Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295667955?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Sunday, March 31, 2013
Bosnia: Man sentenced to 45 years for war crimes
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) ? A court in Bosnia on Friday convicted a Montenegrin man of multiple counts of murder, torture, rape and looting during Bosnia's 1992-95 war, and sentenced him to 45 years in prison ? the highest sentence ever issued in the country.
Judge Zoran Bozic said that Veselin Vlahovic, killed 31 people, raped a number of Bosniak and Croat women and tortured and robbed non-Serb residents of a Sarajevo suburb while fighting for the Bosnian Serbs. Among other crimes, the judge described how Vlahovic cut the throats of two brothers in front of their mother, then killed her and raped the men's wives.
"We are happy with the maximum sentence," said Boris Grubisic, the spokesman for the Prosecutor's office.
He said that during the trial some of the 112 witnesses described the rape of heavily pregnant women and mothers being raped in front of their children. Grubisic said that Vlahovic committed the crimes over several months. Although he received the maximum sentence, the prosecution still plans to appeal because he was acquitted on six counts.
Vlahovic's layer Radivoje Lazarevic said he also will appeal the sentence because he believes that some of the 60 counts on which Vlahovic was convicted were not proven.
Vlahovic, 43, showed no reaction when the judge pronounced the verdict.
In 1992, when Bosnian Serb forces laid siege to Sarajevo, they mistreated non-Serb residents of the areas that they controlled. Vlahovic was the commander of a paramilitary unit that went from house to house looking for Muslims and Catholics, then looted their homes, tortured and often killed entire families.
Edina Kamenica, a Muslim woman who lived in one of the Serb-held neighborhoods, followed the trial carefully. She said Vlahovic ? known as "the monster from Grbavica" ? came to her door.
"He asked if there were any Turks inside and if I had answered 'yes' I would have be alive," she said.
During the war Serbs often referred to Muslim Bosnians as Turks because of their hatred of the Turkish-Ottoman empire that ruled over the Balkan peninsula for 500 years.
Bakira Hasecic, the head of an association of victims of wartime rape, said the sentence was the best satisfaction that so far came from Bosnia's war crimes court, but added that Vlahovic was such a monster that even the maximum sentence was not enough for him.
Vlahovic fled to neighboring Serbia and Montenegro after the war. He was jailed in Montenegro for armed robbery but escaped from prison. Spanish police then found him in 2010 living in the town of Altea. He was extradited to Bosnia the same year although he is also wanted in Spain for robbery and assault with a firearm.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bosnia-man-sentenced-45-years-war-crimes-111616575.html
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Saturday, March 30, 2013
Analysis: NKorea threat may be more bark than bite
University students punch the air as they march through Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 29, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. Placards read: ?Let?s crush the puppet traitor group? and ?Let?s rip the puppet traitors to death!? (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)
University students punch the air as they march through Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 29, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. Placards read: ?Let?s crush the puppet traitor group? and ?Let?s rip the puppet traitors to death!? (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)
North Koreans punch the air during a rally at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 28, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. The placard reads: "U.S. forces, get out!" (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)
North Korean army officers punch the air as they chant slogans during a rally at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 28, 2013. Thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)
North Koreans gather during a rally at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 28, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Across North Korea, soldiers are gearing up for battle and shrouding their jeeps and vans with camouflage netting. Newly painted signboards and posters call for "death to the U.S. imperialists" and urge the people to fight with "arms, not words."
But even as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is issuing midnight battle cries to his generals to ready their rockets, he and his million-man army know full well that a successful missile strike on U.S. targets would be suicide for the outnumbered, out-powered North Korean regime.
Despite the hastening drumbeat of warfare ? seemingly bringing the region to the very brink of conflict with threats and provocations ? Pyongyang aims to force Washington to the negotiating table, pressure the new president in Seoul to change policy on North Korea, and build unity inside the communist country without triggering a full-blown war.
North Korea wants to draw attention to the tenuousness of the armistice designed to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, a truce Pyongyang recently announced it would no longer honor as it warned that war could break out at any time.
In July, it will be 60 years since North Korea and China signed an armistice with the U.S. and the United Nations to bring an end to three years of fighting that cost millions of lives. The designated Demilitarized Zone has evolved into the most heavily guarded border in the world.
It was never intended to be a permanent border. But six decades later, North and South remain divided, with Pyongyang feeling abandoned by the South Koreans in the quest for reunification and threatened by the Americans.
In that time, South Korea has blossomed from a poor, agrarian nation of peasants into the world's 15th largest economy while North Korea is struggling to find a way out of a Cold War chasm that has left it with a per capita income on par with sub-Saharan Africa.
