NEW YORK ? One of his most popular works during the composer's lifetime, Wagner's early opera "Rienzi" still has the power to ignite strong feelings today.
The epic-length account of a 14th-century tribune who seeks to return Rome to its former glory was also a favorite of Adolf Hitler's, who saw the hero as an embodiment of his own mad dreams of power.
So it was with some embarrassment that one of Germany's leading opera companies, Deutsche Oper Berlin, discovered recently that it had scheduled a performance of the work for April 20, the date celebrated by the Nazis as Hitler's birthday. In response to complaints from company members, the date has now been shifted.
There was no such controversy surrounding the presentation of "Rienzi" in concert Sunday afternoon at Avery Fisher Hall by the Opera Orchestra of New York, conducted by the group's founder, Eve Queler.
But even in a flawed performance, "Rienzi" sets the pulse racing, and it was easy to see why it might foster grandiose thoughts. The score ? which looks back to Bellini and ahead to later Wagner ? is filled with rousing marches, romantic melodies, elaborate choruses for men, women and children, and extended fanfares for the brass.
By far the best singing was offered by Geraldine Chauvet, a French mezzo-soprano who was making her U.S. debut as the young nobleman Adriano. This "trousers" role ? a throwback to a tradition Wagner would never use again ? contains some stirring music as Adriano wrestles with the conflict between loyalty to his family and love for Rienzi's sister, Irene. Chauvet made the most of her opportunities, displaying warm, passionate tone, supple phrasing and ease in handling the many passages that took her to the top of the mezzo range.
As Irene, Portuguese soprano Elisabete Matos fearlessly unfurled high notes up to C-sharp. British tenor Ian Storey struggled in the daunting role of Rienzi, a pronounced wobble marring much of his delivery. He made it through his big aria, "Allmacht'ger Vater" ("Almighty Father"), but only barely.
The orchestra, supplemented by an offstage band, played with enthusiasm if not always precision. There were terrific contributions from members of the New York Choral Society and children from Vox Nova of the Special Music School.
"Rienzi," ? which ran six hours at its 1842 premiere and 3 1/2 hours in the abridged version used Sunday ? has long been a favorite of Queler's, who presented it twice in the early 1980s and again in 1992. Her conducting may have been a bit too four-square to bring out all the opera's sweep and power, but her advocacy of this neglected work is commendable.
If you tend to exercise a bit more caution when using your mobile machine, we imagine you'll welcome McAfee's Mobile Security 2.0 with open arms. The Intel-owned security connoisseur has just introduced its refreshed apps, designed to protect Android handsets and slates, along with BlackBerry and Symbian smartphones. All users can take advantage of features such as Complete Anti-virus, Anti-spyware, Anti-phishing Protection, Call and SMS Filtering, while Android owners can also try out App Protection, which is said to interpret "how apps are accessing and possibly transmitting personal data," in order to keep your privacy under control. If you've been a paranoid -- or smart -- user since the first release, then the update will come at no cost, while those of you looking to jump aboard the secured ship for the first time will need to fork over the $29.99 subscription fee. You'll find all the details you need in the press release just past the break.
>>this morning in the case of missing baby
ayla
reynolds. the 20-month-old disappeared from her father's home in maine six weeks ago. now police confirm that they found blood in the basement of that home. nbc's
veronica de la cruz
reports.
>>my reaction is i'm still trying to concept the exact that blood was found. of my daughter's. that's my reaction, okay?
>> reporter: police say they aren't sure whose blood it is they found in the basement of justin dipietro's house, father of missing 20 yield
ayla
reynolds, or how long it's been there. they are still convinced there was foul play in
ayla
's disappearance and they're not getting the whole story from the three adults who were there when she went missing, including dipietro, his girlfriend and his sister.
>>that someone came in that back door, snuck in her bedroom, took her, vanished in the
middle of the night
, and none of those three adults heard or saw anything. that's very frustrating. we think they know more than they're telling us.
>> reporter: both of the missing girl's parents attended a vigil on saturday. after six weeks of searching and finding no trace of
ayla
police don't have any immediate plans to keep looking.
>>we're no closing to finding
ayla
today than they were on
december 17th
.
>> reporter: while a mother continues to hold out hope, despite today's grim news.
>>i want to know what happened to my daughter. and i want to know where she is. and who took her.
>> reporter: for "today,"
veronica de la cruz
, nbc news.
AIKEN, S.C. ? A 26-year-old man was arrested Saturday after police say he killed his girlfriend in Georgia, and then fatally shot a South Carolina police officer responding to a report of suspicious activity, authorities said.
Police in South Carolina said Joshua Tremaine Jones faces charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in the death of Aiken police Master Cpl. Sandra Rogers.
The South Carolina law Enforcement Division said officers were responding Saturday morning to a report of suspicious activity involving two cars, and that Rogers was shot after stopping one of the vehicles.
Jones was arrested hours later at a residence in Batesburg.
Saturday evening, a visibly moved Aiken Public Safety director Charles Barranco told reporters that Rogers had died at an area hospital. The Aiken native had spent a nearly 28-year career with the department; she was 49.
In neighboring Georgia, The Augusta Chronicle reported that Jones also faces murder charges in the death of his girlfriend, 21-year-old Cayce Vice. Police found her body in her apartment Saturday morning after she didn't show up for work at a Five Guys restaurant and coworkers became concerned; she had been shot in the head.
Richmond County sheriff's Capt. Scott Peebles told the newspaper ( http://bit.ly/yO5JS7) that the agency had obtained warrants for Jones for murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Peebles confirmed that Vice had sworn out a complaint against Jones for assault earlier this month.
A phone message left late Saturday for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office was not immediately returned.
James Jones, the suspect's father, told reporters that his son had past run-ins with the law and "was going through some mental problems." Jones said his son had run away from home and moved in with Vice. He said his son is from North Augusta and briefly lived in Atlanta.
Jones said that when he returned from work Friday, his son had taken his blue BMW without permission and left. Jones said he and his other son drove around searching but couldn't locate him.
Jones said his heart goes out to the victim' families, and that he's devastated as a father.
"I just went straight to God and said, `I cannot believe this.' After all that I have taught him, I just never thought that my family would have to deal with something like this," Jones said.
