2012年5月16日星期三
Some analysts see evidence that Facebook is already successfully
With Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg has created a seemingly perfect home on the Web, one where people feel comfortable chatting with friends, playing games, sharing photos and videos, listening to music and revealing the most intimate details of their lives.
The $100 billion question is whether Facebook Cheap Christian Louboutin will be a perfect home for advertisers, as well.
Facebook, the social networking giant, is on the cusp of an initial public offering that is shaping up to be a success. There has been such an investor frenzy that the company supersized its offering on Wednesday. It now plans to sell nearly 18 percent of the company to the public — up from around 14 percent — in an I.P.O. that could value the company at more than $100 billion.
Despite the overwhelming level of interest, Facebook is facing fresh concerns over its ability to attract enough advertising revenue to justify that stratospheric valuation. On Tuesday, General Motors, the third-largest advertiser in the country, shut down its Facebook budget, about $10 million, saying that those ads were simply not doing enough to sell automobiles.
For Facebook, the loss of $10 million is not a big deal. The company generated $3.7 billion of revenue last year, 85 percent from advertising.
But the loss underlines the company’s need to convince a skeptical Madison Avenue that Facebook pages are the perfect vehicle for marketers and to convince eager investors that it can increase its advertising revenue, and quickly.
“It’s one of the most powerful branding mechanisms in the world, but it’s not an advertising mechanism,” said Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, the giant advertising agency.
G.M. aside, many companies remain committed to the social media platform as a way to engage and connect with consumers. Advertising executives, industry analysts and institutional investors just aren’t convinced that activity will translate into huge and growing profits for Facebook. It is a concern shared by some of the company’s bankers, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Companies like Home Depot,Wells Fargo and Merck have a presence on Facebook with their own pages. But they are mainly focused on fashioning content to build brand loyalty, rather than creating targeted advertising.
Even G.M. has said it plans to keep dedicated Facebook pages, stressing that it is an important avenue for reaching car buyers. The automaker just doesn’t want to pay Facebook — a decision that analysts worry other companies could make.
“My colleagues and I have spoken with several other advertisers who were already thinking of putting their dollars elsewhere,” said Melissa Parrish, an analyst at Forrester. “Now that G.M. has done so in such a large and public way, many of the fence-sitters will know that they’re not alone.”
As with all advertising, companies want to know what they’re getting for their money, and with Facebook, the answer isn’t clear. While the social network collects large amounts of data on its users, Facebook is much more reluctant than Google and other online sites to share that information with advertisers.
Facebook currently allows marketers to buy audiences, say women between the ages of 18 and 35 who live in a specific neighborhood. But Facebook is essentially a walledgarden, so what users may do on the Web beyond Facebook — where they shop, what they read — isn’t available for advertisers who want to home in on people’s behavior. Instead, Facebook provides basic information on just how many users “like,” or follow, a particular ad or page
“Facebook’s a silo,” said Darren Herman, the chief digital media officer at the Media Kitchen, an agency that helps clients on Facebook. “It is very hard to understand the efficacy of what a Facebook like, or fan or follow is worth.”
Already, investors are putting a price on those Facebook users. At a market value of $100 billion, investors are estimating that each person with a Facebook page is worth roughly $110. But that’s based on the potential profits — not what Facebook is making off them now. Last year, each Facebook user generated $4 worth of sales for the company.
If the company doesn’t live up to those promises, the stock may suffer. While new investors are betting that Facebook will be the next Google, current owners of the social network are taking some of their money off the table, including DST Global, Accel Partners and Goldman Sachs.
“Over time, Facebook will be able to increase its revenue,” said Mr. Sorrell of WPP. “But whether it will be able to justify its valuation, well, time will tell.”
Facebook has spent years trying to court Madison Avenue.
In 2005, the advertising group was largely run out of the company’s satellite New York “office,” the modest Upper East Side apartment of Kevin Colleran, one of Facebook’s first sales employees.
“We told advertisers it was $5,000 minimum,” Mr. Colleran said in an interview earlier this year. “But, really, we would take what we could get.”
As Facebook expanded beyond the college network, finding advertisers became easier. Companies were wowed by the growing number of users and the minutes people spent on the site.
But Facebook’s young chief was hesitant to clutter the site with ads. Its biggest competitor, Myspace, was clogging users’ profiles with loud advertisements, creating a jarring aesthetic. Mr. Zuckerberg, who has often said that Facebook was not designed to be a business, firmly told his team he would not sacrifice product for the sake of revenue.
“Mark made it clear: he said get me ads that make the experience better,” Mr. Colleran, who has left the company, said.
That philosophy has helped shape its current pitch. Rather than simply providing traditional ads, the social network encourages companies to engage with users by telling them stories. Facebook believes that such interaction is less intrusive than other online ads that take over a user’s screen or push down content.
Some companies are aggressively jumping onto the platform. Last year,Wal-Mart started a Facebook app that customized offers for more than 3,800 of its American stores. “A national message is often not as relevant as being able to say, we’ve got sunscreen in the South and we’ve got rubber boots in the North,” Stephen Quinn, chief marketing officer for the Wal-Mart U.S. division, said at the time of the October introduction.
But not all companies are persuaded. For one, Facebook has been relatively protective of its user data, citing privacy concerns. But data is critical to creating tailored ads.
Facebook also doesn’t have the full palette of advertising options. For example, companies can buy space only directly through Facebook, rather than through a network, where advertisers have more control. And Facebook limits the types of ads. While it allows companies to use video or social features, Facebook doesn’t let advertisers take over its home page or dress up their ads with a lot of bells and whistles.
“Facebook doesn’t have a clear enough story to tell marketers,” said Ms. Parrish of Forrester.
Investors piling into Facebook will be doing so on faith. To buy the shares, they have to believe that the company will be able to milk an ever-increasing amount of revenue from all the Web site’s social interactions, without alienating users with intrusive advertising or breaches of privacy.
Some analysts see evidence that Facebook is already successfully weaving ads into users’ interactions, without excessive intrusion. If this approach works, the returns on such Facebook ads could be five times higher for advertisers than regular ads, said Ken Sena, an analyst at Evercore Partners. Mr. Sena said he thought that Facebook’s advertising revenue could reach $14.9 billion in 2017, up from $3.2 billion last year.
Still, there are warning signs. Facebook’s advertising revenue actually fell in the first quarter of this year, from the fourth quarter. And some analysts think ad revenue will grow quite a bit more slowly this year than last.
This is where comparisons with Google, which went public in 2004, become apt. On its first day of trading, Google closed at $100.34 a share, which was 69 times the Christian Louboutin Bags company’s earnings. Back then, Google’s revenue and earnings were growing faster than Facebook’s today.
If Facebook goes public with a $100 billion market value, it would trade at 103 times the profits it made in the 12 months through the end of March. In that case, investors aren’t just saying Facebook is the next Google, they are betting it is better than the I.P.O. of Google — a lofty goal by any measure.
2012年4月14日星期六
The researchers also varied the time between the initial reminder
The team is calling for more measures to reduce christian louboutin the impact of shift working following the results of its study.
Researchers controlled the lives of 21 people, including meal and bedtimes.
The results, published in Science Translational Medicine, showed changes to normal sleep meant the body struggled to control sugar levels.
Some participants even developed early symptoms of diabetes within weeks.
Shift work has been associated with a host of health problems.
Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in the US, were trying to study its effects in a controlled environment.
Lower insulin levels
The 21 health-trial participants started with 10 hours' sleep at night. This was followed by three weeks of disruption to their sleep and body clocks.
The 21 health-trial participants started with 10 hours' sleep at night. This was followed by three weeks of disruption to their sleep and body clocks.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
The evidence is clear that getting enough sleep is important for health, and that sleep should be at night for best effect”
Dr Orfeu Buxton Brigham and Women's Hospital
The length of the day was extended to 28 hours, Christian Louboutin Sandals creating an effect similar to a full-time flyer constantly getting jet lag.
Participants were allowed only 6.5 hours' sleep in the new 28-hour day, equivalent to 5.6 hours in a normal day. They also lived in dim light to prevent normal light resetting the body clock.
During this part of the study, sugar levels in the blood were "significantly increased" immediately after a meal and during "fasting" parts of the day.
The researchers showed that lower levels of insulin - the hormone that normally controls blood sugar - were produced.
Three of the participants had sugar levels which stayed so high after their meals they were classified as "pre-diabetic".
They also highlighted a risk of putting on weight as the body slowed down.
"The 8% drop in resting metabolic rate that we measured in our participants... translates into a 12.5-pound increase in weight over a single year," they wrote.
Lead researcher Dr Orfeu Buxton said: "We think these results support the findings from studies showing that, in people with a pre-diabetic condition, shift workers who stay awake at night are much more likely to progress to full-on diabetes than day workers.
"Since night workers often have a hard time Christian Louboutin Marpop Red Patent Leather Wedges sleeping during the day, they can face both circadian [body clock] disruption working at night and insufficient sleep during the day.
"The evidence is clear that getting enough sleep is important for health, and that sleep should be at night for best effect."
The research group called for more efforts to reduce the health impact of shift working.
Artificial world
Dr Matthew Hobbs, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "This is an interesting study which shows that under extreme conditions involving sleep deprivation and 'tricking' the body clock, participants produced less insulin and therefore had higher blood glucose levels then when they were able to sleep normally and live according to normal daily rhythms."
He cautioned that the laboratory conditions were not the same as working nights.
"Clearly, this does not equate to the normal experience of shift workers who are able, for example, to use bright lights when not sleeping.
"The study also involved only 21 people. For these reasons, it is not possible to conclude that the findings would translate to real conditions in the wider public."
Tweaking memories related to drug abuse may keep addicts from relapsing, a new study published Friday in Science journal reported.
A group of Chinese scientists found that memories that connect drug-related "cues" such as needles or cigarettes to the pleasurable effects of drugs play a large role in Dooney Bourke Handbag former drug users' relapses, BBC News reported.
Lin Lu of the National Institute of Drug Dependence at Peking University in Beijing and his team combined traditional memory "extinction" procedures with a process called memory reconsolidation, Medical Daily reported.
More from GlobalPost: Study suggests some brains are wired for addiction
The scientists worked with 66 former heroin addicts, 22 of which had not taken the drug for an average of 11 years. Half the group was initially shown a short video of drug use to "open" their memory window, followed by "extinction sessions" where they interacted with more cues of heroin use, including handling fake heroin, Science News reported.
The other half of the group were initially shown a video of the countryside, which would not open the window, and then the drug-related visuals, BBC reported.
The researchers also varied the time between the initial reminder and the "extinction" sessions: Some people waited just 10 minutes, and others waited six hours.
During tests done one, 30, and 180 days later, the researchers found that levels of drug cravings were lower in those who had their memory window "opened" by a visual trigger and then experienced the drug-related cues 10 minutes later. Those participants also showed less of a blood android homme pressure rise in response to seeing drug paraphernalia compared with people who hadn’t received the reminder, Science News reported. Furthermore, those who waited six hours before undergoing the extinction didn’t get the same effect.
Researchers controlled the lives of 21 people, including meal and bedtimes.
The results, published in Science Translational Medicine, showed changes to normal sleep meant the body struggled to control sugar levels.
Some participants even developed early symptoms of diabetes within weeks.
Shift work has been associated with a host of health problems.
Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in the US, were trying to study its effects in a controlled environment.
Lower insulin levels
The 21 health-trial participants started with 10 hours' sleep at night. This was followed by three weeks of disruption to their sleep and body clocks.
The 21 health-trial participants started with 10 hours' sleep at night. This was followed by three weeks of disruption to their sleep and body clocks.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
The evidence is clear that getting enough sleep is important for health, and that sleep should be at night for best effect”
Dr Orfeu Buxton Brigham and Women's Hospital
The length of the day was extended to 28 hours, Christian Louboutin Sandals creating an effect similar to a full-time flyer constantly getting jet lag.
Participants were allowed only 6.5 hours' sleep in the new 28-hour day, equivalent to 5.6 hours in a normal day. They also lived in dim light to prevent normal light resetting the body clock.
During this part of the study, sugar levels in the blood were "significantly increased" immediately after a meal and during "fasting" parts of the day.
The researchers showed that lower levels of insulin - the hormone that normally controls blood sugar - were produced.
Three of the participants had sugar levels which stayed so high after their meals they were classified as "pre-diabetic".
They also highlighted a risk of putting on weight as the body slowed down.
"The 8% drop in resting metabolic rate that we measured in our participants... translates into a 12.5-pound increase in weight over a single year," they wrote.
Lead researcher Dr Orfeu Buxton said: "We think these results support the findings from studies showing that, in people with a pre-diabetic condition, shift workers who stay awake at night are much more likely to progress to full-on diabetes than day workers.
"Since night workers often have a hard time Christian Louboutin Marpop Red Patent Leather Wedges sleeping during the day, they can face both circadian [body clock] disruption working at night and insufficient sleep during the day.
"The evidence is clear that getting enough sleep is important for health, and that sleep should be at night for best effect."
The research group called for more efforts to reduce the health impact of shift working.
Artificial world
Dr Matthew Hobbs, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "This is an interesting study which shows that under extreme conditions involving sleep deprivation and 'tricking' the body clock, participants produced less insulin and therefore had higher blood glucose levels then when they were able to sleep normally and live according to normal daily rhythms."
He cautioned that the laboratory conditions were not the same as working nights.
"Clearly, this does not equate to the normal experience of shift workers who are able, for example, to use bright lights when not sleeping.
"The study also involved only 21 people. For these reasons, it is not possible to conclude that the findings would translate to real conditions in the wider public."
Tweaking memories related to drug abuse may keep addicts from relapsing, a new study published Friday in Science journal reported.
A group of Chinese scientists found that memories that connect drug-related "cues" such as needles or cigarettes to the pleasurable effects of drugs play a large role in Dooney Bourke Handbag former drug users' relapses, BBC News reported.
Lin Lu of the National Institute of Drug Dependence at Peking University in Beijing and his team combined traditional memory "extinction" procedures with a process called memory reconsolidation, Medical Daily reported.
More from GlobalPost: Study suggests some brains are wired for addiction
The scientists worked with 66 former heroin addicts, 22 of which had not taken the drug for an average of 11 years. Half the group was initially shown a short video of drug use to "open" their memory window, followed by "extinction sessions" where they interacted with more cues of heroin use, including handling fake heroin, Science News reported.
The other half of the group were initially shown a video of the countryside, which would not open the window, and then the drug-related visuals, BBC reported.
The researchers also varied the time between the initial reminder and the "extinction" sessions: Some people waited just 10 minutes, and others waited six hours.
During tests done one, 30, and 180 days later, the researchers found that levels of drug cravings were lower in those who had their memory window "opened" by a visual trigger and then experienced the drug-related cues 10 minutes later. Those participants also showed less of a blood android homme pressure rise in response to seeing drug paraphernalia compared with people who hadn’t received the reminder, Science News reported. Furthermore, those who waited six hours before undergoing the extinction didn’t get the same effect.
More northerly colonies are thought to be particularly at risk
Using high-resolution images taken using christian louboutin satellites, researchers analysed 44 colonies of emperor penguins around the coastline of Antarctica.
They found the total emperor penguin population could be put at 595,000, roughly double previous estimates of 270,000 to 350,000.
The discovery has been welcomed amid concerns that changes to levels of ice on the world's coldest continent could pose a threat to the species.
Peter Fretwell, who led the Christian Louboutin Pumps researchers at the British Antarctic Survey, said: “We are delighted to be able to locate and identify such a large number of emperor penguins. This is the first comprehensive census of a species taken from space.
"It gives us a bit more confidence not only that there are lots of emperor penguins out there but that we can actually keep track of them as well."
The technique used by the scientists allowed them to spot the black and white birds amongst the ice, rock and guano that litter the Antarctic landscape.
Emperor penguins breed in some of the most inhospitable and inaccessible conditions in the world, where temperatures can reach as low as -50C, making them difficult to study.
The satellite images, however, allowed the researchers to conduct the first detailed survey of the species. The study, which is published in the journal PLoS ONE, even identified seven colonies that had never been seen before.
A special technique known as pan-sharpening to increase the resolution of the satellite images allowed the researchers to differentiate between birds, shadows and penguin excrement, or guano.
The study marks the first time that researchers have counted the entire population of any species by satellite in a single season.
