Companies to test new drugs designed to fight many kinds of cancer

By Gina Kolata

The New York Times

For the first time ever, three pharmaceutical companies are poised to test whether new drugs can work against a wide range of cancers independently of where they originated - breast, prostate, liver, lung. The drugs go after an aberration involving a cancer gene fundamental to tumor growth. Many scientists see this as the beginning of a new genetic age in cancer research.

Great uncertainties remain, but such drugs could mean new treatments for rare, neglected cancers, as well as common ones. Merck, Roche and Sanofi are racing to develop their own versions of a drug they hope will restore a mechanism that normally makes badly damaged cells self-destruct and could potentially be used against half of all cancers.

No pharmaceutical company has ever conducted a major clinical trial of a drug in patients who have different kinds of cancer, researchers and federal regulators say.

"This is a taste of the future in cancer drug development," said Dr. Otis Webb Brawley, the chief medical and scientific officer of the American Cancer Society. "I expect the organ from which the cancer came from will be less important in the future and the molecular target more important," he added.

And this has major implications for cancer philanthropy, experts say. Advocacy groups should shift from fundraising for particular cancers to pushing for research aimed at many kinds of cancer at once, Brawley said.

At the heart of this search for new cancer drugs are patients like Joe Bellino, who was a post office clerk until his cancer made him too sick to work.

Seven years ago, he went into the hospital for hernia surgery, only to learn he had liposarcoma, a rare cancer of fat cells. A large tumor was wrapped around a cord that connects the testicles to the abdomen. "I was shocked," he said in an interview this summer.

Companies have long ignored liposarcoma, seeing no market for drugs to treat a cancer that strikes so few. But it is ideal for testing Sanofi's drug because the tumors nearly always have the exact genetic problem the drug was meant to attack - a fusion of two large proteins.

If the drug works, it should bring these raging cancers to a halt. Then Sanofi would test the drug on a broad range of cancers with a similar genetic alteration. But if the drug fails against liposarcoma, Sanofi will reluctantly admit defeat.

"For us, this is a go/no-go situation," said Laurent Debussche, a Sanofi scientist who leads the company's research on the drug.

Health authorities in the United States and Europe worried that the medicines might have unexpected effects.

"Drugs of this type had never been given to a human being," Dr. Gwen Nichols of Roche said. The studies looked only at safety, but Nichols said there were encouraging hints that the drugs might be working. In biopsies and scans, cancer cells appeared to be dying.

Rigorous efficacy studies are next. If they are successful, they will be followed by clinical trials across cancer types.

Recently, Merck began its study to find a safe dose. It is enrolling only patients with acute myelogenous leukemia.

Once the company finds the best dose, it plans to give its drug to just 15 to 30 patients and look for efficacy. And if the drug fails to do its job?

"Then we will not bring the drug forward," Gilliland said.

Sanofi is in much the same position. It just started safety tests in Europe. Medical centers in the United States will be added next year. Like Merck, it will focus solely on patients who are most likely to respond to its own drug - in this case, patients with liposarcoma like Bellino.

Bellino said over the summer that he hoped to be among the first to try a new drug that could combat liposarcoma. When the call goes out for study subjects, he said, "I will be waving my hands."

But the test will come too late for him. He died from his cancer Nov. 13.

a new era

No pharmaceutical company has ever conducted a major clinical trial of a drug in patients who have different kinds of cancer, both researchers and federal regulators say.

Source: http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=17897&Section=Disease

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Parking dispute may have led to Maine shooting deaths: police

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - A dispute between neighbors over street parking may have led to the shooting deaths of two Maine teenagers, authorities said on Sunday after charging a 74-year-old man with murder in connection with the incident.

Derrick Thompson, 19, and his girlfriend, Alivia Welch, 18, were killed on Saturday night in their apartment inside a two-unit home in Biddeford, Maine, about 15 miles southwest of Portland, state police spokesman Steve McCausland said.

