SAfrica: Mandela responds positively to treatment

FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)

FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 18, 2012 file photo former South African President Nelson Mandela as he celebrates his birthday with family in Qunu, South Africa, Wednesday, July 18, 2012. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)

A hawker passes portraits of former president Nelson Mandela depicted in various stages of his life in a Soweto, South Africa, street Thursday, March, 28, 2013. 94-year-old Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, has been hit by a lung infection again and is in a hospital, the presidency said. Mandela, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has been hospitalized several times in recent months, including earlier this month when he underwent what authorities said was a scheduled medical test. The Nobel laureate is a revered figure in South Africa, which has honored his legacy of reconciliation by naming buildings and other places after him and printing his image on national banknotes. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

A child looks through a fence at a portrait of former president Nelson Mandela in a Park in Soweto, South Africa, Thursday, March, 28, 2013. 94-year-old Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, has been hit by a lung infection again and is in a hospital, the presidency said. Mandela, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has been hospitalized several times in recent months, including earlier this month when he underwent what authorities said was a scheduled medical test. The Nobel laureate is a revered figure in South Africa, which has honored his legacy of reconciliation by naming buildings and other places after him and printing his image on national banknotes. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

A child stands in front of a portrait of former president Nelson Mandela in a Park in Soweto, South Africa, Thursday, March, 28, 2013. 94-year-old Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, has been hit by a lung infection again and is in a hospital, the presidency said. Mandela, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has been hospitalized several times in recent months, including earlier this month when he underwent what authorities said was a scheduled medical test. The Nobel laureate is a revered figure in South Africa, which has honored his legacy of reconciliation by naming buildings and other places after him and printing his image on national banknotes. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Nelson Mandela was back in the hospital for the third time in four months Thursday, and the 94-year-old former South African president was reported to be responding well to treatment for a chronic lung infection.

South Africa's presidency said that doctors were acting with extreme caution because of the advanced age of the anti-apartheid leader, who has become increasingly frail in recent years.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was admitted just before midnight to a hospital in Pretoria, the South African capital. He has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment for fighting white racist rule in his country.

"The doctors advise that former President Nelson Mandela is responding positively to the treatment he is undergoing for a recurring lung infection," the presidency said in a statement. "He remains under treatment and observation in hospital."

Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994, is a revered figure in his homeland, which has named buildings and other places after him and uses his image on national bank notes.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sad," Obed Mokwana, a Johannesburg resident, said after hearing that Mandela was back in the hospital. "I just try to pray all the time. He must come very strong again."

In December, Mandela spent three weeks in a hospital in Pretoria, where he was treated for a lung infection and had a procedure to remove gallstones.

Earlier this month, he was hospitalized overnight for what authorities said was a successful scheduled medical test.

Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj, referring to Mandela by his clan name "Madiba," said the latest stay was not for previously planned treatment.

"No, this wasn't scheduled. As you will appreciate the doctors do work with a great sense of caution when they are treating Madiba and take into account his age," he said. "And so when they found that this lung infection had reoccurred, they decided to have him immediately hospitalized so that he can receive the best treatment."

He said there had been a global outpouring of messages expressing concern for Mandela's health.

President Jacob Zuma wished Mandela a speedy recovery.

"We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts. We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery," his office quoted him as saying.

In February 2012, Mandela spent a night in a hospital for minor diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of an abdominal complaint. In January 2011, he was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for what officials initially described as tests but turned out to be an acute respiratory infection. He was discharged days later.

He also had surgery for an enlarged prostate gland in 1985.

The apartheid government released Mandela in 1990. Four years later, he became the nation's first democratically elected president under the banner of the African National Congress, helping to negotiate a relatively peaceful end to apartheid despite fears of much greater bloodshed. He served one five-year term as president before retiring.

Perceived successes during Mandela's tenure include the introduction of a constitution with robust protections for individual rights and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a panel that heard testimony about apartheid-era violations of human rights as a kind of national therapy session.

Mandela last made a public appearance on a major stage when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.

Until his latest string of health problems, Mandela had spent more time in the rural village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province, where he grew up. He was visited there in August by then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Doctors said in December that he should remain at his home in Johannesburg to be close to medical facilities that can provide the care he needs.

___

AP Senior Producer Ed Brown contributed to this report from Durban, South Africa.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-28-South%20Africa-Mandela/id-d5a2eda184cb4e109c962964ae35abfe

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Let's battle with someone actually getting injured!

Are you bored of having battles with no winning or losing side? Do you want your attacks to actually hit without your foe saying "poof! I'm suddenly gone and appear unhurt behind you!"

then join Daughtris: High School Finals

In this RP, I shall roleplay as the monsters, NPC, and environment. The chance of your attack hitting the monsters are determined on how well you write in describing your attacks plus how many points your dye roll gets. The damage your character gets are also determined by how well you describe your evasive maneuver or defends plus dye roll. Its a cool working battle system. Join now ^^

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Lesbian couple wins $100,000 Dream Wedding

March 25, 2013 07:13 GMT

Today is Monday, March 25, the 84th day of 2013. There are 281 days left in the year. The Jewish holiday Passover begins at sunset.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 25, 1965, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led 25,000 marchers to the state capitol in Montgomery, Ala., to protest the denial of voting rights to blacks.

On this date:

In 1306, Robert the Bruce was crowned the King of Scots.

In 1634, English colonists sent by Lord Baltimore arrived in present-day Maryland.

In 1776, Gen. George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, was awarded the first Congressional Gold Medal by the Continental Congress.

In 1865, during the Civil War, Confederate forces attacked Fort Stedman in Virginia but were forced to withdraw because of counterattacking Union troops.

In 1894, Jacob S. Coxey began leading an "army" of unemployed from Massillon (MA'-sih-luhn), Ohio, to Washington D.C., to demand help from the federal government.

In 1911, 146 people, mostly young female immigrants, were killed when fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. in New York.

In 1947, a coal mine explosion in Centralia, Ill., claimed 111 lives.

In 1957, the Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community.

In 1963, private pilot Ralph Flores and his 21-year-old passenger, Helen Klaben, were rescued after being stranded for seven weeks in brutally cold conditions in the Yukon after their plane crashed.

