The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) reminds the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers heading to and from Florida?s bowl games to check traffic before heading out by calling 511, visiting FL511.com or downloading the new 511 app on iTunes.
FDOT?s 511 Traveler Information System updates travelers on crashes, congestion and construction on all of Florida?s interstates, toll roads and major metropolitan roadways.? Callers can also use 511 for free phone transfers to Florida?s airports, seaports and neighboring 511 systems in Georgia and Louisiana.
The Florida 511 app is the newest addition to FDOT?s suite of resources for traffic information. The app features the same traffic and travel time information as the phone system and FL511.com website. The free 511 app uses the iPhone?s GPS tracking to provide users with traffic information within miles of their location. Users can even view traffic cameras associated with crashes on their iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch with the 511 app.
Florida travelers can register for My Florida 511 personalized services to hear and receive custom traffic alerts from FDOT on any cell phone or landline. Users can visit FL511.com to register their route to hear traffic and travel time information on those routes first when calling 511. Travelers can also register to receive traffic alerts via e-mail, text and/or phone call. My Florida 511 users can customize alerts based on time of day, day of the week and severity of incident.
?
Safety Tips
Call 511 before driving, at a rest area or have a passenger call to avoid talking while driving
Customize your trip at FL511.com before leaving to minimize time spent on the phone
Always wear a safety belt
Don?t drink and drive
Florida 511 Features
Traffic information on all interstate highways, toll roads and many other metropolitan roadways
Commuter travel times and reports on crashes, lane closures, construction and severe weather affecting travel
Public transit, airport and seaport information
AMBER, Silver and LEO alerts (Silver Alerts notify the public when law enforcement agencies are searching for missing adults or citizens with cognitive impairments, including Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Alerts notify the public when law enforcement officers are searching for?an offender(s) who has seriously injured or killed a law enforcement officer.)
FL511.com provides travel information, traffic camera views and free personalized services, including customized travel routes and e-mail, text and phone call alerts
Voice-activated?and touch-tone navigation available
The 511 phone call and FL511.com website are available in English and Spanish
The 32-year-old star – who has two-year-old son Mason with long-term boyfriend Scott Disick – admits she is having trouble with her diet since announcing she was expecting her second child, and is having to eat anything she can “tolerate”. She said: “I’m just eating whatever I can. Whatever I can tolerate. I think this [...]
Shirins Tandoori Catering Service Do you have a special occasion in mind? Have no idea which caterer to chose? Well look no further!
Shirin's Tandoori is an independent family run catering business. We boast about our fine quality and event management since the last 20 years. Shirin's Tandoori is a specialist in Indian Catering. We offer a vast variety of curry's ranging from a simple Chicken Tikka starter to an exquisite mouthwatering King prawn butterfly.
... Shirin's is not just a Catering firm, we also provide an in- house decorating team with an Events Manager directly assigned to your event. We offer over 150 wedding stages for our clients.
Whatever the event - Wedding, Birthdays, Anniversary, Shirin's Tandoori is here to make your day one to be remembered.
Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
Passer cette ?tape
Connexion
Connexion
Rejoignez Twitter !
Nigeria's Supreme Court clears President Jonathan's election victory .... bit.ly/t0sVBhIl y a environ 3 heuresvia Myjoyonline NewsRetweeted by 3 people
JERUSALEM, Dec 27, 2011 (IPS) - In a case that has highlighted Israel?s abuse of Palestinian detainees, an Israeli
military court recently acquitted a Palestinian man after it became clear that
Israeli interrogators used excessive physical and psychological abuse as a way
to coerce a confession from him.
Ayman Hamida, a resident of Ezariya in East Jerusalem, was accused of various security offences, including
shooting at an Israeli border police outpost in September 2009. He was indicted for 17 offences, based
largely on a confession obtained during a 40-day interrogation period.
In his testimony before an Israeli military court, however, Hamida asked to retract his confession because
he said he was threatened with administrative detention, his family members were threatened, and he was
beaten, spat on, choked and deprived of food by Israeli interrogators.
"They intimidated him, saying that they will bring his sister and interrogate her. Also, they arrested his
brother and tried to use this in order to get a confession," explained Labib Habib, an attorney who, with
other attorney Tarek Barghout, represented Hamida.
"After that, he was brought to someone who said he was a regular prisoner, but in fact, he was working
with the Shabak (Israeli secret service). They hit him and said that he has to prove that he is a good guy,
confessing what he did," Habib told IPS.
Israeli daily newspaper Ha?aretz reported that Israeli military court judge Maj. Amir Dahan wrote in his
judgment that "the interrogation was neither ideal nor respectful, and that harsh and problematic
measures were used in a manner and frequency that deprived (Hamida) of his free will.
"This time (they went) over the top, and the defendant was forced into telling his interrogators anything in
order to stop the interrogation, to end the veiled threats and to give him even the slightest hope."
According to Bana Shouthry, legal director at the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), abuse
of Palestinian detainees by the Israeli General Security Services (GSS), also known as the Shin Bet or
Shabak, according to its Hebrew acronym, is widespread.
"The vast majority of Palestinians are interrogated by the security services. Their interrogation is being
done while the security services use emotional and psychological pressure. While they are held
incommunicado, they are held under very degrading, humiliating and inhuman conditions, with no access
to natural light or even natural conditions," Shouthry told IPS.
In 1987, the Landau Commission ? an Israeli governmental commission charged with examining the
interrogation methods used by the GSS ? found that the continued use of "physical force" in
interrogations was acceptable.
Twelve years later, in 1999, the Israeli high court finally prohibited torture of any kind in Israel, and
outlawed certain interrogation techniques. In "ticking time bomb" situations, however, the court found that
the use of physical force could be justified.
"The High Court?s decision from 1999 didn?t limit it only to situations where someone is suspected to
know about a bomb that will explode within a few hours, but also to people who may know about others,
who know about others, who know about a bomb that could explode within weeks and months. So it?s a
very wide definition," Shouthry explained.
"De facto, only 15 percent of PCATI?s cases are actually considered by the authorities as ticking bombs. All
the others are tortured because this is the way the security services know how to get information from
Palestinians."
