gang-related stabbing involving two men early Saturday in southeast Spokane.

Spokane police officers responded around 3 a.m. to 616 S. Helena St. and found two victims with life-threatening stab wounds. The two men, one in his 20s and another in his 40s, may be related, police said. The victims, who were not identified, were taken to a local hospital where they were in stable condition Saturday afternoon.
An initial investigation revealed that the incident may be gang-related. The investigation is ongoing.

Robert Zavala Carrillo and Mark Gil were arrested in a parking lot on Wednesday evening.

Robert Zavala Carrillo and Mark Gil were arrested in a parking lot on Wednesday evening. Carrillo and Gil are two of 20 people charged in three federal complaints that were unsealed earlier Wednesday. Investigators say Carrillo is the leader of East Side Riva, one of two violent criminal street gangs that were engaged in what authorities called a deadly race war. The East Side Riva is allegedly controlled by the Mexican Mafia and targeted another gang with mostly black members. Prosecutors say Gil is Carrillo's second-in-command.

Finnish new treatment reduces breast cancer deaths by one third

HELSINKI, Jan. 28 -- Finnish cancer researchers have had an important breakthrough in the treatment of breast cancer, according to Finnish media reports on Thursday.

The new treatment developed in Finland reduces the renewal risk of aggressive breast cancer and the consequent deaths by as much as a third.

In the treatment the Finnish researchers targeted a protein called HER2. HER2 is a growth factor protein, which transmits growth signals to breast cancer cells. The protein is the cause of the so-called HER-positive breast cancer. This cancer type is often difficult and aggressive and it has a strong tendency to send metastases to other parts of the body. About 15 percent of all the breast cancer patients suffer from this aggressive type.

If the renewal risk of the cancer is significant, cytostatic treatment is commenced after the operation. This lowers the risk of renewal of the cancer by 40 percent among patients under the age of 50. The risk of dying of the illness is cut down by 30 percent. For the HER-positive breast cancer patients, the Finnish researchers also gave trastuzumab in connection with their cytostatic treatment. Trastuzumab blocks the effects of the growth factor protein HER2 by binding to it.

Previously similar treatments have been experimented with elsewhere in regimens that have lasted for a year and a half. What is distinctive to the Finnish regimen is its shortness. The treatment only lasts for nine weeks.

"The new treatment form, trastuzumab, is one of the greatest advances in the past 15-20 years in the field of breast cancer research," said Petri Bono, chief physician at the Department of Medical Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital.

The Finnish study's results were astoundingly good. Five years after contracting the illness, 92.5 percent of the patients were still alive without the re-emergence of the cancer. The risks of renewal of the cancer or deaths caused by it were reduced by a third.

Encouraged by the results, a large-scale international follow- up research program has been launched.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women. Around 1.3 million women around the globe contract the illness each year. Around 4,100 Finnish women will contract breast cancer each year.

Apartment collapse kills 9 in Belgium

An aerial view shows the area where a house collapsed in Liege Jan. 28, 2010. The death toll from a collapsed apartment block in eastern Belgium rose to nine on Thursday and was expected to increase when the stalled search resumes later in the day.

An aerial view shows the area where a house collapsed in Liege Jan. 28, 2010. The death toll from a collapsed apartment block in eastern Belgium rose to nine on Thursday and was expected to increase when the stalled search resumes later in the day.

An aerial view shows the area where a house collapsed in Liege Jan. 28, 2010. The death toll from a collapsed apartment block in eastern Belgium rose to nine on Thursday and was expected to increase when the stalled search resumes later in the day.

Rescue teams intervene at the scene of a collapsed house in downtown Liege Jan. 28, 2010. The death toll from a collapsed apartment block in eastern Belgium rose to nine on Thursday and was expected to increase when the stalled search resumes later in the day.
(Reuters)

"Catcher" author Salinger dies at 91

"The Catcher in the Rye" author J.D. Salinger died of natural cause aged 91 at his home in New Hampshire, U.S. media reported Friday.

A copy of J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" IS seen at a bookstore in Washington, DC., January. 28, 2010. Salinger has died at 91, his agent said Thursday, raising tantalizing questions over whether the legendary writer might have left behind a hoard of unpublished works.

The American post-war literary classic "The Catcher in the Ray," published in 1951, featuring the teenage hero Holden Caulfield, resonated with adolescent and young adult readers.

Generations of young people read the novel and embraced Caulfield, the phony-hating personification of teenage angst, as a proxy for their own experiences.

"Catcher" has been translated into the world's major languages and sold more than 65 million copies. It is routinely listed among the best novels of the 20th century.

Besides "Catcher," the U.S. author published only a few books and collections of short stories, including "9 Stories," "Franny and Zooey," "Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters" and "Seymour: - An Introduction."

Copies of "The Catcher in the Rye" by author J.D. Salinger are seen at a bookstore in Washington, DC., January. 28, 2010.
(AFP)

Eastside Riva and the 1200 Blocc Crips years-long war in Riverside were arrested today

people with alleged ties to two rival street gangs engaged in a bloody years-long war in Riverside were arrested today in an operation aimed at taking down the gangs' leadership."Operation Promise," a coordinated federal, state and local law enforcement sweep, targeted the Eastside Riva and the 1200 Blocc Crips, leading to the arrests of 50 people, the seizure of 28 guns and two pet rattlesnakes, authorities said."This unprecedented operation is part of my ongoing promise to bring hope and restoration to the people of Riverside," said Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco, who made the announcement during a news briefing at the Regency Tower in downtown Riverside.Pacheco. was joined by representatives from the various law enforcement agencies that participated in the sweep, including the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the Riverside Police Department, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
A total of 650 law enforcement personnel served warrants on the residences of about 100 suspected gang members during the operation, authorities said.
"The damage we did was to the leadership of the gangs," said Pacheco.
"We were going after the top folks."
In addition to Riverside, suspects' homes in Beaumont, Mead Valley, Moreno Valley, Nuevo, Perris and Rubidoux were raided, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Pacheco said the sweep was the culmination of 14 months' work by the District Attorney's Office and the other agencies involved, with the goal of having "as large an impact as possible, in as many ways as possible."
The district attorney described the all-Hispanic Eastside Riva, numbering about 800, as Riverside's oldest and "most violent" street gang, at war with the 1200 Blocc Crips, an all-black gang numbering around 200, since the early 1990s.
Pacheco said the two sides have caused numerous casualties, including the deaths of innocent people, some of them children. Both gangs are into narcotics trafficking, he said. The Eastside Riva's drug trade is largely managed by the Mexican Mafia from prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Stars shine at Sundance Film Festival

Actresses Naomi Watts (R) and Kerry Washington (L) arrive with Samuel L. Jackson for the premiere of the film "Mother And Child" during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah January 25, 2010.

Cast member Kevin Kline arrives for the premiere of the film "The Extra Man" at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah January 25, 2010.

Actress and cast member Katie Holmes arrives for the premiere of the film "The Extra Man" at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah January 25, 2010.

Director Rodrigo Garcia (R) arrives with the cast for the premiere of the film "Mother And Child" during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah January 25, 2010.

Actresses Naomi Watts (R) and Kerry Washington arrive for the premiere of the film "Mother And Child" during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah January 25, 2010.

Comedian Joan Rivers (C) arrives with co-directors Annie Sundberg (R) and Ricki Stern for the premiere of the documentary "Joan Rivers - A Piece Of Work" during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah January 25, 2010.

Actress and cast member Katie Holmes talks during an interview as she arrives for the premiere of the film "The Extra Man" at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah January 25, 2010.
(Reuters)

NASA ends efforts to free rover from Martian sand

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 -- NASA on Tuesday declared an end to Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's roving career after efforts during the past several months to free it from a sand trap have been unsuccessful.