The Aiken public safety department issued a statement Saturday evening praising Rogers as "an invaluable street cop who exemplified the model of a Public Safety Officer," according to WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C.
"Master Corporal Rogers was a highly skilled investigator and senior patrol officer on her shift," the statement said. "Please keep the Rogers family and Aiken Public Safety in your prayers as once again we deal with this tragic loss."
Last month, hundreds of people gathered to mourn another Aiken police officer killed in the line of duty. Officer Scotty Richardson, 33, died in the early hours of Dec. 21 after being shot in the head during a traffic stop at an apartment complex the night before. Aiken is a city of 30,000 that's located about 20 miles northwest of Augusta.
We may not have flying cars yet, but a new residential construction project going up in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., may make you think otherwise.
The Porsche Design Tower will feature an elevator to lift owners ? and their cars ? to their front doors in seconds. A co-production of developer Dezer Properties and Porsche Design Group, the retail-oriented spin-off company of the luxury German carmaker, it will be the first residential project affiliated with the Porsche name. These car-friendly condos will range from $2.9 million to $9 million.
?You will drive into the building, onto the elevator ramp, shut the ignition off and be magically whisked to the front door of your apartment in 45 seconds to a minute and 15 seconds depending on what floor you?re on,? explains Gil Dezer, president of Dezer Properties. The elevator will cover all 57 floors and include technology that automatically identifies the car and the unit owner once both are on board.
Forbes.com slideshow: See some futuristic homes that are for sale
It?s just one example of how modern design aesthetics have coupled with technology to birth innovative, cutting-edge homes that not so long ago would have been reserved only for the sets of films like "Minority Report" (or TV shows like "The Jetsons").
We rounded up a selection of futuristic abodes that challenge traditional McMansion layouts. Some are relatively new homes designed with green living in mind while others are the decades-old brick and mortar visions of celebrated artists. Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Coldwell Banker Previews International, Sotheby?s International Realty and others helped us sort through listings to handpick the sleekest, most avant-garde, in some cases zaniest, homes on the market. They conjure images of science fiction lore, and in many cases, have actually been rented out by movie and television studios for that express reason.
Perhaps not surprisingly, many architecturally famous homes fall into this category. For example, the Gantert Residence, also known as ?Case Study House #22,? graces our list. Constructed in the early 1980s, it was the last Pierre Koenig house constructed while the architect was still alive. The $2.3 million Los Angeles residence with its boxy upper floors and cantilevered base gives the impression of a residence floating, appearing ?as a giant Cubist sculpture from Hollywood Boulevard,? according to its listing.
California has many ultra-modern abodes up for grabs, particularly in Southern California. ?The trend in real estate right now is demand for contemporary homes,? says Chad Rogers, a real estate agent with Hilton & Hyland in L.A. (and formerly one of the stars on Bravo?s TV show "Million Dollar Listing"), noting that many of the most modern-looking structures tend to be "smart homes," fitted to be energy efficient, as well. ?People want easy living and these properties afford that: clean lines and open space so you can move about your house without having to go through a bunch of rooms.?
Rogers, who has listed a smattering of futuristic properties including a $9.5 million Malibu eco-estate, currently represents a $10 million Hollywood Hills mansion forged of steel, glass and concrete. The 10,000-square foot structure was built originally as an art gallery with live-in space. In addition to the stone display-ready walls, it boasts a home theater, a pool and 12-person spa, a koi pond and a detached guesthouse. The kitchen is comprised almost entirely of stainless steel, designed by Porsche Design Group.
?These concrete and steel properties are the most expensive type of architecture to build,? says Rogers, noting that foreign investors have shown much buying interest in ultra-modern estates. ?To duplicate a property like this you?re looking at a minimum of $1,500 per square foot to do it.?
Constructing architecturally outrageous homes can rack up costs. Take the Pottery House in Santa Fe, N.M. Originally the brainchild of Frank Lloyd Wright, the adobe dwelling?s construction was resuscitated in the 1980s by a developer eager to complete the project that had been designed by the famed late architect but never finished (the original owner had passed away). The builder reportedly ran out of money mid-construction and with no buyer in sight, the bank assumed ownership. Eventually the current owners bought the foreclosed estate, which is now listed for $4.75 million, and finished it.
The Pottery House?s design hinges on concentric circles. About 24,000 adobe bricks make up the structure and Scandinavian ship builders were actually brought in to craft the ceiling. ?It has a sort of mystique. Prior to listing, this house seemed more like a local rumor,? says David Fries, an associate broker with Santa Fe Properties and the listing agent for the Pottery House. It had remained quietly tucked away behind multiple gates in an anonymous subdivision. ?Even if someone could get their hands on the address, it no longer really relates to where it?s located since no one could really find the place without directions and gate codes.?
Fries and Rogers both think their listings will ultimately sell to affluent buyers who collect art or at least appreciate architecture as an art form. Some of the homes on our list will require buyers to appreciate geometry as well. A $19.5 million Vermilion, Ohio, spread called the Waterwood Estate is comprised of a series of triangular and rectangular buildings parsed together along the shore of Lake Erie. In Crystal Bay, Nev., a $43 million Dr. Seuss-esque house touts walls of glass, a glass elevator, a six-story glass stairwell and hidden garden rooms, all suspended off the edge of a promontory.
LOS ANGELES, Jan 27 (TheWrap.com) - ABC beefed up its comedy stockpile Friday with orders for three pilots. "How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life," created by Claudia Lonow ("Friends With Benefits," "Accidentally on Purpose" and, more recently, the troubled cross-dressing sitcom "Work It"), will follow the adventures of recent divorcee and single mother Polly, who moves in with her eccentric parents, Elaine and Max, who are full of life but know no boundaries. Lonow is also executive-producing the half-hour, single-camera project, which comes via 20th Century Fox and Imagine Television. Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo are also attached as executive producers.
The network has also given the go-ahead to a pilot by Adam Sztykiel, writer of the big-screen offerings "Due Date" and "Made of Honor." The as-yet-untitled project promises to offer a "raw, hilarious peek behind the curtain of modern 20-something relationships." Sztykiel created and will co-executive produce the project through 20th Century Fox Television. Sean Perrone and Aaron Kaplan ("Made of Honor," "You, Me and Dupree") are executive-producing the half-hour, single-camera comedy.
