Senate panel votes to approve Obama's CIA nominee

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate Intelligence Committee voted Tuesday to approve President Barack Obama's pick to lead the CIA after winning a behind-the-scenes battle with the White House over access to a series of top-secret legal opinions that justify the use of lethal drone strikes against terror suspects, including American citizens.

John Brennan's installation at the spy agency has been delayed as Senate Democrats and Republicans have pressed the Obama administration to allow a review of the classified documents prepared by the Justice Department. The senators have argued they can't perform adequate oversight without reviewing the contents of the opinions, but the White House had resisted requests for full disclosure.

The intelligence committee's chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a statement Tuesday that the committee voted 12-3 to send Brennan's nomination to the full Senate for confirmation. The panel's deliberations were held behind closed doors. Feinstein said all eight Democrats on the committee voted yes. She did not identify the Republican senators who voted against him.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., the committee vice chairman, said he voted against Brennan because he didn't think Brennan would create the kind of "trust relationship" between Congress and the CIA. He did not specify what his concerns were, however. But Chambliss said he would not encourage other Republican senators to attempt a filibuster of the nomination.

"He'll probably be confirmed," Chambliss said.

Feinstein said the full Senate should act quickly confirm Brennan, who spent 25 years at the CIA before later becoming Obama's top counterterrorism and homeland security adviser in the White House.

Although Brennan has made it out of the committee, Republicans have threatened to hold up his nomination unless the White House supplies them with classified information, including emails among top U.S. national security officials, detailing the Obama administration's actions immediately following the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed during the raid.

Feinstein said the White House has delivered the "great bulk" of the Benghazi records, and lawmakers are awaiting "a few odds and ends that need to come."

The White House released two out of a total of 11 Justice legal opinions to the intelligence committee just hours before Brennan's Feb. 7 confirmation hearing in front of the panel. Two other memos had already been released to the committee.

Feinstein attributed the White House's resistance to providing the legal opinions to a difference of opinion between lawmakers and the Obama administration over what the documents represented.

"The White House tends to look at this as advice to the president, and therefore that advice is protected," she said. But the committee viewed the opinions as the legal advice that underwrites possible actions by U.S. intelligence agencies that Congress is charged with overseeing. "So there are different views of this," Feinstein said.

Brennan so far has escaped the harsh treatment that former Sen. Chuck Hagel, the president's choice to lead the Defense Department, received from Senate Republicans, even though Brennan is one of Obama's most important national security aides and the White House official who oversees the drone program.

During President George W. Bush's administration, Brennan served as a senior CIA official when waterboarding and other forms of "enhanced interrogation" and detention practices were adopted. Brennan has publicly denounced the use of these tactics, but the cloud hasn't gone completely away.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has said Brennan's stance on waterboarding and torture is inconsistent. Although Brennan has decried these methods, he also has said they saved lives, according to McCain, who said he is awaiting an explanation from Brennan. McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are also leading the charge for the Benghazi records.

Brennan vigorously defended the use of drone strikes during his confirmation hearing. He declined to say whether he believes waterboarding, which simulates drowning, amounted to torture. But he called the practice "reprehensible" and said it should never be done again. Obama ordered waterboarding banned shortly after taking office.

Drone strikes are employed only as a "last resort," Brennan told the committee. But he also said he had no qualms about going after U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in September 2011. A drone strike in Yemen killed al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, both U.S. citizens. A drone strike two weeks later killed al-Awlaki's 16-year-old son, a Denver native.

Brennan spent 25 years at the CIA before moving in 2003 from his job as deputy executive director of the agency to run the Terrorist Threat Integration Center. He later worked as interim director of the center's successor organization, the National Counterterrorism Center.

When Bush's second term began in 2005, Brennan left government to work for a company that provides counterterror analysis to federal agencies. After Obama took office in 2009, he returned to the federal payroll as the president's top counterterrorism adviser in the White House.

If confirmed by the full Senate, Brennan would replace Michael Morell, the CIA's deputy director who has been acting director since David Petraeus resigned in November after acknowledging an affair with his biographer.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-panel-votes-approve-obamas-cia-nominee-203345068--politics.html

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Suspect in acid attack on Bolshoi chief detained

MOSCOW (AP) ? Police have detained a suspect in the January acid attack on the artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

Sergei Filin was left with severe burns to his eyes and face when an unidentified attacker threw sulfuric acid in his face on Jan. 17 as he was returning home from work. He is now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation in Germany.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that a suspect in the attack was detained on Tuesday and is being questioned at a Moscow police station. Police officers are also searching the suspect's home, the statement said, without providing any details on the suspect.

