Sunday, June 23, 2013

Supreme Court Gene Patents Ruling Opens Genetic Test Options

reverse transcriptase is a naturally occouring enzyme, and viruses make cDNA all the time, and your cells remove introns all the time, so there is absofuckinglutely nothing patentable about cDNA

But the cDNAs that people would like to patent is not simply endogenously present - it has to be created using an entirely artificial process. And reverse transcriptase isn't a naturally occurring enzyme in humans, or at least not the kind that's used to make cDNA*. And our cells remove introns only to make mRNA, not cDNA. So it's a little deceptive to say that cDNA is a natural product and therefore not patentable. If your rather simplistic argument were valid, a vast number of forms of gene manipulation and genetic engineering would become unpatentable, because organisms undergo gene manipulation all the time. (The most extreme example is probably horizontal gene transfer, but there are plenty of other weird things going on, many involving viruses.)

Now, my personal preference (as both a scientist and a consumer) is for as few patents as possible on any genetic material, and I was relieved to see Myriad get slapped down by all nine justices. But what I prefer isn't always in line with what current case law decrees is allowable, and I wouldn't call the Supreme Court incompetent just because they didn't reach the conclusion I personally favor.

(* In fact, the polymerases used in molecular biology labs are often heavily engineered for greater stability and control, and of course they're not endogenously produced but rather purified from a [heavily modified] recombinant organism expressing the protein on a [human-designed] plasmid, so the connection to the naturally occurring proteins is tenuous.)

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/Do1q5ZgbnE8/story01.htm

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NBA Finals 2013: 5 Things Of Note From Seven Heat-Spurs Games (VIDEO/PHOTOS)

  • San Antonio Spurs v Miami Heat - Game 7

    MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat looks to pass against Manu Ginobili #20 and Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter during Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals at AmericanAirlines Arena on June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • San Antonio Spurs v Miami Heat - Game 7

    MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs passes the ball against Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat in the first quarter during Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals at AmericanAirlines Arena on June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • LeBron James,Manu Ginobili

    The Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) moves the ball against San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili (20) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Kawhi Leonard ,Hea's Mario

    The San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) moves the ball against Miami Heat's Mario Chalmers (15) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) shoots against San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili (20) of Argentina during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Tony Parker,Mike Miller

    San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) shoots against the Miami Heat's Mike Miller (13) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green (4) shoots over Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Tim Duncan

    San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) dunks the ball against the Miami Heat during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) and the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) work during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • A fan holds a sign before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Erik Spoelstra

    Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts to play against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Tim Duncan ,Dwyane Wade

    San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) works for the ball against and Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Tony Parker

    San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) reacts to play against the Miami Heat during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Gregg Popovich

    San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich speaks to players during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Tony Parker,Gregg Popovich

    San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich speak during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Tim Duncan ,Chris Bosh

    San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) blocks the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Ray allen, Kawhi Leonard

    The Miami Heat's Ray Allen (34) shoots against San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) and Boris Diaw (33) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Gary Neal , Ray allen

    The San Antonio Spurs' Gary Neal (14) shoots as the Miami Heat's Ray Allen (34) defends during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Tim Duncan,Chris Andersen

    The San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) shoots against Miami Heat's Chris Andersen (11) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • LeBron James ,Mario Chalmers

    The Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) speaks with Mario Chalmers (15) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • LeBron James, Chris Andersen ,Kawhi Leonard

    Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) and Chris Andersen (11) defend San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Chris Bosh ,Kawhi Leonard

    Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) defends San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Tim Duncan,Dwyane Wade

    San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) and the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) work during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • LeBron James ,Erik Spoelstra

    Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) calls a play as Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Manu Ginobili

    The San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili (20) shoots against the Miami Heat during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Kawhi Leonard ,LeBron James

    San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) blocks a shot by Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh

    The San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) blocks a shot by the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Tim Duncan ,Dan Craford

    San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) talks to NBA official Dan Craford (43) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Mario Chalmers (,Tim Duncan

    The Miami Heat's Mario Chalmers (15) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Chris Bosh,LeBron James

    The Miami Heat's Chris Bosh and LeBron James sit on the bench during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Drake

    Aubrey Drake Graham, known as Drake watches play between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Miami Heat fans react while watching the Game 7 in the NBA Finals between the Heat and the San Antonio Spurs in Miami, on Thursday, June 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

  • Miami Heat fans react while watching the Game 7 in the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

  • Rashard Lewis,Monty McCutchen

    The San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) argues a call with NBA official Monty McCutchen (13) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • LeBron James , Danny Green

    The Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green (4) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Miami Heat fans react while watching the Game 7 in the NBA Finals between the Heat and the San Antonio Spurs in Miami, on Thursday, June 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

  • Chris Andersen

    Miami Heat power forward Chris Andersen (11) gets the crowd to cheer against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Chris Andersen,Tony Parker

    Miami Heat's Chris Andersen (11) defends against San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Kawhi Leonard ,LeBron James

    San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) defends against Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Manu Ginobili ,Gregg Popovich

    The San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili (20) speaks with head coach Gregg Popovich during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Pat Riley

    Miami Heat president Pat Riley and his wife Chris watch action before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Julia Dale sings the national anthem before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Dwyane Wade

    The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • LeBron James

    The Miami Heat's LeBron James warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Chris Andersen

    The Miami Heat's Chris Andersen (11) warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Dylan Roston, 13, of Miami, watches teams swarm up before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Manu Ginobili

    San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili stretches before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell, Pool)

  • Mike Miller

    The Miami Heat' Mike Miller warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Norris Cole

    Miami Heat's Norris Cole warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

  • Norris Cole

    Miami Heat's Norris Cole warms up before Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell, Pool)

  • Nelson Gomez, right, and his family friend Joshua Castaneda arrive for Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/nba-finals-2013-heat-spurs_n_3476656.html

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    Saturday, June 22, 2013

    Junior Czech coalition party wins speaker post in reshuffle plan

    PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech coalition agreed on Saturday that the junior party can have the post of parliamentary speaker if the current one becomes prime minister in a reshuffle caused by a spying and bribery scandal.

    The deal clears a potential hurdle for the three-party center-right coalition which hopes to avoid a snap election after Prime Minister Petr Necas resigned over the scandal.

    It has put forward lower house speaker Miroslava Nemcova, from Necas's Civic Democrat party, to replace him.

    President Milos Zeman, a leftist who has criticized the government, has the sole right to appoint a prime minister. He is holding meetings with party heads over the weekend before announcing a decision on Tuesday.

    Zeman has not said if he will accept Nemcova or pick a leader of his choice. The opposition Social Democrats are pushing for a snap election - ahead of the one scheduled for May next year. Opinion polls indicate it would win easily.