She added that more troubling than the abuse itself is the total impunity under which it takes place; Israeli
human rights groups have reported that while more than 700 complaints alleging abuse of detainees by
GSS agents were reported from 2001 to 2009, the Israeli State Attorney?s Office hasn?t opened a single
investigation.
"Systematically, all these complaints were closed without opening a criminal investigation based on an
internal check done by the GSS themselves," Shouthry said.
"Israel fails to meet its obligation to investigate every single suspected use of torture. They apply a legal
mechanism that leads to total impunity for those commit torture, and the vast majority of detainees don?t
want to go to court or even submit a complaint because they know that this will not help them."
According to attorney Labib Habib, the case of Ayman Hamida will hopefully set a precedent whereby other
Palestinian detainees will come forward to report abuse, and will also encourage Israeli courts to better
protect their rights.
"It?s a very important precedent. I hope it will encourage others to talk, and for (Israeli courts and judges)
to be courageous enough to say the truth and to make the right conclusions from this truth," Habib said.
"But even in (Hamida?s) case, when the court said the truth very loudly, we didn?t hear and we don?t know
about any steps taken against the interrogators. Impunity is still going on, and more steps need to be
taken in order to punish such measures and to make sure it doesn?t happen again."
(END)
?Portal,? the name of a sculpture created and donated to Trent University by Canadian artist and Trent University alumnus David James ?68, was installed on the east bank of the Otonabee River on Symons Campus on Tuesday, December 20, 2011.
?Trent University is very grateful to David James for the generous donation of his sculpture,? said Julie Davis, vice-president External Relations and Advancement at Trent University, ?and to the many community partners who have spent a great deal of time and effort in bringing this piece of art to our campus. This stunning work will add an additional dimension to the unique architecture of the Peterborough campus.?
Designated a significant cultural property by Canadian Heritage, Portal is made of Belfast black granite from Zimbabwe and weighs in at 6,000 pounds, standing almost six feet high and seven feet across, (H. 77? x L. 95.25? x W. 26.5?).
Trent University gratefully acknowledges the generous support of local community businesses such as Geo-Logic Incorporated, who helped prepare the site; Royden Moran, who contributed architectural design for the base; Drain Brothers for construction of the base, excavation and gravel; Dan Sims Concrete for the form and concrete; Doughty Aggregates for transportation from Bloomfield to Peterborough; Petes Crane in Belleville and Redpath Crane Services in Peterborough for lifting Portal and putting it in place. ?Special thanks also go to adjunct professor Andy Mitchell for facilitating the donation of services.
The location of the sculpture is on the slope between Peter Gzowski College and the Chemical Sciences Building overlooking Warren Garden and the Otonabee River. A companion piece by the same name but made of glass will find its home inside the Bata Library.
Canadian artist David James ?68 creates luminous sculptures cast in glass and bold exterior works carved in stone that often incorporate stainless steel. His sculptures have received international recognition and garnered a number of important awards. A cast glass work merited The Museum of Art and Design Award (formerly the Museum of Contemporary Craft, New York City) at an international invitational exhibition held by Habatat Galleries, Detroit. His large-scale granite sculptures received a People?s Choice award at the sculpture garden at le Domaine des C?tes d?Ardoise in Dunham, Qu?bec.
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.
Last week I wrote a piece for Engadget Primed on image sensors -- arguably the most critical component of any digital camera, having a direct influence on the quality of each and every photo. In a completely different way, another component that controls and changes the look of your photographs is the aperture.
To create amazing photos with impact takes much more than the will to capture them -- sadly we can't all be like Ashton Kutcher, snapping away at well-lit parties overrun with models. It's a multifaceted process; to have the desire to work for a shot, to make the effort to put yourself into position, and to know how to utilize the equipment you have in the best way possible. None of these skills are easy to master, yet just like a painter who knows how to use their brush, mastering the photographic tool that is your camera yields more opportunities to plaster that Google+ page with shots you're proud of.
In this Primed installment, we'll define the mechanism, explain the concepts and share ways to better convey messages in our two-dimensional stills -- just by adjusting the aperture. Ready to dive in? It's all after the break.
In 2011, online advertising has beaten out print and radio as the number two place ad dollars are spent. But how did it come to be that way? Four thousand years ago Ancient Egyptians invented advertising by carving public notices in steel. Fast forward to the present day, and in-text online ads, Facebook Like-driven campaigns and viral commercials, such as the Old Spice Guy, are common form. This illustrated timeline, created by Infolinks, takes a walk down advertising's memory lane.
[More from Mashable: Google Rolls Out Clever New Ad Featuring the Muppets [VIDEO]]
The evolution from steal to digital took many turns along its way, such as print fliers hoping to get young men to fight in the Revolutionary War, billboards spurred by the rise of automobiles, electric banner ads following the invention of the light bulb (Times Square's first went up in 1882) and direct marketing with the nascent postal service.
But we don't want to give everything away. Take a look at the graphic below. Do you think any of these older forms of advertising would be successful today? Let us know in the comments.
[More from Mashable: Chevrolet?s Super Bowl Ad Choice Will Be a Viral Video]
Kevin R. Johnson Dean Professor of Law and Chicana/o Studies, and Mabie-Apallas Public Interest Law Chair Univ. of California, Davis, School of Law ? Web Profile ? Email
Bill O. Hing
Professor of Law
Univ. of San Francisco School of Law
? Web Profile
? Email
Michael A. Scaperlanda
Professor of Law
Gene and Elaine Edwards Family Chair in Law/>
Univ. of Oklahoma College of Law
? Web Profile
? Email
Evelyn H. Cruz
Clinical Professor of Law
Director, Immigration Law & Policy Clinic
Arizona State Univ. College of Law
? Web Profile
? Email
News Readers & Feeds
Resources
About ImmigrationProf Blog ? Email Editors Comments & Content
Find Immigration Law Professors
? Membership List, Immigration Law Section, AALS (pdf)
? Google Scholar
? Law Schools
? SSRN
Immigration & Immigrant-Related Websites
? ABA
? ABA Commission on Immigration
? ABA Law School Pro Bono Programs
? ACLU Immigrants Rights Project
? AdvocateKhoj
? AFSC Immigrant Rights
? American Families United
? American Immigration Center
? American Immigration Law Foundation
? American Immigration Lawyers Association
? Amnesty International
? Asian American Justice Center
? Association of Trial Lawyers of America
? Asylumlaw.org
? Bar Association of San Francisco, Volunteer Legal Services Program
? Bender?s Immigration Bulletin
? Beyond Borders
? Brazilmax
? California Rural Legal Assistance Border Project
? Cape Immigration Law Group, PLLC
? California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
? Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, University of California, San Diego
? Center for International Human Rights Law
? Center for Immigration Studies
? Center for U.S./Mexico Studies, University of California, San Diego
? D.L. Hennessey's Immigration Links
? Detention Watch Network
? Fair Immigration Reform Movement
? Federal Publications, Inc.
