Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD Projector

Although you can use a projector plus an adapter to display video or photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, the Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD Projector ($799 direct) does it one better. This 720p home entertainment projector has a dock that lets you project content directly from your Apple mobile device. It?s not the first projector we?ve encountered to which you can yoke your iThing?the Optoma Neo-i ($450 street, 4 stars) earned an Editors? Choice as a pico projector in this capacity. Like its pint-sized counterpart, the MG-850HD isn?t limited to displaying content from iPhone, iPad, or iPod, and like the Neo-I, the MG850HD performed admirably, well enough to earn its own Editors? Choice.

Design and Features

The patterned black MG-850HD measures 4.6 by 13.4 by 11.5 inches (HWD). At 8.6 pounds, it?s too heavy to have as a frequent traveling companion but light enough to take with you in a pinch. The iThing dock is in back; in front, the lens has focus and zoom wheels as well as a manual keystone correction.

On its Web site, Epson categorizes the MG-850HD?which employs a 3LCD light engine with a rated 2,800-lumen brightness and 720p (specifically, 1,280 by 800, aka WXGA) native resolution?as both a home entertainment and a business projector. Businesspeople can save a PowerPoint presentation as JPEGs to their iPad or iPhone and run a presentation from it. And although the projector lacks a VGA port for connecting with a computer, it has an HDMI port over which I was able to run our DisplayMate data tests from my computer, as well as stream video from other devices. (The MG-850HD also has composite and component video connectors; all the ports are hidden behind a protective door.)PerformanceI tested the MG-850HD?s video capabilities using a docked iPhone 4, as well as several video sources over an HDMI connection. In playing videos on our 6-foot-wide test screen in theater-dark conditions, the projector handled both bright and dark scenes well, and colors were rich without being oversaturated. Better, the built-in pair of 10-watt speakers provided audio that was both loud and of good quality. All in all, a very pleasing movie-watching experience.

I ran the DisplayMate data tests from a laptop set to match the projector?s WXGA resolution. I had to turn off all digital keystone correction, as applying it can introduce artifacts in images with hatched or moir? patterns. The MG-850HD sailed through the tests; the only issue I noticed was a trace of a tint in a few gray images. It was well below the bothersome threshold, and I?d be very surprised if I would have noticed it at all were it not my job to pick up on such subtleties. A nice plus was our text test; not only was the type readable at the smallest size, there was only a trace of softness; with most projectors, text at its size is more blurred if it?s readable at all.

When you plug your i-device into the dock, the projector will detect it and, you?ll be presented with four options: Videos, Music, Photos & More, and Setting. By drilling down through the menu system, you can locate any videos saved on your device. When playing a song or album, the album cover will be projected. To view photos, you must go into one of your iThing?s photo albums and enable it to display as a slideshow; you can add a music or voice track that?s stored on your device as well. Along with the other ports is a jack for a microphone, so you could narrate a slideshow on the spot.

The MG-850HD can print from a variety of sources, but is it versatile enough to make you a cup of coffee? Not quite: There?s actually a coffee-cup icon on the remote, but you?ll have to brew the java yourself. Pressing the cup icon pauses the projector and turns its light to bright white so you can see your way to the kitchen (or bathroom, if you?ve already had enough coffee) and back. Pressing the cup icon will dim the light and resume the video or slideshow where you left off.

The Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD and its 540p resolution sibling, the MegaPlex MG-50 ($699 direct), are reminiscent of Epson?s MovieMate instant home theater line, which combine projector, DVD player, audio and speaker system in a single package. The MovieMate 72 (3.5 stars, $1,099 direct) is the 720p model. The MegaPlexes trade the DVD player for the iThing dock?call them instant home theaters for the iPhone generation.

