Wednesday, October 31, 2012

IMF delegation in Egypt for talks on crucial loan

CAIRO (AP) ? A delegation from the International Monetary Fund is back in Egypt for critical negotiations over a $4.8 billion loan to help bolster the country's ailing economy, a presidential spokesman said Tuesday.

It is not yet clear when the formal talks will begin. The delegation is expected to be in Egypt for a couple of weeks to discuss an economic reform program that the fund's officials have been seeking as a prerequisite before granting the loan.

The prospective loan has set off debate over what remains a largely unknown government reform program.

President Mohammed Morsi met Tuesday with his economic team, including the prime minister and the central bank governor, to discuss talks with the IMF, said Yasser Ali, a spokesman for the Egyptian president.

Egypt's economy plummeted following last year's uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. Growth rates dropped in the wake of the revolt, foreign reserves were cut nearly in half over the past 18 months, as tourism revenues and foreign investment shrank.

Government officials say the deficit for the last fiscal year that ended this summer reached nearly 11 percent of the GDP, at $22 billion. According to the Finance Ministry, the deficit for the first three months of this fiscal year is already nearly 23 percent higher than the same time last year, indicating that government estimates aimed at reducing the deficit to 7.6 percent of the GDP this year may be unrealistic.

IMF officials said the talks over Egypt's reform program would focus on measures to reduce the budget deficit without negatively impacting growth rates. But officials say such a program must address huge energy subsidies, which account for nearly half of state subsidies and which, in turn, consume over 27 percent of the state budget.

However, reducing subsidies is an explosive issue in a country where more than 40 percent of the country's 83 million live on less than $2 dollars a day.

There has been criticism of the government's plan to borrow from the IMF, though few other options have been suggested. Egyptian officials hope the loan would raise investor confidence and open other avenues for financing from international donors. A deal is expected before the end of the year.

Initial talks over the loan stalled earlier this year because of differences between the then-ruling military and Egypt's political leaders. The Islamist-led parliament opposed a deal, saying that a transitional government should not sign an agreement worth with billions of dollars because it would place a burden on the future government.

Salma Hussein, an economics writer, said with Egypt's parliament dissolved, there is no way for the public or their representatives to follow the negotiations or vote on the loan.

She said the government has yet to publish or announce its economic program to the public.

"We started the other way around. We said we will borrow, and then are devising a program to deal with our problems," she said. "No states with large economies and huge debts would go down the road of foreign borrowing."

Earlier this month, Morsi promised to overhaul the decades-old subsidies program and reiterated his pledge to abide by Islamic banking laws and not agree to pay interest on the loan, telling a cheering crowd that "we'll go hungry before we eat off interest."

In an interview in the daily al-Watan newspaper on Sunday, Finance Minister Mumtaz el-Said said the reform plan will restructure energy subsidies and introduce some changes to taxes, particularly on luxury goods. He didn't elaborate.

Masood Ahmed, IMF's director of the Middle East and Central Asia, recently said he expected the Egyptian program to address fiscal and external imbalances, while laying the foundation for growth and generating new jobs.

The IMF will look to see if the Egyptian proposal can reduce the deficit "in a way that does not adversely affect vulnerable households and poorer people" or negatively impact growth, Ahmed said.

Also Tuesday, an Egypt administrative court declared Centamin's concession agreement to extract gold from Egypt's Sukari mine void. The case is the latest incident of court rulings challenging contracts signed during the time of former President Hosni Mubarak. The rulings could fuel concerns among foreign investors.

The court said the agreement's terms were unfavorable to the government, which got $19 million of the $875 million worth of gold extracted and sold.

Centamin said in a statement that the court has no jurisdiction over the concession, which it said remains in force. It said it had received no written judgment.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/imf-delegation-egypt-talks-crucial-loan-164553967--finance.html

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World stocks up slightly despite US superstorm

BANGKOK (AP) ? World stock markets treaded upward Tuesday, but trading was largely subdued after a massive storm slammed into New York and forced a drenched and darkened Wall Street to suspend operations for a second day.

Stocks in Europe rebounded amid the release of a flurry of corporate earnings. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.6 percent to 5,827.26. Germany's DAX rose 0.9 percent to 7,265.81 and France's CAC-40 rose 0.8 percent to 3,435.59.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo fell 1 percent to close at 8,841.98 after the Bank of Japan announced it was expanding a bond-buying program to help spur growth. Some analysts said they were disappointed by the small size of the program.

The announcement followed a report showing Japan's industrial output contracted by 4.1 percent in September from August and 8.1 percent from a year earlier.

Japan's economy has been hobbled by weakness in its turbocharged export sector, which has been hit hard by a slowdown in demand from recession-mired Europe and a persistently strong yen, which makes Japanese products more expensive for overseas buyers.

South Korea's Kospi index rose 0.4 percent to 1,899.58. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2 percent to 4,485.70. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.4 percent to 21,428.58. Benchmarks in mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia also rose.

Among individual stocks, Virgin Australia Holdings jumped 5.4 percent after announcing it had bought a 60 percent stake in domestic rival Tiger Airways Australia and had made a takeover offer for regional carrier Skywest Airlines.

Japan's Sharp Corp. surged 6.2 percent after Kyodo news agency said the struggling electronics maker was in talks with Apple, Google and Microsoft to form a business alliance.

The New York Stock Exchange was shut down on Monday and will remain closed at least through Tuesday as a once-in-a-century storm barreled through the northeastern U.S. The last time trading was halted for two consecutive days because of weather was in 1888.

The uncertainty generated by the storm comes at the start of a big week in the United States. This is the last full week before the Nov. 6 presidential election and culminates Friday with the release of October's employment report, which many analysts think could have an impact on the vote.

In Asia, traders are also waiting for China's once-in-a-decade National Party Congress on Nov. 8, which will usher in a new crop of party leaders.

"Ahead of that, I don't see the market breaking out on the upside or downside," said Jackson Wong, vice president of Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong.

Originally, the NYSE had planned to close just its exchange floor and allow traders to buy and sell stock electronically. Then it decided to shut down electronic trading, too. The NYSE said it was worried about putting staff that were needed to help run the electronic trading in danger.

