fault antagonist: June 2012

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Video: Obama, Putin meeting looms large for Syria

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Greek polls: Pro-bailout conservatives in first

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Update on Chris Tapp (Theagitator)

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What The Heck Is A Grocery Store Doing Buying A Music Streaming Service?

One pint of milk, one loaf of bread, and a music streaming service. That will be ?10.8 million. Yesterday?s news that We7, which aimed to be the Pandora of Europe, has sold to the supermarket giant Tesco probably raised a few eyebrows. What?s a grocery store to do with a music streaming service? Selling to Tesco is unlikely to have been in We7?s original deck under the section titled "exit strategy."

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Five-Star Fridays: Songs About Drinking (Theagitator)

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Friday, June 15, 2012

Breast milk kills HIV and blocks its oral transmission in humanized mouse

ScienceDaily (June 14, 2012) ? More than 15 percent of new HIV infections occur in children. Without treatment, only 65 percent of HIV-infected children will live until their first birthday, and fewer than half will make it to the age of two. Although breastfeeding is attributed to a significant number of these infections, most breastfed infants are not infected with HIV, despite prolonged and repeated exposure.

HIV researchers have been left with a conundrum: does breast milk transmit the virus or protect against it?

New research from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine explores this paradox in a humanized mouse model, demonstrating that breast milk has a strong virus killing effect and protects against oral transmission of HIV.

"This study provides significant insight into the amazing ability of breast milk to destroy HIV and prevent its transmission," said J. Victor Garcia, PhD, senior author on the study and professor of medicine in the UNC Center for Infectious Diseases and the UNC Center for AIDS Research. "It also provides new leads for the isolation of natural products that could be used to combat the virus."

Garcia and colleagues pioneered the humanized "BLT" mouse model, which is created by introducing human bone marrow, liver and thymus tissues into animals without an immune system of their own. Humanized BLT mice have a fully functioning human immune system and can be infected with HIV in the same manner as humans.

In the study, the researchers first determined that the oral cavity and upper digestive tract of BLT mice have the same cells that affect oral transmission of HIV in humans and then successfully transmitted the virus to the mice through these pathways. When the mice were given virus in whole breast milk from HIV-negative women, however, the virus could not be transmitted.

"These results are highly significant because they show that breast milk can completely block oral transmission of both forms of HIV that are found in the breast milk of HIV-infected mothers: virus particles and virus-infected cells," said Angela Wahl, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher in Garcia's lab and lead author on the paper. "This refutes the 'Trojan horse' hypothesis which says that HIV in cells is more stubborn against the body's own innate defenses than HIV in virus particles."

Finally, the researchers studied the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with antiretroviral medication for oral transmission of HIV. Garcia and his team have previously shown that PrEP is effective against intravenous, vaginal and rectal transmission of HIV in humanized BLT mice. In this study, they gave the mice antiretroviral drugs for seven days (3 days before and 4 days after exposing them to the virus) and found 100 percent protection against virus transmission.

These latest findings provide important leads to alternative treatments that could be used to prevent transmission.

"No child should ever be infected with HIV because it is breastfed. Breastfeeding provides critical nutrition and protection from other infections, especially where clean water for infant formula is scarce," Garcia said. "Understanding how HIV is transmitted to infants and children despite the protective effects of milk will help us close this important door to the spread of AIDS."

The study appears in the June 14, 2012 issue of the online journal PLoS Pathogens.

The research was supported by funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health and the UNC Center for AIDS Research.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of North Carolina Health Care.

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

Journal Reference:

Angela Wahl, Michael D. Swanson, Tomonori Nochi, Rikke Olesen, Paul W. Denton, Morgan Chateau, J. Victor Garcia. Human Breast Milk and Antiretrovirals Dramatically Reduce Oral HIV-1 Transmission in BLT Humanized Mice. PLoS Pathogens, 2012; 8 (6): e1002732 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002732

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.

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Thursday, June 14, 2012

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Texas Constitution "Supreme Being" Clause Targeted Again

by Zo? Gioja, Texas Tribune

In January, an atheist group will lobby the state Legislature to overturn an obscure clause in the Texas Constitution ? one that says candidates for public office must believe in a higher power. The group is following in the litigious footsteps of the late Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who 30 years ago challenged the same provision as an attempt to establish a state religion.

In Article 1, Section 4, the Texas Constitution states: ?No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.??

In other words, the Constitution maintains freedom of religion, but appears to bar atheists from holding state office. During O'Hair's challenge, she wasn't a candidate for office, hadn't been denied the right to run and couldn't challenge on that ground. The federal courts gave her standing as a voter, but the provision remained in the state's foundational legal document.

And she and then-Attorney General Jim Mattox signed an agreement in federal court that contained this line:

The parties hereby agree that the last phrase, ?... provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.? is void and of no further effect in that it is in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

The Secular Coalition for America ? which seeks to maintain separation between religion and government ? will open a Texas chapter this month to fight the provision, which is one of several such state measures it is trying to erase. ?That?s where we?re seeing the most egregious examples of religion being inserted into secular laws,? said SCA spokeswoman Lauren Youngblood. Laws like these, she said, are ?so unconstitutional and so discriminatory.??

There are different opinions, though, about how much the clause affects candidates? applications for state office. Mattox agreed on behalf of the state not to enforce it, but it has never been removed from the Texas Constitution.

Forms filed by candidates seeking election do not require them to confirm a belief in a higher power, nor does the Texas Election Code, said Republican Party of Texas spokesman Christopher Elam. Some party officials have never even encountered it before. ?This is the first time I?ve heard of it,? said Rebecca Acu?a, a spokeswoman for the Texas Democratic Party.?

Randall ?Buck? Wood, an Austin elections attorney, insists that such a law could never be enforced. ?If it were, it would be declared unconstitutional. We?ve had so many statutes in the Texas Constitution declared unconstitutional, but they?re still there. As long as nobody?s being injured by these, nobody brings a lawsuit, and they just sit there.??

Though the provision may not have affected candidates in Texas, similar provisions have had an effect in Maryland and South Carolina. In 1961 and 1997, respectively, each state rejected an atheist candidate's application for office.?

