Christine Ribbecke tries out a Citi Bike model bicycle at Bike Expo, an exposition for cyclists, May 3, 2013, in New York. New Yorkers prepare for the launch of the?Citi Bike bike-sharing program, which will involve thousands of bicycles at hundreds of locations around the city tol be available to rent.
Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images
Following in the footsteps of Amsterdam; Portland, Ore.; and Washington, D.C., among other cities, New York is set to launch its bike-share program, Citi Bike, on Memorial Day. New Yorkers have met the impending influx of bikes with both excitement and dread. The mixed reactions are unsurprising: Antagonism has long simmered between pedestrians and cyclists in New York. As bicycle commuting has increased, so have eruptions of hostility between the two factions: These days, no intersection is immune to shouted insults and raised middle fingers. Then there are the daily incursions onto enemy turf: Loiterers defiantly lolling in bike lanes; bike-mounted scoundrels barreling down sidewalks. With 5,500 new bicycles about to hit the streets of New York, the situation is liable to escalate to all-out warfare.
Which is why we at Slate decided to convene a summit between a representative cyclist and a representative pedestrian to see if we could defuse tensions a bit. One of us, Aisha, is a daily subway rider and pedestrian. The other, Laura, bikes most places she goes in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, including to and from work. We agreed going into negotiations that cyclists and pedestrians should be natural allies in a city of rogue cabbies and oblivious Mack truck drivers. We figured we could probably agree on five rules for pedestrians and five rules for cyclists that would make both sides less likely to resent the other.
Compromises were hard won. At one point, Aisha banged a sensible walking shoe against her desk to protest one of Laura?s proposals; Laura responded by drowning out Aisha?s next suggestion with a loud ding-ding-ding of the bell on her handlebars. Actually, that?s completely untrue: We proposed our rules to each other via email, and, there being no serious objections on either side, we ironed out the details of the armistice with a short G-chat session. Though we had different pet peeves, it turns out we both had more or less the same idea of what?s reasonable (in theory). Most of our rules boil down to this: Pay attention, yield when appropriate, and don?t be a jerk. If the 10 resolutions below sound reasonable to you, we hope you?ll share our (Facebook-friendly!) armistice agreement and join our nascent peace movement.
Five Rules for Pedestrians
1.Don?t stand in the bike lane when you?re waiting to cross the street. This is huge. New Yorkers hate standing on the sidewalk; it sometimes feels like everyone is playing a version of hot lava in which the street is the only refuge. But as you position yourself to get a head start before the light changes, take care not to plant yourself in the middle of a bike lane (or, if there?s no bike lane, on the edge of the lane where cyclists often ride). This goes double if you wear music-blaring headphones that make it impossible for cyclists to alert you to their approach.
2.Look before you open your cab door, and get out of the way quickly after exiting your cab. Would you open a cab door into a traffic lane without checking first to see if a car was coming? Then don?t open a cab door into a bike lane without checking first to see if a bike is coming. Would you take your sweet time lingering in the middle of a heavily trafficked street after exiting a cab? Then get out of the way as soon as possible after stepping into a bike lane.
3.Don?t walk or run in the bike lane. If you absolutely must walk or run in the bike lane because, oh, a flash mob has broken into dance and taken over the entire sidewalk, be sure to walk against traffic so you can get out of the way when a cyclist approaches.
4.Jaywalk with caution. Jaywalking is a long, proud New York tradition, one that we would never dream of asking anyone to give up. On the whole, New York pedestrians are very good at looking into traffic, gauging how fast those distant cars are going, and timing their illicit walking to avoid getting hit by a car. Now you need to do the same to avoid getting hit by bicycles. Every time you think of crossing even though the orange hand is illuminated?or when you think of crossing outside the bounds of a crosswalk?make a point of looking for approaching cyclists. If your visibility is limited, don?t cross.
5.Don?t get offended or angry when cyclists ring their bells at you or yell at you. Most cyclists aren?t being smug sadists; they?re just trying to keep you safe by preventing a collision. (And if you follow the above rules, cyclists probably won?t ring their bells at you very often.)
You know what'll go perfectly with that waterproof Bluetooth speaker ball that a Billy Corgan doppelganger recommended a few years back? That odd tube you're undoubtedly fixated on above. That's the Ultimate Ears UE Boom, and those people underneath are presumably blitzed from a day of raving at [insert EDM festival here]. Parent company Logitech is calling this thing the "world's first social music player," but last we checked, it's not capable of tweeting whatever you're listening to. Instead, it's seemingly engineered "to help you rage, riot, party and play the music you love, out loud." Seriously -- that's in the description.
In order to do so, there's a Bluetooth radio within, NFC support, a 15-hour rechargeable battery and an exterior that'll turn away light splashes. Of note, you can wirelessly link two UE Booms together using an associated Android or iOS app to play them in either stereo-to-stereo mode or traditional left / right stereo mode. It's expected to hit US and European shores later this month for $199.99, which means you too can take weird shots of yourself holding it at frat parties in the very, very near future.
