clinteastwoodxy: May 2013

Friday 31 May 2013

Wildfire north of L.A. sparks evacuations

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) ? A fast-growing wildfire was burning out of control Thursday night near power stations and utility lines north of Los Angeles and homes in a mountain community were being evacuated, officials said.

The fire in the Angeles National Forest surged to 1,000 acres after burning for about four hours, the U.S. Forest Service said, sending out big clouds of black smoke amid temperatures in the high 80s and winds gusting at more than 20 mph.

"The growth potential of this fire is great. It's burning medium to thick brush on steep slopes," said Sherry Rollman, a forest service spokeswoman.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was helping residents evacuate in the community of Green Valley. It was not clear how many homes are threatened, but about 1,000 people live in the area.

Both Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said the fire was threatening their facilities and they were monitoring the blaze for potential outages, though none had been reported. Power was being rerouted away from the threatened lines.

The blaze broke out at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, just north of Powerhouse No. 1, a hydroelectric plant near the LA aqueduct that was the first to bring municipal power to the city and has been operating for nearly a century.

One structure has burned but it was not immediately clear what it was.

Further north near Santa Barbara, a fire that burned nearly 2,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest and forced the evacuation of thousands of campers when it broke out on Memorial Day was fully contained Thursday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wildfire-sparked-near-power-stations-north-la-012818398.html

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Chicago Sun-Times lays off photography staff

CHICAGO (AP) ? The Chicago Sun-Times has laid off its entire full-time photography staff.

Sun-Times Media released a statement Thursday to The Associated Press confirming "the very difficult decision" to do away with the positions at the city's tabloid newspaper and its suburban sister publications.

The statement noted that the "business is changing rapidly" and audiences are "seeking more video content with their news."

The newspaper company's statement cited its efforts to bolster reporting capabilities with video and other multimedia elements and said the resulting restructuring of multimedia goes "across the network."

Steve Buyansky (beye-AN'-skee), a photo editor for three of the group's suburban newspapers, says about 30 photographers heard from Sun-Times editor Jim Kirk that they were laid off at a mandatory meeting Thursday morning.

He says the photographers are "in shock."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chicago-sun-times-lays-off-photography-staff-175916089.html

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Thursday 30 May 2013

Early brain responses to words predict developmental outcomes in children with autism

May 29, 2013 ? The pattern of brain responses to words in 2-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder predicted the youngsters' linguistic, cognitive and adaptive skills at ages 4 and 6, according to a new study.

The findings, to be published May 29 in PLOS ONE, are among the first to demonstrate that a brain marker can predict future abilities in children with autism.

"We've shown that the brain's indicator of word learning in 2-year-olds already diagnosed with autism predicts their eventual skills on a broad set of cognitive and linguistic abilities and adaptive behaviors," said lead author Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.

"This is true four years after the initial test, and regardless of the type of autism treatment the children received," she said.

In the study, 2-year-olds -- 24 with autism and 20 without -- listened to a mix of familiar and unfamiliar words while wearing an elastic cap that held sensors in place. The sensors measured brain responses to hearing words, known as event-related potentials.

The research team then divided the children with autism into two groups based on the severity of their social impairments and took a closer look at the brain responses. Youngsters with less severe symptoms had brain responses that were similar to the typically developing children, in that both groups exhibited a strong response to known words in a language area located in the temporal parietal region on the left side of the brain.

This suggests that the brains of children with less severe symptoms can process words in ways that are similar to children without the disorder.

In contrast, children with more severe social impairments showed brain responses more broadly over the right hemisphere, which is not seen in typically developing children of any age.

"We think this measure signals that the 2-year-old's brain has reorganized itself to process words. This reorganization depends on the child's ability to learn from social experiences," Kuhl said. She cautioned that identifying a neural marker that predicts future autism diagnoses with assurance is still a ways off.

The researchers also tested the children's language skills, cognitive abilities, and social and emotional development, beginning at age 2, then again at ages 4 and 6.

The children with autism received intensive treatment and, as a group, they improved on the behavioral tests over time. But the outcome for individual children varied widely and the more their brain responses to words at age 2 were like those of typically developing children, the more improvement in skills they showed by age 6.

In other studies, Kuhl has found that social interactions accelerate language learning in babies. Infants use social cues, such as tracking adults' eye movements to learn the names of things, and must be interested in people to learn in this way. Paying attention to people is a way for babies to sort through all that is happening around them and serves as a gate to know what is important.

But with autism, social impairments impede children's interest in, and ability to pick up on, social cues. They find themselves paying attention to many other things, especially objects as opposed to people.

"Social learning is what most humans are about," Kuhl said. "If your brain can learn from other people in a social context you have the capability to learn just about anything."

She hopes that the new findings will lead to brain measures that can be used much earlier in development -- at 12 months or younger -- to help identify children at risk for autism.

"This line of work may lead to new interventions applied early in development, when the brain shows its highest level of neural plasticity," Kuhl said.

Coauthors are Jeffrey Munson and Annette Estes, both at UW; Sharon Coffey-Corina, University of California, Davis; and Geraldine Dawson, Autism Speaks and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The research was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/X94xdaSnTU4/130529190724.htm

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Syrian opposition says no to peace talks in Geneva

The US and others had been hoping a united Syrian political opposition would attend peace talks in Geneva in June. But the opposition says they won't participate, and the Syrian civil war still rages.

By Tom A. Peter,?Correspondent / May 30, 2013

Civilians are seen, from a hole in sandbags, walking along a passageway separating the area controlled by Free Syrian Army fighters and the area controlled by the regime in Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr, Wednesday. Syria's opposition leaders announced on Thursday that they will not participate in peace talks in Geneva next month.

Aref Hretani/Reuters

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Leaders of the Syrian opposition announced on Thursday that they will not participate in US and Russian sponsored peace talks that its planners were hoping would take place in Geneva, Switzerland in June.