Thompson's mother, Susan Johnson, 44, who reported the shootings to authorities shortly after 7 p.m. EST, was being treated for gunshot wounds at Maine Medical Center in Portland, state police. A six-year-old boy also was removed from the building uninjured.

James Pak, who owns the building and lives in the other unit, was arrested on Saturday and charged with two counts of murder.

Police had been summoned to the residence earlier on Saturday because of an argument over parking, McCausland said. A Biddeford police spokeswoman said the city banned street parking from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. to allow for snow removal.

McCausland said the dispute appeared to have been resolved before the shooting occurred but gave no further details.

Pak was being held in a local jail and was expected to appear in court on Monday or Wednesday. It was unclear whether he had an attorney. (Edited by Karen Brooks and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/parking-dispute-may-led-maine-shooting-deaths-police-001102978.html

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Rose Parade wonders of a century ago - with post-parade ostrich, elephant and camel races

The special 1913 Rose Parade edition of the Pasadena Daily News featured a rose-covered glamour girl on the cover, and portraits of the parade's queen - and king, as decreed by President Edward T. Off to reign over the event. (HAND-IN)

A hundred years ago there was a Tournament of Roses parade just as there will be this week.

The Pasadena Daily News published a special edition about the parade and it also printed articles on the many wonders of Pasadena.

Edward T. Off was president of the Tournament of Roses Association and wrote of its history.

He said, "Commercialism has never been permitted to enter our floral parade. No painted signs or sordid suggestion of any kind encroaches to mar the beautiful effect."

President Off decreed in 1913 that both a king and queen should reign over the event.

Harrison I. Drummond and Miss Jean P. French were named.

The judges awarded a special prize to Adolphus Busch for the best horse-drawn vehicle in the parade. The Komical Knights of the Karnival won first prize for a two-horse vehicle.

The prize for gasoline powered automobiles carrying four or more went to the Hotel Green. The Keystone Film Company, known for Keystone Comedies, came in second.

Emma H. Diers got first prize for electric vehicles.

The Association had made enough money to buy the 21-acre area that became known as Tournament Park.

After the parade, chariot races were held at Tournament Park before 50,000 people. Jo Hendrickson, in his history of the Tournament, says that memorable in 1913 were ostrich races and an elephant-camel race.

He says one ostrich threw the rider off and the elephant had to be

prodded to finish.

Articles in the special Pasadena Daily News edition included "Dreams and Visions" by Rev. Robert J. Burdette, "Game and Fish in Southern California" by Joe Welsh, "Pasadena Thirty Years Ago" by J. W. Wood, "Church Life in Pasadena" by Rev. Robert Freeman, D.D., "Pasadena a Floral Bower" by P.D. Barnhart, "Mid-Winter Outdoor Life in Pasadena" by Dr. Garrett Newkirk, "Beautiful Homes of Pasadena," by Isabel Bates Winslow and "How Pasadena in Governed" by Mayor William H. Thum.

There was an article on the Pasadena Polo Club that played at Tournament Park. Another on "Arroyo Seco Natural Park - An Inspiration to the Artists."

Tournament Park at Wilson Avenue and California Boulevard now mostly belongs to Caltech.

Sid Gally is a Pasadena Museum of History volunteer

Source: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_22284871/rose-parade-wonders-century-ago-post-parade-ostrich?source=rss

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Doctor Who Christmas Special 2012

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/Kp64km9Rjp0/viewtopic.php

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California sales tax on its way up

California's sales tax is set to increase one-fourth of a percent on January 1. That means your purchases in most of Orange County will be taxed at 8 percent, up from the current rate of 7.75 percent.

In short, you'll pay an extra quarter for every $100 you spend in 2013.

Shoppers at Toyota of Tustin examine vehicles Monday and consider deals in advance of January's sales tax increase.

JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ADVERTISEMENT

Sales tax savings

Here is how much you can save by purchasing certain items before the new sales tax rate goes into effect.

