Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/297879893?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Thursday, April 11, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Moa's ark: Why the female giant moa was about twice the size of the male
Apr. 9, 2013 ? Some of the largest female birds in the world were almost twice as big as their male mates. Research carried out by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) shows that this amazing size difference in giant moa was not due to any specific environmental factors, but evolved simply as a result of scaling-up of smaller differences in male and female body size shown by their smaller-bodied ancestors.
The paper is published April 10 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
In an environment lacking large mammals, New Zealand's giant moa (Dinornis) evolved to be one of the biggest species of bird ever, with females weighing more than two hundred kilograms -- the same as about 3 average sized men.
Male and female birds often show differences in body size, with males typically being larger. However some birds, like many ratites -- large, flightless species such as emus and cassowaries -- are the opposite, with the females towering over the males.
Moa were huge flightless ratites. Several different species inhabited New Zealand's forests, grasslands and mountains until about 700 years ago. However, the first Polynesian settlers became a moa-hunting culture, and rapidly drove all of these species to extinction.
Dr Samuel Turvey, ZSL Senior Research Fellow and lead author on the paper, says: "We compared patterns of body mass within an evolutionary framework for both extinct and living ratites. Females becoming much larger was an odd side-effect of the scaling up of overall body size in moa.
"A lack of large land mammals -- such as elephants, bison and antelope -- allowed New Zealand's birds to grow in size and fill these empty large herbivore niches. Moa evolved to become truly huge, and this accentuated the existing size differences between males and females as the whole animal scaled up in size over time," Dr Turvey added.
Future research should investigate whether similar scaling relationships can also help to explain the evolution of bizarre structures shown by other now-extinct species, such as the elongated canines of sabretoothed cats.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Zoological Society of London, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- V. A. Olson, S. T. Turvey. The evolution of sexual dimorphism in New Zealand giant moa (Dinornis) and other ratites. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2013; 280 (1760): 20130401 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.0401
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.
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'Elysium,' Matt Damon's New Movie, Makes Enemies Of The 1 Percent
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Lindsay Lohan greets fans as she heads into a taping of 'The Late Show with David Letterman' in New York
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
"True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgard was spotted out and about in New York City on April 9. He spent time signing autographs for his fans on the street.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Cameron Diaz grabbed an iced tea after a workout at the gym on April 8 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Celebrity Phoos: April 2013
Olivia Wilde took her dog Paco out for a walk with her brother Charlie in New York City, New York on April 8.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Rumor Willis was spotted wearing the U by Kotox Generation Know bracelet while playing with her dog in Beverly Hills, Calif., on April 8.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Taylor Swift walked the red carpet at the 2013 Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 6.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Jessica Alba flaunted her amazing bikini body as she hit the beach while on vacation in St. Barts on April 7.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Giuliana Rancic was all smiles at The Naked Grape Wine's `Peel It Off to Give Back` event in Chicago on April 6.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Pregnant Jessica Simpson's curves were on full display in a tight black shirt as she took her family to lunch at King's Fish House In Calabasas, Calif., on April 6.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Chris Hemsworth took his adorable daughter India Rose grocery shopping at the 'Whole Foods' in Los Angeles, Calif., on April 5. Hot dad alert!
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Angelina Jolie attended the Women in the World Summit 2013 on April 4 in New York City.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Jada Pinkett Smith spotted out and about in New York City on April 3.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Emmy Rossum was all smiles in New York while sporting the Henri Bendel Sutton Mini Bag on April 2.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Jon Hamm and his girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt took their dog for a walk in West Hollywood, Calif., on April 2.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Charlize Theron was seen bundled up in a dark pea coat and scarf as she hurried out of her hotel to run some errands around New York City on April 2.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Rihanna performed at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada on April 1. Looking good, RiRi!
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Kate Beckinsale was spotted stocking up on spring fragrances from Jo Malone London in Los Angeles, Calif., on April 1.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Heidi Klum walked on the beach at the North Shore in Oahu, Hawaii on April 1.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Sarah Jessica Parker walked her kids to school on April 1 in New York City. How adorable are those army jackets?
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
A bikini-clad Hayden Panettiere enjoyed a peaceful Easter Sunday on the beach in Miami, Fla., on March 31.
Celebrity Photos: April 2013
Kourtney Kardashian took her kids Mason and Penelope to Church on Easter Sunday, where they were joined by Kendall, Kylie and Kris Jenner in Los Angeles, Calif.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Lily Collins attended Day 2 of WonderCon 2013 at Anaheim Convention Center on March 30 in Anaheim, Calif.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Britney Spears, her two sons Sean and Jayden Federline and her father Jamie were spotted arriving on a flight in New Orleans, La., on March 29.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Diane Kruger posed for pictures outside ABC Studios for an appearance on "Good Morning America" on March 28 in NYC.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Taylor Swift went casual in a black sweater and red pants as she headed out and about in New York City on March 27.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Sandra Bullock gave her son Louis a piggyback ride after picking him up from school in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 26.
Celebrity News: March 2013
Angelina Jolie and the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague visited a rescue camp for women on March 25 in the Democratic Republic of Congo to raise awareness of warzone rape. Jolie, a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner, said the issues need a "worldwide focus."
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Kim Kardashian stepped out in New York City on March 26 after revealing her pregnancy weight is around 140 pounds.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Jamie Lynn Sigler celebrated the news of having a boy with with a Sally Hansen Nail Color Manicure (in blue) in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 25.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Kelly Osbourne attended a photocall to promote her E! show Fashion Police in Amsterdam on March 25.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Anne Hathaway looked all bundled up as she was spotted out and about with husband Adam Shulman in New York on March 25.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Gwen Stefani and her husband Gavin Rossdale took their sons Kingston and Zuma to a park in Sherman Oaks, Calif., on March 24.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart attended Celebrity Fight Night in Phoenix, Arizona on March 23, where the Moet & Chandon champagne was flowing as celebrities toasted the guest of honor, Muhammad Ali.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Drew Barrymore ran some errands in New York City on March 22. Looking good post-baby!
