House transportation bill would spend about $260B (AP)

WASHINGTON ? House Republicans are proposing to spend about $260 billion over the next 4 1/2 years on transportation programs, as well as substantially increase the size of trucks permitted on highways, according to a draft bill being introduced this week.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and other GOP leaders are expected to introduce the bill on Tuesday. Mica's committee is poised to approve the measure on Thursday.

Significant policy changes in the bill include giving states far greater power ? and the U.S. Department of Transport far less say ? over how federal transportation aid is spent. The bill also consolidates many existing transportation programs, and makes it easier and quicker for road construction and other transportation projects to meet the requirements of federal environmental laws.

States could permit trucks weighing up to 97,000 pounds ? and in some cases as much as 126,000 pounds ? on interstate highways under the bill. The current limit is 80,000 pounds in most states. Increased weight limits are supported by the trucking industry, but opposed by safety advocates.

"Larger and heavier trucks mean bigger safety risks for highway drivers," Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., wrote in a letter to House lawmakers last week asking them not to raise weight limits.

The bill would maintain current spending on transportation despite declining gasoline and diesel fuel taxes, which historically have paid for highway and transit programs.

A separate committee will decide how to cover the gap between gas-tax revenues and the spending levels proposed in the bill. GOP leaders have said they plan to use revenue from expanded oil and natural gas drilling, but haven't provided details. However, congressional aides knowledgeable about the proposal said it would include drilling off the Virginia coast and in federal leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The aides weren't authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be named.

The bill provides enough money to prevent the nation's roads, bridges and transit systems from falling further into disrepair, but not enough to significantly reduce the backlog of needed work on transportation infrastructure, transportation experts said. A congressionally mandated commission estimated in 2009 that it would require $200 billion a year to reduce the backlog while maintaining the current transportation system.

"Clearly this level of funding is inadequate to support our needs as a nation," said Joshua Schank, president of the Eno Center for Transportation, a Washington think tank that supports greater transportation investment.

But the bill is expected to save jobs in construction, bus manufacturing and other transportation-related industries in part because it allows state transportation departments to make long-term commitments of funds. Those kinds of commitments are usually necessary before companies can go forward with major new transportation projects.

Each $1 billion in transportation construction spending supports about 30,000 jobs, said Andy Herrmann, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The GOP bill is "holding along the lines of what we've been doing in the past," he said.

But that may be enough to propel the bill through the House in an election year where voter regard for Congress is at rock bottom and lawmakers are eager to show off an accomplishment.

The last long-term transportation bill expired in 2009. Congress has kept transportation aid flowing to states through a series of short-term extensions. The current extension expires on March 31.

The Senate is working on its own bill, which would spend $109 billion over two years. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a co-author of the bill, says the bill's sponsors have a plan to pay for the measure, but hasn't detailed how that would happen.

A bipartisan proposal introduced in the Senate on Monday would continue transit spending at current levels while giving the regulators greater safety oversight of transit agencies, including the power to impose fines. The Banking Committee is expected to approve the measure on Thursday, after which it will be incorporated into the Senate transportation bill.

____

Follow Joan Lowy at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_go_co/us_transportation_bill

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Brazil's Rousseff focuses on economy in Cuba visit

Brazil?s President Dilma Rousseff waves upon her arrival to Havana, Cuba, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. Rousseff is in Cuba for a visit emphasizing economic cooperation. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

Brazil?s President Dilma Rousseff waves upon her arrival to Havana, Cuba, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. Rousseff is in Cuba for a visit emphasizing economic cooperation. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

Brazil?s President Dilma Rousseff waves upon her arrival to Havana, Cuba, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. Rousseff is in Cuba for a visit emphasizing economic cooperation. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

HAVANA (AP) ? Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff began a tour of Cuba on Monday in a visit emphasizing trade and economic cooperation.

Rousseff was greeted at Havana's international airport in the afternoon by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. She waved to reporters but did not make any public statements before leaving by car.

