Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/181424623?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Saturday 31 December 2011
Friday 30 December 2011
Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES, make a pitstop in Russia
Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES, make a pitstop in Russia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Thursday 29 December 2011
Cheetah the chimp from 1930s Tarzan flicks dies (AP)
PALM HARBOR, Fla. ? A Florida animal sanctuary says Cheetah the chimpanzee from the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s has died at age 80.
The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor announced that Cheetah died Dec. 24 of kidney failure.
Sanctuary outreach director Debbie Cobb on Wednesday told The Tampa Tribune ( http://bit.ly/rRuTeJ) that Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh. She says he seemed to be tuned into human feelings.
Cheetah was the comic relief in the Tarzan series starring American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller. Cobb says Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate sometime around 1960.
Cobb says Cheetah wasn't a troublemaker. Still, sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest says that when the chimp didn't like what was going on, he would throw feces.
___
Online:
http://suncoastprimate.homestead.com/
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Wednesday 28 December 2011
Photos: No-man's land attests to Japan's nuclear nightmare
IWAKI, Japan (AP) - Fukushima was just emerging from the snows of winter when the disaster hit - a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, the strongest in Japan's recorded history, followed by a tsunami.
The wall of water destroyed much of the northeastern coast on March 11. In the northeast region of Fukushima, a different disaster was brewing: Three reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant were melting down, irreparably damaged by the super tremor.
Now, as the snows are beginning to fall again, the government has announced the plant has attained a level of stability it is calling a "cold shutdown." As many as 3,000 workers - plumbers, engineers, technicians - stream into the facility each day.
The tsunami's destruction is still visible. Mangled trucks, flipped over by the wave, sit alongside the roads inside the complex, piles of rubble stand where the walls of the reactor structures crumbled and large pools of water still cover parts of the campus.
In the ghost towns around Fukushima Dai-ichi, vines have overtaken streets, feral cows and owner-less dogs roam the fields. Dead chickens rot in their coops.
The tens of thousands of people who once lived around the plant have fled. They are now huddling in gymnasiums, elementary school classrooms, bunking with friends, sometimes just sleeping in their cars, moving from place to place as they search for alternatives.
For those who lived on the perimeter of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, fliers used to come in the mail every so often explaining that someday this might happen. Most recipients saw them as junk mail, and threw them away without a second glance. For those who did read them, the fliers were always worded to be reassuring - suggesting that although a catastrophic nuclear accident was extremely unlikely, it could require evacuating the area.
Never was it even hinted that the evacuation could last years, or decades.
At most of the shelters, food is doled out military-style, at set times. Personal space is extremely limited, often just big enough to fit a futon and the collective snoring at night makes sleep fitful, at best. Baths are public, cramped, dark.
The total amount of radiation released from the plant is still unknown, and the impact of chronic low-dose radiation exposures in and around Fukushima is a matter of scientific debate.
Recent studies also suggest Japan continues to significantly underestimate the scale of the disaster - which could have health and safety implications far into the future.
According to a study led by Andreas Stohl the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, twice as much radioactive cesium-137 - a cancer-causing agent - was pumped into the atmosphere than Japan had announced, reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl. The French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety found 30 times more cesium-137 was released into the Pacific than the plant's owner has acknowledged.
Under a detailed roadmap, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. will remove the melted nuclear fuel, most of which is believed to have fallen to the bottom of the core or even down to the bottom of the larger, beaker-shaped containment vessel, a process that is expected to begin in 10 years.
All told, decommissioning the plant will likely take 40 years.
Source: http://www.kval.com/news/national/No-mans-land-attests-to-Japans-nuclear-nightmare--136265553.html
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Iran Reacts To Sanctions Threat With One Of Its Own: Block Oil Exports Through Hormuz Strait
"If they [the west] impose sanctions on Iran's oil exports, then even one drop of oil cannot flow from the strait of Hormuz," the official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Iran's first vice-president, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, as saying.
E.U. ministers said on December 1 that a decision on further sanctions would be taken no later than their January meeting. E.U. countries take 450,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil, about 18% of its exports.
China, the biggest buyer of Iranian crude, has warned against "emotionally charged actions" that might aggravate tension in the nuclear standoff with Iran.
Russia for its part has warned against "cranking up a spiral of tension", saying this would undermine the chances of Iran co-operating with efforts to ensure it does not build atomic bombs.
About a third of all sea-borne oil was shipped through the strait of Hormuz in 2009, and U.S. warships patrol the area to ensure safe passage.
Most of the crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq must slip through the strait, a four-mile wide shipping channel between Oman and Iran.
Some analysts say Iran would think hard about sealing off the strait as it could suffer just as much economically as western crude importers.
Industry sources said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf OPEC states were ready to replace Iranian oil if further sanctions halted Iranian crude exports to Europe.
Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi had said that Saudi Arabia had promised not to replace Iranian crude if sanctions were imposed.
"No promise was made to Iran, it's very unlikely that Saudi Arabia would not fill a demand gap if sanctions are placed," said an industry source familiar with the matter.
Gulf delegates from OPEC said an Iranian threat to close the strait would harm Tehran as well as the major regional producers that also use the world's most vital oil export channel.
"If the sanctions take place the price of oil in Europe would increase and Saudi and other Gulf countries would start selling there to fill the gap and also benefit from the higher price," said an industry source, who declined to be named.
Brent crude oil futures jumped nearly a dollar to over $109 a barrel after the Iranian threat, but a Gulf OPEC delegate said the effect could be temporary.
"For now, any move in the oil price is short-term, as I don't see Iran actually going ahead with the threat," said the delegate.
