Microchip moves information around in 3-D: From left to right, back to front, and up and down

Jan. 30, 2013 ? Scientists from the University of Cambridge have created, for the first time, a new type of microchip which allows information to travel in three dimensions. Currently, microchips can only pass digital information in a very limited way -- from either left to right or front to back.

The research is published Jan. 31 in Nature.

Dr Reinoud Lavrijsen, an author on the paper from the University of Cambridge, said: "Today's chips are like bungalows -- everything happens on the same floor. We've created the stairways allowing information to pass between floors."

Researchers believe that in the future a 3D microchip would enable additional storage capacity on chips by allowing information to be spread across several layers instead of being compacted into one layer, as is currently the case.

For the research, the Cambridge scientists used a special type of microchip called a spintronic chip which exploits the electron's tiny magnetic moment or 'spin' (unlike the majority of today's chips which use charge-based electronic technology). Spintronic chips are increasingly being used in computers, and it is widely believed that within the next few years they will become the standard memory chip.

To create the microchip, the researchers used an experimental technique called 'sputtering'. They effectively made a club-sandwich on a silicon chip of cobalt, platinum and ruthenium atoms. The cobalt and platinum atoms store the digital information in a similar way to how a hard disk drive stores data. The ruthenium atoms act as messengers, communicating that information between neighbouring layers of cobalt and platinum. Each of the layers is only a few atoms thick.

They then used a laser technique called MOKE to probe the data content of the different layers. As they switched a magnetic field on and off they saw in the MOKE signal the data climbing layer by layer from the bottom of the chip to the top. They then confirmed the results using a different measurement method.

Professor Russell Cowburn, lead researcher of the study from the Cavendish Laboratory, the University of Cambridge's Department of Physics, said: "Each step on our spintronic staircase is only a few atoms high. I find it amazing that by using nanotechnology not only can we build structures with such precision in the lab but also using advanced laser instruments we can actually see the data climbing this nano-staircase step by step.

"This is a great example of the power of advanced materials science. Traditionally, we would use a series of electronic transistors to move data like this. We've been able to achieve the same effect just by combining different basic elements such as cobalt, platinum and ruthenium. This is the 21st century way of building things -- harnessing the basic power of elements and materials to give built-in functionality."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Cambridge, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Reinoud Lavrijsen, Ji-Hyun Lee, Amalio Fern?ndez-Pacheco, Doroth?e C. M. C. Petit, Rhodri Mansell, Russell P. Cowburn. Magnetic ratchet for three-dimensional spintronic memory and logic. Nature, 2013; 493 (7434): 647 DOI: 10.1038/nature11733

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/top_news/top_technology/~3/PL8nx83-Zv4/130130132407.htm

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Australian opposition leader warns of second election

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia faces a possible fourth straight year of political instability after opposition leader Tony Abbott, on track to win power in a September election, threatened a second poll if a hostile upper house rejects his plan to scrap a tax on carbon.

One day after Prime Minister Julia Gillard surprised voters by announcing a September 14 election, Abbott on Thursday promised to scrap a carbon tax if he wins office, but added he would call a second election if a hostile Senate rejected his plans.

"If it takes a double dissolution to do it, I won't hesitate to have one," conservative leader Abbott told the National Press Club in Canberra, referring to the dissolution of both houses of parliament which would mean another election.

Even if Abbott wins a September election, the Greens and Labor will control a majority in the Senate until at least July 2014, and possibly until 2017. A second election of both houses in 2014 could give him the Senate numbers to abolish the carbon tax, or to ensure a joint sitting of both houses to repeal it.

Australia has endured three years of political instability with Gillard's minority Labor government relying on a handful of independents and Greens to command a one-seat majority and pass legislation.

"Most Australians perceive that it's been a difficult few years and the prospect of dragging this (political instability) on beyond September this year would be unfortunate," said Hans Kunnen, chief economist at St. George Bank.

"One would wish for more stability, but it's not a deal killer. Business has to go on and you live with the environment that you have."

With the next election eight months away, opinion polls show Abbott is on track for an easy victory, with Gillard's Labor set to lose up to 18 seats. Abbott only needs to win two government-held seats to win power.

But Abbott has one big problem, a seemingly entrenched disapproval rating, which was at 58 percent in January. Gillard is also disliked by voters, with a disapproval rating of 49 percent, but Gillard leads Abbott as preferred prime minister.

Australia's mandatory voting system will mean both will have to convince disillusioned voters of not only their policies, but that they are also the best person to lead the nation.

FAMILY MAN IMAGE

Abbott has campaigned tirelessly against the A$23/metric ton (1.1023 tons) ($24/metric ton) carbon tax since 2010 and has made its abolition his key election promise, alongside a promise to scrap a 30 percent tax on iron ore and coal mine profits.

Abbott repeated his promises to deliver budget surpluses, strengthen economic growth, and stop the flow of asylum seekers who come to Australia by boat from Indonesia, although he gave no details of his policies.

On foreign policy, both Abbott and Gillard firmly support greater involvement with China, the country's biggest trade partner, and close defense ties with the United States.

In his National Press Club speech designed to kick off his election year, Abbott, 55, a former Rhodes scholar who was a member of the Oxford boxing team, painted himself as a man of the people, highlighting his family life, his love of cycling, and work with a volunteer fire brigade and surf clubs.

The super-fit Abbott has reinforced his action-man image over the Australian summer fighting wildfires, and has been photographed with his wife and daughters, in contrast to Gillard who is not married and has no children.

Gillard set the September 14 election date in a bid to shift the focus to Abbott's policies and end uncertainty over her ability to hold the minority government together in 2013.

Gillard said she would dissolve parliament on August 12, but with a long winter recess, parliament will rise for the last time before the election on June 27 -- leaving Gillard with only five months to pass any legislation and for her minority government to survive any motions of no confidence.

But her government suffered a fresh setback on Thursday when a suspended Labor politician, who still supports Gillard's government as an independent, was arrested over 150 fraud charges related to spending union money on travel, entertainment and prostitutes. His lawyers said he would plead not guilty.

The ongoing scandal over Craig Thomson is unlikely to hurt Gillard's ability to control a majority in parliament, although she may need more independents on controversial bills.

If convicted, Thomson could be forced out of parliament, although the legal processes are unlikely to conclude before parliament rises for the last time before elections.

