Assad says willing to cooperate with Syria opposition

AMMAN?? Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, facing a seven-month uprising against his rule, said on Sunday that he was willing to talk to the opposition.

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"We will cooperate with all political powers, both those who had existed before the crisis, and those who arose during it. We believe interacting with these powers is extremely important," Assad said in an interview with Russian television.

His remarks came as Syrian officials were due to hold more talks in Qatar with delegates of the Arab League, which wants to convene a dialogue in Cairo between the Syrian authorities and their opponents.

A two-week deadline set by the Arab League for the planned dialogue to start expires on Sunday.

The United Nations says 3,000 people have been killed during the uprising.

Assad said there had been "hundreds of deaths amongst the military, police and security forces".

"How were they killed?" Assad said, "Were they killed during a peaceful demonstration? Were they killed by someone shouting? No they were killed by shooting. So we are dealing with armed men."

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42360309/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Hybrid Air Vehicles Make Gains On Traditional Airplanes

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Hybrid Air Vehicles Make Gains On Traditional Airplanes
Seventy-four years after the zeppelin, another gas giant arises.Hybrid Air Vehicles' new aircraft is not technically a blimp. Nor is it a zeppelin, a craft that saw its end with the Hindenburg explosion in 1937 (and a rebirth, of sorts, in the proto-heavy-metal band's name).

Source: FastCompany
Posted on: Friday, Oct 28, 2011, 7:28am
Views: 68

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/114738/Hybrid_Air_Vehicles_Make_Gains_On_Traditional_Airplanes

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Video: Healthy meals with a Jamaican twist!

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45077669#45077669

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What every cancer patient wants, according to Lance Armstrong ...

Lance Armstrong has brought attention to cancer through the ubiquitous Livestrong yellow wristbands. But at the same time, his story leaves the ?Lance Armstrong effect,? the impression that cancer can be easily defeated and every patient can spring out of bed to achieve great feats much as the seven-time Tour de France winner has.

Dr. David Agus, a cancer expert from University of Southern California, asked Armstrong Wednesday night at TEDMED whether he felt any pressure of being the model of all things going right in cancer treatment.

?It doesn?t go right,? said Armstrong. He responded that every minute, a person in the United States dies from cancer.

And when he meets people living with cancer, the testicular cancer survivor doesn?t dispense advice.

?I don?t say anything,? Armstrong said about when he meets cancer patients.? ?They don?t expect Vince Lombardi to come in and give tips.?

Here is what every cancer patient wants, according to Armstrong.

?They want to be heard,? he said.? ?They want me to sit there, look at them in the eye and feel their story.?

Source: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/27/what-every-cancer-patient-wants-according-to-lance-armstrong/

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Go Vacation Review (Digital Trends)

The Wii has no shortage of mini-games. You could even go so far as to say it has more than its fair share. Four of the five best-selling Wii titles are filled with mini-games, and the only exception is Mario Kart, which isn?t a mini-game, but it is filled with short bursts of gameplay rather than anything with a story-driven campaign. So there is obviously a market for it, and Namco Bandai?is well aware of that.

With the Wii in its twilight, we will probably see more games like this ? ones that try to squeeze every ounce of the Wii?s fanbase that it can. The genres that already have a proven track record will come fast and furious, while the more experimental games will likely be pushed to the Wii U. There will be exceptions to that rule, but Go Vacation is not one of them.

Instead, Go Vacation is a massive collection of mini-games. You could call it a clone of Wii Sports Resort, and it is to a degree, but the same can be said of almost every military-themed first-person shooter on the 360 and PS3. Go Vacation isn?t the most groundbreakingly original game, but it does several things well.

The game takes place on a series of vacation-themed resorts on Kawawii Island, each with their own mini-games, and each with their own environment, including: marine, city, mountain and snow-themed locations. There are 50 in total, and each game has multiple challenges within. These challenges range from everything from jet ski races, to air hockey and sky diving, and each of these games can be played with up to four players. ?The island is also laid out with an open-world feel, so you can walk, drive or ride from activity to activity.?