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The news comes on the same day that the Syrian government said it had received S-300 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia meant to deter a potential foreign intervention.

These developments indicate little willingness from either side to seek out a political solution, as opposition and government forces dig in for the continuation of the nation?s bloody civil war.

Opposition officials spent days meeting in Istanbul this week to develop a unified negotiating strategy, pressed by US and French officials, before making the announcement. In addition to calling for an agreement to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power before they?ll engage in talks, opposition officials said they would not attend Geneva as long as Iranian and Hezbollah fighters are inside Syria and ?massacres are taking place.?

The decision follows a number of military setbacks for the Syrian opposition. Rebels appear to be on the brink of losing Qusayr, a strategically important town along the border of Lebanon, and a recent report by the German intelligence agency indicated that the Assad military is poised to make significant advances.

?If [the opposition] were in a significantly stronger position, perhaps there would be more of an openness, but it?s common sense that you don?t want to negotiate when you?re at your weakest and your opponents are at their strongest,? says Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center. ?There?s a broader existential moment here, that we?re talking about transition plans and reorienting the political opposition, and including more members, but all of that is moot if the rebels lose. I think it?s dawning on people now finally that the rebels might not actually win."

Deep divisions

Even before the opposition's decision to skip the talks in Geneva, few expected results. The Syrian National Coalition remained divided on a number of issues and lacked the support of many people inside Syria. Though the Syrian government agreed to attend the conference without conditions on Wednesday, it remained highly unlikely government officials would consider the rebel?s demand for Assad to step down as part of any political settlement.

With a negotiated settlement off the table for now, fighting throughout Syria is likely to intensify. This week, the European Union agreed not to renew a weapons embargo on Syria, paving the way for member states to send weapons to opposition forces.

In the US, a Senate bill to support the opposition is gaining traction. Senator John McCain, who has long called for increased American involvement in Syria, visited rebels inside the country on Monday. Now he says the US can provide weapons to rebels without them potentially falling into the wrong hands, which has long been a point of concern for many American officials.

Sami Moubayed, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center, says that despite the coalition?s decision today, peace talks are still possible.

?The more they bicker among themselves, the more credibility they are losing on the Syrian street. Even worse, the more they quarrel, the more people die," Mr. Moubayed says. "The latest fiasco at Istanbul, where they failed at expanding the alliance, only adds to Western fears of what post-Assad Syria would look like with such a disunited opposition. Painful concessions are required here, and one of them, no doubt, will be accepting the political process of Geneva."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Z-rhjfsrv4Q/Syrian-opposition-says-no-to-peace-talks-in-Geneva

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Mich. authorities await autopsy results for ex-QB

FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2005, file photo, Grand Valley State quarterback Cullen Finnerty runs against Northwest Missouri State's Chris Termini during the first half of the NCAA Division II championship football game in Florence, Ala. Authorities say the former college football quarterback who went missing over the weekend has been found dead in Michigan. Lake County Undersheriff Dennis Robinson says Finnerty's body was found Tuesday night, May 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt, File)

FILE - In this May 29, 2008 file photo, Denver Broncos backup quarterback Cullen Finnerty stretches at the team's headquarters in Denver. Authorities are searching for Cullen Finnerty, a quarterback who led Grand Valley State to three Division II national football championships, after he failed to return from fishing near his northern Michigan cabin. The Lake County, Mich., sheriff's department says the search continued Monday evening, May 27, 2013 for the 30-year-old Finnerty, who didn't return Sunday night, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2006, file photo, Grand Valley State quarter back Cullen Finnerty holds up the championship trophy with teammates after beating Northwest Missouri State 17-14 in the Division II championship football game in Florence, Ala. Authorities say the former college football quarterback who went missing over the weekend has been found dead in Michigan. Lake County Undersheriff Dennis Robinson says Finnerty's body was found Tuesday night, May 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

A Michigan State Police helicopter searches an area near the former GEO corrections facility in Baldwin, Mich., as searchers including former and current Grand Valley State University football players prepare to go out to look for former GVSU quarterback Cullen Finnerty in the Baldwin, Mich., area on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, after he went missing while on a fishing trip over the weekend on Baldwin River. Finnerty's body was found in Webber Township about a mile from where he disappeared, but authorities said no foul play was suspected. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Ryan Garza) DETROIT NEWS OUT; NO SALES

Lake County Sheriff Bob Hilts, right, fills the media in during a press conference at the form GEO Correctional Facility in Baldwin, Mich., on Tuesday May 28, 2013 after the body of former Grand Valley State University quarterback Cullen Finnerty was found during a foot search half a mile north of where the boat was found after he went missing while on a fishing trip over the weekend on Baldwin River. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Ryan Garza) DETROIT NEWS OUT; NO SALES

DETROIT (AP) ? A three-day search for one of the winningest college quarterbacks ever ended in a remote wooded area in Michigan, where authorities found his body and were left with a mystery of how he died.

Authorities were hoping autopsy results expected to be released Wednesday afternoon would provide some much-needed answers regarding the untimely passing of Cullen Finnerty.

The former Grand Valley State University quarterback went missing Sunday while fishing near his family's cottage. Finnerty's body was found in Webber Township, about a mile from where he disappeared, but authorities said no foul play was suspected.

Finnerty, 30, led Grand Valley State University to three Division II national titles and more than 50 wins during his four years as a starter in Allendale, Mich., last decade. His body was found about 8 p.m. Tuesday in woods within a mile of where he disappeared, said Lake County Undersheriff Dennis Robinson.

Robinson said the body was not in the water and was found in a wooded area in near the family's cottage.

The search drew scores of police and volunteers, including staff and players from Grand Valley State.

Finnerty last spoke to a family member Sunday night in a phone call in which he said "he was nervous about something," Sheriff Robert Hilts said. Based on that call, the family suspected "he might be having some kind of a mental episode ? that he was either afraid or something and ran off into the woods," Hilts said.