Cup of coffee: 1 cent

Olloclip lens for iPhone: 17 cents

Nice dinner for two: 35 cents

Western Digital hard drive: 85 cents

Oakley Airwave goggles: $1.50

Vizio 60" big-screen TV: $2.50

Kia Rio: $34.00

State voters approved the quarter-cent tax hike on the November ballot as part of Proposition 30, although the measure received a 59 percent "no" vote in Orange County. Funds raised by the increase will go to K-12 schools and community colleges.

Consumers can save money by making any major purchases before Tuesday.

"It won't matter unless you're buying a big ticket item like a car," said Dennis Malloy, a salesperson at Easylife Furniture in Costa Mesa.

Malloy said none of his customers have mentioned the tax hike, which won't make much of a difference when purchasing couches and beds that sell for hundreds of dollars. "But if you're getting a car, you better buy now."

Tustin Toyota is using its web site, email blasts and radio spots to urge people to make purchases now and "beat the burden of the tax increase." The year-end marketing blitz has been successful. December sales are up 50 percent compared to the same time last year, said new car director Greg Vernon, speculating that a key reason for that bump is that people want to pay less on taxes.

"Quite a few customers have mentioned the tax hike," Vernon said. The big seller this month has been the Sienna XLE minivan, with a retail price of $33,360. "Even if it's just two or three hundred dollars, that's a substantial savings," he said.

But not everyone is talking up the tax hike to hike up business. Americans face a far bigger financial uncertainty as the "fiscal cliff" negotiations over federal tax increase and spending cuts remain unresolved.

Sean Taylor, member services manager for the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association, said he hasn't heard of other car dealers incorporating the impending tax increase into marketing campaigns.

Even people who would save the most by making an early purchase are seemingly unfazed about paying more sales tax next year. Acquiring a 2013 Lamborghini Aventador for $397,500 before 2013 would yield almost $1,000 in sales tax savings. "But that only works if you're buying the car in cash," said Pietro Frigerio, general manager of Lamborghini Newport Beach in Costa Mesa. None of his customers have mentioned the tax hike. Most of his clients lease, so Frigerio said they would only save a couple of dollars per month.

In La Habra, where voters approved a 20-year half-cent hike four years ago, sales tax will increase to 8.5 percent. That is still lower than the Los Angeles County, where consumers will pay 9 to 10 percent for retail purchases next year. Los Angeles city voters will vote in March on another half-cent hike.

On Twitter, the social network where consumers often air complaints about companies and government, much of the recent Orange County chatter about tax hikes has centered around the "fiscal cliff" stalemate and national policy, with very little mention of California's tax increases.

Although the statewide tax hike is just one-fourth of a percent, the tax increase still could have a marginal effect on consumer spending, said Scott W. Drenkard, economist with the Tax Foundation think tank in Washington, D.C. "When prices go up, demand goes down. It's just the law of supply and demand."

"I'm more concerned about the income tax hike that was already retroactively imposed," Drenkard said. That increase, also a part of Prop. 30, will affect households that earn more than $250,000 a year, and will apply to income earned during 2012.

Contact the writer: 714-796-3589 or ksablan@ocregister.com


Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/tax-382037-hike-increase.html

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Wall Street ends sour week with 5th straight decline

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell for a fifth straight day on Friday, dropping 1 percent and marking the S&P 500's longest losing streak in three months as the federal government edged closer to the "fiscal cliff" with no solution in sight.

President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders met at the White House to work on a solution for the draconian debt-reduction measures set to take effect beginning next week. Stocks, which have been influenced by little else than the flood of fiscal cliff headlines from Washington in recent days, extended losses going into the close with the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 each losing 1 percent, after reports that Obama would not offer a new plan to Republicans. The Dow closed below 13,000 for the first time since December 4.

"I was stunned Obama didn't have another plan, and that's absolutely why we sold off," said Mike Shea, managing partner at Direct Access Partners LLC in New York. "He's going to force the House to come to him with something different. I think that's a surprise. The entire market is disappointed in a lack of leadership in Washington."