In this golden age of mobile devices, it?s no surprise that we?re seeing products that integrate iPod docks with everything from printers (the VuPoint Photo Cube) to radios (the Cue Radio Model r1), and a projector is a natural? complement to an i-device. The Optoma Neo-I proved its mettle as a small, inexpensive, and relatively low-brightness projector/iPod doc combo. The Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD Projector is in a different class in terms of price, resolution, and brightness, and worthy of its own Editors Choice by virtue of its versatility plus its data and video quality. You?ll have to supply and make the coffee and the popcorn though?at least for now.

More Projector Reviews:

??? Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD Projector
??? Optoma Pro160S
??? Optoma HD33
??? Optoma DP-MW9080A
??? InFocus IN1503
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/0ihiC6Ijh78/0,2817,2395432,00.asp

honey badger girl fight wake forest wake forest jacoby brissett danielle staub last of the mohicans

Charlie Sheen brings his "Anger Management" to FX (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Actor Charlie Sheen, fired from his previous role on TV's "Two and a Half Men," will return to television in summer 2012, in his new "Anger Management" on FX, the network announced on Thursday.

The new sitcom, which had been previously announced but had yet to find a network, sees Sheen playing an anger management therapist who causes chaos in his patients' lives by using unconventional methods, the network said in a statement.

The new show is the latest in Sheen's bid to turn over a new leaf in his career after a turbulent year.

He was TV's highest-paid actor for his role as womanizing bachelor Charlie Harper in the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men," but was fired after a public dispute with the show and network executives at CBS, during which he lashed out at show creator Chuck Lorre. He was replaced by actor Ashton Kutcher.

Sheen ranted against his old employers and posted videos on the Web in which he bragged about his "winning" ways and the "tiger blood" he had running through in his veins.

All of that came after a year in which he found himself in legal trouble and in rehab for drug and alcohol use.

More recently, the star has seemed contrite. He settled a lawsuit with the "Two and a Half Men" producers, and appeared on TV talk shows admitting he was out of control. took to the stage at the Emmys -- TV's highest awards -- and said to the "Men" cast and crew, "From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for the upcoming season."

"Anger Management," in which Sheen retains a significant ownership stake, is loosely based on the 2003 film of the same name starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. FX has ordered 10 episodes, and production will begin in early 2012.

"We think that Bruce Helford, Joe Roth and Charlie Sheen have come up with a wonderful, hilarious vehicle for Charlie's acting talents, and a character we are very much looking forward to seeing him play," said John Landgraf, President and general manager of FX Networks, in a statement.

(Reporting and writing by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111028/people_nm/us_charliesheen

wvu football meteor shower tonight district 9 district 9 pandaria pandaria artie lange

Python study may have implications for human heart health

Thursday, October 27, 2011

A surprising new University of Colorado Boulder study shows that huge amounts of fatty acids circulating in the bloodstreams of feeding pythons promote healthy heart growth, results that may have implications for treating human heart disease.

CU-Boulder Professor Leslie Leinwand and her research team found the amount of triglycerides -- the main constituent of natural fats and oils -- in the blood of Burmese pythons one day after eating increased by more than fifty-fold. Despite the massive amount of fatty acids in the python bloodstream there was no evidence of fat deposition in the heart, and the researchers also saw an increase in the activity of a key enzyme known to protect the heart from damage.

After identifying the chemical make-up of blood plasma in fed pythons, the CU-Boulder researchers injected fasting pythons with either "fed python" blood plasma or a reconstituted fatty acid mixture they developed to mimic such plasma. In both cases, the pythons showed increased heart growth and indicators of cardiac health. The team took the experiments a step further by injecting mice with either fed python plasma or the fatty acid mixture, with the same results.

"We found that a combination of fatty acids can induce beneficial heart growth in living organisms," said CU-Boulder postdoctoral researcher Cecilia Riquelme, first author on the Science paper. "Now we are trying to understand the molecular mechanisms behind the process in hopes that the results might lead to new therapies to improve heart disease conditions in humans."