Both applicants took their cases to the Supreme Court, which struck down the articles in the Maryland and South Carolina constitutions ? but Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas have kept similar provisions on the books. In Arkansas, ?no person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil department of this state nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court.? The SCA is planning to establish chapters in these states as well to fight the laws.?

The Texas provision remains, apparently unheeded, in the state's Constitution ? though SCA lobbyists would like to see that change. ?The agenda for the Texas chapter hasn?t been set yet,? Youngblood explained, ?but this definitely something we will be taking a further look at.?

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://trib.it/MsfKFk.Texas Constitution "Supreme Being" Clause Targeted Again

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Thompson shoots 66 to lead US Open, Tiger lurking

Tiger Woods hits a shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Thursday, June 14, 2012, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Michael Thompson hits a drive on the 18th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Thursday, June 14, 2012, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods walk off the 10th tee during the first round of the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Thursday, June 14, 2012, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Bubba Watson and Tiger Woods wait to putt on the 10th green during the first round of the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Thursday, June 14, 2012, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Tiger Woods makes his way to the ninth tee to start his first round of the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Thursday, June 14, 2012, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Michael Thompson has taken the clubhouse lead at the U.S. Open, shooting a 4-under 66 for a three-shot lead on a late-charging Tiger Woods.

The 2007 U.S. Amateur runner-up at The Olympic Club sure played as though he kew the course Thursday, piling up seven birdies to go with three bogeys in an aggressive opening round. The 27-year-old from Alabama still couldn't feel too comfortable with a familiar face lurking at the top of the leaderboard in another major.

Especially this one.

Woods birdied consecutive holes late in his round and played the Lake Course with the kind of confidence that has made him a 14-time major champion. He bogeyed his second-to-last hole and finished with a 1-under 69 to blow away playing partners Phil Mickelson (76) and Bubba Watson (78). David Toms (69) also was tied with Woods.

The morning fog that blanketed the tight, twisting grounds lifted by the time the group of Woods, Mickelson and Watson made the turn. Not that Woods needed faster and firmer conditions under the sun against longtime rival Mickelson and reigning Masters champion Watson.

All the roars belonged to Woods.

Woods was in complete control of his game, finding fairways, sticking greens and avoiding the thick rough and towering trees that line the course built on the side of a hill across the street from the Pacific Ocean. He opened with five straight pars until his approach on the par-4 14th bounced off the tiny green and into the thick rough, forcing him to settle for bogey.

That was one of the few mistakes he made all day.

With the marine layer hovering above the grounds and San Francisco's steep hills in the backdrop at the start, Woods kept his drives in the narrow fairways and surgically worked his way through the course. He holed a 45-foot birdie putt on the par-4 5th, bringing the gallery roaring to its feet the way only he can.

Woods, not always straight on his first shot, mixed driver and irons off the tee throughout his round on a course that is not particularly long for this championship. The only downside through his stretch of pars: he two putted each time.

Thompson was anything but conservative on this course.

After all, he knows it well.

Thompson lost 2 and 1 to Colt Knost in a grueling 36-hole finale at the U.S. Amateur here five years ago, and hadn't played a meaningful round on the Lake Course until after he qualified for the U.S. Open last week.

Thompson piled up three bogeys on his front eight ? the USGA sent players off holes No. 1 and No. 9 instead of the usual 10th during the first two rounds because of the close proximity to the clubhouse ? and looked lost for long stretches. Instead, he found his grove in a powerful close stretch.

Thompson had four birdies in his final eight holes, including a putt on 18th that brought the fans from the grandstand to those sitting up the steep hill below the clubhouse to their feet. He gently tossed the ball into the gallery and waved to the crowd.

If not for a few misses, Woods might be the one on top already.

Woods missed birdie putts on the first and second holes on the ? yanking the latter off the lip from about 4 feet ? and followed with another par. He stuck his approach within 8 feet on the par-4 4th and sunk another birdie putt to bring some of those roars back to Olympic club for the first time since the championship last hosted the event in 1998.

The round was the first time Woods and Mickelson were paired in the U.S. Open since Torrey Pines in 2008. That's when the U.S. Golf Association grouped players off the world ranking, and also the last time Woods won a major.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy, top-ranked Luke Donald and Lee Westwood had an afternoon start.

McIlroy shattered U.S. Open records last year at rain-softened Congressional when he reached double figures under par before he even turned in his second-round scorecard. He finished at 268 to break the 72-hole record by four shots, and his 16-under total was four better than Woods' mark at Pebble Beach in 2000.

____

Follow Antonio Gonzalez at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

Associated Press

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Nettie Louise Serur - Pennington Funeral Home

Date of Birth: September 30, 1923? | ? Date of Death: June 2, 2012 ? | ? Service Date: 11 AM, Saturday, June 30, 2012 at Pennington Funeral Home?

Nettie Louise Serur, formerly of San Marcos, passed away on June 2, 2012 in Mobile, Alabama, after a very happy and full life. She was born September 30, 1923 to Bessie and Jack Olenbush, but was raised by her aunt and uncle Laura and Arthur Stiles in Schwertner, Texas after her mother died when Nettie was two years old.

At the age of 16, Nettie headed to Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos, Texas, where she met the love of her life, Alexander Dempsey Serur. Just 10 hours shy of graduating, she chose marriage over a degree. She and Dempsey were married June 8, 1942, in a small ceremony in an officer?s quarters in Hyannis, Massachusetts, where Dempsey was serving in WWII. After he returned from war, they made their home in San Marcos, eventually taking over the family clothing business known as Serur?s. They were well respected for their business integrity, serving the community for many years. Serur?s was proud to outfit Barbara Tidwell?s very first group of SWT Strutters with their signature white boots in 1960.

After working many early years in their business, Nettie became active in the Bicentennial Belles, the precursor of the Heritage Association Guild. She was chairman of the Guild in 1982, and was the first treasurer of The Heritage Association of San Marcos. A lover of primitive antiques, she and Helen Van Gundy were appointed by the mayor to be the acquisition committee charged with furnishing the Charles S. Cock House with authentic period antiques. A tea room was established which helped fund the project, and for the first 3 years, Nettie and Helen did all the scheduling of volunteers to prepare and serve the Friday luncheons, often doing the food themselves. The two ladies were instrumental in the phenomenal success of the Cottage Kitchen.

