Sunday, March 31, 2013

Lawmakers tighten belts amid automatic budget cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are contending with long lines to get inside their offices and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the men and women who brought the country $85 billion in government spending cuts this month.

There probably won't be much sympathy for a senator or congressman making $174,000 a year who is in no danger of being furloughed or laid off, at least until the next election. Still, there has been an effort, especially in the Republican-led House, to show that no one should be exempt from sacrifice.

"As those who are charged with the care of taxpayers' dollars, we need to lead by example," Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., who chairs the House Administration Committee, said last week in promoting a bill to slash the budgets of House committees by 11 percent.

Earlier in March ? after Congress and the White House failed to come up with an alternative to across-the-board cuts in most federal programs ? the House imposed an 8.2 percent reduction in lawmakers' personal office budgets. That came on top of 11 percent cuts to members' office budgets during 2011-2012.

"We've drastically reduced travel both for myself and my staff," said Republican Rep. John Campbell, who must cross the country to visit his southern California district. He said he tends to stay in Washington on two-day weekends rather than return home. "I'm more productive here when I'm not rushing to get home," he added.

Campbell said other "little things" he is doing to economize include reducing the office phone bill, cutting off magazine and newspaper subscriptions and using email rather than letters to communicate with voters.

Rep. Luke Messer, a freshman Republican from Indiana, said he hired fewer people when he came to Washington because "we essentially began the term knowing there was a high possibility of a sequester"? Washington-speak for the automatic spending cuts.

So far, congressional staffers appear to have escaped the furloughs that are likely to send thousands of public servants home without pay for several workdays over the next six months and disrupt some government services. "I hope to avoid that," said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., "but we will take any steps to ensure we don't exceed our budget." Under House rules, a lawmaker must pay for excess spending out of his or her own pocket.

The fiscal pressures are weaker in the Senate, where senators have staff budgets about double the amount of the $1.3 million average in the House and where the office cuts ordered because of the sequester were limited to 5 percent.

While staffers still have their jobs, they may have a harder time getting to them. Security officials have cut costs by closing 10 entrances and several side streets around the Capitol complex, creating long lines to get through screening stations. People "have started to adjust to those changes at the entrances," although it is still a challenge on busy days, said Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer.

Gainer, who oversees nearly 1,000 security and administrative employees, said he hopes to abide by the 5 percent sequester cut without layoffs by enlisting 70 or 80 people for a voluntary retirement program.

Some House members also are feeling the pinch during the two-week Easter break, a prime time for foreign "fact-finding" tours. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced last month that members must book commercial flights rather than make use of more convenient but more expensive military aircraft.

Some Democrats have complained the GOP enthusiasm for frugality has come at too high a cost.

"At a time when most members of this body are representing newly formed congressional districts with a need to open new offices or move to new locations, we find ourselves with an 8.2 percent decrease in the very operating budgets that support constituent services," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

Wasserman Schultz, who also is the Democratic Party's chairwoman, criticized House Republicans for cutting budgets while spending some $3 million for the legal defense of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

"We are past the point of cutting what we want, and we are now into cutting what we need ? our ability to attract and retain expert staff," said Rep. Robert Brady of Pennsylvania, the senior Democrat on the House Administration Committee.

Brad Fitch, president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to improve congressional operations, said it's still possible that House members will have to resort to furloughs or layoffs. So far, he said, they have been able to cope with the cuts of the past three years with less drastic steps, such as reducing the size of their staffs through attrition, making more use of interns and using email rather than mass mailings.

At the end of 2011, Fitch's group recommended 46 possible ways for members to cut $90,000 from their 2012 budgets, ranging from pay freezes, holding more town hall meetings by telephone, delaying purchases of new computers, eliminating Washington staffers' visits to district offices, closing district offices, eliminating bottled water from offices and reviewing spending on food and beverages for constituents.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-tighten-belts-amid-automatic-budget-cuts-165316275--politics.html

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Real estate apps can help, overwhelm homebuyers - Contra Costa ...

Raj Aurora has been searching to buy his first home for the last three months, but hasn't wasted time looking at condos he knows he won't like and hasn't even needed to meet his agent, all thanks to real estate apps that Aurora downloaded on his iPhone 5.

"We've already eliminated 20 to 30 houses without driving around," said Aurora, a 42-year-old chiropractor and part-time Web developer from Danville. "I don't want to sit with (my agent) for eight hours driving from house to house. I'd rather hang out with my dog and my friends."

Aurora instead checks out properties virtually by glancing at his Zillow and Trulia apps throughout the day, then reviews any possibilities via text or email with his Danville real estate agent, Kevin R. Kieffer of Keller Williams Realty, whom Aurora has yet to see.

"I do it at Starbucks, I do it in between meetings," Aurora said. "If I said I did it while driving that would be wrong."

The field for downloadable apps offering up-to-date property listings has grown even more crowded in the last several months as the housing market remains hot for sellers and frustrating for buyers. The free, downloadable apps are available on smartphones and tablets, as well as laptops and PCs, and typically offer photos, property information and prices. They also can be set up to send alerts of homes that meet a shopper's criteria, such as price and neighborhood.

With little inventory available, homebuyers often become

addicted to glancing at their smartphones and tablets throughout the day -- and even in the middle of the night -- for up-to-date alerts that might lead to their dream homes.

"I'd go to bed at night but would find myself pulling up Zillow and searching around," said Mike Finnegan, 39, who lives outside Seattle.

Finnegan wasn't even interested in looking for a new home when his wife, Amanda, first mentioned the idea in January to take advantage of lingering low interest rates.

After downloading various real estate apps on his iPhone 5 and iPad, Finnegan figured out what kind of new home and neighborhood could entice him out of his condo -- all without having to drive around looking at properties in person.

Next month, the Finnegans are scheduled to close the deal on their new three-bedroom, single-family home in the Seattle area that they eventually discovered through Zillow.

A generation of homebuyers ago, clients couldn't even see real estate multiple-listing services.

Today, with millions of property listings carried over an ever-expanding field of real estate apps, it can be overwhelming for homebuyers to have so many photos and property descriptions streaming into their smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs day and night.

Several apps advertise that they refresh their listings every 15 minutes. Realtor.com even claims to provide "the most accurate data on the market."

"We pride ourselves on the accuracy of the data set," said Scott Boecker, chief product officer for Move, owner of San Jose-based realtor.com. "When inventory's dropped over 50 percent while prices have increased 30 percent year over year, people are saying they check our app every single night. You want your mobile app up to date."

Seattle-based Zillow had more than 200 million homes viewed on mobile devices in January, representing an astounding 75 homes per second.

Like other apps, Zillow allows users to customize their searches and send them alerts whenever a property meets their criteria. But Zillow goes a step further and color codes its listings to further help homebuyers sort through all of the data. It also allows potential sellers to test the market without actually listing with an agent by offering a price that would "Make Me Move," which is how Finnegan eventually found his new home in Seattle.

"Mobile (technology) took us from a 9-to-5 service to a 24-hour service," said Jeremy Wacksman, Zillow's vice president of mobile and marketing. "It really did extend the shopping life cycle throughout the day and made it on demand, which clearly benefits the consumer."

But John V. Pinto, who has offices in Silicon Valley and Napa Valley and is the chairman of the business technology forum for the California Association of Realtors, said homebuyers often waste hours looking at listings for homes that already have been sold because some apps pad their listings with out-of-date properties.

