current events on technology: November 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Microsoft CEO defends innovation record, financial results

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Source: http://www.crn.com.au/News/324590,microsoft-ceo-defends-innovation-record-financial-results.aspx?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=CRN+All+Articles+feed

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Sneak peek at early course of bladder infection caused by widespread, understudied parasite

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2012) ? Using standard tools of the molecular-biology trade and a new, much-improved animal model of a prevalent but poorly understood tropical parasitic disease called urogenital schistosomiasis, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers were able to obtain "snapshots" of shifting gene activity levels during the early, acute phase of what for most becomes a chronic bladder infection.

The findings, described in a study to be published online Nov. 29 in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, could lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to urogenital schistosomiasis, a chronic disease that infects about 112 million people, almost entirely in developing countries and particularly in Africa, said Michael Hsieh, MD, PhD, assistant professor of urology and the study's senior author.

"Schistosomiasis is a huge global health problem and one of the most neglected of the neglected tropical diseases," said Hsieh. "Some 150,000 people die each year from urogenital-schistosomiasis-induced kidney failure. And this doesn't include deaths from bladder cancer or as a result of increased susceptibility to other infections, such as HIV, attributable to schistosomiasis-generated genital tract damage." Estimates that take into account chronic schistosomiasis' overall impact on quality of life place it on a par with other world-class health scourges such as malaria and tuberculosis.

Schistosomiasis is caused by a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Different Schistosoma species infect different organs, said Hsieh, whose research focuses on infection-induced bladder inflammation. S. haematobium, which is responsible for infection of the urogenital tract, is acquired by exposure to contaminated water. "The parasite larvae can smell fatty acids in our skin as well as detect motion. They're like smart bombs, equipped to find us."

After invading the skin and a pass through the circulatory system, the larvae mature to adulthood, lodge in blood vessels of the bladder wall and other pelvic organs and begin to lay eggs. A single worm can extend to several millimeters, lay hundreds of sand-grain-sized eggs every day and live for years to decades, Hsieh said.

In a study published recently in the British Medical Journal, John Ioannidis, MD, DSc, a Stanford professor of medicine, deplored the dearth of treatments for neglected tropical diseases including schistosomiasis. There are no vaccines for preventing it, and only a single drug, praziquantel, is approved by the World Health Organization for treating it. While cheap and relatively effective, it doesn't cure all infections. Plus it tastes terrible, which causes a surprisingly large number of people to stop taking it. Experts believe it's just a matter of time before the parasite develops resistance to praziquantel.

Despite a pressing need to come up with good anti-S. haematobium agents, almost all the existing medical literature is on other Schistosoma species. That's because until recently there were no practical animal models for S. haematobium infection. "We know next to nothing about the earliest molecular events in the bladder after eggs enter the tissue," said Hsieh. "When you try to naturally infect mice by simply exposing them to the parasite, the mice develop an infection in their liver or intestine instead of their bladder wall."

In March of this year, Hsieh and his colleagues reported, in the journal PLoS Pathogens, that they had solved this problem by injecting S. haematobium eggs directly into the bladder wall of ordinary laboratory mice. For the new PLoS-NTD study, Hsieh and his colleagues used this mouse model to synchronize the initiation of bladder infection by the parasite, thereby synchronizing the timing of post-infection changes that take place in bladder tissue so the researchers could better observe the parasitic infection's early trajectory. They injected about 3,000 parasite eggs into each of a few dozen lab mice and used microarray technology -- a method of globally measuring the activity of virtually every gene in a tissue -- to monitor thousands of genes' activity levels in bladder-wall tissue over the ensuing weeks.

The investigators set their microarray probe's sensitivity to flag any gene whose activation level either increased or decreased by a factor of two or more. They monitored thousands of genes whose activity levels were either amped up or tamped down at one, three and five weeks post-infection. These changes peaked at merely three weeks post-infection. "This is an important result," said Hsieh. "It shows that continuous waves of egg deposition, not just the initial schistosome infection, are what's generating chronic disease. So if you can kill the worms flat-out, you should be able to halt the cycle."

It would have been impossible to see this simply by observing patients, said Hsieh. "With the natural human infection, you never know when any given person is initially infected -- unless it's that unfortunate American tourist that got infected while swimming in Lake Victoria on a weeklong Africa visit," he said.

The team also noted that these gene-activity changes fell into clusters. "Very soon after infection, we saw changes in activation levels in a cluster of cancer-associated genes. Likewise with another cluster of genes involved in fibrosis, or scarring, in the bladder. This confirms that fibrosis kicks in very quickly," said Hsieh -- a not unexpected result, as parasite eggs' burrowing causes significant bladder-wall damage.

On the other hand, within the first week there was a general suppression of genes associated with maintaining the integrity of the bladder wall. Inadequate production of this group of molecules would be expected to result in a leaky bladder wall, said Hsieh, and it probably did. "This happened at a time when the mice were shedding eggs in their urine. So it probably accounts for not only a lot of urinary symptoms but a significant aspect of the disease's transmission -- the expulsion of eggs into the urine, which eventually contaminates another body of water," he said.

Finally, as has been observed in infections produced by other Schistosomal species, the Stanford team noted signs of a shift in character of the immune response toward a state that it is oriented to tissue repair and to isolating pathogens -- effectively attempting to enclose them in cement-like jails called granulomas -- in order to prevent further tissue damage. (This mode of immune response may be best-suited to combating relatively large pathogens that would be likely to withstand an attempt by the immune system to kill them outright in a frenzy of inflammatory fury.)

Hsieh's group corroborated their microarray results at both intracellular and macroscopic levels with ultrasound, microscopic and molecular assessments. For instance, discernible evidence of scarring in bladder-wall tissue coincided with microarray readings indicating fibrosis-gene activation.

"Schistosomes have evolved with mammals for millions of years," said Hsieh. "Our shared evolutionary history makes our findings in mice likely to be relevant to humans. These observations may also have implications for fibrotic disease in general. Understanding fibrosis is very important, because it is involved in cardiovascular disease, cancer and other diseases accounting for up to half of all deaths in the developed world."

The S. haematobium mouse model may also pinpoint biomarkers that enhance the detection and monitoring of incipient bladder cancer, a poorly understood disease.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford University Medical Center. The original article was written by Bruce Goldman.

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

Journal Reference:

Debalina Ray, Tyrrell A. Nelson, Chi-Ling Fu, Shailja Patel, Diana N. Gong, Justin I. Odegaard, Michael H. Hsieh. Transcriptional Profiling of the Bladder in Urogenital Schistosomiasis Reveals Pathways of Inflammatory Fibrosis and Urothelial Compromise. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2012; 6 (11): e1912 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001912

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/health_medicine/genes/~3/uRI8oRSQJfk/121129173946.htm

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Urban Survival Skills: Computer Security for Pre and Post Collapse

With the significant amount of preppers that believe in the?probability that the coming collapse will be either generated by the Government or will result in a heavy handed Government exerting martial law across the land, I offer this article on computer security.

While the Government has phenomenal capabilities when it comes to electronic tracking and eavesdropping, this capability is spread across many different agencies, so it is not a central location manned by 25,000 intelligence analysts per shift. It is really?a bunch of diverse agencies and even separate offices within these agencies who don?t like to share information because it degrades the other?s power and status. So when people try to convince me of large government conspiracies, I always think and sometimes speak out and say,??Really? This is the same government that is bankrupting social security?...the same government that purchases $3,200 office chairs and $5,000 hammers?.......the same government that wear clown suits to work, shoots funny videos and posts them to You Tube? ?

