passionless kaine: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Scientists graft working eyes onto tadpole tails

Researchers surgically removed the eyes of tadpoles and then grafted new eyes onto their tales. Some of these tadpoles were able to pass a vision test with their new eyes.

By Charles Choi,?LiveScience Contributor / February 28, 2013

Researchers grafted the tails of blind tadpoles of the African frog with eye tissue, which gave the tadpoles sight.

Douglas Blackiston

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Eyes hooked up to the tail can help blinded tadpoles see, researchers say.

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These findings could help guide therapies involving natural or artificial implants, scientists added.

A major roadblock when it comes to?treating blindness?and other sensory disorders is how much remains unknown about the nervous system and its ability to adapt to change. To learn more about the relationship between the body and the brain, researchers wanted to see how capable the brain was of interpreting sensory data from abnormal "ectopic" locations from which it normally does not receive? signals.

Eye on the tail

Scientists experimented with 134 tadpoles of the?African clawed frog?Xenopus laevis, a common lab animal. They painstakingly grafted new eyes onto places such as their torsos and tails and then surgically removed their original eyes. [See Images of the Odd-Eyed Tadpoles]

"We do a lot of work to understand regenerative biology, and that entails experiments that change the body," researcher Michael Levin, a developmental biologist at Tufts University, told LiveScience. "We have four-headed worms, six-legged frogs, and many other?unusual creatures?here as part of our work on bioelectricity and organ regeneration."

These experimental tadpoles then received a vision test the researchers first refined on normal tadpoles. The tadpoles were placed in a circular arena half illuminated with red light and half with blue light, with software regularly switching what color light the areas received. When tadpoles entered places lit by red light, they received a tiny electric zap. A motion-tracking camera kept tabs on where the tadpoles were.

Remarkably, the scientists found that six tadpoles that had eyes implanted in their tails could apparently see, choosing to remain in the safer blue-light areas.

"The brain is not wired to find an eye on the tail, since it's never happened before and thus is not something the brain has evolved specifically to deal with, and yet it can recognize this patch of tissue as providing valuable visual information," Levin said.

"These findings suggest that the?brain has remarkable plasticity?and may actually take a survey of its body configuration to make use of different body arrangements," Levin added. "If it were not the case, then every time a mutation produced an improvement in body plan ? a large significant change in anatomy ? the animal would die and the beneficial mutation would be lost."

Rather, when a mutation makes a change in the body plan of an embryo, the brain-body programs that tell an eye to see and a hand to grasp, for instance, "don't suddenly become useless," Levin said. "The brain can map its activity onto a wide range of configurations of the body. This modularity makes it much easier for complex new body features to evolve."

Augmentation technology

The transplanted eyes came from tadpole donors genetically modified to generate a red fluorescent protein. As such, the researchers could see under a microscope whether these eyes sent red nerves outward in the body. Half the recipient tadpoles had no such nerves grow, while about a quarter had nerves projecting toward the gut and the other quarter had nerves extending toward their spine.

The six tadpoles that could see well all had nerves plugged into their spine, which makes sense ? their eyes apparently linked with their central nervous system.

"This has implications not only for regenerative medicine ? replacing damaged sensory and motor organs ? but also for augmentation technology," Levin said. "Perhaps you'd like some more eyes, maybe ones that?see in infrared?" [Bionic Humans: Top 10 Technologies]

One question Levin and his colleagues often get asked "is whether the tadpoles are experiencing sight from these ectopic eyes like they do from normal eyes," Levin said. "We have no idea what a tadpole is experiencing. This is a philosophical question that is not immediately tractable.

"Another thing people sometimes assume is that this capability is only for tadpoles or 'lower' animals," Levin said. "In fact, this kind of thing probably works in humans also,?as evidenced by related studies over the last few years. Brain plasticity is a fundamental aspect of the function of the nervous system and its interface to the body."

The researchers seek to figure out three other aspects: which brain regions are processing the sensory data, how many extra eyes a frog brain can handle, and how the brain knows that this piece of tissue on the tail is providing visual data, and not simply indicating an infection, injury or other sense like smell, Levin said.

Levin and his colleague Douglas Blackiston detailed their findings online today (Feb. 27) in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter?@livescience. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/zy1gKnTyw7g/Scientists-graft-working-eyes-onto-tadpole-tails

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Pope speaks of 'rough seas' of papacy at emotional farewell

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict bid an emotional farewell at his last general audience on Wednesday, acknowledging the "rough seas" that marked his papacy "when it seemed that the Lord was sleeping."

In an unusually public outpouring for such a private man, he alluded to some of the most difficult times of his papacy, which was dogged by sex abuse scandals, leaks of his private papers and reports of infighting among his closest aides.

"Thank you, I am very moved," Benedict told a cheering crowd of more than 150,000 people in St Peter's Square a day before he becomes the first pope to step down in some six centuries.

He said he had great trust in the Church's future, that his abdication was for the good of the Church and asked for prayers for cardinals choosing his successor at a time of crisis.

The Vatican said the address, repeatedly interrupted by applause and cries of "Benedict, Benedict" - was the last by the pope, who as of Thursday evening will have the title "pope emeritus."

"There were moments of joy and light but also moments that were not easy ... there were moments, as there were throughout the history of the Church, when the seas were rough and the wind blew against us and it seemed that the Lord was sleeping," he said.

When he finished the crowd, which spilled over into surrounding streets and included many of the red-hatted cardinals who will elect his successor in a closed doors conclave next month, stood to applaud.

"I took this step in the full knowledge of its gravity and rarity but with a profound serenity of spirit," he said, as people in the crowd wave supportive banners and national flags.

Loving the Church meant, "having the courage to take difficult and anguished choices, always having in mind the good of the church and not oneself," he said.

The pope says he is too old and weak to continue leading a Church beset by crises over child abuse by priests and a leak of confidential Vatican documents showing corruption and rivalry among Vatican officials.

He said he was not "coming down from the cross" but would serve the Church through prayer.

Some of those who have faulted Benedict for resigning have pointed to the late Pope John Paul, who said he would "not come down from the cross" despite his bad health because he believed his suffering could inspire others.

CHURCH CRISIS

Many Catholics and even some close papal aides were stunned by his decision on February 11 and concerned about the impact it will have on a Church torn by divisions.

Most in the square were supportive of Benedict, an increasingly frail figure in the last months of his papacy.

"He did what he had to do in his conscience before God," said Sister Carmel, from a city north of Rome, who came to the capital with her fellow nuns and members of her parish.