In 1975, King Faisal (FY'-suhl) of Saudi Arabia was shot to death by a nephew with a history of mental illness. (The nephew was beheaded in June 1975.)

In 1988, in New York City's so-called "Preppie Killer" case, Robert Chambers Jr. pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the death of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin. (Chambers received a sentence of 5 to 15 years in prison; he was released in 2003.)

In 1990, 87 people, most of them Honduran and Dominican immigrants, were killed when fire raced through an illegal social club in New York City.

Ten years ago: The Senate voted to slash President George W. Bush's proposed $726 billion tax-cutting package in half, handing the president a defeat on the foundation of his plan to awaken the nation's slumbering economy. Former Waterbury, Conn., mayor Philip Giordano was convicted by a federal jury of violating the civil rights of two preteen girls by sexually abusing them. (Giordano was later sentenced to 37 years in federal prison.)

Five years ago: The Defense Department said it had mistakenly shipped electrical fuses for an intercontinental ballistic missile to Taiwan. (Once the error was discovered, the military quickly recovered the four fuses.) Herb Peterson, the inventor of McDonald's Egg McMuffin, died in Santa Barbara, Calif., at age 89.

One year ago: President Barack Obama arrived in South Korea, where he visited the Demilitarized Zone separating the South from the communist North, telling American troops stationed nearby they were protectors of "freedom's frontier." Pope Benedict XVI, on his first trip to Latin America, urged Mexicans to wield their faith against drug violence, poverty and other ills, celebrating Mass before a sea of worshippers in Silao.

Today's Birthdays: Modeling agency founder Eileen Ford is 91. Movie reviewer Gene Shalit is 87. Former astronaut James Lovell is 85. Feminist activist and author Gloria Steinem is 79. Singer Anita Bryant is 73. Singer Aretha Franklin is 71. Actor Paul Michael Glaser is 70. Singer Elton John is 66. Actress Bonnie Bedelia is 65. Actress-comedian Mary Gross is 60. Actor James McDaniel is 55. Former Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., is 55. Rock musician Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet) is 53. Actress Brenda Strong is 53. Actor Fred Goss is 52. Actor-writer-director John Stockwell is 52. Actress Marcia Cross is 51. Author Kate DiCamillo is 49. Actress Lisa Gay Hamilton is 49. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker is 48. Former MLB All-Star pitcher Tom Glavine is 47. Olympic bronze medal figure skater Debi Thomas, M.D., is 46. Singer Melanie Blatt (All Saints) is 38. Actor Lee Pace is 34. Actor Sean Faris is 31. Auto racer Danica Patrick is 31. Singer Katharine McPhee is 29. Singer Jason Castro ("American Idol") is 26. Actress-singer Aly (AKA Alyson) Michalka (mish-AL'-kah) is 24. Actor Kiowa Gordon is 23. Actress Seychelle Gabriel is 22.

Thought for Today: "In every person, even in such as appear most reckless, there is an inherent desire to attain balance." -- Jakob (YAH'-kawb) Wassermann, German author (1873-1934).

Source: http://www.wgme.com/news/top-stories/stories/wgme_lesbian-couple-wins-100000-dream-wedding-16038.shtml?wap=0

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Soundtracker Radio for iPhone and iPad review

A like for music is something almost every human being has in common. While tastes can differ greatly, there's no denying almost all of us like listening to music. Soundtracker Radio aims to make not only listening to music more engaging, but finding music easier than ever. The premise is simple, you listen to the music you've already got on your iPhone or iPad through the Soundtracker Radio app and others around you can see and listen in.

The whole premise of Soundtracker Radio is to be able to interact with other users around you so everyone can find more music and discover what others enjoy. The music that's played through Soundtracker Radio is the music you've already got on your device or music your friends and contacts have that they're sharing. If you don't have any friends currently using Soundtracker Radio, that's okay, you can still check out trending music and stream those tracks live as well.

The main menu of Soundtracker Radio pulls out from the side and lets you switch between your activity feed which will feature what you and your friends have listened to lately to stations that you've created and more. The most engaging way of discovering music is to view the map around you by tapping on the Nearby tab. This will launch a map of your current location and show users around you and what they're currently listening to.

To create a station, you can tap on the main menu button and choose the create station option option underneath your name. From here you can choose to add up to 3 artists that you'd like to a mix and give it a name. Once you're done the station will automatically start streaming. One thing I have noticed is that album art doesn't always pull in correctly and mach the artist's name. For instance, one of my albums pulled in the cover art for Calvin Harris but it was actually Ellie Goulding. Hopefully bugs like this will get fixed quickly.

The good

• Clean and useable interface that's much more enjoyable than the default Music app
• Favorites makes it easy to find and tune back in to stations that you've found through discovery
• Nearby is an awesome feature if there are quite a few people in your area using the service, this is common is larger city areas

The bad

• Album art and actual artist don't always match up correctly which can throw you off when creating mixes
• If you use iTunes match, that music doesn't appear to be loaded, only songs and albums you have physically saved on your device

The bottom line

Soundtracker Radio is only as engaging as you and the people around you make it. If you've got a lot of friends that are always eager to learn about and download new music, this is definitely an app you'll want to share with them. The nearby option is really the best feature of the app but if no one around you is using the service, it makes it irrelevant pretty fast. While there are lots of mixes to discover under the trending section, sharing and exploring new music with friends is a lot more engaging.

Whether you're an audiophile or are just in search of new music to check out, we'd still suggest giving Soundtracker Radio a try despite some of its limitations.

• Free - Download Now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/9WQ8tAbefrA/story01.htm

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Improve Any Room With These Interior Design Tips ...

Are you aiming to design your home? Are you uncertain of where to start? Interior design can be fun and simple if you have the right advice. The following short article will show you how to decorate your residence like a professional.
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Layer in patterns and textures throughout your interior design. These touches can be intriguing and impressive. As well, the textures add a new sense measurement to your space. When people are enjoying your space, they will be engaged not only by their eyes, but also by their sense of touch.

You should also be conscious of what style you are aiming for. For instance, I am going to choose a country influenced style in my home since we have just relocated to an old farmhouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Using Amish rustic hickory furniture, I can make my home appear simple and traditional. Amish oak furniture also brings a different color palette to my space but still complements other woods. There are several pieces such as a mission style hutch or Amish coffee table to select from. By knowing what style you want, you could focus in furniture and hardware shops instead of impulse buying.

