Cafe Liz | Mustard greens salad with marinated pear and fennel | the ...

My greens guy must really like me. I mean, given how much I spend at his stand every week, how could he not? One day he went chasing after me as I made my way through the Carmel Market. Admittedly, I?d just paid for a big bag full of vegetables and absentmindedly walked away without it, but still.

Actually, I have two greens guys. One sells me fat bunches of herbs and loose salad greens ? I?m not talking about him. I?m talking about the one who on any given week has a few kinds of green beans, usually some broccoli, bright green turkish spinach when in season, and occasionally things like brussels sprouts, napa cabbage, birds eye chilis and other vegetables loved by East Asian foreign workers and erstwhile Thai backpackers.

One week, after filling my bag there with everything leafy and green, and racking up quite the bill in the process (well, in shook terms; at least I splurge on spinach and not, say, shoes), I spotted a bunch of rough, ragged green leaves that I didn?t recognize.

Mustard greens, the seller told me.

Mustard is one of the many plants that grows wild here, and this is the season for all things leafy and green, but you?re unlikely to find mustard shoots quite that beautiful growing randomly in central Tel Aviv. OK, I?ll take a bunch of those too, I told the seller. He smiled approvingly. Hard sell, right?

I spent the rest of the week thinking about what to do with them. They?re sturdy but still soft enough to eat raw, and have a distinctive flavor ? slightly spicy, slightly bitter ? and I wanted to give them pride of place as the focus of a dish. What better way to do so than served raw, as the base of a salad?

I paired them with some other market finds ? sweet fennel and pear, marinated until soft ? and tossed in some tarragon to accent the light licorice flavor of the fennel. The result is an elegant salad in shades of green with a distinctive bittersweet flavor, perfect for an early spring day such as Tu Bishvat ? Arbor Day.

As for the other greens guy ? I have the best photo of him with my son, back when the latter was a tiny thing, only two months old. He?s staring at all the people passing in front of the stand on that busy shopping day in the Carmel Market. Baby. Mind. Is. Blown. Nowadays he?d be grabbing at all those greens and trying to eat them. Rightly so.

For about 4 servings, depending how you define a serving:

• half a medium-sized fennel, thinly sliced (about 100 grams, or 1/4 lb.)
• one medium-sized pear, thinly sliced (about 100 grams, or 1/4 lb.)
• half a medium-sized onion, sliced into thin rings (about 50 grams ? 2 oz.)
• 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (you could try date honey instead; I was all out)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch of mustard greens, coarsely ripped (about 200 grams, or 1/2 lb.)
• big drizzle of olive oil (25 grams ? 2 tablespoons)
• Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

In a bowl, mix the fennel, pear slices and onion with the vinegar, sugar and salt, and let sit for about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to make sure the dressing is coating the fruit and vegetable slices. They should reduce in volume somewhat as the dressing pulls out their liquid.

Toss the marinated pear, onion and fennel (without the liquid) with the greens and the herbs, and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Serve.

Source: http://food.lizsteinberg.com/2013/01/30/mustard-greens-salad-with-marinated-pear-and-fennel/

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Giffords's short, but "bold" message to Congress

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, grievously wounded in a 2011 mass shooting, made an emotional plea on Wednesday for Congress to take action to curb gun violence, but a National Rifle Association executive said new gun laws "have failed in the past and they'll fail again."

Speaking haltingly, Giffords urged lawmakers to be bold and courageous as she opened testimony at the first congressional hearing on gun violence since the December 14 massacre in which a gunman shot dead 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Responding to outrage across the country following that incident, President Barack Obama and other Democrats have asked Congress to pass the largest package of gun restrictions in decades.

"Speaking is difficult. But I need to say something important," Giffords, who survived a head wound in an assassination attempt in Tucson, Arizona in which six people were killed and 13 others wounded, told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying - too many children. We must do something. It will be hard, but the time is now," said Giffords, who was accompanied by her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly. "You must act. Be bold, be courageous. Americans are counting on you."

Obama's proposals to curb gun violence include reinstating the U.S. ban on military-style assault weapons, limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines, and more extensive background checks of prospective gun buyers, largely to verify whether they have a history of crime or mental illness.

Witnesses and lawmakers at the hearing agreed on the constitutional right to own guns but clashed over Obama's proposals, particularly the call for universal background checks for all gun buyers. That is seen as the most likely restriction to gain bipartisan support in a sharply divided Congress.

Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president and CEO of the powerful gun rights lobbying group the National Rifle Association, dismissed Obama's plan to close loopholes in the background check law.

"Let's be honest, background checks will never be universal because criminals will never submit to them," LaPierre said.

Federally licensed firearms dealers are required to run background checks for criminal records on gun buyers. But the government estimates that 40 percent of purchasers avoid screening by obtaining their guns from private sellers, including those at gun shows.

Kelly said tightening background checks for all gun buyers would be one of the most important ways to prevent guns from falling into the hands of criminals or the mentally ill.

"I mean, I can't think of something that would make our country safer than doing just that," Kelly testified, calling it the "common sense thing to do."

Obama's gun restrictions face a difficult challenge getting through the Democratic-led Senate and Republican-led House of Representatives, where many Republicans and some pro-gun Democrats have long opposed stronger gun-control laws.

'AWASH IN GUNS'

LaPierre said the proposals would not reduce gun violence and called for more active prosecution of current laws and improved protection for schools, including armed guards.

"Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals," LaPierre said. "We need to be honest about what works and what does not work. Proposals that would only serve to burden the law-abiding have failed in the past and they'll fail again."

Senator Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, sharply challenged LaPierre, saying the city of Chicago in his home state is "awash in guns."

"We have guns everywhere, and some believe the solution to this is more guns," he said. "I disagree."

LaPierre and some Republicans on the panel said there has been a decline in prosecution of gun laws since Obama took office in 2009. "It's a disgrace," he said.

While background checks are seen as the most likely common ground in the renewed gun-control debate, Obama's plan to ban the sale of rapid-firing assault weapons like the one used in the Connecticut shootings faces much tougher opposition.

Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the committee, said the 1994 federal ban on assault weapons, which expired in 2004, did not stop mass shootings like the one at Columbine High School in Colorado.

"We should not rush to pass legislation that will not reduce mass killings. Banning guns based on their appearance does not make sense," Grassley said. "I also question limitations on magazine capacity. Those can be circumvented by carrying multiple guns, as many killers have done."

Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, said the panel hoped to finish its work on gun-control legislation by late February and send it to the Senate floor.

That could ignite a fierce legislative battle in Congress at a time when lawmakers are also wrestling with ambitious immigration reform proposals and urgent deadlines to reach agreement on federal spending.