Intellpuke: You can read this Reuters article, in context here: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/27/iran-oil-exports-hormuz-sanctions
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Tuesday 27 December 2011
2012 NFL Mock Draft: CBS Sports Has Texans Taking Dontari Poe In The First Round
More 2012 NFL mock drafts are starting to come out and the latest comes from CBS Sports' draft guru Rob Rang. Rang projects the Texans will be picking late in the first round at No. 26, and he has them taking Memphis Tiger nose/defensive tackle Dontari Poe:
No. 26 Houston Texans: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis: The Texans have emerged as one of the NFL's best teams, but run defense remains a concern as the team doesn't have a dominant nose guard. Poe, at 6-5 and 350 pounds, possesses a rare combination of size, strength and athleticism and would surely intrigue the Texans and any other teams in search of a nose guard, should he leave Memphis early.
Source: http://houston.sbnation.com/houston-texans/2011/12/25/2660109/2012-nfl-mock-draft-texans
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Monday 26 December 2011
Giants stay alive, put Jets on ropes
Bradshaw's strong running powers Big Blue; Week 17 vs. Dallas will decide NFC East
By DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
updated 7:27 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2011
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Rex Ryan was brash and confident all week, insisting his Jets were the kings of New York.
Well, the Giants shut him up in a big way ? taking the city bragging rights and setting up an even more important showdown with the Dallas Cowboys next weekend with a 29-14 victory Saturday.
"I hate to use that cliche, but this is a huge one," left tackle David Diehl said. "This is about the city, the city of New York and what team wants to be responsible. They have talked all week and said what they wanted to say. From Day 1, they're our big brother and other stuff. We went out there and played our game and showed whose stadium this is."
Ryan said the Jets were the better team the last two years, based on their consecutive trips to the AFC championship game and the Giants missing the postseason. Tom Coughlin responded by saying, "Talk is cheap. Play the game."
It was the Giants who did.
"They were the better team today, and they're the better team this year," a humbled Ryan said. "Clearly, I was wrong."
The Giants kept their postseason hopes alive, helped by Victor Cruz setting two franchise receiving records and Ahmad Bradshaw running for two touchdowns. While neither team looked much like playoff material, the Giants (8-7) are now in position to win the NFC East with a victory at home next Sunday against Dallas.
"Given everything that was at stake, and all the noise that has been coming out of Florham Park," Giants co-owner John Mara said, "yeah, it means a little more."
Running back Brandon Jacobs said he had an exchange with Ryan after the game in which the coach approached him, used an expletive and said, "Wait till we win the Super Bowl."
Added Jacobs: "And I told him I'll punch him in the face. I told him out of all these Giants players on this team you're talking to the wrong one. And that was that."
Ryan acknowledged that he and Jacobs "had a private conversation. He doesn't like me; I respect him."
The back-and-forth went on even in the hours before the game, when Jacobs and kicker Lawrence Tynes both removed black curtains placed by the Jets over the Giants' Super Bowl logos. The Jets said it was simply their standard practice to cover those logos for every one of the team's home games, regardless of opponent, because it is the players' entrance.
"We knew early what we were going to get no matter what happened as soon as he had the opportunity to run his big fat mouth," Jacobs said of Ryan's boasts throughout the week.
Meanwhile, the Jets' playoff hopes took a devastating hit, and at 8-7 they'll need to win at Miami next week and get major help from several other teams. They have to hope for Cincinnati and Tennessee to lose, and have either Oakland or Denver lose.
"I mean, we don't deserve to control our own destiny," Jets linebacker Bart Scott said. "We haven't played good enough football to do that. We need to try to finish strong, but if you don't make it to the playoffs, you've got nobody to blame but yourself."
Cruz, who had three catches for 164 yards, broke Amani Toomer's single-season mark for yards receiving ? and the team's record for longest touchdown reception, a 99-yarder that gave the Giants the lead for good in the second quarter.
"It's just amazing," Cruz said, "and to beat the Jets in the process is added incentive."
It was a brutal game at times, with both offenses sluggish and prone to mistakes. The Jets were also penalized 10 times, including a late hit call on Aaron Maybin, who plowed into D.J. Ware in the fourth quarter ? a play on which Coughlin was injured out of bounds. The Giants coach needed to be checked out on the bench briefly before limping back to the sideline.
"Never better," a smiling Coughlin said when asked how he was feeling.
Eli Manning finished just 9 of 27 for 225 yards. Mark Sanchez completed 30 passes on a career-high 59 attempts but put up only 258 yards and was intercepted twice. The Jets were also a brutal 4 for 21 on third-down conversions.
"I left a lot of completions out there," Sanchez said.
The sloppiest stretch came midway through the fourth quarter with wild swings of momentum.
The Giants thought they had stopped the Jets on fourth down, but a pass interference call gave them new life. Plaxico Burress ? playing against the Giants in the regular season for the first time since they cut him in 2009 and he served a 20-month prison sentence on a gun charge ? thought he had scored a touchdown, but offensive pass interference called it back. The Giants thought they'd recovered a fumble by Sanchez, but officials reversed the call on a challenge, saying his arm was going forward.
The Giants got their turnover moments later, though, when Sanchez fumbled the snap in the end zone.
The Jets weren't done. David Harris intercepted Manning's pass that tipped off Hakeem Nicks' hands, and the Jets had another apparent fumble by Sanchez reversed on review.
On third-and-12 from the 13, Sanchez scrambled for 11 yards ? and Antrel Rolle was called for holding, putting the ball at the 1. Sanchez dived into the end zone, making it 20-14 with 7:17 left.
But the Jets wouldn't get any closer. Chris Canty sacked Sanchez for a safety, and after an onside free kick by the Jets was recovered by the Giants, Bradshaw had a 19-yard TD run with 2:04 left.
"It's real sad right now," Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis said. "We needed this win. We made some mistakes and they outplayed us."
