Tuesday, January 31, 2012

After lull, Occupy protest resurfaces in Oakland (AP)

OAKLAND, Calif. ? For weeks the protests had waned, with only a smattering of people taking to Oakland's streets for occasional weekend marches that bore little resemblance to the headline-grabbing Occupy demonstrations of last fall.

Then came Saturday, which started peacefully enough ? a midday rally at City Hall and a march. But hours later, the scene near downtown Oakland had dramatically deteriorated: clashes punctuated by rock and bottle throwing by protesters and volleys of tear gas from police, and a City Hall break-in that left glass cases smashed, graffiti spray-painted on walls and an American flag burned.

More than 400 people were arrested on charges ranging from failure to disperse to vandalism, police spokesman Sgt. Jeff Thomason said. At least three officers and one protester were injured.

On Sunday, Oakland officials vowed to be ready if Occupy protesters try to mount another large-scale demonstration. Protesters, meanwhile, decried Saturday's police tactics as illegal and threatened to sue.

Mayor Jean Quan personally inspected damage caused by dozens of people who broke into City Hall. She said she wants a court order to keep Occupy protesters who have been arrested several times out of Oakland, which has been hit repeatedly by demonstrations that have cost the financially troubled city about $5 million.

Quan also called on the loosely organized movement to "stop using Oakland as its playground."

"People in the community and people in the Occupy movement have to stop making excuses for this behavior," she said.

Saturday's protests ? the most turbulent since Oakland police forcefully dismantled an Occupy encampment in November ? came just days after the announcement of a new round of actions. The group said it planned to use a vacant building as a social center and political hub and threatened to try to shut down the Port of Oakland for a third time, occupy the airport and take over City Hall.

After the mass arrests, the Occupy Oakland Media Committee criticized the police's conduct, saying that most of the arrests were made illegally because police failed to allow protesters to disperse. It threatened legal action.

"Contrary to their own policy, the OPD gave no option of leaving or instruction on how to depart. These arrests are completely illegal, and this will probably result in another class action lawsuit against the OPD," a release from the group said.

Deputy Police Chief Jeff Israel told reporters late Saturday that protesters gathered unlawfully and police gave them multiple verbal warnings to disband.

"These people gathered with the intent of unlawfully entering into a building that does not belong to them and assaulting the police," Israel said. "It was not a peaceful group."

Earlier this month, a court-appointed monitor submitted a report to a federal judge that included "serious concerns" about the department's handling of the Occupy protests. Police officials say they were in "close contact" with the federal monitor during the protests.

The national Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces corporate excess and economic inequality, began in New York City in the fall but has been largely dormant lately. Oakland, New York and Los Angeles were among the cities with the largest and most vocal Occupy protests early on. The demonstrations ebbed after those cities used force to move out hundreds of demonstrators who had set up tent cities.

Caitlin Manning, an Occupy Oakland member, believes that Saturday's protest caught the world's attention.

"The Occupy movement is back on the map," Manning said Sunday. "We think those who have been involved in movements elsewhere should be heartened."

In Oakland, social activism and civic unrest have long marked this rough-edged city of nearly 400,000 across the bay from San Francisco. Beset by poverty, crime and a decades-long tense relationship between the police and the community, its streets have seen clashes between officers and protesters, including anti-draft protests in the 1960s that spilled into town from neighboring Berkeley.

Before the Occupy movement spawned violence, mass arrests and two shutdowns of the Port of Oakland, the city was disrupted by a series of often-violent demonstrations over a white Bay Area Rapid Transit officer's fatal shooting of an unarmed black man named Oscar Grant on New Year's Day 2009.

Occupy protesters have invoked Grant's memory, referring to the downtown plaza named after Frank Owaga, the city's first Asian-American councilmember, by renaming the former space they occupied with tents as Oscar Grant Plaza. Hundreds of Occupiers again descended on the plaza to reflect on Saturday and discuss what's next.

Dozens of officers, who maintained guard at City Hall overnight, were also on the scene Sunday.

"They were never able to occupy a building outside of City Hall," Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said Sunday. "We suspect they will try to go to the convention center again. They will not get in."

Jordan said they will call for mutual aid from other law enforcement agencies if needed Sunday and defended his officers' response to the protesters on Saturday.

"No we have not changed our tactics," Jordan said. "The demonstrators have changed their tactics, which forces us to respond differently."

Quan, who faces two mayoral recall attempts, has been criticized for past police tear-gassing, though she said she was not aware of the plans. On Saturday, she thought the police response was measured, adding that she has lost patience with the costly and disruptive protests.

She also said she hopes prosecutors will seek a stay-away order against protesters who have been arrested multiple times.

"It appears that most of them constantly come from outside of Oakland," Quan said. "I think a lot of the young people who come to these demonstrations think they're being revolutionary when they're really hurting the people they claim that they are representing."

Saturday's events began when a group assembled outside City Hall and marched through the streets, disrupting traffic as they threatened to take over a vacant convention center.

The protesters then walked to the convention center, where some started tearing down perimeter fencing and "destroying construction equipment" shortly before 3 p.m., police said. The number of demonstrators swelled as the day wore on, with afternoon estimates ranging up to 2,000 people, although city leaders say that figure was much closer to several hundred.

A majority of the arrests came after police took scores of protesters into custody as they marched through downtown, with some entering a YMCA building, Thomason said.

One of those taken into custody at the facility was KGO radio reporter Kristin Hanes.

Hanes was arrested and her hands were zip-tied when police corralled protesters in front of the building and began making mass arrests, Hanes told the station Sunday evening.

Hanes said she told officers she was a member of the media and showed them her credentials, but was told her press pass was only good for San Francisco, and not in Oakland.

Though she was released after about 25 minutes, Hanes said she was "angry that they put a reporter in zip-tie handcuffs."

Oakland police didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about her arrest.

Christopher Bolton, Chief of Staff for the Oakland Police Department, said in an email to The Associated Press that he had not had the "opportunity to review the circumstances of her detention."

