Iceland set for coalition talks after government ousted

By Balazs Koranyi and Robert Robertson

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's center-right parties prepared for coalition talks on Sunday after defeating the ruling Social Democrats in elections with promises of ending austerity measures five years after a financial collapse.

With nearly all the ballots counted, the Independence Party took 26.7 percent of the vote and the Progressive Party 24.4 percent, both gaining 19 seats in the Althing, or parliament.

The Social Democrats were a distant third with 12.9 percent.

"Independence and Progressives teaming up in a coalition is the likely outcome," Olafur Hardarson, a political science professor at the University of Iceland said. "Other outcomes are of course possible but very unlikely."

Once a European financial center, the windswept north Atlantic island of glaciers, geysers and volcanoes has struggled along for years after a crash that brought it to its knees in just a matter of days.

The election brings back the same parties that presided over the rise and fall. Tired by years of belt tightening, high mortgages, capital controls and unrealized promises of recovery, households lost patience with the Social Democrats.

"We are offering a different road, a road to growth, protecting social security, better welfare and job creation," said Independence leader Bjarni Benediktsson, the favorite to become the next prime minister.

"What we won't compromise about is cutting taxes and lifting the living standards of people," Benediktsson, a 43-year-old former professional soccer player, told Reuters.

The Independence party won the popular vote but earned as many seats in parliament as Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson's Progressive Party, setting the stage for a tussle between the two.

"We've seen all sorts of different forms of governments here in the past decades," Gunnlaugsson, 38, told Reuters. "Sometimes the biggest party delegates the prime minister, sometimes not."

Coalitions in Iceland are traditionally agreed in a matter of days.

"The choice seems to be clear," Benediktsson said. "We'll go into coalition with whoever we can govern with."

SHORT MEMORIES

The two parties ruled Iceland, often in coalition, between 1980 and 2009, setting in motion an economic revolution that made Iceland rich

"People seem to have a very short memory," Halldor Gudmundsson, 44, said after casting his ballot on Reykjavik's outskirts. "These are the parties that got us into the mess in the first place."

Iceland's liberalized banks borrowed heavily on cheap overseas markets and lured British and Dutch savers with high returns.

But after amassing assets worth more than 10 times Iceland's GDP, Landsbanki, Kaupthing and Glitnir collapsed in quick succession, dragging the entire country into a financial abyss in October 2008.

Property prices tumbled, unemployment soared and the currency was only saved by capital controls that locked in foreign investors indefinitely.

The Social Democrats stabilized the economy with a bailout package hailed as exemplary by the IMF. But a series of policy blunders, tax hikes, leniency toward foreign creditors and their inability to deal with household debt cost them popularity.

"Household debt is the main issue, we have very strong opinions on that and can't compromise on that," Gunnlaugsson said. "We'll work with whoever shares this passion."

Both center right parties campaigned on offering relief to households and both said the failed bank's foreign creditors will have to accept a write-off, perhaps as much as 75 percent.

They also argued against EU membership, so the vote was also a referendum on breaking off stalled accession negotiations.

Turnout, the lowest since independence from Denmark, also reflected the sour mood among Iceland's 320,000 people.

"There's so little room to maneuver and they promised so much, their popularity will be gone in three months," said Egill Helgason, a political commentator for national broadcaster RUV.

The victory caps a comeback for Benediktsson.

Two weeks ago he considered resigning after low poll ratings prompted calls for him to step down as party leader.

Hailing from a rich family with many business interests, he was considered out of touch and tainted by the collapse.

He fought back with a television interview which gave voters a glimpse of his human side and propped up his party's ratings.

(Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/icelanders-oust-government-over-austerity-program-040554830.html

21 jump street illinois primary results acapulco mexico hines ward robert deniro mexico news the talented mr ripley

Conversion from bad fat to good fat

Public release date: 28-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Christian Wolfrum
christian-wolfrum@ethz.ch
41-446-557-451
ETH Zurich

Scientists from ETH Zurich have shown for the first time that brown and white fat cells in a living organism can be converted from one cell type to the other. Their work, using mice as a model organism, provides important new insights into the origin of brown fat cells, which is a prerequisite for the development of successful anti-obesity therapies.

Two types of fat cells can be found in mammals and hence in humans: White fat cells function mainly as highly flexible energy stores which are filled in times of calorie abundance. The fat is stored in the form of lipid droplets, which are mobilized when energy is needed. Diametrically opposed in function are the so-called brown adipocytes: These cells specialize in burning energy in the form of fat and sugar to produce heat. New-born babies possess substantial amounts of brown fat and utilize it to maintain body temperature. Since it was recently shown that brown adipocytes also exist in adult humans, research has focused on understanding how brown adipocytes are formed. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to increase brown adipocyte number and activity in obese humans, allowing them to burn excess calories and thus reduce weight.

Against the current belief

It is known that both humans and mice can adapt to cold temperatures by forming brown fat cells within their white fat depots. These cells are called "brite" fat cells (brown-in-white) and are less common at warmer versus colder temperatures. However, the origin of these special brown adipocytes has remained a matter of debate. The prevalent hypothesis was that brite cells are formed from special precursor cells and are removed when no longer needed. The alternate idea of a direct interconversion between white and brown fat cells gained less attention. By demonstrating that this interconversion does occur and is one of the main contributors to brite fat cell formation, the current belief has been challenged.

Genetically labelled fat cells

To demonstrate how brite fat cells are formed the researchers in the laboratory of Christian Wolfrum, a professor at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, generated mice that allowed them to genetically label specific fat cells. These animals were kept in a changing environment: starting at 8C for a week and for several weeks afterwards at normal room temperature. During the cold exposure, the mice formed brown adipocytes in their white fat depots a process called "britening". After warm adaptation the fat tissue turned white again. Using the genetic markers the scientists concluded from these experiments that white fat cells can convert into brown fat cells and vice versa. As humans have the same type of cells as mice it is likely that the same process occurs in humans upon cold stimulation.

Treatments against obesity

"To develop new treatment strategies we need to find ways to convert white into brown adipocytes", says Wolfrum. Most of the research has focused on identifying the precursor cells for brown fat cells, an approach that may be insufficient. Future work will address the question of how to manipulate this interconversion process either by pharmacological or by nutritional means.

This approach would represent a novel strategy. "Current anti-obesity therapies target the energy intake side of the equation by controlling appetite and the uptake of nutrients", says Wolfrum. The pharmacological treatments that are available are not very efficient and usually are associated with side effects. In contrast, this novel approach to treat obesity would target the energy expenditure side of the equation by promoting brown fat formation.

###

Literature reference

Rosenwald M, Perdikari A, Rlicke T, Wolfrum C: Bi-directional interconversion of brite and white adipocytes. Nature Cell Biology 2013, Advance Online Publication, DOI: 10.1038/ncb2740

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 28-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Christian Wolfrum
christian-wolfrum@ethz.ch
41-446-557-451
ETH Zurich

Scientists from ETH Zurich have shown for the first time that brown and white fat cells in a living organism can be converted from one cell type to the other. Their work, using mice as a model organism, provides important new insights into the origin of brown fat cells, which is a prerequisite for the development of successful anti-obesity therapies.