"This is a day in which we are called to trust in the Lord, a day of hope," she said. "There is no room for sadness here today. We have to pray, there are many problems in the Church but we have to trust in the Lord."

Not everyone agreed.

"He was a disaster. It's good for everyone that he resigned," said Peter McNamara, 61, an Australian of Irish descent who said he had come to the square "to witness history".

The pope, a theologian and professor, never felt truly comfortable with the weight of the papacy and many Catholics feel that, although he was a towering Church figure, perhaps the cardinals should have chosen someone else in 2005.

"It was clear from the start that he was more at home in a library," said Carla Manton, 65. "A very good man but he realized in his heart that this was the right thing to do for himself and the Church and now he will pray, he will pray for all of us."

Benedict will move to the papal summer residence south of Rome on Thursday night and later to a convent in the Vatican.

He will lay aside the red "shoes of the fisherman" that have been part of his papal attire and wear brown loafers given to him by shoemakers during a trip to Leon, Mexico last year. He will wear a "simple white cassock", the Vatican said.

His lead seal and his ring of office, known as the "ring of the fisherman", will be destroyed according to Church rules, just as if he had died.

The Vatican said on Tuesday that the pope was sifting through documents to see which will remain in the Vatican and go into the archives of his papacy and which "are of a personal nature and he will take to his new residence".

Among the documents left for the next pope will be a confidential report by three cardinals into the "Vatileaks" affair last year when Benedict's former butler revealed private papers showing corruption and in-fighting inside the Vatican.

The new pope will inherit a Church marked by Vatileaks and child abuse scandals involving priests in Europe and the United States, both of which may have weighed on Benedict's decision.

On Thursday, he will greet cardinals in Rome. That afternoon he will fly by helicopter to the papal summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo, a 15-minute journey. In his last appearance as pope, he will greet residents and well-wishers in a small square.

At 8 p.m. the Swiss Guards who stand as sentries at the residence will march off in a sign that the papacy is vacant.

Benedict changed Church rules so that cardinals who start pre-conclave meetings on Friday could begin the conclave earlier than the 15 days after the papacy becomes vacant prescribed by the previous law.

The Vatican appears to be aiming to have a new pope elected by mid-March and installed before Palm Sunday on March 24 so he can preside at Holy Week services leading to Easter.

Cardinals have begun informal consultations by phone and email in the past two weeks since Benedict said he was quitting.

Pope Benedict XVI finishes his last general audience in St Peter's Square at the Vatican February 27, 2013. The weekly event which would normally be held in a vast auditorium in winter, but has been ... more? Pope Benedict XVI finishes his last general audience in St Peter's Square at the Vatican February 27, 2013. The weekly event which would normally be held in a vast auditorium in winter, but has been moved outdoors to St. Peter's Square so more people can attend. The pope has two days left before he takes the historic step of becoming the first pontiff in some six centuries to step down instead of ruling for life. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (VATICAN - Tags: RELIGION) less?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/huge-crowd-st-peters-square-popes-last-audience-092643759.html

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Senate Dems' bill light on deficit cuts in 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) ? White House-backed legislation in the Senate to replace $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts would result in very modest deficit savings through the end of the budget year, officials said Wednesday, most if not of all of them through higher taxes on millionaires.

Instead, the bill drafted by Senate Democrats would spread one year's worth of anticipated savings over a decade, a move sponsors say is designed to prevent damage to a shaky economic recovery.

The Democrats' approach to the latest episode of budget brinkmanship comes as the two political parties vie for public support in advance of across-the-board cuts due to kick in on Friday.

The replacement measure, which has yet to be distributed publicly, proposes cuts in defense spending and elimination of a program of payments to certain farmers as well as a tax on millionaires as the main elements of an alternative.

Yet it also specifies that no defense reductions would take place for 18 months, and officials added that the elimination of the farm program would have virtually no impact on the deficit until a new budget year begins on Oct. 1.

The tax on millionaires would raise government revenues through the end of the budget year by an estimated $1 billion ? a figure that pales in comparison to the $85 billion in spending cuts due to take effect. White House spokesman Jay Carney recently told reporters at the White House the administration supports the measure.

The Senate is expected to vote on Thursday on rival Democratic and Republican plans to replace the spending cuts, known in Washington-speak as a sequester. Both bills are expected to fail.

In an indication that across-the-board cuts are inevitable, President Barack Obama has set a meeting with congressional leaders for the day they take effect. While the administration has warned of severe cuts in government services as a result of the reductions, few, if any, are likely to be felt for several weeks.

That could give the administration and lawmakers breathing room to negotiate a replacement, although Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said during the day there were limits to what could be negotiated.

"We can either secure those reductions more intelligently, or we can do it the president's way with across-the board cuts. But one thing Americans simply will not accept is another tax increase to replace spending reductions we already agreed to," he said.

Democrats said their proposal to replace across-the-board cuts was designed with the economy in mind.

It "seeks the same amount of savings in a more responsible way" as the $85 billion in cuts that will otherwise take effect, said Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"The impact on the economy is much better. Sequestration as constituted would hurt economic growth and destroy jobs," he added.

Over a decade, the bill would cut deficits by an estimated $110 billion, half from higher taxes and half from the defense and farm program cuts.

That is in keeping with Obama's call for a balanced approach that combines selected spending cuts with closing tax loopholes.

Senate Democrats have been reluctant to spell out the details of their measure, although it is not clear if that results from its relatively small impact on the deficits through the end of the current budget year.

Across the Capitol, though, the party's leaders have talked openly of their desire to spread the cuts in their replacement measure over a longer period.

"It is entirely intentional," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and the party's senior member on the House Budget Committee. "The whole idea is to achieve the equivalent deficit reduction without hurting jobs and having disruption in the economy. You do that by having targeted cuts and eliminating tax loopholes over a longer period of time," he added.

He said the Democrats' approach is the same as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's recommendation, which is to help the recovery gain strength before beginning to make cuts.

In the Senate, Republicans have yet to disclose their own sequester replacement measure. Most of the rank and file favors an alternative that lets Obama adjust the cuts to minimize any impact on the public, but that approach has its critics among lawmakers who fear giving the White House that much authority.

____

Eds: AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace contributed to this story

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-27-US-Budget-Democrats/id-7552ced2b6f945e4811ebadc8bcb2b14

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Glam Has Filed For An IPO - Business Insider

Two sources familiar with the matter say that Glam Media, the digital lifestyle-content publisher, has filed confidential documents as part of a new secret IPO process.

Glam got its start offering fashion and gossip content on Glam.com, but has since broadened into food, men's lifestyle, health, and other topics. It's one of the top 10 networks of websites in the U.S., according to ComScore.

