Excited, but cold: Scientists unveil the secret of a reaction for prebiotic synthesis of organic matter

June 24, 2013 ? How is it that a complex organism evolves from a pile of dead matter? How can lifeless materials become organic molecules that are the bricks of animals and plants? Scientists have been trying to answer these questions for ages. Researchers at the Max Planck Institut f?r Kohlenforschung have now disclosed the secret of a reaction that has to do with the synthesis of complex organic matter before the origin of life.

Since the 1960's it has been well known that when concentrated hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is irradiated by UV light, it forms an imidazole intermediate that is a key substance for synthesis of nucleobases and nucleotides in abiotic environment. The way how UV radiation acts in this reaction to produce complex organic matter was, however, never clarified. Dr. Mario Barbatti and his colleagues in Germany, India and Czech Republic have now shown how this process occurs via computer simulations.

Using diverse computational-chemistry methods, the team has arrived at astonishing conclusions: For example that the reaction does not take place in the hot spot created by the solar radiation. "This has nothing to do with heat, but with electrons," says Mario Barbatti.

The reaction proceeds through a series of electronically excited intermediates. The molecules get into the "electronic excited state" because of the UV radiation, which means that their electrons are distributed in a much different way than the usual. That changes the molecule's attitudes. "But this takes some time," says Mario Barbatti. They showed that the radiation energy is dissipated too fast, and because of that each reactant molecule absorbs hundreds of UV photons before it finally gets converted into the imidazole intermediate.

"This is very inefficient -- and quite extraordinary," says Mario Barbatti. That is why it was quite challenging to comprehend the reaction, explains the physicist from Brazil. He and his colleagues have calculated a lot of possible intermediates, tried -- and discarded most of them. Finally they found out that there is only one single pathway that is consistent with the fast energy dissipation and previous experimental observations.

But why did they work on the computer? Isn't it the case that chemical reactions are worked on in laboratories? "Some intermediates are too elusive to analyze them in the laboratory -- they disappear before we may see them," Barbatti explains. Computational Chemistry allows the scientists to comprehend the reactions in a theoretical way.

"As I said before, this reaction has nothing to do with heat," says Barbatti. The transformation works in a cold environment, as in comets and in terrestrial ices, where spontaneous HCN polymerization is most expected to occur.

The team has published their results, which help to understand the role of solar radiation on the origin of life, in the recent issue of Angewandte Chemie.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/Q7w5RJO2C7M/130624104213.htm

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No bail for Fla. sex offender charged in death

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? A judge on Sunday denied bail to a registered sex offender accused of abducting and killing an 8-year-old Florida girl.

Donald James Smith, of Jacksonville, was charged Saturday with murder and kidnapping in the death of Cherish Perrywinkle.

Authorities said Smith befriended the girl and her mother while they shopped at a dollar store Friday night.

Smith took them to a Wal-Mart, where he offered to buy them clothes and hamburgers, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Instead of buying the snacks, Smith walked out of the store with the girl, the sheriff's office said. The girl's mother called 911 when she noticed they were missing.

A tip led investigators to the girl's body in the woods near a church Saturday morning. Police arrested Smith after stopping his van on Interstate 95. Authorities have not said how Cherish died.

Smith's public defender, Fred Gazaleh, told The Florida Times-Union (http://bit.ly/10dmKxy) before the hearing that Smith didn't have a chance of getting bail.

Gazaleh did not immediately respond to messages left Sunday by The Associated Press.

Smith's next court appearance is scheduled July 16.

Authorities initially spelled the girl's name Charish Perriwinkle in an Amber Alert on Saturday, but later changed her last name to Perrywinkle. Victim's advocate Ann Dugger of the Justice Coalition said she spoke with the girl's mother, who said her daughter's name is Cherish Perrywinkle.

Smith did not immediately cooperate with investigators after his arrest, said Mike Williams, director of investigations at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Smith has been a registered sex offender since a 1993 conviction in Duval County for attempted kidnapping and selling obscene materials. He has been arrested several times since then, most recently in 2009 on a charge of child abuse after making obscene phone calls to a 10-year-old girl, making verbal threats, and impersonating a social worker with the Florida Department of Children and Families who claimed to be investigating the girl's family.

Smith pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in that case and was released from jail May 31. He had just met with police Friday morning to comply with a state law that requires sex offenders to verify their address once a year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-bail-fla-sex-offender-charged-death-202225050.html

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'Family Ties' creator Gary David Goldberg dies

NEW YORK (AP) ? Gary David Goldberg, who created the 1980s sitcom hit "Family Ties" and expanded into feature films, has died.

Goldberg died of brain cancer in Montecito, Calif., on Saturday, days before his 69th birthday, The New York Times reported.

Goldberg's TV successes also included the ABC comedy "Spin City," which in 1996 reunited him with "Family Ties" breakout star Michael J. Fox as the deputy mayor of New York City.

"With a full heart I say goodbye to my mentor, benefactor, partner, second father and beloved friend," Fox said in a statement on Monday. "He touched so many with his enormous talent and generous spirit. He changed my life profoundly."

A more modest hit for Goldberg yet much-acclaimed, CBS' "Brooklyn Bridge" (1991-93) was a tender comedy based on his experiences growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y. Marion Ross starred as a character inspired by his grandmother.

Goldberg's films included "Dad" (1989), starring Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson, as well as "Bye Bye Love" (1995) and "Must Love Dogs" (2005), which he wrote as well as directed.

His own dog, Ubu, contributed the name of his production company and was widely known from the onscreen credit where viewers heard the command, "Sit, Ubu, sit," then a bark.

Goldberg began his TV career in the 1970s as a writer for series including "The Bob Newhart Show," and was a producer of "Lou Grant."

In 1982 "Family Ties" premiered on NBC, introducing Michael J. Fox as a business-loving Young Republican son of left-wing baby boomers who were former hippies.

"Basically, those parents are me and Diana," Goldberg once said, referring to his wife, Diana Meehan, who survives him.

The series became a huge hit, making Fox a star and Goldberg an important behind-the-camera name.

During his career, Goldberg won two Emmy awards, two Golden Globes and a Peabody award.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/family-ties-creator-gary-david-goldberg-dies-200720990.html

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David Gregory, Glenn Greenwald Spar Over Snowden - Business ...

NBC

"Meet the Press" moderator David Gregory had a heated exchange with Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald on Sunday, during which?Gregory asked Greenwald, point blank, if he should be charged with a crime for his role in publishing leaked classified documents from NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

"To the extent that you have aided and abetted Snowden," Gregory said, "even in his current movements, why shouldn't you, Mr. Greenwald, be charged with a crime?"

"I think it's pretty extraordinary that anybody who would call themselves a journalist would publicly muse about whether or not other journalists should be charged with felonies," Greenwald responded.?