    Saturday's deal is a victory for the TOP09 party, which had hinted that it wanted the speaker's position as the price of sustaining the shaky coalition that has faced collapse several times since taking power in 2010.

    "TOP09 should make the nomination and the coalition should stand behind it," Martin Kuba, acting Civic Democrat party leader, said in comments broadcast on Czech Television.

    Police have charged eight people for offences including bribery and illegal spying on people including the prime minister's wife.

    Necas's closest aide, Jana Nagyova, is charged with ordering illegal spying. Prosecutors also accuse her of offering bribes, in the form of posts at state companies, to three parliamentary deputies last year in exchange for abandoning a rebellion against the prime minister.

    Necas himself has not been charged but his Civic Democrats have suffered a severe hit in popularity.

    A lawyer for Nagyova, who is in custody, says she denies some of the allegations against her, while on others she argues that she acted in good faith.

    (Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/junior-czech-coalition-party-wins-speaker-post-reshuffle-204801613.html

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    Video: What's Bernanke's Next Move?

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    Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52279871/

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    That One Time I Found a Time Capsule From 1969

    That One Time I Found a Time Capsule From 1969

    Did you bury a time capsule in St. Paul in 1969? Because I found it. Well, technically my friend found it. But he knew I was the only person in his life who might care about this nondescript plastic bottle that was buried in his backyard. Most people would easily mistake the thing for trash. And I guess it kind of was. Nature is not terribly gentle with things we put in the ground.

    Back in early September of 2011, I was helping my friend dig up his yard to put in a new patio. We were digging for hours, constantly hitting rocks in the soil with our shovels ? a sharp clanging noise reverberating through the neighborhood with each push into the ground. But then my friend hit something a bit softer. Turns out, it was a time capsule.

    At first I didn't believe it. Could my friend be playing a joke on his weirdo friend who was obsessed with time capsules? Judging by what was inside, this would've had to have been a joke over forty years in the making.

    Unscrewing the top, I found a soggy, rolled up piece of brown paper inside. The tiny pages were sticking together and I was terrified of destroying it. Of all the words mashed together in a wet crumpled mess, the only things I could make out definitively were a name: Barbara. And a year: 1969. It wasn't much, but it was enough to establish that this little bottle was probably intentionally buried in that backyard. Probably by a woman named Barbara in 1969, if I had to take a wild guess.

    My mind wandered and I started to imagine what possessed Barbara (if that was indeed the name of the time capsuler) to bury this in the backyard of her St. Paul home. The ground in Minnesota is frozen for much of the year, so I started to speculate that it was probably buried in the summer. Could this have been in commemoration of the moon landing on July 20, 1969? I truly have no idea, but people really enjoy burying time capsules during historic events.

    I wish I could've deciphered more of the writing in the time capsule, but the water damage was irreversible. Putting something in the ground is literally the worst thing you can do for any object you'd like to preserve for the future. And yet, something tells me we'll continue burying our time capsules for generations to come. Which is fine by me. But if you can afford it, there are plenty of fancy, commercial time capsules available for purchase. The spendiest capsules can set you back $4,000, but let me gently suggest you get a cheaper one (or build your own, if you know what you're doing) and invest the difference in something more worthwhile than a diamond-encrusted tomb for your newspaper clippings.

    Make sure to register your time capsule with Oglethorpe University, where they maintain an international database of time capsules through their International Time Capsule Society. If you care about someone finding your capsule (and historic markers are no guarantee they will) it's probably your best chance of ensuring that people of the future can locate your time capsule.

    And with all due respect to Barbara, if you decide to build a time capsule, maybe include something more clever than a piece of crumpled brown paper with your name on it. Future time capsule nerds will thank you.

    That One Time I Found a Time Capsule From 1969

    Source: http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/that-one-time-i-found-a-time-capsule-from-1969-512928077

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    Gambit Wellness Expo| Dr. Leon Watkins| Foot Health Education

    Debbie at the Gambit Expo

    ?

    On June 8th, the staff of Gulf South Foot and Ankle participated in the 2013 Gambit Wellness Expo at Lakeside Mall. ?This is an annual event that provides information about the latest trends in nutrition, fitness, healthcare, and beauty. ?Dr. Leon Watkins was on hand to provide complimentary foot screenings and foot health education to the community. ?

    Source: http://gulfsouthfootandankle.com/2013/06/gambit-expo/

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    The Gae Ceann: Bikers & the Supernatural

    Enter a group of fearsome bikers from all walks of life, or for that matter, unlife. The The Gae Ceann have a bad reputation for crime, smuggling, whoring and committing crimes. A welcoming brotherhood of vampires, undead and things that should not be have all united into this gang seeking a new life among their unnatural kin.

    The law seeks to punish the lawbreakers, internal conflict punishes the groups sinners, and chaos is rife within the gang as the politics shift for a new leader. A line is crossed, and the sins of the gang are exposed for the world to see. The Gae Ceann are encompassed by enemies and need brothers and sisters more than ever.

    You are invited as writers to join this brotherhood of bikers, all you have to do is create a biker related character and report to the clubhouse or shoot me a PM on this right here magical website.

    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/YeD0buuGYvM/viewtopic.php

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    Friday, June 21, 2013

    Carl's Jr. Jenny McCarthy Ad Features Salad With A Side Of Cleavage (VIDEO)

  • COUSINS

    Yes, they share the last name, but with McCarthy a fairly common surname it still came as a surprise when former Playboy Playmate <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/true_false_new_emmy_winner_melissa/264653#ixzz1YQVm3lpL" target="_hplink">Jenny tweeted</a> at the hilarious "Bridesmaids" star: "Congrats to my cousin melissa mccarthy on her Emmy win!!" Apparently the funny bone runs in this family: Jenny was previously with comedian Jim Carrey for five years. <br> (Getty)

  • COUSINS

    Tom Cruise and cousin William Mapother not only share a last name -- Cruise was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV -- but also even kind of look a like. The TV actor ("Lost," "The Mentalist") <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0544611/bio" target="_hplink">has said</a> about his famous "Mission Impossible" first cousin: "I never really worried about it. As I've amassed a body of work, the questions about Tom have gone away. I figured that if I did good work, I'd be seen for what I am." <br> (Getty)

  • AUNT AND NIECE

    Emma Roberts is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts.

  • MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

    Kate Hudson began calling Kurt Russell, "dad," soon after he began dating her mother, Goldie Hawn, in 1983.