Some of this article came from a Yahoo! article on computer security when shopping, but the same principles apply. See bottom of article on the Poor Man's e-mail communications.

Browsing the web anonymously? Think your online activities are private? Think again. Not only are your surfing sessions tracked by websites, search engines and social networks, but often your Internet service provider (ISP), web browser, government and potentially hundreds of online tracking companies. Whether it's to collect valuable marketing data or prevent terrorist activity, movie piracy or kiddie porn, everything you think you're doing privately in the comfort of your home is anything but private.

But just because you want to spend time online anonymously doesn't mean you're a cybercriminal or have something to hide. Not only do regular folks want privacy, but remaining anonymous can also protect yourself from malicious types out to steal your identity for financial gain ? from spammers and scammers alike. And so there are a few things you can do to reduce the odds every click is tracked, archived and shared. The following are a few suggestions on where to start.

Software
How does Facebook know to show you ads for your local gym, supermarket or college? This is because your computer's unique Internet Protocol (IP) address, assigned by your ISP, reveals your geographical whereabouts. Even if your computer generates a different IP address every time you boot up or log online, this number (e.g. 220.165.119.12) can still tell of your general location.

And so there are many different solutions that can hide your Internet connection, allowing you to remain anonymous while online. Some are websites, such as free "online proxy servers" that conceal your identity ? simply point the web address (URL) to the proxy server and surf right from their website (check out proxy.org for a list of great options).

Others prefer Virtual Private Network (VPN) software that encrypts your online sessions. The browser-independent Hotspot Shield from AnchorFree, for example ? available for Windows, Macs, iPhone and Android ? channels all web activities through a personal VPN and secures all Internet communications by turning all HTTP traffic into the safer HTTPS (which is what your bank uses for a safe connection).

Free to use but with more features packed into the "elite" version ($29.95), Hotspot Shield is ideal for email and instant messaging, too, and reduces the likelihood of identity theft because you're not leaving a digital footprint -- including cyber-snoopers and rogue connections at Wi-Fi hotspots, hotels, airports, and so on.

Similarly, Tor is free software that defends you against Internet surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy. Short for "The Onion Router" ? which gets its name for its "layered" approach to the encryption process -- Tor provides online anonymity as the software routes Internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer network of servers to conceal your location or online usage patterns.

Use USB sticks.??
In some cases, software to encrypt your connection is kept on a USB drive ? therefore you can remain safe and secure even when using a public PC.

SurfEasy ($59.99) is a tiny USB key that fits into a credit card-shaped case to be kept in your wallet. When you plug it into a PC or Mac -- be it your own computer or a communal one -- it instantly launches its own password-protected browser and you're good to go -- no proxy or network settings to configure. Your browsing session is handled through SurfEasy's fast and secure private proxy network.

Your IP address will be masked throughout the session. A fr

ee alternative is called Tails, which can be downloaded and installed onto a USB stick to run independently of the computer's original operating system. Like SurfEasy, it lets you browse the web anonymously -- on virtually any computer ? as all connections are channelled through the aforementioned Tor network.

Browser tweaks Anonymous proxy software is a great way to mask your IP address online, but there is still plenty of information about your web surfing habits stored on your computer ? which could also be viewed over a network, say, at the office, by your IT department. At least it's somewhat easy to control your privacy settings directly in your web browser ? unless your business forbids non-administrators from making changes to your browser settings, that is.

You can disable cookies ? tiny text files stored on your computer with information about where you've been online, passwords and other info ? and you should also delete your browser history to cover your tracks. All major web browsers ? such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari -- allow you to delete your surfing history: simply go to the Options or Settings in your favorite browser and you'll see how to do this.

You might want to turn off auto-complete or someone on your computer could type in a few letters in a search engine or web address (URL) bar and any recent places you visited could fill in automatically. And don't click to allow sites to "remember my password" or someone could gain access to your private or financial information.

The easiest thing to do, however, is to see if your web browser has settings for surfing incognito ? most of the major browsers do today. By enabling these privacy settings, your browser won't save any history (and download history), search queries, cookies or passwords. On a related note, Twitter recently announced a "Do Not Track" feature that prohibits the service from collecting info about its millions of users. Nice.

And Microsoft, in June 2012, said its upcoming Internet Explorer 10 browser -- expected to launch alongside Windows 8 later this year -- will not collect data about the online activity of its users by default. 'Do not track' tools and plug-ins Google raised a few eyebrows earlier in 2012 with its revamped privacy policy, which was updated to allow for the sharing of information between its various services such as Google Search, Gmail and YouTube. Therefore, if you search for recipes in Google Search you might be presented with cooking-related videos on YouTube. Handy? Sure. Invasion of privacy? Debatable. You could choose not to log into your Google account when using these services (er, or not use them at all) or you might want to install one of the free browser plug-ins that tell Google and other advertisers to back off.

One called Do Not Track Plus from Abine blocks marketers, search providers and social networks from tracking your online activity ? and it's compatible with all major web browsers. After it's installed, a small icon will appear to the right of the browser's address bar to tell you if a website wants to send data from your visit to other companies. Speaking of requiring a login name and password on a variety of sites, some web-based services like Anonymizer can automatically generate temporary email addresses with unique usernames and passwords for any site you wish to access (excluding your bank or shopping sites, of course, or you can't access your account).

Similarly, another solution called BugMeNot lets users post free usernames and passwords for shared access to popular websites like video sharing sites and newspapers.

Poor Man?s secure E-mail
One of the easiest things to protect communications from two or more different people or groups that are geographically separated is to use the same e-mail account. This would require giving the account e-mail and password either face to face or through hard copy correspondence,?.yes, the U.S. postal service is good for something.

Each party can access the e-mail account and left a message for the other saved in the drafts folder so the message does not have to be sent out over the internet. The subject line and to address should be benign and fake respectively. Using simple encryption, such as a book code, for the text of the e-mail text can enhance message security from all but the most sophisticated agencies.

Source: http://get-urban-survival-skills.blogspot.com/2012/11/computer-security-for-pre-and-post.html

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

U.S. senator advises defensive posture on wind power tax credit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wind energy companies should focus on ensuring that the tax credit at the center of their industry survives at all in coming months, and not so much on trying to beef it up next year, said a senior U.S. Republican senator on Wednesday.

"The issue right now is the existence of the tax credit," Charles Grassley told reporters after speaking at an industry event. "We've got to worry about that first and foremost."

The tax credit for new turbine projects expires at the end of the year. Its fate is uncertain amid the negotiations between lawmakers and President Barack Obama to avert the "fiscal cliff," a series of tax increases and spending cuts due to kick in next year.

Grassley has backed the credit, known as the renewable energy production tax credit, since it was established in 1992. It also is available for other kinds of renewable energy, including geothermal, solar, hydropower, biomass and tidal.

Grassley voted in August for a bill to help wind companies by letting them take the credit at the start of construction, rather than when new turbines are finished and connected to the energy grid. The bill won approval in the Senate Finance Committee, but it has not come up for a full Senate vote.

Lobbyists, analysts and congressional aides said they doubted the bill - which would greatly increase the cost of the credit to taxpayers - could pass either the Senate or the House of Representatives.

A lobbying fight has emerged over renewing the credit at its present level, pitting backers such as NextEra Energy Inc, the largest U.S. wind energy producer, against rivals such as Exelon Corp, the top U.S. nuclear power group.

