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Sunday, April 28, 2013

So, while American TV news was mesmerized by the Royal baby ...

If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves. - Howard Zinn

Someone pointed out to me that North Korea has been awfully quiet this week, all things considered. Or, at least, our crackerjack news networks haven?t seen fit to cover them.

True, we have had two major events happen in close succession - the Boston bombing and the plant explosion in Texas. Oh, and how our ?lawmakers? sprang into action when airline profits were threatened by the government budget battles.

Other than that, though, what else (other than stories about the Boston bomber) have we learned about?

We have seen endless footage of the Royal ?baby bump,? with anxious Americans being informed of the child?s role when it comes to succeeding the current Queen of England - roughly, a few thousand supermarket openings and other photo ops to go, kid.

We don?t actually know anything about the oddly-bland made for TV Royal couple, other than what press releases tell us . . . but then, modern journalism lives on press releases.

The opening of the George Bush Presidential Library, which featured fawning reporter after fawning reporter talking to the former president about his new found love for painting.

Som yes, Wagnerian Reader, one might possibly be forgiven for thinking that nothing else happened in the world this week. Except for . . .

I picked up a copy of the New York Times yesterday, just to see if there might have been one or two stories the networks might have let slip through the cracks, and here are some of the nuggets I found:

North Korea Issues Threat At Ceremony For Military - North Korean generals warned that not only were their forces ready to launch ICBM attacks against this country, but that the North is ? . . . one click away from pressing the launch button.? The claim was made that pilots, instead of loading up with fuel for a return trip, would be prepared to launch ?kamikaze-like? attacks against this country.

Venezuela Says U.S. Citizen Plotted Unrest - Timothy Hallett was arrested on accusations that he was working with right-wing groups hoping to promote violence, and possibly even a civil war.

Cuba: U.S. Bars Raul Castro?s Daughter from a Forum - Castro?s daughter was to attend a gay rights conference in Philadelphia next week, when she was to receive an award. No explanation was given for the decision to bar her from the conference.

South Africa: Lawmakers Pass Contentious Secrecy Bill - The South African government approved a highly criticized bill would increase the government?s power to restrict access to information.

Agency Halts Trials for AIDS Vaccine - A trial of a possible Vaccine against AIDS was halted because it appeared not to be working, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Cancer Specialists Attack High Drug Costs - More than 100 cancer specialist from around the globe met to take what has been described as the ?first step? in banding together in the hopes of persuading drug companies to bring their prices down.

Wouldn?t it be nice if ?lawmakers? who get campaign donations from drug manufacturers also felt such concern?

And if this wasn?t bad enough, it takes the excellent HBO documentary series VICE to lay open just what is happening in Europe, while on American TV news all we hear is that folks are in an uproar due to ?austerity measures.?

I still cling to the old-fashioned view that knowing things (real things, not conspiracy drenched crap) is important to our culture, and to ourselves as human beings. It sets good example for our friends, and for the young people in our lives, while being pig ignorant, on the other hand . . .

Maybe it?s too late to expect anything of local and national news, but we can expect more of ourselves, and it only takes a few minutes a week to stay informed.

******

And here is one bit of news a local anchor and weatherman twisted out of all proportion

A local anchor and weatherman were practically giving each other high fives a few days ago, because ?the drought is over.?

This headline from the New York Times:

In Midwest, Drought Gives way To Flood.

Deep, deep sigh.

*****

Quote of the Day

The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition. - Carl Sagan

rsdrake@cox.net

Source: http://www.arktimes.com/StreetJazz/archives/2013/04/27/2833450-so-while-american-tv-news-was-mesmerized-by-the-royal-baby-bump-and-the-paintings-of-george-bush-here-is-what-happened-on-planet-earth

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Bacteria tied to heart disease - She Knows

egg

Turns out what you eat may not only be a factor in determining your risk for heart disease?how your gut bacteria digests it may play a role, too. And yet again, eggs just can?t catch a break.

A study published in Wednesday?s New England Journal of Medicine, found that lecithin?abundant in egg yolks?can cause intestinal bacteria and increase a person?s risk of heart disease.

Two weeks ago, another report said that carnitine, a compound found in red meat, can increase heart disease risk due to the actions of intestinal bacteria.

When the body digests lecithin, it breaks it into parts including the chemical, choline. Intestinal bacteria metabolize choline and release a substance that the liver converts to trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Scientists have linked high TMAO levels to increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

The studies are important because they point to gut bacteria?s role in the disease, not just diet as previously scrutinized.

?Heart disease perhaps involves microbes in our gut,? said the study?s lead researcher, Dr. Stanley Hazen, chairman of the department of cellular and molecular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.