Two types of fat cells can be found in mammals and hence in humans: White fat cells function mainly as highly flexible energy stores which are filled in times of calorie abundance. The fat is stored in the form of lipid droplets, which are mobilized when energy is needed. Diametrically opposed in function are the so-called brown adipocytes: These cells specialize in burning energy in the form of fat and sugar to produce heat. New-born babies possess substantial amounts of brown fat and utilize it to maintain body temperature. Since it was recently shown that brown adipocytes also exist in adult humans, research has focused on understanding how brown adipocytes are formed. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to increase brown adipocyte number and activity in obese humans, allowing them to burn excess calories and thus reduce weight.

Against the current belief

It is known that both humans and mice can adapt to cold temperatures by forming brown fat cells within their white fat depots. These cells are called "brite" fat cells (brown-in-white) and are less common at warmer versus colder temperatures. However, the origin of these special brown adipocytes has remained a matter of debate. The prevalent hypothesis was that brite cells are formed from special precursor cells and are removed when no longer needed. The alternate idea of a direct interconversion between white and brown fat cells gained less attention. By demonstrating that this interconversion does occur and is one of the main contributors to brite fat cell formation, the current belief has been challenged.

Genetically labelled fat cells

To demonstrate how brite fat cells are formed the researchers in the laboratory of Christian Wolfrum, a professor at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, generated mice that allowed them to genetically label specific fat cells. These animals were kept in a changing environment: starting at 8C for a week and for several weeks afterwards at normal room temperature. During the cold exposure, the mice formed brown adipocytes in their white fat depots a process called "britening". After warm adaptation the fat tissue turned white again. Using the genetic markers the scientists concluded from these experiments that white fat cells can convert into brown fat cells and vice versa. As humans have the same type of cells as mice it is likely that the same process occurs in humans upon cold stimulation.

Treatments against obesity

"To develop new treatment strategies we need to find ways to convert white into brown adipocytes", says Wolfrum. Most of the research has focused on identifying the precursor cells for brown fat cells, an approach that may be insufficient. Future work will address the question of how to manipulate this interconversion process either by pharmacological or by nutritional means.

This approach would represent a novel strategy. "Current anti-obesity therapies target the energy intake side of the equation by controlling appetite and the uptake of nutrients", says Wolfrum. The pharmacological treatments that are available are not very efficient and usually are associated with side effects. In contrast, this novel approach to treat obesity would target the energy expenditure side of the equation by promoting brown fat formation.

###

Literature reference

Rosenwald M, Perdikari A, Rlicke T, Wolfrum C: Bi-directional interconversion of brite and white adipocytes. Nature Cell Biology 2013, Advance Online Publication, DOI: 10.1038/ncb2740

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/ez-cfb042613.php

cj wilson ellsbury brad pitt and angelina jolie brad and angelina herniated disc luke scott tom benson

Wonderville Launches An Interactive Content Library And Virtual Classroom Network For Kids

Last July, a group of veteran executives from eToys, eBay, Sesame Street, Discovery and Disney unveiled their ambitious plan to create a souped-up Khan Academy for kids. But rather than a straightforward port, the learning platform, called Wonderville, aimed to expand on Khan's approach to the "flipped classroom" by aggregating educational content from a variety of third-party sources.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Cjm765GXrDY/

secret service fenway park philadelphia flyers student loan forgiveness ufc 145 weigh ins record store day 2012 detroit red wings

Nearly half of U.S. veterans found with blast concussions might have hormone deficiencies

Apr. 22, 2013 ? Up to 20 percent of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced at least one blast concussion. New research suggests that nearly half these veterans may have a problem so under-recognized that even military physicians may fail to look for it. A new study conducted by Charles W. Wilkinson, Elizabeth A. Colasurdo, Kathleen F. Pagulayan, Jane. B. Shofer, and Elaine R. Peskind, all of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and the University of Washington in Seattle, has found that about 42 percent of screened veterans with blast injuries have irregular hormone levels indicative of hypopituitarism.

Many conditions associated with hypopituitarism mimic other common problems that veterans can suffer, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, explains study leader Wilkinson. However, unlike those other conditions, those under the banner head of hypopituitarism can be can often be well-controlled by replacing the deficient hormones. "This could be a largely missed opportunity for successful treatment," Wilkinson says.

The team will discuss their study, entitled, "Prevalence of Chronic Hypopituitarism After Blast Concussion," at the Experimental Biology 2013 meeting, being held April 20-24, 2013 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, Mass. The poster presentation is sponsored by the American Physiological Society (APS), a co-sponsor of the event. As the findings are being presented at a scientific conference, they should be considered preliminary, as they have not undergone the peer review process that is conducted prior to the data being published in a scientific journal.

A Simple Screen

Wilkinson explains that researchers have recently recognized that traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can cause hypopituitarism -- a decrease in the concentrations of at least one of eight hormones produced by the pituitary, a gland seated at the base of the brain. Studies in the last few years have suggested that between 25 and 50 percent of people who receive TBIs have low pituitary hormone levels. However, these early studies have focused on injuries that civilians are more likely to receive, such as an automobile accident.

As a research physiologist who works for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Wilkinson decided to investigate whether veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq who suffer blast injuries show a similar frequency of hypopituitarism.

He and his colleagues collected blood samples from 35 veterans coming home from these wars and diagnosed with a blast concussion about a year prior -- enough time for hormone changes to become evident. They then did a screen to compare blood concentrations of the eight hormones produced by the pituitary with the documented normal levels of these hormones.

Missed Opportunity for Treatment

The researchers found that about 42 percent of these veterans showed abnormally low levels of at least one of these hormones. The most common low hormone was human growth hormone, which can cause behavioral and cognitive symptoms similar to PTSD and depression, along with increases in blood lipids and changes in metabolism and blood pressure that can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. The second most common problem was hypogonadism, changes in sexual hormones that can affect body composition and sexual function.

The researchers also saw that some veterans had abnormally low levels of vasopressin and oxytocin, hormones that have been linked to psychiatric problems and bonding. Problems with these hormone levels, in addition to growth hormone, could lead to personality changes that affect relationships with loved ones, Wilkinson explains.

He notes that the prevalence of hypopituitarism in the general population is estimated at 0.03 percent. The 42 percent prevalence that these results suggest is cause for further investigation, he says.

"We're not diagnosing definite disorders in this study -- these individuals would still need a clinical evaluation," he explains. "But if even 10 percent of these veterans have hypopituitarism, it's a problem that physicians should be aware of."

Wilkinson adds that many veterans who suffer blast injuries may never see an endocrinologist -- and a neurologist or a psychiatrist, whom they're more likely to see for post-concussion follow-up, is unlikely to screen for hormonal deficiencies. Because low hormone levels can often be successfully treated, he says, it's a missed opportunity to help veterans. The work was supported by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Physiological Society (APS).