The hearing featured a few sharp exchanges, including one between Leahy and LaPierre over the NRA's position on background checks. "I do not believe, the way the law is working now unfortunately, that it does any good to extend the law," LaPierre said.

Kelly, who along with Giffords recently founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, a group intended to combat gun violence, said the couple was in favor of gun ownership but against gun violence. "When dangerous people get dangerous guns, we are all the more vulnerable," he said.

Leahy made clear whatever measures would be considered to rein in gun violence, there would be no move to erode the fundamental right of Americans to own a gun, which is protected under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a former federal prosecutor, agreed with the NRA that the government needs to better enforce existing gun laws.

"You have to prosecute," Sessions said.

(Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amid-questions-senate-begins-hearings-gun-control-115838971.html

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Private survey shows employers added 192,000 jobs in January

New York?

Private-sector employers added 192,000 jobs in January, more than economists had expected, indicating Friday?s jobs report from the government may be a good one.

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The numbers, from a private survey by payroll processor ADP, provided a glimmer of optimism about the economy the same morning the government reported the nation?s GDP contracted in the fourth quarter.

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?It feels to me that the job market is improving,? said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody?s Analytics. ?Job growth has accelerated.?

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Job growth is now hovering at about 175,000 jobs a month, he said, which should be enough to bring the unemployment rate down every month. Zandi predicts the unemployment rate, currently at 7.8%, will fall to 7.3% by the end of the year, and will dip below 7% by this time next year.

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Although the ADP report showed weakness in the manufacturing sector, probably related to sluggish European economies, it showed growth in construction, trade and professional and business services.

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Small businesses, with one to 49 employees, provided the bulk of the hiring, ADP said. Small businesses added 115,000 jobs. Medium businesses, with 50 to 499 employees, added 79,000. Large businesses actually shed 2,000 jobs in January.

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The ADP report only tracks private-sector employment, while Friday?s jobs report also includes the government sector, which has been contracting for the better part of two years. The numbers usually provide some guidance to economists about what to expect from the national job figures, although last month, ADP showed employers had added 215,000 private-sector jobs, while the government figures showed that the private sector added just 168,000.

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Zandi was quick to emphasize the good news about the ADP report, while downplaying the surprising GDP contraction. He said that when the government revises the number, he expects it will show growth, rather than contraction, in the fourth quarter.

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?I will be surprised if we end up with negative quarter,? he said.

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Still, GDP growth will only grow 1.5% in the first quarter of this year, he said, which is not a very impressive number. That?s because a payroll tax was restored after two years, meaning consumers have less take-home pay, and probably will spend less as they adjust to their new finances.

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average, on the brink of passing 14,000, was down in early market trading.

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ALSO:

Economy shrinks unexpectedly in fourth quarter

U.S. economy grows by 155,000 jobs in December

Consumers to see smaller paychecks despite fiscal cliff deal

Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-adpreport-20130130,0,5146393.story?track=rss

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Samsung Galaxy Pop SHV-E220S debuts in Korea; pack quad-core CPU, HD display

Samsung has announced another quad-core powered smartphone in South Korea. Dubbed as Galaxy Pop SHV-E220S (don?t confuse it with entry-level Galaxy Pop, which was launched in India and select other countries), it will go on sale soon. Samsung Galaxy Pop has been priced at 700,000 won (INR 34.5K). The smartphone with join the recently launched Galaxy Grand variant in the country.

The smartphone features Android 4.1, 1.4GHz quad-core processor, LTE ?and 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display. On the imaging front, Galaxy Pop packs a 8MP rear camera and 2MP front-facing camera.

Connectivity-wise, there is NFC, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi. Other features include 2100mAh battery and software enhancements like Smart Stay, S Beam, Popup Play and similar tweaks that were first released in S III. Even the smartphone take its cues from S3.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidosfeeds/~3/l2Tnyw4sYt0/

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Randy Moss: From star to afterthought with 49ers

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Randy Moss strolled to the podium on Super Bowl media day ? his 49ers hat tilted slightly to the left, his sleeves rolled up high to reveal a cross tattooed on one arm, a large "R'' tattooed on the other.

He carried himself very much like the star he once was.

"I don't know how many questions I'm gonna give you," he barked to reporters, before breaking into a smile. "So go ahead."

Then, for the next hour or so, he was the center of attention ? a role he seemed perfectly suited for, even though he kept saying over and over that he just wants to be treated like anyone else.

Moss proclaimed himself "the greatest receiver ever to play this game." He urged all the coaches out there to listen to their players every now and then.

"I'm me," Moss declared. "I just do it my way. That's just how I feel. I don't try to be better than the next man, or break any laws or any rules. Nothing like that. But what do I believe in? I believe in myself. That's just the way I've always done it.

"I know," he quickly added, "there's some people out there who like me, and I know there's a lot of people out there who don't. For what reason, I don't know and don't really care."

Moss was once the NFL's most dominant receiver, but those days are long past. He's 35 now, clearly on the downside of a career that actually seemed over a year ago. After bouncing around to three different teams in 2010, he didn't play at all last season. But, he wasn't ready to walk away from the sport just yet ? and San Francisco gave him a chance to come back for another shot at the ring.

There was one big caveat: Moss would no longer be the center of the offense.

The 49ers had plenty of others ? from receiver Michael Crabtree to tight end Vernon Davis to running back Frank Gore. Now that Colin Kaepernick has taken over at quarterback, it's easy to forget that No. 84 is even on the field. Sure, Moss is savoring the 49ers' run to the Super Bowl, where they'll face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but he's still struggling to get his arms around the idea of being an afterthought on the field.

"I've always considered myself a playmaker," he said. "Blocking? Yeah, I understand that's part of the game. Me going out to be decoy? Yeah, I know that's part of the game. But for me not to be out here making plays is something I just don't understand."

Then, he remembered why he's here.

"If that's going to win me a ring," Moss said, "yeah, I accept that."

He came oh-so-close during the 2007 season, teaming with Tom Brady to lead New England to an unbeaten regular season and two more wins in the playoffs. Then, in the game that really mattered, the high-powered Patriots were shut down in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants, who rallied for a stunning 17-14 upset after David Tyree ? not Moss ? made a catch that left everyone in awe.

It's a game Moss has never bothered to watch on video. It's a game that sticks with him to this day ? and probably will forever, even if the 49ers win on Sunday.

"There's just something about '07, being undefeated going into a Super Bowl and losing it like that," he said. "I'll never forget that moment because it's not fun when you're sweating and you have confetti dropping down and sticking to your face and knowing that you're not on the winning side of the confetti."

Surely, someone asked, winning this time would ease the pain from five seasons ago.

Not so, Moss replied.

"If I win this one, that means I could have had two," he said. "That's something I'll never forget."

