Joe. My. God.: DJ Peter Rauhofer Dies Of Brain Cancer

Famed nightclub DJ, recording artist, and remixer Peter Rauhofer, who headlined at countless gay dance parties and clubs around the world, has died of a brain tumor. Specializing in "big room anthems," Rauhofer scored chart-topping remixes for scores of artists including Madonna, Cher, and Whitney Houston. From a message posted to his fan page on Facebook:

Today the music industry has lost one of it's true heroes. With a heavy heart I must now report that Peter Rauhofer has lost his battle with brain cancer. He passed quietly today and is survived by his mother, Helga, who resides in Austria. She will transport Peter back home to his final resting place there, but to all that knew Peter, his heart will always be in New York City. Through his music, Peter will live forever. The brightest stars always burn out too soon. Peter, you were loved and you will be terribly missed. Goodbye my friend. Please rest in peace knowing that you have brought so much joy to so many of us. I ask that his true fans keep his legacy alive by sharing his music with anyone who may not have had the opportunity to experience it for themselves.

During the height of the circuit party scene, Rauhofer was one of a handful of performers that were so well known that fans typically used their first names only: Victor, Junior, Susan, Peter. Below is one of Rauhofer's most recent remixes.

Source: http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2013/05/dj-peter-rauhofer-dies-of-brain-cancer.html

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20-million-year-old amber shatters theories of glass as a liquid

May 7, 2013 ? Fact or fiction? Stained glass found in medieval cathedrals becomes thicker at the bottom because glass moves over time. For years researchers have had their doubts, now a team at Texas Tech University has further evidence that the glass is not going anywhere.

"Glass transition is related to the performance of materials, whether it is inorganic glass or organic polymers," said Gregory McKenna, professor of chemical engineering at Texas Tech. "For example, this would be important to people who own a boat made of fiberglass, or fly in an airplane made with epoxy-based composites. Information like that can help predict if that jet will still be flying in 30 years."

The idea for this research came from a doctoral student's qualifying exam, McKenna said. He gave Jing Zhao a problem relating to diverging time-scales using polyvinyl acetate, a substance often found in adhesives. Her results were consistent with a lack of divergence -- contrary to received thought. So they decided to up the ante by performing similar experiments on a much older, ultra-stable glass.

They chose 20-million year old Dominican amber, and together with Whitacre Department Chair and Horn Professor Sindee Simon, Zhao performed calorimetric and stress relaxation experiments on the samples.

"What we found is that the amber relaxation times did not diverge," McKenna said. "This result challenges all the classic theories of glass transition behavior."

This research is supported by the National Science Foundation under a grant from the Division of Materials Research, Polymers Program. The process and results were recently published in Nature Communications.

Meanwhile, McKenna has recently acquired additional samples from around the world, including 220-million-year-old Triassic amber from Eugenio Ragazzi, a pharmacology professor at the University of Padova in Italy. The team now has plans to perform similar experiments on the new samples.

"We are in the very early stages," McKenna said. "However, our research definitely is 'to be continued.'"

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_technology/~3/kCS2B52S0po/130507154937.htm

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Senate passes bill letting states tax online sales

This photo taken May 2, 2013, shows Sarah Davis, co-owner of Fashionphile.com, posing with her bags in a company warehouse in the Carlsbad, Calif. The Internet company sells rare, vintage, and discontinued previous owned bags and is facing the complicated task of dealing with new state regulations on Internet sale taxes. (AP photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

This photo taken May 2, 2013, shows Sarah Davis, co-owner of Fashionphile.com, posing with her bags in a company warehouse in the Carlsbad, Calif. The Internet company sells rare, vintage, and discontinued previous owned bags and is facing the complicated task of dealing with new state regulations on Internet sale taxes. (AP photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

This photo taken May 2, 2013, shows Sarah Davis and Ben Hemmnger, co-owners of Fashionphile.com, posing in the lobby of their Carlsbad, Calif. office. The Internet company sells rare, vintage, and discontinued previous owned bags and is facing the complicated task of dealing with new state regulations on Internet sale taxes. (AP photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Chart shows U.S. online sales and projections

This photo taken May 2, 2013, shows Sarah Davis and Ben Hemmnger, co-owners of Fashionphile.com posing in the lobby of their Carlsbad, Calif. office. The internet company sells rare, vintage, and discontinued previous owned bags and is facing the complicated task of dealing with new state regulations on Internet sale taxes. (AP photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate sided with traditional retailers and financially strapped state and local governments Monday by passing a bill that would widely subject online shopping ? for many a largely tax-free frontier ? to state sales taxes.

The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 69 to 27, getting support from Republicans and Democrats alike. But opposition from some conservatives who view it as a tax increase will make it a tougher sell in the House. President Barack Obama has conveyed his support for the measure.

Under current law, states can only require retailers to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state.

That means big retailers with stores all over the country like Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target collect sales taxes when they sell goods over the Internet. But online retailers like eBay and Amazon don't have to collect sales taxes, except in states where they have offices or distribution centers.

As a result, many online sales are tax-free, giving Internet retailers an advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.

"We ought to have a structure in place in the states that treats all retail the same," said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation. "Small retailers are collecting (sales tax) on the first dollar of any sale they make, and it's only fair that other retailers who are selling to those same customers the same product have those same obligations."

The bill would empower states to require businesses to collect taxes for products they sell on the Internet, in catalogs and through radio and TV ads. Under the legislation, the sales taxes would be sent to the state where the shopper lives.

Supporters say the current tax disparity is turning some traditional stores into showrooms, where shoppers pick out items they like, then buy them on the Internet to avoid sales taxes.

"It's about the way commerce has changed in America," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "Bookstores, stores that sell running shoes, bicycles and appliances are at a distinct disadvantage. They've become showrooms."

Internet giant eBay is leading the fight against the bill, along with lawmakers from states with no sales tax and several prominent anti-tax groups. The bill's opponents say it would put an expensive obligation on small businesses because they are not as equipped as national merchandisers to collect and remit sales taxes at the multitude of state rates.

"Giant retailers have a requirement to collect sales taxes nationwide because they have physical presence nationwide," eBay president John Donahoe wrote in an online column over the weekend. "Likewise, today small retail stores and online retailers collect sales taxes for the one state where they are located. That's a fair requirement."