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

---

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/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/f1r6NmhOocc/130422102029.htm

grizzlies bronx zoo crash april 30 wwe extreme rules 2012 vontaze burfict jimmy kimmel amzn

Sichuan quake highlights threat to China's dams

The magnitude 6.6 earthquake that shook China's Sichuan province on 20 April, killing over 180 people, was small compared to the magnitude 7.9 quake that struck the region in May 2008, claiming some 69,000 lives. But it provided a sobering reminder that many of China's engineering projects are vulnerable because they sit along fault lines ? and raises questions about whether they could, in part, be to blame.

In unstable regions like Sichuan, it is critical to look at how building reservoirs, for example, might affect the local seismology, says Shemin Ge of the University of Colorado in Boulder. Ge and her colleagues have suggested that the 2008 quake may have been partially triggered by the creation a few years earlier of the giant Zipingpu Reservoir 20 kilometres from what would be the epicentre. The reservoir would have ratcheted up the pressure on the rocks beneath.

It's too early to know whether reservoir-building contributed to last week's quake. Of more immediate concern is the damage to dams and reservoirs, says Mian Liu of the University of Missouri in Columbia. According to the Ministry of Water Resources, two medium-sized and 52 small dams were damaged, with residents evacuated downstream of five of them.

Determining the factors behind the recent quake could help inform where future projects are sited, says Ge. China has already planned to build 60 hydropower dams between 2011 and 2015, many of which will lie along fault lines as these form natural sites for river courses. In theory, dams can be designed to withstand any amount of shaking.

The 2008 quake, whose epicentre was 85 kilometres away, may also have contributed to the latest event, by redistributing pressure along the Longmen Shan fault line, says Liu. In the aftermath, he calculated that it had increased the risk of another magnitude-7 quake within the next 50 years by a few per cent. "Seems nature was in a hurry," he says of last week's quake.

Although it's impossible to predict any quake with certainty, the area now most at risk, Liu says, is the Aninghe fault line further south ? the two recent quakes may have slightly increased the stresses there.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

Have your say

Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.

Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article

Subscribe now to comment.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/2b12ac08/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn234240Esichuan0Equake0Ehighlights0Ethreat0Eto0Echinas0Edams0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

Psy Cat Zingano DMX act spartacus spartacus Jonathan Winters

Finally, Revis a Buc

Getty Images

Last week, when the Jets pressed ?pause? on the Darrelle Revis trade talks, some thought that another team or two could try to jump into the fray.

It didn?t happen.

In fact, it never happened.? Per a source with knowledge of the process, it was always Tampa ? and only Tampa.

That reality kept the Jets from getting more than a first-round pick in 2013 and a fourth-round pick in 2014 (which will become a third-round pick if he?s on the Tampa Bay offseason roster next year).? It also kept Revis from getting anything more finite than a pay-as-you-go contract that promises him annual compensation of $16 million, with nothing guaranteed.

In the end, it was the best deal the Jets and Revis could get, because it was the only deal they could get.

?If we had the luxury of time, if we had the luxury of Darrelle not having been injured, not having gone through rehab, then I think things would be a lot clearer both from our standpoint and in the case of potential trade suitors,? G.M. John Idzik told reporters on Sunday.

He?s right.? Only one team was willing to give up a first-round pick plus a 2014 selection for the hope that Revis will be back to his old self after ACL replacement.? Only one team was willing to commit $16 million to him for 2013.? (Though it?s not actually guaranteed, there?s no way he?ll be cut before Week One, when his $13 million base salary becomes guaranteed as a practical matter by the labor deal.)

Perhaps most importantly, only one team was willing to do a deal that, if Revis goes back to being Revis, will necessitate an adjustment or risk his third career holdout.

The thinking was that the next contract for Revis would have to carry enough guaranteed money to make him or his agents never complain again about his compensation.? The Bucs instead have created a situation in which it?s highly unlikely that both sides consistently will be content with Revis earning total compensation that equates to $1 million per game.

If he plays poorly, the Buccaneers eventually will have to explore paying him less, or possibly moving on.? If he plays well, the Bucs will have to brace for Revis wanting more.

Still, after blowing a first-round pick in 2008 on Aqib Talib and a third-round pick in 2010 on Myron Lewis, the Bucs will now gamble those same two picks on the chance that Revis will get back to form.? If he does, and if he wants more money because of that, it?ll be a very good problem for the Buccaneers to have.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/21/jets-most-likely-will-get-a-third-round-pick-in-2014-for-revis/related/

2013 toyota avalon the secret life of bees full moon aubrey o day johan santana viktor bout ncaa hockey

Why corals do calisthenics

Pulsating motion appears to flush water for better photosynthesis

By Susan Milius

Web edition: April 22, 2013

View the video

Like hyperactive flowers, xeniid corals open and then clench their little branched tops every few seconds much of the day and night. What makes these coral calisthenics worthwhile, experiments now suggest, could be the way they mix and freshen water to improve coral nutrition.

All that flexing roils the water near the corals and sweeps it upward and away, says marine ecologist Maya Kremien of Hebrew University of Jerusalem. That boosts the photosynthetic capture of energy from the sun to make food for the corals, Kremien and her colleagues report April 22 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Near Israel?s Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Kremien and her colleagues observed the motions and water flow in swaths of the coral Heteroxenia fuscescens growing wild in what she describes as ?amazing pulsating carpets.?

As animals, the coral polyps don?t photosynthesize themselves, but rely on live-in algae to do so. In the lab, clusters of H. fuscescens with algae in place more than doubled their net photosynthetic rate when flexing versus resting. ?

The boost may come from the way pulsing coral keeps excess oxygen from building up. Photosynthetic algae release oxygen, which competes with carbon dioxide for access to a key enzyme used in photosynthesis. So waving away water full of oxygen can dial up photosynthetic efficiency.

To test this idea, Kremien and her colleagues raised the oxygen concentration in aquarium tanks containing coral. As suspected, highly oxygenated water slowed algal photosynthesis.

Keeping photosynthesis robust may be particularly important to this coral family because algae apparently provide most, or maybe all, of the corals? food. Many other kinds of corals supplement their diets by snagging little planktonic creatures wafting by. Kremien and her colleagues find little evidence of food snagging in H. fuscescens.

Photosynthesis aside, stirring up water can improve nutrient supplies by mixing in seawater that nearby polyps have not yet depleted of essentials such as nitrogen.

Only corals of the family Xeniidae, including the Heteroxenia in this study, pulsate. They?re one of the families of what are called soft corals, clusters of flexible polyps that don?t create great stony architecture.

?I have been wondering why Heteroxenia pulsates for decades ? great to see the mystery solved,? says reef ecologist Katharina Fabricius of the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville. ?It creates another mystery though: Why don?t more soft corals do it??