When you choose to paint your wall, make sure to select wall colors from the same family that contrast each other well. For instance, shades of blue should be joined a lighter blue or a shade of gray. Do not mix colors together that are hard on the eyes, such as blue and yellow.

Do you work from home? If so you may want to think of the colors you use so you can lessen distractions in that location. Blue and green are the very best colors to paint the walls due to the fact that they have relaxing properties, this will decrease your stress and lessen distractions while you are working.

You could significantly enhance your interior-design options throughout your next home-improvement task by wiring one of the outlets in a duplex wall socket to a light switch. This will let you use a table or flooring lamp to light the room while still having the convenience of a wall-mounted light switch.

Hanging artwork on a wall is a terrific way to perk up any space. However, it is necessary that you do not put up excessive; this will simply make the space look littered. If you have a large wall and want to fill out room, just get a larger piece of art.

A neutral cream is a great color for a corridor. This color is neutral and will complement colors in adjoining spaces. It is also a light color, and light colors bring brightness to the area and make it look bigger. The corridor color will remain to work even if you alter the colors of other rooms at a later time.

The best way to include natural light to a space you are designing is to set up a skylight. While expensive, skylights do the best job possible with regards to brightening your room with natural light. It would be smart to set up skylights in rooms that get the least amount of natural light, such as bathrooms and corridor passages.

Identifying the amount of room you have is vital to a successful home design project. Map out the spaces you are going to be making and record the heights and widths of your windows, doors, light switches, heaters, etc. Always use graph paper so that your drawings are exact. Measure your furniture and draw an outline of each piece. Doing these things helps ensure a higher opportunity of success.

Avoid dark colored tile in the restroom. Although it might look good and coordinate well with elegant accents, cleaning is fairly burdensome. Film from soap and streaks from steam will have your tiles looking filthy even if you?ve just cleaned them. Pick lighter and brighter colored tiles for a fresh and clean look in the restroom.

Now you ought to be ready to turn your house into the home you have always imagined. With the appropriate suggestions, decorating is made much simpler. Use these handy suggestions shared here and you can decorate the space you reside in and make it a place to be proud of.

In: 10 | | Link ????? 30 vizualizari

Source: http://culturapopulara.ro/?p=40457

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Amniotic fluid stem cells repair gut damage

Mar. 24, 2013 ? Stem cells taken from amniotic fluid were used to restore gut structure and function following intestinal damage in rodents, in new research published in the journal Gut. The findings pave the way for a new form of cell therapy to reverse serious damage from inflammation in the intestines of babies.

The study, funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, investigated a new way to treat necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), where severe inflammation destroys tissues in the gut. NEC is the most common gastrointestinal surgical emergency in newborn babies, with mortality rates of around 15 to 30 per cent in the UK.

While breast milk and probiotics can help to reduce the incidence of the disease, no medical treatments are currently available other than surgery once NEC sets in. Surgical removal of the dead tissue shortens the bowel and can lead to intestinal failure, with some babies eventually needing ongoing parenteral nutrition (feeding via an intravenous line) or an intestinal transplant.

In the study, led by the UCL Institute of Child Health, amniotic fluid stem (AFS) cells were harvested from rodent amniotic fluid and given to rats with NEC. Other rats with the same condition were given bone marrow stem cells taken from their femurs, or fed as normal with no treatment, to compare the clinical outcomes of different treatments.

NEC-affected rats injected with AFS cells showed significantly higher survival rates a week after being treated, compared to the other two groups. Inspection of their intestines, including with micro magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), showed the inflammation to be significantly reduced, with fewer dead cells, greater self-renewal of the gut tissue and better overall intestinal function.

While bone marrow stem cells have been known to help reverse colonic damage in irritable bowel disease by regenerating tissue, the beneficial effects from stem cell therapy in NEC appear to work via a different mechanism. Following their injection into the gut, the AFS cells moved into the intestinal villi -- the small, finger-like projections that protrude from the lining of the intestinal wall and pass nutrients from the intestine into the blood. However, rather than directly repairing the damaged tissue, the AFS cells appear to have released specific growth factors that acted on progenitor cells in the gut which in turn, reduced the inflammation and triggered the formation of new villi and other tissues.

Dr Paolo De Coppi, UCL Institute of Child Health, who led the study, says: "Stem cells are well known to have anti-inflammatory effects, but this is the first time we have shown that amniotic fluid stem cells can repair damage in the intestines. In the future, we hope that stem cells found in amniotic fluid will be used more widely in therapies and in research, particularly for the treatment of congenital malformations. Although amniotic fluid stem cells have a more limited capacity to develop into different cell types than those from the embryo, they nevertheless show promise for many parts of the body including the liver, muscle and nervous system."

Dr Simon Eaton, UCL Institute of Child Health and co-author of the study, adds: "Once we have a better understanding of the mechanisms by which AFS cells trigger repair and restore function in the gut, we can start to explore new cellular or pharmacological therapies for infants with necrotizing enterocolitis."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University College London, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Augusto Zani, Mara Cananzi, Francesco Fascetti-Leon, Giuseppe Lauriti, Virpi V Smith, Sveva Bollini, Marco Ghionzoli, Antonello D'Arrigo, Michela Pozzobon, Martina Piccoli, Amy Hicks, Jack Wells, Bernard Siow, Neil J Sebire, Colin Bishop, Alberta Leon, Anthony Atala, Mark F Lythgoe, Agostino Pierro, Simon Eaton, Paolo De Coppi. Amniotic fluid stem cells improve survival and enhance repair of damaged intestine in necrotising enterocolitis via a COX-2 dependent mechanism. Gut, 2013; DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2012-303735

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/tvlxKZTQeMY/130324202036.htm

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Filipino Accelerator IdeaSpace Picks Country's Top 20 Tech Startups

