scurvy byplay: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Kenyans await ruling in disputed presidential election

By Edmund Blair and Humphrey Malalo

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's Supreme Court said on Saturday it would rule by 1400 GMT on legal challenges to Uhuru Kenyatta's win in a presidential election, a vote seen as a test of democracy five years after ballot disputes triggered widespread bloodshed.

The country's outgoing president called for calm ahead of a decision that will either force a fresh election or confirm the victory of Kenya's richest man Kenyatta, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity in the Hague.

Defeated candidate Raila Odinga says the March 4 poll was marred by technical problems and widespread rigging. Both politicians have promised to abide by the court's final word.

"Compatriots: The Supreme Court will deliver its decision not later than 5 p.m. today, Inshallah (God willing)," Chief Justice Willy Mutunga wrote on his Twitter account.

The ruling is expected to address a list of challenges to the result. It was not immediately clear if the timing announced referred to when the court would start reading details of its verdict or the time by which it expected to complete that task.

Calm voting in this year's election, and the fact the dispute is being played out by lawyers not machete-wielding gangs, has already helped repair the image of east Africa's largest economy.

But Saturday's ruling will be the real test of whether Kenyans trust their reformed judiciary and whether supporters of rival candidates accept the result quietly in a nation where tribal loyalties largely determine political allegiances.

Paramilitary police, some on horseback, formed a security cordon around the court. Police chief David Kimaiyo has repeatedly said he would not allow public rallies.

A few dozen Odinga supporters, some draped in the Kenyan flag and others waving Odinga posters, gathered near the court but were barred from advancing by security forces.

Outgoing President Mwai Kibaki said in a message to mark the Christian Easter holiday weekend: "I call upon all of us to accept the ruling and maintain peace."

Many ordinary Kenyans insist they will not allow a repeat of the violence that killed more than 1,200 people and hammered the economy following a dispute over the last election in 2007.

"ESSENTIAL CONTACTS"

"We have moved on," said Monica Njagi, 28, an internet cafe owner in the port city of Mombasa. "Whatever the ruling, we shall go by it ... We have enough useful lessons from our past."

Kenyatta comfortably beat Odinga in terms of votes won, with 50.07 percent versus 43.28 percent, but only narrowly avoided a run-off by just edging above the 50 percent threshold.

Western donors are watching the fate of a regional trade partner and a country they see as vital to stability in a volatile area. They also face a headache if Kenyatta wins.

He is facing charges at the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity, accused of helping incite the violence after the 2007 vote. Kenyatta denies the charges and has promised to cooperate with the court to clear his name.

Western nations have a policy of having only "essential contacts" with indictees of the court. They say that will not affect dealings with the Kenyan government as a whole, but will worry the issue could drive a long-time ally of the West closer to emerging powers such as China.

Neighbouring African states are also keeping a careful eye on proceedings after they were hit by the knock-on effects when vital trade routes through Kenya were shut down five years ago.

Kenya's economy has yet to recover fully from the pummelling it took after the vote violence, with growth rates still yet to return to levels before that bloodshed.

"My worry is that if the court orders another election, tourism will suffer further," said Mohammed Hersi, general manager of the Whitesands hotel, a top Mombasa resort, saying clients were waiting to decide whether to come.

In the Supreme Court's hearing on Friday, the legal teams reviewed results of recounts ordered in 22 of the 33,400 polling stations after Odinga said more votes had been cast than there were registered voters. Both sides said the recounts supported their arguments.

Odinga's team argued that the failures undermined the vote. Rival lawyers said any irregularities or technical hiccups had an insignificant impact and did not change the overall outcome.

International observers said voting itself was credible, but diplomats say observers did not watch the full five-day count.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kenyans-await-ruling-disputed-presidential-election-082046284.html

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Iraq rejects $4B Egypt request, talks ongoing

BAGHDAD (AP) ? An Iraqi official says Baghdad has rejected a request from Egypt for a $4 billion bond to be deposited in Egypt's central bank to bolster its faltering economy.

The official said on Friday that it's "too risky" to deposit such a large sum in Egypt but that talks are continuing for a smaller amount. The official didn't elaborate. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media.

In Egypt, the presidency's media office confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press that discussions with Iraq are ongoing.

Egypt's planning minister, Ashraf el-Araby, visited Iraq this week.

Egypt has sought help from several oil-wealthy Arab countries to shore up reserves in its central bank, which were depleted in the aftermath of Hosni Mubarak's 2011 ouster.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-rejects-4b-egypt-request-talks-ongoing-114528018--finance.html

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Apple's 'Maps Ground Truth Specialists' fix Map app flubs

Suzanne Choney , NBC News ? ? ? 13 hrs.

Apple's Maps mess of six months ago is a distant memory for some, but not for the Cupertino company, which has worked quickly to rectify matters and improve its map app, introduced as part of its iOS 6 mobile operating system. That damage control includes hiring employees with the title of "Maps Ground Truth Specialists" around the globe to make sure Apple's maps are up to snuff.

