সোমবার, ২৯ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Thymus teaches immune cells to ignore vital gut bacteria

Apr. 29, 2013 ? The tiny thymus teaches the immune system to ignore the teeming, foreign bacteria in the gut that helps you digest and absorb food, researchers say.

When immune cells recognize essential gut bacteria as foreign, inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease can be the painful, debilitating result.

In a study published in the journal Nature, researchers show that the regulatory T cells, or Tregs, that keep this from happening in most of us come from the tiny immune organ nestled near the heart, said Dr. Leszek Ignatowicz, immunologist in the Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

In fact, mice born lacking T cells that were given a specific T cell type that causes colitis-like wasting disease, didn't get the disease if they also received thymus-derived Tregs.

"This essential gut-bacteria is one group that you don't want to mount an immune response against," said Ignatowicz, the study's corresponding author. "In fact, you need the Tregs' help in inducing tolerance to these bacteria if you want to treat Crohn's and other inflammatory bowel disease."

Knowing exactly where the Tregs come from is essential to making more of them, noted Dr. Richard A. McIndoe, the center's Associate Director and a study co-author. "The Tregs have to shut down the immune response. The question is: Do we have to expand the pre-existing Tregs that came to the gut from the thymus or teach peripheral na?ve or effector T cells to become Tregs? "

The answer was thought to be that most immune cells learn to ignore the vital bacteria after they reach the gut. However, the new study shows that only a fraction of bacteria-friendly Tregs come from there. Since T cells don't have license plates, they looked at their antigen receptors and found the Tregs in the gut had the same receptors as their precursors in the thymus. Easing the comparison was the fact that na?ve T cells, which also get their education in the thymus, have mostly different receptors than thymus-educated Tregs.

They soon realized that while conversion of na?ve cells to Tregs occurs more often in the gut than other organs, it was much less frequent than conventionally believed. Once in the gut, na?ve cells can become Tregs or effector cells; effector cells only attack unless constrained by Tregs.

"We either have to induce effector T cells to change to Tregs or boost the number of Tregs coming out of the thymus to help patients with inflammatory bowel disease," McIndoe said. Some compounds, including vitamin A and transforming growth factor beta, already are known to aid conversion.

While T-cells mostly earn their receptors in the thymus, most don't take action until they actually see their chosen antigens, a variety of substances that can provoke an immune response. Well-educated thymus-derived Tregs can recognize antigens from the body's tissue as well as foreign antigens derived from sources like gut bacteria. Interestingly most immune cells circulating in the body are na?ve T-cells that become effector cells upon their first contact with an antigen.

It was previously believed that thymus-derived Tregs primarily protect the body's own tissue but don't induce tolerance to foreign antigens like ones derived from gut's bacteria. However Ignatowicz and Dr. Rafal Pacholczyk reported in 2007 in the journal Immunity that Tregs could actually recognize both self- and non-self-antigens. The gut, which regularly deals with an onslaught of foreign substances such as food and drink, was a logical place to figure out where the accommodating Tregs originated, Ignatowicz said.

MCG scientists note that effector cells also are needed in the gut to recognize and eliminate harmful bacteria, such as campylobacter, a common cause of diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramping that can result from eating inadequately washed and cooked poultry.

Populating gut bacteria starts early, with mother's milk or formula, and is determined largely by diet as well as the environment so every individual's is different although bacteria tend to be compatible among the same species, McIndoe said.

Vaccines are likely the oldest example of using the body's natural defense system to protect against invaders. Conversely, select immune cell populations already are being used to help fight cancer. More sophisticated approaches are being developed to turn down the immune response, in the case of an organ transplant or an autoimmune disease such as lupus or arthritis.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

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

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Anna Cebula, Michal Seweryn, Grzegorz A. Rempala, Simarjot Singh Pabla, Richard A. McIndoe, Timothy L. Denning, Lynn Bry, Piotr Kraj, Pawel Kisielow, Leszek Ignatowicz. Thymus-derived regulatory T cells contribute to tolerance to commensal microbiota. Nature, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nature12079

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/TDQLYj2_2lA/130429130512.htm

Jennifer Livingston Orlando Cruz MLB Playoff Schedule arizona cardinals Big Bird Adam Greenberg Fall Leaves

HP Slate 7 Android tablet now available

  HP has just released its 7″ Android tablet in the US – the Slate 7. ?It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and?features an?ARM Cortex-A9 Dual-Core (1.6 GHz) processor, 8GB internal memory, 1GB DDR3 SDRAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 1024 x 600 screen. ?It?has a front-facing (VGA) webcam and a 3MP rear-facing webcam. A microSD [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/04/28/hp-slate-7-tablet-now-available/

bronx zoo memphis grizzlies celebrity apprentice grizzlies bronx zoo crash april 30 wwe extreme rules 2012

Royal hoax caller to testify at inquest into UK nurse's death

By Shadia Nasralla

LONDON (Reuters) - An Australian radio presenter will give evidence at an inquest into the death of a nurse who hanged herself after putting through a hoax call seeking information on Prince William's pregnant wife Kate, the presenter's lawyers said on Monday.

Mel Greig asked to appear as an individual at the inquest into Jacintha Saldanha's death, which provoked worldwide anger at the radio DJ's actions.

"(Greig) is determined to address any questions surrounding her role in these tragic events as part of the inquest," her lawyers Slater & Gordon said in a statement.

"Ms Greig wants (Saldanha's) family to know she will answer any questions the coroner or the family's lawyers may have at the inquest."

The inquest, which had been due to start in London this Thursday, has been postponed until September 12-13 while more evidence is gathered, a spokesman for Westminster City Council confirmed.

It was not immediately clear whether Greig will give evidence in person or via videolink.

Saldanha, 46, was found hanged last December in her hospital lodgings in London, days after she answered the call from Greig and her colleague Michael Christian from Australian radio station 2Day FM.

As part of the ruse, Greig and Christian had pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, William's father.

Saldanha put the call through to a colleague who, despite the DJs' unconvincing accents, disclosed details of the Duchess of Cambridge's condition during treatment for an extreme form of morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy.

British newspapers reported that Saldanha, a mother of two, held the DJs responsible for her death in one of three suicide notes she left.

"Ms Saldanha's suicide was a devastating tragedy and Ms Greig's thoughts have been with the family ever since," her lawyers said in the statement.

2DayFM canceled the pair's show, which had been off the air since the incident, and Australia's media regulator has launched an investigation to see whether the station breached its license conditions and commercial radio codes of practice.

Southern Cross Austereo, parent company of the radio station, has also apologized and promised to donate advertising revenue to a fund for Saldanha's family with a minimum contribution of A$500,000 ($525,000).

(Reporting By Shadia Nasralla, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/royal-hoax-caller-testify-inquest-uk-nurses-death-112520339.html

earthquake california earthquake california good morning america daylight savings time douglas adams brandon knight brandon knight

Tips To Incorporate Into Your Internet Marketing Strategy | Total ...


Tip! Do you research on how your affiliates track outside sales. If you are generating sales to that company you need to link them back to you.