Many of the brighter ideas coming out of tech startups in the Philippines are health-related, with a heavy slant on mobile technologies. Filipino incubator, IdeaSpace just whittled a list of 700 entries from startups down to just 20. These 20 will eventually be halved further. IdeaSpace is offering 10 slots to startups to get six months incubation support and funding of up to $120,000 (PHP 5 million) each, to be decided on April 5. Teams from outside the Metro Manila area will also get housing support. A look at the list of finalists reveals that healthcare is a top concern, and like many tech ideas in Asia?s emerging markets, the heavy reliance on mobile technologies is apparent. IdeaSpace would not provide more details on the startups? models, in order to protect their intellectual property, it said. AgriCultureTechnology ? monitors growth of aquatic livestock Armtech ? affordable water purification machine for households CornerData ? simplified data gathering for agriculture and disaster preparedness using electronic sensors DateCola ? natural date enriched beverages DepEd Smart Cloud ? enterprise solution for public school system FindmyDok ? a solution for searching doctors Lost Meets Found ? an online solution for lost and found objects miCab ? smartphone solution for getting a cab with or without mobile Internet Mirand ? Lower cost and high quality total joint implants for the Asian market Nambal.com ? online healthcare system with portable features PGRS ? produces electricity via rumble strips on high traffic roads PinoyTravel ? provincial bus seat reservation using mobile technologies PortfolioMNL ? online marketplace for creative professionals Prodigo ? a solution for targeted promotions and analytics SafeCab ? a solution that providing feedback for commuters riding cabs Summarize and Notify ? allows web searches, summarizes information and notifies users Tech4Health ? solution for health monitoring of chronic conditions including diabetes TimeFree ? SMS-based automated queuing system Tudlo – a system that teaches, guides and points during a disaster and emergency situation WeGen ? new design of wind turbine that is more efficient than current technology IdeaSpace was founded about a year ago, as a non-profit incubator and accelerator for Filipino startups. It has the support of large firms in the country like telcos, hospitals, F&B and infrastructure conglomerates. It has about PHP 500 million ($12 million) to run for the next five years from its members. One of its founders, Earl Martin Valencia, returned to the

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/hSujWIa-OOI/

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From the forums: Top Samsung Galaxy S4 threads

The dust has settled after last week's Samsung Galaxy S4 announcement event in New York, but there's still lots to discuss ahead of the phone's eventual launch. You'll find much of that discussion over at the Android Central forums. Here's a rundown of some of the top threads in our Galaxy S4 forum right now.

• Galaxy S4 versus Note 2 - Would you get the Note 2 now, or hold off a month or so for Samsung's latest?
• The S4 was never going to meet expectations - Have unrealistic expectations colored our impressions of Samsung's new phone?
• Galaxy S4 or HTC One? - Both great phones, but the discussion's still raging on on this one.
• Choosing between GS4 on AT&T and Verizon - Which of the major U.S. carriers is the best match for the S4?
• Exynos versus Snapdragon Galaxy S4 - One's quad-core, the other octa-core. But the difference isn't as simple as you'd think

More: Samsung Galaxy S4 forum

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Push for Assad's Ouster in Syria Weakened

Foes of Syrian President Bashar Assad are distracted by fragmentation within their ranks, foreign meddling and new finger-pointing over chemical weapons as the regime more firmly entrenches itself, giving no sign of stepping down any time soon.

With the two-year civil war slogging on, the United States appears closer than ever to sending military support to Syrian rebels in hopes of breaking the bloody impasse that has left more than 70,000 dead and forced more than 1 million refugees to flee their homes. Beyond at least the threat of military intervention, there is growing consensus among the U.S. and its allies that little can be done to put new pressure on Assad to go.

New allegations this week ? almost as quickly debunked ? that chemical weapons may have been used against neighborhoods outside Damascus and in Syria's north spooked the White House and Congress and ratcheted up demands for the U.S. to hamper what one Democratic lawmaker described as Assad's "killing spree."

On his first foreign trip of his second term, President Barack Obama this week maintained his long-standing view that "Assad must go, and I believe he will go." He repeated his caution about sending military assistance to Syrian opposition forces, which could prolong the fighting and unintentionally put U.S. weapons in the hands of Islamic extremists.

But Obama also held firm to his stance that Assad would cross a red line if he were to use his suspected stockpile of chemical weapons ? including nerve agents and mustard gas ? against the Syrian people.

"It's tragic, it's heartbreaking, and the sight of children and women being slaughtered that we've seen so much I think has to compel all of us to say, 'What more can we do?'" Obama said Friday during a news conference in Amman, Jordan. "And that's a question that I'm asking as president every single day."

Secretary of State John Kerry travels to Paris on Wednesday to meet French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for talks expected to focus on arming Syrian rebels. The discussion also is expected to touch on the suspected use of chemical weapons in Syria, according to French officials.

On Thursday, a U.S. official cited strong indications that chemical weapons were not used in an attack Tuesday in northern Aleppo province, but could not rule out the possibility. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter involved intelligence-gathering. At the same time, the U.N. said it would investigate whether chemical weapons were used and specifically is looking at the regime's claim that rebel forces launched the deadly agents.

But U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the investigation "will not happen overnight" ? meaning that the debate over whether the deadly agents were used almost certainly will drag out. And State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Friday acknowledged difficulties of the U.S. launching its own probe, largely because American investigators cannot visit the sites of the alleged attacks.

The chemical weapons quandary is the newest of several issues that have distracted the Syrian opposition and international community, while Assad digs in even deeper against disjointed plans on how to oust him.

Assad "has not yet decided that his days are numbered and that he's going to have to leave," Ambassador Robert Ford, Obama's envoy to Syria, told a House Foreign Affairs hearing this week.

Ford also told the panel that the Obama administration is reviewing U.S. policy against giving military aid to the Free Syrian Army's leadership. "We do regularly review this ? I'll be very clear about that," he said.

The Assad regime is receiving arms and other military assistance from Iran, Russia and Lebanese Hezbollah. Ford also cited indirect help from Iraq and Iraqi fighters that "is absolutely prolonging the conflict," although Baghdad denies being involved on either side of the Syrian war.

House delegate Eni Faleomavaega, a nonvoting Democrat from American Samoa, described the foreign aid to the regime more bluntly. "It's all military hardware that Assad needs to continue his killing spree," Faleomavaega said.

