Thursday, February 28, 2013

Is 'Free' Marijuana in Exchange for 'Donations' Legal in Colorado ...

Colorado Springs IndependentColorado Springs IndependentOn January 30, the Colorado Springs Independent?ran a story?about a local business that was testing the limits of Amendment 64, the Colorado ballot initiative that legalized marijuana for recreational use. Although state-licensed pot stores are not expected to open until next year, it is already legal under Amendment 64 for adults 21 or older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, grow up to six plants at home and keep all the marijuana they produce, and transfer up to an ounce to other people who are 21 or older, provided the transfer is "without remuneration." The business model for Billygoatgreen MMJ was based on the ambiguity of that last requirement. Ostensibly, Billygoatgreen?which, despite the reference to medical marijuana in its name, served anyone 21 or older, not just patients with doctor's recommendations?was not selling pot; rather, it was delivering pot for free while inviting the recipients to make "suggested donation[s] towards researching [marijuana] and improving our cultivation operation." The suggested donation for a quarter-ounce of Sour Kush, for instance, was $55. Asked whether such an operation could be legal, Colorado Springs Police Lt. Mark Comte, who works in the Metro Vice, Narcotics, and Intelligence Division,?replied:

If I show up at your house with less than an ounce of marijuana, I'm 21, you're 21, and I say, "Hey dude, it cost me 50 bucks in gas to get over here," and you give me 50 bucks for my gas, there's nothing illegal. I mean, you and I both know what's going on with it, but they know what the loopholes are right now.?

Yet the day before that comment appeared, The Denver Post reports, "two undercover Colorado Springs detectives organized a marijuana purchase from Billygoatgreen as part of an investigation into the service" that resulted in the arrest of three men running it, who now face felony charges punishable by long prison terms. No fair, says one of those men, Pritchard Garrett, who tells the Post that?Comte "green-lighted this delivery business" in the Independent?article, which he says sent potential customers a clear message: "Hey, the cops said this wasn't illegal, so call them up." Comte stands by his comments, saying Billygoatgreen delivered more than an ounce at a time to the detectives: 1.6 ounces on the first occasion, 2.1 ounces on the second.

The focus on quantity suggests that if the service had stayed within the one-ounce limit for transfers, Garret and his partners would have been OK. Other people still seem to be operating under that assumption. Craigslist searches find various offers of "free" marijuana deliveries in exchange for "donations" in Denver and Colorado Springs. A spokeswoman for Colorado Attorney General John Suthers tells the Post all these folks are criminals under state law, since?"distributing marijuana in exchange for suggested donations is a scam to get around the laws against the sale of marijuana." Maybe so, but the law is hardly clear on that point. The line between helping?to cover the expenses of someone who shares his homegrown marijuana with you and paying him for the marijuana itself is pretty fuzzy. Rob Corry, a Denver attorney and marijuana reform activist, says you could even argue that "reimbursing someone for their time" is legal, although he adds:

My personal view is that I don't think it ought to include reimbursement for time, because that starts looking like profit....My advice to clients is that it has to be direct, out-of-pocket costs [for things such as fertilizer, electricity, and rent], and it has to be documented. Being reimbursed for your time is pushing it.?

Corry himself pioneered a different approach with Club 64, a floating pot party where people pay a cover fee to consume marijuana in a commercial space. Club 64 had its first event on New Year's Eve at a hemp clothing store in Denver. "We had a DJ, lights, dancing, good music," Corry says. "We did serve alcohol, [but] we gave it away because we didn't have a liquor license for that event. We also had marijuana that we were giving away. We weren't selling it. The main way way we raised revenue was with an event fee of $30." A variation on this theme would be charging for food and coffee but giving pot away, which could result in something like Amsterdam's cannabis caf?s even if on-site consumption is not allowed at the state-licensed marijuana stores. Either operation seems to satisfy Amendment 64's requirements, although much depends on how the initiative's ban on consuming marijuana "openly and publicly" is interpreted. To my mind, marijuana consumption behind closed doors in a private business, whether or not it describes itself as a membership-only "club," is neither "open" nor "public," but Colorado legislators and judges may take a different view.

Another wrinkle is the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, which bans smoking in most "public places," including bars and restaurants. The law?originally applied only to tobacco; it was amended in 2010 to cover "medical marijuana" but not, by its terms, any other kind. The upshot, says Corry, is that smoking marijuana in a business open to the public apparently would be legal as long as it was for purely recreational purposes. He suspects the state legislature will not allow that loophole to survive, although it could exempt establishments that cater to pot smokers from the Clean Indoor Air Act in the same way that it exempted cigar and hookah bars. Even if it didn't, vaporizers and marijuana edibles would not be covered by a ban on smoking.

[Thanks to CK for the tip.]

Source: http://reason.com/blog/2013/02/27/is-free-marijuana-in-exchange-for-donati

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500-million-year-old sea creature unearthed

Yie Jang (Yunnan University)

Scientists have unearthed a stunningly preserved arthropod, called a fuxhianhuiid, in a flipped position that reveals its feeding limbs and nervous system.

By Tia Ghose
LiveScience

Scientists have unearthed extraordinarily preserved fossils of a 520-million-year-old sea creature, one of the earliest animal fossils ever found, according to a new study.

The fossilized animal, an arthropod?called a fuxhianhuiid, has primitive limbs under its head, as well as the earliest example of a nervous system that extended past the head. The primitive creature may have used the limbs to push food into its mouth as it crept across the seafloor. The limbs may shed light on the evolutionary history of arthropods, which include crustaceans and insects.

"Since biologists rely heavily on organization of head appendages to classify arthropod groups, such as insects and spiders, our study provides a crucial reference point for reconstructing the evolutionary history and relationships of the most diverse and abundant animals on Earth," said study co-author Javier Ortega-Hern?ndez, an earth scientist at the University of Cambridge, in a statement. "This is as early as we can currently see into arthropod limb development."

The findings were published Wednesday?in the journal Nature.

Primordial animal
The fuxhianhuiid lived nearly 50 million years before animals first emerged from the sea onto land, during the early part of the Cambrian explosion, when simple multicellular organisms rapidly evolved into complex sea life. [See Images of the Wacky Cambrian Creatures?]

While paleontologists have unearthed previous examples of a fuxhianhuiid before, the fossils were all found in the head-down position, with their delicate internal organs obscured by a large carapace or shell.

However, when Ortega-Hern?ndez and his colleagues began excavating in a fossil-rich region of southwest China around Kunming called Xiaoshiba, they unearthed several specimens of fuxhianhuiid where the bodies had been flipped before fossilization. All told, the team unearthed an amazingly preserved arthropod, as well as eight additional specimens.

These primeval creatures probably spent most of their days crawling across the seabed trawling for food and may have also been able to swim short distances. The sea creatures, some of the earliest arthropods or jointed animals, probably evolved from worms with legs.

The discovery sheds light on how some of the earliest ancestors of today's animals may have evolved.

"These fossils are our best window to see the most primitive state of animals as we know them ? including us," Ortega-Hern?ndez said in a statement. "Before that there is no clear indication in the fossil record of whether something was an animal or a plant ? but we are still filling in the details, of which this is an important one."