Bolshoi Theater spokeswoman Katerina Novikova said she does not know if the suspect is related in any way to the famed theater. She said police were not present at the theater on Tuesday.

The Bolshoi Theater is one of Russia's premier cultural institutions, best known for "Swan Lake" and the other grand classical ballets that grace its Moscow stage. But backstage, the ballet company has been troubled by deep intrigue and infighting that have led to the departure of several artistic directors over the last few years.

Filin's colleagues have said the attack on the former ballet star could be in retaliation for his selection of certain dancers over others for prized roles. Filin told Russian state television before he checked out of a Moscow hospital that he knew who ordered the attack but wouldn't give names.

Novikova told reporters on Tuesday that the attacker had an accomplice and police is now looking for that person.

"We hope that today's detention means that this crime will be solved," she said.

In a February interview with the Snob magazine, the Bolshoi's general director, Anatoly Iksanov, said the attack on Filin was inspired by longtime leading dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze.

"I don't blame that particular crime on him, but I'm accusing Nikolai of escalating the situation at the theater, of putting psychological pressure on the theater's staff and management, on Filin, on myself and teachers," he said.

Tsiskaridze, a long-time critic of the theater's management, has denied the allegation and accused Iksanov and his allies of fueling the dispute.

Many ballet stars, including Anastasia Volochkova, have sided with Tsiskaridze. Alexei Ratmansky, the Bolshoi ballet's artistic director from 2004 until 2008, likened the atmosphere at the theater to "a disgusting cesspool" and said that the attack stems from "by the lack of any ethics at the theater."

Ratmansky is now an artist-in-residence at the American Ballet Theater.

__

Yelena Yegorova and Laura Mills contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspect-acid-attack-bolshoi-chief-detained-071934311.html

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Mobiroo intros Android subscription service for those who fear app commitment

If you've been gunning for a Spotify-like offering for Android apps, Mobiroo may be just what you're looking for. The Canadian company's offering up an on-demand service for Google's mobile operating system, letting you test the waters on hundreds of paid titles for $2.49 a month -- which is apparently half off what the service is set to go for in the future. And for a limited time, you can also snag a free seven-day trial of the punnily named All You Can App service, giving users access to apps that can run upwards of $20 and beyond, according to the site. There's a press release after the break, or just click on through to the source link below, if you'd like to give it a shot.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/04/mobiroo/

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Scientists discover how to shutdown cancer's powerful master protein

Mar. 3, 2013 ? The powerful master regulatory transcription factor called Bcl6 is key to the survival of a majority of aggressive lymphomas, which arise from the B-cells of the immune system. The protein has long been considered too complex to target with a drug since it is also crucial to the healthy functioning of many immune cells in the body, not just B cells gone bad.

But now, in the journal Nature Immunology, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College report that it is possible to shut down Bcl6 in the cancer, known as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), while not affecting its vital function in T cells and macrophages that are needed to support a healthy immune system.

"The finding comes as a very welcome surprise," says the study's lead investigator, Dr. Ari Melnick, Gebroe Family Professor of Hematology/Oncology and director of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical and Physical Sciences at Weill Cornell.

"This means the drugs we have developed against Bcl6 are more likely to be significantly less toxic and safer for patients with this cancer than we realized," says Dr. Melnick, who is also a hematologist-oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

If Bcl6 is completely inhibited, patients might suffer from systemic inflammation and atherosclerosis. Weill Cornell researchers conducted this new study to help clarify possible risks, as well as to understand how Bcl6 controls the various aspects of the immune system.

DLBCL is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma -- the seventh most frequently diagnosed cancer -- and many of these patients are resistant to currently available treatments.

"Scientists have been searching for the right answer to treat this difficult lymphoma, which, after initial treatment, can be at high risk of relapse and resistant to current therapies," Dr. Melnick says. "Believing that Bcl6 could not be targeted, some researchers have been testing alternative therapeutic approaches. This study strongly supports the notion of using Bcl6-targeting drugs."

In fact, the findings in this study were inspired from preclinical testing of two Bcl6-targeting agents that Dr. Melnick and his Weill Cornell colleagues have developed to treat DLBCLs. These experimental drugs are RI-BPI, a peptide mimic, and the small molecule agent 79-6.