The Chinese troops who fought alongside the North Koreans have long since left. But 28,500 American troops are still stationed in South Korea and 50,000 more are in nearby Japan. For weeks, the U.S. and South Korea have been showing off their military might with a series of joint exercises that Pyongyang sees a rehearsal for invasion.
On Thursday, the U.S. military confirmed that those drills included two nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers that can unload the U.S. Air Force's largest conventional bomb ? a 30,000-pound super bunker buster ? powerful enough to destroy North Korea's web of underground military tunnels.
It was a flexing of military muscle by Washington, perhaps aimed not only at Pyongyang but at Beijing as well.
In Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un reacted swiftly, calling an emergency meeting of army generals and ordering them to be prepared to strike if the U.S. actions continue. A photo distributed by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency showed Kim in a military operations room with maps detailing a "strike plan" behind him in a very public show of supposedly sensitive military strategy.
North Korea cites the U.S. military threat as a key reason behind its need to build nuclear weapons, and has poured a huge chunk of its small national budget into defense, science and technology. In December, scientists launched a satellite into space on the back of a long-range rocket using technology that could easily be converted for missiles; in February, they tested an underground nuclear device as part of a mission to build a bomb they can load on a missile capable of reaching the U.S.
However, what North Korea really wants is legitimacy in the eyes of the U.S. ? and a peace treaty. Pyongyang wants U.S. troops off Korean soil, and the bombs and rockets are more of an expensive, dangerous safety blanket than real firepower. They are the only real playing card North Korea has left, and the bait they hope will bring the Americans to the negotiating table.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said North Korea's "bellicose rhetoric" would only deepen its international isolation, and that the U.S. has both the capability and willingness to defend its interests in the region.
Narushige Michishita, director of the Security and International Studies Program at Japan's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, isn't convinced North Korea is capable of attacking Guam, Hawaii or the U.S. mainland. He says Pyongyang hasn't successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.
But its medium-range Rodong missiles, with a range of about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers), are "operational and credible" and could reach U.S. bases in Japan, he says.
More likely than such a strike, however, is a smaller-scale incident, perhaps off the Koreas' western coast, that would not provoke the Americans to unleash their considerable firepower. For years, the waters off the west coast have been a battleground for naval skirmishes between the two Koreas because the North has never recognized the maritime border drawn unilaterally by the U.N.
As threatening as Kim's call to arms may sound, its main target audience may be the masses at home in North Korea.
For months, the masterminds of North Korean propaganda have pinpointed this year's milestone Korean War anniversary as a prime time to play up Kim's military credibility as well as to push for a peace treaty. By creating the impression that a U.S. attack is imminent, the regime can foster a sense of national unity and encourage the people to rally around their new leader.
Inside Pyongyang, much of the military rhetoric feels like theatrics. It's not unusual to see people toting rifles in North Korea, where soldiers and checkpoints are a fixture in the heavily militarized society. But more often than not in downtown Pyongyang, the rifle stashed in a rucksack is a prop and the "soldier" is a dancer, one of the many performers rehearsing for a Korean War-themed extravaganza set to debut later this year.
More than 100,000 soldiers, students and ordinary workers were summoned Friday to Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang to pump their fists in support of North Korea's commander in chief. But elsewhere, it was business as usual at restaurants and shops, and farms and factories, where the workers have heard it all before.
"Tensions rise almost every year around the time the U.S.-South Korean drills take place, but as soon as those drills end, things go back to normal and people put those tensions behind them quite quickly," said Sung Hyun-sang, the South Korean president of a clothing maker operating in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. "I think and hope that this time won't be different."
And in a telling sign that even the North Koreans don't expect war, the national airline, Air Koryo, is adding flights to its spring lineup and preparing to host the scores of tourists they expect to flock to Pyongyang despite the threats issuing forth from the Supreme Command.
War or no war, it seems Pyongyang remains open for business.
___
Lee is chief of AP's bureaus in Pyongyang, North Korea, and Seoul, South Korea. She can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean. Eric Talmadge in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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New technologies combat invasive species
Mar. 28, 2013 ? A new research paper by a team of researchers from the University of Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative (ECI) demonstrates how two cutting-edge technologies can provide a sensitive and real-time solution to screening real-world water samples for invasive species before they get into our country or before they cause significant damage.
