FILE - In this February 2008 publicity image released by CBS Entertainment, host Drew Carey hosts pauses during a taping of of "The Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular," one of six new specials to be broadcast on the CBS Television Network. A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, overturned an $8.5 million jury verdict awarded to a former model on the show after determining that he had not properly instructed the panel. A retrial will be scheduled in Brandi Cochran's case versus the show's producers. (AP Photo/CBS, Monty Brinton, File)
FILE - In this February 2008 publicity image released by CBS Entertainment, host Drew Carey hosts pauses during a taping of of "The Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular," one of six new specials to be broadcast on the CBS Television Network. A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, overturned an $8.5 million jury verdict awarded to a former model on the show after determining that he had not properly instructed the panel. A retrial will be scheduled in Brandi Cochran's case versus the show's producers. (AP Photo/CBS, Monty Brinton, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A judge has overturned an $8.5 million verdict awarded to a former "Price is Right" model in a pregnancy discrimination case and ruled a new trial is necessary.
Judge Kevin Brazile ruled Tuesday that he didn't properly instruct the jury that ultimately came to a 9-3 decision in Brandi Cochran's favor last year, City News Service reported. He based his ruling on new legal guidance from the state's Supreme Court.
Cochran convinced jurors that the show's producers discriminated against her after she became pregnant and they refused to allow her to return to the show.
Her attorney, Carney Shegerian, said Wednesday that Brazile's ruling was proper and he expects the damages to go higher in the case.
"I think on re-trial I'll get triple or quadruple that," he said.
Brazile determined he should have instructed the jury to decide whether pregnancy discrimination was a substantial factor in the producers' decision to keep Cochran from rejoining the cast after her child was born. He cited the divided verdict as a factor warranting a new trial, which will likely occur later this year.
A spokesman for show producers FremantleMedia declined to comment on the ruling.
Lenovo probably did Windows 8 the best of anyone so far with the bendy, twisty Yoga. Now it's got the Thinkpad Tablet 2 and keyboard combo. If the Lenovo Yoga is a laptop that's sort of a tablet, this is the tablet that's sort of a laptop. More »
WASHINGTON -- A new medal that would honor drone pilots and cyber warriors and outrank battlefield combat medals such as the Purple Heart and Bronze Star is facing backlash from veterans organizations and members of Congress, with a bipartisan group of 22 senators pressing the Pentagon to change the designation.
The newly created Distinguished Warfare Medal, approved last month by then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, will honor members of the military for achievements beyond the battlefield since Sept. 11, 2001.
The backlash to the medal centers around the fact that it will take precedence over traditional several combat awards, which require that the recipient risk his or her life in order to receive them.
On Friday, 22 senators wrote to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and expressed their concerns.
"We believe that medals earned in combat, or in dangerous conditions, should maintain their precedence above non-combat awards," wrote the senators. "Placing the Distinguished Warfare Medal above the Bronze Star and Purple Heart diminishes the significance of awards earned by risking one's life in direct combat or through acts of heroism. Moreover, the Distinguished Warfare Medal's placement directly above the Soldier?s Medal -- an award for bravery and voluntary risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy -- diminishes the precedence given to acts of individual gallantry in circumstances other than combat."
The senators who signed the letter are Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
Boozman, Heller, Manchin and Tester also recently introduced legislation that would prevent the Distinguished Warfare Medal from outranking direct combat awards. Republican lawmakers have a similar bill in the House of Representatives, and a bipartisan group of 48 House members have also written to Hagel.
The award has also prompted protest from veterans groups. The American Legion urged its members to complain to lawmakers, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars wrote to Hagel.
VoteVets.org Co-Founder Jon Soltz recently argued that Hagel may better understand the importance of keeping the Purple Heart and Bronze Star above the Distinguished Warfare Medal because of his experience in Vietnam.
"This isn't a knock on Leon Panetta, but unlike Chuck Hagel, Panetta was never a grunt, an enlisted man," wrote Soltz. "In Hagel, we have someone who brings that unique experience to the table. In fact, he'd be the first enlisted man ever to serve as Secretary of Defense. Of course, in addition to that, Senator Hagel was awarded two Purple Hearts, so he knows full well the kind of sacrifice it takes to be awarded that medal."
The Pentagon did not return a request for comment, but spokesman George Little told the Associated Press in late February, "The Defense Department remains committed to honoring the remotely piloted aircraft operators and the cyber warriors as appropriate. This is recognition of their significant contributions and the changing nature of warfare."
When he announced the creation of the award in February, Panetta said "remotely piloted platforms and cyber systems" have "changed the way wars are fought."
The Associated Press also noted that the new award may be handed out without the public ever knowing about it because the actions taken by the recipients may be classified.
CORRECTION: This story originally stated that Sen. Mark Begich was from Arkansas. He represents Alaska. We regret the error.
One of the reasons that coming to South By Southwest Interactive continues to be worthwhile despite all its flaws is that it still attracts some of the most intelligent and fascinating people to the same place at the same time. Getting to bump into brilliant people leads to some wonderful conversations, and often gives just the boost you need to go back to 'regular life' with a fresh pair of eyes. Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to have brunch here at SXSW with seven fascinating people -- Tumblr's David Karp, The Onion's Baratunde Thurston, OK Go's Damian Kulash, Vimeo and Elepath's Jake Lodwick, roboticist Carla Diana, Makerbot's Bre Pettis, and GE's Beth Comstock -- for a roundtable discussion organized by General Electric. We had a wide-ranging discussion over the course of the meal, which was all filmed, but it all started out with the group talking about the original sparks of passion that led them to their current vocations.
