Wednesday, November 30, 2011

APNewsBreak: Woman accused of flight school fraud (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Immigration officials on Wednesday arrested a woman accused of bringing foreign students to train at her Southern California flight school on fraudulent visas and without government authorization.

Karena Chuang, 28, was arrested Wednesday at a friend's house in Rancho Cucamonga and is charged with visa fraud for allegedly enrolling students from Egypt, Sri Lanka and Taiwan at her La Verne-based flight school, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.

Chuang's Blue Diamond Aviation school wasn't authorized to receive foreign students under federal government screening procedures that aim to prevent a repeat of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, officials said.

"She is not scrutinizing people nor does she have the ability to know whether or not they have terrorist ties, which is why the whole procedure exists," Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles, told The Associated Press.

"These people are actually going up in the air to get their training ? they're getting access to aircraft, too, and we don't know who they are," he said.

Chuang is due to appear in federal court Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles. A number listed for her Lake Elsinore home rang through to a fax line.

Jennifer Uyeda, an attorney with the federal public defender's office, said she just received the case and did not have details of the allegations.

It isn't the first time flight schools have let foreigners train without proper authorization. Last year, a flight school in El Cajon, Calif., pleaded guilty to creating fake visa documents for foreign students and a Massachusetts flight school was found to have trained illegal immigrants from Brazil.

Foreign students can apply to attend flight schools in the United States that are authorized to enroll them. The schools will issue paperwork for admitted students to then apply for a visa to travel here.

Immigration officials say Chuang posed as the students' cousin to help them get the paperwork required to apply for visas from government authorized flight schools and then had them attend her cheaper school instead.

Chuang coached students not to tell U.S. officials during interviews that they planned to attend her flight school, Arnold said.

Arnold said none of the more than dozen foreign students who trained at Chuang's school since 2006 had ties to terrorism.

Authorities say they learned of the scheme last year when two Egyptians who received visas to attend a flight school in Northern California admitted they planned to roll at Blue Diamond.

If convicted, Chuang could face a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111130/ap_on_re_us/us_flight_school_fraud

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Nintendo looks to keep you warm, bundled even, with two more 3DS packages

So you've got a few folks on your holiday shopping list that just aren't Zelda fans. You can still spring for some Nintendo hardware with two more bundles due out December 4th. Inside, you'll find a pink Nintendo 3DS paired with your choice of nintendogs + cats: French Bulldog and New Friends or nintendogs + cats: Toy Poodle and New Friends. Both of the aforementioned bundles will set you back $169.99 -- the same cost of a lonely 3DS system purchased solo. If a pink handheld just isn't what you're after, you may opt for one of The Big N's other bundles already on shelves, including the Midnight Blue DSi XL. In need of a quick refresher before hitting the mall? Check out the PR below for a complete list of Nintendo's holiday package offerings.

Continue reading Nintendo looks to keep you warm, bundled even, with two more 3DS packages

Nintendo looks to keep you warm, bundled even, with two more 3DS packages originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/29/nintendo-looks-to-keep-you-warm-bundled-even-with-two-more-3ds/

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Engadget's Cyber Monday 2011 roundup

Didn't feel like brawling for two-dollar waffle makers at Wally World this past Black Friday? Don't fret, because Cyber Monday is just a few hours away -- there are literally only a few clicks between you and some awesome online deals. Best of all, you don't even need leave your abode or bear lines in the cold. Just like we did for BF, we've spotted some deals in advance and thrown 'em just past the break -- sure, it's only Sunday, but don't tell that to the retailers whose sales are currently ongoing! Unless you want to miss out on some chances to save on the gadgets you've been pining for, join us past the break for our full rundown. And as usual, if you spot anything we've missed, be sure to let us know in the comments. Ready. Set. Save!

(pssst: Don't forget to keep checking back, as we'll be constantly updating this post with even more deals as we come across them!)

Continue reading Engadget's Cyber Monday 2011 roundup

Engadget's Cyber Monday 2011 roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/engadgets-cyber-monday-2011-roundup/

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New compound defeats drug-resistant bacteria

Monday, November 28, 2011

It's no wonder that medicine's effort to combat bacterial infections is often described as an arms race. When new drugs are developed to combat infections, the bacterial target invariably comes up with a deterrent.

A particularly ingenious weapon in the bacterial arsenal is the drug efflux pump. These pumps are proteins located in the membranes of bacteria that can recognize and expel drugs that have breached the membranes. In some cases, the bacterial pumps have become so advanced they can recognize and expel drugs with completely different structures and mechanisms.

"This turns out to be a real problem in clinical settings, especially when a bacterial pathogen acquires a gene encoding an efflux pump that acts on multiple antibiotics," said Jason Sello, assistant professor of chemistry at Brown University. "In the worst case scenario, a bacterium can go from being drug-susceptible to resistant to five or six different drugs by acquiring a single gene."

"That leaves two choices: Make more new and costly antibiotics or find a way around the pump. Sello and his group chose the latter. In a paper published in the journal Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, the team reports it has discovered a new compound of C-capped dipeptides, called BU-005, to circumvent a family of drug-efflux pumps associated with Gram-positive bacteria, which include the dangerous MRSA and tuberculosis strains. Until that discovery, C-capped dipeptides were known to work only against an efflux pump family associated with Gram-negative bacteria.

"If drug efflux pumps are inhibited, then bacteria will be susceptible to drugs again," Sello said. "This approach is of interest because one would have to discover efflux pump inhibitors rather than entirely new kinds of antibacterial drugs."

