First Space Tourist Sets Sights On A Mars Mission

Space tourist Dennis Tito celebrates after his landing near the Kazakh town of Arkalyk on May 6, 2001.

Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

The world's first space tourist is financing a project that aims to launch an American man and woman on a mission to fly by Mars in 2018.

Back in 2001, businessman Dennis Tito shelled out about $20 million to ride a Russian spaceship up to the International Space Station. Now he's unveiled a new nonprofit group called the Inspiration Mars Foundation.

It's working to take advantage of a launch opportunity coming up in January of 2018. That's when the planets will be aligned in a way that would let people fly to Mars, loop around the planet, and return home in just 501 days ? a pretty short trip.

At their closest approach, the two space travelers would be within 100 miles of the red planet. "I mean, that's essentially being there," says Tito, who held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to announce his plans.

Tito, who made a fortune as an investment manager, is also an aerospace engineer who worked with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the 1960s, helping to plot trajectories for the Mariner robotic missions.

He hired a team of experts that concluded that sending people to loop around Mars in 2018 is doable with technology that either already exists or is nearly ready, and he's promised two years of funding for the project from his own pocket.

"This not a commercial mission. This is not a mission that, if it's successful, I'm going to come out to be a lot wealthier. Let me guarantee you, I will come out a lot poorer as a result of this mission," says Tito. "But my grandchildren will come out a lot wealthier through the inspiration that this will give them."

Dennis Tito (center) flies into the International Space Station as Russian Talgat Musabayev (right) looks on and the station's Russian commander, Yuri Usache, welcomes them, on April 30, 2001.

Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

Dennis Tito (center) flies into the International Space Station as Russian Talgat Musabayev (right) looks on and the station's Russian commander, Yuri Usache, welcomes them, on April 30, 2001.

Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

The 72-year-old businessman has no plans to do the trip himself. He wants to send a man and a woman, to represent all of humanity. Jane Poynter of Paragon Space Development Corporation, who is on Tito's planning team, said the two will have to be a "trusted, tested couple" who can provide each other with emotional support.

Poynter lived for two years inside Biosphere 2, a self-contained environment, in the early 1990s, and she says it was enormously helpful that one of the other inhabitants was the man who is now her husband.

"And so I believe that these two crew members that go on this, having that same backbone of their relationship will be of tremendous support to them during hard times," says Poynter. "After all, they are going to be millions of miles away from home."

The mission would be risky. The tight schedule means no time to test everything out. There'd be no abort. The crew would be exposed to radiation ? plus the psychological risks of being crammed together, eating dehydrated food and watching Earth grow smaller and smaller, until it looked like a pale blue dot.

John Logsdon, with the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, says he's a little skeptical. After all, 2018 isn't that far away, and he notes that this team is still exploring options for spacecraft and launch vehicles.

"It's a big jump between an idea and reality," says Logsdon. "And I think Mr. Tito and his associates are at the idea stage and have a lot of challenges of turning it into a reality."

But he also says the team Tito has assembled shouldn't be underestimated. They're experienced people who are excited about adventures ? and this would be a great one.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/02/27/173056144/first-space-tourist-sets-sights-on-a-mars-mission?ft=1&f=1007

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Is the South Still Racist?

The Supreme Court heard a case on Wednesday on whether the Voting Rights Act has outlived its purpose.

Photo by Matt Sullivan/Reuters

If you?re trying to cure an illness, and you get better, but not entirely?say you had a high fever, but now you have the sniffles and a sore throat?does it make sense to keep taking the same medicine? What if your doctor insists?

Justice Stephen Breyer offered the disease analogy Wednesday morning for racist efforts to block the power of black and Hispanic voters in the South during a sharply polarized argument?5 to 4, conservatives v. liberals?over whether Shelby County, Ala., has taken enough medicine from Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Congress first enacted the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to deal with massive and violent suppression of black voters in the South. The problem was so entrenched that when federal courts would strike down a discriminatory measure like a poll tax, Southern states and counties would quickly dance around the ruling, enacting new barriers such as a literacy test. So Congress armed the Voting Rights Act in two ways. The first, Section 2, bans any voting practice that discriminates on the basis of race or ethnicity. It applies uniformly, throughout the country, and it has no expiration date. To enforce it, the government, or a group or person affected by the law, has to sue?and has the burden of proof. The second part of the Voting Rights Act, Section 5, relied on data showing a pattern of discrimination at the time to create a category of ?covered jurisdictions.? Congress said that for 25 years the Department of Justice had to ?pre-clear? any changes to voting rules in those places, or else the state or county had to go to court for approval before the changes could go into effect. The list of covered jurisdictions included most of the South, along with a smattering of counties and cities in other states.

