Google opens e-book store in challenge to Amazon

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Google Inc. is making the leap from digital librarian to merchant in a challenge to Amazon.com Inc. and its Kindle electronic reader.

The long-awaited Internet book store, which opened Monday in the U.S., draws upon a portion of the 15 million printed books that Google has scanned into its computers during the past six years.

About 4,000 publishers, including CBS Corp.'s Simon & Schuster Inc., Random House Inc. and Pearson PLC's Penguin Group, are also allowing Google to carry many of their recently released books in the new store.

Those publishing deals will ensure that most of the current best sellers are among the 3 million e-books initially available in Google's store, said Amanda Edmonds, who oversaw the company's partnerships. Millions more out-of-print titles will appear in Google's store, called eBooks, if the company can gain federal court approval of a proposed class-action settlement with U.S. publishers and authors.

The $125 million settlement has been under review for more than two years. It faces stiff opposition from rivals, consumer watchdogs, academic experts, literary agents and even foreign governments, which worry that Google would get too much power to control prices in the still-nascent market for electronic books. Amazon.com, which started its business as a seller of books over the Internet, is among the competitors trying to squelch the settlement. The U.S. Justice Department has advised the judge overseeing the case that the settlement probably would violate antitrust and copyright laws.

Books bought from Google's store can be read on any machine with a Web browser. There are also free applications that can be installed on Apple Inc.'s iPad and iPhone, as well as other devices powered by Google's own mobile operating system, Android.

But Google's eBooks can't be loaded on to the Kindle.

Electronic books are expected to generate nearly $1 billion in U.S. sales this year and climb to $1.7 billion by 2012 as more people buy electronic readers and computer tablets such as the iPad, according to Forrester Research. The research group expects a total of 15 million e-readers and tablets to have been sold in the U.S. by the end of the year.

Google believes it's already offering the broadest selection of digital titles in the world, and it plans to keep adding to the inventory if it can gain the necessary copyright clearances. The company, based in Mountain View, Calif., believes it eventually will be able to make electronic copies of the estimated 130 million books in the world. It's also planning to start selling books outside the U.S. next year.

Google's eBooks store, originally to be called Editions, has been in the works for more than a year. The company already had been showing books no longer protected under copyright in their entirety and displaying snippets of other titles through its widely used search engine.

The company is trying to position its new sales outlet as an ally to publishers, merchants and consumers looking for alternatives to Amazon's electronic book store, which feeds Amazon's hot-selling Kindle, but not other e-readers, including Barnes & Noble Inc.'s Nook.

Google's e-books will work on the Nook, Sony Corp.'s Reader devices and practically every other e-reading device except the Kindle. Google achieves this with the help of Adobe Inc.'s copy-protection system for e-books. That system is already used by public libraries and smaller online bookstores, but hasn't seen much interest from the major players. Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Apple all have their own copy-protection systems.

Google plans to offer sharp discounts on many of its e-books but it will still pay publishers 52 percent of the list price for sales made on its site, unless another arrangement has been negotiated with an outside agency. The formula means that even if Google elects to sell a book with a $10 list price for $6, the publisher would still be entitled to $5.20.

Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey described Google's latest effort as a "game expander" rather than a game changer.

The growing embrace of digital sales by the publishing industry is expected to result in the closure of hundreds more book stores during the next few years, adding to a media mortuary of music and video merchants killed by electronic distribution.

Google's announcement comes on the same day that activist investor William Ackman, who owns a 37 percent stake in Borders Group Inc., offered to finance a Borders-led takeover bid for rival bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc. If successful, it could ultimately lead to closures of overlapping stores.

In a move that could delay closures of other retailers, Google is allowing independent book stores to sell its inventory through their own sites. More than 100 book retailers in 36 states already have agreed to team up with Google. They include Powell's in the Portland, Ore., area and online-only merchant Alibris.com.

Opening the door to book merchants who can't afford to invest heavily in technology could help some of them survive the digital transition, McQuivey said. "At least this gives them a fighting chance."

Although Google expects the lion's share of its eBooks revenue to be funneled to its partners, its portion of the sales could help the company develop another way to make money besides the Internet ads that bring most of its income. The availability of eBooks also could help boost advertising sales by giving people another reason to come to Google's website.

Google shares edged up $4.72 to $577.72 in Monday's early afternoon trading.

To allay concerns that it will exploit the dominance of its Internet search engine to spur e-book sales on its own site, Google plans to include links to several other places where people can buy a book mentioned in a search request. And when visitors come to the book section on Google's website, they will be asked if they are interested in buying or just doing general research.

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Muse Concert; Awesome Concert Experience

Have you ever had an experience that changed your life? Well going to a Muse concert was just that for me. October 8, 2010 in Oklahoma City at the Ford Theater I witnessed the greatest concert I've ever seen. (Being about 25 feet away from the stage was a plus).