While Apple isn't the first company to have the Orwellian-sounding position of "Maps Ground Truth Specialists" ? Google has them, too ? it's noteworthy because of Apple's map flubs, something that caused CEO Tim Cook to make a public apology.

In the United States, those flubs included initially showing the Brooklyn Bridge as almost plunging into the water and marking a Florida supermarket site as one for a hospital.

Right now, there are seven openings for "Maps Ground Truth Specialists" around the world, including one in the United States. That role, Apple says in the job description, will include:

Testing new releases of map code and data around the U.S.
Collecting ground truth data to allow for analysis of the impact of potential map code or data changes relative to known truth.
Utilizing local expertise to provide feedback about U.S.-specific mapping details.
Evaluating competing products in-region relative to our maps.

As you can see, there are jobs all over the globe, including Australia. There last fall, police were warning drivers not to use Apple Maps because it wrongly placed the city of Midura in a national park, leaving some motorists stranded and in a snake-infested area.

? Via The Verge

Check out Technology, GadgetBox, DigitalLife and InGame on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a2439b3/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Ctechnolog0Capples0Emaps0Eground0Etruth0Especialists0Efix0Emap0Eapp0Eflubs0E1C9142594/story01.htm

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Protective prion keeps yeast cells from going it alone

Friday, March 29, 2013

Most commonly associated with such maladies as "mad cow disease" and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, prions are increasingly recognized for their ability to induce potentially beneficial traits in a variety of organisms, yeast chief among them.

Now a team of scientists has added markedly to the job description of prions as agents of change, identifying a prion capable of triggering a transition in yeast from its conventional single-celled form to a cooperative, multicellular structure. This change, which appears to improve yeast's chances for survival in the face of hostile environmental conditions, is an epigenetic phenomenon?a heritable alteration brought about without any change to the organism's underlying genome.

This latest finding, reported in the March 28 issue of the journal Cell, has its origins in work begun several years ago in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member Susan Lindquist. In 2009, Randal Halfmann, then a graduate student in Lindquist's lab, identified dozens of proteins in yeast that have the ability to form prions. That research greatly expanded the known universe of prion elements in yeast, but it failed to answer a key question: What function, if any, do these prions actually have?

In search of an answer, Halfmann, now a fellow the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and colleagues in the Lindquist lab attempted to exploit the fact that several of the prion-forming proteins they had identified acted to modify transcription of yeast genes. It stood to reason that if they could identify which genes were being regulated, they might be able to determine the prions' function.

"We looked at the five transcriptional regulators that are known to be prions in yeast, and we found that in fact, only one gene in the entire yeast genome was regulated by all five transcription factors," says Halfmann.

That gene, as it turns out, was FLO11, a key player in multicellularity in yeast. Indeed changes in FLO11 expression have been shown to act as a toggle, switching yeast from spherical to filamentous form. Halfmann notes that FLO11, which has been shown to be regulated by epigenetic elements, is also highly responsive to environmental stress. Knowing that the prion form of a protein is essentially a misfolded form of that protein, and that stressful conditions increase the frequency of protein misfolding and prion formation, the scientists began to consider the possibility that the prions themselves might be among the epigenetic switches influencing the activity of FLO11.

The group focused on one transcription factor known as mot3, finding that yeast cells containing the prion form of this factor, [MOT3+], acquired a variety of multicellular growth forms known to require FLO11 expression. This was a clear indication that prion formation was causing the differentiation of the cells and their subsequent cooperation. But what about the stress aspect of the hypothesis?

By testing yeast cells against a variety of stressors, the scientists discovered that exposure to a concentration of ethanol akin to that occurring naturally during fermentation increased [MOT3+] formation by a factor of 10.They also found that as the cells exposed to ethanol shifted their metabolism to burn surrounding oxygen through respiration, the prions reverted to their non-prion conformation, [mot3-], and the yeast returned to the unicellular state. In essence, prion formation drove a shift to multicellularity, helping the yeast to ride out the ethanol storm.

"What we have in the end is two sequential environmental changes that are turning on a heritable epigenetic element and then turning it off," says Halfmann. "And between those two changes, the prion is causing the cells to acquire a multicellular growth form that we think is actually important for their survival."

Lindquist, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, has long argued that prions have played a vital role in yeast evolution and has amassed a body of strong supporting evidence.

"We see them as part of a bet-hedging strategy that allows the yeast to alter their biological properties quickly when their environments turn unfavorable," Lindquist says. She also theorizes that prions may play such roles beyond yeast, and her lab intends to take similar approaches in the hunt for prions and prion-like mechanisms that are potentially beneficial in other organisms.

For Lindquist lab postdoctoral scientist Alex Lancaster, who is also an author of the new Cell paper, these latest findings hint at a potentially novel approach to understanding basic mechanisms underlying the complexities of human diseases, including cancer, whose hallmarks include protein misfolding, epigenetic alterations, metabolic aberrations, and myriad changes in cell state, type, and function. Lancaster likens the opportunity to that of opening a black box.

