Forum Jump
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Sunday, December 30, 2012
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antonycarrickxx: victorrusso23: Shopping And Product Reviews
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Controversial former England captain Greig dies
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Former England captain Tony Greig, one of the architects of cricket's World Series revolution in the 1970s, has died at the age of 66 after suffering a heart attack at his Sydney home on Saturday.
Greig, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in October, was taken to a Sydney hospital but died at about 1:45 pm (0245 GMT).
"The staff of the emergency department worked on Mr Greig to no avail," a spokesman at St Vincent's hospital told local media.
A larger-than-life figure standing 6ft 6in (1.98 metres), South Africa-born Greig was an outstanding all-rounder who played 58 tests for England from 1972-77, scoring 3,599 runs at 40.43 including eight centuries and claiming 141 wickets at 32.20 each. He was also a brilliant slip fielder, taking 87 catches in test matches.
Greig could bowl at either a lively medium-pace or, on occasion, employ quickish off-spin, using his height and bounce in the latter style to take 13 wickets and win a test match in the Caribbean.
But Greig and controversy were never far apart and on the same West Indies tour in 1974 he ran out Alvin Kallicharran while the batsman was walking back to the pavilion after the last ball of the day had been bowled.
Technically Kallicharran was out as the umpire had not yet indicated play had officially ended, but after spectators invaded the ground and threatened to riot, the batsman was recalled.
Later that year on the Ashes tour of Australia, Greig sometimes seemed to be playing the Australians on his own as Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson blitzed the hapless England batsmen with their pace, menace and bounce.
He was promoted to the captaincy in the following year after England lost the first Ashes test at home and immediately infused his own aggression and determination into the team who drew the next three tests against one of the strongest sides in history.
WEST INDIES OUTRAGED
However, in 1976 Greig attracted further unwanted controversy before a series against West Indies when he said he intended to make the tourists "grovel".
The use of the word by a white South African in a time of heightened racial tensions enraged the West Indies, whose fast bowlers noticeably lifted their pace when Greig arrived at the crease on their way to a 3-0 series victory.
Greig's biggest impact on the game came after he joined forces in 1977 with late Australian businessman Kerry Packer to set up the breakaway World Series Cricket (WSC) competition.
Media magnate Packer's concept, aimed at securing cricket broadcast rights for his Channel Nine in Australia, shook up the game's world order by pioneering limited overs matches played at night and turning cricketers into full-time professionals.
Greig's signature lent credibility to WSC and he played a key role in recruiting disaffected players to the controversial competition which lasted only two years but permanently changed the face of the game.
"He influenced all those guys from overseas, certainly, and the West Indies to join World Series Cricket and it was great for cricket what he had done," former Australia batsman Doug Walters, who played in the WSC competition, told Sky News.
"Greig was one of the great competitors of cricket...he was someone that really took the fight to Australia, but he took the fight to everybody.
"Win, lose or draw he was the first guy in our dressing room with a couple of beers in his hands."
COMBATIVE CHARACTER
Greig's recruitment to WSC's cause put him at loggerheads with cricket's conservative establishment and he was stripped of the England captaincy in 1977. His international career ended that year after he had made a typically whole-hearted contribution under Mike Brearley to England's Ashes success at home.
A long-time resident Down Under, Greig later became a cricket commentator with Channel Nine, having been promised a "job for life" by Packer.
A combative and occasionally abrasive character, Greig's booming voice and signature white hat featured on Australian television screens for over three decades, but his battle with cancer prevented him from taking his position behind the microphone for the current 2012/13 season.
"It's a great loss to world cricket. To me personally I'm shattered," said former Australia captain Bill Lawry, who spent decades alongside Greig in Nine's commentary box.
"World cricket's lost one of its greatest ambassadors."
Tributes flowed for Greig, who went from being a villain to a highly-respected cricket pundit in his adopted country.
"RIP Tony Greig!! You have left a great footprint on the world of cricket. My condolences to the Greig family," retired West Indies batting great Brian Lara said in a post on his Twitter account.
"Not only was he a wonderful player and a very successful player for England, I think he was a wonderful guy," Australia captain Michael Clarke told Australian television.
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive David Collier said Greig had been "an extremely talented all-round cricketer and captain".
"He was a giant of a man who played a major role in the changing face of cricket during the 1970s," Collier said in a statement
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-england-captain-greig-dies-080739232--spt.html
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Roamz Prepares A ?Street View For Social? Using New Google Maps iOS SDK
Roamz, a local search startup for web and mobile, is today showing off one of the first implementations of the new Google Maps iOS SDK in its new iPad app, due out after the holidays. The Maps iOS SDK, which was released at the time of the Google Maps iOS app launch earlier this month, allows mobile developers who use maps inside their apps to use Google Maps instead of Apple's implementation.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fo5qyrWdCgI/
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BLU Products' unlocked Vivo 4.65 HD available in January for $300
Arguably the straight to DVD release of the smartphone world, BLU Product's Vivo 4.3 is getting a second act in the form of the Vivo 4.65 HD. Aside from the 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display it's named after, this up-and-comer ships with Android 4.0, a 1.2GHz A9 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. If you can get past less than stellar specs -- and resist waiting for the Nexus 4 to be back in stock -- BLU's future flagship can be yours outright for $300 sometime in January.
Continue reading BLU Products' unlocked Vivo 4.65 HD available in January for $300
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/27/blu-products-unlocked-vivo-4-65-hd/
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Champagne loses fizz in Europe after tough year
FILE In this Aug.30 2007 file photo, a worker uses a wheelbarrow to carry boxes of Pinot Noir grapes during the grape harvest of Roederer Champagne in Ay, in the Champagne production area of Epernay, near Reims, eastern France. Europeans are finding fewer reasons to pop open a bottle of Champagne as another year of economic troubles and high unemployment saps the region?s joie de vivre, latest industry figures show. But while a taste for a glass of bubbly might be on the wane in Europe, other markets, particularly Japan and the United States, are developing a growing taste for sparkling luxury with a brand name. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
FILE In this Aug.30 2007 file photo, a worker uses a wheelbarrow to carry boxes of Pinot Noir grapes during the grape harvest of Roederer Champagne in Ay, in the Champagne production area of Epernay, near Reims, eastern France. Europeans are finding fewer reasons to pop open a bottle of Champagne as another year of economic troubles and high unemployment saps the region?s joie de vivre, latest industry figures show. But while a taste for a glass of bubbly might be on the wane in Europe, other markets, particularly Japan and the United States, are developing a growing taste for sparkling luxury with a brand name. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
FILE - In this Aug.30, 2007 file photo, a worker carries boxes during grape harvest near Epernay, Champagne region. Europeans are finding fewer reasons to pop open a bottle of Champagne as another year of economic troubles and high unemployment saps the region?s joie de vivre, latest industry figures show. But while a taste for a glass of bubbly might be on the wane in Europe, other markets, particularly Japan and the United States, are developing a growing taste for sparkling luxury with a brand name.(AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
PARIS (AP) ? Europeans are finding fewer reasons to pop open a bottle of Champagne as another year of economic troubles and high unemployment saps the region's appetite for the finer things. But while the latest industry figures show that sales might be on the wane in Europe, other markets, particularly Japan and the United States, are developing a taste for a glass of bubbly.