Recently, a company called MPEX Pharmaceuticals discovered that specific C-capped dipeptides could block the efflux pumps of the RND family, which are responsible for much of the drug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. One of these compounds developed at MPEX advanced to phase I of an FDA clinical trial. Sello and his co-authors investigated whether C-capped dipeptides could block the pumps of another drug efflux family, called the major facilitator superfamily (MFS), which is associated mostly with Gram-positive bacteria.

The Brown team thought that new and perhaps more potent C-capped dipeptide efflux pump blockers could be discovered. Since it is not possible to predict which C-capped dipeptides would be efflux pump blockers, they synthesized a collection of structurally diverse C-capped dipeptides and screened it for compounds with new or enhanced activities.

Normally, this is a four- to five-step process. Sello's group reduced that to two steps, taking advantage of a technique used in other chemistry practices, known as the Ugi reaction. Using this approach, the team was able to prepare dozens of different C-capped dipeptides. They assessed each compound's ability to block two efflux pumps in the bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor, a relative of the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and which resists chloramphenicol, one of the oldest antibacterial drugs.

From a collection of nearly 100 C-capped dipeptides that they prepared and tested, the group discovered BU-005. The new compound excited the researchers because it prevented the MFS efflux pump family from expelling chloramphenicol. Until now, structurally related C-capped dipeptides had only been reported to prevent chloramphenicol expulsion by other drug efflux pump families.

"Our findings that C-capped dipeptides inhibit efflux pumps in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria should reinvigorate interest in these compounds," Sello said. "Moreover, our simplified synthetic route should make the medicinal chemistry on this class of compounds much simpler."

Two Brown undergraduate students, Daniel Greenwald '12, and Jessica Wroten '11, helped perform the research and are contributing authors on the paper.

Greenwald joined the team in his freshman year, after reaching out to Sello. "This project was the first real immersion I had into chemistry research at an advanced level," said Greenwald, of Madison, Wisc. "It was an amazing opportunity to be able to use the tools of synthetic chemistry to address problems from molecular biology. It was definitely one of the most engaging aspects of my experience at Brown."

###

Brown University: http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau

Thanks to Brown University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115504/New_compound_defeats_drug_resistant_bacteria

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Communications program wins national award for multimedia ...

Communications program wins national excellence award


Congratulations to Simmons' Department of Communications for winning the 2011 Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award from the National Communications Association (NCA).

RexMix.jpg

The department was recognized by the NCA for its interactive, student-centered, and creative approach to communication education. Department Chair James Corcoran was delighted Simmons received the award for two reasons:

"First, the honor directly benefits both our graduates and current students because they have a major that is recognized nationally for its strong reputation. Second, this affirms a decision we, as a department, made six or seven years ago to emphasize media convergence, the intersection and interaction of multiple media disciplines."

The Rex Mix award recognizes programs with a strong curriculum and broad student engagement and enrichment opportunities such as internships, service learning and community engagement experiences, and student/faculty research. The review committee said they were impressed with the program's 21st century approach to preparing students for today's career in communications.

"As it blends academic knowledge with professional practice, the program integrates media convergence in its courses, projects, study abroad opportunities, and internships. Although the communications program has a strong media focus, students graduate with a broad liberal arts education."

Read more about the award on the department's blog.

Want to connect with Simmons' communication program? Like Communications Department at Simmons College on Facebook.



Source: http://www.simmons.edu/blogs/300thefenway/2011/11/communications-program-wins-national-award.php

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

American Airlines files for Ch. 11 protection (AP)

FORT WORTH, Texas ? American Airlines' parent company is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it seeks to unload massive debt built up by years of accelerating jet fuel prices and labor struggles.

The nation's third largest airline also said its CEO Gerard Arpey will step down. He's being replaced by Thomas Horton, currently the company's president.

Fort Worth, Texas-based AMR Corp., along with its regional affiliate AMR Eagle Holding Corp. said Tuesday that they filed voluntary petitions to reorganize.

American says it sought protection to reduce its costs and debt to remain competitive.

The airline says it will continue normal flight operations during the reorganization.

American was the only major U.S. airline that didn't file for bankruptcy protection after the 2001 terrorist attacks. The last major airline to file for bankruptcy protection was Delta in 2005.

American says labor-contract rules force it to spend at least $600 million more than other airlines.

Besides higher labor costs, American also struggled with rising jet fuel costs. Jet fuel cost an average of $3 per gallon so far this year ? a record according to government data that goes back to 1990. Jet fuel is more expensive now than the average of $2.96 per gallon in 2008, when oil rose above $147 per barrel for the first time. It's risen 56.4 percent in the past five years. The average price of jet fuel was $1.92 per gallon in 2006.

American lost $162 million in the third quarter and has lost money in 14 of the last 16 quarters.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111129/ap_on_bi_ge/us_american_airlines_bankruptcy

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Lucasfilm Uses Force With Stand Up 2 Cancer

The Internet is a wonderful world sometimes, especially when it comes to doing things for Social Good. Lucasfilm, the production company behind Star Wars, has teamed up with Stand Up 2 Cancer to raise Cancer awareness on the web.

The campaign is called ?Stand Up And Use The Force For Good?, and brings together the hottest celebrities today and one of the biggest movie properties of all time. It?s a recipe for social good and virality if I?ve ever seen one.