"It's exciting to think that this could become another tool in the toolbox in the study of multicellularity," Lancaster says. "We know that some tumors are a heterogeneous population of cells and we know that tumor cells can evolve within in their environments to help ensure their own survival. This system could help us further understand the role of epigenetic inheritance within tumors and how it might be influencing cell-cell interactions and even affecting the effectiveness of drug therapies."

###

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research: http://www.wi.mit.edu/index.html

Thanks to Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127516/Protective_prion_keeps_yeast_cells_from_going_it_alone

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Gadget Lab Show: Aeropress Coffee Maker and Withings Smart Body-Analyzer

This week on the Gadget Lab Show, Mat Honan and Michael Calore show off the Aeropress Coffee maker and the Withings Smart Body Analyzer, a digital scale that measures more than just your weight. Whether you want to shed some ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/Y6yPEWDDT88/

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No end to Italy deadlock despite president's efforts

By James Mackenzie and Barry Moody

ROME (Reuters) - Italy remained in political deadlock on Friday after a new round of talks led by President Giorgio Napolitano failed to break the stalemate created by elections last month that left no group able to form a government alone.

Napolitano, 87, conducted a swift round of talks with the three main forces in parliament on Friday after the failure of a week of efforts by center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani to win support for a new government.

But all the parties remained in the same entrenched positions they have occupied since the February 24-25 election, with no sign of movement from any of them.

Bersani won the largest share of the vote in the election but fell short of a majority in parliament.

The third biggest force, Beppe Grillo's populist 5-Star Movement, which holds the balance of power, on Friday again rejected backing a Bersani government or any administration not led by them.

The center-left in turn reiterated that it would not enter a coalition with Berlusconi, which the 76-year-old billionaire media magnate said after his talks with Napolitano was the only way out of the crisis short of a snap new election.

Bersani's deputy, Enrico Letta, said after meeting Napolitano that a coalition with Berlusconi's center-right, "would not be the choice of change the country has asked for."

Berlusconi and 5-Star both ruled out backing a technocrat government like the one led by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti, whom they both blame for pushing Italy into recession.

This had been seen as a possible alternative way to give Italy the government it needs to address a deep economic crisis.

"Our position has not changed. We expressed it with absolute clarity to the president," Berlusconi told reporters after the meeting with Napolitano.

Grillo on Friday scornfully rejected any idea of giving support for a government not led by his movement.

"Give them a vote of confidence? Those are swear words in the mouths of people like them," Grillo said in a live video broadcast on his popular blog. "They should all just go home."

Bersani says Berlusconi is untrustworthy and also rejects the latter's demand to nominate a successor to Napolitano, whose mandate expires in May.

PRESIDENT'S OPTIONS LIMITED

The refusal by Berlusconi and his allies in the Northern League, as well as Grillo, to back a technocrat government reduces Napolitano's options greatly and makes it much less likely that an independent figure will be able to lead a non-political administration.

"We were against the Monti government and if there is to be another government of that type it's a thousand times better to have new elections," League leader Roberto Maroni said.

The political gridlock has fed growing worries about Italy's ability to confront a prolonged economic crisis that has left it in deep recession for more than a year, with a 2-trillion-euro ($2.6-trillion) public debt and record unemployment, especially among the young.

Rumors have been circulating for days that ratings agency Moody's is preparing to cut its rating on Italy's sovereign debt, which is already only two notches above "junk" grade, partly due to the uncertain political outlook.

Napolitano has made clear that he does not want Italy to go back to new elections immediately, not least because the widely criticized election law is likely to just repeat the deadlock.

He made no announcement after the end of the talks on Friday and officials said he was considering his options. After the failure of the latest round of talks it is not clear what he can do to avoid a quick return to the polls.

Many are already preparing to vote again, with Berlusconi's center-right confident that the momentum created by his surge towards the end of the last campaign will continue.

A poll by the SWG company on Friday showed the center-right had pushed Bersani's bloc into second place since the vote.

(Additional reporting by Naomi O'Leary; Editing by Barry Moody and Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italys-president-seeks-way-political-deadlock-091517168.html

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Reader recommendation: A Dance to the Music of Time

What happens when ordinary people decide to pay it forward? Extraordinary change...

Teenager Sergei Abramov writes for and edits his own student website, a nonprofit partly funded by Microsoft.

Sergei Abramov's goal: an educational blog that doesn't bore his fellow Russian teens

Students from all over Russia visit the 16-year-old's site, The Blog of a School Wise Guy, to learn about math, physics, literature, new scientific breakthroughs, or just curious facts.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/4orGJYU4gM0/Reader-recommendation-A-Dance-to-the-Music-of-Time

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Charlie Daniels has successful pacemaker surgery

NEW YORK (AP) ? A representative for Charlie Daniels says the 76-year-old country singer is recovering after having a pacemaker implanted Thursday.

Daniels was diagnosed Monday with "a mild case of pneumonia." Tests at a Nashville, Tenn.-area hospital revealed that he needed a pacemaker to regulate his heart rate. He's scheduled to be released Friday.

Daniels said in a statement that he's feeling better and looking forward to spending Easter with his family.