Shown moving at their natural speed, the flowerlike tops of soft coral polyps in the Xeniidae family open and close for much of the day and night. Keeping the water mixed for better nutrition may be what makes all this work worthwhile.
Credit: M. Kremien et al/PNAS 2013

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349906/title/Why_corals_do_calisthenics

seabiscuit dingo nba all star weekend malin akerman jeff carter chomp national enquirer

Jessica Alba Is the Latest Celeb Mom to Wear Jennifer Meyer Necklace

The mom of two joins Kim Kardashian, Reese Witherspoon and Drew Barrymore as the latest celeb mom to wear Jennifer Meyer's nameplate necklace.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/2zvHAJr9WOE/

harden nor easter nor easter veep los angeles kings timothy leary jonathan frid

Strong winds postpone new US rocket's launch debut

?

NASA / Bill Ingalls

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen as it launches from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Sunday.

By Tariq Malik, Space.com

A new commercial U.S. rocket soared into the Virginia sky Sunday on a debut flight that paves the way for eventual cargo flights to the International Space Station for NASA.

The third try was the charm for the?private Antares rocket, which?launched into space from a new pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, its twin engines roaring to life at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) to carry a mock cargo ship out over the Atlantic Ocean and into orbit. The successful liftoff came after two delays caused by a minor mechanical glitch and bad weather.?

Built by the Dulles, Va.- based spaceflight company Orbital Sciences, the Antares rocket is a two-stage booster designed to launch tons of supplies to the International Space Station aboard a new unmanned cargo ship called Cygnus. Orbital has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to provide at least eight resupply flights to the station using Antares and Cygnus. [See photos of Antares rocket's 1st launch]?

"Antares has delivered the A-ONE test mission payload into orbit," an Orbital Sciences commentator said. There were cheers out of Orbital's launch control room at ever successful stage of the launch, with the team breaking out in handshakes and hugs as the rocket reached orbit.?

Orbital had much riding on today's successful liftoff, which marked a critical test flight of a new commercial launch system.

The company has invested about $300 million developing the?Cygnus spacecraft?alone, slightly more in the rocket itself, Orbital executive vice president Frank Culbertson told reporters after the successful launch. The result, he added, was an amazing show with apparently no significant glitches aside from a brush fire ignited near the launch pad.

"This was a majestic liftoff during ascent," said Culbertson, who is a former NASA astronaut and Orbital's general manager for advanced programs. The Antares rocket as a low thrust to weight ratio, which means it has a slow start rising off the launch pad, he added. "It was a beautiful liftoff."

NASA chief Charles Bolden attended the launch and lauded the Orbital launch team on the successful flight.

"This is an incredibly historic day," Bolden told Orbital's team. "You couldn't have gone any farther without today. This was a first, huge step." [Launch Video: Antares Soars Into Orbit on 1st Flight]?

NASA TV

The first private Antares rocket built by Orbital Sciences Corp. launches toward space from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., on April 21, 2013. It marks the first flight test for the rocket.

Virginia's biggest rocket launch?
Antares is the largest rocket ever to launch from?NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. It lifted off from the new Pad 0A, which is at Wallops but managed by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) and overseen by the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority. Altogether, the Commonwealth of Virginia and MARS officials spent about $140 million to build the new launch pad complex.

Today's launch was expected to be visible from locations all along the East Coast, from Maine to South Carolina, weather permitting. Orbital even released several photos advising what the rocket would look like from famous landmarks around the Capitol.?

Orbital initially tried to launch the Antares rocket on Wednesday but called off the attempt when a vital data cable separated from the rocket earlier than planned, about 12 minutes before liftoff. The company spent Thursday analyzing the glitch and opted not to try for a Friday launch due to foul weather. Strong winds forced a delay on Saturday, but Mother Nature cooperated for Sunday's launch.

In a Twitter post before launch, officials at NASA's Wallops facility reported that the site's visitor center was completely packed for today's launch, despite the delays. MARS officials hope the Orbital launches will help serve as a new source of tourism for the region.

"It's definitely something we're all excited about," Basia Shields, manager of the Lighthouse Inn on nearby Chincoteague Island, told SPACE.com before Sunday's liftoff. "I mean, this is the off season for us and almost every room is booked just for this thing."

Private space cargo ships?
Orbital Sciences?is one of two companies with NASA contracts for commercial cargo deliveries to the space station. The other firm is Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., which has a $1.6 billion deal for 12 space station cargo missions.

With the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet in 2011, the agency is relying on commercial companies like Orbital Sciences and?SpaceX to provide the vital resupply services ? and, eventually, crew launches ? required to keep the space station fully stocked and staffed. Before the commercial program, NASA was dependent on Russian, Japanese and European cargo ships for supplies, and it still temporarily relies on?Russian Soyuz vehicles?for crewed missions.

"This is a new way of doing business, and with any new investment, there is a risk," Alan Lindenmoyer, head of NASA's commercial crew and cargo program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, told reporters after the successful launch. "But it sure is nice to see a return on that investment and things go your way. I think this is a great day for everyone."

NASA picked Orbital Sciences as a commercial cargo partner in 2008, awarding the firm $288 million to begin developing the Cygnus spacecraft under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program.?SpaceX?won its first COTS award in 2006.

"This is the culmination of a plan that we've been on for several years," NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver told reporters before the Wednesday launch try. "I am thrilled to have two competitors."

Garver said that at least two companies providing cargo services for NASA is vital since it assures access to space and does not allow one company to have a monopoly on station cargo deliveries.

Orbital and SpaceX also offer slightly different services. Unlike SpaceX's?Dragon space capsules, which can return cargo to Earth from the station, Orbital's Cygnus vehicles are disposable and are intentionally burned up in the atmosphere at mission's end.?

NASA TV

The Earth drops away from Orbital Sciences first Antares rocket in this amazing view captured by the rocket's ATK-built second stage during a test launch on April 21, 2013.

Antares test flight success?
During the test launch, the Antares rocket launched on a southeast trajectory over the Atlantic and took 10 minutes to reach its target orbit 155 miles (250 kilometers) above Earth. The rocket carried an 8,377-pound (3,800 kilograms) dummy payload to mimic the weight of an actual Cygnus spacecraft. The mockup was packed with 70 sensors to record how the Antares rocket launch would affect a Cygnus vehicle.

"It looks like all the expectations we had for today's flight were beautifully met," Lindenmoyer said.?

The dummy module is expected to spend at least two weeks in orbit before burning up in Earth's atmosphere, Orbital officials said.

Antares also carried three?coffee cup-size Phonesat satellites?? called Alexander, Graham and Bell ? into orbit as part of a space technology experiment for NASA's Ames Research Center in California. The tiny 4-inch-wide satellites use commercial smartphones as their main computers. Another small satellite the size of a bread box, called Dove-1, also rode into orbit as part of a commercial agreement for the California-based company Cosmogia. Dove-1 is reportedly an Earth-observation and remote sensing satellite, according to a NOAA remote sensing license document.

Orbital's Antares rocket is a two-stage booster that stands 131 feet (40 meters) tall and weighs 639,341 pounds (290,000 kilograms) at liftoff.?

The first stage is powered by two Aerojet AJ26 liquid-fueled rocket engines originally developed to launch Russia's giant N-1 moon rocket in the 1960s. Today's launch marked their first flight ever from U.S. soil.? The Antares second stage is a solid-fueled motor built by Allliant Techsystems (ATK), the same company that built the twin solid rocket boosters for NASA's space shuttle launches.

