Faster, more efficient technique for creating high-density ceramics

Feb. 27, 2013 ? A researcher from North Carolina State University has developed a technique for creating high-density ceramic materials that requires far lower temperatures than current techniques -- and takes less than a second, as opposed to hours. Ceramics are used in a wide variety of technologies, including body armor, fuel cells, spark plugs, nuclear rods and superconductors.

At issue is a process known as "sintering," which is when ceramic powders (such as zirconia) are compressed into a desired shape and exposed to high heat until the powder particles are bound together into a solid, but slightly porous, material. But new research from Dr. Jay Narayan, John C. Fan Distinguished Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State, may revolutionize the sintering process.

Narayan's new technique, selective-melt sintering, allows sintering of yttria-stabilized zirconia at 800 degrees Celsius (C) -- instead of the conventional 1450 C. In addition, using the selective-melt sintering technique, it is possible to sinter zirconia at 800 C in less than a second, and create a material with no porosity at all. In contrast, traditional sintering techniques take four to five hours at 1450 C.

"This technique allows you to achieve 'theoretical density,' meaning it eliminates all of the porosity in the material," Narayan says. "This increases the strength of the ceramic, as well as improving its optical, magnetic and other properties."

The key to Narayan's approach is the application of an electric field, at approximately 100 volts per centimeter, to the material. When this field is applied, it creates subtle changes in the material's "grain boundaries" -- where atoms from different crystals meet in the material. Namely, the field draws "defects" to the grain boundary. These defects consist of vacancies (missing atoms) which can carry charges. The defects are negatively charged and draw current from the electric field to the area -- which raises the temperature along the grain boundary.

Raising the temperature along the grain boundary means that the material can be sintered at a much lower temperature, because sintering is done by selectively melting the grain boundaries to fuse the crystals together.

Normally you would have to apply enough heat to raise the mass of all the material to the melting point, even though you only need to melt the grain boundary. "Pre-heating" the grain boundary with an electric field is what allowed Narayan to lower the sintering temperature from 1450 C to 800 C and sinter the material much more quickly.

An invited viewpoint paper describing the work, "New mechanism for field-assisted processing and flash sintering of materials," is published online in Scripta Materialia. Narayan is the sole author.

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Journal Reference:

1. J. Narayan. New Mechanism for field-assisted processing and flash sintering of materials. Scripta Materialia, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2013.02.020

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/electricity/~3/D7Kri9w5O7k/130227085946.htm

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Eric Butera Encourages Recreation

Eric Butera has a passion for recreational sports including the sports that allow people to enjoy time outside. For that reason, Eric Butera is a proud supporter of protecting parks and forested areas. Eric Butera encourages recreation not only for the physical well-being it brings but for the other benefits that regular exercise promotes.

"There are many sports that can be enjoyed by adults but also by entire families. By going outside and visiting parks or other areas, people stay in shape and promote individual well-being," says Eric Butera. As a former soldier of the United States Army, Eric Butera is used to maintaining a certain level of physical activity.

Eric Butera is a student at the University of Utah. He is a student of recreation and is a strong supporter of parks. "Going outside promotes a strong sense of well-being. Some of my favorite outdoor recreational sports include mountain biking and skiing," says Eric Butera. Both activities are push the body and many studies back up the benefits of a cardiovascular workout.

"My major is recreational therapy and my studies have taught me that recreation promotes functions in five critical domains for people. It promotes a person's psychological, physical, social, spiritual, and cognitive well-being," says Eric Butera. That is why Eric Butera supports recreational therapy for disabled veterans with adaptive sports designed for soldiers with missing limbs.

In addition to regularly participating in sports, Eric Butera is an active member of the National Recreation and Parks Association. "I've been a member of the NRPA for 3 years. They promote the advancement of public parks and conservation opportunities. The three areas of the associations focus are: health and wellness, conservation, and social equity," says Eric Butera; "by protecting outdoor parks people can enjoy a number of sports including camping, hiking, or other sports." Even enjoying a leisurely stroll is a healthy alternative to staying locked away indoors.

Source: http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/eric-butera-encourages-recreation

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Ohio town remembers 3 killed by teen 1 year ago

T. J. Lane listens during court proceedings in Geauga County Common Pleas Court Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Chardon, Ohio. Lane, charged with killing three students at an Ohio high school, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of aggravated murder and other charges. Lane, now 18, also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated murder and a single count of felonious assault. Prosecutors agreed to drop the death-penalty specifications from the aggravated murder counts.(AP (Photo/Marvin Fong, Pool)

T. J. Lane listens during court proceedings in Geauga County Common Pleas Court Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Chardon, Ohio. Lane, charged with killing three students at an Ohio high school, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of aggravated murder and other charges. Lane, now 18, also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated murder and a single count of felonious assault. Prosecutors agreed to drop the death-penalty specifications from the aggravated murder counts.(AP (Photo/Marvin Fong, Pool)

Carole Nolan wipes a tear as she listens to court proceedings at the Geauga County Common Pleas Court Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Chardon, Ohio. Lane, charged with killing three students at an Ohio high school pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of aggravated murder and other charges. Lane, now 18, also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated murder and a single count of felonious assault. Prosecutors agreed to drop the death-penalty specifications from the aggravated murder counts. Nolan is Lane's grandmother. (AP (Photo/The Plain Dealer, Marvin Fong, Pool)

T. J. Lane listens to court proceedings at the Geauga County Common Pleas Court Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Chardon, Ohio. Lane, charged with killing three students at an Ohio high school, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of aggravated murder and other charges. Lane, now 18, also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated murder and a single count of felonious assault. Prosecutors agreed to drop the death-penalty specifications from the aggravated murder counts. (AP (Photo/Marvin Fong, Pool)

Nick Walczak, one of three students injured by T. J. Lane, enters the Geauga County Common Pleas courtroom Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Chardon, Ohio. Lane, charged with killing three students at an Ohio high school pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of aggravated murder and other charges. Lane, now 18, also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated murder and a single count of felonious assault. Prosecutors agreed to drop the death-penalty specifications from the aggravated murder counts. (AP (Photo/The Plain Dealer, Marvin Fong, Pool)

Carole and Jack Nolan, grandparents of T. J. Lane, listen during court proceedings at the Geauga County Common Pleas Court Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Chardon, Ohio. Lane, charged with killing three students at an Ohio high school, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of aggravated murder and other charges. Lane, now 18, also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated murder and a single count of felonious assault. Prosecutors agreed to drop the death-penalty specifications from the aggravated murder counts. (AP (Photo/The Plain Dealer, Marvin Fong, Pool)

CHARDON, Ohio (AP) ? One day after the teen gunman at their northeast Ohio school pleaded guilty, students at Chardon High School marked the anniversary of the deaths of three classmates Wednesday with hugs and messages of support from the close-knit community.

"They always need to remember that we're there for each other and if anyone is down, there is a strong community to fall back on," senior Adam Benjamin said before heading to classes at the school east of Cleveland.

The school organized the observance to remember Daniel Parmertor and Demetrius Hewlin, both 16, and Russell King Jr., 17, who were killed in the Feb. 27, 2012, rampage.

T.J. Lane, 18, on Tuesday withdrew a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and pleaded guilty to charges in the case. He could get life in prison when he is sentenced March 19.

Prosecutors say Lane took a .22-caliber pistol and a knife to the school and fired 10 shots at students in the high school cafeteria. Lane was there waiting for a bus to an alternative school he attended.

Lane pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder and one count of felonious assault. Charged as an adult, Lane cannot get the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of the crimes.