Stand Up and Use the Force for Good is also a campaign to celebrate the release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-Ray discs. Here?s what Stand Up 2 Cancer had to say about the campaign:

Stand Up To Cancer Celebrity Ambassadors Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg and Emma Stone ? along with Star Wars alum Samuel L. Jackson ? each Use the Force for Good as they recreate classic Star Wars scenes to raise awareness for cancer research.

The scenes are absolutely hilarious, check them out:

? Stand Up And Use The Force For Good

Source: http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2011/11/29/lucasfilm-stands-up-to-cancer-with-full-force-for-social-good-video/

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Olympus to review business structure amid scandal (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan's Olympus Corp has launched a review of its business structure, according to an internal memo, amid speculation the 92-year-old company may have to sell assets in order to survive a massive accounting scandal.

The maker of cameras and medical equipment is also looking to reform its corporate governance, and is setting up separate teams to supervise the two reviews, according to the November 28 memo, obtained by Reuters and later confirmed by the company.

"They will make clear the optimal business structure and the proper profit structure to promote the steady further development of our business," President Shuichi Takayama wrote in the memo to Olympus employees.

Olympus, under police investigation and at risk of losing its Tokyo stock market listing, is keen to protect its highly profitable endoscope business from the impact of the scandal.

So far, there is no sign it has disrupted the company's core $2.6 billion diagnostic endoscope business, which enjoys a near-monopoly worldwide. But the unit is part of a group that is highly geared and is expected to make major writedowns once its accounts are set straight.

The Nikkei business newspaper has reported that Olympus recently offered its creditor banks a plan to cut its debt by about 260 billion yen ($3.3 billion) over the next three years, and might sell assets to do so.

Olympus' camera division runs at a loss, and it also has businesses in microscopes, the field where it started almost a century ago, industrial testing systems and mobile phones, a small division emerging as a key focus of Japanese authorities investigating the scandal.

Investment bankers say rivals in both endoscopes and cameras are following events at Olympus, though prospective bidders are likely to stay on the sidelines until there is more clarity.

Besides concerns about whether the firm can survive, the scandal has also raised worries over corporate governance in Japan, prompting both ruling and opposition parties to look at possible reforms.

The ruling Democratic Party is considering making it mandatory for large firms to appoint outside directors, the Asahi newspaper reported last week. Olympus had three external directors, though all at some point worked for organizations or firms that had ties with the company.

Yasuhisa Shiozaki, a lawmaker from the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, said it should be made clearer that outside directors are independent from company interests.

"We found out this time that external directors do not work," he told Reuters. "It's inconceivable not to define independence at the level of other foreign markets after this case," he said, noting how the New York Stock Exchange has strict rules on who can be an external director.

President Takayama, who will head the teams reviewing governance and reconstruction, vowed last week to set Olympus on a path to revival, even as investigations into it proceed both at home and abroad.

ON-SITE INVESTIGATION

Japan's securities regulator, the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission (SESC), has launched an on-site probe of Olympus to uncover details of its loss cover-up scheme, the Nikkei said on Tuesday.

The SESC will ask Olympus to submit in-house financial documents about past mergers and acquisitions, and will examine the processes in which investment losses were moved off the company's balance sheet, the daily reported.

Olympus spokesman Yoshiaki Yamada said on Tuesday he was unable to comment on the investigations.

The company's former president, Masatoshi Kishimoto, however, has told a third-party investigative panel he was unaware of efforts to hide losses when he was at the helm from 1993-2001, a key period in the saga, media reported.

The panel, set up by Olympus and due to report its findings early next month, believes a 30 billion yen ($384 million)overseas investment fund that appeared on the company's books for the first time in 2000 was a so-called "tobashi" scheme designed to conceal losses, the Mainichi Shimbun daily said.

Olympus has admitted to using some unusual M&A deals and accounting tricks to hide investment losses that media reports have estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

One focus will be the company's actions around the 2000-01 fiscal year, when Japan switched to market-value accounting and when many companies were forced to come clean on losses from so-called "zaitech" investment schemes.

These were popular in the late 1980s, but saddled many firms with huge investment losses when the "bubble economy" burst at the end of that decade.

"We settled our losses appropriately with special charges,"

Kishimoto was quoted as telling the Mainichi, pointing to a 16.9 billion yen write-off in the year to March 2000 to cover latent losses on investments. "I have not been involved in any cover-up of losses."

Takayama, who took over after Tsuyoshi Kikukawa resigned over the scandal, said last week that former Olympus directors would also be held to account for any responsibility in the scandal.

(Additional reporting by Taiga Uranaka and Yoko Kubota in Tokyo, and Shounak Dasgupta in Bangalore; Writing by Edmund Klamann; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111129/bs_nm/us_olympus

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Why You Must Use Automobile Insurance Brokers - Networked Politics

The most important reason why you need to use automotive insurance agents is that they are able to seek the car insurance marketplace to search out you the best automobile insurance coverage at the lowest price, even as additionally giving you the reassurance that the car insurance coverage that you just acquire is the correct form of motor insurance coverage to hide all of your possible needs.

A specialist insurance dealer will know what form of cover is the fitting car insurance coverage to satisfy your needs. Once you have replied a couple of easy questions, comparable to age and value of your automobile, the amount of security features which can be put in, the common mileage a year you force and who owns and drives the car for the majority of time and so forth, they will be capable of see what is available.

You must note that with a view to get the cheapest deal conceivable, the extra stronger your security measures are at the car, then the car insurance coverage can be inexpensive as it is less most probably that the automobile shall be stolen when it?s parked, as will if you park the car on a power or garage. Additionally, if you are the landlord as well as the driver then this may increasingly additionally assist to convey the cost of your car insurance coverage down too.

