Gambling nun pleads guilty to theft from New York churches

By Jonathan Allen

(Reuters) - A Roman Catholic nun with an admitted gambling addiction faces up to six months in prison for stealing about $128,000 from two churches where she worked in western New York, prosecutors and her attorney said on Tuesday.

Sister Mary Anne Rapp, 68, pleaded guilty on Monday to grand larceny in Orleans County, just west of Rochester, New York. In addition to time in prison, she will make partial restitution of the stolen money, prosecutors said. Sentencing is scheduled for July 1.

Rapp admitted to stealing money from two churches to fund a gambling addiction from 2006 to 2011, according to the county's district attorney.

"She's extremely remorseful, and she's done what she can now to address the underlying problem," her attorney James Harrington said.

He said she underwent treatment for gambling addiction after being confronted about the missing money following an audit requested by a new pastor for the two churches in 2011.

The two churches - St. Mark's in Kendall and St. Mary's in Holley - lie about 8 miles apart in upstate New York, near the shore of Lake Ontario.

Rapp used some of the money to gamble at a casino in Niagara Falls, New York, which is about 60 miles to the west, he said.

"No one's above the law," Joseph Cardone, the Orleans County District Attorney said. "You certainly can't prey on parishioners of a church who give money in support of their cause."

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gambling-nun-pleads-guilty-theft-york-churches-224339427.html

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Engineered T cells kill tumors but spare normal tissue in an animal model

Monday, April 8, 2013

The need to distinguish between normal cells and tumor cells is a feature that has been long sought for most types of cancer drugs. Tumor antigens, unique proteins on the surface of a tumor, are potential targets for a normal immune response against cancer. Identifying which antigens a patient's tumor cells express is the cornerstone of designing cancer therapy for that individual. But some of these tumor antigens are also expressed on normal cells, inching personalized therapy back to the original problem.

T cells made to express a protein called CAR, for chimeric antigen receptor, are engineered by grafting a portion of a tumor-specific antibody onto an immune cell, allowing them to recognize antigens on the cell surface. Early first-generation CARs had one signaling domain for T-cell activation. Second-generation CARs are more commonly used and have two signaling domains within the immune cell, one for T-cell activation and another for T- cell costimulation to boost the T cell's function.

Importantly, CARs allow patients' T cells to recognize tumor antigens and kill certain tumor cells. A large number of tumor-specific, cancer-fighting CAR T cells can be generated in a specialized lab using patients' own T cells, which are then infused back into them for therapy. Despite promising clinical results, it is now recognized that some CAR-based therapies may involve toxicity against normal tissues that express low amounts of the targeted tumor-associated antigen.

To address this issue, Daniel J. Powell Jr., PhD, research assistant professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and director of the Cellular Therapy Tissue Facility, developed an innovative dual CAR approach in which the activation signal for T cells is physically dissociated from a second costimulatory signal for immune cells. The two CARs carry different antigen specificity -- mesothelin and a-folate receptor. Mesothelin is primarily associated with mesothelioma and ovarian cancer, and a-folate receptor with ovarian cancer.

Powell likens this dual CAR approach to having two different gas pedals, one for starting the immune system and a second for revving it up. Dual CAR T cells are more selective for tumor cells since their full activity requires interaction with both antigens, which are only co-expressed on tumor cells, not normal tissue.

Dual CAR T cells showed weak cytokine production against target cells expressing only one tumor-associated antigen in lab assays, similar to first-generation CAR T cells bearing the CD3 activation domain only, but demonstrated enhanced cytokine production upon encountering natural or engineered tumor cells expressing both antigens, equivalent to second-generation CAR T cells with dual, but unseparated signaling.

In a mouse model of human ovarian cancer, T cells with the dual-signaling CARs persisted at high numbers in the blood, accumulated in tumors, and showed potent anti-cancer activity against human tumors. Dual CAR T cells were equivalent to second-generation CAR T cells in activity against tumors bearing two antigens. However, the dual-signaling CAR T cells did not react vigorously with normal tissue expressing one antigen while second- generation CAR T cells did.

"This new dual-specificity CAR approach can enhance the therapeutic efficacy of CAR T cells against cancer while minimizing reactivity against normal tissues," says Powell.