So Pinto advises homebuyers to only use apps based on multiple-listing services -- then customize their searches to alert them to properties that are actually for sale.

"The good news, from the realtors perspective, is the consumer winds up doing a lot of the work because of all of these apps," Pinto said. "But real estate consumers are often babes in the woods who get drawn to all kinds of inaccurate information that's been packaged in a pretty way. Clients who find a listing they like can be like a cat who brings you a bird's head looking for approval. Their realtor has to constantly tell them, 'Thanks for being so diligent. That property was sold 30 days ago.' "

After testing out a couple of different apps, Aurora and his agent, Kieffer, are now efficiently texting and emailing one another about listings that Aurora sees daily as he looks for his first condo, which will be the new home for him, his rat terrier, "Stinky," and his parents who live in Canada, but will spend their winters staying with Aurora.

The real estate apps are so easy to use, Aurora said, that he even emails links of promising listings to his mother, Shanta, who is in her late 70s.

"If my mom can figure it all out," Aurora said, "anyone can."

Contact Dan Nakaso at 408-271-3648. Follow him at Twitter.com/dannakaso.

Real estate apps
Most major real estate apps are available on iOS or Android devices and allow users to set up alerts that will let them know when a new property becomes available that meets their preset search criteria, such as price, neighborhood or number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
Zillow
Offers information on rentals and homes for sale, including rental estimates and mortgage estimates. Sellers can get help pricing their homes, or can toss out a price on Zillow's "Make Me Move" section without actually listing the property and hiring a realtor.
Trulia
Says it's visited by more than 23 million consumers each month and is "the best place" for agents, brokers, multiple-listing services to market online.
Redfin
Says that it "shows more homes, faster" and claims it offers 20 percent more homes for sale. Redfin advertises that all of its listings represent homes that are actually for sale.
Realtor.com
Says listings on its mobile apps represent more than 800 multiple-listing services and provide "the most accurate and reliable information possible" on properties, communities and up-to-date real estate statistics.
Homes.com
Says its mobile apps have more than 4 million properties listed for sale or rent via interactive maps and allow users to compare property values in the same area.

Source: http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22900044/real-estate-apps-can-help-overwhelm-home-buyers

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Mozilla to bring console-quality 3D games to Firefox browser ...

2013-game-developers-conference-coverage

3D gaming on a browser? Count us in. At this year?s?Game Developers Conference, Mozilla revealed that it?s working on a technology that could have us playing high-end, console-quality games on the?Firefox browser?without the need for any plugins and installations. Making this possible is?OdinMonkey ? an optimized version of JavaScript currently found on Firefox Nightly that are browser builds for testing purposes.?

A blog post from Mozilla announcing the project describes the highly optimized JavaScript as something that ?supercharges a developer?s gaming code in the browser to enable visually compelling, fast, 3D gaming experiences on the Web.? The project is being developed along with game developer Epic, so it?s no surprise that Mozilla ported Epic?s Unreal Engine on Firefox to demo a game called Citadel?(shown in the video below). It took Epic a total of four days to tweak the gaming engine to work on Firefox. The demo will be available for download online, but the company didn?t mention whether it will commercially release the Unreal Engine for Firefox browsers in the future.?

Mozilla hasn?t only been building this for its desktop version of Firefox, it?s also planning to bring the technology over to the browser?s mobile version for iOS, Android, and of course, Firefox OS. That means you may soon be able to play Web-based 3D games ? along with your arsenal of app games ? on your phones and tablets. Good luck getting any work done!

In addition to Epic Games, Mozilla has also been working with EA, Disney, and?ZeptoLab to port games to Firefox browsers.?The features are expected to roll out bundled with a stable build sometime in June, so we?ll probably hear more about what games will be available from the get-go as the launch date approaches.?

Source: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/mozilla-to-bring-3d-browser-games-to-firefox/

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Robot ants successfully mimic real colony behavior

Friday, March 29, 2013

Scientists have successfully replicated the behaviour of a colony of ants on the move with the use of miniature robots, as reported in the journal PLOS Computational Biology. The researchers, based at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, USA) and at the Research Centre on Animal Cognition (Toulouse, France), aimed to discover how individual ants, when part of a moving colony, orient themselves in the labyrinthine pathways that stretch from their nest to various food sources.

The study focused mainly on how Argentine ants behave and coordinate themselves in both symmetrical and asymmetrical pathways. In nature, ants do this by leaving chemical pheromone trails. This was reproduced by a swarm of sugar cube size robots, called "Alices", leaving light trails that they can detect with two light sensors mimicking the role of the ants' antennae.

In the beginning of the experiment, where branches of the maze had no light trail, the robots adopted an "exploratory behaviour" modelled on the regular insect movement pattern of moving randomly but in the same general direction. This led the robots to choose the path that deviated least from their trajectory at each bifurcation of the network. If the robots detected a light trail, they would turn to follow that path.

One outcome of the robotic model was the discovery that the robots did not need to be programmed to identify and compute the geometry of the network bifurcations. They managed to navigate the maze using only the pheromone light trail and the programmed directional random walk, which directed them to the more direct route between their starting area and a target area on the periphery of the maze. Individual Argentine ants have poor eyesight and move too quickly to make a calculated decision about their direction. Therefore the fact that the robots managed to orient themselves in the maze in a similar fashion than the one observed in real ants suggests that a complex cognitive process is not necessary for colonies of ants to navigate efficiently in their complex network of foraging trails.

"This research suggests that efficient navigation and foraging can be achieved with minimal cognitive abilities in ants," says lead author Simon Garnier. "It also shows that the geometry of transport networks plays a critical role in the flow of information and material in ant as well as in human societies."

###

Garnier S, Combe M, Jost C, Theraulaz G (2013) Do Ants Need to Estimate the Geometrical Properties of Trail Bifurcations to Find an Efficient Route? A Swarm Robotics Test Bed. PLOS Comput Biol9(3): e1002903. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002903

http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002903

Public Library of Science: http://www.plos.org

Thanks to Public Library of Science for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127509/Robot_ants_successfully_mimic_real_colony_behavior

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Suspect in Colorado prison chief killing spent bulk of sentence in solitary

By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - A parolee suspected of killing Colorado's prisons chief spent most of his eight-year prison sentence in solitary confinement for assaulting and threatening to kill jailers and fighting with other inmates, prison records made public on Thursday showed.

Evan Spencer Ebel incurred 28 disciplinary infractions in the five state prisons where has housed between 2005 and his mandatory parole in January, the Colorado Department of Corrections said in a statement accompanying the records.

Ebel was initially sentenced to three years in prison on robbery, menacing and other charges, but quickly earned more time for his violent and disruptive behavior.

Seven months into his incarceration, Ebel told a female corrections officer that he would "kill her if he ever saw her on the streets and that he would make her beg for her life," one disciplinary entry noted, which resulted in his placement in solitary confinement.

The 28-year-old son of a prominent Colorado attorney died in a shootout with police near Decatur, Texas, following a high-speed chase and gun battle last week.

Investigators said the handgun Ebel used to shoot at Texas police officers matched the weapon that killed Tom Clements, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Clements, 58, was gunned down when he answered the door at his home south of Denver on March 19. Police have not said if Ebel killed Clements, but call him their prime suspect.

The records released on Thursday also confirmed that Ebel was a member of the 211 Crew, a violent white supremacist prison gang. He went by the moniker "Evil" Ebel and had a swastika tattoo.

Corrections officials classified him as a "very high risk" to re-offend upon his release from prison.