Dr Fretwell believes the same technique could also be use to tot Christian Louboutin Metallic Cork Platform Wedges Gold up numbers of other wild animals that stand out clearly against their natural habitat, such as flamingos or reindeer.
Counting other types of penguins from space, however, may not be so easy. While emperors are large and contrast sharply against the white snow and ice on which they stand, other species are smaller and tend to breed on dark-coloured rock.
Michelle LaRue, from the University of Minnesota, said: “The implications of this study are far-reaching: we now have a cost-effective way to apply our methods to other poorly-understood species in the Antarctic, to strengthen ongoing field research, and to provide accurate information for international conservation efforts."
Conservation groups fear emperor penguins will be badly affected by climate change in the Antarctic as the colonies rely upon sea ice. Some research has suggested volumes of sea ice has been decreasing due to global warming.
More northerly colonies are thought to be particularly at risk. The new technique should allow scientists to monitor the impacts on the penguins in real time.
Dr Phil Trathan, a biologist at the British DG Handbag Antarctic Survey, said: “Current research suggests that emperor penguin colonies will be seriously affected by climate change.
"An accurate continent-wide census that can be easily repeated on a regular basis will help us monitor more accurately the impacts of future change on this iconic species.
"The effects of warming around Antarctica are regional and uneven. In the future we anticipate that the more southerly colonies should remain, making these important gucci shoes sites for further research and protection.”
They found the total emperor penguin population could be put at 595,000, roughly double previous estimates of 270,000 to 350,000.
The discovery has been welcomed amid concerns that changes to levels of ice on the world's coldest continent could pose a threat to the species.
Peter Fretwell, who led the Christian Louboutin Pumps researchers at the British Antarctic Survey, said: “We are delighted to be able to locate and identify such a large number of emperor penguins. This is the first comprehensive census of a species taken from space.
"It gives us a bit more confidence not only that there are lots of emperor penguins out there but that we can actually keep track of them as well."
The technique used by the scientists allowed them to spot the black and white birds amongst the ice, rock and guano that litter the Antarctic landscape.
Emperor penguins breed in some of the most inhospitable and inaccessible conditions in the world, where temperatures can reach as low as -50C, making them difficult to study.
The satellite images, however, allowed the researchers to conduct the first detailed survey of the species. The study, which is published in the journal PLoS ONE, even identified seven colonies that had never been seen before.
A special technique known as pan-sharpening to increase the resolution of the satellite images allowed the researchers to differentiate between birds, shadows and penguin excrement, or guano.
The study marks the first time that researchers have counted the entire population of any species by satellite in a single season.
Dr Fretwell believes the same technique could also be use to tot Christian Louboutin Metallic Cork Platform Wedges Gold up numbers of other wild animals that stand out clearly against their natural habitat, such as flamingos or reindeer.
Counting other types of penguins from space, however, may not be so easy. While emperors are large and contrast sharply against the white snow and ice on which they stand, other species are smaller and tend to breed on dark-coloured rock.
Michelle LaRue, from the University of Minnesota, said: “The implications of this study are far-reaching: we now have a cost-effective way to apply our methods to other poorly-understood species in the Antarctic, to strengthen ongoing field research, and to provide accurate information for international conservation efforts."
Conservation groups fear emperor penguins will be badly affected by climate change in the Antarctic as the colonies rely upon sea ice. Some research has suggested volumes of sea ice has been decreasing due to global warming.
More northerly colonies are thought to be particularly at risk. The new technique should allow scientists to monitor the impacts on the penguins in real time.
Dr Phil Trathan, a biologist at the British DG Handbag Antarctic Survey, said: “Current research suggests that emperor penguin colonies will be seriously affected by climate change.
"An accurate continent-wide census that can be easily repeated on a regular basis will help us monitor more accurately the impacts of future change on this iconic species.
"The effects of warming around Antarctica are regional and uneven. In the future we anticipate that the more southerly colonies should remain, making these important gucci shoes sites for further research and protection.”
2012年3月28日星期三
We need to learn more about the relationship between macrophages
Surgeons from the University of Maryland Medical Center yesterday detailed what they said was the world’s most-comprehensive face transplant — allowing christian louboutin a 37-year-old man to emerge from behind a mask 15 years after a gun accident almost killed him.
Richard Norris, of Hillsville, Va., was shot in the face in 1997 and lost his nose and lips and most movement in his mouth. Since then, he has had lifesaving and reconstructive surgeries, but none could repair him to the extent where he felt he could return to society. He wore a prosthetic nose and a mask even when entering the hospital for the transplant.
But last week, during a 36-hour operation, University of Maryland doctors gave him a new face from an anonymous donor whose organs saved five other patients’ lives on the same day.
Six days after the surgery, he could already move his tongue and open and close his eyes and was recovering much faster than doctors expected.
“He’s actually looking in the mirror shaving and brushing his teeth, which we never even expected,” said Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, associate professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and head of the transplant team.
When Norris opened his eyes on the third day after the surgery with his family around him, he wanted to see a mirror.
“He put the mirror down and thanked me and hugged me,” Rodriguez said.
The operation follows successful face transplants in Fort Worth, Texas, and Boston last year.
Norris, who still is recovering in the hospital and did not appear at the media event, is the first full face-transplant recipient in the United States to retain his eyesight.
About 100 doctors, scientists and other university medical-staff members teamed up for the operation.
A single antibody caused tumors from seven different human cancers transplanted into mice to shrink or disappear, according to a new study led by Stanford University School of Medicine in the US. The researchers hope to repeat this dramatic finding with tests in humans within the next two years.
Senior author Dr Irving Weissman, professor of pathology at Stanford, and colleagues, write about their success in treating bladder, brain, breast, colon, liver, ovarian, and prostate cancer tumors in this week's online ahead of print issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
They say the antibody blocks a protein known as CD47, that sends "don't eat me" signals that cancer cells use to stop macrophages and other cells of the immune system from gobbling them up.
Anti-CD47 is the first antibody treatment to work against a variety of human solid tumors. The investigators said they are now eager to get started with phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials in humans within the next two years.
The treatment also significantly reduced the ability of the tumors to spread (metastasize) to other parts of the mice's bodies, and in some cases, the animals appeared to be "cured".
Weissman, who directs the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and the Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine, both at Stanford, told the press their findings show "conclusively" that CD47 is a "a legitimate and promising target for human cancer therapy":
"Blocking this 'don't eat me' signal inhibits the growth in mice of nearly every human cancer we tested, with minimal toxicity," said Weissman.
Dr Robert Weinberg is a professor of biology at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Massachusetts and was not involved in the research. He describes the findings as "exciting work" that is bound to cause a worldwide rush to translate these findings into useful therapies.
"Mobilizing the immune system to attack solid tumors has been a longstanding goal of many cancer researchers for decades," said Weinberg.
Weissman's lab had already discovered that CD47 is Christian Louboutin Slingback normally expressed on the surfaces of circulating blood stem cells as a way to stop them being attacked by macrophages, clean-up cells of the immune system that go around looking for rogue cells to eliminate, but sometimes get it wrong.
A CD47 signal prompts the macrophage to release a snared cell.
Weissman and colleagues had also previously discovered that some types of cancer cells, such as those of leukemia and lymphoma, have also found a way to express CD47 on their surfaces to send the "don't eat me" signal and avoid being eaten by macrophages.
They found that by giving mice with human non-Hodgkin's lymphoma an antibody that blocks CD47, together with an agent that boosts the macrophages' killing instinct, cured some of them.
But what they didn't know then was this tactic was also used by many other human cancers, and thus how clinically important this potential treatment might be.
This latest study involved experts from many fields including, oncology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, radiation oncology, neurosurgery, hematology, pathology, otolaryngology and hepatology. This was to collect samples from a range of human cancers.
The researchers found that nearly every human cancer cell they investigated expressed CD47, on average, about three times as strongly as non-cancerous cells.
They also found that people whose cancer cells express a lot of CD47 tend not to live as long as those with similar cancers but whose cancer cells express less CD47. This feature could be a very useful tool in cancer prognosis.
Once they obtained the human tumor samples, the researchers implanted them in the matching parts of the bodies of prepared lab mice: for instance breast tumors into mammary fat pads, and ovarian tumors into the abdomen.
Two weeks later, once the tumors were well established, they began treating the mice with the antibody that blocks CD47.
The researchers observed that within weeks, most of the tumors began to shrink, and in some cases even disappear.
In the case of five mice transplanted with cells from the same human breast cancer tumor, when the tumors disappeared, the researchers stopped the treatment.
The mice were still cancer-free four months later.
The researchers conclude:
"These results indicate that anti-CD47 antibodies can dramatically inhibit the growth of human solid tumors by blocking the ability of CD47 to transmit the 'don't eat me' signal to macrophages."
Weissman said that if the tumor was highly aggressive, the CD47 antibody also blocked metastasis.
"It's becoming very clear that, in order for a cancer to survive in the body, it has to find some way to evade the cells of the innate immune system," he explained.
The innate immune system is the first line of defence against invading pathogens like viruses and bacteria. Its response is more generalized that the fine-tuned responses of the adaptive immune system that has antibodies and T cells able to recognize and attack specific molecules.
However, in some cases, the CD47 antibody treatment did not work. A group of mice transplanted with human breast cancer cells from one specific patient showed no response at all.
Weissman said there was still a lot to learn.
"We need to learn more about the relationship between macrophages and tumor cells, and how to draw more macrophages to the tumors," he explained.
Perhaps reducing tumor size with surgery or radiotherapy before the antibody treatment could help, or even use it with another antibody to stimulate the immune cells Christian Louboutin Petal Sandals Violet Blue to kill the cancer cells, he said.
In the meantime, the researchers believe their findings are sufficient to show this single antibody holds promise, and sets the stage for advancing research.
Richard Norris, of Hillsville, Va., was shot in the face in 1997 and lost his nose and lips and most movement in his mouth. Since then, he has had lifesaving and reconstructive surgeries, but none could repair him to the extent where he felt he could return to society. He wore a prosthetic nose and a mask even when entering the hospital for the transplant.
But last week, during a 36-hour operation, University of Maryland doctors gave him a new face from an anonymous donor whose organs saved five other patients’ lives on the same day.
Six days after the surgery, he could already move his tongue and open and close his eyes and was recovering much faster than doctors expected.
“He’s actually looking in the mirror shaving and brushing his teeth, which we never even expected,” said Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, associate professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and head of the transplant team.
When Norris opened his eyes on the third day after the surgery with his family around him, he wanted to see a mirror.
“He put the mirror down and thanked me and hugged me,” Rodriguez said.
The operation follows successful face transplants in Fort Worth, Texas, and Boston last year.
Norris, who still is recovering in the hospital and did not appear at the media event, is the first full face-transplant recipient in the United States to retain his eyesight.
About 100 doctors, scientists and other university medical-staff members teamed up for the operation.
A single antibody caused tumors from seven different human cancers transplanted into mice to shrink or disappear, according to a new study led by Stanford University School of Medicine in the US. The researchers hope to repeat this dramatic finding with tests in humans within the next two years.
Senior author Dr Irving Weissman, professor of pathology at Stanford, and colleagues, write about their success in treating bladder, brain, breast, colon, liver, ovarian, and prostate cancer tumors in this week's online ahead of print issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
They say the antibody blocks a protein known as CD47, that sends "don't eat me" signals that cancer cells use to stop macrophages and other cells of the immune system from gobbling them up.
Anti-CD47 is the first antibody treatment to work against a variety of human solid tumors. The investigators said they are now eager to get started with phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials in humans within the next two years.
The treatment also significantly reduced the ability of the tumors to spread (metastasize) to other parts of the mice's bodies, and in some cases, the animals appeared to be "cured".
Weissman, who directs the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and the Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine, both at Stanford, told the press their findings show "conclusively" that CD47 is a "a legitimate and promising target for human cancer therapy":
"Blocking this 'don't eat me' signal inhibits the growth in mice of nearly every human cancer we tested, with minimal toxicity," said Weissman.
Dr Robert Weinberg is a professor of biology at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Massachusetts and was not involved in the research. He describes the findings as "exciting work" that is bound to cause a worldwide rush to translate these findings into useful therapies.
"Mobilizing the immune system to attack solid tumors has been a longstanding goal of many cancer researchers for decades," said Weinberg.
Weissman's lab had already discovered that CD47 is Christian Louboutin Slingback normally expressed on the surfaces of circulating blood stem cells as a way to stop them being attacked by macrophages, clean-up cells of the immune system that go around looking for rogue cells to eliminate, but sometimes get it wrong.
A CD47 signal prompts the macrophage to release a snared cell.
Weissman and colleagues had also previously discovered that some types of cancer cells, such as those of leukemia and lymphoma, have also found a way to express CD47 on their surfaces to send the "don't eat me" signal and avoid being eaten by macrophages.
They found that by giving mice with human non-Hodgkin's lymphoma an antibody that blocks CD47, together with an agent that boosts the macrophages' killing instinct, cured some of them.
But what they didn't know then was this tactic was also used by many other human cancers, and thus how clinically important this potential treatment might be.
This latest study involved experts from many fields including, oncology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, radiation oncology, neurosurgery, hematology, pathology, otolaryngology and hepatology. This was to collect samples from a range of human cancers.
The researchers found that nearly every human cancer cell they investigated expressed CD47, on average, about three times as strongly as non-cancerous cells.
They also found that people whose cancer cells express a lot of CD47 tend not to live as long as those with similar cancers but whose cancer cells express less CD47. This feature could be a very useful tool in cancer prognosis.
Once they obtained the human tumor samples, the researchers implanted them in the matching parts of the bodies of prepared lab mice: for instance breast tumors into mammary fat pads, and ovarian tumors into the abdomen.
Two weeks later, once the tumors were well established, they began treating the mice with the antibody that blocks CD47.
The researchers observed that within weeks, most of the tumors began to shrink, and in some cases even disappear.
In the case of five mice transplanted with cells from the same human breast cancer tumor, when the tumors disappeared, the researchers stopped the treatment.
The mice were still cancer-free four months later.
The researchers conclude:
"These results indicate that anti-CD47 antibodies can dramatically inhibit the growth of human solid tumors by blocking the ability of CD47 to transmit the 'don't eat me' signal to macrophages."
Weissman said that if the tumor was highly aggressive, the CD47 antibody also blocked metastasis.
"It's becoming very clear that, in order for a cancer to survive in the body, it has to find some way to evade the cells of the innate immune system," he explained.
The innate immune system is the first line of defence against invading pathogens like viruses and bacteria. Its response is more generalized that the fine-tuned responses of the adaptive immune system that has antibodies and T cells able to recognize and attack specific molecules.
However, in some cases, the CD47 antibody treatment did not work. A group of mice transplanted with human breast cancer cells from one specific patient showed no response at all.
Weissman said there was still a lot to learn.
"We need to learn more about the relationship between macrophages and tumor cells, and how to draw more macrophages to the tumors," he explained.
Perhaps reducing tumor size with surgery or radiotherapy before the antibody treatment could help, or even use it with another antibody to stimulate the immune cells Christian Louboutin Petal Sandals Violet Blue to kill the cancer cells, he said.
In the meantime, the researchers believe their findings are sufficient to show this single antibody holds promise, and sets the stage for advancing research.
2012年3月26日星期一
Ratterman stressed that all companies have technical glitches
The pending home sales index slipped by 0.5 christian louboutin percent to 96.5 in February from 97.0 the previous month, but it was up 9.2 percent from the year-earlier period.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected signed contracts, which lead existing home sales by a month or two, to advance 1 percent, after a previously reported 2.0 percent rise.
“The spring homebuying season looks bright because of an elevated level of contract offers so far this year,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said we’re seeing the continuation of an uneven but higher sales pattern. “If activity is sustained near present levels, existing-home sales will see their best performance in five years.”
Pending sales were strongest in the Midwest, where they jumped 6.5 percent — a 19 percent increase from February 2011.
The weakest region for sales was in the South, where they fell 3 percent. In the West, pending sales dropped 2.6 percent in February to 99.3, while in the Northeast they were down 0.6 percent.
After botching its debut as a public company last week, BATS Global Markets issued a heartfelt apology Sunday night in a letter to customers.
"Let me get right to the point," said Joe Ratterman, chief executive of BATS, in the letter. "BATS experienced a serious technical failure Friday morning and I want to apologize for not measuring up to the level of excellence that you have come to expect from us."