You will be forced to change up with new types of techniques to stand out from the competition.Yet, even with all the differences from company to company, some things remain true to form that earn good profits and that information is listed below.

Tip! Some affiliates get their tasks through email, but this sometimes causes them to continually re-check their emails. Consider copying major points from your emails and reading them on a document program such as Microsoft Word.

It is important that neither you or your affiliate promotion partners take advantage of this process. This may just cause some irritation to your visitors. You could possibly spread viruses or break the customer tracking efforts.

Tip! You should choose an affiliate that offers several ways to access your payments. Some affiliate marketing companies only pay you when you have reached a particular quota while others may pay you immediately via online transfers.

An excellent online marketing tip is to search for a business who is constantly making new products. You are more affiliate revenue by working with businesses that create a multitude of products which are interesting to your consumers. Stay away from short-term fad products because these will fade.

Text services can help affiliates to use in order to earn commissions.

There is a great variety of affiliate programs. Each one offers different array of products or different flexibility limits.

Tip! Affiliate websites are not all the same. Some sites make it a pain to find anything.

There is great inequality in the design of affiliate. You will find that some difficulties when sites are frustrating or easy to navigate. A good affiliate marketer doesn?t allow a profit. This practice will build trust and seller if done correctly.

Tip! Paid advertising, such as Google Ads, is a good way to make money from affiliate marketing programs. By buying advertisements that target the right kind of customers, you will be able to increase traffic on your website and you will be able to get lots of customers that could purchase your products.

You need to be well educated in the field of internet marketing before you can be successful with it.You should want your site or blog to rank as high a search as possible. This can garner more reputable affiliate links and increase profits.

It is vital to see statistics for your site in real time statistics. They help you see visitor and how many bought something.

Be honest with readers about your readers about your affiliations. Being honest like this helps readers feel that they are sure to appreciate that.

They use those approaches because they are effective and attract customers. All that you need to propel your efforts is to determine what customizations your approach may require.

Source: http://talkonmovie.com/tips-to-incorporate-into-your-internet-marketing-strategy/

macauly culkin joe namath stefon diggs nazi ss andrej pejic steve jobs fbi safehouse

Taliban announce start of spring offensive

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? The Taliban have announced they will launch their spring offensive on Sunday, signaling plans to step up attacks as the weather warms across Afghanistan, making both travel and fighting easier.

The statement comes toward the end of a month that already has been the deadliest of the year.

The militant group's leadership vowed on Saturday that "every possible tactic will be utilized in order to detain or inflict heavy casualties on the foreign transgressors," including suicide attacks on military bases and diplomatic areas.

The leadership also threated more so-called insider attacks by members of the Afghan security forces against their colleagues or foreign troops. Such attacks threaten the strength of the Afghan forces as they work to take over responsibility from international troops. The latest one occurred in March, when a member of Afghanistan's government-backed militia program shot and killed five of his colleagues in Badghis province in northwest Afghanistan.

In a sign of Taliban's determination to replace Afghanistan's government with one promoting a stricter interpretation of Islamic law, they named their new offensive after a legendary Muslim military commander, Khalid ibn al-Walid. Also known as "the Drawn Sword of God," he was a companion of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

Afghanistan's defense ministry responded by saying its security forces are prepared for Taliban's new campaign. "The Afghan National Army is ready to neutralize the offensive," the ministry said, adding that the soldiers now have the support and trust of many Afghans.

In another development, a NATO aircraft crashed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, and coalition forces were securing the site, the International Security Assistance Force said. Its brief statement provided no information about where the crash occurred or if there were casualties, but did say there was no indication it was downed by insurgents.

Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar, deputy governor of the southern Zabul province, said a helicopter belonging to foreign forces crashed on Saturday afternoon in the district of Shah Joy. He confirmed that the site was surrounded by foreign forces but had no information on the cause of the crash or whether anyone was hurt or killed.

The new Taliban offensive comes as U.S.-backed efforts to try to reconcile the Islamic militant movement with the Afghan government have so far failed. Insurgents already have intensified attacks this spring as they try to position themselves for power ahead of national elections and the planned withdrawal of most U.S. and other foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

April has already been the worst month for combat deaths so far this year. According to an Associated Press tally, 257 people ? including civilians, Afghan security forces and foreign troops ? have been killed in violence around the nation. During that time 217 insurgents have died.

Last year during the month of April, 179 civilians, foreign troops and Afghan security forces were killed and 268 insurgents.

Still, the top U.S. commander in Kabul, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, said Wednesday that the security situation has improved across the country, with Afghan forces now leading 80 percent of all conventional operations.

"As the traditional fighting season begins, the insurgency will confront a combined " Afghan force of 350,000 soldiers and police, he said.

"The insurgency can no longer use the justification that it is fighting foreign occupiers ? that message rings hollow," Dunford said in a statement.

Meanwhile, late on Friday, the Taliban freed nine civilian de-miners it had captured in the southern province of Kandahar after negotiations involving tribal elders, provincial spokesman Javeed Faisal said.

The Afghan men were being driven back from a minefield last Sunday when they were captured. Afghanistan has a legacy of land mines going back decades and remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.

---

AP writer Rahim Faiez in Kabul contributed to this report.

---

Follow Thomas Wagner on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/tjpwagner.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/taliban-announce-start-spring-offensive-073230771.html

robin thicke mariana trench transcendental meditation trayvon martin obama care miss universe canada don draper

রবিবার, ২৮ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Taliban vow suicide and "insider" attacks in new spring offensive

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban in Afghanistan vowed on Saturday to start a new campaign of mass suicide attacks on foreign military bases and diplomatic areas, as well as damaging "insider attacks", as part of a new spring offensive this year.

The offensive was announced via emails from Taliban spokesmen. The Islamist group has made similar announcements in recent years, which have sometimes been followed by spikes in violence after Afghanistan's harsh winter months.

The announcement of more mass suicide and insider attacks will likely be greeted with concern by the NATO-led military coalition, which is in the final stages of a fight against the Taliban-led insurgency that began in late 2001.

However, there was no immediate reaction to the Taliban's statement from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

After announcing their spring offensive last year, the Taliban launched a large attack in Kabul involving suicide bombers and an 18-hour firefight targeting Western embassies, ISAF headquarters and the Afghan parliament.

The start of the traditional "fighting season" is particularly important this year, with ISAF increasing the rate at which it hands security responsibility to Afghan forces before the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of 2014.

The Taliban statement said this year's offensive, named after Khalid bin Waleed, one of the companions of the Islamic prophet Mohammad, will involve "special military tactics" similar to those carried out previously.

"Collective martyrdom operations on bases of foreign invaders, their diplomatic centers and military airbases will be even further structured while every possible tactic will be utilized in order to detain or inflict heavy casualties on the foreign transgressors," the statement said.

Insider attacks, also known as "green on blue" attacks, involve Afghan police or soldiers turning their guns on their ISAF trainers and counterparts. They have grown considerably since last year and have strained relations between Kabul and foreign forces.

However, there is considerable debate over how many can be attributed to infiltration by insurgents and how many are by disgruntled members of the Afghan security forces.