The venerable robot's primary task in the next few weeks will be to position itself to combat the severe Martian winter, according to the U.S. space agency. If Spirit survives, it will continue conducting significant new science from its final location. The rover's mission could continue for several months to years.

"Spirit is not dead; it has just entered another phase of its long life," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We told the world last year that attempts to set the beloved robot free may not be successful. It looks like Spirit's current location on Mars will be its final resting place."

Ten months ago, as Spirit was driving south beside the western edge of a low plateau called Home Plate, its wheels broke through a crusty surface and churned into soft sand hidden underneath.

After Spirit became embedded, the rover team crafted plans for trying to get the six-wheeled vehicle free using its five functioning wheels -- the sixth wheel quit working in 2006, limiting Spirit's mobility. The planning included experiments with a test rover in a sandbox at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, plus analysis, modeling and reviews. In November, another wheel quit working, making a difficult situation even worse.

Recent drives have yielded the best results since Spirit became embedded. However, the coming winter mandates a change in strategy. It is mid-autumn at the solar-powered robot's home on Mars. Winter will begin in May. Solar energy is declining and expected to become insufficient to power further driving by mid-February. The rover team plans to use those remaining potential drives for improving the rover's tilt. Spirit currently tilts slightly toward the south. The winter sun stays in the northern sky, so decreasing the southward tilt would boost the amount of sunshine on the rover 's solar panels.

At its current angle, Spirit probably would not have enough power to keep communicating with Earth through the Martian winter. Even a few degrees of improvement in tilt might make enough difference to enable communication every few days.

However, even in a stationary state, Spirit continues scientific research, NASA said.

"There's a class of science we can do only with a stationary vehicle that we had put off during the years of driving," said Steve Squyres, a researcher at Cornell University and principal investigator for Spirit and Opportunity. "Degraded mobility does not mean the mission ends abruptly. Instead, it lets us transition to stationary science."

One stationary experiment Spirit has begun studies tiny wobbles in the rotation of Mars to gain insight about the planet's core. This requires months of radio-tracking the motion of a point on the surface of Mars to calculate long-term motion with an accuracy of a few inches.

Tools on Spirit's robotic arm can study variations in the composition of nearby soil, which has been affected by water. Stationary science also includes watching how wind moves soil particles and monitoring the Martian atmosphere.

Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars in January 2004. They have been exploring for six years, far surpassing their original 90-day mission. Opportunity currently is driving toward a large crater called Endeavor and continues to make scientific discoveries. It has driven approximately 12 miles and returned more than 133,000 images.
(Xinhua)

18 killed, 80 injured in Baghdad suicide bombing

BAGHDAD, Jan. 26 -- At least 18 people were killed and some 80 others injured when a suicide minibus bomber struck the government forensics building in central Baghdad on Tuesday, an Interior Ministry source said.

U.S. soldiers secure the site of a bomb attack in central Baghdad January 26, 2010. A suicide blast killed at least 17 people at an Interior Ministry office in Baghdad on Tuesday.

"Our reports said that the toll rose to 18 killed, including five policemen, and some 80 others wounded by the suicide bombing carried out by a KIA minibus," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, the source put the toll at five killed and 20 injured.

The attack took place at about 10:45 a.m. (0745 GMT) when a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden minibus into the building of the Interior Ministry's forensic department close to the Taharriyat Square in Karrada district, the source said.

The department's building collapsed soon after the powerful blast as dozens of the department's workers were inside, he said.

A U.S. soldier stands guard near a crater made by a bomb attack in central Baghdad January 26, 2010. A suicide blast killed at least 18 people at an Interior Ministry office in Baghdad on Tuesday.

The blast also destroyed several nearby buildings and shops, along with many civilian cars.

Iraqi security forces cordoned off the scene and blocked several main streets leading to the site, while ambulances and civilian cars were transporting dozens of victims to Baghdad hospitals.

The blast came a day after the three suicide car bombings targeted major Baghdad hotels that killed at least 36 people and wounded some 70 others.

Sporadic attacks continue in Baghdad as part of recent security deterioration which shaped a setback to the efforts of the Iraqi government to restore normalcy in the country ahead of the country 's national polls slated on March 7.
(Reuters)

Man rescued from rubble 2 weeks after Haiti quake

Rico Dibrivell, 35, is attended by a U.S. military rescue team member after being freed from the rubble of a building in Port-au-Prince January 26, 2010.

Jan. 27 -- A man in his 30s was saved from a crumbled building in Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti, Tuesday, two weeks after a devastating earthquake hit the Caribbean nation.

Rico Dibrivell, 35, is attended by a U.S. military rescue team member after being freed from the rubble of a building in Port-au-Prince January 26, 2010.

Ricot Duprevil was discovered and pulled out alive by the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division's Delta Company during a rubble-clearing mission in the center of the city.

Rico Dibrivell, 35, is attended by a U.S. military rescue team member after being freed from the rubble of a building in Port-au-Prince January 26, 2010.

He was in stable condition at a medical facility where he was being treated for a broken leg.

It is not yet clear if he became trapped in the initial quake or during one of the many aftershocks since then.

Rico Dibrivell, 35, is attended by a U.S. military rescue team member after being freed from the rubble of a building in Port-au-Prince January 26, 2010.

"We don't know if he was there from the beginning or in one of the aftershocks he may have gone under," said, Andrew Pourak, a U.S. Army specialist.

"He got sent to the hospital, he's going to make it," Pourak said.

Rico Dibrivell, 35, is attended by a U.S. military rescue team member after being freed from the rubble of a building in Port-au-Prince January 26, 2010.

Rico Dibrivell, 35, is attended by a U.S. military rescue team member after being freed from the rubble of a building in Port-au-Prince January 26, 2010.
(Reuters)

UCF professor's vaccine could be lethal weapon against malaria, cholera

Mankind may finally have a weapon to fight two of the world's deadliest diseases. A University of Central Florida biomedical researcher has developed what promises to be the first low-cost dual vaccine against malaria and cholera.

There is no FDA approved vaccine to prevent malaria, a mosquito-borne illness that kills more than 1 million people annually. Only one vaccine exists to fight cholera, a diarrheal illness that is common in developing countries and can be fatal. The lone vaccine is too expensive to prevent outbreaks in developing countries after floods, and children lose immunity within three years of getting the current vaccine.

"I'm very encouraged because our technique works well and provides an affordable way to get vaccines to people who need them most and can least afford them," said lead scientist Henry Daniell.

Daniell's team genetically engineered tobacco and lettuce plants to produce the vaccine. Researchers gave mice freeze-dried plant cells (orally or by injection) containing the vaccine. They then challenged the mice with either the cholera toxin or malarial parasite. The malaria parasite studies were completed in fellow UCF professor Debopam Chakrabarti's lab.

Untreated rodents contracted diseases quickly, but the mice who received the plant-grown vaccines showed long-lasting immunity for more than 300 days (equivalent to 50 human years).

Results from the National Institutes of Health-funded research are published in this month's Plant Biotechnology, the top-ranked journal in the field.

Clinical trials are needed, and Daniell is hopeful that the results with mice will translate to humans. It could be yet another example of plants delivering life-saving medicines.

The dual vaccine follows a string of other "green" vaccines developed in Daniell's lab. He's created vaccines against anthrax and black plague that generated a congratulatory call from the top U.S. homeland security official and was featured on the Discovery Channel. He's also successfully grown insulin in plants to find what could be a long-lasting cure for diabetes. Daniell's team continues to research these vaccines and is looking for investors to help fund clinical trials.

Producing vaccines in plants is less expensive than traditional methods because it requires less labor and technology, Daniell said.

"We're talking about producing mass quantities for pennies on the dollar," he said. "And distribution to mass populations would be easy because it could be made into a simple pill, like a vitamin, which many people routinely take now. There is no need for expensive purification, cold storage, transportation or sterile delivery via injections."

