'International beam team' solves Martian meteorite-age puzzle

[unable to retrieve full-text content]By directing energy beams at tiny crystals found in a Martian meteorite, geologists have proven that the most common group of meteorites from Mars is almost four billion years younger than many scientists had believed -- resolving a long-standing puzzle in Martian science and painting a much clearer picture of the Red Planet's evolution that can now be compared to that of habitable Earth.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130724200607.htm

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Obama has new power initiative for Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Sunday will announce a new initiative to double access to electric power in sub-Saharan Africa, part of his effort to build on the legacy of equality and opportunity forged by his personal hero, Nelson Mandela.

As residents await word on former South African President Nelson Mandela?s condition, U.S. President Barack Obama is announcing a major initiative, ?Power Africa,? on Sunday, June 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Obama, who flew from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Sunday, is paying tribute to the ailing 94-year-old Mandela throughout the day. The president and his family visited Robben Island, where the anti-apartheid leader spent 18 years confined to a tiny cell, including a stop at the lime quarry where Mandela toiled and developed the lung problems that sent him to the hospital for most of the month.

The White House said Obama?s guide during the tour was 83-year-old South African politician Ahmed Kathrada, who also was held at the prison for nearly two decades and guided Obama on his 2006 visit to the prison as a U.S. senator. The president also saw the prison courtyard where Mandela planted grapevines that remain today, and where he and others in the dissident leadership would discuss politics, sneak notes to one another and hide writings.

?On behalf of our family, we?re deeply humbled to stand where men of such courage faced down injustice and refused to yield. The world is grateful for the heroes of Robben Island, who remind us that no shackles or cells can match the strength of the human spirit,? Obama wrote in the guest book in the courtyard, his U.S. Secret Service agents standing watch in the old guard tower above.

During the tour, which took place under sunshine and clear, blue skies, Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha took in the expansive view of the quarry, a huge crater with views of the rusty guard tower from where Mandela was watched. Obama commented on the ?hard labor? Mandela endured and asked Kathrada to remind his daughters how long Mandela was in prison.

Michelle Obama asked how often Mandela would work and was told he worked daily. As the family turned to leave, Obama asked Kathrada to tell his daughters how the African National Congress, the South African political party, got started.

After the tour, Obama will visit with retired archbishop Desmond Tutu before delivering what the White House has billed as the signature speech of his weeklong trip, an address at the University of Cape Town that will be infused with memories of Mandela.

Obama will use the address to unveil the ?Power Africa? initiative, which includes an initial $7 billion investment from the United States over the next five years. Private companies, including General Electric and Symbion Power, are making an additional $9 billion in commitments with the goal of providing power to millions of Africans crippled by a lack of electricity.

Gayle Smith, Obama?s senior director for development and democracy, said more than two-thirds of people living in sub-Saharan Africa do not have electricity, including 85 percent of those living in rural areas.

?If you want lights so kids can study at night or you can maintain vaccines in a cold chain, you don?t have that, so going the extra mile to reach people is more difficult,? Smith said.

The U.S. and its private sector partners initially will focus its efforts on six countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania, where Obama will wrap up his trip later this week. Former President George W. Bush, who supports health programs throughout the continent, will also be in Tanzania next week, and the White House did not rule out the possibility that the two men might meet.

Obama will also highlight U.S. efforts to bolster access to food and health programs on the continent. His advisers said the president sees reducing the poverty and illness that plague many parts of Africa as an extension of Mandela?s example of how change can happen within countries.

The former South African president has been hospitalized in critical condition for three weeks. Obama met Saturday with members of Mandela?s family, but did not visit the anti-apartheid icon, a decision the White House said was in keeping with his family?s wishes.

Obama?s weeklong trip, which opened last week in Senegal, marks his most significant trip to the continent since taking office. His scant personal engagement has come as a disappointment to some in the region, who had high hopes for a man whose father was from Kenya.

Obama visited Robben Island when he was a U.S. senator. But since being elected as the first black American president, Obama has drawn inevitable comparisons to Mandela, making Sunday?s visit particularly poignant.

The president said he was eager to bring his family with him to the prison to teach them about Mandela?s role in overcoming white racist rule, first as an activist and later as a president who forged a unity government with his former captors.

He told reporters Saturday he wanted to ?help them to understand not only how those lessons apply to their own lives but also to their responsibilities in the future as citizens of the world, that?s a great privilege and a great honor.?

Ben Rhodes, Obama?s deputy national security adviser, said Mandela?s vision was always going to feature prominently in the speech. But his deteriorating health ?certainly puts a finer point on just how much we can?t take for granted what Nelson Mandela did.?

Harkening back to a prominent theme from Obama?s 2009 speech in Ghana ? his only other trip to Africa as president ? Obama will emphasize that Africans must take much of the responsibility for finishing the work started by Mandela and his contemporaries.

?The progress that Africa has made opens new doors, but frankly, it?s up to the leaders in Africa and particularly young people to make sure that they?re walking through those doors of opportunity,? Rhodes said.

Obama will speak at the University of Cape Town nearly 50 years after Robert F. Kennedy delivered his famous ?Ripple of Hope? speech from the school. Kennedy spoke in Cape Town two years after Mandela was sentenced to life in prison.

Source: http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/06/30/obama-has-new-power-initiative-for-africa/

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Cavs take UNLV's Bennett with No. 1 pick in NBA draft

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Cleveland Cavaliers selected UNLV freshman Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 pick Thursday night, making him the first Canadian to be the top choice and getting the NBA draft off to a surprising start.

The Cavaliers passed on big men Nerlens Noel and Alex Len, who went to Phoenix at No. 5, in favor of the forward who has starred for Canada's junior national teams and was the Mountain West Conference player of the year.

There was suspense right until the end, either because the Cavs were unsure who they wanted or were trying to trade the pick. Most predictions had them taking one of the big men.

David Stern, booed heavily in his final draft as commissioner, added to the surprise of the moment by pausing slightly before announcing the Cavs' pick, their first at No. 1 since taking All-Star Kyrie Irving in 2011.

Orlando passed on both of the big men, too, going with Indiana swingman Victor Oladipo with the No. 2 pick. Washington took Otto Porter Jr. with the third pick, keeping the Georgetown star local.

Ten years after the Cavaliers selected LeBron James to start a draft that would include his future NBA championship teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the top five, this one lacked the star power and perhaps even the promise of stardom.

