Thursday, May 23, 2013

EAT Club Goes Mobile, Bringing A Food Truck With Mobile Ordering And Payment To San Francisco

IMG_8334EAT Club, which is launching in private beta today, has a unique spin on the way that users get lunch. The service hopes to get rid of all the hassles around waiting in line, paying, and waiting for your food, all with a convenient food truck that serves a variety of foods, and a mobile app to handle ordering and payment.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Imstdjs0ZYU/

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Jail for former Dominion Finance CEO Paul Cropp | Stuff.co.nz

Former Dominion Finance chief executive Paul Cropp has been sentenced to two years and seven months in jail for trust deed breaches on related party loans.

Cropp was convicted on four Crimes Act charges of theft by a person in a special relationship last month, while Robert Barry Whale and another man with name suppression were cleared.

However, Whale pleaded guilty to separate Securities Act charges this morning, on which Cropp is not charged.

Justice Graham Lang found Cropp guilty of knowingly breaching the trust deed of Dominion Finance and its subsidiary North South Finance, which said the company was not able to make loans to related parties.

Cropp helped push through deals which supported Dominion's financial position at the expense of North South Finance's position and which hid related party transactions.

The group's collapse left 5900 investors out of pocket by $176.9 million, but Cropp's theft charges relate to transactions totalling about $8.7m.?

Justice Lang said non-disclosure of such unauthorised related party transactions masked the declining financial position of Dominion Finance until it was put into receivership.

Crown prosecutor Brian Dickey said Cropp was the architect of the transaction that breached the trust deed and the trust of DFG's investors.

Cropp's lawyer, John Billington QC, said Cropp did not act for his own personal gain but rather to allow DFG to continue to do business and it was therefore not an act of dishonesty.

He argued a penalty of imprisonment was not justified.

However, Dickey said Cropp's $450,000 salary was enough of a personal gain to provide motivation for the breaches.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8709780/Jail-for-former-Dominion-Finance-CEO

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Subcommittee Advances Bipartisan Jobs Bill to Increase Foreign Investment in the United States

WASHINGTON, DC ?The Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE), today approved H.R. 2052, the Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2013. The bipartisan legislation, authored by Subcommittee Chairman Terry and Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), seeks to increase the United States? share of foreign direct investment and create jobs. The subcommittee approved the measure by voice vote and it now moves to the full committee for consideration.

Until 2012, the U.S. was the largest recipient of foreign investment, but the U.S. share of inbound global investment has declined in recent years. The Global Investment in American Jobs Act seeks to reverse that trend, calling on the Secretary of Commerce to lead an interagency review and make recommendations to Congress on ways to make the United States more competitive in attracting investment.

?The United States should be a leader in attracting foreign investment. We have a stable government, safe working conditions, and the most skilled workforce in the world,? said Terry. ?Creating high-paying job opportunities, putting folks to work, and incentivizing companies to come to our shores are all bipartisan priorities. This bipartisan legislation will help us identify changes we can make to achieve these goals.?

?There are strong incentives to invest in America, and we should seek ways to leverage those incentives. The nearly 1,600 foreign-based firms operating in Illinois employ more than 300,000 Illinois residents. This bill will help improve upon that success by guiding the further growth of good jobs through foreign investment,? said Schakowsky. ?I would like to thank Rep. Terry for working so diligently and collaboratively to come to an agreement on this important legislation.?

In support of the legislation, full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) said, ?We cannot expect to regain our attractiveness based on our past reputation. We have to prove we are the most attractive place to invest now and to do that we will have to make changes. I welcome the legislation of Chairman Terry and Ranking Member Schakowsky to have the Secretary of Commerce perform a review in coordination with other agencies and make recommendations we can use to map our course back to the top.?

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Source: http://energycommerce.house.gov/press-release/subcommittee-advances-bipartisan-jobs-bill-increase-foreign-investment-united-states

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A Quick Trick For Less Allergies : Easy Health Options?

a-quick-trick-for-less-allergies_300If you have some nagging allergies that just won?t let you breathe in peace, scientists have come up with an easy way to eliminate some of the allergens in your home. And it just takes a flick of the wrist.

Turn up the water temperature when you do the laundry.

The heat setting you choose when doing laundry makes all the difference when it comes to killing dust mites. The researchers found that washing laundry in hot water ? 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 ?C) or higher ? kills all house dust mites, compared with just 6.5 percent of dust mites in laundry washed at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 ?C), or warm water.

Hotter water temperatures are also more effective in removing dog dander and pollen, says researcher Jung-Won Park, M.D., Ph.D., of Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea.

There is an alternative to washing in hot water that?s also effective, Dr. Park found: washing at a lower temperature (between 86-104? F, or 30-40 ?C), then rinsing the laundry twice with cold water for three minutes each.

In the study, researchers compared allergen levels on cotton sheets after they were washed in various temperature settings. They found that since more pollen was left on the sheets when they were washed in cooler temperatures (86? F, or 30?C), rinsing the sheets was especially important when using this temperature setting.

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Filed Under: Allergies ? Alternative Medicine ? Easy Health Options News

Source: http://easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/a-quick-trick-for-less-allergies/

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Top figures barred from Iran's June ballot

In this picture taken on Saturday, May 11, 2013, former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani waves to media as he registers his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, while his daughter Fatemeh, right, looks on, at the election headquarters of the interior ministry in Tehran, Iran. A hardline news website says Iran's election overseers have rejected a pair of powerful and divisive figures from running in next month's presidential election. Tasnimnews.com say Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president who still wields enormous influence, and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close confident of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been barred by the Guardian Council. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

In this picture taken on Saturday, May 11, 2013, former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani waves to media as he registers his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, while his daughter Fatemeh, right, looks on, at the election headquarters of the interior ministry in Tehran, Iran. A hardline news website says Iran's election overseers have rejected a pair of powerful and divisive figures from running in next month's presidential election. Tasnimnews.com say Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president who still wields enormous influence, and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close confident of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been barred by the Guardian Council. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

FILE -- In this Saturday, May 11, 2013 file photo, former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, 78, waves to media, as he registers his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, at the election headquarters of the interior ministry in Tehran, Iran. Iran?s election overseers say they will bar physically weak hopefuls from running in next month presidential election, a direct hint at Rafsanjani. Iran's Constitution doesn't set any age limit for presidential candidates. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

In this Saturday, May 11, 2013 photo, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close ally of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaks with journalists, during a press conference after registering his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, at the election headquarters of the interior ministry, in Tehran, Iran. A hardline news website says Iran's election overseers have rejected a pair of powerful and divisive figures from running in next month's presidential election. Tasnimnews.com says Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president who still wields enormous influence, and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close confident of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been barred by the Guardian Council. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

(AP) ? Iran's election overseers removed potential wild-card candidates from the presidential race Tuesday, blocking a top aide of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and a former president who revived hopes of reformers.

