sennett antichrist: October 2013

Friday, October 25, 2013

Angel or demon: Can a potentially invasive plant bring a positive influence to a region?

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

25-Oct-2013

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Contact: Simon Hodge
simon.hodge@lincoln.ac.nz
Pensoft Publishers

Relationship between the bee Braunsapis puangensis and the invasive creeping daisy could be beneficial to crops and biodiversity in Fiji

Can invasive species be beneficial for the region? A recent study, published in the open access Journal of Hymenoptera Research, aimed to obtain empirical data on the activity and distribution of the bee species Braunsapis puangensis in the Suva area of Fiji and examine its association with the invasive creeping daisy Sphagneticola trilobata. The paper suggests that the invasive creeping daisy could in fact have a positive influence on a wild bee pollinator species, thus benefitting crops and biodiversity on the islands.

A recent survey by Mr Abhineshwar Prasad of The University of the South Pacific, reported over 100 species of arthropods associated with road side patches of S. trilobata, including Hymenoptera such as parasitoid wasps, honey bees and solitary bees. One species of solitary bee, Braunsapis puangensis was locally abundant on patches of S. trilobata in the Laucala Bay area of Suva. This bee species is probably of Indian origin and was most likely carried to Fiji by anthropogenic means.

"There is growing concern regarding the global decline of honey bee populations and the implications of this demise for the pollination of crops. In the future we may rely on other insect species to perform crop pollination services, including naturally-occurring native or introduced species of bees," comments one of the authors of the paper, Dr Simon Hodge from Lincoln University in New Zealand. "Pollination success of generalist plants tends to be positively related to pollinator diversity, so any habitat modifications that increase the number of pollinating species present at a site would tend to be of some inherent value."

The situations described above give the impression that the presence of some exotic flowering plants may be of benefit by encouraging higher numbers of pollinating species to occur at a site. Outside of agro-ecological systems, many studies have indicated that even flowering plants considered as invasive may have positive effects on insects, especially on nectar and pollen feeding species.

"Our study suggests it is important to realize that although S. trilobata is considered an invasive 'nuisance weed' in one context, it may be of value to crop growers, and commercial honey producers, by attracting and augmenting local populations of pollinating insects", explains Dr Hodge.

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Summary:

Prasad AV, Hodge S (2013) Factors influencing the foraging activity of the allodapine bee Braunsapis puangensis on creeping daisy (Sphagneticola trilobata) in Fiji. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 35: 56. doi: 10.3897/JHR.35.6006

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Angel or demon: Can a potentially invasive plant bring a positive influence to a region?

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

25-Oct-2013

[

| E-mail

]

Contact: Simon Hodge
simon.hodge@lincoln.ac.nz
Pensoft Publishers

Relationship between the bee Braunsapis puangensis and the invasive creeping daisy could be beneficial to crops and biodiversity in Fiji

###

Summary:

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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/2013-10/pp-aod102513.php
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Police seek car seen going on Philly museum steps

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police on Friday were looking for the driver of a convertible seen driving down the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps made famous in the movie "Rocky."

Several people posted online videos showing the car slowly making its way down the long, wide outdoor staircase in fits and starts at about midnight Thursday. The car then speeds off.

A photographer who calls himself HughE Dillon and who runs the local entertainment website PhillyChitChat.com posted one of the videos. Dillon said he lives nearby and happened upon the stunt.

Officer Christine O'Brien, a police spokeswoman, said the case was "being investigated for damage to property ... and for all other aspects."

She said no officer witnessed the episode, but added that the recording appears to be legitimate and investigators were "watching the video on YouTube that everyone has seen."

Police earlier told reporters they also planned to review surveillance video to try to find the car and its driver, who could face citations for reckless driving and driving on the sidewalk, among others.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-seek-car-seen-going-philly-museum-steps-164401014.html
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Democrats want 'Obamacare' deadlines moved back

WASHINGTON (AP) — After uniting against Republican efforts earlier this month to delay President Barack Obama's health care law, a growing number Democrats in Congress now want to extend the enrollment deadline, and one senator wants to delay the penalty for not complying.

Six Senate Democrats up for re-election next year have proposed delaying the new March 31 deadline for applying for coverage while the program's problems are ironed out. A seventh, West Virginia's Joe Manchin, is co-authoring a bill to postpone the $95 penalty for people who fail to meet the deadline for acquiring insurance.

While their proposals are short on details, all argue that it's not fair to hold millions of Americans accountable for buying insurance when the primary instrument for enrollment — the HealthCare.gov website — has prevented many people from doing it.

Even the law's biggest boosters are aggravated that enrollment process for the national health care law they had hoped to tout on the 2014 campaign trail has gotten off to such a bad start.

"If we want this law to work, we've got to make it right, we've got to fix it," Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., one of the law's leading authors, said at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Thursday on the sign-up problems.

Contractors for the health insurance website told the committee the government failed to thoroughly test the complex enrollment system before its Oct. 1 launch. The system crashed as soon as consumers tried to use it. A web of confusing deadlines and penalties for not obtaining health insurance persists.

