Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Iraq suspends Al Jazeera, other networks for 'promoting violence' - RT

Iraq has suspended Qatar-based Al Jazeera and nine other satellite TV channels from broadcast, citing "unprofessional reporting? that generated inter-ethnic strife in the war-torn country.

The Iraqi Communication and Media Commission said in a statement on Sunday that the satellite channels had ?exaggerated things, given misinformation and called for breaking the law and attacking Iraqi security forces.?

The statement accused the channels of ?openly advertising terrorist organizations? banned in Iraq, as well as threatening to ?jeopardize the democratic process? in the country.

?We took a decision to suspend the license of some satellite channels that adopted language encouraging violence and sectarianism,? Mujahid Abu al-Hail of the Communications and Media Commission told AFP. ?It means stopping their work in Iraq and their activities, so they cannot cover events in Iraq or move around.?

Al Jazeera and Sharqiya, a popular channel in Iraq, are among the 10 suspended channels. Al Jazeera was not formally notified of the move in advance, the Qatari channel said on their website.

Al Jazeera responded with a statement urging the Iraqi authorities ?to uphold freedom for the media to report the important stories taking place in Iraq.?

?We cover all sides of the stories in Iraq, and have done for many years. The fact that so many channels have been hit all at once though suggests this is an indiscriminate decision,? the statement added.

The official announcement follows clashes between Iraqi security forces and Sunni Muslim protesters that broke out on Tuesday, killing 169 people in three days and injuring nearly 300. The violence saw Sunni protesters take over an army base and torch a Shia mosque in Sulaiman Pek before army helicopters were deployed to quell the unrest.

In remarks broadcast on state TV, Prime Minister Nuri Maliki called on Iraqis ?to take the initiative and not be silent about those who want to take the country back to sectarian civil war.? Thousands of Sunnis have been protesting since December over what they see as an effort by the Shia-dominated parliament to keep them out of top positions in the government.? They have further decried tough anti-terrorism laws, which they argue infringe on their religious freedoms.

Authorities have been accused of carrying out regular raids in Sunni areas, detaining those who critics say have been wrongly accused of terror links or ties to the deposed Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein.

Sunday?s decision is not the first time Iraqi authorities have sought to restrict the operations of foreign media outlets in the country. In June 2012, Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC) placed restrictions on 39 media outlets, including the BBC and Voice of America, over alleged licensing problems, AFP reported.

The Journalism Freedoms Observatory (JFO) in Iraq claims that the CMC had recommended banning 44 news outlets.

Iraq is often at the bottom of global press freedom rankings. In 2013, Reporters Without Borders placed it 150th in media rights on its annual World Press Freedom Index, trailing Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Source: http://rt.com/news/iraq-bans-10-channels-530/

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Monday, April 29, 2013

Owner arrested as Bangladesh building toll reaches 372

By Ruma Paul and Serajul Quadir

DHAKA (Reuters) - The owner of a factory building that collapsed in Bangladesh killing hundreds of garment workers was arrested on Sunday trying to flee to India, police said, as fears grew that the death toll could rise sharply with as many as 900 still missing.

Mohammed Sohel Rana, a leader of the ruling Awami League's youth front, was arrested by the elite Rapid Action Battalion in the Bangladesh border town of Benapole, Dhaka District Police Chief Habibur Rahman told Reuters.

Speaking near the site of the wreckage of Rana Plaza, which housed several factories making low-cost garments for Western retailers, junior minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak told reporters that Rana would be brought to Dhaka by helicopter.

Authorities put the latest death toll at 372, four days after the country's worst-ever industrial accident.

Four people were pulled out alive on Sunday and rescuers were working frantically to save several others trapped under the mound of broken concrete and metal, fire services deputy director Mizanur Rahman said.

"The chances of finding people alive are dimming, so we have to step up our rescue operation to save any valuable life we can," said Major General Chowdhury Hassan Sohrawardi, coordinator of the operation at the site.

About 2,500 people have been rescued from the wrecked building in the commercial suburb of Savar, about 30 km (20 miles) from the capital, Dhaka.

Officials said the eight-storey complex had been built on spongy ground without the correct permits, and more than 3,000 workers - mainly young women - entered the building on Wednesday morning despite warnings that it was structurally unsafe.

Police said one factory owner gave himself up following the detention of two plant bosses and two engineers the day before.

Local news reports said the mother of building owner Rana, who was not being held, died of a heart attack on Saturday evening.

Anger over the disaster has sparked days of protests and clashes, with police using tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to quell demonstrators who set cars ablaze. On Sunday, however, the roads were quiet.

The main opposition, joining forces with an alliance of leftist parties which is part of the ruling coalition, called for a national strike on May 2 in protest over the incident.

BUILT ON A FILLED-IN POND

Wednesday's collapse was the third major industrial incident in five months in Bangladesh, the second-largest exporter of garments in the world behind China. In November, a fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory in a suburb of Dhaka killed 112 people.

Such incidents have raised serious questions about worker safety and low wages, and could taint the reputation of the poor South Asian country, which relies on garments for 80 percent of its exports. The industry employs about 3.6 million people, most of them women, some of whom earn as little as $38 a month.

Emdadul Islam, chief engineer of the state-run Capital Development Authority (CDA), said on Friday that the owner of the building had not received the proper construction consent, obtaining a permit for a five-storey building from the local municipality, which did not have the authority to grant it.

Furthermore, another three storeys had been added illegally, he said. "Savar is not an industrial zone, and for that reason no factory can be housed in Rana Plaza," Islam told Reuters.

Islam said the building had been erected on the site of a pond filled in with sand and earth, weakening the foundations.

Since the disaster, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has asked factory owners to produce building designs by July in a bid to improve safety.

(Writing by John Chalmers and Alex Richardson; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hope-survivors-fades-bangladesh-building-toll-reaches-363-082504472.html

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Cyberattack suspect had 'bunker' in north Spain

MADRID (AP) ? Spain says a Dutch citizen arrested there on suspicion of launching the biggest cyberattack in Internet history operated from a bunker and had a van capable of hacking into networks anywhere in the country.

Investigators say the suspect traveled in Spain using his van "as a mobile computing office, equipped with various antennas to scan frequencies."