The list of jurisdictions where Section 5 applied remained the same when Congress last reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2006. But some of those states say they no longer belong?they?re cured, and that means it?s time for the whole Section 5 formula to go. That?s the question the court was grappling with on Wednesday: In 2006, given the history and the current evidence, did Congress have enough reason to think that the South still suffered from Racist Voting Disease? What?s the test?does every single state, city, and county covered by Section 5 have to be worse than every single state, city, and county in the rest of the country? And what kinds of symptoms qualify for Section 5 medicine?low turnout or registration rates, proof of the old forms of blatant discrimination, or more subtle measures, like moving a polling place out of a minority neighborhood?

Shelby County?s lawyer, Bert W. Rein, says Section 5 is over and done. Quoting the court?s last ruling on the matter from 2009, he opened by saying that the record before Congress the last time around ?made it unmistakable that the South had changed.? Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the first to pounce. She said she accepted that some portions of the South had changed, ?but your county hasn?t.? She cited 240 discriminatory voting measures recently blocked by Section 5 and Section 2 challenges. ?You may be the wrong party bringing this suit,? Sotomayor continued, calling Shelby County the ?epitome? of the reason for keeping Section 5 in place.

Justice Elena Kagan jumped in with more stats. One-quarter of Alabama?s voters are black, she pointed out, but no black official holds statewide office. The state is No. 1 on the list for Section 2 challenges and No. 2 for Section 5 enforcement actions, she said. In other words, Congress had plenty of evidence last time around of its continuing trouble fully enfranchising minority voters. ?You?re objecting to the formula, but under any formula Congress could devise, it would capture Alabama,? she said.

To Rein, that?s irrelevant because Congress didn?t put Shelby County on the list because of its specific history. And he seemed to have five justices on his side. For Breyer, Kagan, Sotomayor, and Ginsburg?the court?s liberal wing?it was enough that Congress gathered thousands of pages of evidence about what some of them called ?second generation? voting problems: switcheroos of polling places or polling hours, or changes to early voting that disproportionately affected minorities. (Racially polarized voting patterns are also a distinctive problem in the South, but the justices didn?t delve into that on Wednesday.) But for the court?s five conservatives?and swing voter Justice Anthony Kennedy appeared to place himself squarely in this group?it seemed clearly suspect for Congress to reauthorize Section 5 in 2006 along the same geographic lines that it first passed the law 41 years earlier.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=f142a3a7ec116e4d257e0e056dd1cae4

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Scientists Wire Two Rats' Brains Together and Share a Thought Across the Internet

Telepathy isn't real. You can't read minds with nothing but the tools you were born with. But add a little bit of wiring and that starts to change. Scientists have now managed to get two lab rats to think in-sync with just a little augmentation. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/a1k9DqCcBvM/scientists-wire-two-rats-brains-together-and-share-a-thought-across-the-internet

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Mac Miller Was 'Skeptical' About Doing 'Most Dope' TV Show

'To see my life as an MTV Show is kind of weird, but it's gonna be tight,' Mac says of his reality TV debut Tuesday on MTV2.
By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Steven Roberts

Mac Miller
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702606/mac-miller-most-dope-family-tv-show-mtv2.jhtml

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Google's 'Super Sync Sports' marries mobile Chrome to desktop for goofy gaming

Google's experimenting with gaming once more, this time through its mobile phone-based Chrome browser, today introducing "Super Sync Sports" via its web-based client. The cheeky sports game asks that you input a code to the mobile version of Chrome that enables touch control for the game on your desktop, essentially converting your mobile phone into a (reasonably awkward) game controller. We gave it a shot with the running game on an iPhone 5 and sadly placed second, but that was most from fear of destroying our phone. Perhaps you'll fare better -- take a chance right here. And hey, it's free, so no harm in trying. There's also a charming video after the break, should you not be in a game-friendly environment.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Software, Mobile, Google

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EU ministers back fish dumping ban

27 February 2013 Last updated at 01:56 ET By Roger Harrabin BBC environment analyst

CCTV cameras monitor whether fish are being illegally discarded

European Union fisheries ministers have agreed to phase out the controversial practice of dumping unwanted fish.

After a tense all-night meeting, ministers said a ban on "discards" should be phased in, starting in January 2014 for certain types of fish.

Ministers agreed some exemptions to the ban - but the European Parliament may still refuse to accept them.

It is a victory for campaigners who have demanded the end of a practice that has brought the EU into disrepute.

The UN says Europe has the world's worst record of throwing away fish. Almost a quarter of all catches go back overboard dead because they are not the fish the crews intended to catch.

'Historic moment'

The decision reached early on Wednesday morning was driven by northern European nations, including the UK.

They prevailed over mainly Mediterranean countries, which were fighting to protect the interests of their fishermen.