Moss' last big season came with the Patriots in 2009, when he had 83 receptions for 1,264 yards and 13 touchdowns. The following year was a mess, largely of his own making.

His days in New England were numbered before the season opener when Moss complained about not getting a contract extension and said he didn't feel wanted. After week four, he was traded back to Minnesota, his original team, but that didn't last, either. Moss griped about then-coach Brad Childress and was waived, finishing out the dismal, miserable campaign in Tennessee.

Not surprisingly, no one jumped at the chance to offer Moss a job in 2011.

It looked as though retirement had arrived, whether he wanted it or not.

Moss used the off year to reconnect with his children, to get in some fishing, to watch some games on Sundays. But he also shed some tears, pained at the idea of ending his career before he was ready to go. He made sure to stay in shape, just in case someone wanted to give him another chance.

"I love this game of football so much," Moss said. "I don't like everything that comes with it, but going out on the field between the white lines and playing football is something I've always done. I've been doing it since I was 6 years old. For me to be able to just walk away from the game, knowing that I wasn't ready, mentally or physically, it really hurt me, man. It really depressed me."

Then came a call from the 49ers, who had come up just short of the Super Bowl during his season away. They felt Moss was one of those players who might help them get over the hump ? not so much for what he could do on the field, but the impact he might have on the youngsters in the locker room.

Moss started only two games, finishing with 28 catches, 434 yards and three TDs. But he had the desired impact on Crabtree and Kaepernick, passing on his many experiences to those who will carry the franchise into the future.

"One thing that impressed me the most about Randy is the way that he works with all the other guys, and not even just the receivers," 49ers fullback Bruce Miller said. "He's so knowledgeable about the game of football that he coaches other positions and has all kinds of tips and reminders for everyone."

As the Superdome clock ticked down to zero, indicating the 49ers' hour-long media session was over, Moss continued to chat away at the podium.

Finally, Davis came over to pull him away.

It was almost as if Moss wanted to cling to the spotlight as long as possible.

"It's been fun," he said. "But I've got to go."

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/randy-moss-star-afterthought-49ers-232401818--nfl.html

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The Balanced way to structure a speech - Ginger Public Speaking

Balance is one of the six qualities of an Inspiring Speaker. But how does balance help you to structure a speech? Without a strong and balanced structure, your speech structure will be like a gingerbread house with no icing to hold it together: just a collection of pieces that nobody can make sense of. Let?s investigate?

Writing a speech is easy.

We can all write something down on paper that might be spoken out as a speech, can?t we? It just might not be very good? But if you?re trying to be influential, or even inspiring with your speaking it?s getting the speech structure right that?s the tricky part.

One of the biggest speech writing mistakes speakers make is to try to pack in too much information into their structure. Like a gingerbread house that?s designed to be part castle, part luxury hotel, part mountain refuge, we will become confused about what your speech is built for.

Other speakers stay focused on one tiny area of their speech structure for too long and then rush the rest of the speech, like making a really beautiful door for your gingerbread house, but having nothing to attach it to.

How to structure a speech

To become experts in structuring a speech, we need to develop the quality of Balance; one of six qualities of an inspiring speaker I speak about in my book ?How to be Brilliant at Public Speaking?. It?s the quality that tells us: ?Yes, this information should go in my speech structure and this information should be left out this time.?

Balance is developing an understanding of which information goes where in a speech structure.

Balance in public speaking is like building a beautiful gingerbread house structure with a solid foundation and stable walls. It?s about concocting your ?icing? to be just the right consistency to hold the structure together. If the structure of your speech is wobbling in front of you as you speak and you?re making on-the-spot decisions about what information to put where? your audience will not see the full power of your message.?

Structuring a speech the Balanced Way

To develop a powerful speech structure, think about the following four things -?

1.?Choose speech content that contains just the right amount of just the right type of information

2. Create a powerful flow of information

• Seek a structure that turns up the intensity as you progress through your speech.
• Keep the audience?s attention throughout your speech by building to a climax, rather than peaking too soon. Your structure should always show them a reason why they should keep listening, but don?t quite satisfy that reason until just before the end of your speech.
• Use your structure to build that intensity over time to a crescendo then end quickly. This allows the audience to remember your peak and not a 10 minute droning ending that never ends. (Think ?out with a whimper?)

3. Find your narrative

Think of a familiar or archetypical plot or storyline that you can structure your speech. This will help your speech to be more memorable to your audience. Here are 4 of the most common speech narratives:

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Melodrama Structure:

A story personal to the speaker with a similar structure to many movies. We meet the character and see their circumstances. Then a tragedy occurs. And finally tell how your character overcomes and triumphs over the tragedy. This speech structure creates a journey that will emotionally engage your audience and build credibility.?

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The Tower Structure:

This structure is all about using different layers of information that garners the audience?s attention by supporting your key message. When you (and your audience) finish building the structure together you can look at the power of the structure you?ve created.?

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Mystery?Structure:

Structure your speech around asking a question or presenting a problem to the audience that they are desperate to know. Keep them on the edge of their seats by their desire to hear your crucial message.

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Ping Pong Structure:

Another fun way to structure a speech is to present both sides of the argument in such a way that the audience wants to find out ?Who wins??.?

4. Look for a speech structure that compels your audience to act on your words.?

• Organise your thoughts so that you don?t have to make snap decisions while presenting.
• Structure your speech so that you send your audience home remembering your key messages rather than wondering ?what was that all about??
• Don?t be afraid to edit your speech down to the simplest possible structure. If your structure is simple (without being over simplistic) you will keep everyone on board.
• As you establish your structure and feel confident about it, you are more able to improvise and then come back to the plan. This helps you to be more fresh and empathetic with your audience.

Any time invested in working on the structure of a speech will help you to be more powerful and engaging as a speaker. So, good luck in building a well structured gingerbread house for your audience to gratefully nibble on!

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Want more resources to help you structure a speech and deliver it with power? Sign up for the FREE Ginger Doodles eCourse:

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Fill out the form below to access
6 weeks of public speaking goodness.

** Worry not - I will never ever share your email address. **

Source: http://www.gingerpublicspeaking.com/how-to-structure-a-speech

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Allysia Finley: Mickelson and the Sports Star Tax Migration (WSJ)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/280022025?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth's Relationship ? Their Love Is ...

Miley Cyrus ? you say in your new interview with ?Cosmopolitan? that you?re so happy ?I?m married.? It?s so refreshing to read the words of a star who?s honest about her romantic relationship and is willing to share her feelings with her fans.

Miley Cyrus ? I bet there are a lot of fans thrilled for you right now ? you just told the world that, ?I?m happy I?m married? in your new interview in?Cosmopolitan?s?March 2013 issue.

You were speaking out in an interview for the magazine and you certainly look super on the cover of the issue with your new short, punky hair and going braless in a white?Roberto Cavalli?pantsuit.