Dec. 14, 2012, will long be remembered in Newtown, Conn., and well beyond. Tears will long be shed. Prayers and comfort will long be needed.
By John Yemma,?Editor / March 10, 2013
Volunteer Stephanie Porzio reads a condolence letter sent to Newtown, Conn.; she is helping to create an archive.
Jessica Hill/AP
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Time is a blanket. It settles over the wars, disasters, and violence of today, softening the contours of the raw and immediate, turning them first into memory, then history, and eventually half-remembered legend. Time itself doesn?t heal wounds. That takes a higher order of thought. But almost without effort, time gentles the present and helps us move on.
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Editor, The Christian Science Monitor
John Yemma is Editor of The Christian Science Monitor, which publishes international news and analysis at?CSMonitor.com, in the?Monitor Weekly?newsmagazine, and in an email-delivered?Daily News Briefing. He can be reached at editor@csmonitor.com.
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The world is overflowing with places and dates we vow never to forget: Auschwitz, Hiroshima, Gettysburg. At first, we lay wreaths and feel the rush of memory. Then time?s blanket descends. We mark a month, a year, a decade, but new generations cannot feel the same way we do. Dates that will live in infamy once again become Sundays in early December. Hallowed ground in one era is a pleasant park in another.
Less than three months have passed since that terrible Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. G. Jeffrey MacDonald has listened and watched as the pastor and parishioners of the Newtown United Methodist Church comfort one another and lean on a church family that was always there but has now become an even more essential part of their lives. (You can read Jeff's report here.)
The church sits at the entrance to the Sandy Hook village and has a large parking lot. Media from around the world swarmed in after the shooting. From the outset, the Rev. Mel Kawakami and members of the church kept reporters at bay, determined to maintain a community sanctuary. Still, there was a story to tell.?
An official of the national United Methodist Church reached out to Jeff, who has written about religion for many years (see his Dec. 24, 2012, cover story, ?The new face of faith?), knowing he would be respectful and trustworthy. His report ? and Melanie Stetson Freeman?s sensitive photographs inside the church ? is an intimate look at a faith community working through pain, sorrow, and questions engendered by crisis.
One of the church members told Jeff that Newtown had always seemed like Sesame Street to her ? safe, diverse, kind, intelligent, happy. That was turned upside down on Dec. 14. But the essential qualities of the community haven?t disappeared. They are manifest in the kindness of a customer paying for everyone?s coffee at Dunkin? Donuts, the simple act of looking in on a neighbor, the care and discretion people exercise in deciding whether this is or is not the moment to speak up on the issue of gun violence.
We often see news reports of packed churches the Sunday after a tragedy, Jeff notes. And that?s usually where the story ends. News moves on. ?But there?s so much more to it,? he says. ?Church is a safe space for people to confess, to cry, to feel the presence of sanctuary, to reinterpret the meaning of powerful symbols, to find deeper meaning in hymns and sacraments.? Some of this can be done alone; more needs to be worked out in community, which is what a church is when it is at its best.
Valentine?s Day, Feb. 14, was especially hard in Newtown. Lent, which is approaching its midway point, is a hard season by definition and has been made harder by a cold, snowy winter. Ahead are anniversaries and birthdays and more tears. Good Friday will be 15 weeks to the day. Only 3-1/2 months will have passed by Easter Sunday. Spring and summer will come. But the gentling blanket of time takes time.
?America is a ?move on? society,? Jeff notes. ?We don?t like to sit with things. We need to sit with things.??
Since I've compared iPhone Twitter apps, weather apps, podcast apps, and calendar apps, it's time to put my app where my scrutiny is and compare Apple news site apps, including iMore's, at a glance.
There's an interesting debate when it comes to websites-as-apps, and perhaps most poetically, Apple news sites as apps. Some think Safari on iOS is good enough that a website should just be a website, and packaging it up as an app is artificial at best, bloated at worst. Others believes that apps provide functionality beyond Safari and the web, including native performance, and the potential for native features like push notifications, pod catching, and more. Still others think the iPhone, due to its smaller size and more mobile use-case better suits websites-as-apps than the larger, yet still portable iPad. The internal discussion at iMore and Mobile Nations over making the iMore app touched on a lot of those points, and more. Ultimately, we've made on for the iPhone -- just now updated to version 2.0 -- but we haven't yet made one for the iPad. The discussion continues.
Other sites no doubt have gone through similar discussions, and each has made their own decision, determined their own value, and if they made it app, made their own choices about why and how to present themselves in a native, compelling way.
Default UIKit vs. custom interface, pulling the page via UIWebView vs. pulling the data and reformatting it, ads vs. no ads, and much, much more goes into planning and implementing a website-as-app. Not including international versions/site, forums apps (I'll do those separately at some point), general news/RSS or other aggregator apps (likewise), here's a glance at the content list screen of some of the most popular Apple (or generic tech that also includes Apple) news site apps.
And as a bonus, since some of you complained one screen shot per app wasn't enough, here are the single article views.
The comparison is, of course, limited and incomplete. Some popular Apple news sites don't have apps, like Daring Fireball, MacRumors, 9to5Mac and The Loop. Some of the sites pictures above also include extra features, like iPad versions, podcast players, push notifications, forums integration, app recommendation engines, and more.
However, it does show some of the different opinions that went into making the basic functionality and design of an Apple news site-as-app. Checking them out, what's you feeling? Should websites stay websites, or do you like what going native has to offer?
Kate Upton look-alike: A Russian student bears a remarkable resemblance to supermodel Kate Upton. What are the odds of two unrelated people looking exactly the same??
By Eoin O'Carroll,?Staff / March 6, 2013
Supermodel Kate Upton poses at the launch party of the Sports Illustrated's 2013 Swimsuit issue, which features her on the cover, in February 2013.