For Daniell, his research is more than his day job. His passion to find vaccines for the world's top 10 diseases as defined by the World Health Organization comes from growing up in India. He watched many of his childhood friends contract malaria, cholera and other diseases.

Daniell, a father of two, joined UCF's Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Medicine in 1998. His research led to the formation of the university's first biotechnology company. Daniell also became only the 14th American in the last 222 years to be elected the Italian National Academy of Sciences. In 2007 he was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.

"I'm not done yet," he said. "I still have more diseases to attack."
Source: University of Central Florida

Paris Spring Summer 2010 fashion show

A model presents a creation by French designer Stephane Rolland as part of his Haute-Couture Spring Summer 2010 fashion show in Paris January 26, 2010.

A model presents a creation by Italian designer Giorgio Armani as part of his Haute-Couture Spring Summer 2010 fashion show in Paris January 25, 2010.

A model presents a creation by German designer Karl Lagerfeld as part of his Haute-Couture Spring Summer 2010 fashion show for French fashion house Chanel in Paris January 26, 2010.

A model presents a creation by French designer Stephane Rolland as part of his Haute-Couture Spring Summer 2010 fashion show in Paris January 26, 2010.

French designer Stephane Rolland appears at the end of his Haute-Couture Spring Summer 2010 fashion show in Paris January 26, 2010.

A model presents a creation by French designer Stephane Rolland as part of his Haute-Couture Spring Summer 2010 fashion show in Paris January 26, 2010.
(Reuters)

Gang member and an innocent bystander shot in El Monte

Gang member and an innocent bystander shot in El Monte were hospitalized today and expected to survive, a police lieutenant said today.
The shooting occurred around 6:45 p.m. Sunday at Cogswell Road and Elliot Avenue, said El Monte police Lt. Ken Alva.One of the victims, a known gang member, was shot in the back and was believed to be the intended target, Alva said.The other victim was shot in the leg and was believed to be an innocent bystander.Both men were taken to a hospital and were expected to survive, Alva said.Police described the suspect's vehicle as a white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.

leader of 187 SBPD a Westside gang has an elaborate tattoo of a uniformed police officer being murdered inked across his back.

leader of a Westside gang has an elaborate tattoo of a uniformed police officer being murdered inked across his back.
It depicts the officer falling backward while one man stomps on him from above and another fires at him with a gun. A masked face pointing a shotgun is below the officer, and "187 SBPD" is scrawled across Charles Owens Jr.'s shoulderblades.
The tattoo became a point of interest Monday in the criminal trial of Terrell Markham, an 18-year-old man charged with brandishing a firearm at a police officer, possessing a stolen gun and street terrorism.
At the end of a foot chase on Nov. 7, 2007, Officer Adam Affrunti shot Markham three times because he allegedly refused to obey commands and was pulling a gun out of his back pocket. Affrunti is the cop pictured in the ominous tattoo and Markham is associated with the Projects gang that Owens "held the keys to" when the shooting took place, testified San Bernardino Police Sgt. Travis Walker. Owens has reportedly held a grudge against Affrunti since 2004, when the then-new officer accidentally hit and killed Charles Owens Sr. as the man crossed Ninth Street. Affrunti, who said he saw the tattoo in 2007 before the Markham incident, testified that Owens never told him that he was the officer shown in the tattoo. He also said he did not feel like there was a hit on him because of the tattoo, as authorities have implied.
"I don't recall anybody telling me that they think there was a hit out on me," Affrunti said. The tattoo "was put on Mr. Owens' back after Officer Affrunti had his accident," Walker, a gang expert, told the jury. "This was out of anger at Officer Affrunti and members of the San Bernardino Police Department after his father's death."

In pre-trial motions, prosecutor Ron Webster argued that Markham had "a lot to be gained" by hurting Affrunti and suggested that the teen lured the officer into a dark courtyard and hid behind the bush with the intent to harm Affrunti.
Defense attorney Dale K. Galipo has denied that Markham knew about the tattoo or was carrying a gun that day. Authorities have said Markham was carrying a gun stolen from a federal agent's Victorville home, 1.3 miles from the house where Markham had recently moved. Trying to link Markham to top gang members and show the gang's pattern of violence toward police, the prosecutor asked Walker about a half dozen documented Projects gang members and one particular incident in January of 2007, where two gang members assaulted a pair of officers. Projects gang members have been known to strike back at police. In both 2003 and 2004, officers were shot at while driving through the gang's turf. "Killing a police officer is the ultimate way of obtaining status in any criminal street gang," Walker told the jury, adding that Owens' tattoo could prompt violence against Affrunti because "it would allow any member that cause harm to Officer Affrunti to gain ultimate status in this gang."

Smith disputes this account, saying that when he approached the van he took his empty hand from his pants pocket, and the officer shot at him

Smith, an alleged gang member with a record of drug arrests, glanced down the street at a marked police car handling the earlier shooting, according to police. Then he is alleged to have sworn at the officers, pulled a gun from underneath his jersey and placed it against Collier's head. Chatman said he immediately reached across his partner's chest and fired two shots at Smith.Smith disputes this account, saying that when he approached the van he took his empty hand from his pants pocket, and the officer shot at him. Chatman and Collier did not respond to requests for comments.After Chatman fired, Smith crumpled to the ground, then sprang up and ran.
The officers jumped from the van and chased Smith down the street. While running, Smith is alleged to have turned and fired a shot at the officers. Collier returned fire, but Smith kept running.Meanwhile, seven girls and young women were returning from a corner store. When they heard the shooting and saw Smith and the two undercover officers running toward them, they screamed and ran into a two-flat on the block, according to their statements to police.But the door inside the vestibule leading to one girl's basement apartment was locked. As they banged on the door, Smith ran up and pushed on the front door of the two-flat, which would not open, perhaps because the 4-by-7-foot vestibule was so crowded.Chatman and Collier would later say they never saw the girls. They said they watched as Smith repeatedly rammed his right shoulder into the front door while turning and pointing the pistol with his right hand at Collier.Collier, a former award-winning Army sharpshooter, fired twice at Smith. The door of the vestibule flew open, and police said Smith fell inside. Chatman heard female voices inside the building screaming, with one crying, "Don't hurt me!"A few seconds later, Collier cautiously approached the vestibule and peered down the steps leading to the basement apartment. He saw Smith lying at the bottom of the stairs and saw and heard the girls screaming.
Instead of handcuffing Smith, securing his gun and radioing for help, both officers, according to their statements to supervisors, left the scene. Collier ran down the street to seek backup, while Chatman sprinted back to the unmarked van and drove toward the rear of the two-flat. He later told supervisors he did so in case Smith tried escaping from a back door.Moments later, responding officers entered the front door and saw Smith at the bottom of the stairs, bleeding from bullet wounds in the chest, arm and leg. Inside the basement apartment were the seven young girls and women, including Chantel Davidson, 13, who was hit in the shoulder by a police bullet.When police did not find a gun on Smith, they searched the apartment. Warfield, who lived there, later testified that police cut open couches, tipped over the refrigerator and broke two TVs. Still, they found no gun.For the next several hours, officers scoured the street. At one point, more than 100 officers were on the block. A firetruck with powerful lights was brought out to illuminate the area, and a gun-sniffing police dog was summoned. But no weapon was found.The girls and young women later said in court filings that they were locked in interrogation rooms at the police station overnight, deprived of using the bathroom and threatened with arrest. One was so upset she called a TV station for help. The girls continued to say Smith did not have a gun.Finally, at 6:30 the next morning, police said they found an unregistered gun under a bush 40 yards down the street from the two-flat. Police officials immediately gathered to hold a "round table" meeting to determine if the shooting was justified.The panel, consisting of police and other law enforcement officials, heard several officers give statements. But only one girl was brought in to testify: a 15-year-old who, according to police, said she had seen Smith show her cousin a gun the afternoon of the shooting.After about an hour, the round table provided the Police Department's initial finding in the case, clearing the two officers of wrongdoing — without interviewing all the witnesses, examining fingerprints or analyzing ballistics evidence.
Not until the girls filed a lawsuit was the Police Department compelled to answer pointed questions about the shooting and produce crucial documents. Those records, along with depositions and trial transcripts, reveal that the police's initial version of events does not square with what officers later testified to in court.
For instance, when the round table cleared the officers, police Assistant Deputy Superintendent Patrick McNulty addressed the initial failure to find a gun by writing that Officers Chatman and Collier briefly left the scene and the building unguarded.