The technical failure came on the day BATS had hoped to sell its own stock to the public for the first time. BATS, which operates stock exchanges, intended to list the stock Christian Louboutin High Boots on its own trading platform.
But trading in the newly issued BATS stock was halted when the price suddenly plunged almost immediately after it hit the market, triggering a so-called circuit breaker.
The Wall Street multibillion scandal no one is talking about
"On Friday we were under the brightest spotlight imaginable ... opening our own stock on our own exchange for the first time ever," said Ratterman. "It doesn't get much more public than that."
Despite months of preparation and "rigorous" testing, BATS said it experienced a "system problem" that prevented the stock from trading properly.
Ratterman stressed that all companies have technical glitches and that BATS exchanges have run smoothly 99.9% of the time over the last three years.
"It shouldn't have failed, but it did, and the timing couldn't have been worse," said Ratterman.
Ratterman suggested the offering could have been salvaged if the problem had been resolved quickly. But it took over two hours to reopen the market and by then the damage had been done.
"We determined that this was a material Christian Louboutin Jean Paul 120 Wedges Sandals Jade event that had eroded investor confidence and made the timely resumption of fair and orderly trading unlikely," he wrote. "As a result, we pulled the IPO and unwound all auction executions."
BATS is the third-largest exchange operator in the United States after NYSE Euronext (NYX, Fortune 500) and the NASDAQ OMX Group (NDAQ), according to the company's investment prospectus.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected signed contracts, which lead existing home sales by a month or two, to advance 1 percent, after a previously reported 2.0 percent rise.
“The spring homebuying season looks bright because of an elevated level of contract offers so far this year,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said we’re seeing the continuation of an uneven but higher sales pattern. “If activity is sustained near present levels, existing-home sales will see their best performance in five years.”
Pending sales were strongest in the Midwest, where they jumped 6.5 percent — a 19 percent increase from February 2011.
The weakest region for sales was in the South, where they fell 3 percent. In the West, pending sales dropped 2.6 percent in February to 99.3, while in the Northeast they were down 0.6 percent.
After botching its debut as a public company last week, BATS Global Markets issued a heartfelt apology Sunday night in a letter to customers.
"Let me get right to the point," said Joe Ratterman, chief executive of BATS, in the letter. "BATS experienced a serious technical failure Friday morning and I want to apologize for not measuring up to the level of excellence that you have come to expect from us."
The technical failure came on the day BATS had hoped to sell its own stock to the public for the first time. BATS, which operates stock exchanges, intended to list the stock Christian Louboutin High Boots on its own trading platform.
But trading in the newly issued BATS stock was halted when the price suddenly plunged almost immediately after it hit the market, triggering a so-called circuit breaker.
The Wall Street multibillion scandal no one is talking about
"On Friday we were under the brightest spotlight imaginable ... opening our own stock on our own exchange for the first time ever," said Ratterman. "It doesn't get much more public than that."
Despite months of preparation and "rigorous" testing, BATS said it experienced a "system problem" that prevented the stock from trading properly.
Ratterman stressed that all companies have technical glitches and that BATS exchanges have run smoothly 99.9% of the time over the last three years.
"It shouldn't have failed, but it did, and the timing couldn't have been worse," said Ratterman.
Ratterman suggested the offering could have been salvaged if the problem had been resolved quickly. But it took over two hours to reopen the market and by then the damage had been done.
"We determined that this was a material Christian Louboutin Jean Paul 120 Wedges Sandals Jade event that had eroded investor confidence and made the timely resumption of fair and orderly trading unlikely," he wrote. "As a result, we pulled the IPO and unwound all auction executions."
BATS is the third-largest exchange operator in the United States after NYSE Euronext (NYX, Fortune 500) and the NASDAQ OMX Group (NDAQ), according to the company's investment prospectus.
2012年3月24日星期六
Police say five children have been shot
Urging Americans to "do some soul-searching," President Barack Obama injected himself into the emotional debate over the fatal shooting of a teenager in Florida,christian louboutin turning the racially charged case into a personal matter for the nation's first black president.
"If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon," Obama said Friday at the White House. "I can only imagine what these parents are going through, and when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids."
Obama said the parents of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., a suburb of Orlando, have a right to expect "that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened."
Trayvon was shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who said he was acting in self-defense. Zimmerman's father is white, and his mother is Hispanic. The shooting has stoked debate over race as well as other issues. Obama did not mention Zimmerman in his comments.
Zimmerman's defense attorney, Craig Sonner, said on CNN on Friday that Zimmerman is not racist and the facts will show he acted in self-defense as he told police.
"I really think there are other issues in this case and that it's not an issue of racism," Sonner said.
Trayvon was returning to a friend's home from a convenience store when Zimmerman started following him, telling police dispatchers he looked suspicious. At some point, the two got into a fight and Zimmerman pulled out his gun.
Zimmerman told police Martin attacked him after he had given up chasing the teenager and was returning to his SUV.
Also Friday, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said the Stand Your Ground law he signed in 2005 shouldn't protect Zimmerman.
"Stand your ground means stand your ground. It doesn't mean chase after somebody who's turned their back," Bush told reporters at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Civil rights groups have held rallies in Florida, New York and Pennsylvania, saying the shooting was unjustified. Of Sanford's 53,000 residents, 57% are white and 30% are black.
The White House had said earlier in the week Christian Louboutin 2011 that it was "not going to wade into a local law enforcement matter" though offering sympathies to Trayvon's family. But that changed Friday when Obama answered a shouted question following a ceremony on another issue.
Obama cautioned before speaking that he must "be careful so we're not impairing any investigation." But he said he was glad the Justice Department was investigating and that Florida officials had formed a task force.
Trayvon's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, said in a statement that Obama's words "touched us deeply and made us wonder: If his son looked like Trayvon and wore a hoodie, would he be suspicious, too?"
The Justice Department and FBI have opened a civil rights investigation into Trayvon's death, and a grand jury is considering whether to charge Zimmerman.
More Details:
GOP presidential contenders spoke Friday about the death of Trayvon Martin:
Mitt Romney said there should be a "thorough investigation" and called Trayvon's death "a tragedy." He said an investigation would reassure the public that "justice is carried out with impartiality and integrity."
Rick Santorum said the shooting was "horrible" and that the case is a "chilling example of the horrible decisions made by people in this process." Santorum said any investigation should be left to local and state authorities.
Newt Gingrich called the death "a tragedy" and described the shooter as "a guy who'd found a hobby that's very dangerous." Gingrich said local prosecutors were right to bring the case to a grand jury.
More Details: Detroit rally
A rally in Detroit's Hart Plaza is planned for 6 p.m. Monday to urge justice in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and draw attention to the increase in violent deaths of children in the city.
Police say five children have been shot, two fatally, in Detroit since the end of January.
A coalition of civil rights groups, labor Christian Louboutin Petal Sandals Black unions and ministers are behind the rally, said Kevin Tolbert of the UAW International.
Tolbert, 38, of Detroit said the coalition started organizing the rally Wednesday and is spreading the word through social media.
"If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon," Obama said Friday at the White House. "I can only imagine what these parents are going through, and when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids."
Obama said the parents of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., a suburb of Orlando, have a right to expect "that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened."
Trayvon was shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who said he was acting in self-defense. Zimmerman's father is white, and his mother is Hispanic. The shooting has stoked debate over race as well as other issues. Obama did not mention Zimmerman in his comments.
Zimmerman's defense attorney, Craig Sonner, said on CNN on Friday that Zimmerman is not racist and the facts will show he acted in self-defense as he told police.
"I really think there are other issues in this case and that it's not an issue of racism," Sonner said.
Trayvon was returning to a friend's home from a convenience store when Zimmerman started following him, telling police dispatchers he looked suspicious. At some point, the two got into a fight and Zimmerman pulled out his gun.
Zimmerman told police Martin attacked him after he had given up chasing the teenager and was returning to his SUV.
Also Friday, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said the Stand Your Ground law he signed in 2005 shouldn't protect Zimmerman.
"Stand your ground means stand your ground. It doesn't mean chase after somebody who's turned their back," Bush told reporters at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Civil rights groups have held rallies in Florida, New York and Pennsylvania, saying the shooting was unjustified. Of Sanford's 53,000 residents, 57% are white and 30% are black.
The White House had said earlier in the week Christian Louboutin 2011 that it was "not going to wade into a local law enforcement matter" though offering sympathies to Trayvon's family. But that changed Friday when Obama answered a shouted question following a ceremony on another issue.
Obama cautioned before speaking that he must "be careful so we're not impairing any investigation." But he said he was glad the Justice Department was investigating and that Florida officials had formed a task force.
Trayvon's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, said in a statement that Obama's words "touched us deeply and made us wonder: If his son looked like Trayvon and wore a hoodie, would he be suspicious, too?"
The Justice Department and FBI have opened a civil rights investigation into Trayvon's death, and a grand jury is considering whether to charge Zimmerman.
More Details:
GOP presidential contenders spoke Friday about the death of Trayvon Martin:
Mitt Romney said there should be a "thorough investigation" and called Trayvon's death "a tragedy." He said an investigation would reassure the public that "justice is carried out with impartiality and integrity."
Rick Santorum said the shooting was "horrible" and that the case is a "chilling example of the horrible decisions made by people in this process." Santorum said any investigation should be left to local and state authorities.
Newt Gingrich called the death "a tragedy" and described the shooter as "a guy who'd found a hobby that's very dangerous." Gingrich said local prosecutors were right to bring the case to a grand jury.
More Details: Detroit rally
A rally in Detroit's Hart Plaza is planned for 6 p.m. Monday to urge justice in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and draw attention to the increase in violent deaths of children in the city.
Police say five children have been shot, two fatally, in Detroit since the end of January.
A coalition of civil rights groups, labor Christian Louboutin Petal Sandals Black unions and ministers are behind the rally, said Kevin Tolbert of the UAW International.
Tolbert, 38, of Detroit said the coalition started organizing the rally Wednesday and is spreading the word through social media.
2012年3月14日星期三
The visit will highlight the fundamental importance
After a day of basketball, President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron will get down to business Wednesday, the second day of his trip to the United States.
During their meetings, the two leaders are expected to discuss the upcoming NATO and G8 summits, as well as Afghanistan, christian louboutin the Middle East, Iran and the global economy, according to the White House.
They will also have a joint news conference, and lunch and dinner at the White House.
Cameron's trip to the United States is intended to demonstrate that ties between the countries remain as close as ever. On Tuesday, Obama gave a nod to America's heartland in a halftime interview conducted during an NCAA basketball game in Ohio.
He said he wanted to show the British leader a part of America rarely seen by foreign visitors.
"I thought it was going to be wonderful for the prime minister to have a chance not only to see a basketball game for first time, but also to come to the great state of Ohio, because sometimes when we have foreign visitors, they only see the coasts, they go to New York, they go to Washington, they go to Los Angeles, but you know the heartland is what it's all about," Obama said.
Obama's hat tip to Ohio, and his choice of venue, may not be pure coincidence -- Ohio is historically a key swing state in presidential elections.
Cameron and Obama flew together on Air Force One to Dayton, Ohio, to take in an opening game of the NCAA basketball tournament.
Obama, well-known as a basketball fan, was treating Cameron to a little March Madness, and the pair conducted the joint television interview at halftime of the game between Western Kentucky and Mississippi Valley State.
Asked how he thought the teams were playing, Obama replied candidly.
"Both teams are shooting terribly," Obama said. "It may be nerves. These are not teams that normally end up coming to the tournament."
Cameron said he enjoyed watching the basketball game, adding that Obama was explaining the ins-and-outs of the American sport.
"He was giving me some tips," Cameron said. "He's going to help me fill out my bracket."
Cameron's trip to the United States is intended to demonstrate that ties between the countries remain as close as ever.
The White House labeled Cameron's visit an official one, not a state one.
That's because the label of Christian Louboutin High Boots state visit is reserved for heads of state, and Cameron is the head of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state.
However, the White House statement said Cameron would attend a state dinner Wednesday night, the sixth of the Obama administration so far.
"The fact that we are hosting the prime minister in the manner that we are demonstrates the nature of the relationship between our two countries; the fact that it is a special relationship," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday.
Cameron and his wife, Samantha, will leave Washington on Thursday.
"The visit will highlight the fundamental importance of the U.S.-U.K. special relationship and the depth of the friendship between the American people and the people of the United Kingdom, as well as the strong personal bond that has developed between the two leaders and their families," a White House statement said.
In a joint op-ed published Tuesday in The Washington Post, Obama and Cameron emphasized the global benefits of the strong alliance between their nations.
"The alliance between the United States and Great Britain is a partnership of the heart, bound by the history, traditions and values we share," the two leaders wrote. "But what makes our relationship special -- a unique and essential asset -- is that we join hands across so many endeavors. Put simply, we count on each other and the world counts on our alliance."
Troops and citizens of the Christian Louboutin Stretch Platform OTK Boot two countries "have long shown what can be achieved when British and Americans work together, heart and hand, and why this remains an essential relationship -- to our nations and the world," the commentary by Obama and Cameron said.
During their meetings, the two leaders are expected to discuss the upcoming NATO and G8 summits, as well as Afghanistan, christian louboutin the Middle East, Iran and the global economy, according to the White House.
They will also have a joint news conference, and lunch and dinner at the White House.
Cameron's trip to the United States is intended to demonstrate that ties between the countries remain as close as ever. On Tuesday, Obama gave a nod to America's heartland in a halftime interview conducted during an NCAA basketball game in Ohio.
He said he wanted to show the British leader a part of America rarely seen by foreign visitors.
"I thought it was going to be wonderful for the prime minister to have a chance not only to see a basketball game for first time, but also to come to the great state of Ohio, because sometimes when we have foreign visitors, they only see the coasts, they go to New York, they go to Washington, they go to Los Angeles, but you know the heartland is what it's all about," Obama said.
Obama's hat tip to Ohio, and his choice of venue, may not be pure coincidence -- Ohio is historically a key swing state in presidential elections.
Cameron and Obama flew together on Air Force One to Dayton, Ohio, to take in an opening game of the NCAA basketball tournament.
Obama, well-known as a basketball fan, was treating Cameron to a little March Madness, and the pair conducted the joint television interview at halftime of the game between Western Kentucky and Mississippi Valley State.
Asked how he thought the teams were playing, Obama replied candidly.
"Both teams are shooting terribly," Obama said. "It may be nerves. These are not teams that normally end up coming to the tournament."
Cameron said he enjoyed watching the basketball game, adding that Obama was explaining the ins-and-outs of the American sport.
"He was giving me some tips," Cameron said. "He's going to help me fill out my bracket."
Cameron's trip to the United States is intended to demonstrate that ties between the countries remain as close as ever.
The White House labeled Cameron's visit an official one, not a state one.
That's because the label of Christian Louboutin High Boots state visit is reserved for heads of state, and Cameron is the head of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state.
However, the White House statement said Cameron would attend a state dinner Wednesday night, the sixth of the Obama administration so far.
"The fact that we are hosting the prime minister in the manner that we are demonstrates the nature of the relationship between our two countries; the fact that it is a special relationship," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday.
Cameron and his wife, Samantha, will leave Washington on Thursday.
"The visit will highlight the fundamental importance of the U.S.-U.K. special relationship and the depth of the friendship between the American people and the people of the United Kingdom, as well as the strong personal bond that has developed between the two leaders and their families," a White House statement said.
In a joint op-ed published Tuesday in The Washington Post, Obama and Cameron emphasized the global benefits of the strong alliance between their nations.
"The alliance between the United States and Great Britain is a partnership of the heart, bound by the history, traditions and values we share," the two leaders wrote. "But what makes our relationship special -- a unique and essential asset -- is that we join hands across so many endeavors. Put simply, we count on each other and the world counts on our alliance."
Troops and citizens of the Christian Louboutin Stretch Platform OTK Boot two countries "have long shown what can be achieved when British and Americans work together, heart and hand, and why this remains an essential relationship -- to our nations and the world," the commentary by Obama and Cameron said.
2012年3月13日星期二
The soldier was never in the custody of Afghan forces
In a village in the district of Panjwai, in Kandahar province, a young man sits against a tree with his knees to his chest and his head christian louboutin hanging down. When he lifts his head, his eyes are full of tears.
The reason for his sorrow is lying in the back of pickup trucks a few yards away.