Carlo Allegri/Reuters
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A Russian student named Ania tweeted a photo of herself striking the pose made famous by model Kate Upton on the cover of this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. After Upton herself re-tweeted the image, it went viral, with news outlets referring to Ania as Upton's "doppleg?nger."
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We'll leave it to others to determine the extent to which Ania resembles the Michigan-born supermodel. But it does raise an interesting question: What are the odds of Upton, or anyone else for that matter, having an unrelated lookalike?
Even though the "identical stranger" is a major plot point in many works of fiction???from?"A Tale of Two Cities" to no fewer than three episodes of "Gilligan's Island" ? and even though there are some 7 billion people currently living on the planet, the odds of there being an exact physical copy of you are pretty slim. The?number of genetic and environmental factors that go into fashioning your appearance is just too large.
Take just the face: A team of Dutch scientists last year announced that they have?identified just five genes?that determine prominent features of a person's face, including the face's width, the distance between the eyes, and the distance from the tip of the nose to its base. It doesn't sound like much, but no single variant of these genes has a particularly large effect on determining the shape of someone's face, and there are likely hundreds, if not thousands of variations of these five genes. ?
And that's just the shape.?At least six genes govern skin pigmentation, and?at least another 15 genes are associated with eye color. The genetics of your hair ? its color, thickness, and?curliness ? is similarly complex.
Environmental factors also play a huge role in appearance, beginning in the uterine environment and continuing into adulthood. For instance, children who are well-fed, particularly during early childhood and puberty, will wind up taller than their less-nourished counterparts. (And of course overeating can also have dramatic effects on the shape of one's body.)?Testosterone also plays a role in shaping your face ? more of it makes for smaller-looking eyes and a more prominent jawline in boys. Because testosterone levels vary with social standing, it could be that the way you were treated as a kid has lasting effects on your mug.
The upshot is that, for two people to look exactly the same, it would require a mind-bogglingly improbable series of genetic coincidences, followed by an equally unlikely series of environmental events.??Either that, or you'd need them to be identical twins. But even identical twins tend to look slightly different, as any parent of such twins knows.
That said, there's a pretty good chance that there's someone out there who sort of looks like you. The Montreal photographer Francois Brunelle has already found more than a hundred people for his "I'm not a look-alike!" project, which features similar-looking strangers, shot in black and white.?
As for Upton's "double," Ania told Sports Illustrated that?she had been told before that she resembles the swimsuit model. But she says that the real reason that she decided to replicate Upton's magazine cover was a far more ordinary coincidence: she happened to have the same white snow parka hanging in her closet.?
Last month, Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin told Pro Football Talk that, if he?s cut by the Ravens, he?ll retire.
?Once a Raven, always a Raven,? he added.
He may no longer be a Raven.
According to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, Boldin has rejected the team?s proposal to reduce his $6 million base salary.? The veteran is prepared to become an unrestricted free agent, if/when he is cut.
In hindsight, Boldin perhaps shouldn?t have said he?ll retire if he?s cut.? That comment surely emboldened the Ravens to take a run at creating some cap space by backing him into a corner.
At the Scouting Combine, Ravens assistant G.M. Eric DeCosta told Pro Football Talk, ?Anquan?s a Raven.?? Asked whether he?ll be a Raven at a base salary of $6 million, DeCosta said, ?We?ll see.?
The answer is, for now, no.? Once the Ravens realize that Boldin is serious about playing elsewhere, the answer could change to yes.
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Windows: One of the annoyances in Windows 8 is that the full-screen (formerly "Metro") apps can only be run, well, full-screen or snapped in a pane at the side. They don't work like Windows desktop apps. ModernMix fixes this problem, letting you run those full-screen apps in their own windows on the desktop.
ModernMix isn't free; after a 30-day trial, to continue using it, you'll need to pay $4.99. But it's the best five bucks you might ever spend if you're a Windows 8 user.
The app offers settings for how to treat full-screen apps when you launch them from the desktop or from the Windows 8 start screen. You can also switch from full-screen to window mode for each app and let ModernMix remember your settings for next time.
The handy utility also lets you pin full-screen apps to the taskbar, essentially integrating the modern apps with your traditional desktop ones.
This app comes to us from Stardock, makers of Start8, Fences, and other useful programs.
ASSUIT, Egypt (AP) ? A former Islamic militant group says it is sending its members out to police streets in a southern Egypt province because protesting security forces are on strike.
The Gamaa Islamiya group said Friday it is taking "full responsibility" of security in Assiut province, an Islamist stronghold. It said it was assembling volunteer members to act as police in the streets.
Assiut security chief, Gen. Aboul-Kassem Deif, said the group's move was illegal but acknowledged, "I don't know what to do."
Many of Assiut's police have joined a nationwide wave of strikes by security forces amid the country's unrest.
Gamaa Islamiya waged an Islamic militant insurgency against the state in the 1990s. It forswore violence but maintains a hard-line ideology.
One of the yet unannounced Android-based mobile phones that Japanese handset vendor Sony is expected to make official in the coming months is the Xperia L, and details on it are now available.
The handset is reportedly featuring the codename of TaoShan, and will land on shelves with model number C210X (C2104, C2105, S36h) attached to it.
According to a recent article on XperiaBlog, the smartphone will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor inside when launched and a dual-core chip clocked in at 1GHz.
Furthermore, the handset should pack Adreno 305 graphics; at least this is what a previously leaked benchmark for it suggested.
In addition to these internals, the Xperia L is also said to feature a 4.3-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a FWVGA resolution (480 x 854 pixels), as well as a 1700 mAh battery inside.