Last August, then ISAF commander, U.S. General John Allen, said about a quarter of such attacks involved the Taliban.

The spring offensive was coordinated to begin on May 28 - or the 8th of the Islamic month of Thaur - to coincide with a national holiday to mark the overthrow of the Soviet-backed government of Mohammad Najibullah in 1992, the statement said.

(Reporting by Dylan Welch and Mirwais Harooni; Editing by Paul Tait)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/taliban-vow-suicide-insider-attacks-spring-offensive-071938216.html

joe the plumber lra lra eric johnson eric johnson big east tournament ashley olsen

শনিবার, ২৭ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

10 Favorite Retro Gaming Cheats | TechnoBuffalo

By Joey Davidson |

We here at TechnoBuffalo?s gaming department are nothing but a pack of filthy cheaters. Well, we were cheaters back when cheating was a cool trick to show off to your friends during awesome weekend sleepovers.

We fondly remember employing a lot of special tricks to advance and goof around in the games of yesterday, so we decided to list our favorites. Our 10 favorites, in fact.

Here are Ron and Joey?s 10 favorite cheats from way back when.

Attacking Your Own Guys to Level Up ? Final Fantasy Tactics

Final Fantasy Tactics rewards you for absolutely every successful action you take, giving points to advance your jobs skills. More often than not, that ability you really want is just out of reach, and there are just not enough enemies on the map to guarantee those final few points.

How do you make it so you won?t have to fight another battle?

Well, attack your friends of course. Indeed, you are rewarded for every completed action in Final Fantasy Tactics, and that includes attacking your allies. In fact, it?s often best to leave some weak little puke running around the stage while you and your best buddies hammer away at each other for a good 10-15 rounds.

You can have an army capable of bringing down every enemy in the game, and you won?t have even left the first battle if your cards are played right.

-Ron

Fly the KOELSCH Buick Electra ? Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

I?m almost positive that I read about this code back in an old issue of Nintendo Power. I?m not 100% sure, but I think I was inspired to fly a Buick in one of the Nintendo 64?s best Star Wars games by one of my favorite old gaming rags.

At the code entry screen in Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, enter KOELSCH. Head back to your ship hanger and you?ll find a 1969 Buick Electra.

It flies, it fights and it?s awesome. This is probably one of my favorite cheats in any game since ever. It?s so goofy to see a car that Uncle Buck should have driven, though I believe his was a Mercury, flying in around planets in the Star Wars galaxy.

-Joey

Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff ? NBA Jam TE

I grew up playing a lot, and I mean a lot, of both NBA Jam and NBA Jam TE when I was a kid. One of the best parts of both games was the ability to unlock special ballers from the name entry screen. My two favorites were Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

The two characters are unlocked by typing in JAZ and WIL at the name entry screen in the game, the it requires gamers to hold a series of special buttons in order for it to work.

The result? The two-on-two action now involves two of the biggest TV and music celebrities from the early 90s. NBA Jam was an exceptional game. NBA Jam TE wasn?t nearly as strong as the first outing, but the presence of Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff alone was enough to lift the sequel to new heights.

From downtown!

-Joey

The Gold PP7 ? GoldenEye 007

GoldenEye is home to a slew of wonderful cheats. Invincibility, Paintball Mode, DK Mode, Dual Grenade Launchers. Unlocking cheats through speed runs was a genius idea, new at the time, which helped turn GoldenEye into one of the most replayable FPSs ever made.

I mean, why bother to unlock a cheat if you can?t use it permanently?

One of the best cheats is actually one of the easiest to unlock. The Gold PP7 is a special modified version of James Bond?s classic handgun, only this one will kill any enemy with a single bullet.

To get it, all you have to do is beat the final mission, Cradle, in under 2:15 on the easiest mode. Might seem like not that much time, but this was back when levels weren?t drawn out to a snails pace.

-Ron

The Hadouken ? Mega Man X

This cheat is just cool. During the Super Nintendo days, Capcom had two major hits on their hands, Street Fighter 2 and Mega Man X.

How about if you combine the two together? A little known fifth portal could also be uncovered after uncovering the rest of the game?s power-ups. A well placed jump just above the gate leading to Armored Armadillo and the subsequent climb reveal a the secret portal.

A bandana-toting Dr. Light then gives X the ability to use Ryu?s signature move, the Hadouken, using the exact same d-pad roll command used in the Street Fighter games.

The timing for using the weapon is a little tough, but it kills every enemy in the game with a single blast. Except for Sigma?he takes two.

-Ron

The Healing Massage ? Punch-Out!!

I still play Punch-Out!! for the NES on a semi-regular basis, so this little trick is something I actually use to this very day.

In between rounds, as fans of this classic game know, the trainer will give you some tips for the current bout. If you rapidly press select during this screen, the trainer will actually give Mac a shoulder rub that gives him some of his lost energy.

The problem? This only works once per game, so use it wisely.

-Joey

IDDQD? ?Degreelessness Mode? - DOOM

The idea of God Mode has been around for quite some time, and DOOM was one of the first to successfully implement it. What?s the point in beating a game when you have absolutely no possible way of losing?

Well, the point is to feel like a total murder factory, of course. IDDQD is an unforgettable code which lets indiscriminately plow through all those demon?s who gave you such a hard time if playing the game honestly.

Combined with the classic IDKFA code, all weapons and key cards, DOOM suddenly becomes a game about just straight-up massacre rather than one of exploration and uncovering secrets amongst the massacre.

-Ron

The Konami Code ? Gradius, Contra and Much More

The grandaddy of all cheat codes, if there?s one cheat that?s managed to infiltrate the world of pop culture at large, it?s this one. The Konami Code.

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start. Sound familiar? If it doesn?t, don?t let the door hit ya on the way out.

While it was originally used in Gradius, the Konami Code was made popular in Contra, one of the hardest games ever released for the NES. Inputting it gave the players 30 lives, and they?d need all 30 to beat the game. Since then, it?s been used in games and even on websites. Don?t bother trying it here, my suggestion for it hasn?t been implemented yet.

-Joey

Stealth Suit ? Metal Gear Solid

Quick, what is the one piece of equipment that can make a stealth game so much easier? Well, a stealth suit, obviously.

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima was smart enough to realize that what gamers really want to do in the ultimate stealth playground is torment the poor souls you are supposed to be killing. A simple bullet is not enough.

Traps, decoys, the random taps on a shoulder. It all becomes so much easier once Snake dawns this marvelous piece of equipment. The enemy won?t even know what hit them.

The only downside to the stealth suit is that you?ll have to go for the non-canonical ending and ride off into the sunset with your new best buddy, Otacon, instead of the cute red-head. Oh well?New Game +!

-Ron

The Super Jump ? Mega Man 3

Here?s an interesting little self-discovered secret my cousins and I uncovered back in the day. Hold down the RIGHT directional button on the second player controller while playing Mega Man 3, and the Blue Bomber suddenly gains the ability to jump three times as high as he normally would, as if normal air were water.

Not only can he jump higher, but he is also invulnerable to damage after falling into a pit. The classic death sound effect plays, but Mega Man can humorously launch himself from the pit anyway and proceed throughout the level invulnerable to his enemies.

