Kenny Rogers to join Country Music Hall of Fame

By Vernell Hackett

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Veteran singers and songwriters Kenny Rogers, Bobby Bare and "Cowboy" Jack Clement will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, organizers said on Wednesday, achieving one of the highest honors in the music industry.

Rogers, 74, the husky-voiced three-time Grammy winner best known for songs like The Gambler" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town," will be inducted in the "Modern Era" category, the Country Music Association announced.

"Everything pales in comparison to this," Rogers said, tearing up because the honor came in his lifetime.

"My older sons thought I was already in here. Maybe now I can really impress them," he told Reuters, referring to his 8-year-old twin sons from his fifth marriage.

Rogers, a country-pop crossover artist who scored a big hit with the 1983 duet "Islands in the Stream" with Dolly Parton, has charted hit singles in each of the past six decades, and is due to play at the Glastonbury pop music festival in England in June.

Wednesday's three new inductees will bring membership of the Country Music Hall of Fame to 121 since its creation in 1961, including the likes of Parton, Elvis Presley, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Glen Campbell and Willie Nelson.

Bare, 78, was born in Ohio and moved to California, where he had a hit with "The All American Boy" in the pop field in 1959. He later moved to Nashville, was signed to a record deal by guitar player Chet Atkins, and went on to have hits with "Detroit City," and "500 Miles Away From Home."

"This is real huge," Bare said on Wednesday. "This is the culmination of a 19-year-old boy's dream who left Ohio to be a singer."

Clements, 82, is a producer and songwriter from Texas who moved to Memphis just as Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis, whom he discovered, were breaking into the music scene in the mid-1950s.

He persuaded George Jones to record one of his early hits, "She Thinks I Still Care," and also persuaded a record label to sign Charley Pride, one of the few African-American singers to make it big in the country music scene.

Clement, who also produced tracks in Memphis for U2's "Rattle and Hum" album, will be inducted as a non-performer in the ceremony to be held later this year at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kenny-rogers-join-country-music-hall-fame-185012854.html

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Sudan's army says kills 15 rebels, retakes part of South Darfur

CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudanese forces retook a southern part of the country's Darfur region after clashing with insurgents, killing 15, a military spokesman said on Tuesday, while rebels claimed victory in fighting in northern Darfur.

Spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad said the army had repulsed an attack by rebels loyal to veteran fighter Minni Minawi on the Dubu area in South Darfur state, and the state news agency SUNA said government forces had reasserted control over the area.

Separately, a spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) faction led by Abdel Wahed Mohamed al-Nur told Reuters that rebels had stormed and seized three military camps in North Darfur state, killing 64 soldiers.

Events in Darfur are hard to independently verify because of restrictions on media access to the region.

Conflict has torn Darfur since 2003 when mainly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the Arab-led government, accusing it of politically and economically marginalizing the region.

Violence has subsided from its peak in 2003 and 2004, but a surge has forced more than 130,000 people to flee their homes since the start of this year, according to the United Nations.

In 2008, the United Nations said about 300,000 people may have died in Darfur's war, a figure some activists said was too low. The Khartoum government has put the death toll at about 10,000.

(Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sudans-army-says-kills-15-rebels-retakes-part-185031921.html

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Xiaomi Phone 2S and 2A announced with MIUI v5, the former entering Hong Kong and Taiwan

After selling 7.19 million phones in China last year, Xiaomi is now one step closer to world domination with a new device that'll take it to new territories: the Xiaomi Phone 2S (or MI-2S). As the name and look (pictured left) suggest, this is pretty much the same device as the 4.3-inch Xiaomi Phone 2, except it comes with Qualcomm's newer Snapdragon 600 quad-core chip clocked at 1.7GHz, plus a beefed up camera of 13-megapixel resolution (with F2.2 aperture) on the 32GB model. The 16GB 2S, on the other hand, gets the same old 8-megapixel F2.0 imager. The rest of the hardware is the same old: 2GB RAM, 2,000mAH removable battery, 720p IPS display, dual-mic noise cancellation, 2-megapixel front-facing camera and WCDMA 850/1900/2100MHz radio (there's also a CDMA version for China Telecom).

Unlike the previous launch, the 16GB flavor of this phone is already in stock on the day of announcement and is ready for purchase in China today for ¥1,999 or about $320 unsubsidized. Actually, strike that -- apparently the first lot of 200,000 units promptly sold out (likely thanks to scalpers). Luckily, Xiaomi is finally tapping into the Hong Kong market via its xiaomi.hk website starting April 23rd, so chances are genuine buyers in Hong Kong won't have to compete against the machines from mainland China; and Taiwan customers will also be able to buy a 2S from either local carrier Far Eastone towards the end of this month, or from xiaomi.tw starting next month. No word on the availability of the 32GB model just yet, but it's already priced at ¥2,299 or about $370 unsubsidized.

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Armenian opposition cries foul as president is re-installed

By Hasmik Mkrtchyan

YEREVAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Armenians protested in Yerevan on Tuesday against the inauguration of President Serzh Sarksyan for a second term, saying that his re-election had been fixed.

Across town, Sarksyan said in his inauguration speech that developing the economy, ensuring the rule of law and deepening democracy were his top priorities, along with the peaceful resolution of a long-standing territorial dispute with Azerbaijan.

European monitors had said the February 18 election was generally well conducted, but bemoaned a lack of competition after leading opposition candidates pulled out fearing the outcome would be rigged. Sarksyan's tally of 58.6 percent was in line with opinion polls.

Tuesday's peaceful crowd of some 12,000 was the biggest of the intermittent protests since the election.

Demonstrators led by Raffi Hovannisian rallied in Yerevan's central Freedom Square as the inauguration was held a few kilometers (miles) away. Hovannisian came second to Sarksyan according to the official count, but insists he won the vote.

"We say 'No' to false oaths, 'no' to false presidents," Hovannisian, a U.S.-born former foreign minister, told supporters.

With security tight, demonstrators marched through the city after the rally but were stopped by police when they tried to approach the presidential administration building and turned back toward Freedom Square.

Late in the evening, Hovannisian and some 100 supporters were allowed to march towards Sarksyan's administration complex, but promised police not to spend long there. He said he would hold another protest on Friday.

Several protesters were briefly detained but there has been no repeat of the violence that erupted after round-the-clock protests following Sarksyan's first election in 2008. Eight activists and two police were killed in those demonstrations.

Foreign governments are watching for signs of instability in mostly Christian Armenia, a nation of 3.2 million that hosts a Russian military base and is at odds with its oil-rich, mainly Muslim neighbor Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The mountain territory is in Azerbaijan but has been controlled by ethnic Armenians since a war that ended in 1994 with a shaky truce.

