Samsung monitors have long been known for their style and solid image quality, and the SyncMaster S23A550H ($259.99 list) continues the trend. This 23-inch beauty delivers outstanding color quality and great dark grayscale performance, and does so without using much power. However, it only has one digital input and is short on features.
Design and Features
Fans of Samsung's Touch of Color design will appreciate the S23A550H's Rose Black finish, which happens to be the same finish used on the Samsung SyncMaster T220D. The 23-inch 1,920-by-1,080 TN+ panel is framed by reddish black bezels that are covered with clear trim and are slightly curved, giving the monitor a sense of style and preventing it from appearing too box-like. The Samsung logo appears on the lower bezel as well as on the back of the monitor. The 7 pound glossy black cabinet measures 1.5 inches at its thickest point and is supported by a clear round base with piano black trim. The mounting arm provides tilt adjustment, but lacks height and swivel movement. It also has a cover that unsnaps, so you can tuck cables away and keep them out of sight.
Input connections are sparse; you get an HDMI port and a VGA port, and that's it. A secondary HDMI port, like the one on the ViewSonic VX2753mh ($349.99 list, 4 stars), would make it much easier to connect to a gaming box or external Blu-ray player. In keeping with the clutter-free motif, a rounded cover snaps onto the back of the cabinet to hide the cable connectors.
There are six touch sensitive buttons on the right side of the lower bezel. In addition to the power switch, there's a Menu button that launches the on-screen display (OSD) menu, an ECO button that doubles as a navigation button, a brightness button that is also used for menu navigation, an input source/navigation button, and an Auto Adjust button for use with an analog signal. Pressing any button activates on-screen labeling above each button with icons that show you what the button does, making it easy to work your way through the menu system.
Picture settings include Samsung's Magic presets; MagicAngle lets you select one of six viewing angle modes optimized for your viewing position. For example, if you lean way back on your chair to the point where you look up to see the screen you can choose one of the Lean Back modes. There are also modes for standing and viewing from the side, but side angle viewing is already quite good on this monitor. You will get a better picture if you happen to be standing or sitting at an off angle, but the best all-around picture comes with this feature disabled and the monitor positioned for optimal viewing.
MagicBright consists of five presets offering brightness and contrast level settings that are optimized for specific applications. Standard mode gives you the best picture for everyday use and Cinema mode is useful for watching movies in a dimly lit room. Colors in the Game mode are way too oversaturated, and the Dynamic Contrast mode offers automatic brightness and contrast control depending on the content and is a bit sharper than Standard mode. Users can create their own preset using the Custom mode.
When enabled, MagicColor enhances skin tones and punches up colors in Full mode, while Intelligent mode enhances everything except skin tones. Both MagicColor settings produce slightly oversaturated colors and cannot be used when the MagicAngle feature is enabled. You can also tweak Red, Green, and Blue color levels, color temperature, and gamma settings.
The ECO button takes you to a screen with several neat power saving options; there's an ECO Motion Sensor setting that when enabled will put the monitor into power saving mode if no motion is detected. You can choose one of five time intervals (5, 10, 20, 30, or 60 minutes) for the sensor and have the screen turn off or go dim if no motion is detected during the selected time frame. You can also select one of three ECO Saving modes (Off, 75 percent, 50 percent). When set to Off the panel uses only 19 watts of power, which is great for a 23-inch panel, but not quite as good as the 24-inch Lenovo LS2421P Wide ($219.99 direct, 4 stars) (16-watts). Changing the setting to 75 percent knocks power usage down to 18 watts with only a slight decrease in luminance, while the 50 percent setting brings it down to 14 watts with a more noticeable loss of luminance. All things considered, I'd suggest leaving the ECO Saving mode off as this mode offers the best picture and doesn't use much power anyway. Either way, the S23A550H's low power characteristics and useful power-saving options earn it our GreenTech stamp of approval.
Performance
The S23A550H produces inky blacks, which in part helps it to deliver bold, well defined colors. The panel had no trouble displaying every shade of dark gray on the DisplayMate 64-Step Grayscale test, although light grays were a bit washed out at the bright end of the scale. Colors scaled evenly from dark to light on the Color Scales test and there was no noticeable tinting or oversaturation. Small text was sharp and easy to read at 5.3 points (the smallest font on the DisplayMate Scaled Fonts test), and as mentioned above, viewing angle performance was quite good from the sides. There is, however, some color shifting when viewed from the top and bottom angles.
Although the S23A550H lacks the necessary ports to be considered a gaming monitor it does have a speedy 2-millisecond (g-g) pixel response and does a fine job of displaying fast motion sequences. I hooked the monitor up to my PS3 via the HDMI port and fired up the fast action racing game Need for Speed Carbon and did not detect any blurring or ghosting while zipping through the city streets at a high rate of speed. The Cohen Brothers True Grit in HD, streamed via Netflix, looked great on the 23-inch screen, which delivered natural-looking skin tones and crisp colors.
If you're looking for a 23-inch monitor that delivers bold colors and deep blacks, the Samsung SyncMaster S23A550H is right up your alley. You don't get many ports with this model, and its light grayscale performance could be better, but it'll save you a few bucks on your utility bill and bring a touch of style to your desktop. That said, the Editors' Choice Lenovo LS2421p Wide offers equally impressive performance and energy efficiency, comes with a four port USB hub, and gives you a slightly bigger screen. It's around $30 cheaper, too.
COMPARISON TABLE Compare the AOC e1649Fwu with several other monitors side by side.
More monitor reviews: ??? Samsung SyncMaster S23A550H ??? Samsung Central Station (SyncMaster C23A750X) ??? AOC e1649Fwu ??? Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421 ??? Asus VG278H ?? more
Scientists have determined that Earth's "missing energy" isn't missing after all.
