2 TSRI professors named Simons Investigators

Public release date: 9-Jul-2013
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Contact: Mika Ono
mikaono@scripps.edu
858-784-2052
Scripps Research Institute

LA JOLLA, CA July 9, 2013 Professors Donna Blackmond, PhD, and Gerald Joyce, MD, PhD, of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been named Simons Investigators for the Collaboration on the Origins of Life, sponsored by the Simons Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit organization established in 1994 to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and basic sciences.

"Congratulations to Donna and Jerry," said Michael A. Marletta, president and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute. "Thanks to the support of the Simons Foundation, I look forward to new insights from their labs into one of our great mysteriesthe origins of life."

The 15-member international Simons collaboration aims to support creative, innovative research in 10 topic areas concerning the processes that led to the emergence of life on the planet Earth, including the development of prebiotic chemistry and RNA replication. Blackmond and Joyce each will receive $2 million of research funding from the Simons Foundation over the next five years.

Blackmond's project focuses on chiralitythe structural characteristic of a molecule that makes it impossible to superimpose it on its mirror imageand the likely prebiotic conditions that may have led to single chirality as a precursor to enhanced molecular complexity. Blackmond is a professor in the TSRI Department of Chemistry.

Joyce's project involves experimental studies that seek to determine the minimum amount of information required to provide replicating, evolving systems that have the ongoing capacity to accrue more information. Joyce is a professor in the TSRI Department of Cell and Molecular Biology.

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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.

Public release date: 9-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mika Ono
mikaono@scripps.edu
858-784-2052
Scripps Research Institute

LA JOLLA, CA July 9, 2013 Professors Donna Blackmond, PhD, and Gerald Joyce, MD, PhD, of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been named Simons Investigators for the Collaboration on the Origins of Life, sponsored by the Simons Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit organization established in 1994 to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and basic sciences.

"Congratulations to Donna and Jerry," said Michael A. Marletta, president and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute. "Thanks to the support of the Simons Foundation, I look forward to new insights from their labs into one of our great mysteriesthe origins of life."

The 15-member international Simons collaboration aims to support creative, innovative research in 10 topic areas concerning the processes that led to the emergence of life on the planet Earth, including the development of prebiotic chemistry and RNA replication. Blackmond and Joyce each will receive $2 million of research funding from the Simons Foundation over the next five years.

Blackmond's project focuses on chiralitythe structural characteristic of a molecule that makes it impossible to superimpose it on its mirror imageand the likely prebiotic conditions that may have led to single chirality as a precursor to enhanced molecular complexity. Blackmond is a professor in the TSRI Department of Chemistry.

Joyce's project involves experimental studies that seek to determine the minimum amount of information required to provide replicating, evolving systems that have the ongoing capacity to accrue more information. Joyce is a professor in the TSRI Department of Cell and Molecular Biology.

###

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/sri-ttp070913.php

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METAL MULISHA x NEW ERA?Grim?59Fifty Fitted Baseball Cap

Source: http://www.strictlyfitteds.com/content/2013/07/metal-mulisha-x-new-eragrim-59fifty-fitted-baseball-cap

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Sony Action Cam adopted as official camera of choice for the Isle of Man TT Race 2013

The 2013 Isle of Man TT race[i] generated extra highlights this year as 47 Action Cams were fitted to the leading racers, capturing some amazing content which can now be viewed on the Sony Action Cam YouTube channel.

Designed to capture video footage from the most extraordinary of places, Action Cam brings together the best of Sony technology into a 90g body including a 16.8MP Exmor R? sensor, Image Stabilisation and Slow Motion Photography.

Christopher Coote, Producer at North One TV commented: ?We were impressed with the picture and sound quality of the Action Cam that delivered output which belied its size. We needed a camera solution which was unobtrusive but enabled us to capture the adrenalin rush experienced by the TT riders and the Action Cam fitted the bill perfectly. This is why we adopted it as the official camera of the TT Races this year.?

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[i] The Isle of Man TT is a race of legend! It is one of, if not THE most challenging races in the World, and not for the faint of heart. The 37.73 miles is the ultimate test of mind, body and machine, with average speeds of 131.671 mph around this fabled mountain course, nothing can prepare you for the spectacle of the Isle of Man TT.

Source: http://presscentre.sony.eu:80//content/detail.aspx?ReleaseID=8750&NewsAreaID=2

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'Cosby Show' gets 'Blurred' in perfect mash-up

Pop culture

Kurt Schlosser TODAY

1 hour ago

Twenty years after "The Cosby Show" went off the air, Bill and his TV family still have the moves to make them suitable stand-ins for Robin Thicke's super catchy "Blurred Lines" video.

In a mash-up of the practically saintly and the definitely sexy, a new viral video replaces the opening theme song to the late-'80s sitcom with the 2013 hit from Thicke, Pharrell and T.I.

In the original, Cliff Huxtable, wife Clair, and kids Vanessa, Theo, Denise and Rudy all get down to a jazzy instrumental number ? "Kiss Me," composed by Cosby and Stu Gardner. Bill Cosby's grimace and stiff moves are lovingly juxtaposed alongside his groovier family members.

In the remake ? complete with a giant #COSBY stamp to match the #THICKE one it mimics ? the family's dance moves don't miss a beat when set to Thicke's R&B track. Every spin, arm swing and knee bend makes it seem like the actors are really dancing to "Blurred Lines."

You just can't let visions of the scantily clad models in the real Thicke video (84 million views on YouTube) re-enter your mind. And maybe don't think about the "Blurred Lines" lyrics while you watch the Cos bump up against his kids: "I know you want it, but you're a good girl. They way you grab me, must wanna get nasty ..."