The paper is being published in the Oct. 28 issue of the journal Science. In addition to Leinwand and Riquelme, the authors include CU postdoctoral researcher Brooke Harrison, CU graduate student Jason Magida, CU undergraduate Christopher Wall, Hiberna Corp. researcher Thomas Marr and University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Professor Stephen Secor.

Previous studies have shown that the hearts of Burmese pythons can grow in mass by 40 percent within 24 to 72 hours after a large meal, and that metabolism immediately after swallowing prey can shoot up by forty-fold. As big around as telephone poles, adult Burmese pythons can swallow prey as large as deer, have been known to reach a length of 27 feet and are able to fast for up to a year with few ill effects.

There are good and bad types of heart growth, said Leinwand, who is an expert in genetic heart diseases including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the leading cause of sudden death in young athletes. While cardiac diseases can cause human heart muscle to thicken and decrease the size of heart chambers and heart function because the organ is working harder to pump blood, heart enlargement from exercise is beneficial.

"Well-conditioned athletes like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and cyclist Lance Armstrong have huge hearts," said Leinwand, a professor in the molecular, cellular and developmental biology department and chief scientific officer of CU's Biofrontiers Institute. "But there are many people who are unable to exercise because of existing heart disease, so it would be nice to develop some kind of a treatment to promote the beneficial growth of heart cells."

Riquelme said once the CU team confirmed that something in the blood plasma of pythons was inducing positive cardiac growth, they began looking for the right "signal" by analyzing proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and peptides present in the fed plasma. The team used a technique known as gas chromatography to analyze both fasted and fed python plasma blood, eventually identifying a highly complex composition of circulating fatty acids with distinct patterns of abundance over the course of the digestive process.

In the mouse experiments led by Harrison, the animals were hooked up to "mini-pumps" that delivered low doses of the fatty acid mixture over a period of a week. Not only did the mouse hearts show significant growth in the major part of the heart that pumps blood, the heart muscle cell size increased, there was no increase in heart fibrosis -- which makes the heart muscle more stiff and can be a sign of disease -- and there were no alterations in the liver or in the skeletal muscles, he said.

"It was remarkable that the fatty acids identified in the plasma-fed pythons could actually stimulate healthy heart growth in mice," said Harrison. The team also tested the fed python plasma and the fatty acid mixture on cultured rat heart cells, with the same positive results, Harrison said.

The CU-led team also identified the activation of signaling pathways in the cells of fed python plasma, which serve as traffic lights of sorts, said Leinwand. "We are trying to understand how to make those signals tell individual heart cells whether they are going down a road that has pathological consequences, like disease, or beneficial consequences, like exercise," she said.

The prey of Burmese pythons can be up to 100 percent of the constricting snake's body mass, said Leinwand, who holds a Marsico Endowed Chair of Excellence at CU-Boulder. "When a python eats, something extraordinary happens. Its metabolism increases by more than forty-fold and the size of its organs increase significantly in mass by building new tissue, which is broken back down during the digestion process."

The three key fatty acids in the fed python plasma turned out to be myristic acid, palmitic acid and palmitoleic acid. The enzyme that showed increased activity in the python hearts during feeding episodes, known as superoxide dismutase, is a well-known "cardio-protective" enzyme in many organisms, including humans, said Leinwand.

The new Science study grew out of a project Leinwand began in 2006 when she was named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and awarded a four-year, $1 million undergraduate education grant from the Chevy Chase, Md.-based institute. As part of the award Leinwand initiated the Python Project, an undergraduate laboratory research program designed to focus on the heart biology of constricting snakes like pythons thought to have relevance to human disease.

Undergraduates contributed substantially to the underpinnings of the new python study both by their genetic studies and by caring for the lab pythons, said Leinwand. While scientists know a great deal about the genomes of standard lab animal models like fruit flies, worms and mice, relatively little was known about pythons. "We have had to do a lot of difficult groundwork using molecular genetics tools in order to undertake this research," said Leinwand.