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter @tiaghose?or LiveScience @livescience. We're also on Facebook?and Google+.?

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

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17119273-500-million-year-old-sea-creature-unearthed?lite

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German unemployment steady at 7.4 percent

(AP) ? The Federal Labor Agency says Germany's unemployment rate held steady at 7.4 percent in February and that the job market remains "robust."

The agency says Thursday that 18,000 more people were without a job in February over the previous month ? largely due to winter seasonal factors. A total of 3.156 million people were registered as jobless.

When seasonally adjusted, the number of unemployed was down 3,000 people and the unemployment rate was 6.9 percent ? also unchanged over January.

Agency head Frank-Juergen Weise says the German labor market "seems to be coping with the weak economic growth in recent months and appears to be overall robust."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-28-EU-Germany-Economy/id-af098aa9299149b9a9aaf0eec7072fb0

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Fruit fly moms use alcohol to protect their kids, say scientists

Researchers have observed fruit flies protecting their offspring from parasites by laying eggs in alcohol-laden environments.?

By Joseph Castro,?LiveScience Contributor / February 22, 2013

Female parasitic wasps have successfully infected fruit fly larvae, shown here; the wasps lay their eggs inside of the larvae, which then hatch and eat the maggots from the inside out.

Photo courtesy of Todd Schlenke

Enlarge

It's not likely anyone would nominate a fruit fly for a "Best Mother of the Year" award ? after laying her eggs, the insect hits the road, never to be heard from again. But it now turns out that fruit fly mothers aren't completely uncaring and actually try to give their offspring a fighting chance at life.

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If she spots a deadly parasitic wasp around, the female fruit fly will "medicate" her offspring by laying her eggs in an environment with high levels of alcohol, which is very toxic to the wasps but not to the flies, new research shows.

Throughout the world,?parasitic wasps?are a bane to fruit flies. Female wasps lay their eggs inside? fly larvae, which then hatch and eat the maggots from the inside out. Fly larvae have a natural immune response to try to kill the wasp, but the venom the wasp injects along with her egg sometimes counters this defense.?

Last year, Schlenke and his team discovered that infected fly larvae have another trick up their sleeves to defeat their enemies: alcohol. Unlike wasp parasites, fruit flies have a high tolerance for alcohol, likely because the fly larvae live in rotting fruit, where a lot of fermentation is taking place. So if a maggot has a wasp growing inside of it, it will seek out and?consume food with high levels of alcohol?to kill the parasite. [The 10 Most Diabolical and Disgusting Parasites]

This finding led the researchers to wonder if adult fruit flies, which don't get infected by the wasps, know to use the chemical weapon against the parasites. "Would the flies change where they lay their eggs if a wasp is around?" Schlenke said.

Battling with alcohol

In the new study, Schlenke and his team stuck adult female fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) into a cage with two food dishes, one alcohol-free and the other with 6-percent alcohol. If no wasps were present, only around 40 percent of the flies laid their eggs in the alcoholic food. But if the researchers put female wasp parasites (Leptopilina heterotoma) into the cage, about 90 percent of the flies laid their eggs in the alcohol-laden dishes.

This behavior, the researchers found, lasts for several days. When the fruit flies were "pre-exposed" to the wasps, they remembered the danger and continued to prefer laying eggs in the alcoholic environment for up to four days after the wasps left the cage.

The researchers then wondered how, exactly, the fruit flies sense the presence of the wasps. By using?mutant flies?that either couldn't see or smell, they discovered the flies recognize the wasps based on sight ? an interesting ability considering that the flies had been reared in a wasp-free lab for generations.

"The flies have never seen wasps in their lives, neither have their parents or their grandparents," Schlenke explained, adding that the flies must have "innate search images for wasps."

Interestingly, these search images are sex-specific;?the fruit flies don't seem to care if male wasps are around. Male parasitic wasps have noticeably longer antennae than female wasps, so the researchers tested if clipping the males' antennae would trick the flies. It didn't. The fruit flies somehow still knew the wasps were male and stuck to the alcohol-free dishes, suggesting they recognize the female wasps based on some other characteristic. [Googly Eyes: Photos of Striking Wasp Faces]

A widespread behavior?

Schlenke is curious to see how widespread this "behavioral?immune response" is. In the current study, the team found that a host of other booze-tolerant flies also pre-emptively medicate their young with alcohol when they spot the wasps. But fly species that don't live in rotting fruit never choose the alcohol-laced food over the alcohol-free food, even if a wasp is in sight.

Do these flies, and maybe even other types of insects, have a different immune tactic to fight parasitic wasps?

For instance, some fly species live on mushrooms, which contain a variety of toxins, Schlenke said. "I wonder if mushroom flies are able to use the mushroom toxins to protect themselves against wasps," he said.

These behavioral examples would help show that the immune system is made up of more than just immune-activated cells, such as antibodies, Schlenke said. Specifically, immune behaviors, such as?medicating oneself?or another, are also part of an organism's immune system.

"We need to think of the immune system as a broader set of structures and processes that protect an organism from infection," Schlenke said.

The research is detailed in tomorrow's (Feb. 22) issue of the journal Science.

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

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/LvyRN6mN2L0/Fruit-fly-moms-use-alcohol-to-protect-their-kids-say-scientists

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Visa Debuts New Mobile Payments And NFC Partner Program For Merchants And Developers, Ready

visaCredit card company Visa is ramping up its partner program to help integrate its payments technologies in mobile devices and platforms. The new initiative, called the Visa Ready Partner Program, aims to help mobile device manufacturers, technology partners, mobile network operators, and others gain access to Visa IP, licenses and more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CWloUoO5vyI/

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Video: Winter storm bombards Midwest with snow



>>> in. it's warm and sunny here in miami, but the middle of the country is being bombarded with snow. john yang is in chicago . good morning to you.

>> reporter: i actually thought i was going to be on set with you guys this morning. i don't know what happened here. in chicago , we're getting a lull from the heaviest of snow as this storm, which pummeled the plains, is now moving east. across the midwest, it's shaping up to be another tough day to get from point a to point b. on the roads --

>> this is a terrible day for everybody.

>> reporter: just take a look at what this minivan does to a traffic light in illinois. getting into the air is no easier. more flights are canceled and airports struggle to reopen.

>> i first walked in, saw the line here and said this cannot be good.

>> reporter: at nbc's kansas city affiliate, staying on the air is the challenge, as staff clears snow out of satellite dishes. across the region, snow is falling at a furious pace, challenging shovellers.

>> trying to keep sidewalks and everything clear.

>> reporter: the storm is leaving behind impressive snowfall accumulations, 10.5 inches in raymore, missouri, 12.5 in alva, oklahoma, and a foot and a half in kansas. in kansas, state office is closed for all but essential workers. in texas, the problem is ice. south of new deal, texas, a seven-car accident shuts down traffic on an interstate highway . you don't have to work or travel. it's a time for fun.

>> she's playing all over the place in it, loving it.

>> reporter: for this young girl it's a chance to do something nice for dad.