Cruz's 99-yard catch ? the longest scoring pass in team history ? came with the Giants in dire straits facing third-and-10 from the 1. Manning, standing in the back of the end zone, zipped a pass to Cruz, who dodged tackle attempts by Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson and took off down the right sideline. Eric Smith was the only one with a chance to get him, but Cruz outran him to give the Giants a 10-7 lead with 2:12 left in the opening half.
It was also the longest offensive play against the Jets in team history.
Now the Jets will prepare for the Dolphins ? and keep their fingers crossed.
"If the gates open," wide receiver Santonio Holmes said, "we're going to walk right through them."
Notes: DE Jason Pierre-Paul had two of the Giants' five sacks, giving him 15? this season. ... Jets S Brodney Pool said he experienced migraine symptoms during the game, worsened after a hard hit in the third quarter when Bradshaw slammed into him. He said he was fine. ... Jets LB Garrett McIntyre hurt his knee covering the opening kickoff, and there was no immediate word on the injury.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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PFT: The Jets-Giants trash talk didn?t end after the Giants win on Saturday. According to multiple reports, Brandon Jacobs and Rex Ryan got into a yelling match after the game.
Giants stay alive, put Jets on ropes ?|? Kings of NY
Victor Cruz set two franchise receiving records, and Ahmad Bradshaw ran for two touchdowns as the Giants kept their playoff hopes alive by winning the New York-area bragging rights with a 29-14 victory over the Jets on Saturday.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45784300/ns/sports-nfl/
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Is Indian investment in Ethiopian farms a 'land grab?' (VIDEO)
Investment by Indian-owned Karuturi Global has raised questions about whether Ethiopia is literally giving away the farm, or conversely, launching a 'green revolution to help Ethiopia feed itself.
When an Indian company invests hundreds of millions of dollars in Ethiopian commercial farming, is it boosting Ethiopia's food reserves and modernizing agricultural practices? Or is it grabbing land and displacing Ethiopia's poorest citizens?
Skip to next paragraphThe debate over Indian-owned Karuturi Global's investments in Ethiopia's Gambella region may sound extreme, but it is representative of the strong emotions one finds across the developing world about the subject of agricultural investment.
In Ethiopia ? where critics are aghast at the government for inviting foreign capitalists to grow cash crops for export while millions still rely on handouts ? the rancor is hindering much-needed constructive discussion on how to improve a sector of the economy that employs most of the population.
The worldwide trend is not in doubt. Globally, about 45 million hectares (111 million acres) of farmland were leased in 2009, compared with a previous average rate of 4 million hectares a year, the World Bank says. More than 70 percent of the deals were in Africa, most of them in Sudan, Mozambique, Liberia, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Madagascar.
The reasons are equally clear. It is estimated that global food production will have to increase 70 percent by 2050 to feed 9 billion mouths. One way to contribute to this is to cultivate under-utilized land ? something which Africa has a relatively large stock of.
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Sunday 25 December 2011
AP Interview: Iraq VP warns of sectarian conflict
QALACHWALAN, Iraq?? The Sunni vice president wanted for allegedly running a hit squad in Iraq has accused Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of waging a campaign against Sunnis and pushing the country toward sectarian war.
In an interview Friday with The Associated Press Tariq al-Hashemi said al-Maliki wants to get rid of all political rivals and run Iraq like a "one-man-show."
The comments by Iraq's highest level Sunni political figure reflect the mounting sectarian tensions surrounding the confrontation between him and the prime minister that have hiked fears Iraq could be thrown into new violence following the exit of American troops.
The political crisis taps into the resentments that have remained raw in the country despite years of effort to overcome them, with minority Sunnis fearing the Sunni majority is squeezing them out of any political say, and Shiites suspecting Sunnis of links to insurgency and terrorism.
"He's pushing the things to a catastrophe. And I'm not sure what's going to happen after that," al-Hashemi, who denies the accusations, said of the prime minister.
He spoke to the AP at a guesthouse of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in the mountains overlooking the northern Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, 160 miles (260 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad.
Al-Hashemi arrived here on Sunday with a small suitcase and two suits to discuss the growing conflict with al-Maliki's government.
But what was supposed to be a two-day trip has stretched nearly a week after the Iraqi government Monday issued an arrest against him on what he says are trumped-up charges. He has refused to go back to Baghdad where he says he cannot get a fair trial. The central government's security forces do no operate in the northern autonomous Kurdish zone, so he's safe from arrest here.
The Iraqi government maintains al-Hashemi orchestrated a campaign of assassinations carried out by his bodyguards. Earlier this week they aired televised confessions of the bodyguards detailing how al-Hashemi gave them money for the hits.
The confessions have aired repeatedly since then, including on state television when al-Hashemi earlier this week held a press conference defending himself.
Fears that the situation could spiral out of control were heightened by devastating bombings that tore through mostly Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad on Thursday and killed at least 69 people. Many fear Iraq could eventually fall back into the vicious sectarian bloodshed that reached its height in 2006 and 2007 and nearly threw the country into civil war.
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Al-Hashemi is one of the leaders of the Iraqiya party, a Sunni-backed political bloc that has constantly clashed with al-Maliki's Shiite coalition and accused him of hoarding power. Al-Maliki is also seeking a vote of no-confidence against the Sunni deputy prime minister, Saleh al-Mutlaq. Security forces have also launched a wave of arrests against former members of the Sunni-dominated Baath Party, which ruled Iraq under Saddam.
In Sunnis' eyes, the moves are a sign that al-Maliki is out to get them.
"Definitely, he is going to concentrate on the Sunni community because they are the society, the community of Tariq al-Hashemi so they are going to suffer," the vice president said. He said other sectors of Iraqi society could also be targeted in the future, but for now, it's the Sunnis.
"He is trying to escalate the tension, making life very, very difficult for our provinces, to our people," he said.
Al-Hashemi warned that after Thursday's violence, the prime minister may crack down even more. He called on "sensible people" in al-Maliki's alliance of Shiite parties to stop his policies.
