Megaupload founder refused bail in New Zealand (Reuters)

WELLINGTON (Reuters) ? A New Zealand court refused an appeal by the founder of online file-sharing site Megaupload.com to be freed on bail, Friday, agreeing with prosecutors there was a risk he would attempt to flee before an extradition hearing.

Kim Dotcom, a German national also known as Kim Schmitz and Kim Tim Jim Vestor, was returned to custody until February 22 ahead of a hearing on an extradition application by the United States.

The High Court in Auckland said the lower court judge was right to rule there was a significant risk Dotcom, who had passports and bank accounts in three names, might try to flee the country.

There was nothing to tie Dotcom to New Zealand except his motivation to fight the charges and get his funds, Justice Raynor Asher said.

"The judge correctly concluded that the risk of flight cannot be mitigated by the imposition of conditions, including electronic monitoring," said prosecutor Anne Toohey.

STRENUOUSLY DENIES CHARGES

Prosecutors say Dotcom was the ringleader of a group that netted $175 million since 2005 by copying and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted content without authorization.

Dotcom's lawyers say the company simply offered online storage and that he strenuously denies the charges and will fight extradition.

Dotcom, 38, and three others, were arrested on January 20 after armed New Zealand police raided his country estate at the request of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He told the court that with his assets frozen and business shut down he had no intention of trying to flee to his native Germany, where he would be safe from extradition.

"I will not run away. I want to fight these allegations on a level playing field. I have three little children. My wife is pregnant with twins. I just want to be with them," he said in court.

EXTREME FLIGHT RISK, FUNNY VISITS

The prosecution again painted Dotcom as an extreme flight risk because of he had multiple passports, sources of funds, access to various means of travel, and previous history of fleeing to avoid criminal charges.

Officers cut Dotcom out of a safe room he had barricaded himself in within the sprawling mansion, reputedly New Zealand's most expensive home.

Dotcom said he said he had received "funny visits" and contacts while in jail, including one from a man claiming to be a prosecutor asking for money in return for a favorable bail hearing. He denied knowing anyone with a background in providing forged documents, whom the prosecution said had tried to visit him.

He said police had been unnecessarily aggressive when they raided his property.

"I was punched in the face, I was kicked down on the floor, one guy was standing on my hands ... it was bleeding."

Legal experts have said extradition hearings are likely to be drawn out with appeals likely all the way to the country's highest court.

The lower court judge said the accused appeared to have "an arguable defense at least in respect of the breach of copyright charges."

(Writing by Gyles Beckford; Editing by Ed Lane)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120203/wr_nm/us_internet_piracy_megaupload

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Assistant Project Manager - Mandarin Speaking - APA

Job #43320

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
San Francisco, CA

Job at a Glance
Job Category
Job Level	Mid II (4-8 years)
Salary Range	Open
AICP Certification	Desirable

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, an internationally-known, multi-disciplinary architectural and engineering design practice seeks applications for a bi-lingual Assistant Project Manager to join the Urban Design and Planning Studio in its San Francisco office. The Studio specializes in the planning and urban design of large-scale, urban revitalization projects, as well as in master plans for major institutions, business campuses, and new communities. Projects are primarily located in the western United States and the Pacific Rim. The candidate will have the opportunity to work on prestigious projects for interdisciplinary collaboration within the firm. Fluency in both Mandarin Chinese and English is required.

