Threat to patent system and its solution ? Lex Protector International ...

Patent laws protect the innovators to gain the financial benefits from their inventions. It also prevents others from getting monetary advantages using the unique ideas of others. The Word ?Patent? is the derivative of the Latin term ?litterae patentes? which means an open letter. This type of open letter were conferred the rights of the inventors with a royal seal of kingdom. The seal was a proof king?s approval to the inventor?s rights.

The modern concept of patent law and other legal protection of Intellectual properties came after the industrial revolution in Europe. The industrial revolution opened the floodgates of new inventions. Inventors demanded the protection the rights of their unique ideas. The leading industrial countries realized the needs of formulating comprehensive patent laws to protect the financial interest of inventors. In the reign of Queen Anne, the law officers of the Crown established as a condition of grant that ?the patentee must by an instrument in writing describe and ascertain the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed?. United States of America introduced the first modern patent law in 1790 and France introduced it in 1791. After the development of transport system, the movement of goods from one country to another created a threat to the protection of intellectual property rights. Then the protection of IP became evident to resist the stealing the idea of one country by another country. Paris Convention of 1983 took a bold initiative to internationalize the protection of IP rights. The convention devised a mechanism to facilitate protection of IP rights simultaneously in the member countries without any loss in the priority date. Only 11 countries signed in the first Paris Convention, 173 countries have now become the members of Paris Convention (WIPO, November, 2008).

However, the misuse of the patent law has now covered a dark cloud in the utility of patent law. A section of mischievous people and organizations are extracting money from the inventors using the loopholes of the patent system. Patent trollis one of the most notorious designs for acquiring money filling a lawsuit against the inventors. On the other hand, pharmaceutical and other companies are selling the monopolized patented essential commodities at an exorbitant rate. In this way, they are exploiting the common people. Large number of vague patents is hindering the scope of new creations. Therefore, the people are now demanding the drastic reformation of the patent system.

Minute MBA, a renowned MBA School has suggested three options to fix the problem.

• Abolish patent system: Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine, two research fellows of St. Louis Federal Reserve argued, ?There is no evidence that patents improve the productivity?. On the other hand, the prolonged legal battle on infringement of patents is obstructing the new inventions. Abolition of the system will save the wastage of time and money.
• Tighten the scope of what is an invention: In last year, the court ordered Samsung to pay $ 1billion to Apple. Apple started a legal proceeding against Samsung claiming that the defender ripped off the I-Phone of respondent. What was the infringement? Samsung copied the rectangular design of Apple I-Phone. Does the shape and size fall into the category of unique idea?
• Recruit more specialists and judges: Every patent application should be verified by expert panels. Patents are issued to the unique ideas. If it is not verified by the specialists, the non-innovative ideas can get the patent due to the ignorance of the patent officers. Similarly, the non technical judge cannot understand the cleverly plotted infringement case for extracting money from the genuine inventor.

For more information, you may contact Lex Protector

Source: http://www.lexprotector.com/blog/2013/05/30/threat-to-patent-system-and-its-solution/

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Adam Bernstein to direct FX's 'Fargo' premiere

By Tim Molloy

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Emmy Award-winning director Adam Bernstein has signed on to direct the premiere hour of FX's first limited series, "Fargo."

The "Breaking Bad" and "Rescue Me" veteran won his Emmy for "30 Rock." He also directed the premiere of "Alpha House," one of five new shows ordered by Amazon on Wednesday.

"Fargo," a 10-episode series inspired by the 1996 Coen brothers film of the same name, will feature a new crime story but retain the original's humor and darkness. Production begins this fall, and the show is expected to debut in spring 2014.

It is written by Noah Hawley ("The Unusuals," "My Generation") and executive-produced by Hawley, Joel and Ethan Coen, and Warren Littlefield. Berstein, who is represented by ICM Partners, will also executive produce the premiere. FX Productions and MGM Television produce.

The film "Fargo" was nominated for seven Academy Awards. The Coens won for Best Original Screenplay and Frances McDormand won for Best Actress. It was named as one of the 100 Greatest American Movies by the American Film Institute.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/adam-bernstein-direct-fxs-fargo-premiere-004633125.html

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Fearful Myanmar Muslims shelter in monastery

A man rides a motorcycle near a burned building that housed an orphanage for Muslim children in Lashio, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 30, 2013. Many Buddhists and Muslims stayed locked inside their homes and shops were shuttered after two-days of violence in Lashio town, near the border with China, the latest region to fall prey to the country's spreading sectarian violence. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

A man rides a motorcycle near a burned building that housed an orphanage for Muslim children in Lashio, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 30, 2013. Many Buddhists and Muslims stayed locked inside their homes and shops were shuttered after two-days of violence in Lashio town, near the border with China, the latest region to fall prey to the country's spreading sectarian violence. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

An army officer walks with brooms in front of a burned building that housed an orphanage for Muslim children in Lashio, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 30, 2013. Many Buddhists and Muslims stayed locked inside their homes and shops were shuttered after two-days of violence in Lashio town, near the border with China, the latest region to fall prey to the country's spreading sectarian violence.(AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

A fireman moves debris following sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims in Lashio, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 30, 2013. Many Buddhists and Muslims stayed locked inside their homes and shops were shuttered after two-days of violence in Lashio town, near the border with China, the latest region to fall prey to the country's spreading sectarian violence. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

A fireman salvages goods from a basement electronic shop of a burned building that housed a Muslim orphanage on the upper floors in Lashio, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 30, 2013. Many Buddhists and Muslims stayed locked inside their homes and shops were shuttered after two-days of violence in Lashio town, near the border with China, the latest region to fall prey to the country's spreading sectarian violence. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Army officers salute to one another near debris of burned buildings in Lashio, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 30, 2013. Many Buddhists and Muslims stayed locked inside their homes and shops were shuttered after two-days of violence in Lashio town, near the border with China, the latest region to fall prey to the country's spreading sectarian violence. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

LASHIO, Myanmar (AP) ? More than 1,000 Muslims who fled Myanmar's latest bout of sectarian violence huddled Thursday in a Buddhist monastery guarded by army soldiers as calm returned to this northeastern city, though burnt out buildings leveled by Buddhist rioters still smoldered.

The army transported terrified Muslim families by the truckload out of a neighborhood in Lashio where overturned cars and motorcycles that had been charred a day earlier left black scars on the red earth.

"We heard things could get worse, so we waved down soldiers and asked them for help," said 59-year-old Khin Than, who arrived at the monastery Thursday morning with her four children and sacks of luggage along with several hundred other Muslims. "We left because we're afraid of being attacked."

The violence in Lashio this week highlights how anti-Muslim unrest has slowly spread across Myanmar since starting last year in western Rakhine state and hitting the central city of Meikhtila in March. President Thein Sein's government, which inherited power from the military two years ago, has been heavily criticized for failing to contain the violence.