An unrated version of Thicke's video would definitely not be suitable viewing at the Huxtable residence, as it contains a good deal of nudity. The singer has also had to defend the song against critics who call the lyrics "rapey."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/cosby-show-meets-robin-thicke-hit-perfect-video-mash-6C10582947

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Waze could lead way to Israeli Internet growth

FILE - In this March 15, 2012 file photo, Ben Gleitzman uses a traffic and navigation app called Waze as he drives to work in Menlo Park, Calif. The record-breaking sale of Israeli navigation company Waze to Google earlier this month told the world what Israel?s tech experts have known for years: The mideast country is now a major player in Internet innovation. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

FILE - In this March 15, 2012 file photo, Ben Gleitzman uses a traffic and navigation app called Waze as he drives to work in Menlo Park, Calif. The record-breaking sale of Israeli navigation company Waze to Google earlier this month told the world what Israel?s tech experts have known for years: The mideast country is now a major player in Internet innovation. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? The billion-dollar sale of navigation company Waze to Google may finally be putting Israel on the map as a major player in consumer Internet innovation.

Israel's high-tech sector has been dominated by firms that made products for other businesses, like computer chips or communications gear. But in recent years Internet and mobile companies have emerged as the majority of Israeli startups, and many have found success in the global market.

The focus might be changing now.

"There's definitely a shift that Waze has done a great deal of emphasizing," said Nir Zohar, the president and chief operating officer of Wix. "I would assume that we will find more foreign investors coming to Israel to invest in Israeli entrepreneurs." Wix, a personal website company, filed last month for a $75 million initial public offering the United States, just as Google was wrapping up its $1.03 billion purchase of Waze.

Foreign investors are beginning to take notice.

Israeli consumer firms myheritage.com, a genealogy site, and Fiverr.com, an online marketplace for creative services, received major backing last year from Accel Partners and Bessemer, two leading American venture firms.

Veterans of the Israeli Internet startup scene say that Israeli companies are known for their creativity and international outlook, so the move into the fast-growing world of smartphone apps and consumer websites has been relatively easy.

"Because we don't have a local market, we go on the international market from day one," said Uri Adoni of Jerusalem Venture Partners, one of the leading tech investment firms in Israel.

Unlike in larger countries, he said, Israel's small size means that its startups naturally target places like the United States instead of the domestic market. With products ready-made for international use, they are attractive to overseas venture capitalists.

Experts say Israeli companies are accustomed to taking unconventional risks in building their products.

"There's always a special Israeli take, and the take is 'Let's go crazy, let's bring something that's completely off the charts,'" said Michal Adam of the IVC Research Center, which tracks statistics on Israeli venture capital.

In the case of Waze, that meant relying on the app's user base in order to help build its maps because it lacked the vast amounts of data and satellite imagery of a company like Google. Thanks to its crowdsourcing feature, Waze's mapping service provides its user community with real-time information on traffic conditions, accidents and speed traps that standard GPS services have struggled to gather. The service has also generated a loyal user base.

The Israeli way, Adam said, is "doing things simple when you need a complicated result because you don't have the money and the resources."

Roughly three-quarters of Israeli startups provide mobile or Internet services, according to IVC. Just five years ago, the number was below 50 percent.

After bottoming out in 2009 during the global financial crisis, American venture capitalists have steadily ramped up investments in Israel. Last year, according to the National Venture Capital Association in Arlington, Va., they pumped almost $85 million of equity into Israeli Internet companies, the highest amount since the global financial crisis five years ago.

Overall, Israel is the world's largest destination for high tech venture capital after Silicon Valley.

Yossi Vardi, a leading figure in the Israeli tech scene, said the Internet boom is also a result of natural growth. "Every major (acquisition) creates a wave of angels and new investors," he said. "Angels" are the individuals who make early investments in high-risk companies.

Vardi helped pave the way for the current crop of Internet firms as an original investor in ICQ, the forerunner to modern instant messaging services. When ICQ was sold to AOL for $400 million in 1998, Vardi took his profits from the deal and invested in more than 100 other tech companies, about half of them consumer oriented like ICQ. Many of those companies, like answers.com and media software maker FoxyTunes, added success stories to the Israeli consumer market.

Vardi expects that the Waze sale will spark a similar round of growth.

Along with attracting new investors, each successful new company creates a new supply of experienced employees who may go on to form startups of their own.

"In three years, there are going to be a lot of people who are employees of these companies who are going to go out into the market," said Micha Kaufman, the CEO of Fiverr.com. Alexa, an Amazon-owned web analytics service, ranks Fiverr among the 200 most visited websites in the world.

Some experts warn of overconfidence. The low costs of launching a consumer-oriented startup, which do not require factories and large machinery used by traditional companies, has made it easy for anyone with an idea to start a business. Those low costs make the companies attractive to investors, who can afford small bets on promising startups.

"I do expect more entrepreneurs to throw their hats in the ring," said Adam Fisher, the head of the Israel office of Bessemer Venture Partners, a U.S. firm. He cautioned that with few barriers to entry, the Internet market could be flooded with companies that have little chance of success.

"We welcome them, but we hope they don't misread the success of Waze," Fisher said. He pointed out that a company that develops an app or program must also figure out how to make it profitable, a problem that traditional tech companies like chip manufacturers don't have.

Still, the success of Waze generates optimism among Israeli Internet companies. "All the press that all these exits are getting ... creates confidence for future buyers," said Yaron Carni, a veteran investor and head of the Tel Aviv Angels Group.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-07-04-ML-Israel-Internet-Boom/id-80e2726a85744ea58b28f74509385d97

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Randy Travis in Critical Condition at Texas Hospital

Randy Travis in Critical Condition at Texas Hospital
Posted by Jeremy Thomas?on 07.08.2013

Complications from heart disease...

