Autism More Common Than Thought

A government survey of parents says 1 in 50 U.S. schoolchildren has autism, surpassing another federal estimate for the disorder.

Health officials say the new number doesn't mean autism is occurring more often. But it does suggest that doctors are diagnosing autism more frequently, especially in children with milder problems.

The earlier government estimate of 1 in 88 comes from a study that many consider more rigorous. It looks at medical and school records instead of relying on parents.

For decades, autism meant kids with severe language, intellectual and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors. But the definition has gradually expanded and now includes milder, related conditions.

The new estimate released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would mean at least 1 million children have autism.

The number is important ? government officials look at how common each illness or disorder is when weighing how to spend limited public health funds.

It's also controversial.

The new statistic comes from a national phone survey of more than 95,000 parents in 2011 and 2012. Less than a quarter of the parents contacted agreed to answer questions, and it's likely that those with autistic kids were more interested than other parents in participating in a survey on children's health, CDC officials said.

Still, CDC officials believe the survey provides a valid snapshot of how many families are affected by autism, said Stephen Blumberg, the CDC report's lead author.

The study that came up with the 1-in-88 estimate had its own limitations. It focused on 14 states, only on children 8 years old, and the data came from 2008. Updated figures based on medical and school records are expected next year.

"We've been underestimating" how common autism is, said Michael Rosanoff of Autism Speaks, an advocacy group. He believes the figure is at least 1 in 50.

There are no blood or biologic tests for autism, so diagnosis is not an exact science. It's identified by making judgments about a child's behavior.

Doctors have been looking for autism at younger and younger ages, and experts have tended to believe most diagnoses are made in children by age 8.

However, the new study found significant proportions of children were diagnosed at older ages.

Dr. Roula Choueiri, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said she's seen that happening at her clinic. Those kids "tend to be the mild ones, who may have had some speech delays, some social difficulties," she wrote in an email. But they have more problems as school becomes more demanding and social situations grow more complex, she added.

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Online:

CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/health-officials-50-school-kids-autism-18768933

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Comparing the HTC One speakers

We put the HTC One up against the Galaxy Note 2, Nexus 4 and HTC One X in a basic test

As we've been prone to do with recent phones, we're doing more speaker comparisons. This is unscientific, to be sure. What we hear may be a little different than what you hear. And while it may be cliche, you really do have to hear some of these phones in person to get the full effect.

That's especially true for the HTC One. The "BoomSound" feature is a combination of hardware and software that eventually shoots from the stereo speakers (again, two is better than one here) from the front of the phone. The placement of the speakers makes as much a difference as maybe any of the other tweaks, Beats Audio included. We've seen that in tablets, previously, with speakers on the side as well as the front. (Switching from a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to the Nexus 7, and thus switching to a rear speaker again, took some getting used to.)

The idea of front-facing speakers on a phone isn't exactly a new one, either. HTC went with a slider setup on the Windows Phone-powered HTC Surround. An interesting idea but not nearly the same as what's on the HTC One.

Here's what our own Alex Dobie had to say in our HTC One review:

This combination of larger speakers, more advanced membranes and Beats Audio results in the loudest and bassiest sound experience we’ve heard on any smartphone, without sacrificing clarity. For music and video content, that’s great. But on anything but the lowest volume setting, it’s almost too loud for regular notifications and ringtones. Powering on the HTC One for the first time, you’re assaulted by the full force of BoomSound in HTC jingle form. And the first phone call you receive on the device will be equally terrifying if it strikes you unprepared.

I tend to agree with most of that, especially on the low end, which is better than any smartphone I've ever used. The high-end is a little easier to get away with. As you'll hear in the comparisons below, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 handles that pretty well. Maybe even better. It does decently on volume, too, but the HTC One just has a much fuller sound. It's not quite properly conveyed here, I believe. But you'll get the idea.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/YOG0ZgehfbI/story01.htm

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Genetic evidence that new therapies targeting Parkinson's disease may cause harm

Mar. 20, 2013 ? NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) and Mayo Clinic researchers have partnered on a study that shows genetic and clinical evidence that therapies targeting the expression of alpha-synuclein -- a gene whose function is involved in the development and progression of Parkinson's disease -- may accelerate disease progression and increase the risk of physical incapacitation and dementia. If replicated, the findings will have profound implications for therapies under development for Parkinson's disease.

"Our research suggests therapies that seek to suppress alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease may actually accelerate the disease process and increase the risk for developing severe physical disability and dementia," says lead author Demetrius Maraganore, M.D., Ruth Cain Ruggles Chairman, Department of Neurology at NorthShore. "We believe it is our responsibility to release these data because this type of treatment may have long-term harmful effects."

Alpha-synuclein is a major component of Lewy bodies -- a characteristic brain cell abnormality that occurs in all cases of Parkinson's disease. Since its discovery as a cause of familial Parkinson's disease nearly 20 years ago, alpha-synuclein has been the focus of intensive efforts by researchers working to definitively characterize the protein's role in idiopathic Parkinson's disease and its potential as a target for neuroprotective therapies. It has also been the focus of multiple efforts to develop a molecule that suppresses the protein function. A vaccine that targets alpha-synuclein (reducing alpha-synuclein levels) is currently in Phase I clinical trials, and a number of molecules that target the protein for reduction are in advanced stages of preclinical development.

"For the first time we observed that while over-expression of alpha-synuclein increases the risk for developing Parkinson's disease, conversely, under-expression is associated with worse motor and cognitive outcomes after the disease starts," says first author Katerina Markopoulou, M.D., Ph.D., a neurologist at NorthShore. "This raises concerns about the efficacy and safety of therapies designed to reduce alpha-synuclein expression in Parkinson's disease."

The researchers followed 1,098 Mayo Clinic patients for nearly 15 years (median: eight years), and sequenced the patients' DNA to determine the presence of gene variants that regulate how much alpha-synuclein protein is made. They studied the association of these gene variants with patients' survival that was free of severe motor and cognitive disabilities. Patient outcomes were measured by telephone interviews.