Rounding out the trio is "Only Fools and Horses," which is based on the British series of the same name and "chronicles the misadventures of two streetwise brothers and their aging grandfather as they concoct outrageous, morally questionable get rich quick schemes in their quest to become millionaires."
Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley, both veterans of "MADtv," are writing the half-hour, multi-camera project, which comes via ABC Studios.
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Five accused mobsters from two of New York City's organized crime families were arrested on Friday on multiple charges including racketeering and extortion, federal law enforcement officials said.
Vincent Badalamenti, known as Vinny TV and described as a member of the Bonanno crime family's "administration," was the highest-ranking mafia member arrested in the sweep. He was apprehended at his home on New York City's Staten Island, said Loretta Lynch, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Badalamenti, 53, and his mafia colleagues are charged with using violent threats to extort money and property from eight unidentified men between 1999 and 2011, according to an indictment filed at the federal courthouse in the New York City borough of Brooklyn on Friday.
In one incident, Badalamenti is accused of forcing a man to turn over control of his bar on Brooklyn's Coney Island Avenue for failing to repay a debt, the indictment says.
Badalamenti was previously convicted in 2003 of extortion before being released from prison in 2005, prosecutors said.
In another incident, Anthony Calabrese, who prosecutors said holds the rank of soldier in the Bonanno family, is accused of intimidating a Staten Island pizzeria into handing over profits.
The arrests followed a years-long investigation by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration that included surveillance and covert recordings made with the help of convicted former crime-family members. They were secretly helping the government in exchange for lenient sentences, the U.S. attorney's statement said.
The same indictment resulted in the arrests of Vito Balsamo, 55, and Nicholas Santora, 69, at their homes in Staten Island and on Long Island, New York, and a Bonanno captain Anthony Graziano, 71, already in custody on an earlier extortion charge.
James LaForte, 35, whom prosecutors say is an associate of the Gambino crime family, also was arrested on Friday and charged with loan sharking.
Lawyers for the accused men could not be reached on Friday.
If convicted, the men each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Newt Gingrich proposed a US moon base and $1.8 billion in prize money for space innovations. Gingrich spoke Wednesday at Cocoa, Fla., near the Kennedy Space Center.
Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich called on Wednesday for a base on the moon and an expanded federal purse for prize money to stimulate private-sector space projects.
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"We want Americans to think boldly about the future," Gingrich said during a campaign rally in Florida, where he outlined a space policy initiative that would cut NASA's bureaucracy and expand on private-sector space programs championed by President Barack Obama.
"By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American," Gingrich said.
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"We will have commercial near-Earth activities that include science, tourism and manufacturing, because it is in our interest to acquire so much experience in space that we clearly have a capacity that the Chinese and the Russians will never come anywhere close to matching," he said.
Gingrich is locked in a close battle with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as Florida prepares to vote on Tuesday in the Republican presidential primary. Republicans are seeking a nominee to challenge Democrat Obama in the November election. The rally in Cocoa was just down the road from the Kennedy Space Center.
With the retirement of the space shuttles last year, the United States is dependent on Russia to fly its astronauts to the International Space Station, a service that costs NASA about $60 million per person. China, the only other country that has flown people in space, is not a member of the station partnership.
In addition to supporting the station, a $100 billion laboratory owned by the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada, NASA is working on a spaceship and heavy-lift rocket that could carry astronauts to asteroids and other destinations beyond the station's 240-mile-high (385-km) orbit.
The Obama administration also backs the development of privately owned space taxis to break Russia's monopoly on transportation to the station.
Congress allotted $406 million for the program for the year that began on Oct. 1.
Gingrich said he wanted to spend 10 percent of NASA's $18 billion budget on prize money for competitions that spur innovation and technological breakthroughs in space.
"I'm prepared to invest the prestige of the presidency in communicating and building a nationwide movement in favor of space," Gingrich said at a meeting of aerospace executives and community leaders after the rally.
"If we do it right, it'll be wild and it will be just the most fun you've ever seen," he said.
During a debate in Florida on Monday, Romney said he believed space should be a priority.
"What we have right now is a president who does not have a vision or a mission for NASA. I happen to believe our space program is important not only for science, but also for commercial development and for military development," he said.
SEOUL, South Korea ? Hyundai Motor's net profit jumped 35 percent to a record high last year after selling more than 4 million cars for the first time.
The company's 2011 earnings reached 8.1 trillion won ($7.2 billion), up from 6 trillion won a year earlier, the automaker said Thursday in a regulatory filing. Operating profit rose 36.4 percent to 8.07 trillion won.
Company officials said in a telephone conference that sales increased in countries such as the United States and China as well as at home. For the first time, the company sold more than 4 million cars in a year, they said.
Hyundai Motor Co., the maker of the Elantra and Sonata sedans and the Tucson SUV, is South Korea's largest automaker and a major force in the global auto industry. It has expanded aggressively overseas in recent years with factories in China, India, the Czech Republic, the United States and Russia.
Despite last year's growth, the company is wary of uncertainties in the global market as financial worries trouble European and other nations, it said in a statement.
Challenges from U.S. automakers are also expected to intensify in markets for small and medium-size cars while Japanese competitors are poised to unveil new models, Hyundai Motor said.
The South Korean automaker said it will focus on quality and consolidate its internal management rather than excessively expanding this year as it tries to deal with challenges.
"This means the company will concentrate on raising the profitability of its existing models through various sales tactics," said Chung Sung-yop, an analyst with Daiwa Securities in Seoul. He also expects the company to invest further this year in burnishing its brand at home and abroad.
Hyundai Motor owns a large stake in Kia Motors, South Korea's second-largest automaker, and they together form one of the world's largest auto groups.
Buy a hamburger and get rewarded with Facebook Credits to spend on a virtual cow. That's the mouth-watering promise of startup Plink, which is launching a virtual currency loyalty rewards system for restaurants. You register a credit card with Plink, and then when you make purchases at Taco Bell, 7-Eleven, Dunkin Donuts, or one of Plink's other clients you'll get Facebook Credits automatically deposited into your account.?As demand for Facebook Credits to spend on social games and media increases, expect more virtual currency incentive companies like Plink to pop up.