Country singer Randy Travis is in critical condition in a hospital in Texas. TMZ reports that Travis was admitted to the hospital yesterday after suffering from complications related to his viral cardiomyopathy, a disease that weakens and enlarges the heart muscle.

Travis was set to perform in Deadwood, South Dakota on Wednesday. No news on what caused his condition.

On behalf of 411, our best wishes for Travis' quick recovery.

comments powered by

Source: http://www.411mania.com/music/news/290034

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Service was the best i have experienced in a london restaurant ever, waiters were polite, ...

52 Wilton Road, Victoria, London, SW1V 1DE - View on a map
Telephone: 020 7828 5818

Gran Paradiso

Service was the best i have experienced in a london restaurant ever, waiters were polite, attentive and friendly. I like the oldy italian decor of the restaurant and the whole place had an edge of poshness about it. So refreshing to be made to feel like a patron rather than just walking a wallet - something unfortunately I have gotten so used to in the big chain restaurants. The tables aren't too close together and I like the choices on the menu although note the lack of a comprehensive drinks list.

The food at Gran Paradiso was lovely - my chicken in herbs and mushroom sauce was tender and tasty although as others have mentioned it seems a bit steep to charge ?4 for the vegetables to accompany it (although they were cooked to perfection and delicious).

I will most definitely be coming back here again, it's a little more expensive than other places (the chains) but it's worth it for the quality of food and excellent service.
Comment on this reader review

9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, April 11, 2013

Gran Paradiso

Understandably after reading through the negative reviews on here I attended a business dinner at this restaurant tonight, a large group of 15 people booked for 6pm but arrived late at 6.20pm. No problem from the manager and his wife.

Comments on here state the waiters were not chatty, but our experience was that they were attentive and efficient, if you want entertaining from the waiters pay for a stage show. I much prefer getting professional service!

The food could not be faulted, cooked to perfection, portion sizes just right, have eaten at many 4 and 5 star hotels who give you half the size of portions, and not necessarily as good quality as the Gran Paradiso.

Some people have said dated decor etc, but I couldn't fault the upstairs conservatory room our group had our meal in.

In summary a wonderful meal with attentive service at a reasonable price.
Comment on this reader review

Andrew Bird
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, January 17, 2013

Gran Paradiso

I used to visit this restaurant from when it opened in 1973 for about ten years, and I am old enough to have gone to its predecessor in the King's Road under the old cinema.

So, for old times' sake, I chose it recently for dinner with friends.

It was undoubtedly old fashioned and the staff were a little shambolic, but I really enjoyed going back there. The same owner is still there after all these years, and the food was very tasty. The restaurant had a good atmosphere, with quite a few tables clearly enjoying themselves.

My wife didn't enjoy it so much, so maybe nostalgia is ruling my head. However, if you are in the area, Gran Paradiso is civilized, near to the station, with pretty good food, sufficiently out of the way to be on the quiet side and worth a visit, if not a special trip.

Long may Sandro continue!
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James - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, October 11, 2012

Gran Paradiso

I went to the Gran Paradiso and found the food I had was very poor considering the prices. The prawn starter lacked flavour and the pasta dish prawns and clams linguine, there was no clams in there but even worse the pasta was over cooked.

I found the service good, but the food is what I go out for.
Comment on this reader review

Will F
4 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Sunday, February 26, 2012

Gran Paradiso

Sorely disappointed by this restaurant that promises nice Italian food.

The food was adequate but considering the price (around ?30 per person for starter and main) you may expect more.

What was really disappointing was the terrible service we received. Not only were the servers incredibly rude but when we raised it as an issue rather than apologise they continued to argue back.

It was very disappointing that what would have been a pleasant mid-week meal was spoiled by rude and surly service.
Comment on this reader review

May
2 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Monday, October 10, 2011

Gran Paradiso

Was part of a party of four there last night. Went with some trepidation after reading some reviews on here, but overall was pleasantly surprised.

Pate to start was nice, with very nice toasted bread to complement it. Beautifully cooked lamb cutlets as a main dish. Couldn't fault the food on either taste or size of portions.

Two gripes from me ; firstly, at the prices being charged they really shouldn't be separately charging up to ?4 for a portion of vegetables.

Secondly, the general tardiness of service. It took them twenty minutes to even take the order, and when we wanted to pay and leave, again they showed little urgency. You would have thought being so close to a main railway station they would appreciate people are often looking to catch a train and get a move on.

Overall though I enjoyed it, though I'm not sure I'd go again. At the prices charged, there are far better restaurants literally down the road.
Comment on this reader review

Robert Whittaker
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Saturday, March 26, 2011

Gran Paradiso

i had lunch with a business associate here earlier this week. quite an old restaurant in seventies styly, however, very friendly and fast service. the food was good but not fantastic, i had mushroo/truffle penne and my friend had calves liver followed by nice fresh fruit and sorbet. all in all very good but not as great as it apparently used to be. that being said scored highly on service. excellent.
Comment on this reader review

dinner64 - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Gran Paradiso

Well from outside it looks great but as soon as you walk in its like stepping back in time. This place is so dated, the crab I set next to was so dusty!

Anyway we waited 45 minutes for one prawn cocktail, which to be far was ok, not great. then the mains came, well paying ?16 on average for a main is expensive, so paying extras for the veg and potatoes was a joke. Mine was so chicken with mushrooms and was so salty, I could not eat it. Nobody approached us during the meal , so when they came to take the plates I explained the food was awful. No sorry , nothing. When the bill came the lady said yes it was wrong and took it off the bill.

