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Seattle police shot and killed an armed man dressed in a World War II-era Nazi uniform early this morning in the University District.

Police responded at about 2 a.housekeeping. to neighbors’ complaints that several men were shooting rifle and shotgun rounds into a dark alley in the 5200 block between 16th and 17th avenues Northeast, said police prolocutor Jeff Kappel.

Police entered the alley, and neighbors showed them the direction two suspects had gone, ready a large white house that is divided into several apartments. Police knocked onward the man’s door

Uniformed officers at the door warned the man several times to send down his weapon. He didn’t, Kappel said, and he pointed it at one of the officers. Two officers shot him several times. He was taken to the hospital, where he died this morning.

Police examining the house after the incident build a large collection of German military and Nazi regalia and a lot of alcohol, Kappel said.

The shooting occurred in a quiet neighborhood of large homes near the University of Washington. The street is a commix of family homes and homes divided into apartments for students. Rachel Boughton, who lives a few doors down from the home where the shooting occurred, aforesaid that at a distance noise complaints, the locality is usually peaceful.

She did not hear the shooting, boundary she said that there were fireworks going right side in the neighborhood and it would be hard to distinguish, anyway.

Mark Kedziora, who lives in the apartment next door to the mankind, said he and his friend saw his neighbor and two other young men in the alley early this morning. They were dressed strangely

Kedziora uttered he didn’t confabulation much to his neighbor, who was reserved and kept to himself, but that he had noticed the man wore military-style leather boots, a doleful mustache and combed-over black hair. He and his friends had commented before that the man, who looked like he was in his soon 20s, resembled Adolf Hitler, he said.

“I didn’t think he actually had the whole get-up,” he aforesaid, referring to the Nazi uniform.

This break of day, Kedziora and his friend watched the three men something to burn their guns. They thought at first that they were fake guns, but they closed their door at what time they realized the cannon were actually being. About 40 minutes later, they marked police to the doorway.

They heard destruction and heard the police warning the man to small quantity his weapon. A few minutes later, they watched out the window as the injured man was taken away and SWAT teams searched the neighborhood. At individual point, police evacuated the building, waking tenants.

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Making a infant.: No longer just a private event between a woman, a man, their fertility specialist, a delegate and a baby planner.

Think in greater numbers technology.

Think birds, bees, BlackBerrys.

Think Booty Caller.

This is the new spiritual obedience by the folks at BabyCenter.com, and it uses a woman’s ovulation cycle to send a course of text-message reminders to her phone.

Sample messages embody …

“Your fertile window starts in 1 week. Using a lubricant be possible to get in the way of getting pregnant.”

“Your plenteous window opens today! Tender breasts are one of the first signs of pregnancy!”

“Your fertile window starts in 1 week. … (What follows are details too icky for a family newspaper.)” Aaanyhoo.

“Having a baby today is almost like making an office,” said Linda Murray, editor in chief of BabyCenter. “You have to be reminded to have sex.”

Reminded up to 18 times, in fact, three texts per menstrual cycle, always ending with the cheerful “Today is your last fertile day! If you get pregnant during this cycle, your due date power of choosing have being on or around (insert fix the date of here).”

Booty Caller’s motto is, “We tell you when, you decide where,” which raises the topic: Will Booty Caller 2.0 include texts like as, “Your fertile window opens today! Pop a twitching tac and get into the hinder part settle of your Honda”?

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The snow has melted, but Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is to this time trudging through the political aftermath.

At a City Hall news conference Wednesday, Nickels

He reversed one of the city’s most controversial policies and said road crews will now use salt for the time of major storms, something barred for a decade because of environmental concerns.

Nickels stuck through the “B” grade he gave the city after all the rest week. But his tone was more empathetic like he attempted to assert leadership going forward.

At one point, he leaned into the microphone:

“I’m in charge of the city’session response,” Nickels said. “We will make sure that we will hear from a single one mistakes that were made.”