In a sign of investor anxiety, the CBOE Volatility Index , known as the VIX, jumped 16.69 percent to 22.72, closing at its highest level since June. Wall Street's favorite fear barometer has risen for five straight weeks, surging more than 40 percent over that time.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 158.20 points, or 1.21 percent, to 12,938.11 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 15.67 points, or 1.11 percent, to 1,402.43. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 25.59 points, or 0.86 percent, to end at 2,960.31.

For the week, the Dow fell 1.9 percent. The S&P 500 also lost 1.9 percent for the week, marking its worst weekly performance since mid-November. The Nasdaq finished the week down 2 percent. In contrast, the VIX jumped 22 percent for the week.

Pessimism continued after the market closed, with stock futures indicating even steeper losses. S&P 500 futures dropped 26.7 points, or 1.9 percent, eclipsing the decline seen in the regular session.

All 10 S&P 500 sectors fell during Friday's regular trading, with most posting declines of 1 percent, but energy and material shares were among the weakest of the day, with both groups closely tied to the pace of growth.

An S&P energy sector index slid 1.8 percent, with Exxon Mobil down 2 percent at $85.10, and Chevron Corp off 1.9 percent at $106.45. The S&P material sector index fell 1.3 percent, with U.S. Steel Corp down 2.6 percent at $23.03.

Decliners outnumbered advancers by a ratio of slightly more than 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, while on the Nasdaq, two stocks fell for every one that rose.

"We've been whipsawing around on low volume and rumors that come out on the cliff," said Eric Green, senior portfolio manager at Penn Capital Management in Philadelphia, who helps oversee $7 billion in assets.

With time running short, lawmakers may opt to allow the higher taxes and across-the-board federal spending cuts to go into effect and attempt to pass a retroactive fix soon after the new year. Standard & Poor's said an impasse on the cliff wouldn't affect the sovereign credit rating of the United States.

"We're not as concerned with January 1 as the market seems to be," said Richard Weiss, senior money manager at American Century Investments, in Mountain View, California. "Things will be resolved, just maybe not on a good timetable, and any deal can easily be retroactive."

Trading volume was light throughout the holiday-shortened week, with just 4.46 billion shares changing hands on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and NYSE MKT on Friday, below the daily average so far this year of about 6.48 billion shares. On Monday, the U.S. stock market closed early for Christmas Eve, and the market was shut on Tuesday for Christmas. Many senior traders were absent this week for the holidays.

Highlighting Wall Street's sensitivity to developments in Washington, stocks tumbled more than 1 percent on Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned that a deal was unlikely before the deadline. But late in the day, stocks nearly bounced back when the House said it would hold an unusual Sunday session to work on a fiscal solution.

Positive economic data failed to alter the market's mood.

The National Association of Realtors said contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes rose in November to their highest level in 2-1/2 years, while a report from the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago showed business activity in the U.S. Midwest expanded in December.

"Economic reports have been very favorable, and once Congress comes to a resolution, the market should resume an upward trend, based on the data," said Weiss, who helps oversee about $125 billion in assets. "All else being equal, we see any further decline as a buying opportunity."

Barnes & Noble Inc rose 4.3 percent to $14.97 after the top U.S. bookstore chain said British publisher Pearson Plc had agreed to make a strategic investment in its Nook Media subsidiary. But Barnes & Noble also said its Nook business will not meet its previous projection for fiscal year 2013.

Shares of magicJack VocalTec Ltd jumped 10.3 percent to $17.95 after the company gave a strong fourth-quarter outlook and named Gerald Vento president and chief executive, effective January 1.

The U.S.-listed shares of Canadian drugmaker Aeterna Zentaris Inc surged 13.8 percent to $2.47 after the company said it had reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on a special protocol assessment by the FDA for a Phase 3 registration trial in endometrial cancer with AEZS-108 treatment.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-steady-budget-talks-eyed-103953896--finance.html

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Porsche faces more VW lawsuits after court win

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Porsche SE shares surged on Friday after it won a dismissal of a U.S. lawsuit by 26 hedge funds, one of several legal actions over its purchase of shares in Volkswagen , Europe's largest carmaker.

