posting glaciologist: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Duke Tops Michigan State 71-61: Seth Curry Leads Blue Devils Past Spartans

Mike Rosario

Mike Rosario (3) dunks against Florida Gulf Coast during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Mike Rosario, Michael Frazier II

Florida's Mike Rosario (3) and Michael Frazier II (20) react during the second half of a regional semifinal game against Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Mike Rosario

Florida's Mike Rosario (3) reacts during the second half of a regional semifinal game against Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Scottie Wilbekin, Bernard Thompson

Florida's Scottie Wilbekin (5) is defended by Florida Gulf Coast's Bernard Thompson (2) during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, right, talks to Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo after their regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Tyler Thornton, Adreian Payne

Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) grabs a rebound as Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) misses a dunk during the second half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Tyler Thornton, Derrick Nix, Adreian Payne

Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) and Michigan State forward Derrick Nix (25) reach for a rebound as Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) misses a dunk during the second half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Branden Dawson, Tom Izzo

Michigan State forward Branden Dawson (22) reacts as he walks past head coach Tom Izzo during the second half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Scottie Wilbekin, Sherwood Brown

Florida's Scottie Wilbekin (5) shoots as Florida Gulf Coast's Sherwood Brown (25) defends during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Tyler Thornton

Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) reacts after a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Scottie Wilbekin, Chase Fieler

Florida's Scottie Wilbekin (5) and Florida Gulf Coast's Chase Fieler (20) go after a loose ball during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Rasheed Sulaimon, Adreian Payne

Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon grabs a rebound in front of Michigan State forward Adreian Payne during the second half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Michael Frazier II, Eddie Murray, and Scottie Wilbekin

Eddie Murray (23) is defended by Florida's Michael Frazier II (20) and Scottie Wilbekin (5) during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Casey Prather

Florida's Casey Prather (24) shoots in traffic during the first half of a regional semifinal game against Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Mike Krzyzewski

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and players on the bench react during the second half of a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Eddie Murray, Erik Murphy

Florida Gulf Coast's Eddie Murray (23) dunks as Florida's Erik Murphy (33) defends during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Tom Izzo

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Denzel Valentine

Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine (45) reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Adreian Payne, Mason Plumlee

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) reacts as he dunks during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. Watching at left is Duke's Mason Plumlee (5). (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Billy Donovan

Florida head coach Billy Donovan during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Adreian Payne, Mason Plumlee, Rasheed Sulaimon

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) reacts as he dunks during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. Watching are Duke players Mason Plumlee (5) and Rasheed Sulaimon (14). (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Casey Prather, Christophe Varidel

Florida's Casey Prather (24) dunks as Florida Gulf Coast's Christophe Varidel (5) defends during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Casey Prather, Christophe Varidel

Florida's Casey Prather (24) shoots over, Florida Gulf Coast's Christophe Varidel (5) during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Adreian Payne, Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) goes up with a shot against Duke forward Mason Plumlee during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. Watching is Duke's Ryan Kelly (34). (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Scottie Wilbekin, Brett Comer

Florida Gulf Coast's Brett Comer (0) is defended by Florida's Scottie Wilbekin (5)during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Adreian Payne, Rasheed Sulaimon

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne, right, grabs a rebound against Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Keith Appling, Seth Curry

Michigan State guard Keith Appling (11) blocks a shot by Duke guard Seth Curry (30) during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Billy Donovan

Florida head coach Billy Donovan during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A Florida Gulf Coast cheerleader takes the court during the first half of a regional semifinal game against Florida in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Adreian Payne

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Chase Fieler

Florida Gulf Coast's Chase Fieler (20) reacts against Florida during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Seth Curry

Duke guard Seth Curry (30) reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Will Yeguete, Eddie Murray

Florida's Will Yeguete (15) and Florida Gulf Coast's Eddie Murray (23) go after a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Will Yeguete, Eddie Murray

Andy Enfield

Florida Gulf Coast head coach Andy Enfield reacts to action against Florida during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Denzel Valentine, Tyler Thornton

Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine and Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) scramble for a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Adreian Payne, Ryan Kelly

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) drives the ball past Duke forward Ryan Kelly during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Naadir Tharpe, Ben McLemore

Kansas' Naadir Tharpe, left, and Ben McLemore right react in the lockeroom after losing 87-85 to Michigan in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Tom Izzo

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts as he directs his team during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Elijah Johnson, Kevin Young, Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor

Kansas' Elijah Johnson, left, Kevin Young (40), Perry Ellis (34) and Jamari Traylor (31) sit in the lockeroom after losing 87-85 to Michigan in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Patric Young, Chase Fieler, Erik Murphy

Florida's Patric Young (4), Florida Gulf Coast's Chase Fieler (20) and Erik Murphy (33) go after a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Mike Krzyzewski

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski talks to his players during a time out in the first half of a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Branden Dawson, Rasheed Sulaimon

Michigan State forward Branden Dawson (22) blocks a shot by Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon (14) during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Keith Appling

Michigan State guard Keith Appling (11) reacts to a call during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Fred Richardson III (5)

Oregon guard Fred Richardson III (5) scores past the defense of Oregon forwards E.J. Singler (25) and Ben Carter (32) during a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. Louisville won 77-69. (AP Photo/ The Oregonian, Bruce Ely) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; THE MERCURY OUT; WILLAMETTE WEEK OUT; PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP OUT.

Tom Izzo

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo directs his team during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Derrick Nix, Tyler Thornton

Michigan State forward Derrick Nix (25) and Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) fight for a rebound during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Keith Appling, Quinn Cook

Michigan State guard Keith Appling, left, and Duke guard Quinn Cook battle for a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Mike Krzyzewski

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski directs his team during the first half of a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Corey Person, Trey Burke

Michigan's Trey Burke, second from left, is lifted by Corey Person after beating Kansas 87-85 in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Glenn Robinson III, Caris LeVert, Nik Stauskas

Michigan's Glenn Robinson III (1), Caris LeVert (23) and Nik Stauskas (11), celebrate after beating Kansas 87-85 in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/30/duke-michigan-state-seth-curry-big-night_n_2985053.html

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Treasure Data Projects 500 Percent Growth This Year, Launches New ?Plazma? Distributed Database