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Ashley Greene was spotted leaving a gym wearing a pink top in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 20.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Eva Mendes, wearing a brown leopard print dress and brown boots, headed to a taping of "The Late Show with David Letterman" in New York City on March 19.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
"The Bachelor" star Sean Lowe and his fiance Catherine Giudici took a stroll at The Grove in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 19.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
A makeup-free Cameron Diaz sported black spandex pants as she got some exercise while hiking with a friend in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 19.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Emilia Clarke looked incredible at HBO's Season Three premiere of "Game of Thrones" held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Calif., on March 18.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Selena Gomez showed off her legs in a a short skirt as she arrived at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City to promote her new film "Spring Breakers" on the "Late Show with David Letterman" on March 18.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Lindsay Lohan was seen leaving the court house in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 18 after showing up 45 minutes late.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
"Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara took a taxi to an office building in New York on March 18.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner took their kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel to a park in Brentwood, Calif., on March 17. How adorable are these sweet siblings?
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Taylor Swift rocked short shorts as she headed to a photo shoot in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 16.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
"Jersey Shore" star Pauly D was spotted this past weekend spinning some of today's hottest hits at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana's ORO Nightclub in the Dominican Republic.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Jessica Simpson, who recently confirmed she is expecting a boy, shopped at Bel Bambini Baby Boutique in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 15.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Khloe Kardashian left the One The Thirty restaurant in Sherman Oaks, Calif., on March 14. Looking good, Khloe!
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Jennifer Garner struck a pose at the Neutrogena Sun Summit (raising awareness on the changing environment's impact on overall skin health) in in New York City on March 13.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Camila Alves rocked a blue leather jacket, black top and black pants as she set out around New York City on March 13.
Celebrity Photos: March 2013
Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar filmed scenes on the beach in Malibu, Calif., for the TV show "Franklin & Bash" on March 12.
Celebrity PHotos: March 2013
Pregnant reality star Kim Kardashian headed to an office to film scenes for 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 12.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/09/elysium-matt-damon_n_3046779.html
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Slim 27-Inch iMacs Hit Apple's Refurb Store For $1,530
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Sunday, April 7, 2013
Triple suicide triggered by economic struggle shocks Italy
ROME (Reuters) - The suicide of a married couple mired in debt has struck a nerve in Italy, with the speaker of the country's lower house of parliament lamenting an "economic emergency" in the land.
Romeo Dionisi, 62, and Anna Maria Sopranzi, 68, hanged themselves in a storage room they owned in the town of Civitanova Marche on the Adriatic coast on Friday, police said.
After learning of his sister's death, Sopranzi's brother, Giuseppe, 72, threw himself into the sea and drowned. Authorities later recovered his body.
The couple was deeply in debt and lived on a small monthly pension that Sopranzi received, and Dionisi, a self-employed construction worker who did not collect a pension, could not find work, according to media reports.
They left a note on a friend's car asking forgiveness for their extreme gesture, police said.
The mayor of the town, Tommaso Claudio Corvatta, said the couple committed suicide because they were too proud to ask for help, and declared Saturday a day of mourning.
Laura Boldrini, the speaker of the lower house of parliament, said she would go to the town on Saturday to express her condolences to the families.
"It's proof of the devastating psychological impact that the economic emergency provokes in men's and women's lives, which too often go unnoticed behind everyday statistics," she said.
Italy has been mired in recession since mid-2011, making this the longest slump the euro zone's third-biggest economy has seen in two decades. The Bank of Italy says 600,000 jobs have been lost in the past 5 years.
Nichi Vendola, head of the Left Ecology Freedom party, said the suicides were a sign of "social desperation" and Pier Luigi Bersani, chief of the Democratic Party, commented that Italy was in the middle of a "dramatic social emergency".
(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Stephen Powell)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/triple-suicide-triggered-economic-struggle-shocks-italy-203035978.html
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Public Administration and State and Local Government Faculty ...
The Department of Political Science at Kutztown University invites applications for a part-time temporary position beginning in August 2013.
The courses to be taught include, but are not limited to, introductory and advanced courses relevant to the Master of Public Administration
(MPA) program including Principles and Problems, Public Policy Making, Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations, Urban Politics, and/or
relevant special topic electives at the undergraduate or graduate level. The teaching load is 3 s.h. Fall 2013 semester. A Master's degree
in political science or public administration is required; a Ph.D. in political science or public administration is preferred. One to three
years of college teaching, a successful interview and demonstration of teaching ability are requisite qualifications. The Political Science
Department has eight full time faculty who serve undergraduate majors and minors and graduate students in the Master of Public
Administration Program.
The courses to be taught include, but are not limited to, introductory and advanced courses relevant to the Master of Public Administration
(MPA) program including Principles and Problems, Public Policy Making, Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations, Urban Politics, and/or
relevant special topic electives at the undergraduate or graduate level. The teaching load is 3 s.h. Fall 2013 semester. A Master's degree
in political science or public administration is required; a Ph.D. in political science or public administration is preferred. One to three
years of college teaching, a successful interview and demonstration of teaching ability are requisite qualifications. The Political Science
Department has eight full time faculty who serve undergraduate majors and minors and graduate students in the Master of Public
Administration Program.
Applicants should send a letter of interest, vitae, teaching evaluations, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and three letters of reference to: Dr. Paula Holoviak, Chair of Search Committee, Department of Political Science, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA 1930. Applications will be accepted until April 15, 2013. Kutztown University is an AA/EOE member of the PA State System of Higher Education and actively solicits applications from women and minorities. All applicants for employment are subject to a criminal background check.
Kutztown University enrolls approximately 10,000 students in graduate and undergraduate programs. The University is located adjacent to the borough of Kutztown in a charming rural setting and is within 30 minutes driving time of the diverse metropolitan areas Allentown/Bethlehem and Reading, and within 60 minutes of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The University is very interested in hiring employees who have had extensive experience with diverse populations.Successful interview and demonstration of ability are requisite qualifications for all positions. Kutztown University is an AA/EOE/member of the PA State System of Higher Education and actively solicits applications from women and minority candidates.
Source: http://www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?JobCode=175729084
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Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Spiva Law Group | Savannah Law Firm Launches Mobile App Along ...
