Marine guilty of assault in court-martial linked to suicide (Reuters)

HONOLULU (Reuters) ? A Marine pleaded guilty on Monday in a court-martial hearing to assault on a fellow Marine, who killed himself in Afghanistan shortly after suffering the attack.

Lance Corporal Jacob Jacoby entered his plea during the special court-martial proceeding on Monday at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe, on the island of Oahu, said Marine Corps spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Curtis Hill.

Following Jacoby's agreement to plead guilty to assault in an attack on Lance Corporal Harry Lew, 21, a charge that Jacoby humiliated Lew, and another accusation that he threatened the Marine were withdrawn, Hill said.

Lew shot himself with his automatic rifle in Afghanistan during a patrol in April 2011, after an incident in which military prosecutors said he was beaten and hazed by others in his unit, for falling asleep while on sentry duty.

Lew was the nephew of U.S. Representative Judy Chu, a Democrat who represents El Monte, California, and surrounding areas. Chu attended the special court-martial proceeding on Monday in Hawaii, Hill said.

Special court-martial proceedings are still pending for two other Marines who were also charged with abusing Lew.

The allegations of assault that Jacoby pleaded guilty to indicate he struck Lew in the back with his foot and hit the helmeted Marine in the head with his foot and a closed fist.

Jacoby's case on Monday was held before a special court-martial, which often involves less severe punishment than a general court-martial.

He faces a maximum sentence of one year of confinement, and the proceeding was due to continue on Monday with the sentencing phase, Hill said.

Captain Michael Regner, the company commander who oversaw Lew and other Marines, testified at a hearing last year that he saw Lew asleep on watch as he approached the patrol base the night of the incident, a situation he said would leave the unit more vulnerable to attack.

(Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Greg McCune)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/us_nm/us_marine_assault

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Cars circle central Moscow in anti-Putin protest (AP)

MOSCOW ? Thousands of cars flying white ribbons or white balloons circled central Moscow on Sunday in a show of protest against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The cars jammed the inner lanes all along the 16-kilometer (nearly 10-mile) Garden Ring, which has as many as 16 lanes of traffic at its widest points. More protesters stood along the side of the road waving white ribbons and flags as the cars passed, their horns blaring.

White ribbons became an opposition symbol during demonstrations to protest alleged fraud in a Dec. 4 parliamentary election said to have boosted the results for Putin's party.

Tens of thousands turned out for two mass protests last month to demand free and fair elections, and protest organizers are now preparing for a third big demonstration on Saturday.

Putin is running in a March 4 presidential election to reclaim the post he held from 2000 to 2008. He is expected to win, but is under pressure to show he can win fairly.

Sunday's action was seen as helping to build momentum for the protest movement and it provided another outlet for the creativity that has been a defining feature of the demonstrations.

While most drivers were content to tie white ribbons and balloons to their car antennas, sideview mirrors and door handles, some decorated their vehicles with original signs and banners.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_opposition

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Genetic breakthrough for brain cancer in children

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Julie Robert
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-934-1934 x71381
McGill University Health Centre

Canadian-led research team identifies 2 mutations in crucial gene involved in deadly pediatric brain tumors

This press release is available in French.

Montreal -- An international research team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) has made a major genetic breakthrough that could change the way pediatric cancers are treated in the future. The researchers identified two genetic mutations responsible for up to 40 per cent of glioblastomas in children - a fatal cancer of the brain that is unresponsive to chemo and radiotherapy treatment. The mutations were found to be involved in DNA regulation, which could explain the resistance to traditional treatments, and may have significant implications on the treatment of other cancers. The study was published this week in the journal Nature.

Using the knowledge and advanced technology of the team from the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre, the researchers identified two mutations in an important gene known as the histone H3.3. This gene, one of the guardians of our genetic heritage, is key in modulating the expression of our genes. "These mutations prevent the cells from differentiating normally and help protect the genetic information of the tumor, making it less sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy," says Dr. Nada Jabado, hematologist-oncologist at The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and principal investigator of the study.

"This research helps explain the ineffectiveness of conventional treatments against cancer in children and adolescents we've been failing to hit the right spot," says Dr. Jabado, who is also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University. "It is clear now that glioblastoma in children is due to different molecular mechanisms than those in adults, and should not be treated in the same way. Importantly, we now know where to start focusing our efforts and treatments instead of working in the dark".

Inappropriate regulation of this gene has been observed in other cancers such as colon, pancreatic, lymphoma, leukemia and pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, and future research could therefore reveal improved treatments for these diseases. "What is significant here is that for the first time in humans we have identified a mutation in one of the most important genes that regulates and protects our genetic information. This is the irrefutable proof that our genome, if modified, can lead to cancer and probably other diseases. What genomics has shown us today is only the beginning," says Dr. Jabado.

"Gnome Qubec is proud to have contributed to a project whose results will make a significant impact on the treatment of pediatric glioblastoma," underlines Marc Le Page, President and CEO of Gnome Qubec. "The outstanding contribution of experts in genomics and new sequencing technologies, made by the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre and as part of Dr. Jabado's project, is further proof that genomics has become essential for development and innovation in medical research. I wish to acknowledge the excellence of the teams involved in this study and the model of interdisciplinary collaboration that was implemented."

"Personalized medicine has amazing potential for many areas of health care, including infection, rare diseases and cancer. Researchers, like this team, play a vital role in translating discoveries into improved patient care," says Dr. Morag Park, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research. "Through research advancements like this, there is now greater emphasis on using genetic information to make medical decisions. We congratulate Dr. Jabado and her team on these results".

Brain tumours are the primary cause of death for children with cancer in Europe and North America. The diagnosis of glioblastoma in a child or adolescent remains a death sentence and about 200 children in Canada die every year of this cancer. Most children will die within the two years of their diagnosis regardless of treatment.

###

About the study:

This work was supported by the Cole Foundation, and was funded in part by Genome Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) with co-funding from Genome BC, Gnome Qubec, CIHR-ICR (Institute for Cancer Research) and C17, through the Genome Canada/CIHR joint ATID Competition (project title: The Canadian Paediatric Cancer Genome Consortium: Translating next generation sequencing technologies into improved therapies for high-risk childhood cancer.