"He doesn't believe in compromises. He doesn't believe in peaceful solutions to the problems. He's going to use the Iraqi army and the security for more repression," he said.
Iraqiya has long warned that al-Maliki is trying to hoard power. For example, it's more than a year after the government was formed and al-Maliki has still not appointed permanent ministers of defense or interior.
The government is now made up of an unwieldy collection of all the Iraqi political factions, including Iraqiya. The power-sharing agreement created last year to give the Kurds, the Shiites and the Sunnis various roles in the government is not the easiest mechanism for running a country but supporters say it's better than having one or more factions shut out completely and angry.
But al-Maliki is known to dislike the arrangement intensely. He said during a news conference Wednesday that he would consider creating a majority government, meaning shutting out Iraqiya. Iraqiya has boycotted parliament sessions, and at least some of its ministers have not been attending cabinet sessions.
Al-Hashemi said a power-sharing arrangement such as the one in place now is the only way to run Iraq at this time, and criticized al-Maliki for appearing to want to abandon it.
"This gentleman has no sympathy, no belief in democracy at all. He would like to run Iraq in the style of a one-man-show," he said. "Simple as that."
On the first Friday after the political crisis began, hundreds of Sunnis marched after weekly Muslim prayers in the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad, demanding the charges against al-Hashemi be dropped. A smaller crowd also marched in the city of Beiji.
The preacher of Abu Hanifa, the main Sunni mosque in Baghdad, also criticized the Iraqi leaders who "preoccupy themselves with side issues and conflicts and ignore essential issues. ... You (politicians) have to give up hatred, killing and intimidation," Sheik Ahmed al-Taha told worshippers in his sermon.
"Do not let our defeated enemy (the Americans) say that we are unable to continue without them," he added.
But Iraq's most prominent Shiite cleric implicitly urged Sunnis to not raise an uproar over the warrant.
In a sermon in the Shiite holy city of Karbala south of Baghdad, the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said, if someone is "dealing with terrorism, what should we do?"
The aide, Ahmed al-Safi, did not specifically mention the conflict or any of the players in it. But he said, "The prestige of the government must be preserved ... part of its prestige is punishing abusers."
__
Associated Press writer Yahya Barzanji contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45778040/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
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Turkey suspends political and military ties with France
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a raft of political and military sanctions on Thursday after French lawmakers approved a bill making it a crime to deny Armenian genocide.????????
Turkey will recall its ambassador from Paris and suspend mutual political visits as well as joint military projects, including joint exercises, Erdogan said.
"From now on we are revising our relations with France."
Most of the sanctions imposed on France, a NATO ally, will be in the military sphere.
Turkey will now decide on a case-by-case on every military demand made by EU member France to use Turkish airspace and military bases, Erdogan said, and will from now on reject any French demand for its military vessels to dock at Turkish ports.
Erdogan said Turkey would boycott a joint economic committee meeting in Paris in January and would not take part in twinning projects with France.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Source: http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=345430
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Saturday 24 December 2011
How bacteria fight flouride
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Yale researchers have uncovered the molecular tricks used by bacteria to fight the effects of fluoride, which is commonly used in toothpaste and mouthwash to combat tooth decay.
In the Dec. 22 online issue of the journal Science Express, the researchers report that sections of RNA messages called riboswitches ? which control the expression of genes ? detect the build-up of fluoride and activate the defenses of bacteria, including those that contribute to tooth decay.
"These riboswitches are detectors made specifically to see fluoride," said Ronald Breaker, the Henry Ford II Professor and chair of the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and senior author of the study.
Fluoride in over-the-counter and prescription toothpastes is widely credited with the large reduction in dental cavities seen since these products were made available beginning in the 1950s. This effect is largely caused by fluoride bonding to the enamel of our teeth, which hardens them against the acids produced by bacteria in our mouths. However, it has been known for many decades that fluoride at high concentrations also is toxic to bacteria, causing some researchers to propose that this antibacterial activity also may help prevent cavities.
The riboswitches work to counteract fluoride's effect on bacteria. "If fluoride builds up to toxic levels in the cell, a fluoride riboswitch grabs the fluoride and then turns on genes that can overcome its effects," said Breaker.
Since both fluoride and some RNA sensor molecules are negatively charged, they should not be able to bind, he notes.
"We were stunned when we uncovered fluoride-sensing riboswitches" said Breaker. "Scientists would argue that RNA is the worst molecule to use as a sensor for fluoride, and yet we have found more than 2000 of these strange RNAs in many organisms."
By tracking fluoride riboswitches in numerous species, the research team concluded that these RNAs are ancient ? meaning many organisms have had to overcome toxic levels of fluoride throughout their history. Organisms from at least two branches of the tree of life are using fluoride riboswitches, and the proteins used to combat fluoride toxicity are present in many species from all three branches.
"Cells have had to contend with fluoride toxicity for billions of years, and so they have evolved precise sensors and defense mechanisms to do battle with this ion," said Breaker, who is also an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Now that these sensors and defense mechanisms are known, Breaker said, it may be possible to manipulate these mechanisms and make fluoride even more toxic to bacteria. Fluoride riboswitches and proteins common in bacteria are lacking in humans, and so these fluoride defense systems could be targeted by drugs. For example, the Yale team discovered protein channels that flush fluoride out of cells. Blocking these channels with another molecule would cause fluoride to accumulate in bacteria, making it more effective as a cavity fighter.
Fluoride is the 13th most common element in the earth's crust, and it is naturally present in high concentrations throughout the United States and elsewhere. Its use in toothpaste and its addition to city water supplies across the United States sparked a controversy 60 years ago, and the dispute continues to this day. In the United Kingdom, and in other European Union countries, fluoride is used to a much lesser extent due to fierce public opposition.