It?s only been six months since cloud data warehousing company Treasure Data launched its services, but they?re already reporting some impressive growth figures. Treasure Data achieved month-to-month profitability last year, and they?re well on track to achieve a 500 percent increase in revenue this year. They?ve also amassed 50 high-profile clients, which include a leading social gaming company, a mobile advertising platform based in France, and some other Fortune 500 companies – unsurprisingly, Treasure declined to name names. Treasure Data is basically a massive warehouse in the cloud for companies to store their data.?Big companies like IBM, Oracle, and Teradata offer data services as well, but with their rates going as high as $5 million, that?s not something every business can afford. Treasure Data, on the other hand, costs $1,500 to $2,500 a month with a year-long commitment. That’s a low enough price point for companies that can’t afford or do not have the resources to roll out services of their own. They?re also launching a new distributed database called Plazma, which offers significant improvements over HDFS (Hadoop Distributed Files System). Plazma is significantly better than HDFS precisely because it?s more efficient and is able to compile and parse data at a much faster rate. ?The reason we did this was for robustness, reliability, and performance,? says Kiyoto Tamura, VP of Product at Treasure Data. ?Hadoop distributed several problems around reliability, and we knew we could do better.? With Plazma, Treasure Data boasts that their systems are processing more than 300 billion data points every day.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/xd395rmWfAY/

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HTC Droid DNA retired?

Droid DNA

Has the HTC Droid DNA been given its gold watch and sent packing? Verizon CS says yes, and it's no longer listed for sale

A reader sent in a pretty interesting screenshot, accompanied by some equally interesting information about the HTC Droid DNA. According to Verizon customer service, the DNA is now officially retired. The screenshot of chat with a CS (you can find it after the break) actually uses the word retired, and subsequent inquiries led to a statement from Verizon saying "HTC halted production in efforts to push out an upcoming project on the horizon".

Now normally, we would place little to no faith in the words of an online chat with customer care from any provider. We're not judging, they have a difficult job and get way more harassment than anyone deserves. But after hearing about this, we went looking on Verizon's website, and found that the DNA is nowhere to be seen. You can't buy one from Big Red. Verizon loves to take our money, so there must be a reason they don't want to sell us a Droid DNA.

Now consider the on and off rumors about the HTC One coming to Verizon. We're pretty sure that you'll never be able to buy an "HTC One" for use on Verizon. But ask us if you'll be able to buy a premium HTC device with Sense 5, the new camera, Boomsound, a kick-ass display, and all the other goodies that come with the HTC One and our answer would be different. Don't let semantics like official names fool you. We're pretty confident that something very close to the HTC One is "on the horizon" for Verizon Wireless.

We never pretend that we know what goes on inside the minds of carrier corporate executives. We certainly question many of their decisions, but we're not at the meetings and don't have access to the data they use when they decide things like which phones to sell, and when to stop selling them. And of course, all this could be wrong and the DNA is simply out of stock for a while. We're just going to keep watching this, and when it all works out, we'll let you know.

Thanks, Robert!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Ejx-FCTmuy0/story01.htm

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Artificial spleen to treat bloodstream infections: Sepsis therapeutic device under development

Mar. 30, 2013 ? The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University announced today that it was awarded a $9.25 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to further advance a blood-cleansing technology developed at the Institute with prior DARPA support, and help accelerate its translation to humans as a new type of sepsis therapy.

The device will be used to treat bloodstream infections that are the leading cause of death in critically ill patients and soldiers injured in combat.

To rapidly cleanse the blood of pathogens, the patient's blood is mixed with magnetic nanobeads coated with a genetically engineered version of a human blood 'opsonin' protein that binds to a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, and toxins. It is then flowed through microchannels in the device where magnetic forces pull out the bead-bound pathogens without removing human blood cells, proteins, fluids, or electrolytes -- much like a human spleen does. The cleansed blood then flows back to the patient.

"In just a few years we have been able to develop a suite of new technologies, and to integrate them to create a powerful new device that could potentially transform the way we treat sepsis," said Wyss founding director and project leader, Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D. "The continued support from DARPA enables us to advance our device manufacturing capabilities and to obtain validation in large animal models, which is precisely what is required to enable this technology to be moved towards testing in humans."

The team will work to develop manufacturing and integration strategies for its core pathogen-binding opsonin and Spleen-on-a-Chip fluidic separation technologies, as well as a novel coating technology called "SLIPS," which is a super-hydrophobic coating inspired from the slippery surface of a pitcher plant that repels nearly any material it contacts. By coating the inner surface of the channels of the device with SLIPS, blood cleansing can be carried out without the need for anticoagulants to prevent blood clotting.

In addition to Ingber, the multidisciplinary team behind this effort includes Wyss core faculty and Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science faculty member Joanna Aizenberg, Ph.D., who developed the SLIPS technology; Wyss senior staff member Michael Super, Ph.D., who engineered the human opsonin protein; and Mark Puder, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School who will be assisting with animal studies.

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/O8CKu3xNkz0/130330130531.htm

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There Is Outrage - but Tea Party Hispanics Silent Over Racial Slur

Analysis by Jim Avila, ABC News Senior National Correspondent:

Pressure is intense, the outrage factor high after Rep. Don Young's racial slur overnight on public radio in his home state of Alaska.

Young called migrant workers on his childhood farm "wetbacks" during the interview.

"I used to own - my father had a ranch. We used to hire 50 to 60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes," said Young, 79. "You know, it takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now."

don young

The reaction was so swift and white hot that Young issued two statements in one day. First, in what many felt was far from an apology, he said he meant "no disrespect," never using the words "sorry" or "apology."

Only after a full day of getting beaten up by his own party did the congressman make a mea culpa.

"I apologize for the insensitive term I used during an interview in Ketchikan, Alaska," he said. "There was no malice in my heart or intent to offend; it was a poor choice of words. That word, and the negative attitudes that come with it, should be left in the 20th century, and I'm sorry that this has shifted our focus away from comprehensive immigration reform."

The GOP, criticized during the last election cycle for being slow to react to perceived insults against women, and now trying to rebuild a relationship with Hispanic voters, quickly jumped all over Young before his apology today.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said, "Don Young's comments were offensive and have no place in our party or in our nation's discourse. He should apologize immediately."

RELATED: Republicans Blast Don Young, Demand an Apology

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, added, "There is no excuse for ignorance" and said that Young, a congressman of 30 years, should "know terms like 'wetback' have never been acceptable.

"Migrant workers come to America looking for opportunity and a way to provide a better life for their families," Cornyn said in a paper statement. "They do not come to this country to hear ethnic slurs and derogatory language from elected officials. The comments used by Rep. Young do nothing to elevate our party, political discourse or the millions who come here looking for economic opportunity."

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, harshly criticized Young.