France and Britain are lobbying the European Union to lift an arms embargo on Syria to raise the possibility of sending weapons to rebel fighters as early as May. So far, the U.S. has joined Germany and other EU nations in resisting supplying arms to opposition forces. But Kerry said this week that the U.S. would not stand in the way of other nations that decide to arm the rebels.

Congress increasingly is pushing the White House to send military aid to anti-regime fighters. On Thursday, Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and the panel's top Republican, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, asked Obama to deploy Patriot missiles near the Syrian border in southern Turkey to deter Assad's air forces and destroy regime aircraft. The senators stopped short of asking for arms for rebels, but they encouraged stronger aid to vetted groups, including intelligence, communications equipment and humanitarian assistance, like food and medical care.

"Over the past two years that the horrific conflict in Syria has pressed on, both Syrians on the ground and key allies across the region have made clear their hope for stronger American support," wrote Levin and McCain. "We urge you to take steps to ease the suffering of the Syrian people and protect U.S. national security interests."

Disarray within the opposition forces also has stymied the move to unseat Assad, although rebels control territory in Syria's north and east. Ford described the opposition as divided into political and military wings, and "both are not entirely unified."

This week, the Syrian National Coalition elected American-educated Ghassan Hitto as its prime minister but almost immediately witnessed a walkout by about a dozen of its members, who protested they were sidelined from the decision. The coalition is recognized by the U.S. as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people, but some of its members complain it is dominated by fundamentalists from the Muslim Brotherhood, a conservative Islamist movement.

Additionally, the rebels have been joined by what Ford described as a small minority of fighters known as Jabhat al-Nusra, a powerful offshoot of al-Qaida in Iraq. Al-Nusra has claimed responsibility for most of the deadliest suicide bombings against regime and military facilities and, as a result, has gained popularity among some rebels. However, the group has alienated secular-minded fighters, which is one reason the U.S. has not equipped the rebels with weapons. The Obama administration designated al-Nusra as a terrorist organization last December.

Western nations worry that al-Nusra or other rebels will get their hands on Syria's chemical weapons stockpile ? but are as concerned that Assad will use them against his people, although he has vowed not to. Ford declined to discuss how the White House would retaliate if Assad crosses Obama's red line and deploys the deadly chemicals, but he said the regime might be more tempted to do so as it loses ground.

Ban said he was aware of charges that Assad's military used chemical weapons against the rebels in the Aleppo attack. But the secretary-general did not make clear whether the rebels' claim also would be part of the new U.N. probe. Obama, meanwhile, has said he is "deeply skeptical" that opposition forces used the chemical weapons.

Because of the risks getting investigators to the war zone, it likely will be difficult to prove whether chemical weapons were used, said Ralf Trapp, a chemical and biological weapons scientist formerly at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. He said evidence is best collected at least within several miles from the site at the time of the attack.

"You really have to be on the ground," Trapp said in a telephone interview from France. "You need to be where the event occurred and you need to speak with the victims. In a civil war, that's not easy."

Ford said the rebels have begun to outmatch the regime's military and captured key cities and officials while controlling Syria's land borders with Turkey and Iraq. Heavy fighting near Assad's palaces in Damascus recently "would have been rattling his windows," Ford said.

But Assad could remain in power at least through the end of the year. For one, there are few places he could flee to without fearing prosecution or assassination. "Assad has very little impetus to do anything but stay there," said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.

Without more foreign pressure and aid, it's unlikely Assad would leave for months or even years, said Ken Pollack, a Mideast expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington and a member of the National Security Council during the Clinton administration.

"The situation has degenerated into a bloody, but potentially very durable stalemate," Pollack said.

???

Associated Press writers Bradley Klapper in Washington and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

???

Follow Lara Jakes on Twitter at https://twitter.com/larajakesAP

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/push-assads-ouster-syria-weakened-071014415.html

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Panasonic 2013 Smart TVs wield Nuance Dragon TV for voice control, text-to-speech

Panasonic and Nuance have been close partners on TV voice recognition in the past; we now know that they're getting a bit cozier for Panasonic's 2013 Smart TVs. The company's newer LCDs and plasmas with voice recognition use Nuance's Dragon TV for voice-only control of basics like volume as well as content and web searches. The engine will also speak out content and menus if you need more than just visual confirmation of where you're going. Panasonic's refreshed TV line is gradually rolling out over the spring, so those who see a plastic remote control as so very 2010 won't have long to wait.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/23/panasonics-2013-smart-tvs-lean-on-nuance-dragon-tv-for-voice/

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Egypt's women's council criticizes Islamists

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's official women's rights council says Islamists who reject a U.N. blueprint to combat violence against women and girls are promoting the idea that Islam favors violence against women.

Last week, 131 countries at the United Nations approved the non-binding document to combat violence against women and girls. Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood strongly objected to the document, saying it clashed with Islamic principles and sought to destroy the family.

At a news conference in Cairo on Thursday, the head of the women's council, Mervat Tellawy, called on the Brotherhood to stop using religion as a basis for promoting its agenda.

The U.S. document has raised controversy in the Arab world because among other things, it recommits governments to comprehensive sex education and calls for safe abortion for victims of violence.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-womens-council-criticizes-islamists-181438427.html

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Sinkhole swallows pond (video). How does that happen?

Sinkhole swallows pond in northern California. How does a sinkhole swallow a pond overnight? A look at sinkhole geology and the leading theories.

By David Clark Scott,?Staff writer / March 20, 2013

Overnight, a sinkhole swallowed a pond on Mark Korb's property in Newcastle, Calif.

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When he went to bed Saturday night, the pond was there. On Sunday, March 17 it was gone.

How does that happen?

While northern California is no where near as prone to sinkholes as Florida (see USGS sinkhole map), one clue might be the fact that the pond was man-made.

While sinkholes don't need a human trigger, changes in drainage due to construction or agricultural irrigation have been known to activate mass outbreaks of sinkholes in Florida and other parts of the country. As The Christian Science Monitor reported earlier this month after a Florida man was swallowed in his bed by a sinkhole, "Drought followed by heavy rains can also instigate sinkholes as heavy, water-logged earth presses down on limestone caves suddenly devoid of buoyant water. The two previous deaths attributed to sinkholes both involved professional well drillers whose activities cracked the top of limestone caverns, causing collapse."