The paper may be found here: http://www.nature.com

Related links:

McGill University Health Centre (MUHC): http://www.muhc.ca

Research Institute of the MUHC (RI MUHC): http://www.cusm.ca/research/dashboard

McGill University: http://www.mcgill.ca

Gnome Qubec: http://www.genomequebec.com

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR): http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Genome Canada: http://www.genomecanada.ca

Media contact:

Julie Robert
Communications Coordinator
Public Affairs & Strategic Planning
McGill University Health Centre
514-934-1934 ext. 71381
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Julie Robert
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-934-1934 x71381
McGill University Health Centre

Canadian-led research team identifies 2 mutations in crucial gene involved in deadly pediatric brain tumors

This press release is available in French.

Montreal -- An international research team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) has made a major genetic breakthrough that could change the way pediatric cancers are treated in the future. The researchers identified two genetic mutations responsible for up to 40 per cent of glioblastomas in children - a fatal cancer of the brain that is unresponsive to chemo and radiotherapy treatment. The mutations were found to be involved in DNA regulation, which could explain the resistance to traditional treatments, and may have significant implications on the treatment of other cancers. The study was published this week in the journal Nature.

Using the knowledge and advanced technology of the team from the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre, the researchers identified two mutations in an important gene known as the histone H3.3. This gene, one of the guardians of our genetic heritage, is key in modulating the expression of our genes. "These mutations prevent the cells from differentiating normally and help protect the genetic information of the tumor, making it less sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy," says Dr. Nada Jabado, hematologist-oncologist at The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and principal investigator of the study.

"This research helps explain the ineffectiveness of conventional treatments against cancer in children and adolescents we've been failing to hit the right spot," says Dr. Jabado, who is also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University. "It is clear now that glioblastoma in children is due to different molecular mechanisms than those in adults, and should not be treated in the same way. Importantly, we now know where to start focusing our efforts and treatments instead of working in the dark".

Inappropriate regulation of this gene has been observed in other cancers such as colon, pancreatic, lymphoma, leukemia and pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, and future research could therefore reveal improved treatments for these diseases. "What is significant here is that for the first time in humans we have identified a mutation in one of the most important genes that regulates and protects our genetic information. This is the irrefutable proof that our genome, if modified, can lead to cancer and probably other diseases. What genomics has shown us today is only the beginning," says Dr. Jabado.

"Gnome Qubec is proud to have contributed to a project whose results will make a significant impact on the treatment of pediatric glioblastoma," underlines Marc Le Page, President and CEO of Gnome Qubec. "The outstanding contribution of experts in genomics and new sequencing technologies, made by the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre and as part of Dr. Jabado's project, is further proof that genomics has become essential for development and innovation in medical research. I wish to acknowledge the excellence of the teams involved in this study and the model of interdisciplinary collaboration that was implemented."

"Personalized medicine has amazing potential for many areas of health care, including infection, rare diseases and cancer. Researchers, like this team, play a vital role in translating discoveries into improved patient care," says Dr. Morag Park, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research. "Through research advancements like this, there is now greater emphasis on using genetic information to make medical decisions. We congratulate Dr. Jabado and her team on these results".

Brain tumours are the primary cause of death for children with cancer in Europe and North America. The diagnosis of glioblastoma in a child or adolescent remains a death sentence and about 200 children in Canada die every year of this cancer. Most children will die within the two years of their diagnosis regardless of treatment.

###

About the study:

This work was supported by the Cole Foundation, and was funded in part by Genome Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) with co-funding from Genome BC, Gnome Qubec, CIHR-ICR (Institute for Cancer Research) and C17, through the Genome Canada/CIHR joint ATID Competition (project title: The Canadian Paediatric Cancer Genome Consortium: Translating next generation sequencing technologies into improved therapies for high-risk childhood cancer.

The paper may be found here: http://www.nature.com

Related links:

McGill University Health Centre (MUHC): http://www.muhc.ca

Research Institute of the MUHC (RI MUHC): http://www.cusm.ca/research/dashboard

McGill University: http://www.mcgill.ca

Gnome Qubec: http://www.genomequebec.com

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR): http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Genome Canada: http://www.genomecanada.ca

Media contact:

Julie Robert
Communications Coordinator
Public Affairs & Strategic Planning
McGill University Health Centre
514-934-1934 ext. 71381
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/muhc-gbf012912.php

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Streep's Thatcher, Williams' Monroe star at SAG (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? What a cast the Screen Actors Guild Awards have lined up: Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier, Margaret Thatcher and J. Edgar Hoover.

Actors playing illustrious real-life figures factor into the 18th annual honors given by Hollywood's main acting union Sunday.

The best-actress category features Meryl Streep as Thatcher in "The Iron Lady" and Michelle Williams as Monroe in "My Week with Marilyn." Leonardo DiCaprio is up for best actor as FBI boss in "J. Edgar," while "My Week with Marilyn" co-stars supporting-actor nominee Kenneth Branagh as Olivier.

Streep won a Golden Globe for "The Iron Lady" and is considered a favorite for the SAG prize and for her third win at the Academy Awards, which are set for Feb. 26.

The front-runners for the other SAG awards are actors in fictional roles, though, among them George Clooney as a dad in crisis in "The Descendants" and Jean Dujardin as a silent-film star fallen on hard times in "The Artist." Both are up for best actor, and both won Globes ? Clooney as dramatic actor, Dujardin as musical or comedy actor.

Octavia Spencer as a brassy Mississippi maid in "The Help" and Christopher Plummer as an elderly dad who comes out as gay in "Beginners" won Globes for supporting performances and have strong prospects for the same honors at the SAG Awards.

The winners at the SAG ceremony typically go on to earn Oscars. All four acting recipients at SAG last year later took home Oscars ? Colin Firth for "The King's Speech," Natalie Portman for "Black Swan" and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for "The Fighter."

The same generally holds true for the weekend's other big Hollywood honors, the Directors Guild of America Awards, where Michel Hazanavicius won the feature-film prize Saturday for "The Artist." The Directors Guild winner has gone on to earn the best-director Oscar 57 times in the 63-year history of the union's awards show.

SAG also presents an award for overall cast performance, a prize that's loosely considered the ceremony's equivalent of a best-picture honor. However, the cast award has a spotty record at predicting what will win best picture at the Oscars.

While "The King's Speech" won both honors a year ago, the SAG cast recipient has gone on to claim the top Oscar only eight times in the 16 years since the guild added the category.

The SAG ceremony also includes an award for stunt ensemble, whose nominees include such hits as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "X-Men: First Class."

Airing live on TNT and TBS, the show features nine television categories, as well.