"Aquatic invasive species cause ecological and economic damage worldwide, including the loss of native biodiversity and damage to the world's great fisheries," Scott Egan, a research assistant professor with Notre Dame's Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics Initiative and a member of the research team, said. "This research combines two new, but proven technologies, environmental DNA (eDNA) and Light Transmission Spectroscopy (LTS), to address the growing problem of aquatic invasive species by increasing our ability to detect dangerous species in samples before they arrive or when they are still rare in their environment and have not yet caused significant damage."
Egan points out that eDNA is a species surveillance tool that recognizes a unique advantage of aquatic sampling: water often contains microscopic bits of tissue in suspension, including the scales of fish, the exoskeletons of insects, and the sloughed cells of and tissues of aquatic species. These tissue fragments can be filtered from water samples and then a standard DNA extraction is performed on the filtered matter. The new sampling method for invasive species was pioneered by members of the ND Environmental Change Initiative, including David Lodge and Chris Jerde, Central Michigan University's Andrew Mahon, and The Nature Conservancy's Lindsay Chadderton.
Egan explains that LTS, which was developed by Notre Dame physicists Steven Ruggiero and Carol Tanner, can measure the size of small particles on a nanometer scale (1 nanometer equals 1 billionth of a meter). LTS was used in the research for DNA-based species detection where the LTS device detects small shifts in the size of nanoparticles with short single-stranded DNA fragments on their surface that will only bind to the DNA of a specific species.
"Thus, these nanoparticles grow in size in the presence of a target species, such as a dangerous invasive species, but don't in the presence of other species" Egan said. "In addition to the sensitivity of LTS, it is also advantageous because the device fits in a small suitcase and can operate off a car battery in the field, such as a point of entry at the border of the U.S."
The Notre Dame researchers demonstrated the work with manipulative experiments in the lab for five high-risk invasive species and also in the field, using lakes already infested with an invasive mussel, Dreissena polymorpha or the zebra mussel.
"Our work implies that eDNA sampling and LTS could enable rapid species detection in the field in the context of research, voluntary or regulatory surveillance and management actions to lower the risk of the introduction or spread of harmful species," Egan said. "In the Great Lakes alone, 180 nonindigenous species have been established since European settlement, with about 70 percent arriving through the ballast tanks of transoceanic ships. Ballast water monitoring is one of many potential applications for LTS with ramifications for environmental protection, public health and economic health."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Notre Dame. The original article was written by William G. Gilroy.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Scott P. Egan, Matthew A. Barnes, Ching-Ting Hwang, Andrew R. Mahon, Jeffery L. Feder, Steven T. Ruggiero, Carol E. Tanner, David M. Lodge. Rapid invasive species detection by combining environmental DNA with Light Transmission Spectroscopy. Conservation Letters, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/conl.12017
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/OSYpN0dQ_yk/130329090622.htm
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Friday, March 29, 2013
Study Links Early Baldness to Prostate Cancer in African Americans (Voice Of America)
How a Pope's Chalice Is Made
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_4z_c4y7HSI/how-a-popes-chalice-is-made
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Chief Justice Roberts a victim of credit card fraud
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chief Justice John Roberts, who spent the last two days presiding over high-profile oral arguments on gay marriage, has been a victim of credit card fraud, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said on Thursday.
Roberts' credit card problem was first reported by the Washington Post in a story that said the chief justice was heard talking about it in a suburban Maryland Starbucks on Tuesday morning. That was the day the court weighed the validity of Proposition 8, a California ban on gay marriage.
Roberts was again in the spotlight on Wednesday when the court weighed the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which restricts the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples for the purposes of federal benefits.
Kathy Arberg, the court spokeswoman, said Roberts had no comment on the incident.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller and Todd Eastham)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chief-justice-roberts-victim-credit-card-fraud-214804410.html
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Astronomers discover new kind of supernova
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Supernovae were always thought to occur in two main varieties. But a team of astronomers including Carnegie's Wendy Freedman, Mark Phillips and Eric Persson is reporting the discovery of a new type of supernova called Type Iax. This research has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal and is available online.
Previously, supernovae were divided into either core-collapse or Type Ia categories. Core-collapse supernovae are the explosion of a star about 10 to 100 times as massive as our sun. Type Ia supernovae are the complete disruption of a tiny white dwarf.
This new type, Iax, is fainter and less energetic than Type Ia. Although both types come from exploding white dwarfs, Type Iax supernovas may not completely destroy the white dwarf.
"A Type Iax supernova is essentially a mini supernova," says lead author Ryan Foley, Clay Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). "It's the runt of the supernova litter."