For 36 years the tea room has been a popular destination where locals and out of town guests enjoy delicious home cooked meals served by a different organization each week. Some years ago, two rooms in the house were named for these dedicated women. Nettie was very proud of that designation.

Nettie also loved to play bridge, travel, read, dine in fine restaurants, water ski in her earlier years, and enjoyed golfing with couples when Dempsey was alive. She was probably best known for her charm, and her ability to make everyone feel special. Nettie loved to entertain, and some of her parties were legendary!

Nettie never allowed adversity to get her down. When she was two years old and her mother died, Nettie Louise went to live with her aunt and uncle who raised her as their own. Other relatives also made a point to look after her, and make her feel special. When Dempsey died unexpectedly in 1984, Nettie continued to live by her motto, ?You have to make your own happiness. You can?t depend on others to do that for you.? And so she went on to live a full and happy life, complete with dear, dear friends and family. And when her eyesight began to fail her to the point Nettie could no longer drive or play bridge with her friends, she planned the next chapter of her life in a lovely independent living facility in Mobile, Alabama, where she made wonderful new friends. She was affectionately known as ?Miss Nettie? to most residents of Mobile. She embraced her new lifestyle with dignity and grace, and was grateful to be able to spend more time with her daughter and her family, who lived only minutes away. Of course, she maintained almost daily contact with her friends and family back in Texas by telephone. Nettie was extremely proud of each of her children and their families. She was a wonderful grandmother, adored by all of her grandchildren. Last year she was thrilled to get to hold her first great-grandchild.

Nettie was preceded in death by her loving husband, Dempsey. She is survived by her son Terry Serur and wife Carol of San Marcos, as well as her daughter Sheri Granberry and husband Dr. Michael Granberry of Mobile. She is also survived by her grandchildren January Serur Pfiester and husband Winston, Ash Serur, Rachael Granberry, Andrew Granberry, and George Granberry, great-grandson Branson Pfiester, cousin Ellis Logan Ramsey of Bartlett, and many friends and other relatives. She will be terribly missed by all who knew and loved her.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Heritage Association of San Marcos, the Strutter Gallery at Texas State University, or other charity. A memorial service will be conducted June 30, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at Pennington Funeral Home Chapel. A reception will follow the service.

Arrangements by Pennington Funeral Home, San Marcos, Texas, 512-353-4311. Obituary and guestbook on line at www.penningtonfuneralhome.com

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'Maple Spring' protests: Crackdown roils Quebec

Christinne Muschi / Reuters

Thousands of demonstrators march against student tuition hikes in downtown Montreal, Quebec, on May 22. Tens of thousands marched in a rally marking 100 days of student protests.

By Miranda Leitsinger, msnbc.com

Demonstrators are filling Quebec's streets daily to support a four-month-old student strike against a tuition hike that has morphed into a movement against efforts to curb the right to protest and to impose austerity measures in Canada's largest province.

The walkout over a 75 percent increase in university and college?tuition fees began on Feb. 13 with about 11,000 students. By late March, more than 300,000 people -- or about three-quarters of Quebec's student population -- were participating,?organizers say.

The number of striking students had dipped to around 160,000 when the?province's center-left?government passed an emergency law on May 18 limiting where and when protests could be held and imposing potential fines of more than $100,000 on violators.

But instead of quelling the demonstrations, "Law 78"?drove?people who were unaffected by the tuition hike but angry over the legislation onto the streets, revitalized the strikers?and?sparked court challenges amid claims it endangers freedoms of expression and association.

'A lot of anger'
The government also suspended classes until mid-August, essentially putting the students in a lockout.?

The movement has been dubbed the "Printemps ?rable" -- or "Maple Spring" -- a play of words on the Arab Spring ("Printemps Arabe") protests?that swept across the Middle East and North Africa.

?I think that our strike arrived at a good moment where a vast majority of the population has a lot of anger against the government,? Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, a spokesman for student association?CLASSE, told msnbc.com. ?This increase in tuition fees is only one part of the large broader austerity reforms? that include moves to privatize health care. Many Canadians consider universal health care to be a defining characteristic of their national identity.

"I think our mobilization just gives the opportunity to all those people who were just waiting ? to go into the street,? he added.??The student movement ? is really a movement to refute this change of the political cultural of Quebec."

1,600 arrested
Quebec, a?predominantly French-speaking province situated between Ontario, New Brunswick and Labrador,?has a history of student activism, including a strike in 2005 that lasted more than 50 days.?

?The scale and the length of the conflict is unprecedented,? said Marcos Ancelovici, an assistant professor of sociology at McGill University in Montreal who studies social movements. ?The movement so far is really showing an incredible capacity to mobilize large numbers of people, and the government did not anticipate that at all, they didn?t see it coming.?

Montreal police said at least 1,600 people had been arrested in connection with demonstrations as of Friday, though they reported dozens more on their Twitter account over the weekend when the Formula 1 Grand Prix race was held. At least five of the arrests were for people violating a new city bylaw that bans wearing scarves, masks and balaclavas at protests.

Some protesters have clashed with police and one time, smoke bombs were set off in Montreal's subway network, briefly stopping the whole system, though the student demonstrations have been mostly peaceful, the Canadian Press reported. The police have also reported on their Twitter account that protesters had broken glass windows and thrown objects at officers in recent days.

Ryan Remiorz /AP Photo/The Canadian Press

Police detain a demonstrator before a cocktail party kicking off the Canadian Grand Prix festivities in Montreal on June 7.

Four student associations are seeking a freeze on the tuition hike and have participated in four failed negotiation sessions with the government.?

In its budget report calling for the hikes, the government said that all of the universities had finished each fiscal period with a deficit since 2005. The total deficit for the institutions reached $469 million in 2009.

By 2010, the universities were underfinanced by an estimated $602 million, the government said, citing a report by the nonprofit Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities.

The financing plan?would bring in an additional revenue of $826 million, with $418 million coming from the government, that will go to improving the quality of education and research. About 35 percent of the new revenue will go to providing financial aid.

Even after the hikes, Quebec?s tuition fees will remain?among the lowest in Canada, the CBC reported.