His Saturday and Sunday performances at Middle Tennessee State University have been canceled. Concerts with his band on April 5 in Englewood, N.J., and April 6 in Newark, Ohio, have been canceled and will be rescheduled. His tour will resume April 11 in Lynchburg, Va.

Daniels has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry for five years. His hits include "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

____

Online:

http://charliedaniels.com/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/charlie-daniels-successful-pacemaker-surgery-190802474.html

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Sun block for the 'Big Dog': Astronomers detect titanium oxide and titanium dioxide around the giant star VY Canis Majoris

Mar. 27, 2013 ? An international team of astronomers, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and from the University of Cologne, successfully identified two titanium oxides in the extended atmosphere around a giant star. The object VY Canis Major is one of the largest stars in the known universe and close to the end of its life. The detection was made using telescope arrays in the USA and in France.

The discovery was made in the course of a study of a spectacular star, VY Canis Majoris or VY CMa for short, which is a variable star located in the constellation Canis Major (Greater Dog). "VY CMa is not an ordinary star, it is one of the largest stars known, and it is close the end of its life," says Tomasz Kami?ski from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR). In fact, with a size of about one to two thousand times that of the Sun, it could extend out to the orbit of Saturn if it were placed in the centre of our Solar System.

The star ejects large quantities of material which forms a dusty nebula. It becomes visible because of the small dust particles that form around it which reflect light from the central star. The complexity of this nebula has been puzzling astronomers for decades. It has been formed as a result of stellar wind, but it is not understood well why it is so far from having a spherical shape.

Neither is known what physical process blows the wind, i.e. what lifts the material up from the stellar surface and makes it expand. "The fate of VY CMa is to explode as a supernova, but it is not known exactly when it will happen," adds Karl Menten, head of the "Millimetre and Submillimetre Astronomy" Department at MPIfR.

Observations at different wavelengths provide different pieces of information which is characteristic for atomic and molecular gas and from which physical properties of an astronomical object can be derived. Each molecule has a characteristic set of lines, something like a 'bar code', that allows to identify what molecules exist in the nebula.

"Emission at short radio wavelengths, in so-called submillimetre waves, is particularly useful for such studies of molecules," says Sandra Br?nken from the University of Cologne. "The identification of molecules is easier and usually a larger abundance of molecules can be observed than at other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum."

The research team observed TiO and TiO₂ for the first time at radio wavelengths. In fact, titanium dioxide has been seen in space unambiguously for the first time. It is known from every-day life as the main component of the commercially most important white pigment (known by painters as "titanium white") or as an ingredient in sunscreens. It is also quite possible that the reader consumed some amounts of it as it is used to colour food (coded as E171 in the labels).

However, stars, especially the coolest of them, are expected to eject large quantities of titanium oxides, which, according to theory, form at relatively high temperatures close to the star. "They tend to cluster together to form dust particles visible in the optical or in the infrared," says Nimesh Patel from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "And the catalytic properties of TiO₂ may influence the chemical processes taking place on these dust particles, which are very important for forming larger molecules in space," adds Holger M?ller from the University of Cologne.

Absorption features of TiO have been known from spectra in the visible region for more than a hundred years. In fact, these features are used in part to classify some types of stars with low surface temperatures (M- and S-type stars). The pulsation of Mira stars, one specific class of variable stars, is thought to be caused by titanium oxide. Mira stars, supergiant variable stars in a late stage of their evolution, are named after their prototype star "Mira" (the wonderful) in the constellation of Cetus (the 'sea monster' or the 'whale').

The observations of TiO and TiO₂ show that the two molecules are easily formed around VY CMa at a location that is more or less as predicted by theory. It seems, however, that some portion of those molecules avoid forming dust and are observable as gas phase species. Another possibility is that the dust is destroyed in the nebula and releases fresh TiO molecules back to the gas. The latter scenario is quite likely as parts of the wind in VY CMa seem to collide with each other.

The new detections at submillimetre wavelengths are particularly important because they allow studying the process of dust formation. Also, at optical wavelengths, the radiation emitted by the molecules is scattered by dust present in the extended nebula which blurs the picture, while this effect is negligible at radio wavelengths allowing for more precise measurements.

The discoveries of TiO and TiO₂ in the spectrum of VY CMa have been made with the Submillimetre Array (SMA), a radio interferometer located at Hawaii, USA. Because the instrument combines eight antennas which worked together as one big telescope 226-meters in size, astronomers were able to make observations at unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution. A confirmation of the new detections was successively made later with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) located in the French Alps.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.

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

Journal Reference:

T. Kami?ski, C. A. Gottlieb, K. M. Menten, N. A. Patel, K. H. Young, S. Br?nken, H. S. P. M?ller, M. C. McCarthy, J. M. Winters, L. Decin. Pure rotational spectra of TiO and TiO2in VY Canis Majoris. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2013; 551: A113 DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201220290

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/2TrLzq1N3xU/130327143841.htm

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

What Would Ryan Locthe Do Trailer: The Best/Worst Show of All Time?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/what-would-ryan-locthe-do-trailer-the-best-slash-worst-show-of-a/

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Professional Business Marketing ? ABM Recognized with IABC ...