Lars von Trier had his actors get down and dirty in his new sexually charged movie "Nymphomaniac." Fans can expect to see the film's stars like Shia LaBeouf, Uma Thurman and Stellan Skarsgard take part in graphic sex scenes with one another when the film finally hits theaters. Except they won't actually be having sex, [...]
New tumor-killer shows great promise in suppressing cancersPublic release date: 21-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lester Kok lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg Nanyang Technological University
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Lund University, Sweden, have bioengineered a novel molecule which has been proven to successfully kill tumour cells.
This molecule is based on a natural protein present in human breast milk, which has been found to have strong and wide-ranging tumour killing properties when bound to certain lipids. Lipids are organic molecules like amino acids and carbohydrates, made up of carbon and hydrogen, and help to store energy and to form biological membranes.
The protein-lipid molecule complex, is known as HAMLET, which stands for Human Alpha-lactabumin Made Lethal to Tumour cells. It has been proven to be safe and effective as it only targets tumour cells, leaving healthy human cells intact.
HAMLET has most recently been shown to successfully suppress colon cancer in laboratory mice.
The scientists have also successfully identified and isolated specific components of HAMLET called peptide-oleate bound forms, which have the tumour-killing effect. Peptides are short chain amino acids commonly found in the human body.
These latest breakthroughs are led by Professor Catharina Svanborg and Dr Manoj Puthia from Lund University, Sweden, and Professor Gerhard Grber from NTU's School of Biological Sciences. The HAMLET complex was first discovered by Professor Svanborg's research group.
The findings were published recently in Gut and in PLoS ONE, two top ranking peer-reviewed academic journals. The researchers found that laboratory mice genetically modified to develop colon cancer, were protected to a large extent when fed with HAMLET-laced water. This suggested that HAMLET was killing emerging tumour cells faster than these cells could grow and proliferate.
On the new concept of a synthetic version of the tumour-killing molecule, Prof Grber said, "By studying the original protein, we have and will continue to identify key components to make a synthetic peptide, a short-chain amino acid, carrying the properties of HAMLET and yet more resilient than the original protein complex."
"By synthetically constructing the key components, this helps the peptide to be much more resilient and to 'survive' in different environments, such as in the human body or in drinking water, which is an ideal delivery medium, before it reaches its tumour target."
The ability to recreate HAMLET in synthetic form opens up possibilities of turning it into a drug to kill tumours.
Next steps|
Prof Svanborg, who is a doctor and a scientist, said she had seen promising results from the human trials using HAMLET in Sweden.
"We are now ready to test HAMLET as a therapeutic and preventive agent in colon cancer, especially in families with the genetic predisposition, where preventive options are limited," Prof Svanborg said.
"After completing the various clinical trials, we hope to develop a commercially available product for doctors' use for cancer treatment in the next five to ten years," she added.
The two lead scientists added that they are also looking to trial HAMLET in Singapore and are in talks with local institutions and industry.
A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, and Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences. It has a new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London.
NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI).
A fast-growing university with an international outlook, NTU is putting its global stamp on Five Peaks of Excellence: Sustainable Earth, Future Healthcare, New Media, New Silk Road, and Innovation Asia.
Besides the main Yunnan Garden campus, NTU also has a satellite campus in Singapore's science and tech hub, one-north, and a third campus in Novena, Singapore's medical district.
For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New tumor-killer shows great promise in suppressing cancersPublic release date: 21-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lester Kok lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg Nanyang Technological University
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Lund University, Sweden, have bioengineered a novel molecule which has been proven to successfully kill tumour cells.
This molecule is based on a natural protein present in human breast milk, which has been found to have strong and wide-ranging tumour killing properties when bound to certain lipids. Lipids are organic molecules like amino acids and carbohydrates, made up of carbon and hydrogen, and help to store energy and to form biological membranes.
The protein-lipid molecule complex, is known as HAMLET, which stands for Human Alpha-lactabumin Made Lethal to Tumour cells. It has been proven to be safe and effective as it only targets tumour cells, leaving healthy human cells intact.
HAMLET has most recently been shown to successfully suppress colon cancer in laboratory mice.
The scientists have also successfully identified and isolated specific components of HAMLET called peptide-oleate bound forms, which have the tumour-killing effect. Peptides are short chain amino acids commonly found in the human body.
These latest breakthroughs are led by Professor Catharina Svanborg and Dr Manoj Puthia from Lund University, Sweden, and Professor Gerhard Grber from NTU's School of Biological Sciences. The HAMLET complex was first discovered by Professor Svanborg's research group.
The findings were published recently in Gut and in PLoS ONE, two top ranking peer-reviewed academic journals. The researchers found that laboratory mice genetically modified to develop colon cancer, were protected to a large extent when fed with HAMLET-laced water. This suggested that HAMLET was killing emerging tumour cells faster than these cells could grow and proliferate.
On the new concept of a synthetic version of the tumour-killing molecule, Prof Grber said, "By studying the original protein, we have and will continue to identify key components to make a synthetic peptide, a short-chain amino acid, carrying the properties of HAMLET and yet more resilient than the original protein complex."
"By synthetically constructing the key components, this helps the peptide to be much more resilient and to 'survive' in different environments, such as in the human body or in drinking water, which is an ideal delivery medium, before it reaches its tumour target."
