Rogue ex-cop's victim makes 1st public appearance

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) ? A Riverside police officer nearly killed in an ambush by rogue ex-cop Christopher Dorner made his first public appearance since the shooting, at an emotional dinner where he was greeted warmly by friends and admirers and shared a table with the wife of his late training officer.

Officer Andrew Tachias was sitting in his patrol car with Officer Michael Crain on Feb. 7 when Dorner pulled alongside them at a stoplight and opened fire.

Crain was killed. Tachias, who is still recovering, was shot eight times.

"I think he's like all of us. It's ups and downs," Crain's widow, Regina, said of Tachias. "One minute you're fine, and the next you are in a hole."

She added the dinner was the first time she and Tachias, 27, had met.

The officer, whose wounded hands were encased in protective coverings, has said he wants to return to work.

"I'm absolutely speechless for him to be back in this environment," said Officer Scott Levesque, who was among those at the event at Riverside's Original Roadhouse Grill.

The dinner capped a daylong fundraiser for the families of Tachias and Crain. It drew so many people that at one point, the restaurant ran out of silverware, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported (http://bit.ly/X4bhPe).

Tachias, dressed in a gray and black striped hoodie and sporting a beard, was greeted with hugs when he arrived at about 8 p.m. and took a table with Crain's widow.

"To be close to the person who was with him last is comforting to me," Regina Crain said.

Crain's father also attended the event, along with Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz and Lt. Larry Gonzalez, the watch commander on duty when Crain and Tachias were attacked.

Dorner went on a rampage after he was fired by the Los Angeles Police Department for filing a false report.

He killed four people and wounded Tachias before committing suicide Feb. 12 after he was cornered in a mountain cabin near Big Bear Lake.

Authorities surrounded the cabin after a wild chase that began when Dorner tied up a couple and stole their car, crashed it and carjacked another vehicle at gunpoint, then crashed that one and fled to the cabin.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rogue-ex-cops-victim-makes-1st-public-appearance-183202187.html

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Diabetes Type 2 And Physical Exercise | Best Health and Fitness

Weight training.

Everyone should exercise, but health experts tell us that only 30% of the population of the United States proposed to thirty minutes of exercise per day and 25% work at all. In fact, inaction is considered a major reason for the increase in diabetes type 2 in the United States, where inactivity and obesity promote insulin resistance. The good news is that it is never too late to move, and sports one of the easiest ways to start controlling your diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes, in particular, exercise can improve insulin sensitivity reduces the risk of heart disease, and promote weight loss.?

Diabetes Type 2.

Diabetes increases. The number of people diagnosed with diabetes each year has increased by 48% between 1980 and 1994. Almost all new cases of type 2 diabetes or adult onset diabetes, the kind that moves in the middle of the century. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes are thirst, loss of appetite and urination, abnormal fatigue, anxiety, stomach pain, vision, tingling or numbness in hands. The cause of type 2 diabetes are complex and still poorly understood, although research to find new clues at a rapid pace.?

There is evidence that the reason for the increase in type 2 diabetes to expand the band and the trend towards the office of lifestyle related to inactivity and the United States and other developed countries. In America, the movement has been involved in 1990 alone, 61% increase in obesity and diagnosed diabetes by 49%. For this reason, to encourage health professionals who have diabetes type 2 to start with the wonders that can be applied to them. Without exercise, people tend to be overweight. Once they are obese have a greater chance of accumulating diabetes type 2.?

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services, over 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are clinically overweight. It's time to protect people, whether due to type 2 diabetes or not, began to take the plunge and stretching activities.?

Get Start.

The first order of business training program, especially if you are "dyed-in-the-wool" sluggish, consult your doctor. If you have cardiac risk factors, providers of health care for a stress test levels safe exercise for you. Some difficulties also determine what type of exercise program you can. Can activities such as weight, high impact aerobics or jogging may pose the risk for people with diabetic retinopathy because of the risk of blood vessel damage and possible additional separation of the retina.?

Were you involved in sports or work regularly, continue to enjoy your life to talk with your doctor. If you use insulin, you must take special precautions to prevent hypoglycemia during exercise.?

Start Slow.

For those with type 2 diabetes, your exercise routine as simple as changing the night. If you are not active for some time slow start "and work your way up. Walking the dog or the yard and rake. Take the stairs instead of elevators. Park in the lot and back. There is every little thing helps so much. A minimum of 15 to 30 minutes a day for exercise, the heart pumps large differences in glycemic control and risk of diabetes complications. One of the easiest and it is free to move to start a running program. All you need is a good pair of good shoes assembly, and guide one another?

In fact, it costs too much to spend on membership in a spa, or a medical device to start pumping grease to date. All it takes is the will and determination to start exercise for health, diabetes type 2 without life. The result is a sweet fruit of the efforts that are unique.

Source: http://besthealtfit.blogspot.com/2013/03/Diabetes-Type-2-And-Physical-Exercise.html

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Afrojack Drops Trippy 'As Your Friend' Video

DJ/Producer practices mind control in trippy video with vocals by Chris Brown.
By Gil Kaufman

Afrojack
Photo: David Cohen de Lara

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704586/afrojack-as-your-friend-video.jhtml

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Acoustic time delay could improve phased array systems

Mar. 29, 2013 ? Radar systems today depend increasingly on phased-array antennas, an advanced design in which extensive grids of solid state components direct signal beams electronically. Phased array technology is replacing traditional electro-mechanical radar antennas -- the familiar rotating dish that goes back many decades -- because stationary solid state electronics are faster, more precise and more reliable than moving mechanical parts.

Yet phased array antennas, which require bulky supporting electronics, can be as large as older systems. To address this issue, a research team from the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a novel device -- the ultra-compact passive true time delay. This component could help reduce the size, complexity, power requirements and cost of phased array designs, and may have applications in other defense and communication areas as well.

The patent-pending ultra-compact device takes advantage of the difference in speed between light and sound, explained Ryan Westafer, a Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) research engineer who is leading the effort. The ultra-compact device uses acoustic technology to produce a type of signal delay that's essential to phased-array performance; existing phased-array antennas use cumbersome electrical technology to create this type of signal delay.