In Lashio on Thursday, Buddhist monks organized meals for the newly arrived refugees, who huddled together in several buildings in the monastery compound.

Although a few Buddhist men could still be seen Thursday riding motorbikes with crude weapons such as sharpened bamboo poles, no new violence was reported. Several banks and shops reopened as residents emerged to look at destroyed Muslim shops. Trucks of soldiers and police crisscrossed main roads. They guarded the ruins of Muslim businesses that were reduced to ashes on Tuesday and Wednesday, erecting roadblocks from twisted debris.

At one corner, where the charred remains of a three-story building still smoldered, Muslim residents sorted through rubble for anything salvageable. One family packed electronics from their shop into the back of a truck.

A woman who had fled a mob a day earlier was still in a state of shock.

"These things should not happen," said the woman, Aye Tin, a Muslim resident who slept overnight in a local Red Cross compound. "Most Muslims are staying off the streets. They're afraid they'll be attacked or killed if they go outside."

The rioting began Tuesday after a Muslim man splashed gasoline on a Buddhist woman and set her on fire. Buddhist mobs responded by burning down several Muslim-owned shops, a mosque and an Islamic orphanage. Roving motorcyclists continued the violence on Wednesday, leaving one person dead and four injured.

Presidential spokesman Ye Htut said 25 people had been detained so far. He said all those arrested were from Lashio.

The violence is casting fresh doubt over whether Thein Sein's government can or will act to contain the racial and religious intolerance plaguing a deeply fractured nation still struggling to emerge from half a century of military rule. Muslims, who account for about 4 percent of Myanmar's roughly 60 million people, have been the main victims of the violence since it began last year, but so far most criminal trials have involved prosecutions of Muslims, not members of the Buddhist majority.

___

Associated Press writer Aye Aye Win contributed to this report from Yangon, Myanmar.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-30-Myanmar-Sectarian%20Violence/id-3012e89379df49479b026b2184be2cac

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Charred micro-bunny sculpture shows promise of new material for 3-D shaping

May 29, 2013 ? Though its surface has been turned to carbon, the bunny-like features can still be easily observed with a microscope. This rabbit sculpture, the size of a typical bacterium, is one of several whimsical shapes created by a team of Japanese scientists using a new material that can be molded into complex, highly conductive 3-D structures with features just a few micrometers across. Combined with state-of-the-art micro-sculpting techniques, the new resin holds promise for making customized electrodes for fuel cells or batteries, as well as biosensor interfaces for medical uses.

The research team, which includes physicists and chemists from Yokohama National University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and the company C-MET, Inc., presents its results in a paper published today in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Optical Materials Express.

The work opens a door for researchers trying to create conductive materials in almost any complex shape at the microscopic or cellular level. "One of the most promising applications is 3-D microelectrodes that could interface with the brain," says Yuya Daicho, graduate student at Yokohama National University and lead author of the paper. These brain interfaces, rows of needle-shaped electrodes pointing in the same direction like teeth on combs, can send or receive electrical signals from neurons and can be used for deep brain stimulation and other therapeutic interventions to treat disorders such as epilepsy, depression, and Parkinson's disease. "Although current microelectrodes are simple 2-D needle arrays," Daicho says, "our method can provide complex 3-D electrode arrays" in which the needles of a single device have different lengths and tip shapes, giving researchers more flexibility in designing electrodes for specialized purposes. The authors also envision making microscopic 3-D coils for heating applications.

Currently, researchers have access to materials that can be used to make complex 3-D structures. But the commercially available resins that work best with modern 3-D shaping techniques do not respond to carbonization, a necessary part of the electrode preparation process. In this stage, a structure is baked at a temperature high enough to turn its surface to carbon. The process of "carbonizing," or charring, increases the conductivity of the resin and also increases its surface area, both of which make it a good electrode. Unfortunately, this process also destroys the resin's shape; a sphere becomes an unrecognizable charred blob. What researchers needed were new materials that could be crafted using 3-D shaping techniques but that would also survive the charring process.

The Japanese team, led by Daicho and his advisor Shoji Maruo, sought to develop materials that would fit these needs. Trained as a chemist, Daicho developed a light-sensitive resin that included a material called Resorcinol Diglycidyl Ether (RDGE), typically used to dilute other resins but never before used in 3-D sculpting. The new mixture had a unique advantage over other compounds -- it was a liquid, and therefore potentially suitable for manipulation using the preferred 3-D sculpting methods.

Daicho, Maruo, and colleagues tested three different concentrations of RDGE in their new compounds. Though there was shrinkage, the materials held their shapes during the charring process (controlled shrinkage of a microstructure can be a good thing in cases where miniaturization of a structure is desired). The resin with the lowest concentration of RDGE shrank 30 percent, while that with the highest concentration shrank 20 percent.

The researchers also tested their new resin's ability to be manipulated using techniques specifically suited for 3-D shaping. In one technique, called microtransfer molding, the light-sensitive liquid was molded into a desired shape and then hardened by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. The other technique, preferred because of its versatility, made use of the liquid resin's property of solidifying when exposed to a laser beam. In this process, called two-photon polymerization, researchers used the laser to "draw" a shape onto the liquid resin and build it up layer by layer. Once the objects were shaped, they were carbonized and viewed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

In addition to crafting pyramids and discs, the researchers reproduced the well-known "Stanford bunny," a shape commonly used in 3-D modeling and computer graphics. Maruo says that when he first saw a picture of the rabbit structure taken with the SEM, he was delighted at how well it had held up during the charring process.

"When we got the carbon bunny structure, we were very surprised," Maruo says. It was exciting, he continues, to see that "even with a very simple experimental structure, we could get this complicated 3-D carbon microstructure." The rabbit's shape would be much more difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to create using any of the existing processes compatible with carbonization, he adds.

Next steps for the team include fabricating usable carbon microstructures, as well as charring the resins at temperatures above the 800 degrees Celsius tested in this study. Moving to higher temperatures may destroy the microstructures, Maruo says, but there is a chance they will turn the surfaces into graphite, a higher-quality conductor than the carbonized surfaces they have created so far.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/P6ZPU6m0K-w/130529111341.htm

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SPAIN 2013-Brian 05/28/13-Computers and Technology | World ...

Brian ? This week has been exhausting so far, a blur of plane rides, bus rides, check-in, rehearsals, worship and fellowship with the folks from World Harvest, and sporadic attempts at sleep.? So far what has struck me most is the gracious reception we?ve received from everyone.? After spending 3 years in the field since their last conference, the missionaries are excited to see each other and have also given us a warm welcome.? As I reflect on the fact that these wonderful people have dedicated their lives to the service of others, I?m excited to be able to turn the tables and serve them, if only for a week.

