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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Affleck's 'Argo' wins best-picture Oscar
Actor Jack Nicholson, left, presents the the award for best picture to producer/director Ben Affleck for "Argo" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Actor Jack Nicholson, left, presents the the award for best picture to producer/director Ben Affleck for "Argo" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Daniel Day-Lewis accepts the award for best actor in a leading role for "Lincoln" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Karen Lawrence, left, congratulates her daughter Jennifer Lawrence after she is announced as the winner of the award for best actress in a leading role for "Silver Linings Playbook" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Jennifer Lawrence accepts the award for best actress in a leading role for "Silver Linings Playbook" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Actor Christoph Waltz accepts the award for best actor in a supporting role for "Django Unchained" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Ben Affleck's "Argo," a film about a fake movie, has earned a very real prize: best picture at the Academy Awards.
From the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Jack Nicholson to help present the final prize.
"There are eight great films that have every right, as much a right to be up here as we do," Affleck said of the other best-picture nominees.
In share-the-wealth mode, Oscar voters spread Sunday's honors among a range of films, with "Argo" winning three trophies but "Life of Pi" leading with four.
Daniel Day-Lewis joined a select group of recipients with his third Oscar, taking the best-actor trophy for his monumental performance as Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War saga "Lincoln."
"Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence triumphed in Hollywood's big games, winning the best actress as a damaged soul in "Silver Linings Playbook," while Ang Lee pulled off a huge upset as best director for "Life of Pi."
Anne Hathaway went from propping up leaden sidekick James Franco at the Academy Awards to hefting a golden statue of her own with a supporting-actress Oscar win as a doomed mother-turned-prostitute in the musical "Les Miserables."
Christoph Waltz won his second supporting-actor Oscar for a Tarantino film, this time as a genteel bounty hunter in the slave-revenge saga "Django Unchained." Tarantino also won his second Oscar, for original screenplay for "Django."
Ang Lee pulled off a major upset, won best director for the shipwreck story "Life of Pi," taking the prize over Steven Spielberg, who had been favored for "Lincoln."
Lawrence took a fall on her way to the stage, tripping on the steps.
"You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell," Lawrence joked as the crowd gave her a standing ovation.
At 22, Lawrence is the second-youngest woman to win best actress, behind Marlee Matlin, who was 21 when she won for "Children of a Lesser God." Lawrence also is the third-youngest best-actress contender ever, earning her first nomination at age 20 two years ago for her breakout role in "Winter's Bone," the film that took her from virtual unknown to one of Hollywood's most-versatile and sought-after performers.
With a monumental performance as Abraham Lincoln, Day-Lewis became the only performer to win three best-actor Oscars, adding to the honors he earned for "My Left Foot" and "There Will Be Blood." He's just the sixth actor to earn three or more Oscars, tied with Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan with three each, and just behind Katharine Hepburn, who won four.
Hathaway, whose perkiness helped carry her and the listless Franco through an ill-starred stint as Oscar hosts two years ago, is the third performer in a musical to win supporting actress during the genre's resurgence in the last decade.
"It came true," said Hathaway, who joins 2002 supporting-actress winner Catherine Zeta-Jones for "Chicago" and 2006 recipient Jennifer Hudson for "Dreamgirls." Hathaway had warm thanks for "Les Miz" co-star Hugh Jackman, with whom she once sang a duet at the Oscars when he was the show's host.
Hathaway's Oscar came for her role as noble but fallen Fantine in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway smash that was based on Victor Hugo's epic novel of revolution, romance and redemption in 19th century France.
"Life of Pi" also won for Mychael Danna's multicultural musical score that blends Indian and Western instruments and influences, plus cinematography and visual effects.
"I really want to thank you for believing this story and sharing this incredible journey with me," Lee said to all who worked on the film, a surprise blockbuster about a youth trapped on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger.
A veteran performer in Germany and his native Austria, Waltz had been a virtual unknown in Hollywood when Tarantino cast him as a gleefully evil Nazi in 2009's "Inglourious Basterds," which won him his first Oscar.
"I have to cast the right people to make those characters come alive," said Tarantino, who won previously for "Pulp Fiction. "And boy, this time, did I do it. Thank you so much, guys."
Waltz has since done a handful of other Hollywood movies, but it's Tarantino who has given him his two choicest roles. Backstage, Waltz had a simple explanation for why the collaboration works.
"Quentin writes poetry, and I like poetry," Waltz said.
Oscar host Seth MacFarlane opened with a mildly edgy monologue that offered the usual polite jabs at the academy, the stars and the industry. He took a poke at academy voters over the snub of Ben Affleck, who missed out on a directing nomination for best-picture favorite "Argo," a thriller about the CIA's plot to rescue six Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis.
"The story was so top secret that the film's director is unknown to the academy," MacFarlane said. "They know they screwed up. Ben, it's not your fault."
"Argo" also claimed the Oscar for adapted screenplay for Chris Terrio, who worked with Affleck to create a liberally embellished story based on an article about the rescue and part of CIA operative Tony Mendez's memoir.
Terrio dedicated the award to Mendez, saying "33 years ago, Tony, using nothing but his creativity and his intelligence, Tony got six people out of a bad situation."
The foreign-language prize went to Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke's old-age love story "Amour," which had been a major surprise with five nominations, including picture, director and original screenplay for Haneke and best actress for Emmanuelle Riva, who turned 86 on Sunday and would be the oldest acting winner ever.
The top prize winner at last year's Cannes Film Festival, "Amour" follows the agonizing story of an elderly man (Jean-Louis Trintignant) tending his wife (Riva) as she declines from age and illness.
Haneke thanked his own wife for supporting him in his work for 30 years.
"You are the center of my life," Haneke said.
The Scottish adventure "Brave," from Disney's Pixar Animation unit, was named best animated feature. Pixar films have won seven of the 12 Oscars since the category was added.
"I just happen to be wearing the kilt," said "Brave" co-director Mark Andrews, who took the stage in his trademark Scottish garment.
The upbeat musical portrait "Searching for Sugar Man" took the documentary feature prize. The film follows the quest of two South African fans to discover the fate of acclaimed but obscure singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, who dropped out of sight after two albums in the 1970s and was rumored to have died a bitter death.
"Thanks to one of the greatest singers ever, Rodriguez," said "Sugar Man" director Malik Bendjelloul.
There was a rare tie in one category, with the Osama bin Laden thriller "Zero Dark Thirty" and the James Bond tale "Skyfall" each winning for sound editing.
William Shatner made a guest appearance as his "Star Trek" character Capt. James Kirk, appearing on a giant screen above the stage during MacFarlane's monologue, saying he came back in time to stop the host from ruining the Oscars.
"Your jokes are tasteless and inappropriate, and everyone ends up hating you," said Shatner, who revealed a headline supposedly from the next day's newspaper that read, "Seth MacFarlane worst Oscar host ever."