"Most true time delay equipment currently uses long, meandering electromagnetic delay lines -- comparable to coaxial cable -- that take up a lot of space," Westafer said. "In addition, there are some time delay designs that utilize photonic technology, but they currently have size and functionality drawbacks as well."

The ultra-compact delay device uses acoustic delay lines that are embedded entirely within thin film materials. The component can be made thousands of times smaller than an electrical delay-line design, Westafer said, and it can be readily integrated on top of semiconductor substrates commonly used in radar systems.

A Critical Delay

In a phased array radar system, true time delays are necessary to assure proper performance of the many signal beam producing elements that make up the array. As the elements scan back and forth electronically at extremely high speeds, their timing requires extremely fine coordination.

"The individual antenna elements of a phased array appear to scan together, but in fact each element's signal has to leave up to a few nanoseconds later than its neighbor or the steered beam will be spoiled," explained Kyle Davis, a GTRI research engineer who is a team member. "These delays need to march down each element in the array in succession for a steered beam to be produced. Without correct time delays, the signals will be degraded by a periodic interference pattern and the location of the target will be unclear."

Traditional phased array systems use one foot of electrical delay line for each nanosecond of delay. By contrast, the Georgia Tech team's time-delay design consists of a thin-film acoustic component that's a mere 40 microns square. The tiny device can be readily integrated into the silicon substrate of a radar component, yet it provides the same delay as many feet of cable.

This size reduction is possible because of a simple fact of physics -- sound traveling through the air moves about 100,000 times more slowly than light. As a result, when an electromagnetic wave such as a radar signal becomes an acoustic wave, it slows down dramatically. In the case of the ultra-compact passive true time delay component, the acoustic area of the component furnishes a multi-nanosecond delay in the space of a few microns.

"Microwave acoustic delay lines actually date back to 1959, but our ultra-compact delay's small size represents a significant advance that should allow microwave acoustic delay lines to be manufactured and integrated much more readily," explained William Hunt, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "And it's worth noting that this innovative work took place as the result of both strong student participation and very effective collaboration across several Georgia Tech units."

Acoustic Wave Conversion

A phased array radar using the Georgia Tech time delay component could operate like this: An electromagnetic wave is transmitted through an electrical line to the compact time delay device. Then, within the delay device, a piezoelectric transducer converts electromagnetic waves to acoustic waves, and over the distance of a few microns the waves are slowed by several orders of magnitude.

Once the required delay is achieved, the acoustic waves are transduced back to electromagnetic waves, delivered into another electrical line and transmitted by an antenna. A similar but reverse sequence takes place when the radar beam bounces back from its target and is received by the antenna.

In addition to Westafer, Davis and Hunt, the Georgia Tech development team includes GTRI principal research engineers Jeff Hallman and Jim Maloney; GTRI research engineer Brent Tillery and GTRI research associate Chris Ward; School of Electrical and Computer Engineering student Stephen Mihalko, and GTRI student assistant Jonathan Perez.

To date, the Georgia Tech team has successfully demonstrated that the current version of the ultra-compact passive true time delay can handle radar signals at 100 percent bandwidth while delivering a 10 nanosecond delay. The team is presently addressing technical issues such as signal loss, and near-term plans call for the demonstration of an improved device design and the delivery of initial packaged devices to customers.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/tebPuz3J_E8/130329124307.htm

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Food & Drink: HOW TO Cook A New York Strip Steak Medium : How ...

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Mindfulness Linked to Lower Stress Hormones | Psych Central News

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 29, 2013

New research suggests that focusing on the present rather than letting the mind drift may help to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

The ability to focus mental resources on immediate experience is an aspect of mindfulness ? a skill which can be improved by meditation training, say UC-Davis researchers.

The findings stem from the Shamatha Project an ongoing comprehensive long-term, control-group study of the effects of meditation training on mind and body directed by researchers from UC-Davis and Buddhist scholars.

The new discovery is the first scientific evidence of a ?direct relation between resting cortisol and scores on any type of mindfulness scale,? said Tonya Jacobs, a first author.

A paper describing the work has published in the journal Health Psychology.

High levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland, are associated with physical or emotional stress. Prolonged release of the hormone contributes to wide-ranging, adverse effects on a number of physiological systems.

In the new study Jacobs, Clifford Saron and their colleagues used a questionnaire to measure aspects of mindfulness among a group of volunteers before and after an intensive, three-month meditation retreat. They also measured cortisol levels in the volunteers? saliva.

During the retreat, Buddhist scholar and teacher B. Alan Wallace of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies trained participants in such attentional skills as mindfulness of breathing, observing mental events, and observing the nature of consciousness.

Participants also practiced cultivating benevolent mental states, including loving kindness, compassion, empathic joy and equanimity.

At an individual level, there was a correlation between a high score for mindfulness and a low score in cortisol both before and after the retreat. Individuals whose mindfulness score increased after the retreat showed a decrease in cortisol.

?The more a person reported directing their cognitive resources to immediate sensory experience and the task at hand, the lower their resting cortisol,? Jacobs said.

The research did not show a direct cause and effect, Jacobs emphasized. Indeed, she noted that the effect could run either way ? reduced levels of cortisol could lead to improved mindfulness, rather than the other way around. Scores on the mindfulness questionnaire increased from pre- to post-retreat, while levels of cortisol did not change overall.

According to Jacobs, training the mind to focus on immediate experience may reduce the propensity to ruminate about the past or worry about the future, thought processes that have been linked to cortisol release.

?The idea that we can train our minds in a way that fosters healthy mental habits and that these habits may be reflected in mind-body relations is not new; it?s been around for thousands of years across various cultures and ideologies,? Jacobs said. ?However, this idea is just beginning to be integrated into Western medicine as objective evidence accumulates. Hopefully, studies like this one will contribute to that effort.?

Saron noted that in this study, the authors used the term ?mindfulness? to refer to behaviors that are reflected in a particular mindfulness scale, which was the measure used in the study.