The concert is hard to describe in words, but I'll give it my best shot.

The concert was opened by the band “Passion Pit.” They were a good warm-up band for Muse; they were quite techno, and I enjoyed it. After Passion Pit left the stage, the stage was empty. There were no instruments, amps, or any sign of a band coming out anytime soon. There were just three pillars standing tall on the stage, covered completely by a cloth. After a good 20 minutes of waiting, a light came on behind the cloth; this caused an illusion of people walking up the stairs continuously until it reached the top of the pillar. After a short wait, the people fell from the top of the stairs and the curtains dropped. When the curtains dropped, Muse was standing in the middle of the pillars.

The concert experience had begun.

I cannot put into words the atmosphere and energy this concert had; it was amazing. Muse sounded even better live than on their album, Their show was fantastic. Matthew Bellamy (the lead singer/guitarist/pianist) switched guitars almost every song, as did the bassist; the drummer also switched to a special drum set for one song. They put on an indescribably great show, and I'd for sure go to another one. If you're interested on what a Muse concert is like, they have clips on Youtube or you can just buy their live CD/DVD “HAARP.” 5 out of 5 stars!

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Suspect Arrested In Lexington Waffle House Robbery; May Be Connected To More Robberies

Police say a man arrested Friday in connection with the robbery at a Lexington Waffle House late Thursday night may be connected to a series of robberies that have occurred in the area in recent weeks.

Police say they arrested Charles W. Davidson, 22, after a tip was called in to them. They say Davidson is the man who robbed the Waffle House on Athens-Boonesboro Road just before 11:30 p.m.

Police say the suspect matches the description of the robber in other recent robberies around Lexington. Police say Davidson was wearing a black ski mask and carrying a silver handgun, came in to the Waffle House and demanded cash. Employees complied with his demands, and no injuries were reported.

Police say Davidson may be suspected in up to 20 other robberies, but would not specify which ones. However, the description of Davidson given by police in the Waffle House robbery matches that of the suspect in several other recent robberies, including Lexington tanning salons and pizza restaurants.

LEX 18 will have more on this developing story as details become available.

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Ron Santo. "When Your Hero Dies."

When your hero dies, it’s as if the very shape of the earth has now changed. Ripples of heavy heart pain stab your soul, you walk down the street and you stumble for no reason, and the timing of the seasons goes awry. Spring could be a little late this year.



My hero, a man named Ron Santo, died in Phoenix Arizona last night. Complications of bladder cancer. He made it to 70. But it’s what he made it through that’s the story. He was a baseball player and a broadcaster. But to define him by baseball is like defining a human being by their blood. It’s narrowing the focus of why they are your hero. When your hero dies, it’s about so much more than what they do for a living.



We are floating in the green grass late summer roar of 40,000 of our closest friends as the man wearing “Number 10” walks out unto the baseball field sunshine . . .. with no legs.



Two prosthetic legs kept Ron Santo walking. Just one of the physical battles this professional athlete had faced down and conquered since discovering at age 18 that he had diabetes. A disease, which, the 18-year-old Santo went to the library and found out, predicted a life expectancy of 25.



The outpouring of love roaring in the sounds of all those voices on Ron Santo Day washed across the park, circled the ball field in the billowing of ivy along the outfield walls, leapt to the scoreboard, fueled the wind in the flags around the top of the, park and soared like a home run slammed up beyond all sight and time. This was about so much more than baseball. This was about inspiring hope. If Ronnie could do it---whatever “it” was---than so could you.



One day the 18 year old Ron had no idea what juvenile diabetes was. The next day, after the routine physical, he was in the library reading that the 25-year life expectancy also included blindness, kidney failure and hardening of the arteries.



So, and the words sound so simple, such paltry representations of his decision, he decided he was going to fight the disease and beat it.



In addition to the amputation of his legs, he fought through numerous heart attacks, quadruple bypass surgery, bladder surgery and vision problems. And that just the list that’s reported.



Along the way raising millions of dollars to combat the disease and always, always, having time for those individuals who fought the battles with him.



The roar subsiding on that September day, Ron Santo stepped up to the microphone and told us all, “This couldn’t have been any better. With all the adversity I have been through if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.” Santo was famous for being the player most deserving to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame who never received that honor. But on that September day he told us: “This means more to me. This is my Hall of Fame.”



And the toughest, grittiest, street smart hardest cadre of Chicagoans---those who had seen it all, shrugged, and then went to work the next day, wiped away tears,



Memories of your hero never really stop. Especially when your hero dies.



