Sure, complaining about cable is probably the quintessential first world problem but it's like cable companies get off in screwing you over. South Park captures the cable screw job perfectly: every customer wants changes to be made with cable but every cable company is just enjoying how many different ways they can say no to you.
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
6-Nov-2013
ShareContact: Amy Pelsinsky
apelsinsky@umces.edu
410-330-1389
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
FROSTBURG, MD (November 6, 2013) A new study shows that the reduction of pollution emissions from power plants in the mid-Atlantic is making an impact on the quality of the water that ends up in the Chesapeake Bay. The study by scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science confirms that as the amount of emissions of nitrogen oxide from coal-fired power plants declined in response to the Clean Air Act, the amount of nitrogen pollution found in the waterways of forested areas in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia fell as well.
"When we set out to reduce nitrogen pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, deposition of nitrogen resulting from air pollution on the watershed was considered uncontrollable," said Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "This study shows that improvements in air quality provided benefits to water quality that we were not counting on."
Researchers evaluated long-term water quality trends for nine forested mountain watersheds located along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania to southern Virginia over a 23-year period (1986 to 2009). The sampling began slightly before the Clean Air Act of 1990 imposed controls on power plant emissions to reduce nitrogen oxide pollution through its Acid Rain Program. According to the EPA, total human-caused nitrogen oxide emissions declined 32% from 1997 to 2005 in 20 eastern U.S. states that participated in the program.
Intended to reduce the emissions (sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide) that caused acid rain, the program had the unintended consequence of reducing the amount of nitrogen oxide particles landing on forests in the sample area and ultimately improving water quality in the watershed.
"It worked for something nobody anticipated," said lead author Keith Eshleman, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Appalachian Laboratory. "The original idea was to reduce nitrogen oxide concentrations in the atmosphere because that would reduce acidity of precipitation and decrease ozone in the atmosphere. The other result was that water quality has improved, a side benefit that was unanticipated."
Air pollution that falls on the land (known atmospheric deposition) is one of the biggest sources of pollution to the forested area that impacts the Chesapeake Bay--sixty percent of the watershed. Nitrogen accumulation has significant consequences for air quality, human health, and the health of aquatic ecosystems. When excess nitrogen enters the streams and waterways, it can cause algae blooms that significantly impact water quality and marine life.
"In our most pristine and most heavily forested basins, nitrogen deposition is a primary driver of pollution," said Eshleman. "Where we are located in the Mid Atlantic, we've historically had some of the highest rates of deposition, and received some of the greatest reductions owing to the Clean Air Act."
###
The study, "Surface water quality is improving due to declining atmosphere N deposition" is published in the November 5 issue of Environment Science and Technology by Keith Eshleman, Robert Sabo and Kathleen Kline of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
The Appalachian Laboratory is located in the mountains of western Maryland, the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Since 1962, the Frostburg-based institution has actively studied the effects of land-use change on the freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems of the region, how they function in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and how human activity may influence their health and sustainability on local, regional and global scales. The scientific results help to unravel the consequences of environmental change, manage natural resources, restore ecosystems, and foster ecological literacy.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science unleashes the power of science to transform the way society understands and manages the environment. By conducting cutting-edge research into today's most pressing environmental problems, we are developing new ideas to help guide our state, nation, and world toward a more environmentally sustainable future through five research centersthe Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, the Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore, and the Maryland Sea Grant College in College Park. http://www.umces.edu
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.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
6-Nov-2013
ShareContact: Amy Pelsinsky
apelsinsky@umces.edu
410-330-1389
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
FROSTBURG, MD (November 6, 2013) A new study shows that the reduction of pollution emissions from power plants in the mid-Atlantic is making an impact on the quality of the water that ends up in the Chesapeake Bay. The study by scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science confirms that as the amount of emissions of nitrogen oxide from coal-fired power plants declined in response to the Clean Air Act, the amount of nitrogen pollution found in the waterways of forested areas in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia fell as well.
"When we set out to reduce nitrogen pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, deposition of nitrogen resulting from air pollution on the watershed was considered uncontrollable," said Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "This study shows that improvements in air quality provided benefits to water quality that we were not counting on."
Researchers evaluated long-term water quality trends for nine forested mountain watersheds located along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania to southern Virginia over a 23-year period (1986 to 2009). The sampling began slightly before the Clean Air Act of 1990 imposed controls on power plant emissions to reduce nitrogen oxide pollution through its Acid Rain Program. According to the EPA, total human-caused nitrogen oxide emissions declined 32% from 1997 to 2005 in 20 eastern U.S. states that participated in the program.