?The scale measured the participants? propensity to let go of distressing thoughts and attend to different sensory domains, daily tasks, and the current contents of their minds. However, this scale may only reflect a subset of qualities that comprise the greater quality of mindfulness, as it is conceived across various contemplative traditions,? he said.

Previous studies from the Shamatha Project have shown that the meditation retreat had positive effects on visual perception, sustained attention, socio-emotional well-being, resting brain activity and on the activity of telomerase, an enzyme important for the long-term health of body cells.

Source: UC-Davis

Abstract image of the brain photo by shutterstock.

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2013). Mindfulness Linked to Lower Stress Hormones. Psych Central. Retrieved on March 30, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/29/mindfulness-linked-to-lower-stress-hormones/53159.html

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/29/mindfulness-linked-to-lower-stress-hormones/53159.html

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Partisan discord finds roots in toss-up districts

MONTGOMERY, Ohio (AP) ? Rep. Steve Chabot of Cincinnati would seem an ideal Republican to be open to compromise with President Barack Obama.

He comes from a competitive district. He says bipartisanship is essential to accomplishing anything in Washington.

But Chabot tells constituents he toes an unyielding conservative line on nearly every big federal issue. He opposes new taxes even if they might open to the way to cuts in costly entitlement programs. He opposes any new gun laws. He wants deeper spending cuts.

Chabot proudly says it's hard for any politician to get to his right.

That's a boast being made by many House Republicans who want to make sure they never get defeated by another Republican who accuses them of being too cozy with Democrats.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/partisan-discord-finds-roots-toss-districts-131548671--politics.html

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Taking the US-bound Smart Electric Drive for a spin (video)

The eponymous "Smart car" has been buzzing around city streets in the US for over five years now. It's actually called the Fortwo, thanks to its limited seating capacity, and while it didn't prove to be an immediate hit, sales have been steadily increasing. An electric version of the car has been available in limited numbers overseas for years now, but finally this year it's coming to the US. And this is it. We got a chance to drive a green vinyl-wrapped Smart Electric Drive around some city streets ahead of the opening of the New York International Auto Show and came away reasonably impressed by this $25,000 EV -- the cheapest on the market. Join us after the break for our impressions.

Gallery: Smart Electric Drive test drive

Filed under: Transportation

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4MO2eMNYtvs/

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Bombings kill 23, wound dozens in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) ? A string of bombings targeting Shiite mosques in Iraq killed at least 23 people and wounded dozens on Friday, officials said. The attacks were the latest in spectacular assaults staged by insurgents seeking to undermine the Shiite-led government's efforts to achieve security across the country.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the bombings bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida's Iraq branch. The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, frequently uses car bombs, suicide bombers and coordinated blasts in an effort to sow fear among Shiites and erode their trust in the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Four car bombs hit Shiite mosques in the Iraqi capital as worshippers were leaving after Friday prayers, killing 19 people and wounding 72.

First, a parked car exploded in Baghdad's western Jihad neighborhood, killing seven worshippers and wounding 25, a police officer said. Another police officer said four people were killed and nearly 20 were wounded in a bombing in eastern Qahira neighborhood. Three people died and 15 were wounded in the eastern Zafaraniyah district while yet another car bomb killed five people and wounded 14 in the northeastern Binook neighborhood.

Three health officials confirmed the causality figures. All officials in Baghdad spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to talk to the media.

And in the northern city of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden car into a group of worshippers as they were leaving a mosque after Friday prayers, killing three people and wounding up to 70, according to police Col. Najat Hassan. A senior provisional health official, Sidiq Omar Rasool, confirmed the casualty figures in Kirkuk.

Violence has ebbed sharply since the peak of Sunni-Shiite fighting that pushed the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007, but Sunni insurgents still occasionally carry out high-profile attacks against Shiites, considering them to be heretics.

Friday is a particularly popular day for militants to undertake such attacks because of the rush of mostly men and boys who flock to the mosques throughout the country to hear traditional Muslim sermons and take part in communal prayers.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bombings-kill-23-wound-dozens-iraq-125703269.html

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Apple adds new 'Why you'll love iPad' section to their website

Following Apple's new 'Why you'll love iPhone' campaign, they have now done the same for the iPad. The new page on Apple's site highlights both the iPad and iPad mini and why existing users already love it.

Apple's main focus seems to be on the features that set the iPad and iPad mini apart with a strong emphasis on the availability of apps, battery life, and LTE. Interestingly, out of all the features that Apple has decided to tout, the first feature they decided to list were some statistics for how many users are currently using iPads and how many school systems and government agencies have or plan to deploy iPads.

Unlike their iPhone campaign, Apple didn't decide to compare it to other tablets on the market but instead highlight the features that they think highlight why people already love iPad. Hit the link below to see all the features Apple chose in their entirety.

Source: Apple

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/naMTTk3z1qc/story01.htm

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US Sends B-2 Bombers Over Korean Peninsula (Voice Of America)

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Analysis: Supreme Court energizes gay rights even as it resists (reuters)

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Meet the Entrepreneurs Trying to Shake Up Manufacturing

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Iran's support for Syria still appears strong - but is it hedging its bets?

Even as it continues to provide military support to the Syrian regime, staunch ally Iran is making preparations for life after President Assad.?

By Scott Peterson,?Staff writer / March 28, 2013

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, welcomes Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, for their meeting, in Tehran, Iran, March 2.

Mahdi Marizad, Fars News Agency/AP

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When the Arab League handed Syria?s long-vacant seat to the Syrian opposition on March 26 and endorsed military aid for anti-regime rebels, the first and loudest complaints came from Iran.?

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Despite a two-year rebellion that has seen 70,000 deaths and 1 million refugees, Iran has not veered from its staunch support for Syria?s embattled President Bashar al-Assad, whose?regime it considers a critical piece of its anti-US, anti-Israel "axis of resistance."

The Arab League's decision set a ?dangerous precedent? that would only ?add to the problems,? warned Iran?s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. It would even ?bring an end to the [Arab League?s] role in the region,? asserted his deputy, Hossein Amir?Abdollahian.