NEW YORK?(BUSINESS WIRE)?

ABM (ABM), a leading provider of facility solutions,
recently received two Golden Flame Awards from the International
Business Association of Communicators (IABC) at the organization?s
annual Golden Flame Awards Gala at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta.
IABC?s Golden Flame program highlights excellence in communications in a
variety of categories including print media, electronic media, graphics
communications and media relations. The ?Golden Flame Award? represents
the highest honor bestowed by IABC, with awards given to submissions
meeting specific point criteria. ABM has now garnered four Flames Awards
in the past four years.

ABM received highest honors in the ?Communication Management ? Special
Events? category for a client appreciation and marketing event as part
of ABM?s public rebranding launch in 2012 at the Building and Office
Management Association (BOMA) annual conference. The theme for the event
? ?It?s A New Day at ABM? ? was based on the ABM brand launch and was
the first public event to communicate ABM?s first rebranding initiative
in its 104-year history.

ABM also received a Golden Flame in ?Communication Management ? Brand
Communication? for ABM?s newly branded exhibition booth. Boasting a new
steel structure leveraging sustainable features and the latest in
digital technology, the new booth appropriately reflects ABM?s mission
to become ?the global leader in integrated facility solutions? by
highlighting the company?s vast array of service solutions.

?The team is thrilled to bring home two of the coveted Golden Flame
Awards,? said Cary Bainbridge, Vice President, Marketing Services. ?The
new ABM brand marks a proud moment in the Company?s history, and we?ve
worked hard to communicate to the market how ABM will continue to Build
Value for our diverse client base.?

ABOUT ABM

ABM (NYSE:
ABM) is a leading provider of facility solutions with revenues
exceeding $4 billion and 100,000 employees in over 350 offices deployed
throughout the United States and various international locations. ABM?s
comprehensive capabilities include facilities engineering, commercial
cleaning, energy solutions, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, parking and
security, provided through stand-alone or integrated solutions. ABM
provides custom facility solutions in urban, suburban and rural areas to
properties of all sizes ? from schools and hospitals to the largest and
most complex facilities, such as manufacturing plants and major
airports. ABM Industries Incorporated, which operates through its
subsidiaries, was founded in 1909. For more information, visit www.abm.com.

Source: http://lowbrowse.org/abm-recognized-with-iabc-awards-for-companys-new-branding-initiative.html

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Cop who toured with band charged with disability fraud

By Barbara Goldberg

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York police officer was charged on Tuesday with mail fraud for allegedly claiming disability benefits for two years while at the same time performing and touring with his heavy metal band, "Cousin Sleaze," according to court documents.

Christopher Inserra, an officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was the lead singer with the Brooklyn band, whose "Sick Maniacs" album features such songs as "Infection" and "Walk of Shame," according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.

Inserra, 31, of Brooklyn was charged with mail fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the American Family Life Assurance Company of New York (AFLAC) out of $30,416 (20,064 pounds) in disability payments.

He claimed he was out sick with a work-related injury from June 2010 until March 2012, filing for disability while continuing to collect his $90,000 annual salary, according to court documents.

The officer claimed he hurt his right arm, causing excruciating pain and loss of mobility, while transporting a Port Authority contractor to a hospital, according to the documents.

Those two years were filled with visits to doctors as well as performance dates for his band "Cousin Sleaze" in northeast bars and on a "Miles of Mayhem" tour through the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, said U.S. Postal Inspector John McDermott in a signed affidavit filed in court.

Video footage of "Cousin Sleaze" performances posted to Facebook, Youtube and other websites show the muscular lead singer in a tank top showing off well-toned arms gripping a microphone and slashing the air, McDermott said.

The inspector saw Inserra on stage "flailing both of his arms in a rapid back and forth fashion," pumping away to the beat, and also "repeatedly and violently flailing his right arm in an up and down fashion from above his head to slightly above the ground level."

He said the "flailing of his right arm ... would be inconsistent with the degree of pain and discomfort that he complained of."

Inserra, who had served with the Port Authority for five years, was most recently assigned to the World Trade Centre Command in Manhattan, the complaint said.

After his initial court appearance, during which he did not enter a plea, he was released on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond, said U.S. Attorney Robert Nardoza.

Inserra's attorney, Jan Rostal, declined to comment.

Inserra was suspended without pay pending resolution of his case, said Michael Nestor, director of the Office of Investigations overseeing the Port Authority.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/york-cop-toured-band-charged-disability-fraud-214820596.html

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Kate and William inspire nation to a game of Scrabble - Daily Express

Online auction site eBay saw sales of the classic word game soar after it was revealed the royal couple are fans.

It said sales shot up by 65 per cent after Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo recalled a conversation he had with the Duchess about it.

After meeting Kate at a Buckingham Palace reception he said she made him laugh by talking about how competitive she and her husband are.

In the documentary Our Queen he said: ?When William and Kate play Scrabble they don?t usually finish it ? because one of them slams it shut.?

eBay has also seen the popularity of board games rise as Britain shivers in one of the worst winters in history.