Bolton said in the statement that he had called KGO to speak with Hanes and that it was the department's "intent to facilitate excellent media coverage, and the incident will be reviewed in order to further that aim."

Michael Davis, 32, who is originally from Ohio and was in the Occupy movement in Cincinnati, said Sunday that Saturday was a hectic day that started off calm but escalated when police began using "flash bangs, tear gas, smoke grenades and bean bags."

"What could've been handled differently is the way the Oakland police came at us," Davis said. "We were peaceful."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_us/us_occupy_oakland

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Senator's stroke shows they can hit the young, too (AP)

WASHINGTON ? When a stroke hits at 52, like what happened to Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, the reaction is an astonished, "But he's so young."

The reality is that strokes don't just happen to grandma. They can happen at any age, even to children ? and they're on the rise among the young and middle-aged.

That makes it crucial to know the warning signs no matter how old you are.

"Nobody's invincible," warns Dr. Ralph Sacco, a University of Miami neurologist and past president of the American Heart Association.

Every year, about 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke. While some strokes are caused by bleeding in the brain, most are like a clogged pipe. Called ischemic strokes, a clot blocks blood flow, starving brain cells to death unless that circulation is restored fast.

Make no mistake, the vast majority of strokes do occur in older adults. But up to a quarter of them strike people younger than 65, Sacco says.

In the so-called stroke belt in the Southeast, that figure can be markedly worse. At Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, a stunning 45 percent of stroke patients are young or middle-aged, says stroke center director Dr. Cheryl Bushnell.

More ominous, recent government research found that nationwide, hospitalization rates for ischemic strokes have jumped by about a third among people ages 15 to 44 over the past decade.

Sometimes younger-age strokes are flukes with no warning signs, impossible to predict ? like Kirk's appears to be. The Republican senator is a Navy Reserve commander and avid swimmer, but dizziness sent him to the hospital. It turns out he had a tear in the carotid artery in his neck which blocked blood flow to his brain, triggering a stroke. Trauma usually causes such tears, although doctors haven't been able to say what caused Kirk's. His doctor at a Chicago hospital said Monday that Kirk was continuing to improve from the stroke, which affected his left side.

Heart birth defects, such as a little hole in the heart known as a PFO, and blood-clotting disorders also tend to cause strokes more often in younger people than in seniors.

But just like strokes at older ages, a lot of younger strokes are preventable. The increase seems to be part of a troubling trend: As Americans get fatter, high blood pressure, diabetes and other artery-corroding consequences set in at an earlier age ? meaning resulting strokes can hit earlier, too.

Indeed, research reported in Annals of Neurology last fall found nearly 1 in 3 of the 15- to 34-year-olds hospitalized for a stroke, and over half of those ages 35 to 44, already had high blood pressure.

More women are having strokes during or right after pregnancy, too, the government reported last summer. That's because more of them start out with unhealthy conditions like high blood pressure even before the hormonal changes kick in.

Whatever the cause or the age, anyone with stroke symptoms needs emergency care: Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side; sudden difficulty speaking or understanding speech; trouble seeing or walking; a sudden super-severe headache.

Younger adults are less likely than seniors to know those symptoms, and tend to try to shrug them off, Bushnell says. She points to a recent 50-something patient who twice ignored temporary episodes of weakness on one side. Called TIAs, for transient ischemic attacks, such episodes are a big red flag that a full-fledged stroke may be imminent. A third TIA finally brought him to the emergency room. By then, aggressive treatment wasn't enough to avoid a stroke that left him with impaired speech.

"As people get older, they have more and more direct contact with people who had strokes," and learn what to watch for, Bushnell says. But at younger ages, "there's just a gap in awareness."

Who is at increased risk for a younger-than-usual stroke? African-Americans and Hispanics, more than whites. Someone whose parent had a stroke before age 65 is at extra risk.

But mostly, the same things that are bad for your heart are bad for your brain, making it crucial to control blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol, to stop smoking and to keep active. At www.powertoendstroke.org the American Heart Association offers a seven-step online test called "My Life Check" that can help assess your risks.

Younger people do tend to survive strokes more than older people, and to recover better.

But Arnold Springs, 48, of Winston-Salem, N.C., knows it was his friends' fast 911 call that made the difference for him earlier this month.

"All of a sudden, my right arm went numb. The next thing I knew I was on the floor," Springs recalls.

The ambulance got him to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in time for a clot-busting drug to stop his stroke. Springs left the hospital three days later with some loss of vision and trouble walking, problems that his sister says are expected to improve ? plus orders to lower his blood pressure to stave off future strokes.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_he_me/us_med_healthbeat_strokes

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Some Reactions After the Challenger Explosion (ContributorNetwork)

The space shuttle Challenger explosion on Jan. 28, 1986, with its seven-member crew was the most traumatic disaster of its type in history. It occurred before a live audience, broadcast around the world in real time.

While the causes of the disaster have been covered ad infinitum, there were some little noted reactions that bear touching on.

President Ronald Reagan Addresses the Nation

On the day the Challenger was destroyed, President Reagan was putting the finishing touches on the State of the Union speech. It had been hoped he would be able to mention the space shuttle mission, which would have been in orbit at the time, with Christa McAuliffe, the teacher in space.

Instead, Reagan gave another speech, in a televised address to the nation recorded at the Teaching American History page. The speech, one of the most moving of his presidency, had everything a memorial speech should have. It touched on the sacrifices of the crew and the importance of the space program. It had a historical reference to Francis Drake, who died at sea. It ended with a quote from "High Flight," the greatest aviation poem ever written. He said that the Challenger crew had "slipped the surly bonds of Earth" to "touch the face of God."

Three days later, Reagan journeyed to the Johnson Spaceflight Center in Houston to give another comforting speech, this time to the bereaved space workers who felt keenly the devastating loss. He had something fitting to say about each of the fallen Challengers. He gave the requisite vow to continue the space program and to not give up exploration in the face of tragedy.

