Google asks: How much is mapping worth?" ["The anecdotal impact is easy to assess. Look no further than the uproar Apple faced after it switched the iPhone's default mapping program from Google Maps to its own much criticized service."]

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[Video Report]?CNBC?7:28 AM "On location at Macworld/iWorld 2013"?9 to 5 Mac?8:25 AM "Siri Eyes Free coming to 2013 Honda Accord, along with Acura RDX and ILX"?Engadget?10:13 AM "Honda says Siri Eyes Free will land in 2013 Accord, Acura RDX and ILX vehicles"?9 to 5 Mac?10:31 AM "Honda Bringing Siri 'Eyes Free' to Accord, Acura"?PC Magazine?3:22 PM "Apple to Toyota Add Face Masks, Purifiers on Beijing Smog"?Bloomberg?8:58 AM "'What did you learn from the iPhone?': When repeatedly asked what his company RIM Europe have learned from Apple in producing the new Blackberry 10, which is launched today, managing director Stephen Bates refuses to answer." [Video Report]?BBC?2:06 PM "Jobs goes Groucho, iPad bashful, fruity Kutcher, and Gates' kids 'aren't Apple lovers'"?Macworld UK?10:42 AM "What it Was Like Building Steve Jobs' Super Yacht" [Video Report]?Bloomberg?8:57 AM "Ashton Kutcher: Playing Steve Jobs Was 'Terrifying'"?The Telegraph?8:06 AM Non-Apple News "Want Stronger Passwords? Try Bad Grammar: Beware passwords built using too many pronouns or verbs, Carnegie Mellon security researchers say. String together nouns instead."?InformationWeek?3:34 PM "Facebook earnings beat Wall Street's estimates, show traction with mobile"?CNET News?3:29 PM "AT&T Trial Shows Small Cells Bring Nearly Perfect Coverage to Problem Areas"?Wired?2:41 PM "Kaspersky updates Endpoint Security for Business anti-hacker tool"?V3?2:35 PM "Hitachi unveils first 10K rpm 1.2TB hard drive"?Computerworld?2:25 PM "Dropbox Launches Instant File Previews And Virtual Photo Album Sharing"?TechCrunch?2:21 PM "Internet at its best open and free: The internet should be like a blank sheet of paper for people to write on, says the creator of the World Wide Web."?Fairfax NZ News?2:07 PM "Symantec CEO: 'We'll absolutely have a Norton brand'"?Network World?11:40 AM "'Fair data' logo promotes ethical standards for collecting consumer data"?Techworld?11:38 AM "HTC sends invite to Feb. 19 event, likely to unveil M7 phone"?Los Angeles Times [Paid Membership Required]?11:28 AM "Freescale attacks Cavium with security coprocessors"?EE Times?10:58 AM "Zynga Chief Game Designer Brian Reynolds Leaving Company"?Bloomberg?10:33 AM "ZTE to launch Firefox OS smartphone at Mobile World Conference: Firefox OS will start competing with Android and Apple's iOS, with phones on the way from ZTE, Mozilla, Telef?nica, and Geeksphone"?IDG News Service?11:16 AM "Google Puts The Nexus 4 Back On Sale In UK, France And Spain"?TechCrunch?2:22 PM "Google Forms Gets A Refresh, Adds Collaboration And Smarter Editing Features"?TechCrunch?2:21 PM "Google Fends Off BrightRoll in $7.6 Billion Video Market"?Bloomberg?10:33 AM "Mozilla takes drastic step to automatically block virtually all plug-ins in Firefox: Cites security, stability reasons for move to turn on 'click-to-play' for all but the latest Flash"?Computerworld?10:43 AM "Nintendo slashes Wii U sales goal by 27 percent, cuts 3DS target"?PCWorld?11:38 AM "BlackBerry Bluetooth Mini Stereo Speaker Gives You A Speakerphone That Goes Anywhere For $79.99"?TechCrunch?2:22 PM "The First BlackBerry 10 Device To Make U.S. Debut In March, Coming To All Four Major Carriers"?TechCrunch?2:22 PM "BlackBerry maker changes its name and launches long-awaited BlackBerry 10"?CNNMoney?9:47 AM "Yesterday Alicia Keys Was An iPhone Addict, Today She's BlackBerry's Global Creative Director"?TechCrunch?2:35 PM "Microsoft Seeks to Challenge Google with Gesture-Based Search"?Patently Apple?4:36 PM "Microsoft Utilizes Military Technology to Reinvent the Stylus"?Patent Bolt?1:53 PM "Tablets poised to see higher adoption in Indian schools"?ZDNet?7:27 AM Publications/Podcasts "Macworld Expo opening and Apple vs Blackberry"?Your Mac Life?2:09 PM "Kirk McElhearn Takes Control of iTunes 11"?MacVoicesTV?1:33 PM "Behind the App: Play Creatividad and its Award-Winning iPoe Series"?PadGadget?10:01 AM "Podcast: Do you need a 128 GB iPad? Straight Talk vs. AT&T and Windows RT or Windows 8?"