The performance-heavy Oscars also included an opening number featuring Charlize Theron and Channing Tatum, who did a classy dance while MacFarlane crooned "The Way You Look Tonight." Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt then joined MacFarlane for an elegant musical rendition of "High Hopes."
Halle Berry introduced a tribute to the Bond franchise, in which she has co-starred, as the British super-spy celebrated his 50th anniversary on the big-screen last year with the latest adventure "Skyfall." Shirley Bassey sang her theme song to the 1960s Bond tale "Goldfinger." Later, pop star Adele performed her theme tune from "Skyfall," which won the best-song Oscar.
Barbra Streisand injected some musical sentiment into the show's segment memorializing Hollywood figures who died in the past year as she sang "The Way We Were," the Oscar-winning song she did in the film of the same name.
A salute to the resurgence of movie musicals in the last decade included Oscar winners Zeta-Jones singing "All That Jazz" from "Chicago" and Hudson doing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls." Hathaway and Jackman joined cast mates of best-picture contender "Les Miserables" to sing songs from their musical.
Academy officials said all performances were sung live.
Fans had pondered how far MacFarlane the impudent creator of "Family Guy," might push the normally prim and proper Oscars. MacFarlane was generally polite and respectful, showcasing his charm, wit and vocal gifts.
MacFarlane did press his luck a bit on an Abraham Lincoln joke, noting that Raymond Massey preceded "Lincoln" star Daniel Day-Lewis as an Oscar nominee for 1940's "Abe Lincoln in Illinois."
"I would argue that the actor who really got inside Lincoln's head was John Wilkes Booth," MacFarlane wisecracked, earning some groans from the crowd. "A hundred and 50 years later, and it's still too soon?"
___
AP writers Christy Lemire, Sandy Cohen, Beth Harris and Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.
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Monday, February 25, 2013
Ikea withdraws meatballs in Europe, 21 nations hit
Advertising for Ikea meat balls at the parking area at an Ikea store in Malmo Sweden Monday Feb. 25, 2012. Furniture retailer Ikea says it has halted all sales of meat balls in Sweden after Czech authorities detected horse meat in frozen meatballs that were labeled as beef and pork. (AP Photo/Johannes Cleris) SWEDEN OUT
Advertising for Ikea meat balls at the parking area at an Ikea store in Malmo Sweden Monday Feb. 25, 2012. Furniture retailer Ikea says it has halted all sales of meat balls in Sweden after Czech authorities detected horse meat in frozen meatballs that were labeled as beef and pork. (AP Photo/Johannes Cleris) SWEDEN OUT
FILE - In this April 27, 2006 file photo, an exterior view of the Ikea furniture store in Duisburg, western Germany. The Czech veterinary authority said Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 it detected horse meat in meat balls labeled as beef and pork imported to the country by Sweden's furniture retailer giant Ikea. The State Veterinary Administration says the one-kilogram packs of the frozen meat balls were made in Sweden to be sold in Ikea's furniture stores that also offer typical Swedish food. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2012 file photo, a sign bearing the Ikea logo is seen outside a store in Berlin. The Czech veterinary authority said Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 it detected horse meat in meat balls labeled as beef and pork imported to the country by Sweden's furniture retailer giant Ikea. The State Veterinary Administration says the one-kilogram packs of the frozen meat balls were made in Sweden to be sold in Ikea's furniture stores that also offer typical Swedish food. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
Advertising for Ikea meat balls at the parking area at an Ikea store in Malmo Sweden Monday Feb. 25, 2012. Furniture retailer Ikea says it has halted all sales of meat balls in Sweden after Czech authorities detected horse meat in frozen meatballs that were labeled as beef and pork. (AP Photo/Johannes Cleris) SWEDEN OUT
STOCKHOLM (AP) ? Swedish furniture giant Ikea became entangled in Europe's widening meat scandal Monday, forced to withdraw meatballs from stores across Europe amid suspicions that they contained horse meat.
Stores in the U.S. and Canada were not affected, Ikea said.
The company reacted after authorities in the Czech Republic said they had detected horse DNA in tests of 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) packs of frozen meatballs that were labeled as beef and pork. The Czech State Veterinary Administration said it tested two batches of Ikea meatballs and only one of them contained horse meat. It did not say how much.
Meatballs from the same batch had been sent from a Swedish supplier to 12 other European countries ? Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland ? and would be pulled off the shelves in all of them, Ikea said.
Later Monday, the company expanded the withdrawals to stores in 21 countries that were getting meatballs from the same Swedish supplier.
Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said that included most European countries, but not Russia and Norway, which use local suppliers. Stores in Poland and Switzerland use both local suppliers and the Swedish one, but would now only use locally produced meatballs, she said.
"This is an extraordinary effort to ensure that no one is worried," Magnusson told The Associated Press.
She added that two weeks ago Ikea tested a range of frozen food products, including meatballs, and found no traces of horse meat. The company plans to conduct its own tests to "validate" the Czech results, she said.
Ikea's North America branch said the U.S. stores get their meatballs from a U.S. supplier.
"Based on the results of our mapping, we can confirm that the contents of the meatballs follow the Ikea recipe and contain only beef and pork from animals raised in the U.S. and Canada," Ikea North America spokeswoman Mona Astra Liss said in a statement.
Ikea is known for its assemble-it-yourself furniture but its trademark blue-and-yellow megastores also have cafeteria-style restaurants offering Swedish dishes such as meatballs served with boiled or mashed potatoes, gravy and lingonberry jam.
European Union officials met Monday to discuss tougher food labeling rules after the discovery of horse meat in a wide range of frozen supermarket meals that were supposed to contain beef or pork. So far those foods include meatballs, burgers, kebabs, lasagna, pizza, tortelloni, ravioli, empanadas and meat pies, among other items.
Authorities say the scandal is a case of fraudulent labeling but does not pose a health risk.
Gunnar Dafgard AB, a family-owned frozen foods company in southwestern Sweden that supplies Ikea's meatballs in Europe, posted a brief statement on its website saying "the batch in question has been blocked and we are investigating the situation."
Spokesman Ola Larsson said the company was conducting its own DNA tests and wouldn't comment further until it has those results.
Sweden's food safety authority said it wasn't taking any action but was waiting for Czech authorities to specify the quantity of horsemeat detected.
"If it's less than 1 percent it could mean that they handled horsemeat at the same facility. If it's more, we assess that it's been mixed into the product," said Karin Cerenius of Sweden's National Food Agency.
The Czech authority said a total of 760 kilograms (1,675 pounds) of the meatballs were stopped from reaching the shelves. It also said it found horse meat in beef burgers imported from Poland during random tests of food products.
"Unfortunately, the testing method we use detects just the quality ... the presence or non-presence of horse DNA," said Jan Vana, a senior official at the State Veterinary Administration. "At the moment, we can't say the quantity of it."