In what is certain to be bad news for the vineyards, France ? Champagne's largest market ? is drinking fewer bottles. Sales of Champagne for the country were down 4.9 percent, and 5 percent elsewhere in the 27-country European Union, in the first nine months of 2012 compared with the same period in 2011, according to CIVC, the national association of growers and producers of the wine.
Nineteen months of rising unemployment and growing fears that the worst is yet to come have taken their toll on France ? nearly seven in 10 French are worried about their country's future, according to a recent poll.
"The French are pessimist by nature," said Antoine Chiquet, whose family has been producing Champagne for three generations and wine for eight. "We had a difficult election, we're in an economy where Europe's foundations are being questioned."
Nonetheless, the country managed to drink 175.7 million bottles of Champagne from Nov. 1 2011 to Oct. 31 2012, according to CIVC ? enough for nearly 3 bottles a year for every man, woman and child but about 10 million bottles fewer than the previous year. In contrast, the U.S. consumed enough sparkling wine for about 1.5 bottles per person in 2010, the latest figures available from the California-based Wine Institute.
But while the news out of France and Europe is bad, CIVC figures show export sales were up 3 percent in the first three quarters of the year. Top markets included the U.S., Japan and, to a lesser extent, China. A total of 19.4 million bottles of Champagne went to the United States and 7.9 million went to Japan ? the only two countries outside Europe in the top seven export markets.
Takayasu Ogata, a Tokyo-based sommelier, said Champagne and sparkling wine consumption is climbing in Japan at a time when overall wine demand peaked about 2000. According to the French figures, Champagne consumption alone was up nearly 7 percent over a year there.
"Both individuals and restaurants are taking to Champagnes with personality, including those that are from small makers but taste good," he said.
Lower price is another reason. Gone are the days when a bottle of Moet & Chandon went for 5,000 yen ($60) or more in Japan. These days, you can get real Champagne for as little as 2,000 yen ($25).
Of course, for those with rich tastes and a budget to match there are still lots of expensive Champagnes, selling for 10 times that, according to Ogata, who works at Venture Republic, an Internet retailer, and is in charge of wines.
Beer remains the drink of choice for many "salarymen," but younger people and women are taking a liking to Champagne, Ogata says.
"It's about the bubble ? a sense of gorgeousness," he said in a telephone interview. "There's that thrill to opening up a bottle of Champagne."
China is also emerging as a potentially strong market for a glass of fizz, although the numbers remain small. In 2011, the latest figures available, it ranked 19th in export markets for Champagne, apparently because consumers are less discriminating about precise origins. According to an EU ruling, only sparkling wine made in a particular region in northeast France is allowed to carry the name Champagne. The United States makes some exceptions, as long as the labeling is clear.
"People enjoy the 'boom' moment of opening sparkling wine. It is fun. It offers a more festive atmosphere and it tastes good," said said Yu Ming, a 29-year-old who operated a bar in Beijing's Sanlitun nightlife district until 2010. In China, he added, "people call all sparkling wine Champagne. They don't care where it is from or whether the fermentation is inside the bottle."
The sales manager at the BHG supermarket in a luxury shopping mall in Beijing confirmed that Champagne budgets are largely out of reach in China, saying most customers at the chic store will instead choose sparkling wine: "The most expensive Champagne is 7,800 yuan ($1,250) a bottle at my store, but the most expensive sparkling wine is only 268 yuan ($43)," said the manager, who gave his surname, Hou.
Chiquet, whose label Gaston Chiquet produces about 200,000 bottles a year, said France and Europe generally will remain the most important markets for Champagne. But for the numbers to climb again "we'll have to rediscover optimism."
"Champagne remains a drink for celebrating the big events of life," said Chiquet. "Happily for sales, at the end of the year, the French rely on tradition. Still, we're not going to catch up. Unfortunately, what's lost already is lost."
___
Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo and researchers Fu Ting in Shanghai and Flora Ji in Beijing contributed to this report.
___
http://www.gastonchiquet.com/
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Hacker Fears Are Seriously Messing with the Oscars' Online Voting
So what happens if the Academy is too scared to cast Oscar ballots this year? It's not an entirely outlandish scenario, with the nominations less than two weeks away and reports screaming out of Hollywood that the awards' attempt at going digital may already be backfiring.?Both the?Hollywood Reporter?and?Deadline?have semi-detailed accounts today of the surprising flaws within the Academy's new online voting system, and both conclude that it's so worried about hackers rigging ?the Oscars that it's become difficult for the (increasingly aging) members to pick their actual favorites.
RELATED: And This Year's Oscar Nominations for Best Actress (Might) Go to...
The Academy enlisted Everyone Counts ? an electronic voting company whose clients include the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.K.'s Ministry of Justice?? back in January to help develop a secure system for voting online. Maybe too?secure.?Pete Hammond of Deadline?writes that the system is "so loaded with specific safeguards and military-type encryption methods?to keep hackers and imposters out that it is causing extreme frustration for some of those who have tried to vote." One member joked (we think) to The Hollywood Reporter's?Scott Feinberg that "it's easier to break into the CIA." Everyone Counts, as a CNN article about online voting in political contests?noted, "uses 'military-grade encryption' for its ballots, and can also provide a paper trail for clients who want it, [CEO Lori] Steele says."?
RELATED: And the Best Actor Nominations (Might) Go To...
Feinberg and Hammond both detail the new Oscar voting process, which includes forcing members to create an elaborate second password (beyond the one for main access to the Academy's site) and enter a security code that arrives via phone call or text message. Which sounds kind of like, say, resetting your online banking password, but?remember, as Feinberg notes, the?Los Angeles Times?found that 54 percent of Oscar voters are over 60.?Though certainly not all people over the age of 60 are computer illiterate, Feinberg himself pointed out in January that "the?full?story is that more than a few members don't even have computers and/or know how to use the Internet, which would preclude them not only from streaming screeners, but also from filling out an e-ballot." There have?been efforts to include voters who don't want to turn to the Internet, but now, amidst all the bubbling frustration, there's worry that some members will just give up altogether.?
RELATED: And This Year's Best-Picture Nominations (Might) Go to...
Voting for nominees closes January 3, and, as Hammond writes, the Academy is so secretive about this stuff that we may never get a good sense of turnout anyway. But we can't help but wonder: If the Oscar voting pool's?majority contingent of old white men gets diminished, does that mean some films could sneak to glory? Does it mean old white men-centric contenders for Best Picture like, say,?Lincoln?could suffer? Or could The Master, a favorite with the younger oddball set, or ? gasp! ? awards-season underdog?Beasts of the Southern Wild?break free? We'll just have to wait and count the e-ballots, we guess.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hacker-fears-seriously-messing-oscars-online-voting-180004688.html
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Getting into Shapes: From Hyperbolic Geometry to Cube Complexes
A proof announced in March resolved the last of 23 questions about 3D shapes posed in 1982 by mathematician William Thurston, marking the end of an era in the study of "three-manifolds"
Figure 3. When viewed through the lens of hyperbolic geometry, all the fish are the same size. The curves that run along the fishes? spines are hyperbolic straight lines, or "geodesics." Image: Illustration: Douglas Dunham, University of Minnesota Duluth
From Simons Science News (find original story here).