Whenever a company appoints new leadership here in the tech world, the blogosphere seems to unanimously post about what the new top dog needs to do to make his or her company better. I promise, you'll see dozens of headlines today talking about what Thorsten Heins must do in order to save BlackBerry. In many cases, I agree with what's being said. RIM's in trouble, and without a new vision the company risks slipping even further behind the competition. You know... "the other fruit company." So rather than list out all of the things Heins needs to do to save the company (which, we can all agree, would take a really long time), I'm going to tell you guys the five things that Mr. Heins absolutely must not, without a doubt, under no circumstances... do. That is, if RIM wants to keep selling smartphones.
SAN FRANCISCO -- A quarter-century after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to pharmacy shelves, according to drug companies, small biotech firms and university scientists.
A British company, GW Pharma, is in advanced clinical trials for the world's first pharmaceutical developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents_ a mouth spray it hopes to market in the U.S. as a treatment for cancer pain. And it hopes to see FDA approval by the end of 2013.
Sativex contains marijuana's two best known components ? delta 9-THC and cannabidiol ? and already has been approved in Canada, New Zealand and eight European countries for a different usage, relieving muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.
FDA approval would represent an important milestone in the nation's often uneasy relationship with marijuana, which 16 states and the District of Columbia already allow residents to use legally with doctors' recommendations. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration categorizes pot as a dangerous drug with no medical value, but the availability of a chemically similar prescription drug could increase pressure on the federal government to revisit its position and encourage other drug companies to follow in GW Pharma's footsteps.
"There is a real disconnect between what the public seems to be demanding and what the states have pushed for and what the market is providing," said Aron Lichtman, a Virginia Commonwealth University pharmacology professor and president of the International Cannabinoid Research Society. "It seems to me a company with a great deal of vision would say, `If there is this demand and need, we could develop a drug that will help people and we will make a lot of money.'"
Possessing marijuana still is illegal in the United Kingdom, but about a decade ago GW Pharma's founder, Dr. Geoffrey Guy, received permission to grow it to develop a prescription drug. Guy proposed the idea at a scientific conference that heard anecdotal evidence that pot provides relief to multiple sclerosis patients, and the British government welcomed it as a potential way "to draw a clear line between recreational and medicinal use," company spokesman Mark Rogerson said.
In addition to exploring new applications for Sativex, the company is developing drugs with different cannabis formulations.
"We were the first ones to charge forward and a lot of people were watching to see what happened to us," Rogerson said. "I think we are clearly past that stage."
In 1985, the FDA approved two drug capsules containing synthetic THC, Marinol and Cesamet, to ease side-effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients. The agency eventually allowed Marinol to be prescribed to stimulate the appetites of AIDS patients. The drug's patent expired last year, and other U.S. companies have been developing formulations that could be administered through dissolving pills, creams and skin patches and perhaps be used for other ailments.
Doctors and multiple sclerosis patients are cautiously optimistic about Sativex. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has not endorsed marijuana use by patients, but the organization is sponsoring a study by a University of California, Davis neurologist to determine how smoking marijuana compares to Marinol in addressing painful muscle spasms.
"The cannabinoids and marijuana will, eventually, likely be part of the clinician's armamentarium, if they are shown to be clinically beneficial," said Timothy Coetzee, the society's chief research officer. "The big unknown in my mind is whether they are clearly beneficial."
Opponents and supporters of crude marijuana's effectiveness generally agree that more research is needed. And marijuana advocates fear that the government will use any new prescription products to justify a continued prohibition on marijuana use. .
"To the extent that companies can produce effective medication that utilizes the components of the plant, that's great. But that should not be the exclusive access for people who want to be able to use medical marijuana," Americans for Safe Access spokesman Kris Hermes said. "That's the race against time, in terms of how quickly can we put pressure on the federal government to recognize the plant has medical use versus the government coming out with the magic bullet pharmaceutical pill."
Interest in new and better marijuana-based medicines has been building since the discovery in the late 1980s and 1990s that mammals have receptors in their central nervous systems, several organs and immune systems for the chemicals in botanical cannabis and that their bodies also produce natural cannabinoids that work on the same receptors.
One of the first drugs to build on those breakthroughs was an anti-obesity medication that blocked the same chemical receptors that trigger the munchies in pot smokers. Under the name Acomplia, it was approved throughout Europe and heralded as a possible new treatment for smoking cessation and metabolic disorders that can lead to heart attacks.
The FDA was reviewing its safety as a diet drug when follow-up studies showed that people taking the drug were at heightened risk of suicide and other psychiatric disorders. French manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis, pulled it from the market in late 2008.
Given that drug companies already were reluctant "to touch anything that is THC-like with a 10-foot- pole," the setback had a chilling effect on cannabinoid drug development, according to Lichtman.
"Big companies like Merck and Pfizer were developing their own versions (of Acomplia), so all of those programs they spent millions and millions on just went away..." he said.
But scientists and drug companies that are exploring pot's promise predict the path will ultimately be successful, if long and littered with setbacks.
One is Alexandros Makriyannis, director of the Center for Drug Discovery at Northeastern University and founder of a small Boston company that hopes to market synthetic pain products that are chemically unrelated to marijuana, but work similarly on the body or inhibit the cannabinoid receptors. He also has been working on a compound that functions like the failed Acomplia but without the depressive effects.
"I think within five to 10 years, we should get something," Makriyannis said.
BANGKOK ? World stocks hovered between gains and losses as talks on a debt agreement for Greece dragged on.
Only a handful of markets were open for business in Asia. Trading is closed in mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines for Chinese New Year.
As markets opened in Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.4 percent at 5,748.90 while Germany's DAX was flat at 6,405.74. Wall Street was set to lose ground with Dow futures down 0.1 percent at 12,645.
Earlier in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average closed little changed at 8,765.90 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.3 percent to 4,225.10. New Zealand's benchmark added 0.6 percent to 3,295.02 and India's Sensex was up 0.1 percent to 16,760.56. Thailand's SET index rose 0.7 percent to 1,065.55.
On Friday, stocks in Europe mostly held their gains for the week, waiting for the outcome of Greece's negotiations with its creditors on a deal to cut the face value of up to euro200 billion ($258 billion) in debt by 50 percent.