Equal to 2.2 cents on each kilowatt-hour produced, the credit poses a competitive threat to utilities like Exelon that rely chiefly on traditional power generation, analysts said.

Exelon generates wind power and has claimed the credit, too, but NextEra owns many prime U.S. wind facilities, analysts said.

Wind advocates said they need the more favorable tax credit in 2013. If the credit is extended at its present level, "we don't see many wind projects being developed in 2013," said NextEra Executive Chairman Lewis Hay in an interview.

Hay declined to comment specifically on the company's expansion plans if the credit is extended or not. The company claimed about $147 million of wind tax credits through the first nine months of 2012, according to regulatory filings.

A one-year extension of the current credit is "unlikely to spur a lot of wind development in 2013," said Matthew Kaplan, wind energy analyst at IHS Inc, an economic research firm.

(Reporting by Patrick Temple-West; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Phil Berlowitz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-senator-advises-defensive-posture-wind-power-tax-232308309--finance.html

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Gas prices fall a penny in RI

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) ? Gas prices in Rhode Island have dipped again, but this time just by a penny.

AAA Southern New England said Monday that the cost of a gallon of regular in Rhode Island is $3.64 this week, down from $3.65.

Local prices have fallen 13 cents in the past month, but the current price is still 22 cents above the national per-gallon average of $3.42.

Rhode Islanders were paying an average of $3.41 a gallon a year ago at this time.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gas-prices-fall-penny-ri-164951337--finance.html

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Buffett: Economy OK if?taxes rise for rich

Super investor Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, speaks with TODAY's Matt Lauer about Cyber Monday sales figures, consumer confidence and the future of the American economy.

By Ben Popken, TODAY contributor

Raising taxes on the rich won't dampen?economic growth?and would "raise the morale of the middle class," billionaire investor Warren Buffett told the TODAY show Tuesday.

Echoing a theme he has stressed often, Buffett downplayed the idea that higher taxes for the wealthy, as proposed by the Obama administration as part of a deal to resolve the "fiscal cliff,"?would scare off critical investment for job creation. Republicans argue that raising taxes on people in higher tax brackets would choke off investment and slow the economy at a time when it can ill afford it.

Buffett disagrees. "No, and I think it would have a great effect on the morale of the middle class," said Buffett,?in the first of two live interviews with TODAY's?Matt Lauer. "They've had to watch guys like me pay below the rate by that paid by the people in my office."

Also known as the?"Oracle of Omaha" for his investing acumen, Buffett's views?on the economy are widely followed,?including on whether we're really going to go off the "fiscal cliff" of $500 million in tax hikes and spending cuts.

The?CEO of Berkshire Hathaway has been vocal on the economy lately, proposing in a New York Times op-ed Monday that there be?a minimum tax for the wealthy.

"I'm confident," said Buffet when asked about how he was feeling about the economy. "I can't speak for others, but at Berkshire Hathaway, we buy and sell stocks every day. America's a winner."

Lauer brought up a recent quote from Honeywell CEO David Cote who told Meet the Press that he and others like him were feeling a lack of confidence in the political process, so much so that the uncertainty was making them keep their money on the sidelines and preventing them from making additional investments, including hiring.

"At Berkshire Hathaway, we're investing 9 billion in plant equipment, a record, breaking last year's record. It's always uncertain," said Buffett.

"December 6th 1941 was uncertain," said Buffett, referring to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. "We just didn't know it."

When asked whether Congress would really enact a strong proposal such as?the one Buffett made in his Times op-ed, which suggested setting a minimum 30 percent tax for millionaires, Buffet said, "I wouldn't be?surprised. They're going to make a deal."

Now there's a new Buffett book, "Tap-Dancing to Work" that trace his career through 80 different FORTUNE Magazine articles over the years. If there's one thing that stuck out from the timeline, Carol Loomis, FORTUNE editor, who collected and expanded the articles for the book, told TODAY, it's?"how consistent he's been in his thinking. He's never changed."?

"I couldn't be more boring," said Buffett. "I just look at the facts and wherever they lead me, I go."

Is this the?secret to Buffett's success??Lauer asked Loomis. It's hard, she said, because other investors "get emotional."

Buffett is known for finding undervalued companies with strong fundamentals and good management. "It's simple, but not easy," said Loomis. "That's why other people can't do it. He's thinking about business 24/7."

Lauer asked if this book was a goodbye letter of sorts. "What's it going to mean to the world when he hangs up his investing shoes?" he asked.

Loomis said, "He will be remembered. His role in life will be remembered for the next century. I don't know whether investing or philanthropy is going to be the lead item.?People are going to be reading about Buffet 100 years from now."

About that retirement... "Got a date in mind?" Lauer asked the 82-year old businessman.

Buffett just laughed.

Read a free excerpt from the book?Tap-Dancing to Work.?

More money news:

Follow TODAY Money on Twitter and Facebook

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2012/11/27/15479988-warren-buffett-raising-taxes-on-rich-wont-chill-economy?lite

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How apprenticeships keep Germans working

17 hrs.

Andy Eckardt , NBC News Producer

COLOGNE, Germany -- Following 12 years of elementary- and high-school education in Germany, 22-year-old Sabrina Kleinsorg had to make a decision for her professional career two years ago.

"Most of my fellow students wanted to go to university, opted for a higher education, but I wanted to earn money immediately, while learning a profession at the same time,"?Kleinsorg?says.

Her own family history includes mostly blue-collar workers, and?Kleinsorg's parents favored an education in skilled crafts and trades for their daughter.

For?Kleinsorg,? the choice was easy: She opted for an apprenticeship in the field of engineering.

Germany's unique apprenticeship program provided an opportunity for?Kleinsorg?to receive hands-on experience on the factory floor, paired with complementary theoretical training at a vocational school.

In 2010, she started a paid three-and-a-half-year apprenticeship program as an industrial electronics technician at U.S. automaker Ford's plant in?Cologne,?Germany.

Today, in her third training year,?Kleinsorg?earns more than $1,200 per month and receives a number of social benefits, including health insurance.

"My friends from school thought it was 'uncool' to train in a technical job, especially as I entered a male-dominated work environment,"?Kleinsorg?says.

"But I was immediately accepted by my male colleagues, and today, I am far better off financially than they are."?

Her?choice also means job security.

In Germany, 61 percent?of all apprentices receive full-time employment at the company where they?train. And the rate is growing, according to the?latest statistics from the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, DIHK.

Ford Motor Company in Germany states?that nearly 95 percent of all trainees are offered a regular job and stay with the company.

"Many of my friends from high school will have to pay back loans after their college studies and still face an uncertain employment future,"?Kleinsorg?adds.

A?pillar in the crisis
Compared to other countries in the 27-nation European Union, Germany's export-driven economy is going fairly strong despite challenging economic conditions. The overall unemployment rate in Germany is?6.5 percent.

Many other eurozone countries are in recession and burdened with high unemployment rates. The situation is especially troublesome for young Europeans under the age of 25.

According to the European Union statistics office, Eurostat , the youth unemployment rate rose to 22.8 percent in September, up from 21.7 percent? the previous year. In Greece and Spain, that number is over 50 percent. In Germany, the youth unemployment rate is just 8 percent.

"One reason for the so-called miracle of low youth unemployment rates in Germany is our apprenticeship system," says Dr. Andreas Koenig, Head of Section, Technical and Vocational Education and Training at GIZ, an association that supports the German government in the field of sustainable development.