? Fight Notario Fraud (ABA)
? FindLaw
? Fong & Chun, LLP Immigration Attorneys
? Golden Venture (The Film)
? Heller Immigration Law Group LLP
? Human Rights First
? Human Rights Watch
? Immigration Equality
? Immigration Newsladder
? Immigration Law on the Web
? Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK)
? Immigrant Legal Resource Center
? Immigration Newsman
? Immigration Policy Center
? The Immigration Portal
? Immigration Solutions Group, PLLC
? Internet Law Library
? Julian Samora Research Institute, Michigan State University
? JURIST (Immigration Law Page)
? Latin American Network Information Center
? LatinoJustice PRLDEF
? The Law Offices of Eliana Phelps
? Law Offices of Carl Shusterman
? Law Offices of Norton Tooby
? Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights for the San Francisco Bay Area
? Los Angeles Immigration.com
? Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
? Mexican-American Legal Defense & Education Fund
? Migration Dialog
? Migration Policy Institute
? Nation of Immigrators
? National Clearinghouse on Agricultural Guest Worker Issues
? National Council for La Raza
? National Council of State Legislatures
? National Federation of Paralegal Associations
? National Immigration Forum
? National Immigration Law Center
? National Immigration Project
? National Lawyers Guild
? National Legal Aid and Defender Association
? National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
? New York State Defenders Association
? Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
? Physicians for Human Rights
? Pro Bono Institute, Georgetown University Law Center
? Probono.Net
? Race Equity Project, Legal Services of Northern California
? Refugee Caselaw Site
? Los Repatriados (The Repatriates)
? Rights Working Group
? Truth in Immigration
? Underbelly
? UC Berkeley Interdisciplinary Immigration Workshop
? United Farm Workers
? U.S. Citizenship Study Pages
? U.S. Committee for Refugees
? University of Texas, El Paso Center for Border Studies
? Western Massachusetts Coalition for Immigrant & Worker Rights
? Women on the Border
Blogs
? American Friends Service Committee Immigration Policy Blog
? The Asylumist
? Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition
? CrImmigration Blog
? Fair Immigration Reform Movement Blog
? Immigration Orange
? Immigration Slip Opinion (AILA)
? Immigration Visa Attorney Blog
? IntLaw Grrls
? Jesuit Refugee Service/USA Blog
? KCET Life and Times Blog
? The List: Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies
? New York Public Personnel Law
? Open Border Central
? Orange County Register Immigration Blog
? Philip Curtis & Associates
? Refugees International Blog
? Working Imigrants
Immigration Clinics & Programs
? Clinical Legal Education Association
? University of California, Davis Immigration Law Clinic
? CUNY School of Professional Studies, Immigration Law Studies Certificate Program
Law Reviews
? Georgetown Immigration Law Journal
Federal Statutes & Regulations
? Title 8 of the U.S. Code, Aliens and Nationality
? U.S. Immigration Law, Regulations and Procedures
? Congressional Hearings on Immigration (1923-)
Federal Agencies
? Board of Immigration Appeals Precedent Decisions
? Executive Office of Immigration Review
? Immigration Statistical Yearbooks
? U.S. Court of the Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Immigration Documents
? U.S. Department of Homeland Security
? ? ? U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
? ? ? U.S. Customs and Border Protection
? ?? U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
? U.S. Department of Justice
? ? ? Civil Rights Division
? ?? Executive Office for Immigration Review
? U.S. Department of Labor
? ? ? Foreign Labor
? ?? National Origin Descrimination
? ? ? U.S. Department of State
? ?? Consular Affairs
? ?? Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement
? ?? Foreign Entry Requirements
? ?? Human Rights Page
? ?? Human Trafficking
? ?? International Labor
? ?? Immigration
? ?? Key Offices Overseas
? ?? Refugees
? ? ? Visa Bulletin
? ?? Visa Services
? U.S. Government Printing Office
State Government Resources
? California Court Information
Free Legal Web Sites
? Findlaw
? JURIST
Blog Traffic
Since September 10, 2005
Blogware
Notices
? Copyright All Rights Reserved Contact post author for permissions
Discovered the existence of neutrophils in the spleenPublic release date: 25-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Marta Calsina mcalsina@imim.es 34-933-160-680 IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute)
These neutrophils are there without there being any infection and play an immunoregulating role
This release is available in Spanish.
Barcelona, 23rd of December 2011.- For the first time, it has been discovered that neutrophils exist in the spleen without there being an infection. This important finding made by the research group on the Biology of B Cells of IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute) in collaboration with researchers from Mount Sinai in New York, has also made it possible to determine that these neutrophils have an immunoregulating role.
Neutrophils are the so-called cleaning cells, since they are the first cells to migrate to a place with an infection and inflammation to destroy the pathogens. Until now, scientific literature had considered neutrophils essentially as lowly qualified soldiers that simply limited the expansion of an infection, as a first action to pave the way for other cells of the immune system in charge of eradicating the infection permanently.
"This study has revealed that neutrophils are found in the spleen without there being an infection, contributing totally new knowledge in the field of biology" explains Andrea Cerutti, the coordinator of the research group on the Biology of B Cells of IMIM, a professor at ICREA and the last signatory of the article.
Researchers noticed that the existence of neutrophils in the spleen started when the fetus is developing, even when there is no infectious process involved; this was not known in scientific literature. The study was expanded to people of different ages and other mammals. Detecting the presence of neutrophils in the spleen suggested that these played a different role in the spleen to the one usually given to them.
