Home for the holidays: Fewer US troops are absent this year

Christmas 2012 marks the smallest deployment of combat troops abroad in at least five years, as the war in Iraq ends and US forces deployed to Afghanistan have been drawing down.

By Howard LaFranchi,?Staff writer / December 25, 2012

A US Army chaplain leads a Christmas service for deployed soldiers in Kabul, Afghanistan. This year has the fewest number of troops deployed overseas in at least the last five years.

Musadeq Sadeq/AP

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When President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama issued a special holiday greeting over the weekend to US troops fighting overseas, they were addressing the smallest deployment of combat troops in at least five years.

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?This week let?s give thanks for our veterans and their families,? the president said. ?And let?s say a prayer for all our troops ? especially those in Afghanistan ? who are spending this holiday overseas, risking their lives to defend the freedoms we hold dear.? Mr. Obama added that the number of troops in harm?s way is coming down, because ?the war in Iraq is over [and] the transition in Afghanistan is under way.?

The number of troops in Afghanistan is at its lowest level since the Obama-ordered ?surge? of about 35,000 troops in 2007 took the total over 100,000.?

With Obama, who will take the oath of office for a second term on Jan. 21, pledging to bring America?s ?decade of war? to an end, the number of combat troops deployed overseas is likely to continue shrinking.

Still, such holiday messages to the troops are likely to remain on the president?s agenda for years to come. Still to be decided are the pace of the drawdown of the remaining 66,000 US troops in Afghanistan and the size of any residual US force in Afghanistan after most NATO and US personnel leave at the end of 2014.

That?s not to mention other crises, from Syria to Iran, that might spark some form of US military intervention.

Then, as Mrs. Obama emphasized in the video greeting, there are the 2.4 million veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and their families, who will continue to require services beyond holiday acknowledgments from the president.

?Our military families sacrifice so much on our behalf, and Barack and I believe that we should serve them as well as they serve this country,? she said, drawing attention to the ?Joining Forces? effort that she and Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, have spearheaded to engage Americans in supporting military families.

In the meantime, thousands of combat troops ? some on their third or fourth deployments ? are spending another Christmas and New Year's away from their families, some decorating mini Christmas trees on their bases or wearing red-and-white Santa caps to kindle the holiday spirit.

While Obama focused on troops in his greeting, military personnel are not the only ones on hazardous foreign duty this holiday season. On Monday, an Afghan policewoman shot and killed a US civilian police adviser in the latest in an uptick of so-called ?insider? attacks.

In 2012, more than 60 foreign military and civilian personnel, most of them Americans, have been killed by Afghan security forces. A major thrust of the US work in Afghanistan is to prepare Afghans to assume responsibility for their country?s security needs by 2014.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/z_P4MNmzzfY/Home-for-the-holidays-Fewer-US-troops-are-absent-this-year

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Round Table: Let's Talk About Festive Gaming - Nintendo Life

It's all so jolly

Image owned by Pakkun96 (originally published on deviantART)

Well, it's Christmas Eve, and as the famous song said we're "simmmmply haaaaving a wonderful Christmas time" here at Nintendo Life. With Santa currently loading up his sleigh with those rather weighty Wii U consoles for the good gamers of the World, a few members of the team decided to have a chat about festive memories and the current state of play for Wii U and 3DS.

Joining features editor Tom Whitehead are reviews editor Mike Mason, events correspondent Katy Ellis, news contributor Orla Madden, and our wonderfully bearded US reviewers Ron DelVillano and Morgan Sleeper. Grab a festively spiced hot drink and enjoy!

Tom: First up, please introduce yourselves to our lovely readers.

Katy: Hi there everyone! I'm Katy, Events Correspondent at Nintendo Life, but you'll probably know me best as the one who writes all the news articles about obscure Japanese games from time to time.

Ron: I'm Ron DelVillano, US based game reviewer and guy with a pretty big beard.

Morgan: Hey everybody! I'm Morgan, I write reviews here in the US and, like Ron, sport an impressive beard.