Earth's primary energy source is the sun, which bombards the planet with solar rays every day. This energy helps drive our weather system, makes the planet warm enough for life and drives photosynthesis in plants, among other things. But not all of this energy is retained by the Earth ? some of it is reflected or radiated back into space.
By studying the amount of solar energy absorbed by the atmosphere, and comparing it to the energy released back into space by the planet, a team of researchers has calculated how much energy is retained by the planet. Most of the energy is held within the oceans as heat; the influx causes a slow rise in temperature.
Missing or not?
A previous study, released by a different group in 2010, noted that the ocean heating from 2004 to 2008 seemed to slow. This led them to suggest that some of the planet's energy was missing.
But the new team, led by Norman Leob of NASA's Langley Research Center, re-examined the numbers measured over the course of the last decade and found them to be relatively stable.
Loeb's team maintained that the margin of error was larger than the original study took into account.
"One of the things we wanted to do was a more rigorous analysis of the uncertainties," Loeb said in a statement. "When we did that, we found the conclusion of missing energy in the system isn't really supported by the data."
Looking for what was lost
Using a decade's worth of data collected by the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE), the team determined the amount of energy absorbed from the sun. They then subtracted the energy reflected back into space, as well as the energy emitted by the Earth, using the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES).
The energy left over is trapped somewhere on Earth. Less than 10 percent of it heats the land and atmosphere, and melts snow and ice, while the rest heats the ocean.
The original study found that the Earth's temperature, which had been steadily rising, slowed its pace. But the new study notes that the methods for measuring characteristics of the ocean shifted in 2003.
More science news from msnbc.com
Library?putting the 3-D back into century-old photos
In a cool new undertaking, the ever-forward-thinking New York Public Library has pulled together a vast collection of roughly 100-year-old archival images for a very clever proto-3-D project.
Deep-sea fish recordings reveal grunts and quacks
Mesopotamian riddles of sex, beer and politics
Camera-nabbing leopards caught on video
When accounting for the margin of error of both methods employed, the new study states that the apparent decline is "not statistically significant, nor is it observed by CERES."
Currently, data on the ocean is collected via the Argo program, which has dropped more than 3,000 floats in saltwater around the world. As the floats sink and rise, they measure the temperature and salt content of the water up to a depth of 1.25 miles (2,000 meters).
"Our data show that Earth has been accumulating heat in the ocean at a rate of half a watt per square meter (10.8 square feet), with no sign of a decline," Loeb said.
? 2012 OurAmazingPlanet. All rights reserved. More from OurAmazingPlanet.
Inherited risk factors for childhood leukemia are more common in Hispanic patientsPublic release date: 30-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Summer Freeman summer.freeman@stjude.org 901-595-3061 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Results from a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Children's Oncology Group study pinpoint genetic basis for increased leukemia risk facing Hispanic children and provide new hope for closing survival gap
Hispanic children are more likely than those from other racial and ethnic backgrounds to be diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and are more likely to die of their disease. Work led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has pinpointed genetic factors behind the grim statistics.
Researchers studying a gene called ARID5B linked eight common variants of the gene to an increased risk of not only developing pediatric ALL but of having the cancer return after treatment. Two more ARID5B variants were tied to higher odds of developing the disease. Investigators found that Hispanic children were up to twice as likely as their white counterparts to inherit a high risk-version of ARID5B.
"For years we have known about ethnic and racial disparities in ALL risk and outcome, but the biology behind it has been elusive. Therefore, it is truly exciting to be able to not only pin down the biological basis but to find that the same gene might be responsible for both differences. Children who inherit high-risk versions of ARID5B are more likely to develop ALL in the first place and then more likely to fail therapy," said Jun Yang, Ph.D., an assistant member of the St. Jude Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the paper's corresponding author.
The work was done in collaboration with the Children's Oncology Group (COG), a U.S. based research cooperative study group focused on childhood cancer research and clinical trials. The study appears in the January 30 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Multiple factors contribute to cancer development, and inheriting a high-risk version of ARID5B is not enough to cause the disease, Yang said. These findings set the stage for exciting research in understanding how genetic, environmental and other factors combine in ALL, especially in the context of racial and ethnic disparity, he said.
"These and other genomic studies suggest we are poised to finally make significant progress in eliminating racial disparities in this catastrophic disease," Yang said. Additional work is needed to translate these findings into new clinical tools, he added.
Each year ALL is found in about 3,000 U.S. children, making it the most common childhood cancer. The incidence varies by self-declared race and ethnicity with rates for Hispanic individuals 50 percent higher than for non-Hispanic white individuals. For this study, researchers used genetic variations rather than individual self-report to define ancestry. White children were defined as having greater than 95 percent European ancestry and Hispanics children as having greater than 10 percent Native American ancestry.
Although the work of St. Jude researchers and others is helping to close the survival gap, Hispanic children are still less likely than children from other racial or ethnic backgrounds to be alive five years after diagnosis.
This study builds on the earlier St. Jude research that linked different versions of the ARID5B gene to ALL risk.
St. Jude and COG investigators partnered to see if variations in the ARID5B gene help to explain differences in either the incidence or the outcome of ALL in white and Hispanic patients. ARID5B belongs to a family of genes called transcription factors. They play a role in the normal development of white blood cells, which are targeted in ALL. Evidence suggests the gene also influences how methotrexate, a key anti-leukemia drug, is metabolized.
To find ARID5B variants related to ALL, the study compared the gene in 330 Hispanic children with ALL and 541 Hispanic individuals without ALL. Researchers also checked ARID5B in 978 white ALL patients and 1,046 white individuals without the cancer.