The scientists found that patients who had the reduced expression genotype had a 23 percent greater risk of becoming wheelchair-dependent or developing dementia.

"This is the first large genetic association study of alpha-synuclein and longitudinal outcomes in Parkinson's disease," says Eric Ahlskog, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist and author on the study. "If replicated, this research may change the treatment paradigm focused on alpha-synuclein reduction for Parkinson's disease."

The study will be discussed at 5 p.m. EST, March 20 at the 2013 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting in San Diego. This research is one example of the collaborative efforts between NorthShore and Mayo Clinic under the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a unique partnership that provides NorthShore patients with access to medical resources and experts from both systems working together on their behalf.

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/kbz1tTfmXFc/130320212617.htm

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Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash accused of "crystal meth sex party" in new lawsuit

By Tim Kenneally

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Kevin Clash has found more on the hands that he once used to manipulate beloved Muppet Elmo.

Former "Sesame Street" puppeteer Clash, who stepped down last year amid allegations that he'd had sex with underage males, now has a fourth lawsuit against him. And this time he's accused of holding a "crystal meth sex party" with the plaintiff.

In the new suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania on Monday, Sheldon Stevens claims that he met Clash in 2004 at "a social networking event for models and actors."

According to the suit, Clash later "lured: Stevens from Pennsylvania to New York "for sexual encounters," which the pair began engaging in when Stephens was 16.

During one such encounter, the suit claims, a male chauffeur drove the pair to the chauffeur's apartment, where "they had a crystal meth sex party."

"While in the apartment, Clash smoked crystal meth while engaging in sexual activity with Sheldon. Clash also gave Sheldon 'poppers' as a sexual aide," the lawsuit reads. "While Clash had sexual contact with Sheldon, the chauffeur watched and masturbated."

Stephens is seeking unspecified damages, but the lawsuit says the claim "exceeds $75,000."

Clash's attorney told TheWrap that the new lawsuit is "meritless and barred by the statute of limitations."

The attorney points out that Stephens has admitted in writing that he had "an adult consensual relationship" with Clash, and that he's retained the same lawyer handling three similar cases against Cash.

"We have moved to dismiss all three of those cases," Clash's attorney said. "Mr. Clash continues to deny any wrongdoing, and we intend to defend this case forcefully."

(Note sexual content in sixth paragraph)

(Pamela Chelin contributed to this report)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/elmo-puppeteer-kevin-clash-accused-crystal-meth-sex-203506116.html

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Nevada military depot mortar explosion kills seven Marines

By Cynthia Johnston

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A mortar explosion at a Army munitions depot in Nevada killed seven Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and injured eight other service members during a live-fire training exercise, military officials said on Tuesday.

A Marine Corps official said a 60mm mortar round exploded prematurely on Monday night during training at the Hawthorne Army Depot in western Nevada. The cause was under investigation.

"The Marines were conducting live fire and maneuver training at the Hawthorne Army depot," Brigadier General Jim Lukeman told a news conference in North Carolina. "A mortar round exploded in the mortar tube, causing the deaths of seven. ... We don't know yet what caused this malfunction."

The blast was among the deadliest such training accidents on U.S. soil in recent years. In February 2012, seven Marines were killed when two helicopters collided during an exercise along the California-Arizona border.

The Marines killed on Monday had been undergoing training for the past month at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California, and at Hawthorne.

"This type of training is really the type of training that we do to be able to be that force of readiness. It is what's required of our nation's military, to do the things this nation asks us to do," Lukeman said, adding the training was not linked to preparations for a specific impending deployment.

The Marines ordered a blanket suspension of the use of 60mm mortars pending a review after the blast, Marine Corps spokeswoman Captain Kendra Motz said in a statement.

The blast victims were airlifted to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno with injuries that included penetration trauma, fractures and vascular injuries, said Stacy Kendall, a spokeswoman for the medical center.

Seven Marines and a Navy sailor were wounded. Of those, six were in serious or very serious condition, including the sailor, while a seventh suffered minor injuries and an eighth was treated and released, the Marines said in a statement.

NIGHTTIME ACCIDENT

The explosion occurred close to 10 p.m. PDT (0500 GMT Tuesday) during an exercise at the Hawthorne depot, about 92 miles southeast of Reno, said facility manager Russ Collier. The Marines described the mortar involved as lightweight, and said it was typically fired from a stationary position.

The identities of the dead, all from the 2nd Marine Division, and injured had not been made public, but will be released after their families are notified.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was receiving updates on the accident, Pentagon spokesman George Little said, adding the incident struck a nerve with Hagel, himself an infantry veteran of the Vietnam War.

"This brought back memories of a training accident when he was in the U.S. Army when two soldiers were killed in a training accident, so he takes these incidents very much to heart," Little said.

Hawthorne Army Depot is a 147,000-acre (60,000-acre) site used for the storage and destruction of demilitarized ammunition. Its location in Nevada's isolated high desert is also considered an ideal training environment for Special Operations forces preparing for deployments to Southwest Asia, according to a U.S. military website.

The facility was established as a naval staging area for bombs, rockets and ammunition, and was used by the Navy during most of World War Two. It was transferred to the Army in 1977.

The accident came a week after a U.S. military plane assigned to a Washington state Naval Air Station crashed during a routine training flight, killing all three crew members on board.

(Reporting by Chris Francescani in New York, David Alexander in Washington, and Cynthia Johnston in Las Vegas; Writing by Chris Francescani and Steve Gorman; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nevada-military-depot-mortar-explosion-kills-seven-marines-014009294.html

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GameStick shipping dev units this month, marks progress on controller, SDK and UI

Things seem to be rolling along nicely for Kickstarter success story, GameStick. The makers of the compact Android console will be shipping a dev unit later this month, measuring slightly larger than the final version, thanks in part to a Type A USB slot for mousing / keyboarding. The company also used its Kickstarter newsletter to note that the controller is "nearing readiness," despite almost giving "the lead mechanical engineer a heart attack," due to its size. GameStick will be releasing an SDK later this week and will be announcing some unnamed partnerships soon (subtly hinting that it will be at ARM's GDC booth this month). The UI, meanwhile, is pretty much done, and the retail excitement is quite high, according to the company. Hopefully this all means that we'll be wrapping our hands around the console soon.

