Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Most South Koreans leave North Korean factory

PAJU, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea allowed the withdrawal Monday of most of the remaining South Korean personnel at a jointly run industrial park in the North, South Korean officials said, with the final seven staying behind to negotiate unpaid wages for North Korean workers.

Officials in Seoul said 43 South Koreans returned Monday night, and the last seven would leave the industrial complex after the talks with North Korean officials finished. It wasn't immediately clear, however, whether they would leave Monday night or later.

The departure would empty out the complex, located just across the border in the North Korean town of Kaesong, for the first time since it opened in 2004 and possibly lead to the permanent closure of the last symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

Amid high tensions, North Korea suspended operations at Kaesong in early April, withdrawing all of its 53,000 workers and barring South Korean factory managers and trucks with supplies from entering the complex. It was the most significant action taken by North Korea as it sought to show its anger over South Korean-U.S. military drills and U.N. sanctions imposed over Pyongyang's February nuclear test, its third.

North Korea's accompanying torrent of warlike rhetoric included threats to launch nuclear strikes on the U.S., although it has recently shown some tentative signs of willingness to talk.

South Korea began withdrawing its remaining nationals from Kaesong on Saturday, citing a shortage of food and medicine for them, after North Korea rejected an offer to hold talks on the complex.

Kaesong, which combines South Korean knowhow and technology with cheap North Korean labor, is the last remaining cooperation project between the Koreas. The Korean Peninsula officially remains at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Other collaborative programs, including tours from South Korea to a scenic North Korean mountain, have been stalled in recent years because of confrontation between the rival Koreas.

___

Kim reported from Seoul.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/most-south-koreans-leave-north-korean-factory-135309609.html

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Residents concerned about health effects of hydrofracking

Apr. 28, 2013 ? s living in areas near natural gas operations, also known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are concerned their illnesses may be a result of nearby drilling operations. Twenty-two percent of the participants in a small pilot study surmise that hydrofracking may be the cause of such health concerns as sinus problems, sleeping difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems.

The findings will be presented at the American Occupational Health Conference on April 28 in Orlando, Florida.

Scientists collected responses from 72 adults visiting a primary care physician's office in the hydrofracking-heavy area of Bradford County, Pa., who volunteered to complete an investigator-faciliated survey.

"Almost a quarter of participants consider natural gas operations to be a contributor to their health issues, indicating that there is clearly a concern among residents that should be addressed," says Poun? Saberi, MD, MPH, the study's principal investigator with the department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. She is also an investigator with the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) at Penn.

Within these 22 percent of responders, 13 percent viewed drilling to be the cause of their current health complaints and 9 percent were concerned that future health problems can be caused by natural gas operations. The previous health complaints by participants were thought to be anecdotal in nature as they were individual cases reported publicly only by popular media.

"What is significant about this study is that the prevalence of impressions about medical symptoms attributed to natural gas operations had not been previously solicited in Pennsylvania. This survey indicates that there is a larger group of people with health concerns than originally assumed," explains Saberi.

The survey included questions about 29 health symptoms, including those previously anecdotally reported by other residents and workers in other areas where drilling occurs. Some patient medical records were also reviewed to compare reported symptoms with those that had been previously documented. "Sinus problems, sleeping difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems were the most common symptoms reported on the Bradford survey," notes Saberi. "Of the few studied charts, there were no one-to-one correlations between the participants' reported symptoms on the survey and the presenting symptom to the medical provider in the records. This raises the possibility of communication gaps between residents with concerns and the medical community and needs further exploration. An opportunity exists to educate shale region communities and workers to report, as well as health care providers to document, the attributed symptoms as precisely as possible."

The CEET team also mapped the addresses of patients who agreed to provide them in relation to drilling to determine if proximity to drilling operations may relate to health problems.

"We hope this pilot study will guide the development of future epidemiological studies to determine whether health effects in communities in which natural gas operations are occurring is associated with air, water, and food-shed exposures and will provide a basis for health care provider education," says CEET director Trevor Penning, PhD. "The goal of science should be to protect the public and the environment before harm occurs; not simply to treat it after the damage has been done."

The Bradford County health concerns pilot study is one of three hydrofracking studies currently underway at CEET, one of 20 Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCC) in the US, funded by the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

CEET is also partnering with Columbia University's EHSCC to measure water quality and billable health outcomes in areas with and without hydrofracking on the Pennsylvania-New York border. Using a new mapping tool developed by Harvard University, CEET and Harvard researchers are creating maps of drilling sites, air quality, water quality, and health effects to locate possible associations. Initial studies will focus on Pennsylvania. Results of both studies are expected in early 2014. These collaborative studies are funded by pilot project funds from the respective EHSCCs, which in turn obtain their financial support from NIEHS.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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


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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/~3/IVvBTUbZKJQ/130428230423.htm

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Nintendo now selling refurbished DSi XL and 3DS units for $100 and up

Nintendo now selling refurbished 3DS and DSi XL

It's easy for us to go shopping for a refurbished Nintendo handheld at stores and auction houses, but not if we're looking for a huge bargain: small discounts and dodgy quality often make it wiser to buy new instead. Nintendo has just offered us some better reasons to scrimp and save by quietly offering both the DSi XL and 3DS through its refurb shop. The used (and occasionally bruised) systems respectively start at $100 and $130, or $30 and $40 less than they'd normally cost -- enough to justify splurging on a game or two. While the selection is currently scarce, we'll set that qualm aside when everything gets the same year-long warranty as a new unit. About the only debate left is whether or not we're looking for a dedicated game machine in the first place.