?GigaOM?7:22 AM "The iPhone 5S rumor roundup: It's inevitable...but when will it happen? The rumor roundup for Apple's next iPhone starts now"?CNET Reviews?6:42 PM "Apple's cumulative iPad sales this quarter to increase 60% year over year"?Edible Apple?9:55 AM "New Apple TV 3,2 is just a mid-season internal upgrade, with no external difference in size"?The Next Web?11:58 AM "New Apple TV revealed by FCC won't be smaller, will only contain minor component change"?The Verge?11:59 AM "Apple: Don't get excited about that new Apple TV box/The company says its updated Apple TV model, which showed up in regulatory filings this week, is a behind the scenes component change that won't bring new features."?CNET News?12:25 PM "New, smaller Apple TV 3,2 features A5X processor, iPhone 5's Broadcom BCM4334 chip"?The Next Web?9:47 AM "New smaller Apple TV coming, to feature A5x chip"?Macworld UK?8:07 AM "Rumor: New Smaller, Faster Apple TV Coming Soon"?AppleBitch?7:56 AM "Chart of the day: A decade of Apple 'computer' sales"?Fortune?11:56 AM "Despite better demand, retailers must order iPad 4 before they can sell iPad mini"?iDownload Blog?12:39 PM "DigiTimes: Apple Just Cut Its iPad Display Orders By 50% ? [Rumor]?RazorianFly?8:15 AM "Apple trademarks its Stores to deter copycats"?ZDNet?2:26 PM "Apple gets trademark for retail store design and layout: The service mark application was filed in May 2010"?IDG News Service?7:35 AM "Apple trademarks its distinctive store design"?Digital Trends?8:07 AM "Apple Trademarks the Design of its Retail Stores"?PC Magazine?12:40 PM "Apple granted trademark protections for the interior of the Apple Store: It probably won't help against competitors that use similar designs, though."?Ars Technica?5:31 PM "Apple patent describes possible flash assembly for low-cost plastic-bodied iPhone"?MacDailyNews?7:21 AM "Apple cheaper iPhone mini patent published"?Macworld UK?7:57 AM "Does Apple Hate RAM Upgrades?, Has WiFi Killed Ethernet?, Why Windows RT Was DOA, and More"?Low End Mac?8:45 AM AppleCare/Helps "Apple releases MacBook SMC firmware updates fixing rare battery issue"?9 to 5 Mac?5:28 PM Price Trackers/Deals "Age of Myth HD For iPad Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $1.99), The iPhone Version Is Also Free"?Apple Sliced?8:42 AM "ColorShift For iPhone and iPad Is Free Right Now (Previously $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?8:42 AM "Magic Guitar For iPhone Is Free Today (Was $2.99)"?Apple Sliced?8:42 AM "13" MacBook Pro Prices & Sales"?MacPrices?8:43 AM "MacBook Air Prices & Sales"?MacPrices?8:43 AM "iPad 3 Buyer's Guide -Prices $290 To $829 -Best iPad Prices Reviews & Information"?MacReviewZone?10:16 AM "PadGadget Daily App Deal ? 10 iPad Apps on Sale"?PadGadget?8:24 AM Deal Brothers Daily Deal: Get a Docking Station for your MacBook Air for $46 "Valve's Gabe Newell says Apple TV, not consoles, is the biggest threat to Steam Box"?9 to 5 Mac?7:42 PM "Rumor Has It: Will Apple go plastic for a low-cost iPhone?"?CNET TV?4:39 PM "Google asks: How much is mapping worth?" ["The anecdotal impact is easy to assess. Look no further than the uproar Apple faced after it switched the iPhone's default mapping program from Google Maps to its own much criticized service."]?Washington Post [Free Registration Required]?3:31 PM "Why Apple is the stumbling block in Amazon's ebook transition"?paidContent?2:04 PM "5 Things That Could Slow Apple's Success/Let Apple's example be a lesson to you: Staying on top of your game--no matter how successful you are--is a never-ending struggle."?Inc.?1:09 PM "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore"?YMP Now?11:55 AM "Uh Oh: I Lost My iPhone 5. Now What?"?Forbes?10:31 AM "Popularizing The Subscription Model: Would You Pay Monthly For A New Mac, iPhone, Or iPad?"?Mac 360?10:30 AM "Major Media Fails To Fact-Check iPhone Joke"?Techdirt?9:14 AM "Judge denies new trial, keeps Apple's $1B verdict over Samsung intact"?GigaOM?9:24 AM "Judge Koh: Samsung didn't 'willfully' infringe Apple patents"?MacDailyNews?9:03 AM "Dell Dude? Yup, he's a Mac user now, too"?MacDailyNews?8:47 AM "Reality be damned: iOS 7 wish list, continued/We received hundreds of comments and e-mails about what readers want for iOS."?Ars Technica?8:46 AM "The little-known Apple Lisa: Five quirks and oddities"?Macworld?8:23 AM "Is your Surface Pro a bit full? Slot in an SD card, it's not from Apple: iPad a bit full? Bad luck, buy a new one"?The Register?7:35 AM "Why Microsoft must become Apple and Google"?PCWorld?7:33 AM "5 Things I Tell Siri That Helps Me Run My Business"?Forbes?7:29 AM "Does An $800 (Or More) 128 GB iPad Make Sense, And If So Who For? ? The 'Book Mystique"?MacPrices?1:22 PM "Apple's 'fat' 128 billion-byte iPad: What analysts are saying"?Fortune?10:32 AM "Does the 128GB iPad 4 Spell Death for the 64GB MacBook Air?"?Apple Gazette?8:46 AM "Don't be confused by the 128GB iPad. It's not for you."