Dr. Melnick says the discovery that a master regulatory transcription factor can be targeted offers implications beyond just treating DLBCL. Recent studies from Dr. Melnick and others have revealed that Bcl6 plays a key role in the most aggressive forms of acute leukemia, as well as certain solid tumors.

Transcription factors are responsible for either inhibiting or promoting the expression of genes, and master regulatory transcription factors are the equivalent of the CPU of a computer -- their actions regulate thousands of genes in different kinds of cells. For example, Bcl6 can control the type of immune cell that develops in the bone marrow -- playing many roles in the development of B cells, T cells, macrophages and other cells -- including a primary and essential role in enabling B-cells to generate specific antibodies against pathogens.

"When cells lose control of Bcl6, lymphomas develop in the immune system. Lymphomas are 'addicted' to Bcl6, and therefore Bcl6 inhibitors powerfully and quickly destroy lymphoma cells," Dr. Melnick says.

The big surprise in the current study is that rather than functioning as a single molecular machine, Bcl6 instead seems to function more like a Swiss Army knife, using different tools to control different cell types. This multi-function paradigm could represent a general model for the functioning of other master regulatory transcription factors.

"In this analogy, the Swiss Army knife, or transcription factor, keeps most of its tools folded, opening only the one it needs in any given cell type," Dr. Melnick says. "For B cells, it might open and use the knife tool; for T cells, the cork screw; for macrophages, the scissors. The amazing thing from a medical standpoint is that this means that you only need to prevent the master regulator from using certain tools to treat cancer. You don't need to eliminate the whole knife," he says. "In fact, we show that taking out the whole knife is harmful since the transcription factor has many other vital functions that other cells in the body need."

Prior to these study results, it was not known that a master regulator could separate its functions so precisely.

"Now we know we can take out a specific tool -- to shut down a specific part of the protein -- that causes the disease we want to treat."

Researchers hope this will be a major benefit to the treatment of DLBCL and perhaps other disorders that are influenced by Bcl6 and other master regulatory transcription factors.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Weill Cornell Medical College, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Chuanxin Huang, Katerina Hatzi & Ari Melnick. Lineage-specific functions of Bcl-6 in immunity and inflammation are mediated by distinct biochemical mechanisms. Nature Immunology, 03 March 2013 DOI: 10.1038/ni.2543

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/lNzik40eUOM/130303154952.htm

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Swiss vote on bosses' pay could hit offshore firms

BERLIN (AP) ? Foreign executives who moved their company headquarters to Switzerland to get better tax deals for their firms may find themselves paying the price for it this weekend.

A plan to crack down on excessive corporate pay packages is predicted to pass at the ballot box Sunday.

If the "Rip-off Initiative" succeeds, shareholders will be given the right to hold a binding vote on a company's compensation of executives and directors. This includes both base salary and bonuses.

It would also ban "golden hellos" and "golden goodbyes" ? one-time bonuses that senior managers often receive when joining or leaving a company which can run into millions of dollars.

Finally, the proposal pushes greater corporate transparency, for example by requiring that all loans to executives be declared to shareholders.

Breaching the rules could lead to a fine of up to six annual salaries and up to three years in prison.

The measure targets all Swiss-based companies ? homegrown and offshore alike ? as long as their shares are publicly traded. International companies like oil rig owner Transocean Ltd.; fire and safety company Tyco International Ltd., and a bakery conglomerate Aryzta AG would be treated just like Swiss banks UBS AG and Credit Suisse Group, food and drinks giant Nestle SA or watchmaker Swatch Group.

In Europe, some other countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark already have similar legislation allowing shareholders at least a binding vote on executive compensation. In the U.S. and Britain, however, such "say-on-pay" votes are non-binding.

The proposal is the brainchild of independent lawmaker and businessman Thomas Minder. It has divided Swiss business groups, political parties and labor unions. But public opinion in Switzerland ? traditionally a haven for light-touch regulation and pro-business sentiment ? has been overwhelmingly in favor of the Rip-off Initiative.

A survey conducted mid-February by the respected polling group gfs.bern found 64 percent of voters in favor of the proposal, 27 percent against, 9 percent undecided, with anger at perceived corporate greed the driving force for voters backing the initiative.

As in the United States, public opinion toward executive pay is still shaped by the outrage at 'fat cat' bank bosses who received million-dollar bonuses during the 2008 financial crisis, when ordinary investors were seeing their dividends slashed and the value of their shares fall sharply.