The neutrophils in the spleen are located around B lymphocytes to help their activation and offer a first rapid response when there are pathogens. "through several different experimental approaches we have proven that neutrophils in the spleen acquire the ability to interact with B cells or B lymphocytes, inducing the production of antibodies, a role that lymphocytes circulating in blood are not able to do" states Irene Puga, researcher of the IMIM and a signatory of this article.
This finding improves the understanding of the mechanisms with which our immune system protects us against an infection, an essential requirement to better control all pathologies linked to it. Also, when faced with certain diseases, such as neutropenia (or a numeric deficiency of neutrophils), it will become necessary to study not only the deficiency of neturophils, but also how this affects the production of antibodies.
This work opens the door to therapies which are geared at, and more affective against, different pathogens, for example, to develop vaccines to increase the capacity of neutrophils in the spleen so as to have an incidence on the production of antibodies by type B lymphocytes.
###
This study has been made possible thanks to the simples gathered mainly in different Catalan hospitals such as Hospital del Mar, Hospital Clnic, Hospital de la Vall d'Hebron and Hospital Sant Joan de Du, together with other centres in the USA and Europe.
Reference article
"Bhelper neutrophils stimulate immunoglobulin diversification and production in the marginal zone of the spleen" Irene Puga, Montserrat Cols, Carolina Barra, Bing He, Linda Cassis, Maurizio Gentile, Laura Comerma, Alejo Chorny, Meimei Shan, Weifeng Xu, Giuliana Magri, Daniel M.Knowles, Wayne Tam, April Chiu, James B Bussel, Sergi Serrano, Jos Antonio Lorente,Beatriz Bellosillo, Josep Lloreta, Nuria Juanpere, Francesc Alameda, Teresa Bar, Cristina Daz de Heredia, Nria Torn, Albert Catal, Montserrat Torrebadell, Claudia Fortuny,Victoria Cusi, Carmen Carreras, George A. Diaz, J. Magarian Blander, Claire-Michle Farber, Guido Silvestri, Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, Michaela Calvillo, Carlo Dufour, Lucia Dora Notarangelo, Vassilios Lougaris, Alessandro Plebani, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Stephanie C. Ganal, Andreas Diefenbach, Juan Ignacio Arstegui, Manel Juan, Jordi Yage, Nizar Mahlaoui, Jean Donadieu, Kang Chen & Andrea Cerutti. Nature Immunology 2011
For further information
Rosa Manaut, head of communications at IMIM, Tel: +34 618 509 885 or Marta Calsina, Communication service at IMIM, Tel: +34 933 16 06 80.
[ | 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.
Discovered the existence of neutrophils in the spleenPublic release date: 25-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Marta Calsina mcalsina@imim.es 34-933-160-680 IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute)
These neutrophils are there without there being any infection and play an immunoregulating role
This release is available in Spanish.
Barcelona, 23rd of December 2011.- For the first time, it has been discovered that neutrophils exist in the spleen without there being an infection. This important finding made by the research group on the Biology of B Cells of IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute) in collaboration with researchers from Mount Sinai in New York, has also made it possible to determine that these neutrophils have an immunoregulating role.
Neutrophils are the so-called cleaning cells, since they are the first cells to migrate to a place with an infection and inflammation to destroy the pathogens. Until now, scientific literature had considered neutrophils essentially as lowly qualified soldiers that simply limited the expansion of an infection, as a first action to pave the way for other cells of the immune system in charge of eradicating the infection permanently.
"This study has revealed that neutrophils are found in the spleen without there being an infection, contributing totally new knowledge in the field of biology" explains Andrea Cerutti, the coordinator of the research group on the Biology of B Cells of IMIM, a professor at ICREA and the last signatory of the article.
Researchers noticed that the existence of neutrophils in the spleen started when the fetus is developing, even when there is no infectious process involved; this was not known in scientific literature. The study was expanded to people of different ages and other mammals. Detecting the presence of neutrophils in the spleen suggested that these played a different role in the spleen to the one usually given to them.
The neutrophils in the spleen are located around B lymphocytes to help their activation and offer a first rapid response when there are pathogens. "through several different experimental approaches we have proven that neutrophils in the spleen acquire the ability to interact with B cells or B lymphocytes, inducing the production of antibodies, a role that lymphocytes circulating in blood are not able to do" states Irene Puga, researcher of the IMIM and a signatory of this article.
This finding improves the understanding of the mechanisms with which our immune system protects us against an infection, an essential requirement to better control all pathologies linked to it. Also, when faced with certain diseases, such as neutropenia (or a numeric deficiency of neutrophils), it will become necessary to study not only the deficiency of neturophils, but also how this affects the production of antibodies.
This work opens the door to therapies which are geared at, and more affective against, different pathogens, for example, to develop vaccines to increase the capacity of neutrophils in the spleen so as to have an incidence on the production of antibodies by type B lymphocytes.
###
This study has been made possible thanks to the simples gathered mainly in different Catalan hospitals such as Hospital del Mar, Hospital Clnic, Hospital de la Vall d'Hebron and Hospital Sant Joan de Du, together with other centres in the USA and Europe.
Reference article
"Bhelper neutrophils stimulate immunoglobulin diversification and production in the marginal zone of the spleen" Irene Puga, Montserrat Cols, Carolina Barra, Bing He, Linda Cassis, Maurizio Gentile, Laura Comerma, Alejo Chorny, Meimei Shan, Weifeng Xu, Giuliana Magri, Daniel M.Knowles, Wayne Tam, April Chiu, James B Bussel, Sergi Serrano, Jos Antonio Lorente,Beatriz Bellosillo, Josep Lloreta, Nuria Juanpere, Francesc Alameda, Teresa Bar, Cristina Daz de Heredia, Nria Torn, Albert Catal, Montserrat Torrebadell, Claudia Fortuny,Victoria Cusi, Carmen Carreras, George A. Diaz, J. Magarian Blander, Claire-Michle Farber, Guido Silvestri, Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, Michaela Calvillo, Carlo Dufour, Lucia Dora Notarangelo, Vassilios Lougaris, Alessandro Plebani, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Stephanie C. Ganal, Andreas Diefenbach, Juan Ignacio Arstegui, Manel Juan, Jordi Yage, Nizar Mahlaoui, Jean Donadieu, Kang Chen & Andrea Cerutti. Nature Immunology 2011
For further information
Rosa Manaut, head of communications at IMIM, Tel: +34 618 509 885 or Marta Calsina, Communication service at IMIM, Tel: +34 933 16 06 80.
