Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/nene-leakes-kim-zolciak-feud-its-over/
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Friday, March 29, 2013
Obama, EPA to unveil proposal to clean up emissions
By Dina Cappiello, Associated Press
The Obama administration will unveil a proposal Friday to clean up gasoline and automobile emissions, a step that officials say will result in cleaner air across the U.S. and slightly higher prices at the pump.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the rule to reduce sulfur in gasoline and tighten emissions standards on cars beginning in 2017 could increase gas prices by less than a penny per gallon and add $130 to the cost of a vehicle in 2025.
But the agency says it will yield billions of dollars in health benefits by slashing smog- and soot-forming pollution come 2030.
The oil industry, Republicans and some Democrats had pressed the EPA to delay the rule, citing higher costs. An oil industry study says the rule could increase gasoline prices by 6 to 9 cents per gallon.
The so-called Tier 3 standards would reduce sulfur in gasoline by more than 60 percent and reduce nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, by expanding across the country a standard already in place in California. For states, the regulation will make it easier to comply with health-based standards for the main ingredient in smog and soot. For automakers, the regulation allows them to sell the same autos in all 50 states.
Environmentalists hailed the proposal as potentially the most significant in President Barack Obama's second term.
The Obama administration has already moved to clean up motor vehicles by adopting rules that will double fuel efficiency and putting in place the first-ever standards to reduce the pollution blamed for global warming from cars and trucks.
"We know of no other air pollution control strategy that can achieve such substantial, cost-effective and immediate emission reductions," said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. Becker said the rule would reduce pollution equal to taking 33 million cars off the road.
But the head of American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, Charles Drevna, said in an interview Thursday that the refiners' group was still unclear on the motives behind the agency's regulation, since refining companies have already spent $10 billion to reduce sulfur by 90 percent. The additional cuts, while smaller, will cost just as much, Drevna said, and the energy needed for the additional refining could actually increase carbon pollution by 1 to 2 percent.
"I haven't seen an EPA rule on fuels that has come out since 1995 that hasn't said it would cost only a penny or two more," Drevna said.
A study commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute estimated that lowering the sulfur in gasoline would add 6 to 9 cents per gallon to refiners' manufacturing costs, an increase that would likely be passed down to consumers at the pump. The EPA estimate of less than 1 cent is also an additional manufacturing cost and likely to be passed on.
A senior administration official said Thursday that only 16 of 111 refineries would need to invest in major equipment to meet the new standards, which could be final by the end of this year. Of the remaining refineries, 29 already are meeting the standards because they are selling cleaner fuel in California or other countries, and 66 would have to make modifications.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the rule was still undergoing White House budget office review.
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Flu death reported in Muskogee County; state total now at 34
Eight hospitalizations were reported this week. The total number of hospitalizations since Sept. 30 is 1,066.
The death reported this week was from Muskogee County. Eight of the dead have been from Tulsa County, which has by far the most hospitalizations reported of any county.
One of the dead has been between the ages of 5 and 18, five have been between 19 and 64 and 28 have been 65 or older.
Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20130328_17_0_AohrOl253764
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Russia criticizes Arab League move on Syria
MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia on Thursday harshly criticized the Arab League's recognition of the Syrian opposition as the only representative of the country, saying it effectively kills efforts to negotiate a peaceful end to the civil war there.
At a summit in Qatar on Tuesday, the Arab League let the main Syrian opposition coalition take over the country's seat for the first time.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his government "deeply regrets" the move, which he said amounts to "the Arab League's rejection of a peaceful settlement." He told reporters that the decision amounts to discarding of an international peace plan approved in Geneva in June, which was supported by the Arab League at the time. It called for an open-ended cease-fire and peace talks to form a transitional government that would run the country until elections.
However, the plan was a non-starter for the opposition because of Moscow's insistence it did not explicitly ban Syrian President Bashar Assad and other members of his regime from taking part in the transitional leadership.
Lavrov said the summit's decision Tuesday "strokes out all the efforts that have been made, including the Geneva agreements, and throws the status of Lakhdar Brahimi, U.N. and Arab League envoy for Syria, into limbo.
"If one of the founders of his mission, the Arab League, declares that the opposition coalition is the only legitimate representative of the country, there will be no talks and those who want to oust the regime will be provided with weapons. I simply can't see how Mr. Brahimi could remain the envoy.... That effectively puts an end to international mediation from the point of view of the Arab League."
Lavrov said the Doha summit's decision signaling an intention to supply the Syrian opposition with weapons is aimed at "inciting confrontation and encouraging irreconcilable forces."
Russia has been Assad's main supporter throughout the two-year conflict, joining forces with China at the U.N. Security Council to shield his regime from international sanctions over his crackdown on an uprising that turned into a civil war that has killed an estimated 70,000 people.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-criticizes-arab-league-move-syria-163129068.html
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Zero Motorcycles adds former BMW Mottorad exec de Waal to board ...
Home > News > Zero Motorcycles adds former BMW Mottorad exec de Waal to board 
March 28, 2013
Filed under News, Top Stories
News release
Zero Motorcycles, the global leader in the electric motorcycle industry, today announced an addition to its Board of Directors, naming Pieter de Waal as its newest member. De Waal comes to Zero with more than 30 years of business, engineering and sales experience in both the automotive and motorcycle industries. This includes stints with Nissan, Delta (GM) and Mercedes Benz and, more recently, at BMW Motorrad as North American Vice President. In addition to his Board position, he will also consult Zero on future strategies, including powertrain initiatives.
?We?re thrilled to have someone with Pieter?s wealth of experience with BMW Motorrad, the motorcycle division at BMW, joining the Zero Board of Directors,? said Richard Walker, CEO of Zero Motorcycles. ?His counsel will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth to further solidify Zero?s position as market leaders in the electric motorcycle marketplace.?
As the newest member on the Board of Directors, de Waal brings to Zero a passion for motorcycles, an impressive track record and an international perspective, having served as head of BMW?s motorcycle operations in South Africa, the United Kingdom and later in Munich as head of sales and marketing worldwide. ?I am excited to be part of Zero Motorcycles,? said de Waal. ?I believe that electric vehicles will play an important role in our future and Zero has the resources, drive and pioneering spirit to help make that future an exciting reality.?
De Waal?s selection as board member builds to the strength of the team at Zero Motorcycles. Zero Motorcycles has consciously sought to team senior executives with motorcycle industry experience along with leaders from other high tech fields to create the ideal blend of background and experience for success in this dynamic new and emerging consumer market.