In addition to leading worship, part of what we want to do here is to connect with people to find more ways to provide music ministry assistance for them in the future, but today I managed to find another area of need instead.? Our best fellowship time has been during meals, and I had the privilege this evening of dining with a missionary who is working in Africa to provide clean water to the people there.? In the course of the conversation, my day job came up.? I have a background in IT, and when he found that out he immediately began telling me about the need for assistance in finding software to help manage what they are doing in Africa.? So?I?ve come here to play music, and one of my most important connections so far has come about due to my experience with computers and technology.? The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Source: http://www.worldmusicmission.org/?p=1000

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Kenya: UK soldier killing suspect arrested in 2010

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? A suspect in last week's savage killing of a British soldier on a London street was arrested in Kenya in 2010 while apparently preparing to train and fight with al-Qaida-linked Somali militants, an anti-terrorism police official said Sunday.

Michael Adebolajo was then handed over to British authorities in the East African country, another Kenyan official said.

The information surfaced as London's Metropolitan Police said specialist firearms officers arrested another man suspected of conspiring to murder 25-year-old soldier Lee Rigby. Police did not provide details about the suspect, only saying he is 22 years old.

The latest arrest followed the detainment in London late Saturday of three others, aged 21 to 28, also suspected in the case.

Rigby, who has served in Afghanistan, was run over and stabbed with knives in the Woolwich area in southeast London on Wednesday afternoon as he was walking near his barracks.

Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, are the main suspects in the killing and remained under armed guard in separate London hospitals after police shot them at the scene.

In 2010, Adebolajo was arrested with five others near Kenya's border with Somalia, Kenya's anti-terrorism police unit head Boniface Mwaniki told The Associated Press. Police believed Adebolajo was going to work with Somali militant group al-Shabab.

Mwaniki said that Adebolajo was deported after his arrest in 2010. Kenya's government spokesman said he was arrested under a different name, and taken to court before being handed to British authorities.

"Kenya's government arrested Michael Olemindis Ndemolajo. We handed him to British security agents in Kenya and he seems to have found his way to London and mutated to Michael Adebolajo," spokesman Muthui Kariuki said. "The Kenyan government cannot be held responsible for what happened to him after we handed him to British authorities."

Kariuki said Adebolajo was traveling on a British passport, but he could not confirm if it was authentic.

When asked whether British security agents and embassy officials handled Adebolajo in Kenya, a Foreign Office spokeswoman declined to comment, only saying in a statement: "We can confirm a British national was arrested in Kenya in 2010. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided consular assistance as normal for British nationals."

Rigby's grieving family visited the scene of his murder on Sunday, pausing for a few moments in reflection and laying flowers to join the hundreds of floral tributes already left at the nearby Woolwich Barracks by wellwishers.

The soldier's gruesome murder has horrified Britain, partly because it was captured by witnesses' cellphones. A video picked up by British media showed one of the suspects, with bloodied hands, making political statements and warning of more violence as the soldier lay on the ground behind him.

Hardline Muslim leaders have identified the man in the video as Adebolajo, an Islam convert who allegedly used to take part in London demonstrations organized by British radical group al-Muhajiroun. The group catapulted to notoriety after the Sept. 11 attacks by organizing an event to celebrate the airplane hijackers, and was banned in Britain in 2010.

More than 20 supporters of the group have been arrested over terrorism offenses, including a foiled plot to blow up central London nightclub Ministry of Sound and a bomb attack on London's Territorial Army base.

Abu Nusaybah, a friend of Adebolajo's, has asserted in a BBC interview that Adebolajo became withdrawn after he allegedly suffered abuse by Kenyan security forces during interrogation in prison there.

Anti-terrorism head Mwaniki on Sunday rejected those allegations. He said at the time there were no indications of torture or abuse, but that the unit would further investigate.

Mwaniki said dozens of foreign youth are arrested every year attempting to cross the Kenyan border to join al-Shabab, which claims to be fighting a jihad or holy war against the Somali government and African Union forces.

Al-Shabab controlled Mogadishu from roughly 2007 to 2011. The group still dominates most of south central Somalia but has seen its territory reduced after military pushes by African Union and Somali forces.

According to an August U.S. State Department report on terrorism, al-Shabab continues to maintain training camps in southern Somalia for young recruits, including Americans who have traveled there from Somali communities in the United States.

The camps have churned out dozens of bombers who've launched attacks in and outside Somalia.

Al-Shabab boasts several hundred foreign fighters, mostly East African nationals and veterans from the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars.

British officials have been on the lookout for security threats originating from Somalia for some years.

In a speech in 2010, Jonathan Evans, then head of Britain's MI5 domestic security service, warned that "a significant number" of British residents were training in al-Shabab camps to fight in the insurgency there.

"I am concerned that it is only a matter of time before we see terrorism on our streets inspired by those who are today fighting alongside al-Shabab," he said.

London police said another man in his 20s was stabbed Sunday in Woolwich close to where Rigby was killed, momentarily rattling people in the area. But Scotland Yard said early indications were that the stabbing was not related to terrorism or to Wednesday's killing. A spokesman said the victim was not a soldier, and that his injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Osborne, head of Scotland Yard's counterterrorism command, said officers are pursuing CCTV, social media, forensic and intelligence leads in the investigation. He appealed for anyone who knew the two attackers to contact police with information.

British officials said Sunday they are also setting up a new terrorism task force to tackle radical preachers and extremism. Home Secretary Theresa May said the group will look at whether new powers and laws are needed to clamp down on religious leaders and organizations who promote extremist messages and who target potential recruits in British jails, schools and mosques.

___

Hui reported from London.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kenya-uk-soldier-killing-suspect-arrested-2010-132149952.html

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Jolie's aunt succumbs to breast cancer - Rappler.com

LOS ANGELES, USA - Angelina Jolie's aunt has died of breast cancer, it was reported Sunday, less than two weeks after the Oscar-winning actress announced that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy.

The Hollywood entertainment website E! News cited Jolie's uncle, Ron Martin, as saying that his wife, Debbie -- the younger sister of Jolie's late mother -- died early on Sunday at Palomar Hospital in Escondido, California.

"Angelina has been in touch throughout the week and her brother Jamie has been with us, giving his support day by day," Martin was quoted as saying on E!'s website.

"They both loved Debbie very much and although Angie is not able to come right now she has sent her love and support which was very nice."

Jolie, 37, revealed in an article in the May 14 edition of The New York Times that she chose to undergo surgery to minimize the risk she might develop breast cancer due to the inheritance of a "faulty gene."

The actress's partner and fellow screen star Brad Pitt led worldwide praise, declaring Jolie heroic, followed by her doctors, other stars and thousands of supporters, who took to social media to praise her openness.