Although the high-risk versions of ARID5B were found in both white and Hispanic patients, those variants were 1.5 to two times more common in Hispanic children than in white children.
Individuals inherit two copies of every gene, one from each parent. Children with one high-risk version of ARID5B were up to 80 percent more likely to develop ALL than others. Inheriting two copies of a high-risk version of the gene translated into a 3.6-fold increased ALL risk.
Researchers also found evidence linking ARID5B variants to relapse risk in 1,605 pediatric ALL patients enrolled in COG studies. Yang and his colleagues previously linked that level of Native American ancestry to a higher relapse risk in Hispanic ALL patients. Patients in this study who inherited a high-risk version of ARID5B were 50 percent more likely to relapse than other patients. They were also more likely to die of their cancer.
###
The study's first author is Heng Xu of St. Jude. Other authors are Cheng Cheng, Deqing Pei, Yiping Fan, Wenjian Yang, Geoff Neale, William E. Evans, Ching-Hon Pui, and Mary Relling, all of St. Jude; Meenakshi Devidas, University of Florida, Gainesville; Paul Scheet, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Esteban Gonzalez Burchard, Dara Torgerson, Celeste Eng and Mignon Loh, all of University of California, San Francisco; Michael Dean, National Cancer Institute; Federico Antillon, Unidad Nacional de Oncologia Pediatrica, Guatemala; Naomi Winick, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Paul Martin, Duke University; Cheryl Willman, University of New Mexico; Bruce Camitta, Medical College of Wisconsin; Gregory Reaman, George Washington University, Children's National Medical Center; William Carroll, New York University; and Stephen Hunger, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado.
Yang was supported by the American Society of Hematology Scholar Award and the Alex Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer Young Investigator Award. The work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, the Jeffrey Pride Foundation, CureSearch and ALSAC.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting www.stjude.org or following us on www.facebook.com/stjude. Follow us on Twitter @StJudeResearch.
The Children's Oncology Group
The Children's Oncology Group (childrensoncologygroup.org), a National Cancer Institute supported clinical trials group, is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. The Children's Oncology Group (COG) unites more than 7,500 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading children's hospitals, universities, and cancer centers across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in the fight against childhood cancer. COG research has turned children's cancer from a virtually incurable disease 50 years ago into one with an overall cure rate approaching 80 percent today. Research conducted by the COG is also supported through the generosity of individuals, corporations and private foundations working with The Children's Oncology Group Foundation (TheCOGFoundation.org), which enables philanthropic resources to go directly to COG's worldwide team of researchers committed to turning new discoveries into better treatments.
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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.
Inherited risk factors for childhood leukemia are more common in Hispanic patientsPublic release date: 30-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Summer Freeman summer.freeman@stjude.org 901-595-3061 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Results from a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Children's Oncology Group study pinpoint genetic basis for increased leukemia risk facing Hispanic children and provide new hope for closing survival gap
Hispanic children are more likely than those from other racial and ethnic backgrounds to be diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and are more likely to die of their disease. Work led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has pinpointed genetic factors behind the grim statistics.
Researchers studying a gene called ARID5B linked eight common variants of the gene to an increased risk of not only developing pediatric ALL but of having the cancer return after treatment. Two more ARID5B variants were tied to higher odds of developing the disease. Investigators found that Hispanic children were up to twice as likely as their white counterparts to inherit a high risk-version of ARID5B.
"For years we have known about ethnic and racial disparities in ALL risk and outcome, but the biology behind it has been elusive. Therefore, it is truly exciting to be able to not only pin down the biological basis but to find that the same gene might be responsible for both differences. Children who inherit high-risk versions of ARID5B are more likely to develop ALL in the first place and then more likely to fail therapy," said Jun Yang, Ph.D., an assistant member of the St. Jude Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the paper's corresponding author.
The work was done in collaboration with the Children's Oncology Group (COG), a U.S. based research cooperative study group focused on childhood cancer research and clinical trials. The study appears in the January 30 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Multiple factors contribute to cancer development, and inheriting a high-risk version of ARID5B is not enough to cause the disease, Yang said. These findings set the stage for exciting research in understanding how genetic, environmental and other factors combine in ALL, especially in the context of racial and ethnic disparity, he said.
"These and other genomic studies suggest we are poised to finally make significant progress in eliminating racial disparities in this catastrophic disease," Yang said. Additional work is needed to translate these findings into new clinical tools, he added.
Each year ALL is found in about 3,000 U.S. children, making it the most common childhood cancer. The incidence varies by self-declared race and ethnicity with rates for Hispanic individuals 50 percent higher than for non-Hispanic white individuals. For this study, researchers used genetic variations rather than individual self-report to define ancestry. White children were defined as having greater than 95 percent European ancestry and Hispanics children as having greater than 10 percent Native American ancestry.
Although the work of St. Jude researchers and others is helping to close the survival gap, Hispanic children are still less likely than children from other racial or ethnic backgrounds to be alive five years after diagnosis.
This study builds on the earlier St. Jude research that linked different versions of the ARID5B gene to ALL risk.
St. Jude and COG investigators partnered to see if variations in the ARID5B gene help to explain differences in either the incidence or the outcome of ALL in white and Hispanic patients. ARID5B belongs to a family of genes called transcription factors. They play a role in the normal development of white blood cells, which are targeted in ALL. Evidence suggests the gene also influences how methotrexate, a key anti-leukemia drug, is metabolized.
To find ARID5B variants related to ALL, the study compared the gene in 330 Hispanic children with ALL and 541 Hispanic individuals without ALL. Researchers also checked ARID5B in 978 white ALL patients and 1,046 white individuals without the cancer.