Tom: I'm features editor Tom and I also have a proper beard, making Katy the odd one out so far...

Mike: I'm Mike Mason, Reviews Editor and a complete and utter failure on the beard front.

Orla: Hi all! My name's Orla, the wee Irish lass who brings some of your daily dose of news. If Katy grows a beard first, then I will too!

Tom: First up, what's the first festive gaming memory that pops into your head?

Ron: My first festive gaming memory is always playing the newest N64 games with my cousin on Christmas morning. He had the console before me, so he always got the good games first!

Katy: A recent but excellent festive gaming memory of mine was opening my Wii for Christmas and spending all day playing Wii sports with my family - the first time they had ever really wanted to play video games with me. It was great being able to share my excitement for the new console with my family, but at the same time I wanted it to be Boxing Day so I could get underway playing Twilight Princess!

Morgan: My first gaming-related holiday memory was unwrapping my beautiful silver Game Boy Pocket on Christmas morning - my first system! It came with Super Mario Land, and after jumping up and down for a while, my cousin and I sat on the stairs all day, passing back and forth and playing as far as we could. Just hearing the level 1-1 music from that game takes me back to the holidays every time!

Mike: The best time that I recall is when I got a SEGA Mega Drive as a child. I wanted one desperately for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but when the gifts were all said and done there was no console sitting under my tree. I was fine with it ? I had other things to play with! ? but then my parents pulled off the trick of a lifetime by producing a final treat from behind the sofa. I proceeded to act like the legendary Nintendo 64 kid and went into a Sonic-fuelled haze for a while.

Orla: My first festive gaming memory goes as far back as opening my brand new SNES in 1995 on Christmas Day. Super Mario World came packaged with the console, so I played with my dad for the whole day.

Tom: My memory isn't particularly vivid, as many of my early systems arrived on birthdays, but I do remember getting Sonic 3 on Mega Drive for Christmas, and that was a special game.

A lot of love for MD across the NL network

So, has gaming been a big part of your Christmas routine from an early age?

Mike: Gaming doesn't actually play much of a role during Christmas for me, unless you count guessing what time dad'll fall asleep as a game. However, I do tend to get games as presents!

Katy: I guess gaming has always played a large role as there has always been that one big title or console that I've been dying to get my hands on for Christmas, but it wasn't until the Wii that gaming really became a family Christmas affair.

Orla: For me it has been. It's the only time of the year where I get enough time to play games all day, and the past couple of years have seen big names being released. I spent all of Christmas last year with Skyward Sword, and the previous year with Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Morgan: Definitely - I very happily unwrapped a game or two most Christmases, and the post-Christmas lunch food-coma has always been the best time to sit down with family and test them out. But more recently, my sister and I have started a tradition of playing Christmas NiGHTS each year on the big day, and that's been my favourite gaming ritual yet!

Ron: Like I said, I've always spent a lot of time gaming with my cousins, so we've always connected over that, especially on the holidays.

Morgan: Same here Ron, I spent many happy holidays locked in gaming marathons with my cousin. Finishing Bangai-O one year is something I'll never forget!

Tom: What about in the past five years, are there stand-out gifts or memories in recent times?

Morgan: For me, getting The Beatles: Rock Band was a huge holiday highlight. My whole family rocked through the game in one sitting!

Katy: Ahh yes, Rock Band was a biggie a few years back with my family.

Orla: Guitar Hero 5 for me! My sister actually joined in on the action with me (she got me the present), and she's not a big gamer like I am.

If you were cool and had plenty of cash, this was the version to get

Ron: To be honest, as I've gotten older I tend to just buy games whenever I want them, which is usually on launch day, so I've kind of deprived myself of that fresh Christmas surprise experience as far as gaming goes.

Mike: Nothing that's stood out hugely, though last year I did get Super Mario 3D Land which was just lovely.

Tom: I'm in the same boat as Ron, but I normally have one game that I request from the family for Xmas. It's a great time of year to catch up on multiplayer games (Mario Kart Wii is an old favourite), so this year I'm hoping for some Nintendo Land fun.