"Congressman Young's remarks were offensive and beneath the dignity of the office he holds," Boehner said. "I don't care why he said it - there's no excuse and it warrants an immediate apology."

RELATED: Rep. Don Young Apologizes for 'Wetbacks' Comment

GOP strategist Danny Diaz told ABC News Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny today that Republicans learned their lesson last year.

"The comment was insulting, and I think people see that and they're rightfully offended by it," Diaz said. "What's happened in the past in our political discourse is Republicans haven't been as quick as they need to be to denounce comments such as these. It's left a really bad impression on people."

But here is what is still missing even now: GOP Hispanic Republican comment, especially from the Tea Party wing of the GOP.

Sen. Marco Rubio's office told ABC News that the Cuban immigrant from Florida, who some see as the Republicans' best hope of repairing Latino disfavor with the party, is observing the Good Friday holiday and will not comment today. The staffer referred ABC News to party leadership statements from Boehner.

But Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Raul Labrador from Idaho did not answer repeated emails or phone calls on the issue.

And as rapidly as things unfold in today's political world, Rep. Young actually issued a full apology before the Tea Party Hispanics had a chance to call for one. Some say that it was smart not to get involved. Others are wondering where their outrage was.

ABC News' Serena Marshall contributed to this report.

Video: Obama tries to console Miami basketball fans (cbsnews)

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AP PHOTOS: Images of Good Friday around the world

Pakistani Christians pray during a Mass on Good Friday in a church in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, March 29, 2013. Christians around the world are marking the Easter holy week. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Faithful touch a statue of Virgin Mary at the end of a Good Friday procession in Managua, Nicaragua, Friday, March 29, 2013. Holy Week commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ culminating in his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Penitents carry a Jesus Christ figure as they take part in a procession of "Santo Cristo" during Holy Week in Bercianos de Aliste, northern Spain, Friday, March 29, 2013. Hundreds of processions take place throughout Spain during the Easter Holy Week. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Pilgrims walk with crosses as the Northern Cross pilgrimage makes its final leg of the journey to Holy Island, Berwick Upon Tweed, England, Friday, March 29, 2013. For more than 30 years, groups of pilgrims celebrate Easter by crossing the tidal causeway during the annual Christian cross carrying pilgrimage to Holy Island , the pilgrims walk around 100 miles through Northumberland and the Scottish Borders during Holy Week.(AP Photo/Scott Heppell).

Masked penitents from La Santa Vera Cruz brotherhood, right, walks along the way with his assistant, taking part in an Easter procession known as 'Los Picaos' in the small village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, northern Spain on Friday, March 29, 2013. Penitents, or disciplinants, take part on the procession lashing themselves as an act of faith and penance, a tradition dating from the early 16th century.(AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Christians in Good Friday processions the world over bear crosses, wounds and prayers over a few blocks or many miles to reenact Jesus' suffering on the path to crucifixion. At the Vatican, Pope Francis lies down in prayer during the Passion of Christ Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica. Hundreds of Christians stream through the cobblestone alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City toward the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, traditionally believed by many to be the site of the crucifixion.

Here are some images of Good Friday around the world.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-29-BC%20-Good%20Friday-Photo%20gallery/id-e8f95aff1b084a75ad60a088fde11447

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Probation for 86-year-old who admitted 'mercy killing' of ailing elderly wife

By Brian Skoloff, The Associated Press

PHOENIX --?An 86-year-old man who carried out a mercy killing by shooting his ailing wife and high school sweetheart in the head was sentenced Friday to probation after an emotional hearing where family members tearfully spoke on his behalf.

George Sanders could have faced more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter. The judge, who complimented the prosecutor for being "courageous" in recommending probation, allowed Sanders to walk out of the courtroom.

Judge John Ditsworth said his sentence of two years' probation was "individualized and tempers justice with mercy."

"It is very clear that he will never forget that his actions ended the life of his wife," Ditsworth said as Sanders stood at a podium, his hands clasped and shaking.

"In this set of facts, there was a perfect storm of individual circumstances which placed Mr. Sanders in a position where had to make a decision," Ditsworth said. "This set of facts hits close to home for all of us."

Sanders, wearing khakis and a white sport coat, spoke for only a minute about his love for his 81-year-old wife, Virginia Sanders, who he calls Ginger.

"Your honor, I met Ginger when she was 15 years old and I've loved her since she was 15 years old. I loved her when she was 81 years old," he said, trembling.

"It was a blessing, and I was happy to take care of her," Sanders continued. "I am sorry for all the grief and pain and sorrow I've caused people."

Sanders was arrested Nov. 9 after he says his wife begged him to shoot her at their home in the retirement community of Sun City outside Phoenix. He was initially charged with first-degree murder before reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.

"The family very much loved their mother," prosecutor Blaine Gadow told the judge Friday as he recommended a sentence of probation, noting the "very unique, difficult circumstances of this case."

"I don't know where our society is going to go with cases like this, judge," Gadow said. "At this point in time, what Mr. Sanders did was a crime."

However, he added, "No one in the courtroom has forgotten the victim in this case."

Steve Sanders, the defendant's son, then spoke on behalf of his father, telling the judge the family never wanted him to be prosecuted.

"I want the court to know that I loved my mother dearly," he said. "But I would also like the court to know that I equally love my father."

Breaking down at time in tears, Steve Sanders explained how his father had been Virginia Sanders' sole caregiver as her health deteriorated.

"I fully believe that the doctor's visits, the appointments, the medical phone calls and the awaiting hospital bed led to the decision that my parents made together," he said. "I do not fault my father.

"A lot of people have hero figures in their life, LeBron James ... some world class figures ... but I have to tell you my lifelong hero is my dad," Steve Sanders told the judge, sobbing. He said his parents had been together for 62 years, "the love of his life, my mother."

Sanders grandson, Grant Sanders, then described what he called "a beautiful love story."

"My grandfather lived to love my grandmother, to serve and to make her feel as happy as he could every moment of their life," Grant Sanders said. "I truly believe that the pain had become too much for my grandmother to bear."

Sanders said his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1969, and the couple moved from Washington state to Arizona in the 1970s for the warm, dry climate. She had been in a wheelchair since 1971.

Eventually, his own health deteriorated, and he said it became more difficult to care for his wife.

He said she was diagnosed with gangrene on her foot just a few days before the shooting and was set to be admitted to a hospital, then a nursing home.

"It was just the last straw," Sanders told a detective during his interrogation in November. "She didn't want to go to that hospital ... start cutting her toes off."