Spiva Law Group's innovative use of Google Touch Technology and Smartphone Apps revolutionizes the way the firm communicates with clients and handles their personal injury cases.
Savannah, Georgia (PRWEB) March 12, 2013
Savannah-based law firm, Spiva Lewis LLC, is leading the way to the future of personal injury law by empowering their clients with an Accident Safety Mobile App and Google Nexus Tablet technology that lets them directly participate in their case and have input and control in the outcome of their recovery.
?Often, when people are injured and have legal representation, the only communication tool they have is a phone to leave a voice message for their attorney,? explained firm-founder Attorney Howard Spiva. ?By providing Google Nexus tablets that are pre-loaded with helpful, customized apps, we can enhance our service and maximize the results for our clients".
The Google Nexus Tablet, which is loaned out to Spiva?s seriously injured and hospitalized clients, is equipped with various features that will keep client and lawyer in constant contact throughout the process of the case and securely gather evidence that will tell the clients story in a way that was never before possible.
?No one can tell your story better than you,? explained Spiva, ?The more evidence we have that proves your harms and losses and how the injury has changed your life, the better we can paint a picture for the insurance company, the defense lawyer and ultimately to a jury.?
From day one, specialized applications begin capturing interviews with medical providers, nurses, co-workers, friends and family to document client?s post-injury life and tell their story in the most favorable light.
At the touch of a button, the firm and their client can quickly and securely share information via existing Google programs like Gmail, Google Docs, chat features and Google calendaring. Additionally, the firm?s customized applications are programmed to document the client?s medical recovery and illustrate daily challenges and struggles.
The tablet also contains apps that will give a holistic approach to healing, with hopes of reducing stress and assisting the healing process by includes reading materials, soothing soundtracks and even entertaining games to pass the time.
In using innovative Google technology, the firm believes they are raising the bar for all attorneys. It gives clients unprecedented access to the handling of their client case and gives the lawyer an all-access pass to previously untapped evidence.
?Mobile apps and Nexus tablets have revolutionized our ability to interact with our clients and involve them in the outcome of their case. Google-powered touch tablets help us put the ?personal touch? in personal injury law and propels our client-first approach into the 21st century,? concluded Spiva.
Mobile apps and Google Nexus tablets have revolutionized our ability to interact with our clients and involve them in the outcome of their case. These touch technologies help us put the ?personal touch? in personal injury law.
About Spiva Lewis LLC
Spiva Lewis LLC is a Georgia Personal Injury Law Firm, with offices in Savannah, GA. For over 25 years the attorneys at Spiva Lewis LLC have been dedicated to handling serious injury and complex damage cases, including catastrophic personal injury, traumatic brain injury and claims of wrongful death. We also handle many claims for children. Spiva Lewis LLC represents no insurance companies and is dedicated solely to the representation of injured and deceased persons. For more information on Spiva Lewis LLC and its use of innovative technologies contact 800-644-2001. Download the firm?s mobile app at http://spivalawapp.com or visit the firm?s website at http://spivalaw.com.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/3/prweb10519944.htm
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Earth's final frontier undergoes huge changes
?
NBC News Correspondent Kerry Sanders recently returned from Antarctica, where he chronicled the dramatic changes in the world's last wilderness. Below is his main report; you also can click on the map above for more dispatches from across the breathtaking seventh continent.
By Kerry Sanders, Correspondent, NBC News
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA ? There are serious changes taking place here at the bottom of the world.
Increasingly, experts say, the ice is disappearing at a disturbing rate in the Antarctic Peninsula and that in turn impacts the future -- and perhaps the very existence ? of at least half of the world?s 18 penguin species, who depend on ice and frigid waters that support krill, the penguin diet mainstay.
"When cheetahs or lions get hunted, or elephants decline, there?s a big uproar. And I think, because you see penguins in large numbers [in some places] people are ignoring the larger rate of their decline," said Oxford University penguinologist Tom Hart. "The general public doesn't realize the penguins are declining so fast."
But it?s not just the penguins we have to worry about, Hart says, it?s the health of the planet itself.
"The last wilderness on Earth is impacted by us now," he said, describing the region?s decline as a "grave indicator" of what?s to come.
Marine biologist Fabrice Genevois speaks with NBC's Kerry Sanders about Gentoo penguins and their extraordinary way of swimming which at times can appear as if they are "flying."
Life?s cycle disrupted for Antarctica?s penguins
It?s the end of the breeding cycle for most penguins here as summer comes to a close. The Gentoos, Adelies and Chinstraps are nudging their newborns from the rocks of Antarctica?s peninsula toward the waters of the Southern Ocean.
Experts say about 50 percent of the eggs will produce a penguin chick that makes it to sea. And about half of those will survive the hungry predators below, as they plunge into the frigid waters for their first swim. Leopard seals are lurking -- and for the newborns, avoiding their mortal enemy is not easy. Many will die. Those that do survive are subject to climate change that is threatening their food supply.
Hart has spent nearly a decade studying the creatures that have captured the world?s imagination for centuries. Each year, for three to four months, he positions himself along the Antarctic coast to observe, measure and chart penguin colonies. Some colonies have been followed since polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men headed here some 100 years ago.
Modern-day expeditions to Antarctica are a more pampered escape than the harrowing ordeals they once were, but a couple men remember the heroes of previous expeditions a little better than most. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.
"When you look at all penguins they are largely in trouble,"?said Hart.?"We're so concerned because we're seeing massive changes to their populations. They?re probably not going to go extinct anytime soon, but the environment is changing very fast.
Chinstraps populations seem to have declined up to 50 percent in the last 30 years," he added.
Hart, like most experts, is cautious to speak in absolutes because the harsh environment here makes it difficult to get a clear picture of what?s happening.? Experts use time-lapse cameras and sit at computers, laboriously counting penguins one by one to compare colony sizes from year to year.
To keep track of the penguin population in the extreme conditions of Antarctica, scientists turn to time-lapse photography as an important tool for research. This video shows years of the animals' migration patterns.
Krill decline quickly as sea ice disappears
Ice is the source of all life in Antarctica.? It may seem at odds to think that ice gives life, but when you connect the dots, it?s a straight line to a penguin?s belly.
