Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Ultra-stretchy battery to power bionic life

An experimental type of tiny lithium-based batteries promised to wirelessly charge wearable gadgets, implantable brain-wave monitors, or other bionic devices.

By Tia Ghose,?LiveScience / February 26, 2013

Our cyborg future may not be far off.

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An ultra-stretchy battery could one day be used to power bionic eyeballs, brain-wave monitoring devices and robotic skins, new research suggests.

The new device, which embeds tiny lithium-based batteries in a silicone sheet, can stretch up to three times its initial length and could be recharged wirelessly, Yonggang Huang, study co-author and a mechanical engineer at Northwestern University, wrote to LiveScience in an email.

The new battery is described today (Feb. 26) in the journal Nature Communications.

Powering devices

For decades, science-fiction writers have envisioned dystopian worlds in which humans and machines are seamlessly integrated with bionic implants. But powering the?cyborg?future requires a way to conform power sources to these futuristic devices. [9 Cyborg Enhancements Available Right Now]

Other researchers have developed stretchy and?paper-thin batteries?before, but most didn't deform much or have the ability to recharge wirelessly, Huang wrote.

Toward that end, Huang and his colleagues embedded tiny lithium-ion batteries in a framework of conducting wires arranged in a repeating S-shaped pattern that, like a fractal, looks similar at several scales. The whole arrangement is printed onto a stretchable silicone sheet. The wires themselves are brittle, but uncoil like a spring, allowing the whole device to be flexible without forcing the delicate lithium-ion batteries to break.

To demonstrate that the concept actually worked, the team powered a red light-emitting diode (LED) while stretching and twisting the battery.

The researchers envision the battery being used for?wearable gadgets, implantable brain-wave monitors, or other bionic devices.

While the new design is incredibly innovative, it wouldn't produce enough power to keep a laptop, or even a large light bulb, running, said Gao Liu, a chemist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who is developing stretchable batteries for transportation systems, but who was not involved in the study. That means it mainly would be useful for a few narrow applications, such as biological implants that don't require very much power, Liu said.

"It's for a niche market," Liu told LiveScience. "You really need to find a market where you don't really need much energy, but you need to deliver the energy on the spot, where you couldn't use a wire."

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://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/EzL9OFehwk8/Ultra-stretchy-battery-to-power-bionic-life

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50 Cent: Rejected by Erin Andrews at Daytona 500!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/50-cent-rejected-by-erin-andrews-at-daytona-500/

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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

No joke: The Onion begs for forgiveness over tweet

Quvenzhan? Wallis at the Oscars (Getty Images)

The Onion issued a lengthy apology on Monday for publishing an offensive tweet during Sunday's Oscars telecast about Quvenzhan? Wallis, the 9-year-old actress nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in ?Beasts of the Southern Wild.?

?On behalf of The Onion, I offer my personal apology to Quvenzhan? Wallis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the tweet that was circulated last night during the Oscars,? Steve Hannah, the satirical newspaper's chief executive, wrote in a post on the publication's Facebook page. ?It was crude and offensive?not to mention inconsistent with The Onion?s commitment to parody and satire, however biting."

The tweet??Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhan? Wallis is kind of a c---, right?"?was deleted about an hour after it was posted, Hannah said. But not before sparking an understandable backlash.

"The Wire" actor Wendell Pierce demanded on Twitter that the publication identify the author of the offensive tweet. "Let him defend that abhorrent verbal attack of a child," Pierce tweeted. "You call it humor, I call it horrendous."

Pierce added, "It doesn't matter what the intent was, it was offensive and they should apologize to Quvenzhane."

?No person should be subjected to such a senseless, humorless comment masquerading as satire," Hannah continued. "We have instituted new and tighter Twitter procedures to ensure that this kind of mistake does not occur again. In addition, we are taking immediate steps to discipline those individuals responsible. Miss Wallis, you are young and talented and deserve better. All of us at The Onion are deeply sorry.?

It wasn't the only Oscar joke about Wallis to draw criticism. During the broadcast, host Seth MacFarlane joked that ?it?ll be 16 years before she?s too old" for George Clooney?a line that was met with audible groans both inside the Dolby Theatre and out.

The Onion, for its part, continued to push the envelope with its Oscars coverage on Monday, publishing a red carpet fashion report ("Kathryn Bigelow Stuns On Red Carpet Wearing Blood-Soaked Rags Osama Bin Laden Was Killed In") and satirical op-ed by Daniel Day-Lewis ("While I'm Glad I Won, I Personally Believe Abraham Lincoln Deserved To Die").

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/onion-oscar-tweet-quvenzhane-wallis-175808942.html

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Nigerian militants threaten to kill French hostages

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) ? A video posted online Monday apparently shows seven French hostages kidnapped from northern Cameroon, with a masked militant claiming the radical Islamic group Boko Haram from neighboring Nigeria holds them.

The video, posted to YouTube and mentioned on a jihadist website, shows one of two French men reading a statement, with a woman in between them. Four children sit on the ground near them, flanked by two masked militants wearing camouflage uniforms and holding rifles.

A masked militant in front says in the video that Boko Haram kidnapped the French hostages, a family of three adults and four children who were taken from outside a national park in Cameroon's Far North Region on Feb. 19. A black banner in the background, bearing the images of the Quran flanked by two Kalashnikov assault rifles, also resembles a symbol previously used by Boko Haram.

The man says the kidnappings came due to the French military intervention in northern Mali, where its troops have fought with Malian soldiers against Islamic extremists who took over the north in the months following a coup last year. The man also threatens the Nigerian and Cameroonian government, calling on them to release their imprisoned members.