NASA / Bill Ingalls

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad-0A at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on April 16, 2013 on Wallops Island, Va.

With the test flight now complete, Orbital is now looking forward to up to two more launches this year, both of them headed to theInternational Space Station. That first cargo flight, a demonstration mission, could launch in late June or early July, Orbital officials said.

"This is not a one-shot deal," Lindenmoyer said. "They're going to be here awhile."

Culbertson said that Orbital hopes to launch Antares rockets from Wallops every three to six months for the cargo delivery flights.

Editor's note:?If you snap a great photo of Orbital's Antares rocket launch that?you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send photos, comments and your name and location to managing editor Tariq Malik at?spacephotos@space.com.

?UPDATE:?This story was updated at 7:52 p.m. EDT to include new comments and details of today's Antares rocket launch.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him?@tariqjmalik?and?Google+.?Follow us?@Spacedotcom,?Facebook?and?Google+. Original article on??SPACE.com.

Copyright 2013?SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

This story was originally published on Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:17 PM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2af68355/l/0Lscience0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C20A0C1784150A20Estrong0Ewinds0Epostpone0Enew0Eus0Erockets0Elaunch0Edebut0Dlite/story01.htm

dog show best in show bret michaels bret michaels pekingese tcu football westminster

London race: Tributes to Boston, extra security

LONDON (AP) ? A defiant, festive mood prevailed Sunday at the London Marathon despite concerns raised by the bomb attacks on the Boston Marathon six days ago.

Thousands of runners offered tributes to those killed and injured in Boston on a glorious spring day in London. The race began after a moment of silence for the victims in Boston, and many here wore black armbands as a sign of solidarity.

"It means that runners are stronger than bombers," said Valerie Bloomfield, a 40-year-old participant from France.

London's is the first major international marathon since the double-bomb attack near the finish line in Boston, which left three people dead and more than 180 injured, including many who are still hospitalized. In addition, a policeman was killed during the search for the two suspected bombers. One suspect was killed during a shootout with police, while a second has been arrested.

Some 36,000 runners were expected to take part in the London race, which also draws tens of thousands of spectators. Police said they planned to add 40 percent more officers and extra surveillance as a precautionary measure.

Most runners in London said they weren't worried by the Boston bombings, and the impressive turnout of enthusiastic fans lining the routes showed the same spirit.

Stuart Calderwood, an editor with a New York running magazine who has run in eight Boston Marathons, said the carnage there had made him and his friends more determined to run in London.

"We thought, 'What's going on with marathons? Are we vulnerable, in danger?'" said Calderwood, 55, after finishing the London course. "My group that came here, we just decided this is going to make us better. We're going to say marathons are the opposite of bombing and hostility and terror. People come from all over the world, work together to do something they couldn't do by themselves."

He said he put his hand on his heart as he crossed the finish line to honor the Boston victims: "I was thinking in the last mile about the kid that died, his name is Martin Richard and he used to run through every puddle he saw in the street. He loved to run. I ran that for him. ...This is for marathons and positive thinking."

David Wilson, 45, said there was no question of canceling the marathon. He noted that Londoners had come back onto the streets the day after the lethal July 7, 2005, transit system bombings and weren't easily cowed.

"You can't not do anything, because otherwise you'd stay on the outs all the time," he said.

But Chris Denton, a 44-year-old engineer stretching his legs by the start line, acknowledged an undercurrent of anxiety. He'd asked that his family not come out to support him because of a possible copycat attack. "I left them at home," he said. "If only for my peace of mind."

The men's race was won by Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede; the women's champion was Kenyan Priscah Jeptoo.

Among the participants in London was Tomasz Hamerlak of Poland, who finished fourth in the men's wheelchair race and had competed in Boston last week. He said he was determined to race in London.

"It is terrible what happened in Boston, but we can't look back, we must look forward," an out-of-breath Hamerlak told The Associated Press moments after crossing the finish line. "The show must go on."

A relaxed-looking Prince Harry presented awards to the wheelchair racers and mingled with spectators.

"It's fantastic, typically British," he said. "People are saying they haven't seen crowds like this for eight years around the route. It's remarkable to see."

He said it was "never an option" for him to cancel his appearance following the Boston bombings.

"No one has changed any plans, volunteers, security, nothing has changed," he said. "Typically the British way."

On Blackheath, the spacious green common area where the race begins, runners massaged one another's legs as loud pop music boomed on a sound system. A half-dozen police officers in reflective vests strolled around and chatted with the runners.?Many in the crowd wore Boston T-shirts.

Moments before the majority of runners set off on the grinding course, announcer Geoff Wightman used the loudspeakers to ask for silence. He described marathon running as a global sport that unites runners and supporters in every continent in a spirit of friendship.

"This week the world marathon family was shocked and saddened by the events at the Boston Marathon," he said as he asked the people gathered to "remember our friends and colleagues for whom a day of joy turned into a day of sadness."

As those gathered responded to his call, the only noise that could be heard was the buzz of helicopters and the beeping of a truck.

Security was plentiful but not intrusive near the finish line at the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. Marathon staff, officials and media had their bags thoroughly checked, a process not deemed necessary at the event last year. Officials said this was in response to the Boston attack.

Shirley Gillard, a 63-year-old retiree sitting on a bench at the edge of the starting area, seemed pleased with her decision to come out and watch the race.?She described herself as the type of person who was always worried when spotting an unattended bag on public transport, but said people shouldn't change their habits because of what happened in Boston.

"That would be letting them win, the terrorists and lunatics," she said.

Marathon organizers plan to donate money to a Boston fund set up to help victims. They said they did not consider canceling the event, which is a highlight of the sporting calendar.

In a smaller event in Germany, some 15,000 runners were participating Sunday in the Hamburg Marathon. They wore armbands with the slogan "Run for Boston" as a mark of respect for the bombing victims

Extra security was added and there was no disruption. Hamburg organizers have said that they know of only eight people who pulled out because of the Boston bombings.

___

AP writers Rob Harris and Steve Douglas in London and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/london-race-tributes-boston-extra-security-093847676.html

Democratic National Convention 2012 myocardial infarction What Is Labor Day jersey shore Pasquale Rotella Michael Clark Duncan michael jackson

singara889: Dying at home: the normalization and silencing of ...

April 19th, 2013

Dr. Lisa Seto Nielsen, an Assistant Professor of the School of Nursing at York University, spoke at the Women?s Mental Health and Well-Being Speaker Series held at York University. Using the lessons she learnt from her research in palliative care, home care, death, dying, and immigrant health she found that in Chinese immigrant families caring for a family member with terminal cancer, how women took up the caregiving role was potentially different from men, but it was highly contextual. Most importantly, the pragmatics of dying at home took priority over adherence to essentialized cultural ?beliefs? such that the social and material conditions of participants and the enormity of dealing with death and dying provided more insights into patient?s experiences of palliative home care. Her presentation was informed by her doctoral dissertation which explored the palliative home care experiences of Chinese immigrants with advanced cancer in the Greater Toronto area. Even though her dissertation did not focus solely on gender, gendered aspect regarding dying at home did emerge.