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Via: Nintendo Everything, Ars Technica

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Monday, April 29, 2013

Israel minister: US should intervene in Syrian war

JERUSALEM (AP) ? An Israeli Cabinet minister has called on the U.S to intervene in the Syrian civil war after intelligence reports of chemical weapons use there.

The U.S has warned such weapons cross a red line and last week said the weapons were probably used. Israel says they were used.

Environment Minister Amir Peretz said Sunday action should have been taken long ago due to the high civilian death toll. "We expect whoever defines red lines will also do what is needed, first and foremost the U.S. and of course the entire international community," he said. His remarks do not reflect Israeli policy.

The White House says it is still trying to pin down definitive proof of the use of chemical weapons.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-minister-us-intervene-syrian-war-112458340.html

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Manchin: Gun bill to be reintroduced

WASHINGTON (AP) ? One of the architects of failed gun control legislation says he's bringing it back.

Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday said he would re-introduce a measure that would require criminal and mental health background checks for gun buyers at shows and online. The West Virginia Democrat says that if lawmakers read the bill, they will support it.

Manchin sponsored a previous version of the measure with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. It failed.

Manchin says there was confusion over what was in the bill.

In the wake of last year's school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Congress took up gun control legislation, but it was blocked by supporters of the powerful pro-gun lobby, the National Rifle Association.

Manchin appeared on "Fox News Sunday."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/manchin-gun-bill-reintroduced-170200855.html

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Scenes From ?Nerd Prom?: America?s Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents? Dinner

The annual gathering not far from the White House that brings together journalists, government officials, politicians and media personalities for what's usually an evening of light-hearted banter and celebrity gawking has begun.

Often referred to as "Nerd Prom," the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner is being hosted this year by entertainer, comedian and late-night TV talk-show host Conan O'Brien.

Here are some images from the event so far:

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerCorrespondents' Dinner

US first lady Michelle Obama (2L) and Michael Clemente (2R) of FOX listen as comedian Conan O'Brien (L) and US President Barack Obama joke during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerCorrespondents' Dinner

Comedian Conan O'Brien (L) and US first lady Michelle Obama joke during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerCorrespondents Dinner

US Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia poses for a photo during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerWHCD

Piers Morgan and Gerard Butler attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Getty Images)

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerCorrespondents Dinner

Ben Sherwood, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Nick Loeb and Holly Burrell attend ABC News, Yahoo! News, Univision Pre-White House Correspondents Dinner cocktail reception at Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Getty Images for Yahoo! News)

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerWHCD

Korie Robertson and Willie Robertson attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Getty Images)

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerCorrespondents Dinner

(L-R) Kerry Washington, Betsy Beers and Shonda Rhimes attend ABC News, Yahoo! News, Univision Pre-White House Correspondents Dinner cocktail reception at Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Getty Images for Yahoo! News)

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerCorrespondents Dinner

Actor Kevin Spacey and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus talk during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerWHCD

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Sharon Malone attend ABC News, Yahoo! News, Univision Pre-White House Correspondents Dinner cocktail reception at Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Getty Images for Yahoo! News)

Scenes From Nerd Prom: Americas Celebrities and Politicians Mingle at Glam Correspondents DinnerCorrespondents Dinner

(L-R) Aasif Mandvi, Charles Esten, Connie Britton and George Stephanopoulos attend ABC News, Yahoo! News, Univision Pre-White House Correspondents Dinner cocktail reception at Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Getty Images for Yahoo! News)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.? It will be updated.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scenes-nerd-prom-america-celebrities-politicians-mingle-glam-022037171.html

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Le'Veon Bell Drafted: Steelers Draft Michigan State RB In 2013 NFL Draft Second Round

PITTSBURGH (AP) ? The Pittsburgh Steelers insist they don't draft based on need.

Funny, doesn't look like it.

The Steelers took major steps toward replacing departed stars Rashard Mendenhall and Mike Wallace on Friday, taking Michigan State running back Le'Veon Bell in the second round of the NFL draft then grabbing Oregon State wide receiver Markus Wheaton in the third.

Pittsburgh hopes the beefy Bell can stop the revolving door in the backfield the team endured last season as Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer all struggled with injuries and inconsistency.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley believes Bell's versatility and durability could give the Steelers the kind of bruising running back the club has lacked since Jerome Bettis retired after the 2005 season.

"He's a three-down back with very good hands," Haley said of Bell. "He catches the ball very well out of the backfield. He's a young kid who doesn't have a lot of tread (off) the tire."

Something the Steelers need to boost a running game that has struggled to find consistency the last few seasons. Pittsburgh finished 26th in the league in rushing yards in 2012 as Mendenhall, Dwyer, Redman and rookie Chris Rainey all spent time working themselves into and out of coach Mike Tomlin's doghouse.

Mendenhall headed to Arizona via free agency last month after five turbulent years. Redman and Dwyer signed their restricted free agent tenders for what amounts to a one-season audition to stick around. Now they'll be joined by the precocious Bell, who needed just three seasons to become one of the best backs ever at Michigan State.

Bell ran for 3,346 career yards and 33 touchdowns with the Spartans and caught 78 passes for 531 yards and a score. He rolled up 1,793 yards in 2012, the second-highest single-season total in Michigan State history while being named to the All-Big Ten first team.