Intended to reduce the emissions (sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide) that caused acid rain, the program had the unintended consequence of reducing the amount of nitrogen oxide particles landing on forests in the sample area and ultimately improving water quality in the watershed.
"It worked for something nobody anticipated," said lead author Keith Eshleman, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Appalachian Laboratory. "The original idea was to reduce nitrogen oxide concentrations in the atmosphere because that would reduce acidity of precipitation and decrease ozone in the atmosphere. The other result was that water quality has improved, a side benefit that was unanticipated."
Air pollution that falls on the land (known atmospheric deposition) is one of the biggest sources of pollution to the forested area that impacts the Chesapeake Bay--sixty percent of the watershed. Nitrogen accumulation has significant consequences for air quality, human health, and the health of aquatic ecosystems. When excess nitrogen enters the streams and waterways, it can cause algae blooms that significantly impact water quality and marine life.
"In our most pristine and most heavily forested basins, nitrogen deposition is a primary driver of pollution," said Eshleman. "Where we are located in the Mid Atlantic, we've historically had some of the highest rates of deposition, and received some of the greatest reductions owing to the Clean Air Act."
###
The study, "Surface water quality is improving due to declining atmosphere N deposition" is published in the November 5 issue of Environment Science and Technology by Keith Eshleman, Robert Sabo and Kathleen Kline of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
The Appalachian Laboratory is located in the mountains of western Maryland, the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Since 1962, the Frostburg-based institution has actively studied the effects of land-use change on the freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems of the region, how they function in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and how human activity may influence their health and sustainability on local, regional and global scales. The scientific results help to unravel the consequences of environmental change, manage natural resources, restore ecosystems, and foster ecological literacy.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science unleashes the power of science to transform the way society understands and manages the environment. By conducting cutting-edge research into today's most pressing environmental problems, we are developing new ideas to help guide our state, nation, and world toward a more environmentally sustainable future through five research centersthe Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, the Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore, and the Maryland Sea Grant College in College Park. http://www.umces.edu
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.
NEW YORK (AP) — Veteran ABC News reporter and "20/20" anchor Elizabeth Vargas is in treatment for alcohol dependency, the network said Wednesday.
Vargas, who is 51 and married to singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, last appeared on ABC in October. The network confirmed a New York Daily News story that said she has been in a treatment facility for a few weeks and has a few weeks more to complete the program.
"Like so many people, I am dealing with addiction," Vargas said. "I realized I was becoming increasingly dependent on alcohol."
She said she was grateful to her family, friends and employers for support. She and Cohn have two children.
"Like so many others, I will deal with this challenge a day at a time," she said. "If coming forward today gives one other person the courage to seek help, I'm grateful."
Vargas has worked in network news since 1993, first with NBC and then ABC. Besides her newsmagazine work, she was named co-anchor of "World News Tonight" with Bob Woodruff following the death of Peter Jennings, but that pairing was cut short when Woodruff was seriously injured in an explosion while reporting in Iraq.
ABC said it was proud of Vargas' effort to get help and is pulling for her recovery.
"Elizabeth is a member of our family and we will support her in every way we can," said ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider.
To promote his two UFC events this week - Fight for the Troops on Wednesday and UFC Fight Night on Saturday from Brazil - UFC president Dana White has released his latest video blog. This one looks back at one of the best UFC events of all time - last month's UFC 166 which featured Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos III.
Check out White's vlog for an inside look at UFC 166 including:
Dwight Howard fantasizing about fighting in the UFC and talking about what it would take for him to give MMA a shot (4:30)
Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez talking to one another during their medical check up time after their epic brawl (8:30)
Velasquez meeting members of the Houston Rockets after the win (10:45)
Cain Velasquez recapping his win over Dos Santos with coach Javier Mendez while getting stitched up after his fight (11:00)
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda
If you've tried to wade through Security Advisory 2896666, you're probably ready to tear your hair out. I can't recall ever seeing a security advisory so poorly worded, convoluted, and uninformative. Let me try to cut through the multiple layers of bafflegab (I'm being polite here) and tell you if there's reason to be concerned and, if so, what to do to mitigate the problem.