Benchmark oil for December delivery rose 20 cents $85.73 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The Nymex was closed Monday because of the storm and evacuation in New York, but electronic trading continued.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.2939 from $1.2904 late Monday in New York. The dollar fell to 79.42 yen from 79.82 yen.

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-stocks-slightly-despite-us-superstorm-091939750--finance.html

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Cuomo: New York Homeowners Should Not Have To Pay Hurricane Deductibles

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday afternoon that New York homeowners affected by Hurricane Sandy should not be subject to hurricane deductibles -- potentially large sums of money homeowners often must pay before hurricane insurance kicks in.

?Homeowners should not have to pay hurricane deductibles for damage caused by the storm and insurers should understand the Department of Financial Services will be monitoring how claims are handled,? Cuomo said, according to a statement.

While most home insurance deductibles are flat fees of around $500 to $1,000, hurricane deductibles generally demand homeowners to pay anywhere from 1 to 5 percent of the property's value up front. New York is one of 18 states that permit insurance companies to charge hurricane deductibles.

According to the governor's statement, hurricane deductibles should not be triggered because Sandy did not sustain hurricane-force winds when it hit New York.

You can read the governor's full statement here.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/cuomo-hurricane-deductibles_n_2051940.html

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Former Christian Civic League head ... - Bangor Daily News

AUGUSTA, Maine ? Question 1, the referendum to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine, represents the latest salvo in a national assault on the rights of people who oppose a ?gay agenda,? three longtime opponents of gay rights told a sympathetic audience of about 35 people Monday morning at the State House.

The media, in part, provides the ammunition for those salvos, they argued.

Peter LaBarbera of Illinois-based Americans for Truth about Homosexuality joined Paul Madore and Michael Heath, two veteran opponents of gay rights in Maine and co-chairmen of the No Special Rights PAC, in the Hall of Flags to present what they believe to be the real stakes in the same-sex marriage debate.

As silent men stood to either side of the podium holding banners proclaiming ?God?s marriage = 1 man and 1 woman? and ?Stop Promoting Homosexuality to Children,? the trio lambasted the media, government and even some Mainers working to defeat Question 1 for failing to deliver the message that homosexuality is, in Heath?s words, ?intrinsically harmful and evil.?

?The truth about the homosexual rights movement is hidden,? said Heath, who served as executive director of the Maine Christian Civic League from the mid-1990s until he resigned in 2009. ?The pro-family movement hides this fact for the fear of being labeled bigots.?

In a phone interview Monday, the Rev. Bob Emrich of Protect Marriage Maine said that his organization, which is leading the campaign against Question 1, has not conversed with Madore and Heath about this year?s referendum. He said his organization?s sole focus is on whether Maine will redefine marriage.

?They have no way of knowing what our motive is,? Emrich said of Madore and Heath. ?We are not hiding from anything. We are simply trying to convince voters to vote against Question 1. The issue is about marriage. ? This is about what we?re voting on.?

Madore, who has been an outspoken opponent of gay rights and same-sex marriage initiatives in Maine since the early 1990s, told the crowd, which included a contingent of suit-clad men from the Pennsylvania-based American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, that if Question 1 passes, ?you give up your rights to free association.?

Citing an Oct. 12 BDN report in which pollster Patrick Murphy of Pan Atlantic SMS raised concerns about contradictory answers to questions about Question 1, Madore accused the media, the courts, universities and pollsters of being complicit in allowing a ?pro-homosexual lobby? to influence public opinion.

?The media has a double standard the size of a dump truck,? said LaBarbera, who came to Maine from Illinois and served alone as the rally?s guest speaker after a Massachusetts man could not travel to Augusta because of Monday?s storm. ?The media has the gay activists? back. ? If there was a fair media, 75 percent to 80 percent of American society would be opposed to the gay agenda.?

As evidence, LaBarbera cited an October 2011 incident in which two bricks were thrown through glass doors at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, Ill., allegedly to protest an appearance by Scott Lively, an outspoken opponent of gay rights. LaBarbera criticized the media?s lack of coverage of what he labeled an act of terrorism.

LaBarbera and Madore also equated what they believe to be media shortfalls in sharing their perspectives on the ?gay agenda? to the delay in reporting details of a Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Suggesting that listing gay rights as ?civil rights? does a disservice to Martin Luther King Jr., LaBarbera predicted that if Question 1 passes, ?Christians and people who have moral opposition to homosexuality will lose their rights.?

In closing remarks, Madore reiterated LaBarbera?s rejection of the notion that gay rights should be considered civil rights. ?Gay marriage is not a civil right,? he said. Instead, he argued, it?s a way to use the legal system to indoctrinate young people.

LaBarbera and Madore also shared their beliefs that the ?pro-homosexual lobby? has a ?devious? and ?cunning? incremental agenda that starts with laws against hate crimes, then moves to anti-discrimination laws based on sexual orientation and eventually same-sex marriage.

David Farmer, communications director for Mainers United for Marriage, which is leading the campaign for passage of Question 1, rebuffed that criticism, saying that Madore and Heath ?are good at saying outrageous things,? but that their ?rhetoric is marginalized by their allies.? Farmer emphasized that passage of Question 1 would not require any religious institution or clergy person to perform a marriage with which he or she disagrees.

?Our campaign has had more than 250,000 conversations where people are talking to their friends, neighbors and co-workers about why marriage matters to them and why same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. While not everyone agrees, the overwhelming majority have been civil,? Farmer said.

Question 1 is the second statewide vote on same-sex marriage in three years, following a 2009 people?s veto that overturned the Legislature?s passage of legalized same-sex marriage earlier that year. Madore expressed frustration about revisiting the issue so soon after the people?s veto.

?What we need in Maine is a marriage amendment,? he said to cheers Monday.

In a financial disclosure statement filed Friday to the Maine Ethics Commission, the No Special Rights PAC reported receiving $1,652 and spent $1,001 to oppose Question 1.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/10/29/politics/former-christian-civic-league-head-homosexuality-intrinsically-harmful-and-evil/

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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Sandy Speeds Up, Risk of Deadly Winds Increases Onshore

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Full Moon 'Fright Night': Watch the Hunter's Moon Live Online Tonight

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Monday, October 29, 2012

Obama cancels stops in Virginia, Colorado because of storm

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Sunday Night Time-Lapse: Helvetia's Dream (Little green footballs)

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Your small business Technique: The difference Involving Failure ...