Receiving the guild's life-achievement award is Mary Tyler Moore. The prize will be presented by Dick Van Dyke, her co-star on the 1960s sit-com "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

___

Online:

http://www.sagawards.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_en_tv/us_sag_awards

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17-year-old girl dies in Mt. Hood snowboarding accident

PORTLAND ? A 17-year-old Sandy girl was found dead after a snowboarding accident at Skibowl Friday night.

Taylur Dewolf was reported missing at around 10:30 p.m. Friday, according to Sgt. James Rhodes of the Clackamas County Sheriff?s Office. Her family and friends said they had last seen her three hours earlier.

Rescue crews found her body near Dog Leg Run at about 11:05 p.m., Rhodes said. She had apparently lost control while snowboarding at a very high rate of speed, and had run into a tree just off of the groomed run.

She suffered severe trauma to her head and chest. Investigators said she was wearing a helmet.

John Vermas, at Skibowl, said it was the first death at the resort since 1996.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46174482/ns/local_news-portland_or/

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British police arrest 5 in tabloid bribery probe

A news camera films the offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

A news camera films the offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

The offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

A traffic warden writes a ticket outside the offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

The offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

The offices of News International company headquarters in London, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. British police on Saturday arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an ongoing investigation into police bribery by the now defunct News of the World tabloid newspaper, and the police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp., and officers were searching the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

LONDON (AP) ? British police searched the offices of Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers Saturday after arresting a police officer and four current and former staff of his tabloid The Sun as part of an investigation into police bribery by journalists.

The arrests spread the scandal over tabloid wrongdoing ? which has already shut down one paper, the News of the World ? to a second Murdoch newspaper.

London's Metropolitan Police said two men aged 48 and one aged 56 were arrested on suspicion of corruption early in the morning at homes in and around London. A 42-year-old man was detained later at a London police station.

Murdoch's News Corp. confirmed that all four were current or former Sun employees. The BBC and other British media identified them as former managing editor Graham Dudman, former deputy editor Fergus Shanahan, current head of news Chris Pharo and crime editor Mike Sullivan.

A fifth man, a 29-year-old police officer, was arrested at the London station where he works.

Officers searched the men's homes and the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence.

The investigation into whether reporters illegally paid police for information is running parallel to a police inquiry into phone hacking by Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World.

Police said Saturday's arrests were made as a result of information provided by the Management and Standards Committee of Murdoch's News Corp., the internal body tasked with rooting out wrongdoing.

News Corp. said it was cooperating with police.

"News Corporation made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated," it said in a statement.

Thirteen people have now been arrested in the bribery probe, though none has yet been charged.

They include Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of Murdoch's News International; ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson ? who is also Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications chief; and journalists from the News of the World and The Sun.

Two of the London police force's top officers resigned in the wake of the revelation last July that the News of the World had eavesdropped on the cell phone voicemail messages of celebrities, athletes, politicians and even an abducted teenager in its quest for stories.

Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old tabloid amid a wave of public revulsion, and the scandal has triggered a continuing public inquiry into media ethics and the relationship between the press, police and politicians.

An earlier police investigation failed to find evidence that hacking went beyond one reporter and a private investigator, who were both jailed in 2007 for eavesdropping on the phones of royal staff.

But News Corp. has now acknowledged it was much more widespread.

Last week the company agreed to pay damages to 37 hacking victims, including actor Jude Law, soccer star Ashley Cole and British politician John Prescott.

The furor that consumed the News of the World continues to rattle other parts of Murdoch's media empire.

As well as investigating phone hacking and allegations that journalists paid police for information, detectives are looking into claims of computer hacking by Murdoch papers.

News Corp. has admitted that the News of the World hacked the emails as well as the phone of Chris Shipman, the son of serial killer Harold Shipman. And The Times of London has acknowledged that a former reporter tried to intercept emails to unmask an anonymous blogger.

News Corp. is preparing to launch a new Sunday newspaper ? likely called the Sunday Sun ? to replace the News of the World.

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-28-EU-Britain-Phone-Hacking/id-67c2e0654b9242adb516f0608b0271eb

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Long road ahead for Conn. home invasion survivor

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2011 photo, Dr. William Petit Jr., looks up as he responds to a question from the media outside Superior Court in New Haven after a jury condemned Joshua Komisarjevsky to death for the murder of Petit's wife and daughters in New Haven, Conn., On Friday, Jan 27, 2012, the second killer was sentenced to death and the book closed after two long, graphic trials. Petit is the sole survivor of the 2007 Cheshire, Conn., home invasion where his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were murdered. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2011 photo, Dr. William Petit Jr., looks up as he responds to a question from the media outside Superior Court in New Haven after a jury condemned Joshua Komisarjevsky to death for the murder of Petit's wife and daughters in New Haven, Conn., On Friday, Jan 27, 2012, the second killer was sentenced to death and the book closed after two long, graphic trials. Petit is the sole survivor of the 2007 Cheshire, Conn., home invasion where his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were murdered. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

FILE - This June 2007 file photo provided by Dr. William Petit Jr., shows Dr. Petit, left, with his daughters Michaela, front, Hayley, center rear, and his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, on Cape Cod, Mass. Dr. Petit was severely beaten and his wife and two daughters were killed during a home invasion in Cheshire, Conn., July 23, 2007. Joshua Komisarjevsky was convicted Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 for the crimes, and will be formally sentenced to death Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/William Petit, File)

FILE - This March 14, 2011 file photo released by the Connecticut Department of Correction shows Joshua Komisarjevsky, convicted Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 on several counts related to the beating of Dr. William Petit Jr., and killing his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their two daughters in a July 2007 home invasion in Cheshire, Conn. Komisarjevsky will be formally sentenced to death Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Connecticut Department of Correction, File)

William Petit Sr., right, stands with his wife Barbara and family outside Superior Court in New Haven after the formal sentencing of Joshua Komisarjevsky in New Haven, Conn., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Komisarjevsky is joining co-defendent Steven Hayes on death row for the 2007 killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela, in their Cheshire home. William Petit Jr. is the sole survivor of the crime. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Barbara Petit, mother of William Petit Jr., stands with family outside Superior Court in New Haven after the formal sentencing of Joshua Komisarjevsky in New Haven, Conn., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Komisarjevsky is joining co-defendent Steven Hayes on death row for the 2007 killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela, in their Cheshire home. William Petit Jr. is the sole survivor of the crime. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) ? How does a man move on with his life after losing his wife and daughters to two ruthless home invaders who tormented, then killed them?

For more than four years, a nation both disgusted and captivated by a chilling crime in prototypical suburbia has wondered that. Only one man ? Dr. William Petit, the sole survivor ? can provide the answer.