As Democrats began to fret about the political consequences ahead of the 2014 midterm elections, the administration late Wednesday said it was granting what amounts to a six-week filing extension. The March 31 deadline for having insurance became the new deadline for applying for it.

But that's not enough for a growing number of Senate Democrats.

Manchin is teaming with Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., on a bill that would waive for one year the $95 penalty for not enrolling in the program.

"It should be a transition year. For one year, there should be no fines," Manchin said Wednesday on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor."

The six Senate Democrats seeking re-election next year urged the Obama administration to postpone the March 31 deadline.

"As you continue to fix problems with the website and the enrollment process, it is critical that the administration be open to modifications that provide greater flexibility for the American people seeking to access health insurance," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., wrote to Obama on Tuesday. Extending the open enrollment period and clarifying other parts of the law, she added, "would be a great start."

Also supporting Shaheen's effort are Democratic Sens. Tom Udall of New Mexico, Mark Begich of Alaska, Mark Udall of Colorado, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Kay Hagan of North Carolina, aides to the lawmakers said.

"I am asking the administration to extend the open enrollment period by two months, and waive the penalty for the individual mandate for the same period of time, to make up for time that is being lost while the website for the federal exchange is not functioning," Hagan said Thursday.

All of the Senate Democrats earlier this month joined in rejecting legislation passed by the House to delay for a year the law's requirement that people buy health insurance as well as the tax subsidies for helping them do it, as a condition for ending the partial government shutdown.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-24-US-Health-Overhaul-Democrats/id-8b3143cc38d24529badadd2c23c5ac0b
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AP sources: foreign help to US could be exposed

FILE - In this June 9, 2013, file photo provided by The Guardian Newspaper in London shows Edward Snowden, who worked as a contract employee at the National Security Agency, in Hong Kong. Two Western diplomats say U.S. officials have briefed them on documents obtained by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden that might expose the intelligence operations of their respective countries. (AP Photo/The Guardian, Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Western diplomats say U.S. officials have briefed them on documents obtained by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden that might expose the intelligence operations of their respective countries and their level of cooperation with the U.S.

Word of the briefings by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence comes amid questions swirling around overseas surveillance by the National Security Agency, which has angered allies on two continents and caused concern domestically over the scope of the intelligence-gathering.

The two Western diplomats said officials from ODNI have continued to brief them regularly on what documents the director of national intelligence believes Snowden obtained.

The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the intelligence briefings publicly.

The Washington Post, which first reported on the matter Thursday evening, said some of the documents Snowden took contain sensitive material about collection programs against adversaries such as Iran, Russia and China. Some refer to operations that in some cases involve countries not publicly allied with the United States.

The Post said the process of informing officials about the risk of disclosure is delicate because in some cases, one part of the cooperating government may know about the collaboration, but others may not.

National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the U.S. takes the concerns of the international community seriously "and has been regularly consulting with affected partners." She declined to comment on diplomatic discussions.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-10-25-US-NSA-Foreign-Countries/id-4cea27c9d4264ce1aa8ce5520e2ef8c8
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Debugging the Healthcare.gov Hearings

a hearing on implementation of the Affordable Care Act before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. — From left to right, CGI Federal's Cheryl Campbell, Optum/QSSI's Andrew Slavitt, Equifax Workforce Solutions' Lynn Spellecy, and Serco's John Lau are sworn in during a hearing on implementation of the Affordable Care Act before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Oct. 24, 2013.

At Thursday’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on healthcare.gov, Cheryl Campbell of CGI Federal and Andrew Slavitt of Optum/QSSI provided few useful details about the site’s architecture or problems. Nor would they take much responsibility for the failure of the system. But there was one line of questioning they had no trouble answering. When Bill Cassidy, R-La., asked how much they’d been paid in their contracts, Campbell immediately gave a detailed rundown: CGI Federal, lead contractor on healthcare.gov, has received $112 million for this year, $196 million for this phase of the contract, and a Total Contract Value (TCV) of $293 million. Slavitt of QSSI, which built healthcare.gov’s data services hub, likewise gave his answer—$85 million—without hesitation.

Campbell and Slavitt, a senior vice president and an executive vice president, respectively, are not techies; they are not project managers. Their expertise is in extracting as much money as possible from the government in procurement contracts, and judging by the numbers, they are very good at it.

But if you place these kinds of managers on the critical communication chain of a software project, you immediately endanger its success. Project quality is sacrificed for the sake of appearances—meeting the letter of the contract with indifference toward the actual practical outcome. Even if you put “the best and the brightest” (to borrow the administration’s own phrase) on a project, the mere presence of such managers can make it impossible to do good work, because the lines of communication will be broken.

In terms of tech jobs I’d never want to have, I’d estimate that programming for a CGI-like contractor would be better than being a World of Warcraft gold farmer in China, but worse than working for Pax Dickinson. Campbell and Slavitt made many gaffes that would ensure that any programmer with common sense would never work under them. Let me debug their testimony a bit.

