Mathematics, looking for a good home

Jacob Aron, technology reporter

(Image: F1 Online/Rex Features)

Mathematicians have launched an ambitious campaign to raise the profile of their discipline, by opening a museum of maths in the UK. Geoff Wain, who is leading the initiative, points out that every other subject has a variety of cultural and educational hubs for people to visit, so why not maths? ?Where would you go to find out about mathematics?? he says. ?There?s absolutely nowhere in this country, it?s very sad.?

Last week, Wain and colleagues, as well as other interested fans of mathematics, gathered at King's College London to discuss their ideas for the museum, which is currently known as MathsWorldUK. So far, the plan is to have a number of zones covering topics such as numbers, shape and space, chance and infinity. The museum will also highlight the lives of historical mathematicians alongside those who use maths in their work today.

The museum will have a strong focus on interactivity, providing something for people of all ages to play and experiment with. ?Mathematics as a theoretical thing with no concrete side to it is what can kill it off, I think,? says Wain. ?Having things you can actually do is really important.? The museum gift shop could also sell shrunk-down versions of the exhibits, allowing people to take puzzles home with them.

Wain and colleagues are now looking to raise money to start the museum, with plans to approach a variety of companies and individuals. He says they are aiming high for funds of ?50 million, with ?10 million as the minimum needed to get the museum off the ground. Much of that money will go towards acquiring a building - so why not save on costs by integrating with the existing Science Museum in London?

?If you say maths is a part of science, the next thing is it never gets mentioned,? says Wain. He and others at the event last week also raised the point that maths is about more than just scientific number-crunching, as it also has cultural and entertainment value. ?In a way it?s a game you play with logic, and amazingly it has these fantastic applications to almost every bit of the real world.?

Successful maths museums have already been established in other countries, such as the Mathematikum in Giessen, Germany, which first opened in 2002 and now attracts 150,000 visitors a year. This year will also see the opening of The Museum of Mathematics in New York, which began planning in 2008 and received funding from the likes of Google and some hedge funds.

Wain doesn?t know how long it might take to establish a similar museum in the UK, but he is enthusiastic about the demand from the public for more maths, having been involved in a mobile maths exhibit called the Pop Maths Roadshow during the 1990s. ?It attracted a quarter of million people and enormous numbers of people wrote afterwards and asked 'when is it happening again?',? he says. Perhaps they will have an answer soon.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1c436486/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cculturelab0C20A120C0A10Cmathematics0Elooking0Efor0Ea0Egood0Ehome0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Sudan: Army frees some abducted Chinese workers (AP)

KHARTOUM, Sudan ? The Sudanese army has freed 14 Chinese road construction workers, part of a group reportedly abducted by militants in a remote region in the country's south, officials said Monday.

The Chinese workers were "liberated" by Sudanese troops and were evacuated to the town of El Obeid, Omdurman Radio quoted South Kordofan province's governor Ahmed Haroun on Monday as saying. He said that they were in good health.

The report, which was also carried on the state-run SUNA news agency, did not say when the rescue occurred. Haroun said the army and security forces are trying to free the remaining abducted workers.

It did not say how many workers remained captive, but the Chinese embassy in Khartoum has said that a total of 29 had been taken in the Saturday attack near Abbasiya town in South Kordofan province, some 390 miles (630 kilometers) south of Khartoum.

Sudanese officials have blamed the attack on the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a branch of a guerrilla movement which has fought various regimes in Khartoum for decades.

Many of the SPLM's members hail from a minority ethnic group now in control of much of South Sudan, which became the world's newest country only six months ago in a breakaway from Sudan.

Sudan has accused South Sudan of arming pro-South Sudan groups in South Kordofan. The government of South Sudan has called such accusations a smoke screen intended to justify a future invasion of the South.

China has sent large numbers of workers to potentially unstable regions such as Sudan and last year was forced to send ships and planes to help with the emergency evacuation of 30,000 of its citizens from the fighting in Libya.

China has consistently used its clout in diplomatic forums such as the United Nations to defend Sudan and its longtime leader Omar al-Bashir. In recent years, it has also sought to build good relations with leaders from the south, where most of Sudan's oil is located.

Chinese companies have also invested heavily in Sudanese oil production.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_sudan_china

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Video: Clearing Up Facebook Fallacies

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46191090/

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Pentagon prepares for new military talks with Iraq

FILE - In this March 16, 2011 file photo, Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta?s chief policy aide. Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties. "One of the things we?re looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - In this March 16, 2011 file photo, Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta?s chief policy aide. Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties. "One of the things we?re looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's chief policy aide.

Michele Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post on Friday to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties.

"One of the things we're looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said.

The U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Iraq in December after nearly nine years of war. Both sides had considered keeping at least several thousand U.S. troops there to provide comprehensive field training for Iraqi security forces, but they failed to strike a deal before the expiration of a 2008 agreement that required all American troops to leave.

As a result, training is limited to a group of American service members and contractors in Baghdad who will help Iraqis learn to operate newly acquired weapons systems. They are part of the Office of Security Cooperation, based in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and headed by Army Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen.

Additional and more comprehensive training is a major issue because Iraq's army and police are mainly equipped and trained to counter an internal insurgency, rather than deter and defend against external threats. Iraq, for example, currently cannot defend its own air sovereignty. It is buying ? but has not yet received ? U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets.

In a new report on conditions in Iraq, a U.S. government watchdog agency said the Iraqi army is giving so much attention to fighting the insurgents that it has had too little time to train for conventional combat.

"The Iraqi army, while capable of conducting counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, possesses limited ability to defend the nation against foreign threats," said the report submitted to Congress Monday by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart W. Bowen, Jr.

In an introductory note, Bowen wrote that while Iraq's young democracy is buoyed by increasing oil production, it "remains imperiled by roiling ethno-sectarian tensions and their consequent security threats."