Although the high-risk versions of ARID5B were found in both white and Hispanic patients, those variants were 1.5 to two times more common in Hispanic children than in white children.
Individuals inherit two copies of every gene, one from each parent. Children with one high-risk version of ARID5B were up to 80 percent more likely to develop ALL than others. Inheriting two copies of a high-risk version of the gene translated into a 3.6-fold increased ALL risk.
Researchers also found evidence linking ARID5B variants to relapse risk in 1,605 pediatric ALL patients enrolled in COG studies. Yang and his colleagues previously linked that level of Native American ancestry to a higher relapse risk in Hispanic ALL patients. Patients in this study who inherited a high-risk version of ARID5B were 50 percent more likely to relapse than other patients. They were also more likely to die of their cancer.
###
The study's first author is Heng Xu of St. Jude. Other authors are Cheng Cheng, Deqing Pei, Yiping Fan, Wenjian Yang, Geoff Neale, William E. Evans, Ching-Hon Pui, and Mary Relling, all of St. Jude; Meenakshi Devidas, University of Florida, Gainesville; Paul Scheet, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Esteban Gonzalez Burchard, Dara Torgerson, Celeste Eng and Mignon Loh, all of University of California, San Francisco; Michael Dean, National Cancer Institute; Federico Antillon, Unidad Nacional de Oncologia Pediatrica, Guatemala; Naomi Winick, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Paul Martin, Duke University; Cheryl Willman, University of New Mexico; Bruce Camitta, Medical College of Wisconsin; Gregory Reaman, George Washington University, Children's National Medical Center; William Carroll, New York University; and Stephen Hunger, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado.
Yang was supported by the American Society of Hematology Scholar Award and the Alex Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer Young Investigator Award. The work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, the Jeffrey Pride Foundation, CureSearch and ALSAC.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting www.stjude.org or following us on www.facebook.com/stjude. Follow us on Twitter @StJudeResearch.
The Children's Oncology Group
The Children's Oncology Group (childrensoncologygroup.org), a National Cancer Institute supported clinical trials group, is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. The Children's Oncology Group (COG) unites more than 7,500 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading children's hospitals, universities, and cancer centers across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in the fight against childhood cancer. COG research has turned children's cancer from a virtually incurable disease 50 years ago into one with an overall cure rate approaching 80 percent today. Research conducted by the COG is also supported through the generosity of individuals, corporations and private foundations working with The Children's Oncology Group Foundation (TheCOGFoundation.org), which enables philanthropic resources to go directly to COG's worldwide team of researchers committed to turning new discoveries into better treatments.
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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.
CHICAGO -- It's all about staying off your back and top control in tonight's three big fights on the UFC on Fox 2 card.
If they control the pace in fights, top level wrestlers have the ability to steal rounds and money. A mix of underdogs and favorites (Chael Sonnen, Phil Davis and Chris Weidman) with excellent college wrestling backgrounds, will be an interesting follow on the betting scene.
Sonnen's controlled the pace so well in his recent fights, it's made him just about unbeatable and a huge favorite over Michael Bisping. We'll find out tonight if Bisping's takedown defense allows him to stay in the fight. Hopefully keeps his cool. Sonnen along with yesterday's weigh-in crowd at the Chicago Theater really got under the Brit's skin.
As an underdog, Phil Davis will be looking to do slow things down against Rashad Evans. Chris Weidman's in the most interesting position because the former Hofstra star could probably stay on top of Demian Maia the entire fight, but that's incredibly dangerous place to be against a top level jiu-jitsu fighter. In spite of that Weidman is a pretty solid favorite over the UFC veteran.
Former UFC bantamweight champ Miguel Torres joined Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole and myself on ESPN1100/98.9 FM to pick the fights using the Las Vegas' numbers.
UFC on Fox 2 odds: Best plays in bold
Rashad Evans (-205) vs. Phil Davis (+175) - Light heavyweight Michael Bisping (+360) vs. Chael Sonnen (-450) - Middleweight Demian Maia (+120) vs. Chris Weidman (-140) - Middleweight Evan Dunham (-355) vs. Nik Lentz (+295) - Lightweight Mike Russow (-150) VS. Jon-Olav Einemo (+130) - Heavyweight George Roop (-115) vs. Cub Swanson (-105) - Featherweight Charles Oliveira (-490) vs. Eric Wisely (+390) - Featherweight Shane Roller (-225) vs. Michael Johnson (+185) - Lightweight Joey Beltran (-205) vs. Lavar Johnson (+175) - Heavyweight Chris Camozzi (-150) vs. Dustin Jacoby (+130) - Middleweight
BOSTON ? Kevin H. White, a four-term mayor who led Boston through years of racial violence and economic stagnation and was credited with putting the city on a path to prosperity, has died. He was 82.
White, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2003, died Friday night at his Beacon Hill home surrounded by his family, said George Regan, a family spokesman and friend.
"He was a man who built Boston into the world-class city it is today," said Regan, who called his loss "devastating."
White, a white Irish Catholic from a family of politicians, is credited with revitalizing Boston's downtown and seeing the city through court-ordered busing, but he ended his tenure in 1983 under a cloud of ethics suspicions.
The Democrat was elected Massachusetts secretary of state three times before running for mayor for the first time in 1967 against antibusing activist Louise Day Hicks. He defeated her with support from the black community and liberals.
After losing a 1970 bid for governor, White was re-elected mayor in 1971, again defeating Hicks. He won again narrowly in 1975 and 1979.
White was considered as a vice presidential running mate to U.S. Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota in 1972 but was passed over for U.S. Sen. Thomas Eagleton of Missouri, who was later cast aside for R. Sargent Shriver Jr.