  • BROTHERS

    If you squint your eyes, Dave Franco ("21 Jump Street") could almost pass for his more famous older brother James. With cleaner hair. <br> (Getty)

  • COUSINS

    By now, we all know that actress Kyra Sedgwick was the cousin once removed of Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol's muse and Factory girl who met a tragic early death at age 28. The Sedgwicks came from a long line of distinguished people, including Judge Theodore Sedgwick and Ellery Sedgwick, owner and editor of The Atlantic Monthly. <br> (Getty)

  • BROTHERS IN LAW

    Jake Gyllenhaal pals around with a number of his co-stars, but he's extra friendly with fellow actor Peter Sarsgaard, who married sister Maggie in May 2009. The Gyllenhaal siblings -- who got their big break starring in 2001's "Donnie Darko" together -- are themselves no stranger to keeping it all in the family: Father Stephen is a film director and mother Naomi is a film producer and screenwriter. <br> (Getty)

  • COUSINS

    And now in your dose of highbrow news: highly celebrated American composer Philip Glass is the first cousin once removed of highly celebrated American radio journalist Ira Glass. Philip has even composed a song or two for Ira's "This American Life" program. Meanwhile, both share a love for glasses and smart jackets. <br> (Getty)

  • COUSINS

    It's a mob mentality worthy of "The Godfather:" Director Francis Ford Coppola's only daughter, "Lost In Tranlation" director Sofia, is cousins with actors Jason Schwartzman and Nicolas Cage (n? Nicolas Coppola). Meanwhile, Sofia's older brother Roman is also a director; grandfather Carmine was a well-known composer who scored the soundtrack to Francis's films like "Apocalypse Now." <br> (Getty)

  • FATHER AND SON

    Fans of "True Blood" who feel like Alexander Skarsgard arrived with the sudden fright of his fanged character and glamoured the heck out of them may be surprised to know that father Stellan was already well-established in Hollywood. The elder Skarsgard played the tough-loving teacher in "Good Will Hunting" and one of Meryl Streep's courters in "Mamma Mia!". Most recently, father and son appeared together in fellow Scandinavian Lars Van Trier's "Meloncholia." <br> (Getty)

  • COUSINS

    Actors Rip Torn and Sissy Spacek are first cousins; the former helped the latter get her start into the film biz by helping her enroll in Strasberg's Actors Studio in New York. <br> (Getty)

  • SISTERS

    Elizabeth Olsen is the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

  • GODFATHER

    The Barrymores need no introduction in Hollywood, but among the famous faces Drew Barrymore, now 36, can count among her upbringing is director Steven Spielberg, who, along with Sophia Loren, was deigned her Godparent. Steven Spielberg later went on to cast seven-year-old Drew in 1982's "E.T." The two remained close, with Drew pointing to the famed director as a constant stabilizing force in her publicly traumatic childhood. "He's been a very important mentor. He was the first stable male figure in my life. The best attribute a parent can have is consistency," <a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/interview-drew-barrymore?page=2" target="_hplink">she told <em>Reader's Digest </em></a>in 2009. <br> (Getty)

  • FATHER AND DAUGHTER

    You've seen Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria in last year's "Eclipse" or in her breakout role as Ivy in "The Village." Perhaps you didn't realize her father is Ron Howard.

  • STEP-SIBLINGS

    Let's not forget that Brody Jenner and Kim Kardashian are step-siblings.

  • BROTHER AND SISTER

    Joan Cusack and her brother, John.

  • BROTHER AND SISTER

    Ray J may be most famous today for his sex tape with Kim Kardashian, but the singer is also the younger brother of actress-singer Brandy Norwood.

  • BROTHER AND SISTER

    Yes, they're brother and sister: Warren Beatty was reportedly inspired to start acting after witnessing his older sister Shirley MacLaine's success in the biz. Now the brother and sister, who originally hail from Richmond, Virginia, are both famed Hollywood legends. Isn't that nice. <br> (Getty)

  • FATHER AND DAUGHTER

    Twenty-two-year-old fashion model Daisy Lowe reportedly had no idea Bush singer Gavin Rossdale was her father until 2004, after a paternity test revealed that the rocker (and then-Godfather) was her biological parent. Though Rossdale initially refused to take the paternity test, it was later revealed that he and Daisy's mother Pearl had had a one-night stand. In the summer of 2011, Daisy appeared on the front cover of <em>Playboy</em>, in which she said of her father: "My whole life I thought my father was someone different... But Gavin and Gwen [Stefani] are really good people, and I value so much the time we get together." <br> (Getty)

  • FATHER AND SONS

    Perhaps one of the best-known familial relations in the list, "Apocalypse Now" actor Martin Sheen's two sons Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez both went on to have successful careers in Hollywood, with one more vocally "winning" than the other. Estevez is the proper family surname; Martin adopted "Sheen" as his stage name, which Charlie then took on as well. The Hollywood connection doesn't stop there: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0261724/" target="_hplink">Martin's younger brother Joe Estevez</a> is also an actor. <br> (Getty)

  • BROTHERS

    Actors and brothers William Baldwin, Stephen Baldwin, Alec Baldwin and Daniel Baldwin are living proof that talent really can run in the family.

  • STEPFATHER

    She is known for her role as Jamie Stringer in "The Practice" and for her role as Dr. Arizona Robbins on the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," but Jessica Capshaw is also the stepdaughter to director Steven Spielberg.

  • FATHER AND DAUGHTER

    Rashida, the daughter of music producer Quincy Jones, has made quite a name for herself in Hollywood.

  • BROTHERS

    Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson? Now <em>these</em> are some talented siblings!

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/carls-jr-jenny-mccarthy_n_3479632.html

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    Insight: Losses loom for investors enmeshed in mortgage chaos

    By Michelle Conlin

    (Reuters) - Since the financial crash, banks have been accused of wrongfully foreclosing on homeowners because they failed to create and maintain proper mortgage paperwork. Now, there are signs that chaotic document management is harming investors in mortgage bonds, too.

    A review of loan documents, property records and the monthly reports made available to investors show that mortgage servicers are reporting individual houses are still in foreclosure long after they have been sold to new buyers or the underlying mortgages have been paid off.

    These delays enable banks and other mortgage servicers to continue to charge monthly fees to investors in these mortgage-backed securities, the banks' investor reports show. It means that investors are buying mortgage bonds that may have billions of dollars of undisclosed losses that will become apparent only at a later stage. It could also lead to a new round of litigation for banks just when some appeared to have been putting their mortgage problems behind them.

    The review, conducted by foreclosure investigator Lisa Epstein, found hundreds of instances across the United States where information about the status of individual home loans was incorrect. The information about the mortgages is sent from the mortgage servicer, which handles tasks such as collecting monthly mortgage payments and handling foreclosures, to the trustee of the mortgage bonds, which administers monthly reports and makes sure investors get paid.

    In 2009, Epstein helped uncover the robo signing scandal, in which she discovered that banks had hired low-level workers to pose as executives, signing hundreds of legal affidavits a day without verifying a single word, as is required by law. The reporting lag issues she identified in mortgage bonds involved many of the same mortgage servicers who engaged in robo signing.