The Iranian complaints are the diplomatic side of an on-the-battlefield proxy war in Syria, with both sides reportedly receiving a surge of weapons from outside powers in recent months.?Iranian military and financial support for Mr. Assad has been stepped up with near-weekly flights?(and Russia still continues normal sales to its ally). Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, meanwhile, have ferried fresh weaponry to the rebels, with CIA support.

United Nations envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi says the Syrian conflict is becoming a ?playground for competing regional forces.?

As the mish-mash of rebel forces capture more ground, more regime military bases and hardware, and key civilian targets, few analysts predict that Assad?s regime will survive in its current form, or that Syria?s longstanding ruler will be alive when it is over. Even Iran, despite its unbending public support for Assad, appears?to be preparing for a post-Assad world.

"Iran so far was successful; without Iran's money and strategic help, Assad would have fallen much earlier," says Mehdi Khalaji, an Iran specialist at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "But in terms of policy, they have a Plan B?. So even if Assad falls, to some extent Iran would be able to protect its interests."

'Plan B'?

That plan may hinge on a pro-regime militia Iran helped to create called Jaysh al-Shabi. The militia could protect Syria's Alawites ? the Shiite Muslim offshoot to which Assad and much of his regime belong ? if they are relegated to only a portion of the country?in northwest Syria, along the coast to the border with Lebanon.?

It's possible that no side will gain a decisive advantage and, with all sides backed by powerful international friends, the country will break along sectarian and ethnic fault lines, with Alawite and Kurdish sections, and a larger Sunni portion.?

Since its 1979 Islamic revolution,?Iran has used Syria as a conduit for weapons, cash, and support for the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah,?and later?Hamas and Islamic Jihad,?all of which form a frontline against Israel. If Assad falls, Iran could lose that channel.?

Iran?s Revolutionary Guard commander has been quoted as saying that the?Jaysh al-Shabi, a mix of Shiite and Alawite groups, is modeled after Iran?s ideological Basij militia,?a large volunteer force that has been used to quell street unrest. Senior US officials, who added Jaysh al-Shabi to its list of sanctioned groups last December,?have described it as ?an Iran-Hezbollah joint venture.?

?In terms of propaganda, no, I think the Iranians in the near future would not admit this possibility [of Assad falling],? says Mr. Khalaji.

But Iran's Plan B with the pro-regime militia means that even if Assad is removed, as long as an Alawite enclave continues to exist in Syria, Iran may still manage to maintain direct links with militant groups. "By helping them, [Iran would] make sure that some part of Syria can be used as a bridge to reach Lebanon and the Palestinian territories," adds Khalaji."

Gulf, West come together

At the Arab League meeting in Doha, Qatar, countering any Iranian support for the Assad regime may have been behind the readiness to recognize the anti-government coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

?We demand ? all forms of support from our friends and brothers, including our full right for self-defense,? said Syrian opposition chief Moaz al-Khatib after taking Syria's seat at the Arab League meeting.?

That has reportedly?been happening already. The airlifting of military aid?by?Arab governments and Turkey to Syrian rebels?with CIA help??expanded into a steady and much heavier flow late last year,? The New York Times reported on March 24. According to the Times, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar ??Sunni Muslim nations wary of Iranian influence in the region ? have carried out?160 military-style cargo flights?bringing weaponry to Turkey and Jordan, from which the weapons are smuggled into Syria.?

?The intensity and frequency of these [weapons] flights are suggestive of a well-planned and coordinated clandestine military logistics operation,? Hugh Griffiths of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute told the Times.?

Not enough

Likewise, Iran has ?significantly stepped up? military support for Assad, according to a mid-March report by Reuters.?

The Iranian effort ?suggests the Syrian war is entering a new phase in which Iran may be trying to end the battlefield stalemate by redoubling its commitment to Assad? and giving the regime a ?crucial lifeline,? Reuters reported, citing Western diplomats and a Western intelligence report from last September.

The intelligence report described shipments, primarily through Iraqi airspace, ranging from communications gear and drone parts to ?advanced strategic weapons? such as shore-to-sea missiles and ballistic missiles.

?None of this will be decisive; Assad will lose,? says Kenneth Katzman, an analyst for the Congressional Research Service in Washington. ?You?re not going to change the outcome unless you are shipping big-ticket items, which I don?t think anybody is.?

Assad?s military stores are slowly being eroded: Helicopters and planes have been shot down, and many tanks have been taken out?and some captured by rebels and turned against government forces.?

The Iranians "can?t do much more, because to do more would risk getting things captured and exposed," says Mr. Katzman.??To some extent the [Iranian] mentality is the same as Assad?s mentality: Just be tough, show as much strength as possible, and you?re going to be able to?power through it. I think they?ve?overestimated their ability to save Assad.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/VsdYlkY-mfg/Iran-s-support-for-Syria-still-appears-strong-but-is-it-hedging-its-bets

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Paul plans another filibuster -- this time on guns (CNN)

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Mostly not adoption-related: family/baby shower rant

You need to take a huge step back.

You don't need to be this supportive. You don't need to store stuff for them. You don't need to give them any baby-related advice, or try and bond over kid stuff. You don't need to even throw her a shower.

I think you're trying to treat them the way that you expect the average person to be treated in the average situation, but they've taken advantage of you way too long,

I agree, limit the guest list and tell them that's all you can afford and handle in your apt. If someone else I their lives wants a different kind of shower, more power to them.

Then I would back away. Yes, you're getting a nephew, but I would limit my contact with such toxic life-suckers.

Source: http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/72953082.aspx

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Charges: Pa. man bagged deer Wal-Mart lot deer

BLAIRSVILLE, Pa. (AP) ? They say you can get almost anything at Wal-Mart. But the Pennsylvania Game Commission says one deer hunter took it too far.

Forty-year-old Arcangelo Bianco Jr. is charged with reckless endangerment and hunting law violations for allegedly shooting across a highway to kill a 10-point buck he spotted in a Wal-Mart parking lot in November.

Bianco faces a preliminary hearing May 1. His attorney didn't immediately return a call for comment Wednesday on charges reported by the Indiana Gazette (http://bit.ly/YEmOVY).