The ban will apply to pelagic stocks like herring and whiting from next year, and to white fish stocks from January 2016.

How a UK trial uses CCTV on fishing boats to crack down on discards

Spain, France and Portugal managed to cling on to some restricted exemptions, particularly relating to crews operating far from land in mixed fisheries where the cost of landing unwanted fish is deemed to be prohibitive.

These crews will be allowed to discard 9%, shrinking to 7%. This figure is too high for the northern nations and the European Commission, which say the public expects that in a hungry world no fish should be thrown away.

Details of how exactly the discards ban will work in practice with the quota system or its projected replacement will be debated later.

The British government, one of the campaigners for change, said it was disappointed that the ban was not absolute, but that last night?s result was an historic victory to end a "scandalous" policy.

It is one instance in which mass public pressure has clearly influenced the politicians, with almost a million people on the Online campaign site Avaaz demanding an end to discards.

UK Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon said: ?This is a historic moment in reforming the broken Common Fisheries Policy. The scandal of discards has gone on for too long.

?I am disappointed that some of the measures required to put this ban into place are no longer as ambitious as I had hoped but it?s a price I am willing to accept if it means we can get the other details right.

The technology on trial at Denmark's North Sea Centre

?The result we have achieved today is another step in the right direction and will prove to be good for both fishermen and the marine environment.?

The deal builds on a recent commitment to fish sustainably, and to allow more regional decision making. Many crucial details are still to be resolved over exactly what sustainably means, how the policy is enforced, how fishing crews are supported and how they are helped to buy gear that fishes more selectively.

Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21598367#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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'Carrie' Gets Dressed Up In New, Bloody Image

With all of this talk about the Oscars still going around, sometimes a girl wants to share in the glam of Hollywood's biggest night, even if she's a telekinetically powered, vengeful teenage girl. Empire recently published a new image (via The Playlist) of Chloe Moretz dressed to the 6s (as in 666) in Kimberly Peirce's [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/25/carrie-bloody-dress-image/

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Cortisone can increase risk of acute pancreatitis

Feb. 25, 2013 ? A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that cortisone -- a hormone used in certain medicines -- increases the risk of acute pancreatitis. The results are published in the scientific journal JAMA Internal Medicine. According to the researchers, they suggest that patients treated with cortisone in some forms should be informed of the risks and advised to refrain from alcohol and smoking.

Acute pancreatitis is the most common disease of the pancreas and is caused by a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Most patients recover without complications. However in 15 to 20 per cent of patients the disease develops to a life-threatening condition. The most common causes of the disease are gallstones and high alcohol consumption, but in a quarter of patients the causes are unknown.

Previous studies based on individual cases have indicated a link between acute pancreatitis and some medicines, such as preparations containing cortisone. Endogenous cortisone derives from an adrenal hormone and is related to stress and the regulation of the circadian rhythm. The most common form in humans is cortisol (or hydrocortisone). Synthetic cortisone is used to treat a number of medical conditions, such as asthma and autoimmune diseases (e.g. rheumatic diseases).

The present study is the first systematic study to demonstrate the relationship between medical cortisone and acute pancreatitis. Six thousand patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis between 2006 and 2008 were compared with 61,000 healthy controls. The results show that people treated with cortisone in tablet form ran a 70 per cent higher risk of developing acute pancreatitis. This connection was observed after three days' medication, substantiating the evidence that the causal factor was the cortisone rather than the treated disease per se.

"However, there was no observable increase in risk for people who used aerosol cortisone, such as asthma inhalers," says the study's principal author Dr Omid Sadr-Azodi. "But people who start a course of cortisone are recommended to refrain from drinking and smoking, which are risk factors for acute pancreatitis."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Karolinska Institutet.

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. Omid Sadr-Azodi, Fredrik Mattsson, Tomas Sj?berg Bexelius, Mats Lindblad, Jesper Lagergren & Rickard Ljung. Association of Oral Glucocorticoid Use With an Increased Risk of Acute PancreatitisA Population-Based Nested Case-Control StudyGlucocorticoid Use and Risk of Acute Pancreatitis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.2737

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.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/68T5CrOrPbQ/130225210321.htm

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South Korea firm had U.S. contract while investing in Iran gas: GAO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A South Korean construction company reported to have recently engaged in Iran's energy sector had a contract with the U.S. government even as Tehran came under pressure for its disputed nuclear program, a U.S. government watchdog said on Monday.

Daelim Industrial Co had a nearly $1.5 million U.S. government contract to build family housing at a military base in South Korea at some point between mid 2011 and late 2012, the General Accountability Office said in a report on Monday. The GAO is the investigative arm of Congress.