He said his wife begged him to kill her.

"I said, 'I can't do it honey,'" he told the detective. "She says, 'Yes you can.'"

Sanders then got his revolver and wrapped a towel around it so the bullet wouldn't go into the kitchen.

"She says, 'Is this going to hurt?' and I said, 'You won't feel a thing,'" he said.

"She was saying, 'Do it. Do it. Do it.' And I just let it go," Sanders added.

As he sentenced Sanders on Friday, Ditsworth recalled his drive home from court the day he accepted Sanders' plea. He said he tuned his radio to a talk show, "and I heard the name George Sanders and my curiosity piqued."

He said he listened for the next hour as about 25 callers expressed their opinions.

Many asked themselves, "What if this had happened to me? ... What if this were me, my brother, my wife?" Ditsworth said. "And it was overwhelming that the general public did not support Mr. Sanders' actions, but they understood them."?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a24c359/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C290C175156830Eprobation0Efor0E860Eyear0Eold0Ewho0Eadmitted0Emercy0Ekilling0Eof0Eailing0Eelderly0Ewife0Dlite/story01.htm

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RIM sells a million new BlackBerry 10 phones in 4Q

TORONTO (AP) ? Research In Motion Ltd. said Thursday that it sold about 1 million of its critically important new BlackBerry 10 devices and returned to profitability in the most recent quarter.

The earnings provide a first glimpse of how RIM's new touch-screen Z10 is selling internationally and in Canada since its debut Jan. 31. Details on the U.S. launch are not part of the fiscal fourth quarter's financial results because the Z10 just went on sale in the U.S. last week.

In the quarter that ended March 2, RIM earned $98 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with a loss of $125 million, or 24 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue fell 36 percent to $2.7 billion, from $4.2 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected $2.82 billion.

"I thought they were dead. This is a huge turnaround," Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said from New York.

Misek said the Canadian company "demolished" the numbers, especially its gross margins. RIM reported gross margins of 40 percent, up from 34 percent a year earlier. The company credited higher average selling prices and higher margins for devices.

"This is a really, really good result," Misek said. "It's off to a good start."

Chief executive Thorsten Heins said he implemented numerous changes at the company over the past year and those changes have resulted in RIM returning to profitability.

The company also announced that co-founder Mike Lazaridis will retire as vice chairman and director.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-28-CN-Earns-Research-In-Motion/id-78086b3f1741495eb25b9dbe7c484f03

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Iran, NKorea block arms trade treaty

March 28 (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time since losing his world number one ranking earlier this week, got off to a shaky start at the Houston Open on Thursday where he dropped three shots over his opening eight holes. The 23-year-old Northern Irishman, who was replaced atop the world rankings by Tiger Woods this week, struggled to find his rhythm on an ideal day for low scoring at the Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas. He bogeyed the par-four second hole and made a double-bogey seven on the eighth hole to limp to the turn at three-over. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-nkorea-block-arms-trade-treaty-202459919.html

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Myanmar president, in first remarks on religious riots, says force could be used to end unrest

YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar President Thein Sein has said his government will use force if necessary to quell deadly religious rioting affecting several towns since last week.

In his first public comments on the violence, Thein Sein warned in a televised speech Thursday that he would make all legal efforts to stop political opportunists and religious extremists trying to sow hatred between faiths.

The recent religious unrest began March 20 with rioting by Buddhists targeting minority Muslims in the central city of Meikhtila that left at least 40 people dead and drove about 12,000 from their homes. The unrest spread this week to several towns about 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of the country's biggest city, Yangon.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-president-first-remarks-religious-riots-says-force-124609583.html

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The Four Elements of Physical Energy and How To Master Them

The Four Elements of Physical Energy and How To Master Them "Manage your energy, not your time." This is the quote that made Tony Schwartz famous. And it's one that I believe best represents a truly efficient lifestyle in the 21st century. Yet, living "manage your energy, not your time" is incredibly hard, at least for me. It probably took me around a year to fully grasp its meaning. Since then, I've turned my life upside down and changed my routine dramatically.

As one example, at Buffer, we use an informal line to help us make better decisions. It goes something like this: "Working more is never the answer." Whenever we are struggling under more workload, the first thing is to stop what we're doing and think about a better way to manage our energy, not to add more work hours to our day. Schwartz famously proclaims in his book that most of us are chasing the wrong resource: hours in the day. Instead, we should focus on something entirely different: our energy.

Our energy can be broken down in 4 different elements:

Your physical energy?how healthy are you?
Your emotional energy?how happy are you?
Your mental energy?how well can you focus on something?
Your spiritual energy?why are you doing all of this? What is your purpose?

The order of how these energies are written down is not random, by the way. Tony gives them this specific order to guide us through developing our energies in the right way. And in doing so, your physical energy comes first because it's naturally our base and foundation for any other energy or focus we want to develop.

So for this article, I wanted to break down all elements of physical energy as our most important foundation. Let's dig in:

Your Physical Energy: How Healthy Are You?

Your physical energy naturally serves as the base, says Schwarz. It's going to be very tough to build out your other energies without taking care of your body first. What's most interesting is that up until now, our physical energy is the most discounted element in our day to day lives.

To break it down further, how you arrive at optimal physical energy is through these 4 elements:

Nutrition: Do You Keep a Sustainable Glucose Level in Your Blood Stream?

We've talked before about the importance of nutrition when it comes to productivity. After all, nutrition is your fuel. And yet, so many of us gravely neglect what we eat every day. Here is a typical graph of our glucose level, showing the difference between eating more sugar and less. From first sight it's clear that most of us base too much of our diet on the three big meal times throughout the day and get a similar spiky pattern of ups and downs:

The Four Elements of Physical Energy and How To Master Them

To optimize the graph, I picked out three of the most important parts to get your nutrition back to the level it might have once been:

Reorganize how food is stored in your cupboard. Researcher Brian Wansink demonstrated in a surprising experiment that "you are three times more likely to eat the first thing you see in your cupboard than the fifth thing you see." Put the healthy things in reach and the not so healthy ones out of it.

Carbohydrates in the morning, fat and protein in the evening. This is something bodybuilders have been practicing for a long time and I believe it applies equally for anyone trying to gain more energy. When learning to better manage your energy level, one of the most important things is to respect your catabolic and anabolic cycles. Giving your body carbohydrates (energy) in the morning will give you all the fuel. Moving more towards protein and fat in the evening so your body can refuel overnight is equally important.