"Let the French president know that he has launched war against Islam and we are fighting him everywhere," the man says in Arabic. "Let him know that we are spread everywhere to save our brothers."

The man threatens to kill the French hostages if group's demands are not met.

The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the video's authenticity Monday, though it shares similarities with some Boko Haram propaganda videos published in the past.

However, in this video, the man speaks entirely in Arabic, while other Boko Haram videos have its leader Abubakar Shekau also speaking the Hausa language of Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north. Boko Haram has not published a video featuring hostages before. The video appears to have been filmed outside, as prayer mats hung in the background sway in a breeze.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement that "for us, these images are horribly shocking. They show cruelty without limits." He said France is fully mobilized to free the hostages but "verifications needed in these circumstances" are under way.

Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault of France told journalists his country's intelligence services are analyzing the video and "examining the nature of the demands."

The French gas group GDF Suez last week identified the captives as an employee working in Yaounde, the Cameroon capital, and his family. The group was vacationing in the north, a company statement said without elaborating. Cameroonian and Nigerian soldiers continue to search for them in the arid, rural border region the two countries share in West Africa.

Waza Park, a natural wildlife reserve in Cameroon's Far North Region attracts mainly foreign tourists. But the area often suffers from raids by bandits lurking in Cameroon, Chad and neighboring Nigeria, who abduct locals for ransom. A local witness told the AP he saw gunmen on motorcycles abduct the tourists on Feb. 19.

Boko Haram ? which means "Western education is sacrilege" ? has launched a guerrilla campaign of bombings and shootings across Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north. It is blamed for at least 792 killings last year alone, according to an AP count. It is known to have ties to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, an Algerian-based group that opened a front in Mali.

The sect, which typically speaks to journalists in telephone conference calls at times of its choosing, could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.

Boko Haram remains highly fragmented, without a clear command-and-control structure. One splinter organization launched from Boko Haram appears to be Ansaru, which has claimed the recent north Nigeria kidnappings of a British citizen, a Greek, an Italian, three Lebanese and one Filipino, all employees of a Lebanese construction company called Setraco. The group earlier claimed the kidnapping in December of a French national working on a renewal energy project in Nigeria's northern Katsina state.

However, the video claiming the kidnapping comes after supposed Boko Haram leaders denied this weekend that they took part in the kidnapping of the seven French citizens ? leading to more questions about who actually remains in control of the group. Shekau hasn't been seen in a video since late November.

A total of 15 French citizens are currently being held in western Africa. In addition to the seven kidnapped in Cameroon, there is one other in Nigeria and seven thought to be in northern Mali.

___

Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

___

Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/video-claims-nigeria-sect-holds-7-french-hostages-163759996.html

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Oscars' Five Funniest Moments: Seth MacFarlane, Halle Berry's 'Pussy Galore'


By Ryan J. Downey


Seth MacFarlane at the 2013 Oscars
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702558/oscars-funniest-moments-2013.jhtml

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Virgin and Boost add LTE handsets to their pre-paid rosters

Just because you don't have a contract tying you down doesn't mean you don't deserve LTE speeds, right? Boost and Virgin Mobile will be getting their very own 4G handsets, with help from Sprint's network. You can pick up Samsung's Galaxy Victory 4G LTE over on Virgin's site, starting today for $300 a pop (with more retailers getting in on the action in the middle of next month). Over on Boost, they've got HTC's One SV and the four-inch Boost Force, both dropping on March 7th. Those handsets will run you $300 and $200, respectively.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/virgin-boost-lte/

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Get Your Bag Packed For 'Spring Breakers'

Listen, we know that it's only the end of February, but we're thinking that it's about time for some spring break. We're so excited, in fact, that we went ahead and packed a bag to get ready and brought all of the usual items: sunglasses, extra cash, cocaine, handguns, etc. You can find all of [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/26/spring-breakers-poster-bag/

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Deaths up among teen drivers, research shows

By M. Alex Johnson, staff writer, NBC News

The number of 16- and 17-year-old drivers who died in traffic accidents rose significantly in the first half of 2012, creeping back toward what traffic safety experts called "unacceptable" levels, according to research published Tuesday.

The report ? a preliminary compilation of data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia by the Governors Highway Safety Association ? found that 240 16- and 17-year-olds died behind the wheel from January through June 2012. That's a 19 percent increase over the same period in 2011 and a startling 26 percent more than in the first half of 2010.

It also outpaces the rise in overall traffic deaths last year, which increased by 5 percent, the National Safety Council reported?last week.


The report identified no single overarching reason teen mortality jumped. Instead, it theorizes that two-decade-old state regulations on the youngest drivers haven't kept up with the teen driving population, which has been given more reasons to drive by the improving economy.?And like numerous other traffic safety groups, the governors association warned of the distractions posed by cellphones and other electronics.

"We know from research and experience that teen drivers are not only a danger to themselves, but also a danger to others on the roadways," said Kendall Poole, chairman of the governors' safety organization and director of the Tennessee Governor's Highway Safety Office.

The rise in deaths last year is "unacceptable," he said.

Separate data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, peg traffic accidents as the single biggest killer of U.S. teens, accounting for more than third of all deaths among Americans 15 to 20 years old.

Read the full report, including state-by-state data (.pdf)

Until 2011, the number of deaths among beginning drivers had been falling since 2002, when it hit a modern annual record of 544. That was roughly a decade after states began adopting so-called graduated driver licensing laws, which impose restrictions on the youngest drivers in stages as they approach age 18.?