Wildlife Conservation Officer Jack Lucas says Bianco fired several shots in the parking lot then retrieved the deer from the side of the highway opposite the store, about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Lucas says the buck is one of the nicest taken in the county in recent years.

___

Information from: The Indiana Gazette, http://www.indianagazette.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-03-27-Buck%20Shot%20From%20Lot/id-6081e6a05b184acfb1e35b88e8f587a0

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Cypriot banks reopen after 12 days -- but customers can only withdraw $383 each

Yannis Behrakis / Reuters

A staff member of Laiki Bank, which is to be liquidated, tries to calm customers as the branch in Nicosia prepares to open.

By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

Banks on the tax haven of Cyprus opened Thursday for the first time in 12 days amid the island's continuing financial crisis.

Strict limits on the amount of money that could be withdrawn have been imposed ? people will be able to withdraw 300 euros ($383) a day and no checks will be cashed ? amid fears of a run on the banks.

Account holders showed up hours before the banks were due to open to get in line.

Early indications were that there was no mass rush to withdraw cash, with just 13 people waiting outside one large Bank of Cyprus branch on the island as it opened at noon local time (6 a.m. ET). They were surrounded by a scrum of journalists.

?We need only from you cooperation, understanding and please patience,? the manager of the branch said before opening.

However a small crowd of people did press against the doors of a branch of Laiki Bank, which is being liquidated. CNBC sources estimate those with more than 100,000 euros (about $128,000) in accounts in Laiki Bank could lose 40 to 70 percent of their deposits.

During the banking shutdown, people could only withdraw 100 euros (about $127) a day from the country's two biggest banks, using ATMs.?Most who lined up for the opening Thursday were elderly people and those without ATM cards.?

Deposits above 100,000 euros with the Bank of Cyprus will be frozen and 40 percent of each account will be converted into bank stock. Accounts in both banks with balances under 100,000 euros will be fully protected.

A previous proposal to take less from all bank accounts?was vetoed by the Cypriot parliament.

The country is seeking to meet the terms of a bailout from the European Union of 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) and, in order to raise enough funds to meet strict conditions imposed by the EU, it is preparing to take money from bank accounts.

CNBC's Michelle Caruso Cabrera reports on banks reopening in Cyprus and the limits they've imposed on depositors. The situation, she says, is calmer than expected.

Ahead of the banks? reopening, money was flown into the island and guards were seen delivering cash to banks in armored vehicles.

The banks were due to close at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

There was some relief on the island that the banks were finally opening again, but this was mixed with fear about what could happen.

'Slow death'
Yorgos Georgiou, who owns a dry cleaning business in Nicosia, told Reuters that "finally people's mood will be lifted and we can start to trust the system again."

But he added: "I'm worried about the poor kids working in the cashiers today, because people might vent their anger at them. You can't predict how people will react after so many days."

Kostas Nikolaou, a 60-year-old retiree, told Reuters that the uncertainty of the past two weeks had been "like a slow death."

"How can they tell you that you can't access your own money in the bank? It's our money, we are entitled to it,? he added.

The country?s president, Nicos Anastasiades, has described the bailout deal as ?painful? but essential.

However, Nobel laureate economist Christopher Pissarides said it was ?extremely unfair to the little guy.?

?For the first time in the euro zone, depositors are (being) asked to bail out failing banks," he said. "Now that used to be the case in the 1930s, especially United States (and) caused big bank runs. It has been decided since then that we shouldn?t allow that to happen again.?

As Cyprus celebrates its Independence Day, the ?government is defending the last-minute bailout deal it's negotiated with the European Union. This means shutting down the country's second biggest bank, with big savers facing ?losses. ?ITV's Emma Murphy reports.

Among other controls, the island's central bank will review all commercial transactions over 5,000 euros and scrutinize transactions over 200,000 euros on an individual basis, Reuters reported. People leaving Cyprus can take only 1,000 euros with them. An earlier draft of the decree had put the figure at 3,000.

Reuters summed up the situation facing the island:

With just 860,000 people, Cyprus has about 68 billion euros in its banks - a vastly outsized financial system that attracted deposits from foreigners as an offshore haven but foundered after investments in neighboring Greece went sour.

The European Union and International Monetary Fund concluded that Cyprus could not afford a rescue unless it imposed losses on depositors, seen as anathema in previous euro zone bailouts.?The bailout looks set to push Cyprus deeper into an economic slump, shrink the banking sector and cost thousands of jobs.

European leaders said the bailout deal averted a chaotic national bankruptcy that might have forced Cyprus out of the euro.

Many Cypriots say the deal was foisted upon them by Cyprus's partners in the 17-nation euro zone within the European Union, and some have taken to the streets to vent their frustration.

CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Katie Slaman, and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

Cypriots fear run on banks as branches prepare to reopen

Cypriots: Hope, but also fear they 'will be like slaves' to Russia

EU to Cypriots: Let us raid your savings or no bailout

This story was originally published on Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:52 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a1626f4/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C280C174975730Ecypriot0Ebanks0Ereopen0Eafter0E120Edays0Ebut0Ecustomers0Ecan0Eonly0Ewithdraw0E3830Eeach0Dlite/story01.htm

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UK-Odd Summary

New York cop who toured with band charged with disability fraud

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York police officer was charged on Tuesday with mail fraud for allegedly claiming disability benefits for two years while at the same time performing and touring with his heavy metal band, "Cousin Sleaze," according to court documents. Christopher Inserra, an officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was the lead singer with the Brooklyn band, whose "Sick Maniacs" album features such songs as "Infection" and "Walk of Shame," according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.

Battle rages over bones of England's Richard III

LONDON (Reuters) - King Richard III is at the centre of a new fight over the location of his final resting place, just weeks after the remains of the last English king to die in battle were found underneath a council car park. Archaeologists announced one of the most remarkable finds in recent English history last month when they confirmed the discovery of the body of Richard, who was slain at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, during excavations in Leicester.

"Shameful" sexist Ford car ads spark outrage in India

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A series of car ads, including one showing women bound and gagged in the trunk of a Ford driven by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has prompted Internet outrage in India and prompted an apology from Ford India. The ads came just days after India approved a tougher new law to punish sex crimes, following the fatal gang rape of a student in December. That attack sparked unprecedented protests over the treatment of women in the country.