Thanks For Being Open, Miley!

But what?s even more impressive than your toned and fit figure is your openness about your deep and enduring feelings and commitment for ?hubby,??Liam Hemsworth, 23.

You talk about how you?re so happy that you?re not dating anymore and that you still can?t believe how gorgeous your man is.

?I?ll literally look at him and be like, ?You are so hot, dear god!? The other day, I turned on the pool heater and it was steaming, and he walked outside and took off his clothes and jumped in the pool. I was like, ?I?m gonna faint ? the hottest guy of my life is in a steaming pool,?? you gushed.

Miley ? Gush Away!

Gushing is refreshing. After all, how many celebrities talk openly about their love lives? Instead, most are quick to say that they?never discuss their personal lives. And they respond to any ?intrusive? questions with horror.

Miley, that is one of the key reasons that your fans love you. A big part of ?being Miley? is being open, unlike so many other celebrities, and really letting the world know how you feel. It makes you lovable and inspirational.

By speaking out about your love and commitment for to Liam when you were just 19 and engaged, you were endorsing the values of monogamy and commitment.

Yes, you were young at 19 to make a commitment to marriage ? but some people do meet their true love at an early age and look forward to a life together.

It?s also impressive in this new?Cosmo interview that you stress that it?s your relationship that?s paramount to you, NOT having a big wedding.

?I feel the bigger the wedding, the more it becomes a target for people to ruin? I don?t know why anyone thinks I?m going to have this huge, extravagant wedding. That is?so?not what I am,? you told?Cosmo.

Is Miley Already Hitched?

Of course the question is ? have you already had a legal wedding or do you just consider Liam to be your husband?

You?ve already posted photos of yourself and Liam wearing what appear to be wedding bands on Twitter. So did you two have a quiet, private family wedding over the Christmas holiday?

Hmm! Well, whether legally married or not, you definitely consider yourself married.

This wasn?t the first time you?ve spoken openly and lovingly about your relationship with Liam. In the Sept. 2012 issue of?Marie Clare?you said that ?life is too short not to be with the person you want to be with,? and that is so insightful and true.

It?s impressive that someone so young has such a mature and loving view of life.

Not the First Time Miley?s Come Down To Earth

Miley also gave insight to?Marie Clare?about what makes her relationship with Liam work so well. ?You don?t put each other down,? she said, and she explained that neither wants to have a film role or another project undermine their future together.

?You want to make sure you are making the best decisions for the people you love? it?s not worth making someone you love unhappy over a [creative choice].?

That?s a lot of openness that Miley chose to share with her fans ? I?m sure in the hopes of helping them with their own relationships.

Now at 20, she says she?s married and thrilled about it. It?s a ringing endorsement for those who have a hard time making a commitment to the institution.

So thank you Miley, for sharing your news and your feelings with your fans instead of shutting the door of privacy. I?m sure there is a lot that you?ve kept private but it?s terrific of you, as a big star, to let the world know that romance still exists!

Watch: Miley Cyrus Admits She?s Married To Liam Hemsworth

??Bonnie Fuller

Source: http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/01/29/miley-cyrus-liam-hemsworth-love-relationship-marriage-interview/

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Iran says it sent monkey into space and back

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran said Monday it has successfully sent a monkey into space, describing the launch as another step toward Tehran's goal of a manned space flight.

According to a brief report on state TV, the rocket dubbed Pishgam, or Pioneer in Farsi, reached a height of 120 kilometers (72 miles). The report gave no other details on the timing or location of the launch, but said the monkey safely returned to earth.

Still images broadcast on state TV showed a small, gray-tufted monkey presumably being prepared for the flight, including wearing a type of body protection and being strapped tightly into a pod that resembled an infant's car seat.

The photos draw historical links to the earliest years of the space race in the 1950s when both the U.S. and Soviet Union tested the boundaries of rocket flight with animals on board, including American capsules carrying monkeys and Moscow's crafts holding dogs. Many of the animals on the flights perished because of equipment failure or technology unable to cope with re-entry from orbit.

Iran has long said it seeks to send an astronaut into space as part of its ambitious aerospace program, including plans for a new space center announced last year. In 2010, Iran said it launched an Explorer rocket into space carrying a mouse, a turtle and worms.

The U.S. and its allies worry that technology from the space program could also be used to develop long-range missiles that could potentially be armed with nuclear warheads. Iran denies it seeks atomic weapons and claims it is pursuing nuclear reactors only for energy and medical applications.

Tehran has announced several successful launches of satellites, dating back to 2005 in a joint project with Russia.

The Islamic Republic has not given details of its planned new space facility, but it already has a major satellite launch complex near Semnan, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Tehran. A satellite monitoring facility is located outside Mahdasht, about 70 kilometers (40 miles) west of the Iranian capital.

Iran says it wants to put its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation, improve telecommunications and expand military surveillance in the region.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-says-sent-monkey-space-back-145110120.html

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Olympic Torch lights up Sligos Peace Mini Olympics : Sligo Sport ...

An Olympic torch was the highlight of Sligo?s Mini Olympics last week (4th ?Dec) when 100 primary school pupils took part in non-competitive games organized by Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership. The Sligo Mini Olympics are designed to increase awareness and understanding of cultural diversity and encourage inclusive celebration among young people.

The Sligo Mini Olympics are funded by the PEACE III Programme through the European Union?s European Regional Development Fund managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by Sligo County Council on behalf of Sligo Peace and Reconciliation Partnership Committee. They were organized by Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership, which is part of the Urban Peace Collective, a project of the PEACE III programme.

The Olympic torch was brought to Sligo by the Irish Sports Council Sports Partnership Officer Michelle Harte, who was a special guest at the event.

Five primary schools, Our Lady of Mercy P.S, St Edward?s N.S, St Brendan?s N.S, St John?s School and Sligo School Project took part in the Mini Olympics. Children at each school received coaching sessions in preparation for the event. Each school represented a country at the Mini Olympics and developed its own flags and banners for the event.

The young athletes took part in hurdles, speed bounce, javelin, hammer, long jump and rebounder relays in mixed teams with pupils from other schools, without the focus of competition.

?Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership were delighted to have Michelle Harte from the Irish Sports Council as our special guest. The Olympic Games are the world?s greatest multi-cultural sporting spectacle and are a means to inspire, stimulate and promote positive messages and good practice through sport,? said Diane Middleton of Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership.For further information on this initiative please contact Diane Middleton, Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership on 071-9161511 or email diane@sligosportandrecreation.ie.