The campaign for a "Yes" vote recently got an unexpected boost when it emerged that the outgoing board chairman of Swiss drug maker Novartis AG, Daniel Vasella, was due to receive 72 million Swiss francs ($77 million) over five years as part of a deal to prevent him from going to a rival firm.

When Vasella ? facing public outrage ? dropped the deal, attention shifted to Edward Breen, the American chairman of Tyco, for reportedly earning 30 million francs last year.

Opponents of the initiative warn that approving it would damage Switzerland's competitiveness in the global economy and endanger jobs.

So far, no companies have publicly declared they would leave Switzerland if the referendum passes, said Brigitta Moser-Harder, a shareholder activist and backer of the proposal.

But Tyco is keeping its options open. "We await the outcome of the vote in Switzerland on Sunday and we will assess the impact at that time," company spokesman Brett Ludwig said Friday.

The Swiss proposal comes on the heels of a European Union decision this week to cap bankers' bonuses at one year's base salary except in the case of overwhelming shareholder approval.

The idea that shareholders should have a strong say in their company's affairs chimes with Switzerland's tradition of direct democracy. Voters in the country who collect 100,000 signatures can force a binding referendum on any issue.

___

Frank Jordans can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/wirereporter

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-02-Switzerland-Bosses'%20Pay/id-8c7a1a20220f423ea1b4970b942fc67a

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Promiscuous enzymes may be recruited to aid industry, medical fields

Public release date: 4-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kathleen Phillips
ka-phillips@tamu.edu
979-845-2872
Texas A&M AgriLife Communications

COLLEGE STATION Enzymes in cells normally perform only one job, but a new study by a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist might figure out how to recruit enzymes for other jobs to benefit medical fields and industry.

"We know that enzymes usually have one biological function in a cell, but many are capable of doing something quite different, when given substrate molecules those at the beginning of a chemical reaction that they don't normally encounter," said Dr. Margy Glasner, AgriLife Research biochemist in College Station.

Glasner has received more than $767,000 in a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to study how to make use of the so-called promiscuous enzymes those that have these hidden abilities in addition to their normal function.

"If mutations improve these hidden abilities, enzymes can evolve new functions that are useful to the organism," Glasner said. "In some cases, mutations cannot improve the promiscuous activity because the enzyme is an evolutionary deadend."

The key to the research will be understanding how and why certain enzymes are capable of functioning in new jobs so their ability could be applied to help people and the environment.

Her team is trying to determine why one enzyme can evolve a new function but another, related protein cannot. An enzyme is a protein that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction.

Her work is part of the basic science which ultimately could have such applications as removing toxins from the environment, Glasner said.

"Bacteria are good at finding ways to degrade even pesticides invented in the 1950s. But we may be overtaxing natural evolutionary processes, given the quantity of such chemicals still in the environment," she said. "If we understood the mechanism of evolution better, we might be able to design enzymes that can tackle this problem. And because enzymes can work in water and are biodegradable, they could replace toxic chemicals in industrial processes."

The idea of engineered proteins are not new, she noted. Many laundry detergents already contain proteins that have been made to work better in soap and in hot or cold water. What is different with this work is that the researchers hope to learn more about the "structural and catalytic properties that were required for the evolution of a new function" in enzymes so they can be used to develop new ways to make enzymes carry out new activities, Glasner noted.

She likened current protein engineering technology to retraining a human workforce. In one factory, the people know how to make metal circles and it would not be hard to adapt to making squares.

But in another factory, if the people who are making metal circles have to start making plastic toys, "you need different machinery and training for the employees," Glasner explained. "That is similar to what we hope to do by discovering how to design enzymes that have the right equipment to take on new roles."

The project, part of the science foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program, will continue through 2018.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 4-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kathleen Phillips
ka-phillips@tamu.edu
979-845-2872
Texas A&M AgriLife Communications

COLLEGE STATION Enzymes in cells normally perform only one job, but a new study by a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist might figure out how to recruit enzymes for other jobs to benefit medical fields and industry.

"We know that enzymes usually have one biological function in a cell, but many are capable of doing something quite different, when given substrate molecules those at the beginning of a chemical reaction that they don't normally encounter," said Dr. Margy Glasner, AgriLife Research biochemist in College Station.

Glasner has received more than $767,000 in a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to study how to make use of the so-called promiscuous enzymes those that have these hidden abilities in addition to their normal function.