On Friday, with the second killer sentenced to death and the book closed after two long, graphic trials, Petit gave a clue as to how he copes with pain he has been forced to revisit continually in court.

"My only hope is for justice to be served and to do my best to honor the lives of my family, who should all still be here to share their gifts and love with the world," Petit said Friday right before a judge sentenced Joshua Komisarjevsky, 31, to death.

"I hope to continue to honor my family," said Petit, who survived being beaten with a baseball bat and tied up. "I push forward in the hope that good will overcome evil, and feel the need to tell the world that evil lives among us and we need to rid the world of it."

The gruesome crime evoked comparisons to Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," about the brutal murders of a Kansas farmer and his family.

Komisarjevsky admitted in an audiotaped confession played for the jury in his trial late last year that he spotted Petit's wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their 11-year-old daughter, Michaela, at a supermarket and followed them to their house in Cheshire, a suburb of New Haven.

After going home and putting his own daughter to bed, he and Steven Hayes, now 48, returned to the Petit house in the middle of the night, while the family was sleeping, to rob it.

Dr. Petit was beaten, tied up and taken to the basement. Michaela and Hayley, 17, were tied to their beds. In the morning, Hayes took Jennifer to the bank to withdraw money, while Komisarjevsky stayed at the house.

It's believed that's when he sexually assaulted Michaela, the 11-year-old. Hayes was convicted of sexually assaulting the mother.

After Hayes arrived back at the house with the girls' mother, she was strangled. The pair doused the house and beds with gasoline, set it ablaze and left. The sisters, bound helplessly while flames and fumes rose around them, died of smoke inhalation.

Dr. Petit managed to escape the basement and hop, roll and crawl across a yard to a neighbor's house for help ? too late to save his family.

"July 23, 2007, was our personal holocaust," Petit said Friday. "A holocaust caused by two who are completely evil and actually do not comprehend what they have done."

Petit called his wife a friend, confidant and wonderful mother. He noted that Hayley would be in medical school by now and that Michaela loved to cook and sing.

"I lost my family and my home," he said. "They were three special people. Your children are your jewels."

Petit said he has difficulty sleeping and trusting. Family gatherings are subdued, he said, with no one quite sure what to do or say.

Jennifer's sister, Cynthia Hawke-Renn, said via a video played in court that everyday items like gas, rope and bedposts conjure horrific memories.

"There is no escaping the horrors of that night," she said.

Petit's father, William Petit Sr., said his son is not the same person now as he was in the days when he was a happy husband and father.

"Not only did we lose Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela, we have lost the Bill that we knew, and it is heartbreaking daily to watch him," Petit said. "He puts on a brave face and tries to hide his anguish and despair by working hard."

Petit has found what he calls occasional moments of peace, dedicating himself to a charity named for his family that raises money for education, the chronically ill and those affected by violence; and by campaigning for tougher laws, including the death penalty.

He has admitted he contemplated suicide many times. But this month he became engaged to a woman who volunteered at foundation events.

Petit has maintained his composure in court through three trials, even as the defense referred to him and his family as the "Petit posse."

Komisarjevsky's lawyers had worked to spare him the death penalty by describing sexual abuse their client endured as a child. The jury and the judge ? who had been subjected to grim evidence including pictures of charred beds, rope used to tie up the family and autopsy photos ? were unmoved.

The crime led to the defeat of a bill to outlaw the death penalty in Connecticut and sparked tougher state laws for repeat offenders and home invasions.

"This is a terrible sentence, but it is in truth a sentence you wrote for yourself with deeds of unimaginable horror and savagery on July 23, 2007," Judge Jon Blue said.

Komisarjevsky conveyed a mixture of regret and insistence in court Friday, saying that he didn't intend for anyone to die, that he didn't rape Michaela and that he didn't start the fire.

"I wonder when the killing will end," he said of his death sentence.

He described regrets and the devastating consequences of his decisions ? but blamed Hayes for the killings.

"I know my responsibilities, but what I cannot do is carry the responsibilities of the actions of another," Komisarjevsky said. "I did not want those innocent women to die."

The state's last execution in 2005 was the first since 1960, and Komisarjevsky and Hayes will likely spend years, if not decades, in prison.

William Petit and his relatives left the courtroom before Komisarjevsky spoke. The killer noted that "forgiveness is not mine to have" but said it wasn't the forgiveness of the victims' relatives he needed to find.

"I have to learn how to forgive my worst enemy ? myself," he said.

Petit's sister, Hannah Chapman, said Komisarjevsky tried to blame others when he planned and carried out the crime, escalating it by attacking her brother and molesting her niece.

"Either way, he will be damned to hell for what he did," she said, "and that is where he belongs."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-28-US-Home-Invasion/id-83210204e2044702a53fcf4c758de33a

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Asteroid to make near-miss fly-by

27 January 2012 Last updated at 04:51 ET

An asteroid will pass by the Earth on Friday in something of a cosmic near-miss, making its closest approach at about 1600 GMT.

The asteroid, estimated to be about 11m (36ft) in diameter, was first detected on Wednesday.

At its closest, the space rock - named 2012 BX34 - will pass within about 60,000km of Earth - less than a fifth of the distance to the Moon.

Astronomers stress that there is no cause for concern.

"It's one of the closest approaches recorded," said Gareth Williams, associate director of the US-based Minor Planet Center.

"It makes it in to the top 20 closest approaches, but it's sufficiently far away... that there's absolutely no chance of it hitting us," he told the BBC.

The asteroid's path makes it the closest space-rock to pass by the Earth since object 2011 MD in June 2011.

Earlier estimates put the asteroid's closest distance at as little as 20,000km, near the distance at which geostationary satellites reside, but observations by observatories overnight showed it will pass at a more comfortable distance.

Although the asteroid will not be visible to the naked eye, Dr Williams said that keen backyard astronomers could get a look.

"We've had three sets of observations in the last few hours from amateur observers in the UK," he said.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16756450

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Video: Pat Sajack confesses to hosting ?Wheel of Fortune? intoxicated

In an interview on ESPN 2 the ?Wheel of Fortune? host said many years ago he and co-host Vanna White would drink margaritas before the show.

>>> in mock horror after we all learned this week the dirty secret behind the "wheel of fortune" in the early days . pat sajak and van vanna white were apparently half-hammered for some of those shows. sajak spilled the margaritas saying he and van vanna used to go to a restaurant in burbank between tapes. there are a lot of nbc staffers who are good customers there to this day. pat and van vanna came back after getting lubricated across the street.