Using postcolonial theory, a critical perspective of culture was adopted that viewed culture as dynamic and fluid, rather than a set of static beliefs. Of particular interest was the work of Bhaba (1994/2004) and the ?Third space? as a space for cultural transformation and cultural hybridity. A postcolonial perspective provided an critical analysis that highlighted how different roles and the positioning of the other created vulnerabilities for both men and women caregivers.

? ? getting up, washing, dressing and cooking, a little cooking. (I: Does your family help you?) Oh, when they come home from work in the evening, they help a little because they have to work and don?t have a lot of time?. even if there?s pain, I still have to get up.? (CR4, translated). ?Those were the words of one of the study participants who was describing the impact of being a terminal cancer patient, wife, and caregiver. Using lessons learned from her research, Dr. Seto Nielsen elaborated on how caregiving roles are still mostly carried out by women but this was due in part because immigrant family members could not take time off work because of lack of job security. Dr. Seto Nielsen also described how this issue is complex and should not be looked at solely from a gender perspective but also to include social and material conditions immigrant women are living in.

She spoke of how some men still categorized doing groceries as women?s work and that one male caregiver in her study spoke comfortably about doing meal preparation and household chores, but not personal care. As such, a key aspect of whether Chinese immigrant women would move from home to hospice is whether they were able to provide their own personal care. The female care recipients indicated that they would consider being admitted to a hospice or palliative unit when they could no longer bathe or toilet themselves. Thus male care recipients were able to stay at home to die because they could reject personal care from outside providers as they could depend on their wives to provide that care. In doing so, the male care recipients could avoid the vulnerability of exposing their bodies to strangers, but inadvertently became dependent on their wives for their care. She concluded her lecture by answering questions from the audience and offering some helpful discussion on social and spatial complexity of palliative home care.

Source: http://health.blog.yorku.ca/2013/04/19/dying-at-home-the-normalization-and-silencing-of-womens-caregiving-roles-in-palliative-care/

daylight savings Daylight Savings Time 2013 DeAndre Jordan Oz the Great and Powerful elisabeth hasselbeck Mothers Day 2013 World Baseball Classic

Source: http://singara889.blogspot.com/2013/04/dying-at-home-normalization-and.html

davy jones deep impact miesha tate vs ronda rousey idiocracy usssa baseball alex o loughlin the godfather

Google's Android target of new antitrust complaint

BRUSSELS (AP) ? A group of companies led by Microsoft have called on European authorities to launch an antitrust investigation into Google's dominance of Internet usage on mobile devices.

The complaint comes from the "FairSearch" initiative of 17 companies, including Microsoft Corp., Nokia Corp., and Oracle Corp. The group claims that Google is acting unfairly by requiring device makers using its free Android operating system to bundle an entire suite of Google's services to ensure they can include just one or two "must-have" apps, such as Google Maps and YouTube.

"Google is using its Android mobile operating system as a Trojan horse to deceive partners, monopolize the mobile marketplace and control consumer data," said Thomas Vinje, the group's Brussels-based lawyer.

Google does allow smartphone and tablet makers to sculpt Android to serve their own needs. In some instances, that has led to Android modifications that exclude Google's services. For instance, Amazon.com Inc. has largely locked out Google from its popular line of Kindle Fire tablets. There also have been periodic instances of Android smartphones with either Microsoft's Bing or Yahoo rather than Google as the built-in search engine.

Android operating systems are installed on about 70 percent of new smartphones, according to analyst estimates, handing Google the largest market share worldwide. Makers of Android devices include Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC Corp. Android is followed by Apple's iOS system, which powers the iPhone and the iPad. Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry, Microsoft's Windows and others trail far behind.

"Google's predatory distribution of Android at below-cost makes it difficult for other providers of operating systems to recoup investments in competing with Google's dominant mobile platform," FairSearch said in a statement.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive arm and antitrust authority, must decide at some point whether to take up the case or drop it. A spokesman confirmed the complaint had been received.

Google Inc., which is based in Mountain View, California, did not address the complaint's charges in detail. "We continue to work cooperatively with the European Commission," Google spokesman Al Verney said.

The U.S. company is already under investigation by Brussels for practices related to its dominance of the online search and advertising markets.

That complaint, launched in 2010, alleges that Google unfairly favors its own services in its Internet search results, which enjoy a near-monopoly in Europe. Google has proposed a list of remedies to address the Commission's concerns to achieve a settlement. The Commission is currently examining the proposed changes.

"We have received some proposals by Google and we will soon launch a market test" of the proposed remedies, said Antoine Colombani, a spokesman for EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia. He declined to speculate on when the investigation would be concluded.

The EU Commission has often taken a harder line with U.S. tech companies than its American counterparts, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department.

Google settled a similar antitrust complaint on its search business with the FTC in January without making any major concessions on how it runs its search engine, the world's most influential gateway to digital information and commerce.

Microsoft, which has been a leading player in the complaints against Google, has had its own protracted run-ins with the EU Commission. The Redmond, Washington, company has paid 2.2 billion euros in various fines since investigations began in 1998.

The FairSearch complaint was announced on the same day that Microsoft launched the latest phase of its U.S. ad campaign. That campaign depicts Google as a duplicitous company more interested in increasing profits and power than protecting people's privacy and providing unbiased search results.

Google's new privacy rules, meanwhile, are also attracting the scrutiny of European authorities. Several data privacy regulators have launched an investigation, alleging the company is creating a data goldmine at the expense of unwitting users.

Last year, the company merged 60 separate privacy policies from around the world into one universal document. The European authorities complain that the new policy doesn't allow users to figure out which information is kept, how it is combined by Google services or how long the company retains it.

The policy allows Google to combine data collected as one person uses multiple Google's services, from Gmail to YouTube, giving the company a powerful tool for targeting users with advertising based on their interests and search history. Advertising is the main way the company makes its money.

___

Toby Sterling in Amsterdam and Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed reporting.

___

Follow Juergen Baetz on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jbaetz

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/googles-android-target-antitrust-complaint-124420401--finance.html

Jessica Brown Findlay keith urban Dorothy Hamill american idol hard boiled eggs

Stocks soar, led by gains in technology

Stocks rose sharply on Wall Street Wednesday, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 index and Dow Jones industrial average?to record highs.?Technology stocks surged after network communication company Adtran reported earnings that were double what Wall Street analysts expected.

By Steve Rothwell,?AP Markets Writer / April 10, 2013

Trader Peter Tuchman works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday. Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, led by a surge in technology stocks.

Richard Drew/AP

Enlarge

Technology?stocks?roared back Wednesday, driving the Standard & Poor's 500 and Dow Jones industrial average to record highs.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

The industry has lagged the broader market this year, but surged after network communication company Adtran reported earnings that were double what Wall Street analysts expected. That boosted optimism that businesses will increase spending on technology equipment.