Their findings have been published in the inaugural issue of Cancer Immunology Research, the newest journal from the American Association for Cancer Research.

###

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/

Thanks to University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127628/Engineered_T_cells_kill_tumors_but_spare_normal_tissue_in_an_animal_model

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WhatsApp claims rumors of its Google death have been greatly exaggerated

Over the weakened rumors ran rampant that popular cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp was in Google's cross-hairs, and that a buyout might be imminent. Not so, says WhatsApp's head of business development, Neeraj Arora. According to Liz Gannes of AllThingsD:

[WhatsApp] is not holding sales talks with Google.

Google has bought, and in some cases killed, popular services before, and likely will again. WhatsApp has been the subject of buyout rumors before, including by Facebook (who ultimately bought their competitor, Beluga), and likely will again. In an increasingly connected world, a cross-platform communication service is valuable, and Whatsapp becoming to GTalk what Sparrow became to Gmail or Snapseed became to whatever Google finally does with photos, certainly isn't inconceivable.

Mega corporations, including Apple, buying independent software and services companies, sometimes for talent or technology rather than current products, sometimes just to reduce competitive pressures, is why we can't always have and keep nice internet things.

Of course, a relatively low-level denial means almost nothing in a world where CEO's tell us they're not doing something right up until the moment they do it. So keep your rumor drawer ever-so-slightly ajar for the next few weeks. And in the meantime, let me know -- do you care if Google, or someone else, buys WhatsApp?

Source: AllThingsD

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/gUSP0HgsEik/story01.htm

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Families lobby on gun bill, Dems face key decision

President Barack Obama hugs Newtown, Conn., family members after speaking at the University of Hartford in Hartford, Conn., Monday, April 8, 2013. Obama said that lawmakers have an obligation to the children killed and other victims of gun violence to act on his proposals. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama hugs Newtown, Conn., family members after speaking at the University of Hartford in Hartford, Conn., Monday, April 8, 2013. Obama said that lawmakers have an obligation to the children killed and other victims of gun violence to act on his proposals. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Obama holds his hand to his ear during a visit to the University of Hartford, in Hartford, Conn., Monday, April 8, 2013. Obama visited the school to highlight gun control legislation and to meet with the families of victims from the Sandy Hook elementary school shootings. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Mark and Jackie Barden, parents of 7 year-old Daniel, left, walk with Nelba Marquez-Greene, mother of 6 year-old Ana, center, and an unidentified woman from Air Force One to waiting White House vans after landing at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Monday, April 8, 2013 with President Barack Obama and other families who lost relatives in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Obama was returning from Hartford, Conn., where he spoke at the University of Hartford, near the state capitol where last week the governor signed into law some of the nation's strictest gun control laws. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

President Barack Obama stands in the door of Air Force One, top right, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Monday, April 8, 2013 with families who lost relatives in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Obama was returning from Hartford, Conn., where he spoke at the University of Hartford, near the state capitol where last week the governor signed into law some of the nation's strictest gun control laws. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? As Senate Democrats approach a key decision on gun legislation, relatives of victims of the Connecticut school shootings mounted a face-to-face lobbying effort Tuesday in hopes of turning around enough lawmakers to gain a Senate floor vote on meaningful gun restrictions.

The families were meeting privately with senators Tuesday. They had breakfast with Vice President Joe Biden at his residence in the Naval Observatory, according to an administration official not authorized to speak publicly about the private meeting.

President Barack Obama's gun control proposals have hit opposition from the National Rifle Association and are struggling in Congress, nearly four months after the issue was catapulted into the national arena by December's slaying of 20 first-graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn.

Conservatives say they will use procedural tactics to try preventing the Senate from even considering firearms restrictions, headlined by background checks for more gun buyers and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Democrats criticized Republicans anew for trying to prevent a gun debate, a move that will take a hard-to-achieve 60 votes to overcome. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stood on the Senate floor before a poster-sized photo of a white picket fence with 26 slats, each bearing the name of one of the Newtown victims.

"We have a responsibility to safeguard these little kids," said Reid, D-Nev. "And unless we do something more than what's the law today, we have failed."