Primary Responsibilities:
? Contribute to SOM?s vision by enabling clear communication among team members, consultants and clients. Promote professional relationships internally and externally.
? Serve as a point of contact for SOM?s clients, Local Planning Institute (LPI), local project team, specialty consultants, suppliers and contractors in China.
? Prepare, review and translate project memos, correspondence, technical documents, contracts and schedules for professional services.
? Assist Project Manager in daily communication with the project team.
? Schedule and conduct technical coordination and presentations meetings with the client project team, LPI, specialty consultants, and others as applicable. Record and document meeting minutes during technical calls and document resulting action items.
? Facilitate meetings locally in China, as needed.
? Provide translation services to the team on incoming technical documents/drawings issued by the Client, LPI, consultants, and on other outgoing documents.
? In conjunction with Project Manager and Senior Designer, prepare appropriate billings and pursue payment compliance.
? In conjunction with Project Manager and Senior Designer, manage and coordinate multiple schedules, both individual and project specific.
? Dedicate the necessary time beyond routine hours (as required, including last-minute needs) to assist in meeting business commitments.
? Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and skill set:
? Master Degree in Urban Design or City Planning, with undergraduate training in architecture design. AICP and /or LEED accreditation are a plus.
? Ability to read, write and speak fluent Mandarin Chinese and English.
? At least 3-5 years of progressively responsible project experience in the urban design and physical planning profession in North America.
? Thorough knowledge of urban design and planning issues, including site planning, zoning, infrastructure and utility planning, and sustainable design practices
? A proven work ethic and the ability to anticipate needs, service clients, initiate decisions and coordinate the activities of others.
? Strong command of Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Project.
? Highly-motivated, good team player, and possess strong oral and written communication, proofreading, and organizational skills.
? Autocad, InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator skills highly desirable.
? Travel may be required

Source: http://www.planning.org/jobs/search/listing.htm?AdID=43320

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Video: Scarborough on Trump, Gingrich and money

>> joe scarborough is host of msnbc's " morning joe ," good to see you. you're laughing already.

>> they're doing more than scratching their heads. conservatives are wringing their hands. really? you say you like firing people? now you say -- i mean he's playing into the worst stereotypes.

>> is in the habit of tripping over his own tongue.

>> he does on the worst issue. on whether he can connect with middle class americans. the guy is fabulously wealthy. he's admitted paying about 15% in taxes over the past couple of years. these sort of statements, as rush limbaugh says, plays into the prototypical biases against rich republican candidates.

>> what was fascinating to me, in the exit polling coming out of florida, when the voters were asked which candidate best understands the problems of the average person, mitt romney fared best with 34%. so is it just sliding off his back?

>> i don't think it's going to slide off his back. you know, in south carolina exit polls showed that people there thought that newt gingrich is the most electable in the general election . so you can throw the exit polls away. the real problem here is that republicans don't know who to support. they thought romney had the best shot against barack obama . they thought that this was a year that they were going to win big. and now they've got two candidates who are front-runners, who are obviously flops.

>> let's talk about the endorsement happening this afternoon in las vegas with donald trump . i've always been a bit baffled about why the gop candidates felt a need to pay courtesy call to donald trump . i never saw him as a king-maker. what does this endorsement do for newt gingrich ?

>> there may be the beginning of a narrative, that outsiders, republicans are outsiders, are going to start moving away from mitt romney . we were talking about it earlier on our show. this follows if it's followed by a sarah palin endorsement, a rish limbaugh endorsement and others who are wary of mitt romn romney. by itself, i'm sure that newt would rather donald open up the check book and write a couple million dollars.

>> you gave me a laundry list. who is the endorsement that they both really want.

>> marco rubio . but mainly jeb bush is the guy that's the king maker. this is what's so frustrating for republicans. waking up on groundhog day , i understand we could be interrupted at any time if news breaks in pennsylvania. here we are, only 5% of the delegates have been awarded. we've got 46 states to go, and yet people are already saying you're stuck with mitt romney . or you're stuck with newt gingrich . and most republicans are saying, really? is that all we've got? here again, when unemployment is over 8%, and barack obama has added $5 trillion to the national debt . is this how it's going to end up? it's very depressing for the republican party .

>> you talk about how early it is. if mitt romney were to win every delegate from nevada on, he couldn't get the total by april 24th . it's nasty. who in the republican party , if this continues to be a blood bath , is powerful enough to step in and say, guys, stop it. we have a general election to worry about?

>> nobody. there is no republican establishment any more. there is no democratic establishment any more. we saw that four years ago when barack obama stepped in front of hillary clinton . and bill clinton and got the nomination. so these establishment figures don't exist, they can walk out of the back room and say, guys, sit down, calm down, let's be peaceful.