Filed under: Gaming

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Source: Kickstarter

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/h9eJfM8_D10/

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Awww?News Anchor Reads Her Own Proposal On Teleprompter (VIDEO)

Awww…News Anchor Reads Her Own Proposal On Teleprompter (VIDEO)

Jillian Pavlica, an anchor at FOX54 in Huntsville, Alabama, was surprised at work on Saturday night, when her boyfriend Vince proposed to her. Vince had hijacked the studio’s teleprompter with “breaking news” that the unsuspecting Pavlica read herself. Pavlica began reading the script on the teleprompter, stating, “We have some breaking news to report to ...

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/awww-news-anchor-reads-her-own-proposal-on-teleprompter-video/

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Delicate diplomacy: Pope meets Argentine president

In this photo provided by the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis meets Argentine President Cristina Fernandez at the Vatican, Monday, March 18, 2013. Pope Francis' diplomatic skills were put to the test Monday as he met with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, with whom he has clashed over her socially liberal policies and what he has called the government's totalitarianism. Fernandez called on the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires Monday at his temporary home, the Vatican hotel on the edge of the Vatican gardens, and the two later lunched together, a day before she and other world leaders attend his installation Mass in St. Peter's Square that some estimates say could bring 1 million people to Rome. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano)

In this photo provided by the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis meets Argentine President Cristina Fernandez at the Vatican, Monday, March 18, 2013. Pope Francis' diplomatic skills were put to the test Monday as he met with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, with whom he has clashed over her socially liberal policies and what he has called the government's totalitarianism. Fernandez called on the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires Monday at his temporary home, the Vatican hotel on the edge of the Vatican gardens, and the two later lunched together, a day before she and other world leaders attend his installation Mass in St. Peter's Square that some estimates say could bring 1 million people to Rome. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano)

In this photo provided by the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis meets Argentine President Cristina Fernandez at the Vatican, Monday, March 18, 2013. Pope Francis' diplomatic skills were put to the test Monday as he met with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, with whom he has clashed over her socially liberal policies and what he has called the government's totalitarianism. Fernandez called on the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires Monday at his temporary home, the Vatican hotel on the edge of the Vatican gardens, and the two later lunched together, a day before she and other world leaders attend his installation Mass in St. Peter's Square that some estimates say could bring 1 million people to Rome. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano)

Workers install chairs in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Monday, March 18, 2013. The Vatican is releasing details of the pope's installation Mass on Tuesday as well images of his coat of arms and fisherman's ring. In addition to more than 132 government delegations, the Vatican said 33 Christian delegations will be present, as well as representatives from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain communities. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez meets the media during a news conference in Rome, Monday, March 18, 2013. Pope Francis' diplomatic skills were put to the test Monday as he had lunch with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez: As leader of Argentina's Catholics, he had accused her populist government of demagoguery while she called his position on gay adoptions reminiscent of the Middle Ages and the Inquisition. That was then. On Monday, Fernandez gave the new pope a mate gourd and straw, to hold the traditional Argentine tea that Francis loves, and he gave her a kiss. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A woman takes cover from the rain in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Monday, March 18, 2013 the day ahead of the inaugural Mass of Pope Francis. The Vatican released details of the pope's installation Mass on Tuesday as well images of his coat of arms and fisherman's ring. In addition to more than 132 government delegations, the Vatican said 33 Christian delegations will be present, as well as representatives from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain communities. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Francis' diplomatic skills were put to the test Monday during his inaugural audience with a visiting head of state as he met with his political nemesis, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, and was asked to intervene in the dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands.

It was a baptism by fire, given that the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires has been on record as saying Britain "usurped" the remote islands from Argentina and last year paid homage to the Argentines who were killed trying "to reclaim what is theirs for the fatherland."

Argentina and Britain fought a 1982 war over the islands, which Argentina calls Malvinas. Earlier this month, the islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British Overseas Territory.

There was no indication that Francis, now pope, would take up the request from Fernandez, with whom he has clashed for years over her populist policies on gay marriage and other hot-button issues like birth control that will soon confront Francis on a global scale as leader of the world's 1.2-billion Catholics.

Francis may well map out some of his own priorities in his installation Mass on Tuesday, which some 130 government delegations and scores of Jewish, Orthodox and other Christian representatives will attend. Italian news reports say civil protection officials are gearing up for as many as 1 million people to flock to the event.

There was no immediate comment from the Vatican as to whether the Argentine-born Francis would accept Fernandez's intervention request, which was made during a meeting and luncheon at the Vatican hotel where Francis has been staying since his election last week.

The British Foreign Office, however, made clear it didn't expect any Vatican intervention in the dispute.

"The Holy See is clear that it considers the question of the Falkland Islands as a bilateral one between sovereign nations, and that it does not have a role to play. We do not expect that position to change," it said in a statement.

Francis and Fernandez are longtime rivals: As leader of Argentina's Catholics, he had accused her populist government of demagoguery, while she called his opposition to gay adoptions reminiscent of the Middle Ages and the Inquisition. But where the Falklands are concerned, Francis, like most Argentines, believes the islands rightfully belong to Argentina.

Fernandez told journalists Monday after having lunch with the pope that she had asked for Francis' intercession to "facilitate dialogue" with Britain over the islands.

Just last week, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he didn't agree with Francis' views on the Falklands. And on Monday, the Foreign Office recalled the referendum results in its statement, saying: the vote "sent a clear message around the world that the people of the islands want to remain as a British Overseas Territory."

In asking Francis to intervene, Fernandez said she recalled how Pope John Paul II averted war in 1978 between Argentina and Chile over three tiny islands in the Beagle Channel at the southern tip of South America.

With military governments on both sides poised for battle, he sent his personal envoy to mediate the crisis through shuttle diplomacy between Santiago and Buenos Aires, and eventually brought both governments to the Vatican to consider his compromise.