Los Angeles County, where scores of people die at the hands of others each year, there is a haven that for years has known no murder.

For the last three years, no homicides have occurred in a remarkable patch of South Los Angeles. Measuring a mile wide from Hoover Street to Halldale Avenue and stretching from 73rd to 85th Street, it is an island encircled by the harsh realities of life in the urban core: One cannot walk a block outside its borders without coming across the site of a killing from the last three years.
The odd calm of the area is more striking when compared with a same-sized tract a mile directly to the south. There, on the grid of streets between 101st and 112th streets, 28 people were slain in the same time period. It is one of the deadliest neighborhoods in the county.These two starkly disparate realities were detected as part of The Times' ongoing effort to chronicle every homicide victim in Los Angeles County each year. On its website, the newspaper today launched a new version of the Homicide Report, which now allows readers to view the locations of homicides on maps, as well as analyze killings by various demographic factors. It is based on coroner's data and Times' reporting from the start of 2007 to the present.

The visual cues in the area that has been spared bloodshed, which is situated within the Vermont Knolls neighborhood, speak volumes. Most streets are lined with modest but appealing single-family houses. Frontyards often have no fences, the lawns are green and well-maintained. On recent days, a man meticulously swept the grass clippings off the sidewalk and young children rode scooters and bicycles without a parent to be seen.

There are some obvious reasons why this slice of Vermont Knolls is different. Over the last decade, an effort by the city and private investors has jump-started a rehabilitation of the commercial corridor along Vermont Avenue. Derelict buildings have slowly found tenants, pushing out people who once loitered and caused trouble, said Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president and chief executive of the Community Coalition, an influential advocacy group in the area.

Also, in the heart of the area is the Crenshaw Christian Center, a mega-church that occupies the old Pepperdine University campus stretching from Vermont to Normandie Avenue. The center dominates the landscape and serves as a hub for social activities and community outreach programs.

But other factors further separate the neighborhood from its more violent surroundings -- advantages that Harris-Dawson and others said cannot be easily repeated elsewhere.

The area is home, he said, to a generally older group of residents. The predominance of single-family homes instead of apartments means a less densely packed population and less turnover. And many in the neighborhood own their homes and have had roots in the area for generations.

The result is a place where people know each other, have an emotional and financial investment and don't take kindly to anything that might disturb the peace.

"We gently urge people to get the outside of their homes together. And if they don't keep them nice we'll send them a little note," said Lawrence Koonce Sr., who has lived on 81st Street for 43 years and is president of the local neighborhood watch group.

"People keep an eye out," he added, saying that residents have built close ties to the Los Angeles Police Department officers who patrol the area. Koonce, 64, recalled a neighbor who watched a suspicious-looking stranger knocking on doors a few weeks ago and called police when the person tried to break into a house.

And, for years, police have targeted the Hoover gang, the predominant criminal group in the area. Most recently, in July 2007, a yearlong LAPD investigation resulted in the arrest of 18 Hoover members suspected in an array of violent crimes. The clique had been using as a base the home of one member's grandmother in Vermont Knolls.

"Sometimes we fall asleep with the doors unlocked because it's so comfortable," said resident Marlene Turner.

A mile to the south, in the section of the Westmont neighborhood where 28 killings have occurred, residents live with no such sense of safety.

Densely packed, dreary apartment buildings catering to renters with Section 8 government subsidy vouchers are squeezed next to rundown houses that often have additional apartments added on. Real estate signs in front of boarded-up homes advertise foreclosure sales by banks. Street corners are dotted with liquor stores, coin-op laundries or small churches. The area, in many ways, is a cliche of urban blight.

On a recent day, two mothers sat perched on a cinder block wall keeping close watch over their children as they played on the sidewalk below. It was the same corner where Keith Orange, a 45-year-old black man, was shot to death a year ago, and a block away from seven other recent killings. Nearby, a group of several young black men sat on a stoop drinking from bottles of malt liquor. It is the type of place where a well-meaning resident greeted a reporter with the warning, "You shouldn't be here."

The level of violence is far less today than in the early 1990s, when the crack cocaine epidemic pushed homicide rates to more than double current numbers. The area, however, is still deadly.

"Walk outside at night? Oh, no, no, no," said Evette Robinson, a waitress who has lived in the area with her two teenage daughters for nine years.
As many as 15 different gangs vie for control of the streets in the three-quarter's of a square mile, and nearly all of the killings in the area are either known or suspected to be gang-related, said Chris Bergner, a sergeant in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's anti-gang unit, which struggles to control the neighborhood's streets. Gang territory can change from one block to the next and, unlike some neighborhoods where gangs fight to control drug sales on street corners, in this neighborhood there is relatively little drug dealing and blood is spilled over the smallest slights, whether real or perceived, Bergner and residents say."You've got these kids who just want to get a reputation, who kill just to be able to say they did it," said former gang member Ken Cunningham, who now owns a small plumbing company and ministers at a local church. "There's a mentality of 'When in Rome, we do as the Romans do.' "The victims in 21 of the 28 homicides were black men and women. Five were Latinos.Too often, said Bergner and other law enforcement officials, witnesses to killings and other violent crimes refuse to cooperate with police out of fear of retaliation from gangs. "You can know exactly who committed a murder, and it doesn't mean a thing because no one will say it aloud," Bergner said.
In interviews, several residents were largely supportive of gang injunctions in the area and other efforts by the Sheriff's Department, saying they wish for a greater police presence. But cops alone, many were quick to say, are not the solution. It is, they said, a neighborhood without any viable options to counter the pull of gangs. Unemployment is high and job training scarce. For youths, there is a dismal local high school, no parks, few after-school programs and little to do during the long summer months.
The killing of Joseph Watson stands as a sad reminder of such truths. The tall, quiet Washington Preparatory High School football player had tried to stay invisible to the gangs and follow the path of his stepfather, Jessie Adams, a retired cop. Whenever gang members shot at the boy or jumped him, Adams encouraged Watson to hang on. "I'd tell him, 'Keep it up, just keep it up.' " Watson, 17, died on the sidewalk on Budlong Street from multiple gunshot wounds on a January night in 2007. Police suspect he was killed by a local gang member as punishment for his refusal to join.

two Sureno members were assaulted by three Norteno gang members

Two suspected gang members were in custody and a third was being sought by Santa Rosa police early Monday following a fight between feuding gangs in Rincon Valley late Sunday night.Numerous callers reported a fight on Charmian Drive at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses said they saw a traffic collision followed by several males outside of the two cars and a fight.Officers determined the fight on Charmian between the two gangs had started with an assault with a deadly weapon at nearby Tanglewood Park between Sureno and Norteno gangs members, reported Sgt. Alissa Johnson.Sgt. Johnson said two Sureno members were assaulted by three Norteno gang members at the park. Weapons used included bats.Afterward, everyone left the park with the victims chasing the others to Charmian Drive where the two vehicles collided.Gang officers arrested Alfonso Velasquez, 18 and Daniel Ramos, 20, both of Santa Rosa. They were taken to Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, felony vandalism and participating in a criminal street gang.A 17-year-old Santa Rosa teen suspected of being part of the assault remained at large early Monday.

No one was hospitalized in the incident, police said.