Dated, miserable staff, and awful food AVOID.

Nandos across the road is better!
Comment on this reader review

Lady Smith
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, November 20, 2010

Gran Paradiso

I agree with Jessica. This restaurant is my default for business entertaining and some occasions with close friends. The food is consistently good and the Patrone and his staff most welcoming. The prices are consistent with the quality, especially for central London. I always leave with a smile on my face from enjoying this sllgtly dowdy (and charming) but fulfilling restaurant.
Comment on this reader review

Lester
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, November 18, 2010

Gran Paradiso

I went to Gran Paradiso last week to celebrate my grandson's 17th Birthday as well as my daughter in law's Birthday. I heard they are "good" on mushroom dishes (owner has written a book on mushrooms) We all loved the place and the food and shall return ,no doubt about that!!

The owner was present throughout as well as his charming wife...they 've had the restaurant for 40 years and of all the Italian restaurants here and in Venice, I loved this one the most!
Comment on this reader review

Irena Michalowska
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, October 29, 2010

You may also like these restaurants:

Source: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/3521.htm

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Asiana Airlines Flight 214 'black boxes' detail San Francisco crash landing

The crew of the Asiana Airlines aircraft that crashed Saturday at San Francisco airport tried to increase its speed and abort its landing just seconds before it hit the seawall in front of the runway, according to flight recorders recovered by the National Transportation Safety Board.?

By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / July 7, 2013

Deborah Hersman, Chairman of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) speaks as San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee stands beside, during a news conference at San Francisco International Airport July 7, 2013.

Stephen Lam/REUTERS

Enlarge

A clearer picture is emerging of what happened in the seconds leading up to the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 at the San Francisco Airport Saturday.

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On Sunday afternoon, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Deborah Hersman presented details of those final seconds based on information from the two ?black boxes? ? the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder ? which had been flown back to Washington overnight, guarded by air marshals and then examined by NTSB experts.

Here are the most relevant details as presented and described by Ms. Hersman:

Flight 214 was approaching Runway 28 Left with its landing gear down and wing flaps set at 30 degrees. The approach speed ? the ?target speed? or speed to which the aircraft was to slow ? was 137 knots. There was no cockpit discussion of any concerns or anomalies.

At 7 seconds before impact, someone in the cockpit called for an increase in speed.

At 4 seconds before impact, the sound of the ?stick shaker? can be heard. This is a device which gives both an aural and physical alert to the pilot that the aircraft is approaching stall speed ? too slow to maintain lift and keep flying normally. In commercial aircraft, the ?stick? is actually a yoke used by the pilot to adjust wing roll and nose pitch.

?The speed was significantly below 137 knots, and I?m not talking about a few knots,? Hersman said at a briefing Sunday afternoon, noting also that the throttles had been pulled back to idle as the aircraft slowed below the target speed.

At 1.5 seconds before impact, someone in the cockpit called for a ?go around? ? which means adding power, waving off the approach to landing, and climbing back up to an altitude necessary to fly around for another attempt to land.

The throttles were advanced and the engines responded as they should. But by then it was too late. The Boeing 777?s low altitude and sink rate were such that its tail clipped the seawall off the end of the runway, and the aircraft skidded several hundred yards to a stop as one engine and parts of the wings came off.

Asked if all of this indicated pilot error ? particularly since the weather was good and there had been no reported mechanical problems ? Hersman declined to answer directly, citing the need to validate the information on the recorders.

?Everything is on the table right now,? she said. ?We won?t speculate; we?re just telling you what we know to be true.?

The NTSB team headed by Hersman expects to be on the scene in San Francisco for at least a week, or however long it takes to complete the initial on-scene investigation.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Y1AovynZOt0/Asiana-Airlines-Flight-214-black-boxes-detail-San-Francisco-crash-landing

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Thousands rally for 'legitimate' Mursi in Cairo

By Tom Perry and Alastair Macdonald

CAIRO (Reuters) - Thousands of Islamist supporters of Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi gathered in Cairo after Friday prayers to show support for the elected head of state ahead of protests his opponents hope can force him from office.

Crowds converged on a mosque in the suburb of Nasser City, many waving the national flag, some carrying pictures of the bearded president, in what is intended to demonstrate the Islamists' strength of numbers ahead of opposition rallies set for June 30, the first anniversary of Mursi's inauguration.

"Yes to respecting the will of the people!" read banners.

"There are people seeking a coup against the lawful order," said demonstrator Gaber Nader, 22, his head protected from the burning early afternoon sun by a green banner from Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, the movement whose organizational strength won it successive elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak.

"Dr. Mursi won in free and fair elections like in any state in the world," Nader said, shrugging off concerns among the less well organized opposition that the Brotherhood is aiming for a monopoly of power and to install Islamic rule and social order.

"The secular parties are eating the democracy that God gave them," he added. "The secularists are not respecting democracy."

Secular groups say they have gathered some 13 million signatures - almost equal to the number of votes that elected Mursi a year ago - on a petition calling on him to step down.

They plan mass rallies across Egypt on June 30 and have attracted support from many Egyptians less politically motivated but exasperated by economic stagnation under Mursi and the Islamist-led legislature.

Reflecting a sense their electoral success is under siege from unelected institutions and vested interests rooted in the Mubarak-era, when their party was banned, some in Friday's crowd - mostly men, with a few women, heavily veiled - chanted for "A purge of the judiciary!" and "A purge of the media!"

There was no trouble evident around the crowd of well over 10,000 in Cairo, but state newspaper al-Ahram carried a report on its website from the second city of Alexandria saying there had been some violence between pro- and anti-Mursi factions.