Once a year your car insurance broker can search for the most productive motor insurance coverage for you saving you a lot of wasted time and effort, as a result of even as the automobile insurance coverage you took out last 12 months used to be the most efficient deal it may not be the most productive deal this year. You will have to by no means simply merely renew your car insurance coverage with out chatting with an automobile insurance broker first. In the event you do then you could end up paying more money for your automobile insurance coverage than you?ve got to.

No one likes to be taken for the idiot and no person loves to pay more money than they have got to insure their car and via the use of car insurance brokers once a year they may be able to search for the most productive automotive insurance on the cheapest price which ensures that you are not throwing away your hard earned cash, simply simply getting the appropriate automobile insurance at the right price.

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Source: http://www.networked-politics.info/?p=7788

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Egypt stock market spikes on elections (AP)

CAIRO, Egypt ? Egypt's stock market spiked early Tuesday, prompting a temporary suspension of trading, as Egyptians cast their ballots in a landmark parliamentary election that could serve as a milestone moment in the country's push to democracy.

The Egyptian Exchange's benchmark EGX30 index was up 5.45 percent by 11:35 a.m. local time, at 3,986 points. Trading was halted for about 25 minutes after the broader EGX100 index surged 5.01 percent within about 15 minutes of the start of trade. That index was up by 6 percent after trading resumed.

"We, as Egyptians, didn't expect the situation to play out like this," said Khaled Nagah, a senior broker at Mega Investments, referring to the elections that began on Monday and continued Tuesday. "There were expectations of violence, thugs and other troublemakers, but that hasn't happened."

The rally was a rare bit of good news in a market that has been among the worst performers in the world this year. Before the day's early rally, the EGX30 was down almost 48 percent so far this year, reflecting the broader troubles confronting the Egyptian economy in the months since Mubarak was driven from power in mid-February.

"This is the first time that Egyptians have felt this climate of democracy," Nagah said of the orderly way in which the voting was held on the first day of the election. "This gives people a sense of hope that their voices will be heard and that sense of optimism is contagious."

The massive turnout at the polls ? despite security concerns and turmoil over deadly protests and violence in the pre-election week ? has upstaged the demonstration that is continuing in Tahrir Square, downtown Cairo's roundabout that has served as the epicenter of the Jan. 25 uprising against Mubarak. The activists there are demanding that the country's military rulers step down and expedite the transition to a civilian government.

They have also complained about the newly appointed prime minister, Kamal El-Ganzouri, who had served in the same post under Mubarak in the 1990s. El-Ganzouri's appointment came after the previous interim civilian government resigned after days of violent clashes last week that left over 40 dead around the country ? with most of the fatalities in Cairo.

The near daily protests have ravaged Egypt's economy, battering the vital tourism sector, driving away foreign investors, put the Egyptian pound under pressure and sharply raised the country's borrowing costs and the costs of insuring its sovereign debt against default.

Late last week, ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgraded Egypt's sovereign rating by one notch, driving it deeper into junk status on the back of the clashes and expectation of continuing political instability.

Analysts were concerned the latest election for the parliament's lower house would be marred by violence or irregularities. But the biggest worry that has emerged for many Egyptians is that the conservative Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist parties could walk away with a large share of the vote.

The voting is staggered over the next six weeks across Egypt's 27 provinces, divided into thirds with runoffs held a week after the first round in each location.

Officials have said that 500 pound ($83) fines would be levied against voters who fail to participate in the elections ? a hefty penalty in a country where rising prices and rampant poverty were main catalysts in sparking the uprising that pushed Mubarak from office.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111129/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_egypt_economy

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UK phone hacking inquiry calls blogger after leak

(AP) ? Britain's inquiry into media ethics says it has summoned a political blogger to testify after evidence due to be submitted by Tony Blair's ex-communications chief was leaked.

The inquiry, led by senior judge Brian Leveson, said Sunday it would call Paul Staines, who blogs under the name Guido Fawkes.

His blog on Sunday published a 16-page document that Blair's former press chief Alistair Campbell was due to submit as evidence ahead of a hearing on Wednesday.

Campbell wrote on his Twitter page that he had been "genuinely shocked" that his written testimony leaked.

In the document, he discusses fears that the cell phones of Blair's wife Cherie, or one of her friends, may have been hacked. However, Campbell acknowledges he does not have evidence to support that fear.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-11-27-EU-Britain-Phone-Hacking/id-a97925aaa7b147da8778c24d833b7855

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Monday, November 28, 2011

Learn How-To Download And Install Android 4.0.1 ICS On Galaxy Tab

Samsung smartphones are well known among the world but here we?ll talk about the Samsung Galaxy Tab. If you have a desire to Install Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich then you are on right place because here I am going to present you a fine tutorial and the credit goes to RedmondPie for this tutorial so, below you can see all the easy to understand steps?

Step 1:?Download the latest build of?Ice?Cream?Sandwich?for original Galaxy Tab from this thread.

Step 2:?Transfer the .zip?file?to the root directory of your Galaxy Tab.

Step 3:?Turn off your Galaxy Tab. Boot into ClockworkMod (CWM) Recovery Mode by holding a specific key combination. This can be found by performing a simple search on your favorite engine.

Step 4:?Format?/system, /data?and?/cache?from?mounts and storage?under main?menu?of CWM.

Step 5:?Wipe data / factory reset?from main menu.