Furthermore, it should hit the market with 8GB of internal memory, while featuring a microSD memory card slot for storage expansion.
The specifications list of the new mobile phone is also said to include an 8-megapixel photo snapper, with a Sony Exmor RS camera sensor, capable of shooting videos in full HD resolution.
Sony Xperia L will measure 128.7 x 65 x 9.7mm, and is also said to run under Google?s Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system from the get-go.
Although not mentioned, the device might also sport all the usual connectivity options available in today?s Android handsets, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, microUSB, and even NFC.
According to XperiaBlog, the smartphone is expected to be announced along with the Sony Xperia SP (C530X) that was spotted online just before the Mobile World Congress.
For the time being, however, no specific info on when the device might become official or when it could land on shelves has been provided, or on the price tag it might feature when brought to shelves.
ATLANTA (AP) ? While some states push to tighten gun control laws after the Connecticut school massacre, some lawmakers in gun-friendly Georgia want to ease rules preventing some mentally ill people from getting licenses to carry firearms.
Legislation up for a vote in Georgia's House on Thursday would allow people who have voluntarily sought inpatient treatment for mental illness or substance abuse to get licenses. The same bill also attempts to make it easier for officials to check on whether applicants have ever received involuntary treatment. Georgia also may change its laws to allow people to carry guns in churches, bars and on college campuses, contrary to what's happening elsewhere in the United States.
Judges in Georgia now have discretion over whether to grant a license to carry a weapon to anyone who has received inpatient treatment at a mental hospital or substance abuse treatment center in the last five years, whether it's voluntary or not.
"Simply being hospitalized doesn't make a person a criminal or a threat," said Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, the bill sponsor, in a statement.
That change is part of a larger package showcasing the local Republican philosophy on guns. The plan, backed by a gun owners group called GeorgiaCarry.Org, would allow people to carry weapons in churches, bars and college campuses ? despite the objections of higher education officials. In response to a shooting rampage that killed 26 people in Connecticut, it would allow school officials to arm their employees.
Democrats planned to fight the proposal, although they conceded it would likely pass in the GOP-dominated House of Representatives.
"More than anything in the wake of not just one, not just two, but a series of tragedies, for our reaction to be an expansion of the places where people can feel unsafe, to increase the efficiency of evil, I find that be just a flabbergasting decision to make as a Legislature," said Rep. Stacey Abrams, the Democratic majority leader.
The law may make it easier for judges to check on some mental health issues. Right now, judges can require that people seeking a license authorize the release of treatment records and allow the judge to get a recommendation from treatment providers. Because there is no single clearinghouse for treatment information, judges would have to send waivers to multiple hospitals or treatment centers to get that information.
By contrast, Jasperse's bill would require that courts submit involuntary treatment orders to a database that would be consulted before judges issue licenses to carry weapons. The legislation would also ban people whom law enforcement officials hear making threats against others in the last five years from carrying weapons. Those represented by guardians or conservators because of mental illness or drug abuse would also be disqualified.
One prosecutor said he was concerned about the provision because not everyone with serious mental illness is forced to receive treatment, meaning they would be eligible to carry weapons.
"My concern would be there's got to be people who voluntarily seek inpatient treatment who wouldn't be any less dangerous than if they're sent there involuntarily," Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds said Wednesday.
Federal law prohibits giving or selling guns to anyone who judged to be "mentally defective" or those committed to a mental institution. States set their own standards on who can carry weapons. Some states use the same mental health threshold when deciding whether someone should be prohibited from carrying a gun.
Other states like Georgia have gone further. For example, Massachusetts allows authorities to deny people a license to carry if applicants have been confined for mental health treatment, according to a survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Mississippi will deny licenses to people who have been committed, voluntary or otherwise, unless a psychiatrist testifies they have been free of mental illness for five years. Texas considers psychiatric hospitalization grounds for being refused to carry a concealed weapon.
The legislation is backed by GeorgiaCarry.Org, a gun owners group that has been more aggressive about expanding rights to carry weapons in Georgia than the National Rifle Association, which supports a more limited slate of changes.
Jerry Henry, executive director of GeorgiaCarry.Org, said the original law was too restrictive and could, for example, deny a license to military veterans voluntarily seeking help for stress-related disorders.
"If he seeks health treatment on his own it should not be held against him," Henry said.
___
Follow Ray Henry on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rhenryAP
It's among the most ancient of questions: What are the origins of life on Earth?
A new experiment simulating conditions in deep space reveals that the complex building blocks of life could have been created on icy interplanetary dust and then carried to Earth, jump-starting life.
Chemists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Hawaii, Manoa, showed that conditions in space are capable of creating complex dipeptides ? linked pairs of amino acids ? that are essential building blocks shared by all living things. The discovery opens the door to the possibility that these molecules were brought to Earth aboard a comet or possibly meteorites, catalyzing the formation of proteins (polypeptides), enzymes and even more complex molecules, such as sugars, that are necessary for life.
"It is fascinating to consider that the most basic biochemical building blocks that led to life on Earth may well have had an extraterrestrial origin," said UC Berkeley chemist Richard Mathies, coauthor of a paperpublished online last week and scheduled for the March 10 print issue of The Astrophysical Journal.
While scientists have discovered basic organic molecules, such as amino acids, in numerous meteorites that have fallen to Earth, they have been unable to find the more complex molecular structures that are prerequisites for our planet's biology. As a result, scientists have always assumed that the really complicated chemistry of life must have originated in Earth's early oceans.