On Monday, Obama pressed the issue at the University of Hartford, just 50 miles from Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School, where the killings occurred.

"If you want the people you send to Washington to have just an iota of the courage that the educators at Sandy Hook showed when danger arrived on their doorstep, then we're all going to have to stand up," the president said.

The administration was continuing its efforts to pressure Republicans, with Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder making remarks Tuesday at the White House, joined by law enforcement officials.

Senate Democrats are approaching decision time on whether they should try to get Republican support for expanding background checks for firearms sales or will follow the shakier path of pursuing the cornerstone of Obama's gun control effort on their own.

Democrats were holding a lunchtime meeting Tuesday to assess whether Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., had reached an acceptable compromise ? or had a realistic chance of getting one ? with Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa. Party leaders were giving Manchin until later Tuesday to complete the talks, and a decision by Democrats seemed likely in the next couple of days.

An agreement between the two senators, both among the more conservative members of their parties, would boost efforts to expand background checks because it could attract bipartisan support. Abandoning those negotiations would put Democrats in a difficult position, making it hard for them to push a measure through the Senate and severely damaging Obama's gun control drive.

In a preview of the Senate's debate, 13 conservative Republicans delivered a letter Monday to Reid. They promised to try blocking lawmakers from beginning to consider the measure, a procedural move that takes 60 votes to curtail, a difficult hurdle in the 100-member chamber.

The conservatives, who included Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said the Democratic effort would violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms, citing "history's lesson that government cannot be in all places at all times, and history's warning about the oppression of a government that tries."

"Shame on them," Reid responded as he brought Democratic gun legislation to the Senate floor, though debate did not formally begin.

Georgia's Sen. Johnny Isakson, a conservative Republican, said Tuesday on "CBS This Morning" that "the issue on background checks is how far they go and whether they violate rights of privacy." But he also said he believes the issue "deserves a vote up or down" in the Senate.

Reid could try beginning Senate debate on legislation that has already been approved by the Judiciary Committee. It would extend the background check requirement to nearly all gun purchases, strengthen laws against illegal firearms purchases and modestly boost aid for school safety.

If Reid does that, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will join conservatives' efforts to prevent the measure from being debated, McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said.

In hopes of enhancing the prospects for Senate approval, Reid has been hoping a bipartisan deal could be struck. There are 53 Senate Democrats and two independents who lean toward them, meaning GOP support ultimately will be needed to reach 60 votes to move ahead.

Manchin has been hoping for a deal with Toomey that would expand the requirement to sales at gun shows and online while exempting other transactions, such as those between relatives and those involving private, face-to-face purchases.

Currently, federal background checks are required for sales by licensed gun dealers but not for other transactions. The system is aimed at preventing criminals, people with severe mental health problems and others from getting firearms.

Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., has also continued working for a bipartisan deal. Kirk, though, is considered too moderate to bring other GOP senators with him.

___

Eds: Associated Press reporter Nedra Pickler contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-09-Gun%20Control-Congress/id-3ea221397c5f4c22a32f547c96efd426

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Tin nanocrystals for the battery of the future

Apr. 8, 2013 ? More powerful batteries could help electric cars achieve a considerably larger range and thus a breakthrough on the market. A new nanomaterial for lithium ion batteries developed in the labs of chemists at ETH Zurich and Empa could come into play here.

They provide power for electric cars, electric bicycles, smartphones and laptops; nowadays, rechargeable lithium ion batteries are the storage media of choice when it comes to supplying a large amount of energy in a small space and light weight. All over the world, scientists are currently researching a new generation of such batteries with an improved performance. Scientists headed by Maksym Kovalenko from the Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry at ETH Zurich and Empa have now developed a nanomaterial which enables considerably more power to be stored in lithium ion batteries.

The nanomaterial is composed of tiny tin crystals, which are to be deployed at the minus pole of the batteries (anode). When charging the batteries, lithium ions are absorbed at this electrode; while discharging, they are released again (see box). "The more lithium ions the electrodes can absorb and release -- the better they can breathe, as it were -- the more energy can be stored in a battery," explains Kovalenko.