Bennett, Noel and Len are all coming off injuries and couldn't even work out for teams, but the Cavs decided Bennett's shoulder surgery wasn't enough cause for concern.

It was a good start to the night for the Hoosiers, with Cody Zeller going two places after Oladipo to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Source: http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/sports/Cavs-take-Bennett-with-No-1-pick-in-NBA-draft-213417851.html

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Bulgarian Football Union Office 'Badly Damaged' by CSKA Fans

The office of the Bulgarian Football Union has suffered heavy damages after an attack by angered CSKA Sofia fans Saturday.

The windows and door of the office have been broken and part of the inscription has been removed.

There are damages even to the above ground floors, according to the Bulgarian Focus Information Agency.

Police have closed down the area, located on the central Ivan Asen II Str. in Bulgarian capital Sofia.

CSKA fans are currently protesting in front of the team's stadium in the nearby Borisova Gradina park.

The rally has been provoked by??the takeover of the team by former football legend?Hristo Stoichkov, and its possible merger with the team of?Litex Lovech.

The change of ownership comes after years of financial trouble and unconvincing performance by?CSKA, which however finished third in Bulgaria's latest national football championship.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=151633

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Riders start on Corsica for 100th Tour de France

Britain's sprinter Mark Cavendish, second right, rides in the pack along the coast line of the Mediterranean Sea during the first stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race over 213 kilometers (133 miles) with start in Porto Vecchio and finish in Bastia, Corsica island, France, Saturday June 29, 2013.(AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Britain's sprinter Mark Cavendish, second right, rides in the pack along the coast line of the Mediterranean Sea during the first stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race over 213 kilometers (133 miles) with start in Porto Vecchio and finish in Bastia, Corsica island, France, Saturday June 29, 2013.(AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

The pack passes a flag featuring a Moor's head, the Corsican emblem, during the first stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race over 213 kilometers (133 miles) with start in Porto Vecchio and finish in Bastia, Corsica island, France, Saturday June 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Ryder Hesjedal of Canada gives a thumbs up as he waits to take the start of the first stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race over 213 kilometers (133 miles) with start in Porto Vecchio and finish in Bastia, Corsica island, France, Saturday June 29, 2013.(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

PORTO VECCHIO, Corsica (AP) ? Riders set out Saturday on stage one of the 100th Tour de France with British sprinter Mark Cavendish among the favorites to take the first yellow jersey and race favorite Chris Froome overcoming an early technical problem.

Starting from the harbor town of Porto Vecchio, the flat 132-mile stage first took riders inland before snaking along the Corsican coast to finish in Bastia.

The race has usually started with a short prologue stage where riders raced against the clock. But in a break with tradition, this year's opener favors sprinters like Cavendish and rival Peter Sagan of Slovakia.

With defending champion Bradley Wiggins not competing, Froome of Britain and Spaniard Alberto Contador start as the main favorites for the three-week, 2,115-mile race.

Froome, the most highly regarded climber in the Tour, stopped to get a new rear wheel after a mechanical incident about five kilometers (3 miles) into the race. He then stopped for a second time to get a new bike shortly after before his Sky teammates helped him rejoin the main pack.

It is the first Tour since disgraced former cyclist Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven straight Tour titles from 1999 to 2005 for doping.

Armstrong still managed to hog the headlines on the eve of the race, though, infuriating riders both past and present by talking at length in a newspaper interview about doping in the sport and sparking a media frenzy that organizers could have done without as they desperately try to turn the page on doping and restore credibility and trust.

In answering questions from Le Monde, a newspaper he scorned when he was still competing, Armstrong said it was impossible to win the Tour during his era without doping, echoing what he already told U.S. television talk show host Oprah Winfrey in January when he finally confessed to years of drug cheating after denying it for so long.

Before the stage started, French Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron met with a delegation of riders unhappy about pre-race media reports that they thought focused too heavily on doping stories.

Earlier this week, French media reported that a Senate investigation into the effectiveness of doping controls pieced together evidence that a urine sample provided by long-beloved French rider Laurent Jalabert contained EPO, cycling's designer drug, at the Tour of 1998.

Meanwhile, two-time champion Contador returns to the race following a doping ban that saw him stripped of his 2010 title. He has always denied doping.

It is the first time since 1966 that the first stage has been tailor-made for sprinters, with the prologue introduced to the race in '67.

With Wiggins pulling out about a month before the race because of a knee injury, Froome is the odds-on favorite to become the second Briton to win the showcase race.

The 28-year-old has had a great run-up to the Tour, winning four of five races he started.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-29-CYC-Tour-de-France/id-d426b86d390d4483a1eca6187a83531d

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The Republican Party Is Stuffed Full of 'Frauds,' a Republican Argues

The Republican Party Is Stuffed Full of 'Frauds,' a Republican Argues

Republicans these days are riven by internal differences. That's partly because?legislators recognize what's in their party's collective interest?but won't, for individual reasons, take steps to make it reality. But it's also because of legitimate inconsistencies in the GOP's values. Republican communications consultant Liz Mair lashed out at the problem in a thoughtful Twitter essay Friday. The whole thing is worth a read.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republican-party-stuffed-full-frauds-republican-argues-070415231.html

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Texts, video cited in charges against Hernandez

ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) ? In the final minutes of his life, Odin Lloyd sent a series of texts to his sister.

"Did you see who I was with?" said the first, at 3:07 a.m. June 17. "Who?" she finally replied.

"NFL," he texted back, then added: "Just so you know."

It was 3:23 a.m. Moments later, Lloyd would be dead in what a prosecutor called an execution-style shooting orchestrated by New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez because his friend talked to the wrong people at a nightclub. Hernandez was charged Wednesday with murder and could face life in prison, if convicted.

Hernandez was cut from the NFL team less than two hours after he was arrested and led from his North Attleborough home in handcuffs, and nine days after Lloyd's body was discovered by a jogger in a remote area of an industrial park not far from Hernandez's home. The 2011 Pro Bowl selection had signed a five-year contract last summer with the Patriots worth $40 million.

His attorney, Michael Fee, called the case circumstantial during a Wednesday court hearing packed with reporters, curiosity seekers and police officers. Fee said there was a "rather hysterical atmosphere" surrounding the case and urged the judge to disregard his client's celebrity status as he asked for Hernandez, 23, to be released on bail.