It’s a pristine autumn day in the golden wonder of upstate New York. Cooperstown. The National Baseball Hall of fame. Six of us. Souring the souvenir shops looking for the perfect Ron Santo baseball card. His rookie year. That night, tiptoeing out to the ball field next to the Hall of Fame in the dead of a cool autumn night, we all climb the fence to jump down to the grandstands that ring the ball field. (Not realizing till it’s time to leave that the gate was unlocked and we could have simply walked in.) We trot out to our positions on the field. Heads down. Cool guy baseball player style. No real ball or bat but it doesn’t matter. We run the bases and slide roaring out SAFE! We scramble back fast to catch the pop up not being winded because we’re not old men, we are baseball players. We hurl a change up over the plate. Smack it hard up into the stars of a cool country night.



And exhausted we troop out to find a bar. Leaving traces of our youth in the very same dust where once Babe Ruth rounded third and headed home.



The next day was our ceremony. Ron Santo’s induction into the hall of fame. If the political powers behind the hall wouldn’t do it---then we would.



The 6 of us. Drenched in serious business and a mission stood on a step. Everyone said something. Along the likes of “Go Ronnie!” And then we did it.

We went into the hall and while 5 of us provided cover, one of us scotch taped that baseball card of Santo’s rookie year up next to Ernie Banks.



Where it stayed for at least 10 minutes. When a security guard took it down.



Ron Santo was a guy who made a character out of his hairpiece. Often he’d wear, as he called it, his “Gamer.” But sometimes, he’d switch off to other pieces. All of it chronicled in conversation with his masterful rock of a partner Pat Hughes. There was the time the hairpiece caught on fire from the space heater in the booth at a Mets game. The Ron Santo stories flowing like the very rhythm of the game itself and the way it gave the larger games of our lives order or a solace or escape or even sometimes pure simple joy.



That’s what happens when your hero dies. The stories spin in to memories; an autumn sadness settles in, you think about how nothing will ever be the same.



This morning when I walked outside, helicopters were circling Wrigley Field. Grabbing pictures for news shots. This is a big story here in Chicago.



But there is a bigger story that this touches, applicable to all of us. What is it that happens when your hero dies?



Ron Santo thought he had tops seven years to live. But he wanted to be a big league ballplayer so bad that he battled. And he won.



So what happens when your hero dies?



You remember.



You trudge through snow on a day so cold it burns. You look up at a flagpole, empty now, where you know that in the eternal spring there will be green grass again. And whatever it is you, just you, no one else, whatever it is you battle: unemployment, hunger, illness, family, loneliness, depressions, crying at the winds of our sad and troubled world, you keep walking.



Even if you have no legs, you keep walking.



Just like your hero would have done it. You know that because you have stories.



Like the stories of Ron Santo.



My hero.

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Mick Hucknall Hidden Biography

Michael James Hucknall, commonly known as Mick 'Red' Hucknall, is the lead singer of the British soul-pop band 'Simply Red'.

Mick was born in St Mary's Hospital, Manchester and, after living very briefly in Bredbury, his family settled in Denton, a working class area to the east of Manchester city centre. Mick attended Audenshaw School and has always been a staunch Manchester United supporter.

Mick was raised single-handedly by his father Reg, who was barber by profession. His mother, Maureen, left when Mick was only three years old. Mick’s incredibly close to his father and still stays with him whenever he is in Manchester.

Mick has said that being abandoned by his mother and being bullied at school left him with huge insecurities. He has tried to remedy this by recreating a sense of self-worth, partly through being on stage.

He met his mum only once, when she asked to see him before she died. Mick didn't want a relationship with her, as he was concerned for his father’s feelings. He thought it would be a kick in the teeth to his father if he did form a relationship with her, after all his father’s hard work over the years as a single parent.

Mick’s dad wasn't a fan of his music and apparently told him to become a marine biologist, but luckily he followed his heart and a legend was created.

He began his music career in the late 1970s by forming the punk-inspired 'Frantic Elevators'. The band released four singles, including a version of ‘Holding Back The Years’, which he later recorded with 'Simply Red'. Mick’s fondest memory of his time with the 'Frantic Elevators' was being ‘severely gobbed on in Middlesborough’ which apparently was a mark respect!

Following the split of 'Frantic Elevators', Mick formed 'Simply Red', in 1984, with 3 ex-members of ‘Durutti Column’. The group signed to Elektra Records in 1985 and released 'Picture Book' in October that year.

The single ‘Holding Back The Years’ caused the 'Picture Book' album to go platinum, and made the group one of the major successes of 1986.

The album ‘A New Flame’ (1989) went gold due to the cover of the 1972 Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes hit 'If You Don't Know Me By Now', which hit number one and became a gold single.

Simply Red’s line up has changed dramatically over the years. By the 90’s 'Simply Red' effectively became Mick Hucknall accompanied by various musicians.