Uniform crystals

The element tin is ideal for this: every tin atom can absorb at least four lithium ions. However, the challenge is to deal with the volume change of tin electrodes: tin crystal becomes up to three times bigger if it absorbs a lot of lithium ions and shrinks again when it releases them back. The scientists thus resorted to nanotechnology: they produced the tiniest tin nanocrystals and embedded a large number of them in a porous, conductive permeable carbon matrix. Much like how a sponge can suck up water and release it again, an electrode constructed in this way can absorb lithium ions while charging and release them when discharging. If the electrode were made of a compact tin block, this would practically be impossible.

During the development of the nanomaterial, the issue of the ideal size for the nanocrystals arose, which also carries the challenge of producing uniform crystals. "The trick here was to separate the two basic steps in the formation of the crystals -- the formation of as small as a crystal nucleus as possible on the one hand and its subsequent growth on the other," explains Kovalenko. By influencing the time and temperature of the growth phase, the scientists were able to control the size of the crystals. "We are the first to produce such small tin crystals with such precision," says the scientist.

Larger cycle stability

Using uniform tin nanocrystals, carbon, and binding agents, the scientists produced different test electrodes for batteries. "This enables twice as much power to be stored compared to conventional electrodes," says Kovalenko. The size of the nanocrystals did not affect the storage capacity during the initial charging and discharging cycle. After a few charging and discharging cycles, however, differences caused by the crystal size became apparent: batteries with ten-nanometre crystals in the electrodes were able to store considerably more energy than ones with twice the diameter. The scientists assume that the smaller crystals perform better because they can absorb and release lithium ions more effectively. "Ten-nanometre tin crystals thus seem to be just the ticket for lithium ion batteries," says Kovalenko.

As the scientists now know the ideal size for the tin nanocrystals, they would like to turn their attention to the remaining challenges of producing optimum tin electrodes in further research projects. These include the choice of the best possible carbon matrix and binding agent for the electrodes, and the electrodes' ideal microscopic structure. Moreover, an optimal and stable electrolyte liquid in which the lithium ions can travel back and forth between the two poles in the battery also needs to be selected. Ultimately, the production costs are also an issue, which the researchers are looking to reduce by testing which cost-effective base materials are suitable for electrode production. The aim is to prepare batteries with an increased energy storage capacity and lifespan for the market, in collaboration with a Swiss industrial partner.

How lithium ion batteries work

In lithium ion batteries, the energy is stored in the form of positively charged lithium atoms (ions) that are found at the minus pole in a charged battery. If energy is taken from the battery, negatively charged electrons flow from the minus pole to the plus pole via the external circuit. To balance the charge, positively charged lithium ions also flow from the minus pole to the plus pole. However, these travel in the electrolyte fluid inside the battery. The process is reversible: lithium ion batteries can be recharged with electricity. In most lithium ion batteries these days, the plus pole is composed of the transition metal oxides cobalt, nickel, and manganese, the minus pole of graphite. In more powerful lithium ion batteries of the next generation, however, elements such as tin or silicon may well be used at the minus pole.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by ETH Zurich. The original article was written by Fabio Bergamin.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Kostiantyn Kravchyk, Loredana Protesescu, Maryna I. Bodnarchuk, Frank Krumeich, Maksym Yarema, Marc Walter, Christoph Guntlin, Maksym V. Kovalenko. Monodisperse and Inorganically Capped Sn and Sn/SnO2Nanocrystals for High-Performance Li-Ion Battery Anodes. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2013; 135 (11): 4199 DOI: 10.1021/ja312604r

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/biochemistry/~3/EVV_Zc2w5Aw/130408123254.htm

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West sees enough substance for Iran talks to continue

By Justyna Pawlak

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - World powers believe there are enough grounds to keep talking to Iran about its disputed nuclear program, a senior Western diplomat said on Monday, even though the latest round of negotiations made little apparent progress.

"There is enough substance for these negotiations to continue," the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters. "I would not expect a breakdown."

At a meeting in the Kazakh city of Almaty on Friday and Saturday, the six nations - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - tried to persuade Iran to give up its most sensitive uranium-enrichment work to allay concerns that Tehran is seeking the means to make atom bombs.

Iranian negotiators did not accept the offer - coupled with a pledge of modest relief from crippling economic sanctions - and the two sides failed to even agree to meet again.