Snowstorms can bury mayors’ public fortunes. Nickels is up as antidote to re-election this year, and he no doubt hopes voters’ memories are short

In 1979, Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic’s response to a snowstorm require to be paid him re-election. He said on television that side streets were cleared, but many weren’t. His opponent, Jane Byrne, filmed her campaign ads in snowbanks to remind residents, unpleasantly, of Bilandic.

Denver Mayor Bill McNichols lost his re-election bid after a 1982 Christmas Eve blizzard hit while crews were short staffed for the holidays.

For now, Nickels is trying to get in advance of criticism.

“It does look like they’re feeling the heat,” said Cathy Allen, a local Democratic political adroit tactician. The news conference indicates Nickels is concerned around of the whole not private impressions, she before-mentioned.

Allen agreed, though, with political consultant Christian Sinderman that Seattle’s storms won’face to face have a lasting civil efficiency on Nickels.

“There might be some frustration, but politically that dissipates as fast to the degree that the snow melts at the time they see that something is being done about it,” Sinderman reported.

Among those furious with Nickels is Patrick Baroch.

He was stranded in his Delridge home at the time that he sententious precept the mayor on TV last week state major streets were cleared. “That was simply not true, and anyone who went outside could see that,” he said. “The street clearing that he claimed on the 24th was not the fact in any part of the city, not even downtown, and during a likely reason … that ‘B’ grade positively angered a lot of people.”

Baroch started a Facebook group of residents who feel the mayor’session response was incomplete. By Wednesday afternoon, more than 130 family had joined.

In South Seattle, Matt Surowiecki Jr. watched from his steel-stud association as cars high-centered on frozen ruts on the unplowed Martin Luther King Jr. Way South days after the storm.

He’s normally a practice a fan upon of the mayor, but he questioned the city’s decision not to use salt.

“It seems to me that the snow shut down the city,” Surowiecki said. “After the third day, the city should be operational plenty to let people get to work.”

You be able to’t blame all of that on the mayor, said Teresa Lord Hugel, executive instructor of the University District Chamber of Commerce.

“Here’s my question: Why is it that it’s unceasingly up to the city? I mean, what’s faultily with a good old snow shovel?” she said. “The immobility is, I don’t know who’sitting responsible in a major disaster like this.”

The issue about road salt put Nickels in a separately tough spot. His campaign Web site aggressively touts the national reputation he’s built as an environmentalist mayor.

But the environmentally motivated policy to use small pebbles instead of salt seemed impractical, said City Councilmember Nick Licata, especially when there didn’privately seem to be any according to principles backing.

“When you wrap yourself in a lawn blanket, you’ve got to have some clothes beneath it,” he said. “This is what gives green a bad name. You’ve got to balance it with practical analysis and you’ve got to defend your position with some facts.”

But he said he doesn’t reflect there’s enough notorious indignity to oust Nickels over his snowstorm response.

No major candidate has announced an intention to brave the two-term mayor. Developer Greg Smith has reported he’s considering a run.

Nickels said Wednesday he was still concerned about salt’s environmental impact, and that’sitting why his reinvigorated policy allows its use only in greatest stipulations and only on major roads, big hills, and bus routes.

The City Council’s first prescription of business Monday will be a take down on the city’s response to the snowstorms. In a statement this week, council President Richard Conlin described having to “hike” to City Hall for work during the violence.

Conlin is doing what civic consultants and others say Nickels needs to cook, as well: convince voters that he feels their pain

“The grade B was pure fantasy district,” said Licata. Other elected officials were “out of tune,” as well, he related. “I think that makes mob as angry as anything else. There just seems to be a disengage between the electeds and the public on the solemnity of this storm.”

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BAGHDAD — The walls of the majestic Republican Palace in Baghdad’session Green Zone have been stripped bare. The vaults that secured American coin and classified documents are gone, and the cement blow walls that protected the front entrance were taken down this week.

As Iraqi schoolchildren sang their home’s praise and the company marched in a row, the United States on Thursday formally handed from one to another military sway of the heavily fortified Green Zone, a first major step in the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

The U.S. warlike dining facility inside what was once the American Embassy served its last meal New Year’s Eve.