The judge, though, ordered Hernandez held without bail on the murder charge and five weapons counts.

Another man, Carlos Ortiz, 27, was arrested Wednesday in Hernandez's hometown of Bristol, Conn., as part of the murder investigation, New Britain State's Attorney Brian Preleski said Thursday. Ortiz was charged as a fugitive from justice and waived extradition to Massachusetts. Prison records show he is being held on $1.5 million bail at a Hartford jail.

Hernandez was scheduled to appear at a bail review hearing Thursday afternoon in Fall River, according to Bernie Sullivan, spokesman for the Bristol County sheriff.

On Wednesday, Hernandez stood impassively with his hands cuffed in front of him as Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Bill McCauley laid out a detailed timeline of the events, cobbled together from sources including witnesses, surveillance video, text messages and data from cellphone towers.

Lloyd, 27, a semi-pro football player with the Boston Bandits, had known Hernandez for about a year and was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, the mother of Hernandez's 8-month-old baby, McCauley said.

On June 14, Lloyd went with Hernandez to the Boston nightclub Rumor. McCauley said Hernandez was upset Lloyd had talked to people there with whom Hernandez had trouble. He did not elaborate.

Two days later, McCauley said, Hernandez texted two unidentified friends and asked them to hurry to Massachusetts from Connecticut. At 9:05 p.m., a few minutes after the first message to his friends, Hernandez texted Lloyd to tell him he wanted to get together, McCauley said.

Later, surveillance footage from Hernandez's home showed his friends arrive and go inside. Hernandez, holding a gun, then told someone in the house he was upset and couldn't trust anyone anymore, the prosecutor said.

At 1:12 a.m. June 17, the three left in Hernandez's rented silver Nissan Altima, McCauley said. Cell towers tracked their movements to a gas station off the highway. There, he said, Hernandez bought blue Bubblicious gum.

At 2:32 a.m., they arrived outside Lloyd's home in Boston and texted him that they were there. McCauley said Lloyd's sister saw him get into Hernandez's car.

From there, surveillance cameras captured images of what the prosecutor said was Hernandez driving the silver Altima through Boston. As they drove back toward North Attleborough, Hernandez told Lloyd he was upset about what happened at the club and didn't trust him, McCauley said. That was when Lloyd began sending texts to his sister.

Surveillance video showed the car entering the industrial park and at 3:23 a.m. driving down a gravel road near where Lloyd's body was found. Four minutes later, McCauley said, the car emerged. During that period, employees working an overnight shift nearby heard several gunshots, McCauley said.

McCauley said Lloyd was shot multiple times, including twice from above as he was lying on the ground. He said five .45-caliber casings were found at the scene.

Authorities did not say who fired the shots or identify the two others with Hernandez.

At 3:29 a.m., surveillance at Hernandez's house showed him arriving, McCauley said.

"The defendant was walking through the house with a gun in his hand. That's captured on video," he said.

His friend is also seen holding a gun, and neither weapon has been found, McCauley said.

Then, the surveillance system stopped recording, and footage was missing from the six to eight hours after the slaying, he said.

The afternoon of June 17, the prosecutor said, Hernandez returned the rental car, offering the attendant a piece of blue Bubblicious gum when he dropped it off. While cleaning the car, the attendant found a piece of blue Bubblicious gum and a shell casing, which he threw away. Police later searched the trash bin and found the gum and the casing. The prosecutor said it was tested and matched the casings found where Lloyd was killed.

As McCauley outlined the killing, Lloyd's family members cried and held each other. Two were so overcome that they had to leave the courtroom.

The Patriots said in a statement after Hernandez's arrest but before the murder charge was announced that cutting Hernandez was "the right thing to do."

"Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation," it said.

Hernandez was drafted by the Patriots in 2010 out of the University of Florida, where he was an All-American.

During the draft, one team said it wouldn't take him under any circumstances, and he was passed over by one club after another before New England picked him in the fourth round. Afterward, Hernandez said he had failed a drug test in college ? reportedly for marijuana ? and was up front with teams about it.

A Florida man filed a lawsuit last week claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a strip club in February.

Hernandez became a father on Nov. 6 and said he intended to change his ways: "Now, another one is looking up to me. I can't just be young and reckless Aaron no more. I'm going to try to do the right things."

___

Associated Press writers Bridget Murphy in Boston and Howard Ulman in North Attleborough contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texts-video-cited-charges-against-hernandez-072445310.html

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Seesaw Science: The Hammer-Ruler Trick

Well balanced?: This tricky balancing act might look improbable, but with a little help from physics you will learn how it works. Image: George Retseck

• 

  We?ve long understood black holes to be the points at which the universe as we know it comes to an end. Often billions of times more massive than the Sun, they...

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Key Concepts
Physics
Center of mass
Fulcrum
Torque

Introduction
Ever wonder how balancing toys work? Simple toys that entertain by precariously balancing were popular in the Victorian era. These seemingly gravity-defying curiosities can rock back and forth at the edge of a table but remain relatively stable.

But how do they balance? The secret lies in a heavy but visually nondescript counterweight attached to the toy. Our eyes are drawn more immediately to the large, ornamental part of the toy that depicts a person or animal rocking back and forth on a tiny pivot point. On its own, this part of the toy looks unstable, which is precisely why such toys continue to be so intriguing?they make little intuitive sense; to an onlooker, it appears that the larger element should send the entire contraption off-balance.

For this fun experiment, you won't have to go searching for any century-old antique toys. All you'll need is a hammer, a ruler and a thick rubber band.

Background
An object's center of mass is a unique point where that object's mass is centered. For simple, symmetrical objects with equally distributed mass (such as a ruler), the center of mass lies in the object's geometric center (which would be just at the six-inch mark for a one-foot ruler).

For more irregularly shaped objects?such as a person on a bicycle?you might be more familiar with the term "center of gravity," which refers to a point on an object that's identified by averaging together all the gravitational forces acting on that object. Don't let this confuse you! For our purposes, it's fine to think of these two concepts as the same because Earth's gravity produces a relatively uniform downward pull on small objects near its surface. Think of it this way: If there's more mass in one region of an object than another (say, a person on top of a bike rather than the bike's wheels), then gravity applies more force to that region.