After U.S. District Court Judge W. Arthur Garrity ordered busing to desegregate public schools in 1974, White protected schoolchildren from ensuing violence with federal and state assistance during the period of crisis and in 1976 led a march of 30,000 to protest racial violence.
White was never totally comfortable with busing, however, and called Garrity's plan "too severe."
"I wish I knew a way to have taught Garrity or convinced Garrity to be more generous ... or softer in his implementation of that order," White said after his time as mayor.
U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, a fellow Democrat, said White "knew how to wisely wield the power of the mayor's office for the public good."
"For 16 years," Kerry said in a statement, "the mayor shepherded the city through the turbulence of the late '60s and mid-'70s and in the process ushered in the remarkable city we know today."
Current Mayor Thomas Menino, also a Democrat, praised White for his contributions to the city.
"Mayor Kevin White was a great friend and a great leader who left a lasting mark of hope and inspiration on the City of Boston," he said in a statement. "He will be sorely missed."
White's first two terms were known for his Little City Halls in the city's far-flung neighborhoods that gave power to ethnic and racial minorities, but he consolidated his power in his final two terms.
White closed the Little City Halls and instead used a network of ward lieutenants who rewarded the mayor's supporters with city jobs and contracts.
Seven mayoral aides were eventually indicted on fraud and extortion charges. His one-time budget director and an official of the Boston Redevelopment Authority were convicted of fraudulently obtaining city pensions. A deputy commissioner was convicted of tax evasion for failing to report money that prosecutors said he gained from bribes.
White was never implicated. The State Ethics Commission, however, conducted a 10-month investigation that found "reasonable cause" that White had violated conflict-of-interest laws.
The city also wallowed in a financial crisis in the later years of his tenure that led to layoffs of police officers and firefighters and the shutdown of some stations.
The crises were exploited by his critics, who called him King Kevin, and he dropped out of the 1983 mayoral race, eventually won by Raymond Flynn.
"It's no secret that Kevin and I were rivals for many years," Flynn said in a statement. "But underneath that sometimes heated rivalry, rooted in different priorities, was a mutual respect. Kevin and I shared a deep love for this complex, fascinating city of Boston."
A liberal reformer, White appealed to a cross-section of society, including the young.
Once, when the Rolling Stones were arrested on the way to Boston, the mayor released them into his own custody.
"The Stones have been busted, but I have sprung them!" he told an audience at Boston Garden.
While the busing crisis stained Boston's image, White was also credited with revitalizing the city's downtown, especially the shops and restaurants of Quincy Market, which remains one of the city's top tourist attractions. He thought the downtown renaissance would make Boston a "world-class city."
A statue of White was unveiled near Quincy Market in 2006.
Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, said White's stewardship created "a path to prosperity for the city."
White's father and maternal grandfather had been Boston City Council presidents. In 1956, he married Kathryn Galvin, the daughter of another City Council president. He was educated at Tabor Academy, Williams College, Boston College Law School and the Harvard Graduate School of Public Administration.
After handing over the office to Flynn in 1984, White accepted a position at Boston University as a professor of communications and public management.
While mayor in 1970, White had major surgery to remove two-thirds of his stomach. He suffered a heart attack in 2001 while at a Florida restaurant and spent several days in a hospital when he had a pacemaker implanted.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Kathyrn Galvin White, five children and several grandchildren.
___
Associated Press Writer Sylvia Wingfield contributed to this report.
Ford Motor Co.'s 2011 profits at a glance - Yahoo! News Skip to navigation ? Skip to content ? By The Associated Press The Associated Press ? Fri?Jan?27, 4:53?pm?ET
Ford Motor Co. released its full-year earnings on Friday. This shows the automaker's operating profits, by region, and the comparison to profits in 2010.
Region 2011 Operating Profit/Loss 2010 Operating Profit Percent change
North America $6.2 million $5.4 billion 15 percent
South America $861 million $1 billion -14 percent
Europe -$27 million $182 million -114 percent
Asia-Pacific/Africa -$92 million $189 million -148 percent
Source: Ford Motor Co.
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CLEVELAND - Pat Shurmur brought in a close friend to help him fix Cleveland's broken offense.
Shurmur hired former Minnesota coach Brad Childress as his first offensive coordinator on Friday, reuniting two coaches who spent seven seasons together on Andy Reid's staff with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Browns confirmed Childress' hiring with a release that did not include any quotes.
Childress, who spent nearly five seasons with the Vikings before he was fired in 2010, will try to improve the Browns' dismal offense, which scored just 218 points last season, finished 29th in total yardage, 28th in rushing and 24th in passing. He'll also have input in the team's vital decision at starting quarterback. ? a choice that could impact the club for years.
The 55-year-old Childress was a logical choice to join the Browns, who went 4-12 in their first season under Shurmur. In addition to being tight with Shurmur, Childress is familiar with the West Coast offense the Browns installed last year and he's represented by agent Bob Lamonte, who also has Shurmur and Browns president Mike Holmgren as clients.
Shurmur juggled both head coach and coordinator duties during a troublesome first season in Cleveland. It's believed Shurmur will initially call Cleveland's plays next season but he intends to turn things over to Childress, who recently interviewed for Tampa Bay's head coaching job. Childress has only one season (2006) of experience calling plays.
Childress is the third former NFL head coach on Shurmur's staff, joining defensive coordinator Dick Jauron and senior defensive assistant Ray Rhodes.
Childress was Philadelphia's offensive coordinator from 2003-05 when Shurmur coached the Eagles quarterbacks. While he was with the Eagles, Childress went to three straight NFC title games and the Super Bowl in 2004.