Under U.S. sanctions law, any foreign company that has an investment in Iran's energy sector equal to or greater than $20 million is subject to punishments including being cut off from the U.S. financial system. Such companies should also be denied contracts with the U.S. government, it says. The GAO did not say how much Daelim's investments in Iranian energy were worth.

The U.S. sanctions aim to hinder Tehran's nuclear program, which the West believes is enriching uranium that could be used to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.

The sanctions law signed in August gave the Obama administration the authority to punish companies that help Iran develop its energy resources, an important source of revenue for the country.

Daelim was one of at least seven companies from China, India, South Korea and South Africa that continued to have investments in Iran in 2012, the GAO said in December, in a report required by a U.S. sanctions law.

Daelim, which the GAO said had helped develop Iran's South Pars gas fields and a liquefied natural gas project in Tombak, was the only one of the companies found to also hold a contract with the U.S. government, the GAO said on Monday.

The GAO has not determined whether the activities of the companies are sanctionable, a determination that would be made by the State Department and other agencies. The GAO provided a copy of the report to the State Department, which declined to comment.

Daelim's U.S. office could not be immediately reached.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-korea-firm-had-u-contract-while-investing-225301354.html

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Memory strategy may help depressed people remember the good times

Feb. 25, 2013 ? New research highlights a memory strategy that may help people who suffer from depression in recalling positive day-to-day experiences.

The study is published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Previous research has shown that being able to call up concrete, detailed memories that are positive or self-affirming can help to boost positive mood for people with a history of depression. But it's this kind of vivid memory for everyday events that seems to be dampened for people who suffer from depression.

Researcher Tim Dalgleish of the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and colleagues hypothesized that a well-known method used to enhance memory -- known as the "method-of-loci" strategy -- might help depressed patients to recall positive memories with greater ease.

The method-of-loci strategy consists of associating vivid memories with physical objects or locations -- buildings you see on your commute to work every day, for instance. To recall the memories, all you have to do is imagine going through your commute.

In the study, depressed patients were asked to come up with 15 positive memories. One group was asked to use the method-of-loci strategy to create associations with their memories, while a control group was asked to use a simple "rehearsal" strategy, grouping memories based on their similarities.

After practicing their techniques, the participants were asked to recall as many of their 15 positive memories as they could.

The two methods were equally effective on the initial memory test conducted in the lab -- both groups were able to recall nearly all of the 15 memories.

But the strategies were not equally effective over time.

After a week's worth of practice at home, the participants received a surprise phone call from the researchers, who asked them to recall the memories one more time.

Participants who used the method-of-loci technique were significantly better at recalling their positive memories when compared to those who used the rehearsal technique.

These data suggest that using the method-of-loci technique to associate vivid, positive memories with physical objects or locations may make it easier for depressed individuals to recall those positive memories, which may help to elevate their mood in the long-term.

In addition to Dalgleish, co-authors on this research include Lauren Navrady, Elinor Bird, Emma Hill, Barnaby Dunn and Ann-Marie Golden, all of the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit.

This research was supported by the U.K. Medical Research Council.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

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Journal Reference:

1. T. Dalgleish, L. Navrady, E. Bird, E. Hill, B. D. Dunn, A.-M. Golden. Method-of-Loci as a Mnemonic Device to Facilitate Access to Self-Affirming Personal Memories for Individuals With Depression. Clinical Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/2167702612468111

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.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/l9PNtGchdOo/130225122047.htm

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Ang Lee's win for 'Life of Pi' thrills Taiwanese

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) ? A second Academy Award for best director has thrust Taiwan native Ang Lee into the top ranks of world filmmakers and made him a national hero on this diplomatically isolated island.

Lee's victory at Hollywood's annual Oscar extravaganza on Sunday for the fantasy epic "Life of Pi" followed his 2005 win for "Brokeback Mountain." Garnering additional awards for visual effects, cinematography and original score, "Life of Pi" pulled down four Oscars, the most of any film this year.

News of Lee's triumph electrified Taiwanese, many of whom watched a live broadcast early Monday. It was not only the surprise nature of the directorial award ? "Lincoln" director Steven Spielberg was considered the category's clear frontrunner ? but the intense pride they felt at a native son making it big in the world at large.

Since losing most of its diplomatic allies to China in the 1970s and 1980s ? the two sides split in a civil war more than six decades ago ? Taiwan has been on the outer fringes of the international community. It is now recognized by only 23 countries ? mostly impoverished and devoid of influence ? and outside of information technology circles, its global footprint is small.

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou saw Lee's triumph as at least a temporary reversal of those fortunes, thanking Lee for "pushing Taiwan toward the world."

"Taiwanese are proud of you," Ma said in a congratulatory message.