?ZDNet?7:27 AM "Why Ballmer doesn't want Office on the iPad"?ZDNet?1:22 PM "Microsoft's Ballmer Torpedoes Prospects for MS Office on iPad"?The Mac Observer?1:12 PM "Ballmer dashes Office for iPad hopes (for now)"?iDownload Blog?12:06 PM "Ballmer: Office with no iPad support makes 'a lot of sense'"?ZDNet?7:27 AM "How the iPad revolutionized the public speaking occupation"?Stabley Times?7:22 AM "Annual Subscriptions: Why Adobe And Microsoft Want You To Pay Annually To Play Daily"?PixoBebo?7:19 AM "Opinion: Apple's Best Days Are Yet To Come"?ResExcellence?7:17 AM Non-Apple "10 Pinterest tips from a user with 1.2 million followers"?CNET News?3:30 PM "Are Weak Wii U Sales a Bellwether of Shifting Game Demographics?"?Techland?2:33 PM "Will BlackBerry ever be hip again?"?Salon?2:06 PM "Most condemn using cell phones while driving, but do it themselves"?Salt Lake Tribune?2:04 PM "The BlackBerry, Rebuilt, Lives to Fight Another Day"?New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required]?1:57 PM "BlackBerry 10 Radically New, But Many Details Missing"?BYTE?3:33 PM "RIM's BlackBerry 10 gets some rave reviews"?The Globe and Mail [Free Registration Required]?11:11 AM "RIM's Z10 and BlackBerry 10 feel a generation late"?CNNMoney?10:39 AM "Blackberry scored with BB 10 line, but game was long over"?View from Above?2:57 PM "Here's how the Z10, Q10 get BlackBerry back in the game"?CNET News?2:41 PM "Dropbox Now Guaranteed Massive Success After Ballmer Dismisses It As A 'Little Startup'"?BGR?1:33 PM "RIM Shamelessly Copies Apple, Renames The Company After A Fruit"?Cult of Mac?12:00 PM "Should You Subscribe to Microsoft Office 365?"?Techland?8:24 AM Humor/Cartoons "The predicament of escaping the social media bubble."?The Joy of Tech [cartoon]?7:18 AM "The Official Karennet Macworld Party List V. 2.1"?Thomas PR?7:01 PM "Live Blog: Kutcher and Gad on playing Jobs and Woz/Join as at 9 a.m. on Thursday for our live blog of their Macworld/iWorld appearance."?Macworld?6:01 PM "Official Stratego game debuts for iPad"?CNET Reviews?3:05 PM "Satechi Energy Efficient Smart LED Desk Lamp Brightens Rooms & Charges USB Devices"?Run Around Tech?2:48 PM "Sounds Good: Inter-App Routing System Audiobus Gets First Ever Update"?App Advice?2:43 PM "Dropbox launches quick file previews for photos, documents"?CNET News?2:41 PM "uTest Launches Applause, An iOS And Android Mobile App Analytics Dashboard With A Klout-Like Score"?TechCrunch?2:36 PM "Google Forms Gets A Refresh, Adds Collaboration And Smarter Editing Features"?TechCrunch?2:35 PM "John Martellaro Chats Apple TV & Mac Pro on Tech Night Owl"?The Mac Observer?2:07 PM "BackBlaze iPhone app gives access to online backups"?CNET News?1:05 PM "Rovio teases Escape From Hoth update for Angry Birds Star Wars"?PocketGamer?12:03 PM "Prepare To Escape From Hoth Aboard The Millennium Falcon In Angry Birds Star Wars"?App Advice?12:03 PM "Aliens vs Predator Evolution stalks iOS and Android"?TG Daily?12:00 PM "Fab updates its iOS and Android apps with improved navigation and discovery, plus profiles"?The Next Web?11:58 AM "Bang with Friends Coming to iPhone"?Tapscape?11:58 AM "StoryDesk Introduces iPad-to-iPad Presentation Sharing"?Business Wire?10:13 AM "Mextures: Free Textures To Grungify Your iPhoneography"?Cult of Mac?8:55 AM "'500px' Is Back In The App Store"?RazorianFly?8:15 AM "Minecraft for iOS is Updated With New Features"?iClarified?9:35 AM "Minecraft - Pocket Edition 0.6.0 Brings Baby Animals, Fancy Clouds And More"?App Advice?8:12 AM "Jumpin Jackabee, A Gas Gas Gas"?App Advice?8:12 AM "Google Earth on desktop, Android, and iOS updated with 100,000+ new tours of popular sites, cities, and places"?The Next Web?7:56 AM "Professional VSD Viewer for iPad/iPhone Released"?prMac?7:24 AM "Recosoft - Macworld/iWorld 2013 Exhibit and PDF2Office Specials"?prMac?7:24 AM "Here Comes the Sun(s) with DrakeEQ on the iPhone"?prMac?7:24 AM "DrakeEQ HD on the iPad Answers the Question: Are We Alone?"?prMac?7:24 AM "Vector Victor 1.0 for iPad: 3D Math App Takes Mystery Out of Vectors"?prMac?7:24 AM "Learn with Jacob - Hamburger vs. Carrot - iPad App for Kids"?prMac?7:24 AM "Harold and Cow Sidecar Bike Race: The Great Escape 1.0 released for iOS"?prMac?7:24 AM "Former Star Wars Pirate Has Left the Dark Side for the App Store"?prMac?7:24 AM "Dailybook (Journal/Diary) 3.0 for iOS - Save Text, Photos, Audio in Book"?prMac?7:23 AM "Create romantic, artistic valentines - with no drawing skills required"?prMac?7:23 AM "Balloon Adventures 1.0 now available on App Store"?prMac?7:23 AM
?		?