[ | 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.
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) is helped up after injuring his knee during the second half of an NFL football game against Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) is helped up after injuring his knee during the second half of an NFL football game against Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder (7) looks up after getting tangled in the legs of Washington Redskins inside linebacker Perry Riley (56) during the first half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) ? Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson injured his left knee, and Christian Ponder suffered a concussion on back-to-back plays Saturday against the Washington Redskins.
Peterson took a direct hit to the knee from Redskins safety DeJon Gomes on a 3-yard gain on the first offensive play of the second half.
Peterson lay on the ground for a couple of minutes and did not put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the field. He was later taken on a cart to the Vikings locker room.
On the next play, Ponder was sacked by Adam Carriker and London Fletcher. Ponder remained in the game for one more play ? a third-down incomplete pass ? before heading to the locker room.
The Vikings said neither player would return.
Peterson had 12 carries for 38 yards when he left the game. He also had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Ponder had completed 8 of 13 passes for 68 yards. He was replaced by Joe Webb, who scored on a 9-yard run on the next series to give the Vikings the lead.
With 2011 nearing its close, the Reporter is taking a look back at the best that was in the world of Bellevue area sports and recreation. From now until the end of the year, we will recap the best moments, stories and athletes of our area.
Humanitarian Recognition - Liz Strathy-Merrill and Nick Merrill and Doingood Foundation, Run Baby Run
There are a bevy of individuals, organizations and groups that invest countless time in humanitarian causes in and around Bellevue. But none is so closely tied to the world of local sports like Liz Strathy-Merrill, her husband Nick Merrill and Run Baby Run.
During this past summer, the Reporter profiled the couple's journey across the state to support the construction of an addition to a school in Uganda, Africa.?The project, dubbed "Run Baby Run", was in conjunction with another Bellevue-based foundation known as "Doingood", which was founded and is operated by Amy Rogers.
Nick and Liz met Rogers through a mutual friend, but discovered their ties went back further than any of them ever knew when it was revealed the Rogers' brother John was a teammate of Strathy-Merrill when the two were swimmers at the University of Washington. John died of AIDS in 1996 and in 2005, a school in Uganda was built in his honor.
The same school that Nick and Liz ran to build an addition to this time around.
"It all just kind of came full-circle," Rogers said.?"That made it a little more special."
Prior to their most recent four-day running excursion, the Newport Shores residents ran 200 miles from Portland to their home in Bellevue to raise money to build wells in African Villages.
"It was my wife's idea," Nick Merrill said of the idea to run 100 more miles this time around. "I'm always up for a challenge."
300 miles of running in five days was the goal and before ever the actual running ever began, the couple had already raised $40,000 towards their goal.
Republicans are far more comfortable with a Mormon in the White House than Democrats or independents, according to a new Salt Lake Tribune national poll, which also found that polygamy is the most cited reason for those who have reservations.
Three-fifths of likely U.S. voters, or 60 percent, were "very comfortable" or "somewhat comfortable" voting for a Mormon for president, while 26 percent were uncomfortable to some degree and 14 percent were unsure.
Among Republicans, the comfort level shot up to 76 percent, with 14 percent uncomfortable, while 61 percent of independents were comfortable and 27 percent uncomfortable with the prospect of an LDS commander in chief.
Fewer than half of Democrats, 46 percent, were comfortable with a Mormon president, with 36 percent uncomfortable.
The poll also found that if respondents linked Mormons with a political party, it was almost always the GOP, though more than half said they were either unsure or felt most Latter-day Saints were largely unaffiliated.
Researchers say the results were likely affected by Mitt Romney?s presidential pursuit. A Mormon and former Republican governor of Massachusetts, Romney is well known nationally, partly because he also ran for president in 2007-08.
"They were not just thinking of a Mormon in an abstract, but for at least some of these people they are thinking specifically of Mitt Romney," said David Campbell, co-author of American Grace and a political scientist at the University of Notre Dame who studies religion and politics.
That may explain why Republicans are much more willing than Democrats to accept an LDS presidential candidate. But Campbell, who is a Mormon, noted that the Tribune poll and other surveys have all found somewhere between a quarter and a third of respondents were uncomfortable with a Mormon candidate, indicating "this is a real attitude we are tapping into."
Story continues below
Romney faced opposition in his first presidential run from a vocal group of Baptist and evangelical Protestants, mainly in the South, who argued the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not Christian and, in some instances, called it a cult. Romney tried to quell the issue with a high-profile speech about his faith.
He has been much less likely to talk about the LDS Church in his current campaign, and the issue has appeared to lose steam, though some religious leaders and political operatives have made disparaging comments about the religion.
The Tribune poll shows that even 67 percent of white evangelicals were comfortable voting for a Mormon presidential candidate, and 25 percent were uncomfortable.
The survey, conducted Dec. 12-16 by Washington, D.C.-based Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
It found a higher comfort level than the September survey by the Public Religion Research Institute. That poll found 53 percent of Americans were comfortable with a Mormon president, while 42 percent were somewhat or very uncomfortable. The institute?s poll also found a much higher percent of white evangelicals (47 percent) who were uncomfortable with a Mormon in the Oval Office.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the Tribune poll shows Romney?s Mormon issue will continue to fade.
"He paid the price the first time around," said Hatch, a Latter-day Saint and a Romney supporter. "[Voters] are now more familiar with him. I think they have gotten to know him. They realize he is a tremendous leader."
Tribune pollster Brad Coker didn?t go so far as to say the issue is dead, but he agreed that it is far less likely to doom Romney?s chances of becoming the GOP standard-bearer.
(Reuters) ? Soletron, a start-up backed by former Adobe Systems Inc Chief Executive Bruce Chizen, is building an online marketplace for streetwear and sneakers, a market that is worth almost $60 billion by one estimate.
Soletron, run by Shane Robinson and Allen Steigman, raised $265,000 from John Friedman of venture capital firm Easton Capital and New York angel investors in early 2011 and launched its market in November.