>> i am cleaning up the driveway so that when my dad gets home, he can get warm inside and get in the house.

>> reporter: chicago is getting its heaviest snowfall in more than a year. willie?

>> john yang , lose the hat and come on down and hang out with us.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50903084/

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Activation of cortical type 2 cannabinoid receptors ameliorates ischemic brain injury

Activation of cortical type 2 cannabinoid receptors ameliorates ischemic brain injury

Friday, February 22, 2013

A new study published in the March issue of The American Journal of Pathology suggests that cortical type 2 cannabinoid (CB2) receptors might serve as potential therapeutic targets for cerebral ischemia.

Researchers found that the cannabinoid trans-caryophyllene (TC) protected brain cells from the effects of ischemia in both in vivo and in vitro animal models. In rats, post-ischemic treatment with TC decreased cerebral infarct size and edema. In cell cultures composed of rat cortical neurons and glia exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R), TC decreased neuronal injury and mitochondrial depolarization, specifically through type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2R) pathways.

"To our knowledge, novel data presented in this study provide evidence for the first time supporting a previously unappreciated role of cortical CB2R, especially neuronal CB2Rs, in ischemia," says lead investigator Won-Ki Kim, PhD, of the Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Korea University in Seoul. "This study suggests that further investigation is warranted to establish the clinical usefulness of TC as a preventative and therapeutic agent for treatment of stroke."

Results presented in the study shed light on the anatomy and mechanism of action of CB2R-mediated neuroprotection. In the in vivo study, which was performed in rats, the right middle cerebral artery was occluded for 1.5 hours to mimic an ischemic stroke; blood flow was allowed to return for the next 24 hours. Three hours after the occlusion began, the animals were treated with TC; some animals also received AM630, a CB2R antagonist. The next day, the brains were removed, and the volume of the infarct and extent of cerebral edema were measured.

Using immunocytochemistry, the investigators found evidence of CB2Rs in the cortex of both control and ischemic brains, mostly in cortical neurons but also to a lesser extent in some glial cells. This finding in itself is important because the question of whether CB2Rs are present in the cortex has long been a matter of debate, say the authors.

Post-ischemic treatment with TC reduced infarct size by 53.8% and reduced edema by 51.9%. However, co-administration of the CB2R antagonist AM630 completely blocked the protective effect of TC. Further analysis indicated that CB2R activation is involved in the ability of TC to induce cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation and increase the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in ischemic tissue.

Cell-culture studies of embryonic rat cortical neurons and glia exposed to OGD/R to simulate ischemic insult confirmed some of the findings of the in vivo studies and contributed to further understanding about cellular effects of ischemia and TC treatment. In the cultures, TC decreased neuronal injury, intracellular oxidative stress, and mitochondrial depolarization following OGD/R, and the effects were reversed by AM630 but not by a CB1R antagonist, AM251. Western blot analysis demonstrated that TC enhanced the phosphorylation of AMP protein kinase (AMPK) and CREB, while selective AMPK and CREB inhibitors blocked TC's neuroprotection. Other findings indicated that the anti-ischemic effect of TC was not mediated by NMDA receptor antagonism or antioxidant activity.

TC is a major cannabinoid derived from the essential oil of the flowering plant Cannabis sativa, but has a fundamentally different structure from classical cannabinoids. Unlike agents which activate CB1 receptors, selective CB2R receptor agonists do not have psychoactive side effects. TC appears to maintain CB2R agonist activity when administered orally and is a common ingredient found in many food additives and folk medicines. The intriguing results of the present study suggest that the anti-ischemic benefits of TC deserve further exploration.

###

Elsevier Health Sciences: http://www.elsevierhealth.com

Thanks to Elsevier Health Sciences for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126968/Activation_of_cortical_type___cannabinoid_receptors_ameliorates_ischemic_brain_injury

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Tennis-Weary Marino bids farewell to WTA and cyber-bullies

TORONTO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Canada's Rebecca Marino, a rising star in women's tennis, stepped away from the sport in search of a normal life on Wednesday, weary of battling depression and cyber-bullies.

Ranked number 38 in the world two years ago, the 22-year-old admitted she had long suffered from depression and was no longer willing to make the sacrifices necessary to reach the top.

"After thinking long and hard, I do not have the passion or enjoyment to drive myself to the level I would like to be at in professional tennis," Marino explained in a conference call.

"I have previously been number 38 on the WTA singles rankings so I realise the amount of work and sacrifices that have to be put in and at this point I do not think it is worth sacrificing my happiness.

"I feel there is more to life than just tennis."

Big and powerful, Marino appeared destined for a promising career on the WTA circuit and under-scored her potential in a hard fought second round clash with Venus Williams at the 2010 U.S. Open.

"Now I know what it's like to play myself," Williams told reporters after winning the match 7-6 6-3.

The following season, Marino backed up that potential by reaching her first career WTA final in Memphis and advancing to the third round of the French Open.

But the climb up the rankings had already begun to take its toll on the Canadian and in February 2012 she took a seven month break from the sport citing mental and physical fatigue.

CRUEL ATTACKS

Compounding her depression were cruel attacks on Twitter and social media, some coming from angry gamblers who had lost money backing her, while others poked fun at her appearance and weight.

"My depression came way before the so called cyber-bullying; this has been going on for I would dare say six years," said Marino.

"I was getting some comments that were really hurtful, as well as some great comments, but the hurtful ones stick with you a bit more.

"I was getting messages that I should die, that I should go burn in hell, that I'm a dumb ass, an idiot, that I lost them money, a wide variety of things and that is just scratching the surface.

"I like to feel I have a thick skin and I can deal with these sort of things so it wasn't the main factor.

"Social media has taken its toll on me but it is not the main reason ... the reason I am stepping back is that I don't think I'm willing to sacrifice my happiness and other parts of my life to tennis."

After her extended break, Marino returned to the tour last September, winning a Challenger event and then playing at the Australian Open in January.

Her passion for the sport did not return as quickly as her form, however.

"After the Australian Open when I came back into tournaments I just didn't find that spark in myself," said Marino.

"I thought maybe it would come back to me but the more I started playing the more I found it was becoming more-and-more apparent I didn't have the passion it would take."

Marino says the focus of her life will now be on going back to school, finding a job, spending time with friends and family and enjoying a normal life.

Although she refused to call her decision a retirement, Marino's tone and words indicated there was little chance of a return.

Marino also doubted she would ever return to social media after shutting down her Twitter and Facebook accounts on Tuesday before making her announcement.

"At this point I can't really see myself going back onto social media but who knows," said Marino. "I don't really find it something I really need in my life at this moment.

"In a way I wish I hadn't joined social media because of the criticism I received but I can't really go about regretting what I've done." (Editing by Nick Mulvenney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tennis-weary-marino-bids-farewell-wta-cyber-bullies-010425182--ten.html

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Cooling may prevent trauma-induced epilepsy

Feb. 20, 2013 ? In the weeks, months and years after a severe head injury, patients often experience epileptic seizures that are difficult to control. A new study in rats suggests that gently cooling the brain after injury may prevent these seizures.