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old woman arrested for providing the 9mm handgun to Ebel that was used in the killings made her first appearance in court on Thursday, according to the Arapahoe County clerk's office.

Stevie Marie Vigil is charged with illegally buying a firearm and a judge ordered her held on a $25,000 cash bond, and set an April 30 date for a preliminary hearing.

Agents with the Colorado Bureau of Investigations arrested Vigil on Wednesday for allegedly using her clean criminal history to buy the weapon from a Denver-area gun dealer in early March.

The licensed dealer cooperated with authorities, who said he was unaware of Vigil's plans for the gun.

Vigil then transferred the gun to Ebel, in a so-called "straw purchase," police said. As a convicted felon, Ebel could not legally possess firearms.

Courts records in the case are sealed, so it is unclear what connection Vigil may have had to the 211 Crew. She faces a maximum 16 years in prison if convicted.

(Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspect-colorado-prison-chief-killing-spent-bulk-sentence-030533378.html

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South Africa says Mandela makes progress, in good spirits

By Shafiek Tassiem

SOWETO, South Africa (Reuters) - South African former President Nelson Mandela is in good spirits and making progress, doctors said on Friday, after the 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero was taken to hospital for the third time in four months for a lung infection.

The medical report was a relief to South Africans who had been anxiously praying and waiting for an update on the health of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, hospitalized before midnight on Wednesday. Global leaders sent their best wishes.

President Jacob Zuma's government had already reported Mandela was responding well to treatment, and Zuma had sought to reassure the nation, recalling that the revered statesman's advanced age meant he required frequent medical checks.

"President Nelson Mandela is in good spirits and enjoyed a full breakfast this morning," Zuma's office said in a statement.

"The doctors report that he is making steady progress. He remains under treatment and observation in hospital," it added.

Mandela became South Africa's first black president after winning the country's first all-race election in 1994.

A former lawyer, he is revered at home and abroad for leading the struggle against white minority rule - including spending 27 years in prison on Robben Island - and then promoting the cause of racial reconciliation.

In churches across South Africa, many included Mandela in their prayers on Good Friday, one of the most important days in the Christian calendar.

At the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in the Soweto township outside Johannesburg where Mandela once lived, churchgoers lit candles for him. "He's an icon today and we are free because of him," parishioner Oupa Radebe said.

"I hope this time God will have mercy on him to give him the strength and courage to continue to be an icon for our country," Father Benedict Mahlangu said at the service.

U.S. President Barak Obama sent Mandela his best wishes.

"When you think of a single individual that embodies the kind of leadership qualities that I think we all aspire to, the first name that comes up is Nelson Mandela. And so we wish him all the very best," he said.

"LIKE A FATHER"

Mandela's fragile health has been a concern for years as he has withdrawn from the public eye and mostly stayed at his affluent homes in Johannesburg and in Qunu, the rural village in the destitute Eastern Cape province near where he was born.

President Zuma has urged the nation to remain calm.

"Of course I have been saying to people, you should bear in mind Madiba is no longer that young and if he goes for check-ups every now and again, I don't think people must be alarmed about it," Zuma told the BBC on Thursday.

"In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has 'gone home'. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about."

Madiba is the clan name by which many South Africans refer to Mandela, whose face adorns the country's new bank notes.

Despite his absence from the political scene for the past decade, he remains an enduring and beloved symbol of the struggle against racism.

"He's like a father to me ... There is no more apartheid, black and white can go to the same places," said Princess Nopuhle, a student, aged 18, in Johannesburg's Mandela Square.

As he has receded from public life, critics say his ruling African National Congress (ANC) has lost the moral compass he bequeathed it when he stepped down as president in 1999.

Under such leaders as Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo, the ANC gained wide international respect when it battled white rule.

LEADER OF "GOLDEN PERIOD"

Once the yoke of apartheid was thrown off in 1994, it began governing South Africa in a blaze of goodwill from world leaders who viewed it as a beacon for a troubled continent and world.

Almost two decades later, this image has dimmed as ANC leaders have been accused of indulging in the spoils of office, squandering mineral resources and engaging in power struggles.

Mandela has been criticized for not doing enough to prevent an HIV/AIDS epidemic and for making political compromises in the transition from apartheid that led to the black majority being still largely excluded from the benefits of the country's mineral wealth.

But his achievement in leading South Africa out of apartheid and averting all-out racial war is seen as eclipsing this.

"Amongst most South Africans, he is associated with a so-called ?golden period' of the end of apartheid and the beginning of the new democratic state. He represents all of the best of that, including the reconciliation," said Nic Borain, an independent political analyst.

Mandela was in hospital briefly earlier this month for a check-up and spent nearly three weeks in hospital in December with a lung infection and after surgery to remove gallstones.

That was his longest stay in hospital since his release from prison in 1990 after serving almost three decades for conspiring to overthrow the apartheid government.

Mandela has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis as a political prisoner.

Many South Africans said they felt the country's problems had worsened since Mandela withdrew from active politics.

"There was more peace and freedom when he was running it. Now the splits have come back again," said Natascha Roberts, taking pictures of her family in front of a towering statue of Mandela at the Sandton City mall in suburban Johannesburg.

"If he can go on for another few years, it would be great."

(Additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher in Johannesburg; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africas-mandela-spends-second-night-hospital-092102547.html

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BOWLING SCORES - The Sports Desk

AMF FREDERICKSBURG

Rappahannock men?s league

Tony Arnold 269, 299, 258, 826; John Oliver 267, 243, 300, 810; Dave Edwards 289, 247, 268, 804; Paul Rumbaugh 237, 289, 246, 772; Jim Einhorn 246, 257, 239, 742; Bryan Gallahan 247, 269, 741; John Zentner 279, 258, 736; Scott Sanders 266, 246, 736; Tomm Brady 248, 241, 243, 732; Rick Coulson 256, 255, 720; Ricky Wallace 247, 237, 233, 717; Jimmy Ruby 267, 241, 711; Jeff Leonard 248, 264, 711; Josh Jefferies 289, 710; Eric Schaarschmidt 257, 709; Frankie Weaver 255, 236, 705; Donnie Norton 243, 256, 703; Jim Wolfe 252, 258, 702; David Armstrong 234, 253, 696; Tom Marinari 236, 235, 693; Bruce White 259, 685; Aaron Lewis 264, 684; Jim Murray 249, 684; Mike Zemore 268, 683; Fuzzy Fox 255, 269, 681; Scott Smith 279, 679; Chris Burton 236 676; Doug Patterson 246, 675; Tony Rakes 245, 671; Robert Kline 233, 667; Jamie Dalton 261, 666; Gene Vest 256, 665; Pete Gunn 237, 665; Kevin Austin 268, 664; Troy Kelly 241, 248, 664; Brannon Hardin 235, 233, 659; Daryl Perdue 233, 658; Rino Biello 245, 657; Dave Wollstein 247, 656; Cory White 264, 651; Stan Cieslewitz 235, 648; Eric Brown 648; Justin Powers 265, 647; Sean Rhea 259, 646; Don Monroe 242, 636; D.J. Johnson 630; Jeff Smith 233, 629; Tony Krehbiel 628; Richard Bergey 626.

Bill Hagerman 255; Wayne Ferrell 246; Jerry Goodman 246; Bobby Phillips 235; Jeff Lavin Jr. 233.