"If the bill passes, small online businesses would have the same tax compliance obligations and face the same enforcement risks as giant retailers, despite the fact that they are usually located in just one state."

Businesses with less than $1 million in online sales would be exempt. EBay wants to exempt businesses with up to $10 million in sales or fewer than 50 employees.

Some states have sales taxes as high as 7 percent, plus city and county taxes that can push the combined rate even higher. For example, the combined state and local sales tax is 9 percent in Los Angeles and 9.25 percent in Chicago. In New York City, it's 8.5 percent and in Richmond, Va., 5 percent. In many states, shoppers are already required to pay unpaid sales tax when they file their state income tax returns. However, states complain that few taxpayers comply.

Many governors ? Republicans and Democrats ? have been lobbying the federal government for years for the authority to collect sales taxes from online sales.

The issue is getting bigger for states as more people make purchases online. Last year, Internet sales in the U.S. totaled $226 billion, up nearly 16 percent from the previous year, according to government estimates.

States lost a total of $23 billion last year because they couldn't collect taxes on out-of-state sales, according to a study done for the National Conference of State Legislatures, which has lobbied for the bill. About half of that was lost from Internet sales; half from purchases made through catalogs, mail orders and telephone orders, the study said.

Supporters say the bill makes it relatively easy for Internet retailers to comply. States must provide free computer software to help retailers calculate sales taxes, based on where shoppers live. States must also establish a single entity to receive Internet sales tax revenue, so retailers don't have to send it to individual counties or cities.

Opponents worry the bill would give states too much power to reach across state lines to enforce their tax laws. States could audit out-of-state businesses, impose liens on their property and, ultimately, sue them in state court.

In the Senate, lawmakers from three states without sales taxes are leading the opposition: Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. They argue that businesses based in their states should not have to collect taxes for other states.

Delaware also has no sales tax, though Delaware's two senators support the bill.

Grover Norquist, an anti-tax advocate, and the conservative Heritage Foundation oppose the bill, and many Republicans have been wary of crossing them.

Even so, the issue has a bipartisan flavor. The main sponsor, Sen. Mike Enzi, is a conservative Republican from Wyoming. He has worked closely with Durbin, a liberal Democrat.

In the House, Republican Speaker John Boehner has not commented publicly about the bill, giving supporters hope that he could be won over.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which would have jurisdiction over the bill, has cited problems with the legislation but has not rejected it outright.

"While it attempts to make tax collection simpler, it still has a long way to go," Goodlatte said in a statement. Without more uniformity in the bill, he said, "businesses would still be forced to wade through potentially hundreds of tax rates and a host of different tax codes and definitions."

Goodlatte said he's "open to considering legislation concerning this topic but these issues, along with others, would certainly have to be addressed."

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-06-Internet%20Sales%20Tax/id-918f2499a9324a848ff31203a9e2e74a

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Nikon D5200

The D5200 ($799.95 direct, body only) is Nikon's mid-level consumer D-SLR camera, offering more features and control than the entry-level D3200, but not quite rivaling the more expensive D7100. It's an impressive performer, shooting continuously at 4 frames per second and delivering clean 24-megapixel images through ISO 3200. It's not the without its drawbacks?the viewfinder isn't as large or bright as in some other SLRs, and it doesn't offer full compatibility with older Nikon lenses. But it's certainly good enough to displace its predecessor, the D5100 as our Editors' Choice for digital SLRs priced less than $1,000.

Design and Features
The D5200 is rather compact for a D-SLR, but manages to squeeze quite a few controls into its small body. It measures 3.9 by 5.1 by 3.1 inches and weighs 1.1 pounds without a lens. The Pentax K-30 is just about the same size, varying by a tenth of an inch at most, but is heavier at 1.4 pounds. The extra weight is due to the K-30's weather sealing and solid glass pentaprism viewfinder. The D5200 uses a pentamirror finder, which is lighter but not as big or bright. If you're moving up from a point-and-shoot it will be a revelation when you compare it to using an LCD for framing your shots, but photographers who cut their teeth on 35mm SLRs will likely have to adjust to the smaller size. Nikon has put one feature into the viewfinder to set it apart from other cameras?you can set it to display a rule of thirds grid overlay to help you better compose your photos.

If you opt not to enable that grid, the viewfinder displays a cross shaped overlay that displays the active autofocus area. You can tell the D5200 to automatically select the autofocus points from the 39 available, or select one manually using the directional pad on the rear of the camera. The active point will appear as a black square, but it does change to red as you move it for better visibility. Other rear controls include the "i" button, which gives you quick access to adjust shooting settings via the rear LCD, a standard control wheel, and an Auto Exposure Lock/Autofocus Lock button. There's no front control wheel, as dual wheels are a rare find on entry-level cameras. The weather-sealed Pentax K-30 has them, but other recent models are limited to one.

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That control can be programmed to work in a number of ways, but by default it locks both the current focus and exposure settings for as long as you hold it down. You do have the option of making it act as only an Auto Exposure Lock button, which is helpful for those times when you're dealing with tricky lighting, but still want the autofocus system to engage as normal when grabbing a shot. Other available functions include Autofocus Lock only, or AF-ON. This last setting disables the autofocus system when pressing the shutter, engaging it only when AE-L/AF-L is held down. Photographers who shoot with pro bodies with a dedicated rear AF button will appreciate that functionality.

Top controls include the standard mode dial, which has a switch that enables Live View integrated in its design. There's also a dedicated record button that only works when Live View is enabled, an Info button that toggles what is shown on the rare display, a button to control exposure compensation, and another to control the drive mode. Like on other Nikon cameras, the power switch is integrated with the shutter release. This is a departure from most Canon bodies, including the EOS Rebel T4i, that place it around the mode dial.

The 3-inch rear LCD is mounted on a hinge. The vari-angle design rotates so it can be viewed from above, below, from the rear, or from the front, at any angle. It can also fold flat against the body facing inward our outward?the former is great for those times when you want to use the viewfinder exclusively without reviewing images. The screen is sharp at 921k dots, which lets you review images for critical focus and manually focus in Live View with precision. When you're shooting, it displays an information screen that shows the current focus point, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, as well as how many photos can be recorded on the memory card. Pressing the "i" button allows you to change the recorded file format, enable bracketing and HDR capture, adjust active lighting, white balance, and JPG output settings, and adjust the ISO. It also gives you more control over metering, the focus mode, the flash output, and the exposure settings. The directional pad is used to navigate these settings, with the center OK button there to adjust and confirm settings. A contextual accompanies each setting in case you're not sure what is appropriate for your scene?for example, a surfer is shown to indicate the function of AF-C, which continuously focuses on a moving object until you press the shutter, an ideal method for capturing action and sports scenes.