“This is the end of the world as we understand it,” said Sgt. 1st Class Patrick McDonald, 47, who co-authored a guide to historic sites in the Green Zone. “It’s not like everyone is shredding documents and fleeing Saigon. But we are stepping off from a building.”

No decisions have been made for in what manner the stately mansion will be used, although both Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani are vying for control. The United States decree even begin paying rent.

Saddam Hussein had the palace compound’s main building decorated with giant busts of himself to demonstrate his hold over Iraq. After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the palace came to symbolize the American role in the country, first of the same kind with headquarters of the U.S. occupation authority and later the U.S. Embassy. U.S. civilians and troops held “salsa night” dances around the pool behind the palace near the front of retiring to trailers sheathed in sandbags.

Security of the Green Zone, a fortified 6-square-mile enclave in succession the Tigris River, had been, to the time when Thursday, the responsibility of the United States. But as allotment of the handover, and in terms outlined in the Status of Forces Agreement that details the withdrawal of U.S. military force by the end of 2011, Iraqis educated by U.S. armed force now are in make a charge of security.

The handover is a subscribe of the shrinking footprint and influence of the United States in a country where it has missed thousands of lives and spent billions of dollars. British troops also turned over the airport in Basra, Iraq’s second-largest incorporated town, and are expected to be out of Iraq by May 31.

For frequent Iraqis, the U.S. handover represents a significant step quicken in their gradual reassertion of dominion over their relations.

“The U.S. will be here just as observers. It’sitting a matter of pride,” said Adnan Karim, 22, an Iraqi soldier manning a checkpoint at person of the entrances to the Green Zone.

U.S. troops, who once controlled all the external checkpoints principal into the Green Zone, decree stay and work by the side of Iraqi troops. Officials from both countries acknowledged that it odds and ends unclear precisely in what manner the relationship will work.

Officials said U.S. soldiers for at least the nearest 90 days would continue to help maintain security in the area, home to 30,000 residents — including 14,000 U.S. and union forces.

“We are not losing our jobs — they are just changing,” said Col. Steve Ferrari, commander of the Joint Area Support Group, which heads security in the definite space. He said the relationship would be re-evaluated at the end of three months to come to a conclusion what the Iraqis necessity to do. “If they tell us to go, we will go. If they tell us to stay, we will stay.”

Speaking privately, U.S. officials said they power of determination try to make their presence in the Green Zone not so much conspicuous in coming days. But they will remain in charge of issuing badges that grant varying levels of access. They declared they will not immediately dismantle a vast security apparatus that includes hundreds of Peruvian and Ugandan guards, body-scanning machines, bomb-sniffing dogs and surveillance cameras.

In latter days, Iraqi flags have sprung up along the zone’session mazelike entry points, and more Iraqis have been allowed to drive inside and armored sport-utility vehicles. Americans have been cautioned not to venture outside U.S. compounds alone, especially after damnable.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and his staff recently finished moving into a newly built embassy compound by small, bulletproof windows, it being so that the largest U.S. Embassy in the world.

Iraqi and U.S. officials have said extremists may exploit the transition proposition.

“I think for the use of all sense disposition say they will probably test the Green Zone,” Ferrari said.

U.S. officials in the Green Zone wearied the final days of December on high wary amid reports that extremists were plotting to carry out a headline-grabbing, multipronged attack against Americans on Christmas or New Year’s Day.

Iraqi officials detained any Iraqi legions captain and an employee of Iraq’s Interior Ministry, but some Iraqi hold set the detainees free after determining there was insufficient evidence to prosecute them.

The Green Zone was hit by a mortar shell or rocket Monday adversity, the U.S. military said.

Americans are not the only ones feeling anxious about the transition. Several Iraqis said that, while they bid welcome the symbolism of the handover, they are distrustful of possible repercussions.

“It’s too early to pull out U.S. troops from the area,” Kasim Ali Judor, 26, a be vigilant at the Italian Embassy, said on a late afternoon. “I dress in’t judge our government has the capacity to acquire the area without Americans.”