All 50 states now have such laws, and increases in deaths over the last two years could simply reflect officials' and parents' letting their guard down as the laws have become a part of everyday life, said Allan Williams, former chief scientist for the National Highway Traffic Safety Institute, who conducted the study.

The improving economy may also be an incentive for more teenagers to drive, statistically increasing their risk, Williams said.

Whatever the reason, "based on 2011 final data and the early look at 2012, it appears that we are headed the wrong direction," he said.

The report called on states to renew their focus on graduated driving laws and to establish programs to help parents keep their children safe.

"Parents have a huge responsibility to ensure safe teen driving behavior," said Barbara Harsha, executive director the governors group. "States can facilitate this by providing innovative programs that bring parents and teens together around this issue."

The NHTSA has proposed new federal grants to help states fine-tune and enforce their graduated driver laws. To qualify for the money, states would have to require new drivers to go through a learner's permit stage and an intermediate permit stage before they could get full licenses.

Public comment on the proposals closes April 23.

The proposals closely mirror a three-part program to restrict beginning drivers recommended by the governors safety group. That template calls for:

  • A learner's permit beginning no earlier than age 16, lasting at least six months and requiring 30 to 50 hours of parent-certified supervision.
  • An intermediate stage lasting at least until age 18, including a ban on driving after 9 or 10 p.m., with a limit of one teen passenger.
  • A ban on all cellphones and other electronic devices.

"Our main goal is to save lives," said Jeff Bledsoe, sheriff of Dickson County, Tenn., whose state has already put most of those ideas in place.

Dickson especially stressed the ban on electronics behind the wheel, telling NBC station WSMV of Nashville: "With all of the technology we have these days ? with cell phones and other items in the vehicle that could take our focus off the roadway ? we have to be cautious and know what a huge responsibility it is when we operate a vehicle."

Related

National Safety Council: Traffic deaths surged in 2012

Red state, blue state divide reflected in fatal traffic accidents

Authorities could go even further in West Virginia, where a measure was introduced in the state House last week to require beginning drivers to pass drug tests ? three of them, once before they could get a learner's permit, again before they could step up to an intermediate license and one last time before they could get a full license.

"Obviously, any time you can take an opportunity to try and eliminate drugs ? and especially in driving ? that's obviously a good thing," said Bernie Buttrey, a driver's education instructor in Parkersburg, W.Va.

Buttrey told NBC station WTAP of Parkersburg that he was hesitant because of the constitutional implications, but he said such tests may be reasonable to ensure that beginning teenage drivers remain safe.

"We've passed laws that some people think maybe are excessive in the use of your cellphones, but I think evidence proves that the less you use your cellphone, the less you're distracted," he said. "So this is just maybe another step in the right direction."

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Source: http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/25/17089961-deaths-among-beginning-drivers-on-the-increase-research-shows?lite

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Obama to meet leading Republicans McCain, Graham on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will meet leading Senate Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham on Tuesday to discuss immigration reform efforts and could also delve into across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect on Friday.

Obama's meeting with the two U.S. senators, part of a bipartisan "Gang of Eight" working to craft immigration legislation, was described by a White House official on Monday as focused on that issue.

But a McCain aide said the White House encounter likely would go beyond immigration and could include the looming $85 billion in government spending reductions that will hit domestic programs and the Pentagon unless a last-minute deal is reached.

The White House escalated a campaign on Monday to convince Americans dire consequences await if the so-called "sequester" cuts go ahead on March 1, warning of a slowdown in global trade, a stalled fight against cancer and compromised border security.

But there was no word that Obama was ready to start negotiations. Graham is a member of Senate committees on appropriations and the federal budget. He and McCain both sit on the armed services panel. The McCain aide said the U.S. troop drawdown from Afghanistan could also be discussed on Tuesday.

The planned meeting marks Obama's latest outreach to some of the Republicans involved in negotiating an overhaul of the U.S. immigration system.

Facing criticism for not getting more involved in the delicate process on Capitol Hill, Obama phoned McCain, Graham and Senator Marco Rubio last week. It was not immediately known why Rubio, a rising Cuban-American star in his party and considered crucial to winning conservative backing for any reform deal, was not scheduled to participate on Tuesday.

Obama backs the Senate reform effort but he and the Republicans differ over some key details.

Obama emphasized in his recent State of the Union address the importance of creating a clear path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million immigrants in the United States illegally.

Many Republicans stress that there must first be measurable progress in securing U.S. borders, a condition hard for the president to accept if it drags out the legalization process.

The White House, however, is counting on Republicans feeling pressure to move swiftly on immigration reform after they were chastened by Latino voters' rejection in the November election.

(The story corrects million to billion in paragraph 3)

(Reporting By Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-meet-leading-republicans-mccain-graham-tuesday-005836042.html

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

Watch Oscars 2013 Red Carpet Live Stream Now!