>> you wrote in colorful terms that newt gingrich is a survivor, i won't go into your quote. can he go 46 more states?

>> that depends on whether a certain guy in las vegas wants to keep writing checks. it all comes down to whether he keeps the super pacs going. last, last summer, a lot of people quit newt's campaign because he wasn't doing the sort of work you have to do to build a national organization. we're now seeing the effect of that. he doesn't have the national organization to go 46 more states, unless he's got millionaires that are going to keep writing big, big checks.

>> joe scarborough , thanks for your input.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/46234786/

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Natural gas prices jump on lower supplies (AP)

NEW YORK ? Natural gas prices climbed more than 7 percent Thursday after the government said the nation's supplies shrank last week.

Gas supplies dropped by 132 billion cubic feet last week, according to the Energy Information Administration. The decline was more than analysts expected, but the overall storage level of 2.97 trillion cubic feet remains well above five-year levels for this time of year.

Natural gas supplies have been growing in recent years as producers develop more deposits in shale formations across the country. Mild weather in much of the U.S. this winter has kept demand low. About half the homes in the nation use gas for heating.

Natural gas futures rose 17 cents to finish at $2.55 per 1,000 cubic feet in New York.

The EIA report encouraged investors who are betting that gas prices near 10-year lows will force petroleum companies to cut production. Chesapeake Energy, America's second largest natural gas producer, said last month that it would trim production by about 500 million cubic feet per day and ConocoPhillips said it is considering shutting down another 100 million cubic feet per day of production.

Analysts say other producers must do the same to keep supplies from growing. Goldman Sachs analyst David Greely this week said U.S. gas production will keep growing in 2012 and 2013, but less than previously thought.

"We've reached a point where they need to rein in production," independent energy analyst Stephen Schork said. "They just can't make money."

Natural gas hit a 10-year low last month at $2.32 per 1,000 cubic feet, and the price is still less than half of it what it was in 2010.

Meanwhile benchmark crude fell by $1.25 to end at $96.36 per barrel in New York, reflecting weak demand for petroleum products in the U.S. Brent crude rose by 51 cents to finish at $112.07 per barrel in London.

The government said Wednesday that demand for petroleum products fell by 4.3 percent last week when compared with a year ago. Gasoline demand dropped by 7.3 percent, and demand for distillates ? which include diesel and heating oil ? fell by 1.7 percent.

Retail gasoline prices rose less than a penny to a national average of $3.46 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. A gallon of regular is about 18 cents higher than a month ago and 35 cents higher than a year ago.

In other energy trading, heating oil rose by about a penny to end at $3.05 per gallon and gasoline futures fell by 2 cents to finish the day at $2.87 per gallon.

___

Follow Chris Kahn on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ChrisKahnAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120202/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

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Popular Diabetes Drug Might Cut Pancreatic Cancer Risk: Study (HealthDay)

TUESDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- A new Swiss-American study indicates that long-term use of the popular diabetes medication metformin may lower the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, at least among women.

The researchers also found that the long-term use of another class of diabetes medications known as sulfonylureas was associated with a "substantial" bump in pancreatic risk and long-term insulin use was linked to a bump in pancreatic cancer risk in men.

"This result is somewhat unexpected," the team wrote in its paper, which is published in the Jan. 31 online issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most deadly cancer in the United States, with an overall survival rate of less than 5 percent, even though it is fairly rare, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The researchers noted that previous research has suggested that metformin may lower the risk for other cancers, breast and ovarian cancer in particular.

To explore metformin's protective potential against pancreatic cancer, the team sifted through drug prescription, diagnostic, hospitalization and fatality information that had been collected by the British "General Practice Research Database." The data also included significant demographic information, such as smoking, alcohol use and body mass index.

The team honed in on statistics regarding nearly 2,800 patients (all under the age of 90) who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer for the first time between 1995 and 2009. Data concerning almost 16,600 patients who did not have pancreatic cancer was used as a comparison.