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Sarah Chalke: My Son Had Kawasaki Disease
"You present with all these symptoms, you get a lot of repeated misdiagnoses, you keep getting sent home [by doctors]," Chalke, 36, tells TVLine.
Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/kjx5b6z5DPM/
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US-Russian crew blasts off for space station
The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-08M space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Friday, March 29, 2013. The Russian rocket carries Russian cosmonauts Alexander Misurkin, Pavel Vinogradov and U.S. astronaut Christopher Cassidy. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-08M space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Friday, March 29, 2013. The Russian rocket carries Russian cosmonauts Alexander Misurkin, Pavel Vinogradov and U.S. astronaut Christopher Cassidy. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
Russian Cosmonauts Alexander Misurkin, right, Pavel Vinogradov, center, and U.S. astronaut Christopher Cassidy, crew members of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, walk prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday, March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, Pool)
The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-08M space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station (ISS), blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Friday, March 29, 2013. The Russian rocket carries Russian cosmonauts Alexander Misurkin, Pavel Vinogradov and U.S. astronaut Christopher Cassidy (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
Russian Cosmonauts Alexander Misurkin, right, and U.S. astronaut Christopher Cassidy, crew members of the mission to the International Space Station, ISS, wave prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday, March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, Pool)
In this picture taken through a safety glass, Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov, crew member of the mission to the International Space Station (ISS), is seen during inspection of his space suit prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday, March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Ramil Sitdikov, Pool)
BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) ? A Russian spacecraft carrying a three-man crew blasted off Friday from a launch pad in the steppes of Kazakhstan, for the first time taking a shorter path to the International Space Station.
Instead of the two-day approach maneuver used by Soyuz spacecraft in the past, this journey to the station would take NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russians Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin just under six hours.
The Soyuz TMA-08M lifted off on time from the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome at 2:43 a.m. Friday (2043 GMT; 4:43 p.m. EDT Thursday). It's set to dock at the space outpost at 10:32 p.m. EDT Thursday (0232 GMT Friday).
The trio are "on a fast track to the International Space Station," NASA spokesman Josh Byerly said, adding minutes after the launch that all was going well and the spacecraft went into orbit without any problems.
The new maneuver has been tested successfully by three Russian Progress cargo ships, an unmanned version of the Soyuz used to ferry supplies to the space station.
Vinogradov joked at a pre-launch news conference at Baikonur that the journey to the station would be so quick that it could allow the crew to even carry ice cream as a present to the three men currently manning the orbiting outpost.
"It wouldn't melt in such a short time," he said.
On a more serious note, Vinogradov added that the shorter flight path would reduce the crew's fatigue and allow astronauts to be in top shape for the docking. He said that it takes about five hours for the human body to start feeling the impact of zero gravity, so the quicker flight would allow the crew to more easily adapt to weightlessness in much roomier space station interiors.
The downside of the accelerated rendezvous is that the crew will have to stay in their spacesuits, which they don hours before the launch, through the entire approach maneuver.
Other Russian cosmonauts in the past have described the two-day approach maneuver in the cramped Soyuz as one of the most grueling parts of missions to the orbiting station. The spheroid orbiting capsule allows the crew to take off their bulky spacesuits, change into more comfortable clothes and use a toilet, but its interior is extremely confined.
The ship's spartan layout lacks adequate heating and fails to provide an opportunity for the crew to get hot food. It contrasts sharply with the spacious U.S. space shuttle, whose retirement has left Soyuz as the only means to deliver crews to the space outpost.
Russian space officials said the longer approach was necessary at a time when the station was in a lower orbit required for the shuttle flights. After they ended, it was raised from 350 kilometers (217 miles) to 400 kilometers (249 miles), making a quicker rendezvous possible.
NASA is working on the development of its new generation Orion spacecraft. Orion's first trip is an unmanned mission in 2017, and the first manned mission is set for 2021.
___
Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.
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Bees Communicate With Electric Fields
If that is true, I guess the mother nature is far more advanced than I could even imagine. Sonar, ok, infrared sensors, ok, antibiotics, ok, aero/hydro dynamics, ok, but electric field communication, wtf? I thought this domain solely belonged to human race.
If that is true, I guess the mother nature is far more advanced than I could even imagine. Sonar, ok, infrared sensors, ok, antibiotics, ok, aero/hydro dynamics, ok, but electric field communication, wtf? I thought this domain solely belonged to human race.
Haha was the remainder of that post just used to justify your punny subject line? Sharks have actually been using electric fields for quite awhile to hunt various prey. And while I woudln't be surprised if it were true, the summary doesn't really suggest causality or even correlation with the bees, it just says "this number is big, it must be useful for something!". Odd for scientists to do that...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampullae_of_Lorenzini [wikipedia.org]
Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/4hWJriwqck0/story01.htm
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What you missed from ?The Ultimate Fighter?
It was a fight-packed episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" as Tuesday night's episode had two fights and visits from two different champs.
Ronda Rousey stops by -- Kelvin won his first match, so he was rewarded with a visit with UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. It wasn't just for show, either, as Rousey showed Team Sonnen several judo techniques. She also pumped them up with some of her favorite "Momisms," including the choice line, "No one has the right to beat you."
Collin Hart (Team Jones) vs. Kelvin Gastellum (Team Sonnen)
Gastellum said in his pre-fight interviews that no one respects his boxing. Uh, they will now. Gastellum struck Hart quickly with a left hook that sent him down to the ground. Hart hit his head on the canvas, rolled over, and took a few more punches before the fight was stopped. It was a vicious, vicious knockout.
Mike Tyson! Oh, hey, no big deal. Mike Tyson showed up at the training center. He stopped in the locker rooms to say hello to the fighters.
Dylan Andrews (Team Jones) vs. Luke Barnatt (Team Sonnen)
A fight for the Queen as Australian Andrews takes on Brit Barnatt. Andrews got the takedown early in the first round, and Barnatt had no answer on the ground for much of the round. Andrews tried for a few chokes, but was unsuccessful.
Barnatt did a much better job in the second, creating offense from the bottom. This led to a third round, where Andrews took over. He knocked a clearly tired Barnatt around until he finally knocked him out in the third round.
Everyone was impressed with how Andrews fought through the third round, including the man signing the checks.
"I'm blown away and impressed with Dylan. That's how it's done here." ? Dana White
The next two quarterfinals are next week, and they'll have a tough act to follow.