Their exclusion from the June 14 presidential ballot gives establishment-friendly candidates a clear path to succeed Ahmadinejad, who has lost favor with the ruling clerics after years of power struggles. It also pushes moderate and opposition voices further to the margins as Iran's leadership faces critical challenges such as international sanctions and talks with world powers over Tehran's nuclear program.

The official ballot list, announced on state TV, followed a nearly six-hour delay in which the names were kept under wraps. That raised speculation that authorities allowed some time for appeals by the blackballed candidates and their backers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say in all matters.

But the official slate left off two prominent but divisive figures: former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad protege Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei. The decision also appeared to remove many potential surprise elements in the race, including whether Rafsanjani could revitalize the reform movement or if Ahmadinejad could play a godfather role in the election with his hand-picked political heir.

Instead, the eight men cleared by the candidate-vetting Guardian Council included high-profile figures considered firm and predictable loyalists to the ruling Islamic establishment, such as former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili.

Just one approved candidate, Mohammad Reza Aref, might draw some moderate appeal because of his role as vice president under former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.

The rest of the choices, at the very least, would create a possibly seamless front between the ruling clerics and presidency after years of political turmoil under Ahmadinejad, who tried to challenge the theocracy's vast powers to make all major decisions and set key policies. Iran's presidency, meanwhile, is expected to convey the ruling clerics' views on the world stage and not set its own diplomatic agenda.

Mashaei called the decision unfair and said he will appeal to Khamenei. "God willing this will be resolved," semiofficial Fars news agency reported late Tuesday.

Rafsanjani did not comment, but his supporters denounced the decision on social media.

While the election is not expected to bring major shifts in Iran's position on its nuclear program ? which Tehran insists is peaceful despite Western fears it could lead to atomic weapons ? it could open opportunities to renew stalled talks with a six-nation group that includes the U.S.

On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said Iran's nuclear stance will "not change either before or after the election."

The ballot rejection of Mashaei brought little shock.

He has been badly tarnished by Ahmadinejad's feuds with the ruling clerics. Hard-liners have denounced Mashaei as part of a "deviant current" that seeks to undermine the country's Islamic system ? which made ballot approval highly unlikely.

This leaves Ahmadinejad politically orphaned going into the final weeks in office. He still has significant public support and could try to bargain with other candidates or break away and start his own political movement.

Few powerful voices came to Mashaei's defense in a sign of Ahmadinejad's fallen fortunes. But the case for Rafsanjani was more complicated.

His unexpected decision for a comeback bid ? 16 years after leaving office ? jolted hard-line foes and was cheered by beleaguered reformists and liberals after years of crackdowns.

Rafsanjani faced a barrage of attacks in the past week from powerful critics who suggested the 78-year-old does not have the stamina for the presidency and is disgraced for criticizing the heavy-handed tactics used to crush protests following Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009.

Rafsanjani's youngest daughter, Faezeh, was released from jail in March after serving a six-month sentence in connection with the postelection chaos. His middle son, Mahdi, also is to stand trial in coming weeks for his alleged role in the riots.

Late Monday, authorities closed down the Tehran headquarters of Rafsanjani's youth supporters.

But Rafsanjani still carries a legacy with a sweeping reach.

Moderates see him as a pragmatist who can deal deftly with the West and use his skills as patriarch of a family-run business empire to help repair Iran's economy, battered by sanctions and mismanagement. Others, even ideological foes, respect his high-profile role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution as the closest confidant of its spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

In a sign of possible lobbying on Rafsanjani's behalf, he received apparent support from some influential members of the Assembly of Experts ? the only group with the power to dismiss the supreme leader. Rafsanjani was pushed out as the group's chairman after failing to get enough support to leverage possible concessions from Khamenei on the 2009 postelection clampdowns.

One member, Ayatollah Mohieddin Haeri Shirazi, sent a letter to Khamenei saying "omitting a prominent figure from the election was incompatible" with giving wide choices to voters, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.

Another assembly member, Ayatollah Mohammad Vaez Mousavi, told the semiofficial ILNA news agency that Rafsanjani's age is not a weak point and many Iranian leaders "accepted responsibilities when they were quite old."

Prominent political analyst Saeed Leilaz said the "intensified defamation campaign" suggested worry among hard-liners that Rafsanjani had a real potential to rally moderates and others and win the election.

"What matters today is who can save the country's economy," he said, "Who has a plan to take Iran away from isolation and improve living conditions."

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran also contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-21-ML-Iran-Election/id-0a78b71aa84f49c0812d1f4df9d96961

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Get The Correct Information On Alcohol Rehabs in Nebraska ? Hot ...

Today, most drug rehabs in Nebraska are faced with down to offering incredible services to residents of Nebraska who may have gone astray on account of alcohol and drug use. Abusing drugs rehabilitation in Nebraska has contributed to a greater extent around the issue of substance addiction, getting healed of drug use and assisting drug users start a journey to full recovery. Actually, drug rehabs in Nebraska are only thought to be a modern innovation for support of life so that as vehicles for bringing lost persons with their real themselves.

Every drug abuse rehab in Nebraska features its own and unique philosophical system and treatment atmosphere that facilitates a prosperous transformation process that see drug users to full sobrierity. The rehabilitation centers in Nebraska follow the community living model whereby they permit the addicted persons to mention their experiences with fellow patients in addition to doing a bit of activities together to increase cohesion within the rehabilitation facilities.

Nebraska alcohol rehabs majors their focus on exclusive interaction and counseling with the centers. The rehabs have a wide array of necessities as well as experiences among the persons admitted inside them. The rehabs will also be of varying types such as luxury and Upscale drugs and alcohol detox centers where you can now get excellent rehabilitation services and recover fully. In these facilities, drug users must pay huge amounts of money for your recovery process since there are tremendous living space and facilities amenities.