"Humans can [destabilize karst landscapes] by drawing down water tables or irrigate too much, increasing the weight of the mass of materials that sits on top of the void," says Jonathan Martin, a geologist at the University of Florida, in Gainesville. "Humans can modify the environment" enough to cause sinkholes.

The US Geological Society echoes this idea:

"Sinkholes can also form when natural water-drainage patterns are changed and new water-diversion systems are developed. Some sinkholes form when the land surface is changed, such as when industrial and runoff-storage ponds are created. The substantial weight of the new material can trigger an underground collapse of supporting material, thus causing a sinkhole."

So, it's possible that when Korb built his pond, he may have disturbed the local geology.

Another theory for the swallowing of Korb's pond was put forward by Sierra College Professor of Geology Alex Amigo. He also points to a human cause: gold mining.

This part of California is dubbed "Gold Country," for its long history of mining. "There was such a lot of mining activity going on in this area in the past, that we never know when there was a man-made cavity underground," ?Amigo told KCRA-TV.

Korb is now looking into how to deal with the sinkhole and doing research on the history of his property to see if there has been any gold mining on or near the property in the past.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/mC3u6kR0LEQ/Sinkhole-swallows-pond-video-.-How-does-that-happen

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Don't Be Scared, It's Just A Bag Of Dried Beans: How To Cook Them

In our last installment of "Don't Be Scared, It's Just ____," we gave you our favorite one (or two) ingredient recipe: whipped cream. If you can handle whipping cream to perfectly soft peaks, you can absolutely handle our topic for today's edition.

Dried beans and I are having a bit of a kitchen love affair right now. But it hasn't always been this way. For most of my cooking life up to this point, I've been firmly, wholeheartedly terrified of them. Three things helped turn this culture of avoidance into an all-out season of appreciation: 1) my husband's general willingness to, through trial and error, actually make a few pots of really excellent dried beans, 2) the discovery of Rancho Gordo beans (which cook faster and taste better than any other bean I've ever tangoed with) and 3) Tamar Adler. More specifically, an excerpt from Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal, tucked away inside Best Food Writing 2012, in which she waxes particularly poetic about how nourishing and satisfying a pot of beans can be.

The biggest lie that every disciple of dried beans has ever told you is that you have to soak them overnight. You can soak them overnight. You should, if you have the foresight. Let me confess something to you: I have never had the foresight to soak dried beans overnight. The quick-soak method is your friend. As Adler puts it: "If you didn't put two cups of beans in a pot of cold water last night, get on the bandwagon today by putting them in a pot, covering them with five inches of water, bringing it to a boil, turning off the heat, and leaving them sitting in hot water, covered, for an hour. Then drain them and cover them with new water." (The draining is essential, as that water contains all the parts of beans beans that make them the musical fruit.)

Okay, so you've covered your beans in new water -- now what? This part is a bit like making stock. Your beans are going to taste like whatever you flavor this next batch of water with. There should be a bit of salt (you can always adjust later, so use a light hand), pepper, any herbs you have on hand, a chunk of carrot, celery, fennel, onion, a Parmesan rind.

Most importantly, as Adler puts it, there needs to be an "immoderate, Tuscan amount of olive oil," which I've taken to mean as much as I think is enough, and then a bit more. The major argument for using dried beans rather than canned is that you get to dictate what these beans taste like. Canned beans are great in a pinch, and I still use them when time is a concern or they are not the star of the dish, but they all just taste like canned beans. Dried beans, cooked in this way taste like vegetables. Like they grew out of dirt. And then drank a bunch of olive oil and herbs and swelled up like balloons full of flavor. The older your beans are, the longer they'll take, so if you pull a giant bag off the supermarket shelf, you'll be able to make them delicious, but it will just take a little more time.

How long should you cook these? One more bit of advice from Adler: when five beans eaten straight from the pot are tender and full of flavor. If you're using Rancho Gordo beans, it will take less time than you think. Plan for an hour or two.

These are not the kinds of beans you'll want to hide in any old soup or salad. These are the kinds of beans you'll want to eat out of a bowl, topped maybe with some avocado and feta, with another immoderately Tuscan glug of olive oil over the top. You'll eat these for days. And you'll feel pretty proud that you made what started out as colorful little rocks taste so delicious and feel so healthy. Not to mention you've saved yourself a boatload of money on beans. Deep breaths, you did it.

You are now a brief stint in the kitchen away from glorious minestrone, comforting pasta e fagioli or hearty rice and beans. Need another idea? Get this awesome Hoppin' John recipe from Simply Recipes.

Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/dont-be-scared-dried-beans_n_2918404.html

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Apple makes renewable energy push with solar, fuel cells

By Poornima Gupta

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc now runs its largest U.S. data center entirely on renewable energy, with a majority of the power generated on-site from solar panels and fuel cells, the company's chief financial officer, Peter Oppenheimer, said on Thursday.

The data center in Maiden, North Carolina, which supports Internet storage and Apple's service-hosting iCloud product, produces 167 million kilowatts -- the power equivalent of 17,600 homes for one year -- from a 100-acre solar farm and fuel cell installations provided by Silicon Valley startup Bloom Energy.

They are the largest, non-utility power-generating facilities of their kind in the United States, Oppenheimer told Reuters.

"We switched over to these new energy sources in December," he said. "And we are committed to generating 60 percent of the electricity that the data center will use by making power on site. We are now achieving that goal."

Apple purchases the rest of the green power needed at the facility.

Apple and other technology companies -- such as Amazon and Microsoft -- that build and run computer server farms have come under criticism for their high consumption of electricity and other resources. These data centers cater to an explosion in Internet traffic, streaming content through mobile devices and hosting of services to corporations.

Apple has switched many of its corporate facilities to fully operate on green power, including those in Austin, Texas; Cork, Ireland; and Sacramento, California, Oppenheimer said.

The company is building another 20-megawatt solar farm at its Maiden facility with solar panels supplied by SunPower Corp.

Overall, Apple said it has increased the proportion of renewable energy used throughout the company to 75 percent. Eventually, the company aims to use only renewable energy at all its facilities around the world.