"The assumption in your question, David, is completely without evidence ? the idea that I've 'aided and abetted' him in any way."

Greenwald accused Gregory of advocating a position that has touched off some controversy in recent weeks with the Obama administration and leak investigations. Greenwald pointed to the Justice Department's obtaining of Associated Press reporters' phone records and its investigation involving Fox News reporter James Rosen.

"The scandal that arose in Washington before our stories began was about the fact that the Obama administration is trying to criminalize investigative journalism ? by going through the emails and phone records of AP reporters, accusing a Fox News journalist of the theory you just embraced ? being a 'co-conspirator.'"

Here's the clip:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/david-gregory-glenn-greenwald-edward-snowden-crime-2013-6

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Snowden charges first step in long extradition process

By Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has filed espionage charges against Edward Snowden, a former U.S. National Security Agency contractor who admitted revealing secret surveillance programs to media outlets, according to a court document made public on Friday.

The charges are the government's first step in what could be a long legal battle to return Snowden from Hong Kong, where he is believed to be in hiding, and try him in a U.S. court. A Hong Kong newspaper said he was under police protection, but the territory's authorities declined to comment.

Snowden was charged with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person, said the criminal complaint, which was dated June 14.

The latter two offenses fall under the U.S. Espionage Act and carry penalties of fines and up to 10 years in prison.

A single page of the complaint was unsealed on Friday. An accompanying affidavit remained under seal.

Two U.S. sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was preparing to seek Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong, which is part of China but has wide-ranging autonomy, including an independent judiciary.

The Washington Post, which first reported the criminal complaint earlier on Friday, said the United States had asked Hong Kong to detain Snowden on a provisional arrest warrant.

Hong Kong's Chinese-language Apple Daily quoted police sources as saying that anti-terrorism officers had contacted Snowden, arranged a safe house for him and provided protection.

The report said the police had checked his documents but had not discussed other matters or taken any statements.

Hong Kong Police Commissioner Andy Tsang declined to comment other than to say Hong Kong would deal with the case in accordance with the law.

Snowden earlier this month admitted leaking secrets about classified U.S. surveillance programs, creating a public uproar. Supporters say he is a whistleblower, while critics call him a criminal and perhaps even a traitor.

He disclosed documents detailing U.S. telephone and Internet surveillance efforts to the Washington Post and Britain's Guardian newspaper.

The criminal complaint was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, where Snowden's former employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, is located.

That judicial district has seen a number of high-profile prosecutions, including the spy case against former FBI agent Robert Hanssen and the case of al Qaeda operative Zacarias Moussaoui. Both were convicted.

'ACTIVE EXTRADITION RELATIONSHIP'

Documents leaked by Snowden revealed that the NSA has access to vast amounts of Internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies such as Facebook and Google, under a government program known as Prism.

They also showed that the government had worked through the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to gather so-called metadata - such as the time, duration and telephone numbers called - on all calls carried by service providers such as Verizon.

President Barack Obama and his intelligence chiefs have vigorously defended the programs, saying they are regulated by law and that Congress was notified. They say the programs have been used to thwart militant plots and do not target Americans' personal lives.

U.S. federal prosecutors, by filing a criminal complaint, lay claim to a legal basis to make an extradition request of the authorities in Hong Kong, the Post reported. The prosecutors now have 60 days to file an indictment and can then take steps to secure Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong for a criminal trial in the United States, the newspaper reported.

The United States and Hong Kong have "excellent cooperation" and as a result of agreements, "there is an active extradition relationship between Hong Kong and the United States," a U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters.

Since the United States and Hong Kong signed an extradition treaty in 1998, scores of Americans have been sent back home to face trial. However, the process can take years, lawyers say.

Under Hong Kong's extradition process, a request would first go to Hong Kong's chief executive. A magistrate would issue a formal warrant for Snowden's arrest if the chief executive agrees the case should proceed.

Simon Young, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong, said the first charge of theft against Snowden might find an equivalent charge in Hong Kong, needed to allow extradition proceedings to move forward, but the unauthorized communication and willful communication charges may be sticking points that lead to litigation and dispute in the courts.

Whatever the Hong Kong courts decide could be vetoed by the territory's leader or Beijing on foreign affairs or defense grounds.

An Icelandic businessman linked to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said on Thursday he had readied a private plane in China to fly Snowden to Iceland if Iceland's government would grant asylum.

Iceland refused on Friday to say whether it would grant asylum to Snowden.

(Additional reporting by James Pomfret, Venus Wu and Grace Li in HONG KONG; Editing by Warren Strobel, Peter Cooney and Neil Fullick)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-files-espionage-charges-against-snowden-over-leaks-015108216.html

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Sexually Active in High School? Predictors of Hookup Behavior For ...

By Janice Wood Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on June 22, 2013

Researchers have identified several factors associated with an increase in hookups ? casual, no-strings-attached sex ? among women in their first year of college.

?Our findings suggest hooking up during the first year of college is influenced by pre-college hookups, personality, behavioral intentions, the social and situational context, family background and substance use patterns ? particularly marijuana use,? said Robyn L. Fielder, M.S., a research intern at The Miriam Hospital?s Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine in Providence, R.I.

Fielder and her team surveyed 483 incoming first-year female college students about their risk behaviors, personality traits and social environment.

Specific questions covered the students? sexual behavior, hookup attitudes and intentions, self-esteem, religious beliefs, parents? relationship status, alcohol and marijuana use, smoking, impulsivity, and sensation-seeking behavior. Researchers followed up with the women monthly for eight months.

What the researchers found is that pre-college hookups emerged as the strongest predictor of hooking up during freshmen year, suggesting early experiences may provide a model for future behavior.

?These findings suggest that women?s hookup behavior during the first year of college may influence their hookup behavior later in college,? said Fielder.

?That?s why the transition to college is an important time for health care professionals to provide sexual health information and resources to help women make informed choices.?

It?s also important to consider the array of individual, social and contextual factors when studying hookup behavior, she noted.

?Focusing on any one area of influence fails to capture the complicated matrix of forces that influence young adults? relationship decisions,? Fielder added.

The study was published online in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Source: Lifespan

College woman looking into the camera photo by shutterstock.

APA Reference
Wood, J. (2013). Sexually Active in High School? Predictors of Hookup Behavior For College Women. Psych Central. Retrieved on June 23, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/06/22/sexually-active-in-high-school-predictors-of-hookup-behavior-for-college-women/56324.html

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Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/06/22/sexually-active-in-high-school-predictors-of-hookup-behavior-for-college-women/56324.html

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Development of nonvolatile liquid anthracenes for facile full-color luminescence tuning: Application to foldable light-emitting devices expected

June 23, 2013 ? A research team headed by Dr. Takashi Nakanishi, a Principal Researcher of the NIMS Organic Materials Group, Polymer Materials Unit, developed a full-colour tunable luminescent liquid material with excellent light stability based on an anthracene molecule, which is a general organic fluorescent dye.