Algae live on top of the ice and underneath it too, providing a grazing ground for the krill that amass beneath -- the way a raccoon chooses to hide in a garbage can.?
Krill mostly stay put under the frozen Southern Ocean.? But as the ice sheet disappears due to climate change, that habitat shrinks and moves further south.?
"The West Antarctic Peninsula has increased three degrees since 1951,? Hart said. "We?ve seen a large reduction in sea ice over the same period."
Although the climate has always undergone?oscillations?in temperature, Hart says the recent changes are happening much faster than normal.
NBC's Kerry Sanders takes a look at some of the unusual and fascinating wildlife that inhabits Earth's coldest continent.
Logically, less ice has resulted in less krill, say marine biologists.? And since krill is the main diet for penguins, seals and whales, less food has in turn meant fewer births.? That theory is widely accepted by scientists like French marine biologist Fabrice Genevois.
He says it?s mostly Americans, who have confused politics with science by questioning global climate change.
"We have all the information now, that's clear enough,? said Genevois.?"There's no argument any more. You have to be either a liar or be crazy not to understand what we are doing to change the climate. We are responsible, that's for sure."
Add to that equation: Fishing. Less ice has opened areas to more fishing boats that in turn have targeted krill as a profitable catch.
There?s a 620,000 ton catch limit for krill in Antarctica, which is only about 1 percent of the total estimated mass in the region.
NBC's Kerry Sanders pays a visit to Antarctica, one of the world's last wilderness areas, to see the penguins that are being threatened by the increasingly rapid melting of the ice that dominates the landscape.
?
But it?s the location of the krill fisheries ? all aggregated in the Antarctic Peninsula near the South Shetland Islands ??that is the main cause of concern.
The boats increasingly drop their nets in the same waters where penguins search for food. The nets are not catching penguins indiscriminately but they are competing for the krill that the wildlife eats to survive.
Where do those captured krill end up? In part, they?re used as fish food at salmon farms, desirable because krill help color salmon ?pink? which increases sales at the supermarket.
Click here and here for more on managing the krill catch.
See photos from NBC's Kerry Sanders' voyage to Antarctica.
Canary in a coal mine
The entire population of Emperor penguins, Chinstraps and Adelies live in Antarctica ? if the ice continues to retreat those species are at risk. Meanwhile, the potential for disease outbreaks increases. ?
"As regions of Antarctica warm it has much more potential as a petri dish," said Hart, citing disease from the north, in particular avian disease, as being a main concern.?
The penguins, marine biologists say, are giving us a warning.?
"We don't need to?necessarily?fear change," said marine biologist Maria Clauss, who works with tour company Quark Expeditions. But the penguin?s decline "will change the world as we know it," she said. "And we should not kid ourselves."
Day 1: Greeted by dirt, not ice
Day 2: Climate change decimates food supply for penguins
Day 3: Watching Mother Nature in action
Day 4: How to sleep outdoors in Antarctica
Finale: Trips to the seventh continent are not just for scientists
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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/antarctica
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Sunday, March 10, 2013
Should Your Retail Sales Training Be In-House or Online? -
The long-held belief for getting your retail salespeople?all?on the same team has been that in-person training is the only way to do things.
Bring in managers, assistant-managers, team-leaders, or some combination thereof and tell them to bring back what they?ve learned to the rest of the staff.
That?s the way that it?s done; that?s the way it has always been done.
Which was fine; for awhile.
But this strategy was inherently flawed. If you?re only telling your top sellers what they need to know then you have got to appreciate that they will put their own spin for how your instructions and training should be interpreted. That was an accepted fact that before now was just a part of the program ? before online retail sales training.
When possible a daylong event with me can be the impact day where everyone is trained and motivated to adopt the selling program I teach. But when I leave, then what?
Until now, retailers had to go it alone for the most part.
Online retail sales training gives you accountable information transfer and a strategy to turn your goal of retail sales training into action.
Information
This is key; no facts get lost from person to person.
Have you ever noticed a momma?bird feeding her babies? She feeds her biggest first, then the smaller ones, and then the smaller ones. There is a reason the runt baby birds often don?t survive. The same happens when your best and brightest are trained and then they are to give the information to the newbies. ?To finish the analogy, with online retail sales training, you get to put the best worm right into every baby bird?s mouth every time.
Here are some things to look for:
- Ability to track the uptake and effectiveness of your programs down to region, district and store levels.
- Employees can send questions and receive real-time answers.
- Actionable, impactful videos designed for today?s learner.
- Content taught by top retail sales trainer.
- Certificate of completion to ensure they know their stuff.
- Engaging, entertaining user-friendly interfaces that focus the learner.
For your managers, look for things like:
- Courses just for managers so they can make the retail sales training stick.
- Instant access to a suite of measurable features and tools to track how your employees are doing for reward or counsel.
- One-on-one training delivered to your units anywhere in the world.
- Scorecards to see how your employees are progressing.
Strategy
A bonus of this direct-interface is giving your employees a strategy to use the information they?ve been given; so that the result is consistent across your brand. Employees should be able to learn from one source how to:
- Be genuine, know how to approach, engage and sell the customer.
- Be more human in an increasingly inhuman world.
- Build rapport.
- Get customers to return.
- Get your merchandise out the door.
- Make every stage of a sale meaningful.
- Meet a customer?s needs but encourage a customer?s wants.
- Move through every step of a sale.
- Get the customers to say ?Thank you? instead of beat your employees up for a discount.
- Sell from confidence.
Online retail sales training isn?t a cure-all if you?ve hired poorly, have a poor selection of me-too merchandise or a lousy location. But it can help you have a benchmark level of service that will not only provide an exceptional experience for your customers but also move your merchandise.
Related posts:
Source: http://www.retaildoc.com/blog/should-your-retail-sales-training-be-in-house-or-online-2/
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Funniest Moments Of Justin Timberlake On SNL (VIDEOS)
Funniest Moments Of Justin Timberlake On SNL (VIDEOS)
Singer/actor Justin Timberlake hosted “Saturday Night Live” for the fifth time on Saturday, joining other repeat hosts in one skit. Timberlake joined forces with Andy Samberg in a dating segment and took a shot at Kanye West as he performed “Suit & Tie”. During his opening monologue, Timberlake bragged about being part of the “Five ...