Her office said the trip would seek to bolster trade between the two nations, which rose 31 percent from 2010 to hit a record $642 million last year.

Rousseff planned to meet with President Raul Castro on Tuesday in the capital and also tour the nearby port of Mariel, which is being expanded with the goal of turning the facility into a base for industry and oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Brazil has financed almost 80 percent of the port project's $683 million price tag, according to a statement by the Brazilian presidency.

Also Monday, one of Brazil's biggest construction companies, Odebrecht, said an independent subsidiary would sign a contract to help administer the September 5 sugar mill in Cienfuegos province.

In a statement, Odebrecht said the 10-year agreement between its Infrastructure Works Co. and Cuba's state-run Azcuba sugar group "aims to increase sugar production and milling capacity and aid in revitalization."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-30-CB-Cuba-Brazil/id-364c3ffc483648eeb1f94d774830ac59

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Gingrich wants panel to look at in vitro clinics (The Arizona Republic)

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ECB's Makuch sees some recession risks: report (Reuters)

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) ? The euro zone could fall back into recession this year, an ECB Governing Council member said on Monday, adding the bank's non-standard measures were a significant funding and confidence boost.

A surprise upturn in the euro zone's service sector this month raised hopes the region may escape recession in 2012, even though the broader economy outside Germany is still struggling to gain traction.

The single currency area was likely to avoid a slip into a "deep recession," but will probably wallow in a mild recession until the second half of this year, according to a Reuters survey from January.

The European Central Bank (ECB), which pumped 489 billion euros into the financial system in December in its first-ever offering of three-year loans to help banks' funding strains amid the European sovereign debt crisis, will do so again next month.

"The banks' significant need in the first three-year operation shows that ECB's non-standard measures provide a significant contribution for financing of banks, supporting financial conditions and confidence," Jozef Makuch, who also heads the Slovak central bank, told daily Hospodarske Noviny in an interview.

Makuch warned the banks' dependency on the ECB short-term funding was rising, adding financing problems could hurt loan supply and have negative impacts on real economies.

"The market is still not functioning, we see some opening of markets with unsecured securities, but we are at the beginning of this process and hope it will continue," Makuch said.

Makuch said the ECB's bond-buying program, aimed to ease borrowing stress of debt-troubled countries like Italy, was neither automatic, nor without limit.

"Governments in the euro zone must cut excessive deficits and, in time, reach structurally balanced or surplus budgets. Countries at risk must fix slides in consolidation swiftly," Makuch said.

EU leaders will meet on Monday to sign off on a permanent rescue fund for the bloc and are expected to agree on a balanced budget rule in national legislation, with unresolved problems in Greece casting a shadow on the discussions.

(Reporting by Martin Santa; Editing by Ramya Venugopal)

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

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Former Boston Mayor Kevin White dies at 82 (reuters)

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Twitter Censorship Policy Ignites Global Outrage

Associated Press

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In Real Time, a Virus Learns a New Way to Infect

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers report that viruses deprived of their usual channel for infiltrating the E. coli bacterium evolved a different route into the cells in little more than two weeks.

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Egypt bans travel for US official's son, 9 others

An Egyptian protester reads a local newspaper as he sits in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian protester reads a local newspaper as he sits in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian protester sleeps in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian protester prays next to a tent with a poster of a man killed by the security forces during the revolution with Arabic writing that reads " Shihab Al-Din Ahmed, the martyr of freedom", in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian protester sits in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt banned at least 10 Americans and Europeans from leaving the country, including the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood, hiking tensions with Washington over a campaign by Egypt's military against groups promoting democracy and human rights.

The United States warned Thursday that the campaign raised concerns about Egypt's transition to democracy and could jeopardize American aid that Egypt's battered economy needs badly after a year of unrest.

The travel ban was part of an Egyptian criminal investigation into foreign-funded democracy organizations after soldiers raided the offices of 10 such groups last month, including those of two American groups.