The sheriff said authorities had been tracking Finnerty's cellphone "until it went dead." The terrain made the search for the 6-foot-3, 230-pound ex-athlete difficult, Hilts said.

"This is the last river that I'd pick to fish," he said, citing logjams and dense brush. "And it's a very tough river to navigate."

Searchers from the sheriff's office, state police and area fire departments fanned out Tuesday across a square-mile area of Webber Township, which is about 65 miles north of Grand Rapids.

In addition, dozens of current and former Grand Valley State players, coaches and staff hopped on a bus and headed north to Lake County to lend a hand in the search effort.

Grand Valley coach Matt Mitchell, who was a defensive assistant when Finnerty led the Lakers to national titles in 2005 and 2006, as well as former Grand Valley coach and current Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chuck Martin were among those helping out.

Mitchell said Wednesday that he was "crushed" by Finnerty's death, especially considering the family he left behind.

"It was a pretty quiet bus ride home," the coach said.

Finnerty, who starred at Brighton High School, originally accepted an offer to play at the University of Toledo but transferred to Grand Valley after redshirting in 2001.

The dual-threat QB played for Grand Valley teams that won Division II titles in 2003, 2005 and 2006. He briefly was a member of the Baltimore Ravens and later the Denver Broncos.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly was Grand Valley's coach during the 2003 national championship season.

"It's very chilling," Kelly said Tuesday, before Finnerty's body was found. "He led me to a national championship as a true freshman. When I left, coach Martin took over and won two more national championships. My heart goes out to the family and to his beautiful wife."

___

AP reporter Tom Coyne in South Bend, Ind., contributed to this story.

___

Mike Householder can be reached at mhouseholder(at)ap.org and http://twitter.com/mikehouseholder

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-29-Missing%20Former%20Quarterback/id-0e6537b8afd44fe4875534ded1f20bec

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Now things could get more interesting for Federer

Switzerland's Roger Federer serves against India's Somdev Devvarman in their second round match of the French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Federer won in three sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Switzerland's Roger Federer smiles as he plays against India's Somdev Devvarman in their second round match of the French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Federer won in three sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

India's Somdev Devvarman returns against Switzerland's Roger Federer in their second round match of the French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Federer won in three sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates scoring a point against Caroline Garcia of France in their second round match of the French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Williams won in two sets 6-1, 6-2.(AP Photo/Christophe Ena))

Caroline Garcia of France turns away after missing a return against Serena Williams of the U.S. in their second round match of the French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Williams won in two sets 6-1, 6-2. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

PARIS (AP) ? Now things could get a little more interesting for Roger Federer.

After a pair of straightforward and straight-set victories at the French Open against qualifiers ranked outside the top 150, the 17-time major champion will face a seeded player, France's Julien Benneteau, who not only already beat Federer once this year but also came within two points of upsetting him at Wimbledon, of all places, in 2012.

"I think I'm playing OK," Federer said in something of an understatement, considering he's dropped 11 games through six sets so far. "Definitely think the next match is going to be sort of the big test for me, to see exactly where I stand."

There wasn't much trouble for Federer in the second round Wednesday, when he beat two-time NCAA singles champion Somdev Devvarman 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 in less than 1? hours.

It really was something of a laugher, especially with Federer serving at 4-0 in the final set. He hit a first serve well out, and both players waited for the linesman to make a call ? which he finally did, albeit after a long delay. Federer and Devvarman chuckled, looked at each other, and chuckled some more. As Federer prepared to hit his second serve, he needed to pause because he couldn't regain his composure.

Otherwise, little bothered Federer.

"You obviously know he's capable of doing certain things, and you try and make life as tough for him as possible," said Devvarman, who played college tennis at Virginia. "In my case today, I didn't execute. And sometimes even when I did, I feel like he came up with the better shot."

Federer accumulated a 54-12 edge in winners, in part by moving forward to the net on 30 points.

"I'm happy that I was playing offensive and aggressive tennis in the first two matches, because I had the opportunity, but I didn't back off and start to play passive tennis and wait for mistakes. So I took it to my opponent," said Federer, the 2009 French Open champion. "But really, I think I'll only know more after the Benneteau match, to be quite honest."

Then again, Benneteau might not quite be the same guy who took the first two sets against Federer before losing in five on the grass of the All England Club nearly a year ago. Or the one who has beaten Federer twice in six meetings, including 6-3, 7-5 in February on an indoor hard court at Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The 30th-seeded Benneteau dealt with pain in his thigh Wednesday during a topsy-turvy 7-6 (9), 7-5, 5-7, 0-6, 6-4 win against Tobias Kamke of Germany. Ahead by two sets and at 5-all in the third, Benneteau dropped 10 games in a row before righting himself.

Even putting that aside, Benneteau explained, "Obviously it's all pretty tricky, (playing) Federer. He breezed through the first two rounds. He plays very well. ... You know you're going to have to really ramp up a gear."

Same must be said when facing another past French Open champion, Serena Williams, who has been challenged about as much as Federer has.

Williams extended her career-high winning streak to 26 matches by defeating French wild-card entry Caroline Garcia 6-1, 6-2 Wednesday. A year after the only first-round Grand Slam exit of her career came in Paris, the American has lost four games in two matches.

Other women's winners included two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and 2011 Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova ? who both finally got to play their rain-postponed first-round matches ? along with 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic and 2012 runner-up Sara Errani, who reached the third round. Former No. 1 and 2009 U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki, whose boyfriend is golf star Rory McIlroy, lost 7-6 (2), 6-3 to Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski.

No seeded men lost Wednesday, and so far only one of the top 16 has, No. 5 Tomas Berdych. Joining No. 2 Federer in the third round were No. 4 David Ferrer, No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 10 Marin Cilic, No. 11 Nicolas Almagro, No. 14 Milos Raonic, No. 15 Gilles Simon, and No. 18 Sam Querrey, an American who was 1-6 in his Roland Garros career before this year and 2-0 this week.