"We're just very glad it's not going to trial," said Daniel's father, Bob Parmertor, as he left the courthouse in the rain with family members.

Parmertor told The Associated Press he felt justice would be done if Lane "will never see daylight again" outside prison.

The anniversary of the students' deaths marks another year of mass shootings around the country ? 12 people gunned down at a Colorado movie theater; six killed at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin; and 26 Connecticut first-graders and educators slain in Newtown during the Christmas season.

The Chardon principal, Andy Fetchik, said the school was ready to offer support to students upset by the anniversary.

"I've given my share of hugs in the last year and I've got plenty more," he said before a daylong series of service activities began.

"I think the message is to keep going, never quit and be thankful for what you have."

Students arriving for classes in a cold, light rain passed an outdoor school sign with the names of the victims and the message, "2-27 A Day of Remembrance."

Across the street, a heart-shaped sign in the school colors of red and black had the message, "One Heartbeat."

The school, off-limits to the media for the day, also planned a midday memorial walk to the community's picturesque town square, with a gazebo and log cabin for making maple syrup.

Geauga County Prosecutor James Flaiz said the plea resulted in the same outcome he wanted from a trial. Families of the victims agreed that Lane should face life in prison, he said. Two wounded survivors and parents of most of the victims watched the court proceeding.

But left unanswered was the motive. Flaiz said he was prepared to present a motive at trial but he declined to elaborate on it Tuesday. He said a psychiatric evaluation showed Lane has above-average intelligence and was able to understand the case against him and assist his attorneys in his defense.

Lane appeared in court dressed in a green open-collar shirt and dark slacks. His once-shaggy hair was cut short. He held up his head and displayed no emotion as he answered the judge's questions with "yes, your honor."

Lane's grandmother, weeping quietly, sat arm's length from Nick Walczak, who was rolled into court in a wheelchair. Walczak, who was crippled in the attack, shifted his eyes to Lane as the attempted aggravated murder charge detailing his case was read by the judge.

Lane's family left the court with deputies and sent word through Lane's attorneys that they didn't want to talk to the media.

After court, Lane's attorney said his client was determined to take responsibility.

"T.J.'s plea of guilty is a complete admission to each and every element of each and every charge, every crime," defense attorney Ian Friedman said. "It is hoped that the decision will bring closure to what has been a tragic year for the victims, their families and loved ones, T.J.'s family and the entire community both near and far."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-27-School%20Shooting-Ohio/id-77c4e2a5df624de0af1bc766476c6cf6

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Kristen Bell?s Baby Shower Doubles As Breast Pump Demo

A few days before baring her bump, Kristen Bell, 32, celebrated her baby's pending arrival with an A-list bash in Los Feliz, Calif. on Saturday.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/k9A3JWAedfo/

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BPA may affect the developing brain by disrupting gene regulation

Feb. 25, 2013 ? Environmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread chemical found in plastics and resins, may suppress a gene vital to nerve cell function and to the development of the central nervous system, according to a study led by researchers at Duke Medicine.

The researchers published their findings -- which were observed in cortical neurons of mice, rats and humans -- in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Feb. 25, 2013.

"Our study found that BPA may impair the development of the central nervous system, and raises the question as to whether exposure could predispose animals and humans to neurodevelopmental disorders," said lead author Wolfgang Liedtke, M.D., PhD, associate professor of medicine/neurology and neurobiology at Duke.

BPA, a molecule that mimics estrogen and interferes with the body's endocrine system, can be found in a wide variety of manufactured products, including thermal printer paper, some plastic water bottles and the lining of metal cans. The chemical can be ingested if it seeps into the contents of food and beverage containers.

Research in animals has raised concerns that exposure to BPA may cause health problems such as behavioral issues, endocrine and reproductive disorders, obesity, cancer and immune system disorders. Some studies suggest that infants and young children may be the most vulnerable to the effects of BPA, which led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of the chemical in baby bottles and cups in July 2012.

While BPA has been shown to affect the developing nervous system, little is understood as to how this occurs. The research team developed a series of experiments in rodent and human nerve cells to learn how BPA induces changes that disrupt gene regulation.

During early development of neurons, high levels of chloride are present in the cells. These levels drop as neurons mature, thanks to a chloride transporter protein called KCC2, which churns chloride ions out of the cells. If the level of chloride within neurons remains elevated, it can damage neural circuits and compromise a developing nerve cell's ability to migrate to its proper position in the brain.

Exposing neurons to minute amounts of BPA alters the chloride levels inside the cells by somehow shutting down the Kcc2 gene, which makes the KCC2 protein, thereby delaying the removal of chloride from neurons.

MECP2, another protein important for normal brain function, was found to be a possible culprit behind this change. When exposed to BPA, MECP2 is more abundant and binds to the Kcc2 gene at a higher rate, which might help to shut it down. This could contribute to problems in the developing brain due to a delay in chloride being removed.

These findings raise the question of whether BPA could contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders such as Rett syndrome, a severe autism spectrum disorder that is only found in girls and is characterized by mutations in the gene that produces MECP2.

While both male and female neurons were affected by BPA in the studies, female neurons were more susceptible to the chemical's toxicity. Further research will dig deeper into the sex-specific effects of BPA exposure and whether certain sex hormone receptors are involved in BPA's effect on KCC2.

"Our findings improve our understanding of how environmental exposure to BPA can affect the regulation of the Kcc2 gene. However, we expect future studies to focus on what targets aside from Kcc2 are affected by BPA," Liedtke said. "This is a chapter in an ongoing story."

In addition to Liedtke, study authors include Michele Yeo and Ken Berglund of the Liedtke Lab in the Division of Neurology at Duke Medicine; Michael Hanna, Maria D. Torres and Jorge Busciglio of the University of California, Irvine; Junjie U. Guo and Yuan Gao of the Lieber Institute for Brain Development and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.; and Jaya Kittur, Joel Abramowitz and Lutz Birnbaumer of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

The research received funding from Duke University, the Klingenstein Fund, the National Institutes of Health (R21NS066307, HD38466 and AG16573), and intramural funds from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Duke University Medical Center.

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Journal Reference:

1. Michele Yeo, Ken Berglund, Michael Hanna, Junjie U. Guo, Jaya Kittur, Maria D. Torres, Joel Abramowitz, Jorge Busciglio, Yuan Gao, Lutz Birnbaumer, and Wolfgang B. Liedtke. Bisphenol A delays the perinatal chloride shift in cortical neurons by epigenetic effects on the Kcc2 promoter. PNAS, February 25, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1300959110

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/~3/NaeyTOnLcT0/130225153122.htm

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Music, movie industry to warn copyright infringers

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Internet users who illegally share music, movies or TV shows online may soon get warning notices from their service providers that they are violating copyright law. Ignore the notices, and violators could face an Internet slow-down for 48 hours. Those who claim they're innocent can protest ? for a fee.

For the first time since a spate of aggressive and unpopular lawsuits almost a decade ago, the music and movie industries are going after Internet users they accuse of swapping copyrighted files online. But unlike the lawsuits from the mid-2000s ? which swept up everyone from young kids to the elderly with sometimes ruinous financial penalties and court costs ? the latest effort is aimed at educating casual Internet pirates and convincing them to stop. There are multiple chances to make amends and no immediate legal consequences under the program if they don't.

"There's a bunch of questions that need to be answered because there are ways that this could end up causing problems for Internet users," such as the bureaucratic headache of being falsely accused, said David Sohn, general counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, a Washington-based civil liberties group. But he added: "There's also the potential for this to have an impact in reducing piracy in ways that don't carry a lot of collateral damage."