The investigation is closely intertwined with Egypt's political turmoil since the fall of Hosni Mubarak nearly a year ago. The generals who took power have accused "foreign hands" of being behind protests against their rule and they frequently depict the protesters themselves as receiving foreign funds in a plot to destabilize the country.

Egyptian opponents of the military say the generals are trying to smear the protesters in the eyes of the public and silence organizations they fear will undermine their managing of the country.

Also startling is the military's willingness to clash with its longtime top ally, the United States, over the issue, particularly since the army itself receives more than $1 billion a year from Washington. The December raids brought sharp U.S. criticism, and last week President Barack Obama spoke by telephone with Egyptian military chief Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to emphasize "the role that these organizations can play in civil society," according to State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Thursday.

The ban became public after Sam LaHood, Egypt director of the Washington-based International Republican Institute, went to Cairo's airport Saturday to catch a flight and was told by an immigration official that he couldn't leave.

"I asked her why I was denied, she said she didn't know. I asked how to fix it, and she said she didn't know," said LaHood, 36. An hour later, a man in civilian clothes gave him back his passport and escorted him to the curb, LaHood said.

"It's a dark signal for groups who are interested in doing this kind of work," he said.

LaHood's father, a former congressman from Illinois, is the only Republican in Obama's Cabinet. The elder LaHood declined to comment.

The IRI was among the groups raided last month, along with the National Democratic Institute and a number of Egyptian organizations. Both American groups, linked to the political parties of the same name, monitored Egypt's recent parliamentary elections. In the raids, troops ransacked 17 offices of the 10 organizations around the country, carting away computers and documents.

The Egyptian government said the raids were part of a legitimate investigation into whether the groups were operating legally.

Sen. John McCain blasted Egypt's handling of the issue Thursday, warning that continued restrictions on civil society groups "could set back the long-standing partnership between the United States and Egypt."

IRI and NDI officials said they have been trying since 2005 to register as required by law, but were left in legal limbo, never officially denied nor granted permission. Both groups continued to operate while keeping authorities abreast of their activities, they said. Many Egyptian non-governmental organizations say officials often keep their groups in such limbo to maintain a threat over their heads.

Sam LaHood said he was told by his lawyer that he is under investigation on suspicion of managing an unregistered NGO and receiving "funds" from an unregistered NGO, namely, his salary.

Two other Americans and a European with IRI have also been banned from travel, Lahood said his lawyer had been told. From the National Democratic Institute, three Americans and three Serb employees are also on the list, according to its Egypt director Lisa Hughes.

Hughes, who is among those barred, said she has been interrogated for more than four hours about her group's work and that she had planned to fly to the U.S. next month before she heard about the ban.

"I think we would be silly not to be concerned," she said. "We were concerned the moment armed men showed up at our office door, and this has done nothing to calm those concerns."

The State Department's top human rights official, Michael Posner, told reporters in Cairo Thursday that such moves could jeopardize U.S. aid to Egypt, one of the biggest recipients.

"All need to have the ability to operate openly, freely, without constraint, not based on the content of their work," he said.

Posner pointed to recent U.S. legislation that blocks annual aid to Egypt unless it takes certain steps. These include abiding by its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, holding free and fair elections and "implementing policies to protect freedom of expression, association and religion and due process of law."

"Obviously, any action that creates tension between our governments makes the whole package more difficult," Posner said.

The U.S. is due to give $1.3 billion in military assistance and $250 million in economic aid to Egypt in 2012. Washington has given Egypt an average of $2 billion in economic and military aid a year since 1979, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Egypt's military has been locked in a confrontation for months with protesters who demand it immediately hand over power to civilians.

Hundreds of protesters camped Thursday in Cairo's central Tahrir Square, a day after several hundred thousand people massed there to mark the one-year anniversary of the 18-day anti-Mubarak uprising.

Thursday evening, hundreds moved from Tahrir and rallied in front of the state TV building, beating drums as they chanted for the "liberation" of state-run media from the military's control. They projected video footage of soldiers beating protesters onto the building.

State TV has been a mouthpiece of the military, broadcasting its accusations against protesters. Activists demand it be restructured as an independent media institution.