"I'm really excited. That was my goal coming in. I've never made it third round here," said Querrey, who faces Simon next, "so anything past there is great."

The man who eliminated Berdych, France's Gael Monfils, followed that up by beating Ernests Gulbis 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 ? and, much like a tourist, Monfils shot some video by which to remember the occasion.

During a changeover, Monfils got permission from the chair umpire to use his phone to film the fans doing the wave.

Monfils explained: "He tell me, 'Sure, you can.' So I say, 'OK, I will tape it, like, quick."

Later in the day, just as the Court Suzanne Lenglen crowd roared at the sight of Devvarman claiming one game when trailing 5-0 in his third set, the fans at Court Philippe Chatrier got loud when Garcia finally won a game after being down 5-0 in her first set.

"I need to work on my game to pose more problems for her next time I meet her," Garcia said.

Williams won 32 of 39 service points, and while that's become expected, she also showed tremendous touch with a perfect drop shot that barely cleared the net and nearly nestled right there in the clay in the second set's second game.

Williams raised her left fist and looked up in the stands, where her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, shook his right fist.

"I was, like, 'Yeah!' I only hit drop shots in practice," she said. "I never hit them in a match. ... It's not a go-to shot."

Garcia is ranked only 114th but much is expected of her. Against Maria Sharapova in the 2011 French Open, she won the first set and led 4-1 in the second before collapsing completely, losing the next 11 games and the match. Her performance was good enough to inspire Andy Murray to write on Twitter that Garcia "is going to be No. 1 in the world one day."

For now, it's Williams who holds that distinction in the rankings, and she certainly looks like someone intent on keeping it that way.

"It's important for me to win easily," said the 15-time major champion, who won the French Open in 2002. "It's also important for me to play well. If I play well, it will bode well for me at Roland Garros."

Speaking again in French to the crowd during a post-match interview, Williams was asked what she plans to work on in practice.

"I'd like to improve everything. My French, too," she said.

Williams said she studied French "a long time ago" so she could use the language while traveling in Africa ? and "I decided that I wanted to win the French Open and speak French for my acceptance speech."

A reporter wanted to know: That remains the plan?

"Still my plan," Williams replied.

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-29-French%20Open/id-76ea74a4238048e39101fe7d931e7ef7

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Deal of the Day ? 14? Dell Inspiron 14R Core i5 Touch laptop

Wednesday’s LogicBUY Deal is the configurable 14″ Dell?Inspiron 14R Core i5 Ivy Bridge laptop with touchscreen, starting at $599.99. ?Features: 1.8GHz 3rd Gen Core i5-3337U? CPU 6GB RAM 750GB hard drive Intel HD 4000 graphics 15-months McAfee SecurityCenter subscription and 90-day premium phone support $938.99 – $289 instant savings – $50 coupon code = $599.99 [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/05/29/deal-of-the-day-14-dell-inspiron-14r-core-i5-touch-laptop/

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Bachmann Will Not Run for Re-election (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

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Monday 27 May 2013

Huge crowd cheers Argentine leader's 10-year rule

The government house is bathed in purple light as fireworks explode overhead during a government rally in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2013. Cristina Fernandez's government and supporters are celebrating 10 years since she and her late husband Nestor Kirchner have held office, and the 203th anniversary of the Argentina's May Revolution. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez gestures to supporters at a rally outside the government house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2013. Fernandez's government and supporters are celebrating 10 years since she and her late husband Nestor Kirchner have held office, and the 203th anniversary of the Argentina's May Revolution. Her voice breaking, the president called it a victorious decade, "won not by a government but by the people." (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Supporters of Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez listen to her speak outside the government house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2013. Fernandez's government and supporters are celebrating 10 years since she and her late husband Nestor Kirchner have held office, and the 203th anniversary of the Argentina's May Revolution. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez tries on a hat given to her by a supporter at a government event outside the government house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2013. Fernandez's government and supporters are celebrating 10 years since she and her late husband have held office, and the 203th anniversary of the Argentina's May Revolution. This year's election will determine whether she has the votes in congress to undo constitutional term limits and extend her rule beyond 2015. But she suggested Saturday night that she won't try. She said ?I'm not eternal, nor do I want to be.? (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) ? Argentine President Cristina Fernandez rallied a huge crowd Saturday night celebrating the 10-year government that she and her late husband Nestor Kirchner began in 2003. Her voice breaking, she called it a victorious decade, "won not by a government but by the people."

This year's election will determine whether Fernandez has enough votes in congress to undo constitutional term limits and extend her rule beyond 2015. But she suggested Saturday night that she won't try. She said "I'm not eternal, nor do I want to be."

Putting human rights violators on trial and pushing to put more of Argentina's wealth in the hands of its poorest people will continue to be the pillars of this government, she said. "Equality is the grand symbol of this decade and of those to come," she vowed.

Her opponents took aim at the "decade won" theme, noting that the years of strong economic growth have ended, and saying that if this is what victory looks like, Argentina is in big trouble.

Whether the Kirchners' decade will be remembered for its historic achievements or its missed opportunities depends on whom you talk with in Argentina, where society is bitterly divided over their legacy.

Analysts consulted by The Associated Press said they deserve credit for fostering 7 percent average growth and restoring power to the presidency. Kirchner was inaugurated on May 25, 2003 at a chaotic time; the country was still suffering from its 2001 crisis, and poverty was extreme.

The Kirchners began an era of social inclusion, external debt reduction and state intervention that was the exact opposite of the privatization binge and anything-goes capitalism that characterized Argentina in the 1990s.

Ten years later and going it alone after her husband died of a heart attack, Fernandez has intensified her government's control over the economy and diverted billions of dollars more to subsidizing the poor.

"This is an extraordinarily significant decade in Argentine history," said philosopher Ricardo Forster, a supporter. The transformations have managed to enrich the social, cultural, political and economic life."