The Challenger Center

In an attempt to turn tragedy into something positive, the families of the Challenger crew, particularly June Scobee (now June Scobee-Rogers), herself a teacher, created the Challenger Center for Space Flight Education. There are Challenger Centers across the U.S., in Canada, Great Britain and South Korea. The mission of the Challenger Center is to further science education through a variety of programs, including training teachers in the art of teaching science.

Challenger Memorials

There are a number of Challenger Memorials, including one at Arlington National Cemetery and a Space Shuttle Memorial Park near the Johnson Spaceflight Center. The film "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" contained a tribute, "The cast and crew of Star Trek wish to dedicate this film to the men and women of the spaceship Challenger whose courageous spirit shall live to the 23rd century and beyond..." Seven asteroids were named for each of the Challenger crew. According to NASA, craters on the moon have also been named after the Challenger Seven.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker . He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120129/us_ac/10899887_some_reactions_after_the_challenger_explosion

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Oil near $99 in Asia amid Iran supply concerns (AP)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia ? Oil fell to nearly $99 a barrel Monday in Asia as tensions in Iran offset fresh concerns that the eurozone may refuse to grant Greece a fresh bailout.

Benchmark crude for March delivery was down 49 cents at $99.07 a barrel at midday Kuala Lumpur time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 14 cents to finish at $99.56 on Friday.

Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore, said crude prices were volatile after Germany's finance minister warned that the euro zone might not give Greece a fresh bailout unless it can overhaul its state and economy. Analysts fear this could reignite the region's debt crisis.

European leaders were to meet later Monday in Brussels to discuss austerity measures and a tentative deal reached Saturday between Greece and its private investors to avert a disastrous Greek default on its debt.

Shum said supply concerns also weighed on the market although Iran has postponed plans to immediately cut the flow of crude oil to Europe in retaliation for EU sanctions over its nuclear program.

Iran also threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil passage, and the head of its national oil company warned Sunday that EU sanctions could push oil prices up to between $120 and $150 a barrel. The market is also awaiting report from an International Atomic Energy Agency team that is currently touring Tehran, Shum said.

"Trade has been flat. The geopolitical tension in Iran and concerns over Greece's debt default are driving oil in different directions. This has helped oil to hold steady," Shum added.

In other energy trading, heating oil rose 0.5 cents to $3.063 per gallon but gasoline futures fell 2.3 cents to $2.90 per gallon. Natural gas added 6.9 cents to $2.83 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_as/oil_prices

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Ahead in Florida, Romney turns focus back to Obama (AP)

MIAMI ? Mitt Romney strode into the final 48 hours of the pivotal Florida Republican primary campaign with the confidence of a resurgent front-runner, predicting he'll win in Tuesday's voting while looking ahead to future contests.

His main rival Newt Gingrich hustled around the state, trying to rekindle the energy that lifted him to victory in the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21. He acknowledged the possibility he could lose here but vowed to fight Romney to the party's national convention this summer.

Outspent 3-1 on television advertising in Florida during the campaign's closing week, Gingrich was working the free media by chatting up reporters on Saturday and scheduling appearances on two nationally televised Sunday talk shows.

Gingrich has been under heavy attack from Romney and allies of the former Massachusetts governor. Romney had spent the past several days, including during two Florida debates, sharply criticizing Gingrich's discipline, temperament and ethics during and after his time as the House speaker in the 1990s.

Romney changed his line of attack on Saturday to refocus his criticism on President Barack Obama.

"He's detached from reality," Romney said. He criticized Obama's plan to cut the size of the military and what he described as the administration's weak foreign policy.

Gingrich's South Carolina momentum has largely evaporated amid the pounding he has sustained from Romney's campaign and the pro-Romney group called Restore Our Future. They have spent some $6.8 million in ads criticizing Gingrich in the Florida campaign's final week. Polls show Romney solidly ahead.

Gingrich planned to campaign Sunday in central Florida.

Romney had a series of rallies planned for south Florida. He was also looking ahead to the next-up Nevada caucuses and was airing ads in that state ahead of the Feb. 4 contest.

Gingrich sought to regain momentum with the endorsement of Herman Cain, a tea party favorite and former presidential hopeful whose White House effort foundered amid sexual harassment allegations.

Gingrich has been put on the defensive under Romney's withering attack. Gingrich responded by describing the former Massachusetts governor as "dishonest" and questioning his GOP bona fides.

His pledge to stay in the race suggests Republicans could be in for a long winter and spring if money continues to flow into Gingrich's campaign.

A third GOP contestant, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, has made an effort to campaign in the Sunshine State but trails Romney and Gingrich by a wide margin. He cancelled his Sunday events after his 3-year-old daughter Bella was hospitalized. She suffers from a serious genetic condition.

Texas congressman Ron Paul has invested little in the Florida race and is looking ahead to Nevada.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Video: Rock Star Billionaire?

KNTV's Scott Budman, reports Elevation Partners, run by U2's Bono, could make as much as $1.5B on the Facebook IPO; a New York jury has awarded businessman Donald Drapkin $16M in damages, in his lawsuit against billionaire Ron Perelman; and a bankruptc...

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46170444/

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Activists report 'terrifying massacre' in Syria

Updated at 3:15 a.m. ET: Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, describes the killings of at least 35 people in the city of Homs as a "terrifying massacre."

Videos posted online from activists showed the bodies of children wrapped in plastic bags lined up next to each other. Another video shows women and children with bloodied faces and clothes and in a house, with the narrator saying an entire family with its children had been "slaughtered."

The videos could not be independently verified.

The U.N. Security Council meets on Friday to discuss the next move on Syria and council envoys said members will be given a new Western-Arab draft resolution that supports the Arab League's call for President Bashar Assad to transfer his powers to his deputy.

The resolution calls for Assad's deputy to set up a unity government and prepare for elections after a ten-month crackdown.