(Reporting By Poornima Gupta; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-makes-renewable-energy-push-solar-fuel-cells-173635599--finance.html

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Drones will require new privacy laws, Senate told

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., left, gestures to an example of a drone held by a staff member, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday March 20, 2013, during the committee's hearing to examine the future of drones in America, focusing on law enforcement and privacy considerations. At right is Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., left, gestures to an example of a drone held by a staff member, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday March 20, 2013, during the committee's hearing to examine the future of drones in America, focusing on law enforcement and privacy considerations. At right is Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Mesa County, Colo., Sheriffs Office Unmanned Aircraft Program Manager Benjamin Miller, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday March 20, 2013, in front of an example of a drone, before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to examine the future of drones in America, focusing on law enforcement and privacy considerations. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Women, who are members of the group CodePink, hold signs in protest on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday March 20, 2013, as Michael Toscano, president & CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, right, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to examine the future of drones in America, focusing on law enforcement and privacy considerations. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Amie Stepanovich, director of the Domestic Surveillance Project, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday March 20, 2013, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to examine the future of drones in America, focusing on law enforcement and privacy considerations. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Ryan Calo, Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Law, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday March 20, 2013, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to examine the future of drones in America, focusing on law enforcement and privacy considerations. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Privacy laws urgently need to be updated to protect the public from information-gathering by the thousands of civilian drones expected to be flying in U.S. skies in the next decade or so, legal experts told a Senate panel Wednesday.

A budding commercial drone industry is poised to put mostly small, unmanned aircraft to countless uses, from monitoring crops to acting as lookouts for police SWAT teams, but federal and state privacy laws have been outpaced by advances in drone technology, experts said at a Senate hearing.

Current privacy protections from aerial surveillance are based on court decisions from the 1980s, the Judiciary Committee was told, before the widespread drone use was anticipated. In general, manned helicopters and planes already have the potential to do the same kinds of surveillance and intrusive information gathering as drones, but drones can be flown more cheaply, for longer periods of time and at less risk to human life. That makes it likely that surveillance and information-gathering will become much more widespread, legal experts said.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently predicted about 7,500 civilian drones will be in use within five years after the agency grants them greater access to U.S. skies. Congress has directed the FAA to provide drones with widespread access to domestic airspace by 2015, but the agency is behind in its development of safety regulations and isn't expected to meet that deadline.

If Americans' privacy concerns aren't addressed first, the benefits of potentially "transformative" drone technology may not be realized, Ryan Calo, a University of Washington law professor, told the Judiciary Committee.

It's in "everyone's interest to update the law even if only to provide the industry with the kind of bright lines its need to develop this technology," said Amie Stepanovich of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a privacy advocacy group.

But Calo and Stepanovich were divided on whether Congress should update federal privacy laws to set a national standard, or whether the responsibility should be left to state lawmakers to craft their own solutions. Several bills have been introduced in Congress that would, among other things, require warrants before drones could be used for surveillance.

Calo said he is concerned that some of the congressional legislation isn't written broadly enough to cover other types of technology, like robots that can walk up walls.

There is also virtue in allowing states to experiment with their own laws, he said. A variety of drone-related bills have been introduced this year in more than 30 state legislatures.

But Stepanovich urged Congress to pass legislation requiring police to obtain warrants for drone surveillance, with exceptions for emergency situations or when necessary to protect human life.

There is already limited civilian drone use. The FAA has granted more than two hundred permits to state and local governments, police departments, universities and others to experiment with using small drones.

Initially, most civilian drones are expected to be around the size of backpack or smaller, weighing less than 55 pounds and unable to fly higher than most birds. The U.S. military, on the other hand, uses everything from unarmed, hand-launched drones like the 2.9-pound Wasp to systems like the MQ-9 Reaper that flies at an altitude up to 50,000 feet, has a 66-foot wingspan, weighs up to 10,500 pounds and can fire Hellfire missiles and guided bombs.

"I am convinced that the domestic use of drones to conduct surveillance and collect other information will have a broad and significant impact on the everyday lives of millions of Americans going forward," said the committee's chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

"Small, quiet unmanned aircraft can easily be built or purchased online for only a few hundred dollars and equipped with high-definition video cameras while flying in areas impossible for manned aircraft to operate without being detected," Leahy said. "It is not hard to imagine the serious privacy problems that this type of technology could cause."

Earlier this year, the FAA solicited proposals to create six drone test sites around the country. With a nod to privacy concerns, the FAA said test site applicants will be required to follow federal and state privacy laws and to make a privacy policy publicly available.

The test sites are supposed to evaluate what requirements are needed to ensure the drones don't collide with planes or endanger people or property on the ground. Remotely controlled drones don't have a pilot who can see other aircraft the way an onboard plane or helicopter pilot can.

The agency has received 50 applications to create test sites in 37 states. Eventually, every state may have a test site, said Michael Toscano, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a trade association for the domestic drone industry.

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-20-Drones-Privacy/id-6dc20d601ce54bbbba5c19aaa7f6a817

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Steubenville's troubling question: Is rape just a part of 'hook-up culture'?

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has said the Steubenville case shows 'an unbelievable casualness about rape and about sex.' Others agree, and say something needs to be done.

By Mark Guarino,?Staff writer / March 20, 2013

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (r.) answers questions about the successful prosecution of two juveniles in a rape case during a news conference Sunday at the Jefferson County Justice Center in Steubenville, Ohio. Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter and Prosecutor Brian Deckert joined DeWine.

Michael D. McElwain/Steubenville Herald-Star/AP

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The rape of a teenage girl at a series of parties in Steubenville, Ohio, last August ? and the vindictive attacks against her on social media that followed ? are raising troubling questions about whether too many of today?s youth are so desensitized to sex and sexual imagery that rape is becoming an accepted part of a ?hook-up culture.?

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On Sunday, two high school football players were found guilty of rape and disseminating a nude photo of a minor. Both could remain in juvenile detention until they turn 21. The next day, two Steubenville girls were arrested for threatening the victim over Twitter.

But Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is pressing further, saying that the case is emblematic of a wider cultural problem. Earlier this week, he announced he was convening a grand jury in April to investigate whether additional charges should be filed in the case. And on Wednesday, he announced an initiative to ensure that every Ohio county offers comprehensive services for rape victims.