Step 6:?Go back to main menu and choose the .zip file you transferred in step 2 from?install zip from sdcard > choose zip from sdcard.?Ice Cream Sandwich will now be flashed to your Galaxy Tab.

Step 7:?Reboot device from main menu.

If you followed the steps correctly, your Galaxy Tab will boot into an alpha build of Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich. Have fun! If you have any issues or queries, visit the original thread on?XDA.

You can follow us on Twitter for random streams or free Newsletter Subscritions Join RSS or join our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Apple Inc, Mac, Unlock iPhone, Jailbreak Unlock Guides, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Jailbreak Tutorials, TIps & Tricks, Cydia, App Reviews, Android, Android Apps, Microsoft, Gadgets, Gaming Console, PS3, Playstation 3, XBox 360, Google, Apple and the web.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/appleumbrella/~3/dWTW3XP4Zs0/

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Demographic shift key to Obama victory in '12 (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/166806706?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Margaret Paul, Ph.D.: The 7-Step Guide to Ruining Your Relationship

Why randomly create a terrible relationship? By following my 7-step foolproof guide, you can make sure you do it every time!

1. Take no responsibility for your own feelings

Make sure that you do not take responsibility for your own feelings and your own sense of safety and security. Make sure that you ignore your feelings enough so that you create an empty black hole inside that needs to be filled up by sex, things, or by someone else's love or attention.

2. Find someone to do it for you

Look for someone to fill your emptiness, someone to make you feel loved, happy, safe and secure. A good way to determine if this is the right person is if he or she comes on REALLY strong, promising you the world, or at least great sex.

3. Once you find the right person, be sure to behave in one of the two following ways:

a. Completely give yourself up

Completely put yourself aside, focusing all your attention on the other person's feelings and needs. Your hope is that if you are wonderful enough and sacrifice yourself enough, the other person will give you the love you are seeking. Be sure to completely ignore your own feelings and needs, no matter what the other person does. Be the best caretaker you can be to try to have control over getting the other person's love and approval.

b. Demand the other person live up to your expectations

Start slow, gradually building to becoming more and more demanding of the other person. If he or she doesn't meet your expectations, be sure to criticize, blame, chastise, berate, threaten, ignore, yell at, belittle, lecture, debate, and argue with your partner. Your job is to gain control over getting the other person to completely give him or herself up and focus only on filling your emptiness and needs with their love, approval, attention, sex, devotion, time, and adoration. Be the best taker you can be, making sure to keep your partner feeling guilty and responsible for your feelings of security and self-esteem.

4. Be the victim

As your relationship starts to decline, move more and more into thinking and behaving as a victim of the other person's choices. This will lead to more fights or to distance, lack of passion, lack of fun, and a complete inability to communicate about anything, even minor situations. In any discussions, be sure to seek to be right, win your point and make your partner wrong. After all, this is a competition for who is the good one and the right one. Or, just collapse and give in, a great way to be a victim.

5. Withdraw

Start to spend less and less time with your partner, spending it alone or with other people, or in front of the TV. Convince yourself that your misery is completely your partner's fault, and that you picked the wrong person, again. NEVER EVER take any responsibility for your own feelings, needs, behavior and choices. Never forget that you are the victim.

6. Get your partner into counseling

Seek counseling to get your partner to change. Do NOT enter counseling to deal with your own controlling behavior of being a taker or caretaker. Rather, be sure to tell the therapist everything your partner does wrong, using the therapist's office as just another arena to prove that you are right and your partner is wrong, or you are the good one and your partner is the bad one. Above all, do NOT look within at yourself. After all, it is your partner who needs to do this, not you!

7. You did it!

Congratulations! You have succeeded in creating a terrible relationship! Now you can miserably and righteously leave your partner and do the whole thing again! You get to complain to all your friends about what a terrible person your ex-partner is and get sympathy for all you've been though. What a reward for all your hard work!

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Follow Margaret Paul, Ph.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/innerbonding

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-paul-phd/7step-foolproof-guide-to-_b_1102750.html

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Amazon Reveals Cyber Monday Deals: Xbox 360 For $199, Nokia N8 For $299

amazondealsIt's Black Friday in the United States, but Amazon this morning revealed a couple of deals that it will be running from Cyber Monday and/or the next few days (specifically, starting at midnight on Sunday, November 27, through the end of next week). The company will be selling a $79 Kindle, a $99 Kindle Touch, a $149 Kindle Touch 3G and a $199 Kindle Fire - it reiterates that the latter device is "currently the best-selling item across all of Amazon". Good thing they're prepared for the rush.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gH0d9HxwFpA/

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Saturday, November 26, 2011

PFT: Ravens' Lewis questionable for Thursday

DeAngelo+Hall+San+Francisco+49ers+v+Washington+xQa1ByarhAElGetty Images

After Sunday?s loss to the Cowboys, which was capped by Dallas receiver Dez Bryant beating Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall for a gain that preceded the game-winning field goal, Hall said he?s so bad that the team should cut him.

Hall now says that he has heard from a laundry list of NFL greats regarding his greatness.

?I had so many calls from other guys in the league telling me how great I was as a corner,? Hall said, via the Associated Press.? ?And I?m, like, ?Dude, I?m not on suicide watch.?? It was amazing, just the reaction that I didn?t think it was going to get.?

Hall claimed that he heard from men like Larry Fitzgerald, Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Ochocinco (OK, they aren?t all great players), and Ray Lewis.