Iraq has seen an upswing in violence since the last U.S. troop left, but senior U.S. officials have remained in touch in hopes of nudging the Iraqis toward a political accommodation that can avert a slide into civil war.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Saturday with Osama Nujaifi, speaker of the Council of Representatives. And Biden spoke on Friday with a key opposition figure, Ayad Allawi, a former interim prime minister and a secular Shiite leader of the Iraqiya political bloc. Allawi has said Iraq needs to replace its prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, or hold new elections to prevent the country from fracturing along sectarian lines.

In a positive sign, Iraq's Sunni leaders announced on Sunday that they will end their boycott of parliament. That may have paved the way for the political leadership to hold a national conference led by President Jalal Talabani to seek reconciliation and to end a sectarian political crisis.

George Little, the Pentagon press secretary, said Sunday that Panetta remains optimistic about the outlook in Iraq despite worsening violence.

"The secretary believes that the Iraqi people have a genuine opportunity to create a future of greater security for themselves, and that senseless acts of violence will not deter them from pursuing that goal," Little said. "The United States remains committed to a strong security relationship with Iraq."

U.S. officials have said they aim to establish broad defense ties to Iraq, similar to American relationships with other nations in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

Flournoy, 51, is stepping down from her position as undersecretary of defense for policy on Friday after three years in the job. She is the first woman to hold that post. Her chief deputy, Jim Miller, has been picked to succeed her.

In the interview last week, Flournoy reiterated that she is leaving government to focus more on her family. She and her husband, W. Scott Gould, have three children aged 14, 12 and nine.

She came to the Pentagon in February 2009 from the Center for a New American Security, where she was the think tank's first president. She had served in the Pentagon in the 1990s as a strategist.

Flournoy said in an Associated Press interview in December when she announced her decision to quit that she intends to play an informal role this year in supporting President Barack Obama's re-election effort. She was a member of his transition team after the November 2008 election.

___

Robert Burns can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-30-US-Iraq/id-d8b8bacb808240c995737b5b76d6023a

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Erivedge Approved to Treat Basal Cell Carinoma (HealthDay)

MONDAY, January 30 (HealthDay News) -- Erivedge (vismodegib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, the agency said Monday.

The drug was approved for people for whom surgery or radiation aren't options, and for people with basal cell that has spread to other parts of the body, according to an FDA news release.

Basal cell usually is a slow-growing, painless type of cancer that begins in the top layer of skin, often on areas most exposed to the sun.

Erivedge was evaluated in clinical studies involving 96 people with basal cell carcinoma. The most common side effects included muscle spasms, hair loss, weight loss, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, distorted taste, loss of appetite and constipation.

The drug was approved with an FDA's label warning that pregnant women who take Erivedge could have babies at greater risk of severe birth defects or death. "Pregnancy status must be verified prior to the start of Erivedge treatment," the agency release advised.

Erivedge is marketed by Genentech, based in San Francisco, Calif.

More information

Medline Plus has more about basal cell carcinoma.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120130/hl_hsn/erivedgeapprovedtotreatbasalcellcarinoma

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The Newest Internet Law to Worry About (Updated: Don't Worry) [Internet]

Following in the proud, wide, footsteps of SOPA and PIPA, the Senate is set to vote on another internet regulation bill this week—and the web is worrying already. Justified? Maybe. Unfortunately, the public isn't allowed to read it. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ijj1Qr-MCdI/the-newest-internet-law-to-worry-about-updated-relax

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Random pics of 3 of my pets ? Mike and Olive and Audrey ? Gretawire

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Mike, the cat, is yawning.

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And the dog? That is Olive:

Olive is our sneakiest pet. ?She is adorable but sneaky.

And below is 80 pound Audrey on the (where else?) couch:

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• < previous post
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• Look who had surgery today!
• Behind the scenes ? check out the pics of this diner exterior in Manchester, New Hampshire
• Tech advice: DOXIE-GO

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Source: http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/2012/01/29/random-pics-of-two-of-my-pets-mike-and-olive/

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The Cain-Gingrich Endorsement (Little green footballs)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Activist Post: Turmeric, Curcumin Naturally Block Cancer Cells

Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post

Turmeric and curcumin have been highlighted as powerful anti-cancer substances in the past, but research has now shed even more light on the amazing ability of both turmeric and curcumin to actually block cancer growth.

This is due to the unique ability of a main component in turmeric that is actually able to block an enzyme that promotes the spread of head and neck cancer.

Researchers at UCLA found that curcumin ? the primary component in turmeric also responsible for its color ? exhibited these cancer-blocking properties during a study involving 21 participants suffering from head and neck cancers. The subjects were given two chewable curcumin tablets containing 1,000 miligrams of the substance each. After administering the chewable curcumin tablets, an independent lab in Maryland was in charge of evaluating the results.

What the lab found was that the enzymes in the patients? mouths responsible for promoting cancer spread and growth were inhibited by the curcumin supplementation. As a result, the curcumin intake halted the spread of the malignant cells.?Curcumin has previously been found to reduce tumors by 81% in similarly shocking research, which also gives credence to the natural anti-cancer benefits of turmeric and curcumin intake.

While the benefits of turmeric have not been widely publicized in the United States, turmeric is known for its widespread use in many?South Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Utilized as a spice in traditional dishes, many cultures have already fully recognized the powerful health-promoting aspects of turmeric.

Perhaps the best part about turmeric is the fact that it is very cheap compared to highly ineffective cancer drugs that have actually been shown to worsen tumors conditions and kill patients.

As more health professionals begin to realize the attributes of turmeric and curcumin, it is very possible that it could become as popular and widespread ? if not more so? than super-nutrient vitamin D.

Explore More:

1. Turmeric Offers Powerful Anti-Cancer Benefits Without Side Effects
2. Natural Cancer-Fighting Spice Reduces Tumors by 81%
3. Cancer Cells Feed on Sugar and Sugar Free Products Alike
4. Exposed: Deadly Cancer Drugs Make Cancer Worse and Kill Patients More Quickly
5. Add a Little Olive Oil and Help Fight Breast Cancer Naturally
6. Scientists Modify Immune System Cells to Attack Cancer

Please visit Natural Society for more great health news and vaccine information.