A research team headed by Dr. Takashi Nakanishi, a Principal Researcher of the Organic Materials Group (Group Leader: Masayuki Takeuchi), Polymer Materials Unit (Unit Director: Izumi Ichinose) of the National Institute for Materials Science (President: Sukekatsu Ushioda), developed a full-colour tunable luminescent liquid material with excellent photostability based on anthracene, which is a general organic fluorescent dye.

In the development of full-colour display monitors, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, organic molecular and polymer materials are essentially important, as they offer advantages such as light weight, flexibility, and printability. However, in virtually all cases, the light-emitting organic molecular materials developed until now have had difficulties to demonstrate their inherent luminescent performance due to various problems, which include low photostability (durability to prevent discoloration or decolorization under photoirradiation) and aggregation of molecules in the coating process. Moreover, from the viewpoint of production of flexible devices, materials should be free of deterioration of the continuous emissive layer, even when subjected to excessive bending and folding. On the other hand, development of organic molecular materials which enable simple, low-cost manufacture of full-colour luminescence devices, in comparison with individual synthesis of organic molecular materials that display various luminescent colours, is also desired.

The team led by Dr. Nakanishi developed a blue-emitting liquid material which is free of aggregation among adjacent anthracene parts, has a melting point of approximately -60 ?C, and is thermally stable up to about 300 ?C, by attaching highly flexible branched alkyl chains around an anthracene core moiety, which is a fluorescent general dye molecule. This material is a low-viscosity liquid with viscosity of approximately 0.3 Pa-s at room temperature and is a blue-emitting with an absolute fluorescence quantum yield of ca. 55% and photostable more than 5~10 times longer lifetime than that of commercially-available anthracene dyes. Furthermore, because other luminescent dye molecules can be doped homogeneously in this liquid, it was found that full-colour luminescence tuning is available assisted by up to 96% fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) of dyes by single blue-light (365nm) excitation.

In this research, a blue-emitting anthracene liquid with excellent photostability was synthesized, and a liquid material which displays high quality full-colour luminescence and precise luminescence tuning by the facile operation of doping the liquid with other dyes was developed. Since the nonvolatile liquid material developed in this work can be coated on the surface of various substrates, production of organic multicolour devices with stable single color excitation can be expected. A continuous active emitting layer can be maintained, without breaking or interruption even when bent and folded, which is a favorable property for the development of foldable flexible devices.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/wiw-4VNFXlY/130623153502.htm

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Watch Wimbledon tennis live on YouTube beginning Monday (video)

It may not be the NBA Finals or Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the world's oldest tennis tournament has a solid following as well, particularly abroad. A new Wimbledon partnership with YouTube could help boost the competition's appeal stateside; for the first time, you'll be able to access video feeds from the two-week London event, live on Google's prized streaming site. Beginning this Monday, you can catch all the action on Wimbledon's YouTube channel, with Rolex footing the bill. You'll also find interviews, behind-the-scenes segments and press conference streams on the video site, along with past match highlights and other featured content. There's a teaser clip waiting for you just past the break.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google

Comments

Source: YouTube

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/NjIILEldUAk/

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French President Hollande's popularity down again: poll

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande's popularity was back to record lows in June after inching up in May, according to an Ifop poll carried out for French newspaper Journal du Dimanche.

The survey for publication on Sunday showed 26 percent of those interviewed were satisfied with Hollande's performance, down 3 percentage points, while 73 percent were dissatisfied, up 2 points.

The proportion of people satisfied with Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also declined 2 points to 31 percent.

The Socialist government has been struggling with rising unemployment, stalled economic growth, and a large public deficit, while Hollande's same-sex marriage law prompted huge protests.

Elected in May 2012, Hollande's low popularity is lower than almost all previous presidents at the same point in their terms.

The study was based on the views of 1,865 people aged 18 or over contacted by telephone between June 14 and June 22.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-president-hollandes-popularity-down-again-poll-223830923.html

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GOG's 24-hour 'Longest Day of Gaming' sale discounts over 150 ...

As far as massive sales go, GOG's Longest Day of Gaming event has about the same discount density as a white dwarf made out of Payless BOGO coupons. For the next 24ish hours, over 150 games have been discounted by up to 85 percent, covering everything from classic PC games, modern indies, big-budget AAA releases and sizable bundles of similar titles.

There's too much going on in this sale for us to list every single hot deal here, but we'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention that you can snag Fez, Dyad, Hotline Miami, The Witcher 2, Retro City Rampage, FTL, Waking Mars, Slender: The Arrival and every game in the Myst series for less than $10 each. The sale even includes Mac games ? get up on this.

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/21/gogs-24-hour-longest-day-of-gaming-sale-discounts-over-150-ga/

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Wambach breaks Hamm's mark for career goals

United States' Megan Rapinoe, right, celebrates with Abby Wambach as teammates rush in after Wambach scored a goal against South Korea during the first half of an international friendly soccer match at Red Bull Arena, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Harrison, N.J. With the goal, Wambach broke Mia Hamm's national goal-scoring record. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

United States' Megan Rapinoe, right, celebrates with Abby Wambach as teammates rush in after Wambach scored a goal against South Korea during the first half of an international friendly soccer match at Red Bull Arena, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Harrison, N.J. With the goal, Wambach broke Mia Hamm's national goal-scoring record. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

United States' Abby Wambach, center right, reacts after scoring a goal against South Korea as United States' Heather O'Reilly (9) and Crustal Dunn (6) and South Korea's Jeoun Eunha (18) look on during the first half of an international friendly soccer match at Red Bull Arena, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Harrison, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

United States' Abby Wambach, left, reacts after scoring a goal against South Korea during the first half of an international friendly soccer match at Red Bull Arena, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Harrison, N.J. With the goal Wambach ties for most scored goals with former US player Mia Hamm. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

United States' Abby Wambach kisses a soccer ball after scoring against South Korea during the first half of an international friendly soccer match at Red Bull Arena, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Harrison, N.J. With the goal, Wambach broke Mia Hamm's national goal-scoring record. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

United States women soccer players mob Abby Wambach after she scored a goal against South Korea during the first half of an international friendly soccer match at Red Bull Arena, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Harrison, N.J. With the goal, Wambach broke Mia Hamm's national goal-scoring record. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

HARRISON, N.J. (AP) ? Abby Wambach broke Mia Hamm's record for international career goals by a soccer player, scoring four times in the first half against South Korea to push her total to 160.

Wambach tallied three times in the first 29 minutes to break Hamm's mark of 158 international goals, and she added another in injury time to give her a nice round number.