There is still sporadic shooting and Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that an Azeri officer had been shot dead on Monday evening by a sniper near the "line of contact".

A military spokesman in the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh government called the Azeri statement "disinformation" and denied violating the truce.

Sarksyan said a peaceful settlement of the issue "will remain our priority for as long as necessary to arrive at a final solution", while also promising to "enhance the level of our security".

Years of mediation led by France, Russia and the United States have failed to resolve the dispute, and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has not ruled out eventually resorting to force.

(Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/armenian-opposition-cries-foul-president-installed-193135784.html

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Syrian official: Car bomb in Damascus kills 15

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? A car bomb rocked a busy residential and commercial district in central Damascus on Monday, killing at least 15 people and sending a huge cloud of black smoke billowing over the capital's skyline, Syrian state-run media said.

The explosion came as U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said inspectors were ready to deploy within 24 hours to Syria to investigate reports of chemical weapon attacks but have not yet received permission from President Bashar Assad's government.

Monday's blast, described by state-run Syrian TV as a terrorist suicide bombing, went off near the Sabaa Bahrat Square, one of the capital's biggest roundabouts. The Syrian central bank, the state-run investment agency, a mosque and a school are located nearby.

The explosion also wounded at least 53 people, according to Syrian state TV.

It was the latest in a series of car bombs and suicide bombings to hit the Syrian capital in recent months as the two-year civil war becomes increasingly chaotic. The U.N. says the conflict has killed more than 70,000 people.

TV images showed thick black smoke billowing in a wide street with several cars on fire. At least six bodies were seen lying in the pavement. Paramedics carried a young woman lying on a stretcher, her face bloodied, into an ambulance.

Shaken teenage students holding their backpacks were seen walking away. The TV said the blast occurred near the Bukhari School.

According to the footage, the dead included a young man whose face was blown off by the force of the blast. Shortly after, another man is seen covering the victim's head with his T-shirt.

Nearby, several men are seen twisting the wreckage of a car, trying to rescue a man who appears motionless in the back seat of a car.

Fire fighters struggled to extinguish flames that engulfed the two buildings near the site of the explosion as well as a row of cars near the roundabout.

The last large explosion in central Damascus was on Feb. 22, when a suicide car bombing near the ruling Baath Party headquarters killed 53 people and wounded more than 200, according to state media.

Anti-regime activists at the time put the death toll at 61, which would make it the deadliest bombing in the capital in the two-year Syrian civil war.

Last month, a suicide bomb ripped through a mosque in the heart of the capital, killing a top Sunni Muslim preacher and outspoken supporter of Assad and 41 others in one of the most stunning assassinations of the war.

The violence has shattered the sense of normalcy that the Syrian regime has desperately tried to maintain in Damascus, a city that was until recently mostly insulated from the bloodshed and destruction that has left other urban centers in ruins.

The anti-Assad rebels launched an offensive on Damascus in July after a stunning bombing on a high-level government crisis meeting that killed four top regime officials, including Assad's brother-in-law and the defense minister. Following that attack, rebel groups that had established footholds in the suburbs pushed in, battling government forces for more than a week before being routed and swept out.

Since then, government warplanes have pounded opposition strongholds on the outskirts, and rebels have managed only small incursions on the city's southern and eastern sides.

Assad's government has asked the U.N. chief to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack by rebels on March 19 on a village in northern Syria. Both the rebels and the regime traded blame for the alleged attack, which has not been confirmed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-official-car-bomb-damascus-kills-15-124221599.html

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NTSB: Pilot's texting contributed to copter crash

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Texting by the pilot of a medical helicopter contributed to a crash that killed four people, federal accident investigators declared Tuesday, and they approved a safety alert cautioning all pilots against using cellphones or other distracting devices during critical operations.

It was the first fatal commercial aircraft accident investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board in which texting has been implicated. And it underscored the board's worries that distractions from electronic devices are a growing factor in incidents across all modes of transportation ? planes, trains, cars, trucks and even ships.

While no U.S. airline crashes have been tied to electronic device use, the Federal Aviation Administration in January proposed regulations prohibiting airline flight crews from using cellphones and other wireless devices while a plane is in operation. The regulations are required under a law passed last year by Congress in response to an October 2010 incident in which two Northwest Airlines pilots overflew their destination of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by 100 miles while they were engrossed in working on their laptops.

Regulations already in place prohibit airline pilots from engaging in potentially distracting activities during critical phases of flight such as takeoffs, landings and taxiing. In some cases, however, pilots are allowed to use tablet computers containing safety and navigation procedures known as "electronic flight bags," replacing paper documents.

The five-member board unanimously agreed that the helicopter crash was caused by a distracted and tired pilot who skipped preflight safety checks, which would have revealed his helicopter was low on fuel, and then, after he discovered his situation, decided to proceed with the fatal last leg of the flight.

The case "juxtaposes old issues of pilot decision making with a 21st century twist: distractions from portable electronic devices," said board Chairman Deborah Hersman.

The helicopter ran out of fuel, crashing into a farm field in clear weather early on the evening of Aug. 26, 2011, near Mosby, Mo., a little over a mile short of an airport. The pilot was killed, along with a patient being taken from one hospital to another, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic.

One board member, Earl Weener, dissented on the safety alert decision, saying the cases cited as the basis for it ? including the medical helicopter accident ? were the result of bad decisions by pilots without a direct connection to the use of distracting devices.

Other board members disagreed. "We see this as a problem that is emerging, and on that basis, let's try to get ahead of it," said board member Chris Hart.

The pilot, James Freudenberg, 34, of Rapid City, S.D., sent 25 text messages and received 60 more during the course of his 12-hour shift, including 20 messages exchanged during the hour and 41 minutes before the crash, according to investigators and a timeline prepared for the board.

Most of the messaging was with an off-duty female co-worker with whom Freudenberg had a long history of "frequent, intensive communications," and with whom he was planning to have dinner that night, said Bill Bramble, an NTSB expert on pilot psychology.

Three of the messages were sent, and five were received while the helicopter was in flight, although none in the final 11 minutes before it crashed, according to the NTSB timeline.

The helicopter was operated by a subsidiary of Air Methods Corp. of Englewood, Colo., the largest provider of air medical emergency transport services in the U.S. The company's policies prohibit the use of electronic devices by pilots during flight. Most airlines and other commercial aircraft operators have similar policies.

The board concluded Freudenberg was fatigued as well as distracted. He had slept only five hours the night before, and the accident occurred at the end of his 12-hour shift.