But before Mr. Martini declares that he busted the juke-a-box, let?s consider whether Hall was having a crisis of confidence ? or whether he was hoping to get a free ticket out of town in the hopes of signing with a contender for the stretch run.? After all, Hall was once cut by the Raiders after earning $8 million for eight games, before landing in D.C. and eventually pocketing another big-money contract.? Now that he?s playing for a bad team with no immediate prospects for success, maybe that was the first step of a clumsy, passive-aggressive exit strategy.

If that?s the goal, he?s still holding out hope.? Indeed, he reiterated his position on Wednesday.

?I stand by it,? Hall said. ?I wear this ?C? on my chest for a reason. I hold myself to a higher standard than a lot of other people.?

Then came the possible glimpse into his soul.

?I probably haven?t been as productive as I would like to,? Hall said.? ?I don?t know if this defense is built for a corner to go out here and get eight or nine picks or seven picks.? It?s built to stop the deep ball and manage the game.?

In other words (possibly), ?I want out.?

If he really wants out, we?d have more respect for Hall if he simply laid down on the job.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/23/ray-lewis-is-questionable-again-for-thursday-night/related

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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Dyslexic adults have more trouble if background noise levels are high

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Dyslexia affects up to 17.5% of the population, but its cause remains somewhat unknown. A report published in the Nov. 23 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE supports the hypothesis that the symptoms of dyslexia, including difficulties in reading, are at least partly due to difficulty excluding excess background information like noise.

In the study of 37 undergraduate students, the researchers, led by Rachel Beattie of the University of Southern California, found that the poor readers performed significantly worse than the control group only when there were high levels of background noise.

The two groups performed comparably at the prescribed task when there was no background noise and when the stimulus set size was varied, either a large or a small set size.

According to Dr. Beattie, "these findings support a relatively new theory, namely that dyslexic individuals do not completely filter out irrelevant information when attending to letters and sounds. This external noise exclusion deficit could lead to the creation of inaccurate representations of words and phonemes and ultimately, to the characteristic reading and phonological awareness impairments observed in dyslexia."

###

Beattie RL, Lu Z-L, Manis FR (2011) Dyslexic Adults Can Learn from Repeated Stimulus Presentation but Have Difficulties in Excluding External Noise.PLoS ONE6(11): e27893. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0027893

Public Library of Science: http://www.plos.org

Thanks to Public Library of Science for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115460/Dyslexic_adults_have_more_trouble_if_background_noise_levels_are_high

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Jacqueline bonds with Farah Khan

Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez has found a good friend in Farah Khan. The actress is often spotted chilling with her close friend Sajid Khan?s sister these days. The duo is seen gelling like true buddies and spend a lot of time in each other?s company. According to a source, “Jackie and Farah first met [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/newslatest/~3/dOdUl39NgCQ/6710.html

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Investors, still fixated on EU, sell for fifth day (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks fell for a fifth day in a row on Tuesday, having lost more than 5 percent over that period as borrowing costs in Spain hit another record high.

The market remains anchored by concerns about the worsening debt crisis in Europe where rising yields suggest the outlook continues to deteriorate and stocks have been tied to the European credit market's volatility.

News that the International Monetary Fund would make short-term credit available for struggling euro-zone countries gave stocks a temporary boost, but the gains quickly evaporated.

Spain's short-term borrowing costs hit a 14-year high on Tuesday as political uncertainty about a solution to the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis punished another vulnerable southern European country.

The S&P managed to hold near 1,187, seen as the next technical support, representing the 61.8 percent retracement of the 2011 high to low. The index fell below the 1200 mark last week.

Joseph Cusick, senior market analyst at OptionsXpress Holdings Inc in Chicago, said the stock market is currently battered and is reaching a technically oversold level.

"I will be watching the 1,200 level on the S&P. If reached, it would reclaim about 50 percent of the latest two-day pullback, potentially acting as a pivot area for the bulls."

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 53.59 points, or 0.46 percent, at 11,493.72. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was down 4.94 points, or 0.41 percent, at 1,188.04. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was down 1.86 points, or 0.07 percent, at 2,521.28.

Before Wall Street's opening bell, data showed the U.S. economy grew at a 2 percent annual rate in the third quarter. While down from the government's prior estimate of 2.5 percent one month ago, reduced inventories and solid consumer spending could result in better-than-expected growth in the fourth quarter.

The market showed a muted reaction to minutes from the Federal Reserve's recent policy meeting in which some officials said they were prepared to do more to support the domestic economy. But the committee decided to hold off taking action amid an uncertain outlook.

Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) dropped 0.8 percent to $26.65 after the computer and printer maker gave a 2012 profit outlook that was below consensus late Monday.

Among Nasdaq stocks, Groupon Inc (GRPN.O) slumped as much as 14 percent on Monday on concern about increased competition, leaving shares of the largest daily deal company at $20.07 compared with their $20 initial public offering price.

In total, about 6.99 billion shares exchanged hands on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq, below the current daily average of 8 billion shares.

On the NYSE, decliners beat advancers by 18 to 11, while on the Nasdaq, about two stocks fell for every one that rose.

(Reporting by Angela Moon, Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111122/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

School Hygiene Program Reduced Flu Cases (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- A hand hygiene and cough etiquette program for elementary school children reduced cases of flu and the number of absences, a new study says.

The study included five Pittsburgh schools that received the training program and five schools that received no special hygiene training. Lessons taught to the children in the five-step "WHACK the Flu" program were:

  • Wash or sanitize your hands often.
  • Home is where you stay when you are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes.
  • Keep your distance from sick people.