Ron: I'm much more of a solo gamer. I love playing with others, but my immediate family isn't too into it.

Katy: I think I'm the same as Ron - Wii Sports is about as far as my family will go. But in honesty, I prefer playing alone - especially when it?s a deep time-consuming adventure game.

Tom: Do any of you think Wii U is struggling to get the family around the TV like Wii Sports?

Orla: I'm trying to persuade my family to try out the Wii U with me over Christmas, I haven't been lucky enough to try multiplayer in Nintendo Land!

Ron: I don't think my family really knows what Wii U is, as much as I've tried to explain and show it to them! They might be more interested when Wii Fit U finally comes out, but until then I'll be flying solo.

Morgan: Not around here - Wii Tennis was always a fun thing to pop in to show off the system, but we never really got into it in a big way; Nintendo Land is already a huge hit though. Everyone wants to play Mario Chase when they get home!

Mike: I've not had the chance to try it with family yet, but it's gone down very well with my friends so far. I think, if anything, I might find it easier to get the family involved this year without the leaping about of Wii Sports.

Katy: I've only just got back home for Christmas, but since I've been back my 26 year old sister and I have been playing quite a bit of Nintendo Land - she seems to be really enjoying it, especially the Pikmin and Animal Crossing mini-games, which is a huge improvement seeing as the only game she has ever been interested in before was Just Dance!

Tom: I'm yet to test Nintendo Land on the family to a great degree, so will be curious to see how they react.

In terms of festive gaming, which system currently takes up most of your time. You can be honest, doesn't have to be Nintendo!

We sure like our handhelds

Ron: Netflix! But seriously, I love my 3DS so damn much. I bring it everywhere, and I play it daily. I'll definitely be taking it with me on Christmas day when I travel from one family's house to the other.

Morgan: I'm on the road right now, so it's been the 3DS all the way. In fact, like Ron that's what I'd be playing even if I was at home! I finally saw the end credits in Style Savvy, have recently rediscovered the Denpa Men, and the latest Layton is perfect for fireside yuletide gaming. But when I get home on Christmas day, I'll have to put it down for the Saturn, of course!

Tom: I'll be jumping between 3DS and Wii U, but there will be Steam sales, so the PC may take a hammering.

Ron: Ugh. I'll be watching the Steam sales too. I really want to grab The Walking Dead.

Katy: At the moment I'm all about my PS3, so many great games out this year and even more to come! I've got a copy of Far Cry 3 on the way too now, so I presume that will take up most of my time this year. Although I agree with Morgan and Ron, my 3DS also gets a lot of use all year round!

Orla: For me right now it's all about the Wii U and PS3. I'm focusing on completing NSMBU on the Wii U, and Assassin's Creed 3 on the PS3. I have such a PS3 backlog right now that Christmas is the perfect time of the year to spend some quality gaming time.

Mike: No particular system. I use it as a time to clear out backlog, so it can be Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, 3DS... newcomers Wii U and PS Vita will no doubt play a role this year! And I got a better PC this year too, so Steam as well.

On the next page we talk about the state of play of both 3DS and Wii U, as well as some other less serious topics?

Source: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/12/round_table_lets_talk_about_festive_gaming

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Kenya Q3 growth rate picks up on agriculture boost

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's economy expanded by 4.7 percent in the third quarter of this year from 4 percent in the same period last year, boosted by agriculture and manufacturing, the statistics office said on Monday.

On a seasonally-adjusted basis, east Africa's biggest economy grew by 2.2 percent in the third quarter, up from 0.5 percent in the second.

"The expansion was more robust in comparison to the preceding quarters of 2012 primarily due to strong performances of the agriculture and forestry, fishing, manufacturing, transport and communication and a turnaround in the performance of the electricity industry," the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement.

Economic growth in Kenya has been sluggish in the first half of the year as the economy expanded by 3.4 percent and 3.3 percent in the first two quarters, when key sectors like construction sagged under the weight of high interest rates.