Conversely, there are cheap alcohol rehabs in Nebraska where every person has the chance of bettering his or her life provided he desires to. One thing about charges stated in drug rehabilitation centers would be that the amount of money that a person pays actually doesn?t have direct relationship about the success of your rehabilitation process and recovery. The very best indicator of a quality Nebraska drug abuse rehab program is not using the cost charged but its ability of treating its patients with respect, kindness and dignity. With this, before you enroll yourself in a rehabilitation center, its paramount that you just contact the nebraska substance abuse rehab to get to understand about the nature of services they?ll avail for you.

You can use great and bad the online world, emails or live cell phone calls to solicit more information prior to enroll for virtually every Nebraska abusing drugs rehab program. You can too talk with drug counselors that can help you identify the best drug addiction rehab in Nebraska.

Look for the assistance of nebraska alcohol rehabs or nebraska drug addiction rehab for the greatest help with Young Grownup Drug Rehab.

Source: http://hotarticledepot.com/get-the-correct-information-on-alcohol-rehabs-in-nebraska-2/

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The Iconic Eames Molded Chair Is Being Made with Fiberglass Again

This is awesome. Herman Miller has announced that it will start making the iconic Eames Molded Chair in fiberglass... again. The fiberglass chairs were discontinued from production in 1989 and ever since then, the iconic chairs that decorate modern houses have been made with recyclable polypropylene. But now we're getting back to the good stuff.

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/lg-NTcYm-Qc/the-iconic-eames-molded-chair-is-being-made-with-fiberg-509005125

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Spokesman for Ansar Dine arrested in Mauritania

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) ? A government official says the spokesman for one of the al-Qaida-linked groups that occupied and controlled northern Mali for much of last year turned himself in to authorities on the border with Mauritania.

An official in the country's intelligence agency, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, told The Associated Press that Sanda Ould Boumana, the Timbuktu-based spokesman for the extremist group Ansar Dine, turned himself in on Saturday to the Mauritanian army on the border between Mauritania and Mali.

Ansar Dine ruled the cities of Timbuktu and Kidal in northern Mali for 10 months starting in late March of 2012. They were dislodged by French forces who led an intervention in January to retake the north.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spokesman-ansar-dine-arrested-mauritania-113607436.html

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Week two of Cannes film festival gets off to explosive start

By Alexandria Sage

CANNES (Reuters) - Japanese director Takashi Miike got the final week of the Cannes film festival off to an explosive start on Monday, with big budget cop thriller "Shield of Straw" a sharp contrast to the more intense, intimate movies screened so far.

Typically for Cannes, where critical passions run high, both exuberant cheers and boos rang out after an advance press screening of "Wara No Tate" ("Shield of Straw"), one of 20 entries vying for the top Palme d'Or prize awarded on Sunday.

Miike, whose last appearance at the world's most important cinema showcase was in 2011, said the selection committee's decision to include his high-octane cop movie in the main lineup came as a shock.

"When I learned this film was selected I was very surprised, I was really astonished," Miike told reporters ahead of its official Monday evening premiere.

"If I got the Palme d'Or I'd be delighted of course," he said. "But I don't really think this is a film made for the Palme d'Or. But I'm delighted to know that a rather different kind of film, another class of film is in the selection."

Halfway through the festival, critics have seen a varied array of films, from Ethan and Joel Coen's quirky ode to folk music "Inside Llewyn Davis" to Amat Escalante's powerful "Heli" about Mexico's drug war.

The competition has also included the intense psychological drama "Le Passe" ("The Past") directed by Iran's Asghar Farhadi, whose "A Separation" won a best foreign language Oscar.

Eagerly-awaited movies to launch this week include U.S. director Steven Soderbergh's "Behind the Candelabra" about pianist Liberace and starring Michael Douglas, and "La Venus a la Fourrure" ("Venus in Fur") by Roman Polanski about an actress trying to convince a director to cast her in his latest play.

MANHUNT

Since starting out in motion pictures in the early 1990s, Miike has made over 80 films, including the 1999 horror flick "Audition" and 2004's "Zebraman" about a family man superhero.

In "Wara No Tate," four elite police officers are charged with protecting and transporting a high-profile criminal across the country after a billionaire puts a huge bounty on his head for the murder and rape of his granddaughter.

Apparently everyone is after the criminal, played by Tatsuya Fujiwara, raising the stakes for lead cop Kazuki Mekari (Takao Osawa) who is charged with protecting him but who resolutely refuses to kill him himself to reap the reward.

"All of the characters in the film have their own ideas of justice ... even the criminal, he has his own approach," Osawa told journalists. "There are two sides, good and evil, and everyone tries to find a balance to survive."

Despite his fondness for action, Miike also explores darker themes in the film including the morality of protecting criminals at the expense of victims and how financial desperation breeds violence.

In one early review, Screen magazine's Tim Grierson cited the "pulpy thrills" of the premise and a gripping lead performance by Osawa, but added that "plausibility issues and an unconvincing exploration of the limits of justice noticeably dampen the fun."

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage; editing by Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/week-two-cannes-film-festival-gets-off-explosive-131839225.html

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Car bombs in Baghdad, south Iraq kill dozens

BAGHDAD (AP) ? A wave of car bombings across Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods and in the southern city of Basra killed at least 34 people on Monday, Iraqi officials said.

The attacks are the latest in a recent spike of bombings that has hit both Sunni and Shiite civilian targets over the past week. The bloodshed has raised fears of a return to the widespread sectarian violence of 2006-2007 that brought the country to the edge of civil war.

In the Iraqi capital, nine car bombs went off, striking at bus stops, market places and in the streets of Shiite areas during the busy morning hours, killing 24 people and wounding 112, according to police officials.

In the southern city of Basra, two car bombs ? one near a restaurant and the other at a bus stop ? killed at least 10 people and wounded 27, according to police officials in the oil-rich city.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts but such large-scale bombings bear the hallmarks of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Hospital officials in Baghdad and Basra confirmed the casualty tolls. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Tensions have been intensifying In Iraq since the country's minority since Sunnis began protesting what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led government, including random detentions and neglect.

The protests, which began in December, have largely been peaceful, but the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in the country's north on April 23.

Majority Shiites control the levers of power in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. Wishing to rebuild the nation rather than revert to open warfare, they have largely restrained their militias over the past five years or so as Sunni extremist groups such as al-Qaida have targeted them with occasional large-scale attacks.