Spanish authorities, meanwhile, announced that traces of horse meat were found in a beef cannelloni product by one of the brands of Nestle, a Switzerland-based food giant.
In a statement on its website, Nestle Spain said it was withdrawing six "La Cocinera" products and one "Buitoni" product from store shelves. It said it was taking the action after traces of horse meat were found in beef bought from a supplier in Spain and that it was taking legal action against the company.
Processed food products ? a business segment with traditionally low margins that often leads producers to hunt for the cheapest suppliers ? often contain ingredients from multiple suppliers in different countries, who themselves at times subcontract production to others, making it hard to monitor every link in the production chain.
Standardized DNA checks with meat suppliers or more stringent labeling rules on disclosing the origin of processed food's ingredients will add costs that producers will most likely hand over to consumers, making food more expensive.
The scandal has created a split in the European Union between nations like Britain, which see further rules as a protectionist hindrance of free trade under the 27-nation bloc's single market, and those calling for tougher regulation, including Austria and Germany.
"Consumers have every right to the greatest-possible transparency," German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner said.
At the meeting in Brussels, several EU agriculture ministers called upon the Commission, the bloc's executive arm, to speed up presenting a proposal on tougher regulation by this summer.
The scandal began in Ireland in mid-January when the country announced the results of its first-ever DNA tests on beef products. It tested frozen beef burgers taken from store shelves and found that more than a third of brands at five supermarkets contained at least a trace of horse. The sample of one brand sold by the British supermarket kingpin Tesco had more than 25 percent horse meat.
___
Associated Press writers Juergen Baetz in Brussels, Karel Janicek in Prague and Ciaran Giles in Madrid contributed to this report.
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US scrambles to salvage Syrian opposition talks
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry boards his plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to London in his inaugural official trip as Secretary on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Pool, Jacquelyn Martin)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry boards his plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to London in his inaugural official trip as Secretary on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Pool, Jacquelyn Martin)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry boards his plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to London in his inaugural official trip as Secretary on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Pool, Jacquelyn Martin)
FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2013 file photo, Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the State Department in Washington. Kerry will make his first overseas trip next week to Europe and the Middle East, but is skipping Israel because that country's government isn't fully formed after recent elections. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
LONDON (AP) ? The U.S. is frantically trying to salvage a Syrian opposition conference set for this coming week that John Kerry plans to attend during his first official overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state.
A senior Obama administration official said Sunday that Kerry has sent his top Syrian envoy to Cairo in hopes of convincing opposition leaders that the Rome conference will be critical to securing additional aid from the United States and Europe.
Some members of the sharply divided Syrian Opposition Council are threatening to boycott Wednesday's meeting.
According to the official, U.S. envoy Robert Ford will say that the conference is a chance for foes of Syrian President Bashar Assad to make their case for new and enhanced aid, and especially to America's new chief diplomat.
The official was not authorized to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity.
If the meeting with Kerry were to be postponed, the official said the delay would hurt chances for short-term boosts or shifts in Syria policy.
The U.S. is concerned that the same kind of infighting that doomed the Syrian National Council may be hindering the SOC.
In addition to Ford's trip to Cairo, the top U.S. diplomat for the Mideast, Beth Jones, planned to head to Rome on Monday to add her voice to the argument.
Kerry is on a self-described "listening tour" of Europe and the Mideast, chiefly focused on ending the crisis in Syria.
The former Democratic senator from Massachusetts has said he is bringing new ideas to increase the pressure on Assad to leave power and make way for a democratic transition. Violence in Syria has killed at least 70,000 people.
Kerry has not elaborated on those plans, but there is internal debate in the Obama administration about stepping up aid to the rebels, perhaps to include lethal military assistance.
In London, his first stop, Kerry was expected to be asked by the British about the administration's views on Britain's dispute with Argentina over the Falkland Islands. London is looking to Washington to support a referendum next month on the islands' future. Residents are expected to vote widely in favor of remaining part of Britain.
Senior officials traveling with Kerry would not discuss possible outcomes or the vote, and the U.S. position remains that it is up to Britain and Argentina to work out a resolution. Argentina claims the islands as the Islas Malvinas.
Britain asserted control of the South Atlantic islands by placing a naval garrison there in 1833. Britain and Argentina fought a brief war in 1982 after Argentina invaded the islands. More than 900 people died, most of them Argentines.
Kerry's nine-nation, 10-day trip will also take him to America's traditional European allies of Germany, France and Italy, along with Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
In addition to Syria, he will focus on conflicts in Mali and Afghanistan, and on Iran's nuclear program.
In Germany, Kerry will discuss trans-Atlantic issues with German youth in Berlin, where he spent time as a child as the son of an American diplomat posted to the divided Cold War city. He also will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the German capital.
In Paris, Kerry plans to discuss France's intervention in Mali.
Despite the numerous Middle East stops. Kerry will not travel to Israel or the Palestinian territories. He will wait to visit them when he accompanies Obama there in March.
___
Online:
Trip details: http://www.state.gov/secretary/travel/2013/205086.htm
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Sunday, February 24, 2013
Ask sports: Which teams have the longest active NCAA streaks after KU?
We know Kansas has the longest active streak of making the NCAA Tournament. Which teams are the next after KU?
The Jayhawks will make their 24th straight appearance in the tournament next month, which is the third longest in NCAA history behind North Carolina?s 27-year streak and Arizona?s 25 straight years.
The next three schools on the active list are all vying for a No. 1 seed in this year?s tourney: Duke (17 straight trips), Michigan State (15) and Gonzaga (14).
Wisconsin and Texas also have 14-year streaks on the line, with the Badgers appearing to be comfortable while Rick Barnes? Longhorns will need to win the Big 12 Tournament to stay alive.
No other schools have streaks longer than seven.
Kansas State is one of 25 schools with a current streak of at least three years.
Who do oddsmakers favor in winning today?s Daytona 500?
It?s not polesitter Danica Patrick. She?s tied for the 15th favorite on Sportsbook.com, going off at 25-1 odds.
Tony Stewart, who hasn?t won the race before and starts 13th Sunday, is Sportsbook?s 8-1 favorite, followed by Kevin Harvick (9-1), Kyle Busch (10-1) and 2012 winner Matt Kenseth (10-1).
Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski starts at 12-1, while Emporia?s Clint Bowyer is an 18-1 option.
The British bookies give Kyle Busch (8-1) and Harvick (8-1) a better chance.
Joshua Wood
Source: http://www.kansas.com/2013/02/24/2687967/ask-sports-which-teams-have-the.html
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LSU Alumnus Lonnie J. Dore Appointed to College?s Advisory Board
BATON ROUGE ? Lonnie J. Dore, former vice president of sales and vice president of information technology with Kellogg?s, has been appointed to LSU University College?s Advisory Board.