"If mutations improve these hidden abilities, enzymes can evolve new functions that are useful to the organism," Glasner said. "In some cases, mutations cannot improve the promiscuous activity because the enzyme is an evolutionary deadend."

The key to the research will be understanding how and why certain enzymes are capable of functioning in new jobs so their ability could be applied to help people and the environment.

Her team is trying to determine why one enzyme can evolve a new function but another, related protein cannot. An enzyme is a protein that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction.

Her work is part of the basic science which ultimately could have such applications as removing toxins from the environment, Glasner said.

"Bacteria are good at finding ways to degrade even pesticides invented in the 1950s. But we may be overtaxing natural evolutionary processes, given the quantity of such chemicals still in the environment," she said. "If we understood the mechanism of evolution better, we might be able to design enzymes that can tackle this problem. And because enzymes can work in water and are biodegradable, they could replace toxic chemicals in industrial processes."

The idea of engineered proteins are not new, she noted. Many laundry detergents already contain proteins that have been made to work better in soap and in hot or cold water. What is different with this work is that the researchers hope to learn more about the "structural and catalytic properties that were required for the evolution of a new function" in enzymes so they can be used to develop new ways to make enzymes carry out new activities, Glasner noted.

She likened current protein engineering technology to retraining a human workforce. In one factory, the people know how to make metal circles and it would not be hard to adapt to making squares.

But in another factory, if the people who are making metal circles have to start making plastic toys, "you need different machinery and training for the employees," Glasner explained. "That is similar to what we hope to do by discovering how to design enzymes that have the right equipment to take on new roles."

The project, part of the science foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program, will continue through 2018.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/taac-pem022813.php

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Beating Childhood Obesity Takes More Than Cutting Calories | Your ...

From Your Health Journal?..?A great article by Everyday Health by Amir Khan called Beating Childhood Obesity Takes More Than Cutting Calories. The article discusses food icon Rachael Ray?s organization, Yum-O, is dedicated to changing kids? attitudes to get them excited about healthy nutritional habits, and, ultimately, to help improve their health. Yum-O works with schools to revamp lunch programs, help bring healthy food into communities and end childhood hunger. She also provides scholarships for kids who want to pursue a career in the food industry. What a great gesture by Rachel Ray and her organization. Helping children who are hungry, as well as educating children on healthy eating. Rachel and her organization should be commended. Please visit the Everyday Health web site (link provided below) to read the complete article.?

From the article?..

Kids need to get excited about their food to develop good nutritional habits and beat obesity, says celebrity chef Rachael Ray.

Growing up, food icon Rachael Ray never went hungry. There was always food on her table, and her parents always encouraged her to eat healthy. Unfortunately, she says, that childhood is not typical for most American children, and she blames its absence for the expanding waistlines of many American kids ? not to mention less-than-stellar test scores.

Ray?s organization, Yum-O, is dedicated to changing kids? attitudes to get them excited about healthy nutritional habits, and, ultimately, to help improve their health. So is her participation in First Lady Michelle Obama?s ?Let?s Move? campaign, which celebrated its third anniversary this week.

?A couple of years into our initiative the First Lady decided that ?Let?s Move? would be her campaign,? Ray said at a Mississippi stop on Obama?s ?Let?s Move? anniversary tour. ?The birth of the White House garden and her commitment to ending food deserts paired so well with what we were trying to do.?

Yum-O works with schools to revamp lunch programs, help bring healthy food into communities and end childhood hunger. She also provides scholarships for kids who want to pursue a career in the food industry.

Three years ago, when ?Let?s Move? was first getting off the ground, Ray said she reached out to the first lady to offer her ?big mouth? in support.

She joined Obama in pushing for the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010, which put a limit on the amount of sodium that could be in school lunches, made whole grains mandatory, and provided monetary incentives designed to schools that complied. Since the act?s inception, 5,000 of the 100,000 schools in America have met the new nutritional standards, surpassing the goal not only for 2012, but for 2013 as well.

?We try and help schools make nutritional changes that help kids get excited about eating,? Ray said.

The idea is that if kids are excited about healthy food, they are willing to go out of their comfort zone to eat it, Ray said. One of the best ways to get them excited is to help them grow it themselves, she added, which is something she helped New York City schoolchildren do.

To read the full article?..Click here

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/beating-childhood-obesity-takes-more-than-cutting-calories/

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