In fact, the only thing which can kill you while in this Super Jump God Mode form is spikes, so be absolutely careful not to jump too high. Shadow Man?s stage stands out in my memory.

-Ron

Source: http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/04/26/our-10-favorite-retro-gaming-cheats/

capybara duggars peter facinelli bobby rush supreme court justices 19 kids and counting danny o brien

Biden: Economy kept McCain from victory over Obama

Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., shake hands after their conversation at the McCain Institute for International Leadership?s 2013 Sedona Forum on Friday, April 26, 2013 at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Ariz. The institute focuses on foreign-policy and national-security issues. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher) MARICOPA COUNTY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES

Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., shake hands after their conversation at the McCain Institute for International Leadership?s 2013 Sedona Forum on Friday, April 26, 2013 at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Ariz. The institute focuses on foreign-policy and national-security issues. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher) MARICOPA COUNTY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES

(AP) ? Vice President Joe Biden said Friday that Arizona Sen. John McCain probably would have beat his boss in the 2008 presidential election had the economy not collapsed.

Biden's comment about McCain and President Barack Obama came during the opening dinner of an annual forum among the Red Rocks of Sedona in northern Arizona. He and McCain, a Republican, touched on the gun control debate following the Newtown shootings and the bombings in Boston, but made no mention of Syria. Just as the night came to a close, Biden turned to the grueling nature of presidential campaigns.

"The truth of the matter is, Barack knows it, I know, had the economy not collapsed around your ears, John, in the middle of literally ? as things were moving ? I think you probably would have won," Biden said. "But it would have been incredibly, incredibly, incredibly close. You inherited a really difficult time."

The forum is part of the McCain Institute for International Leadership, a program formed by McCain as a way to debate foreign affairs. This year's theme for the Sedona Forum is "How can we promote freedom and democracy effectively?"

Rather than a discussion between McCain and Biden, the two sat on stage together with McCain posing questions to his former Democratic adversary on gun control and whether background checks are necessary, human rights abuses at the hands of the United States and the recent bombings at the Boston marathon.

McCain and Biden both said that despite their disagreements, they've never lost respect for one another.

On gun control, Biden said it's never been a simple issue, but that Congress has miscalculated how deeply the public feels about it and has failed to stand up to groups like the National Rifle Association, particularly after the shootings in Newtown. He said the public is looking to Congress to be mature enough to figure out a way to diminish the chance it will happen again.

"For the first time ever, you have people who are for gun safety, for increasing background checks," Biden said. "Two out of three of them say it will be a major determining factor in how I vote. That's the political dynamic that has changed. So I think we're going to get this anyway. I think this will pass before the year is out, within this Congress."

In responding to a question about the vulnerabilities of the United States when it comes to terrorist attacks, Biden said that the radical, lone wolves have been the most difficult to catch. But he said America shouldn't change its values, how it treats people abroad or people coming into the United States. Nor should America adopt policies that keep people from freely walking down the street without being frisked by police or carrying identification cards, he said.

"The moment we change any of those things, that's when they win," Biden said. "Because they don't see how you can have a society that is not ordered and regimented and wedded to an orthodoxy that is theirs. That's the point that bothers them most about us."

McCain followed up by saying that those who tortured U.S. prisoners, in violation of the Geneva convention, should be exposed and be held responsible to prevent repeated abuses.

Biden agreed with the man once held as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He said the internal debate in Congress and at the White House is how things got to that point, but it's not yet resolved.

"I think the only way you excise the demons is you acknowledge what happened, straightforward," Biden said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-27-McCain-Biden%20Visit/id-451352d0286f4e3781e93da68bb395e4

bobby brown leaves funeral donnie mcclurkin whitney houston funeral live stream kevin costner whitney houston whitney houston funeral live pat buchanan slither

Former ?90210? Star Ian Ziering Welcomes Baby Girl On Special Day

Former “90210″ Star Ian Ziering Welcomes Baby Girl On Special Day

Ian Ziering and wife Erin Ludwig picsIan Ziering and his wife Erin Kristine Ludwig welcomed their second daughter on their first daughter’s birthday, two years to the day later! Ian’s wife Erin gave birth to baby Penna Mae Ziering, who is the baby sister of their two-year-old daughter Mia Loren. Ian Ziering, 49, said of the crazy coincidence, “We didn?t plan ...

Former “90210″ Star Ian Ziering Welcomes Baby Girl On Special Day Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/04/former-90210-star-ian-ziering-welcomes-baby-girl-on-special-day/

tom benson royals nicole richie lyme disease symptoms esperanza spalding jessica sanchez robert kennedy

শুক্রবার, ২৬ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

"Slacker" Kudrin turned down job offer: Russia's Putin

By Douglas Busvine

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin jokingly called former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin a "slacker" on Thursday for refusing to rejoin his government, as the two jousted on live television over how to revive a weakening economy.

"I offered - he refused," Putin told a live call-in show after Kudrin took the microphone to criticize his administration's economic policies. Smiling, Putin added: "He's a slacker and doesn't want to work."

The good-natured exchange indicated that, although Putin remains on good personal terms with Kudrin, who served as finance minister for 11 years before resigning in September 2011, their economic views remain far apart.

Since quitting, Kudrin has publicly sympathized with opposition protests over alleged ballot fraud in the ensuing parliamentary and presidential elections that secured Putin's return for a third Kremlin term.

His presence in the audience of Putin's annual question-and-answer session and his tough questions were probably stage-managed to show that Putin could tolerate hard questioning.

Kudrin, a fiscal hawk and economic liberal, told Putin it was important to find political consensus and take into account the concerns of people who want to invest money and create jobs.

"As of today, we do not have a program to wean the economy off its dependence on oil," Kudrin said, adding that Russia's economic slowdown could be put down largely to domestic factors rather than weak export demand.

He said growth in Russia's $2 trillion economy slowed to 1.1 percent in the first quarter of this year - its weakest since of 2009 - even as government spending grew and pay rises outpaced growth in labor productivity.

Putin answered Kudrin's remarks by saying his government's primary task was to ensure the prosperity of the Russian people and that pay and pensions increases had been justified.

Kudrin "was the best finance minister - but would not be the best minister for social affairs", Putin said.

In separate comments, Putin said that the government's economic policies were fundamentally on the right track. He said what critics describe as excessively strict monetary policy was "justified", and supported a fiscal rule introduced last year that caps government borrowing based on a historical oil price.

Sources have said that Putin offered the position of central bank governor to Kudrin, but was refused. Putin eventually chose his most senior economic adviser, Elvira Nabiullina, to take the helm of the central bank in June.

(editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/slacker-kudrin-turned-down-job-offer-russias-putin-095329001--business.html

whitney houston autopsy results obama trayvon jim yong kim michael bush the host trailer whitney houston cause of death marquette

Museum find proves exotic ?big cat? prowled British countryside a century ago

Apr. 23, 2013 ? The rediscovery of a mystery animal in a museum's underground storeroom proves that a non-native 'big cat' prowled the British countryside at the turn of the last century.