"Urban wear is a huge niche that no one really pays attention to," said Chizen, who is on Soletron's advisory board with Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes. "To become the Etsy of the streetwear market -- that's the whole idea."
Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage products launched in 2005, has over 12 million members and saw sales of almost $500 million this year, through November.
Soletron is raising more money in a series A round of venture capital financing early next year and Chizen plans to invest in the business then.
Other advisers include Tom Austin, co-founder of basketball apparel and shoe company AND1, and Bob Rice of investment firm Tangent Capital.
Soletron has about 50 streetwear and sneaker designers selling more than 1,200 products so far. Brands include Dunkelvolk, Nooka and Kanvas Kings.
The company collects transaction fees from linking designers and buyers and generates other revenue from advertising and member subscriptions.
Robinson and Steigman have big plans because their target market is potentially huge. There is little official data on this part of the apparel market, but accounting firm Grant Thorton pegged urban apparel sales at $58 billion in 2006.
U.S. teenagers aged 15 to 19 spend $22 billion a year on fashion products, according to estimates by Piper Jaffray. Action sports brands, Wall Street's term for streetwear brands like Volcom, Quiksilver and Hurley, have been the most popular among wealthier teens since late 2008, according surveys conducted by the investment bank.
Volcom was acquired by French luxury giant PPR this year, and Nike owns Hurley.
"This industry is the proverbial sleeping giant of the retail and e-commerce worlds," Robinson said.
Soletron is competing against Karmaloop, an online streetwear retailer that is on course to generate about $130 million in revenue this year. The company, run by Greg Selkoe, has an online marketplace called Kazba, which accounts for about 10 percent of sales.
"There's room for more people doing it," Selkoe said.
"18 to 24 year-olds have spending power of $90 billion in the U.S. and a good 20 percent of that money goes into buying into this type of clothing and sneakers," he added. "Extrapolate globally and that's a massive market."
(Reporting by Alistair Barr in San Francisco; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Richard Chang)
COMMENTARY | A couple of days before Christmas, the Republican Party has fully embraced the role of the political Grinch.
After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R.-Ky., rallied 39 of the 47 Senate Republicans to help a bipartisan bill to extend payroll tax cuts, unemployment benefits, and avoid cutting the reimbursement rate for doctors who accept patients on Medicare, pass through the Senate 89-10, the GOP led House voted 229-193 against the measure, Tuesday, according to the Washington Post.
The House vote prompted the White House to launch a social media campaign asking middle-income earners to explain how the tax increase would affect them.
Their claim was that passing the bill would inject new uncertainty into the American economy, as they would have to grapple with the issue in two months again anyway.
From their decision it is apparent that the GOP believes that leaving millions of Americans uncertain over whether the next two weeks will bring a tax increase, or the cessation of their unemployment benefits, is a better alternative to wondering how the most unpopular Congress in recent history will deal with the problem two months from now.
The same, tired argument that prevented the deficit-reduction "super committee" from reaching a compromise was the sticking point again. GOP leaders wanted to fund the payroll tax cut by freezing federal salaries, laying off federal employees, and increasing Medicare premiums for upper income seniors; while Democratic lawmakers proposed funding the measure by giving families earning over $1 million a year an income surtax.
Once again the two sides are at an impasse over what the government should and shouldn't pay for.
Unfortunately one of the few things the two sides agreed on was covering $36 billion of the payroll tax cut bill by increasing the fees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge lenders for guaranteeing loans.
House Majority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, didn't shy away from the blame game that's become par for the course in Washington, claiming that his party had "done [their] work for the American people," and that "it's up to the president and Democrats in the Senate to do their work as well."
House Republicans dismissed their fellow party members who accepted the temporary compromise as "lazy" for not demanding that their own extension bill be passed. Though their bill would extend the payroll tax cuts for an entire year, the Republican-backed initiative was also an attempt to force the White House to decide whether or not to ship Canadian oil to the Gulf Coast via the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Both sides seemed to believe that they could scare the other into agreeing with their stipulations using the pressure of a deadline and fear of reaction from a disenchanted public.
However, President Obama summed up the sentiment of many Americans towards a Congress who has no members jeopardized by anything the bill they defeated with his statement that "The American people are weary of it, tired of it. They expect better."
Follow Phillip Warlove on Twitter: @WarloveRevolit
I find it ironic that the company who now holds the record for world's smallest flash drive is in the business of promotional trade show tchotchkes. Because there's absolutely no room to brand this drive except for a hanging tag. More »
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. ? A Navy tradition caught up with the repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" rule on Wednesday when two women sailors became the first to share the coveted "first kiss" on the pier after one of them returned from 80 days at sea.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of Placerville, Calif., descended from the USS Oak Hill amphibious landing ship and shared a quick kiss in the rain with her partner, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell of Los Angeles. Gaeta, 23, wore her Navy dress uniform while Snell, 22, wore a black leather jacket, scarf and blue jeans. The crowd screamed and waved flags around them.
"It's something new, that's for sure," Gaeta told reporters after the kiss.
"It's nice to be able to be myself. It's been a long time coming."
There was little to differentiate this kiss from countless others when a Navy ship pulls into its home port following a deployment. Neither the Navy nor the couple tried to draw special attention to what was happening and many onlookers waiting for their loved ones to come off the ship were busy talking among themselves.
Snell smiled as she approached Gaeta and they briefly embraced as a small contingent of local television crews and photographers, who were unaware about what was going to happen until moments earlier, captured the scene.
"She told me about the first kiss a couple of days ago and I kind of freaked out ? in a good way ? but of course I'm a little nervous, you know. But I've been waiting since she left," Snell said.
David Bauer, the commanding officer of the USS Oak Hill, said that Gaeta and Snell's kiss would largely be a non-event and the crew's reaction upon learning who was selected to have the first kiss was positive.
"It's going to happen and the crew's going to enjoy it. We're going to move on and it won't overshadow the great things that this crew has accomplished over the past three months," Bauer said.
The ship returned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story following an 80-day deployment to Central America. The crew of more than 300 participated in exercises involving the militaries of Honduras, Guatemala Colombia and Panama as part of Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station 2012.
Both women are Navy fire controlmen, who maintain and operate weapons systems on ships. They met as roommates at training school and have been dating for two years, which they said was difficult under "don't ask, don't tell."