Apparently someone's discovered a zero-day hole in the TIFF codec that ships with Office. According to McAfee -- which discovered the exploit in the wild -- the sample infected Word document it's analyzing uses (remarkably) the newer DOCX format. It works by sticking ActiveX objects inside the DOCX file, then using the ActiveX controls to spray heap memory.
This particular TIFF codec exhibits the "bad" exploitable behavior only when run on specific versions of Windows. That's led to a lot of confusion.
A typical attack involves opening a Word document with an infected embedded TIFF graphic. In rare circumstances, you can also get infected by previewing an email message in Outlook with that bad TIFF graphic, but only if you use Word to preview Outlook messages -- a practice cut off by default in Office 2003. Microsoft's garbled Security Advisory article also alludes to the possibility of getting infected via a drive-by Web attack, but I've seen no confirmation of that vector. Given the nature of the attack, through the Office TIFF codec, it's hard to understand how it could happen. The only confirmed attack vector I've seen operates by opening a Word document with an infected embedded TIFF file.
We've been around the barn several times, trying to figure out exactly which combinations of Word and Windows are vulnerable. Computerworld's Gregg Keizer, quoting Microsoft sources, provided an important piece of the puzzle yesterday. Here's the easy way to look at it:
If your combination of Word and Windows falls into one of the vulnerable categories, Microsoft has a Fixit for you. Be aware of the fact that the Fixit doesn't actually solve the problem; it just disables TIFF processing for all of Windows. You may or may not be able to live with that limitation.
Keep in mind that this is a so-called advanced persistent threat attack, which means it's most likely targeted very narrowly, at specific organizations. Microsoft says, "The attacks observed are very limited and carefully carried out against selected computers, largely in the Middle East and South Asia."
It's a safe bet that unless you're running a highly sensitive computer in the Middle East or South Asia, you aren't likely to encounter the problem -- yet.
This story, "Deciphering Microsoft Security Advisory 2896666 on Word zero-day exploit," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
6-Nov-2013
ShareContact: David Malmquist
davem@vims.edu
804-684-7011
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has presented Jim Gartland of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science with one of two Annual Awards of Excellence for his outstanding contributions to the field of fisheries science.
The ASMFC was established by the 15 Atlantic coastal states in 1942 for the conservation and management of their shared migratory fishery resources. Its jurisdiction covers near-shore waters from Florida to Maine.
ASMFC honored Gartland for his exemplary management of the Multispecies Fisheries Research Program at VIMS, which comprises three large-scale research surveysChesMMAP in Chesapeake Bay, NEAMAP in the coastal waters from Cape Hatteras to New England, and the VIMS Shark Longline Survey. Data from the surveys underlie the stock assessments that are used to sustainably manage commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important species of fish and shellfish along the Atlantic seaboard.
The other awardee was Dr. Alexei Sharov, a biostatistician with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Estuarine and Marine Fisheries Division, who was recognized for his work with striped bass and menhaden.
In comments at the awards ceremonyheld on October 29 during the 2013 ASMFC Annual Meeting on St. Simons Island, Georgia ASMFC Executive Director Robert E. Beal said, "Dr. Sharov and Mr. Gartland are both remarkable scientists whose energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to excellence are an inspiration to their fellow scientists and fishery managers that depend on the outcomes of their efforts. Both recipients demonstrate exemplary leadership and expertise as they work to support programs that promote healthy, self-sustaining fisheries populations."
VIMS Dean and Director John Wells echoes those sentiments, saying that "Work by Jim and other members of our Multispecies Fisheries group is at the core of what VIMS does bestproviding science-based guidance to help sustainably manage the marine resources of the Commonwealth and the nation. We're grateful for Jim's service and take pride in his accomplishments."
Gartland adds, "I appreciate the award and being recognized by the ASMFC. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to work with the people at the ASMFC and VIMS for over 10 years now, and to complete all we've done to support the management of fisheries along the coast."
Gartland earned his Master's degree from William & May's School of Marine Science at VIMS in 2002. He began managing the ChesMMAP survey that year, assumed management of the NEAMAP survey when it began at VIMS in 2006, and the VIMS Shark Longline Survey in 2011. He now oversees all aspects of these surveys, as well as post-cruise processing of samples in the laboratory.
To illustrate the scope of that work, the ASMFC notes that in 2009 alone, staff in the Multispecies Fisheries program at VIMS conducted more than 700 trawl tows in Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast; collected approximately 10,000 pairs of otoliths for fish-ageing studies (these ear bones contain annual bands similar to tree rings); and analyzed the contents of roughly 9,500 fish stomachs for dietary insights. Gartland reckons that he has spent a collective total of 601 days at sea during his 12 years on the research staff at VIMS.