Dontae Cotton 28-year-old man was fatally shot in an apparent gang-related shooting in South Los Angeles.

The shooting occurred shortly after midnight on Jan. 24, in the 1600 block of West 60th Place. Detectives say a man later identified as Dontae Cotton, had just returned home and was walking from his parked vehicle toward his home. A suspicious vehicle stopped in the street; a gunman emerged, confronted Cotton and shot him several times. Mr. Cotton was hit and collapsed on the side of his residence. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics rushed him to a local hospital where he died. The suspect was last seen driving westbound on 60th Place.

Police have also described the stabbing death of Levi King Flores as possibly gang-related.

20-year-old is a member of the Benkard Barrio Kings street gang, according to a source familiar with the incident. The attackers are believed to belong to the rival La Eme. Police Lt. Charles Broe would confirm only that police suspect the attack may be gang-related.
Police have also described the stabbing death of Levi King Flores as possibly gang-related. The 17-year-old died Jan. 13 after an afternoon street fight. A 13-year-old faces a manslaughter charge in Flores' death.
La Eme and BBK members were involved in that fight, according to numerous community sources. Police braced for retaliation, but the streets were quiet until Sunday night's stabbing. The 20-year-old is expected to live and told police he could probably identify his attackers.

Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll was one of Scotland's top 15 police targets, The Daniel clan enforcer, who was assassinated

"He was a very violent, unpredictable individual with animal cunning.

Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll was one of Scotland's top 15 police targets, The Daniel clan enforcer, who was assassinated in an Asda car park, featured prominently in a mapping exercise designed to establish the true scale of organised crime.Commissioned by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, the pioneering project identified 367 organised crime groups made up of 4066 individuals.They were ranked in order of the threat, risk and harm they pose to communities.The underworld Who's Who is highly confidential but we have been told Carroll featured in the top 15.As well as the national premier league of crime, each police force has its own list to allow officers to home in on the Mr Bigs.And we understand Carroll was one of Strathclyde Police's top 10 targets. Jamie Daniel, the grandfather of Carroll's two sons, is in the top five for the whole of Scotland.The exact make-up of the secret list is known to only a select few.A police source said: "Carroll was one of Scotland's most dangerous criminals and many people breathed a sigh of relief when he was killed."His murder leaves a vacuum but nobody is chomping at the bit to become the next Gerbil."Drug boss Carroll, 29, had been on the police radar since his teens but in recent years he had built a fearsome reputation.Our source added: "Even five years ago, when he was 24, he was a significant criminal player on the north side of Glasgow."We had to deploy a lot of resources in a bid to manage him. This included armed operations based on the intelligence we were getting."
Strathclyde detectives are now working round the clock in a bid to trace, interview and eliminate a lengthy list of individuals from the murder probe.Carroll is best known for playing a leading role in one of Scotland's most bloody gangland feuds.
Our source said: "He was a complete rocket. In the whole war between the Lyons and Daniel clans Carroll was the most unpredictable element."He heightened tensions because of the way he conducted himself and he was the one who could tip the whole thing into chaos."We know he was an arch enemy of the Lyons' but it is essential to keep an open mind at this stage of the inquiry."Underworld sources have even suggested the murder could be an inside job.
Liability Our source added: "Could it be that the Daniel clan felt he had become a liability?"It is not outwith the bounds of possibility."
Carroll's criminal behaviour, especially a recent spate of kidnappings, also left him with scores of enemies.
The mob led by Gerbil were dubbed the alien abduction gang as the victims, who were dragged from their homes then tortured, told police they could not remember anything.
Our source drew comparisons between Gerbil and another murdered gangland enforcer, Joe "Bananas" Hanlon.Bobby Glover, 31, and Hanlon, 23, were shot dead in 1991 in a revenge attack for the assassination of crime godfather Arthur Thompson's son, Arthur Jnr.
The pair were killed because they were allies of former Thompson enforcer Paul Ferris, who was blamed by the crime boss for his son's murder.
Our source said: "Hanlon had a similar nature to Carroll in that he was also very violent and unpredictable."Although Gerbil was a significant underworld figure, Crown Off ice investigators are still trying to establish how much he was worth.
Our source said: "He might have been a pay-as-you-go ned who earned it and spent it.
"Or he may have squirrelled away a fortune amassed through drugs, fraud and money laundering."At this stage, we don't know the true scale of his wealth."
Carroll is survived by his partner, Jamie Daniel's daughter Kelly Green, 29. The couple, who lived in Lennoxtown, Dunbartonshire, have two sons, aged six years and eight months.Gerbil was shot dead as he sat in the back of a black Audi in the car park of Asda in Robroyston, Glasgow around 1.30pm on Wednesday January 13.
Police have revealed more than 10 shots were fired at Carroll as horrified shoppers looked on.The three-man hit squad then sped off in a dark blue Volkswagen Golf, which is believed to have travelled east along the M80.The stolen car was later found burnt out in Yetts Hole Road, Glenmavis, Airdrie.

22-year-old Danish man, suspected of mowing down a prominent member of the AK81 motorcycle gang with his vehicle last year

22-year-old Danish man, suspected of mowing down a prominent member of the AK81 motorcycle gang with his vehicle last year, has been arrested in Egypt.
Egyptian police received tips about the man from Copenhagen Police and following the arrest, Danish officers have gone to Egypt to retrieve the suspect. The police say the young man is a member of one of the city’s immigrant gangs, who have been battling the motorcycle gangs for control of the city’s drug trade.
The 22-year-old man will reportedly be charged with attempted murder, after he allegedly ran down the AK81 member on Jagtvej, a road in the city’s Nørrebro district in April 2009. The victim, who according to police has connections to leading Hells Angels member Jørn ‘Jønke’ Nielsen, suffered fractures to his pelvis and both arms.
Since the incident, police had been looking for ‘two foreigners’ who witnesses say were in the vehicle. An 18-year-old man, who was allegedly the passenger in the car, was arrested not long after the incident and charged with complicity to attempted murder.

The alleged driver is expected to arrive in Denmark on Tuesday night and will face a preliminary hearing for the charges on Wednesday.

Feds have cut a deal with a Colombo hit man accused of murdering NYPD cop Ralph Dols

Reputed capo Dino (Big Dino) Calabro is alleged to be one of the shooters who gunned down the off-duty housing cop outside his Sheepshead Bay home in 1997.
Feds have cut a deal with a Colombo hit man accused of murdering NYPD cop Ralph Dols because he married another gangster's ex-wife.FBI agents moved Calabro's family out of their Long Island home and into the witness protection program yesterday, sources familiar with the case.The brazen killing of a cop - usually forbidden by the Mafia in the U.S. - was allegedly ordered by then-Colombo boss Joel (Joe Waverly) Cacace, who felt disrespected by Dols, his ex-wife Kim's fourth husband.
Calabro, 43, who was born in Italy, is the second member of the alleged hit team to flip. The alleged getaway driver Joseph (Joey Caves) Competiello began cooperating with the government in 2008."This really solidifies the Dols case," said a knowledgeable source.
Calabro's co-defendants have suspected for months that he was looking for a way out of the seven murders he is charged with in a federal indictment. He could have faced the death penalty for blowing away Dols.Sources said Calabro was a no-show at defense strategy meetings at the Metropolitan Detention Center, claiming he hadn't been invited. "He finally showed up, and it was very awkward," said a lawyer.Calabro's lawyer Richard Jasper did not return calls. A spokesman for the Brooklyn U.S. attorney's office also declined to comment

Jaime Ayala, 18, pleaded guilty to gang participation as a member of the 18th Street Gang and assault and battery by a mob

Jaime Ayala, 18, pleaded guilty to gang participation as a member of the 18th Street Gang and assault and battery by a mob for the Feb. 28 fight. That night several people jumped out of a white van and assaulted another group at a party at the community center. That white van was later seen by a witness near where the Bennetts were attacked and is what led investigators to link the crimes.Wearing the orange and white jump suit of the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center, Ayala pleaded guilty to the two charges. There is no agreement from the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office on sentencing, but prosecutors did agree to reduce the charge of malicious wounding to assault and battery by mob.He will face final sentencing on those charges at 9 a.m., Friday, April 23.Ayala had also been expected to plead to a series of charges stemming from a home-invasion robbery on March 27 of last year. In that case he faces two counts of robbery with a gun, two counts of using a firearm while committing a felony and two counts of abduction. That case will come back before the court Monday, Feb. 15, for scheduling.The other suspect charged in that case is scheduled to stand trial later that week.
Ayala, who was 17 at the time of all three incidents, has been charged as an adult in all three cases. He was facing first degree murder charges for the death of William Bennett, but the charge was not pursued by the commonwealth after questions were raised about whether his age had been established adequately during preliminary hearings in juvenile court.Prosecutors said while they were confident with their case, they did not want to risk any chance for appeal if Ayala was convicted. Murder charges are expected to be refilled in that case.