Though the 6-foot-1 Bell played at 245 pounds in college, he has already dropped 15 pounds to add some quickness. The Steelers also hope it will make him more durable. Steeler running backs Redman and Dwyer ? both listed between 230 and 235 ? had significant issues last season but Bell is taller than both players.

"I'm going to come in and compete with the other backs and the other backs are going to compete with me," Bell said. "They're going to try and make me better and I'm going to make them better at the same time. That's all going to make the team better."

An improved running game would take some of the pressure off Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers best stretch in 2012 came during a four-game winning streak at midseason that included three consecutive 100-yard games, two by Dwyer and one by Redman. They took turns getting hurt or benched over the second half of the season and failed to really seize control of the position after Mendenhall aggravated a knee injury. Bell already caught the attention of new teammate Jarvis Jones. Pittsburgh's first-round pick faced Bell while playing linebacker for Georgia in the 2012 Outback Bowl. Bell ran for two touchdowns, including one that tied the game at 27 and sent it to overtime.

"He's a big boy," Jones said.

The Steelers think Bell can be more than that. So does Bell.

"A lot of people look at me like, 'He's just a short yardage back,'" Bell said. "But I don't look at myself like that. I can get to the outside and beat you with speed. I can catch the ball out of the backfield. I can pass protect ... There's a lot of things that I can do to bring value to the Steelers and that's what I plan on doing."

While Bell could have a shot at starting this fall, Wheaton won't have quite the same pressure. He set a school record by catching 227 passes in his career at Oregon State and added 631 yards rushing. He worked at all four receiver spots though it appears he would be a more natural fit in the slot in the NFL.

Though he averaged just 13.7 yards per catch, Wheaton can get deep. He ran a disappointing 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard-dash leading up to the draft and said he ran as fast as 4.3 in college.

Either way, that already makes him the fastest wideout on the Steelers, who have sure-handed Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders slated to start. Pittsburgh needed someone who can get behind cornerbacks and Haley is encouraged by Wheaton's consistent production.

"When you put on the tape, he's a fast player," Haley said. "He's an exciting guy to have around."

Haley cautioned against making any direct comparisons between Wheaton and Wallace, noting Wheaton may be a more well-rounded player.

"The numbers aren't huge from a yards-per-catch standpoint but he's one of the guys we thought, that when the ball is in his hands he really will be more exciting," Haley said. "That leaves the door open to do a lot of things with this guy, which kind of fits in with AB and Emmanuel."

Notes: The Steelers signed free agent running back LaRod Stephens-Howling. The former Pitt star ran for 652 yards and five touchdowns in four seasons with the Cardinals and thrived as a kick returner. He led the NFL with 1,548 kickoff return yardage in 2010.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/27/leveon-bell-steelers-pittsburgh-nfl-draft_n_3166605.html

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Wall Street dips after GDP data; Chevron lifts Dow

By Ryan Vlastelica

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks mostly slipped on Friday as the latest round of economic data indicated that growth fell short of expectations in the latest quarter.

Amazon.com Inc tumbled after results, pressuring both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, though gains at Hewlett-Packard Co and Chevron Corp kept the Dow in modestly positive territory. Despite the day's decline, major indexes were on track for a week of solid gains.

Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.5 percent rate in the first quarter, below estimates for growth of 3 percent but above the 0.4 percent rate in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The data could raise doubts about the ability of the economy to absorb government spending cuts and higher taxes, and may fuel speculation on the possibility of more Federal Reserve measures to boost growth, or at least keep its current stimulus plans in place.

"The moderate move to the downside isn't out of line with the GDP data as light as it was," said Steve Sosnick, equity-risk manager at Timber Hill/Interactive Brokers Group in Greenwich, Connecticut. "It wasn't so great, but not bad enough to derail the freight train the market has been on."

The S&P is 1.7 percent higher on the week while the Dow is up 1.2 percent and the Nasdaq is up 2.3 percent.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment fell to 76.4 from 78.6 in March, although it topped economists' expectations for 73.2 and improved upon the preliminary April reading of 72.3.

Amazon shed 7.1 percent to $255.25 and was the biggest drag on both the S&P and Nasdaq 100 <.ndx> after revenue growth slowed in the first quarter as the world's largest Internet retailer struggled overseas, even as margins jumped on lower shipping expenses.

Chevron rose 1.1 percent to $119.78 after the energy giant posted earnings that beat expectations, helped by foreign currency gains.

"In general, earnings haven't been blockbusters, but the fact that we've had a sharp rally through the season tells you the market is relatively sanguine about what has come out," Sosnick said.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 15.39 points, or 0.10 percent, at 14,716.19. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was down 3.70 points, or 0.23 percent, at 1,581.46. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was down 13.35 points, or 0.41 percent, at 3,276.64.

Hewlett-Packard gained 3.2 percent to $20.21, helping to keep the Dow in the green.

Shares of Starbucks Corp , the world's biggest coffee chain, slipped 1 percent to $59.85 after it reported a quarterly profit that matched Wall Street estimates, although revenue was slightly below expectations.

The PHLX housing sector index <.hgx> gained 1.2 percent and was on track for its sixth consecutive advance, getting a lift from D.R. Horton Inc and Weyerhaeuser Co after the No. 1 U.S. homebuilder and forest products company reported earnings.

D.R. Horton shares jumped 7.3 percent to $26.31 though Weyerhaeuser slipped 0.8 percent to $31.12.

With 51 percent of the S&P having reported, 69 percent have beaten earnings expectations, above the 63 percent average since 1994 and slightly over the 67 percent beat rate over the past four quarters.