Source: http://www.sligosportandrecreation.ie/2013/01/olympic-torch-lights-up-sligos-peace-mini-olympics/

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Source: http://gavin9505.typepad.com/blog/2013/01/olympic-torch-lights-up-sligos-peace-mini-olympics-sligo-sport.html

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Tips For Knowing The Right Credit Card Terminology | Paixao ...

TIP! Never use a password or pin code for your credit card that is really easy for people to figure out. Don?t use something obvious, like your birthday or your pet?s name, because that is information anyone could know.

Many people get frustrated with bank cards. If you have the right advice, you can easily deal with charge cards in a hassle-free way. Use the tips in this article to help you learn how to live responsibly with bank cards.

TIP! If you use credit cards, consider obtaining a free credit report every year. Check to ensure that all the information is correct.

Do not close too many credit accounts at once. It may be the initial reaction when you want to preserve the score of your credit, but it will actually have the opposite effect by making your score worse. When you close accounts, you reduce how much credit you have. This then closes the gap between the credit you can borrow and how much you currently owe.

TIP! It isn?t the best idea to get credit as soon as you turn 18 years old. Although people love to spend and have credit cards, you should truly understand how credit works before you decide to establish it.

Take time to go over your monthly statements. Be sure this is done as regularly as possible. If you are waiting too long, you probably won?t be able to recall transactions. Also, solving a problem is harder if you wait.

TIP! It can be hard to get a card if you are not at least 18 years old. The best way to start is to be an additional user on an existing account.

It is a good idea to review the receipt of all of your credit card purchases, and the time to do it is right at the check-out stand. If there are any corrections that need to be made, this can be done immediately.

TIP! Always know who you are dealing with and make sure they are legitimate companies when you give out your credit card information online. It makes sense to call the phone numbers given on the website to verify the seller?s existence, and it is wise to steer clear of sellers providing no street address.

Read the credit card agreement thoroughly before you sign your agreement with the company. A lot of credit card places think of your first purchase as your agreement to their terms. You should particularly go over the fine print, even though it may be difficult to read.

TIP! Be sure you ask a credit card company if they are willing to reduce how much interest you pay. Some companies will decrease the interest amount that they charge to their customers if these people maintain a good relationship with them for a long period of time.

Know your credit card laws to ensure that you are protected. Creditors are not allowed to raise rates retroactively. The companies are also not allowed to bill in a double-cycle. Study the laws and keep up with the changes. There have been two major changes in the laws. You should read up on them to familiarize yourself.

TIP! Make sure to get your credit card payments in on time. Missing one payment can cause higher interest rates for you.

As you can see by now, credit card companies cause people a lot of grief. Choosing a good card is easier with research and advice. By using these suggestions, you can enjoy life with charge cards and avoid the headaches!

Source: http://blogpaixaoentrelinhas.com/tips-for-knowing-the-right-credit-card-terminology/

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'Quantum smell' idea gains ground

27 January 2013 Last updated at 19:05 ET By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News

A controversial theory that the way we smell involves a quantum physics effect has received a boost, following experiments with human subjects.

It challenges the notion that our sense of smell depends only on the shapes of molecules we sniff in the air.

Instead, it suggests that the molecules' vibrations are responsible.

A way to test it is with two molecules of the same shape, but with different vibrations. A report in PLOS ONE shows that humans can distinguish the two.

Tantalisingly, the idea hints at quantum effects occurring in biological systems - an idea that is itself driving a new field of science, as the article Are birds hijacking quantum physics? points out.

But the theory - first put forward by Luca Turin, now of the Fleming Biomedical Research Sciences Centre in Greece - remains contested and divisive.

The idea that molecules' shapes are the only link to their smell is well entrenched, but Dr Turin said there were holes in the idea.

He gave the example of molecules that include sulphur and hydrogen atoms bonded together - they may take a wide range of shapes, but all of them smell of rotten eggs.

"If you look from the [traditional] standpoint... it's really hard to explain," Dr Turin told BBC News.

"If you look from the standpoint of an alternative theory - that what determines the smell of a molecule is the vibrations - the sulphur-hydrogen mystery becomes absolutely clear."

Molecules can be viewed as a collection of atoms on springs, so the atoms can move relative to one another. Energy of just the right frequency - a quantum - can cause the "springs" to vibrate, and in a 1996 paper in Chemical Senses Dr Turin said it was these vibrations that explained smell.

The mechanism, he added, was "inelastic electron tunnelling": in the presence of a specific "smelly" molecule, an electron within a smell receptor in your nose can "jump" - or tunnel - across it and dump a quantum of energy into one of the molecule's bonds - setting the "spring" vibrating.

But the established smell science community has from the start argued that there is little proof of this.

Of horses and unicorns

One way to test the idea was to prepare two molecules of identical shape but with different vibrations - done by replacing a molecule's hydrogen atoms with their heavier cousins called deuterium.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

There are many, many problems with the shape theory of smell - many things it doesn't explain that the vibrational theory does?

End Quote Prof Tim Jacob University of Cardiff

Leslie Vosshall of The Rockefeller University set out in 2004 to disprove Dr Turin's idea with a molecule called acetophenone and its "deuterated" twin.

The work in Nature Neuroscience suggested that human participants could not distinguish between the two, and thus that vibrations played no role in what we smell.

But in 2011, Dr Turin and colleagues published a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that fruit flies can distinguish between the heavier and lighter versions of the same molecule.

A repeat of the test with humans in the new paper finds that, as in Prof Vosshall's work, the subjects could not tell the two apart. But the team then developed a brand new, far larger pair of molecules - cyclopentadecanone - with more hydrogen or deuterium bonds to amplify the purported effect.

In double-blind tests, in which neither the experimenter nor the participant knew which sample was which, subjects were able to distinguish between the two versions.

Still, Prof Vosshall believes the vibrational theory to be no more than fanciful.

"I like to think of the vibration theory of olfaction and its proponents as unicorns. The rest of us studying olfaction are horses," she told BBC News.

"The problem is that proving that a unicorn exists or does not exist is impossible. This debate on the vibration theory or the existence of unicorns will never end, but the very important underlying question of why things smell the way they do will continue to be answered by the horses among us."

Tim Jacob, a smell researcher at the University of Cardiff, said the work was "supportive but not conclusive".

"But the fact is that nobody has been able to unequivocally contradict [Dr Turin]," he told BBC News.

"There are many, many problems with the shape theory of smell - many things it doesn't explain that the vibrational theory does."

And although many more scientists are taking the vibrational theory seriously than back in 1996, it remains an extraordinarily polarised debate.

"He's had some peripheral support, but... people don't want to line up behind Luca," Prof Jacob said. "It's scientific suicide."

Columbia University's Richard Axel, whose work on mapping the genes and receptors of our sense of smell garnered the 2004 Nobel prize for physiology, said the kinds of experiments revealed this week would not resolve the debate - only a microscopic look at the receptors in the nose would finally show what is at work.