‘Stars’ was the best-selling album of 1991 topping the charts for 19 weeks, and spawned the Top Ten hits 'Stars' and 'For Your Babies' and the Top 40 hits ‘Something Got Me Started,’ ‘Thrill Me,’ and ‘Your Mirror.’

Worldwide, ‘Stars’ sold eight-and-a-half million copies by the second quarter of 1993 and outsold much-hyped efforts by Michael Jackson, U2, Dire Straits and Guns N'Roses.

Life (1995) proved more of a success at home than in America. The band returned to the charts in 1996 and 1997 with cover versions of Aretha Franklin's 'Angel' and Gregory Isaacs' 'Night Nurse'.

The Album released in 1999, 'Love And The Russian Winter', was branded a failure in the press and broke the band's run of UK chart-toppers.

Mick broke away from mainstream record labels and set up his own simplyred.com where he released the album ‘Home’ in 2003.

He had previously set up reggae label ‘Blood and Fire’ in 1993 with Steve Barrow, Bob Harding, Elliot Rashman and Andy Dodd. They wanted to bring the standard of reggae reissues up to the level of the best in jazz, blues, R&B and to ensure that both artists and producers were paid for their work.

Mick is as famous for his personal life as he is his music. He is renowned for his ability to attract beautiful women, despite once being voted Sky One’s No. 1 British celebrity minger!

He has slept with hundreds of women but has only had three proper relationships, one of which, most famously, was with Catherine Zeta-Jones.

"I might come from a broken home, but I don't want to create another one!"

After the split, they stayed friends and Mick went to Catherine’s wedding to Michael Douglas and performed an impromptu "super group" on stage with Art Garfunkel, Gladys Knight and Bonnie Tyler.

Mick loves being a bachelor and stories of threesomes and other shenanigans are commonplace in the media. Mick isn’t bothered by kiss-and-tell stories; however he was once at the centre of a rape allegation where he was found to be completely innocent. He feels that he will always be guilty by implication and that he’ll never see an end to it being written about.

Mick attributes his mother's desertion to be the root of his reluctance to marry - "I might come from a broken home, but I don't want to create another one!". In June 2007 Mick and his partner Gabriella Wesberry had a daughter, Romy True Hucknall and in May 2010 the couple married in Scotland.

Simply Red announced they were to quit in 2010 after a farewell tour.

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Julian Assange Hacker : Why you should listen to him

You could say Australian-born Julian Assange has swapped his long-time interest in network security flaws for the far-more-suspect flaws of even bigger targets: governments and corporations. Since his early 20s, he has been using network technology to prod and probe the vulnerable edges of administrative systems, but though he was a computing hobbyist first (in 1991 he was the target of hacking charges after he accessed the computers of an Australian telecom), he's now taken off his "white hat" and launched a career as one of the world's most visible human-rights activists.

He calls himself "editor in chief." He travels the globe as its spokesperson. Yet Assange's part in WikiLeaks is clearly dicier than that: he's become the face of creature that, simply, many powerful organizations would rather see the world rid of. His Wikipedia entry says he is "constantly on the move," and some speculate that his role in publishing decrypted US military video has put him in personal danger. A controversial figure, pundits debate whether his work is reckless and does more harm than good. Amnesty International recognized him with an International Media Award in 2009.

Assange studied physics and mathematics at the University of Melbourne. He wrote Strobe, the first free and open-source port scanner, and contributed to the book Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier.

"WikiLeaks has had more scoops in three years than the Washington Post has had in 30."

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Gay TV presenter Graham Norton given official warning after 'homophobic' joke about lesbians

Graham Norton has been reprimanded by BBC chiefs after a ‘homophobic’ joke about the haircuts of lesbians.

The gay presenter has been warned about ‘ reinforcing a potentially offensive stereotype’ after his comments were investigated by the corporation.

Norton, 46, and his team have now been told to ‘avoid endorsing’ such sexual stereotypes.

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Graham Norton has been reprimanded by the BBC chiefs after a 'homophobic' joke about the haircuts of lesbians

It comes after a viewer complained about the remarks made on The Graham Norton Show about an illustration of a jump suit invention, which showed a large woman with short hair.

Norton described this picture as showing a 'strange lesbian'

The comic described the picture as showing a ‘strange lesbian’ and when asked what a lesbian looks like, he pointed at the picture and said ‘That!’

The BBC said while the initial comments ‘might’ have been inoffensive on their own, it was repeating them after he was challenged by guest Ruth Jones which was wrong.

It has upheld the complaint against the show, just as it is about to be launched on BBC1 after it was promoted from its BBC2 slot.

The TV host had been discussing a website about some of the less successful inventions that have been given patents on the March edition of the show.

Norton singled out the design for a jump- suit for women which was meant to make it easier for them to use the toilet than the traditional outfits.

It was accompanied by a black and white drawing of a women modelling the invention in a variety of poses.