The conflict wasn't entirely resolved until after democracy returned to Argentina, and both sides signed a "treaty of peace and friendship" at the Vatican in 1984, giving the islands to Chile but maritime rights to Argentina.

On Monday, Fernandez gave Francis a picture of a marble monument honoring the 30th anniversary of John Paul II's negotiations, and then used the opportunity to bring up the issue of sovereignty over the Falklands.

They also seemed to have patched up their relationship.

Fernandez gave the new pope a mate gourd and straw, to hold the traditional Argentine tea that Francis loves, and he gave her a kiss.

"Never in my life has a pope kissed me!" Fernandez said afterward.

She and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner, had defied church teaching to push through a series of measures with popular backing in Argentina, including mandatory sex education in schools, free distribution of contraceptives in public hospitals, and the right for transsexuals to change their official identities on demand. Argentina in 2010 became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriages.

According to Francis' authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was politically wise enough to know the church couldn't win a straight-on fight against gay marriage, so he urged his bishops to lobby for gay civil unions instead. It wasn't until his proposal was shot down by the bishops' conference that he declared what gay activists called a "war of God" on the measure ? and the church lost the issue altogether.

As the meeting was under way Monday, the Vatican released details of Francis' installation Mass, saying it would be a simplified version of the 2005 installation Mass that brought Pope Benedict XVI to the papacy, with only a half-dozen cardinals pledging their obedience to him and many gestures to Eastern rite Catholics and Orthodox Christians in a sign of church unity.

One significant VIP is the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. His presence at the installation is the first from the Istanbul-based Patriarchate in nearly 1,000 years since the Great Schism divided the church in 1054.

In a gesture to the East, the Gospel will be sung in Greek as opposed to Latin and eastern rite Catholic prelates will join Francis at an initial prayer at the tomb of St. Peter under the basilica's main altar, the Vatican said Monday.

In all, some 33 Christian delegations will be present, as well as representatives of Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain communities.

The Vatican also released details of Francis' coat of arms and official ring, both of which are in keeping with his style and priorities: The coat of arms is the same Jesuit-inspired one he used as archbishop of Buenos Aires, featuring symbols of Mary, Jesus and Joseph, albeit with the papal trappings of a bishop miter and the crossed keys of the Holy See. The ring was once offered to Pope Paul VI, who presided over the second half of the Second Vatican Council, the church meetings that modernized the church.

Francis will officially receive the ring and the pallium, a wool stole, during Tuesday's installation Mass, which is drawing six sovereign rulers, 31 heads of state, three princes and 11 heads of government to the Vatican.

___

Michael Warren in Buenos Aires contributed.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-18-EU-Vatican-Pope/id-ed3ea5730de14c03b983cae4d72fe48b

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The Week: Medieval Remains, Dwindling Butterflies and Chatterboxes

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Recent developments in health and science news and a glance at what?s ahead.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/science/medieval-remains-dwindling-butterflies-and-chatterboxes.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Two killed when jet crashes into Indiana neighborhood

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) ? A private jet apparently experiencing mechanical trouble crashed Sunday in a northern Indiana neighborhood, hitting three homes and killing two people aboard the plane, authorities said.

The Beechcraft Premier I twin-jet had left Tulsa, Okla.'s Riverside Airport and crashed late Sunday afternoon near South Bend Regional Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig in Oklahoma City said. Two of four people aboard the plane were killed, Herwig said.

It was not clear if anyone on the ground was killed, and Herwig did not have any additional information.

South Bend Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Maggie Scroope said three people injured in the crashed were being treated there; one was in serious condition and two were in fair condition. Scroope did not know if they were on the plane or the ground.

The plane was registered to 7700 Enterprises of Montana LLC in Helena, Mont. The company is owned by Wes Caves and does business as DigiCut Systems in Tulsa, Okla. It makes window film and paint overlay for automobiles.

A woman identifying herself as Caves' wife answered the phone at their home Sunday and said, "I think he's dead," before hanging up.

In South Bend, Assistant Fire Chief John Corthier said everyone on the plane and in the first house struck by the jet had been accounted for four hours after the crash. That wasn't true of the other two houses, and Corthier couldn't say how many people they were still trying to track down.

"We absolutely don't know," Corthier said, adding that the presence of jet fuel and structural damage made the scene "very dangerous" for investigators. The aircraft remained lodged in one of the homes late Sunday.

"We have to shore up the house before we can enter the house," he said.

Investigators from the FAA and National transportation Safety Board were expected to arrive on the scene Sunday night, Corthier said.

Part of the neighborhood southwest of the airport was evacuated after the crash, and Corthier said it was possible some residents would be allowed back into their homes Sunday night.

Electricity was cut off to part of the neighborhood.

Mike Daigle, executive director of the St. Joseph County Airport Authority, said the jet attempted a landing about 4:15 p.m., went back up and maneuvered south to try another landing, but eight minutes later the airport learned the plane was no longer airborne.

"There was an indication of a mechanical problem," Herwig said.

Stan Klaybor, who lives across the street from the crash scene, said the jet clipped the top of one house, heavily damaged a second, and finally came to rest against a third. Neighbors did not know if a woman living in the most heavily damaged house was home at the time, and a young boy in the third house did not appear to be seriously injured, Klaybor said.

"Her little boy was in the kitchen and he got nicked here," Klaybor said, pointing to his forehead.

His wife, Mary Jane, regularly watches planes approach the airport.

"I was looking out my picture window. The plane's coming, and I go, 'Wait a minute,' and then, boom," she said.

"This one was coming straight at my house. I went, 'Huh?' and then there was a big crash, and all the insulation went flying," she said.

___

Associated Press writers Ken Kusmer in Indianapolis and Chuck Bartels in Little Rock, Ark., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-killed-jet-crashes-indiana-neighborhood-005543312.html

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Turkey: Man detained over NYC woman's death

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? An official says Turkish police have detained a man wanted in connection with the killing of a New York City woman in Istanbul.