Doing nothing else when eating food. It seems such a fitting experience to watch TV, work, read, or do anything else but solely focusing on eating when we eat. Funnily enough, it almost appears to be a waste of time if we "just eat." The latest research on multitasking, however, reveals the exact opposite. Solely focusing on eating doesn't just help you digest your food better, it also makes you a more efficient worker for any other tasks.

Fitness: How Well Do You Transport Oxygen Through Your Body?

The second element of great physical energy is how fit you are. Meaning, how much oxygen your blood stream can transport at any given time. And working on your fitness level doesn't just come with great health benefits. It can serve as the most important element to change your life into the one you want.

Out of all possible habits and routines, the gym habit is by far the most powerful one, writes Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habit. The reason is simple: Going to the gym creates something called a "cornerstone habit." That means you can build any other habit you want around this habit. After you have a consistent fitness habit, you're basically ready to tackle any other challenge much more easily.

In a powerful post from Leo Babauta, he addresses the 15 most common excuses to form a gym habit and how to work against them. Here are my three favorite ones:

"I don't have the time." That is by far the number one excuse. And yet, the problem is often the fear of having to start a five-days-a-week bodybuilding workout. "Do 5 minutes a day. You can squeeze 5 minutes of brisk walking into your busy schedule," says Leo.

"My family isn't supportive." This is one of the toughest ones Leo talks about. His insight to overcoming it is to tell your family early on: "One of my favorite tactics is getting my family on board early-before I've decided to make a change, when I'm still thinking about it. I send them articles I'm reading, talk to them about things I've learned, why this is important to me, etc. Then when I'm ready to make a decision to change, I ask for their help deciding?and then their help implementing."

"I'm not good at it." Another key excuse Leo mentions is this one, fortunately: "No one is good at it when they start out. Everyone has to learn, everyone starts somewhere. You get good at it by doing it. Here, especially using the Tiny Habits method can help tremendously. And as the last help with this, exercising also makes us happier.

Sleep: Do You Sleep Enough to Renew Your Body?

We've talked in depth about how much sleep you really need to renew your body overnight. And one of the key elements I keep coming back to myself is to focus on both light sleep and deep sleep. Here is an outline from sleep tracking app Zeo on how the average data on sleeping for its users looks like:

The Four Elements of Physical Energy and How To Master Them

What's most interesting to know if your amount of sleep drops below the above mentioned level is this: the research on sleep shows that it changes our cognitive functions entirely: "Working overtime doesn't increase your output. It makes you stupid." The problem with not getting enough sleep is quite simply that we don't know we aren't getting enough. And the consequences can cost us dearly. What I've personally started to experiment with, together with the whole Buffer team is to start tracking our sleep with the Jawbone UP fuelband.

The Four Elements of Physical Energy and How To Master Them It's been an amazing help to get better sleep, and to know if you're getting the right kind of sleep. What I tried to optimize over the past few days was the amount of deep sleep I'm getting every night. The reason for this is that deep sleep serves as the most important element in your sleeping phase for renewing your brain cells and body cells. I'll definitely have to do a more in depth article about my findings here. For now, here is my best sleep pattern yet (pictured at right), where I got over four hours of deep sleep.

Renewal: Renewing Your Energy Levels Within the Day

Tony Schwartz talks about this last part as one of the most overlooked elements of our lives: renewal that we get throughout our day. Yes, that's right, if you are anything like me, that's probably the last thing anyone does and yet, it couldn't be any more important. Fittingly, he mentions that even the fastest racing car couldn't win the race without at least one or two great pit stops. The same holds true for ourselves. If we don't have "pit stops" built into our days, there is now chance we can race at a high performance. To better manage your renewal throughout the day, here are a few quick ideas to help you get started:

Take a nap, every day. Being able to nap is the most important part for getting daily renewal in. NYT best selling author Michael Hyatt puts it best in his article about napping recounting his predecessor: "Every day after lunch, I lie down on the sofa in my office, I hold my car keys in my right hand and let my hand hang toward the floor. When the car keys fall out of my hand, I know I'm done."

Build a reading habit. Almost everyone I know wants to spend more time reading, and yet no one seems to find the time for it. Personally, I've recently started to build a daily reading habit of just 30 minutes in, straight after lunch. This is a time where you are likely not going to be very productive, so it's a great way to catch up and get daily renewal.

Develop a meditation habit. Another fantastic way to get more renewal throughout the day is to develop a meditation habit. Around 6 months ago, I started to first incorporate mediation in my daily routine and I've stuck with it ever since. The best way I found to get started was through an amazing app called HeadSpace. It solved the big problem of not knowing how to get started with meditation.

The 4 Elements of Physical Energy and How to Master Them?Buffer

Leo Widrich is the co-founder of Buffer, a smarter way to share on Twitter and Facebook. Leo writes more posts on efficiency and customer happiness over on the Buffer blog. Hit him up on Twitter @LeoWid anytime; he is a super nice guy.

Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Tessa.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/6ALb8X5H9IA/the-four-elements-of-physical-energy-and-how-to-master-them

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Gonzalez, Besler show value of Klinsmann's camp

updated 5:21 a.m. ET March 27, 2013

MEXICO CITY, March 27 (Reuters) - United States central defenders Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler went into Tuesday's game against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium with just two World Cup qualifying starts between them, but looked like they had been alongside each other for years in a spirited 0-0 draw.

Gonzalez, making his third start in a qualifier and Besler making his first, held Mexico at bay in front of more than 95,000 fans as the U.S earned just their second point ever at the home of their arch-rivals.

Besler only found out for sure he was starting on the morning of the game after Clarence Goodson, who featured in the 1-0 win against Costa Rica on Friday, told coach Juergen Klinsmann he wasn't ready for 90 minutes due to a hamstring injury.

For Klinsmann, the performance of the pair, who both play in Major League Soccer, was largely due to the time they spent together during the January off-season when he brought in MLS players to a training camp in Los Angeles.

"I think we got to give credit a little bit to our January camp," Klinsmann told reporters.

"That gave us a chance actually to have Omar and Matt working day by day, basically side by side.

"There was already a very good understanding from them because they trained a month long together.

"So we were very calm and knew that once Clarence couldn't go, that this is the next move. It was a logical move and a move we made with a lot of trust and belief in Matt," he said.

DOMINANT FIGURE

Gonzalez in particular was a dominant figure at the back, reading the game well, making timely interceptions and, impressively for a 24-year-old, organising the defence.