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Source: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/01/turmeric-curcumin-naturally-block.html

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FDA Clears Drug For Advanced Kidney Cancer ? CBS Dallas / Fort ...

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Patients with hard-to-treat kidney cancer that has spread to other parts of the body gained a new drug option Friday, after federal regulators approved a twice-a-day pill from Pfizer for the disease.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the company?s drug Inlyta as a secondary option for patients with renal cell carcinoma that hasn?t responded to previous drug treatments. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer, with an estimated 61,000 people in the U.S. newly diagnosed last year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Only about 11 percent of patients with advanced kidney cancer survive five years or more after diagnosis.

Like other recent cancer drugs, Inlyta works by blocking proteins that promote tumor growth and cancer progression.

The market for kidney cancer drugs has grown increasingly crowded in recent years, with six other new drugs approved in the last six years, including Roche?s Avastin and GlaxoSmithKline?s Votrient. Pfizer?s drug is only the second to be designated as a backup, or second-line, treatment after other kidney cancer drugs have been prescribed. Pfizer is also conducting studies of the drug as a first-line option against kidney cancer.

?This is the seventh drug that has been approved for the treatment of metastatic or advanced kidney cell cancer since 2005,? said Dr. Richard Pazdur, FDA?s cancer drug director, in a statement. ?Collectively, this unprecedented level of drug development within this time period has significantly altered the treatment paradigm.?

The FDA approved the drug based on a single study in which patients on Inlyta, known chemically as axitinib, experienced two more months without their cancer worsening than patients taking Nexavar, a drug from Bayer and Onyx Pharmaceuticals.

The most common side effects with Inlyta included diarrhea, high blood pressure, fatigue, nausea, weight loss and decreased appetite, among others.

About 13,000 people in the U.S. die of advanced kidney cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

?Even with the advent of targeted therapies, the need remains for additional options for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma whose disease has progressed following first-line medications,? Pfizer Senior Vice President Dr. Mace Rothenberg said in a statement.

Shares of New York-based Pfizer Inc. fell 12 cents to $21.51 in afternoon trading.

(? Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/01/27/fda-clears-drug-for-advanced-kidney-cancer/

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North America boosts Ford in 4Q

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2010 file photo, Ford vehicles are reflected in the bumper of a Ford F-350 truck, at Fremont Ford in Newark, Calif. Ford said Friday Jan. 27, 2012 it made $13.4 billion in the fourth quarter, largely due to an accounting change. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2010 file photo, Ford vehicles are reflected in the bumper of a Ford F-350 truck, at Fremont Ford in Newark, Calif. Ford said Friday Jan. 27, 2012 it made $13.4 billion in the fourth quarter, largely due to an accounting change. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) ? Ford has shown it can make money even with U.S. car sales at depressed levels. Now it needs to show it can manage a myriad of challenges outside its home region.

North America was the only region where Ford Motor Co. saw profits rise in the fourth quarter and in all of 2011. Everywhere else the automaker lost money or saw profits fall, hurt by nervous consumers in Europe, flooding in Asia and aging products in South America. Costs rose faster than expected, too.

Ford reported $13.62 billion in net income, but investors brushed off the result because most of that came from an accounting change. Excluding that change, earnings totaled $1.1 billion, or 20 cents a share, down 15 percent from the fourth quarter of 2010. Ford missed Wall Street's expectations by 5 cents.

The stock price took an early hit but recovered once the company promised better ? if still bumpy ? results in 2012. Shares fell 4 percent to close at $12.21.

Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth said the Thai flooding and the rising cost of steel and other commodities hurt Ford more than analysts expected.

The November floods, which affected Thai parts suppliers, cost 34,000 units of production in Thailand and in South Africa, which relies on Thai-made parts. Ford also spent $2.3 billion more on commodities in 2011 than the prior year, or $100 million more than it forecast.

Bill Selesky, an auto analyst with Argus Research, said investors relaxed after Ford explained its accounting change and reassured them that it expects operating margin to increase this year.

Ford's operating margin ? a measure of how much the company earned after all the costs of doing business ? fell to 2.2 percent from 3 percent in 2010, largely because of commodity costs.

"The company said, 'Listen, we can manage through this, and North America is very, very strong,'" Selesky said.

North American operating profits rose 33 percent to $889 million in the fourth quarter. For the full year, North American profits rose 15 percent to $6.2 billion.

Ford's U.S. market share was up for the year, and the company got higher prices for new vehicles like the Ford Explorer and Ford Focus. U.S. buyers paid an average of $29,524 for Ford cars and trucks last year, up 6 percent from 2009, according to automotive pricing site TrueCar.com.

But in Europe, Ford's second-most important region by sales, fourth-quarter operating losses more than doubled to $190 million and sales fell 1 percent.

Booth said the company isn't sure how much impact the debt crisis will have on European sales this year. But CEO Alan Mulally said he's optimistic, since Ford has 10 new or revamped vehicles going on sale in the region. In the meantime, Ford is cutting European production by 36,000 vehicles in the first quarter.

Rival General Motors Co. is also expected to be hurt by weak results in Europe. It reports quarterly results Feb. 16. Chrysler Group, which has little international exposure, will be buoyed by its U.S. sales when it releases earnings Feb. 1.

In Asia, Ford's sales fell 7 percent in the fourth quarter, largely because sales in China have slowed. Ford's Asia Pacific region lost $83 million in the quarter after posting a profit in 2010.

Booth said things will be bumpy in Asia for the next several years as Ford embarks on a major expansion that includes the construction of seven plants. The company aims to triple the cars in its Chinese lineup to 15 over the next three years.

The South American market was another disappointment. Both sales and market share fell. Booth said South America is getting more competitive, and Ford's products there are older than other brands. Ford aims to turn that around when it introduces new products there next year.

For the full year, the Dearborn-based company reported net income of $20.2 billion, or $4.94 per share.