This so-called "secret IPO" process, which was created under 2012's Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, permits companies with less than $1 billion in annual revenues to start private discussions with the Securities and Exchange Commission before announcing to the world that they're going public.

There are other technical requirements for going public this way, but the revenue limit is the most significant one. Facebook, for example, wouldn't have been eligible.

The confidential IPO process is becoming more and more common: A recent Ernst & Young study found that 59 percent of eligible companies are taking the confidential-filing route.

After satisfying SEC regulators with private filings, a company files its paperwork publicly 21 days before conducting a roadshow for investors, after which it can list its shares on a market.

A Glam spokesperson declined to comment, as did several Glam investors we contacted.

Glam Media, founded in 2002, has raised $155 million from Accel Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Burda Media, and others.

It also picked up other investors when it bought Ning, a maker of private social networks, in 2011, for a reported $150 million. Ning had raised $119 million from Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, LinkedIn chairman Reid Hoffman, Legg Mason, and Allen & Co., among others. (Andreessen is also an investor in Business Insider.)?Andreessen joined Glam's board.

Business Insider?recently estimated?Glam's 2012 revenues at between $120 million and $150 million, primarily from advertising. Glam owns properties like Glam.com and Bliss.com, and also represents independent Web publishers, selling ads on their sites.

Glam CEO Samir Arora previously founded NetObjects, which went public in 1999. Two years later, after the collapse of the dotcom bubble, NetObjects shut down and sold its software assets. Arora joined Glam a year later.

One source speculated that part of the appeal of the confidential IPO process for Arora, a masterful marketer, may be the mystery and novelty attached to it.

Glam has been flirting with an IPO for years. We reported last May that Glam had picked Goldman Sachs to lead an IPO. (A Goldman spokesperson declined to comment.) But with paperwork actually filed with the SEC, according to our sources, this process finally seems to be getting underway.

Workday, an enterprise-software startup, is the most well-known example of a company that went public under the JOBS Act. Trulia, the online real-estate service, also filed confidentially under the JOBS Act. Both are now trading above their IPO price, which suggests the confidential-filing process hasn't hurt them in the public markets.

Indeed, the biggest benefit of the JOBS Act may come after the IPO, not before it. By getting designated as an "emerging growth company," companies can avoid some SEC fees and regulations that larger public companies must face.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/glam-has-filed-for-an-ipo-2013-2

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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

March 5 hearing on Nevada teachers tax initiative

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- An initiative pushed by the state teachers' union and other labor groups will get a hearing before a Nevada legislative panel on March 5.

Democratic Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick on Monday said the measure will be considered during a joint hearing before the Senate and Assembly taxation committees.

Backers of the initiative gathered more than 150,000 signatures to send the margins tax proposal by state lawmakers. Legislators have until March 15 to enact it or it will automatically be put to voters in 2014.

The proposal seeks to impose a 2 percent margins tax on businesses grossing more than $1 million. Supporters say it would raise $800 million a year for K-12 education.

Critics say it doesn't guarantee more money for education and argue it could hurt businesses.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/march-5-hearing-nevada-teachers-150603949.html

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Fans injured at NASCAR race explore legal options

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? The attorney for three NASCAR fans injured last weekend during a race the day before the Daytona 500 says they are exploring a possible lawsuit, but some experts say they could face tough obstacles in winning damages.

Matt Morgan, the Orlando-based lawyer for the fans, said at a news conference Tuesday than any suit would focus on the safety fence used along the track at Daytona International Speedway. He said he hopes to reach a settlement with NASCAR to avoid a lawsuit.

More than 30 people were injured last Saturday after a horrific wreck in a second-tier NASCAR series race sent chunks of debris, including a heavy tire, into the stands. Morgan declined to provide the identities of his clients, but said two of them were seated directly in front of the crash and sustained injuries ranging from a fractured fibula to abdominal swelling. All have been released from the hospital.

Some experts say there could be grounds for a lawsuit, and that courts have looked past liability waivers written on the backs of sporting event tickets. Others maintain the ticket is a legal contract that could be hard to overcome in court.

"Ultimately, I believe it would be gross negligence," Morgan said. "We all know that when you go to a race you assume a certain amount of risk. But what people don't assume is that a race car will come flying into the stands... That's why they make the fences."

Asked to comment on the fans' retention of a law firm, NASCAR spokesman David Higdon wrote in a statement, "We are unaware of any lawsuits filed."

Daytona International Speedway is owned by International Speedway Corp., a NASCAR sister company. Spokesman Andrew Booth said, "As per company policy, we do not comment on pending litigation."

Donnalynn Darling, a New York-based attorney who has been practicing personal injury law for 30 years, said there is a theory that a spectator who buys tickets to a sporting event assumes the risk of objects coming out of the field of play, such as a foul ball at a baseball game.

But she said there is also a foreseeable risk question that promoters of events also accept.

"Did the sporting event promoter take action to prevent that specific risk?" Darling asked. "In terms of this fence...it was put up to prevent people from being hurt. You have people who were not only injured by falling debris, but by the failure of the fence."

Others say such restrictive clauses on the back of tickets are generally disfavored by Florida courts.

"If it's just something written on the back of the ticket and not called to the attention of the person purchasing, there's reason to believe many courts in Florida won't hold that they consented efficiently," said University of Florida emeritus law professor Joseph Little.

Still, Paul Huck, an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law, said contract law could take precedence.

"A ticket to one of these events is like a contract ? and its provisions limiting liability are generally enforceable," he said. "We enter into these types of contracts on a regular basis, and we often don't give it a second thought that we may be limiting or even giving up certain legal rights when we do so."

Darling also said that the fence's manufacturer at Daytona would likely be "very much responsible" because of it being foreseeable that debris could go through a fence that has holes in it.

That seems to be theory that Morgan is adopting. He referenced a 2009 crash at NASCAR's racetrack in Talladega, Ala. in which a car that launched into the catch fence sent debris into the stands and injured several fans.

"At that point in time a group of engineers got together and they said 'It's time for us to manufacture a safer fence,'" Morgan said. "To my knowledge, that was done. But what we have to investigate at this point in time is what was done...If you can ever point to monetary considerations being put ahead of people, then there's a big problem."

Darling predicted that NASCAR would try to settle with the injured fans.

NASCAR "had an obligation to protect the fans that are so loyal, and it is bad from a public relations standpoint," Darling said. "So they're going to do something."

___

AP Auto Racing writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this report.