In an ultra-high vacuum chamber chilled to 10 degrees above absolute zero (10 Kelvin), Seol Kim and Ralf Kaiser of the Hawaiian team simulated an icy snowball in space including carbon dioxide, ammonia and various hydrocarbons such as methane, ethane and propane. When zapped with high-energy electrons to simulate the cosmic rays in space, the chemicals reacted to form complex, organic compounds, specifically dipeptides, essential to life.
At UC Berkeley, Mathies and Amanda Stockton then analyzed the organic residues through the Mars Organic Analyzer, an instrument that Mathies designed for ultrasensitive detection and identification of small organic molecules in the solar system. The analysis revealed the presence of complex molecules ? nine different amino acids and at least two dipeptides ? capable of catalyzing biological evolution on earth.
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University of California - Berkeley: http://www.berkeley.edu
Thanks to University of California - Berkeley for this article.
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CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's death on Tuesday after a two-year fight with cancer sets the stage for an election that will likely pit Vice President Nicolas Maduro against centrist opposition leader Henrique Capriles.
Under Venezuela's constitution, an election should be held within 30 days. Here are some details about the two men:
NICOLAS MADURO
* A former bus driver and trade unionist with Caracas public transport, the burly and mustachioed Maduro, 50, is a staunch Chavez loyalist chosen by him as the preferred successor.
* Maduro entered politics in 2000 as a legislator in the National Assembly, where his combative defense of Chavez's policies made him one of the president's proteges.
* He rose to become president of the legislature, a post later occupied by his wife, Cilia Flores, a lawyer. When Chavez was sent to prison following a failed 1992 coup attempt, Flores led the legal team that won his freedom two years later. Now Venezuela's attorney general, she and Maduro are seen as the "power couple" in government circles.
* As foreign minister for six years from 2006, Maduro was a faithful ambassador of Chavez's views, including often radical critiques of global affairs from a hard left-wing stance. He won plaudits from foreign diplomats, however, for his affable style.
* Chavez named Maduro vice president in October 2012, reveling in his working-class roots. "He was a bus driver. How they mock him, the bourgeoisie," Chavez laughed.
* Maduro became even closer to Chavez after the president's cancer was first diagnosed in mid-2011, often at his side in Havana and giving brief updates in speeches to Venezuelans.
* Hours before Chavez's death, Maduro accused Venezuela's "imperialist" enemies of infecting Chavez with the disease. He also ordered the expulsion of a U.S. Embassy's Air Force attache for allegedly trying to stir up a military plot against the government.
* Maduro's humble roots appeal to Chavez's many poor supporters. Polls last year showed Capriles to be more popular, but the equation has changed since Maduro has Chavez's blessing, so is viewed as the favorite.
* Chavez's endorsement of Maduro has quieted the ambitions of other powerful Socialist Party figures, such as Diosdado Cabello, who had been widely considered a candidate for the top job in the future. Cabello, a military man with close ties to the armed forces and business, is not as well liked as Maduro among Venezuelans.
HENRIQUE CAPRILES
* Capriles, 40, is governor of Venezuela's second most populous state, Miranda. The state, which includes part of Caracas, ranges from the huge Petare shantytown to fishing villages and beaches on the Caribbean coast.
* A law graduate, Capriles became Venezuela's youngest legislator at 26, then won the mayorship of a Caracas municipality before beating Cabello, a die-hard Chavez loyalist, to become Miranda's governor in 2008. He retained the post in December by beating another heavyweight, Elias Jaua, who was Chavez's vice president at the time.
* In the October 7 presidential election, Capriles was the candidate of the Democratic Unity coalition of more than two dozen parties and organizations that make up the bulk of Venezuela's opposition. He lost, but received 44 percent of votes, the opposition's best showing against Chavez.
* In Miranda, the charismatic and energetic governor is known for riding a motorcycle and heading into slums to supervise projects and talk to working-class voters. On the campaign trail before October's presidential election, he visited hundreds of towns and villages, seeking to project an image of energy, youth and attention to grassroots problems.
* Some say Capriles has deliberately cultivated an almost Chavez-like image of being on the street and in constant contact with the poor. While campaigning, he blows kisses and pumps his fist in a Chavez-like, man-of-the-people style.
* Capriles' maternal grandparents, the Radonskis, fled anti-Semitism in Poland at the end of the Second World War and arrived in Venezuela with just a suitcase stuffed with clothes. Two great-grandparents died in the Treblinka concentration camp. "Imagine that some people in the Chavez government are so ignorant they actually call me a Nazi," he has said.
* His grandparents set up a lucrative cinema business in Venezuela and, through them, Capriles once met legendary Mexican comedian Mario Moreno - best known as "Cantinflas."
* A basketball player and sports lover, Capriles says he relaxes by finding some friends for a game or going for a quiet run after dark. He drinks Red Bulls to keep his energy up, and is a regular at half-marathon races in Caracas.
* Like Chavez, Capriles has been jailed. He was imprisoned for four months on charges of fomenting a protest at the Cuban Embassy in 2002, although he says he was mediating. He was acquitted of the charges at trial, though there is chatter in political circles that the charges could one day be revived.
* If he were to lead Venezuela, Capriles says, he would copy Brazil's "modern left" model of economic and social policies. On the campaign trail last year, he sought to appeal to traditional Chavez supporters, and hammered the government on grassroots problems from pot-holes to electricity cuts, rather than engaging in more nebulous debates over socialism versus capitalism.
* Despite his Jewish roots, Capriles is a devout Catholic, who says his faith deepened in jail. He wears a rosary and likes to visit a shrine on Margarita island each year.
* The governor is single. He receives a torrent of marriage offers via Twitter and Facebook. He says he will find a wife and start a family in his own good time.