"The media is still manipulated and projects the same lies," said protester Mahmoud Ragab. "We will be here everyday to let them know it is a revolution."

___

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-26-ML-Egypt/id-5b6fa1b968174c8a8a81712d020cbbb9

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Bosnian police raid conservative Muslim village (AP)

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina ? Police are searching a highly conservative Bosnian Muslim village looking for evidence related to an attack on the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo last October.

The prosecutor's office said in a statement that no further details can be released about Wednesday's raid on Gornja Maoca except that it is related to terrorism suspect Mevlid Jasarevic.

Police have raided the isolated northeast Bosnian village several times before because some of the residents were suspected of posing a security threat by promoting racial and religious hatred and illegally possessing weapons.

Two residents were accused of driving Jasarevic to Sarajevo, where he shot at the embassy building and injured a policeman before police shot him in his leg and arrested him.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_eu/eu_bosnia_embassy_attack

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Meatless Monday: Balsamic glazed carrots and edamame grilled cheese

The time has come. The cat is out of the bag. My secret has been revealed. My (new) boss now knows my true identity: GrilledShane. Not only is she interested but is also extremely impressed. She lent me a panini cookbook and allowed me to ?have? a loaf of our signature bread, Milton?s Wheat, to use in a grilled cheese. (Don?t tell anyone though?*wink, wink*) From there, I used my Grilled Cheese, Please?cookbook to gain inspiration and create this particular grilled cheese sandwich.

Skip to next paragraph Shane Kearns

When Shane watched his mom create grilled cheese, he knew then that these sandwiches would soon become a major focus of his life. Thus evolved his life?s passion: grilledshane.com, devoted to all things grilled cheese: homemade recipes, news, and enjoyable stories. After reading grilledshane.com, you will come to realize that grilled cheese sandwiches can be much more than two pieces of bread and a slice of cheese.

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ingredients for balsamic glazed carrots & edamame grilled cheese?

grilledBalsamic Glazed Carrots & Edamame (out of the shell)
Kaltbach?Alpine Extra Cheese
Grafton Village Raw Milk Cheddar
Milton?s Wheat

Product: Swiss semi hard cheese, made from silo-free raw milk, with?dark-brown rind, specially cave-matured
?Flavour: Strong and harmonious, yet not at all strong or salty
?Ageing Period: 7 months (Emmi-Kaltbach)

I had no idea what cheese would fit with the ingredients I was going to include. I almost chose beer cheese, but the sous chef talked me out of that. Instead, after searching Whole Foods, I went with a cheese I had never seen before, Kaltbach Apline Extra Cheese.

"KALTBACH Alpine Extra is a new creation aged to perfection by the cellar masters at the Kaltbach?caves located on the edge of the Wauwiler Moos area in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. (PerishableNews.com)"

How can you go wrong with a cheese that is aged in caves in Switzerland? Really, you can?t. Emmi, the company that is responsible for this yummy cheese, also makes a Gruyere variety as well as?Emmentaler. All of these cheeses are in the same family, with slight differences. In the case of the?Kaltbach, it has a nutty, creamy and very delicious flavor.

Originally I stumbled on this raw milk cheddar and thought I would use it as the only cheese but as I continued looking, I saw the Alpine Extra and preferred it. Then I thought, why not use two cheeses? One can never have too much cheese in a grilled cheese. I bought a large chunk of the Alpine Extra and small chunk of the Grafton Village to use as a secondary cheese.

Grafton cheese handcrafts artisanal cheddar cheese that is aged from one to four years. This award-winning cheddar is made from primarily Jersey cow milk (raw milk, hormone free), all from small Vermont family farms.

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Giffords' husband rules out 2012 run for seat (AP)

LINCOLN, Neb. ? The husband of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says he has ruled out running for her seat in 2012.

Retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly reiterated to an audience at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Monday night that he won't seek the seat. He said, "I think Gabby's staff made it very clear to the Arizona newspapers when they said he will not be a candidate for Congress in 2012."