"Traumatic head injury is the leading cause of acquired epilepsy in young adults, and in many cases the seizures can't be controlled with medication," says senior author Matthew Smyth, MD, associate professor of neurological surgery and of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "If we can confirm cooling's effectiveness in human trials, this approach may give us a safe and relatively simple way to prevent epilepsy in these patients."

The researchers reported their findings in Annals of Neurology.

Cooling the brain to protect it from injury is not a new concept. Cooling slows down the metabolic activity of nerve cells, and scientists think this may make it easier for brain cells to survive the stresses of an injury.

Doctors currently cool infants whose brains may have had inadequate access to blood or oxygen during birth. They also cool some heart attack patients to reduce peripheral brain damage when the heart stops beating.

Smyth has been exploring the possibility of using cooling to prevent seizures or reduce their severity.

"Warmer brain cells seem to be more electrically active, and that may increase the likelihood of abnormal electrical discharges that can coalesce to form a seizure," Smyth says. "Cooling should have the opposite effect."

Smyth and colleagues at the University of Washington and the University of Minnesota test potential therapies in a rat model of brain injury. These rats develop chronic seizures weeks after the injury.

Researchers devised a headset that cools the rat brain. They were originally testing its ability to stop seizures when they noticed that cooling seemed to be not only stopping but also preventing seizures.

Scientists redesigned the study to focus on prevention. Under the new protocols, they put headsets on some of the rats that cooled their brains by less than 4 degrees Fahrenheit. Another group of rats wore headsets that did nothing. Scientists who were unaware of which rats they were observing monitored them for seizures during treatment and after the headsets were removed.

Rats that wore the inactive headset had progressively longer and more severe seizures weeks after the injury, but rats whose brains had been cooled only experienced a few very brief seizures as long as four months after injury.

Brain injury also tends to reduce cell activity at the site of the trauma, but the cooling headsets restored the normal activity levels of these cells.

The study is the first to reduce injury-related seizures without drugs, according to Smyth, who is director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery program at St. Louis Children's Hospital.

"Our results show that the brain changes that cause this type of epilepsy happen in the days and weeks after injury, not at the moment of injury or when the symptoms of epilepsy begin," says Smyth. "If clinical trials confirm that cooling has similar effects in humans, it could change the way we treat patients with head injuries, and for the first time reduce the chance of developing epilepsy after brain injury."

Smyth and his colleagues have been testing cooling devices in humans in the operating room, and are planning a multi-institutional trial of an implanted focal brain cooling device to evaluate the efficacy of cooling on established seizures.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis. The original article was written by Michael C. Purdy.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Raimondo D'Ambrosio, Clifford L. Eastman, Felix Darvas, Jason S. Fender, Derek R. Verley, Federico M. Farin, Hui-Wen Wilkerson, Nancy R. Temkin, John W. Miller, Jeffrey Ojemann, Steven M. Rothman, Matthew D. Smyth. Mild passive focal cooling prevents epileptic seizures after head injury in rats. Annals of Neurology, 2012; DOI: 10.1002/ana.23764

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/KatBMfm6X7A/130221091833.htm

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WASHINGTON - Signaling an attempt to break an impasse, President Barack Obama on...

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Microsoft Imagine Cup Adds Female-Focused Competitions

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/tech/software/~3/Lxsybr4rXnM/

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[VIDEO]: NCAA & Olympic Wrestling Legend @DannyGable On Olympic Wrestling Decree

Home ? Kilmeade and Friends, Talk

NCAA and Olympic Wrestling Legend Danny Gable weighed in on the decree that came out last week that wrestling will no longer be in the Olympics starting in 2020. ?I cried right away,? Gable said. ?I am a guy where wrestling was my best sport.? I?ve influenced a lot of people over the world and I?ve been able to help a lot of people over the world.? And because of that, the opportunity needs to be out there,? he explained.

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Source: http://radio.foxnews.com/2013/02/20/video-ncaa-olympic-wrestling-legend-dannygable-on-olympic-wrestling-decree/

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3-D printed magazines could change gun control

Tech-savvy gun enthusiasts could easily find a way around any new curbs on firearms: If they want something, print it.

A Texas law student who used a 3-D printer to fashion a plastic magazine and then posted his ensuing trip to the firing range online got more than 280,000 views on YouTube - but then his leased 3-D printer was confiscated by a jittery manufacturer.

3-D printers are often used to make consumer items like jewelry and hearing aids, and also help reduce waste in manufacturing, according to Alyssa Reichental of 3D Systems Corporation, which manufactures 3-D printers for sale worldwide.

President Obama cited the innovative power of 3-D printing during his State of the Union speech last week, saying it would "revolutionize the way we make almost everything." A 3-D printer is a bit like a conventional printer, but instead of using ink on paper, it deposits layers of resin or other material that will harden to make a three-dimensional object.

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But a larger portion of his speech was devoted to his desire to enact new firearm restrictions. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D., Calif., proposed legislation in January that would ban the manufacture, sale, possession or transfer of any ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 bullets. That would presumably include home-manufactured magazines made with 3-D printers.

University of Texas law student Cody Wilson says he opposes any such restrictions. He's the activist who put up the YouTube video last month that showed him firing a Colt M-16 with a 30-round plastic magazine made by a 3-D printer.

Government actions on gun control are merely symbolic, according to Wilson.

"We hope to make the issue relevant," Wilson said. Government leaders "act like passing a law will keep magazines off the street but we want to show them that magazines will always be on the street."

Wilson runs an organization called Defense Distributed, which aims to spread information on how to create printable guns.

Wilson's actions have prompted some printing companies, like the major 3-D printing company Stratasys, to take action. Stratasys said it believes Wilson used its property for "illegal purposes."

The company leased a machine to Wilson last year but later confiscated it after learning what Wilson planned to do with it, according to a report in The Washington Post. Another company, MakerBot, also removed gun designs of downloadable blueprints it maintains for 3-D printer users, according to the report.

The printers are intended to be used to create consumer goods like Invisalign, according to 3-D Systems Chief Marketing Officer Cathy Lewis. She said 3-D printing is already becoming commonplace in communities across America.

"3-D printing ought to be used for educational purposes," said 3D Systems Chief Marketing Officer Cathy Lewis. "There is no way to deny access to a product that we make affordable and easy to use, but we make sure we are not assisting in products that could be printed or used for illicit or non-authorized purposes."

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/welcome-age-printed-gun-magazine-110126551--abc-news-politics.html

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Criminal charges filed in 2009 salmonella outbreak case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors said on Thursday they brought criminal fraud and conspiracy charges against peanut company employees tied to a 2009 salmonella outbreak blamed for nine U.S. deaths.

The charges filed in U.S. District Court in Georgia on Wednesday included fraud, conspiracy and the introduction of adulterated and misbranded food into interstate commerce, according to court papers.

The contaminated peanut products forced one of the biggest recalls in U.S. history. Federal health officials said 700 people in 46 states were infected, with nine deaths.

Peanut Corp of America was liquidated after the outbreak and is no longer in business.

Internal company messages in 2009 showed owner Stewart Parnell complaining about lost profits while the food poisoning was investigated. He later refused to testify after U.S. lawmakers subpoenaed him to appear at a hearing.