It said in the past six months Scrabble has rocketed 154 per cent while Monopoly sales have soared by 120 per cent.

Spokesman Steven Heywood said: ?Board games have always been a hit amongst British families, and it seems the Royal family is no exception.

?Now more than ever the nation is opting for traditional ways to have fun and unwind, and Scrabble is top of the list of the nation?s game of choice.?

eBay?s top 10 selling board games over the past three months
1.?????? Scrabble
2.?????? Monopoly
3.?????? Chess
4.?????? Cluedo
5.?????? Backgammon
6.?????? Draughts
7.?????? Guess Who
8.?????? Pictionary
9.?????? Operation
10.?? Snakes and Ladders

Source: http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/386912/Kate-and-William-inspire-nation-to-a-game-of-Scrabble

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Tesla Motors to expand Model S electric car 'Supercharger' network

Tesla Motors is planning to open more?quick-charge locations along its 'Supercharger' network in various locations over the next three to four months, Voelcker writes.?The Supercharger network is meant to allow Tesla Motors Model S drivers to obtain rapid recharges every 100 to 200 miles.

By John Voelcker,?Guest blogger / March 25, 2013

A Tesla Model S electric sedan is driven near the company's factory in Fremont, Calif. Since the first 'supercharger' stations went live last September, there have been only eight locations in California and the Northeast Corridor, Voelcker writes.

Noah Berger/Reuters/File

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One of the features associated with the 2013 Tesla Model S all-electric luxury sport?sedan?is the dedicated Supercharger network of DC quick-charge locations.

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The website focuses on the auto industry?s future, the evolution of cars beyond fossil fuels, and the green movement's relevance to car shoppers today. For more stories on green cars, click here.

Mississippi lawmaker dead in apparent suicide: police

By Emily Le Coz

JACKSON, Mississippi (Reuters) - A Mississippi lawmaker died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head while visiting the home of a former state legislator, police said on Monday.

State Representative Jessica Upshaw, 53, was found dead on Sunday at former Representative Clinton Rotenberry Jr.'s home in Mendenhall, a suburb of the capital city of Jackson, said Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain.

Upshaw, a Republican from the coastal city of Diamondhead, had served in the state legislature since 2004, according to the Mississippi Legislature's website. She also worked as an attorney.

Upshaw appeared to have shot herself in the head, Strain said. Her death remained under investigation on Monday by the Simpson County Sheriff's Department and the state investigation bureau, he said.

"The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy," Strain said. "At this point, it's premature to discuss anything further."

The Clarion-Ledger newspaper reported that Upshaw, who was not married, and Rotenberry, who was divorced, were thought to have been dating for several years. Rotenberry lost his seat in 2007.

Upshaw's body was found at the entrance to the home's garage, the newspaper said, citing Simpson County Sheriff Kenneth Lewis.

The sheriff did not return calls from Reuters for comment on Monday.

Upshaw was the fifth Mississippi legislator to die since November. Two state senators and two other representatives died of apparent natural causes.

"I have known Jessica for many years as an unselfish and dedicated public servant," Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said. "This is a tragic loss for her family and all Mississippians and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family during this difficult time."

(Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Kevin Gray and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mississippi-lawmaker-dead-apparent-suicide-police-203944861.html

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Israel Fires Missile Into Syria After Israeli Soldiers Come Under Attack

A picture taken from the Israeli side in the Golan Heights shows smoke after shells exploded in the Syrian village of al-Jamlah, close to the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria, on March 7, 2013. (Getty Images)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel?s army said it fired a guided missile into Syria on Sunday, destroying a military post after gunfire flew across the border and struck an Israeli vehicle.

The shooting along the frontier in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights was one of the most serious incidents between the countries since Syria?s civil war erupted two years ago. Israel has carefully watched the violence from the sidelines, but has returned fire on several occasions.

It was not immediately clear whether the Syrian troops had fired into the Golan intentionally or whether the vehicle had been hit by stray gunfire. In either case, Israel said it held Syrian President Bashar Assad?s government responsible.

?The Syrian regime is responsible for every breach of sovereignty. We will not allow the Syrian army or any other groups to violate Israel?s sovereignty in any way,? Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said.

Israel?s military said soldiers were on routine patrol in the Golan when they were fired upon early Sunday, hours after a military vehicle driving along the frontier between the two countries was hit and lightly damaged Saturday evening. It said Israel responded early Sunday with a Tamuz guided missile.

?We were forced to act in a targeted way and to attack and destroy the post from which this (gunfire) took place,? Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said Sunday. ?We will continue to operate in the Golan Heights with reason and caution, but where determination and assertive and offensive action is needed, that will also take place.?

Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war and subsequently annexed the territory in a move that has not been internationally recognized.

Since Syria?s civil war broke out in March 2011, errant mortar shells or machine gun fire have landed in the Golan a number of times. Israel believes most of the cases have been accidental, but it has responded on several occasions.

Israel is worried that the embattled Assad regime may try to draw the Jewish state into the fighting in an attempt to divert attention from the civil war. Gantz has also warned that Syrian rebels, who have captured a number of villages on the Syrian side of the Golan, could turn their attention to Israel if they defeat Assad.