You won't find a lot of bells and whistles on the D5200. There's no GPS like there is on the Sony Alpha 65, nor do you get built-in Wi-Fi. Nikon does sell accessories to add these functions, though. The tiny $60 WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter plugs into the camera to add Wi-Fi connectivity, and the $300 GP-1A GPS Unit automatically adds location information to your photos. Serious geotaggers may want to consider the Alpha 65 as an alternative, since adding this feature to the D5200 isn't cheap. Just be aware that the Sony camera uses an OLED electronic viewfinder rather than a traditional optical one. It's an excellent EVF that's big, sharp, and bright; but some shooters may not be willing to give up tried and true optical through-the-lens viewing.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/363NB30t8Nc/0,2817,2418408,00.asp

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Who should play Mr. Rogers on the big screen?

Movies

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

13 hours ago

Getty Images file

Matthew Broderick, Neil Patrick Harris, Jim Parsons.

There was no one in the world quite like Fred Rogers, who often shared that sentiment with his young audience on the long-running PBS show "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." But if, as Deadline is reporting, a feature biopic is set to be made about Rogers, they're going to have to to find someone at least a little bit like him.

"A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" (thus far a working title) is a script written by former "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" writer Alexis Jolly, and is currently being put into shape for the eventual film.

"His keen ability to find the good in anyone, or anything, will make for a truly inspiring cinematic experience," producer Justin Nappi told Deadline.

So who among today's leading male lights could play Rogers? On the one hand, he was laid-back and gentle, even childlike, but you never doubted his smarts and ability to get things done. He took kids to the Neighborhood of Make Believe all the time, after all.

We've got a couple of our own ideas of who might work in the role -- Matthew Broderick certainly has a wide-open optimism; Jim Carrey has proved he can carry off sweet, sentimental and funny; Paul Rudd might be on the hunky side but he's got plenty of depth; Neil Patrick Harris still looks young enough to be Doogie Howser and he's witty; "Mad Men's" Vincent Kartheiser has the look down but would need to convince audiences of his sincerity after so many weaselly seasons; and Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory" could channel his nerdy charm into the right combination of empathetic and lighthearted.

Sadly, there's one actor who probably won't be up for the role, despite his repeated appearances on "Saturday Night Live" as Mr. Rogers' urban brother-from-another-mother, Mr. Robinson -- Eddie Murphy. But that'd be for a whole different movie.

(Note: Mild profanity in video.)

Who do you think would make a great Mr. Rogers? Let us know in our poll!

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/which-actor-should-play-mr-rogers-big-screen-6C9784008

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Daily Kos: How good insurance regulation in New York could ...

The Affordable Care Act is likely to increase health insurance to varying degrees in most states. That's because insurance companies will have to take all comers, no longer being able to refuse coverage to sick people who cost more to cover. Raising everyone's rates will mean that insurance companies won't lose too much money by taking on the sick people who will cost them more. There are some limits written into the law to prevent exorbitant rates hikes, but in most states rates will go up.

But not in New York, according to a new study by Deloitte for the New York Health Benefits Exchange. New York has previously regulated the industry, in a system that has some of the same features of Obamacare, namely requiring that insurance companies take on all customers, regardless of pre-existing conditions. It also required that all carriers charged all customers the same amount. What it didn't have was an individual mandate. So sicker people got coverage, which drove premium prices up for everyone while healthier people ended up not purchasing insurance, but now ...

The health care law will shake up New York?s individual market in an especially interesting way. It will require New Yorkers to purchase health coverage, a requirement that doesn?t exist right now.

While insurers in states such as Maryland expect the general mix of people they cover to become significantly less healthy, as those with pre-existing conditions gain access to coverage, New York expects the exact opposite: Healthier people will be buying coverage.

Deloitte expects that this influx of healthier consumers into the market will mean that the average person buying her own policy will have health care costs that are 13.9 percent lower than those of the current population buying now.

The previous regulation?the one that means insurers have to charge everyone the same amount?is key here. Obamacare allows insurers to charge older people three times more than younger subscribers. This has resulted in most insurers deciding to raise prices higher on younger people, rather than bringing down premiums for older people. But in New York, it could mean real savings. That's the value of strict insurance regulation.

Originally posted to Joan McCarter on Mon May 06, 2013 at 09:58 AM PDT.

Also republished by Daily Kos.

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Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/06/1207273/-How-good-insurance-regulation-in-New-York-could-reduce-premiums-under-nbsp-Obamacare

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Boston bombing suspect's friend to be released

This courtroom sketch shows signed by artist Jane Flavell Collins defendant Robel Phillipos appearing in front of Federal Magistrate Marianne Bowler at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston, Mass., Wednesday, May 1, 2013. The Phillipos, and two other college friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, were arrested and charged with removing a backpack containing hollowed-out fireworks from Tsarnaev's dorm room. (AP Photo/Jane Flavell Collins)

This courtroom sketch shows signed by artist Jane Flavell Collins defendant Robel Phillipos appearing in front of Federal Magistrate Marianne Bowler at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston, Mass., Wednesday, May 1, 2013. The Phillipos, and two other college friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, were arrested and charged with removing a backpack containing hollowed-out fireworks from Tsarnaev's dorm room. (AP Photo/Jane Flavell Collins)