The ability to recreate HAMLET in synthetic form opens up possibilities of turning it into a drug to kill tumours.
Next steps|
Prof Svanborg, who is a doctor and a scientist, said she had seen promising results from the human trials using HAMLET in Sweden.
"We are now ready to test HAMLET as a therapeutic and preventive agent in colon cancer, especially in families with the genetic predisposition, where preventive options are limited," Prof Svanborg said.
"After completing the various clinical trials, we hope to develop a commercially available product for doctors' use for cancer treatment in the next five to ten years," she added.
The two lead scientists added that they are also looking to trial HAMLET in Singapore and are in talks with local institutions and industry.
A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, and Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences. It has a new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London.
NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI).
A fast-growing university with an international outlook, NTU is putting its global stamp on Five Peaks of Excellence: Sustainable Earth, Future Healthcare, New Media, New Silk Road, and Innovation Asia.
Besides the main Yunnan Garden campus, NTU also has a satellite campus in Singapore's science and tech hub, one-north, and a third campus in Novena, Singapore's medical district.
For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The Billboard Awards (you know, the music awards show that's not the Grammys and not the MTV Video Music Awards) are here! That means it's time yet again to honor the biggest names in the music biz, from Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 to fun. (each nominated in 11 categories). Also finalists: Rihanna, Carly Rae Jepsen and One Direction -- cue the T-Swift and Harry Styles drama...
But forget the awards -- it's all about the clothes! Since the award shows take place in Las Vegas, we're looking forward to glitter, cutouts, neon and more glitter. Who will be best-dressed? Who will commit a sartorial stumble? And who will make a style statement like Miley Cyrus' pantsless Jean Paul Gaultier look to be remembered for years to come?
See all the fashion in our red carpet slideshow and watch the red carpet livestream at JustJared.com.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift arrives at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 19, 2013 in Las Vegas. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift in Zuhair Murad
Miley Cyrus in Balmain
Emmy Rossum in Zuhair Murad
Kelly Rowland in Rami Al Ali
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad
Ke$ha in Givenchy and Palladium
Alyssa Milano in Emilio Pucci
Chad Kroeger, Avril Lavigne
Chad Kroeger, left, and Avril Lavigne arrive at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 19, 2013 in Las Vegas. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)
Selena Gomez in Atelier Versace
Selena Gomez in Atelier Versace
Shania Twain
Chloe Moretz
Jennifer Nettles in Edition by Georges Chakra
Hayden Panettiere
Jennifer Morrison in Kristian Aadnevik
Psy
Z LaLa
Carly Rae Jepsen
Nayer
Amber Rose
Lecrae
Neil Perry, Kimberly Perry & Reid Perry
Audrina Partridge
Roshan Fagan
Shaun Robinson
Sky Blu
Sky Blu arrives at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 19, 2013 in Las Vegas. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)
Megan Wollover & Tracy Morgan
Cathy Guetta & David Guetta
Kacey Musgraves
Ariana Grande
Rocsi Diaz
Keaton Stromberg, Drew Chadwick, and Wesley Stromberg of Emblem3
Renee Bargh
Gabriel Mann
will.i.am
Jason Derulo
Chris Brown
Stana Katic
Ed Sheeran
Chandler Parsons
Brian Kelley & Tyler Bubbard of Florida Georgia Line
Tracy Morgan Exclusive Interview?: Billboard Music Awards Cover Shoot 2013?
Billboard takes you behind the scenes of Tracy Morgan's cover shoot. Tracy will host the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, live from Las Vegas at the MGM Grand on Sunday, May 19, airing on ABC.
Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle. -- Do you have a style story idea or tip? Email us at stylesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Jodi Arias, facing the possible death penalty for the murder of an ex-boyfriend in Arizona, was due back in court on Monday for the final phase of a four-month-long trial.
Arias, 32, was found guilty of murdering Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home five years ago. He had been stabbed multiple times, had his throat slashed and been shot in the face.
The same jury that convicted Arias of murder, found last week she had acted with extreme cruelty and ruled her eligible for the death penalty. Those jurors are tasked with deciding whether Arias, who has said she would prefer execution to life in prison, will get the death penalty.
Hearing testimony on Thursday on the impact of the slaying, Alexander's younger brother Steven told jurors that the killing had invaded his dreams and that he had been hospitalized several times for ulcers since the murder.
Alexander's younger sister Samantha, meanwhile, said thoughts of "the pain, agony, the screams and the fear" of her brother's last moments remained stuck in her mind.
Arias has said she shot Alexander with his own pistol when he attacked her in a rage because she dropped his camera while taking snapshots of him in the shower. She said she did not remember stabbing him.
The case featured graphic testimony and photographs as well as a sex tape and became a sensation on cable television news with the tale of an attractive and soft-spoken young woman charged with such a brutal crime.
Prosecutor Juan Martinez said Arias had repeatedly stabbed Alexander for two minutes as he tried to escape from the bathroom. She then followed the bleeding victim down a hallway and slashed his throat when he was too weak to get away.