College basketball video from Yahoo! Sports:
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/missed-ultimate-fighter-125847222--mma.html
Thursday, March 28, 2013
HIV test urged for 7,000 Oklahoma dental patients
TULSA, Okla. (AP) ? Health officials said Thursday that thousands of patients of an Oklahoma dentist should undergo testing for HIV and hepatitis after officials investigating the source of a patient's disease discovered instruments weren't being cleaned properly.
The Oklahoma Board of Dentistry said Thursday that state and county health inspectors inspected Dr. W. Scott Harrington's practice after a patient with no other known risk factors tested positive for hepatitis C and the virus that causes Aids. At Harrington's clinics, they found multiple sterilization issues, including cross-contamination of instruments and the use of a separate, rusty, set of instruments for patients who were known to carry infectious diseases.
Harrington, an oral surgeon, voluntarily closed his practices in Tulsa and suburban Owasso and is cooperating with investigators, said Kaitlin Snider, a spokeswoman for the Tulsa Health Department. He faces a hearing April 19 and could lose his license.
"It's uncertain how long those practices have been in place," said "He's been practicing for 36 years."
Phone numbers for Harrington at his home and offices were disconnected Thursday and it was not clear if he had a lawyer.
Snider said letters would be sent Friday to 7,000 patients who went to Harrington's clinics in Tulsa and suburban Owasso since 2007. The letters recommend testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. The agencies say it is rare for infections to spread in occupational settings but that tests are important.
The Dentistry Board complaint says Harrington and his staff told investigators that a "high population of known infectious disease carrier patients" received dental care from him.
An autoclave used to sterilize all instruments wasn't working properly, the complaint said. The clinic also apparently used outdated drugs, as one vial on the premises this year had an expiration date of 1993, the complaint said.
The health departments said hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV are serious medical conditions and infected patients may not have outward symptoms of the disease for many years. "As a precaution, and in order to take appropriate steps to protect their health, it is important for these patients to get tested. It should be noted that transmission in this type of occupational setting is rare," their statement said.
Testing will be offered free of charge at the Tulsa Health Department's North Regional Health and Wellness Center.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hiv-test-urged-7-000-oklahoma-dental-patients-195804002.html
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Spam no more: Biggest cyber-attack in history grips web ? RT News
Published time: March 27, 2013 17:44
Edited time: March 27, 2013 23:38
Edited time: March 27, 2013 23:38
Image from cyberbunker.com
The biggest cyber-attack in history has caused a worldwide web slowdown as the battle between an anti-spam group and a Dutch web host continues to heat up.
The largest known distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in history was sparked when the non-profit group Spamhaus placed CyberBunker on a real-time blacklist of sites to be blocked for spreading spam earlier this month.? ?
The (DDoS) attacks ? which flood targeted web servers with fake traffic to make them inaccessible ? have reportedly caused millions to experience delays with services such as the Netflix video-streaming service and made other sites temporarily unavailable. Experts fear the web congestion could lead to banking and email system slowdowns around the world.
Spamhaus servers were at one point being inundated with 300 billion bits per second (300Gbps) of data, three times larger than the previous record attack of 100 Gbps, Darren Anstee from Arbor Networks Solutions told IBTimes UK.
Spamhaus, which helps email providers filter out spam and other questionable content, first reported the attacks on March 20.
Kaspersky anti-virus giant?s experts confirmed to RT that this was one of the largest DDoS operations to date ?based on the reported scale of the attack, which was evaluated at 300 Gigabits per second.
?The data flow generated by such an attack may affect intermediate network nodes when it passes them, thus impeding operations of normal web services that have no relation to Spamhaus or Cyberbunker,? corporate communications manager at Kaspersky, Yuliya Krivosheina, wrote in a statement for RT. ?Therefore, such DDoS attack may affect regular users as well, with network slowdown or total unavailability of certain web resources being typical symptoms.?
Kaspersky warned that there may be further disruptions on a larger scale as the attack escalates.
?In general, attacks of this type are growing in terms of quantity as well as scale,? the statement reads. ?Among the reasons for this growth is the development of the Internet itself (network capacity and computing power) and past failures in investigating and prosecuting individuals behind past attacks.?
Meanwhile, Steve Linford, chief executive for Spamhaus, told the BBC that this scale of attack could knock down government Internet infrastructure.
"If you aimed this at Downing Street they would be down instantly," he said. "They would be completely off the Internet."
Linford noted that ?when there are attacks against major banks, we're talking about 50 gbs."
Five separate cyber-police-forces are investigating the incident, he added, though he could not disclose any further details.
Spamhaus further accused Cyberbunker of collaborating with criminal gangs from Eastern Europe and Russia to carry out the attacks.
Cyberbunker, which operates out of a "secretive nuclear bunker," prides itself on rebuking "authorities regarding the rights of individuals. " The firm, boasts they will provide bandwidth to anything but child pornography or terrorism related content.
Sven Olaf Kamphuis, an internet activist and self-described spokesman for Cyberbunker, reportedly told the New York Times the ongoing attack was retaliation for Spamhaus "abusing their influence." However, later on Wednesday Kamphuis told RT's news video agency RUPTLY via Skype that quotes attributed to him by the NYT were part of a campaign of ?misinformation? against Cyberbunker, which he says is not currently carrying out DDoS attacks against Spamhaus.
?There has been some misinformation from the New York Times that it?s me carrying out the attacks. Spamhaus have pissed off a lot of people over the past few years by blackmailing ISPs and carriers into disconnecting clients without court orders or legal process whatsoever,? he said. ?
?At this moment we are not even conducting any attacks because people from our group stopped any attack yesterday morning,? he said. ?So if they are still under attack which I think they are because I get news feeds that they are still under attack then it?s now other people attacking them.? He argues that such publicized cyber-attacks do serve a function, as they put the ?mafia tactics? of Spamhaus in the public spotlight, which he claims are currently ?the largest threat? to Internet freedom. ?
?Well, I think the cyber-attacks do put things under public discussion and that in the case of Spamhaus was urgently needed, because they have been operating in the background, claiming to be spam fighters and a little non-profit and at the moment it is becoming all the more clear what they really are. People that work at internet providers have always known this,? Kamphuis said.
?People who work at abuse desks or as providers, know that if you don?t give Spamhaus their way, they will list your entire provider and at that point all of your customers will start to complain that 1/3 of the internet no longer accepts email to start with. If they put you on drop a whole bunch of American providers no longer accept your backups, so you can no longer communicate with half of the sites hosted in the United States. It is a massive problem when one little offshore from the Bahamas gains such an influence on the internet that they can have such an impact.? 