>> they served great margaritas. we would go across and have two or three or six then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet.

>> sajak says he had a great time. by the way, it sounds like it. he says he has no idea if those shows were any good, looking back on it all. he quickly adds, however, those days are over. he can't do that any more.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46155850/

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NASA's 'impossibly beautiful' photo of Earth (The Week)

New York ? The space agency releases an ultra high-def update to its iconic photo set. Feast your eyes

The photograph: NASA's "Blue Marble" series has delighted space lovers with photos of the Earth from above since the first image was taken aboard Apollo 17 in 1972. Since then, the U.S. space agency has regularly added to its collection with new iconic images of our cloud-wrapped planet. On Wednesday NASA unveiled its latest photo, "Blue Marble 2012," calling it the "most amazing high-definition image of Earth ever taken." (Have a look at right and below ? or click here for an ultra high-res version.) Captured by the $1.5 billion Suomi NPP orbital satellite, the stunningly detailed image is actually a composite stitched together from photos collected as the satellite flew around the planet four times on January 4. The many photos were then digitized into a single image, with the goal of reflecting Earth in its true colors.

The reaction: Our planet looks "impossibly beautiful," says Robert T. Gonzalez at io9. But the photograph, "gorgeous as it is, is actually too beautiful to be real" ? after all, it's a fake, "technically speaking." Regardless, this is a great reminder of why an earlier "Blue Marble" image serves as the default wallpaper for Apple's iPhones, says Mark Memmot at NPR. When the first "Blue Marble" photograph was released, "we all suddenly saw the world in a much different way." The newest version is equally stunning. Take a look:

SEE MORE: NASA?s comet-snagging space harpoon?

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Asthma rate and costs from traffic pollution higher: Much higher than past traditional risk assessments have indicated

ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2012) ? A research team led by University of Massachusetts Amherst resource economist Sylvia Brandt, with colleagues in California and Switzerland, have revised the cost burden sharply upward for childhood asthma and for the first time include the number of cases attributable to air pollution, in a study released this week in the early online version of the European Respiratory Journal.

The total cost of asthma due to pollution is much higher than past traditional risk assessments have indicated and there is growing evidence that exposure to traffic-related air pollution is a cause of asthma and a trigger for attacks, so it should be included, say the authors. They conducted the study in Long Beach and Riverside, Calif., communities with high regional air pollution levels and large roads near residential neighborhoods.

Total additional asthma-specific costs there due to traffic-related pollution is about $18 million per year, almost half of which is due to new asthma cases caused by pollution, they report. Brandt worked with researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland, Sonoma Technology, Inc. and the University of Southern California.

Using updated techniques that count asthma cases attributable to air pollution for the first time and including a broader range of health care costs such as parents? missed work days, extra doctor visits and travel time along with prescriptions, the researchers found that a single episode of bronchitic symptoms cost an average $972 in Riverside and $915 in Long Beach. Bronchitic symptoms (daily cough, congestion or phlegm, or bronchitis for three months in a row) are a critical outcome for children with asthma.

Further, people who live in cities with high traffic-related air pollution bear a higher burden of these costs than those in less polluted areas, they say.

Brandt and colleagues say the total annual cost for a typical asthma case was $3,819 in Long Beach and $4,063 in Riverside, and ?the largest share of the cost of an asthma case was the indirect cost of asthma-related school absences.? School absences are an important economic consequence, they add, because ?they often lead to parents or caregivers missing work.?

Overall, Brandt points out that the results are relevant and applicable to many settings and ?families with children who have asthma are bearing a high cost. The total annual estimate between $3,800 and $4,000 represents 7 percent of median household income in our study in these two communities. This is troublesome because that is higher than the 5 percent considered to be a bearable or sustainable level of health care costs for a family.?

Riverside and Long Beach account for about 7 percent of the total population of California, the authors say, which suggests that state-wide costs of asthma related to air pollution are ?truly substantial.?

For this work, Brandt and colleagues analyzed several surveys on health care visits by children with asthma and their previous estimates of the number of asthma cases attributable to pollution to estimate the annual costs of childhood asthma. They also estimated the cost of asthma exacerbation due to regional air pollutants. They feel the new method does a better job of accounting for the full impact of traffic-related pollution and will be widely applicable in urban areas.

She points out, ?Traditional risk assessment methods for air pollution have underestimated both the overall burden of asthma and the cost of the disease associated with air pollution. Our findings suggest the cost has been substantially underestimated and steps must be taken to reduce the burden of traffic-related pollution.?

This work was supported by California?s South Coast Air Quality Management District and its settlement funds from BP, as well as by the U.S. National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Hastings Foundation.

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Journal Reference:

1. S. J. Brandt, L. Perez, N. Kunzli, F. Lurmann, R. McConnell. Costs of childhood asthma due to traffic-related pollution in two california communities. European Respiratory Journal, 2012; DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00157811

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125202759.htm

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Vegas casinos relying more on baccarat

Baccarat dealer Ramiro Nepomuceno, right, shuffles cards as floor supervisor Sam Insyxiengmay looks on while preparing a table for play at the MGM Hotel and Casino, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Las Vegas. There are generally more Asian gamblers in Vegas because of the Chinese New Year, and it means increased traffic at high limit baccarat tables. Though not widely known, baccarat is actually the most profitable table game for casinos which try to court Asian gamblers who tie luck and good fortune to the start of the Lunar Year. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Baccarat dealer Ramiro Nepomuceno, right, shuffles cards as floor supervisor Sam Insyxiengmay looks on while preparing a table for play at the MGM Hotel and Casino, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Las Vegas. There are generally more Asian gamblers in Vegas because of the Chinese New Year, and it means increased traffic at high limit baccarat tables. Though not widely known, baccarat is actually the most profitable table game for casinos which try to court Asian gamblers who tie luck and good fortune to the start of the Lunar Year. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Baccarat dealer Ramiro Nepomuceno, right, shuffles cards while preparing a table for play at the MGM Hotel and Casino, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Las Vegas. There are generally more Asian gamblers in Vegas because of the Chinese New Year, and it means increased traffic at high limit baccarat tables. Though not widely known, baccarat is actually the most profitable table game for casinos which try to court Asian gamblers who tie luck and good fortune to the start of the Lunar Year. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