The new findings from Yale only reveal how microbes overcome fluoride toxicity. The means by which humans contend with high fluoride levels remains unknown, Breaker notes. He adds that the use of fluoride has had clear benefits for dental health and that these new findings do not indicate that fluoride is unsafe as currently used.
###
Yale University: http://www.yale.edu
Thanks to Yale University for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116281/How_bacteria_fight_flouride
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Mexico disbands entire police force in top port (AP)
VERACRUZ, Mexico ? The entire police force in the major Gulf coast port city of Veracruz was dissolved on Wednesday, and Mexican officials sent the Navy in to patrol.
The Veracruz state government said the decision is part of an effort to root out police corruption and start from zero in the state's largest city.
State spokeswoman Gina Dominguez said 800 police officers and 300 administrative employees were laid off. At a press conference, she said they can apply for jobs in a state police force, but must meet stricter standards for an agency with officers "who are better trained and more committed and who can deliver under our current security circumstances."
Armed marines barricaded police headquarters Wednesday and Navy helicopters were flying above the city where 35 bodies were dumped in September. It was one of the worst gang attacks of Mexico's drug war.
The change was agreed upon Monday by Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte and federal Interior Secretary Alejandro Poire.
Mexico's army has taken over police operations several times before, notably in the border city of Ciudad Juarez and the border state of Tamaulipas. But Veracruz becomes the first state to completely disband a large police department and use marines as law enforcers. There are about 2,400 marines in the state of Veracruz.
Dominguez said the Navy operations will last only until the state can train more of its own police. Duarte already had disbanded a police force in the state's capital of Xalapa, but in that case state agents immediately replaced city police.
President Felipe Calderon has pushed an ambitious process for vetting all of Mexico's 460,000 police officers. His administration allocated $331 million for 200 cities to train and re-equip municipal police forces.
Governors have complained they lack the resources to ensure their police forces are clean.
Veracruz is a common route for drugs and migrants coming from the south. It was first dominated by the Gulf Cartel, and then its former armed wing, the Zetas, took over after the two split. The state saw a rise in crime this spring after a government offensive in neighboring Tamaulipas scared drug criminals away to Veracruz.
But the dumping of the 35 bodies shocked Mexico as it turned the port into a battleground between the Zetas and a gang aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
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Friday 23 December 2011
Breastfeeding Reduces Childhood Obesity, Diabetes Risk (ContributorNetwork)
Children who are breastfed through age 18 months have healthier growth patterns and reduced incidence of diabetes and obesity, says a new study from Denmark. Here are findings from this study about breastfeeding child health benefits and implications for parenting.
Current maternal breastfeeding habits
The Center for Disease Control recommends that mothers breastfeed babies exclusively for at least the first six months of life. After that age, parents usually begin to supplement breast milk with solid foods or other milk. Only about 25 percent of mothers are breastfeeding exclusively after six months.
Breastfeeding and infant growth
The Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Copenhagen Professor study set out to determine if mothers who breastfed longer had babies with healthier weight gain patterns. Study author Dr. Kim Fleischer Michaelsen, explains, "It is well-known that children who are breastfed grow slightly more slowly than children who are given formula, and it looks as if this growth pattern is optimal because it reduces the risk of developing lifestyle diseases later in life."
Breastfeeding beyond six months
The study demonstrated that mothers who breastfed beyond age six months and up to 18 months were able to keep their children's' IGF-I growth hormone and insulin levels down. They found that the longer a mother breastfed her child, the lower the child's weight. Breastfed children had a lower risk of becoming obese as they grew older. Lower insulin levels in breastfed babies mean lower risk for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, too. Study authors concluded that mothers should consider breastfeeding children exclusively rather than supplementing with formula or other milk. They recommend that mothers breastfeed children beyond age six months and up to age 18 months healthy growth patterns.
Child sleep patterns affect weight gain
The study revealed that other parent habits affect weight gain in toddlers, too. Children who slept more had smaller waist sizes and less belly fat. Study authors suggested that parents should set healthy sleep schedules for children and encourage napping.
Maternal weight gain affects child weight gain
Mothers who gained a great deal of weight during pregnancy gave birth to children with thicker layers of fat than the children of mothers with normal weight gain, the study found. Mayo Clinic sets recommended weight gain for expectant women based on BMI (body mass index). Underweight women (BMI below 18.5) should gain 25-40 pounds. Women of normal weight (18.5-24.9 BMI) should gain 25-35 pounds. Overweight women (BMI 25-29.9) should gain 15-25 pounds and obese women with BMIs over 30 should only gain 11-20 pounds.
Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about parenting from 23 years raising four children and 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and homeschool.
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Thursday 22 December 2011
NicholleSoft: RT @Soul_Xile: I don't understand why some of these girls on Facebook/Twitter make their profile pic ass shots and they ain't got no ass ...
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I don't understand why some of these girls on Facebook/Twitter make their profile pic ass shots and they ain't got no ass what so ever 
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Monday 19 December 2011
Who's in charge? Mixed signals from Egypt's rulers
Exactly one year since the start of the Arab Spring uprisings, violent clashes erupted again Saturday around Cairo's Tahrir Square. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
By Ayman Mohyeldin , NBC News
CAIRO -- The echo from the microphones in the room where the prime minister had just finished his press conference on Saturday morning?was still ringing in everyone's ears.
Could he have been right?
Prime Minister Kamal Ghanzoury looked journalists, and by extension the Egyptian people, square in the eye and?told them the military and the police were not involved in the clashes on Friday --?and if they were, they were only acting in self-defense.
He went on to add that the military exercised restraint and did not fire on the crowds.
But even more surprising to many activists, Ghanzoury said the people involved in Friday's clashes were not revolutionaries.
The three-weeklong peaceful protests outside his office turned violent Friday when, according to him, troublemakers attacked the military.