When asked about QSSI’s testimony at a Sept. 10 hearing that everything was fine and dandy, Slavitt replied, “We mentioned the data services hub would be ready. It indeed was ready.” Alas, minutes earlier, Slavitt had said, “We absolutely take accountability for those first days when our tool was part of the issue in terms of the volume. Today the data services hub and the EIDM tool”—the registration and access management tool—“are performing well.” In other words, it was “ready,” but it wasn’t ready—because Slavitt is defining “readiness” not in terms of the product actually working, but in terms of meeting contract demands. They handed something off and ticked all the boxes, so what’s the problem? This attitude goes some ways toward explaining the last few weeks.

There was a lot of talk Thursday about end-to-end testing. Slavitt and Campbell both claimed they weren’t responsible for it. As Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, pointed out, the Pre-Operational Readiness Review in their contracts “required end-to-end testing results.” Campbell declared, “We have not been the systems integrator and we have never been the systems integrator.” Campbell saying it doesn’t make it so—CGI clearly was in charge of integration.

Campbell’s stonewalling on this point became embarrassing. When CGI Federal said it owned the front-end, Campbell explained, it meant that the company owned the front of a building but not the front door—which, by the way, was broken, which was all QSSI’s fault. Slavitt unhelpfully added, “I think the front door is a bit of a term of art. We supply a tool.”

Let me explain how end-to-end testing works in integrating large systems owned by multiple vendors. Each vendor works out detailed specifications for how the systems should interact. These are made as clear as possible so that when something goes wrong—and it always does—you can point to the spec and say, “You weren’t supposed to do that and that’s why our component appeared to misbehave.” In order to meet the specs, each vendor simulates end-to-end testing by building a prototype of the larger system.

In the case of healthcare.gov, QSSI should have had test scaffolding that could simulate the functionality of what CGI Federal was building, and vice versa. Each vendor needed to know the broad definition of what the other was building, and it was their responsibility to make sure they knew it. Campbell and Slavitt’s refusal to acknowledge this basic fact is both frightening and mortifying, and accounts for their inability to give any clear answers as to exactly which portions of the system are failing. They don’t seem to understand the difference between acceptable and unacceptable bugs, and worse, they don’t seem to know that there is a difference.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2013/10/healthcare_gov_problems_house_committee_hearing_is_a_spectacle_of_tech_illiteracy.html
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Town mourns after teen charged in teacher's death

Candles and teddy bears are placed at Danvers High School prior to a candlelight vigil to mourn the death of Colleen Ritzer, a 24-year-old math teacher at Danvers High School on Wednesday, Oct 23, 2013, in Danvers, Mass. Ritzer was found slain in woods behind the high school, and Danvers High School student Philip Chism, 14, who was found walking along a state highway overnight was charged with killing her. (AP Photo/ Bizuayehu Tesfaye)

DANVERS, Mass. (AP) — Grief counselors are meeting with students at the Massachusetts high school where authorities say a popular teacher was killed by a 14-year-old student in one of her math classes.

Classes won't resume until Friday at Danvers High School, where 24-year-old Colleen Ritzer was described as a caring teacher who would stand outside her classroom and say hello to even students she didn't teach.

Grief counselors will be available for several hours Thursday. Authorities have charged student Philip Chism with the crime that has shaken this middle-class community 20 miles north of Boston. Ritzer's body was found behind the school Wednesday.

Officials haven't released a cause of death or discussed a motive in the killing.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/town-mourns-teen-charged-teachers-death-114910061.html
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Amazon Q3 2013 earnings are out - $17.09 billion in sales, operating loss of $25 million

Jeff Bezos

Still seeing net losses despite huge sales numbers; no Kindle Fire sales figures given

Amazon has just posted its Q3 2013 earnings report, and the line seems to follow much the same trend as previous quarters. While the retail and online service giant posted a massive $17.09 billion in sales, up 24 percent year-over-year, it still posted an operating loss of $25 million (net loss of $41 million) for the quarter. That loss is improved from an operating loss of $28 million in the same quarter last year, and Amazon claims $7 million of that loss was due to negative foreign exchange impact, but losses are still never good to see.

As is the case every quarter, Amazon chose not to break out any sales figures of its Kindle Fire tablets, although it did take a moment to remind everyone that it has launched three new models and is offering a great experience with the Mayday button: "average Mayday response times are just 11 seconds!” said CEO Jeff Bezos.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/DHN4wpDF6SE/story01.htm
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Ex-NSA chief allegedly spills 'secrets' on train

In this Sunday, June 30, 2013, photo provided by CBS News former CIA and and National Security Agency director Michael Hayden speaks on CBS's "Face the Nation" in Washington. Hayden called for more transparency on secret US surveillance program to reassure Americans that their privacy rights are being protected. He said people would be more comfortable with the programs if they knew more about how and why they are carried out. Hayden defended the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, that approves government requests together records. (AP Photo/CBS News, Chris Usher)

Oh, the things you hear on Amtrak's Acela service! Screaming kids, complaints about Wi-Fi and — oh yeah — a former director of the National Security Agency and the CIA seemingly spilling secrets to reporters.