Posche shares were trading 6.3 percent higher at 1009 GMT, but analysts warned the German company's triumph in court hinged on a legal formality rather than the substance of the case.

On Thursday, a five-justice panel of the New York State appeals court in Manhattan found Porsche had established that the state was the wrong place in which to bring the lawsuit.

The hedge funds now have 30 days to decide whether to pursue the case in the Court of Appeals, New York's highest state court.

"The decision is made with regard to the jurisdiction and not on a claim itself," DZ Bank analyst Michael Punzet said, adding other lawsuits seeking damages were ongoing.

A $2 billion lawsuit brought by other hedge funds in a U.S. federal court is pending.

Porsche was not immediately available for comment on Friday. The company has previously said the hedge funds' lawsuits are without factual and legal merit.

Last week, prosecutors in Porsche's hometown of Stuttgart announced market manipulation charges against former Chief Executive Wendelin Wiedeking and former Chief Financial Officer Holger Haerter tied to VW share purchases. The defendants' lawyers denied wrongdoing by their clients.

In the case dismissed by the New York State appeals court, hedge funds including Glenhill Capital LP, David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital LP and Chase Coleman's Tiger Global LP had accused Porsche of causing more than $1 billion of losses by cornering the market in VW shares.

The funds accused Porsche of engineering a "massive short squeeze" in October 2008 by quietly buying nearly all freely traded ordinary VW shares in a bid to take over the company, despite publicly stating it had no plans to take a 75 percent stake.

When Porsche revealed it had amassed control of roughly three-quarters of VW, shares of VW soared, briefly making the Wolfsburg-based carmaker the world's biggest company by market value. The surge caused losses for hedge funds that had bet on a decline in the stock price.

Former CEO Wiedeking's attempts to take over VW overwhelmed Porsche's finances, forcing it to sell its sportscar business Porsche AG to VW instead.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor and Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Erica Billingham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/porsche-faces-more-vw-lawsuits-court-win-103248230--sector.html

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4 dead in Moscow airliner crash

Rescuers work at the site of careered off the runway plane at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. A Tu-204 aircraft belonging to Russian airline Red Wings careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing several people. (AP Photo/Alexander Usoltsev)

Rescuers work at the site of careered off the runway plane at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. A Tu-204 aircraft belonging to Russian airline Red Wings careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing several people. (AP Photo/Alexander Usoltsev)

Rescuers work at the site where a plane careered off the runway at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. A Tu-204 aircraft belonging to Russian airline Red Wings careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing several people. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Rescuers work at the wreckage of a plane which careered off the runway at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. A Tu-204 aircraft belonging to Russian airline Red Wings careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing several people. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Rescuers work at the site where a plane careered off the runway at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. A Tu-204 aircraft belonging to Russian airline Red Wings careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing several people. (AP Photo/Alexander Usoltsev)

Wreckage of a plane which careered off the runway at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. A Tu-204 aircraft belonging to Russian airline Red Wings careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing several people. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

MOSCOW (AP) ? A passenger airliner careered off the runway at Russia's third-busiest airport and partly onto a highway while landing on Saturday, broke into pieces and caught fire, killing at least four people.

Officials said there were eight people aboard the Tu-204 belonging to Russian airline Red Wings that was flying back from the Czech Republic without passengers to its home at Vnukovo Airport.

Emergency officials said in a televised news conference that four people were killed and another four severely injured when the plane rolled off the runway into a snowy field and partly onto an adjacent highway, then disintegrated. No collisions with vehicles on the major, multilane highway were reported.

The plane's cockpit area was sheared off from the fuselage and a large chunk gashed out near the tail.

The crash occurred amid light snow and winds gusting up to 15 meters a second (30 mph), but other details were not immediately known. A spokesman for Russia's top investigative agency, Vladimir Markin, said initial indications were that pilot error was the cause.

The state news agency RIA Novosti cited an unidentified official at the Russian Aviation Agency as saying another Red Wings Tu-204 had gone off the runway at the international airport in Novosibirsk in Siberia on Dec. 20. The agency said that incident, in which no one was injured, was due to the failure of the plane's engines to go into reverse upon landing and that its brake system malfunctioned.