During the academic year, schools that received the training program had 52 percent fewer confirmed illnesses caused by influenza A and 26 percent fewer student absences. However, there was no decrease in the number of illnesses caused by influenza B.

It's not clear why there was no decrease in influenza B, but the University of Pittsburgh researchers suggested it may be because of "basic differences in the biology or epidemiology" of influenza B, or because influenza B occurred later in the flu season and mainly in younger children.

The study, published in the November issue of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, also found that the flu program was successful in getting students to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer regularly, an average of 2.4 times per day.

"Respiratory hygiene education and the regular use of hand sanitizer can be an important adjunct to influenza vaccination programs to reduce the number of influenza A infections among children," Dr. Samuel Stebbins and colleagues wrote in a journal news release.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about flu prevention.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111122/hl_hsn/schoolhygieneprogramreducedflucases

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Canine Carnival benefit brings out pets and their people - Local ...

PASCAGOULA -- Dozens of four-legged friends turned out Saturday at the Jackson County Fairgrounds pavilion for a day of fun at the second annual Canine Carnival.

The benefit was hosted by Coastal Mississippi Healthcare Fund.

?It?s so important for the community to come out and participate in things like this, first of all because we have so much fun,? said CMHF Executive Director Daniel Shepherd. ?Second of all, because we raise money to help the patients and staff at Singing River Health System and our PAWS program both.?

PAWS, or Pet Assisted Wellness Service, is a therapy service that brings specially trained dogs to patients at SRHS.

?This year we are splitting the profits between our unrestricted fund,? Shepherd said, ?which pays for medicines for patients leaving the hospital who can?t afford them, and PAWS.?

Activities were held throughout the day just for dogs and their people such as a canine obstacle course, a dog/human IQ test and a doggy treasure hunt.

In addition to the games such as ?bobbing for tennis balls? and numerous contests in various categories, two lucky dogs were able to publicly declare their ?puppy love? for one another in a wedding ceremony.

As the owners read the vows for the bride and groom, the loving couple gazed at one another, ending the ceremony, which was officiated by a local preacher, with an unexpected kiss.

Proud pet owners got to have their pups photographed, could speak with a veterinarian about pet health issues, and could purchase homemade healthy treats for their dogs.

Larry and Diane Deewaard of Gautier pushed their four small costumed pooches around the carnival in doggy strollers.

With ensembles that included a cowgirl and a stuffed turkey, the Deewaards? dogs won a variety of ribbons.

?We hear about a lot of different events through the (Gulf Coast) Humane Society and we try to go to whatever function we can, especially when we can bring the dogs,? Larry Deewaard said.

Children?s activities were also held all day long, as well, including face painting and picture-frame decorating.

Plans already are in progress for next year?s carnival, though officials are looking into changing venues in the hopes of making the event even more of a success.

Shepherd said about 70 dogs were in attendance this year.

Source: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/11/19/3586351/canine-carnival-benefit-brings.html

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Sunday, November 20, 2011

NC prison warden steps down after scathing report (Providence Journal)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/163923836?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Different definitions of 'inflation' and 'deflation'

Austrians commonly refer to only the first part of the common? definition ? the increase in the quantity of money ? without the specifying statement that inflation is only that part which is not offset by an increased demand for money.

While (re-)reading one of the chapters of Mises?s Theory of Money and Credit, I noted my underlining of the very clearly formulated definitions on page 240. Mises defines inflation as:

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an increase in the quantity of money (in the broader sense of the term, so as to include fiduciary media as well), that is not offset by a corresponding increase in the need for money (again in the broader sense of the term), so that a fall in the objective exchange-value of money must occur.

Austrians commonly refer to only the first part of this definition ? the increase in the quantity of money ? without the specifying statement that inflation is only that part which is not offset by an increased demand for money (which, indirectly, seems to suggest a ?soft dismissal? of monetarism rather than the hard line that would otherwise follow).

The same seems to be true for Mises?s definition of deflation:

a diminution of the quantity of money (in the broader sense) which is not offset by a corresponding diminution of the demand for money (in the broader sense), so that an increase in the objective exchange-value of money must occur.

Now, it would not be fair to say that these definitions as formulated by Mises back in 1912 in any sense were final. And it is far from impossible that Austrian thinkers before and since then have used idiosyncratic and different variations of these definitions, but presumably with a common core of their meaning.

But what definitions are there? I am interested in finding out what other definitions of inflation and deflation are available in?Austrian works. Please post the definitions you are aware of in the comments section (direct quotes with page references, please).

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on blog.mises.org.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/T_bUy-rmiQ4/Different-definitions-of-inflation-and-deflation

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'DWTS' feud takes center stage for readers

Adam Taylor / ABC

"Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba was popular with Clicker readers this week.

By Anna Chan

Clicker readers may not be huge fans of "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba (based on what they've had to say on our Facebook page and in our weekly "DWTS"?chats, that is), but she sure was popular with them this week!

The rah-rah judge dominated our list of top stories for the week, taking three out of the top five spots. The No. 1 headline involved whether or not she took yet another jab at pro Maks Chmerkovskiy and soccer star Hope Solo after the pair were eliminated.?Not far behind at No. 4 was the little quip that kicked off the brouhaha (well, this week anyway): Carrie Ann's comment about Maks' (non-existent) smile during her critique of Hope's Argentine tango. Right behind that? Her taking to Twitter to defend her judging after "DWTS" fans?continued to bug her about her behavior on the panel days after the performance show.

