University of Leicester researchers lead on new autism study published today

Public release date: 31-Jan-2012
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Contact: Professor Terry (Traolach) Brugha
tsb@le.ac.uk
University of Leicester

Britain's first adult autism survey reveals previously 'invisible' group with autism

New research on autism in adults has shown that adults with a more severe learning disability have a greater likelihood of having autism.

This group, mostly living in private households, was previously 'invisible' in estimates of autism.

Dr Terry Brugha, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Leicester, led research on behalf of the University for the report Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Conditions in Adults: Extending the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, which has today been published by the NHS Information Centre.

The report involved a survey of adults from learning disability registers in Leicestershire, Lambeth and Sheffield between August 2010 and April 2011.

Today's report presents findings from a new study based on a sample of people with learning disabilities living in private households and communal care establishments. The findings are combined with information from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) 2007, previously published by the NHS Information Centre, which included research on autism also led by Dr Brugha.

Dr Brugha, also a consultant psychiatrist working in the NHS with the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said: "We were surprised by how many adults with moderate to profound learning disability had autism because previous estimates pointed to lower rates in this group. Because they form a very small part of the adult population, when we added these new findings to the rate we had previously found in adults living in private households, and able to take part in our national survey in 2007, the overall percentage of adults in England with autism did not increase significantly over our 2007 estimate of 1%."

"Our finding that about 60% of men with profound learning disabilities and 43% of women with profound learning disabilities have autism has never been shown previously. It may also seem surprising how many live at home with parents or carers who provide 24 hour care and shoulder a considerable burden: 42% of men and 29% of women with severe learning disabilities living with family members and in other private households have autism. Taken together with the 2007 survey findings this means that most adults with autism live in private households, and before these two surveys they remained largely invisible".

Dr Brugha added "This new information will be of particular importance for those who plan and provide services to support those with learning disabilities. In March 2010, the Government published a national strategy for autism and guidance for the condition, with the view to improving the quality of services provided to adults with autism in England. Such improvements can only be achieved if the number of people with recognised and unrecognised autism is quantified. The strategy gave special emphasis to the need to train staff who have responsibility for identifying people with autism and their care. It will be vital to repeat such studies in future years in order to make sure that the national strategy is working effectively."

Sally-Ann Cooper, Professor of Learning Disabilities at the University of Glasgow, who also contributed to the latest study commented: "Until now routine statistics have not been gathered on the numbers of people with learning disabilities who also have autism leaving this as a hidden problem. Our study clearly shows that the more severe to profound an adult's learning disability is, the more likely they will be found to have autism if actually assessed."

###

Today's report is at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/autism11

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) 2007 is at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/asdpsychiatricmorbidity07

Further information has appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry (2011 May;68(5):459-65).

NOTE TO NEWSDESK

The new study was carried out for the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social care by the University of Leicester, in collaboration with the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, NatCen Social Research (NatCen), and the University of Glasgow.

The study was funded by the NHS Information Centre on behalf of the Department of Health, England. The NHS Information Centre is England's authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS Information Centre also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics. For more information, contact the press office on 0845-257-6990 or mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk.

For more information contact:

University of Leicester Press Desk:
Tel: 44-116-252-2415 or 0116-252-3335
Mobile 07711 927821
pressoffice@le.ac.uk

Or:

Terry (Traolach) Brugha
Professor of Psychiatry
Department of Health Sciences
College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology
University of Leicester
Email: tsb@le.ac.uk

---

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

Public release date: 31-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Professor Terry (Traolach) Brugha
tsb@le.ac.uk
University of Leicester

Britain's first adult autism survey reveals previously 'invisible' group with autism

New research on autism in adults has shown that adults with a more severe learning disability have a greater likelihood of having autism.

This group, mostly living in private households, was previously 'invisible' in estimates of autism.

Dr Terry Brugha, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Leicester, led research on behalf of the University for the report Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Conditions in Adults: Extending the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, which has today been published by the NHS Information Centre.

The report involved a survey of adults from learning disability registers in Leicestershire, Lambeth and Sheffield between August 2010 and April 2011.

Today's report presents findings from a new study based on a sample of people with learning disabilities living in private households and communal care establishments. The findings are combined with information from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) 2007, previously published by the NHS Information Centre, which included research on autism also led by Dr Brugha.

Dr Brugha, also a consultant psychiatrist working in the NHS with the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said: "We were surprised by how many adults with moderate to profound learning disability had autism because previous estimates pointed to lower rates in this group. Because they form a very small part of the adult population, when we added these new findings to the rate we had previously found in adults living in private households, and able to take part in our national survey in 2007, the overall percentage of adults in England with autism did not increase significantly over our 2007 estimate of 1%."

"Our finding that about 60% of men with profound learning disabilities and 43% of women with profound learning disabilities have autism has never been shown previously. It may also seem surprising how many live at home with parents or carers who provide 24 hour care and shoulder a considerable burden: 42% of men and 29% of women with severe learning disabilities living with family members and in other private households have autism. Taken together with the 2007 survey findings this means that most adults with autism live in private households, and before these two surveys they remained largely invisible".

Dr Brugha added "This new information will be of particular importance for those who plan and provide services to support those with learning disabilities. In March 2010, the Government published a national strategy for autism and guidance for the condition, with the view to improving the quality of services provided to adults with autism in England. Such improvements can only be achieved if the number of people with recognised and unrecognised autism is quantified. The strategy gave special emphasis to the need to train staff who have responsibility for identifying people with autism and their care. It will be vital to repeat such studies in future years in order to make sure that the national strategy is working effectively."

Sally-Ann Cooper, Professor of Learning Disabilities at the University of Glasgow, who also contributed to the latest study commented: "Until now routine statistics have not been gathered on the numbers of people with learning disabilities who also have autism leaving this as a hidden problem. Our study clearly shows that the more severe to profound an adult's learning disability is, the more likely they will be found to have autism if actually assessed."

###

Today's report is at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/autism11

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) 2007 is at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/asdpsychiatricmorbidity07

Further information has appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry (2011 May;68(5):459-65).

NOTE TO NEWSDESK

The new study was carried out for the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social care by the University of Leicester, in collaboration with the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, NatCen Social Research (NatCen), and the University of Glasgow.

The study was funded by the NHS Information Centre on behalf of the Department of Health, England. The NHS Information Centre is England's authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS Information Centre also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics. For more information, contact the press office on 0845-257-6990 or mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk.