The historic 159th came on a line-drive header that ripped into the twine in the back of the net off a corner kick by Megan Rapinoe.

The 33-year-old Wambach turned and ran a couple of steps in the direction of the U.S. bench, then stopped as Rapinoe jumped into her arms. The Rochester, N.Y., native was then mobbed by teammates on the field and those who streamed off the bench as the crowd at Red Bull Arena cheered wildly.

After the hugs, Wambach turned to the stands and blew a kiss toward her parents, Judy and Peter.

Chants of "Ab-bee, Ab-bee, Ab-bee," cascaded through the stadium as officials got the ball and gave it to the U.S. bench.

"I'm just so proud of her," Hamm said. "Just watching those four goals, that's what she is all about. She fights for the ball, she's courageous and she never gives up. Her strength and perseverance is what makes her so great and it's what defenders and opposing teams fear.

"From being her teammate early in her career, I know all she ever wanted to do was win, and she continues to do that. I'm just glad I got to share 158 with her. It was short, but it was fun."

Her first goal Thursday came on a shot in the box past South Korean goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi in the 10th minute. The second came nine minutes later in the friendly on a flicking header.

Lauren Cheney set up the first two goals on crossing passes on plays that Wambach eluded Korean defender Shim Seo-yeon.

Wambach's fourth goal was an easy tap-in after Alex Morgan made a run down the right side and centered the ball to the on-rushing Wambach, the 2012 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year.

Wambach had a chance for a fifth goal, which would have tied her single-game record, but she could not get her head on a cross early in the second half.

Wambach was given a standing ovation by many in the crowd when she was replaced in the 58th minute by Christen Press.

Before leaving the field, she exchanged hugs with long-time teammates Rapinoe, Heather O'Reilly and Carli Lloyd and a few other players. As she got to the sideline she applauded the crowd and then hugged her coaches and teammates.

Wambach said on Tuesday she wanted to get the record and stop being the center of attention. On Thursday night she held the spotlight and no one was going to take it away.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-20-SOC-Wambach-Record/id-d9413b92ceb2468cb16516dc6df2ad2b

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Rachel Zoe: Pregnant With Second Child!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/rachel-zoe-pregnant-with-second-child/

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Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Math

Copyright ? 2013 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

OK. Maybe E. O. Wilson's comments in his new book, "Letters to a Young Scientist", essentially says you don't want to have to be great at math to have a career in science, but it can't hurt, right? And to be great at math, it pays to start young, and my next guest is a - has a plan for you. Laura Overdeck is the founder of Bedtime Math. Her mission: to make math friendlier in a way by introducing kids to math problems at an early age.

And here's her plan. You get your kids into their PJs. You tuck them in with a math equation on top of their bedtime story. And you can find a simple - a sample of her bedtime math puzzles on our website at sciencefriday.com/bedtimemath. Laura Overdeck is here with us. Welcome to SCIENCE FRIDAY.

LAURA OVERDECK: Hi. Thank you.

FLATOW: This is a cute little book. It's a big book. It's nice. You think you can teach math to kids while they're getting their bedtime story?

OVERDECK: Oh, I think absolutely. Where this came from was that my husband and I, we like math, and when our first child was 2, we started rolling in a little math problem with her book at night, just, you know, started with counting the ears and noses on her stuffed animals. It got tougher as she got older. We've rolled in a second child, a third child. And what we found was that, in our house by now, math is like dessert. It's a treat...

FLATOW: Is that right?

OVERDECK: It's a treat the kids want. They actually ask for their math problem at night.

FLATOW: So they didn't say, oh, mommy, you're going to read me a math problem when you first started?

(LAUGHTER)

OVERDECK: Well, no. Well, first of all, we never wrote them down. We always did them off-the-cuff...

FLATOW: Right.

OVERDECK: ...and they were based on what we had talked about at dinner or funny things that had happened that day.

FLATOW: Mm-hmm. And how did you get the idea to write the book? Did you say, I did this so many times, I should just put them all into a book and publish it?

OVERDECK: You know, it was actually that friends started hearing we were doing this and said, well, have you thought about sharing them? So, about a year ago, I rounded up 10 or 12 people in town, and I said, OK, I'm going to mail you, I'm going to email you a math problem every night. Try it with your kids and tell me what happens. And within days, people were telling me that their kids were starting to bug them for the math problem every night.

FLATOW: Mm-hmm. Give me a sample of a math problem. Give us a math problem sample.

OVERDECK: Sure. So, a couple of days ago, we did one on animals that have eight legs. And, you know, how do you walk when you have eight feet without tripping over yourself? So I actually watched a video of a crab walking to see how they do this. There's also a spider video out there. I couldn't bring myself to watch that. That was going to give me nightmares. But I watched the crab one, and there's a pattern.

The four feet on one side go one, three, two, four, and the ones on the other side do the same thing, alternating. So if the pattern is one, five, three, seven, two, six, four eight, and then you do one, five, three again, which leg takes the next step?

FLATOW: There you go.

OVERDECK: And then the bonus was which leg takes the 37th step?

(LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: For smart kids. We're talking with Laura Overdeck on SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR. Her book is "Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late." Do you think grown-ups can enjoy it, to learn something when they're reading this to their kids?

OVERDECK: Oh, sure. We actually have a whole crowd of adults who follow our website who do them as a brainteaser.

FLATOW: Mm-hmm. Do the kids fall asleep if they're thinking about a math problem? Does it get them sleepier or keep them awake?

OVERDECK: You know, I'll tell you, I have three really lively children, so if it can calm them down, it can help anybody. That might have been, actually, how we started doing it.

FLATOW: Now, is there any actual evidence that this actually helps kids be better in math once they...

OVERDECK: Well, you know, I'll tell you, there is a recent study showing that when you do learning at night, you retain it better, and this may be why the bedtime story has survived the centuries and been such a beloved institution.

We actually are doing research ourselves. We did a small study last summer with Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey where the kids got a fun math problem every day, and we tested them before and after the six weeks. And while most kids slide two or three months in skills over the summer, we found that 72 percent of these kids actually did better...

FLATOW: Wow.

OVERDECK: ...at the end of the summer. So we're now doing a study with the University of Chicago for the next five years to see if we can pin down what's happening.

FLATOW: Are there problems in the book for kids of all ages, as they used to say?

OVERDECK: Yes. What we do is we take topics kids love - like anteaters, snowmobiles, chocolate - and each one opens with a little story and maybe some shocking facts, and then the questions are at different levels of challenge. And what's funny is even adults like to start with the wee ones, counting on their fingers and then work their way up.

FLATOW: Do you find that people say, hey, I've got a great book - a subject for you, you ought to put it in your next book? Here's a great...

OVERDECK: Oh, absolutely. I mean, because, you know, we put out a math problem every day on the website.