The research team--which also included Max Stritzinger, formerly of Carnegie--identified 25 examples of the new type of supernova. None of them appeared in elliptical galaxies, which are filled with old stars. This suggests that Type Iax supernovas come from young star systems.
Based on a variety of observational data, the team concluded that a Type Iax supernova comes from a binary star system containing a white dwarf and a companion star that has lost its outer hydrogen, leaving it helium dominated. The white dwarf collects helium from the normal star.
Researchers aren't sure what triggers a Type Iax. It's possible that the outer helium layer ignites first, sending a shock wave into the white dwarf. Alternatively, the white dwarf might ignite first due to the influence of the overlying helium shell.
Either way, it appears that in many cases the white dwarf survives the explosion, unlike in a Type Ia supernova where the white dwarf is completely destroyed.
The team calculates that Type Iax supernovae are about a third as common as Type Ia supernovae. The reason so few have been detected is that the faintest are only one-hundredth as bright as a Type Ia supernova.
"The closer we look, the more ways we find for stars to explode," Phillips said.
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope could discover thousands of Type Iax supernovas over its lifetime.
###
Carnegie Institution: http://www.ciw.edu
Thanks to Carnegie Institution for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127478/Astronomers_discover_new_kind_of_supernova
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
Google Street View Launches Imagery Of Deserted Town Next To Fukushima Nuclear Plant
Two years after the devastating T?hoku earthquake and tsunami, Google has launched Street View images of Namie-machi in the Fukushima exclusion zone. The area encompasses Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Plant, which after the disaster was the scene of the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. The 360-degree panoramic imagery, showing ruined buildings on empty streets, is both eerie and heartbreaking.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ZLdy3OiAdOE/
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013
$338M lottery winner feels 'pure joy,' uncertainty
Pedro Quezada, the winner of the Powerball jackpot, talks to the media during a news conference at the New Jersey Lottery headquarters, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Lawrenceville, N.J. Quezada , 44, won the $338 million jackpot with the winning ticket he purchased at Eagle Liquors store in Passaic, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Pedro Quezada, the winner of the Powerball jackpot, talks to the media during a news conference at the New Jersey Lottery headquarters, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Lawrenceville, N.J. Quezada , 44, won the $338 million jackpot with the winning ticket he purchased at Eagle Liquors store in Passaic, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Pedro Quezada, the winner of the Powerball jackpot, holds up a promotional check during a news conference at the New Jersey Lottery headquarters, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Lawrenceville, N.J. Quezada , 44, won the $338 million jackpot with the winning ticket he purchased at Eagle Liquors store in Passaic, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Store employee Pravin Mankodia stands outside Eagles Liquors in Passaic, N.J. Monday, March 25, 2013. Mankodia sold the winning $338 million Powerball ticket that was claimed by an unidentified New Jersey Resident. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
Pedro Quezada, the winner of the Powerball jackpot, holds up a promotional check during a news conference at the New Jersey Lottery headquarters, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Lawrenceville, N.J. Quezada , 44, won the $338 million jackpot with the winning ticket he purchased at Eagle Liquors store in Passaic, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Pedro Quezada, right, the winner of the Powerball jackpot, stands next to his wife, Ines Sanchez, during a news conference at the New Jersey Lottery headquarters, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Lawrenceville, N.J. Quezada , 44, won the $338 million jackpot with the winning ticket he purchased at Eagle Liquors store in Passaic, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (AP) ? A New Jersey man feels "pure joy" at winning a $338 million Powerball jackpot but has no idea what he will do with the money ? except buy a car, to replace his feet as his primary mode of transportation, he said.
Dominican immigrant Pedro Quezada, 45, and his wife, Ines, appeared at New Jersey lottery headquarters Tuesday to officially claim the prize. Both came in jeans, accompanied by four of his eight siblings and two nephews.
The former bodega owner-operator, who came to the United States from the city of Jarabacoa 26 years ago, said his mind is not clear enough yet to figure out how he will use the money or where he might live.
He did say he could use a good car. Asked what kind of car he has now, he said, "My feet."
Lottery officials said Quezada had decided to accept the winnings in the form of a lump-sum payment worth $221 million, or about $152 million after taxes. It's the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history.
He showed up Monday afternoon at the liquor store in Passaic where he purchased the ticket, not knowing if he held the winner. The ticket was validated at 4:17 p.m., giving him less than 24 hours to weigh his future as a multimillionaire before appearing at the news conference.
He was asked questions in Spanish and English and answered all the questions in Spanish, with a translator standing next to him. He was peppered with questions about he would spend the money.