Source: http://rt.com/news/spamhouse-cyber-bunker-attack-934/
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Second Date: Another Dinner for President Obama and Senate Republicans
Look who's coming for dinner again: Senate Republicans!
On Wednesday, April 10 , President Obama will dine with a new group of 12 Republican senators.
Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., was tasked with organizing the second guest list for dinner, which is still being assembled, Republican aides on Capitol Hill confirm. The location of the dinner is still to be announced.
This second dinner party follows one earlier this month, on March 6, in which President Obama hosted 12 Republican senators at the Jefferson Hotel to break bread.
That first dinner also came among separate meetings on Capitol Hill by President Obama with Senate Republicans and House Republicans, widely seen as a presidential "charm offensive" by engaging Republicans after the brutal, partisan battles from the months before.
Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not attend the first dinner but said he's glad President Obama has been engaging his members more.
"I expect the president to talk to various members," McConnell said after the first dinner. "Frankly, I wish he'd done more of that over the years. We've had, all of us, very limited interaction with the president. And he certainly doesn't have to go through me to call on my members. And I'm sure he will, and I encourage him to do so."
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Rapper Gucci Mane denied bond in assault case
ATLANTA (AP) ? Gucci Mane has been denied bond on charges stemming from a fan's accusation that the rapper hit him in the head with a champagne bottle at an Atlanta nightclub.
A fan says the rapper, whose real name is Radric Davis, hit him in the club's V.I.P. area March 16 while he tried to take a picture with Gucci Mane. The fan, James Lettley, says he needed 10 stitches.
Davis was in custody on a charge of aggravated assault with a weapon and appeared in court Wednesday.
The rapper's attorney, Drew Findling, tells WSB-TV (http://bit.ly/XdhFoP ) that Davis' criminal history made it difficult for a judge to set bond. Fulton County jail records show Davis has been arrested 10 times since 2005.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rapper-gucci-mane-denied-bond-assault-case-131949635.html
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Internet slowed by cyber attack on spam blocker
Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/internet-slowed-cyber-attack-spam-blocker-185437944.html
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Breath Test Might Predict Obesity Risk - Health News and Views ...
By Denise Mann
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) ? A simple breath test may be able to tell if you are overweight or will be in the future, a new study suggests.
According to the findings, results from a standard breath test used to assess bacterial overgrowth in the gut can also tell doctors if you have a high percentage of body fat.
The microbiome, or the trillions of good and bad bugs that line your gut, can get out of balance. When bad bacteria overwhelm good bacteria, symptoms such as bloating, constipation and diarrhea may occur. The new study, appearing in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, suggests that this scenario may also set someone up for obesity.
For the study, individuals drank a sugary lactulose syrup. Breath samples were then collected every 15 minutes for two hours. Participants also had their body fat measured in two ways. One was body mass index (BMI), which takes height and weight into account. The other method uses low-wattage electrical conductivity, which differentiates between lean and fatty tissue.
Those participants whose breath samples showed higher levels of two gases ? methane and hydrogen ? had higher BMIs and more body fat than participants who had normal breath or a higher concentration of only one of the two gases, the study showed. This pattern suggests that the gut is loaded with a bug called Methanobrevibacter smithii, the researchers explained.
It?s possible that when this type of bacteria takes over, people may be more likely to gain weight and accumulate fat, said lead study author Dr. Ruchi Mathur, director of the outpatient diabetes treatment center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Although there are other ways to measure body fat and BMI, the researchers suggested that individuals with higher methane and hydrogen content in their breath may be more likely to respond to specific weight loss methods down the line. ?Obesity is not a one-size-fits-all disease,? Mathur said.
If the study findings are confirmed, certain weight-loss treatments could be matched to people who have this breath pattern. One possibility, for instance, might be that probiotics, which help restore and maintain the natural balance of organisms in the gut, could have a role in treating or preventing obesity.
But the science is not there yet, experts cautioned.
?This is an important study looking at bacteria in the intestine and how they are related to BMI,? said Dr. Spyros Mezitis, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. ?The more methane and hydrogen in the breath, the higher the body fat.? But, ?we need more studies to figure out how bacteria is related to the growing obesity epidemic and what happens if we modify it,? Mezitis said.
It?s way too soon to start thinking about probiotics as a treatment for obesity, said Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center, in New York City. Green routinely uses breath testing to assess individuals with gastrointestinal issues such as bloating, diarrhea and constipation. ?Some people with bacterial overgrowth in their gut have symptoms, but others do not and we are not sure why. The significance of the test results is not always quite clear,? he said.
?More research is needed to really define the role of bacterial overgrowth in all of these different conditions,? Green said. ?It is an exciting area of research, but testing breath to measure body fat is not ready for prime time.?
Another expert discussed implications of the new research.
This study adds to the growing evidence that breath tests can provide information about our health, said Dr. Raed Dweik, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic. ?The argument that the authors make is that if we change the bacteria in the gut, we may change obesity and these people will not gain weight as easily,? he said. ?If we modify the bacteria in the gut, they may lose weight faster or easier.?
The next step is to figure out how, or even if, this is possible, said Dweik, who on March 25 had his own study published on the use of breath testing to uncover heart disease risk.
More information
What is your body mass index? Find out by using the U.S. National Institute of Health?s BMI calculator.
Source: http://news.health.com/2013/03/26/breath-test-might-predict-obesity-risk/
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Monday, March 25, 2013
Exclusive: Hulu board contacts possible buyers of video streaming site - sources
By Ronald Grover and Jennifer Saba
LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hulu's board has approached potential buyers to gauge their interest in buying the online video service, three sources close to the company told Reuters, as owners News Corp
The board sounded out several possible buyers as part of an internal strategic review begun recently, but it has not received a formal offer, one of the sources said on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private. It was unclear how many parties Hulu had contacted.
Hulu spokeswoman Elisa Schreiber and News Corp's Nathaniel Brown declined to comment. Disney had no immediate comment.
News Corp and Disney are also considering other options, including buying each other out, one of the sources said on Monday on condition of anonymity.
Finding a buyer will be difficult because most of Hulu's contracts with networks for programs are short term, according to Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles who follows Hulu competitors Netflix
"Nobody will buy them unless they can fix content costs in a long-term agreement," said Pachter. "The value is based on the profit potential and without certainty about costs no rational bidder will step up."