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Merchants mixed league

Richard Hailstalk 238, 267, 267, 772; Jeter Holloway III 289, 261, 737; Michael Paige 267, 257, 720; Larry Roath 238, 236, 234, 708; Richard Jaco 258, 244, 703; Les Williams 236, 235, 231, 702; Thomas Moore 249, 234, 674; Charles Smith 673; Michael Lamb 268, 658; Charles Hubbard 269, 656; Dennis Alwine 654; Cecil Franklin 237, 649; Larry Crawfod 646; Barry Robinson 235, 641; Dave Heatherly 242, 637; Eugene Mildling 248, 620; Breton Bridges 246; Steven Pittman 245; Mark Jones 244; Norfleet Bonds 241; Daniel Resio 236; Wiley Coon 233; Jimmy Durante 233; Robert Resio 230; Douglas Richey 230.

Kathryn White 240, 210, 644; Connie Gourdine 214, 200, 224, 638; LaTonia Livingston 221, 212, 627; Pong Cobb 221, 211, 593; Geri-Lynn Copeland 200, 204, 592; Denise Lanier 222, 202, 580; Kathy Shepherd 203, 580; Mary Hand 219, 210; Pamela Payne 217; Andrea Sharp 216; Nancy Crawford 200, 214; Brenda Chambers 207; Tina Sebak 207; Sharon Moore 204; Sherry Schaarschmidt 204; Brittany Hand 202; Hannah Jenkins 201; Judith Turlington 200.

Steve?s trios

Les Williams 237, 300, 255, 792; Brian Chew 258, 246, 708; Bobby Phillips 234, 246, 707; Jim Martin II 234, 247, 694; Rick Marvin 258, 234, 686; Art Prescott 268, 685; Jay Bowling 679; Rick Gilmore 248, 675; John Greer 231, 663; Robert Bradley Jr. 263, 657; Jeff Crouch 246, 656; Jim Meredith 256, 650; Wes Reynolds 232, 642; Justin Story 237, 639; Ryan Sirna 247, 633; Rob Lawrence 231, 628; Glenn Hogeland 621; Wade Cropp 242.

Michelle Livingston 212, 220, 222, 654; Sandy Badilo 201.

Goodtimers (seniors)

Bob Resio 198, 237, 258, 693; Bobby Philips 224, 265, 675; Chuck Husted 197, 231, 216, 645; Jimmy Durante 254, 202, 641; Paul Barnette 195, 215, 215, 625; Bob McGann 214, 200, 596; Dick Jaco 204, 200, 586; Bill Tinsley 225, 584; Joe Plummer 199, 194, 578; Glenn Hogeland 234, 577; Jay Bowling 202, 571; Robert Epp 199, 193, 567; Tom Weetman 212, 565; Rino Biello 194, 565; John Bailey 196, 200, 559; Walter Baker 220, 540; Rich Strickland 213; Howard Collins 210; Bill Blanchard 203; Kevin Lunsford 195; Bill Hitchings 196, 194; Lloyd Messner 190.

Ellen Pentland 194; Penny Young 181.

Doc?s angels (seniors)

Butch Mims 244, 226, 190, 660; Willey Coon 217, 235, 639; Bobby Phillips 201, 203, 202, 606; Morris Antwine 227, 204, 595; Bill Tinsley 213, 195, 590; Glenn Hogeland 211, 191, 586, Bill Hichings 224, 578; Harold Haggerty 224 578; Marc Hubbard 225, 562; John Bailey 203, 190, 558; Bob Resio 197, 204, 556; Albert Walker 198, 546; Rich Strickland 206; Richard Miller 204; John Rourke 194; Bob McCann 192; Joe Kusina 191; Ed Horn 190.

Billie Mitchem 196, 528; Jean Criss 191, 494.

Guys and dolls (seniors)

Dave Brady 286, 253, 688; Jason McDonald 298, 674; Anthony Brown 223, 212, 207, 642; Henry Wolfe 220, 214, 630; Mark Britton 235; Warren Cooper 226; Carl Gray 207.

Jenni Brady 193, 551; Robin Allison Jones 206.

Burnopp?s kids (seniors)

Paul Zornacki 205, 217, 581; Wade Haney 182, 537; Dick Coleman 188; Leroy Hicks 188.

Lucille Mestre 188, 501.

LIBERTY LANES

Wednesday night men?s league

Googie Thompson 257, 246, 732; Josh Tabony 267, 707; Gene Vest 232, 257, 695; Cory White 252, 692; Paul Rumbaugh II 247, 244, 683; Noah Green 237, 255, 682; Tony Rose 243, 237, 682; Bill Symonowski 243, 682; Jim Murray 269, 247, 681; Danny Sanders 237, 673; Matt Leonard 246, 237, 660; Richard Hailstalk 237, 654; Daniel Yeagley 233, 652; Jeff Smith 651; Jon Blanton 649; Bobby Phillips Jr. 235, 646; Mark Britton 234, 641; Jason Zitzelberger 247, 640; Kenny Merryman 238, 638; Jerry Branscome 635; Steve Allen 628; Brandon Blanton 625; Daniel Pittman 625; Robbie Jarrell Jr. 623; Mark Henderson 246; Ace Midling 243; Donnie Nave 232; Ed Mills 230.

Tuesday night mixed league

Jim Mayer 257, 249, 719; Don McElheny 258, 701; Wes Wiseman III 256, 698; Thomas Bellinger 278, 673; John Heard 244, 672; Larry Shoemaker Sr. 233, 669; Daniel Pittman 258, 649; Chuck Allen 256, 638; David Henningsen 232, 638; Bob Jones 631; Cary Bailey 264, 624; Daril Godinez 622; Murray Soland 245; Jacob Capra 235; Scott Russell 233; Paul Terebesi 23; Ken Greene 231.

Shauna Bailey 205, 218, 601; Diane Godinez 203, 201, 586; Kathie Dillon 204; Vivian Bellinger 202.

Liberty eagles

Bryan Gallahan 238, 279, 238, 755; Steve Brown 255, 254, 733; Donnie Nave 233, 255, 702; Allen Chambers 232, 244, 701; Edgar Yates 244; Mark Perryman 230.

Jet setters

William Michaud 257, 233, 700; Don McElheny 257, 685; Daniel Pittman 258, 676; Angelo Allen 244, 655; Todd Altermose Jr. 246, 637; Wallace Jarvis 231, 634; Kenneth Vestal 233.

Dolores Michaud 216.

Green pin

Chuck Allen 258, 690; T.J. Altermose 277, 665; Jacob Capra 240, 650.

Emily Watters 207; Gayle Bracy 202.

Ladies? night out

Brenda Chambers 209; Susan Barber 208.

Permalink: http://news.fredericksburg.com/sports/2013/03/28/bowling-scores-68/

Source: http://news.fredericksburg.com/sports/2013/03/28/bowling-scores-68/

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

China jails 20 on jihad, separatism charges in restive Xinjiang

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese courts have sentenced 20 people to up to life in jail on charges of separatism and plotting to carry out jihad in the restive far western region of Xinjiang, the government said on Wednesday.

The courts in Kashgar and Bayingol said the 20 - all ethnic Uighurs judging by their names - had had their "thoughts poisoned by religious extremism", and used cell phones and DVDs "to spread Muslim religious propaganda", the Xinjiang government said on its official news website (www.ts.cn).

Some of them bought weapons to kill policemen as part of their jihad and spread propaganda related to the banned East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the report said, a group which China says wages a violent campaign for a separate state.