___

Associated Press writer Nabil Al-Jurani in Basra contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/car-bombs-baghdad-south-iraq-kill-least-34-080910314.html

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Jessica Alba's Anniversary Message to Cash Warren!

The couple celebrate their special day! Check out other cute and candid moments from the stars.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/celebrity-twitter-pictures/1-b-229669?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Acelebrity-twitter-pictures-229669

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Trace volcano ash reaches small Alaska city

(AP) ? Alaska's Pavlof Volcano sent ash and steam skyward Sunday but not enough to raise the aviation threat for international air carriers.

A satellite at 12:40 a.m. measured an ash cloud at 19,500 feet, just below the 20,000-foot threshold considered to be a major threat to trans-continental aircraft. The aviation warming level remained at code orange, a step below red, the highest of the four levels, said geologist Kristi Wallace of the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Pavlof is an 8,262-foot volcano located 625 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Alaska Peninsula, the finger of land that sticks out from mainland Alaska toward the Aleutian Islands.

Residents of Sand Point, a city of nearly 1,000 on Popof Island about 55 miles east of the volcano, woke to find traces of ash on their vehicles.

"We have physical samples that are being sent to us," Wallace said. "I'm excited to see what those look like."

Jagged ash particles can plug filters of vehicles and damage engines but Wallace said the reports noted minimal ash.

"Both reports indicate film on their windshield, but they could see through it ? gritty ash," she said.

Pavlof's latest eruption began May 13 and sent hot mud flow down the sides of the mountain. Sand Point residents have recorded the eruption with photographs posted on the Alaska Volcano Observatory website, Wallace said.

Seismic sensors indicate a continuous tremor at the volcano, Wallace said, that oscillates up and down.

"It's on this really steady rate that's still high," she said.

The volcano last erupted in 2007 and continued to do so for 29 days.

"Past eruptions have lasted weeks to months," Wallace said. "The 2007 eruption was, perhaps, short compared to past eruption in historical times. It's most common that eruptions at Pavlof go on for months."

The National Weather Service has forecast a change in winds on the peninsula. That could send ash northeast away from Sand Point and toward Nelson Lagoon, an unincorporated commercial fishing village of 46 about 55 miles from the volcano. The weather service in a special statement warned people to avoid excessive exposure to ash, especially if they have respiratory problems, and to protect critical electronics and other equipment from contamination.

Eruptions at Pavlof could recede, continue or magnify.

"For the most part, what we see at Pavlof is exactly what we're seeing now: really low level, ash-poor plumes, continuous activity," she said. "But there's always an opportunity for something to spike up to, say, 30,000 feet."

That would boost the warning level to red, she said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-05-19-Alaska%20Volcano/id-c92852209b4e42be92fc4b87542fd940

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Saudi vegetable seller dies from self-immolation

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) ? A Saudi newspaper says a vegetable seller who set himself on fire in Riyadh after police confiscated his goods for standing in an unauthorized area has died.

The website for newspaper Sada reported that the man, identified only by the family name of Sureihi, died in hospital late on Friday.

The self-immolation emulated that of a street vendor in Tunisia, whose 2011 death sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.

Family members were seen outside the hospital Saturday demanding answers about why police confiscated the man's goods. Witnesses say the family wants to know what led him to douse himself in gasoline and set himself ablaze on Thursday.

Saudi officials refused to comment. They did not disclose the man's name or age.

Despite Saudi Arabia's oil wealth, many of its people live in poor conditions. Protests in the conservative kingdom are rare.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-vegetable-seller-dies-self-immolation-115226090.html

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

What Is It? Mystery Spots

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Image: COURTESY OF NORBERT JUERGENS University of Hamburg

Mystery spots: In southwestern Africa's Namib Desert, the lack of rainfall keeps vegetation sparse. Yet in some areas, mysterious rings of grass with bare centers appear and thrive. Now scientists have discovered these so-called fairy circles are indeed created by wee little creatures?termites.

Many organisms live in and around fairy circles, which range from one to 50 meters in diameter and persist for decades. But scientists writing in March in Science found only one species consistently inhabiting even the youngest fairy circles?the sand termite Psammotermes allocerus?making it the most likely culprit.

How do termites make fairy circles? When termites cluster together, feeding on and destroying vegetation, they leave a roughly circular bare patch that retains more water than the surrounding soil. The fairy circle thus acts as a water reservoir for the sand termites, the grasses around the edge and other thirsty organisms.

This article was originally published with the title What Is It?.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=ab8e53f006555c817f02ee5c8e389baa

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Very Fine Art: 6 Stunningly Beautiful Nanoscale Sculptures [Slide Show]

Researchers coax self-assembling materials into flowers, corals and other complex shapes


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Image: Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

  • Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

    Read More??

Artists and material scientists alike bend, melt and mold materials into useful and aesthetically pleasing forms. But nothing human hands have made can match the intricacy of convoluted corals or the delicate and unique geometry of a snowflake. In a study published yesterday in Science researchers exploited nature?s sculpting methods to create visually stunning 3-D structures that may change the way nano- and micro-materials are made.

Organisms alter their growth patterns in response to changes in their environments. For example, a seashell may switch from a spotted to a striped pattern if there is a change in the temperature, acidity or carbon dioxide level of the water. Wim L. Noorduin, a materials science engineer at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), used the same concept to coax self-assembling materials to ripple, spiral and bend into structures that resemble leaves, stems, flowers, vases and corals.

The fantastic micro-bouquets showcased in this slide show are not sculpted, but rather grown by design. Noorduin and his colleagues built these crystal structures in a stepwise fashion: first grow the vase, then the stems and finally the petals. The original images are black and white but the researchers false-colored each structure according to the sequence in which it was formed.

? View the Nanosculptured Flora Slide Show

Many nanostructures such as silicon memory cells are etched using lithography, a precise but expensive and labor-intensive technique that can only be used on flat surfaces. ?There is nothing now to create 3-D structures,? says professor of material science at SEAS, Joanna Aizenberg, who is principal investigator of the study and a pioneer in biomimetics (the use of biological systems as templates for creating materials or designing machines). The new technique is the first that can design and build 3-D structures. It is simple, cheap and efficient, as a whole forest of micro-flowers can assemble themselves simultaneously.

Although the structures created in this study are just for show, the technique has potential for future applications. The folds of these 3-D microstructures pack a large amount of surface area into a tiny space?an important consideration for the production of chemicals that depend on catalysts, substances that speed up chemical reactions. The more surface area available, the more catalysts you can add?and the more efficient the reaction.