The two media companies have for years pondered the direction of a service that now has more than 3 million subscribers to its premium service and last year generated revenue of about $700 million.
A third owner, NBC parent Comcast
The owners shopped Hulu before, rejecting bids in 2011. It also considered an initial public offering in 2010.
In October, Hulu paid hedge fund Providence Equity Partners $200 million for its 10 percent stake in the venture.
(Reporting by Ron Grover and Jennifer Saba)
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Forty-six gene sequencing test for cancer patients in UK
Mar. 25, 2013 ? The first multi-gene DNA sequencing test that can help predict cancer patients' responses to treatment has been launched in the National Health Service (NHS), thanks to a partnership between scientists at the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.
The test uses the latest DNA sequencing techniques to detect mutations across 46 genes that may be driving cancer growth in patients with solid tumours. The presence of a mutation in a gene can potentially determine which treatment a patient should receive.
The researchers say the number of genes tested marks a step change in introducing next-generation DNA sequencing technology into the NHS, and heralds the arrival of genomic medicine with whole genome sequencing of patients just around the corner.
The many-gene sequencing test has been launched through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), a collaboration between Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and Oxford University to accelerate healthcare innovation, and which has part-funded this initiative.
The BRC Molecular Diagnostics Centre carries out the test. The lab, based at Oxford University Hospitals, covers all cancer patients in the Thames Valley area. But the scientists are looking to scale this up into a truly national NHS service through the course of this year.
The new ?300 test could save significantly more in drug costs by getting patients on to the right treatments straightaway, reducing harm from side effects as well as the time lost before arriving at an effective treatment.
'We are the first to introduce a multi-gene diagnostic test for tumour profiling on the NHS using the latest DNA sequencing technology,' says Dr Jenny Taylor of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University, who is programme director for Genomic Medicine at the NIHR Oxford BRC and was involved in the work. 'It's a significant step change in the way we do things. This new 46 gene test moves us away from conventional methods for sequencing of single genes, and marks a huge step towards more comprehensive genome sequencing in both infrastructure and in handling the data produced.'
Dr Anna Schuh, who heads the BRC Molecular Diagnostics Centre and is a consultant haematologist at Oxford University Hospitals, adds: 'Patients like the idea of a test that can predict and say up front whether they will respond to an otherwise toxic treatment. What the patient sees is no different from present. A biopsy is taken from the patient's tumour for genetic testing with a consultant talking through the results a few days later. It is part of the normal diagnostic process.'
Cancer is often described as a genetic disease, since the transition a cell goes through in becoming cancerous tends to be driven by changes to the cell's DNA. And increasingly, new cancer drugs depend on knowing whether a mutation in a single gene is present in a patient's cancer cells.
For example, a lung cancer patient may have a biopsy taken to check for changes in the EGFR gene. If there is a mutation, the patient may then be treated with a drug that works as an EGFR inhibitor. If there is no mutation, such drugs won't work and the patient would get a different drug that would be more effective for them. Knowing the presence or absence of mutations in a certain gene can choose the treatment path for that patient.
The NHS can currently test for mutations in 2 or 3 genes -- genes called BRAF, EGFR or KRAS -- using older sequencing technology that has been around for decades. Efforts are being made to look at increasing the number of cancer genes sequenced to nine as standard.
The Oxford scientists are the first to make such multi-gene tests possible in the NHS using the latest DNA sequencing techniques. The NHS service they have launched looks for mutations in 46 genes, and they are now working towards verifying the use of a test involving 150 genes.
Having a diagnostic test or 'panel' that can screen for mutations in multiple genes at once will be important for access to all the new cancer drugs that are coming along.
'It will be very difficult to manage in NHS diagnostic labs without gene panels,' explains Dr Schuh. 'Currently, new cancer drugs tend to get approved alongside a diagnostic test specific to that drug which can determine which patients will benefit. But as more and more drugs like this come along, we can't possibly run all the many different separate tests this could mean. We need one test for a range of drugs.'
Dr Taylor adds: 'We wanted a test that would use the latest DNA sequencing techniques to detect a wide range of mutations in a wide range of genes. A test that would be able to cover more cancers and more treatments, all for a similar cost to conventional methods.'
The test is run on a next generation sequencing platform from Life Technologies Corporation, called the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM(TM)). The test and accompanying software have been substantially modified as requested by the Oxford team to fulfil diagnostic standards in their lab.
This work was co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board, the UK's innovation agency, through a grant to the NIHR Oxford BRC, Life Technologies Corporation, AstraZeneca, and Janssen Research & Development, LLC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies.
As part of the test development, the Oxford team looked to improve the initial sample preparation in the lab, and to provide the software and infrastructure support to handle and analyse the amount of information involved. Most importantly, the Oxford group has carried out tests and comparisons to verify the robustness of the technique with cancer biopsies direct from patients.
The team compared the new 46 gene test against conventional techniques for 80 consecutive cancer biopsies in the hospital lab's workflow.
The next-generation DNA sequencing method detected all the mutations the conventional method did; it detected new mutations the conventional method didn't; and detected mutations present at much lower levels in the samples. The time taken for the 46 gene test also fitted into the standard turnaround time for samples at the lab.
There is definite benefit in screening some of the 46 genes included in the test; there is probable or likely clinical benefit in screening some of the others; mutations in further genes might be important in some cancers but not others; and the other genes, we don't know as yet. But having this information means researchers can investigate whether a mutation has biological significance.
'We can keep data, bank it and link it with anonymised clinical data on patients' cancers for future research,' explains Dr Schuh.
The test looks for mutations in 'hotspot' regions of each gene -- areas where mutations are more likely to occur. This does mean the test may miss up to 5% of mutations, as they can occur elsewhere, but this is still significantly better than the 'false negative' rate using current methods.
It can also detect mutations present in only 5% of the tumour cells present in a sample. This is much lower than is possible currently, and is important in being able to capture information from cells present in only small numbers in a tumour, but which are still important in driving cancer growth.
Having shown that it is possible to introduce the 46 gene test as an NHS service, the researchers are now moving on to investigate the potential of a test that will sequence 150 genes. The team will use the test first of all with 500 existing samples from patients taking part in cancer clinical trials to be able to compare the results retrospectively with information from the trials. They will then use the test with 1000 new cancer biopsies to better understand how the extra information could be used in guiding treatments for patients and their outcomes.