Ford's accounting change resulted in big gains on paper. The move dates to 2006, when Ford moved $15.7 billion worth of tax credits and other assets off its books because it wasn't making money so it couldn't take advantage of them. Now that it's profitable, the company moved most of those assets back onto its books.

The change will affect Ford's tax rates going forward. Ford's tax rate was 9 percent in 2010 because of the assets that were being held under the valuation allowance. Ford's new rate will be closer to 30 percent.

Booth called the change a "significant milestone" and said it's a strong indication that the company expects to stay profitable. Another is Ford's decision last month to reinstate a 5-cent quarterly dividend starting in March.

Without the big accounting gain, Ford earned $8.76 billion, or $1.51 per share, its highest operating profit since 1999. Revenue rose 13 percent to $136.3 billion. Analysts had forecast full-year earnings of $1.86 per share on revenue of $127.31 billion.

Based on its full-year North American results, Ford will make profit-sharing payments of around $6,200 each to its 41,600 U.S. hourly employees. Employees will get their checks in March.

Ford also said Friday that it plans to contribute $3.5 billion to its global pension funds this year. Underfunded pensions have been another area of concern for investors and for ratings agencies, which recently raised Ford's credit rating to one notch below investment grade. Ford has been below investment grade since 2005.

Standard and Poor's analyst Efraim Levy, who maintains a "buy" rating on Ford shares, said he wasn't concerned that Ford missed analysts' expectations.

"I don't think they have to fully meet their goals to be successful," he said. "Directionally, they are moving where they have to be."

But Levy said Ford will have to watch its back in the U.S., where Toyota and Honda are finally recovering from earthquake-related shortages and smaller players like Volkswagen and Kia are making inroads.

"I tend to give Ford the benefit of the doubt, but I do think the easy gains are over for them," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-27-Earns-Ford/id-195375fc03154b85a744541d338d6a4c

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Somali Pirates Move American Hostage After Navy SEAL Raid

MOGADISHU, Somalia ? Pirates moved an American hostage at least three times in 24 hours and threatened Thursday to kill him after U.S. Navy SEALs rescued an American and a Dane in a bold, dark-of-night raid that raises questions about whether other Western captives are now in greater danger.

"If they try again, we will all die together," warned Hassan Abdi, a Somali pirate connected to the gang holding the American, who was kidnapped Saturday in northern Somalia.

"It's difficult to hold U.S. hostages, because it's a game of chance: die or get huge money. But we shall stick with our plans and will never release him until we get a ransom," Abdi said.

U.S. Navy SEALs parachuted into Somalia early Wednesday and hiked to where captors were holding 32-year-old American Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted, a 60-year-old Dane. A shootout ensued and nine captors were killed. Buchanan, Thisted and the U.S. troops were all unharmed. The two aid workers had been kidnapped by gunmen in October while working on demining projects for the Danish Refugee Council.

Buchanan and Thisted were flown to the U.S. Naval Air Base at Sigonella on the Italian island of Sicily to undergo medical screenings and other evaluations before heading home, a U.S. defense official said. Buchanan's family was meeting her at the base, which is the hub of U.S. Navy air operations in the Mediterranean.

The U.S. government said the raid was prompted by Buchanan's deteriorating health. An ailing Frenchwoman kidnapped by Somali gunmen died in captivity last year after not having access to her medication.

In the aftermath of Wednesday's rescue, the gang holding the American kidnapped in the northern town of Galkayo have moved him three times, Abdi said.

"Holding hostages in one place is unlikely now because we are the next target," he told The Associated Press by telephone.

He also expressed concern that the U.S. has pirate informants.

"It wasn't just a hit-and-run operation, but long planned with the help of insiders among us," Abdi said, noting that the Americans struck at a time when the pirates were least on their guard.

U.S. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland said U.S. officials have been in contact with the family of the latest American kidnapping victim.

"We are also working with our contacts in Kenya and in Somalia to try to get more information," Nuland told reporters in Washington.

"Obviously we condemn kidnapping of any kind and call for the immediate release of the victims ? any victims. We also would note that our travel warning for Somalia does caution U.S. citizens about the risk of travel."

Other hostages held in Somalia include a British tourist and two Spanish aid workers seized in neighboring Kenya, a French military adviser and 155 sailors of various nationalities hijacked by pirates at sea.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders, known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, employed the two Spanish women. The group said it was pleased that Buchanan and Thisted were freed and was seeking the release of its workers, Montserrat Serra and Blanca Theibaut. It hinted, though, that it views military raids as risky.

"MSF strongly favors the nonviolent resolution of such cases, as the use of force endangers the lives of the hostages and may result in the tragic loss of human lives," the group said. "We call upon the Somali population, especially the local authorities in control of the areas where the two are held, to do everything in their power to assist in their safe release."

It's not always clear what group is holding a captive in Somalia, and hostages have sometimes been sold from one gang to another. Captives can be held for long stretches: Two journalists from Canada and Australia were held for 15 months before being released in 2009, and the French military adviser has been missing for more than two years.

The security community is divided over whether the U.S. raid would make life more difficult for the other captives or whether the killings of the nine captors might make pirates think twice about launching future operations, a Western official in Kenya said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

On Wednesday evening, hours after the U.S. military raid, the gang holding the American hostage started circulating false rumors that they had executed him.

Another security official who has years of experience in the region said it was likely the men holding the American would move him onto a ship with other foreign hostages, because ships were easier to defend and planning rescue operations is more complicated when hostages from other countries are involved.

At least one pirate agreed with his analysis.

"I think land captivity is going to end now. Sea is much safer," pirate Mohamed Nur said by phone from the coastal town of Hobyo. "Even ships are not very safe, but you can at least hit back and resist."

Americans have been captured by Somali pirate gangs before. In 2009, the cargo vessel Maersk Alabama was briefly hijacked before pirates took to the lifeboat with the ship's captain, who was rescued after Navy sharpshooters killed the pirates.