___

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fans-injured-nascar-race-explore-legal-options-223538559--spt.html

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After election win, Anastasiades tackles Cyprus bailout

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot president-elect Nicos Anastasiades, armed with a clear mandate from voters to spare the island from insolvency, said on Monday he was committed to reforms in return for a financial bailout.

The Conservative Anastasiades won decisive backing in a presidential election on Sunday for an aggressive approach to resolving the island's worst financial crisis in four decades.

Less than 24 hours after his resounding victory on Sunday, Anastasiades said he would appoint Michael Sarris, a former World Bank economist who enjoys broad respect at home and abroad, as his finance minister.

Anastasiades has promised a quick deal with foreign lenders and to bring Cyprus closer to Europe, in a shift from the policies of the outgoing Communist government that first sought aid from Russia before turning to the European Union.

"Long-term prospects for Cyprus are excellent as we are committed to carrying out necessary structural reforms. We only need a helping hand now," Anastasiades told Germany's Bild newspaper, according to advance excerpts of an interview to be published in Tuesday's edition.

Christopher Pissarides, a Nobel laureate for economics in 2010, was appointed head of a group of consultants to the government on the economy.

Sarris, a soft-spoken and down-to-earth economist known to many Cypriots by his first name, successfully ushered Cyprus into the euro zone during a stint as finance minister between 2005 and March 2008 under a previous center-left government.

He had refused a ministerial appointment by the outgoing Communist-led government in mid-2011, saying he needed a clear mandate to handle a then-looming financial crisis.

"I think it is a very strong choice, he is clearly respected in the EU but also in the U.S., which could be important for getting IMF support for a bailout." economist Fiona Mullen said, referring to Sarris's appointment.

SMALL ISLAND, BIG PROBLEM

Eight months of talks on a bailout package have turned Cyprus, one of the euro zone's smallest economies, into a big headache for the currency bloc, triggering fears of a financial collapse that could reignite the European debt crisis.

Anastasiades will be sworn in on February 28, and fully assume duties on March 1. With state funds depleting rapidly and a 1.4 billion euro ($1.9 billion) debt maturing in June, he has little time.

In a joint statement on Monday, the French and German finance ministers said talks must begin with prospective lenders soon so a deal can be reached by the end of March.

Cyprus sought aid from the EU and the IMF last June, after a Greek sovereign debt restructuring saddled Cypriot banks with losses. It is expected to need up to 17 billion euros in aid - about the size of its entire economy.

"There is a pressing need to recapitalise our banking sector," Anastasiades told Bild. "I agree with Germany and France that we should reach an agreement by March."

Virtually all rescue options - from a bailout loan to a debt writedown or slapping losses on bank depositors - are proving unpalatable because they push Cypriot debt to unmanageable levels or risk hurting investor sentiment elsewhere in the bloc.

Although a draft bailout deal says banks may need "up to" 10 billion euros to recapitalise, a banking source said an asset review still under wraps has earmarked between 5.98 billion and 8.86 billion euros for banks.

With Cyprus's fiscal needs at 7.0 to 7.5 billion over the next four years, the final bailout could reach 16 billion euros.

GERMAN WORRIES

German misgivings about Cyprus's commitment to fighting money laundering and its strong financial ties with Russia - which has already extended a 2.5-billion-euro loan to the nation - have further complicated negotiations.

Known for his no-nonsense style and impressive access to European policymakers such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Anastasiades took 57.5 percent of the vote in the run-off election, 15 points ahead of his anti-austerity Communist-backed rival Stavros Malas.

"Money laundering is a global problem and no country can remain immune to this problem. However I believe the comments about Cyprus are wrong and exaggerated. We have gone through proper checks," Anastasiades said.

The island was ready to agree to further inspections by international or European committees and take on board proposals for improvement, he said.

Cyprus has been shut out of international capital markets for almost two years, with the outgoing administration resorting to heavy borrowing from state-owned corporations to pay public sector salaries.

Yet prices on the island's internationally traded bonds have rallied in recent weeks. The quoted yield on a Cypriot 10-year benchmark bond has fallen to an 18-month low of 9.45 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.

(Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/election-win-anastasiades-faces-cyprus-bailout-quagmire-072512732.html

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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Gillian Anderson pilot will center on a conspiracy involving Washington's most powerful figures

The Gillian Anderson pilot will find the actress starring as CEO Meg Fitch, whose daughter is taken prisoner. NBC has ordered the Gillian Anderson pilot.

By Molly Driscoll,?Staff Writer / February 26, 2013

Will ?X-Files? star Gillian Anderson be returning to television?

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Sony Mobile has 'an ambition' to launch Firefox OS device in 2014

Despite what your feelings may be about Firefox OS, various OEMs and carriers are clearly content with having more options to explore. The latest outfit appears to be Sony's Mobile entity, which, earlier today, announced it had reached a multi-year deal with Telefónica that will "explore the development" of a device running Mozilla's novel operating system. What's more, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Head of Products Business Group, Bob Ishida, says Sony Mobile engineers are already working on a project with the new mobile OS on the block, adding that the eventual goal is to "bring a product to market in 2014." Now, whether we'll see higher-end slabs than some of the ones we've experienced thus far, well, dear readers, that remains to be seen.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Telef?nica

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/sony-telefonica-firefox-os-2014/

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Chinese vs. Western Development Model in Africa

PRAXIS: The Fletcher Journal of Human Security published in 2012 an article titled "China in Africa: What the Policy of Nonintervention Adds to the Western Development Dilemma."? The author is Madison Condon, a joint J.D./MALD candidate between Harvard Law School and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.?

The article makes the point that Chinese loans and investments are typically made in exchange for securing access to natural resources.? Based on its principles of nonintervention and respect for sovereignty, "China gives this money with little or no strings attached."? The author argues that the Chinese model is a legitimate challenger to Western aid.

While the article contains some annoying imprecision as it intermingles investment, loans and aid, it does offer a useful juxtaposition of the so-called Washington and Beijing Consensus models.?

Source: http://davidshinn.blogspot.com/2013/02/chinese-vs-western-development-model-in.html

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Monday, February 25, 2013

Farrakhan focuses on economics in Chicago speech (Providence Journal)

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Lyoto Machida pulls out split-decision win over Dan Henderson at UFC 157

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Lyoto Machida took a split decision over Dan Henderson in the co-main event at UFC 157 on Saturday. The judges saw it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Machida.

Machida was elusive as usual in the first round, but Henderson was able to sneak in and land a few kicks and punches. At the end of the round, Machida took Henderson down with a leg trip and landed strikes.

The second round showed Machida still being elusive and keeping his distance from Henderson. Machida tried for a front kick several times, but couldn't land it. Meanwhile, Henderson couldn't land much.