The results also reinforce existing recommendations for lowering heart disease risk, which include avoiding high-fat foods.

Hazen says that researchers could, in the future, develop a drug to stop TMAO production, which could be a ?whole new pathway? to beat heart disease.

Clues to making vaccine for infant respiratory illness

Apr. 25, 2013 ? An atomic-level snapshot of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protein bound to a human antibody represents a leap toward developing a vaccine for a common -- and sometimes very serious -- childhood disease. The findings, by scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, define the vulnerable shape of a critical RSV component called the fusion glycoprotein.

The NIAID scientists determined the fusion glycoprotein's shape as it appears before its interaction with human cells. It is this pre-fusion shape that is most vulnerable to neutralizing antibodies. Progress toward an RSV vaccine has been stalled in part because researchers did not previously know about a highly vulnerable site at the tip of the pre-fusion form of the fusion glycoprotein. Now that the structure has been solved and the site of antibody vulnerability revealed, scientists can use the new structural information to design vaccines capable of eliciting potent antibodies aimed at the target on top of the pre-fusion state of the glycoprotein.

Almost everyone is infected with RSV before turning three years of age. Most children recover quickly from such symptoms as sneezing, runny nose and cough, but the virus is a leading cause of hospitalization in children under age one. In the United States each year between 75,000 and 125,000 children in this age group are hospitalized with RSV infection. Globally, RSV infection accounts for nearly 7percent of deaths among children between the age of one month and one year. The only drug available to prevent severe RSV illness is a monoclonal antibody, palivizumab, which binds to the RSV fusion glycoprotein.

In their study, the NIAID researchers showed how three antibodies that potently neutralize RSV all bind to the newly revealed site on the fusion glycoprotein of RSV. Thus, in addition to new clues for vaccine developers, the NIAID findings also provide a structural basis for how these antibodies neutralize RSV. This insight could accelerate development of these antibodies into therapies to treat or prevent severe RSV disease in very young infants, who are the most vulnerable to serious illness.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

Journal Reference:

Jason S. McLellan, Man Chen, Sherman Leung, Kevin W. Graepel, Xiulian Du, Yongping Yang, Tongqing Zhou, Ulrich Baxa, Etsuko Yasuda, Tim Beaumont, Azad Kumar, Kayvon Modjarrad, Zizheng Zheng, Min Zhao, Ningshao Xia, Peter D. Kwong, and Barney S. Graham. Structure of RSV Fusion Glycoprotein Trimer Bound to a Prefusion-Specific Neutralizing Antibody. Science, 25 April 2013 DOI: 10.1126/science.1234914

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/4ZGhrONTNNI/130425142434.htm

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Google Transparency Report shows censorship spike, details takedown requests

Governments are getting nosier than ever, at least if you ask Google. The search firm has already noticed rapidly mounting censorship in recent months, but its latest half-year Transparency Report has revealed a 26 percent surge in takedown requests toward the end of 2012 -- at 2,285 total, more than twice as many as in 2009. Much of the jump can be attributed to Brazil, whose municipal election triggered a rush of anti-defamation requests from candidates, as well as a Russian blacklisting law that allows for trial-free website takedowns.

Whether or not the heat dies down in 2013, we'll have a better sense of just what happens when a YouTube request comes down the pipe. From now on, Google will say whether government-based demands to remove videos were based on YouTube's Community Guidelines or were directly linked to regional laws. Google isn't any more inclined to comply with such requests -- it argues those Brazilian clips are free speech, for example -- but we'll have a better sense of just how easy it is for the company to say no.

Filed under: Internet, Google

Comments

Via: Google Official Blog

Source: Google Transparency Report

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/FRSwHF0SoNg/

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405 project stuck in the slow lane

Elon Musk quips that it's easier getting rockets into orbit than navigating his commute between home in Bel-Air and his Space Exploration Technologies factory in Hawthorne.

"The 405 ? varies from bad to horrendous," said Musk, who also co-founded PayPal and Tesla Motors. "It just seems people in Los Angeles are being tortured by this. ? I don't know why they aren't marching in the streets."

The massive project to widen the 405 Freeway is not only causing traffic nightmares for motorists like Musk but has also been plagued by cost overruns and delays.

Transportation officials say the project is now slated to take at least a year longer than first anticipated and cost about $100 million more than the originally budgeted $1 billion.

The companies handling the work won kudos when they were able to reopen the freeway ahead of schedule during the so-called Carmageddon events in 2011 and 2012. But that masked a larger problem for the main contractor, Kiewit, and the subcontractors.