"Panda-monium" as giant pandas arrive in Canada from China

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada got a taste of international panda diplomacy on Monday with the arrival of two "Very Important Pandas" at the start of a 10-year loan to two Canadian zoos. Speaking as the two giant pandas arrived in Toronto from China, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Junsai - who gave the animals the VIP designation - noted that when he started his posting in Canada two years ago, he was greeted only by the Canadian director of protocol.

Punxsutawney Phil charged with fraud for early spring forecast

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - With a snow storm expected to batter the Plains, Midwest and East Coast this weekend, a spring-deprived Ohio prosecutor is taking out his frustration with the long winter on a famous prognosticating groundhog. "I decided it was about time we indicted Punxsutawney Phil afor fraud," said Mike Gmoser, prosecutor in Ohio's Butler County, in an interview Friday.

Harvard stripped of quiz tournament titles

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Harvard University will be stripped of four national quiz championship titles after organizers found a competitor from the Ivy League school inappropriately accessed information about questions used in the tournament. The National Academic Quiz Tournaments said that a security review found that Harvard competitor Andy Watkins accessed pages on its administrative Website just before the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Intercollegiate Championship Tournaments or "Quiz Bowls".

100,000 Portuguese sign petition to keep ex-PM Socrates off TV

LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese state television channel RTP's plan to give former premier Jose Socrates a weekly commentary spot has sparked outrage, with 100,000 people signing a petition citing his "bad management" that led the country to take a bailout in 2011. "We, citizens and tax-payers, declare that we reject the presence of former Prime Minister Jose Socrates on any programme at RTP, television paid for by public funds of taxpayers suffering from the bad management of this gentleman," the Internet petition said.

Swiss court jails "healer" for infecting 16 with HIV

ZURICH (Reuters) - A self-styled healer was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in jail on Friday after a Swiss court found the acupuncturist guilty of infecting 16 people with HIV. A Berne court found the man guilty of causing bodily harm and spreading the virus which can cause Aids, court secretary Rene Graf told Reuters. He did not give any further details.

Tunisian rapper gets jail term for calling police dogs in song

TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian court has sentenced a rap singer to two years in jail in absentia for insulting the police in a case likely to fuel debate over free speech under the Islamist-led government. The singer, known as Weld el 15, is on the run. Two of his associates, singers Mohamed Hedi Belgueyed and Sabrine Klibi, were in court when they received suspended sentences of six months each, a Justice Ministry source said on Friday.

Russian serial killer sentenced to life for nine murders

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian serial killer who butchered his nine victims with a knife and hammer, and said he ate the hearts of two of them, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday. Prosecutors said Alexander Bychkov targeted alcoholics and the homeless out of disdain for their way of life, lured them into deserted areas, killed them, dismembered them and hid the body parts.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-odd-summary-074951526.html

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2014 Mercedes S-Class Official Interior Photos and Details ...

26 March 2013 | JDavis

Mercedes-Benz unveiled a plethora of information on the 2014 S-Class this morning with plenty of photos to go with it. ?In an effort to give you all the information as quickly as possible, we will be posting the complete press releases throughout the day. ?Stay tuned and check back often.

Check out part II of the S-Class Interior coverage- ?The Essence of Luxury?.

Looked at all the interior information and photos and still want to see more of the 2014 S-Class, check out the Journey to the 2014 S-Class.

Interior design: Visual breadth and calm solidity

With its clear-cut architecture, the interior design of the new S-Class is the embodiment of a classic and serene, yet ultra-modern saloon car. The interior space derives its expressiveness from a distinctively flowing, sensual and elegant style. Horizontal features and lines create an ambience characterised by visual breadth and calm solidity. High quality and elegance go hand in hand with clarity and functionality. The interior concept of the S-Class combines driving, spatial and operating comfort at the highest level.

The radically redesigned display extends behind the two-spoke steering wheel ? reminiscent of the S-Class heritage ? as a major part of the horizontal alignment. It replaces the traditional instrument cluster and combines numerous other functions in a visually and ergonomically highly sophisticated manner (see section ?New display concept?). The entire display unit appears to be free-floating, an impression reinforced by ambience backlighting.

The high-quality unit formed by the center air vents and the analogue clock is precisely set into three-dimensional wood trim. For the first time this classic wood trim feature is positioned very low. This creates a second level of decorative trim whose luxurious stitched leather lies in the primary field of vision. Both levels extend elegantly across the entire width of the dashboard and doors. With this layout the designers have created an association with the wingbeat of a bird. The result is an extraordinary impression of width combined with a pleasant, calm ambience.

The visually prominent dashboard is characterised by the striking double-S curve. This already made the preceding model unmistakable, and imparts a feeling of spaciousness, safety and security.

The perfectly coordinated use of materials and colours produces an elegant interior seemingly cast from a single mould. There is generous use of wood trim, especially in the dashboard and centre console. Metallised switch surfaces with pearl-effect paint finishes in three colour shades to suit the interior colour particularly highlight the outstanding quality.

Innovative lighting systems in the form of a continuous light band under the wood trim strips and the central display ? a completely new dimension in ambience lighting ? and elegant lighting units with stylish details in the headlining enhance the comfortable atmosphere.The number and size of the stowage facilities in the interior have been greatly increased compared to the preceding model.

Passengers in the rear are also seated in first-class ? the design and exclusivity of the seats, door panels and all controls are to the same, high standard as the front. If a luxury or reclining seat (Executive seat) is specified for the rear, the backrest inclines backwards into the parcel shelf, which means that legroom is not restricted even in the resting position. As an additional individualisation feature, the ?First Class Rear? incorporates a Business centre console combining personal comfort with practical convenience (integration of a telephone handset, additional stowage compartments, folding table, etc.). The side finishers of the front seats are formally integrated and feature useful stowage compartments (for details see section ?Seats?).

In combination with the first-class quality of materials and outstandingly high perceived value, the decidedly varied range of available appointments emphatically confirms the premium positioning of Mercedes-Benz. The innovative architecture of the interior design, which is based on both additive and integrating features, allows a choice of different and very individual styling in terms of colours and materials.