[Also: Ronda Rousey survives UFC debut, wins via first-round arm bar]

Henderson is known for his big, overhand punches. Most of the time, when he throws it, it can mean the end of a fight. However, he had trouble getting close enough to Machida for the overhand to work.

In the third round, Machida moved in for a takedown but ended up with Henderson on top. Henderson used elbows from the top, but Machida was able to get out with less than two minutes left in the fight.

Before the fight, UFC president Dana White said that the winner of this bout will get the next title shot. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will put the title up against Chael Sonnen in April, but the next fight will likely go to Machida.

[Also: Josh Koscheck suffers upset loss]

Machida was once the UFC light heavyweight champion, but lost the title to Rua in 2010. Since then, he has wins over Randy Couture and Ryan Bader, but losses to current champion Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson. It will be his third chance at the light heavyweight title. He won it with a knockout of Rashad Evans in 2009, but lost to Jones in 2011.

Henderson had a long layoff between fights. His last bout was one of the best in MMA history. In November of 2011, Henderson defeated Mauricio Rua in a five-round decision. Since then, Henderson had a fight lined up with Jones in September, but had to pull out at the last minute because of a knee injury. His record falls to 29-9. He's 42 years old, and against Machida, looked slow and old for the first time in his career.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/lyoto-machida-pulls-split-decision-win-over-dan-045605104--mma.html

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

AT&T LTE coming to GM's 2015 fleet

Ready to trade your old car in for a shiny new mobile hotspot? AT&T and GM are using the international platform that is Mobile World Congress to announce a partnership that'll bring the carrier's LTE network to "millions of cars" under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac umbrellas. The rollout is set to hit the 2015 models due out in 2014 in the US and Canada. The partnership with GM-owned OnStar will bring AT&T connectivity to a variety of services, including safety, diagnostics, infotainment and safety -- the carrier's president of emerging enterprises and partnerships, Glenn Lurie, told us that the latter was a chief concern for his company. "First and foremost is making the car safer," he explained, referencing the company's "It Can Wait," anti-driving-while-texting campaign. Such will certainly be a concern when the company realizes its dreams of turning GM vehicles into mobile hotspots.

Details of the partnership are forthcoming, though Lurie insists that AT&T will be "working on every aspect of what's going into the vehicle," including opening up SDKs and APIs for developers in an attempt to, "futureproof the car for things to come." As far as futureproofing after market vehicles, Lurie says, "we are working and looking at all opportunities in the after market space. We are absolutely working with partners on the after market." More info from GM and AT&T can be had after the break.

Daniel Cooper contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, AT&T

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/KbfLIhK32hY/

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LA cardinal: I'm a 'scapegoat' for sex-abuse crisis

There still isn't a frontrunner to succeed Pope Benedict, and some are asking that California Cardinal Roger Mahony ? who was criticized for his role in shielding abusive priests -- skip the conclave. New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who is also attending the conclave, was recently deposed regarding his role in dealing with abusive priests in Wisconsin. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.

By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News

Los Angeles' retired Cardinal Roger Mahony, who was rebuked last month for his handling of the sex-abuse crisis, suggests he was "scapegoated" in a blog post ahead of two important dates: his Saturday deposition in a lawsuit alleging that?the church hierarchy protected a priest accused of molesting children?and his trip to Rome to help pick the next pope.

The high-profile "prince of the church" is at the center of an outcry over several scandal-tainted cardinals being allowed to help choose who will succeed Pope Benedict XVI at next month's conclave at the Vatican.

Ireland's Sean Brady, Belgium's Godfried Danneels and Philadelphia's Justin Rigali have all been pilloried in the Italian press over allegations they failed to protect children from pedophiles -- but it's Mahony who has drawn the most ire.

A group called Catholics United started a petition against his attendance at the conclave. And an Italian consumer group requested Rome prosecutors open a criminal investigation into Mahony if he travels to the Vatican, the news agency ANSA reported Friday.

Improbable as that is, it underscores the outrage in some quarters that cardinals whose reputations have been battered by cover-up allegations will have an equal say in who will next lead the world's 1.3 billion Catholics.

NBC News' Vatican expert, George Weigel, said he could not recall similar calls for abstention at other conclaves, but he noted that voting is an obligation under church law and that other "less-than-admirable" figures have attended for more than a millennium.

"If people are looking for a perfect, sinless electorate to choose religious leadership, they should look somewhere else," Weigel said.

Mahony, who retired as head of the L.A. Archdiocese last year, was stripped of his remaining diocesan duties last month over his handling of priest sex abuse cases.?He has repeatedly apologized for past mistakes but isn't bowing to pressure to skip the historic moment. No criminal charges have been filed against him.

He's raising eyebrows and hackles, however, with a series of blog posts about the rebuke.

In one this week, Mahony said he had tried to live out "the acceptance of being scapegoated, pointing out the necessary connection between humiliation and redemption."

Vincenzo Pinto / AFP - Getty Images

After Pope Benedict XVI steps down next week, the cardinals will pick his successor. Some say not everyone deserves a vote.

"This scandal is putting us, the clergy and the church, where we belong -- with the excluded ones," he added. "Jesus was painted with the same brush as the two thieves crucified with him."

The Surviviors Network of those Abused by Priests slammed the language.

"It's hurtful and disingenuous for Mahony to claim he's been scapegoated," said director David Clohessy. "He's been a bishop for almost 40 years and the sole?head of America's largest archdiocese for more than a quarter century. Few, if any, U.S. Catholic prelates have been more powerful than Mahony. So for him to somehow pretend to be a powerless pawn is pathetic."

Fueling the latest round of criticism of Mahony is last month's release of reams of confidential personnel files that, according to Reuters, showed Mahony and an aide, Thomas Curry, worked to send priests accused of abuse out of California to shield them from law enforcement scrutiny in the 1980s.

In a letter to the archdiocese about the documents and his dismissal, Mahony said that he had worked hard since 1989 to toughen guidelines for handling abuse and apologized for missteps before that.

"I have stated time and time again that I made mistakes, especially in the mid-1980s," he wrote. "I apologized for those mistakes, and committed myself to make certain that the Archdiocese was safe for everyone."

The document release -- part of a $660 million settlement with abuse victims struck in 2007-- has set the stage for this weekend's deposition by Mahony in a lawsuit by a 35-year-old man who says he was molested by a priest in the late 1980s.

The suit alleges that church officials effectively let the Rev. Nicholas Aguilar Rivera escape to Mexico after child sex-abuse complaints were made, the Associated Press reported. He remains a fugitive.