He was told when he came on duty that the helicopter was low on fuel. But later in the day he missed several opportunities to correct the fuel situation before he took off for a hospital in Bethany, Mo., the first leg of the trip. Among those missed opportunities were failing to conduct a pre-flight check and to look at the craft's fuel gauge. Shortly after takeoff, he radioed that he had two hours of fuel. He apparently realized his mistake later during the flight.

While waiting on the ground in Bethany for the patient and the medical crew, Freudenberg exchanged text messages as he was reporting by radio to a company communications center that the helicopter was lower on fuel than he had originally thought. He told the communications center he had about 45 minutes worth of fuel, which investigators said they believe was a lie intended to cover up his earlier omissions and that he was in jeopardy of violating federal safety regulations.

In fact, the helicopter had 30 minutes of fuel left, investigators said. Federal Aviation Administration regulations require 20 minutes of reserve fuel at all times.

With no other place nearby to refuel, Freudenberg opted to continue the patient transfer to a hospital in Liberty, Mo., changing his flight plan enough for a stop at an airfield 32 minutes away for fuel. The helicopter stalled and crashed 30 minutes later.

A low fuel warning light might have alerted him to his true situation, but the light was set on "dim" for nighttime use and may not have been visible. A pre-flight check by the pilot, if it had been conducted, should have revealed the light was set in the wrong position, investigators said.

The board also said Freudenberg failed after losing engine power to set the helicopter up for a maneuver called autorotation, which employs updrafts to keep the rotor turning and permit the craft to glide to the ground. However, investigators said the pilot had only 2 seconds to complete three steps necessary for autorotation.

Although the Freudenberg wasn't texting at the time of the crash, it's possible the messaging took his mind off his duties and caused him to skip safety steps he might have otherwise performed, said experts on human performance and cognitive distraction. People can't concentrate on two things at once; they can only shift their attention rapidly back and forth, the experts said. But as they do that, the sharpness of their focus begins to erode.

"People just have a limited ability to pay attention," said David Strayer, a professor of cognitive and neural science at the University of Utah. "It's one of the characteristics of how we are wired."

"If we have two things demanding attention, one will take attention away from other," he said. "If it happens while sitting behind a desk, it's not that big of a problem. But if you are sitting behind the wheel of a car or in the cockpit of an airplane, you start to get serious compromises in safety."

A text message ? especially one accompanied by an audible alert like a buzz or bell ? interrupts a person's thoughts and can be hard to ignore, said Christopher Wickens, a University of Illinois professor emeritus of engineering and aviation psychology. If the subject of the email is especially engaging, or especially emotional, that also makes it hard to ignore, he said.

The helicopter pilot didn't have a history of safety problems and was regarded as a good, safe pilot by his co-workers. He was a former Army pilot, and NTSB investigators said his actions on the day of the accident were apparently "out of character."

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-09-Distracted%20Flying/id-2d0f4b41e861421297634ebadc6b01f7

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Red meat boosts gut bugs that raise heart disease risk

Red meat gives a boost to gut bugs that are bad news for your arteries. The discovery may explain why eating lots of meat increases the risk of heart disease.

Stanley Hazen at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute in Ohio and colleagues fed mice a diet high in carnitine, a nutrient found in large amounts in red meat and also added to energy drinks. The team found that this increased the incidence of atherosclerosis, a thickening of the artery walls.

However, when the researchers fed the same diet to mice with suppressed gut flora, they saw no increase in atherosclerosis.

A similar effect appears to exist in humans. The team studied a group of people undergoing cardiac evaluation, and found that those who had higher levels of carnitine in their blood also had a higher incidence of previous cardiac problems.

Bacteria boost

Some bacteria in the intestine use carnitine as an energy source, breaking it down and producing a waste product called trimethylamine (TMA). The liver converts this into another substance, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), which is excreted in urine.

In mice, high levels of dietary carnitine shifted the types of bacteria present in the gut and increased the volume of TMAO produced tenfold. "Imagine a Petri dish full of bacteria," says Hazen. "If you start feeding them carnitine, the ones that like carnitine more will reproduce and those that don't will decrease."

TMAO levels matter because the substance increases the uptake of "bad" cholesterol and prevents its destruction by macrophages ? white blood cells ? in artery walls. This causes a build-up of plaque that can lead to atherosclerosis.

In further tests, Hazen's team found that meat-eaters produced higher levels of TMAO than vegans or vegetarians after they were fed carnitine, suggesting that they had more TMA-producing bacteria in their gut. "I'm not telling people to cut out red meat," Hazens says. "But cut down the frequency and portion sizes."

Too much of a good thing

Carnitine has its good side: it transports fuel into mitochondria, a cell's powerhouses. "A bit like stoking a fire, carnitine shovels fatty acid into the mitochondrial furnace," says Hazen.

As our body makes all of the carnitine it needs, any additional intake ? for example, in energy drinks or commercially available carnitine supplements ? has no significant benefit. Evidence that increasing carnitine intake gives you more energy is weak, Hazen says. He adds that the new work suggests that taking carnitine supplements could in fact alter your metabolism to increase risk of cardiovascular disease.

"This is impressive work that may help to explain the association seen in epidemiological studies between red meat consumption and coronary heart disease," says David Leake at the University of Reading, UK, who studies atherosclerosis. "However it will require a lot more work to prove how important the role of TMAO is in cardiovascular disease in humans."

Hazen hopes to have a diagnostic test for TMAO ready by the end of the year so that doctors could monitor TMAO just like keeping tabs on high cholesterol. This will be useful if TMAO levels in the blood are indeed a precursor for the onset of atherosclerosis.

Journal reference: Nature Medicine, DOI: 10.1038/nm.3145

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JA Resorts and Hotels launches new offer for GCC travel agents | JA ...

The incentive provides GCC travel agents with the convenience of making bookings through their channel of choice with the incentive booking code and simply sending the details to a dedicated e-mail address. Bookings can be made on any meal plan and from 100 room nights, agents start receiving prizes.

The company will continue to promote this six-month incentive in April during a road show to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It will be the first regional road show the company heads under its new brand JA Resorts & Hotels, which it launched late last year.

"Our GCC business continues to grow and we believe this incentive will go some distance to thank our loyal agents and inspire new agents to book JA Resorts & Hotels properties," said Anabela Radosevic, Director of Sales & Marketing for the company. "We see GCC guests staying for longer periods than in the past, which is a positive indication of how they enjoy the properties and Dubai as a destination."