"It is this transfer of knowledge from schools and training programs directly into the work environment and vice versa, which makes the difference," Koenig says.

Courses are designed by employers and government specialists but also include input from Germany's trade unions. Training programs are also regularly adjusted to market needs.

The so-called "dual system" -- split into 60 percent workplace training and 40?percent?classroom-based education -- is widely regarded as a model of business investment in social mobility and in?the country's skilled workforce of the future.

"It is all about building your own work?force on a high-quality basis," says Volker Theissen, manager for learning and development at Ford Europe.

Germany's?apprenticeship system trains approximately 1.5 million people per year and matches the worker's skills with the demands and requirements of today's rapidly changing work environment.

"In the course of our apprenticeship, we learn many important facets about our job, but also a lot about the company. And from the start, we are fully integrated and adopt to our future workplace," says 18-year-old Andr? Etzweiler, an apprentice at Ford in Cologne.

"And, while the training immediately creates a symbiosis between the young worker and his employer, it nevertheless prepares us well for the broader job market in case we cannot or do not want to stay with the company," Etzweiler explains.

Historic?system, with a modern touch
Vocational training in Germany has a centuries-old tradition and dates back to the guild system of the Middle Ages.?From bakers to hairdressers and welders to bank workers, the German system focuses on top-level education in close collaboration with industry.

Germany's small- and medium-size businesses, the so-called?Mittelstand, are highly dependent on the next generation of well-trained workers.

Germany's?Mittelstand?accounts for nearly 70 percent of all exports. Many experts say that these specialized? businesses are the engine of economic growth and a main contributor to Germany's still healthy economy.

"If we want to stay innovative, especially in regard to our foreign competition, then we need young skilled workers with young ideas," says Oliver Huhle, manager at Huhle Steel and Metal Construction, a firm with nearly 100 employees based in Wiesbaden.

"Many of today's business executives in Germany began their career as apprentices, including myself," says 34-year-old Huhle.

The success of Germany's dual-training system has led countries like the United States, China and India to study it as a possible model for their own labor markets.

"We have seen an increasing number of requests in the past year from other countries, inquiring how we cooperate to implement elements of the German system. Just last week, we signed a memorandum of understanding with Italy," says Thomas Renner from the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Berlin.

In times of tight budgets and ailing economies, however,?many international companies have been shying away from long-term investment in a larger work?force. Many foreign corporations fear that long-established socioeconomic structures -- one secret to success in Germany -- might be the missing link abroad.

However,?German?experts?say that core elements would be adoptable in other markets.

"If other countries, such as the United States, want to implement the system, it does not require the enormous state support that you see in Germany,"?Theissen from Ford Europe says.

"Companies can easily initiate cooperation and exchange with already existing technical colleges in any region," he?adds.

While German carmakers, such as Mercedes or BMW, have already exported the system to their factories in the United States, Ford has so far only been offering apprenticeships to young applicants at plants in Germany.

A?demographic challenge
But at Germany's workbenches, the system is facing a major challenge these days: low birthrates.

Mid-sized businesses, especially, face a shortage of qualified applicants, in part due to the demographic changes, but also as a result of strong competition from large companies.

At the end of September, German officials counted more than 33,000 open training positions.

Monday, November 26, 2012

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Many home loan programs are usually addressed by finance institutions or another expert lenders. They could use a various criteria to determine in case your potential consumer is actually qualified for a financial loan. Previous credit score is nearly always regarded, together with existing revenue and also assets. The goal of the borrowed funds may also be a great issue-a set up investment possibility could have much more appeal as compared to a good misguided concept for any new cafe. 1 essential point may be the profits to debt percentage in the client. Can the client have the ability to pay the loan back again along with interest? Skilled loan providers generally 'sell' cash, consequently debtors must be aware just how much funding really 'costs' in relation to real money.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Activist Post: Google and Microsoft Investing in a Future of ...

Nicholas West
Activist Post

Augmented reality apps for the iPhone have been around for years, and continue to grow in popularity. The next phase of evolution is to merge smartphone capabilities into a wearable interface. Google has announced Project Glass, which is advancing toward a major release of augmented reality glasses in 2014, as seen in the video below:

The systems are in place, but as yet have been available only through external devices. All that has been needed to create an all-encompassing new reality is to integrate information into the everyday human experiential view. Microsoft is now jumping into the ring with its own developments, which at this point seems to be geared strictly toward entertainment venues and video games, but hints at a major shift toward investing in wearable computing, as well as entertainment systems that can observe those being entertained.

The actual principles behind first-person, human-computer interface systems have been around for many decades - it can be seen in combat zones around the world through the military?Heads Up Display system (HUD). What began pre-WWII for fighter pilots, is now finding its way into the consumer market through video games,?vehicles, and info-glasses. Contact lenses are also already in development by the Department of Defense through a system called?iOptik?- which is also projected to be available to consumers in 2014.

Google is clearly investing heavily in wearable computing; along with Project Glass, they also have patented "smart glove" technology which offers the following:

electronics including cameras on the fingertips, a compass, gyroscopes, accelerometers and other motion detectors embedded in the fingers. The palm section plays host to the CPU, RAM and local storage, and wireless communication chips are mounted on the backside.

...The cameras could be used to acquire a highly-magnified view of the world around them while the sensors would be the centerpiece to applications similar to what we use on smartphones like navigation. The wireless aspect could leech information from local open networks, satellites, or provide communication between a pair of Smart Gloves. (Source)

As with nearly all computer interface and intelligence-driven systems, the funding and implementation has its origins in the military-industrial complex, and are likely to have been in existence for at least decades before trickling down to the consumer level.

While info-glass makers Google and Microsoft both naturally tout the entertainment value, as well as the value of "capturing those special moments," it would be naive not to also consider the ease with which people would begin to surveil and record one another. As this technology flourishes, full-time audio and video recordings will be stored, all in the blink of an eye.

With two intelligence agency-connected tech behemoths like Google and Microsoft investing so vigorously, a "smart" future appears to be on the way. And as government is now openly embracing a Minority Report-like future of pre-crime high-tech surveillance systems with their help, combined with a stated mission to intercept conversations and track Internet activity in real time, we should probably ask ourselves how much we really want to contribute to that endeavor by purchasing full-spectrum surveillance applications.

Additional sources for this article:
http://pressblue.com/google-project-glass-release-date-scheduled-for-2014/1171/andrea-weidlemeyer

Read other articles by Nicholas West Here

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Source: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/11/google-and-microsoft-investing-in.html

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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Rihanna Gets Her Turkey Stuffed By Chris Brown On Thanksgiving!

Rihanna, who just completed her 777 mini tour, flew to Germany to spend Thanksgiving with her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. The singer recently stated they are not together, but onlookers that saw them at the Berlin club disagree. Are Chris Brown and Rihanna together or not? She recently told Ellen DeGeneres she is single and told ...

Rihanna Gets Her Turkey Stuffed By Chris Brown On Thanksgiving! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/11/rihanna-gets-her-turkey-stuffed-by-chris-brown-on-thanksgiving/

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Friday, November 23, 2012

Lee Valley annouces it's new winter seminars - Family Woodworking

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?28954-Lee-Valley-annouces-it-s-new-winter-seminars

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Here comes TV shows online!!

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/YTcHXtvor18/viewtopic.php

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Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season

Black Friday got off to its earliest start ever as the nation's shoppers put down their turkey and headed straight to the malls.

Stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving that's named Black Friday because it's traditionally when they turn a profit for the year. In fact, generations of shoppers have made Black Friday rituals of going to bed early after munching on turkey and pumpkin pie so that they can head out to stores early the next day.

But Black Friday openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years as stores have experimented with ways to compete with online rivals like Amazon.com that can offer holiday shopping deals at any time and on any day. And this year, crowds gathered across the country as stores such as Target and Toys R Us opened on Thanksgiving evening, while retailers from Macy's to Best Buy opened their doors at midnight on Black Friday.

About 11,000 shoppers were in lines wrapped around Macy's flagship store in New York City's Herald Square when it opened. Joan Riedewald, a private aide for the elderly, and her four children ages six to 18, where among them. By the time they showed up at the department store, Riedewalde had already spent about $100 at Toys R Us and planned to spend another $500 at Macy's before heading to Old Navy.

"I only shop for sales," she said.

Retailers are hoping that the earlier openings will help boost sales this holiday season. It is unclear how many shoppers took advantage of the earlier openings. But about 17 percent of shoppers said earlier this month that they planned to shop at stores that opened on Thanksgiving, according to an International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 consumers. Overall, it's estimated that sales on Black Friday will be up 3.8 percent to $11.4 billion this year.

The earlier hours are an effort by stores to make shopping as convenient as possible for Americans, who they fear won't spend freely during the two-month holiday season in November and December because of economic uncertainty. Many shoppers are worried about high unemployment and a package of tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" that will take effect in January unless Congress passes a budget deal by then. At the same time, Americans have grown more comfortable shopping on websites that offer cheap prices and the convenience of being able to buy something from smartphones, laptops and tablet computers from just about anywhere.

That's put added pressure on brick-and-mortar stores, which can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue during the holiday shopping season, to give consumers a compelling reason to leave their homes. That's becoming more difficult: the National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, estimates that overall sales in November and December will rise 4.1 percent this year to $586.1 billion, or about flat with last year's growth. But the online part of that is expected to rise 15 percent to $68.4 billion, according to Forrester Research.

As a result, brick-and-mortar retailers have been trying everything they can to lure consumers into stores. Some stores tested the earlier hours last year, but this year more retailers opened their doors late on Thanksgiving or earlier on Black Friday. In addition to expanding their hours, many also are offering free layaways and shipping, matching the cheaper prices of online rivals and updating their mobile shopping apps with more information.

"Every retailer wants to beat everyone else," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, a research firm based in Charleston, S.C. "Shoppers love it."

Indeed, some holiday shoppers seemed to find stores' earlier hours appealing. "I ate my turkey dinner and came right here," said Rasheed Ali, a 23-year-old student in New York City who bought a 50-inch Westinghouse TV for $349 and a Singer sewing machine for $50 at a Target in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood that opened at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving. "Then I'm going home and eating more."

Carey Maguire, 33, and her sister Caitlyn Maguire, 21, showed up at the same Target about two hours before it opened. Their goal was to buy several Nook tablet computers, which were on sale for $49. But while waiting in line they were also using their iPhone to do some online buying at rival stores.

"If you're going to spend, I want to make it worth it," said Caitlyn Maguire, a college student.

By the afternoon on Thanksgiving, there were 11 shoppers in a four-tent encampment outside a Best Buy store near Ann Arbor, Mich., that opened at midnight. The purpose of their wait? A $179 40-inch Toshiba LCD television is worth missing Thanksgiving dinner at home.

Jackie Berg, 26, of Ann Arbor, arrived first with her stepson and a friend Wednesday afternoon, seeking three of the televisions. The deal makes the TVs $240 less than their normal price, so Berg says that she'll save more than $700.

"We'll miss the actual being there with family, but we'll have the rest of the weekend for that," she said.

While some hoppers appreciated the early start to the holiday shopping season, some workers were expected to protest the expanded hours. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has been one of the biggest targets of protests against holiday hours. Many of Wal-Mart's stores are open 24 hours, but the company offered early bird specials that once were reserved for Black Friday at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving instead.

The issue is part of a broader campaign against the company's treatment of workers that's being waged by a union-backed group called OUR Walmart, which includes former and current workers. The group is staging demonstrations and walkouts at hundreds of stores on Black Friday.

Mary Pat Tifft, a Wal-Mart employee in Kenosha, Wis., who is a member of OUR Walmart, started an online petition on signon.org that has about 34,000 signatures. "This Thanksgiving, while millions of families plan to spend quality time with their loved ones, Wal-Mart associates have been told we will be stocking shelves and preparing sales starting at 8 p.m.," she wrote on the site.

OUR Walmart said workers walked off their jobs in stores in Dallas, Miami and Kenosha, Wis., on Thursday. But a spokeswoman for the group did not immediately give numbers on how many workers participated.

For their part, retailers say they are giving shoppers what they want. Dave Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said that the discounter learned from shoppers that they want to start shopping right after Thanksgiving dinner. Then, they want to have time to go to bed before they wake up to head back out to the stores.

Still, Tovar said that Wal-Mart works to accommodate its workers' requests for different working hours. "We spent a lot of time talking to them, trying to figure out when would be the best time for our events," he said.

------

D'Innocenzio reported from New York City. Krisher reported from Ann Arbor, Mich., and Toledo, Ohio.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/black-friday-kicks-off-holiday-shopping-season-062412719--finance.html

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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Deployment of Patriots to Turkey could take weeks

FILE - In this May 26, 2010 file photo, a U.S. soldier stands next to a Patriot surface-to-air missile battery at an army base in Morag, Poland. Turkey's government requested the deployment of NATO's Patriot surface-to-air missiles on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012 to bolster its defenses along its border with Syria and prevent a spillover of the civil war in that nation, officials said. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)

BRUSSELS (AP) ? Even if NATO quickly approves Turkey's request for the deployment of Patriot missiles on its border with Syria, winning parliamentary approval, selecting sites for the air defense batteries and transporting them there means they probably wouldn't be operational for weeks.

Syria's civil war has left Turkey the target of artillery and mortar fire. Syria is believed to have several hundred ballistic surface-to-surface missiles in its arsenal capable of carrying chemical warheads.

Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S. have the advanced PAC-3 model Patriots that Turkey wants for intercepting ballistic missiles, but if they come from the two European countries, their parliaments may have to vote on that first.

NATO said Wednesday it will consider Turkey's request "without delay," and next week a NATO team will visit the alliance member for a site survey to consider a deployment. Officials say the Patriots would probably be sent by sea.

With events in Syria changing rapidly, and deaths already having occurred on the Turkish side of the border, the wait may leave NATO-member Turkey anxious about its vulnerability to air raids or even chemical attack from across the border.

President Bashar Assad's embattled regime is believed to have one of the largest chemical weapons stockpiles in the world. Fears have risen that a cornered Assad might use them or that they could fall into the hands of extremists, including al-Qaida-inspired militants among the rebels.

Due to the complexity and size of the Patriot batteries, their radars, command-and-control centers, communications and support facilities, they cannot be sent quickly by air to Turkey, officials said.

"These are not drop-and-go systems," said an official who could not be identified in line with standing NATO regulations.

Additional time will be needed to install the systems, realign their radars and link them into Turkey's air defense network before the Patriots can be considered fully operational, the official said.

Speaking to reporters in Pakistan on Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that the deployment was for defensive purposes only.

"This is a measure being taken against certain possible attacks from (the Syrian) side," Erdogan said, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.