Your small business Technique: The difference Involving Failure And Accomplishment
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Source: http://pdfcast.org/pdf/your-small-business-technique-the-difference-involving-failure-and-accomplishment

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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Sandy weakens to tropical storm but still serious

Sandy weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm Saturday, but weather forecasters still warned of "widespread impacts" into early next week.

States of emergency have been declared from North Carolina to New York as Sandy makes its way north after killing 41 people in the Caribbean.

A voluntary evacuation order was issued Friday afternoon for Cape May County, New Jersey, and it was expected to become a mandatory order for the county's barrier islands Sunday, the county emergency office said, NBCNewYork.com reported. Long Beach Island issued a similar voluntary order.

In a public advisory notice issued at 5 a.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said the storm's maximum sustained winds had fallen from 75 mph to 70 mph, but added "some restrengthening" was possible Sunday night.

It was about 350 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and was moving at about 10 mph on a north-northeast course.

The NHC said that while Sandy had weakened, it was "expected to remain a large storm with widespread impacts into early next week."

"Tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the tropical storm warning area in the Carolinas by this evening ... and spread northward tonight and Sunday," the notice said.

People in the Northeast have been warned to prepare for flooding, high winds, widespread power outages and even snow.

"It will be unpredictable until the last minute," Jim Cisco, a forecaster at the National Weather Service's prediction office, told NBC News Friday. "That really is the truth of the situation ... we're not sure how it's going to behave."

That's because Sandy will be making a hard west turn from the Atlantic, a rare occurrence. "It's coming in at a sharper angle" than previous storms because cold air moving in from the Northern Plains is undercutting Sandy's circulation, Cisco added.

On top of that, a new lunar cycle will bring high tides Sunday, Monday and Tuesday -- adding to the storm surge from Sandy.

Here's a look at what some of those effects might be:

Storm surge: The NHC said in its latest notice that the combination of "a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters."

The water could reach the following depths above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide, the NHC warned:

  • Bahamas within the warning area: 3 to 5 ft
  • Florida coast within warning area: 1 to 3 ft
  • North Carolina within the warning area: 3 to 5 ft
  • Remainder of N. Carolina and southeast Virginia including lower Chesapeake Bay: 2 to 4 ft

High winds: Tropical storm conditions are expected to continue along the east coast of Florida Saturday. Tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach parts of the Carolinas by Saturday evening and spread northward during the night and Sunday, the NHC notice said.

Heavy snow:??Parts of West Virginia and the Appalachian corridor are likely to see more than a foot and possibly up two two feet, Louis Uccellini, director of the National Centers for Environmental Protection, told reporters.

Rainfall: "Rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches are expected over portions of the central mid-Atlantic states...including the Delmarva Peninsula...with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches possible," the NHC notice warned.

Video: Carolinas, East Coast on watch for Hurricane Sandy

Although Sandy is not forecast to be as strong as other recent storms to hit the Northeast -- such as Hurricane Irene in August 2011, which left $4 billion in damage -- it holds the potential to cause significant damage because it will be moving slowly.

Some experts predict at least $1 billion in damage in the United States.

BreakingNews.com's coverage of Sandy
Story: Tips on preparing for Sandy
Story: Busy Atlantic storm season tied to lack of El Nino
Story: Sandy could mean travel trouble

"It's almost a weeklong, five-day, six-day event," Cisco said. "It's going to be a widespread serious storm."

Sandy could even weaken to below tropical storm status but "that doesn't matter much with respect to impacts," Uccellini said.

Caribbean deaths, damage
Sandy exited the Bahamas on Friday, having weakend from a Category 2 to a Category 1 hurricane overnight.

The number of deaths blamed on Sandy's torrential rains and heavy winds in the Caribbean was put at 41.

Haiti: Sandy triggered flash floods and landslides that killed 26. The dead included a family of five in Grand-Goave, west of the capital Port-au-Prince, killed in a landslide that destroyed their home, authorities said.

Slideshow: Sandy barrels through the Caribbean (on this page)

Cuba: 11 deaths were reported, among them a 4-month-old baby, NBC News' Mary Murray reported from Havana. Most were killed by falling trees or in building collapses in Santiago de Cuba province and neighboring Guantanamo province. Hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged.

Dominican Republic: Two deaths were reported but details were not available.

Bahamas: A death was reported and some islands saw extensive damage. "It was way stronger than we expected," said Joel Friese, general manager of the Stella Maris Resort on Long Island. "There are lots of downed trees and partial to heavy roof damage on some of the buildings." Several islands also saw power outages.

Jamaica: A man was crushed by a boulder and many areas were flooded or saw wind damage on the eastern side of the island.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49577692/ns/weather/

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Storm already having effect on sports world

MIAMI (AP) ? The megastorm expected to create massive problems along the Eastern Seaboard over the coming days is already affecting sports.

Weather concerns prompted former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to postpone a scheduled Tuesday appeals hearing that he was to oversee in the New Orleans Saints' bounty-related case, with no new date immediately announced.

And the Boston Celtics will make their first road trip of the NBA season a day earlier than planned, choosing to fly into Miami on Sunday instead of Monday in an effort to beat the storm.

High school events along the East coast ? from Florida to North Carolina, New Jersey to Massachusetts ? also have been either rescheduled or postponed because of the storm, which was blamed for more than 40 deaths in the Caribbean before it began churning north. In Florida, several college soccer matches in recent days were affected, as were some elements of the Miami Heat weeklong celebration that ends with Tuesday's start of the NBA season.

Even gambling will feel a hit: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ordered that Atlantic City's 12 casinos be evacuated Sunday afternoon.

"We have to be prepared for the worst," Christie said.

Tagliabue is expected to announce a new date for the Saints' hearing in the coming days. Meanwhile, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is monitoring the storm's path, but did not anticipate a need for any changes to this weekend's schedule.

Philadelphia is also expected to get hit by the storm, though the 76ers do not expect their Wednesday opener at home against Denver to be adversely affected.

"I am told that even with a very bad storm, the game will go on schedule," Adam Aron, the 76ers' CEO, wrote in response to a question he received on Twitter.