* Though describing himself as center-left, Capriles belongs to the more conservative Primero Justicia (First Justice) party, which he helped found in 2000. Foes say he is really an "ultra-right" politician in the pocket of Venezuela's pro-U.S. traditional elite, but masquerading as a progressive.
* To try to discredit him, government officials have targeted his wealthy background, association with conservative politicians linked to Venezuela's pre-Chavez rulers, and his role in the Cuban embassy affair.
* If he had won the October election, Capriles would have become Venezuela's youngest president. He often uses the slang of Venezuela's young and frequently wears informal clothes and a baseball cap.
(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne, Daniel Wallis and Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Kieran Murray and Stacey Joyce)
A North Korean military spokesman announcing the end of the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953.
By Jack Kim and Louis Charbonneau, Reuters
South Korea's military said it will strike back at North Korea and target its top leadership if Pyongyang launches a threatened attack.
A top North Korea general, in a rare appearance on state television on Tuesday,?threatened military action against the U.S. and South Korea because of military drills between the two western allies countries that began March 1.
Tensions have ratcheted higher across the Korean peninsula since the North, under youthful leader Kim Jong Un who took office just over a year ago after the death of his father, launched a long-range rocket last December.
The youngest son of Kim Jong Il succeeded his late father in 2011, becoming the third member of his family to rule the unpredictable and reclusive communist state.
He followed this with a third nuclear test on February 12, triggering the prospect of more U.N. sanctions that are due to be formally announced on Thursday after the United States and?China, the North's one major diplomatic ally, struck a deal to punish Pyongyang.
At the same time, North Korea has stepped up its military threats against South Korea and the United States, prompting the terse warning from Seoul on Wednesday that it would not stand idly by if its territory was attacked.
"We have all preparations in place for strong and decisive punishment, not only against the source of the aggression and its support forces but also the commanding element," Major General Kim Yong-hyun of the South Korean army told a press conference.
North Korea's bellicose rhetoric rarely goes beyond that, although in 2010 it sank a South Korean naval vessel, killing 46 sailors and in the same year shelled a South Korean island, killing civilians.
South Korea's new President Park Geun-hye had pledged to engage with the North if it dropped its nuclear plans but now faces the prospect of a hostile challenge early in her 5-year term.
The proposed fresh sanctions would explicitly ban the sale to Pyongyang of items coveted by North Korea's ruling elite, such as yachts and racing cars, a U.N. Security Council diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor of Korean studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, provides insight into how sanctions would impact alleged illicit business that benefits the North Korean regime.
In 2009, Italian authorities blocked the sale of two yachts worth more than $10 million that they believed were headed for Kim Jong Il, the current Kim's father, who enjoyed copious amounts of luxury brandy and fresh sushi in a country where a third of the population is malnourished.
The new sanctions will target North Korea's financial transactions, which often involve using cash couriers that make them hard to trace, and its criminal activities such as drugs and counterfeiting.
North Korea was slapped with sanctions in 2006 that banned the import of a range of luxury goods from jet skis to Harleys following its first nuclear test in a bid to hit the high-life of the Kim family and its hangers-on.
The impoverished country, whose economy is smaller than it was 20 years ago, has been subject to sanctions of some kind from the United States for almost all of its existence and since 2006 has seen U.N. sanctions imposed for its long range rocket and nuclear tests.
Despite the sanctions Pyongyang now has a nuclear stockpile sufficient for around half a dozen warheads, has made substantial progress in developing a long-range missile and is working towards miniaturizing a nuclear warhead for an intercontinental ballistic missile.
China has backed all rounds of sanctions and fell into line with the latest move in the Security Council, risking relations with its prickly ally.
About 200,000 Korean troops and 10,000 U.S. forces are expected to be mobilized for their "Foal Eagle" exercise, under the Combined Forces Command, which goes until the end of April. Separate computer-simulated drills called "Key Resolve" start on March 11.
Related:?
Kerry dismissive of Rodman's North Korea visit
Huge military exercise highlights 'rebalancing of US policy toward Asia'
North Korea's propaganda poets stay true to their muse
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
UT Southwestern scientists make mouse model of human cancer, demonstrate curePublic release date: 5-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wormser deborah.wormser@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS March 5, 2013 UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists report the first successful blocking of tumor development in a genetic mouse model of an incurable human cancer.
"To my knowledge, this is the first time that a mouse model of a genetically defined malignant human cancer has been generated in which the formation of the tumor from beginning to end can be monitored and in which blocking the pathway cures the mouse of the tumor," said Dr. Luis Parada, chair of the department of developmental biology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study published in Cell and online. The study's first author is Dr. Wei Mo, a postdoctoral researcher in the department.
"We showed that blocking the activity of a receptor molecule named CXCR4 in these tumors through genetic manipulation or by chemical blockade inhibited tumor development. Together, these data reveal a potential target for therapy of these uncommon but currently untreatable malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs)," Dr. Parada added.
The study is a collaboration between Dr. Parada's laboratory and that of Dr. Lu Q. Le, co-senior author of the study and assistant professor of dermatology. Dr. Le also is co-director of the adult Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Clinic at UT Southwestern, the first such clinic in North Texas, which is part of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. The researchers noted that co-authors at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, greatly accelerated the research effort.
MPNSTs are rare but highly aggressive tumors that are resistant to therapy and are typically fatal. The malignancies can occur sporadically or in a subset of patients with a condition called neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) one of the most commonly inherited disorders of the nervous system, which affects an estimated 1 in 3,500 people.
The severity of NF1 can vary widely, even among family members, from mild dermatological symptoms to benign tumors that wrap around nerves and can be disfiguring, debilitating, and even life-threatening, depending on where they form, Dr. Le said. In addition, individuals with an improperly-functioning NF1 gene have an increased risk of developing cancerous tumors such as MPNSTs, he said.