Alexander, a 30-year-old businessman and motivational speaker with whom Arias said she was having an on-again, off-again affair, knew he was going to die and was unable to resist his attacker at that point, Martinez said.
On Thursday, defense attorney Kirk Nurmi walked jurors through eight mitigating factors they are asked to consider as they mull Arias' punishment. Among the factors is whether Arias, who was 27 at the time of the murder and had no criminal history, had suffered abuse.
Nurmi said two friends would testify on behalf of Arias and jurors would get to see her artwork. Arias also will have the opportunity to address the jury, "but in a different way," he said, speaking about her life prior to meeting Alexander.
CHAIRMAN, Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka branch, Dr. Emmanuel Mordi, at the weekend, said at least 20 lecturers, their spouses and relations, had been kidnapped in the last two years by gunmen.
He stated this in Abraka while briefing the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, who visited the university, just as the Vice Chancellor, Prof Eric Arubayi, confirmed that the university and Abraka community were under siege. Aduba, however, explained the role police were playing to stem crime in the state, especially in the university community, and pleaded for support in passing useful information to the police.
Mordi, worried by the manner kidnappers had zeroed-in on lecturers, feared they might destroy the academic environment.
He made particular reference to a lecturers in science education, Dr. (Mrs) Mercy Mokobia, kidnapped, on April 9, at about 1.00a.m. in her bedroom and has not been found till date, as well as Dr. Ugochukwu Uzuegbe, abducted, on May 9, in Edo State, but regained freedom after payment of ransom.
His words, ?It is unfortunate and very frightening that it has become our lot in recent years to be saddled with the burden of combating kidnapping and related nefarious acts which have posed? danger to the security of lives and property of our members?. He regretted that since 2011, ASUU members had been in constant danger of losing their lives to kidnappers and armed bandits.
Aduba took time to explain the measures police had taken to secure the academic community and how it traced the kidnappers of Mokobia to Ozoro, where one of the suspected kidnappers was shot dead and three of the female members arrested with part of the ransom collected by the gang.
He said the police were doing everything to locate the lecturer while detectives were trailing the two fleeing suspects.
The police boss, however, vowed to crush kidnappers and warmed that any building owned by kidnappers or used to hold victims hostage would be demolished.
Comments are moderated. Please keep them clean and brief.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama will discuss the legality of his administration's secret drone program and other counterterrorism practices during a speech Thursday, a White House official said.
Obama's speech will be an attempt to fulfill his State of the Union pledge to be more "transparent" with the public about the controversial drone program that has become the centerpiece of the White House's efforts to combat terrorism.
The official said Obama would also use Thursday's address at the National Defense University to discuss efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The president had vowed to renew those efforts despite being thwarted in his attempts to close the prison during his first term.
Obama had been ready to deliver the speech earlier this month, the official said, but it was delayed amid a series of distracting events. Among them: hunger strikes at Guantanamo and the Justice Department's subpoena of phone records from journalists at The Associated Press.
Civil liberties groups and an unusual coalition of Democratic and Republican lawmakers have criticized the White House for keeping most details of the drone program secret. Particularly concerning for these critics has been the administration's rare use of drones to kill American citizens overseas.
The administration is expected to increase its use of drones and other counterterrorism techniques as the war in Afghanistan winds to a close at the end of 2014 and the vast majority of U.S. troops return home.
The official was authorized to discuss the talk only on grounds of anonymity since Obama had yet to deliver it. Plans for the speech were first reported by The Washington Post.
Zaha Hadid Architects' proposal for a new intermodal transit station for the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, at first glance looks something like a cruise ship with a sharp prow cutting through the desert. This was part of the inspiration, as the sine waves that roll across the fa?ade and organize the interior are derived from wind-generated waves of sand. Read more.
GRANBURY, Texas (AP) ? Residents whose homes were torn apart or blown away by a North Texas deadly tornado can soon return to retrieve what belongings may be left and start cleaning up, authorities said Friday.
In Granbury, the area hardest hit by Wednesday night's exceptionally strong tornado, workers are trying to restore water service, raise electrical lines and clear debris piles filled with insulation, roof tiles, pieces of carpet, a shoe, a teddy bear, a woman's purse.
Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said authorities will only allow residents of the Rancho Brazos Estates neighborhood back in to survey things starting Saturday morning.
But Jerry Shuttlesworth won't be one of them. He doesn't know where his mobile home ended up, but he finally has his only treasured possession: his bull-terrier mix, Junior, who had been missing since the tornado that left six people dead swept through the city 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
Shuttlesworth, 53, broke three bones in one of his feet and suffered a 2-inch gash in his forehead.
Friends helped spread the word about his dog through social media. On Friday, someone found Junior and took him to a shelter, where a worker called Shuttlesworth.
"You could call it a miracle," he said. "He's scratched up and a little traumatized, but he's eating. He's my baby. I don't care about anything else."
Gov. Rick Perry and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Friday toured Granbury, which bore the brunt of the damage during Wednesday's outbreak of 16 tornadoes in North Texas.
Perry said the devastation is almost incomprehensible. Abbott urged residents to be cautious of those who might try to scam them as they rebuild.