But Western diplomats are at pains to show that diplomacy will continue, in part to avoid escalating tensions with Israel which has threatened to bomb Iranian nuclear sites if negotiations and sanctions fail to force it to change course.

They are wary, however, of fuelling criticism that Iran may be playing them for time. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday the negotiation process could not go forever.

"We are clear talks for (the sake of) talks are not acceptable," the senior diplomat added.

Some Western diplomats have said that while the two sides failed to bridge their differences in the decade-old dispute in Almaty, there was some optimism because of the apparent willingness of Iranian negotiators to engage in detailed discussions of their proposal.

Iran denies having any military intentions and says it needs nuclear power to generate electricity and for medical purposes. It wants the international community to recognize its right to enrich uranium and lift major economic sanctions.

The powers argue international rules apply only to countries that subject their nuclear work to stringent oversight by the United Nations, something Iran refuses to do.

Following the failure of Almaty talks, the six powers are seeking to reassess their approach to persuade the Iranian side to agree. In the coming days, the issue will come up during a meeting of foreign ministers of Group of Eight countries, which include all the six powers except China.

The EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who oversees diplomatic contacts with Iran on behalf of the six nations, will also discuss plans for further engagement with Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili in the coming days.

Iran's presidential election in June also fuels uncertainty abroad over Tehran's short-term approach to the nuclear dispute.

In Brussels, the senior diplomat said a lack of clarity on presidential candidates, for example, clouded the understanding of Iran's domestic politics.

"The internal power struggle has an impact on negotiations," the diplomat said. "The internal tensions have an influence on a process such as negotiations but we don't even know who the candidates will be."

(Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-powers-see-enough-substance-iran-talks-continue-163009487.html

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Kerry mourns 'selfless, idealistic' US diplomat

In this photo released by the Turkish Prime Minister's Press Office, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and US Secretary of State John Kerry shake hands as they pose for cameras before a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 7, 2013. Kerry is in the Middle East, his third trip to the region in two weeks, in a fresh bid to unlock long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. And in Istanbul, the first leg of a six-nation trip that goes on to Europe and East Asia, Kerry will coordinate with Turkey's Prime Minister and other Turkish officials on efforts to halt the violence in neighboring Syria's civil war.(AP Photo/Kayhan Ozer, Turkish Prime Minister's Press Office, HO)

In this photo released by the Turkish Prime Minister's Press Office, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and US Secretary of State John Kerry shake hands as they pose for cameras before a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 7, 2013. Kerry is in the Middle East, his third trip to the region in two weeks, in a fresh bid to unlock long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. And in Istanbul, the first leg of a six-nation trip that goes on to Europe and East Asia, Kerry will coordinate with Turkey's Prime Minister and other Turkish officials on efforts to halt the violence in neighboring Syria's civil war.(AP Photo/Kayhan Ozer, Turkish Prime Minister's Press Office, HO)

This image made from AP video shows the scene moments after a car bomb exploded in front the PRT, Provincial Reconstruction Team, in Qalat, Zabul province, southern Afghanistan, Saturday, April 6, 2013. Six American troops and civilians and an Afghan doctor were killed in attacks on Saturday in southern and eastern Afghanistan as the U.S. military's top officer began a weekend visit to the country, officials said.(AP Photo via AP video)

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a news conference with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, unseen, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 7, 2013. Kerry is in the Middle East, his third trip to the region in two weeks, in a fresh bid to unlock long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. And in Istanbul, the first leg of a six-nation trip that goes on to Europe and East Asia, Kerry will coordinate with Turkey's Prime Minister and other Turkish officials on efforts to halt the violence in neighboring Syria's civil war.(AP Photo)

An Afghan policeman stands guard on the roof of a house in the outskirts of Kabul, Saturday, April 6, 2013. NATO says a blast in Afghanistan has killed four coalition service members and two civilians working with the alliance. The blast from a roadside bomb occurred Saturday in southern Afghanistan.(AP Photo/Jawad Jalali)

ISTANBUL (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday railed against the "cowardly" terrorists responsible for the attack that killed five Americans in Afghanistan, including a "selfless, idealistic" young diplomat on a mission to donate books to students.

