New Antarctic research lab has extendable legs, can crawl over the ice

Cold, frosty nights on the Antarctic continent are about to get a lot more cosy. The newly designed Halley VI Antarctic research station is set to open next week, and contains a few neat little tricks. Fixed structures typically struggle on the frigid continent due to moving ice and the threat of snow-burial. The Halley VI, however, has extendable legs that not only allow it to keep rising above snow level, but also mean it can be towed to a new location as required. There are eight pods in total which connect together, and are made up of research areas and living quarters. The larger, central red cabin provides a communal living area that houses its own special tricks -- such as specially selected shades, a climbing wall and a herb garden -- to fend off the intense winter blues. Whether the architects had been watching Star Wars Episode 5 at time of conception is unclear.

Filed under: Science, Alt

Comments

Via: io9

Source: Architectural Record

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/nr5XyEWrBI8/

andrew bailey the village dallas fort worth tornado dallas tornadoes dallas weather nike nfl uniforms ben and jerrys free cone day

Israel suggests responsibility for Syria airstrike

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak gestures during a meeting at the Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. The 49th Munich Security Conference started Friday until Sunday with experts from 90 delegations. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak gestures during a meeting at the Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. The 49th Munich Security Conference started Friday until Sunday with experts from 90 delegations. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Ehud Barak, Defence Minister of Israel, left, gestures next to Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Security Conference, during a meeting at the Conference in Munich, southern Germany, on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. The 49th Munich Security Conference started Friday until Sunday afternoon with experts from 90 delegations. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, center, arrives for a meeting of the Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. The 49th Munich Security Conference started Friday until Sunday with experts from 90 delegations. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak gestures during a meeting at the Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. The 49th Munich Security Conference started Friday until Sunday with experts from 90 delegations. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

MUNICH (AP) ? Israel's defense minister strongly signaled Sunday that his country was behind an airstrike in Syria last week, telling a high profile security conference that Israeli threats to take pre-emptive action against its enemies are not empty. "We mean it," Ehud Barak declared.

Israel has not officially confirmed its planes attacked a site near Damascus, targeting ground-to-air missiles apparently heading for Lebanon, but its intentions have been beyond dispute. During the 22 months of civil war in Syria, Israeli leaders have repeatedly expressed concern that high-end weapons could fall into the hands of enemy Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militants.

For years, Israel has been charging that Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iran have been arming Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war against Israel in 2006.

U.S. officials say the target was a convoy of sophisticated Russian SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles. Deployed in Lebanon, they could have limited Israel's ability to gather intelligence on its enemies from the air.

Over the weekend, Syrian TV broadcast video of the Wednesday attack site for the first time, showing destroyed vehicles and a damaged building identified as a scientific research center. The U.S. officials said the airstrike hit both the building and the convoy.

Turkey, which seeks the ouster of Assad and supports the opposition that is fighting against his regime, harshly criticized Israel regarding the airstrike in Syria. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that Israel engaged in "state terror" and he suggested that its allies have nurtured wrongdoing on the part of the Jewish state.

"Those who have from the very beginning looked in the wrong direction and who have nourished and raised Israel like a spoiled child should always expect such things from Israel," Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News quoted Erdogan as saying.

Erdogan, who also criticized Iran for supporting Syria, is a frequent critic of Israel, a former ally of Turkey. Relations hit a low in 2010 when Israeli troops raided a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship, and nine activists on board were killed. Both sides accused each other of initiating the violence.

In his comments Sunday in Munich, Barak came close to confirming that his country was behind the airstrike.

"I cannot add anything to what you have read in the newspapers about what happened in Syria several days ago," Barak told the gathering of top diplomats and defense officials from around the world.

Then he went on to say, "I keep telling frankly that we said ? and that's proof when we said something we mean it ? we say that we don't think it should be allowed to bring advanced weapons systems into Lebanon." He spoke in heavily accented English.