Thirty years ago, the mathematician William Thurston articulated a grand vision: a taxonomy of all possible finite three-dimensional shapes.
Thurston, a Fields medalist who spent much of his career at Princeton and Cornell, had an uncanny ability to imagine the unimaginable: not just the shapes that live inside our ordinary three-dimensional space, but also the far vaster menagerie of shapes that involve such complicated twists and turns that they can only fit into higher-dimensional spaces. Where other mathematicians saw inchoate masses, Thurston saw structure: symmetries, surfaces, relationships between different shapes.
?Many people have an impression, based on years of schooling, that mathematics is an austere and formal subject concerned with complicated and ultimately confusing rules,? he wrote in 2009. ?Good mathematics is quite opposite to this. Mathematics is an art of human understanding. ? Mathematics sings when we feel it in our whole brain.?
At the core of Thurston?s vision was a marriage between two seemingly disparate ways of studying three-dimensional shapes: geometry, the familiar realm of angles, lengths, areas and volumes, and topology, which studies all the properties of a shape that don?t depend on precise geometric measurements ? the properties that remain unchanged if the shape gets stretched and distorted like Silly Putty.
To a topologist, the surface of a frying pan is equivalent to that of a table, a pencil or a soccer ball; the surface of a coffee mug is equivalent to a doughnut surface, or torus. From a topologist?s point of view, the multiplicity of two-dimensional shapes ? that is, surfaces ? essentially boils down to a simple list of categories: sphere-like surfaces, toroidal surfaces, and surfaces like the torus but with more than one hole. (Most of us think of spheres and tori as three-dimensional, but because mathematicians think of them as hollow surfaces, they consider them two-dimensional objects, measured in terms of surface area, not volume.)
Thurston?s key insight was that it is in the union of geometry and topology that three-dimensional shapes, or ?three-manifolds,? can be understood. Just as the topological category of ?two-manifolds? containing the surfaces of a frying pan and a pencil also contains a perfect sphere, Thurston conjectured that many categories of three-manifolds contain one exemplar, a three-manifold whose geometry is so perfect, so uniform, so beautiful that, as Walter Neumann of Columbia University is fond of saying, it ?rings like a bell.? What?s more, Thurston conjectured, shapes that don?t have such an exemplar can be carved up into chunks that do.
In a 1982 paper, Thurston set forth this ?geometrization conjecture? as part of a group of 23 questions about three-manifolds that offered mathematicians a road map toward a thorough understanding of three-dimensional shapes. (His list had 24 questions, but one of them, still unresolved, is more of an intriguing side alley than a main thoroughfare.)
?Thurston had this enormous talent for asking the right questions,? said Vladimir Markovic, a mathematician at the California Institute of Technology. ?Anyone can ask questions, but it?s rare for a question to lead to insight and beauty, the way Thurston?s questions always seemed to do.?
These questions inspired a new generation of mathematicians, dozens of whom chose to pursue their graduate studies under Thurston?s guidance. Thurston?s mathematical ?children? manifest his style, wrote Richard Brown of Johns Hopkins University. ?They seem to see mathematics the way a child views a carnival: full of wonder and joy, fascinated with each new discovery, and simply happy to be a part of the whole scene.?
In the decades after Thurston?s seminal paper appeared, mathematicians followed his road map, motivated less by possible applications than by a realization that three-manifolds occupy a sweet spot in the study of shapes. Two-dimensional shapes are a bit humdrum, easy to visualize and categorize. Four-, five- and higher-dimensional shapes are essentially untamable: the range of possibilities is so enormous that mathematicians have limited their ambitions to understanding specialized subclasses of them. For three-dimensional shapes, by contrast, the structures are mysterious and mind-boggling, but ultimately knowable.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=5ce9c9493f34b63896b4bacab71f79b8
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How a Taliban suicide bomber wiped out a growing Afghan business
KABUL (Reuters) - When a Taliban suicide bomber killed two people on the edge of the Afghan capital this month, there was another casualty - a global fruit juice business optimistically called "Spring Wish" which provided work for thousands of farmers across the country.
Mustafa Sadiq's empire had been expanding healthily, bringing in badly needed foreign capital, before the attack inflicted the kind of financial loss cash-strapped Afghanistan can ill afford.
The pomegranate juice business was nearly wiped out in the split second it took the militant to detonate explosives in a truck parked near the factory on December 17.
Pieces of shredded metal were scattered everywhere. Chairs were hurled across the office where Sadiq had spent so much time figuring out how to beat the odds against decades of war, instability and hopelessness.
Sadiq was in Dubai drumming up new export deals when an assistant called with the bad news. The call that Sadiq said he did not get is also troubling him.
"So far no officials, for the sake of sympathy, have called us," Sadiq, 40, told Reuters, standing beside a year's supply of juice in containers that were ruined in the attack - nearly $10 million in losses overall.
"In this situation they should have called me and asked what kind of help they could provide. The agriculture, finance, commerce ministries. Nobody so far has visited or called."
The impact of the war, and expectations for the future, are often seen only through the eyes of Western or Afghan soldiers, or officials who point to the progress that has been made.
Sadiq offers another perspective. Some workers told him the bomber triggered the loudest blast they had heard in 30 years.
A Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 was followed by a decade of resistance by mujahideen fighters who drove them out. Then warlords carved out fiefdoms and destroyed half of the capital in the civil war that followed.
DIRTY POLITICS
The Taliban took over, were toppled in 2001 and are now raising fears they may return when U.S.-led NATO troops hand over security to Afghan forces in 2014.
But Sadiq does not see the Taliban as the biggest threat to Afghanistan's future. Instead, he says, officials have turned politics into a commercial enterprise driven by corruption.
"Government employees think it's time to fill their pockets and grab whatever they can. That will pave the way for civil war," said Sadiq, as workers feverishly loaded boxes of the little fruit juice left onto a truck, and others worked to rebuild a brick wall.
"You have to struggle, not run away. It is kind of like running away now. They have walls around themselves sitting there and they do not have contact with ordinary Afghans."
His disillusionment is shared by the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
"There is no guarantee for investment in Afghanistan. People are afraid of the government, there is no rule of law. Government officials can do anything they want," the chamber's first vice-chairman, Jan Alokzai, told Reuters.
"President (Hamid) Karzai's words are only on paper and don't have any value."
Afghanistan's U.S.-backed government says it is committed to building up the economy, attracting foreign investment and helping Afghans secure a brighter future. Karzai says it is contracts with foreigners that spread graft.
WISHFUL THINKING?
The government has highlighted 2014 as a year to invest in Afghanistan, which relies heavily on foreign aid, and to take advantage of its cheap labor and land leases.
In each of the 10 years following 2014, the government hopes revenues from oil, natural gas, iron, copper and other mining ventures will generate $4 billion in revenue.
Sadiq spent time in Europe, waiting for an opportunity to return and invest in his homeland. He eventually opened a factory in an industrial park along Kabul's dusty Jalalabad Road in 2008, from where he broke into overseas markets.
Spring Wish, which employed about 1,000 people, was selling produce to the health conscious in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, bringing money into Afghanistan, while anxious Afghans carted $4.5 billion in cash out of the country last year to safety.
But when asked about the maps on a wall identifying parts of Afghanistan which offer opportunities for farmers and businesses like his, Sadiq could only put his head in his hands and cry.