But Kelly left open a window to seek public office later, after focusing on his wife's recovery. He said her recovery is his goal now.

Giffords was shot in the head and wounded just over a year ago in an assassination attempt in Tucson, Ariz. She announced Sunday that she was resigning from Congress to focus on her recovery.

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Film executive Bingham Ray dies at Sundance fest (AP)

PARK CITY, Utah ? Filmmaking executive Bingham Ray has died while attending the Sundance Film Festival. He was 57.

The San Francisco Film Society says Ray died Monday. He was hospitalized Saturday after suffering an apparent stroke while attending the annual showcase of independent film in Park City, Utah. The exact cause of death was not released.

Ray served as president of United Artists for several years, where he shepherded such films as "Bowling for Columbine" and "Hotel Rwanda." He also worked at Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, where he developed marketing and distribution plans for films including "Death at a Funeral" and "Lars and the Real Girl."

The Sundance Institute called Ray's contributions to independent film "indelible."

He is survived by his wife, three children and two sisters.

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Deputy head of Libya's NTC quits after protests (Reuters)

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) ? The deputy head of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) said on Sunday he was resigning after a series of protests against the new government which the country's leader warned could drag Libya into a "bottomless pit."

The protests have pitched the NTC into its deepest crisis since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown with help from NATO powers last year, and they raise new questions about the council's ability to govern the oil exporting country.

Late Saturday, a crowd demanding the government's resignation forced their way into the NTC's local headquarters in Benghazi while the NTC chief was inside, in the most serious show of anger at the authorities since Gaddafi's ouster.

The NTC has the support of Western powers, but it is unelected, has been slow to restore basic public services, and some Libyans say too many of its members are tarnished by ties to Gaddafi.

Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice-president of the NTC and one of the council's highest-profile members, was the target of some of the protesters' criticism. Last week, students jostled him when he visited a university in Benghazi and he had to be pulled to safety.

"My resignation is for the benefit of the nation and is required at this stage," Ghoga told Al Jazeera television.

He said the national consensus that helped the country rise up and end Gaddafi's 42-year rule had not lasted into peace-time, giving way to what he called an atmosphere of hatred.

"I do not want this atmosphere to continue and negatively affect the National Transitional Council and its performance," said Ghoga, who also acted as the NTC's spokesman.

DISAPPOINTED HOPES

Protesters say the NTC has failed to live up to the aspirations of the revolt against Gaddafi, the most violent of the "Arab Spring" uprisings.

"We hoped for security, peace and transparency. We have seen the opposite," said Miftah Al-Rabia, 28, who was standing outside the NTC's Benghazi headquarters Sunday with a group of protesters.

NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil, speaking at a news conference in Benghazi just over an hour before Ghoga announced he was resigning, appealed to the protesters to be more patient.

"We are going through a political movement that can take the country to a bottomless pit," he said. "There is something behind these protests that is not for the good of the country."

"The people have not given the government enough time and the government does not have enough money. Maybe there are delays, but the government has only been working for two months. Give them a chance, at least two months."

He said he had accepted the resignation of Benghazi's mayor, Saleh El-Ghazal, following the protests, and promised elections to choose the mayor's successor.

In a glimpse of the lack of coordination which Western diplomats say pervades the workings of the NTC, Abdel Jalil was asked if Ghoga would be stepping down and said he would not.

Sources in the NTC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ghoga has not submitted a letter of resignation.

They said he was angry at being manhandled at the university and that a delegation had gone to his home to try to talk him out of resigning.

The location of the protests is particularly galling for the NTC. Benghazi, in eastern Libya, was the birthplace of the revolt against Gaddafi's rule and the site of the NTC's headquarters during the revolt.

HASTILY-FORMED COUNCIL

The protests add to the list of challenges facing the NTC.

It is struggling to bring to heel dozens of armed militias who have carved the country into rival fiefdoms and are so far refusing to join a newly created national army.