But Fernandez's approval ratings have dropped sharply recently amid rising inflation and crime, corruption allegations involving top appointees and allied businessmen; increasingly heavy-handed economic controls; and efforts to transform the justice system. Critics say the real goal is eliminating challengers to presidential power.

"This decade represents a tremendous missed opportunity, which you can see by looking at what other countries in the region have done with similar possibilities and limitations," said sociologist and attorney Roberto Gargarella, a government critic.

Thousands of citizens have joined a series of pot-banging protests in recent months, and the crowd gathering in the Plaza de Mayo to hear Fernandez speak Saturday night was intended to provide a powerful counterpoint. Hundreds of thousands of people were bused in by the "organized and united" network of pro-government groups, and their flags and huge TV screens were installed in nearby streets.

"This is the government I always dreamed of and fought for in the 1970s," said Paloma Perez Galdos, a 58-year-old bank worker. "It's time that we have a justice system for everyone, not just for the rich."

"Social inclusion" under the Kirchners has involved providing billions of dollars in cash welfare payments families with children and people working in the informal economy. The government has raised pensions and minimum wages, and directed vast amounts of government revenue to keep the economy moving.

"Unemployment has gone from 25 percent to 7 percent ten years later ... in an economy that grew as fast as China," said Ramiro Castineira, an economic analyst with the Econometrica firm.

Castineira and Gargarella disagree on many aspects of the Kirchners' legacy, but they both say intervening in the government statistics service in 2007 was a critical mistake. Ever since, official annual inflation has refused to budge over 10 percent, even as Argentine shoppers watch prices double and triple each year. Many other statistics based on consumer prices have become widely disregarded.

"All the numbers on unemployment, poverty, inflation and inequality are falsified," Gargarella said.

"Misrepresenting the numbers was a strong blow to market confidence; that raised the country risk and made it impossible for Argentina to take on foreign debt. That's why the government turned to expanding the money supply," Castineira agreed.

Since 2008, the government has sought to capture more of the windfall profits from soy exports. But that alone couldn't finance the spending, so it printed more money and changed currency and tax rules forcing businesses to keep profits inside Argentina. That dissuaded investors, spurred capital flight and pushed annual inflation to as much 30 percent right now, private analysts say.

Economic instability now threatens to undo much of what the Kirchners accomplished.

"Today it's clear that Argentina, under the leadership of the Kirchners, has not known how to take advantage of the opportunity that this first decade of the 21st century has represented for Latin America, which is the strongest growth in two centuries of history," political analyst Rosendo Fraga said. "Instead of taking the path of Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Uruguay, it's taking that of Venezuela."

___

Associated Press Writer Damian Pachter contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-26-LT-Argentina-Kirchners'-Decade/id-e7c09a66bf0b41ffa9850e71c2e7cee5

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Sunday 26 May 2013

Rockets hit south Beirut after Hezbollah vows Syria victory

By Dominic Evans

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two rockets hit a Shi'ite Muslim district of Beirut on Sunday, driving home the risk of spillover from Syria's civil war, after the head of Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah said it would keep fighting on the Syrian government's side until victory.

It was the first attack to apparently target Hezbollah's stronghold in the south of the Lebanese capital since the outbreak of the two-year conflict in neighboring Syria, which has sharply heightened Lebanon's own sectarian tensions.

The United States and Russia have proposed an international peace conference to douse a civil war that has killed more than 80,000 people, driven 1.5 million Syrians as refugees abroad and raised the specter of sectarian bloodshed in the wider region.

Syria's government will "in principle" attend the talks tentatively set for June in Geneva and believes it will be an opportunity to resolve the crisis, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said during a visit to Baghdad on Sunday.

But in an apparent rebuff of Western calls for President Bashar al-Assad to cede power as part of any deal on transition, Moualem said: "No power on earth can decide on the future of Syria. Only the Syrian people have the right to do so."

The U.S. and Russian foreign ministers, striving to refloat a plan for a political transition in Syria, were due to meet in Paris on Monday to work out the details.

Whether the exiled Syrian civilian opposition will take part in the envisaged peace talks - and be able to negotiate effectively, given their internal divisions and shaky rapport with rebels inside Syria - remains in doubt.

The United States has been prodding Assad's opponents to unite before the conference. But the Islamist-dominated coalition has been hamstrung by power struggles during talks going on in Istanbul aimed at broadening its representation and electing a cohesive leadership.

The talks stalled on Sunday in a factional dispute over proposals to dilute Qatar's influence on rebel forces, with Saudi Arabia angling to play a greater role now that Iranian-backed Hezbollah was openly fighting for Assad.

Some observers have viewed the commitment by Hezbollah to Assad's cause as indicating the Lebanese movement does not see the United States weighing in against it. Asked whether the militia's role might alter Washington's reluctance to arm the rebels, a spokesman for President Barack Obama said on Sunday:

"The calculus that the president is making is something that is regularly reviewed and updated ... Our involvement and our assistance to the opposition there has steadily increased."

European Union foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss British and French calls for them to ease an arms embargo in order to help the rebels obtain weapons. Some other EU states oppose the move, at least until after any peace talks.

CONFLICT AFFLICTING LEBANON

Syria's conflagration has polarized Lebanon, a country of four million, in whose 15-year civil war to 1990 Syria was a major player and where Syrian troops remained until 2005.

Lebanese Sunni Muslims support the mainly Sunni insurgency against Assad, and Shi'ite Hezbollah stands by the president, whose minority Alawite sect derives from Shi'ite Islam.

In Sunday's attack, one rocket landed in a car sales yard next to a busy road junction in south Beirut's Chiah neighborhood, and the other struck an apartment several hundred meters away, wounding five people, residents said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Brigadier Selim Idris, head of Syria's Western-backed rebel military command, told Al-Arabiya Television that his forces had not carried out the attack.

He urged rebels to keep their conflict inside Syria.