The Security Council could vote as early as next week on the resolution, which diplomats from Britain and France are crafting in consultation with Qatar, Morocco, the United States, Germany and Portugal, envoys said. It replaces a Russian text that Western diplomats say is too weak.

The Observatory and the Local Coordination Committees, an umbrella group of activists, both said the death toll in Homs was at least 35, but the reports could not be confirmed. The groups cited a network of activists on the ground in Syria.

The Observatory said 29 people were killed in the religiously mixed Karm el-Zaytoun neighborhood of Homs on Thursday, including eight children, most of them when a building came under heavy mortar and machine gunfire.

Residents spoke of another massacre that took place when shabiha ? armed regime loyalists ? stormed the district, slaughtering residents in an apartment, including children.

"It's racial cleansing," said one resident of Karm el-Zaytoun, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. "They are killing people because of their sect," he said.

Published at 4:30 a.m. ET: Dozens of people were killed in a day of relentless violence in the restive Syrian city of Homs, two activist groups said on Friday.

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Two activist groups said the death toll in Homs on Thursday was at least 35, but the reports could not be confirmed. Details about the bloodshed were only emerging Friday.

Witnesses on the ground told The Associated Press they were still gathering information but that the city was rocked by sectarian killings, gunfire and explosions for much of Thursday.

Many of the reported victims were inside a building in the Karm el-Zaytoun neighborhood, the AP reported. Activists say at least 22 civilians were killed in the building, including children.

Outside Syria's capital, suburbs look like war zone

The Local Coordination Committees said in an email sent to news media that a total of 65 people were killed in Syria Thursday.

Interactive: Young and restless: Demographics fuel Mideast protests (on this page)

"Among them were 10 children, 4 women and 8 defected military soldier, they were martyred on Thursday by the bullets of security forces and the heavy weaponry of the military," the email said.

Family: US-born student held in Syria set free

The Syrian uprising against the Bashar Assad regime began last March with largely peaceful anti-government protests, but it has grown increasingly militarized in recent months.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46160189/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Chiefs Name Ted Crews Vice President of Communications

The Kansas City Chiefs announced that Ted Crews has been named the team's Vice President of Communications.

Crews has worked in the media relations department of the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and most recently the St. Louis Rams, where he was Senior Director of Communications.

"I want to thank Clark Hunt, the Hunt family, Scott Pioli and Mark Donovan for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this storied franchise," Crews said. "I am excited and honored to join the Chiefs family and I am looking forward to getting involved in the Kansas City community and working with the Chiefs staff as well as the local media."

Source: http://www.macsfootballblog.com/2012/01/chiefs-name-tim-crews-vice-president-of.html

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Evi tops Android Apps of the Week (Appolicious)

There?s been a second wave of Siri clones on the rise this week, with the launch of Evi gaining plenty of attention. While Android users seek their own version of the popular iPhone 4S artificial intelligence assistant, Evi, SimSimi and others have continued to gain traction in the Android Market. Lookout Labs unveiled a great app for visualizing mobile security threats, giving you deeper insight to malware behavior over time. Apartments.com also broke out with an Android app this week, joining the top real estate resources in the Market.

Evi (Free)

Evi?s taken the world by storm with an artificial intelligence app to help you ?talk? to the internet. It?s a free search app that looks for matching results and shows you relevant websites, adding a layer of context to your query. The more you ask, the more Evi will learn, providing an increasingly improved set of search results. This Android app is really a decision aid, interfacing between you and your web search with support for natural language for speech recognition. It?s most helpful for things like local search, enabling shoppers and foodies alike. Evi is one of many Siri alternatives to hit the market lately, marking the latest wave of AI tools. Evi won?t help you schedule appointments or send text messages, as Siri does, but it?s a playful novelty for Android users.

From mobile security provider Lookout, the new Mobile Threat Tracker is a fresh way to see mobile threats across time and space. Hailing from Lookout Labs? experimental minds, the Mobile Threat Tracker graphs malware peaks for various regions across the globe, showing historic data as well. You can see what time of day, week or year a mobile threat is likely to hit, and what regions are the most targeted. It?s all done in an artful way, making for an interactive app to educate consumers on mobile malware behavior. Lookout?s always seeking ways to inform and alert mobile users, and this creative Android app is a timely entrant to the Market.

In the market for a rental instead of buying a home? There?s an Android app for that. Apartments.com has finally delivered its core search technology in the convenience of a mobile app, delivering instant access to thousands of apartment listings in the US. Peruse condos, townhomes and houses for rent, with GPS integration for local finds. Filter your search by price, location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, amenities and more. You?ll also see photos, floorplans and sometimes video walkthroughs of a listing, saving you time and money in the end. Save the searches you like for later access, and share them with your roomie to keep everyone on the same page.

Some things just go well together, like peanut butter and jelly. Mobile navigation apps and urban settings are perfectly suited for each other, taking the stress out of traveling mass transit systems for you. Embark, previously known as Pandav, is a prime example of how an app can consolidate, deliver and even customize mass transit data on your behalf. The free Android app has provided over 20 million trips for urbanites, boasting 2,000 new users every day. With transit tools for twelve major cities, the most recent being Boston, Embark works above and underground to provide the fastest routes to your destination, alerting you of any delays. You can create an entire trip using Embark, share them with friends (group meet ups or tourists), and interactive maps to help you get to where you?re going.

The latest security app for Android, Comodo provides one-touch virus scans and the option to run a virus scan on demand. You?ll get scans for every file and app you download to your Android device, and a ?health check? feature to detect unsafe settings. You can even block annoying text messages by keyword, or set up a private ?area? on your phone to keep protected data such as contacts, phone numbers and text messages. Android?s a popular target for malware attacks, and there?s a slew of security apps to choose from. Comodo packs in quite a bit for free.