Coming in at No. 3 was yet another "Dancing" story, though not Carrie Ann related, but close. It was the unfortunate tale of Hope's elimination from the competition. Sure, her exit was obvious, but what the "Dancing" producers opted to show on Tuesday?was the big shocker: her bad attitude and strong language that was left out of the performance night show. (Did she anger someone important on set? Seems most contestants get super cheerful, "You've accomplished so much" montages of their time on the show after getting cut, not select clips that make fans wonder why they voted for a sourpuss the last nine weeks.)

But no, the ballroom bash did not completely dominate our top five list. Coming in at No. 2 was "South Park," which made the Penn State scandal the latest target of its jokes. In the episode,?a social worker?let some merciless zingers fly while "helping" Kenny and his little sister after their parents are arrested.

Which Clicker story were you most interested in this week? Tell us on our Facebook page!

Speaking of "Dancing With the Stars," I'll be hosting a live chat during the live finale performance show on Monday. And on Tuesday, my fellow "DWTS" expert Ree Hines and I will have another chat at 3:30 p.m. ET to make predictions on who will win that coveted mirror ball trophy. Join us!

?

Want the details of our top stories? Read 'em!

Related content:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/18/8885431-dancing-feud-takes-center-stage-for-readers

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Assad's forces shell Syria villages for hours

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on Friday called on the U.N. Security Council to act against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, as his forces used sustained shelling against people involved in the eight-month uprising for the first reported time.

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"We must continue to exert pressure, the U.N. must act, it is not normal for the U.N. Security Council not to act," he said. "We have called on Assad to change but the regime did not want to know, which is not acceptable. We are ready to strengthen the sanctions."

Juppe said France wants to work with the Arab League and Turkey as well as the Syrian opposition.

He spoke during a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara.

Davutoglu, responding to a question on whether his country would support a no-fly zone over Syria, said there might be a need to enforce some measures if Syria maintains its crackdown on civilians.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops shelled two northern villages overnight after an attack by army defectors on forces loyal to Assad, local activists said Friday, in the first reported use of sustained shelling against the eight-month uprising.

The assault came a day after the Arab League suspended Syria and gave it until the end of the week to comply with an Arab peace plan to end a crackdown on the revolt that has killed more than 3,500 people, by a United Nations count.

Along with mostly peaceful street protests demanding Assad's removal, an armed insurgency has emerged, prompting calls by opposition leaders for protesters to stick to non-violence in the face of an escalating crackdown.

Story: Syrian army shells villages after defectors attack

Eight villagers were injured overnight when tank shells and heavy mortars fell for three hours on Tal Minnij and Maarshamsheh and surrounding farmland, the activists said.

"Hundreds of families have left. Electricity and Internet services have been cut off," said one of the activists who gave his first name as Raed.

It was not possible to confirm the shelling independently. Syria has barred most foreign media since unrest began.

The official news agency said troops carried out a "qualitative operation" in the region, arresting 58 wanted people and seizing rifles and bomb detonators.

Defectors
Until now, Syrian troops mostly have been using heavy machineguns and anti-aircraft guns, employed as a ground weapons, on restless cities and towns to try to put down the uprising.

Army defectors earlier had attacked a building housing security forces near army depots in the Wadi al-Deif area on the edge of the town of Maarat al-Numaan, 180 miles north of Damascus, activists said.

The town, on the Damascus-Aleppo highway, has seen regular street protests demanding Assad's removal and raids by security forces to put down the demonstrations.

Video: Arab League gives Syria 3-day ultimatum (on this page)

In the last few weeks, residents say a growing number of army defectors has been defending Maarat al-Numaan and attacking army patrols and roadblocks. One resident said the town's main hospital received 40 troops and security forces between dead and wounded Wednesday.

Activists said at least 10 civilians were killed elsewhere in the country Thursday in raids by troops and in firings from roadblocks.

Among them was activist Samer al-Tayyeb, who was arrested in house-to-house raids in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor and died in custody, the main activists group known as the Local Coordination Committees said.

The authorities blame the violence on foreign-backed armed groups who they say have killed more than 1,100 soldiers and police.

The official news agency said eight "of the most wanted terrorists" were arrested Thursday in the central city of Homs, where tanks have been deployed.

Russia still loyal
While Arab and Western countries sought to pile pressure on Assad, Russia, which has a naval base, major oil concessions and military personnel in Syria, stood by him.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is one of Syria's few remaining foreign friends, said demands for Assad's removal would destroy the initiative, which calls for dialogue between the Syrian government and its foes.

Lavrov said a raid Wednesday by the Free Syrian Army on an Airforce Intelligence complex on the outskirts of Damascus was "already completely similar to real civil war."

Opposition sources said Syrian army defectors had killed or wounded 20 security police in the early-morning attack, the first of its kind in the revolt against Assad.

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

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner rejected the suggestion that Syria was virtually in civil war, saying: "We believe it's very much the Assad regime carrying out a campaign of violence, intimidation, and repression against innocent protesters."

Syria's pervasive security apparatus, dominated by Assad's minority Alawite sect, underpins the power structure that has enabled Assad, and before him his father, to rule for 41 years.

While the West appears to have no appetite for military intervention in Syria, a leader of Syria's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood said Turkish military action might be acceptable.

Mohammad Riad Shaqfa said this week's attack on the security complex near Damascus was carried out by soldiers "who have refused orders to kill their own people."

"We reaffirm the peacefulness of the uprising," Shaqfa said. "We are calling on civilians not to take up arms."

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45352667/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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