We learn this from the Twitter feed of Tom Matzzie, former Washington director of MoveOn.org Political Action, who sat near retired Gen. Michael Hayden. Matzzie's tweets suggest that Hayden took calls from reporters digging into the ongoing NSA spy scandal and asking about President Barack Obama's BlackBerry and CIA secret prisons overseas.

Hayden apparently insisted on being quoted anonymously.

"FAIL," as they say.

Here is Matzzie's story, as tweeted from Amtrak Acela 2170, which left Washington at 3 p.m.:

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-nsa-chief-caught-spilling-secrets-on-amtrak-212959722.html
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Thursday, October 24, 2013

The art of the handshake: Wrestling’s most important unwritten rule

Respect is an important value in the wrestling business. Though Superstars brutalize each other inside the squared circle, the locker room is a sacred place. Most of the time, no blows are traded, only respect. It begins from the second a wrestler enters the arena, starting a time-honored tradition.

“Guests at a WWE event might notice that everybody shakes hands gratuitously,” Cody Rhodes told WWE.com.

“It seems a little strange when people from outside [the industry] see it,” WWE commentator JBL said.

The handshake’s place in wrestling isn’t something that just became commonplace in WWE. JBL explained how the grip began as a secret shake during the sport’s early carnival days, done to weed out anyone who didn’t belong.

“It looked like you were gripping them real hard, but it was very loose, which showed that you were one of the boys,” the former WWE Champion said.

Over time, though, wrestlers began a game of one-upmanship, seeing who could give the loosest handshake.

“Some people take it to extremes, [using only] two fingers,” Antonio Cesaro said. “It’s weird.”

“It became a very limp-fish handshake,” JBL said, “which is not how it was actually intended.”

How it devolved from a secret variation on the regular shake to a two-fingered tap isn’t quite clear, though Cesaro has his own ideas about how that happened.

“Back in the day, you didn’t know if a guy was good or not,” he said. “I have this theory that they set out a rumor that the really good wrestlers shook hands lightly. That’s how they would recognize all the crappy wrestlers, by their dead fish handshake.”

Rhodes, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, grew up in the business. He told WWE.com that his father taught him the right way to shake hands in all situations.

“A firm handshake,” he explained. “Not a double-tendon, break-your-hand handshake. Firm and look them in the eye, even if that’s the only contact you have. It brings an element of respect to the table.”

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/classics/art-of-the-handshake
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Why plants usually live longer then animals

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

24-Oct-2013

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Contact: Wim Grunewald
info@vib.be
32-924-46611
VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)

Ghent, 24 October Stem cells are crucial for the continuous generation of new cells. Although the importance of stem cells in fuelling plant growth and development still many questions on their tight molecular control remain unanswered. Plant researchers at VIB and Ghent University discovered a new step in the complex regulation of stem cells. Today, their results are published online in this week's issue of Science Express.

Lieven De Veylder: "Our data suggest that certain organizing stem cells in plant roots are less sensitive for DNA-damage. Those cells hold an original and intact DNA copy which can be used to replace damaged cells if necessary. Animals rely on a similar mechanism but most likely plants have employed this in a more optimized manner. This could explain why many plants can live for more than hundreds of years, while this is quite exceptional for animals."

Quiescent organisers of plant growth
Plant growth and development depend on the continuous generation of new cells. A small group of specialized cells present in the growth axes of a plant is driving this. These so-called stem cells divide at a high frequency and have the unique characteristic that the original mother cell keeps the stem cell activity while the daughter cell acquires a certain specialization. Besides these stem cells, plant roots also harbor organizing cells. These organizing cells divide with a three- to ten-fold lower frequency, therefore often referred to as quiescent center cells. The organizing cells control the action of the surrounding stem cells and can replace them if necessary.

A new molecular network
For almost 20 years, scientists all over the world have been studying the action of the stem cells and that of their controlling organizing cells. Until now it was not known how quiescent and actively dividing cells could co-exist so closely and which mechanisms are at the basis of the quiescent character. Plant researchers at VIB and Ghent University have now identified a new molecular network that increases our understanding of stem cell regulation and activity. Central in this process is the discovery of a new protein, the ERF115 transcription factor. The scientists demonstrated that the organizing cells barely divide because of the inhibition of ERF115 activity. When the organizing cells need to divide to replace damaged surrounding stem cells, ERF115 gets activated. ERF115 then stimulates the production of the plant hormone phytosulfokine which in turn activates the division of the organizing cells. Thus, the ERF115-phytosulfokine network acts as a back-up system during stress conditions which are detrimental for the activity of stem cells.

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Why plants usually live longer then animals

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

24-Oct-2013

[

| E-mail

]

Share
Contact: Wim Grunewald
info@vib.be
32-924-46611
VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)

Ghent, 24 October Stem cells are crucial for the continuous generation of new cells. Although the importance of stem cells in fuelling plant growth and development still many questions on their tight molecular control remain unanswered. Plant researchers at VIB and Ghent University discovered a new step in the complex regulation of stem cells. Today, their results are published online in this week's issue of Science Express.