Making Lee's Oscar win even sweeter was Taiwan's key role in the production of "Life of Pi," which tells the story of a shipwrecked Indian boy sharing his small boat with a ferocious tiger. A majority of the film was shot at a specially constructed water tank in the central city of Taichung, and Taiwanese took many of the most important jobs in seeing the film to completion.

Taiwanese production team member Mike Yang said Lee had the total devotion of the Taichung crew.

"If he wanted us to make the wave bigger or the movement of the animated tiger more detailed, we were willing to cooperate, and not because he was Ang Lee but because he commanded?respect," Yang said.

Born in the southern Taiwanese city of Pingtung in 1954, Lee went to the U.S. in 1979 to study filmmaking at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He burst into international prominence with "Sense and Sensibility" in 1995 and was nominated for best director for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which won the 2001 Oscar for best foreign language film.

Taiwan's film industry has been in the doldrums for more than two decades. Once seen as a world trendsetter for its subtle presentation of human interactions, it now languishes well behind other Asian cinemas, including those in South Korea and Hong Kong.

Lee also has a strong following in China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and Chinese movie critic Meng Yuankai congratulated Lee on his win. "It's pride for the ethnic Chinese group. Can't wait for the next production," he said in his Sina Weibo account.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ang-lees-win-life-pi-thrills-taiwanese-070559797.html

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China takes aim at extravagance in military spending

BEIJING: China's military has introduced new rules to combat "extravagance and waste" in spending, state media said Sunday, as the country's new leaders stress austerity to fight official corruption.

New Communist Party chief Xi Jinping, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, approved the rules which aim to promote austerity and control expenditure, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Xi, who is set to become president next month, has repeatedly pledged to fight graft amid rising social discontent at government corruption and political scandals that have tarnished the ruling party.

The new rules require strict control of spending on non-essential infrastructure, procurement and official receptions, Xinhua said.

The military must "resolutely prevent redundant construction, the craving for things big and foreign, extravagance and waste", it said.

Spending should be directed towards the military's core mission, including being able to fight and win a battle, Xinhua said, repeating a slogan which has been described by state media as a key goal for this year.

China is due to announce its annual military budget in early March at a meeting of the National People's Congress, the country's legislature.

Last year, it projected the military budget would rise 11.2 per cent year-on-year to $106 billion, an increase that has caused unease among Asian neighbours including Japan, which is locked in a territorial dispute with China.

In December, the military banned high-ranking officers from being treated to receptions featuring expensive liquor and luxury banquets, in line with similar rules for party officials.

Those rules also called on military officers to prevent family members and associates from accepting bribes.

A corruption watchdog, Transparency International, said last month that China's military is battling a major corruption problem, with little political oversight and no whistleblower mechanism to counter graft.

One of the major problems was the absence of private military defence contractors, meaning less scope for competition, the Berlin-based group said.

It claimed thousands of military-linked enterprises in China were engaged in profit-oriented business.

- AFP/fa

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1256181/1/.html

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Psychics Can Help Your Love Life! - Psychics Online Free

Love makes us question almost everything in our lives. Sometimes love boosts our morals and gives us butterflies or sometimes love complicates and adds confusion to our lives. A psychic reading can help clear up a lot of the confusion and add clarity to your life, while helping you stay on the path which is meant for you so that you may meet your ideal partner. In addition to meeting your ideal partner, getting a psychic reading will help you understand him or her and provide insight on their desires.

Obtaining a psychic love reading will not only increase the change of success in the department of love, but it will also provide you with guidance to improving your existing relationships. Although love may not be in the books for you now, a psychic will be able to tell you if it is on the horizon, and what changes you need to make in order to diminish existing and future love problems. Simple changes can and will lead to happiness.

The universe kindly tells us which partner would be best for us based on personality, needs and wants. Although you may be attracted to several different people, getting a psychic reading done will help determine which of these people will be a true match. The others will just leave you emotionally attached and disappointed. If you just started a new relationship, getting a reading done will help analyze possible challenges and problems you and you loved one may have in the future so you can avoid this.

Compatibility between one and one?s partner equals success in the love department. Love is developed when your energy or aura matches with someone else?s. Find out if you have a match by getting a psychic reading.

If you are currently in a relationship a psychic reading can help you understand what the strengths and weaknesses are in the relationship and help you asses what you need to do to maintain a healthy, loving relationship. In a relationship it is important to understand not only your own desire?s and needs, but your partner?s as well. Getting a psychic reading will allow you to fully understand both of your needs. By understanding what your partner desire?s, you will be able to satisfy their needs and blossom your existing relationship.

If you are looking for love a psychic reading can provide answers about your ideal mate, and also predict who you will meet and which of those will be the perfect match. When you have a decision to make it is always a good idea to get a second opinion or additional insight, and getting a psychic reading can provide just that. You will be open to all the possibilities of your life live and have a clear understanding of what the future will look like.