The process can also be used to make nonsymmetrical (chiral) structures that may be useful for microcircuits, because chirality plays a role in conductivity.

? View the Nanosculptured Flora Slide Show

The technique still needs to be refined before it can be used in these types of applications. The team has developed a mathematical model that maps how the structures evolve, which is important for designing new shapes. Noorduin says they are now working on devices that will allow them to very precisely control the environmental conditions in order to standardize shapes and sizes. They will also need to figure out how to maintain the same level of control for other materials such as carbon, which is used for nanotubes.

Three years after having initiated the project, Noorduin says he still goes back to admire some of his favorite samples. He sits in front of the scanning electron microscope and peers through the lens: ?It feels like diving into a strange coral reef,? Noorduin says. ?You can spend hours looking at them.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a901b72df7e56c42c557e243b80ee50e

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Images Of Israeli Strike In Syria - Business Insider

Israel's Channel 2 released satellite images of at least two locations struck in a?reported Israeli airstrike at Damascus International Airport on May 3.

Israel is suspected of targeting Fateh-110 surface-to-surface missiles from Iran that were allegedly on their way to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The bombings look very precise, and the targets completely destroyed.

Channel 2

Channel 2

Israel has reportedly carried out at least three airstrikes in Syria this year.

The first, in January, targeted a convoy located at a major military research facility outside of Damascus (satellite photos here).

Satellite images of the third, carried out the same weekend as the one shown in these images, would be very interesting to see since that strike didn't seem to target missile supplies.

Instead, the strike on May 5 blasted the Syrian military's fortress on Qasioun Mountain ? hitting the headquarters of the army?s Fourth Division, the elite and feared unit run by the president?s brother Maher, as well as?the command of the government?s elite Republican Guard. The strike killed at least 42 Syrian soldiers.

The Long War Journal notes that Channel 2 released the images on the same day that an unnamed senior Israeli official contacted The New York Times to warn of another possible strike on Syria.

Israel hasn't explicitly taken credit for the strikes, but has repeatedly warned that they will act if they suspect sophisticated weapons are being transferred to Hezbollah via Syria.

In the words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with the BBC: "We are prepared to defend ourselves if the need arises and I think people know that what I say is both measured and serious."

(h/t Michael Weiss)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/images-of-israeli-strike-in-syria-2013-5

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Saturday, May 18, 2013

LA Kings shock Sharks with 2 late goals

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Captain Dustin Brown tied it with 1:43 left and Trevor Lewis scored the tiebreaking power-play goal 22 seconds later, propelling the Los Angeles Kings to a stunning 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night and a 2-0 series lead.

Brown scored during a 5-on-3 advantage and Lewis provided the winner on a loose puck with 1:21 left, sending Staples Center into shocked celebration. The defending Stanley Cup champions won their 12th straight home game since March and their sixth straight postseason game.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored his first career playoff goal with 11:04 to play for the Sharks, who were doomed by two late penalties after rallying from an early two-goal deficit.

Jonathan Quick made 28 saves for the Kings, and Antti Niemi stopped 27 shots for the Sharks.

Game 3 is Saturday night at the Shark Tank.

Patrick Marleau and Brad Stuart scored second-period goals for the Sharks, who largely dominated the first two periods with another barrage of superior speed and skill. Los Angeles got rolling in the third period ? and with two late goals, the Kings landed one of the most amazing victories in their relatively thin playoff history.

Jeff Carter scored on the Kings' first shot and added an assist on Brown's goal in front of Niemi. Drew Doughty scored an early power-play goal for Los Angeles.

After Vlasic's score on a rebound, the Sharks seemed to be cruising to a win ? until Stuart was whistled for tripping with 2:41 to play. Just 22 seconds later, Vlasic joined him in the box when he shot the puck over the glass, although Vlasic claimed the puck had deflected off Carter.

The Kings scored a minute later, with Brown pounding home his second goal of the postseason. Lewis got the winner shortly after the ensuing faceoff, finding a loose puck on the back side of a scrum in front of Niemi. Lewis hadn't scored in the postseason, but the depth forward scored two goals in the Kings' Cup-clinching win over New Jersey last June.

The Kings played without veteran center Jarret Stoll, who didn't return to Game 1 after a hit from San Jose's Raffi Torres late in the second period. Torres was suspended for the rest of the series Thursday by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for his illegal check to the head after a hearing in New York.

Brad Richardson contributed a key power-play assist while filling in for Stoll.

Los Angeles has won six straight home playoff games dating to last season's Stanley Cup clincher, but none was more surprising than this victory. The Sharks appeared to be sure Quick couldn't steal another win after the Kings took the opener despite getting outshot 35-20.

Quick's streak of more than 125 minutes of shutout hockey ended in the second period with two quick goals. Vlasic then gave San Jose its first lead with a rebound goal on Stuart's shot off the end boards midway through the period, capping a lengthy scramble near Quick's net. Vlasic didn't score a goal in his first 73 career playoff games.

The Kings were forced to make several changes in the absence of Stoll, the third-line center and faceoff specialist who excels on special teams. Stoll was replaced by Richardson, who played 13 postseason games during the Kings' championship run last summer.

The Sharks replaced Torres by juggling their lineup, promoting Joe Pavelski to the second line and using several new combinations. Tim Kennedy was in uniform for just his second game of the postseason for San Jose, which also played without injured forward Marty Havlat.

NOTES: Sharks F Adam Burish sat out his second straight game after playing in all four games against Vancouver. He was replaced again by Bracken Kearns. Havlat hasn't played since the playoff opener in Vancouver while nursing a lower-body injury. ... Richardson hadn't played since the Kings' playoff opener against St. Louis on April 30. He appeared in just 16 regular-season games. ... Quick hadn't allowed a goal since early in the second period of the Kings' series-clinching win over St. Louis six days earlier.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/la-kings-shock-sharks-2-goals-045619422.html

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Jay Weston: Dudamel Announces Hollywood Bowl Program...and Its Eats!