OPPOSITION FRUSTRATION

Opposition groups range from the young liberals who first took to Tahrir Square in January 2011 to challenge Mubarak, to conservatives yearning for the stability of army rule. Many in Egypt's 10-percent Christian minority also fear the Islamists.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the former top U.N. diplomat who is a leader of the opposition "Rebel!" campaign, told Al-Hayat newspaper that economic problems, including power cuts as summer heat takes hold, were fuelling support for a movement which he said hoped to end the "total polarization in Egypt".

ElBaradei said a united opposition push could bring an early presidential election that would unseat Mursi, though he himself would not run: "The division of the opposition put Mursi in power and I believe it has realized this mistake," he said.

Tensions between Mursi's supporters and opponents spilled over into violence outside Cairo this week. Around 100 people have been injured in scattered skirmishes triggered by Mursi's decision to appoint more Islamists as provincial governors.

Rhetoric has grown more toxic in recent days: one Islamist cleric referred to Mursi's opponents as "infidels" during a rally attended by the president last week. The opposition are billing it as Mursi's last days in office, hoping for a repeat of the uprising that toppled Mubarak two and half years ago.

But Egypt's biggest Salafi Islamist force, the Nour Party, is not taking part. It warns of "an imminent collision" between Egyptians and called on both sides to give ground - Mursi by appointing a cabinet for national unity and the opposition by switching its focus to elections from street protests.

(Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla, writing by Alastair Macdonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-rally-legitimate-mursi-cairo-121751014.html

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Mannie Fresh, Yasiin Bey Pull In OMFGOD Help From Friends

Just Blaze and Curren$y offer music to their hip-hop homeys, Fresh tells 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707476/mannie-fresh-yasiin-bey-omfgod.jhtml

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YouTube Opens Film Studios to Improve its Videos | ??????? ...

YouTube has opened its own video production studios in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo to improve the quality of uploaded videos. These studios will allow video makers to use state-of-the-art equipment, high-definition cameras, and professional editing programs for free. Lectures will also be available to help new video makers learn the ropes of filmmaking. However, filmmakers and video creators need to pass a selection process before they can use the studios. Google, the parent company of YouTube, hopes that these studios will help improve the quality of videos on the website and further increase viewership. This move comes at a time when more people, especially the youth, are using the internet as their main source of entertainment. According to Jimmy Wong, an actor in an online show, younger audience prefers internet sources like YouTube over television because they want instant access to videos whenever and wherever they want. In fact, viewers aged 35 and below are often seeking entertainment in YouTube. Even film makers are now transitioning to online videos so they can promote their shows to fans. Danelle Assanelli, an avid YouTube fan, says YouTube allows her to comment on shows and provide input to the video makers. Personal interaction is not usually possible in traditional television. Furthermore, Malik Ducard, content and partnership director of YouTube, said that YouTube gives chances not only to recognized filmmakers but also to new and rising video creators.

Source: http://rarejobdailynewsarticle.blogspot.com/2013/04/youtube-opens-film-studios-to-improve.html

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Earth's cooling came to sudden halt in 1900, study shows

An international study used tree rings and pollen to build the first?record of global climate change, continent by continent, over 2,000 years.

By Pete Spotts,?Staff writer / April 23, 2013

Emperor penguins walk across sea ice near Ross Island, Antarctica, in this 2012, photo released by Thomas Beer. The continent's pristine habitat provides a laboratory for scientists studying the effects of climate change.

Courtesy Thomas Beer/AP/File

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A reconstruction of 2,000 years of global temperatures shows that a long-term decline in Earth's temperatures ended abruptly about 1900, replaced by a warming trend that has continued despite the persistence into the 20th century of the factors driving the cooling, according to a new study.

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Indeed, for several continents, the increase in global average temperatures from the 19th century to the 20th was the highest century-to-century increase during the 2,000-year span, the study indicates. It's the first study to attempt building a millennial-scale climate history, continent by continent.

The research wasn't designed to identify the cause of the warming trend, which climate researchers say has been triggered by a buildup of greenhouse gases ? mainly carbon dioxide ? as humans burned increasing amounts of fossil fuel and altered the landscape in ways that released CO2.

Still, it's hard to explain 20th-century warming without including the influence of rising CO2 levels, because the factors driving the cooling were still present, notes Darrell Kaufman, a researcher at Northern Arizona University and one of the lead authors on the paper formally reporting the results in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The study, five years in the making, drew on the work of 87 scientists in 24 countries as part of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program. One goal of the 27-year-old program is to gain a deeper understanding of Earth's climate history and the factors that contribute to climate variability.

The study used nature's proxies for thermometers ? tree rings, pollen, and other natural temperature indicators ? to build continent by continent a coordinated record of temperature changes during the past two millenniums.

Scientists use this proxy approach to reach farther into the climate's temperature history than the relatively short thermometer record allows. Such efforts aim to put today's climate into a deeper historical context as well as to identify the duration and possible triggers for natural swings that the climate undergoes over a variety of time scales.

Last March, for instance, a team led by Shaun Marcott at Oregon State University used climate proxies to build a global temperature record reaching back 1,200 years ? one that also noted the pre-1900 cooling trend.

Until now, however, the proxy approach has been used to reconstruct changes in global-average and hemisphere-wide temperatures, Dr. Kaufman explains.

"There was very little information about past climate variability at the regional scale," he says. Yet the team notes that no one lives in a global-average world. People live in specific regions where geography plays a vital role in shaping the climate patterns they experience.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/s_CQlowEYIE/Earth-s-cooling-came-to-sudden-halt-in-1900-study-shows

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SKorea's economic growth hits 2-year high in 1Q

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? South Korea's economy expanded at the fastest level in two years in the first quarter as capital expenditure and exports turned higher, the central bank said Thursday.