Parnell, 58, was among five people charged, including with obstruction of justice.

The Justice Department said he and three other company officials participated in a scheme to ship what they knew were salmonella-contaminated peanuts and peanut products, misleading customers and putting them at risk.

"When those responsible for producing or supplying our food lie and cut corners, as alleged in the indictment, they put all of us at risk," Stuart Delery, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said in a statement.

Neither Parnell nor his lawyer could immediately be reached for comment.

Some of those affected by the outbreak welcomed the criminal charges, having asked for them four years ago.

"I'm ecstatic. I would equate it to wishing for something to happen more than anything else you ever wanted in life and waiting years for it to occur," said Jeff Almer, whose mother died after eating peanut butter.

"This has been my life's mission for the last four years since my mom died - to try to get some justice," he said.

Randy Napier, whose mother also died after eating contaminated peanut butter, said he had been frustrated because the Justice Department was tight-lipped as it moved toward the indictments. He began to doubt there would be action.

"I feel relieved that our Justice Department was doing their job," he said from North Carolina. "I can finally actually put my mom to rest."

ONE GUILTY PLEA

One of those charged, Daniel Kilgore, 44, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, prosecutors said.

Kilgore was operations manager of the company's plant in Blakely, Georgia, from 2002 to 2008. He waived an official indictment and admitted to fraud, conspiracy and introduction of adulterated food into commerce, prosecutors said.

Two other Peanut Corp of America employees face charges: Samuel Lightsey, 48, the Blakely operations manager after Kilgore, and Mary Wilkerson, 39, a quality assurance manager.

A fifth person, Michael Parnell, 54, a food broker at P.P. Sales who worked on behalf of the peanut company, was also charged.

When inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration visited the Blakely plant in January 2009 after the initial outbreak, Parnell, Lightsey and Wilkerson lied about what they knew, prosecutors said.

A conviction for fraud or obstruction of justice carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, while illegally introducing tainted food into interstate commerce carries a three-year maximum, Michael Moore, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, said at a news conference in Washington.

Actual sentences could be much lower depending on prior criminal past and other factors. Moore said he expects those charged to appear in court within the next week.

(Additional reporting by Toni Clarke and Diane Bartz; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-indicts-peanut-company-officials-2009-salmonella-outbreak-163042392.html

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Of popes and pipelines: Canada?s global influence in the spotlight

Canadians can?t contain their pride since Mark Carney was chosen to pull Britain out of its economic funk. But his appointment is not the truest measure of Canada?s ascendancy in the world.

This country?s influence will really be tested in the coming weeks with two momentous decisions. Can Canada get its own pope? And can Canada convince President Barack Obama to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline?

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While the two decisions are unrelated, they share a common thread. In both cases, our hopes are dampened because Canada doesn?t practise what it preaches.

The cardinals could disregard Marc Ouellet?s candidacy and choose a pope from a country where Catholics show more fervour. Cardinal Ouellet has often clashed with the province where he grew up, which has gone from almost blindingly devout to fiercely secular in the historical heartbeat of the Quiet Revolution.

Likewise, Canada, once praised for its ecological leadership, has become the b?te noire of environmentalists, particularly since Stephen Harper?s government torpedoed the Kyoto accord that aimed to curb greenhouse gas emissions. And that might come back to haunt us: President Obama was resolute, in his State of the Union speech, to ?do more to combat climate change.?

TransCanada Corp. has long been waiting for the White House to approve its project to carry Alberta?s oil down to the Gulf Coast. But as oil sands crude has been vilified as the world?s dirtiest fuel, and as protests (and arrests) continue in Washington, approval remains uncertain.

Critics are quick to point out that if the Americans were really serious about tackling greenhouse gas emissions, they would be looking in their own backyard. Coal produced 42 per cent of the electricity in the U.S. in 2011. And coal-fired power plants spew for more carbon dioxide emissions than the oil sands do ? 40 times more, if Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver is to be believed.

Those critics are perfectly right. Yet this wouldn?t be the first time Americans have been hypocritical when it serves their interests. Americans like to depict themselves as defenders of the entrepreneurial spirit and as champions of free trade. But some states will unroll a red carpet of subsidies to attract Canadian companies and manufacturing jobs. And let us not forget the annoying Buy America policies, or the bad faith with which the U.S. government dealt with the never-ending dispute on softwood lumber.

Call it realpolitik, but the better approach would be for Canada to show that it is taking the green criticism seriously. Ottawa needs to step up to the challenge with meaningful action. This would make it easier for Mr. Obama to sell the project to the Democrats who care the most about the environment. Unfortunately, the Harper government hasn?t done much to help the President ? or Canada?s own cause.

A year ago, the federal and Alberta governments set up a program to monitor the air, water and habitat in Northern Alberta, to assess the environmental impact of oil production. But this assessment has been bogged down by unresolved issues between Ottawa and the province. Scientists still don?t have the data to prove or to dispel ? as Canada hopes ? the widely-held belief that oil sands production causes widespread damage. For a federal government set on speeding up environmental reviews, this shows a lack of coherence and seriousness.

In the meantime, the Harper government is failing to protect the health and security of Canadians, as environmental safeguards are not keeping up with the resource boom. This is not Greenpeace?s line ? it?s the federal Environment Commissioner?s conclusion in his last report to Parliament.

The most damning conclusion: Canada is ill-equipped to handle an oil spill should a tanker run aground or a pipeline burst. It could only handle a small leak ? nothing close to the Kalamazoo River oil incident of 2010.

This revives British Columbia?s worst fears. After that, try selling the Northern Gateway pipeline? And this inadequate preparedness is certainly not lost on Quebec Premier Pauline Marois, who is asking for more technical and environmental information before committing to a pipeline that would run across Quebec on its way to New Brunswick.

And if Canadians can?t even muster enough support to build a pipeline on their own land, why would Americans green-light TransCanada?s project? Some time soon, we will see the white smoke floating over the White House, but it may well carry some bad news.

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Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/of-popes-and-pipelines-canadas-global-influence-in-the-spotlight/article8856543/?cmpid=rss1

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DFL colleagues push Oberstar for U.S. transportation chief (Star Tribune)

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Wedding Ceremony Choices

Wedding Ceremony Choices

Although the service may be quite lengthy and involved, it is not complete until the legal aspect is fulfilled. So although you may think the most important aspects are the religious requirements, or that the wedding ceremony readings are appropriate, the law requires that the couple sign the marriage certificate in front of witnesses before the marriage can be legally accepted. So the wedding ceremony decorations and wedding ceremony music, although important to many of us, are not essential!

Of course other wedding traditions can be much more complicated as soon as you look into different race, social classes and ethnic groups to name a few. Performed by a Christian priest or vicar, the Church ceremony continues to be top of the list as a venue. The traditional white wedding as we know it is really only a service that is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and some other Commonwealth countries.

A different type occasion often difficult to arrange is where two couples are married simultaneously; this often happens where a person has a brother or sister that decides to tie the knot at the same time and it is not unheard of for two brothers to marry two sisters this way.