In the back of the trucks, a dead toddler with a bloodstained face lies between two dead men. In another truck, a blanket is pulled back to reveal the charred legs and feet of two more bodies. All of them are villagers killed in an attack while they slept in their homes before dawn Sunday.
They are some of the 16 victims of what Afghan officials have said was a rampage by a U.S. soldier from a base in western Kandahar.
Confusion, outrage follow massacre
"One guy came in and pulled a boy from his sleep and he shot him in this doorway. Then they came back inside the room and put a gun in the mouth of one child and stomped on another child," a mother said as she sat in her home.
Another mother was filled with rage and sorrow as she sat in one of the vehicles transporting the dead.
"Four girls and four boys. They are 2-year-olds. Are these Talibs?" she barked.
The Taliban have vowed revenge for the incident, but so far, no violent protests have erupted. Meanwhile, the families in the two villages where the shooting occurred spent the day burying their loved ones.
The western district has been known to be a hotbed of Taliban activity, even considered the birthplace of the Taliban. But the woman said she swears she hadn't seen Taliban fighters in five months.
She said she was one of many who had moved back to the village because people on the nearby military base had said it was safe to return home, and that nobody would bother them.
"This base told us to come back to our villages ... we will not bother you. This is your land, and this is your own village," she said. "But these dogs came and grabbed us."
President Barack Obama and other top U.S. officials have expressed their sorrow and condolences to the families. But that had little meaning in the village, where a local minister said one family lost 11 members Sunday.
"Look at these bodies. They all Christian Louboutin Flats belong to one family," one of the villagers said through tears.
Old and young men alike wept openly, while investigators sifted through the grisly scene picking up shell casings and picking through at least one home where the floors and walls were stained with blood.
Sorrow was soon replaced by anger at American forces. Some of the villagers said there was more than one soldier on the ground when the killings occurred.
But the International Security Assistance Force, the U.S.-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, said that was not the case -- that the killings appear to be the result of a single soldier, who walked away from his outpost and acted alone.
How will slaughter affect the NATO military mission?
There was new information Monday about the soldier accused of the killings. A Department of Defense official told CNN the man, a staff sergeant, was a qualified infantry sniper, trained to hit to kill at about 800 meters. He had spent three tours of duty in Iraq, where he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 2010 vehicle accident.
After treatment, he was cleared to return to duty and was serving his first tour in Afghanistan.
The massacre has further inflamed tensions between U.S. and Afghan leaders and the people of Afghanistan. Afghan lawmakers have asked for a public trial to be held on Afghan soil, but Pentagon spokesman George Little said the case would be handled by the American military.
"The soldier was never in the custody of Afghan forces and will not face punishment under the Afghan justice system," Little said. "The U.S. military has strong means to address wrongdoing. There is an agreement in place with the government of Afghanistan, so that the investigation -- and when appropriate, prosecution -- will be done through U.S. military channels."
But village tribal leaders said Christian Louboutin Toundra Trimmed Suede Ankle Boots Chestnut their people can't comprehend how a trained professional soldier could have acted alone and done such a thing.
The reason for his sorrow is lying in the back of pickup trucks a few yards away.
In the back of the trucks, a dead toddler with a bloodstained face lies between two dead men. In another truck, a blanket is pulled back to reveal the charred legs and feet of two more bodies. All of them are villagers killed in an attack while they slept in their homes before dawn Sunday.
They are some of the 16 victims of what Afghan officials have said was a rampage by a U.S. soldier from a base in western Kandahar.
Confusion, outrage follow massacre
"One guy came in and pulled a boy from his sleep and he shot him in this doorway. Then they came back inside the room and put a gun in the mouth of one child and stomped on another child," a mother said as she sat in her home.
Another mother was filled with rage and sorrow as she sat in one of the vehicles transporting the dead.
"Four girls and four boys. They are 2-year-olds. Are these Talibs?" she barked.
The Taliban have vowed revenge for the incident, but so far, no violent protests have erupted. Meanwhile, the families in the two villages where the shooting occurred spent the day burying their loved ones.
The western district has been known to be a hotbed of Taliban activity, even considered the birthplace of the Taliban. But the woman said she swears she hadn't seen Taliban fighters in five months.
She said she was one of many who had moved back to the village because people on the nearby military base had said it was safe to return home, and that nobody would bother them.
"This base told us to come back to our villages ... we will not bother you. This is your land, and this is your own village," she said. "But these dogs came and grabbed us."
President Barack Obama and other top U.S. officials have expressed their sorrow and condolences to the families. But that had little meaning in the village, where a local minister said one family lost 11 members Sunday.
"Look at these bodies. They all Christian Louboutin Flats belong to one family," one of the villagers said through tears.
Old and young men alike wept openly, while investigators sifted through the grisly scene picking up shell casings and picking through at least one home where the floors and walls were stained with blood.
Sorrow was soon replaced by anger at American forces. Some of the villagers said there was more than one soldier on the ground when the killings occurred.
But the International Security Assistance Force, the U.S.-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, said that was not the case -- that the killings appear to be the result of a single soldier, who walked away from his outpost and acted alone.
How will slaughter affect the NATO military mission?
There was new information Monday about the soldier accused of the killings. A Department of Defense official told CNN the man, a staff sergeant, was a qualified infantry sniper, trained to hit to kill at about 800 meters. He had spent three tours of duty in Iraq, where he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 2010 vehicle accident.
After treatment, he was cleared to return to duty and was serving his first tour in Afghanistan.
The massacre has further inflamed tensions between U.S. and Afghan leaders and the people of Afghanistan. Afghan lawmakers have asked for a public trial to be held on Afghan soil, but Pentagon spokesman George Little said the case would be handled by the American military.
"The soldier was never in the custody of Afghan forces and will not face punishment under the Afghan justice system," Little said. "The U.S. military has strong means to address wrongdoing. There is an agreement in place with the government of Afghanistan, so that the investigation -- and when appropriate, prosecution -- will be done through U.S. military channels."
But village tribal leaders said Christian Louboutin Toundra Trimmed Suede Ankle Boots Chestnut their people can't comprehend how a trained professional soldier could have acted alone and done such a thing.
2012年3月12日星期一
Israel is not keen to see an escalation
The latest violence has followed a familiar pattern in which militants launch numerous rocket attacks and Israel carries out air christian louboutin strikes in the Hamas-controlled enclave but the bloodshed has usually ended after a few days with an informal truce.
Gaza's Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said late on Sunday that neighboring Egypt was working to stop the violence and was consulting with militant factions but added that Israel would have to first stop its air strikes.
The Islamic Jihad militant group, which has been responsible for much of the rocket firing, claimed Monday's dead as its own.
One man was hit while launching a rocket at Israel from a location in southern Gaza. Another was killed and three others wounded when their motorized rickshaw was hit, the group said.
Gaza hospital sources said 25 civilians were hurt when an Israeli rocket hit a house in northern Gaza.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said aircraft had carried out six strikes on Monday. She added that at least two Palestinian rockets had landed in Israel since midnight.
Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, armed groups largely independent of Hamas, have said they fired most of the Christian Louboutin Pumps rockets launched at Israel since Friday.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak predicted in a statement on Sunday that it would take several more days until the violence ended and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would hit hard at militants who launched rockets at its towns.
The attacks have disrupted normal life in southern Israel, forcing many schools to close on Sunday and Monday. Israeli aircraft have continued to overfly Gaza since Friday, killing at least 20 people, including two civilians.
Though serious, few in Israel expect the bloodshed to lead to a major ground assault reminiscent of the 2008-2009 Gaza war in 2009 which left some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
"Israel is not keen to see an escalation, Israel is not keen to hurt innocents - Israel is absolutely opposed to this," said Interior Minister Eli Yishai, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's eight-member inner council.
"For now, it (fighting) is on this kind of scale. But if it will prove protracted, then without a doubt there will be a powerful, painful blow will be so that this will not continue," he told Israel's Army Radio.
The latest round of violence flared on Friday when an air strike killed two Palestinian militant leaders in Gaza accused by Christian Louboutin Vicky Botta 120mm Boots Red Israel of planning a cross-border attack via Egypt. A salvo of rockets followed, leaving six people wounded in Israel.
Over 40 of some 160 militant rockets estimated to have been fired since Friday have been intercepted and destroyed by Israel's new Iron Dome anti-missile system, the military said.
Gaza's Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said late on Sunday that neighboring Egypt was working to stop the violence and was consulting with militant factions but added that Israel would have to first stop its air strikes.
The Islamic Jihad militant group, which has been responsible for much of the rocket firing, claimed Monday's dead as its own.
One man was hit while launching a rocket at Israel from a location in southern Gaza. Another was killed and three others wounded when their motorized rickshaw was hit, the group said.
Gaza hospital sources said 25 civilians were hurt when an Israeli rocket hit a house in northern Gaza.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said aircraft had carried out six strikes on Monday. She added that at least two Palestinian rockets had landed in Israel since midnight.
Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, armed groups largely independent of Hamas, have said they fired most of the Christian Louboutin Pumps rockets launched at Israel since Friday.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak predicted in a statement on Sunday that it would take several more days until the violence ended and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would hit hard at militants who launched rockets at its towns.
The attacks have disrupted normal life in southern Israel, forcing many schools to close on Sunday and Monday. Israeli aircraft have continued to overfly Gaza since Friday, killing at least 20 people, including two civilians.
Though serious, few in Israel expect the bloodshed to lead to a major ground assault reminiscent of the 2008-2009 Gaza war in 2009 which left some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
"Israel is not keen to see an escalation, Israel is not keen to hurt innocents - Israel is absolutely opposed to this," said Interior Minister Eli Yishai, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's eight-member inner council.
"For now, it (fighting) is on this kind of scale. But if it will prove protracted, then without a doubt there will be a powerful, painful blow will be so that this will not continue," he told Israel's Army Radio.
The latest round of violence flared on Friday when an air strike killed two Palestinian militant leaders in Gaza accused by Christian Louboutin Vicky Botta 120mm Boots Red Israel of planning a cross-border attack via Egypt. A salvo of rockets followed, leaving six people wounded in Israel.
Over 40 of some 160 militant rockets estimated to have been fired since Friday have been intercepted and destroyed by Israel's new Iron Dome anti-missile system, the military said.
2012年3月9日星期五
A number of existing notebooks and tablets
When reports of Apple’s third iPad first started emerging, the prospect of the tablet including a 9.7-inch Retina Display christian louboutin seemed slim to none. Industry analysts said suppliers couldn’t manufacturer super-high-resolution displays at such large dimensions en masse — at least not in time for an early spring iPad launch.
Fast forward six months. On the eve of Wednesday’s iPad announcement, reporters, industry analysts, and supply chain snoops all opined with complete confidence that Apple would be unveiling a new tablet featuring a super-high-resolution, 2048 x 1536 display.
And of course, they were right. So what gives?
“I think mainly the big question marks were around the fact that it hadn’t been done before,” NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told Wired. “There hasn’t been a demand for it, or an OS that could utilize all those pixels. It’s new territory.”
A number of existing notebooks and tablets already feature high-resolution displays. Take Acer’s HD resolution Iconia Tab A200. But the A200′s resolution is only 1280 x 800 — more than the iPad 2′s 1024 x 768, but a far cry from the new iPad’s Quad XGA resolution.
Most of the early Retina Display skepticism centered around how these super-high-resolution screens were going to be developed. Many analysts were originally under the impression that Apple would be using an entirely new fabrication technique called IGZO, which stands for indium gallium zinc oxide, the material to be used in the display’s transistors. But it turns out, says Paul Semenza, senior vice president of DisplaySearch, of Apple’s three display suppliers — LG, Samsung and Sharp — only Sharp is going the IGZO route. LG and Samsung are sticking with tried-and-true materials (amorphous silicon) for now.
“To Apple it doesnt matter [which is used] as long as the specs are met,” IHS analyst Vinita Jakhanwal told Wired. But IGZO does have some perks. “IGZO has higher electron mobility, which means higher resolution than amorphous silicon without comprising on the brightness,” Jakhanwal said.
In case you’re wondering, there’s Christian Louboutin Slingback no need to worry that one display would look different, or better, than the other. Semenza says it’s very hard to tell the difference between the two types of displays. What’s more, we may never get to the point of ever needing to look. As Jakhanwal told us, “Sharp may actually have to turn back, and use regular amorphous silicon.”
Transistor materials aside, when rumors of a new Retina Display iPad first started surfacing, the biggest question marks concerned production volumes. As Rhoda Alexander, director of tablet and monitor research for the research firm iSuppli, told Wired in November 2011, “We know there are yield issues. This is certainly a huge step up as far as pixel format, and every time you do that, there will be yield issues.”
Today, yield issues would seem to persist — though Apple appears to be undaunted. And how’s this for an ominous report: IHS’ Jakhanwal told Wired that only one of Apple’s three suppliers — Samsung — is currently making display panels for the iPad. “Meeting pre-order demand is still a concern. A single display supplier doing this will be challenging,” she said.
So where are the other suppliers? DisplayMate CEO Raymond Soneira told Wired in an e-mail, “Sharp has stated (in its end-of-2011 financial statements on the Japan website) that it is experiencing ‘significant delays’ with IGZO.” Semenza of DisplaySearch also noted that Sharp’s use of a new factory could be adding complications to its production process.
Prior to the new iPad’s unveiling, industry analysts also questioned whether any 9.7-inch, super-high-resolution display could satisfy Apple’s stringent quality requirements. “The fact that they have to manage the tradeoffs of getting to such a high resolution without compromising brightness and power consumption is the main challenge here,” Jakhanwal said.
To accommodate the Retina Display, Semenza said Apple had to make the backlight bigger — using more LED chips to support the higher resolution — and perhaps went with a slightly larger battery to maintain satisfactory battery life. This would explain why the new iPad is a little bit thicker and heavier than the iPad 2.
Processor power also comes into play with the new display. With a chip like Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor, “there’s more capability to handle higher resolution panels,” Shim said. Of course, we now know the new iPad has a dual-core A5X processor, but relies on a quad-core graphics chip to support the vast array of 3.1 million pixels in its display.
The analysts we interviewed expressed concern that Apple will be able to meet all production demands, especially for pre-orders. Jakhanwal said Apple’s other two suppliers — Sharp and LG — are expected to ramp up Christian Louboutin Vicky Botta 120mm Boots Red production in April, and this should satisfy demand in the long-term. Nonetheless, on the whole it looks like Apple has managed to pull off the nearly impossible once again.
Fast forward six months. On the eve of Wednesday’s iPad announcement, reporters, industry analysts, and supply chain snoops all opined with complete confidence that Apple would be unveiling a new tablet featuring a super-high-resolution, 2048 x 1536 display.
And of course, they were right. So what gives?
“I think mainly the big question marks were around the fact that it hadn’t been done before,” NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told Wired. “There hasn’t been a demand for it, or an OS that could utilize all those pixels. It’s new territory.”
A number of existing notebooks and tablets already feature high-resolution displays. Take Acer’s HD resolution Iconia Tab A200. But the A200′s resolution is only 1280 x 800 — more than the iPad 2′s 1024 x 768, but a far cry from the new iPad’s Quad XGA resolution.
Most of the early Retina Display skepticism centered around how these super-high-resolution screens were going to be developed. Many analysts were originally under the impression that Apple would be using an entirely new fabrication technique called IGZO, which stands for indium gallium zinc oxide, the material to be used in the display’s transistors. But it turns out, says Paul Semenza, senior vice president of DisplaySearch, of Apple’s three display suppliers — LG, Samsung and Sharp — only Sharp is going the IGZO route. LG and Samsung are sticking with tried-and-true materials (amorphous silicon) for now.
“To Apple it doesnt matter [which is used] as long as the specs are met,” IHS analyst Vinita Jakhanwal told Wired. But IGZO does have some perks. “IGZO has higher electron mobility, which means higher resolution than amorphous silicon without comprising on the brightness,” Jakhanwal said.
In case you’re wondering, there’s Christian Louboutin Slingback no need to worry that one display would look different, or better, than the other. Semenza says it’s very hard to tell the difference between the two types of displays. What’s more, we may never get to the point of ever needing to look. As Jakhanwal told us, “Sharp may actually have to turn back, and use regular amorphous silicon.”