For more information contact:

University of Leicester Press Desk:
Tel: 44-116-252-2415 or 0116-252-3335
Mobile 07711 927821
pressoffice@le.ac.uk

Or:

Terry (Traolach) Brugha
Professor of Psychiatry
Department of Health Sciences
College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology
University of Leicester
Email: tsb@le.ac.uk

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uol-uol013112.php

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Syrian troops push back in fight on Damascus edges (AP)

BEIRUT ? Syrian forces heavily shelled the restive city of Homs on Monday and troops pushed back dissident troops from some suburbs on the outskirts of Damascus in an offensive trying to regain control of the capital's eastern doorstep, activists said.

President Bashar Assad's regime is intensifying its assault aimed at crushing army defectors and protesters, even as the West tries to overcome Russian opposition and win a new U.N. resolution demanding a halt to Syria's crackdown on the 10-month-old uprising. Activists reported at least 28 civilians killed on Monday.

With talks on the resolution due to begin Tuesday, a French official said at least 10 members of the Security Council backed the measure, which includes a U.N. demand that Assad carry out an Arab League peace plan. The plan requires Assad to hand his powers over to his vice president and allow the creation of a unity government within two months. Damascus has rejected the proposal.

A text needs support from nine nations on the 15-member U.N. Security Council to go to a vote. The French official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with departmental rules.

The British and French foreign ministers were heading to New York to push for backing of the measure in Tuesday's U.N. talks.

In London, British Prime Minister David Cameron's office urged Moscow to reconsider its opposition to the measure.

"Russia can no longer explain blocking the U.N. and providing cover for the regime's brutal repression," a spokeswoman for Cameron said, on customary condition of anonymity in line with policy.

Russia insists it won't support any resolution it believes could open the door to an eventual foreign military intervention in Syria, the way an Arab-backed U.N. resolution paved the way for NATO airstrikes in Libya. Instead, the Kremlin said Monday it was trying to put together negotiations in Moscow between Damascus and the opposition.

It said Assad's government has agreed to participate. The opposition has in the past rejected any negotiations unless violence stops, and there was no immediate word whether any of the multiple groups that make up the anti-Assad camp would attend.

The United Nations estimated several weeks ago that more than 5,400 people have been killed in Syria's crackdown since the uprising against Assad's rule began in March. The bloodshed has continued since ? with more than 190 killed in the past five days ? and the U.N. says it has been unable to update the figure.

Regime forces on Monday heavily shelled the central city of Homs, which has been one of the cities at the forefront of the uprising, activists said. Heavy machine gun fire hit the city's restive Baba Amr district.

The Syrian Human Rights Observatory reported that 14 were killed in the city on Monday. Another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees, put the number at 15. Both also reported the discovery of a family of six ? a couple and their four children ? who had been killed by gunfire several days earlier in the city's Karm el-Zeitoun district.

The past three days, pro-Assad forces have been fighting to take back a string of suburbs on the eastern approach to Damascus where army defectors who joined the opposition had seized control.

Government troops managed on Sunday evening to take control of two of the districts closest to Damascus, Ein Tarma and Kfar Batna, said Rami Abdul-Rahman, the London-based head of the Observatory.

On Monday, the regime forces were trying to take the next suburbs farther out, with heavy fighting in the districts of Saqba and Arbeen, he said.

At least five civilians were killed in the fighting near Damascus, the Observatory and LCC said. The Observatory also reported 10 army defectors and eight regime troops or security forces killed around the country.

The reports could not be independently confirmed. Syrian authorities keep tight control on the media and have banned many foreign journalists from entering the country.

The wide-scale offensive near the capital suggested the regime is worried that military defectors could close in on Damascus, which has remained relatively quiet while most other Syrian cities have slipped into chaos since the uprising began in March.

The violence has gradually approached the capital. In the past two weeks, army dissidents have become more visible, seizing several suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus and setting up checkpoints where masked men wearing military attire and wielding assault rifles stop motorists and protect anti-regime protests.

Their presence so close to the capital is astonishing in tightly controlled Syria and suggests the Assad regime may either be losing control or setting up a trap for the fighters before going on the offensive.

State media reported that an "armed terrorist group" blew up a gas pipeline at dawn Monday. The pipeline carries gas from the central province of Homs to an area near the border with Lebanon. SANA news agency reported that the blast happened in Tal Hosh, which is about five miles (eight kilometers) from Talkalakh, along the border with Lebanon.

Further details were not immediately available.

There have been several pipeline attacks since the Syrian uprising began, but it is not clear who is behind them.

Assad's regime has blamed "terrorists" for driving the country's uprising, not protesters seeking democratic change.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria

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Obama uses tax proposals for his political message

FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2011, file photo, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, speaks to reporters as Republican Senators emerge from a closed-door negotiation on the payroll tax cut extension and other measures, at the Capitol in Washington. Aiming tax increases at millionaires and companies that ship jobs abroad may help frame the fairness theme of President Barack Obama?s re-election campaign, but it?s a plan that stands virtually no chance of passing Congress. "He?s got to know that none of those things he proposed really have much of a chance of going through both houses of Congress," said Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2011, file photo, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, speaks to reporters as Republican Senators emerge from a closed-door negotiation on the payroll tax cut extension and other measures, at the Capitol in Washington. Aiming tax increases at millionaires and companies that ship jobs abroad may help frame the fairness theme of President Barack Obama?s re-election campaign, but it?s a plan that stands virtually no chance of passing Congress. "He?s got to know that none of those things he proposed really have much of a chance of going through both houses of Congress," said Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Aiming tax increases at millionaires and companies that ship jobs abroad may help frame the fairness theme of President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, but it's a plan that stands virtually no chance of passing Congress.

Republicans have enough votes in the GOP-run House, and almost certainly in the Democratic-controlled Senate, to kill Obama's proposals. They say his ideas would discourage investment and job creation and further hurt an already ailing economy.

"He's got to know that none of those things he proposed really have much of a chance of going through both houses of Congress," said Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

"I don't think he's intending on passing any laws this year," said House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis. "He's in a campaign. That was his re-election speech."

The GOP's dismissiveness hardly matters to Obama and his Democratic allies.

After last year's hyper-partisanship bogged down routine business like financing the government and paying its debts, few expect much to move through Congress before November's election anyway ? especially not tax hikes that Republicans solidly reject.

"Even if there is little prospect of getting Republicans to agree with these proposals, they're important reference points for the public in identifying Obama as someone who's on their side," said Democratic pollster Geoffrey Garin.