A couple looks over the Chinese New Year display inside the Conservatory at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Las Vegas. There are generally more Asian gamblers in Vegas because of the Chinese New Year, and it means increased traffic at high limit baccarat tables. Though not widely known, baccarat is actually the most profitable table game for casinos which try to court Asian gamblers who tie luck and good fortune to the start of the Lunar Year. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Members of the Lohan School of Shaolin parade up and down Fremont Street while doing a dragon dance during Chinese New Years festivities, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Las Vegas. There are generally more Asian gamblers in Vegas because of the Chinese New Year, and it means increased traffic at high limit baccarat tables. Though not widely known, baccarat is actually the most profitable table game for casinos which try to court Asian gamblers who tie luck and good fortune to the start of the Lunar Year. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Members of the Lohan School of Shaolin parade up and down Fremont Street while doing a dragon and lion dance during Chinese New Years festivities, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Las Vegas. There are generally more Asian gamblers in Vegas because of the Chinese New Year, and it means increased traffic at high limit baccarat tables. Though not widely known, baccarat is actually the most profitable table game for casinos which try to court Asian gamblers who tie luck and good fortune to the start of the Lunar Year. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? In the days before the Chinese New Year celebration began this week, six high rollers sat down at the private baccarat tables one day at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and began throwing down wagers of $100,000 to $200,000 a hand. It was a scene hardly out of place these days in Sin City.

Big-time gamblers, primarily from Asia, are flocking to Las Vegas to play baccarat and providing a big lift to the overall bottom line of the city's casinos.

Baccarat has easily surpassed blackjack in terms of casino revenue in Las Vegas and now represents nearly 60 percent of the MGM Grand's table games revenue over the past year. It's especially popular this week with tens of thousands of tourists from Asia in town to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

"For us to make money in gaming today without baccarat is almost impossible," said Debra Nutton, senior vice president of casino operations at the MGM Grand hotel-casino. "We need the big whales to make money."

In Las Vegas parlance, a "whale" is a big-time gambler who easily wagers more in one night at the tables than most American families make in a year. Casinos cater to them with plush, secluded gambling salons inside the top casinos ? with baccarat games that often start out at a minimum $10,000 per hand.

The whales typically favor baccarat ? a game romanticized in James Bond flicks and highly popular in Macau and Singapore.

The game is built on a simple premise: Who will end up with a better hand, the player or the banker? Gamblers are dealt two cards and predict whether they will beat the banker, typically a position that rotates among the players at the table. Smaller tables, known as midi-baccarat, start at $100 limits and look more like large blackjack tables, skipping the rotating banker and leaving that role to the dealer. Even smaller-limit tables are called mini-baccarat.

Nevada figures show that during the 12 months ending Nov. 30, casinos statewide won $1.27 billion from baccarat players, with the game offered at 258 total tables in 24 casinos. Blackjack, meanwhile, pulled in just $1.03 billion ? even though it was offered across 2,810 tables in 151 casinos.

While casinos hope to pocket 12 percent of the money wagered on baccarat, the large amounts played in fewer bets mean big swings in revenue quarter to quarter, depending on how lucky the gamblers are.

Slots are still the most popular and lucrative form of gambling in Nevada, with nearly 165,000 machines over 330 locations including supermarket, gas stations and airports.

Baccarat has been the most lucrative table game since 2009, and has been increasing its share since then, according to an analysis of gambling revenues by Dave Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

That's even though the game isn't widely offered, he said.

"The real high-end play is happening in maybe six or seven casinos," Schwartz said.

As Americans struggled during the Great Recession, Las Vegas casinos have worked harder to increase tourism from wealthy international visitors, especially Asians. Their game of choice, casinos say, is baccarat.

The MGM Grand is among those Strip casinos counting on their highest of high rollers coming to town this weekend for the Chinese New Year. Nutton said her casino could double the number of baccarat tables during the Chinese New Year and still be busy.

In addition to private flights and luxury accommodations, Nutton said casinos around Las Vegas attract baccarat play year-round by offering high-roller tournaments with million-dollar prize pools.

One three-day tournament held at the MGM Grand's mansion casino in early October cost $5,000 to enter and offered the winner $750,000, seven others at least $10,000 each, all participants a brand new tablet computer and a drawing among finalists for a 2012 BMW convertible.

Similar tournaments run several times a year around Sin City, Nutton said, in hopes that entrants will also play on their own and come back to each particular casino again.

Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Las Vegas Sands Corp., which run two casinos each on the Las Vegas Strip, derive the majority of their revenue from Asia, where baccarat is the undisputed king of games.

Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns or manages 52 casinos in 12 U.S. states and seven countries, reported $6.66 billion in revenue from baccarat during the first 9 months of 2011. Over the same time, Sands ? with four casino-resorts in baccarat-heavy Asia and three in the United States ? beat that with $6.87 billion.

The casinos are fiercely competing for a relatively small number of players who can afford five- or six-figure bets, Nutton said.

"There's only that select universe," she said.

Schwartz said that if casinos become more dependent on baccarat's bottom line, they're in for less predictable results. From 2004 to 2010, baccarat showed to have the biggest variance among casino games in its hold percentage, the amount of money casinos keep from the amount wagered.

Hold is generally governed by complex math, designed so gamblers slowly lose money and the house always wins overall.

Between 2004 and 2010, the average hold for baccarat was 11.7 percent, but casinos statewide saw monthly hold for the game as high as 19.5 percent or as low as 3.6 percent.

If a player gets lucky one day and quickly wins several million dollars, casinos are reminded of it when they report their quarterly results, Schwartz said.

"A lot of the more business-oriented folks don't like this kind of volatility in the company," he said. "It's lucrative, but it's also risky."

Steve Rosen, chief marketing officer at Santo Gaming , which runs the Plaza Las Vegas casino in downtown Las Vegas, said he still expects baccarat to become more popular as more people learn to play, casinos add more tables designed for smaller limits and companies keep pushing to attract Asian customers.

"I think a lot of casinos are trying to, they just don't understand how yet. You're going to see more and more baccarat and you're going to see baccarat become more mainstream," Rosen said. "You can't have 91 percent of revenues across the world coming from one game and not have people here paying attention to it."

Tim Fong, co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, said several cultural factors among Asians combine to encourage gambling, especially during the holiday.

Generations of Chinese citizens, for example, accept gambling in society and also strongly value notions of luck and predetermined destiny, Fong said. Many lived as farmers or peasants before China liberalized its economy, and looked forward to the new year in part because it was the only time they could take a genuine break from work.