But another Syrian rebel, Ammar al-Wawi, told Lebanon's LBC Television the attack was a warning to authorities in Beirut to restrain Hezbollah. "In coming days we will do more than this. This is a warning to Hezbollah and the Lebanese government to keep Hezbollah's hands off Syria," he said.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had declared on Saturday night that his thousands of fighters were committed to the conflict against what he called radical Sunni Islamist rebels in Syria, whatever the cost.

"We will continue to the end of the road. We accept this responsibility and will accept all sacrifices and expected consequences of this position," he said in a televised speech on Saturday evening. "We will be the ones who bring victory."

Though numbering only in the thousands compared to the tens of thousands of troops and many more irregular Syrian militiamen that Assad can draw on, Hezbollah's fighters, seasoned in urban warfare against Israel as recently as 2006, are a potent force.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius condemned the violent spillover into Lebanon. "The war in Syria must not become the war in Lebanon," he told reporters in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Until recently, Nasrallah insisted that Hezbollah had not sent guerrillas to fight alongside Assad's forces.

Syrian government forces reinforced by Hezbollah launched an onslaught last week on Qusair, a rebel-controlled town close to the Lebanese border that rebels have used as a crucial supply corridor for weapons coming into the country.

For Assad, taking Qusair would help keep Damascus, the capital, connected to the Alawite coastal heartland and also hinder links between the rebel-held north and south of Syria.

Lebanese authorities, haunted by Lebanon's own civil war and torn by the same kind of sectarian rifts as Syria, have pursued a policy of "dissociation" from the Syrian turmoil.

But Hezbollah is arguably a stronger force than Beirut's government, which has been unable to stem the flow into Syria of Sunni gunmen who support the rebels or of Hezbollah fighters who back Assad. It has also struggled to absorb nearly half a million refugees coming the other way to escape the fighting.

At least 25 people have been killed in Tripoli in the north of Lebanon over the last week in Sunni-Alawite street fighting triggered in part by the battle for Qusair across the frontier.

In Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, residents said three rockets landed on Sunday close to the mainly Shi'ite border town of Hermel, without causing injuries. Rebels have targeted Hermel from inside Syria several times in recent weeks.

Nasrallah's speech was condemned by former prime minister Saad al-Hariri, a Sunni who said that Hezbollah, set up by Iran in the 1980s to fight Israeli occupation forces in south Lebanon, had abandoned anti-Israeli "resistance" in favor of sectarian conflict in Syria.

"The resistance is ending by your hand and your will," Hariri said in a statement. "The resistance announced its political and military suicide in Qusair."

Hariri is backed by Saudi Arabia, which along with other Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab monarchies has strongly supported the uprising against the Iranian-backed Assad.

The extent to which Hezbollah's support for Assad has alienated Sunni Arabs who admired its battles against Israel was demonstrated on Sunday when the foreign minister of Sunni-ruled Bahrain used unusually strong language to call Nasrallah a "terrorist" and said it was a "religious duty" to stop him.

(Additional reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Istanbul, Laila Bassam and Erika Solomon in Beirut, Ahmed Rasheed and Suadad al-Salhy in Baghdad and John Irish in Abu Dhabi; Writing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Will Waterman and Alastair Macdonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rockets-hit-south-beirut-hezbollah-vows-syria-victory-000621219.html

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Understanding the past and predicting the future by looking across space and time

May 25, 2013 ? Studying complex systems like ecosystems can get messy, especially when trying to predict how they interact with other big unknowns like climate change.

In a new paper published this week (May 20) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and elsewhere validate a fundamental assumption at the very heart of a popular way to predict relationships between complex variables.

To model how climate changes may impact biodiversity, researchers like Jessica Blois and John W. (Jack) Williams routinely use an approach called "space-for-time substitution." The idea behind this method is to use the information in current geographic distributions of species to build a model that can predict climate-driven ecological changes in the past or future. But does it really work?

"It's a necessary assumption, but it's generally untested," says lead study author Blois, a former postdoctoral fellow with Williams at UW-Madison. She is now an assistant professor at the University of California, Merced. "Yet we're using this every day when we make predictions about biodiversity going into the future with climate change."

Their results should give other ecologists -- and potentially others such as economists who use similar models -- more confidence in their methods.

"At these spatial and temporal scales, the space-for-time assumption does work well," says Williams, professor of geography and director of the Center for Climatic Research at the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. "Our fossil data did support the idea that you can use spatial relationships as a source of information for making these predictions for the future."

Their research focus is paleoecology, the study of ancient ecosystems. By looking at fossilized pollen trapped in cores of sediment from the bottoms of lakes, the scientists reconstructed information about the plant communities present at locations across eastern North America during the past 21,000 years.

If climate has influenced communities the same way across space and through time, Blois explains, then a model based on the spatial data should make the same predictions as a model based on their temporal data. And in fact, they did.

The space-for-time model explained about 72 percent of the variation seen in their time data, and the remainder is likely due to other biological and environmental factors that the simplified model does not include, Blois says.

Though the testing does not capture all the ways space-for-time substitutions are used in other predictive fields, she says that the results are very encouraging for questions spanning large geographic and time scales -- scales at which collecting good temporal data can be very challenging.

"We found that at these broad time scales we're looking at, that space does substitute for time relatively well," Blois says. "It makes me more confident in my analyses going forward."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/7kwwXkvDVSI/130525143731.htm

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Army suspends general due to allegations of misconduct (CNN)

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Amanda Bynes: Arrested For Marijuana Possession, Throwing Bong Out of Window

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Cop arrested on suspicion of firebombing police captain?s house

A police officer from Edison, N. J., was arrested Thursday on five counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated arson in connection with the firebombing of another officer's house, NJ.com reports.

Michael A. Dotro was taken into custody after a massive search, and he has been suspended from the force with pay. Bail was set at $5 million.

Edison Police Department Capt. Mark Anderko?s house was set on fire Monday morning while Anderko was inside with his wife, two young children and 92-year-old mother. The house was damaged, but nobody was injured.