At the family beach resort JA Palm Tree Court, 100 nights get agents an iPad or 150 nights to receive gold. Situated within the award-winning Jebel Ali Golf Resort, the five-star beach hotel features 15 outlets and three children's clubs, along with several sports and leisure options such as deep-sea fishing, spa, horse riding, golf and clay shooting.

The Residence at JA Palm Tree Court is the resort's luxury villa, featuring a limited collection of one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites on the beachfront between lush, tropical gardens. Several special benefits are afforded to guests, including butler service, Signature Lounge and saltwater pool access, complimentary babysitting and kids' amenities. Agents get an iPad when booking 100 room nights in this exclusive luxury accommodation, or a diamond for 150 nights.

JA Oasis Beach Tower is already a firm favourite in the GCC and its two, three and four-bedroom deluxe apartments are ideal for large families. Bookings totalling 250 room nights during the applicable travel dates will win an agent an iPad, or gold for 300 room nights.

The travel and booking period for the incentive is from this month until August or September depending on the property. For more details and conditions, GCC travel agents can contact website. Agents can register at discover-ja.com for the company's e-learning programme.

Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/ja-resorts-hotels-launches-offer-gcc-336807

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Roger Ebert's funeral draws fans and the famous

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

Famous names, including Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois governor Pat Quinn were among those who eulogized film critic Roger Ebert at his funeral Monday at Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral. The Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic died Thursday at age 70 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

John Gress / Reuters

Chaz Ebert watches as her husband Roger Ebert's casket is carried in to his funeral in Chicago.

Emanuel called Ebert, "the most American of American critics in the most American of cities." Emanuel said he always had two questions about any movie he wanted to see, "what time does it start and what did Roger think about it."

"The final reel of Roger's life may have run to the end, but his memory will never fade," said Emanuel.

Quinn recalled meeting the critic at his film festival, Ebertfest, and recalled how he always stood for social justice.

"We love you, Roger," Quinn said. "We always will. Thumbs up!"

Jonathan Jackson, son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, delivered thoughts from his father and also relayed comments from filmmaker Spike Lee. Jackson and Lee both praised Ebert for his attention to African-American film.?

Former Sun-Times publisher John Barron recalled Ebert's devotion to the newspaper industry, saying that being his boss was "the easiest job I ever had." Barron noted that "we at the Sun-Times were always proud to say we worked where Roger Ebert worked."

Ebert's stepdaughter Sonia recalled his love for her family, especially her children, saying "he embraced all of us as his own." Ebert married her mother, Chaz Hammelsmith, in 1992 at age 50. "Roger, I want to thank you for nothing more than being you and loving us," she said.

Ebert's widow also spoke, though she said that when she woke up she wasn't sure she'd be able to do so. "This morning I didn't want to get out of bed," she said. "And then it felt like he was there with me." Indicating her elaborate black veiled hat, she said "he loves this hat, that's why I wore it today."

John Gress / Reuters

Roger Ebert's widow, Chaz, spoke briefly at his funeral service and noted that the black veiled hat she wore was a favorite of her husband's.

Ebert's granddaughter, Raven Evans, read from the Book of Isaiah, and filmmaker Gregory Nava delivered the petitions. "A heart as great as Roger's can never die," Nava said.

The funeral homily made mention of Ebert's recent blog post, "How I Am A Roman Catholic," written as Pope Benedict gave way to Pope Francis. Movies "Vanilla Sky" and "The Hours" were also mentioned, as was "Silence," Shusaku Endo's 1966 novel about a Jesuit missionary in 17th century Japan.

"We believe for (Ebert) life has changed, not ended," said Rev. John Costello.

The public was welcome at the service, and the Sun-Times reported that young film critic Matt Fagerholm, who writes for HollywoodChicago.com, was first in line.

Fagerholm was a college student when he met Ebert. "Just being able to have him as a colleague and a friendly acquaintance was a huge honor," he told the newspaper.

Former CBS anchor Bill Kurtis and "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James, who is making a documentary on Ebert?s life, also attended, according to the Sun-Times. Columnist Richard Roeper, who co-hosted "At the Movies with Roger Ebert" after Gene Siskel's death, was among the pallbearers.

Ebert's website requested donations to the Ebert Foundation, a non-profit that supports arts and education programs, in lieu of flowers.?

Another memorial to Ebert will be held Thursday night at the Chicago Theatre, where the critic often attended movie screenings and where a sidewalk star honors him. That event will include clips from Ebert's television show and musical performances.

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Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/04/08/17655384-at-roger-eberts-funeral-fans-and-the-famous-mingle?lite

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Six Americans Killed in Afghanistan Attacks (ABC News)

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Gang member arrested in corrections killing probe

DENVER (AP) ? A white supremacist prison gang member was arrested and another was still being sought for questioning Friday in the death of Colorado's prisons chief as authorities investigated whether the gang had any ties to the killing.

James Lohr, who has the words "Hard" and "Luck" tattooed where his eyebrows would be, was taken into custody early Friday in Colorado Springs. He was wanted for questioning in the slaying of Department of Corrections Director Tom Clements.

Authorities believe Lohr was in contact with gang associate Evan Ebel days before the killings of Clements and pizza delivery man Nate Leon. Police said they believe Ebel killed Leon and Clements less than a week before he died in a Texas shootout, but the motive is unclear.

Clements was shot to death March 19 in Monument, just north of Colorado Springs. Leon was killed two days earlier. His body was found in the Denver suburb of Golden.

Colorado Springs police arrested Lohr after a short foot chase that started when officers tried to stop the car he was driving, according to a statement. Lohr was booked on felony evading charges and also was held on three outstanding arrest warrants unrelated to the Clements case. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Investigators said surveillance video from a business showed a firearm being thrown from Lohr's vehicle before his arrest. Two men are then shown spotting the gun and later returning to take it. Investigators said the men aren't in trouble, but investigators want to find them so the gun can be taken into evidence.

Authorities issued an alert Wednesday asking other law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for Lohr and Thomas Guolee, both of Colorado Springs, who were identified as 211 Crew members. Ebel was a member of the same gang.

Lohr, 47, and Guolee, 31, are not being called suspects in Clements' death, but their names surfaced during the investigation, El Paso County sheriff's spokesman Jeff Kramer said. Both were wanted on warrants unrelated to the Clements investigation.

Kramer has said it was possible that one or both of the men were headed to Nevada or Texas.

Guolee's mother, Deborah Eck, told The Denver Post that Guolee called her husband a week and a half ago to ask for a ride to the police station so he could turn himself in for what she believed was a parole violation. But she said they never heard back from him.

Police came to her house Wednesday looking for Guolee.