"Until somebody really sits down and seriously addresses the mechanism and not inferences from the mechanism... it doesn't seem a useful endeavour to use behavioural responses as an argument," he told BBC News.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing off this theory, but I need data and it hasn't been presented."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21150046#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Fraud concerns linger over new Ill. license law

CHICAGO (AP) ? As Illinois becomes the fourth and most populous state to give illegal immigrants permission to drive, nagging concerns remain about whether there are enough safeguards to avoid the identity fraud and other pitfalls other states faced.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn signed Illinois' measure into law Sunday in Chicago. Backers, including Quinn, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and some of the state's top Republicans, tout it as a public-safety measure. They argue that required facial recognition technology is reliable enough to prevent fraud.

They hailed it as an important step for immigrant rights in Illinois, which approved its own Dream Act in 2010 to create a privately-funded scholarship program for immigrant students. President Barack Obama plans to discuss his plan to overhaul the immigration system during a trip to Las Vegas on Tuesday.

"This was a bipartisan effort to pass an important law," Quinn said. "When the president speaks on Tuesday, he can say about his home state of Illinois ... we not only passed the Dream Act last year, we passed driver's licenses for those who are undocumented."

However, the law's opponents have pointed to hundreds of fraudulent cases in New Mexico, Washington and Utah after those states began giving illegal immigrants permission to drive. Illinois will not require applicants to be fingerprinted, for fear that would discourage immigrants from applying.

"How many people would apply for this document knowing that fingerprints will be going to (federal authorities)? Probably not all that many," said Fred Tsao, policy director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, a driving-force behind the measure.

Proponents say it will allow an estimated 250,000 people unlawfully residing in the state to apply for a three-year temporary driver's license and require them to get training and insurance. The Illinois secretary of state's office said the licenses will be available starting in November.

Those ready for the change include 45-year-old Victoria Chavez.

"I need to get my driver's license because I have two kids," the Chicago woman said. "They need my support. This is a victory for all of us in the immigrant community."

The licenses will be like those already issued to certain foreign-born, legal visitors. Applicants will be photographed, and their photo will be entered into the state's facial recognition database ? like the rest of Illinois' licensed drivers? to verify their identity.

But other states' driving programs for illegal immigrants have been abused. New Mexico and Washington both issue licenses, while Utah issues a permit.

An Associated Press investigation last year found a striking pattern in New Mexico, suggesting immigrants tried to game the system to obtain a license. In one instance, 48 foreign-born individuals claimed to live at a smoke shop in Albuquerque to fulfill a residency condition.

Authorities also busted a fraud ring last year that forged documents for illegal immigrants to use after driving from as far as Illinois and North Carolina to obtain a New Mexico license. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has vowed for years to repeal the decade-old measure, but the Legislature has rejected such efforts.

Washington's requirements attracted national attention when Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, revealed his illegal immigration status in an essay for the New York Times Magazine in 2011. Vargas chronicled how he obtained his Washington license. State authorities conducted an investigation that revealed Vargas did not reside at the address he stated in his application and canceled his license.

Utah's permit is not valid for identification. Illinois' law follows suit.

Utah's Republican-controlled Legislature amended the state's law in 2011 to require illegal immigrants to be fingerprinted, and mandates that the state notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if an applicant's fingerprint check yields a felony on record. If the applicant has a misdemeanor warrant outstanding, the state must notify the agency that is seeking the person's arrest.

That kind of information-sharing between state and immigration authorities worries Illinois' immigrant-rights advocates, such as Tsao, who pushed for the legislation without a fingerprinting requirement. They say fingerprinting could deter potential licensees from applying for fear of being identified and deported.

Local law enforcement officials argue in favor of fingerprinting.

"We could see if they have committed a crime; it could be a crime in another state or it could be a crime in their home country," said John Kennedy, executive director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

The Illinois secretary of state's office says its facial recognition database is highly sophisticated and accurate. The program uses an algorithm to match more than a dozen facial features that are not easy to alter, such as eye sockets and sides of the mouth.

"The integrity of our driver's license system is a priority," said Henry Haupt, a spokesman for the office.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Edward Acevedo, a Chicago Democrat, said state roads will be safer because illegal immigrants will receive training and be tested before obtaining a license. They also will be required to purchase insurance, Acevedo said.

Tsao's organization estimates uninsured illegal immigrant drivers cause $64 million in damage claims each year, an expense currently covered by increased premiums.

___

Garcia Cano reported from Springfield, Ill.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fraud-concerns-linger-over-ill-license-law-155828827.html

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What To Know Before You File For Bankruptcy - Options Finance

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

Source: http://www.optionstradinganalysis.com/2013/01/26/what-to-know-before-you-file-for-bankruptcy/

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Doubts raised about fairness of Delhi rape trial

NEW DELHI (AP) ? In the court of public opinion, the men being tried in the gang rape of an Indian university student should be hanged in a public square.

That demand for swift justice might make it impossible for them to get a fair trial in a court of law. Already, there are plenty of portents.

Amid the heightened emotions that have surrounded this case a local bar association has stopped its members from representing the men citing the heinous nature of the crime. The three grandstanding lawyers who have rushed in to represent the accused spent weeks taking potshots at each other instead of coordinating a defense. Two lawyers fought for days over which one was representing one of the defendants.

And the case is being heard by a brand new fast track court, set up in the wake of the rape to deal with sexual assaults in the capital, that is under pressure to reach a verdict within weeks. Finally, whatever is said or submitted in court has to stay in the room -- a gag order by the judge prevents the media from reporting anything about the case.

"However wicked and depraved society may perceive a person to be, he deserves a fair trial. He deserves a good defense," said Markandey Katju, a retired judge of India's Supreme Court.

"That some of those charged are the real culprits and some are innocent ... that is a very real possibility," he said, adding that in India the police "spreads its net wide."

As details of the attack have emerged Katju said he feared the trial may be overrun by emotion rather than the calm voice of reason.

"You can't decide cases on sentiment. That's lynch law."

The specifics of the gang rape are horrifying. According to the police report, the attack lasted at least 45 minutes. There were six attackers, one of whom claims to be a juvenile and is being tried separately. Each of the men raped the 23-year-old woman, with at least two taking turns driving the bus. They penetrated her with two metal rods, causing such severe internal injuries that doctors later found parts of her intestines floating freely inside her abdomen.

The battered woman and her badly beaten male friend were then thrown out of the moving bus and lay naked and bleeding on the side of a busy road on a cold December night.

The attack was so brutal that the woman died two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.

Within two days of the attack the police arrested the six accused. According to the police all six confessed their crimes. The police report said that DNA evidence from the men tied all of them in the rape and murder. According to police documents blood and saliva swabs from the accused matched the DNA found on the victim's injuries. The victim's blood was also found on the clothes, underwear and slippers of the accused.