Though some observers criticized the province's leaders for not trying to resolve the issue earlier, the government said in a statement on May 31 that despite "constructive" exchanges between the two sides -- and counter-offers aimed at brokering a deal -- it was "impossible" to reach an agreement.

The provincial government acted in good faith to try and find an acceptable solution for all parties to exit the crisis, said new Education Minister Michelle Courchesne, noting that the students had rejected tuition hikes entirely.

The former education minister, Line Beauchamp, resigned in mid-May over the issue, according to the CBC.

The protests had begun to flag around that time because Premier Jean Charest's government appeared unwilling to back off the $1,582 (over five years -- or about?$316 per annum)?in planned hikes from the current $2,110 tuition, or to offer significant concessions, Ancelovici said.

But Law 78, a "special" measure specifically designed to subdue the student movement until the law expires in July 2013, has?so far only served to galvanize opposition to the Liberal party's government and shifted momentum back to the protesters.

PhotoBlog: Quebec moves to restore order as striking students clash with police

Under it, students face fines in the thousands of dollars for blocking entrances to universities, while their associations are potentially subject to fines of more than $100,000. It requires police to be given protest itineraries eight hours before?any gathering of more than 50 people.

'Its scope is very wide'
The Quebec Bar Association denounced Law 78 as endangering the freedoms of expression and association. A legal nonprofit has already filed two challenges against the legislation, said Pierre Thibault, an assistant dean at the University of Ottawa?s law school. He believes at least parts of the law would be struck down as unconstitutional.

?It?s quite unusual to have a law like Law 78 because its scope is very wide and that is part of the problem,? he said. ?How can you impose this punishment to students? It?s hard for them to even pay their ? fees.?

Rogerio Barbosa / AFP - Getty Images

Students protest against Law 78 in Montreal on June 4.

Law 78 also triggered a new style of protest in Montreal: A college teacher reportedly called for a type of demonstration made popular in Chile, Argentina and Spain to be used on the nightly marches: the banging of pots and pans, called ?les casseroles? in French.

This law ?galvanized everybody because suddenly people said well this is completely outrageous, we cannot let our freedoms, our rights be ? restricted in this way,? Ancelovici said, noting that many families and senior citizens were now attending the protests and neighborhoods were organizing into assemblies.

Activists also grabbed hold of the concept and called for similar demonstrations to be held across Canada and in some European and American cities. Some in Occupy Wall Street are using the red felt square worn by Quebec protesters as a symbol of student debt (meaning "totally in the red") and are holding ongoing casserole protests in the U.S.

?I think the reason why people have been so eager to jump on board with this ?. is because people feel that they are all having the same problem and that problem is with a broken economic system,? said Ethan Cox, a writer for alternative media nonprofit rabble.ca who helped to organize the casserole protests outside of Quebec. ?That problem of austerity, that problem of misplaced priorities is a global problem and is one that affects people in the U.S. as much as it does here in Canada. And so I think that?s why it?s really struck a nerve.?

The protest has resonated with students in the U.S., where student debt passed $1 trillion earlier this year. Some New York City students have gone to Montreal to meet protesters and another group in Ohio has been discussing organizing Quebec-style student unions, said Jacob Remes, an assistant professor of public affairs at Empire State College who studies social movements in Canada and the United States.

Though Remes didn?t think a nationwide movement akin to what was happening in Quebec could occur in the U.S. due to the organizing it would require, he thought it could be possible in smaller locales.

In Quebec, not all are on board with the protests, Ancelovici said, noting that some of his students at the English-speaking McGill University were concerned about completing the term so they didn?t join the strike. Participation was also lower outside of Montreal, he said.

A poll conducted online after Law 78 passed showed a near split in sentiment over the legislation, with 51 percent supporting it and 49 percent opposed, according to the Montreal Gazette. The poll of 1,500 people also found that 64 percent sided with the government?s plan to raise the tuition, while 36 percent backed the freeze that the students are seeking.

With school out, Nadeau-Dubois acknowledged that it would be hard to keep up the momentum of the protests during the summer but said they would focus on the pots-and-pans brigade led by neighborhood groups. No matter the outcome, he said they had already won something.

?This movement gave us a lot of confidence in ourselves," he said. "We really realized our collective force, our collective ability to mobilize and to change things, and yeah, a lot of students are beginning to realize that we are doing something historical actually and that?s why, even if the individual cost of the strike is very heavy, they are ? continuing to be on strike because they know that they are doing something that is bigger than themselves.?

More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

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Rex says Jets lack QB controversy

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Last week?s ruling from Stephen Burbank in Bounty Grievance No. 2 gave Packers defensive end Anthony Hargrove a glimmer of hope.? On Monday, Burbank snuffed it out completely.

Burbank has ruled, a week after retaining jurisdiction over Hargrove?s grievance, that the attempt to shift the case away from Commissioner Roger Goodell should be rejected because Hargrove?s eight-game suspension arose in no way from potential salary-cap violations.

The outcome should come as no surprise, given that Burbank?s initial decision supplied the league office with a road map for slamming the door on the argument that Goodell lacks jurisdiction to impose penalties for cap violations against Hargrove.? The league needed only to specify that Hargrove wasn?t being punished for receiving extra money for inflicting injury, and the league accomplished that fairly easy feat via a letter sent to Hargrove on June 8.

?This letter attributes the ?vast majority of [Mr. Hargrove?s] eight-game suspension to [his] lying . . . and obstruction? and the ?balance . . . to [his] active participation in the program by pledging and contributing money to the pool,? Burbank writes.? ?The June 8 letter goes on to state that Mr. Hargrove?s ?suspension was not attributable to any agreement on your part to accept payments from the pool or to any moneys that you may have received from the pool.??

Of course, there?s a chance that the discipline was at least in part based on Hargrove receiving money for inflicting injury, especially since Hargrove was believed to be one of the players who was in line to get paid for banging the bejeepers out of Brett Favre in the 2009 NFC title game.? Indeed, the original letter sent to Hargrove said nothing about the player being disciplined for pledging or contributing money to the bounty program, even though the substantially similar letters sent to the other three players use such language.