CU-Boulder already had a laboratory snake facility in place, which contributed to the success of the project, she said.

"The fact that the python study involved faculty, postdoctoral researchers, a graduate student and an undergraduate, Christopher Wall, shows the project was a team effort," said Leinwand. "Chris is a good example of how the University of Colorado provides an incredible educational research environment for undergraduates." Wall is now a graduate student at the University of California, San Diego.

###

University of Colorado at Boulder: http://www.colorado.edu/news

Thanks to University of Colorado at Boulder 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 244 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/114699/Python_study_may_have_implications_for_human_heart_health

minnesota vikings chargers cake boss san diego chargers san diego chargers bengals cincinnati bengals

Biogen MS drug BG-12 meets goal of second trial (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Biogen Idec Inc's said on Wednesday its experimental multiple sclerosis drug BG-12 met the main goal of a closely watched clinical trial, sending its shares up 9 percent.

The Weston, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company said that a late-stage trial known as CONFIRM showed that BG-12, when given twice a day, cut the annualized relapse rate in patients with multiple sclerosis by 44 percent at two years versus placebo, and by 51 percent when given three times a day.

Investors had been waiting to see if the results would be comparable to an earlier trial known as DEFINE, which posted unexpectedly strong results showing BG-12 cut the annualized relapse rate by 53 percent when given twice a day. The results of the two trials were sufficiently similar to send the stock soaring.

If approved, BG-12 could significantly strengthen Biogen's position in the increasingly competitive market for multiple sclerosis drugs. It already sells Avonex, which is injected, and Tysabri, which is infused. BG-12 is a pill that would compete with Gilenya, a recently launched pill made by Novartis AG.

The CONFIRM study, unlike DEFINE, also tested BG-12 against Copaxone, a drug made by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Copaxone cut the annualized relapse rate by 29 percent.

Biogen said BG-12 cut the rate of disability progression by 21 percent when given twice a day and by 24 percent given three times a day. That result was not statistically significant and compares negatively with the DEFINE trial, which showed a cut in the rate of disability progression of 38 percent.

Biogen said the lack of statistical significance may be attributable to an unexpectedly low rate of disease progression in the placebo group. It said it is studying the data closely to better understand the figures.

Copaxone cut the rate of disability progression by 7 percent.

Analysts said the data, which will be presented in more detail at a future medical meeting, look promising.

"We believe these data generally "confirm" BG-12's efficacy and clearly show that it's likely a more effective drug than Teva's Copaxone," said Mark Schoenebaum, an analyst at ISI Group, in a research note.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system and can lead to numbness, paralysis and loss of vision. BG-12 is designed to treat relapsing-remitting MS, in which flare-ups are followed by periods of remission. About 85 percent of people with MS are initially diagnosed with this form of the disease.

The most common side effects with BG-12 were flushing and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea.

Doug Williams, Biogen's head of research and development, said on a conference call that he does not see the difference in the twice a day and three times a day arms of the trial as meaningful, and that twice a day dosing will be "appropriate."

"I think the risk-benefit profile of BG-12 is quite attractive," he said. "It looks like a first-line therapy to me."

Williams said the company expects to file for approval of the drug in the first half of next year.

Biogen's shares rose 9 percent to $116.65. (Reporting by Toni Clarke in Boston; additional reporting by Lewis Krauskopf in New York and Debra Sherman in Chicago. Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/meds/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111026/hl_nm/us_biogen

lawrence o donnell kelly ripa conrad murray conrad murray fresno state fresno state psa test

A look at economic developments around the globe (AP)

A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Monday:

___

BERLIN ? The eurozone bailout fund will see its firepower increased to more than $1.39 trillion to enable it to contain the debt turmoil that threatens to rip apart the 17-nation eurozone, according to German lawmakers briefed by Chancellor Angela Merkel.