His depiction was an attempt, protesters felt, to taint them and their sit-in.
Ghanzoury's comments contradicted widespread reports and eyewitness accounts from journalists and activists.
Egypt's military clashes with protesters in Cairo
Regardless of the moment that precipitated the initial clash between the military and the protesters, the military's conduct over the past 48 hours has many Egyptians questioning its competence and?intentions.
In fact, videos made by eyewitnesses show the military engaged in all kinds of behavior, originally?denied by the prime minister, including taunting protesters with rude gestures, lobbing stones at them, chasing them with sticks, beating and dragging them while they are on the ground and in more than one instance, opening fire with pistols.
In the video above, posted on the website of Mosireen, an Egyptian non-profit organization that helps citizen journalists by running a media center in downtown Cairo, alleged members of Egypt's military are seen taunting protesters with rude?hand gestures. They can also be seen throwing stones at the protesters in this video.
In another video, aired by a private Egyptian satellite channel,?a soldier can be seen aiming a pistol at people who were coming to recover a wounded protester being attacked by a crowd in military riot gear.
In his press conference the prime minister reiterated a point made earlier in a statement by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. All of the families of those?killed would be compensated. Those injured would be treated at the state's expense. An independent civilian advisory council created after last month's deadly?fighting between security forces and protesters?recommended all?those arrested during the clashes be released.
But on Saturday, the PM said they were not revolutionaries. In fact, Egypt's?general prosecutor ordered 16 people detained for four days pending investigation into their involvement in instigating the clashes and the killings -- and none were members of the military or police.?And despite widespread complaints by protesters and human rights organizations, no investigations into alleged military misconduct have been launched by prosecutors.
So why would the military offer to treat those injured and compensate victims if it felt they were behaving illegally? It seems odd for the state to treat so-called martyrs if it viewed them as vandals and agents of foreign hands.
For its part, the military has posted video http://youtu.be/8grDc-iz5wg) on its Facebook page showing what it claims were vandals destroying government buildings. Egypt's historic Geographic Society building was set on fire on Saturday. It was not clear how the fire started in the building, home to some of Egypt's most important historic documents.
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?After last month's deadly clashes, the Supreme Council accepted the previous prime minister's resignation and?promised to empower his replacement with the full authority he needs to run the country. The?new prime minister?pledged that force would not be used against demonstrators. But some analysts say that the new clashes raise questions about his ability to reign in the security forces and about the degree of cooperation between the military and the civilians supposedly running the country. ?
In a post on his Twitter page, prominent opposition figure Mohammed El Baradei said that if the PM had all of the executive authority of the president, which includes security in the country, then in what capacity did the military police act against the protesters?
So did Prime Minister Ghanzoury know that within minutes of concluding his press conference, the military would unleash an assault against the protesters? If he did, then he purposely put a civilian?facade on a military crackdown, some say. If he didn't know, then, as El Baradei pointed out, how can he restore law and order in the country if he is not in charge of the one institution that has all the guns?
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Sunday 18 December 2011
Teens choose water when calorie count of sugary beverages is easier to understand
Teens choose water when calorie count of sugary beverages is easier to understand
Friday, December 16, 2011Thirsty? You may be more inclined to reach for plain old H2O if you knew how many calories are in sugar-sweetened beverages; this is according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They examined the effect of providing clear and visible caloric information about sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda and fruit juice on the number of sugar-sweetened beverage purchases at neighborhood stores, and found that providing easily understandable caloric information, specifically in the form of a physical activity equivalent, may reduce the likelihood of sugar-sweetened beverage purchases among adolescents by as much as half. The results are featured in a recent issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
"People generally underestimate the number of calories in the foods and beverages they consume," said Sara Bleich, PhD, assistant professor with the Bloomberg School's Department of Health Policy and Management. "Providing easily understandable caloric information?particularly in the form of a physical activity equivalent, such as running?may reduce calorie intake from sugar-sweetened beverages and increase water consumption among low-income black adolescents."
Researchers conducted the study at four corner stores located in low-income, predominately black neighborhoods in Baltimore, Md. For the intervention, one of three caloric information signs were randomly posted with the following information: "Did you know that a bottle of soda or fruit juice has about 250 calories?" (absolute caloric count); "Did you know that a bottle of soda or fruit juice has about 10 percent of your daily calories?" (percentage of total recommended daily intake); and "Did you know that working off a bottle of soda or fruit juice takes about 50 minutes of running?" (physical activity equivalent). They collected data for 1,600 beverage sales to black adolescents, aged 12-18 years, including 400 during a baseline period and 400 for each of the 3 caloric-condition interventions. Researchers found that providing participants with any caloric information significantly reduced the odds of sugar-sweetened beverage purchases by 40 percent relative to the baseline of no information. Of the three caloric-condition interventions, the physical activity equivalent was most effective, reducing the odds of black adolescents purchasing a sugar-sweetened beverage by 50 percent.
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, sport drinks, energy drinks and fruit drinks has been associated with obesity and is highest among minority and lower income adolescents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one third of U.S. adults and 17 percent of U.S children are obese. Obesity increases the risk of many adverse health conditions including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.
"Because of the inclusion of mandatory calorie labeling in the recent health reform bill, it is critical to explore the most effective strategies for presenting caloric information to consumers on fast food restaurant menu boards," suggest the study's authors.
###
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health: http://www.jhsph.edu
Thanks to Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health for this article.
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Bahrain police crack down on march outside capital (AP)
MANAMA, Bahrain ? Bahraini security forces have used tear gas and stun grenades to try to disperse anti-government protesters marching along a highway toward the island kingdom's capital.
Associated Press journalists witnessed the clashes Thursday near the town of Diraz and other opposition stronghold villages west of the capital, Manama.