The task managers to challenge all other task managers, Producteev sets out to combine your to-do list with the tools you need to manage, track and share your tasks. The key to Producteev is its integration with other services, from the expected (Google Calendar) to the specialized (AIM). You can send and discuss tasks over chat, SMS and email, and you can even outsource your tasks directly to TaskRabbit. Producteev is all about the cloud, syncing your tasks and their integrated services across mobile and web platforms, smartphones and desktops. But what makes Producteev really stand out is its ability to help you get it all done.

Create a list of your favorite Android apps of the week?right here.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles10879_evi_tops_android_apps_of_the_week/44325107/SIG=12iuv0hu0/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/10879-evi-tops-android-apps-of-the-week

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Japan prices fall, mild deflation to persist (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan's core consumer prices fell for the third consecutive month in the year to December, and mild deflation is expected to persist this year as energy prices stabilize and worries about Europe's debt crisis suppress wage growth and economic activity.

Core consumer prices declined an annual 0.1 percent, matching the median estimate, and a narrower measure that excludes both food and energy also fell in a sign that Japan continues to grapple with a strong yen, which pushes down import prices and makes exporters reluctant to raise salaries.

Retail sales fell 1.2 pct in 2011, the first fall in two years, and auto and machinery equipment sales posted record falls in the series, which dates back to 1980. But sales rose an annual 2.5 percent in December, the biggest increase in 16 months.

The Bank of Japan and the government concede that the economy is in a lull, and they could come under increasing pressure to support it with currency intervention and monetary policy easing as Europe's debt crisis weighs on external demand.

Europe's downturn could offset the economic benefits of rebuilding the country's earthquake-damaged northeast coast.

"The stagnation of other developed countries is likely to push back the timing of Japan beating deflation from the mid-2010s as originally thought to the late 2010s," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute.

"The BOJ will need to keep its ultra-easy stance in the meantime. If risks from the euro-zone debt crisis heighten, it could move for an additional easing in the near term."

Japan's core consumer price index (CPI) includes oil products but excludes volatile prices of fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood.

The so-called core-core inflation index, which excludes food and energy prices and is similar to the core index used in the United States, fell 1.1 percent in the year to December.

Core consumer prices in Tokyo, available a month before the nationwide data, fell 0.4 percent in the year to January. That compares with the median estimate for a 0.3 percent annual decline.

HARD TO EXPECT SELF-SUSTAINED RECOVERY SOON

Annual data showed the core CPI slipped 0.3 percent in 2011, the third straight yearly fall. Japan's consumer inflation has been around zero or minus for over a decade, except a 1.5 percent rise in 2008 on the back of an increase in energy prices.

"Overall consumption is relatively firm partly supported by reconstruction demand. But it is hard to expect to see a self-sustainable recovery in private spending," said Masamichi Adachi, senior economist at JPMorgan Securities Japan.

"With uncertainty about the economic outlook and lackluster wage growth, consumers are unlikely to boost spending."

Nippon Keidanren, the country's largest business lobby, cited this week uncertainty about energy, the strong yen and a manufacturing shift overseas as reasons why pay raises are out of the question in annual labor union negotiations in the spring.

Japan's economy will likely show a mild contraction in the fiscal year ending in March but is expected to rebound next fiscal year, supported by reconstruction demand after the March 2011 earthquake.

Reconstruction could help narrow the gap between supply and demand but won't be enough to inflate demand in excess of supply and bring about an end to deflation, economists say.

Some Bank of Japan board members see a slight delay in post-quake reconstruction demand, and the global slowdown is somewhat more acute than previously thought, minutes of the central bank's December 20-21 meeting showed on Friday.

(Additional reporting by Rie Ishiguro; Writing by Stanley White; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/ts_nm/us_japan_economy

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Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer

Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer
Fujitsu's K supercomputer was on our radar before it was even completed, and naturally, we let you know when it smoked the competition and became the supercomputing speed king. So, when we had the opportunity to see a piece of K at Fujitsu's North America Technology Forum today, we couldn't pass it up. In case you forgot, K is a massive machine powered by 864 racks with 24 boards per rack housing SPARC64 CPUs. We got to see one of those boards, and Yuichiro Ajima -- who designed the inter-connection chips (ICC) on them -- was gracious enough to give us some more info on this most super of supercomputers.

As you can see in the gallery above, each board has extensive plumbing to keep the SPARC silicon running at a manageable 32 - 35 degrees Celsius (90 - 95 Fahrenheit) under load. Underneath that copper cooling system lies four processors interspersed between 32 memory modules (with 2GB per module) and four ICCs lined up next to the board's rack interconnect ports. Currently, the system takes 30 megawatts to do its thing, though Ajima informed us that K's theoretical max electricity consumption is about double that -- for perspective, that means K could consume the entire output of some nuclear power plants. When asked if there were plans to add more racks should Fujitsu's supercomputer lose its crown, Ajima-san said that while possible, there are no plans to do so -- we'll see if that changes should a worthy opponent present itself.

Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/JWeme4NM3LA/

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Too Few Americans Getting Screened for Common Cancers: CDC (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- The number of Americans being screened for colon, breast and cervical cancers still fall below national targets, federal health officials said Thursday.

In 2010, 72.4 percent of women were being screened for breast cancer, below the target of 81 percent, for cervical cancer it was 83 percent of women, while the target is 93 percent, and for colon cancer 58.6 percent of Americans were screened, missing the target of 70.5 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Not all Americans are getting the recommended screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer," said report co-author Mary C. White, branch chief of the CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. "There continue to be disparities for certain populations."

The screening rates are particularly low among Asians and Hispanics, according to the report in the Jan. 27 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Among Asians, the screening rate for breast cancer was 64.1 percent, for cervical cancer it was 75.4 percent, and for colon cancer it was 46.9 percent.

Hispanics were less likely than non-Hispanics to have screening for cervical and colon cancer (78.7 percent and 46.5 percent, respectively), the researchers found.

Screening is important, said Dr. Stephanie Bernik, chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

"Screening saves lives," she said. "When you catch a cancer at a smaller size it does affect outcome."