The dark red seeds from Sadiq's fruits were prized in Europe for their antioxidant qualities, and in Japan where many believe they can help fight cancers. He seems most proud of the fact that he helped 40,000 farmers across Afghanistan earn a living.
As Sadiq tries to persuade his staff to keep dreaming big and to rebuild, one question may haunt him for some time. The suicide bomber parked his truck in a lane between his company and a foreign firm.
The Taliban said it attacked an American company next door, but he still wonders whether his factory, which relied on Italian machinery and benefited from U.S. aid programs, was the target. And he acknowledges he is desperate for money from Western donors.
"Around 120 people were working here and this factory was totally destroyed in the suicide attack," said Mohammed Jaw, 28, a general operator for the company. "A number of our workers will lose their jobs and now everyone is concerned about what happens next."
Despite the loss, Sadiq's entrepreneurial and marketing spirit seems intact.
"Have you tried the juice with mulberry flavor?" he asked proudly. "It's really good."
Then a worker brought the moment back to reality. He lifted his cellphone to show a photograph of the suicide bomber's severed head.
(Additional reporting by Mirwais Harooni; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spring-wish-denied-suicide-bomber-brings-down-afghan-073615518.html
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Dockworkers at Northwest ports reject pact offer
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Dockworkers at four U.S. Pacific Northwest ports moved closer to a possible labor clash with grain shippers on Monday, as parties in a larger, separate dispute at 15 East and Gulf coast ports agreed to mediation ahead of strike deadline set for December 30.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced nearly 3,000 of its members had voted to reject a contract proposal that management called its "last, best and final" offer.
The proposed contract covers six of the nine grain terminals operating in Puget Sound and along the Columbia River that account for more than a quarter of all U.S. grain exports and nearly half of U.S. wheat exports.
The stalemate in contract talks in Oregon and Washington state and management's failure to win approval of its offer, fueled speculation that grain shippers might impose a lockout of union members in a bid to keep terminals operating with replacement workers.
The ILWU has not asked its members to authorize a strike, nor has it set a strike deadline or made mention of a walkout. The union urged the shippers to return to the bargaining table.
Talks have foundered over numerous work-rule changes sought by the companies to improve efficiency, but opposed by the ILWU as onerous give-backs ultimately designed to break the union.
The Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers Association, which represents the shipping companies and the grain terminals they own, said in response to rejection of their contract offer that employers were "reviewing their options."
The ILWU has said the shippers have hired a Delaware-based company that specializes in providing security and replacement workers in labor disputes.
The U.S. Coast Guard said last week it was preparing to establish buffer zones to keep union-related protests from interfering with navigation around two of the ports seen as most likely to be caught up in waterborne labor unrest.
The possibility of a labor showdown in the Northwest is just the latest in a series of union disputes to hit U.S. ports.
The U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts are bracing for a strike threatened for December 30 by nearly 15,000 union dockworkers unless shippers extend their contract.
Major sticking points to a settlement there include the future of so-called "container royalties" earned by union members based on tons of cargo moved through a port, and eight-hour workdays guaranteed under the current contract.
In a potential breakthrough on Monday, the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said the agency had called a meeting of the two sides in the East Coast dispute and both parties had agreed to attend.
Two days of federally mediated talks in the Northwest dockworkers dispute earlier this month failed to produce an accord. A counter offer presented by the union was rejected by management on December 17.
Only weeks ago, harbor clerks and union longshoremen staged an eight-day walkout in Southern California at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, idling much of the nation's busiest cargo-shipping complex.
SHIPPERS SEEK WORK-RULE CHANGES
In the Northwest, the ILWU has accused management of bargaining in bad faith, citing 750 changes it said the companies were seeking to impose on labor contract terms that have stood for more than 80 years.
The shippers said the dispute centers on proposed work rule changes aimed at making their terminals more competitive, such as allowing fewer employees to load ships, allowing elevator workers to assist in ship loading and greater management discretion in hiring and staffing decisions.
"Regardless of the outcome, they (the companies) remain committed to operating" the terminals, the Grain Handlers Association said in its statement.
Votes management's latest offer were cast Friday and Saturday by union members in Portland, Oregon, and in Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, Washington. According to the final tally announced on Monday, 93.8 percent of those voting disapproved the proposal, as recommended by union leaders.
SWITCHING FROM BARGES TO TRAINS?
Waterfront labor strife in the Northwest would compound an existing slowdown in U.S. grain exports caused by the low water on the Mississippi River by making it harder for shippers to meet expectations set by the U.S. Agriculture Department, said Bob Utterback, of Utterback Marketing Services, a brokerage for farmers.
Pendleton Grain Growers, for example, the largest cooperative grain dealer in Oregon, will likely overhaul its shipping plans to send more wheat, corn and soybeans to ports via railroad instead of barges, said Jason Middleton, director of grain operations for the cooperative.
Such a switch could slow shipments, most of which normally are sent up the Columbia River en route to Asia.
Utterback said the soybean market already is on edge over weakening demand following recent cancellations of purchases by China, a top importer. Other grain dealers said they saw little effect on prices absent a prolonged labor clash, lasting at least two or three weeks.
The old contract for dockworkers at the six terminals expired on September 30, but under terms that remain in effect for the time being, regular work shifts for ILUW members ended at 3 p.m. local time Monday, and union workers have the day off on Tuesday for the Christmas holiday.
The shipping companies say they are seeking the same workplace rules and terms the union had agreed to after lengthy and contentious labor talks with EGT, an exporter that opened a new terminal last year in Longview, Washington.
(Reporting by Laura L. Myers in Seattle; Additional reporting by Christine Stebbins and Tom Polansek in Chicago, and Teresa Carson in Portland, Ore, Sam Forgione in New York.; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer, Leslie Adler and Michael Perry)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dockworkers-northwest-ports-reject-pact-offer-035152573.html
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Mount Hood searchers use smartphone GPS to try to locate missing ...
Search and rescue crews began a sunrise search to locate a veteran mountain guide and outdoor survival instructor who got lost Sunday in foggy and snowy conditions on Mount Hood with two female companions.
The trio used cellphones to place two calls to Hood River County emergency services for help on Sunday afternoon, said Russell Gubele, president of Mountain Wave Emergency Communications.
The missing group's car was found at White River West Sno Park on Oregon 35, a few miles north of U.S. 26.
They were planning to spend the night at a "rustic cabin" on the mountain, but rescue crews don't know where the cabin is or whether they reached it, Gubele said.
"We have some coordinates from the cell phone, but they're not very accurate," Gubele said.
The male hiker, who was not identified, is described as a former member of Portland Mountain Rescue who has been a professional guide on Mount Hood for several years.
"He continues to guide and teach survival techniques," said Rocky Henderson, team leader with Portland Mountain Rescue. "He is of the utmost competence."
Rescuers will likely face weather conditions that include thick fog and snow, Henderson said, pointing out that the hikers reported such heavy snowfall that they are not able to find their way out.
The group may be traveling on snowshoes.
Portland Mountain Rescue, the Hood River County Sheriff's Office and the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office are helping with the search, he said.