The National Weather Service said Friday that the Granbury tornado was an EF-4, based on the Fujita tornado damage scale. Winds in an EF-4 tornado are between 166 and 200 mph. An EF-5 is the most severe.
Earlier Friday, the Hood County Sheriff's Office said the death toll is unlikely to change, as those who were reported missing were with relatives or friends and are safe.
Workers on Friday cleared debris in nearby Cleburne, where a tornado cut a mile-wide path through part of the city Wednesday and damaged about 600 homes. The weather service said it was an EF-3, which has winds between 136 and 165 mph. No deaths or severe injuries were reported.
___
Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle in Granbury also contributed to this report.
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Double hand amputee Amy Copeland is now the first woman in the world to get state of the art by -- islands. You might remember Copeland was infected with the deadly bacteria after she cut her leg in a zip lining accident. When her leg turned purple doctors realize the 25 year old had a flesh eating bacteria. -- is now advertising -- Vegas and amputated both her leg and both her hands. Copeland is trying out a new set of by -- hands she spent a week at -- touched by onyx in Ohio getting fitted. Now she's home in Georgia getting used to the high tech hands which indeed 25 different kinds of movements and are controlled by muscles and Copeland upper limbs. The -- it usually cost 100000. Dollars but the company gave a -- to Copeland for free when her health insurance wouldn't cover the cost.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
Disney's latest misstep ? turning Merida, its most real-life heroine from "Brave," into a doe-eyed, thin-armed princess ? drew ire across the Internet. Disney's much-anticipated response to the outrage was disappointing.
By Rebecca Hains,?Guest Blogger / May 16, 2013
The original Merida, left, was taken up (or down) a notch for her figurine debut, eliciting groans and anger from people tired of Disney's quest to "princessify" everything they touch.
Screenshot via Disney
Enlarge
Recently, Disney released a?new, 2D image of Merida. This prompted?outrage?because the character's design was altered,?for no good reason.?The new Merida has been "prettified"--made more conventionally attractive in a way that undercuts the character's strengths, to the detriment of the children who view her as a role model.
Skip to next paragraph Rebecca Hains
Guest blogger
Rebecca Hains, Ph.D. is a children's media culture expert. A professor of advertising and media studies at Salem State University, in Salem, Mass., her research focuses on girls and media. The author of "Growing Up With Girl Power: Girlhood on Screen and in Everyday Life,"? she blogs about children's media and popular cultur and lives with her husband and son in Peabody, Mass. ?
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In response,?A Mighty Girl released a?petition?to Disney that outlines the reasons why the redesign is problematic. The petition?culminates with a request: to pull the new 2D Merida and restore the character to her original form.
Yesterday, Disney executives went on record regarding the petition. They're refusing to retract the new Merida--and their comments show they've missed the point.
The L.A. Times?reports on the refusal to retract the new Merida:
"Disney has no intention of abandoning its sexier version of the Scottish archer featured in the movie, "Brave."
The modified Merida was created specifically to welcome the character into the company's princess collection. And according to a Disney representativeon Wednesday, the image of Merida that sparked this maelstrom is part of a limited run of products including backpacks and pajamas.?But images of the original Merida will also be available on consumer products, the Disney representative said."
No one ever doubted that the original Merida would still be available on products; the objection is to the new Merida redesign. Full stop.?The fact that it's "part of a limited run" doesn't make it any less problematic.
A Disney representative expanded on their stance in an exclusive interview with fan site Inside the Magic, calling the controversy "blown out of proportion." This makes clear that Disney execs either don't truly understand?the objections, or are willfully ignoring them.
According to Inside the Magic:
"[Disney] had no intention of changing who Merida is. The artwork that has circulated online depicting the new 2D rendering of Merida was intended to be used only on a ?limited line of products? as a ?one-time stylized version.? They noted Disney uses different styles of art on characters regularly, changing them to fit their needs at the time.
And in this case, that time was the coronation. Noting that Merida wanted to ?dress up? for her coronation ceremony, the new 2D artwork was created, first debuting on the official invitation that was sent out to the media."
May 17, 2013 ? Skydivers show the same level of physical stress before every jump whether a first-timer or experienced jumper, say Northumbria researchers.
Previous laboratory studies have observed that when an individual is repeatedly exposed to a stressful situation, such as public speaking or performing mental arithmetic in front of an audience, their physiological responses -- levels of arousal and stress hormones -- decrease as they become accustomed to it. Such studies conclude that the more you are exposed to a stressor, the less you will respond to it.
Scientists at Northumbria University, led by Dr Michael Smith, set out to discover whether the same affect would occur in a real world setting.
The researchers studied 24 healthy male skydivers -- 11 novices carrying out their first solo skydive, and 13 experienced skydivers who had completed at least 30 jumps -- asking them to self-report their level of anxiety and also taking saliva samples to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol before and after the jump.
They found that, although novice skydivers reported feeling more anxious prior to the jump than experienced skydivers, both sets of jumpers responded with the same levels of biological stress reactions to the jump.