Police believe Dotro either used a Molotov cocktail or detonated a gas can outside the home to set the fire.

The allegations shocked Dotro?s lawyer, Lawrence Bitterman. ?I find it utterly incomprehensible to believe that Mike ... could ever be involved in anything like this,? Bitterman told NJ.com.

?I?ve spoken to him, and he adamantly denies any involvement and expresses his condolences to the Anderko family. He is sickened at the thought of someone doing this to a brother officer, or anyone else, for that matter,? he added.

The 10-year member of the force has had a history of disciplinary problems, according to NJ.com.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/cop-arrested-allegedly-firebombing-police-captian-house-140920171.html

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Saturday 18 May 2013

Scranton Versus Austin. (Willisms)

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Yes she Cannes! Emma Watson hits red carpet

Celebs

Kurt Schlosser TODAY

13 hours ago

Emma Watson and her cast mates from "The Bling Ring," along with director Sofia Coppola, made a splash on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.

While we're sad we can't bring you a new disco GIF of Watson, you should at least enjoy another stylish turn from the actress as she rolls out her latest film with all the required French flair.

AFP - Getty Images

Emma Watson poses at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.

Getty Images

Watson blows a kiss as Katie Chang, left, and Sophia Coppola look on.

Watson, who rose to fame as Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" film series, said at a Cannes news conference that those days seem "like such a long time ago."

"I enjoy the chance to transform into new roles and work with new creative people," the 23-year-old actress said of her turn in the film about a gang of celeb-robbing teens.

"The Bling Ring" opens in theaters in the US next month.

Getty Images

Bling ring, indeed. A detail view of the earrings worn by Watson on Thursday.

Getty Images

"The Bling Ring" stars, from left, Claire Julien, Taissa Fariga, Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Watson and director Sophia Coppola.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/yes-she-cannes-emma-watson-hits-red-carpet-bling-ring-1C9948208

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Friday 17 May 2013

Housing Starts Drop but Building Permits Soar | AOL Real Estate

By Martin Crutsinger

WASHINGTON -- U.S. builders broke ground on fewer homes in April, one month after topping the 1 million mark for the first time since 2008. But most of the decline was in apartment construction, which tends to vary sharply from month to month.

And applications for new construction reached a five-year peak, evidence that the housing revival will be sustained.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that builders started construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 853,000, a 16.5 percent drop from the March pace of 1.02 million. Applications for building permits rose 14.3 percent to a rate of 1.02 million, the most since June 2008.

Builders are benefiting from a sustained rebound in housing that began a year ago. Steady job growth, rock-bottom mortgage rates and rising home values have boosted demand.

New construction of single-family homes declined 2.1 percent in April to an annual rate of 610,000. Multi-family construction, which is volatile, plunged 39 percent to a rate of 243,000. That drop more than reversed a 26 percent surge in March.

Housing starts fell last month in every region except the Midwest, where it rose 11 percent compared with March. New construction dropped 28 percent in the South. It fell 13 percent in the Northeast and 6 percent in the West.

Even with the sharp drop in construction last month, confidence among builders is rising. The National Association of Home Builders says its builder confidence index rebounded in May to a reading of 44, up from 41 in April. The outlook for sales reached its highest point in more than six years.

New-home sales rose 1.5 percent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 417,000. That's still below the 700,000 pace considered healthy. But sales are 18.5 percent higher than a year ago.

Several major homebuilders have reported strong annual increases in orders for the first three months of the year. That includes the start of the spring home-selling season, the traditional peak period for sales.

Ryland Group Inc. said this week that orders in April jumped 59 percent from a year earlier. And over the first three months of this year. orders have jumped 54 percent.

Though new homes represent only a fraction of the housing market, they have an outsize impact on the economy. Each home built creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in tax revenue, according to data from the homebuilders' group.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Previous stories on home construction:
U.S. Housing Starts Surpass 1 Million in March
U.S. Housing Starts Rise, Permits at 4 1/2-Year High
U.S. New-Home Sales Jump to Highest Since July 2008

More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.
See celebrity real estate.

Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/05/16/April-housing-starts-building-permits/

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Thursday 16 May 2013

FDA warns public about fitness supplement allegedly linked to five ...

Published on May 15, 2013 by admin ????? No Comments

(NaturalNews) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new safety warning about an ingredient sometimes added to fitness supplements that it claims could cause health problems in certain individuals. According to a recent public announcement, the FDA has received complaints from a handful of consumers over the years linking the nervous system stimulant 1,3 dimethylamylamine, also known as DMAA, to heart attacks and even death, hence the need for a safety warning.

Even though a definitive causal link has admittedly not been established by the FDA or any other agency between DMAA and the aforementioned conditions, the FDA still saw fit to issue a release urging members of the public to avoid supplements that contain the ingredient. DMAA is apparently so dangerous in the eyes of the FDA that a large image bearing the caption, ?Warning! DMAA ? Risks may include HEART ATTACK & more ?,? can be seen on the FDA announcement page.

?As of April 11, 2013, FDA had received 86 reports of illnesses and death associated with supplements containing DMAA,? states the announcement. ?The majority are voluntary reports from consumers and healthcare practitioners. The illnesses reported include heart problems and nervous system or psychiatric disorders. Note, however, that a report is not proof that the product actually caused the problem.?

Sounds serious, right? Except for that last line, which basically negates the validity of the entire DMAA warning. The FDA likely receives hundreds or even thousands of complaints every day about all sorts of things, but does not necessarily issue safety warnings for all of them. So why DMAA, and why now?

Even though DMAA was technically developed by drug company Eli Lilly back in the 1940s, according to The New York Times (NYT), it is derived from nothing more than the natural oils found in geranium plants. It is commonly used as a natural energy booster and focus enhancer ? and as far as we can tell, there are no legitimate dangers associated with its use, and it has been safely used as an ingredient in a variety of fitness supplements for many years.