Kenya's current account deficit narrowed 21 percent to 105.4 billion shillings from 133.5 billion during the same period last year. However, the deficit widened compared to 63.3 billion shillings recorded in the second quarter of 2012.

A Reuters poll shows the economy should accelerate to 5.5 percent growth next year assuming March 2013 elections are peaceful and benign inflation gives the central bank room to cut official interest rates further.

The Finance Ministry has said the economy will grow 5.6 percent in 2013, outpacing this year's forecast of 5.1 percent, thanks to strong rains boosting farm output.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kenya-q3-growth-rate-picks-agriculture-boost-111226973--business.html

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Rihanna reportedly buys home in Pacific Palisades

6 hrs.

Erika Riggs , Zillow

Just because it?s around the holidays, doesn?t mean it?s been quiet in celebrity real estate. Rihanna picked up a place in the Pacific Palisades and Ricky Martin bought in Manhattan.

Rihanna buys in Pacific Palisades
Although her last home had leak issues, Rihanna didn?t let it dampen her next real estate move. The Barbados-born singer reportedly bought a new home in Pacific Palisades.

Like her previous digs in Beverly Hills, this place is a brand-new, ultra-modern construction. Sitting on a large private lot off a gated road, the home has 7 bedrooms, 9 baths and extra-large living spaces with 14-foot ceilings. True to most celeb properties, the Pacific Palisades home includes quite a few high-end features: media and game rooms and ?smart home? technology that controls temperature, fireplaces, security and sound.

Outdoor spaces abound in Rihanna?s new place, including a sun deck with fire pit and barbecue, as well as an enormous infinity pool with spa, perfect for lounging around after a late-night gig.

Ricky Martin buys NY condo
Shortly after finally selling his last Florida property, Ricky Martin has made his move to New York concrete with the purchase of a Big Apple condo. The pop singer currently stars in the Broadway production of ?Evita? and has said he wanted to make his move to NYC permanent. According to property records, Martin dropped $5.9 million on the home at the end of November.

The apartment Martin purchased is in the 170 East End Avenue building on the Upper East Side. Completed in 2009 by Peter Marino, the building is across the street from the 15-acre Carl Schurz Park, which has playgrounds and open fields, perfect for Martin?s twin boys.

Martin?s 3,147-square-foot place has 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 10-foot ceilings and plenty of windows, creating light living spaces. The eat-in kitchen has top-of-the-line appliances, Swiss quartzite countertops and marble floors. Building amenities include a fitness center, squash court, Pilates room, yoga studio, movie theater, library and children?s playroom.

More from Zillow:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/rihanna-reportedly-buys-home-pacific-palisades-1C7660216

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Nutrient-sensing enzymes key to starvation response and survival in newborn mammals

Dec. 23, 2012 ? In the perilous hours immediately after birth, a newborn mammal must survive the sudden loss of food supply from its mother. Under normal circumstances, newborns mount a metabolic response to ward off starvation until feeding occurs. This survival response involves a process of controlled breakdown of internal energetic sources known as autophagy. Although autophagy has been well documented, the key mechanistic regulators of autophagy in vivo have remained poorly understood.

Whitehead Institute researchers have discovered that a family of nutrient-sensing enzymes, dubbed Rag GTPases, modulates the activity of the mTORC1 protein complex, whose inhibition is essential for autophagy and survival in newborns. The finding, reported this week in the journal Nature, emerges from the lab of Whitehead Member David Sabatini, whose earlier in vitro studies showed that mTORC1 (for "mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1") senses the presence of vital amino acids via interactions with Rag GTPases.

To assess the impact of this Rag GTPase-mTORC1 relationship in mammals, the lab generated mice genetically altered to continually express an active form of the GTPase RagA and compared them with wild-type mice. In normal mice, RagA is activated in the presence of nutrients, and turns on the mTORC1 pathway, which regulates organismal growth in response to nutrient availability. If the mice are deprived of nutrients, RagA is switched off, deactivating mTORC1 and initiating autophagy to tide the animal over until the next feeding. However, in the altered mice, RagA's continuous activity keeps mTORC1 active, despite a dearth of available nutrients. Instead of mTORC1 triggering autophagy, the animals' metabolisms remain unchanged, resulting in nutritional crisis and death.