The ASMFC also recognized Gartland for leading ChesMMAP's collection of tissue samples from Atlantic striped bass, which have subsequently been used to help monitor the prevalence of a bacterial disease called mycobacteriosis in this popular species. Later analysis of these samples resulted in the first documented case of mortality caused by a chronic disease in a wild finfish population.
In addition to his work on the ChesMMAP, NEAMAP, and Longline surveys, Gartland also serves Virginia and the nation through participation on a number of ASMFC committees. He is a member of the ASMFC's Fishing Gear Technology Working Group and its Management and Science Committee, and chairs the ASMFC NEAMAP Operations Committee. He was appointed to all three committees by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
"The Commission's Annual Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding efforts by professionals who have made a difference in the way we manage and conserve our fisheries," says Beal. "Jim has devoted his career to improving the quality and quantity of data that forms the basis of fisheries management decisions."
###
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.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
6-Nov-2013
ShareContact: David Malmquist
davem@vims.edu
804-684-7011
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has presented Jim Gartland of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science with one of two Annual Awards of Excellence for his outstanding contributions to the field of fisheries science.
The ASMFC was established by the 15 Atlantic coastal states in 1942 for the conservation and management of their shared migratory fishery resources. Its jurisdiction covers near-shore waters from Florida to Maine.
ASMFC honored Gartland for his exemplary management of the Multispecies Fisheries Research Program at VIMS, which comprises three large-scale research surveysChesMMAP in Chesapeake Bay, NEAMAP in the coastal waters from Cape Hatteras to New England, and the VIMS Shark Longline Survey. Data from the surveys underlie the stock assessments that are used to sustainably manage commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important species of fish and shellfish along the Atlantic seaboard.
The other awardee was Dr. Alexei Sharov, a biostatistician with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Estuarine and Marine Fisheries Division, who was recognized for his work with striped bass and menhaden.
In comments at the awards ceremonyheld on October 29 during the 2013 ASMFC Annual Meeting on St. Simons Island, Georgia ASMFC Executive Director Robert E. Beal said, "Dr. Sharov and Mr. Gartland are both remarkable scientists whose energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to excellence are an inspiration to their fellow scientists and fishery managers that depend on the outcomes of their efforts. Both recipients demonstrate exemplary leadership and expertise as they work to support programs that promote healthy, self-sustaining fisheries populations."
VIMS Dean and Director John Wells echoes those sentiments, saying that "Work by Jim and other members of our Multispecies Fisheries group is at the core of what VIMS does bestproviding science-based guidance to help sustainably manage the marine resources of the Commonwealth and the nation. We're grateful for Jim's service and take pride in his accomplishments."
Gartland adds, "I appreciate the award and being recognized by the ASMFC. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to work with the people at the ASMFC and VIMS for over 10 years now, and to complete all we've done to support the management of fisheries along the coast."
Gartland earned his Master's degree from William & May's School of Marine Science at VIMS in 2002. He began managing the ChesMMAP survey that year, assumed management of the NEAMAP survey when it began at VIMS in 2006, and the VIMS Shark Longline Survey in 2011. He now oversees all aspects of these surveys, as well as post-cruise processing of samples in the laboratory.
To illustrate the scope of that work, the ASMFC notes that in 2009 alone, staff in the Multispecies Fisheries program at VIMS conducted more than 700 trawl tows in Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast; collected approximately 10,000 pairs of otoliths for fish-ageing studies (these ear bones contain annual bands similar to tree rings); and analyzed the contents of roughly 9,500 fish stomachs for dietary insights. Gartland reckons that he has spent a collective total of 601 days at sea during his 12 years on the research staff at VIMS.
The ASMFC also recognized Gartland for leading ChesMMAP's collection of tissue samples from Atlantic striped bass, which have subsequently been used to help monitor the prevalence of a bacterial disease called mycobacteriosis in this popular species. Later analysis of these samples resulted in the first documented case of mortality caused by a chronic disease in a wild finfish population.
In addition to his work on the ChesMMAP, NEAMAP, and Longline surveys, Gartland also serves Virginia and the nation through participation on a number of ASMFC committees. He is a member of the ASMFC's Fishing Gear Technology Working Group and its Management and Science Committee, and chairs the ASMFC NEAMAP Operations Committee. He was appointed to all three committees by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
"The Commission's Annual Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding efforts by professionals who have made a difference in the way we manage and conserve our fisheries," says Beal. "Jim has devoted his career to improving the quality and quantity of data that forms the basis of fisheries management decisions."