South Korea's economy grew 0.9 percent in the January-March period from three months prior, accelerating from 0.3 percent growth in the fourth quarter, according to Bank of Korea's preliminary reading.

Over a year earlier, Asia's fourth-largest economy expanded 1.5 percent, the same level as the previous quarter.

The bank said capital expenditure increased after declining for the previous three quarters. Exports also turned higher after the fourth quarter's drop despite Japan's aggressive monetary easing programs that drove down the value of yen, which gave a boost to Japanese firms that compete with South Korean exporters.

Growth in capital expenditure and exports helped mask a decline in private consumption, which turned lower for the first time in five quarters.

The better-than-expected reading comes after the central bank slightly revised down its forecast for South Korea's economy to 2.6 percent growth this year, from 2.8 percent three months earlier, citing a downgrade in the global economic outlook. But Bank of Korea held its key interest rate steady for a sixth month in April after two rate cuts last year, saying that South Korea's economy is on track to slow recovery and is not weak enough to justify an additional monetary easing.

South Korea's government takes a more grim view on the economy. Last month, it said South Korea's economy will expand 2.3 percent this year, instead of 3 percent it had predicted three months earlier, blaming the yen's slide that dents exports and weak consumer sentiment.

The government proposed $15 billion extra budget to boost the economy and to create jobs, which is under the parliament's review.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skoreas-economic-growth-hits-2-high-1q-001029616--finance.html

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Gut Microbe Makes Diesel Biofuel

Reconfiguring the genetics of the food pathogen E. coli produces hydrocarbons indistinguishable from those burned in trucks

By David Biello

E. coli can now replicate the hydrocarbon molecules that burn predominantly in big trucks and other powerful moving machines. Image: Flickr/Carlos de Paz

Welding bits and pieces from various microbes and the camphor tree into the genetic code of Escherichia coli has allowed scientists to convince the stomach bug to produce hydrocarbons, rather than sickness or more E. coli. The gut microbe can now replicate the molecules, more commonly known as diesel, that burn predominantly in big trucks and other powerful moving machines.

"We wanted to make biofuels that could be used directly with existing engines to completely replace fossil fuels," explains biologist John Love of the University of Exeter in England, who led the research into fuels. "Our next step will be to try to develop a bacterium that could be deployed industrially." Love?s work was published April 22 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

That means harnessing E. coli's already high tolerance for harsh conditions, such as the high acidity and warmth of the human digestive tract. That hardiness also seems to be helping the bacterium survive its own production of such longer-chain hydrocarbons, which could have proved toxic to the microbes, in the way brewer's yeast cells are killed off by the alcohol they ferment. The engineered E. coli used genetic code from the insect pathogen Photorhabdus luminescens and from the cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme as well as soil microbe Bacillus subtilis to make the fuel molecules from fatty acids, along with a gene from the camphor tree?Cinamomum camphora?to cut the resulting hydrocarbon to the right length.

The E. coli are currently fed on sugar and yeast extract, which suggests that the resulting fuel would be expensive compared with the kind refined from oil found in the ground. "We are hopeful that we could change their diet to something less valuable to humanity," Love suggests. "For example, organic wastes from agriculture or even sewage."

Exactly how the E. coli microbes expel the diesel fuel molecules is unknown at this point. The researchers have found them floating in the growth medium, suggesting the microbes are somehow secreting the hydrocarbons from their cells once produced. "We don't know how they get there yet," Love admits. But that may solve a problem posed to other would-be biofuels produced in microbes; algal oils have proved difficult to extract cheaply and effectively from inside the algae themselves, among other challenges.

Besides a better grasp of the process itself, fine-tuning the genetic engineering may one day yield other useful hydrocarbons, such as jet fuel or even gasoline (a short-chained hydrocarbon). Similar work at the University of California, Berkeley, has tinkered with E. coli genetics to allow the bacteria to digest the inedible parts of plants known as cellulose and turn them into microbial diesel that can be used in place of fossil-fuel diesel or other useful hydrocarbons. And E. coli has been harnessed in the past to make specialty oils for cosmetics; the company Amyris makes the moisturizing oil known as squalane from E. coli fed sugarcane and grown in vats in Brazil. The synthetic biologists at Amyris have also coaxed yeast to produce the antimalarial drug artemisinin, a technology that is currently being commercialized with drugmaker Sanofi.

Regardless, industrial-scale fuel production from microbes remains a much tougher proposition than making specialty oils or medicines, given the low cost and high volumes required to compete with the fuels made from fossil sources. "Fuel is actually a lot cheaper than artemisinin, so it has to be made in significantly larger quantities," Love notes. "That in itself is a challenge."

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=4cddaf5a21b5a5d4dda63c21773cb607

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Engadget HD Podcast 346 - 04.23.13

New remotes from Logitech and a slew of streaming video news from Netflix, Amazon and Microsoft lead off the podcast this week. Netflix finally has more customers than HBO in the US, so we'll dig into its Q4 numbers and see what's next for the streaming company. Cox, time Warner Cable and Sky all had updates for their mobile apps this week, which presents the question of Android vs. iOS for video streaming. Finally, another city is getting Google Fiber, and once again it's a place neither of us live in -- hopefully the NFL Draft will go better.

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: James Trew (@itstrew)

Hear the podcast

Filed under: Podcasts, HD

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/lZ71pRaMyrQ/

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Drug czar: Pot legalization won't change mission

BALTIMORE (AP) ? The nation's drug czar says the legalization of marijuana in Washington state and Colorado won't change his office's mission of fighting the nation's drug problem by getting treatment for those battling addictions

Gil Kerlikowske, director of the National Drug Control Policy, released President Barack Obama's 2013 strategy for fighting drug addiction Wednesday at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

He says questions about the legal implications of the policy changes in Washington state and Colorado are best left to the Justice Department.