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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/funniest-moments-of-justin-timberlake-on-snl-videos/
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Saturday, March 9, 2013
Photos: Annie Macaulay Weds Tuface In Eket | News, Movies$Tv ...
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://rayenter10ment.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/photos-annie-macaulay-weds-tuface-in-eket/
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Wrestling considers changing singlet for Olympics
In this image made available by FILA News Bureau, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, right, shakes hands with the acting head of wrestling's world governing body Nenad Lalovic at the IOC headquarters in in Lausanne Switzerland Thursday March 7, 2013. Lolovic met with IOC President Jacques Rogge and promised the sport would work hard in its fight to retain Olympic status. (AP Photo/FILA News Bureau)
In this image made available by FILA News Bureau, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, right, shakes hands with the acting head of wrestling's world governing body Nenad Lalovic at the IOC headquarters in in Lausanne Switzerland Thursday March 7, 2013. Lolovic met with IOC President Jacques Rogge and promised the sport would work hard in its fight to retain Olympic status. (AP Photo/FILA News Bureau)
FILE - In this May 15, 2012 file photo, freestyle wrestler Jordan Burroughs poses for a photo at the 2012 Team USA Media Summit in Dallas. His performance at the London Games cemented his status as perhaps the best athlete in the world in his sport _ a sport that just a few months later in fighting for its very existence. (AP Photo/Victoria Will, File)
Northwestern's Matt Wheeler, right, tries to take down Saegertown's Tyler Vath in a 120-pound match at the PIAA Class AA high school wrestling championships on Friday, March 8, 2013, in Hershey, Pa. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
LONDON (AP) ? Kicked out of the Olympics and desperately trying to get back in, wrestling hopes a wardrobe change will wow those set to rule on the sport's fate.
The acting head of wrestling's governing body said Friday the federation is negotiating with manufacturers to produce a new singlet ? the skimpy sleeveless T-shirt worn by competitors ? that will reduce sweat and look different for Greco-Roman and freestyle events.
It's a sign of how far the sport is ready to go to regain its spot in the Olympics after being cut from the 2020 Games last month by the IOC executive board.
"I want to change the singlets to modernize them," acting FILA president Nenad Lalovic told The Associated Press. "Sweat is really a problem for the wrestlers. By the end of the match they cannot make grabs, especially for the Greco-Roman.
"Also that will help to distinguish immediately the Greco-Roman wrestler from the freestyle wrestler."
Currently, Olympic wrestlers in both disciplines wear either red or blue one-piece singlets.
Lalovic said FILA is also working on proposals to include women and active athletes on its decision-making body and make changes to competition formats and venues.
"We want to find something that will make our sport much more watchable and understandable," Lalovic said. "We want spectators who come to the wrestling hall for the first time to know the rules by the end of the day."
The changes, which would take effect in 2014, will be voted on at an extraordinary FILA congress in Moscow on May 18 ? just 10 days before the IOC executive board meets in St. Petersburg, Russia, to discuss the program for the 2020 Games.
"We have to make changes to modernize our sport," the Serbian official said in a telephone interview after chairing a FILA meeting in Vevey, Switzerland. "We have to show that something has changed and that we can implement it."
As part of the campaign, FILA is planning a "World Wrestling Day" on May 24 with national bodies organizing wrestling exhibitions and other events to promote the sport.
FILA had originally planned to hold the congress in Turkey, but that was considered a possible conflict of interest because Istanbul is bidding for the 2020 Olympics.
"We have to be impartial," said Lalovic, who plans to run for the FILA presidency at the Moscow meeting.
Russia, a traditional wrestling powerhouse and homeland of the great Alexander Karelin, has been among the most active countries fighting for the sport's Olympic future. Lalovic said the Russian government will help organize and finance the congress.
Lalovic took over FILA on an interim basis after Raphael Martinetti resigned as president within days of the IOC decision to remove wrestling after the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
He said he spoke to Martinetti this week and the Swiss official told him he would not be a candidate at the May meeting. Lalovic said he doesn't know if he will face any challengers or be unopposed to finish the presidential mandate until 2014.
At the IOC meeting in St. Petersburg, May 29-31, the board will hear presentations from wrestling and seven other sports competing for one spot on the 2020 program. Those sports include a combined baseball-softball bid, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding, and the martial arts of karate and wushu.
The board could select a short list of three sports to submit to the full IOC assembly, which will make the final decision at its session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September.
Lalovic met with federation leaders a day after talks with IOC President Jacques Rogge, who told him the sport will need to earn its place on the program.
"The other competitors started two years ago," Lalovic said. "We have to run fast and act fast. They have had much more time to prepare. But I think we have stronger arguments and I believe we will be ready to make our case."
___
Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap
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Friday, March 8, 2013
AMBER alerts coming to cell phones - Wisconsin Radio Network
For years, AMBER Alerts have appeared on highway signs, billboards, broadcast media, and even recently on social networking sites. Now, the Justice Department says the alerts will be sent directly to wireless devices ? automatically ? in areas where children are reported missing or in trouble.
Susan WhiteHorse is with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation ? Wisconsin Missing and Exploited Children and Adults. ?With the constant improvements in technology we are constantly moving forward and this definitely enhances our AMBER alert program.?
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been sending out alerts since January using the federal government?s Wireless Emergency Alert system ? the same system that disseminates presidential alerts and imminent weather warnings.
The alerts are sent out regionally, WhiteHorse says, including specific information, for example, a vehicle description and license plate. ?In fact, I know that just last week Minnesota actually activated through this system ? the vehicle was located outside an apartment building and there was a person that received the alert ? and the child was recovered safely.?
The alerts have a distinct tone and vibration, so you?ll know it when you get it. Despite all the new technology, the most important aspect of this system is the public. ?They are the ones that really protect and save the lives of children because they pay attention to these alerts.?