Forecasters expect the worst of the storm to affect a huge swath of the East on Monday and Tuesday. Up to 2 feet of snow is predicted for West Virginia, a flood watch was in effect for New York, and experts said power outages could be possible from Virginia to Maine.

So instead of flying into the mess, the Celtics are seeking better weather before the worst of the storm hits.

They'll fly to Miami on Sunday evening, then practice at AmericanAirlines Arena on Monday ? the last workout before their meeting with the champion Heat on Tuesday night, in a rematch of last season's epic Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics' original travel plan called for a Monday arrival in Miami.

The first game of the NBA regular season might also be affected. Washington and Cleveland tip the season off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday ? about an hour before Boston-Miami will get going ? and the Wizards also were keeping a close eye on the storm's path. As of Saturday afternoon, the Wizards had no plans to alter their travel schedule.

USA Luge also decided to postpone a planned fundraiser in New York, which was scheduled for Monday night. Federation officials, who were planning to travel from their base in Lake Placid, N.Y., for the event, said they were heeding "the recommendations of state and emergency officials" and will push the fundraiser back until sometime in mid-December.

"Hurricane Sandy has dictated that we stay home," USA Luge spokesman Sandy Caligiore said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/storm-already-having-effect-sports-world-013949115--spt.html

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Mechanism found for destruction of key allergy-inducing complexes, researchers say

ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2012) ? Researchers have learned how a synthetic molecule destroys complexes that induce allergic responses -- a discovery that could lead to the development of highly potent, rapidly acting interventions for a host of acute allergic reactions.

The study, published online Oct. 28 in Nature, was led by scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of Bern, Switzerland.

The new inhibitor disarms IgE antibodies, pivotal players in acute allergies, by detaching the antibody from its partner in crime, a molecule called FcR. (Other mechanisms lead to slower-developing allergic reactions.)

"It would be an incredible intervention if you could rapidly disconnect IgE antibodies in the midst of an acute allergic response," said Ted Jardetzky, PhD, professor of structural biology and senior investigator for the study. It turns out the inhibitor used by the team does just that.

A myriad of allergens, ranging from ragweed pollen to bee venom to peanuts, can set off IgE antibodies, resulting in allergic reactions within seconds. The new inhibitor destroys the complex that tethers IgE to the cells responsible for the reaction, called mast cells. Severing this connection would be the holy grail of IgE-targeted allergy treatment.

The first time a potential allergen enters the body, some people respond by making allergen-specific IgE antibodies. These antibodies stick around long after the initial allergen is cleared from the body. Most of the antibodies get snagged by IgE-specific receptors called FcRs, which are exposed on the surface of mast cells. The mast cells are then primed to react the next time a person encounters the allergen.

Dissociation of this IgE-FcR interaction is a sought-after goal of allergy treatment for a good reason: IgE-coated mast cells are grenades of histamine, and re-encountering the allergen is equivalent to pulling out the clip. When an allergen makes a return visit, it binds to the pre-loaded IgE on the mast cell surface, triggering the release of inflammatory mediators -- including histamine -- that promote the allergic response. As allergy sufferers are well aware, these nasty reactions can occur within a matter of seconds. In a severe allergic response, sudden anaphylactic shock and death can be the result.

The key to actively disabling the allergic response lies in the separation of IgE from the FcRs on the surface of mast cells. But separating these dangerous couples is a tall order because their interaction is extremely stable -- sensitizing the mast cells for weeks. Currently available treatment using omalizumab (an anti-IgE antibody sold under the trade name Xolair) can block new interactions between IgE and FcR, but it is not designed to pry the molecules apart once they've formed a bond on the surface of a mast cell. So Xolair can dampen the allergic response, but as stated on the product's website: "Xolair is not a rescue medicine and should not be used to treat sudden asthma attacks."

While simply blocking IgE binding is helpful for some allergy sufferers, when it comes to the rapid quenching of an acute allergic response, "what you'd really like to do is get rid of it," said Jardetzky. Along with scientists at the University of Bern, his team discovered that an engineered protein inhibitor called DARPin E2-79 stripped IgE from the mast cell receptor. Using this inhibitor, "an interaction that normally lasts for hours or days in terms of its stability is stripped off in a matter of seconds," said Jardetzky.

DARPin E2-79 is one of a family of engineered inhibitors containing protein-binding regions called ankryin repeats. While Jardetzky's group was using structural biology and biophysical approaches to probe the weak spots in the IgE-FcR interaction, scientists at the University of Bern were tinkering with DARPins that dampened IgE's disastrous effects. The collaboration of the two groups resulted in the characterization of DARPin E2-79, an inhibitor that goes beyond mere blockade to actively disassemble the IgE-FcR power couple.

Jardetzky's group solved E2-79'S structure and used this information to model its interaction with the IgE-FcR pair. Then, using sensitive biochemical techniques that detect step-by-step binding interactions between molecules, the teams were able to tease out the mechanism that the inhibitor uses to break the IgE-FcR bond.

The researchers found that E2-79 hastens the separation of the two molecules by taking advantage of a moment of weakness in the relationship between IgE and FcR. IgE maintains its interaction with FcR using two contact points, and occasionally one of these points releases while the other one keeps the pair together. Normally this brief looseness isn't enough to separate the couple, but E2-79 can swoop into the small space between them, effectively driving the couple apart.

While E2-79 is the first molecule to display these IgE stripping characteristics, Jardetzky hopes that this work will stimulate the discovery of smaller compounds capable of working even more efficiently. Drug developers generally expect large macromolecules like E2-79 to be less potent than small molecule inhibitors and unlikely to be able to disrupt complexes, so the fact that E2-79 worked so well was a surprise. Small molecules are more amenable to oral administration, and are easier and cheaper to manufacture than large macromolecules. "Now we're in the hunt for a small molecule that could have this kind of activity. That would be the real hit," said Jardetzky.

The discovery of E2-79's mechanism of IgE inhibition could lead to rapid discoveries from other labs as well. Now that scientists know what mechanism to look for, they may be inspired to dig back through freezers full of IgE inhibitors that were identified years ago, said Jardetzky. In the light of techniques described in this study, perhaps once-neglected inhibitors will show new promise in the treatment of allergic disease.