The Copyright Alert System was put into effect this week by the nation's five biggest Internet service providers ? Verizon, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, Comcast and Cablevision ? and the two major associations representing industry ? the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America.

Under the new program, the industry will monitor "peer-to-peer" software services for evidence of copyrighted files being shared. Each complaint will prompt a customer's Internet provider to notify the customer that their Internet address has been detected sharing files illegally. Depending on the service provider, the first couple of alerts will likely be an email warning. Subsequent alerts might require a person to acknowledge receipt or review educational materials. If a final warning is ignored, a person could be subject to speed-throttling for 48 hours or another similar "mitigation measure."

After five or six "strikes," however, the person won't face any repercussions under the program and is likely to be ignored. It's unclear whether such repeat offenders would be more likely at that point to face an expensive lawsuit. While proponents say it's not the intention of the program, it's possible the alert system will be used to initiate lawsuits.

The number of Internet users subject to the new system is a sizable chunk of the U.S. population. Verizon and AT&T alone supply more than 23 million customers.

For the recording industry, which blames online piracy for contributing to a dramatic drop in profits and sales during the past decade, the new alert system is a better alternative than lawsuits. In December 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America announced it had discontinued that practice ? which had been deeply unpopular with the American public ? and would begin working with the Internet providers on the alert system instead.

"We think there is a positive impact of (alert) programs like this, and that they can put money in the pocket of artists and labels," said Jonathan Lamy, a spokesman for the trade group.

The Motion Picture Association of America estimates some 29 million people have downloaded or watched unauthorized movies or TV shows online, mostly using technology such as BitTorrent, a popular peer-to-peer protocol. Like its counterparts in the music industry, the MPAA says it believes people will stop when they understand it's illegal and are redirected to legal ways of paying for downloads.

The alert system "will help ensure an Internet that works for everyone by alerting families of illegal activity that has occurred over peer-to-peer networks using their Internet accounts and educate them on how they can prevent such activity from happening again," Michael O'Leary, an executive for the MPAA, said in a statement Tuesday.

A primary question is whether the system will generate a significant number of "false positives," or cases in which people are accused of sharing illegal content but aren't. One scenario is if a person doesn't encrypt their wireless connection, leaving it open to a neighbor or malicious hacker that swaps illegal files. Another example might be if a person uploads a "mashup" of songs or brief scenes from a movie ? content that wouldn't necessarily violate the law but could get flagged by the system.

The Center for Copyright Information, which created the alert system, is responsible for producing the methods that companies will be allowed to use to catch pirates, but it said Tuesday it won't release those details publicly. It said the system will rely on humans to review the entire content of every file to make sure it qualifies as material protected under copyright laws.

"This is an imperfect science," said Yoshi Kohno, an associate professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington. "The likelihood of a false positive depends on the diligence of the party doing the investigation."

Bartees Cox, a spokesman for the consumer watchdog group Public Knowledge, says it will watching to ensure the program doesn't evolve into imposing harsher punishments by Internet providers, such as terminating a person's Internet access altogether if they are accused of being a prolific violator.

If a person believes they've been wrongly accused, they will have multiple chances to delete the material and move on without any repercussion. If the problem is chronic, they can pay $35 to appeal ? a charge intended to deter frivolous appeals but also one that can be waived. The center says it won't require proof that a person is financially strapped.

The center's director, Jill Lesser, said the goal is to educate the average Internet user, rather than punish them, and no one will see their Internet access cut off.

"This is the first time the focus has been on education and awareness and redirection to legal and authorized services and not on punitive measures or a carrot-and-stick approach," she said.

Sohn said the effort will be a significant test whether voluntary measures can reduce copyright infringement.

"The long-term challenge here is getting users to change their attitudes and behaviors and views toward copyright infringement, because the technology that enables infringement ? computers, digital technology and the Internet ? that stuff isn't going away," he said.

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Online:

http://www.copyrightinformation.org/the-copyright-alert-system

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-26-Internet%20Piracy/id-ccf2d1d17968430aa7260431e694211b

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Ubiquitous Mobile Broadband- Huawei Makes It Possible

Shenzhen, China, February 25, 2013]: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, will launch innovative mobile ICT solutions, products, and services at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013 in Barcelona. With ?Make It Possible? as its theme at MWC, Huawei will demonstrate its ability to provide ubiquitous mobile broadband in the new mobile era, as well as showcase its confidence to help customers achieve business success.

Huawei?s Theme at MWC 2013: Make It Possible

With the advent of a new digital revolution, intelligent infrastructure will drive ICT technological advancement and user experiences characterized by high bandwidth and zero wait time will be in demand at all times. As ICT convergence continues and information technology advances quickly, mobile communications will become one of the key drivers for economic growth, introducing the infinite possibilities of a connected lifestyle.

?At this year?s MWC, Huawei will further define the increasingly connected world, illuminating the fact that the experiences and possibilities of a connected lifestyle are infinite,? said Ryan Ding, senior vice president of Huawei. ?As a leading global ICT solutions provider, Huawei will remain committed to meeting customer needs, focus on the pipe business, and provide operators with pipes that have a diameter as wide as the Pacific Ocean.?

As part of its drive to pursue higher-level communication and cooperation with customers, Huawei offers end-to-end solutions, including strategic and business consulting, network planning, network operation, network technologies and products, among others. Ryan Ding said: ?Our discussions with customers not only touch on the present, but also the future. Our goal is to help customers achieve business success. To that end, Huawei will continue to build business models that encourage win-win results, create a sound industry ecosystem, share greater business value with customers, and propel the industry forward.?

Huawei?s Solutions, Products, and Services at MWC 2013

In order to embrace the new era of big data, big traffic, and big wisdom together with customers, Huawei focuses on providing high-traffic pipe systems capable of carrying big data, and keeps the pipe in mind when deciding on product and solution portfolios. The pipe is part of Huawei?s strategy to meet the challenge of future data floods, and represents Huawei?s major growth source. At MWC 2013, Huawei will showcase the following solutions, flagship products, and services:

SoftCOM: Huawei?s ICT network architecture that is built on cloud computing and software-defined networking (SDN). As a core part of Huawei?s pipe strategy, SoftCOM features such core concepts as network-level cloudization, equipment-level cloudization, telecom IT cloudization, and Internet-oriented operation. By capitalizing on cloud computing revolutions and Internet-oriented operation models, the SoftCOM network architecture delivers two major benefits. First, the architecture helps tap into more revenue sources by expanding IT services beyond networks, enabling traffic operations, and creating an open ecosystem. Second, the architecture can slash costs by structurally improving network utilization and operating efficiency.

SoftMobile: Huawei?s SoftMobile redefines the design architecture for mobile broadband (MBB) network equipment and supports software-defined modular pipes of large diameter. SoftMobile can resolve equipment problems related to multi-mode and multi-frequency networking. Therefore, SoftMobile is essential to building an MBB network with a diameter as wide as the Pacific Ocean. On-demand customization and collaboration are additional benefits. On the foundation of SoftMobile, the mobile industry will develop further and transition into a new mobile age with infinite connected possibilities.

In addition to leveraging the advantages of Huawei?s SingleRAN offerings, SoftMobile makes full use of cloud computing technologies. Additionally, SoftMobile incorporates the core concepts of ?unified scheduling and virtualization of resource pools? and ?on-demand service? into MBB network architectures, network topology architectures, and business architectures. In this way, SoftMobile can transform MBB networks into open software-defined networks. The SoftMobile-enabled transformations will help operators build profitable MBB pipes with enhanced elasticity, intelligence, scalability, and automation capabilities that address the ICT convergence.