One 1988 memo made public last month revealed a top Mahony lieutenant confided that he told Rivera ?it was likely the accusations would be reported to the police and that he was in a good deal of danger."

The plaintiff?s lawyer, Anthony De Marco, will have four hours to question Mahony about Rivera and 25 other priests, attempting to show a pattern of cover-up so he can try to collect punitive damages on behalf of his client.

Then, within days, Mahony will fly to Rome to join 116 other cardinals under the age of 80 who will meet twice a day in the Sistine Chapel to elect the next pontiff.

"Mahony?s bad luck is all of these documents were released right before the pope resigned and this is why people are going after him instead of other people," said Father Thomas Reese, author of "Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church."

He said there was virtually no chance Mahony would be pressured to stay away.

"The last one turned away from a conclave was in the time of the Napoleon," he said.

"If Mahony can't go, then there's a whole list of other cardinals who maybe can't go, and if you say these guys can't attend for this reason, then what about other reasons."

Even after sidelining him, the L.A. Archdiocese backed Mahony's voyage to Rome. In a statement, it portrayed Catholics United as a fringe group and its petition as pointless.

"Cardinal Mahony will travel to Rome to fulfill his sacred duty under church law to vote for the next pope,? it said.

Cardinal Roger Mahony was stripped of duties last month. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/23/17057099-las-cardinal-mahony-calls-himself-scapegoat-ahead-of-deposition-conclave?lite

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Galaxy Note 8.0 launched, takes Apple?s iPad Mini head on

After lots of leaks, rumors and outright company?forecasts,? Samsung today announced the Galaxy Note 8.0, an 8-inch iPad Mini competitor. The 1280?800 pixel display will have a slightly better PPI of 189 than the Mini and match camera specs and a quad core processor. Samsung?s Note 8.0 will also double up the Mini with 2GB of RAM and add an S-Pen for those who need/want it as well as expandable storage via the Micro-SD card slot. Just like the Galaxy Tab 7 2 it has an IR blaster with a rebranded Peel station navigation. On the down side, it won?t have LTE (only HSPA+) and it will run a slightly out-dated 4.1.2 version of Android Jelly Bean. It also weighs almost an ounce more than the iPad Mini.

Oh and it can make calls like a huge phone.

Will this go head to head against the Mini? My gut reaction is no. Samsung?s Touchwiz overlay and pen will keep these out of the hands of mainstream users. No price or launch date is yet planned but the specs tell me (720P TFT display) that Samsung is aiming for a low price. I?d expect to see this at $250 in the US probably just after it launches in the 2nd quarter in a number of Asian and EU territories.

Press release follows:

INTRODUCING THE GALAXY NOTE 8.0,
A NEW ERA OF PORTABILITY AND EVERYDAY PRODUCTIVITY

SEOUL, Korea [February 24, 2011] ? Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the launch of the 8 inch tablet, the GALAXY Note 8.0; a new era of intelligent Note technology set to re-ignite the mid-size tablet category that Samsung established in 2010. Providing unrivalled multimedia performance within a compact one-hand-grip screen, the GALAXY Note 8.0 has the power and advanced technology to evolve the tablet experience and ensure you achieve new levels of efficient multi-tasking while benefitting from superb voice call functionality*. Furthermore, the intelligent S Pen brings together the latest innovation and the ease of using a traditional pen and paper; creating a sophisticated mobile experience that will enhance life on the go.

?Back in 2010 the launch of the first Samsung GALAXY Tab with 7 inch screen opened a new chapter in the mobile industry. Now almost three years later, Samsung continues to evolve the sector that meets the demands of modern life.? said JK Shin, President of the IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

?The GALAXY Note 8.0 breaths fresh life into the category as it delivers the perfect fusion of portability and everyday productivity ? the result is a pioneering, pocket-sized solution that enhances and enriches our everyday lives, whether at work or play,? added Shin.

At the core of the GALAXY Note 8.0?s innovative solutions are beneficial functions, including multi-window options to split the portable 8inch screen and allow optimal access to a number of live applications; a new generation of Samsung?s intelligent S Pen with advanced usability; access to a suite of S Note templates and tools that allow you to create, edit, manage and share everyday documents; the Samsung ?reading mode? technology to enjoy e books with optimized resolution, video and voice calls*. In addition, a suite of exciting new content and services are pre-loaded for users at no additional cost including, for the very first time on Samsung GALAXY tablet, the innovative Flipboard, and Awesome Note.

A smart diary for life on the go
Slim and compact enough to become the perfect on-the-go work and play companion, the GALAXY Note 8.0 brings powerful performance and functionality to support even the most demanding of lifestyles. Designed to store and manage your personal and professional data efficiently, the new era device gives users the perfect pocket-sized hands-on organizational tool. Practical S Note templates and S Planner feature help to manage everyday tasks, including meeting notes, to-do lists and even personal diary entries. All content can be entered and updated with the finest of detail thanks to the evolution of the intelligent Samsung S Pen. Enhanced precision is offered with Handwriting-to-Text conversion and advanced Productivity Tools that support formula and shape recognition are now available at the touch of your S Pen.

New content and services
GALAXY Note 8.0 is packed with pre-loaded content and apps specifically for the value maximizing, mass multimedia consumer. Upgraded Chat-On provides easy instant messaging and group chatting in multiple formats ? images, video, voice, contacts ? for simple, enjoyable communication. Awesome Note, an integrated application that is introduced in android tablet for the first time with NOTE 8.0, is capable of unlimited note-taking uses including Memo, Diary and Must-remember lists. With Flipboard, your news, social network and other feeds come together in one stylish, flippable format so you can enjoy all your news and life?s great moments in one place. Flipboard developed a customized version of its application exclusively for Samsung that allows users to take the S Pen?s hover feature and preview article headers beneath Flipboard?s main screen tiles. Finally, Smart Remote, gives you a universal remote control and electronic programming guide allowing you to manage TV and video watching seamlessly.

A new age of S Pen intelligence
Optimized to aid personalized creativity, the Samsung S Pen has evolved to increase everyday usability and enhance creation expression. Embedded within the tablet, the S Pen is an extension of the GALAXY Note 8.0. Removing the S Pen from the device will automatically launch innovative features such as Pen Detection that will suggest adapted menus that it thinks you?ll need and Page Buddy, a feature that will intuitively activate your most recently adapted S Note home screen.

S Pen technology is now so advanced that it doesn?t even have to touch the screen. With Air View, the S Pen needs only to hover over the screen to see previews of videos, emails, photos and appointments on SPlanner without opening the file or application in full. S Pen Gesture allows images and content to be easily edited and cropped, whilst Paper Artist and Photo Note allow photos to be artistically personalized.