Let's apply this concept to two children sitting on opposite ends of a seesaw. They create a simple mechanical system consisting of a lever (the seesaw's plank), a fulcrum (the point about which the plank can tilt) and a couple of weights (the children). If the two children weigh the same, the system's center of mass is located in center of the seesaw's plank and directly above the fulcrum. Put a heavier child on one end of the seesaw, and you've shifted the system's center of mass away from the fulcrum. The greater torque (or force) that gravity applies to the more massive (and thus heavier) side of the system pulls the larger child to the ground while lifting the smaller child into the air.

Materials
? Hammer
? 12-inch ruler (plastic works, but wood is preferable)
? Thick rubber band
? String (optional)
? Tape (optional)

Procedure
? First, pick up your ruler and balance it lying lengthwise on your index finger. Try using the six-inch mark on your ruler as your balancing point?this is roughly the location of the ruler's center of mass, and you'll notice it's at the middle of the ruler. This is because our ruler is an object of uniform density and is shaped in such a way that it doesn't have a heavier or lighter end.
? Take your ruler and lay it flat on a table or desk. How many inches on the ruler can you nudge over the edge of the table before it falls off? Think about our hypothetical seesaw from earlier. You should find that once you nudge the ruler's center of mass over the table's edge (the fulcrum), gravity applies more torque to the more massive side of the system than the other, dragging it over the edge and onto the floor.
? Now, try to identify the center of mass on your hammer. If you hold your hammer lengthwise, can you balance it by placing your index finger beneath the point of the hammer located halfway along its length? Probably not! In fact, you should find that the hammer's head is much heavier than its handle. We can infer that the hammer's center of mass is located somewhere closer to its head.
? The goal now is to use our materials to build a new mechanical system with a center of mass located as close to the 0-inch tip of the ruler as possible. (Hint: our hammer will act as a counterweight.) Take another look at how classic Victorian balance toys are structured. Knowing what you've learned about where the hammer's center of mass is, where do you think the hammer is going to go when we build our new system?
? Loop your rubber band over your hammer so that it hangs somewhere near the middle. (Depending on how smooth the hammer handle is, you may want to affix the rubber band to the handle with tape. If your rubber band is too stretchy, you can use a loop of string approximately three inches in diameter instead).
? Loop the rubber band over your ruler. This end of the loop should hang near the 2-inch mark on the ruler. The end of the hammer's handle should intersect and form an acute angle with the ruler at around the 8-inch mark.
? Place the end of the ruler that starts with zero near the edge of the table. Does it balance? Try altering the position of the hammer's head relative to the tip of the ruler. With some careful adjustments, you can tweak the system so that its center of mass is located at the very tip of the ruler.
? Once you've gotten your system to balance, try nudging the 0-inch end of the ruler closer and closer to edge of the table. By doing so, you're moving the system's center of mass progressively closer to the fulcrum and, if you're careful, you can produce a dramatic effect by getting your system to balance on a mere sliver of the table's edge.
? Extra: If you want to create an even cooler visual effect and make your system look more like a Victorian balance toy, place a very light stuffed animal on the 12-inch end of the ruler. (A stuffed monkey that hangs onto the end of the ruler with clasped Velcro hands is a crowd favorite.)

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/~r/sciam/science-education/~3/_1MKF115yk0/article.cfm

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Obama jabs Russia, China on failure to extradite Snowden

By Jeff Mason and Mark Felsenthal

DAKAR (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday he would not start "wheeling and dealing" with China and Russia over a U.S. request to extradite former American spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Obama, who appeared concerned that the case would overshadow a three-country tour of Africa that he began in Senegal, also dismissed suggestions that the United States might try to intercept Snowden if he were allowed to depart Moscow by air.

"No, I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker," he told a news conference in Dakar, a note of disdain in his voice. Snowden turned 30 last week.

Obama said regular legal channels should suffice to handle the U.S. request that Snowden, who left Hong Kong for Moscow, be returned. Obama said he had not yet spoken to China's President Xi Jinping or Russian President Vladimir Putin about the issue.

"I have not called President Xi personally or President Putin personally and the reason is ... number one, I shouldn't have to," Obama said sharply.

"Number two, we've got a whole lot of business that we do with China and Russia, and I'm not going to have one case of a suspect who we're trying to extradite suddenly being elevated to the point where I've got to start doing wheeling and dealing and trading on a whole host of other issues," he said.

Snowden fled the United States to Hong Kong in May, a few weeks before publication in the Guardian and Washington Post of details he provided about secret U.S. government surveillance programs, then flew to Moscow on Sunday. He had been expected to fly on to Havana on Monday but did not board the aircraft.

The American, who faces espionage charges in the United States and has asked Ecuador for political asylum, has not been seen since his arrival in Moscow. Russian officials said he remained in a transit area at Sheremetyevo airport.

CHINA, ECUADOR HIT BACK

Snowden's case has raised tensions between the United States and both China and Russia. On Thursday, Beijing accused Washington of hypocrisy on the issue of cyber security.

Obama's remarks seemed calibrated to exert pressure without leading to lasting damage in ties with either country.

Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, said Obama was trying to play down the Snowden saga and minimize the impact on the United States.

"The more the administration can play it down, the more latitude they'll have in the diplomatic arena to work out a deal for him," he said.

Obama predicted there would be a made-for-TV movie about the ongoing saga, but indicated that damage to U.S. interests was largely limited to revelations from Snowden's initial leak.

"I continue to be concerned about the other documents that he may have," Obama said. "That's part of the reason why we'd like to have Mr. Snowden in custody."

Snowden's revelations of widespread snooping by the U.S. National Security Agency in China and Hong Kong have given Beijing considerable ammunition in an area that has been a major irritant between the countries.

China's defense ministry said the U.S. government surveillance program known as Prism "has revealed the concerned country's true face and hypocritical behavior". It did not name the country.

"This 'double standard' approach is not conducive to peace and security in cyber space," ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told reporters, according to state news agency Xinhua.

In Ecuador's capital Quito, the government said it was waiving preferential rights under a U.S. trade agreement to demonstrate its principled stand on Snowden's asylum request.

In a deliberately cheeky touch from the leftist government of President Rafael Correa, Ecuador also offered a multi-million donation for human rights training in the United States.

Ecuadorean officials added that the U.S. fugitive's case had not been processed because he had not yet reached any of its diplomatic missions.