Jolie and Pitt have six children -- three adopted and three biological. The actress's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer at the age of 56 and passed on the gene, BRCA1, that put Jolie at higher risk.

Jolie's doctors estimated she had an 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, prompting her to take action to cut the chances that she might die at a young age.

The actress said in the newspaper article that her likelihood of developing breast cancer is now just five percent, though she still runs a relatively high risk of contracting ovarian cancer.

Jolie, respected for her humanitarian work overseas with the UN, said she was speaking out to help other women understand their options, and also to urge governments in lower-income countries to provide the health care women need.

READ: Breast cancer and Angelina's choice

"I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex," she wrote. "I can tell my children they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."

Cancer campaigners cheered Jolie but warned women against rushing out to be tested for the gene mutation that threatened the actress's life.

Not only is the BRCA1 mutation rare in the female population, they said, but it is also expensive to test for -- Jolie paid $3,000 -- at a US laboratory that controversially claims patent rights on the gene. - Rappler.com

Source: http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/30043-jolie-aunt-succumbs-to-breast-cancer

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Teen planned attack: Bombs in bedroom under floorboards linked to school plot

A 17-year-old student in Albany, Ore., built several bombs and had a detailed plan ? including checklists and diagrams ? as part of a Columbine-style plot to attack West Albany High School, a local prosecutor says.

No motive has yet been made public, but Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson said authorities on Friday found six kinds of explosives ? including napalm bombs, pipe bombs, drain-cleaner bombs, and Molotov cocktails ? in "a secret compartment that had been created in the floorboards" of the teen's bedroom. The teen, Grant Acord, sought to make his attack bigger than Columbine, Mr. Haroldson said.

The alleged plot is just the latest example of how the Columbine massacre continues shape school safety 14 years later.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.

Not only does the plot suggest that would-be attackers continue to draw inspiration from Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who killed 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., before committing suicide on April 23, 1999. But it also points to how such plots have been repeatedly foiled.

Authorities say they received a tip. Albany police became suspicious after they "received information that associated ... Acord with manufacturing a destructive device with the intent of detonating it at a school," Haroldson said, according to a CNN report.

With students more alert for signs of potential attacks post-Columbine, tips have been crucial to preventing more Columbines.

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• In 2001, A suspicious note passed along by a friend led police in Elmira, N.Y., to find a high-school senior in the cafeteria with a pistol, 18 bombs, and a sawed-off shotgun, according to media reports.
• Three years later, a tip about an Internet chat in which a student said he was planning to attack his school led to a stash of found stolen weapons, an AK-47, and Nazi literature in the student's house in Clinton Township, Mich., reports say.
• Tips also led to the discovery of Columbine-style plots in Tampa, Fla., in 2011, and in Utah last year.

In the Utah case, the suspect actually went so far as to visit Columbine High School and interview the principal.

?To go as far as to interview the principal and physically go there ? sends a message that they were extremely committed to doing something,? Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services in Cleveland told the Monitor at the time.

In Oregon, Grant will be charged as an adult with aggravated murder, Haroldson said. He will also face charges related to bombmaking.

?This was a very methodical process,? said Haroldson, according to a report in The Oregonian. ?He took time to even get to this point.?

The evidence gathered by police, which includes "diagrams, checklists, a plan to use explosive devices, and firearms to carry out a plan specifically modeled after the Columbine shootings" shows "intent and plans to carry out a deadly assault on a target-rich environment," he said.

Haroldson did not say when Grant planned to carry out the attack, according to ABC, but added: "I can't say enough about how lucky we are that there was an intervention. When I look at the evidence in the case, I shudder to think of what could have happened here."

Grant was arrested at his home Thursday.

Police say they have searched the school and found no devices, though a Reuters report said they are following up the initial search more thoroughly to make sure students can return to school after the Memorial Day vacation.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/teen-planned-attack-bombs-bedroom-under-floorboards-linked-173000105.html

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Bahraini protesters clash with police over raid on cleric's home

LONDON (Reuters) - Hundreds of Bahraini Shi'ite Muslims angered by a raid last week on a top cleric's home clashed with police on Friday, while thousands more gathered in the cleric's village for a peaceful sit-in against their Sunni-led government.

The raid by security forces on the home of Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Qassim on May 17 infuriated the opposition and drew condemnation from neighboring Shi'ite power Iran.

Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been in turmoil since mass pro-democracy protests erupted in 2011 and has become a hot spot in a region-wide tussle for influence between Iran and Sunni Arab states such as Saudi Arabia.

The mass protests were crushed but smaller demonstrations continue, led by Bahrain's Shi'ite majority, who want the Gulf Arab state's Sunni rulers to call elections and create a constitutional monarchy.

The raid on the ayatollah's house prompted main opposition group Al-Wefaq to announce on Wednesday that it would withdraw from reconciliation talks with the government for two weeks.

Protesters in the village of Diraz, west of the capital Manama, threw stones at hundreds of riot police who responded with tear gas and water cannons, a witness said.

The violence continued for more than an hour before the demonstrators dispersed, the witness said.

Protesters at the sit-in, called by Al-Wefaq and authorized by the government, waved Bahraini flags and held up images of Sheikh Issa.

Police say the raid on the cleric's home was not targeted but occurred during a security operation in the same neighborhood.

(Writing by Raissa Kasolowsky; Editing by David Goodman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bahraini-protesters-clash-police-over-raid-clerics-home-163102133.html

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Research effort deep underground could sort out cosmic-scale mysteries

May 24, 2013 ? The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has begun delivery of germanium-76 detectors to an underground laboratory in South Dakota in a team research effort that might explain the puzzling imbalance between matter and antimatter generated by the Big Bang.

"It might explain why we're here at all," said David Radford, who oversees specific ORNL activities in the Majorana Demonstrator research effort. "It could help explain why the matter that we are made of exists."

Radford, a researcher in ORNL's Physics Division and an expert in germanium detectors, has been delivering germanium-76 to Sanford Underground Research Laboratory (SURF) in Lead, S.D., for the project. After navigating a Valentine's Day blizzard on the first two-day drive from Oak Ridge, Radford made a second delivery in March.

ORNL serves as the lead laboratory for the Majorana Demonstrator research effort, a collaboration of research institutions representing the United States, Russia, Japan and Canada. The project is managed by the University of North Carolina's Prof. John Wilkerson, who also has a joint faculty appointment with ORNL.

Research at SURF is being conducted 4,850 feet beneath Earth's surface with the intention of building a 40-kilogram germanium detector, capable of detecting the theorized neutrinoless double beta decay. Detection might help to explain the matter-antimatter imbalance.

Before the detection of the unobserved decay can begin, however, the germanium must first be processed, refined and enriched. Radford coordinated the multistep process, which includes an essential pit stop in Oak Ridge.