The study's primary authorship was shared between Beomkyu Kim, PhD, a Stanford graduate student, and Alexander Eggel, PhD, at the University of Bern. The other Stanford co-author is research assistant Svetlana Tarchevskaya.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Asthma Foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford University Medical Center. The original article was written by Jessica Shugart.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Beomkyu Kim, Alexander Eggel, Svetlana S. Tarchevskaya, Monique Vogel, Heino Prinz, Theodore S. Jardetzky. Accelerated disassembly of IgE?receptor complexes by a disruptive macromolecular inhibitor. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature11546

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/SyVXKhtXvlw/121028142316.htm

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Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Friend Effect ? The Husky Headline

By: Meilan Solly


Have you ever talked about a friend behind their back? Can anyone honestly say they haven?t? Saying bad things about your best friends when they?re not there isn?t exactly one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but it is a definite step towards becoming a toxic friend. According to three freshmen ? Emilly Grueso, Jordan Stinger, and Taylor Hover ? toxic friends are backstabbers. They tell other people?s secrets, and they?re ?two-faced and judgmental.? ?Liam Marshall-Brown, a senior, defines a toxic friend as ?someone you think you can trust who goes behind your back.?

According to a Today.com article entitled ?Toxic Friends? 8 in 10 people endure poisonous pals,? 84% of women and 75% of men have had toxic friends. This idea is supported by Stinger, who says, ?Most friendships are [toxic].? Various types of bad friends include the ?narcissist,? who is self-obsessed; the ?chronic downer,? who?s always depressing; and the ?underminer,? who treats other people?s problems or accomplishments like they?re nothing. Friends who possess these characteristics negatively impact relationships because, according to Psychology Today, ?they take and you give, [and] they consistently disappoint you.?

The difference between toxic friendships in men and women might seem small if one looks at statistics, but Mark Armstrong, a junior, says, ?Guys? friendships are about sports and similar activities, whereas girls? friendships are more about feelings.? David Frederick, a professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii, expands on the idea, explaining that ?women?s friendships tend to be more about intimacy?the downside is that leaves them more open to attack.?

If toxic friendships are so very horrible, why do people continue them? Friends are, according to Marshall-Brown, people ?you can trust and enjoy being around,? and toxic friends obviously don?t fit those requirements. However, according to Today.com, 83% of people stay in toxic relationships simply because it?s hard to end a friendship. ?Grueso adds that ?even if [a friendship] is toxic, [people] still think they?re friends.? Stinger says that if your toxic friend also happens to be your best friend, ending the relationship can leave you friendless.

Toxic friends have been around for a long time, and it?s likely they?re here to stay, especially with technology keeping everyone connected 24/7. This doesn?t mean, though, that once you?re in a toxic relationship you?re stuck. ?Talk it out first, and if it doesn?t work then stop being friends,? Stinger advises. Another way of handling a toxic friendship is best explained by journalist David Hochman, who says, ?I stopped focusing on the toxic part of the relationship and started focusing on what?s good. Now we just play tennis together and it?s working.?

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Source: http://thehuskyheadline.com/2012/10/27/the-friend-effect/

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'Chasing Mavericks' Star Jonny Weston Says Film Required 'Insanity'

Weston talks to MTV News about portraying real-life surf legend Jay Moriarty in the film opening Friday.
By Jocelyn Vena


Gerard Butler and Jonny Weston in "Chasing Mavericks"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696251/chasing-mavericks-jonny-weston.jhtml

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New study brings a doubted exoplanet 'back from the dead'

Saturday, October 27, 2012

A second look at data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is reanimating the claim that the nearby star Fomalhaut hosts a massive exoplanet. The study suggests that the planet, named Fomalhaut b, is a rare and possibly unique object that is completely shrouded by dust.

"Although our results seriously challenge the original discovery paper, they do so in a way that actually makes the object's interpretation much cleaner and leaves intact the core conclusion, that Fomalhaut b is indeed a massive planet," said Thayne Currie, an astronomer formerly at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and now at the University of Toronto.

The discovery study reported that Fomalhaut b's brightness varied by about a factor of two and cited this as evidence that the planet was accreting gas. Follow-up studies then interpreted this variability as evidence that the object actually was a transient dust cloud instead.

In the new study, Currie and his team reanalyzed Hubble observations of the star from 2004 and 2006. They easily recovered the planet in observations taken at visible wavelengths near 600 and 800 nanometers, and made a new detection in violet light near 400 nanometers. In contrast to the earlier research, the team found that the planet remained at constant brightness.

The team attempted to detect Fomalhaut b in the infrared using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, but was unable to do so. The non-detections with Subaru and Spitzer imply that Fomalhaut b must have less than twice the mass of Jupiter.

Another contentious issue has been the object's orbit. If Fomalhaut b is responsible for the ring's offset and sharp interior edge, then it must follow an orbit aligned with the ring and must now be moving at its slowest speed. The speed implied by the original study appeared to be too fast. Additionally, some researchers argued that Fomalhaut b follows a tilted orbit that passes through the ring plane.

Using the Hubble data, Currie's team established that Fomalhaut b is moving with a speed and direction consistent with the original idea that the planet's gravity is modifying the ring.

"What we've seen from our analysis is that the object's minimum distance from the disk has hardly changed at all in two years, which is a good sign that it's in a nice ring-sculpting orbit," explained Timothy Rodigas, a graduate student in the University of Arizona and a member of the team.

Currie's team also addressed studies that interpret Fomalhaut b as a compact dust cloud not gravitationally bound to a planet. Near Fomalhaut's ring, orbital dynamics would spread out or completely dissipate such a cloud in as little as 60,000 years. The dust grains experience additional forces, which operate on much faster timescales, as they interact with the star's light.

"Given what we know about the behavior of dust and the environment where the planet is located, we think that we're seeing a planetary object that is completely embedded in dust rather than a free-floating dust cloud," said team member John Debes, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md.

A paper describing the findings has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Because astronomers detect Fomalhaut b by the light of surrounding dust and not by light or heat emitted by its atmosphere, it no longer ranks as a "directly imaged exoplanet." But because it's the right mass and in the right place to sculpt the ring, Currie's team thinks it should be considered a "planet identified from direct imaging."

Fomalhaut was targeted with Hubble most recently in May by another team. Those observations are currently under scientific analysis and are expected to be published soon.

