels close to his chest. Berenice Bejo is also terrific as Peppy Miller, the new(er) Hollywood starlet seemingly built for sound cinema. Miller quickly eclipses Valentin, making him bitter for having given her her start and making her feel guilty, as a fan of Valentin's from way back. The orbit of these characters around each other drives the film, as they have great affection and respect for each other - not to mention great chemistry - yet circumstance has placed them on either side of cinema's technical divide. Ugh! What a great movie. It works terrifically as a comedy, or as a musical, as a character drama and just as well as a curious and brilliantly successful experiment in cinematic form. I am so happy to have seen this in the theatre. Oh! I should also mention that it's almost completely silent, but it uses sound sparingly and playfully, and to wonderful narrative avail. I can't wait to see this again.

January 18, 2012

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_artist/

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Romney hunted moose ? no elk, no varmints (AP)

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. ? Mitt Romney confused moose with elk as he described his last hunting trip.

In Monday night's Republican debate in South Carolina, the GOP front-runner said he "went moose hunting" in Montana with friends, then quickly corrected himself and said it was, in fact, elk hunting.

The comment came in response to a question about gun rights and hunting.

Romney acknowledged that "he's not the great hunter that some on the stage are."

He suggested of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, "My guess is you're a serious hunter."

But Romney said that when he's invited, he's "delighted to be able to go hunting."

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

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Man gets life sentence in Ga. girl's killing

Ryan Brunn enters Superior Court Judge Frank Mills court at the Cherokee County Justice Center in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012. Brunn, 20, pleaded guilty Tuesday to several charges including murder in the Dec. 2 killing of Jorelys Rivera. He responded ?Yes, sir,? when a judge asked if he was pleading guilty to the charges. The judge accepted his plea and sentenced him to life without parole. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Phil Skinner) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT

Ryan Brunn enters Superior Court Judge Frank Mills court at the Cherokee County Justice Center in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012. Brunn, 20, pleaded guilty Tuesday to several charges including murder in the Dec. 2 killing of Jorelys Rivera. He responded ?Yes, sir,? when a judge asked if he was pleading guilty to the charges. The judge accepted his plea and sentenced him to life without parole. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Phil Skinner) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT

Ryan Brunn, center, stands in front of Superior Court Judge Frank Mills at the Cherokee County Justice Center in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012. Brunn, 20, pleaded guilty Tuesday to several charges including murder in the Dec. 2 killing of Jorelys Rivera. He responded ?Yes, sir,? when a judge asked if he was pleading guilty to the charges. The judge accepted his plea and sentenced him to life without parole. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Phil Skinner) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT

Jocelyn Rivera cries as Ryan Brunn pleas guilty in front of Superior Court Judge Frank Mills at the Cherokee County Justice Center in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012. Brunn, 20, pleaded guilty to several charges including murder in the Dec. 2 killing of Jorelys Rivera. He responded ?Yes, sir,? when a judge asked if he was pleading guilty to the charges. The judge accepted his plea and sentenced him to life without parole. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Phil Skinner) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT

Jocelyn Rivera, left, keeps her eyes on Ryan Brunn at the Cherokee County Justice Center in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012. Brunn, 20, pleaded guilty to several charges including murder in the Dec. 2 killing of Jorelys Rivera. He responded ?Yes, sir,? when a judge asked if he was pleading guilty to the charges. The judge accepted his plea and sentenced him to life without parole. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Phil Skinner) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT

Jocelyn Rivera cries while sitting with family members as Ryan Brunn pleas guilty in front of Superior Court Judge Frank Mills at the Cherokee County Justice Center in Canton, Ga. on Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012. Brunn, 20, pleaded guilty to several charges including murder in the Dec. 2 killing of Jorelys Rivera. He responded ?Yes, sir,? when a judge asked if he was pleading guilty to the charges. The judge accepted his plea and sentenced him to life without parole. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Phil Skinner) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT

CANTON, Ga. (AP) ? An apartment maintenance man in north Georgia has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to molesting and killing a 7-year-old girl, bringing an unusually swift conclusion to a case that frightened the community just over a month ago.

Speaking softly in court and with little emotion, 20-year-old Ryan Brunn quietly detailed Tuesday how he lured Jorelys Rivera (JOR'-ih-lees ruh-VEHR'-uh) into a vacant apartment, molested her, beat and stabbed her to death and stuffed her body into a trash bin.