Sarai Sierra, the 33-year-old mother of two boys, was murdered while on a solo vacation in Turkey. Her body was found on Feb. 12 days after she was reported missing.

Gov. Celalettin Lekesiz says Sunday police caught the suspect ? identified only as Ziya T.? in Hatay province, near Turkey's border with Syria.

Turkish news reports have identified the man as a scrap paper collector who used to hang around Istanbul's ancient city walls, were Sierra's body was found. He had been on the run since February.

Authorities said Sierra, who traveled to Turkey to explore her photography hobby, died of a fatal blow to the head.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-man-detained-over-nyc-womans-death-120652337.html

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96% West of Memphis

All Critics (104) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (100) | Rotten (4)

A real-life horror story, made no less shocking by the familiarity of its early scenes.

While the "Paradise Lost" films captured events as they unfolded in the heat of battle, "West of Memphis" has the luxury of at least partial closure.

A true-crime story that begins with a notorious murder case and grows into a chilling indictment of the American justice system.

And justice for all? Hardly.

It tells the story of a terrible crime compounded by a grave injustice that's been remedied, but only in part, so it's impossible to have a single or simple response to the movie.

What sets this film apart from previous efforts to document the story is that Jackson and Walsh financed a private investigative team with legal and forensic experts who re-examined old evidence, conducted new interviews and found new witnesses.

I would have preferred Jackson's clinically-presented project display a bit more reverence for the three young lives that were brutally taken some twenty years ago.

Moving and gruesome, West of Memphis is an eloquent disquisition on the banality of evil.

"West of Memphis" re-examines evidence and retells the story in a methodical and procedural fashion in which even the false steps lead somewhere.

More a recap and appendix to the Paradise Lost trilogy... one can't help but feel that the celebrities involved needed this document of their efforts to appease their vanity.

The case is more intriguing than the film about it.

Isn't unnecessary, but it's often superfluous.

The film suggests these powerless, poorly educated young men were scapegoated because they would be missed by nobody of importance -- the justice system equivalent of the cannon fodder recruited from the same socioeconomic straits.

It's nice to have all the twists and turns of the iconic case contained tidily in one well-crafted film, although there are no real revelations here.

"West of Memphis" becomes a greatest-hits concert of prosecutorial misconduct, and you'll agree when the film asserts that prosecutors knew they had the wrong guys.

Incredibly, after three documentaries on the subject, there are still things to reveal about the West Memphis Three.

"West of Memphis" does nothing to displace its predecessor films as masterpieces of investigative filmmaking, but complements them as a riveting capstone to an epic and tragic tale.

West of Memphis is the real vindication - even if it is incomplete.

In the end it won't matter if this is the fourth movie about the same subject; you can never learn its lessons often enough.

West of Memphis caps off the Paradise Lost/West Memphis Three saga with a line up full of perpetrators including the media, the West Memphis PD, the legal establishment and suspect gift wrapped with a smoking gun.

Injustice in West Memphis, Arkansas

Berg lays out her case with the logic of a first-rate prosecutor and the theatricality of a born storyteller.

Good to know these guys are finally free.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/west_of_memphis/

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Daily Times sports editor asked to leave Ricketts Park press box over Twitter dispute

FARMINGTON ? Rivalry on the field was almost eclipsed by a dispute in the press box at Saturday evening's Farmington Scorpion Invitational Baseball Tournament.

John Livingston, Daily Times sports editor, was asked to leave the press box by Don Lorett, Farmington High School athletic director, over a tweet.

"Overheard in the Ricketts press box: it must be nice for PV softball to beat up 2A and 3A teams.....ill let u take care of the response...," Livingston said in a tweet during the Farmington-Piedra Vista high schoolbaseball game.

Word of the tweet was spread among Farmington's coaching staff, Livingston said, culminating in a text message from Lorett.

"Tweeting about stuff said in our pressbox is unacceptable for me," Lorett said in the message. "I can put (you) next door if need be. Your call."

Livingston, who had been outside interviewing another coach went back into the box to gather his equipment.

"If PV would have said it, I would have tweeted it too," he said.

Livingston did not reenter Farmington High School's press box for the remainder of the tournament.

"Kicked out of the Farmington High press box for tweeting that "overheard',"he said in another tweet. "Then called "real professional' for tweeting it.It's my job."

Livingston said he had been asked to leave press boxes before by school administration in Aztec.

"(Those times) it was late and they wanted to go home," he said. "It's called a press box not a school administration box. I'm

entitled to a seat in there. I have no problem with an athletic director backing up their coaches, but when they start sending threatening texts..."

In a series of tweets about the incident, Bob Moore, Editor at the El Paso Times, expressed his surprise over the turn of events. Moore oversees news operations for a chain of newspapers in Texas and New Mexico that includes the Farmington Daily Times.

"Did you really get kicked out of the press box over a tweet?" he asked in a tweet to Livingston.

"Maybe I'm missing something as an outsider, but seemed like an innocuous tweet," he said in a later tweet.

Lorett declined to comment Saturday evening.

Greg Yee may be reached at gyee@daily-times.com; 564-4606. Follow him on Twitter @GYeeDT

Source: http://www.daily-times.com/farmington-news/ci_22809169/daily-times-sports-editor-asked-leave-fhs-press?source=rss

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Horse meat burgers a hit in pubs across London

The Lord Nelson pub in south London is doing a roaring trade in horse meat burgers (Picture: Google Maps)

Horse meat burgers are proving to be popular in some London pubs, despite the huge furore this year over the discovery of the meat?in beef products sold in British supermarkets.

One establishment benefiting from the rise in demand for steed meat is the Lord Nelson in Southwark, which is reportedly selling more than 100 a week.

Co-owner Benito Priolo said: ?It?s leaner and denser than beef and points in the direction of liver.?

You can pick up a 8oz burger for ?11 or a special 50/50 offering which has both horse and beef for ?16.

The South London pub is not by itself in trying out the meat either, with Hackney?s?The Three Compasses also serving the burger dish.

It was described as ?very much like beef in texture and ever so slightly gamey? by the pub?s chef, Michael Brown.