Foreign states are worried about the NTC's capacity to secure its borders against arms traffickers, al Qaeda insurgents and migrants trying to reach Europe illegally.

The NTC was formed in the early days of the revolt against Gaddafi from a hastily-assembled group of lawyers, government officials who defected, Muslim clerics, tribal leaders and civil society activists.

At the time, Gaddafi's troops were using automatic weapons to fire on protests in Benghazi and elsewhere, and there was little time to vet the members.

But nearly six months on from the moment the rebellion took control of the capital Tripoli, Libyans are started to question the council's legitimacy.

In particular, some people have cast doubt over the loyalties of former Gaddafi lieutenants who are now in the NTC. These include Abdel Jalil himself, who was justice minister under Gaddafi before defecting early in the uprising.

The council says it will dissolve itself once elections are held for a transitional national assembly. That vote is scheduled to take place in about six months.

At the NTC headquarters in Benghazi Sunday, smashed windows bore witness to the protests Saturday night. Guards in camouflage fatigues patrolled the building.

"We still don't know who exactly is in the NTC. There is no transparency," said Al-Rabia, a protester standing outside the building with a group of about 30 other men.

Another protester, 24-year-old Mohammed Mahmoud, said he fought against Gaddafi during the revolt and wounded his shoulder and hand.

"We fought on the front line and received injuries but we did not see the NTC with us," he said. "I have one single question: Why has the NTC failed at everything except selling oil? We want to correct the path of the revolution."

(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy in Cairo, Ali Shuaib and Taha Zargoun in Tripoli and Mohammad Al Tommy in Benghazi; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/wl_nm/us_libya_benghazi_protests

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Tony Novak commented on article Wikipedia, Google Go Black to Protest SOPA

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Boa Constrictors Listen to Loosen

60-Second Science | More Science

Boa constrictors kept tightening their grip on dead rats with faked heartbeats for 20 minutes, but let go when the pulse stopped. Christopher Intagliata reports

January 18, 2012?|

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True to their name, boa constrictors squeeze the life out of their prey. But how does a boa know it's snuffed out a rat? The snake listens for a heartbeat. When it stops, that's the cue to let go, according to a study in the journal Biology Letters. [Scott M. Boback et al., "Snake modulates constriction in response to prey?s heartbeat"]

Researchers outfitted rat cadavers with artificial beating hearts. They used dead rats to control for other signs of passing, like muscle spasms. Then they warmed up the rats, set the hearts pumping, and dangled them in front of hungry boas.

The snakes attacked. And as long as that rat heart kept thumping, the boas kept tightening their coils and applying bursts of pressure, sometimes for more than 20 minutes. But as soon as scientists killed the heartbeat, the boas loosened up.

Even captive-born boas who'd never hunted live prey paid attention to the pulse?suggesting the behavior is innate. And for good reason. The authors say constriction takes a lot of energy. And it can be dangerous, say, if an enemy strikes while the snake's coiled around its quarry. But by following the telltale heart, boas can keep the pressure on just long enough. Before a relaxing meal.

?Christopher Intagliata

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]?

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Obama rejects controversial Keystone oil pipeline

Michael Marshall, environment reporter

US president Barack Obama has rejected plans for a vast oil pipeline reaching from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, The Washington Post is reporting.

The Keystone XL pipeline has been criticised by environmentalists, but promoted by Republicans because they argue it would create jobs.

Canadian energy infrastructure firm, TransCanada had applied for a permit to build the pipeline. It would ferry bitumen from the Alberta oil sands to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. Environmentalists cited the enormous greenhouse gas emissions from the fuel that would be produced, as well as the risk to the sensitive ecosystem of the Nebraska Sandhills, through which the pipeline was planned to pass.

Last November the government announced a new environmental review of the project, delaying the final decision until 2013 - after the upcoming presidential election. However, late last year Republicans forced the government to make a decision within 60 days.

The rejection is not final - TransCanada will have the opportunity to reapply for a permit to build the pipeline along a route that avoids the Sandhills region. Still, Republicans - including US presidential candidate Mitt Romney - have reacted by excoriating Obama for his decision.