Hollywood Bowl schedule

I am certain that most of my Huffington readers know who Gustavo Dudamel is, but just in case you don't he is the 32-year Venezualan-born Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In the four years he has been here, he has revitalized the orchestra and brought it to even greater heights of achievement and excitement. Once you have seen this curly-haired wonder conduct the musical ensemble with all of his body (and hair) flying about, you will forever understand why the L.A. Phil is now considered one of the world's greatest orchestras. Much of the credit for this sustained success must also go to a woman named Debra Borda, who is the President of the organization. It was she who realized that bringing Gustavo to L.A. would revitalize the music scene here and was determined to win him from under the noses of larger and richer locations. She followed him from city to city, country to country, as he guest-conducted other orchestras....and finally wooed and won him for us. (The orchestra's charismatic chairman, David Bohnett, provided her with all the support - and money - she needed to make it happen.) This all flashed through my mind as I sat on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl last week as Dudamel and Borda announced the program for this summer's Hollywood Bowl season.
LA Phil Pres. Deborah Borda and Dudamel
LA Phil President Debra Borda and Music Director Gustavo Dudamel

The fact that Joachim Spichal's PATINA RESTAURANT GROUP was also giving me tastes of many of the dishes available to Bowl patrons both in their restaurants there and in meals delivered to the boxes was a powerful incentive for me to be there. For many years I had a box for four on a classical music night at the Bowl, and as the food maven I was responsible for delivering the food. I would spend days shopping and cooking for my guests, finally wearying of that task when Joachim and his guys took over the catering operations 14 years ago and offered up delicious meals delivered to every boxholder. Each year they have enlarged and expanded upon the offerings until, this year, I realized that a trip to the Bowl can be as much for the food as for the music. I recently spent an evening exploring the 17 unique food outlets located in the historic performance venue. It came about when I had lunch with Joachim at his PINOT PROVENCE in the wonderful Costa Mesa shopping emporium, South Coast Plaza, and he invited me to tour the Bowl premises and see what they were offering. Wow, it was a revelation. I realized that they have captured the essence and excitement of the local culinary landscape with all their food places. Especially intriguing was the new full-service al fresco wine-and-tapas bar which was almost completed when I stopped by....it's perched above the main entrance to the box seats. Chef Joe Vasiloff from Ray's will be ensconced there, and he promised me a few interesting dishes if I came back...raw fluke, deviled quail eggs with smoked salmon roe, and skirt steak with warm bone marrow.
artist rendering of the new Wine Bar at Hollywood Bowl
Artist rendering of the new Wine-and-Tapas Bar at the Bowl.

After entering the gates of the famed venue, you first see the Staccato pick-up window (where you can get 'eveything' fries, golden fried chicken, Thai chicken sausages, sushi, and HB veggie bowl options. Different picnic baskets are here for the hungry. You can proceed to the Rooftop Grill (where the tantalizing odor of mesquite-grilled meats will be incentive enough to order a juicy steak or slab of prime rib.) I asked to see some of the menu offerings for box seat holders...and saw some very enticing dishes...cacao-and-pepe pasta with roasted wild mushrooms, golden fried chicken, and platters of farmhouse cheeses and meats.
Patina chef prepares my roast beef
Patina chef prepares my roast beef sample.

I had a chance to talk to Dudamel for a moment, and he said that he was very excited about conducting a performance of Verdi's AIDA on Sunday, August 11th. Oh, yes, I will be there...since it is one of my favorite operas, so majestic and romantic. (In my lifetime I have seen at least a dozen performances of that opera, from the ruined Roman gardens in Italy- with real elephants - to the Met in New York.) We both looked out in wonder at the empty Bowl, and I told him of coming here my first week in L.A. in the early '50s and paying a buck for a seat in the very last row.) He said that he was looking forward to being a guest on opening night, June 22nd, when Steve Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, while Patti Austin and John Legend will also perform. We marveled at the Tchaikovsky spectacle on Friday, August 16th and Saturday, the 17th, when the fireworks erupt over the shell. We looked at each other and laughed at how good life could be!

To subscribe to Jay Weston's Restaurant Newsletter ($70 for twelve monthly issues) email him at jayweston@spcglobal.net.

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Follow Jay Weston on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaywestonsbcglo

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-weston/dudamel-announces-hollywo_b_3295239.html

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Friday, May 17, 2013

Farrah Abraham Not Pregnant, Thank Goodness

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/farrah-abraham-not-pregnant-thank-goodness/

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New record in wireless data transmission

May 16, 2013 ? Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics and the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology have achieved the wireless transmission of 40 Gbit/s at 240 GHz over a distance of one kilometer. Their most recent demonstration sets a new world record and ties in seamlessly with the capacity of optical fiber transmission. In the future, such radio links will be able to close gaps in providing broadband internet by supplementing the network in rural areas and places which are difficult to access.

Digital, mobile and networked -- changing media usage habits of modern society require the faster transmission of increasing volumes of data. Compared to the European standard, Germany lags behind in the expansion of the fiber-optic network, according to statistics from the FTTH Council Europe. Deploying new fiber-optic cables is expensive and difficult when there are natural or urban obstacles such as rivers or traffic junctions. Broadband radio links can help to overcome such critical areas, thereby facilitating the expansion of the network infrastructures. In rural areas they can be a cost-effective and flexible alternative to "Fiber to the Home."

Researchers have now set a new world record in wireless data transmission: For the first time, fully integrated electronic transmitters and receivers have been developed for a frequency of 240 GHz, which allows the transmission of data rates of up to 40 Gbit/s. This equals the transmission of a complete DVD in under a second or 2400 DSL16000 internet connections. Distances of over one kilometer have already been covered by using a long range demonstrator, which the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology set up between two skyscrapers as part of the project "Millilink." "We have managed to develop a radio link based on active electronic circuits, which enables similarly high data rates as in fiber-optic systems, therefore allowing seamless integration of the radio link," says Prof. Ingmar Kallfass, who coordinated the project at Fraunhofer IAF within the scope of a Shared Professorship between IAF and KIT. Since 2013, Kallfass is with the University of Stuttgart, where he continues to lead the project.

High Frequencies enable Fast Data Transmission

Using the high frequency range between 200 and 280 GHz not only enables the fast transmission of large volumes of data, but also results in very compact technical assembly. Since the size of electronic circuits and antennae scales with frequency / wavelength, the transmitter and receiver chip only measures 4 x 1.5 mm?. The semiconductor technology developed at Fraunhofer IAF, based on transistors with high carrier mobility (HEMT), makes it possible to use the frequency between 200 and 280 GHz with active transmitters and receivers in the form of compact, integrated circuits. The atmosphere shows low attenuation in this frequency range, which enables broadband directional radio links. "This makes our radio link easier to install compared to free-space optical systems for data transmission. It also shows better robustness in poor weather conditions such as fog or rain," explains Jochen Antes of KIT.