"It has to change," he said when asked about how his life would be different now. "Imagine ... so much money. But it will not change my heart."
He said he would share his winnings with family members and would use some to help his community, though he didn't yet know how. He said his wife of nine years, Ines Sanchez, could have "whatever she wants."
When he realized he had won, he said, "I felt pure joy, just happiness."
Up until last year, Quezada had worked 15-hour days at a bodega in his adopted hometown of Passaic, in northern New Jersey. His son now runs the small grocery.
He said his bodega days are over, and given all the money he won, he doesn't plan to let his son keep working there, either.
The bodega has been robbed in recent years, and there was a fire there.
But on Tuesday, Quezada would not talk about any of the hard times that had befallen him in the past.
"My life has changed," he said.
When she got the call from him Monday, his wife said: "I had no words. ... My heart wanted to come out of my chest."
"All I can say is I feel very happy that God has blessed us with this prize," said Sanchez, who is from Tlaxcala, Mexico.
Quezada is the father of five children, ranging in age from 23 to 5. He has one grandchild.
In the Dominican Republic, Eliana Quezada, the winner's 26-year-old niece, was thrilled by the news of her uncle's massive windfall.
"One of my aunts called me and told me that my Uncle Pedro won the lotto, then I saw him on TV," she said Tuesday in Jarabacoa. "I was happy, happy, so I ran into the street!"
The single mother of two children is one of the winner's few relatives still living in the Dominican Republic. Most migrated to the United States years ago, and she said she hadn't seen her uncle in about 10 years.
When asked whether she had any expectations now that her lucky uncle was an incredibly wealthy man, Quezada, a manicurist, said she would love for him to bankroll a trip for her to visit the U.S. to see her many relatives.
"I would like my uncle just to take me there to see my family, my grandparents and my uncles," she said.
The largest Powerball jackpot ever came in at $587.5 million in November. Nebraska still holds the record for the largest Powerball jackpot won on a single ticket ? $365 million ? by eight workers at a Lincoln meatpacking plant in February 2006.
Powerball is played in 42 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
___
Associated Press writer David Porter in Passaic and AP contributor Ezequiel Abiu Lopez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, provided reporting.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Supreme Court hears historic argument on marriage laws
By Tom Curry, National Affairs Writer, NBC News
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Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Anti-Proposition 8 protesters are shadowed by a rainbow banner in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, March 26, 2013.
The Supreme Court began hearing a historic one-hour oral argument on marriage Tuesday which could lead to any one of a wide array of possible decisions -- from essentially leaving in place the traditional marriage laws now on the books in most states to proclaiming same-sex marriage a fundamental right under the United States Constitution.
Although the justices are deciding a constitutional question -- whether the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment includes a right for same-sex couples to marry -- the argument is taking place as polls indicate that public opinion is shifting toward acceptance of same-sex marriage. More elected officials, such as Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., on Sunday and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, last week, are personally endorsing same-sex marriage, but it remains to be seen whether the justices will be influenced by public opinion.
At issue in Tuesday?s argument is California?s Proposition 8, the state constitutional amendment enacted by voters in 2008. The high court could decide to uphold Proposition 8, or conversely, it could decide to not only strike it down but to invalidate any state law that limits marriage to one man and one woman. Or it could issue a limited ruling that applies only to California and several other states which allow domestic partnerships that are almost identical to marriage in all but name.
Supreme Court justices will consider whether to strike down two laws limiting the rights of same-sex couples. NBC News' Danielle Leigh reports.
In recent years, nine states, either through court rulings, legislation, or ballot measures, have redefined marriage to include same-sex couples.
But most states have laws or constitutional provisions that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
A decision from the high court is likely by the end of its term sometime in late June.
On Wednesday the court will hear oral arguments in a challenge to one section of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which for purposes of federal regulations and benefits, defines marriage as ?a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.?
Many court observers believe the pivotal swing vote in the marriage cases will be that of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion in the court?s 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas which struck down state sodomy laws.
Proposition 8 was enacted with 52 percent of the vote less than six months after the California Supreme Court ruled that the state?s previous ban on same-sex marriages violated the state constitution. More than 18,000 marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples in California before Proposition 8 was adopted.
Those supporting Proposition 8, four of the original five sponsors who put the measure on the California ballot, told the high court in their brief that the Constitution doesn?t mandate the traditional man-woman definition of marriage -- ?but neither does our Constitution condemn it.? The Equal Protection Clause does not include a right for same-sex couples to marry, they said. The justices ?should allow the public debate regarding marriage to continue through the democratic process, both in California and throughout the Nation.?