Agents arrested him Thursday, complying with a European arrest warrant issued by Dutch authorities. He is accused of attacking the anti-span watchdog group Spamhaus.

The Interior Ministry said Sunday that officers uncovered the computer hacker's bunker, "from where he even did interviews."

The 35-year-old has been identified only by his initials SK. The ministry says he has called himself a diplomat belonging to the "Telecommunications and Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Republic of Cyberbunker."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cyberattack-suspect-had-bunker-north-spain-110421618.html

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Have a Seat: This Chair Was Made From Compost (VIDEO)

In this era of recycle, reuse, reduce, the trend in personal goods has been to prevent as much of it as possible from ending up in a landfill.? What was once garbage is now the source material for electric appliances, bicycles and even play structures.

And while that concept isn?t new, using actual dirt and molding it into the shape of furniture is certainly new. Or, it?s so old it?s new to us.

Terra is a company that uses compost, made up of 100 percent organic materials like soil, manure and plant matter, and using ancient techniques, fashions it into cool modern furniture.

Israeli designer, Adital Ela is a self-described ?designer-gatherer? and the creator of Terra?s biomaterial furniture line. After a lengthy research project, Ela blended ancient practices from places like Palestine and Iraq with a few modern production techniques, to come up with her unique mixing formula?some of which does involve foot-stomping.

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All of Terra?s pieces are made using zero energy and can be replicated anywhere organic waste is available. They?re also fully renewable and biodegradable: The stools, cups and the rest of the line's pieces can all be smashed and returned to the Earth once they?ve outlived their use.

As she explains in her TED talk, Ela first became enamored with the idea in India, when she was served a cup of chai in a sun-dried, clay mug. ?I was absolutely fascinated by the way the locals gulped down this delicious boiling drink, tossing the cups into the ground?The cups, made of clay, dried by the sun, touched the Earth, and blended with it and within minutes, they disappeared,? she said. ?Seeing this?I started asking myself, 'How can products, like people, come from dust, and to dust return?'?

But Terra is only one in a portfolio of Ela?s many sustainable green designs. She?s the founder and director of S-Sense, an Israeli firm that?s also created artful residential rainwater collectors, wind-powered garden lights, and colorful textiles made from secondhand clothes.

While the furniture might be looked upon by some as more of a novelty, Ela's entire body of work is the sign of a person dedicated to using her business in a way that positively impacts the world around her.

Would you buy stools made from compost? Let us know what you think of Terra in the Comments.

Related Stories on TakePart:

? This Little Teapot Was Made From Garbage

? Op-Ed: The Dawn of a Sub-Saharan Solar Revolution

? Hawaii?s Solar Market Is Booming; Why This Is a Very Bad Thing


A Bay Area native, Andri Antoniades previously worked as a fashion industry journalist and medical writer.??In addition to reporting the weekend news on TakePart, she volunteers as a webeditor for locally-based nonprofits and works as a freelance feature writer for?TimeOutLA.com. Email Andri | @andritweets?| TakePart.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seat-chair-made-compost-video-003833869.html

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Boston suspects' father postpones trip to US

MAKHACHKALA, Russia (AP) ? The father of the two Boston bombing suspects said Sunday that he has postponed a trip from Russia to the United States because of poor health.

"I am really sick," Anzor Tsarnaev, 46, told The Associated Press. He said his blood pressure had spiked to dangerous levels.

Tsarnaev said at a news conference Thursday that he planned to leave that day or the next for the U.S. with the hope of seeing his younger son, who is under arrest, and burying his elder son, who was killed. His family, however, indicated later Thursday that the trip could be pushed back because he was not feeling well.

Tsarnaev confirmed on Sunday that he is staying in Chechnya, a province in southern Russia, but did not specify whether he was hospitalized. He is an ethnic Chechen and has relatives in Chechnya, although he and his family spent little time in Chechnya or anywhere else in Russia before moving to the U.S. a decade ago.

He and the suspects' mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, returned to Russia last year and settled in Makhachkala, the capital of neighboring Dagestan, where Tsarnaeva's relatives live.

During the past week, they were both questioned extensively by U.S. investigators who had traveled to Makhachkala from Moscow. They also were besieged by journalists who staked out their home.

Tsarnaev's family said last week that he intended to get to the U.S. by flying from Grozny, the Chechen capital, to Moscow. He and Tsarnaeva left Dagestan on Friday, but their whereabouts were unclear.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boston-suspects-father-postpones-trip-us-124041600.html

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Kindle app for Android gains carousel browsing, expanded side panel

Kindle app for Android gains carousel browsing, expanded side panel

Amazon is rectifying the long wait for a Kindle for Android update today with a version 4.0 refresh that carries with it a major UI redesign. The library view looks very different: instead of a basic grid, recently read items are presented in a rotating carousel at the top of the home screen, while the navigation panel has been expanded to provide quicker access to books, documents and periodicals. The actual reading pane remains untouched, so whether you're using a smartphone or a tablet, your e-copy of War and Peace should still look the same. To have a peek at the Kindle app makeover, Android users can go ahead and download the new version from the source.

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Kindle (Google Play)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/25/kindle-app-for-android-4.0/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Kellan Lutz on Sesame Street: All About Vibrators!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/kellan-lutz-on-sesame-street-all-about-vibrators/

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Lawmakers look for answers in Boston bombing

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Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2b2f59fb/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C51656792/story01.htm

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Missing link in Parkinson's disease found: Discovery also has implications for heart failure

Apr. 25, 2013 ? Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have described a missing link in understanding how damage to the body's cellular power plants leads to Parkinson's disease and, perhaps surprisingly, to some forms of heart failure.

These cellular power plants are called mitochondria. They manufacture the energy the cell requires to perform its many duties. And while heart and brain tissue may seem entirely different in form and function, one vital characteristic they share is a massive need for fuel.

Working in mouse and fruit fly hearts, the researchers found that a protein known as mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) is the long-sought missing link in the chain of events that control mitochondrial quality.

The findings are reported April 26 in the journal Science.

The new discovery in heart cells provides some explanation for the long known epidemiologic link between Parkinson's disease and heart failure.

"If you have Parkinson's disease, you have a more than two-fold increased risk of developing heart failure and a 50 percent higher risk of dying from heart failure," says senior author Gerald W. Dorn II, MD, the Philip and Sima K. Needleman Professor of Medicine. "This suggested they are somehow related, and now we have identified a fundamental mechanism that links the two."