Obama offered his plans, with scant detail, in Tuesday's State of the Union address. He used the word "fair" seven times to describe tax increases aimed at groups the Occupy movement has branded as the "one percent" of Americans who are doing extremely well while the rest of society struggles.

The president proposed ending tax breaks for U.S. companies moving jobs or profits to foreign countries and creating a minimum tax on their overseas profits. He also suggested new tax breaks for businesses that move jobs back to the U.S., for domestic manufacturing and for companies that invest in towns that have suffered major job losses.

Getting most attention was his plan to tax incomes above $1 million annually at a rate of at least 30 percent. That's a sharp and convenient contrast with the 15 percent tax rate enjoyed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, who earned about $21 million each of the past two years.

The proposals quickly became fodder for the GOP presidential contenders. Romney said the next day on CNBC's "Kudlow Report" that Obama's plan was "designed to come at me if I'm the nominee," and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said during last Thursday's presidential debate, "His proposal on taxes would make the economy worse."

Democrats immediately made clear that there will be Senate votes this year on the subject.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer, part of the Senate Democratic leadership, said he was relishing a push on "some kind of Romney rule, I mean Buffett rule." Obama has embraced a Buffett rule, named for billionaire Warren Buffett, who has cited the inequity of laws that let him pay a lower tax rate than his secretary.

Such proposals, along with any efforts to deny tax breaks to U.S. companies that outsource jobs and profits, would never get the 60 votes they would need to prevail in the Senate this year, let alone win approval from the GOP-run House.

"If the president has proposals that will help create jobs, we'll take a look," said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. "But tax hikes on small businesses will make it even harder for them to invest and grow."

Republicans say boosting taxes on millionaires would hurt many of the people who run small businesses and create jobs, a claim Democrats call exaggerated. The GOP and business groups also marshal their own fairness argument, calling it unjust and impractical to raise taxes on companies that set up operations overseas.

"They locate their facilities to be close to the customer," said Dorothy Coleman, vice president for tax policy for the National Association of Manufacturers. "That's a big concern for us, targeting multinational companies as if there is something wrong with doing business overseas."

Democrats challenge that argument as well, saying many pharmaceutical and high technology companies that set up shop abroad are drawn by lower labor costs and taxes and still sell the bulk of their products in the U.S.

Those disputes underscore a political climate so difficult that neither the House nor Senate seem likely to even try advancing pre-election legislation that each party calls their top tax priority: overhauling and simplifying the tax code.

Even so, Obama's tax proposals can also be read as an opening gambit in what looms as a titanic partisan struggle to be waged after the November elections, perhaps in a lame duck session of Congress in December.

Next January, broad tax cuts will expire that were enacted under President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003 and were temporarily renewed by Obama and Congress in 2010. At the same time, $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts will kick in unless lawmakers vote otherwise.

Congress will also need to renew the government's authority to borrow money. And action will be needed on a package of expiring smaller tax cuts, mostly for businesses, and on preventing the alternative minimum tax, originally aimed at the wealthy, from trapping middle- and upper-middle-income families as well.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-30-Congress-Taxes/id-1f3612a7d1c74cbd934c3f0aaa3ef7e2

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Duvalier must face trial for serious rights crimes: U.N. (Reuters)

GENEVA (Reuters) ? Former Haitian dictator Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier should be tried for torture, rape and killings committed during his rule, not merely on corruption charges as proposed by a Haitian judge, the United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday.

The judge handling the case, Carves Jean, told Reuters in Port-au-Prince on Monday that Duvalier will face trial for corruption during his 15 years in power, which ended in 1986, but not for human rights abuses.

But the office of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay voiced deep disappointment and called on Haitian authorities to ensure he is prosecuted for international crimes.

"Very serious human rights violations including torture, rape and extrajudicial killings have been extensively documented by Haitian and international human rights organizations to have occurred in Haiti during the regime of Duvalier," U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing in Geneva.

"Impunity for such serious crimes cannot be allowed to prevail and we urge the relevant authorities to ensure that justice is, albeit belatedly, delivered to the many victims of human rights abuses committed under the government of Mr. Duvalier," he said.

Pillay's office had repeatedly reminded judicial authorities in Haiti of their "an absolute obligation" to investigate the violations and prosecute those responsible, he said.

"It is clear under international law that there is no statute of limitations for such crimes," Colville added.

Judge Jean told Reuters that he did not find enough legal grounds to retain human rights charges and crimes against humanity against Duvalier and that a 20-page ruling had been delivered to the government prosecutor's office on Monday.

Duvalier is alleged to have embezzled between $300 million and $800 million of assets during his rule, stashing some of it in Swiss coffers before fleeing to exile in neighboring France.

Colville, asked why Duvalier would face corruption charges but not for human rights crimes, replied: "We're puzzled too, because under international law it is the very serious crimes such as crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, serious violations like torture which can also be a crime against humanity, these have no statute of limitations."

"In Haiti, our understanding is that under the constitution, international law is given supremacy so it does seem rather bizarre that financial charges appear to be possible but not international crimes," he added.

Pillay sent a senior expert to Haiti last March to provide legal and technical advice to Haitian authorities on the issue of prosecuting a former head of state for serious human rights violations, according to Colville.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/wl_nm/us_haiti_un_rights

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Why Joining the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Matters. | Comics ...

January 30, 2012 @ 11:48 AM

This year marks the 25th year of the CBLDF, and the 13th year of its active membership
program.

That means the comic book community, including fans, stores, creators, and publishers have
collectively decided to fight for free speech for a quarter of a century. It means that for more
than a decade, those who support this fight for free speech have gotten a card to prove it. And
that card comes with a world of importance.

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded when a store was targeted by local
authorities for carrying adult material and selling it to adults. An influential and well-loved
publisher circled the proverbial wagons and raised the funds to overturn a conviction. In
1986, comics were still facing the same bias and inequitable scrutiny they faced in 1948 , when groups decrying indecency in comics held public book burnings.

Since 1986 comics have faced library challenges, bannings, self-censorship, and media
vilification. Even as recently as January 2012, local news reports banged the drum that
dangerous and obscene illustrated fiction could fall into our children?s hands and warp their
minds forever. We are still dealing with the same ludicrous trends and accusations that
started in the 1940s and peaked in the 1950s, when Senate hearings almost destroyed the comics
industry after a best-selling book of pop psychology laid a nations? fears of juvenile delinquency
out, putting comics entirely at fault. It?s easy to assume that things
will never be that bad again, but as of this writing, a fan is awaiting trial to see whether or not he
will go to prison for the comics he owned. In many ways, things are worse than ever. The biases
and the witch hunts still remain, but the penalties can be far, far worse.