    "This is all part and parcel of having servicers who are unable to keep the documentation straight," said Linda Allen, a banking professor at Baruch College, who specializes in mortgage servicing. She said Epstein's methodology was sound.

    Mortgage experts estimate these reporting delays could mean that billions of dollars in losses may still be hidden in these bonds. Mortgage servicers may have also been charging late fees, property inspection fees, legal fees and other penalties against these loans long after they have been paid off, inflating the losses, they said.

    "The losses are building up inside these deals, and this is going to happen all over the place," said William Frey, founder of Greenwich Financial Services, which specializes in securitization.

    Frey said his team analyzed about 500 mortgage-backed securities originated by every major bank and that he has yet to find a single bond where the accounting adds up as it should.

    In one case, Reuters found that Bank of America Corp had been collecting a monthly servicing fee of $50.73 from investors on a loan that had been paid off nearly two years ago, investor reports show.

    Bank of America filed a document at a local county office on July 22, 2011 showing that the $162,400 loan on a cream-colored duplex in Greenacres, Florida, owned by a drywall hanger named Roman Pino, had been satisfied and "cancelled." But investors in Pino's loan and more than 6,700 other similar mortgages that are bundled together in a subprime mortgage bond still have not been informed that the loan no longer exists, according to the last investor report in May.

    Bank of America spokesman Lawrence Grayson said reporting lags are not typical, and can occur because a sale or mortgage insurance proceeds may not be finalized. Loans can sometimes be subject to litigation, which could explain the ongoing charging of fees, he said.

    The bank declined to comment on the specifics of Pino's loan. According to Fitch Ratings, the loan did not have mortgage insurance.

    Bank of New York Mellon Corp, the trustee, said that in keeping with industry practice, it relies on the information provided by the mortgage servicer.

    Some of these latent losses are beginning to surface. Earlier this month, for example, investors learned of $1 billion in losses on dozens of subprime bonds, containing more than 75,000 home loans that were created during the housing boom. Many of the losses were not reported for a year or more.

    "For whatever reason, these losses were basically pending out there for a while, and the reporting mechanism finally caught up and hit the bonds in the trust," said Roger Ashworth, an analyst with mortgage advisory firm Amherst Securities.

    The bonds' trustee, Wells Fargo & Co, said that it relied upon the servicer, Ocwen Financial Corp, for the reclassification.

    Ocwen said it stands by its monthly reporting. It added that it has helped tens of thousands of struggling families save their homes from foreclosure and significantly lowered investor losses, benefiting investors in mortgage bonds.

    SIDE DEALS

    Latent losses could play a role in some of the settlements that investors have already reached with banks over other mortgage misrepresentations.

    For example, many of the mortgage bonds with reporting lags that Epstein identified are the same securities that are at issue in ongoing litigation between Bank of America and investors in those securities.

    Bank of America settled with 22 large investors, including two of the biggest - Pacific Investment Management Co and Blackrock Inc - agreeing to pay $8.5 billion to end legal liability for more than one million Countrywide Financial mortgages whose borrower histories and credit quality were allegedly misrepresented by the bank.

    Some other investors in the bonds, including American International Group Inc and Grand Rapids Police and Fire Retirement System, have objected to the settlement. They project the losses to be more than $100 billion.

    An AIG spokesman said no one had reviewed the individual loans to analyze the merits of the settlement, which was originally over what the bank had told investors about the quality of the loans.

    If opponents to the settlement prevail, the reporting lag issues could crop up in the discovery phase of the case.

    BlackRock and Bank of America declined to comment on the case. PIMCO did not respond to a request for comment.

    Estimates of latent losses in mortgage bonds vary. In a report on Monday, Fitch Ratings said that it had talked to major servicers and more such losses were possible, though it was unable to quantify the amount.

    In June last year, independent credit rating agency R&R Consulting analyzed $1.4 trillion worth of residential mortgage-backed securities that were not guaranteed by a government-sponsored entity like Fannie Mae.

    It found an estimated $300 billion in total expected future losses, meaning borrowers who were either in foreclosure, bankruptcy or 90 days delinquent. But of those, the firm says there are $175 billion that investors haven't learned about.

    "There is such a thing as gravity, and sooner or later you have to do something with these numbers," said R&R founder Ann Rutledge.

    (Reporting by Michelle Conlin in New York; Editing by Paritosh Bansal, Martin Howell and Leslie Gevirtz)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-losses-loom-investors-enmeshed-mortgage-chaos-052549994.html

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    Thursday, May 16, 2013

    Cholesterol-lowering drug may reduce exercise benefits for obese adults

    May 15, 2013 ? Statins, the most widely prescribed drugs worldwide, are often suggested to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease in individuals with obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of medical disorders including excess body fat and/or high levels of blood pressure, blood sugar and/or cholesterol. However, University of Missouri researchers found that simvastatin, a generic type of statin previously sold under the brand name "Zocor," hindered the positive effects of exercise for obese and overweight adults.

    "Fitness has proven to be the most significant predictor of longevity and health because it protects people from a variety of chronic diseases," said John Thyfault, an associate professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at MU. "Daily physical activity is needed to maintain or improve fitness, and thus improve health outcomes. However, if patients start exercising and taking statins at the same time, it seems that statins block the ability of exercise to improve their fitness levels."

    Thyfault says many cardiologists want to prescribe statins to all patients over a certain age regardless of whether they have metabolic syndrome; the drugs also are recommended for people with Type 2 diabetes. He recommends that cardiologists more closely weigh the benefits and risks of statins given this new data about their effect on exercise training.

    "Statins have only been used for about 15-20 years, so we don't know what the long-term effects of statins will be on aerobic fitness and overall health," Thyfault said. "If the drugs cause complications with improving or maintaining fitness, not everyone should be prescribed statins."

    Thyfault and his colleagues measured cardiorespiratory fitness in 37 previously sedentary, obese individuals ages 25-59 with low fitness levels. The participants followed the same exercise regimen on the MU campus for 12 weeks; 18 of the 37 people also took 40 mg of simvastatin daily.

    Statins significantly affected participants' exercise outcomes. Participants in the exercise-only group increased their cardiorespiratory fitness by an average of 10 percent compared to a 1.5 percent increase among participants also prescribed statins. Additionally, skeletal muscle mitochondrial content, the site where muscle cells turn oxygen into energy, decreased by 4.5 percent in the group taking statins while the exercise-only group had a 13 percent increase, a normal response following exercise training.

    Thyfault suggests that future research determine whether lower doses of simvastatin or other types of statins similarly affect people's exercise outcomes and thus their risk for diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. Starting a statin regimen after exercising and obtaining a higher fitness level may reduce the drugs' effects on fitness, he says.

    Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Missouri-Columbia. The original article was written by Kate McIntyre.

    Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


    Journal Reference:

    1. Catherine R. Mikus, Leryn J. Boyle, Sarah J. Borengasser, Douglas J. Oberlin, Scott P. Naples, Justin Fletcher, Grace M. Meers, Meghan Ruebel, M. Harold Laughlin, Kevin C. Dellsperger, Paul J. Fadel, John P. Thyfault. Simvastatin impairs exercise training adaptations. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2013.02.074

    Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/HGgePthEP6g/130515151945.htm

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    Sunday, May 5, 2013

    Acer intros Aspire R7, a laptop with an adjustable display like an all-in-one (update: hands-on video)

    Acer intros Aspire R7, a laptop with an adjustable display like an all-in-one (update: hands-on)

    When Acer plans a global press event, asking journalists to fly in from twelve time zones away, you know it's going to announce more than just some back-to-school PCs. The company just announced the Aspire R7, a 15-inch laptop whose display sits on a flexible "Ezel" hinge, allowing it to be pushed up and back so that it lies nearly flat -- yep, just like an all-in-one desktop. Similar to the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga line, too, you can flip the screen all the way back so that it faces away from the keyboard, a feature that seems especially well-suited for giving presentations.

    In terms of specs, Acer is being a little cagey, but we have learned the R7 has a 15.6-inch, 1080p display with a choice of Core i5 and i7 processors. The whole thing weighs in the neighborhood of five and a half pounds. Also confirmed: it's up for pre-order now for $999, available exclusively at Best Buy in the US. We're told it will ship May 17th. In the meantime, we've got hands-on photos below, and we'll very shortly be adding some first impressions after the break.

    Filed under: ,

    Comments

    Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/03/acer-aspire-r7/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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    Friday, May 3, 2013

    umbrella policy - Frisco-Online Forums

    Umbrella insurance refers to a liability insurance policy that protects the assets and future income of the name insured in addition to his or her primary policies.Typically, an umbrella policy is pure liability coverage over and above the coverage afforded by the regular policy, and is sold in increments of one million dollars. The term "umbrella" is used because it covers liability claims from all policies underneath it, such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance policies. For example, if the insured carries an auto insurance policy with liability limits of $500,000 and a homeowners insurance policy with a limit of $300,000, then with a million dollar umbrella, the insured's limits become in effect, $1,500,000 on an auto liability claim and $1,300,000 on a homeowners liability claim.

    Umbrella insurance provides broad insurance beyond traditional home and auto. It provides additional liability coverage above the limits of homeowner's, auto, and boat insurance policies. It can also provide coverage for claims that may be excluded by the primary policies

    Source: http://www.frisco-online.com/forums/showthread.php?t=820272

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    Attorney: Suspect ?shocked and horrified? by bombing

    Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

    Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2b69ce7b/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C517380A50A/story01.htm

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    Possibly the Best Music Discovery System Yet

    In the digital age of ?nichification? it?s often easier to find lots of things you already like, while inadvertently walling yourself off from experiencing new things that you don?t know about yet. When it comes to music, recommendation systems like Pandora?s can help you discover music you may not have heard before, but that music is going to be related to the genre you?re already listening to.

    Read more...

        


    Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/tXw1LM63V88/possibly-the-best-music-discovery-system-yet-489468794

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    NASA study projects warming-driven changes in global rainfall

    NASA study projects warming-driven changes in global rainfall [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 3-May-2013
    [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

    Contact: Kathryn Hansen
    kathryn.h.hansen@nasa.gov
    301-286-1046
    NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

    A NASA-led modeling study provides new evidence that global warming may increase the risk for extreme rainfall and drought.

    The study shows for the first time how rising carbon dioxide concentrations could affect the entire range of rainfall types on Earth.

    Analysis of computer simulations from 14 climate models indicates wet regions of the world, such as the equatorial Pacific Ocean and Asian monsoon regions, will see increases in heavy precipitation because of warming resulting from projected increases in carbon dioxide levels. Arid land areas outside the tropics and many regions with moderate rainfall could become drier.

    The analysis provides a new assessment of global warming's impacts on precipitation patterns around the world. The study was accepted for publication in the American Geophysical Union journal Geophysical Research Letters.

    "In response to carbon dioxide-induced warming, the global water cycle undergoes a gigantic competition for moisture resulting in a global pattern of increased heavy rain, decreased moderate rain, and prolonged droughts in certain regions," said William Lau of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and lead author of the study.

    The models project for every 1 degree Fahrenheit of carbon dioxide-induced warming, heavy rainfall will increase globally by 3.9 percent and light rain will increase globally by 1 percent. However, total global rainfall is not projected to change much because moderate rainfall will decrease globally by 1.4 percent.

    Heavy rainfall is defined as months that receive an average of more than about 0.35 of an inch per day. Light rain is defined as months that receive an average of less than 0.01 of an inch per day. Moderate rainfall is defined as months that receive an average of between about 0.04 to 0.09 of an inch per day.

    Areas projected to see the most significant increase in heavy rainfall are in the tropical zones around the equator, particularly in the Pacific Ocean and Asian monsoon regions.

    Some regions outside the tropics may have no rainfall at all. The models also projected for every degree Fahrenheit of warming, the length of periods with no rain will increase globally by 2.6 percent. In the Northern Hemisphere, areas most likely to be affected include the deserts and arid regions of the southwest United States, Mexico, North Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, and northwestern China. In the Southern Hemisphere, drought becomes more likely in South Africa, northwestern Australia, coastal Central America and northeastern Brazil.

    "Large changes in moderate rainfall, as well as prolonged no-rain events, can have the most impact on society because they occur in regions where most people live," Lau said. "Ironically, the regions of heavier rainfall, except for the Asian monsoon, may have the smallest societal impact because they usually occur over the ocean."

    Lau and colleagues based their analysis on the outputs of 14 climate models in simulations of 140-year periods. The simulations began with carbon dioxide concentrations at about 280 parts per million -- similar to pre-industrial levels and well below the current level of almost 400 parts per million -- and then increased by 1 percent per year. The rate of increase is consistent with a "business as usual" trajectory of the greenhouse gas as described by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

    Analyzing the model results, Lau and his co-authors calculated statistics on the rainfall responses for a 27-year control period at the beginning of the simulation, and also for 27-year periods around the time of doubling and tripling of carbon dioxide concentrations. They conclude the model predictions of how much rain will fall at any one location as the climate warms are not very reliable.

    "But if we look at the entire spectrum of rainfall types we see all the models agree in a very fundamental way -- projecting more heavy rain, less moderate rain events, and prolonged droughts," Lau said.

    ###


    [ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


    NASA study projects warming-driven changes in global rainfall [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 3-May-2013
    [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

    Contact: Kathryn Hansen
    kathryn.h.hansen@nasa.gov
    301-286-1046
    NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

    A NASA-led modeling study provides new evidence that global warming may increase the risk for extreme rainfall and drought.