None of the games are particularly difficult, and they range in quality and enjoyment as you might expect with so many choices. By ?ranging,? I mean some are good and some are really bad. There is a lot of variety, and some of it will also just be a matter of taste, yet there are a few of the games that simply don?t work that well. It is great that the games aren?t all just various models of the same thing and they mostly feel unique, with a few?forgivable?exceptions, but some are little more than hitting a button at the right time. But there is always something to do that you can enjoy, especially with a group of friends. Some are in-depth like ATV races and require you to move and plan, while others like volleyball boil down to timing and moving the controller at the right moment. These can be simple to the point of being dull. When the games are good, they are fun, when they are not, they are tedious and?occasionally?frustrating.

Go Vacation?is a simple game, and that is never?more?in evident than with the AI. It follows patterns more than it actually competes. This is never clearer than in races, when you may be ahead and an AI opponent will slam into you ? not because they want to wreck you, but because they are going in a straight line and you happened to get in their way.?Travelling around the open world is fun for a bit, especially when you are on a vehicle, but the huge variety of NPCs end up being little more than rocks. You can run into them at full speed and it is about the same as running into a wall. They are background to make the island seem alive, which is fine, but also unnecessary and a golden opportunity missed. It ends up feeling like the island is unnecessary and gives the game a hollow feel, like it is mostly show and no substance.

While on the island, there are a few things to explore for like new outfits, plus there are a handful of mini-games that aren???t part of the guided tour, but the island really isn???t used to much effect. The loading screens are also frequent, but are generally short. After a few times seeing them though, you will probably get a bit tired of them.

Go Vacation?also manages to utilize pretty much every Wii peripheral made, including the Motion Plus controller, the zapper and the balance board. ?You don?t need them, but if you are looking for an excuse to use those items, you finally have another chance. ?

Conclusion

Go Vacation is best when played as a multiplayer title for players of all ages. The best thing about the mini-games is the variety. The actual gameplay is somewhat simplistic, but the variety keeps the games feeling fresh, plus that makes it great for families and party goers. It probably won?t be enough of a draw for hardcore gamers, though. The single-player mode may appeal to kids, but the lack of substance in the island and AI makes playing alone quite alienating.

Go Vacation isn?t quite at the same level that its ?cousin??Wii Sports Resort is at, but it?does have a lot to offer to people who like the mini-game concept.?If you are looking for a new game to play at a party or with friends, than the wide variety of activities should appeal to you. In general,?Go Vacation?feels a bit underdeveloped, but there are still a lot of things to like.

?

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

More from Digital Trends

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20111028/tc_digitaltrends/govacationreview

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Consumer sentiment picks up in late October: survey (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? U.S. consumer sentiment improved in October for the second month in a row as consumers felt more upbeat about the economy's prospects, a survey released on Friday showed.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on consumer sentiment overcame the weakness reported in the preliminary survey at the beginning of the month, though consumers' personal finance expectations remained gloomy.

The sentiment index picked up to 60.9 from 59.4 the month before, topping expectations for 58.0 among economists polled by Reuters. The preliminary October survey had seen a decline to 57.5.

The survey's gauge of consumer expectations also improved from the more than 30-year lows registered in the preliminary reading. The index rose to 51.8 from 49.4 in September, while the barometer of current economic conditions was up at 75.1 from 74.9.

A gauge of current personal finances edged up to 77 from 76, but expected personal finances eased to 103 from 104.

"Overall, it is still likely that real consumer expenditures will not be strong enough during the year ahead to enable the more robust economic growth that is needed to offset the negative grip of income and job stagnation on consumers' spending behavior," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement.

The one-year inflation expectation eased to 3.2 percent from 3.3 percent, and the survey's five-to-10-year inflation outlook also declined to 2.7 percent from 2.9 percent.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111028/bs_nm/us_usa_economy_sentiment

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Clinical Trial Shows First Evidence That Anal Cancer Is Preventable ...

Source:
Jason Bardi
jason.bardi@ucsf.edu
415-502-6397

October 27, 2011

A large, international clinical trial led by doctors at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) indicates that a vaccine to prevent anal cancer is safe and effective, according to a study reported in the Oct. 27, 2011 issue of New England Journal of Medicine.

