From mouse to elephant in 24 million generations

Within as little as 24 million generations, mammals can evolve from the size of a mouse to the size of an elephant, a new study estimates.

This calculation is based on the most rapid increase in size seen in the fossil record after a mass extinction wiped out their much larger competitors, the dinosaurs. They also found animals can shrink more than 10 times as fast as they can grow to giant sizes.

"What we wanted to know is how quickly could they evolve from these tiny, scampering mammals to the behemoths of the land we see now," Alistair Evans, the lead study researcher and an evolutionary biologist at Monash University in Australia, wrote in an email to LiveScience. "It's a classic story of taking advantage of a new opportunity ? the vacant landscape devoid of dinosaurs."

At the end of the Cretaceous Period, about the time the dinosaurs disappeared, mammals were small ? the largest ones appear to have been rodentlike creatures about the size of rabbits, weighing about 6.6 pounds (3 kilograms).

Within about 40 million years, the largest living mammal ever to live had emerged: the Indricotherium.

Related to horses and rhinos, the tusked, tree-leaf-eating Indricotherium is estimated to have weighed as much as 33,000 pounds (15,000 kilograms), according Evans.

Evans and his colleagues looked at size changes within 28 groups of mammals, called orders of mammals, on four continents and all ocean basins. They found a discrepancy between the rate of change within species and the rate of change within higher level groups that include many species, such as orders. Within species, change happens more quickly, but these rates do not last for long.

If they did, the team calculates that mammals could go from mouse-size to elephant-size in 200,000 generations. However, the fossil record demonstrates large-scale changes don't happen this quickly, according to Evans.

While mammals got steadily bigger after the dinosaurs disappeared, the rates at which they did so varied among the groups.

The fastest group was the cetaceans, or aquatic mammals, such as whales and dolphins, which became bigger at about twice the rate of land-dwelling mammals. Cetaceans' ancestors were originally land-dwelling, and the switch to water most likely encouraged them to grow rapidly, since they no longer needed to support their own weight and because large size helps prevent the loss of body heat in water, according to Evans.

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   4. From mouse to elephant in 24 million generations

The largest primate ? the group to which humans belong ? was Gigantopithecus blacki, an extinct ape that weighed about 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms). As impressive as that might look, primates showed the slowest rate of size increase of any group; Evans is not sure what's behind the slow rate.

"There seems to be some intrinsic maximum rate that each order evolves at, which may have something to do with the basic construction or physiology of each group," he wrote. "So it may be really hard to be built like a primate and get very big."

Things can get smaller much faster than they can get big, they also found. Mammals can shrink at more than 10 times the rate at which they get bigger, and among animals living in isolated environments, primarily on islands, the decrease in size can be even more rapid.

For example, dwarf elephants that once inhabited islands in the Mediterranean Sea weighed about 220 pounds (100 kilograms). They are believed to be descended from larger European elephants, weighing 100 times as much, which lived on mainland Europe. This decrease happened in less than 800,000 years, much faster than any rate of increase over the last 70 million years, Evans said.

The research was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

You can follow LiveScience? senior writer Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46197362/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Japan's industrial output rebounds 4 percent (AP)

TOKYO ? Japan's industrial production rebounded 4 percent in December from November and household spending increased for a second month, suggesting the still-weak economy is gaining some steam after last year's tsunami disaster and flooding in Thailand that disrupted manufacturers' supply chains.

Output of automobiles, cell phones and semiconductors drove the gains last month after production fell 2.7 percent in November. Manufacturers project further production increases in January and February, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday.

But Japan's unemployment rate edged up to 4.6 percent and Junko Nishioka, economist at RBS Japan Securities, cautioned that the economic outlook was "mixed."

While she was heartened by the 0.5 percent uptick in family spending, Nishioka said prospects for Japan's vital manufacturing sector remained tentative amid weak export demand.

"The pace of recovery will be slow," she said. "So far, we're seeing some recovery in the auto sector and electronic components, but still it's still not enough to compensate for the gap recorded after the March disaster and the Thai flooding."

The factory data showed that shipments grew 4.5 percent and inventories fell 2.9 percent, both healthy indicators. Broadly speaking, production was led by strength in the electronics, automobile and general machinery sectors, the report showed.

Looking ahead, manufacturers predicted that industrial output would rise 2.5 percent in January and another 1.2 percent in February, according to a METI survey.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_economy

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Samsung Galaxy S Advance announced in full mid-range glory

Samsung announced the Galaxy S Advance today, due for Russia in February, and heading to just about everywhere but North America after that. The form factor sure looks familiar, and the specs are decidedly mid-range. It's powered by a dual-core 1 GHz processor, enjoys a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED touch display, and sports a 5 megapixel camera on the back plus a secondary front shooter. The Samsung Galaxy S Advance is running Android 2.3, and connects via 14.4 Mbps HSPA, firmly locking it down as a middle-of-the road smartphone. 

It's not terribly exciting, but Mobile World Congress is just around the corner - who knows what else Samsung will have to show us? Full press release after the jump..

Source: Samsung

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Z4OKj64q5Wc/story01.htm

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Google, Facebook, Privacy ? And You

Like millions of other people, I got an email from Google this morning. It was entitled ?Changes to Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service?. The first sentence describes the intent of the changes as shortening 60 policies into one, and improving their readability.

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

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Ayla Reynolds Case: Blood Found At Home Where Maine Tot Was Last Seen

PORTLAND, Maine ? Investigators have been analyzing blood found in the basement of a Maine home where a missing toddler was last seen six weeks ago, an official said Saturday.

The blood was found early in the investigation into Ayla Reynolds' disappearance from her father's home in Waterville, state police spokesman Steve McCausland said. The state crime laboratory has been running tests on it since then, but it was unclear when results would be available.

Ayla's father, Justin DiPietro, reported her missing Dec. 17. He had put her to bed the night before and said she wasn't there the next morning.

McCausland called the discovery of the blood "troubling." He declined to discuss how much blood was found in the basement or how long it might have been there.

Ayla was 20 months old when she disappeared. She had been staying with her father at the time in the house where DiPietro lives with his mother. Her mother, Trista Reynolds, lives in Portland.

DiPietro told police she was wearing green pajamas with polka dots and the words "Daddy's Princess" on them and had a soft cast on her broken left arm.

DiPietro, his mother and a third adult were home the night of Dec. 16, and police have questioned all three, McCausland said.

"We believe they have not given us the full story," he said.

Both of Ayla's parents participated in a vigil Saturday on the City Hall steps in downtown Waterville.

It was the first time the two came face to face since their daughter's disappearance, said Bob Vear, a friend of the DiPietro family who organized the vigil. They spoke privately for about 10 minutes before giving each other a hug, Vear said.

DiPietro declined to discuss the discovery of the blood.