Kick back and relax because MTV News has the next two hours of your Oscars night covered! For the next two hours (until 7:30 p.m. ET), MTV News' Josh Horowitz and VH1's Janell Snowden will be coming to you live from the red carpet outside the Dolby Theater for the 85th Academy Awards. You can [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/24/oscars-2013-red-carpet-live-stream/

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Battle of the chefs on golf course during festival

Chef Jose Andres poses for photos in his food station on the Miami Beach, Fla. golf course, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Nearly a dozen A-list chefs took to the links early Saturday during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival for a battle of the chefs during a golf tournament hosted by Andres. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Chef Jose Andres poses for photos in his food station on the Miami Beach, Fla. golf course, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Nearly a dozen A-list chefs took to the links early Saturday during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival for a battle of the chefs during a golf tournament hosted by Andres. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Nania G, from the "Bitchin' Kitchen" offered fellow chefs and golfers her take on "sloppy joes" sliders at her food station in Miami Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, during a golf tournament. Jose Andres, Todd English, Ming Tsai and Alex Guarnaschelli are among the roster of A-list chefs taking to the links during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Chef Jose Andres tees-off during a Miami Beach, Fla. golf tournament Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Nearly a dozen A-list chefs took to the links early Saturday during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival for a battle of the chefs during a golf tournament. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Paco, from Jose Andres' cafe, The Bazaar, holds a sliver of Iberico Bellota Ham, offered to golfers as they pass his food station at a Miami Beach golf tournament, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Jose Andres, Todd English, Ming Tsai and Alex Guarnaschelli are among the roster of A-list chefs taking to the links during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Paco, from Jose Andres' cafe, The Bazaar, offers golfers at a golfers at a Miami Beach golf tournament, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, slivers of Iberico Bellota Ham as they pass his food station on the course. Jose Andres, Todd English, Ming Tsai and Alex Guarnaschelli are among the roster of A-list chefs taking to the links during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

(AP) ? What do you get when a group of celebrity chefs move from the kitchen to the fairway following a long ? and late ? night of wine and burgers on South Beach?

"I'm clearly not the future of golf," tweeted Alex Guarnaschelli after one swing.

"Watch out Tiger, here I come!" Jose Andres said in Spanish after teeing off.

Nearly a dozen A-list chefs took to the links early Saturday during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival for a golf tournament hosted by Andres. He, too, admitted to staying out late the night before and "seeing the sun come up on the horizon."

"That's not the way chefs usually behave," the Spanish chef said. "But we need to play with the stereotypes."

Andres recently opened The Bazaar, the new hot spot at the SLS Hotel South Beach that handed out fruit push-pops and coconut sorbet to the players. Also on hand were mimosas and whiskey, cigars, and plenty of food.

Sloppy Gino sliders made with fresh ground chuck and "atomic cheese" were prepared on site by Nadia G, the host of Cooking Channel's "Bitchin' Kitchen."

"This is a fun, from scratch spin on an Americana dish," she said of the bite-size sliders.

Back on the green, Tim Love ? chef and owner of The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Fort Worth, Texas ? said he enjoys the "athletic stuff" during the festival. (He was sore from playing in a celebrity chef volleyball tournament held by Spike Mendelsohn on Friday).

"I like getting out and doing stuff. If I don't, I just end up getting hammered," he said as he waited for his partner to play (no drink in hand). "That's going to happen, but at least I won't feel so bad about myself if I get some steps."

The chefs ? including Ming Tsai, Edward Lee, Cesare Casella and Jeremy Sewall ? were joined by Miami Heat's Alonzo Mourning, who said he "was looking forward to meeting them" at the end of the 18-hole round.

"I'm going to win," Andres predicted. "I know it's going to look like, because I'm the host, that will be kind of political. But I'm so good, I'm going to win."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-23-Food-South-Beach-Golfing-Chefs/id-683ada327e8d49b5b9a18aabf24a0bad

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Stupid Celebrities Exclusive: OK! Magazine?s Annual Pre-Oscar Party!

Stupid Celebrities Exclusive: OK! Magazine’s Annual Pre-Oscar Party!

OK! PartyTinseltown is buzzing with celebrities because the biggest night for actors is on Sunday –the Oscars! And when stars are rolling into town, there is never a shortage of parties! Hollywood is THE place to throw a soir?e! Lucky for me, I was invited to one Friday night - OK! Magazine?s Pre-Oscar Party at The ...

Stupid Celebrities Exclusive: OK! Magazine’s Annual Pre-Oscar Party! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/02/stupid-celebrities-exclusive-ok-magazines-annual-pre-oscar-party/

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Clegg on defensive as sexual harassment claims batter party

LONDON (Reuters) - Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on Sunday denied covering up allegations of sexual misconduct by a former senior member of his Liberal Democrat party, already floundering in opinion polls.

Allegations of sexual impropriety by former party chief executive Chris Rennard threaten to engulf Clegg and further undermine the Lib Dems, the junior member of Britain's coalition government.

The latest furore comes at a bad time for the party, after the resignation of cabinet minister Chris Huhne this month who admitted he had asked his then wife to accept a penalty for a 2003 speeding offence he had committed.

A local election to replace Huhne is to be held on February 28.

Rennard, the mastermind behind the party's election strategy before quitting in 2009, was accused in a report by Britain's Channel 4 television channel on Thursday of inappropriately touching female party members and activists several years ago.

The report has since triggered a flurry of similar allegations in the British media.

Lawyers for Rennard, a member of parliament's upper house, said after the Channel 4 report that he was "deeply shocked by and strongly disputes" the allegations made against him.

Media reports have since then accused Clegg of knowing of the allegations long ago but not investigating them.

"I am angry and outraged at the suggestion that I would not have acted if these allegations had been put to me," Clegg said late on Sunday, rejecting suggestions of a "cover up".

He said was made aware of "indirect and non-specific concerns" about Rennard in 2008, and had acted on them, but there was a limit to how far the party could take the matter given sources of the concerns were indirect and anonymous.

The Lib Dems have announced two internal inquiries since more detail has come to light, one into how the party handled the allegations, and another into the allegations themselves. Clegg said they would reveal the truth of what happened.