Over the weekend, the representative of Greece's private creditors said the talks are continuing even after his unexpected departure from the country.
A deal in Athens would allow the country to receive a second bailout package from other European governments and the International Monetary Fund, and cut Greece's debt from an estimated 160 percent of its annual economic output to 120 percent by 2020.
That is still painfully high, but without the help, Greece will not be able to pay euro14.5 billion in debt due March 20. A Greek default would send borrowing costs higher across Europe and could trigger chaos in the global financial system.
On Wall Street on Friday the Dow rose 96.50 points to close at 12,720.48. The S&P 500 index inched up 0.88 to 1,315.38 and the Nasdaq gained 1.63 points to 2,786.70.
In energy trading, benchmark crude was down 59 cents at $97.74 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The euro rose 0.4 percent to $1.2935. The dollar was up 0.1 percent to 77.04 yen.
San Diego auditions aired late-night Sunday after the NFC Championship game. By Adam Graham
Jane Carrey on "American Idol" Photo: FOX
It was a late night for "American Idol" on Sunday, as the show's San Diego auditions didn't air until after the New York Giants' overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. That meant "Idol" didn't start until nearly 11 p.m., and didn't wrap until just before midnight.
The show — which, in an "Idol" first, took place on an aircraft carrier, the USS Midway — introduced viewers to seven of the 53 singers who earned Golden Tickets to Hollywood Week. It also showcased a singer, Jennifer Diley, who gave season eight's Katrina "Bikini Girl" Darrell a run for her money in the skimpy-wardrobe department.
Sunday's show also featured a pair of shout-outs to Fox's yesteryear hit "In Living Color." In the opening moments, Jennifer Lopez was referred to as a "Fly Girl," her role on the former sketch comedy series. Later, viewers were introduced to Jane Carrey, daughter of actor and onetime "In Living Color" star Jim Carrey, whom Lopez said she remembered as a baby on the set of the show.
Carrey, now a 24-year-old waitress in Los Angeles, sang Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About," and though she appeared slightly timid, she did earn a pass to Hollywood from the judges. "Good melody, you've got to work on the volume," Steven Tyler told her after delivering the good news. A phone call to her proud papa followed, and Ace Ventura himself gushed with pride and told her, "Oh my God, is this going to be an exciting year."
Carrey's connections helped her stand out, as did those of Ali Shields. The 19-year-old from Lodi, California, appeared as a guest on "Ellen" after she wrote a song for the talk-show queen (and former "Idol" judge). That appearance gave her the confidence to try out for "Idol," she said, and for her first song in front of the judges, she awkwardly sang/rapped Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now," accompanied by a cringe-worthy booty-shaking bit of "ghetto dancing" (Randy Jackson's words). She followed with an earnest version of Corinne Bailey Rae's "Like a Star" that better showed off her vocal ability, and it earned her one of those pretty little Golden Tickets to Hollywood.
Also passing through to Tinseltown was Ashley Robles, a 26-year-old single mother from San Diego, who works as a DJ and at an insurance agency when she's not singing. Robles took a big risk by attempting one of the biggest ballads ever, "I Will Always Love You," but she held her own and managed to scale the song's landmark high notes with precision and grace. Jackson called her a "natural," while Tyler predicted, "You're gonna be big."
Tyler also had high praise for Aubree Dieckmeyer, a 20-year-old receptionist from San Clemente, California. Dieckmeyer sang a solid version of "Feeling Good," a standard that she credited to Michael Bublé, and Tyler praised the "flavor" in her voice. Jackson complimented her "good natural talent," noting she lost some power in her upper range, while Lopez told her she loved her look, her voice, "everything about you."
Though they made a strong showing, it wasn't all about the girls in San Diego. Jayrah Gibson, 26, of Long Beach, California, won the judges over with his version of Musiq Soulchild's "Just Friends," which Jackson dubbed "mad, mad good." Curly-haired frat boy Kyle Crews, 19, a student at the University of California, Berkeley, serenaded Lopez with Monica's "Angel of Mine" and was called the "best male voice we've heard yet" by Tyler. And 24-year-old Jason "Wolf" Hamlin of Livermore, California, a burly mechanic with an armful of tattoos, wrapped his big voice around songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Johnny Cash and earned his way into Hollywood Week.
While Sunday's show continued the season's renewed focus on "real" singers rather than gag auditions, at one point Tyler gave a revealing glimpse at the other "Idol," the one we're not seeing. Prior to the second day of San Diego auditions, Tyler sarcastically lamented to the cameras, "I can't wait to hear 40 people sing the same Adele song for six [bleeping] hours!" We'll take the new format over that any day.
"Idol" returns Wednesday, when it hits the slopes in Aspen, Colorado, for its next round of auditions.
What did you think of Sunday's late-night "Idol"? Let us know in the comments!
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
ZURICH (Reuters) ? Swiss police will charge more than 100 demonstrators with breaching the peace after they rallied in Bern Saturday to protest against the World Economic Forum that holds its annual meeting in Davos this week.
The protesters, some wearing masks, began an unauthorized demonstration but were stopped by police in Bern, 270 km (170 miles) west of the Davos ski resort, where the global elite will gather for the forum which opens Wednesday.
Some protesters threw fire crackers and missiles at police but caused no material damage, police said in a statement.
Swiss police Wednesday arrested two men suspected of throwing red paint and scrawling "Smash WEF" in black graffiti on the walls of the Swiss National Bank in Zurich.
Anger against income inequality and the perceived greed of the rich and powerful has fed the Occupy Wall Street Movement that spurned copy-cat protests in cities in the United States and elsewhere, including Zurich.
Occupy protesters are building an igloo camp in Davos, but few demonstrations are likely at the ski resort given stringent security measures, including exclusion zones around the main congress center and air patrols by armed fighter jets.
(Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz; Editing by Sophie Hares)
RENO, Nev. (AP) ? Lawyers for Ben Roethlisberger and a woman who accused him of raping her at a Lake Tahoe hotel-casino in 2008 have reached a settlement that ends her civil lawsuit against the Steelers quarterback.
Cal Dunlap, the Reno lawyer representing the woman, told The Associated Press on Friday "the matter has been resolved." He said he had no further comment.