Their study, published online this month in Physiology & Behavior, is the first to observe that skydiving increases levels of cortisol which does not reduce even with repeated exposure to jumping. The results also indicate that self-reports of anxiety in experienced skydivers did not match up with their actual biological stress reactions. Though they may not have perceived themselves as being as anxious as the novice skydivers, their bodies still showed the same stress reactions as a first time jumper.
Dr Michael Smith, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, said: "This study is significant because it reveals how people respond to stressors in the real world. Very few studies have been able to examine people's true reactions as it would be unethical to deliberately and repeatedly expose volunteers to severe stress in a laboratory situation. Therefore, the most stressful laboratory situations have tended to be exercises in public speaking or performing difficult tasks in front of an audience.
"We used skydiving as our 'real world' stressor because it is an activity that does pose a genuine risk to safety and survival. Although repeated exposure to a stressor dampens the stress response in the laboratory, our findings show that this is not the case for real life stressors which pose a threat to survival."
The findings highlight the usefulness of skydiving as a naturalistic stressor in future research.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Anyone who wants to take up fishing can learn how at a special event this Saturday in Munger Park in Lafayette.
The event coincides with statewide Free Fishing Day, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It?s a day when Hoosiers do not need a fishing license to fish in public waters, and is in conjunction with GoFishIN in the City, a new DNR program promoting fishing in Indiana?s urban areas.
The event is free and open to the public, however children must be joined by a parent or adult. Registration runs from 8:30 to 9 p.m. at the park, and the entire event runs until noon.
If you participate, you?ll get instructions on angler ethics, fish identification, fishing tackle, casting technique and fish cleaning. After the instruction anglers will fish with casting coaches.
Fishing poles, bait and tackle will all be provided.
Beforehand, the DNR will stock 100 keeper-size channel catfish in the 5-acre pond at Munger Park.
The event is sponsored by the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife and the Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department.
Fore more, including where the DNR is stocking fish through the program, visit the DNR?s website.
May 15, 2013 ? Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed that stem cell therapies hold the promise of replacing cells damaged through injury or illness. Diseases or conditions that might be treated through stem cell therapy include Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries.
The research breakthrough, led by Shoukhrat Mitalipov, Ph.D., a senior scientist at ONPRC, follows previous success in transforming monkey skin cells into embryonic stem cells in 2007. This latest research will be published in the journal Cell online May 15 and in print June 6.
The technique used by Drs. Mitalipov, Paula Amato, M.D., and their colleagues in OHSU's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, is a variation of a commonly used method called somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT. It involves transplanting the nucleus of one cell, containing an individual's DNA, into an egg cell that has had its genetic material removed. The unfertilized egg cell then develops and eventually produces stem cells.
"A thorough examination of the stem cells derived through this technique demonstrated their ability to convert just like normal embryonic stem cells, into several different cell types, including nerve cells, liver cells and heart cells. Furthermore, because these reprogrammed cells can be generated with nuclear genetic material from a patient, there is no concern of transplant rejection," explained Dr. Mitalipov. "While there is much work to be done in developing safe and effective stem cell treatments, we believe this is a significant step forward in developing the cells that could be used in regenerative medicine."
Another noteworthy aspect of this research is that it does not involve the use of fertilized embryos, a topic that has been the source of a significant ethical debate.
The Mitalipov team's success in reprogramming human skin cells came through a series of studies in both human and monkey cells. Previous unsuccessful attempts by several labs showed that human egg cells appear to be more fragile than eggs from other species. Therefore, known reprogramming methods stalled before stem cells were produced.
To solve this problem, the OHSU group studied various alternative approaches first developed in monkey cells and then applied to human cells. Through moving findings between monkey cells and human cells, the researchers were able to develop a successful method.
The key to this success was finding a way to prompt egg cells to stay in a state called "metaphase" during the nuclear transfer process. Metaphase is a stage in the cell's natural division process (meiosis) when genetic material aligns in the middle of the cell before the cell divides. The research team found that chemically maintaining metaphase throughout the transfer process prevented the process from stalling and allowed the cells to develop and produce stem cells.
"This is a remarkable accomplishment by the Mitalipov lab that will fuel the development of stem cell therapies to combat several diseases and conditions for which there are currently no treatments or cures," said Dr. Dan Dorsa, Ph.D., OHSU Vice President for Research. "The achievement also highlights OHSU's deep reproductive expertise across our campuses. A key component to this success was the translation of basic science findings at the OHSU primate center paired with privately funded human cell studies."
One important distinction is that while the method might be considered a technique for cloning stem cells, commonly called therapeutic cloning, the same method would not likely be successful in producing human clones otherwise known as reproductive cloning. Several years of monkey studies that utilize somatic cell nuclear transfer have never successfully produced monkey clones. It is expected that this is also the case with humans. Furthermore, the comparative fragility of human cells as noted during this study, is a significant factor that would likely prevent the development of clones.
"Our research is directed toward generating stem cells for use in future treatments to combat disease," added Dr. Mitalipov. "While nuclear transfer breakthroughs often lead to a public discussion about the ethics of human cloning, this is not our focus, nor do we believe our findings might be used by others to advance the possibility of human reproductive cloning."