In their challenge to the California law, the plaintiffs said they agree with supporters of Proposition 8 ?that marriage is a unique, venerable and essential institution. They simply want to be a part of it ? to experience all the benefits the Court has described (in prior rulings) and the societal acceptance and approval that accompanies the status of being ?married.??
They say supporters of traditional marriage ?have never identified a single harm that they, or anyone else, would suffer as a result of allowing gay men and lesbians to marry.? Proposition 8, they argue, was enacted to stigmatize and harm gays and lesbians, not to serve any rational purpose.
Those challenging the California law -- who are represented in court Tuesday by Theodore Olson, who served as solicitor general of the United States under President George W. Bush -- lean heavily in their brief on Kennedy?s decision in Lawrence v. Texas.
That case involved private conduct that police had to enter a private residence to discover. In contrast, Tuesday?s case addresses marriage, which is not only public but requires legal acknowledgement and acceptance by other citizens. But in his decision in Lawrence v. Texas, Kennedy used language that might help lay a foundation for a ruling in favor of same-sex couples. He referred to marriage and child-rearing, declaring, ?Persons in a homosexual relationship may seek autonomy for these purposes, just as heterosexual persons do.?
Dissenting in Lawrence v. Texas, Justice Antonin Scalia said that the decision ?leaves on pretty shaky grounds state laws limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples.?
Charles Cooper, who served in the Reagan administration as assistant attorney general in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel, is arguing the case Tuesday for supporters of Proposition 8.
Solicitor General Donald Verrilli is arguing for the Obama administration, as a friend of the court, in opposition to Proposition 8.
Chad Griffin, a plaintiff in the case against California's Proposition 8, speaks about the importance of the day before heading to the Supreme Court Tuesday.
?
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This story was originally published on Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:01 AM EDT
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Obama gives Secret Service its 1st female director
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Tuesday named veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson as the agency's first female director, signaling his desire to change the culture at the male-dominated service, which has been marred by scandal.
Pierson, who most recently served as the agency's chief of staff, will take over from Mark Sullivan, who announced his retirement last month. The agency faced intense criticism during Sullivan's tenure for a prostitution scandal during preparations for Obama's trip to Cartagena, Colombia, last year.
The incident raised questions within the agency ? as well as at the White House and on Capitol Hill ? about the culture, particularly during foreign travel. In addition to protecting the president, the Secret Service also investigates financial crimes.
"Over her 30 years of experience with the Secret Service, Julia has consistently exemplified the spirit and dedication the men and women of the service demonstrate every day," Obama said in a statement announcing Pierson's appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also praised Obama's "historic decision" to name Pierson as the service's first female director.
Pierson, 53, has held high-ranking posts throughout the Secret Service, including deputy assistant director of the office of protective operations and assistant director of human resources and training. She has served as chief of staff since 2008.
That same year, Pierson was awarded the Presidential Meritorious Executive Award for superior performance in management throughout her career.
She joined the Secret Service in 1983 as a special agent and previously worked as a police officer in Orlando, Fla.
"Julia is eminently qualified to lead the agency that not only safeguards Americans at major events and secures our financial system, but also protects our leaders and our first families, including my own," Obama said. "Julia has had an exemplary career, and I know these experiences will guide her as she takes on this new challenge to lead the impressive men and women of this important agency."
Thirteen Secret Service employees were caught up in last year's prostitution scandal. After a night of heavy partying in the Caribbean resort city of Cartagena, the employees brought women, including prostitutes, to the hotel where they were staying. The incident became public after one agent refused to pay a prostitute and the pair argued about payment in a hotel hallway.
Eight of the employees were forced out of the agency, three were cleared of serious misconduct and at least two have been fighting to get their jobs back.
The incident took place before Obama arrived in Colombia and the service said the president's safety was never compromised. But news of the scandal broke during his trip, overshadowing the summit and embarrassing the U.S. delegation.
Sullivan issued a new code of conduct that bans employees from drinking within 10 hours of starting a shift or bringing foreign nationals back to their hotel rooms.
Sullivan apologized for the incident last year during testimony before a Senate panel.
___
Associated Press writer Alicia Caldwell contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-gives-secret-1st-female-director-200139194--politics.html
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Now, Android app that warns you when you are stressed
Now, a new Android app has been developed that can log stressful moments in a users' life, a report has said.
Dirk Trossen, a senior researcher in the computer laboratory at the University of Cambridge, developed the Android Remote Sensing App (AIRS), which can help people manage pressure and improve their general health.