FLATOW: Right.

OVERDECK: We need lots of ideas, and subscribers do send them in, which is awesome.

FLATOW: Mm-hmm. Do you have any suggestions for people who want to start this? Is there the right way and the wrong way to introduce it to your kid, or you just sit down in bed and say read from the book?

OVERDECK: You know, I think that reading from the book is one way to do it. What's really great is when parents just weave math into the daily routine, into playtime. And I think that a lot of adults have math anxiety and shy away from doing that. Then kids go off to school, and their first introduction to math is school, which is...

FLATOW: Right.

OVERDECK: ...homework and drilling. If kids can discover math before they have any preconceived notions, they're just going to be on much better footing.

FLATOW: Yeah. And if they have a teacher, maybe, who'll keep encouraging them, right?

OVERDECK: Right.

FLATOW: Kids are natural scientists. They're natural born inquisitors. They like to find out about everything, and we just don't have a way of doing it. Maybe your math book can help do that. Have - do teachers use it at all and think about it?

OVERDECK: We do have teachers using it. They say that they warm up the class with a math problem in the morning. We've heard all kinds of stories. There's a bus driver outside Chicago who actually puts the math problem up on a whiteboard on the bus every morning. And he has a bag of Oriental Trading prizes.

FLATOW: Right.

OVERDECK: And the first kid on the bus to get it gets to pull something out of the bag. So it's really a movement that's spreading.

FLATOW: That's great. Well, good luck to you in the movement and spreading that movement. Thank you for taking time to be with us today.

OVERDECK: Oh, thank you.

FLATOW: Laura Overdeck, illustrated by Jim Paillot, is that...

OVERDECK: Paillot.

FLATOW: Paillot. I'm doing the French version.

OVERDECK: I had to ask him how to say it.

(LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: Laura Overdeck with Jim Paillot illustrations, "Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse To Stay Up Late". It's really cute, nicely drawn, beautiful illustrations in there. Thanks for taking time to be with us today.

OVERDECK: OK. Thank you.

FLATOW: We're going to take a break. And when we come back, were going to Sean Carroll. He's coming with us to talk about the particles - new kind of particle that's discovered, made out of four quarks, something really mysterious, stuff we'd like to talk about on SCIENCE FRIDAY. So stay with us. We'll be right back after this break. I'm Ira Flatow. This is SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR.

Copyright ? 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

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Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/06/21/194230824/goodnight-moon-goodnight-math?ft=1&f=1007

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McCarthy responds to 'hippo,' 'obese' slams

Celebs

Ree Hines TODAY contributor

7 hours ago

Kevin Winter / Getty Images file

Melissa McCarthy.

When Melissa McCarthy's comedy "Identity Thief" hit theaters earlier this year, it met mixed reviews. Some critics found it hilarious; for others, the jokes fell flat.

But one reviewer barely bothered to focus on the film at all. When veteran film critic Rex Reed dished out his take, he set his sights on criticizing McCarthy, calling the leading lady "obese and obnoxious with equal success."

In fact, that barb was practically kind compared to what else he had to say. He also referred to McCarthy as a "female hippo," called her "cacophonous, tractor-sized." And then, after the film found box office success, he claimed the hubbub his comments stirred was actually responsible for the big draw.

As for McCarthy, she didn't take the bait, allowing the controversy to pass without a word. But now, over four months later and with the buzz behind her, the actress has something to say.

In an recent interview with the New York Times, she opened up about the infamous review.

"Really?" she said, recalling her initial reaction to the piece. "Why would someone OK that?"

During her chat with the Times, McCarthy never mentioned Reed by name, but did give her impression of him in the wake of the review.

"I felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate," she said. "I just thought, that's someone who's in a really bad spot, and I am in such a happy spot. I laugh my head off every day with my husband and my kids who are mooning me and singing me songs."

While she said she didn't allow Reed's comments to get her down, McCarthy admitted that if the incident had taken place when she was younger, it would have left her "crushed."

Reed gave his reaction to the controversy shortly after his initial review. In an interview with WOR-AM, he said, "Don't make me a villain. ? She's is crying all the way to the bank!"

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/melissa-mccarthy-responds-critics-hippo-tractor-sized-slams-6C10321827

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Muscle adaptation of transition to minimalist running

May 2, 2013 ? For tens of thousands of years, humans ran on bare feet. Then we developed an assortment of specialized shoes, including -- particularly since the 1960s -- a seemingly limitless variety of running shoes. Despite the perceived advantages of foot protection, some runners in recent years have returned to barefoot running, believing it is a more natural way to run and therefore less injurious to the feet and legs.

As a result, several shoe manufacturers have produced specialized "minimalist" shoes to accommodate this, such as the Vibram FiveFingers shoes. Such shoes allow a runner to imitate barefoot running while providing some sole and toe protection. The design allows the feet and toes to spread out and conform to the terrain with each step, rather than being boxed in and stabilized by a contoured and cushioned shoe design.

The difference results in a different running stride -- people in running shoes strike first with the heel (because of all the cushioning), whereas barefoot and minimalist runners strike first with the forefoot. This difference affects how the muscles of the legs and feet respond and develop.

But, exactly, how do the muscles change when adapting to a new running style?

That is the question researchers at the University of Virginia are asking in a new one-of-a-kind study of runners who are transitioning from shoed running style to minimalist running.

"We want to know what happens to the muscles of the leg and foot when recreational runners make the switch to minimalist footwear," said Geoffrey Handsfield, a U.Va. Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering who is leading the study. "Many minimalist shoe manufacturers make claims that their shoes will lead to strengthening the muscles of the calf and feet while avoiding common running injuries. However, there is little scientific evidence supporting these claims."

The researchers aim to find out exactly which muscles get bigger or weaken, which elongate or shorten, and if some muscles do not change.

Handsfield and his co-investigators, biomedical engineering professor Silvia Blemker (Handsfield's adviser) and third-year undergraduate biomedical engineering student Natalie Powers, are using static and dynamic MRI with motion capture cameras and an instrumented treadmill to track the running technique and muscle tissue adaptations of recreational runners transitioning to minimalist running technique.

"Most studies and discussions have been about running form and the effects on bones and joints, but we're taking a different approach," Handsfield said. "We think it's relevant to look at the muscles' adaptations, which also affect the bones and joints in their interactions."

He said this is among the first longitudinal studies of runners switching to a new running technique and using a minimalist shoe, and the first to use advanced imaging to study the effects on muscles of different running techniques.

"Dynamic MRI allows us to image the tissue very rapidly so that we can observe displacements of the muscle tissue as our subject performs a controlled cyclic exercise," Handsfield said. "We're also using static MRI to determine the subjects' muscle volumes and lengths before and after their transition to minimalist footwear, allowing us to quantify how their muscles changed with minimalist training."