The fact is that in 2012 we are still fighting for Free Speech in comics. The consequences for
obscenity charges range from fines to public outrage and character assassination to jail time here
in the U.S. and even in a foreign country. This is terrifying. This should not be a problem that
anyone has to face just because they buy, sell, own, create, or distribute comics. This art form
does not enjoy the same freedoms of expression as film, music, or prose, and this should
infuriate everyone who loves comics.

Look at your collection right now. Do you have copies of SANDMAN, or
BONE? Then you own books that have been contested in libraries nationwide. Does your local
comics shop carry anything with explicit adult content? Keep in mind that the adult content label
is vague and ranges from LOST GIRLS to BONDAGE FAIRIES and from BLANKETS to R. CRUMB?S
BOOK OF GENESIS. All of those books have suffered the scrutiny of censorship or self-censorship. The variety of comics that could bring an outraged local authority down on a retailer
(and has, in some cases) is alarmingly wide.

This is not an abstract hypothetical, and it is not a slippery slope. These attacks happen regularly,
and the consequences are real. For 25 years, the fight to keep comics free and uncensored has
been constant and difficult. And as a fan, or a creator, or even just a passing reader with an interest in our Constitutional rights, the best way to be part of this struggle is by becoming a member of? the
CBLDF.

When you join the CBLDF, you become part of the fight. You have put your money down and
made a stand. You join creators from all parts of the industry and fans from all over the world.
You join some of the greatest stores in the world and some of the most vital comics publishers.
You are telling the world, ?I may not want to read this comic, but no one should go to jail for
making, selling, or owning it.?

In 2011 alone, CBLDF members saw their donations at work in an incredibly diverse assortment
of ways:

We were quoted in a Supreme Court opinion knocking out an unconstitutional censorship
law. In BROWN v. EMA, an amicus brief filed by the CBLDF and written by General Counsel
Robert Corn-Revere was quoted in the majority opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia. Comparing
government mandated videogame labels to the Comics Scare of the 1950s, the history of
censorship in comics was referenced as a mistake ? a mistake that should not repeated in other
areas of pop culture.

We sponsored Banned Books Week. Aside from membership in the Media Coalition, the
CBLDF expanded its active presence in the wider Free Expression community. We sponsored
Banned Books Week, spoke about comics censorship at several library events, and exhibited at
the American Library Association meeting, taking our mission to librarians, both educational and
public.

We contributed the first installment of the $150,000 in legal fees needed to defend Brandon
X. This terrifying case involves an American citizen who faces a minimum sentence of one year
in Canadian prison and registration as a sex offender because Canada Customs alleges that the
Japanese horror and fantasy comics on his laptop are child pornography. This case is vital
because it raises precedent questions about the artistic merit of comics and the rights of readers
and artists traveling with comics on their electronic devices. It challenges how child pornography
is defined, particularly in relation to Japanese manga and the inherent xenophobia of judging the
artistic merits of another culture?s pop entertainment from afar.

We saw a banner year for Retail Memberships. Working with Diamond Comic Distributors,
our Retail Membership program saw the highest numbers since its inception. This means that
there are more stores than ever participating in the protection of the medium, all of them part of
a coalition that defends the rights of fans and creators. As the retail community grows tighter
and more cohesive, with initiatives like Free Comic Book Day and growing membership in
ComicsPRO, we are also seeing greater bonds with our retail partners.

Aside from these accomplishments, we attended more than 20 conventions and conferences
throughout the United States, raising awareness of our important work. We also began
expanding our reach onto college campuses and into libraries. We hosted educational events and
started work on two separate resource guides for librarians and booksellers. All this and much,
much more happened due to the generosity of our donors and our Members. The work of the CBLDF is vital, and it can?t continue without you.

Throughout the week, Comics Should Be Good will be spotlighting the various levels of CBLDF
membership (you can see them now here). Please check these daily updates to see what level works
for you, and please consider joining the fight.

Free Speech is worth fighting for.

Alex Cox is the Deputy Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and a founding
contributor to CSBG.

Source: http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2012/01/30/why-joining-the-comic-book-legal-defense-fund-matters/

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Penguins: Crosby dealing with neck injury (AP)

PITTSBURGH ? Sidney Crosby isn't just dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion. A California doctor says the Pittsburgh Penguins' star also is recovering from a neck injury.

And Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson, said he can't rule out the possibility that the injury could be to his vertebrae.

"There's been speculation that I really can't comment on at this point," Brisson said Saturday night at the All-Star game skills competition in Ottawa. "I can't rule it out. I don't know. I'm not a radiologist."

Brisson also said he didn't consider the findings to be a setback.

Crosby visited with neurological spine specialist Dr. Robert S. Bray in Los Angeles this week as he continues treatment for symptoms that resurfaced during a loss to Boston on Dec. 5.

The 2009 league MVP missed more than 10 months after sustaining head shots in consecutive games in early January 2011. He returned on Nov. 21 and had 12 points in eight games before the symptoms resurfaced following a physical game against the Bruins.

The team says Bray found Crosby did have a concussion after taking shots to the head in successive games last January. Bray also discovered an unspecified neck injury, though Bray told the team the neck injury is "fully healed."

The team said Bray's findings will be evaluated by independent specialists.

General manager Ray Shero said at the All-Star game in Ottawa that Crosby had returned from California and that he was "optimistic" Crosby will play again this season.

"He's back in Pittsburgh now, hopefully we'll see next week where he is and we'll get the reports from California and compare notes to what's been done so far," Shero said.

Brisson said Crosby both looked and felt good while skating on his own last week, but there's no timetable as to when the player might be ready to play.

"Sidney's doing his best to be back playing as quick as he can and first of all safe," Brisson said. "His goal is to play hockey, and he'll play. The sooner the better."

The Canadian web site sportsnet.ca, citing unidentified sources, reported Crosby visited with a doctor in Utah, where an MRI revealed an abnormality in two vertebrae in Crosby's neck.

The 24-year-old Crosby acknowledged earlier this month he was still experiencing headaches and motion problems. He traveled to Atlanta recently to visit with Dr. Ted Carrick, a chiropractic neurologist who successfully treated Crosby last summer.