The L.A. Galaxy defender agreed with his coach that the January camp had paid dividends when it mattered.

"That was really huge. For me personally, it was a lot about getting to know Klinsmann because I was injured and hadn't spent the time with the team -- I didn't really know him at all."

Of Besler he said: "Tonight we looked like we had been playing a long time together and I thought that it all felt pretty natural."

Mexican-American Gonzalez is in the final year of his contract with L.A. Galaxy and has been closely watched by Mexican team Club America but his recent displays may attract attention from Europe.

U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley, not known for showering teammates with compliments, was full of praise for Gonzalez and 2012 MLS Defender of the Year Besler.

"I thought they both did really well, they are two guys that we have a lot of confidence in. Going forward they are going to be really important for us.

"With the opportunity to play in a game like this, the experience that you get, the confidence you can take away, they can both walk away feeling really proud of what they gave.

"They can walk away from here feeling that if they continue to improve and show their quality they are going to be two very important guys for us". (Reporting By Simon Evans; Editing by Ossian Shine)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Click For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

More newsMiguel Tovar / Getty Images

Bit of skill, bit of luck

PST: No question, the United States earned its scoreless draw with Mexico at Estadio Azteca on Tuesday. But they have a bit of luck to thank, as well.

Y! Sports: US draw at Azteca?equals win

Yahoo! Sports: Brad Guzan and the U.S. defense held firm in the face of sustained pressure, earning the Americans' first point in World Cup qualifying on Mexican soil in more than 15 years.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51344558/ns/sports-soccer/

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Scientists discover how drug prevents aging and cancer progression

Mar. 26, 2013 ? University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slows the aging process and may prevent the progression of some cancers. In the March 23 online edition of the journal Aging Cell, scientists from the University of Montreal explain how they found that the antidiabetic drug metformin reduces the production of inflammatory cytokines that normally activate the immune system, but if overproduced can lead to pathological inflammation, a condition that both damages tissues in aging and favors tumor growth.

"Cells normally secrete these inflammatory cytokines when they need to mount an immune response to infection, but chronic production of these same cytokines can also cause cells to age. Such chronic inflammation can be induced, for example by smoking" and old cells are particular proficient at making and releasing cytokines says Dr. Gerardo Ferbeyre, senior author and a University of Montreal biochemistry professor. He adds that, "We were surprised by our finding that metformin could prevent the production of inflammatory cytokines by old cells."

In collaboration with Michael Pollack of the Segal Cancer Centre of the Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Dr. Ferbeyre and his team discovered that metformin prevented the synthesis of cytokines directly at the level of the regulation of their genes. "The genes that code for cytokines are normal, but a protein that normally triggers their activation called NF-kB can't reach them in the cell nucleus in metformin treated cells," Dr. Ferbeyre explained. "We also found that metformin does not exert its effects through a pathway commonly thought to mediate its antidiabetic effects," he added. "We have suspected that metformin acts in different ways on different pathways to cause effects on aging and cancer. Our studies now point to one mechanism," noted lead authors of the study Olga Moiseeva and Xavier Desch?nes-Simard.

Dr. Ferbeyre emphasized that, "this is an important finding with implications for our understanding on how the normal organism defends itself from the threat of cancer and how a very common and safe drug may aid in treatment of some cancers and perhaps slow down the aging process. He adds, "It remains that determining the specific targets of metformin would give us an even better opportunity of profit from its beneficial effects. That's what we want to figure out next."

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Story Source:

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

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

Journal Reference:

Olga Moiseeva, Xavier Desch?nes-Simard, Emmanuelle St-Germain, Sebastian Igelmann, Genevi?ve Huot, Alexandra E. Cadar, V?ronique Bourdeau, Michael N Pollak, Gerardo Ferbeyre. Metformin inhibits the senescence-associated secretory phenotype by interfering with IKK/NF-?B activation. Aging Cell, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/acel.12075

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/most_popular/~3/tW2vZfQT_VY/130327093604.htm

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Halle Berry & Nahla Hit the Beach in Hawaii!

Halle Berry and her daughter spend spring break in Hawaii! Plus, see more photos of celebs spending time with their loved ones!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/star-snapshots-celebrity-kids-and-family-photos-2012/1-b-462723?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Astar-snapshots-celebrity-kids-and-family-photos-2012-462723

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Mike Dell's former lieutenant leads coup attempt

By Nadia Damouni, Poornima Gupta and Greg Roumeliotis

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dave Johnson finds himself once again pitted against a former employer.

In leading Blackstone Group's 11th-hour bid for Dell Inc, the acquisitions expert and famously tough negotiator has seated himself across the table from ex-boss and company founder Michael Dell. Their relationship has now become a crucial element in the battle over the largest private equity-led buyout since the financial crisis.

There may even be echoes of the way Nabisco Brands President John Greeniaus ended up switching sides from RJR Nabisco's CEO Ross Johnson in the struggle for control of the food and tobacco conglomerate in the leveraged buyout boom of the late 1980s.

Blackstone's Johnson, a former IBM executive with a reputation for working through the night rather than early in the day, may be joining the party late. But he could still up-end Michael Dell's original proposal to take the company private for $24.4 billion.

Whether the two former confidants can work together may decide the fate of the world's No. 3 PC maker.

The soft-spoken Red Sox and New England Patriots fan is described by people who have known him for a long time as likeable, smart and loyal. But that loyalty has been questioned twice as he has headed for the exits under controversial circumstances - once after more than 27 years at IBM, and then when he left Dell.

IBM unsuccessfully sued Johnson when he departed in 2009, alleging he violated a non-compete agreement.

Now Michael Dell - who told his executive team that Johnson would remain a close and personal adviser when he left to join Blackstone in January - is fighting to hold onto his company against a bid mounted by Blackstone less than three months later. Blackstone has not mentioned a role for his former boss.

"For all the good he does in an organization, the exit always seems to burn him," said a person close to Johnson.

"There was a lot of goodwill (at IBM) but in the last two minutes, he completely erases 25 years of history. Same thing at Dell."

The stakes are high for both men. Michael Dell could lose control of a company he nursed from a dorm-room operation into a global personal computer maker. He doesn't only have Blackstone breathing down his neck but has to also contend with a competing offer from billionaire investor Carl Icahn. Meanwhile, Johnson's first deal could be one of the most ambitious in technology for Blackstone in years.

Among people who know Michael Dell and Johnson, there is little agreement about how well the two men get along now.