Former gang member Lim Eng Soon, known as Black Panther in gangster circles, subsequently died of his injuries on Monday afternoon

Former gang member Lim Eng Soon, known as Black Panther in gangster circles, subsequently died of his injuries on Monday afternoon, almost 12 hours after the vicious attack.His wife, who wanted to be known only as Madam Lim, sustained cuts to her arm and chest. The 46-year-old declined to give their occupations, but it is believed Mr Lim was a cleaner.She said that on Sunday night, her husband, who is in his late thirties, headed out to meet a 'brother' - understood to be an old gang friend - near Block 144, Teck Whye Lane near Choa Chu Kang.Madam Lim said his friend wanted to see him about an important matter. She joined her husband and his friend some time past 11pm, and the three decided to have supper at a nearby coffee shop.
But while they were walking to the coffee shop, a man suddenly appeared from behind, and began hitting the friend with an umbrella.

Brown Pride Soldiers gang member has been sentenced to 10 years in prison

16-year-old gang member has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his part in beating and stabbing another teen to death in Sultan.Jaime Santana pleaded guilty in November to second-degree murder and was sentenced Monday in Everett.Three other people have pleaded guilty and received sentences of 10 to 15 years. One more defendant awaits trial for the June attack on 17-year-old Antonio Marks of Marysville near the Sultan City Hall.The Daily Herald of Everett reports all of the accused are believed to be members of a Sultan gang called Brown Pride Soldiers. Marks was believed to belong to a rival gang called the Southland Villains.

Hector Portillo, a member of the international MS-13 street gang, was sentenced to 38 years’ imprisonment

Hector Portillo, a member of the international MS-13 street gang, was sentenced to 38 years’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Sterling Johnson at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. Portillo previously pleaded guilty to racketeering, including predicate acts of murder and attempted murder. After serving the term of incarceration, Portillo is subject to deportation to El Salvador.The sentencing was announced by Benton J. Campbell, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.As detailed in the superseding indictment and other court filings by the government, beginning in 2000, Portillo was a soldier of MS-13, also known as “La Mara Salvatrucha,” and engaged in a series of violent crimes in Flushing, New York, including conspiracy to murder and assault members of rival gangs, such as the Crips, the Bloods, and the Latin Kings. At his previous guilty plea, Portillo admitted that he and other gang members sought to retaliate against members of the Bloods gang for an earlier altercation, during which Portillo was stabbed. During the early morning hours of Christmas Eve 2006, Portillo and another gang member approached a group of youths whom Portillo believed to be rival Bloods gang members, including the person who had stabbed Portillo. Portillo shot Pashad Gray multiple times at close range, only later learning that Gray was not the individual who had stabbed him. Gray died of his wounds. Portillo was also convicted of participating in a drive-by shooting in February 2006, during which a teenager was shot, but survived.“Violent street gangs such as MS-13 prey on our community and relish the beating, stabbing, and shooting of perceived rivals, with disregard for bystanders caught in their cross-hairs,” stated United States Attorney Campbell. “Today’s sentence reflects the severity of such crimes and affirms our unwavering commitment to dismantle street gangs street gangs and bring their members to justice.” Mr. Campbell extended his grateful appreciation to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, the New York City Police Department, and the New York City Department of Probation for their assistance in this case.MS-13 is the largest street gang on Long Island. Over the past five years, investigations by the United States Attorney’s Office, ICE, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the NYPD have solved multiple murders on Long Island and in New York City, and resulted in felony convictions of more than a dozen MS-13 leaders and 120 MS-13 soldiers.The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason A. Jones, Ali Kazemi, and Marshall L. Miller.

New species found in Ecuador: Glass frog with transparent body

Rain Frog

A new species, this as yet unnamed rain frog looks toward an uncertain future.

The frog is one of 30 unknown species found in Ecuador's highland forests by a team of U.S. and Ecuadorian researchers, the nonprofit, Arizona-based Reptile & Amphibian Ecology International announced January 14, 2010. As Central and South America’s increasingly isolated "islands" of mountaintop forest fall to the ax, and heat up with global warming, scientists fear many such species will be lost before we ever knew they existed, the organization says.

A new species, this as yet unnamed rain frog looks toward an uncertain future.

Slug-Sucking Snake

Just 20 minutes of nighttime searching in a rare patch of coastal dry forest in Ecuador enabled scientists to spot this new species of snake—on a branch just above biologist Paul Hamilton’s head.

The slug-sucking snake is one of a small group that feasts on gastropods such as slugs and snails. Not only is the snake an unknown species, but its closest relative lives almost 350 miles (560 kilometers) away in Peru.

Slug-Sucking Snake

Tree Frog With Red Iris

A new species, announced January 2010, of rain frog crouches on a leaf in its forest home in Ecuador.

The frogs' lifestyle is so thoroughly arboreal that, instead of laying eggs in water, the frogs deposit their eggs in trees. And instead of hatching as tadpoles, the offspring emerge as miniature versions of their parents—some not much larger than pinheads.

Tree Frog With Red Iris

New Species of Stick Insect

The RAEI team uncovered four intriguing stick-insect species—including the above animal—which boast some of the animal kingdom’s best camouflage.

Scientists searching for reptiles and amphibians captured the photogenic insects on film—and later were surprised to learn they'd discovered four new species of the genus Xylospinodes.

New Species of Stick Insect.

Scaly-Eyed Gecko

The scaly-eyed gecko (Lepidoblepharis buchwaldi)—also a new species—can perch comfortably atop a pencil eraser, even as an adult.

"They crawl around in leaf litter on the forest floor, and they are so small they are very hard to find," biologist Hamilton explained. "All of these things take a lot of time to find, and if we don't get to work and put in a lot of hours we're going to miss ever seeing a lot of these little things."

The scaly-eyed gecko (Lepidoblepharis buchwaldi)—also a new species—can perch comfortably atop a pencil eraser, even as an adult.

Lungless Salamander

Like nearly half of the new species announced by RAEI in January 2010, the salamander—which is not a new species—dwells on Cerro Pata de Pájaro. The cloud forest-capped mountain straddles the Equator six miles (ten kilometers) from the Pacific Ocean.

The few square miles of forest here are home to 14 new species found nowhere else.

This lungless salamander, which breathes through its skin, is one of three similar species RAEI scientists spotted in Ecuadorian forests.

Heart of Glass

This so-called glass frog's transparent body lacks pigmentation and reveals its organs in action—including a beating heart.

More than 150 species of glass frogs are found in rain forest trees across Central and South America, RAEI says (pictures of tropical rain forests). But many are feeling pressures like those that threaten their frog relatives worldwide.

This so-called glass frog's transparent body lacks pigmentation and reveals its organs in action—including a beating heart.