Source: http://www.macsurfer.com/redirr.php?u=758931

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GOP, take mood cues from Obama

Many in GOP have slammed Obama's inauguration speech as liberal. Maria Cardona says his views align with most Americans

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Maria Cardona: As GOP faces future, it should pay attention to Obama's inaugural address
• Instead of slamming "liberal agenda," note views he expressed mirror polls, she says
• She says Americans' views on gay marriage, immigration, climate show nation progressing
• Cardona: Speech was reflection of American mainstream; GOP should catch up to be relevant

Editor's note: Maria Cardona is a Democratic strategist, a principal at the Dewey Square Group, a former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton and former communications director for the Democratic National Committee.

(CNN) -- Republicans are dealing with their demons. At the Republican National Committee meeting last week, they seemed to be taking a hard look at what they need to do to compete at the presidential level in the years to come. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said the GOP needs to stop being "the stupid party." He is right, to be sure, but it is not simply a messaging problem. It is a policy problem. So here is some advice.

Reread President Barack Obama's inaugural speech and avoid the the knee-jerk impulse to call the president a socialist because of his defense of a so-called "liberal agenda." Instead, observe how the issues he raised align with where the American people are. Simply put, majorities of the country, including an overwhelming majority of the demographic coalition that got him reelected, mainly agree with him.

Maria Cardona

The GOP is so in a tizzy about Obama's vision and how they are certain it is all but DNA proof he is a socialist. But Republicans needs to consider that something much less pernicious is at play here on both scores: The nation is progressing.

Obama talked about immigration reform by stating, "Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity, until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our work force rather than expelled from our country."

Majorities of Americans have supported comprehensive immigration reform for years. Today, more than 75% support it. Importantly, many Republicans recognize the need to do something real on immigration, given the shellacking they received from Latinos in November: 71% supported Obama. To his credit, Sen. Marco Rubio has proposed some common-sense measures that are a great start to ensuring the GOP gets serious about real reform. And on Monday, a bipartisan group of Senators proposed a sensible plan on this important issue, further proof the GOP knows it has to do more than just change their rhetoric.

Avlon: Can Jindal change 'the stupid party'?

To the offense of many conservatives, the president said, "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal, as well." On this issue, Americans' evolution is recent, but has been quite dramatic, and given the generational divide, support for it will only get stronger. Currently, 53% of Americans support gay marriage, while 46% oppose. Even the Boy Scouts, a staunchly conservative organization, announced Monday it is considering "potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation."

Obama's mention of climate change further rankled Republicans, He said: "Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But Americans cannot resist this transition. We must lead it." Interestingly enough, 63% of Americans believe that global warming is a serious issue, according to a poll by Rasmussen, which skews rightward. And while there is certainly no consensus on what should be done legislatively about it, the president's focus on alternative energy sources and renewable fuels also is in line with where many Americans stand.

But the line in Obama's inaugural address that opponents have pointed to as proof that he is and has always been an extreme leftist president, was this:

"...Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society's ills can be cured through government alone."

Some Republicans, once again, choose to make hyperbolic, hysterical proclamations about looming socialism. The reality, as always, is less dramatic and more straightforward. The fact is Democrats, buoyed by majorities of its winning coalition of Latino, African-American, women and young voters, believe the government has a constructive role to play in society. Not a bigger role, which is what the Republicans' sky-is-falling reaction has been. But one that can protects the individual as a consumer, levels the field so that everyone is playing by the same rules and jobs are based on merit, and ensures smart investments in innovation, work force, military, and infrastructure. These, spurred by our American ingenuity, will continue to make us exceptional.