___

LONDON ? World markets rose on strong U.S. corporate earnings and a flurry of takeover news, coupled with hopes that European leaders are making progress on a long-awaited plan to fight the continent's 2-year-old debt crisis.

Britain's FTSE 100 gained 1.08 percent, and Germany's DAX rose 1.41 percent. France's CAC-40 gained 1.55 percent.

___

TOKYO ? In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index added 1.9 percent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 4.14 percent. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 2.29 percent.

___

ATHENS, Greece ? Shares in Greek banks plunged on the Athens Stock Exchange amid expectations they will have to accept higher than agreed losses on the country's government bonds as part of a new eurozone debt deal.

___

MILAN ? Premier Silvio Berlusconi summoned his Cabinet for an emergency meeting to discuss growth measures the European Union has demanded so that Italy does not get further dragged into Europe's growing debt crisis.

___

BUDAPEST, Hungary ? Hungary will seek to expand the regulation of its banking sector, particularly links between investment and retail banking operations, the country's prime minister said.

___

PARIS ? France's finance minister says that bringing European countries' budget policies closer together is inevitable to avoid future crises.

___

BERLIN ? Officials say the full German parliament is expected to hold a vote Wednesday on plans to increase the firepower of the eurozone's rescue fund.

___

TOKYO ? Japan's exports rose for a second straight month in September, showing a recovery is under way from the tsunami disaster even as manufacturers face a strong yen and weak global economy.

___

BEIJING ? China urged ally North Korea to improve its strained ties with longtime foes the United States and South Korea, state media reported, as U.S. and North Korean diplomats prepared to talk about restarting negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear programs.

___

CAIRO ? Egypt's state news agency says natural gas shipments to Israel and Jordan have resumed on a trial basis, more than three months after the latest attack on a desert terminal cut off the flow.

___

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina ? President Cristina Fernandez has been re-elected with one of the widest victory margins in Argentine history by convincing voters that she alone, even without her late powerbroker husband, is best able to keep spreading the wealth of an economic boom.

___

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111024/ap_on_bi_ge/us_economy_countries_glance

brooke mueller tucker carlson tucker carlson richard castle richard castle comedy central david arquette

Water disinfection byproducts linked to adverse health effects

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2011) ? University of Illinois scientists report the first identification of a cellular mechanism linked to the toxicity of a major class of drinking water disinfection byproducts. This study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, suggests a possible connection to adverse health effects, including neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's.

"I'm not implying that drinking disinfected water will give you Alzheimer's," said Michael Plewa, lead scientist and professor of genetics in the U of I Department of Crop Sciences. "Certainly, the disinfection of drinking water was one of the most significant public health achievements of the 20th century. But the adverse effects of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that are unintentionally formed during this process are causing concerns as researchers unveil their toxicity."

More than 600 DBPs have been discovered. Although researchers know some DBPs are toxic, little biological information is available on the majority of these water contaminants. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates only 11 of these DBPs, he said.

Plewa's laboratory investigated the biological mechanism, or the cellular target that leads to toxicity, in the second-most prevalent DBP class generated in disinfected water -- haloacetic acids (HAAs).

"The EPA has regulated HAAs for nearly 15 years. However, we did not know how they caused toxicity before this study," he said. "Now that we've uncovered the mechanism for HAAs, we can make sense of past data that can lead to new studies relating to adverse pregnancy outcomes, different types of cancer, and neurological dysfunction."

Plewa believes this will assist the EPA in establishing regulations based on science. Their research will also help the water treatment community develop new methods to prevent the generation of the most toxic DBPs.

"It's fairly simple," Plewa said. "To increase the health benefits of disinfected water, we must reduce the most toxic DBPs. If we understand their biological mechanisms, we can come up with more rational ways to disinfect drinking water without generating toxic DBPs."

In this study, researchers focused on three HAAs -- iodoacetic acid, bromoacetic acid and chloroacetic acid. After they rejected their first hypothesis that the HAAs directly damaged DNA, they looked at research in a different area -- neuroscience. Plewa's graduate student, Justin Pals, discovered an amazing connection, Plewa said.