($1 = 0.9591 Australian dollars)

(Editing by Michael Perry and Robert Birsel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/australian-opposition-leader-warns-second-election-070438809.html

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Georgetown University: Anti-Human Trafficking Symposium - Gov't Agents Panel

1

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Anti-Human Trafficking Symposium
Georgetown University and Deloitte will host an event addressing immigration-related law enforcement challenges through the lens of anti-human trafficking (AHT). .. Read More GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Anti-Human Trafficking Symposium
Georgetown University and Deloitte will host an event addressing immigration-related law enforcement challenges through the lens of anti-human trafficking (AHT). The theme of the event, ?Transforming the Coalition,? will bring together government, academic, not for profit and business leaders to help reengineer the fight against human trafficking.?The event is symbolically taking place in January, in recognition of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Keynote speakers
Mira Sorvino, Academy award-winning actress and United Nations (UN) Goodwill Ambassador on Human Trafficking
John Morton, Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Ambassador at Large, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Department of State (DOS)
Tony West, Acting Associate Attorney General, Department of Justice (DOJ)
Sr Counselor Alice Hill, Senior Counselor to the Secretary, Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

www.georgetown.edu

40 minutes | 5 Views

View Full Event (6 Programs)

Source: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/310697-3

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Area high school football coaches give their take on this year?s Super Bowl

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Source: djournal.com --- Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Here?s a peek at what some of them are planning for game day and who they?re going to be rooting for. ...

Source: http://djournal.com/bookmark/21562279

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Kelly doesn't know if hoax affected Teo's play

In a photo provided by ESPN, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o pauses during an interview with ESPN on Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, in Bradenton, Fla. ESPN says Te'o maintains he was never involved in creating the dead girlfriend hoax. He said in the off-camera interview: "When they hear the facts they'll know. They'll know there is no way I could be a part of this." (AP Photo/ESPN Images, Ryan Jones) MANDATORY CREDIT

In a photo provided by ESPN, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o pauses during an interview with ESPN on Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, in Bradenton, Fla. ESPN says Te'o maintains he was never involved in creating the dead girlfriend hoax. He said in the off-camera interview: "When they hear the facts they'll know. They'll know there is no way I could be a part of this." (AP Photo/ESPN Images, Ryan Jones) MANDATORY CREDIT

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) ? Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly says he didn't see any sign linebacker Manti Te'o was affected by the girlfriend hoax leading up to the BCS game, but says in hindsight it may have been a factor.

Kelly says Te'o didn't play his best, adding that Alabama played a role. He says Tuesday only Te'o knows how it affected him.

Also, Kelly says his interview with the Philadelphia Eagles was mainly to get more information about coaching in the NFL and his heart remains in college football. Kelly interviewed with the Eagles on Jan. 8, a day after the Irish were beaten 42-14 by Alabama in the title game.

He says he tells recruits he's committed to Notre Dame.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-29-FBC-Notre-Dame-Kelly/id-83d6acce2dc3421383ec10851e5b0633

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Source: http://dwiminneapolis.com/business/internet-hosting-created-simple-with-these-informa/

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The Non Zero-Sum Society - Business Insider

As President Obama said in his inaugural address last week, America ?cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.?

Yet that continues to be the direction we?re heading in.

A newly-released?analysis?by the Economic Policy Institute shows that the super-rich have done well in the economic recovery while almost everyone else has done badly. The top 1 percent of earners? real wages grew 8.2 percent from 2009 to 2011, yet the real annual wages of Americans in the bottom 90 percent have continued to decline in the recovery, eroding by 1.2 percent between 2009 and 2011.

In other words, we?re back to the widening inequality we had before the debt bubble burst in 2008 and the economy crashed.?

But the President is exactly right. Not even the very wealthy can continue to succeed without a broader-based prosperity. That?s because 70 percent of economic activity in America is consumer spending. If the bottom 90 percent of Americans are becoming poorer, they?re less able to spend. Without their spending, the economy can?t get out of first gear.?

That?s a big reason why the recovery continues to be anemic, and why the?International Monetary Fund just lowered?its estimate for U.S. growth in 2013 to just 2 percent.?

Almost a quarter of all jobs in America now pay wages below the poverty line for a family of four. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 7 out of 10 growth occupations over the next decade will be low-wage ? like serving customers at big-box retailers and fast-food chains.

At this rate, who?s going to buy all the goods and services America is capable of producing? We can?t return to the kind of debt-financed consumption that caused the bubble in the first place.

Get it? It?s not a zero-sum game. Wealthy Americans would do better with smaller shares of a rapidly-growing economy than with the large shares they now possess of an economy that?s barely moving.

If they were rational, the wealthy would support public investments in education and job-training, a world-class infrastructure (transportation, water and sewage, energy, internet), and basic research ? all of which would make the American workforce more productive.

If they were rational they?d even support labor unions ? which have proven the best means of giving working people a fair share in the nation?s prosperity.

But labor unions are almost extinct.

The decline of labor unions in America tracks exactly the decline in the bottom 90 percent?s share of total earnings, and shrinkage of the middle class.

In the 1950s, when the U.S. economy was growing faster than 3 percent a year, more than a third of all working people belonged to a union. That gave them enough bargaining clout to get wages that allowed them to buy what the economy was capable of producing.

Since the late 1970s, unions have eroded ? as has the purchasing power of most Americans, and not coincidentally, the average annual growth of the economy.

Last week the?Bureau of Labor Statistics??reported that as of 2012 only 6.6 percent of workers in the private sector were unionized. (That?s down from 6.9 percent in 2011.) That?s the lowest rate of unionization in almost a century.

What?s to blame? Partly globalization and technological change. Globalization sent many unionized manufacturing plants abroad.

Manufacturing is starting to return to America but it?s returning without many jobs. The old assembly line has been replaced by robotics and numerically-controlled machine tools.

Technologies have also replaced many formerly unionized workers in telecommunications (remember telephone operators?) and clerical jobs.

But wait. Other nations subject to the same forces have far higher levels of unionization than America. 28 percent of?Canada?s workforce?is unionized, as is more than 25 percent of Britain?s, and almost 20 percent of Germany?s.?

Unions are almost extinct in America because we?ve chosen to make them extinct.

Unlike other rich nations, our labor laws allow employers to replace striking workers. We?ve also made it exceedingly difficult for workers to organize, and we barely penalized companies that violate labor laws. (A worker who?s illegally fired for trying to organize a union may, if lucky, get the job back along with back pay ? after years of legal haggling.)

Republicans, in particular, have set out to kill off unions. Union membership dropped 13 percent last year in Wisconsin, which in 2011 curbed the collective bargaining rights of many public employees. And it fell 18 percent last year in Indiana, which last February enacted a right-to-work law (allowing employees at unionized workplaces to get all the benefits of unionization without paying for them). Last month Michigan enacted a similar law.

Don?t blame globalization and technological change for why employees at Walmart, America?s largest employer, still don?t have a union. They?re not in global competition and their jobs aren?t directly threatened by technology.

The average pay of a Walmart worker is $8.81 an hour. A third of Walmart?s employees work less than 28 hours per week and don?t qualify for benefits.?

Walmart is a microcosm of the American economy. It has brazenly fought off unions. But it could easily afford to pay its workers more. It earned $16 billion last year. Much of that sum went to Walmart?s shareholders, including the family of its founder, Sam Walton.

The wealth of the Walton family now exceeds the wealth of the bottom 40 percent of American families combined, according to an?analysis?by the Economic Policy Institute.?

But how can Walmart expect to continue to show fat profits when most of its customers are on a downward economic escalator?