Officials now aim to complete the bulk of the project by June 2014, with work on the problematic middle segment between Montana Avenue and Sunset Boulevard lasting perhaps until next fall, according to Michael Barbour, the veteran engineer overseeing the project for the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Kiewit has said "it could go as far as September," Barbour said, "but we think we're ahead of that."

The delays and cost overruns are raising the ire of both residents and local officials, who say the project is causing major disruptions throughout the already traffic-clogged Westside.

"This project has been horribly managed," said Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County supervisor and board member of Metro, which is running the project. "The performance of contractors has left a lot to be desired. ? They've shown a complete lack of sensitivity and empathy for the community in which they're doing the work."

Asked why he and other elected officials have not publicly prodded the contractor to enlist more workers and equipment to speed the project, Yaroslavsky said: "Where's the money going to come from? This project is over budget by a considerable amount, and Metro hasn't figured out how it's going to cover the cost overruns, let alone incur additional costs."

Several factors have driven the delays, including the structural failure of miles of new sound walls that had to be demolished and rebuilt, a legal wrangle over the placement of ramps near the Getty Center and the complex logistics of finding and relocating more than a dozen utility lines under Sepulveda Boulevard.

All the while, Kiewit was instructed to keep traffic moving on one of the nation's busiest highways.

Kiewit released a statement Wednesday defending its work.

"The costs and schedule impacts are the result of the project's overall complexity and the significant challenges associated with multiple unexpected utility and right-of-way issues," the firm said. "Kiewit and Metro are committed to working together to minimize future delays and resolve final costs. We ... are committed to delivering the highest-quality product on the I-405 project."

Metro said some of the problems, such as the utility lines and legal issues over where ramps should be placed, were out of the contractor's control.

The 405, which carries about 300,000 vehicles a day, is a vital north-south artery known for epic jam-ups under the best of circumstances.

In a bid to ease that notorious congestion, Metro and the California Department of Transportation four years ago began preliminary work on the final 10-mile leg of a carpool lane through the Sepulveda Pass. In addition to completing the northbound HOV link between Orange County and the San Fernando Valley, the project called for building new on- and off-ramps, demolishing and rebuilding three bridges and adding miles of retaining and sound walls.

At the time, officials forecast completion by spring 2013 ? right about now. The timeline was later nudged to December 2013.

But after last fall's Carmageddon II shutdown and countless other smaller and seemingly unpredictable closures, earthmovers, backhoes, K-rails and neon-vested workers are still much in evidence. Residents and businesses have met the further delays with moans, groans and a measure of resignation.

Nancy Z. Freedman, chairwoman of the Brentwood Community Council, read three chapters of "The Hare With Amber Eyes" while crawling two-thirds of a mile along viscous Sunset Boulevard from Kenter Avenue to Barrington Avenue. "The traffic did not move," she said.

Sol Kahen, owner of Western Electric Supply near the Santa Monica Boulevard entrance to the 405, said road blocks and surly work crews have damaged his business. He has repeatedly called 405 project representatives to complain. "They don't care," he said. "Sometimes they let my customers go through the cones. Sometimes they were really mean."

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Ntjuzv7EAaY/la-me-405-problems-20130425,0,4321838.story

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Ex-CIA chief David Petraeus to teach in N.Y.

(Reuters) - David Petraeus, who resigned his post as CIA director amid revelations of an extra-marital affair with his biographer, will join City University of New York as a visiting professor, the school said on Tuesday.

His new appointment will begin in August at CUNY's Macaulay Honors College.

Before joining the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general who commanded U.S. forces during troop surges in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he is credited with helping to pull Iraq from the brink of all-out civil war.

His affair with biographer Paula Broadwell forced his resignation as CIA director in November - a stunning downfall for a man who had been considered a potential contender for the White House.

"CUNY is profoundly honored to welcome Dr. Petraeus to our academic community," Dr. Matthew Goldstein, chancellor of CUNY, said in a statement.

Goldstein said that with Petraeus joining the school, students will have an opportunity to learn from a "distinguished leader" with experience in international security, intelligence and nation-building.

Petraeus, who earned a doctorate from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, said in a statement that as the son of an immigrant, he identifies with CUNY's large share of students with similar backgrounds.

In his latest research projects, Petraeus has examined such sectors as energy, manufacturing, information technology and life sciences, the university said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Catherine Evans)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-cia-director-david-petraeus-teach-cuny-055229648.html

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Magic of Impromptu Speaking: Create a Speech That ... - It's Write Now

Magic of Impromptu Speaking: Create a Speech That Will Be Remembered for Years in Under 30 Seconds

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