He told viewers: ‘Now I don’t know why they have got some strange lesbian to be the model for this, but they have.’

The TV presenter added that ‘obviously the lesbian p*****g in a jump suit was a big market’ as he continued to joke about the drawings.

Moments later he added: ‘So, Lesbian full bladder here, what am I going to do?’

Guest Ruth Jones challenged Norton on the comment during the segment

Actress Ruth Jones who was one of his guests then challenged the Irish comedian, saying: ‘She may not be a lesbian, come on now.’

Norton then replied: ‘You’re right, she could have gone to a very bad hairdresser.’

Then when Norton tried to play down the comments by saying there was nothing wrong with being a lesbian, Gavin and Stacey comedy star Jones said: ‘I know I am just saying what does a lesbian look like?’ Then Norton fired back : ‘That!’

A BBC statement said: ‘Although the initial references might have been inoffensive if considered on their own, they prompted an exchange with one of the programme’s guests which gave the references the appearance of perpetuating or reinforcing a potentially offensive stereotype.

‘The programme team were reminded of the need to avoid any possibility of being seen to endorse offensive sexual stereotypes.’ It upheld the complaint.

Despite the controversy Norton is set to sign a new deal and stay with the BBC ending months of speculation about his future.

He will be forced to take a pay cut to his £2.5million a year deal, which could drop by about

£500,000 when he signs up again.

Since his switch to the BBC in 2005 the presenter has had mixed success, particularly with the Saturday night shows he has been given.

Watch the offending clip here...

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Rodarte dances onto film with 'Black Swan'

Film critics are abuzz over actress Natalie Portman's work in the new big-screen "Black Swan," but fashionistas are flipping over something else: the film's forward-thinking ballet costumes by Rodarte, the insider-favorite label by sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy.

"Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky said he and the costume designer Amy Westcott wanted to use a contemporary fashion designer "to take it to a new level."

"We wanted to reinvent the whole sense of 'Swan Lake,'" he said.

Portman, who has been spotted in the front row of Rodarte runway shows during New York Fashion Week, had a relationship with the designers.

"I remember seeing a dress of theirs at a photo shoot, and just going, `What is that?'" recalled Portman. "I don't have that reaction to clothes very often. It is not something that I really pay attention to that much. But it was just so beautiful. When we were doing this film, I just knew how balletic their clothes were."

Rodarte had, coincidentally, already tapped into horror films and ballet -- the same elements that are the foundation of "Black Swan" -- as inspiration for past collections.

"We had an affinity for the subject matter," noted Kate Mulleavy. "We had never done a film. ... This would be a dream job in terms of just getting to make tutus. But, then we had, I think, something that allowed us to add to access the psychology of the film in a different way, which was understanding the darker nature and more of the twisted kind of underbelly of that world."

Nevertheless, producing fashion-forward ballet costumes proved a challenge. "Well, I think that the big question was, `How do you make something look realistic as a tutu and function?'" explained Laura Mulleavy.

Sometimes style took precedence over function. "You would never go and do `Swan Lake' and wear a full-on swan outfit without having a strap" to hold the outfit up, said actress Mila Kunis. "Given that it is in a movie and it is a certain form of disbelief. They had no straps. So, the busts kept constantly falling, you know. And so you make it work. You figure it out. But they were beautiful."

Portman remains a fan and friend of the designers. "They are really kind," Portman said. "They are really curious about every sort of area of the world. They know everything about ecology and art and modern science. You are like, `I don't understand how they have so much room in their brains.' It's amazing."

"Black Swan" opens in the U.S. this weekend.

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World AIDS Day: IAS President Says Much Has Been Done, Still Much to Do.

Dr. Elly Katabira, head of the International AIDS Society (IAS), says despite recent successes against the epidemic, much remains to be done.

Wednesday is World AIDS Day. The theme is “Universal Access and Human Rights.” It’s estimated there are 33 million people living with HIV around the world - most in sub-Saharan Africa.

©IAS/Marcus Rose/Workers' Photos

IAS President Dr. Elly Katabira

Katabira took over the reins of the IAS in July and became its first African president. He had been professor of medicine at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

Don’t take success for granted

On World AIDS Day, he says, “I think the message I would like everybody to have…is that, yes, the United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) has announced some successes in reduction in numbers, but we are far, far from where we need to be comfortable.”

He says much more needs to be done, including promoting prevention, care and universal access to antiretroviral treatment” in areas where “the epidemic is still rampant.”

Katabira says it’s important “to keep other people aware of what is going on, so that they can play their part until we can get over this epidemic,” he says.

“Particularly, I’m concerned that some people are beginning to take it light(ly). For example, thinking that since drugs are available, therefore the disease is treatable. This shouldn’t be the case. And also I know, particularly in countries where the epidemic is a major issue, the contribution for funding for access to care is not as what we would want it to be,” he says.