The result: Short-term use of metformin or sulfonylureas and/or insulin had no appreciable impact on pancreatic cancer risk.

However, long-term use of each of these medications did appear to have a sizeable impact on pancreatic cancer risk among diabetics. While female patients saw their risk go down with metformin treatment and up with sulfonylureas, male patients saw their risk go up with insulin.

Dr. Michael Choti, a professor of surgery and oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, stressed the "importance of trying to identify causes for a devastating disease that is often diagnosed late."

"Over the years, many groups have tried to look at a variety of risk factors, dietary and other things, and there have been some reports over the years," he noted. "But nothing has really panned out well. So this is indeed an interesting study."

"But it's also important to say," Choti added, "that while these could be associations, we cannot really say that what we have here is a cause-and-effect. Pancreatic cancer is a multi-factorial disease. So, while it makes sense conceptually that these drugs could have an impact on the pancreas, which is a metabolic organ, it's still too early to be sure what's happening. And it's too early to recommend metformin as a preventive therapy for pancreatic cancer."

"So this is interesting and important," he said. "But it's not definitive."

More information

For more on pancreatic cancer, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120131/hl_hsn/populardiabetesdrugmightcutpancreaticcancerriskstudy

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Garage Sale App Rumgr Raises $500K From Zappos CEO (And Others)

Three Zappos alums are trying to replicate the garage sale experience on your smartphone ? and their startups Rumgr just raised a $500,000 seed round from a group of investors that includes Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. Co-founder Dylan Bathurst said the basic idea came from his own attempts at selling furniture before a move. When users open the app, they're presented with a list of goods that people nearby are offering for sale. If they see something they like, there's a public chat associated with each item, where they can ask the owner questions. And if you're ready to make a purchase, you can negotiate the price, then go to a private chat to work out the hand-off details.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/J0mx9mD-fkU/

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Retired Philadelphia Cardinal dies, ending debate over abuse (Reuters)

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) ? Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, the retired Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia whose competence to testify in an upcoming church sex abuse trial was hotly debated in court, died in his sleep on Tuesday, the church said.

The cardinal, 88, led the Philadelphia archdiocese, the nation's sixth largest, from 1988 to 2003. Church spokeswoman Donna Farrell said Bevilacqua died at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, the traditional home for the leaders of the Philadelphia archdiocese, where he had lived since retirement.

Whether Bevilacqua was well enough to testify had become a pivotal issue in the sex abuse trial of three priests, one now defrocked, and a former archdiocese school teacher. Another church official, Monsignor William Lynn, faces charges of child endangerment but is not accused of abuse.

A jury is set to begin hearing charges in March against the five defendants in a crisis that has put the archdiocese on a national stage.

Child abuse controversies have rocked the Catholic Church in the United States in the last decade, and the church has paid out some $2 billion in settlements to victims, bankrupting a handful of dioceses.

As recently as Monday, lawyers battled in Common Pleas Court as to whether Bevilacqua was competent to testify. Lawyers for Lynn maintained that Bevilacqua's memory was shot and he should not testify, while the judge stuck to a prior ruling that he was competent to speak.

Farrell said she did not know the cause of the death. But the grand jury that handed down indictments in the abuse case a year ago reported that the cardinal's lawyer appeared before it to say that Bevilacqua suffered from both dementia and cancer.

Bevilacqua had a long career in the church beginning with his ordination in his hometown of Brooklyn in 1949.

He went on to earn a doctorate in canon law from Rome's Gregorian University, and held a master's degree in political science from Columbia University. He also received a degree in civil law from St. John's University in Queens.

Before arriving in Philadelphia to lead the archdiocese here, he served as the bishop of Pittsburgh.

His resignation was accepted in 2003. But his retirement was marked by probes into sex abuse in the church during his tenure as archbishop.

The grand jury acknowledged the reports from his lawyer about his health, but noted in its findings, "We are not entirely sure what to believe on that point."

Farrell said funeral arrangements were pending.

(Editing By Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120201/us_nm/us_catholics_philadelphia_cardinal

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