"I'm not going to answer any questions about it, but I will say this: If there was something there, I don't think I'd be standing here with you right now," he told the Morning Sentinel newspaper in Waterville.

A woman who answered DiPietro's mother's cellphone hung up after being asked about the blood.

Reynolds could not be reached for comment.

In an interview earlier in the day with the Morning Sentinel, she said she was preparing herself for any outcome.

"As a mother, as a parent, you need to mentally prepare yourself for the good, the bad, the worst," she told the newspaper. "I have been preparing myself for all of it during the last 40 days. I have told myself anything can happen. I could get the greatest news or I could get the worst news ever."

The blood was among hundreds of pieces of potential evidence that were removed from their home as part of a criminal investigation into the girl's disappearance. The discovery of the blood was first reported Saturday by WCVB-TV in Boston.

Ronald Reynolds, who is Trista Reynolds' father, said DiPietro hasn't been forthcoming with his version of what happened or what he knows. DiPietro has said he took a polygraph test, but has declined to say what the results were.

"They haven't given the full story, but this family has gone through so much pain, so much hurt," said Reynolds, who lives in Portland. "We're going into two months now and don't know anything, and all we get is the runaround."

Vear said he was first made aware of the blood sample Dec. 24, but he doesn't think it'll amount to anything.

"I cut myself at home all the time," he said. "It could be Justin's, it could be the baby's. There were five or six people in the house that night."

Investigators are searching for Ayla Reynolds, a 20-month-old Maine girl believed to have vanished from her bed while her family slept. Reynolds' father, Justin DiPietro, told investigators he last saw the child at around 8 p.m. on Dec. 16 when he put her to sleep in her own bedroom. The following morning, at around 8:50 a.m., he called police to say her bed was empty. This photograph was posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the missing toddler. Investigators are searching for Ayla Reynolds, a 20-month-old Maine girl believed to have vanished from her bed while her family slept. Reynolds' father, Justin DiPietro, told investigators he last saw the child at around 8 p.m. on Dec. 16 when he put her to sleep in her own bedroom. The following morning, at around 8:50 a.m., he called police to say her bed was empty. This photograph was posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the missing toddler.

MORE SLIDESHOWS NEXT?> ??|?? <?PREV

Ayla Reynolds

Investigators are searching for Ayla Reynolds, a 20-month-old Maine girl believed to have vanished from her bed while her family slept. Reynolds' father, Justin DiPietro, told investigators he last saw the child at around 8 p.m. on Dec. 16 when he put her to sleep in her own bedroom. The following morning, at around 8:50 a.m., he called police to say her bed was empty. This photograph was posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the missing toddler. "; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/28/ayla-reynolds-case-blood-_n_1239245.html

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Manning, Irsay insist they are on same page

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2012, file photo, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla. Shortly after introducing Chuck Pagano as Indianapolis' new coach, team owner Jim Irsay responded to the comments Manning made earlier this week about the Colts by referring to the only four-time league MVP as a "politician." (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2012, file photo, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla. Shortly after introducing Chuck Pagano as Indianapolis' new coach, team owner Jim Irsay responded to the comments Manning made earlier this week about the Colts by referring to the only four-time league MVP as a "politician." (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Indianapolis Colts new head coach Chuck Pagano, left, and owner Jim Irsay greet each after Pagano was introduced during a news conference at the NFL football team's headquarters in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts new head coach Chuck Pagano talks about joking with Colts wide receiver Reggie Wanye during a game at a news conference at the NFL football team's headquarters in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts new head coach Chuck Pagano speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team's headquarters in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts new head coach Chuck Pagano speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team's headquarters in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Peyton Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay insist they are just fine after a week filled with complaints and comments suggesting a rift had developed following one of the most miserable seasons in team history.

"We would like to dispel any misperception that there might be any hard feelings between us," the two said Friday in a statement issued by the team. "Since 1998, we have enjoyed a great relationship, based upon mutual respect and trust. We have always been able to talk and address matters we've faced over the years, not just as owner and player, but as friends.

"We had a long talk today and we want to assure Colts fans everywhere that we are both committed to maintaining our close relationship and to working together through any challenges the future may bring."

That would be welcome news to Colts fans, who first watched Manning publicly complain about the down-in-the-mouth atmosphere at team headquarters and then two days later saw Irsay call out his franchise quarterback at a news conference intended to focus on the new head coach.

It's been a dizzying week.

On Tuesday, Manning told The Indianapolis Star that his only real conversation so far with the new general manager Ryan Grigson had come in passing and the flurry of firings had those around the team complex walking on "eggshells."

Irsay didn't like that Manning went public with his frustrations and he said so Thursday, calling Manning a "politician."

"I don't think it's in the best interest to paint the horseshoe in a negative light, I really don't," Irsay told reporters following Chuck Pagano's introduction as coach. "The horseshoe always comes first, and I think one thing he's always known, because he's been around it so long, is that, you know, you keep it in the family. If you've got a problem you talk to each other, it's not about campaigning or anything like that."

Apparently, Manning got the message.

Just a few hours later, Manning told the newspaper that he didn't intend to create a public spat. Instead, Manning said he was speaking from the heart after watching so many of his friends lose their jobs.

"At this point, Mr. Irsay and I owe it to each other and to the fans of the organization to handle this appropriately and professionally, and I think we will. I've already reached out to Mr. Irsay," Manning said. "I wasn't trying to paint the Colts in a bad light, but it's tough when so many people you've known for so long are suddenly leaving. I feel very close to a lot of these guys and we've done great things together. It's hard to watch an old friend clean out his office. That's all I was trying to say."

And Irsay tweeted after that: "Peyton and I love each other,that goes without saying..I humbly serve n protect the Horseshoe..it is bigger than any individual,including me."

Whether the two have mended their misunderstanding, there are still huge questions pending. Irsay must decide by March 8 whether to pay Manning a $28 million bonus. Manning missed the entire 2011 season after having his third neck surgery in September.

Irsay just this month has fired vice chairman Bill Polian, general manager Chris Polian, coach Jim Caldwell and most of the staff. Pagano, the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator this past season, is just getting started, as is Grigson.

Indy's poor season has given it the No. 1 overall pick, which Irsay has said they will use for their quarterback of the future, presumably Stanford's Andrew Luck. If so, Irsay must decide if he wants to pay a No. 1 quarterback and Manning, who signed a five-year, $90 million contract in July and will be 36 in late March.

Irsay has said his choice will come down to Manning's health, not money.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-27-FBN-Colts-Manning/id-7fc5b0928aa2470bbf4220503def8a24

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Lidge signs one-year deal with Nationals (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Reliever Brad Lidge signed a one-year deal with the Washington Nationals, the Major League Baseball team said on Thursday, hoping the right-hander can return to his All-Star form after a season disrupted by shoulder problems.