Tight economic times

Since the global economic crisis, many say donor funding has “flat-lined.”

“Still,” Katabira says, “the problem is a big one. The need for more funding for HIV care is still crucial. For example, if I look at the big countries like the G8 and the G20…it is in their own interest, as well as in our interest, the beneficiaries, that more funds are put on the table to ensure that we can deliver (on) the promises we’ve made over the years.”

However, he says it’s not just the donors who should do more, despite the economic slowdown. The beneficiary countries also must to more.

“We, ourselves, need to invest more in the care of our people. I strongly believe that if we do so, it will also encourage the others to give us more, particularly at this crucial moment when finances are tight,” he says.

As a result of the poor economy, other priorities, he says, may replace HIV/AIDS.

“Global warming has come up and people think it is more relevant. Other people believe that AIDS has received already enough money and therefore they don’t need any more. We need to change that and keep reminding them that, yes, the battle is not yet over,” he says.

Many still need treatment.

The recent UNAIDS report says more than five-million people are now receiving antiretroviral treatment in developing countries. “But don’t forget,” Katabira says, “ten million still need the treatment. So we are far away from what is ideal.”

He warns if treatment is not expanded, “then we are going back to square one where we started off with fewer people on treatment and more deaths, which nobody wants to happen again.”

Hopes for 2011

“I hope first of all for 2011that there will be more commitment for accelerated access to HIV care,” he says, “And secondly, of course, changes in the legislation across the countries where it is still illegal to address issues like homosexuality and drug use. So that it opens the way for these people to (be given)…equal access to interventions, which are available to others today.”

2012

The International AIDS Conference, the world’s largest, will be held in Washington, D.C. in mid 2012. It’s been many years since the U.S. hosted the event. Katabira and the IAS will play a major role in organizing the conference. He expects the 19^th International AIDS conference to be different from previous meetings.

“To start with, when we got Washington, D.C. in 2012, we would have had 22 years without being in the U.S. as a result of course of the restrictions on people traveling to the U.S. who are HIV infected, which was lifted,” he says.

The travel ban was officially lifted in January 2010. The process to remove the ban had started in 2008 under the Bush administration and finalized by President Obama. It had been imposed in 1987, in the early years of the epidemic, amid misunderstanding about the disease.

“More importantly,” he says, “(the) U.S. has made a lot of contributions, not only through the current PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), but also in the support of training and research across the world. It should be an opportunity for them to show what they have done for the rest of the world.”

He adds, “This time it’s going to be in their own backyard. So there should be an opportunity to…demonstrate these collaborations and benefits, which have come out as a result.”

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Shocking advent calendar revealing domestic abuse is unveiled

AN advent calendar highlighting domestic abuse in Scotland will be unveiled today as part of a Christmas anti-violence campaign.

Domestic abuse intensifies over Christmas and the online calendar highlights the scale of the problem.

The project has been developed by Scotland's Violence Reduction Unit and every day until December 25, the calendar will reveal a shocking statistic or fact relating to the horrors of domestic abuse in Scotland.

Chief Inspector Graham Goulden, who is leading the campaign, said: "Sadly, Christmas and New Year are peak periods for domestic abuse.

"We wanted to highlight this and raise awareness of the fact that, for many victims, domestic abuse isn't just a one-off event, it's something that happens day in, day out.

"We know there will be people out there for whom Christmas will not be a happy time. Often it will not just be the victim that suffers - children living in households where there is domestic abuse are at risk too.

"This kind of behaviour devastates families, and will not be tolerated in 21st-century Scotland." Police no longer need a statement to make an arrest but can act on the basis of any evidence of violence or threatening behaviour.

Forces across Scotland will take part in the clampdown, which runs from December 2010 - January 2011.

Past campaigns have been a huge success. Last year, Strathclyde Police said incidents fell by 42 per cent.

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For Jews, Hanukkah a time of 'rededication'

REHOBOTH BEACH -- Although its one of the lesser holidays on the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah has increased in prominence both from within and outside the Jewish faith.

The holiday, which begins at sundown Dec. 1 and lasts through Dec. 9, commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, which was taken back from the Syrians and purified by lamplight over the course of eight days.

Beth Cohen, of the Seaside Jewish Community in Rehoboth Beach, said the holiday has been elevated primarily because of its proximity to Christmas.

"Perhaps it gives us an opportunity to think about what it means to rededicate yourself to something; to think about things not otherwise (thought) about," she said.

She said the religious school holds a Hanukkah service each year with a play, songs and some form of a retelling of the story.

"The practice in homes is usually for the family to light the candles, one for each of the eight nights," she said. "That's tradition, but it's also become a gift-giving holiday, which is obviously not part of the history."