"But in the meantime, I will not stand by and allow my party to be subject to a show trial of innuendo, half-truths and slurs," Clegg said.

Britain's opposition Labour party demanded an independent investigation.

"This series of allegations are too serious to allow the Lib Dems to investigate themselves," said Labour lawmaker Bridget Phillipson.

"Nick Clegg and other senior Liberal Democrat lawmakers and officials must come clean about what they knew and what action was taken about these serious allegations," she added.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/clegg-defensive-sexual-harassment-claims-batter-party-205416773.html

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Moody's strips UK of coveted triple-A debt rating

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Britain suffered its first ever sovereign ratings downgrade from a major agency on Friday, after Moody's stripped the country of its coveted top-notch triple-A rating, dealing a major blow to finance minister George Osborne.

Moody's cut Britain's rating by one notch to Aa1 from Aaa, with a stable outlook, blaming weak prospects for Britain's economy over the coming years which have thrown the government's deficit reduction strategy off course.

Austerity has been the watch word for Osborne's fiscal policy since his Conservative-led coalition came to power in 2010 after an election in which he vowed to defend Britain's triple-A rating, which keeps down borrowing costs.

But weak growth - which the opposition Labour Party blames partly on too much austerity - has pushed the government's goal of largely eliminating the budget deficit by 2015 at least two years off track.

Many in financial markets had expected at least one major agency to downgrade Britain this year.

Following the release of January public finances data on Thursday, the government's fiscal watchdog said the government may struggle to reduce borrowing at all during the current fiscal year, which finishes at the end of March.

Britain now joins the United States and France in having lost its triple-A rating from at least one major agency, having held the top-notch rating from Moody's and S&P since 1978, and from Fitch Ratings since 1994.

Moody's said that despite considerable structural economic strengths, Britain's growth is expected to be sluggish due to a combination of weaker global economic activity and a drag "from the ongoing domestic public and private-sector de-leveraging process."

Trend growth for Britain's economy is between 2 and 2.5 percent, Moody's sovereign credit analyst Sarah Carlson said in a telephone interview with Reuters.

"We see growth slowly building back up to that trend ... but if you take a combination of the growth and fiscal dynamics, the result is that the debt burden of gross general debt to GDP peaks in 2016, which is substantially later than was expected a few years ago," she said.

Osborne insisted in a statement that now was not the time to change course and borrow more to boost growth, which the Labour Party as well as some political allies have recommended.

"Tonight we have a stark reminder of the debt problems facing our country and the clearest possible warning to anyone who thinks we can run away from dealing with those problems," he said. "Far from weakening our resolve to deliver our economic recovery plan, this decision redoubles it."

Sterling fell to around $1.5160 after the downgrade from about $1.5240, just off Thursday's fresh 2-1/2-year low.

"It's a pretty big deal. We didn't see a huge reaction in the pound because it's late in the New York session. But you'll see some more aggressive selling when the markets open (in Asia) on Sunday," said Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management in New York.

But Charles Diebel, a fixed income strategist at British bank Lloyds, was more sanguine about the impact of the downgrade on British government debt prices.

"This has been speculated as inevitable and is most likely largely in the market. I would expect only very limited damage to the gilt curve and to sterling. Historically, losing your AAA is actually a bond bullish event," he said.

(Additional reporting by Steven C. Johnson in New York and Michael Holden in London; Editing by James Dalgleish and Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moodys-cuts-uk-credit-rating-one-notch-aa1-215314223--finance.html

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Flipping the 'off' switch on cell growth: Protein uses multiple means to help cells cope when oxygen runs low

Feb. 22, 2013 ? A protein known for turning on genes to help cells survive low-oxygen conditions also slows down the copying of new DNA strands, thus shutting down the growth of new cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report. Their discovery has wide-ranging implications, they say, given the importance of this copying -- known as DNA replication -- and new cell growth to many of the body's functions and in such diseases as cancer.

"We've long known that this protein, HIF-1?, can switch hundreds of genes on or off in response to low oxygen conditions," says Gregg Semenza, M.D., Ph.D., a molecular biologist who led the research team and has long studied the role of low-oxygen conditions in cancer, lung disease and heart disorders. "We've now learned that HIF-1? is even more versatile than we thought, as it can work directly to stop new cells from forming." A report on the discovery appears in the Feb. 12 issue of Science Signaling.

With his team, Semenza, who is the C. Michael Armstrong Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Institute for Cell Engineering and Institute for Genomic Medicine, discovered HIF-1? in the 1990s and has studied it ever since, pinpointing a multitude of genes in different types of cells that have their activity ramped up or down by the activated protein. These changes in so-called "gene expression" help cells survive when oxygen-rich blood flow to an area slows or stops temporarily; they also allow tumors to build new blood vessels to feed themselves.

To learn how HIF-1?'s own activity is controlled, the team looked for proteins from human cells that would attach to HIF-1?. They found two, MCM3 and MCM7, that limited HIF-1?'s activity, and were also part of the DNA replication machinery. Those results were reported in 2011.

In the new research, Semenza and his colleagues further probed HIF-1?'s relationship to DNA replication by comparing cells in low-oxygen conditions to cells kept under normal conditions. They measured the amount of DNA replication complexes in the cells, as well as how active the complexes were. The cells kept in low-oxygen conditions, which had stopped dividing, had just as much of the DNA replication machinery as the normal dividing cells, the researchers found; the difference was that the machinery wasn't working. It turned out that in the nondividing cells, HIF-1? was binding to a protein that loads the DNA replication complex onto DNA strands, and preventing the complex from being activated.