Lieven De Veylder: "Our data suggest that certain organizing stem cells in plant roots are less sensitive for DNA-damage. Those cells hold an original and intact DNA copy which can be used to replace damaged cells if necessary. Animals rely on a similar mechanism but most likely plants have employed this in a more optimized manner. This could explain why many plants can live for more than hundreds of years, while this is quite exceptional for animals."

Quiescent organisers of plant growth
Plant growth and development depend on the continuous generation of new cells. A small group of specialized cells present in the growth axes of a plant is driving this. These so-called stem cells divide at a high frequency and have the unique characteristic that the original mother cell keeps the stem cell activity while the daughter cell acquires a certain specialization. Besides these stem cells, plant roots also harbor organizing cells. These organizing cells divide with a three- to ten-fold lower frequency, therefore often referred to as quiescent center cells. The organizing cells control the action of the surrounding stem cells and can replace them if necessary.

A new molecular network
For almost 20 years, scientists all over the world have been studying the action of the stem cells and that of their controlling organizing cells. Until now it was not known how quiescent and actively dividing cells could co-exist so closely and which mechanisms are at the basis of the quiescent character. Plant researchers at VIB and Ghent University have now identified a new molecular network that increases our understanding of stem cell regulation and activity. Central in this process is the discovery of a new protein, the ERF115 transcription factor. The scientists demonstrated that the organizing cells barely divide because of the inhibition of ERF115 activity. When the organizing cells need to divide to replace damaged surrounding stem cells, ERF115 gets activated. ERF115 then stimulates the production of the plant hormone phytosulfokine which in turn activates the division of the organizing cells. Thus, the ERF115-phytosulfokine network acts as a back-up system during stress conditions which are detrimental for the activity of stem cells.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/vfi-wpu102413.php
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Kate Middleton Shows Off Svelte Shape in Sexy Gown at Gala, Says George Was "Good Boy" at Christening

Continuing to look the part of the perfect princess, or duchess rather, Kate Middleton stepped out on Oct. 24 in a stunning navy blue Jenny Packham gown for the 100 Women in Hedge Funds Benefit Gala (a leading non-profit organization for professionals in the alternative investments industry) -- only her second formal event since giving birth to her son in July.

PHOTOS: Kate Middleton's stunning post-baby style

The 31-year-old Duchess of Cambridge attended the event one day after baby Prince George's highly-publicized christening. Middleton continues to impress with her trim post-baby figure and stellar fashion sense.

The Brit wore her chestnut hair down with large curls, and her skin looked healthy and glowing. Middleton wore minimal jewelry, opting just for a simple bracelet and her wedding ring.

Miss Amanda Pullinger, director of 100WHF (left) and Mrs Mimi Drake Chairman 100WHF (right) meet he Duchess of Cambridge (centre) at a gala dinner in aid of Action on Addiction hosted by the 100 Women in Hedge Funds Philanthropic Initiatives.
Credit: Ian West/PA Wire

PHOTOS: Prince George's baby album

When asked about her son's christening at the gala, Middleton replied, "He was such a good boy actually, we’re very lucky,he’s not always like that, but… the people there, lots of action going on, it’s slightly distracting."

With hubby Prince William by her side, Middleton wore a sequin Jenny Packham gown to her first post-baby red carpet appearance at the Tusk Conservation Awards at the Royal Society in London on Sept. 12.

PHOTOS: The royal family tree

Thursday's Packham gown is dark navy blue with short sleeves and a V-neck cut. Britain's Mirror reports that the dress retails at £3,580 (about $5800).

For Prince George's christening, Middleton wore a cream-colored Alexander McQueen dress with a matching cream fascinator.

The royal family's official christening portraits have been released.

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/kate-middleton-svelte-shape-in-sexy-glamorous-gown-at-london-gala-george-quotes-pictures-20132410
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Delegates To Debate Watered-Down Plan For Antarctic Marine Preserve

A lone emperor penguin makes his rounds, at the edge of an iceberg drift in the Antarctic's Ross Sea in 2006.

John Weller/AP

Less than 1 percent of the world's oceans are set aside as protected areas, but diplomats meeting now in Australia could substantially increase that figure.

Delegates from 24 nations and the European Union have convened to consider proposals to create vast new marine protected areas around Antarctica.

This same group met over the summer and didn't reach consensus, so it's now considering a scaled-back proposal.

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources exists principally to regulate fishing around Antarctica. But some members — including the United States — have been pushing the organization to create vast new marine protected areas. One proposed region would shield swaths of the Ross Sea. A second would apply to the waters off East Antarctica. The potential protected areas are getting a push from conservationists like Bob Zuur at WWF-New Zealand.

"Last year I sailed through the Ross Sea," Zuur said at a news conference Wednesday in Hobart, Australia. "I saw dozens of whales, hundreds of seals and albatrosses and thousands of penguins. And that was just the wildlife on top of the water. The wildlife on the seafloor rivals that of the tropics. This area is really the Serengeti of the southern seas."

That advocacy is backed by the scientists who report to CCAMLR (participants call it "camalar"). Marine biologist and fisheries scientist Christopher Jones is chairman of the group's scientific committee. And at the news conference in Australia Wednesday he said members of that committee agree that human activity in the area should be limited, to ensure the long-term health of the ecosystem.