"USEFUL" CONVERSATIONS

Obama said the United States expected all countries who were considering asylum requests for the former contractor to follow international law.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department warned of "grave difficulties" for U.S.-Ecuador relations if the Andean country were to grant Snowden asylum, but gave no specifics.

The White House said last week that Hong Kong's decision to let Snowden leave would hurt U.S.-China relations. Its rhetoric on Russia has been somewhat less harsh.

Obama acknowledged that the United States did not have an extradition treaty with Russia, but he said such a treaty was not necessary to resolve all of the issues involved.

He characterized conversations between Washington and Moscow as "useful" and said the United States would continue to press.

Putin has rejected U.S. calls to expel Snowden to the United States and said on Tuesday the fugitive should choose his destination and leave the airport as soon as possible. Ecuador has said it could take weeks to decide on his asylum request.

Washington is focused on how former Booz Allen Hamilton systems administrator Snowden gained access to National Security Agency secrets while working at a facility in Hawaii.

Obama said the leaks exposed "pretty significant vulnerabilities" at the NSA that had to be resolved.

In Baltimore, NSA Director Keith Alexander said the leaks had caused "significant and irreversible damage" and hurt the United States as well as its allies.

"I believe the irresponsible release of classified information will have a long-term detrimental impact on the intelligence community's ability to detect future attacks," Alexander told the AFCEA International Cyber Symposium.

"I worry there will be more leaks."

(Corrects seventh paragraph to show Snowden went to Hong Kong in May)

(Additional reporting by Brian Ellsworth and Alexandra Valencia in Quito, Lidia Kelly in Moscow, Sui-Lee Wee in Beijing, Deborah Charles in Baltimore and Steve Holland and Laura MacInnis in Washington; Writing by Jeff Mason; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-jabs-russia-china-failure-extradite-snowden-142851006.html

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Wall Street Fundamentals Releases New In-Depth Stock Reports on BMY, DD, DOM and LLY

On Monday, the 10-year Treasury yield spiked to 2.644 percent, the highest in nearly two years. The treasury yield has surged over 1 percent from its intraday low of 1.614 percent on May 1st. There are currently 165 companies (roughly 33 percent) in the S&P 500 Index with dividend yields higher than the 10-year Treasury yield, compared to 257 companies at the end of March. The recent surge in yields has triggered a selloff in dividend paying stocks among investors who flocked to the riskier equities in a low interest-rate environment.

Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY - News) shares traded in the range of $45.23 to $46.72 Wednesday before settling to close at $46.47 an increase of 2.86 percent. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $45.23 and $46.72 levels. The company currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.35 a share, $1.40 annually, for a dividend yield of roughly 3.0 percent. Shares of Bristol Myers Squibb have fallen approximately 2.0 percent in the past month.

More information on Bristol Myers Squibb and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/BMY

E I Du Pont De Nemours And Co. (NYSE:DD - News) shares traded in the range of $52.73 to $53.67 Wednesday before settling to close at $53.53, an increase of 1.23 percent. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $53.98 and $54.43 levels. The company currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.45 a share, $1.80 annually, for a dividend yield of roughly 3.4 percent. Shares of Du Pont have fallen approximately 3.3 percent in the past month.

More information on Du Pont and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/DD

The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW - News) shares traded in the range of $31.89 to $32.60 Wednesday before settling to close at $32.20. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $32.70 and $33.01 levels. The company currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.32 a share, $1.28 annually, for a dividend yield of roughly 4.0 percent. Shares of The Dow Chemical Company have fallen approximately 8.2 percent in the past month.

More information on The Dow Chemical Company and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/DOW

Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY - News) shares traded in the range of $49.22 to $49.90 Wednesday before settling to close at $49.79, an increase of 1.16 percent. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $50.89 and $51.51 levels. The company currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.49 a share, $1.96 annually, for a dividend yield of roughly 3.95 percent. Shares of Eli Lilly have fallen approximately 8.0 percent in the past month.

More information on Eli Lilly and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/LLY

Wall Street Fundamentals offers our members a full range of investor services including in-depth equity reports on your favorite companies and timely market updates featuring the hottest stocks trending in the marketplace.

Activate your always free membership by signing up at www.WallStreetFundamentals.com today.

Disclaimer: Information, opinions and analysis contained herein are based on sources believed to be reliable, but no representation, expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness. The opinions contained herein reflect our current judgment and are subject to change without notice. We accept no liability for any losses arising from an investor's reliance on or use of this report. This report is for information purposes only, and is neither a solicitation to buy nor an offer to sell securities. Certain information included herein is forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements concerning manufacturing, marketing, growth, and expansion. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could affect actual results and cause them to differ materially from expectations expressed herein. Wall Street Fundamentals has no financial relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this release.

Contact:
Wall Street Fundamentals
Website: www.WallStreetFundamentals.com
Email: editor@wallstreetfundamentals.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-fundamentals-releases-depth-stock-reports-bmy-123000906.html

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98% Before Midnight

All Critics (146) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (143) | Rotten (3)

Hawke and Delpy remain as charming as ever, and their combined goofiness is more endearing than annoying.

Love is messy here, life cannot be controlled, satisfaction is far from guaranteed. Romance is rocky at best. But romance still is.

Though "Before Midnight" is often uncomfortable to watch, it's never less than mesmerizing - and ultimately, a joy to walk with this prickly but fascinating couple again.

"Before Midnight" is heartbreaking, but not because of Jesse and Celine. It's the filmmakers' passions that seem to have cooled.

Before Midnight is fascinating to watch, and so long as Celine and Jesse are communicating, there's still hope.

How (Jesse and Celine) try to rekindle that flame is what drives Midnight, a film that feels so authentic it's like overhearing a conversation you're not sure you should be hearing.

Loving words mix with personal attacks, the magic moments with the unintended slights, as we witness the occasional desperation of imperfect people doing the best they can when life moves beyond meet-cute and courtship. That's authentic.

Linklater and his players bring an end to the fantasy and welcome the thrilling ups and bitter downs of reality to this love story.

Like the first two films, it reflects the real world in a way that seems almost preternatural. It's just that, here, the real world is a harsher, more disappointing place.

The duo, clearly so comfortable in their characters' skin, indulge in intelligent banter, sharp humour and emotional truths.

So much better written than contemporary novels, this film is a literary as well as cinematic achievement to cherish. For grown-ups.