Shurmur was asked about Childress during his season-ending news conference on Jan. 3.
"I know Brad very well," Shurmur said. "He and I worked together for a long time. He's a terrific coach."
Childress went 39-35 in four-plus seasons with the Vikings, twice leading them to the playoffs and going 1-2. Minnesota won division titles in 2008 and 2009, when the Vikings made it to the NFC title game with quarterback Brett Favre, whom Childress had famously picked up at the airport. But after a 3-7 start in 2010, Childress was fired by owner Zygi Wilf one day after the Vikings were blown out at home by rival Green Bay.
The Browns considered hiring an offensive coordinator before last season but didn't find a suitable candidate. Holmgren suggested Shurmur maintain play-calling duties to control the offense and build a stronger bond with second-year quarterback Colt McCoy. Shurmur, though, seemed overwhelmed at times as the Browns had some communication breakdowns and time-management issues.
The addition of Childress should free up Shurmur during the week as he prepares for games.
"I think what it will do is allow me to just step back and look down on some things in some areas that I may be able to contribute more," Shurmur said after the season. "That's a key piece."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Here’s a bad idea: Take the weakest kind of bike lock — the plastic covered cable — and turn it into a bike rack. That’s the idea behind the Tulip Fun Fun, an “elastic and safe rack resembling a meadow.” Exactly what you need in a bike rack. The Tulip Fun Fun is actually born [...]
Infinity Drug Fails in Pancreatic Cancer Trial, Shares?Fall | Xconomy
Luke Timmerman1/27/12
Bad news out today from Infinity Pharmaceuticals. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company said it is halting a?mid-stage clinical trial of its drug for pancreatic cancer early after learning that patients were living longer in the placebo comparison group. Infinity (NASDAQ: INFI) shares fell more than 30 percent after the?news.
The trial of 122 patients showed that when patients got Infinity?s saridegib (IPI-926) in addition to gemcitabine chemotherapy, they were living less than the six months they were expected to based on historical studies with the chemo drug alone. No unexpected side effects were seen among patients on the Infinity drug or in the control group, the company?said.
This is a?painful setback for Infinity. The company just last week released some more encouraging data from an early-phase study of the drug in 16 patients, which suggested it offered a?benefit by shrinking tumors and helping them live a?median time of about 10 months. The plan for this year was to wait for the results from the more rigorous study of 122 patients, to get a?firm answer on whether it could help pancreatic cancer patients live more than the expected six months. Even though the drug failed in that study, Infinity said it still believes in the drug?s potential because it inhibits a?pathway known as hedgehog that plays a?role in multiple cancers. Infinity currently is testing the new compound in mid-stage trials against myelofibrosis and chondrosarcoma. Those studies are continuing, the company?said.
Luke Timmerman is the National Biotech Editor of Xconomy, and the Editor of Xconomy Seattle. E-mail him at ltimmerman@xconomy.com or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ldtimmerman.
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President Obama promoted the sale of new oil and gas drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico and the promise of cars running on natural gas, defending his energy agenda Thursday against critics who say his policies have stifled domestic energy production.
"We need an all-out, all-in, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every source of American energy ? a strategy that's cleaner and cheaper and full of new jobs," Obama said at a Nevada UPS center, flanked by large trucks bearing the company's logos.
Obama announced plans for the sale of new oil and gas drilling leases for nearly 38 million acres in the central Gulf of Mexico and highlighted the completion of a highway corridor for vehicles that run on liquefied natural gas. It came days after he drew sharp Republican criticism for rejecting a cross-country oil pipeline that would have delivered Canadian tar sands oil to refineries in Texas.
The parcels the Obama administration is putting up for lease in June are part of an offshore drilling plan for 2007-12 put in place by President George W. Bush. But after the massive BP oil spill led to an overhaul of the government's oversight of offshore exploration and production, some of those areas had to be re-evaluated for the environmental risks associated with drilling, in some cases delaying the original auction date.
The two leases that will be sold off next summer were originally scheduled for 2011 and this year.
"We're going to keep moving on American energy," Obama said.
Combined with other parts of Obama's energy pitch, the White House is portraying the president as willing to seek the middle ground on energy after Republicans and the industry criticized him for the moratorium put in place after the Gulf disaster, the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada, and other policies they say have hampered production, jobs and national energy security.
Some of those critics on Thursday weren't convinced anything has changed. They accused Obama of taking credit for work done to increase oil and gas production by previous administrations.
"Announcing a scheduled lease sale that doesn't open any new areas for energy production and that should have happened a year ago shouldn't be a `major announcement,"' said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
The lease proposal includes Obama administration measures designed to encourage oil and gas exploration companies to develop the leases. The Interior Department has increased the minimum bid for deepwater leases to $100 an acre from $37.50. Administration officials said Wednesday that the increase was designed to give leaseholders incentives to invest in acreage they would be more likely to explore. Escalating rental rates are also designed to encourage faster exploration and development.
Later, speaking at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado, Obama was expected to highlight the expanded use of clean energy by the Defense Department. The Air Force is installing a one-megawatt solar array on the base, and it tested jets last year that are powered by advanced biofuels.
In choosing Nevada and Colorado, Obama is returning to two states that are important to his re-election campaign.
Obama last visited both states in late October, using the trip to launch a phase of his campaign to jumpstart the economy. With economic indicators improving, Obama this time visited on a higher note.
Both states hold their presidential caucuses within the next two weeks events that have grown in importance as the Republican contest for the White House continues to shift and narrow to a choice between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Obama won both Nevada and Colorado in 2008. Nevada has had the nation's highest unemployment, in excess of the national average. But a poll in December by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed Obama with a 6-percentage-point lead over Romney and a 12-point lead over Gingrich.