Walmart should be unionized. So should McDonalds. So should every major big-box retailer and fast-food outlet in the nation. So should every hospital in America.

That way, more Americans would have enough money in their pockets to get the economy moving. And everyone ? even the very rich ? would benefit.

As Obama said,?America cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.

Read more posts on robertreich.org ?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-non-zero-sum-society-2013-1

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Megan Fox on Motherhood: The Ultimate Satisfaction

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/megan-fox-on-motherhood-the-ultimate-satisfaction/

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Former Ecuador judge on Chevron case says plaintiffs bribed court

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A former Ecuadorean judge has claimed that after stepping down from the bench, he illegally ghostwrote a judgment in which Chevron was ordered to pay $18.2 billion (11.5 billion pounds) for polluting the rain forest, and that the plaintiffs paid a $500,000 bribe to the judge who issued the ruling.

Alberto Guerra, who presided over the case from 2003 to 2004, made the allegations in a sworn statement filed by Chevron on Monday in support of a lawsuit in Manhattan federal district court accusing the Ecuadorean plaintiffs and their lawyers of fraud.

"Another participant in the fraud has now come forward rather than wait to be exposed by others," Hewitt Pate, Chevron vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.

Karen Hinton, a spokeswoman for the plaintiffs, in a statement called Guerra a "disgraced former Ecuadorean judge who is being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by Chevron to make false allegations about the Ecuador trial court judgment."

Guerra was not available to comment.

The filing is the latest in an ever-escalating two-decade battle between Chevron and residents of Ecuador's Lago Agrio over oil extraction in the region.

Residents claimed that Texaco, which Chevron acquired in 2001, polluted the rainforest and water supplies with hundreds of unlined waste pits from 1964 to 1992, damaging crops and public health including deaths from cancer.

Chevron claimed that its share of the waste pits had been cleaned up and that its activities were not responsible for environmental and public health damage.

An Ecuadorean court entered the $18.2 billion judgment in 2011. The award was upped to $19 billion in July.

The National Court of Justice, Ecuador's highest court, last month appointed three judges to hear Chevron's final appeal in that country of the court decision.

One of them, Oscar Bermudez, told Reuters that they are not allowed to consider new evidence.

"Our job is to make sure the sentence issued by the previous court complies with legal and constitutional precepts ... they can provide new evidence but the court cannot take it into account," he said, adding that Chevron may consider presenting Guerra's statement to Ecuador's attorney general for his consideration.

Chevron, with no assets in Ecuador now, has fought a global campaign against the enforcement of the $19 billion award. In February 2011, it filed the New York federal lawsuit against the plaintiffs and their lawyers, including Steven Donziger and Pablo Fajardo, contending the judgment was obtained via fraud.

The declaration Monday by Guerra was filed by Chevron in support of that lawsuit.

According to the document, the Chevron case had been assigned to Judge Nicolas Zambrano in 2009. Guerra said Zambrano at times ask him to ghostwrite civil rulings for him for $1,000 a month, which he says was illegal.

The case was then given to another judge, Juan Nunez, who later had to recuse himself due to allegations of bribery brought by Chevron after Nunez was caught on tape discussing the case. Zambrano then took charge again.

In his sworn declaration, Guerra wrote: "Zambrano told me he was in direct contact with Mr. Fajardo and that the Plaintiffs' representatives had agreed to pay him USD $500,000 from whatever money they were to collect from the judgment, in exchange for allowing them to write the judgment in the Plaintiffs' favor."

Guerra in his declaration said he received $38,000 from the company for the costs of providing the evidence. Kent Robertson, a spokesman for Chevron, confirmed Chevron has agreed to pay Guerra's family $10,000 for monthly living expenses and $2,000 for housing.

"He's a scoundrel," Fajardo told Reuters on Monday. "I've never met Mr. Guerra, but I know who he is and how he's being paid by Chevron."

In a statement from the Ecuador plaintiffs last week, Fajardo said Guerra had at one point offered to provide testimony to the rainforest communities if they would pay him, though they had refused.

Zambrano could also not be contacted on Monday. He has been out of the public eye since his dismissal last February for releasing a drug trafficker in an act described by the judicial watchdog as "obvious negligence."

The New York case is Chevron Corporation v. Donziger, et al., U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 11-00691.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York, Braden Reddall in San Francisco, and Eduardo Garcia Gil and Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-ecuador-judge-chevron-case-says-plaintiffs-bribed-025841619--finance.html

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Man shot in Alabama school bus incident

By Jeff Black and M. Alex Johnson, NBC News

WSFA.com

Multiple local and county officials were on the scene of the shootng Tuesday, Jan. 29, near Midland City, Ala.

Authorities were seeking a suspect Tuesday evening after a man was shot in an incident involving a school bus in southeastern Alabama, police and school district officials told NBC News.

Multiple agencies, including a bomb unit, were on the scene along a rural highway near Midland City, in the area of Dothan and Ozark, the Dale County Sheriff's Department said. It said that a man had been shot and that the suspect was not in custody.

Sheriff's officials and Dothan police said they couldn't immediately provide further details of the incident, including the condition of the victim. But local media, including the Dothan Eagle, reported that the victim was believed to have been the bus' driver and that a child may have been taken hostage in the incident, which began shortly after 3:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET).

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School officials said all Dale County and Ozark city schools would be closed Wednesday.

The Eagle quoted a woman who said her daughter told her that a male neighbor got on the bus, shot the driver and left with the child.

Michael Creel, another neighbor of the suspected shooter, told the newspaper that his sister heard gunshots so he went outside. He saw children running away from the bus.

A little girl reportedly told Creel that the suspected shooter had come on the bus and demanded that two children ages of 6 to 8 ?come with him. The driver refused, and that's when the man shot the bus driver and took off with a child, the Eagle reported.?

The man was believed to be in some sort of bunker on the scene, the paper reported. The reports couldn't be confirmed.

Law enforcement officials ?closed roads in the area.

It wasn't clear how many children had been on the bus, but Lisa Harden of the Dale County School District told NBC News that it was carrying children of all ages.

The other children were taken to a high school so their parents could pick them up, Harden said. The Eagle reported that at least seven children were seen being taken to nearby vehicles.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for more details.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/29/16759153-man-shot-in-incident-involving-alabama-school-bus-suspect-at-large?lite

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Rocket Internet's imminent launch of Jumia.co.ke could rock Kenya's ...

I?m what you would call a veteran of sorts as far as the Internet in Kenya is concerned having worked for over 15 years in the space in a myriad of companies doing all sorts of Internet things. You could therefore say I know a thing or two about how it all works in this market, from Internet access all the way to selling Internet-based mobile advertising. Therefore, for some inexplicable reason, I still can?t understand why it seems that e-commerce, which is actually old hat these days globally, still has not (really) taken off in Kenya?!