Independent lawmaker Hussein Shkur said he thinks the transition will have existence largely cosmetic, at least in the short run.”It is only natural that the Americans will still be in mastery, and not from behind the scenes as some may think, unless directly and openly,” he before-mentioned.

Despite the Green Zone’s symbolic association with the U.S. occupation, life inside the bleb is almost from homogeneous.

There are the U.S. military and State Department minizones, where joggers, golf carts and duck-and-cover bunkers proliferate and parties befall place, though with less abandon than in the early years. But in that place are also Iraqi high schools, an often-startling something to burn discursive power and a utterly confused Iraqi taxi piece of land.

Alongside the Tigris lies Little Venice, a well-tended neighborhood of minicanals where senior Iraqi government officials live in residences once occupied by Saddam’s closest aides. Other officials have made their homes in the rooms of the Hotel Rasheed, or in Green Zone neighborhoods under guard.

Now, Iraqi officials have their eyes on making the area accessible, inspiring and educational, equable though it’s not clear when they will feel confident sufficiency to take downward the walls.

In July, the National Investment Commission approved plans to build a $100 million luxury hotel in the zone.

And the Iraqi High Tribunal in the next couple of months plans to open a museum detailing the brutality of Saddam’s regime. It will include a replica of the hole-in-the-ground hideout where the former Iraqi president was captured in 2004, pair years before he was executed.

The Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press and The New York Times contributed to this report.

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WASHINGTON — A new Web site, www.dressregistry.com, hopes to limit the social incubus of showing up at an inaugural round sporting the same gown as another by allowing you to “register” the gown you’re wearing to a specific ball. It includes a place to detail the color, extent, designer, neckline description and other distinguishing characteristics. You can in addition upload a photo.

Andrew Jones got the idea after his wife traveled from their home in West Palm Beach, Fla., to New York City to buy a gown for a benefaction ball in their hometown, solely to avoid for the reason that the same adjust at the event.

“I kind of put two and brace together and I said, ‘I think there’s a way technology can help us here,’ ” said Jones, 42, one auto-industry consultant.

The dress-duplication problem has long caused anxiety among women.

Hollywood’s A-list stars have existence aware of their garb may end up on a storehouse page — with a side-by-side comparative estimate to someone who wore it better. Jones cited first lady Laura Bush’session “Oh, no!” moment at the 2006 Kennedy Center Honors, when she was one of four women wearing the similar red Oscar de la Renta gown. Bush quickly changed into something different.

“If it could happen to the first lady, it could happen to anyone,” Jones uttered. “With the inauguration, it just all came together in my mind. I thought it would be a great time to roll it out.”

At specialty supplies in the Washington area, some thought the Web position a novel model but suggested it may not be foolproof.

“Nothing’session exclusive anymore,” said LaShea Green, couture buyer at Saks Jandel in Chevy Chase, Md., who had not heard of Jones’ Web locality. “I put on’t caution how much you register, there’s going to be someone (at an event) who didn’t register.”

So in a great degree, inaugural partygoers acquire registered about 100 gowns for more than 24 official and unofficial events, including the Constitution Ball, the American Indian Inaugural Ball and the Green Inaugural Ball hosted by Al Gore. As the inaugural festivities near, the registries keep extending.

“I’ve had people self-registering their events every day,” said Jones, adding that he’s recorded some 300,000 hits and more than 10,000 uncommon visitors since the Web site launched Dec. 1.

“As the site gets else populated, we may subsist quick to infer by what’sitting being worn to a thread for each particular event, what people are leaning to,” he said.

Registered dresses are mostly ankle long duration, many with plunging necklines. Labels range from an ankle-length blue dress by means of Banana Republic to a scoop-neck, to-the-floor ivory gown by Halston. Shades of purple, orange and red seem to outnumber the old classic, black.

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FAIRFAX, Calif. — The most difficult thing about the cloned puppies is not powerful them apart, but that explaining why they don’t look exactly alike. This was the problem Lou Hawthorne faced on a recent hike with Mira and MissyToo, two dogs whose embryos were created from the preserved, recycled and repurposed nuclear DNA of the creative Missy, a border collie-husky join who died in 2002.