"Whether or not the science is adequate is not the issue here," Jones said. The real issue, he suggested, "is the political will."

CCAMLR already met in July but failed to reach the required consensus to set aside these areas. In particular, conservationists say, Russia and Ukraine balked at creating huge zones where fishing would be off limits forever. Toothfish, sold in the U.S. as Chilean sea bass, is harvested in some of these areas. The marine preserve would still leave some fishing grounds open but would close others, including sensitive spawning grounds of toothfish and other species.

After the July meeting, the United States and New Zealand scaled back the size of the regions of Ross Sea they proposed to protect by 40 percent. That would still make it the largest marine preserve in the world.

"I think all of us were disappointed that the Ross Sea proposal was reduced in size," said Andrea Kavanagh at the Hobart news conference. "We are hopeful this is the last time it will be watered down, and if it's passed as it is, we'd all be quite supportive of it."

Negotiators now plan to spend more than a week seeing whether they can come to a consensus. If they can, that could also open the door to discussions about creating additional marine protected areas around Antarctica. CCAMLR's scientific committee has identified nine areas in seas around the continent as candidates for preservation.

These waters have had less human disturbance than any other oceans on Earth.

"To get a consensus on having this network in place is going to be quite a long process," says Jones, the committee's chairman. "We've already made a lot of progress, though."

One small preserve off the South Orkney Islands is already on the books. And creating one or two vast preserves at this meeting could be a huge step forward.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NprProgramsATC/~3/3SSC1T2lZHA/delegates-to-debate-watered-down-plan-for-antarctic-marine-reserve
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Germany Cries Foul Over Merkel Phone Tapping

Today in international tech news: German Chancellor Angela Merkel dials up President Obama after reports that the U.S. was monitoring her phone. Also: Samsung makes like Apple and apologizes to its Chinese consumers; Beijing ups its investment in paid online propagandists; Apple's former CEO is reportedly considering a BlackBerry bid; and Canon is still slumping.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called President Obama to protest after she received information that U.S. intelligence was perhaps spying on her mobile phone.

Obama assured Merkel that the U.S. "is not monitoring and will not monitor" her communications, but the White House reportedly stopped short of denying that it had done so in the past.

Earlier this week, France was making noise about reports that the U.S. spied on French communications, so it might not be long before all of Western Europe is irked with the States.

Merkel and Co. were tipped off about the spying by Der Spiegel, Germany's top magazine and news website, which told the government that it had unearthed info about potential surveillance. Der Spiegel was going off of documents from Edward Snowden.

[Sources: The Age; USA Today]

Samsung Apologizes to Chinese Consumers

Samsung apologized to Chinese consumers after a 30-minute television spot on Chinese state-run media accused the company of peddling shoddy phones and bunk repair policies.

Samsung announced that it would offer free repairs for all seven of the models mentioned in the report. About 14 percent of Samsung revenue comes from China, so it is important for the South Korean tech giant to appease its western neighbor.

Samsung added that it welcomed media scrutiny.

This sequence hearkens -- to an eerie degree -- to Apple's saga earlier this year. Like Samsung, Apple was lambasted by Chinese media, which accused the company of having bad products and even worse customer service. Apparently deciding there was no good reason to take on Beijing (or its puppet media), Apple issued an apology to Chinese consumers.

[Source: BBC]

China Ups Investment in Pro-Party Online Voices

China is fortifying its so-called "50 Cent Party," a cohort of hired commenters who post rosy-colored nuggets -- or red-colored, as it were -- about China and the powers that be.

Named after the average pay per comment, the 50 Cent Party is getting a makeover, becoming "more professional" as the government adds more "Internet opinion analyst" jobs to the budget. Some Chinese netizens have expressed anger that their tax yuan are funding this sort of 21st century propaganda, but chances are their dissent is being met with resistance.

China reportedly has about 2 million people collecting, managing and analyzing online public opinion.

[Source: Global Voices via Slate]

Former Apple CEO John Sculley Eyeing BlackBerry

Rumor has it that John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple, is exploring a bid for BlackBerry.

Sculley is not commenting on the story, but he told Canadian press that he has been "a longtime BlackBerry fan and user," if that means anything.

A handful of suitors are reportedly scoping BlackBerry. Fairfax Financial Holdings extended a $9-per-share offer, while BlackBerry's co-founders have also been linked to a purchase.

[Source: The Globe and Mail via The Next Web]

Canon Still Slumping

For the second straight quarter, Japanese camera and optical products manufacturer Canon cut its operating profit outlook.

Canon lowered its full-year operating profit forecast to about US$3.7 billion, slightly lower than previously projected.

The company also said it expects to sell 8 million interchangeable-lens cameras in the year ending in December. That is down from last quarter's estimate of 9 million and less than last year's total of 8.2 million.