But with Burbank?s initial ruling making it clear that all the NFL needed to do was clearly state that Hargrove wasn?t being suspended for getting paid to injure Favre or anyone else, it was a quick and easy fix for the league office, which allowed Burbank to in turn make quick and easy work of Hargrove?s grievance.

The NFLPA previously has said that an appeal will be filed on behalf of Hargrove and the three other players whose grievances were dismissed by Burbank:? Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith, and Browns linebacker Scott Fujita.? That appeal most likely will not delay the appeal hearing on the bounty suspensions, which will be conducted by Goodell on Monday, June 18.

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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Watchdog revises Amgen bone drug guidance

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Crews to begin filming biopic of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in Los Altos

Filming on a movie about the life of Steve Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher begins Monday in the Los Altos garage that gave birth to Apple, according to a member of the production crew.

The movie, titled "jOBS," is a rival to the Sony Pictures film that has tapped Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak as an adviser and hired Aaron Sorkin of "The Social Network" to write the script based on Walter Isaacson's biography "Steve Jobs."

As the crew of "jOBS" descends on the Apple co-founder's old neighborhood Monday morning, thousands will gather in San Francisco for Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Instead of the deceased Jobs leading the proceedings, though, CEO Tim Cook will chart the company's course.

According to a news release, executive producer Mark Hulme and Five Star Feature Films launched the movie project immediately following Jobs' retirement in August 2011. "A rousing narrative of this business and tech icon, 'jOBS' pulls no punches and does not speculate, telling only the candid and captivating account of the life of Steven Paul Jobs," it said.

The film focuses on Jobs' life between 1971 and 2000 and, according to the producers, is based "on months of exhaustive research and interviews with Steve Jobs' friends, colleagues and mentors to develop the most truthful and gripping picture of Jobs' life."

In an interview, Wozniak said he has not spoken to anyone associated with "jOBS."

"I am not involved with

them," Woz said. "I hope they get things very accurate as far as personalities, characters and what incidents had meaning. I hope they don't over-dramatize it. The real events that happened were interesting."

He has no problem watching an actor portray him as a shy engineer, Wozniak said. He liked "Pirates of Silicon Valley," a 1999 made-for-television film directed by Martyn Burke that dramatized the birth of the personal computer, rivalry between Apple and Microsoft and Jobs' sometimes erratic and harsh leadership.

"They got the personalities right," he said. "I was a good engineer and I cared about people."

Contact John Boudreau at 408-278-3496; follow him at Twitter.com/svwriter.

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Monday, June 11, 2012

Colossal telescope given go-ahead

11 June 2012 Last updated at 13:33 ET

By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

Construction of world's biggest optical telescope has been approved.

The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) will have a primary mirror some 40m in diameter, and will be built on top of a mountain in Chile.

Member states of the European Southern Observatory (Eso) organisation declared their support for the project on Monday at a meeting in Garching, Germany.

They have not yet, however, put all of the 1bn euros (?0.8bn) of financing in place.

That may be possible by December, at the organisation's next council meeting.

By then, Brazil should also have become the 15th member of Eso, further spreading the E-ELT's cost and making it more affordable for all nations.

The telescope should be ready for use by about 2022, and will be one of the key astronomical facilities of 21st Century, complementing other huge observatories that will view the sky at different wavelengths of light.

It will detect targets in the visible and near-infrared. Its 39.3m main mirror will be more than four times the width of today's best optical telescopes (antennas for radio telescopes are still very much bigger).

The observatory will be designed to have the sensitivity and resolution to image directly rocky planets beyond our Solar System.

It should also be able to provide major insights into the nature of black holes, galaxy formation, the mysterious "dark matter" that pervades the Universe, and the even more mysterious "dark energy" which appears to be pushing the cosmos apart at an accelerating rate.

At the Garching meeting, six nations (Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland) were in a position to declare their full support to proceed with the project; four nations (Belgium, Finland, Italy, and the United Kingdom) declared their support pending approval from their governments; and the remaining four said they continued to work towards full approval.

Prof Isobel Hook is the UK E-ELT project scientist from the University of Oxford. She said Monday's decision was hugely exciting.

"We've all been working towards this moment for a long time, and this decision means we're now just a few years away from using this telescope," she told BBC News.

"The E-ELT's great size will give us much sharper images, provided we can correct for atmospheric turbulence [which makes stars twinkle], and that will be part of the telescope's design. The E-ELT will also have a much larger collecting area than any telescope we have now. That combination of sharpness and collecting area is what will make it so powerful."

The telescope will be sited on Cerro Armazones, a mountain that is just 20km from Cerro Paranal where Eso currently operates its Very Large Telescope (VLT) facility - a suite of interconnected optical telescopes that includes four units with primary mirrors measuring 8.2m.

Like Paranal, Armazones will enjoy near-perfect observing conditions - at least 320 nights a year when the sky is cloudless.

The famous aridity found in Chile's Atacama desert means the amount of water vapour in the skies above the observatory will be very limited, reducing further the perturbation starlight experiences as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere.

One of the first tasks will be to remove the top of the mountain to make a flat base for the telescope and its housing, which will be the size of a football stadium.

Even before that work is undertaken, a road will need to be constructed on the slopes of Cerro Armazones to get heavy earth-moving equipment on site.

The funding for the road and some design work on the E-ELT's Number Four mirror was approved at last December's council meeting.

Eso's principles require 90% of the funding to be in place before spending goes beyond the initial civil works. The total cost of the project is currently projected to be 1,083 million euros (at 2012 prices).

Prof Gerry Gilmore at Cambridge University played a key role in the early definition phases of the E-ELT, bringing together various competing ideas into a single project.

"Science on this scale is technology-limited," he told the BBC.

"We all know the grand questions we want to ask - 'What is time? What is existence? What is reality? Is there life out there? And we know that we need technology to answer those questions. So, to see this technology being brought together in the E-LET, with European leadership, is wonderful."

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter

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Sunday, June 10, 2012

Republicans look south for help in tough North Carolina race (reuters)

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The 4 major pro sports' most expensive tickets

Jim Bourg / Reuters

Given their success, it is no surprise the average price of a New England Patriots ticket on the secondary market is the highest in sports, at just short of $242.

By Michael B. Sauter, 24/7 Wall St.