    The study shows for the first time how rising carbon dioxide concentrations could affect the entire range of rainfall types on Earth.

    Analysis of computer simulations from 14 climate models indicates wet regions of the world, such as the equatorial Pacific Ocean and Asian monsoon regions, will see increases in heavy precipitation because of warming resulting from projected increases in carbon dioxide levels. Arid land areas outside the tropics and many regions with moderate rainfall could become drier.

    The analysis provides a new assessment of global warming's impacts on precipitation patterns around the world. The study was accepted for publication in the American Geophysical Union journal Geophysical Research Letters.

    "In response to carbon dioxide-induced warming, the global water cycle undergoes a gigantic competition for moisture resulting in a global pattern of increased heavy rain, decreased moderate rain, and prolonged droughts in certain regions," said William Lau of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and lead author of the study.

    The models project for every 1 degree Fahrenheit of carbon dioxide-induced warming, heavy rainfall will increase globally by 3.9 percent and light rain will increase globally by 1 percent. However, total global rainfall is not projected to change much because moderate rainfall will decrease globally by 1.4 percent.

    Heavy rainfall is defined as months that receive an average of more than about 0.35 of an inch per day. Light rain is defined as months that receive an average of less than 0.01 of an inch per day. Moderate rainfall is defined as months that receive an average of between about 0.04 to 0.09 of an inch per day.

    Areas projected to see the most significant increase in heavy rainfall are in the tropical zones around the equator, particularly in the Pacific Ocean and Asian monsoon regions.

    Some regions outside the tropics may have no rainfall at all. The models also projected for every degree Fahrenheit of warming, the length of periods with no rain will increase globally by 2.6 percent. In the Northern Hemisphere, areas most likely to be affected include the deserts and arid regions of the southwest United States, Mexico, North Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, and northwestern China. In the Southern Hemisphere, drought becomes more likely in South Africa, northwestern Australia, coastal Central America and northeastern Brazil.

    "Large changes in moderate rainfall, as well as prolonged no-rain events, can have the most impact on society because they occur in regions where most people live," Lau said. "Ironically, the regions of heavier rainfall, except for the Asian monsoon, may have the smallest societal impact because they usually occur over the ocean."

    Lau and colleagues based their analysis on the outputs of 14 climate models in simulations of 140-year periods. The simulations began with carbon dioxide concentrations at about 280 parts per million -- similar to pre-industrial levels and well below the current level of almost 400 parts per million -- and then increased by 1 percent per year. The rate of increase is consistent with a "business as usual" trajectory of the greenhouse gas as described by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

    Analyzing the model results, Lau and his co-authors calculated statistics on the rainfall responses for a 27-year control period at the beginning of the simulation, and also for 27-year periods around the time of doubling and tripling of carbon dioxide concentrations. They conclude the model predictions of how much rain will fall at any one location as the climate warms are not very reliable.

    "But if we look at the entire spectrum of rainfall types we see all the models agree in a very fundamental way -- projecting more heavy rain, less moderate rain events, and prolonged droughts," Lau said.

    ###


    [ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/2013-05/nsfc-nsp050313.php

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    Antoine Dodson Quits Being Gay?You Can Run & Tell Dat! (VIDEOS)

    Antoine Dodson Quits Being Gay…You Can Run & Tell Dat! (VIDEOS)

    Antoine Dodson not gay anymoreAntoine Dodson, you know…the flamboyant guy that asked you to “Hide yo wives…hide yo kids… from a bed intruder, has now made the big announcement on Facebook that he is now longer gay. Antoine is renouncing his homosexuality and is ready for a wife and kids. Just wow! The internet personality took to Facebook to ...

    Antoine Dodson Quits Being Gay…You Can Run & Tell Dat! (VIDEOS) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

    Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/05/antoine-dodson-quits-being-gay-you-can-run-tell-dat-videos/

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    Witherspoon pleads no contest, fined after arrest

    This image released by ABC news shows co-host George Stephanopoulos, left, interviewing actress Reese Witherspoon on "Good Morning America," Thursday, May 2, 2013 in New York. During the interview, Witherspoon repeatedly apologized for her behavior during an April 19 traffic stop in Georgia. Witherspoon, 37, was arrested after the trooper said she wouldn't stay in the car while her husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, was given a field sobriety test. Toth was charged with drunken driving and is due in court May 23. Witherspoon faces a May 22 court hearing on the disorderly conduct charge. (AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute)

    This image released by ABC news shows co-host George Stephanopoulos, left, interviewing actress Reese Witherspoon on "Good Morning America," Thursday, May 2, 2013 in New York. During the interview, Witherspoon repeatedly apologized for her behavior during an April 19 traffic stop in Georgia. Witherspoon, 37, was arrested after the trooper said she wouldn't stay in the car while her husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, was given a field sobriety test. Toth was charged with drunken driving and is due in court May 23. Witherspoon faces a May 22 court hearing on the disorderly conduct charge. (AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute)

    This image released by ABC news shows co-host George Stephanopoulos, left, interviewing actress Reese Witherspoon on "Good Morning America," Thursday, May 2, 2013 in New York. During the interview, Witherspoon repeatedly apologized for her behavior during an April 19 traffic stop in Georgia. Witherspoon, 37, was arrested after the trooper said she wouldn't stay in the car while her husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, was given a field sobriety test. Toth was charged with drunken driving and is due in court May 23. Witherspoon faces a May 22 court hearing on the disorderly conduct charge. (AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute)

    This image released by ABC news shows co-host George Stephanopoulos, left, interviewing actress Reese Witherspoon on "Good Morning America," Thursday, May 2, 2013 in New York. During the interview, Witherspoon repeatedly apologized for her behavior during an April 19 traffic stop in Georgia. Witherspoon, 37, was arrested after the trooper said she wouldn't stay in the car while her husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, was given a field sobriety test. Toth was charged with drunken driving and is due in court May 23. Witherspoon faces a May 22 court hearing on the disorderly conduct charge. (AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute)

    This image released by ABC news shows co-host George Stephanopoulos, left, interviewing actress Reese Witherspoon on "Good Morning America," Thursday, May 2, 2013 in New York. During the interview, Witherspoon repeatedly apologized for her behavior during an April 19 traffic stop in Georgia. Witherspoon, 37, was arrested after the trooper said she wouldn't stay in the car while her husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, was given a field sobriety test. Toth was charged with drunken driving and is due in court May 23. Witherspoon faces a May 22 court hearing on the disorderly conduct charge. (AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute)

    FILE - In this April 21, 2013 file photo, Actress Reese Witherspoon attends the premiere of "Mud" hosted by The Cinema Society?with FIJI Water & Levi's at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Witherspoon recalls that she panicked and said "crazy things" the night she was arrested in Atlanta on a disorderly conduct charge. During an interview on Good Morning America, Thursday, May 2, 2013, Witherspoon repeatedly apologized for her behavior during the April 19 traffic stop. (Photo by Evan Agostini/InvisionAP)

    (AP) ? Reese Witherspoon pleaded no contest and paid a $100 fine after berating a state trooper in Atlanta while her husband was given a sobriety test, an embarrassing exchange caught on a dashboard camera after the usually squeaky-clean Hollywood star had what she called "one too many" glasses of wine.