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Tuesday, December 25, 2012
NORAD volunteers track Santa's progress
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) ? Volunteers have pulled on their Santa hats, and are answering phone lines and monitoring wall-size tracking screens as NORAD Tracks Santa begins its 57th annual goodwill mission.
The first shift of Santa trackers started taking calls early Monday at 877-HI-NORAD (877-446-6723), telling children ? and some adults ? when Santa is due at their house. The last shift won't end until nearly 24 hours later.
They'll also post updates online (http://www.noradsanta.org), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/noradsanta) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/NoradSanta).
The volunteers are working from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., home of the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
NORAD, a joint U.S.-Canada command responsible for protecting the skies over both nations, says its Santa-tracking rite was born of a humble typo in a newspaper ad in 1955.
The ad in a Colorado Springs newspaper invited children to call Santa but inadvertently listed the phone number for the Continental Air Defense Command, NORAD's predecessor, also based in Colorado Springs.
CONAD officers played along, and word spread that this Cold War military command charged with guarding the U.S. against an attack by the Soviet Union was also telling kids where Santa was.
Since then, NORAD Tracks Santa has gone global, progressing through bulletins on AM radios and black-and-white TVs to updates on Facebook, Twitter and smartphone aps.
Last year, volunteers answered almost 102,000 calls, nearly 25 percent more than the previous year. They also answered more than 7,700 emails (noradtrackssanta(at)outlook.com).
The NORAD Tracks Santa website attracted 18.9 million unique visitors from 220 countries and territories during December 2011.
This year, the program has more than 1 million likes on Facebook and more than 114,000 followers on Twitter days before the tracking operation got under way.
___
Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP
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Saturday, December 22, 2012
How songbirds learn to sing: Mathematical model explains how birds correct mistakes to say on key
Dec. 20, 2012 ? Scientists studying how songbirds stay on key have developed a statistical explanation for why some things are harder for the brain to learn than others.
"We've built the first mathematical model that uses a bird's previous sensorimotor experience to predict its ability to learn," says Emory biologist Samuel Sober. "We hope it will help us understand the math of learning in other species, including humans."
Sober conducted the research with physiologist Michael Brainard of the University of California, San Francisco.
Their results, showing that adult birds correct small errors in their songs more rapidly and robustly than large errors, were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Sober's lab uses Bengalese finches as a model for researching the mechanisms of how the brain learns to correct vocal mistakes.
Just like humans, baby birds learn to vocalize by listening to adults. Days after hatching, Bengalese finches start imitating the sounds of adults. "At first, their song is extremely variable and disorganized," Sober says. "It's baby talk, basically."
The young finches keep practicing, listening to their own sounds and fixing any mistakes that occur, until eventually they can sing like their elders.
Young birds, and young humans, make a lot of big mistakes as they learn to vocalize. As birds and humans get older, the variability of mistakes shrinks. One theory contends that adult brains tend to screen out big mistakes and pay more attention to smaller ones.
"To correct any mistake, the brain has to rely on the senses," Sober explains. "The problem is, the senses are unreliable. If there is noise in the environment, for example, the brain may think it misheard and ignore the sensory experience."
The link between variability and learning may explain why youngsters tend to learn faster and why adults are more resistant to change.
"Whether you are an opera singer or a bird, there is always variability in your sounds," Sober says. "When the brain receives an error in pitch, it seems to use this very simple and elegant strategy of evaluating the probability of whether the error was just extraneous 'noise,' a problem reading the signal, or an actual mistake in the vocalization."
The researchers wanted to quantify the relationship between the size of a vocal error, and the probability of the brain making a sensorimotor correction. The experiments were conducted on adult Bengalese finches outfitted with light-weight, miniature headphones.
As a bird sang into a microphone, the researchers used sound-processing equipment to trick the bird into thinking it was making vocal mistakes, by changing the bird's pitch and altering the way the bird heard itself, in real-time.
"When we made small pitch shifts, the birds learned really well and corrected their errors rapidly," Sober says. "As we made the pitch shifts bigger, the birds learned less well, until at a certain pitch, they stopped learning."
The researchers used the data to develop a statistical model for the size of a vocal error and whether a bird learns, including the cut-off point for learning from sensorimotor mistakes. They are now developing additional experiments to test and refine the model.
"We hope that our mathematical framework for how songbirds learn to sing could help in the development of human behavioral therapies for vocal rehabilitation, as well as increase our general understanding of how the brain learns," Sober says.
The research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Deafness and Communications Disorders, the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke and the National Institute of Mental Health.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Emory University. The original article was written by Carol Clark.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- S. J. Sober, M. S. Brainard. Vocal learning is constrained by the statistics of sensorimotor experience. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; 109 (51): 21099 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1213622109
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/r5cO-yFTR6U/121220171836.htm
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Sam Champion Marries Rubem Robierb In New York
Matt Bomer, 2012
The 34-year-old "White Collar" hunk <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/13/matt-bomer-comes-out-gay-thanks-partner_n_1272997.html" target="_hplink">thanked his partner</a> Simon Halls and his three children during Saturday's Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards, where he received the New Generation Arts and Activism Award for his work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. "I'd really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry," he told the crowd. "Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment."
Kelly McGillis, 2009
Kelly McGillis, known as who starred opposite Tom Cruise in "Top Gun," <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1175410/Im-lesbian-declares-Top-Gun-siren-Kelly-McGillis.html">revealed she's gay</a> on lesbian website SheWired.com. McGillis, who was married twice to men and has two daughters, said, "It's a part of being true to yourself. That's been a challenge for me personally."
Jim Parsons, 2012
<em>New York Times </em>scribe Patrick Healy confirmed "The Big Bang Theory" star's sexuality<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/theater/jim-parsons-prepares-for-his-lead-role-in-harvey.html?_r=1" target="_hplink"> as part of a profile</a>. The revelation came late in the article, when Healy describes the 39-year-old actor's role in the 2011 revival of Larry Kramer's HIV/AIDS crisis drama, "The Normal Heart." Wrote Healy: '"The Normal Heart" resonated with him on a few levels: Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship, and working with an ensemble again onstage was like nourishment, he said." Though the <em>Times </em>didn't identify Parsons' partner, he has been romantically liked with art director Todd Spiewak (pictured).
Anne Burrell, 2012
"Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" host Anne Burrell confirmed she's a lesbian and in a committed relationship with a woman, just days after "Chopped" host Ted Allen made a reference to her sexuality in a radio interview. "Anne doesn't feel she was outed," Burrell's rep told Page Six. "She has made no secret of her relationship." The rep went on to note, "Her significant other is a very private woman. They have been together for a couple of years and spend a lot of time together."
Anderson Cooper, 2012
Anderson Cooper's sexuality had been <a href="http://www.out.com/entertainment/2008/09/22/glass-closet">scrutinized for years</a> but it wasn't until July 2012 that he finally addressed the issue when he <a href="http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/07/anderson-cooper-the-fact-is-im-gay.html">came out in an email </a> to his friend and fellow journalist, Andrew Sullivan, this summer. In Cooper's message, which was posted on Sullivan's blog, "The Dish," on <em>The Daily Beast</em>, the CNN anchor states, "The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn?t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."