The AMBER Alert has been activated 23 times in Wisconsin since the program began in 2003, and has safely recovered more than 30 children. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 600 children nationwide have been rescued throughout the 17 years of the AMBER Alert program.
There?s no financial cost or privacy issues with the system, which doesn?t need to know your phone number. You can also opt out, if you choose. The Wisconsin DOJ has not used the new system yet since its implementation at the beginning of this year.?When receiving AMBER Alerts?you will get geographically targeted information to help identify an abducted child, a suspected abductor or a vehicle suspected to be involved in an abduction.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children offers answers to FAQs regarding AMBER Alerts and Wireless Emergency Alerts.
NOTE: The Wisconsin AMBER Alert Plan is a collaborative effort between the Wisconsin DOJ, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, Wisconsin Public Radio, the Dane County Public Safety Communication Center, the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Wisconsin State Emergency Communications System and local law enforcement agencies.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report 1:48
Source: http://www.wrn.com/2013/03/amber-alerts-coming-to-cell-phones/
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
Sinkhole Insurance: You Probably Don't Know You Need It | AOL ...
The map above shows areas of the U.S. with bedrock types that are prone to sinkholes. It's not just Florida that needs to worry about them.
Think sinkholes like the one that opened up under a Florida home last week -- and swallowed a man into the earth -- are just freak accidents that could never happen to you? Think again. About 35 to 40 percent of the entire United States is susceptible to dangerous sinkholes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Particularly vulnerable, as you might guess, is Florida.
Last week's sinkhole, which tore apart a home just outside of Tampa, is a rare and extreme case. Jeff Bush died when he fell into the hole (pictured below) that opened up under his bedroom, and officials said that his body could not be recovered. The Bush family's home was razed Tuesday after suffering too much damage to repair, CNN reported. "My mom and dad are going through hell right now," Bush's brother, Jeremy, told USA Today, adding that at least some family photos were able to be saved before demolition.
Anyone who lives in Florida should take this as a cautionary tale: Virtually the entire state -- but particularly Central Florida -- is prone to sinkholes as potentially dangerous as the one that took Jeff Bush's life. (Just last year, a Florida woman came home to find that half her house had fallen into a sinkhole.) Sinkholes form when rainwater dissolves limestone, salt, gypsum and similar types of bedrock under the soil. Florida's bedrock is mostly limestone, making it a prime area of the country for sinkholes.
But if you live in Missouri, Kentucky, Texas, Tennessee or anywhere in the Northern Plains, you're at risk from sinkholes, too. All of those areas lie on top of the types of bedrock that sinkholes affect. But not all sinkholes are quite as dramatic as the one near Tampa last week. Some are hardly noticeable, causing the ground to sag only slightly. And it doesn't have to swallow you to be life-threatening: In 2011, a young girl died in a car crash after a sinkhole destroyed part of a Utah road.
So is there any way to protect yourself against the possibility of sinkhole damage to your home? In Florida and Tennessee -- the most active states for sinkholes -- insurers are required to offer sinkhole coverage with home policies, reports the Christian Science Monitor. But although sinkhole insurance will cover the same things as a typical homeowners insurance policy -- when it comes to damage -- many homeowners have opted out as premiums have skyrocketed. Rate hikes of more than 2,000 percent were proposed in some parts of Tampa Bay in 2011, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Homeowners in other states, though, may not know that sinkhole insurance even exists -- and that they must ask for it to get it. In many states, coverage against sinkholes requires a separate policy. When homes were damaged recently in an area of Pennsylvania that's prone to sinkholes, The Morning Call newspaper reported that homeowners there were surprised to find that their insurance wouldn't cover it. As a result, as least one state senator was pushing to have local insurers inform policy holders that sinkhole coverage was available. The best thing any homeowner can do, though, is ask an insurer about a sinkhole coverage policy.
ABC News put together a slideshow of some of the most shocking sinkholes around the world. See some of those in the gallery below.
See also:
Homeowners Insurance: What's Covered, What's Not
Homeowners Insurance 101: What You Need to Know
Natural Disasters and Terror Plots: What Home Insurance Covers
More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.
Find homes for rent in your area.
Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.
Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/03/06/sinkhole-insurance-florida/
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Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Apps use brainwaves to guide, improve meditation
TORONTO (Reuters) - A new smartphone app aims to ease stress and guide users through meditation by monitoring brain waves that change as people become more relaxed.
Transcend, made by the Canadian company Personal Neuro Devices, links the smartphone to a separately sold headset that records electrical activity along the forehead.
"It doesn't matter whether you're meditating as part of a secular practice, or spiritual practice. It all creates the same change in the brain," said Chad Veinotte, a director of the company, which launched the app last month.
The user picks the duration of time for the meditation and can also opt to listen to a guided audio meditation. A candle graphic in the app grows brighter as the quality of the practice increases, which is determined by brainwaves that indicate relaxation and concentration.
A graph in the app also shows the quality of meditation in real time throughout the session.
"You get to literally look at what's happening in the mind while you're doing the practice," Veinotte said.
Transcend is one of several apps available for the MindWave headsets made by San Jose, California, company NeuroSky, and which connect to smartphones wirelessly. San Francisco-based company Emotiv Systems also creates headsets that run apps.
NeuroSky's CEO, Stanley Yang, said other uses for the headsets include concentration and focus games.
Veinotte said the headsets, which are also known as brain computer interfaces, will become popular just as sensor-based fitness apps that track distance and speed have.
"We'll see headsets shrink and get more compact and easier to use, and become something you can wear all day every day," he said.
Headset manufacturers are working on making them more practical for everyday use by integrating them into musical headsets, and by making them more stylish.
"We're going to see an explosion in the types of applications available and the way in which people start paying attention to their minds," Veinotte said.
The app is available for Android. An iPhone version is expected to be released soon.
(Editing by Patricia Reaney; and Peter Galloway)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apps-brainwaves-guide-improve-meditation-154955540.html
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Why Some People Get Zits And Others Don't
Teenagers rejoice, zit bacteria aren't all bad.
New research finds the microbes that cause the most common form of acne come in two flavors: the "bad" variety that causes pimples and the "good" type that may keep the skin glowing.