The Three Compasses? owner Lauren Johns added: ?All across Europe, horse is considered a high-quality meat.

?We thought it?d be nice for people to try it and realise it?s really nice if prepared and sourced properly.?

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/16/horse-meat-burgers-a-hit-in-pubs-across-london-3545331/

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Prince delivers funk-filled finale at SXSW

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2010 file photo, musician Prince holds a news conference at The Apollo Theater announcing his "Welcome 2 America" tour in New York. Prince turns off the lights at South by Southwest on Saturday night, Match 16, 2013, with an unexpected and intimate showcase that ranks among the biggest surprises in years at the star-studded music festival and conference. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2010 file photo, musician Prince holds a news conference at The Apollo Theater announcing his "Welcome 2 America" tour in New York. Prince turns off the lights at South by Southwest on Saturday night, Match 16, 2013, with an unexpected and intimate showcase that ranks among the biggest surprises in years at the star-studded music festival and conference. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)

This Fall 2012 publicity photo provided by Rogers and Cowan shows musician Prince performing in concert in Chicago. Prince turns off the lights at South by Southwest on Saturday, March 16, 2013, with an unexpected and intimate showcase that ranks among the biggest surprises in years at the star-studded music festival and conference. (AP Photo/Rogers and Cowan)

This Fall 2012 photo provided by Rogers and Cowan shows musician Prince performing at a concert in Chicago. Prince turns off the lights at South by Southwest on Saturday, March 16, 2013, with an unexpected and intimate showcase that ranks among the biggest surprises in years at the star-studded music festival and conference. (AP Photo/Rogers and Cowan)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? How else would Prince shut down the South by Southwest Music Festival that is basically a weeklong showcase of rock n' roll?

By throwing a totally different kind party: a grooving, brass band-backed funkfest that stretched to 3 a.m. and outlasted many fans lucky to get inside in the first place.

As Justin Timberlake and the Smashing Pumpkins headlined other SXSW wrap-ups nearby, Prince prevailed as the toughest ticket Saturday night by performing for only 300 people in his first appearance at the annual music smorgasboard that featured 2,200 bands and artists this year.

Prince towered over them all ? but his concert at the tiny La Zona Rosa club that sits on the fringe of the SXSW mayhem was no grandiose spectacle. He performed on a spartan stage behind a giant video board, and contentedly played bandleader instead of superstar for this funk-filled SXSW finale.

"They called our people and said they wanted some funk in Austin," said Prince, before belting out the last bars of a gentle rendition of "Purple Rain."

A 12-piece brass band joined the latest incarnation of Prince's New Power Generation for a run of hits like "1999" and "Cool" that jammed a groove twist. The show began with the band making a Mardi Gras-style march onto the stage, which was quickly drowned out by shrieks upon the sight of Prince emerging in a magneta, high-collared shirt and snug black blazer.

Few fans, however, came away with photographed keepsakes. Prince is notoriously rigid about controlling his music and image, and organizers warned the crowd three times before the show that taking pictures was forbidden. Fans who flaunted the rule were scolded by security or told to scram.

Even simply using a cell phone was banned? a biting irony, given that the concert was thrown by Samsung Galaxy and promoters worked the crowd beforehand offering customers fresh phone batteries or device test-drives.

Prince never played guitar during the set. Nor did he perform his new single "Screwdriver" that debuted earlier this year, opting instead for funk covers: Curtis Mayfield's "We're a Winner" and Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Until You Get Enough" among them as the night dragged on and weary fans made their way to the exits early.

"Don't make me hurt you. You know how many hits I got?" Prince said during the first of several pseudo-set closers, before launching into yet another encore.

Green Day, Dave Grohl, Vampire Weekend, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks also starred at SXSW this week.

____

Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pauljweber

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-17-Music-SXSW-Prince/id-dd3f3279837246fa94eacbb8ef723c52

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US stocks close lower, ending Dow's 10-day rally

U.S. stock markets fell Friday, ending the longest winning streak for the Dow Jones industrial average in nearly 17 years.

The Dow dropped 25.03 points, or 0.2 percent, to 14,514.11 The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 2.5 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,560.70, just shy of an all-time high from October 2007. The Nasdaq composite index dropped nine points, or 0.3 percent, to 3,249.

The Dow had notched a 10-day winning streak through Thursday, its longest since November 1996. The string of wins pushed the blue-chip index up 484 points, or 3.4 percent, to a Thursday close of 14,539.14. The index's closing price on Feb. 28, just before the rally began, was 14,054.49.

Trading Friday was tentative because investors feared that rising inflation could cause the Federal Reserve to retreat from policies aimed at boosting markets. The government said that consumer prices increased in February at the fastest pace in more than three years.

The increase was driven by a spike in gas prices; the core index, which excludes the volatile energy and food categories, increased more modestly. But both figures rose 2 percent compared with a year earlier, enough to get investors' attention, said Peter Tchir, who runs the hedge fund TF Market Advisors.

"It's real and it's a drag, and I think people are growing concerned that it can get out of control quickly," Tchir said. He said signs of economic improvement and inflation "make them wonder if there will be continued market pressure on the Fed" to end its bond-buying programs.

The market's recent rally to multiyear highs was fueled in part by the Fed's efforts to keep interest rates low and encourage investment.

The Dow's win streak matched a 10-day run that ended on Nov. 15, 1996. To find a longer uninterrupted series of gains, you would have to go back to Jan. 3, 1992, when the Dow rose for 11 consecutive days.

The index's longest winning streak was 14 days, ending June 14, 1897.

Stocks opened lower and extended their losses at 10 a.m. after a closely-watched index of consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level since the end of 2011. The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index dropped 5.8 points to 71.8, according JPMorgan analyst Daniel Silver said in a note to clients.

Stocks reversed the losses briefly at midday, then drifted back down in the afternoon.

Traders are processing big banks' scores on "stress tests" administered by the Fed. The Fed said late Thursday that JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs both need better plans to cope with a severe recession. It gave them until September to revise their plans.