    The video, which was first obtained by TMZ and publicly released by authorities Friday, shows Witherspoon asking the trooper, "Do you know my name?" and then adding, "You're about to find out who I am."

    Witherspoon's exchange with the officer had already been outlined in a police report, but the video offered a rare glimpse at the actress unfiltered. Witherspoon, who has built a wholesome professional image, apologized shortly after her arrest, saying she was "deeply embarrassed."

    Municipal Court of Atlanta Deputy Solicitor Ronda Graham said in a statement that Witherspoon entered the plea and paid the fine, resolving the case.

    During an interview with "Good Morning America" on Thursday, Witherspoon said she panicked and said "all kinds of crazy things," including falsely claiming that she was pregnant at one point. She said during the interview that she had too much to drink before her arrest.

    In the video, the 37-year-old argues with the trooper while he attempts to question her husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, on an Atlanta street during the pre-dawn hours of April 19.

    Toth pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving, Graham said. He was fined $600 and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service and participate in a program for DUI offenders.

    That is a "standard sentence for a first-time offender," Graham said.

    In the video, Trooper First Class J. Pyland tells Witherspoon to stay in the couple's vehicle no fewer than five times. For her part, Witherspoon is equally determined to get out and engage him, even at one point feigning to be pregnant and saying she needed to use the bathroom.

    When the trooper starts to arrest her, she lets loose. The 5-foot-1 Witherspoon turns to yell at him while being handcuffed and accuses the trooper of harassment, at one point prompting him to warn her, "You fight me, I promise you ..."

    Witherspoon's husband mostly observes the exchange, but tries to calm her after the trooper's warning about resisting arrest.

    The dash-com video shows the situation quickly escalating. In one video clip, the trooper appears to be examining Toth when Witherspoon, out of view, starts to get out of her vehicle.

    "Ma'am, get back in that car," the trooper tells her.

    She apologizes, and asks if she can say something. "No ma'am," he says, "get back in that car. I'm not going to repeat myself again."

    Later, when Witherspoon continues to try to intervene, the trooper handcuffs her.

    "You better not arrest me! Are you kidding me?" she asks.

    "Nope," he responds.

    She protests again, "I'm an American citizen!" The trooper leans toward her and says he told her to stay in the car.

    She repeats "This is beyond!" She turns to yell at the trooper as he's handcuffing her and he raises his chin and warns her against resisting arrest.

    As Witherspoon is taken out of view, she can be heard asking, "Do you know my name sir?" When he says he doesn't need to, she asks, "You don't need to know my name?" He says "Not quite yet," and she adds, "Oh really. OK, you're about to find out who I am."

    The trooper responds, "That's fine. I'm not real worried about you, ma'am. I done told you how things worked. You want to get out and get up in my investigation, that's OK."

    No one from the Georgia State Patrol leaked the video before its official release on Friday, agency spokesman Gordy Wright said. The only copy that had been made earlier was for the prosecutor, Wright said.

    The star of hit movies such as "Walk The Line," ''Legally Blonde," ''Sweet Home Alabama" and "Election" said during her interview that "there are so many lessons learned."

    "When a police officer tells you to stay in the car, you stay in the car," she said. "I learned that for sure. I learned a lot."

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-05-03-Reese%20Witherspoon%20Arrest/id-2e1a31dbc4a947f88a6686c1208387de

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    Individual brain cells track where we are and how we move

    May 2, 2013 ? Leaving the house in the morning may seem simple, but with every move we make, our brains are working feverishly to create maps of the outside world that allow us to navigate and to remember where we are.

    Take one step out the front door, and an individual brain cell fires. Pass by your rose bush on the way to the car, another specific neuron fires. And so it goes. Ultimately, the brain constructs its own pinpoint geographical chart that is far more precise than anything you'd find on Google Maps.

    But just how neurons make these maps of space has fascinated scientists for decades. It is known that several types of stimuli influence the creation of neuronal maps, including visual cues in the physical environment -- that rose bush, for instance -- the body's innate knowledge of how fast it is moving, and other inputs, like smell. Yet the mechanisms by which groups of neurons combine these various stimuli to make precise maps are unknown.

    To solve this puzzle, UCLA neurophysicists built a virtual-reality environment that allowed them to manipulate these cues while measuring the activity of map-making neurons in rats. Surprisingly, they found that when certain cues were removed, the neurons that typically fire each time a rat passes a fixed point or landmark in the real world instead began to compute the rat's relative position, firing, for example, each time the rodent walked five paces forward, then five paces back, regardless of landmarks. And many other mapping cells shut down altogether, suggesting that different sensory cues strongly influence these neurons.

    Finally, the researchers found that in this virtual world, the rhythmic firing of neurons that normally speeds up or slows down depending on the rate at which an animal moves, was profoundly altered. The rats' brains maintained a single, steady rhythmic pattern.

    The findings, reported in the May 2 online edition of the journal Science, provide further clues to how the brain learns and makes memories.

    The mystery of how cells determine place

    "Place cells" are individual neurons located in the brain's hippocampus that create maps by registering specific places in the outside environment. These cells are crucial for learning and memory. They are also known to play a role in such conditions as post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer's disease when damaged.

    For some 40 years, the thinking had been that the maps made by place cells were based primarily on visual landmarks in the environment, known as distal cues -- a tall tree, a building -- as well on motion, or gait, cues. But, as UCLA neurophysicist and senior study author Mayank Mehta points out, other cues are present in the real world: the smell of the local pizzeria, the sound of a nearby subway tunnel, the tactile feel of one's feet on a surface. These other cues, which Mehta likes to refer to as "stuff," were believed to have only a small influence on place cells.

    Could it be that these different sensory modalities led place cells to create individual maps, wondered Mehta, a professor with joint appointments in the departments of neurology, physics and astronomy. And if so, do these individual maps cooperate with each other, or do they compete? No one really knew for sure.

    Virtual reality reveals new clues

    To investigate, Mehta and his colleagues needed to separate the distal and gait cues from all the other "stuff." They did this by crafting a virtual-reality maze for rats in which odors, sounds and all stimuli, except distal and gait cues, were removed. As video of a physical environment was projected around them, the rats, held by a harness, were placed on a ball that rotated as they moved. When they ran, the video would move along with them, giving the animals the illusion that they were navigating their way through an actual physical environment.