The researchers are not attempting to prove one running style is better than the other; rather they are interested in the affects of the change on muscles. The eventual results could help runners make their own decisions regarding footwear and running styles.

"Shoe companies are generally not equipped to undergo fundamental studies aimed at understanding how shoe designs affect muscles," Blemker said. "At a university, we are able to focus on this type of research that ultimately both advances our fundamental understanding of muscle adaptation and potentially provides a scientific basis for future shoe designs."

The researchers have completed the first phase of their study -- mapping the muscles of study participants who run in standard running footwear. They are about to begin the second phase, which will map changes to the muscles as those runners transition to minimalist footwear. The runners are 23- to 30-year-old recreational runners who run 12 to 30 miles per week.

The research is funded by a U.Va. "Double 'Hoo" grant that pairs graduate and undergraduate students (Handsfield and Powers) on research projects, and by a gift from the Merrell shoe company, which manufactures minimalist footwear.

The technology used in the study was developed under a project funded by the U.Va.-Coulter Translational Research Partnership. The same technology has also been applied to studying muscles in children with cerebral palsy, adults with knee pain and elite and collegiate athletes.

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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/most_popular/~3/0sZXrqAyHj8/130502142443.htm

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Book Review : BOOK REVIEW: Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach

Review by Erika Engelhaupt

By Mary Roach

Web edition: May 3, 2013
Print edition: May 18, 2013; Vol.183 #10 (p. 30)

It?s no coincidence that the word ?visceral? refers both to entrails and to the sensation one feels on a roller coaster. We humans have a love-hate relationship with our guts, and Roach?s latest book capitalizes on that mix of fascination and repulsion to lure us into reading about the digestive system.

Gulp explores the alimentary canal, moving like a bolus of food from mouth to stomach to lower gastrointestinal tract. Along the way, Roach visits scientists studying the various elements of eating, digesting and eliminating.

Roach has an eye for the odd. Rather than write a treatise on the properties of stomach acid, for instance, she tells the story of surgeon William Beaumont and his career studying the fistulated stomach of Alexis St. Martin. An 1822 shooting accident left St. Martin with a fistula, or hole, through which the doctor could slip pieces of food and study their digestion. The rest of the book proceeds with similarly quirky research on saliva, chewing, gut bacteria and more.

Like her four previous books, Gulp is a whirlwind tour. Luckily, Roach makes you feel as if you?re on the tour bus with your funniest friend providing running color commentary. She?s completely fearless, perfectly happy to plunge her hand ? nay, her entire arm ? into a cow?s stomach to feel its digestive caress. The next thing you know, she?s off to a lab where she hopes a researcher ?might be able to whip up a batch of artificial flatus.?

Some may say it?s all a bit silly, but Roach embraces the puerile attraction of her topic. ?I don?t want you to say, ?This is gross,? ? she writes. ?I want you to say, ?I thought this would be gross, but it?s really interesting.? ? And it is. ? Erika Engelhaupt

W.W. Norton & Co., 2013, 348 p., $26.95

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350172/title/Book_Review__BOOK_REVIEW_Gulp_Adventures_on_the_Alimentary_Canal_by_Mary_Roach

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Miss. ricin-letters case headed to grand jury

May 1 (Reuters) - Post position for Saturday's 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after Wednesday's draw (listed as barrier, HORSE, jockey, trainer) 1. BLACK ONYX, Joe Bravo, Kelly Breen 2. OXBOW, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas 3. REVOLUTIONARY, Calvin Borel, Todd Pletcher 4. GOLDEN SOUL, Robby Albarado, Dallas Stewart 5. NORMANDY INVASION, Javier Castellano, Chad Brown 6. MYLUTE, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss 7. GIANT FINISH, Jose Espinoza, Tony Dutrow 8. GOLDENCENTS, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill 9. OVERANALYZE, Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher 10. PALACE MALICE, Mike Smith, Todd Pletcher 11. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/miss-ricin-letters-case-headed-grand-jury-165400366.html

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Shaking things up: Researchers propose new old way to purify carbon nanotubes

May 1, 2013 ? An old, somewhat pass?, trick used to purify protein samples based on their affinity for water has found new fans at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where materials scientists are using it to divvy up solutions of carbon nanotubes, separating the metallic nanotubes from semiconductors. They say it's a fast, easy and cheap way to produce high-purity samples of carbon nanotubes for use in nanoscale electronics and many other applications.

Carbon nanotubes are formed from rolled-up sheets of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern resembling chicken wire. One of the amazing features of nanotubes is that, depending on just how the sheet rolls up, a quality called chirality, the resulting tube can behave either like a semiconductor, with various properties, or like a metal, with electrical conductance up to 10 times better than copper. One big issue in creating commercially viable electronics based on nanotubes is being able to efficiently sort out the kind you want.

Thinking about how to do this, says NIST researcher Constantine Khripin, brought up the subject of biochemists and so-called "two-phase liquid extraction." "Biologists used this to separate proteins, even viruses," says Khripin, "It's an old technique, it was popular in the 70s, but then HPLC [high-performance liquid chromatography] replaced a lot of those techniques." People use HPLC to partition carbon nanotubes as well, he says, but it's less successful. HPLC divides things by exploiting differences in the mobility of the desired molecules as they travel small columns loaded with tiny spheres, but carbon nanotubes tend to stick to the spheres, reducing yield and eventually clogging the equipment.

The concept of liquid extraction is relatively straightforward. You make a mixture in water of two polymers that you've selected to be just slightly different in their "hydrophobicity," or tendency to mix with water. Add in your sample of stuff to be separated, stir vigorously and wait. The polymer solutions will gradually separate into two distinct portions or "phases," the lighter one on top. And they'll bring along with them those molecules in your sample that share a similar degree of hydrophobicity.

It turns out that this works pretty well with nanotubes because of differences in their electronic structure -- the semiconductor forms, for example, are more hydrophobic than the metallic forms. It's not perfect, of course, but a few sequential separations ends up with a sample where the undesired forms are essentially undetectable.

Be honest. It's not that easy. "No," agrees, Khripin, "People tried this before and it didn't work. The breakthrough was to realize that you need a very subtle difference between the two phases. The difference in hydrophobity between nanotubes is tiny, tiny, tiny." But you can engineer that with careful addition of salts and surfactants.

"This technique uses some vials and a bench-top centrifuge worth a couple hundred dollars, and it takes under a minute," observes team member Jeffrey Fagan. "The other techniques people use require an HPLC on the order of $50,000 and the yields are relatively low, or an ultracentrifuge that takes 12 to 20 hours to separate out the different metals from semiconductors, and it's tricky and cumbersome."