Still, the Fed allowed both banks to increase their dividends and buy back their stock, signaling that regulators believe the banks are fundamentally sound.

The stock of JPMorgan fell 98 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $50.02. Goldman's stock rose 82 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $154.84.

The S&P 500 closed just five points from its all-time closing high of 1,565, reached in October 2007.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.99 percent from 2.06 percent early Thursday, as demand increased for ultra-safe investments.

Among the other companies making big moves:

? Cruise ship operator Carnival Corp. fell 78 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $34.95. The company said passengers have been booking vacations at a slower pace after a series of high-profile mishaps.

? Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. plunged after saying its fiscal fourth-quarter net income dropped sharply and fell short of expectations. The stock fell 41 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $14.54.

? Teen apparel chain Aeropostale Inc. fell 76 cents, or 5.2 percent, to $13.75, after posting a loss in its fiscal fourth quarter and saying it expects another one in the current quarter.

___

Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-stocks-close-lower-ending-dows-10-day-205230408--finance.html

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Predicting hotspots for future flu outbreaks

Friday, March 15, 2013

This year's unusually long and rocky flu season would be nothing compared to the pandemic that could occur if bird flu became highly contagious among humans, which is why UCLA researchers and their colleagues are creating new ways to predict where an outbreak could emerge.

"Using surveillance of influenza cases in humans and birds, we've come up with a technique to predict sites where these viruses could mix and generate a future pandemic," said lead author Trevon Fuller, a UCLA postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability's Center for Tropical Research.

The researchers' models revealed that coastal and central China and Egypt's Nile Delta are danger zones where bird flu could combine with human flu to create a virulent kind of super-flu. Governments can prioritize these zones ? and use the researchers' models to identify other hotspots ? for increased monitoring of flu in humans, livestock, poultry and wild birds. That could help detect a novel flu virus before it spreads worldwide, the researchers said.

The research paper, "Predicting Hotspots for Influenza Virus Reassortment," was published March 13 in the peer-reviewed public health journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Previous pandemics, such as the 1957 and 1968 influenzas that each killed more than a million people or the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak that killed 280,000 worldwide, developed when viruses from humans and animals exchanged genes to create a new virus in a process called reassortment. Recent research using mice confirms that genes from bird flu and human flu can combine to create dangerous new flu strains. Swine, which are susceptible to both bird and human flu, could serve as a mixing vessel for reassortment between the two viruses.

"The mixing of genetic material between the seasonal human flu virus and bird flu can create novel virus strains that are more lethal than either of the original viruses," said senior author Thomas Smith, director of the Center for Tropical Research and a professor at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and the UCLA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

"These findings predicting potential outbreak sites can help decision-makers prioritize the most important areas where people, poultry and livestock should be vaccinated and animals should be monitored for novel viruses, which could help predict and prevent the next pandemic," he said.

The researchers looked for locations where bird flu outbreaks, human flu outbreaks and swine populations overlapped to predict hotspots where reassortment is more likely, using a $1.3 million grant from the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health.

The research focused on two flu strains that studies in mice have shown can combine with lethal results: the seasonal H3N2 human flu, and the H5N1 strain of bird flu that has occasionally crossed over into humans. Currently, H5N1 has a 60 percent mortality rate in humans but is not known to spread between humans frequently.

While the World Health Organization has identified six countries as hosts to ongoing, widespread bird flu infections in poultry in 2011 ? China, Egypt, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh ? the UCLA researchers and their colleagues had limited data to work with. Not all flu outbreaks, whether bird or human, are tracked. The scientists had to identify indicators of flu outbreaks, such as dense poultry populations, or rain and temperatures that encourage flu transmission.

"For each type of flu, we identified variables that were predictive of the various virus strains," Fuller said. "We wanted a map of predictions continuously across the whole country, including locations where we didn't have data on flu outbreaks."

Although the researchers had bird flu data for parts of both China and Egypt, other countries, such as Indonesia, don't have full reporting systems in place. Even in China and Egypt, accurate reporting is hampered by farmers who may conceal flu outbreaks in order to sell their livestock.

"If we provide incentives for better reporting, we could more precisely predict future outbreaks," Fuller said.

###

University of California - Los Angeles: http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu

Thanks to University of California - Los Angeles for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127319/Predicting_hotspots_for_future_flu_outbreaks

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At 'Minority Outreach' Panel, CPAC Participant Defends Slavery (Little green footballs)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/291703946?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Redbox Instant Streaming Is Now Open For Business - GeekSugar

The movie rental company Redbox teamed up with Verizon last year to launch the invite-only beta of Redbox Instant, which is now opening its virtual scarlet-hued doors to all US subscribers. Redbox may be in for a tough fight against the likes of Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, and Hulu Plus, but the movie streaming service has a little somethin' that gives it a small edge over its competitors.

After a free one-month trial period, Redbox Instant costs $8 a month, which is the same subscription price as Netflix and Hulu Plus (Amazon's $79 per year fee is slightly cheaper). In addition to instant unlimited access to streaming movies, Redbox is offering four DVD credits at its kiosks, found at grocery stores and big box retailers nationwide. But it's important to remember that Redbox is missing a major component: TV shows.

The credits for physical DVDs are most likely offered to compensate for Redbox Instant's small library of movies online. Yet, despite the lack of older films, Redbox Instant has an impressive amount of some of the year's most popular blockbusters, like Argo, The Hunger Games, Brave, and The Dark Knight Rises.

In terms of how you can stream, Redbox offers an app for iOS and Android, plus Mac, PC, or Xbox 360.

We have more choices than ever when it comes to streaming movies online ? will you choose Redbox Instant now that it's open for business?