President Barack Obama makes a statement on the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday May 15, 2013. The president spoke after discussing the IRS matter with Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and his top deputy, Neil Wolin. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Barack Obama makes a statement on the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday May 15, 2013. The president spoke after discussing the IRS matter with Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and his top deputy, Neil Wolin. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced the ouster of the top official at the Internal Revenue Service following disclosures that the agency targeted conservative political groups.
Obama, who has been criticized for appearing passive in his response to the matter, declared, "I am angry about it" and said the American people had a right to be angry as well.
Before announcing the departure of Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, Obama conferred with top officials from the Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS. The White House scheduled the meeting a day after the release of an inspector general report that showed ineffective management at the IRS allowed agents to improperly single out tea party groups for special review during a period of more than 18 months.
Miller became acting commissioner in November, after Commissioner Douglas Shulman completed his five-year term. Shulman had been appointed by President George W. Bush.
The president has proceeded cautiously since the IRS controversy was made public Friday. While he initially said the accusations were "outrageous," he also said he wanted to wait until the inspector general's report was released before addressing what should be done to hold accountable those responsible.
Besides seeking Miller's resignation, Obama said his administration would put in place new safeguards to prevent a recurrence of the IRS actions and said he insisted the IRS implement the inspector general's recommendations immediately. The IRS had agreed to seven of nine recommendations contained in the report.
Obama said the improper behavior at the IRS was especially egregious "given the power that it has and the reach that it has into all of our lives."
The report lays much of the blame on IRS supervisors in Washington who oversaw a group of specialists in Cincinnati responsible for screening applications for tax exempt status. It does not indicate that Washington initiated the targeting of conservative groups, but it does say a top supervisor in Washington did not adequately supervise agents in the field even after she learned the agents were acting improperly.
The Justice Department is also investigating the IRS targeting, as are three congressional committees.
In a letter to IRS staff Wednesday, Miller said he will leave his role as acting commissioner in June.
"This has been an incredibly difficult time for the IRS given the events of the past few days, and there is a strong and immediate need to restore public trust in the nation's tax agency," Miller said.
Actor Johnny Depp immortalized in ancient fossil findPublic release date: 16-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Colin Smith cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk 44-020-759-46712 Imperial College London
Johnny Depp immortalized
A scientist has discovered an ancient extinct creature with 'scissor hand-like' claws in fossil records and has named it in honour of his favourite movie star.
The 505 million year old fossil called Kooteninchela deppi (pronounced Koo-ten-ee-che-la depp-eye), which is a distant ancestor of lobsters and scorpions, was named after the actor Johnny Depp for his starring role as Edward Scissorhands - a movie about an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands.
Kooteninchela deppi is helping researchers to piece together more information about life on Earth during the Cambrian period when nearly all modern animal types emerged.
David Legg, who carried out the research as part of his PhD in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, says:
"When I first saw the pair of isolated claws in the fossil records of this species I could not help but think of Edward Scissorhands. Even the genus name, Kootenichela, includes the reference to this film as 'chela' is Latin for claws or scissors. In truth, I am also a bit of a Depp fan and so what better way to honour the man than to immortalise him as an ancient creature that once roamed the sea?"
Kooteninchela deppi lived in very shallow seas, similar to modern coastal environments, off the cost of British Columbia in Canada, which was situated much closer to the equator 500 million years ago. The sea temperature would have been much hotter than it is today and although coral reefs had not yet been established, Kooteninchela deppi would have lived in a similar environment consisting of sponges.
The researcher believes that Kooteninchela deppi would have been a hunter or scavenger. Its large Edward Scissorhands-like claws with their elongated spines may have been used to capture prey, or they could have helped it to probe the sea floor looking for sea creatures hiding in sediment.
Kooteninchela deppi was approximately four centimetres long with an elongated trunk for a body and millipede-like legs, which it used to scuttle along the sea floor with the occasional short swim.
It also had large eyes composed of many lenses like the compound eyes of a fly. They were positioned on top of movable stalks called peduncles to help it more easily search for food and look out for predators.
The researcher discovered that Kooteninchela deppi belongs to a group known as the 'great-appendage' arthropods, or megacheirans, which refers to the enlarged pincer-like frontal claws that they share. The 'great-appendage' arthropods are an early relation of arthropods, which includes spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, insects and crabs.
David Legg adds: "Just imagine it: the prawns covered in mayonnaise in your sandwich, the spider climbing up your wall and even the fly that has been banging into your window and annoyingly flying into your face are all descendants of Kooteninchela deppi. Current estimates indicate that there are more than one million known insects and potentially 10 million more yet to be categorised, which potentially means that Kooteninchela Deppi has a huge family tree."
In the future, David Legg intends to further his research and study fossilised creatures from the Ordovician, the geological period that saw the largest increase in diversity of species on the planet. He hopes to understand why this happened in order to learn more about the current diversity of species on Earth.
###
The research was published in the Journal of Palaeontology 2 May 2013.