To have being firm, they have a exceedingly strong resemblance to reaped ground other and to Missy. It’s just that sometimes, as soon as people hear that the dogs are clones, the questions start:

“Why is one dog’s fur curlier?”

“Why aren’t the dogs the same size?”

“Why is person of them darker?”

“Why does this some regard a floppy ear?”

Hawthorne, 48, is invested in the notion of likeness. With clones, on account of all, what good does homogeneous do? It is Hawthorne’s biotech visitor, BioArts — which is based in the Bay Area but has arrangements with a laboratory in South Korea — that performed the cloning.

He also has particular reason to be impressible to questions that touch on the authenticity of the clones, given the history of his chief geneticist, Dr. Hwang Woo-suk, of the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in South Korea.

Hwang is it may be best known for fraudulently reporting in 2004 that a team he led had prosperously cloned human embryos and stem cells. After the false claims were unearthed, he was fired by Seoul National University, where he did his research as a professor. But he is also widely acknowledged for having been involved in luckily cloning an Afghan hound in 2005.

“Dr. Hwang’s past is obviously controversial, boundary we feel that his lab and his record when it comes to dog cloning are the best in the field,” Hawthorne said.

Elizabeth Wictum, associate director of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, before-mentioned that earlier this year, she and her staff had taken sets of DNA extracts from Hawthorne’s puppies and compared them with stored samples of Missy’s DNA and concluded the results were “consistent with clones.”

“The puppies had the same nuclear DNA as Missy, and contrasted mitochondrial DNA, which is what you prevail upon from a cloned animal,” Wictum said.

Stocks in the recent accounts Wednesday

From Standard & Poor’s Equity Research

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Dell (DELL) says it will organize globally around three major customer segments: large enterprise, of the whole not private sector, and small- and medium-sized businesses. The PC maker announces that Mike Cannon, president of Global Operations, power of choosing retire effective Jan. 31, will be succeeded through Jeff Clarke who, in addition to being rise of Dell’s Business Client Product Group, direction become vice chairman, Global Operations. In etc., Chief Marketing Officer Mark Jarvis will departure this quarter, desire be succeeded by Erin Nelson.

National Penn Bancshares (NPBC) expects to record non-cash charges for the fourth quarter 2008 related to an other-than-temporary impairment of some pooled trust preferred investment securities of $60-$65 million. Also expects to record a provision for lend losses of $17-$20 million for the fourth divide, up from $6.88 million in the third quarter.

Puget Energy (PSD) announces that Washington represent fully regulators approved the sale of the assembly and its wholly-owned electric and natural gas utility subsidiary, Puget Sound Energy, to New York-based Puget Holdings LLC for $7.4 billion or $30 by share. Notes sale control to 78 commitments and provisions to protect customers and the public interest.

Verifone Holdings (PAY) says it has filed a Notification of Late Filing through SEC for its Annual Report steady Form 10-K for fiscal year 2008 (October). It also says it recorded estimated pre-tax charge for impairment of goodwill and related write-down of intangible assets in its intl segment. Due to complexity of this impairment analysis, including events and changes impacting such analysis, PAY does not look forward to such impairment analysis to be completed within prescribed time period on this account that filing of its Annual Report without ceasing Form 10-K.

Viacom (VIA.B) is launching a media blitz catching aim at Time Warner (TWX) from one side of to the other a programming-fee dispute, reports the WSJ. According to the division, “Barring a last-minute settlement, Viacom’s cable channels — including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central — will disappear from Time Warner Cable at midnight Wednesday.”

King Pharmaceuticals (KG) announces that the FDA is continuing its pass in review of the New Drug Application (NDA) for EMBEDA (morphine sulfate and naltrexone hydrochloride) extended release capsules. It is well-adapted that this review will extend into early 2009.

AGP announces that it has terminated its agreement to purchase certain assets of University Health Plan Inc., a wholly-owned unit of Centene (CNC), related to its N.J. Medicaid put into of function. AGP exercised its right of termination taken in the character of a result of certain events that occurred following execution of the agreement. Notes this termination has no effect on AGP’s before announced deal to betray the assets of its South Carolina hale condition plan to CE.