What the president's opponents need to understand is that this is the face of progress. This is the face of the America that exists today. Obama's vision is mainstream -- a guide to where majorities of Americans already believe we need to go as a country. Once Republicans understand it is not a legislative roadmap designed to annihilate them, maybe they too can realize they would do well to start to embrace these changes and evolve along with the rest of us.

If they don't they may as well change their symbol from the elephant to the woolly mammoth.

Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.

Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Maria Cardona.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_us/~3/W6aDlhAqfM4/index.html

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Cheap Family Fun Ideas | Real Life Solutions

With the economy suffering, and most people finding it harder than ever to make ends meet, keeping the kids entertained isn?t always easy. Whether your kids are young or well into their teens, they?ll often turn to you for ways to be entertained. If you?re running out of ideas, here are 6 cheap but fun ideas to keep you going.

Family Games: Games are some of the best sources of fun for the whole family. Board games are an excellent example. If you?ve got any board games lying around, get them out and give them a whirl. Games like these encourage interaction between family members and help with bonding, which we often find ourselves doing too little of these days.

Apart from board games, other alternatives include card games (cards are readily available and cheap to get hold of. If you don?t know any good card games, it?s also easy to find the rules for some on the internet) and activities like charades. Family games are great for children of all ages ? even teenagers will often take part (with a bit of resistance to begin with!)

Build Camps: For younger kids, something fun to do is building indoor camps. Get some clothes pegs, some strings, and some bed sheets and you can help your kids build their own bedroom camp. Once built, kids will often play in these for hours. Many kids also love to sleep over in their own home-built camp.

Arts And Crafts: This is a classic, but it?s a great option because arts and crafts can be really cheap. Why not go on a walk with your kids and get them to collect interesting sticks, stones, shells, feathers etc. Once home, you can get them to string them together to form hanging ornaments, or use them to decorate home-made picture frames and so on.

Playing Ball: Another classic, ball games are great when the weather is good. Balls are cheap, and generally provide a lot of entertainment, as well as giving kids (including teenagers) a chance to blow off steam, use up energy and get some exercise all at once.

Invite Friends Round: Let your kids invite a few friends over for the day. It?s true that sometimes a group of kids can end up causing a riot, but generally things don?t get out of hand and your kids will always have a lot of fun with a few friends around. The more friends there are, the more easily they come up with their own (usually free) entertainment. It?s a winning solution. And, if you really want to make the most of the opportunity, why not let your kids plan a feast and have their friends each bring something along to eat?

Get Cooking: Some kids will be more resilient to this idea than others, but many kids enjoy cooking once they get started. So why not try and teach your kids a bit about cooking? Make it fun for them in the process and they?ll love it. Pizzas are a great option as kids can decorate them any way they wish with the ingredients you?re using.

Source: http://reallifesolutions.net/blog/6-cheap-but-fun-family-ideas/

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Video: Diet myths: No, sex won?t burn lots of calories

>>> a new review of the science behind weight loss is shooting down a bunch of myths about weight loss . for example, the fine folks at the "new england journal of medicine" say it's a myth that sex burns off calories by the hundreds. here's another. the concept that small changes in diet can be the solution to losing weight . no, they say, the body adapts to that. they also say the idea that it's bad to lose a lot of weight quickly or that skipping breakfast will make you heavier are also myths.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50645976/

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Why are there redheads? Birds might hold the clues

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Red coloration?historically seen as costly in vertebrates?might represent some physiological benefit after all, according to research published in the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.

Pheomelanin, which is responsible for red hair and freckles in humans and orange and chestnut coloration in other animals, is known to increase the damage to skin cells and melanoma risk when present in large amounts. Furthermore, its creation involves the consumption of glutathione, a beneficial antioxidant.

In an attempt to unearth the factors favoring the evolution of pheomelanin in spite of its costs, Ismael Galv?n and Anders P. M?ller of the University of Paris-Sud examined the survival from one breeding season to the next of a wild European population of barn swallows, as well as the annual survival rates of 58 species of American birds.

A recent hypothesis claims that the consumption of cysteine (a component of glutathione) that occurs when pheomelanin is produced can be beneficial under conditions of low stress. Cysteine, which is mainly acquired through diet, can be toxic at high levels, so the production of pheomelanin may help to sequester excess quantities of this amino acid.

Galv?n and M?ller measured birds' blood levels of uric acid and analyzed the coloration of their chestnut throat feathers (an indication of pheomelanin content). When they compared birds that had similar uric acid levels (and therefore similar capacities to excrete excess amino acids), they found that both the European barn swallows and the American birds with larger amounts of pheomelanin in their feathers survived better.

This study is the first to propose that the costs/benefits of pheomelanin may depend on prevailing environmental conditions, and its results suggest that the production of this pigment may even be beneficial in some circumstances. Given that all higher vertebrates, including humans, present pheomelanin in skin, pelage, and plumage, Galv?n and M?ller's findings increase the scant current knowledge on the physiological consequences of pheomelanin and open new avenues for research that will help us understand the evolution of pigmentation.