Yes, there have been all sorts of e-commerce start-ups in Kenya which have had varying degrees of success since as far as I can remember but it seems that no one has really cracked it, at scale. This means, building an e-commerce business from the ground up that could potentially tackle the retail behemoths that are Nakumatt, Tuskys and Nakumatt. Better yet, what about an Amazon.com of sorts that could take on the combined might of Westgate Mall, Yaya Centre and Sarit Centre, all rolled into one ? as in real SCALE.

I see no reason why this is not possible as all the ingredients are in place. Kenya leads the world in mobile money with over 15 million mobile subscribers having access to Safaricom?s wildly successful M-Pesa. Internet access in Kenya is speculatively thought to be over 10 million users which would imply a penetration of roughly 25% ? it is also fast and inexpensive with the abundant broadband bandwidth on offer. Banks such as KCB and I&M Bank offer locally-based e-commerce packages for businesses that include online payment processing and merchant accounts. Lastly, Kenya is market generally excels at trade and business so there should be a massive appetite for e-commerce.

However, to be honest, most of the e-commerce businesses in Kenya that are making massive headway at the moment are small to medium businesses ranging from the ?mom and pop? variety working from their homes to regular retail businesses that have managed to ?bolt on? e-commerce-based sales online. That being said, its a well known fact that MIH Internet East Africa shockingly shuttered Kalahari.co.ke just over a year ago which until then represented probably the biggest e-commerce play in East Africa. Indeed, Ringier Kenya which has its HQ in Switzerland has been driving e-commerce with its Groupon clone Rupu for the better part of past few years with a decent level of success. Rupu has also recently expanded to inlcude RupuShops.co.ke and even RupuTravel.co.ke. Not to be left behind, MIH Internet East Africa launched Mocality Deals as well back in 2010 and it has been duking it out with both Rupu and Zetu as the major daily deals web sites in Kenya.

All these developments bring me to the point of this blog post regarding Germany?s Rocket Internet and its imminent launch of Jumia.co.ke as its primary e-commerce brand in Kenya. Jumia is the brand being used by Rocket Internet to roll-out its e-commerce offering throughout Africa. Jumia is already active in Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria where they are doing really well (from what I hear). In Nigeria for instance, Jumia.com.ng has managed to achieve market leadership for e-commerce in a matter of months.

After hearing some rather coluorful stories about how aggressive Rocket Internet is in its market growth strategies, Kenya could without a doubt see the arrival of what may potentially become known as ?Kenya?s Amazon.com.? However, its still early days for sure and one must imagine that the likes of MIH Internet East Africa and Ringier Kenya as the other ?big boys? in Kenya?s e-commerce space will be keenly watching, and, responding?quickly?to the arrival of Jumia in Kenya. Whichever way this goes, I am waiting to see how well they perform and hopefully, finally, we will see a major e-commerce revolution take place in Kenya.

Source: http://www.moseskemibaro.com/2013/01/27/rocket-internets-imminent-launch-of-jumia-co-ke-could-rock-kenyas-still-nascent-e-commerce-landscape/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rocket-internets-imminent-launch-of-jumia-co-ke-could-rock-kenyas-still-nascent-e-commerce-landscape

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Oil rises above $96 ahead of US data

BANGKOK (AP) ? The price of oil rose slightly Monday, a sign of investor confidence in the U.S. economy's recovery ahead of the release of data on jobs, home sales and the country's overall growth.

Benchmark oil for March delivery was up 14 cents to $96.02 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 7 cents to close at $95.88 on the Nymex on Friday after a report showed a cooling off in new U.S. home sales.

The U.S. government will release monthly durable goods figures later Monday, and the National Association of Realtors will report on pending home sales for December. Later in the week, reports on weekly jobless claims and employment data for January are due.

Analysts expect to see continuing signs of a sluggish recovery, even amid lowered expectations for fourth-quarter economic growth for 2012, to be released by the U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday.

"If 4Q growth comes in at the 1.5 percent we expect, it will have averaged 2 percent over the past four quarters ... Slow and steady is the name of the game," analysts at DBS Bank Ltd. in Singapore said in a market commentary.

Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, fell 10 cents to $113.18 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline fell 0.7 cent to $2.883 per gallon.

? Natural gas fell 5.3 cents at $3.391 per 1,000 cubic feet.

? Heating oil rose 0.2 cent to $3.051 a gallon.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-28-Oil%20Prices/id-6694b333512448718bc0adfcc8f5d04c

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'Fruitvale,' 'Blood Brothers' win at Sundance

By Reuters

PARK CITY, Utah -- Drama film "Fruitvale" and documentary "Blood Brothers" won the top awards at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, giving them a big boost to reach independent movie audiences this year.

George Frey / EPA

Director Ryan Coogler wins the audience award for dramatic film for "Fruitvale" at the awards ceremony at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 26.

"Fruitvale," starring Octavia Spencer and Michael B. Jordan and directed by 26-year-old, first-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler," picked up the U.S. drama jury and audience awards for its "moral and social urgency."

The film is based on the true story of 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who was killed by police in Oakland, Calif., on New Year's Eve in 2008 and whose death sparked riots against police brutality. Movie studio The Weinstein Company purchased distribution rights for the film.

"This film had a profound impact on the audience that saw it ... this award goes out to my home in the Bay Area where Oscar Grant breathed, slept, loved, had fun and survived for 22 years," Coogler said in his acceptance speech.

Oscar-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim awarded the U.S. documentary jury prize to "Blood Brothers," saying it shook the voting panel to their core.

The documentary follows an American man who moves to Africa and works with children suffering from HIV at an orphanage, and through his work, the children gain a voice.

George Frey / EPA

Director Steve Hoover accepts the award for best documentary for the film "Blood Brothers" at the Sundance Film Festival.

"It is so encouraging for the kids ... their lives are so encouraging, and they die and no one remembers their name ... To take their story so that everyone sees it, it's so awesome," director Steve Hoover said."

Young actress Shailene Woodley, praised for her performance in "The Descendants" last year, and her co-star Miles Teller won the Special Jury acting prize in "The Spectacular Now."

Actress Lake Bell, who made her directorial debut in the U.S. drama category with quirky comedy "In A World," picked up the drama screenwriting award.

Hosted by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who premiered his raunchy directorial debut "Don Jon's Addiction" this year, the Sundance Film Festival Awards pick winners at the top gathering for independent movies made outside of Hollywood's major studios.

"Sundance is a community of people of filmmakers and film lovers who all believe together that there's more to movies than glitz and glamour and money and the box office. In Hollywood, you can feel like a freak if you talk about movies as art, and here, you don't have that," Gordon-Levitt said.

World cinema winners
The Sundance Film Festival, now in its 35th year, is backed by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute. The 10-day gathering of the independent film industry is held in snowy Park City, Utah.

In previous years, films that win the top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival often go on to achieve Hollywood awards success as well.

Last year, mythological drama "Beasts of the Southern Wild" won the top prize at Sundance and is now nominated for four Oscars in major categories.

The award winners are voted for by special juries of industry professionals and by the audience for the audience favorite awards.