Crosby has been cleared for light exercise and skated with his teammates during a road trip through Florida two weeks ago.

The Penguins entered the All-Star break on a seven-game winning streak. Pittsburgh returns to practice Monday and will host Toronto on Tuesday night.

The team has stressed Crosby will not play until he is ready.

"The thing with Sidney is we want to continue to look to see how we can get this under control and manageable so he can return to play," Shero said. "As I said before he's not (playing) until those symptoms resolve but hopefully have him back at some point here soon."

___

AP Sports Writer John Wawrow in Ottawa contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_crosby_injury

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Yemeni president heads to US for treatment

SANAA, Yemen?? Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh headed to the United States on Saturday for medical treatment, his spokesman said, the latest stage in an effort to distance him from his country's policies to help ease a transition from his rule.

Ahmed al-Soufi, the press officer for the presidency, told The Associated Press that Saleh had arrived in London and would leave later Saturday for New York for medical treatment in the United States for wounds suffered in a June assassination attempt in the Yemeni capital.

Saleh left Yemen for to neighboring Oman a week ago, planning to head to the United States, after weeks of talks with the U.S. over where he could go. Washington has been trying to get Saleh to leave his homeland, but it does not want him to settle permanently in the United States, fearing it would be seen as harboring a leader considered by his people to have blood on his hands.

In London, a Foreign Office spokeswoman confirmed that Saleh's plane was scheduled to land Saturday at a British commercial airport "to refuel en route to the United States." Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, she said Saleh and those accompanying him were not going to enter the United Kingdom.

Saleh was traveled on a chartered Emirates plane with a private doctor, translator, eight armed guards and several family members, an official in the Yemeni president's office said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the details.

In November, Saleh handed over his powers to his vice president and promised to step down completely after months of protests by millions across the country demanding an end to his nearly 33-year rule. A national unity government was formed between his ruling party and the opposition.

But opponents say he has continued to interfere in the work of a unity government through his allies and relatives in key posts ? particularly his son and nephew, who command the country's most elite and powerful military units. As a result, the past two months have seen persistent violence, power struggles and delays in reforms.

The U.S. and its allies have been pressured Saleh to leave in hopes of removing him from the scene will smoothen the transition.

Saleh agreed to step down in return for a sweeping immunity from prosecution on any crimes committed during his rule, a measure that has angered many in Yemen who want him tried for the deaths of protesters in his crackdown on the uprising against him. Protests have continued demanding his prosecution and the removal of his relatives and allies from authority.

It is also unclear how permanent Saleh's exile is. In a farewell speech before leaving to Oman, Saleh promised to return to Yemen before Feb. 21 presidential elections as the head of his party.

Some in Yemen suspect Saleh is still trying to slip out of the deal and find ways to stay in power, even if it's behind the scenes.

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Even since the protests against his rule began a year ago, Saleh has proved a master in eluding pressure to keep his grip, though over the months his options steadily closed around him. He slipped out of signing the accord for the power handover three times over the months before finally agreeing to it.

He was badly burned in a June explosion in his compound in Sanaa. He received medical treatment in neighboring Saudi Arabia for three months. American officials had hoped he would remain there, but the Yemeni leader returned home and violence worsened anew.

His maneuvering and the turmoil on the ground left the United States struggling to find a stable transition in the country to ensure a continued fight against al-Qaida militants based in the country, who make up the most active branch of the terror network in the world. Saleh was a close ally of Washington in the fight, taking millions in counterterrorism aid.

During the past year of turmoil, al-Qaida-linked militants outright took control of several cities and towns in the south, including Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province.

On Friday, government forces battled with the militants near the town of Jaar, which they also control. At least five people were killed in the fighting, Yemeni security officials said Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

___

AP correspondent Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46174269/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Lindsay Lohan Files A Legal Response To A Betty Ford Staff Member

Lindsay Lohan has hit back at claims she assaulted a Betty Ford Center staff member in 2010, filing a legal response to absolve her of any wrongdoing. Former employee Dawn Bradley accused the Mean Girls star of grabbing her wrist and twisting it when she tried the give the actress – then a patient at [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/lindsay-lohan-files-a-legal-response-to-a-betty-ford-staff-member/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lindsay-lohan-files-a-legal-response-to-a-betty-ford-staff-member

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'Beasts of the Southern Wild' wins at Sundance

Director Benh Zeitlin, left, holds up actress Quvenzhane Wallis as they accept the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic award for the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Director Benh Zeitlin, left, holds up actress Quvenzhane Wallis as they accept the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic award for the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Director Benh Zeitlin, left, and actress Quvenzhane Wallis, right, pose with the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic award for the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Director Eugene Jarecki, right, puts his hand on the pregnant belly of producer Melinda Shopsin, left, as they accept the Grand Jury Prize U.S. Documentary during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Actress Quvenzhane Wallis poses with the Grand Jury Prize U.S. Dramatic award for the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Actress Quvenzhane Wallis poses for a photo after the film that she stars in, "Beasts of the Southern Wild," won the Grand Jury Prize U.S. Dramatic during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ? A mythical film starring an 8-year-old girl and a documentary about the war on drugs took top honors at the Sundance Film Festival.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" won the grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition, and "The House I Live In" won the same honor in the U.S. documentary category Saturday at the independent film festival's awards ceremony.

Directed and co-written by 29-year-old first-time filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" follows a girl named Hushpuppy who lives with her father in the southern Delta. The film also won the cinematography prize.

Zeitlin said he was grateful to the Sundance Institute and labs, where he worked on the film for more than three years.

"This project was such a runt, this sort of messy-hair, dirty, wild child, and we just have been taken care of and just eased along until we were ready to stand up on our own," he said in an interview after the ceremony. "It's just great that it happened here. This is the right place for the world to meet the film."

Zeitlin described his spunky young star, Quvenzhane Wallis, as "the biggest person I know." She said she is ready to be a movie star, but first will be going back to third grade.

Fox Searchlight acquired the film earlier this week.

Eugene Jarecki's documentary "The House I Live In" examines the social, human and financial costs of the war on drugs. The filmmaker won the same award in 2005 for his documentary "Why We Fight."

As he accepted his award, Jarecki called the war on drugs "tragically immoral, heartbreakingly wrong and misguided."

"If we're going to reform things in this country, putting people in jail for nonviolent crime, in many cases for life without parole, for possession of a drug, for sentences longer than is now given for murder in this country, must end," he said.