The 42.5 kilograms of 86-percent enriched white germanium oxide powder required for the project is valued at $4 million and was transported from a Russian enrichment facility to a secure underground ORNL facility in a specially designed container. The container's special shielding and underground storage limited exposure of the germanium to cosmic rays.

Without such preventative measures, Radford says, "Cosmic rays transmute germanium atoms into long-lived radioactive atoms, at the rate of about two atoms per day per kilogram of germanium. Even those two atoms a day will add to the background in our experiment. So we use underground storage to reduce the exposure to cosmic rays by a factor of 100."

The germanium must further undergo a reduction and purification process at two Oak Ridge companies, Electrochemical Systems, Inc. (ESI) and Advanced Measurement Technology (AMETEK), before being moved to its final destination in South Dakota. ESI works to reduce the powdered germanium oxide to metal germanium bars. ORTEC, a division of AMETEK, further purifies the bars, using the material to grow large single crystals of germanium, and turning those into one-kilogram cylindrical germanium detectors that will be used in the Demonstrator. Once they leave AMETEK, Radford and his team transport the detectors to SURF.

The enrichment process is lengthy. The Majorana Demonstrator project began the partnership with ESI four years ago. To date, ORNL has delivered -- via Radford's two trips -- nine of the enriched detectors, which are valued at about $2 million including the original cost of the enriched germanium oxide powder.

Requiring a total of 30 enriched detectors, the Majorana Demonstrator is not expected to be fully complete and operational until 2015.

Those involved in the Majorana research effort believe its completion and anticipated results will help pave the way for a next-generation detector using germanium-76 with unprecedented sensitivity. The future one-ton detector will help to determine the ratio and masses of conserved and annihilated lepton particles that are theorized to cause the initial imbalance of matter and antimatter from the Big Bang.

"The research effort is the first major step towards building a one-ton detector -- a potentially Nobel-Prize-worthy project," Radford says.

ORNL's partner institutions in the Majorana Demonstration Project are Black Hills State University, Duke University, Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics (Russia), Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Russia), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, North Carolina State University, Osaka (Japan) University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Centre for Particle Physics (Canada), University of Chicago, University of North Carolina, University of South Carolina, University of South Dakota, University of Tennessee and the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics.

The Majorana Demonstrator research project is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Physics.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/_pJyzsPVy5A/130524134308.htm

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US equities sell-off goes on; futures slump

NEW YORK (AP) ? The momentum of a late sell-off on Wall Street is carrying through for a second day, with U.S. futures and global stock markets in retreat.

Dow Jones industrial futures are down 102 points to 15,218. S&P futures have lost 13.2 points to 1,642.40. Nasdaq futures are down 23.25 points to 2,977.75.

U.S. stocks began selling off late Wednesday when minutes from the Federal Reserve left some doubts about the level of the government's bond-buying commitment. U.S. stimulus has pumped up markets for months, at home and abroad.

Declining U.S. markets rolled over to Japan on Thursday, with the yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds spiking and the benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index tumbling more than 7 percent.

The U.S. is set to release housing and jobs data Thursday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-equities-sell-off-goes-futures-slump-112342107.html

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Interview with Ash Hoden, author of 'The Idiot of Funkyville' | Book ...

ABOUT THE IDIOT OF FUNKYVILLE

What is travel? Asking this question is like asking, ?What is life?? or, ?Who are you?? (or, as I?ve frequently been asked, ?Who are you??). The answers to such questions are as numerous as the people asking. The Idiot of Funkyville: Becoming an Everywhere Citizen takes a chronological snapshot of actual personal experiences as a young and less-than-young man living and playing abroad; exploring each of the above questions in the context of a displaced American piecing himself together on foreign turf.

Contained therein: perhaps an excess of sex, more than a healthy dose of drugs, and all the rock ?n? roll one can ask for. Balance is achieved as the vignettes build one on top of the next.

Pondering the course of my life from the confines of a Qatari jail cell, reminiscence begins with teenage confusion at a Mexican bar and concludes with grown confusion as an expat in the Middle East. In progression, the narrowing spiral of personal growth leaves finer grained finger prints as the tales evolve through destinations and age. In theory, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But that?s for the experts to decide.

Having dismounted a train, plane, boat, or rickshaw in nearly forty countries (including Canada), The Idiot of Funkyville documents a life of travel as a point-blank portrayal of my life through travel. And who doesn?t love life and travel both? Whether you?ve already gone or have no intention of ever, ever going near the place, wonder is universal. We all have questions. A good majority of my questions just happened to be pondered abroad.

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Thank you for your time in answering our questions Let?s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to write a book?

Actually, this didn?t begin with a decision to sit down and write a book. This book basically happened to me. Over the course of a 13-month backpacking experience I wrote a series of travel stories as a way to take greater meaning from the experiences I was having. At some point in time I realized that these stories were the foundation of something bigger. Then it was a process of giving it cohesion through additions, subtractions, or revisions.

Is this your first book?

Yes, this is a first. Hopefully not a last though.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?

With publishing, my biggest debate revolved around whether to create an ebook or to try the traditional route, which is to attract an agent who will ideally sell your book to a publisher. ?Henry Chalfant?s Big Subway Archive?, an ebook collection of the author?s photos of New York?s graffiti art in the 1970?s and 80?s, was the catalyst for my choice to go the ebook route. I realized that with an ebook I could add sound and video to help enhance the written stories. Since this is a travel-based collection, I thought that was a valuable addition. Through the videos, the reader is given a glimpse of each destination. They get a greater feel for the overall message and it makes the written portion of the book more tangible.

What lessons do you feel you learned about the publishing industry?

The biggest lesson I have learned is that this is merely the beginning of digital publishing. Ebook revenue is already greater than the revenue of traditional paper books and yet Amazon, the leading ebook distributor, still hasn?t embraced the use of multimedia. They still do not support audio or video formats and their pricing model, by reducing an author?s income by charging delivery fees based on ebook file size, discourages authors from adding the types of features that make ebooks distinct. Essentially, the publishing industry ? both on the digital and traditional side ? have still not come to terms with how to approach the digital revolution.

If you had the chance to change something regarding how you got published, what would you change?

It?s not necessarily something I would want to change, but my greatest hurdle will come from being a self-published author. In order to attract attention to my book, The Idiot of Funkyville, I will need to spread the word on an independent level. But that can also be true with a traditional publishing house. For an unknown author with a small existing audience, even when your work is accepted and printed through a well-known publisher, much of the promotional effort will fall on your shoulders.

Did you credit any person or organization with helping you get published?

I mostly credit the friends and family members who supported me while I put this work together. I had a lot of encouragement from the people around me.