The Reno Gazette-Journal first reported the settlement. It also dismisses claims against Harrah's employees whom the woman had accused of covering up the alleged sexual assault in Roethlisberger's penthouse suite.
Dunlap said in papers filed in Washoe District Court that his client wanted to have the case dismissed because all the parties had reached a resolution of all claims and counterclaims.
The Pittsburgh quarterback's lawyer has had no comment.
A new way to stimulate the immune system and fight infectionPublic release date: 20-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Inserm Presse presse@inserm.fr INSERM (Institut national de la sant et de la recherche mdicale)
These new data are an essential step towards understanding the operation of these key cells in the immune system, and they could provide a new therapeutic approach to fighting infection. They also suggest that the operation of NK cells must be precisely regulated to guarantee an optimum immune reaction. Details of this work are published in the 20 January 2012 issue of the journal Science.
Our bodies are subject to attack by many different infectious particles (bacteria, viruses, etc.), which surround us in our everyday environment. Various immune cells are activated to fight off these attacks: the first response is from the innate immune cells1, which gradually give way to the memory B and T lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system. The Natural Killer (NK) cells are a part of this first line of defence of the organism. They can selectively kill tumour cells or cells infected by microbes whilst secreting chemical messengers known as cytokines, which stimulate and direct the response of the B and T lymphocytes.
Following the launch of a major genetics programme a few years ago, scientists succeeded in revealing a gene whose deactivation causes heightened functioning of the NK cells (see figure below).
This gene, called Ncr1, contributes to the manufacture of the receptor NKp46, which is present on the surface of NK cells. Surprisingly, its role in activating the NK cells has been known for several years.
'NK cells go through various stages of development before combating microorganisms or tumour cells,' explains Sophie Ugolini, joint author of the paper. 'Without this receptor, the NK cells are more reactive and therefore more effective when they encounter the attackers of the organism."
To test the therapeutic potential of their discovery, the scientists blocked the NKp46 receptor using a drug (in this case, a monoclonal antibody). As in the genetics experiments, this treatment that blocks NKp46 makes the NK cells much more effective.
'Our aim now is to further explore the underlying biological mechanisms and to work in collaboration with the biopharmaceutical industry and the hospital to evaluate the medical potential of this new type of treatment, particularly for patients whose immune system has already been weakened, such as patients with an immunodeficiency and those who have had a bone marrow transplant or chemotherapy,' concludes Eric Vivier.
1 Innate immunity is a front-line defence system against tumours and microbes. It immediately acts against microbial agents that come into contact with an organism. Innate immunity is present in all living organisms, and plays an essential role in activating the adaptive response in vertebrates. This compartment of immunity hit the headlines recently when Jules Hoffman of France, Canadian Ralph Steinman, and Bruce Beutler from the USA (another co-author of this paper) received the Nobel Prize for their work on innate immunity and its close links with the adaptive immune system.
###
Source
"Tuning of Natural Killer Cell Reactivity by NKp46 and Helios Calibrates T Cell Responses"
Emilie Narni-Mancinelli (1,2,3), Baptiste N. Jaeger (1,2,3), Claire Bernat (1,2,3), Aurore Fenis (1,2,3), Sam Kung (4), Aude De Gassart (1,2,3), Sajid Mahmood (4), Marta Gut (5), Simon C. Heath (5), Jordi Estell (5), Elodie Bertosio (1,2,3), Frdric Vely (1,2,3,8), Louis N. Gastinel (6), Bruce Beutler (7), Bernard Malissen (1,2,3), Marie Malissen (1,2,3), Ivo G. Gut (5), Eric Vivier (1,2,3,8), Sophie Ugolini (1,2,3)
(1) Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix-Marseille University, Campus de Luminy case 906, 13288 Marseille, France.
(2) INSERM U1104, 13288 Marseille, France. 3CNRS, UMR7280,13288 Marseille, France.
(4) Apotex Center, Department of Immunology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E, 0T5, Canada.
(5) Centre Nacional d'Anlisi Genmica (CNAG), Parc Cientfic de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
(6) INSERM, U850, University of Limoges, University Hospital Limoges, 87060 Limoges, France. (7) Department of Genetics, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. (8) Assistance Publique-Hpitaux de Marseille, Hpital de la Conception, 13385 Marseille, France.
Science, 19 janvier 2012,
DOI : http://dx.doi.org/RE1215621/BPO/IMMUNOLOGY
Contact chercheur
Eric Vivier
Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy
Tel 33-4-91-26-94-12
Mob 6-33-59-83-38
vivier@ciml.univ-mrs.fr
Contact presse
presse@inserm.fr
About the 'Natural Killer Cells and Innate Immunity' team
The Natural Killer Cells and Innate Immunity team was created at the CIML by Prof. Eric Vivier in 1995. Its aim is to decrypt the detection systems and tolerance mechanisms of the innate immune system's killer lymphocytes.
The team has helped to shed light on the role and operation of NK cells and, more generally, the molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular activation.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
A new way to stimulate the immune system and fight infectionPublic release date: 20-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Inserm Presse presse@inserm.fr INSERM (Institut national de la sant et de la recherche mdicale)
These new data are an essential step towards understanding the operation of these key cells in the immune system, and they could provide a new therapeutic approach to fighting infection. They also suggest that the operation of NK cells must be precisely regulated to guarantee an optimum immune reaction. Details of this work are published in the 20 January 2012 issue of the journal Science.
Our bodies are subject to attack by many different infectious particles (bacteria, viruses, etc.), which surround us in our everyday environment. Various immune cells are activated to fight off these attacks: the first response is from the innate immune cells1, which gradually give way to the memory B and T lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system. The Natural Killer (NK) cells are a part of this first line of defence of the organism. They can selectively kill tumour cells or cells infected by microbes whilst secreting chemical messengers known as cytokines, which stimulate and direct the response of the B and T lymphocytes.
Following the launch of a major genetics programme a few years ago, scientists succeeded in revealing a gene whose deactivation causes heightened functioning of the NK cells (see figure below).
This gene, called Ncr1, contributes to the manufacture of the receptor NKp46, which is present on the surface of NK cells. Surprisingly, its role in activating the NK cells has been known for several years.