Many Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim people native to Xinjiang, chafe at Chinese controls on their religion, language and culture.

China has blamed violence in energy-rich Xinjiang - strategically located on the borders of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Central Asia - on Islamic separatists who want to establish an independent East Turkestan.

Some Chinese officials have also blamed attacks on Muslim militants trained in Pakistan. But many rights groups say China overstates the threat to justify its tight grip on the region.

Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the exiled World Uyghur Congress, said the 20 were actually guilty of no more than listening to the U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia and using the internet to discuss the importance of religious and cultural freedom.

"Giving heavy sentences to Uighurs (on the excuse) of terrorism is China's special way of carrying out suppression," he said in an emailed statement.

In December, a Xinjiang court sentenced three men to death and another to life in prison for attempting to hijack an aircraft in June.

(Reporting by Megha Rajagopalan; Editing by Ben Blanchard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-jails-20-jihad-separatism-charges-restive-xinjiang-103943828.html

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Global IT Spend Will Rise 4.1% To $3.8 Trillion In 2013, ?A Calm Ocean With Turbulent Currents', With Mobile Driving Growth

Gartner1Q13_IT_SpendingGartner has just released its annual projections on worldwide IT spend over the next two years -- arguably the analyst house's most wide-ranging report covering sales in hardware, software, enterprise and telecoms. The overall trends continue to point up: globally we will see $3.8 trillion spent across all categories, a rise of 4.1% on 2012. That's a sign of slight recovery on a year ago: growth in 2012 was only 2.1%. Mobile and enterprise services are fuelling a lot of the good news, with declines in areas of legacy technology like PCs and voice services. Gartner further notes that the same growth will largely continue into 2014.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/p-vpAZfyQZk/

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What you missed from ?The Ultimate Fighter?

It was a fight-packed episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" as Tuesday night's episode had two fights and visits from two different champs.

Ronda Rousey stops by -- Kelvin won his first match, so he was rewarded with a visit with UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. It wasn't just for show, either, as Rousey showed Team Sonnen several judo techniques. She also pumped them up with some of her favorite "Momisms," including the choice line, "No one has the right to beat you."

Collin Hart (Team Jones) vs. Kelvin Gastellum (Team Sonnen)

Gastellum said in his pre-fight interviews that no one respects his boxing. Uh, they will now. Gastellum struck Hart quickly with a left hook that sent him down to the ground. Hart hit his head on the canvas, rolled over, and took a few more punches before the fight was stopped. It was a vicious, vicious knockout.

Mike Tyson! Oh, hey, no big deal. Mike Tyson showed up at the training center. He stopped in the locker rooms to say hello to the fighters.

Dylan Andrews (Team Jones) vs. Luke Barnatt (Team Sonnen)

A fight for the Queen as Australian Andrews takes on Brit Barnatt. Andrews got the takedown early in the first round, and Barnatt had no answer on the ground for much of the round. Andrews tried for a few chokes, but was unsuccessful.

Barnatt did a much better job in the second, creating offense from the bottom. This led to a third round, where Andrews took over. He knocked a clearly tired Barnatt around until he finally knocked him out in the third round.

Everyone was impressed with how Andrews fought through the third round, including the man signing the checks.

"I'm blown away and impressed with Dylan. That's how it's done here." ? Dana White

The next two quarterfinals are next week, and they'll have a tough act to follow.

College basketball video from Yahoo! Sports:

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Pat Forde: Breaking down the Sweet 16
? Lakers' Metta World Peace has lateral meniscus tear in his knee
? David Shaw building Stanford into a perennial power
? Undefeated Gennady Golovkin could become boxing's next big thing

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/missed-ultimate-fighter-125847222--mma.html

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Malala Yousafzai, shot for defying Taliban, to write book

LONDON (AP) ? Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot in the head by the Taliban as she returned home from school, is writing a book about the traumatic event and her long-running campaign to promote children's education.

Publisher Weidenfeld and Nicolson announced that it would release "I am Malala" in Britain and Commonwealth countries this fall. Little, Brown and Co. will publish the 15-year-old's memoir in the United States and much of the rest of the world.

"Malala is already an inspiration to millions around the world. Reading her story of courage and survival will open minds, enlarge hearts, and eventually allow more girls and boys to receive the education they hunger for," said Michael Pietsch, executive vice president and publisher of Little, Brown.

A Taliban gunman shot Malala on Oct. 9 in northwestern Pakistan. The militant group said it targeted her because she promoted "Western thinking" and, through a blog, had been an outspoken critic of the Taliban's opposition to educating girls.

The shooting sparked outrage in Pakistan and many other countries, and her story drew global attention to the struggle for women's rights in Malala's homeland. The teen even made the shortlist for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" in 2012.

Malala was brought to the U.K. for treatment and spent several months in a hospital undergoing skull reconstruction and cochlear implant surgeries. She was released last month and has started attending school in Britain.

Malala said in a statement Wednesday that she hoped telling her story would be "part of the campaign to give every boy and girl the right to go to school.

"I hope the book will reach people around the world, so they realize how difficult it is for some children to get access to education," she said. "I want to tell my story, but it will also be the story of 61 million children who can't get education."

Publishers did not reveal the price tag for the book deal.

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, Malala Yousufzai, the 15-year-old girl who was shot at close range in the head by a Taliban gunman in ... more? FILE - In this undated file photo provided by Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, Malala Yousufzai, the 15-year-old girl who was shot at close range in the head by a Taliban gunman in Pakistan, reads a book as she continues her recovery at the hospital. Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot in the head by the Taliban, is writing a memoir. Publisher Weidenfeld and Nicolson said Thursday March 28, 2013 it will release "I am Malala" in Britain this fall. Little, Brown will publish it in the United States.A Taliban gunman shot Malala on Oct. 9, while she was on her way home from school in northwestern Pakistan. (AP Photo/Queen Elizabeth Hospital, File) less?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shot-pakistani-teen-malala-yousafzai-writing-book-100913748.html

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States answer help wanted ad to be drone test site

FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2009 , file photo The Global Hawk, is unveiled at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The Federal Aviation Administration is looking for six sites to test drones before they are integrated into the civilian airspace. Fifty teams from 39 states have applied for the chance to boost their economies. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2009 , file photo The Global Hawk, is unveiled at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The Federal Aviation Administration is looking for six sites to test drones before they are integrated into the civilian airspace. Fifty teams from 39 states have applied for the chance to boost their economies. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

File-This April 13,2010 file photo shows a NASA Global Hawk robotic jet siting in a hangar at Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The Federal Aviation Administration is looking for six sites to test drones before they are integrated into the civilian airspace. Fifty teams from 39 states have applied for the chance to boost their economies. (AP Photo/John Antczak,File)

(AP) ? It's the land where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, where the space shuttle fleet rolled off the assembly line and where the first private manned rocketship climbed to space.

Capitalizing on Southern California's aerospace fortunes, two rival groups want to add another laurel: drone test range.

They face crowded competition. In search of an economic boost, more than half the country is looking toward the sky ? expected to be buzzing in the near future with pilotless aircraft.

Before that can become reality, the Federal Aviation Administration last month put out a call to test fly drones at half a dozen to-be-determined sites before they can share the same space as commercial jetliners, small aircraft and helicopters.

Fifty teams from 37 states answered, vying to win bragging rights as a hub for unmanned aerial vehicles.