What?s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Beyond creating the best work they can create and being diligent about writing on a daily basis, aspiring authors should learn about marketing and promotions as well. With the rise of digital, getting published has become the easiest part of the equation. The hard part is creating distinction among a rapidly growing field of talented voices.

ABOUT ASH HODEN

Ash Hoden is a writer, foreign correspondent for a California-based design studio, and architect currently living, working, and writing about living and working in Qatar. His pursuits have always involved creation. He firmly believes social contribution is a fundamental requirement for a happy existence. He attended Colorado State University where he received the American Society of Landscape Architect?s Honor Award for exceptional academic design work. In addition to ongoing contributions in the business world, he previously founded an independent design firm and organized CambodiaFund, a method of providing basic school supplies to Cambodian children in need.

The Idiot of Funkyville is his first published book. You can visit Ash Hoden?s website at www.ashhoden.com.

WEBSITE | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK

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The Idiot of Funkyville Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule

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Monday, May 6 ? 1st chapter reveal at Freda?s Voice

Wednesday, May 8 ? Guest blogging at Between the Covers

Friday, May 10 ? Interviewed at Review From Here

Tuesday, May 14 ? 1st chapter reveal at Parenting 2.0

Wednesday, May 15 ? Guest blogging at Allvoices

Thursday, May 16 ? Interviewed at Examiner

Monday, May 20 ? Guest blogging at Books, Books, the Magical Fruit

Wednesday, May 22 ? Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book

Thursday, May 23 ? Interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz

Monday, May 27 ? Interviewed at Literal Exposure

Tuesday, May 28 ? Guest blogging at The Writer?s Life

Thursday, May 30 ? Book featured at Authors and Reader?s Book Corner

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Related posts:

1. Interview with Ron and Shawn Kilgarlin, authors of ?Past Tense?
2. Social Media Examiner gives LIVE interview with Mashable?s Adam Ostrow
3. Debut Medical Thriller Author Frank Edwards on ?Final Mercy Virtual Book Tour? February 2011
4. Talking Virtual Book Tours with Hiking Enthusiast & Author Paul V. Stutzman
5. Interview with Barbara Barnett: ?When I tweet the book?s availability at Amazon, it results in a sale within a few hours?

Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://bookmarketingbuzz.com/2013/05/23/interview-with-ash-hoden-author-of-the-idiot-of-funkyville/

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Support for Victims of Domestic Violence - Coatesville DOES

When domestic violence ends in serious injury or a death, it can rock a community.

Fingers are pointed, questions are asked: Who is to blame? Why didn?t police/family/friends DO anything? Could this have been prevented? Why does a person even stay in such a relationship?

To many of us on the outside, the warning signs seem obvious, and the response a no-brainer. But the dynamics involved in an abusive relationship are complicated, making it difficult and frustrating for those wanting to help.

Even the authorities are challenged by this. An article posted on Officer.com, entitled ?Understanding the Dynamics of Domestic Violence?, attempts to clarify some of the classic components of these relationships because, ?? understandably, police officers can become frustrated with repeat calls for service.?

According to the article, the two most prevalent major elements in an abusive relationship are power and control.

The abuser knows how to manipulate the emotions of the victim, keeping them trapped in fear and confusion about the meaning of love, and feelings of their own responsibility for the abuse. The abuser may also have control over finances, access to children and other areas of vulnerability that leaves little to no option for the victim to leave. Feelings of embarrassment or humiliation may keep the victim from reaching out for support (and it should be stated here that men can also be victims of abuse at the hands of women). We must also remember that there may still be feelings of caring for the abuser, especially if they have a family together.

Fortunately, programs like LAP (Lethality Assessment Program) are showing some success in helping police better assess the potential dangers of a relationship through asking certain questions (such as: Has the abuser ever threatened to kill the victim;? has the abuser ever used or tried to use a weapon against the victim; or has the victim recently separated from or divorced the abuser), followed by an appropriate response protocol. (For more information about LAP, click here.)

Terry Moody, of the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, echoed these observations, and the reminder that there is so much gray area in these situations.

When asked how friends and family of a domestic violence victim can be of the most help, she gave this advice:

- To be a friend, LISTEN, and please! give information about where to get help. Support them as much as possible, let them know they are not alone and refrain from judgement. We may not understand why a person stays in that kind of relationship, but to be critical of them is to potentially threaten the friendship, and we may be their only lifeline.

Statistics show victims may leave and return an average of seven times within the course of a relationship. And again, it occurs across all walks of life and levels of income, within families ?of importance? ? even to men -? and those trapped in such a situation may feel too ashamed to let others know what is happening.

Moody says that that DVCCC has many resources to help victims of abuse, including shelter in a non-disclosed locations, two full-time attorneys, and, of course, a 24/7 phone line to call for help, or even just to talk and receive feedback on a situation, given that there are many forms of abuse beyond just the physical.

Their website is DVCCC.com and the phone number is 610-431-1430.

Another website listing shelters throughout Chester County for a variety of needs is here: http://shelter.ccil.org/

?

Source: http://www.coatesvilledoes.com/support-for-victims-of-domestic-violence/

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Timberwolves stay put in NBA draft lottery

Posted by Inside Hoops

May 22

The Wolves? most glaring need is shooting guard, so they?ll take a shooting guard, right?

Not so fast.

Oh, the Wolves will have their options, even after the top shooting guards ? Kansas? Ben McLemore and Indiana?s Victor Oladipo ? go top ?5 probably.

They could choose Lehigh?s C.J. McCollum, who?s a great shooter but is point-guard sized at 6-3, or Georgia?s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who would fill Wolves need for both shooters and real 2-guard size.

But don?t be surprised if the Wolves end up going for a shotblocker ? Maryland center Alex Len if he drops that far, or maybe 7-2 French center Rudy Gobert ? for a team that lacks a rim defender.

The Wolves could go that route if they think they can add a veteran shooting guard through a trade (Boston?s Courtney Lee perhaps?) or free agency (J.J. Redick, O.J. Mayo and Kyle Korver all will be on the market, but can the Wolves afford any of the three).

Reported by Jerry Zgoda of the?Minneapolis Star Tribune (Blog)

Source: http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=13322

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Girl, 14, rocks Internet with Van Halen guitar solo

Music

Kurt Schlosser TODAY

37 minutes ago

Eddie Van Halen is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and his solo on the 1978 song "Eruption" is second on Guitar World's list of the 50 best. A 14-year-old girl on YouTube named Tina S. is now racking up views with her spot-on cover of the rock classic.

Uploaded on May 20, more than 1.7 million people have watched Tina as she plays seated, almost no emotion on her face, fingers dancing along the neck of her Vigier Excalibur Custom electric guitar.

For a minute and a half, Van Halen fans of the 1970s and '80s can close their eyes and be transported back to the postered walls of their bedrooms -- look, there's you, with the feathered hair!