Rabbi Arnold Bienstock, of the Beth Israel Congregation in Salisbury, said it was almost inevitable that Hanukkah would embrace some of the trappings of consumer culture.

The menorahs that hold the nine Hanukkah candles -- one is used to light the others -- can be found in various colors, shapes and styles, he said. They come shaped like cats, dogs and even footballs.

"There have always been issues as to what extent Jews should have to culturally absorb or not absorb from the background of the world," he said.

That issue speaks directly to the very origins of the holiday, which celebrates the Jews' cultural and religious liberation from the Greeks during the 2nd century B.C. Maccabean Revolt, Beinstock said.

Now, just as then, he said Jews represent a religious minority.

"Jews are a drop of a drop of a drop in the Delmarva region," he said, noting that much of the population is concentrated in urban centers, such as Washington, D.C.

Consumerism and materialism has affected the Jewish holidays, as they have everything else, said Beinstock, who himself exchanges gifts, such as a giraffe-shaped menorah, with his four daughters.

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Brees is Sports Illustrated's sportsman of year

NEW YORK – Drew Brees was honored as Sports Illustrated's sportsman of the year for his championship on the field and his charity off it.

Brees became the award's 57th recipient when the magazine made the announcement Tuesday on the "Today" show. The quarterback led the long-suffering New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl title in February, lifting the spirits of the hurricane-battered city.

But the cover story notes he's done much more than inspire with his brilliant play. Since Brees joined the Saints in 2006 months after Hurricane Katrina, his foundation has worked with nearly 50 New Orleans schools and organizations to aid in recovery.

"The more that I've learned about the award and that it goes well beyond what you accomplish on the field, that it's very much about what you do off the field as well, with community service and your family, makes the award even more special to me," Brees said.

Brees is the fifth NFL quarterback to be honored and third in six years. The Pittsburgh Steelers' Terry Bradshaw won in 1979, the San Francisco 49ers' Joe Montana in 1990, the New England Patriots' Tom Brady in 2005 and the Green Bay Packers' Brett Favre in 2007.

Sports Illustrated Group editor Terry McDonell said he had been "determined not to be a slave to a calendar" in considering NFL players, even though it might seem like an eternity between the Super Bowl and the announcement of the award. But Brees' contributions outside of football made this selection easy.

"It's year-round for him," McDonell said.

Brees will be recognized at a ceremony in New York on Tuesday with past winners including Bill Russell, Curt Schilling and Montana.

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Elton John recruits famous friends for World AIDS Day Independent

Sir Elton John is to guest-edit the Independent and spin-off i tomorrow for World AIDS Day.

He has reportedly asked Bill Clinton, Elizabeth Taylor and Kanye West to contribute to the edition.

All circulation revenue will go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

According to the Guardian, Taylor is writing a piece for the issue and there will be contributions from broadcaster Christiane Amanpour and Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon.

Clinton will write a comment piece on how the European Union needs to change and other articles will be on John’s heroes, including gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, footballer Paul Scholes and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

John said he intended to “enlist the help of prominent friends” for the special issue.

“I was thrilled to be invited to guest edit The Independent,” he added. “I’m really looking forward to spending a day in the editor’s chair, and I’m pleased to get the chance to put the subject of AIDS at the top of the editorial agenda.”

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Oregon bomb-plot suspect wanted 'spectacular show'

PORTLAND, Ore. – A Somali-born teenager plotted "a spectacular show" of terrorism for months, saying he didn't mind that children would die if he bombed a crowded Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, according to a law-enforcement official and court documents.

He never got the chance. Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, was arrested Friday in downtown Portland after using a cell phone to try to detonate what he thought were explosives in a van, prosecutors said. It turned out to be a dummy bomb put together by FBI agents.

It is the latest in a string of alleged terrorist plots by U.S. citizens or residents, including a Times Square plot in which a Pakistan-born man pleaded guilty earlier this year to trying to set off a car bomb at a bustling street corner. Last month, another Pakistan-born Virginia resident was accused in a bomb plot to kill commuters.

In the Portland plot, Mohamud believed he was receiving help from a larger ring of jihadists as he communicated with undercover federal agents, but no foreign terrorist organization was directing him, according to a law-enforcement official who wasn't authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on a condition of anonymity.

The official said Mohamud was very committed to the plot and planned the details alone, including where to park the van to hurt the most people.

"I want whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave dead or injured." Mohamud said, according to the affidavit.

"It's in Oregon, and Oregon, like you know, nobody ever thinks about it," the suspect told an agent in one discussion.

Thousands of people had gathered Friday on a cold, clear night for the annual event at Pioneer Courthouse Square, a plaza often referred to as "Portland's living room" because of its popularity.

Just 10 minutes before Mohamud's 5:40 p.m. arrest, the lighting ceremony began. Babies sat on shoulders, and children cheered at the first appearance of Santa Claus onstage.