[Source: Reuters]

David Vranicar is a freelance journalist and author of The Lost Graduation: Stepping off campus and into a crisis. You can check out his ECT News archive here, and you can email him at david[dot]vranicar[at]newsroom[dot]ectnews[dot]com.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/79270.html
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Paul McCartney Ends Longtime Feud With Yoko Ono, Calls Her a "Badass"

1969 was the year the music died, or, at least, the year The Beatles ended. The iconic British boy group disbanded in the late '60s, and many blamed John Lennon's wife Yoko Ono's influence. Beatles frontman Paul McCartney has publicly had a tense relationship with Ono, 80, but in the November cover story for Rolling Stone, McCartney, 71, ended the feud once and for all.

PHOTOS: Famous celebrity feuds

Calling his former bandmate's wife a certified "badass," McCartney talked about his struggle with his feelings toward Ono.

"I thought, 'If John loved her, there's got to be something. He's not stupid,'" McCartney told Rolling Stone. "It's like, what are you going to do? Are you going to hold a grudge you never really had?"

PHOTOS: Hollywood's most expensive divorces

Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono
Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

And the "That Was Me" singer admits that another Beatle influenced his decision to forgive and forget when it came to Ono.

"George [Harrison] would say to me, 'You don't want stuff like that hanging around in your life,'" McCartney revealed of his late bandmate.

And though he's been able to put his bitter feelings toward Ono behind him, McCartney admits there's one person he'll never forgive -- Lennon's murderer, Mark David Chapman, who fatally shot the singer outside his New York apartment in 1980.

PHOTOS: Supermodel moms

"I think I could pretty much forgive anyone else," he continued. "But I don't see why I'd want to forgive him. This is a guy who did something so crazy and terminal. Why should I bless him with forgiveness?"

The legendary singer has just released his 24th post-Beatles album, New.

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/paul-mccartney-ends-longtime-feud-with-yoko-ono-calls-her-a-badass-20132410
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UCSB anthropologist examines the motivating factors behind hazing

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Oct-2013

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Contact: Andrea Estrada
andrea.estrada@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-4620
University of California - Santa Barbara

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) It happens in military units, street gangs and even among athletes on sports teams. In some cultures, the rituals mark the transition from adolescence to adulthood. And in fraternities and sororities, it's practically a given.

With a long history of seemingly universal acceptance, the practice of hazing is an enduring anthropological puzzle. Why have so many cultures incorporated it into their group behavior? Aldo Cimino, a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara, seeks to answer that question. His work is highlighted in the online edition of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

"Hazing exists in radically different cultures around the world, and the ethnographic record is replete with examples of initiation rites that include hazing," said Cimino. "It is a practice that cultures continually rediscover and invest themselves in. The primary goal of my research is to understand why."

One hypothesis Cimino is exploring involves evolved psychology. "The human mind may be designed to respond to new group members in a variety of ways, and one of those ways may be something other than a hug," he said. "I'm not claiming that hazing is inevitable in human life, that everyone will haze, or that nothing will reduce hazing. But I am suggesting that the persistence of hazing across different social, demographic and ecological environments suggests that our shared, evolved psychology may be playing a role."

Hazing and bullying have a lot in common individuals who possess some kind of power abuse those who don't but what makes hazing strange, according to Cimino, is that it's directed at future allies. "It's very rare for bullies to say, 'I'm going to bully you for three months, but after that we're going to be bros,' but that's the sort of thing that happens with hazing."

Cimino suggested that in some human ancestral environments, aspects of hazing might have served to protect veteran members from threats posed by newcomers. "It's almost as though the period of time around group entry was deeply problematic," he said. "This may have been a time during which coalitions were exploited by newcomers. Our intuitions about how to treat newcomers may reflect this regularity of the past. Abusing newcomers hazing may have served to temporarily alter their behavior, as well as select out uncommitted newcomers when membership was non-obligatory."

Cimino performed a study on a representative sample of the United States, in which participants imagined themselves as members of hypothetical organizations. Organizations that participants believed had numerous benefits for newcomers (e.g., status, protection) were also those that inspired more hazing. "In my research I've found that group benefits that could quickly accrue for newcomers automatic benefits predict people's desire to haze," he said.

"This isn't the only variable that matters there's some effect of age and sex, for example but the effect of automatic benefits suggests that potential vectors of group exploitation alter people's treatment of newcomers in predictable ways," Cimino continued.

He cautioned that scientists are a long way from understanding hazing completely. "Hazing is a complex phenomenon that has more than one cause, so it would be a mistake to believe that I have solved the puzzle. However, every study brings us a little closer to understanding a phenomenon that seems increasingly visible and important," he said.

###

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UCSB anthropologist examines the motivating factors behind hazing

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Oct-2013

[

| E-mail

]

Share
Contact: Andrea Estrada
andrea.estrada@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-4620
University of California - Santa Barbara

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) It happens in military units, street gangs and even among athletes on sports teams. In some cultures, the rituals mark the transition from adolescence to adulthood. And in fraternities and sororities, it's practically a given.

With a long history of seemingly universal acceptance, the practice of hazing is an enduring anthropological puzzle. Why have so many cultures incorporated it into their group behavior? Aldo Cimino, a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara, seeks to answer that question. His work is highlighted in the online edition of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

"Hazing exists in radically different cultures around the world, and the ethnographic record is replete with examples of initiation rites that include hazing," said Cimino. "It is a practice that cultures continually rediscover and invest themselves in. The primary goal of my research is to understand why."