The animal's skeleton and mounted skin was analysed by a multi-disciplinary team of Durham University scientists and fellow researchers at Bristol, Southampton and Aberystwyth universities and found to be a Canadian lynx -- a carnivorous predator more than twice the size of a domestic cat.

The research, published today in the academic journal Historical Biology, establishes the animal as the earliest example of an "alien big cat" at large in the British countryside.

The research team say this provides further evidence for debunking a popular hypothesis that wild cats entered the British countryside following the introduction of the 1976 Wild Animals Act. The Act was introduced to deal with an increasing fashion for exotic -- and potentially dangerous -- pets.

The academics believe such feral "British big cats" as they are known, may have lived in the wild much earlier, through escapes and even deliberate release. There is no evidence that such animals have been able to breed in the wild.

The study of the Canadian lynx, rediscovered by research team member Max Blake among hundreds of thousands of specimens at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, details records unearthed at the museum which showed the animal had originally been mislabelled by Edwardian curators in 1903 as a Eurasian lynx -- a close relative of the Canadian lynx.

The records also showed that the lynx was shot by a landowner in the Devon countryside in the early 1900s, after it killed two dogs.

"This Edwardian feral lynx provides concrete evidence that although rare, exotic felids have occasionally been part of British fauna for more than a century," said lead researcher, Dr Ross Barnett of Durham University's Department of Archaeology.

"The animal remains are significant in representing the first historic big cat from Britain."

Co-author Dr Darren Naish, from the University of Southampton, added: "There have been enough sightings of exotic big cats which substantially pre-date 1976 to cast doubt on the idea that one piece of legislation made in 1976 explains all releases of these animals in the UK.

"It seems more likely that escapes and releases have occurred throughout history, and that this continual presence of aliens explains the 'British big cat' phenomenon."

The researchers point out in their paper that Eurasian lynxes existed in the wild in Britain many hundreds of years ago, but had almost certainly become extinct by the 7th century. Laboratory analysis of the Bristol specimen's bones and teeth established it had been kept in captivity long enough to develop severe tooth loss and plaque before it either escaped or was deliberately released into the wild. Ancient DNA analysis of hair from the lynx proved inconclusive, possibly due to chemicals applied to the pelt during taxidermy.

Julie Finch, head of Bristol's Museums, Galleries & Archives, said: "Bristol Museum, Galleries and Archives were pleased to be a part of this ground-breaking research, which not only highlights the importance of our science collections, it establishes the pedigree of our 100-year old Lynx and adds to our knowledge and understanding of 'big cats' in the UK.

"Our museum collections are extensive and caring for them requires the considerable skills of our collections officers. We have an amazing collection of taxidermy animals on display and we welcome museum visitors to come along, to take a closer look and discover more about the natural world."

Dr Greger Larson, a member of the research team from Durham University and an expert in the migration of animals, said: "Every few years there is another claim that big cats are living wild in Britain, but none of these claims have been substantiated. It seems that big cats are to England what the Loch Ness Monster is to Scotland.

"By applying a robust scientific methodology, this study conclusively demonstrates that at least one big cat did roam Britain as early as the Edwardian era, and suggests that additional claims need to be subjected to this level of scrutiny."

The lynx is now on public display at Bristol museum.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Southampton, via AlphaGalileo.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Max Blake, Darren Naish, Greger Larson, Charlotte L. King, Geoff Nowell, Manabu Sakamoto, Ross Barnett. Multidisciplinary investigation of a ?British big cat?: a lynx killed in southern England c. 1903. Historical Biology, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2013.785541

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/CDGCWic5qdo/130424222428.htm

deion sanders creutzfeldt jakob disease the lone ranger mad cow pennsylvania primary jerome simpson hand sanitizer

Living with Google Glass, Day One: the reveal

DNP Living with Google Glass, Day One the reveal

In a loft atop Chelsea Market, Google is doing something special. Here, lucky Explorers will get their first taste of Project Glass. Yes, Google's latest X project (that we know about, at least) has finally made its way to the East Coast en masse. More importantly, it's also made its way to my face. A full Engadget review of the headset is most certainly on the way, but this is the sort of thing that will take some time to evaluate. You can quite quickly size up the next iteration of a great smartphone. Evaluating a wholly new product category to see how it fits into your life? That takes a little longer, dear readers.

I plan to spend a little while living with Glass in a variety of ways, some exciting and many less so, with the goal of getting comfortable with the thing -- or uncomfortable, if that's how it turns out. Given how many of you are excited to read about Google's new wearable, we wanted to let you come along for the ride. After all, isn't sharing an experience what Glass is really all about? Join me for my very first impressions after picking up my headset and some sample footage of the trip home.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/25/living-with-google-glass-day-one/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

gizmodo cnet iPhone 5 9-11 Chris Brown Tattoo Innocence of Muslims Clara Schumann

U.S. defense chief reaffirms military ties with Egypt

By David Alexander

CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel underscored Washington's military commitment to Egypt on Wednesday and pledged American support as Egyptian forces evolve to address new and shifting security threats, U.S. defense officials said.

"I wanted to stop in Egypt to ... reaffirm American commitment to Egypt's emerging democracy, encourage the democratic and economic reforms that are underway here," Hagel told reporters after a day of meetings with Egyptian officials.

"This is a large country, an important country. They are undertaking the right course of action - human dignity and freedom and democratic norms and governance. We are committed to helping any nation that does that," he said.

After stops in Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, Hagel discussed military cooperation and the civil war in Syria with President Mohamed Mursi and Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

But the U.S. Congress is divided over continued aid to Cairo as the Muslim Brotherhood consolidates its grip on power.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew did however express support on Wednesday for granting an International Monetary Fund loan to Egypt, saying it was in U.S. interests for Egypt to be on a more sustainable course.

U.S. defense officials said Hagel discussed a full range of issues with Sisi and Mursi, including the Camp David peace treaty with Israel, the security situation in the Sinai and the war in Syria. Hagel pledged U.S. support as Egypt's military grows and changes to meet new security threats.

"All militaries evolve as the threat picture changes and as they try to adapt to those threats, they are ... assessing border security, counterterrorism, non-state actors that are a threat to the state," a U.S. defense official said later.

He said the two sides did not talk about specific types of aid but agreed to continue their discussions as the Egyptian military reassesses the threats the country faces.

Egypt has received $1.5 billion a year in mostly military assistance ever since it signed the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, the first between the Jewish state and an Arab state.

Cairo has maintained a "cold peace" with Israel under the Islamist president and U.S. officials say practical security cooperation with both Washington and the Israelis is working smoothly, though political ties are frozen.

Secretary of State John Kerry said this month that the United States was increasingly worried about internal developments in Egypt, which he said was at a "tipping point".

"We share a very real concern in the Obama administration about the direction that Egypt is apparently moving in," Kerry said, citing economic problems, stalled talks on the IMF loan and the absence of dialogue with the liberal opposition.

Hagel's visit was an opportunity for Washington to maintain a dialogue with the Egyptian military, seen as a pro-American guarantor of regional stability during two years of turmoil since the overthrow of veteran U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak.