"What happens to a newborn animal with the RagA enzyme always on is pretty shocking," says Sabatini, who is also a professor of biology at MIT and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator. "A normal neonate animal within an hour after birth responds to that condition, but one with its RagA stuck 'on' doesn't, and it dies. It basically has a huge energetic and nutritional crisis because it can't make the adaption."

These striking results stunned Alejo Efeyan, a postdoctoral researcher in the Sabatini lab, and first author of the Nature that describes this work.

"We were surprised that there was no inhibition of this pathway independent of RagA -- that there is no backup system," says Efeyan. "And that RagA is a more global nutrient sensor that goes beyond its known function as an amino acid sensor."

RagA's role as an amino acid sensor had been established in cultured cells by the Sabatini lab. Yet when Efeyan compared nutrient levels in fasting newborn RagA-active mice with those of fasting pups with normal RagA, not only amino acids were reduced in RagA-active animals, also glucose levels were dangerously low. The animals were unable to "sense" either of these reductions, so autophagy failed to initiate in the RagA-active pups, which all died within hours of birth.

This newly identified function for RagA suggests much remains unknown about the cell biology of nutrient sensing, an area of research that Sabatini and his lab continue to investigate.

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (R01CA129105, R01 CA103866 and R37 AI047389), the American Federation for Aging, Starr Foundation, Koch Institute Frontier Research Program, the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Human Frontiers Science Program, the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research, and the LAM Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. The original article was written by Nicole Giese Rura.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Alejo Efeyan, Roberto Zoncu, Steven Chang, Iwona Gumper, Harriet Snitkin, Rachel L. Wolfson, Oktay Kirak, David D. Sabatini, David M. Sabatini. Regulation of mTORC1 by the Rag GTPases is necessary for neonatal autophagy and survival. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature11745

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/eZMrrYeKRbs/121223152414.htm

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Useful Tips On Successful Family Portrait Photography ? Arts and ...

People do not think about any novel application of the service of a professional portrait photographer other then when they have a birthday, a centenary or a death in the family. We are equally hapless and unimaginative at thinking new occasions or making them, but we will do a little better and think of techniques using which you can sabotage the photography sessions and give your photographer a few brain tumors!

There are millions of expert opinions and tips on family portraits photography, but not many on how you can destroy the day! Here is how you can force the photographer into running away, not to mention flush your money down the drain. Take all the kids in your family to a photo tour! And pinch them when they get naughty and if they cry, ignore them. In minutes, the photographer will have bailed out and your family portrait photography session will have ended without one single shot being snapped.

Let the photographer know that you are the family expert on matters of photography. Argue on every point and have your way. Family portrait photography Melbourne might be the bread and butter the poor bloke wielding the SLR, but they do not know that you have read every single book about photography. Let them have a taste of your knowledge.Do not let the occasion fool you. Even if it is your grandfather?s birthday and he might not live any longer to see another one, make sure that your ego is bigger than the occasion. The photographer might want you to stand near your sister-in-law, but little does he know about the relation you share with her. Refuse to have anything to do with your family foes. If possible start a civil war right on the sets while the photographer stares at all of you in wild amazement.

Be the funny guy. Every person in the image should have a big smile right? Yeah. So be the funny fellow and have everybody in splits and rolling onto the floor with laughter. When they manage to subdue their pangs of ecstasy, give it another go. This will look much better if it was organized after your granny passed away recently or something of equivalent solemnity! Just before the family portrait photography Melbourne session begins, call the photographer a nincompoop and tell him that you are going to pay less than what you agreed to. This will snap even the most resilient of professional and have them looking for the exit sign. One can always check http://photographersinc.co.nz/ for more useful tips.

Tags: family portrait photography, photography

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 23rd, 2012 at 12:33 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Source: http://artsandentertainment.russiacourse.com/uncategorized/useful-tips-on-successful-family-portrait-photography/

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