The cost of tickets to watch professional sports varies considerably. In some cities, the?amount?can be the same as the price of dinner and a movie. For some teams, however, tickets can cost so much that most families struggle to attend a single game. The average ticket price to a Utah Jazz game is $72, while the average price for a New England Patriots game is more than three times that amount.

On top of tickets sold directly through the teams, there is a secondary market of tickets sold through other sources. There are more than 60 such secondary markets through which sports tickets are sold?every year, including Stubhub, eBay and TicketNetwork.com. To identify?the five teams in each major sport with the highest ticket prices,?24/7 Wall St. examined a two-year average of secondary-market ticket prices for each team compiled by SeatGeek, a search engine for event tickets.

It stands to reason that popular teams with strong fan bases can charge their fans more. But are secondary-market tickets even more reflective of demand? After examining the data and speaking with an expert on the subject, 24/7 Wall St. found that is indeed the case.

?What we?ve seen is that ticket prices on secondary market are a great proxy of fan interest and fan sentiment,? said SeatGeek?s director of communications, Will Flaherty. ?When Jeremy Lin played for the Knicks, we saw over 200 percent?ticket price increases on the secondary market.? Of course, regular season tickets could not have increased at this rate. The secondary-market tickets were more reflective of fan demand.

While teams do offer tickets through their own box offices, Flaherty said these often can be more expensive than going through a middleman, ?If you want a very good seat ? oftentimes those tickets are not available at the box office, and if they are, they?re prohibitively expensive,? Flaherty said. ?And so in many cases?you can not only get access to those types of tickets (through secondary sources), but you can actually get them for lower prices.? Because some ticket holders are trying to resell premium seats, he explained, seats often cost less than what the team is selling them for. ?For example, your average outfield bleacher ticket for a midweek Yankees home game will cost around $20 from Yankees.com after taxes and fees, while secondary-market sites have tickets in the identical section starting at $10.?

Several key factors influence high ticket prices in professional sports. These include the long-term popularity of the team, the historical size of its fan base, the availability of seating, the number of games played each year and the short-term success a franchise is experiencing.

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Most of the teams on our list have one of the following two factors going for them. In many cases, the franchise has been extremely successful in recent years, regularly making it to the playoffs, winning championships, drawing star talent and driving up the fan base. This is the case for teams like the Miami Heat. Some teams also rely on their history and large market to bring in fans. The Toronto Maple Leafs, for example, have performed woefully for years, but they remain?a massively popular and profitable team, thanks to their fan base. Many teams fulfill both of these criteria, including the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Yankees and the New York Giants.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed average home game attendance for each of these teams; the attendance records show how popular these tickets are. Sixteen of the 20 teams on our list had average ticket sales exceeding 95 percent?capacity or beyond in the most recently completed season. This popularity has resulted in highly profitable teams. Of the 16 teams that averaged 95 percent?attendance or greater in the most recent season, 10 had among the top five operating incomes for their sport.

SeatGeek compiled a list of average secondary-market ticket prices over a two-year period, which is the longest period available for all four sports, including Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. To measure?the success and popularity of these teams, 24/7 Wall St. examined attendance and win-loss records for each team for the past decade. In the case of the NFL, we considered attendance data from 2008 to the present. We also looked at the financial well-being of these franchises based on data published by Forbes, which include team revenue, operating income and estimated value.

These are the most expensive tickets in sports.

The most expensive tickets in the National Hockey League

5. Vancouver Canucks
Average ticket price: $158.09
Win-loss past 10 years: 921 (third highest)
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 18,884

The Vancouver Canucks have been the most dominant Canadian hockey team in recent years. Due in part to their success, demand for tickets is high, with secondary sales yielding a shade over $158 on average. Over the past 10 seasons, the team recorded the third-most points in the NHL, behind only the Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks. During the 2010-2011 season, the team made it to the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Boston Bruins. At the end of the 2011-2012 season, the team put together a strong performance during the final stretch to earn the Presidents? Trophy ? awarded to the team with the best record during the regular season ? for the second year in a row. In 2011, Forbes?estimated the Canucks to be worth $300 million, the seventh most valuable team in the NHL. The team also brought in an estimated $23.5 million in operating income, more than all but the Maple Leafs, Rangers and Canadiens.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins
Average ticket price: $160.28
Win-loss past 10 years: 802 (13th lowest)
Championships past 10 years: one
Average home attendance: 18,566

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the only American team in hockey to make the list. The team is currently led by star centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni?Malkin and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, whose performances have led the team to six consecutive playoff appearances. The Penguins also won the Stanley Cup during the 2008-2009 season. The following year, the team moved out of the Civic Arena, or The Igloo, and into the CONSOL Energy Center, and started playing there in July 2010. The new building sold out every game during its inaugural season with the team.

3. Montreal Canadiens
Average ticket price: $186.67
Win-loss past 10 years: 812 (15th highest)
Championships last 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 21,273

The Canadiens?have been a professional hockey team since 1909, predating the NHL, and were one of the league?s original six teams. Needless to say, the team has maintained a strong fan base through bad times and good. Those times are usually good, however ? the Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cup championships. This year, however, was the worst the team had seen in a very long time. The ?Habs? recorded the third-worst record in the NHL and fired their coach, assistant coach and general manager. Recent troubles have not dragged down ticket prices too much; the average second-market ticket was?more than?$186 per person. According to Forbes,?the Canadiens franchise earned $47.4 million in 2011, more than all but one team.