On Friday, the Aviation Agency sent a directive to the Tupolev company's president calling for it to take urgent preventive measures.

Vnukovo airport spokeswoman Yelena Krylova said it had enough personnel and equipment to keep the runway fully functional Saturday. The airport resumed receiving planes after a break of several hours.

Prior to Saturday's crash, there had been no fatal accidents reported for Tu-204s, which entered commercial service in 1995. The plane is a twin-engine midrange jet with a capacity of about 210 passengers.

Vnukovo, on the southern outskirts of Moscow, is one of the Russian capital's three international airports.

___

Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this story

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-29-Russia-Plane%20Crash/id-45db37a221d5499e855340b00c657af6

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Family quiet on condition of George H.W. Bush

FILE - In a Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, former President George H.W. Bush, and his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, arrive for the premiere of HBO's new documentary on his life near the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday, Dec. 26. 2012 that doctors at the Houston hospital where Bush has been treated for a month remain ?cautiously optimistic? that he will recover. Still, no discharge date has been set, and McGrath says that doctors are being cautious because at Bush?s age ?sometimes issues crop up that are beyond anybody?s ability to discern or foretell.?(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

FILE - In a Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, former President George H.W. Bush, and his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, arrive for the premiere of HBO's new documentary on his life near the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday, Dec. 26. 2012 that doctors at the Houston hospital where Bush has been treated for a month remain ?cautiously optimistic? that he will recover. Still, no discharge date has been set, and McGrath says that doctors are being cautious because at Bush?s age ?sometimes issues crop up that are beyond anybody?s ability to discern or foretell.?(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

(AP) ? Former President George H.W. Bush is unlikely to leave the Houston hospital where he's being cared for anytime soon but would tell well-wishers to "put the harps back in the closet," a longtime aide said.

Jean Becker said in a statement Thursday evening that the 88-year-old, who has been hospitalized for longer than a month, is receiving excellent care after a "terrible case of bronchitis which then triggered a series of complications."

Bush, the oldest living former president, has been in intensive care since Sunday. He was admitted to Methodist Hospital in Houston on Nov. 23 for treatment of what his spokesman Jim McGrath described as a "stubborn" cough. He had spent about a week there earlier in November for treatment of the same condition.

McGrath and a hospital spokesman did not provide any new information on the president's health Friday morning. McGrath said previously that only changes in Bush's condition would prompt updates about his health.

Becker, Bush's longtime Houston chief of staff, said "most of the civilized world" contacted her Wednesday after word spread that Bush had been placed in intensive care unit when physicians were having difficulty bringing a fever under control.

"Someday President George H.W. Bush might realize how beloved he is, but of course one of the reasons why he is so beloved is because he has no idea," Becker said in the at-times lighthearted statement that made multiple references to jokes and the former president's sense of humor.

She said updates about Bush's condition have been limited "out of respect for President Bush and the Bush family who, like most of us, prefer to deal with health issues in privacy." She said another factor was "because he is so beloved we knew everyone would overreact."

"I hope you all know how much your love, concern and support are appreciated," Becker said.

While the president's treatment was "unequaled anywhere," she said prayers also were needed and welcomed.

"I am thinking heaven has not seen such a barrage of prayer intentions since 'It's a Wonderful Life,'" she said, referring to the classic Christmas movie.

It was hoped Bush would be well enough to spend Christmas at home. But while his cough eased, he developed a persistent fever and his condition was downgraded to "guarded."

The former president has had visits from family and friends, including longtime friend James Baker III, his former Secretary of State. Bush's daughter, Dorothy, arrived Wednesday from her home in Bethesda, Md. Other visitors have included his sons George W. Bush, the 43rd president, and Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor.

Bush and his wife, Barbara, live in Houston during the winter and spend their summers at a home in Kennebunkport, Maine.