But in Moscow, Russia's Foreign Ministry warned Turkey against using the Patriots for "muscle flexing."

"The militarization of the Syrian-Turkish border is an alarming signal," spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said. "We have different advice for our Turkish colleagues ? use their influence with the Syrian opposition to accelerate the start of a political dialogue."

During the Iraq wars in 1999 and 2003, when the Netherlands dispatched Patriot batteries to protect Turkey's border with that nation, the systems were transported by ship and then by road. They took between six weeks and two months to become operational.

No missiles were fired during those conflicts and the batteries were withdrawn soon after the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein's regime.

Unlike Hussein's Iraq, Syria has never used chemical weapons. Analysts say the bigger threat is that the weapons fall into the wrong hands.

Such worries over the fate of advanced weaponry were highlighted last month, when a shadowy militant group known as Jabhat al-Nusra joined Syrian rebels in seizing a government missile defense base.

___

Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-22-NATO-Turkey-Syria/id-c486e6a9ca034bcaa9957b3d3ee7ee64

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Factbox: Euro zone debt crisis: upcoming events

(Reuters) - Following are forthcoming events related to the debt crisis in the euro zone:

GERMANY:

POLITICS:

November 22-23 - Chancellor Angela Merkel attends two-day summit of EU leaders in Brussels on a new seven-year budget for the bloc.

November 23 - ECB President Mario Draghi and German Finance Minister Schaeuble speak at Banking Congress in Frankfurt on the future of the Euro Zone.

November 24 - German Pirate Party holds party conference.

November 29 - Bundesbank President Weidmann speaks in Berlin at economic affairs council of the Christian Democrats.

November 29 - European Central Bank Executive Board member Joerg Asmussen speaks at a banking conference.

DEBT ISSUES:

November 26 - Issues 3 billion euros of 12-month Bubills

November 28 - Tops up 3 billion euros of 5-year Bobl

EUROPEAN UNION:

November 22-23 - Summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels to discuss EU long-term budget for 2014-2020. Hopes for an agreement are slim, with Britain pushing for a cut in real terms to the 1 trillion euro budget, while France refuses to countenance any reduction in farm subsidies.

November 26 - Meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Brussels to discuss giving approval for next aid payment to Greece, and to decide on deadlines for Athens to meet economic targets.

December 3 - Meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Brussels.

December 4 - Meeting of all EU finance ministers in Brussels.

December 13-14 - Summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels.

2013:

January 21 - Meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Brussels.

January 22 - Meeting of all EU finance ministers in Brussels.

February 7-8 - Summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels.

February 11 - Meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Brussels.

February 12 - Meeting of all EU finance ministers in Brussels.

March 4 - Meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Brussels.

March 5 - Meeting of all EU finance ministers in Brussels.

March 14-15 - Summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels.

GREECE:

POLITICS:

- International lenders failed for the second week to reach a deal to release emergency aid for Greece and will try again next Monday, but Germany signaled that significant divisions remain.

- Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras meets Juncker in Brussels on Thursday and has cancelled a trip to Qatar next week to monitor the talks.

- Samaras is under growing pressure from his own coalition allies and the opposition after pushing through deeply unpopular austerity measures that he said were the only way to get more aid to avert bankruptcy.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS:

November 29 - October PPI

November 30 - September Retail Sales

ITALY:

- The centre-left is holding a primary vote on November 25 to select its candidate for prime minister. If there is no outright winner, a run-off will be held on December 2. The centre-right is expected to hold a primary on December 16.

- Months of negotiations among the parties over which voting system will be used at the national elections have still failed to produce an agreement, but a proposal is scheduled to be debated on the Senate floor, probably starting on November 27. Technocrat prime minister Mario Monti has said he will not run at the election, but would be willing to serve a second term if no clear winner emerges from the vote.

DEBT ISSUES:

November 27 - Treasury to auction zero coupon bonds (CTZs) and bonds linked to euro zone inflation (BTPEIs)

November 28 - Treasury to auction short-term bills (BOTs)

November 29 - Treasury to auction medium and long-term debt (BTPs)

SPAIN:

REFORM/ECONOMY:

- Pension reform expected before year end. Decision to be taken on whether to raise pensions in line with inflation after November consumer prices are announced, November 30.

- Government working on creation of 'bad bank' to hive off banks' bad property debts; to be in place by end November.

- Spain under pressure to ask for European aid to bring down financing costs.

- Regional elections in Catalonia on November 25.

DEBT AUCTIONS

November 22 - Bond auction

November 27 - 3-month, 6-month T-bill auctions

December 5 - Bond auction

December 11 - 12-month, 18-month T-bill auctions

December 13 - Bond auction

December 18 - 3-month, 6-month T-bill auctions

PORTUGAL:

- On November 19, Portugal passed the latest bailout review by its EU, ECB and IMF lenders, who earlier eased the budget deficit goals for this year and next after tax revenues fell amid the recession.

- The economy is expected to contract 3 percent in 2012 after a drop in output of 1.6 percent in 2011. The government expects a 1 percent contraction in 2013. The new deficit goal is 5 percent and 4.5 percent in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

- The government insists it does not need additional rescue funds, although many economists doubt Portugal can fully return to bond markets when the bailout funds run out in late 2013. Its 2013 budget bill contains heavy tax hikes to meet the bailout goals.

- The government has promised to prepare a reform of state spending to present to its lenders early next year.

POLITICS:

November 22-November 26 - Parliament discusses a few minor changes to draft 2013 budget after the bill was approved in the first reading on October 31. The budget could be sent to the country's constitutional court for checks at some time in coming weeks.

November 27 - Final vote on 2013 budget. CGTP union organizes rally in Lisbon next to parliament to protest against 2013 tax hikes.

GOVERNMENT DEBT SUPPLY:

December 31 - Deadline for IGCP debt agency to present first-quarter debt issuance plans.

FRANCE:

- France has pledged to press ahead with economic reform after Moody's became the second major credit ratings agency to strip the country of its triple-A badge, citing a failure to enact structural and fiscal reforms and its exposure to the euro zone crisis. Standard & Poor's downgraded France in January.

- President Francois Hollande has repeatedly said Europe should examine its pace of deficit-cutting as data show the euro zone has sunk back into recession.

- The government has said it is on track to trim its deficit to 4.5 percent of GDP this year, after the economy posted surprise growth in the third quarter, and has reiterated its 3.0 percent target for 2013.

- France has rejected a draft seven-year budget plan for the European Union because of proposed cuts to agricultural subsidies, of which France is the main beneficiary. EU leaders are set to discuss the budget at a November 22-23 summit.

IRELAND:

- Ireland passed the latest quarterly review of its 85 billion euro EU/IMF bailout on October 25. Officials from the ECB, European Commission and IMF will return for their next review in January.

- Troika officials are assisting Ireland in the drafting of proposals to ease the terms of its expensive bank bailout after leaders agreed to look into it at June's EU summit. The government will also presents its budget for 2013 in December.

- Ireland's debt agency sold new long-term government bonds for the first time since before its EU/IMF bailout at the end of July, the most significant step in a bid to avert a 2014 funding cliff that threatens to leave it needing extra aid.

- The government is due to unveil 3.5 billion euros worth of fiscal adjustments in its 2013 budget to be published on December 5.