###

Ismael Galv?n and Anders P. M?ller, "Pheomelanin-Based Plumage Coloration Predicts Survival Rates in Birds." Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 86:2 (March/April 2013). Available ahead of print at http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/668871.

University of Chicago Press Journals: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu

Thanks to University of Chicago Press Journals for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126506/Why_are_there_redheads__Birds_might_hold_the_clues

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Japan PM shrugs off global criticism over latest stimulus steps

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waded into the growing global debate about currency wars for the first time on Wednesday, shrugging off criticism that Tokyo was trying to intentionally weaken the yen with its monetary and fiscal stimulus measures.

"The measures taken by the government and the BOJ are aimed at beating deflation and achieving sustainable economic growth," Abe said, when asked by an opposition party leader in parliament about criticism from some overseas policymakers that the steps were attempts by Tokyo to directly weaken the yen.

It was his first public comment on the issue.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week singled out Japan as a source of concern following recent moves by its central bank to quicken the pace of money-printing.

South Korea has also been vocal in recent days, with the governor of the central bank saying on Saturday that Japan's latest monetary easing had "created problems.

Talk about a currency war dominated discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, with many central bankers and business executives questioning the wisdom of continuing easy money policy.

Central bankers in advanced countries, notably Japan and the United States, have been pursuing aggressive action to reflate their economies. This has had the effect of weakening their currencies, prompting investors to move a wall of cash into more attractive markets such as South Korea and forcing their currencies higher, making their financial markets more volatile and threatening their export competitiveness.

Abe also kept up pressure on Bank of Japan to expand monetary stimulus, calling for bold measures to achieve its new 2 percent inflation target.

"I strongly hope that the Bank of Japan pursues bold monetary easing to achieve (2 percent inflation) as soon as possible," he told parliament.

Under pressure from Abe for more aggressive efforts to beat deflation, the central bank last week doubled its inflation target to 2 percent and made an open-ended commitment to buy assets from next year.

In a meeting of the government's top economic panel held two days after the BOJ's rate review, BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa suggested that the bank may increase asset purchases even further to inject funds into the economy.

As part of his plans to revive the economy, Abe has also pledged big fiscal spending that led to his government compiling a 10.3 trillion yen ($114 billion) extra stimulus package.

But in a $1.02 trillion draft budget for the next fiscal year approved on Tuesday, the government aims to keep new bond sales below tax revenues in a symbolic move to show its resolve of continuing with efforts to fix Japan's tattered finances.

"While we need to revive Japan's economy, it's also important to restore fiscal health," Abe told parliament.

($1 = 90.6500 Japanese yen)

(Additional reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Shinichi Saoshiro & Kim Coghill)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/japan-pm-boj-steps-aimed-beating-deflation-boosting-045256859--business.html

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Gunman shoots bus driver in Ala., takes child as hostage

A gunman shot and killed a school bus driver in Midland City, Ala., Tuesday afternoon and escaped the scene with a 6-year-old passenger, which has prompted a hostage situation that is still going on this morning.

The suspected gunman is identified as Jimmy Lee Dykes, a 60-something military veteran, a police source told ABC News. Dykes and the child are in an underground bunker behind his home.

Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson said Tuesday night that the police had information that the little boy "is OK right now." The boy was delivered some needed medication, police told ABC News.

The police have not identified the child or the dead bus driver.

"Extremely sensitive situation. ... Our agents are working very hard with the locals for the best possible outcome to this situation," a federal law enforcement source told ABC News this morning.

Some people in the area were evacuated Tuesday evening, and everyone in the immediate area was notified of the situation, according to Olson.

"Stay at home and pray," Olson told homeowners living in the area.

Olson said multiple agencies have responded to the hostage situation. The FBI has assumed the lead in the investigation, and SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams were surrounding the bunker as of Tuesday night.

The incident began a little after 3:30 p.m. local time Tuesday. An unidentified girl, who was on the bus, told ABC News Radio the bus driver had stopped to drop off some children. The alleged gunman boarded the bus and handed the driver a note, she said.

"And then I don't know what happened after that but he started telling them he needed a kid because of the law coming after him," she said.

Dykes got on the bus and originally demanded that he get two children as hostages. All the children on the bus managed to escape except the 6-year-old boy, a police source told ABC News affiliate WDNH.

"He shot the bus driver, and the driver's foot was on the gas and we went backwards. And everybody started screaming. And then the bus driver was still there and we all got off the bus and went to a neighbor's house," the girl said.

Dykes was scheduled to be in court today for a trial related to charges of menacing, according to court records obtained by WDNH.

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Source: http://gma.yahoo.com/gunman-shoots-bus-driver-ala-takes-child-hostage-085919180--abc-news-topstories.html

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Dr. Phil: Te'o was victim of girlfriend hoax

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) ? Dr. Phil McGraw says Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who masterminded the dead girlfriend hoax involving Manti Te'o, told him the Notre Dame linebacker was not involved in the scheme and that he ended up falling "deeply, romantically" in love with the football player.