Some people may be confused about screening, because different medical groups have different screening protocols, Bernik said.

"It's hard to get people to do screening in general. People look for any excuse not to get screened. When they see there is a controversy about when to start screening, they look at it as an opportunity to not do the test," she said.

Bernik also admits that screening can result in some over-treatment.

"With screening comes that risk," she said. "Unfortunately, we are not at a point where we can select the patients that are not going to have a problem, so we treat everyone equally. So, there is a little bit of over-treatment but, overall, you are improving survival for many people."

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women aged 50 to 74 get a mammogram every two years to screen for breast cancer.

Women aged 21 to 65, or those who have been sexually active for three years, should have a Pap test to screen for cervical cancer at least every three years, the task force recommends.

For colorectal cancer, men and women aged 50 to 75 should be screened with a yearly fecal occult blood test or sigmoidoscopy every five years, or have a colonoscopy every 10 years.

Other highlights of the report include:

  • Breast cancer screening rates remained stable from 2000-2010, varying only about 3 percent.
  • Colon cancer screening rates increased from 2000-2010, to more than 58 percent for both men and women.
  • Cervical cancer screening rates dipped 3.3 percent from 2000-2010.
  • Screening rates for all these cancers was much lower among the uninsured or those who didn't have a regular doctor.

The Affordable Care Act is expected to lower these barriers to access by expanding insurance coverage, the authors said.

"Other efforts are needed, such as developing systems that identify persons eligible for cancer screening tests, actively encouraging the use of screening tests, and monitoring participation to improve screening rates," the authors added.

More information

For more on cancer screening, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120127/hl_hsn/toofewamericansgettingscreenedforcommoncancerscdc

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Stressed? Relax in SFO airport's new yoga room

Courtesy of San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport now has a yoga room where frazzled travelers can take a few moments to relax before or after a flight.

By Harriet Baskas, msnbc.com contributor

Stressed-out travelers willing and able to be flexible now have a new way to relax and refresh at San Francisco International Airport.

On Thursday, the airport officially opens what it claims is the world?s first dedicated yoga room at an airport.

??The room gives modern travelers a space that fosters and supports quiet and reflection. Those aren?t emotions that people typically encounter at the airport,??said Melissa Mizell, design director for Gensler, the Terminal 2 architecture firm that also created the yoga room,?in a statement.

Courtesy of San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport now has a yoga room where frazzled travelers can take a few moments to relax.

Located just past the security checkpoint in the recently renovated Terminal 2, the new yoga room is bathed in calming blue light, with a floating wall said to symbolize a buoyant spirit and enlightened mind. Lights in the room are low and warm ? to counteract the bright concourse ??and loaner mats are supplied.

The innovative idea is getting early kudos.

"Relax passengers between flights? Help them find balance in the crazy world of travel? How wonderful!," said nurse consultant Anya Clowers of JetwithComfort.com.

"Airports like SFO get it," said Greg Principato, president of Airports Council International - North America. "They are looking at the big picture and meeting the needs of travelers by offering products and services that contribute to their overall comfort."

In the spring, large, felt-constructed rocks will be added to the room and arranged in a nod to Japanese-style, Zen garden spaces.

SFO spokesperson Charles Schuler said the new yoga room will be open whenever the Terminal 2 security checkpoint is open ??currently 4:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. ??and that a list of yoga room rules will soon be posted. ?To help people find the room, we?ve even created signs that feature a stylized pictogram depicting a person in the lotus position.?

Sound too woo-woo for you?

For travelers seeking an alternate space to gather their thoughts without having to get down on the floor, SFO also offers the Berman reflection room ???a center for quiet reflection and meditation? ??pre-security in the International Terminal.

And for those who?find relaxation amid the bright lights and bustle, there's?no shortage of?bars.

More on TODAY Travel

?

Source: http://todaytravel.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10234554-relax-in-the-new-yoga-room-at-san-francisco-airport

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THG Presents: Best of Celebrity Marijuana Scandals!


Sorry, Armie Hammer. Your arrest for marijuana possession didn't even make THG's Top 10 favorite marijuana scandals ... though it did inspire us to compile the list!

Note that there are plenty of pot smokers out there who don't appear here simply because they haven't been busted for their antics. We snub them, but they win!

Anyway, take a look at some recent stars involved in weed-related police matters below and vote for which celebrity stoner is your favorite ...

Chace Crawford Mug ShotMatthew McConaughey mug shot

10. Chace Crawford / Matthew McConaughey (tie). The Texans tie for the 10 spot based on the classic mug shots taken after their respective arrests.

9. Snoop Dogg. Snoop's arrest this month was about as shocking as ... the #7 man on this list, who was also cited for possession in the same TOWN!

8. Jermaine Hopkins / Sam Hurd (tie). The Lean On Me star and Chicago Bears player may not be household names ... but were big time DEALERS.

7. Willie Nelson. Seriously, just leave Willie alone cops.

Soulja Boy Mug ShotNew Brooke Mueller Mug Shot

6. Soulja Boy. Recently pulled over with his entourage carrying a bunch of weed, cash and a gun. All in one briefcase. Sometimes you gotta travel light.

5. Michael Phelps. Don't hit the bong after winning a gold medal, kids.

4. Brooke Mueller. Charlie's ex claims her infamous crack pipe incident merely involved weed. Even if you give her the benefit of the doubt, what a mess!

3. Jenelle Evans. Girl can't go 24 hours without smoking up! Or getting arrested. At least some of her probation woes stem from positive drug tests.

2. Miley Cyrus. Our #2 scandal didn't even involve weed, necessarily ... but Miles totally smokes it, and who else could compete with this bong video!

1. DMX. The all-time king of celebrity mug shots is only slightly less known for his affinity for the sticky-sticky. Sometimes those things are related!

Who's your favorite celebrity stoner?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/thg-presents-best-of-celebrity-marijuana-scandals/

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Walker Leads in Recall Match Ups (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

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Can Newt Gingrich win Florida without Mitt Romney's bucks?