Sunday?s violence comes days after Israel restored ties with Turkey. Relations between the countries, once close allies, had steadily deteriorated following a 2010 Israeli naval raid on a Turkish ship trying to break Israel?s blockade on Gaza. Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists in the operation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that concerns over the crisis in Syria, which borders both Israel and Turkey, led to the reconciliation.

He said Israel and Turkey would need to communicate over the worsening situation, noting fears that Syria?s stockpile of chemical weapons could reach militant groups bordering the two countries.

Israel has expressed concern that Syria?s chemical arsenal could fall into the hands of militants like Lebanon?s Hezbollah, an Assad ally, or Islamic extremists fighting among the rebels battling Assad.

Earlier this year, the U.S. said Israel carried out an airstrike in Syria on a convoy believed to be transporting sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah. Israel has all but admitted to carrying out the airstrike, but never formally confirmed it.

Source: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/24/israel-fires-missile-into-syria-after-israeli-soldiers-come-under-attack/

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Arnold Schwarzenegger Pays Tribute To Mentor Joe Weider (VIDEO)

Arnold Schwarzenegger photos Joe Weider, the founder of bodybuilding empire and mentor to Arnold Schwarzenegger, has passed away of heart failure at the age of 93. Weider was famous for creating the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding contest, launching actor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career. Arnold paid tribute to his mentor, stating, “I knew about Joe Weider long before I met him ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger Pays Tribute To Mentor Joe Weider (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/arnold-schwarzenegger-pays-tribute-to-mentor-joe-weider-video/

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Pots & Pans that wont rust? - USVI Moving Center

^ Thanks! Good read... Gonna do stainless still with copper bottoms, AND get bamboo utensils. Makes sense.

We are definatly trying to be healthier on island. Pretty sure I've lost at least 10lbs. Garden is REALLY helping! It's HUGE now! We have squash that's almost ready for picking, been using cilantro almost every day (I planted a lot we LOVE cilantro) used lemon basil in bruschetta for dinner yesterday, and haven't bought lettuce in weeks. I still have caterpillars really bad thou. I've been meaning to get to HD to get that Organicide but pulled a muscle in my back so haven't done much and have a few snorkel tours next week so im resting. I did plant some broccoli and mini basil today thou.

Source: http://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,200074,200074

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Powerball jackpot tantalizes at $320 million

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? People across the country are hoping to pick the six winning Powerball numbers drawn Saturday night ? and the $320 million jackpot that comes with them.

The numbers are: 17, 29, 31, 52, 53 and Powerball 31.

No ticket matched all the numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing.

Neil Watson with the Nebraska Lottery says the current estimated jackpot of $320 million seems to be holding strong. The lump-sum cash option is $198.3 million.

Lottery officials say the current jackpot is the sixth highest in history. No one has won the Powerball jackpot since early February.

The holders of two winning tickets ? one purchased in Arizona and the other in Missouri ? shared $587.5 million in November, the largest Powerball jackpot in history.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powerball-jackpot-tantalizes-320-million-194054530.html

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Return to active duty not likely after allograft treatment for knee defect

Public release date: 23-Mar-2013
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Contact: Lisa Weisenberger
lisa@aossm.org
847-655-8647
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

CHICAGO, IL Treatment of large cartilage knee defects with an allograft osteoarticular transplant (OATS) may not allow some military personnel to return to full active duty status, say researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in Chicago, IL.

"Only 28.9 percent of the military patients we studied were able to return to full duty, when they received the OATS procedure with only 5.3 percent returning to their pre-injury level of activity," said James S. Shaha, MD of Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. "It appears the branch of service also was a significant predictor of outcome, with Marines and Navy service members more likely to return to full activity."

Researchers performed a retrospective review on 38 OATS procedures performed at a single military institution by four sports medicine fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons between January 2002 and August 2011. All patients were active duty at the time of the index operation with data collected on demographics, return to duty, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and ultimate effect on military duty. Success was defined as ability to return to pre-injury military occupation specialty with no restrictions. The procedure was shown to diminish pain and improve function in some patients, but did not "cure" the issues for the active patient. More than 40 percent of the patients in this study were "boarded out" of the military because of this condition.

"Cartilage injuries in the high-demand, athletic population remain a clinical challenge. Our study contrasts recent literature which suggests a high rate of return after the OATS procedure and further demonstrates that physicians must carefully interpret what "return to activity" means to different populations," said Shaha.

###

The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication and fellowship, and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders. The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. AOSSM is also a founding partner of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign to prevent overuse and traumatic injuries in kids. For more information on AOSSM or the STOP Sports Injuries campaign, visit http://www.sportsmed.org or http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Return to active duty not likely after allograft treatment for knee defect Public release date: 23-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lisa Weisenberger
lisa@aossm.org
847-655-8647
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

CHICAGO, IL Treatment of large cartilage knee defects with an allograft osteoarticular transplant (OATS) may not allow some military personnel to return to full active duty status, say researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in Chicago, IL.