Colorado offers an example of a state with a mix of energy programs, from a booming solar-energy industry to natural gas extraction that is a result of a compromise between energy companies and environmentalists.
Obama kicked off his post-State of the Union tour on Wednesday in Iowa and Arizona, pushing for tax incentives for manufacturers. His three-day trip concludes Friday in Michigan.
NEW YORK ? U.S. stock futures are mixed Wednesday as investors weigh poor economic figures from the United Kingdom and a possible impasse in important debt negotiations in Greece against a bang-up earnings report from Apple.
Dow Jones industrial futures are down 47 points to 12,579, while S&P 500 futures are down 4 points to 1,307. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite is up 15 points to 2,452 after Apple Inc.'s earnings blew past expectations. The company sold 37 million iPhones in the last three months of 2011.
European stock markets fell as Greek bondholders met for a closed-door meeting in Paris to discuss how ? and whether ? to continue talks central to Europe's debt crisis.
Adding to gloom was a report that Britain's economy shrank by 0.2 percent in 2011's fourth quarter.
ATLANTA ? A former investigator with the city of Los Angeles claims Atlanta police rejected his job application solely because he has HIV, a decision he said breaks the law and perpetuates stereotypes about people with the virus.
Atlanta police argue hiring the man poses a threat to the health and safety of the public, setting up a legal fight that is being followed closely by gay rights groups and police agencies.
A federal appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments in the case Wednesday, and judges will have the chance to pepper both sides with questions.
"It's shocking and frustrating and very saddening that in 2012 this is still going on," said the 40-year-old man who sued the city of Atlanta in 2010 under the pseudonym Richard Roe. "People are living with HIV and, for the most part, they are living normal lives and productive lives."
Roe spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he believes his medical condition could prevent him from other job opportunities.
Roe's anonymous lawsuit mirrors a battle that has largely been waged quietly, without high-profile protests or marches. Several similar lawsuits have been dismissed by judges who sided with the police departments, or the cases were settled out of court, the agreements kept confidential.
A lower judge sided with the city of Atlanta in November 2010 and threw out the lawsuit, ruling that Roe failed to prove he didn't pose a "direct threat" to the health and safety of others. Roe appealed the decision.
Atlanta attorneys said in court documents Roe didn't disclose his condition and warned he couldn't perform "essential functions" of an officer. The police department and city officials have refused to comment beyond court filings.
Roe said he was a criminal investigator with the city of Los Angeles, though he did not work with the police department. He discovered he had HIV in 1997 but said it didn't hinder his ability to perform his duties. He said his infection never came up with the city.
He moved to Atlanta to find a better job, and in January 2006 began the lengthy process to join the city's police force. He passed a written test, a psychological exam, computerized voice stress analysis and a background check. The roadblock came after a blood test during a physical revealed he had the virus that causes AIDS, his lawsuit said. The doctor did not do any further tests.
Roe said the physician, Dr. Alton Greene, told him Atlanta police had a policy of refusing to hire officers with the virus. Roe said the doctor's statement violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, which he said prevents employers from dismissing anyone because they have HIV.
The city said they do not systematically reject job applicants because of HIV, but instead they look at each individual on a case-by-case basis.
In Roe's case, the city said, the doctor recommended that he have "no physical contact or involvement with individuals."
Catherine Hanssens, executive director of the Center for HIV Law and Policy, said the Roe case centers on the "belief that, 30 years into the epidemic, HIV is easily transmitted and results in a death sentence when it is transmitted."
"And neither of those are remotely close to the truth," she said.
Nurses, paramedics and other first responders with HIV have faced similar challenges over the years by employers, said Hanssens, but she said legal fights in those professions don't often surface much anymore because decades of litigation and medical research shows those with HIV can work in higher-risk fields.
Scott Schoettes of Lambda Legal, the gay rights group that represents Roe, said the city will not be able to show that someone with HIV presents a public threat.
"And maybe other departments will realize that they should create a policy that explicitly says HIV should not disqualify you from getting a job," he said.
Police departments often don't have a policy about whether to hire an officer with HIV, and those that do are loath to advertise the decision to protect the privacy of their officers.
Darrel Stephens, the executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said his group has no guidelines for members on how to treat applicants with HIV. The Fraternal Order of Police also doesn't have a policy, but president Chuck Canterbury said his group argues that officers with the virus should be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Roe, who is in school studying criminal justice, said he's waging the legal battle because he wants to serve the city.
"Because of my desire to serve my community, I wouldn't want to be anywhere but out in the public," he said. "Making the streets safer for the underdog is one of the most rewarding things I can do."
___
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AMMAN, Jordan ? Jordan's king will host the leader of Hamas this weekend, Jordan's information minister said Tuesday, his first official visit since his expulsion 13 years ago, another sign that Jordan is seeking a more active role in Mideast diplomacy.
The visit is seen as part of Jordan's effort to engage with previously shunned Islamists, who have been gaining ground across the region in the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled dictators in Egypt and Tunisia. Islamists make up the most influential opposition in Jordan and have been gaining strength in recent months, though King Abdullah II has the final say in all matters.
Hamas, a militant Islamist Palestinian group, rules the Gaza Strip, but its leader, Khaled Mashaal, is based in Damascus, Syria. He moved there in 1999 after Jordan expelled him for "illicit and harmful" activities. In 1997, he survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Amman.
Earlier this month, Jordan, a strong supporter of peace between the Arabs and Israel, began hosting meetings between the chief Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to try to find a way to restart their stalled peace talks.