In neurotoxicology, iodoacetic acid reduces the availability of nutrients or oxygen in neurons by inhibiting glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH).

"Researchers are interested in understanding how to prevent damage after a stroke or other neurological damage," Plewa said. "Iodoacetic acid kills these cells. One of the targets they found was that iodoacetic acid inhibited GAPDH."

Plewa's lab conducted quantitative GAPDH enzyme kinetics and discovered that the data were highly correlated with a diversity of adverse health markers.

"All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in an instant," Plewa said. "We had discovered our cellular target -- GAPDH. Never before had this type of research been done with this level of precision and associated with a large body of adverse biological impacts."

They discovered that the HAA disinfection byproducts were toxic because the cells cannot make ATP, and this causes oxidative stress.

"Cells treated with HAAs experience DNA damage," Plewa said. "So they start expressing DNA repair systems. HAAs are not directly damaging DNA, rather they are inhibiting GAPDH, which is involved in increasing the oxidative stress that we are observing."

A growing body of information has shown that GAPDH is associated with the onset of neurological diseases.

"If you carry a natural mutation for GAPDH and are exposed to high levels of these disinfection byproducts, you could be more susceptible to adverse health effects such as Alzheimer's," he said.

More research is needed to study iodinated disinfection byproducts because they are the most reactive in inhibiting GAPDH function and are currently not regulated by the EPA, Plewa said.

"We replaced the standard working model of direct DNA damage with a new working model based on a cellular target molecule," he said. "This discovery is a fundamental contribution to the field of drinking water science."

This research was published in Environmental Science & Technology. Scientists include Michael Plewa, Justin Pals, Justin Ang and Elizabeth Wagner, all of the University of Illinois. Research was supported by the WaterCAMPWS Center NSF Award CTS-0120978.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. The original article was written by Jennifer Shike.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Justin A. Pals, Justin K. Ang, Elizabeth D. Wagner, Michael J. Plewa. Biological Mechanism for the Toxicity of Haloacetic Acid Drinking Water Disinfection Byproducts. Environmental Science & Technology, 2011; 45 (13): 5791 DOI: 10.1021/es2008159

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111024153450.htm

rampage jackson alec baldwin alec baldwin erin brockovich prius c crocodile dundee crocodile dundee

No More Missing Out ? MoviePilot Lets Fans Follow Upcoming Films

49112v2-max-250x250One of the annoying things about the movie industry is that if you blink while the promotion for a new release is on - about 48 hours in marketing terms - you effectively miss the launch. It's a bizarre scenario which means that much of the marketing dollars are spent in only a few days before a new film hits the screens and are only aimed at the ?first weekender? fans. But many people - myself included - follow actors and their IMDB profiles to see what is 'to be released'. So there's a behaviour there industry is just not capitalising on. Step forward today MoviePilot. This new recommendation and discovery platform brings upcoming films to fans based on their taste. That twists the old marketing model on its head and makes the whole process much more efficient.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/scgd1aVqnTs/

lord monckton lord monckton andy kaufman october 21 2011 ohio ohio john beck

Liberated Libya: No offence, it's just business ? RT

Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters flash the V-sign for victory during celebrations in the streets of Tripoli following news of Moamer Kadhafi's capture on October 20, 2011 (AFP Photo / Mahmud Turkia)

(30.6Mb) embed video

Many Libyans are celebrating the death of a dictator and Western leaders are hailing a transition to democracy. However, that outcome is not inevitable. While NATO is now expected to end its bombing of Libya, their business there is just beginning.

Hillary Clinton paid a surprise visit to Tripoli a day before the killing of the ousted Libyan leader. There she was quoted as saying that the US hopes to see Gaddafi killed or captured soon.

The captured scenario might have put Gaddafi in the toppled Egyptian leader?s shoes, or those of Iraq?s Saddam Hussein.