The relationship was still close when Johnson, who led some $10 billion worth of deals during his time at Dell, worked to bolster the company's non-PC-making businesses in areas such as software and enterprise services.

Johnson was said to have weighed the offer from Blackstone for a while before taking the plunge, one of the people said.

Three others said Johnson left Dell alienated, and that some members of top management were unhappy with his track record and had few qualms about letting him leave for the world's largest private equity firm.

"Dave came into Dell as a change agent. Change agents have a tough job, and their job is to break glass," one of these people said. "And sometimes where you are breaking glass, people don't like what you are doing."

A spokesman for Michael Dell declined to comment, while a Blackstone spokesman declined to comment on behalf of Johnson. A Dell Inc spokesman also declined to comment.

WHEELING AND DEALING

During more than three years at the Texas-based computer maker, Johnson oversaw 18 to 20 acquisitions, according to a Dell spokesman. He reported directly to Michael Dell.

People who know him say Johnson is more comfortable wheeling and dealing in smaller settings, less at ease in the spotlight of major presentations such as Dell's analysts' day.

He was also known for keeping late hours.

"You can ask anyone at IBM," one of the people said. If Johnson's assistant scheduled a meeting early in the morning it probably "wasn't going to happen," this person said.

Johnson oversaw the 2009 purchase of Perot Systems Corp, which catapulted Dell into the technology services market alongside IBM and HP. Other deals during his tenure included Quest Software, SecureWorks, SonicWall Inc and Wyse Technology.

At Dell, Johnson was brought in to help beef up the company's enterprise-related portfolio and diversify away from its reliance on PCs. To that end, Johnson went on an acquisition spree for small to mid-size companies. A big believer in the proper integration of acquired companies, Johnson often told team members that "the real success of a transaction is in the integration."

The 61-year old brought discipline and rigor to Dell's M&A machine, instituting a playbook that aimed to standardize the M&A and integration process, one of the people said.

That playbook, for example, had templates for documents and contained a list of internal subject-matter experts.

While Johnson's strategy helped Dell expand its portfolio and reduce its reliance on PCs, the strategy was also criticized for being slow to offset a decline in PC sales and for failing to integrate the acquired companies fully with Dell to take advantage of scale.

But Carr Lanphier, analyst with Morningstar, said it is too early to tell whether Johnson's term at Dell was a success as his effort at diversification is not complete.

When Johnson joined Blackstone, the private equity giant had been looking for ways to bolster its technology team after having suffered a couple of dealmaker losses. These included Chip Schorr, who left Blackstone in 2010 after serving as its global head of technology investing.

Johnson is working on Dell with Chinh Chu, one of Blackstone's most experienced partners, who has been carrying out transactions for the firm since 1990.

Blackstone has reached out to a number of candidates who could run Dell should its bid succeed, replacing Michael Dell.

Sources involved in the fast-evolving discussions said Michael Dell and Johnson have competing visions for the company.

Two people close to Michael Dell have said he was concerned that Blackstone's buyout offer would dismantle the PC maker. Other people familiar with the situation have said Blackstone has considered a potential sale of Dell's financial services business as part of a strategy to turn things around.

Divestitures are not part of the plans by Michael Dell and his buyout partner, the private equity firm Silver Lake, two of the sources said.

(Editing by Edwin Chan, Tim Dobbyn and Martin Howell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mike-dells-former-lieutenant-leads-coup-attempt-042912111--sector.html

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HBT: Blue Jays extend lefty Happ through 2014

It?s been quite a week for J.A. Happ. On Tuesday afternoon the 30-year-old left-hander was officially named the Blue Jays? fifth starter. And now comes word that his pockets are getting a little fatter.

MLB.com beat writer Gregor Chisholm reports that the Jays have signed Happ to a two-year contract extension worth $8.9 million. That sum includes his already-locked-in $3.7 million salary for 2013 and adds on a $5.2 million salary for the 2014 season.

Happ posted an ugly 4.79 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 144 2/3 innings last summer between Houston and Toronto. But he has a 1.89 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 14/3 K/BB ratio in 19 innings this spring.

The new extension also carries a $6.7 million club option for the 2015 campaign.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/27/blue-jays-extend-j-a-happ-through-the-2014-season/related/

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Murdoch's The Sun tabloid to charge for online access

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/murdochs-sun-tabloid-charge-online-access-130914918--finance.html

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Ravenswood: Pretty Little Liars Spinoff Announced By ABC Family

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Trees used to create recyclable, efficient solar cell

Mar. 26, 2013 ? Solar cells are just like leaves, capturing the sunlight and turning it into energy. It's fitting that they can now be made partially from trees.

Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University researchers have developed efficient solar cells using natural substrates derived from plants such as trees. Just as importantly, by fabricating them on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) substrates, the solar cells can be quickly recycled in water at the end of their lifecycle.

The technology is published in the journal Scientific Reports, the latest open-access journal from the Nature Publishing Group.

The researchers report that the organic solar cells reach a power conversion efficiency of 2.7 percent, an unprecedented figure for cells on substrates derived from renewable raw materials. The CNC substrates on which the solar cells are fabricated are optically transparent, enabling light to pass through them before being absorbed by a very thin layer of an organic semiconductor. During the recycling process, the solar cells are simply immersed in water at room temperature. Within only minutes, the CNC substrate dissolves and the solar cell can be separated easily into its major components.

Georgia Tech College of Engineering Professor Bernard Kippelen led the study and says his team's project opens the door for a truly recyclable, sustainable and renewable solar cell technology.

"The development and performance of organic substrates in solar technology continues to improve, providing engineers with a good indication of future applications," said Kippelen, who is also the director of Georgia Tech's Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE). "But organic solar cells must be recyclable. Otherwise we are simply solving one problem, less dependence on fossil fuels, while creating another, a technology that produces energy from renewable sources but is not disposable at the end of its lifecycle."

To date, organic solar cells have been typically fabricated on glass or plastic. Neither is easily recyclable, and petroleum-based substrates are not very eco-friendly. For instance, if cells fabricated on glass were to break during manufacturing or installation, the useless materials would be difficult to dispose of. Paper substrates are better for the environment, but have shown limited performance because of high surface roughness or porosity. However, cellulose nanomaterials made from wood are green, renewable and sustainable. The substrates have a low surface roughness of only about two nanometers.

"Our next steps will be to work toward improving the power conversion efficiency over 10 percent, levels similar to solar cells fabricated on glass or petroleum-based substrates," said Kippelen. The group plans to achieve this by optimizing the optical properties of the solar cell's electrode.