Heart muscle cells and neurons in the brain have huge numbers of mitochondria that must be tightly monitored. If bad mitochondria are allowed to build up, not only do they stop making fuel, they begin consuming it and produce molecules that damage the cell. This damage eventually can lead to Parkinson's or heart failure, depending on the organ affected. Most of the time, quality-control systems in a healthy cell make sure damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria are identified and removed.

Over the past 15 years, scientists have described much of this quality-control system. Both the beginning and end of the chain of events are well understood. And since 2006, scientists have been working to identify the mysterious middle section of the chain -- the part that allows the internal environment of sick mitochondria to communicate to the rest of the cell that it needs to be destroyed.

"This was a big question," Dorn says. "Scientists would draw the middle part of the chain as a black box. How do these self-destruct signals inside the mitochondria communicate with proteins far away in the surrounding cell that orchestrate the actual destruction?"

"To my knowledge, no one has connected an Mfn2 mutation to Parkinson's disease," Dorn says. "And until recently, I don't think anybody would have looked. This isn't what Mfn2 is supposed to do."

Mitofusin 2 is known for its role in fusing mitochondria together, so they might exchange mitochondrial DNA in a primitive form of sexual reproduction.

"Mitofusins look like little Velcro loops," Dorn says. "They help fuse together the outer membranes of mitochondria. Mitofusins 1 and 2 do pretty much the same thing in terms of mitochondrial fusion. What we have done is describe an entirely new function for Mfn2."

The mitochondrial quality-control system begins with what Dorn calls a "dead man's switch."

"If the mitochondria are alive, they have to do work to keep the switch depressed to prevent their own self-destruction," Dorn says.

Specifically, mitochondria work to import a molecule called PINK. Then they work to destroy it. When mitochondria get sick, they can't destroy PINK and its levels begin to rise. Then comes the missing link that Dorn and his colleague Yun Chen, PhD, senior scientist, identified. Once PINK levels get high enough, they make a chemical change to Mfn2, which sits on the surface of mitochondria. This chemical change is called phosphorylation. Phosphorylated Mfn2 on the surface of the mitochondria can then bind with a molecule called Parkin that floats around in the surrounding cell.

Once Parkin binds to Mfn2 on sick mitochondria, Parkin labels the mitochondria for destruction. The labels then attract special compartments in the cell that "eat" and destroy the sick mitochondria. As long as all links in the quality-control system work properly, the cells' damaged power plants are removed, clearing the way for healthy ones.

"But if you have a mutation in PINK, you get Parkinson's disease," Dorn says. "And if you have a mutation in Parkin, you get Parkinson's disease. About 10 percent of Parkinson's disease is attributed to these or other mutations that have been identified."

According to Dorn, the discovery of Mfn2's relationship to PINK and Parkin opens the doors to a new genetic form of Parkinson's disease. And it may help improve diagnosis for both Parkinson's disease and heart failure.

"I think researchers will look closely at inherited Parkinson's cases that are not explained by known mutations," Dorn says. "They will look for loss of function mutations in Mfn2, and I think they are likely to find some."

Similarly, as a cardiologist, Dorn and his colleagues already have detected mutations in Mfn2 that appear to explain certain familial forms of heart failure, the gradual deterioration of heart muscle that impairs blood flow to the body. He speculates that looking for mutations in PINK and Parkin might be worthwhile in heart failure as well.

"In this case, the heart has informed us about Parkinson's disease, but we may have also described a Parkinson's disease analogy in the heart," he says. "This entire process of mitochondrial quality control is a relatively small field for heart specialists, but interest is growing."

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants R01 HL059888 and R21 HL107276.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington University School of Medicine. The original article was written by Julia Evangelou Strait.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Y. Chen, G. W. Dorn. PINK1-Phosphorylated Mitofusin 2 Is a Parkin Receptor for Culling Damaged Mitochondria. Science, 2013; 340 (6131): 471 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231031

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/QSYvGCfVQ78/130425142357.htm

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Sugary drinks can raise diabetes risk by 22 percent: study

By Kate Kelland

LONDON (Reuters) - Drinking just one can of sugar-laced soda drink a day increases the risk of developing diabetes by more than a fifth, according to a large European study published on Wednesday.

Using data from 350,000 people in eight European countries, researchers found that every extra 12 fluid ounce (340 ml) serving of sugar-sweetened drink raises the risk of diabetes by 22 percent compared with drinking just one can a month or less.

"Given the increase in sweet beverage consumption in Europe, clear messages on the unhealthy effect of these drinks should be given to the population," said Dora Romaguera, who led with study with a team at Imperial College London.

A 12-fluid-ounce serving is about equivalent to a normal-sized can of Coca-Cola, Pepsi or other soft drink.

The findings echo similar conclusions from research in the United States, where several studies have shown that intake of sugar-sweetened drinks is strongly linked with higher body weight and conditions like type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition characterized by insulin resistance that affects around 2.9 million people in Britain and, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 310 million people worldwide.

Romaguera's team wanted to establish whether a link between sugary drinks and diabetes risk also existed in Europe.

For their study, they used data from 350,000 people from Britain, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, France, Italy, Netherlands who were questioned about their diet, including how many sugary and artificially sweetened soft drinks and juices they drank each day.

Writing in the journal Diabetologia, the researchers said their study "corroborates the association between increased incidence of Type-2 diabetes and high consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks in European adults".

Fruit juice consumption was not linked to diabetes incidence.

Patrick Wolfe, a statistics expert from University College London who was not involved in the research, said the message from its results was clear.

"The bottom line is that sugary soft drinks are not good for you - they have no nutritional value and there is evidence that drinking them every day can increase your relative risk for type 2 diabetes," he said in an emailed comment.

(Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sugary-drinks-raise-diabetes-risk-22-percent-study-104200086--sector.html

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Miranda warning, then silence from bombing suspect

FILE - This combination of undated file photos shows Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, left, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19. The FBI says the two brothers are the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing, and are also responsible for killing an MIT police officer, critically injuring a transit officer in a firefight and throwing explosive devices at police during a getaway attempt in a long night of violence that left Tamerlan dead and Dzhokhar captured, late Friday, April 19, 2013. The ethnic Chechen brothers lived in Dagestan, which borders the Chechnya region in southern Russia. They lived near Boston and had been in the U.S. for about a decade, one of their uncles reported said. Since Monday, Boston has experienced five days of fear, beginning with the marathon bombing attack, an intense manhunt and much uncertainty ending in the death of one suspect and the capture of the other. (AP Photo/The Lowell Sun & Robin Young, File)

FILE - This combination of undated file photos shows Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, left, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19. The FBI says the two brothers are the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing, and are also responsible for killing an MIT police officer, critically injuring a transit officer in a firefight and throwing explosive devices at police during a getaway attempt in a long night of violence that left Tamerlan dead and Dzhokhar captured, late Friday, April 19, 2013. The ethnic Chechen brothers lived in Dagestan, which borders the Chechnya region in southern Russia. They lived near Boston and had been in the U.S. for about a decade, one of their uncles reported said. Since Monday, Boston has experienced five days of fear, beginning with the marathon bombing attack, an intense manhunt and much uncertainty ending in the death of one suspect and the capture of the other. (AP Photo/The Lowell Sun & Robin Young, File)

Michelle Littke, of Scituate, Mass., wites on a poster at a makeshift memorial in Copley Square on Boylston Street in Boston, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Traffic was allowed to flow all the way down Boylston Street on Wednesday morning for the first time since two explosions on April 15.(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Running shoes hang from a barrier at a makeshift memorial in Copley Square on Boylston Street in Boston, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Traffic was allowed to flow all the way down Boylston Street on Wednesday morning for the first time since two explosions on April 15. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

An unidentified woman visits the site where the first bomb detonated on April 15 near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Boylston Street in Boston, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Traffic was allowed to flow all the way down Boylston Street on Wednesday morning for the first time since two explosions. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Hillary Branyik, of Boston, kneels at the site where the first bomb detonated on April 15 near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Boylston Street in Boston, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Traffic was allowed to flow all the way down Boylston Street on Wednesday morning for the first time since two explosions on April 15. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

(AP) ? Sixteen hours after investigators began interrogating him, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings went silent: he'd just been read his constitutional rights.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev immediately stopped talking after a magistrate judge and a representative from the U.S. Attorney's office entered his hospital room and gave him his Miranda warning, according to four officials of both political parties briefed on the interrogation. They insisted on anonymity because the briefing was private.

Before being advised of his rights, the 19-year-old suspect told authorities that his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, only recently had recruited him to be part of the attack that detonated pressure-cooker bombs at the marathon finish line, two U.S. officials said.

The CIA, however, had named Tamerlan to a terrorist database 18 months ago, said officials close to the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case with reporters.

The new disclosure that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was included within a huge, classified database of known and suspected terrorists before the attacks was expected to drive congressional inquiries in coming weeks about whether the Obama administration adequately investigated tips from Russia that Tsarnaev had posed a security threat.

Shortly after the bombings, U.S. officials said the intelligence community had no information about threats to the marathon before the April 15 explosions that killed three people and injured more than 260.

Tsarnaev died Friday in a police shootout hours before Dzhokhar was discovered hiding in a boat in a suburban back yard. He was wounded.

Washington is piecing together what happened and whether there were any unconnected dots buried in U.S. government files that, if connected, could have prevented the bombings.

Lawmakers who were briefed by the FBI said they have more questions than answers about the investigation of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said lawmakers intend to pursue whether there was a breakdown in information-sharing, though Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, said he "hasn't seen any red flags thus far."

U.S. officials were expected to brief the Senate on the investigation Thursday. That same day, the suspects' parents, Anzor Tsarnaev and Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, plan to fly to the U.S. from Russia, the father was quoted as telling the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. The family has said it wants to take Tamerlan's body back to Russia.

It is unclear whether the issue of their younger son's constitutional rights will matter since the FBI say he confessed to a witness. U.S. officials also said Wednesday that physical evidence, including a 9 mm handgun and pieces of a remote-control device commonly used in toys, was recovered from the bombing scene.

But the debate over whether suspected terrorists should be read their Miranda rights has become a major sticking point in the debate over how best to fight terrorism. Many Republicans, in particular, believe Miranda warnings are designed to build court cases, and only hinder intelligence gathering.

Christina DiIorio Sterling, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, said in an email late Wednesday, "This remains an ongoing investigation and we don't have any further comment."

Investigators have said the brothers appeared to have been radicalized through jihadist materials on the Internet and have found no evidence tying them to a terrorist group.

U.S. investigators traveled to the predominantly Muslim province of Dagestan in Russia and were in contact with the brothers' parents, hoping to gain more information.

They are looking into whether Tamerlan, who spent six months in Russia's turbulent Caucasus region in 2012, was influenced by the religious extremists who have waged an insurgency against Russian forces in the area for years. The brothers have roots in Dagestan and neighboring Chechnya but had lived in the U.S. for about a decade.

Dzhokhar told the FBI that they were angry about the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the killing of Muslims there, officials said.

Dzhokhar's public defender had no comment on the matter Wednesday. His father has called him a "true angel," and an aunt has insisted he's not guilty.

Investigators have found pieces of remote-control equipment among the debris and were analyzing them, officials said. One official described the detonator as "close-controlled," meaning it had to be triggered within several blocks of the bombs.

That evidence could be key to the court case. And an FBI affidavit said one of the brothers told a carjacking victim during their getaway attempt, "Did you hear about the Boston explosion? I did that."

Officials also recovered a 9 mm handgun believed to have been used by Tamerlan from the site of an April 18 gunbattle that injured a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officer, two U.S. officials said.

The officials told the AP that no gun was found in the boat where Dzhokhar was hiding. Boston police Commissioner Ed Davis said earlier that shots were fired from inside the boat.

Asked whether the suspect had a gun in the boat, Davis said, "I'm not going to talk about that."

But Kurt Schwartz, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said a police officer was shot within half a mile of where Tsarnaev was captured, "and I know who shot him."

Authorities had previously said Dzhokhar exchanged gunfire with them for more than an hour Friday night before they captured him inside a tarp-covered boat in a suburban Boston neighborhood backyard. But two U.S. officials said Wednesday that he was unarmed when captured, raising questions about the gunfire and how he was injured.