Gaining momentum with a win in South Carolina, Newt Gingrich appears to be a serious contender in Florida. But Mitt Romney has the upper hand in organization and fundraising.

With a big win in South Carolina and momentum building in Florida, Newt Gingrich suddenly appears poised to be a contender.

Skip to next paragraph

At the very least, it seems like it will be tougher than Mitt Romney once envisioned to lock up the GOP nomination quickly, with Florida cementing a series of victories.

But Mr. Gingrich also faces a daunting challenge: fundraising.

Florida is a notoriously expensive market, and Mr. Romney has already been advertising heavily there ? virtually alone ? for weeks.

As a late surger, Gingrich isn't nearly as well-positioned as Romney is for either organization or funding.

He hasn't reported how much cash he's raised in the last quarter (his deadline to release those numbers is Jan. 31), but it's almost certainly significantly less than Romney, who had $19 million in his campaign war chest as of Dec. 31.

At the end of the last reporting period, Romney had a $14 million advantage over Gingrich.

And it's a challenge Gingrich is focused on.

Within minutes of winning the South Carolina primary, he tweeted: "Thank you South Carolina! Help me deliver the knockout punch in Florida. Join our Moneybomb and donate now."

And in his victory speech, he told supporters, "I need your help in reaching out to people in Florida ... to sign up, to donate, to get involved." He added, "We don?t have the kind of money that at least one of the candidates does, but we do have ideas."

The pleas helped. The Gingrich campaign announced on Monday that it raised more than $1 million in the 24 hours following the South Carolina win.

And Gingrich has some big donors ? most notably Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas casino magnate who contributed $5 million to a pro-Gingrich super political-action committee earlier this month that spent heavily to promote him in South Carolina, and may have helped him to victory.

On Monday, Jon Ralston, political reporter at the Las Vegas Sun in a tweet said that Mr. Adelson's wife, Miriam Adelson, has promised another $5 million to the super PAC,?Winning Our Future, which plans to spend heavily on advertising in Florida starting Tuesday.

Still, Florida is a formidable state to advertise in. The Wall Street Journal estimates it could cost candidates $10 million to campaign effectively there. And Romney, who has an extensive fundraising network, plans to raise that much before the end of the month.

Romney has tended to attract donors from among the Republican establishment, and he has proved adept at fundraising. According to The Wall Street Journal, one Romney event in January raised $2 million, more than double its goal.

With the deep-pocketed Rick Perry opting to leave the race, new opportunities have opened up ?for the remaining candidates. But it's uncertain who will best take advantage of them.

Mr. Perry endorsed Gingrich, but it's not clear that his followers will agree with him. Romney has already recruited many of Perry's top fundraisers, including the two men who co-chaired Perry's fundraising committee.

So far, the momentum seems to be in Gingrich's favor. And there's nothing like success to pull in more money.

But it remains to be seen whether Gingrich can make up such a large financial gap in a short time, and how much the money will matter.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DjWqZEvEkZs/Can-Newt-Gingrich-win-Florida-without-Mitt-Romney-s-bucks

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Germany mesmerized by president's fall from grace (Reuters)

BERLIN (Reuters) ? Scandals over money, power and political favors surrounding Germany's head of state are turning him into an object of derision and could harm Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in two elections this year.

President Christian Wulff, installed by Merkel in the largely ceremonial office in 2010, has brushed off calls to resign over some of the affairs state prosecutors are now investigating. But opinion polls suggest most Germans want him removed.

Analysts believe Wulff is becoming a liability for Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), who are already fighting uphill battles to retain control of the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Saarland in elections later this year.

German presidents have limited formal powers but Wulff's nine post-war predecessors managed to become popular leaders as a voice of higher authority. The president is supposed to embody the nation's conscience largely via speeches and moral suasion.

But Wulff's standing has suffered in the last six weeks in which he has been under intense media fire for some relatively minor incidents stemming from his days as state premier of Lower-Saxony. Collectively they have left Wulff badly tarnished.

"It's a good thing we're not living in the Middle Ages," Wulff said during a public interview in Berlin Sunday with Die Zeit newspaper publisher Josef Joffe. When asked why, Wulff said: "I might have been burned at the stake."

Wulff faced scattered boos and catcalls from the crowd in Berlin, a new nadir for the 52-year-old conservative politician. He was also publicly labeled a liar this weekend by a Greens party leader from Lower Saxony state, Stefan Wenzel.

Wulff could have him charged with denigrating the head of state, carrying a maximum five-jail term, but has not responded.

Adding to Wulff's woes, police last week raided the home and office of his former spokesman, Olaf Glaeseker, in an inquiry into corruption.

LOST AUTHORITY

"Wulff has lost his authority and whenever he gives a speech ...people will be asking 'Is he telling the truth?' or 'Did someone pay him a sponsor fee?'," said Gero Neugebauer, a political scientist at Berlin's Free University.

"Germans expect presidents to be honest and upstanding. In the public view Wulff is neither. He got privileged treatment and still doesn't understand that. Wulff is a burden for the CDU and could hurt their chances in the two elections this year."

Wulff, premier of Lower Saxony from 2003-2010, belatedly apologized for misleading the state parliament about a cheap 500,000 euro ($650,000) home loan from a businessman friend.

The president has also apologized for leaving a message on the answering machine of the editor of Germany's best-selling Bild newspaper threatening a "war" if the daily published a story about his private finance dealings.

He was also later criticized for accepting free upgrades for holiday flights for himself and his family as well as staying free of charge at the holiday villas of wealthy businessmen.

Even fellow CDU leaders have scoffed at Wulff's high-flying lifestyle. "I spend my summer holidays in a cottage in Denmark," one former CDU minister told Reuters. "No one understands why he couldn't just pay his own way."

Wulff faces new charges about whether he was truthful when asked if state taxpayer funds were used for a private business meeting in 2009. At the center of the latest scandal is a 3,400 euro bill for copies of a cook-book given away to all guests.