"Our experiments answered the long-standing question of how, exactly, cells stop dividing in response to low oxygen," says Maimon Hubbi, Ph.D., a member of Semenza's team who is now working toward an M.D. degree. "It also shows us that the relationship between HIF-1? and the DNA replication complex is reciprocal -- that is, each can shut the other down."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins Medicine, 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:

  1. M. E. Hubbi, Kshitiz, D. M. Gilkes, S. Rey, C. C. Wong, W. Luo, D.-H. Kim, C. V. Dang, A. Levchenko, G. L. Semenza. A Nontranscriptional Role for HIF-1? as a Direct Inhibitor of DNA Replication. Science Signaling, 2013; 6 (262): ra10 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2003417

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/most_popular/~3/XQflXj1NWK4/130223111517.htm

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 preview: an 8-inch S Pen tablet that's also a phone

Samsung Galaxy Note 80 preview an 8inch S Pen tablet that's also a phone

An updated, larger Galaxy Note from Samsung was inevitable. Given the undeniable popularity of mid-size tablets (see: Apple iPad mini), it's no surprise the Korean electronics giant would want to strengthen its foothold in a category it helped create. It was just three short years ago that Samsung introduced the Galaxy Tab and now, three Notes later, it's ready to perfect the one-handed experience. With this new Note, the company's culled the best of what's around its Galaxy into an 8-inch form factor, housing a 1,280 x 800 TFT display, Exynos 4 Quad with 2GB RAM (clocked at 1.6GHz), TouchWiz-skinned Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 OS, S Pen (and suite of associated apps), as well as radios for HSPA+ and WiFi into that familiar, lightweight plastic body.

But that extra inch alone isn't the Galaxy Note 8.0's main attraction. Samsung's wisely made use of the additional screen real estate to bundle two extra features. Building upon market research that indicates over 80-percent of tablet use takes place within the living room, the company's partnered with Peel for its Smart Remote app, a visual programming guide with remote control functions baked-in that comes pre-loaded on the tab. And, in keeping with its portrait oriented design, the Note 8.0 also incorporates what the company calls "reading mode," effectively optimizing the slate's display for comfortable e-book use.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/23/samsung-galaxy-note-8-preview/

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TAKARA TOMY A.R.T.S. - "Life Bank" - Une tirelire high-tech qui se synchronise avec votre iPhone

TAKARA TOMY A.R.T.S - "Life Bank" - High-tech Piggy Bank coupled to iPhone

Takara Tomy Arts vient de nous pr?senter une nouvelle fa?on amusante d??conomiser son argent. Ils ont cr?? une application iPhone qui effectue le suivi de l?argent que vous avez mis de c?t? en se synchronisant avec un genre de ?tirelire?.

T?l?chargez l?application et r?glez un objectif. Ensuite, mettez votre iPhone sur la tirelire ? chaque fois que vous mettez une pi?ce de 500 yen dedans. Vous pouvez ainsi voir combien d?argent vous avez mis de c?t? et en combien de temps.

L?application simule aussi la vie d?un personnage. Vous pouvez voir la fa?on dont il vit dans la tirelire et si sa vie s?am?liore ou non selon l?argent mis de c?t?. Au d?but c?est un pauvre ?tudiant qui vit dans un petit studio, mais plus vous mettez d?argent de c?t?, mieux il vivra, am?liorant son appartement et sa vie.

Elle sortira en marche et co?tera 3.990 Yen.

Economisez jusqu?? 100.000 Yen tout en vous amusant !

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/phoenixjp/~3/pjLFUZHCJ7E/takara-tomy-a-r-t-s-life-bank-une-tirelire-high-tech-qui-se-synchronise-avec-votre-iphone

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Galaxy S4 to Feature Samsung Orb, Their TouchWiz Version of Photo Sphere

Photo Sphere Header

Even though it may not work as well as some would either expect or hope it to, Photo Sphere is still one of my favorite additions to Android 4.2. According to a report from Android Geeks, who supposedly have a friend on Samsung?s software engineering team, Photo Sphere will most certainly be present on the upcoming Galaxy S4 from Samsung. Naturally, they are renaming it to Samsung Orb, which throws me off, but I wouldn?t put anything past Sammy at this point.?

That does sort of imply they created the idea, but with Samsung being the only OEM currently making any real money off of Android, I don?t think Google cares what they do at this point. Apparently, the source stated that Samsung Orb will be even better than Photo Sphere, thanks to the ?S4?s amazing camera.?

So, with Photo?Sphere-like features possibly confirmed on the S4, we can also throw some money down on the device shipping with Android 4.2, unlike someone else?s flagship that was announced recently. Attention OEM?s, if you are making a flagship currently, you best be using Android 4.2+.

Via: Android Geeks

Cheers ItsASamsung!