Kirby Dick's documentary about rape in the military, "The Invisible War," won the audience award, as did Ben Lewin's heartfelt drama "The Surrogate," which stars John Hawkes as a paralyzed 38-year-old man who hires a sex surrogate, played by Helen Hunt, to help him lose his virginity. Fox Searchlight acquired that film, too.

"I don't think most people have ever seen this sort of story before," Lewin said after the ceremony. "I think it was very new and unexpected... From the experiences I've had seeing it with an audience, it seems to be a real emotional ride."

"The Surrogate" also won a special jury prize for its ensemble cast.

World cinema jury prizes went to the documentary "The Law in These Parts," about Israel's legal system in occupied Palestinian territories, and the drama "Violeta Went to Heaven," about Chilean musician Violeta Parra.

The audience favorites in world cinema were the documentary "Searching for Sugar Man," which also won a special jury award, and the drama "Valley of the Saints," which also claimed the Alfred P. Sloan film prize. A second winner of the Sloan Award, which recognizes films with science as a theme or a scientist as a major character, was "Robot and Frank." The film, which premiered at Sundance, stars Frank Langella as a retired jewel thief who befriends the caretaker robot his children have given him, eventually bringing the robot along on his illegal outings.

Other winners:

? U.S. drama directing award: Ava DuVernay, "Middle of Nowhere."

? U.S. documentary directing award: Lauren Greenfield, "The Queen of Versailles."

? World cinema drama directing award: Mads Matthiesen, "Teddy Bear."

? World cinema documentary directing award: Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi, "5 Broken Cameras."

? U.S. drama screenwriting award: Derek Connolly, "Safety Not Guaranteed."

? World cinema screenwriting award: Marialy Rivas, Camila Gutierrez, Pedro Peirano, Sebastian Sepulveda, "Young & Wild."

? U.S. documentary editing award: Enat Sidi, "Detropia."

? World cinema editing award: Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky, "Indie Game: The Movie."

? U.S. documentary cinematography award: Jeff Orlowski, "Chasing Ice."

? World cinema drama cinematography award: David Raedeker, "My Brother the Devil."

? World cinema documentary cinematography award: Lars Skree, "Putin's Kiss."

? U.S. drama special jury prize for producing: Andrea Sperling and Jonathan Schwartz, "Smashed" and "Nobody Walks."

? U.S. documentary special jury prizes: "Love Free or Die," ''Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry."

? World cinema drama special jury prize: "Can."

? Short film audience award: "The Debutante Hunters."

? Best of NEXT audience award: "Sleepwalk With Me."

___

Follow Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen at www.twitter.com/APSandy .

___

Online:

http://www.sundance.org/festival/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-29-Film-Sundance-Awards/id-12dfc4afa85041fd8fe71a929be28625

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Etta James remembered as triumphant trailblazer (AP)

GARDENA, Calif. ? Etta James was remembered at a service Saturday attended by hundreds of friends, family and fans as a woman who triumphed against all odds to break down cultural and musical barriers in a style that was unfailingly honest.

The Rev. Al Sharpton eulogized James in a rousing speech, describing her remarkable rise from poverty and pain to become a woman whose music became an enduring anthem for weddings and commercials.

Perhaps most famously, President Barack Obama and the first lady shared their first inaugural ball dance to a version of the song sung by Beyonce. Sharpton on Saturday opened his remarks by reading a statement from the president.

"Etta will be remembered for her legendary voice and her contributions to our nation's musical heritage," Obama's statement read.

The Grammy-winning singer died Jan. 20 after battling leukemia and other ailments, including dementia. She had retreated from public life in recent years, but on Saturday her legacy was on display as mourners of all ages and races converged on the City of Refuge church in Gardena, south of downtown Los Angeles.

Among the stars performing tributes to James were Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera, who told the gathering that she has included "At Last" in every concert she's performed as a tribute to her musical inspiration.

Wonder performed three songs, including "Shelter In the Rain" and a harmonica solo. James' rose-draped casket was on display, surrounded by wreaths and floral arrangements and pictures of the singer.

Sharpton, who met James when he was an up-and-coming preacher, credited her with helping break down racial barriers through her music.

"She was able to get us on the same rhythms and humming the same ballads and understanding each other's melodies way before we could even use the same hotels," Sharpton said.

He said James' fame and influence would have been unthinkable to a woman with James' background ? growing up in a broken home during segregation and at times battling her own demons.

"The genius of Etta James is she flipped the script," Sharpton said, alluding to her struggles with addiction, which she eventually overcame.

"She waited until she turned her pain into power," he said, adding that it turned her story away from being a tragic one into one of triumph.

"You beat `em Etta," Sharpton said in concluding his eulogy. "At last. At last. At last!"

The assembly roared to their feet, and would again stand to applaud performances by Wonder and Aguilera, who filled the sanctuary with their voices.

"Out of all the singers that I've ever heard, she was the one that cut right to my soul and spoke to me," Aguilera said before her performance.

Throughout the service, a portrait of James as a woman who beat the odds in pursuit of her dreams repeatedly emerged.

"Etta is special to me and for me, because she represents the life, the triumphs, the tribulations of a lot of black women all over this world," said U.S. Rep Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

"It does not matter who sang `At Last' before or after Etta. It does not matter when it was sung, or where it was sung. `At Last' was branded by Etta, the raunchy diva ? that's her signature and we will always remember her."

James won four Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement honor and was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. In her decades-long career, she became revered for her passionate, soulful singing voice.

She scored her first hit when she was just a teenager with the suggestive "Roll With Me, Henry," which had to be changed to "The Wallflower" in order to get airplay. Her 1967 album, "Tell Mama," became one of the most highly regarded soul albums of all time, a mix of rock and gospel music.

She rebounded from a heroin addiction to see her career surge after performing the national anthem at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She won her first Grammy Award a decade later, and two more in 2003 and 2004.

James is survived by her husband of 42 years, Artis Mills and two sons, Donto and Sametto James.

"Mom, I love you," Donto James said during brief remarks. "When I get to the gates, can you please be there for me?"

___

Follow Anthony McCartney at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_en_mu/us_etta_james_funeral

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Gold-coated ant wields microcog

Rowan Hooper, news editor

(Image: Manfred Kage/Science Photo Library)

DON'T fear, ants haven't started constructing micromachines, though I wouldn't put it past them. Perhaps the most impressive of all insects - no mean feat when there are some 3 million species - ants construct peerless, air-conditioned homes, tend fungus gardens underground and perhaps even farm other insects for meat. Their societies are among the biggest and most complex on Earth, their military prowess formidable, and their strength-to-weight ratio legendary.