Bush, the 41st president, had served two terms as Ronald Reagan's vice president when he was elected in 1988 to succeed Reagan. Four years later, after a term highlighted by the success of the 1991 Gulf War in Kuwait, he lost to Democrat Bill Clinton amid voters' concerns about the economy.

Bush was a naval aviator in World War II ? at one point the youngest in the Navy ? and was shot down over the Pacific. He's skydived on at least three of his birthdays since leaving the White House, most recently when he turned 85.

He left New England for an oil business job in West Texas in 1948. He's also been a Republican congressman from Texas, U.S. ambassador to China and CIA director.

Bush suffers from a form of Parkinson's disease that forced him in recent years to use a motorized scooter or wheelchair for mobility.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-28-Bush%20Hospitalized/id-6f86a779afde44a891ad59b101a239ff

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Injured Barkley won't play in Sun Bowl

(AP) ? Matt Barkley came to Southern California as a hot-shot recruit, seemingly destined to be the Trojans' next star quarterback. For the most part he delivered on that promise during a record-breaking four-year run as USC's starter.

Barkley, though, won't get to give a grand finale.

He won't play in the Sun Bowl against Georgia Tech on New Year's Eve because of a lingering injury to his right shoulder. Doctor's didn't clear him to play, coach Lane Kiffin said.

"It's a tough day," Barkley said. "As you heard from Coach Kiffin I won't be playing on the 31st. I've worked as hard as I could to get back for this game, but nature's not allowing it and the doctors aren't allowing it, which is the most important thing. They're looking out for my best interest, and I trust their judgment in how things have turned out.

Kiffin said Max Wittek will start. The redshirt freshman will be making his second career start.

"I'm still here for the guys and still trying to help Max and even Cody (Kessler), if he needs to play ? to help those guys get ready and with the game plan. I'm trying to be here as much as I can for this team to finish strong."

Barkley's throwing shoulder was injured during USC's second-to-last game against UCLA and he didn't play in the season-finale against Notre Dame. Wittek started the game and the Trojans lost to the Fighting Irish to fall to 7-5 on the season.

"I know he wanted to play," Kiffin said. "He wanted to finish on a good note. He's not been hurt very much in his four years here, but unfortunately when he has he's missed some really big games."

Barkley was a celebrated prospect from southern California? he went to the same high school as Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart ? who grew up dreaming of playing for USC. He won the starting job as a freshman in 2009, beat Ohio State on the road in second game of his career and appeared on the way to becoming a college football star to rival Leinart, Carson Palmer and Mark Sanchez.

Barkley went on to rewrite the Pac-12 record book during a USC-record 47 starts over four seasons, becoming the conference leader in touchdown passes, yards passing, completions and total offense.

But so much more was expected from him and the Trojans this season, when Barkley announced last January that he would return for his senior year.

Coming off a 10-2 season, and out of a two-year stay in NCAA jail for rules violations, USC started this season ranked No. 1 and a consensus national title contender. Barkley was the Heisman Trophy favorite and an almost certain high first-round NFL draft pick.

Neither he nor the Trojans could reach those high expectations.

Barkley was not bad. He threw for 3,273 yards in 11 games and 36 touchdowns. But he also threw 15 interceptions, the most since his freshman season.

"I'm at peace. Yeah, absolutely," Barkley said. "I try to find peace in every situation. It's not what I thought would happen, it's not I don't think the most ideal situation. But at the same time, I do have peace and I know that whatever the case is right now, I can make it into a great case come April (in the NFL draft), which is what my goal is now."

He will end his career having played in the postseason just once. He led USC to a victory against Boston College in the Emerald Bowl in '09 as a freshman.

Barkley, the only three-time captain in USC history, owns 20 school records and 10 Pac-12 records. He is the Pac-12's leader in total offense (12,214), yards passing (12,327), completions (1,001), TD passes (116) and combined rushing and passing TDs (122). He's also the only player in league history to have 2,500 yards or more of total offense four times.

"I think that Matt has had a great career here at USC," Kiffin said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-27-USC-Barkley%20Out/id-dcd4ebe3f3ce49bdbd54a237b08cf8a4

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