Lidge, who did not have a single blown save in 48 chances in 2008 helping Philadelphia to a World Series, appeared in just 25 games with the Phillies last season.

In 10 seasons with the Phillies and Houston Astros, Lidge had a 26-31 record with 67 holds, 223 saves and a 3.44 earned run average.

A two-time National League All-Star and 2008 National League Comeback Player of the Year, Lidge has registered 30 or more saves in a season four times and in 2004 established a new NL single-season mark for strikeouts in relief with 157.

(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Frank Pingue)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/sp_nm/us_baseball_nationals_lidge

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Fla. primary's 2-man fight on stage in 2nd debate (AP)

COCOA, Fla. ? A two-man fight for Florida is emerging ahead of the state's final Republican presidential debate, with Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich pounding each other over personal and professional vulnerabilities.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul will take their places on the stage for Thursday night's debate but have their sights set elsewhere and have largely stayed away from the Romney-Gingrich drama.

Public opinion polls had Romney and Gingrich in a tight race. The winner of Tuesday's primary will score something no one has yet claimed in a tumultuous primary season: a second victory. The first three nominating contest have gone to three different candidates; only Paul has not topped a primary or caucus vote.

Sharp exchanges Wednesday highlighted the stakes in the battle to determine President Barack Obama's fall challenger. Gingrich, a former House speaker, tried to paint Romney as out-of-touch by noting his Swiss bank account and another in the Cayman Islands. Romney, a businessman-turned-politician, couldn't escape questions about his wealth from others.

At a forum at the Spanish-language Univision Network, Romney was asked point-blank how much money he had.

"Well, it's ? it's between a $150 and about $200 and some odd million," he responded after trying to turn the question back on the forum's moderator. "I think that's what the estimates are, and ? and, by the way, I didn't inherit that."

Gingrich faced uncomfortable questions of his own during his turn at Univision. He dismissed suggestions that he lacked standing in the mid-1990s to criticize President Bill Clinton's infidelity when he was carrying on an affair of his own, arguing that Clinton had lied under oath and that was the real issue in the impeachment of the president.

The hits for both Romney and Gingrich were coming from many directions.

The "super" political action committees backing the two leading GOP candidates have spent more than $10 million combined on ads so far in Florida, far more than their respective campaigns. The Romney-leaning Restore Our Future has spent $8.8 million in ads as of late Tuesday, bringing the total of ads supporting Romney in the state to $14 million, not counting the cash already spent on radio and Internet advertising.

As of late Tuesday, the Gingrich-backing Winning Our Future had booked $1.8 million in television ads in Florida, a check made possible by a new donation from Miriam Adelson. She and her husband, Sheldon, this month gave $5 million apiece to the group, which supports Gingrich but legally must remain independent.

Elected officials backing Romney, including 2008 GOP nominee John McCain, sought to keep the focus on Gingrich's turbulent time in Congress and lucrative consulting work after he left. Gingrich, whose crowds consistently reached into the thousands, cast the stepped-up critiques as a sign of his momentum.

"What you have right now is the entire establishment in panic mode running around saying whatever comes into their mind next," Gingrich told reporters. He amplified the sentiment a few minutes later, saying a Gingrich win in Florida would allow the news media to watch "distinguished people melt down at the thought that we would actually change Washington and they would have to learn new games."

Obama was amid a campaign-style swing of his own, pressing a populist theme of tax fairness. Republicans said Obama's call was little more than code for tax increases and charged those would hinder the economic recovery.

Back in Florida, Santorum was recognizing that he stood almost no chance to win the primary. Santorum and his advisers didn't plan any advertising in Florida and instead were emphasizing raising money and calling potential supporters in upcoming primary states. He all but gave up trying to woo a network of pastors and was scaling back his events in the state.

Chuck Laudner, an influential adviser who helped Santorum score an upset victory in the Iowa caucuses, was headed back to the Midwest to start piecing together coalitions in Missouri and Minnesota. Both states have media markets that overlap with Iowa, where Santorum proved to be the big story.

Paul has been virtually absent from Florida except for appearances built around the two debates. He was concentrating instead on caucus states where his loyal backers can carry a louder voice.

___

Associated Press writers Philip Elliott, David Espo and Kasie Hunt contributed to this report from Florida. Jack Gillum contributed from Washington.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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Ex-BP worker files whistleblower suit over cleanup (AP)

NEW ORLEANS ? A former BP employee has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the company, claiming he was fired for airing concerns about the cleanup of Mississippi's shoreline after the Gulf oil spill.

In a federal suit filed last Friday in New Orleans, August Walter claims one of his BP bosses manipulated data on shoreline cleanup and didn't give the Coast Guard "the true status" of what substances needed to be cleaned.

Walter, a Covington, La., resident who helped develop BP's cleanup plans in Mississippi after the 2010 spill began, claims in the suit that he was fired last month in retaliation for complaining that BP wasn't following environmental regulations and was "picking and choosing what oil to pick up."

Walter also claims he refused to misrepresent data so that the Coast Guard would believe cleanup activities in Mississippi were closer to completion.

"This was all based on money and had nothing to do with actually cleaning up the oil or meeting the (Shoreline Treatment Recommendations) or environmental requirements," the suit alleges.

BP spokesman Tom Mueller said the company doesn't believe Walter's allegations have merit but will investigate "consistent with our personnel policies and code of conduct. "

"We believe we have demonstrated good faith in meeting our obligations in the Gulf and are committed to treating our employees fairly," Mueller said in a statement.

BP said in November that it had spent $13.6 billion on the response, including its efforts to clean up 635 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline affected by the spill. By then, more than 90 percent of the affected area had "met the agreed upon standards" for transitioning from the cleanup phase to coastal restoration, BP said.

Walter's lawsuit claims BP took "short cuts," with one BP official allegedly saying BP only would clean up tar balls and not smaller oil debris.

The allegations in Walter's suit are limited to BP's cleanup in Mississippi. The company implemented similar plans in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida after an April 20, 2010, blowout in BP's Macondo well triggered a deadly explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in the nation's history.

Walter started working for BP in May 2011 as a "state planning lead" on Mississippi cleanup. The suit, which alleges violations of the Louisiana Environmental Whistleblower Statute, seeks unspecified monetary damages, including three years of lost wages.

"He wasn't the lead man on the project, but he had three people working under him," said Walter's attorney, James Arruebarrena.

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

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Marine: I never fired at women and children

By msnbc.com news services

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A Marine sergeant whose squad killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians in assaults after a bomb killed a fellow Marine has told a judge he never fired his weapon at any women or children that day.

Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich addressed a Camp Pendleton, Calif., court during sentencing for negligent dereliction of duty in the 2005 attacks in Haditha, Iraq.

A plea deal Monday ended a manslaughter case against the Marine from Meriden, Conn. Prosecutors implicated Wuterich in 19 of the 24 deaths.

Wuterich's statement also addressed surviving members of families who were attacked, saying he knows nothing can ease their pain and that they are the real victims.

Wuterich said that when he told his squad to shoot first and ask questions later, he did not intend they shoot civilians, but to not hesitate in the face of the enemy.

"The truth is: I never fired any weapon at any women or children that day," Wuterich said in a statement during his sentencing hearing.

'Sorrow' for loss of loved ones
He began by telling the family members of victims, "Words cannot express my sorrow for the loss of your loved one. I know there is nothing I can say to ease your pain. I wish to assure you that on that day, it was never my intention (to) harm you or your families. I know that you are the real victims of Nov. 19, 2005."

He went on to say he went to Iraq to do his duty, serve his country, and do the best job he could.

Iraq War veterans to attend State of the Union address

"When my Marines and I cleared those houses that day, I responded to what I perceived as a threat and my intention was to eliminate that threat in order to keep the rest of my Marines alive," he said. "So when I told my team to shoot first and ask questions later, the intent wasn't that they would shoot civilians, it was that they would not hesitate in the face of the enemy."

Military prosecutors worked for more than six years to bring Wuterich to trial on manslaughter charges that could have sent him away to prison for life.

But only weeks after the long-awaited trial started, they offered Wuterich a deal that stopped the proceedings for the squad leader who ordered his men to "shoot first, ask questions later" and resulted in one of the Iraq War's worst attacks on civilians by U.S. troops.

The 31-year-old Marine, who was originally accused of unpremeditated murder, pleaded guilty Monday to negligent dereliction of duty for leading the squad that killed the civilians.

Wuterich, who was indicted in 19 of the 24 deaths, now faces no more than three months in confinement.

It was a stunning outcome for the last defendant in the case once compared with the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. The seven other Marines initially charged were exonerated or had their cases dropped.

'Insult to all Iraqis'
"This sentence gives us the proof, the solid proof that the Americans don't respect human rights," Ali Badr, a Haditha resident and relative of one of those killed, told Reuters. "This is an insult to the victims and an insult to all Iraqis."

One of the survivors, Awis Fahmi Hussein, told The Associated Press in Haditha: "I was expecting that the American judiciary would sentence this person to life in prison and that he would appear and confess in front of the whole world that he committed this crime, so that America could show itself as democratic and fair."

Military judge Lt. Col. David Jones began hearing arguments from both sides Tuesday at Camp Pendleton, Calif., before making a sentencing recommendation to be considered by the commander of Marine Corps Forces Central Command.

Legal experts said the case was fraught with errors made by investigators and the prosecution that let it drag on for years. The prosecution was also hampered by squad mates who acknowledged they had lied to investigators initially and later testified in exchange for having their cases dropped, bringing into question their credibility.

In addition, Wuterich was seen as taking the fall for senior leaders and more seasoned combat veterans, analysts said. It was his first time in combat when he led the squad on Nov. 19, 2005.

Brian Rooney, an attorney for another former defendant, said cases like Haditha are difficult to prosecute because a military jury is unlikely to question decisions made in combat unless wrongdoing is clear-cut and egregious, like rape.

"If it's a gray area, fog-of-war, you can't put yourself in a Marine's situation where he's legitimately trying to do the best he can," said Rooney, who represented Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the highest-ranking Marine charged in the case. "When you're in a town like Haditha or Fallujah, you've got bad guys trying to kill you and trying to do it in very surreptitious ways."

The Haditha attack is considered among the war's defining moments, further tainting America's reputation when it was already at a low point after the release of photos of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison.

Anger lingers in Iraq
It still fuels anger in Iraq today.

"We wonder about such a sentence issued against the defendant. We called upon U.S. to be fair in passing sentences. Regrettably, we are disappointed about the issuance of such sentences," said Khalid Salman Rasif, a member of the Provincial Council in Haditha, adding he would contact the lawyer for victims' families for an explanation.

Kamil al-Dulaimi, a Sunni lawmaker from the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi, called the plea agreement proof that "Americans still deal with Iraqis without any respect."

"It's just another barbaric act of Americans against Iraqis," al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press. "They spill the blood of Iraqis and get this worthless sentence for the savage crime against innocent civilians."

Wuterich, the father of three children, had faced the possibility of life behind bars when he was charged with nine counts of manslaughter, which will be dropped. Along with facing a maximum of three months in confinement, he could also lose two-thirds of his pay and see his rank demoted to private when he's sentenced.

Khalid Salman, a lawyer for the Haditha victims' relatives, told Reuters he could not believe the sentence and had to check that it was true.

"This is not a traffic felony," said Salman, who had a cousin killed in the massacre.

Wuterich, his family and his attorneys declined to comment Monday after he entered the plea. Prosecutors also declined to comment on the plea deal.

During the trial before a jury of combat Marines who served in Iraq, prosecutors argued he lost control after seeing the body of his friend blown apart by the bomb and led his men on a rampage in which they stormed two nearby homes, blasting their way in with gunfire and grenades. Among the dead was a man in a wheelchair.

In the deal, Wuterich acknowledged that his orders misled his men to believe they could shoot without hesitation and not follow the rules of engagement that required troops to positively identify their targets before they raided the homes.

He told the judge that caused "tragic events."

"I think we all understood what we were doing so I probably just should have said nothing," Wuterich told the judge.

He said his orders were based on the guidance of his platoon commander at the time, and that the squad did not take any gunfire during the 45-minute raid.

Many of his squad mates testified that they do not believe to this day that they did anything wrong because they feared insurgents were inside hiding.

Haditha prompted commanders to demand troops be more careful in distinguishing between civilians and combatants.

Former Navy officer David Glazier said the case shows such rules are essential to helping the United States prevail in an armed conflict.

"The reality is that this incident has had significant consequences for the U.S. in Iraq," said Glazier, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "It probably fueled the resistance and so it probably ended up costing additional soldiers and Marines their lives later on."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/24/10226885-marine-i-never-fired-at-women-and-children

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'Pirates' scene changed after lepers protest

Columbia Pictures

This scene, showing a leper's arm falling off, has been cut from the upcoming movie "Pirates."

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

In a funny, if shocking, scene in the trailer for the?upcoming stop-action movie, "The Pirates! Band of Misfits," the pirate captain acrobatically swings onto a ship, pulls his sword, and announces (in Hugh Grant's plummy British accent) that?he plans to plunder the ship's gold.

"Gold? Afraid we don't have any gold, old man" a sailor tells them. "This is a leper boat." And -- THUNK -- his arm falls off.