However, revenue has been lackluster, with only 42 percent topping analyst forecasts, well below the 62 percent average since 2002 and the 52 percent beat rate for the last four quarters.

Analysts now see earnings growth of 3.6 percent this quarter, up from expectations of 1.5 percent at the start of the month.

(Editing by James Dalgleish)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-st-opens-lower-gdp-data-133821627.html

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Boston bombings suspect moved from hospital to prison

Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been moved to a Massachusetts prison facility from the hospital he has been held in for a week.

By Tracy Connor, Alastair Jamieson and Erin McClam, NBC News

The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings has been moved from the hospital to a federal prison 40 miles away that provides specialized medical care, the government said Friday.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was moved from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he has been held and interrogated since his capture last week, to the federal prison at Fort Devens, Mass.,?the Marshals Service said.

The prison?s website describes it as a facility for men who need specialized or long-term medical or mental health care.

The most prominent inmate there is Raj Rajaratnam, who in 2011 was sentenced to 11 years in prison for insider trading. He has diabetes, and the prison has a dialysis center.

The prison is in a wooded setting on a military base that was decommissioned in 1996. Another inmate there is Sabri Benkahla, who is serving 10 years for lying to authorities about training with militants in Pakistan. Benkahla was accused of being part of an American group that trained with paintball guns. He is scheduled for release in 2016.

Roger Stockham,?a Southern California man who was accused in January 2011 of plotting to blow up a mosque outside Detroit, served at Fort Devens and was released late last year. Stockham has a long criminal history that includes holding?a psychiatrist hostage, kidnapping his son, trying to hijack a plane and threatening to kill the president.

A lawyer who has had clients sentenced to Fort Devens told The Hartford Courant in 2005 that the prison has an outdoor basketball court. Crafts, including woodworking and making leather goods, are popular, the lawyer told the newspaper ? though it is not clear how restricted Tsarnaev will be.

At the time, a judge had recommended that John Rowland, a former Connecticut governor who pleaded guilty to a corruption charge, be assigned to Fort Devens. Instead he served about 10 months at a federal prison in Pennsylvania.

In 1918, during a flu pandemic that killed tens of millions of people around the world, there was a severe outbreak at what was then known as Camp Devens ? a ghastly scene of piled up corpses and cots overflowing onto porches.

The outbreak came in the last days of World War I. According to an account published by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, men at Devens were so sick that their oxygen-deprived skin turned deep blue.

The decision on where to send federal inmates is made by the Bureau of Prisons, which does not generally disclose its reasons for assigning prisoners.

Boston police could be seen early Friday leaving the hospital, which has treated not just Tsarnaev but people injured in the marathon blasts April 15.

Tsarnaev, 19, was upgraded earlier this week to fair condition from serious. His injuries, including a gunshot wound to the head and neck that may have been self-inflicted, were so severe that he initially communicated with investigators by moving his head and in writing.

He also has injuries to the leg and hand, apparently from a firefight with police in suburban Watertown, Mass., on April 19 that played out about 12 hours before Tsarnaev was captured hiding in a boat parked in the driveway of a house.

New York authorities said Thursday that Tsarnaev had improved to the point that he could talk, and that in a second round of questioning he admitted that he and his brother decided on the?run to carry out a second attack in Times Square. His brother, Tamerlan, was killed after the shootout.

Tsarnaev has been charged with federal crimes including conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, and Attorney General Eric Holder could decide to seek the death penalty.

Tsarnaev has told investigators that he and his brother acted alone when they built and detonated two pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the marathon. Three people were killed in the attack and more than 200 injured.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators that the brothers were motivated by a desire to defend Islam after the American-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In prison, experts have said, Tsarnaev will probably be subject to special administrative measures that could sharply curtail his contact with fellow prisoners and the outside world. Stephen Huggard, a former Boston federal prosecutor who worked on the?Sept. 11?investigation, said Tsarnaev?s parents, who are in Russia and have insisted he?s being framed, may not be allowed to visit.

/

Heightened security, empty streets, and memorials mark the the days after the Boston Marathon bombings.

At a hospital court room hearing earlier this week, Tsarnaev showed little sign?of fear or remorse and his heart monitor didn?t register a blip when he was told he could be could be facing the death penalty, according to a source familiar with the events inside the room when he was read his rights.

The mother of the Tsarnaev brothers insisted Thursday that her sons are not responsible for the attack and said she did not see any aggression in the older brother, even when the FBI questioned him two years ago.

Speaking to reporters in Russia, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva also said the elder son, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, came to Russia for six months last year to attend a family wedding, visit relatives and later renew his Kyrgyzstan passport.

?America took my kids away from me,? she said. ?I?m sure my kids were not involved in anything.?

U.S. investigators have said they want to know more about why Tamerlan Tsarnaev was in Russia. When he returned to the United States in July, he began posting radical Islamic videos to his YouTube account.

Matthew DeLuca of NBC News contributed to this report.

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Survey shows iPhone loyalty still beating out Android

Apple Store

A recent survey produced some fairly promising results for iPhone's future in the U.S. About half of respondents said they were using an Android phone, and only about 30% iPhone. The same amount (42%) said they would go with either Android and iOS for their next smartphone. Though that sounds a little dour, what's really interesting are the retention rates.

Only 6% of iOS users were intending to switch to Android, with 91% intending to buy another iPhone. Meanwhile 24% of Android users planned to defect, 18% to iPhone. These results have led the researchers to project that there will be more iPhone owners in the U.S. than Android by 2015. The study, conducted by Yankee Group, spanned 16,000 Americans over the last 12 months, so you can expect that these results are fairly representative, if not their projections.