Source: http://www.droid-life.com/2013/02/22/galaxy-s4-to-feature-samsung-orb-their-touchwiz-version-of-photo-sphere/

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Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider: FAA may close air traffic towers at smaller airports

FacilityNameCityStateBFMMobile DowntownMobileALDHNDothan RegionalDothanALTCLTuscaloosa RegionalTuscaloosaALASGSpringdale MunicipalSpringdaleARFSMFort Smith TowerFort SmithARFYVDrake FieldFayettevilleARROGRogers Municipal-Carter FieldRogersARTXKTexarkana Regional-Webb FieldTexarkanaARGEUGlendale MunicipalGlendaleAZGYRPhoenix GoodyearGoodyearAZIFPLaughlin/Bullhead InternationalBullhead CityAZRYNRyan FieldTucsonAZAPCNapa TowerNapaCACCRConcord TowerConcordCACMACamarillo TowerCamarilloCAEMTEl Monte TowerEl MonteCAFULFullerton MunicipalFullertonCAHHRJack Northrop Field/Hawthorne MunicipalHawthorneCALVKLivermore TowerLivermoreCAMERCastleAtwaterCAOXROxnardOxnardCAPMDPalmdale Regional/USAF Plant 42PalmdaleCAPOCBrackett TowerLa VerneCARALRiverside MunicipalRiversideCARNMRamonaRamonaCASACSacramento ExecutiveSacramentoCASCKStockton TowerStocktonCASDMBrown Field MunicipalSan DiegoCASMOSanta Monica TowerSanta MonicaCASNSSalinas MunicipalSalinasCASQLSan CarlosSan CarlosCASTSCharles M. Schultz-Sonoma CountySanta RosaCAVCVSouthern California LogisticsVictorvilleCAWHPWhitemanLos AngelesCAWJFGeneral William J. Fox AirfieldLancasterCABJCBroomfield TowerWestminsterCOFTGFront RangeDenverCOBDRIgor I. Sikorsky MemorialBridgeportCTDXRDanbury MunicipalDanburyCTGONGroton-New LondonGroton (New London)CTHFDHartford-BrainardHartfordCTHVNTweed-New HavenNew HavenCTOXCWaterbury-OxfordOxfordCTILGWilmington TowerNew CastleDEAPFNaples MunicipalNaplesFLBCTBoca RatonBoca RatonFLCRGCraig MunicipalJacksonvilleFLEVBNew Smyrna Beach MunicipalNew Smyrna BeachFLFMYPage FieldFort MyersFLFPRSt. Lucie County InternationalFort PierceFLHWONorth PerryHollywoodFLISMKissimmee GatewayOrlandoFLLALLakeland Linder RegionalLakelandFLLEELeesburg InternationalLeesburgFLOCFOcala International-Jim Taylor FieldOcalaFLOMNOrmond Beach MunicipalOrmond BeachFLOPFOpa-Locka ExecutiveMiamiFLORLOrlando ExecutiveOrlandoFLPGDPunta GordaPunta GordaFLSGJNortheast Florida RegionalSt. AugustineFLSPGAlbert WhittedSt. PetersburgFLSUAWitham FieldStuartFLTIXSpace Coast RegionalTitusvilleFLVQQCecilJacksonvilleFLABYSouthwest Georgia RegionalAlbanyGAAHNAthens-Ben EppsAthensGACSGColumbus MetropolitanColumbusGAFTYFulton County-Brown FieldAtlantaGALZUGwinnett County-Briscoe FieldLawrencevilleGAMCNMiddle Georgia RegionalMaconGARYYCobb County-McCollum FieldAtlantaGAJRFKalaeloa (John Rodgers Field)KapoleiHIALOWaterloo TowerWaterlooIADBQDubuque RegionalDubuqueIASUXSioux GatewaySioux CityIAIDAIdaho Falls RegionalIdaho FallsIDLWSLewiston-Nez Perce CountyLewistonIDPIHPocatello RegionalPocatelloIDSUNFriedman MemorialHaileyIDTWFJoslin Field-Magic Valley RegionalTwin FallsIDALNSt. Louis RegionalAlton/St. LouisILARRAurora TowerSugar GroveILBMICentral Illinois Regional at Bloomington-NormalBloomington-NormalILDECDecaturDecaturILDPADupageWest ChicagoILMDHSouthern IllinoisCarbondale/MurphysboroILMWAWilliamson County RegionalMarionILSPISpringfield TowerSpringfieldILUGNWaukegan RegionalChicago/WaukeganILBAKColumbus MunicipalColumbusINBMGMonroe CountyBloomingtonINGYYGary/Chicago InternationalGaryINHUFTerre Haute International-Hulman FieldTerra HauteINLAFLafayette TowerWest LafayetteINMIEDelaware County RegionalMuncieINFOEForbes FieldTopekaKSGCKGarden City RegionalGarden CityKSHUTHutchinson MunicipalHutchinsonKSIXDNew Century AirCenterOlatheKSMHKManhattan RegionalManhattanKSOJCJohnson County ExecutiveOlatheKSTOPPhilip Billard MunicipalTopekaKSLOUBowman TowerLouisvilleKYOWBOwensboro-Daviess CountyOwensboroKYPAHBarkley RegionalPaducahKYCWFChennault InternationalLake CharlesLADTNShreveport DowntownShreveportLALCHLake Charles RegionalLake CharlesLAMLUMonroe RegionalMonroeLANEWLakefrontNew OrleansLABAFBarnes MunicipalWestfield/SpringfieldMABVYBeverly MunicipalBeverlyMAEWBNew Bedford RegionalNew BedfordMALWMLawrence MunicipalLawrenceMAORHWorcester RegionalWorcesterMAOWDNorwood MemorialNorwoodMAESNEaston/Newnam FieldEastonMDFDKFrederick MunicipalFrederickMDHGRHagerstown Regional-Richard A. Henson