The military has long flown drones overseas to support troops, spy on enemies and fire missiles. There's a recent clamor to fly them domestically to track the health of crops, fight wildfires in remote terrain, conduct search and rescue after a disaster and perform other chores considered too "dirty, dull or dangerous" for pilots. The expanding use for drones comes amid concerns of a "Big Brother" society.

The untapped civilian market ? estimated to be worth billions ? has created a face-off, with states perfecting their pitch ? ample restricted airspace, industry connections, academic partners ? not unlike what you might read in a tourism brochure.

"It's the chance to get in on the ground floor of what may be the next big business," said Peter Singer, a robotics expert at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington. "The states competing hope it might make them the robotics equivalent of Detroit for automobiles in the 20th century or Silicon Valley for computers."

Winners will play key roles in helping the government seamlessly transition drones, which are controlled remotely by joystick, into the civilian airspace without crashing into other planes or injuring bystanders.

Supporters of a Southern California test site point to an existing drone presence. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., based in the San Diego suburbs, makes the Predator that has circled over Iraq and Afghanistan. Just outside of downtown Los Angeles, AeroVironment introduced the world's first hummingbird spy plane and is developing other tiny drones inspired by biology.

"From start to finish, you can do your UAV work here," said John Rose of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which co-sponsored a three-day drone conference this week in the Los Angeles area focused on civilian uses.

There are two competing California bids from airport agencies in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles and Kern County in the Mojave Desert.

"If we are successful, it would be an economic stimulus for the region moving forward," said Bill Buratto of the Ventura County Economic Development Association, which is working with county airport officials on a plan to have drones fly from Point Mugu, the site of numerous Navy training exercises.

Their in-state competitor envisions test flights out of the high desert skies about 150 miles north of Los Angeles and touts its remoteness and access to military and civilian facilities currently doing drone research.

"You kind of want to be in the middle of nowhere. You don't want to risk being close to a populated area," said Eileen Shibley, who leads the effort for the Indian Wells Valley Airport District.

Other states have taken a different tact, putting on a united front or partnering with a neighboring state to pool resources.

Ohio ? the home state of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, Mercury astronaut John Glenn and the Wright brothers ? teamed with Indiana to increase both states' odds. Like California, there is budding drone activity in Ohio, most notably the Air Force's sensor research at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Joseph Zeis of the Dayton Development Coalition doesn't see this as a competition.

"When the test site selection is over, we're all collaborating on a single goal" to safely merge drones into the national airspace, said Zeis, who's spearheading the Ohio-Indiana venture.

The FAA is expected to choose the six drone test sites by year's end.

The specter of thousands of unmanned eyes swarming the sky in the coming years has unnerved privacy advocates, who fear ordinary Americans would be overzealously monitored by law enforcement, considered one of the top users of the technology in the future. As part of the selection process, test site hopefuls must publish a privacy policy and follow existing privacy laws.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International does not have a favorite. But the voice for the domestic drone industry acknowledged that states hosting test sites would benefit economically.

In a report published earlier this month, the group said states with an already solid aerospace industry are predicted to gain drone business. But other factors, including location of test sites, will also drive job creation.

That's why California needs to act fast, said state assemblyman Jeff Gorell, who has been pushing for a test site in his district.

"This is a great opportunity for California," he said. "We might be able to recapture some of the golden era of aerospace."

___

Follow Alicia Chang at http://twitter.com/SciWriAlicia

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-27-Luring%20Drones/id-d8256116b0e84e2084c2b00a3e148f49

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AT&T issues one-word response to T-Mobile attacks: ?Whatever?

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/t-issues-one-word-response-t-mobile-attacks-194529449.html

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Tiny lookalike lemurs are actually two new species

Courtesy of Peter Kappeler

Caught on camera for the first time, this image shows the newly identified Marohita mouse lemur.

By Stephanie Pappas
LiveScience

Two new species of lemurs look so similar that it's impossible to tell them apart without sequencing their genes.

David Haring of the Duke University Lemur Center

The grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus).

The itsy-bitsy primates are both mouse lemurs, which are tiny, nocturnal lemurs that measure less than 11 inches (27 centimeters) from nose to tail. The newly discovered Madagascar natives have gray-brown coats and weigh only 2.5 to 3 ounces (65-85 grams).

Study researcher Rodin Rasoloarison of the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar first captured specimens of the two new species in 2003 and 2007. He weighed the animals, measured them and took small skin samples for later analysis.

It was an analysis of these skin samples that revealed the two nearly identical lemurs are actually two different species. Researchers named one the Anosy mouse lemur (Microcebus tanosi) and the other the Marohita mouse lemur (Microcebus marohita). The Marohita mouse lemur was named after the forest where it was found. According to the researchers, the Marohita lemur is losing that forest and is threatened by that habitat loss. [Image Gallery: Leaping Lemurs!]

In fact, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the Marohita mouse lemur "endangered" before scientists had even finalized and formalized its name and description. It's a fate shared by many lemurs in Madacasgar, where slash-and-burn agriculture is taking a toll on the forests.

"This species is a prime example of the current state of many other lemur species," said study researcher Peter Kappeler of the German Primate Center in Goettingen. Lemurs are the most endangered mammals on the planet, with 91 percent of known species threatened by extinction.

Researchers want to preserve lemurs not only for their own sake, but for humans' sake as well. As a primate, the mouse lemur is more closely related to humans than rats or mice, which are commonly used in medical research. The grey mouse lemur?(Microcebus murinus) develops a neurological disease much like Alzheimer's, making it an important model for understanding the human brain.

"Before we can say whether a particular genetic variant in mouse lemurs is associated with Alzheimer's, we need to know whether that variant is specific to all mouse lemurs or just select species," said Anne Yoder, the director of the Duke University Lemur Center. "Every new mouse lemur species we sample in the wild will help researchers put the genetic diversity we see in grey mouse lemurs in a broader context."

The researchers reported their findings Tuesday in the International Journal of Primatology.

Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter?and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook?and Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com

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

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a030b4d/l/0Lscience0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C260C174727950Etiny0Elookalike0Elemurs0Eare0Eactually0Etwo0Enew0Especies0Dlite/story01.htm

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Nat Geo channel, Ridley Scott, Bill O'Reilly team for 'Killing Jesus'

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/nat-geo-channel-ridley-scott-bill-oreilly-team-015726761.html

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Artifacts shed light on social networks of the past

Mar. 25, 2013 ? Researchers studied thousands of ceramic and obsidian artifacts from A.D. 1200-1450 to learn about the growth, collapse and change of social networks in the late pre-Hispanic Southwest.

The advent of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have made us all more connected, but long-distance social networks existed long before the Internet.

An article published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sheds light on the transformation of social networks in the late pre-Hispanic American Southwest and shows that people of that period were able to maintain surprisingly long-distance relationships with nothing more than their feet to connect them.

Led by University of Arizona anthropologist Barbara Mills, the study is based on analysis of more than 800,000 painted ceramic and more than 4,800 obsidian artifacts dating from A.D. 1200-1450, uncovered from more than 700 sites in the western Southwest, in what is now Arizona and western New Mexico.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, Mills, director of the UA School of Anthropology, worked with collaborators at Archeology Southwest in Tucson to compile a database of more than 4.3 million ceramic artifacts and more than 4,800 obsidian artifacts, from which they drew for the study.

They then applied formal social network analysis to see what material culture could teach them about how social networks shifted and evolved during a period that saw large-scale demographic changes, including long-distance migration and coalescence of populations into large villages.