The findings, detailed in the Feb. 28 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, may explain why despite the fact that everyone's skin is crawling with zit bugs only one in five people develops acne in their lifetime.
"We hope to apply our findings to develop new strategies that stop blemishes before they start," said lead researcher Huiying Li of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Li added the findings would allow dermatologists to personalize acne treatment based on "each patient's unique cocktail of skin bacteria."
Though acne affects 80 percent of the population at some point in their lives, scientists have made little progress in new treatments, according to Li and colleagues. The current antibiotics out there don't work on the most severe cases of acne, while other types of treatment have adverse side effects. [Body Bugs: 5 Surprising Facts About Your Microbiome]
Nose bacteria
In the study, Li and colleagues used pore-cleansing strips to collect acne bacteria, called Propionibacterium acnes, from the noses of about 100 volunteers, half of whom were pimply and the others clear-skinned. P. acnes lurks deep in skin pores, sometimes irritating the body's immune system to cause inflammation and the resulting red bumps we call pimples.
From the nose samples, the researchers sequenced the genomes of 66 strains of P. acnes. They were interested in the genes unique to each variety that might distinguish clear skin from pimply.
"Two unique strains of P. acnes appeared in one out of five volunteers with acne, but rarely occurred in clear-skinned people," said Dr. Noah Craft, a dermatologist and director of the Center for Immunotherapeutics Research at LA BioMed at Harbor?UCLA Medical Center.
Next came the surprise: a third strain that commonly showed up in volunteers with healthy skin but only rarely in those with pimples.
"We suspect that this strain contains a natural defense mechanism that enables it to recognize attackers and destroy them before they infect the bacterial cell," Li said in a statement.
Zapping zits
The researchers think that increasing the body's good strain of P. acnes, possibly in the form of a cream, may stop zits in their tracks.
"This P. acnes strain may protect the skin, much like yogurt's live bacteria help defend the gut from harmful bugs," Li said. "Our next step will be to investigate whether a probiotic cream can block bad bacteria from invading the skin and prevent pimples before they start."
Other zit-zapping research has suggested benign viruses called bacteriophages that feed on bacteria and not human cells may do the trick. Scientists reported last year in the journal mBio they had found common, bacteriophages living on your skin could effectively kill P. acnes.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?& Google+.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-people-zits-others-dont-145013019.html
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Police Probe Retirement Home After Nurse Refuses to - KTLA 5
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KTLA) ? Bakersfield police are investigating a senior living facility?s handling last week of an elderly resident who died after a nurse declined to perform CPR.
The facility?s policies prohibited the nurse from giving CPR to the 87-year-old woman, who was said to be barely breathing.
Authorities are trying to ?determine whether or not there is any criminal wrongdoing in the matter,? such as negligence or abuse, said Michaela Beard, a spokeswoman for the Bakersfield Police Department.
The executive director of the facility, Glenwood Gardens, defended its policies.
?In the event of a health emergency at this independent living community our practice is to immediately call emergency medical personnel for assistance and to wait with the individual needing attention until such personnel arrives,? ?Glenwood Gardens director Jeffrey Toomer said in a statement.
?That is the protocol we followed,? he said. ?As with any incident involving a resident, we will conduct a thorough internal review of this matter, but we have no further comments at this time.?
Bakersfield fire dispatcher Tracey Halvorson pleaded with the nurse on the phone, begging her to start CPR on the elderly resident, according to the 911 recording?released by the Bakersfield Fire Department.
?It?s a human being,? Halvorson said, speaking quickly.
?Is there anybody that?s willing to help this lady and not let her die??
The nurse refused to give the woman CPR, saying it was against the facility?s policy for staff to do so, according to the recording.
The elderly woman was identified by KGET-TV as 87-year-old Lorraine Bayless. She died Tuesday at Mercy Hospital Southwest, KGET reported.
On the recording, a different Glenwood Gardens employee said that an elderly woman had passed out in the facility?s dining room while eating and was barely breathing.
For several minutes, Halvorson begged the nurse to begin CPR, saying something had to be done before an ambulance arrived.
After the nurse repeatedly refused, Halvorson asked her to find a passerby or anyone who would be willing to help. Halvorson said she would talk someone through performing CPR.
?I understand if your facility is not willing to do that,? Halvorson told the nurse. ?Give the phone to that passerby, that stranger. ? This woman?s not breathing enough.
?She?s going to die if we don?t get this started. ? I don?t understand why you?re not willing to help this patient.?
The nurse could be heard talking to someone else at the facility.
?She?s yelling at me,? she said of Halvorson, ?and saying we have to have one of our residents perform CPR. I?m feeling stressed, and I?m not going to do that, make that call.?
The patient did not have a do-not-resuscitate order, according to KGET-TV. When Halvorson asked the nurse if she was going to let the woman die, the nurse said, ?That?s why we called 911.?
After a few minutes, the nurse said the ambulance had arrived. The tape ended with Halvorson sighing.
Bakersfield Fire Battalion Chief Anthony Galagaza said Halvorson followed protocol and that dispatchers give CPR instructions over the phone numerous times each year.
Bayless? daughter told KGET that she was a nurse and was satisfied with her mother?s care at Glenwood Gardens, the station reported.?
Source: http://ktla.com/2013/03/04/retirement-home-nurse-refuses-to-perform-cpr-on-dying-woman/
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Saturday, March 2, 2013
Sequester casts pall over Obama's second-term agenda
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just hours after across-the-board spending cuts officially took effect, President Barack Obama pressed Congress on Saturday to work with him on a compromise to halt a fiscal crisis that threatens the economy and his broader domestic policy agenda.
The failure by Obama and Republicans to agree to halt the $85 billion 'sequester' cuts virtually guaranteed that fiscal issues would remain center stage in Washington for weeks, crowding out Obama's proposals to reform immigration, tighten gun laws and raise the minimum wage.
The economic effects of the spending cuts may take time to kick in, but political blowback has already begun and is hitting Obama as well as congressional Republicans.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Friday showed neither Republicans on one side nor Obama and his fellow Democrats escaping blame.
Obama's approval rating dropped to 47 percent in a Gallup poll on Friday, down from 51 percent in the previous three-day period measured.