Transistor materials aside, when rumors of a new Retina Display iPad first started surfacing, the biggest question marks concerned production volumes. As Rhoda Alexander, director of tablet and monitor research for the research firm iSuppli, told Wired in November 2011, “We know there are yield issues. This is certainly a huge step up as far as pixel format, and every time you do that, there will be yield issues.”
Today, yield issues would seem to persist — though Apple appears to be undaunted. And how’s this for an ominous report: IHS’ Jakhanwal told Wired that only one of Apple’s three suppliers — Samsung — is currently making display panels for the iPad. “Meeting pre-order demand is still a concern. A single display supplier doing this will be challenging,” she said.
So where are the other suppliers? DisplayMate CEO Raymond Soneira told Wired in an e-mail, “Sharp has stated (in its end-of-2011 financial statements on the Japan website) that it is experiencing ‘significant delays’ with IGZO.” Semenza of DisplaySearch also noted that Sharp’s use of a new factory could be adding complications to its production process.
Prior to the new iPad’s unveiling, industry analysts also questioned whether any 9.7-inch, super-high-resolution display could satisfy Apple’s stringent quality requirements. “The fact that they have to manage the tradeoffs of getting to such a high resolution without compromising brightness and power consumption is the main challenge here,” Jakhanwal said.
To accommodate the Retina Display, Semenza said Apple had to make the backlight bigger — using more LED chips to support the higher resolution — and perhaps went with a slightly larger battery to maintain satisfactory battery life. This would explain why the new iPad is a little bit thicker and heavier than the iPad 2.
Processor power also comes into play with the new display. With a chip like Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor, “there’s more capability to handle higher resolution panels,” Shim said. Of course, we now know the new iPad has a dual-core A5X processor, but relies on a quad-core graphics chip to support the vast array of 3.1 million pixels in its display.
The analysts we interviewed expressed concern that Apple will be able to meet all production demands, especially for pre-orders. Jakhanwal said Apple’s other two suppliers — Sharp and LG — are expected to ramp up Christian Louboutin Vicky Botta 120mm Boots Red production in April, and this should satisfy demand in the long-term. Nonetheless, on the whole it looks like Apple has managed to pull off the nearly impossible once again.
2012年3月8日星期四
Senators are seeking to attach their pet issues to the bill
With gas prices becoming a high-octane campaign issue, the Democratic-led Senate defeated a Republican effort Thursday to advance christian louboutin the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The vote to attach the project to a must-pass transportation bill required 60 votes to advance. It received 56, with 11 Democrats joining Republicans in support; 42 senators voted no.
President Obama had called senators to urge a no vote.
"We hope that the Congress will ... not waste its time with ineffectual, sham legislation," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.
But the effort — along with a vote on a measure to expand offshore drilling that was also rejected — was designed to highlight differences between the two parties and provide fodder in this year's battle for control of the White House and the Senate.
"The president simply can't claim to have a comprehensive approach to energy, because he doesn't. And any time he says he does, the American people should remember one word: Keystone," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. No Republicans opposed the Keystone measure, but two did not vote.
The pipeline would carry oil from Canada's tar sands in Alberta south to Texas refineries. Obama rejected it in January, saying Congress had imposed too tight a deadline for adequate review. The pipeline's original route would have passed through the Nebraska Sandhills region atop the massive Ogallala aquifer.
Republicans are eager to showcase Obama's decision as proof that the administration is not doing enough to generate jobs and increase energy supplies. Opponents of the project accuse supporters of exaggerating the number of jobs it would create and dispute that it would reduce gas prices.
Pump prices have moved center stage on Capitol Hill, with hearings and an almost daily barrage of GOP criticisms of the administration's approach to energy policy.
The pipeline issue has divided core Democratic constituencies, with some labor unions backing the project as an opportunity to create jobs. But environmentalists warn that the pipeline would expand the nation's carbon footprint and create more pollution.
An alternative Democratic measure also failed. It would have prohibited the export of oil transported in the Keystone XL pipeline and, according to its sponsor, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), put "teeth behind all of the debate that this energy is going to be for the American consumer."
Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), who led the floor debate on the Keystone amendment, argued that the Democratic alternative would have added "additional impediments" to the project.
The Keystone votes come as the Senate is on track to pass a $109-billion, two-year transportation bill next week. The legislation sets road, highway and transit priorities.
But the bill's fate is uncertain because House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has been unable to corral a majority for passage in the Republican-controlled House. Republicans are in disagreement over how big the bill should be and what it should include.
Boehner said Thursday that he planned to bring up the Senate bill "or something like it" after the House returns from a weeklong recess next week.
A Republican-led effort in the Senate to open more coastal areas to energy exploration was defeated, with 44 in favor and 54 Christian Louboutin Pumps against. The initial tally was 46 to 52, but two senators later changed their votes.
"We don't need any more giveaways to Big Oil," Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said in opposition, warning that opening the Atlantic and Pacific to new drilling would put tourism-dependent coastal economies at risk.
"You can't drill your way out of this," Boxer added.
Boxer, who as chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee helped write the transportation bill, has warned that attaching controversial provisions could jeopardize the legislation, which supporters say would fund job-creating highway and mass transit projects.
Senators are seeking to attach their pet issues to the bill, which could be one of the few measures to make it through Congress in this election year.
One measure that did pass Thursday would steer 80% of the penalties paid by BP for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill to restoring coastal ecosystems and rebuilding Gulf Coast economies. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) called the Christian Louboutin Stretch Platform OTK Boot action "a huge step toward making sure any fines against BP end up in the local communities harmed by the company's oil spill."
The vote to attach the project to a must-pass transportation bill required 60 votes to advance. It received 56, with 11 Democrats joining Republicans in support; 42 senators voted no.
President Obama had called senators to urge a no vote.
"We hope that the Congress will ... not waste its time with ineffectual, sham legislation," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.
But the effort — along with a vote on a measure to expand offshore drilling that was also rejected — was designed to highlight differences between the two parties and provide fodder in this year's battle for control of the White House and the Senate.
"The president simply can't claim to have a comprehensive approach to energy, because he doesn't. And any time he says he does, the American people should remember one word: Keystone," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. No Republicans opposed the Keystone measure, but two did not vote.
The pipeline would carry oil from Canada's tar sands in Alberta south to Texas refineries. Obama rejected it in January, saying Congress had imposed too tight a deadline for adequate review. The pipeline's original route would have passed through the Nebraska Sandhills region atop the massive Ogallala aquifer.
Republicans are eager to showcase Obama's decision as proof that the administration is not doing enough to generate jobs and increase energy supplies. Opponents of the project accuse supporters of exaggerating the number of jobs it would create and dispute that it would reduce gas prices.
Pump prices have moved center stage on Capitol Hill, with hearings and an almost daily barrage of GOP criticisms of the administration's approach to energy policy.
The pipeline issue has divided core Democratic constituencies, with some labor unions backing the project as an opportunity to create jobs. But environmentalists warn that the pipeline would expand the nation's carbon footprint and create more pollution.
An alternative Democratic measure also failed. It would have prohibited the export of oil transported in the Keystone XL pipeline and, according to its sponsor, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), put "teeth behind all of the debate that this energy is going to be for the American consumer."
Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), who led the floor debate on the Keystone amendment, argued that the Democratic alternative would have added "additional impediments" to the project.
The Keystone votes come as the Senate is on track to pass a $109-billion, two-year transportation bill next week. The legislation sets road, highway and transit priorities.
But the bill's fate is uncertain because House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has been unable to corral a majority for passage in the Republican-controlled House. Republicans are in disagreement over how big the bill should be and what it should include.
Boehner said Thursday that he planned to bring up the Senate bill "or something like it" after the House returns from a weeklong recess next week.
A Republican-led effort in the Senate to open more coastal areas to energy exploration was defeated, with 44 in favor and 54 Christian Louboutin Pumps against. The initial tally was 46 to 52, but two senators later changed their votes.
"We don't need any more giveaways to Big Oil," Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said in opposition, warning that opening the Atlantic and Pacific to new drilling would put tourism-dependent coastal economies at risk.
"You can't drill your way out of this," Boxer added.
Boxer, who as chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee helped write the transportation bill, has warned that attaching controversial provisions could jeopardize the legislation, which supporters say would fund job-creating highway and mass transit projects.
Senators are seeking to attach their pet issues to the bill, which could be one of the few measures to make it through Congress in this election year.
One measure that did pass Thursday would steer 80% of the penalties paid by BP for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill to restoring coastal ecosystems and rebuilding Gulf Coast economies. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) called the Christian Louboutin Stretch Platform OTK Boot action "a huge step toward making sure any fines against BP end up in the local communities harmed by the company's oil spill."
2012年3月7日星期三
Modern commanders in chief have routinely asked for military
The Pentagon’s top two officials acknowledged Wednesday that President Obama had asked for preliminary military options that christian louboutin could help end the increasingly violent Syria conflict, but they emphasized the risks and said the administration still believes diplomatic and economic pressure is the best way to protect Syrians from the Assad regime’s vindictive repression.
The appraisal by Army General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta in Senate testimony reflected increased concern about the year-old uprising in Syria, the most violent of the Arab Spring conflicts. The UN estimates more than 7,500 people have been killed in clashes in Syria thus far.
Their comments also reflected Syria’s politicization in the United States during a presidential election year, with Obama’s adversaries accusing him of weakness in the face of foreign crises.
They spoke two days after Senator John McCain, a Republican of Arizona, who lost to Obama in 2008, became the first senator to call for US airstrikes on Syria as “the only realistic way’’ to stop what he called a slaughter there. Both Dempsey and Panetta spent much of their testimony fending off McCain’s questions about why the administration was so reluctant.
Their exchanges at the Senate Armed Services Committee came as the conflict in Syria took some dramatic new turns.
The United Nations’ top relief official, Valerie Amos, visited the ravaged Syrian city of Homs - the first inspection there by an independent outside observer since President Bashar Assad ordered a ferocious military assault of the city’s armed resistance more than a month ago. Ominous signs emerged that Assad’s forces Christian Louboutin Evening would now direct their campaign northward to Idlib Province, where the Free Syrian Army, a group composed mostly of army defectors, are challenging his authority.
Dempsey told the committee that the options included humanitarian airlifts, naval monitoring, aerial surveillance of the Syrian military, and the establishment of a no-fly zone. Specifically, he said that “the president of the United States, through the national security staff, has asked us to begin the commander’s estimate’’ - a term for an initial assessment of a situation and potential courses of military action.
Panetta, who spoke alongside Dempsey, told the committee that military options were in the earliest stages. “We have not done the detailed planning because we are waiting for the direction of the president to do that,’’ he said.
Modern commanders in chief have routinely asked for military options during foreign crises, and the Pentagon as part of its daily business draws up contingency plans for a wide range of potential conflicts.
Panetta and Dempsey spent much time explaining the difficulties of military action. Panetta said intervention could expedite a civil war in the country and make an explosive situation worse. He said bluntly that the Obama administration recognized “that there are limitations of military force, especially with Christian Louboutin Toundra Trimmed Suede Ankle Boots Chestnut US boots on the ground.’’
He added “it doesn’t make sense’’ for the United States to act without a coalition of allies.
The appraisal by Army General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta in Senate testimony reflected increased concern about the year-old uprising in Syria, the most violent of the Arab Spring conflicts. The UN estimates more than 7,500 people have been killed in clashes in Syria thus far.
Their comments also reflected Syria’s politicization in the United States during a presidential election year, with Obama’s adversaries accusing him of weakness in the face of foreign crises.
They spoke two days after Senator John McCain, a Republican of Arizona, who lost to Obama in 2008, became the first senator to call for US airstrikes on Syria as “the only realistic way’’ to stop what he called a slaughter there. Both Dempsey and Panetta spent much of their testimony fending off McCain’s questions about why the administration was so reluctant.
Their exchanges at the Senate Armed Services Committee came as the conflict in Syria took some dramatic new turns.
The United Nations’ top relief official, Valerie Amos, visited the ravaged Syrian city of Homs - the first inspection there by an independent outside observer since President Bashar Assad ordered a ferocious military assault of the city’s armed resistance more than a month ago. Ominous signs emerged that Assad’s forces Christian Louboutin Evening would now direct their campaign northward to Idlib Province, where the Free Syrian Army, a group composed mostly of army defectors, are challenging his authority.
Dempsey told the committee that the options included humanitarian airlifts, naval monitoring, aerial surveillance of the Syrian military, and the establishment of a no-fly zone. Specifically, he said that “the president of the United States, through the national security staff, has asked us to begin the commander’s estimate’’ - a term for an initial assessment of a situation and potential courses of military action.
Panetta, who spoke alongside Dempsey, told the committee that military options were in the earliest stages. “We have not done the detailed planning because we are waiting for the direction of the president to do that,’’ he said.
Modern commanders in chief have routinely asked for military options during foreign crises, and the Pentagon as part of its daily business draws up contingency plans for a wide range of potential conflicts.
Panetta and Dempsey spent much time explaining the difficulties of military action. Panetta said intervention could expedite a civil war in the country and make an explosive situation worse. He said bluntly that the Obama administration recognized “that there are limitations of military force, especially with Christian Louboutin Toundra Trimmed Suede Ankle Boots Chestnut US boots on the ground.’’
He added “it doesn’t make sense’’ for the United States to act without a coalition of allies.
2012年3月6日星期二
A video of Chandler's highlights from last season
Nowitzki scored nine of his 28 points in a game-clinching run after the Mavericks had lost the lead by going scoreless the first christian louboutin 7½ minutes of the fourth quarter, and Dallas beat the Knicks 95-85 on Tuesday night.
"This was a much-needed win. It was a big character win," Mavericks guard Jason Kidd said. "We responded with some stops and Dirk made some big shots."
Nowitzki made a 14-foot fadeaway jumper with 4:34 left, starting a 14-0 run when the 11-time All-Star forward scored nine points.
That was right after the Knicks, who had trailed by as many as 19, scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter and went ahead 78-77 when Amare Stoudemire penetrated to make a shot with about 5 minutes left. It was their first lead since scoring the game's first four points, and didn't last long.
"The rhythm I had there in the second half, I was definitely looking for the ball," said Nowitzki, who scored 24 after halftime. "I was chasing the ball sometimes, I was looking at Kidd and basically telling him, just bring it over here and let me try and take it home."
Jeremy Lin had 14 points and seven assists, solid numbers but only half of what he had nearly 2½ weeks ago when the Knicks won at home against Dallas. He had 28 points and 14 assists in that game before the All-Star break that ended a six-game winning streak for the Mavericks, and started a stretch of six losses in eight games before Tuesday night.
The Knicks are 2-4 since then, and have consecutive losses for the first time since Lin became a starter a month ago.
Stoudemire had 26 points. Tyson Chandler, who got his NBA championship ring from the Mavericks before the game, had six points, eight rebounds and a technical foul.
When Nowitzki made a short baseline shot with 2:27 left to stretch the lead to 88-78, Chandler was standing at the scorer's table waiting to get back into the game. He was motioning for a travel call against his former teammate, and even tapped an official running by before Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni called timeout.
"First half we did a great job containing him," Stoudemire said of Nowitzki. "Second half, he was able to get it going a little bit, a couple of open shots, a couple of tough shots, a couple of travel shots. But he played well."
Chandler got called for the technical during the stoppage in play, and Nowitzki made the free throw.
Rodrigue Beaubois added 18 points for Christian Louboutin Sneakers
the Mavericks, while Kidd had 15 points and six assists.
Dallas, which lost at Oklahoma City on Monday night, wraps up a stretch of nine games in 12 days with three road games in three nights, starting Thursday in Phoenix.
Mavericks fans were cheering loudly with 13 seconds left in the third quarter when Nowitzki, with JR Smith pushing against him, finally moved around and drew the foul while driving toward the basket. Nowitzki made both free throws to make it 77-63, but the Mavericks didn't score again until he dominated in the game-turning spurt.
Lin wasn't even on the court the first 8 minutes of the fourth quarter when the Knicks briefly took the lead.
"We made a run with our second team," Lin said. "We couldn't close this game out and they obviously did a great job of getting defensive stops. Those stops led to quick easy buckets and Dirk is a clutch player who scores a lot in the fourth quarter."
The Mavericks played without starting center Brendan Haywood and post player Brandan Wright, who missed his third consecutive game after a concussion.
Coach Rick Carlisle said Haywood still had some swelling after rolling his ankle on the opening possession in the loss at Oklahoma City, but would travel with the team. Wright will not make the upcoming three-game trip.