But in a sign that pirates are getting increasingly violent ? and perhaps jittery ? four Americans onboard a hijacked yacht were killed last February. It's still unclear why the hostages were shot.

Several senior pirates condemned Wednesday's U.S. raid, which was authorized by President Barack Obama, and at least one warned that other U.S. hostages might suffer as a result.

"They send hit squads and kill all they want, so there is no way we will care for their (hostages) while they are killing us. They will see the aftereffects and reap the results of their actions," said Bile Hussein, a Somali pirate commander.

A spokesman for Somalia's U.N.-backed government said the pirates got what they deserved.

"Pirates have no place in our society," Abdirahman Omar Osman told the AP. "This is a huge and unforgettable lesson for them."

___

Associated Press writers Jason Straziuso and Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Kenya, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Katharine Houreld at http://twitter.com/khoureld

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/somali-pirates-move-american-hostage_n_1235737.html

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Prejudices? Quite normal!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Girls are not as good at playing football as boys, and they do not have a clue about cars. Instead they know better how to dance and do not get into mischief as often as boys. Prejudices like these are cultivated from early childhood onwards by everyone. "Approximately at the age of three to four years children start to prefer children of the same sex, and later the same ethnic group or nationality," Prof. Dr. Andreas Beelmann of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) states. This is part of an entirely normal personality development, the director of the Institute for Psychology explains. "It only gets problematic when the more positive evaluation of the own social group, which is adopted automatically in the course of identity formation, at some point reverts into bias and discrimination against others," Beelmann continues.

To prevent this, the Jena psychologist and his team have been working on a prevention programme for children. It is designed to reduce prejudice and to encourage tolerance for others. But when is the right time to start? Jena psychologists Dr. Tobias Raabe and Prof. Dr. Andreas Beelmann systematically summarise scientific studies on that topic and published the results of their research in the science journal Child Development (DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01668.x.).

According to this, the development of prejudice increases steadily at pre-school age and reaches its highest level between five and seven years of age. With increasing age this development is reversed and the prejudices decline. "This reflects normal cognitive development of children," Prof. Beelmann explains. "At first they adopt the social categories from their social environment, mainly the parents. Then they start to build up their own social identity according to social groups, before they finally learn to differentiate and individual evaluations of others will prevail over stereotypes." Therefore the psychologists reckon this age is the ideal time to start well-designed prevention programmes against prejudice. "Prevention starting at that age supports the normal course of development," Beelmann says. As the new study and the experience of the Jena psychologists with their prevention programme so far show, the prejudices are strongly diminished at primary school age, when children get in touch with members of so-called social out groups like, for instance children of a different nationality or skin colour. "This also works when they don't even get in touch with real people but learn it instead via books or told stories."

But at the same time the primary school age is a critical time for prejudices to consolidate. "If there is no or only a few contact to members of social out groups, there is no personal experience to be made and generalising negative evaluations stick longer." In this, scientists see an explanation for the particularly strong xenophobia in regions with a very low percentage of foreigners or migrants.

Moreover the Jena psychologists noticed that social ideas and prejudices are formed differently in children of social minorities. They do not have a negative attitude towards the majority to start with, more often it is even a positive one. The reason is the higher social status of the majority, which is being regarded as a role model. Only later, after having experienced discrimination, they develop prejudices, that then sticks with them much more persistently than with other children. "In this case prevention has to start earlier so it doesn't even get that far," Beelmann is convinced.

Generally, the psychologist of the Jena University stresses, the results of the new study don't imply that the children's and youths attitudes towards different social groups can't be changed at a later age. But this would then less depend on the individual development and very much more on the social environment like for instance changing social norms in our society. Tolerance on the other hand could be encouraged at any age. The psychologists' "prescription": As many diverse contacts to individuals belonging to different social groups as possible. "People who can identify with many groups will be less inclined to make sweeping generalisations in the evaluation of individuals belonging to different social groups or even to discriminate against them," Prof. Beelmann says.

###

Raabe T, Beelmann A.: Development of ethnic, racial, and national prejudice in childhood and adolescence: A multinational meta-analysis of age differences. Child Development. 2011; 82(6):1715-37. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01668.x.

Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena: http://www.uni-jena.de

Thanks to Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena 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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Google Music now lets you download your entire library

Computer meltdown? No backup? Well, at least your tunes are safe. Google Music just gained a new feature that lets you to download your entire library including purchased songs. A simple click in the Music Manager is all it takes to restore your entire collection -- or just your purchased music -- from the cloud. In addition, the web interface now allows you to select and copy multiple tracks to your device of choice. While there are no limitations when using the Music Manager, purchased items are restricted to two downloads each via the web interface. So next time your system crashes go right ahead -- rev up that broadband and fill up those hard drives.

Google Music now lets you download your entire library originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/_TlodVHUAxk/

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Stem Cell Eye Therapy Shows Promise

Reporting inThe Lancet, researchers write that a preliminary study shows embryonic stem cell therapy in two patients with macular degeneration was safe. Results suggest the patients' vision improved slightly. Dr. Robert Lanza, Chief Scientific Officer of Advanced Cell Technology and co-author of the study, discusses the trial.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/01/27/145990101/stem-cell-eye-therapy-shows-promise?ft=1&f=1007

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UnleashPhones: Official Mid-Day Tabloid App Now In Windows Phone Marketplace - http://t.co/yZFPUkdx

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Fed and Apple reignite buying on Wall Street (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Big profits from Apple and a promise from the Federal Reserve to keep rock-bottom rates for at least two more years powered the U.S. stock market higher on Wednesday.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) led the Nasdaq to a 1 percent gain. Shares of the maker of iPhones and iPads surged to a record, making it the most valuable U.S. company in terms of market capitalization. Apple finished up 6.2 percent at $446.66.

Buying picked up after the Federal Reserve said it would keep interest rates near zero through at least 2014, which was longer than many investors anticipated. The actions were taken as a sign of the central bank's commitment to boost a sluggish economic recovery.