Source: Reuters Bureaux

(Reporting by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit;)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/factbox-euro-zone-debt-crisis-upcoming-events-162636212--business.html

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Step forward in regenerating and repairing damaged nerve cells

ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2012) ? A team of IRCM researchers, led by Dr. Fr?d?ric Charron, recently uncovered a nerve cell's internal clock, used during embryonic development. The discovery was made in collaboration with Dr. Alyson Fournier's laboratory at the Montreal Neurological Institute. Published November 21 in the scientific journal Neuron, this breakthrough could lead to the development of new tools to repair and regenerate nerve cells following injuries to the central nervous system.

Researchers in Dr. Charron's laboratory study neurons, which are the nerve cells that make up the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). They want to better understand how neurons navigate through the developing embryo to arrive at their correct destination.

"To properly form neural circuits, developing axons (long extensions of neurons that form nerves) follow external signals to reach the right targets," says Dr. Fr?d?ric Charron, Director of the Molecular Biology of Neural Development research unit at the IRCM. "We discovered that nerve cells also have an internal clock, which changes their response to external signals as they develop over time."

For this research project, IRCM scientists focused on the Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) protein, which gives cells important information for the embryo to develop properly and plays a critical role in the development of the central nervous system.

"It is known that axons follow the Shh signal during their development," explains Dr. Patricia Yam, research associate in Dr. Charron's laboratory and first author of the study. "However, axons change their behaviour once they reach this protein, and this has been a mystery for the scientific community. We found that a nerve cell's internal clock switches its response to external signals when it reaches the Shh protein, at which time it becomes repelled by the Shh signal rather than following it."

"Our findings therefore showed that more than one system is involved in directing axon pathfinding during development," adds Dr. Yam. "Not only do nerve cells respond to external signals, but they also have an internal control system. This discovery is important because it offers new possibilities for developing techniques to regenerate and repair damaged nerve cells. Along with trying to modify external factors, we can now also consider modifying elements inside a cell in order to change its behaviour."

Injuries to the central nervous system affect thousands of Canadians every year, and can lead to lifelong disabilities. Most often caused by an accident, stroke or disease, these injuries are very difficult to repair. New tools are therefore required to repair damage to the central nervous system, including techniques that could potentially regenerate nerve cells.

"The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is delighted to support research aimed at improving the lives of individuals with damage to the brain or spinal cord," says Dr. Anthony Phillips, Scientific Director of CIHR's Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. ''Nerve cell repair and regeneration remains an important health challenge, and we believe that Dr. Charron's research findings will contribute to the solution."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal.

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

Journal Reference:

Patricia?T. Yam, Christopher?B. Kent, Steves Morin, W.?Todd Farmer, Ricardo Alchini, L?a Lepelletier, David?R. Colman, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Alyson?E. Fournier, Fr?d?ric Charron. 14-3-3 Proteins Regulate a Cell-Intrinsic Switch from Sonic Hedgehog-Mediated Commissural Axon Attraction to Repulsion after Midline Crossing. Neuron, 2012; 76 (4): 735 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.09.017

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/~3/kr52VUJuCaE/121121145638.htm

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Rice: Defections On The Left?

By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone ) and AMY WALTER ( @amyewalter )

NOTABLES:

HILLARY CLINTON HEADS TO THE MIDDLE EAST: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hastily departed Cambodia and is headed to the Middle East to deal with the escalating violence that has gripped the region for the last week, reports ABC's Reena Ninan, Mary Bruce, Matt Gutman and Anthony Castellano. Clinton is scheduled to arrive in Jerusalem later tonight to meet with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes. Clinton will also meet with Palestinian officials in Ramallah before heading to Cairo to meet with leaders in Egypt. A senior Israeli government official told ABC News that Netanyahu has decided to hold off on a ground invasion for a "limited time" in favor of a diplomatic solution. http://abcn.ws/QrpqVZ

CLINTON'S MESSAGE: ABC's Dana Hughes hears from a State Department official that Clinton's visit "will build on American engagement with regional leaders over the past days - including intensive engagement by President Obama with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Morsi - to support de-escalation of violence and a durable outcome that ends the rocket attacks on Israeli cities and towns and restores a broader calm. ? She will emphasize the United States' interest in a peaceful outcome that protects and enhances Israel's security and regional stability; that can lead to improved conditions for the civilian residents of Gaza; and that can reopen the path to fulfill the aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis for two states living in peace and security. She will continue to express U.S. concern for the loss of civilian life on both sides."

NOTED: OBAMA UP UNTIL 2:30AM MAKING MIDDLE EAST CALLS: President Obama was on the phone until 2:30 am with leaders in the region trying to de-escalate the violence, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters traveling with the president in Asia. ABC's Mary Bruce reports, the president spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Egyptian President Morsi.

THIS WEEK ON "THIS WEEK" - SUNDAY SHAVE-OFF: What does a pair of buzz shears have to do with bringing bipartisanship to Washington? ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports that this Sunday on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," the top spokesmen for the Republican and Democratic National Committees will set aside their differences to settle a political bet - and it all benefits a good cause. Before the presidential election, Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse made a bet with his Republican counterpart, Sean Spicer, who's spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. The deal: Whoever's candidate won the election would shave the loser's head, on national television. But rather than let Spicer go bald alone, the pair decided to team up to support the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a national group that raises money for childhood cancer research grants by shaving the heads of volunteers. They've both agreed to lose their locks for charity, and - with a little razor help from ABC's Jon Karl - you can catch their hair-raising transformation Nov. 25 on "This Week." HOW TO DONATE: http://bit.ly/TU4m7b

FROM THE LEFT: "After the election, I was excited that I'd be shaving Sean's head instead of him shaving mine," Woodhouse wrote on his online fundraising page. "But, when we learned about St. Baldrick's, we decided that we should BOTH shave, making our bet pay off for kids fighting cancer." FROM THE RIGHT: Spicer, who lost the bet after Republican presidential contender Gov. Mitt Romney conceded the election to President Barack Obama, said the shave-off is about more than just politics. "We're not just honoring a bet," Spicer wrote on his fundraising page. "We're having our heads shaved to stand in solidarity with kids fighting cancer, but more importantly, to raise money to find cures."

THE NOTE:

It was President Obama at his most fired up.

The question, from ABC's Jonathan Karl at his news conference last week, was about threats from Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham indicating they favored Watergate-style hearings about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi - with U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice at the center of that inquiry.

Would those threats deter the president from naming Rice his next Secretary of State, Karl asked?

"For them to go after the U.N. Ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi, and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and to besmirch her reputation is outrageous," Obama said, adding: "When they go after the U.N. Ambassador, apparently because they think she's an easy target, then they've got a problem with me."

But just yesterday nearly 100 Republican members of the House co-signed a letter opposing Obama's possible nomination of Rice as the nation's top diplomat.

"Though Ambassador Rice has been our Representative to the U.N., we believe her misleading statements over the days and weeks following the attack on our embassy in Libya that led to the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans caused irreparable damage to her credibility both at home and around the world," according to the letter.

And there's more for President Obama to worry about than just the upset on the right. Some left-leaning voices are also warning the president too.

Over the weekend, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd argued that Rice, who "who has a bull-in-a-china-shop reputation ? would have been wise to be more bull-in-a-china-shop and vet her talking points, given that members of the intelligence and diplomatic communities and sources in news accounts considered it a terrorist attack days before Rice went on the shows." http://nyti.ms/U72mdX

And Washington Post scribe Dana Milbank criticized Rice's "shoot-first tendency" and her "pugilism."