Haywood became the Mavs starter after Chandler got a $56 million, four-year contract with the Knicks in a sign-and-trade that was part of a three-team deal at the start of training camp.
In a short ceremony before the game, Chandler became the last player from the Mavericks' 2010-11 team to get his NBA championship ring.
A video of Chandler's highlights from last season was shown before the 7-foot-1 center got a nice ovation from Mavericks fans.
"To us, he was that missing piece last year that took us over the top," Nowitzki said. "I was happy to see him get a great ovation by the crowd. That was a special moment for him and for us. I'm glad everything got their ring now and we can focus on getting to the playoffs."
Notes: The Knicks played the second of Christian Louboutin Tina Boots Fringed Suede Purple four consecutive road games, and four of six away from Madison Square Garden. They are at San Antonio on Wednesday night. … Mavericks guard Vince Carter went 1-for-8 shooting for three points. He made a 3-pointer for the first Dallas basket, and didn't make another shot.
"This was a much-needed win. It was a big character win," Mavericks guard Jason Kidd said. "We responded with some stops and Dirk made some big shots."
Nowitzki made a 14-foot fadeaway jumper with 4:34 left, starting a 14-0 run when the 11-time All-Star forward scored nine points.
That was right after the Knicks, who had trailed by as many as 19, scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter and went ahead 78-77 when Amare Stoudemire penetrated to make a shot with about 5 minutes left. It was their first lead since scoring the game's first four points, and didn't last long.
"The rhythm I had there in the second half, I was definitely looking for the ball," said Nowitzki, who scored 24 after halftime. "I was chasing the ball sometimes, I was looking at Kidd and basically telling him, just bring it over here and let me try and take it home."
Jeremy Lin had 14 points and seven assists, solid numbers but only half of what he had nearly 2½ weeks ago when the Knicks won at home against Dallas. He had 28 points and 14 assists in that game before the All-Star break that ended a six-game winning streak for the Mavericks, and started a stretch of six losses in eight games before Tuesday night.
The Knicks are 2-4 since then, and have consecutive losses for the first time since Lin became a starter a month ago.
Stoudemire had 26 points. Tyson Chandler, who got his NBA championship ring from the Mavericks before the game, had six points, eight rebounds and a technical foul.
When Nowitzki made a short baseline shot with 2:27 left to stretch the lead to 88-78, Chandler was standing at the scorer's table waiting to get back into the game. He was motioning for a travel call against his former teammate, and even tapped an official running by before Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni called timeout.
"First half we did a great job containing him," Stoudemire said of Nowitzki. "Second half, he was able to get it going a little bit, a couple of open shots, a couple of tough shots, a couple of travel shots. But he played well."
Chandler got called for the technical during the stoppage in play, and Nowitzki made the free throw.
Rodrigue Beaubois added 18 points for Christian Louboutin Sneakers
the Mavericks, while Kidd had 15 points and six assists.
Dallas, which lost at Oklahoma City on Monday night, wraps up a stretch of nine games in 12 days with three road games in three nights, starting Thursday in Phoenix.
Mavericks fans were cheering loudly with 13 seconds left in the third quarter when Nowitzki, with JR Smith pushing against him, finally moved around and drew the foul while driving toward the basket. Nowitzki made both free throws to make it 77-63, but the Mavericks didn't score again until he dominated in the game-turning spurt.
Lin wasn't even on the court the first 8 minutes of the fourth quarter when the Knicks briefly took the lead.
"We made a run with our second team," Lin said. "We couldn't close this game out and they obviously did a great job of getting defensive stops. Those stops led to quick easy buckets and Dirk is a clutch player who scores a lot in the fourth quarter."
The Mavericks played without starting center Brendan Haywood and post player Brandan Wright, who missed his third consecutive game after a concussion.
Coach Rick Carlisle said Haywood still had some swelling after rolling his ankle on the opening possession in the loss at Oklahoma City, but would travel with the team. Wright will not make the upcoming three-game trip.
Haywood became the Mavs starter after Chandler got a $56 million, four-year contract with the Knicks in a sign-and-trade that was part of a three-team deal at the start of training camp.
In a short ceremony before the game, Chandler became the last player from the Mavericks' 2010-11 team to get his NBA championship ring.
A video of Chandler's highlights from last season was shown before the 7-foot-1 center got a nice ovation from Mavericks fans.
"To us, he was that missing piece last year that took us over the top," Nowitzki said. "I was happy to see him get a great ovation by the crowd. That was a special moment for him and for us. I'm glad everything got their ring now and we can focus on getting to the playoffs."
Notes: The Knicks played the second of Christian Louboutin Tina Boots Fringed Suede Purple four consecutive road games, and four of six away from Madison Square Garden. They are at San Antonio on Wednesday night. … Mavericks guard Vince Carter went 1-for-8 shooting for three points. He made a 3-pointer for the first Dallas basket, and didn't make another shot.
2012年3月5日星期一
We have seen a man who wasn't sure of himself
Riot police have broken up an opposition protest contesting Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's victory in Russia's presidential election, arresting dozens of participants, including prominent opposition leaders.
The police action followed a rally in central Moscow on Monday that drew about 20,000 protesters angry over a campaign christian louboutin slanted in Putin's favour and reports of widespread violations in Sunday's ballot.
The big rally went on peacefully, but hundreds of police in full riot gear violently dispersed several hundred protesters who had vowed to stay on the iconic Pushkin Square until Putin steps down.
Police moved quickly to disrupt the protests, apparently fearing that it could act as a catalyst for bigger opposition action.
Charismatic protest leader Alexei Navalny, who sought to electrify the crowd with a passionate call of "We are the power!" was among those arrested, along with opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov. Scores were put in police vans parked around the square.
Putin won more than 63 per cent of the vote, according to the nearly complete official returns, but the opposition says the election was marred by massive fraud.
The campaign has been unfair, cowardly and treacherous," said opposition leader Grigory Yavlinsky, who had been denied registration for the race on a technicality.
International election monitors pointed at the lack of real competition and said the vote count "was assessed negatively" in almost a third of polling stations observers visited.
"There was no real competition, and abuse of government resources ensured that the ultimate winner of the election was never in doubt," said Tonino Picula, the head of the short-term Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe observer mission.
"Broadcast media was clearly biased in favour of one candidate and did not provide fair coverage of the other candidates."
Russian observers pointed at numerous reports of "carousel voting", in which busloads of voters are driven around to cast ballots multiple times and various other violations, saying their number appeared to be as high as in December's disputed parliamentary vote that kicked off the protests.
Monday's rally was been sanctioned by authorities but security was tight, with some 12,000 police deployed to ensure order.
About 100 protesters were also arrested in St Petersburg, where about 2000 gathered for an unauthorised rally.
The independent Russian elections Christian Louboutin Evening watchdog Golos said incomplete reports from its observers of individual polling station counts contradicted the official vote count, indicating Putin hovered perilously close to the 50 per cent mark needed for a first-round victory.
"It's one pixel away from a second round," said Golos' Roman Udot.
Putin claimed victory on Sunday night when fewer than a quarter of the votes had been counted, his eyes brimming with tears. He defiantly proclaimed just outside the Kremlin walls before a sea of supporters that they had triumphed over opponents intent on "destroying Russia's statehood and usurping power".
The protesters on Monday derided Putin's tears as an evidence of his fear of the opposition.
"We have seen a man who wasn't sure of himself," said Ilya Yashin, one of the opposition leaders.
In an apparent bid to assuage the opposition anger, outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev told the Justice Ministry to present its explanation for last year's rejection of registration for the People's Freedom Party, an organisation led by some of the opposition's most prominent figures.
He also ordered the prosecutor-general to re-examine the legality of the conviction of imprisoned former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and more than 30 others regarded by the opposition as political prisoners, in an apparent attempt to soothe protesters.
The West can expect Putin to Christian Louboutin Stretch Platform OTK Boot continue the tough policies he has pursued even as prime minister, including opposing US plans to build a missile shield in Europe and resisting international military intervention in Syria.
The police action followed a rally in central Moscow on Monday that drew about 20,000 protesters angry over a campaign christian louboutin slanted in Putin's favour and reports of widespread violations in Sunday's ballot.
The big rally went on peacefully, but hundreds of police in full riot gear violently dispersed several hundred protesters who had vowed to stay on the iconic Pushkin Square until Putin steps down.
Police moved quickly to disrupt the protests, apparently fearing that it could act as a catalyst for bigger opposition action.
Charismatic protest leader Alexei Navalny, who sought to electrify the crowd with a passionate call of "We are the power!" was among those arrested, along with opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov. Scores were put in police vans parked around the square.
Putin won more than 63 per cent of the vote, according to the nearly complete official returns, but the opposition says the election was marred by massive fraud.
The campaign has been unfair, cowardly and treacherous," said opposition leader Grigory Yavlinsky, who had been denied registration for the race on a technicality.
International election monitors pointed at the lack of real competition and said the vote count "was assessed negatively" in almost a third of polling stations observers visited.
"There was no real competition, and abuse of government resources ensured that the ultimate winner of the election was never in doubt," said Tonino Picula, the head of the short-term Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe observer mission.
"Broadcast media was clearly biased in favour of one candidate and did not provide fair coverage of the other candidates."
Russian observers pointed at numerous reports of "carousel voting", in which busloads of voters are driven around to cast ballots multiple times and various other violations, saying their number appeared to be as high as in December's disputed parliamentary vote that kicked off the protests.
Monday's rally was been sanctioned by authorities but security was tight, with some 12,000 police deployed to ensure order.
About 100 protesters were also arrested in St Petersburg, where about 2000 gathered for an unauthorised rally.
The independent Russian elections Christian Louboutin Evening watchdog Golos said incomplete reports from its observers of individual polling station counts contradicted the official vote count, indicating Putin hovered perilously close to the 50 per cent mark needed for a first-round victory.
"It's one pixel away from a second round," said Golos' Roman Udot.
Putin claimed victory on Sunday night when fewer than a quarter of the votes had been counted, his eyes brimming with tears. He defiantly proclaimed just outside the Kremlin walls before a sea of supporters that they had triumphed over opponents intent on "destroying Russia's statehood and usurping power".
The protesters on Monday derided Putin's tears as an evidence of his fear of the opposition.
"We have seen a man who wasn't sure of himself," said Ilya Yashin, one of the opposition leaders.
In an apparent bid to assuage the opposition anger, outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev told the Justice Ministry to present its explanation for last year's rejection of registration for the People's Freedom Party, an organisation led by some of the opposition's most prominent figures.
He also ordered the prosecutor-general to re-examine the legality of the conviction of imprisoned former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and more than 30 others regarded by the opposition as political prisoners, in an apparent attempt to soothe protesters.
The West can expect Putin to Christian Louboutin Stretch Platform OTK Boot continue the tough policies he has pursued even as prime minister, including opposing US plans to build a missile shield in Europe and resisting international military intervention in Syria.
We’re not worried about losing Georgia
The latest figures provide more evidence of the oversized role that these groups, known as super political action committees, christian louboutin have played in the campaign.
Super PACs were spawned by a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that eased campaign finance regulations for corporations, unions and wealthy individuals. These groups can raise and spend unlimited funds as long as they do not coordinate directly with a candidate.
Restore Our Future, run by several former Romney advisers, is the top spender on TV ads, with more than $25 million; the vast majority has paid for ads targeting Romney’s opponents. By comparison, the Romney campaign has spent about $14 million.
Super PACs have all but kept alive the candidacies of Santorum and Gingrich. Their campaigns have run on shoestring budgets as they jockey to be Romney’s principal conservative challenger.
With 10 states set to hold primaries and caucuses on Tuesday, the Romney campaign and several super PACs are focusing primarily on the four considered most competitive: Ohio, Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
In Ohio, where polls show Santorum with a narrow lead, Romney’s campaign has spent about $1.2 million on ads. One takes on Santorum for flip-flopping on whether he supported Planned Parenthood. That ad shows clips from a recent GOP debate, where the former Pennsylvania senator acknowledged voting to fund the organization even though he doesn’t support the family planning organization.
“Sometimes you take one for the team,’’ Santorum is shown saying.
Restore Our Future has spent twice that amount, $2.4 million, in Ohio on ads trashing Santorum, also going after him on that issue. “Santorum says he’s the principled conservative. But that’s not how he voted,’’ one ad says.
Restore Our Future is spending just over $1 million to air ads in Tennessee and $500,000 in Oklahoma — the largest ad buys in the two states.
The Red, White and Blue Fund, a super PAC that supports Santorum, has spent about $3 million total on ads in the race. The group has spent about $514,000 on TV and radio ads in Ohio that criticize Romney for enacting a health care plan in Massachusetts similar to President Barack Obama’s and bash Gingrich for lobbying for federal housing giant Freddie Mac.
“How can Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich beat Barack Obama when on the vital decisions they’re not much different?’’ the ad asks.
The Santorum campaign, by contrast, Christian Louboutin Sandals has just purchased a modest about of ad time on cable television in the four states.
The pro-Gingrich super PAC Winning Our Future has spent $2.6 million on radio and television ads in the four major Super Tuesday states, including nearly $1 million in Georgia alone. The group’s TV ad includes clips of people saying they don’t trust Romney and mocking him for his wealth.
“Romney’s not the type to pump his own gas,’’ a woman says in the ad.
Rick Tyler, a former Gingrich aide now a top official at Winning Our Future, acknowledged that Georgia is critical to Gingrich’s future as a candidate.
“We’re not worried about losing Georgia. But at the same time, he has to do well in Georgia,’’ Tyler said. “Georgia is a lot like South Carolina, and Newt hasn’t had a win since South Carolina.’’
Winning Our Future has been relying on money from Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas casino magnate who has contributed millions to the group since January and made an additional large donation this past week.
The Gingrich campaign has aired a half-hour infomercial on cable TV in the four major states Tuesday, where he outlined his plan to bring gas prices down and make the U.S. more energy independent. But the campaign hasn’t purchased any broadcast time in Super Tuesday states.
Romney’s campaign has bought cable Christian Louboutin Suede Fringe Pumps Black advertising time in Idaho and Vermont, which also hold contests that day. Texas Rep. Ron Paul has also bought cable time in Vermont.
Super PACs were spawned by a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that eased campaign finance regulations for corporations, unions and wealthy individuals. These groups can raise and spend unlimited funds as long as they do not coordinate directly with a candidate.
Restore Our Future, run by several former Romney advisers, is the top spender on TV ads, with more than $25 million; the vast majority has paid for ads targeting Romney’s opponents. By comparison, the Romney campaign has spent about $14 million.
Super PACs have all but kept alive the candidacies of Santorum and Gingrich. Their campaigns have run on shoestring budgets as they jockey to be Romney’s principal conservative challenger.
With 10 states set to hold primaries and caucuses on Tuesday, the Romney campaign and several super PACs are focusing primarily on the four considered most competitive: Ohio, Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
In Ohio, where polls show Santorum with a narrow lead, Romney’s campaign has spent about $1.2 million on ads. One takes on Santorum for flip-flopping on whether he supported Planned Parenthood. That ad shows clips from a recent GOP debate, where the former Pennsylvania senator acknowledged voting to fund the organization even though he doesn’t support the family planning organization.
“Sometimes you take one for the team,’’ Santorum is shown saying.
Restore Our Future has spent twice that amount, $2.4 million, in Ohio on ads trashing Santorum, also going after him on that issue. “Santorum says he’s the principled conservative. But that’s not how he voted,’’ one ad says.
Restore Our Future is spending just over $1 million to air ads in Tennessee and $500,000 in Oklahoma — the largest ad buys in the two states.
The Red, White and Blue Fund, a super PAC that supports Santorum, has spent about $3 million total on ads in the race. The group has spent about $514,000 on TV and radio ads in Ohio that criticize Romney for enacting a health care plan in Massachusetts similar to President Barack Obama’s and bash Gingrich for lobbying for federal housing giant Freddie Mac.
“How can Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich beat Barack Obama when on the vital decisions they’re not much different?’’ the ad asks.
The Santorum campaign, by contrast, Christian Louboutin Sandals has just purchased a modest about of ad time on cable television in the four states.
The pro-Gingrich super PAC Winning Our Future has spent $2.6 million on radio and television ads in the four major Super Tuesday states, including nearly $1 million in Georgia alone. The group’s TV ad includes clips of people saying they don’t trust Romney and mocking him for his wealth.