The attack in the heart of New Delhi brought protesters into the streets demanding the government protect women and ensure those attacked get justice. In response, the city government set up five fast track courts to swiftly handle those cases, keeping them out of India's overburdened regular court system, where trials can drag on for years if not decades.

As the police framed charges against the men and prepared for trial the bar association of Saket, the district where the case is being heard, declared that their members would not represent the men. They were following a precedent set by lawyers' groups across India over the last few years, which have banned their members from representing those accused of terrorism and other heinous crimes.

"This is completely unconstitutional and unethical," said Katju. "Right minded lawyers should defy and ignore such rulings."

Outside the courtroom the cries for a quick trial and execution of the five men have persisted.

"They should be handed over to the public and hanged," said Prakash, a 51-year-old gardener who had come to court on a personal matter but waited to get a glimpse of the accused being whisked into court. She uses only one name.

The three men who rushed forth to represent the accused were not members of the local bar and have spent more time fighting each other than putting up a defense.

One insisted he would ask the Supreme Court to move the trial out of Delhi because emotions were too high to hold a fair trial here. But when a second lawyer made a similar appeal, the first changed his mind and vehemently opposed it.

One lawyer, M.L. Sharma, has accused police of planting the other two defense lawyers to ensure a guilty verdict.

"I'm the only hurdle standing in their way," Sharma said earlier this week. Even as he made his allegations, fellow defense counsel V.K. Anand stepped up to say that Sharma's client had decided to fire his lawyer ? and hire him.

The dispute over who would represent the defendant was only resolved Thursday ? the day the trial started. Sharma dropped out of the trial, saying he feared his client would be tortured to get him to change his lawyer. Anand replaced him.

Sharma has accused police of beating all five men to extract their confessions, then later amended that to say only his client was beaten. He also made unsubstantiated accusations that the victim's male friend was somehow responsible for the deadly assault, only to backtrack later.

Another lawyer, A.P. Singh, said the only reason he agreed to represent two of the accused was because their families had begged his mother for help.

"My mother has a kind heart and an order from her is like an order from God," he said, posing dramatically for the cameras.

Anand hasn't spoken about his strategy, but both Sharma and Singh have claimed at least once that their clients were not even on the bus during the attack.

In the past, courts across the country have criticized the police for coercing confessions and even planting evidence to get convictions.

"We set so little store by how the police functions in this country. There's no reason to accept the police's version of events in this case without thorough legal scrutiny," said Jawahar Raja, a lawyer and activist.

The defense is made even more complicated by the fact the case is being tried in a fast track court. As a result the police has put together its case at rapid speed. The trial has started even as defense lawyers are falling into place.

"Justice takes some time. It's all very easy to talk about fast track courts," said Katju, adding that cases should be tried quickly and efficiently but without a looming deadline.

"A judge has to read all the documents, hear the lawyers, apply his mind. It's not a magic lamp that with a swish you can dispose of a case."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/doubts-raised-fairness-delhi-rape-trial-082606171.html

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Planet Hunters

When I first reviewed the Planet Hunters Web site in January 2011, the project was in its infancy. The site and its navigation had some bugs to work out. But it had a compelling yet seemingly quixotic premise: That a group of volunteers, peering in Web browsers at graphs of stars' brightness based on public data from NASA's Kepler planet-hunting telescope, might be able to discover planets that Kepler's own search algorithms may have missed.

Two years later, that concept has been borne out beyond any skeptic's wildest imaginings. In September 2011, Planet Hunters announced its first two planet candidates, and soon after announced several more. The project's first confirmed discovery?a planet circling a binary star in a quadruple star system?came in fifth on CNN's list of the top 10 science stories of 2012.

In January 2013, the project announced a second confirmed planet?a Jupiter-sized world orbiting in the so-called habitable zone of a sunlike star?as well as 42 new planetary candidates, including 15 in their respective stars' habitable zones. These worlds?ranging in size from about 2.5 Earth radii up to slightly larger than Jupiter?are too large to support life as we know it, presumably being gas giants, they may well have large moons.

Planet Hunters volunteer Kian Jek was recently awarded the Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award, the American Astronomical Society's most prestigious award given annually to an amateur astronomer, for his work on behalf of the project. Kian, one of the two hunters credited with Planet Hunters' initial confirmed discovery, is one of a small cadre of skilled volunteers that have supported the Planet Hunters science team?who, although professionals, also volunteer their time to work on this project? by vetting and cataloguing potential planetary candidates, modeling stellar and planetary systems, keeping tabs on exotic variable stars such as ?heartbeat binaries? and dwarf novae, as well as tracking unlisted eclipsing binary systems in which a pair of stars orbit each other in our line of sight, each eclipsing the other in turn.

PC Planet Hunting
I've participated in a number of ?citizen science? online astronomy projects over the years, but none ?has sparked my imagination like Planet Hunters, which lets anyone with a computer and an Internet connection take part in one of modern science?s great quests: the search for planets orbiting other stars. On the Planet Hunters site, you can look for signs of these so-called exoplanets in public data from NASA's Kepler mission. If you're among the first to report a new planet, you get credit for the find and in some cases can have your name appear as a co-author on the discovery paper.

Planet Hunters is a collaboration between Yale University and the Zooniverse, a Web hub that hosts a number of citizen science projects. It got started with astronomy projects, the first being Galaxy Zoo, in which the public was enlisted to classify galaxies in images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey; it's since added others such as Moon Zoo and Solar StormWatch. Nearly half of the 14 Zooniverse projects are astronomy related; of the others, one of them, Cell Slider focuses on identifying cells for cancer research; others are related to tracking wildlife, climate science, and studying the ancient Greeks. ?Although Planet Hunters isn't officially connected to the Kepler mission, there are close ties and cooperation between the two.

150,000 Points of Light
Kepler, a space telescope, was launched in March 2009, tasked with ??exploring the structure and diversity of planetary systems?.? (by discovering them), looking in particular for Earth-sized planets, and worlds in a star's habitable zone. After Kepler completed its basic mission in 2012, the mission was extended for another 3 years.

Kepler uses the ?transit method? for planet hunting, searching for tiny dips in a star?s brightness caused by the passage (transit) of a planet in front of the star. Kepler repeatedly (every 29 minutes) images the same star field near the constellation Cygnus showing more than 150,000 stars, using a photometer to precisely measure each star's brightness. These readings generate light curves?plots showing variations in a star's luminosity over time. A transit shows as a string of data points descending below the star's light curve. Kepler uses search algorithms to find transits in its data?so far it's credited with more than 100 exoplanet discoveries, and has published a list of more than 2,700 planet candidates.