The standard appointments already meet high expectations. They include leather seat upholstery, elegantly finished wood trim and surfaces with decorative topstitching. Various leather versions are available as optional extras, differing in their surface finish (e.g. patterned perforations and a hand-quilted look and feel), and also in terms of the relative leather and trim surfaces. The customer also has a choice of five interior colour arrangements combined with five different types of exotic wood trim.

The interior design of the new S-Class was also influenced by the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Interior Design Studio in Como, whose primary task was also to explore how the highest possible perceived quality can be created. Using the so-called ?appreciation model?, the designers were able to give free rein to their imagination and look for ways of translating these ideals into series production features. This led to a harmonious and luxurious interior whose design, character and perceived value are unrivalled.

Source: http://www.emercedesbenz.com/autos/mercedes-benz/s-class/2014-mercedes-s-class-official-interior-photos-and-details/

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Obamacare's voter-registration conspiracy debunked

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/relax-obamacares-voter-registration-not-secret-democrat-ploy-141156497.html

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You Can Buy a Home Even When It's Not for Sale | AOL Real Estate

By Marilen Cawad

Chris Lichon found her "dream" starter home as she was driving around Rutherford County, Tenn., one fine spring day. The house was on about an acre of ground, on a dead-end street, with a big pasture beside it that she could rent for her horse. It was perfect, she thought, except for one small detail. The house was not for sale.

Lichon had already been house-hunting for four months when she came across the 1970s ranch-style home. So when she found what she was looking for, her trusted real estate agent didn't think twice about knocking on the door and asking the question, "Would you consider selling your home?" To Lichon's surprise, the homeowners said yes. "They just asked us to give them a half hour to tidy up and then they showed us around the house," she said. Save for a few places that needed additional insulation, she found the three-bedroom, one-bath home to be well-maintained.

As luck would have it, the owners were a growing family of seven who had long thought about moving to a larger place. They named their price, Lichon found it fair, and just like that, the house was sold. The lesson in this story: When buying a home, don't just rely on a real estate listing or a "for sale" sign. Trust your instincts and let your Realtor do the dirty work for you.
Joshua Baris, a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker in Northern New Jersey, recently had to knock on an unsuspecting homeowner's door for his client who wanted a specific three-bedroom luxury condo in West New York, N.J. His bold step resulted in a successful sale. "If you want to succeed in this market, you really have to be aggressive and creative," said Baris. Not only is he going house-to-house, he's also sending out letters to owners of unlisted homes on behalf of his clients.

His letter would typically say: "My client is looking to buy a house and came across yours. Please call me to discuss in greater detail." Some recipients of his letter might find his actions intrusive and some might even think it's a scam, but Baris said that more often than not, people are willing to talk and negotiate. "It's not that everyone has a price, but you'll be surprised how many homeowners have thought about selling, but just never got around to doing it," said Baris. "The best deals are sometimes made when the buyer's agent is one step ahead."

The practice is not uncommon. All over the U.S., Realtors have been resorting to cold calls to get prospective buyers into unlisted homes. "This is happening more often than you might think, especially in the current market, in places where inventories are extremely low," said Keith Sorem, a real estate consultant and associate at Keller Williams Real Estate Services in Los Angeles.

A house, for example, may have failed to sell one or two years ago, so the owner took it off the market. However, home values in the area may already have increased today -- enough to where the owner would be willing to sell. In this case, Sorem said, a cold call would be welcomed by both buyer and seller.

When buying a home, it's always best to keep in mind that you have more options than you are presented with. You might consider selling your own home if prospective buyers asked and the offer was right. Similarly, your ideal home may not be on sale, but that doesn't mean you cannot buy it.

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

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

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/03/25/buy-home-not-for-sale/

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How late Russian tycoon burned through billions

LONDON (AP) ? How do you burn through billions?

The death of Boris Berezovsky, whose body was found Saturday inside his upscale English home, has refocused attention on the fantastic wealth racked up by Russia's ruthless oligarchs ? and their propensity for spending it. Berezovsky, 67, had once been considered Russia's richest man ? but by this January, a British judge was wondering whether the tycoon would be able to pay his debts.

Police say post mortem examinations have found that Berezovsky died from hanging. There was no violent struggle, and no evidence of anyone else being involved, they said. His lawyer said the oligarch had been in "a horrible, terrible" emotional state. The tycoon had survived several assassination attempts, including a 1994 car bomb in Moscow, and there was speculation as to whether his death was natural, part of a conspiracy or a suicide.

To understand how one man could lose so much money, it helps to see how he made it in the first place.

___

FOUNDATIONS OF A FORTUNE

Berezovsky, a mathematician, made his fortune in the 1990s during the catastrophic privatization of the Soviet Union's state-run economy. That era was marked by hyperinflation, contract killings and rampant corruption. As Russia's GDP crumbled, oligarchs leveraged their ties to ruthless criminals and crooked officials to tear off huge chunks of the country's assets for themselves, draining resources and stripping factories to build fabulous fortunes.

Berezovsky ? whose interests ran from automobiles to airplanes to aluminum ? was one of this dark period's primary beneficiaries. He became a political operator in Russian President Boris Yeltsin's inner circle, trading on his connections to rack up assets estimated by Forbes to be worth roughly $3 billion in 1997.

"No man profited more from Russia's slide into the abyss," author Paul Klebnikov wrote in a critical profile of Berezovsky titled "Godfather of the Kremlin."

Eventually, the abyss began threatening Berezovsky as well.

The tycoon had been instrumental in orchestrating the accession of Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, but when the new leader and Berezovsky began to clash, his political cover disintegrated. Berezovsky then fled the country in 2000, eventually claiming political asylum in Britain.

___

LIVING LARGE IN LONDON

How much money Berezovsky really had ? and how much he was able to take with him from Moscow ? remains shrouded in uncertainty. Rich Russians at the time routinely stashed their money in labyrinthine offshore trusts or held assets under the names of associates or family members. Many deals weren't even put into writing.