The researchers generated a mouse model that spontaneously develops MPNSTs and compared gene expression activity in cancerous tumors and in the precursor cells that give rise to the tumors, which are the kind of cells in which MPNSTs develop.
They found that a protein (CXCR4), which is essential for tumor growth, is more abundant in cancerous cells than in precursor cells. In addition, they found that a molecule produced by the cancer cells themselves (CXCL12) works with CXCR4 to further the growth of cancer by stimulating the expression of the cyclin D1 protein, which promotes cell division via a signaling pathway outlined in the study.
When they examined human MPNSTs, the scientists found increased expression of CXCR4 accompanied by activity in the same pathway as the one identified in the mice, the researchers said.
Next, they blocked the activity of CXCR4 in the MPNST mice using either genetic manipulation or an FDA-approved antagonist drug for CXCR4 called AMD3100. Both strategies inhibited cancer development in mice whose tumors expressed increased levels of CXCR4, and were less effective in tumors without increased CXCR4 expression. They identified the same situation in the human cancer cells, the researchers report.
"We are very encouraged by these findings because they provide us with new directions and therapeutic windows to combat this deadly cancer, where none exist today," said Dr. Le, who added that the researchers are currently planning human trials.
###
Funding was provided by the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the American Cancer Society.
UT Southwestern co-authors include: Dr. Jian Chen, a former postdoctoral researcher in developmental biology now a senior scientist at OriGene Technologies in Wuxi, China; Amish Patel, a graduate student of cancer biology; Dr. Liang Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher of cell biology; Vincent Chau, a medical scientist training program student of developmental biology; Yanjiao Li, a research associate of developmental biology; Dr. Woosung Cho, a postdoctoral researcher of developmental biology; Dr. Sang Kyun Lim, an instructor of developmental biology; Jing Xu, a senior research associate; and Dr. Rene McKay, an assistant professor of developmental biology.
Visit UTSW Medicine at http://www.utswmedicine.org/cancer to learn more about UTSW's clinical services for cancer. Information for the Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Clinic is located at http://www.utswmedicine.org/conditions-specialties/cancer/programs/neurofibromatosis/.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the premier medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty includes many distinguished members, including five who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985. Numbering more than 2,700, the faculty is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to nearly 100,000 hospitalized patients and oversee more than 2.1 million outpatient visits a year.
This news release is available on our World Wide Web home page at
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html
To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via email,
subscribe at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
UT Southwestern scientists make mouse model of human cancer, demonstrate curePublic release date: 5-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wormser deborah.wormser@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS March 5, 2013 UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists report the first successful blocking of tumor development in a genetic mouse model of an incurable human cancer.
"To my knowledge, this is the first time that a mouse model of a genetically defined malignant human cancer has been generated in which the formation of the tumor from beginning to end can be monitored and in which blocking the pathway cures the mouse of the tumor," said Dr. Luis Parada, chair of the department of developmental biology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study published in Cell and online. The study's first author is Dr. Wei Mo, a postdoctoral researcher in the department.
"We showed that blocking the activity of a receptor molecule named CXCR4 in these tumors through genetic manipulation or by chemical blockade inhibited tumor development. Together, these data reveal a potential target for therapy of these uncommon but currently untreatable malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs)," Dr. Parada added.
The study is a collaboration between Dr. Parada's laboratory and that of Dr. Lu Q. Le, co-senior author of the study and assistant professor of dermatology. Dr. Le also is co-director of the adult Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Clinic at UT Southwestern, the first such clinic in North Texas, which is part of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. The researchers noted that co-authors at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, greatly accelerated the research effort.
MPNSTs are rare but highly aggressive tumors that are resistant to therapy and are typically fatal. The malignancies can occur sporadically or in a subset of patients with a condition called neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) one of the most commonly inherited disorders of the nervous system, which affects an estimated 1 in 3,500 people.
The severity of NF1 can vary widely, even among family members, from mild dermatological symptoms to benign tumors that wrap around nerves and can be disfiguring, debilitating, and even life-threatening, depending on where they form, Dr. Le said. In addition, individuals with an improperly-functioning NF1 gene have an increased risk of developing cancerous tumors such as MPNSTs, he said.
The researchers generated a mouse model that spontaneously develops MPNSTs and compared gene expression activity in cancerous tumors and in the precursor cells that give rise to the tumors, which are the kind of cells in which MPNSTs develop.
They found that a protein (CXCR4), which is essential for tumor growth, is more abundant in cancerous cells than in precursor cells. In addition, they found that a molecule produced by the cancer cells themselves (CXCL12) works with CXCR4 to further the growth of cancer by stimulating the expression of the cyclin D1 protein, which promotes cell division via a signaling pathway outlined in the study.
When they examined human MPNSTs, the scientists found increased expression of CXCR4 accompanied by activity in the same pathway as the one identified in the mice, the researchers said.
Next, they blocked the activity of CXCR4 in the MPNST mice using either genetic manipulation or an FDA-approved antagonist drug for CXCR4 called AMD3100. Both strategies inhibited cancer development in mice whose tumors expressed increased levels of CXCR4, and were less effective in tumors without increased CXCR4 expression. They identified the same situation in the human cancer cells, the researchers report.
"We are very encouraged by these findings because they provide us with new directions and therapeutic windows to combat this deadly cancer, where none exist today," said Dr. Le, who added that the researchers are currently planning human trials.
###
Funding was provided by the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the American Cancer Society.