Though anal cancer is less common than other forms of the disease in the United States, the number of cases has increased in recent years, and is particularly common among men who have sex with men and HIV-infected individuals.?

Anal cancer is caused by infection with human papilloma virus (HPV), the most common sexually-transmitted pathogen in the United States. The virus also causes cervical cancer in women, and the vaccine is already approved and routinely recommended to prevent this condition. The new clinical trial suggests that the same vaccine would also protect men, and likely women, against anal cancer.

In the 1990?s, UCSF established the Anal Neoplasia Clinic at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, the world?s first clinic devoted to promoting research, awareness, screening and prevention of anal cancer. UCSF professor Joel Palefsky, MD, FRCPC, who founded and directs the clinic, led the clinical trial, and has recently founded a new professional society devoted to the study of the disease.

"Almost six thousand people every year in this country are diagnosed with anal cancer, and more than 700 people die from the disease," said Palefsky. "What this trial showed is that those cancers and deaths could be prevented."

The trial involved a group of 602 men who have sex with men from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Spain and the United States all of whom had at least one, but no more than five, sexual encounters and who were between the ages of 16-26 years. All were randomized into groups that either received a placebo or a three-shot injection of the vaccine Gardasil, which protects against HPV 16 and 18, the most common HPV types involved in anal cancer, and HPV 6 and 11, the most common types in anogenital warts. The patients were enrolled in the trial from 2006-2008, and they were followed for three years after their last shot.

As described in the paper, the vaccine proved effective at reducing anal infections with HPV and precancerous lesions known as high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia, which are anal cancer precursors. The trial showed that the vaccine reduced the incidence of these cancer precursors by nearly 75 percent among those who had not been previously exposed to any of the HPV types in the vaccine. Among those who were previously exposed to one or more of the types in the vaccine, the vaccine reduced the incidence of the precancerous lesions by 54 percent.

"Based on these data, the vaccine works well to prevent HPV infection and precancerous anal disease, and will likely prevent anal cancer in men," said Palefsky. ?The ideal time to begin vaccination would be before initiation of sexual activity, but vaccination may also be useful after initiation of sexual activity.?

An earlier study led by Palefsky?s coauthor Anna Guiliano at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, FL showed that the HPV vaccine effectively protects both heterosexual men and men who have sex with men against external genital warts.? The new study adds to the body of evidence supporting routine HPV vaccination of young males, said Palefsky.?

This week, a group known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is convened by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, met in Washington, D.C. to consider how it recommends HPV vaccine for men.

On Tuesday, the ACIP group voted to change their policy on the vaccine, which they previously "recommended," which means that it was approved and available to people if they want it. Individuals could order it, but it would have been up to insurance companies if they wanted to reimburse for the vaccine or not.

After weighing the clinical evidence, including the data presented in the New England Journal of Medicine paper this week, ACIP voted to make HPV vaccinations "routine" for boys up to the age of 21 years.

The study was funded by Merck and Co.

The article, "HPV Vaccine against Anal HPV Infection and Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia" by Joel M. Palefsky, Anna R. Giuliano, Stephen Goldstone, Edson D. Moreira, Jr., Carlos Aranda, Heiko Jessen, Richard Hillman, Daron Ferris, Francois Coutlee, Mark H. Stoler, J. Brooke Marshall, David Radley, Scott Vuocolo, Richard M. Haupt, Dalya Guris, and Elizabeth I.O. Garner appears in the Oct. 27, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In addition to UCSF, authors on the study are affiliated with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, FL; Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York; Associac?a?o Obras Sociais Irma? Dulce and Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Bahia, Brazil; the University Medical Center, National Public Health Institute, Morelos, Mexico; J2: Private Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Berlin Germany; the University of Sydney in Australia; the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia; the Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l?Universite? de Montre?al, in Montreal, Canada; the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA; and Merck, located in North Wales, PA.

UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.

Source: http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/10/10844/clinical-trial-shows-first-evidence-anal-cancer-preventable

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