"It's much more driven by (the idea that) things are predetermined. It's kind of, well, this is our opportunity to almost test the fates, test our luck as to what's in store for us for the next coming year," Fong said. "There's a lot of value placed on if you do and win really well ... then you're going to have a great year.

"It's kind of like a little litmus test, if you will," he said.

___

Oskar Garcia can be reached at http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-26-Baccarat-Vegas%20Casinos/id-0deb733850e34cafb7557a1154b09948

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Sweden's Ericsson says Q4 profits dropped

STOCKHOLM (AP) ? LM Ericsson, the world-leading wireless equipment maker in terms of market share, on Wednesday shocked the market by posting a much worse-than-expected fourth-quarterly result, mainly blaming operators for turning cautious due to the global financial turmoil.

Shares in the company took a severe beating in the opening minutes of the Stockholm stock exchange, tumbling 13 percent to 8.95 kronor ($1.33).

The company, headquartered in Stockholm in Sweden, said profits in the final quarter of 2011 fell by more than two-thirds compared with a year earlier, reaching only 1.15 billion kronor ($170 million) from a previous 4.32 billion kronor. Aside from the woes on the financial markets, it also said operator investment spending had slowed down due to a period of high investment in capacity as well as caution linked to political unrest in some countries.

Although sales were more or less flat in the October-December period, rising by 1 percent to 63.67 billion kronor, the tighter budgets for operators led to a severe squeeze of its gross margin, which fell to 30.2 percent from a previous 34.7 percent.

Losses in its Sony Ericsson joint venture also hurt the results, it said. Ericsson last year sold its share in Sony Ericsson to Sony, but the deal is being finalized in this quarter.

For the full year 2011, however, a 12 percent rise in sales led to a net profit of 12.19 billion kronor, also up 12 percent from the full year in 2010, the company said.

Greger Johansson, an analyst with research firm Redeye said the results fell way below expectations, describing them as "very weak," especially pointing to the disappointing sales figures in Ericsson's core unit, Networks.

"It's pretty much weaker on all areas," he said.

Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg said that although his company expects operators "to continue to be cautious with spending, reflecting factors such as macro economic and political uncertainty" in the short term, "the industry fundamentals for longer-term positive development remain solid."

"With our global scale and presence, as well as technology and services leadership, we are well positioned to continue to drive and lead the industry development," he said.

Ericsson is the world leader in rolling out and upgrading mobile network infrastructure. Its biggest competitors are China's Huawei and Finnish-German joint venture Nokia Siemens.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-01-25-EU-Sweden-Earns-Ericsson/id-f38635d5d12b487ba398a4af35ae2f61

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Conference peers 20 years into Broadway's future

In this Jan. 19, 2012 photo, The Palace Theatre marquee and billboards advertising Broadway shows are seen in Times Square, in New York. Leaders in entertainment, academics and marketing gathered Monday, Jan. 23, to peer into their crystal balls and try to predict what Broadway will look like in 2032. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

In this Jan. 19, 2012 photo, The Palace Theatre marquee and billboards advertising Broadway shows are seen in Times Square, in New York. Leaders in entertainment, academics and marketing gathered Monday, Jan. 23, to peer into their crystal balls and try to predict what Broadway will look like in 2032. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

In this Jan. 19, 2012 photo, a Broadway street sign is seen in Times Square in New York. Leaders in entertainment, academics and marketing gathered Monday, Jan. 23, to peer into their crystal balls and try to predict what Broadway will look like in 2032. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

In this Jan. 19, 2012 photo, billboards advertising Broadway shows are seen in Times Square in New York. Leaders in entertainment, academics and marketing gathered Monday, Jan. 23, to peer into their crystal balls and try to predict what Broadway will look like in 2032. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

In this Jan. 19, 2012 photo, a theatergoer buys Broadway tickets at the Times Square TKTS discount ticket booth in New York. Leaders in entertainment, academics and marketing gathered Monday, Jan. 23, to peer into their crystal balls and try to predict what Broadway will look like in 2032. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Leaders in entertainment, academics and marketing gathered Monday to peer into their crystal balls and try to predict what Broadway will look like in 2032. Many agreed on at least one thing: Change is coming.

They discussed everything from Broadway's aging audience, its fragmented and maddening ticketing systems, the often poor experience it gives patrons, the power of social networks to harness fans and the continuing need to attract world-class talent.

The 13 speakers at the one-day inaugural TEDxBroadway included Jujamcyn Theaters president Jordan Roth, "Sleep No More" producer Randy Weiner, Citibank's social media strategist Frank Eliason and author Juan Enriquez. While some speakers made bold predictions, others demurred.

"I think it's safe to say that 20 years from now, Broadway will be a street in New York," said Kara Larson, founder of Arts Knowledge, a marketing consulting firm. She said people will continue to go there to take in a show. "Beyond that, I'm not willing to go."

Eliason warned that Broadway has become too much like a top-down business and needs to make a better human connection with its audience, which is bombarded by other rival entertainment. "You feel like they're rushing you in and rushing you out," he said. "That human connection is extraordinarily important."

The event, in front of about 200 attendees and peppered by short video clips from actor Neil Patrick Harris, was held in the off-Broadway complex's New World Stages, in the theater where "Million Dollar Quartet" is performed. Organizers hope it will be the first of many annual conclaves.

TEDx events are independently organized but inspired by the nonprofit group TED ? standing for Technology, Entertainment, Design ? that started in 1984 as a conference dedicated to "ideas worth spreading." Video of the Broadway event is likely to be made available later.

The gathering was the brainchild of three men: Ken Davenport, a writer, director, producer and industry pioneer; Jim McCarthy, the CEO of ticket discounter Goldstar; and Damian Bazadona, the founder of Situation Interactive, an online marketing firm.

"How will our shows be created? How will they be marketed? Who's going to come see them? These were all the questions that Jim, Damian and I sat around one day asking each other. And the only answer that we could all agree on was that we had no idea," Davenport said. "None. So what we decided to do is invite some of the smartest people we knew into this room today and ask them those same questions."

Patricia Martin, an expert on commerce and culture, predicted a new flowering of cultural energy as long as the stories Broadway tells are told with love. "It must lift our spirits and it must help us be compassionate," she said.

Weiner, whose immersive, genre-bending "Sleep No More" is playing off-off-Broadway has routinely sold out due to enthusiastic word-of-mouth, said his experience may help other producers. His marketing cost for "Sleep No More" is zero.

"The show is the marketing. It's about unifying the show, the experience, the marketing ? that is in many ways why the show has been so successful," he said, urging fellow producers to sink money into the experience. "There's something to be learned in that for Broadway."