Gillian Anderson, 2012
The "X-Files" actress <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/13/gillian-anderson-lesbian-relationships-out-magazine_n_1342801.html" target="_hplink">revealed she's had numerous relationships</a> with women in a 2012 interview with <em>Out</em> magazine. The 43-year-old mother of three, who's long enjoyed a sizable lesbian fanbase, told <em>Out</em> that she first had a relationship with a woman while still in high school, after moving from her native England to suburban Michigan. "If I had thought I was 100 percent gay, would it have been a different experience for me?" Anderson, who was voted "Most Bizarre" and "Most Likely to Be Arrested" in high school, ponders. "Would it have been a bigger deal if shame had been attached to it and all those things that become huge life-altering issues for youngsters in that situation? It's possible that my attitude around it came, on some level, from knowing that I still liked boys."
Jonathan Knight, 2011
The New Kids On The Block singer was out-ed by fellow '80s teen pop star Tiffany in January 2011 when she revealed she dated Knight before "he became gay later." In response, Knight posted a message on his website <a href="http://www.towleroad.com/2011/01/jonathan-knight.html#ixzz1azmexp8H" target="_hplink">stating in part</a>: <blockquote>"I have never been outed by anyone but myself! I did so almost twenty years ago. I never know that I would have to do it all over again publicly just because I reunited with NKOTB! I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay!"</blockquote>
Ellen DeGeneres, 1997
DeGeneres came out in 1997, both in real life and on TV, on her sitcom "Ellen." "The Puppy Episode," which aired in April 1997, <a href="http://www.afterellen.com/column/2005/4/backintheday.html" target="_hplink">featured a who's who</a> of Hollywood, including Oprah Winfrey, Demi Moore, Billy Bob Thornton, and Laura Dern as Ellen's love interest. DeGeneres's character became the first openly gay prime time lead character on television.
Zachary Quinto, 2011
Long rumored to be gay, the actor, most famous for his roles on "Heroes" and in the recent "Star Trek" film, came out in a October 2011 <em>New York</em> magazine profile, saying: <blockquote>"In light of Jamey's [Rodemeyer] death -- it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it -- is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality. Our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country."</blockquote>
Elton John, 1976
In <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/elton-john-lonely-at-the-top-rolling-stones-1976-cover-story-20110202" target="_hplink">an interview</a> with <em>Rolling Stone</em> in October 1976, the rock star came out by saying, "There's nothing wrong with going to bed with somebody of your own sex. I think everybody's bisexual to a certain degree. I don't think it's just me. It's not a bad thing to be. I think you're bisexual. I think everybody is."
Clay Aiken, 2008
After becoming a father in August of 2008, the "American Idol" runner up <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20228488,00.html" target="_hplink">came out on the cover</a> of <em>People</em> magazine in September 2008 saying, "[Coming out] was the first decision I made as a father... I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."
Wanda Sykes, 2008
The comedian and actress came out in November 2008 <a href="http://thestrippodcast.blogspot.com/2008/11/wanda-sykes-lv-gay-rally-im-proud-to-be.html" target="_hplink">while speaking at an anti-Prop 8 rally</a> in Las Vegas. Sykes said in part: <blockquote>"I got married Oct. 25, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation, I felt like I was living my life, I wasn't in the closet, but I was just living my life. Everybody who knows me personally, they know I'm gay. And that's the way people should be able to live our lives, really. We shouldn't have to be standing out here demanding something we automatically should have as citizens of this country."</blockquote>
Ricky Martin, March 2010
In March 2009 pop star Ricky Martin <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/29/ricky-martin-comes-out-im_n_517625.html" target="_hplink">posted a message on his website</a> telling the world, "I am a fortunate homosexual man."
Chely Wright, 2010
Country singer Chely Wright <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20365936,00.html" target="_hplink">came out in May 2010</a>. She told <em>People</em> magazine, "There had never, ever been a country music artist who had acknowledged his or her homosexuality... I wasn't going to be the first." But she changed her mind and said of her decision, "Nothing in my life has been more magical than the moment I decided to come out."
George Michael, 1998
After being caught performing a "lewd act" in a public restroom, Michael came out to CNN in April 1998. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9804/11/george.michael/" target="_hplink">Michael said</a>, "This is as good of a time as any... I want to say that I have no problem with people knowing that I'm in a relationship with a man right now. I have not been in a relationship with a woman for almost 10 years." Later that year Michael spoofed the incident in the music video for his single "Outside."
Don Lemon, 2011
The CNN news anchor came out to the <em>New York Times</em> in May 2011. Lemon <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/business/media/16anchor.html?_r=3" target="_hplink">told the paper</a>, "It's quite different for an African-American male... It's about the worst thing you can be in black culture. You're taught you have to be a man; you have to be masculine. In the black community they think you can pray the gay away."
Adam Lambert, 2009
The singer's sexuality was always a topic of discussion for viewers when he was performing on "American Idol," but Lambert didn't come out until after the competition had wrapped. In a June 2009 <em>Rolling Stone</em> cover story, Lambert said, "Right after the finale [of "AI"], I almost started talking about it to the reporters, but I thought, 'I'm going to wait for <em>Rolling Stone</em>, that will be cooler,'.. I didn't want the Clay Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine bullshit. I need to be able to explain myself in context."
Neil Patrick Harris, 2006
The "Doogie Howser, MD" and "How I Met Your Mother Star" came out on the cover of <em>People</em> magazine in November of 2006. <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1554852,00.html" target="_hplink">Harris told the magazine</a>: <blockquote>"The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently I have been able to live a pretty normal life. Now it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships. So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love." </blockquote>
Chaz Bono, 2009
Chaz Bono revealed his plan to transition in May 2009. TMZ.com broke the story <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/11/chastity-bono-becoming-a-man/#.TptSZ2VPkqU" target="_hplink">via a prepared statement</a> from Bono's publicist that read, in part: <blockquote>"Yes, it's true -- Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity... He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago."</blockquote>
Chris Colfer, 2009
The "Glee" actor came out on the "Chelsea Lately Show" in December 2009: Chelsea Handler: "Your character on the show's gay. We know that you're gay. That's good for you. Congratulations. Don't be shy about that. Seriously. You shouldn't be shy about that because every time...an actor like you is helping a zillion other people that are scared to talk about their sexuality so good for you." Chris Colfer: "Thank you. You know what my answer to that question was prior to coming out -- was that I was straight as every other actor in Hollywood."
Meredith Baxter, 2009
In December 2009 Baxter, most famous for playing Elyse Keaton on '80s sitcom "Family Ties," went on the "Today Show" and told Matt Lauer that she was a lesbian. Baxter said, "Some people would say, well, you're living a lie and, you know, the truth is -- not at all. This has only been for the past seven years."
Lance Bass, 2006
The 'N Sync pop star came out on the cover of <em>People</em> magazine in July 2006. When asked why he decided to come out then, <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1219142,00.html" target="_hplink">Bass said</a>, "The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that (the rumors) really were starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it's on my terms. I'm at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God so there's really nothing else that I worry about."