"One cop said if he would have turned himself in for violation of probation, he probably wouldn't be in the situation he was now," Eck told the newspaper.

Lohr has been wanted in Las Animas County in southeastern Colorado. He was arrested for violating a protection order in Trinidad on Dec. 1, 2012, after police found that he'd been drinking with friends at a tattoo shop. According to court documents, drinking was a violation of a protective order against him, and he was arrested. Lohr then failed to appear in court in that case Feb. 20, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Lohr has a shaved head in his booking photo. In addition to the words on his eyebrows, he has a shamrock ? a tattoo favored by some 211 Crew members ? near his right eye.

Lohr has a criminal record going back to 1992. In 1996, after he pleaded guilty to burglarizing a home, court records show he was ordered to have no contact with his estranged wife after she told police he repeatedly broke into her home and stole items to pawn.

In 2006, Lohr was charged with burglary with a weapon and assault causing serious bodily injury. Court records show those charged were dismissed because of a lack of evidence.

Court records show Guolee was arrested in 2001 after a member of the Crips gang told Colorado Springs police he was jumped by Guolee and another gang member because they believed he was a member of a rival gang. The witness told police Guolee and the other gang member punched and kicked him in the face and left him bleeding.

In 2007, Guolee was charged with assault and intimidating a witness while in the El Paso County jail after an inmate said he was assaulted by three men, including Guolee, because they thought he was going to testify against a suspect in another case. Authorities said the man was beaten so badly he could have been permanently disfigured.

The complete court records were not immediately available, so the outcome of some of those cases was unclear. Authorities also have not released the subject of Guolee's warrant.

On Thursday, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced a sweeping review of Colorado's prison and parole operations, as more evidence piled up showing how Ebel slipped through the cracks in the criminal justice system to become a suspect in Clements' death.

Ebel was released from prison four years early due to a clerical error and violated his parole terms five days before the prisons chief was killed.

Officials said the state will audit inmates' legal cases to ensure they are serving the correct amount of time. They'll ask the National Institute of Corrections to review the state's parole system, which is struggling under large caseloads.

Colorado lawmakers also are considering spending nearly $500,000 to hire more parole officers because of what happened with Ebel.

Ebel was killed in a shootout with Texas authorities March 21. Investigators have said the gun he used in the shootout also was used to kill Clements when the prisons chief answered the front door of his home.

Ebel has been the only suspect named in Clements' death. Investigators have said they're looking into the gang he joined in prison and whether it was connected to the attack, among other possible motives.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gang-member-arrested-corrections-killing-probe-022239478.html

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It's Not Just You, Twitter's Latest Android Update Doesn't Let You Access Your Profile Or DMs On The ?Me? Tab

Twitter rolled out sweeping updates to all of its mobile properties this week, mostly to support the new Twitter Cards, but unfortunately, those who are using the service on Android aren’t so happy. The app has always been a bit buggy on the Android platform, but the issues that are being reported are more than just a little problematic. Users have experienced not being able to open the “Me” tab which allows you to access your DMs and switch accounts, important parts of the service. I’ve experienced this bug from the second that the update was released, and I’ve heard that Twitter is working on the issue. It’s not affecting all devices, but this tweet search shows it as being pretty widespread. You’re presented with a blank screen and a small spinner, with no information or message that says that the service is having any problems. At first, I thought that I just had a poor connection, but after using the app with WiFi turned on, it became clear that this was a big ol’ bug: Since Twitter has been streamlining all of its apps, and site, it’s a glaring issue when one of the four tabs don’t work. While no timeframe is being offered, and Twitter hasn’t made an official statement on the issue, it’s safe to say that the beautiful redesign that the Android app received is overshadowed by these issues. If you’re having the same issue, you might have to revert to using the mobile version of the site, as I’ve done. Or, you could search for yourself and get to your profile that way. The nice part about Google Play is that as soon as Twitter updates the app with a new build, it will go live for everyone to grab without any submission process like Apple’s. Hurry up, Twitter, people are cheesed off about not being able to get their DMs from cute girls and stuff. [Photo credit: Flickr]

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

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Nelly Talks Love, Marriage & Why Industry Relationships Often Fail ...

Nelly opened up about his views on marriage and dating other celebrities in the entertainment industry in a recent interview with VladTV. Although the rapper never mentioned her name, his responses do make us wonder if he was referring to his long-term, on-again-off-again relationship with R&B songstress Ashanti.

First, he revealed that he believes in marraige but he doesnt like to be pressured into making the decision. ?The thing about marriage is nobody is going to force me into anything. Nobody is going to rush me into anything,? he said. ?I take marriage very seriously. I only know two ways of marriage. My parents? marriage did not last at all and my grandparents? marriage lasted for 60 years. So I?m either gonna go all the way to 60 or I?m not gonna do it.?

MUST READ: The Most Obvious Photos That Prove Nelly & Ashanti Were Dating

He went on the say that he?ll only be ready of the lifelong commitment when he has no questions or doubts about his potential wife. ?You?re gonna know when its right. I feel like marriage is something that you just know is right and it?s just no questions,? he said. ?In order for me to feel like this is going to be it, I have to have no questions. If I got any questions, I know me. I?m going to play on that and eventually that may weigh in on that situation.?

Nelly said it?s hard for people to understand how difficult it is for couples in the industry to date and have healthy relationships. ?It?s hard in that way because you see so many celebrities who get married and they?re divorced in a year or they?re done in two years or they?re done in three years and you know why? Because once they finally get together and they?re with each other every day they start realizing, ?Holy s?t! I didn?t know you did that every night. I didn?t know you did this everyday. I didn?t know you ate this food every morning. I just thought you ate that when I?m around.? Now its just like the s?t that you thought was cute becomes annoying,? he explained.

He broke down his whole philosophy here:

The thing is, it?s hard when you?re in this business. Let?s say you?ve known someone for seven years. But you?ve known them for seven years in this business. Now, let?s take a couple that?s an everyday average couple and they?ve know each other for seven years. The regular couple?s seven years is a little different because they?ve actually been together almost every day for seven years. [The other] couple may have known each other for seven years, but they probably only been together five days out of a month. So although the time has went, it really hasn?t been seven years of knowing them. It?s probably on equaled out to three and a half years, as far as 365 days in being with that person. You look at a regular couple, seven years yeah that?s a long time [because] they?ve actually been together seven years.You don?t learn as much about a person as you would like to until you actually get a chance to stop and be with that person. I think people see the relationships that industry folks have and they see the time, but they?re not doing the math on that time. If you do the math on that time you will see that it equals out to something totally different than if [the couple were together every day.]?