Chipmakers Micron and Intel jumped, as did other network equipment makers like Cisco and JDS Uniphase.Stocks?were also up on an optimistic reading of the Federal Reserve Bank's latest minutes.

The Dow and S&P 500 both closed at all-time highs. Technology?stocks?rose 1.8 percent, the most of the 10 industry groups in the S&P. That's a big change from tech's weak performance this year. The group is up just 4.7 percent, trailing the S&P's gain of 11.3 percent.

The?stock?market is reversing course from last week, when investors' confidence fell because of an unexpectedly poor report on the U.S. job market and other signs that the economy slowed in March.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 128.78 points, or 0.9 percent, to 14,802.24. It was the third straight gain for the blue-chip index and its biggest one-day rise in a month. The Dow surged in the first three months of the year and is still up 13 percent in 2013.

The Nasdaq composite, which is heavily weighted with technology?stocks, had the biggest percentage gain of the three main indexes Wednesday, rising 59.39 points, or 1.8 percent, to 3,297.25 The S&P rose 19.12 points, or 1.2 percent, to 1,587.73.

Investors are seeing positive news in the minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting, which were released Wednesday. The minutes revealed that policy makers are becoming more confident that the U.S. economy can grow without the help of the bank's stimulus program, said Brian Gendreau, a market strategist at Cetera Financial Group.

Many Fed members indicated they want to slow and eventually end the central bank's bond-buying program before the end of the year, as long as the job market and economy show sustained improvement. The $85 billion in monthly bond purchases has kept interest rates extremely low, with the goal of encouraging borrowing and spending.

"The idea that the Fed thinks that we are closer to the restoration of normality might be positive for the market," said Gendreau.

Among?stocks?making big moves, Facebook rose 98 cents, or 3.7 percent, to $27.57 after General Motors said it would start running ads on the social network site. Adtran rose $2.75, or 14 percent, to $22.46, and JDS Uniphase rose 64 cents, or 4.8 percent, to $13.98.

Hospital?stocks?fell heavily after Deutsche Bank lowered its recommendation on the companies because their prices have risen so much that they no longer offer good value. Private hospitals have surged over the past year in anticipation that health care spending will increase following the introduction of Obama's health care plan.

Health Management Associates plunged $2.06, or 16 percent, to $10.53. Tenet Healthcare fell $2.38, or 5.5 percent, to $41.14 and Community Health Systems dropped $1.65, or 3.8 percent, to $42.26.

Bond yields fell as investors moved money out of safe haven U.S. government debt and into riskier assets. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.81 percent from 1.75 percent late Tuesday.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Ie8hXdrHRhg/Stocks-soar-led-by-gains-in-technology

facebook ipo facebook ipo mike kelley puxatony phil josh harvey clemons college football recruiting rankings ground hog day 2012

Draft Tunisia constitution threatens right to strike: union | Morocco ...

?TUNIS, April 5, 2013 (AFP)

Tunisia?s powerful UGTT trade union accused?the National Constituent Assembly on Friday of seeking to limit the right to?strike in the new constitution that is being drafted.

Article 27 of the draft stipulates that the right to strike is guaranteed?as long as such action does not endanger the ?life, health or security of?people.?

??We will not let this article pass,? said Houcine Abbassi, secretary?general of the General Union of Tunisian Workers.

??Those who are behind this article want to put an end to the work of?unions, to the UGTT,? Abbassi told a news conference, in a veiled reference to?the governing coalition headed by the Islamist party Ennahda.

Under the decades-long rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the UGTT was the?only union and the only national political force other than the Rally for?Constitutional Democracy, the ousted dictator?s ruling party.

It has had tense relations with Ennahda since the Islamists triumphed in?October 2011 in Tunisia?s first free elections following the revolution, and?regularly accuses Ennahda of trying to intimidate or weaken it.

Economically struggling Tunisia has suffered numerous strikes in recent?months, is also torn by a political crisis over the failure to achieve?consensus on the post-Ben Ali constitution.

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/04/85477/draft-tunisia-constitution-threatens-right-to-strike-union/

jessica sanchez robert kennedy cardinals san diego weather frances bean cobain north korea missile launch modesto

Balance between good economics and good politics imperative ...

New Delhi - Laying emphasis on the need for good economics to complement good politics, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia today stated that no society can have a future without the two and the systems would run down in the absence of a positive balance.

Dr. Ahluwalia stated that he is a firm believer that good economics can lead to good politics but the path to it is not easy. He further said that bad policies exist because of vested interests and to address this issue, electorate needs to be adequately informed to understand who is benefiting from policies of the Government.

Mentioning energy pricing as one of the most difficult areas of policy, Dr Ahluwalia highlighted that as India imports majority of its energy needs be it crude oil, natural gas or coal, the domestic price of energy should reflect the imported price.

"Benefits of such change would only occur over a period of time whereas costs are evident immediately," he added.

Emphasizing the role and importance of institutional participation of business, Dr. Ahluwalia urged the CII to assess 12th Five Year Plan and bring out 15 potentially controversial things with its views on agreement or disagreement. This, according to him, will offer a better chance of good sensible economics being complemented by good politics.

Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, who also addressed the forum, stated that good governance is the critical link between good economics and good politics.

Emphasizing that good economics is imperative for economic growth, Prasad stated that India had squandered away lot of opportunities focusing on distribution and not on capacity expansion.

Emphasizing the importance of good governance, he highlighted four contemporary (policy) issues in sectors relating to coal allocation, national highways, real estate and telecom where good policy work failed to deliver desired results due to bad governance.

Concluding, Prasad said that the inherent potential of the country is waiting to explode and politicians have to become facilitators by practicing good economics, good politics and proper governance and should not be road blockers.

The chief editor of Business Standard, T N Ninan, while speaking on the forum, stated that the economic reforms issue has not really figured adequately in the political framework. He said that managing the economy well is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the political parties to bring them back in power.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in his address stated that good economics and good politics are the two sides of the same coin and if put together they lead to good governance.

Referring to Kautilya, he stated that good economics should be driven by the motto of service and welfare of all sections of the society.

Hooda pointed out that the industry friendly policies of his government has benefitted the State by catapulting the average growth of state GDP from 6.4 percent between 1966-67 to 2004-05 to an annual average growth rate of 9.3 percent in last eight years.

Sharing important statistics on investments in his State, he mentioned that 87 percent of all investments made in Haryana came from the private sector and the state enjoys a high implementation rate with 81 per cent of the investments are under implementation stage.

Hooda said that for inclusive growth, it is important to give economic value to land, create employment opportunities and make people employable by inculcating in them skills.

Source: http://www.indiavision.com/news/article/business/411712/balance-between-good-economics-and-good-politics-imperative-says-ahluwalia/

Jennifer Granholm Tulane player injured fox sports obama speech Art Modell Frank Ocean Gay bill clinton

Shain Gandee and the appeal of the 'reckless redneck'

The death 'Buckwild' star Shain Gandee will confirm backwoods stereotypes for some, but it also points to such shows' deeper appeal ? a glimpse into a life lived with less anxiety.

