Review: Winehouse album stirs sadness ? and joy (AP)

Amy Winehouse, "Lioness: Hidden Treasures" (Universal Republic)

Although "Lioness: Hidden Treasures" serves as Amy Winehouse's posthumous album and the follow-up to 2007's "Back to Black," the multiplatinum, multi-Grammy winning album that would define her short career, it was not intended as such: While she started on material for a third album, one had not been finished at the time of her death on July 23 from alcohol poisoning. And of the 13 songs on "Lioness," only four were recorded in her post-"Back to Black" era: "Body & Soul," the Tony Bennett duet already included on Bennett's own "Duets II" this year; "Between the Cheats"; the Nas collaboration "Like Smoke"; and "A Song for You."

Listening to those most recent tunes, especially "A Song for You" ? a remake of the Donny Hathaway classic ? you can hear why that true third album never materialized. On the song, Winehouse's once strong, smoky and sultry voice had lost some of its vitality, and while she showed flashes of spark, she stumbles her way through her performances: It's heartbreaking to hear such a marked decline in just a few short years.

Still, it's a gift to hear anything from Winehouse in the wake of her untimely death, and this new compilation features true treasures recorded between 2002, a year before her debut album, "Frank," and this year. Her rendition of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," a remake of the Shirelles' timeless song, is stirring: Recorded in 2004 with the Dap Kings, it showcases Winehouse when she was at or near her peak. At one moment, she sounds vulnerable, singing cautiously and tenderly; then she releases the full power of her voice, leaving the listener in awe. This song alone makes the album a must-get.

There are other treats as well. Remakes of "The Girl From Ipanema" and "Our Day Will Come" show Winehouse's playful side; "Halftime" recalls 1970s-era soul; and a slightly downbeat, less-produced version of the Mark Ronson-produced "Valerie" is even better than the original.

There are also alternate takes of her more popular songs, including a stripped-down "Wake Up Alone," which gives Winehouse's voice and an accompanying guitar more room to shine, and "Tears Dry," which Winehouse originally imagined as a ballad (the up-tempo version, "Tears Dry on Their Own," remains the better version).

Listening to most of the album will leave fans at first mournful over the loss of great talent at such a young age (she was 27 when she died). But the joy of having more Winehouse material to savor, especially since she had such a short catalog, is the emotion that remains.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Best Friends, Right," written solely by Winehouse and produced by frequent collaborator Salaam Remi, is a great example of why Winehouse was so endearing, with its wry humor: "You don't want me in the flat when you come home at night, but we're best friends ? right?"

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_en_mu/us_music_review_amy_winehouse

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2 giant pandas fly from China to Scotland (AP)

BEIJING ? Two giant pandas have flown from China to Scotland, where they will become the first pandas to live in Britain in nearly two decades.

The pandas, named Tian Tian and Yang Guang ? or Sweetie and Sunshine ? munched on bamboo at Chengdu airport ahead of their trip and arrived in Edinburgh later Sunday.

The pandas are to stay for 10 years at Edinburgh Zoo, where officials hope they will breed during their stay.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will pay more than 600,000 pounds ($935,000) a year to China for the loan of Sweetie and Sunshine, not including the expense of imported bamboo.

Britain's last giant panda lived in London Zoo until 1994, when it was returned to China.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/pets/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111204/ap_on_re_as/as_china_pandas

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Brad Pitt consoles suicidal actor

Brad Pitt was a real pal to a stranger in need on Sunday.

Following a special screening of "Moneyball" at the Cary Grant Theatre in Culver City, Calif. on Sunday, the star, 47, encountered a distraught man during a Q&A session with hundreds of fans.

PHOTOS: How Brad and Angie's kids have grown up

According to an attendee, a 30-something struggling actor announced to Pitt, costar Jonah Hill and the crowd that he was battling suicidal thoughts alone in his car before the night's event-- but the film gave him "a renewed sense of hope." ?

(In the acclaimed film, Pitt plays real-life Oakland As general manager Billy Beane, who built a champion team using computer-generated analysis to draft its player.)

PHOTOS: Brad's many movie looks

"It was a really awkward moment," the attendee tells Us, adding that the actor got "choked up" as he revealed his battles to the crowd.

But Pitt didn't flinch, the witness says. "He said, 'Look, man, life is up and down, it's a vicious cycle, but you have to go through it and deal with that,'" the observer reveals.

PHOTOS: Brad and other Hollywood do-gooders

The father of six and longtime love to Angelina Jolie continued in his pep talk: "'You can be down, but then you come back up again, and every failure can lead to success.'"

"It was a touching moment," adds a second observer. "As he left the theatre he even stopped to talk with the guy to offer him some more words of encouragement because he was obviously fragile."

PHOTOS: Brad and Angie's Us Weekly covers of 2011

Marvels the first witness: "Brad handled the situation really well in front of several hundred people -- it was a difficult moment that shocked everyone."

If you think you or a loved one are in an emotional or suicidal crisis, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline online, or call 800.273.TALK.

Copyright 2011 Us Weekly

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45529488/ns/today-entertainment/

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Former Wisconsin governor Thompson launches Senate run (reuters)

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Attorneys in the battle over California's same-sex marriage ban file briefs

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorneys in the battle over California's same-sex marriage ban filed legal papers in federal court Friday on the California Supreme Court's ruling that the proposition's supporters could defend the measure in court.

The filings by supporters and opponents of the Proposition 8 comes after the California Supreme Court ruled last month that sponsors of the ballot initiative had the right to defend the measure in court even though the governor and attorney general have refused to do so.

Following the Nov. 17 ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in San Francisco asked both sides to file legal papers on the ruling and how it would impact the case.