Ruslan Tsarni, right, uncle of killed Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, approaches members of the media, not shown, in front of the Graham, Putnam, and Mahoney Funeral Parlors, in Worcester, Mass., as funeral director and owner Peter Stefan, center, walks with him Sunday, May 5, 2013. Stefan has pleaded for government officials to use their influence to convince a cemetery to bury Tsarnaev, but so far no state or federal authorities have stepped forward. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Ruslan Tsarni, right, uncle of killed Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, prepares to speak with reporters in front of the Graham, Putnam, and Mahoney Funeral Parlors, in Worcester, Mass., as funeral director and owner Peter Stefan, left, stands nearby, Sunday, May 5, 2013. Stefan has pleaded for government officials to use their influence to convince a cemetery to bury Tsarnaev, but so far no state or federal authorities have stepped forward. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Ruslan Tsarni, left, uncle of killed Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, departs the Graham, Putnam, and Mahoney Funeral Parlors, in Worcester, Mass., as funeral director and owner Peter Stefan, right, walks him to his car, Sunday, May 5, 2013. Stefan has pleaded for government officials to use their influence to convince a cemetery to bury Tsarnaev, but so far no state or federal authorities have stepped forward. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Herbert Robbins, of Worcester, Mass., right, joins with other demonstrators as they display placards and chant slogans on the street outside the Graham, Putnam, and Mahoney Funeral Parlors, in Worcester, May 5, 2013. Peter Stefan, owner and director of the funeral home, has pleaded for government officials to use their influence to convince a cemetery to bury Tsarnaev, but so far no state or federal authorities have stepped forward. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) ? A magistrate judge on Monday agreed to release a friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from federal custody while he awaits trial for allegedly lying to federal investigators probing the bombings.

Robel Phillipos, 19, was charged last week with lying to investigators about visiting Tsarnaev's college dorm room after the bombings. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth student faces a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors initially asked that Phillipos be held while he awaits trial, arguing he poses a serious flight risk. But both sides said in a court motion filed Monday they agreed that Phillipos should be released on $100,000 bond, face home confinement and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.

"We are confident that in the end we will be able to clear his name," defense attorney Derege Demissie said.

Assistant U.S .Attorney John Capin said documents filed over the weekend by Phillipos' defense attorneys, including many affidavits showing support from family and friends, might be viewed as indirectly questioning the government's case against Phillipos.

"The government stands by its allegations," Capin said.

Defense attorney Susan Church described Phillipos as a well-liked, honor roll student with many friends and supporters. At least 50 relatives, friends and other supporters attended the court hearing.

Church emphasized that Phillipos is not accused of helping Tsarnaev and his brother plan or carry out the bombings.

"At no time did Robel have any prior knowledge of this marathon bombing," she said.

Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler agreed to the strict house arrest during a hearing Monday afternoon. She told Phillipos he was allowed to leave the house only for meetings with his lawyers or true emergencies.

It was not immediately clear when Phillipos would be released.

Meanwhile, a funeral director trying to find a cemetery to take the body of Tsarnaev's older brother and alleged accomplice, Tamerlan, pledged to ask the city of Cambridge to allow him to be buried in a city-owned cemetery because the brothers lived in Cambridge for the last decade.

But Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy said he is urging Tsarnaev's family not to make the request.

"The difficult and stressful efforts of the citizens of the City of Cambridge to return to a peaceful life would be adversely impacted by the turmoil, protests, and wide spread media presence at such an interment," Healy said in a statement Sunday.

Worcester funeral director Peter Stefan said hasn't been able to find a cemetery in Massachusetts willing to accept the remains of Tamerlan, who was killed following a gunbattle with police four days after the bombings. He said if Cambridge turns him down, he will seek help from state officials. Stefan said Monday he is looking outside of Massachusetts and does not think Russia will take the body.

Gov. Deval Patrick said Monday the question of what to do with the body is a "family issue" that should not be decided by the state or federal government. He said family members had "options" and he hoped they would make a decision soon.

He declined to say whether he thought it would be appropriate for the body to be buried in Massachusetts.

"We showed the world in the immediate aftermath of the attacks what a civilization looks like, and I'm proud of what we showed, and I think we continue to do that by stepping back and let the family make their decisions," the governor told reporters.

Phillipos is accused of lying to investigators about visiting Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's college dorm room on April 18, three days after the bombings. Two other friends were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice by taking a backpack with fireworks and a laptop from Tsarnaev's dorm room. All four had studied at UMass Dartmouth.

Phillipos' attorneys said in court documents their client had nothing to do with the deadly bombings and isn't a flight risk.

In letters filed with the motion, friends and family members urged the court to release Phillipos on bail, describing him as peaceful and non-violent.

"I was shocked and stunned when I heard the news of his arrest. I could not control my tears," wrote Zewditu Alemu, his aunt. "I do not believe that my beloved Robel crosses the line intentionally to support or assist such a horrendous act against us the people of the USA. By nature he does not like violence. He loves peaceful environment."

Phillipos' resume, filed in court, shows he was majoring in marketing with a minor in sociology at UMass Dartmouth and expected to graduate in 2015.

The Tsarnaev brothers are accused of carrying out the bombings using pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails, ball bearings and metal shards. The attack killed three people and injured more than 260 others near the marathon's finish line.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured and remains in a prison hospital. He has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and faces a potential death sentence if convicted.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, of Montgomery Village, Md., and three of his friends met with Stefan on Sunday to wash and shroud Tsarnaev's body according to Muslim tradition.

Tsarni told reporters that he is arranging for Tsarnaev's burial because religion and tradition call for his nephew to be buried. He would like him buried in Massachusetts because he's lived in the state for the last decade, he said.

"I'm dealing with logistics. A dead person must be buried," he said.

The state medical examiner ruled that Tsarnaev died from gunshot wounds and blunt trauma to his head and torso, and authorities have said his brother ran him over in a chaotic getaway attempt.

Tsarni has denounced the acts his nephews are accused of committing and said they brought shame to the family and the entire Chechen ethnicity. The brothers are ethnic Chechens from Russia who came to the United States about a decade ago with their parents. Both parents returned to Dagestan last year.

Tsarni said Sunday that he hopes to eventually see Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at his prison hospital.

"This is another person left all to himself," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-06-Boston%20Marathon-Explosions/id-9145a25fa8a84e15ab4cd4e6b00e7a2d

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Opel expects cheaper car deals after taking finance in-house

By Edward Taylor

RUESSELSHEIM, Germany (Reuters) - General Motors' lossmaking European carmaker Opel expects to boost the proportion of cars sold on financing with the offer of cheaper loans and leasing deals now that it has taken its German banking license back in-house, it said on Monday.

Last month the U.S. group's financing subsidiary GM Financial Company Inc launched its new 'Opel Financial Services' brand, having bought back the European and other international operations of its former financial services affiliate Ally Financial , which held the German banking license.