This one, however, is dead. To image biological material in a scanning electron microscope it must be freeze-dried so it doesn't rupture in the vacuum of the instrument. Specimens must also be electrically conductive, otherwise the intense beam of electrons hitting it will build up an electric charge. This means that non-metallic objects have to be coated in a thin film of metal, often gold.

To be sealed in an armour of gold after death - well, it isn't a bad way to go. It seems particularly fitting for an animal that can learn to adapt its behaviour when necessary, will sacrifice itself for its nest mates, and forms the largest cooperative unit ever recorded.

Ants haven't yet been recorded manipulating micromechanical cogs, however - except in stunts set up by cunning electron microscope technicians.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1c31da76/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C0A10Cgold0Ecoated0Eant0Ewields0Emicroco0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Sarah Costa: Pregnant and Displaced: Double the Danger

"There were no means of transport, so they prepared a bicycle. She lost a lot of blood and when she arrived at the district hospital, she wasn't paid much attention. Around 6 a.m., both the mother and baby died. I witnessed it. The woman was 38 years-old." These are the words of a man from the Kisumu district in Kenya, describing a pregnant woman in his community who had died while giving birth during the post-election violence that rocked the country in early 2008.

This kind of scenario plays out every day, around the world; more than 350,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth every year. Ninety-nine percent of these deaths occur in developing countries, where the lack of access to quality health care and information results in high fertility rates and closely spaced births, increasing women's and girls' risk of death and disability. Indeed, pregnancy can be a matter of life or death for women and girls in these places; and, their infants' lives are in jeopardy as well.

Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of the countries with the highest rates of maternal death are conflict-affected. In countries like Somalia, maternal and reproductive health systems were severely limited even before disaster hit, and now, services are even weaker and scarcer. In this environment, those displaced and uprooted by conflict or disaster are at heightened risk of life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth. And pervasive sexual violence, including rape, increases the likelihood of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. In crisis situations, sex work tends to escalate out of necessity -- with women forced to exchange sex for money or food to support their families -- and this further raises their risk of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe pregnancies and births.

To address the critical maternal and reproductive health needs of women and girls in such settings, the Women's Refugee Commission advocates for implementation of a set of priority lifesaving reproductive health activities at the very onset of humanitarian crises, known as the Minimum Initial Services Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health in Crisis Situations. This compendium outlines the priority services that must be provided to prevent death and disability, particularly among women and girls. We advocate for international aid agencies and local health organizations to ensure that basic emergency obstetric care is available at all times, clinical services for survivors of sexual assault are provided and contraceptives are accessible to meet demand. Once the situation in the country stabilizes, the full array of maternal health and family planning services should be made available.

The international community has made significant progress over the last 10 years in improving reproductive health care in emergency situations. Services are now more widely available, and these standards have been worked into international frameworks and action plans. Yet, there is much more to be done to ensure that all women and girls -- especially those uprooted by crisis -- can access high-quality reproductive health services and safely deliver their babies.

For example, meeting with maternal health care providers on the front lines in crisis-affected areas we found that many of them reported feeling isolated and unsupported in their work. Recognizing that there was a need for health providers from different conflict- and disaster-affected areas to share their experiences and knowledge, the Women's Refugee Commission created the initiative Mama: Together for Safe Births in Crises. Using social networking, Mama links doctors, nurses and midwives to each other and to experts so they can access the latest information from the field, share ideas and support one another.

Maternal health care providers obviously have a huge role to play in improving services. We have to better equip, train and support them, but they're not the only ones who can effect change. It's time we all step up our efforts to ensure that women and girls everywhere can decide freely if and when they want to have children, that all mothers can deliver their babies safely and that services are available for women who have suffered gender-based violence. From famine-ravaged Somalia to earthquake-devastated Haiti, sexual and reproductive health care has been one of the most neglected areas of humanitarian assistance. We cannot let women and girls pay the price any longer.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-costa/maternal-health-care_b_1235005.html

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"Welcome Back, Kotter" star Robert Hegyes dies at age 60 (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Robert Hegyes, who played the Jewish Puerto Rican wisecracking student Juan Epstein in 1970s comedy "Welcome Back, Kotter," died on Thursday at age 60, a hospital official said.

Paramedics brought Hegyes to John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey, from nearby Metuchen, hospital spokesman Steven Weiss said.

Hegyes, who grew up in New Jersey and reportedly had a home in Metuchen, was in cardiac arrest when he arrived and he was pronounced dead at the hospital, Weiss said.

The actor appeared alongside John Travolta and Gabe Kaplan in the high school comedy "Welcome Back, Kotter" from 1975 until 1979. Hegyes' character, Juan Epstein, was short with big hair, and sported a tough demeanor and pride in his Jewish and Puerto Rican heritage.

Hegyes, who was of Italian and Hungarian descent, said on his website that he modeled his character Epstein on Chico Marx, of the famous Marx Brothers.

After "Welcome Back, Kotter," he went on to have a recurring role as Detective Manny Esposito in the 1980s police series "Cagney & Lacey." In all, Hegyes had over 20 television and film acting credits during his career, and was also active in theater.

(Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/people_nm/us_roberthegyes

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Knewton Prepares To Take Education by Storm [TCTV]

Here at the World Economic Forum in Davos, among the banking, shipping, steel and transport magnates of the global economy, there are a number of technology entrepreneurs floating around. As they rub shoulders with the likes of Eric Schmidt, Sean Parker, Loic Le Meur and Robert Scoble, it's possible to peel them off from the crowd. I managed to catch Jose Ferreira, CEO and Founder of Knewton a startup which is aiming a silver bullet at the education problem with something that one might even call an audacious platform. Ferreira has raised $54M to achieve this, which is quite a sum. Despite that, he is openly critical of VCs who do not think in such word changing arenas as education.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/rfZ0mHoA_9A/

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NASA Honors Fallen Astronauts in Solemn Ceremony (SPACE.com)

This week, NASA is paying tribute to fallen astronauts who lost their lives in the pursuit of space exploration by holding a remembrance ceremony today (Jan. 26) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Today's Day of Remembrance will honor the 45th anniversary Friday (Jan. 27) of the three astronauts who died in a fire at the launch pad while training for the Apollo 1 mission. The tribute ceremony also marks 26 years since the fatal shuttle Challenger accident on Jan. 28, and nine years since the loss of shuttle Columbia and its crew on Feb. 1.