But since it is an unregulated dietary supplement and not an FDA-approved drug, DMAA is apparently an easy target for the FDA. Despite the fact that the agency has not officially recalled supplements containing DMAA, its latest scare campaign urging people not to take it has prompted virtually every manufacturer that once used the substance to pull it from their product formulations.

?Reality is, it?s been 15 months (that) the military has been investigating DMAA ? they found nothing that came back,? said GNC CEO Joe Fortunato during a recent conference call. Back in 2011, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) pulled all products containing DMAA from military base stores after two soldiers who had been taking DMAA-containing supplements died. Their deaths, however, were never proven to be caused by DMAA.

?We went to them three times, obviously concerned that if there was any safety issue, we wanted the product off the table. (But) they have nothing,? added Fortunato. ?If anybody has any impact (from using GNC products), that is something that nobody is ever happy about, but it happens occasionally, far more often in pharmaceutical industries.?

Fortunato brings up an important point ? pharmaceutical drugs kill at least 100,000 people every single year, according to a study out of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) back in 2000. Clearly this is far more significant that the five deaths believed, but not proven, to be linked to DMAA, and yet the FDA has issued no such coercive warnings about pharmaceutical drugs.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm347270.htm

http://www.nytimes.com

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

Source: http://truthisscary.com/2013/05/fda-warns-public-about-fitness-supplement-allegedly-linked-to-five-deaths-but-says-nothing-about-pharmaceuticals-that-kill-100000/

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WWE.com?s Guide to Extreme Rules stipulation matches

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/extremerules/2013/guide-extreme-rules-stipulation-matches

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South Carolina mom shot, killed her two young kids, police say

By Jeff Black, Staff Writer, NBC News

Two South Carolina children are dead, their father is hospitalized and their mother is accused of murder.

An autopsy report released by the Pickens County Sheriff?s Office on Wednesday said the children ? Sawyer Simpson, 5, and Carly Simpson, 7,?-- were shot multiple times, NBC station WYFF in Greenville, S.C., reported.

An arrest warrant obtained by the station shows that Suzanna Simpson, known as Anna, is charged with two counts of murder and attempted murder of her husband, Michael.?

Suzanna Simpson was under guard at a Greenville hospital, the station reported.

Deputies responding to a vehicle crash in the tiny community of Dacusville just after 6 a.m. on Tuesday found a pickup truck on the side of the road with Anna Simpson behind the wheel, Pickens County Sheriff?s Office spokesman Creed Hashe told the station.

Using the registration document for the truck, deputies went to the Simpson home in the Cherokee Trail area of the town and found the children dead and their father, Michael Simpson, severely wounded.

Michael Simpson remains in critical condition with life-threatening gunshot wounds, according to the sheriff?s office.?

Suzanna Simpson will be booked into county jail as soon as she is released from the hospital, the sheriff?s office said.

A representative with Pickens County Schools, John Eby, told the station Sawyer was a?kindergartner?and Carly was in first grade. Anna Simpson was a very active parent, Eby said.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2bfa6389/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A50C150C182823520Esouth0Ecarolina0Emom0Eshot0Ekilled0Eher0Etwo0Eyoung0Ekids0Epolice0Esay0Dlite/story01.htm

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Malaria parasite drives mosquitoes to human scent

In lab tests, insects carrying disease home in on sweat-soaked stockings

By Puneet Kollipara

Web edition: May 15, 2013

The notoriously crafty parasite that causes malaria may have yet another trick up its sleeve scientists have learned: It makes mosquitoes that carry it more attracted to human body odor, a new study suggests. Compared with noninfected mosquitoes, those carrying Plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous of the parasites that carry malaria,visited a fabric covered with a person?s sweat far more frequently, researchers report May 15 in PLOS ONE.

Hundreds of millions of people have malaria, and more than 500,000 die of it each year. Plasmodium?s ability to manipulate its hosts could help explain its ability to infect so many people. Researchers have found that infected mosquitoes take longer blood meals than noninfected ones, increasing the odds that the parasite will be passed on.

Since mosquitoes find their prey using odor, scientists have wondered whether the parasite affects its host?s sense of smell. A 2007 study found that a species of Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria in rodents can alter mosquitoes? olfactory proteins.

To study how the parasite affects mosquitoes? attraction to people, a team led by Renate Smallegange, then of Wageningen University and Research Center in the Netherlands, collected foot sweat from a volunteer who wore nylon stockings for 20 hours. Then her team put the odor-laced fabric in a cage with two groups of Anopheles gambiae, mosquitoes that transmit the malaria parasite to people.One group was infected with Plasmodium falciparum; the other wasn?t.

Infected mosquitoes landed on the fabric three times as frequently as did noninfected mosquitoes, the researchers found.

?It's a very interesting, although somewhat preliminary, result,? says Michael Riehle, an entomologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He notes that the experiment used only 176 mosquitoes and just one person?s sweat.

The researchers don?t know how the parasite manipulates mosquitoes? sense of smell. It?s also unclear which component of human odor is the most attractive to the mosquitoes. That information could help researchers develop traps to catch infected mosquitoes, the researchers say.

?We're at the tip of the iceberg, really, of understanding all the strategies the parasite is using in the mosquitoes,? says parasitologist Hilary Hurd of Keele University in England, who collaborates with some of the study?s authors. ?That's remarkable, given that this is a single-celled organism we're talking about.?

Suggested Reading

S. Milius. Malaria mosquito dosed with disease-fighting bacteria. Science News Online, May 9, 2013. [Go to]

N. Seppa. Experimental malaria drug may be a hot prospect. Science News. Vol. 183, April 20, 2013, p. 13. [Go to]

S. Milius. Mosquitoes Remade. Science News. Vol.182, July 14, 2012, p. 22. [Go to]

D. Strain. Lab-engineered organism fights malaria. Science News Online, February 25, 2011. [Go to]

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350438/title/Malaria_parasite_drives_mosquitoes_to_human_scent

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