The app uses all the sensors built into mobile devices to measure physical changes.
It also records environmental noise and tracks calls and text messages.
One can also track moods expressed through emoticons and use attached monitors to provide pulse and heart-rate data.
Trossen explained that the data feeds into software developed by Dana Pavel at Essex University that allows users to create a story-inspired visualization on their computer.
There are over 60 values the app can record, including surrounding noise level; social activity, as monitored by texts and calls; changing environmental conditions, measured through air pressure as well as light level; and even posture, measured by the phone's accelerometer, he added.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_now-android-app-that-warns-you-when-you-are-stressed_1815493
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Nature versus nurture: Better looking birds have healthier babies, finds study of great tits
Mar. 25, 2013 ? A female great tits' (Parus major) appearance is shown to signal healthy attributes in offspring in a paper in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology. The black stripe across her breast and white patches on her cheeks correlate to a chick's weight at two weeks and immune strength respectively -- though the former seems to signal a genetic benefit and the latter can affect an 'adopted' chick's health, suggesting nurture is involved.
Taking two mothers with different patterning, and swapping their chicks, researchers from Palacky University in the Czech Republic were able to investigate the growth and health of the infants and the 'ornamentation' of their mothers. They compared the offspring's weight, size and immune strength and found a correlation between the chick's weight at two weeks and the size of black breast stripe on the genetic mother.
The immaculateness of both genetic and foster mother's white cheek patch was related to the strength of chick's immune response suggesting that this was due to both nurture and genetics. In contrast the body size of a chick was related only to the body size of its genetic mother and not to ornamentation at all.
In these socially monogamous birds both the males and females are brightly coloured, however neither the cheek patch nor the stripe in males affected the health of the babies.
Talking about how the ornaments can have evolved to signal reproductive fitness, Vladim?r Reme? and Beata Matysiokov? who performed this study explained, "Bigger healthier babies are important to the reproductive success of individuals, because they are more likely to survive to adulthood -- so it is useful for birds to be able to work out which potential mates will produce the best babies. Maintaining bright colouration uses up resources which could otherwise be invested in reproduction or self-maintenance -- consequently the evolution and maintenance of ornamentation in female great tits is probably due to direct selection by males."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Vladim?r Reme? and Beata Matysiokov?. More ornamented females produce higher-quality offspring in a socially monogamous bird: an experimental study in the great tit (Parus major). Frontiers in Zoology, 2013; (in press) [link]
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/yQoEjLTFYTk/130324201814.htm
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Sunday, March 24, 2013
Has Obama's Mideast trip changed the game on the ground?
President Obama wrapped up his four-day visit to the Middle East after helping Israel and Turkey end a three-year diplomatic dispute. That, in turn, will help the region deal with the civil war in Syria. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
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.
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.
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?"
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.?
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.
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.
Israelis were encouraged that Obama really does like them; Operation Charm worked.
But Palestinians were left fuming, and many say they were insulted.
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.
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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Bloomberg: ?We're Going To Have More Visibility And Less Privacy,' Drones And Surveillance Coming
“We’re going to have more visibility and less privacy. I don’t see how you stop that,” admitted New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, in a surprisingly candid interview about the future of the surveillance state in the Big Apple. While admitting that increased surveillance was “scary” and that governments will have to be thoughtful with their laws, he seemed to side with prioritizing radical transparency, especially through the use of automated drones, “but what?s the difference whether the drone is up in the air or on the building? I mean intellectually I have trouble making a distinction.” This puts Bloomberg squarely at odds with the growing number of states and congressmen either enacting or proposing moratoriums on the use of drones. Indeed, he went on to imply that the fears against drones were somewhat unjustified, especially since security cameras already exist, “The argument against using automation, it’s this craziness– oh, it’s Big Brother. Get used to it. When there’s a murder, a shooting, a robbery of something the first thing the police do is go to every single building in the neighborhood and say let’s see your security camera.” NY Daily news notes that the New York Civil Liberties union has identified roughly 2,4000 cameras already affixed on Manhattan buildings–a presence that is likely to increase if Bloomberg’s most recent interview is to be believed. Lest Bloomberg be labeled as a surveillience hawk, the interview took on a tone of inevitability, rather than advocacy, “Everybody wants their privacy, but I don’t know how you’re going to maintain it.” Listen to part of the interview with WOR-AM host John Gambling, below. We’ll have more analysis soon.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/uV8cZfaFdTU/
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Saturday, March 23, 2013
Latest Vacancies | Mbro Job Shop
Maths and English Learning Coaches
A unique opportunity to become an Associate of Middlesbrough College.