Repeal of the 18-year-old legal provision, under which gays could serve as long as they didn't openly acknowledge their sexual orientation, took effect in September.
"We did have to hide it a lot in the beginning," Snell said. "A lot of people were not always supportive of it in the beginning, but we can finally be honest about who we are in our relationship, so I'm happy."
Navy officials said it was the first time on record that a same-sex couple was chosen to kiss first upon a ship's return. Sailors and their loved ones bought $1 raffle tickets for the opportunity. Gaeta said she bought $50 of tickets, a figure that she said pales in comparison to amounts that some other sailors and their loved ones had bought.
The money was used to host a Christmas party for the children of sailors and Gaeta said everybody in her chain of command and on her ship supported her win in the drawing.
Snell said she believes their experience won't be the last one for gays and lesbians in the military.
"I think that it's something that is going to open a lot of doors, for not just our relationship, but all the other gay and lesbian relationships that are in the military now," she said.
Snell is based on the USS Bainbridge, the guided missile destroyer that helped rescue cargo captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates in 2009.
__
Online: Brock Vergakis can be reached at www.twitter.com/BrockVergakis
Virgin olive oil & fish fatty acids help prevent acute pancreatitisPublic release date: 22-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mara Beln Lpez Milln mariabelenlopez@ugr.es 34-958-241-000 x20312 University of Granada
The researchers evaluated the role of Mediterranean diet ingredients in the prevention and mitigation of cell damage.
Oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol present in a particularly high concentration in virgin olive oil and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish affect the cellular mechanisms involved in the development of acute pancreatitis, a disease of oxidative-inflammatory etiology. Therefore, oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol can be considered potential functional ingredients, as they may prevent or mitigate this disease.
Such was the conclusion drawn in a study conducted by a research group at the University of Granada Physiology Department, where the researchers examined the role of the Mediterranean diet ingredients in the prevention and mitigation of cell damage.
An In Vitro Experimental Model
These scientists developed an in vitro experimental model that allows scientist to evaluate how changes in the membrane fatty acid composition in vivo caused by a change in the type of fat ingested affect the ability of cells to respond to induced oxidative-inflammatory damage with cerulein (acute pancreatitis).
This is the first study to examine how fatty acids and antioxidants affect the cellular mechanisms that respond to local inflammation in the pancreas. The University of Granada scientists have evaluated the role of antioxidants from a preventive approach, that is, by using an experimental model in mice in which cell damage is induced after pretreatment with these nutritional components.
The author of this study, Mara Beln Lpez Milln affirms that "there is increasing evidence that there are oxidative-inflammatory processes involved in the origin of chronic diseases and that diet plays an important role in such processes. The antioxidant (phenolic compounds) and antiinflammatory (omega-3 fatty acids) effects of diet components (nutrients and bioactive compounds) prevent/mitigate the pathological incidence of oxidative-inflammatory processes".
The author reminds us that the Mediterranean diet has been recognized by the UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage "and it is important to provide scientific evidence that explains its beneficial effects on health".
###
The results of this study which has been coordinated by professors Mariano Maas Almendros, Mara Dolores Yago Torregrosa and Mara Dolores Mesa Garca have been partially published in the journal Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.
Contact: Mara Beln Lpez Milln. University of Granada Physiology Department. Phone Number: 34-958241000 Ext. 20312. E-mail: mariabelenlopez@ugr.es
[ | 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.
Virgin olive oil & fish fatty acids help prevent acute pancreatitisPublic release date: 22-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mara Beln Lpez Milln mariabelenlopez@ugr.es 34-958-241-000 x20312 University of Granada
The researchers evaluated the role of Mediterranean diet ingredients in the prevention and mitigation of cell damage.
Oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol present in a particularly high concentration in virgin olive oil and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish affect the cellular mechanisms involved in the development of acute pancreatitis, a disease of oxidative-inflammatory etiology. Therefore, oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol can be considered potential functional ingredients, as they may prevent or mitigate this disease.
Such was the conclusion drawn in a study conducted by a research group at the University of Granada Physiology Department, where the researchers examined the role of the Mediterranean diet ingredients in the prevention and mitigation of cell damage.
An In Vitro Experimental Model
These scientists developed an in vitro experimental model that allows scientist to evaluate how changes in the membrane fatty acid composition in vivo caused by a change in the type of fat ingested affect the ability of cells to respond to induced oxidative-inflammatory damage with cerulein (acute pancreatitis).
This is the first study to examine how fatty acids and antioxidants affect the cellular mechanisms that respond to local inflammation in the pancreas. The University of Granada scientists have evaluated the role of antioxidants from a preventive approach, that is, by using an experimental model in mice in which cell damage is induced after pretreatment with these nutritional components.
The author of this study, Mara Beln Lpez Milln affirms that "there is increasing evidence that there are oxidative-inflammatory processes involved in the origin of chronic diseases and that diet plays an important role in such processes. The antioxidant (phenolic compounds) and antiinflammatory (omega-3 fatty acids) effects of diet components (nutrients and bioactive compounds) prevent/mitigate the pathological incidence of oxidative-inflammatory processes".
The author reminds us that the Mediterranean diet has been recognized by the UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage "and it is important to provide scientific evidence that explains its beneficial effects on health".
###
The results of this study which has been coordinated by professors Mariano Maas Almendros, Mara Dolores Yago Torregrosa and Mara Dolores Mesa Garca have been partially published in the journal Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.
Contact: Mara Beln Lpez Milln. University of Granada Physiology Department. Phone Number: 34-958241000 Ext. 20312. E-mail: mariabelenlopez@ugr.es
[ | 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.
RIM finally eked out a decent quarter. Beat analyst estimates, even. That is, if you don't count the $485 million bath the company took on unsold tablets. The PlayBook ? ill conceived, poorly executed ? is RIM's worst product. And it might just take down the whole company.
It's been a trying year for RIM. There have been security snafus and subpar product launches and an overwhelming sense of stagnation. All of which is compounded by the company's blind hubris, be it last year'sridiculous BlackBerry Torch expectations or today's claim by co-CEO Mike Lazardis that every day he "[hears] stories ... about people saying the BlackBerry Bold is the best communication device in the world today." If those are the stories you're hearing, maybe you're spending too much time in the fiction aisle.