Live Poll

Should the movie have changed the scene?

• 174348

  Yes, out of respect

  14%

• 174349

  No, it's just a joke

  86%

VoteTotal Votes: 13268

But you won't be seeing that scene when the 3-D movie hits theaters April 27.

The British organization Lepra Health in Action?wrote on its website, "Leprosy is not an easy disease to catch, it is curable, those affected should live within mainstream society and no ? limbs don?t just fall off. Not even for comic effect."

Aardman Animations, the makers of "The Pirates!," listened to the group and issued a statement saying "after reviewing the matter, we decided to change the scene out of respect and sensitivity for those who suffer from leprosy. The last thing anyone intended was to offend anyone."

Lepra Health in Action?responded by saying?the group was "genuinely delighted that Aardman has decided to amend the film."

It's unclear if the movie cut the entire scene or just altered it. You can still watch the scene in the attached trailer.

Do you think the scene was offensive? Should it have been changed? Tell us on Facebook.

?More from movies:

Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10233980-pirates-scene-changed-after-lepers-protest

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Mighty mesh

Monday, January 23, 2012

New research at Harvard explains how bacterial biofilms expand to form slimy mats on teeth, pipes, surgical instruments, and crops.

Through experiment and mathematical analysis, researchers have shown that the extracellular matrix (ECM), a mesh of proteins and sugars that can form outside bacterial cells, creates osmotic pressure that forces biofilms to swell and spread.

The ECM mechanism is so powerful that it can increase the radius of some biofilms five-fold within 24 hours.

The results have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Biofilms, large colonies of bacteria that adhere to surfaces, can be harmful in a wide range of settings, resulting in tooth decay, hospital infections, agricultural damage, and corrosion. Finding ways to control or eliminate biofilms is a priority for many industries.

In order for a biofilm to grow, a group of bacterial cells must first adhere to a surface and then proliferate and spread. When a vast number of cells are present, this can translate into the creation of a filmy surface spanning several meters.

"Our work challenges the common picture of biofilms as sedentary communities by showing how cells in a biofilm cooperate to colonize surfaces," says lead author Agnese Seminara, a research associate at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

Several types of biofilms have been characterized based on composition and antibiotic resistance, but until now it has not been clear what roles the whip-like flagella and the ECM play in the outward movement of cells.

While the presence of a flagellum has traditionally been associated with greater movement capability, the new research has found that a flagellum actually confers little advantage in the formation of biofilms. In the Harvard study, mutant bacteria lacking flagella were able to spread at almost the same rate as the wild-type (natural) ones. Mutants that could not secrete the ECM, however, showed stunted growth.

The team of physicists, mathematicians, chemists, and biologists examined the formation of biofilms in Bacillus subtilis, a type of rod-shaped bacteria often found in soil. Their focus on this particular species was led by Roberto Kolter, Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology at Harvard Medical School, an expert on biofilms and the genomics of B. subtilis.

"This project establishes a link between the phenotype, the physically observable traits of biofilm growth, and the genetic underpinning that allows spreading to happen in B. subtilis," notes co-principal investigator Michael Brenner, the Glover Professor of Applied Mathematics and Applied Physics at SEAS.

The researchers had speculated about a possible connection between the biofilm's quest for nutrition and the process of spreading. Because biofilms absorb nutrients through their exposed surface area, they can only swell vertically to a certain point before the surface-area-to-volume ratio makes it impossible to adequately nourish every cell. At this point, the biofilm must begin to spread outward so that the surface area increases along with the number of cells.

The ECM, a complex mesh of proteins, sugars, and other components outside of the individual cells, holds the key to one aspect of this movement: it apparently increases osmotic pressure within the biofilm.

In response to the increased pressure, the biofilm immediately absorbs water from its surroundings, causing the entire mass to swell upward. The final change in the shape of the biofilm is due to a combination of this swelling and the horizontal spreading that follows.

Seminara and Brenner created a mathematical model that mirrored many of the team's physical observations. The model supported the experimental observations; by considering the relationship between swelling and spreading, they were able to find the "critical" time at which horizontal outward motion begins.

"This work is led by theoretical predictions which were tested by experiment and proved to be correct," reflects co-principal investigator David Weitz, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at SEAS and Co-Director of the BASF Advanced Research Initiative at Harvard. "The results also demonstrate how simple physical principles can provide considerable insight into the behavior of biofilms."

The motion of biofilms represents only a small part of a complex subject. Further research will investigate how biofilms adapt and possibly manipulate their environment. The ultimate goal is to alter biofilms' behavior to minimize their harmful effects.

"The natural question at this point is: do cells actively control biofilm expansion and can they direct it toward desired targets?" says Seminara. "This is a first step toward understanding the striking evolutionary success of these ubiquitous organisms, and it may open the way to unconventional methods of biofilm control."

###

Harvard University: http://www.harvard.edu

Thanks to Harvard University 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/116945/Mighty_mesh

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Russia Talks Moon Base With NASA, ESA

Although an orbiting moon base makes for a quicker return to earth vicinity

No, actually it doesn't. transfer orbit for LLO to Earth takes just about as long as a transfer orbit from Luna surface to Earth.

The major problem of a moon base, or simply visiting the moon, is the problem of fuel expenditures for lift off. For all the Buck Rogers si-fi we've written, we still can't carry enough fuel to get out of sight. Any system we have for getting off of the surface amounts to a zero-backup, Hail Mary. There is no plan B.

Umm, no.

One possibility is to use that lunar water to manufacture LH2/LOX + O2 for use by the base (LH2/LOX mixtures typically don't include enough LOX to burn all the LH2). So, LH2/LOX fuel, Isp 450 more or less, depending on engine design. Assume 420 to allow for generous margin of error.

DeltaV required from Lunar surface to enter an orbit that'll drop you into the upper atmosphere is ~2.4 km/s.

Allow for 80% extra fuel, which should be sufficient for an abort anytime up till you actually enter lunar orbit - 4.4 km/s.

A 420 Isp for 4.4 km/s deltaV requires a mass ratio of less than 3.0. Two kg of fuel for every kg of spacecraft/cargo. Which is pretty easy to achieve, actually.

Alternately, you use Al/LOX. O2 is easier to come by on Luna than H2, since you can find oxygen in the compounds making up the rocks. Ditto Aluminum. Isp is crap, but fuel density is much greater, so you need much smaller fuel tanks. Higher mass ratio, of course.

Which would be the best course is a matter for professionals, of course. But either option is doable, and either vehicle could be developed before we could get a base on the moon to deliver it to.

Of course, if you're really looking for exotic solutions, there's always an escape speed mass driver on the moon. Gives the loonies something to bombard Earth with later, also...right, Mike?