Up to now, radio links were not able to directly transmit the data rates of glass fiber. This might change in the future, as the test setup of the project shows. Such a high performance system would also have the advantage of the so-called bit transparency, i.e. the signal of a glass fiber could be fed directly and without energy-consuming transcoding into a radio link. It could then be transmitted and redirected into a glass fiber. The record data from the test setup is only the beginning. "Improving the spectral efficiency by using more complex modulation formats or a combination of several channels, i.e. multiplexing, will help to achieve even higher data rates," says Antes. This could give new impetus to the expansion of the broadband network. Maybe Germany will then no longer occupy the lower ranks compared to the rest of Europe.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/computers_math/information_technology/~3/pQrIx0nm9NI/130516105339.htm

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Mullion Cove to host 'Best of the South West' food and drink area at ...

Bristols Big market 042 (Small)

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Mullion Cove is yet again to host a ?Best of the South West? food and drink themed area as part of Bristol?s BIG market on Saturday 22 June from 11am ? 6pm.

Bristol?s BIG Market launched the Big Green Week last year and was a huge success attracting more than 10,000 visitors to the market.

Mullion Cove?s area will be located in Corn Street in Bristol?s city centre and will feature some of the best local food and drink producers from the South West including producers from as far away as Cornwall. Devon-based business Riverford will sponsor the area and will be on hand to talk to market goers about their organic farms and vegetable box scheme.

Expect to find tasty treats from local artisans including Grumpies of Cornwall, Guilberts Chocolates, The Story Group, Whalesborough Farm Foods, Nature Kitchen, Everything Bagels, Ivors Farmhouse Ice-Cream, Pure Fudge, Wiltshire Chilli Farm, Firebelly bakery, Gerry?s Finest Falafel and much more.

Delicious hot food will also be available throughout the day including South West inspired paella, slow roasted lamb, hot falafel wraps and chicken and veggie koftas. Grab lunch on the go with homemade flatbreads stuffed with an assortment of mouth watering fillings including slow cooked ribs or butternut squash and ricotta.

Local drink producers will also take part including Wraxall Vineyard, Severn Cider, Bradleys Juices and Towles Fine Ales and while you sip on these fine beverages, you can feast on juicy local strawberries from Besleys fruit farm.

Keep up to date with all the Bristol?s BIG Market news and exhibitors by visiting the markets? Facebook page, and follow the market on Twitter @The_Big_Market.

So come on down to Corn Street on Saturday 22 June and explore just why the South West is renowned for their quality produce. Join in the jovialities as local sea shanty group; The Roaring Trowmen will bellow out songs of the deep or relax to the dulcet tones of the Lilac Hour whilst you shop to you drop!

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Source: http://www.bristolbites.co.uk/2013/05/17/mullion-cove-to-host-best-of-the-south-west-food-and-drink-area-at-bristols-big-market/

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Weight Loss News Headlines - Yahoo! News

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - New Orleans police arrested a man identified in connection with a shooting at a Mother's Day parade in which 19 people were injured, authorities said late on Wednesday. Akein Scott, 19, was arrested in the Little Wood neighborhood of eastern New Orleans, police spokesman Garry Flot said, adding that??

Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/weightloss

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Everything Google Tried to Kill Today at Google I/O

Google just dropped a metric ton of Google on us. Sorting through it all, it's clear that the company's not just trying to put new goodness into the world; it's trying to blow plenty of existing products and services out of the water. Here are all the things Google's looking to unseat and uppercut into the spike pit.

GroupMe, Skype, All Other Chat

Welp, here's Hangouts. Google announced its new chat app today, which is for conversations (text, photos, albums), between one person or, more importantly, groups. It's on the web, iOS, and Android, and has a ton of group features. Video chat (for the whole group, and free) is obvious, but it gives you notifications for everyone in the chat. It's unified chat in a way that Google hasn't done before, and in a way that should make popular cross-platform apps like GroupMe very nervous.

Spotify/Rdio/Pandora/Xbox Music

This one's obvious, but Google announced Google Play Music All Access, a paid subscription music service. You'll be able to sign up for the service, which will be linked and integrated to your Google account better than existing third-party providers ever could be, and listen to full tracks, store them, or just play internet radio. Right through your Google account. Spotify, Pandora, and Rdio all have their cross-platform ubiquity in their favor, but remember: Google is Google, and the web is everywhere.

PayPal, MasterCard MasterPass

Google's new idea for mobile payments, using Google Wallet, is to autocomplete all the fields that mobile stores ask for. Your address, your credit card, your billing zip code. All of it stored in your Google Wallet account. We've seen this novel idea from MasterCard before, and PayPal's offered similar for ages, but if you're automatically logged in as soon as you sign into your phone, well, why would you use something else?

Traditional Textbooks

Classrooms haven't gotten smarter at the same rate as the trinkets in our pockets have. That's been obvious for years. Google announced a new platform to buy apps, textbooks, and videos for schools, right through the Google Play interface. Google apps have been in a lot of colleges, but setting up a platform that lets school admins buy content (through funded balances, instead of credit cards), and push it to every student in the district, is a pretty compelling idea.

Android Skins

The coolest nerd service thing of the day might have been the announcement of the new unskinned stock Android Galaxy S 4. Party time! But the subtext there, maybe, is that Google knows the skins that manufacturers shove onto their phones aren't how people should be using Android. And the more choice we have on these flagship devices, the better off we'll all be.

Gifs and Jpegs

Google announced that it's going to be throwing its weight behind a (relatively) new file type, called WebP. It can deliver lossless images, no different in quality from Jpegs or Gifs, but at about 26 percent smaller sizes. It can even do animations. Google's pushing this format in HTML 5, and has optimized Chrome for it, to let media-rich sites more usable as it pushes Chrome OS and the mobile web on tablets on phones.

Flickr

It's the storage. Google+ upped your max to 15GB storage (from 5GB) for your full size photos on Google+. You still get infinite storage for standard size, but what matters for Flickr is that Google is moving in on the full res territory it had staked out in its fight for its life against Facebook. A unified storage bin from Google is pretty attractive, especially if it keeps working with the big, professional file sizes.