Check out the video below and tell us if you think Nelly was talking about his past relationship with Ashanti.

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Source: http://hellobeautiful.com/2633637/nelly-talks-love-marriage-why-industry-relationships-often-fail/

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New camera system creates high-resolution 3-D images from up to a kilometer away

Friday, April 5, 2013

A standard camera takes flat, 2-D pictures. To get 3-D information, such as the distance to a far-away object, scientists can bounce a laser beam off the object and measure how long it takes the light to travel back to a detector. The technique, called time-of-flight (ToF), is already used in machine vision, navigation systems for autonomous vehicles, and other applications, but many current ToF systems have a relatively short range and struggle to image objects that do not reflect laser light well. A team of Scotland-based physicists has recently tackled these limitations and reported their findings today in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Optics Express.

The research team, led by Gerald Buller, a professor at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, describes a ToF imaging system that can gather high-resolution, 3-D information about objects that are typically very difficult to image, from up to a kilometer away.

The new system works by sweeping a low-power infrared laser beam rapidly over an object. It then records, pixel-by-pixel, the round-trip flight time of the photons in the beam as they bounce off the object and arrive back at the source. The system can resolve depth on the millimeter scale over long distances using a detector that can "count" individual photons.

Although other approaches can have exceptional depth resolution, the ability of the new system to image objects like items of clothing that do not easily reflect laser pulses makes it useful in a wider variety of field situations, says Heriot-Watt University Research Fellow Aongus McCarthy, the first author of the Optics Express paper.

"Our approach gives a low-power route to the depth imaging of ordinary, small targets at very long range," McCarthy says. "Whilst it is possible that other depth-ranging techniques will match or out-perform some characteristics of these measurements, this single-photon counting approach gives a unique trade-off between depth resolution, range, data-acquisition time, and laser-power levels."

The primary use of the system is likely to be scanning static, man-made targets, such as vehicles. With some modifications to the image-processing software, it could also determine their speed and direction.

One of the key characteristics of the system is the long wavelength of laser light the researchers chose. The light has a wavelength of 1,560 nanometers, meaning it is longer, or "redder," than visible light, which is only about 380-750 nanometers in wavelength. This long-wavelength light travels more easily through the atmosphere, is not drowned out by sunlight, and is safe for eyes at low power. Many previous ToF systems could not detect the extra-long wavelengths that the Scottish team's device is specially designed to sense.

The scanner is particularly good at identifying objects hidden behind clutter, such as foliage. However, it cannot render human faces, instead drawing them as dark, featureless areas. This is because at the long wavelength used by the system, human skin does not reflect back a large enough number of photons to obtain a depth measurement. However, the reflectivity of skin can change under different circumstances. "Some reports indicate that humans under duress?for example, with perspiring skin?will have significantly greater return signals," and thus should produce better images, McCarthy says.

Outside of target identification, photon-counting depth imaging could be used for a number of scientific purposes, including the remote examination of the health and volume of vegetation and the movement of rock faces, to assess potential hazards. Ultimately, McCarthy says, it could scan and image objects located as far as 10 kilometers away. "It is clear that the system would have to be miniaturized and ruggedized, but we believe that a lightweight, fully portable scanning depth imager is possible and could be a product in less than five years."

Next steps for the team include making the scanner work faster. Although the data for the high-resolution depth images can be acquired in a matter of seconds, currently it takes about five to six minutes from the onset of scanning until a depth image is created by the system. Most of that lag, McCarthy says, is due to the relatively slow processing time of the team's available computer resources. "We are working on reducing this time by using a solid-state drive and a higher specification computer, which could reduce the total time to well under a minute. In the longer term, the use of more dedicated processors will further reduce this time."

###

The Optical Society: http://www.osa.org

Thanks to The Optical Society for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 26 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127610/New_camera_system_creates_high_resolution___D_images_from_up_to_a_kilometer_away

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Rutgers AD resigns amid basketball video scandal

FILE - In this April 11, 2012 file photo, Robert Barchi addresses members of the Rutgers University Board moments after they appointed him president, in New Brunswick, N.J. Tim Pernetti is out as Rutgers athletic director, two days after the basketball coach was fired following a video that went public of Mike Rice shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using anti-gay slurs. Pernetti was given the video in late November by a former employee. With the approval of Barchi, he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $75,000 and ordered him to attend anger management classes. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - In this April 11, 2012 file photo, Robert Barchi addresses members of the Rutgers University Board moments after they appointed him president, in New Brunswick, N.J. Tim Pernetti is out as Rutgers athletic director, two days after the basketball coach was fired following a video that went public of Mike Rice shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using anti-gay slurs. Pernetti was given the video in late November by a former employee. With the approval of Barchi, he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $75,000 and ordered him to attend anger management classes. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - In this April 11, 2012 file photo, Robert Barchi looks on during a news conference announcing him as president of Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, N.J. Tim Pernetti is out as Rutgers athletic director, two days after the basketball coach was fired following a video that went public of Mike Rice shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using anti-gay slurs. Pernetti was given the video in late November by a former employee. With the approval of Barchi, he suspended Rice for three games, fined him $75,000 and ordered him to attend anger management classes. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2012 file photo, Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti answers a question in Piscataway, N.J. A person familiar with the decision says Pernetti is out as Rutgers athletic director, Friday, April 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2012 file photo, Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti, center, poses with Rutgers President Robert Barchi, right, and Big Ten Conference Commissioner Jim Delany during a news conference in Piscataway, N.J., after they announced that Rutgers will join the Big Ten. A person familiar with the decision says Pernetti is out as Rutgers athletic director. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made yet. The school will hold a press conference on campus at 1 p.m. Friday, April 5, 2013. Pernetti dismissed basketball coach Mike Rice Wednesday after a videotape aired showing him shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using gay slurs. The scandal has now cost Pernetti his job some five months after he didn't fire Rice when the video first became available. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2009 file photo, Tim Pernetti speaks to reporters after he was named the new athletic director at Rutgers University during a news conference on the university campus in Newark, N.J. A person familiar with the decision says Pernetti is out as Rutgers athletic director. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made yet. The school will hold a press conference on campus at 1 p.m. Friday, April 5, 2013. Pernetti dismissed basketball coach Mike Rice Wednesday after a videotape aired showing him shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using gay slurs. The scandal has now cost Pernetti his job some five months after he didn't fire Rice when the video first became available. (AP Photo/Mike Derer, File)

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) ? The Rutgers basketball scandal claimed two more university officials on Friday, including the athletic director and an interim senior vice president, who were involved in a decision to "rehabilitate" rather than fire the coach whose abusive behavior was captured on a video.