But despite all of the miscues, no matter how many blinders management has on, RIM has still managed to be profitable. Its subscription base hit 75 million this year. It pulls in a billion in cloud revenue on the regular. You'd be tempted to say that RIM was succeeding in spite of itself?if it weren't for its greatest failure. The PlayBook: it's RIM's Gilligan, albatross, and giant self-destruct button all rolled into one. It could be the death of them.
Remember: by all rights there shouldn't even?be?a PlayBook, and there wouldn't have been were it not for the iPad. And while RIM's certainly not the only Apple competitor caught with its pants down, it was the one with the most to lose. Samsung, Toshiba, Lenovo; they were on the hook for hardware, sure, but they could bunk comfortably on the USS Android. And more importantly, they could crank out consumer-focused iPad clones.
RIM, though? RIM had to make an?enterprise tablet. You know, that thing that no one needs or wants. It had to go it alone. And it got it so very, very wrong. No native email or calendar at launch, no BBM. And when you screw it up that badly, all you're left with is a $485 million answer to a question no one was asking.
But here's the part that might break your heart: RIM still doesn't get it. Today its managers said repeatedly that they believed in the PlayBook because people had finally started buying it ? as part of a two-for-one sale. Or at $100 a pop for its own employees. You know, the kinds of prices where RIM loses massive amounts of money on every sale.
The excuses were ample. The tablet market, said Lazardis, is still "in its infancy." Really? Apple sold more than twice as many iPads as Macs last quarter. Just because you've entered a baby in the race doesn't mean you're not competing against grown-ass men. But PlayBook 2.0 software, RIM said, will drive sales next February. Really? All native email means is that people who hate their PlayBooks now will hate them slightly less in a couple of months. It's not a selling point, it's table stakes. An ante that RIM's gone nearly a whole year without ponying up.
So $485 million is a lot of money, money RIM can't afford to eat every few months. But there are other costs that don't show up on the bottom line. Reputation takes a hit, sure. But so does productivity. RIM's other major letdown of the day was that BlackBerry 10 handsets would be delayed until late 2012. You think that would have happened if some of the company's best minds weren't giving CPR to its DOA tablet these last few months?
Lazardis' argument is that because PlayBook and BlackBerry 10 share QNX roots, developing for one is the same as developing for both. That's false. The iPad and iPhone are both iOS devices, but they each require separate ? and substantial ? resources to develop, hardware and software alike. Right now the PlayBook is a leech, sucking up the lifeblood that RIM could and should be using to make great phones again. And to make them quickly.
Next year, RIM's big PlayBook fix is to spend lots and lots of money on advertising and marketing. In fact, it's already started, right here on today's press release:
A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 5 pm ET, September 15, 2011, which can be accessed by dialing 1-877-974-0445 (North America), (+1)416-644-3414 (outside North America) or through your personal computer?or BlackBerry? PlayBook? tablet?at www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml.
Emphasis added, but implicit. Also: this was desperate enough to make me legitimately sad.
You can only throw so much good money after bad. Because eventually, you end up with nothing but a warehouse full of tablets, and a faded memory of a company that used to be pretty damn special.
More on RIM from Gizmodo:
Brian Barrett is a senior editor at Gizmodo; his work has also appeared in Real Simple, Details, and Women's Day magazines, among others. You can keep up with him on Twitter or Facebook.
_U.S. deaths as of Dec. 15, 2011: 4,487, according to the Pentagon.
_Confirmed U.S. military wounded (hostile) as of Nov. 29, 2011: 31,921.
_Confirmed U.S. military wounded (non-hostile, using medical air transport) as of Oct. 31, 2011: 40,350
_Deaths of civilian employees of U.S. government contractors as of Sept. 30, 2011: More than 2,097.
_Iraqi deaths as of Nov. 30, 2011 from war-related violence, according to Iraq Body Count: At least 103,775.
_Assassinated Iraqi academics as of Aug. 25, 2011: 464.
_Journalists killed on assignment as of Nov. 30, 2011: 174.
COST:
_More than $805 billion as of Nov. 30, 2011, according to the National Priorities Project.
TROOP LEVELS:
_October 2007: U.S. troop levels reach 170,000 at peak of buildup, with total international troop strength at 182,000.
_July 2009: International troop levels in Iraq drop to 135,000.
_October 2011: U.S. troop strength at 39,000.
COALITION SUPPORT:
_Countries responsible for leading operations in three of seven security sectors in Iraq as of May 2007: Britain, Poland and South Korea.
_Countries providing troops as of May 2007: 25.
_Coalition countries who left Iraq in 2009: 6
SIZE OF IRAQI SECURITY FORCES (includes police, national guard, armed forces and border patrol):
_May 2003: Roughly 7,000-9,000
_March 2011: 670,000
OIL PRODUCTION:
_Prewar: 2.58 million barrels per day.
_July 29, 2011: 2.37 million barrels per day.
ELECTRICITY:
_Prewar nationwide: 3,958 megawatts. Hours per day (estimated): 4-8.
_July 29, 2011: Nationwide: 6,990 megawatts. Hours per day: not available.
TELEPHONES:
_Prewar cell phones: 80,000.
_October 2011: An estimated 23 million, served by three carriers.
WATER:
Prewar: 12.9 million people had potable water.
Sept. 22, 2011: Approximately 24 million people have potable water (majority in urban areas).
SEWERAGE:
_Prewar: 6.2 million people served.
_Sept. 22, 2011: Approximately 20 million people served (majority in urban areas).
INTERNAL REFUGEES:
_Prewar: 1,021,962.
_August 2011: Approximately 1.3 million people are currently displaced inside Iraq.
EMIGRANTS:
_Prewar: 500,000 Iraqis living abroad.
_July 2011: Approximately 1 million Iraqis, mainly in Syria and Jordan.
___
Sources: Associated Press, U.S. State Department, U.S. Defense Department, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, The Brookings Institution, Iraq Body Count, U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, U.N. High Commission for Refugees, Committee to Protect Journalists, National Priorities Project, U.S. Government Accountability Office, GlobalSecurity.org, ProCon.org.
joyonlineghana 
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 25-Dec-2011
Share ] 