Finding the right path can be confusing?a psychic reading can guide you to understand your love life and improve your existing and future relationships. There are no wrong answers and never will be, just guidance, light and a better understanding of what the present and future will hold.

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Source: http://psychicsonlinefree.com/psychics-can-help-your-love-life/

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India v Australia, 1st Test, Day 3: the key passages of play. http://t.in.com/dxuh

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Pistorius' brother facing culpable homicide charge

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? The family lawyer of Oscar Pistorius said on Sunday that the double amputee athlete's brother is facing a culpable homicide charge for a 2010 road death.

Lawyer Kenny Oldwage would not confirm details of the case Carl Pistorius is facing, but Sunday's development compounded problems for the family after Oscar was charged with premeditated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Carl Pistorius was allegedly involved in a crash with a woman motorcyclist and he was supposed to be in court last Thursday, as his brother Oscar was facing a bail hearing, according to local media reports.

Oscar Pistorius was released on bail Friday and his brother Carl was seen driving into the home of their uncle Arnold early Sunday in Waterkloof, a wealthy suburb of Pretoria, the nation's capital, where Oscar is now staying.

The problems surrounding his older brother Carl are the latest twist in a case that has transfixed South Africa and much of the world. Sunday's revelation of the culpable homicide charge immediately created a stir.

"It's also doubly sad because it's involved with Oscar and his brother and all the family ? so they have double sort of trouble. So, not good," said Johannesburg resident Jim Plester.

Oscar Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder, but the athlete says he killed his girlfriend accidentally, opening fire after mistaking her for an intruder in his home.

The Pistorius family has yet to react to the accusations that Carl is facing.

On Saturday, the family took steps to lower its profile on social media after someone hacked into the Twitter account of Carl. They cancelled all the social media sites for both Oscar's brother and his sister Aimee.

Carl has always been close to Oscar but was a notable absent when their uncle Arnold, flanked by Oscar's sister Aimee, read out a first reaction to the shooting on Feb. 17, even though he was also on the premises.

The three-story house where Pistorius is staying with his aunt and uncle lies on a hill with a sweeping view of Pretoria. It has a large swimming pool and an immaculate garden.

Pistorius was born without fibula bones due to a congenital defect and his legs were amputated when he was 11 months old. He has run on carbon-fiber blades and was originally banned from competing against able-bodied peers because many argued that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. He was later cleared to compete. He is a multiple Paralympic medalist, but he failed to win a medal at the London Olympics, where he ran in the 400 meter race and on South Africa's 4x400 relay team.

___

AP Sports Writer Gerald Imray contributed from Pretoria.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pistorius-brother-facing-culpable-homicide-charge-084929908--spt.html

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Honey Badger, Leon Sandcastle and Penn Staters on the bench: Five things to look for at Sunday's NFL Scouting Combine

INDIANAPOLIS-- It's easy to forget what day of the week it is when you're covering an event where there's so much going on. Players are constantly in and out of the media room and sometimes you look up from your computer and see a flurry of NFL coaches walking through the room searching for the exit.

Some refer to it as sensory overload and after leaving the stadium it's easy to still hear the voice coming from the loudspeaker announcing each player, all 237 of them as of Saturday night, who have come through the room. There were also at least 50 other coaches and general managers who spoke in the room as well.

A lot of the media availability is starting to slow down, but when it comes to on-field workouts it's only a quarter of the way finished. Here's what's happening in Indianapolis on Sunday.

Meeting their benchmarks

Penn State's Jordan Hill, Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges have a day full of psychological testing, the NFL's new aptitude test and the bench press waiting for them. The bench is their first physical event since arriving in Indianapolis on Friday and is the only drill Mauti will take part in.

Hill and Mauti both are optimistic about being about to post 30 repetitions at the event where each player lifts the required 225 pounds. Hodges has yet to meet with the media, presumably because either team interviews or medical exams were backed up. He should come through the room at some point on Sunday.

Quarterbacks have a chance to shine

The quarterbacks heard all the talk about the depth of this draft class coming from anywhere but their position group. West Virginia's Geno Smith is expected to headline the mediocre group and some believe Smith is worth as high as a top-10 pick.

On Sunday the quarterbacks will workout on the field and throw in front of scouts and general managers. Some are opting to wait until their pro days to throw, citing their own wide receivers as one of the bonuses to waiting. All of their team interviews are wrapped up and if there's one last place they're trying to impress before pro days, it's on Sunday.

Leon Sandcastle slated to meet with the media

The NFL Network's campaign with Deion Sanders has hit a new level. Sanders, who appeared in a Super Bowl commercial promoting the Combine as a fictitious character named 'Leon Sandcastle' is scheduled to address reporters Sunday evening.