'NK cells go through various stages of development before combating microorganisms or tumour cells,' explains Sophie Ugolini, joint author of the paper. 'Without this receptor, the NK cells are more reactive and therefore more effective when they encounter the attackers of the organism."
To test the therapeutic potential of their discovery, the scientists blocked the NKp46 receptor using a drug (in this case, a monoclonal antibody). As in the genetics experiments, this treatment that blocks NKp46 makes the NK cells much more effective.
'Our aim now is to further explore the underlying biological mechanisms and to work in collaboration with the biopharmaceutical industry and the hospital to evaluate the medical potential of this new type of treatment, particularly for patients whose immune system has already been weakened, such as patients with an immunodeficiency and those who have had a bone marrow transplant or chemotherapy,' concludes Eric Vivier.
1 Innate immunity is a front-line defence system against tumours and microbes. It immediately acts against microbial agents that come into contact with an organism. Innate immunity is present in all living organisms, and plays an essential role in activating the adaptive response in vertebrates. This compartment of immunity hit the headlines recently when Jules Hoffman of France, Canadian Ralph Steinman, and Bruce Beutler from the USA (another co-author of this paper) received the Nobel Prize for their work on innate immunity and its close links with the adaptive immune system.
###
Source
"Tuning of Natural Killer Cell Reactivity by NKp46 and Helios Calibrates T Cell Responses"
Emilie Narni-Mancinelli (1,2,3), Baptiste N. Jaeger (1,2,3), Claire Bernat (1,2,3), Aurore Fenis (1,2,3), Sam Kung (4), Aude De Gassart (1,2,3), Sajid Mahmood (4), Marta Gut (5), Simon C. Heath (5), Jordi Estell (5), Elodie Bertosio (1,2,3), Frdric Vely (1,2,3,8), Louis N. Gastinel (6), Bruce Beutler (7), Bernard Malissen (1,2,3), Marie Malissen (1,2,3), Ivo G. Gut (5), Eric Vivier (1,2,3,8), Sophie Ugolini (1,2,3)
(1) Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix-Marseille University, Campus de Luminy case 906, 13288 Marseille, France.
(2) INSERM U1104, 13288 Marseille, France. 3CNRS, UMR7280,13288 Marseille, France.
(4) Apotex Center, Department of Immunology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E, 0T5, Canada.
(5) Centre Nacional d'Anlisi Genmica (CNAG), Parc Cientfic de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
(6) INSERM, U850, University of Limoges, University Hospital Limoges, 87060 Limoges, France. (7) Department of Genetics, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. (8) Assistance Publique-Hpitaux de Marseille, Hpital de la Conception, 13385 Marseille, France.
Science, 19 janvier 2012,
DOI : http://dx.doi.org/RE1215621/BPO/IMMUNOLOGY
Contact chercheur
Eric Vivier
Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy
Tel 33-4-91-26-94-12
Mob 6-33-59-83-38
vivier@ciml.univ-mrs.fr
Contact presse
presse@inserm.fr
About the 'Natural Killer Cells and Innate Immunity' team
The Natural Killer Cells and Innate Immunity team was created at the CIML by Prof. Eric Vivier in 1995. Its aim is to decrypt the detection systems and tolerance mechanisms of the innate immune system's killer lymphocytes.
The team has helped to shed light on the role and operation of NK cells and, more generally, the molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular activation.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
BERLIN ? Spain's new government quickly sought to downplay remarks by its finance minister that raised doubts Friday over whether Madrid could deliver its goal of cutting its budget deficit.
Cristobal Montoro said in an interview with The Financial Times Deutschland that the target of 4.4 percent of gross domestic product this year was based on "outdated" growth forecasts by the previous government of 2.3 percent growth in 2012. The new government expects Spain to go into recession this quarter.
Montoro said of the 4.4 percent figure that "it is desirable, and it would be good to manage this," according to the report. It said he didn't want to make promises ahead of EU growth forecasts.
Hours later, the Spanish government scrambled to nuance the comments, which appeared to deviate from what has been a strict policy of deficit-cutting.
Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said the government was determined to meet the 4.4 percent goal and if "more reforms and greater rigor" were needed to achieve it, they would be enacted.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government says the 2011 deficit hit at least 8 percent of GDP, rather than 6 as forecast by the last government. Rajoy meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin next Thursday.
ROME ? Officials say a German woman who was listed among the missing from the cruise ship grounding off Italy has been located alive in Germany, bringing the number of people still unaccounted for to 21.
The Grosseto prefect's office says Gertrud Goergens identified herself to police. Her name was removed from the official list of missing late Wednesday.
Italian authorities released the names of the missing Wednesday as the search for passengers and crew aboard the Costa Concordia was suspended because the ship shifted slightly from its perch on rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio.
So far eleven bodies have been recovered; 21 people remain unaccounted for.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
ROME (AP) ? The first victim from the Costa Concordia diaster was identified Wednesday ? a 38-year-old violinist from Hungary who had been working as an entertainer on the stricken cruise ship.
Sandor Feher's body was found inside the wreck, and identified by his mother who traveled to the Italian city of Grosetto, according to Hungary's foreign ministry.
The $450 million Costa Concordia cruise ship was carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew when it slammed into a reef Friday off the tiny Italian island of Giglio after the captain made an unauthorized maneuver. The death toll stands at 11, with 22 people still missing.
Italian rescue workers suspended operations Wednesday after the cruise ship shifted slightly on the rocks near the Tuscan coast, creating deep concerns about the safety of divers and firefighters searching for the missing.
Jozsef Balog, a pianist working with Feher on the ship, told the Blikk newspaper that Feher was wearing a lifejacket when he decided to return to his cabin to pack his violin. Feher was last seen on deck en route to the area where he was supposed to board a lifeboat.
According to Balog, Feher helped put lifejackets on several crying children before returning to his cabin.
Italian authorities earlier released the names of 24 passengers and 4 crew still missing, a list that includes six bodies which have been pulled from the ship since Monday. The missing included 13 Germans, six Italians, four French, two Americans and one person each from Hungary, India and Peru.
Instruments attached to the ship detected the movements early Wednesday even though firefighters who spent the night searching the area above water for the missing could not detect any movement.
"As a precautionary measure, we stopped the operations this morning, in order to verify the data we retrieved from our detectors, and understand if there actually was a movement, and if there has been one, how big this was," said Coast Guard Cmdr. Filippo Marini.