For more information contact:
Colin Smith
Senior Research Media Officer - Faculty of Engineering
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6712
Email: cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk
Notes to editors
1, DOWNLOAD AN ARTISTS IMPRESSION OF Kooteninchela Deppi: https://fileexchange.imperial.ac.uk/files/790a31fa04/Kootenichela%20reconstruction.jpg
DOWNLOAD IMAGE OF FOSSIL RECORD:
https://fileexchange.imperial.ac.uk/files/7346879b17/Kootenichela%20(GAs).jpg
2. "Multi-segmented arthropods from the middle Cambrian of British Columbia (Canada)" Journal of Journal of Palaeontology 2 May 2013 David Legg Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE PAPER: https://fileexchange.imperial.ac.uk/files/5d12387daf7/Legg_2013_Multi-segmented%20arthropods.pdf
3. About Imperial College London
Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 14,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.
Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges.
In 2007, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust formed the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre. This unique partnership aims to improve the quality of life of patients and populations by taking new discoveries and translating them into new therapies as quickly as possible.
Website: http://www.imperial.ac.uk
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Actor Johnny Depp immortalized in ancient fossil findPublic release date: 16-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Colin Smith cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk 44-020-759-46712 Imperial College London
Johnny Depp immortalized
A scientist has discovered an ancient extinct creature with 'scissor hand-like' claws in fossil records and has named it in honour of his favourite movie star.
The 505 million year old fossil called Kooteninchela deppi (pronounced Koo-ten-ee-che-la depp-eye), which is a distant ancestor of lobsters and scorpions, was named after the actor Johnny Depp for his starring role as Edward Scissorhands - a movie about an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands.
Kooteninchela deppi is helping researchers to piece together more information about life on Earth during the Cambrian period when nearly all modern animal types emerged.
David Legg, who carried out the research as part of his PhD in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, says:
"When I first saw the pair of isolated claws in the fossil records of this species I could not help but think of Edward Scissorhands. Even the genus name, Kootenichela, includes the reference to this film as 'chela' is Latin for claws or scissors. In truth, I am also a bit of a Depp fan and so what better way to honour the man than to immortalise him as an ancient creature that once roamed the sea?"
Kooteninchela deppi lived in very shallow seas, similar to modern coastal environments, off the cost of British Columbia in Canada, which was situated much closer to the equator 500 million years ago. The sea temperature would have been much hotter than it is today and although coral reefs had not yet been established, Kooteninchela deppi would have lived in a similar environment consisting of sponges.
The researcher believes that Kooteninchela deppi would have been a hunter or scavenger. Its large Edward Scissorhands-like claws with their elongated spines may have been used to capture prey, or they could have helped it to probe the sea floor looking for sea creatures hiding in sediment.
Kooteninchela deppi was approximately four centimetres long with an elongated trunk for a body and millipede-like legs, which it used to scuttle along the sea floor with the occasional short swim.
It also had large eyes composed of many lenses like the compound eyes of a fly. They were positioned on top of movable stalks called peduncles to help it more easily search for food and look out for predators.
The researcher discovered that Kooteninchela deppi belongs to a group known as the 'great-appendage' arthropods, or megacheirans, which refers to the enlarged pincer-like frontal claws that they share. The 'great-appendage' arthropods are an early relation of arthropods, which includes spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, insects and crabs.
David Legg adds: "Just imagine it: the prawns covered in mayonnaise in your sandwich, the spider climbing up your wall and even the fly that has been banging into your window and annoyingly flying into your face are all descendants of Kooteninchela deppi. Current estimates indicate that there are more than one million known insects and potentially 10 million more yet to be categorised, which potentially means that Kooteninchela Deppi has a huge family tree."
In the future, David Legg intends to further his research and study fossilised creatures from the Ordovician, the geological period that saw the largest increase in diversity of species on the planet. He hopes to understand why this happened in order to learn more about the current diversity of species on Earth.
###
The research was published in the Journal of Palaeontology 2 May 2013.
For more information contact:
Colin Smith
Senior Research Media Officer - Faculty of Engineering
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6712
Email: cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk
Notes to editors
1, DOWNLOAD AN ARTISTS IMPRESSION OF Kooteninchela Deppi: https://fileexchange.imperial.ac.uk/files/790a31fa04/Kootenichela%20reconstruction.jpg
DOWNLOAD IMAGE OF FOSSIL RECORD:
https://fileexchange.imperial.ac.uk/files/7346879b17/Kootenichela%20(GAs).jpg
2. "Multi-segmented arthropods from the middle Cambrian of British Columbia (Canada)" Journal of Journal of Palaeontology 2 May 2013 David Legg Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE PAPER: https://fileexchange.imperial.ac.uk/files/5d12387daf7/Legg_2013_Multi-segmented%20arthropods.pdf
3. About Imperial College London
Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 14,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.
Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges.
In 2007, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust formed the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre. This unique partnership aims to improve the quality of life of patients and populations by taking new discoveries and translating them into new therapies as quickly as possible.
Website: http://www.imperial.ac.uk
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Christine Ribbecke tries out a Citi Bike model bicycle at Bike Expo, an exposition for cyclists, May 3, 2013, in New York. New Yorkers prepare for the launch of the?Citi Bike bike-sharing program, which will involve thousands of bicycles at hundreds of locations around the city tol be available to rent. 
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Public release date: 21-May-2013
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