At MWC 2013, Huawei will demonstrate its latest SoftMobile-related solutions and products, including SingleRAN Advanced, LTE, Voice over LTE (VoLTE), UMTS/HSPA, Multi-service Engine (MSE), and SingleOSS, all of which support software-defined products and service collaboration, while delivering larger capacity and better user experience. Therefore, these solutions and products can help operators increase profits from networks and optimize user experience.

The following flagship products will be showcased in Huawei?s booths.

• Baseband Unit (BBU): Huawei is the first to launch a four-mode BBU (GSM/UMTS/LTE FDD/LTE TDD) that enables flexible software-defined configuration.
• Brand new Blade Remote Radio Unit (RRU): Huawei?s Blade RRU supports different modes, frequency bands, and channels. Owing to its standard and compact designs found nowhere else in the industry, the Blade RRUs can be deployed easily. Many leading operators in Europe, Asia, China, and other countries and regions have successfully used the Blade RRUs for commercial purposes.
• High-performance AAU: Thanks to its modular design, the AAU boasts an integration level two times higher than the industry average, thus facilitating installation and maintenance. The AAU is being tested by Vodafone UK, Deutsche Telekom, and other leading operators, and its ability to enhance performance by 50% is highly recognized by the operators. At this MWC, Huawei will demonstrate AAU beamforming together with Vodafone UK.
• AtomCell solution: This solution has been put into successful commercial use in more than 50 countries. With its compact size, the innovative LampSite solution allows power supply through Power over Ethernet (POE) and supports multiple frequency bands and modes to offer Wi-Fi coverage in subway stations, shopping malls, office buildings, and other indoor scenarios. It has been commercialized by Softbank.
• LTEHaul solution: This solution introduces a new bearer network architecture that allows evolutions towards LTE.
• E-Band: This microwave transmission product has an ultra-slim appearance of 1.5cm that is attributed to compact design integrating the antenna, indoor unit (IDU), and outdoor unit (ODU).

End-to-end integration and managed services: Huawei provides consulting and system integration solutions, next-generation managed services that increase total value of ownership (TVO) from end to end, and SmartCARE?CEM solutions that center on user experience. Building on these services and solutions, Huawei seeks to fully align its strategies with those of operator customers, and helps them manage user experience throughout lifecycles in addition to helping shift the focus of end-to-end operation management from networks to end user experience. In doing so, Huawei aims to help operators maximize their return on investment (ROI).

Traffic operation: To resolve operators? pain points in traffic operations and improve ROI in broadband and network efficiency, Huawei introduces a series of concepts, strategies, and actions that aim to meet customer needs, unlock the value of traffic, and improve user experience. The direction of traffic operation is to increase the volume, significance, and benefits of traffic based on smart pipes and aggregation platforms. The Value Growth Solution (VGS), a flagship offering of Huawei, can increase overall revenue per megabit by 10% to 30% and enhance MBB user penetration by 5% to 15%.

Huawei?s devices: At MWC 2013, Huawei will release Ascend P2, a new-generation smartphone that combines elegant designs, fashionable elements, and the world?s fastest response speed. Several other smartphones will appear too, including Ascend D2, Ascend Mate, Ascend W1, and Honor 2, all of which promise a faster speed, slimmer appearance, longer battery life, larger screens, higher definition, and a friendlier user interface (Emotion UI) that can satisfy each and every mobile phone user?s demand for superior experience and functionality. In terms of MBB, Huawei will launch E5372, a mobile Wi-Fi card with a 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequency range for LTE Catetory-4 networks; E3331, the world?s smallest data card and also the best connectivity accessory for MacBook Air and Ultrabook; E5220, the world?s smallest mobile Wi-Fi card; and E8278, the world?s first LTE Wi-Fi card.

In addition, Huawei will release the Connected Home solution and unveil the following offerings: multi-media home devices with multiple screens; broadband and voice devices for homes; high-end MediaPad 10 Full HD, cost-effective MediaPad 10 Link, and a fashionable 7-inch MediaPad 7 Lite.

Huawei Broader Way Forum

At the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals held at the beginning of this century, the United Nations pointed out that, broadband networks are important to the future development of global economy and society, just like transport, energy, and water networks. Sitting on the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development, Huawei actively advocates the broadband initiative by hosting Broader Way Forum and other large-scale professional forums worldwide. At the forums, Huawei invites people from all walks of life to explore ICT trends and hot issues as part of its wider effort to bridge the digital divide and build a future of ?broadband for all?. Following its first session at MWC 2012, Broader Way Forum has been held in quite a few countries, including Spain, Poland, Venezuela, Turkey, South Africa, Germany, and Indonesia.

At the Broader Way Forum, to be held on February 25 during MWC 2013, both Ryan Ding, senior vice president of Huawei, and Dr. Hamadoun I. Tour, ITU Secretary-General, will deliver keynote speeches and exchange ideas with cross-industry experts, academics, operator customers, Internet service providers, government representatives, and the media. Hot topics include: mobile communications as the driving force behind society development, innovations in broadband technologies, and possibilities of connections. This forum also features the following special topics: digital society and socioeconomic benefits of broadband coverage; roles that governments should play in expanding broadband coverage and increasing the influence of digital societies; and benefits of changes to broadband-enabled digital societies.

At MWC 2013, Mr. Li Sanqi (chief technology officer of Huawei?s Carrier Network Business Group), Mr. Yang Chaobin (chief marketing officer of Huawei?s Wireless Network Business Unit), and Mr. Khalid Attia (director of Huawei?s User Experience Mgmt Dept) will present Huawei?s opinions and ideas about ?Business Transformation: Reshaping Mobile in the Digital Revolution?, ?SoftMobile, A Foundation for Business Transformation?, and ?QoE: Enriching the User Experience, Enriching the Operator?, respectively, at sub-forums.

MWC 2013 will be held in Barcelona, Spain, from February 25 to February 28, 2013. Huawei?s exhibition booths are in Fira Gran Via Hall 1 and Hall 3. For details, visit http://www.huawei.com/minisite/mwc2013/cn/index.html

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Source: http://newswire.telecomramblings.com/2013/02/ubiquitous-mobile-broadband-huawei-makes-it-possible/

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Alastair Cook all praise for new-ball pacers ? Cricket News Update ...

Alastair Cook all praise for new-ball pacers ? Cricket News Update

England skipper Alastair Cook on Saturday lavished praise on pacers James Anderson and Steve Finn after his side won the third and final One Day International against New Zealand by five wickets to win the three-match series 2-1.

After putting the hosts into bat in the series decide, in Auckland, the new-ball duo of Finn and Anderson left the Kiwis reeling at 11 for 3 in the 8^th over. Finn accounted for BJ Watling (1) and Hamish Rutherford (2), while Anderson had Kane Williamson caught behind by Jos Buttler on 7.

"They have been magnificent, these two games," said Alastair after the match. "Finny's pace, I think, has been up around the 90mph mark pretty much all the time, and Jimmy's world class and he showed it again here."

"I think they were 20 for 2 in the game before, and today they were 20 for 3 after 10 or 15 overs. From a captain's point of view it's pretty easy after that. When McCullum gets going, it's a little frustrating, but 180 wasn't enough and we handled the pressure of chasing pretty well."

Skipper Brendon McCullum top scored for New Zealand with a 68-ball 79, laced with six four and five sixes. Ross Taylor (28) and Grant Elliott (24) were the other two notable performers, as the hosts were rolled over inside 44 overs for 185.

Finn was the pick of English bowlers, with three wickets from nine overs at an economy rate of 3.00 an over. Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann both picked up two wickets apiece.