There have been plenty of studies in the past which cement Apple loyalty, and it's good to see that the trend is keeping up. Let's be fair - the HTC One looks pretty sweet, and should appeal to many of the physical design sensibilities ingrained in iPhone users, but how many of you are seriously considering a switch for your next phone? What is it about the iPhone that keeps you coming back model after model?

Via: AllThingsD

    


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Extreme Rules Triple Threat Match: An infographic

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/extremerules/2013/extreme-rules-2013-world-heavyweight-champion-triple-threat-match-infographic

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Autism risk spotted at birth in abnormal placentas

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have figured out how to measure an infant's risk of developing autism by looking for abnormalities in his/her placenta at birth, allowing for earlier diagnosis and treatment for the developmental disorder. The findings are reported in the April 25 online issue of Biological Psychiatry.

One out of 50 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but the diagnosis is usually made when these children are 3 to 4 years of age or older. By then the best opportunities for intervention have been lost because the brain is most responsive to treatment in the first year of life.

Senior author Harvey Kliman, M.D., research scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine, and research collaborators at the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis, have found that abnormal placental folds and abnormal cell growths called trophoblast inclusions are key markers to identify newborns who are at risk for autism.

Kliman and his team examined 117 placentas from infants of at-risk families, those with one or more previous children with autism. These families were participating in a study called Markers of Autism Risk in Babies ? Learning Early Signs. Kliman compared these at-risk placentas to 100 control placentas collected by the UC Davis researchers from the same geographic area.

The at-risk placentas had as many as 15 trophoblast inclusions, while none of the control placentas had more than two trophoblast inclusions. Kliman said a placenta with four or more trophoblast inclusions conservatively predicts an infant with a 96.7% probability of being at risk for autism.

Currently, the best early marker of autism risk is family history. Couples with a child with autism are nine times more likely to have another child with autism. Kliman said that when these at-risk families have subsequent children they could employ early intervention strategies to improve outcomes. "Regrettably couples without known genetic susceptibility must rely on identification of early signs or indicators that may not overtly manifest until the child's second or third year of life," said Kliman.

"I hope that diagnosing the risk of developing autism by examining the placenta at birth will become routine, and that the children who are shown to have increased numbers of trophoblast inclusions will have early interventions and an improved quality of life as a result of this test," Kliman added.

###

Yale University: http://www.yale.edu

Thanks to Yale University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127925/Autism_risk_spotted_at_birth_in_abnormal_placentas

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Recession is improving safety standards says IOSH Chairman ...

The economic recession blighting British industry is having one unexpected positive effect ? it is improving safety standards, says a Midlands Health and Safety Advisor.


Marvin Owen, Chairman of the Midlands West District of the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH), is urging business managers to attend a major annual training event it is hosting in Shropshire in June, saying good safety practice is becoming increasingly vital to commercial survival.

He added: ?Many people might think that, when times are economically tough, companies are going to be tempted to cut corners and health and safety standards will suffer.

?However, we?re finding the opposite is the case. When the economy was strong, there was so much work that some main contractors were tempted to cut corners by hiring sub contactors who did not always use the right practices.

?Because there is less work around now, we are finding that main contractors feel they have the time and incentive to impose proper health and safety standards, and sub contractors who can demonstrate they can meet them have a real advantage.?

West Midlands IOSH is holding its one-day risk management event on Thursday 20 June 2012, at Enginuity in Coalbrookdale, Telford, Shropshire,

Business managers can attend a series of four workshops to learn how to carry out effective risk assessments in the workplace.

Event Coordinator Emma Walker, for IOSH West District, said: ?Carrying out risk assessments is now central to safety at work ? and for companies to prove they have complied with the law.

?Failure to carry out proper risk assessments is at the centre of many prosecutions which can result in huge fines, ruined reputations and the bankruptcy and even imprisonment of company directors.

?Many companies make the mistake of using generic risk assessments. The workshops will show how they can apply site and process specific risk assessments so health and safety procedures are correct at all times.?

The four workshops will cover the risk assessment process; noise assessment; control of substances hazardous to health; and manual handling. Each will be led by a Midland-based health and safety expert.

The Keynote speech will be given by John Lacey, Vice-President of IOSH.

Marvin Owen said: ?The increased emphasis being put on workplace health and safety during the downturn is welcomed.

?However, there are companies that, mainly through ignorance, are putting their staff, clients and the public at serious risk by failing to carry out proper risk assessments.

?Some people still wrongly see safety procedures as being a financial burden. But not carrying out risk assessments can be a major hidden cost.

?Companies that haven?t fully understood the full safety implications of the work they agree to can suffer huge financial penalties later on. Good health and safety makes good business sense.?

The IOSH West Midlands risk assessment workshops are aimed at all health and safety professionals; managers, directors and health and safety officers in small and medium-sized businesses; anyone who is responsible for assessing risk in the workplace; and anyone else interested in health and safety at work.

For more information about the event which takes place Thursday 20th June or to book a place, email: Leanne Lowther from IOSH. Leanne.Lowther@iosh.co.uk or call 0116 257 3100.

Source: Shropshirelive.com

Source: http://www.eventindustrynews.co.uk/2013/04/26/recession-is-improving-safety-standard-says-iosh-chairman/

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Another HIV vaccine fails as govt halts US study

(AP) ? Bad news in the fight against the AIDS virus: The government is halting a large U.S. study of a possible HIV vaccine because the experimental shots aren't preventing infection.