In Syria, Assad said during a meeting with a top Iranian official that his country would confront any aggression, his first comment on the airstrike.

"Syria, with the awareness of its people, the might of its army and its adherence to the path of resistance, is able to face the current challenges and confront any aggression that might target the Syrian people," Assad was quoted as saying by the state news agency SANA.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Saeed Jalili, the head of Iran's National Security Council. Iran is Syria's closest regional ally. Jalili, on a three-day visit to Syria, has pledged Tehran's continued support for Assad's regime.

Jalili, who also serves as his country's top nuclear negotiator, condemned the Israeli raid, stressing that it has proven the "aggressive nature of Israel and its threat of the region's security and stability."

The chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards said Sunday that Tehran also hopes Syria will strike back against Israel.

Syrian opposition leaders and rebels have criticized Assad for not responding to the airstrike, calling it proof of his weakness and acquiescence to the Jewish state.

The Syrian defense minister, Gen. Fahd Jassem al-Freij, said Israel attacked the center because rebels were unable to capture it. Al-Freij called the rebels Israel's "tools." He told the state TV, "The heroic Syrian Arab Army, that proved to the world that it is a strong army and a trained army, will not be defeated."

Ahmad Ramadan, an opposition leader, said Syria's claim that the rebels are cooperating with Israel "is an attempt by the regime to cover its weakness in defending the country against foreign aggression." He spoke by telephone from Turkey.

While Israel has remained officially silent on the airstrike, there seemed little doubt that Israel carried it out, especially given the confirmation from the U.S., its close ally.

Israel has a powerful air force equipped with U.S.-made warplanes and has a history of carrying out air raids on hostile territory. In recent years, Israel has been blamed for an air raid in Syria in 2007 that apparently struck an unfinished nuclear reactor and an arms convoy in Sudan believed to be delivering weapons to Hamas.

Israel has not confirmed either raid, but military officials routinely talk about a "policy of prevention" meant to disrupt the flow of arms to its enemies.

In the days preceding the airstrike, the Israeli warnings were heightened. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a series of dire comments about the threat posed by Syria's weapons.

Israel considers any transfer of these advanced weapons to be unacceptable "game changers" that would change the balance of power in the region.

Israel has grown increasingly jittery as the Arab Spring has swept through the Middle East, bringing with it a rise of hostile Islamist elements. While Assad is a bitter enemy, Israel's northern front with Syria has remained quiet for most of the past 40 years.

If Assad is toppled, the threat of al-Qaida forces operating along Israel's frontier with Syria would pose a new and unpredictable threat. Israel has been racing to reinforce its fences along its northern frontiers with Lebanon and Syria.

In addition, Israel fears that its archenemy Iran, the close ally of Syria and Hezbollah, is moving closer to developing a nuclear weapon.

Israeli leaders have vowed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear arms, making veiled threats to use force if international diplomacy and sanctions fail.

Israeli defense officials tried to play down Barak's comments, saying that he was voicing a general policy that Israel is ready to defend its interests and not discussing a specific incident. They also noted that he was not speaking in his native Hebrew.

Even so, it seemed that Barak, a former prime minister, military chief of staff and regular participant on the world stage, was sending a message that Israel's warnings are not hollow and that further military action should not be ruled out.

"There is a real danger now that seriously problematic weapons will reach Hezbollah, and Israel is trying to prevent this," said Reuven Pedatzur, a defense analyst at Tel Aviv University. He said the threat has reached the point "where weapons are actually being loaded on trucks and sent on their way. That is new."

Pedatzur said the decision by Syria to try to move weapons to Lebanon could indicate that Assad's days are numbered. Assad may fear that he won't be able to secure the weapons for much longer, or may be under pressure from Iran to transfer the arms to Hezbollah before he is toppled.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong war in mid-2006 that ended in a stalemate, and Israeli military planners believe it is just a matter of time before another war breaks out.