Victoria Will / AP

In the world cinema categories, South Korean drama "Jiseul" picked up the grand jury drama prize. The film, directed by Muel O, follows the residents of a small town who were forced to hide in a cave for 60 days after the military attacked their village.

Cambodian documentary "A River Changes Course," about three young Cambodians struggling with adversity in a country ravaged by war and debt, picked up the world cinema grand jury award.

"Events like these really bring our communities together to share in the beauty of the world and the beauty of our future," director Kalyanee Mam said.

"Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer," which follows the story of three members of a Russian feminist punk band jailed for performing a "punk prayer" in a Russian Orthodox church, picked up special jury prize in the world documentary category.

Co-director Mike Lerner said the three members of the band had "started a feminist revolution that we hope will continue around the world."

List of winners at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival:

U.S. DRAMA FILMS

Best Film, Jury Prize - "Fruitvale"
Best Film, Audience Award - "Fruitvale"
Directing - Jill Soloway, "Afternoon Delight"
Screenwriting - Lake Bell, "In A World"
Cinematography - Bradford Young, "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" and "Mother of George"
Special Jury Prize, ensemble acting - Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, "The Spectacular Now"
Special Jury Prize, sound design - Shane Carruth, Johnny Marshall, "Upstream Color"

U.S. DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Best Documentary, Jury Prize - "Blood Brother"
Best Documentary, Audience Award - "Blood Brother"
Directing - Zachary Heinzerling, "Cutie and the Boxer"
Editing - Matthew Hamachek, "Gideon's Army"
Cinematography - Richard Rowley, "Dirty Wars"
Special Jury Prize - "Inequality for All" (tied), "American Promise" (tied)

WORLD CINEMA, DRAMA

Best Film, Jury Prize - "Jiseul"
Best Film, Audience Award - "Metro Manila"
Directing - "Crystal Fairy," Sebastian Silva
Screenwriting - "Wajma," Barmak Akram
Cinematography - "Lasting (Nieulotne)," Michal Englert
Special Jury Prize, artistic vision - "Circles"

WORLD CINEMA, DOCUMENTARY

Best Documentary, Jury Prize - "A River Changes Course"
Best Documentary, Audience Award - "The Square"
Directing - Tinatin Gurchiani, "The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear"
Editing - Ben Stark, "The Summit"
Cinematography - Marc Silver, "Who is Dayani Cristal?"
Special Jury Prize, film - "Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer"

OTHER AWARDS

Shorts, Jury Prize - "The Whistle," Grzegorz Zariczny
Shorts, Audience Award - "Catnip: Egress To Oblivion," Jason Willis

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/27/16725018-fruitvale-blood-brothers-win-top-awards-at-sundance?lite

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Seth Gordon Talks WarGames Remake, Horrible Bosses 2, and More

Identity Thief?is the hilarious new comedy, from director Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) and screenwriter Craig Mazin (The Hangover II), that follows what happens to a regular guy (played by Jason Bateman) when he is forced to extreme measures to clear his name after a woman (played by Melissa McCarthy) who loves to live it up steals his identity and ruins his life.

At the press day for the film, Collider spoke to Seth Gordon about making the film, finding the right tone, and the importance of keeping the heart in the story.? While we will run that portion of the interview closer to the film?s February 8^th theatrical release date, we did want to share what he had to say about his remake of WarGames, which has a script and is now waiting to go forward, whether The King of Kong narrative feature might ever happen, making sure they find a plot for Horrible Bosses 2 that lives up to the first, and the TV pilot he?s going to be directing about a dysfunctional North Eastern family in the ?80s.? Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Collider: What?s the status of WarGames now?? Are you still developing that?

SETH GORDON:? Essentially, [Identity Thief] moved so fast that it just beat it to the punch.? That script has now been written.? Before, I had pitched the idea and we were finding a writer.? Now, the script has been written and MGM is deciding what they want to do.? To me, it?s so clearly an awesome idea and it?s gotta be made, as far as I?m concerned.? I want to direct it, for sure.? I just feel like the amount I know about geek world and def-con, and the places where this kind of stuff happens, makes me especially suited to bring it to life, I think.? So, I?m certainly going to keep pushing that forward.?

Are you also still hoping The King of Kong narrative feature will eventually happen?

GORDON:? That?s just never going to die because there?s something pied piper, siren song about that doc where people want to try to remake it.? I think it would be cool as a musical.? Having people sing about that stuff would be amazing.? It?s just so suited for melodrama that I think that would be great.? But, the theatrical script is still in development.? This woman, Melissa Stack, wrote it and literally handed her draft in not two weeks ago.? I haven?t even had a chance to read it because I?ve been finishing [Identity Thief], but it?s not dead.

Is it frustrating for you to know that so many people are interested in that and want to see it happen, but it hasn?t been made yet?

GORDON:? In that particular case, no.? I feel like there?s always going to be a lingering fear that we?re chasing our own tail, even in rebuilding it.? It?s hard to imagine making it truer and purer than the original, which just felt like right place, right time, right team, right set of serendipitous events, falling in line in a way that you could never really recreate.? You can try.? To me, that one is a special case where, if it were the right actors and the right ensemble, then I think it could take on a whole new life that would make it worth exploring.? But short of that, I get nervous that we?re just trying to commercialize something that was meant to be what it was and nothing more.

How are things coming with your TV series?

GORDON:? There?s a pilot that we?re doing, but I don?t know what the title is going to be.? It?s basically The Wonder Years in the ?80s instead of the ?60s, about a dysfunctional North Eastern family.? I think that?s going to be a lot of fun.? That will be in early March.

Do you know which film you?ll direct next?

GORDON:? It could be Horrible Bosses 2 or WarGames, or something else could come up.? I love this hybrid tone and doing more complicated, nuanced character work, so I?m really hoping to find something like that.

With as successful as Horrible Bosses was, do you worry about being able to top that?

GORDON:? Yeah, that?s tough.? The thing is, those three guys are so good together, and so much of that movie was unscripted.? We completely riffed and discovered stuff that wasn?t on the page, and I feel like we?d be able to do that again.? I just want to make sure the plot holds up.? That plot of the first one was really good.? You didn?t see that gunshot coming.? You didn?t see some of those turns.?

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926736/news/1926736/

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Girls saves mom suffering diabetic attack

A fast thinking 9-year-old Illinois girl was able to help guide her mother to safety after the woman suffered a diabetic attack while driving at speeds of up to 70 mph.

Jennifer Sheridan, 42, was driving her daughter Aleksandra to McDonald's in Frankfort, Ill., after the two had attended a high school basketball game on the evening of Jan. 18. Sheridan, who has type 2 diabetes, had a diabetic attack when her blood sugar suddenly dropped. She told ABCNews.com that she was not aware of what was happening.

"I was still conscious, and talking, my daughter said. I don't remember any of that," Sheridan said. "We went through, she says, a red light, and then I know I kept saying, 'We have to stop.' That was in my mind, but it wasn't clicking."

Sheridan said that they passed her house and the McDonald's. Aleksandra was screaming and crying during the wayward drive, which she says must have lasted 15 to 20 minutes, but kept talking to her mother.