A destination wedding is where the engaged couple and often guests travel to attend the ceremony ? as a wedding option it can work out considerably less expensive this way, since wedding ceremony decorations, wedding ceremony music and even wedding guests can be kept to a minimum.

Whilst it is quite normal for the Irish to have three day weddings, more couples are taking the hint and having theirs over a weekend which gives them more time to enjoy the occasion. Special activities, such as spa treatments and golf tournaments, are scheduled into the itinerary for guests\? enjoyment throughout the weekend. Accommodation for these is normally arranged at the place where the service is going to take place and where the other events are also being held.

Internet weddings seem to be something that has come about recently and a number of people are now using this method to seal their vows; There are already a number of companies based online can help you find out more information about his unusual type of ceremony. An online wedding also refers to where a couple decides to have their marriage ceremony broadcast live on the internet.

Civil weddings have to be carried out by a local justice of the peace, judge, even a mayor can carry out the ceremony and most places out side of a church will use one of these people. For people that elect this type of ceremony it is not important to them if God or religion is referred to in such a brief service. Often, this type of service will take place in a judge\?s chambers, town or city hall or any other specially designated place.

If you live in a Christian country then you will recognize many of these wedding traditions but there are many more types of ceremony available around the world, and wedding ceremony music and wedding ceremony decorations may be important, or they may not.

Find More Weddings Ceremony Articles

Source: http://www.affordable-weddings.info/wedding-ceremony-choices

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Mosquitoes exposed to DEET once are less repelled by it a few hours later

Feb. 20, 2013 ? Mosquitoes are able to ignore the smell of the insect repellent DEET within a few hours of being exposed to it, according to research published February 20 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by James Logan, Nina Stanczyk and colleagues from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK.

Though most insects are strongly repelled by the smell of DEET, previous studies by Logan's research group have shown that some flies and mosquitoes carry a genetic change in their odor receptors that makes them insensitive to this smell. The new results reported in the PLOS ONE study uncover a response in mosquitoes based on short-term changes, not genetic ones.

"Our study shows that the effects of this exposure last up to three hours. We will be doing further research to determine how long the effect lasts," says Logan.

In this study, the authors tested changes in responses to DEET in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are notorious for biting during the day and are capable of transmitting dengue fever. They found that a brief exposure to DEET was sufficient to make some mosquitoes less sensitive to the repellent. Three hours after the exposure, these mosquitoes were not deterred from seeking attractants like heat and human skin despite the presence of DEET. The researchers found that this insensitivity to the smell could be correlated to a decrease in the sensitivity of odor receptors on the mosquito's antennae following a previous exposure. "We think that the mosquitoes are habituating to the repellent, similar to a phenomenon seen with the human sense of smell also. However, the human olfactory system is very different from a mosquito's, so the mechanism involved in this case is likely to be very different," explains Logan.

He adds, "This doesn't mean that we should stop using repellents -- on the contrary, DEET is a very good repellent, and is still recommended for use in high risk areas. However, we are keeping a close eye on how mosquitoes can overcome the repellent and ways in which we can combat this."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Public Library of Science.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Nina M. Stanczyk, John F. Y. Brookfield, Linda M. Field, James G. Logan. Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Exhibit Decreased Repellency by DEET following Previous Exposure. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (2): e54438 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054438

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/MeQEiUU0SxU/130220184949.htm

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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Google's Gundotra Promises 'Insanely Great' Nexus Cameras

Nexus 4

Google's engineering chief has promised that the search giant is committed to producing phones with "insanely great cameras."

Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering for Google, made the comment on a Google+ post he penned that questioned whether he should bring a bulky DSLR on an upcoming vacation to Lake Tahoe.

"Tonight, the DSLR won out. I care about shallow depth of field and want to capture photos like the one I've included in this post. I need my Canon 5d with me," he wrote. "So I've decided to dump all the lenses and carry only one. The 50mm 1.2. Let's see how this goes."

In the comments section, someone remarked that "improved sensors in phones will eventually convince you to" skip the DSLR.

Another reader remarked that he hopes to someday "just carry our future Nexus and we won't worry about any heavy camera," before asking Gundotra if that would ever be a possibility.

"We are committed to making Nexus phones insanely great cameras," Gundotra responded. "Just you wait and see."

It should come as no surprise that Google is working to improve the camera on its Nexus phones; it's probably working to improve all the features on its devices. But a powerful camera would be a nice selling point. In his review of the Nexus 4, PCMag's Jamie Lendino found the smartphone's camera to be mediocre.

"In my tests, photo quality was good, though not quite iPhone 5-quality ; outdoor shots looked balanced, but not particularly crisp or detailed," Lendino wrote. "Indoor shots were fairly noise-free, but a little soft in focus."

Video capture, however, was disappointing, he said. "Overall, the camera is an improvement over the Galaxy Nexus , but not enough of one," Lendino concluded.

Gundotra didn't go into any more detail; it was a response to a Google+ post rather than an official product announcement, after all. But we'll likely see something new from Google on the Nexus front at its annual I/O developer conference in May.

For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.

Source: http://feeds.ziffdavis.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/breakingnews/~3/hoGyACTZ6CI/0,2817,2415550,00.asp

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Samsung Galaxy Grand: Specs and features analysis

The handset that comes with dual SIM 5 inch body is making waves in India. Samsung Galaxy Grand specs and features analysis makes interesting reading

Samsung is working hard to beat all its rivals in the Indian market. This is the reason that it has been introducing smart-phones in all the price range that suit its customers. Its Galaxy Grand Duos, recently introduced in India is an effort in this direction.

The handset with a phablet size of Samsung?s very own Galaxy Note 2 will give satisfaction to Indian users who cannot buy the better phablet in excess of Rs 35000. Samsung has come to conclude that there are obviously not a very large number of people in the country who will go for its top handsets due to the high pricing. Neither Samsung nor Apple are able to sell their top versions in the Indian market due to outrageously high pricing of the handset. It is also because of the fact that unlike the European market where the data service provider subsidize the handset, these companies till date have no similar arrangements. And paying close to $700-$800 upfront for a handset is not an easy choice for many in the country.

Samsung almost completely controls the smart-phone market in the country and I am sure its stranglehold of it is going to continue in the days to come. Thanks to its very good planning and its sense to launch handsets for different groups is going to bring better rewards to the tech giant in the long run. Samsung Galaxy Grand is the latest device from Samsung exploiting the Galaxy brand at a new price point. The phablet carries some interesting features which it borrows from Samsung?s premium range of smartphones, namely Galaxy S III and Note II. The phone which also has a dual-SIM version, called Galaxy Grand Duos, is priced at a comfortable Rs. 21,500, which makes a device hard to miss. Galaxy Grand has a Cortex A9 1.2 GHz dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM. The phone comes with 8 GB memory in-built which is expandable to 64 GB with the help of a microSD card. The 5 inch screen has a WVGA resolution of 800?480 which looks just about fine, but the difference is evident when compared to the phone?s elder siblings S III or Note II. The dual-SIM feature is one of the features which bends the scale towards this device.