Hundreds of marchers, some waving red and white Bahraini flags, were seen marching along the Budaiya Highway toward the capital when the clashes broke out.
Opposition groups in recent days have issued online calls for marchers to occupy the highway.
The protest follows 10 months of unrest in the Gulf nation between the Sunni monarchy and an opposition movement led by the country's majority Shiites.
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Saturday 17 December 2011
How cells limit inflammation in lung injury
ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2011) ? Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found in an animal model of acute lung injury a molecular mechanism that allows cells of the immune system to reduce tissue damage from inflammation.
The study is reported in Nature Immunology.
Inflammation is part of the normal response to infection. One aspect of inflammation is the production of negatively charged oxygen-rich molecules by specialized white blood cells called phagocytes. The molecules, called reactive oxygen species (ROS), help to break up bacteria, allowing the phagocytes to "mop up" the broken pieces and clear out the infection. Unfortunately, ROS can also cause damage to normal tissue.
The UIC researchers found that a channel through the cell membrane of phagocytes is able to modulate this destructive phase of inflammation.
"Although the channel, called TRPM2, is found in many cell types in the immune system, including phagocytes, it's function in these cells has been unknown," said Anke Di, UIC research assistant professor in pharmacology and first author of the study.
The researchers were able to show that TRPM2 had a protective anti-inflammatory role in the animal model of ALI, and, further, it played a previously unknown role in protecting against inflammation and tissue injury generally.
TRPM2's protective effect was a result of its ability to dampen the production of the negatively charged ROS by modulating the electrochemical gradient -- the difference in charge between molecules within the cell and outside the plasma membrane of the cell.
ALI and its more severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) result from pulmonary edema (leaky blood vessels) and inflammation. Both direct lung injury from infection and indirect lung injury from trauma, sepsis, pancreatitis, transfusions, radiation exposure and drug overdose can trigger ALI. It is fatal in almost 40 percent of cases.
Inflammation plays an important role in ALI and a number of other human diseases, said Dr. Asrar Malik, UIC Schweppe Family Distinguished Professor and head of pharmacology and principal investigator of the study. Understanding how inflammatory damage to tissues is controlled normally may help develop therapies in the future, he said.
The study was supported by the Francis Families Foundation through the Parker B. Francis Fellowship Program, and the National Institutes of Health. Malik, Di, Xiao-Pei Gao, Feng Qian, Takeshi Kawamura, Jin Han, Claudie Hecquet, Richard Ye and Stephen Vogel, all of the UIC department of pharmacology and Center for Lung and Vascular Biology, contributed equally to the study.
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Journal Reference:
- Anke Di, Xiao-Pei Gao, Feng Qian, Takeshi Kawamura, Jin Han, Claudie Hecquet, Richard D Ye, Stephen M Vogel, Asrar B Malik. The redox-sensitive cation channel TRPM2 modulates phagocyte ROS production and inflammation. Nature Immunology, 2011; DOI: 10.1038/ni.2171
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/FKMqTOx2N0c/111215095239.htm
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50 Cent's Headphones Sales Will Benefit Feeding America Charity
Sale of each headset will provide 250 meals, rapper tells MTV News.
By Nadeska Alexis
50 cent
Photo: MTV News
50 Cent's entrepreneurial efforts are currently dedicated to pushing his new line of SMS Audio headphones, but the music mogul has also put a charitable spin on the venture. During the NYC launch party for his new tech gear, Fif told MTV News that proceeds from each pair of headphones will be donated to charity.
"Because of my Street King initiative, with every purchase there's a meal being provided through the United Nations World Food Programme," he said. "And with this actual project, I decided I wanted to do something here in America. So for every pair of these headsets that are sold domestically and online through SMSAudio.com, 250 meals will be provided by Feeding America, which is our leading charitable organization against hunger."
Over the past few months, 50 has been outspoken about the need to fund charitable organizations, using sales from his Street King energy drink to launch a campaign focused on feeding "a billion kids."
"I think business is the answer for finding finances for situations that have been unanswered and untouched," 50 added. "If young entrepreneurs follow in my footsteps, with having a charitable business model that actually gives back, then you don't have people standing at Occupy Wall Street, because they're aware that the major corporations are conscious of them."
50 Cent's SMS Audio headphones are priced at $299.99 for a standard pair and $399.99 for the wireless version. They're available in white, black and blue through SMSAudio.com.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676106/50-cent-headphones-sms-audio.jhtml
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Friday 16 December 2011
5 brands most likely to be gone by 2015
Prophet recently conducted a spot survey of some 5,000 U.S. consumers to see which brands they?d put on the deathwatch for anytime between now and 2015.
Anyone who even skims the news headlines will find their rankings no big surprise: Eastman Kodak topped the list with 27 percent of the group, with Netflix and the U.S. Post Office coming in with 19 percent and 18 percent of the vote. RIM (Blackberry) came as fourth most likely to fail (14 percent), and Sears came in fifth (11 percent).
Forbes.com slideshow: See the 5 brands most likely to be gone by 2015
But what struck me about this exercise was less the polled group?s choices and more their observations about these brands? failings:
About Netflix: ?They have shown they don?t know their own clients. They are not even clear with what they want as a company. It is a mess.?
U.S. Post Office: ?Inefficient and obsolete.?
What emerged through the commentary was the identification of a distinct pattern of worst practices, and none of these struggling companies was seen as being guilty of having only one in play. Clearly, John and Joan Q. Public don?t need brilliant brand diagnosticians to help them figure out why a brand loses relevance. (And it?s a small wonder that a study by Havas Media Group found most people wouldn?t care if 70 percent of all brands disappeared today.)
Among the most common failings to emerge:
Lacking an understanding of what customers want, and providing a poor customer experience as a result. Consider Best Practice companies like Nordstrom, Amazon, Disney and Zappos, all of which make the end-to-end customer experience the mantra by which they live.