The study had enrolled about 2,500 people, mostly gay men, in 19 cities. Half received an experimental vaccine developed by the National Institutes of Health, and half received dummy shots.

A safety review this week found that slightly more volunteers who had received the vaccine later became infected with HIV. It's not clear why.

The NIH said Thursday that it is stopping vaccinations, but will continue to study the volunteers' health.

Multiple attempts at creating an AIDS vaccine have failed over the years. But researchers continue to try, pointing to modest success in a 2009 study in Thailand.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-25-HIV%20Vaccine/id-21124f9a8c834f07ac8b729697617c64

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Virginia Tech Carilion scientists image nanoparticles in action

Virginia Tech Carilion scientists image nanoparticles in action [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Paula Byron
paulabyron@vt.edu
540-526-2027
Virginia Tech

For first time, possible to image nanoscale processes in a liquid environment

The macroscopic effects of certain nanoparticles on human health have long been clear to the naked eye. What scientists have lacked is the ability to see the detailed movements of individual particles that give rise to those effects.

In a recently published study, scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute invented a technique for imaging nanoparticle dynamics with atomic resolution as these dynamics occur in a liquid environment. The results will allow, for the first time, the imaging of nanoscale processes, such as the engulfment of nanoparticles into cells.

"We were stunned to see the large-ranged mobility in such small objects," said Deborah Kelly, an assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. "We now have a system to watch the behaviors of therapeutic nanoparticles at atomic resolution."

Nanoparticles are made of many materials and come in different shapes and sizes. In the new study, Kelly and her colleagues chose to make rod-shaped gold nanoparticles the stars of their new molecular movies. These nanoparticles, roughly the size of a virus, are used to treat various forms of cancer. Once injected, they accumulate in solid tumors. Infrared radiation is then used to heat them and destroy nearby cancerous cells.

To take an up-close look at the gold nanoparticles in action, the researchers made a vacuum-tight microfluidic chamber by pressing two silicon-nitride semiconductor chips together with a 150-nanometer spacer in between. The microchips contained transparent windows so the beam from a transmission electron microscope could pass through to create an atomic-scale image.

Using the new technique, the scientists created two types of visualizations. The first included pictures of individual nanoparticles' atomic structures at 100,000-times magnification the highest resolution images ever taken of nanoparticles in a liquid environment.

The second visualization was a movie captured at 23,000-times magnification that revealed the movements of a group of nanoparticles reacting to an electron beam, which mimics the effects of the infrared radiation used in cancer therapies.

In the movie, the gold nanoparticles can be seen surfing nanoscale tidal waves.

"The nanoparticles behaved like grains of sand being concentrated on a beach by crashing waves," said Kelly. "We think this behavior may be related to why the nanoparticles become concentrated in tumors. Our next experiment will be to insert a cancer cell to study the nanoparticles' therapeutic effects on tumors."

The team is also testing the resolution of the microfluidic system with other reagents and materials, bringing researchers one step closer to viewing live biological mechanisms in action at the highest levels of resolution possible.

###

The study appeared in the April 14 print edition of Chemical Communications in the article "Visualizing Nanoparticle Mobility in Liquid at Atomic Resolution," by Madeline Dukes, an applications scientist at Protochips Inc. in Raleigh, N.C.; Benjamin Jacobs, an applications scientist at Protochips; David Morgan, assistant manager of the Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy Facility at Indiana University Bloomington; Harshad Hegde, a computer scientist at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute; and Kelly, who is also an assistant professor of biological sciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech.


[ 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.


Virginia Tech Carilion scientists image nanoparticles in action [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Paula Byron
paulabyron@vt.edu
540-526-2027
Virginia Tech

For first time, possible to image nanoscale processes in a liquid environment

The macroscopic effects of certain nanoparticles on human health have long been clear to the naked eye. What scientists have lacked is the ability to see the detailed movements of individual particles that give rise to those effects.

In a recently published study, scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute invented a technique for imaging nanoparticle dynamics with atomic resolution as these dynamics occur in a liquid environment. The results will allow, for the first time, the imaging of nanoscale processes, such as the engulfment of nanoparticles into cells.

"We were stunned to see the large-ranged mobility in such small objects," said Deborah Kelly, an assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. "We now have a system to watch the behaviors of therapeutic nanoparticles at atomic resolution."

Nanoparticles are made of many materials and come in different shapes and sizes. In the new study, Kelly and her colleagues chose to make rod-shaped gold nanoparticles the stars of their new molecular movies. These nanoparticles, roughly the size of a virus, are used to treat various forms of cancer. Once injected, they accumulate in solid tumors. Infrared radiation is then used to heat them and destroy nearby cancerous cells.

To take an up-close look at the gold nanoparticles in action, the researchers made a vacuum-tight microfluidic chamber by pressing two silicon-nitride semiconductor chips together with a 150-nanometer spacer in between. The microchips contained transparent windows so the beam from a transmission electron microscope could pass through to create an atomic-scale image.

Using the new technique, the scientists created two types of visualizations. The first included pictures of individual nanoparticles' atomic structures at 100,000-times magnification the highest resolution images ever taken of nanoparticles in a liquid environment.

The second visualization was a movie captured at 23,000-times magnification that revealed the movements of a group of nanoparticles reacting to an electron beam, which mimics the effects of the infrared radiation used in cancer therapies.