The handset comes with other reasonably good features. The smartphone packs in some really advanced optics such as an 8 megapixel CMOS camera which is capable of recording videos in 1920?1080 full HD resolution at 30 frames per second. The camera also has Auto Focus, Geo Tagging, Image Stabilization and other such features. The front camera is of 2 megapixels.

But it is going to face tough competition from its market competitors. Samsung competes with Micromax?s A116 HD smartphone which also has a 5 inch screen with a better resolution.? The Micromax model retails at a much lesser Rs. 15k price bracket which makes it much more affordable to the masses, the category which both the companies are targeting with their devices. Micromax?s design scheme is familiar to Grand or S III and it runs on the same Android platform as well. But Samsung?s brand popularity and service support gives the Galaxy Grand an edge in the competition. But the market is spoilt for choice nowadays and Samsung should not take its brand image as an advantage point.

Galaxy grand has great looks. The handset from Korean tech giant has a smooth finish which is prone to scratches if not handled well and that makes the use of a cover a necessity. The phone has a TFT LCD with Samsung?s proprietary TouchWIZ interface and some of the features borrowed from S III and Note series, such as, Multi-window, Pop-up play, Smart Stay, S Voice and others.? The phone offers good media playback support with quite good music and video output both from the headphones and the speaker. The connectivity options are also available in abundance with the provision of a dual band Wi-Fi, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0. NFC, which has become a common feature in the smartphones nowadays, is unfortunately missing from the phone.

As far as battery backup in concerned, I comes with a 2100 mAh battery which is ample to manage so many features and processes on the phone and last a day comfortably. The dual SIM mode will affect battery life but still won?t be a cause of worry. Galaxy Grand has indeed made a grand debut and made its presence felt in the market. The initial response from customers has been good, which will further boost Samsung?s confidence in the product and it may offer a better version at some later point with improved display and features. But even till then, this is a handsome new phone, deserving to be your ticket to the coveted smartphone club. The handset may not be very good in specs, but it adds luster in Rs 20k range smartphone.

Source: http://nvonews.com/2013/02/20/samsung-galaxy-grand-specs-and-features-analysis/

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Hackers take Jeep's Twitter account for a ride

DETROIT (AP) ? Someone hacked their way into Jeep's Twitter account on Tuesday, posting fake tweets about the brand being sold to Cadillac and that it was suspending factory production.

The move was similar to an incident involving the Burger King restaurant chain on Monday. A spokesman for Chrysler Group LLC, which owns Jeep, said he had no idea if the two cases were linked, although he said the visuals looked similar.

Messages left with Twitter spokeswomen were not immediately returned.

Hackers took control of the account around 1:30 p.m. EST, posting that the Jeep brand had been sold to General Motors' Cadillac because employees had been caught "doing this." Accompanying the tweet was a photo of a man holding a bottle of pills. Later, the hackers tweeted that Jeep production had been halted.

The false tweets took place for a little under an hour before Chrysler's social media agency was able to regain control of the account with help from Twitter, Chrysler spokesman Ed Garsten said. The false messages were deleted from the account around 3 p.m.

The agency, Ignite Social Media of Birmingham, Mich., near Detroit, spotted the misdeeds quickly and worked to wrest the account back from the hackers, Garsten said. He said he has no idea who hacked into the account, and he thought Chrysler would take steps to guard against future attacks.

"I can only imagine that they're taking a look at it," he said.

Jeep normally uses Twitter to promote its vehicles and parts, or to spotlight its customers.

Garsten said he didn't think the incident hurt the Jeep brand because most people realized it was a hacking incident. The hackers were successful in making Jeep's tweets more popular.

"I guess I see that Jeep was trending during that time," he said.

Burger King's Twitter account went through a similar takeover on Monday, as hackers posted obscene messages and changed its profile picture to a McDonald's logo.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-19-US-Jeep-Twitter-Hacked/id-f0f2cfe69a824190bccea166ee6b8dbc

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Arkansas Senate passes bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks

BERLIN (Reuters) - Half a life-time ago, artist Yoko Ono lay in an Amsterdam hotel bed with husband John Lennon, staging a week-long "bed-in" for peace and feeling they were very alone in their activism. Today, Ono, whose own energy for campaigning has never tired, sees a world full of activists, maintaining her energy and faith in humanity. "When John and I did the bed-in, not many people were with us. But now there are so many activists, I don't know anyone who is not an activist," she told Reuters in an interview in Berlin on Monday, her 80th birthday. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arkansas-senate-passes-bill-ban-abortions-20-weeks-234127034.html

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Video: Mandia: Chinese government is ?sanctioning these attacks?

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50862949/

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Infosys to trade on NYSE Euronext London, Paris Markets from Feb 20

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 at 09:46

Infosys will be the first Indian company admitted to trading on NYSE Euronexts (NYX) London and Paris Market from Wednesday, February 20, 2013.

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Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/announcements/infosys-to-tradenyse-euronext-london-paris-marketsfeb-20_827252.html

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Rumor: Assassin?s Creed III: Washington Edition on the way

February 19th, 2013 Posted in Posted by Valay, Rumors, Wii U

Siliconera writes today that Ubisoft will be shipping a new product known as Assassin?s Creed III: Washington Edition ?very soon?. The publisher is likely packing in the full game as well as the full Tyranny of King Washington DLC. Although Washington Edition hasn?t been confirmed for Wii U, one would think it has a pretty good shot at hitting the platform given that Assassin?s Creed III is already out on the system.

Thanks to KIDNINTENDO for the tip.

Source




Source: http://nintendoeverything.com/113699/rumor-assassin%E2%80%99s-creed-iii-washington-edition-on-the-way/

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Xanterra Parks & Resorts? Expands Its Leisure and Travel Portfolio ...

The Seabourn Pride is one of three luxury ships added to the Windstar Cruises fleet.

Denver, CO ??Xanterra Parks & Resorts?, the largest concessioner to the national parks, has completed a series of acquisitions that greatly expand the company?s experiential leisure offerings. These acquisitions include three all-suite luxury cruise ships currently operated by Seabourn to become part of?Windstar Cruises,?VBT (Vermont) Bicycling and Walking Vacations?and?The Grand Hotel?in Tusayan, Ariz., adjoining the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park where Xanterra operates more than 900 rooms and numerous retail, food and beverage and tour operations.

These acquisitions are on the heels of other recent additions ??Windstar Cruises?in 2011,?Kingsmill Resort?in Williamsburg, Va. in 2010 and the historic Grand Canyon Railway in 2007.

?These businesses build on our existing portfolio as well as expand our operations into adventure vacations throughout the world, further diversifying our leisure travel holdings,? said Andrew N. Todd, president and CEO of Xanterra. ?Xanterra Parks & Resorts??has grown into a diversified hospitality company with offerings on the sea, rails and land. Xanterra has expanded its revenue base by more than 50 percent through targeted acquisitions in the last three years alone and will continue to look for new opportunities to build on our diverse leisure travel portfolio.?

Expansion of Windstar Fleet with Three Seabourn Ships

VBT offers a variety of small-group, deluxe bicycling, walking, river barge and cross country skiing tours worldwide.