By turning down the permit, Romney said "the president demonstrates a lack of seriousness about bringing down unemployment, restoring economic growth and achieving energy independence", according to the Post's article.

And Agence France-Presse quotes John Boehner, speaker of the US House of Representatives and a Republican as saying:

If we don't build this pipeline to bring that Canadian oil, and take out the North Dakota oil and deliver it to our refineries in the Gulf Coast, that oil is going to be shipped out to the Pacific Ocean and be sold to the Chinese... This is not good for our country.

Canada is also developing another pipeline to carry bitumen away from the Alberta tar sands. The proposed Northern Gateway would terminate on the West Coast, in British Columbia, where it could be shipped across the Pacific to China.

By contrast, many environmentalists regard Keystone as a key test of Obama's green credentials, which have taken a battering since he came to office.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1bf0523d/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C0A10Cobama0Erejects0Econtroversial0Eke0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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US wants effective Alzheimer's treatment by 2025 (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Effective treatments for Alzheimer's by 2025? That's the target the government is eyeing as it develops a national strategy to tackle what could become the defining disease of a rapidly aging population.

It's an ambitious goal ? and on Tuesday, advisers to the government stressed that millions of families need better help now to care for their loved ones.

"What's really important here is a comprehensive plan that deals with the needs of people who already have the disease," said Alzheimer's Association president Harry Johns, one of the advisers.

Already families approach the advisory committee "reminding us of the enormity of our task," said Dr. Ron Petersen, an Alzheimer's specialist at the Mayo Clinic who chairs the panel.

The Obama administration is developing the first National Alzheimer's Plan to address the medical and social problems of dementia ? not just better treatments but better day-to-day care for dementia patients and their overwhelmed caregivers, too.

The plan still is being written, with the advisory panel's input. But a draft of its overall goals sets 2025 as a target date to have effective treatments and ways to delay if not completely prevent the illness.

Some advisory members said that's not aggressive enough, and 2020 would be a better target date.

"We want to be bold," said Dr. Jennifer Manly of Columbia University. "We think the difference of five years is incredibly meaningful."

Regardless, an estimated 5.4 million Americans already have Alzheimer's or similar dementias ? and how to help their families cope with day-to-day care is a priority, the advisory committee made clear Tuesday.

The disease is growing steadily as the population ages: By 2050, 13 million to 16 million Americans are projected to have Alzheimer's, costing $1 trillion in medical and nursing home expenditures. That doesn't count the billions of dollars in unpaid care provided by relatives and friends.

Today's treatments only temporarily ease some dementia symptoms, and work to find better ones has been frustratingly slow. Scientists now know that Alzheimer's is brewing for years before symptoms appear, and they're hunting ways to stall the disease, maybe long enough that potential sufferers will die of something else first. But it's still early-stage work.

Meanwhile, as many as half of today's Alzheimer's sufferers haven't been formally diagnosed, a recent report found. That's in part because of stigma and the belief that nothing can be done. Symptomatic treatment aside, a diagnosis lets families plan, and catching Alzheimer's earlier would be crucial if scientists ever find a way to stall it, the advisory panel noted.

Among the goals being debated for the national plan:

_Begin a national public awareness campaign of dementia's early warning signs, to improve timely diagnosis.

_Give primary care doctors the tools to assess signs of dementia as part of Medicare's annual check-up.

_Have caregivers' health, physical and mental, regularly checked.

_Improve care-planning and training for families so they know what resources are available for their loved one and themselves.

A training program in New York, for instance, has proved that caregivers who are taught how to handle common dementia problems, and given support, are able to keep their loved ones at home for longer.

Such programs "are dirt cheap compared to paying for nursing home care," said David Hoffman, who oversees Alzheimer's programs for the New York State Department of Health.

But hanging over the meeting was the reality of a budget crunch. The government hasn't said how much money it will be able to devote to the Alzheimer's plan, and states have seen their own Alzheimer's budgets cut.