But Kepler monitors a huge variety of stars: some of constant brightness, others that flicker erratically or pulsate like clockwork. Eclipsing binaries?two stars that orbit each other and periodically eclipse one another?often show transits similar to those from planets. Although Kepler's planet search algorithms are very good at detecting prospective planets, they don?t catch everything, and the human eye has been shown to be better at detecting anomalies in some pattern-recognition tasks than a computer. That's where Planet Hunters comes in. Having multiple participants view each image greatly improves the odds of not missing a world.

Keep Reading: The Planet Hunters Site

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/-8OZLoI4h7E/0,2817,2379660,00.asp

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'Hansel & Gretel' & More Movies to See This Weekend!

From Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters to Parker, get the scoop on what's playing in theaters!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/movie-reviews-what-see-weekend/1-b-415949?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Amovie-reviews-what-see-weekend-415949

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New method identifies genes that can predict prognoses of cancer patients

Jan. 25, 2013 ? In recent years, it has been thought that select sets of genes might reveal cancer patients' prognoses. However, a study published last year examining breast cancer cases found that most of these "prognostic signatures" were no more accurate than random gene sets in determining cancer prognoses. While many saw this as a disappointment, investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montr?al (IRCM) saw this as an opportunity to design a new method to identify gene sets that could yield more significant prognostic value.

Led by Andrew Beck, MD, Director of the Molecular Epidemiology Research Laboratory at BIDMC, the team has developed SAPS (Significance Analysis of Prognostic Signatures), a new algorithm that makes use of three specific criteria to more accurately identify prognostic signatures associated with patient survival.

Their results, the largest analysis of its kind ever performed, are reported in the January 24 on-line issue of the journal PLOS Computational Biology.

"SAPS makes use of three specific criteria," explains Beck, who is also an Assistant Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. "First, the gene set must be enriched for genes that are associated with survival. In addition, the gene set must separate patients into groups that show survival differences. Lastly, it must also perform significantly better than sets of random genes at these tasks."

In the new study, the scientific team applied the SAPS algorithm to gene expression profiling data from the study's senior author Benjamin Haibe-Kains, PhD, Director of the Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics Laboratory at IRCM and an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Montreal. The first collection of data was obtained from 19 published breast cancer studies (including approximately 3800 patients), and the second included 12 published gene expression profiling studies in ovarian cancer (including data from approximately 1700 patients).

When the investigators used SAPS to analyze these previously identified prognostic signatures in breast and ovarian cancer, they found that only a small subset of the signatures that were considered statistically significant by standard measurements also achieved statistical significance when evaluated by SAPS.

"Our work shows that when using prognostic associations to identify biological signatures that drive cancer progression, it is important to not rely solely on a gene set's association with patient survival," says Beck. "A gene set may appear to be important based on its survival association, when in reality it does not perform significantly better than random genes. This can be a serious problem, as it can lead to false conclusions regarding the biological and clinical significance of a gene set."

By using SAPS, Beck and his colleagues found that they could overcome this problem. "The SAPS procedure ensures that a significant prognostic gene set is not only associated with patient survival but also performs significantly better than random gene sets," says Beck. His team revealed new prognostic signatures in subtypes of breast cancer and ovarian cancer and demonstrated a striking similarity between signatures in estrogen receptor negative breast cancer and ovarian cancer, suggesting new shared therapeutic targets for these aggressive malignancies.

The findings also indicate that the prognostic signatures identified with SAPS will not only help predict patient outcomes but might also help in the development of new anti-cancer drugs. "We hope that markers identified in our analysis will provide new insights into the biological pathways driving cancer progression in breast and ovarian cancer subtypes, and will one day lead to improvements in targeted diagnostics and therapeutics," says Beck. "We also hope the method proves widely useful to other researchers." To that end, the team would like to create a web-accessible tool to enable investigators with little knowledge of statistical software and programming to identify gene sets significantly associated with patient outcomes in different diseases.

"We also plan to soon release a software package, which includes all the code and corresponding documentation of our analysis pipeline," adds Haibe-Kains. "This will allow others to fully reproduce our results while enabling the bioinformatics and computational biology communities to take over and potentially adapt and improve our pipeline to address important new issues in biomedicine."

Beck and his collaborators are currently working to further validate the prognostic signatures they identified in breast and ovarian cancers, with the hopes of bringing them closer to the clinic through the development of new diagnostics and treatments. "We are also extending our approach to other common cancers that lack robust prognostic signatures," he notes.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Andrew H. Beck, Nicholas W. Knoblauch, Marco M. Hefti, Jennifer Kaplan, Stuart J. Schnitt, Aedin C. Culhane, Markus S. Schroeder, Thomas Risch, John Quackenbush, Benjamin Haibe-Kains. Significance Analysis of Prognostic Signatures. PLoS Computational Biology, 2013; 9 (1): e1002875 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002875

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/~3/5gcqVF_g4w4/130125104202.htm

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Russia's Putin says regional revolts led to Algeria hostage

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that revolts in Syria and Libya had unleashed instability in the Middle East and Africa that had exacted a "tragic toll" in last week's militant attack on a gas plant in Algeria.

Putin and other Russian officials have said the United States and its NATO allies have sacrificed stability to their political ambitions in the Middle East and North Africa, often playing into the hands of radical Islamists.

Algerian militant leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar said his forces seized the In Amenas gas plant in the name in retaliation for France's offensive against his allies in neighboring Mali. At least 38 workers were killed as Algerian troops stormed the remote gas complex.

While Russia backed a U.N. Security Council resolution in December authorizing intervention to stop Mali falling to al Qaeda, it has blocked three resolutions on Syria and accused the West of over-stepping the mandate of a U.N. resolution on Libya that its abstention allowed to pass.

"The Syrian conflict has been raging for almost two years now. Upheaval in Libya, accompanied by the uncontrolled spread of weapons, contributed to the deterioration of the situation in Mali," Putin said.

"The tragic consequences of these events led to a terrorist attack in Algeria which took the lives of civilians, including foreigners," he told new foreign ambassadors who handed him their credentials in a Kremlin ceremony.

During his annual news conference on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said rebels fighting French and African troops in Mali were the same fighters the West armed in the revolt that ousted Gaddafi.

(Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russias-putin-says-regional-revolts-led-algeria-hostage-140905200.html

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Can Apple's Stock Recover Without Steve Jobs?

Apple's stock is going down like a plane in flames sinking 12 percent on its biggest fall since the 2008 Wall Street crash. That's $60 dollars per share just after they announced one of its best quarters in history... but still under analysts' expectations, who think the company is slowing down because its markets are saturated. The markets they created. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/fa8mfhsnpsI/can-apples-stock-recover-without-steve-jobs

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