In addition, for the very first time in GALAXY NOTE category, you can use S Pen to control the physical menu/back buttons on the device with WACOM technology.

Maximizing mass multimedia consumption
Creative multi-tasking with the GALAXY Note 8.0 is effortless due to innovative Dual View feature, two multi window options that seamlessly allow you to facilitate multi-screen usage. Dual View?s split screen accommodates optimal operation of different apps, such as launching the S Note on the web browser screen and allowing content to be resized, dragged and dropped as required.

Multi-tasking is extended to phone calls*. Pop Up Note allows you to access S Note at any time to keep track of key actions and Pop Up Video ensures you can keep surfing the web whilst chatting ? content windows can be easily resized by pinching to enlarge or reduce.

Perfect info-tainment partner
Packed with features to engage, entertain and excite, the GALAXY Note 8.0 supports your practical everyday needs. Reading Mode transforms the GALAXY Note 8.0 into an e-Book reader, provides the optimal reading conditions to ensure you can curl up and enjoy a good book. You can even turn it into a universal remote control with Smart Remote, to seamlessly manage TVs, set-up boxes, DVD & Blu-ray players.

For further information, please visit HYPERLINK ?http://www.samsungmobilepress.com” http://www.samsungmobilepress.com.
For ChatOn Vr 2.0, please visit HYPERLINK ?http://youtu.be/jjRmbglgUWA” http://youtu.be/jjRmbglgUWA

Notes to Editors

The GALAXY Note 8.0 will be available from 2Q of 2013 worldwide (EUR, KOR, NA, SEA, SWA, MEA, CHN, TW, LA).

GALAXY Note 8.0 Product Specifications

Network
HSPA+ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
Processor
1.6GHz A9 quad-core processor
Display
8? WXGA (1280?800, 189 ppi) TFT
OS
Android 4.1.2 (Jellybean)
Camera
Main(Rear): 5 Megapixel Camera?Sub(Front): 1.3 Megapixel Camera
Video
Codec: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, DivX, (1080p Full HD video @ 30fps)
Audio
Codec: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, AC3, FLAC3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo Speaker
S Pen Optimized Features
S Pen Experience
- S Note, S Planner, Email with hand-writing integration
- Quick Command, Easy Clip, Photo Note, Paper Artist
Air View
Popup Note, Popup Video
Shape Match, Formula Match, Idea Sketch
Sharing Features
Samsung AllShare Play
Samsung AllShare Cast(WiFi Display) ? Mirroring & Extension
Samsung AllShare Framework
Content Features & Services
Samsung Apps
Samsung Kies /Samsung Kies Air
Samsung TouchWiz / Samsung L!ve Panel
Samsung Hub
- Game Hub
-Learning Hub / Readers Hub / Music Hub / Video Hub/ Media Hub(US only)
Samsung ChatOn mobile communication service (version 2.0)
Smart Stay, Direct Call
Page Buddy/ Tag Buddy/ Word Buddy
Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude
Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies
Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk,
Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads
Awesome Note
Flipboard
GPS
A-GPS + GLONASS (3G Version)
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, AllShareCast, BT4.0, USB2.0
Sensor
Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity
Memory
2GB (RAM), 16/32GB
microSD (up to 64GB)
Dimension
210.8 X 135.9mm, 338g (3G Version)
Battery
Standard battery, Li-ion 4,600mAh

*The availability of voice call function may differ by country

*The availability of each Samsung Hubs and Google service may differ by country.

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

*Android, Google, Android Beam, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude, Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, and Google Downloads are trademarks of Google Inc.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, home appliances, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 236,000 people across 79 countries with annual sales exceeding KRW 201 trillion. To discover more, please visit http://www.samsung.com.

40.714513 -74.005122

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/9to5Google/~3/o3o_s-mAsuc/

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Lecturer's wife, her angry emails and a husband 'exposed to all as a love-cheat' in messages accidentally sent to whole university

Donna Lees emailed her husband's suspected lover Claire Russell
But she was left angry after failing to receive a reply?
She sent email to everyone sharing lecturer's surname at Bath University
Intimate details of alleged affair were widely circulated

By Lucy Osborne

PUBLISHED: 17:33 EST, 22 February 2013 | UPDATED: 21:18 EST, 22 February 2013

When a married woman came to believe her husband was having an affair with a college lecturer, she tried to vent her fury in an email to the suspected lover.

But after Donna Lees failed to receive any reply, she decided to communicate her anger to everyone who shared Claire Russell?s surname at Bath University.

As a result, intimate details of the alleged affair between law tutor Miss Russell and father-of-two Sean Lees have been widely circulated to hundreds of people ? and caused much amusement for the university?s students.

Rivals:? Donna Lees, left, emailed her husband's suspected lover Claire Russell, right, but when she did not receive a reply she sent an email to everyone sharing lecturer's surname at Bath University

Mrs Lees?s email, which was sent on Wednesday, reads: ?Clearly you are equally as dishonest as my husband, given he has admitted today that he has been sleeping with you since September.

?Has Sean told you that he left his SatNav in our youngest daughter?s car whilst I was on holiday two weeks ago?

?It has all the dates and times of his meetings with you.?

Mrs Lees, who runs a Brighton-based fish supply business with her 49-year-old husband ? from whom she has now separated ? said she attempted to contact Miss Russell via what she believed was her personal email address. But when she did not reply, Mrs Lees decided she ?would not just sit back and be ignored?.

Mrs Lees had wanted to send a message to Miss Russell?s college email address, but because she didn?t know which exact address was hers, she sent it to everyone with the surname Russell.

It is thought that Mrs Lees obtained the emails of all staff and students named Russell from the university website.

Revealing: The email has caused quite a commotion among students at Bath University, pictured

The email was initially addressed to 15 people with the surname.

It is believed to have since been circulated hundreds of times since.

In it, Mrs Lees says: ?Perhaps you just like secretly s******g other people?s husbands?, in between your demanding work and family schedule.

?To be the catalyst that smashes apart a whole family and destroys the trust and love between a father and two daughters must surely be a big burden to bear Claire...

?Well done. I hope your conscience copes, although given it appears to match your morals it probably will.?

Mrs Lees and her husband have two daughters, Brooke, 20, and Paige, 18, and have been married for 23 years.

She said: ?We were a very close family before all this happened, including him, but I just hope he can re-build a relationship with his daughters in the future.?

Mrs Lees, 45 added that her husband had admitted the affair ?to my daughter, then admitted it to me as well?. She said that her husband and Miss Russell dated ?but only for a few months?.