Photoshop for Newbs and iPhoto

Google+'s new Auto-Awesome and photo enhancing stuff is aimed at people who don't know much about editing a photo, but know enough to know that there's cool stuff that can be done. If it works properly (and we'll have a hands-on to tell you), it will touch up every single photo you upload, fixing wrinkles and exposure and red eyes and the like. More over, it will do this automatically, so there's much less chance this feature will just fall forgotten to the side, like so many things do.

Siri

Google's new conversational search is wildly ambitious. It's also a pitch we've heard before. Talking to your phone or computer like you'd talk to a real assistant (a word Google used throughout the presentation) is what Siri was supposed to be. But Siri's real problem was always that it was just, well, a bad search engine . You think that's going to be a problem for Google?

Source: http://gizmodo.com/everything-google-tried-to-kill-today-at-google-i-o-506906642

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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Invasive frogs may spread deadly amphibian fungus

Imported African species implicated in B. dendrobatidis epidemic

Imported African species implicated in B. dendrobatidis epidemic

By Susan Milius

Web edition: May 16, 2013

More evidence has just dropped into place suggesting that frogs once imported to the United States for pregnancy testing could have spread a fungus deadly to many native amphibian species.

From about the 1940s into the 1970s, medical labs tested for pregnancy-associated hormonal changes by injecting human urine into readily available and easy-to-work-with African clawed frogs. If a woman was pregnant, traces of hormones in her urine would accelerate egg development in the frog.

Frogs sometimes escaped or were set free, allowing African clawed frogs to get a foothold in North America.

A new study using museum specimens of free-living African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) collected in California finds that three out of 23 carried the dread fungus nicknamed Bd, says amphibian ecologist Vance Vredenburg of San Francisco State University. This species doesn?t succumb itself, but it can spread the fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, to more vulnerable neighbors.

The fungus also showed up in about 3 percent of 178 specimens of six Xenopus species collected in Africa as far back as the 1930s, researchers reported May 15 in PLOS ONE. But it cannot be determined whether the strain in the African specimens matches that in the California frogs. Such a match would strongly suggest an African origin for the worldwide fungal epidemic.

The raging Bd fungus is now blamed for wiping out, or causing declines in, about 200 species of amphibians around the world. ?It?s just shocking,? Vredenburg says. He?s observed two kinds of yellow-legged frogs in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks dwindle from 500 populations in 1997 to just 12 in 2012.

Where the fungus that is blamed for this amphibian Armageddon originated and how it spread has inspired plenty of ideas. The fungus may have hitchhiked out of Africa, or out of Asia. And in their travels, milder strains of the fungus may have hybridized to create a more virulent form of the fungus. ?We still don?t have a unified story that we?re all behind,? Vredenburg says.

In any case, the trade in African clawed frogs has clearly helped move Bd around the world, says Matthew Fisher of the Imperial College School of Public Health in London. He and colleagues have shown that African Xenopus frogs in a zoo breeding facility passed the infection to other animals that were later released on the island of Majorca. ?It's not hard to believe that this has happened in the USA as?well,? he says.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350494/title/Invasive_frogs_may_spread_deadly_amphibian_fungus

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Why Eric Holder's Excuse for Spying on Reporters Isn't Enough (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/305912145?client_source=feed&format=rss

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New uses for tiny carbon nanotubes: Adding ionic liquid to nanotube films could build smaller gadgets

May 14, 2013 ? The atom-sized world of carbon nanotubes holds great promise for a future demanding smaller and faster electronic components. Nanotubes are stronger than steel and smaller than any element of silicon-based electronics -- the ubiquitous component of today's electrical devices -- and have better conductivity, which means they can potentially process information faster while using less energy.

The challenge has been figuring out how to incorporate all those great properties into useful electronic devices. A new discovery by four scientists at the University of California, Riverside has brought us closer to the goal. They discovered that by adding ionic liquid -- a kind of liquid salt -- they can modify the optical transparency of single-walled carbon nanotube films in a controlled pattern.

"It was a discovery, not something we were looking for," said Robert Haddon, director of UC Riverside's Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Scientists Feihu Wang, Mikhail Itkis and Elena Bekyarova were looking at ways to improve the electrical behavior of carbon nanotubes, and as part of their research they also looked at whether they could modulate the transparency of the films. An article about their findings was published online in April in Nature Photonics.

The scientists spent some time trying to affect the optical properties of carbon nanotube films with an electric field, with little success, said Itkis, a research scientist at the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering. "But when we applied a thin layer of an ionic liquid on top of the nanotube film we noticed that the change of transparency is amplified 100 times and that the change in transparency occurs in the vicinity of one of the electrodes, so we started studying what causes these drastic changes and how to create transparency in controlled patterns."

An ionic liquid contains negative and positive ions which can interact with the nanotubes, dramatically influencing their ability to store an electrical charge. That increases or decreases their transparency, similar to the way that glasses darken in sunlight. By learning how to manipulate the transparency, scientists may be able to start incorporating nanotube films into products that now rely on slower or heavier components, such as metal oxide.

For instance, using nanotube films meshed with a film of ionic liquid, scientists could create more cost effective Smart Windows, that darken when it's hot outside and become lighter when it's cold.

"Smart Windows are a new industry that has been shown to save 50 percent of your energy costs," said Itkis. "On a very hot day you can shade your window just by turning a switch, so you don't have to use as much air conditioning. And on a winter day, you can make a window more transparent to let in more light."

The scientists still need to study the economic viability of using nanotube film, but Bekyarova said one possible advantage would be that carbon nanotubes are ultra thin -- about 1,000 times smaller than a single strand of hair -- so you would need very little to cover a large area, such as the windows of a large building.

Itkis said nanotube films also hold great promise in building lighter and more compact analytical instruments such as spectrometers, which are used to analyze the properties of light.

In this application, a nanotube film with an array of electrodes can be used as an electrically configurable diffraction grating for an infrared spectrometer, allowing the wavelength of light to be scanned without moving parts.

Furthermore, by using addressable electrodes, the spatial pattern of the induced transparency in the nanotube film can be modified in a controlled way and used as an electrically configurable optical media for storage and transfer of information via patterns of light.

Carbon nanotubes have great potential, but there is still plenty of work to be done to make them useful in electronics and optoelectronics, Haddon said.

"The challenge is to harness their outstanding properties," he said. "They won't be available at Home Depot next week, but there is continuing progress in the field."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/technology/~3/oC2NUjEygVc/130514190643.htm

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