In the movie, the gold nanoparticles can be seen surfing nanoscale tidal waves.

"The nanoparticles behaved like grains of sand being concentrated on a beach by crashing waves," said Kelly. "We think this behavior may be related to why the nanoparticles become concentrated in tumors. Our next experiment will be to insert a cancer cell to study the nanoparticles' therapeutic effects on tumors."

The team is also testing the resolution of the microfluidic system with other reagents and materials, bringing researchers one step closer to viewing live biological mechanisms in action at the highest levels of resolution possible.

###

The study appeared in the April 14 print edition of Chemical Communications in the article "Visualizing Nanoparticle Mobility in Liquid at Atomic Resolution," by Madeline Dukes, an applications scientist at Protochips Inc. in Raleigh, N.C.; Benjamin Jacobs, an applications scientist at Protochips; David Morgan, assistant manager of the Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy Facility at Indiana University Bloomington; Harshad Hegde, a computer scientist at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute; and Kelly, who is also an assistant professor of biological sciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech.


[ 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/2013-04/vt-vtc042513.php

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Provo council approves fiber network sale to Google, but city must front $1.7 million

Image

Provo, Utah's plan to sell its cost-plagued fiber network to Google has been approved by the municipal council, meaning it'll soon become the third Google Fiber city. However, while still not receiving any money upfront as earlier reported, it'll now have to advance $1.7 million in equipment and engineering costs not part of the deal before, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. In exchange, each Provo resident will get a free 5-megabit internet connection for seven years and Google will have to upgrade the network to connect all the city's homes. It's not quite free, however, as the city's 120,000 residents must still pay a $39 million bond for building the network -- meaning they'll shell out $3.3 million for each of the next 12 years.

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Source: Salt Lake Tribune

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/25/provo-council-approvals-fiber-network-sale-to-google/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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US team speaking to suspects' parents in Russia

MAKHACHKALA, Russia (AP) ? U.S. investigators are in contact with the parents of the two Boston bombing suspects in southern Russia and working with Russian security officials to shed light on the deadly attack, a U.S. Embassy official said Wednesday.

The parents plan to fly to the United States on Thursday, the father was quoted telling the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

The U.S. team traveled Tuesday from Moscow to the predominantly Muslim province of Dagestan "because the investigation is ongoing, it's not over," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He said the Americans were working with the Russian security services, the FSB. He would not specify how long the Americans planned to stay in Dagestan.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and his 19-year-old brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, are accused of setting off the two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15. The elder brother was later killed in a police standoff.

Investigators are looking into whether Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who spent six months in Russia's Caucasus in 2012, was influenced by the religious extremists who have waged an insurgency against Russian security services in the area for years. The brothers have roots in Dagestan and neighboring Chechnya, but neither spent much time in either place before the family moved to the United States a decade ago.

Their mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, spent from morning to early evening Wednesday inside the FSB building in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, where she was believed to be speaking further to U.S. and Russian investigators.

Heda Saratova, a prominent Chechen rights activist providing support to the distraught mother, said Tsarnaeva first went in for questioning on Tuesday, returning late at night. Saratova said she had no details about the discussions, but Tsarnaeva said they were "cordial."

The father, Anzor Tsarnaev, also was summoned to the FSB headquarters but did not go because he felt ill, Saratova said.

He has said previously that he intended to travel to the U.S. this week to talk to police and seek "justice and the truth." The family has said that he wants to bring Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body back to Russia.

___

AP writer Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-team-speaking-suspects-parents-russia-104158829.html

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Majority of children readmitted to hospital following stem cell transplant

Apr. 24, 2013 ? Nearly two-thirds of children receiving stem cell transplants returned to the hospital within six months for treatment of unexplained fevers, infections or other problems, according to a study performed at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center in Boston. Children who received donor cells were twice as likely to be readmitted as children who received their own stem cells.

"No one had ever looked at these data in children," said Leslie E. Lehmann, MD, clinical director of pediatric stem cell transplantation at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center (DF/CHCC). "This is very important information and will allow us to counsel families appropriately, as well as try to devise interventions that reduce the rate of readmissions."

The study by Lehmann and Harvard Medical School student David Shulman is being presented at the 26th annual meeting of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology in Miami, April 24-27.

A record review of 129 children from 2008 to 2011 revealed that 64 percent had at least one hospital readmission within 180 days of transplant. The source of the donor cells was a key predictor: 79 percent of patients receiving transplants from a related or unrelated donor were readmitted compared to 38 percent who received their own cells (autologous transplant). The mean number of readmissions was 2.4, indicating that for some children, discharge after transplant is just the beginning of a long process characterized by repeated hospital stays.

Fever without a documented source of infection accounted for 39 percent of the readmissions; 24 percent were for infections and 15 percent for gastrointestinal problems.

"Most of the patients went on to be successfully treated and ultimately did very well," commented Lehmann.

"We hope these findings can eventually lead to identifying a group of low-risk children who could be managed at local hospitals rather than transplant centers, reducing costs and inconvenience to families."

Lehmann said the goal is to identify which patients could be safely treated without requiring an admission to the hospital.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/vstRiwx6iFU/130424081350.htm

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Americans Suffer While Finance Tax Waits for Congress&#39; Attention ...