In other developments:

? Vice President Joe Biden condemned the bombing suspects as "two twisted, perverted, cowardly, knockoff jihadis" while speaking at a memorial service Wednesday for Sean Collier, a campus police officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was ambushed in his cruiser three days after the bombing. More than 4,000 mourners paid tribute to the officer.

? The Office of Health and Human Services in Massachusetts confirmed a Boston Herald report Wednesday that Tamerlan, his wife and toddler daughter had received welfare benefits up until last year, when he became ineligible based on family income. The state also says Tamerlan and his brother received welfare benefits as children through their parents while the family lived in Massachusetts.

? The area around the marathon finish line was reopened to the public.

____

Yost and Jakes reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Kimberly Dozier, Matt Apuzzo, Eileen Sullivan, Adam Goldman and Eric Tucker in Washington, David Crary, Denise Lavoie, Bridget Murphy and Bob Salsberg in Boston and Lynn Berry in Moscow contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-25-Boston%20Marathon-Explosions/id-d1ebe03c64e9448d9800d263f8f253ac

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Volvo sees signs of upturn after Q1 earnings miss

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - World number two truck maker Volvo posted a surprise rise in orders intake on Thursday amid signs key markets were pulling out of a deep slump that pushed its earnings to a deeper-than-expected fall in the first quarter.

After a year of slumping demand for commercial vehicles, there are tentative signs that activity in the hardest-hit region, Europe, has bottomed out, though only Latin America among major truck markets is yet showing any solid growth.

Volvo, the dominant global player in the industry alongside Germany's Daimler , said order bookings of its trucks rose in several of its key markets to support a group-wide increase of 30 percent compared to the fourth quarter.

"That being said, the second quarter of 2013 will pose a challenge for us and our suppliers, with respect to the changeover to new products and the ramp-up of the industrial system to higher volumes," CEO Olof Persson said in a statement.

The Gothenburg-based company left unchanged its full-year outlook for roughly flat European and North American truck markets this year as well as its forecast for a 20 percent growth in Brazil driven by government subsidies.

The week had already seen cautious optimism spread across the truck industry after Volvo's domestic rival Scania rolled out a 28 percent rise in order intake and Daimler Trucks forecast a slight rise in 2013 sales.

Volvo, which unlike Scania sells into a currently sluggish U.S. market, said order bookings of its trucks rose 11 percent year-on-year in the first quarter compared to the 15 percent fall seen by analysts in a Reuters poll.

But while a recovery may be just over the horizon, for now the slack demand is weighing heavily on truck industry earnings. Volvo said its profit was hit as sales volumes slumped to their lowest level since the height of the 2008/2009 financial crisis.

Volvo, which makes heavy-duty trucks under the Renault, Mack, UD Trucks and Eicher brands as well as its own name, suffered a 92 percent fall in first-quarter operating earnings compared to the 2.02 billion seen in a Reuters poll of analysts.

(Reporting by Niklas Pollard and Helena Soderpalm)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/volvo-q1-profit-misses-forecast-sees-demand-uptick-054644305--sector.html

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Pakistan police say explosives found near Musharraf house

By Mehreen Zahra-Malik

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani police said on Tuesday they had defused 50 kg (110 lb) of explosives hidden in a car wired with remote-controlled detonators near the fortified farmhouse where former president Pervez Musharraf is under house arrest.

The discovery added a new sub-plot to the saga of Musharraf's deepening legal woes, which have transfixed Pakistanis unaccustomed to the sight of a once all-powerful military ruler submitting to the will of judges.

"When we checked the car we found explosives," police bomb squad constable Rehmat Ali told Reuters television. "When we unlocked one of the doors we saw a detonator cord."

Ali added that police had discovered several remote-controlled detonators rigged to the explosives, which they disarmed.

There was no immediate word from police on who they suspected might have planted the device.

Pakistan's Taliban movement, which threatened to kill Musharraf shortly before he returned to Pakistan last month after almost four years of self-imposed exile, denied any involvement in the incident.

"We would have sent suicide bombers," Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said.

MADE ENEMIES

Musharraf made many enemies during his stint in power, notably among militant groups who felt betrayed by his decision to align Pakistan with the United States following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Musharraf had hoped to relaunch his political career by running for a seat in the National Assembly at general elections on May 11, Pakistan's first transition between elected civilian-led governments.

Instead, election officials disqualified him from running and a court ordered he be placed under house arrest last week over allegations he unlawfully ordered the detention of judges during a showdown with the judiciary in 2007.

Police found the explosives several hours after Musharraf made his latest court appearance over separate allegations that he failed to provide adequate security to prevent the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Pakistani television broadcast video showing scores of lawyers, who have not forgiven Musharraf for the crackdown he launched on the judiciary, scuffling with supporters of the ex-president after the hearing.

Police arrested Musharraf on Friday, treating Pakistanis to the rare spectacle of a former army commander being humbled by judges in a country where the military has ruled for more than half the years since Pakistan's creation in 1947.

Musharraf's office has dismissed the allegations against him as baseless and politically motivated.

Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999, resigned in 2008 and left Pakistan for residences in London and Dubai.

His legal troubles have provided a stark symbol of the changing balance of power in Pakistan, where the military still retains enormous behind-the-scenes influence but has retreated from the overt meddling and coups of the past.

(Reporting By Mehreen Zahra-Malik, additional reporting by Jibrin Ahmad; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-police-explosives-found-near-musharraf-house-151900508.html

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

PFT: Haslam, Goodell meet over Pilot Flying J probe

Joe DeLamielleure poses with his bust and presenter Larry FelserGetty Images

Larry Felser, a longtime pro football reporter and columnist for the Buffalo News, passed away?on Wednesday at age 80, the publication reported.

Felser covered the Bills from 1960, when they were one of the charter members of the American Football League, through 2001, the News said. He also was sports editor of the News.

In a statement issued by the Bills, owner Ralph Wilson Jr. praised Felser?s work.

?Larry was there at the beginning of the American Football League and along with fellow reporters such as Will McDonough and others, played an important role in the growth of our league,? Wilson said. ?He was the consummate professional ? tough, but fair, and never one to shy away from clearly stating his opinion.