Dr Schuh says: '"Panel" tests have significant potential while we wait for the cost of sequencing whole patient genomes to come down. Even then, panel tests may be with us for some time. After whole genome sequencing does come into use, it may be that panel tests are used first with patients' biopsies, with only those whose panel test shows no result having their entire DNA sequenced to look for rarer genetic changes.'
Lord Howe, Health Minister, said: 'We want to be among the best countries in the world at treating cancer and know that better tailored care for patients could potentially save lives.
'Health research like this is incredibly important and I'm delighted we could support the work of researchers in Oxford through the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre.
'By rapidly translating findings from genetics research into real benefits for patients, their work will make sure that patients get the right treatments straight away, reduce potential side effects and also help us use NHS funds more effectively.'
The 46-gene panel is based on Ion AmpliSeq(TM) chemistry from Life Technologies Corporation. The test requires a very small amount of DNA (5 nanograms), an advantage when working with clinical samples that are typically limited in quantity.
The Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM(TM) and Ion AmpliSeq(TM) are for Research Use Only, not intended for use in diagnostic procedures. Life Technologies intends to pursue CE-IVD designation for the PGM.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Oxford.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
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/auuouxKLTHo/130325101533.htm
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Mother of Colorado shooting-spree suspect says son was a compassionate kid
The evidence appears to be mounting that a Colorado prison parolee, killed in a shootout this week in Texas, may have been involved in the brazen murder of the head of Colorado's prison system. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports.
By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News
The mother of the man suspected of gunning down the top prisons official in Colorado says her son was a compassionate child who ?drifted into a dark period? after the death of his 16-year-old sister.
Jody Mangue wrote that her son, Evan Ebel, adored animals and walked up to the mentally ill in restaurants to engage them in conversation.
?He was full of energy, was funny and lit up a room,? she wrote in a posting on a website dedicated to the memory of the sister, Marin Ebel, who was killed in a car crash in January 2004.
Ebel, 28, is a suspect in the shooting death of Tom Clements, the head of the Colorado Department of Corrections, who was killed last Tuesday when he opened the front door of his home.
Ebel was killed Thursday after a wild chase and gunfight with sheriff?s deputies in Texas. He is also suspected in the killing of a Domino?s pizza delivery man outside Denver on March 17.
Mangue wrote that her son was already struggling before his sister?s death, but that the loss ?threw him over the edge.?
?His life deteriorated after that and he just became numb and lost his direction altogether,? she wrote. In the posting, she thanked friends and strangers who have offered her support since last week.
The Denver Post reported over the weekend that Ebel?s documented decline began in October 2003, when he pointed a gun at the head of an acquaintance and demanded cash.
In the spring of 2004, police told the newspaper, Ebel carjacked a stranger, pointed a gun at a woman and accidentally shot himself in two separate incidents, once in the stomach and once in the leg.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty in the carjacking case and was paroled in January of this year.
Colorado Department of Corrections / Reuters
Evan Spencer Ebel in an undated Colorado booking photo.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a friend of Ebel?s father, told CNN on Sunday that the suspect always ?just seemed to have this bad streak, a streak of cruelty and anger.?
Law enforcement officials have said Ebel was involved with a white supremacist prison gang, the 211 Crew, which outside groups say demands that some of its members commit crimes once they leave prison.
Mangue wrote that her son was his own person, not a follower.
Despite having been linked to white supremacists, she wrote, ?most white people in prison are automatically put in that category and sometimes forced to say they are even when they are not.?
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related:
Suspect in Colorado killing had a ?bad, bad streak?
Colorado governor knew family of man eyed in prison chief slaying
This story was originally published on Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:48 AM EDT
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Chinese online literature: Voices in the wilderness | The Economist
FOR THE country that invented paper it is no small irony that China's most innovative writing happens off the page. A number of authors, stifled by state censorship and a conservative publishing industry, are finding freedom online.
In the late 1990s aspiring literati began to share works online. One of these, Li Jie, started to write internet stories for no other reason than to kill time. Bored with her job serving customers in a bank, she signed up under the pen name Anni Baobei. Her depiction of a damaged, disillusioned youth hit a nerve. Aged just 25, to the horror of her parents, Ms Li gave up a secure income to write full time. The gamble paid off. She made the transition to print and is still one of China's bestselling authors.
Internet writing has been nothing short of a revolution for Chinese literature. It has allowed myriad voices to be heard. The digital landscape and technology have changed since the first wave of authors began to write; readers in China now access novels through smartphones and tablets rather than desktops. Yet the internet remains the "single root" in China today to kick-start a career as a wordsmith, says Jo Lusby, managing director of Penguin China, a publishing house. "There are no authors under the age of 35 who were not discovered on the internet," she adds.
Online literature sites have blossomed in the last decade. They provide a rich, and grassroots, alternative to the staid state-run publishing houses. While all books published in the mainland are subject to scrutiny by cautious editors and zealous censors, online literature sites are watched less carefully. They still operate behind the ?great firewall?, China?s internet-filtering system which blocks sensitive words or topics, but the sheer volume of works produced, combined with the lack of editorial oversight, creates an important loophole.
On sites such as Rongshuxia visitors pay per instalment to read works. Authors, often posting and writing simultaneously, can gauge reader feedback and shift plots as they go. Innovative editors from China's burgeoning private publishing industry trawl through them to find the next big thing.
In 2002 Hao Qun was working as a car salesman in Chengdu, a metropolis in southern China, when he began to write a novel. Under the pseudonym Murong Xuecun (the name by which he is now known) he posted his work online in instalments, in Dickensian fashion, adjusting characters and plot turns as he went. The resulting book "Chengdu, Please Forget Me Tonight", a brutal indictment of a disenchanted urban China, found fans in the country's cyber-youth. It has attracted an estimated three to five million readers, according to Harvey Thomlinson, Mr Murong?s English-language publisher and translator. In 2008, the book (published in English as ?Leave Me Alone: A Novel of Chengdu?) was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary prize. Known for tackling social issues, Mr Murong (pictured right) also serialised ?Dancing Through Red Dust?, a novel about China's corrupt legal system, online in 2008.
Online writing is not without perils. Mr Murong says that one impatient reader tried to write his own version of the next chapter before the author?s instalment had been published. Piracy is another issue. But Mr Murong insists that copyright abuse is the least of his concerns: "A relaxed and free environment is more important than royalties."