Americans Suffer While Finance Tax Waits for Congress? Attention

Posted on Apr?24,?2013

By Thomas Hedges, Center for Study of Responsive Law

More than a thousand people gathered in Washington, D.C.?s Farragut Square on Saturday to demand that a financial transaction tax be placed on derivatives and other forms of speculation. The proposed tax on financial transactions, detailed in a bill Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., introduced to Congress a week ago, would generate more than $300 billion a year in revenue, thereby doing away with the need for the sequester currently forcing across-the-board budget cuts.

The Financial Transaction Tax, or Robin Hood Tax, has a broad base of support. Nurses, environmentalists, union workers, and people living with HIV/AIDS, for example, spoke at the rally on behalf of Americans who have been exploited at the expense of profit on Wall Street. The tax resonates with many Americans because of its simplicity and concrete purpose?it takes a modest percentage of profits from a multitrillion dollar market on Wall Street and uses that revenue to rebuild the crumbling infrastructure that allowed financial corporations to generate their wealth in the first place.

Transaction taxes aren?t new. The United States had one from 1914 to 1966. In 1932, it was more than doubled to 0.05 percent to help recovery after the Great Depression. Today, more than 40 countries have a transaction tax, with 11 in the European Union, including Germany and France.

After 1966, the tax was eliminated and replaced with a modest Financial Speculation Tax that now finances the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, two agencies Wall Street emaciated in the following decades.

The transaction tax is also meant to rein in speculative trading and help prevent financial bubbles that in the last 15 years have become a chronic problem.

?It?s actually a good, old-fashioned economic solution,?? Jared Bernstein, former chief economist and economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, wrote in support of the tax. ?Internalize the negative externalities of bad risk pricing and volatility but making it more expensive to lurch. ... It would also raise some much needed revenue which, if I?m right, we?re going to need the next time the herd runs off the cliff ... together.?

Sixty percent of Americans support a transaction tax, including such people as Warren Buffett, Eliot Spitzer, Larry Summers and the members of The Boston Globe editorial board.

?As Obama and other policymakers contemplate far-reaching changes to entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security,? The Boston Globe editorialized in 2011, ?a financial transaction tax?which would simultaneously raise money and deter another crisis?has to be part of the discussion.?

Although we do not yet have a financial transaction tax, President Obama is moving forward with cuts to social programs, public services, Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security.

At the rally Saturday, speakers said that cuts to any sector of the economy were an assault on the general public.

?We?re losing transit as a result of what?s happened to our economy, as a result of the fact that our government has seen fit to bail out banks but not people,? Amalgamated Transit Union President Larry Hanley explained to the crowd of protesters wearing Robin Hood hats. ?Let me tell you, there?s something perverse in a nation that sees fit to slash transit services to people who need it, at a time when people are losing their jobs and have fewer cars.

?When I was growing up,? he continued, ?when I was in school, they talked about citizenship because we were citizens. But somewhere along the line they turned us into consumers and then taxpayers, as if the only role we serve in life is to be angry taxpayers, angry at everybody else who is struggling in this country.?

A growing private sector and shrinking public one does not bode well for people who have little economic value. Those who depend on food stamps, affordable housing, Medicaid, Medicare and other forms of government assistance are the first to feel that shift?s pinch.

In the most recent study on poverty-related deaths, researchers at Columbia University?s Mailman School of Public Health found that 875,000 people died in the U.S. as a result of social factors such as poverty and income inequality in 2000, when income disparity was much smaller than it is today.

?People living with HIV and AIDS depend on medication to live,? activist Jose Demarco told the demonstrators, speaking on behalf of the sick who cannot afford patented drugs. ?Our fate is miserable, slow, painful deaths. This year the budget did not include money for AIDS drugs. What are we supposed to do? Die.?

This article was made possible by the Center for Study of Responsive Law.

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

High score: Man busted with pot-stuffed Pac-Man arcade game

Video games and marijuana may have a rich shared history, but the two came together in an unexpected combination last week in Orangeburg, S.C., when local and federal authorities apprehended a man for smuggling 55 pounds of marijuana that had been stashed inside an arcade cabinet. A Pac-Man arcade, no less.

Authorities first arrested Luis Tyler on April 16 following an undercover investigation, Keisa Gunby, director of media relations for Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office, told NBC News.

"We knew that he was going to be receiving this video game and it was going to have narcotics in it, so we did a traffic stop before he was able to get where he was going with it," Gunby said.

Gunby said she couldn't remember another case involving such a machine, and told us that the Pac-Man cabinet was so tightly packed with pot, it was inoperable as a game console.

"It can't be a functional machine with that much marijuana inside," Gunby said. "It was never going to operate as intended."

While Tyler was apprehended last Tuesday and South Carolina Judge Derrick Dash subsequently set bond at $75,000 the following day, Sheriff Leroy Ravenell didn't announce the bust until Saturday, April 20. Also known as "4/20," that day is widely observed by North American pot smokers as a holiday.

The timing was a sheer coincidence, said Gunby, attributing the delay to remaining questions concerning Tyler's prosecution.

"We are still considering whether he's going to face federal charges or state charges," Gunby said.

The department did make use of the gaming angle, however.

"Our efforts to make Orangeburg safe will not stop," Ravenell is quoted as saying in a press release. "We ... will continue to investigate the criminals in our community and make arrests. You may be looking for a high score but what you'll get is game over!"

? via Kotaku

Yannick LeJacq is a contributing writer for NBC News who has also covered games for Kill Screen, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq and reach him by email at ylejacq@gmail.com.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2b1490fe/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cingame0Chigh0Escore0Eman0Ebusted0Epot0Estuffed0Epac0Eman0Earcade0Egame0E6C956630A6/story01.htm

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