?I had tremendous respect for Larry and we developed a deep friendship that lasted throughout our lifetimes. We shared some great laughs over the years and that?s what I am remembering most today about Larry. I will truly miss him. My deepest sympathies and condolences go out to his lovely wife, Beverly, and their family.?

In 1984, Felser earned the Dick McCann Award, an honor voted upon by the Pro Football Writers of America and awarded by the Pro Football Hall of Fame for?meritorious reporting on the sport.

For those wishing to read an example of Felser?s work, the Buffalo News recently republished a column he wrote after the Bills? remarkable comeback against the Oilers in January 1993.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/24/haslam-goodell-meet-regarding-pilot-flying-j-probe/related/

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Dietary medium chain triglycerides prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Dietary medium chain triglycerides prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Martin J. Ronis
ronismartinj@uams.edu
Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine

Scientists at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Human Nutrition Research Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, led by Dr. Martin Ronis have determined that dietary substitution of saturated fats enriched in medium chain triglycerides (MCT) for polyunsaturated fat prevents the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD occurs in patients with obesity and type II diabetes and is being seen at younger ages in association with the obesity epidemic. NAFLD is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver. In a proportion of NAFLD cases, liver pathology progresses to hepatitis, fibrosis and liver cancer. The findings which appear in the February 2013 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine used a laboratory animal model of NAFLD to demonstrate that isocaloric substitution of a mixture of MCT rich saturated fats for of dietary polyunsaturated fats prevented liver fat accumulation. In addition progression of injury was blocked as a result of reduced susceptibility of lipids to radical attack and increased basal metabolic rate produced by activation of PPAR signaling.

"There is a real shortage of potential therapies for NAFLD short of weight loss and increased exercise" states Dr. Ronis. "In this study, we show that even if total dietary fat content remains high and excess calories continue to be consumed, the metabolic effects of MCT to change liver lipid profiles and increase respiration can prevent the development of liver pathology". Although complete substitution of MCT oil for vegetable oils in cooking is not feasible as a result of its low smoking point, the studies demonstrated that the protective effects of MCT were dose-dependent.

Dr. Ronis states that "Future studies will be designed to determine if MCT rich diets can reverse NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in disease models, and if successful, clinical trials may be initiated in patients with metabolic syndrome." Dr. Ronis states that "the technology to produce synthetic cooking oils incorporating MCT is already with us. The Japanese are currently testing an oil containing monounsaturated 18:1 fatty acids and MCT for beneficial health effects. There is no reason why similar synthetic products incorporating saturated fatty acids such as 16:0 or 18:0 and MCT cannot be developed for the US market".

Dr. Steven R. Goodman, Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine, said "with obesity and type II diabetes on the rise development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that can lead to hepatitis, fibrosis and liver cancer is an increasing problem. Dr. Martin Ronis and colleagues using an animal model of NAFLD have shown that substitution of saturated fat in the form of medium chain triglycerides (MCT) for polyunsaturated fats can prevent the progression of NAFLD-associated liver injury. As pointed out by Ronis and colleagues this provides a potential future therapy for NAFLD where we simply alter our cooking oils to contain therapeutic levels of MCTs."

###

Experimental Biology and Medicine is the journal of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine. To learn about the benefits of society membership visit http://www.sebm.org. If you are interested in publishing in the journal please visit http://www.ebmonline.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Dietary medium chain triglycerides prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Martin J. Ronis
ronismartinj@uams.edu
Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine

Scientists at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Human Nutrition Research Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, led by Dr. Martin Ronis have determined that dietary substitution of saturated fats enriched in medium chain triglycerides (MCT) for polyunsaturated fat prevents the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD occurs in patients with obesity and type II diabetes and is being seen at younger ages in association with the obesity epidemic. NAFLD is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver. In a proportion of NAFLD cases, liver pathology progresses to hepatitis, fibrosis and liver cancer. The findings which appear in the February 2013 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine used a laboratory animal model of NAFLD to demonstrate that isocaloric substitution of a mixture of MCT rich saturated fats for of dietary polyunsaturated fats prevented liver fat accumulation. In addition progression of injury was blocked as a result of reduced susceptibility of lipids to radical attack and increased basal metabolic rate produced by activation of PPAR signaling.

"There is a real shortage of potential therapies for NAFLD short of weight loss and increased exercise" states Dr. Ronis. "In this study, we show that even if total dietary fat content remains high and excess calories continue to be consumed, the metabolic effects of MCT to change liver lipid profiles and increase respiration can prevent the development of liver pathology". Although complete substitution of MCT oil for vegetable oils in cooking is not feasible as a result of its low smoking point, the studies demonstrated that the protective effects of MCT were dose-dependent.

Dr. Ronis states that "Future studies will be designed to determine if MCT rich diets can reverse NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in disease models, and if successful, clinical trials may be initiated in patients with metabolic syndrome." Dr. Ronis states that "the technology to produce synthetic cooking oils incorporating MCT is already with us. The Japanese are currently testing an oil containing monounsaturated 18:1 fatty acids and MCT for beneficial health effects. There is no reason why similar synthetic products incorporating saturated fatty acids such as 16:0 or 18:0 and MCT cannot be developed for the US market".

Dr. Steven R. Goodman, Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine, said "with obesity and type II diabetes on the rise development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that can lead to hepatitis, fibrosis and liver cancer is an increasing problem. Dr. Martin Ronis and colleagues using an animal model of NAFLD have shown that substitution of saturated fat in the form of medium chain triglycerides (MCT) for polyunsaturated fats can prevent the progression of NAFLD-associated liver injury. As pointed out by Ronis and colleagues this provides a potential future therapy for NAFLD where we simply alter our cooking oils to contain therapeutic levels of MCTs."

###

Experimental Biology and Medicine is the journal of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine. To learn about the benefits of society membership visit http://www.sebm.org. If you are interested in publishing in the journal please visit http://www.ebmonline.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/sfeb-dmc042413.php

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Dr Steve Polenz Healthy Living for Detoxification | Part II

Detoxification is getting a lot of attention these days and there is a great reason why. We live in a world that is full of toxins. Whenever i talk to my patients and i let them know they have toxins damaging their health and that they need to detox, They are never surprised. It is pretty well known that there are toxic chemicals and other substances everywhere in our world today. From the air we breathe to the cleaners in our home to our car exhaust. Visit us at http://www.drsteveshealthyliving.com/detox/ for more details.