Their findings illustrate dramatic changes in social networks in the Southwest over the 250-year period between A.D. 1200 and 1450. They found, for example, that while a large social network in the southern part of the Southwest grew very large and then collapsed, networks in the northern part of the Southwest became more fragmented but persisted over time.

"Network scientists often talk about how increasingly connected networks become, or the 'small world' effect, but our study shows that this isn't always the case," said Mills, who led the study with co-principal investigator and UA alumnus Jeffery Clark, of Archaeology Southwest.

"Our long-term study shows that there are cycles of growth and collapse in social networks when we look at them over centuries," Mills said. "Highly connected worlds can become highly fragmented."

Another important finding was that early social networks do not appear to have been as restricted as expected by settlements' physical distance from one another. Researchers found that similar types of painted pottery were being created and used in villages as far as 250 kilometers apart, suggesting people were maintaining relationships across relatively large geographic expanses, despite the only mode of transportation being walking.

"They were making, using and discarding very similar kinds of assemblages over these very large spaces, which means that a lot of their daily practices were the same," Mills said. "That doesn't come about by chance; it has to come about by interaction -- the kind of interaction where it's not just a simple exchange but where people are learning how to make and how to use and ultimately discard different kinds of pottery."

"That really shocked us, this idea that you can have such long distance connections. In the pre-Hispanic Southwest they had no real vehicles, they had no beasts of burden, so they had to share information by walking," she said.

The application of formal social network analysis -- which focuses on the relationships among nodes, such as individuals, household or settlements -- is relatively new in the field of archaeology, which has traditionally focused more on specific attributes of those nodes, such as their size or function.

The UA study shows how social network analysis can be applied to a database of material culture to illustrate changes in network structures over time.

"We already knew about demographic changes -- where people were living and where migration was happening -- but what we didn't know was how that changed social networks," Mills said. "We're so used to looking traditionally at distributions of pottery and other objects based on their occurrence in space, but to see how social relationships are created out of these distributions is what network analysis can help with."

One of Mills's collaborators on the project was Ronald Breiger, renowned network analysis expert and a UA professor of sociology, with affiliations in statistics and government and public policy, who says being able to apply network analysis to archaeology has important implications for his field.

"Barbara (Mills) and her group are pioneers in bringing the social network perspective to archaeology and into ancient societies," said Breiger, who worked with Mills along with collaborators from the UA School of Anthropology; Archaeology Southwest; the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Hendrix College; the University of Colorado, Boulder; the Santa Fe Institute; and Archaeological XRF Laboratory in Albuquerque, N.M.

"What archaeology has to offer for a study of networks is a focus on very long-term dynamics and applications to societies that aren't necessarily Western, so that's broadening to the community of social network researchers," Breiger said. "The coming together of social network and spatial analysis and the use of material objects to talk about culture is very much at the forefront of where I see the field of social network analysis moving."

Going forward, Mills hopes to use the same types of analyses to study even older social networks.

"We have a basis for building on, and we're hoping to get even greater time depth. We'd like to extend it back in time 400 years earlier," she said. "The implications are we can see things at a spatial scale that we've never been able to look at before in a systematic way. It changes our picture of the Southwest."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Arizona. The original article was written by Alexis Blue.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Barbara J. Mills, Jeffery J. Clark, Matthew A. Peeples, W. R. Haas, Jr., John M. Roberts, Jr., J. Brett Hill, Deborah L. Huntley, Lewis Borck, Ronald L. Breiger, Aaron Clauset, and M. Steven Shackley. Transformation of social networks in the late pre-Hispanic US Southwest. PNAS, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1219966110

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/living_well/~3/0K6u-laZM0Y/130325184018.htm

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Readers Write: How I fight gun and gang violence, as a former gang member

Letter to the Editor for the March 25, 2013 weekly print issue: As a mentor for youth involved in gangs, I agree that the combination of law enforcement and clergy mentorship is a great dynamic to implement in high-risk neighborhoods. I should know. I'm a former gang member myself.

By Simon Arias / March 25, 2013

Regarding ?The Monitor?s View? of Feb. 18, ?Filling hearts, ending gangs?: As a mentor for youth involved in gangs, I agree with the way Chicago is handling the gang and gun problems in its area. The combination of law enforcement and clergy mentorship, praised by the editorial, is a great dynamic to implement in high-risk neighborhoods. That is why I volunteer for a nonprofit, Freedom4Youth, that employs a similar strategy in utilizing local college students, ex-gang members, and former troubled youth, with the combined support of our local probation system.

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The reason I enjoy being a youth mentor is because I was a former gang member. I became a father, and I cannot imagine losing my daughter to gang violence because of my gang history. It?s up to ex-gang members like myself to dismantle the gangs we created. I cannot just change my life and ignore the fact that others may join gangs and cause an endless cycle of pain and destruction. I do not want to have any more families and youth going through this unnecessary violence.

I believe in what President Obama says: ?It is up to us, as parents and as neighbors and as teachers and as mentors, to make sure our young people don?t have that void inside them. It?s up to us to spend more time with them, to pay more attention to them, to show them more love so that they learn to love themselves, so that they learn to love one another, so that they grow up knowing what it is to walk a mile in somebody else?s shoes and to view the world through somebody else?s eyes.?

I will be the first in my family to graduate from college. I am graduating from California State University, Northridge, in May 2013 and then moving on to pursue my MBA. I did this with little guidance since there were no outreach programs or help. I want to help prevent senseless acts of violence and needless deaths like that of Hadiya Pendleton, an innocent bystander who was killed in a gang-related shooting in February 2013 in Chicago.

As the editorial points out, the collaboration efforts and mentorship strategy of involving police and religion are effective. Connecting ?troubled? youth with the beauty and opportunity surrounding them in their community benefits the individual and the community as a whole.

Simon Arias

Santa Barbara, Calif.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/WjEi_PxiPhI/Readers-Write-How-I-fight-gun-and-gang-violence-as-a-former-gang-member

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Catalyst in a teacup: New approach to chemical reduction

Mar. 24, 2013 ? Taking their inspiration from nature, scientists at the University of New South Wales have developed a new method for carrying out chemical reduction -- an industrial process used to produce fuels and chemicals that are vital for modern society.

Their catalyst-based approach has the big advantages that it uses cheap, replenishable reagents and it works well at room temperature and in air -- so much so, it can even be carried out safely in a teacup.

The research, by a team led by Associate Professor Stephen Colbran, of the UNSW School of Chemistry, has been published as the cover of the journal, Angewandte Chemie.

The catalyst they designed mimics the activity of naturally occurring enzymes that catalyse reduction, such as alcohol dehydrogenase in yeast, that helps produce alcohol from sugar.

"Industrial chemical reduction processes underpin human existence, but are unsustainable because they irreversibly consume reagents that are made at prohibitively high energy cost," Dr Colbran says.

"We believe our new biomimetic design may have wide applications in chemical reduction."

Chemical reduction involves the addition of electrons to a substance, and is the basis of making many fuels, including the sugars that plants produce during photosynthesis.

In industry, molecular hydrogen and reactive reagents such as sodium borohydride are used as reducing agents during the production of pharmaceuticals, agrichemicals and ammonia for fertiliser.

"Manufacture of these substances is energy costly, leads to the release of carbon dioxide and they are difficult to handle and store," Dr Colbran says. "So we decided to look at nature to see how nature does it."