###
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.
Messaging luminary David Gurle has launched Perzo, a new free-to-use cloud communications and collaboration system he believes will appeal to consumers and business users looking to beat surveillance with high levels of security and confidentiality.
Gurle's career has been defined by his work on messaging systems including for Thompson Reuters and as the founder of Microsoft's Real Time Communications division that worked on Windows Messenger and Exchange IM. He eventually served as Skype's VP and general manager.
[ For quick, smart takes on the news you'll be talking about, check out InfoWorld TechBrief -- subscribe today. | Get the latest insight on the tech news that matters from InfoWorld's Tech Watch blog. ]
The newly launched beta version of Perzo chimes with this background in some respects, developing the idea that Internet users still use too many different types of communications products which also sub-divide unnecessarily into those designed for work and private interaction.
Perzo puts all of these interactions in one Web-based space, letting users to switch easily between different mediums (so far email, IM, SMS, exchanging file attachments) and work and personal identities without getting them entangled in ways that risk confidentiality.
Because Perzo users work within a cloud-based system, emails, IMs and emailed attachments never leave the firm's data center, which in principle offers greater security. It's a security and anti-surveillance theme Gurle is very keen to emphasize.
"While our degree of connectivity has grown massively, our acceptance to use these open channels to communicate and share what is critical or personal has significantly dwindled. We are suspicious about who's got access to our data and confused about who to say what to, and on which application and device," he said.
"Using so many tools is causing people spread their emotional and intellectual properties across multiple databases. This needlessly fragments the very information that defines our relationships -- and we forget the value of what we've collected. Perzo aims to bring this consciousness together in one, secure, private place."
Security features aimed specifically at business users include message tracking, messages that self-destruct or can only be read (i.e. not forwarded), all backed up by 2048-bit encryption security that hides access not only to government agencies but to Perzo itself.
Being browser based, there are some inevitable trade-offs such as a slight lag when moving between messages that would not occur on a PC-based client such as Outlook. The interface is also in an early stage and needs a lot of work to become more intuitive. A mobile client for iOS is available from launch with one for Android promised within weeks.
Given that the service will be offered for free -- Gurle makes the point that equivalent integrated communications systems usually charge -- how will Perzo make money? Gurle believes that additional services accessed through Perzo's integration with Google Maps (for instance booking a restaurant) will be enough to pay the bills.
That sets off some alarm bells; isn't Perzo exactly the sort of unified communications platform that Google, Yahoo, Apple and Microsoft are trying to build for themselves? On the other hand, Gurle might point out, we now know that services built by any of these vendors can never be as free of surveillance as Perzo, built from day one to counter snooping.
There's little doubt that today's communications systems are getting more complex and less secure, partly because many of them were designed years or even decades ago but also because people now use them more intensively. Perzo could be a step in the direction of reinventing them for the early 21st century or another interesting cul de sac; time will tell.
Just a few days ahead of the release of her new album, Kellie Pickler arrived at the 2013 CMA Awards earlier tonight (November 6) in Nashville, Tennessee.
The “Dancing with the Stars” champ looked magnificent as she struck a pose for the shutterbugs lined up outside the Bridgestone Arena and mingled with fellow famous folks.
Competition will be fierce as things get underway tonight, with Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves each scoring a whopping six nominations.
Additionally, married superstars Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will compete in five categories each, while Florida Georgia Line and Keith Urban both have four chances for glory.
FILE - In this May 31, 2002 file photo, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat pauses during the weekly Muslim Friday prayers in his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Al-Jazeera is reporting that a team of Swiss scientists has found moderate evidence that longtime Palestinian leader Arafat died of poisoning. The Arab satellite channel published a copy of what it said was the scientists' report on its website on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)
FILE - In this May 31, 2002 file photo, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat pauses during the weekly Muslim Friday prayers in his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Al-Jazeera is reporting that a team of Swiss scientists has found moderate evidence that longtime Palestinian leader Arafat died of poisoning. The Arab satellite channel published a copy of what it said was the scientists' report on its website on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Swiss scientists have found evidence suggesting Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned, a TV station reported Wednesday, prompting new allegations by his widow that the Palestinian leader was the victim of a "shocking" crime.