In reply, skipper Cook led the side from the front with the bat, playing a meticulous knock of 46 runs from 67 balls as the tourists chased down the middling target in 37.3 overs, with five wickets to spare.

Finn also expressed delight over his partnership with Anderson, whom he termed as one of the best seamers in the world.

"To be able to bowl at the other end and to feed off him and learn off him is brilliant," the gangling pacer told Sky Sports 1. "We felt we didn't quite get it right in the first game - maybe we were a little bit rusty but playing these last few games we felt really good. We've set the tone early and the batsmen have been brilliant as well, so it's been great."

England and New Zealand will next play a three-match Test series, starting in Dunedin from March 6, 2013.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Alastair-Cook-all-praise-for-new-ball-pacers-Cricket-News-Update-a213721

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Adele, 'Jaws' And 'Boob Song': Oscars Top Musical Moments

MTV News rounds up the many musical highlights from Sunday's Academy Awards.
By Jocelyn Vena

Adele performs at the 2013 Oscars
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702567/oscars-2013-top-musical-moments-adele-jaws.jhtml

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Gavin Doyle, Lindsay Lohan Assistant, Subpoenaed to Testify at Trial

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13 Chad soldiers, 65 Islamists killed in Mali fighting

By Reuters

Thirteen Chadian soldiers were killed in fighting in northern Mali on Friday, the heaviest casualties sustained by French and African troops since the launch of a military campaign against Islamist rebels there six weeks ago, Chad's army said.

Chadian troops killed 65 al-Qaida-linked fighters in the clashes that began before midday in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains near Mali's northern border with Algeria.

"The provisional toll is ... on the enemy's side, five vehicles destroyed and 65 terrorists killed. We deplore the deaths of 13 of our valiant soldiers," said a statement from the army general staff read on state radio.

France intervened in its former West African colony last month to stop a southward offensive by Islamist rebels who seized control of the north last April.

Troops from neighboring African nations - including 2,000 soldiers from Chad - have since deployed to Mali and are meant to take over leadership of the operation when French forces begin a planned withdrawal next month.

But continuing violence since the Islamists were driven from major urban areas highlights the risk of French and African forces becoming entangled in a messy guerrilla war as they try to help Mali's weak army counter bombings and armed raids.

Reporting by Madjiasra Nako; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Jon Hemming and Peter Cooney

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17061188-13-chad-soldiers-65-islamists-killed-in-mali-fighting?lite

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FixYa: iPhone 5 is most reliable smartphone by far

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Apple's handsets three times less problem-prone than competition

A new study by mobile device repair company FixYa examined a key factor in cell phone usage rarely able to be judged by buyers at the time of sale, but one of the most important in ongoing loyalty and value: reliability. From almost three quarters of a million problem reports, Apple's smartphones overall (and the iPhone 5 in particular) were found to be nearly three times more reliable than its nearest competition, Samsung. Google-owned Motorola's phones scored the worst of the four major brands examined.

Data from 772,558 FixYa reports was compiled to prepare the survey, which listed pros and cons of each major brand and on each company's flagship phone models. One of the most telling figures is that Apple, despite having an estimated 26 percent of the overall phone market share, had less than 10 percent of the problem reports. By comparison, Samsung had about the same market share, but generated 150 percent more complaints. Nokia, with third-place marketshare overall (22.15 percent) had by far the worst track record of the three, generating twice as many complaints as Samsung and around 45 percent of all the problem reports FixYa documented.

If complaints are weighted against marketshare, however, Motorola comes off even worse -- despite having a scant two percent of the handset market, it generated just as many complaints as Samsung, which has 22.7 percent. Proportionally, this means that Motorola phones were 10 times more likely to have a problem than Samsung phones.

Each brand was rated with customer comments that listed both pros and cons associated with the overall complaints. Notably, the main "cons" of owning an Apple phone had nothing to do with its hardware or software reliability, instead focusing on areas such as lack of customization, a lack of some of the latest new features, and battery life (the latter being a common issue across many phone models).

Motorola's phones, for all their other problems, won praise from owners for its great battery life (the Samsung S III phone in particular was also singled out for this feature). Other "pros" for Motorola phones included much-improved design changes with recent models, focusing on how the phone feels in a user's hand. Complaints about Motorola phones centered around their poor-quality cameras and speakers, touchscreen malfunctions (particularly for the Atrix and Droid models) and most commonly the inability to remove preinstalled apps (usually foisted on users by the carrier, in cooperation with Motorola). Verizon's preinstalled apps were singled out as the most obnoxious.

Nokia phones (both smartphone and feature phones) got dinged for its generally larger size for its models, poor battery life and excessive heat. Users also complained about a lack of available apps and poor "ecosystem," but reserved their biggest gripes for the tendency of the phones to provide a "laggy" response to gestures and button presses -- though this could be more of an issue with Windows Phone and Symbian, the two main OSes Nokia uses.

Unlike Motorola phones, Nokia customers were generally very pleased with the durability and quality of the touchscreen -- FixYa reported nearly zero issues with the touchscreen performance, even after damage had been sustained (the latest Nokia models use Gorilla Glass, like the iPhone). Another point of praise was the Windows 8 Phone homescreen, rated as very customizable and fresh-looking.

Samsung's phone models were widely praised for the display, with very few reports of dead pixels or other issues. The company's skinning of Android with its own TouchWiz UI also won compliments for the way it makes Android less cumbersome to use and generally improves the overall user experience. The Galaxy S III enjoys all these benefits as well as recently-improved battery life, making it the top-rated model of Samsung's lineup.

However, the company was also slammed for poor battery life on the Galaxy Nexus line, and dinged for multiple microphone and speaker issues across the entire range of Samsung offerings. Users reported that sound-quality and reliability issues significantly degraded the portion of the phone experience that is most crucial: the actual phone usage.

Apple's iPhones, while garnering a staggering 3.47 out of 4 reliability score overall -- the full rankings were Samsung with 1.21, Nokia with 0.68 and Motorola with 0.13 -- were not immune from criticism, which mostly centered around battery life. Apple has struggled with the issue, often seeing battery life go down following new versions of iOS, only to crawl back up at least somewhat as further updates refined energy-saving techniques. As previously mentioned, the other major complaints didn't relate to reliability, focusing instead on customization and quick adoption of new features -- neither of which has been a priority for the iPhone or iOS.

What won the iPhone line its incredibly high score was that iPhone owners experienced very few issues with the phone not of their own making. Barring accidents such as submergence in liquid or obvious user abuse, Apple owners had the fewest complaints of any other brand.

Even when problems arose, they were generally fixed simply with techniques such as restarting and were not persistent issues like Samsung's microphone and speaker problems. Customers also praised iOS's "dead simple" user interface that was described as "sleek," "simple" and not confusing. The overall ecosystem of the iPhone's integration with the App Store and its interoperability with other Apple products also won over users in FixYa's report.

By Electronista Staff

Source: http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=597ebbb4e9da7f09ee1d71b0a7d30423

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Mozilla to bring marketplace to Firefox OS, allow payment through network operators

Mozilla has just announced live at its MWC 2013 event that it's going to offer a marketplace for its fledgeling Firefox OS, and that you'll be able to pay for apps directly through your mobile operator. That differs from payment methods offered by Google and Apple, perhaps as a way to get mobile operators on board the new mobile OS. You'll be able to grab apps in categories like games, news and media, with Mozilla dropping names like EA games, Disney, Facebook and Twitter. The organization said that developers will be able to use "web technologies at the core" to facilitate new app creation.

Developing...