"What caught the market off guard was obviously the fact they are going to keep rates lower for longer," said John Canally, investment strategist at LPL Financial in Boston.

"This statement (on an inflation target) moves the ball slightly down the field" for possible more quantitative easing later, Canally said, referring to a type of monetary stimulus.

The Fed also took an historic step of setting an inflation target of 2 percent, which brings the U.S. central bank in line with many of the world's other central banks that use an explicit benchmark for policy.

Apple was a standout in what has otherwise been a fairly lackluster earnings season. So far, 57 percent of companies reporting have beaten forecasts, while at this stage in past earnings seasons, the beat rate averaged 70 percent.

Apple shares hit an all-time high of $454.45 on results issued after Tuesday's market close that sailed past expectations. The move higher pushed Apple's market capitalization above that of Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), making it the largest publicly held U.S. company.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) rose 83.10 points, or 0.66 percent, at 12,758.85. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was up 11.41 points, or 0.87 percent, at 1,326.06. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) ended up 31.67 points, or 1.14 percent, at 2,818.31.

In other earnings news, both United Technologies Corp (UTX.N) and Rockwell Automation Inc (ROK.N) slightly missed revenue forecasts. United Tech shares closed down 0.2 percent at $77.65 and Rockwell dropped 2.9 percent to $79.42.

Another diversified manufacturer, Textron Inc (TXT.N), surged 14.6 percent to $24.76 after it raised its 2012 profit forecast. The S&P industrials index (.GSPI) gained 1.2 percent.

Corning Inc (GLW.N) tumbled 10.7 percent to $13.05 as manufacturers cut back on the production of big-screen televisions that use the company's specialty glass.

Greece was hoping to reach a deal with its bondholders as talks were set to resume this week to avoid a messy default. Such an outcome could threaten the stability of other debt-laden members of the euro zone as well as the global economy.

(Reporting By Angela Moon; additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Prosecutors ordered to identify NYC terror witness (AP)

NEW YORK ? A judge gave federal prosecutors until a week from Wednesday to give up the name of a witness they say was recruited for a chilling, al-Qaida-sanctioned plot for suicide bombers to attack the New York City subways with explosives made from beauty supplies.

Lawyers for alleged plotter Adis Madunjanin had demanded to know the identity of the man, referred to only as John Doe in court papers, before Madunjanin goes to trial later this year.

At a pretrial hearing on in Brooklyn federal court in Wednesday, prosecutors initially resisted identifying the government witness ? "Mr. John Doe" one called him ? citing concerns about his safety. But U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie said Madunjanin's lawyers had a right to know the name.

"They have to prepare a defense," the judge said.

However, the judge also agreed to allow the government to provide the name under a protective order barring the defense from disclosing it to the public.

In a revised indictment filed last week in Brooklyn, Medunjanin was hit with a new allegation that he ? along with former high school classmates from Queens, Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay ? tried to recruit John Doe to travel to Pakistan "to wage violent jihad."

It was the first time the government had linked a fourth person in the U.S. for what prosecutors call three "coordinated suicide bombing attacks" on Manhattan subway lines.

Medunjanin, 27, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the new indictment, which added a charge of use of a destructive device. He had previously pleaded not guilty to conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction, providing material support to a terrorist organization and other counts.

Prosecutors allege that Medunjanin, Zazi and Ahmedzay tried to recruit the fourth man before the three went to Afghanistan in 2008 to join the Taliban and fight U.S. soldiers. The three fell under tutelage of al-Qaida operatives, who gave them weapons training in their Pakistan camp and asked them to become suicide bombers, authorities say.

The new indictment doesn't say what became of the fourth man.

After returning, Zazi, a former Denver airport shuttle driver, cooked up explosives with beauty supplies and set out for New York City around the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. After becoming suspicious he was being watched by law enforcement, he abandoned the plan and returned to Colorado.

Zazi and Ahmedzay have since admitted in guilty pleas that they wanted to avenge U.S. aggression in the Arab world by becoming martyrs. Both could testify against Medunjanin at a trial expected to begin in mid-April.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_us/us_nyc_terror

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AT&amp;T unearths Jim Henson's 1963 Robot short for Bell

AT&T has released some real gems from its videos archives over the past year, but it's truly outdone itself this week. It's dug up a rarely-seen short film titled Robot that Jim Henson made for Bell in 1963, which was intended to explain computers and data communications to business owners at "elite seminars." It does so with phrases like "Correction: the machine does not have a soul. It has no bothersome emotions. While mere mortals wallow in a sea of emotionalism, the machine is busy digesting vast oceans of information in a single, all-encompassing gulp." Enjoy.

AT&T unearths Jim Henson's 1963 Robot short for Bell originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/tF70oOUrM7E/

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Dow opens near post-crisis peak but ends lower (AP)

A brief morning rally Thursday pushed the Dow Jones industrial average above its highest close since the financial crisis of 2008, but disappointing economic data tempered traders' optimism later in the day, and stocks finished lower.

Solid news on factory orders and strong earnings from U.S. manufacturers, highlighting one of the economy's bright spots, helped the market open higher. The Dow rose 85 points.

But the Dow and broader indexes turned negative after weaker reports on home sales and future economic growth were released in the late morning. The Dow closed down 22.33 points, or 0.2 percent, at 12,734.63.

The Dow and other indexes are still up sharply for the year, and for about 45 minutes Thursday morning, the Dow traded above 12,810.54, its peak from last year and the highest close since the spring before the 2008 financial crisis.

Traders appear less afraid of spillover damage from the European debt crisis, and data on jobs and manufacturing have been consistently strong. The Dow is up more than 4 percent for the year.

"With global risk off center stage and attention going back to the fundamentals, this market was ready to explode, which is exactly what it is doing," said Doug Cote, chief market strategist with ING Investment Management.

The government reported early Thursday orders to factories for long-lasting manufactured goods increased in December for the second straight month, and a key measure of business investment rose solidly.