Source: http://www.geeksugar.com/Redbox-Instant-28580802

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Iditarod is won but Alaska town greets each musher

Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King pats a dog after he finished third at Nome, Alaska, in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Wednesday morning, March 13, 2013. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth)

Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King pats a dog after he finished third at Nome, Alaska, in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Wednesday morning, March 13, 2013. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth)

Volunteers hang a banner above the burled arch, which serves as the finish line for the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska, on Monday, March 11, 2013. The race began March 3 in Willow, Alaska, and some race watchers predict a Tuesday finish. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Musher Michelle Phillips of Tagish, Yukon Territory, Canada, makes the final push on the Bering Sea ice for the finish line a few miles outside Nome, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. She finished in 24th place. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Mitch Seavey became the oldest winner and a two-time Iditarod champion when he drove his dog team under the burled arch in Nome on Tuesday evening, March 12, 2013. He sits with his two lead dogs, Tanner, left and Taurus, right. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth) LOCAL TV OUT (KTUU-TV, KTVA-TV) LOCAL PRINT OUT (THE ANCHORAGE PRESS, THE ALASKA DISPATCH)

Aliy Zirkle finished second in the Iditarod for the second consecutive year when her dog team crossed under the burled arch in Nome on Tuesday evening, March 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth) LOCAL TV OUT (KTUU-TV, KTVA-TV) LOCAL PRINT OUT (THE ANCHORAGE PRESS, THE ALASKA DISPATCH)

NOME, Alaska (AP) ? The winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has come under the burled arch in this western Alaska outpost, but that's just the beginning for this community, where every musher to finish the race gets a hero's welcome.

The town's sirens blare when each of the more than four dozen competitors is about a mile out, and the mushers are all treated like royalty as they cross the finish line under the famed arch on Front Street, and have their pictures taken with fans.

"People come running out of their homes, pouring out of the bars on Front Street, to all run down to the chute and welcome the next team in," said Laura Samuelson, director of the city's Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum and former official finish-line checker. "It's very exciting."

For more than three decades, residents of this old gold-rush town have greeted mushers at all hours of the day and night as they completed the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which spans two mountain ranges, dangerous Alaska wilderness and the wind-whipped Bering Sea coast.

Mitch Seavey won this year's race Tuesday evening, edging second place musher Aliy Zirkle by 24 minutes. But the reveling will continue as the rest of the remaining mushers ? 11 had scratched and one had withdrawn as of Thursday morning ? trickle into town over the next few days.

"The tradition of welcoming mushers into Nome is very important because you figure anyone who comes this far on a team of dogs, from Anchorage to Nome, and takes 10 days to get here, or three weeks to get here, they all deserve the same recognition and the same appreciation for making it this far," Samuelson said.

This year's Iditarod began with 66 teams March 2 at a ceremonial start in Anchorage. The official 1,000-mile race for mushers and their teams of dogs started the next day about 50 miles north of Anchorage.

The grueling trek ends in Nome, where Old West lawman Wyatt Earp once owned a bar.

The mushers, heck, even cruise ship passengers and other visitors, are always "heartily welcomed in Nome because this really is the edge of the earth, and it really is the end of the trail," Samuelson said.

Nome and dog mushing are part history lesson, part love affair.

The city ? now with a population of about 3,500 ? exists because of gold, and dog teams helped gold miners get to their stakes in the decades before snowmobiles. It also was the foremost mode of transportation for generations of Alaska Natives.

"The Iditarod, more so than anything I know, for me, is among the quintessential Alaska," said Richard Beneville, a tour company operator, school office and chamber of commerce officer.

"It's dogs, which are a tradition in the Native culture as well as the non-Native culture, it's the transportation, the communication, the social aspects of it," Beneville said. "And to see these men and women coming across the finish line ? a 1,049 miles ? to me is stunning."

The welcome process begins on a gravel road four miles outside town, where a spotter for the local radio station, KNOM, waits for each musher to hit Farley's Camp, a collection of cabins along the Bering Sea coast. The spotter alerts the station that a musher in on the way, then will broadcast live as they shadow the musher past the Nome River and into town.

When the musher is about a mile and a half out, the town's siren blows, letting everyone know the musher is on his way.

Once the musher comes off the sea ice onto Front Street a few blocks from the finish, a police car with its lights flashing takes over as the official escort. The weary musher then guides the dog team down the city's business district, sometimes slapping high-fives with fans lining the street.

The celebratory atmosphere is like "Mardi Gras with dogs," Beneville said.

Greg Bill is at the finish line this week like he has been for the past 40 years, and said it's an important tradition for the mushers.

"It's really heartwarming because they just traveled a thousand miles," said Bill, the race's development director. "Some of them have family here to greet them. Others don't."

Howard Farley, 80, is one of the founders of the Iditarod, first run in 1973. He helped organize the Nome finish, and placed in the second-to-last paying position in the first race ? back when the finish line consisted of Kool-Aid sprinkled over the snow.

"We're not going across town. We're not going across the street. We're not going in a circle," Farley said. "We're racing a thousand miles over treacherous Alaska wilderness."

A former town official said at the very first musher's banquet that everyone who finishes the race is a hero.

"And I knew that," Farley said. "I was in the back, and I got a hero's welcome."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-14-US-Iditarod/id-ca91b996e1534b7ea020d933fa83c3e9

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Samsung Galaxy S 4 launching on 327 carriers in 155 countries, starting at the end of April

Samsung has announced some of its launch partners for the Galaxy S 4 which will include some 327 carriers in 155 countries. According to JK Shin, it will include global LTE roaming, with 3G and LTE models in multiple bands (up to hexa band, according to the slide). Samsung's PR reveals it will be on all four major US carriers, plus US Cellular and Cricket, while European carriers include Deutsche Telecom, EE, H3G, Orange, Telenor, Telia Sonera, Telefonica, and Vodafone.

Update: AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint have all issued official statements to along with the launch which are included after the break. Look below for links to early registration for launch details from Samsung and the various carriers.

Update 2: Mobile Syrup has obtained a list of confirmed Canadian carriers which includes Bell, Eastlink, Fido, Koodo, Mobilicity, Rogers, SaskTel, TELUS, Videotron, Virgin Mobile and Wind Mobile.

Check out our event hub for all the action from Samsung's Galaxy S 4 event.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile

Comments

Source: T-Mobile, AT&T, Samsung

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/14/samsung-galaxy-s-4-carriers/

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