?I am excited to be named to University College?s Advisory Board,? Dore said. ?LSU helped me lay down a solid foundation that helped me throughout my business career. I truly do not think I would have been half as successful without gaining my experience and education from our great university. After 36-years in the work place, I am excited to help young people achieve their goals. I believe we are very lucky to have such a great university in our state that really cares for its students. I look forward to giving back to LSU and University College as it afforded me a solid foundation to start my professional career.?
LSU University College?s Advisory Board is comprised of 26 business executives and community leaders. It is a strong and active board, and members participate in a number of activities and events, such as an Annual Meeting and Pigskin Preview hosted by LSU Football Coach Les Miles, selection of University College?s more than 50 scholarship recipients, and host/hostess to various LSU recruitment receptions.
?Lon Dore, an accomplished alumnus of LSU, has shared his enthusiasm for University College and the programs we offer. I am delighted to have him join our advisory board. His professional experience and perspective as a former student will be a solid foundation for his support and involvement,? said Paul Ivey, executive director of LSU University College.
Dore, LSU 1976 graduate of the General College, began his industrious 34-year career at Kellogg?s as a retail sales representative with great accomplishments managing international sales in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Dore held many notable positions with Kellogg?s and oversaw a USA retail team of 325 sales professionals. In 2010, Dore retired from Kellogg?s and returned to Louisiana as vice president of sales for Bruce Foods.
Dore enjoys his life in Louisiana with his lovely wife of 35-years, Carol Simpson Dore, a LSU 1977 graduate of the General College.? Carol too held many professionals positions, yet her devotion lies with community activism and volunteerism. She spends a great deal of time contributing to the Episcopal Church, serving as Sunday School teacher to Senior Warden.? Other organizations she has supported through decades of volunteer service include the PTA, Band Boosters, Village De Bon Temps Mardi Gras Krewe, Junior Theater Board, Painted Chair Fundraiser, Student Council Advisor Board, and Make a Difference Day. Carol was honored as Sustainer of the Year for her devotion to developing women as community leaders in the Junior League.
Lon and Carol Dore have two daughters, Ann and Christine, and recently celebrated the birth of their first grandchild, Caroline Christine.
Since 1933, LSU University College has served as the portal of entry for students enrolled at LSU. Academic and personal success is the hallmark of a well-rounded student, and University College provides a foundation of support services for students beginning their academic careers at LSU. University College has two enrollment divisions: The Center for Freshman Year and The Center for Advising and Counseling. Additionally, University College offers retention-specific programs: Student Support Services, Ronald E. McNair Research Scholars, and Summer Scholars. These academic support programs focus on particular student populations and are a significant part of the role and mission of University College.
For more information on LSU University College, visit www.uc.lsu.edu or follow the conversation at www.facebook.com/LSU.UniversityCollege.
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Copyright 2013?WAFB. All rights reserved.
Source: http://ebreast.wafb.com/news/news/56899-lsu-alumnus-lonnie-j-dore-appointed-colleges-advisory-board
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Left-wing candidate concedes Cyprus election
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? The left-wing candidate in Cyprus' presidential election runoff, Stavros Malas, has conceded defeat.
Near final results show his conservative rival, Nicos Anastasiades, has won with one of the widest margins in 30 years.
With nearly all the votes counted, Anastasiades had 57.48 percent of the ballots, far ahead of Malas' 42.52 percent.
Cypriots were choosing their leader at a critical time.
Their country faces the specter of financial meltdown, and the new president will be under pressure to quickly finalize a financial rescue package with the eurozone's other 16 countries and the International Monetary Fund.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/left-wing-candidate-concedes-cyprus-election-172507621--finance.html
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China tensions with Japan sell fireworks?
Some manufacturers of New Year fireworks are profiting from strong anti-Japanese sentiment related to territorial disputes. Just check out the names of certain pyrotechnics for sale on Beijing streets.
A vendor walks out from a room where boxes of firecrackers with the words 'Tokyo Big Explosion' are stored in Beijing, Wednesday. The vendor said Chinese authorities have asked that the fireworks not be sold due to its name on the package. China and Japan are in a tense dispute over East China Sea islands that have inflamed anti-Japanese sentiment among Chinese.
Andy Wong/AP
EnlargeNothing defines Chinese New Year like fireworks. On the stroke of midnight, Beijing erupts in a riotous, deafening barrage of explosions that out-bangs any war zone.
Skip to next paragraph Peter FordBeijing Bureau Chief
Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.
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This year?s celebration, though, will carry ugly undertones of real war in the midst of rising tensions with neighboring Japan. On sale on the city?s streets in advance of Saturday night?s festivities is a box of pyrotechnics called ?Tokyo Explosion.??
Most fireworks here bear more benign names. ?Golden Snakes Dancing Crazily? is expected to be popular, as Chinese welcome in the Year of the Snake. ?Wish You Get Rich? and ?Billionaire? play to traditional desires.
But some manufacturers are seeking to profit from a seething undercurrent of anti-Japanese sentiment that has bubbled to the surface as a dispute with Japan over ownership of a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea grows increasingly bitter.
?I Love the Diaoyu Islands? is one such product, referring to the Chinese name for the islands. In Japan they are known as the Senkakus.
?Aircraft Carrier Shows China?s Might? is another, celebrating the October 2012 launch of the Liaoning, China?s first carrier, which has become a symbol of Beijing?s growing military strength.
Tensions around the islands edged up another notch this week, when the Japanese government revealed that a Chinese naval frigate had ?locked on? to a Japanese vessel with its missile-guidance radar system.
On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the incident a ?dangerous? and ?provocative? act ?that could have led to an unpredictable situation.?
On the Chinese Internet, however, angry micro-bloggers hailed the Chinese action.
?We should shoot at Japanese vessels before we warn them,? advocated Li Xu on Sina.com?s popular Twitter-like Weibo platform. ?The only way to punish Japan is to annihilate all Japanese,? added another commentator calling himself Truelove Leo.
The aggressively named fireworks reflect an anti-Japanese mood that the Chinese authorities sometimes seem eager to feed. Government and ruling Communist Party officials orchestrated anti-Japanese demonstrations last year when the island dispute broke out, and Chinese TV is flooded with drama series ? one much like another ? set during the Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945), featuring inhuman ?Japanese devils? as the popular Chinese phrase has it.
There is even a theme park in Shanxi Province where tourists can dress up as soldiers in the Eighth Route Army, the Communist Party?s main military force during the war, sing anti-Japanese war songs, and join in mock guerrilla battles against the Japanese invaders.
A public opinion poll released at the end of last year found that 87 percent of Chinese had a negative opinion of Japan, up from 66 percent a year earlier. And the feeling is mutual. A Japanese government survey in December found sympathy for China at a record low, with less than 20 percent of respondents reporting an affinity for their giant neighbor.
Not everybody buys into the prevailing atmosphere, however. When one Chinese blogger posted a screenshot from a recent TV drama capturing a particularly gory and ludicrous scene of a Chinese man tearing a ?Japanese devil? in half with his bare hands, most of the comments were scathing.