The United States is due to deliver a new batch of F-16 fighter jets to Egypt soon, diplomats said, but some Republican senators oppose the delivery. Cairo received four of a group of 20 F-16s in January and the rest are due later this year.

General James Mattis, then head of U.S. Central Command which covers the Middle East, told a Senate hearing last month: "The bottom line is ... that the Egyptian military, through a very difficult period, has maintained and even built trust with the Egyptian people."

He said the armed forces had upheld Egypt's international treaties, including with Israel, provided extra security for U.S. ships going through the Suez Canal, and helped keep the Gaza area as quiet as at any time in 10 years through quiet security operations in the Sinai Peninsula.

"I think anything right now that we do that would undercut the trust between the United States, the U.S. military and the Egyptian military would be extremely unhelpful," Mattis said.

(Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-defense-chief-reaffirms-military-ties-egypt-212457344.html

earthquake san francisco donald payne elizabeth berkley lenny dykstra mlb 12 the show sabu franchise tag

Culture war in Israel targets ultra-Orthodox Jews

FILE - in this Sunday Jan. 15, 2012 file photo, ultra-Orthodox Jews participate in a protest in Jerusalem. A cultural war has erupted between Israel's rising political star and his ultra-Orthodox archrivals: newly minted Finance Minister Yair Lapid, hugely popular for opposing the longstanding preferential treatment enjoyed by the growing religious minority, is moving swiftly to slash state handouts to large families, compel lifelong seminary students to work and remove funding for schools that don't teach math, science and English. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

FILE - in this Sunday Jan. 15, 2012 file photo, ultra-Orthodox Jews participate in a protest in Jerusalem. A cultural war has erupted between Israel's rising political star and his ultra-Orthodox archrivals: newly minted Finance Minister Yair Lapid, hugely popular for opposing the longstanding preferential treatment enjoyed by the growing religious minority, is moving swiftly to slash state handouts to large families, compel lifelong seminary students to work and remove funding for schools that don't teach math, science and English. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

FILE - In this Monday, June 25, 2012 file photo ultra-Orthodox Jewish men participate in a prayer to protest an expected replacement to a Law, that exempts ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from mandatory military service, in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem. A cultural war has erupted between Israel's rising political star and his ultra-Orthodox archrivals: newly minted Finance Minister Yair Lapid, hugely popular for opposing the longstanding preferential treatment enjoyed by the growing religious minority, is moving swiftly to slash state handouts to large families, compel lifelong seminary students to work and remove funding for schools that don't teach math, science and English.(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

FILE - in this Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 file photo, Israeli Yair Lapid, popular former TV anchorman, now Israel's finance minister, delivers a speech in the Ariel college of Judea and Samaria in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ariel. A cultural war has erupted between Israel's rising political star and his ultra-Orthodox archrivals: newly minted Finance Minister Yair Lapid, hugely popular for opposing the longstanding preferential treatment enjoyed by the growing religious minority, is moving swiftly to slash state handouts to large families, compel lifelong seminary students to work and remove funding for schools that don't teach math, science and English. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

(AP) ? A cultural war has erupted between Israel's rising political star and his ultra-Orthodox rivals.

Newly minted Finance Minister Yair Lapid, hugely popular for opposing the long-standing preferential treatment enjoyed by the religious minority, is moving swiftly to slash state handouts to large families, compel lifelong seminary students to work and join the army, and remove funding for schools that don't teach math, science and English.

The religious ? labeled "parasites" by one Lapid emissary this week ? are crying foul. But they appear helpless, at least in the short run, to stop Lapid from pressing his agenda.

For most of the last three decades, the country's small ultra-Orthodox minority sat in governing coalitions, securing vast budgets for religious schools and automatic exemptions from mandatory military service for tens of thousands of young men in full-time religious studies.

Tapping into widespread resentment over these expensive perks, Lapid made a strong showing in January elections. His new Yesh Atid, or There is a Future, party finished second in the voting, turning him into the newest star of Israeli politics and propelling him to a senior position in the governing coalition.

The religious parties, meanwhile, were pushed into the opposition.

Lapid, facing a yawning deficit, has moved quickly to drastically slash budgets favoring the ultra-Orthodox.

"I say, let there be war," Lapid said in a speech Wednesday.

According to a draft of planned reforms viewed by The Associated Press, the Finance Ministry has proposed cutting in half government subsidies to religious schools that do not teach a core curriculum including math, science and English, and boosting funding for schools that do. It also seeks to allow subsidies for child day care only if both parents work ? an effort to entice ultra-Orthodox men who study religious texts full time to join the job market.

A parliamentary committee headed by Yesh Atid Cabinet Minister Yaakov Peri also proposes cutting 30 percent of funding to ultra-Orthodox religious seminaries ? roughly $195 million ? and introducing legislation to end most military draft exemptions, Israeli media reported this week.

A spokesman for Peri declined comment, and Boaz Stembler, spokesman of the Finance Ministry, said the draft budget proposal is not final.

Lapid, whose late father led a secular-rights party a decade ago, has said the benefits the ultra-Orthodox have accumulated are unsustainable.

"If hundreds of thousands of healthy people do not work, and live on pensions arranged for them by means of immoral political agreements, then we have sold the interests of the working man, and we must change this," Lapid told a Tel Aviv conference this week.

Lapid sparred with ultra-Orthodox lawmaker Moshe Gafni during a budget debate on Monday, accusing Gafni, who headed the parliament's finance committee in the previous government, of causing the huge deficit.

"You are no longer chairman of the finance committee, because we are fed up with taking orders from you," Lapid said.

Gafni criticized Lapid for issuing statements on Facebook on Saturdays, the Jewish sabbath, when religious Jews refrain from working and using the Internet. Government officials, even those who are not religious, have long refrained from making public statements on the sabbath.

"I don't tell you what to do on the sabbath and you don't tell me what to do on the sabbath," Lapid replied.

He then accused the ultra-Orthodox of encouraging large birth rates in order to take advantage of state child subsidies.

"The body that is responsible for funding children is called their parents," he said.

Lapid's deputy, Mickey Levy, appeared on an ultra-Orthodox radio station on Wednesday in hopes of smoothing over relations with the religious. But when the interview became tense, Levy called ultra-Orthodox Jews "parasites."

Levy immediately apologized and said he had suffered a slip of the tongue in a heated moment.

Israel's mainstream media has largely supported Lapid, a former newspaper columnist and TV talk show host.

"How long have we waited for a finance minister in the Israeli government to stand up and tell those dignified parliament members that they no longer hold the reins to the state of Israel," Yael Paz-Melamed wrote in the daily Maariv. A Haaretz editorial cartoon depicted ultra-Orthodox lawmakers bandaged and bruised from the political browbeating.

Religious lawmakers accused Lapid of inciting against them.

"Since the January elections, new politics have brought unprecedented displays of hatred and polarization," Arieh Deri, leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, wrote in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper Thursday. "As elected public officials, it is our duty to unite the nation, not divide it."

For now, however, the tide seems to have turned against the religious.