Palestinian officials have long accused Israel of poisoning Arafat, a claim Israel has denied. Arafat died under mysterious circumstances at a French military hospital in 2004, a month after falling ill at his Israeli-besieged West Bank compound.
The findings reported Wednesday appear to be the most significant so far in an investigation into Arafat's death initiated by his widow, Suha, and the satellite TV station Al-Jazeera.
Last year, Switzerland's Institute of Radiation Physics discovered traces of polonium-210, a deadly radioactive isotope, on some of Arafat's belongings. Soil and bone samples were subsequently taken from Arafat's grave in the West Bank.
On Wednesday, the station published the Swiss team's 108-page report on the soil and bone samples. The results "moderately support the proposition that the death was the consequence of poisoning with polonium-210," the report said.
Repeated attempts to reach the main author, Patrice Mangin, or the Lausanne-based institute's spokesman, Darcy Christen, were unsuccessful Wednesday night.
Suha Arafat told Al-Jazeera she was shocked and saddened by the findings.
"It's a shocking, shocking crime to get rid of a great leader," she said, without casting specific blame. In his final days, Arafat "was so ill, losing everything, his immunity," she said. "He was shrinking day by day."
Arafat's widow demanded that a Palestinian committee that has been investigating her husband's death now try to find "the real person who did it."
The committee also received a copy of the report, but declined comment.
The head of the committee, Tawfik Tirawi, said details would be presented at a news conference in two days, and that the Palestinian Authority would announce what it plans to do next.
Raanan Gissin, a former Israeli government spokesman, reiterated Wednesday that Israel had no role in Arafat's death.
"It was a government decision not to touch Arafat at all," he said, adding that "if anyone poisoned him, it could have been someone from his close circle."
Arafat died Nov. 11, 2004, a month after falling violently ill at his Ramallah compound. French doctors said he died of a massive stroke and had suffered from a blood condition known as disseminated intravascular coagulation, or DIC. But the records were inconclusive about what led to the DIC, which has numerous possible causes, including infections and liver disease.
Polonium is a rare and highly lethal substance. The element can be a byproduct of the chemical processing of uranium, but usually is made artificially in a nuclear reactor or a particle accelerator.
Less than 1 gram (0.035 ounces) of the silver powder is enough to kill. Polonium's most famous victim was KGB agent-turned-Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London in 2006 after the substance was slipped into his tea.
The examination of the Arafat's remains found "unexpectedly high levels" of polonium-210, the Swiss team wrote.
Derek Hill, a professor in radiological science at University College London who was not involved in the investigation, said the levels of polonium-210 cited in the report seem "way above normal."
"I would say it's clearly not overwhelming proof, and there is a risk of contamination (of the samples), but it is a pretty strong signal," he said. "It seems likely what they're doing is putting a very cautious interpretation of strong data."
He said polonium is "kind of a perfect poison" because it is so hard to detect unless experts look for it using specialized equipment generally found only in government laboratories.
___
Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Gregory Katz in London, Lori Hinnant in Paris and John Heilprin in Geneva contributed to this report.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-11-06-Arafat's-Death/id-c618d753ed9e4e6aa1dfc6b6e836868cFlight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, left, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, hold the Olympic torch that will be flown with them to the International Space Station, during a press conference on Wednesday.
The Soyuz rocket that launched from Kazakhstan on Wednesday night has some special cargo on board. In addition to three crew members from Japan, Russia and the U.S., the International Space Station-bound probe is carrying an Olympic torch.
Payload specialists Robert Brenton Thirsk, left, and Jean-Jaques Favier hold the Olympic torch they brought to space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in 1996.
Payload specialists Robert Brenton Thirsk, left, and Jean-Jaques Favier hold the Olympic torch they brought to space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in 1996.
As we reported in June, the torch won't be lit — open flame inside the spacecrafts would be dangerous and consume precious oxygen. But Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy will carry the torch outside the station as part of a six-hour spacewalk on Nov. 9.
The Olympic torch will return to Earth on Nov. 10, along with three astronauts currently on board the ISS: Karen Nyberg, Luca Parmitano and Fyodor Yurchikhin.
This year's torch relay is the longest in Olympic history. The 123-day journey, which crisscrosses Russia, will cover more than 40,000 miles and involve more than 14,000 torchbearers.
And this trip isn't the first time an Olympic torch has left the planet — one flew with Space Shuttle Columbia in 1996 before the Atlanta games, and another in 2000 on Space Shuttle Atlantis, before the Sydney Olympics.