As before, it's often very funny, with Jesse and Celine swapping Woody Allen-esque one-liners - nicely snarky, appealingly abrasive.

The acting, the dialogue and direction are superb.

None of the films is faultless in itself, but, tinted with complementary tones, the complete cycle comes as close to perfection as any trilogy in cinema history.

Marvelous. It's impossible to shake the feeling that we are merely eavesdropping on reality. Witty, wise, and -- most important of all -- truly romantic in ways that movies usually aren't.

It's been 18 years since Hawke, Delpy and Linklater introduced us to Jesse and Celine, and their story just gets richer, funnier and more punchy each time we see them. In 1995's Before Sunrise, they were idealistic 23-year-olds.

Hawke and Delpy are as believably real as any screen couple can ever be.

This is one of the few sequels for which the cliche 'eagerly awaited' is truly applicable.

Predictably, it's just as great as the first two.

By the end, Before Midnight inches towards a dawn of charm. But it's a troubled trip.

As an organic experiment in collaboration between actors and director, it is a triumph, co-created and co-owned by Delpy, Linklater and Hawke.

Hawke and Delpy, who are both credited on the script too, have never found co-stars to bounce off more nimbly or bring out richer nuances in their acting.

The performances and dialogue are wonderfully naturalistic; a reminder that the best special effects are often the cheapest.

Before Midnight is about the nature of long-term relationships, and the way love deepens and grows but also finds itself subject to the complications of maturity. Smart, insightful, and poignant.

For those who witnessed Jesse and Celine's tentative getting together as inter railing students almost twenty years ago, it's reassuring to see them still in love.

Brilliantly directed, superbly written and impeccably acted, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking and emotionally engaging drama that perfectly complements the previous two films.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_midnight_2013/

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'White House Down' Review: Impeach the Movie, Elect Channing Tatum

By Leah Rozen

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Sometimes movie stars grow on you, with familiarity breeding fondness. It's taken time but Channing Tatum has finally won me over with his goofy, lunkish charm.

Good thing, too, since he's front and center in the shameless bonfire of gunfire, explosions and macho hyperbolic heroics that is "White House Down," the latest over-the-top offering from director-producer-blockbuster specialist Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow" and "2012").

Emmerich, of course, notoriously annihilated the White House and most of Washington, D.C., in "Independence Day," a movie about an extraterrestrial invasion. In "White House Down," it's the Capitol that gets blown up, and this time it's human bad guys who are the invaders, taking over the White House at gunpoint.

Tatum plays John Cale, a Capitol Hill policeman and Afghanistan War vet who just happens to be accompanying his precocious daughter, Emily (Joey King), on a guided tour of the White House that day. During the course of the tour, President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx), an idealistic former academic who chomps on Nicorette to keep from smoking - hmm, remind you of anyone? - stops by to greet the visitors and grants young Emily a brief interview for her video blog.

Minutes later, a group of heavily armed gunmen, who'd been posing as repairman, put into operation with military precision a takeover of the White House. Pulling out major weaponry, they start firing, slaughtering the President's entire protective detail and bevies of bureaucrats.

Cale quickly unites with President Sawyer, trying his best to protect the leader of the free world and keep him out of the bad guys' hands. As the two sneak around the Executive Mansion, trying to elude the gunmen and get to safety, they're also attempting to figure out what the heck is happening and who's behind the takeover.

At the same time, in a secure bunker elsewhere, a group of high level security personnel (Maggie Gyllenhaal), military officers (Lance Reddick) and elected figures (Richard Jenkins) gather to investigate the identities and motives of the White House invaders and how best to save the President and the nation.

The cat-and-mouse game in "White House" goes on and on (the movie runs for two hours and 17 minutes), growing more preposterous and silly by the scene. This totally is the stuff of action movies, not real life.

It's kind of fun, in a dopey way, for a while, but then it's just noise and firepower and boys with their toys.

As for the acting, Tatum proves a sturdy action hero, stripping down to a sleeveless undershirt in record time and projecting resolute concern. This guy is Aldo Ray all over again, only he's going to have a longer and more successful career.

Foxx goes with the flow, doing a sly take on the current occupant of the White House, making his President Sawyer both noble and ready to rumble. In supporting roles, Gyllenhaal, Reddick, Jenkins, James Woods and Jason Clarke all deliver when asked to, and Nicolas Wright earns laughs as a know-it-all White House tour guide who's appalled by the gunmen's disregard for historical White House antiques.

I'll give "White House Down" this: For sheer chutzpah, both in terms of product placement and situational believability, it will be hard for any other movie this summer to top a scene in which a bad guy has the temerity to grab President Sawyer by the ankles.

The Commander in Chief, having earlier in the story swapped his heavy dress shoes for pricey, fleet-making sneakers, fights the man off, scolding, "Don't touch the Jordans!"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-down-review-impeach-movie-elect-channing-202534863.html

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Winegard FlatWave Amped indoor antenna review

We have three TVs in my house, but only two of them are connected to cable boxes. ?I have the TV in my bedroom connected to a Roku 3 box (see related links for my review), so I can access the Time Warner Cable programming they make available through Roku’s TWC channel. ?Unfortunately, the TWC [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/06/26/winegard-flatwave-amped-indoor-antenna-review/

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3 Things You Need to Know About Health Insurance Benefits ...

Image via Flickr by Ephemeral Scraps

With new regulations for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act going into effect, there are at least three things you should know about health insurance benefits:

1. All Insurance Plans Must Cover Preventative Health Benefits

Insurance law is changing to include things called Essential Benefits, which will now be covered at 100 percent. These health insurance benefits include:

• annual exams,
• preventative screenings, and
• certain prescriptions.

For example, colonoscopies will be available to people over 50 while mammograms will be available to women over a certain age. For prescriptions, birth control is now covered at 100 percent as are breast feeding supplies. For children, all health plans must also cover vision and dental (although there isn?t a lot of guidance on what this means yet).

2. It?s Easier to Compare Health Benefits, Insurance Plans, and Care

One thing the Affordable Care Act has done is create a better way to compare health plans. Before this, every insurance company had their own terms and definitions, making it very difficult to compare plans. Now every insurance company needs to fill out a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) while using the new Uniform Glossary of terms so that all the definitions are also identical. This organizes their information in identical ways with identical definitions of things like ?copayment? and ?deductible.?