One hypothesis Cimino is exploring involves evolved psychology. "The human mind may be designed to respond to new group members in a variety of ways, and one of those ways may be something other than a hug," he said. "I'm not claiming that hazing is inevitable in human life, that everyone will haze, or that nothing will reduce hazing. But I am suggesting that the persistence of hazing across different social, demographic and ecological environments suggests that our shared, evolved psychology may be playing a role."

Hazing and bullying have a lot in common individuals who possess some kind of power abuse those who don't but what makes hazing strange, according to Cimino, is that it's directed at future allies. "It's very rare for bullies to say, 'I'm going to bully you for three months, but after that we're going to be bros,' but that's the sort of thing that happens with hazing."

Cimino suggested that in some human ancestral environments, aspects of hazing might have served to protect veteran members from threats posed by newcomers. "It's almost as though the period of time around group entry was deeply problematic," he said. "This may have been a time during which coalitions were exploited by newcomers. Our intuitions about how to treat newcomers may reflect this regularity of the past. Abusing newcomers hazing may have served to temporarily alter their behavior, as well as select out uncommitted newcomers when membership was non-obligatory."

Cimino performed a study on a representative sample of the United States, in which participants imagined themselves as members of hypothetical organizations. Organizations that participants believed had numerous benefits for newcomers (e.g., status, protection) were also those that inspired more hazing. "In my research I've found that group benefits that could quickly accrue for newcomers automatic benefits predict people's desire to haze," he said.

"This isn't the only variable that matters there's some effect of age and sex, for example but the effect of automatic benefits suggests that potential vectors of group exploitation alter people's treatment of newcomers in predictable ways," Cimino continued.

He cautioned that scientists are a long way from understanding hazing completely. "Hazing is a complex phenomenon that has more than one cause, so it would be a mistake to believe that I have solved the puzzle. However, every study brings us a little closer to understanding a phenomenon that seems increasingly visible and important," he said.

###

[

| 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/2013-10/uoc--ua102313.php
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Union: BART contract similar to previous deal

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Trains in the San Francisco Bay Area were running again Tuesday after a tentative deal capped six months of contentious labor negotiations and two strikes that disrupted hundreds of thousands of daily commutes.

Limited Bay Area Rapid Transit train service began again around 6 a.m., two hours later than BART had said it would and not in time to prevent many commuters from turning to alternative transportation.

BART officials hoped trains would be running at full service in time for the afternoon commute. BART is the nation's fifth-largest rail system, with an average weekday ridership of 400,000.

Morning traffic at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza was snarled, and BART stations were emptier than normal, with a few people dotting platforms as news spread that the strike had ended.

Meshe Harris, 22, of Hayward had been watching the labor dispute closely, hoping it would end quickly. She had no car and somewhere important to be early Tuesday.

"I was really excited because I have to go to Daly City for an interview," Harris said while waiting for a train at the Montgomery Street station in San Francisco. "So I was hoping, thank God, that it was going to be running soon."

The settlement was reached just two days after two track workers were killed in a BART train accident in Walnut Creek. Federal investigators said the train was run by a BART employee who was being trained.

Union officials said they had warned that training managers to operate trains during a walkout could be dangerous.

Amalgamated Transit Union international president Larry Hanley said he wants a criminal investigation into the deaths.

"I'm not saying they intended to kill," Hanley said of the train's operators. "But what I am saying is there was a callous and reckless disregard for the safety of people."

BART officials said employees were trickling into work as they heard about the settlement that ended the four-day strike.

The tentative deal was announced by BART and union officials on Monday night. It still requires approval from union members and from BART's board of directors.

It contains the same economic package as a deal that nearly came together before workers went on strike last week, said Hanley, whose union represents BART train drivers and station agents.

BART and its workers had been closing in on an agreement on the typically contentious issues of wages and benefits before the deal fell apart Friday over workplace rules.

BART demanded changes to the way schedules are made and when overtime is paid. The agency also wanted to move from paper to electronic record keeping.

BART backed off on Monday from most of those issues and settled on minor changes that would allow the introduction of new technology, according to Hanley. He wouldn't be more specific, but one change BART was pushing for was having paystubs distributed electronically instead of by hand.

A vote by the rank-and-file on the tentative deal could come on Oct. 28 at the earliest, Hanley said.

BART general manager Grace Crunican said on Monday night there would be no immediate announcements on the details, as union leaders explained the agreement to their members.

However, she said it marked a compromise.

"This deal is more than we wanted to pay," she said.

The talks between BART and its two largest unions dragged on for six months — a period that saw two chaotic dayslong strikes, including one in July, contentious negotiations and frazzled commuters wondering if they would wake up to find the trains running or not.

___

Thanawala and Associated Press reporter Jason Dearen reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Haven Daley and Terence Chea in Walnut Creek, Calif., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/union-bart-contract-similar-previous-deal-173449788--finance.html
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House Speaker Boehner says may bring up immigration reform this year (reuters)

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