Regarding the email being widely read, Mrs Lees said: ?I don?t really care if she?s embarrassed ? that?s not my problem, if she replied in the first place I wouldn?t have resorted to doing that.

?I have never met Claire but know of her through friends of friends,? she added.

Miss Russell, who works part-time at Bath, one of the UK?s top ten universities, alongside her role as a consultant at Bespoke Legal Practice, declined to comment on the alleged affair or email.

She said: ?I do not know Donna Lees and have never met her.

?I understand from many who do know her, and from her actions so far, that she is someone who is unbalanced, and thrives on confrontation and drama.

?I do not think it is wise to indulge her and therefore have nothing to say.?

One student who received the email said he found it ?hilarious?, and that it has been sent around the university from friend to friend.

The second-year law student said: ?I don?t know much? about Miss Russell, but she is attractive for a middle-aged woman.?

The University of Bath declined to comment on the incident, saying that it is ?a personal and not a university matter?.

Mr Lees could not be reached for comment.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283108/Lecturers-wife-angry-emails-husband-exposed-love-cheat-messages-accidentally-sent-university.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

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Adolf Hitler stumping for votes in Indian election

GAUHATI, India (AP) ? Adolf Hitler is running for election in India. So is Frankenstein.

The tiny northeast Indian state of Meghalaya has a special fascination for interesting and sometimes controversial names, and the ballot for state elections Saturday is proof.

Among the 345 contestants running for the state assembly are Frankenstein Momin, Billykid Sangma, Field Marshal Mawphniang and Romeo Rani. Some, like Kenedy Marak, Kennedy Cornelius Khyriem and Jhim Carter Sangma, are clearly hoping for the electoral success of their namesake American presidents.

Then there is Hitler.

This 54-year-old father of three has won three elections to the state assembly with little controversy over being named after the Nazi dictator.

His father had worked with the British army, but apparently developed enough of a fascination with Great Britain's archenemy to name his son Adolf Hitler ? though he also gave him the middle name Lu, Hitler said.

"I am aware at one point of time Adolf Hitler was the most hated person on Earth for the genocide of the Jews. But my father added 'Lu' in between, naming me Adolf Lu Hitler, and that's why I am different," Hitler told The Associated Press from the small village of Mansingre, 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Gauhati, the capital of the nearby state of Assam.

Hitler said his name has not stopped him from traveling the world, including to the United States and Germany.

"I never had problems obtaining a visa but I was asked many times during immigration as to why I should have such a name. I told the immigration staff I possibly didn't have a role in my naming," he said.

India played little role in World War II, and many Indians view Hitler not as the personification of evil but as a figure of fascination. Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" is prominently displayed at many Indian bookstores. The owner of a menswear shop named his store "Hitler," then expressed puzzlement last year after Israel complained.

Musfika Haq, a teacher in Meghalaya's capital, Shillong, said such names are common in the state.

"Parents obviously get fascinated by names of well-known or great leaders, but must be unaware that some of them, like Hitler, had been highly controversial," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-02-22-India-Vote%20Hitler/id-99f97c06b5544fd2b89d238b0fc933f5

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Friday, February 22, 2013

People worldwide hang out with astronauts on Google+

Via?Twitter, Google+ and YouTube, people from over the world joined the first-ever live online video conference with three astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

By Miriam Kramer,?SPACE.com / February 22, 2013

Astronauts (L to R) Marshburn, Ford and Hadfield float free aboard the International Space Station at the conclusion of the Google+ Hangout on Friday.

NASA

Enlarge

Thousands of space fans young and old got a taste of what life in space is like Friday (Feb. 22) during NASA's first-ever Google+ Hangout with astronauts on the International Space Station.

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The live online video conference connected three members of the space station's crew with chat participants from around the world and came just days after the $100 billion space laboratory?briefly lost communications?with NASA Mission Control.

"The space station is a robust, tough space ship," Canadian Space Agency?astronaut Chris Hadfield?said when asked about the communications malfunction. "We worked together as a crew following the procedures as we're trained to do. After just a couple orbits, we had the computers talking to the antennas properly so we could talk to the ground. We were working together as a team."

Expedition 34 commander Kevin Ford and flight engineer Tom Marshburn, both of NASA, joined Hadfield in answering questions from their online audience, which peppered the crew with questions via Twitter, Google+ and YouTube. The questions ranged from what books the astronauts read to how a cat might deal with life in zero gravity. [Take a video tour inside the space station]

Two students from Union High School in Iowa asked the astronauts to explain why space agencies around the world have people living in space.

"The whole point of having a space station is to have some place in space where people can take their ideas," Ford responded. "We have a huge power supply up here. We have a lot of rack space, and we have a lot of scientists on the ground with a lot of ideas of things to do in space."

Other questions focused on the health of the astronauts.

Space station astronauts are expected to monitor their health very closely to see how the body changes when exposed to microgravity. Hadfield was in the middle of one of those health experiments today.

Marshburn ? a medical doctor ? explained that two non-invasive temperature probes attached to Hadfield's head and chest allow the scientists see how his natural body cycles have changed since being in orbit.

Because the space station experiences 16 sunsets and as many sunrises in any given day, the circadian rhythms of station astronauts tend to change a great deal while in orbit, the astronauts said. Hadfield's temperature-monitoring probe will help doctors keep track of just how much those change.

The space station residents have contingency plans for medical emergencies too.

A group of students from the Neil Armstrong Institute in Monterrey, Mexico asked the spaceflyers what would happen if one of their colleagues fell ill while in space.

Marshburn explained that there are always two medical officers as part of the six person crew. The designated residents are trained to perform medical procedures that will stabilize the injured spaceflyer until he or she can be sent back to Earth using the Russian Soyuz capsule that brought them to the station.?

The question and answer session with the space station lasted about 20 minutes, but NASA astronauts on the ground Nicole Stott and Ron Garan fielded questions from the audience for the other 40 minutes.

Hadfield, Ford and Marshburn make up half of the Expedition 34 crew currently living on the?International Space Station. Three Russian cosmonauts round out the crew.

The International Space Station is the largest structure ever built in space. It is the size of a football field and was constructed by 15 different countries working under five space agencies representing the United States, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan.

Construction of the space station began in 1998 and it has been continuously staffed by international astronaut crews working on a rotating mission schedule since 2000.

NASA also provides?live video from the International Space Station?via Ustream, as well as?live audio from the space station.

Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitter?@mirikramer?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/u37dssUrlZw/People-worldwide-hang-out-with-astronauts-on-Google

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Eye on the tail

Augmentation technology

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

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