The girl disappeared when she left the apartment complex's playground to get sodas for her friends. Brunn told the judge he used her lost roller skate to coax her into the unit in the complex where he had worked for about a month and forced her to undress.

"I didn't want her to go home and tell her mom or dad on me," Brunn said. "So I cut her."

As Brunn spoke, the Rivera's family sobbed in the front row.

"I would like to apologize for everything I've done," Brunn said, turning to the girl's family. "Lo siento," he said, which means "I'm sorry" in Spanish.

The guilty plea to murder, child molestation and other charges spared Brunn from possibly facing the death penalty ? and Rivera's family from the prospect of an emotionally devastating trial. Law enforcement officers said the speed of the case even caught them by surprise.

"It's not often that we get to see a monster appear in court and make a full admission. And certainly we don't get to see justice done this fast," said Vernon Keenan, the head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He said Brunn showed in court that he was a "sociopathic killer."

"He has no remorse. And he deserves no sympathy," Keenan said. "He is a cold and calculated killer."

Page Pate, an Atlanta defense attorney who has worked on murder cases, said he was surprised by the speed of the conclusion. Brunn was indicted on the charges just a week ago. He pointed to two possible reasons that led to Brunn's decision.

"The lawyers representing him realized early on they had an uphill battle and I expect they were looking for the fastest resolution possible. Their number one objective was to save him from the death penalty," said Pate. "And the district attorney's office realized this would be a very costly trial."

Prosecutors read a statement from the girl's mother, Joselinne Rivera, who said she hopes Brunn suffers as much as her family has.

"The rest of my life I am going to feel terrible and destroyed because of the harm you did to my daughter," Joselinne Rivera said in the statement. "I desire this man the worst possible of the world, and that they do to him the worst so he suffers."

She and the family didn't comment after the hearing.

In court, Brunn said he chose Rivera after he found her skate outside her apartment building in Canton. He snapped a photo of it and then used it on Dec. 2 to persuade the girl to follow him into a vacant unit he had earlier unlocked.

"I thought to myself, I was going to lure her. I don't know why," he said, adding: "I asked her if it was hers. And she came."

When they got to the apartment, he first forced her to lie on a mattress and undress, he said. When she wanted to use the bathroom, he said he followed her in there and forced her to lie on a bathtub. He said she never asked to leave, but only if she could go home when he was finished. He said he soon grew fearful of the consequences of the assault.

"I got scared in there from what I was doing and I didn't want her to go home and tell on me," he said.

So he bound her arms with plastic ties, stuffed her mouth with a cloth dishrag and then wrapped her face in tape, Brunn said. He said he then took a razor used for slicing carpet and slit her throat. When she struggled for a few minutes, he said he hit her about five times with the skate and then wrapped her body in a blanket, which he then dumped in a trash compactor.

That night, he said, he helped search for the missing girl for about an hour, went to Wal-Mart with two friends and came home to smoke marijuana and meth. Two days later, though, he said he began "freaking out" as the search for the girl intensified.

He said he took a McDonald's receipt from his car and scrawled a note saying the girl's body was in the trash compactor, which he taped to the device. When pressed by the judge why he did that, he responded simply: "I was high."

Brunn insisted he never had sex with the girl, and prosecutors agreed to reduce charges against him from aggravated child molestation to child molestation. He also pleaded guilty to a range of other charges, including assault and abandonment of a dead body. He had no history of a criminal past and passed a background check to work at the complex.

Keenan, the GBI director, said after the hearing that investigators uncovered evidence that Brunn had molested other children. He said Brunn's speedy guilty plea gives investigators a chance to delve into Brunn's pathos to uncover what makes him tick.

"If he were on death row, we wouldn't have the opportunity to talk to him and learn and perfect our skills," he said.

Brunn, who is being transferred to state prison, said nothing else as he was escorted from courtroom but his attorney offered brief remarks.

"A child's life was lost and he was sentenced," said his attorney, David Cannon. "And that's the bottom line ladies and gentlemen. It's over."

___

Follow Bluestein at http://www.twitter.com/bluestein .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-18-Playground%20Abduction/id-4577ba7d6b4d4915a0659f50ff3bb4f1

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