"Eruption" originated in an interesting fashion for Van Halen. According to Guitar World, Van Halen says the song wasn't even supposed to be on the band's debut, self-titled album. "I showed up at the studio early one day and started to warm up because I had a gig on the weekend and I wanted to practice my solo-guitar spot," Van Halen said. "Our producer, Ted Templeman, happened to walk by and he asked, 'What?s that? Let?s put it on tape!'"

Van Halen says he played the bit twice for the record and they kept one. "I didn?t even play it right --there?s a mistake at the top end of it. Whenever I hear it, I always think, 'Man, I could?ve played it better.'" But he also told Guitar World that he liked the way "Eruption" sounds and had "never heard a guitar sound like that before."

The commenters on YouTube are perfectly happy with the way Tina plays it, with many joking that they're giving up the guitar in the wake of such young talent.

"Everyone else go back to guitar hero," writes 943TheSharkRocks. "You have lost the race."

Van Halen himself, now 58, is obviously all over YouTube in videos that capture his version of "Eruption." A quick scan puts the number of views of the top-surfacing videos somewhere around 30 million. Here's one (note to Tina: lit cigarette in the head of guitar for seasoned rockers only):

Other videos on Tina's page show her playing Van Halen's solo on Michael Jackson's "Beat It"; a cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black"; and the acoustic solo from the Eagles' "Hotel California" in 2008 ... when she was about 9 years old.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/girl-14-rocks-internet-cover-classic-van-halen-guitar-solo-6C10053250

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Fisher Price moves 100 jobs from WNY

EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Some Fisher Price employees in East Aurora have learned their jobs are moving to El Segundo, California.

Fisher Price says 100 notices were sent out at their East Aurora facility, offering some employees the opportunity to relocate to Mattel's home office.

Fisher Price says as part of this consolidation, there will be immediate to phased job reassignments over the next several months as well as select layoffs in East Aurora and New York City. Employees who accept reassigned positions with relocate to the campus in Southern California.

Fisher Price says they will offer full relocation benefits to the employees who choose to accept positions in Southern California. Employees who decide to leave the company will be offered severance benefits, outplacement services and other transitional support.

The company says this move was necessary to keep Mattel growing and to better match resources with their needs.

Source: http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/fisher-price-moves-100-jobs-from-wny

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AP PHOTOS: Devastation, reunion in tornado wake

Essential News from The Associated Press

AAA??May. 21, 2013?10:31 PM ET AP PHOTOS: Devastation, reunion in tornado wake By The Associated Press??By The Associated Press A woman walks past a pile of dead horses that were killed in a tornado a day earlier Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) A woman walks past a pile of dead horses that were killed in a tornado a day earlier Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) This Tuesday, May 21, 2013 aerial photo shows homes damaged by Monday's tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. The huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) An aerial view shows Briarwood Elementary with vehicles thrown about after Monday's tornado, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. At least 24 people, including nine children, were killed in the massive tornado that flattened homes and a school in Moore, on Monday afternoon. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) Storm clouds build in the distance beyond tornado-ravaged homes Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Kandi Scott salvages items from the rubble of her home, which she shared with her mother, until it was destroyed Monday when a tornado moved through Moore, Okla., Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds.(AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) Residents sift through the remnants of their homes and parents hug children outside a demolished elementary school. Emergency workers tend to the wounded. Here are images of the aftermath of a powerful tornado that swept through an Oklahoma City suburb, flattening neighborhoods and killing at least 24 people. Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-21-Oklahoma%20Tornado-Photo%20Gallery/id-8ebdc7ad2cfb4a17a7d76794b7c84a1b

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What was Cowell thinking with 'X Factor' hires?

TV

Craig Berman TODAY contributor

20 hours ago

AP file

Paulina Rubio and Kelly Rowland are "The X Factor's" newest judges.

For the second year in a row, Simon Cowell found himself needing to replace two of the four judges on ?The X Factor.? And when the announcement finally came on Monday that Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio would take the spots L.A. Reid and Britney Spears left behind on the panel, the world reacted with a resounding ?Huh??

Neither star brings the buzz that most were expecting from the new hires. Kelly is best known for being in Destiny?s Child, while Paulina is a big name in Latin music and a ?who?s she?? everywhere else. These are really the women that Simon is turning to as he attempts to save ?X Factor? from premature cancellation? The ?Beauties and the Brit? slogan sounds like a great sitcom, but not a reality singing competition.

?Paulina and Kelly both have great taste and massive experience in the music industry and together with Demi, this is going to be a fun panel. It just feels like the time to do something different,? Simon said in the statement announcing the new hires.

?Time to do something different? indeed. ?The X Factor? joined the Fox schedule with high hopes and massive hype two years ago, and to the glee of Simon-haters across the world, that faded quicker than one of his t-shirts after being tossed in the dryer too many times. Since the early days of the American version of the British hit, when he was forced to replace Cheryl Cole and move Nicole Scherzinger from host to judge, nothing has gone right in Simon's effort to replicate the success he enjoyed with ?Idol.? It?s tough to see how these new additions will change anything.

Betting against big names
On the one hand, you can?t fault Simon for going away from the TMZ crowd. He spent a lot of cash last year on Britney and Demi Lovato, and viewers stayed away. ?American Idol? brought in Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj and still saw its ratings drop and the show get duller. So getting big, controversial celebrities isn't always the best idea.

But bringing in prominent names generates attention, and ?X Factor? desperately needs that. Always in the shadow of ?American Idol,? it?s far behind ?The Voice? and less fun than ?America?s Got Talent.? A decade ago people would turn on the TV just to watch Simon insult people, but that?s not true anymore. A five million dollar prize is gargantuan compared to ?Idol,? but no Powerball drawing.

Nor have its winners jumped to the top of the charts. Season one winner Melanie Amaro?s debut album still hasn?t been released. Tate Stevens, who won last season?s competition, hasn?t caught fire either. Without having produced a superstar, and without any prominent or controversial new faces on the panel, there isn?t any obvious reason for people to watch.

Better be good
Unless, that is, Kelly and Paulina are both really combative and entertaining as part of a panel. Simon?s placing a big bet that they are.

The two already know what it takes to judge a reality TV show. Kelly was a judge on the UK version of ?X Factor? in 2011, with her top act finishing in third place. Paulina has been a judge on ?La Voz Mexico? -- that country?s version of ?The Voice,? and will also be a coach on ?La Voz Kids.? She, at least, appears ready to fill a role as the fiery contrast to Simon?s Britishness, saying in her statement ?Simon, be careful what you wish for, let's see if you are ready to handle me, empieza la fiesta, amigo!?