?Another brainwashing drama,? scoffed one. ?The Communist Party is unparalleled in this field.?
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Journey to the limits of spacetime
Friday, February 22, 2013
Voracious absences at the center of galaxies, black holes shape the growth and death of the stars around them through their powerful gravitational pull and explosive ejections of energy.
"Over its lifetime, a black hole can release more energy than all the stars in a galaxy combined," said Roger Blandford, director of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science. "Black holes have a major impact on the formation of galaxies and the environmental growth and evolution of those galaxies."
Gravitational forces grow so strong close to a black hole that even light cannot escape from within, hence the difficulty in observing them directly. Scientists infer facts about black holes by their influence on the astronomical objects around them: the orbit of stars and clumps of detectable energy.
With this information in hand, scientists create computer models to understand the data and to make predictions about the physics of distant regions of space. However, models are only as good as their assumptions.
"All tests of general relativity in the weak gravity field limit, like in our solar system, fall directly along the lines of what Einstein predicted," explained Jonathan McKinney, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Maryland at College Park. "But there is another regime?which has yet to be tested, and which is the hardest to test?that represents the strong gravitational field limit. And according to Einstein, gravity is strongest near black holes."
This makes black holes the ultimate experimental testing grounds for Einstein's theory of general relativity.
While black holes cannot be observed, they are typically accompanied by other objects with distinctive features that can be seen, including accretion disks, which are circling disks of superhot matter on our side of the black hole's "event horizon"; and relativistic jets, high-powered streams of ionized gases that shoot hundreds of thousands of light years across the sky.
In a paper published in Science in January 2013, McKinney, Tchekhovskoy and Blandford predicted the formation of accretion disks and relativistic jets that warp and bend more than previously thought, shaped both by the extreme gravity of the black hole and by powerful magnetic forces generated by its spin. Their highly detailed models of the black hole environment contribute new knowledge to the field.
For decades, a simplistic view of the accretion disks and polar jets reigned. It was widely believed that accretion disks sat like flat plates along the outer edges of black holes and that jets shot straight out perpendicularly. However, new 3D simulations performed on the powerful supercomputers of the National Science Foundation's Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) and NASA overturned this oversimplified view of jets and disks.
The simulations show that the jet is aligned with the black hole's spin near the black hole but that it gradually gets pushed by the disk material and becomes parallel to (but offset from) the disk's rotational axis at large distances. The interaction between the jet and disk leaves a warp in the accretion disk density.
"An important aspect that determines jet properties is the strength of the magnetic field threading the black hole," said Alexander Tchekhovskoy, a post-doctoral fellow at the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science. "While in previous works it was a free parameter, in our series of works the field is maximum: it is as strong as a black hole's gravity pull on the disk."
In the simulations, the twisting energy grows so strong that it actually powers the jet. In fact, the jet can reorient the accretion disk, rather than the other way around, as was thought previously.
"People had thought that the disk was the dominant aspect," McKinney said. "It was the dog and the jet was the wagging tail. But we found that the magnetic field builds up to become stronger than gravity, and then the jet becomes the dog and the disk becomes the wagging tail. Or, one can say the dog is chasing its own tail, because the disk and jet are quite balanced, with the disk following the jet ? it's the inverse situation to what people thought."
What does this have to do with Einstein and his theory of general relativity?
Astronomers are closer than ever to being able to see the details of the jets and accretion disks around black holes. In a September 2012 paper in Science, Sheperd Doeleman of MIT reported the first images of the jet-launching structure near the supermassive black hole, M87, at the center of a neighboring galaxy, captured using the Event Horizon Telescope, a very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) array composed of four telescopes at three geographical locations. It constituted a small sliver of a vast skyscape, yet the results give astronomers like McKinney, Tchekhovskoy and Blandford the hope that they will get their first comprehensive glimpse into the black hole's neighborhood in the next three to five years.
"We'll see the gases swirl around the black hole and other optical effects that will be signatures of a black holes in spacetime that one can look out for," said Blandford.
The observations will either match models like theirs, or they will be different. Both outcomes will tell researchers a lot.
"If you don't have an accurate model and anything can happen as far as you understand, then you're not going to be able to make any constraints and prove one way or another whether Einstein was right," McKinney explained. "But if you have an accurate model using Einstein's equations, and you observe a black hole that is very different from what you expected, then you can begin to say that he may be wrong."
The model Blandford and others generated using supercomputing simulations will help serve that comparative role. But they need to add one crucial element to make the simulations meaningful: a way of translating the physics of the black hole system into a visual signal as it would be seen from the vantage point of our telescopes, billions of light years away.
"We're in the process of making our simulations shine, so they can be compared with observations," McKinney said, "not only to test our ideas of how these disks and jets work, but ultimately to test general relativity."
###
University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center: http://www.tacc.utexas.edu/
Thanks to University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center for this article.
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Saturday, February 23, 2013
Purported pic of Retina iPad mini appears online
Retina iPad mini has made its first appearance in the underbelly of the Internet where mockups and fake pictures mix freely with truth and actual product specifications. CNET reports that a Chinese website has posted what it claims is a picture of Retina iPad mini.
In case you've been living a rock, it's worth reiterating that Apple introduced the iPad mini alongside the fourth generation iPad at a special event in San Jose, California on October 23rd last year. The iPad mini features a 7.9-inch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance and 10 hours of battery life.
With the 'bigger' iPad featuring a Retina display of 2048x1536 resolution, many found iPad mini's 1024x768 display rather underwhelming. Speculation about Apple releasing a Retina iPad mini has been rampant almost since the day the iPad mini was announced. Most analysts and technical experts full expect Apple to release the Retina iPad mini, and now it has made its first alleged appearance.
The picture on the Chinese forum features an iPad mini-like device pictured from the bottom. The speaker grill can be seen, as can be the Apple branding on the back, which is, strangely, in a shade of blue. The pictured device is visibly thicker than the current iPad mini, which adds credence to the fact this could be a Retina version, since the Retina iPad was famously thicker than the iPad 2. On the other hand, that blue colour sticks out like a sore thumb, since no Apple devices feature that particular shade.
We're sure we'll see a lot more leaks between now and the actual launch. Keep your seat belts on. This could be a bumpy ride.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ndtv/uQAc/~3/fKDHbL00LsI/story01.htm
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$100M Calif. mansion has unusual sale requirement
HILLSBOROUGH, Calif. (AP) ? As if the $100 million asking price wasn't deterrent enough, the owner of a mansion for sale in a ritzy San Francisco suburb says the buyer can move in only after his death.
The unusual arrangement is for a 16,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style home on more than 45 acres in Hillsborough.
The San Mateo County Times reports (http://bit.ly/VyKCcz ) the owner, 76-year-old Christian de Guigne (deh GHEEN-yay) IV, was born and raised in the home and doesn't plan to turn it over to the new owner until he dies.