Purdue School of Materials Engineering associate professor Jeffrey Youngblood collaborated with Kippelen on the research.

A provisional patent on the technology has been filed with the U.S. Patent Office.

There's also another positive impact of using natural products to create cellulose nanomaterials. The nation's forest product industry projects that tens of millions of tons of them could be produced once large-scale production begins, potentially in the next five years.

The research is the latest project by COPE, which studies the use and development of printed electronics. Last year the center created the first-ever completely plastic solar cell.

This research was funded in part through the Center for Interface Science: Solar Electric Materials, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-SC0001084 (Y.Z., J.S., C.F., A.D.), by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant No. FA9550-09-1-0418) (J. H.), by the Office of Naval Research (Grant No. N00014-04-1-0313) (T.K., B.K.), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture -Forest Service (Grant No. 12-JV-11111122-098). Funding for CNC substrate processing was provided by USDA-Forest Service (Grant No. 11-JV-11111129-118) (R.J.M., J.P.Y., J.L.). The authors thank Rick Reiner and Alan Rudie from the U.S. Forest Service- Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) for providing CNC materials.

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Journal Reference:

Yinhua Zhou, Canek Fuentes-Hernandez, Talha M. Khan, Jen-Chieh Liu, James Hsu, Jae Won Shim, Amir Dindar, Jeffrey P. Youngblood, Robert J. Moon, Bernard Kippelen. Recyclable organic solar cells on cellulose nanocrystal substrates. Scientific Reports, 2013; 3 DOI: 10.1038/srep01536

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/3eP5hoGrcgI/130326111958.htm

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Central African Republic rebel chief to name power-sharing government

By Ange Aboa and Paul-Marin Ngoupana

BANGUI (Reuters) - The leader of rebels in Central African Republic pledged to name a power-sharing government in a bid to defuse international criticism of Sunday's coup that killed 13 South African soldiers and plunged the mineral-rich nation into chaos.

Regional peacekeepers said that the leader of the Seleka rebel coalition, self-proclaimed President Michel Djotodia, appealed for help in restoring order after his own men joined in a second day of looting in the riverside capital Bangui.

The rebels' ouster of President Francois Bozize was swiftly condemned by the United Nations and the African Union. But in a sign of pragmatism, the United States, France and regional power broker Chad called on the insurgents to respect a January peace deal creating a unity government.

Some 5,000 Seleka fighters swept into the capital on Sunday after a lightning offensive in which they fought their way from the far north to the presidential palace in four days after a the collapse of the power-sharing agreement signed in the Gabonese capital Libreville.

Neighboring Cameroon confirmed on Monday that Bozize had arrived there but said it was not giving him permanent refugee.

The removal of Bozize, who himself seized power in a 2003 coup backed by Chad, was just the latest in a series of rebellions since the poor, landlocked country won independence from France in 1960.

"We will respect the Libreville accord, which means a political transition of 2 to 3 years before elections," Seleka spokesman Eric Massi said by telephone.

The Libreville deal - drafted by regional mediators after the rebels besieged Bangui in December - had created a government drawn from Bozize loyalists, rebel leaders and the civilian opposition.

Massi said that civilian opposition member Nicolas Tiangaye would remain as prime minister with a slightly rejigged cabinet.

In the sprawling capital, 600,000 residents remained without power and running water for a third day, preventing Djotodia from making a planned national address from the presidential palace.

Despite a curfew, there was widespread pillaging of offices, public buildings and businesses by rebels and civilians.

"Public order is the biggest problem right now," said General Jean Felix Akanga, commander of the regional African peacekeeping force. "Seleka's leaders are struggling to control their men. The president has asked us to help restore calm."

He said the rebels would start to confine their forces to barracks from Monday.

"SAD MOMENT" FOR SOUTH AFRICA

With France's military contingent refusing to intervene, two heavily armed columns of insurgents in pick up trucks stormed into Bangui on Sunday, brushing aside a South African force of 400 troops which attempted to block their path.

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma said at least 13 soldiers were killed and 27 others wounded in the fighting, the worst military setback for Pretoria since the end of apartheid.

"It is a sad moment for our country," Zuma said, adding that another soldier was still missing. "The actions of these bandits will not deter us from our responsibility of working for peace and stability in Africa."

Zuma said South Africa had not decided yet whether or not to withdraw its force, which he said had inflicted heavy casualties on the rebels during a 9-hour attack on their base.

"This is complete disaster for South Africa," said Thierry Vircoulon, Central African specialist at International Crisis Group. "They did not at all understand they were backing the wrong horse. They did not consult within the region."

Seleka, a loose coalition of five rebel groups whose name means "alliance" in the Songo language, was formed last year after Bozize had failed to implement power-sharing in the wake of disputed 2011 elections boycotted by the opposition.

It resumed hostilities on Thursday after military leaders of the group detained its five members of Bozize's government and accused the president of violating January's peace deal by failing to integrate 2,000 of its fighters into the army.

"The movements that make up Seleka have a long history of divisions," Vircoulon said. "The cohesion of Seleka will be tested now they are in full control."

Despite rich deposits of gold, diamonds and uranium, Central African Republic remains one of the world's least developed and most unstable nations.

Bozize rose to prominence in the military during the 1966-1979 rule of dictator Jean-Bedel Bokassa, a self-styled emperor found guilty of the murder of schoolchildren and other crimes.

In recent years, Bozize's government had hosted U.S. Special Forces helping regional armies hunt down the Lord's Resistance Army rebels, led by a Ugandan warlord, who have killed thousands of civilians during decades of conflict.

FRENCH NATIONALS SAFE

Paris, which already had 250 soldiers in Central African Republic, has sent another 300 troops to ensure the security of its citizens and diplomatic missions.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said there was no need to evacuate the 1,200 French nationals, most of whom are in the capital. "Things are under control from our point of view regarding French nationals," Fabius said on Europe 1 radio.

French President Francois Hollande spoke to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Chadian President Idriss Deby to suggest that any solution to the crisis should be based on the January Libreville agreement, Fabius added.

France's Defense Ministry said on Monday that French troops patrolling the international airport in Bangui killed two Indian citizens when three vehicles tried to enter the facility.

The ministry said France offered its condolences to India and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was due to speak with his Indian counterpart in the coming hours.

(Additional reporting by Leigh Thomas in Paris; Writing by Daniel Flynn and David Lewis; Editing by Peter Graff and Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/central-african-republic-rebel-chief-name-power-sharing-130535622--finance.html

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