In a clever marketing ploy and humorous press release that the NFL sent out on Saturday, it claims that the pride of ?Primetime University? is taking the Combine by storm. This was all brought up in the 60-second commercial that encouraged fans to watch the Combine for the next star who, like Sandcastle, could come out of nowhere.

Better yet, the NFL went through the trouble of giving their fictitious prospect a profile page on the Combine's website.

High risk-high reward with Honey Badger in town

Former LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu will undergo a physical exam and team interviews before meeting with the media on Sunday. Mathieu, commonly referred to as ?Honey Badger,? was the 2011 SEC Defensive Player of the Year before being released from the team in August for a violation of team rules.

He checked himself into a treatment facility and returned to taking classes at the school, only to later be arrested for marijuana possession. He's projected to be a fourth-round pick but could help himself if he runs faster than a 4.5 second 40-yard dash.

If he turns in a good time it could give him more appeal as a kick returner. As for his interviews, if it weren't for Manti Te'o being present Mathieu would've received more scrutiny.

No more arrivals and only on-field workouts remain after Sunday

The defensive backs were the last group to arrive at the Combine and they came into town on Saturday. They have interviews through Monday before completing their on-field workouts on Tuesday.

There are approximately 60 more players from a few leftover linebackers and defensive linemen to all of the defensive backs who will address the media on Sunday. After that, it's full steam ahead toward the playing field.

Source: http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2013/02/honey_badger_bench_press_and_l.html

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Vatican blasts media for influencing election with 'false' reports

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? The Vatican lashed out Saturday at the media for what it said has been a run of defamatory and false reports before the conclave to elect Pope Benedict XVI's successor, saying they were an attempt to influence the election.

Italian newspapers have been rife with unsourced reports in recent days about the contents of a secret dossier prepared for the pope by three cardinals who investigated the origins of the 2012 scandal over leaked Vatican documents.

The reports have suggested the revelations in the dossier, given to Benedict in December, were a factor in his decision to resign. The pope himself has said merely that he doesn't have the "strength of mind and body" to carry on and would resign Feb. 28.

On Saturday, a day before Benedict's final Sunday blessing in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican secretariat of state said the Catholic Church has for centuries insisted on the independence of its cardinals to freely elect their pope ? a reference to episodes in the past when kings and emperors vetoed papal contenders or prevented cardinals from voting outright.

"If in the past, the so-called powers, i.e., States, exerted pressures on the election of the pope, today there is an attempt to do this through public opinion that is often based on judgments that do not typically capture the spiritual aspect of the moment that the church is living," the statement said.

"It is deplorable that as we draw closer to the time of the beginning of the conclave ... that there be a widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories that cause serious damage to persons and institutions."

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi was asked how specifically the media was trying to influence the outcome; Lombardi didn't respond directly, saying only that the reports have tended to paint the Curia in a negative light "beyond the considerations and serene evaluations" of problems that cardinals might discuss before the conclave.

Some Vatican watchers have speculated that because the Vatican bureaucracy is heavily Italian, cardinals might be persuaded to elect a non-Italian, non-Vatican-based cardinal as pope to try to impose some reform on the Curia.

While Lombardi has said the reports "do not correspond to reality," the pope and some of his closest collaborators have recently denounced the dysfunction in the Apostolic Palace.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, for example, criticized the "divisions, dissent, careerism, jealousies" that afflict the Vatican bureaucracy. He made the comments Friday, the penultimate day of the Vatican's weeklong spiritual exercises that were attended by the pope and other officials. Ravasi, himself a papal contender, was chosen by Benedict to deliver daily meditations and on Saturday Benedict praised him for his "brilliant" work.

The divisions Ravasi spoke of were exposed by the documents taken from the pope's study by his butler and then leaked by a journalist. The documents revealed the petty wrangling, corruption and cronyism and even allegations of a gay plot at the highest levels of the Catholic Church.

The three cardinals who investigated the theft had wide-ranging powers to interview even cardinals to get to the bottom of the dynamics within the Curia that resulted in the gravest Vatican security breach in modern times.

Benedict too has made reference to the divisions in recent days, deploring in his final Mass as pope on Ash Wednesday how the church is often "defiled" by attacks and divisions from within. Last Sunday, he urged its members to overcome "pride and egoism."

On Saturday, in his final comments to the Curia, Benedict lamented the "evil, suffering and corruption" that have defaced God's creation. But he also thanked the Vatican bureaucrats for having helped him "bear the burden" of his ministry with their work, love and faith these past eight years.