Sotheby's International Realty agent Gregg Lynn says the arrangement was common for property traded up until the 20th century. He called the estate a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Another home nearby recently sold for $117.5 million.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/100m-calif-mansion-unusual-sale-requirement-181747469.html
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SmackDown Five-Point Preview: Feb. 22, 2013
All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.
Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2013-02-22/five-point-preview
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?Stressed? bacteria become resistant to antibiotics
Feb. 20, 2013 ? Bacteria become resistant to antibiotics when stressed, finds research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. In particular E. coli grown at high temperatures become resistant to rifampicin.
It is generally thought that antibiotic resistance is costly to maintain, for example mutations which reduce antibiotic uptake also restrict the amount of nutrients entering the cell. Consequently in the absence of antibiotics non-resistant bacteria will out-compete the resistant ones. However researchers from UC Irvine and Facult? de M?dicine Denis Diderot have discovered that by putting bacteria under stress, by growing them at a high temperature, the bacteria could spontaneously develop resistance to the antibiotic rifampicin.
The mutations responsible for rifampicin resistance had different effects in other strains of E coli. In each type of bacteria tested the mutated subunit of the RNA polymerase rpoB allowed them to grow in the presence of rifampicin, but unlike the original test strain they did not necessarily have a growth advantage at high temperature.
Dr Olivier Tenaillon who led this study commented, "Our study shows that antibiotic resistance can occur even in the absence of antibiotics and that, depending on the type of bacteria, and growth conditions, rather than being costly to maintain can be highly beneficial. Given that rifampicin is used to treat serious bacterial infections such as tuberculosis, leprosy, Legionnaire's disease, and for prophylaxis in cases of meningococcal meningitis, this development has important implications for public health."
These bacteria provide strong evidence that the evolution of antibiotic resistance is governed by two properties of genes, pleiotropy and epistasis. Dr Arjan de Visser from Wageningen University explained, "Pleiotropy describes how the antibiotic resistance mutations affect other functions, hence their fate in other environments. Epistasis describes how well different mutations combine in their effect on resistance, and therefore determines which mutational pathway will be preferred by evolution when several mutations are needed for full resistance."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited.
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Journal Reference:
- Alejandra Rodr?guez-Verdugo, Brandon S Gaut and Olivier Tenaillon. Evolution of Escherichia coli rifampicin resistance in an antibiotic-free environment during thermal stress. BMC Evolutionary Biology, (in press) [link]
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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Thursday, February 21, 2013
Study of remora fish could lead to new bio-adhesive
Feb. 20, 2013 ? When a shark is spotted in the ocean, humans and marine animals alike usually flee. But not the remora -- this fish will instead swim right up to a shark and attach itself to the predator using a suction disk located on the top of its head. While we know why remoras attach to larger marine animals -- for transportation, protection and food -- the question of how they attach and detach from hosts without appearing to harm them remains unanswered.
A new study led by researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) provides details of the structure and tissue properties of the remora's unique adhesion system. The researchers plan to use this information to create an engineered reversible adhesive inspired by the remora that could be used to create pain- and residue-free bandages, attach sensors to objects in aquatic or military reconnaissance environments, replace surgical clamps and help robots climb.
"While other creatures with unique adhesive properties -- such as geckos, tree frogs and insects -- have been the inspiration for laboratory-fabricated adhesives, the remora has been overlooked until now," said GTRI senior research engineer Jason Nadler. "The remora's attachment mechanism is quite different from other suction cup-based systems, fasteners or adhesives that can only attach to smooth surfaces or cannot be detached without damaging the host."
The study results were presented at the Materials Research Society's 2012 Fall Meeting and will be published in the meeting's proceedings. The research was supported by the Georgia Research Alliance and GTRI.
The remora's suction plate is a greatly evolved dorsal fin on top of the fish's body. The fin is flattened into a disk-like pad and surrounded by a thick, fleshy lip of connective tissue that creates the seal between the remora and its host. The lip encloses rows of plate-like structures called lamellae, from which perpendicular rows of tooth-like structures called spinules emerge. The intricate skeletal structure enables efficient attachment to surfaces including sharks, sea turtles, whales and even boats.
To better understand how remoras attach to a host, Nadler and GTRI research scientist Allison Mercer teamed up with researchers from the Georgia Tech School of Biology and Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering to investigate and quantitatively analyze the structure and form of the remora adhesion system, including its hierarchical nature.
Remora typically attach to larger marine animals for three reasons: transportation -- a free ride that allows the remora to conserve energy; protection -- being attacked when attached to a shark is unlikely; and food -- sharks are very sloppy eaters, often leaving plenty of delectable morsels floating around for the remora to gobble up.
But whether this attachment was active or passive had been unclear. Results from the GTRI study suggest that remoras utilize a passive adhesion mechanism, meaning that the fish do not have to exert additional energy to maintain their attachment. The researchers suspect that drag forces created as the host swims actually increase the strength of the adhesion.
Dissection experiments showed that the remora's attachment or release from a host could be controlled by muscles that raise or lower the lamellae. Dissection also revealed light-colored muscle tissue surrounding the suction disk, indicating low levels of myoglobin. For the remora to maintain active muscle control while attached to a marine host over long distances, the muscle tissue should display high concentrations of myoglobin, which were only seen in the much darker swimming muscles.
"We were very excited to discover that the adhesion is passive," said Mercer. "We may be able to exploit and improve upon some of the adhesive properties of the fish to produce a synthetic material."
The researchers also developed a technique that allowed them to collect thousands of measurements from three remora specimens, which yielded new insight into the shape, arrangement and spacing of their features. First, they imaged the remoras in attached and detached states using microtomography, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. From the images, the researchers digitally reconstructed each specimen, measured characteristic features, and quantified structural similarities among specimens with significant size differences.
Detailed microtomography-based surface renderings of the lamellae showed a row of shorter, more regularly spaced and more densely packed spinules and another row of longer, less densely spaced spinules. A quantitative analysis uncovered similarities in suction disk structure with respect to the size and position of the lamellae and spinules despite significant specimen size differences. One of the fish's disks was more than twice as long as the others, but the researchers observed a length-to-width ratio of each specimen's adhesion disk that was within 16 percent of the average.
Through additional experiments, the researchers found that the spacing between the spinules on the remoras and the spacing between scales on mako sharks was remarkably similar.
"Complementary spacing between features on the remora and a shark likely contributes to the larger adhesive strength that has been observed when remoras are attached to shark skin compared to smoother surfaces," said Mercer.
The researchers are planning to conduct further tests to better understand the roles of the various suction disk structural elements and their interactions to create a successful attachment and detachment system in the laboratory.