Brookdale Senior Living (BKD) announces that its Board of Directors has voted to interrupt the company’s quarterly cash division indefinitely.

Labopharm (DDSS) announces that Ryzolt (tramadol HCl extended release tablets), its once-daily formulation of the analgesic tramadol, has been approved through the FDA. Says Ryzolt is indicated for the management of moderate to moderately severe chronic pain in adults who require around-the-clock management of their pain for an extended period of time.

Watson Pharmaceuticals (WPI) says that its Watson Laboratories, Inc. unit current FDA approval to market its over-the-counter Nicotine Polacrilex Gum USP, coated mint flavor, in the 2 mg and 4 mg strengths. Says Nicotine Polacrilex Gum, coated mint flavor, is the generic equivalent of GSK’s Nicorette fresh mint gum, which is used as an aid to smoking ceasing. Notes product will be available in early January 2009.

Green Bankshares (GRNB) expects to post fourth quarter net loss of between $14-$16 million, reflecting significant and continued weakness in residential substantial estate markets and its effect in succession the body’s loan portfolio and other asset values.

GLG Partners (GLG) announces that its Board of Directors has determined not to continue paying a just quarterly dividend on its common stock. The Board of Directors of GLG will consider re-establishing the regular quarterly dividend as well as the payment of a particular dividend as and when it determines appropriate in the future.

Analysts’ opinions in succession public funds in the intelligence Wednesday

From Standard & Poor’s Equity Research

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S&P REITERATES BUY OPINION ON SHARES OF DELL (DELL; 10.07):

DELL announces the global reorganization of its business around the three major customer segments of large enterprise, public sector, and small and medium businesses. The company is also replacing its Chief Marketing Officer and President, Global Operations. We believe that DELL’s multi-year striving to move into new territories and offer more variety in products and services will be slowed, but not derailed, by means of weak demand that we throw out for the next few quarters. We maintain our target price of $13, based steady a p-e ratio of 9.4 state of things our 12-month ahead EPS estimate of $1.39. -T. Smith, R. Khalid

S&P MAINTAINS HOLD OPINION ON SHARES OF AIG (AIG; 1.52):

An unconfirmed report in the Financial Times says AIG is preparing to seek approval from the Federal Reserve to relax terms for its asset sales. Specifically, AIG is reportedly seeking to enable bidders to use either installment payments or companionship shares to purchase the assets rather than current terms, that require 90% cash. If the Fed approves this amendment, we presume AIG could garner a higher duration for its assets without ceasing increased competition and the financial ability of bidders to pay a higher amount. This in turn should victory enable AIG to pay back its loan to the government. -C. Seifert, S. Plesser

S&P REITERATES BUY OPINION ON ADSS OF SHANDA INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT (SNDA; 30.75):

SNDA announces that it has increased its apportioned lot repurchase authorization to $300 million from $200 the great body of the people. This total includes $175 million in an accelerated buyback that was announced in September. SNDA had some $588 million in cash and short-term investments in the same proportion that of the third station, and we estimate repurchase in posse of up to 9% of the outstanding diluted ADSs from October until the program’s conclusion. SNDA repurchased 3.3 very great number ADSs in September alone, and has not disclosed further particulars on actions ago then. We would be surprised if the company did not buy back a considerable number of ADSs in the fourth quarter. -S. Kessler

S&P REITERATES STRONG SELL OPINION ON SHARES OF VALUECLICK (VCLK; 6.56):

Despite a year-to-date decline of 70%, VCLK has risen 40% since Nov. 20. We see fundamental challenges from one side of to the other its businesses, especially by the media, comparison shopping and affiliate marketing units accounting for nearly all of third part quarter revenues. While the valuation may seem attractive with a p-e of 11 times our 2009 EPS survey, we see limited near/intermediate-term growth and memorable risks. Despite ample buyback authorization and a history of active repurchases, we think such actions have been materially curtailed given the economic backdrop, auction-rate securities exposure, and other obligations. -S. Kessler