"The launch of Opel Financial Services was a very important step for our brand and for our product offensive. Opel was not always in a position to make the best financing offer. We did not have our own bank, like competitors," Opel's finance chief Michael Lohscheller said at a press conference at Opel's headquarters on Monday.

As part of the $4.2 billion acquisition deal with Ally Financial, which was announced in November last year and partially closed last month, GM Financial has attributed $1.7 billion to its European financing operations, Lohscheller said.

The partial closing of the deal in April gives GM Financial the German banking license and this has given it more favorable refinancing opportunities, Opel said.

As a result, Opel now hopes to raise the proportion of cars sold using financing to above the current level of 40 percent. Some competitors are able to sell up to 50 percent of their vehicles through financing offers.

In all GM has pledged to invest another 4 billion euros ($5.2 billion) in Opel by the end of 2016 to support new model launches, renewing a commitment to the ailing European brand.

GM's chief executive Dan Akerson has said the investment will help it increase market share by funding the development and launch of 23 new models and 13 new engines through 2016.

But the company's adjusted operating loss in Europe widened to $1.8 billion last year from $700 million in 2011 and it only expects to move back into profit in the middle of the decade.

Last month Germany's VDA industry association said its new car market may stabilize in the second quarter after a further plunge in sales in the first quarter mirrored declines in other key European regions.

(This story has been refiled to correct spelling of 'cheaper' in first paragraph)

(Editing by Greg Mahlich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/opel-expects-cheaper-car-deals-taking-finance-house-122152283.html

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Jason Collins denies he is seeking book deal

NEW YORK (AP) ? Jason Collins, the NBA veteran who last week announced he was gay, is disputing reports from publishing insiders who say he is shopping a book deal.

Officials at three publishing houses told The Associated Press on Monday that they had been contacted about a planned memoir by Collins, the first active player in any of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the proceedings.

Collins tweeted that it wasn't so: "I have no current plans to write any books. Sorry to disappoint my literary loving fans," he said, adding a hashtag "GoingToTheGym."

Collins' agent, Arn Tellem, also disputed the claim in a statement released Monday night.

"As you can imagine, we've been inundated with all kinds of requests and various opportunities, but as of now have not had any discussions on behalf of Jason regarding a potential book deal because Jason has yet to decide if he wants to write a book," Tellem said.

"Right now my focus is preparing for Jason's upcoming free agency and securing the best opportunity for him to continue his career," Tellem added.

The publishing officials said Collins was working on the book with Sports Illustrated's Franz Lidz, to whom he broke the news that he was gay, and was being represented by Kristine Dahl of International Creative Management. Dahl did not immediately respond to phone and email messages left by the AP.

At least one publisher turned down the book, said one official, who noted the extensive media coverage of Collins and expressed concern that his story already has been told.

Earlier Monday, the Democratic National Committee announced Collins would headline its annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender gala, on May 29. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, has phoned the 34-year-old athlete to praise him for his courage.

Collins, who has played for six teams during 12 seasons, was most recently a center for the Washington Wizards. He becomes a free agent on July 1.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jason-collins-denies-seeking-book-deal-002549317.html

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Tylenol May Ease Pain of Existential Distress, Social Rejection

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/iZwcuUWtgKk/story01.htm

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Sequoia's Aaref Hilaly Says Messaging Apps Are A New Kind Of Social Network

Investor Chamath Palihapitiya's skeptical comments about the current wave of tech startups (comments that included a not-too-veiled dig at Snapchat), ended up fueling plenty of discussion at our Disrupt NY conference earlier this week. In fact, when I interviewed Sequoia Capital partner Aaref Hilaly backstage, Palihapitiya's remarks provided a springboard for Hilaly's take on messaging apps, including Sequoia-backed WhatsApp:

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

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Life Lasting PR - Business Card Design Inspiration | Card Nerd

?Life Lasting PR is a fashion PR agency that creates networks for directional streetwear, independent fashion labels, and boutique fashion brands. They wanted a strong brand that could be applied across many mediums and channels. We created a strong ?stamp? style logotype that was hot foiled in rich gloss black foil on to raw grey board for their business cards.?

Designed by?Parent

Source: http://www.cardnerd.com/card-inspiration/life-lasting-pr

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Obama to Start 'Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tours' (ABC News)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/303693694?client_source=feed&format=rss

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RP-VITA bringing its telepresence to seven North American hospitals

We've already seen the RP-VITA in action -- and so, for that matter, has the FDA. Now iRobot / InTouch Health's telepresence 'bot is ready to take the field. The companies today jointly unveiled a list of seven US and Mexican hospitals that will be using the iPad-friendly wheeled robot. The list includes a handful of locations that helped demo RP-VITA ahead of its official release. Check in after the break for all the locations, which include half a dozen in the US and one in Mexico.

Filed under: Robots

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/GEwJ8PL0N38/

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PepsiCo cuts ties with Lil Wayne over crude lyrics

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2013 file photo, recording artist Lil Wayne meets fans and celebrates his contemporary street wear apparel brand TRUKFIT at his hometown Macy's, in New Orleans. A letter from Lil Wayne to the offended family of Emmett Till did not go far enough and relatives of the late civil rights icon are seeking a meeting with the rapper and representatives from PepsiCo to discuss their commercial partnership. The New Orleans rapper made the brief offensive reference to Till on Future's song "Karate Chop" earlier this year. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2013 file photo, recording artist Lil Wayne meets fans and celebrates his contemporary street wear apparel brand TRUKFIT at his hometown Macy's, in New Orleans. A letter from Lil Wayne to the offended family of Emmett Till did not go far enough and relatives of the late civil rights icon are seeking a meeting with the rapper and representatives from PepsiCo to discuss their commercial partnership. The New Orleans rapper made the brief offensive reference to Till on Future's song "Karate Chop" earlier this year. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? PepsiCo is bowing to public pressure for the second time in a week and cutting ties with Lil Wayne over the rapper's crude lyrical reference to civil rights martyr Emmett Till.

Lil Wayne, one of the biggest stars in pop music, had a deal to promote the company's Mountain Dew soda.

Earlier this week, PepsiCo also pulled an online ad for the neon-colored soda that was criticized for portraying racial stereotypes and making light of violence toward women. That ad was developed by rapper Tyler, the Creator.

On Friday, PepsiCo said in a statement that Wayne's "offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand." It declined to provide any further comment.