McGraw spoke on the "Today" show Wednesday, previewing an interview he did with Tuiasosopo, a 22-year-old California man who created the fictional woman Te'o knew as Lennay Kekua. Tuiasosopo's interview with McGraw will air in two parts on the "Dr. Phil Show" starting Thursday.

Since the hoax was revealed earlier this month, Te'o has said the relationship with Kekua started online and eventually became serious, even though the two only talked on the phone and exchanged electronic messages, never meeting in person. Te'o said he was told of Kekua's "death" from leukemia just hours after his grandmother died in September.

McGraw said Tuiasosopo told him the voice of Kekua was his. Tuiasosopo and Te'o have each said that while the Kekua relationship went on for several years, there were times when they weren't in contact.

"There were many times where Manti and Lennay had broken up. But something would bring them back together whether it was something going on in his life, or in Lennay's life, in this case in my life," Tuiasosopo said.

Tuiasosopo said he wanted to end the relationship between Kekua and Te'o before he had to fake Kekua's death.

"I wanted to end it because everything I had gone through, I finally realized that I just had to move on with my life and I had to get me, Ronaiah, I had to start just living and let this go," Tuiasosopo said.

Te'o's publicist, Matthew Hiltzik, declined comment on behalf of Te'o and his family.

When the ruse was reported by Deadspin.com on Jan. 16, the report raised the questions about whether Te'o was involved. The story about how he played inspirationally after the deaths of his girlfriend and grandmother led to an outpouring of support from Notre Dame fans. It became the backdrop to the Fighting Irish's undefeated regular season and run to the BCS championship, where they lost to Alabama.

Te'o won seven national awards for his play and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. He has denied any involvement from the beginning, and Notre Dame said an investigation of the player's claims backed up his story.

"The feelings, the pain, the sorrow, that was all real," Te'o told Katie Couric in an interview last week.

McGraw says "absolutely, unequivocally" Te'o had no role in creating the hoax.

Te'o said he first learned that something was amiss when Keuka called him on Dec. 6, and told him she had faked her death.

He told his parents about what had happened while home for Christmas break and called Notre Dame coaches on Dec. 26 to let them know. Notre Dame officials said that they interviewed Te'o and retained Stroz Friedberg, a New York computer forensics firm, to investigate the case. They learned on Jan. 3 that there were no records indicating Lennay Kekua existed.

McGraw said he spent hours with Tuiasosopo and his parents, saying he had a number of life experiences that "damaged this young man in some very serious ways."

McGraw said Tuiasosopo had feelings for Te'o.

"Here we have a young man that fell deeply, romantically in love," McGraw said.

McGraw said he asked Tuiasosopo if he is gay.

"He said, 'Well, when you put it that way, yes.' Then he caught himself and said, 'I am confused,'" McGraw said.

Te'o also was asked by Couric if he is gay. Te'o said "no" with a laugh. "Far from it. Faaaar from that," he said.

Te'o said in the interview with Couric that Tuiasosopo tweeted him a direct message on Jan. 16, saying he had been behind the hoax. The message read: "I completely accept the consequences to the pain I've caused & it's important that you know the truth before anyone else."

Te'o told Couric that Tuiasosopo later called him and explained what he did.

"He didn't say why. He just explained that he just wanted to help people and that was his way of helping people. Of being someone that he wasn't and trying to connect with somebody on a different level to help them out," Te'o said.

Te'o said he didn't say much to Tuiasosopo.

"I just found that everything that I believed to be my reality wasn't my reality at all," Te'o said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dr-phil-teo-victim-girlfriend-hoax-182800175--spt.html

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West Nile virus spreading due to mosquitoes in orchards and vineyards, experts warn

Jan. 30, 2013 ? Washington State University researchers have linked orchards and vineyards with a greater prevalence of West Nile virus in mosquitoes and the insects' ability to spread the virus to birds, horses and people.

The finding, reported in the latest issue of the journal PLOS ONE, is the most finely scaled look at the interplay between land use and the virus's activity in key hosts. By giving a more detailed description of how the disease moves across the landscape, the study opens the door to management efforts that might bring the disease under control, says David Crowder, a WSU entomologist and the paper's lead author.

Since it was first seen in New York in 1999, West Nile virus has reached across the country and shown few signs of abating. Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control had the highest number of reported cases -- 5,387, including 243 deaths -- since 2003.

Roughly one in five infected people experience a fever, headache, body aches and, in some cases, a skin rash and swollen lymph glands. One in 150 people can get a high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation and neurological problems.

Most efforts to figure out the ecological workings of the virus have focused on reports of infected people, "a crude indicator at best," says Crowder. Almost all victims have no symptoms or are misdiagnosed, while others can be infected far from where they file a report, he says.

Agricultural areas have seen higher percentages of infected people, but that still does not get at the underlying mechanism.

"Is that because there are more birds there?" says Crowder. "Is that because there are more mosquitoes there? That hasn't really been linked together."