Heather Matarazzo, 2004
The actress, perhaps best known for her role as tormented teen Dawn Wiener in the film "Welcome To The Dollhouse," <a href="http://www.afterellen.com/archive/ellen/People/82004/heathermatarazzo.html" target="_hplink">came out in August 2004</a> by telling the <em>NY Daily News</em> about falling in love with Caroline Murphy: <blockquote>"I met the person I'm so madly crazy in love with...She's not famous yet. She will be. She wants to do musical theater and stage, which is not as demoralizing as the movie business is."</blockquote>
Melissa Etheridge, 1993
The rock star came out in January 1993 during the Triangle ball, the first ever ball thrown for the LGBT community during a president's inauguration, in this case Clinton's. <a href="http://www.afterellen.com/archive/ellen/column/2005/2/backintheday.html" target="_hplink">Etheridge recalls</a>: <blockquote>"I didn't even think, Oh, I'm going to come out here...It was, 'Gee, I'm really excited to be here, and I'm really proud to have been a lesbian all my life.' And a big cheer went up through the whole hall, and k.d. [lang] came out and hugged me. I remember walking back, and my friend said, 'I think you came out!'"</blockquote>
Darren Hayes, 2006
The former Savage Garden front man came out by marrying Richard Cullen in June 2006. He announced the civil union on his website <a href="http://chartrigger.blogspot.com/2006/07/darren-hayes-comes-out.html" target="_hplink">saying in part</a>: "As so many of you have given me your heart and soul over the past 10 years I thought it only fitting that I too return the respect and inform you of the most significant event in my life... On June 19th 2006 I married my boyfriend of two years, Richard, in a Civil Partnership ceremony in London."
Lady Sovereign, 2010
In May 2010 the British rapper came out in <em>Diva</em> magazine. <a href="http://perezhilton.com/2010-05-12-lady-sov-comes-out#.Tpt-2WVPkqU" target="_hplink">Sovereign said</a>: <blockquote>"Magazines would always ask about it but [questions about my sexuality] would get stopped by my publicists. It was my choice, too, because I was a bit worried about it but now I don't really give a shit. You can't hide away forever. It's just stupid and now I've come out I feel a lot more comfortable with myself. But it was a bit scary back then because some people do have horrible opinions."</blockquote>
Sam Champion, 2012
ABC's "Good Morning America" weatherman, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/fashion/weddings/patrick-abner-and-thomas-roberts-vows.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&ref=weddings">Sam Champion,</a>, not only came out of the closet in October 2012, he also announced his engagement to longtime boyfriend, Rubem Robierb, at the same time. <em>The New York Times</em> subtly mentioned the news in an article about MSNBC personality <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/01/thomas-roberts-married-msnbc-host-weds-longtime-boyfriend_n_1928841.html">Thomas Roberts' recent wedding</a>, where Champion and Robierb were guests. After his revelation, Champion, 51, discussed about his plans on "GMA" and thanked everyone for their support (see video clip).
Rosie O'Donnell, 2002
The comedian and talk show host <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2002/2002-02-27-rosie.htm" target="_hplink">came out by revealing</a> "I'm a dyke!" during her stand up act at the Ovarian Cancer Research benefit at Carolines Comedy Club in February 2002.
Portia de Rossi, 2005
The actress had been out to friends for quite some time, but she told the entire world in the fall of 2005 in interviews with <em>Details</em> magazine and <em>The Advocate</em>. "I've had my years of being not open, many years of it... It's an honor for me to do this; it's just nice to be asked," de Rossi said in her September 2005 <em>Advocate</em> <a href="http://crispie764.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Urgent&action=display&thread=35" target="_hplink">cover story</a>, her first with the gay press.
Sean Hayes, 2010
Long dogged by rumors about his sexuality, the "Will and Grace" actor <a href="http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/People/Sean_Hayes_I_Am_Who_I_Am/" target="_hplink">finally came out</a> in <em>The Advocate</em> in April 2010: "I am who I am. I was never in, as they say. Never," he said.
Cynthia Nixon, 2004
The "Sex And The City" star was out-ed in 2004 when the <em>NY Daily News</em> and the <em>New York Post</em> <a href="http://www.afterellen.com/People/92004/cynthianixon.html" target="_hplink">reported she was living</a> with another woman in September 2004. Nixon half-heartedly confirmed the rumors when she told the <em>Daily News</em>, "My private life is private... But at the same time, I have nothing to hide. So what I will say is that I am very happy."
Frank Ocean, 2012
No mainstream black male hip-hop artist had ever come out until <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/07/arts/music/frank-ocean-draws-praise-for-declaring-his-homosexuality.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">Frank Ocean did in July 2012</a>, just before he debuted his first solo album, "Channel Orange." The singer-songwriter posted a Tumblr post which read, in part, "4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide.? After that, Ocean received support from fellow hip-hop artists Jay-Z (and wife, Beyonc?), 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and more. Daryl Hannah, director of media and community partnerships for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said, "[The support for Frank is] an extension of the overall kind of support we?re seeing across the country for LGBT people, and not just in a broad sense, but specifically from iconic members of the black community.?
Suze Orman, 2007
Financial guru Suze Orman came out in a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/magazine/25wwlnq4.t.html">2007 <em>New York Times Magazine</em> article</a>. The 61-year-old Chicago native was asked if she was married in the interview, which prompted her to officially come out and set the record straight (so to speak).
Sean Maher, 2011
Sean Maher, known for his roles on "Firefly" and "Playboy Club," confirmed his sexuality in an <a href="http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/26/firefly-playboy-club-actor-sean-maher-comes-out-ga/"><em>Entertainment Weekly</em> interview</a>, saying, "This is my coming out ball. I?ve been dying to do this.?
Amber Heard, 2010
"I personally think that if you deny something or if you hide something you're inadvertently admitting it's wrong. I don't feel like I'm wrong," said actress Amber Heard, 26, who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/06/amber-heard-lesbian_n_792419.html">came out while attending GLAAD's 25th anniversary party</a>. Heard has starred in movies like as "Pineapple Express" and "Zombieland."
Nathan Lane, 1999
The hilarious Nathan Lane, who's well known for starring in films like "The Birdcage," officially came out in an <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/37588/nathan-lane-comes-out-finally">interview with <em>The Advocate</em></a> in 1999. In the issue, the 56-year-old Emmy- and Tony-winner said, "It's never been something I kept a secret." But Matthew Shepard's murder led the actor to publicly coming out. "It was like somebody slapped me awake," Lane said. "At this point it's selfish not to do whatever you can."
Sara Gilbert, 2010
Sara Gilbert, who's best known for her role on "Roseanne," <a href="http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/07/28/sara-gilbert-lesbian-the-tal/">officially came out in 2010</a>. At that time, she was getting ready to launch "The Talk," a daytime talk show which focuses on parenthood and families, so Gilbert felt compelled to acknowledge her sexuality. ?I don?t ever really think of things as out or in,? Gilbert said. ?I just think I am who I am, and when topics come up that are appropriate, I?ll talk about them and share when it seems right.?
George Takei, 2005
The beloved George Takei, known as Sulu on "Star Trek," <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/9845944/ns/today-entertainment/t/george-takei-mr-sulu-says-hes-gay/#.UHWbJ0JAsu8">came out</a> in a 2005 article in Frontiers, a biweekly LGBT Los Angeles magazine. Takei, 75, cited the political landscape surrounding LGBT issues as one reason for coming out. Since then, Takei has been an outspoken (and humorous) advocate for LGBT rights.