"[The] nation's top diplomat needs to show more sensitivity and independence - traits Clinton has demonstrated in abundance," Milbank opined. "Obama can do better at State than Susan Rice." http://wapo.st/RHCT8U

To be sure, Rice continues to enjoy powerful defenders within Democratic ranks. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee stood up for the embattled U.N. Ambassador while speaking to reporters on Friday.

"We have seen wrong intelligence before, and it all surrounded our going into Iraq, and a lot of people were killed based on bad intelligence," Feinstein said. "I don't think that's fair game. I think mistakes get made - you don't pillory the person."

Last week, President Obama struck a note of defiance, but said he had yet to make up his mind about who he wants to fill Hillary Clinton's shoes.

Referring to Rice, Obama said: "If I think that she would be the best person to serve America in the capacity of the State Department, then I will nominate her. That's not a determination that I've made yet."

As Time Magazine's Jay Newton-Small wrote today, in the end it may come to a cost-benefit calculation: "With a high-risk, high-reward nomination like Rice, Obama must ask himself if he's willing to spend the political capital. Is she worth it? These are questions only he can answer." http://ti.me/Wg93Ii

THE BUZZ:

with ABC's Elizabeth Hartfield ( @LizHartfield)

SPINNERS AND WINNERS: A GOP PLAN FOR 2016. In the latest episode of his ABC/Yahoo! Power Players series "Spinners and Winners" ABC's Jonathan Karl interviews Kentucky Senator Rand Paul about his future ambitions, and his thoughts on a new direction for the GOP. Though Paul's father Ron, the frequent presidential candidate, is retiring at the end of the year, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says he may follow in his father's footsteps and run for president in 2016. "I'm not going to deny that I'm interested," Sen. Paul tells ABC's Jonathan Karl about his presidential aspirations. While Paul is quick to add that he isn't ready to make a decision about a presidential bid yet, he is not hesitant to say that the Republican Party needs a new message. "I think we have to go a different direction because we're just not winning and we have to think about some different ideas," says the senator. http://yhoo.it/XwjI8b

IN CAMBODIA, OBAMA HAILS 'CONSTRUCTIVE' US-CHINA RELATIONSHIP. President Obama today said the United States and China have taken a "cooperative and constructive approach" to their relationship, as he came face-to-face with the rising economic power that his administration is trying to counter-balance in the region reports ABC's Mary Bruce. Meeting with outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit, Obama reiterated his commitment to working with China, despite the tenuous relationship between the two economic superpowers. In his first post-election meeting with a Chinese leader, Obama stressed that "we work to establish clear rules of the road internationally for trade and investment, which can increase prosperity and global growth." http://abcn.ws/Q7jos7

ANALYSIS: PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS SMALL EDGE ON 'FISCAL CLIFF' LEVERAGE. The Wall Street Journal's Gerald Seib reports: "Any negotiator will tell you that the key in a bargaining session is knowing at the outset who has leverage, and where it comes from. So it is in the great deficit-cutting showdown now under way between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans. The problem the GOP face is relatively simple: In the aftermath of the election, the leverage in this negotiation has shifted, slightly but perceptibly, toward the president. Top White House officials insist that they will be careful not to over-read their advantage or their electoral mandate and say they realize the need to avoid hubris. And indeed, at a time when political power is so evenly balanced between the two parties, neither side has a huge amount of leverage. Advantages can be fleeting." http://on.wsj.com/100OBQn

AFTER OBAMA, CHRISTIE WANTS A G.O.P. HUG. The New York Times' Michael Barbaro reports: "A few days after Hurricane Sandy shattered the shores of New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie picked up the phone to take on a different kind of recovery work: taming the Republican Party fury over his effusive embrace of President Obama. On Nov. 3, Mr. Christie called Rupert Murdoch, the influential News Corporation chief and would-be kingmaker, who had warned in a biting post on Twitter that the governor might be responsible for Mr. Obama's re-election. Mr. Christie has been explaining himself to Republicans ever since." http://nyti.ms/UFtkph

BOEHNER TIGHTENS GRIP ON GOP RANK AND FILE AHEAD OF DEFICIT TALKS. The Hill's Molly K. Hooper reports: "Speaker John Boehner is tightening his grip on the House Republican Conference weeks before an anticipated vote on a deficit deal. The Ohio Republican has smoothed over differences with Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), expanded his powers on the panel that doles out plum committee assignments, shot down a challenge to his earmark moratorium and worked behind the scenes to ensure that Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) would win her leadership contest. All of Boehner's moves are aimed at shoring up his influence over the GOP conference, which in turn maximizes the Speaker's leverage with President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate." http://bit.ly/USxfoI

POLL: MORE FOLLOWING 'FISCAL CLIFF' DEBATE THAN PETRAEUS SCANDAL. A new poll from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that nearly identical percentages of Republicans (36%) and Democrats (35%) say they very closely followed the debate over the automatic spending cuts and tax increases that will take effect at the beginning of next year unless the president and Congress act. Fewer Republicans and Democrats are interested in the Petraeus investigation - 28% to 21% respectively. http://bit.ly/T97NGj

ALLEN WEST CONCEDES IN FLORIDA. The AP's Matt Sedensky reports: "Tea party freshman Allen West gave up his fight to remain in Congress on Tuesday after two weeks of recount battles in court. The first-term Republican said in a statement he was conceding the race to Democrat Patrick Murphy, a 29-year-old political newcomer. Murphy had held the lead in the race since the wee hours of Election Night, but West's campaign questioned the voting results in South Florida's District 18. After several appearances in court and two partial recounts in St. Lucie County, West said his fight was over." http://apne.ws/WsTwtI

MARCO RUBIO TALKS RAP, EMINEM, AND HIS BEST FRIENDS. A self-proclaimed "hip-hop fan," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has never hidden his love of music, and in an interview with GQ Magazine, he talked bout his respect for the lyrics of Eminem and revealed his top three favorite rap songs - "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A., "Killuminati" by Tupac, and Eminem's "Lose Yourself." ABC's Arlette Saenz reports, Rubio is considered a likely contender for the 2016 presidential race, but while he is far from making any official announcement about a 2016 bid, he has started to boost his profile in some of the early primary states. Over the weekend, Rubio attended a fundraiser and birthday party in honor of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. http://abcn.ws/WgDuya

FIRST LADY HONORS TOP AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS. Pairing Mariachi professionals with students, putting young journalists on the radio and preserving Chinese oral traditions; the nation's top extracurricular programs for the arts and humanities were honored today in an awards ceremony at the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama, who is honorary chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, presided over the event, ABC's Matt Larotonda reports. Twelve programs from around the country were recognized for what Mrs. Obama called, "those pushing and inspiring" children, "revealing their boundless promise, and teaching them to believe in themselves." http://abcn.ws/WsO4H4

WHO'S TWEETING?

@mlcalderone: How many journalists in Gaza? Over 170 entered through Israel; unclear how many through Egypt: http://huff.to/TVI1pX

@daveweigel: Bogus schadenfreude for Dems: The Allen West strategist promising to fight on was Chris LaCivita, of Swift Boat fame.

@SJLorber: Defense cuts looming, a struggle to save $3 bill in govt contracts to workers w/ severe disabilities http://roll.cl/T0O4Zg

@SabrinaSiddiqui: Messina says the dumbest move the Romney campaign ever made was the Jeep ad - put them on the defense in the last few weeks.

@ArletteSaenz: Happy 70th Birthday to @VP @JoeBiden!

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