The strategy includes a greater emphasis on using public health tools to battle addiction and diverting non-violent drug offenders into treatment instead of prisons.

Millions of people in the United States will become eligible in less than a year for treatment for substance abuse under the new health care overhaul.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/drug-czar-pot-legalization-wont-change-mission-185458992.html

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Dewey ex-chairman agrees to proposed settlement to resolve claims

By Casey Sullivan

(Reuters) - The former chairman of Dewey & LeBoeuf has agreed to pay more than half a million dollars in a proposed settlement with Dewey's trustee and insurer to resolve claims that bad management led to the law firm's demise, according to papers filed in federal bankruptcy court.

Former Dewey Chairman Steve Davis has agreed to pay $511,145 to settle claims that he mismanaged Dewey & LeBoeuf, which last May became the largest law firm in U.S. history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. XL Specialty Insurance Co, which issued Dewey's management liability insurance policy, has agreed to pay $19 million in the proposed settlement, according to court documents.

"The Settlement Agreement is a substantially more favorable result than litigation," said Edward Weisfelner, speaking on behalf of the liquidation trustee Alan Jacobs, in court papers.

Without a settlement, Weisfelner said, Dewey's estate would face large litigation expenses to go after Davis and the insurance company in court, as well as the risk of not collecting a full recovery from the parties.

"Litigation of the Management Claims would require extensive discovery, including millions of pages of documents to review and over 100 depositions," he said.

The settlement agreement still needs a judge's approval. A hearing on the proposed deal is scheduled for May 13.

Reached Tuesday, Kevin Van Wart, a lawyer for Davis, said: "Mr. Davis is pleased with the settlement, which is a practical resolution for all concerned."

A spokeswoman for XL Specialty Insurance Co did not immediately return a request for comment.

The case is: In re: Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, Debtor, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, Case No. 12-12321 (MG)

(This story was fixed to correct that XL Specialty Insurance Co issued Dewey's management liability insurance policy, not that XL is the policyholder; in second paragraph)

(Reporting by Casey Sullivan; Editing by Alden Bentley and Phil Berlowitz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dewey-ex-chairman-agrees-proposed-settlement-resolve-claims-215240227--finance.html

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STOP LOSS: Democrats Bent on Forcing Small Businesses into ...

As the Peak has pointed out time and time again, the Democrat-controlled Colorado state legislature have paid ample lip service to small business and economic issues, but their actions during the session tell a different story altogether.? Far left social issues such as civil unions, gun control, and sex ed have taken most the air out of the room, and when the democrats actually expended the effort to address business issues, they are have been throwing up more regulations, impediments, and interference in the marketplace.? Denver Rep. Beth McCann has offered the latest example.

Legislators on the left have targeted health plans popular with small businesses to force small businesses into the more expensive small-group market.? Eliminating the popular stop-loss insurance option is important to the left because the small business health exchange that the state plans to launch needs the small businesses with young, healthy employees in order to spread out costs and to prevent the state?s program from becoming almost impossibly expensive.

Stop-loss insurance is a simple type of policy that many small businesses use as an alternative to expensive group policies.? In a stop-loss insurance arrangement, the company self-insures to a certain extent, and then purchases stop-loss insurance to protect against catastrophic claims.? In Colorado, it?s common for the stop-loss coverage to kick in at $15,000 per person, and a higher aggregate amount for the entire company.? This is a great option for small companies with young, healthy employees.? In fact, testimony at the legislature this year included a vignette about a local company with five employees who took advantage of stop-loss insurance, and had a scant $300 in claims above what they spent on the annual premium last year.

Unfortunately for growing businesses that view this type of insurance as a way to provide benefits for employees and control costs, these types of plans pose a threat to the future small-group state insurance exchange by attracting companies with low-risk employees.? But Beth McCann had a plan:? if she could pass a law that would radically increase the minimum stop-loss coverage amount, a quick vote in the legislature and a stroke of Governor Hickenlooper?s pen could essentially wipe out this insurance option by rendering it economically useless.

At first she introduced a bill, HB13-1290, that stated that stop-loss insurance providers could not pay a penny in claims until an individual?s claims hit $30,000.? After an amendment lowering that amount to $20,000, she was able to convince enough of her fellow Democrats to get this one through the Health, Insurance and Environment Committee.? By the state changing the economics of these policies, it will invariably push companies into the more expensive small-group market, and grease the skids for the expensive, government-run exchange.

Source: http://coloradopeakpolitics.com/2013/04/23/stop-loss-democrats-bent-on-forcing-small-businesses-into-state-run-insurance/

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'The Voice' Teams Are Full: Meet The Latest Singers!

Usher, Shakira, Adam and Blake can finally keep their chairs forward for the season.
By Emilee Lindner

Usher on "The Voice"
Photo: NBC

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705296/the-voice-teams.jhtml

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Obama, in Colorado, to press for gun measures

President Barack Obama gestures during his meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April, 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama gestures during his meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April, 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? In danger of losing congressional momentum, President Barack Obama is drawing attention to Colorado's newly passed gun control laws as he applies public pressure on Congress to pass similar federal measures.

Obama was traveling to the Denver suburbs Wednesday, stepping up his call for universal background checks for gun buyers as well as his demands for Congress to at least vote on an assault weapons ban and limits on large-capacity ammunition magazines.