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/Pcvxl8ci_1Q/russia-talks-moon-base-with-nasa-esa

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Official: possibility of unregistered passengers (AP)

GIGLIO, Italy ? Unregistered passengers might have been aboard the stricken cruise liner that capsized off this Tuscan island, a top rescue official said Sunday, raising the possibility that the number of missing might be higher than previously announced.

Divers, meanwhile, pulled out a woman's body from the capsized Costa Concordia on Sunday, raising to 13 the number of people dead in the Jan. 13 accident.

Civil protection official Francesca Maffini told reporters the victim was wearing a life vest and was found in the rear of a submerged portion of a ship by a team of fire department divers.

Earlier, Italian authorities raised the possibility that the real number of the missing was unknown because some unregistered passengers might have been aboard. As of Sunday, 19 people are listed as missing, but that number could be higher.

"There could have been X persons who we don't know about who were inside, who were clandestine" passengers aboard the ship, Franco Gabrielli, the national civil protection official in charge of the rescue effort, told reporters at a briefing on the island of Giglio, where the ship, with 4,200 people aboard rammed a reef and sliced open its hull on Jan. 13 before turning over on its side.

Gabrielli said that relatives of a Hungarian woman have told Italian authorities that she had telephoned them from aboard the ship and that they haven't heard from her since the accident. He said it was possible that a woman's body pulled from the wreckage by divers on Saturday might be that of the unregistered passenger.

But one of Concordia's officers, who's recovering from a broken leg suffered during the evacuation, dismissed the allegation that such passengers were on the ship.

"Everyone is registered and photographed. Everything's electronic," the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Manrico Giampedroni as saying.

Authorities are trying to identify five corpses who are badly decomposed after spending a long time in the water.

Gabrielli said they have identified the other eight bodies: four French, an Italian, a Hungarian, a German and a Spanish national.

The missing include French passengers, an elderly American couple, a Peruvian crewwoman and an Indian crewman and an Italian father and his five-year-old daughter. Some of their relatives were briefed by rescuers Sunday, and also met with Pierluigi Foschi, the CEO of Costa Crociere, SpA ? the ship's operator ? who viewed the crippled cruise liner from a boat.

France's ambassador to Italy, Alain Le Roy, recounted Foschi's visit.

"He came to see the families, all families. He met the French family. He met the American family. I am sure he is meeting other families, mostly to express his compassion ... to say that Costa will do everything possible to find the people, to compensate families in any way."

The search had been halted for several hours early Sunday, after instrument readings indicated that the Concordia has shifted a bit on its precarious perch on a seabed just outside Giglio's port. A few meters (yards) away, the sea bottom drops off suddenly, by some 20-30 meters (65-100 feet), and if the Concordia should abruptly roll off its ledge, rescuers could be trapped inside.

When instrument data indicated the vessel had stabilized again, rescuers went back in, but only explored the above-water section and evacuation staging areas where survivors have indicated that people who did not make it into lifeboats during the chaotic evacuation could have remained.

Passengers were dining at a gala supper when the Concordia sailed close to Giglio and struck the reef, which is indicated on maritime and even tourist maps.

There are also fears that the Concordia's double-bottom fuel tanks could rupture in case of sudden shifting, spilling 2,200 metric tons (almost 500,000 million gallons) of heavy fuel into pristine sea around Giglio, which is part of a seven-island archipelago in some of the Mediterranean's most pristine waters and a prized fishing area.

But Gabrielli said pollutants found near the ship have been detergents and other substances, including chlorine, apparently from the wreck of the ship, which carried some 3,200 passengers and a crew of 1,000. Any fuel traces found were "compatible with what you find in a port," he said.

Ferries and cargo ships regularly call at Giglio's port.

Sophisticated oil-removal equipment has been standing by, waiting for the search-and-rescue operations to conclude before workers can start extracting the fuel in the tanks.

Giglio Mayor Sergio Orpelli told Sky TG24 TV that it was tentatively planned to begin fuel-removal operations on Monday but that the timetable ultimately depends on when the rescue efforts are concluded. "No hopes have been abandoned that someone might still be alive," Orpelli said.

Coast guard and fire rescue teams have said that the search will go on, as long as the weather holds and the Concordia stays stable.

The Italian captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest as prosecutors investigate him for suspected manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship while many were still aboard.

Operator Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Carnival Cruise Lines, has said that Capt. Schettino had deviated without permission from the vessel's route in an apparent maneuver to sail close to the island and impress passengers.

Schettino, despite audiotapes of his defying Coast Guard orders to scramble back aboard, has denied he abandoned ship while hundreds of passengers were desperately trying to get off the capsizing vessel. He has said he coordinated the rescue from aboard a lifeboat and then from the shore.

Rome daily La Repubblica, citing what Schettino allegedly told prosecutors in Grosetto, Tuscany, when he was interrogated last week, quoted him as saying that Costa Crociere was aware of the "recurring practice" of nearing coastlines to salute those ashore. Schettino is quoted as saying that such a maneuver was planned by Costa executives before the ship left the port of Civitavecchia before dinner time on Jan. 13 to gain publicity for the company.

It was not immediately possible to confirm Schettino's allegations. Prosecutors cannot comment on details of a probe while it is still being conducted, and the office of Schettino's lawyer was closed Sunday.

Marco De Luca, a Costa Crociere lawyer, said the company is "an injured party" in the tragedy, which Costa executives have blamed on the captain's failure to follow the programmed route.

Giglio Mayor Orpelli said such "salutes" by passing cruise ships are rare.

Orpelli insisted that before the ill-fated Jan. 13 approach by the Concordia near the reef, the last previous time was on Aug. 14, when the island was celebrating a summer festival in the port, and that the maneuver was closely coordinated with island and navigational authorities. That summer salute was "carried out in perfect safety," the mayor told Sky, adding that he thanked the captain of that voyage "and told him to thank his crew."

Orpelli said that island officials were unaware of the Jan. 13 plan for such a salute.

___

D'Emilio reported from Rome. Fulvio Paolocci reported from Giglio.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_re_eu/eu_italy_cruise_aground

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Paul to skip Florida, look for delegates in Nevada, Minnesota (Daily Caller)

COLUMBIA, S.C. ? Ron Paul will not compete in Florida?s Republican primary, instead focusing on the caucus states of Nevada and Minnesota.

In his victory speech Saturday night after finishing fourth in the South Carolina primary, Paul told supporters he would promote his message as cheaply as possible.

?We will certainly be promoting this in the most frugal way,? he said. ?We will be going to the caucus states, and we will be promoting the whole idea of getting more delegates, because that?s the name of the game.?

The campaign has made substantial ad buys in Nevada and Minnesota, both states with February?caucuses. Florida is the largest of the early primary states and?arguably the most grueling early state in which to campaign. It also has some of the most expensive media markets in America.