“Romney’s not the type to pump his own gas,’’ a woman says in the ad.
Rick Tyler, a former Gingrich aide now a top official at Winning Our Future, acknowledged that Georgia is critical to Gingrich’s future as a candidate.
“We’re not worried about losing Georgia. But at the same time, he has to do well in Georgia,’’ Tyler said. “Georgia is a lot like South Carolina, and Newt hasn’t had a win since South Carolina.’’
Winning Our Future has been relying on money from Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas casino magnate who has contributed millions to the group since January and made an additional large donation this past week.
The Gingrich campaign has aired a half-hour infomercial on cable TV in the four major states Tuesday, where he outlined his plan to bring gas prices down and make the U.S. more energy independent. But the campaign hasn’t purchased any broadcast time in Super Tuesday states.
Romney’s campaign has bought cable Christian Louboutin Suede Fringe Pumps Black advertising time in Idaho and Vermont, which also hold contests that day. Texas Rep. Ron Paul has also bought cable time in Vermont.
2012年2月29日星期三
Santorum remains on solid ground heading into Super Tuesday
Mitt Romney's marginal primary victory christian louboutin in the Michigan has turned out to be a dead heat after the final count showed rival Rick Santorum still won half the state's delegates.
Romney's result in the state of his birth lost some of its lustre as it emerged he and Rick Santorum each received 15 delegates. The result, despite Romney winning 41% of the primary vote compared with Santorum's 38%, came about because Michigan divides up delegates on a proportional basis.
The outcome muddies the race ahead of 10 key state contests next Tuesday.
A win in Michigan had been crucial for Romney, whose father was governor of the state. He had aimed to overcome the religious conservative Santorum by sticking to his core and mainstream Republican message of fixing the economy and reducing unemployment in a country still recovering from the worst recession in decades.
News that Santorum's narrow loss in Michigan would yield him as many delegates as the winner enabled him to label the result a success on Romney's home turf, putting some wind in his sails ahead of the big contests next week.
"We had a much better night in Michigan than maybe was first reported. This was a really great race to go into, in a sense, the belly of the beast, the hometown of my chief rival here in the Republican primary," Santorum said during a campaign stop in Tennessee.
The other two candidates in the race, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, did not campaign in Michigan and got no delegates.
On Wednesday night Romney won his party's caucus in Wyoming, CNN reported, quoting the Wyoming Republican party as saying Romney emerged from a month-long series of county-level straw polls with 39% of the votes cast.
The TV network said former Santorum came Christian Louboutin High Boots in second with 33%, followed by Ron Paul with 20% and Newt Gingrich with 8%.
Romney is favoured by much of the Republican establishment and enjoys more campaign funds and better organisation than his primary rivals. But Santorum has electrified the party's conservative base, which trusts his views on social issues such as abortion and gay rights, and considers Romney too moderate and inconsistent.
Santorum remains on solid ground heading into Super Tuesday, when 419 delegates are up for grabs in 10 states. It could go a long way in determining who will win the state-by-state race for delegates that yields the party's nomination at its national convention in August.
Santorum is leading the polls in Ohio, possibly the most important contest on Super Tuesday. It is a big industrial state with 8.1% unemployment, 63 convention delegates at stake and a long history as a battleground in general election campaigns. Santorum also is keeping an eye on two other big prizes among the 10 Super Tuesday states: Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Romney is all but assured of victories in at least two of next Tuesday's states Massachusetts, where he was Christian Louboutin Muffs Furry Boots Grey governor and faces little or no competition in the primary, and Virginia, where neither former House speaker Newt Gingrich nor Santorum qualified for the ballot. Those two contests offer 84 delegates combined.
Romney's result in the state of his birth lost some of its lustre as it emerged he and Rick Santorum each received 15 delegates. The result, despite Romney winning 41% of the primary vote compared with Santorum's 38%, came about because Michigan divides up delegates on a proportional basis.
The outcome muddies the race ahead of 10 key state contests next Tuesday.
A win in Michigan had been crucial for Romney, whose father was governor of the state. He had aimed to overcome the religious conservative Santorum by sticking to his core and mainstream Republican message of fixing the economy and reducing unemployment in a country still recovering from the worst recession in decades.
News that Santorum's narrow loss in Michigan would yield him as many delegates as the winner enabled him to label the result a success on Romney's home turf, putting some wind in his sails ahead of the big contests next week.
"We had a much better night in Michigan than maybe was first reported. This was a really great race to go into, in a sense, the belly of the beast, the hometown of my chief rival here in the Republican primary," Santorum said during a campaign stop in Tennessee.
The other two candidates in the race, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, did not campaign in Michigan and got no delegates.
On Wednesday night Romney won his party's caucus in Wyoming, CNN reported, quoting the Wyoming Republican party as saying Romney emerged from a month-long series of county-level straw polls with 39% of the votes cast.
The TV network said former Santorum came Christian Louboutin High Boots in second with 33%, followed by Ron Paul with 20% and Newt Gingrich with 8%.
Romney is favoured by much of the Republican establishment and enjoys more campaign funds and better organisation than his primary rivals. But Santorum has electrified the party's conservative base, which trusts his views on social issues such as abortion and gay rights, and considers Romney too moderate and inconsistent.
Santorum remains on solid ground heading into Super Tuesday, when 419 delegates are up for grabs in 10 states. It could go a long way in determining who will win the state-by-state race for delegates that yields the party's nomination at its national convention in August.
Santorum is leading the polls in Ohio, possibly the most important contest on Super Tuesday. It is a big industrial state with 8.1% unemployment, 63 convention delegates at stake and a long history as a battleground in general election campaigns. Santorum also is keeping an eye on two other big prizes among the 10 Super Tuesday states: Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Romney is all but assured of victories in at least two of next Tuesday's states Massachusetts, where he was Christian Louboutin Muffs Furry Boots Grey governor and faces little or no competition in the primary, and Virginia, where neither former House speaker Newt Gingrich nor Santorum qualified for the ballot. Those two contests offer 84 delegates combined.
2012年2月28日星期二
The entire process took just over two hours
The driver of the safety truck that exploded christian louboutin into flames during the Daytona 500 thanked NASCAR fans Tuesday night for their concern.
Duane Barnes was driving the jet dryer that was hit under caution when something broke on Juan Pablo Montoya's car and sent it careening into the truck. The collision caused a raging inferno that scorched the track and stopped Monday night's race for just over two hours.
"I appreciate everyone for taking the time to write, call and ask how I am," Barnes said in a statement. "I am OK, and I am amazed at how many people have wished me well. I am also glad Juan Pablo Montoya is OK, and thank him for his concern."
Barnes, a 24-year employee of Michigan International Speedway, was evaluated at a Daytona hospital Monday night and released. He was one of two employees Michigan sent to Daytona to help with the season-opening race.
Barnes often assists at tracks owned by International Speedway Corp. by driving jet dryers. Michigan sent three jet dryers to the race.
Meanwhile, Daytona president Joie Chitwood III said the 200 gallons of jet fuel that spilled across Daytona International Speedway and caught fire was a worst-case scenario.
"The worst possible thing that can happen to a racetrack is fuel," Chitwood said. "We hardly ever talk about burning fuel. If we would have talked about having 200 gallons of burning jet fuel on the racetrack during the event, I'm not sure what the likelihood would have been of completing the race."
Track workers put out the fire, then turned Christian Louboutin High Boots to laundry detergent to clean up the mess because, Chitwood said, the detergent is typically used to wash the track surface. The track was watered, soaped, watered again, then a street bond was added.
The entire process took just over two hours, and racing resumed right after.
"It was about a 10- or 11-step process," said Chitwood. "There is no true training manual to light a track on fire and respond to it. But what the team did . I think is phenomenal."
Drivers seemed concerned about racing through the area as they turned laps under caution, and a collective sigh was let out once Jeff Burton led a line of drivers through the high-side of the track that seemed to be the riskiest area.
"The drivers did not get an opportunity to see the track before we re-started, and I can only assume as I go through there and I hear stuff flying up into the crush panels that it's asphalt," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "When you're a driver and you're running Christian Louboutin Studded Pumps on a racetrack and you hear things flying up, that's not typically normal. So I just assumed the track was pretty soft, but it held up well."
Duane Barnes was driving the jet dryer that was hit under caution when something broke on Juan Pablo Montoya's car and sent it careening into the truck. The collision caused a raging inferno that scorched the track and stopped Monday night's race for just over two hours.
"I appreciate everyone for taking the time to write, call and ask how I am," Barnes said in a statement. "I am OK, and I am amazed at how many people have wished me well. I am also glad Juan Pablo Montoya is OK, and thank him for his concern."
Barnes, a 24-year employee of Michigan International Speedway, was evaluated at a Daytona hospital Monday night and released. He was one of two employees Michigan sent to Daytona to help with the season-opening race.
Barnes often assists at tracks owned by International Speedway Corp. by driving jet dryers. Michigan sent three jet dryers to the race.
Meanwhile, Daytona president Joie Chitwood III said the 200 gallons of jet fuel that spilled across Daytona International Speedway and caught fire was a worst-case scenario.
"The worst possible thing that can happen to a racetrack is fuel," Chitwood said. "We hardly ever talk about burning fuel. If we would have talked about having 200 gallons of burning jet fuel on the racetrack during the event, I'm not sure what the likelihood would have been of completing the race."
Track workers put out the fire, then turned Christian Louboutin High Boots to laundry detergent to clean up the mess because, Chitwood said, the detergent is typically used to wash the track surface. The track was watered, soaped, watered again, then a street bond was added.
The entire process took just over two hours, and racing resumed right after.
"It was about a 10- or 11-step process," said Chitwood. "There is no true training manual to light a track on fire and respond to it. But what the team did . I think is phenomenal."
Drivers seemed concerned about racing through the area as they turned laps under caution, and a collective sigh was let out once Jeff Burton led a line of drivers through the high-side of the track that seemed to be the riskiest area.
"The drivers did not get an opportunity to see the track before we re-started, and I can only assume as I go through there and I hear stuff flying up into the crush panels that it's asphalt," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "When you're a driver and you're running Christian Louboutin Studded Pumps on a racetrack and you hear things flying up, that's not typically normal. So I just assumed the track was pretty soft, but it held up well."
2012年2月27日星期一
The top four drivers when Juan Montoya hit the jet dryer were Dave Blaney
Earnhardt made a slingshot move around Greg Biffle to run second in the 54th running of the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway. Biffle came home third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton, as a late caution necessitated two extra laps christian louboutin beyond the scheduled 200.
Paul Menard, Kevin Harvick, pole-sitter Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Mark Martin completed the top 10.
Earnhardt hooked up with Biffle and pushed the No. 16 Ford after a restart on Lap 201, but the pair could not make headway against Kenseth who moved to the front of the field and stayed there.
Earnhardt expected Biffle to pull out and make a move, but the move never came.
"I was waiting and waiting," Earnhardt said. "It looked like he might have been trying to make a move on the back straightaway, but nothing materialized there. Then we came off [Turn] 4, and I kind of waited till the last minute for him to have his opportunity to try to pass Matt, and nothing was happening, so I just pulled out and went around him."
Kenseth had plenty of power at the finish, despite problems with the cooling system that plagued him early in the race.
"We had a lot of problems -- it was spewing water," said Kenseth, who notched the 22nd Cup victory of his career. "I have to give a lot of credit to [engine builder] Doug Yates and the guys at the engine shop. We had great horsepower.
"I could get a pretty good start on the bottom and either Denny or Dale Jr. could push me for a while and then they just couldn't stay attached and I would get away from them just in time to get in front of Greg, and the two of us together could make some unbelievable speed. I have to thank Greg. We worked together really good all day long. He had a really fast car all day as well."
A multicar wreck on Lap 188 thinned the herd considerably, taking out a handful of competitive cars. Jamie McMurray spun wildly near the entrance to Turn 1, and the chain-reaction collision wiped out the cars of Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola and damaged the machines of Edwards and Tony Stewart.
Another melee on Lap 196 set up the overtime. After contact from Joey Logano's Toyota, the Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. caromed into Stewart's Chevrolet, turning the defending Cup champion sideways and igniting a pinball-style wreck that also involved Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman.
A strange weekend that saw the first weather postponement in the history of the Daytona 500 got downright bizarre during a round of pit stops under caution late in the race.
Juan Montoya brought his No. 42 Chevrolet to pit road under caution on Lap 160, complaining of transmission issues. His car fell victim to a strong vibration when he returned to the track, and Montoya slid out of control at the entrance to Turn 3 and slammed into a jet dryer, which was against the outside wall, blowing the track.
The collision ignited the jet fuel in the dryer and set both vehicles ablaze. Montoya and the driver of the service vehicle both escaped the wreckage, but the latter -- Duane Barnes, from Michigan International Speedway -- was taken to nearby Halifax Medical Center for further evaluation.
"Something failed in the rear of the car, and the car just spun into the jet dryer," Montoya said after a visit to the care center. "I left the pits and felt a really Christian Louboutin Sandals weird vibration, and I came back in and checked the rear end and [they] said it was OK, and I got into the backstraight and we were going in fourth gear but wasn't going that fast.
"Every time I got on the gas, I could feel the rear squeezing. When I was telling the spotter to have a look how the rear was moving, the car just turned right."
NASCAR red-flagged the race as safety vehicles arrived on the scene and track workers attempted to put out the fire.
"There's going to be a big speed bump heading into Turn 3," crew chief Steve Letarte told Dale Earnhardt Jr., fearful that the blaze would melt the asphalt. "I will be shocked -- shocked -- if we can get this race restarted."
Letarte was wrong.
Safety workers cleared the scene by hoisting the remains of the jet dryer on a tow truck with a boom to prevent further damage to the asphalt. After a stoppage of two hours, five minutes and 29 seconds, the event resumed just before midnight ET.
The race was barely one lap old when contact from the front bumper of Elliott Sadler's Chevrolet turned the No. 48 Chevy of five-time champion Jimmie Johnson hard into the outside wall near the exit from the tri-oval.
Unable to avoid the wreck, David Ragan plowed into the side of Johnson's car. Neither Johnson nor Ragan was able to continue; they retired from the race in the 42nd and 43rd positions, respectively.
The cars of defending race winner Trevor Bayne, Danica Patrick and Kurt Busch were severely damaged in the melee and all three headed to the garage for extensive repairs and later returned to the track.
"The steering's off," Patrick said, as she brought the No. 10 Chevy to pit road. Her crew repaired the rear suspension, but Patrick was 62 laps down when she reappeared on Lap 66. She wound up 38th in her Sprint Cup debut.
Martin Truex Jr. won the $200,000 bonus for leading the race at the halfway point.
The top four drivers when Juan Montoya hit the jet dryer were Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Tony Raines and David Gilliland, none of whom had come to pit road with the rest of the lead-lap cars. Irreparable damage to the track or an ill-timed rain cell could have made a winner of Blaney.
Edwards and Kyle Busch had to restart from Christian Louboutin Tina Boots Fringed Suede Purple the rear when the race resumed for removing tear-offs from their windshields under the red flag.
Paul Menard, Kevin Harvick, pole-sitter Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Mark Martin completed the top 10.
Earnhardt hooked up with Biffle and pushed the No. 16 Ford after a restart on Lap 201, but the pair could not make headway against Kenseth who moved to the front of the field and stayed there.
Earnhardt expected Biffle to pull out and make a move, but the move never came.
"I was waiting and waiting," Earnhardt said. "It looked like he might have been trying to make a move on the back straightaway, but nothing materialized there. Then we came off [Turn] 4, and I kind of waited till the last minute for him to have his opportunity to try to pass Matt, and nothing was happening, so I just pulled out and went around him."
Kenseth had plenty of power at the finish, despite problems with the cooling system that plagued him early in the race.
"We had a lot of problems -- it was spewing water," said Kenseth, who notched the 22nd Cup victory of his career. "I have to give a lot of credit to [engine builder] Doug Yates and the guys at the engine shop. We had great horsepower.
"I could get a pretty good start on the bottom and either Denny or Dale Jr. could push me for a while and then they just couldn't stay attached and I would get away from them just in time to get in front of Greg, and the two of us together could make some unbelievable speed. I have to thank Greg. We worked together really good all day long. He had a really fast car all day as well."