"We are not trying to replicate the exact remora adhesion structure that occurs in nature," explained Nadler. "We would like to identify, characterize and harness its critical features to design and test attachment systems that enable those unique adhesive functions. Ultimately, we want to optimize a bio-inspired adhesive for a wide variety of applications that have capabilities and performance advantages over adhesives or fasteners available today."
In addition to those already mentioned, the following researchers also contributed to this work: Georgia Tech mechanical engineering research engineer Angela Lin, professor Robert Guldberg and graduate student Michael Culler; Georgia Tech biology graduate student Ryan Bloomquist and associate professor Todd Streelman; and GTRI research scientist Keri Ledford.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Georgia Institute of Technology, Research Communications, via Newswise. The original article was written by Abby Robinson.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/ybQTqcYxYbY/130221091831.htm
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NY Times again prepares to sell Boston Globe
FILE - In this July 20, 2009 file photo, a security guard walks past the entrance of The Boston Globe building in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. The New York Times Company, which owns The Globe, announced Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, that it has put The Globe up for sale. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
FILE - In this July 20, 2009 file photo, a security guard walks past the entrance of The Boston Globe building in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. The New York Times Company, which owns The Globe, announced Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, that it has put The Globe up for sale. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
FILE - In this June 8, 2009 file photo, workers walk past the front of The Boston Globe building in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. The New York Times Company, which owns The Globe, announced Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, that it has put The Globe up for sale. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
FILE - In this July 20, 2009 file photo, workers walk through the pressroom at The Boston Globe building in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. The New York Times Company, which owns The Globe, announced Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, that it has put The Globe up for sale. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The New York Times Co. said Wednesday that it is putting The Boston Globe and its related assets up for sale four years after it called off a previous attempt to sell the newspaper.
Mark Thompson, the Times' chief executive, said in a statement a sale would be in the best long-term interests of both properties, "given the differences between these businesses and The New York Times."
Thompson said the sale would help the company concentrate its attention and investments on The New York Times' brand.
The newspapers' differences are stark. The Times has a national ? even international ? audience, and has been adding digital subscribers at a rapid clip. Last year, it launched a Chinese-language website and has a loyal, growing subscriber base in the U.S.
Meanwhile, the Globe is focused on its readers in the New England region, and while its digital subscriptions have been increasing, analysts believe they aren't rising fast enough to be meaningful. The Globe had 28,000 digital subscribers at the end of 2012, up 8 percent from three months earlier.
In comparison, the Times and International Herald Tribune had 640,000 paying subscribers online, up 13 percent over three months.
Analyst John Janedis of UBS said in a research note that the sale has been expected for years and "will allow NYT to focus on the core brand as it attempts to further build out its digital platform."
He estimated that the Globe earned about $37.5 million in profits before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization on $375 million in revenue.
Janedis said the sale could bring in $150 million to $175 million, not including pension liabilities or the value of the Globe's headquarters.
Along with the Globe, the Times plans to sell the Worcester Telegram & Gazette; the publications' related websites; the Globe's direct mail marketing company, GlobeDirect; and a 49 percent interest in Metro Boston, a free daily newspaper for commuters.
Led by Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the Times Co. is controlled by a family trust whose trustees are the descendants of Adolph Ochs, who bought the newspaper in 1896. The trust holds 90 percent of the non-traded Class B stock that is required to elect a majority of the board.
The Times bought the Globe in 1993 for $1.1 billion from the family of Stephen Taylor, a former Globe executive. But the newspaper has faced difficulties in recent years as advertisers cut spending on newspapers and moved more ads online.
A round of cost cutting in 2009, which involved pay cuts, helped put the newspaper on better financial footing. It prompted the Times to call off a planned sale and rebuff the offers of several bidders. In late 2011, the Globe started charging for access to its online version at BostonGlobe.com. The move helped boost circulation revenues.
Times doesn't separate Globe revenue from Times revenue in its financial statements. But the Globe had an average weekday circulation of 230,351 in the six months through September, up 12 percent from a year ago, according to the Alliance for Audited Media. The newspaper's increase in digital subscriptions more than offset declines in print. But the total is still down significantly from the nearly 413,000 it boasted in September 2002.
Wednesday's announcement follows the sale of several Times assets recently.
In September, the newspaper company sold its About.com website and related businesses for $300 million to Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp. In January 2012, the Times sold its regional media group to Halifax Media Holdings for $143 million.
Asset sales helped triple net income in the final quarter of 2012 to $176.9 million, or $1.14 per share, as revenue grew 5 percent to $575.8 million. Without the sales, earnings per share would have fallen.
Analyst Edward Atorino with The Benchmark Co. said he views the sale as part of a strategy by the Ochs-Sulzberger family that controls the Times Co. to delist as a public company and go private.
"They're selling everything not nailed down," Atorino said. "The family will simply take the Times private. That's the only logical end game."
The Times Co.'s stock has fallen precipitously in recent years from above $50 in 2002 to around $4 during the depths of the recession in 2009. Since then, the stock has recovered somewhat, closing down 4 cents at $9.03 on Wednesday shortly after news of the sale broke.
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Samsung promises more affordable Galaxy Camera with just Wi-Fi
If you're interested in Samsung's Android-based Galaxy Camera, but don't want to deal with a monthly data plan, Samsung will soon offer a Wi-Fi alternative ? no data contracts required.
Samsung says its Galaxy Camera with Wi-Fi will be ?more affordable? than 3G and 4G models, offered on AT&T and Verizon, respectively. The company hasn't listed a price, but AT&T's model costs $500, while Verizon's costs $550, so the Wi-Fi version will likely come in under $500.
The Wi-Fi model is the same as its connected counterparts, with a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 21x optical zoom lens with a maximum F2.8 aperture, 1080p video recording at 30 frames per second and built-in GPS. It has 8 GB of built-in storage, plus a microSD card slot.
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Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Syria "Scud-type" missile said to kill 20 in Aleppo
AMMAN (Reuters) - A Syrian missile killed at least 20 people in a rebel-held district of Aleppo on Tuesday, opposition activists said, as the army turns to longer-range weapons after losing bases in the country's second-largest city.
The use of what opposition activists said was a large missile of the same type as Russian-made Scuds against an Aleppo residential district came after rebels overran army bases over the past two months from which troops had fired artillery.
As the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, now a civil war, nears its two-year mark, rebels also landed three mortar bombs in the rarely-used presidential palace compound in the capital Damascus, opposition activists said on Tuesday.
The United Nations estimates 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict between largely Sunni Muslim rebels and Assad's supporters among his minority Alawite sect. An international diplomatic deadlock has prevented intervention, as the war worsens sectarian tensions throughout the Middle East.
A Russian official said on Tuesday that Moscow, which is a long-time ally of Damascus, would not immediately back U.N. investigators' calls for some Syrian leaders to face the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
Moscow has blocked three U.N. Security Council resolutions that would have increased pressure on Assad.
Casualties are not only being caused directly by fighting, but also by disruption to infrastructure and Syria's economy.