?There seems to be an unbelievable casualness about rape and about sex. It is a cavalier attitude ? a belief that somehow there isn?t anything wrong with all of this. Rape is not a recreational activity,? said Mr. DeWine. ?We, as a society, have an obligation to do more to educate our young people about rape. They need to know it is a horrible crime of violence. And it is simply not OK.?

Only 36 Ohio counties have rape-crisis services, such as a 24-hour hotline, criminal justice and hospital advocacy, or community outreach, he said. His goal is to have all 88 counties have minimum standard services within five years.

Testimony in the Steubenville case suggested that many of the young people involved or present during the rape did not know the definition of rape, and were not prepared ??or did not even know how ? to alert authorities. DeWine says at least 16 teenagers at the party still refuse to cooperate with authorities.

Those attitudes are the result of many factors, activists and academics say.

For one, school sex-education programs typically focus only on abstinence or birth control, not issues like bystander intervention or violence prevention, which can help young people identify rape and avoid automatically blaming the victim. Steubenville highlights the need to open a more honest and comprehensive conversation among young people about rape, some say.

?Much of [rape prevention] comes down to what?s taught in schools or not. If we focus only on preventing unintended pregnancies or reducing HIV, we?re not necessarily getting to a place where we can talk about healthy relationships,? says Abbie Rosenstein of Advocates for Youth, an advocacy group in Washington that is calling for national sex-education standards that include discussion of rape prevention.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/YL37pSkUJCg/Steubenville-s-troubling-question-Is-rape-just-a-part-of-hook-up-culture

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Intel launches Media Server Reference Design to speed up set-top box creation

It's no secret that Intel wants more of a presence in the living room, even if it's sometimes less than welcome. The chip giant's new Media Server Reference Design might be key to getting that foot in at least a few doors. The kit combines both Atom CE5300-based hardware with software tools, the combination of which should fast-track media hubs and set-top boxes for those who don't want to start from scratch. It's more than just the expected media and TV engines; Intel also bundles in Hillcrest Labs' Freespace engine to simplify motion remote control. MSRD kits should be available in April, although it's likely to be months later before we learn whether or not home theater companies want to follow where Intel takes them.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Intel

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Realty Mogul Launches Its Real Estate Crowdfunding Platform (For ...

Realty Mogul, a site where accredited investors can can pool their money to back real estate deals, is going live today.

Co-founder and Jilliene Helman argued that in the current financial landscape, real estate is ?one of the ways that people can still get yields.? She also acknowledged that there?s a lot of excitement right now about equity crowdfunding for startups, but she noted that investments on Realty Mogul can start paying off in a few months (in the form of rent checks or loan payments), rather than five or ten years: ?Our big focus for investors is cash flow.?

For now, Helman said Realty Mogul is ?100 percent focused on accredited investors? (to qualify as an individual, you?d need to have a net worth of more than $1 million or income of more than $200,000). She also suggested that these kinds of investments could also be a good fit for the ?mass affluent? ??i.e., people making more than $100,000 a year who aren?t accredited investors ? but the company is currently waiting for the final regulations to come out of the JOBS Act before it decides whether to actually open up to that group.

Realty Mogul was incubated by the Microsoft/TechStars Accelerator in Seattle, and it?s also announcing a $500,000 seed round (more on that in a second). Participating angel investors include Gust CEO David S. Rose, Gordon Stephenson (who?s on the board of directors at Zillow), and serial entrepreneur Sky Kruse.

Even though it?s officially launching today, Realty Mogul already funded its first project ? AH Capital used the site to raise $110,000 to purchase and rehabilitate a duplex in Los Angeles.

When you join the site, you can browse a marketplace of different investments, then sign the paperwork and submit the payment for deals that you?re interested in. The investment only happens if the total funding goal is reached. If it is, you can then track your investments in an investor dashboard.

Helman said that one of her big goals is to build investor trust. For example, Realty Mogul links to all of the real estate companies? LinkedIn profiles, so users can see whether they?re connected to the company in some way.?For now, the site is limited to properties in Washington and California, although investors can participate in anywhere. Helman said she plans to expand gradually.

?We are a tech startup, and tech startups are supposed to grow as quickly as humanly possible,? Helman said. ?But we?re a financial services company first and a tech startup second, so I want to grow as quickly but as conservatively as possible. We need to make sure we?re keeping investor protections first.?

Other sites for real estate crowdfunding include?Fundrise?and?Prodigy Network.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/20/realty-mogul-launch/

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Evernote Food for iOS now lets you share recipes, adds support for OpenTable reservations

Food is an undoubtedly essential part of life -- and, in a rather digital age, some could certainly make the same argument about app updates, right? Well, combining the best of both worlds, today Evernote released a refreshed version of its Evernote Food application on iOS, making it more accessible for hungry users to book a reservation through OpenTable's system and adding some social tidbits that'll let foodies share their recipes by way of email, Facebook or Twitter. Syncing features were also added in v2.1, which will allow any recipe saved on Evernote to seamlessly show up in the My Cookbook portion of the app. While you go and try out the slightly revamped Evernote Food, we're going to keep perfecting our fish tacos recipe -- and maybe we'll even share once we deem it good enough for a Bobby Flay throwdown. Just maybe.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/19/evernote-food-ios-update/

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Make your online pet supplies shop

Life would be boring without pets. Pet supplies shops make the lives of pets healthier, more colorful and?our lives become contented. If you are an owner of a small pet supplies store you can expand your business worldwide with a single website.

Your website will be the online side of your pet supplies store. Obviously, on your website you will have more customers than your store and you will earn more profits from your online system as compared to your shop.

To launch your website you should consider two aspects of internet marketing; website design services and SEO services.

A website with an interactive design works like a magnet for your customers. If your website is easy to use and it is easy to browse and place orders online then it would be a huge plus point for your business. Our website design Michigan service caters this need of your business very well.

After having a perfect website at hand, most important is the place where your website appears in the search engine results. The more you will be close to the first page of the results, more your chances of being noticed will be.

The acquisition of such position depends on the SEO services you are availing. With our Michigan SEO services you can be on top. Our internet marketing company promises you excellent service with money back guarantee.

Source: http://vanityglobalmarketing.com/news/online-pet-supplies-shop/

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