What does this mean for an employer and their employee? It makes it much easier to find the plan and the insurance company that offers the best protection for a professional employer and their employees. Think about it as food labels?they tell you how many calories and how many grams of sugar or protein the product contains so that you can easily find the healthiest option. An SBC and new glossary will provide a similar ?label? for much easier comparisons.

3. New Requirements for Health Care Mean Changes in Compliance

As health care laws require insurance companies to fill out a Summary of Benefits and Coverage, an employer has a responsibility to discover who will provide these forms and notify their employee of the changes. An employer is responsible for providing their employees with the following:

1. An employer must send the new SBC?s and accompanying glossaries to every employee.
2. An employer must also notify employees about the new state or federal insurance exchanges with information on how they can participate.
3. If an employer is keeping their current insurance plan, they need to explain how their plan is comparable to what an employee may find in the insurance exchange.

These notifications can in some instances be delivered electronically, but they may need to be printed and handed or mailed out. And yes, we can help with that! As a Professional Employer Organization, we will make sure you are in compliance.

Still have questions about health benefits, insurance, or compliance? Your PEO has access to the tools and information you need. Join our email list for regular expert tips and advice!

Source: http://www.employersresource.com/2013/06/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-health-insurance-benefits/

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Shares recover as central bankers ease liquidity fears

By Richard Hubbard

LONDON (Reuters) - A late recovery in Chinese stocks and comments by top Federal Reserve officials that eased fears of an imminent end to its stimulus lifted shares and bonds off their lows on Tuesday and cooled a rally in the dollar.

China shares pared recent hefty losses to near 4-1/2-year lows after Chinese central bank officials sought to reassure investors that liquidity would be kept at an appropriate level to support growth.

The dollar and U.S. bond yields came off their peaks after two Fed officials downplayed the notion of an imminent end to monetary stimulus and said on Monday that market reaction was not yet a cause for concern.

Markets - from safe-haven U.S. Treasuries to riskier stocks, credit instruments, and emerging market assets - have tumbled for nearly a week on fears of a credit squeeze in China and an early end to the Fed's massive bond buying program.

Both sets of comments were seen as likely to soothe market nerves and bring at least a temporary halt to selling.

"After all the moves we've seen in U.S. dollar buying, selling bonds, selling equities, I think we're seeing a retracement now, I think we're going into a consolidation period," said Greg Matwejev, Director of FX Hedge Fund Sales and Trading at Newedge.

In early European trade, the broad FTSEurofirst 300 indexFTEU3> gained 0.8 percent to 1,122.44 points, after falling 5.5 percent over the past three trading days.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.miapj0000pus> lost 0.2 percent but had been as much as 1.2 percent lower on the day.

The dollar dipped 0.15 percent against a basket of major currencies <.dxy> and eased 0.25 percent against its Japanese counterpart, to 95.45 yen.

(Editing by Catherine Evans)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/treasuries-shares-resuscitate-fed-still-weighs-003515087.html

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Disney drops bid to trademark Day of Dead name

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) ? Disney has dropped an effort to trademark "Dia de los Muertos," the name of the traditional "Day of the Dead" holiday celebrated by millions in Mexico and the U.S.

The company announced Tuesday that it was withdrawing a trademark request it made on May 1 to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The application prompted online criticism and petitions.

"What were they thinking?" Genevieve Barrios Southgate, director of community programs at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, told the Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/ZFGuq5 ).

"Disney obviously responded to public pressure," she said. "I guess that's what happens when you don't have culturally sensitive people as your advisers."

Many Mexicans and Mexican-Americans observe the November holiday, which honors deceased relatives and loved ones. Traditions include cleaning and decorating graves, leaving gift offerings for the dead and building elaborate shrines decorated with sugar skulls and marigolds.

Disney Enterprises Inc. hoped to secure name rights for merchandise such as snack foods and Christmas ornaments as it partners with Pixar Animation Studios Inc. to create an animated movie inspired by the holiday.

"Disney's trademark filing was intended to protect any potential title for our film and related activities," a company statement said. "It has since been determined that the title of the film will change and therefore we are withdrawing our trademark filing."

Disney was trying to infringe "on something that is so uniquely Mexican and Mexican-American," Alejandro Gradilla, chairman of the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department at California State University, Fullerton, told the Register. "I don't think this will be the last time we hear about a company trying to copyright a holiday."

Had Disney won the trademark, it might have given the company exclusive rights to use the name on merchandise, but it wouldn't necessarily have prevented holiday events, an attorney told the Arizona Republic (http://bit.ly/12g39v7 )

"It doesn't mean they can stop anyone else from putting on a Dia de los Muertos celebration or anything on those lines," Michael Campillo said. "They could stop someone from putting out a movie with the same name, or other merchandise."

However, Disney erred in trying to trademark a commonly used phrase, he said.

"It seems odd that they would go out of their way to upset the consuming public," Campillo said, "a large part of which they're trying to court for business."

Two years ago, Disney was fiercely criticized for attempting to trademark the name "SEAL Team 6" days after that elite U.S. Navy team killed Osama bin Laden. The company later withdrew the application.

___

Information from: The Orange County Register, http://www.ocregister.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-05-08-Disney-Holiday%20Trademark/id-0d355632ac694737b55386c569db05c2

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Ten GIFs That Explain How A Car Works

Do you know how your car works? I feel like I have a strong understanding but there's always more to learn. Here are ten great GIFs found by Jalopnik readers the explain the marvels of the modern automobile.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/TVPzJ6_V3Vg/ten-gifs-that-explain-how-a-car-works-495996770

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And she?s cool, and she?s skinny, and she?s a fool for the last living rock king (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/303441276?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Solar Plane Takes Off on Historic Coast-to-Coast Flight

A solar-powered airplane that can fly day and night without using a single drop of fuel embarked on an unprecedented flight across the United States today (May 3).

The solar-powered aircraft, named Solar Impulse, took off from Moffett Airfield near San Francisco, Calif., shortly after 9:00 a.m. EDT (6:00 a.m. PDT). The plane will now head south on the first 19-hour leg of its journey, and is expected to touch down at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport on Saturday (May 4) at 4:00 a.m. EDT (1:00 a.m. PDT).