Do you have an aptitude for maths or English and/or would like to explore a career in Further Education?
We are looking for people who could be Learning Coaches and work with our students to improve their maths and English skills. You may be a student at the college, retired and looking for voluntary work and just looking for a new opportunity.
Many of our young people in Middlesbrough would benefit from improving their applied maths and English skills ? not only in their current course but to enable them to progress to a job and career.
We are not necessarily looking for Maths or English experts but someone who is able to work alongside students in practising and developing their maths and English skills both in a 1:1 and group setting. We are looking for people who have patience but can stretch and challenge our students, be innovative in their methods and dedicated to helping and supporting our students.
In return we would offer you:
? Up to ?50 per week for 6 hours work per week
? The opportunity to explore a career in Further Education
? Enrolment onto the Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
? A reference that would help your future career goals
Please note this is not a teaching position, this role is to supplement the work our qualified teachers do with our students.
To express an interest or for any queries please contact:
Joanna Stokes
Assistant Principal, Responsive Curriculum Teaching and Learning
Tel: 01642 333 354
Email: j.stokes@mbro.ac.uk
Source: http://mbrojobshop.co.uk/?p=356
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Newer SLAP tear surgery gives military personnel hope for return to active duty
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 23-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Lisa Weisenberger
lisa@aossm.org
847-655-8647
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
CHICAGO, IL Research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in Chicago, IL shows that biceps tenodesis surgery is safe and effective for individuals who suffer a SLAP (superior labral anterior posterior) tear of the shoulder. Patients examined had previously undergone unsuccessful arthroscopic repair for their injuries.
"Our research focused on a sample of 42 active-duty men and women who were unable to return to duty after primary arthroscopic SLAP repair," said Frank McCormick, MD, and CDR Matthew T. Provencher, MD, MC, USN, lead authors of the study, from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. "After performing the more traditional biceps tenodesis surgery, (81%) of patients returned to pre-injury level of activity and were able to return to active duty."
None of the patients in the study reported a failure after their secondary, revision surgery and all reported significant improvement in their shoulder range of motion, from a mean of 142 degrees of abduction to 165 degrees at final follow-up. The patients had initially demonstrated an inability to lift, perform push-ups and do overhead activities after their failed primary surgeries.
"While our research focused on military personnel, we believe acknowledging their return to full activity serves as a suitable comparison to a traditional, active population," noted Provencher. "This provides important information about handling a failed SLAP repair and provides an example of new treatment courses for others in the future."
Biceps tenodesis treatment involves relocating the biceps tendon to alleviate pain and dysfunction as well as prevent tears from forming in the shoulder tissue.
###
The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication and fellowship, and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders. The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. AOSSM is also a founding partner of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign to prevent overuse and traumatic injuries in kids. For more information on AOSSM or the STOP Sports Injuries campaign, visit http://www.sportsmed.org or http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 23-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Lisa Weisenberger
lisa@aossm.org
847-655-8647
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
CHICAGO, IL Research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in Chicago, IL shows that biceps tenodesis surgery is safe and effective for individuals who suffer a SLAP (superior labral anterior posterior) tear of the shoulder. Patients examined had previously undergone unsuccessful arthroscopic repair for their injuries.
"Our research focused on a sample of 42 active-duty men and women who were unable to return to duty after primary arthroscopic SLAP repair," said Frank McCormick, MD, and CDR Matthew T. Provencher, MD, MC, USN, lead authors of the study, from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. "After performing the more traditional biceps tenodesis surgery, (81%) of patients returned to pre-injury level of activity and were able to return to active duty."
None of the patients in the study reported a failure after their secondary, revision surgery and all reported significant improvement in their shoulder range of motion, from a mean of 142 degrees of abduction to 165 degrees at final follow-up. The patients had initially demonstrated an inability to lift, perform push-ups and do overhead activities after their failed primary surgeries.
"While our research focused on military personnel, we believe acknowledging their return to full activity serves as a suitable comparison to a traditional, active population," noted Provencher. "This provides important information about handling a failed SLAP repair and provides an example of new treatment courses for others in the future."
Biceps tenodesis treatment involves relocating the biceps tendon to alleviate pain and dysfunction as well as prevent tears from forming in the shoulder tissue.
###
The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication and fellowship, and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders. The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. AOSSM is also a founding partner of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign to prevent overuse and traumatic injuries in kids. For more information on AOSSM or the STOP Sports Injuries campaign, visit http://www.sportsmed.org or http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/aosf-nst031813.php
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