2. Winnipeg Jets
Average ticket price: $197.26
Win-loss past 10 years: N/A
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 15,004

The 2010-2011 season for the NHL?s Atlanta Thrashers?would prove to be the last in the United States for the hapless franchise. The Thrashers?had been struggling?both on the ice and financially. They had not won a single postseason game in their 11-season history, and they had posted a net operating loss every year since the 2004-2005 lockout. The franchise was purchased?and moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, giving the city a new Jets franchise, which it had been lacking for 16 years since the old Jets had moved to Phoenix. Fan fervor in the 15,000-capacity MTS Centre was exceptional during the Jets' first year back, and the stadium averaged sellout crowds in the 41 games played there. While the Jets failed to make the playoffs in their first year, they kept fans on their toes, remaining in the running until the final few games of the season.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs
Average ticket price: $199.62
Win-loss past 10 years: 785 (11th lowest)
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 19,506

The Toronto Maple Leafs have not made the playoffs since before the NHL lockout, which occurred during what would have been the 2004-2005 season. But that has not prevented the team from being the most valuable and profitable in the NHL. The Leafs had $81.8 million in operating income in 2011, $34.1 million more than the second-most profitable team. The Leafs regularly sold?more than?capacity in the Air Canada Centre during the 2011-2012 season. However, a large new arena designed to seat 20,000 occupants could possibly threaten the team?s profitability. According to the Toronto Star,?the new arena is being built?approximately 25 miles from the Leafs? Air Canada Centre in downtown Toronto.

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The most expensive tickets in Major League Baseball

5. New York Mets
Average ticket price: $63.56
Win-loss past 10 years: 49.1 percent?(14th lowest)
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 30,108

Though New York Mets?secondary-market tickets are among the most expensive in baseball, the team simply has not had the same on-the-field success as many of the other teams on this list. It costs fans buying resales an average of just over $63 per ticket to attend a game at Citi?Field, the fifth most in MLB. Though demand is still high, the team?s play has been?subpar?in recent years. The Mets?won only 795 games between 2002 and 2011 ? among the bottom half of all MLB?teams. Only once during that period did the Mets?make the playoffs ? in 2006. The Mets?have had their off-field woes too. Several Mets?owners ? including Fred Wilpon?and brother-in-law Saul Katz ? were sued?in connection with their dealings with famous Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff and settled in early 2012 for $162 million.

4. Chicago Cubs
Average ticket price: $65.24
Win-loss past 10 years: 49.4 percent?(15th highest)
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 37,258

The Chicago Cubs are the fourth most valuable team in baseball, with an estimated value of $879 million. Despite not winning a single World Series Championship in the past 103 years, the team retains a loyal fan base. An average of 37,258 fans came to Wrigley Field each game in 2011, and secondary-market buyers paid?more than?$65 a ticket, more than all but three of the 30 major league fan bases. Even more impressive is the fact that the Cubs draw such a huge crowd while being the only major league team to play the majority of their home games during the day, when many fans are at work.

3. New York Yankees
Average ticket price: $70.81
Win-loss past 10 years: 60.2 percent?(highest)
Championships past 10 years: one
Average home attendance: 45,107

In 2009, the Yankees moved out of the ?House That Ruth Built? and into a new ballpark. The team?s new digs hold 6,599 fewer fans than the old park, and the average face-value ticket price rose significantly after the move. Even with a smaller park and more expensive seats, the Yanks still managed to increase their attendance by 4.2 percent?between 2002 and 2011. The team averaged 45,107 fans in 2011, and those buying on the secondary market paid an average $70.81 to attend games at Yankee Stadium. These figures could be a product of the team?s loyal fan base, or just its continued success. The Bronx Bombers boasted a league-leading 975 wins between 2002 and 2011 and won the World Series in 2009, their first year in the new ballpark. The Yankees are now valued by Forbes at $1.85 billion, tied with the Cowboys for the highest among all sports franchises.

2. Toronto Blue Jays
Average ticket price: $71.89
Win-loss past 10 years: 49.9 percent?(13th highest)
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 22,445

The Toronto Blue Jays are a curious addition to this list. The only MLB?team to play outside of the U.S., the Jays' lofty secondary prices do not seem to be consistent with their play on the field, or the demand for Rogers Centre tickets. At an average cost of $71.89, Toronto has the second most expensive resale ticket in baseball, this despite their averaging?of?22,445 fans per game, the sixth lowest in the MLB. Further confusing matters is their 808-811 record over the past decade and their $413 million valuation, sixth worst in MLB. The Blue Jays do however, have the ninth highest operating income in baseball.

1. Boston Red Sox
Average ticket price:$88.26
Win-loss past 10 years: 57.5 percent?(second highest)
Championships past 10 years: two
Average home attendance: 37,703

The Boston Red Sox have the priciest secondary ticket among MLB?teams. Attending a game at Boston?s famed Fenway?Park costs fans buying outside the box office approximately $88 on average. Unlike some teams on the list, the Red Sox have had a great deal of success in recent years, winning the World Series twice in the past 10 seasons. During that time, the Sox tallied 932 victories, second only to their bitter rivals, the Yankees. All that success on the field has translated to greater demand for tickets and ultimately, increased revenue. Since 2003, the team?s revenue?has increased?every year but one, and Fenway has seen a 15 percent?bump in attendance between 2002 and 2011.

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The most expensive tickets in the National Basketball Association

5. Boston Celtics
Average ticket price: $99.43
Win-loss past 10 years: 56.6 percent?(fifth highest)
Championships past 10 years: one
Average home attendance: 18,624

The Celtics ? with 17 NBA titles ? are the winningest team in basketball history; at one point, Boston claimed eight championships in a row. Seeing them play, though, is not cheap. Buying a resale ticket to watch the Celtics costs, on average, just over $99. An average of 18,624 people attended games played in 2010-2011, yet the Boston Garden only holds 18,624. The fact that the Celtics can average a sellout over an entire season is one of?reason?they are valued at $482 million, the fifth highest figure among NBA franchises. Boston?s overall revenue did fall by $5 million between 2011 and 2012, but that drop is due mostly to 2012?s lockout-shortened 66 game season, which had eight fewer home games than the year before.

4. Chicago Bulls
Average ticket price: $111.12
Win-loss past 10 years: 51.9 percent?(12th highest)
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 22,161

The Chicago Bulls' average secondary-ticket price of $111.12 ranks fourth among NBA teams. Post-Jordan, the Bulls have yet to win a title, although they have made seven playoff appearances in the past decade.?In?that time, their attendance increased by 13 percent. Despite the departure of His Airness, Bulls fans continue to pack the United Center. The team?s average attendance was 22,161 in 2010-2011, the most in the NBA. Although they have yet to emulate the success they had during legendary coach Phil Jackson?s era, they have been a solid winner?during the past 10 seasons. During that span, the Bulls had 417 victories ? 12th out of 30 NBA franchises.