    As a comparison, the researchers had the rats -- six altogether -- run a real-world maze that was visually identical to the virtual-reality version but that included the additional "stuff" cues. Using micro-electrodes 10 times thinner than a human hair, the team measured the activity of some 3,000 space-mapping neurons in the rats' brains as they completed both mazes.

    What they found intrigued them. The elimination of the "stuff" cues in the virtual-reality maze had a huge effect: Fully half of the neurons being recorded became inactive, despite the fact that the distal and gate cues were similar in the virtual and real worlds. The results, Mehta said, show that these other sensory cues, once thought to play only a minor role in activating the brain, actually have a major influence on place cells.

    And while in the real world, place cells responded to fixed, absolute positions, spiking at those same positions each time rats passed them, regardless of the direction they were moving -- a finding consistent with previous experiments -- this was not the case in the virtual-reality maze.

    "In the virtual world," Mehta said, "we found that the neurons almost never did that. Instead, the neurons spiked at the same relative distance in the two directions as the rat moved back and forth. In other words, going back to the front door-to-car analogy, in a virtual world, the cell that fires five steps away from the door when leaving your home would not fire five steps away from the door upon your return. Instead, it would fire five steps away from the car when leaving the car. Thus, these cells are keeping track of the relative distance traveled rather than absolute position. This gives us evidence for the individual place cell's ability to represent relative distances."

    Mehta thinks this is because neuronal maps are generated by three different categories of stimuli -- distal cues, gait and "stuff" -- and that all are competing for control of neural activity. This competition is what ultimately generates the "full" map of space.

    "All the external stuff is fixed at the same absolute position and hence generates a representation of absolute space," he said. "But when all the stuff is removed, the profound contribution of gait is revealed, which enables neurons to compute relative distances traveled."

    The researchers also made a new discovery about the brain's theta rhythm. It is known that place cells use the rhythmic firing of neurons to keep track of "brain time," the brain's internal clock. Normally, Mehta said, the theta rhythm becomes faster as subjects run faster, and slower as running speed decreases. This speed-dependent change in brain rhythm was thought to be crucial for generating the 'brain time' for place cells. But the team found that in the virtual world, the theta rhythm was uninfluenced by running speed.

    "That was a surprising and fascinating discovery, because the 'brain time' of place cells was as precise in the virtual world as in the real world, even though the speed-dependence of the theta rhythm was abolished," Mehta said. "This gives us a new insight about how the brain keeps track of space-time."

    The researchers found that the firing of place cells was very precise, down to one-hundredth of a second, "so fast that we humans cannot perceive it but neurons can," Mehta said. "We have found that this very precise spiking of neurons with respect to 'brain-time' is crucial for learning and making new memories."

    Mehta said the results, taken together, provide insight into how distinct sensory cues both cooperate and compete to influence the intricate network of neuronal activity. Understanding how these cells function is key to understanding how the brain makes and retains memories, which are vulnerable to such disorders as Alzheimer's and PTSD.

    "Ultimately, understanding how these intricate neuronal networks function is a key to developing therapies to prevent such disorders," he said.

    Other authors of the study included Pascal Ravassard, Ashley Kees and Bernard Willers, all lead authors, and David Ho, Daniel A. Aharoni, Jesse Cushman and Zahra M. Aghajan of UCLA. Funding was provided by the W.M. Keck foundation, a National Science Foundation career award grant and a National Institutes of Health grant (5R01MH092925-02).

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Los Angeles. The original article was written by Mark Wheeler.

    Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


    Journal Reference:

    1. P. Ravassard, A. Kees, B. Willers, D. Ho, D. A. Aharoni, J. Cushman, Z. M. Aghajan, M. R. Mehta. Multisensory Control of Hippocampal Spatiotemporal Selectivity. Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1126/science.1232655

    Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

    Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/Q3BZmjM55TI/130503094954.htm

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    Woman who killed cop in '73 named most wanted terrorist

    NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? The reward for the capture and return of a fugitive member of a black militant group convicted of murdering a New Jersey state trooper was doubled to $2 million Thursday on the 40th anniversary of the bloody gun battle.

    The FBI also announced it has made Joanne Chesimard, now living in Cuba as Assata Shakur, the first woman on its list of most wanted terrorists.

    "She continues to flaunt her freedom in the face of this horrific crime," State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes said at a news conference Thursday. Fuentes called the case "an open wound" for troopers in New Jersey and around the country.

    The Justice Dept. has maintained a $1 million reward for information leading to her capture. The additional money is being put up by the state of New Jersey through civil and criminal forfeiture funds and won't fall on taxpayers, state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said Thursday.

    Chesimard, a member of the violent Black Liberation Army, was convicted of the 1973 murder of state trooper Werner Foerster during a traffic stop. The BLA was responsible for killing more than a dozen police officers in the 1970s and 80s, said Aaron Ford, special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark division.

    According to Fuentes, Foerster and his partner stopped a car carrying Chesimard and two cohorts on the New Jersey Turnpike for a broken tail light. When the troopers approached the car, a gunfight ensued and both troopers were injured. Chesimard then allegedly took Foerster's gun and shot him twice in the head as he lay on the ground.

    She was convicted in 1977 but escaped from prison in New Jersey in November 1979 with the help of accomplices. She spent the next few years living in safe houses, two of which were in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, before surfacing in Cuba in 1984, Fuentes said.

    In Cuba, Chesimard has continued to espouse her anti-U.S. views in speeches advocating "revolution and terrorism" and may have connections to other international terrorist organizations, Ford said.

    "She is a domestic terrorist who murdered a law enforcement officer execution style," he said. "And while we can't right the wrongs of the past, we can and will continue to pursue justice no matter how long it takes."

    Chesimard is believed to be one of dozens of American fugitives living in Cuba, many of them one-time members of U.S. militant groups. Cuba doesn't haven an extradition agreement with the U.S. due to the chilly relations between the two countries over the last five decades, but the climate appears to be slowly changing.

    In recent years, Cuba has deported some fugitives back to the U.S., including one man convicted of mail fraud and another sought on child pornography charges. This month, the country returned a Florida couple accused in a custody dispute of kidnapping their two children and sailing to Cuba.

    Authorities said Thursday they hope the increased attention and reward will convince someone to come forward.

    "Our resolve to capture Joanne Chesimard does not diminish with the passage of time," Chiesa said. "Instead, it grows stronger with the knowledge that this killer continues to be free. Our hope is the augmented reward will spur action that will bring Joanne Chesimard back to face the justice she has evaded for far too long."

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nj-troopers-killer-named-most-wanted-terrorist-150014544.html

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