Solar Impulse is the first aircraft capable of flying day and night without using any fuel. The plane relies solely on its solar panels and onboard batteries for power. During today's flight, the aircraft is expected to reach a cruising altitude of 21,000 feet (6,400 meters). [Images: Cross-Country Flight in a Solar-Powered Plane]

Solar Impulse founders Bertrand Piccard and Andr? Borschberg will alternate piloting the single-seater plane over the five legs of the journey. Piccard was at the controls for today's takeoff from California.

This morning's flight was slightly delayed, as officials in the Solar Impulse "mission control center" in Switzerland reviewed final details of the flight plan with air traffic controllers in California. After several quick discussions, Solar Impulse received the go-ahead for the first part of its historic journey.

"Solar Impulse you are clear to proceed. Have a nice flight," flight controllers radioed to Piccard in the cockpit shortly before takeoff.

In mid-May, the ultra-lightweight plane will begin the second leg of its trip, taking off in Phoenix and landing in Dallas, Texas. Toward the end of May, Solar Impulse will depart for St. Louis, Mo.; the fourth leg will take the plane from St. Louis to Washington, D.C.; and the fifth and last leg will end in New York City in late June or early July.?

Each leg of the expedition will be streamed live on Solar Impulse's website. The live feed will feature information on the airplane's position, altitude and speed, as well as camera views from inside the cockpit and Solar Impulse's mission control center.

The Solar Impulse aircraft weighs about the same as a station wagon, and its solar panel-covered wings are roughly the same length as a 747 jetliner. Solar Impulse generates about the same amount of power as a small scooter, company officials have said.

The unprecedented coast-to-coast flight is designed to demonstrate the potential for "clean technologies" as viable and efficient sources of renewable energy.

While commercial flights aboard solar-powered airplanes may still be decades into the future, the Solar Impulse journey may one day serve as a model for sustainable air travel.

The coast-to-coast expedition will also launch an initiative called "Clean Generation," which aims to promote the use of clean technologies around the globe. The program seeks to "encourage governments, businesses and decision-makers to push for the adoption of clean technologies and sustainable energy solutions," Solar Impulse officials said in a statement.

Other supporters of the Clean Generation Initiative include Hollywood director James Cameron, former Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, environmentalist and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson.

These and other supporters of the initiative will be able to add their names to a list that will be carried in the cockpit of the Solar Impulse plane, signifying them as virtual passengers on the journey. In the stopover cities throughout the trip, more names will be added, company officials said.

In 2010, the Solar Impulse plane successfully completed a 26-hour overnight flight, followed by a flight from Switzerland to Morocco in 2012. Solar Impulse's founders eventually plan to circumnavigate the world in the solar-powered plane.

Follow Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/solar-plane-takes-off-historic-coast-coast-flight-135018073.html

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Botox used to find new wrinkle in brain communication

May 2, 2013 ? National Institutes of Health researchers used the popular anti-wrinkle agent Botox to discover a new and important role for a group of molecules that nerve cells use to quickly send messages. This novel role for the molecules, called SNARES, may be a missing piece that scientists have been searching for to fully understand how brain cells communicate under normal and disease conditions.

"The results were very surprising," said Ling-Gang Wu, Ph.D., a scientist at NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Like many scientists we thought SNAREs were only involved in fusion."

Every day almost 100 billion nerve cells throughout the body send thousands of messages through nearly 100 trillion communication points called synapses. Cell-to-cell communication at synapses controls thoughts, movements, and senses and could provide therapeutic targets for a number of neurological disorders, including epilepsy.

Nerve cells use chemicals, called neurotransmitters, to rapidly send messages at synapses. Like pellets inside shotgun shells, neurotransmitters are stored inside spherical membranes, called synaptic vesicles. Messages are sent when a carrier shell fuses with the nerve cell's own shell, called the plasma membrane, and releases the neurotransmitter "pellets" into the synapse.

SNAREs (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) are three proteins known to be critical for fusion between carrier shells and nerve cell membranes during neurotransmitter release.

"Without SNAREs there is no synaptic transmission," said Dr. Wu.

Botulinum toxin, or Botox, disrupts SNAREs. In a study published in Cell Reports, Dr. Wu and his colleagues describe how they used Botox and similar toxins as tools to show that SNAREs may also be involved in retrieving message carrier shells from nerve cell membranes immediately after release.

To study this, the researchers used advanced electrical recording techniques to directly monitor in real time carrier shells being fused with and retrieved from nerve cell membranes while the cells sent messages at synapses. The experiments were performed on a unique synapse involved with hearing called the calyx of Held. As expected, treating the synapses with toxins reduced fusion. However Dr. Wu and his colleagues also noticed that the toxins reduced retrieval.

"The results were very surprising," said Dr. Wu. "Like many scientists we thought SNAREs were only involved in fusion."

For at least a decade scientists have known that carrier shells have to be retrieved before more messages can be sent. Retrieval occurs in two modes: fast and slow. A different group of molecules are known to control the slow mode.

"Until now most scientists thought fusion and retrieval were two separate processes controlled by different sets of molecules," said Dr. Wu.

Nevertheless several studies suggested that one of the SNARE molecules could be involved with both modes.

In this study, Dr. Wu and his colleagues systematically tested this idea to fully understand retrieval. The results showed that all three SNARE proteins may be involved in both fast and slow retrieval.

"Our results suggest that SNAREs link fusion and retrieval," said Dr. Wu.

The results may have broad implications. SNAREs are commonly used by other cells throughout the body to release chemicals. For example, SNAREs help control the release of insulin from pancreas cells, making them a potential target for diabetes treatments. Recent studies suggest that SNAREs may be involved in neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and spastic ataxia.

"We think SNARES work like this in most nerve cell synapses. This new role could change the way scientists think about how SNAREs are involved in neuronal communication and diseases," said Dr. Wu.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Xu J et al. SNARE proteins synaptobrevin, SNAP-25 and syntaxin are involved in rapid and slow endocytosis at synapses. Cell Reports, May 2, 2013 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellrep.2013.03.010

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/sKpjMmdoQoQ/130502131905.htm

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Six Ways The GOP Can Make The Mass. Senate Race Competitive

The Hill:

The Republican establishment breathed a sigh of relief when Boston businessman Gabriel Gomez won Tuesday's GOP primary in the Massachusetts special Senate race, believing he represents the party's best chance at an unlikely pick-up in liberal Massachusetts.

Read the whole story at The Hill

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/02/massachusetts-senate-race_n_3198043.html

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