###

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center: http://www.nasa.gov/goddard

Thanks to NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center 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/124870/New_study_brings_a_doubted_exoplanet__back_from_the_dead_

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Bulls-Hit Ranch settles suit over treatment of homeless, drug ...

A Hastings potato grower has settled a lawsuit against his farm for the treatment of homeless, drug-addicted employees picked up in Jacksonville.

Thomas R. Lee, owner of Bulls-Hit Ranch and Farm, agreed to give three workers named in the lawsuit back pay for the time they were employed and reform other practices, according to Farmworker Justice, a nonprofit advocating for migrant and seasonal workers. Lee agreed to pay workers directly rather than give the money to a contractor to pass on to the men.

That agreement is significant because it makes the grower responsible for paying the workers directly, said Weeun Wang, Farmworker Justice?s director of litigation.

?He is not able to use the contractor as a shield,? Wang said Thursday.

Lee also promised to use only reputable, licensed contractors and allow for inspections and worker interviews by legal aid workers to assure good working conditions.

Workers were picked up at Jacksonville homeless shelters on the promise of minimum-pay jobs at the farm southwest of St. Augustine. Ronald Uzzle, the contractor who hired the workers, was also named in the lawsuit. The case is ongoing against Uzzle, who took the workers to an overcrowded camp where they were supplied with decrepit housing and illegal drugs, according to Farmworker Justice.

Instead of the men being paid directly, deductions were made for meals, housing and drugs supplied on credit by dealers at the camp, according to the lawsuit filed in April.

Uzzle knew of the practices but did nothing to stop them, according to the lawsuit.

When filed by Farmworker Justice and Florida Legal Services in U.S. District Court as a class action lawsuit, it was estimated to represent at least 50 people, according to reports at the time. Lee?s settlement means he pays the three workers who could be located.

The three workers were one who worked the 2009 potato season and two who worked the 2010 season, Wang said. The settlements for each man was a full season?s pay and a second amount equal to a season?s pay.

The complaint said Bulls-Hit and Uzzle took advantage of the workers? drug dependence to provide the farm with ?a compliant and low-cost workforce,? according to Farmworker Justice.

The organization said Bulls-Hit was sued in 2004 for using a different contractor who used the same labor practices.

?We are hopeful the settlement with Bulls-Hit will mark the beginning of good business there,? Wang said.

A message left at Bulls-Hit Thursday afternoon was not immediately returned.

Source: http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2012-10-25/bulls-hit-ranch-settles-suit-over-treatment-homeless-drug-addicted

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Friday, October 26, 2012

NATO Briefs Industry on Potential $2.58B C4ISR Investments; Koen ...

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Posted by Ross Wilkers on October 26, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

Koen Gijsbers

More than 600 senior North American and European industry representatives attended a NATO conference in Rome this week to discuss potential opportunities in C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance).

According to a NATO release, the alliance could spend up to $2.85 billion on C4ISR projects, conditioned on approval from NATO?s resource committees and changes in NATO?s operations and missions.

Several projects have already been authorized and the alliance said it will call for bids at the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013.

?The aim of our conference is transparency and early warning so that industry has time to prepare for potential competitions?and that we maximize competition,? said Koen Gijsbers, general manager of the NATO Communications and Information Agency and a retired Dutch army major general.

Gijsbers added the alliance wants to ?provide industry with a one-stop shop for NATO C4ISR, cyber and missile defense.?

The alliance signed a $1.7 billion contract with Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) in May for five Global Hawk drones equipped with ground surveillance sensors.

NATO said topics discussed at the conference included ballistic missile defense, cyber defense, information and communications infrastructure for the new alliance headquarters, software applications for multinational operations and technology for countering improvised explosive devices.

According to Defense News, nearly $77.5 million in ballistic missile contracts are expected to be put out for tender during the first half of 2013.

Source: http://www.govconwire.com/2012/10/nato-briefs-industry-on-potential-2-58b-c4isr-investments/

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

South African police unit prosecuted for fighting violence with thuggery

The elite South African police unit operating in Durban had previously won praise for its high arrest and conviction rates of dangerous criminals.

By Aislinn Laing,?Contributor / October 24, 2012

An elite South African police unit that has previously won praise for its high arrest and conviction rates of dangerous criminals is facing prosecution over accusations it was operating a death squad that executed suspects with impunity.

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The Durban Violent and Organised Crime Unit, or Cato Manor police, as it is also known, is famous in the eastern seaside city for its high-speed car chases, energetic shootouts, and seemingly fearless operatives.

In a country like South Africa, whose violent crime rates continue to be among the highest in the world despite some gains in recent years, their tough stance was encouraged by politicians and police chiefs. They have spoken of a ?shoot to kill? policy and encouraged officers threatened by gun-toting criminals to ?take them to the nearest mortuary.?

But when photographs emerged of the Cato Manor police waving their pistols and appearing to celebrate their ?kills? with barbecues and beers ??scenes that echoed the actions of the apartheid security forces who executed political rivals ??there was a public outcry. Following on the heels of the shooting by police of 34 striking miners in the country?s platinum belt in August, the incidents have raised new questions about how far law enforcement should go to keep the peace ? and whether excessive force stems violent crime.

A troubling pattern

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IDIP) examined each of the 45 shootings of criminal suspects by the Cato Manor unit in the past three years. Although the officers involved had been exonerated by inquests on each occasion, IPID said that when it looked at them together, a pattern emerged.

?Firearms that shooting victims had allegedly threatened or shot at police with never worked, had never been fired, or didn?t match the ammunition found with them,? says Moses Dlamini, IPID?s spokesman. ?Some of the people killed were never police suspects in the first place.??

IPID says that the unit executed suspects in cold blood, then planted guns, doctored crime scenes, and intimidated witnesses to cover up what they had done.

Thirty officers have been suspended from duty and are due before a court next week to face 116 charges, including 18 of murder and others of defeating the ends of justice, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, and theft from the shooting victims.

Among the alleged murder victims was 16-year-old Kwazi Ndlovu, who was shot dead by armed police in April 2010 as he dozed in front of the television in his parents' living room.

His mother, Lindiwe, an accountant, said police told them they had been looking for an escaped convict and that Kwazi had threatened them with a gun.

?When we came out of our room the gun was already in his hand,? she said. ?It was so big ? he would never have been able to handle a gun like that, he was just a boy.?He wanted to be a doctor.?