The tree-lighting on the bricks of the plaza went off without a hitch just as the arrest was taking place.

Mohamud, who grew up in Beaverton, was a former student at Oregon State University. He had been enrolled in courses from late 2009 until Oct. 6 before withdrawing, said Oregon State University spokesman Todd Simmons.

The law-enforcement official who spoke to the AP on Saturday said agents began investigating Mohamud after receiving a tip from someone who was concerned about the teenager. The official declined to provide any more detail about the relationship between Mohamud and that source.

In an e-mail exchange with an undercover agent Mohamud complained, "I have been betrayed by my family," although he describes no specific action that family members took.

The FBI monitored Mohamud's e-mail and found that he was in contact with people overseas, asking how he could travel to Pakistan and join the fight for jihad, according to an FBI affidavit.

According to the law enforcement official, Mohamud e-mailed a friend living in Pakistan who had been a student in Oregon in 2007-2008 and been in Yemen as well.

For reasons that have not been explained, Mohamud tried to board a flight to Kodiak, Alaska, from Portland on June 14, wasn't allowed to board and was interviewed by the FBI, the affidavit states.

Mohamud told the FBI he wanted to earn money fishing and then travel to join "the brothers." He said he had previously hoped to travel to Yemen but had never obtained a ticket or a visa.

On June 23, an undercover agent contacted Mohamud by e-mail, pretending to be affiliated with the "unindicted associate" Mohamud had sent e-mails to.

The FBI's affidavit says the friend in Pakistan referred him to another associate, but gave him an e-mail address that Mohamud tried repeatedly to use unsuccessfully. The official said FBI agents saw that as an opportunity and e-mailed Mohamud in response, claiming to be associates of his friend, the former student.

The affidavit said Mohamud was warned several times about the seriousness of his plan, that women and children could be killed, and that he could back out. But he told agents: "Since I was 15 I thought about all this" and "It's gonna be a fireworks show ... a spectacular show."

Mohamud, a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Corvallis, was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. A court appearance was set for Monday.

Authorities allowed the plot to proceed in order to build up enough evidence to charge the suspect with attempt. Mohamud sent bomb components to undercover FBI agents who he believed were assembling the explosive device, but the agents supplied the fake bomb that Mohamud tried to detonate twice via his phone, authorities said.

The FBI affidavit says the undercover agent first met Mohamud in person on July 30 and asked what he would do for the cause of jihad. The agent suggested that Mohamud might want to spread Islam to others, continue his studies to help the cause overseas, raise money, and become a martyr or put together an explosion but didn't know how and needed training, the affidavit said.

The undercover agent said he could introduce him to an explosives expert and asked Mohamud to research potential targets.

At a second meeting on Aug. 19 at a Portland hotel, the agent brought a second undercover agent, the documents say, and Mohamud told them he had selected Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square for the bombing.

On Nov. 4, the court documents say, Mohamud made a video in the presence of one of the undercover agents, putting on clothes he described as "Sheik Osama style:" a white robe, red and white headdress, and camouflage jacket.

He read a statement speaking of his dream of bringing "a dark day" on Americans and blaming his family for thwarting him, according to the court documents:

"To my parents who held me back from Jihad in the cause of Allah. I say to them ... if you — if you make allies with the enemy, then Allah's power ... will ask you about that on the day of judgment, and nothing that you do can hold me back ..."

Friday, an agent and Mohamud drove to downtown Portland in a white van that carried six 55-gallon drums with detonation cords and plastic caps, but all of them were inert, the complaint states.

They left the van near the downtown ceremony site and went to a train station where Mohamud was given a cell phone that he thought would blow up the vehicle, according to the complaint. There was no detonation when he dialed, and when he tried again federal agents and police made their move.

Tens of thousands of Somalis have resettled in the United States since their country plunged into lawlessness in 1991, and the U.S. has boosted aid to the country.

In August, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment naming 14 people accused of being a deadly pipeline routing money and fighters from the U.S. to al-Shabab, an al-Qaida affiliated group in Mohamud's native Somalia.

Officials have been working with Muslim community leaders across the United States, particularly in Somali diasporas in Minnesota, trying to combat the radicalization.

On Saturday, Omar Jamal, first secretary to the Somali mission to the United Nation and an advocate for Somalis in Minnesota, said Mohamud has a stepmother in Minneapolis. He condemned the plot and urged Somalis to cooperate with police and the FBI.

Jamal said he had spoken to two Somalis who knew Mohamud, and he was described as religious, quiet and innocent. Jamal said Mohamud is from southern Somalia.

"Everybody's afraid, really really afraid," Jamal said of members of Oregon's Somali communities and elsewhere. "They're afraid of, first of all, the label. The allegation is very serious ..."

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