Internet writing is not, however, just a platform for speaking out; it is for entertainment too. While many state publishers continue to stubbornly view literature as a vehicle for propaganda or self-improvement, online sites are driven by market forces and the interests of readers have encouraged niche genres, from teen romance to time travel. On the site Qidian, the top three ranked novels in January were a Chinese knight-errant novel, fantasy fiction and historical fiction. Mainstream acceptance has followed. In 2011, internet novels were included for the first time as candidates for the state-approved Mao Dun Literature prize.
With 564m internet users in China, online literature sites are big business. Shanda Literature is one of the largest players. The company, founded in 2008, conglomerated the popular websites Qidian and Hongxiu, among others. It currently has more than 6m user-generated titles in its database, according to the company's CEO, Hou Xiaoqiang.
Shanda is interested in marketable writers who can generate income for the company through spin-off TV, film and video-game deals. But with success comes growth and recognition, making it impossible for Shanda to stay under the radar?to remain operational, good government relations are key. Mr Hou claims that Shanda's websites have far less intervention from censors than traditional publishing houses. But he says he "stands firm" in cracking down on content which violates state rules.
With their old spaces squeezed as such sites attract more state surveillance, some of the more daring political writers are turning to even newer online platforms, especially micro-blogs, to express their views. Social media is now a far more important tool for Mr Murong?his account on Sina Weibo (a Chinese version of Twitter) has more than 3m followers. Posts can be deleted by censors, but not before they have been read by thousands. Although no replacement for long-form fiction, it enables authors to connect directly with readers and pass on sensitive messages that online sites might no longer stand.
For Ms Li writing online has become too mass market. In the 1990s, she explains, the few internet users were well-educated and authors who posted online were passionately serious about their craft. Now vanity publishing is rife and anyone can try their hand as a writer. "The internet has become too popularised," she argues. The sheer quantity and speed of online literature means that much will be forgettable dross. But the internet has opened up pathways around China?s state censorship apparatus. From the wilderness, new important voices will continue to emerge.
Source: http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2013/03/chinese-online-literature
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Mayor: Chicago school closings tough but necessary
CHICAGO (AP) ? Mayor Rahm Emanuel responded Saturday to widespread criticism of his plan to close 54 Chicago Public Schools, saying he wasn't interested in doing what was politically easy and that the pain of the closings doesn't compare to the anguish of "trapping" kids in failing schools.
"If we don't make these changes, we haven't lived up to our responsibility as adults to the children of the city of Chicago," Emanuel said in his first public statements since Thursday's announcement. "And I did not run for office to shirk my responsibility."
Emanuel was out of town when his schools chief, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, announced the closings. It is the largest number of CPS schools to be shuttered in a single year, and officials say it will affect some 30,000 students in the nation's third-largest school district.
The long-awaited announcement angered many parents, teachers, lawmakers and community members, who say it disproportionately affects minority neighborhoods. Opponents also argue the closings will endanger children who may have to cross gang boundaries to get to a new school, and will eliminate facilities that are considered anchors in some struggling communities.
Opponents protested outside of several schools on Friday, and the Chicago Teachers Union and other organizations are planning a march Wednesday in downtown Chicago.
Parent Yolanda Harris called the plan "unfair" and said she was starting to second-guess her decision to vote for Emanuel for mayor. Her four children attend Dumas Technology Academy, which is slated to be closed.
"It's not to say (Emanuel) is a bad person, but I'm saying I don't agree with a lot of the decisions he's making," said Harris, who protested outside the South Side school Friday with other parents. "He's making big mistakes."
The mayor and Byrd-Bennett say the closings are necessary to address a $1 billion budget shortfall and because many CPS schools are half-empty, failing academically and in need of repair. They say the plan will save the district $560 million over 10 years in capital costs and an additional $43 million per year in operating costs.
Emanuel said Saturday the closings will allow the district to invest money in improving the remaining schools. And while he knows the closings will be difficult, he said every child deserves a high-quality education, regardless of where they live.
"You do not get a repeat on this," he said.
The vast majority of the 54 schools are in overwhelmingly black neighborhoods that have lost residents to the suburbs and elsewhere in recent years. Chicago's black population dropped 17 percent in the last census. The other few schools are majority Hispanic or mixed black and Hispanic. Overall, 91 percent of students in the district's 681 schools are minorities.
Emanuel also responded to criticism from the teachers union and others about being out of town on vacation when the announcement was made. He said he was in frequent contact with Byrd-Bennett throughout the day Thursday, and that he has been and will continue to be engaged in the process.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mayor-chicago-school-closings-tough-necessary-204952333.html
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Losing wetlands to grow crops
Mar. 25, 2013 ? Getting enough to eat is a basic human need -- but at what cost to the environment? Research published in BioMed Central's journal Agriculture & Food Security demonstrates that as their crops on higher ground fail due to unreliable rainfall, people in countries like Uganda are increasingly relocating to wetland areas. Unless the needs of these people are addressed in a more sustainable way, overuse of wetland resources through farming, fishing, and hunting will continue.
In 2009 it was estimated that about a third of Uganda's wetlands had been lost to growing crops and grazing. While the environmental significance of wetland loss is important, so are National Food Security targets and the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people who suffer from hunger by 2015. In order to evaluate how people are using the wetlands researchers from Makerere University, Uganda, with financial support from IDRC surveyed residents living in either Lake Victoria crescent, Kyoga plains, and South Western farmlands.
The survey revealed that more than 80% of people in these areas use wetland resources including collecting water, catching fish, hunting bush meat (Sitatunga, a type of antelope, and wild rat), and harvesting wild fruits and vegetables. Some of these they consume but others they sell in order to be able to buy food. Over half admitted to growing crops in the nutrient rich soil wetlands with its ready water supply. The families who were most likely to use the wetlands in this way were the ones who had the least access to other sources of food.
The locals blame their bad harvests on global warming, and as global weather systems change this can only get worse. Dr Nelson Turyahabwe explained, "Food insecurity is a real problem across the world. In Uganda the families most at risk tended to have younger or female household heads, or were less educated. Large families were also at high risk of not having enough to eat. In these cases use of wetlands allows families to survive. In designing sustainable use policies for wetlands the needs of humans also needs to be considered."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited, via AlphaGalileo.
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Journal Reference:
- Nelson Turyahabwe, Willy Kakuru, Manson Tweheyo and David Mwesigye Tumusiime. Contribution of wetland resources to household food security in Uganda. Agriculture & Food Security, 2013; DOI: 10.1186/2048-7010-2-5
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/GcEexZDN2Jk/130324201817.htm
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AP PHOTOS: Images from Holy Week around the world
Pope Francis leans over to kiss a baby after celebrating his first Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square. Penitents in white robes and pointed white hats wait outside a church before a procession in Seville, Spain. In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a woman grasps palm fronds and a rosary while praying during an outdoor Mass at an earthquake-damaged cathedral.