Dwarf Iguana

A male O'Shaughnessy's Dwarf Iguana (Enyalioides oshaughnessyi) can cut an imposing figure. But the animal may be helpless in the face of threats to its cloud forest home, RAEI says.

Cerro Pata de Pájaro is being deforested on all sides for the expansion of cattle grazing, RAEI says. Climate change may also heat up—and dry up—cloud forests, which could leave animals unable to adapt with nowhere to go.

A male O'Shaughnessy's Dwarf Iguana (Enyalioides oshaughnessyi) can cut an imposing figure. But the animal may be helpless in the face of threats to its cloud forest home, RAEI says.

(CCTV.com)

Swan Lake from Russia with love

A scene from Swan Lake by the Kremlin Ballet Theater

Jan. 26 -- Even a few years ago, ballet in China meant just one thing, Swan Lake, and Russian companies were almost always the most popular. This has gradually changed as more renowned ballet companies from around the world grace the capital's stage.

We've seen British's Royal Ballet, romantic French ballet, contemporary German ballets and mixed American ballet. At the same time, we've realized there are dozens of Russian ballet companies touring the world every day. They boast about their Kirov/Bolshoi pedigrees and have confusing names. The result is that people are becoming more fastidious about which shows they watch.

Picky audiences have forced producers to bring high-class productions to Beijing, otherwise the tickets do not sell.

Beijing XDR Cultural & Communication Company has organized a "Spring For Ballet" festival for the past 10 years and it succeeds because it always invites the Russian National Ballet. It's not as famous as the Kirov or Bolshoi, but is working hard to rise above the second tier and their performances retain real Russian energy and passion.

"Their performances are not without flaws and curious historical details, but its well-trained dancers convey a sense of warmth and personal pride that is rarely seen in touring companies," says Zhao Hong, deputy manager of Beijing XDR Culture & Communication Company.

When the company toured the United States with Swan Lake last year, the Washington Post reviewed it "a cut above many of its rivals. The Swan Lake was the real thing."

The Russian National Ballet Theater was founded in Moscow in the late 1980s when many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union's ballet institutions were exercising their new-found creative freedom by starting new companies dedicated not only to tradition but to new developments in dance from around the world.

The principal dancers of the company came from the top ballet companies and academies of Moscow, Riga, Kiev; and even Warsaw, in Poland. In 1994, the legendary Bolshoi principal dancer, Elena Radchenko, was selected as artistic director. She has focused on inheriting the tradition of Russian ballet and developing new talent, with a repertory of virtually all the works of Marius Petipa, including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.

For the 10th anniversary of "Spring For Ballet", Beijing XDR Culture & Communication Company will also invite another acclaimed Russian ballet company, the Kremlin Ballet, to this year's festival.

The Kremlin Palace used to be the second stage for the Bolshoi Theater. When Bolshoi stopped using the stage in the late 1980s, Andrei Petrov who had danced as soloist with Bolshoi since 1965, decided to found a new ballet company there. Its premiere production was a full-length ballet Macbeth in 1990.

Petrov, as the artistic director, had a clear vision of the company's development. Its repertoire would be based on the masterpieces and modern dance trends.

"We won't go out to conquer, astonish, enter into competition with the Bolshoi Theater. We simply want to create our own company which will present sound productions in which our young dancers will be able to show what they are made of," says Ekaterina Maximova, who co-founded the company with Petrov.

For "Spring For Ballet," The Kremlin Ballet brings Petrov's 2008 production Figaro, an original comic ballet with music by Rossini and Mozart.

"It's my long time dream to introduce the quick-witted barber on to the ballet stage in a comic work," the choreographer says.

(China Daily)

Low-carbo diet better than low-fat to lower blood pressure

A low-carbohydrate diet may be better than a low-fat diet plus the weight-loss drug orlistat for its effect on helping lower blood pressure, a new study in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine said.

Reseachers in U.S. picked up 146 overweight or obese adults who were randomly assigned to a low-carbohydrate diet or orlistat with a low-fat diet.

The average age of the study participants was 52 and the average body-mass index was 39 (30 and over is considered obese). Orlistat was marketed as Xenical, a prescription medication, and Alli, available over the counter.

The low-carb diet began with a carbohydrate intake of less than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. The group taking orlistat received a 120-milligram dose of the drug three times daily and got less than 30 percent of their calories from fat.

Over 48 weeks, the low-carbohydrate group lost 9.5 percent of their body weight, while the orlistat group lost 8.5 percent. Insulin and glucose markers improved only in the low-carb group, and there was a significant drop in blood pressure in the low-carb group compared to the orlistat group. Similar reductions were seen for diastolic blood pressure.

"Weight loss was similar but substantial in both groups we studied, but blood pressure improved more in the low-carb dieters," said study author Dr. William Yancy Jr., an associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center and a staff physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

"There are options out there. Pick a diet you think you could stick to better, and work with your physician to help you target the right intervention for you," he advised.

Yancy said the blood pressure and cholesterol drops might have been even more impressive if people had stayed on their medications, but as they lost weight and normalized these readings, the doctors took them off blood-pressure and cholesterol drugs.

Obesity is a significant inducement to many illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and many cancers.

"There are many paths to weight loss," said registered dietitian Karen Congro, director of the Wellness for Life Program at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City. What often makes the difference in whether or not a diet is successful, she said, is whether or not there's a counseling and support component to the plan.

These studies show that you don't necessarily need to get to your "ideal body weight" to make substantial improvements to your health, she said. Losing 5 percent to 10 percent of your body weight can make positive changes in blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose control.

"If it can make you a healthier person, then a diet is a success," said Congro.

(Agencies)

Queen Elizabeth II plans to address UN General Assembly

Britain's Queen Elizabeth prepares to record her Christmas Day broadcast to the Commonwealth, in the White drawing room at Buckingham Palace in London, December 10, 2009, in this picture released December 23, 2009.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 25 -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon Monday welcomed the announcement from Buckingham Palace that Queen Elizabeth II will visit United Nations Headquarters in New York in July.

The British monarch is slated to address the 192-member General Assembly on July 6 for the first time in over 50 years.

As Britain's head of state and 15 other UN member states, the only other time the Queen addressed the General Assembly was in 1957.

A statement issued by Ban's spokesperson said Ban warmly welcome the announcement of the upcoming visit.

"He looks forward to receiving Her Majesty personally on this historic occasion," it said.
(Reuters)

Ministerial preparatory conference on quake-ravaged Haiti ends with road map

The Ministerial Preparatory Conference on Haiti is concluded on Monday afternoon in Montreal, Canada, as the Group of Friends of Haiti, major donors and regional and multilateral partners passed a statement, stressing international cooperation and coordination in rebuilding the earthquake-ravaged country in the long term, Jan. 25, 2010.

MONTREAL, Jan. 25 -- The Ministerial Preparatory Conference on Haiti was concluded on Monday afternoon in Montreal, Canada, as the Group of Friends of Haiti, major donors and regional and multilateral partners passed a statement, stressing international cooperation and coordination in rebuilding the earthquake-ravaged country in the long term.

The Ministerial Preparatory Conference on Haiti is concluded on Monday afternoon in Montreal, Canada, as the Group of Friends of Haiti, major donors and regional and multilateral partners passed a statement, stressing international cooperation and coordination in rebuilding the earthquake-ravaged country in the long term, Jan. 25, 2010.

A chairman statement said that another technical conference will be held in March at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York to coordinate the international efforts.

Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, who chaired the conference, stressed at a press conference, joined by his counterparts, that Haiti will play a leading role in the reconstruction with the supports by the international community.

Participants stressed that the current situation remains dire in Haiti, that the needs are immense and that the Haitian people continue to suffer.

"We resolved to remain swift and steadfast in our support. We will continue to urgently respond to pressing requirements in the most affected areas," the statement said.

Participants recognized the continued leadership and sovereignty of the government of Haiti, reiterating the commitment to undertake a coordinated, coherent and comprehensive approach to meet Haiti's immediate and longer-term needs.