The Vatican's attack on the media echoed its response to previous scandals, where it has tended not to address the underlying content of accusations, but has diverted attention away. During the 2010 explosion of sex abuse scandals, the Vatican accused the media of trying to attack the pope; during the 2012 leaks scandal, it accused the media of sensationalism without addressing the content of the leaked documents.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-blasts-false-pre-conclave-reporting-130526801.html

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Tiny tweezers and their big influence on bustling proteins: Scientists investigate molecular 'clothespins'

Feb. 22, 2013 ? Tiny molecular tweezers have a remarkable impact on bustling proteins: Three research groups from the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), the Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society in Dortmund and the Max Planck Institut f?r Kohlenforschung in M?lheim found that the molecular tweezers designed by Professor Frank Kl?rner at the UDE can be used to regulate protein -- protein interactions by selectively trapping certain residues of the protein -- and stick like a clothespin.

The research groups of Thomas Schrader (UDE), Christian Ottmann (Chemical Genomics Centre) and Elsa Sanchez Garcia (MPI f?r Kohlenforschung) believe that this might be a promising approach for applications in medical research, as the water soluble tweezers act without inducing toxicity or explicit side effects.

The scientists have tested their small tweezers on proteins that have influence on many processes in the human body. "We also wanted to know how they work," says Dr. Elsa Sanchez Garcia, leader of a Max Planck research group at the Max Planck Institut f?r Kohlenforschung. The chemists have found out that although their tweezers prefer to bind at the amino acid lysine, the protein surrounding of the lysine influences the trapping of the tweezers. Thus, with computer simulations Dr. Sanchez Garcia and her colleague Kenny Bravo Rodriguez have shown which type of lysine the tweezers prefer -- and why that is the case. Their work also allowed to lay down rules for predicting the behavior of the tweezers in the presence of proteins with several lysine residues.

Although the tweezers research is at early stages, their potentiality makes it worth for medical researchers to have a closer look at these results. The 14-3-3 adapter proteins (14-3-3) that the scientists used for their experiments are small recognition proteins that influence many physiological processes by binding their targets via short peptide sequences and modulating their function. For instance, they are able to stabilize certain tumor suppressors. Because of their important role in many biological processes, 14-3-3 proteins are prospective therapeutic agents against severe disorders, such as cancer.

The three research groups published their findings in the Nature Chemistry.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Institut f?r Kohlenforschung.

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. David Bier, Rolf Rose, Kenny Bravo-Rodriguez, Maria Bartel, Juan Manuel Ramirez-Anguita, Som Dutt, Constanze Wilch, Frank-Gerrit Kl?rner, Elsa Sanchez-Garcia, Thomas Schrader, Christian Ottmann. Molecular tweezers modulate 14-3-3 protein?protein interactions. Nature Chemistry, 2013; 5 (3): 234 DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1570

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/most_popular/~3/zFmxxgQoyMo/130222102648.htm

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Video: AIG CEO on Earnings, Transparency & Economy

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 announcement and discussion

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? Reply # 679092 posted on 30-Aug-2012 08:31

If it is slated for an October release in Europe, you would expect it to be available from parallel importers here by mid-November? Maybe even from the local telecoms by Christmas? Certainly looks an impressive device, even to someone who hasn't been a fan of 'phablets' (this device may change that). They make a big deal of the stylus improvements, any current Note owners care to comment on how the improvements compare with current usage? I see release in the US is "by Christmas". Is that normal? Or is the delay the outcome of last week's court verdict? Slightly OT, but I Note (no pun intended) that the same Samsung unveiling included a new Windows 8 phone. Darn it, so many new devices and only a limited pot of gold to spend! Areas of Geek interest: Home Theatre, HTPC, Android Tablets & Phones, iProducts.

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? Reply # 679187 posted on 30-Aug-2012 11:04
NZtechfreak: I just hope they do a midnight launch again, but I doubt it... Do you need to buy it under cover of darkness? Surely a plain paper wrapper would suffice. Just joking...... Areas of Geek interest: Home Theatre, HTPC, Android Tablets & Phones, iProducts.

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? Reply # 679206 posted on 30-Aug-2012 11:50

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Dingbatt: NZtechfreak: I just hope they do a midnight launch again, but I doubt it... Do you need to buy it under cover of darkness? Surely a plain paper wrapper would suffice. Just joking...... Ha! The "just joking" was redundant :) I'm like the least abashed Note owner ever, certainly I don't need to be concerned about buying under cover of darkness. Heck, I've even made calls with my MediaPad plastered to the side of my head in public. (a mistake, as it turns out, the MediaPad lacks an earpiece so when my call was picked up it was blaring out to the cafe on a very loud external speaker) Twitter: @nztechfreak Blogs: AndroidNZ.net and blog.clove.co.uk

Source: http://feeds.geekzone.co.nz/~r/GeekzoneForumsLatestPosts/~3/ZUAXXgVXDFY/forums.asp

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