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/24/firefox-to-offer-multiple-marketplaces-payments-operator/

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Boingo expands its Wi-Fi services into airports in Japan & Germany

If you?ve flown in the last several months and tried looking for Wi-Fi hotspots in any of the handful of airports through the country, you might be surprised to see one name that?s constantly popping up ? Boingo Wireless. Always expanding their reach, Boingo has shown us that they?re not afraid to go outside of the box to expand their premium Wi-Fi services. Interestingly enough, some of the subways in New York City are offering Boingo?s services!

This time around, though, they?re moving aggressively by targeting the international market. Considering they?re a staple in many airports across the US, it?s only natural for them to make the move into other international airports. Specifically, they?ve recently secured agreements to manage and operate Wi-Fi services in a number of airports situated in Japan and Germany. As it stands, the listing currently consists of the following locations:

Japan airports:

• Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport) (HND)
• Narita International Airport, Tokyo (NRT)
• New Chitose Airport, Sapporo (CTS)
• Fukuoka Airport (FUK)
• Chubu Airport, Nagoya (NGO)

Germany airports:

• Berlin-Tegel (TXL)
• Nuremberg (NUE)
• Stuttgart (STR)

Therefore, the next time you find yourself traveling to any of those locations, you can be assured to have plenty of reliable Wi-Fi service ? even more when international cellular data can be pocket busting on its own. Although the service isn?t available at the moment in the aforementioned locations, it?s gearing up to launch sometime during spring 2013.

source: Boingo (1 & 2)

Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Boingo-expands-its-Wi-Fi-services-into-airports-in-Japan---Germany_id40095

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Fatal Adoption

Orphan children play in their bedroom at an orphanage in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

Photo by Vladimir Konstantinov/Reuters

It?s the dirty little secret of adoption from Russia: Roughly once a year, an American adoptive parent kills an adopted child. There have been 15 confirmed such homicides since 1996, from Russia alone. Of course, Americans have adopted more than 50,000 Russian children during that time?the country has been in or near the top three sources for American international adoptions during that time?but that is a horrific number nevertheless.

I do not know what happened to Max Alan Shatto (born Maxim Kuzin), the 3-year-old adoptee who died in a Texas hospital, and who Russian authorities allege was beaten to death. The toddler had bruises that may or may not have been from abuse; he may or may not have been on inappropriate anti-psychotic meds. Authorities in Ector County, Texas, are investigating. Nor do I know anything about his background or behavior.

And yet his case, and others like it, raises the terrible question of whether Americans are adopting these children to abuse them.

Yes, it happens?probably as often as adults give birth to bio-children in order to abuse them. One notorious adoption-abuse case involved a single American man who adopted a Russian girl he used for sex, putting the videos online.

But horror stories like that are the exception. Here?s what happens more often: Hopeful and slightly na?ve people unknowingly adopt exceptionally traumatized children. We?re talking about children whose behavior would test even the most prepared and patient parents. And it pushes a few unprepared parents right over the edge. The hundreds of thousands of children in Russian institutions include children with very difficult backgrounds. Many are separated from violent, abusive, chaotic, or severely alcoholic families. Some are abandoned because of major medical issues. Some have fetal alcohol syndrome, significant attachment disorders, or seriously problematic behavior in which they act out, mimicking the way they were once treated.

These issues aren?t necessarily disclosed. Russian orphanages are notorious for sending misleading, incomplete, or falsified medical histories on the children they offer for adoption, eliding information that would enable prospective parents to decide, in advance, whether they could handle the child. Two years ago, one family that unknowingly adopted such a brain-damaged and violent Russian child sued its reputable adoption agency, Bethany Christian Services, for what it said was a misleading placement. Once adopted, some of them?not most, let me stress, but some?display shocking behaviors that include absolute coldness or rage in response to affection, violence, screaming, suicide attempts, molesting or abusing pets or other children, fire-setting, and so on. The right adoptive parents?read: intensively prepared to become full-time social workers?with the right medical team behind them may be able to handle those children. But an unprepared parent, someone who expected that love and attention could heal all, can explode.

On the other side, the American adoption system doesn?t necessarily screen or prepare parents effectively. Adoption is grueling: The prospective parents must go through a home study, in which a social worker evaluates their fitness, and a series of other examinations and background checks by independent and government agencies. The ?paper chase? takes months or years; the scrutiny is intrusive, far more than any bio-parents must endure. And yet the clients are the ones who pay the social worker, who therefore has an incentive to assess favorably in order to keep work coming. The adoption agency is only paid if it places a child, so it, too, has an incentive to deliver a child. Under the U.S. International Adoption Act of 2000, which brought this country into compliance with the Hague Convention on International Adoption, accredited international adoption agencies must offer parent education before a child is placed with a family. But that?s when those lessons seem most abstract. Parents need mandatory support afterward.

As any parent knows, it?s impossible to imagine how draining (or rewarding) parenthood will be until you?ve been through it. Everyone goes into it with blinders on, learning on the job. Beforehand, you nod at your friends? horror stories and smugly imagine you will handle it all much, much better. Then you?re shocked at how even an ordinarily headstrong child can be exhausting when you?re sick or tired. Now, add a traumatized, brain-damaged, or abused child who has been ripped away from her country, her language, her familiar foods, her friends, her climate, and dropped into a bewilderingly strange family who smile at her maddeningly and expect her to behave like them. She responds with the kind of violence she already knows. Education beforehand isn?t enough. Those parents need someone who checks in on them regularly, emergency phone numbers for advice night and day, support groups, specialized education, and referrals to relevant medical specialists.

Experts tell me that adoptions from Eastern Europe often ?disrupt? or are dissolved. Desperate parents call the adoption agency and throw in the towel, saying they cannot keep the child in their home. Good for them. Better to admit defeat than be pushed to abuse or homicide. All reputable agencies have an informal fostering system for placements that don?t take, and have a network of people willing to take those particularly challenging placements. Some of them wind up back in institutions, here in the U.S.

I admire beyond words those adoptive parents who willingly take in children who might not be able to express or display affection for years, and whose violent misery expands to fill the house. We can?t expect that of ordinary people. Families in distress?and now I am talking not just about adoptive parents, but all parents?can?t be left isolated with their problems. No, there?s no excuse for abuse or homicide. And yet all of us need help sometimes. We need a system that delivers not just children but the support their families need to thrive.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=d2685929d234dbe38dee3ee70d3c25a6

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Grief besets family of Pistorius' slain girlfriend

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Far from the courtroom drama that has gripped South Africa, the family of Oscar Pistorius' slain girlfriend has struggled with its own private deluge of grief, frustration and bewilderment.

The victim's relatives also harbor misgivings about efforts by the Olympian's family to reach out to them with condolences.

Pistorius, meanwhile, spent Saturday at his uncle's home in an affluent suburb of Pretoria, the South African capital, after a judge released him on bail following days of testimony that transfixed South Africa and much of the world. He was charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day, but the athlete says he killed her accidentally, opening fire after mistaking her for an intruder in his home.

"We are extremely thankful that Oscar is now home," his uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said in a statement that also acknowledged the law must run its course. "What happened has changed our lives irrevocably."

Mike Steenkamp, Reeva's uncle, told The Associated Press that the family of the double-amputee athlete initially did not send condolences or try to contact the bereaved parents, but had since sought to reach out in what he described as a poorly timed way. After Pistorius was released on bail in what amounted to a victory for the defense, Arnold Pistorius said the athlete's family was relieved but also in mourning "with the family" of Reeva Steenkamp.

"Everybody wants to jump up with joy," Mike Steenkamp said, speculating on the mood of Pistorius' family after the judge's decision. "I think it was just done in the wrong context, completely."