A publicist for Lil Wayne, Sarah Cunningham, said that the split was due to "creative differences" and that it was an amicable parting.

"That's about all I can tell you at this time," she said.

Wayne had sent the Till family a letter offering empathy and saying that he would not reference Till or the family in his music, particularly in an inappropriate manner.

But the Till family said the letter fell short of an apology.

"It's mindboggling to me that they partnered with him in the first place," said the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., a Till cousin and witness to his abduction. "Major corporations should scrutinize who they endorse, don't let greed or money determine who you sponsor."

Parker's written statement said Wayne's lyrics not only insulted Till's memory but degraded women as well.

Rev. Al Sharpton, who had been working with the Till family to arrange a meeting with Lil Wayne and PepsiCo officials, said in a telephone interview that he hopes the decision ultimately is less about punishing individual rappers and more a cultural "teaching moment."

"Otherwise we're just waiting on the next train crash instead of trying to really resolve our problem and learn from these experiences and set a tone in the country that's healthy for everybody," he said.

Sharpton said that he and the Till family still plan to meet with PepsiCo officials next week.

The controversy erupted after Wayne made the reference to Till on Future's song "Karate Chop" earlier this year. He refers to a violent sexual act on a woman and says he wants to do as much damage as was done to Till.

The black teen from Chicago was in Mississippi visiting family in 1955 when he was killed, allegedly for whistling at a white woman. He was beaten, had his eyes gouged out and was shot in the head before his assailants tied a cotton gin fan to his body with barbed wire and tossed it into a river.

Two white men, including the woman's husband, were acquitted by an all-white jury.

Till's body was recovered and returned to Chicago where his mother, Mamie Till, insisted on having an open casket at his funeral. The pictures of his battered body helped push civil rights into the cultural conversation.

Music and media industry executive Paul Porter, who comments on music issues on his website RapRehab.com, said he thought PepsiCo's decision was an effort by the company "to do the right thing now."

Porter, who had complained publicly and to PepsiCo about Lil Wayne and the Mountain Dew video by Tyler, the Creator, said the company is "doing a whole evaluation of the process" involving its commercials and musicians. His comments were based on his conversations with the company.

"I commend them for making this strong judgment," he said. "Lil Wayne's apology was not an apology."

Earlier this month, Rick Ross also lost his deal with Reebok after he rapped about raping a woman who had been drugged. As for the Mountain Dew ad by Tyler, the Creator, PepsiCo said it pulled the spot immediately after learning people found it offensive.

The ad portrayed a battered white woman being urged to identify her attacker from a lineup of black men and a talking goat that has appeared in other Mountain Dew ads. Tyler, the Creator has noted that the men in the lineup were played by his friends and members of Odd Future, a Los Angeles-based rap collective.

__

Talbott reported from Nashville, Tenn. AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

__

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Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-05-03-Lil%20Wayne-PepsiCo/id-bc73a8d6f2f94e09a5d015e09e414470

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NJ governor 'saves' children from spider (Providence Journal)

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Mystery LG handset leaks out with no physical buttons

Evleaks offers first glimpse of buttonless LG phone with unique earpiece

Prolific leaker Evleaks has posted images of what could be a future LG handset. The device, pictured on Facebook, shows a spartan front face with only an LG logo down below. There's also a curved glass front and an unusual looking reflective earpiece. In today's post, the leaker offers a guess that this might be the rumored Optimus G2.

The mystery phone seems to share some design cues with the Nexus 4, but there's no suggestion at all that this is a Nexus device -- for one, LG's branding is very much front and center. But it could indicate a change of tack for LG, if it's to join the likes of Motorola and Sony with a push towards on-screen buttons. (It's a move that would please Android purists.)

For the moment that's about all we can surmise from an image showing a featureless phone with a blank screen. If you've got any theories of your own, be sure to shout out in the comments. The original image is linked below, as is a close-up of the bezel.

Source: Evleaks (Original, bezel close-up)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/R6zdxNOVh80/story01.htm

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PBS stars take on junk TV, 'Avengers' style

TV

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

6 hours ago

Bad TV is making moldering, glassy-eyed couch potatoes of us all and there seems to be no end to the dumb stuff -- or at least that's what some say. But what if there were TV superheroes, part of a whole network devoted to the idea of smart TV where people could learn stuff rather than be lulled into watching brainless gags over and over?

According to the folks at Gritty Reboots, salvation is at hand, thanks to the stars of PBS television. In a faux trailer for a movie that sadly isn't going to get made, the iconic stars (all played by actors) of the Public Broadcasting Service -- Bill Nye ("The Science Guy"), Bob Ross ("The Joy of Painting"), Carl Sagan ("Cosmos") and Mr. Rogers (of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood") -- all band together to combat junk television ... with help from kids and a giant flying PBS logo/spaceship.

"Why are they doing this?" wonders a TV executive (who has three seasons of "Dog Pranks" ready to air, by the way).

"Some men just want to watch the world learn," says his assistant with a mix of trepidation and awe.

Yeah, you could suggest a little diversity would have been nice for the PBS Heroes saga -- maybe part two should feature Julia Child and "Reading Rainbow's" LeVar Burton. But unless (or until) that sequel comes out, this is one that'll make viewers want to stand up for the little guys who just want to make the world smarter.

Whether it'll help on the next pledge drive remains to be seen.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/pbs-stars-take-junk-tv-avengers-style-6C9737221

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In Search of Steam: 12 of the World's Classic Trains

Until it closed in 1983, there was a 2-foot-6-inch-gauge system some 250 miles north of Rio de Janeiro known as the VFCO (Via??o F?rrea Centro-Oeste). At one point the railway's route exceeded 450 miles, but by 1981 it had shrunk to about 130, based in the town of Sao Joao del Rei.