But a trial over Colonel Gaddafi would have, no doubt, stirred even more controversy.

?The death of Gaddafi was very convenient for the big European powers, for the West,? Asia Times correspondent Pepe Escobar told RT. ?He would spill the beans about all the dirty deals. There are the stuff [sic]?? a real politics ? between the West and a developing country like Libya. Nobody wanted that.?

Libyan transitional government officials say Colonel Gaddafi was cornered in a drain underneath a road in open countryside, near the city of Sirte. ?Please, don?t shoot!? was allegedly heard at the site.

Many point out similarities to the capture of Saddam Hussein. He was discovered in a small, underground hole, concealed next to farm buildings near his hometown.

But unlike Saddam, who was captured alive by US forces, Colonel Gaddafi was reportedly shot dead by Libyan transitional authorities, aided by the US.

A defense official claimed a US predator drone along with a French fighter jet hit Gaddafi?s convoy Thursday morning as they were trying to escape, effectively handing them over to the Libyan forces on the ground.

?There are still unanswered questions about what happened to Colonel Gaddafi, ?How was he killed? How did he die??? says Middle East expert Edmund Ghareeb. ?But clearly, I think, were it not for external intervention in Libya by all of NATO, the rebels in Benghazi may not have been able to achieve their objective.?

NATO?s UN mandate was to protect Libyan civilians but it quickly became to get rid of Gaddafi and prop up a government, which is now in power?? only thanks to the support of the allied forces.

?And I think we?ll see not a new democracy in Libya, but a new reorganization of the Libyan political and economic institutions to the benefit of those who brought the National Transitional Council to power,? said. ?It will be for the benefit of the United States? oil companies, for the benefit of the British, and the French, and perhaps the Italian oil companies. They are the big winners here.?

In the meantime, Western leaders are celebrating Libya?s transition to democracy.

?Without putting a single US service member on the ground ? we achieved our objectives,? said US President Barack Obama.

What the US president did not mention in his celebratory speech was scores of Libyans killed in NATO strikes. Widespread violations of human rights are reported in today?s Libya.

?There is no water there, no medication, they don?t have even oxygen in the hospitals,? an eyewitness of NATO atrocities in Libya, Ali Alkasih, told RT. ?I have seen the situation in Sirte, I can assure you it is a disaster. It is a catastrophe.?

Libya is now brimming with weapons. Experts say extremists have most likely got their hands on the vast armories left untended.

As for Libya?s transition to democracy, the people now in power there have not been chosen by the Libyan people. And many Libyans fear that when the time comes to vote, the choice will have already been made for them.

??Libya?s gruesome next chapter is mob rule?

?Frankfurt-based political analyst William Engdahl told RT that Gaddafi?s death does not at all mean that the road to peace, justice, and democracy has been cleared in Libya.

?I don?t think at all this means peace,? he said. ?What we a seeing is the gruesome next chapter in what is going to be a mob rule in that country of different tribal groups, competing for power and oil control. I think that Libya is in for a period of horrendous chaos after the NATO bombing that brought parts of Libya back to the Stone Age.?

Engdahl believes that this, as he puts it, ?case of cold-blooded murder? of a man, who was wounded and practically defenseless, will at least put some pressure on the NTC.

?The way it was done just gives an idea of what the moral values is of this new regime in Libya, and it certainly not a step forward,? he said.

Engdahl says all of this was predictable from the very beginning, considering the West?s interest in Libya.

?And this was predictable from the beginning, when the Pentagon started training these activists and secretly arming the insurgents back over a year ago,? he said. ?It is interesting how all these arch-criminals, opposed to the Pentagon, come to court trial and then suddenly die before they get a chance to have justice.?


Source: http://rt.com/news/libya-gaddafi-nato-business-371/

new york jets santonio holmes john edward psychic john edward psychic headless horseman headless horseman brandon lloyd