By Patrik Jonsson,?Staff writer / April 3, 2013

Shain Gandee from MTV's 'Buckwild' reality series was found dead Monday in a sport utility vehicle in a ditch along two other people near Sissonville, W. Va. Apparently, he had been 'mudding.'

Amy Sussman/Invision/AP/File

Enlarge

MTV has stopped production of its wildly popular ?Buckwild? reality TV show after one of its carefree stars, Shain Gandee, was killed in a freak off-road accident, along with two other men.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

The tragedy instantly sparked questions about voyeurism in pop culture and the dangers that exist between the words ?reality? and ?TV.? Most specifically, did the push for provocative TV featuring reckless and stunt-prone West Virginia 20-somethings fuel Mr. Gandee?s abandon away from the cameras?

So far, the answer to that question isn?t known, though MTV is picking up Gandee?s funeral costs. But those who knew Gandee describe him as one of the most genuine on the show, whose actual personality and behavior didn?t change too much when the cameras rolled. The men died of carbon monoxide poisoning after getting their truck stuck in a mud hole in a late-night adventure.

?Buckwild? was already controversial before Gandee?s death, particularly for its portrayal of young self-described American rednecks and questions about whether the show was intended strictly to make fun of rural Americans ? a sort of ?hillbilly-sploitation.? It also had its share of real controversy. Recently, Gandee?s co-star, Salwa Amin, was arrested on drug charges involving heroin and meth.

Down to earth and slightly off-kilter, the crew escaped rural boredom by spinning wheels in mudholes and, occasionally, making swimming pools out of dump truck beds. Their alcohol-fueled love fumblings added to a sense of parody, but their overall travails and search for good times seemed to act as a link between an increasingly urbanized America and its agrarian and pioneer roots.

In that respect, Gandee?s death has, for many viewers, provided a moment to consider the cultural stereotypes that drive the show and have made white, rural Americans the ripest, and most acceptable, demographic for parody.

The kind of reckless escapades perpetrated by the ?Buckwild? crew are, on one hand, simply laugh fodder for ?urban supremacists,? says cultural critic Jim Goad, author of ?The Redneck Manifesto.? Yet there may be a deeper, more genuine appeal, he adds.

?Masculinity has been demonized and people have been denatured, so maybe [redneck reality shows] harken back to some genetic memory ? where something that seemed authentic got [lost] and smashed in this increasing push to urbanization,? says Mr. Goad.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Op5xDm77BG8/Shain-Gandee-and-the-appeal-of-the-reckless-redneck

Innocence of Muslims Clara Schumann Jael Strauss Alison Pill gizmodo cnet britney spears

Rutgers AD reviewing Rice's job in wake of video

FILE - In this May 6, 2010, file photo, Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti, right, presents Mike Rice with a jersey after Rice was introduced as the school's men's basketball coach during a news conference in Piscataway, N.J. The airing Tuesday, April 2, 2013, of a videotape of Rice using gay slurs, shoving and grabbing his players and throwing balls at them in practice over the past three seasons has Pernetti reconsidering his decision not to fire the coach. Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a disgruntled former employee, and he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $50,000 and made him undergo anger management classes for inappropriate behavior after investigating it. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)

FILE - In this May 6, 2010, file photo, Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti, right, presents Mike Rice with a jersey after Rice was introduced as the school's men's basketball coach during a news conference in Piscataway, N.J. The airing Tuesday, April 2, 2013, of a videotape of Rice using gay slurs, shoving and grabbing his players and throwing balls at them in practice over the past three seasons has Pernetti reconsidering his decision not to fire the coach. Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a disgruntled former employee, and he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $50,000 and made him undergo anger management classes for inappropriate behavior after investigating it. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2012, file photo, Rutgers coach Mike Rice reacts to play during an NCAA college basketball game against Connecticut in Piscataway, N.J. The airing Tuesday, April 2, 2013, of a videotape of Rice using gay slurs, shoving and grabbing his players and throwing balls at them in practice over the past three seasons has Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti reconsidering his decision not to fire the coach. Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a disgruntled former employee, and he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $50,000 and made him undergo anger management classes for inappropriate behavior after investigating it. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)(AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2012, file photo, Rutgers coach Mike Rice waves as he holds a ball presented to him for his 100th career win after Rutgers defeated Cincinnati in an NCAA college basketball game in Piscataway, N.J. ESPN's airing on Tuesday, April 2, 2013, of a videotape of Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice using gay slurs, shoving and grabbing his players and throwing balls at them in practice over the past three seasons has the university's athletic director reconsidering his decision not to fire the coach. Scarlet Knights AD Tim Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a disgruntled former employee, and he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $50,000 and made him undergo anger management classes for inappropriate behavior after investigating it. (AP Photo/Mel Evans,file)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? Rutgers said it would reconsider its decision to retain basketball coach Mike Rice after a videotape aired showing him shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using gay slurs.

The videotape, broadcast Tuesday on ESPN, prompted scores of outraged social media comments as well as sharp criticism from Gov. Chris Christie and NBA star LeBron James.

Athletic director Tim Pernetti was given a copy of the video in late November by a former employee. He suspended Rice for three games a month later, fined him $50,000 and ordered him to attend anger management classes.

In an interview with WFAN Radio on Tuesday, Pernetti said university president Robert Barchi also viewed the tape last fall and agreed with the punishment.

But ESPN's broadcast prompted an outcry, led by the governor himself.

"Governor Christie saw the video today for the first time and he is obviously deeply disturbed by the conduct displayed and strongly condemns this behavior," spokesman Michael Drewniak said. "It's not the type of leadership we should be showing our young people and clearly there are questions about this behavior that need to be answered by the leaders at Rutgers University."

The Miami Heat's James weighed in with a tweet: "If my son played for Rutgers or a coach like that he would have some real explaining to do and I'm still gone whoop on him afterwards! C'mon."

Rice, who was hired by Pernetti three years ago, is 44-51 at Rutgers, including 16-38 in the Big East, after going 73-31 in three seasons at Robert Morris. The Scarlet Knights went 15-16 this season and 5-13 in the Big East.

Pernetti told WFAN that he understands why many are asking why Rice wasn't fired after the initial investigation.

"I spent more time with that option on whether we should fire Mike or not than any other option," Pernetti said. "At the same the results of the investigation where we ended up, the determination was made to suspend him. My biggest concern as the AD is that I am always trying to protect the interests and reputation of the university and that's what makes this one so difficult. There is a lot of hindsight, 20-20, .... that there will be no other option than to terminate Mike. I made that decision. I am accountable for it. I have to live with it."

Rice was Pernetti's first major hire after getting the AD's job.

"In the end I am not going to look back and say shoulda, woulda. All I can do is figure out going forward the decisions I can make to fix the problem for Rutgers," Pernetti he told the radio station.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-02-BKC-Rutgers-Rice/id-cb04053ef5104d829efc8568f6fb44a6

Golden Globes homeland homeland Miss America 2013 Aaron Swartz Java Gangster Squad