Israel says Hezbollah has already restocked its arsenal with tens of thousands of rockets and missiles, and that obtaining chemical weapons or the advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles would severely hinder Israel's ability to operate in Lebanon.

In Beirut, the Lebanese military issued a statement saying that six Israeli warplanes flew over different areas of the country on Sunday.

____

Federman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Ian Deitch in Jerusalem, and Christopher Torchia in Istanbul contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-03-Israel-Syria/id-0a91be2ac7e3413aa99b867b4ebc540f

albert pujols the shining mariano rivera mariano rivera jobs report tiger woods masters 2012 nikki haley

Video: Baltimore vs. San Fran: Best Super Bowl sandwich

>>> from gator aid to sandwiches, time for today's kitchen super bowl style. no matter which team you are cheering for, we are going to find out whether san francisco or baltimore will win in the battle. here to help us do that, pit master, kenny cal abegan, executive chef.

>> what makes these sandwiches unique representatives of their perspective cities?

>> san fran versus baltimore . san francisco is famous for bread and green goddess dressing . this is my take. it is like a grilled cheese on steroids.

>> how can you go wrong with that?

>> this is the green goddess dressing . you can scoop some africa go. anchovies.

>> i never realized that was in it.

>> it gives it a little salty flavor.

>> you can help me assemble the sandwiches, a little sourdough, two pieces. spread some green goddess on there liberally. both sides. two or three nice slices of mozzarella.

>> with sourdough, it is a classic san francisco .

>> when i go to san fran , i go right to the wharf, i get some sourdough and an anchor steam.

>> really great.

>> put that right on there.

>> this one is really to come off.

>> a little panini, smush it down. we are ready to go. here are some finished ones.

>> we can't win a sandwich face-off if we don't --

>> what's going on in baltimore ?

>> blue smoke is a barbecue joint here in manhattan. we have a couple locations. this is baltimore barbecue. you can help me out. this is called tiger sauce, mayonnaise, horseradish, a little lemon juice , sour cream. whisk that together. here we have some beef. a nice kaiser roll . spread some tiger sauce on there.

>> what kind of beef is this?

>> i'm using top sirloin. put a little bit of a dry rub on it and smoke it over charcoal.

>> i am going to throw some onions on here too.

>> raw onion, the classic baltimore pit beef sandwiches, the tiger sauce. pile it nice.

>> so we have ten seconds to try our sandwiches.

>> either way, thank you.

>> both places are a winner today.

>> we're going to take a little taste. kenny callahan, thank

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50683628/

ncaa basketball oikos kentucky wildcats oakland school shooting nike nfl jerseys katie couric barista

Mutant gene gives pigeons fancy hairdos

Friday, February 1, 2013

University of Utah researchers decoded the genetic blueprint of the rock pigeon, unlocking secrets about pigeons' Middle East origins, feral pigeons' kinship with escaped racing birds, and how mutations give pigeons traits like a fancy feather hairdo known as a head crest.

"Birds are a huge part of life on Earth, and we know surprisingly little about their genetics," especially compared with mammals and fish, says Michael D. Shapiro, one of the study's two principal authors and an assistant professor of biology at the University of Utah. "There are more than 10,000 species of birds, yet we know very little about what makes them so diverse genetically and developmentally."

He adds that in the new study, "we've shown a way forward to find the genetic basis of traits ? the molecular mechanisms controlling animal diversity in pigeons. Using this approach, we expect to be able to do this for other traits in pigeons, and it can be applied to other birds and many other animals as well."

The study appears Jan. 31 on Science Express, the website of the journal Science. Shapiro led the research with Jun Wang of China's BGI-Shenzhen (formerly Beijing Genomics Institute) and other scientists from BGI, the University of Utah, Denmark's University of Copenhagen and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Key findings of the study of pigeons, which first were domesticated some 5,000 years ago in the Mediterranean region:

• The researchers sequenced the genome, or genetic blueprint, of the rock pigeon, Columba livia, among the most common and varied bird species on Earth. There are some 350 breeds with different sizes, shapes, colors, color patterns, beaks, bone structure, vocalizations and arrangements of feathers on the feet and head ? including head crests that come in shapes known as hoods, manes, shells and peaks.