The cash-flush Mitt Romney is already running ads there. And Newt Gingrich, though he won the South Carolina primary decisively, is expected to face serious challenges in organizing a strong Florida campaign.

Twenty-eight Republican delegates are up for grabs in Nevada, 40 in Minnesota.

Paul, with his message of auditing and then ending the Federal Reserve, using the gold standard for U.S. currency and bringing the troops home from abroad, insisted in his Saturday night speech that he is trying to win, despite pundits? general agreement that he is merely a ?message candidate.?

?I?ve been in this process of promoting the cause of liberty in the electoral process for a long time. At the beginning, I thought it was going to be a promotion of a cause,? Paul said. ?Then it dawned on me that if you win elections and win delegates, that?s the way you promote a cause.?

Paul was largely absent from South Carolina during the week leading up to Saturday?s primary, traveling to Washington, D.C. to vote against the latest proposal to raise the federal debt ceiling. He participated in a pro-life forum Wednesday via satellite, participated in Thursday?s debate and held a half-dozen public events Friday.

Paul?s supporters showed their appreciation Saturday night for his decision to leave the campaign trail to cast a vote in Congress.

?Looking ahead, we see a lengthy, 50-state national campaign,? said Paul?s national campaign chairman Jesse Benton in a statement. ?Dr. Paul is fully prepared to win.?

Follow Paul on Twitter Join the conversation

Read more stories from The Daily Caller

Rep. Mulvaney on what the media missed during the SC Republican primary [VIDEO]

Paul to skip Florida, look for delegates in Nevada, Minnesota

What comes next after Newt's big win?

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to remain neutral in GOP primary

WaPo's Jennifer Rubin tweets venom about Newt's win, Romney's defeat in SC

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/dailycaller/20120121/pl_dailycaller/paultoskipfloridalookfordelegatesinnevadaminnesota

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US military chief begins talks in Israel on Iran (AP)

JERUSALEM ? The top general of the U.S. army has begun a round of closed talks with Israeli leaders, amid disagreements between the two countries over how to handle Iran's nuclear program.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, met Israel's military chief Benny Gantz on Friday. He is also scheduled to meet Israel's prime minister, president, and defense minister.

The U.S. general's visit highlights Washington's concern about a possible Israeli military strike against Iran. He is expected to urge Israel not to rush to attack Iran at a time when the U.S. is trying to rally additional global support to pressure Tehran through sanctions.

Israel believes Iran is close to developing the technology to building an atomic weapon. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_us

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US moves up 1 spot to 33rd in FIFA rankings

updated 12:20 p.m. ET Jan. 18, 2012

ZURICH - World and European champion Spain retained the top spot in the FIFA rankings for the fifth straight month, and the United States moved up one place to 33rd.

The Americans' ranking is its highest since it was 31st in September. The U.S. had been 11th in September-October 2009 and reached a high of fourth in April 2006.

The top 10 places were unchanged from December after just 11 international matches were played last month. The Netherlands is second, followed by Germany, South American champion Uruguay, England. Brazil, Portugal, Croatia, Italy and Argentina.

Mexico, at 21st, has the top ranking in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Mourinho's 'woeful Barca loss

??Another loss to Barcelona has piled pressure on Jose Mourinho, with support for the Real Madrid coach ebbing after another ill-tempered and ineffective display against its biggest rival.

Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

He's back

David Beckham has re-signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy, agreeing to a new two-year contract with the Major League Soccer club.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46042169/ns/sports-soccer/

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Prodigy iPhone Case Projects Functional Virtual Keyboard onto Any Surface

Recently Celluon, a Korean company,?presented a device that any gadget lover will be enthusiastic about;?the Prodigy is an iPhone 4/4S case that can project a full-size virtual keyboard onto any surface, that also allows you to type on it.

The new addition to an increasingly large amount of intriguing, cool accessories dedicated to Apple's smartphones, was introduced at this year's edition of CES,?Pocket-Lint?reports.

Prodigy works by tracking the users' fingers typing on the projected keyboard. Every time the laser beams that are firing the keyboard are interrupted, the movement is translated into a letter and the device is able to process the information and share it with the iPhone via a Bluetooth connection.

However, in order to work properly, the device needs the user to type "cleanly", without hesitant fingers or unnecessary movements on its surface, otherwise the device can have a hard time recognising the intended keystrokes and the results are unexpected.

Also, users could find it a bit odd at first typing on strange surfaces. To make Prodigy even more appealing to users, the company has included the option of an additional battery to allow iPhone users more time on their smartphone.

The device should go on sale for around ?150.

Source: http://www.itproportal.com/2012/01/18/prodigy-iphone-case-projects-functional-virtual-keyboard-any-surface/

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Startup niche focused legal news site viable as stand alone ...

Well-known TechCrunch columnist and Silicon Valley journalist Sarah Lacy (@sarahcuda) debuts today her new tech news site called PandoDaily.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal's Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), Lacy has the backing of $2 million in venture capital and will feature three of TechCrunch?s most high-profile former bloggers: Michael Arrington, M.G. Siegler and Paul Carr.

Lacy's debut makes me wonder if we're ready for a startup legal news site. Not one that would be an offshoot of the large legal publishers (Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis, ALM -Law.com, Wolters Kluwer) and not a small time effort started on a shoe string. But a legal news site that would compete with ALM's legal periodicals that would be driven by innovative people willing to work their ass off to get it off the ground.

Michael Arrington was a Stanford Law grad and corporate lawyer at Wilson Sonsini from 1997 to 1999, before getting into Internet startups. In 2005, Arrington started TechCrunch to cover internet startups and related news. When I asked him a few years later how he got TechCrunch to such prominence, he said blogging 16 hours a day for a year.

As TechCrunch grew, Arrington added writers and senior leadership in the form of CEO, Heather Harde, former vice president of mergers and acquisitions for Fox Interactive Media. In 2010 AOL bought TechCrunch for north of $25 million.

Unfortunately TechCrunch is a shadow of itself now that Arrington, Harde, and others have left. That's not to say AOL is not making money from the acquisition in ad revenue and growing out its ancillary blog and news site network.

Is a 'TechCrunch in the law' viable? I don't know. We have Above the Law (ATL) which has been labeled a aw gossip blog which circulates rumors primarily about big law. ATL appears to be financially viable and could be an attractive buy for a larger publisher.

My gut tells me a niche focused legal news & commentary site driven by people who know what they are doing with web publishing - from the writing and corporate leadership standpoint is viable. I also believe it would be something of value to larger legal publishers for a later acquisition.

Source: http://kevin.lexblog.com/2012/01/articles/publishing-1/startup-niche-focused-legal-news-site-viable-as-stand-alone-business-enterprise-/

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Olympus sues executives for damages in cover-up (AP)

TOKYO ? Financially battered Olympus Corp. is suing 19 former and current executives for damages that the Japanese camera and medical equipment maker says it has suffered over a massive cover-up of investment losses.