In recent days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime ally of the religious, gave preliminary support to a plan to break the Orthodox monopoly at the Western Wall, said Benjamin Rutland, a spokesman for the Jewish Agency, the quasi-governmental body drafting the plan.

The proposal calls for building a section for mixed gender prayers. Under Orthodox customs, men and women pray separately.

On Thursday, a Jerusalem court ruled that police should stop arresting members of a liberal women's Jewish prayer group for praying at the wall wearing religious garb that Orthodox Judaism permits for men only.

The ultra-Orthodox have shown signs of bowing to the pressure. A front-page notice published in the ultra-Orthodox newspaper Yated Neeman called on religious studies students to cooperate with military draft notices and report to draft centers, but not to sign any commitments to military service while negotiations are under way.

Avraham Diskin, a Hebrew University political scientist, said the ultra-Orthodox seem doomed in the short term. "They lost a lot of power and a lot of influence because they are not in the government anymore," he said.

But in the long run, he said the ultra-Orthodox will likely bounce back as they figure out a way to work with Lapid, who sees himself as a future prime minister. He also said the hostile rhetoric against the religious could backfire if the atmosphere turns too toxic.

Meir Porush, a prominent ultra-Orthodox politician, predicted that Yesh Atid would suffer the same fate as Shinui, the secular-rights party led by Lapid's father, Joseph, a decade ago. Shinui captured 15 parliamentary seats in 2003 elections, making it one of the largest factions in parliament, only to flame out within three years.

"Shinui had 15 seats and disappeared after one term," Porush told Army Radio. "I think the same might be for Yair because there is no way that the hatred between religious and secular can be maintained for a long time."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-25-Israel-Cultural%20War/id-6fbcf84d36f049079eafd03cdb949bcd

khalid sheikh mohammed masters par 3 gwen stefani overeem laron landry mary j blige burger king islands

বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৫ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Many trapped in Bangladesh building rubble as toll climbs to 187

By Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) - Survivors from a building that collapsed in Bangladesh killing at least 187 mainly women workers described hearing a deafening crack before the complex housing factories supplying Western clothes retailers crashed down in a matter of seconds.

Many more were feared trapped in the rubble after the disaster, which comes five months after a factory fire killed 112 people and could further hurt Bangladesh's reputation as a source of low-cost goods for European and North American firms.

Local residents helped pull survivors from the twisted wreckage of the eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Savar, 30 km (20 miles) outside the capital Dhaka, which collapsed on Wednesday. More than 1,000 people were injured.

Relatives identified their dead among rows of corpses.

"An unspecified number of victims are still trapped," said Mizanur Rahman, a rescue worker with the fire brigade, as he clambered over the wreckage. "We can't be certain of getting them all out alive. We are losing a bit of hope."

Dhaka's district police chief Habibur Rahman said the death toll could rise further.

"I was at work on the third floor, and then suddenly I heard a deafening sound, but couldn't understand what was happening," said factory worker Zohra Begum. "I ran and was hit by something on my head."

The government declared a national day of mourning and flags were flown half mast at all official buildings.

Dhaka city development authority had filed a case against the building's owner for faulty construction, police chief Rahman said. It filed another case against the owner and the five garments factories for causing unlawful death.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mohammad Atiqul Islam said there were 3,122 workers in the factories on Wednesday. He said there had been indications from local officials that cracks had been found in the building the day before.

"We asked the garment owners to keep it closed," Islam said.

Rana Plaza's owner had told proprietors of the building's five garment factories that the cracks were not dangerous, Islam added. "After getting the green signal from the plaza owner all the garment factories opened," he said.

However, police official Mohammad Asaduzzaman said factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building after a crack was detected on Tuesday.

More than 1,000 textile workers besieged the BGMEA offices on Thursday, pelting it with stones and clashing with riot police, TV channels showed. The workers demanded all garment factories be shut and the owners harshly punished for accidents.

Hundreds of students donated blood at a clinic in Savar after doctors at Dhaka hospitals said they couldn't cope with the number of victims. Firefighters and troops carried young women survivors of the accident on stretchers, some apparently semi-conscious.

Mohammad Mosharraf, who was rescued on Thursday after 26 hours, said he had been hit on the head by something heavy and knocked unconscious when the building came down.

"When I regain my sense I found another four colleagues are also trapped under the debris of the building," he told Reuters. "We desperately tried to shout for someone to rescue us. Initially we didn't receive any response, but we moved to another part of the floor and found some light and heard voices."

SAFETY CONCERNS

The Rana Plaza building collapse follows a fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory on the outskirts of Dhaka that killed 112 people in November and another incident at a factory in January in which seven people died, compounding concerns about worker safety and low wages in Bangladesh.

UK clothing retailer Primark, which has 257 stores across Europe and is a unit of Associated British Foods, confirmed that one of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the building.

"The company is shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident at Savar, near Dhaka, and expresses its condolences to all of those involved," Primark said in a statement on its Ethical Trading website.

British clothing retailer Matalan said it used to be supplied by one of the factories at the complex but had no current production there. "we have been trying to get in touch with our contacts since we heard to check if we are able to assist them," the firm said in a statement.

Canada's Loblaw, a unit of food processing and distribution firm George Weston Ltd, also confirmed a connection with the building. It said one factory made a small number of "Joe Fresh" apparel items for the company.

"We are extremely saddened to learn of the collapse of a building complex in Bangladesh and our condolences go out to those affected by this tragedy," Julija Hunter, public relations vice-president for Loblaw Companies, said in an email.

Primark and Loblaw operate codes of conduct aimed at ensuring products are made in good working conditions.

Documents including order sheets and cutting plans obtained by Reuters appeared to show that other major clothing brands such as Spain's Mango and Benetton had used suppliers in the building in the last year. A Benetton spokesman said none of the factories were suppliers to the company.

About 3.6 million people work in Bangladesh's garment industry, making it the world's second-largest apparel exporter.

Following the Tazreen fire, giant U.S. retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it would take steps to alleviate safety concerns, while Gap Inc. announced a four-step fire-safety program.

Wal-Mart said on Wednesday it had not determined whether a factory in the building that collapsed was producing goods for the company.

"Still we are struggling to overcome the odds after the Tazreen fire, now another incident which is a strong blow for the sector," BGMEA's Islam said.

Edward Hertzman, a sourcing agent based in New York who also publishes trade magazine Sourcing Journal, said pressure from U.S. retailers to keep a lid on costs continued to foster unsafe conditions.

Hertzman, whose trade publication has offices in Bangladesh, said New Wave Bottoms Ltd occupied the second floor, Phantom Apparels Ltd the third, Phantom Tack Ltd the fourth and Ethar Textile Ltd the fifth.

The New Wave website listed 27 main buyers, including firms from Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Canada and the United States.