The big draw for the steam enthusiast was a gorgeous fleet of Baldwin 4-4-0s, 2-8-0s, and 4-6-0s with painted smokeboxes and polished brass. Nos. 55 and 69, photographed at S?o Jo?o sheds in November 1981, were 2-8-0s built in 1892 and 1894, respectively.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/infrastructure/in-search-of-steam-12-of-the-worlds-classic-trains?src=rss

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Red Wings blow 3-goal lead, beat Ducks 5-4 in OT

Detroit Red Wings players celebrate Gustav Nyquist's goal during overtime as Anaheim Ducks' Corey Perry (10) skates off in Game 2 of their first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, May 2, 2013. The Red Wings won 5-4. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Detroit Red Wings players celebrate Gustav Nyquist's goal during overtime as Anaheim Ducks' Corey Perry (10) skates off in Game 2 of their first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, May 2, 2013. The Red Wings won 5-4. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Detroit Red Wings center Damien Brunner, left, celebrates his goal with Kyle Quincey against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period in Game 2 of their first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, May 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard blocks a shot against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period in Game 2 of their first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, May 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader, center, celebrates his goal with Pavel Datsyuk, left, and Henrik Zetterberg as Anaheim Ducks center Daniel Winnik skates by during the first period in Game 2 of their first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, May 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard, left, blocks a shot by Anaheim Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne during the first period in Game 2 of their first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, May 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) ? Detroit coach Mike Babcock didn't call a timeout while the Anaheim Ducks obliterated the Red Wings' three-goal lead in the third period, believing a break would only make his younger players even more nervous.

Better to let them learn how to survive playoff pressure on their own, Babcock thought.

With help from an ill-timed penalty by Anaheim's Sheldon Souray, the Red Wings figured it out and evened the series.

Gustav Nyquist scored a power-play goal at 1:21 of overtime, giving Detroit a 5-4 victory in Game 2 on Thursday night.

Johan Franzen scored two goals and Damien Brunner had his first Stanley Cup playoff goal and two assists for the Red Wings, who survived their third-period collapse with a timely goal from Nyquist.

"We knew we had to get back to playing hard in the overtime, and we did," Nyquist said. "We knew the playoffs were on the line."

Game 3 is Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena.

Bobby Ryan scored the tying goal with 2:22 left in regulation for the Ducks, who also got goals from captain Ryan Getzlaf and Kyle Palmieri while erasing Detroit's 4-1 lead with a phenomenal surge in the final minutes.

But Souray took a slashing penalty in front of his net with 38 seconds left in regulation after an exchange with Justin Abdelkader, and Nyquist was left unchecked in the left faceoff circle for his goal with just 2 seconds remaining in the power play. The 23-year-old Swede from the University of Maine was in his sixth career playoff game.

"I think it's a great learning experience," Babcock said. "You've got the win, and you stop playing. ... You're not settling them down, you're putting gas on the fire. What are you going to do about it? You're hoping your big guys are going to go out there and make a play."

Ducks fans loudly booed the call against Souray, who joined Anaheim this season after a well-traveled career. He has been among the Ducks' best defensemen with his booming slap shot and physical two-way play.

"I didn't really see anything," Souray said of the final penalty. "It was a tough call. Tough way to end it. We battled back hard. We didn't start the game and periods as hard as they did, and they capitalized on that."

Jimmy Howard made 28 saves for Detroit, which silenced the Anaheim crowd with two goals in the first 4:20 of the Red Wings' third victory in four appearances at Honda Center this season. Abdelkader scored in the opening minute and Pavel Datsyuk had two assists.

But the Red Wings also lost rookie defenseman Danny DeKeyser for the season with a broken thumb.

"He's done," Babcock said of DeKeyser, who played a standout game before apparently getting hurt in the third period.

Jonas Hiller stopped 27 shots and Saku Koivu scored for the second-seeded Ducks, who struggled through the first two periods before rallying in the hair-raising third. Ryan and Palmieri both had a goal and an assist in the third, and Koivu added an assist.

"When you do come back to tie it, and (then) lose it, is a little more disappointing," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I was hoping it would get done before overtime, because I knew they would gain their composure again, because the last 10 minutes (of regulation), they lost it. They were fortunate starting (overtime) on the power play, and that was it."

Until the final period, Detroit had bounced back impressively from the Ducks' 3-1 series-opening victory. Babcock put veteran Todd Bertuzzi in his lineup for the first time since Feb. 7, replacing Jordin Tootoo, but otherwise kept the same lineup ? and the Wings responded with all the poise expected from a team with 22 straight playoff appearances.

While the Wings executed, the Ducks struggled until their electric third-period rally. Game 1 hero Teemu Selanne made an egregious turnover leading to Brunner's goal, and Getzlaf passed up a breakaway shot in the third period for an ill-advised pass on a play that exemplified the Ducks' struggles.

But the Ducks rallied when Getzlaf scored on a shot with his back to the net with 12:10 to play. Palmieri then scored his first career playoff goal moments after a power play ended, firing a short shot that Howard missed with his glove with 7:29 left.

Ryan nearly scored with 5? minutes to play, but his deflection in front just caught the outside post. He didn't miss on his next chance when Cam Fowler found him driving to the net with a perfect pass for a quick shot past Howard, setting off a deafening celebration.

"I think we finally settled into a pretty good rhythm there," Ryan said. "We didn't do enough, though. ... We gave them second and third chances to come up with the puck, and they're a team that capitalizes."

The Ducks attracted another large, towel-waving crowd to Honda Center after the festive atmosphere in their opener. But many fans weren't yet in their seats when Abdelkader found space near the blue line and beat Hiller with a deceptive wrist shot just 48 seconds into the game.

NOTES: The 38-year-old Bertuzzi missed nearly three months with back pain and nerve problems affecting his right leg, even forcing him to walk with a cane at times. ... The Ducks have won the series all nine times in club history after winning the first game. ... Babcock considered putting veteran Mikael Samuelsson back into the lineup, but held off. The member of the Triple Gold Club ? an Olympic gold medal, a world championship and a Stanley Cup title ? missed 41 games this season with injuries, but is healthy again.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-03-HKN-Red-Wings-Ducks/id-d86b1a5b2b9849fcba52e5eccbf0022a

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Monkey math: Baboons show brain's ability to understand numbers

May 3, 2013 ? Opposing thumbs, expressive faces, complex social systems: it's hard to miss the similarities between apes and humans. Now a new study with a troop of zoo baboons and lots of peanuts shows that a less obvious trait -- the ability to understand numbers -- also is shared by humans and their primate cousins.

"The human capacity for complex symbolic math is clearly unique to our species," says co-author Jessica Cantlon, assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. "But where did this numeric prowess come from? In this study we've shown that non-human primates also possess basic quantitative abilities. In fact, non-human primates can be as accurate at discriminating between different quantities as a human child."