"The nanotube metrology project at NIST has been around for a quite a number of years," says senior team member Ming Zheng. "It has been a constant interest of ours to develop new ways to separate nanotubes, cheaper ways, that industry can use in the development of nanoelectronics and other applications. We really think we have a method here that fits all the criteria that people are looking for. It's easy, it's scalable, it's high resolution -- all the good attributes put together."

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Journal Reference:

1. Constantine Y Khripin, Jeffrey A. Fagan, Ming Zheng. Spontaneous Partition of Carbon Nanotubes in Polymer-Modified Aqueous Phases. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2013; : 130423102819007 DOI: 10.1021/ja402762e

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/Wv5zT60mZqw/130501145146.htm

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Lindsay Lohan takes 270 outfits to 90-day rehab

Celebs

Ashley Majeski TODAY contributor

7 hours ago

Getty Images file

Actress Lindsay Lohan will begin a 90-day rehab stint on Thursday.

It looks like Lindsay Lohan is planning to dress for success for her sixth stint in rehab. The troubled actress, who will start her court-mandated 90-day rehab sentence on Thursday at the Morningside Recovery Center in Newport Beach, Calif., won't be traveling lightly. On Tuesday night, she posted a photo on her Instagram account of herself surrounded by luggage and clothing, along with the caption "90 days and 270 looks."

Lohan's rehab wardrobe, which would give her three separate outfits per day, will be put to good use at the rehab facility, which boasts group activities such as bowling, sporting events and even supervised barbecues on the beach.

An abundance of clothing isn't the only thing that Lohan will be bringing to the rehab facility. The actress will also have a hefty supply of cigarettes. Morningside, unlike Lohan's first choice of rehab, the Seafield Center in New York, allows its residents to smoke in designated areas, prompting Lohan to change her rehab plans and fly west.

Lohan's latest rehab sentence comes after she pleaded no contest in March to charges of lying to a police officer and reckless driving from a June 2012 car crash. In addition to her mandatory stay in a locked rehab facility, the actress must also complete 30 days of community labor, pay fines and restitution to her victim, and attend psychological counseling sessions.

For her part, Lohan seems to be taking her rehab sentence in stride. In addition to posting the funny photo (which she later deleted from her Instagram account), Lohan told David Letterman last month that she is happy to be going to a treatment center.

"I don't think it's a bad thing," she told the late-night host in April. "I think it's a blessing...and not a curse."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/lindsay-lohan-bring-lots-baggage-rehab-270-outfits-90-days-6C9723651

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Finally, Phone RAM as Good as the Stuff in Your Computer

Samsung has just announced that it's rolling some pretty exciting new memory into production, which will finally bring computer-like RAM performance to your mobile.

Of course, to work that out you have to sift through all the mention of 20nm manufacturing techniques and LPDDR3 naming. What you really need to know is that it's fast: it can transmit data at up to 2,133 Mbps per pin. That's twice as fast as the previous mobile memory standard, and means it's possible to transmit three full HD videos?17GB!?in one second over the new Samsung chip when it's embedded in a phone.

It's efficient, too, with the shrinking of the chip's geometry apparently providing a 20 percent increase in efficiency. All that, and it's possible to squeeze 2GB into a stack just 0.8mm in height. Expect to see this stuff hit the next generation of super phones within the next year?and notice a big difference, too. [Engadget]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/finally-phone-ram-as-good-as-the-stuff-in-your-compute-485769569

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Touchdown Scorer With Cancer Visits Obama at White House (ABC News)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Italy's new government wins 1st confidence vote

ROME (AP) ? Italy's new government easily passed its first confirmation vote Monday in Parliament after Premier Enrico Letta made concessions to his uneasy coalition allies, promising to ease part of a slate of austerity measures that have weighed on Italians impatient at the slow pace of economic recovery.

While pledging the country will do what the eurozone wants to improve its public finances and debt problem, the center-left leader has to placate his tense two-day-old coalition, including former premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservatives, whose support he needs for confirmation.

The lower house of Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, approved his fledgling government by a vote of 453 to 153. The government faces the second mandatory confidence vote of confirmation in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon.

Bending in part to a key Berlusconi campaign promise, Letta said his government will immediately suspend an unpopular tax on primary residences due in June and make it fairer to less affluent taxpayers. He also pledged not to raise the sales tax and to reduce some payroll taxes.

"Reducing taxes is a priority," Letta said, promising he would "pinpoint a strategy to revive growth without interfering with the process to heal finances."

The European Union has insisted on rigorous austerity to heal Italy's finances, but the public's patience has been tried by spending cuts and higher taxes. Voters across the continent have been rebelling against governments that have imposed such measures.

While Letta stressed the urgency of reducing the tax burden on homeowners, consumers and businesses, he didn't say how he planned to make up for the reduced revenues. He might have to resort to more spending cuts, which could ultimately sharpen an already harsh part of the austerity agendas.

Markets appeared pleased over Letta's brand new government. Italy's stock market was trading up some 2.2 percent at the market's close, while the country's borrowing costs on its 10-year bonds dropped below 4 percent for the first time since 2010.

The failure of Letta's party to win both chambers in the February election left the nation in political paralysis until he agreed to a deal on Saturday with Berlusconi.

Berlusconi had demanded that the new government honor his No. 1 campaign promise to voters ? abolishing the property tax on primary residences and refunding what Italians paid in the tax last year. Letta didn't say if last year's property tax payments would be refunded, but a top Berlusconi aide immediately shouted victory and insisted it would be.

"If Letta wants the PDL votes, this is the condition posed in a coalition government," an exultant Brunetta told state TV, referring to the initials of Berlusconi's party.

Standard & Poor's rating services said that it wasn't clear yet whether the government can put growth reforms in place, but said Letta's initial comments "suggest an intention to slow, but not to reverse" the pace of austerity.

Intent on reassuring eurozone governments and European Union officials that despite his demanding coalition partners, Italy's would stay the course of economic reform, Letta will soon visit major European capitals. He begins in Berlin on Tuesday, assuming his government wins the Senate confidence vote.

He'll also visit Paris and Brussels to give, as he put it, a "sign that this is a European and a pro-Europe government."

He vowed to keep the sales tax from rising to 22 percent from 21 percent in July, as predecessor Mario Monti's government had planned. Italy's business sector is worried the higher tax would discourage consumers from buying everything from washing machines to new clothing.

The new premier also pledged to reduce payroll taxes for businesses hiring the young or those currently on temporary work contracts.

Italy's central bank said Monday that Italian companies were suffering ever more as loans dry up, with banks reluctant to make risky deals.

Italians are impatient after 18 months of austerity budget, pension reform and new taxes under Monti to see jobs return and the small and medium firms that power the economy bounce back. Letta denounced the "anger and conflict" that the five-year economic slump has triggered.