"She says she kept telling me different things, that I was going too fast, or too slow," Sheridan said.

While the car was still moving, Sheridan's husband called. She said that Aleksandra was on phone screaming that they were going off the road.

Her car eventually veered to the right, through a small ditch and a group of trees. At that point Aleksandra turned the car off, preventing the still moving car from hitting a tree.

Luckily, both mother and daughter were unharmed. Once the car was off, Aleksandra slowly fed her mother a chocolate bar that was in the car's cup holder.

"Once we were stopped and she could focus, she fed me," Sheridan said. "She said, 'I kept just giving little pieces so you wouldn't choke.'"

Police and the fire department were called to the scene by a passerby who saw the incident. The story also caught local media attention from WBBM-TV and Fox News.

Sheridan says the next thing she actually remembers was being in the ambulance. Police who arrived on the scene congratulated Aleksandra, and even gave her a yellow duck toy, which they call the "Golden Duck Award for Heroes."

This is not the first time Aleksandra has come to her mom's aid when she had a diabetic attack. Two years ago, while they were in their home, the girl called 911 when she found her mother on the kitchen floor.

Sheridan said that she is now using an insulin pump, which is designed to eliminate lows in blood sugar in diabetics. She said that she will soon be on the list for a new pancreas. With a daughter and a 16-year-old son with cerebral palsy, she says she needs to be in top form. For now, she's happy that both she and Aleksandra are unscathed.

"Every day, I wake up and think, 'Yes!'" she said.

Also Read

Source: http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/girl-9-saves-mom-diabetic-attack-while-driving-155739348--abc-news-topstories.html

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Video: Roundtable reflects on Ryan interview

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/50606278#50606278

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Bankruptcy Court Clears Way For Montefiore Medical Center To ...

Unique brands and designer partnerships provide Canadian guests with
true Target experience

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Jan. 25, 2013 /CNW/ ? Target today officially unveiled
its exclusive partners, owned brands and limited time only collections
that will be available to Canadian guests when stores start opening in
March/April 2013. Target Canada senior vice president, Merchandising,
John Morioka , along with special guests Nate Berkus , Michael Budman , Don Green , Sonia Kashuk , Giada De
Laurentiis, and Kate Young unveiled the comprehensive collection of brands at an exclusive event.
The announcement demonstrates the company?s commitment to providing
Canadian guests with a one-stop shopping destination for affordable,
stylish, quality products.

?We are excited to announce a selection of brands that will be available
in our Canadian stores in 2013,? said Morioka. ?Target is known for its
innovative designer partnerships and assortment of exceptional products
that deliver on our Expect More. Pay Less. brand promise and we look
forward to bringing a number of our more prominent brands to bring the
true Target experience to Canadian stores.?

Since opening its first stores in 1962, Target has set itself apart from
other retailers by offering great design at affordable prices. Known
for its unique designer partnerships, Target has worked with more than
100 partners and brands over the years, from high-end fashion designers
to small boutique owners.

In addition to Target?s ongoing partnerships, Canadian guests will also
be welcomed with an exclusive, limited time only collaboration with Roots. Delivering the quality, craftsmanship and comfortable styling the
brand is known for, the Roots Outfitters collection for Target includes
fashion for women, men, boys, girls and toddlers, and will be available
from March to June 2013. In April, Canadians also will be able to
experience Target?s latest designer collaboration with a collection
from one of the most sought-after stylists in Hollywood, Kate Young.? The Kate Young for Target collection will be available from April 14
to the end of May 2013.

In addition to a wide selection of leading national brands, the
following brands will be available in Canadian stores beginning this
spring:

Ongoing Partnerships:

Nate Berkus Collection ? An interior design expert and author, Nate Berkus? the Nate Berkus
Collection, available exclusively at Target, offers the latest
assortment of bedding, bath, decorative accessories, lighting, rugs and
window treatments.

Sonia Kashuk Collection ? Makeup artist extraordinaire Sonia Kashuk is a true talent and
innovator in the cosmetics world.? The Sonia Kashuk Collection at
Target offers high-quality cosmetics and accessories at outstanding
prices.

Giada De Laurentiis for Target ? As a top chef, Food Network personality and author, Giada De
Laurentiis knows the must-haves for a kitchen. An exclusive line of
affordable cookware products, the Giada De Laurentiis for Target
collection is perfect for making irresistible and budget-friendly meals
at home.

Shaun White ? The Shaun White collection features a full range of apparel including
denim, shorts, woven tops, hooded sweatshirts and graphic tees, Shaun
White for Target is affordable fashion for young men and boys.

Limited Time Only Collections:

Roots Outfitters ? Roots Outfitters will launch a limited time only collection featuring
the timeless classics that Roots is known for, including sweat pants,
sweatshirts and graphic tees. The line will be available exclusively in
Target stores in Canada from March to June 2013.

Kate Young for Target ? Kate Young is one of the most sought after stylists in Hollywood and
will be launching an exclusive collection at Target that will be
available from April 14 until the end of May 2013. The collection will
feature women?s apparel and accessories, including an assortment of
special occasion dresses.

Target Owned and Exclusive Brands:

Archer Farms ? Archer Farms is a premium, affordable brand, offering a wide array of
delicious foods including premium groceries and fine cooking
ingredients.

C9 by Champion ? C9 by Champion is Target?s exclusive active wear line that offers a
variety of options for men, women and kids, all at an incredible value.

Cherokee ? Made for boys and girls, Cherokee is the classically cool brand with
on-trend, everyday styles.

Circo ? With quality and comfortable materials, bright colours and fun
graphics, Circo allows young kids to be stylish, playful and active in
clothes that fit.

Liz Lange for Target Maternity - Liz Lange offers an exclusive maternity line that is ultra stylish and
modern, with each piece designed specifically for the maternity
silhouette to ensure women feel attractive and confident throughout
their pregnancy.

Market Pantry ? Families on a budget can easily and inexpensively stock their
kitchens with Market Pantry product offerings, including food staples
such as cheese, eggs and flour, as well as snack and meal options.

Merona ? Merona combines a modern classic sensibility and appreciation for
authentic style with options for men and women.

Mossimo Supply Co. ? Featuring a variety of on-trend and casual options, Mossimo Supply
Co. is geared towards a younger guest with options for men and women.

Mossimo Black ? With contemporary designs, Mossimo Black offers fashion apparel
exclusively for women.

Pixi ? Simplifying the beauty routine for busy women everywhere, Pixi?s
exclusive line at Target features multipurpose products that create a
naturally radiant glow.

Threshold ? Designed specifically for the savvy, discerning guest who wants her
home to be a welcoming place for family and friends, Threshold offers a
casual-traditional look and feel for every room in the home, including
bedding, bath, entertaining essentials, home accents and accessories.

up&up ? Offering everyday essential products from across the store, spanning
more than 40 categories including household, healthcare, beauty, baby
and personal care, the up&up brand is high quality, but at a lower
price.