In the filings Friday, lawyers for the coalition of religious and conservative groups who successfully campaigned for passage of the proposition, agreed with the ruling, while opponents disagreed, and said the higher court should dismiss the appeal.

Opponents of Proposition 8, including attorneys for Kristin Perry and Sandra Stier, a lesbian couple from Berkeley, said permitting backers of the proposition to appeal the ruling would disregard precedent, and that the higher court should dismiss the appeal.

If the panel accepts the Supreme Court's interpretation, it would clear the way for the appeals court to consider the merits of an appeal challenging a lower court ruling that overturned the ban.

Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_19463503?source=rss

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Children with HIV in Asia resistant to AIDS drugs (Reuters)

HONG KONG (Reuters) ? Teenagers in Asia receiving treatment for HIV are showing early signs of osteoporosis and children as young as five are becoming resistant to AIDS drugs, an anti-AIDS group said on Thursday, urging more attention be given to young HIV patients.

The finding, made available on World AIDS Day, is a reminder that while more people in Asia now have access to basic AIDS drugs, improved medicines remain out of reach and patients -- both adults and children -- still suffer from inadequate care.

In Asia, some 160,000 children are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. Of these, 57,000 require treatment but only 30,000 were receiving it as of the end of 2008, according to UNICEF.

Researchers at TREAT Asia found children as young as five were developing resistance to AIDS drugs and may soon require improved, more expensive medicines, which are not available for them yet.

"In our cohort, about 14 percent of the children have failed first-line drugs ... Some of the children who are already on second-line are under the age of five," Annette Sohn, director of TREAT Asia, told Reuters in a phone interview.

Poor adherence to the timing or frequency of taking AIDS drugs can result in resistance. But in Asia, resistance is also due to the lack of drug formulations for children.

"We all made some mistakes on how we managed patients with HIV in the beginning of the epidemic," Sohn said. "We used adult tablets. We had no pediatric formulations in our countries."

Sohn said health experts and drug providers need to find ways to make third-line, more powerful drugs available for children in poor countries. Such medications are available or subsidized in rich nations but very expensive and sometimes unavailable in developing countries.

"Unless we develop access to third-line drugs, we are going to find ourselves in a clinic room with a patient that there is nothing left and we have no other drug to give them."

A long-term study of 4,000 HIV patients under the age of 23 in Asia by TREAT Asia also showed that a high percentage of teenagers had low bone mineral density, a precursor of osteoporosis.

"We did a special X-ray on these teenagers who are about 16 years old and found that 15 percent of them had low bone mass," Sohn said.

"That is not normal. Kids are not supposed to have low bone mass when they're 16 years old and that's because of the effect of HIV on their bodies ... brain, bone, immune system."

Sohn, a pediatric specialist for children with HIV/AIDS, said this may also be due to toxic effects that some AIDS drugs, such as tenofovir, have on bones.

"It is not so much about avoiding one drug or another but being aware of these side effects, studying what drug doses will suppress the virus while not being toxic, having the resources to monitor the side effects, and having access to alternate drugs if they do arise."

The study covers Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia and India. TREAT Asia is a network of clinics, hospitals and research institutions working together to improve treatment access.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/aids/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111201/hl_nm/us_children_asia_drugs

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Fukushima Earthquake Moved Seafloor Half a Football Field

News | More Science

The massive shift, laterally and upward, caused the epic March 2011 tsunami

By Mark Fischetti ?| December 1, 2011

The March 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake that decimated Japan and its Fukushima nuclear reactors with a monster tsunami altered the seafloor off the country?s eastern coast much more than scientists had thought. Analysis released today in the journal Science indicates the ocean bed moved as much as 50 meters laterally and 16 meters vertically. The magnitude 9.0 quake occurred close to the nearby Japan Trench that runs north to south in the Pacific Ocean (dark blue line on the map below).

The trench exists because the oceanic Pacific Plate (dark blue on map below) is moving westward, hitting and bending down under the continental Okhotsk Plate (light blue) from which Japan rises (green, brown). This ?subduction? action creates tension within the tectonic plates, which is occasionally released in the form of earthquakes.

Although measurements from satellites and seismic ground sensors had indicated the Okhotsk Plate moved after the 9.0 temblor on March 11, the extent of the movement was not clear. Researchers at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology compared new seafloor maps made of the region this year with maps made in 1999 and were surprised by the extent of motion. For example, data along one transect (yellow marker, below) near the quake?s epicenter (black ?x? on the map) indicated that the Okhotsk plate moved 50 meters east-southeast toward the trench.

Comparison of depth data showed that the earthquake itself lifted the Okhotsk plate 10 meters where the plate dives deep toward the trench (yellow to purple color, at center, below). The plate?s lateral shift also caused it to tip up another four to six meters there. ?We think that the additional uplift contributed to the generation of the pulsating pattern of tsunami waves,? Toshiya Fujiwara, one of the lead researchers, wrote in an email.

So if the Okhotsk plate shifted 50 meters at the trench, what happened at Japan?s eastern shore? According to Fujiwara, data from various Japanese agencies and universities shows that the seafloor at the Tohoku shore moved 5 meters seaward. Offshore, the plate shifted from 15 to 31 meters in the same east-southeast direction, and close to the trench it moved 50 meters. The gradually increasing displacement suggests that the plate was actually stretched from the shore toward the trench, changing local stress patterns along the way. The many large aftershocks that occurred (red circles, below; yellow is the quake epicenter) are evidence of the stretching, Fujiwara noted.

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Map credits (top to bottom): Captain Blood and Wikimedia Atlas of the World (Japan and Asia); NOAA (plates); Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (trench map and horizontal displacement graphic); ZENRIN and Google Maps (aftershocks).

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Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=84d1643f6a3ba865ceb03f4f53fc9167

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