"We're not going to fix this without substantial resources," Hoffman said. "In New York, we're hanging on by our nails," he added.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/seniors/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_he_me/us_med_alzheimer_s_plan

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(AP)

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_re_eu/eu_apnewsalert

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House to take up anti-piracy bill in February (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The House of Representatives will resume work next month on a controversial bill aimed at stopping online piracy of movies, music and other content, a leading lawmaker said on Tuesday.

The anti-piracy legislation has been a top priority for entertainment companies, publishers, pharmaceutical firms and others, who say it is critical to curbing online piracy.

Internet companies vigorously oppose the bills, arguing they would undermine innovation and free speech rights and compromise the functioning of the Internet.

The debate escalated over the weekend when White House officials raised concerns that the legislation could make businesses on the Internet vulnerable to litigation and harm legal activity and free speech.

Representative Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was needed to protect American businesses from intellectual property theft, and that legislation would move forward.

"Due to the Republican and Democratic retreats taking place over the next two weeks, markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act is expected to resume in February," added Smith, a Texas Republican. "I am committed to continuing to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate to send a bipartisan bill to the White House."

The Senate is expected to begin voting on January 24 on how to proceed in considering its own version of the bill.

Both Smith and Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy have said that they plan to jettison a controversial portion of their bills which would block access for Internet users who seek stolen movies or music.

White House officials, including cyber-security czar Howard Schmidt, said in a blog posting on Saturday that they opposed the bills as currently written. But they said the Obama administration would work with lawmakers on a narrower, more targeted approach to online piracy to ensure that legitimate businesses - including start-up firms - would not be harmed.

Wikipedia, the popular community-edited online encyclopedia, will black out its English-language site for 24 hours Wednesday to oppose the legislation. Other smaller sites leading the campaign include Reddit.com.

(Reporting By Diane Bartz; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/digitalmusic/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/film_nm/us_usa_internet_piracy_house

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This week in The Slacktiverse, January 14/15 2012 (slacktivist)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/186792870?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Sudan and southern rebels clash in oil border state (Reuters)

KHARTOUM (Reuters) ? Sudan's army fought rebels in the oil-producing state of South Kordofan last week, both sides said on Saturday.

The rebels said they had killed nine government troops, but the army denied this.

Fighting has taken place since last June in South Kordofan between the Sudanese army and rebels from the northern wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, who want to topple the Khartoum government.

Clashes spread to neighbouring Blue Nile state, which also borders newly independent South Sudan, in September.

The violence has already forced about 417,000 people to flee their homes, more than 80,000 of them to South Sudan, the United Nations estimates.

Both Blue Nile and South Kordofan contain large groups who sided with the south in a decades-long civil war, and who say they continue to face persecution inside Sudan since South Sudan seceded in July.

The SPLM is now the ruling party in the independent south and denies supporting SPLM-North rebels across the border.

The SPLM-North rebels said they had killed nine soldiers, destroyed three tanks and seized military equipment in clashes at Tees near the southern border on Monday. They also seized three army vehicles in another attack in the same area on Tuesday, they said in a statement.

Army spokesman Sawarmi Khalid Saad confirmed military operations had taken place in the town of Tees to reopen a road but denied any soldiers had been killed.

"These areas are under army control," he said.

Events in South Kordofan and Blue Nile are difficult to verify because aid groups and foreign journalists are banned from areas where fighting takes place.

SPLM-North is one of a number of rebel movements in underdeveloped border areas who say they are fighting to overthrow Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and end what they see as the dominance of the Khartoum political elite.

Sudan and South Sudan, who still have to resolve a range of issues including the sharing of oil revenues, regularly trade accusations of supporting insurgencies on each other's territory.

Their armed forces clashed at Jau in a region claimed by both sides last month in a rare direct confrontation.

Locals have faced air raids and sporadic ground fighting, according to rights groups and refugees, although Sudan denies it is bombing civilian areas.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Ben Harding and Peter Graff)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120114/wl_nm/us_sudan_fighting

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