"The point is not the amounts involved," said Christoph Hoenniger, political scientist at Goettingen University. "The point is they tarnish his integrity. The public would forgive him for making political mistakes. But they won't forgive this sort of personal misconduct.

"A minister would have been forced to resign by now but Wulff probably isn't going to go," he added. "It might not be hurting Merkel personally right now. But in the long term it could hurt her party. The Wulff problem probably won't go away."

WULFF JOKES

The debate about Wulff has been a staple of talk shows; the nation's most popular talk show host Guenther Jauch has already devoted two 90-minute Sunday broadcasts to Wulff. One guest even pointed out there is a new German verb meaning to take something without paying for it -- wulffen (to wulff it).

Wulff has also been a godsend for comedians and satirists.

"Dear Mr. President, I've got five kids, I'm 55, and my ratings are down," said late night TV host Harald Schmidt. "So do me a favor and don't resign because I need you for my show!"

A car-hire firm ran adverts with a picture of Wulff over a slogan: "Have fun with us, even if you don't have rich friends."

Wulff remains a hot topic on commuter trains and at the office water cooler as public opinion tips against him. Only 31 percent see him as trustworthy, down from 74 percent in August.

"If Wulff had any character he'd resign," said Annett, a 48-year-old self-employed contractor. "The game is up for him no matter what excuses he comes up with or what anyone says."

Alfons Meier, a Berlin pensioner, agreed: "It's definitely time for him to step down."

But Maria Roeck, a bus driver, said it was still unclear whether Wulff had done anything wrong himself.

"Every little thing is being blown up out of proportion right now and who knows what really happened," she said. "If you ask me, he should stay in office."

But another Berlin woman, Ursula Schneider, said the drumbeat of criticism would not let up: "They'll keep going until they find something really damaging to Wulff and he won't be able to stand the pressure."

(Additional reporting by Tom Wagner)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wl_nm/us_germany_scandals

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Photo of the Day (Theagitator)

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At PSU, tension over ouster, then grief for JoePa (AP)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. ? Anguished by an unthinkable scandal that shook a university and tarnished the proud football program, many in the Penn State community rallied around a common cause.

They mourned coach Joe Paterno's dismissal and questioned the motives and tactics of school leaders who pushed out the Hall of Famer in November in the wake of child sex abuse charges against a retired assistant coach.

Alumni, fans and students already racked by emotions were jolted by a much greater loss when Paterno died Sunday of lung cancer at age 85 ? and the grieving process again could be complicated following two tense months that often had the Paterno family and the school at odds.

"I feel like from the inside looking out that most people forget that he donated his whole life to the program. ... And everything that he donated to that school, people tend to look over that," defensive end Jack Crawford, who just completed his senior season with the Nittany Lions, said Sunday from Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, Ala.

"It was tough to swallow. It was harder to swallow when he first got fired. It was a sad moment for the whole Penn State family."

A family seemingly torn Nov. 5 after retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with the first of dozens of counts of abuse allegations. Sandusky has maintained his innocence and is awaiting trial. Paterno testified before a state grand jury investigating Sandusky, and authorities said he wasn't a target of the probe.

It ended up being his undoing anyway.

Paterno fulfilled his legal obligation by reporting a 2002 allegation relayed by a graduate assistant to his university superior. But the state's top cop chastised Paterno, among other school leaders, for failing to fulfill a moral duty to do more and take the allegation to police.

Paterno himself said he "wished he could have done more" when he announced his retirement plans the morning of Nov. 9 before getting ousted by the university Board of Trustees that evening.

"I am saddened to hear the news of Joe Paterno's passing. Joe was a genuinely good person," longtime Nebraska coach and current athletic director Tom Osborne said. "Anybody who knew Joe feels badly about the circumstances. I suspect the emotional turmoil of the last few weeks might have played into it."

That turmoil stretched to Paterno's final days.

Diagnosed with lung cancer days after getting fired, Paterno entered the hospital Jan. 13 for what his family then said was a minor complication from treatments that included radiation and chemotherapy. Mount Nittany Medical Center was barely a half-mile from Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions' home field that Paterno helped make into one of college football's shrines during his 46 seasons as Penn State head coach.

While in the hospital, trustees just a couple miles away at a campus hotel on Thursday told of why they fired Paterno and cited in part a failure to fulfill his moral responsibility in connection with the 2002 allegation. His lawyer, Wick Sollers, called the allegations self-serving and reiterated that Paterno fully reported what he knew to the people responsible for campus investigations.

"I think his legacy should be everything wonderful he did here for Penn State and for the community. That's what I hope," Karen Long, 70, of State College, said at the women's basketball game Sunday afternoon between Iowa and Penn State. "I don't think he was treated fairly, though. Just the way they handled firing him was awful."

Against that backdrop, school leaders, the Paterno family and the university community fractured by the scandal appear to be slowly mending relationships.

On Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett ordered the state's flags lowered to half-staff through Paterno's burial.

In recent weeks, university leaders have indicated they intend to honor Paterno's contributions on and off the field ? a sharp contrast to tones sounded in the frantic first week of the scandal. Back then, for instance, school President Rodney Erickson said Paterno was welcome to football games just like any other member of the public.

Paterno won two national championships and a Division I record 409 victories to turn Penn State into a name-brand program. Off the field, Paterno and his wife, Sue, donated millions back to the university, including the library.

"His and Sue's contributions are as much about ensuring student success as the many endowments and the library bearing the Paterno name," said Barbara Dewey, Penn State's dean of University Libraries.

Memorial service and funeral plans weren't ready yet Sunday night, though it appeared the family and the school were coordinating efforts.

Perhaps one last chance to say goodbye for a Penn State community that often took its cues on fall weekends from JoePa.

"No matter what people say, you can't take away what he did for Penn State and college football," former cornerback D'Anton Lynn said. "I don't think there will ever be a college coach that will ever have that impact again."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_paterno_the_final_goodbye

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