That combativeness is what the show is going to need to succeed. If ?X Factor? is just another singing show with panelists saying nothing but nice things about the contestants and only gently teasing each other, there?s nothing to set it apart from the pack. The Kelly-Paulina-Demi trio has a lot of pressure on it to be fighters, both with each other and Simon, to get people talking about the show again. Odds are close to 100% that we?ll see that kind of sniping in the promotional material for the show once those initial commercials start to air.

?The X Factor's? a huge show in the United Kingdom, and American pop music fans can thank it for introducing the world to One Direction and Leona Lewis. But until it produces a singer of notice on the U.S. version of the show, Kelly and Paulina are going to have to provide an unexpected spark if the show hopes to avoid sinking further than the typical contestant?s career.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/rowland-rubio-x-factor-what-was-simon-cowell-thinking-6C10010342

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Any sufficiently primitive technology will be indistinguishable from an advanced society with technological limits (Unqualified Offerings)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/307130736?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Young and loveless - Teenage prostitute pushing for a fresh start ...

This is the second in a series of stories for Child Month, focusing on some of Jamaica's most vulnerable adolescents and young people. All names have been changed for confidentiality.

Theresa speaks with her eyes. They dance in tandem with her hands as she talks about the future she wants. Her eyes look away wistfully as she searches for memories of a mother she never knew. And they become entirely flat with images of the life she leads at night.

Theresa has sex with men in exchange for money. She is 17.

"I didn't want to do it when I was just starting," she says of her first encounter, one year ago.

"I was wondering, 'Why am I doing this?' It never felt right, but I had to get a food."

At the time, Theresa had recently dropped out of school and had given birth to a daughter.

She went through a harrowing experience in a children's home before returning to her household.

The expectation of her family was made clear: she had a child to take care of so she had to go out and make a living.

Saddled with adult responsibilities and unarmed - without an education or employable skill - Theresa took the advice of an older friend, who was already involved in prostitution, to make money through sex.

Like scores of other teen moms without a marketable skill, prostitution became a means of survival.

It was a decision, she told herself, for her own survival - and above that, for the survival of her infant daughter.

For three to four days each week, Theresa would leave her daughter with a relative while she hit the streets at 7 p.m. working - selling the most valuable thing she possessed, her body, until 4 a.m.

This allowed her to earn between $4,000 and $5,000 each day to meet the needs of her daughter and herself.

Theresa has never been proud of her choices and many of her family members are not aware that this young, diligent mother by day is a street girl by night.

The members of her family who know of her prostitution do not openly admonish her, but she knows, they do not approve.

Her job is also hidden from two key people in her life - her daughter and her boyfriend.

MORE SELF-AWARE

After a year on the streets, Theresa remains soft-spoken, but firm in her convictions to forge ahead. She is far more self-aware now than the younger misguided version of herself.

Cradling her chin with one hand, she reflects on the course her life could have taken.

"I feel like if I had my mom around, I would not have gotten pregnant," she says. "I didn't have a mommy to hug me up and talk to me and make me feel special. I didn't have that kind of love. So I started to search for it."

Theresa looked all over for love.

In the absence of her mother, who died when she was very young, and her father, who worked out of town, Theresa tried to form a relationship with her stepmother.

They did not get along and the teenager was beaten, violently and repeatedly.

"I would rather stay in school. [I would] rather have an understanding relationship with my stepmother and the people who made me feel appreciated and happy," said Theresa, reflecting on a life hardened with the realities that face so many young girls in Jamaica.

"My first exposure to sex was in grade eight, when I was 13," she recalls. The boy was 18.

"I loved him, but he didn't love me. I got hurt. After that, I just went from man to man." The loveless pattern of her young life continued when she got pregnant and sought prenatal care.

"At the health centre, they treat you like nobody. The nurses cuss me, and keep asking 'Why you put yourself in this situation?' They made me feel so embarrassed and left out."

Theresa wants young mothers to get a more gentle response from health-care workers.

"They should be more caring, make us feel like somebody. They could say, 'We know you made a mistake, but you don't have to get here again'."

SEARCHING FOR SENSE OF VALUE

While Theresa knows that love will never come from the men who pay her for sex, she still longs for an elusive sense of value.

"The worst thing is the way the men look at you, like you are nothing. I see nice women, all dressed up, and I wonder if I am able to have a normal life like that."

According to Theresa, she has been threatened but never physically harmed.

"It's very scary because you never know what's coming and who you are dealing with.

"Lots of times the men don't want to use condoms, but I have to use them. I don't want to die."

Older prostitutes have reported instances where their clients "beat them up" and take back the money after paying.

In one case in the Corporate Area, the prostitute had her throat cut by a client. She died in the abandoned lot where she had sold her sexual favours.

Faced with these possibilities, Theresa is determined to define a new norm for herself.

REFUGE

She has found refuge and support through the National HIV/STI Programme (NHP) of the Ministry of Health.

The NHP, one of a range of services offered by the health ministry for teenagers in trouble, funds a second-chance education programme in which Theresa is enrolled.

"You know when you have friends and you can really talk to them?" Theresa asks with a wide grin, referring to one of the NHP outreach workers with whom she has become close.

"She makes me feel appreciated. Sometimes when I feel down, she says, 'Just keep working towards what you want'."

Theresa also credits her strong will to her one-year-old daughter. "I want it to be different for her," she says. "I want her to have everything she needs, because I didn't have that. I have to be a role model, set an example and make her look up to me."

Her determination to prevent her daughter from having to move into a life of prostitution is a driving force for Theresa.

Data from the latest National Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviours and Practices Survey indicate that participation in sex for favours or money (transactional sex) increased in the 15-24 age group from 39 per cent in 2008 to 43 per cent in 2012.

Females ages 10-19 are almost three times more likely to be infected with HIV than boys of the same age.

Almost 18 years into her life, Theresa may be damaged, but she is hardly broken. Her resilience shines when she talks about her plans to go back to school. "This is just a stepping stone to further me," she says with dazzling eyes. "I am going to make it."

The Gleaner is presenting this series in partnership with UNICEF Jamaica which addresses several challenges facing HIV+ adolescents and young women through its Adolescent Health and Empowerment programme.

Working closely with the Ministry of Health and other partners, UNICEF advocates for the provision of more adolescent-friendly policies and services to reduce vulnerability and infection rates among young populations.

UNICEF also supports the provision of school-based sexual and reproductive health education, and programmes by government agencies and NGOs that seek to provide care and treatment for most at-risk populations.

To talk about the 'We Matter Too' Child Month series online, follow UNICEF on Twitter: @UNICEF_Jamaica and join the conversation using the #WeMatterToo hashtag; like UNICEF Jamaica on Facebook; visit the website: http://www.unicef.org/jamaica

Contributed photos

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130519/lead/lead2.html

John Witherspoon george michael usain bolt Closing Ceremony London 2012 Tom Daley Leryn Franco The Campaign