"Under the leadership of the government of Haiti, and with a key coordination role by the United Nations, we will coordinate our efforts with national, international and regional organizations of the Americas, international financial institutions and a broad range of partners, to the benefit of the Haitian people," the participants pledged.

The Ministerial Preparatory Conference on Haiti is concluded on Monday afternoon in Montreal, Canada, as the Group of Friends of Haiti, major donors and regional and multilateral partners passed a statement, stressing international cooperation and coordination in rebuilding the earthquake-ravaged country in the long term, Jan. 25, 2010. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

The participants held that an initial 10-year commitment is essential as is a concerted effort to rebuild Haiti's capacity. " Sustainable development, including environmental sustainability, climate resilience, disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness, will be a cornerstone of our joint approach."

They highlighted the following longer-term strategic objectives: strengthened democratic governance, sustained social and economic development, and enduring stability and respect for the rule of law.

The participants reached a common understanding on a road map towards Haiti's reconstruction and development.

According to such a road map, the participants will restore the operational capacity of the government of Haiti; urgently conduct post-disaster and reconstruction-focused needs assessments; urgently convene an international conference to be held in March at the United Nations, steered by the government of Haiti and supported by key donors and partners including the United States, Canada, Brazil, the European Union and France; convene technical meetings to create an action plan to guide the reconstruction and development.

Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive appreciated the support by the international community, pledging a full and long term cooperation.

At the introductory session earlier, Bellerive said that his government has been contacting extensively with various aspects of the society and is determined to rebuild a new Haiti with generous international supports.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also delivered opening remarks, calling on the international community to be prepared for a sustained, significant effort in Haiti, working closely with the leadership of the government of Haiti.

Also attending the meeting are foreign ministers and delegates of the Group of Friends of Haiti, the neighboring Dominican Republic, and major donors and key regional and multilateral partners engaged in Haiti: the European Union, Spain and Japan.

A number of international organizations and key international financial institutions, including the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Caribbean Development Bank, also are present.

In addition, non-governmental organizations, Montreal's Haitian Diaspora are also represented at the conference.

Founded in the early 1990s, the Group of Friends of Haiti is an informal association of like-minded nations that meets on the margins of the UN Security Council. Member states are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Peru, the United States and Uruguay.

On Jan. 12, a strong earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck areas close to Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, causing widespread loss of life and extensive damage to infrastructure. Significant aftershocks followed, the strongest with a magnitude of 5.9 on Jan. 20.
(AFP)

looking for “Black Pat” police raided his house in the Hill neighborhood in late August and found a stash of drugs, cash and gang recruitment pamphlet

looking for “Black Pat” police raided his house in the Hill neighborhood in late August and found a stash of drugs, cash and gang recruitment pamphlets.

Most troubling to police was the trove of materials glorifying the culture of the organization known as the “Grape Street Crips.” The Grape Street Crips — a copycat of a violent Los Angeles gang of the same name — had been confined to the Hill neighborhood about six blocks south of Yale’s Medical School campus, and police were determined not to let them expand.Although police doubt the presence of the El Salvadoran gang in the New Haven area, some buildings in Fair Haven have been tagged with graffiti bearing the gang's name.On Aug. 27, members of the New Haven Police Department’s Tactical Narcotics Unit acted on their suspicions and burst into “Black Pat’s” house. Pat, 27, whose real name is Patrick Brown and who is also called “Pizzy,” was nowhere to be found. But the drugs netted the arrest warrants police needed to put Brown behind bars — if they could ever catch him.
Police continued surveillance of the 15- to 20-person gang, arresting another member for a murder in September. But Brown — the gang’s leader — continued to elude capture. Acting on a tip, detectives finally caught Brown after surrounding him in his Chevy Equinox on Orchard Street on Oct. 21. They sealed the block, expecting trouble, but Brown gave up without a fight.The Crips have been relatively quiet in New Haven ever since, according to police. But they are but one of the many gang factions police are now fighting in New Haven. Like a game of whack-a-mole, the New Haven police frequently quash gangs that pop up around the city. But even after a successful strike, another gang always emerges, police say. According to interviews with six New Haven police officials and two outside gang experts, a complex and fluid network of street gangs inhabit the city’s neighborhoods, with constantly shifting allegiances and dealings.While police say few if any gangs have actual ties to national gangs — even if they share a name, such as the Crips — they remain just as dangerous to the city. For example, police said local gangs are behind a majority of drug crimes in the city, a majority of shootings and a significant portion of robberies.
The NHPD now has arguably the most aggressive stance against gangs in decades. Meanwhile, local gangs have showed a greater interest in identifying with larger, more organized national groups such as the Bloods and Crips. Under the direction of soon-to-retire Police Chief James Lewis, the police have taken a tough stance against gangs, but no official doubted that despite the city’s best efforts, gangs are here to stay in the Elm City.

Haiti recovers slowly from deadly quake

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Jan. 23 -- Eleven days after a 7.3-magnitude quake hit Haiti's capital city Port-au-Prince, things are now beginning to return to normal, though very slowly.

People crowd a market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 23, 2010.

The much-reported violences, robberies and the like that occurred after the quake are now much less thanks to a joint patrol by U.S. military, UN peacekeeping staff and local police, which has gradually restored social stability in the city, although foreigners are still at risk of getting mobbed by desperate people at the airport.

The logistics problem that grabbed media's headlines last week during which only around 10 percent of homeless people could receive food, are fading away from people's memory with supermarkets finally reopening last Saturday, although the reopening caused a rush of purchases by local people who have been starved for more than 10 days.

Search and rescue teams from the United Nations, different countries as well as aid organizations and international bodies are now still working hard to clear bodies and rubble and offering consultancy service to the survivors.

People who lost their homes are now being settled down in tents outside the city center.

The survivors have different stories to tell.

An injured Haitian child receiving treatment lies in a temporary hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 23, 2010.

Johnson, a university student from Wamba, a village on the outskirts of Port au Prince, was lucky enough to escape the quake as he did not take the final exam at the Episcopal University on Jan. 12 because he had to meet his best friend Pascal from afar. The quake destroyed the university and 27 of Johnson's 30 classmates who took the exam were killed by the quake.

Despite official warnings that people were extremely unlikely to have survived until last Saturday, rescuers continued work and pulled survivors out from the rubble.

An 84-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man were rescued miraculously on Friday, 10 days after the quake hit Haiti.

The aged woman named Marie Carida Roman was dug out from rubble of her home by her son and neighbors with bare hands.

Carida Roman was struggling in hospital as her body was in bad shape.

The 22-year-old man was rescued by the Israeli rescue team on Friday.

Unlike the old woman, the young man was found in stable condition at an Israeli field hospital in Port-au-Prince.

Some other survivors pulled out from collapsed buildings described how they survived by drinking their own urine during this ordeal.

The United Nations on Friday announced a new estimate of 75,000 deaths in the quake, much less than the earlier estimate of 200,000 by some other sources.

According to the UN estimate, the people who lost their homes number about 1 million, not as many as the earlier estimate of 3 million.

People scavenge in the ruins of a building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 23, 2010.

However, there are lots of work to do as most of the buildings in the capital city are distorted and dangerous. More than 40 percent of the buildings in the city were collapsed during the quake which required a lot of work to clear them.

The U.S. army, which controls the capital city's only airport, is busy with directing the landing and taking off of airplanes. But there are still complains from organizations like Doctors without Borders whose aircraft loaded with badly needed medicines and medical treatment equipment cannot land on the airport immediately after arriving.

All eyes are now on the next step to be taken in Haiti: what kind of rebound the city can expect, what kind of rebuilding will take place, if the city will escape the contagion that may follow the collapse of sanitation infrastructure and the fate of the city's many orphans.
(Ubaldo Gonzalez)