The pigeon is among the few bird genomes sequenced so far, along with those of the chicken, turkey, zebra finch and a common parakeet known as a budgerigar or budgie, so "this will give us new insights into bird evolution," Shapiro says.

• Using innovative software developed by study co-author Mark Yandell, a University of Utah professor of human genetics, the scientists revealed that a single mutation in a gene named EphB2 causes head and neck feathers to grow upward instead of downward, creating head crests.

"This same gene in humans has been implicated as a contributor to Alzheimer's disease as well as prostate cancer and possibly other cancers," Shapiro says, noting that more than 80 of the 350 pigeon breeds have head crests, which play a role in attracting mates in many bird species.

• The researchers compared the pigeon genome to those of chickens, turkeys and zebra finches. "Despite 100 million years of evolution since these bird species diverged, their genomes are very similar," Shapiro says.

• The study turned up more conclusive evidence that major pigeon breed groups originated in the Middle East, and that North American feral pigeons ? which are free-living but not wild ? are close relatives of racing pigeons, named racing homers.

A Genome for the Birds, a Gene for Head Crests

The study assembled 1.1 billion base pairs of DNA in the rock pigeon genome, and the researchers believe there are about 1.3 billion total, compared with 3 billion base pairs in the human genome. The rock pigeon's 17,300 genes compare with about 21,000 genes in people.

The researchers first constructed a "reference genome" ? a full genetic blueprint ? from a male of the pigeon breed named the Danish tumbler. They did less complete sequencing of two feral pigeons and 38 other pigeons from 36 breeds.

Shapiro says his team's study is the first to pinpoint a gene mutation responsible for a pigeon trait, in this case, head crests.

"A head crest is a series of feathers on the back of the head and neck that point up instead of down," Shapiro says. "Some are small and pointed. Others look like a shell behind the head; some people think they look like mullets. They can be as extreme as an Elizabethan collar."

The study found strong evidence that the EphB2 (Ephrin receptor B2) gene acts like an on-off switch to create a head crest when mutant, and no head crest when normal. It also showed the mutation and related changes in nearby DNA are shared by all crested pigeons, so the trait evolved just once and was spread to numerous pigeon breeds by breeders. They ruled out the alternate possibility the mutation arose several times independently in different breeds.

The researchers analyzed full or partial genetic sequences for 69 crested birds from 22 breeds, and 95 uncrested birds from 57 breeds. They found a perfect association between the mutant gene and the presence of head crests.

"The way we tracked this trait was innovative," Shapiro says. "We used gene-finding software from Mark Yandell's group that was developed to find mutations that control human diseases. We adapted this software to find mutations that control interesting traits in pigeons. This should be extendable to other animals as well."

The scientists also showed that while the head crest trait becomes apparent in juvenile pigeons, the mutant gene affects pigeon embryos by reversing the direction of feather buds ? from which feathers later grow ? at a molecular level.

Other genetic factors ? not identified in the new study ? determine what kind of head crest east pigeon develops: shell, peak, mane or hood, according to Shapiro.

Tracking the Origins of Pigeons

A 2012 by Shapiro study provided limited evidence of pigeons' origins in the Middle East and some breeds' origins in India, and indicated kinship between common feral or free-living city pigeons and escaped racing pigeons.

In the new study, "we included some different breeds that we didn't include in the last analysis," Shapiro says. "Some of those breeds only left the Middle East in the last few decades. They've probably been there for hundreds if not thousands of years. If we find that other breeds are closely related to them, then we can infer those other breeds probably also came from the Middle East. That's what we did."

"We found that the owl breeds ? which are pigeon breeds with very short beaks and that are very popular with breeders ? likely came from the Middle East," he says. "They are very closely related to breeds we know came from Syria, Lebanon and Egypt."