That strong demand was apparent in quarterly earnings reports from U.S. manufacturers. 3M stock closed 1.3 percent higher after its fourth-quarter profit beat Wall Street's estimates.

Caterpillar, the world's biggest heavy equipment maker, rose 2.1 percent, the most of the 30 companies in the Dow, after beating analysts' estimates last quarter. The company expects to do the same this year as global demand remains high.

Later in the day, the government reported an unexpected drop in new home sales in December, capping the worst year for home sales since record-keeping began in 1963. A private gauge of future economic activity also grew more slowly than expected.

3M and Caterpillar led the gains for the Dow. AT&T dragged the average lower, falling 2.5 percent after its earnings missed Wall Street's forecasts. AT&T depends heavily on the Apple iPhone but recently lost its exclusive rights to sell it in the U.S.

The Dow's post-crisis high during the trading day was 12,928.45, reached May 2, 2011. It traded as high as 12,841.95 on Thursday. The average would need to rise about 11 percent to get to its record high close of 14,164.53, reached on Oct. 9, 2007.

The Standard & Poor's 500 closed down 7.63 points, or 0.6 percent, at 1,318.43. It was dragged lower by volatile financial companies and telecommunications firms including AT&T. Its post-crisis peak was 1,370.58, also set May 2, 2011.

The Nasdaq shed 13.03 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 2,805.28.

Stocks had their highest close in eight months Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said it plans to keep interest rates extremely low until late 2014 to encourage lending and investment and support the economic recovery.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.93 percent late Thursday from 1.99 percent late Wednesday. The prospect of more bond-buying by the Fed helped make Treasurys more attractive. A bond's yield falls as demand for it increases.

Among the other U.S. companies making big moves after reporting quarterly earnings:

? Time Warner Cable Inc. rose 7.8 percent after the company reported earnings far above analysts' estimates. It also raised its dividend 17 percent to 56 cents per share and announced plans to buy back more of its own stock.

? United Continental Holdings, parent of United and Continental airlines, surged 6.3 percent. Its fourth-quarter loss narrowed, its adjusted earnings were more than double what analysts had expected, and the cost of integrating the two companies fell.

? Netflix soared 22.1 percent, the most of any stock in the S&P 500, after the video streaming and DVD-by-mail company reported a huge gain in customers and a bigger fourth-quarter profit than analysts had expected.

? Colgate-Palmolive rose 1.9 percent after saying it will raise prices in the U.S. for the first time in years to cover higher costs for materials. The company's profit declined last quarter, but core sales in emerging markets were much stronger.

___

Follow Daniel Wagner at http://www.twitter.com/wagnerreports.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

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The custom-built "roleplay" system was designed and implemented by Eric Martindale as of July 2009. All attempts to replicate or otherwise emulate this system and its method of organizing roleplay are strictly prohibited without his express written and contractual permission; violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

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PFT: Peyton doesn't like what he sees in Indy

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In a lengthy interview containing plenty of content, context, and clues about the future of the Colts current franchise quarterback, Peyton Manning makes it abundantly clear to Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star that now isn?t the best time to be an employee of the team.

?I?m not in a very good place for healing, let?s say that,?? Manning said, regarding the team?s facility.? ?It?s not a real good environment down there right now, to say the least.? Everybody?s walking around on eggshells.? I don?t recognize our building right now.? There?s such complete and total change.??

That explanation implies that Manning is still healing.? Which means he isn?t healthy.? And it also means he?s necessarily frustrated by the fact that he has to try to get healthy in the midst of revolutionary change.

?I mean, it?s 20 degrees, it?s snowing, the building is absolutely empty except when you see coaches cleaning out their offices,?? Manning told Kravitz.? ?I guess it?s the reality of the football world, just not something I?ve had to deal with very often.? But I?m in there every day, so I have to sit there and see it.? Everybody?s being evaluated and I?m no different.? It?s not the best environment.?

Peyton adroitly has positioned the decision on his future as a decision that not he but owner Jim Irsay will make.

?One thing [new G.M. Ryan Grigson] kind-of, sort-of told me, without really wanting to tell me, was that Irsay will be the guy I?m going to sit down and talk with,?? Manning said.? ?That?s going to happen at some point, but we haven?t had that conversation yet because we really don?t need to have that conversation yet.??

Did you catch that one?? It?s subtle, but significant.? Not ?Jim? or ?Jimmy? or ?Mr. Irsay.?? Just ?Irsay.?? Peyton refers to ?Irsay? as ?Jim? on at least two other occasions in the interview, but to call the owner only ?Irsay? in that specific moment is telling.

Folks, Peyton isn?t happy.

?One of the things about football is, it?s a relationship business,?? Manning said.? ?Sometimes guys get fired, it goes across the ticker, ?Jim Caldwell got fired? and that?s that.? But when it?s every day in a relationship business . . . with Bill [Polian], with Marvin [Harrison], Edge [James], guys who retire, get cut, traded or fired, it?s just really hard.? I don?t think I have an emotion for it.?

Did you catch that one?? Peyton puts Bill Polian in the same category as Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James.

Folks, Peyton isn?t happy.

?I just want to pay tribute to all those guys,? Manning said.? ?It?s unfortunate because so many of them have been such a big part of so many big wins here, and this is so . . . sudden.? Their keys didn?t work the next day.? There?s no other way to do it?? I don?t know.? That?s hard to see, all these people leaving.?

Folks, Peyton really isn?t happy.

But he?s setting it up so that if (when) he ends up playing for another team, it?ll happen because the Colts left him with no options.

?I don?t want to get into some kind of fan campaign with the owner, but I think it?s well documented that I want to play in the same place my whole career,?? Manning said, which could be just enough to launch a fan campaign with the owner.? ?It?s been a privilege to play here.? I love the fans, the city, the transformation of the fans, how our place has become the toughest stadium to play in, the fact our fans wear more jerseys to games than anybody else.? It?s been fun to be a part of that.