"NASA's Day of Remembrance was actually started after the Columbia accident," agency spokesman Allard Beutel told SPACE.com. "By pure happenstance, the three high-profile accidents at NASA related to astronauts happened at relatively the same time of the year, separated by years, but all within a few days of each other. It was decided that NASA would put aside the last Thursday of January ? whatever that date happens to be ? to pay tribute."

And while the Day of Remembrance is a solemn event, it also serves as a reminder to remain vigilant and careful in the pursuit of space exploration, he added.

"It's obviously somber, but it's also a time when people seem to renew their commitment to doing their personal best to make sure that there isn't another accident," Beutel said. "Spaceflight, by its very nature, is inherently risky. It always will be, but you do your personal best. There's a story that goes around NASA that says, 'it won't fail because of me.' Everyone takes that attitude." [The Apollo 1 Fire: NASA's First Disaster]

During the ceremony at the Florida spaceport, NASA officials, including Kennedy Space Center director and former astronaut Bob Cabana, will participate in a wreath-laying at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT) at the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

"It's open to the general public and to all Kennedy employees throughout the day," Allard said. "Typically, during the ceremony itself, there could be in the neighbourhood of 50 to 60 people gathered around, but NASA employees can stop by the Space Mirror Memorial any time to pay tribute to NASA's fallen."

Apollo astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grisson, Edward H. White II and Roger B. Chaffee perished in NASA's first major tragedy on Jan. 27, 1967. A fire broke out in the Apollo 1 module during a ground test at the launch pad about a month before the scheduled launch.

An accident review board was unable to conclusively determine the cause for the fire, but design flaws were blamed for the module's flammability. The tragedy prompted redesigns of the Apollo capsule and agency-wide procedural changes.

Almost 20 years later, NASA lost seven more astronauts when the space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch on Jan. 28, 1986.

Francis "Dick" Scobee, Ron McNair, Mike Smith, Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnik, Greg Jarvis and NASA's first educator astronaut, Christa McAuliffe, were killed in the tragic accident.

An investigation into the disaster showed that exceptionally cold weather had caused a seal, called an O-ring, on the shuttle's right solid rocket booster to fail at liftoff. This allowed pressurized hot gas to escape from inside the booster, which damaged the attachment between the booster and the orbiter.

Seventy-three seconds into Challenger's 10th flight, the external fuel tank exploded and the orbiter broke apart. The seven astronauts were killed when their crew cabin hit the Atlantic Ocean.

On Feb. 1, 2003, NASA suffered another space tragedy when the space shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas on its return home at the end of the STS-107 mission.

Following the accident, studies showed that a piece of foam insulation from Columbia's fuel tank broke off during launch and hit the orbiter's left wing, damaging the heat shield.

Commander Rick Husband, pilot William McCool, mission specialists Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, David Brown, payload commander Michael Anderson and Illan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, were lost when the orbiter's heat shield failed to protect the vehicle from the intense heat upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere.

In addition to NASA's fallen astronauts, the Day of Remembrance was designed to honor the deaths of others in the agency as well.

"It's for the astronauts, but it's also intended to be for all members of the NASA family who lost their lives supporting space exploration," Beutel said. "These are the people who died supporting the cause of spaceflight," Beutel said. "It's a time to reflect and reinforce that this is dangerous and difficult, but it's worth doing. If everyone does their personal best to not let things fail because of them, then it makes the entire cause of space exploration a little safer and a little better."

You can follow SPACE.com staff writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120126/sc_space/nasahonorsfallenastronautsinsolemnceremony

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Italy sells top amount at bond sale, yields fall (Reuters)

MILAN (Reuters) ? Italy's borrowing costs dropped sharply as it sold the maximum amount of 5 billion euros at an auction of short-term debt on Thursday, helping drive down yields on its longer-dated bonds ahead of a crucial sale of five- and 10-year paper on Monday.

At the first auction since credit rating agency Standard & Poor's downgraded Italy by two notches, yields on its two-year zero-coupon bonds fell to 3.76 percent - the lowest since August and more than a percentage point less than it paid a month ago.

"The Treasury managed to sell at the top of the range and at a lower yield," said Sergio Capaldi, an analyst at Intesa Sanpaolo in Milan.

"We are returning to (yield levels seen) last summer but we still have a long way to go before the situation normalizes. A year ago yields were below 3 percent."

Italian government bond yields and the cost of insuring its debt against default fell after the auction, with the yield on its benchmark 10-year bond 15 basis points lower on the day at 6.09 percent.

The cost of a five-year credit default swap fell 29 bps to 410 bps, according to prices from Markit.

S&P cut Italy's rating to BBB+ with a negative outlook on January 13, citing rising external financing risks.

Italian bond yields have nevertheless fallen from euro-era highs hit in November as cheap European Central Bank loans have fuelled appetite for its short-term debt among domestic banks.

But longer-dated bonds have rallied less, and Monday's sale of up to 8 billion euros is considered an important test of demand for Italian paper among international investors whose support it will need to meet this year's huge borrowing target.

Uncertainty over the outcome of talks between Greece and its private sector creditors on a debt restructuring it needs to avoid a messy default is complicating efforts by Rome to refinance some 90 billion euros of bonds maturing between February and April.

Monday's auction settles on February 1 when nearly 26 billion euros of BTP bonds and around 10 billion euros of coupon payments fall due.

On Thursday, Italy sold 4.5 billion euros of the new January 2014 CTZ bond. It also sold 500 million euros of an off-the-run September 2014 BTPei last auctioned in 2005.

Citi warned in a note that another two-notch downgrade of Italy expected from rating agency Moody's would mean BTPei bonds are excluded from a major inflation index, which is likely to trigger selling by accounts that automatically replicate the composition of the index.

"However, once this event has passed, and the market has re-priced accordingly ... the index event may create buying opportunities, although these are still likely to be confined to the short-end," Citi analyst Jamie Searle said in the note.

Both zero-coupon and inflation-linked bonds fall outside the scope of purchases carried out by the ECB on the secondary market in a bid to support Italian debt.

On Friday, Italy will also sell 8 billion euros of six-month bills and 3 billion euros of one-off bills maturing at the end of December.

Rome has said it plans to take advantage of stronger demand for shorter-dated debt in the first half of this year but is aware that significantly shortening the average life of its debt from around seven years would undermine a major credit strength - as S&P warned in its rating statement.

(Editing by Catherine Evans)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/bs_nm/us_italy_bonds_auction

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