On Sunday, an unemployed man shot and wounded two police officers Sunday in a crowded square outside the prime minister's office at the same time the government was being sworn in elsewhere in the capital.

The premier indicated his impatience with the political class' failure to enact reforms. He indicated that he would give this legislature 18 months to make serious inroads or he might throw in the towel. However, virtually nobody expects the new government to last anywhere near Parliament's five-year term.

___

Barry reported from Milan.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italys-government-wins-1st-confidence-vote-195954946.html

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America's Got Talent Season 8: First Promo!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/americas-got-talent-season-8-first-promo/

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StoryKid, Created By Literature PhDs Students, Is An App That Helps Young Ones Tell Stories (And Their Parents, Too)

Children are known for how much they love to play make-believe, and StoryKid, an app introduced today during the Disrupt Hackathon in New York, takes this and gives it a new twist by offering a series of pictures as visual cues for a child to tell a story based around them. StoryKid is aimed at children aged 2 to 5 who are already talking but may either be too young or are just starting to write. Created by two comparative literature PhD students from Columbia University, the idea is that this will help bring children into the world of story telling and literature. And as co-founder Tianjiao Yu tells me, it can also be used by parents when they've run out of inspiration for their own made-up bedtime stories.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/yJpW9EaiKgg/

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Samsung Galaxy Mega hits FCC (again), this time with LTE

Better start working on those powerball exercises. At least if Samsung's Galaxy Mega was the thing you thought your life was missing, as it's just landed at the FCC. Yeah, we know this isn't the first time, but on second time around it's the LTE-sporting AT&T-friendly GT-i9205 model. The usual lab tests show little that we didn't know already -- unless you didn't know it had LTE Band 5, dual band WiFi, NFC or GSM 850 / 1900. As the 5.8-inch isn't 4G-enabled, this means we're looking at the bigger 6.3-inch version, but still no word on if, when or how this might land on US shores. Still no harm in limbering up though, is there?

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Source: FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/28/samsung-galaxy-mega-lte-fcc/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Thunder Edge Rockets 104-101 In Game 3: Kevin Durant, OKC Take 3-0 Series Lead (VIDEO)

HOUSTON ? Kevin Durant was in uncharted territory on Saturday night, playing in his first game without friend and teammate Russell Westbrook.

Durant knew it would be different, but vowed to do whatever he could to carry his team through this difficult period.

He delivered on that promise by scoring 41 points and helping Oklahoma City fight off Houston's late rally to beat the Rockets 104-101 for a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series.

"I didn't feel the same," Durant said. "And I knew I just had to give my all from here on out ... every game is for him."

Durant checked his phone moments after leaving the court and smiled recalling the text messages he received from Westbrook.

"He texted me at halftime and right after the game," Durant said. "Just said congrats and that he loved me."

Durant scored 27 points in the first half, and the Thunder led by 26 points before a big third-quarter rally by the Rockets put them within striking distance.

Houston regained the lead with about 4 minutes left, and was up with less than a minute remaining. But Durant hit a 3-pointer, which bounced off the rim before falling in, to put Oklahoma City on top 100-99.

"We didn't want to give up any 3s," Houston's James Harden said. "He just made a lucky shot. It was good defense. It just went in and took some of the energy out of us."

A turnover by Harden gave the Thunder the ball back and Derek Fisher made two free throws to push the lead to three. Harden made a layup, but Reggie Jackson hit two more free throws after that.

Houston had a last chance, but Carlos Delfino's 3-pointer fell short.

Thunder coach Scott Brooks was impressed that his team was able to win despite losing its All-Star point guard.

"It's been an emotional time the last 48 hours," Brooks said. "We all love what Russell (Westbrook) is about. He's got probably the biggest heart I've ever been around."

Fisher said it was difficult getting through these last couple of days, but the 16-year veteran said he was there to help the younger guys deal with the loss of Westbrook.

"We're still grieving, so to speak, as a team," Fisher said. "But that's why I'm here, and that's why this is a team. Injuries and bad things happen in sports, but we still have to figure out a way to get things done."

Harden scored 30 points for the Rockets in the first playoff game in Houston since 2009. The Rockets will be at home again for Game 4 on Monday night.

Westbrook was injured in Game 2 and had season-ending right knee surgery Saturday. It was the first time Durant had played a pro game without Westbrook, who hadn't missed a game in his career before Saturday.

Durant's 41 points equaled a playoff career high, and he also had 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. He sat down for just 44 seconds on Saturday.

"Kevin has done a great job of being a playmaker all season long," Brooks said. "He's an amazing scorer, and he sets up a lot of guys to get easy buckets."

Jackson made his first career start in place of Westbrook and had 14 points, and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Chandler Parsons had a tying 3-pointer for Houston with 5:46 left, and Delfino put the Rockets in front for the first time since early in the first quarter when he connected from long range to make it 94-93 about 2 minutes later.

Ibaka made four straight points after that, ending with a reverse layup, to make it 97-94 with about a minute and a half left.

Harden hit a pair of free throws. Then Francisco Garcia's 3-pointer put them up 99-97 with 45 seconds left, before the clutch shot by Durant.

The Rockets rallied from a 15-point deficit to take a lead in the fourth quarter in Game 2. But they weren't able to hold on and Oklahoma City got the 105-102 win.

It was much the same this time, as Houston went up late only to fall again.

"We've got to find a way to win those games," Houston coach Kevin McHale said.

Harden complained that he and his teammates were sluggish and lacked energy early. He knows that won't cut it if they expect to win on Monday.

"We have to have that energy from the beginning of the game to the end of the game," he said. "We can't have droughts. You have to play a solid game for 48 minutes."

Westbrook's absence didn't seem to bother Oklahoma City early, as Durant had the big first half and the Thunder looked to be in complete control.

Things changed in the third quarter when Durant was limited offensively and Houston outscored the Thunder 27-14 in the period.

Houston point guard Jeremy Lin, who bruised a chest muscle in Game 2, started but scored only two points in about 18 minutes.

Parsons scored 21 points, and Garcia had 18.

After a big run got Houston within eight in the third quarter, Garcia and Harden made 3-pointers around a dunk by Durant to whittle the lead to 80-76 entering the last quarter.

Durant was scoreless in the third until his dunk with 27 seconds remaining in the quarter.

The Thunder led by 19 points when the Rockets used a 16-5 surge to get to 78-70 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third. The Rockets harassed Oklahoma City into three turnovers in that stretch, and Durant went cold as he missed four shots.

NOTES: Garcia and McHale received technical fouls in the first quarter. ... Pitching great Roger Clemens and Houston Texans star receiver Andre Johnson attended the game.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/28/thunder-rockets-game-3-playoffs_n_3172264.html

Jenna Jameson melissa mccarthy Andy Dick Tim Hardaway Anne Smedinghoff jana kramer carrie underwood