About Target

Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,782
stores across the United States and at Target.com. The company plans to
open its first stores in Canada in 2013. Since 1946, Target has given 5
percent of its profit through community grants and programs; today,
that giving equals more than $4 million a week. For more information
about Target?s commitment to corporate responsibility, visit Target.com/hereforgood.

SOURCE Target Corporation

Source: http://www.redliontrader.com/streamingnews/bankruptcy-court-clears-way-for-montefiore-medical-center-to-acquire-assets-of-westchester-square/

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"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger" Sequel To Start Filming This Spring

By Hannah Soo Park Yup, it's happening. With production officially scheduled to begin in May, the sequel to 2000's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is now well on its way—but director Ang Lee won't be involved this time around. According to Deadline, The Weinstein Company will produce the film, while Ronny Yu is in line to [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/01/25/crouching-tiger-hidden-tiger-sequel-to-start-filming-this-spring/

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Scientists discover how epigenetic information could be inherited

Friday, January 25, 2013

New research reveals a potential way for how parents' experiences could be passed to their offspring's genes. The research was published today, 25 January, in the journal Science.

Epigenetics is a system that turns our genes on and off. The process works by chemical tags, known as epigenetic marks, attaching to DNA and telling a cell to either use or ignore a particular gene.

The most common epigenetic mark is a methyl group. When these groups fasten to DNA through a process called methylation they block the attachment of proteins which normally turn the genes on. As a result, the gene is turned off.

Scientists have witnessed epigenetic inheritance, the observation that offspring may inherit altered traits due to their parents' past experiences. For example, historical incidences of famine have resulted in health effects on the children and grandchildren of individuals who had restricted diets, possibly because of inheritance of altered epigenetic marks caused by a restricted diet.

However, it is thought that between each generation the epigenetic marks are erased in cells called primordial gene cells (PGC), the precursors to sperm and eggs. This 'reprogramming' allows all genes to be read afresh for each new person - leaving scientists to question how epigenetic inheritance could occur.

The new Cambridge study initially discovered how the DNA methylation marks are erased in PGCs, a question that has been under intense investigation over the past 10 years. The methylation marks are converted to hydroxymethylation which is then progressively diluted out as the cells divide. This process turns out to be remarkably efficient and seems to reset the genes for each new generation. Understanding the mechanism of epigenetic resetting could be exploited to deal with adult diseases linked with an accumulation of aberrant epigenetic marks, such as cancers, or in 'rejuvenating' aged cells.

However, the researchers, who were funded by the Wellcome Trust, also found that some rare methylation can 'escape' the reprogramming process and can thus be passed on to offspring ? revealing how epigenetic inheritance could occur. This is important because aberrant methylation could accumulate at genes during a lifetime in response to environmental factors, such as chemical exposure or nutrition, and can cause abnormal use of genes, leading to disease. If these marks are then inherited by offspring, their genes could also be affected.

Dr Jamie Hackett from the University of Cambridge, who led the research, said: "Our research demonstrates how genes could retain some memory of their past experiences, revealing that one of the big barriers to the theory of epigenetic inheritance - that epigenetic information is erased between generations - should be reassessed."

"It seems that while the precursors to sperm and eggs are very effective in erasing most methylation marks, they are fallible and at a low frequency may allow some epigenetic information to be transmitted to subsequent generations. The inheritance of differential epigenetic information could potentially contribute to altered traits or disease susceptibility in offspring and future descendants."

"However, it is not yet clear what consequences, if any, epigenetic inheritance might have in humans. Further studies should give us a clearer understanding of the extent to which heritable traits can be derived from epigenetic inheritance, and not just from genes. That could have profound consequences for future generations."

Professor Azim Surani from the University of Cambridge, principal investigator of the research, said: "The new study has the potential to be exploited in two distinct ways. First, the work could provide information on how to erase aberrant epigenetic marks that may underlie some diseases in adults. Second, the study provides opportunities to address whether germ cells can acquire new epigenetic marks through environmental or dietary influences on parents that may evade erasure and be transmitted to subsequent generations, with potentially undesirable consequences."

###

University of Cambridge: http://www.cam.ac.uk

Thanks to University of Cambridge 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.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126467/Scientists_discover_how_epigenetic_information_could_be_inherited

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Gizmo Board is an AMD-powered embedded system for developers and tinkerers

GizmoSphere and AMD are targeting independent developers, embedded system makers and tinkerers with the Gizmo Board -- a four-inch square powered by a dual-core 1GHz G-T40E. The x86 CPU and Radeon 6250 GPU put a lot of power and flexibility in your hands, though, the 1GB of soldered on RAM does limit it somewhat. In addition to being able to run Android, Linux or Windows, there's also a host of connectivity options packed in. There's a VGA connector and two USB 2.0 ports, along with an Ethernet jack and a pair of custom I/O connectors -- one of which can be hooked up to GizmoSphere's Explorer board, which has a keypad, LCD and an area for prototyping. You can pick up the Gizmo Board direct from the company's site (at the source) for $199 which certainly makes it more expensive than options like the Raspberry Pi, but there's also a lot more horsepower under its passively cooled hood. Check out the PR after the break for more.

Show full PR text

GizmoSphere Launches an AMD APU-based Gizmo Board for Embedded Systems Inventors and Hobbyists
AMD is a Founding Member of GizmoSphere Embedded Developer Community

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -1/24/2013
AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that the newly launched Gizmo board, a low-cost board geared toward x86-based embedded system development available from GizmoSphere, is powered by an AMD Embedded G-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). Gizmo is a 4-inch by 4-inch x86 development board that can run a variety of operating systems including Android, Linux(R), RTOSes and Windows(R). AMD is a founding member of GizmoSphere, a not-for-profit organization whose collective goal is to drive and enable technology projects of interest to independent developers, with a focus on stimulating and encouraging innovation around multicore heterogeneous computing using APUs.

The Gizmo board includes the G-T40E dual-core processor running at 1.0 GHz, combined on a single die with AMD Radeon[TM] HD 6250 discrete-class graphics. The board provides a performance capacity of 52 gigaFLOPS (GFLOPS) at less than 10 watts. Custom high- and low-speed edge connectors enable a full range of functions. This unprecedented level of integration between serial and parallel processing offers a power-efficient foundation for high-performance multimedia content delivery across a broad range of embedded designs such as digital signage, x86 set-top box (xSTB), IP-TV, thin client, information kiosk, point-of-sale, casino gaming, media servers and industrial control systems.

"Gizmo is an excellent board for the next generation of embedded systems development," said Kamal Khouri, director of Embedded Products, AMD. "The new board will serve the diverse and growing embedded development community and is especially useful for those wanting to incorporate the advanced capabilities possible by harnessing a heterogeneous architecture. Developers ready to take advantage of a high-performance, full I/O-featured x86 development board will find tremendous value in Gizmo."