?But I understand how it works.? I understand tough decisions have to be made.? There?s personal and there?s business and that?s where we?ve got to separate the two. I?ve seen other guys leave places and it was personal.? I?ve invested too much into this city for that to happen.? We live here, we?ve given lots of time and money to the community and our church, and that?s never going to change.? Nothing changes that.?

Manning says nothing about whether he?ll agree to delay the $28 million option bonus that comes due on March 8 in order to give the team more time to determine whether he?s healthy before paying him that money.? But given his current mindset, it?d be surprising to see him do anything he doesn?t have to do in order to make things any easier for an organization that has made things harder than necessary on Manning?s former coworkers.

?There?s no other way to do it??

Yep, Peyton won?t be doing ?Irsay? any favors.

At the heart of the matter is, I firmly believe, the team?s apparent intention to use the first overall pick in the draft on Peyton?s successor instead of dangling that pick for the kind of modern-day Herschel Walker package that could propel the Colts to more Super Bowl wins.? I?d previously believed that Peyton already had made that known to ?Irsay.?? I now believe that Peyton has come to that conclusion without articulating it to the team.? Yet.

Manning may never have to.? If, due to the current environment in the building, he?s not healed by March 8 and not willing to throw ?Irsay? a bone by backing up the due date, the decision that Manning may secretly want will be made by someone else.

The only thing we know for sure is that, contrary to the ?report? last week from Rob Lowe, Peyton isn?t retiring.? Yet.

?I never thought ?Sodapop Curtis? would announce my retirement,? Manning said.

The full interview merits a complete read.? And none of this should be regarded as criticism of Peyton Manning.? I?m simply trying to analyze and interpret the facts, the statements, and the possible motivations.? He?s a smart guy, and he?s hardly a passive participant in his life.

Peyton surely knows what he wants to do, and his comments to Kravitz surely are aimed at making it happen that way, with minimal damage to the Peyton Manning brand, in Indy or elsewhere.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/24/peyton-calls-current-colts-atmosphere-not-a-very-good-place-for-healing/related/

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US military raid in Somalia frees American, Dane (AP)

MOGADISHU, Somalia ? U.S. Special Forces troops flew into Somalia on a nighttime helicopter raid early Wednesday, freed an American and a Danish hostage and killed nine of the kidnappers in a mission that President Barack Obama said he personally authorized.

The Danish Refugee Council confirmed that the two aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, were freed and "are on their way to be reunited with their families."

The raiders came in very quickly, catching the guards as they were sleeping after having chewed the narcotic leaf qat for much of the evening, a pirate who gave his name as Bile Hussein told The Associated Press by phone. Hussein said he was not present at the site but had spoken with other pirates who were, and that they told him nine pirates had been killed in the raid and three were missing.

A second pirate who gave his name as Ahmed Hashi said two helicopters attacked at about 2 a.m. about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the Somali town of Adado where the hostages were being held.

Buchanan, 32, and Thisted, 60, were working with a de-mining unit of the Danish Refugee Council when they were kidnapped in October.

The U.S. military's Africa Command, based in Stuttgart, Germany, confirmed that nine kidnappers were killed.

"Last night's mission, boldly conducted by some of our nation's most courageous, competent, and committed special operations forces, exemplifies United States Africa Command's mission to protect Americans and American interests in Africa," said Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command.

Obama seemed to refer to the mission before his State of the Union address in Washington Tuesday night. By then it was already Wednesday morning in Somalia. As he entered the House chamber in the U.S. Capitol, Obama pointed at Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the crowd and said, "Good job tonight."

"As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts," Obama said in a statement released by the White House Wednesday. He said he had authorized the rescue mission on Monday.

"Jessica Buchanan was selflessly serving her fellow human beings when she was taken hostage by criminals and pirates who showed no regard for her health and well-being," Obama said. "The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice."

A Western official said the helicopters and the hostages flew to a U.S. military base called Camp Lemonnier in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti after the raid. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been released publicly.

The timing of the raid may have been made more urgent by a medical condition. The Danish Refugee Council had been trying to work with Somali elders to win the hostages' freedom but had found little success.

"One of the hostages has a disease that was very serious and that had to be solved," Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal told Denmark's TV2 channel. Soevndal did not provide any more details.

Soevndal congratulated the Americans for the raid and said he had been informed of the action.

Panetta visited Camp Lemonnier just over a month ago. A key U.S. ally in this region, Djibouti has the only U.S. base in sub-Saharan Africa. It hosts the military's Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

The Danish Refugee Council said both freed hostages are unharmed "and at a safe location." The group said in a separate statement that the two "are on their way to be reunited with their families."

Ann Mary Olsen, head of the Danish Refugee Council's international department, was the one who informed the family of Hagen Thisted of the successful military operation.

"They (the family) were very happy and incredibly relieved that it is over," she said.

The two aid workers appear to have been kidnapped by criminals ? sometimes referred to as pirates ? and not by Somalia's al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab. As large ships at sea have increased their defenses against pirate attacks, gangs have looked for other money making opportunities like land-based kidnappings.

The Danish Refugee Council had earlier enlisted traditional Somali elders and members of civil society to seek the release of the two hostages.

"We are really happy with the successful release of the innocents kidnapped by evildoers," said Mohamud Sahal, an elder in Galkayo town, by phone. "They were guests who were treated brutally. That was against Islam and our culture ... These men (pirates) have spoiled our good customs and culture, so Somalis should fight back."

Buchanan and Hagen Thisted were seized in October from the portion of Galkayo town under the control of a government-allied clan militia. The aid agency has said that Somalis held demonstrations demanding the pair's quick release.

Their Somali colleague was detained by police on suspicion of being involved in their kidnapping.

The two hostages were working in northern Somalia for the Danish Demining Group, whose experts have been clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East.

Several hostages are still being held in Somalia, including a British tourist, two Spanish doctors seized from neighboring Kenya, and an American journalist kidnapped on Saturday.

___

Associated Press reporters Jason Straziuso in Nairobi, Kenya, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report. Houreld reported from Nairobi.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia_helicopter_raid

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