David Hyde Pierce, 2007
"Frasier" actor David Hyde Pierce kept a low profile and <a href="http://www.afterelton.com/blog/brianjuergens/exclusive-david-hyde-pierce-is-officially-out">subtly came out</a> in an article on <em>CNN</em> where he mentioned his longtime partner, TV writer and producer Brian Hargrove. Later, while on "The View", Pierce spoke about Hargrove and his sexuality and said,"What you choose to talk about yourself is a personal decision."
T.R. Knight, 2007
<a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20008737,00.html">T.R. Knight's coming out</a> wasn't necessarily ideal. The actor, who played George O'Malley on ABC's <em>Grey's Anatomy</em>, was called a "faggot" by co-star Isaiah Washington, prompting Knight to stand up for himself and others. He told Ellen DeGeneres, "I've never been called that to my face. So I think when that happened, something shifted, and it became bigger than myself."
Mika, 2012
The flamboyant singer-songwriter played coy about his sexuality for many years before finally coming out as gay in the September 2012 issue of Instinct magazine. Mika <a href="http://instinctmagazine.com/blogs/blog/exclusive-sneak-peek-mika-tells-instinct-%E2%80%9Cyeah-i%E2%80%99m-gay-%E2%80%9D?directory=100011">told the magazine</a>: <blockquote>"If you ask me am I gay, I say yeah... Are these songs about my relationship with a man? I say yeah. And it?s only through my music that I?ve found the strength to come to terms with my sexuality beyond the context of just my lyrics. This is my real life."</blockquote>
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/sam-champion-rubem-robierb-wedding_n_2348537.html
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Health News - Researchers discover genetic basis for eczema, new ...
CORVALLIS, Ore. ? Researchers at Oregon State University today announced the discovery of an underlying genetic cause of atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema most common in infancy that also affects millions of adults around the world with dry, itchy and inflamed skin lesions.
The findings were just published in PLoS ONE, a professional journal, and may set the stage for new therapeutic approaches to this frustrating syndrome, which is difficult to treat and has no known cure. Eczema is also related to, and can sometimes cause asthma, a potentially deadly immune dysfunction.
Pharmaceutical scientists at OSU found in laboratory studies that eczema can be triggered by inadequate Ctip2, a protein and master regulator that affects other genetic functions. They have identified two ways in which improper function of Ctip2 can lead to eczema.
In a recent publication, they found that Ctip2 controls lipid biosynthesis in the skin, the fats that are needed to help keep skin healthy and hydrated. In the new study, they discovered that Ctip2 suppresses TSLP, a cytokine protein produced by skin cells that can trigger inflammation.
Levels of this inflammatory TSLP, which is ordinarily undetectable in human skin, were found to be 1,000 times higher in laboratory animals that had been genetically modified to have no Ctip2 production in their skin.
?In these studies, we?ve basically shown that inadequate Ctip2 is reducing the lipids in skin that it needs to stay healthy, protect itself and perform its function,? said Arup Indra, an associate professor in the OSU College of Pharmacy. ?At the same time this can allow unwanted formation of proteins that trigger inflammation. The skin?s ability to resist inflammation is going down just as the amount of inflammation is going up, and the underlying reason is that Ctip2 is not doing its job.?
?Either or both of these problems can lead to eczema,? Indra said.
Atopic dermatitis is associated with a dysfunctional immune response, but researchers have never understood the underlying cause. Existing treatments use moisturizers to try to protect skin, and in difficult cases powerful steroid drugs can help, but they often have significant unwanted side effects, especially in long-term use.
?With a better understanding of just what is causing eczema on a genetic basis, we should be able to personalize treatments, determine exactly what each person needs, and develop new therapies,? Indra said. ?This might be with topical compounds that increase Ctip2 expression in skin cells, or customized treatments to restore an individual person?s lipid profile. In the future, systemic epigenetic modification might even be possible.?
The creation at OSU of the laboratory model to study this issue is also of considerable importance, Indra said. There?s evidence it could be used to screen for drugs with potent anti-inflammatory activities.
Eczema is a persistent skin rash that can be fairly common in infants or youth, which some research indicates may be linked to food or pollen allergens. Most people outgrow it as they reach adulthood, but some suffer from the debilitating condition their entire life.
?Our skin is the largest organ in the human body and one of the most important,? Indra said. ?It?s our first barrier of defense, is in a constant battle against external insults, is influenced by both genetics and the environment, and has to be finely tuned to do many jobs. In eczema, this process begins to break down.?
Eczema allows significant loss of fluids through the skin, allows allergens to penetrate, and in severe cases can cause a systemic inflammatory response.
About the OSU College of Pharmacy: The College of Pharmacy prepares students of today to be the pharmacy practitioners and pharmaceutical sciences researchers of tomorrow by contributing to improved health, advancing patient care and the discovery and understanding of medicines.
The publication this story is based on is available online at http://bit.ly/VUy4Im
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Tuesday, December 18, 2012
NBA - Lin et Houston tourmentent New-York
Houston a inflig? lundi ? New-York sa premi?re d?faite de la saison de NBA dans sa salle du Madison Square Garden (96-109) gr?ce ? Jeremy Lin qui a tourment? ses anciens co?quipiers des Knicks avec ses 22 points et huit passes d?cisives.
Les Knicks restent solidement install?s en t?te de la conf?rence Est avec un bilan de 18 victoires pour six d?faites, mais ce premier revers de la saison ? domicile est douloureux.
Ils ne s'?tait plus inclin?s devant leur public depuis le 15 avril et avaient encha?n? douze succ?s de rang au Madison Square Garden avant que Lin ne sorte le grand jeu et r?alise sa deuxi?me meilleure prestation de la saison sous le maillot des Rockets.
Comme si Lin, meneur d'origine ta?wanaise et r?v?lation de la saison derni?re sous le maillot de New-York au point d'avoir d?clench? un ph?nom?ne d'hyst?rie collective ? son endroit ("Linsanity", jeu de mot sur Lin et "insanity" qui signifie "folie"), voulait prouver ? ses anciens dirigeants qu'ils avaient eu tort de le laisser partir et de ne pa s'aligner sur l'offre d'Houston (25 millions de dollars sur trois ans).
"C'?tait g?nial d'?tre de retour ici, j'ai pris encore beaucoup de plaisir sur ce parquet", a admis Lin, 23 ans.
Pour la deuxi?me fois de la saison, Lin, qui tournait avant ces retrouvailles ? 10,8 points et six passes par match, a fait mordre la poussi?re ? New-York qui s'?tait inclin? 131-103 ? Houston fin novembre.
Avec cette victoire qui met fin ? une s?rie de sept ?checs en d?placement, Houston ?quilibre son bilan (12 V-12 D) et pointe au 9e rang de la conf?rence Ouest.
Oklahoma City a confort? son statut de meilleure ?quipe de NBA avec sa 20e victoire, pour quatre d?faites, de l'exercice en dominant San Antonio 107 ? 93 avec 25 points et 17 rebonds de Serge Ibaka.
Les Los Angeles Clippers se sont impos?s ? D?troit (88-76) et ont d?log? San Antonio de la 2e place de la conf?rence Ouest.
Chicago, enfin, a connu une panne offensive lors de sa d?faite 80-71 face ? Memphis.
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Source: http://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/12/18/nba---lin-et-houston-tour_n_2320035.html
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