Bazadona said that Broadway shows can overcome their limited supply by embracing different platforms beyond the four walls of a theater, opening the door to the idea of broadcasting a show on screens far away. "To me, innovative development is the best path to artist development," he said.

Barry Kahn, CEO of dynamic ticket pricing company Qcue, made a plea for the box offices to try and work together and not compete. Many theatergoers, he said, just want to see any Broadway show and the cutthroat battles between each theater's box offices drags the whole industry down.

"We have a common goal," he said. "If we compete against each other, we're going to drive each other all out of business. But if we work together, we can all be better off."

One of the most popular speakers was Vincent Gassetto, the principal of a public middle school in the Bronx whose students recently were treated to a performance of the "Spider-Man" musical and came home buzzing about it. For many, it was their first Broadway show.

Gassetto urged listeners not to overlook this diverse and enthusiastic talent pool as arts funding shrivel. "They're going to be your writers, your producers, they're going to be your actors and, at the very least, they're going to be your audience members," he said.

Other speakers included former Lincoln Center Director Gregory Mosher, who predicted that the subscription model for theater would soon become extinct, and Joseph Craig, a marketing expert, said lessons should be learned about how a dusty and dirty Las Vegas turned itself around in the late 1980s to become a booming draw in the late 1990s.

Roth stressed one key thing that makes Broadway different from other entertainment ? it is live. He underlined how important the live experience must remain for Broadway to remain a destination hub. "If we don't, whether we're telling stories we make up or stories we license, we will be cultural derivatives ? non-essentials," he said.

"If we do, we'll thrive on our cultural primacy. Not because we do it better than any other medium, but because we do what no other medium can do. We do it live. And that's original."

___

Online:

http://www.goldstar.com/tedxbroadway

___

Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-23-Theater-TEDxBroadway/id-3c9a351703f74a66bb203709be4a42e7

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Analysis: Romney tries pit bull approach in Fla. (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Mitt Romney spent years building a presidential candidacy based on corporate success, a squeaky clean image and an aura of electability that let him focus on President Barack Obama rather than his GOP rivals.

South Carolina Republicans destroyed that strategy in an instant, saying they see Newt Gingrich, not Romney, as the man best positioned to beat Obama. Romney, who cast aside several moderate positions after leaving the Massachusetts governorship, repositioned himself in a more tactical sense Monday, tearing into Florida like a hungry underdog.

No longer leaving his friends to handle the messy work of attacking Gingrich, Romney lit into the former House speaker with a gusto that changed the campaign's tone and arc in one day. Florida's Jan. 31 primary will prove whether the GOP establishment's buttoned-down favorite can turn himself into a pit bull without appearing desperate, phony or unpresidential.

Campaigning in Tampa, Romney called Gingrich a "highly erratic" operative who possibly engaged in "wrongful activity" as a highly paid Washington consultant.

Then Romney opened Monday night's televised debate by saying Gingrich "had to resign in disgrace" in 1998 after four years as speaker, only to spend the ensuing years "working as an influence-peddler in Washington."

Gingrich's shift in tone was nearly as striking as Romney's, only in the opposite direction. After belittling reporters and electrifying studio audiences in two South Carolina debates, the usually combative Gingrich said Monday he wouldn't waste his time refuting Romney's charges point by point.

"This is the worst kind of trivial politics," Gingrich said dismissively. Nonetheless, he spent several minutes explaining why the $1.6 million he received from mortgage backer Freddie Mac was for consulting work, not lobbying.

He added, somewhat curiously, that his consulting firm brought in a "lobbying expert" to tell employees what was legal and what wasn't. The expert is "prepared to testify," Gingrich said.

The live audience was silent.

After his South Carolina thumping, Romney had little choice but to become the aggressor. Gingrich's sudden nice-guy aura may be slightly riskier, because his fire-breathing performances in South Carolina clearly touched resentful voters who feel Washington's "elites" look down on them.

"Gingrich sees that he is increasingly in the driver's seat in the race, and was not challenged about his personal life, so he did not need to go out aggressively," said Republican strategist John Ullyot. "Less is more at this stage, from his perspective."

Romney still holds several advantages, however, starting with his superior campaign treasury. There's little doubt that much of it will go into TV ads and mailers attacking Gingrich.

"I learned something from that last contest in South Carolina," Romney said in the Tampa debate. "I'm not going to sit back and get attacked day in and day out without returning fire."

Romney himself is now leveling the toughest accusations against Gingrich, rather than leaving them chiefly to allies such as former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu and a well-funded "super PAC." The super PAC's withering ads on Iowa television nearly wrecked Gingrich's campaign three weeks ago.

Gingrich revived himself with two South Carolina debates in which he made journalists as much a target as Romney and Obama. There were no such fireworks Monday in Tampa.

Romney, Gingrich and the other two candidates ? former Sen. Rick Santorum and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas ? will debate again Thursday night in Jacksonville.

Romney, who made millions with a consulting and corporation-restructuring firm, is bracing for reports Tuesday when he releases his most recent tax returns. The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday that Romney paid an effective tax rate of about 14 percent on $21.7 million in income in 2010, nearly all of it from dividends or interest from investments.

In Monday's debate, Gingrich ? who paid a higher rate on the $3.1 million he made in 2010 ? showed little interest in pursuing the subject.

When Romney said he would have paid zero taxes under Gingrich's plan to eliminate capital gains taxes, Gingrich calmly said that would be fine, provided Romney used his good fortune to create jobs.

Santorum, who finished a distant third in South Carolina, and Paul, who is not campaigning in Florida, were relegated to the sidelines in what now seems to be a two-person race. Santorum noted that the contest has held many surprises, and took a shot at the two frontrunners.

Romney and Gingrich abandoned conservative principles, he said, by supporting elements of "cap and trade" legislation to curb pollution emissions from industrial sites.

"When push came to shove, they were pushed," Santorum said.

He will struggle to be heard in Florida, which dwarfs Iowa and New Hampshire in terms of size, population and cost of campaigning. The pushing and shoving between Gingrich and Romney will dominate Republicans' attention.

If Romney's newly sharpened elbows don't stop Gingrich's momentum, the Republican establishment will face a hard choice. It can start making peace with the former speaker's mercurial ways and anti-elite rhetoric. Or it can heap even more criticisms on him in a contest that must be prompting at least a few smiles in the White House.

___

Charles Babington covers politics for The Associated Press.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_an/us_gop_debate_analysis

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