"Only 28.9 percent of the military patients we studied were able to return to full duty, when they received the OATS procedure with only 5.3 percent returning to their pre-injury level of activity," said James S. Shaha, MD of Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. "It appears the branch of service also was a significant predictor of outcome, with Marines and Navy service members more likely to return to full activity."

Researchers performed a retrospective review on 38 OATS procedures performed at a single military institution by four sports medicine fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons between January 2002 and August 2011. All patients were active duty at the time of the index operation with data collected on demographics, return to duty, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and ultimate effect on military duty. Success was defined as ability to return to pre-injury military occupation specialty with no restrictions. The procedure was shown to diminish pain and improve function in some patients, but did not "cure" the issues for the active patient. More than 40 percent of the patients in this study were "boarded out" of the military because of this condition.

"Cartilage injuries in the high-demand, athletic population remain a clinical challenge. Our study contrasts recent literature which suggests a high rate of return after the OATS procedure and further demonstrates that physicians must carefully interpret what "return to activity" means to different populations," said Shaha.

###

The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication and fellowship, and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders. The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. AOSSM is also a founding partner of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign to prevent overuse and traumatic injuries in kids. For more information on AOSSM or the STOP Sports Injuries campaign, visit http://www.sportsmed.org or http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org

[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/aosf-rta031813.php
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Rescuer adopts abandoned baby (CNN)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294007139?client_source=feed&format=rss

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NASA to restore Apollo engines found on ocean floor

The recovery of the Apollo 11 rocket engines by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is a historic find, say NASA officials, who say the agency plans to restore the engines.

By Nancy Atkinson,?Universe Today / March 22, 2013

The thrust chamber of one of five first stage F-1 rocket engines used to launch one of NASA's mighty Saturn V rocket on a historic Apollo moon mission is seen on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean in this Bezos Expeditions image.

Bezos Expeditions

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Last year, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos announced that he had located some of the Apollo F-1 rocket engines and planned to recover them. He and his Bezos Expedition team were successful in recovering engines that helped power Apollo astronauts to the Moon and have now brought ?a couple of your F-1s home,? Bezos said in a message to NASA. On the Bezos Expedition website, Bezos called the recovery ?an incredible adventure.?

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NASA was happy about the recovery as well.

?This is a historic find and I congratulate the team for its determination and perseverance in the recovery of these important artifacts of our first efforts to send humans beyond Earth orbit,? said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden in a statement. ?We look forward to the restoration of these engines by the Bezos team and applaud Jeff?s desire to make these historic artifacts available for public display.?

There is no indication so far from Bezos of which flight these engines were from. Last year when Bezos made his announcement, he said they had found the engines from Apollo 11, but it may be been difficult to determine exactly which flight the ones found were from. In total, NASA launched 65 F-1 engines, five per flight, on 13 Saturn V boosters between 1967 and 1973. Supposedly there would be serial numbers to make the identification of which flight these engines were from. Bezos indicated on his blog they were still on the ship, so perhaps the identification will come later.

Five F-1 engines were used in the 138-foot-tall S-IC, or first stage, of each Saturn V, which depended on the five-engine cluster for the 7.5 million pounds of thrust needed to lift it from the launch pad. Each of the engines stands 19 feet tall by 12 feet wide and weigh over 18,000 pounds.

Bezos and his team spent three weeks at sea, working almost 3 miles below the surface. ?We found so much,? Bezos wrote. ?We?ve seen an underwater wonderland ? an incredible sculpture garden of twisted F-1 engines that tells the story of a fiery and violent end, one that serves testament to the Apollo program. We photographed many beautiful objects in situ and have now recovered many prime pieces. Each piece we bring on deck conjures for me the thousands of engineers who worked together back then to do what for all time had been thought surely impossible.?
See more images and descriptions at the Bezos Expeditions website.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/bouK2n0cLKk/NASA-to-restore-Apollo-engines-found-on-ocean-floor

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Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid test drive (video)

The Ford Fusion Energi joins the C-MAX Energi and Focus Electric as the company's third vehicle with a charging connector and access to California's HOV lanes. While it's a larger car than the C-MAX Energi, it weighs about the same and features pretty much the same plug-in hybrid powertrain with 195 net horsepower and three EV driving modes. It combines a 2-liter DOHC 16V Duratec (Atkinson cycle) engine and CVT with an AC synchronous motor powered by a 7.6kWh Lithium Ion battery. This pack takes about 2.5 hours to fill up with a 240V charging station and provides a range of 21 miles (100MPGe) at up to 85mph in all-electric mode. Both autos share the same unfortunate battery protrusion in the trunk area, and while it's less of an issue in the Fusion sedan than the wagon-like C-MAX, it detracts from the overall package. The Fusion Energi also packs the company's latest and greatest tech, including MyFord Mobile, SmartGauge with EcoGuide, Eco Cruise and SYNC with MyFord Touch. Sure, that's pretty exciting, but how does it actually drive? Find out after the break.

Gallery: Ford Fusion Energi test drive