By late afternoon, officials still did not have enough data to reassure them that the ship had stopped resettling. The latest victims were discovered after navy divers exploded holes in the hull of the ship to allow easier access.
Premier Mario Monti offered his first comment on the disaster Wednesday, telling a press conference in London that it "could and should" have been avoided.
Monti also thanked the residents of Giglio, which has a wintertime population of about 900, for opening their doors to the 4,200 refugees who struggled ashore with nothing and were given clothes, food and shelter.
And he acknowledged concerns about the 500,000 gallons of fuel still aboard the ship.
"Everybody can be assured that the Italian authorities are both taking care of the prevention and limitation of any environmental negative implications of this accident, as well as in the first place providing all the necessary help to those affected."
Passengers were still making their way home, with consistent claims that crew members were ill-prepared to handle an emergency evacuation.
"The crew members had no specialized training ? the security man doubled as the cook and bartender, so obviously they did not know what to do," passenger Claudia Fehlandt told Chile's Channel 7 television after being embraced by relatives at Santiago's airport.
"In fact, the lifeboats, even the ones that did get lowered, they did not know how to lower them and they cut the ropes with axes," she said.
Much of the focus has been on the cruise ship captain's actions.
In a dramatic phone conversation released Tuesday, a coast guard official was heard ordering Capt. Francesco Schettino, who had abandoned the ship with his first officers, back on board to oversee the evacuation. But Schettino resisted, saying it was too dark and the ship was tipping dangerously.
"You go on board! Is that clear? Do you hear me?" the Coast Guard officer shouted as the Schettino sat safe in a life raft and frantic passengers struggled to escape after the ship rammed into a reef off the Tuscan coast. "It is an order. Don't make any more excuses. You have declared 'Abandon ship.' Now I am in charge."
The officer confronted him with an expletive-laced order to get back on board, which has quickly entered the Italian lexicon. The four-word phrase has become a Twitter hashtag and Italian media have shown photos of T-shirts bearing the command.
Schettino, later in the same exchange, denied having abandoned the ship, replying that he had tripped and fell.
"I did not abandon a ship with 100 people on board, the ship suddenly listed and we were thrown into the water," Schettino said, according to a transcript published Wednesday in the Corriere della Sera paper.
Jailed since the accident, Schettino appeared Tuesday before a judge in Grosseto, where he was questioned for three hours. The judge ordered him held under house arrest ? a decision that federal prosecutors are planning to challenge.
Schettino's lawyer, Bruno Leporatti, told a news conference Wednesday in Grosetto that house arrest made sense given there was no evidence the captain intended to flee. He cited the fact that the captain coordinated the evacuation from the shore after leaving the ship.
"He never left the scene," Leporatti said. "There has never been a danger of flight."
Leporatti added the captain was upset by the accident, contrary to depictions in the Italian media that he did not appear to show regret.
"He is a deeply shaken man, not only for the loss of his ship, which for a captain is a grave thing, but above all for what happened and the loss of human life," the lawyer said.
Criminal charges including manslaughter and abandoning ship are expected to be filed by prosecutors in coming days. Schettino faces a possible 12 years in prison if convicted of the abandoning ship charge alone.
SEATTLE (Reuters) ? Seattle residents on Tuesday braced for an epic storm, expected to drop up to 10 inches of snow and nicknamed "Snowmageddon" for the havoc it was expected to wreak on the region.
The prediction prompted residents of the city, who rarely see such heavy snowfall, to stock up on essential supplies in case of power outages and road closures.
"People are coming in for the basics -- bread, milk, canned goods, shovels and (tire) chains," said Melinda Merrill, spokeswoman for the Fred Meyer and QFC supermarket chains, both owned by the Kroger Co. "People are kind of getting ready to hunker down for a bit."
Forecasters said the storm will likely first hit Seattle around midnight, and they expect it will be a substantial amount of snow for usually temperate Seattle.
"The number is five to 10 inches in Seattle, with 12 to 18 inches near the Olympic Mountains," said National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Colman. "As you head further west from Seattle, you'll get a little more snow.'
Although earlier predictions had rain moving in by Wednesday evening to melt the snow, forecasters now believe temperatures will stay cold through Thursday with a second, weaker storm dropping another inch of snow.
Seattle usually averages just six to seven inches of snow each year, Colman said.
"It's usually a few inches here and a few inches there. If we were to get up to 10 inches, that would put it in the top 10 snowfalls ever here," he said.
The record for Seattle is 21.5 inches in 24 hours, set in 1916, he said.
Residents and broadcasters have taken to calling the approaching storm "Snowmageddon."
The Seattle School District cancelled classes for Wednesday, as did many adjoining districts and private schools.
One major road hard hit by early heavy snow on Tuesday was Interstate 90 through Snoqualmie Pass, the main arterial connecting western and eastern Washington and an important trucking route.
The road was closed for avalanche control from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., from North Bend, 34 miles east of Seattle, to Ellensburg, 107 miles east of Seattle. That caused massive traffic jams in both directions, said Mike Westbay, spokesman for the Washington state Department of Transportation.
"We have our day- and our night-shift crews who usually work 10 hour shifts now doing 12 hour shifts, so we're working around the clock on roads, plowing snow and putting down de-icer," he said.
They expect to continue their avalanche control efforts throughout Wednesday as even more snow falls, Westbay said.
"People should probably postpone trips across the pass until later," he said.
Meanwhile, further south the National Weather Service issued a hurricane force wind warning for the waters along about 100 miles of the central Oregon Coast overnight into Wednesday afternoon, said meteorologist Tiffani Brown.
Brown said the storm could yield wind gusts up to 100 miles per hour offshore, and generate a high and dangerous surf zone.
In the Portland metro area, Wednesday morning's commute was expected to be snarled by one or more inches of snow falling overnight and Wednesday morning, especially in the hills around the city, Brown said.
Buy a hamburger and get rewarded with Facebook Credits to spend on a virtual cow. That's the mouth-watering promise of startup 
Whenever a company appoints new leadership here in the tech world, the blogosphere seems to unanimously post about what the new top dog needs to do to make his or her company better. I promise, you'll see 
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Public release date: 20-Jan-2012
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