The lawsuit, filed Sunday by auditors on behalf of the company in Tokyo District Court, targets former CEO Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, current President Shuichi Takayama and 17 other executives that the company says participated in or knew about the fraudulent activity.

The scheme ? which first came to light after former President Michael Woodford blew the whistle ? has raised serious questions about corporate governance in Japan, and whether major companies are complying adequately with global standards.

Olympus said Tuesday the lawsuit follows a report from an investigation by an independent panel that the Tokyo-based company had set up. Then-President Masatoshi Kishimoto, as well as subsequent executives ? including Kikukawa ? knew about the scheme, it said. A small circle of employees was also involved.

Six board members implicated in the report, including Takayama, will resign at the next shareholder meeting, scheduled for March or April, Olympus said.

Kikukawa is being sued for 3.6 billion yen ($47 million). The company is seeking smaller amounts from other defendants, including 1 billion yen ($13 million) from Kishimoto.

Olympus said losses related to the cover-up scandal totaled 85.9 billion yen ($1.1 billion), according to its latest investigation.

But it will demand no more than 3.6 billion yen ($47 million) in damages, which will likely be spread among the plaintiffs because of their inability to pay such exorbitant amounts, according to the company.

The scheme came to light late last year after Woodford raised questions about huge payments for financial advice and expensive acquisitions of companies unrelated to its mainstay businesses. The transactions, Olympus later acknowledged, were used to hide 117.7 billion yen ($1.5 billion) in investment losses stemming from the 1990s.

Tuesday's report also identified 25 executives who were not responsible, including Woodford.

Woodford was fired in October after raising his concerns. Last week, he said he gave up his fight for a comeback to the top after failing to win backing from major investors and megabanks.

Woodford, a British national, had demanded the resignation of the entire board, including Takayama, who had replaced him and initially denied any wrongdoing in the spending.

Under Japanese law, auditors represent the company when executives on the board are targeted in damage lawsuits. In the Olympus lawsuit, three auditors, two of them outsiders, are representing the company. None of them were implicated in the scandal.

Olympus claims in the lawsuit that it suffered direct losses to its finances, in terms of fees and interest paid to run the scheme ? as well as losses stemming from the improper handling of the scandal after it surfaced, including how Woodford was dealt with.

"The credibility of Olympus' corporate governance and the public's trust of Olympus were seriously damaged," it said.

Japanese prosecutors have begun a separate investigation and raided company headquarters and Kikukawa's home last month.

Olympus barely met its mid-December deadline to avoid being removed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange by filing corrected earnings for the April-September first half and for the past five fiscal years.

Olympus' stock has plunged amid the scandal. It surged nearly 20 percent Tuesday, following a report Monday in The Nikkei financial daily that Olympus was likely to avoid delisting, but it is still trading at about half its value prior to the scandal. Tokyo markets were closed Monday for a national holiday.

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Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120110/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_olympus

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Lawsuit seeks release of Guantanamo detainee video (AP)

NEW YORK ? A lawsuit filed Monday seeks to force the U.S. government to make public the videotapes of harsh interrogation carried out on a Saudi citizen who authorities once said was supposed to have been the 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Lawyers for the Center for Constitutional Rights said the videos have been seen by attorneys for Mohammed al-Qahtani but cannot be shown to the public because they are classified. He remains at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

They noted that al-Qahtani's treatment since he was seized in December 2001 and later transferred to Guantanamo has drawn the attention of the public, Congress and internal agency investigations.

"The American public should now be permitted to see what occurred for itself," the lawsuit said. "Releasing the videotapes and photographs of Mr. al-Qahtani's interrogations will serve the public interest, by providing the American public with unique documentation of the systematic abuses at Guantanamo."

The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan said al-Qahtani from 2002 through 2003 was "the victim of a deliberate and calculated interrogation strategy involving the repeated use of torture and other profoundly cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment." It cited an FBI account that said the treatment was causing him to talk to non-existent people in his cell, report that he was hearing voices, and crouch in a corner covered with a sheet for hours on end.

It seeks to force the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the CIA to release the videotapes to the public based on a 2010 Freedom of Information Act request by the center, a nonprofit legal organization that boasts that it has matched hundreds of lawyers nationwide to represent Guantanamo detainees.

Jerika Richardson, a spokeswoman for federal government attorneys in New York, said the government had no comment on the lawsuit.

In October, 2006, al-Qahtani recanted a confession he said he made after he was tortured and humiliated at Guantanamo. In a written statement, he said he had been beaten, restrained for long periods in uncomfortable positions, threatened with dogs, exposed to loud music and freezing temperatures and stripped nude in front of female personnel. The lawsuit said al-Qahtani was subjected to religious, sexual and moral humiliation and that female interrogators sometimes straddled him or molested him while other military guards pinned his body to the floor.

The U.S. originally had charged six men in the Sept. 11 case, including al-Qahtani. Authorities said he had hoped to become the 20th hijacker but narrowly missed taking part because a U.S. immigration agent denied him entry when he arrived at the airport in Orlando, Fla. The charges against him were dropped. Susan Crawford, a U.S. government official who formerly oversaw the tribunal system, told the Washington Post in an interview published in January 2009 that she refused to refer charges against him because she believed he was tortured.

During a media conference call Monday, attorney Lawrence S. Lustberg said the lawsuit was necessary because some interrogation techniques used on al-Qahtani may still be used and are listed in Army manuals.

"Here on the 10-year anniversary of Guantanamo, we're concerned that the public has been desensitized to the plight of those who are detained there," he said.

Alicia L. Bannon, a lawyer working on the lawsuit, said a Freedom of Information Act request filed with seven different agencies resulted in scant information, with the Department of Justice saying that the requested information was classified and other agencies alleging disclosures would result in an invasion of personal privacy.

She said the lawsuit wants a judge to require the government to provide at least portions of the tapes because the government should not be able to use exemptions to requests for public information to hide activity that is illegal or embarrassing to the government.

Another lawyer, Sandra L. Babcock from the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern Law School, said the government will not let lawyers working on the case describe the content of the tapes or say how many exist. But she added that tapes she has seen are "extremely disturbing, sickening even."

"I think they would have the power to change the tenor of the debate on the government detention policies and the war on terror," Babcock said.

Babcock said the interrogation techniques had ravaged al-Qhatani, causing his weight to drop from 160 pounds to 100 pounds and his health to decline even before the most severe interrogation began.

Now, she said, he is a broken man, unlikely to ever recover from the physical and psychological effects of torture.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120109/ap_on_re_us/us_guantanamo_lawsuit

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