Source: http://detox.fitnessthroughfasting.com/body-detox-101/dr-steve-polenz-healthy-living-for-detoxification-part-ii.php

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

NASA's HyspIRI: Seeing the forest and the trees and more

Apr. 22, 2013 ? To Robert Green, light contains more than meets the eye: It contains fingerprints of materials that can be detected by sensors that capture the unique set of reflected wavelengths. Scientists have used the technique, called imaging spectroscopy, to learn about water on the moon, minerals on Mars and the composition of exoplanets. Green's favorite place to apply the technique, however, is right here on the chemically rich Earth, which is just what he and colleagues achieved this spring during NASA's Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) airborne campaign.

"We have ideas about what makes up Earth's ecosystems and how they function," said Green, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and principal investigator of the campaign's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instrument. "But a comprehensive understanding requires us to directly measure these things and how they change over landscapes and from season to season."

Toward that goal, scientists and engineers ultimately plan to launch the HyspIRI satellite -- a mission recommended by the 2007 National Academy of Sciences Decadal Survey -- to determine the spectral and thermal characteristics of the world's ecosystems, which are sensitive to changes in vegetation health, as well as detecting and understanding changes in other surface phenomena including volcanoes, wildfires and droughts.

Prior to flying the sensors in space, however, preparatory science investigations are underway using similar sensor technology installed on NASA's ER-2, a high-altitude aircraft based at NASA's Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. The first season of the HyspIRI airborne campaign concludes on April 25 after about a month of flights that spanned the state. Additional sets of California flights are planned for this summer and then this fall.

"We are collecting data over six zones across very diverse regions of California, from the coast to high-elevation terrain, from alpine areas to deserts to coastal ecosystems, and from agricultural to urban landscapes," Green said.

For example, the campaign's first test flight on March 29 collected data along a series of parallel flight lines. The resulting image covers about six miles in width and almost 100 miles in length. One flight happened to pass over the San Andreas Fault. Inclusion of the fault in the flight plan was incidental, but it was a "spectacular" flight nonetheless, Green said.

Spectacular, Green notes, because each pixel holds a wealth of information invisible to the naked eye. Most light-collecting instruments on existing spacecraft observe light reflected from Earth, then filter the wavelengths and transmit only the snippets of the spectrum that are relevant to the mission's science. The point of HyspIRI, however, is to collect and transmit all of the wavelengths, from the visible to the short wavelength infrared as well as selected wavelengths in the thermal-infrared, revealing the unique spectral signature of the light in each pixel. The signature is akin to a fingerprint, from which scientists can make more quantitative assessments of ecosystems.

"With imaging spectroscopy we can unambiguously understand what things are from aircraft at an altitude of 65,000 feet, as revealed by the molecular and light-scattering characteristics, which determine the material's spectral fingerprint," Green said.

"Imaging spectroscopy is a mature and proven technology that provides a unique way to characterize what's happening on the surface of Earth," said Stephen Ungar of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and previous mission scientist of the Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) mission. EO-1 is a technology pathfinder satellite that has validated technology and science applications for spaceborne imaging spectroscopy.

The horizontal resolution from the AVIRIS imaging spectrometer on the ER-2 equates to about 60 feet (20 meters) per pixel. From space the resolution is expected to be closer to 180 feet (60 meters) per pixel -- with the added benefit of consistent global coverage roughly every season of the year.

A second instrument flying on the ER-2 during the campaign is the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER), led by Simon Hook of JPL. The instrument extends the measurements into the thermal-infrared part of the spectrum, which becomes useful for detecting land types as well as understanding processes such as fire and drought.

"To assess ecosystems' diversity and how they function we need to understand both ecosystem spectral and thermal properties," said Petya Campbell of NASA Goddard and a scientist with the EO-1 mission. "Using the information together will enable a revolution in ecology."

Now 14 research groups from across the country will take the data collected during the campaign and delve into a wide range of investigations. These include exploring the sources of natural- and human-produced methane emissions in California, teasing out the dynamics of algal blooms, and observing how seasonal and environmental changes affect plant species.

This airborne science mission continues with the collection of additional imagery later this year and in 2014.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/giQaAaBM8fk/130422175834.htm

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90% Beyond The Hills

All Critics (77) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (69) | Rotten (8)

The final shot, with windshield wipers struggling to clean away a torrent of muddy water, suggests that no human agency is great enough to handle this world's misery.

"Beyond the Hills" seethes with astonishment and rage at a broken society marooned between the 21st century and the 16th.

It is a haunting movie, dealing with superstitions, possession, even exorcism, one in which Mungiu poses no easy answers, because there are none to be found.

If you long for the bleak intelligence of an Ingmar Bergman film, where humankind is deeply flawed and God is indifferently silent and the landscape is cloaked in perpetual winter, then Beyond the Hills promises to be your cup of despair.

There are no easy villains or heroes in this sad and slow but forcefully told tale, which exhibits the same humanity Mungiu brought to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, his abortion drama that won the 2007 Palme d'Or.

A film that asks its viewer to consider the nature of good and evil, love and trust - and trust that turns into something like blind faith.

(Writer-director Christian) Mungiu balances his film's more disturbing content with peaceful shots of the idyllic, surrounding countryside and of intimacy between the two women while slowly building to an inevitable conclusion.

When the ill and unstable Alina returns to the monastery, just so she can be with her beloved, Beyond the Hills becomes a species of those exorcism movies that audiences gorge on, only done with a realism and ambiguity usually missing from the genre.

What makes this movie unique is that it holds literally everyone in the film accountable for the unfortunate goings on.

It's an exorcism movie for everyone who thought, after Mungiu's gruelling abortion buddy-movie 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, that this guy should do an exorcism movie

It's an enigmatic and austere film from a region where political, sexual and religious repression are as stifling as the sooty air.

Mungui's rigorous approach to filmmaking isn't a ton of fun to watch, but his ideas stick with you.

It delivers an emotional punch, in what its director has called a story about the sin of indifference.

Such is the rigorous and high-minded nature of Romanian cinema that even a real-life exorcism story can inspire something loftier than a horror movie.