The trip is heavy with political symbolism. Colorado expanded background checks and placed restrictions on magazines despite being a state with a deep-rooted hunting tradition, where gun ownership is a cherished right. Moreover, Obama will meet with law enforcement officials and community leaders at the Denver Police Academy, not far from the Aurora suburb where a gunman last summer killed 12 people in a movie theater. The president's trip is occurring in the same week that prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty for James Holmes, accused of carrying out the Aurora rampage.

With Congress due to return to Washington after a two-week Easter break, Obama has been scheduling high-profile events on gun legislation to push lawmakers and sustain a drive for some kind of action aimed at curbing gun violence more than three months after the massacre at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school.

Last week Obama called for legislation while flanked by 21 mothers who have lost children to gun violence. "I haven't forgotten those kids," he declared then.

On Monday, just ahead of the planned start of the Senate's debate on gun legislation, Obama is scheduled to go to Hartford, Conn., where state lawmakers have announced a bipartisan agreement on gun legislation as a response to the shootings at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School, which took the lives of 20 first-graders and six adult staff.

"If it were simple to pass measures through Congress that are very common sense but would reduce gun violence in America, those measures would have passed already," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. "And the president has always recognized that this is something that would be a challenge."

In selecting Colorado, Obama is showcasing a state with a long centrist tradition that prizes its Western frontier heritage. But an influx of young coastal transplants and growing Hispanic voter clout have helped Democrats win a string of victories in the state. Even before the Sandy Hook massacre energized gun control proponents, Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper said he was open to new gun control measures in the state.

Colorado Republicans fought the new legislation, contending that Democrats overreached and will be punished by the voters in November. Several county sheriffs have vowed not to enforce the new gun restrictions. Democrats contend that the measures are generally popular, especially among the suburban women who decide Colorado elections.

Obama's trip comes a day after a study commissioned by the National Rifle Association, which has opposed Obama's gun control measures, recommended that schools have trained, armed staffers to increase security for students. The American Federation of Teachers denounced the proposal.

With just days left before the Senate begins its debate, there were signs that sweeping congressional efforts to address gun violence have flagged.

A proposed ban on assault weapons has little hope of passage and the prospects for barring large-capacity magazines also seem difficult. Key senators have been unable to reach a bipartisan compromise that would require federal background checks for gun transactions between private individuals. Federal background checks currently apply only to sales handled by licensed gun dealers.

Carney said administration officials were looking for middle ground.

"We are working with lawmakers of both parties, and trying to achieve a compromise that can make this happen. Especially when it comes to the background checks," Carney told reporters. But he reiterated Obama's insistence that other measures get a vote.

In addition to his stop in Denver, Obama will travel to San Francisco to attend fundraisers Wednesday and Thursday for Democratic Party organizations.

___

Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Alan Fram in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-03-Obama/id-3fecf87b1fd5411098a343dd987f1f38

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New insights on how spiral galaxies get their arms

Apr. 2, 2013 ? Spiral galaxies are some of the most beautiful and photogenic residents of the universe. Our own Milky Way is a spiral. Our solar system and Earth reside somewhere near one of its filamentous arms. And nearly 70 percent of the galaxies closest to the Milky Way are spirals.

But despite their common shape, how galaxies like ours get and maintain their characteristic arms has proved to be an enduring puzzle in astrophysics. How do the arms of spiral galaxies arise? Do they change or come and go over time?

The answers to these and other questions are now coming into focus as researchers capitalize on powerful new computer simulations to follow the motions of as many as 100 million "stellar particles" as gravity and other astrophysical forces sculpt them into familiar galactic shapes. A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics reports simulations that seem to resolve long-standing questions about the origin and life history of spiral arms in disk galaxies.

"We show for the first time that stellar spiral arms are not transient features, as claimed for several decades," says UW-Madison astrophysicist Elena D'Onghia, who led the new research along with Harvard colleagues Mark Vogelsberger and Lars Hernquist.

"The spiral arms are self-perpetuating, persistent, and surprisingly long lived," adds Vogelsberger.

The origin and fate of the emblematic spiral arms in disk galaxies have been debated by astrophysicists for decades, with two theories predominating. One holds that the arms come and go over time. A second and widely held theory is that the material that makes up the arms -- stars, gas and dust -- is affected by differences in gravity and jams up, like cars at rush hour, sustaining the arms for long periods.

The new results fall somewhere in between the two theories and suggest that the arms arise in the first place as a result of the influence of giant molecular clouds -- star forming regions or nurseries common in galaxies. Introduced into the simulation, the clouds act as "perturbers" and are enough to not only initiate the formation of spiral arms but to sustain them indefinitely.

"We find they are forming spiral arms," explains D'Onghia. "Past theory held the arms would go away with the perturbations removed, but we see that (once formed) the arms self-perpetuate, even when the perturbations are removed. It proves that once the arms are generated through these clouds, they can exist on their own through (the influence of) gravity, even in the extreme when the perturbations are no longer there."

The new study modeled stand-alone disk galaxies, those not influenced by another nearby galaxy or object. Some recent studies have explored the likelihood that spiral galaxies with a close neighbor (a nearby dwarf galaxy, for example) get their arms as gravity from the satellite galaxy pulls on the disk of its neighbor.

According to Vogelsberger and Hernquist, the new simulations can be used to reinterpret observational data, looking at both the high-density molecular clouds as well as gravitationally induced "holes" in space as the mechanisms that drive the formation of the characteristic arms of spiral galaxies.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Elena D'Onghia, Mark Vogelsberger, Lars Hernquist. Self-Perpetuating Spiral Arms in Disk Galaxies. The Astrophysical Journal, March 20, 2013 [link]

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/top_science/~3/shO5jSkUHKs/130402124821.htm

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