A South African newspaper, the Afrikaans-language Beeld, quoted the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, law school graduate and participant in a television reality show, as saying the family had received a bouquet of flowers and a card from the Pistorius family.

"Yes, but what does it mean? Nothing," June Steenkamp said, according to the Saturday edition of Beeld. She also said Pistorius' family, including sister Aimee, a somber presence on the bench behind the Olympian during his court hearings in the past week, must be "devastated" and had done nothing wrong.

"They are not to blame," June Steenkamp said. According to Beeld, she said she had hoped to plan a wedding for her daughter one day.

In an affidavit, 26-year-old Oscar Pistorius said he was "absolutely mortified" by the death of "my beloved Reeva," and he frequently sobbed in court during the several days during which his bail application was considered. However, prosecutor Gerrie Nel, suggested in a scathing criticism that Pistorius was actually distraught because his vaunted career was now in peril and he was in grave trouble with the law.

"It doesn't matter how much money he has and how good his legal team is, he will have to live with his conscience if he allows his legal team to lie for him," Barry Steenkamp, Reeva's father, told Beeld .

"But if he is telling the truth, then perhaps I can forgive him one day," the father said. "If it didn't happen the way he said it did, he must suffer, and he will suffer ... only he knows."

Barry Steenkamp suffered "heavy trauma" at the loss of his daughter and his remarks to the newspaper partly reflect how he is working through it, said his brother, Mike Steenkamp.

Steenkamp was cremated in a funeral ceremony on Feb. 19 in her family's hometown of Port Elizabeth on South Africa's southern coast. Mike Steenkamp delivered a statement about the family's grief to television cameras, at one point breaking down in tears.

The three-story house where Pistorius is staying with his aunt and uncle lies on a hill with a view of Pretoria. It has a large swimming pool and an immaculate garden.

Pistorius was born without fibula bones due to a congenital defect and had his legs amputated at 11 months. He has run on carbon-fiber blades and was originally banned from competing against able-bodied peers because many argued that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. He was later cleared to compete. He is multiple Paralympic medalist, but he failed to win a medal at the London Olympics, where he ran in the 400 meters and on South Africa's 4x400 relay team.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/grief-besets-family-pistorius-slain-girlfriend-143751649--oly.html

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Former San Diego Mayor Maureen O'Connor, whose compulsive gambling led to her be...

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Prosecution: Pistorius' account of shooting a 'stretch'

LIVE AUDIO ? A South African judge makes a decision in the bail hearing for Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee athlete accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in a suburb of Pretoria.

By Michelle Kosinski, Rohit Kachroo and Ian Johnston, NBC News

PRETORIA, South Africa -- The prosecution in the Oscar Pistorius case alleged Friday that it was ?improbable? that his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp would have stayed silent as she was shot to death.

Olympic and Paralympic star Pistorius, dubbed the ?Blade Runner,? maintains he did not realize Steenkamp was in the locked bathroom of his home in a suburb of Pretoria, South Africa, and fired through the door in a panic over a possible prowler.

However, prosecutors say the 26-year-old committed the ?premeditated murder? of Steenkamp, 29, a model and trained lawyer.

Pistorius was expected to hear Friday whether he would be kept in jail or released on bail pending his trial for alleged murder.

At the start of the fourth day of his bail hearing Friday, one of his lawyers grabbed Pistorius? hands and said, ?We?re going to be all right. Do you hear me??

But prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court that ?one must stretch? to believe Pistorius? account of what happened in the shooting early on Valentine?s Day.

'It's not true'
And he questioned why Steenkamp would have stayed silent.

?Why would she not have shouted, 'Where are you (Oscar)? What's going on??? Nel said. ?She did not say a word, she did not scream, she did nothing! I think that's improbable ... It's not true!"

In a statement read to the court on Tuesday, Pistorius described waking up?and and going to his bedroom balcony to bring a fan inside and close the sliding glass doors and blinds. After hearing a noise in the bathroom, the double-amputee said he felt "a sense of terror" and feared a prowler was in the house.

Pistorius' account added:

"I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted at Reeva to phone the police. She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance. Everything was pitch dark in the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light. Reeva was not responding.

"When I reached the bed, I realized that Reeva was not in bed. That is when it dawned on me that it could have been Reeva who was in the toilet."

The prosecutor argued Friday that the runner?s attitude to the case had been ?I?ve done nothing wrong.?

Nel said he was ?not saying the murder of Reeva Steenkamp was planned days in advance, weeks in advance,? but certainly earlier that night.

He also questioned why someone who was concerned about burglaries would sleep with open doors and windows.

Nel claimed Pistorius did not understand the seriousness of the alleged offence and appeared to think it was ?business as usual.? He suggested this meant the athlete was a flight risk.

However, Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair asked ?what kind of life would Pistorius lead if he flees, given his protheses??

?Exactly? muttered someone in the court?s public gallery.

The prosecutor mentioned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange -- currently in Ecuadorian Embassy in London, England, after skipping bail -- as a well-known person who cannot be extradited.

"His facial features are as well known as Mr. Pistorius' prostheses," Nel said.

Assange is sought for questioning in Sweden over alleged sexual offenses. After a court in London decided he should be extradited, Assange fled to the embassy.

Defense lawyer Barry Roux told the court that Pistorius should at most be charged with culpable homicide, which is the unlawful, negligent killing of someone under South African law.

He said ?intent? to possibly kill a burglar could not be transferred to become intent to kill Steenkamp.

Roux said Pistorius would not be able to flee the country unnoticed. If he went through security at an airport "the system would react."

The lawyer added that Pistorius would not skip bail, saying that his prosthetics needed adjustment every month and that he also required medication for his stomach.

The arrest of Pistorius stunned millions who watched in awe last year as the sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400 meters at the London 2012 Olympics.

In South Africa, Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who commanded respect from both blacks and whites, transcending the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.

Police investigating Pistorius pulled their lead detective off the athlete's case on Thursday after it emerged he himself faces attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:?

Pistorius bail hearing in chaos as lead detective is axed from case

Fragrance brand parts ways with Pistorius

Pistorius' uncle: Olympian in shock, 'will bounce back'

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This story was originally published on Fri Feb 22, 2013 2:34 AM EST

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17052279-prosecution-oscar-pistorius-account-of-girlfriends-shooting-a-stretch?lite

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Warmer Waters Make Weaker Mussels

New research shows that mussels' attachment fibers weaken in warm water. As climate change raises ocean temperatures, these shellfish may be forced to cooler waters

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When it comes to mussels, bigger isn?t necessarily better. Tiny fibers called byssals enable mussels?the shellfish kind?to anchor themselves to coastlines despite crashing ocean waves.

But new research shows that the attachment fibers weaken in warm water. A temperature rise of 15 degrees Fahrenheit lessens fiber strength by 60 percent, possibly causing them to fail completely. As climate change raises ocean temperatures, mussels may be forced to cooler waters.

Emily Carrington of the University of Washington presented the research at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston:

"Researchers have dissected mussel beds and found, I think, upwards of 100 different species. So if the mussels go it really changes that community.

"We also eat mussels and so there?s applications in aquaculture. The way they grow mussels, is the mussels have to remain attached to the ropes on their long lines. So if the mussels fall off before the farmers return to reap their harvest, then they?ve lost a lot of money."

?Calla Cofield

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b4843ef2044fde9fd97a58a22c42a803

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Student Government Association member admits to creating Twitter account that th...