"This tells us that non-human primates have in common with humans a fundamental ability to make approximate quantity judgments," says Cantlon. "Humans build on this talent by learning number words and developing a linguistic system of numbers, but in the absence of language and counting, complex math abilities do still exist."

Cantlon, her research assistant Allison Barnard, postdoctoral fellow Kelly Hughes, and other colleagues at the University of Rochester and the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, N.Y., reported their findings online May 2 in the open-access journal Frontiers in Comparative Psychology. The study tracked eight olive baboons, ages 4 to 14, in 54 separate trials of guess-which-cup-has-the-most-treats. Researchers placed one to eight peanuts into each of two cups, varying the numbers in each container. The baboons received all the peanuts in the cup they chose, whether it was the cup with the most goodies or not. The baboons guessed the larger quantity roughly 75 percent of the time on easy pairs when the relative difference between the quantities was large, for example two versus seven. But when the ratios were more difficult to discriminate, say six versus seven, their accuracy fell to 55 percent.

That pattern, argue the authors, helps to resolve a standing question about how animals understand quantity. Scientists have speculated that animals may use two different systems for evaluating numbers: one based on keeping track of discrete objects -- a skill known to be limited to about three items at a time -- and a second approach based on comparing the approximate differences between counts.

The baboons' choices, conclude the authors, clearly relied on this latter "more than" or "less than" cognitive approach, known as the analog system. The baboons were able to consistently discriminate pairs with numbers larger than three as long as the relative difference between the peanuts in each cup was large. Research has shown that children who have not yet learned to count also depend on such comparisons to discriminate between number groups, as do human adults when they are required to quickly estimate quantity. Studies with other animals, including birds, lemurs, chimpanzees, and even fish, have also revealed a similar ability to estimate relative quantity, but scientists have been wary of the findings because much of this research is limited to animals trained extensively in experimental procedures. The concern is that the results could reflect more about the experimenters than about the innate ability of the animals.

"We want to make sure we are not creating a 'Clever Hans effect,'" cautions Cantlon, referring to the horse whose alleged aptitude for math was shown to rest instead on the ability to read the unintentional body language of his human trainer. To rule out such influence, the study relied on zoo baboons with no prior exposure to experimental procedures. Additionally, a control condition tested for human bias by using two experimenters -- each blind to the contents of the other cup -- and found that the choice patterns remained unchanged.

A final experiment tested two baboons over 130 more trials. The monkeys showed little improvement in their choice rate, indicating that learning did not play a significant role in understanding quantity.

"What's surprising is that without any prior training, these animals have the ability to solve numerical problems," says Cantlon. The results indicate that baboons not only use comparisons to understand numbers, but that these abilities occur naturally and in the wild, the authors conclude.

Finding a functioning baboon troop for cognitive research was serendipitous, explains study co-author Jenna Bovee, the elephant handler at the Seneca Park Zoo who is also the primary keeper for the baboons. The African monkeys are hierarchical, with an alpha male at the top of the social ladder and lots of jockeying for status among the other members of the group. Many zoos have to separate baboons that don't get along, leaving only a handful of zoos with functioning troops, Bovee explained.

Involvement in this study and ongoing research has been enriching for the 12-member troop, she said, noting that several baboons participate in research tasks about three days a week. "They enjoy it," she says. "We never have to force them to participate. If they don't want to do it that day, no big deal.

"It stimulates our animals in a new way that we hadn't thought of before," Bovee adds. "It kind of breaks up their routine during the day, gets them thinking. It gives them time by themselves to get the attention focused on them for once. And it reduces fighting among the troop. So it's good for everybody."

The zoo has actually adapted some of the research techniques, like a matching game with a touch-screen computer that dispenses treats, and taken it to the orangutans. "They're using an iPad," she says.

She also enjoys documenting the intelligence of her charges. "A lot of people don't realize how smart these animals are. Baboons can show you that five is more than two. That's as accurate as a typical three year old, so you have to give them that credit."

Cantlon extends those insights to young children: "In the same way that we underestimate the cognitive abilities of non-human animals, we sometimes underestimate the cognitive abilities of preverbal children. There are quantitative abilities that exist in children prior to formal schooling or even being able to use language."

Other University of Rochester co-authors on the study include Regina Gerhardt, an undergraduate student in brain and cognitive sciences, and Louis DiVincenti, a veterinarian and senior instructor in comparative medicine. This research was supported by the James S. McDonnell Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Rochester, via Newswise.

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Journal Reference:

1. Allison M. Barnard, Kelly D. Hughes, Regina R. Gerhardt, Louis DiVincenti, Jenna M. Bovee and Jessica F. Cantlon. Inherently Analog Quantity Representations in Olive Baboons (Papio anubis). Frontiers in Comparative Psychology, 2013 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00253

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/Bed9ywunf60/130503132719.htm

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Twitter extends API v1 availability to June 11

Additional API blackout tests to continue up to final shutdown

Version 1 of Twitter's API, which many legacy clients use to pull and display information from Twitter, will have its retirement extended by over a month due to additional testing. Twitter had originally laid out a date of May 7th in conjunction with the shutting down of TweetDeck apps for Android and the desktop, which put the API discussion at the top of many user's minds. When the v1 API is finally retired, older clients that have stuck with it will cease to work and need to either move to v1.1 or shut down. Luckily, most of your popular clients in the Play Store have made the move to be compliant.

The waters will be rough over the next month still, however, as Twitter will be conducting additional "blackout" tests on the v1 API to make sure everything is ready to go with v1.1. Additionally, developers and users alike with clients using v1 may experience additional problems such as errors loading or searching Tweets in the client.

Source: Twitter

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/WxIrSV9eTf0/story01.htm

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Drugs May Have Killed Kris Kross Rapper Chris Kelly

Sad details are emerging about the death of Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly, 34. The '90s hip-hop icon had reportedly taken a combination of cocaine and heroin the night before he died. According to the police report, Chris' mother Donna had taken him home after the apparent overdose. She's the one who called 911 when he collapsed the next day. And she was presumably by his side when her son was pronounced dead at the hospital. How awful.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/heroin-cocaine-may-have-killed-kris-kross-rapper-chris-kelly/1-a-535216?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aheroin-cocaine-may-have-killed-kris-kross-rapper-chris-kelly-535216

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