Re-establishment of a direct connection between Hamas and Jordan, which has a large population of Palestinian refugees, could give Jordan a role in trying to reconcile between Hamas and its rival, the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Egypt has been mediating between the two, which run separate governments in Gaza and the West Bank. They have announced agreement on a framework for unifying and holding elections, but the accord has not led to movement on the ground.
"The visit aims at opening channels with all Palestinian factions and reinstating normal relations with Hamas," Information Minister Rakan Majali told the Associated Press, pointing to the Jordan's close ties with Abbas.
Majali set strict limits for results of the visit, set for Sunday.
"Hamas will not be allowed any activities on Jordanian soil," he said.
Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel stipulates that both must refrain from allowing activities deemed harmful to the interest of the other country.
Jordan expelled Mashaal and four other Hamas leaders in 1999. Then Jordan blacklisted Hamas because an alleged weapons cache was discovered in the country six years ago.
Since then, Mashaal was allowed to enter Jordan twice on humanitarian grounds ? in August 2009 to attend his father's funeral, and again last October to visit his ailing mother.
Jordanian Prime Minister Awn al-Khasawneh has often said that expelling Mashaal, who holds a Jordanian passport, was a "legal and constitutional mistake which must be corrected."
Protestors react after receiving the news of the departure of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Sanaa to Oman in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 22, 2012. A spokesman for Yemen's embattled president says Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the country for the Persian Gulf country of Oman. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
Protestors react after receiving the news of the departure of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Sanaa to Oman in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 22, 2012. A spokesman for Yemen's embattled president says Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the country for the Persian Gulf country of Oman. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
Yemeni vendors sit in side their shop decorated with posters showing President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
A Yemeni blacksmith works in his shop at al-Melh marketplace in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
SANAA, Yemen (AP) ? The U.S. ambassador to Yemen said Tuesday that President Ali Abdullah Saleh's absence from the battered country will help its political transition.
Gerald Feierstein also denied reports the U.S. was looking for a country where Saleh could live in exile, saying Saleh can return to Yemen if he chooses.
Saleh left Yemen Sunday for the Gulf sultanate of Oman on his way to the U.S. for medical treatment related to burns sustained after a bomb blast in his palace mosque last year.
Before leaving, Saleh passed power to his deputy as part of a U.S.-backed deal brokered by Gulf nations seeking to end the country's nearly year-old political crisis. Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi is set to be rubber-stamped as the country's new leader in a presidential election on Feb. 21.
Feierstein said Saleh will leave Oman for the U.S. in the next few days and that the length of his stay will be determined by doctors. Saleh was granted a visa solely for medical reasons, Feierstein said, adding that his absence at this time is positive.
"We think that him not being here will help the transition," he said. "This is not the reason he asked for the visa and this not the reason we gave the visa. We gave the visa for medical treatment."
White House officials said previously that Saleh's request to travel to the U.S. caused a dilemma. Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 33 years though a combination of sly politics and violence, was long considered a U.S. ally in the battle against Yemen's active al-Qaida branch, which has been linked to attacks on U.S. soil.
At the same time, officials worried the U.S. would face criticism in the Arab world for appearing to harbor an autocrat whose security forces have repeatedly used deadly force to repress demonstrations.
Before granting Saleh a visa, Washington sought assurances that he would not seek to remain in the U.S. after his treatment.
And on Tuesday, Feierstein denied previous reports that the U.S. was looking for a third country where Saleh could live in exile.
"In terms of where he goes afterward, we do not have any information on that," he said. "The only thing that we have heard from him is that he intends to come back to Yemen. We are not involved in any discussion with any countries where he might go after his treatment."
Feierstein also spoke highly of the Gulf plan to remove Saleh from power, saying it could prevent further violence the Arab world's poorest country.
Human rights groups have criticized the deal because it granted Saleh and anyone involved in his government immunity from prosecution. Many of the protesters who have taken to the streets for nearly a year to call for his ouster want to see him tried for his alleged role in deadly crackdowns on demonstrations.
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have worked to ensure a peaceful transition of power, fearing that further chaos could destabilize the region and allow al-Qaida to operate freely. The group has already seized a number of towns in Yemen's south and last week occupied the town of Radda, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the capital Sanaa.
Late Tuesday, however, a tribal leader involved in negotiating with the militants said they had withdrawn, leaving the town in the control of two prominent sheiks.
Tribal leaders have been trying to negotiate a peaceful withdrawal for the al-Qaida-linked militants for days.
Negotiator Ahmed Ali Kalaz said the group's leader, Tariq al-Dahab, originally refused to leave unless authorities released 15 detained members of the group and declared the area an "Islamic emirate."
Authorities said they could release the men, and al-Dahab and his 200 armed men surprised everyone by leaving the city Tuesday.
While much of Saleh's regime has remained in tact throughout the uprising, with many of his relatives still in charge of government institutions, mutinies have been spreading calling for the ouster Maj. Gen. Mohammed Saleh, the head of Yemen's air force and Saleh's half brother.
Soldiers at an air base in the Hadramawt province joined the mutiny Tuesday, bringing to five the number of bases across the country calling for the commander's removal.
The continued turmoil has aggravated Yemen's humanitarian situation.
UNICEF said Tuesday that the number of malnourished children under the age of five has risen in the last year to around 750,000. In some parts of the country of 20 million people, the number of children suffering from malnutrition has doubled from the level in 2000, the group said.
Out of the 300,000 people displaced inside the country, 60 percent are children, UNICEF said.
___
Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy contributed reporting from Cairo.
You probably think that a wing lifts an airplane because the airflow moving over the top has a longer distance to travel and "needs to go faster to have the same transit time as the air travelling along the lower, flat surface." Well, you are wrong. More »
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Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
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