The Daily: Student Government Association member admits to creating Twitter account

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Student Government Association?s now former parliamentarian said he is the creator of the anonymous Twitter account that the elections board charged Cardinal United members for on Tuesday.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/BSUDailyNews/posts/468287926569869

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NCAA allegations against current, former Miami Hurricanes surface

After the University of Miami?s announcement Tuesday night that it had received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, information began seeping out and painting a clearer picture Wednesday in the nearly two-year-old case.

Among that information, The Miami Herald learned the specifics of two other Notices of Allegations through public records requests:

??Former Miami assistant basketball coach Jake Morton, now the director of basketball operations at Western Kentucky University, had charges that included accepting ?supplemental income in the amount of at least $6,000? from former UM booster Nevin Shapiro.

??Former UM basketball coach Frank Haith ?failed to promote an atmosphere for compliance within the men?s basketball program.?

And though UM president Donna Shalala said Tuesday in a written statement that the NCAA enforcement staff ?could not find evidence? of Shapiro claims such as UM-related prostitution, expensive cars for players, bounty payments and ?rampant alcohol and drug use,? Miami declined again Wednesday to release its Notice of Allegations.

Both basketball and football information leaked from various directions.

For instance, the University of Louisville confirmed that former UM football assistant coach Clint Hurtt had received his Notice of Allegations, but that the school had not responded to a public records request.

A source close to Hurtt said he will dispute some of the allegations.

Another source familiar with the NCAA?s investigation of UM and its former relationship with imprisoned Ponzi-schemer Shapiro told The Miami Herald that former UM football receivers coach Aubrey Hill and former UM basketball assistant Jorge Fernandez were being charged with violating NCAA bylaw 10.1, entitled ?unethical conduct.? When reached by phone Wednesday evening, Fernandez, who resigned from Marshall in May, declined comment. ?I?m not talking to anybody,? he said.

Hurtt also was charged with violating the ?unethical conduct? bylaw, the Associated Press reported Wednesday, citing an unnamed source. The AP stated that the NCAA said Hurtt and Hill ?committed the same violations? regarding bylaw 10.1 ? ?both denying that they provided meals, transportation and lodging to recruits, current players or both in either 2008 or 2009,? while players who were interviewed pointed to the contrary.

Bylaw 10.1 includes, but is not limited to, ?knowingly furnishing or influencing others to furnish the NCAA or the individual?s institution false or misleading information? regarding a possible NCAA violation.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions informed Haith, and likely the others involved in the case, that the scheduled hearing date of June 14-15 ?is unlikely? and ?is anticipated? to occur in July.

Yahoo! Sports reported Wednesday that there will be a conference call Friday for UM and the involved coaches to ?address their complaints about procedural concerns.? A Miami Herald source familiar with the case confirmed the conference call.

The AP reported Wednesday that the allegations also entail Shapiro paying for ?dinners at Benihana, televisions, sneakers, Miami Heat tickets, bowling parties, one player?s engagement ring, a used washer-dryer set for current New England Patriots lineman Vince Wilfork, and that he directed his girlfriend to give two former Hurricanes no-show jobs for a couple of months? ? not to mention ?buying a suit for former UM tailback Willis McGahee for him to wear to the 2002 Heisman Trophy ceremony.?

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/21/3243991/ex-miami-hurricanes-basketball.html

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Proposition 8 case: Judge who struck down California's gay marriage ban speaks out

SAN FRANCISCO -- On a May day in 2009, Vaughn Walker was going through one of his weekly routines as a federal judge, reviewing a stack of new lawsuits assigned to his San Francisco chambers, when one case caught his eye: Perry v. Schwarzenegger.

At the time, Walker had no inkling that history might rest in those pages, that one of the most important legal collisions in the nation over same-sex marriage might hang in the balance. In fact, at first, all Walker noticed was then-Gov. Schwarzenegger's name.

But it did not take long for the veteran chief judge, himself quietly but openly in a longtime gay relationship with a doctor, to realize that he had inherited the legal challenge to Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriage. The silver-haired judge with the iconoclast's reputation would be center stage in the gay marriage controversy.

"That's when I had the ??'Oh (my)' moment," Walker told this newspaper during an interview last week, recalling that he was already mulling retirement when the lawsuit landed on his desk.

The case temporarily took retirement off the table for Walker. And now the Proposition 8 showdown has reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear arguments on March 26 and, to some extent, review Walker's handiwork before ruling by June. Walker, after conducting an unprecedented trial, in 2010 declared the state's gay marriage ban unconstitutional, saying the law had no social justification and

singled out same-sex couples for discrimination.

A federal appeals court agreed with Walker, although it took a much narrower approach in invalidating Proposition 8. Still, Walker's role has shaped the nearly four-year legal battle over same-sex marriage rights in California.

Walker, soon to turn 69, retired from the federal bench after finishing the case, and he now practices law from a spartan corner office he leases from a law firm in the Embarcadero, while also doing some teaching at the Stanford and UC Berkeley law schools.

He doesn't miss the judge job much, nor the federal courthouse's Tenderloin neighborhood. He enjoys a spectacular view of the bay and can walk to nearby restaurant favorites such as La Mar, where he lunched last week on Peruvian fare as he discussed the complexities of the Proposition 8 case. (An avid traveler, Walker has journeyed to Peru several times.)

Walker wasn't always so sure the Proposition 8 case would reach the Supreme Court, although he prepared from the outset for that possibility. He notes that the gay marriage debate was at a different juncture in 2009 -- few states had legalized same-sex marriage (nine do now), and President Barack Obama was still several years away from backing same-sex marriage rights in the courts.

"It was a different time, and the Supreme Court doesn't always get out in front of public opinion," Walker said. "Not that many cases go to the Supreme Court."

Over the objections of Proposition 8 backers, Walker ordered a full trial to establish a complete record on the arguments from both sides, aware the higher courts would review whatever he decided. "If you are going to have an issue that deals with a significant constitutional matter, it pays to have some facts that are established the old-fashioned way," he said.

But, to Walker's surprise, after lawyers for same-sex couples put on a parade of witnesses, gay marriage foes put on scant evidence, offering just two witnesses, including one who later came out in favor of same-sex marriage rights. "I did think the proponents of Proposition 8 would put on a case," Walker said.

"It never occurred to me that they would ... ," and his trademark baritone trails off. Walker asks for the correct baseball term for taking a swing and a miss at a pitch and then just shrugs.

Walker is matter-of-fact about the eventual fallout from declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional. As he told the Commonwealth Club recently, he believes same-sex marriage is "an idea whose time has come," and he sticks by that belief.

But for his view, Walker has faced withering criticism from conservative and religious foes of same-sex marriage who attacked his fairness in deciding the case while in a long-term same-sex relationship. Even though Walker notes that his sexual orientation had been an open secret in the Bay Area legal world for about a decade before the Proposition 8 case, he was not entirely surprised when the issue surfaced.

"At the outset of the case, I wondered whether my personal situation would become an issue," he said.

Proposition 8 lawyers tried, unsuccessfully, to set aside Walker's ruling, arguing the judge was biased and should have disclosed the relationship before trial. Walker makes no apologies for that decision, saying it would be a dangerous precedent for all federal judges. The bias argument, he adds, was the Proposition 8 team's "Hail

Mary."

With the historic arguments drawing closer, Walker makes no predictions about the Supreme Court outcome. And he says he'll leave it to others to define his role in what many consider the most important civil rights case to reach the high court in decades.

"The remembering is for others to do," he said, "whether I like what others remember or not."

Howard Mintz covers legal affairs. Contact him at 408-286-0236, or follow him at Twitter.com/hmintz.

Source: http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/ci_22616312/proposition-8-case-judge-who-struck-down-californias?source=rss_viewed

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