What's clear is that the 1998 Russian financial crisis, coupled with Berezovsky's spectacular fall from political grace, had a big impact on his bottom line. Forbes estimated his post-Moscow fortune in the hundreds of millions. Rival oligarch Roman Abramovich testified in court that Berezovsky had been down to his last $1 million when he fled Russia.

If Berezovsky were strapped for cash, he didn't show it. He rode around London in a reinforced Maybach limousine and was often seen huddled with business contacts in the exclusive hotels that line London's Hyde Park. His string of oversize mansions in England, France and the Caribbean suggested he was a cut above the average millionaire.

Russian officials seemed to believe that Berezovsky had plenty of cash on hand, trying ? with mixed success ? to claw back some of the exile's assets. Charges are still pending against him in relation to the alleged embezzlement of some $13 million from Russia's now-defunct SBS-Agro bank. Berezovsky had also previously been convicted in absentia of bilking hundreds of millions of rubles from the airline company Aeroflot and the carmaker AvtoVaz.

___

THE BILLS PILE UP

Berezovsky often expressed a fondness for Britain's legal system, despite his frequent and expensive encounters with it. A search of British court records throws up roughly three dozen judgments ? libel, fraud, divorce, breach of contract ? involving the tycoon in some way.

Berezovsky sued a business associate over a fraudulent loan. Other business associates sued him over a botched oil deal. Berezovsky sued Forbes over an unflattering profile. He sued Russian television for suggesting he had a hand in the poisoning death of ex-Russian KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko. His second wife sued him for a divorce. His girlfriend sued him for a house he'd promised her. He sued the wife of his long-time partner, Badri Patarkatsishvili, in a complicated dispute over how to split the man's assets after his death.

The sums involved were staggering. The loan deal was worth $5 million. His second divorce settlement in 2011 reportedly cost him 100 million pounds (about $154 million at the time). Patarkatsishvili's assets could be worth hundreds of millions more. The biggest lawsuit of all, against Abramovich for breach of contract and blackmail, was for a mind-boggling $5.6 billion.

Berezovsky lost the lawsuit against Abramovich last year and the judge involved stopped just short of calling him a liar. He was stuck with tens of millions of pounds in legal bills.

___

A FORTUNE FALTERS

Whatever the extent of Berezovsky's wealth, his expensive divorce, Patarkatsishvili's death and his paper mountain of litigation left it much reduced.

In 2008, Berezovsky was forced to sell the Darius, a 110-meter (360-foot) -long custom-built yacht that many believed was an attempt to compete with an even larger ship, the Eclipse, being built for Abramovich.

Earlier this month, the Times of London reported that Berezovsky was downsizing his art collection, selling off his homes, firing staff and closing his office in London's upscale Mayfair district.

In a January ruling in a dispute between Berezovsky and his ex-girlfriend Helena Gorbunova, High Court Judge George Mann wrote that the oligarch's fortune appeared to have been spread thin.

"On the evidence, Mr. Berezovsky is a man under financial pressure," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/berezovskys-billions-tycoon-lost-much-202702400--finance.html

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Researchers discover how model organism Tetrahymena plays roulette with seven sexes

Mar. 26, 2013 ? It's been more than fifty years since scientists discovered that the single-celled organism Tetrahymena thermophila has seven sexes. But in all that time, they've never known how each cell's sex, or "mating type," is determined; now they do. The new findings are published 26 March in the open access journal PLOS Biology.

By identifying Tetrahymena's long-unknown mating-type genes, a team of UC Santa Barbara biologists, with research colleagues in the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and in the J. Craig Venter Institute, also uncovered the unusual process of DNA rearrangements needed for sex determination in this organism. The discovery has potential human health implications ranging from tissue transplantation to cancer, including allorecognition?the ability of an organism to distinguish its own tissues from those of another?which can be a first line of defense against infection and illness.

In the study, the scientists show that in this multi-sexed, single-celled organism, the sex of the progeny is randomly determined by a series of "cut and paste" genomic recombination events that assemble one complete gene pair and delete all others.

"We found a pair of genes that have a specific sequence which is different for each mating type," said Eduardo Orias, a research professor emeritus and part of the UCSB team. "They are very similar genes?clearly related to one another, going back probably to a common ancestor?but they have become different. And each is different in a specific way that determines the mating type of the cell."

Each unicellular Tetrahymena boasts two nuclei: the 'germline nucleus' and the 'somatic nucleus'. Genetic information for progeny cells is stored in the former, analogous to ovaries or testes in humans, while genes are actively transcribed in the latter, the "working copy" nucleus. The sex of the progeny is determined during mating, when fertilization results in new germline and somatic nuclei that are made using contributions from the germline nucleus of each parent.

The authors found that the germline nucleus contains a tandem array of similarly organized but incomplete gene pairs?one for each mating type (although Tetrahymena have seven sexes, the particular cell line used in this study has just six). In the new somatic nucleus, a single complete gene pair is assembled when DNA segments from each end of this array are fused to one of the six incomplete pairs, and the remaining five are deleted. This precise but random rearrangement leaves the new cell with exactly one gene pair?and one mating type.

"The mating type of the 'parents' has no influence whatsoever on the sex of the progeny," Orias said. "It's completely random, as if they had roulette wheel with six numbers and wherever the marble ends up is what they get. By chance they may have same mating type as the parents?but it's only by chance. It's a fascinating system."

"By understanding this process better in Tetrahymena, what we learn ultimately may be of use in medicine," Orias said. "Tetrahymena has about as many genes as the human genome. For thousands of those genes you can recognize the sequence similarity to corresponding genes in the human genome with the same biological function. That's what makes it a valuable organism to investigate important biological questions."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Public Library of Science, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Marcella D. Cervantes, Eileen P. Hamilton, Jie Xiong, Michael J. Lawson, Dongxia Yuan, Michalis Hadjithomas, Wei Miao, Eduardo Orias. Selecting One of Several Mating Types through Gene Segment Joining and Deletion in Tetrahymena thermophila. PLoS Biology, 2013; 11 (3): e1001518 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001518

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/zD4vlCQXda8/130326194102.htm

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