Here are some of the images from Holy Week:
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-photos-images-holy-week-around-world-234638084.html
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Has Obama's Mideast trip changed the game on the ground?
Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
US President Barack Obama, left, listens to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their visit to the Children's Memorial at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, Israel, on Friday.
By Martin Fletcher, Correspondent, NBC News
News analysis
TEL AVIV ? The verdict among Israeli pundits was unanimous: if President Barack Obama was an Israeli politician, he'd be a shoo-in to lead the liberal left.
His call for the Israeli government to halt Jewish settlement building in the West Bank, for a Palestinian state, his recognition of Israel's historical claim to the land and his demand for a secure Israel, is all straight out of the playbook of what remains of Israel's left.
His speech to Israeli students Thursday, who were carefully vetted to make sure they were in political agreement with him, was greeted numerous times by applause and a few standing ovations. And while many Israelis may have disagreed with the content of the speech, Obama's sincerity was felt by all.
?
Obama drew a clear parallel between the Passover story of Jewish slaves fleeing Egypt and fighting for their rights, and the African-American struggle out of slavery and fight for their rights. That bond of shared experience, and the genuineness of his feelings, really came through.
So when Obama insisted that "all options are on the table" to stop Iran's nuclear program, he sounded convincing. And when he moved on to demand that Israel stop building settlements and make tough decisions to reach peace with the Palestinians, his words met with a more receptive audience.
For many Israelis, Obama won their hearts and their minds, but as one said to this reporter: "What now?"
President Obama spoke to an audience of more than 2,000 Israeli citizens at the Jerusalem Convention Center and stressed the necessity of peace between Israel and Palestine.
Any closer to peace talks?
Are Israel and the Palestinians closer to peace talks than they were before Obama came? Did the fine words add up to momentum?
That will be up to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to discover when he returns to Jerusalem Saturday to try, as so many have before him, to kick-start the peace process.?
Overall, Obama's message had something for everyone.
The first half of Obama's speech, in which he confirmed Israel's right to the land, pleased Israel's right wing. The second half, in which he called for compromise with the Palestinians and a Palestinian state, pleased the left wing.
When he said this is a Jewish democratic state, Jews were thrilled and Palestinians were furious.
When he said Israel will not survive as a Jewish democratic state with settlements on Palestinian land, Palestinians were thrilled and many Israelis were furious.
But after trying to be all things to all people, Obama departed leaving behind a question: What just happened? Was there any American commitment to get started with the talks?
Israelis charmed, Palestinians insulted
The answer is: no. The message was: we are here to help, but first you have to do the work. In other words, nothing changed, beyond people?s impression of Obama as a leader.
President Obama, alongside and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, says the U.S. remains "deeply committed" to the creation of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine.
Israelis were encouraged that Obama really does like them; Operation Charm worked.
But Palestinians were left fuming, and many say they were insulted.
They complained that he mentioned a Jewish rocket victim by name, but didn?t mention any of the many Palestinian victims, or the approximately 4,500 prisoners in Israeli jails. He visited the grave of two Israeli icons, Theodor Herzl and Yitzhak Rabin, but refused even to walk by the shrine to Yasser Arafat. He did not repeat the Palestinian demand that Israel stop building settlements as a condition for peace talks.
In short, Palestinians got very little, and Israel got a bit more.
At least, that's what the public saw.
Big brother still calling the shots
There was at least one big surprise from the backroom talks between Obama and Netanyahu that should go a long way toward improving frayed ties between two important U.S. allies in the region.?
After three years of refusing to do so, Netanyahu called his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan Friday to apologize for "any error" that may have led to the deaths of nine Turkish activists during a 2010 raid on a boat off the Gaza Strip.
The two agreed to normalize relations ? a major breakthrough. It means the two big U.S. allies can now resume military cooperation, which should help to contain the spillover of the Syrian civil war in the region ? and lessen Israel's isolation in the volatile region.
What isn't known yet is what was agreed to behind closed doors about how to deal with the twin threats of Iran and Syria.
In the press conference that followed their discussions, both sides seemed satisfied with the current degree of military and intelligence cooperation on both subjects.
But did Obama leave with the certainty that Israel would not interfere with the American timetable for dealing with the Iranian threat?
We don?t know more than we knew before, which is that impatient little Israel can't do much without their more patient bigger brother.?
But at least, after this visit by the American president, the brotherly relationship appears more credible than before.
?
Related:
Israel's Netanyahu apologizes to Turkey over deadly flotilla raid
Photo Blog: Obama wraps up Holy Land visit at Bethlehem church after Holocaust tribute
Obama visits a Bethlehem in midst of change, Islamization
Obama appeals to Israelis: Give justice to the Palestinians
Iran threatens to destroy Tel Aviv, Haifa if Israel attacks
Obama: 'Still time' for diplomatic solution to Iran nuke dispute
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Turn an Old Pizza Box Into a Solar Pizza Oven
If you want to reheat some old pizza outdoors, you can turn any pizza box into a makeshift solar oven.
This tip is admittedly a little silly, but it still looks like a ton of fun. The video above will walk you through the entire process, but basically you'll be cutting a transparent window into your box, and reflecting sunlight into it with a flap of aluminum foil. It won't get hot enough to cook raw food, but you could use it to reheat anything that was pre-cooked, or even to melt cheese or marshmallows.
Certainly, there are easier ways to heat up pizza you're at home (I'd recommend a skillet), but I could see this coming in handy at a tailgate, or on your next camping trip.
How to Turn a Pizza Box into a Solar Oven | Howcast via Serious Eats
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Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Brazil: police puzzle over 7 gift-wrapped skulls
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? Police in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo are baffled by a macabre puzzle: someone has been leaving gift-wrapped human skulls around town.
Investigator Paul Henry Bozon Verduraz described the case to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper in a story published Thursday.
The first skull in cherry-red wrapping was found on February 20 in a planter near a residential building downtown. Since then, seven others have been found near Mormon temples or consulates, including those for Russia, the Czech Republic and South Africa. The skulls are old, with traces of dirt.
Verduraz says security cameras captured images of a woman in an ankle-length skirt leaving the skulls, which seem old, with traces of dirt. He thinks this may be part of some sort of ritual.
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