Packaged as part of a development kit, the Gizmo board is available now through GizmoSphere.org for $199. GizmoSphere's founding members include AMD, Sage Electronic Engineering, Texas Multicore Technologies and Viosoft.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Via: SemiAccurate

Source: GizmoSphere

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/gizmo-board-is-an-amd-powered-embedded-system/

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Stephen King writes post-Newtown essay on guns

BANGOR, Maine (AP) ? Horror writer Stephen King is seeking to provoke a discussion on gun control and gun rights following the school shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn.

The Maine native is a gun owner. He calls for three "reasonable measures" to curb gun violence in an essay titled "Guns," released Friday as a Kindle single through Amazon.

King says he wants background checks on all gun sales and bans on high-capacity magazines and military-style weapons like the rifle used in the Newtown shooting, which killed 20 children and six school officials.

King describes a pattern of mass shootings in which anger and frustration give way to political rhetoric before discussions of gun control "disappear into the legislative swamp." He says on his website: "If this helps provoke constructive debate, I've done my job."

___

Online: http://www.stephenking.com/index.html

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stephen-king-writes-post-newtown-essay-guns-214816004.html

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3 Simple Ways You Can Use Online Marketing Tools to Enhance ...

When you?re venturing out into the online marketing landscape, the journey can be a daunting one.

When you do choose the online marketing tools that are right for your organization, you may feel uncertain about how to use the tools you?ve chosen.

What is it you should be trying to do?

The thing to remember is that you?re looking to create and grow relationships with your customers and supporters to keep them coming back and make it easy for them to spread the word about you. These online tools let you extend the experience you would provide if these people were in the store, at an event, or on the phone.

Here are three simple ways small businesses and organizations can use online marketing tools to enhance relationships:

1. Share behind-the-scenes moments

If you have a passionate customer base, they?ll want to know what?s going on in the store. Photos on Facebook, a few paragraphs worth of text, everything can help establish a relationship that lasts.

The best part? It doesn?t have to take a lot of time.

Let people see the human side of your business or fill in supporters about the latest event your nonprofit had. As long as it?s fun, engaging, and unique, people will love to hear about it.

2. Offer rewards

The biggest reason people ?like? a Facebook Page is to receive rewards. The same goes for why people join an email list.

Offering a coupon can be a great way to boost business. But it?s not always about discounts, there are other things you can offer that people will find valuable.

Here?s a list of things small businesses and nonprofits give to customers and supporters that allow them to enhance relationships:

• Calendars of events
• eBooks
• Guides
• Recipes
• Tickets
• Schedules
• Brochures
• Maps

This also brings us to the last key to enhancing customer relationships through online marketing tools:

3. Share valuable information

It?s classic marketing wisdom that you shouldn?t solely be talking about your organization online. Instead, you need to find and share content that your customers or supporters will find relevant and interesting.

If you?re a nonprofit dedicated to fighting climate change?share the latest research, studies, and political news about the topic. If you?re a restaurant?share recipes, share health studies about food you serve, or local stories.

No matter what your organization does, the internet has plenty of interesting, humorous, and valuable information on the topic. Try curating content and you?ll start to see the possibilities.

The intersection of technology and relationships

The bottom line is that, through online marketing tools, small businesses and nonprofits can now reach customers and supporters beyond the store, the conference, and the phone.

That means you can enhance the relationships you already have by staying in touch with people and sharing things they find engaging and relevant.

When you do this, you?ve successfully kept your organization top-of-mind.

Want to know more about building relationship with online marketing tools? Check out 10 small businesses and nonprofits that are using email marketing to stay in touch with customers and supporters!

Source: http://blogs.constantcontact.com/fresh-insights/small-business-online-marketing-tools/

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Absent but omnipresent, Chavez a powerful symbol

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? While Venezuela's sick president recuperates from surgery behind closed doors in Cuba, at home he is more visible than ever.

An iconic block image of his eyes look out from murals lining the streets of Caracas, his portrait appears on T-shirts sported by followers, and on television he can be seen booming "I am a nation!"

Though still alive, Chavez is being inducted into a pantheon of deified legends such as Evita Peron and Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

The cult of personality that Chavez long nurtured has been flourishing with even greater force in his absence as he confronts an increasingly difficult struggle against the mysterious cancer that afflicts him.

One woman at a pro-government demonstration on Wednesday held a portrait photo of Chavez next to an image of Jesus. New murals showing only the president's eyes have appeared on city walls along with a new slogan, "I am Chavez."

The iconic eyes-only design sends a message that he is always watching and still with his adoring constituents. Many credit him with easing their poverty and expanding public services. To them, it does not matter that Venezuela suffers from 20 percent inflation, that the oil-producing nation is often short on cooking oil and sugar, that it has one of the world's highest murder rates, that the president will not divulge the details of his cancer.

"I am Chavez!" his supporters yell at the rallies in his honor. "We're all Chavez!" the crowds shout in unison.

Filling the void of Chavez's 6-week absence following a fourth surgery in Cuba, the government has been churning out a steady stream of emotional images, slogans and Chavez sound bites that appear poised to solidify Chavez's legacy as a messianic savior of the poor.

In newspapers, the government has been running one ad showing a photo of the president superimposed on a mosaic of smiling faces of Venezuelans: Chavez men, Chavez women and Chavez children of all ages.

Juan Pablo Lupi, a Latin American literature scholar, sees parallels with the way Evita Peron became an enduring political symbol in Argentina, and the way "Che" became a revolutionary icon after his death. In the case of Chavez, he said, "this has been very well-staged, all this process of myth-making and appealing to the feelings and religious sentiment of the people. This is something that is quasi-religious."

Lupi, a Venezuelan associate professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, said he expects Chavismo to go on without Chavez. "The myth is already there, and all this has been very, very well-crafted."

The connections between Chavez and Jesus are surfacing more often, having begun with Chavez himself praying to God on television for more time, and repeatedly kissing a crucifix.

In one television spot, a beaming Chavez hugs children while a singer croons: "Chavez is pure and noble love." And for block after block in downtown Caracas, lampposts are festooned with new banners showing a smiling, healthy Chavez with the words "We love you!"

Daisy Castillo, who studies law at a free university established by Chavez, joined Wednesday's demonstration, and says she, like many other Chavistas, is praying for him.

"''There has never before been a president like our Comandante Chavez," she said.

Fidel Castro long tried to avoid the trappings of a cult of personality in Cuba, sharply limiting public presentations of his image. But there is plenty of precedent elsewhere for displays of presidential imagery, with leaders such as Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, the late Kim Jong Il in North Korea -- not to mention Mao Zedong and Josef Stalin.

In Venezuela, the relentless omnipresence of a missing leader is a way to reinforce his party, said Juan Carlos Bertorelli, creative director at a marketing company in Caracas that focuses on branding.

"Now that he's not here physically or in voice at this time, the people who are maintaining the structure of his party," he said, "are trying to maintain a presence that legitimizes them."

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Associated Press photographer Fernando Llano contributed to this report.

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Ian James on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ianjamesap

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/absent-omnipresent-chavez-powerful-symbol-203335886.html

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