Today, the family home is heavily fortified with electric fences and metal bars across the windows and doors: ?It?s for the police, not the criminals,? Mrs. Ndlovu explains. ?We?re always afraid they?ll come back.?

Other extrajudicial killings the unit allegedly carried out include one of a taxi firm owner gunned down in a car chase after he took out a court restraining order to prevent them from killing him. Another was of an armed robbery suspect who hid in a rubbish bin after seeing his friend shot dead by the same unit.

'We live in a violent society'

The unit?s overall commander, Major-General Johan Booysen, who oversees serious crime policing in Durban?s KwaZulu Natal Province, also faces prosecution on the grounds that he ought to have known about their activities and stopped them.

He insists that the high death rates were inevitable given the unit?s line of work. ?We live in a violent society and the Cato Manor unit was dealing with hardened criminals,? he says.?

He conceded that there were ?gray areas? in some of the fatal shootings, but pointed to the high numbers of police officers killed in the line of duty.

?It?s easy for us, who were not there, to debate whether an officer fired too quick or too slow. Hindsight is 20/10 but a lot of people are in their graves now because they were too cautious,? he said.?

The Cato Manor unit has a large group of supporters, who claim that without them, violent criminals in Durban will be given a free pass.

Better ways to police

The case has also sparked intense debate in South Africa about how tough its citizens want their police to be. Johan Burger, from the Institute for Security Studies, said there was no evidence that the use of excessive force by police brought down violent crime.

?Police have cut robbery rates by infiltrating crime syndicates and through more visible policing,? he says. ?You could argue that if police resort to vigilante activity, it will just harden the attitudes of criminals.?

He said the law on the use of lethal force in South Africa was clear ? but that politicians muddied the waters with tough-talk.

?That is dangerous because police officers might believe their conduct will be tolerated or protected because of the seriousness of violent crime in South Africa and the impatience of their political masters about the situation,? he said.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/0NEuSaXCLFI/South-African-police-unit-prosecuted-for-fighting-violence-with-thuggery

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Use your Job search skills for finding Dates - DivineCaroline

Online dating sites are a great source of finding potential partners, but they are not the only source. We have all been on the singles sites at one time or another and basically they all work in the same way, you see a picture you are attracted to, your read a little blurb they have written to make them look good and then you write them a message and hope for a response. When all is said and done, this method does work as it is said that currently 1 in 5 relationships start on an online dating site. But lets say you are bit more particular, you just don?t feel right about trusting a person that comes with no references yet you still want to join the current dating scene, well, take a page from the job hunter?s manual and go low-tech.

Since we are taking a page from our employment search its only right that we start with something related to our jobs for finding someone special. Believe it or not our co-workers are an incredible resource in our pursuit of the partner of our dreams. Who knows us better than those who are forced to spend at least 8 hours a day in close proximity to us? They know our sense of humor, our taste in food and pretty much enough about us to make our parents blush, they also happen to know the same about the person they are trying to fix you with. It?s almost like having a personal matchmaker who not only knows your likes, dislikes and habits, but your temperament and personality as well.

Another great source of dating possibilities comes from neighbors and if you live in a large apartment building, the doorman and concierge not only know which tenants work for or own companies that are hiring, but the relationship status of residents as well. It?s a given that the doorman sees all the comings and goings, and probably knows a bit about the relationship status of someone as well. Let?s face it, if you have a fight with a partner a doorman or concierge will notice. They are in tune with all the comings and goings and who storms out into a taxi or who has been coming home alone when they previously have been coming home with someone in tow. A little conversation and an occasional sizable tip and this information can be yours, for a bit more, an introduction can be had as well. The thing about this type of introduction is that most of the time you will have to inquire about a person whereas; the co-worker resource will gladly offer their suggestion on their own.

Relatives are as good a resource for finding dates as they are in finding unpublished job opportunities; they are family and only want the best for you and your future. The problem with allowing aunts and uncles, etc., to set you up on a date is that they introduce you to those whom they think are good for you, not necessarily what you are looking for. Its hard to say no to them as they are family, but you do need to be especially cautious and draw as much information out of them as is possible without upsetting them. Remember, you need to have had years of practice in understanding their idea of what attractive or funny might be. Cute with a bubbly personality and great sense of humor might generate visions of Meg Ryan or Diane Lane to you, but its entirely possible Roseanne Barr is what shows up.

These are just a few of the networking possibilities that are available to you when searching for employment or a new person in your life. There are of course many others such as your minister, college sorority or fraternity friends and organizations and other friends. Just be careful when you accept dates and dating advice from friends as it just seems that so many ?so-called? friends may have hidden agendas. If you use common sense and do a bit of your own research, you can undoubtedly use the same resources in your quest for a date as you do looking for that perfect job.

Source: http://www.divinecaroline.com/22064/132906-use-job-search-skills-finding

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

v7: 10 Best iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone games this week

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2012/aug/23/best-mobile-games-vote-koozac

Version 7 of 8.

It's time for our third weekly post rounding up the best new smartphone and tablet games, returning to its Thursday slot. Why Thursday? That's become the biggest day of the week for new mobile releases, as publishers jockey for high positions on the app store charts ahead of the weekend.

Here's this week's selection:

Vote!!!

Easily the best game involving Mitt Romney whacking Barack Obama with a giant sausage you'll play this week. This is a politically-themed beat 'em up for the US presidential election, with the surprise twist being that its developer is Chair Entertainment ??best known for the Infinity Blade games.<br /><strong>iPhone / iPad</strong>

Eternity Warriors 2

US publisher Glu Mobile has released a polished sequel to its Eternity Warriors dungeon-crawler, set 100 years after the first one. Once again, it involves battling your way through dungeons laying into demons and monsters, while upgrading your items along the way. The freemium game also includes an online co-operative multiplayer mode.<br /><strong>Android / iPhone / iPad</strong>

KooZac

Famously described as "between Tetris and Sudoku", this popular web game has been ported to iOS by publisher Square Enix. The gameplay involves positioning falling blocks to make target numbers, with 60 levels to play, and a KooZac Blitz mode to compete against friends.<br /><strong>iPhone / iPad</strong>