An estimated 2,500 people in a rebel-held area of northeastern Deir al-Zor province have been infected with typhoid, which causes diarrhea and can be fatal, due to drinking contaminated water from the Euphrates River, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
"There is not enough fuel or electricity to run the pumps so people drink water from the Euphrates which is contaminated, probably with sewage," the WHO representative in Syria, Elisabeth Hoff, told Reuters by telephone.
The WHO had no confirmed reports of deaths so far.
BURIED UNDER RUBBLE
In northern Aleppo, opposition activists said 25 people were missing under rubble of three buildings hit by a several-meter-long missile. They said remains of the weapon showed it to be a Scud-type missile of the type government forces increasingly use in Aleppo and in Deir a-Zor.
NATO said in December Assad's forces fired Scud-type missiles. It did not specify where they landed but said their deployment was an act of desperation.
Bodies were being gradually dug up, Mohammad Nour, an activist, said by phone from Aleppo.
"Some, including children, have died in hospitals," he said.
Video footage showed dozens of people scouring for victims and inspecting damage. A body was pulled from under collapsed concrete. At a nearby hospital, a baby said to have been dug out from wreckage was shown dying in the hands of doctors.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Opposition activists also reported fighting near the town of Nabak on the Damascus-Homs highway, another route vital for supplying forces in the capital loyal to Assad, whose family has ruled Syria since the 1960s.
Rebels moved anti-aircraft guns into the eastern Damascus district of Jobar, adjacent to the city centre, as they seek to secure recent gains, an activist said.
"The rebels moved truck-mounted anti-aircraft guns to Jobar and are now firing at warplanes rocketing the district," said Damascus activist Moaz al-Shami.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told a news conference a U.N. war crimes report, which accuses military leaders and rebels of terrorizing civilians, was "not the path we should follow ... at this stage it would be untimely and unconstructive."
Syria is not party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC and the only way the court can investigate the situation is if it receives a referral from the Security Council, where Moscow is a permanent member.
(Writing by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Jason Webb)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rocket-attack-aleppo-kills-20-activists-113957231.html
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Organic rice research moves to front burner in Texas
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Public release date: 19-Feb-2013[ | E-mail |
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ka-phillips@tamu.edu
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Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
COLLEGE STATION Organic rice studies have moved to the front burner with almost $1 million in federal grants to Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists.
Two studies, led by Dr. Fugen Dou of Beaumont and a team from College Station, Corpus Christi, Arkansas, Alabama and South Carolina will look at yielding more high quality organic rice in an environmentally friendly way. The research projects are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Organic rice field near Beaumont, Texas. (Texas A&M AgirLIfe Research photo by Dr. Fugen Dou).
Currently some 50,000 acres of organic rice are grown annually in the U.S., the researchers noted, and demand has continued to increase.
"Although conventional rice production has decreased in Texas by about 36 percent in the last 15 years," Dou said, "the state now has about 15,000 acres of organic rice and is revitalizing the rice industry.
But there are many unknowns about growing the crop organically, he said. And, because all U.S. rice is grown in flooded rice paddies, organic production methods developed for other crops do not pertain to rice farming.
The biggest of two grants will be an almost $727,000 study to look at reducing greenhouse gas emission on organic rice farms.
"Organic rice farming may have greater potential for soil carbon sequestration but may also result in greater greenhouse gas emissions because of greater input of organic matter," Dou explained.
He said the research will look at the use of cover crops, organic soil amendments and the choice of varieties to improve soil quality, reduce disease loss and increase yield and milling quality.
Dou has done previous research to help rice farmers determine the best management practices for growing the crop organically. In those, the researcher found that ryegrass and clover performed better than other winter cover crops on clay soils. He also found two organic soil amendments Nature Safe and Rhizogen increased yield and milling quality better than other organic fertilizers.
Clover was planted on a field prior to planting organic rice in at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research-Beaumont test site. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Kathleen Phillips)
The rice variety also made a difference in yield when grown organically, Dou said.
While those findings were conclusive individually, Dou noted, there had not been research to determine how these practices impacted each other when applied together.
"With this research, we will look at the effect of cover crops, organic soil amendments and the variety of rice on yield, milling quality, soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions," he said.
The second study will use $225,000 to examine the severity of disease in rice crops in Texas and South Carolina, specifically at the impact of dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations and salinity on water quality.
Dou said the researchers also will develop budgets to determine the best management practices to use to get the maximum economic return for the investment.
Both projects will be conducted through 2015.
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Public release date: 19-Feb-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Kathleen Phillips
ka-phillips@tamu.edu
979-845-2872
Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
COLLEGE STATION Organic rice studies have moved to the front burner with almost $1 million in federal grants to Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists.
Two studies, led by Dr. Fugen Dou of Beaumont and a team from College Station, Corpus Christi, Arkansas, Alabama and South Carolina will look at yielding more high quality organic rice in an environmentally friendly way. The research projects are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Organic rice field near Beaumont, Texas. (Texas A&M AgirLIfe Research photo by Dr. Fugen Dou).
Currently some 50,000 acres of organic rice are grown annually in the U.S., the researchers noted, and demand has continued to increase.
"Although conventional rice production has decreased in Texas by about 36 percent in the last 15 years," Dou said, "the state now has about 15,000 acres of organic rice and is revitalizing the rice industry.
But there are many unknowns about growing the crop organically, he said. And, because all U.S. rice is grown in flooded rice paddies, organic production methods developed for other crops do not pertain to rice farming.
The biggest of two grants will be an almost $727,000 study to look at reducing greenhouse gas emission on organic rice farms.
"Organic rice farming may have greater potential for soil carbon sequestration but may also result in greater greenhouse gas emissions because of greater input of organic matter," Dou explained.
He said the research will look at the use of cover crops, organic soil amendments and the choice of varieties to improve soil quality, reduce disease loss and increase yield and milling quality.
Dou has done previous research to help rice farmers determine the best management practices for growing the crop organically. In those, the researcher found that ryegrass and clover performed better than other winter cover crops on clay soils. He also found two organic soil amendments Nature Safe and Rhizogen increased yield and milling quality better than other organic fertilizers.
Clover was planted on a field prior to planting organic rice in at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research-Beaumont test site. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Kathleen Phillips)
The rice variety also made a difference in yield when grown organically, Dou said.
While those findings were conclusive individually, Dou noted, there had not been research to determine how these practices impacted each other when applied together.
"With this research, we will look at the effect of cover crops, organic soil amendments and the variety of rice on yield, milling quality, soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions," he said.
The second study will use $225,000 to examine the severity of disease in rice crops in Texas and South Carolina, specifically at the impact of dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations and salinity on water quality.
Dou said the researchers also will develop budgets to determine the best management practices to use to get the maximum economic return for the investment.
Both projects will be conducted through 2015.
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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/taac-orr021913.php
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