3. Miami Heat
Average ticket price: $123.35
Win-loss past 10 years: 53.6 percent?(11th highest)
Championships past 10 years: one
Average home attendance: 19,935

If you are buying a resold ticket, South Beach is the third-most expensive place in America to watch a basketball game, at a little?more than?$123 per ticket on average. This figure is an extension of?increased demand, reflected in the 30 percent?jump in attendance at AmericanAirlines Arena in the past decade. The leap is in large part to due to the triumvirate of stars that joined forces before the 2010-2011 season. LeBron?James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh helped the Heat draw an average of 19,935 fans last year ? fourth most in the NBA. After doling out the cash to sign the three free agents before the 2011 season, the Heat?s operating income dipped from $8 million in 2010 to $5.9 million in 2011. But 2012 turned that around. The interest generated by the new-look Heat has put the team back in the black, and operating income shot up to $26 million in 2012.

2. New York Knicks
Average ticket price: $161.93
Win-loss past 10 years: 40.6 percent?(sixth lowest)
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 19,763

Madison Square Garden bills itself as the ?world?s most famous arena? and the prices for Knicks?games reflect?that status. Attending?a game?costs secondary buyers just short of $162 on average. The Knicks? success, however, is difficult to attribute to success on the court. While New York has made the playoffs the past two years, they have not won a championship since the 1970s. Still, fans?continue?to pack the Garden ? the team?s attendance has increased by 4 percent?in the past 10 years. Part of this popularity has to do with the team?s increased star power, with recent additions of Carmelo Anthony and Amar?e Stoudemire. This year?s team was one of the more exciting Madison Square Gardens has seen for a while, due in part due to the unexpected success of Jeremy Lin and ?Lin-sanity.? The Knicks are also one of those teams that always will have strong backing, even during their worst performances.

1. Los Angeles Lakers
Average ticket price: $169.80
Win-loss past 10 years: 62.7 percent?(third highest)
Championships past 10 years: three
Average home attendance: 18,997

If you are buying away from the box office, entrance to the STAPLES Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers, is the priciest in basketball, at an average of roughly $170 per ticket. Still, Lakers?fans are clearly willing and able to pay the fee for supporting their team. The Lakers?drew an average of 18,997 fans in 2011-2012 ? eighth most in the NBA. That figure becomes significantly?more impressive in light of the STAPLES Center?s capacity of 18,997. Whether it is the nine playoff appearances and three championships in the past 10 years, or the glitz and glamor of the notable celebrities who frequent the arena, the Lakers? pricey resales are a hot commodity. And so too, it appears, are the Lakers. The franchise?s estimated value leaped 40 percent?from $643 million in 2011 to $900 million 2012.

The most expensive tickets in the National Football League

5. Green Bay Packers
Average ticket price: $213.43
Win-loss past 10 years: 61.9 percent?(fifth highest)
Championships past 10 years: one
Average home attendance: 70,512

The Green Bay Packers? unique story as a nonprofit, publicly owned corporation began in 1923. Today, 360,000 stockholders serve as stewards of this very healthy team. Secondary-sale Packers tickets demand an average of a little?more than?$213 each, the fifth highest figure in the NFL. The Packers are also one of the most successful teams on the field. They have appeared in five Super Bowls in their franchise?s history, winning four. Green Bay?s success continued in the past decade with the team winning 99 games ? a number bested by only three teams ? and the Super Bowl in 2010. Their home stadium, Lambeau?Field, is located in one of the most sparsely populated metropolitan regions to host a professional team.

4. Dallas Cowboys
Average ticket price: $214.71
Win-loss past 10 years: 53.8 percent?(11th highest)
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 85,512

The Dallas Cowboys were once dubbed ?America?s team? and the name stuck. Despite notching no Super Bowl victories in the past decade and making the playoffs just four times in that time, Cowboys secondary tickets are the fourth most expensive in the NFL, averaging just short of $215 each. The franchise is valued at $1.85 billion, tied with the New York Yankees for the most valuable team in North America. This valuation is due in part to the Cowboys? move from Texas Stadium to Cowboys Stadium, which increased capacity by nearly 15,000 seats.

3. Chicago Bears
Average ticket price: $219.82
Win-loss past 10 years: 51.3 percent?(13th highest)
Championships past 10 years: none
Average home attendance: 62,145

A top 10 franchise in terms of value, the Chicago Bears have had only middling success in recent years. Chicago has tallied just 82 victories in the past 10 seasons, 13th of?32 NFL franchises. The Bears had no Super Bowl wins in the past decade, though they appeared in one back in 2006, losing to Peyton Manning and the Colts. Still, Soldier Field patrons pay an average of almost $220?onthe secondary market for the right to watch their Bears take the field, part of the reason the team?s revenue has increased every year for the past?10 seasons.

2. New York Giants
Average ticket price: $238.45
Win-loss past 10 years: 55 percent?(eighth best)
Championships past 10 years: two
Average home attendance: 79,475

The New York Giants, though they play their home games in New Jersey, averaged the second most fans per game of any NFL team in 2011 at 79,475. Those fans buying tickets on the secondary market paid a little?more than?$238 a ticket, second most in all of sports. The Giants have also been one of the most successful teams on the field. In the past decade, the G-Men have won two Super Bowls ? in 2007 and 2011 ? and made six playoff appearances. The team?s revenue rose every year in that period and jumped $52 million between 2010 and 2011. In 2010, the Giants moved into the brand-new MetLife?Stadium, which has a permanent capacity of 82,566, the highest permanent capacity of any NFL stadium.

1. New England Patriots
Average ticket price: $241.86
Win-loss past 10 years: 76.9 percent?(highest)
Championships past 10 years: three
Average home attendance: 68,756

The New England Patriots have been a fixture in the?postseason?during the past decade, missing the playoffs only twice and winning three Super Bowls. Given that success, it is no surprise the average price of a Pats ticket on the secondary market is the highest in sports, at just short of $242. There has been no change in attendance at Gillette Stadium?over the past four years because during that time the Patriots sold every seat for every game. The franchise?s finances have mirrored the success on the field, and at $1.4 billion, it is the third-highest valued team in?NFL. That figure is even more impressive when considering that Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994 for only $172 million.

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