FieldHagerstownMDMTNMartin StateBaltimoreMDSBYSalisbury-Ocean City Wicomico RegionalSalisburyMDARBAnn Arbor MunicipalAnn ArborMIBTLW.K. KelloggBattle CreekMIDETColeman A. Young MunicipalDetroitMIJXNJackson County-Reynolds FieldJacksonMIMKGMuskegon CountyMuskegonMISAWSawyer InternationalMarquetteMIANEAnoka County-Blaine Airport (Janes Field)MinneapolisMNFCMFlying CloudEden PrairieMNMICCrystal TowerCrystalMNSTCSt. Cloud RegionalSt. CloudMNBBGBransonBransonMOCOUColumbia RegionalColumbiaMOJEFJefferson City MemorialJefferson CityMOJLNJoplin RegionalJoplinMOSTJRosecrans MemorialSt. JosephMOGLHMid Delta RegionalGreenvilleMSGTRGolden Triangle RegionalColumbus/West Point/StarkvilleMSHKSHawkins FieldJacksonMSHSAStennis InternationalBay St. LouisMSMEIKey FieldMeridianMSOLVOlive BranchOlive BranchMSTUPTupelo RegionalTupeloMSGPIGlacier Park InternationalKalispellMTHLNHelena RegionalHelenaMTEWNCoastal Carolina RegionalNew BernNCHKYHickory RegionalHickoryNCINTSmith ReynoldsWinston SalemNCISOKinston Regional Jetport at Stallings FieldKinstonNCJQFConcord RegionalConcordNCGRICentral Nebraska RegionalGrand IslandNEASHBoire FieldNashuaNHCDWEssex CountyFairfieldNJTTNTrenton MercerTrentonNJAEGDouble Eagle IIAlbuquerqueNMHOBLea County RegionalHobbsNMROWRoswell International Air CenterRoswellNMSAFSanta Fe MunicipalSanta FeNMBGMBinghamton TowerJohnson CityNYFOKFrancis S. GabreskiWesthampton BeachNYIAGNiagara Falls InternationalNiagara FallsNYITHIthaca Tomkins RegionalIthacaNYPOUDutchess CountyWappingers FallsNYRMEGriffiss InternationalRomeNYCGFCuyahoga CountyClevelandOHMFDMansfield TowerMansfieldOHOSUOhio State UniversityColumbusOHTZRBolton FieldColumbusOHYNGYoungstown-Warren RegionalViennaOHADMArdmore MunicipalArdmoreOKLAWLawton-Fort Sill RegionalLawtonOKOUNUniversity of Oklahoma WestheimerNormanOKPWAWiley PostOklahoma CityOKSWOStillwater RegionalStillwaterOKWDGEnid Wooding RegionalEnidOKLMTKlamath FallsKlamath FallsOROTHSouthwest Oregon RegionalNorth BendORPDTEastern Oregon Regional at PendletonPendletonORSLEMcNary FieldSalemORTTDPortland-TroutdalePortlandORCXYCapital CityHarrisburgPAIPTWilliamsport RegionalWilliamsportPALBEArnold Palmer RegionalLatrobePALNSLancasterLancasterPAPNENortheast PhiladelphiaPhiladelphiaPARDGReading Regional-Carl A. Spaatz FieldReadingPACREGrand StrandNorth Myrtle BeachSCFLOFlorence RegionalFlorenceSCGYHDonaldson CenterGreenvilleSCHXDHilton HeadHilton Head IslandSCMKLMcKellar-Sipes RegionalJacksonTNMQYSmyrnaSmyrnaTNNQAMillington Regional JetportMillingtonTNACTWaco RegionalWacoTXBAZNew Braunfels MunicipalNew BraunfelsTXBPTJack Brooks RegionalBeaumontTXBROBrownsville/South Padre Island InternationalBrownsvilleTXCLLEasterwood FieldCollege StationTXCNWTSTC WacoWacoTXCXOLone Star ExecutiveHoustonTXFWSFort Worth SpinksFort WorthTXGGGEast Texas RegionalLongviewTXGKYArlington MunicipalArlingtonTXGPMGrand Prairie MunicipalGrand PrairieTXGTUGeorgetown MunicipalGeorgetownTXHYISan Marcos MunicipalSan MarcosTXRBDDallas ExecutiveDallasTXSGRSugar Land RegionalHoustonTXSSFStinson MunicipalSan AntonioTXTKICollin County Regional at McKinneyDallasTXTYRTyler Pounds RegionalTylerTXVCTVictoria RegionalVictoriaTXOGDOgden-HinckleyOgdenUTPVUProvo MunicipalProvoUTHEFManassas Regional/Harry P. Davis FieldManassasVALYHLynchburg Regional/Preston Glenn FieldLynchburgVAALWWalla Walla RegionalWalla WallaWAMWHGrant County InternationalMoses LakeWAOLMOlympia RegionalOlympiaWAPAESnohomish County Airport (Paine Field)EverettWARNTRenton MunicipalRentonWASFFFelts FieldSpokaneWATIWTacoma NarrowsTacomaWAYKMYakima Air Terminal/McAllister FieldYakimaWACWACentral WisconsinMosineeWIEAUChippewa Valley RegionalEau ClaireWIENWKenosha RegionalKenoshaWIJVLSouthern Wisconsin RegionalJanesvilleWILSELa Crosse MunicipalLa CrosseWIMWCLawrence J. TimmermanMilwaukieWIOSHWittman RegionalOshkoshWIUESWaukesha CountyWaukeshaWICKBNorth Central West VirginiaBridgeportWVHLGWheeling Ohio CountyWheelingWVHTSTri-State Milton J. Ferguson FieldHuntingtonWVLWBGreenbrier ValleyLewisburgWVPKBMid-Ohio Valley RegionalParkersburgWVCYSCheyenne Regional/Jerry Olson FieldCheyenneWY

Source: http://www.boortz.com/weblogs/jamie-dupree/2013/feb/22/faa-may-close-air-traffic-towers-smaller-airports/

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