While most polls show voters blame Republicans primarily for the fiscal mess, Obama could see himself associated with the worst effects of sequestration like the looming furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
He signed an order on Friday night that started putting the cuts into effect.
In his weekly radio address, Obama appealed for Republicans to work with Democrats on a deal, saying Americans were weary of seeing Washington "careen from one manufactured crisis to another."
But he offered no new ideas to resolve the recurring fiscal fights, and there was no immediate sign of any negotiations.
"There's a caucus of common sense (in Congress)," Obama said in his address. "And I'm going to keep reaching out to them to fix this for good."
At the heart of Washington's persistent fiscal showdowns is disagreement over how to slash the budget deficit and the $16 trillion national debt, bloated over the years by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and government stimulus for the ailing economy.
The Democratic president wants to close the fiscal gap with spending cuts and tax hikes - what he calls a "balanced approach." But Republicans do not want to concede again on taxes after doing so in negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" at the New Year.
As Obama and his aides have done for weeks, the president in offered a litany of hardships he said would flow from the forced spending cuts.
"Beginning this week, businesses that work with the military will have to lay folks off. Communities near military bases will take a serious blow. Hundreds of thousands of Americans who serve their country - Border Patrol agents, FBI agents, civilians who work for the Defense Department - will see their wages cut and their hours reduced," he said.
'IT'S CALLED LEADERSHIP'
Critics said Obama should have held meaningful talks with congressional leaders long before Friday's last-minute meeting at the White House, which failed to prevent the automatic cuts written into law during a previous budget crisis in 2011.
"The president should call the senior representatives of the parties together to Camp David - or any place with a table, chairs, and no TV cameras - for serious negotiations on replacing the sequester with firm, enforceable beginnings of a comprehensive long-term debt stabilization agreement," said former Republican Senator Pete Domenici and fiscal expert Alice Rivlin.
The budget veterans, who lead the Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Task Force, called on Obama and congressional Republican leaders to "be willing to tell those on the polar extremes of their parties that a central majority consensus will govern. It's called leadership."
After months of silence on political issues, Obama's Republican opponent in last November's election resurfaced to take a swipe at the Democrat's handling of the sequestration mess.
"No one can think that that's been a success for the president," Mitt Romney said in an interview to air on "Fox News Sunday."
The former Massachusetts governor accused Obama of "flying around the country and berating Republicans and blaming and pointing," instead of striking a budget deal.
Twenty-eight percent of Americans blame Republicans for the lack of a deal to halt sequestration, while 22 percent hold either Obama or the Democrats in Congress responsible, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Thirty-seven percent blame them all.
The budget standstill has overshadowed Obama's aggressive set of policy goals ranging from boosting pre-school education to fighting climate change and reforming America's immigration system.
Obama vowed in a news conference on Friday that the fiscal troubles would not prevent him from advocating for those proposals.
"I think there are other areas where we can make progress even with the sequester unresolved. I will continue to push for those initiatives," he said.
(Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-lurches-budget-crisis-spending-cuts-imminent-005547865--business.html
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Odd molecular hoops dispel 'junk DNA' myth
Nicolle Rager Fuller / NSF
An artist's conception shows an RNA molecule, which may have served as an early form of life on Earth.
By Charles Choi
LiveScience
The human genome can generate molecular hoops similar in makeup to DNA that could potently interfere with genetic activity, researchers say.
These findings reveal there are secrets within the genomes of humans and other animals that scientists are still uncovering, and the old belief that life has useless junk DNA is more false than ever, scientists added.
Discovering more about circular versions of RNA (a molecule similar to DNA that can carry genetic information) could also lead to new ways of fighting diseases such as diabetes, brain tumors and Parkinson's disease, investigators added.
The human genome ? the blueprint for human life ? is made of DNA. From the genome, intermediate molecules known as RNA are created that help manufacture key biomolecules such as proteins, which then carry out cellular processes.
After international teams of researchers completely sequenced the human genome, they found about 95 percent of it unexpectedly did not code for proteins. Since this noncoding DNA initially seemed to have no known biological function, some scientists referred to it as junk DNA. [Unraveling the Human Genome: 6 Molecular Milestones]
However, over time, researchers have discovered this noncoding DNA can serve a wide variety of vital purposes. For instance, noncoding DNA can give rise to snippets of RNA known as micro-RNA that can suppress the so-called messenger RNA that normally helps manufacture proteins. This micro-RNA serves a key role in controlling genetic activity, and scientists are developing therapies based on micro-RNA to dampen harmful, malfunctioning genes.
Now researchers find the genomes of humans and other animals can generate circular RNA, highly stable rings that can sponge up micro-RNA, apparently keeping them from interfering with genetic activity if necessary.
"There seems to be a whole new layer of gene regulation," researcher J?rgen Kjems, a molecular biologist at Aarhus University in Denmark, told LiveScience.
For instance, Kjems and his colleagues found high levels of a circular RNA they dubbed ciRS-7 in the human and mouse brain. This molecule potently suppresses a micro-RNA named miR-7, which is found in everything from worms to humans. They also found a circular RNA known as Sry that is specific to testicles and targets a micro-RNA known as miR-138, suggesting that circular RNA might play a role in sex development.
In addition, when Nikolaus Rajewsky at the Max Delbr?ck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin and his colleagues analyzed human, mouse and nematode worm RNA, they detected thousands of circular RNAs. These were often linked with specific tissues or developmental stages.
The micro-RNA miR-7 regulates a number of disease genes, including Parkinson's disease, brain tumors and diabetes. As such, learning more about circular RNAs "may provide a new treatment strategy for these diseases," Kjems said. Regulating the activity of miR-7 could reduce the activity of the genes causing these diseases, he explained.
Altogether, these findings suggest that circular RNAs form a large class of genetic regulators. It remains uncertain whether these molecules work alone or whether they act by combining with other compounds, such as RNA-binding proteins.
The researchers next plan to introduce these circular molecules in animals "to see their effect on disease development, and from there, design drugs towards the diseases," Kjems said.
The scientists detailed their findings in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?and Google+.?
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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