A multicar wreck on Lap 188 thinned the herd considerably, taking out a handful of competitive cars. Jamie McMurray spun wildly near the entrance to Turn 1, and the chain-reaction collision wiped out the cars of Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola and damaged the machines of Edwards and Tony Stewart.
Another melee on Lap 196 set up the overtime. After contact from Joey Logano's Toyota, the Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. caromed into Stewart's Chevrolet, turning the defending Cup champion sideways and igniting a pinball-style wreck that also involved Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman.
A strange weekend that saw the first weather postponement in the history of the Daytona 500 got downright bizarre during a round of pit stops under caution late in the race.
Juan Montoya brought his No. 42 Chevrolet to pit road under caution on Lap 160, complaining of transmission issues. His car fell victim to a strong vibration when he returned to the track, and Montoya slid out of control at the entrance to Turn 3 and slammed into a jet dryer, which was against the outside wall, blowing the track.
The collision ignited the jet fuel in the dryer and set both vehicles ablaze. Montoya and the driver of the service vehicle both escaped the wreckage, but the latter -- Duane Barnes, from Michigan International Speedway -- was taken to nearby Halifax Medical Center for further evaluation.
"Something failed in the rear of the car, and the car just spun into the jet dryer," Montoya said after a visit to the care center. "I left the pits and felt a really Christian Louboutin Sandals weird vibration, and I came back in and checked the rear end and [they] said it was OK, and I got into the backstraight and we were going in fourth gear but wasn't going that fast.
"Every time I got on the gas, I could feel the rear squeezing. When I was telling the spotter to have a look how the rear was moving, the car just turned right."
NASCAR red-flagged the race as safety vehicles arrived on the scene and track workers attempted to put out the fire.
"There's going to be a big speed bump heading into Turn 3," crew chief Steve Letarte told Dale Earnhardt Jr., fearful that the blaze would melt the asphalt. "I will be shocked -- shocked -- if we can get this race restarted."
Letarte was wrong.
Safety workers cleared the scene by hoisting the remains of the jet dryer on a tow truck with a boom to prevent further damage to the asphalt. After a stoppage of two hours, five minutes and 29 seconds, the event resumed just before midnight ET.
The race was barely one lap old when contact from the front bumper of Elliott Sadler's Chevrolet turned the No. 48 Chevy of five-time champion Jimmie Johnson hard into the outside wall near the exit from the tri-oval.
Unable to avoid the wreck, David Ragan plowed into the side of Johnson's car. Neither Johnson nor Ragan was able to continue; they retired from the race in the 42nd and 43rd positions, respectively.
The cars of defending race winner Trevor Bayne, Danica Patrick and Kurt Busch were severely damaged in the melee and all three headed to the garage for extensive repairs and later returned to the track.
"The steering's off," Patrick said, as she brought the No. 10 Chevy to pit road. Her crew repaired the rear suspension, but Patrick was 62 laps down when she reappeared on Lap 66. She wound up 38th in her Sprint Cup debut.
Martin Truex Jr. won the $200,000 bonus for leading the race at the halfway point.
The top four drivers when Juan Montoya hit the jet dryer were Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Tony Raines and David Gilliland, none of whom had come to pit road with the rest of the lead-lap cars. Irreparable damage to the track or an ill-timed rain cell could have made a winner of Blaney.
Edwards and Kyle Busch had to restart from Christian Louboutin Tina Boots Fringed Suede Purple the rear when the race resumed for removing tear-offs from their windshields under the red flag.
2012年2月26日星期日
Santorum was asked about several of his recent comments
With two days left before the closely contested Republican primaries in Arizona and Michigan, Rick Santorum delivered a full-throated defense of christian louboutin religion in public life on Sunday, appealing to the social conservatives who have revived his presidential campaign.
In an escalation of the sometimes fiery language that he has used throughout the race, Santorum declared that colleges are no longer a "neutral setting" for people of faith and described how he had become sickened after reading John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech calling for the rigid separation of religion and politics.
"What kind of country do we live in that says only people of nonfaith can come into the public square and make their case?" Santorum said on the ABC News program "This Week." "That makes me throw up."
Kennedy, then a presidential candidate, gave the speech to quiet claims that he would answer to the Vatican because he was a Roman Catholic. Santorum is also a Catholic.
His rival Mitt Romney, who has struggled to convince conservatives of his ideological commitment, made his own, subtler case to the same constituency on Sunday. He traveled to Florida to attend the Daytona 500 NASCAR race (which was delayed by rain), long a favorite of conservative Republican voters, after having earlier disputed what he said was the misconception that, as a former governor of Massachusetts, "I can't be conservative."
But the crowd booed Romney, who occasionally struck a discordant note, as when he approached a group of fans wearing plastic ponchos. "I like those fancy raincoats you bought," he said. "Really sprung for the big bucks."
The last-minute overtures underscored Christian Louboutin Slingback how much the focus of the contest had swung from economic issues to social concerns.
Polls show the candidates running roughly even, and the question for both of them is how Santorum's provocative and assertive outreach to the religious right will resonate with voters, both in the contests this week and in the dozen on "Super Tuesday" on March 6.
For Romney, the stakes are especially high on Tuesday: a loss in Michigan would represent a searing setback in his home state and reinforce the sense that the party's rank and file is unwilling to come together behind him.
For Santorum, a defeat could threaten to sap the energy that he has built with victories over Romney in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.
On a day when both candidates vied for the affections of conservative voters, it was Santorum's language that stood out.
Appearing on "This Week" from Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Santorum was asked about several of his recent comments, including why he had derided President Obama - whom he called a "snob" - for encouraging all Americans to attend college.
He said many people simply have no Christian Louboutin Stretch Platform OTK Boot aspiration for university, and he also suggested that social conservatives are under assault on college campuses. "We have some real problems at our college campuses with political correctness," he said.
In an escalation of the sometimes fiery language that he has used throughout the race, Santorum declared that colleges are no longer a "neutral setting" for people of faith and described how he had become sickened after reading John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech calling for the rigid separation of religion and politics.
"What kind of country do we live in that says only people of nonfaith can come into the public square and make their case?" Santorum said on the ABC News program "This Week." "That makes me throw up."
Kennedy, then a presidential candidate, gave the speech to quiet claims that he would answer to the Vatican because he was a Roman Catholic. Santorum is also a Catholic.
His rival Mitt Romney, who has struggled to convince conservatives of his ideological commitment, made his own, subtler case to the same constituency on Sunday. He traveled to Florida to attend the Daytona 500 NASCAR race (which was delayed by rain), long a favorite of conservative Republican voters, after having earlier disputed what he said was the misconception that, as a former governor of Massachusetts, "I can't be conservative."
But the crowd booed Romney, who occasionally struck a discordant note, as when he approached a group of fans wearing plastic ponchos. "I like those fancy raincoats you bought," he said. "Really sprung for the big bucks."
The last-minute overtures underscored Christian Louboutin Slingback how much the focus of the contest had swung from economic issues to social concerns.
Polls show the candidates running roughly even, and the question for both of them is how Santorum's provocative and assertive outreach to the religious right will resonate with voters, both in the contests this week and in the dozen on "Super Tuesday" on March 6.
For Romney, the stakes are especially high on Tuesday: a loss in Michigan would represent a searing setback in his home state and reinforce the sense that the party's rank and file is unwilling to come together behind him.
For Santorum, a defeat could threaten to sap the energy that he has built with victories over Romney in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.
On a day when both candidates vied for the affections of conservative voters, it was Santorum's language that stood out.
Appearing on "This Week" from Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Santorum was asked about several of his recent comments, including why he had derided President Obama - whom he called a "snob" - for encouraging all Americans to attend college.
He said many people simply have no Christian Louboutin Stretch Platform OTK Boot aspiration for university, and he also suggested that social conservatives are under assault on college campuses. "We have some real problems at our college campuses with political correctness," he said.
2012年2月23日星期四
A gag order prohibits either of the parties from discussing the settlement
Prosecutors said Gabe Watson, motivated by potential insurance payouts, had drowned his wife Tina in October 2003 by turning off her oxygen supply during their christian louboutin dive in the waters off Townsville, Australia.
But after prosecutors wrapped up their case on Thursday, Judge Tommy Nail ruled there was no evidence to suggest that Gabe Watson intended to kill.
"The only way to convict this man of capital murder is to use speculation and conjecture," Nail said. "The state has failed to establish an intentional killing."
Prosecutors claimed Watson stood to gain up to $210,000 in life and travel insurance from his wife's death. But the defense said far less money was at stake and that Watson was not yet a beneficiary for any of the life insurance funds.
An eye witness testified that he saw Gabe Watson wrap his arms around his wife underwater and figured Watson was trying to save her.
Watson's mother collapsed in tears outside of the courtroom after hearing the judge had granted the defense's motion for an acquittal.
"I am thrilled for Gabe. He can finally begin the healing process," said Watson's father, David Watson. "Hopefully he can put his life back together."
Judges rarely grant acquittals in murder cases, said Steve Emens, a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law. He said Tina Watson's family could still file a wrongful death claim against Watson if they have not done so already.
Gabe Watson, 34, served 18 months in an Australian jail after pleading guilty to failing to do enough to help his 26-year-old wife during the dive.
He was tried for murder in Birmingham, Alabama, because that was where the couple married and prosecutors say he plotted Tina's death.
Alabama authorities agreed to waive the death penalty in order to get Australian authorities to release Watson back to the United States, meaning he would have faced a maximum lifetime prison sentence had he been convicted.
The judge's ruling Thursday abruptly ended the trial, which was in its second week and had been closely watched by the Australian media.
Tina Watson's father was the state's final witness. He told jurors that Gabe Watson legally pursued his wife's family for everything she owned, down to her Gone with the Wind movie memorabilia.
Tommy Thomas said he made several trips to Australia to investigate his daughter's death himself. During his testimony, he cried and shot angry looks at the man who was his son-in-law for just 11 days.
"It should have gone to a jury to decide," Thomas told reporters afterward. "We are disappointed. There is a lot more protection for the accused than the victim."
A former aide and a former mistress of one-time presidential candidate John Edwards have settled a civil lawsuit between them that, among other measures, mandates the Christian Louboutin Slingback imminent destruction of sex tapes featuring Edwards and the woman.
Orange County, North Carolina, Superior Court Judge Carl Fox on Thursday signed the settlement agreement between Andrew Young, his wife and Rielle Hunter, the woman who had sued the couple, according to court official Tammy Keshler.
Hunter had sued Young and his wife, Cheri, for invasion of privacy seeking to reclaim materials that she said belong to her, including personal photographs and an alleged sex tape showing her with Edwards.
While the settlement addresses the transfer and destruction of videos, photographs and other documents, no monetary damages were awarded and the Youngs admit no liability.
Hunter agreed to destroy copies of the sex tape she'll receive, while the Youngs must make a good-faith effort to ensure that the copy of the video that they gave to the U.S. government is likewise destroyed, per the agreement.
The former aide and his wife will get back family videos and photos, though they cannot use any that include Hunter or her daughter -- whom Edwards has admitted he fathered -- for anything besides family purposes.
Young wrote a book, "The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down," in which he describes an elaborate plan to use money from two wealthy benefactors to allow Edwards to maintain a relationship with Hunter. She worked as a videographer on the failed 2008 presidential campaign of the former North Carolina senator, who was also the Democrats' 2004 vice presidential nominee with running mate John Kerry.
Plans are under way to make that book, "The Politician," into a movie from Aaron Sorkin and Colvin Road Entertainment.
The Youngs can use information already in the book, in court proceedings or otherwise in the public domain, according to Keshler. But anything beyond that is prohibited by court order, and the couple cannot publicize the planned film.
A gag order prohibits either of the parties from discussing the settlement.
The agreement does not resolve the pending criminal contempt proceedings against Young and his wife.
Young's former boss, Edwards, is scheduled to be on trial himself after being indicted last year on charges including conspiracy, issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws regarding donations to and payments from his presidential campaign.
Edwards denies any wrongdoing.
Whether the money given to support Hunter by Christian Louboutin Skeleton Zipper Suede Boots Black Edwards' benefactors -- as alleged by Young in his book -- should have been considered campaign donations is a key issue in Edwards' upcoming trial. The ex-senator's legal team has disputed that notion, maintaining the money was a gift to Hunter.
But after prosecutors wrapped up their case on Thursday, Judge Tommy Nail ruled there was no evidence to suggest that Gabe Watson intended to kill.
"The only way to convict this man of capital murder is to use speculation and conjecture," Nail said. "The state has failed to establish an intentional killing."
Prosecutors claimed Watson stood to gain up to $210,000 in life and travel insurance from his wife's death. But the defense said far less money was at stake and that Watson was not yet a beneficiary for any of the life insurance funds.
An eye witness testified that he saw Gabe Watson wrap his arms around his wife underwater and figured Watson was trying to save her.
Watson's mother collapsed in tears outside of the courtroom after hearing the judge had granted the defense's motion for an acquittal.
"I am thrilled for Gabe. He can finally begin the healing process," said Watson's father, David Watson. "Hopefully he can put his life back together."
Judges rarely grant acquittals in murder cases, said Steve Emens, a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law. He said Tina Watson's family could still file a wrongful death claim against Watson if they have not done so already.
Gabe Watson, 34, served 18 months in an Australian jail after pleading guilty to failing to do enough to help his 26-year-old wife during the dive.
He was tried for murder in Birmingham, Alabama, because that was where the couple married and prosecutors say he plotted Tina's death.
Alabama authorities agreed to waive the death penalty in order to get Australian authorities to release Watson back to the United States, meaning he would have faced a maximum lifetime prison sentence had he been convicted.
The judge's ruling Thursday abruptly ended the trial, which was in its second week and had been closely watched by the Australian media.
Tina Watson's father was the state's final witness. He told jurors that Gabe Watson legally pursued his wife's family for everything she owned, down to her Gone with the Wind movie memorabilia.
Tommy Thomas said he made several trips to Australia to investigate his daughter's death himself. During his testimony, he cried and shot angry looks at the man who was his son-in-law for just 11 days.
"It should have gone to a jury to decide," Thomas told reporters afterward. "We are disappointed. There is a lot more protection for the accused than the victim."
A former aide and a former mistress of one-time presidential candidate John Edwards have settled a civil lawsuit between them that, among other measures, mandates the Christian Louboutin Slingback imminent destruction of sex tapes featuring Edwards and the woman.
Orange County, North Carolina, Superior Court Judge Carl Fox on Thursday signed the settlement agreement between Andrew Young, his wife and Rielle Hunter, the woman who had sued the couple, according to court official Tammy Keshler.
Hunter had sued Young and his wife, Cheri, for invasion of privacy seeking to reclaim materials that she said belong to her, including personal photographs and an alleged sex tape showing her with Edwards.
While the settlement addresses the transfer and destruction of videos, photographs and other documents, no monetary damages were awarded and the Youngs admit no liability.
Hunter agreed to destroy copies of the sex tape she'll receive, while the Youngs must make a good-faith effort to ensure that the copy of the video that they gave to the U.S. government is likewise destroyed, per the agreement.
The former aide and his wife will get back family videos and photos, though they cannot use any that include Hunter or her daughter -- whom Edwards has admitted he fathered -- for anything besides family purposes.
Young wrote a book, "The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down," in which he describes an elaborate plan to use money from two wealthy benefactors to allow Edwards to maintain a relationship with Hunter. She worked as a videographer on the failed 2008 presidential campaign of the former North Carolina senator, who was also the Democrats' 2004 vice presidential nominee with running mate John Kerry.
Plans are under way to make that book, "The Politician," into a movie from Aaron Sorkin and Colvin Road Entertainment.
The Youngs can use information already in the book, in court proceedings or otherwise in the public domain, according to Keshler. But anything beyond that is prohibited by court order, and the couple cannot publicize the planned film.
A gag order prohibits either of the parties from discussing the settlement.
The agreement does not resolve the pending criminal contempt proceedings against Young and his wife.
Young's former boss, Edwards, is scheduled to be on trial himself after being indicted last year on charges including conspiracy, issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws regarding donations to and payments from his presidential campaign.
Edwards denies any wrongdoing.
Whether the money given to support Hunter by Christian Louboutin Skeleton Zipper Suede Boots Black Edwards' benefactors -- as alleged by Young in his book -- should have been considered campaign donations is a key issue in Edwards' upcoming trial. The ex-senator's legal team has disputed that notion, maintaining the money was a gift to Hunter.
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