Shapiro says the study also "found a lot of shared genetic heritage between breeds from Iran and breeds we suspect are from India, consistent with historical records of trade routes between those regions. People were not only trading goods along those routes, but probably also interbreeding their pigeons."

As for the idea that free-living pigeons descended from escaped racing pigeons, Shapiro says his 2012 study was based on "relatively few genetic markers scattered throughout the genome. We now have stronger evidence based on 1.5 million markers, confirming the previous result with much better data."

The scientists analyzed partial genomes of two feral pigeons: one from a U.S. Interstate-15 overpass in the Salt Lake Valley, and the other from Lake Anna in Virginia.

"Despite being separated by 1,000 miles, they are genetically very similar to each other and to the racing homer breed," Shapiro says.

He notes that pigeons were one of evolutionist Charles Darwin's "favorite examples of how selection works. He used this striking example of artificial selection [by breeding] to communicate how natural selection works. Now we can get to the DNA-level changes that are responsible for some of the diversity that intrigued Darwin 150 years ago."

###

University of Utah: http://www.unews.utah.edu/

Thanks to University of Utah for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 53 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126581/Mutant_gene_gives_pigeons_fancy_hairdos

Tulane player injured fox sports obama speech amber rose drew peterson Art Modell Frank Ocean Gay

New Orleans travel tips for Super Bowl weekend

Robert Firpo-Cappiello , Budget Travel ? ? ? 10 hrs.

Long before anyone knew that the contending NFL teams in Super Bowl XLVII would be the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, this year's host city, New Orleans, was preparing for the crowds expected to pack the city this weekend.

As with last year's Super Bowl, which was hosted by another mid-size city, Indianapolis, this year's promises a weekend where visitors can rub elbows with enthusiastic locals, with the party atmosphere traveling easily from the Mercedes Benz Super Dome (the site of the actual game) to the French Quarter and beyond.

The location and time of year also mean that this year's Super Bowl festivities will overlap with those of Mardi Gras season, creating perhaps a "perfect storm" of hospitality and high spirits.

If you're heading to ? or are?already in???New Orleans for this weekend?s big game, the Mardi Gras, or just by coincidence, here are a few things you should know to guarantee that the party of the year goes your way:

Have a custom-made libation
In honor of the big game, some local watering holes are rolling out original drinks. Caf? Adelaide, for instance, is serving The Raven (made with rum, ginger syrup, orange juice) and The California Gold Rush (made with organic vodka, mint, seltzer, and golden bitters).

Enjoy a Mardi Gras parade
Sure, the real Fat Tuesday isn't until February 12, but in order to accommodate the plethora of krewes, parades began in mid-January and are happening now. While all the parades offer colorful floats, costumes, and interactions with the crowd, for something different, try the Krewe de Paws Canine Carnival Club parade, Saturday February 2 at 10 a.m. in nearby St. Tammany Parish. To check out other parade schedules and routes, visit nola.com/mardigras.

If you get a restaurant reservation, keep it!
At this point, with game day just a couple days away, most of New Orleans's high-end dining spots are booked. But if you do land a reservation at a sought-after restaurant such as The Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel, be sure to show up on time. If you cancel a reservation without prior notice, the restaurant will charge a fee of $100 per guest.

But remember, New Orleans restaurants are used to crowds
Low-key restaurants like the breakfast and lunch caf? Stanley?expect to see up to 3,000 guests per day this time of year, so the Super Bowl crowds won't necessarily cause as much of a scene as you might fear. (In fact, wait staff at Stanley have been outfitted this year with iPads so that transmitting diners' orders to the kitchen is snappier than ever.) One caveat, though, is that some joints (both posh and pedestrian) near the Superdome may be shut down the weekend of the game. Chef John Besh, for example, is closing his La Provence restaurant through February and using it instead as a prep kitchen for game-related parties and events that are booked at his downtown restaurants.