Lagging on innovation, and in response to competitive and environmental pressures. Although Apple sets a high bar for best practices (how many categories can one company single-handedly create, after all?), we?ve also been impressed with U.K. retailer Tesco, an early pioneer of self-checkout, the ?club? store concept, and online shopping.
Pricing missteps and insensitivities. On the best practice side of this sticky wicket are brands that aren?t afraid to buck accepted industry policy. U.S. Cellular, with its Belief Project, has built legions of loyal customers by doing away with the ubiquitous contract for many, along with a variety of ?nickel and dime? charges and fees, while Southwest Airlines has similarly grown goodwill and market share by not charging the standard airline industry baggage fees.
Ineffective management and outmoded business models. Consider ZipCar as a Best Practice example for having supplanted the traditional car rental approach, as an on-demand car sharing membership organization for urban dwellers.
Failure to keep up with the digital revolution. For best practices, think streaming, as per NBC/Hulu?s success with video and Spotify?s with music, the New York Times? much lauded mobile app for news content, and the American Red Cross? embrace of social media to facilitate emergency fundraising.
While we did not conduct this study five years ago, my guess is that brands such as Ford, Motorola, Xerox and others could well have made such a list back then. All have adopted one or more of the best practices I identified to turn their games around. So there may, in fact, be hope for the five brands most identified for failure by our survey group.
As we head into 2012, it?s a pretty safe bet that the business landscape will continue to be littered with casualties of a limping economy combined with insurmountably poor management practices. The question is whether those that are struggling the hardest can adjust fast enough to survive.
More from Forbes.com
? 2011 Forbes.com
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45616344/ns/business-forbes_com/
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RI town sues state's main landfill over stench (AP)
JOHNSTON, R.I. ? Residents in this Rhode Island town say the stench moved in this fall, rolling off the state's main landfill and spreading its eye-watering fumes for miles.
After weeks of waiting for officials to eliminate the odor, Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena said he had had enough. He and the Johnston Town Council on Wednesday sued the agency operating the landfill, seeking an immediate end to the odor and damages to compensate for the suffering of residents. He said the smell damages the quality of life in this town of 29,000 just west of Providence.
"The odor has no conscience," Polisena told The Associated Press. "It travels through different neighborhoods. You can't measure the effect of this. It has to end."
The agency in charge of the landfill, the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp., has dug dozens of wells to trap the gas and dumped tons of soil to smother the smell. Agency Executive Director Michael O'Connell said he understands the distress the odor has caused.
"There are only a few things you can do to fix an odor problem," he said during a recent tour of the landfill. "We're running out of time. We'll do whatever we have to do."
The odor can be traced to a number of factors, O'Connell said, including rain that clogged wells that trap the gas. A decision made years ago to open up more landfill space for trash may be to blame as well, he said.
Complaints about the smell have come from as far as Attleboro, Mass., about 20 miles to the northeast. Residents say it often smells like rotten eggs, though it's also been described as sickly sweet.
"It's nauseating," said Elizabeth Falvo, a 29-year Johnston resident. Falvo said odors from the landfill occasionally have been noticeable in the past but never as bad as they've been in the past several weeks. "It makes my eyes water when it's really strong."
Richard Zompa began noticing the smell several weeks ago outside his North Providence home, several miles from the landfill.
"It's kind of a sweet, but not a good sweet," Zompa said. "I've smelled rotten eggs and it's not that. It's strong and it hits you hard."
Polisena said he worries the smell will hurt property values and the town's reputation as a great place to raise a family or start a business just outside the dense urban bustle of Providence. The lawsuit, he said, was filed as a last resort.
"We've been very patient," Polisena said. "We gave them the time they needed. The time ran out."
According to the lawsuit, the smell first became a problem in April but grew much worse this fall. The landfill received 46 odor complaints in October and 249 in November, according to the suit. On Monday, the mayor's office received 70 calls about the smell.
After complaints began to mount, state environmental officials started regular landfill inspections and sent roving bands of workers into neighborhoods to track the smell and efforts to end it. The workers have used equipment to measure the concentrations of landfill gasses, but the nose knows best, according to David E. Chopy, chief of compliance and inspection at the state's Department of Environmental Management.
"The nose is far more sensitive than any instrument we have," Chopy said.
The lawsuit, filed in Providence County Superior Court, also names as a defendant Broadrock Renewables, an energy company that uses gas from the landfill to generate electricity. The suit alleges that Broadrock hasn't done enough to collect the gas.
Bill Fischer, a spokesman for Broadrock Gas Services, said the company had not yet seen the lawsuit and could not comment on it. But, he said, "Broadrock is doing everything within its control to assist in addressing the odor issues."
The 275-foot high, 200-acre landfill is the main depository for municipal trash in Rhode Island. The Resource Recovery Corp. is a quasi-public agency that operates the landfill on behalf of the state.
O'Connell said rain was filling older gas wells and making it difficult to collect landfill gas, causing the gasses to leak into the atmosphere.
Several years ago, new landfill area was opened up for trash, but then the economic downturn caused a decline in the amount of garbage going into the landfill. As a result, more "uncapped" landfill space than needed was opened, O'Connell said, making it easier for gas to escape.
O'Connell said the new gas wells and the extra soil to cover the landfill should soon cause the odors to dissipate.
State health officials say the fumes can cause nausea, itchy eyes and breathing difficulties, though they haven't noticed any major health problems associated with the landfill.
At the behest of the local state representative, the General Assembly created a committee to study the odor and find ways to prevent similar problems in the future.
"It's a pungent smell that doesn't go away," said Rep. Stephen Ucci, D-Johnston, who said he's received more constituent calls about the odor than any other issue in his seven years in the General Assembly. "It gets in your car. If you open the car windows more comes in. You have to actually leave the area to get away from it."
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