UT Southwestern co-authors include: Dr. Jian Chen, a former postdoctoral researcher in developmental biology now a senior scientist at OriGene Technologies in Wuxi, China; Amish Patel, a graduate student of cancer biology; Dr. Liang Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher of cell biology; Vincent Chau, a medical scientist training program student of developmental biology; Yanjiao Li, a research associate of developmental biology; Dr. Woosung Cho, a postdoctoral researcher of developmental biology; Dr. Sang Kyun Lim, an instructor of developmental biology; Jing Xu, a senior research associate; and Dr. Rene McKay, an assistant professor of developmental biology.
Visit UTSW Medicine at http://www.utswmedicine.org/cancer to learn more about UTSW's clinical services for cancer. Information for the Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Clinic is located at http://www.utswmedicine.org/conditions-specialties/cancer/programs/neurofibromatosis/.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the premier medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty includes many distinguished members, including five who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985. Numbering more than 2,700, the faculty is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to nearly 100,000 hospitalized patients and oversee more than 2.1 million outpatient visits a year.
This news release is available on our World Wide Web home page at
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html
To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via email,
subscribe at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
BANGKOK (AP) ? Conservationists say there's a new threat to the survival of Africa's endangered elephants that may be just as deadly as poachers' bullets: the black-market trade of ivory in cyberspace.
Illegal tusks are being bought and sold on countless Internet forums and shopping websites worldwide, including Internet giant Google, with increasing frequency, according to activists. And wildlife groups attending the 178-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Bangkok this week are calling on global law enforcement agencies to do something about it.
The elephant slaughter, which has reached crisis proportions unheard of in two decades, is largely being driven by skyrocketing demand in Asia, where tusks are often carved into tourist trinkets and ornaments.
"The Internet is anonymous, it's open 24 hours a day for business, and selling illegal ivory online is a low-risk, high-profit activity for criminals," Tania McCrea-Steele of the International Fund for Animal Welfare told The Associated Press on Tuesday from London.
In one investigation last year, IFAW found 17,847 elephant products listed on 13 websites in China. The country, which conservationists call the world's top destination for "blood ivory" from Africa, is not alone.
IFAW says illegal ivory trading online is an issue within the U.S., including on eBay, and it is rife on some websites in Europe, particularly nations with colonial links to Africa.
It is often advertised with code words like "ox-bone," ''white gold," ''unburnable bone," or "cold to the touch," and shipped through the mail.
Another conservation advocacy group, the Environmental Investigation Agency, said Tuesday that Google Japan's shopping site now has 10,000 ads promoting ivory sales.
About 80 percent of the ads are for "hanko," small wooden stamps inlaid with ivory lettering that are widely used in Japan to affix signature seals to official documents; the rest are carvings and other small objects.
The trade is legal within Japan, but banned by Google's own policies. The EIA said hanko sales are a "major demand driver for elephant ivory."
"While elephants are being mass slaughtered across Africa to produce ivory trinkets, it is shocking to discover that Google, with the massive resources it has at its disposal, is failing to enforce its own policies designed to help protect endangered elephants," said Allan Thorton, EIA's U.S.-based president.
Google said in an emailed response to The Associated Press that "ads for products obtained from endangered or threatened species are not allowed on Google. As soon as we detect ads that violate our advertising policies, we remove them."
The EIA said it had written a letter to Google CEO Larry Page on Feb. 22 urging the company to remove the ads because they violate Google's own policies. It said Google had not responded to the letter or taken down the advertisements.
About 70 years ago, up to 5 million elephants were believed to have roamed the African continent. Today, just several hundred thousand are left.
As Asian economies have grown, so has their demand for ivory. Over the last 12 months, an estimated 32,000 elephants were killed in Africa, according to the Born Free Foundation, which says black-market ivory sells for as much as $1,300 per pound, a huge multibillion-dollar business.
CITES banned the international ivory trade in 1989, but the move did not address domestic markets. Since then, Japan has imported ivory stocks from Africa in at least two legal, controlled sales.
McCrea-Steele said IFAW has advised Google on illicit trading, as well as China's Alibaba Group, which runs the popular e-commerce platform Taobao. She said both were "very responsive" and had taken action to stamp out illicit activities.
IFAW has also worked with eBay, which it once called "one of the main channels through which trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products are conducted online." The company imposed its own voluntary ban in 2007 after IFAW persuaded them that ivory was indeed being trafficked with the help of their site.
"They've cleaned up, that's sure," said Adrian Hiel, an IFAW official attending the CITES conference in the Thai capital. "But there are so many ads that come out every day, you have to be vigilant. You have to keep checking."
Even now, concerned Internet shoppers still allege ivory is being sold on eBay. One called attention to a carving of a rural Asian village scene selling for $1,000 that is labeled as "Fine Chinese Ox Bone." The item is advertised by a seller in Los Angeles with the note, "Ships to: Worldwide."
Hiel said it can be tough, based on photos alone, to determine whether such products are really elephant tusks. You can always make an educated guess based on where the object is being sold and how much it goes for. But "unless you buy it and examine it, it's hard to tell for sure what's legal and what's not."
"Our argument is that the onus should be on the seller to prove the legality of what they're selling," Hiel said. "Because law enforcement can't go around ordering stuff of eBay just to test the legality of it."
Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said that when elephant poaching last reached crisis levels several decades ago, web-based trafficking was not something anybody had to consider.
Now, "Internet-based crime is an important aspect of control," he said. "It makes it much more difficult, but we have to deal with it."
One of the reasons that coming to 
Windows: One of the annoyances in Windows 8 is that the full-screen (formerly "Metro") apps can only be run, well, full-screen or snapped in a pane at the side. They don't work like Windows desktop apps. ModernMix fixes this problem, letting you run those full-screen apps in their own windows on the desktop. 
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