Crowder, working with fellow entomologist Jeb Owen, other WSU colleagues and the state Department of Health, merged data from a variety of sources, including West Nile infections in humans, horses and birds, surveys of virus-bearing mosquitoes, breeding bird surveys, and detailed land use maps and climate data from around the Northwest.

The researchers found that habitats with high instances of the disease in horses and birds also have significantly more mosquitoes -- as well as American robins and house sparrows, the two bird species implicated the most in the disease's transmission.

"These same habitats are also resulting in much higher rates of infection within mosquitoes themselves," said Crowder.

"We find that all three of these things -- abundances of house sparrows and American robins, abundance of mosquitoes and the actual prevalence of West Nile in mosquitoes -- are increasing in landscapes with a higher proportion of land in orchard habitats." These habitats, says Crowder, include both orchards and vineyards.

It's still unclear why the habitats would create such a perfect storm for the virus. The researchers speculate that mosquitoes are drawn to orchards for plant nectar during flowering, while robins and house sparrows use them for nesting and feeding. Together, the insects and birds become focal points for the disease.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington State University. The original article was written by Eric Sorensen.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. David W. Crowder, Elizabeth A. Dykstra, Jo Marie Brauner, Anne Duffy, Caitlin Reed, Emily Martin, Wade Peterson, Yves Carri?re, Pierre Dutilleul, Jeb P. Owen. West Nile Virus Prevalence across Landscapes Is Mediated by Local Effects of Agriculture on Vector and Host Communities. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (1): e55006 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055006

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/kVKjNpbbJ28/130130184318.htm

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Judge okays BP plea, $4 billion penalty in Gulf oil spill

(Reuters) - A U.S. judge accepted an agreement by BP Plc to plead guilty for its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster and pay a record $4 billion in criminal penalties for the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

The company said it pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts related to workers' deaths, a felony related to obstruction of Congress and two misdemeanors. It faces five years' probation and the imposition of two monitors who will oversee its safety and ethics for the next four years.

After the April 2010 explosion on the Transocean rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 4.9 million barrels of oil spewed into the Gulf over 87 days. Shorelines from Texas to Florida were fouled before responders could cap the mile-deep well.

BP has struggled with political, financial and legal fallout ever since. Even after settling federal criminal charges, the company faces civil penalties of up to $21 billion and separate state claims due to be heard at a trial starting in New Orleans on February 25.

Alabama's attorney general, Luther Strange, said the BP sentence was welcome for setting some federal money aside to restore the Gulf coast, but he planned to press ahead with his state's own claims for economic and natural resource damages.

"I look forward to presenting Alabama's case that BP was grossly negligent when we have our day in court next month," Strange said in a statement.

Transocean, owner of the doomed Deepwater Horizon rig, agreed this month to pay $1.4 billion to settle U.S. government charges over the disaster.

Halliburton Co, the oilfield services company that performed cementing work on the Macondo well and is being sued in the civil litigation along with BP, said on Friday it was working on its defense ahead of the trial next month.

BP, with its federal plea agreement now approved, has 60 days to send a remedial plan to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Environmental Protection Agency laying out how it plans to meet all its stipulations. The plan could go back and forth among the three parties before it is agreed to by all sides.

The judge who imposed the sentence on BP, U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance of the Eastern District of Louisiana, found the fines far exceeded any in U.S. history, and were structured so BP will feel the "full brunt" of them, the DOJ said.

BP's total of $4.5 billion in federal penalties includes $2.4 billion for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a $1.256 billion criminal fine and $350 million for the National Academy of Sciences -- all payable over five years -- and a $525 million civil penalty to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Our guilty plea makes clear, BP understands and acknowledges its role in that tragedy, and we apologize - BP apologizes - to all those injured and especially to the families of the lost loved ones," Luke Keller, a vice president of BP America Inc, told the court, according to a BP statement.

BP now aims to settle the civil claims, for which negligence is a key issue. A gross negligence finding could quadruple civil damages owed by BP under the Clean Water Act to $21 billion.

The British company has already announced an uncapped class-action settlement with private plaintiffs that the company estimates will cost $7.8 billion to resolve. The litigation was brought by more than 100,000 individuals and businesses claiming economic and medical damages from the spill.

BP believes it can handle it all after selling off $35 billion worth of assets. As of November, when it agreed to the plea, BP had paid $23 billion in clean-up costs and claims.

The U.S. government banned BP from new federal contracts over its "lack of business integrity" in the spill, which could threaten its role as a leading U.S. offshore oil and gas producer.

But BP said on Tuesday that its mandatory debarment under the settlement did not affect any existing contracts or leases.

"The government has awarded BP over 50 federal leases since the Deepwater Horizon accident," said BP, which is the largest investor and deepwater leaseholder in the Gulf of Mexico with interests in 700 blocks and seven rigs now operating there.

The criminal case is "USA v. BP Exploration and Production Inc," case no. 2:12-CR-00292, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans.

(Reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Nick Zieminski, Alden Bentley and David Gregorio)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-judge-approves-bp-agreement-gulf-oil-spill-184118722--finance.html

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