Heartbreak at a Romanian convent

...Cristian Mungiu has taken a real life event...to consider deeply human philosophies such as freedom vs. discipline, love vs. security, the choices facing those without financial recourse and the hypocrisies of organized religions.

I found it riveting to watch and fascinating to think about afterwards.

An undeniably tough watch.

Stark, deadpan, and darkly dry.

With this viscerally involving drama, acclaimed Romanian filmmaker Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) tells another strikingly original story of women caught between old and new world beliefs.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beyond_the_hills_2012/

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Bank of England's cheap credit scheme to be extended -reports

LONDON (Reuters) - A scheme to get more credit flowing in Britain's stagnant economy will be expanded to include specialist lenders and will run for a year longer than planned, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported.

The Bank and the Treasury have been working on plans to extend the 80-billion-pound Funding for Lending (FLS) scheme, and the newspaper said an announcement could come as early as this week.

Chancellor George Osborne is under pressure to do more to foster growth after Britain lost its AAA credit rating - the top grade - from two agencies and the International Monetary Fund said the government should consider slowing the pace of its deficit-cutting programme.

The Financial Times reported on Sunday that Treasury officials hoped the introduction of a second stage of the FLS scheme might give the IMF reason not to criticize economic policy when it carries out an annual review next month.

Osborne said on Friday the government and the central bank would announce "fairly shortly" changes to the scheme, which provides banks and other lenders with cheap financing if they keep or raise lending to households and businesses.

The FLS was launched last year but so far it has not resulted in much more borrowing by small and medium-sized companies.

The Telegraph said the FLS, originally due to end in January next year, would be extended by a year to 2015.

The newspaper said the scope of the scheme would be expanded to include specialist institutions such as asset-based lenders, invoice finance houses and leasing firms in an attempt to ease the credit crunch still felt by small firms.

A Treasury spokesman declined to comment on plans to change the FLS beyond what Osborne had said on Friday.

Asset finance allows businesses to borrow against invoices and machinery.

Since coming to power in May 2010, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has introduced austerity measures to try and reduce a record peacetime deficit, but persistently weak growth has frustrated the government's economic plans.

(Reporting By Estelle Shirbon and William Schomberg; Editing by Erica Billingham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bank-englands-cheap-credit-scheme-extended-reports-140612501--sector.html

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Monday, April 22, 2013

Gov't seeks 45 years for attack on Christian group

This handout photo provided by the US Attorney's office shows a backpack, gun, ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches at the scene where Floyd Corkins II shot a security guard at the Family Research Council in Washington last year. Prosecutors say a Virginia man who planned a mass killing at the Washington headquarters of a conservative Christian lobbying group should spend 45 years in prison for his plot. Corkins pleaded guilty to three charges in February: interstate transportation of a firearm, assault with intent to kill while armed and committing an act of terrorism while armed. The first charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and the two other charges carry a maximum 30 years in prison. Sentencing is set for April 29. (AP Photo/US Attorney's office)

This handout photo provided by the US Attorney's office shows a backpack, gun, ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches at the scene where Floyd Corkins II shot a security guard at the Family Research Council in Washington last year. Prosecutors say a Virginia man who planned a mass killing at the Washington headquarters of a conservative Christian lobbying group should spend 45 years in prison for his plot. Corkins pleaded guilty to three charges in February: interstate transportation of a firearm, assault with intent to kill while armed and committing an act of terrorism while armed. The first charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and the two other charges carry a maximum 30 years in prison. Sentencing is set for April 29. (AP Photo/US Attorney's office)

This handout photo provided by the US Attorney's office shows a gun at the scene where Floyd Corkins II shot a security guard at the Family Research Council in Washington last year. Prosecutors say a Virginia man who planned a mass killing at the Washington headquarters of a conservative Christian lobbying group should spend 45 years in prison for his plot. Corkins pleaded guilty to three charges in February: interstate transportation of a firearm, assault with intent to kill while armed and committing an act of terrorism while armed. The first charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and the two other charges carry a maximum 30 years in prison. Sentencing is set for April 29. (AP Photo/US Attorney's office)

(AP) ? Prosecutors say a Virginia man who planned a mass killing at the Washington headquarters of a conservative Christian lobbying group should spend 45 years in prison for his plot.

Prosecutors filed a court document Friday that recommends the 45-year sentence for Floyd Corkins II.

A security guard subdued Corkins in the lobby of the Family Research Council in August after he pointed a pistol at the man. Corkins fired three shots, and the guard was the only one wounded. Corkins, who was carrying nearly 100 rounds of ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches, later told authorities that he had planned to kill as many people as possible and then to smear the sandwiches on their faces as a political statement.

Chick-fil-A was making headlines at the time because of its president's stated opposition to gay marriage. The Family Research Council also opposes gay marriage, and police officers who responded to the shooting scene reported Corkins said he didn't like the group or what it stands for.

The government said in making its recommendation that if not for the security guard's actions, Corkins "would have almost certainly succeeded in committing a massacre of epic portions."

"Although the defendant largely failed to bring about the violence he sought, he was still able to accomplish one of his objectives ? that is, to use acts of violence to terrorize and intimidate those within the District of Columbia and the United States who did not share his political beliefs and views," government attorneys wrote.

Corkins, 28, told authorities he initially wanted to make a bomb but did not have the patience. He bought a gun in Virginia the week before the shooting and received private firearms training the night before his attack.

When Corkins was arrested, he was carrying a list of four socially conservative organizations written on a piece of paper printed with the Bible verse, "With God all things are possible." He told authorities that if he had not been caught at the Family Research Council he planned to go to the next organization on his list and shoot there as well. Prosecutors did not release the list of organizations. They said approximately 50 people were working inside the Family Research Council when Corkins arrived.

Corkins pleaded guilty to three charges in February: interstate transportation of a firearm, assault with intent to kill while armed and committing an act of terrorism while armed. The first charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and the two other charges carry a maximum 30 years in prison.

Sentencing is currently set for April 29, though Corkins' defense attorneys asked Monday to delay it so they can have additional time to get and look at his mental health records.

___

Follow Jessica Gresko at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-22-Security%20Guard%20Shooting/id-2809002f6eaa4425bc175e1d4eaaec9e

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