(Additional reporting by Anis Ahmed in Dhaka, Jessica Wohl and Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Chicago, and Solarina Ho in Toronto; Writing by John Chalmers and Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Paul Tait and Alex Richardson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/death-toll-bangladesh-building-collapse-rises-147-015232779.html

sodastream dan marino godaddy did the groundhog see his shadow Ray Lewis Murder UFC 156 my bloody valentine

Using public speaking as an effective marketing tool - SFM Consulting


Public speaking is a great way to buid your network and put yourself in front of potential clients, but before you say ?Yes? to the next invitation follow these tips:

  • be very selective. Only accept invitations to speak to an audience that's right for your business
  • prepare thoroughly. Research?your audience so the presentation is tailored to meet their needs. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
  • deliver?an interesting, useful and engaging presentation
  • follow up, follow up, follow up etc. Quality, personalised follow up is what builds relationships and makes you remarkable.

And finally, remember that everything you show, say or do whilst presenting gives your audience a hint about what you're like to work with.

Click here for further information about presentation skills.

?

Thanks to Gareth Sear, Dome Enterprise Centre Manager at the University of Chichester, whose discussion on LinkedIn inspired me to write this.

Source: http://www.sfmconsulting.co.uk/blog/entry/using_public_speaking_as_an_effective_marketing_tool

the river dr dog ke$ha earl csco big bend national park leon russell

বুধবার, ২৪ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Engadget Eurocast 024 - 04.24.13

Engadget Eurocast 024 - 04.24.13

Take a look around you, what do you see? Walls? People? An office? Take it all in, suck it all up. Why? Because today all that changes forever. Jamie's revelation that he's a University Challenge nut flips everything we know on its head. Also, Mat drops "convincement" like it wasn't even a thing. This madness is the Eurocast.

Hosts: Dan Cooper, Mat Smith, Jamie Rigg

Producer: James Trew

Hear the Podcast

Filed under:

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/24/engadget-eurocast-024-04-24-13/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

frank martin pink slime eagle cam trayvon martin case affordable care act the line us soccer

GigaWatch


Let's face it, any parental monitoring program that you could use to secretly track what your children are doing online could potentially be misused to snoop on your spouse, your boss, a business rival, or just about anyone. There's a bit less potential for abuse with GigaWatch, because you can only manage the monitored computer from another computer within the same local network. And, as the FAQ points out, spying on people without their knowledge is almost certainly illegal in your state.

At $44, GigaWatch is the least expensive tool of its sort that I've reviewed. Note, too, that this is a one-time fee, not a subscription. The company promises that "Over years we plan to implement new monitoring features into GigaWatch and you'll be able to receive all future updates free of charge." Getting free updates is especially good given the fact that this product needs a few tweaks.

Another similar product that sells for a one-time payment is Shield Genie, but at $149.95 it costs quite a bit more. If you want Spector Pro 2011, you'll pay $99.95 each year. The initial one-time purchase price for WebWatcher or PC Pandora 7.0 is higher than GigaWatch's price, and to get maximum performance from these two you'll pay for an ongoing subscription. GigaWatch is definitely a bargain compared with the competition.

Setting up GigaWatch
GigaWatch consists of a monitoring module and a separate administrative console. During installation you'll choose which of these to install. You can also install both on the same PC, in which case you'll want to choose stealth mode, so the administrative console doesn't give itself away. (The monitoring module is always in stealth mode.)

It's probably stealthier to install the administrative console on a different computer than the one being monitored. Note that both have to be within the same local network. After installing the administrative console, you simply probe the network to find PCs running the monitor. Yes, you can monitor multiple PCs, but you'll need a license for each.

Spector Pro also requires that the administrative console reside within the same network as the monitored computer. Shield Genie goes even further, requiring that you do all your configuration and management at the computer that's being watched. By contrast, WebWatcher lets you connect from anywhere at all; PC Pandora, too, if you pay $29.97 per month for the "Live" module.

During the installation process you'll create two passwords, one for access to the administrative console and one to let the administrative console access data on the monitored computer. Why two passwords? Well, picture a business using GigaWatch to track employees (with their knowledge, of course). Without that machine-specific password, someone else on your network could install another copy of the administrative console, probe the network with it, and hijack your monitoring sessions.

Communicating With the Monitor
From the main Configuration Manager window, you can enable or disable the nine monitoring modules. By default, all are enabled. You can also dig in and configure the settings for each monitor. When you've finished, clicking "Save & Send" both saves your changes and transmits them to the monitored computer. You can also save your changes and send later, if necessary.

Each time you open the administrative console, you must select which computer you want to view and click a button to sync in the latest data from that computer. Note that you still have to do this even if the administrative console is installed on the same computer.

Successful Stealth
In stealth mode, GigaWatch leaves no trace. There are no visible icons or menu items, and it doesn't show up in Task Manager or in the list of Startup programs. You activate the console by pressing a special key combination and entering your master password when prompted. Spector Pro, PC Pandora, and WebWatcher are likewise stealthy, and they go a bit further. On the chance that the child might accidentally hit on the special key combo, they use an anonymous, unlabeled dialog box to ask for the password. GigaWatch's name is plastered all over its popup password dialog; I'd be happier if it, too, used an anonymous login dialog.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/Iq2ilTFo6pE/0,2817,2418008,00.asp

Life of Pi Christoph Waltz Quvenzhané Wallis dancing with the stars cast kristen stewart Shirley Bassey adele

The Deadman Rises!

Out Now ? WWE Magazine?s May Issue!

Dead Men Tell No Tales
Another year and another WrestleMania has gone by ? and The Undertaker is STILL undefeated. We pay tribute to our cover star by interviewing more than a dozen Superstars who?ve crossed paths with The Deadman, inside the ring and out, as they offer their unique insights on being in the presence of The Phenom.

The Sandow Family Tree
The Intellectual Savior of the Masses agreed to trace his family tree exclusively for WWE Magazine. And you know what we ?discovered? That the Sandows are deeply woven into the fabric of American history. So maybe there?s something to his blowhard arrogance, after all? You?re welcome ?

Love Hurts ? A Lot: The 20 Most Heartbreaking Romances in WWE History
Spring might?ve sprung, and love may be in the air, but that?s not going to stop the killjoys here at WWE Magazine from reminding you that things can go wrong very, very quickly. And very badly, too, if you happen to be a WWE Superstar (we?re looking at you, Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee). Here are 20 relationships that went sour in the worst way.

50 Years of the WWE Championship
There?s a new WWE Title and new WWE Champion! To celebrate the title gold?s brand-new makeover, WWE Mag looks back at the title?s 50-year history and the most accomplished men who?ve worn the coveted championship around their waists.

Plus, in-depth interviews with:

The Miz
Alberto Del Rio
Mick Foley
3MB
And ? Kaitlyn

Bonus!
?The Dazzler? Daniel Bryan has a few (actually, just one) words for some of his peers in the WWE locker room.
CM Punk meets his match in an Extreme Rules Street Fight!
We name John Cena the new ?King of Extreme.?
Do yoga with Diamond Dallas Page. Bang!
And ? AJ Lee reveals a rowdier side in her plaid-clad tribute to Roddy Piper!

Pick up the May issue of WWE Magazine now or?SUBSCRIBE HERE?and save 72 percent off the newsstand sale price

View Comments

Source: http://www.wwe.com/magazine/may-13-issue-preview

FedEx Gabriel Aubry cyber monday deals small business saturday small business saturday best cyber monday deals best cyber monday deals