Check out public transportation
New Orleans's legendary streetcars and other means of public transportation are affordable and efficient. But be sure to check out Super Bowl- and Mardi Gras-related schedule changes and detours at the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority's website, norta.com.

More?from?Budget?Travel:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/itineraries/new-orleans-travel-tips-super-bowl-weekend-1B8192612

geithner gabrielle giffords juliette lewis chelsea handler mitch daniels shirataki noodles prince fielder

Facebook and Dropbox iOS identity theft hack

The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

---

Please try the following:

• Make sure that the Web site address displayed in the address bar of your browser is spelled and formatted correctly.
• If you reached this page by clicking a link, contact the Web site administrator to alert them that the link is incorrectly formatted.
• Click the Back button to try another link.

---

Technical Information (for support personnel)

• Go to Microsoft Product Support Services and perform a title search for the words HTTP and 404.
• Open IIS Help, which is accessible in IIS Manager (inetmgr), and search for topics titled Web Site Setup, Common Administrative Tasks, and About Custom Error Messages.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PocketPicks/~3/x25lLHVW30o/

this means war bobby brown suzanne somers colbert colbert report legionnaires disease underwear bomber

Alabama: Hostage drama continues

After allegedly fatally shooting a school bus driver on Tuesday, an Alabama man took a kindergartner from the bus and is now holding the boy hostage. The suspect appears to be an "antigovernment radical and survivalist," said one observer. ?

By Phil Sears,?Reuters / January 30, 2013

An undated handout photo of school bus driver Charles Albert Poland Jr. Poland who was fatally shot after a gunman boarded a bus ferrying more than 20 children home from school Tuesday. The shooter took a 6-year old kindergarten student, fled the scene and is now holed up in an underground bunker.

REUTERS/Dale County Board of Eductation/Handout

Enlarge

A gunman suspected of fatally shooting an Alabama?school bus driver before holing up in an underground bunker with a young child is a?Vietnam?veteran with anti-government views, authorities and an organization that tracks hate groups said on Wednesday.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

Law enforcement officials from multiple agencies were bivouacked near the bunker in?Midland City?but offered few details about a standoff with the shooter that stretched into its second day on Wednesday.

Authorities said driver?Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was killed after the gunman boarded a bus ferrying more than 20 children home from school on Tuesday.

The suspect demanded the driver let a student off the bus, Alabama?media reported. When?Poland?refused, the man boarded the bus and shot the driver before taking a 6-year-old kindergarten student and fleeing the scene.

The shooting and subsequent hostage drama came as a national debate rages over gun violence, especially in schools, after a gunman shot dead 20 students and six staff members at a?Connecticut?elementary school last month.

In Alabama?on Wednesday night, the suspected gunman remained holed up with the boy in the underground bunker on his property down a dirt road. Any efforts to negotiate with the man, or to stage a hostage rescue operation, were shrouded in secrecy with authorities declining to comment.

Television images showed security force officers, clad in camouflage uniforms and brandishing assault rifles, patrolling the area.

An Alabama?legislator, Representative?Steve Clouse, told reporters the hostage suffered from Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD but had apparently been able to receive his medication while held captive. The?Dale County Sheriff's Department?said the child was not believed to have been harmed.

Schools in the area of the Alabama?shooting were closed on Wednesday and will remain shuttered for the rest of the week.?

Driver hailed as hero?

Dale County Superintendent?Donny Bynum?lauded?Poland?as "a hero ... who gave his life to protect 21 students who are now home safely with their families."

The superintendent's assistant said the young boy still being held by the gunman appeared to have been chosen at random.

"Emotions are high, and it's a struggle?for us all?to make sense of something so senseless, but let us keep this young student, his family and Mr.?Poland's family in our thoughts and prayers," Bynum said in a statement.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/sDUAZVmBSpE/Alabama-Hostage-drama-continues

greg mcelroy new york post kate middleton bob costas bowl projections Jovan Belcher Charlie Batch