Xanterra reached an agreement with Seabourn, a cruise company that operates six luxury cruise ships within the Carnival Corporation, plc., to purchase three of their luxury ships ?? the?Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit?and?Seabourn Legend. These 104-suite ships are known for their ?five-star? elegant accommodations featuring ocean-view suites, multiple dining venues and spa among other fine shipboard facilities. The ships will be integrated into the newly renovated Windstar Cruises fleet over a two-year period beginning April 2014 to create one of the largest small-ship cruise lines in the industry. With capacities of just 208 persons each, these ships complement Windstar?s three ships:?Wind Spirit, Wind Star?and?Wind Surf, bringing the new total Windstar fleet to six ships and 1,230 berths.

?Windstar Cruises has experienced four straight years of revenue growth. This expansion is the perfect way to build on the momentum following our recent fleet-wide renovation, providing us with the much needed capacity to match the accelerating demand for our intimate style of yacht cruising,? continued Todd.

The Grand Hotel is located in Tusayan, Ariz. near the entrance to Grand Canyon National Park.

The delivery of the three all-suite ships will take place over the next two years in the Mediterranean. The?Seabourn Pride?will be the first ship to enter into Windstar?s luxury fleet in April 2014. Following a Windstar branded renovation, which will give the ship a new name and casually elegant look, the?Pride?will set sail a month later in May 2014; voyages are expected to go on sale in May of this year. Windstar Cruises will take possession of?Seabourn Legend?in April 2015 and?Seabourn Spirit?in May 2015, and the yachts are scheduled to start sailing in May of 2015, following their dry-dock period.

?Windstar has built a great reputation, offering distinctive intimate, yacht-style cruising. This style is at the core of our guest experience and these ships will be a great addition to our brand,? added Todd. The fleet expansion will provide Windstar Cruises access to new destinations such as Asia and South America, in addition to the 50 countries the company already sails to. Known for visiting hidden harbors and secluded coves of the world, Windstar will continue to focus on the unique experiences and destinations that large ships cannot call on. Windstar recently announced its long-awaited return to Tahiti in May 2014, one of the top destinations requested by Windstar guests and travel partners.

Windstar?s shore-side operations will continue to run out of the company?s Seattle headquarters. Additional details, including itineraries, onboard experiences and renovation details will be released in the coming months.

VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations

The Windstar Cruises fleet includes three newly renovated ships, the Wind Surf, Wind Star and Wind Spirit.

Founded in 1971 by a Middlebury College professor and originally known as Vermont Bicycle Touring, VBT offers deluxe, small-group bicycling, walking, river barge and cross-country skiing tours worldwide at unsurpassed value with destinations in Europe, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand, Peru, Argentina, Canada and the U.S. VBT focuses on creating life-changing vacations featuring all accommodations, meals, two expert local trip leaders, unique sightseeing and cultural activities and full vehicle support.

VBT is consistently in the top rankings by?Travel + Leisure?readers in the ?World?s Best Tour Operator? category, was named by?National Geographic Adventure?as one of the ?Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth? and recognized as one of?Bicycling Magazine?s ?15 Trips We Love? for its Vermont: Champlain Valley & Islands vacation. Based in Bristol, Vt., VBT also operates offices in Europe and other destinations.? VBT has been named ?Most Active Partner? by the French Government Tourist Office and was honored by Vermont?s governor for ?Contributions to the State of Vermont.?

?We are excited to expand into the adventure tour operator segment and believe that there are important synergies not only across our portfolio of properties but also properties owned by our sister companies in exceptional destinations that will now become part of VBT?s offerings,? added Todd.

The Grand Hotel

The Grand Hotel in Tusayan, Ariz. was built in 1998 and features 121 rooms, spacious lobby, timber construction, rustically elegant furniture and artwork, multiple dining options, an indoor pool, hot tub and fitness center. The hotel offers an alternative lodging option immediately adjacent to the park for those who want to visit the Grand Canyon during peak visitation periods when in-park lodging is near capacity, or for travelers who prefer to be close to Tusayan?s restaurants, shopping, tours and IMAX theater.

Xanterra purchased Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va. in 2010. The luxurious resort is home to the Kingsmill LPGA Championship.

?This is a great addition to the six lodges we already operate at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and Phantom Ranch on the floor of the Canyon as well as Grand Canyon Railway and the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams, Ariz. some 60 miles south. No matter how you choose to see the Canyon, you have many options with us,? commented Todd.

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A Brief History of Xanterra

Like many U.S. companies with a long and significant history, Xanterra Parks & Resorts? corporate family tree has many branches. Visionary and company founder Fred Harvey partnered in 1876 with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to fill the need for high-quality food for rail travelers. Harvey Houses built at stops along the railroad provided good food served quickly, a new experience for train passengers who had previously had only poor-quality food available during their trips to destinations in the American West. In the early part of the 20th?century, the Fred Harvey Company began expanding its operations to include concessions in national parks as well as other tourism businesses nationwide. Xanterra purchased the Fred Harvey Company in 1968, and in 1995 Xanterra acquired TW Recreational Services, making the company the largest national and state park operator in the U.S. In 2008, Xanterra was acquired by the Denver-based Anschutz Company.

The 112-year-old Grand Canyon Railway provides Grand Canyon visitors with a fun and scenic way to visit the park.

?Although Xanterra?s reach now extends to all seven continents, the company has remained true to?Harvey?s fundamental commitment to providing authentic, local travel experiences,? said Todd. ?All of our operations today, no matter how remote, strive to present local culture and cuisine, and preserve the environment. It is a practice that we will continue to emphasize as we develop new and better ways to serve the needs of today?s traveler.?

Xanterra has continued to develop or acquire operations that fit its mission to provide legendary hospitality with a softer footprint. For example, following the 2007 acquisition of the 112-year-old Grand Canyon Railway (GCR), Xanterra converted the train to an all-diesel fleet for environmental reasons. But in a nod to the historic appeal of the steam train, GCR developed a way to power an occasional steam train run to the park using recycled vegetable oil from the company?s restaurant kitchens.

The Future

Xanterra will continue to seek acquisition opportunities that complement its growing portfolio. The company will also seek to establish synergies within its operations, including developing across-the-board environmental management practices and launching health and wellness initiatives that encourage employees and guests to enjoy the great outdoors in these unique and spectacular destinations.

Other Operations

It all started at the Grand Canyon when the legendary Fred Harvey Company built El Tovar and other lodges, restaurants and gift shops to encourage travelers to visit the American West in comfort and style. Xanterra purchased the Fred Harvey Company in 1968, and today the company continues to offer legendary hospitality?with a softer footprint.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts? other operations include lodges, restaurants, gift shops, tours and activities in Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park and five Ohio State Park Lodges, as well as the Geneva Marina in Ohio?s Geneva State Park. In addition, Xanterra ?owns and operates Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va.; Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel; The Grand Hotel in Tusayan, Ariz.; VBT, a global adventure travel company; and the upscale cruise ships of Windstar Cruises.

Source: http://www.adventuretravelnews.com/xanterra-parks-resorts-expands-its-leisure-and-travel-portfolio-with-acquisitions-of-adventure-travel-company-additional-cruise-ships-and-a-hotel

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