Apple has released some details about what changes and features will be making their way to the latest versions of iWork for Mac. Many people were upset when they found that several features were removed from the latest version. But Apple has announced some features that will be coming to iWork for Mac in the next six months. Apple noted that the iWork applications were rewritten from the ground up as 64-bit apps, with Apple seeking a united file format between iOS and OS X versions, and that meant that some features from iWork '09 didn't make the cut, according to a support article:
In rewriting these applications, some features from iWork ’09 were not available for the initial release. We plan to reintroduce some of these features in the next few releases and will continue to add brand new features on an ongoing basis.
All three iWork apps will be regaining their customizable toolbars. Pages will also have a verticle ruler, improved alignment guides, and keyboard shortcuts for styles. Nubmers will get zoom and window placement improvements, multi-column and range sorting, auto-complete for cell text page headers and footers, and improved AppleScript support. Keynote will also see improvements to AppleScript support, the restoration of old transitions and builds, and improvements to presenter display.
Apple reminds users that while they are waiting for these features to come to the new versions of iWork, they can use the previous versions of iWork, which they can find thing the iWork '09 folder in their Applications folder.
How do you feel about what Apple is doing here? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Apple
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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Brazilian lab that used dogs for drug tests says it's permanently shutting down three weeks after being targeted by protesters who freed nearly 180 beagles.
The Instituto Royal in Sao Paulo state says it was the only lab of its kind in Brazil. It carried out pre-clinical trials for drugs to fight cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and other diseases.
Now, Brazilian drug makers seeking approval for such medications must do testing outside of the country.
On Oct. 18, animal rights activists broke into the lab and freed the beagles. The next day, police and protesters seeking the permanent closure of the lab violently clashed outside its doors.
The lab's operating license was temporarily suspended by the city government, as police investigated allegations of animal abuse.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-11-06-LT-Brazil-Animal-Test-Lab-Closes/id-1785c2443b904904808c1440ddc9cc16Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, center, is greeted by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, right, as she is escorted by the committee's Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, prior to testifying before the committee's hearing on the difficulties plaguing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The massive failure at healthcare.gov website is getting new criticism for lack of proper cybersecurity protections. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, center, is greeted by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, right, as she is escorted by the committee's Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, prior to testifying before the committee's hearing on the difficulties plaguing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The massive failure at healthcare.gov website is getting new criticism for lack of proper cybersecurity protections. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Finance Committee member Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas questions Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, as she testified before the committee's hearing on the difficulties plaguing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The massive failure at healthcare.gov website is getting new criticism for lack of proper cybersecurity protections. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on the difficulties plaguing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act,. The massive failure at healthcare.gov website is getting new criticism for lack of proper cybersecurity protections. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
File-This April 17, 2013 file photo Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. questions Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as she testifies on Capitol Hill before the committee's hearing on President Barack Obama's budget proposal for fiscal year 2014. After warning months ago that a “train wreck” was coming in implementing the nation’s new health care law, Baucus now says he thinks the rollout can get back on track after a bumbling beginning. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite,File)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on the difficulties plaguing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act,. The massive failure at healthcare.gov website is getting new criticism for lack of proper cybersecurity protections. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans blistered Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday over the nation's controversial health care law, bluntly challenging her honesty, pushing for her resignation and demanding unsuccessfully she concede that President Barack Obama deliberately misled the public about his signature domestic program.
"We're not in it to just give you a rough time. We're in it to try and hopefully get it right," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, at a hearing where Republicans — all of whom had voted against "Obamacare" — focused on the program's flawed sign-up website as well as costs, policy cancellations, security concerns and other issues.
During two hours in the Senate Finance Committee witness chair, Sebelius parried some thrusts and listened impassively to others. Treated more gently by Democrats than Republicans, she said at one point: "Clearly the opposition is still quite ferocious, and I'm just hoping that people understand what their options are, what their benefits could be and what their opportunities are."
She offered few if any concessions about a program she pointedly observed "passed both houses of Congress, was signed by the president and upheld by the Supreme Court."
Nor did she provide much in the way of new information about the launch of a website that she has conceded was deeply flawed. She disclosed that the so-called punch list for repairs had included "a couple of hundred functional fixes" at the time the administration launched its urgent rescue mission last month.
Even now, she said, "we're not where we need to be."
She added that the Web portal now is handling large volumes of material with fewer errors. However, as she testified, the website, www.healthcare.gov ., was running sluggishly, with some users encountering difficulty and others receiving error messages.