Monpla Smash

Gree's Monpla Smash is the latest mobile game that's been a big hit in Japan ??5m players, apparently ??to be transferred to the West, starting with iPhone. It involves raising monsters and battling opponents, like an online Pokemon with a freemium business model.<br /><strong>iPhone</strong>

Lego: Build Your Brain

Lego has launched this smartphone game to be used with its boxed Life of George set. Styled as a game show, you have to build bricks in the real world, then take photos of them using the device's camera to score points, and "build your brain bigger and stronger". A nifty blend of digital and physical play.<br /><strong>Android / iPhone</strong>

Shoot 1UP

"Why play shoot 'em ups one ship at a time?" asks the Windows Phone Marketplace listing for this new game. Why indeed? Microsoft Studios' newie sees you launching a fleet of bullet-laden ships at once to battle your way through vertically-scrolling levels. Converted from an Xbox 360 Indie game, it's fully Xbox Lived up.<br /><strong>Windows Phone</strong>

King's Bounty: Legions

A rich feast for hardcore iPad gamers to sink their teeth into, this. It's a fantasy-themed turn-based strategy game that has you raising a monster army and crafting armour and weapons to beat a succession of opponents online.<br /><strong>iPad</strong>

One Epic Knight

Where next for Temple Run-style endless runners? Back to medieval times, seemingly, as shown by One Epic Knight. Its star appeared in developer Simutronics' previous game Tiny Heroes as a villain, but now you're controlling him as he smashes his way through a dungeon.<br /><strong>iPhone / iPad</strong>

Star Splitter

If you have fond memories of space-based adventure games in your youth, and have an Android device to hand, Star Splitter may be just the thing this weekend. It's an intergalactic 3D shooter, with lots of ship upgrades, space battles and missions to complete.<br /><strong>Android</strong>

Lost Cities

Developer TheCodingMonkeys did a grand job with its iOS conversion of board game Carcassonne. Now it's looking to repeat the achievement with Lost Cities, a version of Reiner Knizia's Solitaire-esque board game. Online multiplayer is included.<br /><strong>iPhone</strong>

That's our selection, but what new games have you been playing this week on your smartphone or tablet? Make your recommendations (or pass judgement on the games above) with a comment.

Comments

3 comments, displaying first

23 August 2012 3:05PM

My goodness, I'm underwhelmed.

People pay money for this stuff? Well what do they say about a fool and his money?

Link to this comment:

23 August 2012 4:36PM

Have you played any of these games?

Why, why, why

bother commenting.

Link to this comment:

24 August 2012 2:06PM

Most of this stuff costs considerably less than a pint of beer, and brings a lot more entertainment.

That said, I wish people would stop making the 'freemium' model so damn successful.

Link to this comment:

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Vote, Eternity Warriors 2, KooZac, Monpla Smash, Lego: Build Your Brain, Shoot 1UP and more

It's time for our third weekly post rounding up the best new smartphone and tablet games, returning to its Thursday slot. Why Thursday? That's become the biggest day of the week for new mobile releases, as publishers jockey for high positions on the app store charts ahead of the weekend.

Here's this week's selection:

Vote!!!

Easily the best game involving Mitt Romney whacking Barack Obama with a giant sausage you'll play this week. This is a politically-themed beat 'em up for the US presidential election, with the surprise twist being that its developer is Chair Entertainment ??best known for the Infinity Blade games.<br /><strong>iPhone / iPad</strong>

Eternity Warriors 2

US publisher Glu Mobile has released a polished sequel to its Eternity Warriors dungeon-crawler, set 100 years after the first one. Once again, it involves battling your way through dungeons laying into demons and monsters, while upgrading your items along the way. The freemium game also includes an online co-operative multiplayer mode.<br /><strong>Android / iPhone / iPad</strong>

KooZac

Famously described as "between Tetris and Sudoku", this popular web game has been ported to iOS by publisher Square Enix. The gameplay involves positioning falling blocks to make target numbers, with 60 levels to play, and a KooZac Blitz mode to compete against friends.<br /><strong>iPhone / iPad</strong>

Monpla Smash

Gree's Monpla Smash is the latest mobile game that's been a big hit in Japan ??5m players, apparently ??to be transferred to the West, starting with iPhone. It involves raising monsters and battling opponents, like an online Pokemon with a freemium business model.<br /><strong>iPhone</strong>

Lego: Build Your Brain

Lego has launched this smartphone game to be used with its boxed Life of George set. Styled as a game show, you have to build bricks in the real world, then take photos of them using the device's camera to score points, and "build your brain bigger and stronger". A nifty blend of digital and physical play.<br /><strong>Android / iPhone</strong>

Shoot 1UP

"Why play shoot 'em ups one ship at a time?" asks the Windows Phone Marketplace listing for this new game. Why indeed? Microsoft Studios' newie sees you launching a fleet of bullet-laden ships at once to battle your way through vertically-scrolling levels. Converted from an Xbox 360 Indie game, it's fully Xbox Lived up.<br /><strong>Windows Phone</strong>

King's Bounty: Legions

A rich feast for hardcore iPad gamers to sink their teeth into, this. It's a fantasy-themed turn-based strategy game that has you raising a monster army and crafting armour and weapons to beat a succession of opponents online.<br /><strong>iPad</strong>

One Epic Knight

Where next for Temple Run-style endless runners? Back to medieval times, seemingly, as shown by One Epic Knight. Its star appeared in developer Simutronics' previous game Tiny Heroes as a villain, but now you're controlling him as he smashes his way through a dungeon.<br /><strong>iPhone / iPad</strong>

Star Splitter

If you have fond memories of space-based adventure games in your youth, and have an Android device to hand, Star Splitter may be just the thing this weekend. It's an intergalactic 3D shooter, with lots of ship upgrades, space battles and missions to complete.<br /><strong>Android</strong>

Lost Cities

Developer TheCodingMonkeys did a grand job with its iOS conversion of board game Carcassonne. Now it's looking to repeat the achievement with Lost Cities, a version of Reiner Knizia's Solitaire-esque board game. Online multiplayer is included.<br /><strong>iPhone</strong>

That's our selection, but what new games have you been playing this week on your smartphone or tablet? Make your recommendations (or pass judgement on the games above) with a comment.

Source: http://www.newssniffer.co.uk/versions/998178

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