In the deadliest day in eight months for the United States in the war, militants killed six Americans in separate attacks Saturday, the violence occurring hours after the U.S. military's top officer arrived in Afghanistan for consultations with Afghan and U.S.-led coalition officials.

The last American diplomat killed on the job was Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya. Stevens and three other American died in an attack Sept. 11 in Benghazi, Libya. No one has yet been brought to justice.

Kerry, in Turkey for meetings with the country's leaders, said 25-year-old Anne Smedinghoff of Illinois had assisted him when he visited Afghanistan two weeks ago. She served as his control officer, an honor often bestowed on up-and-coming members of the U.S. foreign service.

At a news conference with Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, Kerry described Smedinghoff as "a selfless, idealistic woman who woke up yesterday morning and set out to bring textbooks to school children, to bring them knowledge."

"Anne and those with her," Kerry said, "were attacked by the Taliban terrorists who woke up that day not with a mission to educate or to help, but with a mission to destroy. A brave American was determined to brighten the light of learning through books, written in the native tongue of the students she had never met, whom she felt it incumbent to help."

Kerry said Smedinghoff "was met by a cowardly terrorist determined to bring darkness and death to total strangers. These are the challenges that our citizens face, not just in Afghanistan but in many dangerous parts of the world ? where a nihilism, an empty approach, is willing to take life rather than give it."

The attack also killed three U.S. service members, a U.S. civilian who worked for the U.S. Defense Department and an Afghan doctor when the group was struck by an explosion while traveling to a school in southern Afghanistan, according to coalition officials and the State Department.

Another American civilian was killed in a separate attack in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said in a statement.

It was the deadliest day for Americans since Aug. 16, when seven U.S. service members died in two attacks in Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban insurgency. Six were killed when their helicopter was shot down by insurgents and one soldier died in a roadside bomb explosion.

Officials said the explosion Saturday came just as a coalition convoy drove past a caravan of vehicles carrying the governor of Zabul province to the event at the school.

A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility and said the bomber was seeking to target either a coalition convoy or the governor.

Kerry said the terrorists only "strengthened the resolve of the nation, the diplomatic corps, the military, all resources determined to continue the hard work of helping people to help themselves."

He said "America does not and will not cower before terrorism. We are going to forge on, we're going to step up. ... We put ourselves in harm's way because we believe in giving hope to our brothers and sisters all over the world, knowing that we share universal human values with people all over the world ? the dignity of opportunity and progress," the Obama administration's top diplomat said.

"So it is now up to us to determine what the legacy of this tragedy will be. Where others seek to destroy, we intend to show a stronger determination in order to brighten our shared future, even when others try to darken it with violence. That was Anne's mission," he added.

The deaths brought the number of foreign military troops killed this year to 30, including 22 Americans. A total of six foreign civilians have died in Afghanistan so far this year, according to an AP count.

The Taliban have said civilians working for the government or the coalition are legitimate targets, despite a warning from the United Nations that such killings may violate international law.

In earlier remarks Sunday to U.S. consulate workers, Kerry said that "folks who want to kill people, and that's all they want to do, are scared of knowledge. They want to shut the doors and they don't want people to make their choices about the future. For them, it's you do things our way, or we throw acid in your face or we put a bullet in your face," he said.

Kerry described Smedinghoff as "vivacious, smart, capable, chosen often by the ambassador there to be the lead person because of her capacity."

He said "there are no words for anyone to describe the extraordinary harsh contradiction for a young 25-year-old woman, with all of her future ahead of her, believing in the possibilities of diplomacy to improve people's lives, making a difference, having an impact" to be killed, Kerry said.

Smedinghoff previously served in Venezuela.

"The world lost a truly beautiful soul today," her parents, Tom and Mary Beth Smedinghoff, said in a statement emailed to The Washington Post.

"Working as a public diplomacy officer, she particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with the Afghan people and was always looking for opportunities to reach out and help to make a difference in the lives of those living in a country ravaged by war," they said. "We are consoled knowing that she was doing what she loved, and that she was serving her country by helping to make a positive difference in the world."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-07-Kerry-Afghanistan/id-8893b4ddac404b0dba900bc7eaa65b39

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