At a Dallas synagogue Wednesday, Obama assured volunteers that their efforts to sign people up for coverage would be well worth the trouble. "As challenging as this may seem sometimes, as frustrating as HealthCare.gov may be sometimes, we are going to get his done," Obama said.
Just before leaving Washington, Obama met with 16 Democratic senators facing re-election in 2014 to discuss the troubled website rollout. They pressed him to extend the March 31 enrollment deadline, but White House press secretary Jay Carney rejected the idea.
Republican criticism and questions have turned in recent days into other areas, some blending policy and politics.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, one of Sebelius' most aggressive questioners, read aloud from a page of the White House website that says: "If you like your plan, you can keep it and you don't have to change a thing due to the health care law."
Turning to Sebelius, he said, "Well, we know that lying to Congress is a crime, but unfortunately lying to the American people is not. I'd just like to ask you a simple true-or-false question. Is that statement on the White House website true or is it false?" Sebelius said, "Sir, I think the statement is that. ..." before Cornyn cut her off.
"Is it true or is it false, Madame Secretary?" he asked.
She said "a vast majority" of people who are insured through their jobs would keep their plans and "a majority" of the 11 million in the individual market will keep plans with stronger coverage while "others will have to choose if they have to choose if they have a brand new plan and not a grandfathered — have to choose of a plan that they no longer get medically underwritten. ..."
Cornyn responded, "I will just ask that the record ... note that you have refused to answer my question whether it's true or false."
At the heart of his questioning was the recent flood of millions of cancellation notices that insurance companies have sent to individual policyholders, despite assurances dating to 2009 by the president that people would be able to keep their coverage if they liked it.
Several other Republicans also referred to the cancellations when their turn came to question Sebelius.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., asked if it violated Obama's promise that so many plans were canceled for falling short of the law's coverage requirements. Avoiding a direct response, Sebelius said, "For the vast majority of people who get employer-based health care, are in a public plan, are in the VA plan, are in Medicare, are part of the insurance market, their plans are very much in place. There is change coming in the individual marketplace with consumer protections that many people have never" had.
As senior Republican on the panel, Hatch led off. "While I'm glad that you are accepting responsibility for this disastrous rollout, I would have preferred that you and the rest of the administration were honest with us to begin with," he said.
Rather than ask Sebelius questions, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas — the secretary is a former governor of the state — used his allotted time to raise numerous complaints about the law and her performance as the administration official in charge.
Roberts, who faces a tea party challenger in a bid for re-election next year, noted delays in parts of the law and said website woes have caused public uncertainty and fear.
"Your main goal should have been to protect Americans, to lessen their risk and to ensure their safety. But in your zeal to implement this law, not warnings, not advice, not counsel would deter you from implementing the exchanges," he said. "You have said America should hold you for — accountable, which is why today, Madam Secretary, I repeat my request for you to resign."
Sebelius did not respond.
Applicants' ID security was another focus. Republicans said the administration put in jeopardy the personal information of Americans by taking the website live before security testing was fully completed.
"So not only can millions of Americans not log in to the website successfully, but those who have actually succeeded could now find themselves at the mercy of identity thieves across the globe," said Hatch.
Sebelius said security issues were taken very seriously and "no one suggested that the risks outweighed the importance of moving forward" with the Oct. 1 launch date for the new insurance markets.
No major breaches have been reported, although in one publicized case the personal information of a South Carolina man was delivered to a website user who lives in North Carolina.
Broader security concerns have arisen because the part of the website that consumers interact with directly was not fully tested.
Federal law requires all government computer systems to have a security certification before going live. Yet on Sept. 27, Marilyn Tavenner, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, agreed to a temporary permit that said, "Aspects of the system that were not tested due to the ongoing development exposed a level of uncertainty that can be deemed as a high risk."
Separately, officials said the chief information security officer at the agency, Tony Trenkle, who was involved in the decision to issue the certificate, is resigning to take a job in the private sector. CMS spokeswoman Julie Bataille sidestepped questions about the reasons for the departure.
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Associated Press writers Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-11-06-Health%20Overhaul-Problems/id-3aaf023992574dba8c4ea1aaeaa01e3d
Search-and-rescue operations are delicate, time-sensitive, and intense. That's why researchers are always looking for new ways to unload some of the dirty work onto robots: machines that will help rescuers get the to the bottom of the rubble—or the top of the mountain—faster and far more efficiently.
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