The team combined a transition metal complex containing rhodium with a Hantzsch dihydropyridine -- an organic donor of a hydride ion similar to biological nicotinamides -- to produce the new bio-inspired catalyst. They tested it on a common process -- reduction of imines -- and were surprised to find it worked in ambient conditions with more than 90 per cent efficiency in most cases.

Dr Colbran even tested it out in a teacup. "I thought it would be a bit of fun. And it makes a serious point -- our catalyst system is very easy to use."

By coincidence, the research comes exactly a century after Alfred Werner won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on the structures of transition metal complexes. As well, his PhD supervisor, Arthur Hantzsch, discovered the way to synthesise dihydropyridines.

"It has only taken 100 years to combine the work of doctoral adviser and student into one molecule," Dr Colbran says.

A future aim is to try to convert the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, into the renewable fuel, methanol, much more efficiently.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of New South Wales.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Alex McSkimming, Mohan M. Bhadbhade, Stephen B. Colbran. Cover Picture: Bio-Inspired Catalytic Imine Reduction by Rhodium Complexes with Tethered Hantzsch Pyridinium Groups: Evidence for Direct Hydride Transfer from Dihydropyridine to Metal-Activated Substrate (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 12/2013). Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2013; 52 (12): 3283 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201301157

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/sapSPw1VCVg/130325111214.htm

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North Korean leader Kim sings military's praises, oungum-style

SEOUL (Reuters) - Forget "Hail to the Chief". In North Korea, the army sing their leader's praises with a chorus of "We Will Defend General Kim Jong-un at the Cost of Our Lives", or the catchy accordion and tap-dance tune, "The Naval Port in the Evening".

Kim, the third of his line to rule North Korea, praised musical instruments made by the North's 1.2 million-strong army on Sunday, state news agency KCNA reported.

Tensions have risen on the Korean peninsula since new U.N. sanctions were imposed after the North carried out its third nuclear test in February. Pyongyang has threatened to destroy the United States with nuclear weapons, bomb its Pacific bases and shell South Korea in response.

Putting aside rising rhetoric, Kim inspected guitars and drums made by the army and said it was important to make quality instruments so soldiers could "spend their worthwhile days in the army full of militant optimism and joy", KCNA said.

Kim, "Supreme Commander" of the North's armed forces, also inspected overcoats for pupils at the country's top military schools and suggested style improvements, KCNA reported.

According to independent observers, North Korea's huge military, believed to be the world's fourth largest, spend most of their time in activities such as manufacturing or fishing for crabs because drills are far too expensive for the impoverished country and they need to feed themselves.

Kim's field guidance follows the example set by his late father, Kim Jong-il, who gave advice to factories and farmers as well as the army.

Kim Jong-un, 30, still has some way to go in emulating his father's reported accomplishments.

His father's feats, according to KCNA, included inventing the oungum, a banjo-like musical instrument that is "widely popular" in North Korea, and scoring 11 holes-in-one in a single round of golf.

(Reporting by Somang Yang; Editing by Paul Tait)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korean-leader-kim-sings-militarys-praises-oungum-060658800.html

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Marines ID gunman, 2 victims in Va. base shooting

QUANTICO, Va. (AP) ? A Marine who shot two of his colleagues to death and then killed himself was a tactics instructor at a school that tests Marines who want to become officers, military officials said Saturday.

Sgt. Eusebio Lopez, 25, gunned down 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Sara Castromata and Cpl. Jacob Wooley, 23, on Thursday night inside barracks at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in northern Virginia. Other than to say the three Marines worked together at the school, military officials have not described their relationship or released a motive for the shooting.

Lopez, of Pacifica, Calif., was a teacher whose specialty was machine gunner. He joined the corps in May 2006 and deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Castromata, of Oakley, Calif., was a warehouse clerk who had been in the Marines since December 2011. Wooley, of Guntown, Miss., was a field radio operator. He joined the Marines in February 2010.

Lopez was an instructor at officer candidates school, known for its grueling 10-week program that evaluates Marines on physical stamina, intelligence and leadership. The candidates must complete obstacle courses, hikes of up to 12 miles in full combat gear and take classes on navigation and tactics that help them in the field, according to the school's website.

Lopez's great-grandfather, also Eusebio Lopez, said the Marines contacted their family on Friday night.

"They told us they were investigating more, and they'd let us know. He wasn't the type to do stuff like that," said Lopez, 81.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/marines-id-gunman-2-victims-va-shooting-023203158.html

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Midwest sees spring transform into winter weather

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Few signs of spring are being found in parts of the Midwest as a snowstorm tracks mostly along Interstate 70, bringing heavy snow and high winds.

The National Weather Service said parts of Colorado and northwest Kansas saw 10 to 15 inches of snow Saturday, and southwestern Nebraska had up to 7 inches.

The system moves east Sunday. A winter storm warning has been issued for much of central Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

Five to 10 inches of snow is forecast along a line from Kansas City to St. Louis. Central Illinois and Indiana could see up to 10 inches overnight and into Monday morning.

But the system didn't affect the NCAA men's basketball championships in Kansas City. North Carolina coach Roy Williams said it was "no distraction."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/midwest-sees-spring-transform-winter-weather-132411103.html

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Decide.com Raises $8M Series C For Its Price Predictions Engine; Will Expand To More Categories, Improve Data Mining & Mobile Apps

decideLogoShopping and comparison engine?Decide.com, which offers suggestions as to not just what to buy but also when, is announcing today that it has raised $8 million in Series C funding, in a round led by Vulcan Capital. Also participating were existing investors, Maveron and Madrona Venture Group.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/oQ4EOTnay1E/

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PFT: Ravens to open season on road? |? Where?

wilfork-johnson-radio-wifeGetty Images

Current and former NFL players who appear on radio gradually are learning that their words don?t evaporate into the ether.? They linger ? and they can have consequences.

Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson witnessed that reality on Friday.? He?ll likely witness it again, if/when he encounters Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork in person.

A caller to SportsRadio 610 in Houston asked Johnson, who works with the station, to name his teammate with the ugliest wife.

?You know what? I got it. This is a big, big man. And this guy had his way with the Texans this year,? Johnson said, MyFOXBoston.com.? ?He won?t hear this. Vince Wilfork.?

Well, Wilfork heard it.

?Your [sic] barking up the wrong tree I hear and see everything mother f?ker,? Wilfork said in a tweet directed to Johnson, via TheBigLead.? Wilfork later posted an image of a longer message sent directly to Johnson.

?Every1 is entitled to their own opinion but it is f?ked up when a x-teammate that I actually looked up to and enjoyed playing with takes shots at my wife for whatever reasons,? Wilfork said. ?I love my wife and my family.? She is my everything. I don?t care when this was said no one should cross that line. The line has been crossed so it is what it is. All I wann [sic] say is f?k you! You don?t want to f?k with me or my family.? Take shots at me all day but not them.? I have a great family life and blessed to have them.?

Johnson has apologized via Twitter.? ?I just made a huge error in judgment and want to apologize to Vince and his wife for comments I made earlier today on a Houston radio show,? Johnson said.? ?Vince and his family are outstanding people who I have admired since they arrived in NE.? I learned a big lesson today and feel terrible.?

Apart from Johnson?s initial blunder, everyone involved did the right thing.? We admire Wilfork for zealously defending his wife, Bianca.? He should have.? And we respect Johnson for apologizing.? He needed to.

And we?ve got a feeling neither Johnson nor any other current or former player will be answering that question ever again, in any setting.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/22/ravens-orioles-cant-reach-a-deal-for-thursday-opener/related/

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