University president Robert Barchi's job appeared to be safe after getting a public nod of support from the school's board of governors.

The day began with a letter of resignation sent to Barchi by AD Tim Pernetti, who said he hoped his tenure at Rutgers "will not be judged by this one incident."

When he first saw the video of coach Mike Rice pushing, shoving and throwing balls at players in November, Pernetti said he wanted to fire him on the spot. However, he said the consensus among school officials at the time was that it didn't warrant dismissal.

The video, shown Tuesday on ESPN, prompted outrage not only on the Rutgers campus but nationwide. It also includes obscenities and slurs, which the campus is especially sensitive because of the suicide by student Tyler Clementi, who jumped off a bridge days after his roommate used a webcam to see him kissing another man.

At a news conference Friday, Barchi said he first saw the video this week, but was aware it existed in late November. He said Pernetti gave him a summary of what was on it at the time.

"This was a failure of process. I regret that I did not ask to see this video when Tim first told me of its existence," Barchi said. "I want to apologize to the entire Rutgers community for the negative impact that this situation has had on Rutgers.

"I also apologize to the LGBT community and all of us who share their values for the homophobic slurs shown on that video. I personally know how hurtful that language can be."

Based on the information he received from Pernetti, Barchi said he "agreed with and supported his recommendation to suspend, rather than fire, coach Rice at that time. It was not until Tuesday evening of this week, when I watched the video, that I had the opportunity to witness personally for the first time what Tim had seen last fall.

"I was deeply disturbed by the behavior that the video revealed, which was much more abusive and pervasive than I had understood it to be. As Tim acknowledged on Wednesday, his decision to rehabilitate, rather than fire, coach Rice was wrong."

Pernetti was given the video by a former employee, Eric Murdock, and the decision was made in December to suspend Rice for three games, fine and dock him pay totaling $75,000 and order him to attend anger management classes.

The 42-year-old Pernetti is a Rutgers graduate who played tight end for the Scarlet Knights from 1989-93.

Barchi also said Friday that John B. Wolf, Rutgers' interim senior vice president and general counsel, who is believed to have recommended against firing Rice in December, had resigned. The university said Thursday that assistant coach Jimmy Martelli resigned.

Barchi's position appears to be safe.

"At the end of the day, he has to run this place, day in and day out," Ralph Izzo, chairman of the school's board of governors, said. "And I think he is the right person to run this place for many years to come.

"Dr. Barchi was brought on here eight months ago with two primary objectives: No. 1 was to build a strategic plan for this university for 10 years, going forward, to lead us to academic success and academic greatness; and No. 2, an enormous challenge of integrating a medical school with this university. Being on the job two months, hearing from a general counsel and the athletic director that there was a serious problem, I think he did the right thing by acquiescing to that advice at the time."

Gov. Chris Christie issued a statement Friday calling Pernetti's resignation "appropriate and necessary given the events of the past six months.

"I commend President Barchi for his decisive leadership in coming to an agreement with Mr. Pernetti to have the Athletic Department of Rutgers University come under new leadership," he said. "This entire incident was regrettable and while it has damaged the reputation of our state University, we need to move forward now on a number of fronts which provide great opportunities for Rutgers' future."

Pernetti said in his resignation letter to Barchi that he has "spent a great deal of time reflecting on the events which led to today. As you know, my first instincts when I saw the videotape of Coach Rice's behavior was to fire him immediately. However, Rutgers decided to follow a process involving university lawyers, human resources professionals, and outside counsel.

"Following review of the independent investigative report, the consensus was that university policy would not justify dismissal. I have admitted my role in, and regret for, that decision, and wish that I had the opportunity to go back and override it for the sake of everyone involved."

Pernetti's finest hour may have been when he helped in the school's move to the Big Ten Conference, which means millions in additional revenue by way of television contracts and more national exposure, especially in football. The move, which becomes official in 2014, should provide a big boost to the program in recruiting and season ticket sales. The Scarlet Knights will continue to play next season in the Big East.

Pernetti's first major move as athletic director came in May 2010, when he hired the volatile Rice away from Robert Morris, which he took to two NCAA tournament appearances.

"He convinced me he understood his reputation, but he also understood where the line was," Pernetti said, referring to Rice. "I made clear to him if he crossed the line he would be held accountable."

Pernetti viewed Rice as the man who could turn the perennially underachieving program around.

It didn't happen. Rice went 44-51 in three years and posted a 16-38 mark in the Big East after going 73-31 in three seasons at Robert Morris. The Scarlet Knights went 15-16 this season, including 5-13 in the league.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-05-Rutgers-Pernetti/id-c4d99b6a74e345d787c91ce5fc6f9a62

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Remote reefs can be tougher than they look

Friday, April 5, 2013

Remote reefs can be tougher than they look Western Australia's Scott Reef has recovered from mass bleaching in 1998.

Isolated coral reefs can recover from catastrophic damage as effectively as those with nearby undisturbed neighbours, a long-term study by marine biologists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) has shown.

Scott Reef, a remote coral system in the Indian Ocean, has largely recovered from a catastrophic mass bleaching event in 1998, according to the study published in Science today.

The study challenges conventional wisdom that suggested isolated reefs were more vulnerable to disturbance, because they were thought to depend on recolonisation from other reefs. Instead, the scientists found that the isolation of reefs allowed surviving corals to rapidly grow and propagate in the absence of human interference.

Australia's largest oceanic reef system, Scott Reef, is relatively isolated, sitting out in the Indian Ocean some 250 km from the remote coastline of north Western Australia (WA). Prospects for the reef looked gloomy when in 1998 it suffered catastrophic mass bleaching, losing around 80% of its coral cover. The study shows that it took just 12 years to recover.

Spanning 15 years, data collected and analysed by the researchers shows how after the 1998 mass bleaching the few remaining corals provided low numbers of recruits (new corals) for Scott Reef. On that basis recovery was projected to take decades, yet within 12 years the cover and diversity of corals had recovered to levels similar to those seen pre-bleaching.

"The initial projections for Scott Reef were not optimistic," says Dr James Gilmour from AIMS, the lead author on the publication, "because, unlike reefs on the Great Barrier Reef, there were few if any reefs nearby capable of supplying new recruits to replenish the lost corals at Scott Reef.

"However, the few small corals that did settle at Scott Reef had excellent rates of survival and growth, whereas on many nearshore reefs high levels of algae and sediment, and poor water quality will often suppress this recovery.

"We know from other studies that the resilience of reefs can be improved by addressing human pressures such as water quality and overfishing," says Dr Gilmour. "So it is likely that a key factor in the rapid recovery at Scott Reef was the high water clarity and quality in this remote and offshore location."

Dr Andrew Heyward, Principal Research Scientist at AIMS, highlights another conclusion from their findings.

"Previously we've tended to factor proximity to other reefs as a key attribute when estimating the resilience of a reef following a major disturbance, but our data suggests that given the right conditions, reefs might do much of the recovery by themselves." This finding could have implications for the management of marine protected areas.

In their publication the team also draws attention to the important role played by climate change in the longer-term prospects for coral reefs, as Prof Morgan Pratchett of CoECRS explains.

"While it is encouraging to see such clear recovery, we need to be mindful of the fact that the coral recovery at Scott Reef still took over a decade. If, as the climate change trend suggests, we start to see coral bleaching and other related disturbances occurring more frequently, then reefs may experience a ratcheting down effect, never fully recovering before they suffer another major disturbance.

"By preventing illegal fishing and enhancing water quality on coral reefs in all regions we will give these reefs a greater capacity to recover from major disturbances."

The highly detailed, long-term data set makes Scott Reef the best studied reef in Australia's Indian Ocean territory. The study provides valuable new perspectives on ecosystem function and resilience of coral reefs situated in the northwest Australia, and in other contexts such as the Great Barrier Reef, and illustrates the importance of AIMS' research collaborations with its industry partners.

###

The paper "Recovery of an isolated coral reef system following severe disturbance", by J. P. Gilmour, L. D. Smith, A. J. Heyward, A. H. Baird and M. S. Pratchett appears online in Science on Friday, 5th April, 2013.

ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies: http://www.coralcoe.org.au/

Thanks to ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 9 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127614/Remote_reefs_can_be_tougher_than_they_look

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Echoes of Laughter: Me on TV, a Magazine and The Nest

Hello dear readers! Today, I want to share some exciting things that have been happening recently at Echoes of Laughter.

First up. Last week I was absolutely thrilled to make my very first TV appearance on CTV News at Noon here in Edmonton. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to pitch some ideas to Erin Isfeld, the news anchor for the program, a few weeks ago while I was at BlogWest. ?The following week, I received an email from the producer, inviting me to come on the show to share some Easter crafts and recipes. I cannot tell you how happy I was! ?If you would like to see my 4 minutes segment, go HERE and scroll down to where you see the video for "Easter crafts and decorating for kids".

Last week, I also had 2 of my ideas featured at Style At Home Magazine's website. My Easter Petit Fours and Easter Cookie Decorating Kit were featured in an online article there and my Easter Petit Fours picture was on the home page for the day. You can see it ?HERE.
And awhile ago, I was asked to write a new blog on a large Canadian network called UrbanMoms. This new blog is called "The Nest" and I will be sharing ideas and inspiration there twice a week for the UrbanMoms community. I am super excited about this opportunity to share ?ideas in ?a new forum with a new audience. And guess what else? To kick off "The Nest" at UrbanMoms, the wonderful owners of Greenmunch donated an amazing prize worth over $150 of lovely party supplies for one lucky reader at UrbanMoms. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on my new blog HERE. {Canadians only.} And here is what you can win:
And as you might have noticed, I am now doing some sponsored post work for brands here at EOL. I will only be working with brands/products that I love and use in my own home. But I hope you understand that earning some income for Echoes of Laughter is a good thing for my family. I have been using family money to fund the projects here for years. So, it's nice to be at the point where EOL can now fund some projects on it's own, so that when I go shopping for craft supplies, recipe ingredients, paint or whatever, the blog can fund these things for me. And I love having the occasional giveaway to share with you!

I am so looking forward to Spring, despite the fore casted snow storm for tomorrow. I can't wait to get outside to spray paint some furniture.....and ?I have lots of fun projects coming up which I can't wait to share with you all!

Thank you so much for visiting here at EOL. You are all AMAZING!

Source: http://applevalleygirl.blogspot.com/2013/04/me-on-tv-magazine-and-nest.html

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Slain Texas prosecutor and wife buried after bomb threat

(Reuters) - Private funeral services were held for a Texas prosecutor and his wife on Friday, despite a bomb threat targeting the church in Wortham where friends, family and law enforcement officials gathered to bid the slain couple a final farewell.

A public memorial was held on Thursday for Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia at the church where they worshipped in Sunnyvale, Texas. They were found shot dead at their home on Saturday, two months after one of McLelland's assistant prosecutors was gunned down near the Kaufman County courthouse.

The threat against the First Baptist Church of Wortham, the eastern Texas town where McLelland grew up, came late on Thursday, said Sergeant Clayton Aldrich of the Freestone County Sheriff's Department.

Someone apparently using a no-contract, pay-as-you-go cellphone called in the threat, making it extremely difficult to trace, Aldrich said.

"Criminals use them ... people who deal narcotics and stuff like that," Aldrich added.

No bomb was found and the funeral went ahead as planned.

The threat heightened tensions following the shootings, which law enforcement officials have characterized as attacks on the criminal justice system.

McLelland and his wife were found shot to death on Saturday at their home near Forney, 22 miles from Dallas, two months after Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was gunned down on January 31. McLelland had publicly vowed to capture Hasse's killer.

About 300 mourners packed into the small church for the McLellands' funeral. A procession led by McLelland's flag-draped coffin later stretched from the church and town center to the cemetery where the couple was buried after a grave-side service.

The McLellands were married 28 years and had two daughters and three sons, one of whom became a Dallas police officer.

No arrests have been made for the killings of the McLellands and Hasse, nor have investigators named a suspect or person of interest. Current and former law enforcement officials have speculated a prison gang called the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas may be responsible.

The threat triggered an exhaustive search of the church on Thursday night by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who employed bomb-sniffing dogs, Aldrich said.

The call was traced to a cellphone tower in Mexia, about seven or eight miles south of Wortham, said Wortham Police Chief Kelly Butler.

"It just basically said there's a bomb at the church where they're having the funeral," Butler said.

The Texas Rangers on Thursday made their second arrest this week of a person suspected of threatening investigators in the McLelland case.

A 52-year-old man was charged with making a terroristic threat against an assistant district attorney via Facebook, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office said on Friday.

The Rangers arrested a 56-year-old man on the same charge on Tuesday after he was suspected of making a telephone threat against a county official on a tip line for the case.

(Reporting by Tom Brown; Editing by Vicki Allen, Philip Barbara and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/slain-texas-prosecutor-wife-buried-bomb-threat-204739003.html

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